Amazon.co.uk Review

Ever wondered what would happen if the worlds of Final Fantasy and Disney collided? It’s an odd concept to be sure, but from the most schizophrenic of acorns the mighty gaming oak of Kingdom Hearts has grown. Legendary role-playing game makers Square have been given unprecedented liberties with the entire Disney universe and have created a game featuring everything from The Nightmare Before Christmas to The Little Mermaid. This is odd enough in itself when you have characters as disparate as Tarzan and Donald Duck teaming up, but becomes majorly freaky when Square thrown in a variety of their own characters such as Cloud, Squall, and Aeris from the various Final Fantasy games. But this incongruity has one side benefit in that the storyline behind the game is by necessity rather vague, which seems to have stopped Square from filling three CDs full of their usual New Age whining about Mother Earth. Instead they’ve spent even more time on the graphics, and the end result is a quite stunning 3-D cartoon.

As for the gameplay, it may come as a surprise to learn that it doesn’t actually feature, as all the Final Fantasy games do, turn-based combat. Instead it's essentially a scrolling beat-'em-up-cum-platformer with exactly the kind of complicated Square-style knobs you’d expect. The game may be a little shallow, but it’s an impressive artistic achievement and to be quite frank any title that allows you to magically summon Bambi out of thin air to attack evil demons of the underworld has got to be worth some sort of recommendation. --David Jenkins ... Read more

Reviews (949)

RPG fan or not, you're sure to like this game!
Kingdom Hearts was the first RPG I have ever played, and now, that I have played most of the Final Fantasies, this is still my favourite, along withh FF7. This game is absolutly beautyfiul in every way, from the way the cartoon characters move in their new 3D version to the way this game brings a tropical island to life.

The story starts out on the Destiny Islands, and you play Sora, a 14 year old who lives on the island with his friends Kairi and Riku. Selphie (FF8), Tidus and Wakka (FFX) make appearences as well. After Sora's island is destroyed by the Heartless, a sinister force that can take and destroy people's hearts, he ends up in Traverse Town eher he meets Donald and Goofy. You meet plenty of toher FF and Disney characters here.

They include Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, Cloud, Sephiroth, Pongo and Perdita, Merlin, The Fairy Godmother, Maleficent, The Queen of Hearts, Alice, The Cheshire Cat, The White Rabbit, Card Soldiers, Tarzan, Jane, Clayton, Terk, Kala, Kertchak, Hercules, Hades, Phil, Jafar, Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Iago, Genie, Carpet, Geppetto, Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Ariel, Sebastian, King Triton, Flounder, Flotsam, Jetsam, Jack Skellington, Oogie Boogie, Sally, Zero, the Mayor, Dr. Finkelstein, Lock, Shock, Barrel, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Wendy, Tinker Bell, Mr. Smee, Beast, Belle, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White and Chernabog. There are also 6 Disney summons as well; Simba, Bambi, Dumbo, Tinker Bell, Mushsu and Genie.

If you say you've played the best games on PS2, you haven't played anything until you try this game! Sure, it may seem corny, but trust me, this game is worth the money!

One of the best games I've played in awhile
This game is simply incredible, to start off, the voice cast is exceptional for a video game. Many big names make up the voice crew starting with the main protagonist, a boy named Sora, who is voiced masterfully by Haley Osment. Aeris from FF7 is voiced by Mandy Moore and Sephiroth is voiced by Lance Bass. The Disney Characters are almost all voiced by their commonly known actors, (James Wood and Jodi Benson, etc.)

Many people are skeptical of buying this game because of their natural prejudice against anything made by Disney, if you are one of these people and look at this like looking through a window painted black then you will miss out on one hell of a game!

The gameplay, based around an action RPG combat system where everything occurs in real time, is unlike any other. It's easy to get into but difficult to master, you will have to be able to flip through your item inventory while fighting off baddies and trying to stay alive. The battles vary from casting magic spells on foes from a distance or going toe to toe with the enemy in a clash of swords. Along your way you will encounter Goofy and Donald Duck who will join up with you on your quest, you probably think that sounds wussy but you'll be glad to have them along. Goofy is more of a fighter/defensive character while Donald is more of a caster/offensive character. They are both controlled by computer AI that you can adjust to fit your strategic needs.

The storyline is very unique being that it combines Final Fantasy characters colliding with Disney. It has the usual run off the mill villainry of the evil Disney characters trying to accomplish their wicked schemes in their corresponding worlds. This may sound stereotypical but it is mostly done in an interesting more intriguing way than you would expect. On top of Disney's baddies are Final Fantasy characters that you'll end up fighting, early on you'll have a few mock duels with Tidus, Wakka, and you'll even end up crossing blades with Squall!

I'm still playing through the early stages of the game but from what I've seen so far this will be a title to be remembered.

Keeps you entertained
It has been several years since i have purchased this game, I have been playing this game since 2000, and i am still completly entertained. Replay value is very high. The real time battle sytem of the game will keep you both awake and alert throughout the ENTIRE game. I give the graphics a 4 out of 5, and the cinnematics are splendid. Story line is very deep and will just suck you in. After a couple of hours, you will feel very connected to your character. i can safely say that anyone who purchases this game should be more than stisfied. The only complain i do have is there are not enough CG, and that people who will use special attacks might accidentaly use the wrong one.

this game rules
Kingdom hearts is the best game I have you have to find a way to get it its so much fun....
I OWN IT I THINK ITS HOT

An AWESOME game
I started playing this game when I was 11 and its so much fun, Ive re-played and beaten it 8 times since then (Im 13 now) It has an amazing storyline, one that makes you never want to stop playing. This is probably one of my all time favorite video games, and thats saying a lot :P If you don't like the Final Fantasy series, I still recomend buying this game. There isn't a lot in it about the FF series, just a few of the characters who have minor roles.

This game is also incredibly cheap for how much fun it is. I would definitly get this game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Each installment of the Final Fantasy series has featured strongstorytelling, characterization, and strategic combat, fun minigames, and hoursupon hours of captivating gameplay. The 10th title in the series is noexception. This is the first time a Final Fantasy game has appeared on thePlayStation2, and it takes full advantage of the increased technicalcapabilities.

The story this time concerns Tidus, a blond-haired star of a sport calledBlitzball. While he is playing in a match, Tidus's city is attacked by an evilforce called Sin, and everything is destroyed save Tidus and his guardian Auran.The adventure begins as the pair are somehow transported to another world. Fromhere on, it's standard Final Fantasy gameplay: fight battles, manage experiencepoints, learn new powers, and recruit a motley crew of nonplayer characters tojoin your quest.

The graphics, however, take things to a new level. They are amazing not only fortheir realism, but also for their imaginative art design. The world these heroesinhabit is breathtakingly beautiful, flowing, and full of inventive surprises.You haven't lived until you've surfed cables high in the air, or ridden agraceful airship through the clouds. The stunning effects are on display whenyou use magic in combat, summon gigantic monsters, and use fire columns todevastate your foes.

One new element is voice acting. The innovation yields predictably mixedresults: it's wonderful to hear spoken dialogue rather than read subtitles, butas with most games translated from Japanese, the acting is mediocre andsometimes unintentionally hilarious.

Still, the game's new graphics engine and solid gameplay are sure to please fansof the series waiting to see what Square has in store for them. While FinalFantasy X doesn't offer much innovation, it also doesn't disappoint. Andfortunately, with Final Fantasy XI already in development, the title isstill a misnomer. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Gorgeous graphics
• Epic story line
• Voice acting

• Little innovation
• The voice acting is sometimes laughable

Reviews (1298)

Incredible
My first impression of the game was that it would have a summoner type feel (which isn't bad, but not usual FF to me.) However, the game has a very well done story line. Good voice acting and it flushes out the characters so well that they talk to each other and goof on each other in battle. The graphics are very good, though a little jittering and jagged edges on the vector at times. The cutscenes however are superb, and almost movie like in quality.
The game has a great combat interface, though I am not sure yet if I like the sphere system for gaining skills and abilities.

The storyline seems good so far and I am approximately 10 hours in. The music is very good, but I still think the FF3 soundtrack is the best one ever. Overall this is turning out to be my favorite in all the FF series that I have played.

......Um....Sorry...
A while back, when this game first came out, I wrote a review that was insulting. Well, I was mad, and had to let out some steam. I was wrong. This game is pretty cool....I guess...But it isn't quite Squaresoft quality. I still believe Final Fantasy 9 and Final Fantasy Tactics are the best, but this ones' okay. This one DOES have a neato plot, with the huge plot twist involving "Sin" and the Summoners with their "Final Summoning" Thingy, but Final Fantasy Tactics beats it in the storyline catagory (though definatly not in the graphics catagory, I'll admit to that!). The characters are all right (I still hate Wakka, but Tidus is alright), but Final Fantasy 9 and 3 have awesome characters. So all in all, it is pretty decent, I even feel like playing it (heck, I own it now), but I would've rathered something closer to that of past Final Fantasys.

Pros:
1. Cool plot twist
2. Grand Graphics
3. Voice Overs
4. Blitz Ball is pretty cool
5. Masamune returns!

Cons
1. Plot doesn't kick in for a good while
2. A few horrible characters ruin the cast for me at least
3.
4. Ultima Weapon is no where to be found.....

By the way, I now relieze that Seymore is not at all the main enemy....boy was I ignorant!

Still Not the Final Fantasy
I really enjoyed Final Fantasy X. The storyline is top-notch and the graphics are simply breathtaking, particularly during the cutscenes and summon animations. The new system of upgrading characters (the Sphere Grid) can be a bit confusing at first, but I really liked the way it allows you to develop your characters in any way you desire. The voice acting, something I was a bit worried about prior to playing the game, was very good, with a few exceptions (such as Tromell). My only complaint about this game was the extreme difficulty of some of the side quests, especially the chocobo race (I tried for five hours straight and still couldn't get a perfect time). I was ready to fling my controller through the TV screen in frustration. What I don't understand is why Square made these side quests so difficult when the rest of the game is relatively easy. Also, the ending is absolutely heartbreaking, I literally had tears in my eyes. Come on, Square, after playing this for so many hours, I think most people out there would like to see a happy ending for our heroes! All in all, this was an outstanding game, a must for any RPG fans and FF fans. The best FF since 8 (in my opinion, FFX was much better than FFIX). Buy it now.

Great graphics, absorbing story, and deep characters!
Before I played this game, I had heard of the Final Fantasy games from friends and whatnot, but I did not know what was so special about it. Last week, I decided to purchase Final Fantasy X to see for myself. I began playing the game not knowing what to expect - I was greeted with an intro scene of several well-animated characters (who I could only assume I would learn more about them in the game) gathered around a campfire. No sooner had I begun playing did I realize what the game was actually like - the gameplay follows more or less around the story of Tidus, a star player of Blitzball (something like under-water soccer) who is thrust into a world a thousand years into the future following an encounter with Sin (a huge marine creature that harbors smaller creatures atop its body). Tidus meets with numerous characters, most importantly Yuna, a summoner (a sort of magical-religious figure) and helps her on her journey to defeat Sin (which has plagued mankind for the past thousand years). You also meet numerous other characters including Wakka, the captain of the Besaid Aurochs (a blitzball team), Rikku of the Al-Bhed (other-language-speaking race of humans), and Auron (childhood guardian of Tidus). As you progress through the game, you learn of every character's past and present, and their relation to eachother, and the story unfolds. These characters play important roles in the game as well, most prominently in the numerous battles with fiends your party will meet along the way. These battles are fought in a fast, turn-based style and your characters are able to better their skills and learn new abilities. Anyways, this game holds a great story with a huge world and is among the best titles you can own for your ps2.

this game is the best ever
my cousin had this game while i was at his house and i would have to say it is one of the best final fantasies yet(aside from ff7)it has awesome graphics and tidas is a little annoying.but is has more cutscenes than play time. its a fun game. anyone that is a rpg gamer should try it ... Read more

Reviews (592)

At last, the hero isn't some insensitive jerk!
Final Fantasy IX has to be one of the best video games I've ever played in a long time. I've played a lot of RPGs, and while I still think Enix has the best storylines, Squaresoft never fails to please its audience with a fine game.

After the inconsistent reviews of the outcome of Final Fantasy VIII, I can understand how the sales were rather sluggish at first. I personally don't hold anything against number VIII, I rather liked it. But I can also understand why people didn't like VIII, since certain points rather bugged me about it, too.

The storyline is unlike any other. It goes back to its routes in medieval times with dragons, castles, towns and four party members. Every character has their own class: Thief, Mage, Fighter, etc. It kind of takes away the joy of equipping magic in Final Fantasy VII, but also takes away the pain of the constant drawing of the magic in Final Fantasy VIII.

And the idea of the main hero being a complete jerk was realized by Square that it's time for a change. In this one, the hero is some optimistic flirt, which I honestly prefer over the anti-social pessemist...

The plot in this game has many more twists than it did in Final Fantasy VIII, in which it was rather linear. Instead of being hesitant to starting a new game, you'll want to get on it right away after completing it to see certain things that you may have missed that you missed in your previous game.

Final Fantasy IX is a very good game for anybody to own. I honestly think that everybody should have a chance to play it. It's still debatable about how Zidane's appearance confused people if he was either male or female, but it's still fun to enjoy.

Some of the old with some of the new
This...This game... its one of the greatest games out there for the playstation. This is probably the best I've played since Final Fantasy VII. First let me explain the game. This is kinda a mixture between just about every final fantasy. The main villian is somewhat of a mixture between Sephiroth(FF7) and Kefka(FF6). Gaining magic and abilities is like when you junction a GF(FF8). The job systen hasn't really returned but there is a black mage. Charaacters have there own skills, but what one downside is that not everyone can use magic. For example Zidane can steal but he can't use any magic other then his skills, while Vivi is the only character that can use black magic and Dagger and Eiko are the only characters skilled in white magic and summoning. See? The rest will be explained when you get the game. Also learning magic. As i said its like Junctioning a GF from FFVIII, only to use them you must equip the proper weapons armor and accessories. This prompts you not to sell anything. Next is you can now combine weapons at a Synth shop. This also makes you not want to sell weapons. The music is nice and fitting and the story is pretty good. There are 8 characters in this one and they all prove useful in there own sort of way. The game also takes time to recomend which row they should be in. Also the Draw system has been eliminated and the MP system has been restored. Sorry to say that until you get to disk 3 you can't really choose who will be in and who will be out. Next is that the villian does have a pretty good purpose for the crisis in this one. I didn't find this to be as easy as FFVIII either (at least it took me more then 5 days to get to disc 4). Well enough said for now i think thats about it. Well lets see...

