Review: World of Warcraft (PC)

Graphics- 9/10
Sound- 9/10
Gameplay-10/10
Replay-Infinity/10
Overall- 9.5/10

Wow, this game is huge.The environments and colors that surround you are stunning. As well, there's an endless amount of things to do, and at the same time, the gameplay isn't complicated. It's so simple to play this game that it gets AMAZINGLY addictive.

World of Warcraft can be ranked as one of the most noticed games of our time. A game with a nearly endless, persistent world filled with some of the most fantastic creatures ever is a game that is easy to get hooked to. A bit too easy to get hooked to. First off, the gameplay itself gigantic. From raids to quests and professions to leveling. All of this is packed in a very simple, user-friendly game system. Right click to attack, left click to target, move camera with mouse, move with W A S D (remember that future computer-gaming kiddies: it's was); these are the basic controls you need to know. Along with that, the interface shows you everything you need to know. As well, every class has tons of skills and/or spells that can be placed in boxes on the bottom of the screen for quick use (as with most RPGs). As well, the entire interface is customizable. So you can have everything in reach, where you want it, as you play. But what do you do when you play World of Warcraft? You role play. You hunt, loot, adventure, search, duel, make friends, fight in warlike raids, fly, ride gryphons, ride wyverns, ride horses, ride nightsabers, ride ships, get pets, find treasures. You will get stronger, richer, and armed to the teeth in plate mail and a sword that's the size of a dinner table. You start as a weakling with a torn shirt and a pointy metal stick called a "sword". A few hundred, if not, thousands of hours later, you're covered in shinning armor armed with weapons that literally glow with power atop a powerful and swift mount that carries you through your many adventures (if you want to pay a hefty [in game] price for said mount, that is).

When you start, you choose; who do you want to be: a human or a night elf, a gnome or a dwarf, an undead or a tauren, a troll or an orc? Okay, now what do you want to be: a warrior, a paladin, a hunter, a mage, a rogue, a druid, a shaman, a warlock, or a priest? What do you want to look like, what's your name? Now THAT'S a lot of questions. A lot of good questions. From the beginning you choose how you play this game- do you strike from the shadows, do you rain lethal arrows upon your enemies, or do you walk up to those enemies and smash 'em in the face with a two ton hammer. It's all up to you. There is, from what I know, way more than 2,000 quests in the game. This doesn't count all the leveling, treasure hunting, and PVPing (at least in battle grounds) you do along the way. And, of course, there's a huge world to explore. A world that's filled with dark, haunted forests; great deserts; jungles filled with terrific creatures; snowy mountain ranges and valleys; the list keeps going and going. As well, in this world are battle grounds. These are places where you, along with other players, duke it out with players on the opposite side (the horde if you're on the alliance side, and the alliance if you're on the horde side). These areas can only be entered if you're in the level range and if you choose to enter. Depending on which server you choose, this may be the only real PVP experience. While you PVP by your choice in normal and roleplay servers (realms), the PVP action is quite open on the PVP servers. There's obviously a lot to do in World of Warcraft, and, even better, you choose how to do all these things. And the environment that surrounds you as you do these things is stunning. Although the graphics aren't completely realistic, the design and colors used really fit the graphics. You can easily get sucked in to the world because of this. The environments are very "mythic-like" with a real fantasy feeling. The actual settings range from forests and jungles to valleys, deserts, and mountains and beyond. The character designs of all the races are very memorable, fantastic, and, as the kids say, "cool". As well, the designs of the weapons and armor are stunning and actually look powerful. Along with the many types of weapons and pieces of armor, you put to use many spells and skills that are unbelievably useful.

As you go on your journeys, a powerful music score keeps everything moving and deepens the feeling of a stunning fantasy setting of epic proportion. Everything in this game looks, although somewhat unrealistic, fantastic. The gameplay overflows with adventures, choices, and things to do. Backing all this is an involving, yet simple and overly addictive gameplay system. And although there is a 15 dollar a month fee, you get what you pay for- a huge, fantastic, persistent world with a nearly endless amount of fantasy adventures.

Pros: A lot to do, great music and visuals. Stunning designs and beautiful environments. Very fun and easy to use game system.
Cons: A monthly fee, can take up a lot of time.

Review: Vedran

Review: Wii Play (Wii)

Graphics- 6.5/10
Sound- 6/10
Gameplay- 6/10
Replay Value- 7/10
Overall- 6/10

This game should have been included with the console at launch, not Wii Sports. The game is training with the Wiimote and a little more. The additional Wiimote is a great reason to buy this game. Like Wii Sports it's a great multiplayer.

