Xbox

Goldeneye: Rogue Agent

December 9, 2004

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/goldeneyera/cover.jpg[/floatleft][i]Goldeneye: Rogue Agent[/i] is the newest game to be set in the infamous world of 007. The previous [i]Goldeneye[/i] was developed by the also infamous Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was an instant classic and is still revered by many as one of the best console FPS games of all time. With EA now at the helm and the reverence for the recent 007 titles waning, it made sense to try to rekindle the [i]Goldeneye[/i] fever, but did it work? Does [i]Rogue Agent[/i] rehash the memories of the golden days of Rare?

[i]Goldeneye: Rogue Agent[/i] removes the focus from 007 and his secret ops and places you squarely in the middle of a battle for the criminal underworld. As a dismissed MI6 agent, you have been recruited by Goldfinger to eliminate Dr. No and give Goldfinger control of the Bond underworld. The focus of the game is to allow you to play as a ruthless and maniacal villain. Unfortunately, this is where the game falls flat on its face-but more on that in a moment.

Like most of the previous Bond games, [i]Rogue Agent[/i] has had a graphics upgrade. The environments are very nicely presented, and the character models are very realistic. The brand new E.V.I.L. AI engine is fantastic and ushers in very realistic actions and reactions from the enemy characters. It is definitely a step in the right direction regarding enemy AI. There were actually times where the AI outsmarted me and kept me guessing where he was going to pop up next. You will also be surprised when enemies don’t stand and fire, but rather hold their guns out from behind an obstacle and fire erratically at you.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/goldeneyera/ss06_thumb.jpg[/floatright]EA hired DJ Paul Oakenfold to create the soundtrack for [i]Rogue Agent[/i], and he did a superb job. The music in game was great, with the only downside being that you have to play the game in order to hear the awesome rhythmic beats.

The unique addition to [i]Rogue Agent[/i] is the upgradeable synthetic eye that your character has. Your eye has four available functions: MRI Vision, EM Hack, Magnetic Polarity Shield, and the Magnetic Field. MRI Vision allows you to see through walls and view enemies in close proximity. The EM Hack feature provides remote access to certain electronics and even allows you to cause malfunctions of enemy weapons. The Polarity Shield deflects damage, and the Magnetic Field will allow you to send enemies flying across the room. In other words, your Goldeneye is pretty impressive.

Having played most of the recent Bond games, I can safely say that they typically suffer from controls with the sensitivity setting far too low. Luckily, [i]Rogue Agent[/i] allows you to customize this. After tweaking my settings, I still felt like I was driving a bus instead of running around on foot. Turning around to fire at enemies behind me took forever, and strafing just seemed sluggish. I applaud EA for having the foresight to add a sensitivity setting, but it needed to have a greater effect than it did.

I was also highly annoyed to find there was no jumping in [i]Rogue Agent[/i]. Two of your face buttons (A and X) handle picking up and dropping weapons. X handles left-hand weapons, while A handles right-hand weapons. Y is to reload, and B is to crouch. Your triggers obviously fire the weapons or toss grenades. Your black button allows you to melee attack an enemy in order to take him hostage and use him as a meatshield. The D-pad handles selecting your Goldeneye functions, while the white button activates and deactivates the eye functions. Yes, that about covers it-and no jump. I can’t express how frustrating that was. There is no reason why the control scheme couldn’t have been altered to allow jumping.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/goldeneyera/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Continuing on with the problems in [i]Rogue Agent[/i] is what I mentioned before; the whole being a super villain. The fundamental flaw with this aspect is actually quite simple: You are rewarded a Rogue bonus for doing dastardly deeds such as one-shot kills and killing enemies with explosions. What, you say? Those are things that occur while playing as 007 and are in fact hardly dastardly? Those are my sentiments exactly. As a Rogue Agent, I would expect to be highly vocal about being evil, and your character barely utters a word. I would also expect to have an array of weapons and tactics that are far more gruesome than just blowing people up. If you strip out the Goldeneye functions of your character, you would never even know he was a bad guy. You are out pursuing Dr. No just like 007 might. At no point during the game did I feel evil or even partially maniacal. This takes the whole evil agent aspect and makes it null and void.

I didn’t even bother taking [i]Rogue Agent[/i] online because I was having a hard enough time killing the AI on easy, and I figured it would just be a slaughter.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/goldeneyera/ss23_thumb.jpg[/floatright]Assuming you get used to the controls, the lack of jumping, and the fact that your evil villain isn’t really all that evil, then Rogue Agent has a wide array of gameplay open to you. The obligatory single-player campaign is present with 20 intense levels to battle through. Split-screen multiplayer also has 20 arenas to play in and a wide array of death match-style multiplayer showdowns and objective-based team vs. team scenarios with which Bond fans are familiar. The PS2 and Xbox versions also support online play.

What you are left with is a mediocre Bond game with sloppy controls and a super villain who brings shame to the word [i]villain[/i]. [i]Goldeneye: Rogue Agent[/i] doesn’t rehash the golden days of Rare, and the only kind of fever it may rekindle is the one accompanying your flu this year. A nice graphics engine and superb AI can only take this game so far, and unfortunately the accompanying cast of elements are unable to take the game anywhere beyond lame. My recommendation is to leave this one on the shelf. If you absolutely must try it, then I implore you to simply rent it or convince a friend that it is a good game and ridicule him/her as you two sluggishly plow through the game. Either way, the price tag is not worth the package inside.

Greg Hastings’ Tournament Paintball

December 8, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Mike Carabajal /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ghtp/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Paintball has recently been added to the growing list of extreme sports. Its popularity is blowing up across the country, as it replaced snowboarding as the fastest growing sport. It is a game that can be enjoyed be everyone and played in so many different variations that it’s no wonder the sport of paintball would beckon its own video game. Activision has recognized the market for the new sport and answered by releasing [i]Greg Hastings’ Tournament Paintball[/i], a first-person shooter. This is not your regular FPS; you won’t be opening doors and clearing out enemies. What you get instead is a fast, fun, and heart-pounding simulation of the paintball world.

[heading]Tourney style[/heading]

The Snackbar crew has recently taken up the sport of paintball, and with our welts and bruises we have come to love every second of it. [i]Greg Hastings’ Tournament Paintball[/i] brings you into the game, sans our boy Pretz diving from bunker to bunker (which is damned fun to watch in its own right). Your games consist of multiple rounds, with each round not lasting very long at all. The tournaments are designed as elimination matches or capture the flag matches. Each game is regulated by pointsA

Dead or Alive Ultimate

December 7, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Elaine Garbarine /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doau/cover.jpg[/floatleft]3D fighters have become so prolific in the recent past that it seems ridiculous to invest in yet another game. With my current disappointment in the 3D [i]Mortal Kombat[/i] games and the sheer volume of [i]Soul Calibur 2[/i], I was a bit on the fence about another 3D fighter, especially one that was in fact a remake.

That’s right. [i]Dead or Alive Ultimate[/i] is a remake. More specifically, it is a repackaging of one game and a remake of the other. The set includes the Sega Saturn version of the first [i]Dead or Alive[/i] and a completely remade version of [i]Dead or Alive 2[/i], which now has beautifully updated graphics and a plethora of neat unlockables. It is true that there is no new story here nor has any of the content from the original games been fleshed out in any way. Despite this, I still found myself pleasantly surprised with [i]DOAU[/i].

First, the game packaging is exceptional. I was extremely excited that each game had its own hard case instead of just throwing both games into a single case. Both game cases are then placed inside a very pretty, collector-worthy sleeve that is now sitting happily on my game shelf. If you’re lucky, you might also acquire some limited edition, collector trading cards with the set.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doau/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The collection excels well beyond the packaging. The graphics from the Sega Saturn version of [i]Dead or Alive[/i] have been ported and exceptionally rendered. It is interesting to note that this is the first time North America has ever seen this version of [i]Dead or Alive[/i]. The only thing added to this game is the addition of Xbox Live online play, which-while fun-loses its shine very quickly, especially next to the beautifully remade version of [i]Dead or Alive 2.[/i]

Team Ninja truly went the extra mile when updating [i]Dead or Alive 2[/i]. The graphics are jaw-dropping gorgeous. The backgrounds have been updated, and many are now interactive with multiple levels and locations inside of a single battle stage. Character design is flawlessly updated and beautifully rendered, and a new intro movie has been added to show off the overall prettiness here. In truth, a game cannot survive on graphics alone, so how does it play?

It plays nearly exactly like the PS2 version of [i]Dead or Alive 2[/i] but only tighter. The controls feel more responsive and a bit more precise. I can’t be sure if that is due to my personal preference for the Xbox controller S over the Dual Shock or if the Team Ninja went the extra mile to solidify the controls. Either way, it works and feels better than the original. A good arcade stick makes this game feel so good to play that you would think you were actually in the arcade.

The arcade experience is really what a fighting game has always been about, and it is apparent that Team Ninja is aware of that fact. The sense of online community when playing on Xbox Live is excellent. Playing online creates a sort of virtual arcade where up to eight players can join a game. These players then take turns playing in one of the many online modes-Winner-Stays, Loser-Stays, Kumite, Survival, Tournament, and Team Battle-while the other players watch from the comfort of their couches. It almost feels like putting a quarter up on the arcade machine and then waiting your turn in line without having to deal with big sweaty guys who have developed joystick claw from too much arcade time.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/doau/ss09_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Online play is definitely a selling point, but single player is brilliant as well. I have played so many fighting games that it would make most gamers physically ill, and I can say without hesitation that the single player experience here is pretty darn good. A player is rewarded for playing story mode on the numerous difficulties with a ridiculous number of new costumes for every character. Other games modes include Time Attack, Survival, Tag Battle, Team Battle, Versus, Sparring, and Watch-all of which have appeared in one or another of the Dead or Alive games, with nothing new included this time around. Despite the lack of new single player modes, I still find myself coming back to this game over and over to see how many costumes I can unlock and just to get a glimpse of all of the perfectly rendered battle arenas.

With all of the “fighters” out there right now, why bother with the D[i]ead or Alive[/i] series at all? Well, [i]Dead or Alive[/i] has a certain amount of beginner appeal that other fighters don’t really have. Much like [i]Soul Calibur[/i], it is pretty easy to pick up and play and sort of learn combinations and moves without memorizing pages of button combinations. On top of that, there is a great deal of depth here for those who are already fans of the series. There are quite a good number of combinations and moves to pull off and tons of costumes to unlock.

The bottom line here is that if you already hate the [i]DOA[/i] series this set is probably not going to make you suddenly fall in love with it. Adversely, if you are a [i]DOA[/i] freak, then you must have this game. Other people who should pick this up are 3D fighting lovers and gamers who are fans of fighters in general. You should probably avoid this one if you hate 3D fighters, and it might not warrant the $50 price tag if you don’t plan on taking the game online. If you only want it for the single-player experience, you should still grab it; but wait until the price drops a bit. This one comes with my recommendations. It has made both me and my arcade stick very, very happy.

Halo 2

December 3, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Snackbar Crew /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/halo2/cover.jpg[/floatleft][author]Pickle[/author]The anticipation for what some prematurely called “The Greatest Game of All Time” was at an all-time high prior to November 9th. Midnight struck, and [i]Halo 2[/i] was launched in the record books. You cannot deny the appeal of [i]Halo 2[/i], with the first title being an extremely solid first-person shooter. A sequel only meant innovation and tweaking, all of which leads to a better game. Not to mention the implementation of Xbox Live so you can hook up online and play with some of your good buddies.

