GameCube

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity

N-Space's Geist was a game that intrigued me at first glance; it was nothing concrete, just something about it gave the impression of being at the cusp of greatness. I first noticed it at E3 two or three years ago, and added it to my list as one to keep an eye on. I'm not sure if I could put my finger on any one element that struck me as being special, but the ability to haunt a bowl of dog food struck me as the kind of original thinking that could be nurtured to fruition.

The cel-shaded look and trance-like audio form a strikingly edgy and elegant whole. Jason's description perfectly captures the bold minimalism that permeates the game, from the chapter start screens that require the player to guide a laser sight over a black silhouette of the level's antagonist and blast it into a spatter of red dots, to the "game over" screens that consist of stark renderings of the characters' agonized faces that would look right at home in a contemporary art gallery.

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy sat in my "to-play" pile for months, probably more than a year if I wanted to be accurate about it. I'm a big fan of third-person adventure games, and after reading Mike's opinion, I thought it was a safe purchase on the cheap. The problem was that I never felt like playing it. The box art is very mediocre and not the sort of eye-catcher that jumps out from the shelf, and with an onslaught of other titles that I had been anticipating or that needed reviews, it never got its turn at bat.

Game Description:  In a mad search for power, evil genius Erwin creates a machine that can penetrate into the Spectral Realm. But now, the Spectral Realm is collapsing into the real world and this will bring about a massive catastrophe that will plunge the world into a state of devistation for years to come. After mysteriously having been transported out of Pac-Village and into this strange and different land, Pac-Man must uncover Erwin's plot and save the world. Along the way, Pac-Man will meet a host of unexpected "old friends," and in order to defeat the ultimate enemy, he might just have to turn his old foes into allies. There are new Pac-Man moves such as climb fences, jump up walls, swing around poles and punch enemies. Includes the original Pac-Man arcade game from 1980.

In the midst of his 25th birthday party, Pac-Man is teleported into a sewer by a friendly ghost named Ors. Ors tells him that some creep named Erwin is messing with the Spectral Realm; it's up to Pac-Man to save the ghosts, and, by extension, the universe. The story's pretty forgettable, and so is the game.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Cartoon Violence

Game Description: The year is 1963. Your name is Bond, James Bond. And your mission is to slip inside the dangerous and debonair world of the original 007 played by none other than Sean Connery. Travel to exotic destinations such as Istanbul on the Orient Express, connect with a beautiful Russian double agent, and immerse yourself into an authentic re-creation of the classic Bond world. In missions that combine driving and stealth, delve deeper into the plot of the legendary film in an experience that will leave you shaken... and stirred.

So long as they're framed as action adventures, there's never going to be a game that captures the spirit of the James Bond franchise. Mostly this is because when it comes right down to it, a Bond movie isn't about the action or the explosions, or the cars (well, it's a little about the cars)—it's about the way all of those elements combine to create a very specific feel. James Bond is effortlessly cool. Methodically gunning down hundreds of repetitive enemies? Less so.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Suggestive Themes, Violence