Electronic Gaming Monthly articles from April 2004

Electronic Gaming Monthly archives from April 2004

Breakdown (Crispin).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 27, 2004... You gotta figure that any first-person adventure with technicolor vomiting, screen-tumbling acrobatics, and a bona fide out-of-body experience deserves the tag "revolutionary." But Breakdown is also the most boring gripping game I've ever...

Breakdown (John R).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 27, 2004... Despite Breakdown's many flaws, which include drab level design, repetitive combat, brain-dead enemies, and sub-PS2-level graphics, I still recommend that every Xbox owner give it a try. Why? Because playing from a first-person viewpoint 100...

Breakdown (Paul).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 26, 2004... Imagine the love child of pugilistic manga/anime Fist of the North Star, PC classic Half-Life, and Akira. Now imagine that, despite its parentage, this wunderkind tells a convoluted but ultimately coherent and satisfying story. Meet...

Siren (Paul).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 23, 2004... While Siren's story and voice acting are well above par for a survival-horror game, it commits many of the genre's classic mistakes--difficult controls, boring enemies--and invents a spectacular blunder all its own. The game's most...

Siren.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 23, 2004... As with Silent Hill, the elegant, haunting atmosphere in Siren makes it a hell of an interactive horror show. But Siren strips your defenses and puts you constantly on the run--with virtually nothing to steer you on the right path. So you're...

Siren (crispin).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 23, 2004... Siren is an experiment gone awry--a confusing fog-sacked combination of stealth and survival-horror that'll drive you batty with frustration before it can creep you out. What the hell does a phone card, old nurse's shoes, and a power line...

Eye Toy: Groove (CJ).(evaluation of electronic game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 21, 2004... Someone at Sony must've loved Sega's classic music game Samba de Amigo (Dreamcast) as much as I did, 'cuz Groove is criminally similar. But prancing about in front of the camera is even more fun than workin' the maracas, and with Groove's...

Eye Toy: Groove (Shawn).(evaluation of electronic toy)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 21, 2004... Don't let the fact that you'll look more like you're robbing a beehive than actually dancing deter you--getting into the groove is good fun, and like Samba de Amigo minus the maracas, the game reads movement remarkably well. Perfect for...

Seven Samurai 20XX (Jon D).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 19, 2004... I expect Seven Samurai Director Akira Kurosawa's grave is equipped with some sort of industrial centrifuge to accommodate the amount of spinning he's doing right about now. This quasi-remake of the original classic--futurized, roboticized,...

Seven Samurai 20XX (Shawn).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 19, 2004... Add 20-something to its title, and anything, including a cinematic fossil like Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, is automatically cooler. For proof, look no further than 20XX's boss battle with a rapping duo on rainbow-colored rollerblades. Sarcasm...

Seven Samurai 20XX (Scooter).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 19, 2004... I thought I'd be offended by seeing one of my all-time favorite director's movies butchered into a futurized remake. But the fact that the game is so simplistic and easy that I was able to finish levels without even looking at the screen at...

Eye Toy: Groove (Jennifer).(evaluation of the dance motion sensing camera game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 19, 2004... When the Eye Toy camera first came out accompanied by a set of minigames called Play, I thought of it more as a novelty--a popular novelty, to be sure, but one that needed real games if it was going to have true staying power. Groove fits...

Nanobreaker Q&A.(interview with Kogi Igarashi)(Interview)
April 15, 2004... Nanobreaker Q&A Konami's IGA talks about his immediate past and future with the upcoming Nanobreaker and last year's Castlevania. EGM: I asked you before if you'd like to work on something other than Castlevania. You always said that...

Horror Show.(interview with Akira Yamaoka)(Interview)
April 14, 2004... Horror Show Akira Yamaoka talks about music, movies, and monsters in EGM's interview with the Silent Hill 4 producer. EGM: In past Silent Hill games, when the hero crosses over into "the other world" it's always a scary, terrible place...

