Electronic Gaming Monthly articles from February 2004

Electronic Gaming Monthly archives from February 2004

Lifeline (Paul).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 27, 2004... Aliens crash an orbiting hotel's gala, gobbling guests like hors d'oeuvres. Rio, erstwhile waitress, asks you to guide her to safety, so grab that headset, get bossy, and talk her down. I'd hoped that voice recognition would enable social...

Lifeline (Crispin).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 27, 2004... LifeLine's talk-your-way-outta-this-one gameplay would be a revolutionary concept worth shouting about...if it didn't suffer from a major failure to communicate. The game's ditzy-chick star just does not listen. You'll go blue in the face...

Lifeline (Bryan).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 27, 2004... As if I didn't have enough lady problems already, here's another woman who doesn't understand me. Sadly, LifeLine's voice recognition feature works in reverse, impeding gameplay instead of enhancing it. Rio struggles to comprehend your...

Colin McRae Rally 04 (Demian).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 27, 2004... Like soccer, Fanta, and afternoon naps, rally racing--and the Colin McRae series--is huge in Europe. And not so huge here, which is why developer Codemasters is releasing Rally 04 at the rock-bottom double-bargain fire sale price of $19.99....

Colin McRae Rally 04 (Simon).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 27, 2004... The McRae rally franchise is now locked in a bumper-to-bumper battle with Microsoft's Rallisport Challenge, and despite a number of cool new features, it's slowly losing some ground. Turbocharging the game is slick presentation, thrilling...

Afterthoughts: NFL Street.
February 26, 2004... Afterthoughts: NFL STREET Talkin' X's and O's with the kings of the gridiron 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...

Superstar of Destiny.(Junko Kawano discusses video game Suikoden)(Interview)
February 25, 2004... Superstar of Destiny Junko Kawano wears a lot of hats in Suikoden IV's production, and she's using all of them to return the series to form. Find out her plan of attack inside. After Suikoden's wobbly entrance into the world of 3D with...

Rose Gardener.(Akari Uchida discusses video game WWX)(Interview)
February 25, 2004... Rose Gardener We ask Akari Uchida about the genesis of the WWX, why it's not exploitative, and what he thinks of the competition. Putting attractive women in revealing costumes and letting them wrestle it out seems like such a simple idea...

Wrath: Unleashed (Paul PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 19, 2004... When attempting to create a crossbreed, whether a dog, a plant, or a game, you ought to begin with specimens of the highest pedigree. That's where Wrath: Unleashed screws up--right at the start. It fuses a boring turn-based strategy game...

Wrath: Unleashed (Shoe PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 19, 2004... Multiplayer's certainly no clash of the titans. When Shawn's cheap single-button abuse and Paul's wimpy hit-and-run "techniques" are winning battles, you know some developer didn't put a lot of energy into making the action half of this...

Wrath: Unleashed.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 19, 2004... Wrath attempts to appeal to two distinct audiences...and fails. Tacticians won't take to its mash-happy battles, and combatants will want to dispense with the calculation and cut to the duels. Nor is either aspect of the game very good. The...

Wrath: Unleashed (Paul Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 19, 2004... When attempting to create a crossbreed, whether a dog, a plant, or a game, you ought to begin with specimens of the highest pedigree. That's where Wrath: Unleashed screws up--right at the start. It fuses a boring turn-based strategy game...

Wrath: Unleashed (Shoe Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 19, 2004... Multiplayer's certainly no clash of the titans. When Shawn's cheap single-button abuse and Paul's wimpy hit-and-run "techniques" are winning battles, you know some developer didn't put a lot of energy into making the action half of this...

Wrath: Unleashed (Shawn Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 19, 2004... Wrath attempts to appeal to two distinct audiences...and fails. Tacticians won't take to its mash-happy battles, and combatants will want to dispense with the calculation and cut to the duels. Nor is either aspect of the game very good. The...

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (Paul PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 18, 2004... What a thermonuclear disappointment. To someone like me, who loved all three Fallout role-playing games on PC, this is a power fist to the face--an insult. Brotherhood's setting has neither the bleak, epic feel of Fallout's post-apocalyptic...

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (Shawn PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 18, 2004... Pest control sucks. So what I want to know is who thought "punch 60 radscorpions to death" would make for memorable mission objectives in a dungeon brawler? Sorry, the old stick-and-carrot ruse of more powerful weapons to kill even stronger...

