Namco

Namco's Tales of Phantasia has an abundance of clichés. But the game handles them so well that it's made me see why these things became clichés in the first place.

Game Description: Tekken: Dark Resurrection arrives on the PSP, bringing one of the most explosive fighting games to the handheld platform. New characters Lili and Dragunov join the classic cast such as Jin, Heihachi, Paul and Law in the battle to be crowned King of the Iron Fist Tournament. An all-new intro movie lets you dive into the midst of the world of Tekken, this time with ad-hoc multiplayer mode to fight against friends as well as more items to customize your favorite characters. Now you can fight anytime, anywhere.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Thanks to the wizards at Bandai Namco, PSP owners can add one more stellar game to the list. Debatably better than the PS2's outstanding Tekken 5, Dark Resurrection is a reworking of the same material with a flawless technical presentation, two worthwhile new characters, and enough extras and options to make it a must-own for PSP players.

 According to ESRB, this game contains: Violence

This game shows that the DS is a capable machine, able to emulate other platforms quite well. Perhaps next time developers could choose a better game to emulate.

Game Description: Tales of Legendia is an epic tale of love and heroism that explores the ties that bind us all. Senel Coolidge, a young expert in the special skill called "eres," was drifting in the ocean on a small boat with his sister Shirley when they stumbled upon a mysterious giant ship called Legacy. Have they stumbled upon an unknown civilization, or is the Legacy a relic of something long past? Find out with them, and become part of an incredible new adventure!

Rather than a game that relied completely on its brand name, I found a colorful role-playing game (RPG) that stepped up to the challenge of providing a unique experience compelling enough to keep me in front of the controller to the end of the story, despite some smudges around the edge.