G-pinions

Demos:

Area 51 - I'm quite glad with how this turned out. Even though the original looked like shit since the day it came out, it's still an arcade classic in my book. That, and I used to be able to beat it on one credit. So, anyhow, this demo is pretty snazzy. There's not an option to invert the look, and the default isn't inverted, but besides that I had a good time playing through the couple rooms they give you to mess around in. The graphics are impressive, especially for PS2, and the aliens are nice and aggressive. You also have a squad of teammates backing you up, and they seem fairly intelligent without being controlled. In general, the gameplay seems like a nice combination of several other shooters. Of course, I'm only judging from one bit of one level, but if the whole game stays intense and gets interesting it will certainly warrant a play-through.

Crash Twinsanity - I'm a huge fan of the PS1 Crash games - Warped specifically is one of the most fun, replayable games ever made in my opinion. So, while I've always been interested to see how Crash would work as a fully-3D game, without Naughty Dog at the helm it seems I just shouldn't expect too much. It certainly seems like a solid game, and there is some clever level design and humorous ways of going about collecting items; when it comes down to it though, it's just not anywhere close to as polished as any of Sony's big platformers. Outside of the main interactive elements, the levels just aren't vibrant or inhabited in the least. And while the side-scrolling, ball-rolling, other more quirky levels keep things fresh, they too don't exactly exude fine-tuning. I'm glad that Traveller's Tales managed to keep the humor of the world and some of the clever gameplay devices of the series intact, but without the talent or priority to get the basics down and add a layer of polish at the end, it all but makes the license (for what little multi-platform value it still has) irrelevant. If you want the best Crash Bandicoot has to offer, pick up Jak II.

Fight Club - Unlike most other people I've spoken to, I'm not against this game's existence. Even it were the worst fighting game ever, or not even a fighting game at all, it wouldn't take way from the movie one bit (and if it does, well, you're really not that much of a fan). Classic movies are a fairly untapped resource in gaming, and though it will indeed be weird to see the Scarface and Godfather games square off against each other next fall, a good game is a good game. So is Fight Club a good game? Well, that remains to be seen. Though the basic fighting in the demo is fairly harmless and appropriately violent, none of the big features are in it to judge properly. No x-ray bone-breaking, no customizable fighters, very limited moves of any sort, and no online play. In general, and considering it only has a versus mode (how weird is that?), it would seem this is a pretty early demo. On the other hand, the game comes out in the next month sometime if I'm not mistaken. As far as what's there, it's perfectly serviceable, but I really like to be able to check out what's not there. I can't imagine it will be able to touch MK: Deception or DOA: Ultimate, but I also don't think it will end up the embarrassment it could of been.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - This demo reminded me a lot of Bungie's Oni, only without the failed ambition. It controls like shit (name one other game that has you fire with L1), the coolest moves are purely automatic (a context-based dodge maneuver does all the acrobatics for you), and the narrative seems even more confoundingly irrelevant than the movie. Though somehow, it stayed compelling enough for me to finish both levels they provide and have a mildly good time doing so. This probably lies in the fact that the firepower is plentiful and the game is as easy as robot pie. I've never heard of a rocket launcher having 20+ shells, but hey, I'll take it. So while I do appreciate the attempt at making the game entertaining in a forgiving way of sorts, I still wouldn't recommend it anyhow but the hardest of the hardcore fans.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - I don't quite know how the Metal Gear series is so head-and-shoulders above almost anything else on the PS2 (or anywhere, I suppose), but it is. There just an attention to detail, a passion for character and storytelling, and a general layer of quality that drips from every polygonal pore. When it comes down to it, there isn't much new to say about this game - if you've played a Metal Gear game before, you know what kind of greatness you're in for, and you know the commitment required to keep up with everything. This is Metal Gear in the forest, and it plays beautifully. The graphics and sound are top-notch, of course, and the dialogue is as political and heady as usual. Every game mechanic touted thus far fits in perfectly naturally with the MGS feel, and lives up to it's hype. It's certainly not a game you can jump right into, and it won't convert anyone who's not a fan of stealth (well, probably not), but for my money and production values it doesn't get any better than MGS.

Need for Speed Underground 2 - Bleh. The first game was visually impressive, and enthralling for about twenty minutes. After playing Burnout 3, this unrequested (by me) sequel is just a bunch of useless fluff. You can...drive around a city, looking for challenges and getting messages from various game characters. Wasn't this game called Midnight Club 2? And wasn't it much better? And faster? And more fun? Yes, it was, and no, you don't need to bother with this sequel. If you're an arcade racing fan, you already own Burnout (and are planning on buying Midnight Club 3), and if you're a sim fan, you're counting the days and dropped features til' Gran Turismo 4 hits. And if you're a tuning nut, well, god help us all.

Neo Contra - Ahhh, nice, relaxing, awesome gameplay. Hard as a bitch, but damn satisfying. They can say this is the best 3D Contra yet all they want, but in actuality it plays much more like a 2D game. And that's a good thing. Well, judging from the long demo level at least. It's pretty, it's intense, and there's a ton of variety. Shattered Soldier was great, and this lives up to that kind of quality. If anything, this one is a bit more forgiving, so I may actually be able to beat it in less than 190 lives. Also a good thing. I mean, when you're riding a dinosaur, firing a grenade round at a tank, can things really go wrong? I can't wait to play this co-op (I got dibs on the Samurai!). I mean, I really, really can't wait.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal - If you read this site at all, you'll know I'm about the biggest R&C proponent you'll find. So, when I say I'm thrilled with UYA, you better believe it's a damn good game. That, and this demo is absolutely massive. A regular single-player level, an arena level, one of the new side-scrolling Captain Qwark levels, and a 4 (!) player multiplayer demo. And some nice videos showing off the rest of the game. What else can I say? The gameplay is as perfect as ever, and the lava whip kicks ass. Insomniac just knows how to do platformers better than anyone else at the moment (*cough*), it's as simple as that. I mean, Spyro was good, but this is GOOD good. And even though it's not included in the demo (shockingly), the online play looks as fun as anything else being released this fall. So really, you have here, the perfect game. Well, what's sure to be the perfect game. Here's looking forward to November even more, somehow.

Robotech: Invasion - The fact that I've owned the first Robotech game for over a year and never played it is a bit of a tell as to my allegiances to the series. I just don't really give a damn, as cool as it may look. And this one just plays boringly, at best. It looks decent enough, and the transforming into a robocycle is cute, but it's just not fun in the least. Destroy robot #1, then destroy another twenty that look exactly like robot #1. Or, do it in bike form. Lame. That, the design of this assumed first level is just ass. Avoid.

Silent Hill 4: The Room - You know what? I just wasn't in the mood to play a scary game. So fucking sue me, it's my goddamned site. I adore the Silent Hill series, but I can only stomach about one per year, and I already played through most of SH3 in April. I'm sure the game is as creepy as ever, I don't really need to confirm it for myself. If you do, rent it.

Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams - I'm glad I'm ending this on a good note. That's right, this game is good. Well, the demo is good, as was the first one. The level was completely gorgeous, and the 'puzzles' were well-designed and really fun. You have this little "Jibulba" (sp?) dude who you can throw around to bite or put enemies to sleep (he looks like a ant), and it's all funny and fun and all that good stuff. It is, sadly, still kind of a kids game (it is made by Nick games, after all), but it certainly kept me entertained from what I played. It's a bit different from anything you've played before no doubt, but there's lots of wacky goodness to be had if you don't take yourself too seriously.

Everything else: That's enough for one month, frankly. Killzone and Call of Duty are looking pretty good, but that's all I have to say about anything else on the disc.