Beauty and the Beast Magical Ballroom is part of the Disney Princesses series of games geared toward girls 5 and up. Disney is trying to fill the huge gap that exists in the games-for-girls market. The Magical Ballroom is a decent offering, but I doubt seriously that a girl over 9 will enjoy it. The game opens with a movie sequence telling of all the changes in the castle since the movie. The child signs in by typing her name on a scroll, which is saved for return visits. Then Belle greets the child and explains the four rooms for … Continue reading Magical Ballroom, More Mundane than Magical→
With Battle Isle: The Andosia Wars, you can do some serious island hopping! The latest installment of the Battle Isle series (Hehe I remember the first one that I bought just after installing my first CD-ROM drive on my computer many moons ago) Battle Isle: The Andosia Wars is an intriguing combination of turn-based movement and combat and a real time economy. So while your opponent plays his turn, your economy is busily producing the goods and units you will need during your turn. The premise of the game is an attempt by the Children of Haris, lead by their … Continue reading Island Hopping – At Its Best→
My mother always told me that when you don’t have anything nice to say, then you should not say anything at all. Unfortunately when you are a product reviewer, its your job sometimes to say bad things about a title so people won’t waste their money on it. And sometimes it is your job to pick a title up and completely body slam it to the mat without mercy. Jetboat Racing is forcing me to do the later. As I have to say something about this game, I will just keep it short and simple. My favorite game at Dave … Continue reading Jetboat is no Hydro Thunder→
Game Review- Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
Fallout Tactics – Brotherhood of Steel takes the very-cool post apocalyptic world of the Fallout role-playing universe and uses it as a setting for a tactical combat game. It has the same look and feel as the Fallout RPG, but without the detailed inter-party relationships and without the myriad of external side quests. I am a huge fan of the Fallout series. Perhaps it was one too many Mad Max movies growing up or one too many generic sci-fi movies set following a nuclear war, but this is a universe that I enjoy. It probably goes back to one of … Continue reading Fallout Tactics is a Strategic Heavy-Hitter→
What was I thinking last year? Why did I almost give up my copy of High Heat Baseball 2001 in exchange for that travesty called World Series 2K1? Fortunately when I saw WS in action, I immediately changed my mind, and stuck with perhaps the most in-depth baseball sim I ever played. However, there are still idiots out there who will pass on a masterpiece like this solely because the graphics aren’t all that great. Unfortunately the same thing can be said about this season, with High Heat 2002. I’ve called various software stores in the area, and they told … Continue reading High Heat 2002 is Real Baseball Fun→
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→
There is a logic out there that says that value software (games priced around $20) have to be bad titles. Many of us have seen this first hand and have purchased low-priced games only to be completely disappointed. That is why WWII Normandy came as such a surprise. When it arrived at the GiN testing labs I, as the resident WWII buff, immediately claimed it as mine to review. However in the back of my mind I was thinking it would be something like WWII GI, which was a dismal piece of value software for the PC. WWII GI had … Continue reading WWII Normandy Puts VALUE in ValuSoft→
In the family titles realm, playing a game with your children often involves letting the child click around the screen while the adult supervises, offers advice, helps at sticky situations and generally acts as advisor. Jack Attack 2 takes a different approach. It offers a platform where the child and parent can actually play together. This achievement can not be understated. The child and parent, or any caring adult for that matter, are working together to achieve a goal in Jack Attack 2. Both are sitting at the keyboard – or both have game controllers in the case of a … Continue reading Jack Attack 2 is for Kids and You→
Every racing game has to have its own "niche" in order to declare its individual uniqueness and to let it take a run at the Gamer’s Hall of Fame. I mean let’s take a look back at some of the great ones. Ridge Racer for PlayStation brought us out of the era of two dimensional racing when it introduced its 3D escapade of race cars and cool environments. The Sega Saturn’s first "VRally" title set the pace for most "offroad" racers to come. Then came games like "Gran Turismo" claimed fame with its impressive "reflection images" and awesome replay. Other … Continue reading Insane Races Toward Classic Status→
Game Review- Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business
I have been waiting a long time to get back into the action of the Jagged Alliance world. I’ve been following this series since the beginning, having been attracted to the arsenal of real-world weapons and interesting character personalities. And some of these mercs have been on my team a long time, like when we liberated Metavira back in 1995. After solving the first Jagged Alliance, I was delighted to play the first sequel called Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games. This was basically a series of single player missions connected in only the loosest sense of the word. However, it added … Continue reading JA2:UB Zeroes In On a Kill→
