Ok, after hours of frustration I finally finished playing Psychonauts and all I can now do is bow in front of Tim Shafer’s superior intellect and then arrange for the man to meet Shigeru Miyamoto and be taught the way of 3D Mario. Psychonauts is brilliant, beautiful, absolutely original and at times downright sublime. It’s got great humor that actually uses the strength of the medium (err, that would be interactivity), excellent storytelling, interesting characters (shocking, I know) and a few moments that would make any great surrealist proud. Plus, the art direction is so masterful, uhm, a true master of art direction must have, err, directed it. Anyway. You get the idea. Psychonauts looks, sounds and feels fantastic.

On the other hand -and quite understandably as this is Mr. Shafer’s first attempt at platform gaming, let alone 3D platform gaming- the controls are simply terrible, sometimes even entering broken territory. Now, admittedly, this might have to to with the fact that I’ve played Psychonauts on the PC using the standard mouse/keyboard control method where obviously this is a game that would have greatly benefited from a dual analog controller, but apparently console reviewers aren’t to happy with it either. Then, there are more gameplay problems that would include a ton of things to collect, some truly infuriating boss battles, the lack of a proper save system and some god-awful combat bits. The question, however, is: do these flaws matter? Well, no, not at all.

For Psychonauts, dear readers, is hands-down the best action game I’ve played those last ten or so years and that even includes Super Mario Galaxy. It might have its fair share of problems and a distinct lack of polished gameplay mechanics, but it almost literally oozes class and originality. Besides, how many games let your in-game persona invade people’s subconscious and have arcadey fun around these mental constructs? How many games have you terrorize a city of sentient fish and collect emotional baggage while sticking bacon in your ear? How many games feature pie jokes? How many games sport ridiculously detailed levels based on wargames? None, that’s how many. Psychonauts is unique.

So, do yourselves a favour. Buy this game now. It is after all available for PC, PS2 and Xbox. Oh, and if you liked Psychonauts then you’ll definitely love Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango.

Involuntary foreshadowing can be quite ironic when you think about it. Take the beginning of the ridiculously popular PlayStation 2 for example. It was a games console and yet for more than a few months it was used as a means to enjoy the Matrix DVD. Then, a variety of popular franchises thrived on it and finally it went on and defined itself with an amazing line-up of some of the best story-driven games the mainstream gaming industry has to offer. Obvious irony, right? Anyway. Here are five of the more interesting PS2 games around. From a storytelling point of view, that is.

Shadow of the Colossus

The sequel of sorts to the brilliant Ico, Shadow of the Colossus not only tells a simple yet absolutely intriguing story, but actually manages to invoke feelings and use devices only the video gaming medium could provide an artist with. It’s a truly rare game where vanquishing a foe just doesn’t feel right, where every single battle fought is unique and where art direction simply overcomes any hurdle the PS2’s aging tech could come up with. A beautiful game you just have to experience and something I wont talk about in any length for fear of spoiling it.

Silent Hill 4: The Room

An average guy, a haunted apartment, first person perspective (well, at times), eerie sounds, a claustrophobic setting and some distinctly Lovecraftian horrors are apparently all it gets to craft a highly atmospheric horror game. Silent Hill 4, my favorite installment in the series, apparently proved it. Happily, it also proved that even relatively mass-market games can offer better plots than the average horror flick.

Okami

If I were to describe Okami in one sentence, I would probably call it an adult’s Zelda. If I, on the other hand, were to restrict Okami’s charms in the storytelling department only, I would be a grossly unfair bastard. Not that I’m not, mind you, but Okami has so much more to offer besides a wild and very Japanese story, it could easily be characterized as an all-around masterpiece. The audiovisual part of the game is perfect, the innovative game mechanics work, it is more addictive than Diablo, it’s as epic as a particularly epic… err… thing, and you can easily grab it for a very reasonable price.

Final Fantasy X-2

An RPG. How appropriate. Final Fantasy X-2, a direct sequel to (shock, horror) Final Fantasy X is most definitely a game that above all values its story. The fact that said story is based on traditional cinematographic techniques is simply irrelevant. Treat it like a film with extensive gaming bits thrown in and you’ll love it. It’s quite of an operatic (sic) epic too.

God of War

Ancient Greek mythology has been a rather ignored source for video game settings, and that despite all the rampant sex, violence and weird stuff going on. Thankfully, God of War, an offering widely considered as the best for the PS2, managed to create both a brilliant action game and take its liberties with said mythology in order to tell a truly captivating story. Not very interactive in its storytelling, but, still… what an absolute monster of a game. Not playing it should probably be criminalized. Unless of course you’re a child.

