FAN's Top 125 Favorite Playstation 2 Games
Well, it is time to look back at the system that killed the Dreamcast and lasted way beyond what most people would have thought. And how do we do that? By counting down the 125 favorite games,
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43. X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game developed primarily by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the follow up to 2004's X-Men Legends. It was first released in September 2005 for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows, N-Gage, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Xbox video game platforms. It is set after the events of X-Men Legends and features the mutant supervillain Apocalypse as the primary antagonist.

The game was well received by the media. All platforms hold aggregate scores in the 80–85% range at aggregate review websites GameRankings and Metacritic. Critics felt that the inclusion of online play, additional mutant powers, and a larger cast made the game an improvement over its predecessor. Some reviewers were critical of the game's voice acting and felt that the gameplay was repetitive.

X-Men Legends II is an action role-playing game. Players choose a team of up to four characters from a larger group of characters. As players proceed through the game additional characters are unlocked. On the console versions up to four players can play on one machine cooperatively, with the ability to add or remove players at any time. The game also features online play for up to four players, a first for the series. New characters are introduced, both X-Men and select members of the Brotherhood of Mutants. A new game plus mode is included which allows players to play through the game a second time while retaining all character stats.

As characters gain experience points players can upgrade their four main powers and other abilities unique to that character. Items found during gameplay can also be equipped to further enhance a character's abilities. Characters can combine attacks to create a combo, in which two or more players punch or kick a single enemy at the same time. The character's special abilities can also be used in the same manner to create a Super Combo. In X-Men Legends characters were limited to four core mutant powers, however in X-Men Legends II each character has several powers that players can assign to buttons. The game also features a skirmish mode, which allows players to fight against each other or against waves of computer-controlled enemies.

Unlike X-Men Legends, Rise of Apocalypse does not feature one central hub that players return to between missions. Instead the hub changes based on the current act of the game. Here players can also view loading screen art, cinematics, and comic book covers acquired during gameplay. Biographies of the X-Men and their enemies can be accessed on computers located in the mansion. Players can participate in an X-Men trivia game, which rewards experience points for correct answers. Additionally, players can access the Danger Room's computer to play challenge missions unlocked during gameplay.

The mobile version of the game is primarily a beat 'em up with role-playing elements. Unlike the consoles the game is a side-scroller in the same vein as the 1992 X-Men arcade game. There are five selectable characters, and the game retains the ability to upgrade characters through experience points earned. Players control one character at a time, and can switch to another character at the press of a button.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is not set in any particular Marvel Comics universe. The game takes place some time after the events of X-Men Legends. The mutant supervillain Apocalypse, having witnessed the X-Men's defeat of Magneto remotely. Apocalypse declares to the unknowing on-screen Professor X that the Age of Apocalypse is nigh. At some point prior to the game's campaign he kidnaps Professor X and Polaris for unknown purposes. Locations include a military prison in Greenland, the fictional mutant sanctuary of Genosha, the Savage Land and Egypt.

The game begins with the X-Men and Brotherhood of Mutants uniting forces to save Professor X and Polaris. Cyclops, Storm, and Wolverine meet up with Magneto, Mystique, and Sabretooth at a military prison outpost in Greenland to free the Professor. Upon freeing him, the teams relocate to Genosha to work through the wreckage and find out what Apocalypse wanted with the area. Finding Quicksilver also kidnapped, the teams prepare to return to the X-Mansion, but Apocalypse arrives first. He plants a bomb, which more or less destroys the X-Mansion, and kidnaps Beast, who manages to point the team in the direction of the Savage Land.

The teams work their way through the Savage Land, freeing Beast and hindering Apocalypse's plans, and continue to fight against his forces; however, Apocalypse manages to conquer New York and seize control. The teams work at sabotaging his army and resources, but Emma Frost and Angel are soon kidnapped as well. Angel is transformed into Archangel to act as a Horseman of Apocalypse, to defend Apocalypse's tower. When the teams infiltrate it, they find Beast, too, is working against them under the name Dark Beast; he kidnaps Sabretooth and escapes with Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister to Egypt while the teams deal with Archangel.

The teams learn that Apocalypse's plan is to use Polaris, Quicksilver, Emma Frost, and Sabretooth — four mutants with Harmonic DNA — to power an experiment to grant him massive amounts of power. The teams then follow him to Egypt to defeat him once and for all, after first defeating Sinister and Dark Beast (returning the latter to normal). After besting the final guard, the Living Monolith, the teams take on Apocalypse and defeat him by stealing the powers from his machine. In the final cutscene, Magneto and Xavier part once again as adversaries, noting that Apocalypse was defeated but not destroyed. Beast ponders why the machine did not work properly, wondering if sabotage was a factor. As the X-Jet flies away, Sinister is seen on top of the pyramid, laughing, hinting that he sabotaged the machine.

Several playable characters return from X-Men Legends,a and select members of the Brotherhood of Mutants are also playable. Some non-playable X-Men and Brotherhood characters appear during some levels. Additionally, in some instances dialogue throughout the game can be character-to-character specific, depending on the player character's alignment and relationship with the non-player character.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse was announced on October 21, 2004, exactly one month after the release of X-Men Legends. It was shown at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and San Diego Comic-Con in 2005. It was first released in North America on September 20, 2005 for the Gamecube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Windows platforms. The PlayStation Portable version was released approximately one month later on October 19, 2005. It was released on the first-generation N-Gage handheld platform on October 31, 2005. A mobile phone version was launched on December 19, 2005. A playable demo was released for the Windows version of the game on November 3, 2005.

Developer Raven Software sought to expand on the preceding game's scale. As such, characters were given additional powers to choose from. Locations were also made more diverse. "With the environments we tried to create [something] more exotic and organic" stated Dan Vondrak, Project Lead on X-Men Legends II. Locations span from the fictional mutant haven of Genosha, to the Marvel Comics jungle known as the Savage Land, to ancient temples in Egypt. Raven Software collaborated directly with Marvel to write the game's story. Man of Action, a group of former Marvel writers who were responsible for the previous game's story, were not involved. The music was composed by Gregor Narholz. Gameplay and story aspects were adjusted to ensure that four players can play continuously, whereas in the previous game certain missions were limited to one player. The CGI cinematics were created by Blur Studio, who would go on to create cinematics for games such as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.

Vicarious Visions's engine powers Rise of Apocalypse and its predecessor. They also were responsible for the PlayStation Portable version of the game. Karthik Bala, CEO of Vicarious Visions felt strongly that the PSP version should have the same gameplay as the consoles. "One of our main goals [...] was to really bring the depth and detail of the console game over to portable form on the PSP." Four new exclusive characters were added to the PSP version along with nine new side missions. The control system had to be modified to accommodate the PSP's fewer buttons. Online play is available on the PSP, both in ad-hoc and infrastructure modes. Bala stated that it was a priority for his team. SuperVillain Studios was brought on to the project to focus on the online component of the game. Beenox ported X-Men Legends II to Microsoft Windows.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse was well received by critics. All platforms hold aggregate scores in the 80–85% range at aggregate review websites GameRankings and Metacritic. According to the NPD Group, Rise of Apocalypse sold over 63,000 units on the Xbox during the month of its release.

GameTrailers's reviewer gave the game an 8 out of 10. The reviewer disliked that several famous X-Men and Brotherhood characters were not playable, but appeared only as side characters. They also cited issues with voice acting and a convoluted story. The inclusion of additional mutant powers and online gameplay were points of praise. The reviewer also noted that the game's visuals had improved greatly, citing the effects, environments and cinematics as some of the largest upgrades. G4TV's reviewer gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. The lauded the destructible environments and character cast, but felt that the gameplay lacked variation. Unlike the critic from GameTrailers G4's reviewer praised the overall story. VideoGamer.com gave the game a slightly lower score of 7 out of 10. The reviewer noted that the co-operative gameplay was strong, and that the addition of online play "opens the [gameplay] up to a wider range of people."

PALGN's Jeremy Jastrzab felt that the game's menus were convoluted and difficult to navigate, and also felt that the game began to drag near the end of the story. He did concede that it "caters for X-Men fans and if you can gather three others, you’re going to have a great time." Greg Mueller of GameSpot scored the game an 8.1 out of 10. He praised the game's vast cast of characters, destructible environments and unlockable content, but felt that the user interface was awkward. Mueller also felt that the game loaded content far too frequently. GamesRadar's Raymond Padilla had similar complaints about the frequency and length of the game's load times. He also felt that the game's graphics felt dated. Padilla praised the addition of online play and the automatic upgrade system. The game was given an A rating from Tom Byron of 1UP.com. Byron praised several aspects of the game, and felt that amidst the The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Ultimate Spider-Man and Fantastic Four game releases in 2005 X-Men Legends II was the best release from Marvel that year.

The success of the X-Men Legends series led Raven Software, Marvel, and Activision to create the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, which was released on several consoles, handheld devices and Microsoft Windows in 2007. Barking Lizards, Vicarious Visions and Beenox handled the ports for different platforms. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was followed by Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, jointly developed by Vicarious Visions, n-Space and Savage Entertainment. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 was released on several consoles and handhelds in the fall of 2009. Vicarious Visions developed the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, while n-Space developed the Nintendo DS, PSP and Wii versions. Savage Entertainment ported the version developed by n-Space to the PSP.

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42. Gran Turismo 4

Gran Turismo 4 (commonly abbreviated GT4) is a racing simulator video game for the Sony PlayStation 2 which was developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released on December 28, 2004 in Japan and Hong Kong (NTSC-J), February 22, 2005 in North America (NTSC-U/C), and March 9, 2005 in Europe (PAL), and has since been re-issued under Sony's 'Greatest Hits' line. Gran Turismo 4 is one of only four titles for the PlayStation 2 that is capable of 1080i output, another being Tourist Trophy which was also created by Polyphony.

GT4 was delayed for over a year and a half by Polyphony Digital, and had its online mode removed (later added in Gran Turismo Online test version). The game features over 700 cars from 80 manufacturers, from as early as the 1886 Daimler Motor Carriage and as far into the future as concepts for 2022. The game also features 51 tracks, many of which are new or modified versions of old Gran Turismo favorites, with some notable real-world additions.

