Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard

Sure, we're all dying to know what "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo" means -- myself included. But it says something about our hobby that even in a week when the biggest-budget, highest-tech game imaginable hits stores, there's a seemingly anachronistic, equally engrossing labor of love available from a minuscule, hardworking crew with just as much heart as Kojima's team. The gaming world's got more than enough room for both, and I couldn't be happier.

"This is a specific kind of game for a specific type of gamer - the RPG masochist. But those people are going to love this thing."

Etrian Odyssey II's brutality and grinding is initially off-putting, but push on and you're in for an intense, rewarding experiences.

"For the hardcore RPG fan, Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard is an unparalleled and welcome return to form for a genre that has in many ways forgotten its roots. Highly recommended. "

"In the end, the good outweighs the bad in Etrian Odyssey, and it does it by a long shot. Yes the game can be unintuitive and punishing, but it's also the only series we've played on DS that gives us nearly infinite customization, and forces us to really push ourselves in a strategic, traditional way within the RPG setting."