Xbox

Need For Speed Underground 2

December 1, 2004

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nfsu2/cover.jpg[/floatleft]With so many sequels to games being released this holiday season, it’s hard to pick and choose which titles are going to be better or worse. In the case of [i]NFSU 2[/i], you can pretty much count on major improvements and added features for this racing title. The list of improvements includes: free roaming city, twice the number of visual customizations since the first NFSU, a variety of races to choose from, and intricate fine-tuning for your vehicles.

I’m not a big fan of racing titles, personally, because it’s the same thing over and over again. But in [i]NFSU 2[/i], you find yourself going beyond the limits of redundant racing and almost role-playing so to speak, in car terms. Not only is the inside of your car completely customizable to certain types of races, but also every aspect of your vehicle can be tuned to your specifications. Suspension, tire-to-brake ratio, N2O management-it’s all there to tune, using your individual parts and calculating them on a tuning machine. The use of graphs and numbers help you decide the integrity of the overall performance of your vehicle. I don’t know much about vehicles and their parts, so using these features was like reading a different language. This is definitely geared towards gamers who know a great deal of tuning vehicles and so forth. Although for people like myself, they have helpful hints and notes to guide you through the tuning phase. This entire tuning feature really adds an awesome, unique taste to the NFSU series.

The gameplay for [i]NFSU 2[/i] has the standard race-and-win-for-cash scheme. The more you win, the more cash you get, but you still need reputation points to earn respect on the street. You earn reputation points by racing with style and obliterating your opponents. So it’s always better to win by large margins than to just barely win. Of course, the more cash you earn, the more you can spend. Customizing your ride isn’t cheap, so save to buy the parts and visuals you want. Pimping out your ride will score you DVD and magazine covers. But remember to unlock visuals, parts, city parts, and other features that you must win. Winning is huge; winning will get you contracts from sponsors who will pay mad cash and also get you in the Underground Racing League. Once you are sponsored, you have to fulfill certain requirements in your contract to make your sponsors happy. Getting on magazine covers, winning certain types and numbers of races, and customizing your ride are just a few requirements. It goes without saying that the sponsored races pay much more than regular non-sanctioned races. So freaking win!

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nfsu2/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The entire city is your playground and is yours to explore. And let me tell you, it is very important that you do get to know the city. I’m glad that EA added a GPS gadget in your vehicle because I would never be able to get around. Exploring the city helps you find shortcuts, hidden cash, shops, and races. The cityscape and skylines are beautiful with very tasteful scenery. Not to mention, when roaming in the city, you notice the great cityscapes with lights and neon signs. The entire city reminds me of Las Vegas, New York, Florida, and California all jumbled together in one great big metro. As you win, you unlock districts of this great big city of Bayview to find more races and events.

In my humble opinion, I believe that racing video games are generally very difficult overall. In [i]NFSU 2[/i], as you improve, the AI just gets tougher and tougher-rightfully so if you want something challenging. But the racetracks are just insanely hardcore; I mean I don’t care if you have the best tires and brakes, you just can’t make those turns. (You need skill to make those kind of hairpin turns.) The physics in racing play a huge factor when racing on certain tracks. For example, when you race in Street X, which is a type of race, you will find yourself more hitting the walls more often than none. Street X is a four-lap race with massive hairpin turns on a closed track. Drag is a straightaway race: whoever gets the jump and saves the juice until the end wins. Circuit is a series of laps with straightaways, turns, and jumps. This type of race requires some N2O management and patience. Drift is not a race; you win by your drift or slide points around the corners. This definitely requires skill and the quality of your vehicles handling by a large margin. If you’re not careful, you might find yourself always against a wall. Sprints are self explanatory; just run your butt off to the finish line. My suggestion is to save the juice until the end. Another type of race which I find very cool is the outrun race. Roll up next to certain vehicles around the city and challenge them to a distance race. Beat them by reaching a certain distance and earn some extra cash for your purse. I have mentioned URL, which are sponsored races that have big purses and are closed circuits on closed tracks.

