Electronic Gaming Monthly articles from November 2003

Electronic Gaming Monthly archives from November 2003

Soul Calibur II (Shawn GC).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 25, 2003... Screw it, I'll say the unspeakable: When this swordslinger stepped onto the scene, it eviscerated all comers, Virtua Fighter 4 included, and squatted to drop a deuce on their headstones. Soul Calibur II became my sensei overnight, and I've...

Soul Calibur II (Shane GC).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 25, 2003... Namco's strategy of refinement carries over to Soul Calibur II's roster of characters as well. Series fans will be thrilled to see their favorite duelists back in action (sultry dominatrix Ivy's chain-whip punishments never looked so sexy,...

Soul Calibur II (Shoe GC).(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 25, 2003... Soul Calibur II is simply amazing. Fighting-game newcomers will marvel at its incredibly detailed graphics and sound effects--when you see a foe crumple over in pain, or you hear the sharp twang of swords clashing, you'll know you're in for a...

Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (CJ).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 25, 2003... Real pinball may be dead and buried, but Pokemon Pinball is still fighting the good fight on Nintendo's portable. Every orifice oozes Pokemon quality--everything but the flippers themselves have some kind of link to the Pokeverse. And even if...

Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (Mark).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 25, 2003... Whether you'd sooner hug Pikachu or wring his little yellow neck, Pinball: R&S belongs in your GBA. It offers instant gratification for quickie gaming fixes (complete with the essential save-anytime feature), but with enough depth to last...

Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (John R).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 24, 2003... As sick as I am of all things Pokemon, I have to admit--Pokemon Pinball was one of my most anticipated games this summer. The original was, until now, my favorite handheld pinball game ever, and this visually upgraded sequel is an excellent...

Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu (Jon D.).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 24, 2003... You don't publish a game like this to recruit new Dragon Ball Z fans. You sell it to the huge base of existing acolytes who will buy it before they can even look up what the hell a Taiketsu is. So I'm not surprised that gameplay here shows no...

Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu (CJ).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 24, 2003... Even if you love DBZ so much that you and your friends greet each other by character names, do yourself a favor and avoid this game. It'll bring nothing but disappointment. The first inkling that something's wrong is in the pseudorendered...

Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu (John R.).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 24, 2003... Like the two Legacy of Goku titles that preceded it, DBZ: Taiketsu is an average-at-best game shielded by pretty visuals and the enormously popular Dragon Ball Z license. To be fair, this is probably more than enough for your average...

XIII (Joe).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 24, 2003... You'd be hard-pressed to find a more visually stunning game than XIII, a gorgeous first-person shooter in which you play an amnesiac...who may or may not have assassinated the President. This stylish action title mixes an animated film...

XIII (Bryan).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 24, 2003... Arriving with more style than the majority of today's games, XIII has a fresh presentation that drops you smack-dab into a living, breathing comic book. But style can only take you so far, and it can't stop superhuman A.I. from tainting this...

XIII (G. Ford).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 24, 2003... I was certainly looking forward to this game, if only to see something different being done with a first-person shooter. And XIII definitely has that going for it; its comic-book-themed storytelling integrates nicely into the game. But while...

Battlestar Galactica (Crispin).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... This slick-looking space shooter certainly packs snazzier visuals than the creaky old TV series (although, in a nice retro touch, it does zap out the same toy ray-gun sound effects). And once the game reminded me what the show was actually...

Battlestar Galactica (Mark PS2).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... Battlestar looks sharp, although just seeing all the old ships and hearing the trademark laser sounds ("pee-ear, pee-ear") would've been enough to make this old-timer happy. Controls are responsive and surprisingly deep, with maneuvers that...

Battlestar Galactica (Scooter PS2).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... Battlestar Galactica is frustrating both in the game- playing and reviewing sense. I like the general story line, I love the production values, and I totally dig the nostalgia of blasting old-school Cylons. Yet the missions are just so...

NHL Rivals 2004 (Greg S).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... I have given a name to my pain, and it is NHL Rivals. From the second you take to the ice, you'll notice huge problems plaguing this game. First of all, the face-off camera obscures the referee behind one of the players, meaning you can't see...

NHL Rivals 2004 (Demian).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... Launching a new sports-game franchise may be tough, but there's no excuse for releasing a game that doesn't feel finished. Rivals is fundamentally flawed: Your teammates constantly wander offside; you actually slow down when you get the puck;...

