Category Archives: Reviews

KISS Pinball is Ready to Rock

Since the dawn of the video game console age began, game makers have strived to create a decent pinball game for the television game console that looks and plays like the real thing. Take 2 Interactive now has given us Kiss Pinball, the latest foray into the pinball sim market for the Sony Playstation. Kiss Pinball, based on the rock band Kiss (obviously), is part of Take 2’s $9.99 Playstation line-up. Kiss Pinball features two different tables to play. "Last Stop: Oblivion" the first table, follows Kiss on tour around the world. Hitting specific targets and ramps highlights different cities … Continue reading KISS Pinball is Ready to Rock

Zone of the Enders

It seems as if every game that Hideo Kojima develops has a special magic to it. Granted the series known best by him is Metal Gear, but his other titles are worth mentioning as well. I was a big fan of Snatcher when it was released for the Sega CD (which even today can go as high as $100 on eBay), and I helped sign the petition to release Policenauts for either the 3DO or the Saturn back in 1995. His storylines are well known for having powerful moral values, and anyone who is well adapted in Metal Gear Solid … Continue reading Zone of the Enders

Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge is Green and Good

In the beginning, Konami created Frogger and it was good. Then Hasbro created Frogger in 3D and it was, well, not quite as good. Now, Hasbro has brought us Frogger 2 Swampy’s Revenge. "Wow, Frogger! I remember that old chestnut," I hear you cry. Before you get too excited, things have moved on since the old days. This little frog has got more to worry about than crossing the road during rush hour, but not much more. He’s also got a love interest in the shape of the pink Lillie Frog. Frogger’s nemesis, Swampy the Crocodile, has kidnapped Lillie’s baby … Continue reading Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge is Green and Good

The Bouncer Bounces Forward

Squaresoft and I have not had a peaceful relationship. The reason is two words: Final Fantasy. I’m always asked why I hate this series so much, and I explain every reason. Maybe it was because I find that being hit by random encounters every step is a complete pain. Or then again, maybe I hate having to sit through countless scenes of poorly animated FMV with mute, dorky-looking characters with hands bigger than their faces (we all know what THAT means, right Zidane?) Or more importantly, having to deal with a cumbersome command interface fast enough to avoid seeing 20 … Continue reading The Bouncer Bounces Forward

Nightmare Creatures II is Bloody Good

Nightmare Creatures 2 is a single player action slasher game. Adam Crowley, an evil sorcerer, is on the verge of merging with an entity of horrific power. It’s a power that will give him immortality, and entitle him to reign supreme over a new hell on earth. Herbert Wallace was once a prisoner of Crowley’s and subjected to the sorcerer’s torture and experimentation. Well, it’s time for some payback. Players control Herbert as he exacts his revenge on the evil Crowley, and, saves the world. The player guides Herbert through asylums, sewers, catacombs and castles on his quest for retribution. … Continue reading Nightmare Creatures II is Bloody Good

Fighter Destiny 2, Nothing New

Fighter Destiny 2 is the latest hand-to-hand combat game from SouthPeak for the N-64 platform. FD2 offers the player 5 choices for game play. VS COM allows the player to select one of 11 international characters as his own and then proceeds to fight his way through the same 11 characters. Then he meets Fabian, he final and fiercest fighter. VS BATTLE allows two players to go head-to-head against each other. RECORD ATTACK requires the player to beat records in three styles of fighting. Survival requires the player to defeat as many opponents as possible. FASTEST is a time trial … Continue reading Fighter Destiny 2, Nothing New

The Flintstones Bedrock Bowling bombs

"The Flintstones Bedrock Bowling" by Southpeak for PSX starts out nicely with an animated sequence. Fred, after a hard day at the quarry, is ready to meet Barney for some bowling practice to hone his skills for the big tournament. His boss, Mr. Slate tells Fred that he has to work overtime. Oh no! What to do?! What about the big tournament?! Darn that old Mr. Slate! Have no fear, Gazoo is here! You remember Gazoo, the little green alien with amazing powers? Gazoo, after hearing Fred’s plight, magically transforms the entire town of Bedrock into bowling lanes. Now Fred … Continue reading The Flintstones Bedrock Bowling bombs

Capcom loads titles on Sega Dreamcast

Capcom has been on a roll lately. In the past several months alone, three titles have been released. First of all, we have the impressive anime mech-style Tech Romancer, the long awaited Street Fighter 3, and the much anticipated sequel to Marvel Vs. Capcom. I had a chance to try out all these titles, but for the time being I wanted to review SF3 and MVC2 because over the last few years, since the days of X-Men back in 1994, there has been a heated debate. On one side of the argument, you have the Street Fighter series that has … Continue reading Capcom loads titles on Sega Dreamcast

Diablo II is devilishly good!

Is it too early in my GiN career to give a game a perfect score? Yes, but I’ll do it anyway for Diablo II. Just be careful when you play this game, it has a powerful nicotine-like addiction. It’s the crack cocaine of computer games. You just can’t stop playing it. It’s easy to get into, but darn hard to walk away from. Case in point: a friend of mine played straight for about 20 hours. But it gets worse"at four in the morning during his binge, he returned from the bathroom and realized that he had locked himself out … Continue reading Diablo II is devilishly good!

Space Channel 5 is a dance party

Sega’s first attempt in the dance/rhythm genre comes right off their impressive showing at E3 last month. Space Channel 5 was hyped by Sega with an elaborate setting, complete with cage dancers, future-retro backdrops, and an LED display simply stating "Launching June 6, 2000!" After seeing this display, I started to gain interest in the title although the dance/rhythm games don’t really appeal to me. Granted, I went through both Parappa and Bust-a-Groove on the PlayStation, but they were finished in only a matter of hours, resulting in a short, shallow experience. I had a gut feeling that Sega would … Continue reading Space Channel 5 is a dance party