Sudeki (M) (3.5 stars)
Microsoft Game Studios
Xbox
Sudeki successfully blends a few Eastern and Western gaming concepts. We get the epic quest of an Asian RPG—with leveling up and specialized items—along with the hack 'n' slash battles of an American action title—with real-time combat and scantily clad babes. And like the titular world, split in two by sibling rivalry of the gods, there's a light side and a dark side.
The bad news is that the real-time combat system hasn't had the kinks worked out. Like Tales of Symphonia, while you command one warrior, the other three are handed over to the A.I., but Sudeki's A.I. characters require too much baby-sitting in the heat of battle. The good news is that the world of Sudeki is rich in detail. As your four characters trek across the colorful countryside, you'll be hard-pressed to find a nonplayable character that doesn't have loads of audio dialogue for you, all of which helps immerse you in the game. At around 20 hours, Sudeki is too short to wear out its welcome.
Catwoman (T) (2 stars)
Electronic Arts
Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube
After pleasant surprises like The Chronicles of Riddick and Spider-Man 2, Catwoman crosses our path to remind us that games based on movies still tend to be bad luck. The slinky Catwoman model looks surprisingly good, but the often tedious level designs belong in the litter box. The control scheme, which uses thumbsticks for attacks and triggers for jumps, feels completely awkward. When you're given the opportunity to play with Halle Berry, the last thing you want is awkward action.
Bujingai: The Forsaken City (T) (3 stars)
BAM! Entertainment
PlayStation 2
This generic, post-apocalyptic, martial arts mess is too flashy to hate. Slicing and dicing constantly re-spawning demons with ying-yangs on their faces is inexplicably satisfying. Those who take the time can master some magnificent combos, but why bother when mere button-smashing is enough to let your vaguely glam-rock-looking hero deal out complicated-looking carnage.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (E) (3.5 stars)
Electronic Arts
GameBoy Advance
It's surprising just how well the old-fashioned RPG formula fits into the classrooms at Hogwarts. There isn't a dull moment as Harry, Ron, and Hermione use their assorted spells to tackle werewolves, dementors, and classmate Draco Malfoy in traditional turn-based combat. Every plot point from the book has been cleverly converted into a puzzle or fight, making this game a magical experience for Potter fans.
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
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