Xbox

James Bond 007: Nightfire

March 25, 2003

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nightfire/cover.jpg[/floatleft]While playing 007 Nightfire the only thing I can say about this game is that it is the most entertaining game I have ever played. Now what I mean by entertaining is that there are so many fun factors about this game that keep you on the edge of your seat. There are many games out today that are cool to play and are semi fun but this one really has so many different aspects in the mission mode that it’s just pure fun. Now because I am a FPS (first person shooter) fan this automatically makes my A-list, but oddly enough if this game was in a different category, I would still put it on my A-list as a fun game. Now before I begin to explain the different factors and aspects of this game, I will make it a point to not compare it to its predecessors N64’s Goldeneye and Playstation 2’s Agent Under Fire. Although we all enjoyed N64’s Goldeneye, lets give the next generation of Bond games a chance.

To begin, let’s talk about the game’s storyline and its gameplay. Of course it goes without saying you are an MI6 operative known as 007 James Bond. Phoenix International Corporation is helping the world in its destruction of nuclear warheads. Phoenix Int. Corp led by Raphael Drake, is known to have stolen some of the warheads and MI6 Intelligence has sent 007 to infiltrate Drake’s domain and gather intelligence. Along the way you meet many hot women spies, and encounter the obvious enemies that will try and stop you from your progress.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nightfire/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright]As 007, you are given an insane amount of Q gadgets to work with throughout the length of your missions. For example you are given thermal imaging glasses, a zippo that turns into a micro camera, a palm pilot that’s also a decryptor, a cell phone that’s a grapple, a shaver that’s a grenade, the keys to your car give an electric stunner, and your watch is a laser. Not only do you get crazy gadgets, but you get some really deadly weapons to help you out on the missions. Your arsenal consists of your standard golden PP7 and other pistols, your sub-machine guns, laser guns, sniper rifles, grenade and rocket launchers, sentinels, and a crossbow. As far as explosives go, you can choose, flash grenades, smoke grenades, frag grenades, satchel charges, remote mines, and laser trip bombs. All weapons have modifications during the missions as well as during multiplayer mode. Let me take you on a detour here for a second. The multiplayer mode is really fun to play. Since this game is not Live enabled, or link play enabled, Nightfire is only limited to four players. There are several games that you can choose from, i.e. CTF, deathmatch, etc. Customizable weapons, bots, and mods are given to you as an extra bonus as well. Now back to weapon mods. You can switch from fully automatic to burst, or grenade launcher to rapid fire. All weapons have their own characteristics that make the options to this game very unique. Needless to say anywhere you go throughout the game, you will be massively packing. And finally, you are given the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish to roll in during mission mode. This bad boy is filled with massive Q gadgets that do some real damage on the road and under water as well.

Since I have just mentioned the serious amount of weaponry you will be carrying throughout the missions, you are probably wondering how you are going to manage your equipment and use it effectively. Well don’t fret, Nightfire has nine different controller set-ups, and a special self customizable set-up if you don’t like any of the games default settings. The control management in this game is very easy, slick, and extremely helpful. I personally cannot stand inverted controls; therefore I use the Goldeneye set-up for my controller. I found it very helpful to have your mod buttons be the white and black buttons, while your D-pad is used for you Q-gadgets and switching weapons. Your B button is also used to cycle through your weapons a little faster during a shootout. You have your standard reload, jump and crouch buttons, while your left trigger is for aiming and your right trigger is for shooting. Your D-pad is also used for zooming in while using sniper rifles and the such. Overall I find the controls in this game to be very flexible and extremely simple.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/nightfire/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Nightfire’s AI seems to flow very smoothly throughout, given the games simplicity. Although stealth is not a major factor to complete the missions, it still gives you some sense of challenge. During mission mode on certain levels, it won’t matter if you come out guns blazing and shooting up the entire population. Every mission has its objectives, and each objective is automatically carried out in order. Only when it’s necessary for a mission you can blow out lights and other small details that could aid in your mission. Headshots are very effective but any other shots to the body seem just as effective. Some of the dialogue is repeated when encountering the enemy, at the same time their movements seem to be very limited on some levels. The enemy characters seem to be running within an invisible box when tracking you down. The graphics in Nightfire don’t seem to play an intricate role as it seems to me that many of the characteristics from N64’s Goldeneye and Agent Under Fire are very present in Nightfire. Shadows are cut and straight edged, along with many of the buildings and structures that surround you. Colors and scenery in all levels are very appealing. Considering the amount of traveling you’re going to be doing, you will discover the amount of change in color and depth. Unfortunately, the details of the characters faces and bodies are very rigid, squared, and edgy. The games cinematics are pretty entertaining, but the graphics are no different than game play.

