Replay This...
Thumbing through some game reviews last week… does anyone care about replay value? Reading these reviews would lead me to believe it was a big deal. Sure, at face value, the ability to replay a favorite title seems like a good thing, but who does it?

My all-time favorite game is Fallout. I swore the day I completed it that I would build a new character, follow a different path, and play again. That was 1997; I’ve never booted the game again. I don’t think that I’m the Lone Ranger. Thousands (yes, thousands) of video and PC games are released each year.  No one has time to play them all, or even play all the good ones, let alone *replay* a game.

Nevertheless, goaded by reviewers who must find fault –be it any fault, and chat board firebrands who scream (in caps) at the slightest flaw, developers continue to sink development dollars and days into creating replayibilty. A replayability enjoyed by very few, but development hours missed by all. Developers and reviewers lean close... it’s quality, not quantity, that counts.

My Kids, My Job...
Eidos Interactive has been discharged from a $5 billion lawsuit. Families of the 13 victims of America's Columbine High School were suing Eidos in addition to AOL Time Warner, Paramount, Sega, and Sony.  The murderers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, owned a copy of Eidos’ Final Fantasy 7, but Colorado’s Chief Judge ruled that because the game did not feature gun play it did not affect the kid’s behavior.

Of course the real issue is not weather Cloud wields an Uzi or a sword, but that neither Eidos, nor any other game company, is responsible for raising our children. My three kids are mine, I accept responsibility for what they watch, play, and read. If the victim’s families are looking for someone to sue, perhaps they should look no further than Harris’s and Klebold’s homes.

Tight Takes
Max Payne. Okay, if you haven’t played Max Payne you should do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. I knew, heck I think everyone at E3 knew, that this was going to be something special. The whole “bullet time,” slo-mo thing is cooler than an ice-soaked Corona, and I found myself seriously caring about Mr. Payne.

I know I grew tired of hearing Remedy’s mantra, “When it’s done!” But they have once again proved what every publisher should know. There’s only one way to make a good game –slowly.

Desperados. Out of nowhere comes a game with as much personality as Payne. From French developer, Spellbound, Desperados can best be described as a cross between Commandos and a spaghetti western. Played from an isometric view, this action adventure features six gunslinger types as they con, shoot, trick, and sneak their way through 25 missions.

The gaming is tough, but at least there’s an in-mission save. This is enthralling fair for fans of the American west or real-time adventure action thingies. It doesn’t boast a high replay value, but then again it doesn’t need to; it’s good enough the first time through.
  © Mark H. Walker, LLC 2001 Mark H. Walker is a veteran interactive entertainment journalist who has written over 40 books including his recently released Video Games Almanac and The Parent’s Guide to PlayStation Games.