Graphics-10 Gameplay-10 Music-9.5 Story-9.5 estimated time to beat the game-40-60 hours.

Overall-9.8

8 rubbish,this good?
im sorry,but the person who put down number 8 is servierly incorrect.i bought this game when it first came out and took it back a couple of days after due to the firm belief that it was indeed aimed at young children.everything about it was,well,crap.the boss battles were comically simple,with the player left baffled with the limited options you have.attack attack repeat until dead.ff8 was a masterpiece,like 7.there was a plot to it,it just took time to understand,it was more complex.......not a simple 'save the princess' story.the characters in this game were terrible.for children.im gonna pick this up again cheap,to give it another chance,it was years since i played it,but i dont think il change my opinion.

All of you FF people, get a life!!
Am I the only one on this website who hates FF in general? This is like any other RPG, boring, tedious, overrated, and annoying. Why do people love FF so much? When I tried to play it I got bored because you know why, I had to walk around looking for stuff and teaming up with sorcerers, trolls, and mages. What the hell is a mage? Why so many medieval elements in it? You rarely engage an enemy, and when you do, you take turns fighting, how stupid!! Just do yourself a favor, play Star Wars:Shadows of the Empire or Halo. If you have a PSX, ditch it and get an N64 with Shadows. If you have a PS2, ditch it and get XBOX with Halo and a life.

Killer game from start to end
FF9 is an awesome ass game from start to finish. This game brings back alot of stuff from the original FF games. Some moves are brought back, some characters are brought back, and the world and towns are brought back to the way they were.The game is just so cool because it's so much like the originals but it has good graphics and a deeper storyline. FF7 and FF8 were good but they just weren't like the originals. I illustrate the original thing so much because I really like the the original and typical FF feel.There is absolutely no downside to this game because it looks great, brings back old things like: moves, music, look, and characters, and it makes for an awesome ass gaming experience from start to end. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Medal of Honor: Frontline marks the debut of the Medal of Honor franchise on the PlayStation2. In Frontline, you go behind enemy lines as Lieutenant Jimmy Patterson. Your missions include the D-day assault on Omaha Beach, tracking your Nazi nemesis aboard a speeding armored train, the epic battle for control of the Nijmegen Bridge, a strategic choke point in the Allied drive into the heart of Nazi Germany, and a top-secret, high-risk mission to steal the Ho IX flying wing. The Ho IX is an experimental Nazi jetfighter so powerful it could turn the tide of World War II.

There are 20 levels of gameplay spread across six major missions, all based on real World War II events and all adding up to one complete and uninterrupted story line. Fully realized and highly-detailed 3-D environments include six times the number of nonplayer character animations as in the original Medal of Honor. The game includes detailed German, British, and American troops, as well as Dutch civilians, all with full facial expressions and lip synch. More than 20 authentic WWII weapons include the Colt .45, Springfield sniper rifle, Panzerschreck rocket launcher, MG42 mounted machine gun, and the Browning automatic rifle. Enemy vehicles include panzer and tiger tanks, trucks, motorcycles with sidecars, and armored railway scout cars. There are also player-driven motorized railcars, trains, and mine carts.

An improved enemy AI requires you to consistently vary your attack strategy as the situation dictates. Go it alone to accomplish your mission with the utmost stealth or work as part of a highly trained military unit to wreak havoc on the enemy. The game offers intense noncombat scenarios as well, such as a disguised, weaponless infiltration of an officer's pub brimming with Gestapo to make contact with a Dutch Resistance operative. Medal of Honor: Frontline includes more than 70 minutes of original orchestral music from composer Michael Giacchino, and the game as a whole features eight times more audio than the original Medal of Honor. ... Read more

Reviews (453)

Rent this one first
Pros: Good graphics, long levels, and can be very challenging on the harder difficulty settings. The levels are very imaginitive and realistic. (The first level makes you feel like you are thrust into the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan). The weapons selection is quite extensive. The music, sounds, and voice acting are very good. The cinema between levels is well done and very interesting.

Cons: Game play is awkward and downright frustrating at times. The controls take some getting used to and the chaos of the first level makes jumping into the game somewhat difficult. Another annoying quirk is that sometimes you find enemies beyond your visual range shooting at you (even if you search with a scope of a sniper rifle). All you hear are gun shots and your health going down and you have no idea where they are coming from. Also, some levels are very long and you can only save between levels (i.e., you get killed toward the end of a tough level, get ready to start over....)

Overall, the game is fun but definitely a rental in my opinion. If you are coming over from PC and like MOA:AA or Wolfenstein (like me) then I would definitely recommend renting. Not having a mouse for precision aiming makes really detracts from a PC gamers enjoyment. You end up getting frustrated with the awkward controler aiming and bull rushing the enemy with an automatic weapon..... If you want a good FPS, get an Xbox and Halo. Unfortunately, this game falls well short of that mark.

Solid, fun FPS
I finished this game a while ago, but after buying and being disappointed by the sequel, Rising Sun, it's worth mentioning that this is a great game.

This game is tougher, more realistic, and more fun than Rising Sun. Rising Sun's only advantage is the multiplayer mode. Criminally, the PS2 version of Frontline doesn't have multiplayer, yet the X Box version does. It's an awesome feature that they cheaped out on.

The opening on D Day is amazing. They haven't topped it yet. The game is a decent enough challenge. One complaint is that it's too linear, like the EA Bond games. You can't steer the wrong way, period. The violence is top notch, but this being EA, it's rated T so there's no blood, no gore. I don't understand how you make a WWII game with historical accuracy and a ridiculous amount of killing and then try to clean it up and sanitize it like a comic book. This was WWII.

It's actually fun playing with older weapons in a fps and comparing the American and German arms. The sound is great, especially in the opening. You also hear plenty of German from the enemy and a little bit of swearing (in German) apparently.

This game is still highly recommended. It's a lot of fun and provides a decent enough fps challenge. It's superior to Rising Sun for sure.

Yet another fumble by Electronic Arts.
For the past couple of years I've watched Electronic Arts, formerly one of the most reliable game companies on the scene, squander its reputation with game after game filled with relentless B.S. I gave it another shot with Medal of Honor Frontline, because it was part of the franchise I'd played for a long time and I thought, how bad could it be?

I should have remembered that the last two Medal of Honors I've played, Spearhead (for PC) and Infiltrator (for Gameboy Advance), both sucked. Frontline was the first time since Medal of Honor Underground that I played this game on a console. It should have felt like home -- instead, it felt like I was playing Spearhead without a mouse. What caused them to mess up the control scheme so badly, I can't tell. But now your character aims blindly thanks to a touchy-feely right analog stick. I've had to do much more minute aiming adjustments in Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, targeting distant enemies in the head, and I found it even harder here, though the enemy is just several steps away from me. From the first level, I bumbled about blindly because foolishly, the game designers now rely mostly on sound to let you know where to go. Not that bad a thing, except they botched the sound mix. Rule of thumb in sound mixing: Music and effects should never, never drown out dialogue. Here, your superiors' instructions are neatly covered up in the gunfire, overloud music, and ambience. From the beginning, I had to run around the beach while under enemy fire, looking for scattered teammates who were supposed to be yelling and waving at me to reach them. Well, I can't hear them, and since there's no radar, I had to rely on blind luck to find them. A very dumb flaw, easily fixable, but neglected. Did they actually *test* this thing on real players?

As with 90 per cent of games these days, the lighting looks good, and the music is great. But once again, this game qualifies as a good-looking, good-sounding product that flunks its grade on mechanics. I don't feel like I'm in control of my character. Nothing is more of a drag than that. I should've listened to my instinct and passed on this one. I regret even the reduced price I'd paid for it . Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor Underground were such classics, it's baffling how EA managed to botch it all up.

a pretty good game
This game is good. U get to go on exciting missions and levels. There are a lot of guns that u can chhose from and submachine guns to let off some steam. but the game is way too short. aiming is also harder than it is on the PC. I think Allied Assualt was better than Frontline mainly because itwas on the pc. the game has challenging spots like the first level in which u could barely hear what u r supposed to do. the places in which to complete objectives can be hard to find especially in cities. But the objectives appear on the start menu and if u clik select you can get hints about where to find stuff. Overall i think the game is good.

MOH: Frontline
extremely good game, it is one of my favorites and always will be. the only problem i have is sometimes if you kill a soldier he will switch to his idle look and bullets pass through him. (it happens very rarely) ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Feel the rush of flying down the open road in a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, or some other exclusive automobile re-created in loving tribute. Oh, and you're being chased by some of the fastest cops on the roadways. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 features more than 20 of the world's greatest supercars rendered in awesome detail. The immersive environments are full of downpours, intense sunlight, storms, and blizzards. The crashes are spectacular and include realistic damage. Incredible graphics effects include detailed reflections, lighting effects, and particle physics. Police pursuit ranges from a single police cruiser to an intensive manhunt with a full squad of cars, choppers, and roadblocks. Traffic and police combine to create exciting situations unique to nonrace track environments. The gameplay is fast and furious, with simulated speeds of 170 mph (running 60 frames per second) through realistic traffic situations. There is an extensive reward path with upgraded cars, new courses, new race modes, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (137)

NFS:2 = My Favorite Car Racing Game
NFS:2 is one of the most fun driving/racing games to hit PS2 in years. Sure Grand Turismo set the mark several years back... but NFS:2 is blood pumping, arcade style, simplistic, brainless FUN. Incredible graphics with amazing reflections and lighting effects (the sun does get in your eyes). Cops trying to bust you for speeding and wreckless driving with road blocks, spike strips and helicopters dropping exploding barrels. 49 different cars (if the Porsche is available in the early stages GRAB IT). 24 different tracks. All kinds of weather conditions. Semi-realistic crashes with real damage to your cars. Several different challenge modes with the best being "You're The Cop". Cool replays with perfect camera angles. Slow motion 360 degree shots of your car plowing thru police road blocks. Jump cams. Simple controls... anyone can play. Great music & sound effects. Not one thing wrong with this game!

Whoa!
When I got Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 on 10/11/02 I thought wow this game will be the bomb! And it was!

It has the best graphics in the world!
The cops are very dangerous and drive as badly as you do! They send helicopters that drop bombs on you, fire missiles at you, and drop mini spike strips in front of you! The cops also set up roadblocks and spike strips to keep you from breaking the law.
The damage is realistic, but your car doesn't get all bashed up if you run into a tree at 221 miles per hour!
There is a lot of traffic, so you'd better watch out!
I have beaten the game a long time ago, so I know the cars are:
The McLaren F1, F1 LM, Ferrari F50, 550 Barchetta Pininfarina, 360 Spider, Lamborghini Murcielago, Diablo, the new 911 Turbo, the concept Carrera Gt, Mercedes-Benz Clk-Gtr, Cl 55 Amg, Ford TS50, Mustang, Lotus Elise, Opel Speedster, Vauxhall VX220, BMW M5, Z8, Holden HSV Gts, Jaguar XKR, Aston Martin Vanquish, Chevrolet Corvette, and the Dodge Viper!
Need for Speed addition cars have special colors and improve performance:
NFS Vanquish, NFS Elise, NFS Cl 55, NFS Clk-Gtr, NFS Speedster, NFS VX220, NFS HSV, NFS XKR, Challenge NFS Ferrari 360 Modena, NFS F50, NFS 550, NFS Mustang, NFS TS50, NFS Viper, NFS Corvette, NFS Diablo, NFS Murcielago, NFS 911, NFS Carrera, NFS F1, and The NFS F1 LM!
These are the cars the police will have:
Pursuit Ford Crown Victoria, Pursuit Mustang, Pursuit M5, Pursuit Corvette, and a Pursuit Murcielago!
The ways you could win these are to win an event or get enough points!
To get points is to get air, run a roadblock, lead a lap, drive a clean lap (don't run into anything), accelerate to top speed, or beat the cops!
The fastest you could go is 240 M.P.H. with any one of the McLarens!
You must buy this game!

yoyoyo
this game is by far one of the best racers ever. i loved the first hot pursuit. i liked how you earned money to fix/upgrade your car after winning a race. this did not return for the second hot pursuit game, but they kept everything else good about the game. there are great graphics, especially if you played the computer version first. much better version on the ps2. the cars are great, and the cops are ruthless. while this game is very well made, they could have added more to it to make it more intertaining, like maybe more speech from the police, you know, commical stuff. you will get many hours of sheer joy playing this game. the gameplay itself is very good. you can plan to take a shortcut or other way to get around roadblocks and completely through the police off. the slowmotion on jumps and crashes are also very intertaining. in my opinion the ps2 has the two best racing games, this one and gran turismo 3.

break the law, and feel damn good about it!
This game is responsible for single handedly sparking my affection for both racing games, and real life exotics. For most of us average joe gamers, this is the closest we will ever get to actually driving all of these beuaties. The game has awesome graphics for its time, featuring plenty of shiny reflections off the car, as well as puddles down the road. There really is no feeling like behind the wheel of the McLaren F1, only about 10 still exist to this day in the entire world! If you like to feel like a bad ass, and get an unbelievable adrenaline surge at the same time, look no further, outstanding!

Fun game. And no technical problems.
This is one of my favorite racing game, second only to Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. The one advantage over Porsche Unleashed is the wider variety of car manufacturers and the hot pursuit option (i.e., being chased by or chasing as a cop). Some people reported problems with crashes and I think the best way to get around that is to use an older version of your graphic driver. I use the Nvidia denotator version 30.82 and DirectX 8.1 and the game was super smooth (even on a 1Ghz PC).

The one reason why I think this game lose points to Porsche Unleashed is the car physics engine. The cars are too similar in handling. The Porsche, which supposedly has a distinct handling, doesn't seem to move like it should. In Porsche Unleashed, the physics is more realistic and more varied between the cars. The tracks in Hot Pursuits are good and all of them have shortcuts, which are best used to evade cops. I wished there were more shortcuts though, since the cops can easily catch up to you and cause huge annoyances. I also would like to see more tracks, especially a "race track" style track like in F1 or the Monte Carlo races in Porsche Unleashed. Overall, I recommend this game for those who likes modern cars (like the Murcielago) driving through nice sub-urban areas. Those who enjoy the thrill of being pursued by cops (not advised in real life) would like this game as well. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the first third-person action-adventure game based on the international hit TV series. Players take on the role of Buffy Summers, a 17-year-old high-school student who must balance adolescent growing pains with the responsibility of being the Chosen One. As the slayer, Buffy eliminates vampires and other demonic creatures that threaten the world's existence. It's up to you to save the human race from being "drained" during this devilish time.