This is where things start getting a little hairy. I was not pleased with the amount of annoying music this game has. Some of the music that is in this game just does not fit the environment and the game play what so ever. Sound was not a major factor in Nightfire’s agenda, and personally I was not impressed by the game’s sound at all.

I believe Nightfire is one of the most entertaining Bond games that I have played since N64’s Goldeneye. I love FPS and I love Bond, so playing this game was a total enjoyment for me. Many of the different aspects of this game were totally mind blowing, which made things a lot more interesting. If you love Bond games I think you will really enjoy this game. I would suggest everyone give this game a chance, if you’re not interested in buying it then at least rent it.

Kung Fu Chaos

March 3, 2003

Reviews / Xbox / by Chris Rasco /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/kfc/cover.jpg[/floatleft]When I first caught a glimpse of an upcoming game called Kung Fu Chaos I was a little intrigued. I mean, Kung Fu rules by itself, but when you blend it with a little bit of good ole chaos then you have a winning combination. In reality, when I saw this game it reminded me a lot of Flying Dragon from N64 which I loved. I don’t normally gravitate towards fighting games unless they have a little something extra that gives replay value or expands on the same old fighting game. Flying Dragon had the RPG elements and Kung Fu Chaos has the party games as well as the humor. So if you don’t already know, KFC is a satire based game that plays on the 1970’s fighting movies (Enter the Dragon etc…). You have your choice of exaggerated characters to play A

DOA: Extreme Beach Volleyball

February 28, 2003

Reviews / Xbox / by Marco Ortega /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doaxbv/cover.jpg[/floatleft]First off let me just say that I am not entertained by sports game at all, but there is one exception…and it’s not this game. Before I begin talking about the games quality, I am one to say the only reason I played this game was for the chicks. I was sucked in and brainwashed by the games deceiving and conniving tactics of beautiful half naked women rolling around giggling. Wait…how is that any different from real life?

Once you pop this game into your Xbox its nothing but half naked women. The introduction to DOA has some amazing cinematics and graphics. The story begins when you are sipping on a glass of champagne with Zack on a huge cruise liner. You then are introduced to Zack Island, with some whacky and goofy cinematics. Once you land on Zack Island you are partnered with one of the islands inhabitants who happen to be on vacation as well. They give you a quick low down on the haps of the Island and the different things that you can do, which let me tell you are not much. Before you begin the game you have the option of choosing one of the 8 girls. Blonde, brunette, red head, pink haired, big boobs, and small boobs you pick from the eight that are given to you. Once you are partnered up, that is your volleyball teammate. Since you are going to be new to playing volleyball I suggest everyone plays a regular exhibition before going into vacation mode. Why you ask. Because once you start playing volleyball in vacation mode and you lose two matches, then your partner ditches you and moves on to team up with someone else. Getting another partner to team up with you will be a daunting task to perform. Asking other girls to team up with you will only result in massive denials, once you lose matches then the entire island knows you suck. In order for girls to team up with you is by giving them gifts you receive from Zack, or just buying them gifts. You are given money once you arrive on the island, but you can easily lose it in the casino when you go back to the hotel for the evening. You have many games to play from, for example roulette, poker, blackjack, or even slots. You can easily make some money too, but I still think the games in the casino are rigged. Now you have the option of buying different items at the sports shop, accessory shop, and the Zack of all trades shop. Buying the girls gifts doesn’t guarantee you a partner; they have the option of not excepting the gift or just throwing it away. Getting another partner takes time and more gifts, that means more gifts means more money. You know like real chicks. Another method of getting more cash is by playing poolside games. That gives you some cash but not enough to get really nice gifts. When buying or receiving gifts you get from bikinis, glasses, hats, lotion, flowers, nun chucks, knives, guns, salad, sushi recipes, etc. Once you have scored a partner and you start winning matches, then the money rolls in.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doaxbv/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The game is just like a vacation so you don’t have much time to stay on the island. Once your vacation is over then the game is over. You have the option of starting a new vacation, or just play a volleyball exhibition. This game has a fun factor of about 3 out of 10. Playing volleyball is about the closest thing to being fun on the island. The controls are very limited when playing volleyball. You have two buttons to use to regulate your intensity of hitting the ball. Soft or hard are your options in the analog mode, but when switched to digital you have all four buttons to work with. You also have the option of setting the amount pressure that a button takes to designate the intensity level of the power you hit the ball. But again the amount of strategy you have during a match is very limited. You can choose to play to 6 or 10 points in one match, and choose different locations around the island to play on. The button scheme is the same when playing poolside-hopping games. If you hit the button hard then you may go too far, or if you hit it too soft then you might just miss it. Another feature you have on the controls is with your left and right triggers. Both triggers enable you to zoom and change camera angles on the girls. But you do not have the freedom of camera movements during volleyball play. When you’re not playing volleyball or hopping in the pool, then you can shop, take a rest in pool, or just walk around the beach. Once its evening time you can choose to go to sleep, play in the casino, or watch a video if you get one for a gift. The videos are just previous ads for old DOA games, which is pretty cool. Another feature you have during game play is stopping by the radio station and selecting music to add to your track play list. You can choose from various artist and genres like Christina Aguilera, Spice Girls, Baha Men, and Reel Big Fish. You don’t have many so the music gets old after while. The overall sound is not very detailed, although you can hear the waves and the girls dialogue is not so wonderful. Now I know that all the DOA games are in Japanese, but I am just not very excited about dialogue that is repeated over and over again.

