-
5 (34) 4 (42) 3 (10) 2 (5) 1 (1) 4.1 starsAverage score of 92 user reviews
-
Heihachi Mishima is Dead... Maybe? 0
10 years. Tekken has been around for 10 years. Feel old yet? Well, don't feel bad, because Tekken 5 will remind you of the fun you had in the past. The fifth (sixth if you count Tag) installment in Namco's blockbuster fighting franchise is excellent in virtually every aspect. Gone are the adjustments and "features" that made fans turn away from Tekken 4. It's almost as if Tekken 4 never existed, except for storyline purposes. If you even remotely like fighting games, Tekken 5 is a mu...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
It's Hard to Improve on the Perfection of SSX3 0
After another two-year hiatus, SSX returns with the fourth installment. SSX On Tour is an excellent addition to an already stellar franchise that dates back to Day 1 of the PlayStation 2. In Fall 2000, SSX was the best PS2 launch title and while the game has changed over the last five years, it has kept true to its racing core. On Tour big addition to the SSX formula is the ability to ride the snow on skis as well the original snowboards. That combined with a unique art style and focus ...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
A True Masterpiece 0
Shadow of the Colossus is a game unlike any other. You play a young man trying to save his one true love by defeating a number of enemies that hold the secret to bringing her back to life. Okay...so maybe the premise isn't exactly original, but that's where the unoriginality ends. The game comes to us from the same development team that brought us one of the best PS2 games ever made, ICO. Adored by critics yet ignored by buyers, ICO was an artistic adventure that will be long remembered by anyon...
10 out of 10 found this review helpful. -
Criminally Overshadowed by Jak & Ratchet 0
Sly Cooper was originally released in 2002 and was a fun mix of action platformer and a dash of stealth. It was a good game, but was ridiculously short. Sucker Punch returns now with Sly 2, and it's a more complete package to say the least. As before, you play as Sly Cooper, the thieving raccoon, but unlike last time, you can now play parts of missions as the rest of Sly's crew. Bentley the turtle is the brains of your operations while Murray is the dim-witted meat-shield. Sly, as the ...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
For a $20 Online Shooter, You Can't Complain Too Much 0
Serious Sam has somewhat of a cult following on the PC, and Xbox owners got a taste of the madness a little over year ago. Now PS2 and Gamecube owners get The Next Encounter which takes Sam through Ancient Rome, Atlantis, and Ancient China. This is by no means some epic FPS like Halo or Far Cry. Next Encounter is basically a throwback to the reckless style of the early FPS games where you enter a room, the doors lock, a whole bunch of monsters show up, and then you have to kill everythin...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Insomniac Further Perfects Action-Platforming 0
Up Your Arsenal is the third installment of the Ratchet & Clank saga. After disowning their baby Spyro, Insomniac has set out to make the best overall action-platformer in the industry. And while they have a friendly rivalry with Naughty Dog (Jak & Daxter), with an entry like Up Your Arsenal, it would be hard to say that Insomniac hasn't succeeded in that very goal. It's impossible not to compare it to Jak & Daxter because both games have borrowed from each other. R&C ha...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Nippon Ichi Further Establishes Their Cult Following 1
Phantom Brave is the third tactical RPG to come out Nippon Ichi Studios in the span of a year. They're still a bit under the radar but have definitely garnered a cult following of RPG and anime fans alike. Phantom Brave is quite similar to its predecessors (Disgaea & La Pucelle) in many ways, but also very different when looked at closely. The game still features graphics that will turn off the majority of the gaming audience, but tactical RPG's aren't meant for everyone. The combat...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
The Returner and The Professional Slay Some Demons 0
The third and final installment of Capcom's Onimusha series has arrived. Is it the best yet? Yes, yes it is. The first game was a good action title for the young PS2, but the second game replaced the main character and the graphics and gameplay didn't change enough from the first one to stand up to the current crop of games at the time. The third installment takes the game out of the 2D backgrounds and puts you in a fully 3D environment. That's just the beginning because Capcom has thr...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Put Me In, Coach. I'm Ready to Play! 0
MVP has returned and quite frankly it's the best baseball game I've ever played thus far. The amount of depth in this game borders on overwhelming. It has all the generic stuff you expect from a baseball title (Exhibition, Create-A-Player, Home Run Derby, etc), but the franchise mode simply goes far and above anything you've ever experienced in a sports game, much less a baseball game. New to this year's installment are AA and AAA Minor League teams for all 30 MLB clubs. The game also f...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
MK Trilogy 2: Ultimate Fan Service 0
Armageddon had more hype around it than any Mortal Kombat title in a long time. For many fans, the prospect of every single fighter ever seen in a MK game (except Khameleon) was more than enough reason to get excited. The concept immediately brings Mortal Kombat Trilogy to fans minds, which was a great game in its own way, but as a somewhat thrown together mish-mash it was not really part of the Mortal Kombat storyline. Armageddon tells the story of the end of an era in the MK universe. ...
