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Game reviews
Gaming reviews to help you work your way to the next level.
GAME REVIEW
'Stranger' takes franchise to more fun place
GAME REVIEW
SUIKODEN IV
E-WORLD
From the war in Iraq to the music in our pockets, technology brought us the world in unexpected ways. Here are 10 phenomena of the last 12 months that will make the next 12 months very interesting to watch.
"Half-Life 2" is a heart-stopper of a video game that shows off all the reasons a personal computer still can rival game consoles as the place to play.
GAMING
Two successful launches help set the bar for the holiday season
Football broadcasters are making the real thing look more like video games.
And it has only just begun.
And it has only just begun.
E-WORLD
Microsoft Corp. recently announced revenue of $9.19 billion for the quarter ended Sept. 30. Redmond's revenue from its Home and Entertainment segment grew 9 percent, thanks to increased sales of Xbox consoles and games. The system's price drop to $150 back in March continues to pay dividends. Sales of Xbox games cut that segment's operating loss nearly in half. And that's before this week's arrival of "Halo 2."
GAME REVIEW
Last year's "Need for Speed Underground" was a monster success for game titan Electronic Arts, selling more than 7 million copies worldwide. The game was a fun, stylish take on the subversive realm of street racing, made popular by such movies as "Too Fast Too Furious" -- and the game sequel expands the action in every way imaginable. In fact, "NFSUG2" may be too big, too unwieldy for any gamer without 100 hours of free time.
GAME REVIEW
Another year, another edition of Konami's excellent party game. "Karaoke Revolution" allows gamers to jack a mic into their PS2 and turn the black box into a full-fledged karaoke machine, albeit one with a judge. Unlike today's music industry, though, "KR" doesn't judge on looks first, talent second -- it's only concerned if you can hit the right pitch, which is displayed as a moving green bar along the bottom of the screen.
GAME REVIEW
Metroid Prime 2 suffers from some unfair comparisons to Microsoft's smash epic, Halo 2.
For a movie about fighting against ever-growing corporate culture and materialistic values, Fight Club is an odd choice for video game inspiration. It just seems to go against the anarchist spirit of Chuck Palahniuk's book.
GAME REVIEW
Buena Vista Games' marketing department should be fired. Releasing this original first-person shooter in the days leading up to the mega-ton arrival of Halo 2 is nothing short of a suicide run.
GAME REVIEW
The original Mario tennis for Nintendo was reminiscent of Pong-a ball bounces back and forth, slapped by opposing paddles. By fusing the sport with the still-cool appeal of Mario and his crew, the game was a bestseller.
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
No game has defined this generation of consoles and video gamers -- like the 2001 "Grand Theft Auto 3" for the PlayStation 2. Until its under-the-radar release, most PS2 games came across as updates of earlier software with better visuals.
GAMING
The new 'Grand Theft Auto' is in stores this week, but so are these games which might be overlooked
GAME REVIEW
Nintendo takes Mario on a delightful adventure like no other
Hauling your music around in style is the goal, but with so many choices, how do you know what MP3 player is right for you?
GAME REVIEW
The new "Donkey Konga" defines the brilliance of Nintendo. Nobody asked for a Donkey Kong-themed drum game, but after playing it for 10 minutes, gamers will wonder why they hadn't before. Armed with a set of digital bongo drums (included with the game), players help the big gorilla bang along with a variety of pop songs, classics and Nintendo themes.
VIDEO GAMES
Illustrating once again the growing interdependence of media, the recent release of the original"Star Wars" movie trilogy on DVD actually may give a boost to the burgeoning video game side of the "Star Wars" equation.
GAME REVIEW
Moral choices have (limited) consequences in Microsoft's 'Fable'
GAME REVIEW
DEF JAM: FIGHT FOR NY
GAME REVIEW
This is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's second outing as a video game action hero, but don't get used to it. The man's already scored another gig and probably won't be available for voice-work sessions for at least another two years, judging from his appearance at the Republican National Convention.
GAMING
Flying high with "Astro Boy," Japanese animation stages a video comeback
GAME REVIEW
'Madden' and 'ESPN' each want to take the field
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
No other video game, not even the legendary "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," has arrived with the hype and anticipation of this week's release of "Doom 3." And no other game has delivered on its promises so thoroughly.
GAME REVIEW
'Symphonia' gives Game Cube a RPG with swagger
GAME REVIEW
Media reports question whether Athens will be ready in time for the Summer Olympics. Not if it's in the shape of Sony's "Athens," an Olympics sim based on the upcoming world games.
VIDEO GAMES
Girls get bored on car trips too. However, for an 11-year-old girl, blasting aliens or playing the back nine on a Game Boy Advance isn't necessarily a better alternative to staring out the window at the hundredth amber wave of grain.
