Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on January 5th, 2004
When the PS2 and Xbox were released both promised to be full home entertainment units. No questions that they both shined with the cutting edge graphics and sound as well as performing admirably as DVD players with both Dolby Digital and DTS decoders built in. This year both systems have tried to push another venue into home entertainment : Karaoke. Love it or hate it Karaoke looks like it’s here to stay. Earlier this year, X-Box had the X-Box Music Mixer which provided karaoke features – with mixed results. Could th... PS2’s Karaoke Revolution outdo it’s X-Box rival?
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2003
K-1 is a nice change from the wrestling and tekken type fighting games. Once you learn the technique and how to pace yourself you will be knocking out opponents in no time, but by that time you really won't want to play this game much longer either.
Along the lines of UfC and Pride there is another promotion, K-1, which is actually quite different then the other two. K-1 has more rules, and is mostly restricted to one fighting style… kick-boxing. Fighters also wear gloves, and there is no grappling, subm...ssions. K-1 Grand Prix let's you take control of any 20 fighters and try and become the Grand-prix champion of the world.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2003
Tenchu 3: Wrath of Heaven continues the adventures of Rikimaru, and his ongoing battle with the evil sorcerer Tenrai, taking place one year after the original Tenchu. This time there is 3 playable characters, Rikimaru along with Ayame, and Tesshu (doctor by day, assassin by night). Fans of the first 2 original Tenchu games have nothing to worry about as developer K2 has improved upon every aspect of the game.
Graphics
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on June 12th, 2003
When I first saw Primal at the last E3 expo, I wasn’t particularly impressed with what I saw. A clunky battle system, jerky movements from the main characters, and visuals which could arguably be called mediocre.
Then Sony sent me a demo version of this game last month and I actually had some fun playing it. Imagine my disappointment when the full version arrived here and the game left me somewhere between boredom and frustration. Indeed, Primal will undoubtedly leave many gamers in the same ...osition once they start playing this title.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 30th, 2003
Thank you, Rockstar Games.
Thank you for creating the masterpiece of video gaming known as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. In doing so, you guys gave the finger to every special interest group and soccer mom clan in this country that likes to blame shoddy parenting on mature video games. Thanking Rockstar is a good thing in the aspect that we are lucky that there are still studios--like Rockstar--out there that will create mature games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for us to play. With...that being said, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is not really a game to be played, but an experience to be lived.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 30th, 2003
Those players out there that enjoyed the PS2 title Frequency and the arcade game Dance Dance Revolution, now have another dance/music title on the Playstation 2 console to move the beat to. Amplitude from Sony lands this month with a full soundtrack, colorful visuals and varied gameplay.
Players pick up the role of a spaceship as it travels down beams of color and sound. Using the directional buttons or the shoulder buttons results in a beat along an already established piece of music. ...he result can be music to your ears, or a bunch of flat notes—it’s up to your eye/hand coordination to determine that.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2003
London is known for several popular things: Fish and Chips, Big Ben, the river Thames, but one thing it will probably never be credited for is being the centerpiece of an engaging, fun videogame--at least if one only looks as far as The Getaway. It’s a guarantee that nothing will confuse and frustrate players quicker than a game that can’t make up its mind what it is. Is it a movie? Is it a game? Well, whatever it is, it should choose a path early and then stick with it.
The plot...behind The Getaway revolves around three main characters: Mark Hammond, an ex-criminal on the run for the alleged murder of his wife, Frank Carter, a vigilante cop suspended from the police force for unorthodox methods, and Charlie Jolson, a larger than life crime boss who pulls the strings of these two men to get what he wants out of the London crime scene.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2003
Sony seems to be on a roll this season with the release of another fun Role Playing Game that is quite a sight to see. Dark Cloud 2, the sequel to the popular title Dark Cloud which released during the first year of the Playstation 2, is the game we are reviewing here today.
The story follows a young man by the name of Maximilian, or Max, and a girl named Monica. Max is an inventor who likes to tinker with things--hence he carries around a large wrench which also doubles a... a weapon. The story begins with Max discovering that there is a horrible secret involving his town, and having never ventured beyond the gates of his enclosed city, decides that he will travel beyond the city limits to unravel the truth behind the secret.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2003
Even though Final Fantasy X-2 is releasing in Japan this month, and some RPG fans might be going ga-ga over an import of that game, other players who may love the Role Playing Game genre should not overlook Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht from Namco--a game with a decidedly complex storyline and polished in game visuals and cutscenes.
Based on the original game Xenogears, this new title is heavily based on sci-fi themes and an intricate, multi-layered plot. The story starts out ...ith a young researcher named Shion, whom is aboard a starship returning from a mission in deep space where it retrieved a mysterious artifact amid a war with a strange race of creatures known as the Gnosis.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2003
Like a bolt out of the blue, Guilty Gear X2 comes out this month and totally hits a player between the eyes. When one thinks of fighters on the Playstation 2 console, most think of the studios Capcom or Sega--and those titles popular to those particular production houses. Yet, Sammy Studios released a fighting title for the PS2 that is so marvelous, so fun, and so entertaining, that it almost completely redefines 2-D side scrolling fighters.
The game, of course, is Guilty Gear X2 and it must b... seen and played to be believed. Reveling in the old school 2-D fighter genre that many of us grew up on in those dark arcades of past, X2 is a fantastic mix of unique characters, interesting fighting arenas, classic arcade machine rock and roll, and a healthy amount of combos per fighter.