The Chinese, Japanese and Korean versions of the game were bundled with a 212-page driving guide and lessons on the physics of racing. A limited edition, Gran Turismo 4 Online test version, was released in Japan in summer 2006. A PSP enhanced port entitled Gran Turismo Mobile was originally planned for development, but was later renamed to Gran Turismo (PSP), which was released October 1, 2009.

In November 2010 the follow-up, Gran Turismo 5 was released, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

Players now accumulate points by winning races in the normal first-person driving mode, called A-Spec mode. Each race event can yield up to a maximum of 200 A-Spec points. Generally, a win using a car with less of an advantage over the AI opponents is worth more points. Points can only be won once, so to win further points from a previously-won event, it must be re-won using a car with less of an advantage over the AI. There are also the 34 Missions which can yield 250 points each. Despite this, A-Spec points are experience points, not money.

The new B-Spec mode puts players in the place of a racing crew chief: telling the driver how aggressively to drive, when to pass, and mandating pit stops (by monitoring tire wear and fuel level). The speed of the time in the race can be increased up to 3x, allowing for Endurance races to be completed in less time than would take in A-Spec mode. The 3x feature, however, must be turned on after every pit stop because it resets to normal time. The game manual says that the player may speed up B-Spec mode by up to 5x, but this is believed to be a typo. B-Spec points are given out for each race completed in B-Spec mode. This increases the skill level of the AI driver in the categories of vehicle skill, course skill, and battle skill. Players can thereby use B-Spec mode in harder races as the game progresses, but this mode cannot be used on wet, dirt and snow courses.

Another new addition to the game is the Driving Missions, which are similar in experience to the license tests, but award successful completion with 250 A-Spec points and 1000 of more credits. Each mission takes place with a given car on a given track or section of track, and a given set of opponents. There are 4 sets of missions: The Pass, in which the driver must overtake an opponent within a certain distance; 3 Lap Battle, in which the driver must pass 5 opponents over the course of 3 laps; Slipstream Battle, in which the driver must overtake identical opponents by way of drafting; and 1 Lap Magic, in which the driver starts with a significant time penalty against much slower opponents and must overtake them all in the space of a single lap. Completing each set of missions earns the player a prize car. There are a total of 5 prize cars available to be won, they are DMCDelorean, Jay Leno Tank Car, Pagani Zonda Race Car, Toyota 7, and the Nissan R89C.

A new Photo Mode is included in the game, which allows the player to control a virtual camera, taking pictures of their cars on the track or at specific locations, including the Grand Canyon. This game is able to produce a selection of screenshots with variable compression rate (Normal/Fine/SuperFine) and size (up to 1280x960 72dpi), and the user can choose to save or print to a supported USB device.

Compared with Gran Turismo 3, graphics are greatly improved (despite running on the same PlayStation 2 hardware). The physics is also greatly improved, with the major upgrade that cars now experience body movement (such as dive under brakes). Barriers have a lot more friction to slow down the cars in GT3 (in an attempt to stop the use of "wall riding"), however there is minimal friction between cars, so the advantage obtained by running into the side of another car (instead of braking) is still present.

GT4 supports 480p/1080i (NTSC only) and widescreen modes, however 1080i is only supported in single player races. Despite the lack of online gameplay, GT4 does support use of the PlayStation 2 Network Adapter, which can be used to communicate with additional PS2s to create a multi-screen setup. In addition, the Network Adapter can be used to play games on a local subnet for up to six players, though player customized cars cannot be used in a LAN game. Support for the Logitech Driving Force Pro and GT Force steering wheels is continued from Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. Other "PC" steering wheels previously (and unofficially) supported in GT3 were explicitly disabled for GT4. New support is given for USB storage and print devices used in Photo Mode.

GT4 continues in its predecessors' footsteps by offering an extremely large list of cars; the PAL version, for example, features 721 cars from 80 manufacturers. There are differences in the car lists between the different GT4 regional versions, and some cars have different names, e.g. the JDM Toyota Vitz is known as the Toyota Yaris in places such as Europe and Puerto Rico and the second generation Mazda Demio is known as the Mazda 2 in the same places (PAL version only), and a well spotted example is the Opel Speedster which is more commonly known as the Vauxhall VX220. One notable omission of the game is that it does not feature some well-known car manufacturer names such as Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini. However, RUF, a company that modifies Porsches, is in GT4. Some of the cars are multiple variations on a single base model; there are 20 different Subaru Imprezas and Legacies, 25 Mitsubishi Lancer/Lancer Evolutions, and 48 Nissan Skylines, including the Nissan GT-R Proto. One vehicle, another Skyline, is in pace car form in the "Guide Lap" licence tests and is also a prize car. There is also the GT Edition, which was the pace car without the pace car lights, and even more power (541 horsepower, the standard version packs 276). Each vehicle model has over 4000 polygons.[2] Car prices range from about 2500 credits for basic 1980s Japanese used cars up to 4,500,000 (450,000,000 in Japanese version) credits for the top end (mostly Le Mans) race cars. Some special prize-only cars (such as the Pagani Zonda LM Race Car '01) are not visible in the vehicle showrooms, and a few do not have corresponding dealerships, and thus are unmodifiable, for example, the Formula Gran Turismo (F1 car).

GT4 is responsible for a few vehicle firsts in the Gran Turismo series. It is the first to feature pickup trucks, such as the Ford Lightning, Toyota Tacoma, and Dodge Ram. It is the first game in the series to feature the DeLorean, using the stage II spec engine (developed in 2004, hence the 2004 designation). It is also the first in the series to feature a diesel powered car, the BMW 120d. A special edition of GT4 featuring the 120d (and the rest of the 1 Series line), and three tracks were provided to BMW customers who purchased their 1 Series automobile before the release of GT4. While Gran Turismo 2 did have a one-off F1 engine version of the Renault Espace, GT4 was the first of the series to feature a production minivan, the Honda Odyssey (JDM version). A first-generation Mitsubishi Pajero Paris-Dakar rally car, a winner of the 1985 rally, makes an appearance as the first SUV in racing trim; the first SUV to appear in the GT series was the Subaru Forester in GT2 (although in fact the Forester can be racing modified). It was also the first in the series to feature D1 Grand Prix tuned cars such as Ken Nomura's Blitz ER34 D1GP.

The game includes some prize cars of historical interest, such as vehicles from as far back as 1886 at the dawn of the automobile. A special car called the Auto Union V16 Type C Streamline, built in 1937, can only be used in Power and Speed (which tests the performance of vehicles) or a test drive in Nürburgring, but interestingly has around 542 HP. Even some modern cars with complex body shapes cannot be raced against opponents, such as the Caterham Seven Fireblade. In Arcade Mode, these cars can be raced against a single opponent; this is the case for any convertible with the top down

There is also a special car which is specially tuned, called the 'Shuichi Shigeno' version of Toyota AE86, which is taken from Initial D, and is licensed by Toyota, although Toyota has never used the name of the author of Initial D. Comedian Jay Leno, an avid car collector, is listed in the game as a manufacturer; one of his custom cars, the Blastolene Special or "Tank Car", is included in the game as a prize car, available after beating missions 11-20. The 2022 Nike ONE has Morse code on the right hand side of the car. When reversed, this reads "www.phil-frank.com", the artist commissioned to design this car for GT4. There is also some Morse code visible on the inside of all four tires, but it is not decipherable.

GT4 retains all the familiar tuning parameters from the previous games in the series, but also allows weight to be added to the car. This can be positioned to affect handling or used as a form of handicapping. Another new vehicle tuning addition is nitrous oxide injection. Also, GT Auto can now install a rear wing on some cars, making it possible to adjust the car' downforce, which was previously only possible on racing cars or, on the first two games in the series, cars with the racing modification performed. The Suzuki Swift was present in its successor, Gran Turismo 5 but was known as a concept car in GT4, since the launch of the car was not official at the time of the game's launch.

The game features 51 tracks, which are divided into 4 groups, World Circuits, Original Circuits, City Courses and Dirt & Snow. Many of which are new or modified versions of old Gran Turismo favorites, however the inclusion of the Nurburgring is a centerpiece of the game. Notable real-world track inclusions are the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi (with three Road Course configurations, as well as the Super Speedway) and Circuit de la Sarthe (Le Mans). There are also tracks modeled after world famous attractions such as New York City's Times Square, Hong Kong, Paris, and the Las Vegas Strip. The Hong Kong course is located in the Tsim Sha Tsui district, which, in its clockwise configuration, starts at Salisbury Road, passes through the city's waterfront and then Nathan Road.

The Città d'Aria course follows actual roads in Assisi, Italy. The race starts/finishes in the piazza in front of the temple Minerva. Just before the start/finish line on this course, written on the tarmac is an inscription in broken Italian: "Dio lo benedice — fate il suo guidare il più sicuro e divertirsi", which, when translated, means "God blesses him; make his driving the most safely and to have fun." On the Seattle circuit, the Kingdome, previous home of the Seattle Mariners, is visible next to their current stadium, Safeco Field. Kingdome was demolished in an implosion on March 26, 2000. Because the Seattle circuit was created for GT2 in 1999, before the Kingdome's demolition, it has been left unchanged, and the Mariners' now completed home, Safeco Field, remains under construction, frozen in time. A section of the Opera Paris course passing through Place de la Concorde was traversed by Claude Lelouch in the short film C'etait un rendez-vous.

Gran Turismo 4 was met with generally positive reaction from game critics. It received an aggregated score of 89.53% on GameRankings and 89/100 on Metacritic.

Jeremy Clarkson, host of the Top Gear television program, performed a head-to-head test of real life versus GT4 on an episode of the program. He ran Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in real life and used an Acura NSX for a lap time of 1:57. But in the game he used a Honda NSX-R (which is lighter) with a lap time of 1:41:148.

Clarkson also had to be shown by a race driving instructor where the line was between the game and reality. He pointed out that adjusting one's braking mid-turn in a real car could cause loss of control, and also mentioned that in the game, he is compelled to take bigger risks than he would in real life, and that in the game, the car did not suffer from brake fade. Despite the apparent discrepancies, in a column for The Sunday Times, Clarkson had this to say about GT4

"I called Sony and asked it to send me a game chip already loaded with the 700 computer cars. And I am in a position to test out its claims because, unlike most people, I really have driven almost all of them in real life.