Ninja Gaiden (Shawn).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 14, 2004... "One who is a warrior," says the old proverb, "must keep constantly in mind, by day and by night, that he has to die." Ninja Gaiden doesn't argue. Your enemies will not stand by as you leisurely choreograph combos--allow them the slightest...

Ninja Gaiden (CJ).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 14, 2004... Merriam-Webster, it's time to revisit the entry for "kick-ass" and tack on "also see: Ninja Gaiden." The visuals strike the first blow--they're absolutely stunning. But the minute you decide to stop smelling (or staring at) the flowers and...

Chatting with the Maestro.(Nobuo Uematsu)(Interview)
April 12, 2004... Chatting with the Maestro Nobuo Uematsu has provided tunes for every Final Fantasy game so far, and in the process left an indelible stamp on game music. We talk to him about his career and Dear Friends, the first U.S. concert of his work....

All-Star Baseball 2005 (G.Ford PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 8, 2004... What a disappointment. While the ESPN and MVP Baseball series improve with each passing year, ASB seems content to just stick around...kind of like ol' speedster Rickey Henderson. It's not like ASB doesn't do anything right: The franchise...

All-Star Baseball 2005 (Bryan PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 8, 2004... With Acclaim's rotation showcasing a robust franchise mode, improved batting, and Internet play, you'd think the All-Star series were back in playoff contention. Think again. Unfortunately, ASB still has too many holes in its lineup to...

All-Star Baseball 2005 (Patrick PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 8, 2004... Though cover guy Derek Jeter will likely be an All-Star, ASB is not. The FielderCam supposedly allows you to run one way while looking in another, but simply picking up the ball (especially ground balls) proves difficult. Acclaim did...

All-Star Baseball 2005 (G.Ford Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 8, 2004... What a disappointment. While the ESPN and MVP Baseball series improve with each passing year, ASB seems content to just stick around...kind of like ol' speedster Rickey Henderson. It's not like ASB doesn't do anything right: The franchise...

All-Star Baseball 2005 (Bryan Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 8, 2004... With Acclaim's rotation showcasing a robust franchise mode, improved batting, and Internet play, you'd think the All-Star series were back in playoff contention. Think again. Unfortunately, ASB still has too many holes in its lineup to...

All-Star Baseball 2005 (Patrick Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 8, 2004... Though cover guy Derek Jeter will likely be an All-Star, ASB is not. The FielderCam supposedly allows you to run one way while looking in another, but simply picking up the ball (especially ground balls) proves difficult. Acclaim did...

ESPN Major League Baseball (G.Ford Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 6, 2004... ESPN Baseball comes out swinging--its flawless ESPN presentation and squeaky-clean graphics (more so on Xbox) get you in the peanuts and Cracker Jacks mood. Then there's the plethora of modes--GM, franchise, season, playoffs, GameCast (in...

ESPN Major League Baseball (Patrick Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 6, 2004... What a great baseball experience! A tremendous pitcher/batter interface makes for a solid foundation, and the presentation perfectly mirrors an ESPN broadcast (with John Miller on play-by-play and Karl Ravech--yes, sporting a "piece"--serving...

ESPN Major League Baseball (Chris B Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 6, 2004... ESPN earns big points for its general manager mode, which delivers great depth without being overwhelming. And despite the occasional hiccup--which bothered me much less than it did G. Ford--fielding feels more responsive than in any other...

ESPN Major League Baseball (G.Ford PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 6, 2004... ESPN Baseball comes out swinging--its flawless ESPN presentation and squeaky-clean graphics (more so on Xbox) get you in the peanuts and Cracker Jacks mood. Then there's the plethora of modes--GM, franchise, season, playoffs, GameCast (in...

ESPN Major League Baseball (Patrick PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 6, 2004... What a great baseball experience! A tremendous pitcher/batter interface makes for a solid foundation, and the presentation perfectly mirrors an ESPN broadcast (with John Miller on play-by-play and Karl Ravech--yes, sporting a "piece"--serving...

