Driver brakes just short of a classic game

While Driver has a top notch concept, good gameplay/replay value and other intangibles going for it, its utter failure to deliver on several other fronts leads to only a moderately successful game. In the game your name is Tanner…you carry a badge. That is you do until the fuzz decides they could use your former race car driving skills (yeah, I know lots of former race car drivers that became cops) to infiltrate the feared Castaldi crime family as a driver. Any game where you’re an undercover cop posing as a mobster starts off with a few extra points in … Continue reading Driver brakes just short of a classic game

Army Men II brings nostalgia, strategy to backyard.

I can’t really recall my childhood really well, but I do remember playing with those little plastic soldiers. Now, while my method of play was pretty clean, some of my friends added a little bit of sadism to their soldiers: tying M-80s on their backs, frying them with a magnifying glass, you name it. Last year 3DO released a realtime strategy game called Army Men which incorporated these toy soldiers we all grew up with. While I never had the chance to play the original, I did get a chance to test out the sequel, Army Men II, which although … Continue reading Army Men II brings nostalgia, strategy to backyard.

Silent Hill brings horror gamers screaming for more

Silent Hill reaches a whole new level of horror as Konami brings to us perhaps the most blood-chilling, psychotic thriller ever to reach the Sony platform. Resident Evil? Parasite Eve? No contest. Silent Hill grips the darkest part of the gamer’s imagination in a way that no game has before. Trust me when I tell you that this game will help you understand every aspect of the word ”fear.” Harry Manson, writer and protagonist, lost his wife to a disease that left a shadow over his soul. His daughter, Cheryl is the only bright spot in his life. Harry prefers … Continue reading Silent Hill brings horror gamers screaming for more

Star Wars game will force up expectations bar

Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace is the game for anyone who watched the new Star Wars movie and wished they were there. Which, if the popularity of the new movie is any indication, is just about everyone. But unlike a lot of movie tie-in games that fall well short of the movie they are based on, this game stands on its own merit. Even if the movie did not exist, this game would still be a lot of fun to play. As it is, it’s the perfect way to extend your Star Wars experience well beyond the theater. … Continue reading Star Wars game will force up expectations bar

Tiny Toon Adventures: Great Beanstalk is animated excellence

Tiny Toon Adventures , developed by NewKidCo in association with TGI Studios, will have you rolling in the floor and dying of laughter as Buster Bunny, Bab’s Bunny, and Plucky Duck lead you on their newest, wackiest, fun-filled adventure yet: "The Great Beanstalk." No matter what age you are, this game has all the right elements to have you cracking your sides for days to come. The object of the game is to guide Buster Bunny and Plucky Duck through nine wacky fairy tale adventures to earn three keys for the Giant’s Castle at the top of the beanstalk. Once … Continue reading Tiny Toon Adventures: Great Beanstalk is animated excellence

Backyard Soccer scores with young gamers

Humongous Entertainment has developed a game that will surely give young soccer enthusiasts a kick. Backyard Soccer takes players into realistic neighborhood soccer competitions with a variety of great features that any sports fanatic (young or old) will enjoy. This game is marketed for kids from ages five to ten years old. This game has a number of clever player-controlled, customized features. The game allows players to choose from a group of thirty neighborhood children to build their teams. The designers of this game made sure to give the neighborhood children a touch of realism by making the children each … Continue reading Backyard Soccer scores with young gamers

NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC is a brick

Now I love basketball as much as the next gamer. But what I don’t love is a completely re-hashed, re-done, re-packaged version of a game we’ve seen a thousand times before. Everyone wants to be like NBA Jam. NBA Showtime: NBA On NBC represents one of the worst trends in console gaming today — take a successful idea (NBA Jam and arcade-style basketball play), make a game that looks, feels, and plays just like it, slap a famous name to it (does NBC and Shaq ring a bell), produce it on every game system you can (the game will be … Continue reading NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC is a brick

Colony Wars: Vengeance is beautiful, but too hard to play

It’s no surprise to anyone who has been reading my articles that I am a big fan of space combat shooters. Look at my past reviews for Wing Commander: Prophecy, Descent: Freespace, Tie Fighter, etc. They are considered by me as the best in their field. However, they are all PC-based. There is another space combat series that I have played before, which is Psygnosis’ Colony Wars for the PlayStation. The original game really impressed me with its gorgeous detail and intense, yet not too difficult gameplay. So when I heard that a sequel would be coming out, I was … Continue reading Colony Wars: Vengeance is beautiful, but too hard to play

Unholy War has weak graphics, but multiplayer is a blast

Did your mother drop you on your head when you were a baby? Have you ever pulled that "Do Not Remove" tag off your mattress? On a hot summer day would you rather spend most of your time burning ants to a crisp under a magnifying glass? Did you enjoy pulling the heads off your sister’s Barbie Dolls? Ever syphed gas from a car? Toilet papered the principal’s house? Changed the labels on your mother’s pill bottles? Let your Dad’s false teeth soak overnight in vinegar? Then "Unholy War" is definitely the game for you. This game will keep you … Continue reading Unholy War has weak graphics, but multiplayer is a blast

This Contra isn’t revolutionary

Konami’s "Contra Adventure" is clearly a big disappointment in the Contra series. This game should have been taken back to the drawing board for some serious rework. For those hardcore Contra fanatics who were anxiously awaiting this new sequel, put your gear up, unlace your boots, clean out your weapons, stash your ammo and hope for a better sequel next year. This year’s storyline basically goes like this: You must save the planet from Red Falcon and its alien brood by infiltrating the ancient Mayan Temple and putting a stop to the activity going on there. Your government feels the … Continue reading This Contra isn’t revolutionary