There are mistakes. The BMW M3 CSL, for instance, brakes much better on the road than it does on the screen. And there's no way a Peugeot 106 could outdrag a Fiat Punto off the line. But other than this, I’m struggling: they’ve even managed to accurately reflect the differences between a Mercedes SL 600 and the Mercedes SL 55, which is hard enough to do in real life.

There's more, too. If you take a banked curve in the Bentley Le Mans car flat out, you’ll be fine. If you back off, even a little bit, you lose the aerodynamic grip and end up spinning.

That's how it is. This game would only be more real if a big spike shot out of the screen and skewered your head every time you crashed. In fact that's the only real drawback: that you can hit the barriers hard without ever damaging you or your car. Maybe they’re saving that for GT5. Perhaps it’ll be called Death or Glory."

Karl Brauer of edmunds.com performed a similar test, also at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in which he and two others — professional race driver AJ Allmendinger, and IGN gaming editor Justin Kaehler — set times in GT4 and real life in a variety of cars. Brauer's best time in a Ford GT in the game was 1:38, and his best time on the real track was 1:52. In the four vehicles the trio tested, none was able to duplicate his game times on the real track. Brauer suggested the main differences between the game and reality"

"Which brings up the single biggest difference between reality and virtual reality — consequences. A mistake on Gran Turismo 4 costs me nothing more than a bad lap time. A mistake with a real exotic car on a real racetrack is... a bit more costly.

The other major difference between virtual racing and the real thing is feedback from the car — or an almost total lack thereof. Yes, the force feedback steering wheel does its best to let you know when you're veering off the track, or sliding the rear end, but none of this comes close to the kind of information you get while driving a real vehicle. And in a car like the Ford GT, that's vital information.

Reviewers criticize the game for its continued lack of rendered damage. Instead of actual damage, the cars (depending on the speed and angle in which the collision occurred) simply bounce or spin off of the car, wall, or obstacle. Reviewers complained of the continued ability to take unrealistic short cuts, such as the ones on Fuji Speedway 90's, Driving Park Beginner Course and Circuit de la Sarthe I, where the driver can cut right across the chicane, allowing a player to win by cheating. One reviewer also complained that cars do not have enough grip. The game has also been criticized for lack of online play which had been promised during early development, but was announced as being removed at the time of release.

Many reviewers expressed disappointment in the game's AI system, noting that "virtual racers will follow their (driving) line with little concern for where the human driver is at any one time." This is more evident during rally races and missions in which a 5 second speed penalty is given for hitting the other cars or the barriers, regardless of who initiated the contact. Some critics found B-Spec mode to offer little to the overall experience.

By December 2011, Gran Turismo 4 had shipped 1.27 million copies in Japan, 3.23 million in North America, 6.76 million in Europe, and 180,000 in Asia for a total of 11.44 million copies. It is the second highest-selling game in the Gran Turismo franchise ahead of Gran Turismo but behind Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec respectively.

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41. Dark Cloud 2 (aka Dark Chronicle)

Dark Chronicle, released as Dark Cloud 2 in North America, is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was developed by Level-5 and SCE Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in November 2002 in Japan, February 2003 in North America and September 2003 in Europe.

It is the sequel to Dark Cloud, and features similar action role-playing and city-building game mechanics. Players control two main protagonists, Max and Monica, who come from the present and future, respectively, to stop the main antagonist, Emperor Griffon who wishes to destroy the present from the past.

Dark Chronicle is a third-person role-playing game in which the player moves through randomly-generated dungeons, battling monsters and collecting items. These dungeons are periodically interrupted by set rooms/events where either a cutscene is shown or the player fights a boss. In the dungeons, the player will find various materials to use in item construction and Georama mode.

Outside of dungeons, the main focus is on the Georama system where the player is tasked with rebuilding particular locations to restore the future. By retrieving Geostones from the dungeons, the player is given guidelines for the town rebuilding, as well as plans to make objects (houses, bridges, shops etc.) required for fulfilling those guidelines. After rebuilding the infrastructure, the town must be populated with inhabitants by completing mini-games.

The goal of each Georama map is to complete as many of the ten objectives for that map as possible. While some objectives are requisite for advancing the plot, many are optional and provide bonus items when completed. The theme of rebuilding a decimated world is carried over from Dark Cloud, but unlike in the first game, Dark Chronicle uses a large machine named the 'Carpenterion' to rebuild the villages.

Three features of Dark Chronicle are fishing, spheda (a sport similar to golf) and Georama. Players can bring their fish to weigh-in contests, or raise them in a fish-tank and enter them in races. Other features include NPC recruiting, photography, an invention system and a powerful and customizable robot that can be used in battle.

An example of gameplay inside a randomly-generated dungeon.

Another notable feature of Dark Chronicle is the focus on weapon growth instead of the traditional focus on character growth. When monsters are defeated, they drop absorption points (ABS), which, when collected, raise the experience of the weapon that dealt the final hit. When a weapon accumulates enough ABS, it will level up and gain Synthesis Points. Synthesis Points are used to infuse a weapon with an item that has been "spectrumized," which results in the weapon gaining specific stats depending on the item(s) that were spectrumized. Almost every item in the game can be spectrumized and synthesized to weaponry. Weapons themselves can also be spectrumized, but, unless it is level five or higher, the resulting spectrumized weapon will not carry over much of its stats.

Weapons also have the capability to be "built-up." To be do so, a weapon must meet certain criteria. In most cases, a weapon needs to have at least a certain number of specified stats, while some weapons also require the player to have defeated particular types of enemies. Some weapons can be built-up into more than one new weapon. When a weapon is built-up, it gains strength, and starts over at level one. Built-up weapons are stronger than weapons that have not been built-up, and tend to earn more synthesis points when they level up.

Weapons also have durability. When a melee weapon hits a monster, or a ranged weapon is fired, the durability of the weapon decreases. If it reaches zero, the player can no longer use the weapon until it is repaired with an item, or for no cost from an NPC. When a weapon breaks, the ABS points it has accumulated drops to zero, and must be raised once again.

The player, controlling either protagonist, can recruit non-player characters into their team by performing different tasks. The characters are not controllable and do not appear in battle, but through the 'Characters' portion of the menu, the player can access a party member's special ability. Some party members also have an influence on the battle, for example increasing item drops or adjusting enemy behavior. Outside of dungeons (in the train and in Georama locations), some of these characters sell items.

Weapons also have the capability to be "built-up." To be do so, a weapon must meet certain criteria. In most cases, a weapon needs to have at least a certain number of specified stats, while some weapons also require the player to have defeated particular types of enemies. Some weapons can be built-up into more than one new weapon. When a weapon is built-up, it gains strength, and starts over at level one. Built-up weapons are stronger than weapons that have not been built-up, and tend to earn more synthesis points when they level up.

Weapons also have durability. When a melee weapon hits a monster, or a ranged weapon is fired, the durability of the weapon decreases. If it reaches zero, the player can no longer use the weapon until it is repaired with an item, or for no cost from an NPC. When a weapon breaks, the ABS points it has accumulated drops to zero, and must be raised once again.

The player, controlling either protagonist, can recruit non-player characters into their team by performing different tasks. The characters are not controllable and do not appear in battle, but through the 'Characters' portion of the menu, the player can access a party member's special ability. Some party members also have an influence on the battle, for example increasing item drops or adjusting enemy behavior. Outside of dungeons (in the train and in Georama locations), some of these characters sell items.

Characters are:

* Maximilian (voiced by Megumi Kubota in the Japanese version and by Scott Menville in the English version) - a young aspiring inventor living with his father (his mother disappeared when he was younger). Max comes from a wealthy family, but has no interest in a privileged life, preferring instead to work with an elderly friend, Cedric (voiced by Paul Eiding), in his mechanic shop. After coincidentally overhearing Flotsam (Phil Proctor) - a homicidal circus ringmaster - pressuring the town mayor to produce a valuable stone, Max is soon caught up in a serious conflict, spanning both time and space. Working with Monica and other characters, Max must 'rebuild' the past to ensure a prosperous future. His weapons of choice are various wrenches, hammers and hand-held guns. He also has the ability to pilot the Ridepod, a steampunk-inspired mech named "Steve". Max has one of three special amulets, or Atlamillia, that enable travel through time, his red amulet allowing movement from the past into the future.

* Monica (voiced by Hiroko Taguchi in the Japanese version and by Anndi McAfee in the English version) - a young princess, adept at both swordsmanship and magic, who hails from 100 years in the future. After the murder of her father at the hands of an enigmatic figure named Gaspard (Rino Romano), she sets out on a journey through time to search for him. Her travels take her into the past, where she helps Max in a battle against the evil clown Flotsam, who, like her nemesis Gaspard, is a servant of Emperor Griffon (Mark Hamill). Afterwards, she joins Max on the quest to rebuild time and put an end to Griffon's scheme. Her weapons of choice are various swords and special brassards that enable her to use elemental magic. She also has the unusual ability to change into monsters using special badges, which gives her new combat options, and enables her to talk to other monsters of the same type. Monica has one of three special amulets, or Atlamillia, that enable travel through time, her blue amulet allowing movement from the future back into the past.

The story centers around Max, a young inventor who lives in the town of Palm Brinks. Working at Cedric's workshop, Max receives a ticket to the local carnival. While at the carnival, he is attacked by the ringleader, Flotsam, after overhearing a conversation between him and the mayor about the "outside world" and the Atlamillia stones. Discovering Flotsam has been bribing the mayor, Max flees from Flotsam and his clowns, who try to take the Atlamillia pendant Max has with him. Max escapes, concerned about Flotsam and the mayor's conversation about the outside world, a place of which he previously had no knowledge. He manages to get away from Flotsam's henchmen by hiding in the sewers, where he tells his friend Donny he believes this is an opportunity to see the outside world. By fighting his way through the sewers and escaping monsters, Flotsam's circus troops, and a huge robot named Halloween, Max quickly gathers together his mechanic partners and his mentor Cedric and boards a train out of Palm Brinks. Flotsam chases them down, and attempts to blow up the train, but is nearly killed by a young girl called Monica.

