If there is one complaint about Champions of Norrath, it is that you bring offline Player Characters (PC) online to play. You do not save a PC on the game server. This means you can level up during online play and then save and continue with that PC in your offline game. This opens up other cheating as well. Item duplication is very easy. This ability to manipulate characters via online play has another horrible downside as well. You can really screw up your offline game in a hurry. It is a small gripe, but a noticeable one if you are not aware of it. This game is just pure fun. The magic system is great. It's also not a short game, which is a nice change for once.

By the way, they are working on a sequel, Return to Arms. I can't wait.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, PS2: What can you say? Grand Theft Auto is a major franchise with a huge following. San Andreas is exponentially bigger then Vice City with all kinds of new features like bicycles, for example. The fully realized world is more alive then ever, and they added many brand new mini games which break up the game play very well. A lot of these mini games are side quests in themselves. It really adds an entirely new experience to the GTA gameplay. Rockstar has improved everything. The driving is better, the targeting is a lot better, and the story is better. It really captures the Boyz in the Hood/Menace II Society undertone of the West Coast in the 1990s. This is the best PS2 game, ever, and it lives up to the hype.

And hey, who doesn't want to go around beating people up with a purple dildo?

Metroid Prime 2 Echos, GCN: Retro Studios really beat any expectations with Metroid Prime in 2002, and this year's sequel manages to quell some of the biggest complaints of Prime, namely more boss fights. Metroid Prime 2 is a much darker tale then the original Prime; it is also a lot harder to complete. Prime 2 returns with great puzzles and some really spectacular art direction. There are plenty of power-ups to search for, just like Metroid Prime, but this time the Screw Attack is back. New visors and new weapons are yours to find, too. You really feel a sense of accomplishment finding all these power-ups. The Light and Dark suites really add a lot to the game play. There is more to find and do this time around, and the boss battles add a lot to the game play.

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, GCN: It does not really matter if you played Metal Gear Solid on the PSOne or not: this was a much anticipated game. Konami and Silicon Knights did a wonderful job in this remake of the original. The graphics really shine on the Game Cube. It is hard to believe all the cut scenes are rendered in real time. This is one of the best looking games on this system. Twin Snakes benefits from the new moves introduced in MGS 2. It is nice to be able to use First Person View to shoot, but this sort of feels like cheating throughout the game and in boss battles. The new moves made it into this remake, but sadly analog control did not. It is great to relive this epic PSOne game; the improved production values and same solid story make this a very satisfying game to complete.