NHL Rivals 2004 (John R).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... I think Greg and Demian woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning (just hopefully not the same bed). Granted, Rivals is clearly not the best hockey game in town, but for a first effort, it could've been worse. All the basics are in...

Battlestar Galactica (Scooter Xbox).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... Battlestar Galactica is frustrating both in the game- playing and reviewing sense. I like the general story line, I love the production values, and I totally dig the nostalgia of blasting old-school Cylons. Yet the missions are just so...

Battlestar Galactica (Crispin Xbox).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... This slick-looking space shooter certainly packs snazzier visuals than the creaky old TV series (although, in a nice retro touch, it does zap out the same toy ray-gun sound effects). And once the game reminded me what the show was actually...

Battlestar Galactica (Mark).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 20, 2003... Battlestar looks sharp, although just seeing all the old ships and hearing the trademark laser sounds ("pee-ear, pee-ear") would've been enough to make this old-timer happy. Controls are responsive and surprisingly deep, with maneuvers that...

Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix (CJ).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 19, 2003... Recently, I've found it hard to get energized about new DDRs. But Ultramix throws caution to the wind and gives the series the injection of fun it sorely needed. Updated graphics are only the beginning. The other tweaks, like the ability to...

Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix (Jennifer).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 19, 2003... I never realized what a DDR loser I was until they took away the Beginner difficulty level and Lesson mode in Ultramix. I can hold my own on Light, but I think the training wheels helped me, if only psychologically. Still, though not newbie...

Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix (Carrie).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 19, 2003... I know hardcore DDR fans will be all about online play and new game modes. But I couldn't care less. I just want to have fun, and Ultramix is way too hard. I miss the Lesson mode in DDRMAX2, which made me feel like I could practice and...

Magic: the Gathering Battlegrounds (Greg S).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 19, 2003... I can't imagine many things more boring than a straight-up Xbox version of the Magic: The Gathering card game. Luckily, that's not what Battlegrounds is. Instead, it's a real-time RPG that features all the creatures and spells found in the...

Magic: the Gathering Battlegrounds (Paul).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 19, 2003... Half the fun of Magic is devising your own strategy and then testing it against an astute adversary. Battlegrounds ignores this crucial element of the card game's appeal. Nearly every match in the single-player campaign makes you cast your...

Magic: the Gathering Battlegrounds (Greg O).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 19, 2003... Want to know what a spell of Eternal Dumbness does? It inspires developers to turn a well-loved, strategic card game into a twitchy mess that sends tactics on permanent vacation. Here, Magic is about who can collect power-ups and hurl spells...

NBA Inside Drive 2004 (Patrick).(Brief Article)
November 18, 2003... This year's Drive delivers competent, good-looking b-ball action, but it's still a tad sketchy. Some of the gameplay tweaks work--enriched defensive A.I. makes scoring a challenge, and the new low-post moves make it easier to execute in the...

NBA Inside Drive 2004 (John R.).(Brief Article)
November 18, 2003... Inside Drive 2004 features a number of minor improvements to last year's game (better graphics, a couple of new moves and control options, smarter CPU A.I.), but for the most part, the basic gameplay is essentially the same. Xbox Live support...

NBA Inside Drive 2004 (Bryan).(Brief Article)
November 18, 2003... Innovation is a necessity when you're pitted against stalwarts like ESPN and Live. Sadly, Microsoft's NBA Inside Drive 2004 fails to do anything exciting or revolutionary, nor does it execute anything any better than other basketball...

NCAA March Madness 2004 (Bryan PS2).(Brief Article)
November 17, 2003... You're dead wrong if you think the only difference between college and pro basketball is that one group is paid to play. Need proof? Try March Madness 2004, and you'll really know what it's like competing at the collegiate level. It all...

NCAA March Madness 2004 (Patrick PS2).(Brief Article)
November 17, 2003... Madness impresses with new, authentic offensive moves like the Pro Hop Power Dribble and the ability to choose between taking a jump shot or driving to the hoop. Plus, a more complex defensive A.I. makes the simple pump fake less of a weapon....

NCAA March Madness 2004 (Gian PS2).(Brief Article)
November 17, 2003... March Madness 2004 is much more than NBA Live Jr. In fact, EA has done a great job of taking this year's Live engine and making a wealth of adjustments to reflect the way college basketball is played. You actually have to dissect zone...