The graphics in this game are great but not flawless. Let me try and break it down the best I can for you readers. The cinematics in the beginning and the end are very well done, very well detailed with great motion. The colors are extremely appealing and very beautiful. The shadows from the moving palm trees, the glistening of the moving water with reflections, and the shifting of the sands are just a few examples of the really detailed graphics in this game. But you can also tell on certain areas of the island that the grass is very flat with no definition along with the trees. The body of the women are curved well and colored exceptionally considering the various women. When some of the girls are wearing thongs their butts seem to continue as part of their back with no distinctions. You can tell that the hair movements on some are little off when they move around in the sand or when playing volleyball. The hair seems to go through their body and disappear at times, and along with their feet when they dig in the sand. The lining in the sand when the girls move around is off at times and creates a straight cut through their body. Some of the far backgrounds seem really flat and not colored very well. A few of the cutaway scenes of the girls moving around in the sand or in the water are very edgy and linear. However the close ups of the girls faces are very well detailed and colored. Let me just say that the graphics are probably the best things in this game, which make things a little interesting.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doaxbv/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The game itself is not very fun outside of the volleyball matches, and even then it’s not very entertaining. There have been times when playing a match; it might take 5-10 minutes before you or your opponent score a point. So pretty much you can keep the ball in play forever, that means there is just no strategy in this game what so ever. If anyone is into non-strategy volleyball, T & A, and horrible game play then this is your huckleberry. This game is only worth renting just so you can say you looked at some CG T & A.

Robotech: Battlecry

February 24, 2003

Reviews / Xbox / by Michael Land /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/robotech/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Robotech: Battlecry is based off the late 1980’s animation series. You are Jack Archer, one of the fighter aces in the Robotech Defense Force that has to defend the Earth from alien conquest. If you ever watched the series, the game stays very true to form. You pilot your Veritech fighter through space, canyons, and even city streets trying to fend off the Zentradi threat. Cameo appearances by Roy Fokker, Rick Hunter, and even Minmay are a pleasant surprise. The game covers the first of the three sagas that make up the original series. There are five chapters that include 8-10 missions each. They range from eliminating Zentradi battle pods from the streets of the ravaged Macross City to guarding a group of helicopters rescuing civilians. There is also a head to head mode.

