Sega Smilebit

I remember playing Gunvalkyrie when it first came out in 2002, and my initial reaction at the time was that I hated it. I loved the idea of having a cool-looking character boosting around in a high-tech jetpack, but the controls seemed harebrained and I gained nothing from it but frustration. Admittedly, I didn't spend that much time with it because my initial distaste was so strong.

As an unabashed admirer of the Panzer Dragoon series, I find myself in almost complete agreement with Gene's assessment of Panzer Dragoon Orta. Being intimately familiar with the previous three games, I found it difficult to imagine how they could improve upon the structure of Panzer Dragoon Zwei, which I regard as one of the best shooters of all time.

The fourth in the legendary series that began in the now defunct Sega Saturn, Panzer Dragoon Orta sticks with what made the first two games (the third being a role-playing game) so wonderful.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood, Violence

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Language, Violence

Mechanical innovation is often viewed as strictly contextual, in that it solves a problem or improves the functionality of a gameplay element. Gunvalkyrie challenges this perception by eschewing the conventions of its genre with a complex, unorthodox control scheme that radically shapes the direction of the game.

The world of video gaming has been paying attention to these opportunistic ad execs, as you can see from Rockstars recent State Of Emergency, a 3D beat-em-up with a plot ripped off from the infamous Seattle protests of 1999. Sega has also jumped on the revolutionary bandwagon with their Jet Set Radio series, in which you take charge of a skater gang and tag graffiti all over the city while taking on the cops.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Strong Lyrics, Violence

I'm all for quirky games with unique ideas, but one thing that Brad and other game reviews for Typing Of The Dead don't emphasize enough is that aside from the typing action, Typing Of The Dead is virtually identical to House Of The Dead 2! I went into this game expecting an entirely new game based on the House Of The Dead universe.