PlayStation 2

NBA Jam (2003)

June 29, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Chris Rasco /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nbajam/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I must admit that when I heard that NBA Jam was going to be re-released a part of me got a little tingly. I can’t even recall the amount of time I spent playing the original game on my old Sega Genesis which I incidentally still have. NBA Jam was groundbreaking with its fast paced style of gameplay and it really seemed to give way to the NFL Blitz style of sports games that followed shortly. Now that the standard sports games have had time to mature we revisit NBA Jam to see if it still has what it did back in the day. Unfortunately for Acclaim the answer is a resounding no.

I picked this game up from Amazon.com one day when they were doing a $20 off sale. I essentially got it for just the $5 in shipping and I am glad that it didn’t cost me anymore. I am not going to compare this to any other basketball games out right now because this game barely qualifies as basketball.

The original game was very over the top and everyone remembers the unfair handicap that seemed to thrust the CPU back into any game regardless of the deficit. I am sad to report that the latter did in fact make an appearance.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nbajam/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The original game pits 2 – 2 player teams against each other in an over the top arcade style hoops game. This time we see a major change in that you now have 3 players on a team. As you form your team, you are given the choice of 6 or so players and you pick your favorite 3. At halftime you are given a choice to change up your roster. Living in San Antonio, I was very happy with the selection of players chosen for the Spurs roster.

Given its wacky nature, NBA Jam doesn’t play like an ordinary basketball game. The more outlandish the move or dunk the greater the reward. As you play, a standard score is kept. In addition to that, you have a small orange meter that measures “Jam Points” assigned with each score. Jam points range from 100 for a jump shot to well over 1000 for a triple alley-oop dunk. Once your meter is full you can activate the Hotspot. The Hotspot is a space behind the 3 point line that allows you to do an insane dunk from 3 point land. The Hotspot has a tiered level of scoring. The 1st dunk is worth 3 points, the 2nd worth 4, and so on until you reach 7 points. As you get better, it becomes easier to gain style points and activate your Hotspot. Beware of the CPU when you activate it though. 9 times out of 10 I had the ball stripped and stolen from me upon activating it only to have it run out. The CPU also can activate Hotspots and they rarely get the ball stolen during that time.

The controls are pretty straight forward. Shoot, Pass, Steal, and Juke are your basic controls. The turbo button also makes an appearance and adds alternate moves to each basic move. Turbo + shoot will result in a very impressive dunk instead of a standard dunk. Turbo + steal will push players instead of just swiping the ball from them. Your Turbo has a very short timer though. Pushing in the right joystick (R3) activates the Hotspot when it is time.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nbajam/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Also making appearances are the phrases “He is heating up” and “He is on fire” which many NBA Jam fans are familiar with. After making several successive scores a player will become “on fire” at which point he can goaltend, dunk and not be blocked, and be virtually unstoppable. An opponent scoring will end this player’s hot streak.

While NBA Jam makes a nice refined release of the original arcade hit, it doesn’t really improve that much over its predecessor. Playing 1 player mode often gets very cumbersome and boring very quickly. I mentioned a handicap and that handicap can swing a game 20 points in a matter of a minute or so. The original game also had a severe handicap that allowed the CPU to come back from very large deficits to win by a buzzer beater or a 2 point bucket and this one is no exception. I played no less than 8 games in a row one day to go from dominating the opposition to looking like a bunch of kids on the court. I managed to squeak out a single win in those 8 games against LA. After that, the game just wasn’t fun anymore. Difficult games are fine, but making it darn near impossible to win gets old very very fast.

The graphics were nicely updated and it was very obvious they ignored the recent trend of almost photo realistic models and went with very cartoonish graphics. The sound effects and music were nicely done although I think I spent hardly any time noticing them over my constant yelling.

