Namco Bandai

I am a fan of Dead to Rights. Just a few minutes into playing the first game, I became fascinated by its intriguing mix of high octane gunplay and laughably inept storytelling. My borderline obsession with that title led to me writing what may well be the longest review in videogame history, a twenty-five thousand word treatise on all the myriad ways in which it contained the most ludicrously inept videogame story of all time. While this may lead the to the assumption that I disliked the game, or had some grudge against the sequel, that couldn't be further from the truth.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language

Game Description: Dead To Rights 2 is a 3rd-person action shooter that predates the popular original. When K-9 officer Jack Slate looks into the kidnapping of a judge, he discovers a labyrinth of crime, corruption and betrayal. With the help of his police dog Shadow, he'll confront it and save the judge before it's too late.

The typically soft and dreamy Namco presentation gives a good first impression, shaking off much of the stuffiness associated with modern racers. Unfortunately, entering the first race puts the trade-off into sharp perspective, since R: RE also lacks a great deal of the subtlety and sophistication of its peers.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Launguage, Suggestive Themes

According to ESRB, this game contains: Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

With the announcement of Tekken 5, I was prepared for a by-the-numbers sequel only adding a few new faces. Now that it's here, I'm quite pleased to say that unlike its predecessor, Tekken 5 is anything but uninspired.

In the world of entertainment media, similar properties come out simultaneously all the time, usually as bandwagon hopefuls trying to cash in on whatever the hot topic of the day is. In 1997, Hollywood gave us Pierce Brosnan and Tommy Lee Jones battling molten lava in both Dante's Peak and the aptly titled Volcano. Today's bookshelves overflow with DaVinci Code wannabees. It happens in modern media all the time, and more so in gaming as it becomes an even larger player in the entertainment industry. Over the past few years, there have been five or six versions of Taiko: Drum Master put out before Namco finally released a North American console version of it in 2004 for the PS2 (around the same time Nintendo/Namco released Donkey Konga for the Gamecube). Having first gone ape playing Donkey Konga, I just had to see how the console version of Taiko stacked up comparatively. The short answer? It doesn't. But that's far too simplistic.

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

Game Description: Tekken 5 is a sight to behold for fans of realistic, exciting fighting action. After the events of Tekken 4, Heihachi Mishima is dead. It was thought that the crime syndicate that ran the Iron Fist Tournament ("Tekken") would cease to exist with its leader gone, but a mysterious new figure has stepped in to take command. Now the Mishima Zaibatsu has announced the fifth Iron Fist Tournament, and old warriors will meet new challengers as they try to claim victory one more time.