Go! Go! Hypergrind (Demian).(Brief Article)
November 17, 2003... Some people (and in this case, some means Paul) just aren't going to like Hypergrind. Yes, it's a simplistic Tony Hawk rip-off. It looks like a kid's game, even if some of the characters and environments--designed by Spumco, creators of Ren &...

Go! Go! Hypergrind (Jennifer).(Brief Article)
November 17, 2003... The edgy cartoon trappings kept me interested in this game far longer than its actual gameplay. Which is to say, about an hour--or maybe three, if you count the two times I had to restart because I was still figuring out the Story mode's...

Go! Go! Hypergrind (Paul).(Brief Article)
November 17, 2003... By stealing shamelessly from the Tony Hawk formula (complete with two-minute time limit), Hypergrind's straight-up trick runs manage to be pretty fun. Too bad all the other events built around hazards that crush, electrocute, or decapitate...

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 12, 2003... For me, Mario Kart 64 stands as one of the greatest multiplayer games of all time. It's the one N64 game I still go back to regularly, and it's the game I've seen the most nongamers play (well, minus Ms. Pac-Man and Tetris). And as high as my...

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 12, 2003... The wacky hijinks of Mario Kart have always appealed to me much more than the teeth-grinding speed and frequent, fiery deaths of Nintendo's other big racing franchise, F-Zero. And this latest version of Kart further cements the reasons why...

Goblin Commander.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 12, 2003... Fans of real-time strategy games such as StarCraft and Command & Conquer likely assume they won't get any worthwhile titles outside PC, but that's just not so. Developed by folks who worked on Blizzard's WarCraft series, Goblin Commander is...

Goblin Commander.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 12, 2003... These goblins stick to their stereotypes: They're good at destroying and pillaging, not so good at behaving strategically, and downright bad at communicating. Commander makes it easy to whip up a band of marauders and send them into the fray...

Goblin Commander.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 12, 2003... Allow me to play the role of the cranky, has-played-too-many-RTS-games-on-PC reviewer. There isn't much actual unit balance here (after researching the most expensive unit, there's no strategic reason to use earlier ones, besides cost), the...

Tightening the Vice.(information about video game Vice City)
November 5, 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...

FIFA Soccer 2004.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 4, 2003... Why isn't this sport more popular in North America? Personally, I'd say because it's boring as hell to watch. And for better or worse, EA's FIFA 2004 pretty much replicates the action on the field--it looks authentic, it sounds authentic, and...

FIFA Soccer 2004.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 4, 2003... Konami's Winning Eleven has done to FIFA what Sega's 2K (now ESPN) series did to Madden--it forced EA Sports to make a better game in order to stay on top. You'll notice the monumental improvements right away--this game looks downright...

FIFA Soccer 2004.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2003... Greg, you're being a little too rough on FIFA. It's a lot like your beloved ice hockey games, only grassier. Anyway, I'm with Patrick on this one. FIFA's Off-the-Ball control not only increases your offensive potency tenfold but also provides...

Vote, and Be Counted.(vote for games on MTV special about top video games for the 21st century)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2003... Vote, and Be Counted EGM is teaming up with MTV for a new show. We need your help! So you're a fan of EGM. You devour it every month and come back hungry for more. Some of the more studious of you even watch editors like Dan Hsu and...

Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 3, 2003... Return of the King does a fantastic job of putting you into the world of the movie through its graphically stunning reproductions of the film's war-torn sets, smooth transitions from thrilling cinema clips into exciting gameplay, top-notch...

Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 3, 2003... At the danger of sounding like a broken record (preferably a warped old 45 of Leonard Nimoy's "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"), I must admit that I agree with my fellow reviewers on just about all their points regarding Return of the King. It bests...

I-NINJA.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... PS2, Xbox, GC * Namco * November 2003 -- Yeah, the name sounds like some karate minigame for your cell phone, but I-Ninja is actually more of a platformer party game for one. It snuck onto our list because of its platformish leanings, but...

Tak & The Power of JuJu.(introduction of new video game)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PS2, GC * THQ * October 2003 -- Not to be confused with Voodoo Vince, Tak is an actual dude in a loincloth coming to grips with his magic-infused lifestyle. His abilities are fairly pedestrian at first; swinging a stick and double jumping...

Starsky & Hutch.
November 1, 2003... PS2, Xbox Deciding which version of Starsky & Hutch to play is like pondering which pair of '70s flares and platform sandals to wobble around Haight-Ashbury in. Kinda. Well, we Tricksters recommend the classic PS2 ensemble, as it...

