Xbox

Midnight Club 2

June 24, 2003

Fast and the Furious was enough of a hit at the movies to warrant a sequel. I never really knew, but I guess street racing is really a hot thing in America. I can’t really see the reason for spending your life’s savings to make a car look like something out of a freaking anime, but you know different strokes for different folks. Games come out of the wood works to catch the latest craze, and street racing can be very marketable in the gaming world. Rockstar must have seen it coming, knowing that racing games where the player drives on tracks were going to get old and boring. Midnight Club 2 tries to capitalize on street racing’s popularity by developing a game that can be played by those who don’t geek out over Nitrous. Personally, I am no speed demon but I found that this game has a flare that even I could enjoy.

Find a challenge

Ok, now I love not having to do time trials, I love not having to qualify in order to race. In Midnight Club 2, you get to roam a city and find a challenge. There are a few street racers out at night that you drive up to and flash your highs at. Once you do, the race is on and that particular set of events starts. For instance, you find a street racer and race them. They then challenge you to a few races and ultimately, you race for pink slips. After you win and get your new ride you find a challenge again. The levels are different as well, some are check point oriented and some your objective is to lose the cops! I really love the non linear feeling that they use with this aspect of the game.

Physics 101

The game drives wonderfully. Each car has its own distinct way of handling itself on the road. Some hug corners and some haul ass but can’t turn for crap. The game offers a choice on which car you will use to take on each level. This feature is useful, as some levels call for quick reflexes and others for top speed. You will find yourself using all the vehicles at your disposal. The way the vehicles handle in the rain is so real that it is as much a pain in the ass as driving in the rain in real life. Don’t expect to make a quick turn without hydroplaning, or go from a dead stop to full speed without spinning some tires.

Don’t use Nitro on turns

No really; don’t try it.

You will hate other cars.

You will learn to hate the other cars that are racing you. They will intentionally run you off the road or into oncoming traffic. When I first saw this I was in awe because it is exactly what I would do if I were playing the game with my pals. Do anything to win is the whole point. The other non-racing cars on the road will react to the racers too. For instance, if another racer got in the way of one car it veers to miss it, and your car gets the brunt of its punishment, often times setting you way back in the race. The other road block you run into is the police. The sole purpose of the police is to run you off the road. They will try to block you in or veer your car off course, all the while racing down the wrong side of a highway!

Try; try again…and again…and again

You will find yourself doing races over and over again. You will lose more close races than you can imagine and sometimes you will win via a complete blow out. It all depends on
wh
at happens to you and/or the other racers. You may be lucky and the first place car runs into traffic giving you the split second you need to pass him up and take the win, or at the last second you hit an oncoming car and lose the race by mere seconds. This is not really frustrating as it is luck. You will pray that lady luck is on your side through out the race.

Team Pickle

After playing I want to start my own racing team. I think I will name it Team Pic, and have all the cars green with Japanese writing all over them. Then again, maybe not and I will just stick to getting my racing fix on Midnight Club 2. The game offers a lot in the way of crisp graphics, big level design, and a wide selection of vehicles, not to mention motorcycles, and yes, Xbox live compatibility. If you are a racing fan this game is a buy. If not then pick it up as a rental. The game is not the perfect racing game, but it’s damn good.

Wakeboarding Unleashed

June 19, 2003

Reviews / Xbox / by Shane Quast /

In July’s issue of GMR Magazine, [i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i] was described as “If Tony Hawk Could Swim.” Obviously the aforementioned description was in reference to this games similarities to the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series. Given the big name recognition of the Tony Hawk series I feel that it’s unfair to hype a relatively unknown game like this. A similar thing happened when Brute Force was hyped as the “Halo-Killer,” and obviously doesn’t even belong in the same rating scale as Halo. So will [i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i] suffer this reviewer’s wrath in the same fashion as Brute Force? Hell no, this game fucking kicks ass!

[heading]Who the hell is Shaun Murray?[/heading]

I’m a big fan of video games based on obscure sports. SSX Tricky is high on my list of all time favorites and I couldn’t name one professional snowboarder. Even going back to my Genesis days I thought EA’s Rugby was a classic. I can’t say that I am big fan of wakeboarding, in fact I don’t think I know the first thing about it, but I know that whenever I see clips of it on TV it doesn’t really look all that exciting.