EA added so many features to this title that they had to take some out from its predecessor. For one, they took out the elimination races which were awesome, and they didn’t add real-time cosmetic damage. With 30 cars to choose from and almost endless customizations, you truly have full reign on your vehicle’s look and performance. You can choose from spinners, stereo systems, roofs, hoods, vinyl, neon, and the list goes on.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nfsu2/ss07_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Did I mention that Brooke Burke helps you out throughout the game? Brooke Burke plays Rachel, your racing guide, as you hit the racing scene. Along with her voice talent, you can hear music from Xzibit, Snoop Dogg, and many new artists with a customizable playlist as well. The graphics and sound of [i]NFSU 2[/i] are solid with great lighting, great cityscapes, and stunning cars. Cars have distinct sounds as they rev up in races. Peeling out is always pleasing to hear, and the small sounds of turbo and N2O being disbursed is always a unique sound.

While [i]Need for Speed Underground 2[/i] holds a lot of features and endless racing hours, you still might find yourself tired of roaming the streets in explorer mode and also find yourself laughing at the hideous dialogue by some of the voice talent. EA goes over the top with some of the slang and urban dialogue by Brooke and her counterparts. The Live multiplayer is not for noobs either; my suggestion is to pimp out your ride and spend some hours on the streets before going online. The matchmaking is not accurate at all, and you will find yourself racing against a high rated vehicle that will leave you in the dust. Other than some minor flaws, [i]NFSU 2[/i] brings the tuning culture and a unique spin on racing and competing. [i]NFSU 2[/i] is a significant advancement in the [i]NFS[/i] series and allows you, the gamer, to be engulfed in the racing scene with endless features and gameplay.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2

November 30, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Mike Carabajal /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ghostrecon2/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I only assume I understand the meaning of the word [i]sequel[/i]. I assume that it is a follow up to something popular-usually so it tries to outdo its predecessor. Whether movies or video games, sequels are supposed to be bigger and badder. Well, I assumed wrong; [i]Ghost Recon 2[/i] shares only a premise with its predecessor and then becomes a totally different game altogether-a rather good game, but completely different and almost warranting a different title.

[heading]Something new[/heading]

Go right ahead and throw out everything you knew and liked about [i]Ghost Recon[/i] before you play the sequel. The first change is a change in perspective; you now play from behind the Ghost you control. You have a preset squad, and much like the Xbox version of [i]Rainbox Six[/i], you control one character. Gone are the days of setting up a team and being able to hop in and out of each team member. In exchange, you now get a better view of the chaos that is war. While you have a much better peripheral vision, you and your team become engulfed in firefights and area-clearing mortar barrages. You will now be in the middle of one of the most immense war simulations brought to a video game.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ghostrecon2/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]Also new are the lone wolf missions. At times during the campaign, you go at it alone. In exchange for your teammates, you get state-of-the-art weaponry (which is a good trade if you ask me). You literally become a solider of one. You can utilize a new camera gun that allows you to stay behind cover and hold out your gun around and over obstacles. You also have a lot of help from the boys in the air. If a fight gets too hairy, you may call in an air strike with a simple button click. With the new lone wolf missions, you will wonder why the hell they bothered to give you squad mates to begin with.

[heading]Roger that, over *static*[/heading]

Ghost Recon set a standard of team coordination. [i]Ghost Recon 2[/i] continues on with the ability to control a team, or squad; doing so, however, has been simplified. No longer do you have to worry about more then one squad, you will be surrounded by a capable team of AI-controlled Ghosts, as you are their leader. They will obey whatever order you tell them. Giving orders is extremely simple. Much like Ubisoft’s RB6, you can point and command. Look to a direction and tell your team to move out. They will do so with complete disregard for their own safety. While this may seem like a continuation of an already proven method, it fails miserably. For instance, if I wanted my team to go to an area and defend, I cannot tell them to do so, in any way shape or form. The command is not a “move to there” but a general “advance.” What “advance” means is beyond me. From playing the game, it pretty much means “haul ass to somewhere and get shot.” You may also command the squad to flank an area and go quiet (no shooting). This method is so disappointing-and quite frankly so terribly implemented-that you wonder what the developers were thinking. Especially after a similar method has already been implemented in a game and works flawlessly.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ghostrecon2/ss09_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Beyond that, your teammates work very well together. They hold their own in firefights and will obey more general orders that work better than “advance.” Should you confront an enemy vehicle, you may point at it and call out an order. The orders differ depending on the circumstance. If objectives call for a demo charge, you may look at the area and order your team to set up the explosives. The call-out commands encompass a variety of options such as rendering medical attention to a fallen teammate and having teammates mount a stationary gun. This is where the point and command shines, after its monumental failure of basic squad movement.

