ShareThisBy CHRIS CAMPBELL
("Yakuza." Platform: PlayStation 2. Genre: Action/adventure. Publisher: Sega. ESRB Rating: M, for Mature. Grade: 3.5 stars out of 5.)
The yakuza, Japan's organized-crime world, has for the longest time been the subject of movies and novels and speculation across many mediums. Now, at last, the syndicate gets the star treatment on consoles (what took so long?), and the game does not disappoint.
You play as Kazuma, who just got out of prison to a Japan that is a lot different from the one when he was sent up. The interesting but heavily convoluted story has lots of elements, and after a few twists and rather horrible voice dubbing, you'll just be happy when the game is able to make its point without confusing you.
Most of the game is composed of walking from one location to the next in the backstreets of Tokyo. You run errands, deliver items and, for some reason, spend time protecting an innocent 9-year-old girl (nothing like a skilled killer with a soft spot for saving anonymous children).
A nice aspect of the game is the lack of heavy gunfire; instead, the battles you engage in are primarily group fistfights. While that may not sound overly exciting, know that Kazuma dishes out some noticeable pain. The action does get a tad repetitive, but the general feeling you get from "Yakuza" is that you're playing something a bit beyond the typical gangster game.
"Yakuza" also sports great graphics, especially for a PS2 game, and with a deep (albeit mind-boggling) story, there's lots of little things done well enough here to recommend making the game part of your library.
("Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra." Platform: PlayStation 2. Genre: Action/adventure. Publisher: Bandai Namco. ESRB Rating: T, for Teen. Grade: 3.5 stars.)
While it does leave the door slightly ajar for the possibility of continuing the saga, the "Xenosaga" franchise is aptly tied together in this third installment.
Perhaps the best part of "Xenosaga Episode III" is that the backstory is extensive enough so that gamers new to the franchise can take the time to read up on all the happenings, characters and other tidbits that drove the story to its current point. I can't think of a franchise that has done this previously, and so now there's no reason for someone to avoid getting the game for fear of missing too much leading up to this release.
The action switches genres often, from strategy to turn-based combat to hybrid-mech elements. And there are some extremely loose RPG elements tossed in for good measure.
There's a lot going on in "Episode III," mainly in attempts to take a large story and tie up the loose ends. Those familiar, and those new, to the "Xenosaga" games should find a lot to appreciate in this final chapter of the story _ until, of course, they release a new one.
('NASCAR 07." Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation 2. Genre: Sports. Publisher: EA Sports. ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone. Grade: 1 star.)
We've seen this before from EA Sports, and it's beginning to be a trend no one wants to see continue. What we have here is a new release that looks barely updated and with very few extras to keep you intrigued.
While "NASCAR 06" was a solid racing game, "NASCAR 07" had the potential to ride last year's success and to take strides forward. It's disappointing to see this not happen. From the moment you look at the game's cover and note that driver Elliot Sadler's outfit is not even his current sponsor's, you can sense something is afoul.
Almost nothing is new here _ besides stripping out some of the training features to make it a bit more difficult to grasp for NASCAR newbies. It's a shame that EA Sports seems to churn out the same stuff year after year instead of taking risks and reaping the rewards that sister company EA Games appears to enjoy regularly. If you have "06," just keep popping that one in, because you're not missing a thing with "07."
