Electronic Gaming Monthly articles from December 2003

Electronic Gaming Monthly archives from December 2003

Ratchet & Clank 2 Afterthoughts.(interview with Ted Price about video game)(Interview)
December 29, 2003... Ratchet & Clank 2 Afterthoughts Insomniac pumped out a quickie sequel using the same engine that somehow ended up maybe the best game all year. EGM asks Ted Price how it was done. There's a real danger in franchising a successful game...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Jennifer - PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... Some of you will never understand The Sims. To the casual observer--and even perhaps to some who've tried the game--it all seems so terribly...um, let's see...boring and stupid? I'll admit that The Sims can get tedious, what with all the...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Demian - PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... The world's premiere personal hygiene and housekeeping simulator returns, with yet more domestic mishaps and delicious romantic misunderstandings. Though it looks like the same old thing, the series' offbeat humor really comes through in the...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Carrie - PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... I can't explain why managing a Sim's life is so much more engrossing than dealing with my own. I've become so involved with my character's world that I've been dreaming about it, complete with the thought bubbles over everyone's heads. ...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Jennifer - Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... Some of you will never understand The Sims. To the casual observer--and even perhaps to some who've tried the game--it all seems so terribly...um, let's see...boring and stupid? I'll admit that The Sims can get tedious, what with all the...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Demian - Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... The world's premiere personal hygiene and housekeeping simulator returns, with yet more domestic mishaps and delicious romantic misunderstandings. Though it looks like the same old thing, the series' offbeat humor really comes through in the...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Carrie - Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... I can't explain why managing a Sim's life is so much more engrossing than dealing with my own. I've become so involved with my character's world that I've been dreaming about it, complete with the thought bubbles over everyone's heads. ...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Jennifer - GC).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... Some of you will never understand The Sims. To the casual observer--and even perhaps to some who've tried the game--it all seems so terribly...um, let's see...boring and stupid? I'll admit that The Sims can get tedious, what with all the...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Demian - GC).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... The world's premiere personal hygiene and housekeeping simulator returns, with yet more domestic mishaps and delicious romantic misunderstandings. Though it looks like the same old thing, the series' offbeat humor really comes through in the...

The Sims Bustin' Out (Carrie - GC).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 16, 2003... I can't explain why managing a Sim's life is so much more engrossing than dealing with my own. I've become so involved with my character's world that I've been dreaming about it, complete with the thought bubbles over everyone's heads. ...

R: Racing Evolution (Greg S PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 9, 2003... The Ridge Racer series has always been about arcade-style driving. Sail off into the corners at full speed, swing the rear end around, jam the gas, and head down the straight. With Racing Evolution, Namco opts to inject a bit of realism into...

R: Racing Evolution (Shoe PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 9, 2003... R straddles the median, never committing to being a full-on simulation game, but never being as arcadey as its Ridge Racer ancestors, either. Unfortunately, the results ain't one of those "best of both worlds" things: Ridge racers will hate...

R: Racing Evolution (Che PS2).
December 9, 2003... R's take on obsessive racing realism is a miserable failure. It gets the basics down--beautiful real-life cars and courses--but forgets the most vital ingredient: gameplay. As a driving sim, R feels watered down, with twitchy, frustrating...

R: Racing Evolution (Greg S GC).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 9, 2003... The Ridge Racer series has always been about arcade-style driving. Sail off into the corners at full speed, swing the rear end around, jam the gas, and head down the straight. With Racing Evolution, Namco opts to inject a bit of realism into...

R: Racing Evolution (Shoe GC).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 9, 2003... R straddles the median, never committing to being a full-on simulation game, but never being as arcadey as its Ridge Racer ancestors, either. Unfortunately, the results ain't one of those "best of both worlds" things: Ridge racers will hate...

R: Racing Evolution (Che GC).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 9, 2003... R's take on obsessive racing realism is a miserable failure. It gets the basics down--beautiful real-life cars and courses--but forgets the most vital ingredient: gameplay. As a driving sim, R feels watered down, with twitchy, frustrating...

R: Racing Evolution (Greg S Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 9, 2003... The Ridge Racer series has always been about arcade-style driving. Sail off into the corners at full speed, swing the rear end around, jam the gas, and head down the straight. With Racing Evolution, Namco opts to inject a bit of realism into...