4 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Delightful Insanity 1
Katamari Damacy could quite possibly be the craziest, most original games I've ever played, and that's in a good...so good way. Here's the premise... Your father, the King of All Cosmos, apparently got drunk one night and, when he woke up, he realized he had destroyed all of the stars. The obvious solution is to send you, the Prince, to Earth to collect enough random junk in order to recreate the stars. How do you do this? Well you roll a ball, a katamari if you will, that has the uncan...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Rise to Mediocrity 0
People seem to like Jet Li movies. People obviously like video games. So what gets produced when you combine the two? A steaming pile of crap apparently. Jet Li spent six weeks doing motion capture and voice work for this game, and while I admire that, it makes me think Sony spent about half the amount of time implenting all his work into the game. The game looks and feels like an interactive DVD movie complete with scene selections and constant cut scenes. You play as Jet Li...who pl...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Bringing the Franchise Online in Style 0
Hot Shots Golf has always been about one thing, fun. In Japan, Hot Shots is called "Everybody's Golf" and that's a good description of the series. Anyone can pick up a controller and within a hole or two and have fun in Hot Shots. In the world of golf video games, there is a thick line between the simulation Tiger Woods games and the likes of Hot Shots are Mario Golf. Both of which are great games. Hot Shots may lack the graphical prowess of EA's franchise, but it certainly makes up fo...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Please Don't Be the Guy Who Shouts "Freebird" 0
Guitar Hero is another rhythm-based game brought to us by Harmonix, who you probably don't remember made Frequency and Amplitude. This time Harmonix has teamed up with Red Octane to create an even more memorable music experience. Red Octane is most well known for their high-quality Dance Dance Revolution pads and they have applied their excellent craftsmanship to the guitar controller used in Guitar Hero. For those who already love the rhythm genre (DDR, StepMania, Donkey Konga, BeatMani...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Over-the-Top Insane Awesomeness 0
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The most anticipated game of the year this side of the Xbox. You've seen the other reviews. You know it's selling like crazy. But honestly, is it really that good? Isn't it just more of the same? Or is it a revolution of the genre and a shining example of Rockstar's dominance? Well, it's all of those things. It is the same, yet it is different in so many ways. Is it the best PS2 game of all time like several sites/mags are saying? No, it's not. Is i...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
The Legacy Continues 0
Since 1998, Gran Turismo has been the epitome of simulation racing. By constantly pushing the hardware's graphical potential, whether it was PS2 or PSX, Polyphony Digital lured gamers in with the pretty pictures and then assaulted the dazed gamers with some of the best physics and production values ever seen in videogames. Gran Turismo 4 brings more of the same in that respect, alot more. With over 700 cars and 100 tracks, this is the most stacked racing game ever. For any racing sim fa...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Simply Incredible 0
Action adventure games; they're a dime a dozen. They've been a staple since the dawn of videogames. God of War takes all the lessons learned from the great action adventure games and combines them to create one of the best games ever to grace a console. The game does not offer much in terms of innovation, but it simply does everything to perfection. As the title would lead you to believe, this game is based in Greek mythology. Surprisingly few games have taken advantage of the depth of...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
We Got a New Contendah! 0
Knockout Kings is dead, and rightfully so. It had many fans, but the button-mashing mayhem came to slow end last year when KK 2003 was only released on the GameCube. EA completely scrapped KK and built a brand new boxing game from the ground up...and it's the best boxing game since...well...Super Punch Out? Maybe that's not saying much, but Fight Night 2004 is a prime example of why Electronic Arts is the biggest and most successful third party developer in the business. Not only are they c...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Licensed to Be Good 0
The latest 007 game hit stores this week, and it is easily the best Bond game since GoldenEye. EA has given up on replicating Rare's classic FPS. Everything or Nothing takes Bond into 3rd person view, and it works. The new view plays alot like Metal Gear Solid, but with alot more extras thrown in like vehicles. The game also features an optional point system where you gain points for doing Bond-like things such as using the environment to take out enemies rather than just shooting them ...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Lots of Potential, But Poor Delivery 0
Drakengard is the latest title from Square Enix, but it's not what you've come to expect from Square. Drakengard is a full-on hack'n'slash action game with some RPG elements thrown in. But to add a bit of a twist (or to just muffle the monotany of constant hacking), you also get to hop on a dragon much like Panzer Dragoon Orta and annhilate hundreds of enemies via fireballs and dragon magic. Panzer Dragoon + Dynasty Warriors makes for a cool idea, but even after several years in developm...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
The Most Fun You'll Have Getting Your Ass Kicked 1