One nice addition to the game is the Jam Store. Upon completing a game you are awarded a set number of points. These points can be used to unlock and purchase different things in the shop ranging from new arenas to cheats to attributes for the create-a-player mode. Playing in the old school arenas against a classic team was actually really cool. Instead of smooth full color graphics you are presented with a 1950s/1960s looking black and white game as if you were watching it on tv back in the day.

There is no doubt that playing NBA Jam with some friends over might result in some fantastic outlandish basketball, but it may not compare to the likes NBA street or NBA Ballers. If you are looking for a fast paced arcade style game and can cope with the advantage the CPU has then by all means pick up NBA Jam (keep your eye peeled for a bargain). For everyone else, you would be better off looking at some of the newer basketball games to hit store shelves. I will personally be trading this one in just as fast as I can.

Driv3r

June 24, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Joe Teed /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/driv3r/cover.jpg[/floatleft]First of all let me explain that I have not even come close to finishing Driv3r, and probably never will. Secondly, let me point out that I loved the original Driver, and I really wanted to like this one.

Driv3r follows the further adventures of Tanner, our undercover wheelman from the other two games, in a new a graphically beautiful setting. This game looks sweet, and the collisions and scraps are not to be missed. The sound compliments the game well, and when further story is needed, top Hollywood talent is there to provide it. But Driv3r is still just a mediocre game, and I was hoping for a whole lot more.

The Driving sequences in Driv3r are quite decent, as they ought to be. The cars handle as I would expect big muscle cars to handle, and the graphics are great. It plays almost exactly like a graphically souped-up Driver, and this is both its greatest strength in driving mode, and its greatest weakness. You see, Driver was an excellent car-chase game, and this plays very much the same only with gorgeous graphics and even better physics. The problem is that many of us have played Driver before, and although we want more of the same, it seems like they haven’t dealt with any of the few minor issues that plagued Driver years ago on the PS1. For starters, there is still a “burnout” button, which should have gone years ago. Most games assign this to a combo of buttons (like handbrake+gas) and these seems no need to waste a button control, or make the player change buttons during the course of their acceleration (from burnout to gas). Also like the original Driver, cars just spawn around you, meaning cops can randomly appear out of nowhere when you make a u-turn. This really takes away the feeling that you are in a living world. Games like GTA also spawn cars locally, but the range is far enough that you usually don’t notice. Still, the driving sim is not bad, and that makes things much worse when you get to the on-foot sequences.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/driv3r/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The big problem is that the driving mode, while realistic, is mercilessly unforgiving. To compound this, the computer is capable of making almost 90 degree turns at top speeds without even applying the handbrake. It’s not that the computer is making impossible turns, but it is driving with top-notch skill from the very first level. Combined with the fact that hitting a telephone pole or large tree stops your car (as it would in real life, but still), this makes chases incredibly frustrating. Often failing a chase means you have to redo the sections that come before it, as well. This unnecessary tedium and frustration has been a trademark of past Reflections games, but here it is just obnoxious and unnecessary.

The on-foot sequences are just awful. Shoddy, slow controls and several glitches make you wonder why this is even in the game. The game isn’t called “Shoot3r” or “Runn3r” and we didn’t need another GTA clone. The game controls like a first-person shooter, which is hard enough on a console, but combined with the third person view, and the general slowness, it comes off as very poor. Auto-aim is a must. I found that the default controls (left stick to move, left to aim) conflicted with my Turok-trained instincts, and there is no way to reset them (more on that later). The on-foot mode feels tacked-on, and if they had to keep it in, they should at least have kept it simple (and rare).

