Ghostbusters: The Game (PS2)

The Ghostbusters return! I would have rather it been an actual movie, but this is the next best thing since they assembled the original cast to voice the characters with a story that could easily have been a movie itself.

You play as an un-named cadet recruited to help the guys out. Due to the hardware limitations of the PS2, you don't get the actual likeness of the actors, but instead a more cartoon-like look, with Bill Murray's Peter Venkmen looking the least like the actual character I remember. At least his humour is still there.

Gameplay is a mostly rinse, wash, repeat cycle. Track down a ghost, weaken it with blasts from your proton pack, but capture it in the trap. VERY repetative. But you'll probably still play through it to see how the story unfolds. At least the boss battles change things up a bit, like catching debris thrown by the State Puff Marshmallow Man and tossing it back at him to knock him off the side of the building he's climbing up to get to you.

Overall, this is a game that caters to fans of the franchise. Hardcore gamers might be wary of the repeatativeness of the gameplay. But if you've ever wanted a game as close to the movie we all know and love, this is it!

Game Rating: 7/10

Pangya Fantasy Golf (PSP)

If you know me, I like sports games with a little twist to them, like the Outlaw Golf series. Something that makes it different from the mainstream version that attract people who normally wouldn't pick it up and give it a try. Pangya Fantasy Golf is one of those games.

Think about it. Your transported to a fantasy world and are told you are a descendent of a great hero that saved the wolrd from a great evil. How did he do it? By playing golf! Since then it's become the national game in memory and tribute to the great hero, and everyone plays it. Now the great evil is returning and your help is needed to defeat it again....by playing golf.

Silly premise aside, this is a solid golf game. Simple controls, cutesy graphics and a good soundtrack. There a big cast of characters to choose from once you've unlocked them all by playing through the story mode, and they can all be customised by buying items at the shop or earning rare items by winning tournaments. There's also the Papel Shop, where you pay 200 pang and try your luck at winning items in a random drawn lottery.

The one thing missing from this game is voices for the characters. You hear them grunt when they make a golf swing, but are voiceless during the cutscenes of story mode. Voices would have helped to add more depth to the characters, but it's not that big a deal.

My biggest complaint with the gameplay is that sometimes you'll swear the game is deliberately trying to screw you over. For example, your character can supposedly make a long 250 yard drive, but they almost always come up short. Wind might be a factor, but it doesn't make sense that you should be able to make a 270 yard double super-powered shot, and your drive ends up short by a good 60 yards, and you end up in a water hazard or obstacle! This is even when the wind isn't a factor! It just forces you to remember and take the long route to par next time you play through.

Overall, this is still a fun game with a lot of replay value to unlock all the hidden costumes and stuff. Definitely recommended.

Game Rating: 8/10

Gundam Musou 2 aka Dynasty Warriors Gundam (PS2)

Using Gundam robots in a Dynasty Warriors like setting is a natural fit. If you've played any of the Dynasty/Samurai Warriors games, you should be able to jump right in this one as the games are near identical.

Off the bat, the first thing you'll notice is just how badly the english voice acting is. I really wish there was an option to use either english or the original Japanese voices.

There doesn't seem to be any slow down so far when battling the hordes of enemies, but don't be surprised to see them just pop up out of thin air. The boss battles where you fight giant enemy robots are pretty cool too. I'm hoping those are unlockable to play with as well.

There's a good selection of pilots and Gundams to choose from at the start, and various things to unlock by playing though the game, as well as upgrading your robots and leveling up your pilots. There's plenty to keep you occupied in single player mode.

Overall, Gundam fans will definitely want to check this out.

Rating: 8/10

Kamen no Maid Guy - Boyoyon Battle Royal (PSP)

Based on the anime and manga of the same name, the simple concept of the game can be really frustrating at times due difficulty against certain AI opponents as well as not being able to undertand Japanese for some of the mini-games.

After a pretty long intro, taken straight from the anime, you pick a player and have to fight against the other characters with a bizzare range of weapons designed to embarrass them if they get hit by them. For example, throwing an octopus at them would result in a kind of tentacle rape scene, or stuffing them into tight fitting bikinis. And while all this is going on, you need to collect coins that pop up here and there, and you attack your opponent to make them drop their coins which you can pick up as well, but they can do the same to you. Once you collect enough coins, you still have to play a mini game to actually win the fight. These weird mini games range from climbing a giant maid to clean off germs and bacteria to force feeding a tied up character horrible food concoctions. If you make the required amount of points in the given time limit, you win, and move on to the next opponent. If you don't fulfil the quota, you have to fight the opponent again for coins to earn the right to go through the whole mini game all over again.