Princess Monica Raybrandt has travelled back through time after her father, King Raybrandt, was assassinated by the Dark Assassin Gaspard. Monica is much more informed about the situation than the less-worldly Max. She tells him that an evil emperor is controlling time by using his Atlamillia, the Sun Stone, and is also attempting to destroy the world of the past so that he can rule the future. Together, they journey through many towns, rebuilding each of them; Sindain, Balance Valley, Veniccio and Mount Gundor. Each area has a "dungeon" they must conquer and from which they must retrieve special stones.

Once all the stones have been collected, and the villages rebuilt, Max and Monica travel 10,000 years into the past to face Griffon. After a battle with Griffon in his palace, he steals both Atlamillia from Max and Monica and takes the Moon Flower Palace to Max's time. The only thing that can stop the Moon Flower Palace from destroying the world is the battle palace Paznos, which will not be completed until Monica's time. Max and Monica are able to trigger a chrono-union at the Kazherov Stonehenge, which allows Paznos to travel to Max's time, allowing the two to return to the Moon Flower Palace for another battle with Griffon.

However, using his own Sun Stone, coupled with Max's Earth Stone, and Monica's Moon Stone, Griffon has summoned the Star of Oblivion, a huge meteor, which will destroy the world. Upon defeating Griffon, Max and Monica discover that he is in fact an innocent young Moon Person named Sirus, who had been possessed by the Dark Element. Max and Monica engage in a battle with the Element, with Sirus sacrificing his own life to ensure they win. Then, using the three stones, Max and Monica are able to deflect the meteor in time to save the world.

Graphically, Dark Chronicle departs from the style of Dark Cloud completely by using cel-shading. The main characters have a higher polygon count than the supporting characters, composed of 2500 to 3000 polygons as opposed to 1500 to 2000 for supporting characters. The game's graphics were created with Softimage 3D. Event scenes utilized the same models that were used in the normal gameplay, both of which were generated in real-time. Because of this, even costume changes could be carried over from gameplay to events. Akihiro Hino, a Level-5 producer, stated that "smooth transitions between gameplay and event scenes help increase the empathy for the game." Soft textures were used to create a uniform feel for the visuals and minimize the computer generated appearance of the cel-shading. Texture mapping was also used occasionally to emulate lighting. The game's production took almost two years. The CG production and game development occurred concurrently.

The 2-disc Dark Chronicle soundtrack was released to the Japanese market in late 2003. The soundtrack, composed by Tomohito Nishiura, consists of seventy-seven tracks. In 2004, a tribute album was made, Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange, consisting of remixes of some of the more famous tracks from the game. Many Japanese video game industry composers worked on the recordings, from people like Chrono series composer Yasunori Mitsuda to Nobuo Uematsu's former band The Black Mages.

Upon its release, Famitsu magazine scored Dark Chronicle a 35 out of 40, and by the end of 2002, the game had sold 235,917 copies in Japan. It has been widely praised by Western reviewers, and received almost universally positive reviews. It has an aggregate review score of 88 at GameRankings and 87 at Metacritic.

GameSpot awarded the game a 9.0 out of 10, concluding that "Dark Cloud 2 is simply a class act all the way. Every element of the game, from the georama system to the weapon upgrading to the interaction with a large cast of characters, displays a polish and attention to quality that you find only in real classics. Level-5 and Sony should both be commended for turning a fair-to-middling old game into what will now be a series to watch with great interest. Dark Cloud 2 could very well be the PlayStation 2's Zelda, and it will appeal to fans of the action RPG genre for a long time to come." GameSpot would go on to name Dark Chronicle as the Best PlayStation 2 game of 2003.

IGN similarly lauded the game, also awarding it 9 out of 10 and giving it their "Editor's Choice" seal of approval. They particularly praised its graphics; "I can think of few games as visually impressive on the PS2 as this game. But what makes the game look so good is not incredibly high polygon counts or lots of extravagant lighting and particle effects. Instead, Dark Cloud 2 is a visual success due to its polished and graceful presentation, as well as its fantastic art design. While many games take the no-holds-barred approach and bombard the screen with as many effects as possible, Dark Cloud 2 heads down another path, full of subtle lighting effects and a crisp, fresh, and almost playful look. The overall effect is truly delighting to witness in motion. A large part of what makes Dark Cloud 2 stand out visually is its perfectly implemented use of cel shading. Rather than using a flat-shaded effect with heavy black outlines on every edge, Dark Cloud 2 uses a method that the developer refers to as "tonal rendering" where the polygons are given a soft, shaded look. Additionally, the use of black lines is used sparingly, but when it is, it's in all the right places, accenting and highlighting the wonderfully constructed character and environment models." They concluded that "Dark Cloud 2 is arguably the best looking PS2 game out there, period." They also praised the variety to be found in the game; "Even what's been mentioned here only scratches the surface of the joys you'll find in the game: the great (albeit somewhat easy) boss battles; the well implemented mini-games such as fishing and golf; the intricacies of town building and time traveling; the easy-to-digest story; the depth in upgrading and building your weapons; it's all there and then some." In 2010, IGN placed Dark Chronicle at #31 in their "Top 100 Playstation 2 Games".

Game Revolution awarded the game a B, praising the graphics and variety of gameplay, but finding the game became somewhat repetitive towards the end; "Dark Cloud 2 is very serial in nature. It's a game you can pick up and play for a few hours, stomping though a few dungeon floors, trying to solve a problem or two, but after a while it meanders towards repetition. In truth, the game is filled with innumerable challenges, likable characters and a high production value. But beneath the surface, the lightweight story and characters combined with the almost rigidly episodic game flow still hold it back. It's a marked improvement, but the standards have gone up as well."

GameSpy awarded the game 4 out of 5, praising the game in general, but finding it fell just short of being a classic; "There's no question in my mind that Dark Cloud 2 is one of the most solid RPG adventures for the PS2; but what I am sure of is that it doesn't quite live up to its potential. If Level-5 had worked out all of the kinks, it'd be one of my favorite games for the PS2. Sadly, it's not. While it has my grudging respect, there are many games that I prefer, thanks to DC2's idiosyncrasies. Although I have no doubts about its overall quality, I've lost count of the times I've let loose an expletive and rebooted the machine while playing the game, or even turned it off in frustration or temporary disinterest."

Total PlayStation gave the game 8 out of 10. Gaming Target gave it a 9.5 out of 10.

Post by Seth Drakin of Monster Crap on

40. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, released in Japan as simply Devil May Cry 3, is a hack and slash beat 'em up video game that was developed and published by Capcom, released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 (also ported to the PC in 2006). The game is a prequel to the original Devil May Cry reflected in the younger cast.

Set in modern times in an enchanted tower named Temen-ni-gru, the story centers on the dysfunctional relationship between Dante and his brother Vergil. The events of the game take place just as Dante has opened up the Devil May Cry agency (unnamed at this point in the story), and before Dante's demonic heritage has reached its full potential. The story is told primarily through a mixture of cutscenes using the game's engine with several pre-rendered full motion videos.

Upon release, Devil May Cry 3 was widely criticized for its high level of difficulty, but was praised for improvements over its predecessor, and a return to the challenging gameplay of Devil May Cry. A manga prequel to the game was first published in Japan in 2005.

Gameplay in Devil May Cry 3 consists of levels called "missions", in which players must fight numerous enemies, perform platforming tasks, and occasionally solve puzzles to progress through the story. The player's performance in each mission is graded from D at the bottom, up through C, B, A, with top ranks of S and SS, which have the strictest requirements. Grades are based on the time taken to complete the mission, the amount of "red orbs" gathered (the in-game currency obtained from defeated enemies), "stylish" combat, item usage, and damage taken. "Stylish" combat is defined as performing an unbroken series of varied attacks while avoiding damage, and is tracked by an on-screen gauge. The longer the player attacks without repeating techniques and evades damage, the higher the gauge rises. The gauge starts with no grade, becomes "Dope" after a minimum number of attacks, then proceeds with "Crazy", "Blast", "Alright", "Sweet", "SShowtime", and peaks at "SSStylish"; if Dante receives damage, the style rating drops a few levels; if the gauge is on "Crazy" or below, it will reset. The game's battle system allows the player to chain attacks together, with each weapon having a number of unique attacks. Although the game mainly focuses on an aggressive approach to battle, the player must employ some strategy as the enemies have a wide variety of artificial intelligence tactics, and will respond to a number of events.

The Devil Trigger ability enables the player's character to change into a demonic form. This alters the character's appearance, increases attack and defense, slowly restores health, and enables special attacks. The Devil Trigger state lasts as long as there is energy in the Devil Trigger gauge, which is refilled by attacking or taunting enemies in the normal state, and decreases when using the Devil Trigger transformation or other abilities which draw on Devil Trigger power. Devil Trigger mode is not available to Dante until one third of the way through the game, while Vergil (who is playable in the Special Edition) has the ability at the outset.

The major difference from previous Devil May Cry titles is the combat system, which allows the player to choose one of Dante's six different combat styles with different special techniques related to the style's focus. Style selection is available at the start of each level, as well as during gameplay at checkpoints. The styles available are: Trickster, for dodging and agility; Swordmaster, with extra abilities for swords and other melee weapons; Gunslinger, which has more techniques for firearms; Royal Guard, which allows the player to repel attacks with a properly-timed button press, and thereby charge energy for retaliation; Quicksilver, which slows down enemies while the character attacks at normal speed; and Doppelgänger, which creates a shadow double that fights alongside Dante. A second player can also control the shadow double by pressing "Start" on a second controller. A two-player mode, similar to Doppelgänger style, is accessible while fighting against Arkham. In the special edition of Devil May Cry 3, Vergil has one style called Dark Slayer with techniques similar to Trickster.

Devil May Cry 3 opens in Dante's as-of-yet unnamed shop as a mysterious man named Arkham arrives with an invitation from Dante's brother Vergil in the form of a brutal demon attack. After Dante defeats the enemies, an immense tower erupts from the ground a short distance away. Sensing Vergil atop the structure, Dante takes the situation as a challenge. Dante starts fighting demons during his journey who, once defeated, became his weapons. Dante is then attacked by a woman on a motorcycle, whose name later becomes Lady, Arkham's daughter who wants to take revenge against her father for her mother's death. Arkham is working for Vergil and they plan to take Dante's half of the amulet their mother gave them and use its power to reactivate the tower's ability to connect the human and demon worlds.