ESPN Major League Baseball (Chris B PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 6, 2004... ESPN earns big points for its general manager mode, which delivers great depth without being overwhelming. And despite the occasional hiccup--which bothered me much less than it did G. Ford--fielding feels more responsive than in any other...

Tale Spin.(evaluation of video game Bard's Tale)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 6, 2004... If most RPG story lines make you yawn, you're not alone. "The cliches? I'm sick of 'em," says Brian Fargo, the designer who founded Interplay and, more recently, newbie developer InXile. "I can't stand another game where I'm a 13-year-old...

Fight Night 2004 (Bryan).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 5, 2004... Baseball has homers, soccer (allegedly) has goals, but boxing's special moment is the against-all-odds comeback--Foreman, Holyfield, Rocky...and now, EA's return to the ring, Fight Night. Fight Night is the first boxing game I'd label a...

Fight Night 2004 (Kevin PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 5, 2004... Fight Night does what any good "sports sim" should: It teaches you how to excel at the sport it sims while still remaining fun, somehow. Success in this game hinges entirely on mastering the fundamentals of real boxing--working the ring,...

Fight Night 2004 (G. Ford PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 5, 2004... Outside of Punch Out (NES), I've never been a big boxing-game fan. But Fight Night has convinced me of just how great the genre can be. Granted, it infuriated me at first, due to its lack of a free training/open-gym mode. A couple...

Fight Night 2004 (Bryan Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 5, 2004... Baseball has homers, soccer (allegedly) has goals, but boxing's special moment is the against-all-odds comeback--Foreman, Holyfield, Rocky...and now, EA's return to the ring, Fight Night. Fight Night is the first boxing game I'd label a...

Fight Night 2004 (Kevin xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 5, 2004... Fight Night does what any good "sports sim" should: It teaches you how to excel at the sport it sims while still remaining fun, somehow. Success in this game hinges entirely on mastering the fundamentals of real boxing--working the ring,...

Fight Night 2004 (G. Ford Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 5, 2004... Outside of Punch Out (NES), I've never been a big boxing-game fan. But Fight Night has convinced me of just how great the genre can be. Granted, it infuriated me at first, due to its lack of a free training/open-gym mode. A couple...

Unreal II: the Awakening (kevin).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 2, 2004... After a year of waiting (you have been waiting, right?), Unreal II finally hits a console. I'll try to ignore the fact that the PC version, which looks nicer and lets you play with more people online, is also cheaper. The question is, since...

Unreal II: the Awakening (Paul).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 2, 2004... Here's what Awakening puts on the table: a whole lotta guns and a bunch of dumb, ugly aliens to shoot with 'em--take it or leave it. Sure, there's some mumbled story about a bunch of space bugs fixin' to get their misshapen claws on some...

Unreal II: the Awakening (Simon).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 2, 2004... Unreal II plays like every first-person shooter pre-Halo. In fact, it begins so poorly, in such spectacularly mediocre fashion, that were I not reviewing it, I'd have chucked it in a drawer until someone invented a way to retroactively make...

Li'l Previews: Mashin' on the Online Motorway.(evaluation of video games)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Rallisport Challenge 2 XB * Microsoft * May 2004 -- Racing on race tracks? Pfft. The greatest automotive challenge lies far from the beaten path, and RC2 promises to offer all the thrills of rally racing. Expect a bevy of beautiful...

And I Ran, I Ran So Far Away.(information about video game Let's Run a Marathon!)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Don't recognize Naoko Takahashi (left)? Not too surprising--she's a pro marathon runner who held the women's world record for a short time in 2001 (and whose face has the power to fell an elephant). Nevertheless, Takahashi's gaunt demeanor...

Sim Beckham.(evaluation of video game Soccer Life)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Time was that boys in Japan dreamed of being baseball players or robot-fighter pilots. Not anymore. Now, like the hero of Japanese PS2 release Soccer Life!, they all want to be big European footy stars. Think of Life! as a tactical version of...

