Video Games

In celebration of this week’s release of Grand Theft Auto IV, why not go back and check out one of the first GTA-style games ever released?

After the drink-happy hours of reading week have waned and the oppressive superstructure of finals week have begun to weigh on the collective Columbian conscience, casual and hard-core video gamers alike might be tempted to throw up their arms in desperation.

Race is an issue that is never too far from the surface of American society. Video games, though, are not an arena in which we normally expect race to raise the passions of people who otherwise view the hobby as a form of escapism. Enter Resident Evil 5—the next iteration of the revered Resident Evil franchise—which has made a huge splash in the gaming world despite being a year from release.

All right, loyal gamers, it’s time to have some extra fun for no extra cost.

Early last semester, one of my floormates brought his old Nintendo 64 back to the dorm after a trip home. It came with some great old games that the entire floor remembered fondly: Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Snowboard Kids, and Star Fox 64, among others.

Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors
Otogi: Myth of Demons was my favorite game from last generation. I loved everything about it: the beautiful graphics, the inspired character designs, the blistering difficulty of its over-the-top battles. You can imagine my disappointment, then, when Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors came out and trashed everything that was good about Otogi.

As the saying goes, April 17 was a good time for all gamers to start their digital engines with the release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on the PlayStation Network.

Fifteen minutes into Dark Sector, scruffy Tom Cruise look-alike hero Hayden contracts a virulent infection, decides to find the source of his disease, and gorily sprouts a bladed Frisbee of Death out of his right hand.

In all of video games, there is not a fan base more devoted than that of Final Fantasy VII.

If you’re looking for an old-school challenge, look no further than Treasure’s popular vertical shooter Ikaruga, which is being released on Xbox LIVE Arcade this week for a mere 800 Microsoft Points ($10).