Game Republic

It's as sure as death or taxes that anyone who takes up videogaming will find themselves rooting through a bargain bin or scouring pre-owned shelves sooner or later. For those that do, few things feel as satisfying as saving hard-earned cash and getting a gem of a game at the same time.

After my first session with Brave Story: New Traveler, I was fairly convinced that I had gotten stuck with another by-the-numbers effort copying the same schlock that's been less than thrilling for the last few years. I was about to put my brain on autopilot and zone out until the credits rolled for the sake of the review when I noticed something strange—the longer I played it, the better it got. By the end, it was really good.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Language, Mild Fantasy Violence, and Suggestive Themes.

Game Description: Fantasy becomes reality in the course of changing one's destiny from worse to better. High quality Asian animation, rich with cultural mythology, takes you through series of adventures and battles. Your travels will bring new experiences as you emerge to a new realm of consciousness, reborn to an new world.

Odds are, if you could suck the DNA out of an Onimusha game and splice it with the genetic code you lifted from Sega's Shinobi, the resultant offspring would look a lot like Genji: Dawn of the Samurai. Yet, in the same way that two average human beings can combine to create a Tiger Woods or Mario Lemieux, Genji takes the gifts of both parents and turns them into something transcendent—something that resembles its parents, but exceeds them in a lot of really important ways.

Game Description: Genji: Dawn of the Samurai takes you into an action-packed fantasy based on the ancient Japanese tale known as the Tale Of Genji. Set against the beautiful and elegant environments of feudal Japan, Genji delivers a story of two noble warriors engaged in a crusade against mythical forces controlling Japan. Genji: Dawn of the Samurai features authentic swordplay choreographed by Japan's leading swordsman, and production directed by acclaimed industry veterans. Authentic swordplay and motion-capture, executed by Japan's leading swordfight composer Over one hour of rich cinematics developed by industry pioneers, telling a dramatic storyline of revenge.

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