In Warrior Within, the happy-go-lucky Prince we'd come love in Sands of Time had quite an attitude problem. Cutting back on the number of clever platforming sequences, the sequel put the emphasis on hacking, slashing and taunting. The trilogy's finale continues in that direction while also returning to its roots, courtesy of the tried and true split personality convention.
The Dark Prince is pure aggression, and with his barbed chains resemble God of War's Kratos. But with a steadily declining health meter and only slightly stronger attacks than his squeaky clean counterpart, the Dark Prince feels like Kratos Lite. The Good Prince fares better. Stealth elements have been added to his acrobatics, so now you can scurry up walls, jump across pillars and land behind an unsuspecting goblin for a stylish kill. Fortunately, these moments make up most of the game, enabling us to tolerate the Prince's dark moods.
ANIMAL CROSSING: WILD WORLD (E) (3 stars)
Nintendo. Nintendo DS
"Wild" is the last word I'd use to describe Animal Crossing's cutesy pastoral diversions. But if you were charmed by the original's small town populated by stuffed animals, then you'll be won over by this identical version. And since it's portable, you can take your clown-like avatar to your friends' towns via wi-fi to check out their Fisher Price feng shui.
MARIO & LUIGI: PARTNERS IN TIME (E) (4 stars)
Nintendo. Nintendo DS
Superstar Saga for Game Boy Advance showed that we can't get enough of Mario and Luigi. So Partners in Time gives us two of each. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi travel through time to assist their over-the-hill counterparts, leading to frantic battles in which you control all four at once. It's fun but be prepared to multitask.
DRAGON BALL Z: SUPERSONIC WARRIORS 2 (E10+) (3 stars)
Atari. Nintendo DS
With its airborne combat and cool 2D effects, the GBA's Supersonic Warriors resembled Dragon Ball Z more than the other games the cartoon inspired. But this rushed sequel only transplants that game onto the DS's superior hardware, with little improvement. A few moves use touch-screen commands, but when you're dodging high-energy attacks, the last thing you want is to move your eyes to another screen.
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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