R: Racing Evolution (Shoe Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 9, 2003... R straddles the median, never committing to being a full-on simulation game, but never being as arcadey as its Ridge Racer ancestors, either. Unfortunately, the results ain't one of those "best of both worlds" things: Ridge racers will hate...

Gotcha Force (Kevin).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 5, 2003... Gotcha Force is a queer little chestnut--you may dismiss it as a throwaway baby game from the screenshots, but play it and you'll be smitten. Gameplay couldn't be simpler: You control stylish robot toys in arena battles against rival...

DRIV3R.(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 5, 2003... Carjacking in the Miami heat. Wet-and-wild boat chases. Blazing gunfights within the buildings of a wicked city. No, this isn't another GTA story. It's time for driver's ed on Driver 3, the high-revving hardly-a-GTA-clone that's peeling...

Afterthoughts: Return of the King.(Interview)
December 5, 2003... Afterthoughts: RETURN OF THE KING An inside look at the creation of the one game made to rule them all Between the two Lord of the Rings games (last year's The Two Towers and the recently released Return of the King), it seems like...

Richard Rouse - The Suffering.(Interview)
December 4, 2003... Richard Rouse - The Suffering EGM had a chance recently to talk with Richard Rouse III, Lead Designer & Writer on The Suffering at Surreal Software. Read on to get an idea of what to expect from this very promising horror game. If...

Gotcha Force (Shawn).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 4, 2003... Equal parts cutesy and cool, Gotcha Force's story of toy-sized warriors from another world will win the hearts of the tykes in your house, but won't interest the gamer with so much as a single hair on his balls. The arena-based combat is...

Gotcha Force (CJ).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 4, 2003... If you've been searching high and low for an anime-style version of Sega's robot combat game Virtual On, call off your bloodhounds--Gotcha Force is it. Its sweet-as-candy visuals and gotta-catch-em-all style of collecting will appeal to...

Pac-Man Vs. (Shane).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 2, 2003... Thanks to Pac-Man Vs., Nintendo's diabolical dream of making everyone attach a GBA to their GameCube via a $13 cable might finally come to fruition. Vs. completely rethinks the venerated Pac-Man concept by allowing players to control the...

Pac-Man Vs. (G. Ford).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 2, 2003... Do the little tykes think you're whack when you boot up those crusty old games on Activision Anthology? Do they wonder why you can't play 21st-century titles that feature more than four colors? Well, give them a history lesson with Pac-Man...

Pac-Man Vs. (Phil).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 2, 2003... If Nintendo's seemingly ridiculous focus on GC-to-GBA connectivity results in games like Pac-Man Vs., I'm all for it. The thrill of the chase rarely gets more intense than when you're yelling Pac-Man's whereabouts to your two ghostly...

Star Wars Rebel Strike: Rogue Squadron III.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Like the two previous Rogue Squadron games, Rebel Strike gives you the chance to live out your greatest Star Wars starfighter-combat fantasies. But this trip around the galaxy also features an alternative itinerary, as now you're periodically...

I-Ninja.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... GREG S: I've come to a point where I almost don't want to try a new platformer unless it's from Nintendo, Sega, or Sony. Too many publishers are flooding this genre with mediocre efforts, so I find it easier just to pretend that something...

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.(information to help play video game)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... See the two flimsy cards that fell out of the game's packaging? Well, one of them is a power-up card. It's got a Super Leaf on it. Obtain an e-Reader by any means necessary, connect everything up, swipe the card, and marvel at the Super Leaf...

Freedom Fighters.(information to help play video game)
December 1, 2003... Ready to rumble with the Russkies in the most outdated future since The Jetsons? Then try out these single- and multiplayer tactics. Those Soviets will be cogs in the capitalist machine in no time, watching American sitcoms and purchasing...

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.(information about video game)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Voice Is Strong With This One That whiny Carth getting on your nerves? Need to make Jolie a little more jolly? Then slap your main controller into port one, plug a second controller into port four, and stab the white or black buttons...

WWE Raw 2: Ruthless Aggression.(information about video game)
December 1, 2003... Large, recently shaven (with the exception of A-Train), sinewy men with a flamboyant dress sense--an apt description of the fashionista in Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and the tight-spandex-trunk-wearing freak shows appearing every Monday...