Football games, not unlike adventures and strategy games, don’t need fancy graphics, never truly age and are more than tricky to get right. They are, you see, one of them gameplay driven genres. That’s why Sensible Soccer still is a better game than the latest FIFA, that’s why thousands of people still enjoy Kick Off II and that’s why Football Manager -one of the most successful gaming franchises ever- is in essence a game without graphics. So, what are your options in digital football gaming, I pretend to hear you ask? Well, read on, read on.

Football Manager

Football Manager, the venerable series that began life as Championship Manager, has always been an immensely addictive time sink of a management game, an impressive ever-evolving database of the international world of of football and an incredibly fun game too. Nowadays, it can also be said that FM is a true football RPG, and one of those games we all take refuge in when our teams get disqualified/relegated/ridiculed. Traditionally FM 2008, the latest and best version of the game, is available for PC only, but you can also grab a stripped down version of the game for your PSP or go for FM 2006 for the Xbox 360. Oh, and a MMO should soon be released.

Pro Evolution Soccer

Pro Evolution Soccer is a rare yet happily popular attempt at realistically recreating football. There are no crazy scores here and precise crossing is a matter of technique. It really feels proper. Now, Pro Evo might lack FIFA’s official shine and impressive graphics, but -believe me- it still is the better game. By far. Makes for quite a brilliant party game too. Pro Evo 2008 can be played on the PS3, PS2, PSP and -provided you don’t mind less impressive ports- on the DS. The highly innovative Wii version of the game, a footie RTS of sorts, will soon be reviewed.

Sensible Soccer

This is the best football game ever. Want to know why? One word: pace. Care for more words? Well, how about after-touch, one button gameplay and lovely pixel-art graphics? To properly enjoy Sensible Soccer you should really play it on an Amiga, but lacking one, I guess you could try the equally retro PC or Atari ST versions of the game. Alternatively the best way to get some faithful yet up-to-date Sensi action would be via the Xbox Live Arcade. Sensible Soccer 2006 (PC, Xbox, PS2) is decent, as is the Mega Drive/Genesis version available via a certain TV plug-’n'-play thingy.

FIFA

Not much of a fan of the franchise really, but I must admit it’s quite enjoyable. And looks rather good too. FIFA 2008, quite obviously the latest offering in the long running series, can be played on virtually any console, meaning versions for the Wii, PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, DS and PSP have already been released.

If you’re a publisher with a great back-catalogue of games and are looking for ways to come up with another retro gaming collection for modern consoles, well, look no further than the SEGA Mega Drive Collection (that’s Genesis in the US) for the PS2. It does everything right, is properly priced and offers so many options and extras it can easily compete with them not particularly legal but very free ROM playing emulators. Yes, this should indeed be your blueprint, but let me elaborate.

First of all, the quality of the emulation is just perfect. Everything runs in its original 16-bit speed without hick-ups or frame losses, you can select between the original 4:3 aspect ratio or go for the trendier widescreen look and you can also play at both 50Hz and 60Hz. Heck, you can even eliminate them pesky black borders! That truly is how good things work and thus, despite how suspicious of shoddy retro ports I am, all I can say is there is absolutely nothing to complain about.

Then of course we have the sheer quality of the presentation. Info ranging from the idea behind each and every game to its original box is easily available, menus are sleek and easy to navigate, whereas the extras section of the collection offers a wealth of interesting interviews, unlockable games and odd bits of trivia and photos. We nostalgic gamers, you know, love this stuff.

As for the games themselves, they impressively manage to showcase the range of what was available on the Mega Drive. It actually feels as if they were picked by a historian, covering everything from the action excellence of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, to Sega’s top Phantasy Star RPGs, to cult favorite Comix Zone, to classic Tetris rip-off Collumns. Besides, these gems haven’t aged a day.

See, publishing dears? That’s what you got to give us. As for you gamers, if you ever cared for 16-bit gaming, if you’re in the slightest bit interested in retro gaming or just like to enjoy some lovely 2D offerings, go on, do yourselves a favour and grab the Sega Mega Drive Collection. You’ll be getting all these games (excluding a couple or so unlockable ones like Super Zaxxon, Future Spy or Astro Blaster) for a few quid:

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Altered Beast
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Comix Zone
Decap Attack starring Chuck D. Head
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco II: The Tides of Time
Ecco Jr.
Kid Chameleon
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe I
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millenium
Ristar
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Super Thunder Blade
Sword of Vermilion
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Virtua Fighter 2

Younger readers will be shocked to know that the survival-horror genre, just like many of the enjoyable things in life, is a French invention that first manifested itself as the 1992 critical and commercial hit Alone in the Dark or -as game journos came to name it- AITD. AITD, then, the first, best and still unrivaled survival horror game, and of cousrse something you absolutely have to play, went on to spawn three sequels. Actually, make that two decent sequels and one sub-par reimagining of the franchise in 2001, and do try to forget its filmic adaptation.

