I know kung fu

Forget what you know about video games based on movies for just a minute. Now imagine a movie that you loved (or in this case a trilogy). Wouldn't it be great to continue that experience in game form; to relive those awesome moments with you controlling the action. I believe that was always the intent with movie games but it almost never seems to work out. Perhaps game developers should take a look back on some PS2 era games because The Matrix: Path of Neo is a great game.

Game of the Year :: Ni no Kuni

My Game of the Year is the title that brought me the most joy and kept my attention the longest. This early January 2013 title stayed in my thoughts throughout the day, and tugged at my heart strings throughout my time with it. It’s a game that took me to another world while still keeping me grounded with another “real world” to relate to. It gave me the chance to “collect ‘em all” and has kept me a little bit younger.

mass effect 2

Traveling across galaxies trying to recruit a band of heroes for a “suicide mission” can be tough work. Commander Shepard, a trained human soldier, is on a mission to save the universe from the threats facing civilization. In Mass Effect 2 the latest threat is from the alien race known as the Reapers. The Reapers, working in conjunction with the mysterious Collectors, are causing human colonies along the fringe frontiers to disappear. In order to face the Reapers, Shepard and crew with have to use the the Omega-4 Relay to reach the Reavers part of space. It’s a suicide mission for one man alone; you will have to make valuable allies along the way both human and alien. Shepard will save the day, that is, before he dies. Because you basically start this action-oriented, role playing game floating in space, dead.
 
WARNING: Slight spoilers on an older game ahead

resistance: fall of man

PLATFORM: PS3
RELEASE DATE: 11/2006
DEVELOPER: Insomniac Games
PUBLISHER: Sony
ESRB RATING: M for Mature
Progress: Finished

I don't really want to over-use the term "Gamedae Favorite" but this is a recent addition to the alumni. It has been a long while since a first-person shooter (FPS) has held my attention as sharply as Resistance: Fall of Man has. I've passed up purchasing Resistance until now because it wasn't a co-op game but also because I didn't own a PS3 when it was first released in 2006. With all the hype surrounding the newly released Resistance 3, I got excited and picked up the Resistance (parts 1 & 2) PS Dual Pack. (Side note: Big fan of the dual pack idea--keep'em coming Sony). Seven days later I have trudged through the war-torn European landscape of Britain, defeated the ravenous Chimera, and damn, if it wasn't an awesome game.

portal 2 by zoidberger

PLATFORM: PS3

RELEASE DATE: 04/2011

DEVELOPER: Valve Corporation

PUBLISHER: Valve Corporation

ESRB RATING: E10+

Progress: 100% Single Player, 65% Co-Op

I’ll be damned if a lack of baked goods from the first installment was going to stop me from playing the much anticipated sequel to one of the most beloved puzzle games of all time. I was a huge fan of the first-person physics-based puzzle game and had lofty expectations for the sequel. Portal 2 did what most sequels are unable to do with those expectations, surpass them.

bionic commando rearmed

PLATFORM: PS3
RELEASE DATE: 10/2010
DEVELOPER: Team17 Software
ESRB RATING: T

Progress: 100%

Most would agree that nostalgia can be a powerful force, especially when influencing which video games you spend your time playing. I've told you, or someone else has, that "your memory of a game may be better than it actually was". This holds true for most old games and some movies as well. Times have changed and games have improved so much it can be jarring to replay some of the classics after a while. Their limited game play controls and simple 8 bit graphics just can't compete. One such game that stands up to the test of time is the original Bionic Commando.

ratchet & clank future: a crack in time

PLATFORM: PS3
RELEASE DATE: 10/2009
DEVELOPER: Insomniac
ESRB RATING: E10+

Progress: 76% trophies as of posting

Right off the bat I need to tell you this review is completely biased. I'm fairly certain Ratchet & Clank is my current favorite video game/franchise. The graphics from the first Ratchet &Clank Future PS3 Release in 2007 is the reason I dropped my Wiimote and came over to The Darkside Playstation. The latest release in this very sucessfull Playstation exclusive franchise is Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. This is a very finely polished platformer that excels with its engaging story, humor and action. Go forth and join this fuzzy, alien Lombax named Ratchet on his journey to rescue his lost buddy Clank and uncover some secrets about himself.