As if it weren't already evident by the art that surrounds this review, the visual splendor of Dead or Alive is astonishing. The bevy of beauties are gorgeously rendered, yet however graceful they may seem, they're not entirely glitch-free. Unless they use a bucket of mousse every day and have lost the ability to move all of their fingers, those are some of the faults that separate these girlies from live-action porn stars. The environments balance it out well, though, teeming with all the sweltering textures you'd expect from a game set on an exotic island.
It's a tad juvenile to be sure, but since when has a little sexed-up cleavage-popping guilty pleasure been a sin?-Jon M. Gibson
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Console: Xbox
Publisher: Sega
Hot: Graphics to die for
Not: Storyline is already six feet under
Score: 0 0 0 0
Panzer Dragoon Orta is like a supermodel-it's gorgeous, utterly perfect down to each and every curve (even though these are just polygons and not fleshy Heidi Klum). It's not often that a game truly lives up to such an audacious declaration, but this one most definitely shines.
Opening with a beautiful scene prerendered with the magnificent precision of Squaresoft's Final Fantasy cinemas, the adventure is quick to soar into combat. Therein, just like the rest of the previously released Panzer titles, you'll fly along rails atop a massive monster dressed in stone armor, battling legions of airborne enemies in an effort to defend humanity. As the young girl, Orta, you're the only hope to protect the remaining post-apocalyptic population against the sinister Dragonmares.
Indeed, it's a brutal war fought in a sky ruled by esoteric machinery and fantastical creatures that only the designers at Smilebit could devise (the studio most recently installed a trippy, hip-hop flair in the graffiti movement with Jet Set Radio Future). Too bad you have to lay waste to all of the dynamic foes instead of admiring the lush scenery.
Guided by an inspired targeting system that proves most effective, you can also morph your dragoon into three diverse forms: Base Wing (offering a multi-target lock-on shot), Heavy Wing (a more powerful attack with fewer lock-on targets), and Glide Wing (which doesn't allow lock-on functionality at all, only rapid-fire homing projectiles). The applications for each mode fluctuate so that sometimes you'll require the agility of Glide Wing to outmaneuver assailants; other times a hulking boss might show resistance to your weaker shots, making Heavy Wing a useful approach.
While the whole affair lasts a mere two hours (or a bit longer if you pace yourself) the spectacle contained within demands replay, especially if you're equipped with HDTV and Dolby Digital. With a capable home theater rig, Orta becomes more than just a typical weekend renter with pretty graphics, it's an experience rivaling the best silver-screen sagas.-JMG
Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair
Console: PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
Publisher: Encore/Ubi Soft
Hot: Bursting with nostalgia
Not: But 20 years is a long time
Score: 0 0 0
Depending on whether you're old enough to remember, Dragon's Lair was the soup du jour of arcade games when it debuted in 1983. Propped up between Galaga and Pac-Man coin-ops, its graphics were beyond reasonable comparison-it was like bright-red crunchy Jonathan apples versus rotten, mold-encrusted Granny Smiths. Propelled by the hand-drawn graphics of Don Bluth (Titan A.E., The Secret of N.I.M.H.) and run on the newly devised chapter-skipping technology of a Laserdisc player, the game was a marvel in then-modern gaming.