[heading]War, what is it good for?[/heading]

What fun would a game be if you cannot go on Xbox Live with it? [i]Ghost Recon 2[/i] utilizes Xbox Live to enhance the gaming experience. There are many modes to be played online, including a team death match, capture the points, escort missions, king of the hill, and the very cool siege games. Online gaming is really where [i]Ghost Recon 2[/i] seems to have gotten the most attention. I would recommend you utilize it. It’s fun to game together.

[heading]All in all…[/heading]

[i]Ghost Recon 2[/i] is a solid game. While those that expected one thing will get another, it will not bother you too long. The game itself has gotten one of the most impressive makeovers in game history. The graphics are absolutely beautiful-it’s war, it’s gritty, and it’s loud. All present in [i]Ghost Recon 2[/i]. You are better off not relying on your troops to be in a certain place when you need them, but if you can survive, you will find another good score for Ubisoft. Go pick it up; it’s one of the most impressive third-person action games on consoles. I only hope they bring back squad-controlled [i]Ghost Recon[/i] one day.

Karaoke Revolution

November 9, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by David Tolin /

Considering the popularity of Konami’s Karaoke Revolution series on the PS2, it was only a matter of time before the franchise made its debut on other systems. Roughly one year after the release of the original game on the PS2, Karaoke Revolution is now available for Xbox users across the country. This is cause for a reasonable amount of celebration for Xbox users, of course, because the series is still the best implementation of karaoke on any console. However, this Revolution is arriving as little more than a direct port of PS2’s first volume, and many of the improvements and additions made to the series over the past year (in two sequels) are conspicuously absent from this version. Konami can’t really be faulted for sticking with a winning formula, but some of the omissions just don’t make any sense, and it makes this debut package on the Xbox less desirable as a result.

For those unfamiliar with the series, here are the basics: Like traditional karaoke programs, Karaoke Revolution offers sing-along fun for up to eight players. However, where Karaoke Revolution breaks away from the pack is the fact that the game is built around a central gameplay mode in which a singer’s pitch is monitored and scored by the game itself. All songs included with the game have been broken down into a string of measures – think verse partitions – that scroll across the bottom of the screen with the lyrics. A pitch bar scrolls along with the words and vocal input from the player is matched against this bar as the song plays out. An arrow on the left side of the screen goes up and down with the voice pitch of the player, and matching one’s often flat or sharp inclinations against the preset requirements of each song is necessary to avoid failing the task. Players are represented onscreen by an animated avatar of sorts (everything from a Cyndi Lauper wannabe to a guy in a teddy bear costume) and a virtual audience cheers (or jeers) along in a variety of locations. Sing badly and it’s a one-way ticket to getting kicked off the stage, but a successful rendition of the song in question results in some nice particle effects and admiration from the crowd. Additional gameplay modes exist – most notably a straight karaoke mode and a mode in which the players judge each other’s performances – but the main meat of is the standard game mode. The game ships with a nice handheld microphone from Logitech, so all the materials necessary for a good time are right at hand.

This basic gameplay model has remained consistent across all of the PS2 sequels, while offering additional songs with each new iteration. The Xbox version includes the complete song list from the PS2’s first volume, and this isn’t very surprising. A complete collection of all the songs in the first two volumes would have been nice (especially considering the fact that the expansion pack business model made popular in Japan seems destined to remain on those shores), but that’s just wishful thinking. Konami clearly wants to extend the franchise across another platform, and the publisher can’t really be blamed for not laying out all of its songs at the outset. To its credit, developer Harmonix has included some new song content in the form of ten Motown hits that have not been available in any PS2 version. Also, the title boasts Live support for downloading new content, and if this feature materializes it will be a huge incentive for Revolution fans. Otherwise, there’s really no reason for fans of the original game to pick up this version, especially since some of the franchise’s more gameplay oriented improvements have not been implemented here. The ability to choose between short and long versions of each song was introduced with Volume 2 on the PS2, and there is no good reason it should not have been included for this Xbox version. Also, the medley mode from Volume 2 seems like a no-brainer for inclusion, as does the duet mode from Volume 3. Again, Konami clearly intends to follow a similar life cycle for this series on the Xbox as it did on the PS2, but why should the series intentionally be dumbed back down to its roots just because it’s shifting platforms? It would have been a far better move to bring a full-featured version to the Xbox now, coinciding with the release of Volume 3 on the PS2, and then proceed with new content on both platforms from there. Again, it may not be surprising that this is not the case, but it still hurts when a company makes a decision that is purely financial over the best interests of gamers.