GAME REVIEW
SPIDER-MAN 2
THE DIGITAL PAGE
`Driv3r' crashes in an uncrowded season
THE DIGITAL PAGE
The legendary Blue Bomber is back in a collection that proves it
GAME REVIEW
Midway's 'Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy' uses psychic powers to spur the action
GAME REVIEW
EA's 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' has lots of well-executed gimmicks, but there isn't much magic
GAME REVIEW
At the E3 convention in 2003, Nintendo tried to sell its GameCube-Game Boy Advance connectivity to showgoers, and nobody was buying. So Nintendo has sent out Link, hero of the best-selling "Zelda" series, to proselytize with "Four Swords Adventures." Message received.
THE DIGITAL PAGE
'Chronicles of Riddick' is what movie-based games should be
THE DIGITAL
In the hands of former Nintendo developer Rare, Donkey Kong sold millions of games, from "Donkey Kong Country" to "Donkey Kong 64." But in the process of becoming a hero, DK went as milquetoast as Mickey Mouse. However, in "Mario Vs. Donkey Kong," the big ape has recovered the mean streak that made him a household name, but instead of stealing Mario's girlfriend, he has run off with an entire production run of Mini-Mario toys.
GAMING
Before shelling out $50 for that unproven new game, check out the hundreds of oldies but goodies that are going for $20 or less
E-WORLD
The Phantom Video Game Service takes on the console industry, the PC gaming industry, the video game rental industry and the video game sales industry, all from a box that looks like a sleek DVD player.
VIDEO GAMES
Nintendo, Sony handhelds use different rules of thumb to redesign the art of mobile gaming
The dueling systems represent a crossroads for the industry
The dueling systems represent a crossroads for the industry
GAME REVIEW
"The Omega Strain" is an online version of the "Syphon Filter" action series, where gamers must create their own in-game agent to join nine online missions and take down a terrorist organization in teams of four. In the lobby, gamers can discuss pregame strategies -- useful, since many missions require gamers to work together to achieve objectives, such as extracting a computer from a burning bank.
Gamemakers can't stop thinking about your cell phone at the E3 convention that gathers the movers and shakers of the gaming industry.
THE DIGITAL PAGE
ONIMUSHA 3: DEMON SIEGE
THE DIGITAL PAGE
JUDGE DREDD: DREDD VS. DEATH
AT RANDOM CONNECTED
In the hip-hop underground, you earn respect by deejaying to reveal your musical knowledge, emceeing to cleverly pass along your world view, working with a crew to promote concerts and unity and creating graffiti art that honors past struggles and brightens your community. Hip-hop is more than music and clothes.
E-WORLD
Can President Bush ride a strengthening economy to another term in the White House without the support of organized labor? How will Sen. John Kerry use the war in Iraq as a political weapon without seeming callous?
GAMING
Capcom takes 'Resident Evil' into multiplayer realm
GAME REVIEW
New 'Splinter Cell' plays like tomorrow's headlines
THE DIGITAL PAGE
BREAKDOWN
GAMING
Sony and Square Enix take on new realms together, with a PS2 hard drive loaded with the online-only 'Final Fantasy XI'
GAME REVIEW
Pre-April showers in video game land have turned into a torrent of titles -- most of the predictable bang-bang or punch-punch variety. Natsume is fighting the trend with a little flower power, rolling out the GameCube-exclusive chapter of its cult series "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life," where gamers arm themselves with a hoe rather than a rifle and trade in grenades for cow-pleasing brushes.
GAME REVIEW
Rockstar Games can no longer sit on its lonely, grotesque throne and wring its hands over the freebie advertising it receives from critics of its violent games. Midway is making a serious bid for the mantle, and just a few minutes into "The Suffering," a new action horror game set inside a crumbling prison, the sicko symphony "Manhunt" is given a run for its blood money.
Video games
"It's one of those unsettling situations where art is imitating life which is imitating art," says Jamie Leece, president of Gotham Games. He's referring to the sight of tanks rumbling down Baghdad's main thoroughfares, Bradley assault vehicles pulling up to government buildings and Marines streaming out the back, and statues of Saddam Hussein brought down in front of cheering crowds.
Video games
Maybe it's the pink gown or the doe eyes, but Princess Zelda just can't keep from getting kidnapped. The courageous Link, the princess' eternal savior and deliverer, is back in action, this time on the Nintendo GameCube in "Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker" ($49.99), which arrives in stores on Tuesday.
Gaming
Video games tied to movies are an increasingly important hybrid, and with "Enter the Matrix," one of the most anticipated crossover games of the year, Shiny Entertainment hopes to set a new standard for what such a tie-in can be.
Online gaming
SEGA wants you online.
The plumber has returned. All hail the plumber. After a six-year tour in ensemble casts for such romps as "Super Smash Bros. Melee" and his eponymous sports titles, Nintendo's chief breadwinner, Mario, goes solo in his latest platformer, "Super Mario Sunshine."
