Well, here we are. Yet another week, and yet another stack of games. How do I do it? Well, I’ll share my secret. I can’t have a social life, or a girlfriend. Or a job.

Someone should tell my friends, my girlfriend and my boss where I am. They might miss me. On with the reviews.

FLAT

Once again we go with a highly apropos title for a review this week with our look at FLATOUT 2 for the PS2 and Xbox. The sequel to last year’s surprise it racing game has more of the same, and thankfully includes a good bit of polish, but eventually ends up just as our title suggests.

This time around, the cars are less toward junkers and more towards classics and muscle car types. They’re still all generic, but they at least look a little less…well, redneck. As it stands, last year’s title was essentially that; a redneck version of BURNOUT, full of crashes and chaos, but rather than focusing solely on the wrecks, it’s emphasis was on what happens AFTER you wreck, the debris littering the tracks, and eventually, the ejection of your driver after a most heinous crash.

And while that’s the point, it’s also the game’s biggest hindrance. The debris tends to get TOO MUCH in the way…which, yes, is part of the challenge, but it also just really drags down the racing. The fact that the cars all handle rather “floaty” also helps to drag the control down pretty far, weather avoiding the detritus or not. Admittedly, the rag doll physics of your ejected driver are still the most fun of the race, and thankfully, there’s been an added destruction derby to showcase this.

Still, the best showcase for this feature, are the aptly titled Rag Doll mini games. This time, all 12 of the mini games are unlocked form the start and you can choose from new games such as bowling, baseball, as well as the standard high jump and distance trackers (though they all have new obstacles on the tracks for added difficulty). Once again, as with last year’s game, these games are actually more fun than the races and career mode themselves, and most gamers will spend most of their time trying to beat their own best scores.

So, what the player is left with is a few moderate races, will a smattering of fun ways to throw a person out of the windshield of a car with a rocket strapped to the back of it. Not a bad way to spend a weekend, but maybe not worth your $40.

One Gamer’s Opinion:

WHAT MAKES THIS ONE “SUPER”?

Well, it’s that time again. Time to review yet another DRAGON BALL Z game. This one, entitled SUPER DRAGON BALL Z, out now for PS2, is a bit of a departure for the series. A departure in that it doesn’t suck nearly as badly as many of the previous titles have, and in that it’s not nearly as much fan service as the previous titles either.

Developed in conjunction with one of the producers of the original STRET FIGHTER II, this title has more in common with those games than any of the DBZ BUDOKAI games. There’s obviously a heavier influence on the actual fighting in this title, and it shows, with familiar moves galore (Goku’s kamehameha is done via Ryu’s fireball motion) and a good deal of combos. Ported from an arcade game in Japan, this title also features the LEAST amount of characters in a DBZ fighter, a total of 18 (beginning with 12 and 6 unlockable through game’s progression).

That’s not entirely a bad thing, however, as the fighters your are given are customizable (to a certain extent) via the capsules you’ll find around stages and from winning battles. Still, most aren’t balanced that fairly, sadly, with Vegeta and Goku getting the most power anyhow. But, then again, they’re whom everyone wants to play as anyway, so I’m not even sure why they include anymore characters in these games to begin with. Are there any other characters in the games that fans play as? Seriously, I’d like to know…

Regardless, it’s not a horrible title. I’ve seen and played worse, and for a game based on a license that, admittedly, has worn out it’s welcome, it’s even had worse in it’s very own catalogue. While it may not be the best the series has seen (or the last) it’s certainly it’s own beast, and finally has something to offer real fighting fans, and not just fans of DBZ. Most SFII folks won’t break a sweat playing, of course, but it’s a step in the right direction.

One Gamer’s Opinion:

FUNERAL DIRGE

I’m about to admit something that is bound to revoke my credit as a legitimate gamer, and probably that will make me lose the respect of those of you who frequent my column (yes, both of you). Before this past week, I have NEVER played a FINAL FANTASY game (other than time with the horribly boring FFXI beta). There, I said it. Let the slings and arrows begin…

Although, I’ll admit, despite having FINAL FANTASY VII in the title, I don’t think DIRGE OF CERBERUS qualifies as a FF game, at least not in the traditional sense. While it technically is a sequel (taking place just three years after the events in the original FFVII game, and one year after the CG-i movie ADVENT CHILDREN) it’s not an RPG, but rather a first/third person shooter with elements of platforming and RPG thrown in for good measure.

That isn’t to say that the game isn’t fun, nor that it won’t have things that will send FFVII fans into fanboyish glee and twitter. Just about all your favorite characters show up (albeit in brief cameos, other than Cait/Reeve and Yuffie) and the lead character is even fan favorite Vincent Valentine in all his brooding, emo troubled glory.

The game tries to emulate the style of most FPS games, while throwing in a bit of unnecessary jumping, double jumping and melee combat, attempting a sort of VINCENT MAY CRY title. Sadly, when it comes down to it, it’s little more than an arcade shooter. The enemies are all fairly easy (even on hard mode) and by most shooter standards, it doesn’t offer up a lot to fans of that genre.

That isn’t to say it’s a bad game, just a poorly made one. There’s plenty of fan service here to go around, and the story ties neatly into the events of the previous game and movie. It’s CG cut scenes are simply gorgeous, matching the quality of ADVENT CHILDREN, though there aren’t enough of them, and the game usually opts to showcase the story through in game graphics that, while nice and pretty, aren’t the same quality. The audio quality is also fantastic, and the whole focus of the game (that is, the story) is executed very well.

While the game’s control isn’t all it should be, with targeting being twitchy at best, the customization for the weapons is very well done. Vincent can create a variety of weapons from parts he finds around, and can even outfit them with different types of materia. It may not be the best thing to happen to the series, but at least it’s a diversion from the norm. Still, what’s there is fun, if a bit “same-y” in it’s execution if you’re a fan of shooters.

For a FF game (even one based on FFVII) the story is there enough to keep the fans happy. For shooter fans, the customization is there, but there isn’t much else to challenge them. Find out which group you belong in and buy accordingly.

One Gamer’s Opinion:

Now I’m off to locate my friends and girlfriend to let them know I’m still alive. Work can find out later.

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