Then there’s the AI in this game. Sometimes cops just stand there looking blankly at you as you exit a vehicle and run off to grab another one. As a matter of a fact, if you get out of your car, the cops will take no action unless you draw a gun or have a very high felony level. Cops and other cars will randomly run you off the road even when you are driving a police car with the siren on (noticeable in your very second mission). Most of the time the AI is not a serious problem because as long as there are people to chase and be chased by along with innocent traffic in the way things are fine. Still, the AI problems are glaring when you encounter them.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/driv3r/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The last major negative issue I encountered was my inability to remap controls, something I can still barely believe. Who leaves this option out this day and age? I can sort of adjust for the driving sequences, but the on foot mode is fairly difficult and ponderous for me without the ability to reverse my joysticks. You can change the x-axis inversion and the aiming speed, but the latter always stays pretty slow. The controls also occasionally just don’t do what they are supposed to do. Occasionally my attempts to take a car have been met with my hero’s blank eyed stare as he slightly shifts in position and refuses to enter the vehicle. Landing on angled surfaces can cause your character to float or even take off and fly around a little bit.

One thing to note is that Driv3r still has the “Take a Ride” mode and the driving games that were in the original, as well as the cameras to make your own film. This part still retains its fun, although not much has changed except for how pretty it looks. If you want to kick back and have some fun, simple cop chases and get some nice replays of them, that’s still here. I really do enjoy me some survival mode.

The graphics are pretty damn good, and of course the voice acting comes from top talent, but in the end it isn’t enough to save Driv3r. There is some decent fun to be had with the driving games, but except for the graphical upgrade, you may just want to stick with the first game. Let’s face it, even without the numerous minor glitches this game wouldn’t be that super. I will check the PC version of this game out when it is released, since I have a wheel and there is some hope the on-foot might control better with the classic mouse/WASD combination, but for now, maybe make this a rental.

Sly Cooper & The Thievius Raccoonus

June 24, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Lauren Rasco /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/slycooper/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I resisted playing this game for a long time. I am really not sure why. Perhaps it was the title – Sly Cooper and the Theivious Racoonus – or perhaps it was the lack luster cover of the game. Who knows really. All I do know is that when Cone showed up with the game one day after work my curiosity got the better of me and I sat down and played. What I am telling you now is what happened in the minutes and hours that followed.

At first, I was really fired up about the game. I was quite sure it was going to end up on my favorites list. Then I kept playing and playing and pretty soon I wasn’t sure if I liked the game or despised it. Let me explain myself. Sly Cooper is your typical platform game. The thing that makes it different (and it really isn’t a good thing) is that it tends to get a tad repetitive. To sum up the story, you are a thief (not a criminal) and you come from a long line of thieves. Your ancestors put all of their super sneaky moves into a book called; you guessed it, the Theivious Racoonus. When you were just a wee raccoon a group of five criminals (not thieves) stole the Theivious Racoonus from your father and killed him right before your eyes (as you hid under a table). Thus, an orphan, you grow up and teach yourself all you can to be a super thief. You vow to avenge your father and retrieve the pages of the Theivious Racoonus (which they tore into five parts) from the criminals who stole it. This is, of course, with the help of your friend the turtle and the rhino. In the mean time, you have an on going battle with this fox lady detective, who is supposed to be, um, pardon the cheese, foxy. She is on a quest to “Get you next time Sly.” She is ridiculously easy to escape from by the way.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/slycooper/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]ANYWAY, you do exactly that in the game… find the pages of your missing book by running and jumping through levels in the five different “worlds” of each “boss.” You get to the boss by finding a certain number of keys that unlock a certain area. You will quickly realize that it would be much simpler to get a pair of really big pliers and cut the locks off… but what would the point of the game be then? What you will also quickly realize that all of the worlds and what you have to perform in each of them is almost too much like the level you just beat. No boss proved all that hard to beat either. Well, that is if you have a freaking horseshoe. You may now be asking yourself, what in the heck does a horseshoe have to do with a raccoon. Let me tell you – EVERYTHING. See, without the horseshoe charm you die after being hit once. Yes, one time. With the horseshoe it gives you a second chance to get by the baddies that you can kill most of in one or two hits. I am not kidding… you can die after being hit once… really. And it isn’t like these horseshoes are plentiful either. They aren’t, so it can be rather frustrating when there is a part that you are having difficulty passing because you can die a million times there. Now the nice thing is that there are plenty of check points throughout the levels so that when you do die after being hit once you can start out not too far from where you died. Unless, of course, you used up all of you lives. I think you get my point about the dying thing so I’ll shut up now.