That’s the beauty of video game world; they can take something not that exciting and make it an over-the-top, in your face action fest. [i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i] is the perfect example of this. The level design is creative, effective, and beautiful. You can grind on everything from moving 18-wheelers to power lines. Every level has enough unique aspects to keep you interested and wanting to desperately see what the next level has to offer.
[i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i]
I give the developer’s a gigantic thumbs up for the graphics on this game. I can only imagine the difficulty of designing an entire game based on the water. From what I’ve seen in the past water is usually one of the worst looking things visually in every game. I find the way the water and wake reacts to the boats movements as close to perfect as possible. Kudos Activision.

[heading]Required Accessories[/heading]

Before you being playing [i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i] I would recommend picking up some blood pressure medication, a stress doll and possibly a “break proof” controller. Yes, this is one of those games that will have you smashing your controller to the ground frequently, only to have you come back begging and pleading for more seconds later. To unlock different levels and increase character points you must achieve certain goals in the Groove Mode (free ride mode) or complete predefined challenges. Some of these challenges are seemingly impossible and it will take you a good hundred tries to complete them. The amazing part is that it never gets boring. Running through the same challenge for the hundredth time is just as much fun as it was the first time. On the “challenge scale” [i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i] is as close to finding the perfect balance between too easy and too hard that I have ever encountered.
[i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i]
[heading]And That Rope You’ve Been Hearing So Much About[/heading]

If you’ve heard anything previously to this review about [i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i] I’m sure that you’ve heard something about the rope. I won’t lie to you; the physics of this thing are unbelievable. You’ll almost feel like you’re really strapped to the back of a boat. You can glide into a turn and build up speed to make a huge launch off of a quarter pipe, and if you don’t think the rope is restricting your airtime, just let it go. You can use the ability to let go of the rope to set up huge catapult launches, bust a few flips, show off some nice grabs and than catch the rope on your way down.

[heading]Xbox Top 10[/heading]

I would consider this one of the best ten titles to own for Xbox right now. I know that’s a pretty lofty claim, but I can make it with full confidence that this game will not dissapoint. If you’re a fan of Tony Hawk you are sure to love this game, and even if you’re not (like myself) [i]Wakeboarding Unleashed[/i] rocks the house.

Brute Force

June 17, 2003

Reviews / Xbox / by Cathy Torres /

I have told nearly everyone I know that I can hardly wait for the much anticipated first-person-shooter sequel Halo 2 for XBOX. Let’s not forget the squad-based action game Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. But as far as Brute Force is concerned, I’m probably not the first to say that it is not the equivalent to either one of those upcoming releases mentioned above. It could have been comparable to them if Digital Anvil had not announced this title nearly two years ago, being that this game was considered a launch title, and over hyped it. In any case, Brute Force could be your temporary fix for either one of your hard up addictions to MicrosoftA

Hulk

June 4, 2003

Reviews / Xbox / by Mike Carabajal /

Break stuff!

What is the Hulk? The Hulk is a big green monster that breaks everything in sight. He is your anti super hero. He does good yes, but you always wonder if he even knows if he is actually fighting crime. The Hulk seeks not adventure and fame; as a matter of fact, Banner tries all he can to suppress the Hulk whenever possible. Alas some jackass is always picking on our poor boy and then the clothes start ripping and stuff starts breaking.

I was glad to see the game stayed true to what the Hulk really is. While I am not the comic aficionado, I know enough about the Hulk to know the game is right on the money. The Hulk game relies on you using anything and everything to smash and bash your way though the levels. You will be sent drones of bad guys after bad guys. It is your job to pick up the next pipe and lay into them or pick them up and throw them into a wall. The environments lend well to these tactics as you will find many things lying about for the purposes of a bat or projectile. Once the fighting in the levels start the environment will then break down even more creating more things to pick up and use. I was able to get creative in how to progress from level to level, as sometimes I felt like picking up a guy and hurling him through a window so I can move along. Disposing of a solider comes down to what your heart says really; my heart always said throw him off a building.