After numerous battles, an encounter with a being calling itself Jester, Dante attains the tower's summit and battles Vergil. Vergil soundly defeats Dante, steals his amulet, and departs. Dante's dormant devil powers emerge as a result of this setback, and he takes off in pursuit. He eventually catches up in the control room located in the tower's basement, where Vergil cannot reactivate the tower. The brothers battle again until they are interrupted first by Lady and then Jester. Jester reveals that he is in fact Arkham, and has been manipulating them all to reactivate the tower for his own ends. Arkham's plan is to cross over to the demon world and steal the Force Edge, the dormant form of Sparda's original sword which contains the bulk of Sparda's old power, and use it to rule over a demon-infested Earth. The tower then transforms as the spell is broken, carrying Arkham upwards to the summit, while Vergil vanishes in the confusion.

Dante battles his way back up the tower and eventually fights Lady for the right to pursue Arkham. Dante wins and Lady lends him her most powerful weapon. Reaching the summit once again, Dante crosses over to the demon world and catches up with Arkham, who has assumed Sparda's demonic form. Overwhelmed by the power, Arkham transforms into a blob-like creature and battles Dante. Halfway through the fight, Vergil reappears and the brothers work together to bring Arkham down. Arkham is thrown out of the demon world in a weakened state and lands atop the tower where Lady kills him. In the demon world, Dante and Vergil battle over ownership of the Force Edge and the amulet halves. After being defeated, Vergil decides to stay behind as the portal closes, vanishing into the darkness with his half of the amulet.

Dante meets Lady outside the tower the two form a friendship and the beginnings of a partnership in demon-slaying, and he names his shop "Devil May Cry". A scene after the credits reveals Vergil in the demon world, weakened yet determined, as he charges into battle against his father's old foe, Mundus.

Following the mixed reception received by Devil May Cry 2, Capcom decided to develop Devil May Cry 3 in a similar manner to the series' more critically successful first entry, Devil May Cry. Gameplay elements such as the size of environments and the game's battle engine were reconsidered. Other aspects of Devil May Cry 2 which were criticized, such as Dante's cockiness being toned down and the game's weak difficulty, were brought back in line with Devil May Cry.

According to a pre-release interview with the game's producer Tsuyoshi Tanaka, the thrust of the game's design was the creation of a new battle system allowing the player to control weapons in new and "stylish" ways. This went along with the design of a new type of in-game camera designed to keep the character in focus so as to avoid disorienting the player in crowded battle scenes. According to Tanaka, the difficulty of Devil May Cry 2 was toned down to get wider acceptance in the Japanese market, but this move had made the game lose support in other markets. To deal with this situation the Japanese release of Devil May Cry 3 had a lower difficulty than the North American and European releases. Dante's attitude was emphasized to reflect a younger and more arrogant character than in previous installments.

Capcom also produced a second version called the "Special Edition", which was released on January 24, 2006 in North America. A PC version of Devil May Cry 3, with slight graphical changes, was developed by SourceNext and published by Ubisoft on June 28, 2006 in Europe and on October 16, 2006 in North America.

Capcom promoted Devil May Cry 3's release with a multi-million dollar television campaign, along with prominent ads in video game magazines. The marketing campaign focused on the game's plot and its multiple fighting styles.

The Devil Trigger forms for Dante and Vergil were designed by Kazuma Kaneko, who previously worked on Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Persona.

Devil May Cry 3 was highly successful commercially, becoming the eighth best-selling game in Japan during the first week after its release. The game sold over 1,300,000 units worldwide, thereby earning Capcom's "Platinum Title" status. Devil May Cry 3 scored 84/100 at Metacritic and 84.2% at GameRankings. It was also included in Game Informer's "Top 50 Games of 2005" list and later received a "Game of the Month" award when the Special Edition was released. In 2010, IGN listed it at #18 in their "Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games".

Reviews typically praised the game for avoiding the mistakes of the previous title, as well as for the storyline, options for customization, "over-the-top" gameplay and new combat engine. The style-based combat engine was thought to produce fighting sequences that made those in other games, such as Ninja Gaiden and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, appear unimpressive. Other aspects, such as the camera and controls, were also reviewed positively.

However, the first North American and European release was criticized for its difficulty even in reviews that gave it a high score. Reviewers took issue with Capcom's decision to turn the Japanese version's "Hard" mode into the North American and European "Normal" mode.

The Special Edition release was ranked 9th in GameSpy's "Game of the Year" selection for the PlayStation 2 in 2006, and was praised for re-balancing the difficulty. Other aspects of the game, such as the inclusion of a survival mode called "Bloody Palace" and the addition of Vergil as a playable character, received positive reviews.

The PC version was widely criticized for being inferior to the PlayStation 2 version. Issues included the game engine, which was considered rough and under worked, the controls, and the inability to save the game anywhere on a given level and restart from that point in subsequent "loadings", a convenience afforded by most PC games. Jeremy Dunham of IGN gave the PC version a score of 5.8 out of 10 (compared to the PS2 version's 9.6), citing its "awful performance" and "craptacular controls" as major problems.

Devil May Cry 3 was highly successful commercially, becoming the eighth best-selling game in Japan during the first week after its release. The game sold over 1,300,000 units worldwide, thereby earning Capcom's "Platinum Title" status. Devil May Cry 3 scored 84/100 at Metacritic and 84.2% at GameRankings. It was also included in Game Informer's "Top 50 Games of 2005" list and later received a "Game of the Month" award when the Special Edition was released. In 2010, IGN listed it at #18 in their "Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games".

Reviews typically praised the game for avoiding the mistakes of the previous title, as well as for the storyline, options for customization, "over-the-top" gameplay and new combat engine. The style-based combat engine was thought to produce fighting sequences that made those in other games, such as Ninja Gaiden and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, appear unimpressive. Other aspects, such as the camera and controls, were also reviewed positively.

However, the first North American and European release was criticized for its difficulty even in reviews that gave it a high score. Reviewers took issue with Capcom's decision to turn the Japanese version's "Hard" mode into the North American and European "Normal" mode.

The Special Edition release (see following section) was ranked 9th in GameSpy's "Game of the Year" selection for the PlayStation 2 in 2006, and was praised for re-balancing the difficulty. Other aspects of the game, such as the inclusion of a survival mode called "Bloody Palace" and the addition of Vergil as a playable character, received positive reviews.

The PC version was widely criticized for being inferior to the PlayStation 2 version. Issues included the game engine, which was considered rough and under worked, the controls, and the inability to save the game anywhere on a given level and restart from that point in subsequent "loadings", a convenience afforded by most PC games. Jeremy Dunham of IGN gave the PC version a score of 5.8 out of 10 (compared to the PS2 version's 9.6), citing its "awful performance" and "craptacular controls" as major problems.

Following the release of Devil May Cry 3, Capcom released merchandise based on the game, including a manga written by Suguro Chayamachi and published by Tokyopop in North America, as well as a Dante action figure made by Revoltech. A source book entitled "Devil May Cry 3 Material Archive - Note of Naught" was released in 2006, containing previously unreleased production and CG artwork, storyboards, and a UMD video disc for the PSP, with trailers and videos (region 2 only). A three-disc Devil May Cry 3 soundtrack was released on March 31, 2005 shortly after the game's release, with Tetsuya Shibata and Kento Hasegawa credited as the producers. The lyrics for the vocal songs from Devil May Cry 3 were written, and the rough vocals performed, by Shawn McPherson.

At the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, Capcom announced there would be a special edition of Devil May Cry 3.[56] It included a number of gameplay changes and additional content. Most notably, players could now choose to play as Dante's twin brother, Vergil. Other changes included an added survival mode called "Bloody Palace" with a total of 9999 levels; a new Jester fight early in the game, with optional fights later; a "Turbo Mode" for 20 percent faster gameplay; and a continue system which can revive the character instantly, or allow the player to restart the fight they just lost as many times as they like. The game also has rebalanced difficulty.

Vergil has only one style, "Dark Slayer" (similar to Dante's "Trickster" style), which includes evasive maneuvers, and can be leveled up twice, just like Dante's initial four styles. He has three weapons: his O-katana called Yamato, the Beowulf gauntlets and greaves, and the Force Edge broadsword. He has two ranged attacks; "Summoned Swords", which creates magical swords that can be used for a variety of effects, and "Judgment Cut" which creates spheres of damaging force.

The new boss is Jester, a plot-important character who was encountered several times during cutscenes in the first edition of the game but never actually fought. In Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, he is a semi-optional boss (insofar as the first fight with him is mandatory but the later encounters can be skipped) who can be fought three times.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition was released on January 24, 2006 for $19.99 as part of the PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits Collection. It was later confirmed that the PlayStation 2 version of the game would also be released in Europe.

On February 1, 2006, Ubisoft announced that they would be publishing a PC version of the game developed by SourceNext. The European PC version was the first to come out, even before the Special Edition was released for the PlayStation 2 in that region, being released on June 28, 2006. The North American version was released on October 16, 2006. The game was published in Japan on June 30, 2006. Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition was re-released in the Devil May Cry HD Collection for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, along Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2.

Post by Seth Drakin of Monster Crap on

39. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (Sly Raccoon in Europe and Australia and Kaitô Sly Cooper) is a platform stealth video game created by Sucker Punch Productions, and released on the Sony PlayStation 2 in 2002, subsequently republished as a "Greatest Hits" title. The game was followed by two sequels, Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. On November 9, 2010, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, as well as its two sequels were released together as The Sly Collection, a remastered port of all three games on a single Blu-ray disc as a Classics HD title for the PlayStation 3. On June 7, 2011, a fourth Sly Cooper title, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, was announced at E3 2011.

The game focuses on master thief Sly Cooper and his gang, Bentley the Turtle and Murray the Hippo, as they seek out the Fiendish Five to recover his family's "Thievius Raccoonus", a book with the accumulation of all of Sly's ancestors' thieving moves. The game was praised for using a variation on cel-shading rendering, which is used to create a film noir feel, while still rendered as an animated movie, though criticized for being too short.