A visual overhaul might have gone a long way toward assuaging this pain, but that apparently wasn’t in the cards, either. Revolution for the Xbox comes packed with the same characters and venues from the original PS2 game and not much more. A few unlockable costumes seem to have made the trip from the sequels to this version, but nothing else has been improved over the PS2 version. The visuals are nearly identical, which is very surprising considering their simplistic nature to begin with. The only saving grace is the audio, which has improved tenfold. For starters, the exclusive Motown hits are rendered by the original artists, which breaks with a long-standing tradition of the series. The cover artists have always been more than acceptable, but hearing this many songs sung by the original artists is a real eye-opener. Here’s hoping Harmonix can pull off more fully licensed songs in the future. Also, the addition of Dolby Digital support improves the title considerably. Vocals from the microphone are now clearly distributed from the center channel and are much easier to hear, while the music and audience noise have been distributed appropriately across the surrounds. The impact this makes is incredible and stands as the single most convincing argument for moving the series to the Xbox (until the Live support takes shape, that is).

In fairness, Karaoke Revolution on the Xbox is still a great gameA

Sudeki

November 8, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Mike Carabajal /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/sudeki/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Roleplaying games are a dime a dozen now a days. Innovations are always being made in order to keep up with the big names like Square-Enix and BioWare. Every so often a game offers something so different that it really deservers the 30 plus hours of game time. The Playstation 2 has been the benefactor of the majority of the roleplaying games with the Xbox recently making big waves in the genre with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Fans of the Xbox wondered if Knights of the Old Republic would open up a door for roleplaying games on the Microsoft console. Microsoft Studios developer Climax delivered a new title to the Xbox RPG fans called Sudeki. Promising amazing gameplay, fans of the RPG genre were salivating waiting for it to hit shelves, would it stand up to the standard set by games with the word Fantasy in it?

[heading]You have a lot to live up to[/heading]

Sudeki has a lot to live up to, right away RPG fans are welcomed to a beautiful world. Though set in the clichA

Def Jam Fight for New York

November 8, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Chris Rasco /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/djffny/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I had an interesting time with Def Jam Fight for New York and if I had to sum up my experience in one word I think I would choose “frustrating”. Def Jam Fight for New York is the over the top sequel to Def Jam Vendetta which starred many famous people from the rap world as wrestlers in an underground street fighting circuit. The story of D-Mob and his crew picks up in Fight for New York where they square off against Crow who is played by Snoop Dogg. As the story mode begins, you create a custom character that will be the unknown fighter that saves D-Mob and earns his trust. As you progress through the game you will throw down with a number of fighters at each of the many venues. Defeating each fighter unlocks different things for use in the 4 player battle mode such as the fighter himself, the venue, different songs, and finally Blazin’ moves. Defeating fighters will also get a set number of development points that you can use to beef up your character at the gym.

In addition to story mode you can also play with up to 4 people in the Battle mode, but since most of my game time was with the story mode, I will focus on that aspect of the game.

The game engine that powers FFNY has been revamped since Vendetta. The new engine packs in 5 different fighting styles, 40 different fighters plus your custom fighter, and well over 20 different interactive venues. The graphics engine is gorgeous and the combat is very fluid. While playing I couldn’t help but notice that it was probably the prettiest wrestling game I have ever seen. All the people in the game have a beefed up new generation GI Joe look to them which is characteristic of the Def Jam games and to some extent the games that EA Big puts out.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/djffny/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatright]FFNY also has a very extensive soundtrack as can be expected by any game with a cast of musicians as enormous as this. I don’t listen to a whole lot (read: any) thug rap so I didn’t really appreciate the music, but the amount of music was quite vast and sure to please anyone that is fan of the genre. You also have the options of selecting which of the songs you want played during the game or not. This is reachable from the main menu and you just simply uncheck the songs you don’t want to hear. Pretty simple and quite a nice addition if you ask me.

