The original Gauntlet is a true arcade classic—the kind of game that inspires a new genre. Every great hack 'n' slash dungeon crawl from 1996's Diablo to 2004's Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone owes a mighty debt to the original Warrior, Wizard, Valkyrie and Elf, who we once worshipped as pagan gods with offerings of quarters. But how has the Gauntlet series evolved in the last 20 years?
It hasn't. At first, you'll giggle at the narrator's nostalgic lines like, "Wizard needs food badly!" And you'll be content to obliterate hordes of monsters with 50-hit combos. But after an hour or so, you'll wonder if there's anything else to do other than killing everything. Then you'll enter a room, and the words "Find a way out!" will appear. Ah, a puzzle! How do you solve the puzzle? You kill everything, and then a key magically materializes. You'd think in 20 years they would've created a couple of Gauntlet sequels with some added depth and variation. Oh, wait; they did: They're called Diablo and Forgotten Realms.
SUPER MARIO STRIKERS (E) (3.5 stars)
Nintendo. GameCube
In the Mushroom Kingdom, do they call it soccer or football? Whatever they call it, with Mario's typical zany power-ups thrown in, Strikers winds up being a fast-paced, arcade-style sports game. Overpowered defense moves keep it from feeling like real soccer, but when you've got a gorilla, an alligator, and two turtles on the field, you probably shouldn't expect real soccer.
AMERICA'S ARMY: RISE OF A SOLDIER (T) (3 stars)
Ubisoft. PlayStation 2, Xbox
This game was originally a free download and recruitment tool for the Army. On the plus side, that means its mechanics are pretty realistic as first-person shooters go. On the down side, it also means you're paying for Army propaganda. But if you're torn between your desire to be all you can be and your compulsion to remain sitting on your ass, this one's for you.
MARIO TENNIS: POWER TOUR (E) (4 stars)
Nintendo. GameBoy Advance
Mario's going to pull a ligament if he keeps shoehorning himself into every sport in existence. But when the athletic Italian overextends himself, he always does it best on GBA, making even the dullest sports a thrill to play. As with Mario Golf: Advance Tour, Mario Tennis takes simple but addictive gameplay and smacks it into a framework of RPG-style upgrades.
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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