Fortunately, Buffy is not alone. Her friends help her solve mysteries and watch her back. Fans of the series will recognize the voices of favorite characters including Angel, Xander, Willow, Cordelia, Spike, the Master, and Giles.

Players fight a range of enemies including Spike, the Master, Drusilla, demons, zombies, and other supernatural creatures that threaten mankind. All of Buffy's favorite haunts are richly detailed: Sunnydale High School, the cemetery, the Bronze nightclub, and the library, which is the portal that sits atop the Hellmouth. Special supernatural effects such as morphing creatures, eldritch explosions, dynamic fogging, and arcane spell casting enhance the dark, mythical setting of the game. An intelligent combat system allows enemies to perform counterattacks and learn from character's fighting techniques. ... Read more

Reviews (99)

Buffy Kicks [Booty]
A truly enjoyable game offering up something for everyone. You don't have to be a fan of the show to appreciate this game. If you are a fan, you will recognize all of the characters/locations and there are a few inside jokes strewn about for your enjoyment too. The controls are easy to master and the objectives are clearly laid out at the start of each level. As you progress, you will learn new slayer moves and obtain new weapons. All the major characters are voiced by the actors with the not-so-notable exception of Buffy. I say not-so-noticable because the voice for the character of Buffy sounds almost as good as the original. This game is fun, pure and simple. The ONLY complaint I have is the fact that Buffy's jumping abilities are limited and there are a few levels that make this a big issue. Still, don't miss out on this game. It's worth every penny.

Well worth the purchase!
This is an excellent game. I'm a Buffy fan and I bought this game on Amazon.com before I ever played it since the reviews were so good, but I love the game so much now I needed to write my own. The gameplay is superb and the atmosphere is certainly true to the series. No, Sarah Michelle Gellar's voice is not in the game, but that's only a minor drawback. In fact, you'd almost never know it since the imitation is dead-on. It really feels like you are controlling Buffy.

The game feels a lot like Tomb Raider, to be sure, but you will almost forget that series ever existed once you get into this game. The fighting is just great, and the levels are richly detailed. There's lots of funny dialog as well (especially when Buffy meets with Zander, Cordelia, Willow and the gang), though it does get a little repetitive at times. But overall, the game is awesome. There really is little that I can say negatively about this game.

You'll love honing your skills as you kick the [stuff]out of the baddies, and as you progress the fights only get better. The game gets increasingly more challenging as you progress through the levels, especially towards the end. In fact, you will be frustrated near the end since you'll have to perform several very difficult jumps in which you are CERTAIN to die. But trust me, that's a good thing. You will feel much more proud of your accomplishments once you've dusted the Master and thus have beaten the game.

One final bonus: you MUST get the code off the net to unlock the secret arena mode. This provides an incredible amount of replay value, and you'll love playing against your friends. Buffy vs. Dark Buffy is the best!

OK, you can stop reading reviews now. Believe me, you should buy this game. You will love it!

Buffy at its best!!!!
This is by far a much better game than chaos bleeds. I have heard that the collective is working on a few new projects. I really hope one of them is a true sequal to Buffy. Buy this game it is worth every penny!!!

Buffy is just... AAAUUUGGH!
This game is GREAT! I love everything about it! If it had 6 stars, I'd definetly pick that. It is great! Voices, moves, everything! BUY THIS GAME NOW! NOW!!!

Fun for fans and non-fans of the show alike
It should be noted that Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the game based on the wildly successful TV series of the same name, is definitely not a hack-and-slash. Simply mashing buttons won't get you very far in the game, and you won't want to be mashing buttons.

The wonderful thing about Buffy is that there are so many ways to kill your enemies. From pointy sticks sticking out from the wall or exploding barrels, the game succeeds in not becoming too repetitive, as in kick kick, punch punch, stake in the heart. Once you discover the many ways of slaying the vampires, you'll want to pause and look around for the different hazards you can throw your unfortunate enemies into.

The controls are very easy to learn, with a minor gripe being that the control to open doors or to pick up and activate objects is the same button used to drive whatever weapon in your hand through the vampire.

It should also be noted that you won't just be toting a stake. At different points in the game, you'll find spears, shovels, brooms and other assorted goodies that add variety, a common theme in the game.

The graphics are standard fare, there's nothing that special to speak of in the game, except for the character models, which look quite good. It looks as good as any other platform action game would, and it's hard to complain about it. The environments are somewhat interactive, but can get bland after awhile.

The voice acting might be a big draw here for some people. Sarah Michelle Gellar is the only main character who didn't lend their voice to the game, as the voices of Xander, Angel, Spike, Giles, Cordelia and Willow are all here. The actress replacing Buffy's voice is a very close match to the real thing. Unfortunately, during the game you will tire of her repetitive sayings, such as "Oh, go kiss daylight." Also, the vampires themselves will get very repetitive with their words, though they begin to vary as you advance further in the game.

The camera is a little spotty in some parts, such as enclosed rooms at the end of a hallway. However, the camera tries its best to give you the entire view.

All in all, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is definitely worth a rental, and is good for some wholesome single-player fun. Certainly not a classic for years to come, but definitely a worthy game for the TV series. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

There's road rage, and then there's road rage Simpsons style! D'oh! Mr. Burns is up to his greedy ways again. He's purchased Springfield's transit corporation and heinously jacked up the fares. Refusing to shell out for the new rates, the road rage ensues. You'll take on commuters and jam-packed back routes, all in an effort to help buy back the corporation before time runs out.

More than 25 Simpsons characters climb behind the wheel or wander the streets begging for a ride. "Eat my shorts, dude!" Careen through timesaving shortcuts and take on terrain including hills, mountains, and forests. Wreak havoc in five Springfield neighborhoods that include landmarks such as Moe's Bar and the nuclear power plant. Busy traffic and wayward pedestrians confound your rage. However, two-wheel leans, speed starts, power slides, and other cool car physics help you release that rage.

Multiple game modes let you go head-to-head in two-player split-screen action that challenges your opponent in a race for the next passenger, or you can steal his or her passenger midride! Complete up to 60 unique passenger deliveries in story mode, or take a leisurely Sunday drive through the fair Springfield. A bonus system lets you unlock cars and specific characters, while intuitive menus make this game easy to play. As Homer would say, "If it's hard to do, it's not worth doing!" ... Read more

Reviews (152)

Rent, don't buy
This game is fun, especially if you're a Simpsons' fan. Basically, you race around Springfield as one of up to 17 characters and in one of six locations, picking up people and racing to drop them off somewhere else on time, sometimes avoiding hitting other cars, sometimes trying to devastate the town to earn extra time and money. As you earn money by driving people around, you unlock the locations and characters. There are also some missions in which you basically try to run over a certain number of objects in a certain span of time. The ultimate goal is to earn a million dollars (about 100 attempts) to run Mr. Burns' nuclear buses out of business.

The game is quite fun out of the box. Apparently, the actors recorded speech for the game and the quips are amusing (if occasionally non sequiturs). The cars are amusing and Springfield is amazingly detailed. For a fan, it's especially entertaining as it contains a lot of side references to the series that you will appreciate if you are a devotee. Those not terribly fluent in the Simpsons will still like it (you wouldn't be buying it if you didn't like the show) but won't appreciate the little details a Simpson's nutcase (like myself) will.

However, the fun wears off rather quickly. The game is repetitive. And the victory animation is disappointing. The missions are especially poor - you figure out what path to take in order to complete the mission in the alloted time, then keep doing it over and over (and over) again until you get it right. BOR-ING!

It might be worth buying if you really like driving games. But I would highly recommend renting before you commit...

This game rocks the house!!
I love the Simpsons, and I've been watching the show since I was like, two years old. Well I got this game for Christmas, and for the cheap cheap price, you cant go wrong.

There are 4 modes. Road Rage, Sunday Drive, Mission Mode, and Head to Head.

In Road Rage mode, you can pick a Simpson to drive around town to pick up and deliver passengers, like Dr. Nick, Moe, Ralph Wiggum, Snake, and almost all of the more popular characters in the show. I think its like, 30 or something. Once you drop off a passenger, you collect a tip. You have to earn $1,000,000 to buy back the bus company from Mr. Burns, since his nuclear powered buses are a health hazard. When you earn certain amounts of money, you can unlock new characeters like Willie, Chief Wiggum or Apu, or you can earn new locations, like The Springfield Dam, or Power Plant. This is increbibly fun, and what the characters say is hilarious. I also like that you can destroy half the things in the game!!

In Sunday Drive, you can drive around in an un-timed game. You can destroy stuff, look for shortcuts, or pick up passengers to see the fastest routes so you're ready when you play Road Rage mode.

Mission Mode is the worst part of the game. The missions are hard and boring. You have to, in one mission, knock over 12 paper bins on the sides of the street in under a minute. It takes many times to do, and you have to wait forever for it to load between tries. Boo mission mode!

Head to Head is awesome. Its like Road Rage mode, but you are against a friend, with no time limit. Get the passenger before your opponent does, and bring him or her to the location. But the fun kicks in when you and the oher player are driving side by side, trying to ram each other to steal the passenger!!

So all in all, The Simpsons Road Rage, is an awesome game because of the awesome characters, awesome locations, and awesome fun.

road rage is great but could be even better
POSITIVES:

Road rage is great fun. I have found myself playing hours and hours at a time! The game, no doubt about it, soars over more traditional and, shall we say, less chaotic racing games. The missions are fun too. It will surely stay as a favorite game for a long time. Then, there are the

NEGATIVES:

This game takes forever to load. In the missions, I find myself striving harder than ever to complete them, because if you fail, this is how it goes: Press RETRY > Wait about three minutes > Play another one and a half version, and then start again if you fail. Ditto with the actual game. I also find the Sunday Drive feature relatively pointless.

Other than that, I love this game and will readily recommend it. Oh yeah, the Head 2 Head rocks!!!!!!!!*_-

Just an Average Video Game.
THE SIMPSON'S ROAD RAGE starts off really fun and exciting. The premise of the game is that Mr. Burns has bought the Springfield bus transit system and it's causing more chaos in Springfield than normal. So, the citizens (led by Homer) decide to fight back and buy back the bus system. They start their own taxi service and need to raise a million dollars to buy the buses back from Burns. There are a total of six levels, five of which can be unlocked as you earn more money. Also, as you earn more money you can unlock more vehicles. Different characters drive the different vehicles. As you drive along, you can smash into lots of different things: knocking over trees, billboards, mailboxes, signs, etc. This game is great to play if you're a Simpsons fan because you get to see Springfield in much more detail than you do on the show. The negatives about the game are that it is quite repetitive and it takes an extensive long haul or a tedious intensive amount of game play (depending on how much time you have and you're gaming style) to beat the game. The sayings each character says are funny at first but after the 100th time of hearing the characters say the same thing, it becomes somewhat annoying. Also, you have to have 2 game cards to play the multiplayer mode and when you only have one game card and two people want to play, it can be aggravating. The game also has a slow load up time so that after you finish a round, it takes about 3-5 minutes before you get to play again.

There is a mission mode on the game as well. It consists of 10 differet missions that are fairly easy to beat (I thought Grandma at the dam and Homer at Burns' mansion were the most difficult levels). If you beat all 10 levels a secret vehicle is unlocked.

THE SIMPSONS ROAD RAGE can be a lot of fun to play. It's basically an average racing video game that's more interesting because of the characters and setting. However, it would make a nice gift for any Simpsons fan and is fun to play on a rainy day.

These is just like the cab missions in GTA vice city
I loved the simpsons so I played this and was broed in 5 mins.The only good thing in this game is the charcters.The graphics aren't great either. The game my look great but don't full in to the same trap I did. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Though it lacks the dramatic intensity of the FinalFantasy series--the crown prince of console role-playinggames--SquareSoft's Legend of Mana still satisfies with its beautifulhand-drawn sets and its innovative nonlinear gameplay.

Billed as the sequel to the Super Nintendo's Secrets of Mana,Legend of Mana's story contains more than 60 self-containedminiquests, but generally the goal is to restore the world's Mana, orlife energy. Gamers won't need to be obsessive about winning all thequests, but there are some challenges that must be completed if youwish to reach the final showdown. The game begins as players chooseeither a male or female lead character while a map displays the newlands within the world of Fa'Diel. In each of these lands, players willfind items and clues they can use in other lands. The fragmented natureof the game can be disorienting for gamers looking for quickgratification. A diary can be used to keep track of current miniquests,while an encyclopedia neatly organizes the vast amount of story playersuncover. Due to the vast nature of this game's plot, you'll likely needthese features to stay focused on your quests.

Anime fans will be wowed by the character design and beautifullyillustrated storybook backgrounds. The game includes aPokémon-style monster-raising element, which issurprising for a teen-rated RPG, but it works well. --PorterHall

Pros:

• Pokémon-style monster raising adds nice nurturing element toRPG tasks
• Nonlinear quest system makes story engrossing
• Stunning hand-drawn backgrounds

Cons:

• Music is at times absurdly overdramatic
• Second player controls character only during battle

Reviews (123)

Square's latest Gem proves to be vastly entertaining.
First of all, I'd like to say something to all those people who say "This isn't a sequel to Secret of Mana--it stinks." Of course it isn't a sequel! There is a game between Secret of Mana and Legend of Mana, it just didn't come out in America, it's called Seiken Denjetsu 3, Secret of Mana was 2, and Legend of Mana is 4--just to clear that up.

Second, I'm goin to have to say that this game has the most beautiful 2D graphics I've ever seen. They're hand-drawn, and they look something like those of Saga Frontier 2, but more detailed. For those of you who don't like 2D things, this game may very well change your mind.

The Storyline in this game is.... well, relatively non-existent. There are 69 sub-quests in this game which help determine the overall story which is buried deep inside somewhere. The game doesn't focus on any one concept, or any one villain. It is just made up of a lot of sub-quests. Depending on which Sub-quests you do, you'll meet new characters, find new artifacts, etc...

Legend of Mana uses the most innovative 'world creation' system i've seen yet. In the game, you find magical artifacts which when triggered, construct a city, dungeon, or new area... you decide where you put the new area, and you basically create everything in the game. Depending on where you use the artifact, the story will change. You also make your own weapons, and armor, which is unique.

The Battle System in Legend of Mana is kind of cool... There are no menus, and it is fought in real-time. You go to another screen for battle, but you can move your characters freely around the battlefield. Instead of menus, you assign different abilities to buttons. eg: strong attack, weak attack, special ability. I found this battle system needed a little getting used-to, but proved to be very successful and fun in the end.

The only flaw i see in this game is the fact that there is no main storyline, and this may disappoint some gamers--and it shares few similarities with Secret of Mana, which may also disappoint many gamers. But other than those flaws, I'd say that this is an excellent game with tons of replay value, because there are so many things you can do.

Beautiful, but...
I've been a big fan of the Seiken Densetsu Series for a very long time (Final Fantasy Adventure, Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3 (which never made it to America, sadly...)), so when I heard that Seiken Densetsu 4 - Legend of Mana was actually being released in the US, I rushed out to buy it. I must admit, it was a lot of fun to play, and, even though the translation was terrible and the storylines confusing to follow, the game was fun. The Instrument, Golem, and Weapon/Armor creation systems were innovative, but EXTREMELY confusing--the weapon system is so extensive that there was no rhyme or reason, or explanation to the "powers" certain tempering items gave to weapons. Not that I wanted a system that was laid out nicely for me--that would have been boring--rather, I would have preferred to be able to figure it out at least. As for the Magic System, using different Instruments was innovative; however, being able to fire off a spell as often as you'd like kind of made the game super-easy.
As for the storylines, the three major plotlines can be followed in any order--so bosses and enemies were not as hard as they should have been (I think I actually died once through the whole game, and I was brought immediately back to the same battle upon continuing). NPC's were never with you long enough to build up sufficiently, and monsters or golems were all but useless--I found it was my hero who did all of the work. Despite the ease of the battles, the stories were very involved and intricate--full of twists and turns that you wish could have been better explored (or better explained, sometimes).
Despite the aforementioned problems, the game was fun and absolutely breathtaking visually--watercolor backgrounds, intricate sprites, beautiful spell effects--who needs 3D when 2D can be so visually pleasing?
So, if you're looking for a graphically intense but challenge-lacking game, go for this one. Just don't go for New Game+, because it goes from all too easy to entirely too difficult...

My Favorite Game
This game is absolutely amazing! The music is beautiful, the graphics are nice, and best of all, the plots are good. In this game, rather than one long plot, there are three arcs, along with many smaller ones.

This game packs awesome replay value, I myself have played over 200 hours of it. If you think the plot is 'dumb', that is obviously because you did not look hard enough. This game shoots pass other games with flying colors - the stories behind it are simply superior. This is _NOT_ a game where everything is laid out for you to see, so you can just say, 'Oh, I understand.'

Do not mistaken my frustration for anger or spite. Sometimes it's fun to just watch the plot unravel, instead of actually using your mind to follow it. I just cannot stand people criticizing this game because there is 'no plot', or 'it's too boring'. No.

This game is excellent. =]

A decent game but 3.5 stars
This is a very nice game, but much like alot of other Squaresoft sequels (Chrono Cross) it's best if you try not to think of this as a sequel and rather just a fresh new game.

This game could've been better had there been a few changes. For one, the story is pretty non-existant, and two the gameplay goes down after a while.

The game is sometimes repetetive. You run around and you fight enemies. This is fun for a while, but they really should've done this the way that Secret of Mana did. Rather than forcing you into virtually every battle there could be in the game, they should've made it more of a free-for-all type thing. You run into an enemy and you've no choice but to fight. You can't run away either.

Also, I remember Secret of Mana being one of the hardest RPGs I ever played. This element is lost in this one as it's too easy. You're completely healed after battle to (literally) 100% health and should you die you can start the battle over right on the spot. If your CPU partner dies then you can easily just stall the enemy until they sort of "auto-revive". Where's the fun in the game if there is no difficulty?

The game had a lot of quests to do and a lot of fun at first. It was really something I could get into. I could raise my own pets, make my own weapons and armor (though not a good idea since it makes the game VERY easy), go through the game in over 100 different ways! There is no set path for this game. You've got to explore! This sounds bad but really, this is what RPGs are all about. Exploring a new world.

However, the game is severely drowned in sub-plots. Sure, Escad's storyline and Elazul's story along with the Jewel Hunter's were really nice...but what about your main character? What is his/her story? What are YOU, the main character, fighting for? Sure it's laid out in the beginning of the game but it makes no sense and therefore the overall plot and point of the game was left to be forgotten, as there is no mention to saving the world, and the event before the final dungeon leaves little answers.

I liked playing on two player, even if player two doesn't have a big role. But it's stupid that your second character, rather it's a CPU or a human, you absolutely CANNOT change up their equipment! To me this takes the fun out of raising your characters in a unique way as Legend of Mana is full of exploration and excitement.

The game had FABULOUS music and artwork animations and that's mainly what made me want to play this game. These two things were flawless, but the game isn't quite as fun overall. Who cares if these graphics and music are stunning? If it isn't fun then what good is a lot eye-candy going to do for you? Still, the game has its highs and even replay value.

I'd have given this game four stars (maybe even five) if the plot didn't remain non-existant through the whole game, and if the battle engine was worked on a bit. They also need to raise the difficulty level of the game.

To make it simple, the game has AMAZAING subplots, and that's basically all this game is made of. The game has nice music and lovely artwork and even some replay value. It's fun at first but don't make it too easy or else that goes away. Keep this game in mind as you have no idea what you're missing if you don't at least rent it.

Legend of the Jumi...
Legend of Mana, I believe, was too submerged in mini-plots of its own that the actual backbone of the story was sadly not only underdeveloped, but rather nonexistent. The only hints of the existence of the Mana Tree came in the form of dreams and the eventual final dungeon... in fact, throughout the entire game I had cared less about what was going to happen to the world's fate than the indivdual fate of the inhabitants. True, there were irritating sidequests, and charming ones, but the only one which could have supplemented the plot; the Jumi quest ended with such an unforgivable cliche. It is this concentration on every characters' own life story, that made this game enjoyable. It was the lack of meaning, of some bigger plot to make sense of doing stuff like helping Inspector Boyd with his case, or finding Lil' Cactus when he ran away. I felt vaguely cheated. The hero/heroine woke up with the destiny to help the world in no other way than plant a garden or nuture monsters in the backyard? The only thing that connected LoM to the seiken series must have been the battle system, and well. The Mana tree.
I gave it three stars because it was really an enjoyable experience to play it, but two are not given because the most important criteria after the battle and magic system- the overall PLOT- was rather neglected. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The Sims has much in common with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater: There's a great emphasis trial and error, it encourages personalized solutions to problems, and overall success comes down to both balance and timing. Also, like the Tony Hawk games, The Sims is a very addictive game.

Players micromanage the lives of a family of virtual people and influence the outcome of their lives, be it success or something akin to a nervous breakdown. The bestselling PC version of the game has, in recent years, been upgraded with elements like parties, pets, and vacations, but this iteration is closer to the basic formula.

You start the game living with Mom in a one-story suburban house. You are immediately presented with certain life tasks, such as fixing the TV and making lunch, which are aligned with the skills you'll need for the game's main challenge--keeping your sims in balance on eight conflicting categories. For example, eating will have an impact on your sim's hunger rating, but it will also impact his bladder rating. You'll have to make sure that he keeps himself and the house clean, that he sleeps to restore his energy, and that he also has time to keep himself entertained. The free will option lets your sims coast a bit, and you can also save time by stacking tasks together. Time passes at the rate of about one minute per second in the game, but you can fast-forward sim time when you need to, such as when they're sleeping.

The controls are justifiably complex, but adjusting to them is not difficult. You see your sims from an overhead perspective that you can both rotate and zoom. You direct their actions by moving a line cursor to where you want them to go or to what object or person with which you want them to interact.

The game is surprisingly funny. Neglect your sims and they'll shout and wave their arms to get your attention. Allow one's energy to get too low and he or she will likely collapse and sleep right where they were standing. When that happens, Mom is likely to serve them dinner on the floor.

Gamers may find that it takes a while to get the hang of The Sims' style and control scheme. Stick with it and you may find real time fast-forwarding by. --Porter B. Hall --The text of this review refers to the PlayStation2 version of the game.

Pros:

• Interesting, open-ended gameplay
• Lots of quirky humor
• Two-player split-screen option

• Can be frustrating for those unfamiliar with strategy games
• Controls take some getting used to
• Long save times

Reviews (50)

Sim-ply fun
I don't know waht I was thinking when I wrote this.It sounded really bad.Duh!

The Gamecube version of the Sims is alot like the other one,except more challenging and more FUN!Every game needs a challenge,so let's not complain about THAT either!!

There are 2 ways to play this one.After completing a strange short dream-sequence,either play a levals mode starting in the home of a grumpy,lazy old mother and try to work up to living in the ultimate mansion,with a partner and even kids.Frustratingly,you'll need to buy a larger memory card to be able to return to a game after switching it off.The other way to play is the regular Sims style.

Creating your Sims is more fun than the computer version,with clothes of every colour and even your choice of eye colour,although it is hard to see the eyes from your couch.But hey,how cool is it to play this game on the comfort of your couch!!

If you think you might like the Sims then buy it!!Occasionally you may get bored but it's pretty great!

A fun game for everyone
This is one quality game that will take anyone a long time to get bored with. Everyone in my family plays this game from my niece of nine years to my sister who hates video games of 31. A warning should be put on this game though, due to the fact that if you play it you will waste numerous hours of your life in front of the tv doing things for your sim that you should be doing for yourself (like going to the bathroom). All in all I would recommend this game to any of my friends.

The Sims is whats happening
The Sims for Gamecube is great game if you want to switch up from the PC play. The con of the game is that you are limited to how much furniture you can have (bogus) that takes away from my designing abilty and the goals are a bit difficult but the two player mode is pretty hot. I highly reccomend anybody to buy this game

The Sims
This is a great game for kids from the ages of 11+. It is a great game because it has great graphics and good ways of life that are realistic.

I Really Like This Game
This Sims game is really fun and challenging. Unlike the computer game you can't do cheats (or maybe you can but I haven't figured out how yet). I rented this game and liked it so much I bought it! The Sims is a life-like game which puts the persons life in your hands. Their fate, whether good or bad, is also up to you. The Sims is a very addictive game and on Gamecube you can play two player which makes it even funner. Two people can control one person each and interact with each other. They can form friendships and fall in love with each other or they can hate each other and get into fights. Either way it is a very fun, game, that doesn't use a lot of thinking skills, what a releif (haha), and I think is a great game for everyone! I hope this helps you make your decision on getting the Sims or not and I hope you choose TO get it!!!! ... Read more

Features

• Groundbreaking hitting control makes it possible to pull the ball down, or swing for the fences -- all swing types included
• Total control on the field -Leap over the wall and rob home runs, hook slide to avoid tags, and take out the catcher at home
• Pick a park - each stadium has its own personality, from unique crowd chants to personal lighting
• Control your franchise on every level -- play the game or become a manager & take players from the minors to the pros

Reviews (24)

EA Sports Messed Up On This One
I would just like to say that i am a huge EA Sports fan and that all their games i have played have been entertaining and have great quality and are not complex. Then, here comes MVP Baseball 2004. Some pros and cons:

Pros: Graphics are great ballparks and players look very realistic and sharp.

New EA Sports Big Play Control is cool. You get to dive for hit balls and slide into bases. Then after the players will have grass and dirt stains on their jersey and pants making the atmosphere feel real.

Cons: As you can see the 2 pros there are is just about the graphics and sliding and diving. The most cons in the game are of gameplay.

The game is difficult and the worst part is its not one of those where its hard the first day and after that it becomes easy. I've had the game for 2 months and still have it on rookie with user batting,fielding and speed up to 50 and the cpu's all on negative 50 and i STILL lose sometimes. The cpu just bats too well. They always hit grounders in gaps and you get get it then throw it into the base in time.

Also, piching is hard. You have no clue where the ball is gonna go. Example, sliders are supposed to go from one side to another, well my slider went in a whole another direction, it was more like a knucle ball.Have the time you hit the batter and get tossed but it was not even supposed to go near him, but the pitches are unnatural.

Now dont think im a sore looser. I love challenges. And thats what most EA Sports games have. But it is just frustrating to have a 10 run lead in the bottom of the ninth then the comes back and wins. Its possible. It can happen. But it cant happen in every game in real life, but does in this game.

Hopefully, their future versions of this game are better. I wont buy MVP Baseball for a couple years, but I will continue to purchase the other EA Sports games. I do hope the other EA games dont become this hard and fustrating.

Thank you for reading my review.

Totally Awesome Game!!!
Hats off to EA on probably the best baseball game ever made. Graphics are amazing, gameplay is exellent, depth is incredible. You can, play manage and lots more. Any avid baseball fan would love this game. But I do have two gripes. One is that when I created a player, I had to actually negotiate with him to set a salary! It was cool, yet really annoying, because one of the two players I created nearly emptied my bank before he would sign with my team. My main gripe however, is a problem that was present in the 2003 version and is still present in the 2004 version. The hot/cold zone feature has some serious bugs, especially concerning the opposing team when controlled by the cpu. The computer teams batters, just rope the ball in the field for doubles and triples or hit homers. No matter where I threw the ball, it was the same. Makes it hard to enjoy the game when the cpu team is up 8 runs by the 3rd inning every time. But overall it's a truly amazing game, with amazing depth into America's favorite pasttime, Baseball

EA SPORTS AT IT'S BEST!
For years I have been a fan of the "All-Star" baseball games. When 2004 came around, I was hoping Acclaim would release All-Star 2005 for Gamecube and they didn't. So I was stuck with All-Star 2004. Then this new game came out called "MVP Baseball 2004" created by EA Sports, which was the game that was to replace All-Star. I finally rented the game because all my friends were bragging about how great the gameplay and graphics are. THEY WERE RIGHT! After 2 days of using the game, I was hooked. I bought my own copy before the rental was even due back.

I started my season with Baseball's greatest team, the NEW YORK YANKEES. I created my player to replace Soriano at 2B. I got my whole bullpen of All-Stars and my ultimate line-up of MLB's greatest players.

Here are the Best Features of the game:

Graphics - The faces, the uniforms, the stadiums, everything looks so real. Every time I play this game on my 36" TV, my parents mistake the game for a real-life Yankee game.

Gameplay - The pitching is unbeatable. The different types of pitches are extremely realistic as to the movement, the spin of the ball and the speed. The cool thing is if you pay close attention in instant replay, you'll notice the spin of the ball goes with the pitch. If the pitch is a curve, the spin is the real-life spin of a curve. The amazes me a lot. The small details like that are cool. The pitching gets a few tries to become an expert at. Also the baserunning and fielding is extremely realistic. The awsome jumps, dives, slides, and flips are utterly amazing. If you see Derek Jeter in action in this game, you'll see what I mean. The hitting does take some time to get used to. You don't have a hitting circle to line up with the ball to hit. It's not too hard to adapt to.

Features - This game features some gameplay modes that no other baseball game features. The first one is Homerun Showdown. Your up against any batter of your choice. The object is hit up to a certain amount of distance total from all your hits before your opponent does. For example, the total distance is 1 Mile. With all the distances of your hits adding up, you have to hit a total of 5,280 feet before the other guy. Be careful. If you hit a foul ball, you total will decrease based on the distance of the foul ball. If you miss a pitch swinging, you lose 100 ft.

The next feature and my personal favorite, the Pitcher's showdown. You can be any pitcher you choose and you pick the pitcher you're up against. You have to get a certain amount of strikeouts against any batter you choose before the computer. If the batter gets a homerun, you lose a strikeout.

There are so many new features in this game I can't even list all of them. This game definitely has All-Star Baseball beat by a mile.

Buy this game and you will find out why EA Sports is the BEST and always will be.

Great Baseball Game
This is a fun, addicting game which is easy to learn, and continues challenging you through 4 different levels of skill. There are many different modes of play, including Manager Mode (control your team and make game decisions without actually controlling individual players), Dynasty mode, Exhibition, Homerun Showdown and Pitcher showdown. The hitting style is fun and simple. Unlike other games, it is not impossible to make contact. Also, the pitching style of this game is different from other games. It is harder to learn, but gives you more control of your pitcher. Another thing is that all players are edit-able. You can even create players.

Some minor cons: The commentators are dull, repetitive and somtimes frustrating, the music, although good, can get tiring and the ball can disappear in instant replays.

But that shouldn't stop you from buying it! This is the only fun, challenging and realistic baseball game for the Nintendo Gamecube and I highly recommend it.

AWESOME GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pitching is awesome i like to c how hard randy johnson can throw his fastball. I also like to watch how dirty Tim Wakefields knuckleball is. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Freedom: The Battle for Liberty Island is set in a world where the Soviet Union won the Cold War. Now a fierce conflict is beginning to unfold in the streets of America. Red Army troops are pouring across the borders of Mexico and Canada shortly after a nuclear missile is unleashed on Washington D.C. Chaos sets in when breaking news informs Americans that their President has been killed and the Russians have invaded the country.

Players take on the role of a blue-collar worker who evolves into a charismatic and fearless freedom fighter obsessed with finding and freeing his brother, who has been taken hostage along with other New Yorkers by the Soviets. You must recruit and lead an army of urban guerillas to take on the Soviet threat in the streets of New York City. Freedom: The Battle for Liberty Island provides two layers of gameplay: A strategic turn-based mode that centers on base operations in an underground sewer system and an action mode that unfolds in the streets where fierce battles are won or lost and resources are captured. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Soviets go bye bye
Freedom Fighters was better then I hoped.My 9 year old brother goes and buys FF,I didn't know if that was a good idea.Man I'm happy now.Here's the story:

In a alternate world where the "Soviets" ended WW2,the soviets have grown very powerful.They have defeated most(or all)of Europe,took over Mexico,and are circling around America.Its Summer of 2003 and Plumbers Chris and Troy Stone get a call from a girl named Isabella to come fix her sink.When they get their,nobodys home..."Bang",Soviets invade the room,take Troy, and invade the city.As Chris you must take back the city and defeat the Soviets.

Graphics:9/10
Not too bad.
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Sound:10/10
Very good sound effects and music sounds nice.
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AI:7/10
The Soviets take cover and fire but they are not too smart.
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Gameplay:10/10
The gameplay is awesome.You can go the sewers anytime and do different things.You can choose their where to go and what guns you want.

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Overall:9.3
A very good game.

With 10 levels,Alot of characters,and a Armory of guns,this game is a must.

Best game you've never heard of
I happened to read a review of this game on ign.com and they raved about it. I picked it up used for about $13. What a freaking steal!!! This is a great game, although you never hear it mentioned. I was addicted from day one and stayed up 'til 3 a.m. every night until I beat it. On the 3rd highest difficulty setting, some missions are REALLY hard, especially if you don't do things in the right order (i.e., taking out the attack choppers on another part of the map - little hint there). The challenge is definitely there, and the story is cool too. Trust me, the first mission of the last 'map' will have you throwing the controller around some, but you'll come back because you'll think "Maybe if I do this..." and eventually figure out how to get through the level. If you like games like Medal of Honor, Max Payne, etc (although this game is 3rd person), go out and buy this TODAY!

Two things I didn't like - the graphics are only so-so, especially for the XBOX. There's no blood (but the 'deaths' look real enough, especially when you blow up a truck and someone's standing next to it...COOL!) And, although there are options to 'quick save' at the sewers, sometimes these are few and far between (and non-existent on the last map) and you end up repeating certain lengthy sections over and over. Although, that just adds to the satisfaction when you finally beat it! There should be nothing, however, that is stopping you from finding and buying this game TODAY!!

Freedom Fighters
Fredoom Fighters is a pretty fine game if you want to see the game first with cheats.Such as invisibility.two player mode is great because you can just keep beating each other up until you try to care about the stupid flag...Well the reason why I said that is because you lose time to play multiplayer.Here are my ratings
Music:5{because I just like hearing those notes in a game}
Graphics:3{because its not realistic}
Overall:4{because its so short.It took me just a few days because I rented it!}

AWESOME!
I played this game for the first time a few weeks ago, and I played the same level for hours(I kept dying) and still came back for more from those dang ruskies. The AI is very advanced even for an EASY level. The game has a very believable storyline and an interesting set of characters. This is definetly movie material. The cast:
Chris Stone- Paul Walker. Isabella Angelina- Angelina Jolie. Phil Bagzton- Jake Gylenhall.Troy Stone- Kevin Dunn Mr. Jones- Max Von Sydow. Tatiana Kepinski- Radha Mitchell. General Tatarin- Jean Reno.
Sounds like a Roland Emmerich movie to me. Anyway, back to the game. It is hard even if you set it on easy. Move it up to medium? Forget it! THis game is awesome, don't miss out!

A pretty good game
Freedom Fighters has a reasonably strong storyline, and rather addictive gameplay. It wasn't an extremely difficult game, only taking me a few days (for those of you who have read other reviews by me, you know I'm a war junky), but some missions took several attempts. I think its difficulty is one of its greatest attributes, because it does have a few downfalls. There's very little weapons selection (the only American firearm available is a revolver, most likely a .357 Magnum, and all other guns are carried by the Soviets). The graphics are generally good, although the game has more of an animated sense, rather than realistic. Speaking of realism, some of the combat is really hindered. For instance, you'd think if you had a clear shot on an enemy's head (meaning he wasn't wearing a helmet or anything), he'd be dead after the first shot. But, with some of the more difficult opposers, specifically the fat red-heads with the SPAS-12 shotguns, they won't be killed first shot because of their thick body-armor suits, which reveal their head entirely. I think that's pretty uncool, not only because those guys are hard and it would be nice to kill them quickly, but because I highly appreciate realism. And there is one kind of outrageously difficult soldier to beat: Machinegunners in full steel bodysuits. They have very powerful weapons, and they're SOOO hard to take down. I've learned it's easiest just to hit them repeatedly with Molotovs until they die. Otherwise, it takes a whole lot of bullets.
Multi-player is okay. I mean, it can be very fun, for long periods of time. But, there's only one mode, and only three places to play. The maps are small, you can only be one person (either the American, or the Soviet), and the people you recruit all carry the same weapon, a Kalashnikov AK of some sort, probably an AK-74. Yeah, I said 74, for all you THINK-you-know-it-alls. Recruiting is easy: There are four bunkers in every map. All you have to do is run into an unmanned bunker to take it over. Then your people spawn there, unless you have too many people at other places around the map. Then you go up to them and recruit a maximum of eight, and you can order them around. In single-player, it's the same concept, except you have to work your way up to be able to recruit more people, and you have to find them in the missions. Anyhow, back to multi-player, it is still fun. The main objective isn't to kill the other person (even though it is really exciting), because you keep coming back to life. The objective is to take the flag at the center of each map, and hold it for the time limit. I can explain further, but you'll understand once you play. Multi-player is extremely addictive, because it's fun to just kill as many people as possible, and take over all the bases. Even when you have no bunkers, it's fun in a sick way to try and capture some (I suggest using grenades and Molotovs to blow or burn the enemies out of the bunker, then move in).
In general, Freedom Fighters is a good game. It's got good replayability. It can last a while, because you do have to develop extensive strategy for many of the missions, and some missions affect others. Ultimately, I think this is a good game to purchase. Fun in two-player, and fun in single-player. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The history of video games is littered with translations of films--mostof them bad. This game, while decidedly based on the feature film'svisualization of the Harry Potter story, is actually very good in its own rightdespite being too easy for most experienced gamers. It's a fun, colorfulexperience even for the few of us on the planet who have neither read the book nor watched the movie.

Electronic Arts thankfully bestowed a lot of production value on this releaserather than trying to cash in on a quick buck. Aside from the occasional pop-upproblem that makes walls vanish quite unmagically, the graphics are beautifuland fun. Chocolate frogs (an appropriate health power-up) and other elements andcharacters from the book and film are wonderfully animated. The sound effectsand, particularly, the voice acting are top-drawer, which helps suck the playerinto the Potter experience. Also, the gameplay is nicely varied throughout.Players go from learning a new spell in class to retrieving fire seeds forHagrid to participating in magic fights against the Slytherin bully Draco Malfoyto riding the broom--which is especially fun. There's even a Quidditch levelearly on, but there's little to do and it's over very quickly.

On the downside, the game suffers from some really odd controls. Like manyadventure games, jumping is really important, as many levels require you toclear obstacles or reach out-of-the-way items. But, unlike in nearly every othergame in the genre, there's no jump button. Instead, players automatically jumpfrom the edge of a platform from either a full stop or while running. It takes alot of getting used to; if you're not at full run or full stop, it's easy tojust walk right off the edge and fall. And, like too many other games, you canonly save your progress at predetermined locations.

Another fault of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is its lack ofchallenge for experienced gamers. It's nice that the developers are trying tomake it accessible to the entire cross-section of PlayStation-owning HarryPotter fans, but without varying levels of difficulty, it's less of a game thana tour through Potter's magical world. Still, it is an interesting world, andeven though it's easy, the action is still varied enough to be fun. --PorterB. Hall

Pros:

• Good use of characters and plot elements from the story
• Varied gameplay
• Great production value
• Broom riding is really fun

• Very little challenge
• Odd control scheme
• Lethargic camera movement makes it sometimes hard to see what you're doing

Reviews (120)

Gringotts, Trolls, and The Most Famous Sorcerer in the World
I just read someone else's review and of course I love Harry Potter, but like they said it is too short. Some of the puzzles can be a l;ittle bit annoying at times when you have done them over and over again. I think that there should have been a map with it, and i also think that there should be a layout of the chess board because the camera angles are kinda lame at times. I really enjoyed playing this game and yes it only took like 3 hours but I have to remember it isn't designed for adults but kids and most kids aren't going to sit still through the whole game in one afternoon. lets' face it kids don't have that kind of focus.

The adventures were fun, But Gringots bank gets to be a pain in the arse after trying 4 and five times to do each section of it. And then also I think that there was a little bit of information left out, like when the kids are talking to one another, they don't say things that might help the player. For example, when you fight the Devil's Snare Hermionie says use "Incindio" but you use Flippendo until the last second and then you use incendio. Tis very strange. Over all this game is very enjoyable to me, the Quiddich matches are fun and my only complaint about the quidditch is that the broom handling can get bloody insane. But all in all i had fun playing it. :) I think that if someone wants something fun and laid back to play this is the game for them.

Not a masterpiece, but fun
The main action of the game is a lot like Tomb Raider, but simplified and with more variety. You control Harry in a 3-D world (Hogwarts) and explore and collect items. You also interact with lots of characters from the books, who will often give you little quests to do. You can attend classes to learn spells. There are also parts where you have to fly on a broomstick, and so far these have been the hardest parts for me. It's tough to get the hang of contolling the broomstick. The game moves along really quickly, roughly following the book. It's fun enough to play - they certainly could have done far worse with this game. But don't expect the same kind of experience (or quality level) as the books give you or you will be dissapointed. I didn't expect this game to be very good, and it's better than I expected. Exploring Hogwarts is fun. The graphics and voices are a little weak (the graphic of Harry in the hospital wing after you get a game over, for example... if you showed that one to me without telling me who it was supposed to be, I'd never guess it was Harry Potter!), but at least the Brittish accents don't sound fake. :) The gameplay is pretty easy, but once in a while a mini-game (like flying) will be frustratingly hard. If you're a Harry Potter fan then give this game a try.

HP1
This game gets boring if you play it for a while. The further that you get, the more repetitve and boring it becomes. Graphics stink, but what can you expect from a PS1 game?

Great For All Ages
Ok, I'll cut to the chase. I've never read any of the Harry Potter books but love playing these games. They stick pretty close to the storyline (from what I've seen in the movies,) and although not incredibly difficult, are extremely fun to play. I'm a teenager, yet still enjoy casting spells and collecting the chocolate frogs. The game has good gameplay and dialogue with plenty of variety. Still, it has a few downfalls: 1) Jumping and doing special maneuvers can be difficult with the controls. 2) Save Points: You kind of have to play for a while to be able to save. This can be frustrating if you're really far and die or really have to turn off the game but haven't gotten a chance to save. *Otherwise the game is awesome. I highly recommend all 2, soon to be 3 games in the series.

ernie
this game is terribly illmanered it passes gas i love this game ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

We could say that NBA Street 2 is the shizzle, or the sheezy, or the shizzit, but we won't--even though it is. You'll get enough street talk playing the game. Street 2 is just the best basketball game yet.

Although it is an official NBA product, the fact that it's playground ball liberates Street 2 from the confines of fan reverence. Instead, especially in the "Be a Legend" option, it has a great sense of humor about itself. The boss of each city, once defeated, can be added to the player'sroster--and although they are caricatures, they're fondly and funnily done.

Among the best are Stretch (a dunker from Harlem), Dime (a female ballstealer who resembles the singer Pink) and Osmosis (an Oakland version of "It" player Yao Ming). Our prediction? Kids who see Street 2 will not only want to play the game, they'll want to be street legends themselves when they grow up.

And speaking of kids: parents couldn't find a kid- or teen-friendlier game. There's no adult language, and the color commentary is fantastic. It's much improved from the original game's repetitive "MJ, go on with your bad self"patter. Bobbito Garcia, a real-life streetball announcer, should get a "nice work" bonus. For that matter, so should the ambience-noise guys, who included, for example, a single cellphone ring in the background. Clever.

Those not inclined to love sports games should trust in Street 2--it's visually brilliant, witty, and don't-take-it-away-from-me addictive. True basketball fans should get this game immediately, if not sooner. They'll best appreciate that all the old time players have their moment in the sun; for example, 5,000 points unlocks Dr. J, and a billboard between sets advertises Bill Russell and other pioneers. Classic hip-hop from artists like MC Lyte rounds out the impressive package. Kudos to gamemaker EA Sports Big for taking it to the hole. --Jennifer Buckendorff ... Read more

Reviews (88)

Awesome
This game is off the heezay. You can do all kinds of spectacular tricks. Bounce the ball off someones head, kick it to another player. There is no way any extreme basketball can top this except maybe nba street 3. If it ever comes out. I like the new be a legend mode it will take a long time to complete, but it is worth it to unlock all of the legends and jerseys. The nba challege mode isn't quite as good as last years, because you can't pick up players from different teams as you defeat them. The only thing I think is wrong with this game is its difficulty. It is way to easy to win games and get trick points. All in all I think any hardcore bball fan will enjoy this along with people who just like to have fun.

NBA Street Vol 2
I think this game rock because if you played on the Playstation 2 game lately i think all of my people could beat me in this game i got lots of cool players like Yao Ming, Steve Francis, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan. And tell your parents to buy this game or rent it at your local video store to get this game it was the bomb baby.

Pros:*Osmosis---this cat is THE TRUTH...he can completely change the course of a game in two or three plays Street Legends such as MJ, Magic, Pistol Pete, Earl The Pearl Monroe and Tiny Archibald More and better moves and dunks ( Off The Heezay, back 2 Papa)Custom moves--- now every player doesn't have the same moves and each legend and street player has their own custom move...you can mix and match these different dunks and moves on your created player Trick Points- now the game rewards you for those sick moves and then pulling up for a sweet jumper right in someone's eye. No longer do you have to finish the play with a dunk to get lots of trick points...I picked up 50,000 pts. off a regular play..no gamebreaker involved. Level 2 GB are also welcomed.
· Be A Legend Mode-now the game has EXPONENTIALLY more replay value...this mode is long The difficulty has been raised (until you max out like three characters )...no longer can you get Bonafide and just rip through the defense with very little trouble...nope now they can trick counter to steal the ball
· Better defense
· Better music and commentary (thank the lord) Just Blaze, Nate Dogg, Talib Kweli, MC Lyte...they even include the classic masterpiece Pete Rock & CL Smooth's T.R.O.Y.!!!

Cons:You can only put 5 players on a team
· The legends pretty much [are bad] hen you get them on your team...they are good when you play them but it seems like they get sorrier when you add them to your team. Whitewater just plain out sucks. Rebounds...when the computer wants the rebound they get it. One time I had my custom player who's specialty is boards, Kobe Bryant, and ben Wallace vying for a board at the same time and Biggie Little who is 5'4'' 90lbs comes up with the rebound. Ridiculous! It seems like once you get the gamebreaker it is impossible to steal the ball from the computer, even though you had been stealing the ball all game, they manage to keep it away from you...then they shoot it from half court and get the rebound therefore successfully running out your GB.Hookups aint what they used to be---you are lucky to get 15000 pts. Off a hookup alley oop with all members involved Crowds are wack and unexcited...

Don't be fooled by the high ratings
Sure, the graphics and gameplay in NBA Street Vol. 2 are good, but you'll play this game maybe a week before it ends up gather dust in your collection. There really is no replay value to it. As the game is only $20, I wouldn't call it a waste of money. Mark my words, however, you'll quickly tire of this title.

Great game until you smash your controller
Volume 2 is a pretty big step up from the first game, which I played until my joysticks crumbled. EA outdid themselves with this one, which is not only my favorite sports game, but one of my all time favorite games. To those of you complaining about the unrealistic hops; if you want realism, go to the park and play a game of pickup. The unearthly dunks, oops and shakes are all part of the fun.
But the game really falls apart when it comes to the AI. On "GOT GAME" I could consistantly shut out the oppostion with absolutley any combintion of ballers. But the first time I stepped it up to the "MAD GAME" I got curb stomped - what gives? Granted, I can still win the odd game on "Legendary", but it seems I am constantly hitting the replay button in an attempt to understand how the F#!K the comp scored on me. I literally am seeing things like the ball going through my hand, arms etc.; Kobe laying down treys with my hand inches from his face; Shaq breaking Billups' ankles and Kobe knocking down ben Wallace AND Rip Hamilton, standing side-by-side, GOALTENDING, on his way to a dunk. Then when I blast up court on a fast break for the gimme, Hamilton misses the friggin lay-in.
This is unacceptable. I am not a poor loser when I am out played, but this game just makes me feel violated.

1 of the best basketball games EVER !!!
This is the best street basketball game ever.Ever since I got it on Christmas I just kept on playing it even though I beat the whole thing. This makes up of the pretty disapointing NBA STREET the first with new tricks such as "off the heezay and back 2 papa".And new street players with Biggie Little,Bonifide,Dimes,Whitewater,Osmosis,and of course my favorite balla STRETCH.Although it is still pretty unrealistic with all the jumping and the dunkings I mean how can they really jump that high.There are also jerseys,trophies,courts and other players to unlock so that is a long way to go with this game. I REALLY HOPE YOU BUY IT. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

James Bond 007: NightFire is a worthy sequel to 2001's outstanding Agent Under Fire. The game retains the overall look of its predecessor--including some familiar recurring characters and gadgets--but is designed to feel more like an actual Bond movie than a video game. After the familiar "gun barrel" opening shot, you're introduced to the game via a pre-credits action sequence through the streets of Paris that leads into an original theme song, complete with surreal imagery.

The pacing of the game is natural, with each objective leading smoothly to the next. You even get to holster your PPK, don a tuxedo, and infiltrate a cocktail party at your adversary's mansion, making small talk with his henchmen, flirting with female party guests, and eavesdropping on secret conversations. Of course, within minutes you'll be shooting your way out of the place and making a daring escape in true 007 fashion, including Bond's trademark one-liners. The storyline combines espionage, action, and innuendo in just the right proportions to evoke a real Bond movie atmosphere.

The game's overall playability is improved by some nice attention to detail, not the least of which is the addition of smarter and less predictable villains (they can hear you coming, they communicate with each other, and they're better at utilizing cover and sneaking up behind you). You also have more tactical options (there are many ways to reach each objective, so the game is very replayable) as well as a better arsenal of gadgets and weapons. And best of all, the multiplayer mode incorporates classic characters from many Bond movies. More than any other 007 game to date, NightFire was designed with the die-hard Bond fan clearly in mind. --Maile Bohlmann

Pros:

• Well-developed storyline
• Authentic Bond movie atmosphere
• Great graphics, sound, and music
• Smart, crafty villains
• Wide range of controller settings

• Pre-credits action sequence is far too easy
• They still don't have Bond's voice quite right (Maxwell Caulfield?!)
• Fans of nonstop action might not appreciate the extended cutscenes

Reviews (109)

James Bond 007: Nightfire
There have been good Bond games over the past little while but nightfire sure beats all of them! Finally EA has realized exactly what people are looking for in a Bond game. Nightfire is a big improvement from their previous game Agent Under Fire. The single player mode is excellent, with a very good storyline. The camera angles are very good and the videos couldn't be better! It moves along as well as a movie. This 007 game beats them all! Multiplayer is similar to that of The World Is Not Enough except they added new characters, better weapons and attack vehicles such as a tank and a helicopter. EA did an excellent job at capturing Pierce Brosnan's face and movement. They also got a very good voice for Bond. The levels are very highly detailed and challenging. The characters are very realistic. James Bond 007: Nightfire is a sure winner and is just as good as Goldeneye and it may be even better than Goldeneye! I'm sure there are very few people who won't find this enjoyable!

007 nightfire
This game is brilliant. The single player adventure is small but sweet, the graphics are good but could be better. there are 12 missions 5 of them are in a vehicle: V12 vanquish, snowmobile, helicopter and the space rocket. The storyline is OK its about a guy called rafael drake stealing hardware from nasa and other companies. And using them for his space satelite weapon, to dominate the world. There are three different levels of difficulty. If your really not that good at shooting games and keep getting stuck, choose easy difficulty and believe me you won't get stuck or frustrated I've never been on any 007 games and always got stuck on other games. and I ended out a 007 wiz. But if you are a 007 maniac try the hardest difficulty, I find it impossible, but you'll probably find a way. It is extremly addictive and you'll get hooked to this game for hours. The multiplayer is brilliant there are 10 different multiplayer games 5 of them you have to win out of single player, but I reccomend team arena, put in missile mode. And you will love the samaria (extremly beaming explosive gun) and you don't two players on controllers to play it just put in some computer players In (AI robots).

the best game!
It all started right after my Mom and Dad had just bought me and my brother a gamecube and at the same time we got it we got mario cart dubble dash then supersmash brothers and then finally 007nightfire.It's fun to play the game.But right now I can't remember the last level I got past and I hope that there will be more 007 games through the years.

One of the best FPS games
This is one of best fps games I've ever played (excluding Turok).

Overall I highly reccomend this game!

Lots of fun
This game is tons of fun! I play this game for hours. I myself am not very good at the one person game so i have tons of fun playing the multiplayer games with my friends. I defenatly recomend this game to you. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Simpsons: Road Rage blends renowned Simpsons wit and edge-of-your-seat racing action into a rip-roaring, reckless, and riotously funny arcade-style driving game. Mr. Burns is up to his greedy ways again, purchasing the Springfield Transit Corporation and jacking up the fares on public transportation. Refusing to shell out for the high rates, Springfield citizens are forced into humorous road-rage situations as they brave angry commuters, jam-packed back routes, and the challenge of making enough money to buy back the Transit Corporation before time runs out. No time for donuts, Homer. ... Read more

Reviews (111)

SIMPSON's Road Rage, a good start for GameCube
This is a good game to start off with on Gamecube. I just got my Gamecube and this is the first game I got. I love it. It helps that I am a Simpson's fan but I believe that everybody would like this game. Even if you just watched maybe 2 or 3 episodes. The main part of the game is Road Rage. The goal is to get 1 million $'s. It is really fun because everytime you hit a certain cash goal you win a prize, like a new character or a new starting location. The cool thing is you pick. The other cool part of this game is Mission Mode. There are 10 in all and at the end you win a certain prize(I won't ruin it for u), basically there are different missions such as knocking all of the newspaper stands down and then on the 10th mission you meet Mr.Burns himself. Personally, I like this game a lot. It does have some similarities to Crazy Taxi but in Simpson's there is actually a way to beat the game(getting 1 million $.) In Crazy Taxi there was no way to beat the game. Also, mission mode has almost nothing in common with Taxi. The Head to Head Mode(multiplayer) is also really fun. You can set the goal to 5K, 10k, or 15k. For each person you drop off you get 1k. One of the players picks the person up and tries to get the chararcter to it's destination while the other tries to follow the car and smash into it to steal the passenger. It's very cool. This game does have some bugs to work out like long loading times but it is all worth it. That's why I give it a 4. If I could have I would've put 4 and a half.

Funny for a Simpsons fan, gets old fast
The Story: Burns has bought the transit system, and made the buses go radioactive. It's the job of the cast of the Simpsons to form a competing service and buy back the buses. No twists, no turns.
How it Works: Pretty much, the game is simple as heck to play- not only does a big yellow hand direct you to the location you need to go, but characters you can pick up and places you need to drop people off glow, so nothing is left to smarts. All that's left up to you is the driving, which is simple as pushing a button and steering. there are 17 characters, all various simpsons characters- you start off with the family (marge, homer, lisa, bart, and grandpa) and unlock the other 12 such as barney, chief wiggum, willy, professor frink and more by hitting cash goals. each person has his/her own car, and all of them are from the simpsons (marge drives a canyonaro, lisa an elec-taurus and bart a soap box racer). there are also 5 levels to unlock, with each one having more obstacles (for example, the dam level has a place where you need to jump across the river to get to a drop off point).
Graphics: The graphics are an OK mix of cel shading (like animation) mostly on the cars and some buildings, and for the people mostly clay-like 3D that overall, though not perfect, is acceptable in mimicing the Simpson's characters.
Overall: Rent it for lots of fun. there's lots of new and classic dialogue, including "Hello, everybody! Hi dr. nick!" and "Go banana!" from ralph. however, if you buy it you will be disappointed by a repetitive, fairly simple game that you will beat quickly.

Excellent fun with minor drawbacks
The simpsons road rage was really a blast! The game allows you to drive through the enourmous levels of Evergreen Terrace, The entertainment district, springfield dam, downtown, the nuclear powerplant, and the springfield mountains, with many sights to see such as the elementary school, burns's mansion, springfield gorge, the tire fire, and many more. You can unlock 17 familiar characters such as chief wiggum, professor frink, and barney. Gameplay is fun, you drive around, picking up passengers and delivering them to their destinations before the time runs out. Two player mode is a blast as well. The one major disappointment is that this game is pretty much a total and complate copoff of crazy taxi. So I would guess that if you enjoy crazy taxi and you're a simpsons fan, this would be the game for you.

are you even wathing the road!?
this game is for a rednecks like me!!!!! I think it is a great game with bart,homer,apu,otto,willy,moe, and many more!!!!! this game is also for simpsons fans only becuse of what people say in the game;-)

Great!
I think that The Simpsons Road Rage is a fun, and entertaining game. Discontinuing the game would not be a good idea. ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Great fun for even non-basketball fans
NBA Street Vol. 2 is an engaging, colorful hoops title that is perfect for gamers who flip the channel whenever real basketball comes on the TV.

The game centers on casual 3-on-3 pick-up games set in a variety of urban settings. You can pick players from any NBA team, a roster of All-Stars, or a pantheon of famed ballers from NBA history. You can also create your own hoops star, tweaking a portfolio of skills like "dunks" and "handling" and even picking hair styles and outfits. There are several play modes, including quick, one-off games, an NBA Challenge against various teams, and the "Be a Legend" mode that lets you develop the career of your streetballer, improving his skills and upgrading his shoes and wardrobe as you dunk your way across the country on courts from New York to Seattle.

The controls are a little intimidating at first, at least to folks like me who don't play a lot of sports titles. I imagine hard-core NBA gamers will have a much easier time mastering the various moves. But there is a nice tutorial that takes you through everything, and the game turns out to be one of those "easy to learn, difficult to master" exercises.

The graphics are pretty solid. The characters are fairly realistic with a bit of cartoonish edge to them. The moves are nicely exaggerated, i.e., players can soar several feet above the basket on their way to slamming down a spectacular dunk. There is nice variety in the appearance and skills of your opponents, who can range from towering men with afros to petit women in tank-tops. The wide selection of courts is also nice.

Finally, apart from the traditional street scoring of one point per basket up to 21, there is a cool system for awarding points based on style and combinations of trick moves. It is challenging and rewarding to pull off a string of moves that results in an eye-popping alley-oop that nets a huge score.

The drawbacks to the game include long load times and a rather confusing array of menus and options to get a game started. I have also had the game freeze on me several times while starting a match, though this problem seems to be cropping up in other games I have and may be a problem with my machine.

I have been addicted to this game for a couple weeks now and expect that it will be the first sports game that I play all the way through. Highly recommended.

Addictive Love
When I first bouight this game is was hard at first (Obviously playing in "Legend" mode) however once you get the hang of it and start pullin off crazy trick moves (and these are REAL LIFE MOVES, if you don't believe me pick up one of the AND 1 Mix Tape DVD's) the game is highly addictive. Depending on you're created players tendencies he'll earn a certain nickname (if he's a defensive monster, a scoring machine, drops constant dimes, a pick-pocket, etc..). Be a legend mode is really the heart of the game as you start out with a bunch of baller wanna-be's playing in tournaments. However once you steal some of the players off other teams you beat your supporting cast becomes better which makes your player less awful and able to pick up points to boost your players abilities. If your good enough in the long run you'll end up aquiring Stretch, Biggie Little, Dime, Osmosis and the other unlockable street lengends (mind you these are REAL life ballers, not people made up by the game).

NBA Challenge is nice and better when you build up your created player and end up schooling the old heads.

Gamebreakers are much easier to pull off when you pullin off crazy tricks (sick alley-oops, ankle-breakin ball handling which translates into points, or even better into an alley-oop). The more combination of tricks, the higher the trick points which will get your gamebreaker metter lighting up after scoring only 3 or 4 points. The key is if you keep using the same trick the same times in a row, you get less trick points after the first time you used it, and you don't want players like Shaq tryin to do "off the heezies" when he has no ball-handling skills cause you'll lose points for the ball getting stolen.

The game is endless, unlocking M&N (Mitchell & Ness) throwback jerseys, old school players like Doc, Bird, Magic, Pistol, Wilt, The Ice-Man. Get it cause I said so!

BIG JAM
Exeptionaly cool game if you are not looking for a real basketball game but is just the same fun as one I've it's funier than just an old fashiond basket whit faults and free trows
This one is BIG just like ea-sports-big big you'll love it

Fun game, nothing to get excited about though
Now that more and more nba games are comming out on the three systems consisting of PS2, Xbox:):), and gamecube:(:( you kind of know what to expect, especially from these extreme nba games like this one and nba ballers. The basic point for this one, street 1 and ballers is to pass the ball, pass again, perform trick move, and score. The com will sometimes block it, sometimes not. So it basically turns into a luck game. In terms of stealing, the com will hardly get a good chance to successfully steal the ball from you as long as you perform a trick move such as act a fool, or in this case y and b which perform different trick moves. Or if you want to be fancy shmancy then you might pull both triggers, click the left thumbstick and push x or y resulting in a more advanced trick move resulting in more points. One thing that i do not like about this game is the gamebreaker move. While it takes away one point from your opponnent and adds one to yours, i don't think that that is enough considering how many tricks and shots you have to pull off in order to get the gamebreaker meter full. Even the gamebreaker level 2 meter isn't enough. Special meters such as the ones in NBA jam and nba ballers, (particularaly ballers:) are a little, or in ballers case, a LOT more rewarding. But, as you can see by the amount of stars that i gave this game, there is a lot to the game that i like, such as, legal goaltending, (this can get fun.) Instant replays are way out sick and the soundtrack is totally awesome. Did i mention the Old School Ballers. THey are so sweet its not even a laughing matter, well maybe for someone who laughs a lot it is, but besides that its definetely not. Also, the create a team and create a baller is tight. Now, on to the things that i dislike about this game. One thing is the graphics. Those definetely need working on for nba street volume 3, (hopefully:). Also, like a previousely stated, its basically the same concept as ballers and jam with the same style and "trick like" moves. The one thing that i hate about this game is the dissapointengly short season. It took me three days to complete it TWICE! So dissapointing. The last thing that i don't like about this game is that it does not include the xbox live feature. Do you know how much fun this game would be if it included this. I'd be playing it from dawn to dusk no kidding. Looking back on this review, i probobly would give this game a 3 1/2 which you know, isn't all that bad, but there are certainly definetely rooms for improvement. Now, the list.

Pros

-Great Old School Ballers
-Completely up to date rosters, (I think:)
-Nice instant replays
-Create a baller and create a team are totally outrageously sick

Cons

-Horrrrrrrrribbbbbleee graphics
-Lack in player models, (which i guess is the same thing as above)
-Unbelievebly short season
-No Xbox Live! WUT!?!?

Mindue, there haven't been any EA games that have been on Xbox live, at least none that i recall. Uhhhhhhhhh...No!

I hope this review was helpfull.

Great Game (...)
This game is fun. Become a Legend is the best mode in the game.
First you create a baller. Second you go into become a legend mode and get a couple of teamates. Third you play games and tournaments to get devision and reputation points. {dev. points let you raise the skill of your created baller and reputation points help you raise your reputation.} After winning a game and/or tournament, you can choose 1 player from the other team to put on yours. You can replace players if your team is full.

The games are 3 on 3. {pick 3/5 players from team to play before the game. All of this is just 1 mode. Street School is good and teaches you the controls and how to play. Go there first. This game is underpriced, so get it. It is sa-weet man! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Springfield has been converted into one giant skate park in TheSimpsons Skateboarding. Here's your opportunity to thrash on top of, under,over, and through Springfield Elementary, KrustyLu Studios, the Kwik-E-Mart, theSpringfield Gorge, Itchy and Scratchy Land, the Power Plant, and other locales.Everyone in town is jumping into the action, vying for the $99 in prize money.Each character has more than 40 moves, including unique tricks such as Bart's"In Your Dreams" move and Homer's "Stinkyfish."

In addition to the Simpsons family, players can select other favorites such asOtto, Professor Fink, Nelson, and Krusty the Clown. Each character brings to theevent his or her own tricks, personality, and dialogue, recorded by the actualvoice talent from the TV show. The game's five modes include Freeskate, SkateFest, Trick Contest, Skillz School, and skateboard H-O-R-S-E. The more youskate, the more hidden boards, characters, and levels you unlock. TheSimpsons Skateboarding includes single, dual, and head-to-head modes. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

It's pretty fun.
I've never played any of the Tony Hawk games because I could care less about SkateBoarding or that genre of games. The only reason I picked it up was because it was a Simpson's title, and I'm not disappointed. Once you get used to the controls, which for all I know are standard in such games, the game's pretty fun.

You start out the game with the basic four characters (Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa), and one environment. There are a few other characters to unlock, and around five more environments to unlock by completing levels and such.

What can I say? The game is solid. Most of the bad reviews I've heard are basing it on previews that they've READ (thus having never played the game), or basing it on Simpson's Wrestling (again, never having played the game). Simpson's Wrestling sucked, yes. Get over it. It was a different team working on the game - it implies nothing about the quality of this game.

Overall - if you like the Simpsons and video games in general, it's a good buy. I don't know how it stacks up against other skateboarding games, but by itself this game is worth buying.

Don't be fooled into believing reviews of people who've never played the game, or judging this game based on Simpon's Wrestling. At leaset rent it and see for yourself.

Failed....
The Simpsons Is A bad Ass Show And I Love It But This Game Is SO Bad Man I Cant Even Say How Bad It Is I Meen You Cant Even Move Lttle Loan Do Tricks I Meen What Do You Expect For A Simpson Game This Is About As Good As It Gets

I Hired This Game And Played If For 5 Minutes And Got Bored And Frustrated This Game Is Pore Standed Dont Even Think About Buying It

Get your board set and get ready for a crappy game!
The levels are teribble, ...! They are not like the simpsons at all! The physics [...]! It's too hard to play and the caracters look like polygons .... don't ever play this ... game. .... The worst skateboarding game on the PS2. Get codes if you want to win, because once you get to Sir putts-alot, your finished. the only plus is that...... well there is no plus. It stinks. That's why it has no stars, the worst review a game can get. Theres only one decent level, But it dosen't save it a star. It has none. (The ... star in the rating was only put because they made me! But really, IT deserves nothing. The score is 0!)
Pros
+Burns level is cool

Cons
-EVERYTHING!

Sorry EA, But this game is so stupid!

This game sucks!!
When i played this game it was so hard to complete the level it is really hard to do moves and you have hardly any time to do anything. Don't by this game or you'll be sorry!!!!

Surprise! Another crappy Simpsons game
I have a question to ask. Why can't anyone make a good Simpsons game? Every year a new Simpsons game comes out that is either mediocore or plain awful to play. Its an injustice to the tv show really. Simpsons Skateboarding tries to mimic the success of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series, but like so many other skateboard games, if comes up short. The music is horrible and the sound clips from the characters become repetitive and annoying pretty quickly. The graphics are so-so; some environments are okay while others are bland-looking. The character models just look...weird. Polygons don't seem to suit Homer and company. It would've seem more logical to use cel-shaded graphics because the Simpsons are a cartoon in the first place. The biggest thing I have against the game though is the controls and game physics, they just don't feel right. Your skater could be moving at full speed and can hardly get any air going off a ramp. Sometimes the animation feels choppy and the controls don't respond quick enough, which makes you mess up on your tricks very often. There has been worse skateboarding games made and there are some fun bits in Simpsons Skateboarding. But with the exsistence of the Tony Hawk games, which revolutionized the skateboaring genre, why settle for anything less? ... Read more

Features

• Authentic-feeling boxing game
• Total Punch Control permits unprecedented detail
• New defensive system
• Lots of cool background features
• For 1 or 2 players

Reviews (24)

Fight Night - A knockout of a game.
Had this for the past week now and have to say it's probablary the best boxing game out there. Graphics are good, most of the boxers look spot on. Gameplay is unique with the TPC (total punch control) which makes the game more tactical and harder than the standard 'button mash' of the typical fighting game.
I found it a little hard at first but am warming to it. The CAB (create a boxer) is a nice feature and allows you to create fighters that were not included in the game ie Mike Tyson, Danny Green etc. You can take your own creation or one of the in game boxers and take them through an entire career. You also get to pick the weight division you wish to fight in.
With the mode you must schedule your fights, train, buy new gear if you wish and of course fight your way up the rankings towards a title belt. To any boxing fan the game is quite addictive and a good buy to the boxing and sports fan alike.
Oh for the record I created my own boxer in the Middleweight division and have 20 wins and 6 losses with 9 KO's.

The only things that I would like to see changed (maybe in Fight Night 2005) is when buying new gloves, boots etc that they added to your skills a little as in Tiger Woods golf.
Also the availability to practise some of the training modes, the heavy bag in particular is annoying.
And as already mentioned clinching should be included.

All in all a quite enjoyable game. If your a boxing fan go get it, if not hire for a couple of days to test it out.

Gorgeous Control
This is quite possibly the best boxing game ever! (once you get over the nostalgia of Mike Tyson's Punch-out...) The graphics are sweet given the ongoing difficulty of generating the human face and the control of your boxer is amazing! Each punch becomes completely intuitive and impact varies based on multiple factors (positioning, transitioning, fatigue, etc.) I love a game that lets you advance in the ranks against a myriad of opponents and increase your skills via training routines on the side, choosing where you want to advance specific skill levels.... Awesome! Each match is totally unique in the AI strategy and opponent attributes, so you have to change your own strategy to compensate; you can't just keep doing the same moves and that rocks huge. Anyway, the coolest part might be how you can configure your own boxer to look exactly like you just like in Top Spin. Or even better, exactly like one of your friends and then let him get pummeled on easy levels against non-opponents... hahaha, it's hilarious to watch a computerized version of your best friend just sit there and take it in the face over and over by the equivalent of a Glass Joe until he drops and gets counted out, hahahaha it never gets old. You have to get this game...

play as yourself and fight through the clubs
Fight night 2004 gives you a total punch control system. Witch is an awsome experience because you actually feel like your really beating up your fighter. For example if you push the right thumb stick right and up, you give your opponent a right hook. If u push the right thumb stick down and slide it up to the left you do a left uppercut. You will have to try it for your self.
Fight night 2004 gives you a 20 year career mode to fight your way through the ranks to the top for the belt(you fight 2 or 3 fights a year). You can create your own boxer for career mode or use a pro boxer that already exsits like Ali or Jones Jr. You start out fighting throught the clubs and then as you go u earn money from your fights (Tip:CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTS WISELY). Also when you progress you earn knew ring entrence themes, ring entrence effects, signiture punches, ect...
It is truly the boxing game of the year. Addictive and fun. So go out there and give them the old 1-2.

Great Game with Room for Improvement
Overall I have to say that I love this game. It's easily the best boxing game I've ever played. That doesn't mean that there's not things that could be better.

Pros: The graphics are very well done. The motions of the boxers are great and the venues look good. The sound is well done with some very realistic punching and crowd sounds. I personally like the total punch control, but for those who don't like it (see other reviews) there are several other controller options to choose from. The fighters in the game use different tactics that can vary depending on how the fight is going, so there is no set formula to winning.

Cons: I like the fact that the fighters show damage, but it's too uniform. First your eyes get red, then you get a cut around your eye. That's it. There could have been much more variation. Bloody or swollen noses and lips would be more realistic.

Once some opponents start to lose they begin to walk backwards around the ring, moving just as quickly backwards as you do forwards. All this while they're on the verge of going down. This can mean that you'll be chasing an opponent around for most of a round trying to land a punch or two.

Pretty much all fighters will get up on the count of 6 or 7 on the first knockdown. I've fought over 50 matches so far and have yet to see a boxer KO'd on the first or second knockdown, they always get up. A bit more realism would be nice. If you're caught with an especially powerful shot, it should be a little more difficult to get up. I've had fights where I've knocked my opponent down 7 different times before he stayed down.

Finally I think it's unfortunate that your boxer in career mode automatically retires after 20 years while still at the top of his game. Perhaps your skills could diminish as you get older making it necessary to keep training to stay in the game? Then you could decide when to retire your boxer. Go out while still on top or take a chance of losing your title? As it is now you max out your skills after a while making it pointless to keep training.