At this point you are probably thinking to yourself that this is a pretty solid game. Great graphics, nice soundtrack, an all star voice acting cast with an updated engine should lead to a great game right? The answer should be yes, but for me it that is hardly the case. I am sure that seems a little out in left field so let me explain.

Certain games like BA Jam and Burnout 3 both suffer from what is termed “rubberbanding”. Rubberbanding is the concept where the computer controlled opponent seems to stay right with you in a racing game no matter how perfect you are driving and how terrible the computer is. The basic concept is that you can’t ever get too much of a lead or too great of an advantage on the computer controlled opponent. Everyone is familiar with the handicap that comes into play in NBA Jam if you go on a hot streak. It is no fun to be up by 20 points only to have the computer go on a 35-0 run. This type of lopsided help is very apparent in Fight for New York and it was enough to really ruin the game for me. I agree that it is no fun to play through a game and just utterly dominate it, but it is equally crappy to be giving someone a thorough beating only to have them grab you and execute 2 moves and KO you.

Now that I have that out of my system let me continue on. I mentioned development points and this is really the key to building up your fighter so you can take out the opponent as fast as possible. To spend your development points you head over to the Shopping District and go to Stapleton Athletics which is manned by none other than Henry Rollins. There are 3 different things you can use your dev points for to improve your character. First of all, you can go to the Train Skills option which allows you to increase individual stats like Health, Speed, Upper and Lower Strength. These things definitely make your character more powerful. You can also learn 2 additional fighting styles which gives your character a more diverse fighting ability and gives you an edge over the other fighters. Additional styles are 2500 dev points and can take quite a while to save up for. You can also purchase and assign new Blazin’ moves.

I haven’t really touched on Blazin’ moves and they play a pretty major role in the flow of a match so here goes. There is a small meter below your health bar that increases as you do damage to your opponent. Eventually that meter will fill up and you can move the right thumbstick to enter Blazin’ mode. Blazin’ mode allows you to execute 1 of the 4 assigned special moves that deal massive amounts of damage. All you have to do is grapple and press a direction with that right thumbstick again and bam, Blazin’ move. Of course every time I attempt a Blazin’ move the computer goes on an insane roll and my Blazin’ time ends before I even get a chance to grapple with them. So maybe not every time, but a good majority of the time. Blazin’ moves are a good way to finish off an opponent and they are very over the top and quite cool to watch.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/djffny/ss11_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Another key aspect about the game that is pretty paramount is the way that damage is inflicted and it is somewhat difficult to explain. Since FFNY is a wrestling game and not a fighting game, this is not a race to drill down your opponent’s life as much as it is a competition to stay in control of the match. That being the case, when you perform a move on your opponent their life bar will decrease but there will be a small portion of life that they will recover should you not hit them again. Performing strings of attacks and Blazin’ moves permanently takes their life meter down. Confusing I know, but it will make sense once you start playing.

Since FFNY is a wrestling game (am I drilling my point home? Wrestling game, not fighting game) you have all the staples of a good wrestling game. You can hit them with foreign objects, you can throw them into the ropes or walls as the case may be for many venues, and you can even get a little bit of help from the crowd. All these things make for a very dynamic and often frustrating playing experience, the frustration usually occurs when you are on the receiving end of any of those things.

There are a few things that I haven’t really touched on such as the vast array of clothing and accessories you can purchase in the shopping district and the different tattoos and hair styles that you can purchase. These things really do add a nice level of customization to the game. They even take it a step further and let you select your characters voice in the story mode. You will also engage in a few quarrels over girlfriends and possibly engage in a cat fight or two. My advice is to not lose these matches or you may end up going home with a girl that you may not want.

I would venture to say that it is more than clear that I think FFNY is a really solid wrestling game. It is actually a really cool game if you can get past all the hip-hop aspects of it which just don’t jive with me as I seen to be out of touch with that culture. The language is also a little on the adult side so I would keep this one out of the hands of younger gamers. With that said, at most I would recommend renting Fight for New York because while I can stand back and admire it is a whole and see how far wrestling games have come I didn’t really enjoy myself all that much. When I sit down with a game, I don’t want to come away more frustrated than when I started. Playing video games should be fun and Fight for New York just put me over the edge every time I played it. This is definitely one of those cases where I recommend anyone heavy into hip-hip and wrestling check it out, but everyone else can probably take a cue from me and leave Fight for New York on the shelf.

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