Video-game designers must be having kids of their own now, because it seems as though more cutesy, kid-oriented games like Katamari Damacy and Pikmin are carrying the same subliminal message: Children, pick up your junk. Chibi-Robo takes it one step further and will even have kids scrubbing stains.
This game puts you in the diminutive shoes of a 4-inch chore-bot, tasked with making a quirky family's life easier. As Chibi-Robo, you'll gradually explore an expansive house, doing odd—and oddly addictive—jobs along the way. The game almost succeeds in turning housekeeping into a riveting third-person adventure. The only problem is that batteries are not included.
Every few minutes, Chibi-Robo has to recharge, which means you have to drop what you're doing and find a nearby outlet. It's similar to when you're vacuuming and the cord doesn't quite stretch far enough. So as inexplicably fun as all the cleaning is, this irritating pace-killer is like a layer of soap scum that never quite scrubs away.
DEVIL MAY CRY 3: DANTE'S AWAKENING—SPECIAL EDITION (4 stars)
by Capcom
Platforms: PlayStation 1
Rated: M
Playing Devil May Cry 3 left me with almost as many white hairs as Dante. It was a game that laughed at the random button-mashers of the world, demanding you memorize and perform the most complex of combos—or die. Now the Special Edition has taken the game's celebrated difficulty down a notch. At the bargain price, the new version's still a good game, but the original's a glorious trial-by-fire.
25 TO LIFE (1.5 stars)
by Eidos
Platforms:
PlayStation 2, Xbox
Rated: M
Just as The Terminator has Van Damme's Cyborg and chocolate has carob, Grand Theft Auto has 25 to Life. All great creations have their crappy knockoffs, and they don't get much worse than this bland and moronic tale of life in "da 'hood." With multiple playable characters loosely linked by a gang-cliché-riddled story, this third-person shooter feels like the titular sentence.
STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3 MAX (4 stars)
by Capcom
Platforms:
PlayStation Portable
Rated: T
If the PSP were hollow, it still couldn't hold as many quarters as Street Fighter fans spent in an average afternoon at the arcade, circa 1990. The idea that Ryu, Chun-Li and the largest assortment of fighters this series has ever seen can fit onto such a small screen is mind-blowing. Now, not only will you be able to save your quarters for the Laundromat, but you'll have something to play while you wait for the wash.
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].