Mario is back, and everyone knows it. These screens of Mario Sunshine don\'t really do the game justice, but it\'s the best we have. Finally the fans will have their next installment of the Mario series, which is as popular as ever and looks to be a lot more fun. Click.

It\'s World War II, and here you are stuck in a P.O.W. camp. No guns, no killing, none of that traditional war game crap. Codemaster\'s latest endeavor, P.O.W., puts you in the role of an American prisoner trying to escape a German camp. The emphasis is on strategy, stealth, and planning the great escape. Click here for more.

Link is back, and he looks better than ever. I know, that opens us up to a lot of criticism, but folks who got to see Legend of Zelda GC in action at E3 were pleasantly surprised. Saturday morning cartoons have never looked this good, and the gameplay is incredible. Check out the soon-to-be hit right here.

THQ is going to have a good year, and this is just the beginning of our coverage. First up: Alter Echo. This is a sci-fi action/adventure game set on a planet called Proteus where humans mine semi-intelligent Multiplast to create amazing biotech devices. That is, until an evil villain convinces the Multiplast it is being exploited. Hardcore frantic action fans will love the fast paced \"somebody just at the brown acid\" feel of this game. Click here.

In a move away from the Star Wars franchise, LucasArts is working on RTX Red Rock, a cool action-adventure title that offers up loads of combat plus a whole bunch of strategic problem-solving. A wide array of tools and gadgets is at your disposal. Now go save the world. Click here for more.

Koei, makers of the Dynasty Warriors series, will release Mystic Heroes this fall, a new take on the old DW style. Set in a legendary China divided by two fantasy civilizations, you and up to three friends can hack, slash, and spell your way to victory. Click here.

Blizzard will throw their hat into the MMORPG arena with World of Warcraft. Building on the successes of their previous titles, both Warcraft and non-Warcraft franchises, this one is already playing pretty sweet. And then there\'s that top-secret new character race... Click here.

Aaron got his turn on Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat, this time on the Xbox, and his evaluation is pretty much the same as Jeremy\'s opinion of the PS2 version. How can you have a scene like the one at right and not have more of a sense of humor in your game? Click.

And we didn\'t forget about our job as game reviewers. Eric just got done playing Spider-Man: The Movie (the game) and has his write up. On the plus side, you\'ve never felt so much like a newly irradiated, web-slinging crime fighter. On the downside, it isn\'t real. Click here.

Microsoft games are looking strong this year in general, and although it\'s a good 9 months off, Impossible Creatures looks to continue the trend. Mix and match the most dangerous creatures in the world in this action RTS meets the Island of Dr. Moreau. Click here.

Ubi Soft has a Snake-killer on their hands. Picture this: Millions and millions of gamers arguing for years and years about whether MGS or Splinter Cell is the superior third person stealth action title. That\'s what the future looks like. We\'re all fans of MGS, but this Splinter Cell could make us devotees. Get the whole story here.

UT is the multiplayer game, and for the past while it has overshadowed the single player title that spawned it. This year Unreal Episode II will remind us all just why this franchise became so popular. Insane graphics, great action, and a cool single player adventure make this game one to watch for. Click here.

Possibly the most beautiful game yet for PS2 is ICO, the strange story of a little boy with horns growing out of his head. Normally, that would be cool, except in his culture they sacrifice little boys with horns growing out of their heads. Check out Jason\'s review here.

RPG is a game in which character development and character interaction take precedence over other factors and where each player's experience of the story is determined by individual choice rather than designer fiat . . . Of greatest importance, this definition eliminates adventure games, which share with the RPG an emphasis on story and character. What adventure games lack - and this is a critical point - is the capability for players to grow and develop their characters, and to affect, if not the outcome of the story, than the way in which the story unfolds. Without both character development and genuine choices placed within a player's control, a game cannot be called a role-playing game, as I choose to define the genre (Remodeling 1).

Dan Birlew is the author of several strategy guides for BradyGames, including Resident Evil 3 and Vagrant Story, and has been assigned to the SquareSoft roster of games. He has and is covering new Square titles like Parasite Eve II, Chrono Cross, and Final Fantasy IX. Birlew has a reputation for high quality work, and a distinct dedication to his craft. GamesFirst!, represented by yours truly, was lucky enough to sit in on a press roundtable discussion with Birlew and Detra Perry, PR Representative for BradyGames. Also in attendance were correspondants from Just Adventure, GameSpin, GameWeek, and The Computer Show. We all had a really nice, and quite long, discussion, ranging in topics from the nitty-gritty construction of a strategy guide, to linquistic and style considerations, to the future of strategy guides and gaming. It was all so fascinating that I followed up the interview with a few more questions, nagging Birlew about some of the deeper issues involved in gaming in general. You can find the GF! Exclusive Followup to the Dan Birlew Interview here, and keep reading to get the rest.