The graphics are similar to most anime shows. The landscaping and buildings are well done with vibrant colors. The entire game is in 3rd person view. There are a few glitches when you reach the boundary limits or get stuck behind something and the camera cannot compensate and you disappear. Overall the graphics are well done, but nothing to die for.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/robotech/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The sound was very realistic. Not that I have ever had missiles and plasma guns shot at my head. Explosions, gunfire and even the sparking sounds heard as a battle pod crumbles to the ground adds to the over all enjoyment of the game. The theme song was kept intact, but there was much to be desired in a few of the levels. The endless loop of drab instrumental music that was in some of the longer levels really got annoying. It was nothing that the volume button on the remote wouldn’t fix. The soundtrack did seem to follow the typical movie soundtrack. Fast, up beat tunes when in a dogfight and spooky music when you were sneaking around. All of the cut scenes that have dialogue are written and spoken. One handy feature is at the beginning of each mission there is a brief description of what is going on, what you are supposed to do, and a hint. When the level is finished loading, there is a cut scene that goes into depth about what is going on and what you are to do.

The controls are fairly easy. The hardest part is mastering the D-pad in regard to your Veritech mode. You have fighter mode, battleoid mode, guardian hover, and guardian fly mode. The worst thing is being in the middle of a firefight in battleoid mode and trying to switch to guardian and end up going into fighter mode. When you hit a building or boundary in fighter mode you automatically switch to battleoid. You have the ability, under the options menu, to change controls between normal or inverted depending on your preference. The “A” button is always speed. The “X” and “B” buttons are guns or missiles depending on mode. The “Y” button, depending on mode is sniper mode toggle, pick up item action, or anti-missile pods. The triggers are bank left and bank right. You can actually do barrel rolls and loopty-loops with different trigger/button combinations.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/robotech/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Some levels are much harder than others. Since you are carrying tracking missiles, as long as you don’t get shot too much you’ll probably pass the level. They gradually get harder as you get further through the story. A few of the levels have an actual time limit or you just need to get somewhere quickly before your buddy dies. Then you have the “bosses”. You have to out-pilot a few commanders and Zentradi aces that have much more powerful weapons than you. The officer’s pods are the hardest by far. Their head mounted weapon can kill you with just a few direct hits.

If you liked the original series this game is a must-have. If you haven’t seen the series, but like flying a futuristic transformer and killing all alien invaders then it is worth a rental. Including the training sessions, you could spend 15 hours to complete all missions. Once you finish the missions you may or may not have gotten all of the awards and medals that open up more fighters or head to head levels. It’s not a “finish it once and into the closet it goes.” Since this stopped at the end of the first saga, they have left the door open for two more games.

[i]Images copyright [url=http://www.teamxbox.com]Team Xbox.com[/url][/i]

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon

February 11, 2003

Reviews / Xbox / by Marco Ortega /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/gr/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Let me start off by saying that I had only heard of Ghost Recon when seeing Pickle play it on his PC. I never gave it much thought just knowing that the game play did not interest me. Along the same lines, I am not a big fan of PC games at all. There are very few PC games that entertain me, and Ghost Recon just did not. If you know me than you will know that I am a huge fan of first person shooter games as well as Xbox Live. So needless to say when I heard it was being released on Xbox I started rethinking my decision of blowing it off. Ghost Recon is one of those games you really have to play over and over again to get the hang of. I was really frustrated with having to control another squad on top of controlling the soldiers in my squad, in order to strategically recon the area and effectively defeat the enemy without jeopardizing the lives of my men. So after many long hours of practice and going through missions and campaigns I am proud to say that I can whoop some ass on that game.