Overheard.
April 1, 2004... "I'd love to do a realistic, mature take on Zelda. Ah, I shouldn't talk about this." --Silicon Knights President Denis Dyack, fresh from revamping Metal Gear Solid for the GameCube, on what other "dream remakes" he'd like to work on ...

Celebrity Gamer: Mya.(Interview)
April 1, 2004... R&B songstress Mya works and plays hard. She stars as undercover agent Mya Starling in EA Games' just-released James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, penned its title song, had a part in the movie musical Chicago, and somehow, between all...

The Ref.(Walter Day referee of videogames)
April 1, 2004... Of course you're the man at Tony Hawk or Gran Turismo or Ms. Pac-Man or (insert game name here), you cocky SOB. But no matter how great your skills, you won't get anywhere without Walter Day. The 54-year-old from Fairfield, Iowa, is the...

Billy Mitchell: Videogame Champ, Hot-Sauce Maven.(Interview)
April 1, 2004... Billy Mitchell is the Muhammad Ali of videogames, a cocky champion who's been kicking Ms. Pac-Man's ass since the early '80s. The 37-year-old Floridian has set numerous world records in arcade games--even if it takes playing 47 straight hours...

PC Gaming Update.(evaluation of video game Lords of Everquest)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Somewhere between the transaction with Satan for their immortal souls and receiving their brand-new MBAs, the aspiring corporate jackals of America Inc. learn lots of scarifying ideas, and the blackest of these black arts is a little...

Must-Hit Websites.(video game sites merzo.net; www.playonline.com/ff11us/ and www.gameandwatch.com)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... merzo.net -- If you're the kind of person who would, say, enjoy comparing a Star Wars Y-wing to a real-life 747, then this site's for you. Comparing the sizes of ships from various sci-fi series has never been this easy. Indulge that inner...

Online This Month.(interview with video game producer Seth Luisi)(Interview)
April 1, 2004... Still playing SOCOM II? So are we and an average of over 30,000 other PS2 owners at the same time during peak hours. The total number of soldiers waging war in Sony's online shooter jumped almost 50 percent after Christmas (to almost 100,000...

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.(information to play video game)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Luke's about to unwrap his birthday present from C3PO. He's looking at the wrapped gift, and he sees it's a bit crumpled. He begins to rip the paper, and Darth Vader strides in. "Luke..." Darth rasps menacingly, "that's a...[gasp,...

Resident Evil Code: Veronica X.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... We're not knocking GameCube, but has it actually taken four years for this Dreamcast game to appear on Nintendo's newest fun machine? Well, now you've got arguably the finest title in the series to play when your kid brother, daughter, or...

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.(information about video game)
April 1, 2004... We've pillaged the Wasteland for some good old-fashioned hidden characters and weapons. Behold our impressive list of unlockables: Hidden characters Several of the folks you meet during your travels can be enlisted to help fight the...

Mafia.(information to play video game)
April 1, 2004... The man with the scam is Lucas Bertoni, the mechanic on the outskirts of town. Doing favors for him is the key to getting your meat hooks on the sweetest rides in Lost Heaven. Want to get these wheels into your personal garage? Lucas'll show...

GameShark vs. ATR.(information to play video game)
April 1, 2004... GameShark serves up more Whiplash cheats than Spanx can twirl Redmond at, plus a little Robotech chicanery for anime fans. Whiplash (PS2) Enter This First F453BE2E FE644416 Waive Animal-Rescue Requirements 24D1A6A8...

Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde.(information to play video game)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... More like unleash the codes. Punch these in during gameplay. PlayStation 2 codes Hold L1, R1, Triangle, and Down for about 3 seconds until a cheat-activation message appears, then tap the following: Gain 100 Gold: L1, R1, R1, R1,...

1080A[degrees] Avalanche.(information to play video game)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Don't confuse Nintendo's long-in-the-tooth snowboarding title with "1090," a popular nickname for the mullet hairstyle (that's 10 percent on top, 90 percent in back). As if you would. Level skip To use these codes, choose Enter an...

