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Data East Arcade Classics (Wii)

Posted in Game Reviews by Michael Durr on March 5th, 2010

Data East was a great video game company that lasted from 1976 to 2003 when it declared bankruptcy. It had an arcade & pinball heyday for most of the eighties with many fantastic titles. Luckily, most of the assets were bought up by a single company called G-Mode when Data East was forced to sell them off. Recently, Majesco worked with G-Mode and re-released fifteen of them in a very nice retro collection for the Nintendo Wii. With fingers crossed, we hope that this collection has aged well.

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World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King (CE)

Posted in Game Reviews by Michael Durr on December 12th, 2008

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The World of Warcraft is home to over eleven million people. Think about that figure for a moment. That’s the size of an Ohio or Michigan or even more astounding parallel to the number of people inside Tokyo, Japan. A bunch of people playing gnomes, trolls, orcs, night elves and more. For four years, players have battled through the original World of Warcraft and the adjoining expansion pack: The Burning Crusade which allowed characters to play in Outland and bring their character to 70 levels of pain, sacrifice and dedication. Now they have a new task. The Scourge has come to take over Azeroth and bring an end to all life. They are lead by the Lich King Arthas and nothing will stop them until their mission is completed. This opens up players to a whole new area called Northrend as well as bringing us a new class: the Death Knight. But is it enough to stop the forwarding advance of the Scourge Army and Arthas’ quest for blood?
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The Spiderwick Chronicles (PC)

Posted in Game Reviews by Michael Durr on March 7th, 2008

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Movie games are interesting, let’s put it that way. A game usually comes out for a movie if it is adventure oriented and at least some kid will be interested in it. However, it’s rarely ground breaking since it is usually left until the last minute and a rush project to meet demand. Once in a while, you get something that is a little different or at least interesting but more often than not it’s standard questing fare with dull objectives and a way to rehash most of the movie. Spiderwick Chronicles for the PC is unfortunately just that. There are a few spots where it performs above the norm but mostly it is your standard movie game aimed to draw in the kids. But at least this keeps them occupied for a few days.

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Harry Potter – Hogwarts Challenge (Interactive DVD Game)

Posted in Game Reviews by Michael Durr on March 4th, 2008

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Harry Potter is awesome. I have thoroughly enjoyed every movie and own all of the 2-disc special editions. I even have taken the time to play a couple of Harry Potter games on the Playstation 2 and found them to be decent offerings despite the usual rushed movie game flaws. So, needless to say I was slightly interested when I received a dvd remote game with Harry Potter on the cover and wondered if a dvd remote game could finally be any good. After spending a few hours with the product, you as the reader have two decisions. 1)You can read this review that will be full of one-liners and reasons why whoever came up with the concept of dvd remote games should be shot or 2)You can trust me when I say this, don’t waste your time on this, please.

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Castle Shikigami 2 (Playstation 2)

Posted in Game Reviews by Michael Durr on February 20th, 2005

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The shooter games of yesteryear, no I’m not talking about Doom or Blake Stone (never wanted to see a Blake Stone reference again did you?). The games I’m talking about are ones like Gradius, Galaga, or more specifically the 194X series. But wait, those games don’t exist anymore. Or one would think. Castle Shikigami 2, also known as the sequel to Mobile Light Force 2(remember that game you passed over for at the bargain bin with three chicks on the cover?, that one, but its a decent game too, trust me), is a great…
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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC Games)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on July 10th, 2003

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Written by Jason Franz

I can’t remember the last time I’ve installed a game on my PC that had so many entertaining qualities matched with such brilliant gameplay. All too often PC developers focus on the eye candy and give gameplay little thought. WithGTA: Vice City, Rockstar not only avoided that problem, but they take us back to the glory days of fun PC gaming.

After an effortless installation I fired up the game, configured my settings and began my journey as Tommy Vercetti, on my way to terrorizing the b…
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Speed Kings (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on June 30th, 2003

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There are not too many fast motorcycle racers out for the Xbox console, but one title that may need your craving for a fast cycle racer through crowded streets is Speed Kings from Acclaim.

Players have the option of choosing over 20 different bikes and then racing them through some interactive street levels complete with traffic, obstacles, and radical jumps. Feel the need for some speed? Strap in and take Speed Kings for a spin then.

Graphics

The Xbox does a remarkabl…
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Inside Pitch 2003 (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on June 15th, 2003

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Take me out to the ballgame! Buy me peanuts, and popcorn, and…ah, maybe not. But, you should probably check out Inside Pitch 2003 out now for the Xbox console.

Players can do a bevy of gameplay options with Inside Pitch 2003 such as Season, Single Game, Network Play, and Championship Challenges. On top of all that, players with the LIVE service hooked up to their consoles can enjoy some downloadable content from the MS servers and invite a friend for some action out on the diamo…
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Brute Force (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on June 12th, 2003

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Sometimes when a game is delayed and put out a little later than planned, the anticipation surrounding the title can help it with the fan base that had been waiting for it. However, that anticipation can cut both ways with folks who had been waiting for a game to release and end up just losing interest altogether.

In the case of Brute Force, the game was featured prominently at the Xbox Press Event during the 2002 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Indeed, it seemed the title was only a few short months …
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Midnight Club II (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on June 10th, 2003

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Last fall when Grand Theft Auto: Vice City came out for the PS2, gamers got to witness a myriad of gameplay options. Not only could you shoot, beat up, hold up, and run down people virtually everywhere, but another big draw to the game was the fact that you could jack any car, anywhere, and haul ass around town in it.

Now Rockstar Games has recreated the racing parts of the Grand Theft Auto series and added some great extras in Midnight Club II–the sequel to Midnight Club–out …
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Kung Fu Chaos (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on June 1st, 2003

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During the 1970’s, Kung Fu and martial arts films were the in thing. Bruce Lee and the cheap Hong Kong action film were leading the wave of popularity of the Far Eastern martial arts. Even music of the time reflected America’s love of the Kung Fu culture with a hit song entitled Kung Fu Fighting.

Now Microsoft has brought all of the fun and campy nature of those old 35 mm films to life here on the Xbox. Kung Fu Chaos is a colorful, tongue-in-cheek fighter that is influenced by the Hong …
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 27th, 2003

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Star Wars certainly is a mega-franchise. Not counting the films, the galaxy far, far, away has shown up in toys, lunchboxes, and other assorted paraphernalia. One thing that we didn’t have when the original trilogy made its way through the theater was a videogame based on the films.

That has changed dramatically over the last six or seven years with numerous Star Wars games coming to several different platforms. Arguably, many of those games were shoddy and fans agreed that they were not repre…
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Tao Feng (Xbox)

Posted in Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 9th, 2003

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Rumblin’ time is here for the Xbox videogame console and Tao Feng from Microsoft may have just have you whooping it up with great combos, slick graphics, and interesting game characters. New this month, Tao Feng is Microsoft’s answer to the Tekken series which calls the PS2 home.

Developed by the guys that brought you Mortal Kombat, players can select fighters from one of two factions in the game: the Pale Lotus and the Black Mantis. Each of these sects has strong …
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