Devil May Cry 3 is over the top. Everything about the game is done in excess, which could be good or bad, but in this case it's mostly good. After an excellent and stylish debut in 2001, Devil May Cry took a wrong turn with its 2003 sequel and disappointed many fans. With the third installment, Capcom is attempting to get back to its roots. While the game is titled "3," it's actually a prequel to the original game. The story revolves around the relationship between Dante and his twin b...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Nothing New, But Still a Solid Experience for EQ Fans 2
Champions of Norrath was one of my favorite PS2 games of last year. Return to Arms picks up right where the original left off and even lets you bring your character from the first game into the second. Admittedly, the game doesn't offer very much in regards to innovation, but not too many people buying this game are looking for something completely new. Snowblind has made a career out of this Diablo-esque, dungeon crawling, hack-n-slash game. And Champions doesn't try to be anything other t...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Not Just for EverQuest Fans, But They'll Enjoy It More 0
The latest attempt at spreading the EverQuest franchise has arrived. Champions of Norrath takes the world of EverQuest and creates a hack-n-slash RPG out of it. Sounding a little bit like a way to milk the EQ franchise? Well, yes...but the game is pretty good, so that's okay. The people that made the original Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, Snowblind Studios, are the developers of Champions of Norrath and their experience shows. The story is a bit on the simplistic side (EQ addicts will g...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Surprisingly Good in Many Ways 0
What happens when you take NBA Street and mix it with MTV Cribs with a dash of reality TV? You get Midway's NBA Ballers. Honestly, I was more than skeptical about this game. Who needs anything more than what NBA Street Vol 2 offers? Well, after several sessions with NBA Ballers, I'm convinced NBA Ballers indeed has a place on the shelf of sports fans...at least until NBA Street Vol 3 of course. The game features several new gameplay aspects that we haven't seen before in a basketball g...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
One for the Ages 0
So you've been playing the demo for several weeks and you're not sure whether the full version is worth your $40? Well stop wondering, because Unreal 2004 is the best PC game so far this year. UT2K4 features a whopping 10 modes of online play, over a dozen weapon, an abundance of ground and air vehicles, voice recognition, tons of maps new and old, and an in-depth single player mode. If you're even remotely interested in the FPS genre, you simply must own Unreal Tournament 2004 because i...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
One Hit Wonder 0
Star Wars Republic Commando was one of my favorite games at last year's E3. Thankfully, the game has developed nicely in the last nine months. Republic Commando doesn't necessarily offer much in terms of innovation as it borrows heavily from other games, but thankfully they chose some of the best games of this generation to borrow from. The HUD has the in-the-helmet view like Metroid. The gameplay feels much like Halo. And you are the leader of Delta squad, a four man team of clone sol...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
The First "Real" Expansion in Over a Year 1
After two half-baked expansions, Sony Online Entertainment seems to have delivered a solid expansion to the waning original EverQuest. So far, Gates of Discord reminds me alot of Shadows of Luclin, and that's a mostly good thing. The story is a direct followup to the Lost Dungeons of Norrath expansion, as the Wayfarer's Brotherhood have discovered the lost continent of Taelosia thanks to the navigation of a magical stone. This continent appears to have been ravaged by earthquakes and sub...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Looks Amazing and... Looks Amazing 0
After countless delays and empty promises, Doom 3 is now sitting on a store shelf near you, or hopefully in a CD tray less than 3 feet away from you. Doom 3 is simplistic at its core, but the way it's presented to the player is anything but simplistic. The game aims to suck you into the creepiest environment you've ever seen, and it succeeds with flying colors in that regard. Does the rest of the game live up to super polished exterior? Yes and no. Was it worth the wait? Ehh... Is it...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
An Excellent Addition to 2003's GOTY 0
United Offensive is the expansion pack to last year's PC Game of the Year. The original Call of Duty was a masterpiece of production value, sound design, captivating gameplay, and addictive multiplayer. United Offensive is more of the same and that's a very good thing. The original Call of Duty team at Infinity Ward is already hard at work on a true sequel, so they gave Gray Matter the task of developing this expansion pack. You may know Gray Matter from Return to Castle Wolfenstein or ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Not the Full-Fledged Sequel to 1942 You Want, But Still Great Fun 0
Two years and several expansions and mods later, Digital Illusions has released Battlefield Vietnam. It is a brand new game, meaning that it's not an expansion to 1942...because if you had a game based in Vietnam in 1942 there wouldn't be much going on except maybe some French soldiers walking around. But even though BF:V is its own game, it's definitely not Battlefield 2. The upgrades over 1942 are minimal, especially if you include DC as part of 1942, but if you've been a fan for the p...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
It Has Its Quirks, But It's Full of Memorable Experiences 0
