Vandal Hearts was first released on the Playstation in the mid 90s, and was well received. A sequel was made and enjoyed by many, but the series has been quiet until a prequel was just recently released on XBLA and the PSN. Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is a competent and traditional strategy RPG that should appease fans of the genre who aren't expecting anything more than a typical gameplay experience.

With our Nintendo crew and in house Silent Hill guy at CES, it was up to me to take on the chills in Konami's newest title in the franchise, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Released for the Wii on December 8th, and upcoming for the PS2 and PSP in a week, Shattered Memories puts players in the middle of a dark and twisted psychological tale. While not without its flaws, Shattered Memories is an impressive title that deserves your attention.

The beat goes on. Konami's DDR series continues on the Wii with DDR Hottest Party 3. For a total DDR newb like me, I appreciated some of the user friendly features, but I'm still abysmal at this game. It's no fault of the dance pad or the game itself though; nevermind that now, let's take a closer look at the new DDR.

There are moments in a reviewer's life where you put in a game and expect greatness.  Metal Gear Solid 4, Mario Galaxy and Diablo are just a few examples of games that you know are already going to be great and entertaining. On the flip side to that coin you have games that are virtually unknown, which for the most part go unnoticed, and once you play the you are completely shocked/thrilled. Tornado Outbreak is one of these games.

The Suikoden series comes to the DS in the latest addition to the series. Players are treated to an excellent story and an honest, genuine RPG experience.

Game of the year for 2008. Possibly 2009.

Who doesn’t hate terrorism? In a play to the American masses, Konami takes us on a journey back to the days of Area 51 and Lethal Enforcers with its release of Target: Terror! for the Nintendo Wii. Through the use of the Wii-mote’s pointer technology, the game attempts to recreate the experience of the arcade. There’s just one problem: the game itself is almost as scary as the terrorists in it.

  If you’re reading this review you’re no doubt a fan of theYu-Gi-Oh series, but in case you’re not… and happen to just be very bored, I’llgive you a brief synopsis. The world of Yu-Gi-Oh capitalizes on the idea that kids liketo collect, trade, and compete. Spinning off the idea of Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh usesmonsters that only come out when “played” as a card in a dueling tournament.Opponents use different combinations of cards to win (think the strategy game“Magic the Gathering” meeting Pokemon, and you’re pretty much on board withYu-Gi-Oh).

Surviving on a deserted island can be tough work. Just watch any movie or show such as Castaway or Lost and you’ll get the idea. But, despite what the movies tell you, doing so in real life is even more difficult. If you don’t have the correct knowledge or skills to make tools, find food, and create a shelter, you’re in bad shape.

Black Water has again begun to fall upon the great forest, under control of the evil Don Hedron.  The Eau, a group of mysterious creatures who depend on the tree, have seen this before—but this time, it’s the worst it’s ever been.  The only hope for the distressed inhabitants is Dewy, a small drop of water from the Tree of Seven Colors.  Dewy must vanquish the evil Don Hedron and his minions in order to save the world.

  As if I wasn’t already having enough trouble trying to properly move my feet while playing the DDR games, along comes a new entry in the series that now requires me to also pay attention to what my hands are doing while I am playing.  With the inception of Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party for Nintendo Wii, no longer is it acceptable for me to flail my arms uncontrollably to and fro while I desperately try to control my center of gravity.  And worst of all, rather than using my arms to actually dance, I must instead issue a convulsive flick of the wrist each time the game asks me to.  

After many versions of this game I’ve finally resided to the fact that I certainly cannot nor shall I ever, dance. That doesn’t mean I can’t have fun though.    

There comes a time in every person’s life when he or she no longer understands children oriented television shows.  The Pokémon boom occurred during my high school years, and, while I didn't watch the show with any degree of regularity, I acknowledged it had a rational reason for existing; the games were genuinely fun and it was moderately entertaining to see your favorite Pokémon running around on TV.  Likewise, I'm sure my parents were puzzled over my fascination with giant robots that turned into cars/planes/devastator or turtles whom also happened to be ninjas.  Kid's stuff, accept it and let them have their fun.

The first PSP game I ever played through was Coded Arms by Konami. The sci-fi cybernetic FPS was a lot of fun, even though it very formulaic in its design. Well, I recently completed the long awaited sequel, Coded Arms Contagion, and while quite frankly little has changed from the first game, I still had a fun time playing through it.