Lifeline.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Good: Decent voice actors Bad: Voice recognition is spotty at best Guaranteed: You will swear at this game PAUL: Aliens crash an orbiting hotel's gala, gobbling guests like hors d'oeuvres. Rio, erstwhile waitress, asks you to...

Move Over, Foxy Boxing.(information about video game WWX: Rumble Rose)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... If there's one thing the women of Konami's all-girl PS2 wrasslin' title WWX: Rumble Rose ain't, it's homely. But in addition to serving up these sweet-as-Dead-or-Alive-Xtreme-Beach-Volleyball visuals, developer Yuke's promises to deliver a...

Top 10 Best-Selling Games for December 2003.(Bibliography)
April 1, 2004... Need for Speed Underground PS2, EA Games Need for Speed Underground PS2, EA Games Madden NFL 2004 PS2, EA Sports Mario Kart: Double Dash!! GC, Nintendo Tony Hawk's Underground PS2, Activision ...

America's Sexiest Gamer.(Ashley Jenkins)(Interview)
April 1, 2004... Sexy gamer wannabes, you best cancel that plastic surgery appointment, because Gamer.tv (www.gamer.tv) has already named America's Ms. Sexiest Gamer--and she is 21-year-old Ashley Jenkins of Ogden, Utah. Jenkins bested candidates from...

Cy Girls.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Good: Sweet shoot-outs and swordplay Bad: Too many puzzles with little payoff Based on: A Japanese toy line SHAWN: Aska sticks to the shadows and speaks with a sword. Ice lets all hell break loose with machine guns and grenades....

Playing Dress-Up.(dressing up like video game characters)
April 1, 2004... How easy it is to ridicule the things we don't understand--especially when they're fat-swaddled nerds who dress like game characters and cartoons for fun. So EGM asked humor writer Seanbaby to slip into something uncomfortable and fit in with...

In the Flesh: Confessions of a Cosplayer.(TIffany-Marie Austin)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... What would drive a pretty, perky, perfectly well-adjusted 23-year-old woman to dress in intergalactic lingerie and strut in public? More importantly, how can we score a date with her? San Francisco cosplayer Tiffany-Marie Austin shows us the...

Two for the Road.(Nintendo's new Nintendo DS)
April 1, 2004... Even with Nintendo dropping hints the last few months about new hardware under development, its announcement of a new portable system, the Nintendo DS, due out worldwide later this year, came as quite a shock. The surprise had nothing to...

Double Vision: Four Ways to Use Two Screens.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Nintendo hasn't shown or even announced any titles for the DS yet, so we put together a few screenshots of existing games to illustrate different uses we imagine for the system's two screens. Got your own ideas for how the DS might work?...

Harvest Moon: a Wonderful Life.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... JENNIFER: A Wonderful Life is a bit like a tomato from the farmers' market. The inside is unexpectedly nice and juicy, but the outside sure ain't perfectly round, red, or shiny--and it comes with a few bugs. The farming-sim foundation is...

Pokemon Colosseum.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... CJ: For years Nintendo has squandered the console potential of Pokemon by churning out titles with merely a fleeting relationship to the real McCoy. The worst offenders are two lackluster Stadium titles on Nintendo 64 that allow you to battle...

Onimusha 3.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... PS2 * Capcom * May 2004 "He's like the Jason of feudal Japan," says Onimusha 3 Producer Keiji Inafune of the series' resilient villain, Nobunaga Oda. Unlike Voorhees, however, he won't show up in any cheesy sequels set in space. Inafune...

Narc.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... PS2/XB * Midway * September 2004 In the late '80s, a little arcade game called NARC taught us that the war on drugs could be won by beating the crap out of dealers and punching their attack dogs in the mouth. And the message is the same...

Advent Rising.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... XB * Majesco * Spring 2004 When an untested developer sets out to spin a story spanning no fewer than three games, several words spring to mind. We'll settle for "ambitious." Rising blends gunplay, stealth, and Halo-style vehicular...