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (Kevin PS2).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 18, 2004... Recently, a rash of virtually identical action-RPGs invaded store shelves, each offering a top-down perspective, hordes of monsters to slay, and constipated-looking characters in the story scenes. Fallout was supposed to be a break from this...

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (Paul Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 18, 2004... What a thermonuclear disappointment. To someone like me, who loved all three Fallout role-playing games on PC, this is a power fist to the face--an insult. Brotherhood's setting has neither the bleak, epic feel of Fallout's post-apocalyptic...

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (Shawn Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 18, 2004... Pest control sucks. So what I want to know is who thought "punch 60 radscorpions to death" would make for memorable mission objectives in a dungeon brawler? Sorry, the old stick-and-carrot ruse of more powerful weapons to kill even stronger...

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (Kevin Xbox).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 18, 2004... Recently, a rash of virtually identical action-RPGs invaded store shelves, each offering a top-down perspective, hordes of monsters to slay, and constipated-looking characters in the story scenes. Fallout was supposed to be a break from this...

Winning Eleven 7 (Patrick).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 17, 2004... First, a warning: This game is for serious soccer fans. If a hard-fought 1-0 battle doesn't sound like edge-of-the-seat stuff to you, then fire up Madden and let us enjoy this beautiful game in peace. For those still reading, Winning...

Winning Eleven 7 (Bryan).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 17, 2004... I should be writing this review topless. Having just led my team to victory in sudden-death overtime, soccer etiquette practically demands sweaty-shirt removal to further stoke the already delirious fans. WE7 brings this level of excitement...

Winning Eleven 7 (Demian).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 17, 2004... In Europe, the release of a new Winning Eleven game is a semireligious event for soccer fans, possibly accompanied by red wine and fainting. Here, nobody notices. Too bad, because WE7 is probably the best soccer game yet made, thanks to...

Champions of Norrath: Realms of Everquest (CJ).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 13, 2004... Based on how much I despise the massively dull massively multiplayer EverQuest Online Adventures for PS2, I fully expected to also hate Champions. But I can't! This game is too great. Champions reminds me of the classic arcade action of...

Rise to Honor (shawn).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 13, 2004... Rise to Honor infuses the classic beat-em-up formula with cinematic flair. Kit (aka Hong Kong legend Jet Li) Yun's kung fu is so seamless it seems choreographed. Take, for instance, your typical restaurant ruckus--you know, the one where the...

Champions of Norrath: Realms of Everquest(Joe).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 13, 2004... We took our pointy wizards' hats off to the excellent Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for bringing Gauntlet-style hack-n-slash thrills back to consoles, and now, Alliance's original developers return with a fantastic action-RPG set in Sony's...

Champions of Norrath: Realms of Everquest (Jennifer).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 13, 2004... Enough with the BGDA comparisons--this game stands on its own as a totally fun hack-n-slash ride. You don't have to follow the story too closely, but you'll still enjoy the rich environments, well-acted dialogue, and cool characters, from...

Rise to Honor (Shoe).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 13, 2004... I didn't know the bell curve could apply to videogame difficulty. Rise to Honor gets crazy hard about halfway through (with cheap sub-bosses that have supermagnetic grabbing abilities), but then it peters off with the last few levels--and not...

Rise to Honor (Scooter).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 13, 2004... Rise to Honor might seem like revolutionary movie-star-in-gaming fusion, but it's basically just an excuse for Jet Li to star in a dumbed-down (yet beautiful) remake of the arcade classic Final Fight. Brawlin' vets can expect Metro City...

Silent Scope Complete (CJ).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 10, 2004... The three (four, if you count the bonus EX) Silent Scopes bundled in Complete let you live out that childhood fantasy of protecting innocent civilians by shooting terrorists with a very large rifle from a great distance. But for some reason,...

Silent Scope Complete (G. Ford).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 10, 2004... As thrilling (and controversial) as it is to be put in the role of a sniper, any positive feelings here are sufficiently dampened by the Xbox pad. Unless you're willing to pony up 40 bucks for a gun, Scope is bound to frustrate you. These...

Silent Scope Complete (Shoe).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 10, 2004... My eyes aren't so good anymore. After extended playtime with Silent Scope Complete, sitting 3 feet away from the television, scanning for targets the size of dust mites, my peepers gave out before my thumbs did. Next went my mind--blown to...

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (Shane).(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 3, 2004... Crystal Chronicles isn't exactly the classic Final Fantasy homecoming that Nintendo fans may have hoped for. While it might lure in series vets with distinctive FF trappings--cuddly moogle mailmen, elemental spellcraft, and familiar foes such...

