I'm often asked if I beat all the games I review. And I do, unless I'm up against a gargantuan RPG, and they don't get any more colossal than Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Having beaten the main quest, I've still barely scratched the surface of what the world of Cyrodiil has to offer. And the extra content isn't just filler, where you revisit old areas to fetch 100 coins, Mario-style. There are a dozen games' worth of addictive, in-depth role-playing on this disc.
The story deals with portals to hell opening up all over the world, and you'll battle many monsters emerging from them, but other quests involving the guilds of Thieves, Mages, Fighters and the Dark Brotherhood—to say nothing of the countless NPCs who ask for help—will give you compelling reasons to keep playing ... forever. There's no end to the immersion. You'll waste hours just standing outside, admiring how grass sways realistically in the wind. If you really want to milk Oblivion for all that it's worth, then oblivion is precisely where your social life will wind up. Welcome to my world.
COLLEGE HOOPS 2K6 by 2K Sports (3 stars)
Platforms: Xbox 360.
Rated: E.
The good news: This title features all the same great gameplay from its big brother, NBA 2K6. The bad news: We already knew that four months ago when the game was released on PS2 and Xbox, with the whole college basketball season ahead of us. Buying it back then for $40 would've been a good move, but buying a virtually unchanged port for $60 in March would be madness.
MEGAMAN: POWERED UP by Capcom (4 stars)
Platforms: PlayStation Portable.
Rated: E.
This remake of the original Mega Man could've been retitled Mega Toddler, since the graphical redress has transformed all the robots in the blue bomber's universe into unfathomably adorable, bobble-headed babies. But don't lower your arm-cannon at the sight of Cutman's disarmingly cute appearance, or you'll quickly go from "Awww," to "Ah!" Beating this game on hard is no kiddie-size task.
NEOPETS PETPET ADVENTURE: THE WAND OF WISHING by Sony Computer Entertainment (2.5 stars)
Platforms: PlayStation Portable.
Rated: E.
It seems that even Neopets have pets, and these petpets are the subject of this generic action RPG. Here, your petpet will battle many fuzzy foes, open many abandoned treasure chests, and collect many pets, which are called petpetpets. Seriously. But finding quests and leveling up are needlessly complicated tasks, which will quickly frustrate anyone young enough to want to play a game involving petpetpets.
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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