Banner is a puss

The game of course has you playing as Bruce Banner. The levels involving him are almost forgettable, and change the rhythm of the game dramatically. From one level you become accustom to smashing everything in sight to the next level becoming a sneaker. Do not think Metal Gear Solid sneaker either it’s almost a sneaker in its infant stage. These levels were not too well thought out as you cannot even peak around corners, which of course is a tactic essential to sneaking games. You can fight, although if you do it’s your ass. Banner just is not made to fight, he gets rolled every time. You will have to solve small puzzles which make no sense, as well as the tried true formula of box moving. You spend your time in these levels telling yourself to get pissed off so you can Hulk up, alas you won’t.

How do the jeans stay on?

The game is presented in a A

Fatal Frame

May 28, 2003

Reviews / Xbox / by Chris Rasco /

Everyone I know has played or seen Resident Evil at some point in time. It is what I would define as the start of the horror game as a full genre. While I can’t name any other games that I would place squarely in this genre like I would do with Resident Evil, the RE games have had more than enough success on their own to warrant Horror games as a separate genre. While I can’t say that I love horror games, cuz I don’t, I will say that they can be enjoyable as a group activity. Fatal Frame was exactly that. Soda brought it over we played it for a few hours on a Thursday night. It wasn’t since Soda and Pickle tricked me into playing the hallway part with the Licker in RE2 back on the PSX that I actually jumped at something I saw in a video game.

The red circle makes it a critical hit

Upon starting the game you are introduced to the story and the premise of the game, which is all done thru phenomenal looking cut scenes. You play a character that is searching for her brother who has disappeared while learning about a family that had performed some questionable rituals. The family lived in a large Mansion that is now abandoned and feared by the locals. In order to piece the story together, you collect journals, audio tapes, and film as you use your camera to absorb ghosts when attacked. The camera plays many roles that will be explained as the game progresses. The journal pages and audio tapes will be direct clues as to the fate of your brother and his group.

Notice the lighting from the flashlight

I played the game on both PS2 and Xbox about 2 weeks apart. The PS2 scenes were unbelievable when I first saw them, and then I played it on Xbox and it was even more impressive. The actual in game graphics are so crisp and clear that when the actual gameplay started I was still sitting there waiting for the FMV to finish. The entire game that I have played up until this point has taken place inside an abandoned Mansion so the shadows and lighting are a huge factor and have been done very accurately. I just can’t stress enough how impressive the graphics work in the game is. Everyone knows that graphics are not everything and that gameplay has a huge role in the success of a game. Let’s take a look at some of the things that I think make the gameplay in Fatal Frame great.

That’s it, Just stand there

As of late I feel like my main complaint with all the games that I have been playing has been the wild camera that swings around behind your character. This is not a problem in FF as it’s a fixed view style game much like Resident Evil. You do have the ability to switch to first person and look thru the viewfinder of the camera which can help you see things that the fixed view makes difficult. Given that I am not big into the RE games, the fixed camera annoyed me at first, but it gave that eerie feel when you would walk into a room and not know what to expect. The sound accompanied the game very well. The music added suspense and created the whole envir
on
ment that made the game truly worth playing.

Crazy Ghost ladies just aren’t my thing

I am not sure if I should attribute this to the suspense created by the game or my own apparent lack of mastery of the controls, but I felt like every time a ghost would jump out, I was fumbling to hit the buttons to pull out the camera and take its picture. This doesn’t even account for the ghosts that appear for a split second for photo ops that give you bonus points. On top of that, the ghost is generally very freaky looking and right up in your face. The whole thing gives an unsettling sense of panic. I guess that means the suspense has been properly done. The controls were really not that complex; I was just caught totally off guard by the ghosts every time. The game is really not that difficult either, at least not in the early stages of the game. It is a lot of flip this switch, go there and do this, read this and figure out this puzzle, but it was quite enjoyable.

Neither are freaky ghost zombie guys

I have to say that I was immensely impressed with Fatal Frame as a whole. I think each and every part of the game was well thought out and planned just right. It is definitely a great addition to the genre of horror games. If you enjoyed any of the Resident Evil games or enjoy watching games as movies (while someone else plays them) like my wife does then do yourself a favor and pick up Fatal Frame. I did notice that a sequel is coming out this fall for PS2 only and I could only find used copies of the game at EB, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the story this game has to offer.

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →