Game reviews
Gaming reviews to help you work your way to the next level.
December 30, 2004
E-WORLD
2004 year in review
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.
November 19, 2004
'Half-Life 2' provides full-speed action
"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.
November 18, 2004
GAMING
Beyond 'Halo' and 'GTA'
In its first day of release last week, Microsoft's hotly anticipated Xbox game "Halo 2" sold 2.4 million units to eager gamers in North America, Microsoft reported, earning $125 million.
November 11, 2004
Working the angles
That UFO you might see whizzing over Thursday night's Florida State-North Carolina State football game is not just a camera -- it's the link between televised football and the video games they seek to mimic.
November 11, 2004
E-WORLD
Xbox games lift Microsoft sales
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."
November 18, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Got time for a good sequel?
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.
November 18, 2004
GAME REVIEW
The beat goes on for 'Karaoke Revolution'
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.
November 18, 2004
GAME REVIEW
A Nintendo fan's Halo
Metroid Prime 2 suffers from some unfair comparisons to Microsoft's smash epic, Halo 2.
November 18, 2004
First rule: Don't play Fight Club
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.
November 11, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Cult Disney flick come alive
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.
November 11, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Without gimmicks, Mario Power Tennis still a gas
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.
October 29, 2004
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
'GTA' triumphs with few faults
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.
October 28, 2004
GAMING
The road to 'San Andreas'
When a summer blockbuster movie scouts out an opening weekend to dominate, other studios quickly adjust their schedules so two titans don't collide, ripping into each other's profits.
October 21, 2004
GAME REVIEW
'Paper' chase
"Paper Mario" will sell a fraction of "Halo 2." It won't even make a dent in "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas." But for the few remaining gamers not affected by the anticipation surrounding the two biggest titles of the season, there can be few titles more recommended than "Paper Mario."
September 30, 2004
GAME REVIEW
'Donkey Konga' drums up support
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.
September 28, 2004
VIDEO GAMES
'Star Wars: Battlefront' entertains
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.
September 23, 2004
GAME REVIEW
The straight and narrow
The chief concern of industry critics is that some of today's most popular games, such as the "Grand Theft Auto" series, provide violent escapism with no thought of consequence. Microsoft's "Fable" is all about consequences. This is a role-playing game centered on action and reaction, where gamers must make conscious decisions about their in-game behavior.
September 9, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Schwarzenegger adds presence but genre is dated
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.
August 19, 2004
GAMING
Anime replay
Japanese animation, "anime," is enjoying a huge renaissance in America. In the '80s, America's only exposure to the Japanese anime behemoth was occasional Saturday morning extended basic cable showings of dubbed "Starblazers" or "Robotech" episodes or giant robot cartoons such as "Grandizer" and "Gaiking."
August 12, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Crunch time
Since its initial release in 1989, EA Sports' "Madden" franchise has enjoyed a fairly clear run up the field. Previous opponents, such as Sony's "NFL Gameday" series, stumbled on the transition to PlayStation 2. SEGA Sports' highly regarded "NFL 2K" series was huge on Dreamcast, but when SEGA decided to develop the franchise on other consoles, "Madden's" lead and reputation were just too strong to defeat.
August 6, 2004
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
It's time to take another crack at 'Doom'
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.
July 22, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Finally on a role
Pity the poor GameCube owner. The system, deluged with action games such as "Mario" and "Metroid," is a poor host for the traditional swashbuckling set. Desperate fans of hardcore role-playing games, the kind where you pour dozens of hours into scrounging experience points to level up your hearty party of stereotypes (reluctant hero, sassy healer, condescending warrior), have had to make do with Nintendo's own "Zelda" series. The franchise is still one of the best in gaming, but recent chapters such as "Wind Waker" are adventure games posing as RPGs.
July 22, 2004
GAME REVIEW
'Athens' not going for the gold
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.
July 8, 2004
VIDEO GAMES
Girls just wanna get in the game
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.
June 24, 2004
THE DIGITAL PAGE
Still the Man
Long before Capcom was synonymous with zombies and samurais, there was Mega Man. Known to fans -- and they are legion -- as the Blue Bomber, Mega Man helped move the original Nintendo Entertainment System into living rooms during the late '80s.
June 17, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Mind over matter
An ill-tempered hero with psychic powers like telekinesis and remote viewing must take down an international conspiracy bent on scrambling the world order. "Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy," an action game as imagined by radio paranoid Art Bell, is the latest quality effort from Midway, a long-in-the-tooth Chicago game company that has reinvigorated itself recently with critical and commercial successes in "NBA Ballers" and "The Suffering."
10:00 PM PDT, June 9, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Where's the wizardry?
Some movies should not be turned into video games. That's a hard charge to level at the new "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" game, since the story of a boy wizard avoiding cloaked spirits while chasing the secret of the titular escaped prisoner who wants to kill him should be fertile ground. But the "Potter" books and movies are always about more than just action, they're full of startling moments of quiet emotion and human development -- and these moments have little use for a controller.
June 10, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Goofy 'Swords' from Nintendo
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.
June 3, 2004
THE DIGITAL PAGE
Great escape
Around this time last year, Atari's "Enter the Matrix" was to have been the definitive convergence of Hollywood and video games. But for gamers, the only two things that converged were boredom and disappointment, as "Matrix," with its clunky gameplay and boring cinematics, fell far short of being the ultimate movie game.
June 3, 2004
THE DIGITAL
Donkey Kong is back to his old angry self
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.
May 27, 2004
E-WORLD
How to get game? Phantom knows
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.
May 20, 2004
VIDEO GAMES
The race is on
There are video game fans, and then there are Nintendo fans. At last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, Nintendo tried to appeal to both as it unveiled its latest creation, the Nintendo DS, to rapturous applause (topped only by its surprise announcement of a new, more mature "Zelda" game).
May 20, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Teamwork is key in 'Omega Strain'
"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.
May 13, 2004
Electronic gamemakers see future in cell phone
Gamemakers can't stop thinking about your cell phone at the E3 convention that gathers the movers and shakers of the gaming industry.
April 27, 2004
AT RANDOM CONNECTED
Street ball games offer entre to the world behind hip-hop
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.
April 8, 2004
E-WORLD
Turning politics into a game
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?
April 1, 2004
GAMING
'Evil' online
If somebody at Capcom hasn't picked up the phone to thank Universal Studios, they should. Despite a blitz of magazine advertisements for their new online horror game, "Resident Evil Outbreak," the opening of the movie "Dawn of the Dead," rekindling America's interest in the dead coming back to life (Capcom's specialty), is better than a million cleverly designed one-sheets.
March 25, 2004
GAME REVIEW
Darkness as a weapon
Timing is everything. Global upheaval and recent headlines in Spain have granted an unsettling urgency to Ubi Soft's new stealth spy thriller "Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow." People feel a sense of helplessness as they watch the evening news, full of more blood and carnage than an entire season of "The Shield."
March 18, 2004
GAMING
Room to play
Even though Sony clearly dominates video game retail, the techno giant understands that complacency is the first step on the road to third place -- just ask Nintendo. Sony is actively engaging in a little flattery/imitation, taking aim at Nintendo's stranglehold on go-go gaming with their PSP (PlayStation Portable) and lifting the hard drive from Microsoft's Xbox. But unlike the PSP, which has been quietly pushed back to 2005, Sony is prepping the HDD (hard disk drive) for release next Tuesday. The HDD slides into the back of the PS2, adding a whopping 40GB of disk space to the system. (The Xbox's hard drive is only 8GB.) That's enough memory to hold several DVDs worth of information, and Sony is wasting no time in filling it up. The HDD -- which costs $100 -- comes pre-installed with "Final Fantasy XI," which Sony hopes is the killer-app that moves the add-on off shelves as fast as "SOCOM" moved Network Adapters.
March 18, 2004
GAME REVIEW
'Life' puts action down on the farm
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.
March 11, 2004
GAME REVIEW
New vid in town for adult gamers
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.
April 14, 2003
Video games
`Desert Storm' released amid controversy
"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.
March 25, 2003
Video games
`Legend of Zelda' Links with its glorious past
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.
February 12, 2003
Gaming
'Enter the Matrix' aims to open a new game era
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.
November 27, 2002
Online gaming
SEGA's `Phantasy' connects world – for a price
SEGA wants you online.
September 4, 2002
Super Mario returns after six-year absence
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."
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
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