PSYCHONAUTS (T) (4.5 stars)
Majesco
Xbox
Could you sort out your emotional baggage if you had the proper luggage tags? If your personal demons blow up in your face, does it subtract a lot of health points? These are the important questions answered in Psychonauts, an insanely clever game where the twisted mindscapes of some seriously disturbed individuals become your battlefield.
As Raz, mental warrior-to-be, you must uncover the mystery of the brain-washings at the Psychonaut training camp. Your quest will take you from the explosive psyche of a shell-shocked war veteran to the fearful delusions of a paranoid milkman to the brink of total madness.
Though essentially a typical 3D platformer, Psychonauts gradually adds to its complexity with a series of innovative psychic abilities. The wickedly witty story takes you from one wildly different and visually stunning environment to the next at the perfect pace. Just when you're dying to be astounded once more, the game complies—almost as though it read your mind.
RESIDENT EVIL OUTBREAK: FILE NO. 2 (M) (2 stars)
Capcom
PlayStation 2
Resident Evil Outbreak is beginning to resemble its villains: It's dead, it's borderline rotten, and yet it persists in sticking around to gnaw on your brain, which has become more annoying than scary. There was a time when hunting for crest keys in the Raccoon Police Department was pure bliss, but the revolutionary Resident Evil 4 has taken us beyond that. Let the old format rest in peace.
STELLA DEUS: THE GATE OF ETERNITY (T) (3.5 stars)
Atlus
PlayStation 2
A deadly fog is consuming the world. Soon, all the lands will be covered in the poisonous miasma, and all life will meet its inevitable doom. But hey, that doesn't mean you can't make the most of your time by killing evil forces with turn-based strategy. The remaining untainted parts of the world are conveniently divided into grid squares, across which you can perform multiple attacks on challenging foes.
POKEMON EMERALD (E) (3.5 stars)
Nintendo
GameBoy Advance
It only takes a few experience points to change a Squirtle into a Wartortle, but it seems to take a lot more for the Pokemon franchise itself to evolve. First there was Pokemon Ruby, then Sapphire, and now Emerald. Apparently, as long as there are new gemstones to add to the title, Nintendo will keep rehashing the same game. The original RPG formula is still strong, but without any new variations, I'm starting to wonder if I've really gotta catch 'em all.
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].