Sly Cooper is set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures. The game uses cutscenes to present the background of the eponymous Sly Cooper, raccoon who descended from a long line of master thieves who favor stealing from enemy gangs, corrupt governments, and crime syndicates instead of the innocent. However, that lineage became crippled when a gang known as the Fiendish Five, led by Clockwerk, a cyborg-like owl with a hatred for the Cooper line, killed Sly's father while Sly was still young. The Five also took the "Thievius Raccoonus", a book recording the journeys and skills of all the ancestors of the Cooper line. The Thievius Raccoonus was split into five pieces among the Five, and dispersed to their various personal lairs. Sly was taken to the Happy Camper orphanage where he became close friends with the intelligent Bentley the Turtle, and the happy-go-lucky Murray the Hippo. Sly and his friends eventually left the orphanage and formed a gang called The Cooper Gang, pulling off amazing heists and robberies. Their activities attracted the attention of Interpol Inspector Carmelita Fox, who made it her mission to capture Sly, though Sly takes a subtle romantic interest in her.

At the start of the game, Sly learns of the location of the Fiendish Five by stealing the information from Carmelita's office, and conspires with Bentley and Murray to retrieve the stolen book. Sly is able to defeat the four underlings of the Five and their minions. Bentley is able to discover where Clockwerk is by tracing the materials used to make the weapons that the Five used to one location, all the while furiously chased by Carmelita. Sly, Murray, and Bentley assault Clockwerk's lair, but are separated and Sly is forced to continue without them. Sly spots Carmelita in a containment chamber in a seemingly confined room. Sly attempts to save her but is trapped himself. Clockwerk appears on the computers in the room and tells Sly that he has a pathetic weakness for chivalry and nearly gasses him to death. Bentley uses his computers to disable the gas and Sly frees Carmelita. Carmelita creates an exit for the room and decides to form a temporary alliance with him. She tells him that her jetpack can help defeat Clockwerk, which is atop Clockwerk's tower, which was where Clockwerk grabbed her. She promises Sly a ten second head start next time they meet. Sly acquires the jetpack, and is able to defeat Clockwerk and retrieve the Thievius Raccoonus, though Sly is cornered by Carmelita. However, Carmelita gives Sly the ten second head start she had promised. After using nine seconds of it, Sly takes an opportunity to kiss Carmelita, and handcuff her to the railing while she is distracted, thus enabling the gang to make their escape. Unknown to everyone, one of Clockwerk's eyes open, revealing that he still lives. A second ending cut scene is unlocked when Sly has opened every vault, showing him talking about instead of inheriting the book like his ancestors, he earned it. He decides to put his own stories into the book, before jumping off the rooftop, which is followed by an alarm going off and police sirens and ends with Sly saying "This is going to be fun."

Sly Cooper is a third person platforming video game that incorporates stealth elements; as noted by an Official PlayStation Magazine retrospective, the game "tries to mix one-hit-kill arcade action with Splinter Cell sneaking". The player controls Sly Cooper, the title character, as he moves between each uniquely themed lair of the Fiendish Five and the sub-sections of those lairs, avoiding security systems and the watchful eyes of enemies. While Sly is equipped with a cane to attack his foes, he can be defeated with a single hit, thus the player is urged to use stealth maneuvers and the environment to evade or silently neutralize potential threats .

To assist in these stealth moves, the environment contains special areas colored with blue sparkles of light, identified in the game as Sly's "thief senses". The player can trigger context-sensitive actions in these areas, such as shimmying along a narrow ledge or wall, landing on a pointed object such as an antenna or streetlight, climbing along the length of a narrow pole or pipe, or using the cane to grapple onto something. The player must avoid detection by security systems and enemies, otherwise an alarm will sound and the player will either have to destroy the alarm, avoid or defeat foes alerted by the alarm, or hide for several seconds until the alarm resets. The game uses a dynamic music system that changes depending on the state of alarm in the area: the music will increase in volume and pacing when Sly attacks or is detected, and then will quiet down as the disturbance goes away.

Each sub-section of a lair contains a number of clue bottles which, when collected, allow Sly to access a safe in the level that contains a page from the Thievius Raccoonus. These pages grant Sly new moves to aid in movement, stealth, or combat, such as creating a decoy or dropping an explosive hat. Defeating each of the bosses also gives Sly moves, and these abilities are typically necessary to pass later levels. Coins are scattered about the levels and are also generated by defeating enemies or destroying objects. For every 100 coins collected, Sly gains a lucky horseshoe that is the color blue and when you have two hoseshoes, it turns gold. It will allow him to take extra hits, or if he currently has one, an extra life. If Sly collapses and loses a life, the current sub-level will be restarted or at a special "repeater" that acts as a checkpoint; if the player loses all of Sly's lives, they must restart that bosses' lair from the beginning. Besides the regular gameplay, there are mini-games that include driving levels (based on Murray), shooting levels to protect Murray as he ascends certain levels, and a cyber-tank game representing a hacking attempt by Bentley. One notable boss battle includes a rhythm-based sequence similar to Dance Dance Revolution.

Levels can be returned to at any time to gain additional coins or to seek out special moves. When a level is completed, all of the clue bottles are collected and the secret move is found, the player can then attempt a "Master Sprint", a timed sprint through the level to try to beat a set time. The player can unlock additional artistic content by completing all the levels in this fashion.

Brian Flemming of Sucker Punch called the rendering style as "Toon-shading", comparing the detailed backgrounds with cel-shading foregrounds to that of animated movies. An interview with the Sucker Punch development team identified that they took this route because "We wanted Sly and his world to look illustrated, but one step away from a flattened graphic style." To prevent slowdowns with framerates, the team "had at least one engineer working on nothing but performance for the entire development of Sly." The game art team "collected hundreds of photos and drawings of areas that looked like the worlds [they] wanted to create" to generate the backgrounds. The characters themselves underwent up to "six or eight major revisions" before the designs were finalized.

The music was inspired by the artwork from the game; Ashif Hakik, composer of the game's music, stated that "Stylistic influences came from a combination of instrument choices and musical character defined and inspired by the locales in the game, and similar composer works like Yoko Kanno and her work on Cowboy Bebop, Henry Mancini, and Carl Stalling." He continued to note that "the interactive music engine we used made us consider the gameplay for each specific level a sort of starting point that would influence the way the music would be written."

There are two different covers for the game and they both have two different names, depending on location. Sly Raccoon in Europe and Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus in North America.

The Japanese version of the game sports a vocal theme song called Blackjack, set to a flashy intro not seen in the North American or PAL versions of the game. While the group singing the song, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, has a distinct Japanese accent, none of the lyrics are in Japanese and the entire song is in English.

Another addition in the Japanese version not present in the other versions is alternate animated introduction and ending sequences. These sequences feature full animation, as opposed to the limited flash-style animation seen in the other animated sequences present throughout the game. These alternate sequences are drawn in a typical anime style. The Japanese introduction is unlockable for view in the North American and PAL versions, but the Japanese ending can only be unlocked in the PAL version.

Sly Cooper was generally well received by the video game media. Most reviewers praised the unique look of the game. GameSpot noted that "The game has a fantastic sense of style to its design that is reflected in everything from the animation to the unique use of the peaking fad, cel-shaded polygons." Many reviews also appreciated the ease of learning the controls and gameplay; IGN states that "Sly is incredibly responsive, and though his size seems a little large at times due to his long arms and legs and the cane he carries, skillfully jumping and hitting enemies with precision is a quick study." Several reviewers appreciated the fluidity of the game between actual play, cutscenes, and other features.

The game was also praised for being a game that was accessible to both adults and children.

A common detraction of the game was its length; as commented by GameSpot's review, "The main problem is that just as you're getting into a groove and really enjoying the variety seen throughout the different levels, the game ends." The length was defended by Sucker Punch's developers; Brian Flemming noted that there was additional content to be unlocked at several levels, including "for each [Master Sprint] you complete, you get bonus commentary from the designers, artists and programmers here at Sucker Punch, something that people have reacted to really positively." The game was also cited as being too easy, with GameSpot stating that "The game's relative ease combined with a very short length prevents Sly Cooper from becoming the next big platformer. But it's great while it lasts."

However, OPM noted that in regards to the difficulty "There's a pleasant old-school feel to Thievius Raccoonus; the enemies are merciless but a bit stupid, and the platforming challenges come on strong and ramp up steadily in difficulty as the levels go by." Reviewers also noted some framerate slowdowns in latter levels of the game, as well as some camera control issues.

Sales of Sly Cooper were initially poor, overshadowed by two other PlayStation 2 platformers published around 2002, Ratchet & Clank and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. This, however, did not prevent the game from achieving at least 400,000 in sales a year since release to allow it to be included in Sony's "Greatest Hits" line, republishing it in 2003 and at a lower price. GameSpy considered Sly Cooper to be the 5th most underrated game of all time in a 2003 listing. The game has since yielded two sequels, Sly 2: Band of Thieves (2004) and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (2005) while a fourth game is currently in production.

Sly Cooper won "Best New Character" and nominated for "Excellence in Visual Arts" at the 2003 Game Developer's Conference for 2002. Furthermore, the character of Sly Cooper has also been come to be considered as a mascot for the PlayStation systems, alongside both Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter. This has further lead to collaboration between the development teams for all three series, Sucker Punch, Insomniac Games, and Naughty Dog, leading to subtle inclusion of some elements of Sly Cooper within the other titles. For example, a brief gameplay clip of Sly Cooper plays among several for Ratchet & Clank 1&2, Jak and Daxter, and Jak II during the start menu for Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando.

In the video sequence after defeating Muggshot if you look closely at Murray he is wearing a hat with "WW" on it. This is a reference to Whoopie World from Rocket: Robot on Wheels.

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38. Bully

Bully, also known as Canis Canem Edit (Latin for dog eat dog) for the PAL region PlayStation 2 version, is an action-adventure open world video game released by Rockstar Vancouver for the PlayStation 2 on 17 October 2006 in North America, and 25 October 2006 in the United Kingdom. An Xbox version was planned but cancelled for undisclosed reasons.