Now that I have complained enough, I do have some points of praise for the game. It is a cell shaded game that was nicely created and the levels were fun to look at, though not nearly as in depth as the ones that Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank provide. The controls were very basic and easy to get down (which I always like). The game, overall, wasn’t that hard to master, which for some people may be a bad point. The storyline, while cheesy at times, was enjoyable and the raccoon super thief moves were cute. The music typically set the tone for the environment you were in and I always like that. There was enough to do in each level that you sometimes had to come back to get everything 100% completed, so while simple it wasn’t TOO simple. There were a few surprises thrown in too, like when you have to race the getaway van.

Okay, I just realized I have a few more complaints. You didn’t have any control over your super thief moves you learn. It would just choose the one that was appropriate for you at the time. That is fine, I guess, but there were times that I just wanted to mess around with my new found moves and you can’t. You can just walk and roll and jump… yay. It makes it blatantly obvious when you need to use a move because the thing or item you are supposed to be moving on or across sparkles blue. I guess it figures people aren’t smart enough to decide when to use and move and which to chose from. The other thing that I found odd about the game is that it could cause massive amounts of frustration to arise out of me from trying to accomplish the simplest tasks. Maybe that had something to do with my lack of horseshoes though. Also, the camera got a bit annoying. There are not many games with cameras I praise. It always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time causing you to die… after being hit once.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/slycooper/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]See what I mean… I sound like I didn’t like the game at all, but yet I find myself saying that I did. Is there something wrong with me? While, there is plenty to criticize about the game, overall, it was enjoyable and I had fun playing it, which if you ask me makes any game worth a shot. But yet I am still sitting here all confused as to whether or not I actually like Sly Cooper and the Theivious Racoonus. Here is my advice to you; if you like platform games that are a tad on the simple side, give it a try. If you like games with cell shaded graphics, give it a try. If you like raccoons, give it a try. Ah, the raccoon… perhaps that is why I like it.

R-Type Final

June 22, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Chris Rasco /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rtypefinal/cover.jpg[/floatleft]R-Type Final is a 2D side scrolling shooter based on the hit 1987 arcade shooter R-Type. This is the final installment of the R-Type series and should prove to be the best. I would explain the wonderfully intriguing plot behind this game if there was one. Basically you are fighting the Bydo, whom mankind has defeated 4 times before. What that means for you is tearing through wave after wave of enemies in your pursuit to preserve mankind.

When I was younger I loved to play 2D shooters. Games like Raiden were the ones that I gravitated to in the arcade while everyone else was playing the latest fighting game. I figured that R-Type Final would be right up my alley even though I have never played a game in the R-Type series. I popped RTF into my PS2 and got ripping. I was intimidated by the level of customization that you can put into your fighter. There are an endless number of color combinations and there are over 160 weapons available. I can definitely see many people spending 30 minutes or more customizing the perfect fighter. There were too many options for me so I just changed a few colors and started to play.

There are a few different difficulty levels in RTF and I started out with normal only to have my butt handed to me quite early in the game. Several tries later I managed to beat the first level. I decided to make things a little easier on myself and start out on a little easier difficulty so I played the Kids and Babies difficulties. What is it with the insults being hurled from the difficulty selection screen like what we saw recently in Viewtiful Joe? Needless to say I still got my butt whipped but I got a lot farther.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rtypefinal/ss08_thumb.jpg[/floatright]2d shooters typically have pretty standard fare graphics, but that was one area that R-Type impressed me with. R-Type is a 2d linear game but the graphics are made up of 3d objects. Camera problems plague most 3d games, but since your view is fixed at all times the developer had a lot less to worry about. The 3d objects really enhanced the game and allowed the use of some pretty cool effects. In some parts of the game, you are taken underwater and the visuals change to represent a camera that is underwater. Very well done indeed.