The end result is an extremely solid game-yet a game, in my opinion, that did not live up to its tumultuous hype. The fact of the matter remains that [i]Halo 2[/i] is a well done first-person shooter game, if that’s your bag. If not, you will find another first-person shooter with a semi-interesting story mode. This game is a lot of things to a lot of people; it very much caters to the tastes of the genre fans and multiplayer junkies. I found the game lacking in originality-if you’ve played Halo 1 and enjoyed it, you will love [i]Halo 2[/i]. This is a very hard review for me to write. It is an extremely solid game, but it is one that doesn’t cater to my tastes or keep my attention. I am so in the minority, however, that you probably think I am smoking something strange.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/halo2/ss09_thumb.jpg[/floatright]This is a group review, so I can be pretty general about it and chances are high that you already have this game and have played it. [i]Halo 2[/i] has reached phenomenon status unlike anything ever released, so we are here basically giving our takes on it. I know the crew loves it and defends it with stalwart dedication when I run my “overrated” jabs at [i]Halo 2[/i]. In all honesty, however, there is nothing overrated about it (I love raising a fuss), I do admit. [i]Halo 2[/i] delivers on every single aspect of video games above and sometimes beyond expectations and standards of video games-but not mine, though. Breaking down each part of the game would be redundant, as words like “brilliant” and even a few “perfects” come to mind, with its only downside being what I consider to be a drawn-out single-player story mode. I am confident that most everyone will enjoy playing [i]Halo 2[/i] in many aspects. I, however, won’t. I am sorry. Why do I apologize? I have no idea. I just feel the need.

[author]Pretzel[/author]As many of you know, I along with many others on this site am one of [i]Halo 2[/i]’s biggest fans. I was very happy to see hundreds of people standing in line to get a copy at midnight. I must say that playing the multiplayer is quite impressive in some areas, but lacking in others. Playing among friends and setting up custom games are very entertaining for hours on end. Features like selecting party leaders to host are very efficient just in case someone’s connection just can’t hold up. Another feature is the matchmaking system while playing on your own. The days of playing against someone who is supremely better than you are over. There is an even playing field across the board in matchmaking. The downside to matchmaking is the lack of gameplay variety. After one match is over, it automatically sends you back to look for another match. This can get very annoying at times if you want to play continuously. Another downside is the lack of slayer matches and map selections. There is just not enough slayer matches for bigger party duels, and the map rotations are not very balanced.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/halo2/ss07_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The soundtrack to [i]Halo 2[/i] is just beautiful. With the original chanting theme song and other orchestral music, the soundtrack is up to par with some of the best movie scores, especially with the new addition to the story. Playing as the Covenant is a very unique aspect to the story of [i]Halo 2[/i]. Playing as both the Master Chief and an Elite really keep the gamer entertained on both sides of the games.

After the hype and wait, [i]Halo 2[/i] is an excellent game with countless new features and unique gameplay that make it one the best FPS games today.

[author]Snowcone[/author]I tried my hardest to avoid pre-release information on [i]Halo 2[/i] and to fend off the ever-present hype machine that has long since become a standard part of big-name releases. It wasn’t until the very end that I gave in and really got excited. [i]Halo 2[/i] is obviously the sequel to the wildly popular Xbox launch title from Microsoft and Bungie. Three years after its initial release, people were still playing it. That all changed on November 9th. The release of [i]Halo 2[/i] marked the largest video game release that I can remember. The release was celebrated with thousands of midnight openings across the country, with hundreds of people standing in line at each location, and well over one million preorders. I may have done a good job fending off the hype, but it was apparent that the hype had gotten to a few people.

[i]Halo 2[/i] is here with a slight graphical upgrade and a huge one in terms of gameplay. The graphics look cleaner and have a higher level of detail. They certainly make the original game look like something of a joke. My one complaint was that at certain times, and even in cut scenes when the models were loading, you would see the stages of the loading process. First, the polygons would appear and then the different textures would be applied. Bungie addressed this issue and mentioned that it was merely a side effect of using the game engine for cut scenes.

