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Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is yet another beautiful, action-packed, humorous adventure for PlayStation fans, boasting numerous gadgets, guns, and lots of alien things to shoot at. Its minigames have been adjusted to feature sixaxis support and Insomniac has even tossed in dancing pirates, but despite how gorgeous the game looks or how well the gameplay mechanics function, we've been down this road before - five times, six if you happened to splurge on the PSP version.

While I've always had a soft spot for our furry hero and his robotic pal, I'm afraid that Tools of Destruction has done it for me. This is the same experience, the same gameplay, lackluster plot, annoying save system, and patch-work minigames that I've been through since the franchise's inception. In summation, I am all Ratchet'ed out. If you were looking for a new, refreshing direction for the series' PlayStation 3 debut, this isn't it.



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Tools of Destruction offers yet another instance in which I'm forced to scratch my head and wonder if I've been immersed in the industry so long that I'm now out of the touch with the average gamer. It's one of Sony's (and Insomniac's) flagship titles, and people seem to love it. In a sense I understand their infatuation: it's classic R&C humor, the same simplistic gameplay mechanics at work (collect this statue, turn that bolt, slaughter these boxes, etc), those same breathtaking visuals now transplanted to the PlayStation 3, and so on. I doubt that anyone could effectively argue that the title isn't playable, enjoyable, or a success ("success" being defined here as a complete single-player experience that doesn't feel pushed out the door), it's just that it's the same game.

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Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed is one of the most ambitious, interactive, seamless, and intriguing titles in the next-generation lineup to date, boasting absolutely stunning visuals, superb voice acting, amazing historical thrills with a firm basis in an accurate presentation of this alternative past, and a curious storyline that will pull you in if you know what you're looking for. The game is beautiful and enjoyable, an experience you won't forget, and a gem for anyone with an appreciation of this era of history or gameplay style.

However, ambitious and astounding as it is, there are elements that feel forced, gameplay that becomes redundant, and bits of the plot that fail to make sense to the average player. The combat does become a chore (especially toward the end), a save-anywhere option is missing, and some variety is sorely needed (how come a third of all the civilians I save say exactly the same thing, be it in a different accent?), but while the gameplay does have its faults it's still impressive and well-done as far as mechanics go, plus you play an assassin - that's an automatic bonus in cool points. If Ubisoft Montreal had made some adjustments - switched up the missions, tossed in some variety in investigation objectives, upped the enemy AI some, and freshened the combat - this would have been a stellar title for the general public.

As it stands, its amazing qualities are somewhat overshadowed by gameplay design that failed to implement everything Assassin's Creed exceeds at as well as it should have, and while a five star game isn't perfect this failure knocks it down a notch. For those who appreciate its finer details, however, the game is worth its weight in gold and will be something you return to over the years and look back on and say, "I played that game and loved every minute of it" with pride.



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Folklore is quite the charming game, boasting some astounding visuals, lovely music, a mystical atmosphere that pulls the gamer into the story, and unique creatures to collect and utilize against each other in exquisitely detailed worlds, however even the most gorgeous CGI and intriguing voice acting performances can't mask Folklore's obvious flaws. Poor pacing becomes a primary issue, followed by annoyingly long boss battles, the occasionally frustrating soul-sucking mechanism, repetitive gameplay, lots of backtracking (I thought we were done with that in the 90's), a boring plot, and lots of other little features that collectively keep Game Republic's latest project from reaching the quality gamers expect from a PS3-exclusive. Still, if you own the system it's a definite rental - just only a worthwhile buy if you're into RPGs, anime, Japanese-style (as opposed to western) games, or all of the above. And liking Pokemon totally helps, too.



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When reviewing a title like Folklore it's always best to start at the beginning, and the game opens with beautiful cinematics introducing the two playable characters: Ellen, a girl with a "mysterious" past, and Keats, a writer for an occult magazine. The two venture to a small village called Dooulin, where a murder mystery that began nearly two decades ago resurfaces before their eyes. At this point the story should sound familiar - Ellen, with the help of a scarecrow, embarks on a quest to rediscover her tragic past while Keats, aided by... the Invisible Man... (I'm sure there's a metaphor here that I'm not getting) seeks to learn the history of the village and how Ellen fits into the picture. Along the way some other people die, and to complicate matters there's a war going on in the realm of the dead (the netherworld) between two powerful factions, and of course each faction picks a pawn to utilize against the other. As plots go this one isn't too bad, but it does get irritating, cliche, and overly dramatic quick.

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The Darkness is a mixed bag; it definitely contains some intriguing content and follows a somewhat unique storyline, however the mafia elements are extremely cliche. Its presentation is superb at times, aptly dark and tragic, supported with some of the system's best and most horrific visuals to date, but the gameplay is plagued with some annoying and consistent flaws. The worst part is that the gamer spends most of his time shooting out lightbulbs via a very buggy targeting system, which gets old fast. Enemy AI could benefit from a severe boost in intellect, although the AI might have been dumbed down intentionally to make up for the ease with which Jackie dies in comparison to foes he shoots in the head (foes who get back up, re-aim and shoot through the pain - wish I had those skills). All in all, worth at least a rental.



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Even after reviewing console and PC titles for a decade, I still have those moments when I feel that other reviewers must be playing a different game than the one I've got in my hands. The Darkness is one such title; it has a movie-like quality displayed in gorgeous (and graphic, and by graphic I mean twisted and gory) detail, elements of a tragic love-story, the traditional tale of revenge, functional online play, and adorable little demons that run throughout each level doing the master's deadly bidding. It's also got "The Darkness," a monstrous serpent creature older than time, and this evil, repulsive thing is (ironically) the game's saving grace - it keeps the plot fresh, wards off boredom via its numerous darkness abilities, and adds that extra pizazz that keeps The Darkness from being just another shooter, mafia emphasis or not.

But pretty visuals, rivets of blood, and even a trip to "hell" (no spoilers, promise) fail to cure the title's amusing faults. The very plot that eventually becomes the only worthwhile reason for playing is especially generic as far as the mafia goes: an east-coast based Italian family splits into two camps, one headed by our hero, Jackie, destined to present the kindler, gentler face of the mob (unless he's just been hired to kill you, in which case you're screwed) and the other by Jackie's dear ole' Uncle Paulie, a rebellious, crazy mobster who enjoys the modern drug trade against the family's wishes.

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