Jade Empire takes you to a fantastical world filled with noble warriors. Like Jedi knights? No! These warriors must choose between the righteous "way of the open palm" and the evil "way of the closed fist." But isn't that like the light side and dark side of the Force? Well ...
OK, at first glance the format of Bioware's epic RPG seems like a version of its magnificent Knights of the Old Republic that robs George Lucas of a few licensing dollars (like he needs it). But eventually, Empire reveals that it owes as much to Chinese mythology and kung-fu cinema as it does to KOTOR. And with each toad-faced demon you encounter in real-time combat, you'll grow to appreciate the depth of Empire's unique, open-ended stories and multiple martial-arts styles.
Breathtaking both visually and in gameplay, Jade Empire will take you on a grand adventure in a far, far away galaxy ... er, land.
MYST IV: REVELATION (T) (3.5 stars)
Ubisoft
Xbox
You don't see a whole lot of great, old-fashioned point-and-click adventures on consoles, and unfortunately, the reason for that is Myst IV's greatest revelation. A controller isn't nearly as intuitive as a mouse when it comes to pointing and clicking, and even the mighty Xbox can't compare to a PC for acceptable load times. It's a good thing gorgeous fantasy-world backgrounds are a staple of the series, because you'll be staring at them far longer than you'd like.
ATV OFFROAD FURY: BLAZIN' TRAILS (E) (2.5 stars)
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation Portable
Blazin' Trails has an awesome, varied sound track and a cool array of raceways, and that would mean something if your face wasn't constantly buried in the dirt. The physics engine is decidedly different from the PS2 version, making the controls agonizingly unforgiving. There are countless wrong ways to take a jump, only one right way, and the AI opponents are the only ones who seem to know it, and the bastards nail it every time.
MLB (E) (4 stars)
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation Portable
Didn't I already review this game? The PSP's MLB is shockingly close to its big-screen counterpart, which makes for a brilliant double play. The franchise mode has been simplified down to a season mode, but most of the PS2 version's bases are covered, right down to grass stains on the uniforms. It's nice to know that baseball games on handheld systems no longer need to be relegated to the minors.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].