The game is set in the year 2008. Europe is slowly falling into the hands of Russian Ultranationalists in order to bring the old communist Russia back into power. You’re part of the Green Berets elite Special Forces group called The Ghost. Your team is sent in to stop any further action by the Ultranationalists before a full-scale war erupts. You and your team are equipped with high tech weaponry and covert tactics. When sent into a mission you are leading two squads for one platoon. Within these squads (alpha and bravo) you are given the option of hand picking certain specialists. You have the choice of a rifleman, support expert, sniper and a demolitions expert. Depending on the mission you might want to designate the right specialist for the job. I myself like to have one sniper in my platoon for safekeeping.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/gr/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatright]A good way to get familiarized with the commands and the movements of your squads is to play the training exercises, which are a great teaching tool. This training will help you use your weapons effectively as well as move and command your squads covertly. The controls to the game are a little out of the ordinary. Every button is crucial to your game play. The default controls are obviously the best, although they are not inverted. Personally I can’t stand inverted controls so it suits me. The black and white buttons help with weapons modification and headset communication. Your left trigger brings up your map, and your right trigger fires your weapon. Movement is very simple with your toggle sticks, strafing and looking is similar to Halo’s controls. Everything else is standard and easy to use once you do several missions for practice. Once you feel comfortable with your skill level than you can begin the missions. I suggest playing the missions before playing online. Once you play online it’s a whole different world. There are three difficulty levels that you can choose from; recruit, veteran and elite. I suggest starting light before going out blazing. The missions in Ghost Recon are excellent. You have many different objectives in Ghost Recon, from rescuing hostages, relieving UN peacekeepers, capturing high brass opposition leaders, recon, taking out massive artillery and your usual taking out an entire company to keep the peace in the area. Not only are you dropped during the day in nice weather, but you are also dropped either at night, in the rain, snow, fog or a combination of those weather conditions. A good tool to use is your night vision, which every soldier is equipped with. The weapons that you use can be even more helpful in the sense you can modify them. You can change your standard M16 to an M203 (Grenade Launcher); you can also go from automatic, to semi automatic. Your demolition specialist can change from an MP5 automatic weapon to an M4 rifle. Snipers are equipped with bad to the bone rifles that can strike from almost 400 to 500 yards. In order to receive more skilled soldiers and better weapons you must complete missions in campaigns and complete special objectives within those missions. One frustration about leading your squad is that your team members are very independent. If they spot the enemy, from no matter how far, they start firing. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the mission and how low key you want to be.

The graphics in this game are pretty good, but it’s no Splinter Cell. When playing missions in the country you find that the trees are real edgy and your boundaries are cut off. What I mean by boundaries are when you continue to roam around the map on a mission and it looks like your path continues… it doesn’t…you hit an imaginary wall. Grass and trees are real straight edged with no curves or detail, everything is blocked and the colors are not very attractive. The characters look pretty realistic, if you’re a detail freak like me than you will also notice the weapons and gear blend in with the uniform so you really can’t tell what is what. One thing that really cracks me up about this game is once you shoot the enemy they always fall into the fetal position. The games sound is very well done with regards to detail of nat sounds. I have set up a 5.1 system in my room, so when playing you can hear the leaves rustle, the bird’s tweet, the air whistle and even soldiers chatting in the distance. In different missions you can hear the sounds of mosquitos and flys buzzing around your head. The little detail of the rain coming down, running through the water, snow, gravel is very evident in this game. When battling out in missions indoor you can hear the echoing and ringing of shots being fired. Another great thing about the sound, is when battling it out in a fire fight, grenades are frequently tossed. If a grenade detonates near you, or a tank fires its turret near you, you will notice that the sound becomes muzzled and you can’t hear for a few seconds. Now I have never been in battle before but I can assure you that if a live ordinance round detonates anywhere within five to ten feet of your body, your hearing will be lost for a few seconds, and your body will rattle and shake. Again, I think the game’s sound is great with or without 5.1 Dolby digital.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/gr/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]This game is Live enabled which makes game play really crazy at times. When playing online you want to make sure that your connection speed is very good, that goes for the people who want to host battles as well. Now if you plan on just joining games on other game servers then you can run into some massive lagging, or none at all. I’ve been in games where there have been almost 16 people and it runs just fine. I’ve also been in games where there have been six people and it lags like crazy. So make sure you walk into a game with a good server. The LIVE headset is a very good way to communicate within your team when the enemy is near. It helps drastically when in playing in teams, that way you can strategically move in order to effectively eliminate your opponent. Overall I give this game an 8.5 out of 10. This game rules, it’s a very intense game because you never know when the enemy has spotted you. It’s as realistic as real life combat, one hit and your dead, or maybe if your lucky you get wounded then two hits your dead. It’s a very exciting game to play, it’s as if you were really in battle. It’s very challenging and also very entertaining. I have not yet put it down since I have gotten it. Once you start unlocking different maps, and weapons things become a lot more entertaining. If your looking for a good Xbox game that rules, then I suggest getting Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon.

Out-

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