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (Jennifer).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 3, 2004... For me, playing this game is sort of like walking by the Hello Kitty store. I know I'm supposed to be too cool/sophisticated/old to go inside, but the disgustingly cute characters, blindingly pretty colors, and shiny objects lure me in and...

Van Helsing.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 3, 2004... A legendary monster killer from a bygone era, this black-clad professor/hunter (originally a character from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula) completed his doctorate in unholy ass-kicking long before the advent of movies or videogames. Based upon...

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (Kevin).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 3, 2004... I'm sorry if this sounds blunt, but calling this game Final Fantasy probably wasn't the greatest idea. Despite the moogles and traditional magic-spell names, this really isn't FF--there are no experience points or leveling, and really not...

R-Type Final (Jon D).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 2, 2004... Underwater flying, several sweet detachable gun bits, a traditional stage-long battleship encounter...Final is an R-Type fanatic's dream and the best thing to happen to side-scrolling shooters since G-Darius (PS1). New ships and a somewhat...

Dance Dance Revolution (Series).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... PS2, XB, Arcade * Konami -- Oprah doing the macarena? Swing craze? Riverdance? Nope, it took a videogame to turn a legion of career wallflowers into hip-shakin', dancin' idiots--er, experts. The DDR phenomenon may have started in arcades, but...

WWE Smackdown!/ Def Jam Vendetta (Series).(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... SmackDown * PS2 * THQ; Def Jam * PS2, XB, GC * EA Sports Big -- We're lumping these two wrasslin' games together because we can, mainly, but also because they represent two vastly different--and excellent--takes on the same genre. The...

Madden NFL (Series).(evaluation of video game series)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... PS2, XB, GC * EA Sports -- Madden's not even a game anymore--it's a cultural phenomenon riding on the back of an entertainment juggernaut that's hitched to a runaway cash cow. The latest iteration sold over 2 million copies in a month,...

Final Fantasy (Series).(evaluation of video games in series)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... PS2 * Square Enix -- It's got dungeons. It's got dragons. It's got eight-foot-tall chickens you can saddle up and ride. Yet despite such trappings of role-playing dorkdom, the Final Fantasy series has evolved into a mass-appeal franchise you...

Back in Business.(Video games.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Call it an on-the-job hazard: If you assassinate people for a living, it'll eventually mess with your head. That's the first message we're getting from Hitman: Contracts, the PS2 and Xbox sequel to the multiplatform sleeper hit Hitman 2. Due...

Carve.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... SHAWN: If you had to "borrow" this mag from your neighbor's mailbox, Carve might be for you. A no frills, no thrills watercraft racer, this game proves that even budgetware can look sharp on Xbox. Sea spray mists the screen as you slalom past...

.hack Part 4: Quarantine.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... KEVIN: Quarantine is difficult to review by itself. It's the closing volume of a four-disc RPG saga, so if you haven't played the last three, you'd be daft to start now...but if you have played the whole series, then you'll likely want to...

Grudge Match.(Prince vs. Prince of Persia.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Prince vs. Prince of Persia Can the exotica of Persia challenge the erotica of Prince? Our scienticians bravely played through Sands of Time and watched Purple Rain, Under the Cherry Moon, and yes, even Graffiti Bridge (moan) to bring...

Sneak Peek at PSP.(Playstation portable)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Note to Sony: Stop the incessant teasing already. The early concept model of the PlayStation Portable (aka PSP, shown below) revealed by Sony Computer Entertainment prez Ken Kutaragi at a recent event in Japan has merely fueled our growing...

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!(cheat information on video game)
February 1, 2004... This is a bloody marvelous game, and it comes complete with this newfangled "local area network" play, too. Who knows, perhaps three years from now in Mario Kart: Triple Dash!!! Nintendo'll introduce some crazy new technology that lets us...

Crimson Skies.(cheat information for video game)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Sick of that airborne jalopy you're currently dogfighting in? We have codes that can help! With a few simple button presses, you can unlock all the game's planes or make yourself filthy rich, five grand at a time. Bang these codes out...

Tony Hawk's Underground.(cheat information for video game)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Want to flip the bird to society and pay for a fourth wing on Tony Hawk's mansion but don't know how? Achieve all this by purchasing Tony Hawk's Underground. This latest Hawk is quite different from the Pro Skaters, but it does have the trove...

Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike.(cheat information for video game)
February 1, 2004... Those cheeky game developers are sitting back, chugging down the Cristal, releasing code information when they damn well please. What does this mean to you? You'll have to work to unlock these goodies instead of lounging around, waiting for a...

Medal of Honor: Rising Sun.(cheat information on video game)
February 1, 2004... Never in the field of cheat-code conquests have so many codes been hidden so bizarrely. Rising Sun has you unlocking eight different cheat codes by literally digging them out of the ground using an entrenching tool. There's one entrenching...

GameShark vs. ATR.(cheat information for video game)
February 1, 2004... GameShark Mega Man X7 (PS2) Enter This First F450BE2E 76740416 Max Hunted 1500B979 9C30977E 1500B978 9C30977E Max Damaged 1500B978 9C3097EE 1500B978 9C3097CE Infinite Health 05001628...

Rainbow Six 3.(cheat information for video game)
February 1, 2004... The sad fact is this: All those terrorists aren't going to shoot themselves. You'll have to do it. These strategies will help you realize your full combat potential. From door assaults to setting up crossfires to seeing in the dark, we cover...

XIII.(tips to help play the video game)
February 1, 2004... Need a little help defeating XIII's tougher antagonists? We have some snazzy, surefire strategies that ought to do the trick. Check out these tips for taking down this stylish shooter's last three bosses. The Chopper This boss is...

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.(information about video game)
February 1, 2004... Listen, there are invisible blocks, crazy hidden items, and a whole load of other crap you'll never find on your first playthrough of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. But at the top of the list of cool features are the advance commands, where...

Yu Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... CJ: At least the Dragon Ball Z action-RPGs for GBA are decent games. Yu Yu Hakusho sure isn't. It's pure boredom harnessed in cartridge form. Each lackluster chapter has you (as one of the beloved anime's characters) running from one...

Everquest Online Adventures: Frontiers.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... JENNIFER: Revisiting EQOA's online world with this expansion, I really hoped to find a healthy community of roleplayers at all levels to join me in my mock-medieval adventure. I figured that, almost a year after EQOA's initial release, this...

Lowrider.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... SHAWN: Until now, ninos too young to drive and too poor to pay for hydraulics have had to settle for pimpin' out bicycles before working their way up to proper lowriders. No more, mis amigos. Lowrider gives the little guys a jump start on the...

Monster 4x4: Masters of Metal.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... SHAWN: When a mafia don paid me to race my mammoth truck through Central Park for his pleasure, I came to the following conclusion: Intercepted pay-per-view programs inspired aliens in the Alpha Centauri system to make Monster 4x4. How else...

Mission: Impossible Operation Surma.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... G. FORD: Talk about an impossible mission--who thought developer Paradigm could craft a compelling game out of a license that no one's cared about for three years? Well it has, partially thanks to the way the MI franchise naturally lends...

Li'l Previews: From Lady Killers to Killer.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude PS2, Xbox * VU Games * Late 2004 -- Playing as loser college student Larry Lovage (nephew of the 1980s PC adventure-game star), you must revitalize your love life by roaming around campus, finding nice...

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... BRYAN: EA's The Return of the King is a perfect example of a movie-based game done right. Rise of the Machines, however, demonstrates how it can go terribly wrong. What you get here is your everyday, run-of-the mill first-person shooter with...

Spy Hunter 2.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... DEMIAN: Let's say, hypothetically, that it's always been a private dream of mine to pilot a car that turns into a snowmobile that turns into a tricycle. Spy Hunter 2 fulfilled that dream I never actually had, and then, like a wish-granting...

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... JON D: For a sequel to a game that was hyped as one of the scariest around, FF2 strikes me as something of a spookiness letdown. Sparse apparitions lingering in the halls and appearing from thin air startle successfully, but the feeling of...

American Idol.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... JENNIFER: Ever wish the earsplitting, off-key vocals of the American Idol TV show would penetrate your gaming world? No? Then this isn't for you--and I'm really not sure who else would want to play it. In truth, you hardly "play" anything....

PC Gaming Update.
February 1, 2004... You wouldn't know it from most WWII shooters, but apparently wars are not fought by lone gunmen against hordes of enemies. Huh. Who woulda thought it? Apparently, the guys at Infinity Ward, that's who. This splinter group from the original...

Must-Hit Websites.(tacticalwhiteboard.com; sidetalkin.com; liquid.se/pong.html)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... tacticalwhiteboard.com -- Draw up multiplayer strategies for Sony's SOCOM (and soon, its sequel) using detailed maps, and share them with your battlefield comrades over the Web using this excellent Flash application. An essential tool for...