Ninja Gaiden.(introduction of new video game)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... 4 Xbox * Tecmo * November 2003 -- We've discovered that at the beginning of Gaiden, ninja-in-training Ryu Hayabusa is about to complete his final test: infiltrate (with stealth!) the castle of the Conan-esque boss Murai and defeat him in...

Tales of Symphonia.
November 1, 2003... GC * Namco * April 2004 Namco's Tales series has never made a big splash in the United States, and when the publisher's U.S. branch passed on the recent PlayStation 2 Tales of Destiny sequel and Tales of Phantasia remake for Game Boy...

.Hack//Quarantine.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... PS2 * Bandai * February 2004 Bandai's serial RPG series (released in delicious bite-size chunks) is drawing to a close, and it's a bold experiment that has evolved into a sleeper success. Although even the series' staunchest fans concede...

Drakengard.(introduction of new video game)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PS2 * Square Enix * Spring 2004 Producer Takamasa Shiba mined the fantasy mother lode when he wrought the twisted and tragic world of action-heavy RPG Drakengard. A strange fusion of Celtic mythology, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the...

Sudeki.(evaluation of video game)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Xbox * Microsoft * Spring 2004 The recently delayed (for "extra polish") Sudeki is the first jab of Microsoft Game Studio's one-two punch for Xbox role-playing fans. But while Fable--the clobbering roundhouse finisher--promises to...

One Hand on the Wheel.(evaluation of video game Need for Speed Underground)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Choosing a good driving game is a major life decision. How do you know which is the best for you? We kick the tires of upcoming racer Need for Speed Underground--due on all three consoles in November--with a little help from smooth-talking...

Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando.
November 1, 2003... PS2 * Sony CEA * November 2003 -- Could be that Ted Price, CEO of developer Insomniac Games, knows something we don't. "People in the industry seem excited about revitalizing the platform genre," he tells us. Looking at the derivative...

Where are Mario, Sonic, and Crash?!?
November 1, 2003... What ever happened to those guys who popularized this platform business--guys like Mario, Sonic, and Crash? Welp, they've all got new games coming out in the next couple of years. Feels strange to have a holiday season without a new...

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.(information about new video game)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PS2, GC * THQ * November 2003 -- We've had sufficient time to recover from those movie-inspired Mummy games, but will Sphinx prove a treasure or curse? Mat Sneap, director at developer Eurocom, says switching between two heroes with very...

Halo 2.(information about new video game)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... 1 Xbox * Microsoft * Early 2004 -- Surprise! Yet again the futuristic shooter sequel is your most anticipated game. The developers recently pointed out novel gameplay features you might have missed: Players can wrestle enemies (and each...

555-Lame.
November 1, 2003... If the annals of gizmology, it's the first of its kind: a phone-slash-MP3-player-slash-mobile-gaming device. Yep, Nokia's N-Gage--due in stores Oct. 7--is one perky piece of technology, but it also comes with a sticker-shocking $300 price...

Risk: Global Domination.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: No more messy dice! Bad: Lots of waiting around Next Stop: Candy Land Online Shawn: Risk, to briefly explain for those not in the know, is a finely balanced board game in which players vie for global domination. Its...

How to Build a Home Arcade.
November 1, 2003... Vintage coin-op aficionados who want to collect the oldies the old-fashioned way--i.e., by buying one behemoth arcade cabinet at a time--will run out of money and room lickety-split. A Ms. Pac-Man machine alone runs about $1,200 and weighs...

Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown.(computer adventure game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: The soundtrack features some jaunty jigs Bad: Incomprehensible strategy Men: Shouldn't wear tights Shawn: Combining Risk's simple yet engrossing gameplay with what, at the time, passed for gorgeous graphics, Defender of the...

Dynasty Tactics 2.(computer game evaluation)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: Exciting combo system... Bad:...Well, "exciting" for a slow-paced strategy game, that is Much Easier Than: Any Romance of the Three Kingdoms game Shoe: Dynasty Tactics 2 skips the colorful magic, squatty characters, and...

Afterthoughts: Soul Calibur II.(interviews with game producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama and game player Jason Arney)(Interview)
November 1, 2003... For the past month, you've been practicing to the detriment of your studies, social lives, and work schedules. But then, games this good come 'round as often as Halley's Comet, right? We spoke with Soul Calibur II Producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama...

