I originally bought LEGO Star Wars III for the 3DS, as it was one of the titles that spurred me into finally taking that steep plunge–one I don’t regret, I might add. I picked up the strategy guide as well, and while I was trying to review it, I was thoroughly confused because nothing the guide had was what I was doing. The guide started on Geonosis, near the end of Attack of the Clones, but my game started on an episode from The Clone Wars. I kept flipping through the guide to try to understand what the issue was, and that is when I found that there was a completely separate version for the DS. The guide for said version was near the back of the guide.

So of course, as the thorough strategy guide reviewer that I am, I purchased the Xbox 360 version of the game so I could review the guide in its entirety. What I was not expecting, however, was how different these two games really were.

Both games take place during the same Clone Wars episodes from Cartoon Network, but they each focus on different parts of the stories. They occasionally do overlap, but the gameplay mechanics are so different and the cut scenes are so different that you may not really notice at all unless you played them simultaneously like I did.

The biggest difference between the games other than the stories and the length–there is considerably more to do in the console version, and that includes extra content outside the longer main storyline–are the gameplay features each version focuses on. The console version focused more on real-time strategy sequences, where you had to plan how to take over droid bases, destroy everything in them, and build your own fortresses and weapons so you could overtake other bases. With these RTS elements, the game had an overall serious feel to it and hardly any of the humor we’ve come to expect from LEGO games. All the humor was saved up for the cut scenes, which was a little disappointing to me.

Now the DS version was almost the complete opposite. Within the first five minutes, I was already cracking up at the droids’ and Clone troopers’ antics. In addition, so many things you had to were just so off the wall and crazy–like playing a shoot-the-ducks carnival game with a tank–you couldn’t help but smile and snicker. Instead of RTS sequences, the DS version sported more mini-games that utilized the touchscreen, and they were all brilliantly executed. My absolute favorite mini-game that I keep yammering on to everyone who will listen involves the R2-D2 mini-game. Whenever you use an R2 unit to hack into something, a mini-game opens up that requires you to match set blocks by using your stylus to rotate a circle of blocks to line up the required match. As a result, you spin the hack port in much the same way as a R2 unit does. The faster you do it, the more studs you win. But that wasn’t why this mini-game was my favorite; it was the music. The mini-game’s music consists of the famous Imperial March theme that we’re all familiar with, but it has a Mission Impossible spin on it.

I’m very glad that I played both games, but when it comes to recommendations, I’m going to have to throw my support at the DS version 100%. There isn’t as much to do in this game, but it is more of your typical, wacky gameplay that one would expect from LEGO games.

Believe it or not, I actually wrote my official game review of The 3rd Birthday awhile ago, so at least I’m not slacking on all levels. Just don’t ask me how Portal 2 is coming, okay?

But back to The 3rd Birthday, this game captivated my attention at last year’s E3. Granted, all I saw were cut scenes (as is Square Enix’s forte), but they greatly impressed me how crisp and beautiful they were for a PSP game. I knew nothing about the Parasite Eve series, but I really wanted to try this game.

Unfortunately, also in Square Enix style, the game itself did not live up to the gorgeous cut scenes. From my review over at GamesAreEvil.com:

Aya Brea is back, still not wearing anything that could be considered armor, and shooting away. That, along with a few returning characters, are the only similarities the game has to its predecessors. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it incorporates a really unique and fun combat system, and it’s always nice to try something new in a series of games. Unfortunately though, an incredibly weak story and unlikeable characters ruin any momentum this game might have generated….

In addition to the unique gameplay, The 3rd Birthday has something else that one would expect from Square Enix: beautiful cut scenes. Square Enix rarely disappoints on that front, and this game is no exception. I mentioned earlier that that blood geysers are outrageous, but in cut scenes, they are downright beautiful. Everything is so breathtaking and crisp, that it’s hard to believe that this game is on the PSP and not on a major console.

If everything else was as well done as the scenery, the gameplay, and the cut scenes, then we might have had a Game of the Year contender. The plot, though, is its biggest adversary.

I depend on great stories to carry me through, and sadly enough, The 3rd Birthday did it until the very, very end. Once the big secret was revealed, I was left with nothing but disappointment. I’m very glad I played it, but I can’t recommend it to many of my friends. If you like lots of collectibles, high replayability, tons of unlockables, and dressing girls in very little clothing, then this game will be straight up your alley.

Final Fantasy Dissidia Duodecim is one of the few games that I did not want to review, and it’s quite possibly the first Square Enix game I did not want to review. I did not enjoy the first game, and I assumed that this game would be more of the original. But when you’re assigned a game to review, you’re assigned to it. Within minutes of turning it on, I realized that my assumptions were a little right.

FFDD continues its tradition of incorporating the Bravery and HP attack system, which to be honest, you will either love or hate. There is nothing with the way it works; I just hate it. This was their method of making the fighting game more unique than your typical button mashing combos, and they definitely accomplished that goal, but it’s not for everyone.

There were some nice new changes brought into the prequel. For example, the ability to call in other characters for assist attacks is so incredibly useful, especially when the AI is just pummeling you into a corner. Actually having an overworld to run around in breaks up the monotony of having game board after game board after game board. I personally would have preferred that they ditch the whole game board idea altogether, but at least that’s not all I’m looking at in between menus and cut scenes.

The new character additions offer more unique stylings of fighting from your typical sword-toting brawlers throughout the game, especially with Lightning, Yuna, and Laguna. Yuna attacks exactly how she did in FFX: summoning aeons. Laguna’s heavy gun arsenal is immensely satisfying for players who prefer long range attacks and never really getting up close, and Lightning’s ability to actually Paradigm Shift is more than just a nod at the unusual battle system in FFXIII; it provides numerous options for players to customize how she attacks to their style.

Overall, FFDD is not a bad game. It does what it does very well, but it has carved out a very specific niche for its fans. Basically, you must be both a fan of Final Fantasy games and of the fighting game genre. I do not fit into this audience, so it was most definitely not for me. If you liked the first Dissidia game, you will more than likely love this one as well.

SGR Rating: 4/5