Overall this is a great game that is worth buying. Hopefully next years title will be even better with some of these problems fixed.

buy this game
fight night is the best boxing game ever. i mean look at the graphics. some advise by the GAME! if youre a boxing fan this is a gift from heaven. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Touting itself as "too gangster for the Garden" (in the words of its kingpin D-Mob), Def Jam Vendetta takes you on a head-slamming, gut-busting tour of the underground hip-hop fightclub circuit. No blow is too low in this testosterone-spiked world featuring the music and likenesses of such def jam artists as Ghostface Killah, Redman, and Ludacris--not to mention a whole host of the nastiest, most lowdown fictional thugs you'd imagine the hardcore rap world has to offer. Everyone's lying in wait to see if you're for real or just another wannabe player.

Def Jam Vendetta offers three game modes: battle, where it's just you against up to the three takers; survival, in which you fight all comers until you lose; and, where the real meat of the game takes place, story, in which you fight as one of four brawlers. The journey begins at the Face Club where you step in for your injured pal Manny. From there you'll move on to other venues such as DMX's Junkyard and Ludacris' Club Luda and climb the ranks to the ultimate showdown with D-Mob. The route there isn't a cakewalk, but the more battles you win, the more money you make to upgrade your fighting attributes. Victories also bring the ladies calling who literally fight for your attention--win a fight by playing as the newest girl to approach you and you'll unlock pictures of her in your photo gallery.

Action inside the ring is gritty and furious as you can lay down a multitude of moves and combinations with names like hurtin' unit, spittin' teef, ghetto thuggin', and death row delivery, to name just a few. Momentum is key in building toward blazin' mode in which you can utilize your signature move for the sure KO. In the meantime, though, there's still plenty of fun to be had in decking your opponents and watching them writhe about in pain and moan.--Larry White

Pros:

• Excellent graphics, all the way from the burning trash barrels outside the rings to the tread on Ghostface Killah's boots
• Hard-hitting fight realism
• Entertaining storyline

• Can't create your own character
• Limited replay value
• Unsophisticated button mashing gameplay

Reviews (70)

WWE meets BET
The return of wrestling's best game developer. The emergence of a wrestling game without the burden of WWE. EA's decision to take a little risk. The convergence of all this is Def Jam Vendetta, a game that is at once the best wrestling game in years, an awesome showcase for some ... good hip-hop, and an example of what can happen when a game company takes a chance.
Vendetta casts you as a street fighter in the inner city, where brawlers clash for cash, groupies, and bragging rights. D-Mob, the fictional leader of the underground, has assembled some of Def Jam Records' most popular artists to rule the ring on his behalf, and you have to beat them down to reach the top. Along the way, you'll get involved in some tag-team drama and girlfriend trauma, unlocking playable characters, outfits, and galleries as you go. DJV speaks to a problem in the wrestling genre-the whole thing has gotten stale, and it's time for some new blood. EA snagged AKI, developer of the awesome N64 WCW/WWF titles, to make Def Jam a contender. The result is a wrestling game that's fun, exciting, and imminently playable-one that makes the most recent WWE games look like patty cake in comparison. Style is a huge part of why Vendetta succeeds. The characters, arenas, moves, and taunts all invoke an urban feel that screams Def Jam while proving that you don't need Y2J and The Rock to make a compelling brawler. Tracks from Def Jam's stable of artists pound all over the game, and though they repeat a bit too much, it's nice to have great music playing during a beat-down. DJV's other high point is the way it plays. Strikes, grapples, and reversals seem perfectly balanced and easy to do, and every match is exciting and gripping. What's more, the matches seem to make sense-quick series of moves will wear a guy down, but give him a chance to rest and he's back, almost as good as new. The game's A.I. is cheap, to say the least (there's one throw that's reversed 100 percent of the time by computer-controlled opponents), but multiplayer is a blast.
Finally, a wrestling game that doesn't require a WWE Fan Club membership to enjoy. If you like hip-hop, brawling, or just good games, go get Vendetta now.

Let's All Have High Hopes
After playing the demo of this game, I can only say that I was very impressed. For a fighting game, the graphics were fantastic, with DJ's and cage dancers in the demo level. The characters look great, and for the most part the rappers don't disappoint. Redman and Method Man looked good, and I am excited about DMX and Ludacris. I just wish that all of the rap labels had released artists. Where's Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem when you need them?! Aside from the rappers, the other fighters look good. They really look like a gangsta from the depths of the Bronx! The sound was good, especially the sound effects. The crowd sounds realistic as well do the fighters. The taunts are cool, and the moves that each character has are out of this world! If you want bad, this game has it all! The levels look good, with crawling, living city environments. It's like a scene out of Training Day. The interface was good, and the controls were comfortable and easy to get used to. The other features and gameplay elements look good as well, even though they weren't included in the demo version. I have a lot of hope for Ea Sports BIG, because they have produced such fine games as SSX Tricky and Street Hoops. Who's Bad?
After playing the full version of the game, I was even more impressed. There are many awesome fighters, and even girlfriends, which are exactly as they sound. Each girlfriend out of the five, has the ability to fight and they have pictures, featuring REAL HOT real models, not animated ones. You choose your girlfriend, and you can dump her each time a new one comes along, and she fights and stands by your side. The hottest girl is Deja, by far, but that is of course personal opinion. This feature makes the game even more fun than it already is. The levels are awesome, but there are just too few of them. Multiplayer is great, but the single player mode is extrewmely short. I beat it in two short days! DJV is great fun for rapper or wrestling fans, and it throws out the old wrestling games and brings forth a new style of game. This is the new master of the PS2 and Gamecube rings!

Crazy Fun
Def Jam Vendetta is an extremely fun game with sweet graphics and cool gameplay. It also features the appeal of playing as your favorite rapper. These other people dont know what their talking about with the controls. They are flawless. The game is easy to jump into but requires time to master. The story mode is cool and enthralling but is totally linear and kind of short especially if you try and rush through it. Its also not that difficult once you get hang of how to reverse moves and when to do what moves. The hardest fight is by far DMX but is still not impossible. The replay value is ultimately limited but I beat it all 4 times just to see what would happen. The only real flaw is its lack of a variety of matches. But the game is so fun to play in basic one on one mode that it is hard to focus on this shortcoming. I cant wait for the cool looking sequel.

Parental Helper
This game was really good.But if all you parents are questioned on is this appropiate for my child?I'd say if they are young it's inappropiate.Because some characters might say the B word or the a word and the d word.Its gangsta violent and girls will fight over men.Rap music is always going on but the music they play is clean rap not explict lyrics rap.

Only good for Versus.
This is a cool game, good music and all that, but it sucks unless you're doing versus. Forget beating the big-shot rappers with their triple-platinum egos in single mode. It won't happen. The "artists" must have had a special arrangement with EA stipulating that because they be gangstaz and thugz they can't be beat. Even in easy mode they reverse everything you try. Oh, and try playing the white guys in this game and see how far you get in story mode. Hah!

As much as I'd like to slap DMX for his stupid barking, the game simply won't allow it on any difficulty level, even though we know that in his wildest dreams DMX could never fight with the skill he fights with in this game. That goes for all the Def Jam recording artists. Just forget about fighting them. Now, if they were to drive by the ring in a car and spray it with bullets, I'd believe it.

Some of you may blame my inability to defeat the game due to a certian lack of skills.. oh pardon me... "skilz". But the fact is I am familiar with this game engine, having played it on a multitude of better wrestling games. The controls are slow. While you're winding up to grapple, your opponent will hit you, when you wind up to hit your opponent, he will grapple and destroy you. If you do manage to get a solid grapple on him, don't get too happy, he'll reverse it. The same goes for hitting. These people are simply "da bomb", and when they agreed to make this game they made sure that they'd maintain their digital street cred by being next to impossible to beat. If you manage to even get close to beating your opponent if you rope-break, or he kicks out (even when his energy is down to nothing), he'll get a second wind and you'll never touch him again. It makes me ill.

Also, you can't choose which songs to hear like in EA games like SSX, or other cool sports games like Tony Hawk. If DMX is on the mic, he stays there whether you like it or not.

This is a good game to play with friends who won't cheat you out of victory. It IS fun that way, any other way is a recipie for frustration. Rent this game first, and then decide if I just lack the skilz for this stupid game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers action-adventure game will allow players to take control of the trilogy’s action heroes--Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli--with other members of the Fellowship taking an active role during gameplay. Players will battle a variety of Orcs and square off against vicious boss monsters including the Cave Troll and Saruman. A tactical gameplay system will encourage players to react quickly and be strategic with their selection of characters, weaponry, and combat moves. ... Read more

Reviews (90)

Decide the fate of Middle-Earth....
I loved the movie. I loved the book. So, here comes the game... Your chance to be Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.

- Graphics: The graphics look really great. Not as good as the Resident Evil or Metroid Prime, but still pretty good. There are waterfalls, fire, rocks, and all kind of things. The characters are alike from the ones in the movies.. All fine.
- Sounds: This is the best thing. You're getting, with this game, the original voices of the characters from Lord Of The Rings movie! Orlando Bloom, Viggo M., John Rhys-Davies, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood... And, like if that wasn't enough, the soundtrack is the one from the movies! What else can you expect?
- Fun: If you liked the movie, then it's EXTRA fun! It's so much cool to defeat Orcs, Uruk Hai, and plenty of other races... Bosses such as the Cave Troll, Lurtz.. As you play, you unlock interviews with the actors, pictures, secret levels, cheats and a secret character (I won't tell you who it is... Let it be a surprise). As you play, you win experience points, so you can buy weapon upgrades, and this kind of stuff. You can also increase your level, from 1 to 10.
- Educative: There is some violence and some blood too. Nothing to worry about, kids can play it. You use swords and things to kill creatures, blood is spilled, but nothing that violent.

This is the game that will make you experience the power of the One Ring. If you are a Lord Of The Rings fan, this is your game...

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers videogame preview
To start, you have to choose between Gimli the dwarf, Aragorn the ranger, or Legolas the elf, each with their own special moves, attacks, and power-ups. Gimli uses his powerful axes to attack in close range combats, and throws his axes to attack from long distances. Aragorn uses his mighty sword to attack in close range combats, and throws arrows from his bow to attack from long distances. Legolas uses his cool swords (two of them) to attack in close range combats, and uses arrows from his bow to attack from long distances. These weapons can be up-graded while you progress in the game. For example, the arrows can be up-graded into fire arrows, which give more damage. Each character has his stats in a different way: Legolas is the fastest in throwing arrows and attacking, but he is the weakest (if an enemy attacks him, he will lose more life than the rest of the crew). Gimli is the strongest, but he is the slowest of all. Finally, Aragorn is all-round, which means he has all his stats equal or similar.
Once you begin your journey, you will have to battle two mayor events from the Fellowship of the Ring: The Mines of Moria and the final battle against the trolls (at the end of the movie). The game has 12 levels, plus one secret. It is a bit short and has no mulitplayer mode, you will beat it in about 7 to 10 hours max, but the game has lots of things to return for. I would have like to play as Gandalf, but you can't. Even though you can't choose him, he participates on the battles as a CPU AI.
The game might be short for some, but the replay value is great. Plus you can unlock a secret character after beating it(Isildur). For the fans, this game is a most!!

Kicking Orc Butt!
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CONTROLS - 4/5
There are lots of different moves you can preform, so at first it will be a little difficult trying to remember which button does which move. Lukily it doesn't take too long to get the hang of it. And after you gain experience points from defeating enemies, you can purchase cool combo moves.

The only thing that bugs me is that you can't preform a simple jump, since TTT isn't a platform-jumping type of game. That took some getting used to.

GRAPHICS - 5/5
The graphics are superb. All the characters look almost exactly like they do in the movie. The scenery is very realistic and detailed. (Also, you can unlock interviews with the cast and stuff about the making of the game.)

GAMEPLAY - 5/5
There are 12 levels and 5 secret levels you can unlock. The first five levels are from The Fellowship, the rest The Two Towers.

You can play as Aragorn, Legolas or Gimli. You can also unlock a secret character. I know a lot of people say that Legolas is pathetic, but I disagree. He carries two swords, one in each hand, so he can do some pretty cool moves. Although Legolas is the most easily injured, that's just part of what makes it challenging (but you can upgrade his health meter if you want to). When it comes to attacks, the Elf is the swiftest and the Dwarf the slowest. Aragorn can also do really cool moves, and he is fun to play. However, Gimli is difficult and his throwing axes (ranged weapon) almost never hit their mark.

The fighting is violent: it isn't rated TEEN for nothing. There's practically no blood and the enemies disappear once defeated, but I think that no one under the age of 13 should play it.

REPLAY VALUE - 5/5
The levels are definately worth playing twice, if not three times. Unfortunately, after you beat a level with, say, Aragorn (and then save), you can't go back and replay the level as Aragorn to get a better score. You can only go back as Legolas or Gimli.

DIFFICULTY - 3/5
Kinda easy. I haven't beat it yet, but after playing it for two hours, I was on level five. I hope the later levels get harder.

SOUND/MUSIC - 5/5
This game has the music and actors' voices from the movie. But it's kinda hard to tell what some of the characters say.

TOTAL - 27/30
I recommend this game to LOTR fans who like video games. It's definately worth it.

Pretty Good Game
The Two Towers was an excellent movie. The game is pretty decent seeing the expectations that is put on something like it. The Two Towers is almost exactly like the movie. You replay some of the scenarios from the first movie "The Fellowship of the Ring."

You have three choices of characters for the game. You can be Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas. You build experience points up in the game which let you upgrade combo moves and weapons. After you've beaten the game with the characters you can unlock some cool secrets. Aragorn is easily the best of the three characters with Gimli second and the elf in third.

The graphics are pretty good considering the scale they made the game on. The Helms Deep levels look kind of cheesy, but it's hard to make something look that realistic. Everything moves pretty crisp and the music and sound effects are great.

There are some other specials with the game. You can unlock interviews with the cast of the game and watch scenes from the second movie. They are pretty decent and are only entertaing like the first time you watch it.

I give the game four stars. It would have gotten five if they could have made some kind of two player gameplay. It's still a pretty good game despite that flaw and fans of LOTR should pick this one up.

Another Orc Bites the Dust!
This is a must have for GameCube!The whole game begins with the very cool introduction from the first film.The begining level throws you on the slop of Mount Doom as Isildor faced with the onslaut of Mordor.After this level is through your introduced to the Ringraiths then the real fun begins.As you travel through the game you'll meet many freeky foes including Ringraiths,Uruk-Hai,and every type of Orc you can imagine.(I'll leave the rest of the enemies for you to discover.)Your choice between heroes is Aragorn,Legolas,and Gimli.Legolas,the hyper archer and speed demon.Gimli,an axe wielding Orc killer;and Aragorn,(You gotta love his moves!)This game rocks! ... Read more