SEGA! Phew. Okay, with that out of my system, let's update the ShackReviews database. This week we've got a few recent titles and the first two releases of 2004. As usual, if there's a game you want to review but don't see in the database, check first and then submit it! (And don't blame me if a game you never submitted isn't added!)

• AquaNox 2: Revelation (PC)
• Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits (PS2)
• Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)
• Sonic Battle (GBA)
• Sonic Heroes (GC)

My gaming this past week was limited to Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, which I'm enjoying quite a bit. What's becoming clear as I progress through the game however, is what's going to really prevent this game from being a true classic...its protagonist is the dullest character in the game. There are interesting characters in here, but the one you actual control is a total snooze, and if his name weren't in the title, I doubt i'd even remember it. What this game really needs is a protagonist like Sonic. Not literally like Sonic, of course (that just wouldn't work here, and a character that original only comes along once in a blue moon) but a lead character that has a real presence. Even Glitch's voice is bland in comparison with everyone around him. Fortunately the gameplay's solid, and it can be a bit challenging at times, which I find to be a bit refreshing after the softball Legacy of Kain: Defiance and the hard-for-the-wrong-reasons portions of XIII.