Online This Month.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... If you're anything like us, the hours you've sunk into Rainbow Six 3's Xbox Live mode have led you to ask many questions. What does this "ELO" stat mean? What downloadable content is coming? Who just shot me and from where? While we can't...

The Spy Who Fragged Me.(information about video game Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain)
February 1, 2004... From the dusty streets of Yemen to small piazzas in Italy, hundreds of people are dropping dead from a virus...and many more will die if it isn't stopped soon. But how can you stop something you can't see? Finding the pathogen's origin is the...

Zero Mission Commences.(introduction of video game Metroid Zero Mission)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Last summer, Nintendo quietly announced Metroid Zero Mission, a newfangled Game Boy Advance remake of the very first Metroid game (for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System). Then, just as stealthily, the game slipped off the radar into the...

Grand Theft Auto Double Pack.(information about release of video games for Xbox)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... XB * Rockstar * ESRB: Mature -- So, you Xbox players been dying to get a hold of the games that started the whole go-anywhere, do-anything, putz-around-and-listen-to-music genre? Rockstar finally delivers in style. The Xbox Double Pack offers...

Instant Expert: PC Gaming.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... As your smarty-pants PC-playing pals have reminded you, computer gaming is going through a renaissance. And although most-wanted PC releases like Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 will hit the consoles eventually, they'll be prettier on PC as long as...

Role Playing.(information about video game Champions of Norrath from Everquest)
February 1, 2004... Sure, Champions of Norrath has the EverQuest logo on its box, but everything about the game screams Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, the 2002 hit action-RPG created by crackerjack developer Snowblind Studios. Don't quite know the difference...

Celebrity Gamers: Kristen Miller.(interview )(Interview)
February 1, 2004... Action, drama, suspense...it's all in a day's work for actress Kristen Miller. As hacker hottie D.D. Cummings on the syndicated TV show She Spies (and before that, Princess Stevenson on the short-lived 2001 Comedy Central sitcom That's My...

Tale Spin.(New video games.)
February 1, 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...

Enter the Draken.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... It takes a hard man to take on an army of thousands just to exact revenge. Of course, it helps if he's ready to sacrifice his own voice in a pact with a powerful dragon. This--the plight of protagonist Kyme--should give you a good idea of the...

The Rumor Mill.
February 1, 2004... GTA: 50 Cent? Details on the next Grand Theft Auto are scant at best. We know it's coming. In '04. But that's it. Well here's a rumor The Q's heard recently that's sure to further pique your interest--it'll feature rappers 50 Cent...

Executioner's Song.(information about video game The Suffering)
February 1, 2004... Any action-horror title should have a solid foundation of evil. On the site of an ancient Indian burial ground and a patient-mangling insane asylum, The Suffering (due in February for PS2, XB, and GC) found a hell of a place to build a...

The Hot Five.(evaluation of Halo 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Gran Turismo 4, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and Driver 3)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... 1. Halo 2 Xbox * Microsoft * Mid 2004 -- We were dead set on providing you with some substantial new info on Halo 2 this month, but then we ran into these guys. This small molecule of H2 will have to float your boat for now. It's nice to...

The Ultimate Videogame Countdown.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... OK, hold everything, hotshot. We need to address a few things. Yes, EGM will have a show on MTV. Contrary to online rumors, it will not be hosted by a robotic Downtown Julie Brown. And we're applying a loose interpretation to the term...

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... PS2 * Sony CEA -- The fact that we're still comparing every new racing game to Gran Turismo 3--which came out two and a half years ago--is a little scary. But you got any better ideas? Gran Turismo's influence even extends beyond...

NBA Street (Series).(evaluation of video game series)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... PS2, XB, GC * EA Sports Big -- Like mass extinctions and the price of pork bellies, over-the-top sports games are cyclical. The NBA Street series is the latest take on the boomshakalaka formula to inspire a host of imitators, and not only on...

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2004... PS2, XB, GC * Ubisoft -- Sam Fisher: wily secret agent and deep-cover operative for the Lightbulb Retailers Association of America (the only reasonable explanation for all the light fixtures he destroys, ostensibly in the interest of...

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Series).(information about video game series)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... PS2, XB, GC * Activision O2 -- The reigning king of frantic, free-form action-sports gameplay was starting to look a little slow on the draw and low in the ollie, but then Tony Hawk's Underground came out and gave the series a needed boot in...