The game was re-released as Bully: Scholarship Edition on 6 March 2008 for the Wii and Xbox 360 and 24 October 2008 on PC (this name is retained in the PAL releases). The PlayStation 2 version of the game is also available in the United States as a special edition that includes a limited edition comic book and a dodgeball of the same style as the ones used in the game, with the word "Bully" embossed on it.

Bully is a subtle action-adventure open world video game set in a school environment. The player takes control of teenage rebel James "Jimmy" Hopkins, who from the opening cutscene is revealed to be a difficult student with a disruptive background. The game concerns the events that follow Jimmy being dropped off at Bullworth Academy, a fictional New England boarding school. The player is free to explore the school campus in the beginning and, later on in the game, the town, or to complete the main missions. The game makes extensive use of minigames. Some are used to earn money, others to improve Jimmy's abilities or get new items.

School classes themselves are done in the form of minigames, broken into five levels of increasing difficulty. Each completed class brings a benefit to gameplay. English, as an example, is a word scramble minigame, and as Jimmy does well in this minigame, he learns various language-skills, such as the ability to apologize to police for small crimes. Chemistry is a button pushing minigame which rewards Jimmy with the ability to create firecrackers, stink bombs, and other items at his chemistry set in his room at the dorm.

Jimmy has a multitude of weapons available, although they tend to run along the lines of things a school boy might actually attain, such as a slingshot, bags of marbles, itching powder, fire crackers, stink bombs, and, later in the game, a bottle rocket launcher and the spud cannon. He can pick up and use various improvised weapons like bats, sticks, or flowerpots. The weapon Jimmy uses the most are his fists and feet; as the game progresses, Jimmy will be able to learn new moves and combos. Fighting is an integral part of the game; each of the game's five chapters culminates in a battle against the leader or leaders of a given clique. Jimmy, however, has a health bar in which if it gets depleted, he becomes knocked out, causing the mission he is doing to fail and Jimmy to be sent to the nearest medical center. However, violence against girls, smaller kids, or adults and authority generally has swift and severe consequences. Jimmy can get busted by the prefects, teachers, police and even some townspeople after he commits crimes. If this happens, the mission he is doing automatically fails, and most of Jimmy's weapons are confiscated. Depending on where and when Jimmy gets busted, he gets sent to the headmaster's office (and possibly detention), his dorm room, the classroom with a class in session, the Bullworth Academy front gate, or the police station.

Jimmy also has an assortment of vehicles to operate — mainly a skateboard, but also a scooter, a go-kart, a lawn mower (for money, and also to complete a detention and, towards the end of the game, some missions), and various bicycles. By passing shop classes, Jimmy can build increasingly high-performance BMX bikes, and use them in either races or a bike park. The player can alter Jimmy's physical appearance to their liking by purchasing new clothes, haircuts, masks, or even tattoos.

Chapters are:

* Chapter 1: Making New Friends and Enemies: Jimmy arrives at Bullworth Academy and immediately runs into trouble with the Bullies.

* Chapter 2: Rich Kid Blues: Jimmy is now more popular, but he must deal with the spoiled Preppies.

* Chapter 3: Love Makes the World Go Around: As Christmas time comes around the corner, Jimmy gets mixed in with the love affairs of Johnny Vincent, leader of the Greasers, and his promiscuous girlfriend Lola.

* Chapter 4: A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body and Other Lies: Jimmy decides to take on the Jocks, but he first needs to convince the Nerds to help him.

* Chapter 5: The Fall and Rise of Jimmy Hopkins, Aged 15: Jimmy, after briefly enjoying his power as king of Bullworth Academy, is expelled. He has to clear his name and get re-enrolled back into the Academy.

* Chapter 6: Endless Summer: Jimmy can tie up any loose ends, such as finishing races, finding collectibles, exploring Bullworth town etc.

The game takes place at Bullworth Academy, a fictional independent boarding school in the New England area of the United States. Jimmy ends up enrolled in the school when his newly married mother and stepfather go on a year-long honeymoon cruise. The school is located in the fictional town of Bullworth, which appears to exist in the same fictional universe as the Grand Theft Auto series. The school itself is a neo-gothic design and is similar to many other public schools and colleges in the United Kingdom and New England, in particular Fettes School in Edinburgh.

The game focuses on Bullworth's newest student, James "Jimmy" Hopkins. As he advances through his academic career at Bullworth Academy, he may interact with the school's students and teachers, as well as people from the neighboring town, many of whom will give him errands to complete. He is greeted by Gary Smith, a scheming, unstable sociopath, and Pete Kowalski, a shy student who has yet to make any friends. Throughout the first chapter, Gary has Jimmy doing all of his dirty work, while playing continuous mind games with him. Jimmy also has to navigate his way through the five cliques of Bullworth — the Bullies, Nerds, Preppies, Greasers and Jocks, as well as the Townie kids and the mostly corrupt prefects and faculty. Most of the cliques have a sole female member, with whom Jimmy can pursue a romance. There are also a number of students who are not associated with any clique. Unlike other games from Rockstar, no two characters in Bully are the same, and every character has a name and distinct personality.

* Jimmy, a 15 year old boy and the main protagonist of Bully. Jimmy comes from a troubled background, having been expelled from every school he ever attended, for a wide variety of offenses. His mother has just started her sixth marriage, this one with a man old enough to be Jimmy's grandfather. Unwilling to deal with Jimmy, they dump him on the steps of Bullworth Academy before leaving for a year-long honeymoon cruise. Stuck in a school where everyone wants to beat him up, Jimmy has no choice but to fight his way through all the cliques. Jimmy was designed to be an 'everykid'. Lead Producer of Bully, Jeronimo Barerra, claimed that what he wanted to do with Bully was to recreate the state of being a kid, and to make it fun. Parallels were also made between Jimmy and Holden Caulfield, the main character of Catcher in the Rye. Jimmy and Holden share a background of a difficult homelife and being thrown out of multiple private schools. Jimmy even uses Holden's favorite derogatory term, "phony", to describe his new stepfather.

* Gary Smith: The main antagonist of the game, Gary is described by other characters as a sociopath. He admits that he suffers from attention-deficit disorder. He considers himself smarter and better than everyone, and wants to run the school. Initially Jimmy's friend, he turns on him early in the school year and spends the rest of the game behind the scenes, manipulating the cliques into fighting Jimmy for him.

* Pete Kowalski: Pete, usually called "Petey", is a shy, smaller than average student who has trouble fitting in with any group and making friends. Pete is the second student to introduce himself to Jimmy, and becomes the closest thing to a friend Jimmy has at Bullworth. The two of them and Gary form a friendship of sorts, although Gary picks on Pete constantly. When Gary turns on Jimmy, Pete stays loyal to Jimmy and continues to for the rest of the school year. Although he doesn't have physical capabilities matching Jimmy's, he has a good tactical mind, and his advice helps Jimmy throughout the course of the game.

* Dr. Crabblesnitch: The pompous principal of Bullworth Academy and all-around killjoy, Crabblesnitch believes that "rehabilitating" problem children is his calling in life. Crabblesnitch was originally introduced as the main nemesis, a corrupt, authoritarian bully. The character was changed by the time the game was released, leaving Crabblesnitch more self-righteous and oblivious than malignant. Crabblesnitch refers to the bullying taking place as "school spirit". He refuses to hear ill of his staff, even expelling Zoe for complaining about the gym teacher Mr. Burton hitting on her. He does, however, take appropriate action when confronted with undeniable truth, and fires two different teachers for misdeeds and corruption over the course of the game.

* Russell Northrop: The leader of the Bullies clique. Russell isn't the smartest student at Bullworth Academy by a long shot. However, he is huge, very tough, and so strong that even the school's brutal and corrupt prefects are afraid of him. Early in the game, Gary manipulates him into fighting Jimmy. After Jimmy beats him, he becomes Jimmy's staunchest ally, assisting him with several important missions.

* Zoe Taylor: A townie girl who was expelled from Bullworth Academy by Dr. Crabblesnitch for complaining that the gym teacher was hitting on her. In addition to serving as a primary love interest for Jimmy in the game, she helps him carry out an important mission near the end. After Jimmy defeats Gary, she is re-enrolled at the Academy.

Early information released by Take-Two Interactive seemed to indicate that the player would be taking the role of a bully, and screenshots printed in Electronic Gaming Monthly showed the player-controlled antagonist administering a "swirlie" and throwing a punch at another student. However, the tone of the final game was different, with the player in the role of a problem student who stood up to and fought back against bullies, in effect, bullying on behalf of the victims, or in self-defense.

The PlayStation 2 version of the game uses an advanced Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas engine through Renderware. Rockstar Vancouver also decided to make every student in the school have a unique appearance and personality.

Bully received highly positive reviews from critics.[19] The game received ratings of 8.9/10 from IGN, 9.0/10 from Games Radar, a perfect 10/10 from 1UP.com, 8.7/10 from GameSpot, 5/5 from JIVE Magazine, 8.75/10 from VGRC.net, a 5/5 from X-Play, and made the Top 10 Games of '06 in PlayStation Magazine.[citation needed] Canis Canem Edit also got 9/10 from OPS2 Magazine. Critics generally praised the game's storyline, while they complained about particular stealth missions, as well as the camera.

As of 12 March 2008, the PlayStation 2 version of Bully has sold 1.5 million copies according to Take-Two Interactive. Hyper's Daniel Wilks commends the game for its "clever script, some novel missions [and] well constructed characters". However, he criticises it for "time dilation, dodgy camera [and] generic mini-games".

Bully has caused controversy among parents and educators. Criticisms are due to the adult nature of previous Rockstar games, in particular, the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hot Coffee minigame controversy and certain aspects of the game including its title. Groups such as Bullying Online and Peaceaholics have criticized the game for glorifying or trivializing school bullying. Most of these criticisms were voiced before the content of the game was available to the public. In 2006, the United States-based Entertainment Software Rating Board officially gave Bully a rating of "T" (suitable for ages 13 and up), the BBFC gave Canis Canem Edit a 15 rating and the New Zealand OFLC restricted it to persons 13 years of age and over. In 2007, Yahoo! Games listed it as one of the top ten controversial games of all time. The OFLC of Australia gave Bully an M rating (recommended for mature audiences) for moderate themes, violence and sexual references.