The fights can be really frustrating as your opponent picks up weapons and attacks you at will, leaving you almost defenseless. If you lose these coin fights, you have to play somekind of RPG type battle mini game where you have to pick from a choice of Japanese words to damage your opponent. If you don't understand how to read Japanese, the only way to win here is through sheer dumb luck, and this makes it really frustrating.

Your reward for beating the game is basically unlocking animated scenes and pictures of the characters in the game. But the game will test your patience with how frustrating it can get at times.

Game Rating: 5/10

ObsCure 2 - The Aftermath (PS2)

I never finished the original ObsCure, mainly cause I wasn't playing the english version. The premise of the game is that it's a survival horror game with co-op play. But even in single player mode, you have two characters on screen at the same time which you can switch between and let the CPU control the other character.

This is a direct sequel to the first game, continuing some time after, and the survivors of the original show up and become playable too. Basically whatever viral outbreak that created the monsters at the high school in the first game has spread here to the local college, and you have a group of teenagers fighting to survive and escape. I really like the story as it plays out like watching a teen horror movie, and the voice acting isn't too bad either.

Like I mentioned earlier you've got two characters on screen at once, and at points you get to select your party members. Just note that certain characters have certain abilities that you will need to solving some of the puzzles, so picking the wrong members could lead to a frustrating run all the way back to your camp just to switch characters. Both active members will also have to work together to solve certain puzzles, like helping each other up higher platforms, or covering your partner while he solves a puzzle. You'll also have to watch each other's back as once a character dies, he's gone from the game unless you choose to restart from your last save point.

Another thing I like about the game is that it's more action oriented at times, as you'll have to fight through a barrage of enemies to reach your next objective. At least the weapons you acquire remain in your possession even if the story switches to the next party.

The game can seem a bit short though, but when it looks like you've beaten the game, BAM! Another plot twist and the game gets harder!

Overall, I found the game to rather entertaining even if it is a bit on the short side, and it makes me want to go back and play the first game too.

Rating: 6/10

Wrestle Angels Survivor 2 - PS2

Wrestle Angels Survivor is an interesting take on pro-wrestling games, where they mesh it together with popular Japanese dating sim games as well as Pokemon-esque card battles to simulate matches. The main premise of the game is you manage a small wrestling promotion, training and scouting talent, putting on shows and managing your finances to build up your promotion. Treat your girls right and you might hit it off with one of them in the end. That's right, you can live out your fantasy of hitting on Aja Kong without fear of eating a spinning backfist when she rejects you.

The problem here is that the game is very text heavy, so it's required you know a fair bit of Japanese if you plan on getting past the Management mode. I'm still trying to figure out the card battles as even though I pull a bigger card than my opponnent, I still lose out. I know it has something to do with the type of move, difficulty in execution, and whether the move matches the style of your wrestler, ie. powerhouse workers aren't too good with flying attacks, technical wrestlers are good at counters and submissions, etc.

Initially the game looks good, even if the matches aren't animated. You get a nice looking picture of the wrestlers who are facing off, but when actually pulling off moves, they instead use a generic looking pair in a still frame, and just alter the color of their hair and outfit to match the selected wrestlers, but the actual details of their outfits and such aren't there. I would have preffered if they could actually have added the details here. All the girls are voiced, and it seems like they do a passable job of it.

I'm not sure if there are any unlockable wrestlers, but there's a decent amount of wrestlers to choose from and match types to play without going through the main game. You'll never see an english version of the game, but hopefully someone picks up on the concept as it looks like a fun engine for pro-wrestling management game.

Overall Rating: 5/10

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Super Robot Wars Alpha Portable (PSP)

I remember playing and finishing the GBA version of this game at least twice, but this new incarnation is a whole different monster. Sure it's basically the same game over and over, but it's still fun to play!

The main gripe would be the challenge that comes with this one. The difficulty level on this one is really high and some levels you'll definitely have to make a few run throughs before figuring out the best strategy or realizing you need more money to upgrade your robots to stand a better chance of surviving. More often than not, you'll find yourself with a 70%-80% chance of hitting your opponent, but you'll still miss! This will force you to use your pilots abilities like the 100% hit aim to take out the more powerful bosses.

Another thing to note is that a game like this is what portable gaming is made for! So this is highly recommended! Super Robot Wars MX portable is out now also, but I intend to finish this before getting to that.

Game Rating: 8/10