Viewtiful Joe.(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: Unique, engaging gameplay Bad: Some might find the difficulty frustrating Puzzling: The unlockable rap-metal music video Mark: Don't be fooled by Joe's old-school appearances. Yes, he double-jumps along 2D platforms,...

Girls on Film.(Beyond Good and Evil.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Everything is suspect, everyone is for sale, and nothing is at all what it seems in Rayman creator Michel Ancel's latest opus. In Beyond Good & Evil--due this November for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube--plucky photographer Jade and her...

Comic Boom!
November 1, 2003... Sure, we could stereotype comic-book geeks as tubby, sweaty, pasty, female-repulsing recluses, but frankly, we're just too busy playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the third time to throw stones (or even shower). Besides,...

WWE Wrestlemania XIX.(computer game evaluation)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: Beefy wrestler customization Bad: Frustrating Revenge mode Avoid at All Costs: Oily men in tights Bryan: Last year's Wrestlemania X8 was like a midcard draw compared to THQ's top-flight Nintendo 64 WWE contenders of old....

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.(evaluation of video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: Classic Super Mario gameplay Bad: Need an e-Reader to unlock new stages Coolest Power-Up Ever: Kuribo's Shoe John R: At long last, the best of the old-school Mario games has arrived in portable form. Super Mario Bros. 3...

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.(computer adventure game evaluation)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: Boffo boss fights against rarely seen Bat-villains Bad: So damn hard, it'll crush your will in its iron fist Much, Much Better Than: Batman: Dark Tomorrow Joe: Unlike Ubi Soft's adventurey Batman Vengeance, Rise of Sin Tzu...

Nfl Blitz Pro.(video game evaluation)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: Ultrafast gameplay Bad: Sucky ground game Annoying: Online trash-talking with just a soft keyboard Bryan: Pro introduces alterations to the trusty Blitz uniform that will have some fans screamin' from the cheap seats that...

One Hand on the Wheel.(Need for Speed Underground video game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Choosing a good driving game is a major life decision. How do you know which is the best for you? We kick the tires of upcoming racer Need for Speed Underground--due on all three consoles in November--with a little help from smooth-talking...

Kirby Air Ride.(computer adventure game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Good: Beautiful graphics Bad: Simplistic gameplay Adults: Will much prefer F-Zero GX John R: The unfortunately titled Kirby Air Ride (nice English, guys) is a tough game to review. It seems like the developers really put a lot...

Roadkill.(evaluation of adventure game from Midway)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Demian: "Where's our multimillion-selling Grand Theft Auto?" some exec at Midway probably yelled in a wood-paneled conference room while banging a shoe on the table. Enter RoadKill, a game that combines the sprawling environments and mission...

PC Gaming Update.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... When I tried to see Tron in a movie theater back in '82, it was sold out, so I saw Summer Lovers instead, which, while not all that fantastic, featured a lot of bare naked females. Years later, I rented Tron in an effort to finally see this...

Online This Month.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... If you've never logged onto Xbox Live, or just haven't jumped online in a while (and who could blame you--the flow of fresh games definitely slowed over the summer), you're missing out on some sweet new features that might make your decision...

Super Monkey Ball.(new video game from N-Gage)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... CJ: Monkey Ball (basically an electronic version of the old wooden-maze ball-balancing game) is quite possibly N-Gage's best launch game: It looks good and plays well, the visuals are smooth, and it has most of the features of its...

Puzzle Bobble Vs.(evaluation of video game from N-Gage)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Shane: If N-Gage can run Tomb Raider, you'd think perfecting a simple, one-screen 2D puzzle game matching up colored bubbles would be a snap, but fundamental aspects of Puzzle Bobble fail miserably here. Several colors are indistinguishable...

Moto GP.(computer adventure game evaluation)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Demian: This portable version of THQ's first Moto GP game (PlayStation 2, Xbox) has been downsized in more ways than one. Just four entrants are allowed in a race, and although N-Gage's vertical display works fine for games like these, the...

Puyo Pop.(computer game evaluation)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Shoe: Imagine a one- or two-player puzzle game in which you have to match up pieces of the same color. Now imagine those pieces come in five flavors: red, yellow, green, blue, and blue. Yep, that's no typo. Technically, one of those "blues"...

Tomb Raider.(updated version of videogame)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2003... Yep, it's Tomb Raider--every nook and cranny of the original PlayStation game is micronized without a drop in visual pizzazz. And lest the recent console sequels make you forget, the original Raider is a fantastic experience, with clever...