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.(cheat information on video game)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Be the best Gandalf, Gimli, or other Rings-related character you can be with these codes, which will boost a given fighter's experience points by 1000. It's not much in the grand scheme of things, but you can use the code over and over. To...

WWE Wrestlemania XIX.(information to help play video game)
December 1, 2003... Secret Missions for Men in Tights To finish up our wrestling doubleheader, here's the skinny on thwacking oiled-down hunks in the comfort of the secret Warehouse level of Revenge mode! When you defeat Vince McMahon in the WrestleMania XIX...

Siren.(information about new Sony video game)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A gruesome metamorphosis has thrown a seaside community into chaos--you can see it in their hideously realistic faces. Some grin with perverse joy as blood streams from their eyes; strange parasitic growths obscure any expression in others....

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... You can't expect to waltz into a vampire lord's castle like you own the place and then put the residents under the lash--unless, of course, you bear the surname Belmont. Even with a thick atmosphere of ruined elegance and dark creatures of...

Gregory Horror Show.(evaluation of Capcom video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Being confined in a puzzling haunted hotel isn't easy on the nerves, especially for cube-headed, freckle-faced little boys. Knocking on doors is about the only "action" you're brave enough to take, so you'll need to be sneaky and clever to...

Geist.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... A quick glance at this title might lead you to think you're looking at just another first-person shooter, but something's lurking right beneath the surface...something supernatural. And that something is you: an invisible spirit soldier...

The Rumor Mill.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... PS3 to be PSP-compatible? Let's kick things off with a real humdinger. By now, we all know that PlayStation 3 exists (it's shocking, I know). What you don't know is that if all goes well, PS3 will be the ultimate box of all things...

Top Spin.(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... GREG S: Welcome to the best game you'll find on the XSN Sports Network. OK, so maybe those other sports are a tad more mainstream, but once you drop Top Spin into your Xbox disc tray, you won't wanna take it out. Top Spin's control is...

Sega GT Online.(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... GREG S: Normally, the price of a game doesn't affect my opinion of it all that much, but Sega GT Online is such a bargain, I really can't ignore it. You get all the excellent offline content of Sega GT 2002, along with a nice collection of...

Grudge Match.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The most terrifying place in videogames challenges the most terrifying place in fast food. We dare to pit these houses of pain against each other! THE MANAGEMENT White Castle: Can issue a refund if food contains more than three...

Tale of Two PlayStations.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Even if you're not counting the days (like we are) till the release of Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP), you've gotta admit this thing sounds sweeter by the minute. A quick recap: Last May, Sony announced it was developing a nearly...

Tidbits That Have Traveled From Beyond Time and Space.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Nintendo Remakes First Pokemon In the time-honored tradition of "if it ain't broke, let's try to fix it anyway" (case in point: Star Wars Special Edition), Nintendo is revisiting the original versions of Pokemon with GBA remakes, dubbed...

NBA Live 2004.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... BRYAN: Last season's impressive Live showing breathed new life into the stagnant series, and its path down the comeback trail continues with superior on-court control. The new "Pro Hop" jump-step move makes driving through the lane easier and...

Instant Expert: Collecting.
December 1, 2003... Unlike with baseball cards, there are no "rookie games" that skyrocket in value if their designers become famous (Pitfall creator David Crane's first title, Outlaw, is worth just $5). And unlike comics, games don't have first editions (Atari...

Star Trek: Shattered Universe.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... JOE: When you're playing a Star Trek game that a) takes place in Classic Trek continuity, b) is set in the semi-obscure Mirror Universe (remember the episode where Spock had that rad goatee?), and c) has you serve under Captain Sulu on the...

Kill.Switch.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... JON D: If I didn't know better (or if I hadn't spent last month playing Time Crisis 3), I'd say Kill.Switch was actually a fresh stab at reinventing the Time Crisis franchise. Like TC, Switch has you peeking out from behind crates to kill...

One-Man War Factory.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Communism these days is about as in style as a calculator wristwatch--unless you're Andrew Sterling, a surly British secret agent for whom Red Scare skullduggery pays the bills. He's the superspy star of Cold Winter, a PlayStation 2-exclusive...

Karaoke Revolution.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... JENNIFER: I can think of lots of ways this genre-defining karaoke game falls short. The singing mechanism, which detects how close you sing to the true pitch and gives points based on accuracy, causes a couple problems. On the forgiving Easy...

