Game Boy Advance

Game Description: An epic unfolds in a strange new land as Mario and Luigi team up for a hilarious, action-packed quest! An evil witch has stolen Princess Peach's voice, replacing her fair speech with explosives! As chaos breaks out in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Luigi head for the castle and meet up with Bowser, who just arrived to kidnap the princess. When they find out what happened, these sworn enemies join forces and follow the witch to a neighboring kingdom.

For those whose should-know-better stubbornness can go round for round with that of the game's level designers, amazingly and in spite of its crudities and failings, Pursuit Force's pull factor never really wanes.

Games that are story-oriented, which are usually the kinds of game that try to create evocative and beautiful spaces filled with detail, seem made for admiring in this way. In my experience of playing story-driven games on a portable platform, the only ones that ever really worked for me were ones on Game Boy Color.

Game Description: It's the most exciting Castlevania adventure yet! The year is 2035 and Soma Cruz is about to witness the first solar eclipse of the 21st century when he suddenly blacks out - only to awaken inside a mysterious castle. As Soma, you must navigate the castle's labyrinths while confronting perilous monsters at every turn. But beware, you must escape before evil consumes you!

Games can usually be broken down into two distinct categories: experiences and diversions. Experiences tend to be ambitious games, large in scope and innovative in design. They can surprise me, knock me off balance, make me think and wonder and use my imagination.

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

Thanks in no small part to the success of Final Fantasy Tactics, American gamers have been treated to a mini-renaissance in this niche genre. Games like the Game Boy Advance (GBA) version of Tactics Ogre, Atlus' recently released Disgaea for the PlayStation 2 (PS2), and the much anticipated Fire Emblem for the GBA are dishing out loads of strategy RPG goodness to a market starving for more.

Never one to miss out on cashing in on a craze it helped inspire, Square (along with new partner Enix) has jumped into the mix as well by releasing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the GBA. So, does this title live up to the legend inspired by its predecessor? Generally speaking, yes.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Alcohol Reference, Mild Violence

I can do without a lot of the pseudo-religious preachiness that certain games inflict on the player in the form of hefty non-interactive dialogue. While a game can spout out socially relevant and morally suggestive dialogue all it wants, it's just as easy for gamers to impatiently scroll through the text while letting their eyes wander around the room and not paying any attention to the message that the game is so painstakingly trying to convey.