In terms of sound, RTF really didn’t deliver. I think my sub-conscious blocked most of it out, but most of the music left me feeling like I was on a very long frustrating elevator ride.

Aside from having my butt served to me on a silver platter, there were a few small things that just seemed to irk me about RTF. The first of those things is the inability to save your progress. I realize R-Type started life as an arcade game and to stay true to that this option was probably not considered for very long, but in the world of console games I would expect you to be able to save your progress and pick it up on the level you were previously at. This may not seem like a huge deal to anyone else, but when I spend a hefty amount of time trying to get to the 3rd or 4th level I expect to be able to start there in later games.

I was also not too thrilled with the controls of the game. Maybe I haven’t played enough shooters lately, but it seemed like they were just a little bit overly complex. You have fire and rapid fire as well as detach force and special weapon. Fire can be held to charge the main weapon for a super shot while rapid fire cannot. R1 and Circle are both rapid fire while just square is fire. I don’t want to seem like I am complaining, but I am. From my perspective X is the primary button on the PS2 and it is assigned the function of detaching force. While I will admit that the ability to detach the force object is a pretty integral role in RTF, I found myself using it far less than I would use Fire or Rapid Fire. RTF does include a way to remap the buttons and it’s not hard at all, but the default controller configuration seemed a little strange to me. I kept detaching my force when I meant to fire at first and that got a little aggravating. Veterans of R-Type or other shooters may feel right at home, but as someone returning to the genre after a long hiatus I was a little annoyed.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rtypefinal/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The overall gameplay experience you can expect from RTF is a positive one. I trust that my little annoyances are more than likely due to my own quirky gaming habits and not a typical complaint of the general gaming public. In a time where there seem to be polar opposites in terms of game difficulty, R-Type Final finds itself in the very hard category. You are thrust into having to master the use of many different weapons from standard guns and missiles, to your force and special weapon, to mastering the use of the speed up and slow down buttons that control the speed of your fighter. With over 160 weapons and 100 ships, you no doubt have your work cut out for you in terms of setting up the perfect ship and mastering its abilities.

There are a few additional features in RTF that round this game out nicely. For starters, there is an in game tutorial that shows you the ropes in all aspects of the game. Very nice indeed since it isn’t always handy to keep manuals around or dig it out. There is also the R-Museum that shows the ships you have unlocked to date. RTF does lack multiplayer which is a staple of most shooters but does have a few gametypes I have yet to see in recent shooters. RTF comes equipped with a score attack mode where you try and get the highest score in a single level as well as an A.I. Battle mode. In the A.I. Battle mode you customize your ship to the best of your ability and pit it against a standard ship or even another custom ship in a CPU controlled battle. This will surely please tactical game fans as the gamer has no interaction once the battle begins.

R-Type Final is a 2D/3D hybrid that delivers a difficult game experience with a level of customization that is out of this world. The story is weak and the sound is lame, but the graphics are very polished and it is an arcade game after all. The lack of multiplayer is disappointing, but the A.I. Battle mode and Score Attack modes will keep tactical fans busy after completing the single player game. There were a few things that got on my nerves about the game, but I expect I am in the minority on these issues. All in all it’s a welcome addition to the shooter genre and will find a nice home in many gamer’s libraries even if I am not one of those people.

Manhunt

June 18, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Mike Carabajal /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/manhunt/cover.jpg[/floatleft]”Party like a Rockstar!” You may have heard the term but Rockstar Games is just that, Rockstars. Critically acclaimed, or begrudgingly dissed, Rockstar has developed some of the biggest selling games in recent years. With games like Grand Theft Auto under their belt, the publishing company can afford bad publicity. Hell they almost welcome it. Manhunt definitely delivered the bad publicity. In a game where the focus is to mutilate everyone you meet in the most violent way possible, the game earned a mature rating easily. With controversy in check, all they needed was game play that would not (in true Rockstar fashion) get redundant. Can they deliver?

