Guild Wars For some gamers, paying upwards of $10 a month for the privilege of spending hours killing rodents, making casual virtual friends, and generally doing busywork is a hard sell. Plenty of folks are still willing to devote the time and the... (more) money to have elite characters, but with the online gaming market more crowded than ever, a more lightweight option is in order for the casual players. They want an entertaining online RPG they can enjoy while still having a life, and without the monthly fee. That’s exactly what Guild Wars delivers, and it does so brilliantly. The level cap and somewhat simplified elements of Guild Wars may disappoint the most hardcore of online RPG players, but most will find it to be a refreshing change of pace. Casual gamers can feel free to jump in and play for a few hours a week without worrying about getting their money’s worth, while more dedicated players can spend hours and hours earning abilities for their characters through quests and recognition for their guild through tournaments. Guild Wars may not offer the typical experience, but in many ways it’s better for it. Pokemon Emerald Clearly Nintendo’s marketing empire has been sneaking Viagra into Pikachu’s water supply. That prolific little yellow rat’s back, this time with another fully engorged installment of the prolific Pokémon series. Like Pokémon Yellow and Crystal before it, Pokémon Emerald is a remixed version of previous titles, namely the GBA’s Ruby and Sapphire entries. You’ll be catching the same Pokémon on the same island chain, but the story (if you could call it that) has been expanded, adding new dungeons and areas to explore. Without a doubt Pokémon Emerald is the best Pokémon RPG to date, but if you’ve played Ruby and Sapphire and didn’t care enough to catch them all and memorize all of their cute little names, then there probably isn’t much here for you. If you’re interested in the series and still haven’t giv