Afro is on a mission.  He has one concern on his mind:  avenging the death of his father.  He certainly has the skills to do so.  With sword in hand, Afro will cut through waves of samurai, ninja, and topless warrior strippers (no joke, it happens.)

The developer, Surge, did a great job with the graphical presentation.  The game features a slick, cell-shaded look that is perfect for the source material.  Since there is no HUD in the game, you get to see all the bloody, beheading action perfectly.  The cut-scenes are also very enjoyable and the voice talent is incredible.

Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Pearlman, and Kelly Hu reprise their roles from the hit anime as Afro, Ninja Ninja, Justice, and Okiku.  The dialogue is mostly hilarious, especially when Sam L. is involved.  I played the game in surround sound and I must say, the music by the RZA is awesome.  At certain points in the game, I just left Afro idle for a few to take in the tracks.

Now that I have that out of the way, I have to mention this.  Afro Samurai  is a licensed game based on a very popular anime.  That means the developer took the opportunity to ignore some of the games flaws.  This game is a beat-em-up with some platforming elements.  Sure, there are lots of combos to use, but when push comes to shove, you’ll be mashing buttons like there’s no tomorrow.  The game also has a leveling system, but since you don’t decide how to use your EXP, it does very little to add depth.  Luckily, there is a game play mechanic called “Focus” which will give your fingers a break and allow you to pull off “perfect strikes” that will instantly kill most foes.

The fighting is relatively fun, but the platforming is tedious and needed some tweaks.  The camera is a little difficult to get used to, but manages to get the job done.  All in all, Afro Samurai is a decent game.  If you are a fan of beat-em-ups or Afro, try this one out.  Afro Samurai gets a 3/5.

How could the Western theme be so under used?  Since the first time I watched movies like Young Guns and Unforgiven, I’ve longed to step into the boots of an 1880′s American Western cowboy.  What could be more thrilling than forming a posse to collect the bounty on a wanted man, or running from a lynch mob, guns blazing, because you are that wanted man?  A few developers have dabbled in the Western genre.  Rockstar with Red Dead Revolver, Neversoft with Gun, and Ubisoft with Call of Juarez being the most notable, but there is still a lack of options.  Now that Western movies are regaining popularity, my desire to play this role is even stronger.  If you feel the same way, good news your way comes.

Rockstar is close to releasing their follow up to Red Dead Revolver with Redemption.  Redemption will be the first open world, sand box style game from Rockstar other than the GTA series.  The screens I have seen look incredible, and I can only imagine the possibilities of a Western-themed game with a GTA style.  Ubisoft is also releasing a sequel to Call of Juarez with Bound In Blood.  I have little details on the game other than it is an FPS with two playable characters.  I can say that the first Call of Juarez is a very good game with some unique mechanics, and a solid story.  Last, but certainly not least, there are rumors of Neversoft working on a sequel to Gun.  If you have never played these games, you owe it to yourself to do so.  I strongly recommend Gun to fans of action games.

Here’s to hoping these Wild West sequels make big enough waves to get more gamers and developers interested in the genre.  I think we could all use a break from WWII shooters.

I play many roles in my life.  I am a son, a brother, a manager, even an artist.  My most important role, however, is being a single father.  I have a three year old son named Carter and he is my world.  As a gamer, I have been in many discussions about video games and today’s youth.  Many people blame the gaming industry for rising crime rates and the obesity epidemic sweeping the nation.  I use to just shrug these conversations off and get back to eating cheese curls and busting heads on Godhand.  Now that my son is old enough to play games, my attitude has changed a bit.  I have formed some strong opinions on the matter and wish to share them.  I would also like to hear what you guys think.

Too many times I have heard about lawyers defending young criminals by using violent games as a scape goat.  Sure, I agree that children are very impressionable.  I see it everyday with my son, but lets not forget that the ESRB rates the content in games before the game reaches store shelves.  If you are not familiar with ESRB, check out thier site, www.esrb.org.  Every retailer I have ever been in prohibits the sale of mature games to children based on these ratings.  That means that an adult had to have purchased that copy of GTA for the child before he or she stole a car and slapped a prostitute.  The key to avoiding these situations is to be involved in every aspect of your child’s life.  Go ahead and check out my Gamertag, lpm1, on XBOX LIVE.  You will see some really kiddy stuff on there, as well as some mature games.