Sexuality is a present theme throughout Bully. Jimmy can kiss boys and girls in the game. The ESRB stated that they were fully aware of the bisexual content when they gave it a T rating.

Prior to both the ESRB's rating and the release of Bully, Jack Thompson filed a lawsuit attempting to have the game blocked from store shelves in Florida. Thompson declared the game a "nuisance" and "Columbine simulator". He also argued this point on Attack of the Show! with Kevin Pereira on the opposite end on the show's segment "The Loop." Thompson's petition, filed with the 11th Judicial Circuit Court, asked for Wal-Mart and Take-Two to furnish him with an advance copy of Bully so he could have "an independent third party" play the game and determine if it would constitute a public nuisance in the state of Florida, in which case it could be banned. On 11 October 2006, Judge Ronald Friedman ordered Take-Two and Rockstar to provide the court with a copy of the game within 24 hours. On 13 October 2006, Friedman subsequently ruled in favor of shipping the game, noting that there was no content in the game that was not already on late night television. Thompson responded to the ruling with fiery speech directed at the judge, which began the road to disbarment for Thompson.

When given a preview build, the mainstream American media took a generally positive view of the game. Press coverage has described the game as free-form, focusing on building a social network and learning new skills from classes, with strictly enforced punishments for serious misbehaviour.

Whilst British Labour MP Keith Vaz argued that Bully be banned or reclassified as rated 18 in the UK before its publication and before the content had been finalized, the game was released rated 15. Currys and PC World, both owned by DSG International, said that they did not wish to sell the game in the UK because it is "not appropriate for Currys' family-friendly image". The official statement lists what Currys believes is "the explicit link between violence and children" as the reason behind the ban, and continues: "We haven't taken this decision lightly, particularly considering the excellent relationship we have with Rockstar." However despite this decision other high street retailers including Game, HMV and Virgin Megastores announced intentions to stock the game. DSG stores still stock other Rockstar games including the GTA series, and other violent games like Manhunt, which both have BBFC 18 ratings, whereas Bully has a BBFC 15 rating.

Bully was banned in Brazil. In April 2008, Brazilian justice prohibited the commerce, import and availability of the game in Brazilian houses. The decision was taken by judge Flávio Mendes Rabelo from the state of Rio Grande do Sul based on psychological findings by the state psychology society which claims that the game would be potentially harmful to teenagers and adults. Anyone caught selling or even owning the game would face a daily fine of R$1,000.00.

In November 2009, The Gaming Liberty interviewed musician Shawn Lee, who scored Bully, and was asked if he was scoring any more games in the near future; he responded, "Yes. It looks like I will be doing the soundtrack for Bully 2 in the not so distant future...".

In November 2011, in an interview with Gamasutra, Rockstar executive Dan Houser revealed it may return to it for a sequel once Max Payne 3 is released. "Contrary to a lot of people, we like to take a little bit of time at the end of a game before starting a sequel, so we can wait for the excitement or disappointment and everything else of the experience to shake down and really see what we should do in the next game," he said. "So we knew that we didn't want to start doing the Bully sequel instantly at that second with those guys – even though it is a property that, like Max, we adore and might come back to in the future. There was just no impetus to do that then. So we said, 'You can do Max, and then we will see what we can do with Bully."

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37. The Warriors is a beat 'em up video game published by Rockstar Games. It was released on October 17, 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and February 12, 2007 for PlayStation Portable. The game is based on the 1979 film, The Warriors. The console versions of the game were developed at Rockstar Toronto, while the PSP port was developed by Rockstar Leeds. The game takes place in a gritty 1970's New York City in America and expands to NYC Boroughs. The Warriors focuses largely on gang rumble style action, with the player being assisted by other Warriors at once (minimum of 1, maximum of 8). The player plays as all nine of the main Warriors at different points throughout the game. Levels 1-13 take place three months before the meeting and 14-18 covers the movie itself. The game also includes five bonus levels called "Flashbacks" which creates a back story of the creation of The Warriors.

The first segment of the plot mainly focuses on Cleon the leader of The Warriors owning all of their territory in Coney Island from their arch rivals The Destroyers. The Warriors receiving a "solid" reputation. After a turf war with The Destroyers, The Warriors own all of Coney, following the removal of their enemies.

The second segment of the plot is similar to the 1979 film mainly focuses on the gangs' president being murdered secretly causing the truce to be off. Swan, who is now the leader (or "War Chief") of The Warriors after Cleon's demise, guides his fellow Warriors back to their home turf after they are framed for a murder they didn't commit.

The game begins in 1979 when Rembrandt (Andy Senor) joins the Warriors. On the same night their turf is raided by their arch-rivals the Destroyers. Cleon (Dorsey Wright) the leader of the Warriors and Vermin (Joe Lo Truglio) recruit their fellow members, but their hangout is sprayed; Cleon tells Rembrandt to spray The Destroyers turf as revenge. Already finishing the Destroyers turf Vermin comes with a idea to spray the Destroyers hangout, in which Rembrandt does, which angers the Destroyers leader Virgil (Curtiss Cook) who swears revenge against The Warriors.

Receiving news on the Radio, that a low-class gang named the Orphans had lied about beating up some Warriors, Cleon, Fox (Thomas G. Waites) and the New Bloods head up to their turf in Tremont to teach them a lesson. Conforting their leader Sully (Robert Cihra), he runs away, but the Warriors trash his car as a revenge. Rembrandt takes part in a spraying competition in Soho. The Warriors win; however, Scopes (Darryl McDaniels) is thrown of a scaffolding and the Hi-Hats trap the gangs for tagging on their turf, but the Warriors use a lift to escape and use bricks as a weapon to knock out their leader Chatterbox (Jordan Gelber). He falls of the Scaffolding. The Hi-Hats chase The Warriors but as they go in the hangout they vandalize it as revenge; thus avenging Scopes. Later, The Warriors names are mentioned in their hangout radio when it stated the Warriors are bring in a "heavy rep". It is heard from Rembrandt that Scopes is injured.

Shortly before a gang war, the Hi-Hats return to Coney Island to invade it, but the Warriors defend their turf. An angered Chatterbox fights them, but the Warriors successfully kill him. The Warriors receive a call from Charlie the Plumber (Kurt Rhoads) that the Destroyers are back and want revenge. He pays them protection money to defend all the stores. The Destroyers cause havoc for The Warriors by trashing their stores, but the Warriors successfully beat the Destroyers. The Warriors receive news from Tony that Ash (Ephraim Benton) has been beaten to death by the Destroyers and his vest was removed, his body is then used as a bait to trap Cleon and Swan (Michael Beck). The Destroyers desperate attempt to kill them fails and Cleon and Swan escape. An enraged Cleon decides to rid the lives of Virgil and the Destroyers once and for all. The Warriors split into two groups Cleon, Vermin, Ajax (James Remar) and Snow (Sekou Campbell) vandalize their stores. Virgil becomes increasingly paranoid and sends his men to kill the Warriors, and goes to the shack for supplies. Arriving to their Hangout, the Warriors beat the Destroyers to death, but they discover Virgil isn't in and they see L.C. Cleon and Vermin sneak-fully stalk L.C (Leif Riddell) and hits him on the wall. Cleon and Vermin confort Virgil and they engage in a brutal fight. They win and escape, but Virgil is killed in the building fire.

After the Destroyers removal, the Warriors now own all of Coney Island and they decide to bring themselves in the Gramercy Riffs network. Cleon receives word the Saracens leader Edge (El-P), that they are having trouble with the Jones Street Boys. Cowboy (Kurt Bauccio) and Cochise (David Harris) ends up getting the Jones Street Boys and two Cops arrested in a return to get them to the Riffs network. Rembrandt wants to take the Warriors All City by spraying trains, in which he does with the help of Scopes.

The Riffs leader Cyrus (Roger Hill) calls a midnight summit of all New York area gangs, requesting them to send nine unarmed representatives to Van Cortlandt Park. Cyrus proposes the assembled crowd a permanent citywide truce that would allow the gangs to control the city. Most of the gangs laud his idea, but Cyrus is assassinated by the Rouges leader Luther (Oliver Wyman), when he shoots Cyrus with a gun. Fox witnesses Luther with the gun. Luther then lies to the Riffs that the Warriors are responsible for Cyrus' murder; and Cleon is beaten to death by The Riffs who believe the Warriors are responsible for Cyrus' death. With Cleon's fate unknown the other Warriors escape. Swan now "second in command", takes charge of the group and they head back to the subway. Cyrus' death sends anger and shock throughout the whole of New York City. Unbeknownst to the Warriors, Masai (Charles Parnell) now the leader of the Riffs call a hit on them through a radio DJ (Lynne Thigpen). All the gangs in New York are also enraged by their president's murder, that they decide to rid the lives of the Warriors once and for all.

Almost immediately, the Turnbull AC's attempt to run down the Warriors but they manage to escape and board the subway. On the ride to Coney Island, the train is stopped by a fire on the tracks, stranding the Warriors in Tremont, in the Bronx. Setting out on foot, they come across the Orphans again, who were not invited to Cyrus' meeting and who are sensitive regarding their low status in the city hierarchy. Swan makes peace with the Orphans leader, Sully, who agrees to let the Warriors through their territory peacefully. Feeling mocked, a fight ensures and the Orphans are beaten badly. The police arrive and they attempt to arrest the Warriors, but they escape into the park. The Warriors encounter the Orphans again, they escape and they use a Molotov cocktail, blowing up a car in the process.

When they arrive at the 96th Street and Broadway Fox, struggling with a police officer, falls to the tracks and is run over by a train while Mercy (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) escapes. Swan and the remaining three Warriors run outside, and are chased into Riverside Park by the Baseball Furies where a fight ensues and the Warriors emerge victorious. Ajax notices a lone woman (Mercedes Ruehl) in the park, becomes sexually aggressive towards her. Unbeknownst to Ajax the women is actually a undercover female police officer and is arrested. Rembrandt, Vermin and Cochise are being seduced by the Lizzies. Unaware it is actually a trap, Rembrandt is suspicious and the Lizzies try to kill them, but