When Shinji Mikami first described how Vanquish would blend the third person shooter genre with the fast pace of an action game, my interest was immediately piqued. I loved the concept, but at the same time I had no idea how it could successfully be pulled off.

Amazingly enough, they found a way. Vanquish has all the normal concepts of a cover based shooter, but polished up to be incredibly smooth. They then added an insane sense of speed and mobility for both you and your enemies, creating a game that really evolves the genre into something truly special.

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When I stepped up to the Sonic Colors station at the SEGA booth, I expected to leave with the same distaste of modern Sonic that many (including myself) have nursed for years. To my surprise, I left the Sonic Colors station wanting to play more (which I did after waiting in line a second time).

What’s odd is that few of the ideas are new. What made my time with Sonic Colors so enjoyable was how much better executed these ideas were. I’ve heard the comparison made that Sonic Colors is like playing the daytime stages in Sonic Unleashed. I can understand what these people are trying to say, but the big difference is that what I’ve played of Colors was actually fun.

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"This is your Daddy's Crack Down"

“Friday Old Games” is a series of articles in which we review a game from the older generations of consoles, share why we picked it, and whether or not it holds up with time.

In the days when our household only had a Genesis, we almost exclusively rented our video games. There were several we would see in magazines that we thought looked interesting, or would see the cover art in stores, but could never find to rent.

This is not one of those games. Until recently, I didn’t even realize there had been a Genesis game that shared the Crack Down name. I found it purely by accident when searching for information on the first Xbox 360 game, Crackdown. Had I seen any version of the game’s box art, I would have more likely pointed to laugh at the monocled baddie on the Mega Drive cover, or the fake Stormtrooper on the US version.

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"Because there's always room for more Valkyria Chronicles."

It’s hard to believe it has been almost a full year since the last Valkyria Chronicles DLC was released. By this point, I had almost forgotten that more was on the way. But when it finally came, I was eager as ever to return to my “Game of the Year” of 2008.

The “Challenge of the Edy Detachment” DLC pack will cost five of your earth dollars and contains six new skirmish battles. Unlike the last DLC involving Edy, you will not be locked into using a specific set of characters. Instead, you’re free to select your own characters from your squad, complete with the levels and equipment set you left them at last time.

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"If I win this race, they'll make Shenmue 3!"

“Kart Racers” as a genre have a bad rap. Back when Nintendo had success with the original Mario Kart, everyone wanted a piece of that hot, mascot racing action. The sad thing is that nearly every one of these attempts have failed. From Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing to M&M’s Kart Racing, most entries in the genre have been groan inducing.

Because of this, my hopes were pretty low for Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, but the addition of some very nostalgic Dreamcast characters drew me in. The first time I saw a screen-shot of Ryo Hazuki on his motorcycle, I knew I’d be playing this game one way or the other.

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At first glance, Bayonetta seems like it has the perfect formula for the best action game ever. It’s got a sexy, badass protagonist, over-the-top combat, and to top it off, its creative director is Hideki Kamiya, the man behind the original Devil May Cry. All of these components have come together to make something truly special.

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The Sega Dreamcast was the greatest system that never really had a chance. When most systems die after a year and a half, it is because they are terrible systems with horrendous game libraries (see 32x, Atari Jaguar). The Dreamcast had arguably the greatest first 18 months of any console in history. The unfortunate thing is those 18 months were all we got.

Why did the Dreamcast die?

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This day isn’t about us. It is about a mutual love and respect for Sega’s final and greatest console, The Dreamcast.

On that note, I asked around within the gaming communities I am a part of to see what others remember about the console. Come along with me and enjoy “Thoughts from Around the Internet”.

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There are few games as unique and downright strange as the original “Ecco the Dolphin”. It was really hard, it had a very eerie atmosphere and most of all, it had an insanely weird story. “Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future”, the fourth and final title in the Ecco series, manages to retain all of the difficulty and eeriness of the original series and makes a perfect transition from 2d to 3d.

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A luxury cruise liner has been taken over by “modern day” pirates, and it is up to three heroes and their monkey to save the day in the Dreamcast beat-em-up, “Dynamite Cop”.

I have decided that I do not like that one line description, as it gives the impression that this game makes sense. Oddly enough, the nonsensical nature is what makes the game so much fun.

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