Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy (PlayStation 2)
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Luckily last week’s freeze on released games was only temporary, so this week we have plenty of different games for people to play. There seems to be quite a few quality games on the stage as we crawl closer to the main holiday of the year. My excitement continues to rise, despite the temperature continuing to plummet like a rock. I hope you are finding the warm places around you to keep it bearable. In any event, before my fingers turn to ice and fall off my hands, lets get on with the show. 

Grand Theft Auto Trilogy (PS2) – Honestly if you have not purchased any of the Grand Theft Auto games here is your best opportunity. To say that you have missed quite a bit of the gaming history would be an understatement. By not having it by now though, one wonders if you are either old enough to play games in general. 

Rayman: Raving Rabbids (PS2) – The un-Wiied (Oh the puns) version of the fun Rayman game hits the shelves for more people to enjoy. I could see it selling more on the PS2, since there are more systems for people to play it on, but I doubt that the controls will be as fun as pointing and clicking at the screen. 

Brothers in Arms: D-Day (PSP) – Perhaps if you wanted a shooter, but something different than SOCOM, here is a classic styled game for you to enjoy. Taking it back to the World Wars, prepare to be part of the team that helps save the world. Will people ever tire of World War games? Who knows? At least this series has been quite decent so far. 

Metal Gear Portable Ops (PSP) – Could this be a game to be excited about? I hope so! Rather than taking the card battling style from the Acid series, Snake returns for your playing pleasure in live action. He is not alone though, as you can now recruit and use your own mercenary team to complete missions, which should be quite the adventure. Since it is shaping up to be a solid Snake adventure, something that the PSP has been lacking for years, I am willing to give it the nod for Game of the Week. 

Star Wars: Lethal Alliance (PSP) – Prepare for a bit of storyline filler for this game, as it is set between the third and forth episodes of the series. If you read a few articles back you will find out that Ubisoft is similar to Square in a few ways... and if you take the time to look back, you will understand this sub-par reference. 

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 (PSP) – Are you ready to kick butt and take names? With the WWE on the PSP you can do that again this year, with the brand new Smackdown Vs Raw game. While the WWE has been over saturated with HHH, this game should give you at least a little break from him if you are not a fan. This could be one of the better portable games since you could sit down and play a quick match before moving onto doing other things. One wonders if they should only make the game one every two years, since you can now download characters, and updated rosters. That way they could make major advancements, rather than little ones.

Star Trek: Legacy (X-Box 360 - PC) – Will this be the best Star Trek game of all time? Hopefully considering that they have the captain’s voices from all of the shows/movies voicing their counterparts. Of course we all know that voices do not make the games, otherwise movie games would be fantastic. Star Trek is technically classified in the role of a television/movie game though, but there have been quite a few battling games that have been fun to play. You will mainly control only four different ships at a time, and you can target areas to attack on opposing ships. After playing the game at E3, I was fairly impressed, so you may wish to pick this up if you are a geek.

Fight Night Round 3 (PS3) – While originally meant to be a Playstation exclusive launch title, I believe a “Haha” is in order, two weeks after the system was launched people can sink their teeth into it. While it supports prettier graphics than the previous games, mainly with the ripples in an opponent’s face as you hit them with a sweet left hook, it will be quite similar to the other incarnations on the other consoles. 

Full Auto 2 (PS3) – Here could be a Playstation 3 game to happy about, if you are into the demolition derby kind of games. Of course the game is taken to the next level with all the guns and explosions, while retaining the un-wreck mode. Perhaps my favourite thing about the game is the destructible environment, mixed in with the amount of cars that you can have. The environment can be blown up and can also be used to pin down opponents, so there is a good strategic element to the game. 

Ice Age 2 (Wii) – Just your general port of the Ice Age 2 game to the Wii.

Kirby: Squeak Squad (DS) – The Kirby series has generally always been a fun adventure, despite Kirby Air Ride. At least it I can say that this game is returning to their roots of absorbing enemies and making their way through levels. Different from the previous game on the DS, it seems that you will not direct the pink puff with your stylus and create ledges for him to roll over. The main idea is to get back the many treasures stolen by the Squeaks, so it should shape up be an interesting adventure.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS) – The Castlevania series continues, and Dracula’s power is resurrected by people using the death power that was created during the World War. A change of pace for the franchise is now you will control two different people on the screen, and can switch back and forth at any time. Since the original was a riot to play, and most of the other side-scrolling games have been fantastic, this will most likely be a fantastic game for the DS. 

All and all, it was a pretty good week. The holiday rush ensured that there were quite a few fun games to pick up. I am curious how well Full Auto 2 will stop the PS3 owners from punching holes in the wall, if they feel like they have been ripped off. As time goes on, I am wondering if Sony deliberately delayed their consoles just to get extra media attention, but that is just speculation. Anyways with this week wrapped up on the Countdown, this is Captain Gordon signing off. 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com