PS2 Games: one good, one bad

Since I'm on an anti-TV kick here lately I've been turning to the next frontier of entertainment, video games! Since I dislike patching computers and downloading the latest buggy drivers, I dedicate almost all of my game playing time to the Playstation 2. There's a ton of great games out there for the PS2, and thanks to the wonder of the internet, if you ever get stuck in a game you're only a few quick clicks and a google search from a game cheat to get you out of trouble.


But what games should you play as you avoid the spectre of the soulless television? One that I fully recommend is Ratchet and Clank: Up your Arsenal. This is a fun, well balanced, and well paced game. It has just enough challenge to it to make it fun with out being aggravating. Also, the cut scenes between fights are very entertaining and usually pretty funny. The fun thing about this game is that after you beat the game it gives you an option to replay the game in "Challenge Mode". Normally I yawn and pass on this sort of thing, but for this game it is actually pretty fun. You basically replay the whole game, but you get to keep all of your weapons! (You just have to re-equip them in the quick select, that caught me the first time.) Going through some of the earlier mission where I had trouble with all of the pimped out weapons was soooo much fun! It was really satisfy to clear a room in about 3 seconds without getting a scratch whereas the first time through too me several tries...

I really liked Up your Arsenal so I give it 9 out 10.

After playing the game I was inspired to check out its precursor Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando. Basically they are the same game, with UYA having a little bit more polish to it (for example going to the vendor to resupply your ammo is much easier in UYA than it is in GC). Also, the cut scenes in GC were not quite as entertaining as UYA, but its still worth checking out.

I give Going Commando 7 out of 10.

On the other side of the scale is a game that was a pretty big disappointment. Jak 3 looks pretty similar to the Ratchet and Clank series, so I thought I would give it a try. I'll be honest, I played through the training mission and the first mission and was really underwhelmed. The look and feel of the game just isn't what I thought it would be. Plus when Jax does his round-house kick he look really girly. I mean girly as in he should be wearing a pink Tu-Tu. Plus I found the jumping really hard to do, as the distances in the game are hard to judge. I'll be taking my copy to the store soon to trade it in. I'm really bummed out, I thought the game would be really fun, but it just didn't feel right.

Jak 3 gets 3 out of 10. Unless you are a fan, rent first before you buy this one.

Tags:Entertainment, Reviews, Video Games, PS2