And now, in the year of our lord 2008, Alone in the Dark is coming back and hitting every major format from the PS3 to the Xbox 360, the Wii, the PC and the still enduring PS2. It’s so close you can even preorder it and, most probably, this will be a pretty wise pre-order too. The game, you see, might not be set during the 1920s or feature any traditional adventure gaming elements (let alone a properly Lovecraftian atmosphere), but it definitely looks fantastic, sounds spooky and will also sport some of the most innovative combat & physics mechanics imaginable. Besides, it all takes place in the astonishingly overlooked Central Park…


Oh, and here are some very reassuring words from Alone in the Dark lead designer (and apparently fan) Hervé Sliwa:

“We have great respect for the first Alone in the Dark and we want to respect the legacy of that, but we also want to put our souls into the new game. I would say the new game is not a sequel, it’s a new approach to the game with new innovations and new rules. Of course you don’t need to play the first one to start this one, but we have little connections between the two games.

The project started in my mind 10 years ago when I was on a trip to New York city, my first trip to the US. Just after I arrived, I was walking in Manhattan and I went up to Central Park. New York at night is lights everywhere – the city that never sleeps. I arrived in front of Central Park very late at night and the park was very dark. I was in front of this huge dark square and it was really weird – it was such a contrast between the dark square in front of me and the lights in the street everywhere. It was like a parallel world, the world of the light and the world of the darkness – it was amazing. At that moment I had a flash in my head that it could be a great playground for a new Alone in the Dark game. When I came back from the trip I had lots of photos of the buildings around the park and I started to imagine lots of different situations and possibilities for the game, different scenarios in the park, adventure plots and so on. At that moment I was working on Sheep Dog and Wolf, so I put all my ideas in a box. After Kya: Dark Lineage we found out Atari had the brand and we had the opportunity to propose a new project, so I took all my ideas out of the box. We had a brainstorm at Eden and proposed the first ideas for the new game and that was the start of the new Alone in the Dark.“

Console games offering hundreds of gameplay hours and favorably comparing to Diablo in terms of sheer addictiveness aren’t exactly commonplace, and that, dear readers, is just one of the reasons why Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories for the PlayStation 2 is worth your attention. Further reasons include the fact that this is one of the best and deepest strategy RPGs ever crafted, some extremely cute and aesthetically pleasing cartoon graphics, an immense variety of weapons, randomly generated levels, extreme character customization, a sleek interface and a truly loony story. Oh, and it’s easily the best Nipon Ichi creation yet.

A word of caution though before you go off buying stuff and returning to complain and moan. Disgaea 2, just like its predecessor (it’s been only slightly toned down in the complexity department), is neither for the casual gamers out there, nor for those simply looking for mindless action fun. This is a pure offering to the hardcore gods of tactical fantasy gaming and only their most ardent followers should apply, even though cases of non-RGRs falling in love with Disgaea 2 have indeed been documented. Anyway. Expect a tough, but utterly rewarding game, that has already been loved by each and every reviewer that tried it.

Ok. This is the very first post to appear on ButtonSmasher regarding Sony’s ridiculously successful PlayStation 2 console and I do feel we should be doing something special about it. Unfortunately, lacking silly hats we wont. Sorry, but that’s how life is. Unfair and not very gentlemanly. Anyway. Let me suggest you have a look at five of the best games (very) recently released for the old thing instead. If nothing else, you might just be convinced that the PS2 is far from dying or being replaced by them PS3 thingies.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami): the latest version of the best football franchise for the PlayStation. Plays a proper game and almost manages to feel as good as Sensible Soccer. Oh, and it’s the first high scoring version if you know what I mean.

Guitar Hero III (Activision): classic guitar clicking with some lovely -if not classic- rock tunes. The visuals and play modes have been updated too and this time around you might actually enjoy the fact that it comes with wireless guitars.

Grim Grimoire (Koei): a rare real time strategy offering, that actually works almost as well as your average PC RTS. Happily sports some mighty impressive manga style visuals and interesting RPG bits.

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (Square Enix): the most impressive RPG to ever hit the PS2. Fantastic graphics, an excellent fighting system and a very Euro-RPG feel help it stand out. Also manages to pull off a pretty unusual 2D/3D mix of gaming styles.

Buzz! the Mega Quiz (Sony): shockingly a quiz game. Moderately enjoyable, massively popular and rather on the kids-friendly side of thing, but it does come with four outrageous controllers.