Gotham Racing is Style and Substance

While I enjoy playing driving games at the arcade as much as the next guy, I generally do not like them for the console. Probably the main reason is because I stink at them, and the only reason I did as good as I did on Project Gotham Racing was because the nice people at Radica were kind enough to send me their Gamester Pro Racer Wheel, which pretty much saved this game for me. From the title you would assume, as I did when I ordered it with my Xbox, that Project Gotham Racing is a pure racing game, … Continue reading Gotham Racing is Style and Substance

Pirates Rule the High Seas

I started playing Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat on a PS2 and switched over to my Xbox just as soon as I could lay my hands on my own copy of this fantastic 3D adventure game. Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat is a cross between a really good seafaring game and a really great third-person adventure game. And the best part for me was that the controls were almost exactly the same in both modes and over both platforms, so I could switch back and forth. You play as Katarina de Leon, or Kat, the daughter of an … Continue reading Pirates Rule the High Seas

Starfighter is a (Laser) Blast

Star Wars Starfighter was released for the PS2 in 2001 and to the joy of Xbox owners everywhere, it has now made its way to the Xbox. It picked up some improvements along the way including a graphics tweak, new levels, and an improved multiplayer mode. Star Wars Starfighter gives you the opportunity to take on the role of three heroes. And like most Star Wars heroes, each has their own ship to pilot. You start off on a training mission learning to fly as Rhys Gallows, a young hotshot pilot who has just taken the helm of his first … Continue reading Starfighter is a (Laser) Blast

Silent Hill Horror Lives

Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams is basically an improved Xbox version of SH2 for the Play Station 2. I did not have the opportunity to play the original Silent Hill game, but I am told by several of my colleagues that I missed out in a big way. From speaking to them, I don’t know if either version of SH2 quite lives up to the original, but I did have an enjoyable time playing the game, especially about 11:00 at night with the lights all turned off. The Xbox version has an added sub plot that was not in SH2 … Continue reading Silent Hill Horror Lives

Getting a Lot More with Morrowind

It looks like the developers at Bethesda are actually going to be releasing their Morrowind RPG in May for both the PC and Xbox, which is pretty amazing considering how much depth is contained within the game world. Well, I guess they have been working on it for quite some time, but after playing with the preview version of the game, I can say that their efforts were well worth the wait. Put simply, Morrowind is quite possibly going to revolutionize the way people think about role-playing games on the computer. I’ve played about every RPG for the past six … Continue reading Getting a Lot More with Morrowind

The Force is with Obi-Wan

Originally developed for the PC, Obi-Wan was eventually released exclusively for the Xbox. Although this may anger some PC owners, you can see where the game fits right into the Xbox format. As you can imagine from the title, you get to play Obi-Wan. In this case, you get to play him in his pre-episode I role of a young Jedi padawan. What really makes this game cool for me is getting to use a lot of the Jedi powers from the movies. Though I must admit, I am awaiting all the cool games that herald the release of Episode … Continue reading The Force is with Obi-Wan

NFL 2K2 is Fun, Yet Lackluster

Sega Sports NFL 2K2 on the Xbox looks great, far better than when the series was on the Dreamcast. Unfortunately, the game can’t quite live up to the depth of play we have come to expect from their main competitor, Electronic Art’s Madden 2002. Before any new Sega fanboys cry out foul about me giving this game an average review, let it be known that I am writing this as an unbiased reviewer. I do admit that while I owned a Dreamcast, I was one of the biggest Sega fanboys on the planet, and like many of them, was heartbroken … Continue reading NFL 2K2 is Fun, Yet Lackluster

Halo is One Smooth Ride

Halo is a first person shooter (fps) set on and around a ring world of the same name. A ring world, the concept first mentioned in the Ringworld series by Larry Niven, is a ring band, or thin donut shaped world were the cities and population resides upon the inner surface. The year is 2552 and while earth still exists, overpopulation has forced Earth to colonize distant planets. A keystone to this colonization is the planet Reach. Reach is a massive shipyard, and center of scientific and military activity. Thirty two years ago Earth made disasters first contact with an … Continue reading Halo is One Smooth Ride

It’s About Control

This week we take a look at three different peripherals for the Microsoft Xbox. All are aimed at either increasing your control, or letting you expand the Xbox’s capabilities in some way without hurting your wallet too much. I will tell you right now, I used to hate almost all console racing games. To be perfectly honest, it is because I generally am not very good at most of them. Well that was before this little Gem fell into my hands. The Gamester Pro Racer Hand-Held Wheel has made driving games out side of the arcade fun. The first time … Continue reading It’s About Control

4×4 EVO 2 is evolved off-road racing

Before we crank up this review up, would it be safe to say that I myself, have a tremendous undying love for 4×4 trucks? Most definitely. Would it be logical to say that my undying love for 4×4 trucks may have slightly swayed my GiN gems for this title? That’s a good hypothesis. Knowing these facts some might say that given my slightly biased opinion, wouldn’t it have been more logical to pass this title on to a more unbiased reviewer? I think NOT! Really, when you think about it, my love for trucks would make me highly offended if … Continue reading 4×4 EVO 2 is evolved off-road racing