Remember that cute little girl Tati with the evil tattoo in The Mark of Kri? She's grown up now and kinda hot (in a Disney Pocahontas sort of way), and she and a couple other playable warriors are joining her brother Rau in his quest to keep the tattoo safe from the Kasai.
While bearing the same traditionally animated aesthetic, Rise of the Kasai initially appears more complicated than its predecessor, with the addition of AI partners and a narrative that jumps through time. But it quickly becomes clear that your partner is useless, and often embarrassing, and no matter what is happening in the story, all you need do is walk a linear path and kill everything that moves.
SHINING TEARS (T) (3 stars)
Sega
PlayStation 2
This action RPG has all the same hack 'n' slash battles and weapon upgrades you'd expect. The difference is that you're accompanied through this generic fantasy world by a partner, with whom you can link some cool attacks, unless he's AI-controlled, in which case, you'll probably only notice he's there when you have to heal him.
DRAGON BALL Z: SAGAS (T) (2 stars)
Atari
PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
It's no coincidence that Dragon Ball Z: Sagas has been released in the midst of allergy season. Its unattractive, choppy graphics lead to symptomatic burning in the eyes, and the repetitive, beat-'em-up gameplay causes drowsiness. It's recommended you keep your distance from Goku's latest adventure, as there is no effective anti-histamine.
SEGA CLASSICS COLLECTION (E) (1.5 stars)
Sega
PlayStation 2
This anthology wants to please everybody. It wants to give old-school gamers their nostalgia fix, but simultaneously wants to update its games to entice youngsters. The result is a collection spruced up just enough to offend purists, while remaining too ugly and primitive for everyone else. Way to go!
RIDGE RACER (E) (4 stars)
Namco
PlayStation Portable
Ridge Racer has the solution to rising gas prices. Apparently, if you swerve out of control around every corner, nitrous will spontaneously appear in your tanks. OK, this may not be the most realistic racing game, but screeching around every turn to earn that added boost sure keeps each lap interesting.
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].