RPG Maker 2.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... SHANE: As an avid role-playing fan, I've always imagined what kind of awe-inspiring A1/4berRPG I could produce if given the chance (flying fortresses, magic crystals, and sassy princesses--my game would have it all!). RPG Maker 2 threatened...

Advent Rising.(Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... While it's always overshadowed by America's annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, this past September's Tokyo Game Show proved that it's still got some fight left in it, as the event was headlined by major announcements from Square Enix...

Quick Hits.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... We waded through all the cute and weird games (including one that had you teach a polar bear to sing) to bring you the stuff you should care about from this year's TGS: Astro Boy This side-scrolling action title, developed by...

Kingdom Hearts II.(introduction to video game from Square Enix)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Given that the original Kingdom Hearts was a blockbuster international hit that contained an unlockable trailer for a sequel (you had to get the best ending to see it), the announcement of KH2 was less than shocking. But, despite the fact...

World Fighters.(information about new video game)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Ever wonder who would win in a fight: The Transformers' Optimus Prime or Castlevania's Simon Belmont? Now, you can find out in this Smash Bros.-style brawler that stars some of Konami, Hudson, and Takara's most prolific game characters...

Mega Man X: Command Mission.(information about new video game from Capcom)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Throughout Mega Man's 15 years in gaming, there's one genre he's never really been a part of: role-playing. Time to check that off the list, as Command Mission is a full-on role-playing game, in which you and your party (of up to three) try...

Fire Emblem.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... SHOE: Cheesy dialogue. Cartoon characters. Turn-based strategy that's in-depth enough to hook tactical nuts but accessible enough to anyone who understands "rock, paper, scissors".... Is this just GBA's famous strategy game, Advance Wars, in...

Sweet, Terrible Freedom.(Deus Ex: Invisible War )(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Decisions, decisions. When the dark, near-future world of Eidos' Deus Ex: Invisible War comes to Xbox this December, you'll have all kinds of choices to make: Who should you work for? Which weapons suit your style? Do you install cybernetic...

Hit Squad.
December 1, 2003... When one major-league game designer announces a new project, it's big news. Now imagine if a bunch of these guys collaborated. EGM made it happen. We asked five of the biggest names in gaming to write the recipe for a surefire smash hit. Each...

Warhammer 40K: Fire Warrior.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... SHAWN: For a first-person shooter set in the distant future, Fire Warrior looks and plays a lot like 1993. Sure, the sci-fi-meets-satan aesthetic of Doom is indebted to the age-old Warhammer strategy games, and not the other way around, so...

Xbox: Past, Present, and Future.(Ed Fries of Microsoft Game Studios interviewed)(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Is Ed Fries happy? If you own an Xbox, pray the answer is yes. As the head of Microsoft Game Studios, Fries (pronounced like the Batman villain, not the McDonald's side order) has final approval on every first-party Xbox game--Halo...

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... SHANE: Harry Potter fanatics clamoring for an accurate re-creation of Quidditch, the wildly complex wizarding sport, can finally simmer down. EA has crafted a remarkably playable title that captures the intensity of this creative, chaotic...

Li'l Previews: From Japan, With Love.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Wild Arms Alter Code: F PS2 * Sony CEA * TBA -- Calling Alter Code: F a remake of the original Wild Arms Old West RPG would hurt Sony's feelings. It's far more than a simple rehash: everything's now in 3D, with a reworked story (complete...

Desert Island Games: Michel Ancel.(what game creator would take if stranded on desert island)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Every month, we pester a celeb or gaming bigwig to answer the eternal question: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three games would you want washing up on the beach? This month, we cast away Rayman creator Michel Ancel. His...

Tomorrow's News Today.(Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... For a no-one-knows-he-exists secret operative, Sam Fisher sure is conspicuous. The star of Ubisoft's stealthy military thriller Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell has been popping up everywhere since his Xbox debut this time last year--from PS2,...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... PAUL: The quartet of former quadrupeds returns to videogamedom, sportin' a sweet art style lifted from the hit new animated series. Like their most popular game, the 1991 coin-op, this is a straightforward beat-em-up. The Turtles thump and...

Rogue Ops.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... SHAWN: Skin-searing laser security systems can't stymie her--not when Rogue Ops' shadow agent Nikki Connors can use the bodies of incapacitated guards to create a sizzling human bridge across the beams. If that sounds like your cup of...