Firefighter F.D. 18.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Good: Best firefighting game since that one a long time ago Bad: If you've fought one fire, you've fought them all Disfigured, Diabolical Arsonist: Check DEMIAN: I have a whole new respect for firemen. I mean, of course there's...

Discussing the Nintendo DS.(discussion with Perrin Kaplan)
April 1, 2004... What'll it cost? What games will it launch with? Nintendo's DS announcement raised more questions than it answered. The company isn't talking specifics until May, but we asked Nintendo Vice President of Corporate Affairs Perrin Kaplan to...

Gran Tour.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Oh, cruel marketing department! You have wronged us once again. Japanese gamers have been playing Gran Turismo 4: Prologue--a five-track, 62-car glorified GT4 demo--on their PS2s for months now, but Sony won't release it here for fear of...

Instant Expert: Online Etiquette.(online games)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... With more wide-eyed do-gooders and wise asses alike logging on for the first time, it's only natural that online console gaming has devolved into a cultural wasteland of foul-mannered jackasses. We figured we could all stand to improve our...

System Forecast 2K4.(looking at what's to come in the video games industry)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... We have seen the future, and it is not shocking: sequels, sequels, and more sequels. Our crystal ball reveals that the number of multisystem mega-game follow-ups--Halo 2, another Grand Theft Auto, a new Zelda among them--is through the roof....

Playstation 2.(news on new video games being developed)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Current Conditions It's impossible to think of 2003 as anything but another banner year for PlayStation 2. And that trend hasn't stopped now in the first part of '04, with games like Final Fantasy XI and the new Syphon Filter. "Not...

Xbox.(information about forthcoming products)
April 1, 2004... Current Conditions The bad news if you're an Xbox fan right now is that most of the games you waited for in 2003 are the same ones you'll be waiting for in '04--not the least of which is Halo 2 (more on that in a minute). But all things...

Gamecube.(past year and outlook for Nintendo's video system)
April 1, 2004... Current Conditions After a rough start in 2003, Nintendo's struggling next-gen contender worked up enough momentum to become the best-selling home console of holiday season '03--thanks to a flurry of high-profile releases and a crucial...

Game Boy Advance.(forecast for Nintendo's game system)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Current Conditions Nintendo's cash cow saw lots of green in 2003, selling 8.1 million units--enough to make it the No. 1 dedicated game hardware over GC, PS2, and Xbox for the year. Connectivity has begun paying off as games that require...

First PSP Screen Shown.(information on video game The Lord of the Rings: Mordor GP)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Come November when Sony launches its PlayStation Portable (PSP), you'll be knee-deep in Shire...that is, if you pick up EA Games' Middle-earth-set kart racer tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Mordor GP. Scheduled for simultaneous...

Afterthoughts: NFL Street.(interview with Jason Barnes and Tom Goedde about video game)(Interview)
April 1, 2004... Spring sucks...well, at least for football fans. Gone are the Sunday afternoons and Monday nights of beers, buffalo wings (that's chicken, Jessica), and cheering on your favorite NFL team. Thankfully, developer EA Tiburon's back-alley take on...

The Rumor Mill.(news about video games industry)
April 1, 2004... Cloud to Spring Into Action Final Fantasy VII fans can already look forward to the minimovie Advent Children (see page 30) this year. But word is that a new game featuring heroes Cloud & Co. is coming to PS2 in late 2004. Rumored to be...

The Hot Five.(evaluation of video games)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Head over to egmmag.com to vote for which games you want updates on each month. 1. Halo 2 XB * Microsoft * Fall 2004 -- Red and Blue Master Chiefs, will you never get along? Not according to this first screen of actual Halo 2...

Muppets Party Cruise.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... PS2 * TDK -- Not being excessively fruity or elderly, I'm unfamiliar with what goes on during a party cruise. However, my girlfriend is both, and she says that this game is very faithful to standard cruise activities like launching puppets...