Dropping Ac!d (and other bad habits)

I forgot to mention I finished Metal Gear Ac!d last week. I was a little skeptical about the game but was pleasantly surprised. The plot, graphics and presentation were everything you'd expect from a Metal Gear game, and the card-based tactical strategy gameplay was less gimmicky than I feared. The early levels feel a little awkward, but near the game I was getting really into it and found it hard to put down. The turning point in the game for me was when I had an ally, as that really opened up a lot of possibilities. After that, both the plot twists and the action really picked up and the end result was pretty satisfying.

However, my real addiction remains Lumines. This game is pure gaming crack. A relatively simple concept for a puzzle game, the game really comes to life in the interaction between your button presses and the music. I don't think it's a stretch to say this is the best puzzle game since the immortal Tetris, and that includes Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. And it's not a stretch to say it's testing Rhonda's patience.

You could probably surmise I am really enjoying my PSP. It's also nice having a 512 MB Memory Stick and being able to encode, say, Kung Fu Hustle in a pretty watchable format and carry it around with me.

Next on the agenda is Bioware's Jade Empire, their wuxia-inspired follow-up to the fanboy wet dream, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. KOTOR set the bar pretty high, but JE manages to bound over the bar and then unleash a furious assault on any game daring to call itself an Xbox RPG.

Everything about Jade Empire is top-notch. The combat gameplay is deep and engrossing. The story strikes the right balance between fun and cheesy. The cut-scenes are gorgeous and reminiscent of Pixar. The groundbreaking item and weapon system is perhaps the greatest breakthrough, as it allows you to play the game without needing to sift through menus in order to micro-manage your supplies and possessions. Like the film genre that inspired it, JE is breathtakingly beautiful, wildly entertaining, and wholly ass-kicking all at once. Highly recommended.