The storyline of [i]Halo 2[/i] has caused quite a controversy. Many people were hailing it as brilliant, while others simply uttered, “It stinks.” Personally, I found the switch to a Covenant perspective refreshing and very cool. Along with this comes the need for Covenants to speak English, which I felt humanized them a little too much. After that point, I almost felt bad for busting an Elite in the face with my rifle. In the end, I believe that most people will be satisfied.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/halo2/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The Multiplayer and Live areas are where this game really shines. In system link, you can now sport 16 Xboxes and 16 players giving each person a full-screen view of the action. Sadly, there is no Co-op over system link. [i]Halo 2[/i] takes advantage of a lot of the new Live 3.0 features such as Clans. The array of game types and options on Live is almost daunting and sure to provide even the pickiest player with a large enough variety to keep them busy for hours. Bungie was also gracious enough to put one of the most in-depth stats tracking portals online. You can view regular and clan matches, see the stats for each player in that game, and see an interactive map of where everyone was killed and by whom. It is definitely a very impressive site and makes sharing your nice kills that much cooler.

All in all, [i]Halo 2[/i] really delivered what was expected. The audio and videophiles will be glad to know that it supports 480p as well as in game DD5.1 audio. Despite the fact that [i]Halo 2[/i] is one of the best games of the year, it really hasn’t grabbed me quite like the original did due to all the new games and hardware that have come out recently. With that in mind, I think anyone with an Xbox should definitely make this an addition to their gaming library.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005

December 3, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Rob Smith /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/tigerwoods2005/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Tiger’s real life standards may be slipping, but his golf game definitely isn’t. Fair enough, I haven’t played that many golf games, but [i]Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005[/i] is definitely a nice game.

Game modes vary from the obvious and simple “Play Now” mode to the indulging and time-eating “Career Mode.” With Play Now, you basically choose any one of the many true-to-life golfers and away you go; but if you want a challenge, you will choose the Career Mode. It is difficult, as you have six legendary golfers to challenge here-Tiger being at the top of the tree. The six golfers are broken down so that, for example, if you choose Tiger Woods, you would have to beat five other people who are also challenging him, after which you get your shot against him. This is the same with the other five golfing legends.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/tigerwoods2005/ss11_thumb.jpg[/floatright]Now you have to make your player, be him a 500-pound hairy sandal-wearing 60-year-old man, or the trim 150-pound 25-year-old sporting sunglasses and very cool Nike golfing shoes. I created both; the first for fun, of course, but the second is now my legendary golfer. You get offered sponsorship deals the more matches you win, if you use those sponsors’ products during a match, you will be paid money for it. For example, wearing a TAG Heuer watch when the company is sponsoring you will put a few thousand bucks in your pocket. You can get sponsorship deals for everything, be it club grips, tees, or your very special multi-colored balls. There are many ways to make money, but what is the money spent on, you might ask? Well, you improve your stats by spending money in the respective allocated area, be it power, accuracy, or even luck. Also, you can buy more things to wear to be sponsored.

Something new to this year’s edition, I believe, is Tiger-proofing: basically, you have your own course and you Tiger-proof it, or make it more challenging, so that computer players will challenge you to a game at your own course. Perhaps you would like to make a 500-yard hole with thick foliage on either side of the fairway with a bunker right smack in the easiest place to lay your ball? Or a small island with 250 yards of water between the tee and the hole? You can do it all with Tiger-proofing.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/tigerwoods2005/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]There really is nothing more satisfying than hitting a 300-yard shot in a Par 3 hole, where you hit the green on the first shot then make a successful putt on the second shot to win the hole. Twice I have smacked the ball perfectly-it flies for 220 yards or so, bounces next to the hole, and due to the spin I put on it as I hit the shot, it rolls into the hole (as I gasp in amazement and shout at my TV for the ball to get in the hole).

The game is visually stunning, the players are projected with great detail, and the amount of visual customization you can do to the course and player is immense. Play against Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Tiger Woods. Beat them, be proud, let your family and friends know, and be ridiculed. [i]Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005[/i], it’s a great game. Go buy it.

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