PC Gaming Update.(Halo)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Halo is finally out for PC, and PC gamers can at last say to themselves, "This is the big deal?" To be fair, once upon a time, playing Halo (or more accurately, not being able to play Halo) on PC actually was a big deal--PC gamers felt...

Bloody Roar 4.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... SHAWN: How this unevolved beast continues to elude extinction is beyond me. Once again, Bloody Roar's call-of-the-wild concept--fighters become the animal kingdom's most feared killers midbout--has been tamed by woeful execution. For this...

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... G. FORD: Sphinx, like most action-adventure games, has its share of swordplay, sneakery, and puzzles. But it also features a compelling twist: In addition to the titular hero, you also control an unkillable mummy (who used to be King Tut)....

Links 2004.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... BRYAN: Unseating EA's excellent Tiger Woods is nearly impossible, but Links hedges its bets by offering something that no other Xbox golf sim does--online play. Xbox Live makes teeing off against other Net players a breeze, and logging on to...

Voodoo Vince.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... CJ: Voodoo Vince is a run-n-jump platformer that's sugary sweet in the middle but stale and crusty on the outside. At first, it seems like a total yawnfest--the first few levels offer a hodgepodge of uninspired, reconstituted stuff directly...

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.(information on new video game from Square Enix)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Square Enix's tantalizing Final Fantasy-meets-The Aristocats cocktail will also make its way to GBA in 2004. Chain of Memories isn't just a quickie handheld side-quest--it will pick up directly after the events of the original Kingdom Hearts...

Fully Automatic for the People.(information to help play Rainbow Six 3 video game)
December 1, 2003... Once again, the world faces a crisis only Tom Clancy's band of black operatives can contain. Rock-solid intel on Rainbow Six 3 reveals that rough-and-tumble terrorists will attempt to compromise vital U.S. oil interests this November. Packing...

Monks of the Old Republic.(evaluation of video game Jade Empire)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... After wowing PC game players for years with epic Dungeons & Dragons quests such as Neverwinter Nights and the Baldur's Gate series, Developer BioWare put Xbox on the role-playing-game map with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic last...

Dr. Gamingstein.(Benjamin Heckendorn's hobby of creating homemade handheld video games)
December 1, 2003... Warning: Many game consoles were harmed in the making of this article. But they've gone to a better place, courtesy of Benjamin J. Heckendorn, a 27-year-old graphic artist from Wisconsin with a passion for soldering together parts of dead...

Afterthoughts: Jak II.(Interview)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Saving the world is never easy--but it's especially tough when you're playing Jak II, the sequel from Sony and developer Naughty Dog to the highly acclaimed 2001 PS2 platformer Jak and Daxter. We figure that even after playing to the end of...

There Goes the Neighborhood.(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Getting the best-selling PC franchise of all time--the life simulator The Sims--to appeal to a console audience was hard work for EA last year. But the virtual varmints have broken in their console shoes, and they're busting out of the house...

EGM International.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Roll Your Own Planet Have a ball with the twisted PS2 import Katamari Damashii Like many videogames, this new title from Namco (its name literally translates to "soul of the blob") begins with the alcoholic king of a faraway...

Power Shopping.
December 1, 2003... The not-so-rosy economy may scare typical shoppers into spending submission, but we gamers are a hardier breed. When we gotta play, we gotta play--lean wallet be damned. So we've put together this ultimate attack plan for getting the most...

Celebrity Gamer: Ron Jeremy.(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Ladies love Ron Jeremy and men idolize him. As America's preeminent male porn icon, the adorable galoot (affectionately dubbed "The Hedgehog") has starred in more than 1,700, ahem, straight-to-video hits, such as Wild Wild Chest, Cheerleader...

Tightening the Vice.(Grand Theft Auto: Vice City)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Last year's trip to Florida was a vacation we'll long remember, a gift that kept on giving. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) has given players open-ended gameplay that kicks ass and takes names in book-length tomes, a criminally good series...

First Look: Plague of Darkness.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... A strange, rolling fog leaves awful things in its wake: decapitated bodies splayed over arcane diagrams, heads skewered on stakes, and slavering survivors wrought with unholy disease. So opens Plague of Darkness, a PS2 and Xbox action game...