Battlefield 2 is the third installment of the franchise and by adding some new features (and leaving out a few), they've made an excellent game which all 1942 and Vietnam fans will love. It does have a few weaknesses, but most of those are superficial and once you get into the actual game, it's incredible. Graphics If you have the system to handle it, the game looks amazing. This is most apparent while in flight as you can literally see for miles across the battlefield. On the ground t...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Look What My DS Can Do! 0
WarioWare created its own genre a couple years ago on the GameBoy Advance. We'd all played mini-games before, but these were MICRO-games. They literally take a few seconds to play, but are thrown at you in such a way that test your reflexes and hand-eye coordination. As the name implies, Touched! focuses on using the touch screen rather than the quick tap of a button. WarioWare is also Nintendo's first big title since the DS launched nearly three months ago, and with the DS library struggli...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A Welcome Change from Previous Entries in the Franchise 0
Aside from Zelda, the Star Fox franchise is my favorite Nintendo series of all time. For nearly a decade now, the franchise has been on a rocky road of mediocrity. After the masterpiece that is Star Fox 64, Fox and the team made their debut on the GameCube with Star Fox Adventures, a Zelda-clone developed by Rare, which was indeed a good game but nevertheless was not what Star Fox fans were looking for. Then, last year, came the lowest point in the series with Star Fox Assault developed ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Not Just for Girls, Nintendo Brings Classic 2D Platforming to DS 0
How long has it been since Nintendo released a classic Mario-themed 2D side-scrolling platformer? If you said you can't remember, you're absolutely correct. It's been a long time. Super Princess Peach does indeed bring Nintendo back to its roots of platforming, but with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from today's games. In a reversal of roles, you'll be taking control of Peach for the first time since Super Mario Bros 2. Bowser has recently learned of Vibe Island, a mystical i...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Best. Mario. Kart. Ever. 0
Thirteen years ago a little game called Super Mario Kart was released for the Super NES and a new addiction was born. Personally I can remember spending countless hours trading controllers back and forth with friends trying to beat each others time trials, not to mention all the time spent in battle mode and actually racing. Over the years Mario Kart has evolved by tweaking certain features while simultaneously keeping that same original charm we all fell in love with over a decade ago. ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Blue. Blue? BAH-LOO! Dammit! 0
Honestly, I'm not really even sure that Brain Age is a game, at least in the familiar sense of the word. But none-the-less, Brain Age is definitely worth checking out. The "software" as the game refers to itself as attempts to jog your post-high school brain back into a workout by throwing various mathematical and grammatical puzzles at you, often in rapid succession. This may sound like an awful way to spend your time to some, but Nintendo has presented the tests in such a way that is f...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Competitive Co-Op at Its Finest 0
For anyone who considers themselves a fan of the Zelda series, this game is a must-own. But even for those who don't, this game features some old-school fun and adventure mixed with some innovative ideas that come together to create an excellent addtion to the series. The game is truly best described as a SNES game that somehow got locked in a time capsule only to be released when the world was ready for it. The game looks and feels like 1991's A Link to the Past but Link himself has the...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Excellence in Execution by Yuke's 0
Last year the GameCube finally got a truly great wrestling title in Day of Reckoning. WrestleMania XIX laid the ground work, but it took Yuke's a third try to get it right with DoR. The sequel takes everything that made DoR great, and fine tunes it into what is the best wrestling game since No Mercy on the N64. Sure, the SmackDown games have been good, but last year's title took a nose-dive and Day of Reckoning has stepped it up a few notches. Day of Reckoning 2 doesn't really do anythi...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
As Close as You'll Get to the N64 Glory Days 0
WWE Day of Reckoning is the third WWE game for the Nintendo GameCube. Nintendo's system used to be the mecca of wrestling games in the 64 days, but ever since then, Nintendo's fans have pretty much been left in the cold. WrestleMania X8 was just short of being truly craptacular, and while WrestleMania XIX had a solid grappling engine, it lacked any replay value. Luckily, despite a few setbacks, Day of Reckoning is the one that pulls everything together to become the first and only great ...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Joe Returns in Style 0
The original Viewtiful Joe was one of the greatest games of 2003. If given only one word to describe the game, it would have to style. Viewtiful Joe did what no one thought would ever happen again. It was an awesome 2D side scrolling game. Sure, it had 3D elements like wrap-around corners, but at it's core it was still 2D. Viewtiful Joe 2 rides the success of the first to new heights by adding a second playable character, a zany new story, and new skills. With a little bit Mario, a li...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
Use your keyboard!
- ESC
Log in to comment