[heading]Gritty[/heading]

Storyline is fairly simple. You are James Earl Cash, a man who has just walked the red line on death row. Only problem is you never die. Instead you wake up finding yourself at the whim of a madman looking to make demented movies of real life violence. Your objective is to make your way through a city filled with Gangs whose job it is to find you and kill you. You of course are cunning enough to be able to hide in shadows or around corners. You must make use of you surroundings and stalk the Hunters. These hunters as I mentioned before come in the forms of gangs, each with their own gimmick. It’s very reminiscent of the movie The Warriors, minus the kung fu guys. Along the way Cash picks up various items he can use as weapons such as plastic bags, shards of glass, chainsaws, crowbars, baseball bats, and of course various guns.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/manhunt/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The game play is structured around stealth; as such the guns blazing approach will lead to your death. The mechanics work well as you can surprise characters for an easy kill. You are given an indicator that tells how well you are hidden in shadows to help out a bit. The game also contains a brightness adjuster so you can see shadows even better. Like most stealth games the enemy AI works in patrols, they react to noise and search the area when something is not right. Killing a victim in the open and leaving his body will alert close by hunters, so body placement is of the utmost importance. You must learn the patterns of the patrols or lure them in order to get the jump on them. When stalking a hunter the longer you hold down the attack button while near him the more gruesome the kill. The murders take place in cut scene fashion. Not to give too much away, but the murders are completely horrendous. Often times leaving brains scattered on walls, or heads cracked or severed.

The core issues of course will be noticed very early. As the game is played in third person behind the shoulder camera angle your perspective is limited. Nothing like Metal Gear Solid where you see an area with you character centered. There is a small, very small, amount of camera control; however it is not enough to be able to scan an area thoroughly. There is a simple radar which functions very well to give you the where abouts of the hunters. Your radar works just like you would assume the enemy’s would. It’s not so much a radar but rather a sensor. You can see the location of a hunter if they make noise and when not moving or making any noise they are not seen at all so stumbling onto an enemy is not unheard of. This adds the heart pounding factor that a stealth game should have. The hunters will give themselves away most of the time by talking to one another, or walking back and forth over terrain that makes noise. You should be able to navigate around them or sneak up on them with some time and practice. The system does take time to get used to, as I feel it’s anything but intuitive. One button for multiple functions will leave you confused.

[heading]Hire good actors, and smear Vaseline on the camera.[/heading]

The character design is very well done. I admire good character modeling and this game delivers. The gritty slum filled scenes are well depicted. Broken down scenery, buildings and cars leave for good environmental interaction as you can hide behind, against or in the shadows of the layout. The problem again is like GTA, the textures look absolutely horrid. Your face looks very similar to the previous models and faces look similar to the GTA series. The textures of everything scream PS2 graphics as things never seem to look crisp, but faded and blurry. I guess you can’t win them all.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/manhunt/ss09_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Voice acting is completely top notch. From the voice of your tormentor that leads you through your horrid night via a voice peace, to the hunters. You will be taunted, mocked, and screamed at all to rouse you into revealing yourself. And to cement itself as a mature game every swear word is used in the book. Some of the conversations between hunters or when they are talking to themselves are quite humorous. Expect expletives a plenty and drug references to boot. Then again you are running about smashing skulls in, so I doubt that will faze you.

[heading]So many good points, nothing excellent[/heading]

This game, much like most Rockstar games gets very redundant. In later levels more gunfights occur but nothing in the vein of Max Paine. The tricky camera work and controls lead to frustrating moments but nothing that makes you want to turn off the PS2. While the controversy factor is high like GTA, it fails in the same respect. Not enough game for the buck. While this game has a better storyline, albeit demented, nothing relatively great stands out from Manhunt. It is well done in almost all respects, however I would consider it a good rental as you can take the game in the few days you have it. Manhunt will bring out the psycho in you. By the way, it’s just a game.

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