G-pinions

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Have I ever mentioned how much I love Champions of Norrath? It was one of those games that was able to overcome every one of its problems because the end result was just pure candy enjoyment. Nick and I played through the campaign mode in about thirty hours and, instead of moving on to any of the games in our always-overflowing backlog, we started a new game. It wasn't until halfway through our third quest - some 80 hours after we first entered Norrath - that we finally called it quits. It has been more than three years since Nick traded five games for the right to wield an Unholy Sword of Justice and I am still looking for a proper successor. Norrath 2 was kind of boring. Nick took the cool Lion character while I was stuck with some magic casting wussy. I don't think it held our attention for even ten hours. The X-Men Legends games were even worse. None of the cool weapons and armor that Norrath is known for but the same simple combat. What's the point of playing these games without silly weapon names? I mean, it was cool being Jean Grey and using my psychic abilities for evil or teleporting around with Nightcrawler, but it wasn't the same. We played through Norrath 2.5 times; we couldn't even finish these lesser titles once.

Well, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance may just be the last gasp in the genre for me. Ok, that's a slight exaggeration. I know I'll be ready to tear through Untold Legends PS3 in a month. But Marvel is still a very important game. This is the first time I'm going to use the wonders of internet play to my advantage. No longer do I have to trudge to Nick's abode. Now I have to pester him via two different phones, anxious emails and non-stop texting until he finally logs on. Now I have to deal with lag and kickouts. But it could be worth it. Brendan is on board. And even the co-host of my favorite Podcast, Wombat from the CAGCast, is ready and willing. MULA has the makings of being another instant classic. If it can dish out even a fraction of Norrath's fun, this could be the best multiplayer game of the year. I am on pins and needles in anticipation.

Dibs on Super Man.

Touch Detective - Because touching is fun and, um, being a detective is like conjuring some celestial being (read: heavenly), I am pumped for this game. It's a shame it's arriving only a few days after I finally picked up Contact. I can't handle two different handheld games at one time. How long do you expect me to camp out in the bathroom anyway? But I still am excited. I just love my handheld adventure games. I don't actually know anything specific about it (you don't read these previews for information, do you?), but I imagine it's a little like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney without the whole attorney part. Law and Order without the Order. A Few Good Men without Jack but a lot more Demi. I like Phoenix Wright a lot. The investigations were kind of easy, but the dialog was so entertaining and the courtroom scenes so intense, I couldn't put it down. If they can capture a little of the Phoenix magic in Touch D, I will be quite pleased. Very pleased actually. It's the only big NDS title due before Elite Beat Agents finally comes out on November 8, so be prepared to read my rambling thoughts on this at some point in the near future. Oh, I just love this time of the year. Finally, more games are out than I have time to play.