My method of playing games with my child is simple; we play his games ( Kung Fu Panda, Cars, etc.) for no more than an hour a day.  We then go outside for no less than an hour.  We also read and write and draw together.  Most importantly, I never let him see my games with mature content.  To summarize, I am his father.  I am responsible for teaching him right and wrong, that responsibility doesn’t fall on Kratos.  I am in charge of his daily activities, and it is my duty to check the content in games before he plays.

So please, lets stop blaming the video game industry for our short comings as parents.  Instead, lets take responsibility for our children and learn to use gaming as a bonding tool.  My son and I are inseparable, and a big part of that is our daily gaming hour.

I would love to hear your comments on this topic, and any stories from fellow gaming parents have to share.  Now if you will excuse me, my son is with his mom today and Bioshock isn’t going to play itself.

That is a tough question to answer.  I’ve beaten the game on every difficulty (save for professional) and I must say, RE5 is very enjoyable.  I will start out by stating the obvious, the graphics are great.  The games locales are beautiful and the lighting effects are some of the best I have seen.  However, we all know that great graphics alone don’t make a great game (Heavenly Sword anyone).

RE5 is a survival horror game, and while the graphics and lighting create a creepy tone, the amount of  thrills in previous RE games just wasn’t there.  Sure the surprise attacks and chainsaw wielding zombies got my blood flowing, but the suspense just seemed a little watered down.  The main reason for that is your AI or CO-OP controlled partner Sheva.  She is always there!  No solo missions, no watching your own back, no sense of being alone in the face of evil.  In fact, the scariest thing was watching your AI controlled partner make nonsensical decisions at the worst possible times.  The only thing that saved the partner system for me, was the interesting game play mechanic where both characters had to work together to solve a few puzzles.

All that being said, I still recommend RE5 to anyone who asks for two reasons; the story and the game play.  The story picks up a short while after the events of Resident Evil 4 and brings back an RE favorite.  You play as Chris Redfield.  Since his battle with Umbrella, Chris becomes an agent of the Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance.  He is sent to Africa to investigate rumors of a new, potentially more dangerous outbreak.  During his mission, Chris uncovers a diabolical plot to unleash a deadly biological weapon on the world.  He also discovers that the mastermind behind this plot is none other than his old pal, Albert Wesker.

The game play is very similar to that of RE4.  The over the shoulder view, the two button firing scheme, the upgradable weapons, even the random treasure hunting.  Capcom did make a few improvements though, the best of which is the menu system.  In previous entries, the player had to pause the game and go to the menu screen to change weapons or equipment.  In RE5, the menu is presented on screen in real time, effectively adding suspense to the already hectic fights.

The boss fights are mostly fun and the few boss specific weapons are a joy to use.  The Mercenaries mode also makes its return with some improvements.  You now have the option to go it alone or, find a friend (considering you’ve turned the game off long enough to make one) and pair up for some truly fast and fun combat.  Formulating strategy with a friend while running from hordes of evil infected is by far my favorite part of the game.  RE5 isn’t perfect by any means, no game is, but if you are looking for fast action, fun fights, and a solid story, add this one to your collection.  RE5 gets a 4/5.

The story takes place in the year S.D. 10 after the events of  World War III  drove humans underground and left the planet Earth in shambles.  You play as Edge Maverick, the captain of the space ship Calnus, on a mission to explore space and find a suitable planet for earthlings to call home.

The story is solid, and is presented with many beautiful (if not a bit over acted) cut scenes.  The games pacing is best described as story, dungeon, story, dungeon, rinse and repeat -a style that RPG fans are accustomed to.  However, this is not just another RPG.

Star Ocean TLH has a very fast and addictive battle system.  The battles are not random either. Instead, you can see the enemies on screen.  This gives the player the option to avoid battle, or to try and gain the upper hand with a surprise attack.  It is the battle system that truly makes this game great.  Level grinding is a huge part of any RPG, and since TLH has such a fun battle system, level grinding is a breeze.

Star Ocean TLH offers many hours of side quests, collectibles to earn, and even a secret dungeon to unlock, making it well worth the $60 price tag.  That’s not to say that the game is perfect.  Star Ocean TLH has a few boring fetch quests that basically send you back to an area you have already searched.  The game also uses a save point system like most JRPGs. The problem is that the save points are few and far between during the long dungeon quests, but seem to be littered throughout towns for no good reason.  These are just minor complaints though and in no way negate the rest of the games strong points.

If you own an XBOX 360 and are looking for a solid RPG experience , look no further than Star Ocean TLH.  This game gets a 4/5.