Many people will buy this game for the extra Wiimote and that is a great reason to buy this game because dropping fifty dollars for this is not worth it. The Wiimote addition makes each of the nine games cost about $1.11 (a Wiimote costs forty.) The multiplayer in this game is much better than the single player, much like Wii Sports. Again like Wii Sports the single player isn't bad, there is once again a system in place that will keep you coming back again and again. All of the nine games you can get Medals for, ranging from bronze to platinum and with every medal you receive a note on your message board that gives you a tip about that particular game (some of which are actually useful.) I would strongly recommend you buy this because of the Wiimote, but not necessarily alone.

Table Tennis - This game is good, not great. The main problem with this game is that it's way too forgiving. In other words, there are times in this game where you obviously miss the ball but it still counts as a hit. However a positive is the game is easy for all, you just have to move the paddle, this can make putting spin on the ball difficult though. You are not required to swing it like in Wii Tennis, it is all done automatically for you provided that you move to the paddle to the ball in time... or don't. One noticeable thing about this game is the Mii's, in both negative and positive ways. The positive is that the Miis that you make will watch you and more will come as you hit the ball more. The negative is the lack of Miis actually playing the game. Instead of your Mii moving and hitting the ball, it's just your hand. Multiplayer is pretty fun and can provide decent entertainment. Single player is fine but gold medals are way to hard to get.

Laser Hockey - Another example of an ok game, it presents nothing special. This game could be much more fun if it wasn't so annoying. The main reason it annoys me is my arm ends up getting sore because the only position that allows this game to work causes the soreness (you do get used to it.) The only other reason that game annoys me is in game stupidity, weather it's me or the computer. You see, when the game starts there is a certain angle, that if you hit the puck at, is a guaranteed point because the computer can not catch you to it. As for my stupidity, I have encountered many times where I scored a goal on myself , and if I just let it go I would have been fine. This game can be pretty fun if you play it against one of your friend, provided they aren't sore losers because once you get good at the game it will take your friends awhile to catch up to you. The other cool aspect of this game is the neon effect, it does make it "Laser" hockey and it just looks cool.

Fishing - Terrible graphics. That is what I first noticed. It appears to be drawn with crayons... no seriously. Otherwise the game is actually pretty fun once you get the hang of it because that may take awhile. I felt thrown into the game and I had no idea how to work anything at first, but I got used to it and know I like to play the game. One major positive of this game is the way points are distributed. It's no a certain number of points for any given fish. Each fish has a certain number of points attached to it and they can vary depending on size and weather or not it's the bonus fish (x2 points). Whatever you do though do not catch the "Small Fry," it's -50 points and takes away time. On the negative side this game isn't as fun on multiplayer like a majority of the other games, it's just fun to call your friend an idiot for catching a Small Fry when you know very well that you used to do it yourself all the time.

Find Mii - Find Mii can be really fun or terrible, it all depends on weather or not you are good. In this game you are given the simple task of finding a specified Mii. This task however can evolve into many different searching contest all ranging in style and difficulty. In the first contest you have to find to Mii's out of four that look alike. Simple enough right? It gets harder from there. One of your tasks is to find three Mii's that look alike on three sets of rotating escalators and to make matters worse the three Mii's are never on the screen at the same time. Finding Miis is only made harder when it's a Mii that you didn't make. As far as the Multiplayer goes on this game, it can be fun but it is not a game you want to play with a bunch of people over because one of two things will happen. One: they will get incredible bored and not care of Two: they will get over evolved and try and help you out, which will not help you and just annoy you. For single player the gold medal is way to hard to get.

Pose Mii - The worst game out of the nine by far. The games concept is bad from the start: you are to chose from three different poses and match your Mii's pose to the pose created on falling bubbles. The first few levels are easy with the only problem being that the bubbles begin to fall faster (you can't let them fall all the way down.) The real difficulty rolls around at level four when you are forced to switch your Mii's pose to compensate for the bubbles. From there the bubbles only begin to fall faster. This doesn't help you when you're aiming for a gold medal because it is unbelievably hard to get. The other thing that might stop you from getting a medal is you may end up getting distracted by the weird backgrounds that are featured throughout the levels. They are on the WarioWare level of weirdness. They change from flowers to birds to bad acid trip. As far as the multiplayer goes it can provide a challenge because you and your partner each have a set of your own bubbles to pop. The thing is you can pop your partners bubbles for double the points or you can risk letting it pass you and take the chance that he will end up letting it fall all the way.

Shooting - This game is Duck Hunt only with targets and aliens... well I guess it's slightly different than Duck Hunt. The game is simple and easy, yet it can be very fun but repetitive. The designers attempted to avoid this by changing up the targets and making some worth more points and some cost you points (when you shot your face.) You will not sit down and play this game for hours on end while never getting bored. You may play this game a few times and get the gold medal (which is very easy to do, I got it on my first try) but nothing more. The multiplayer aspect doesn't change much from the original, there are just two people shooting at the same targets. The only big change is that if you shot your opponents face you get points. However, one of the best features of this game is the last level where six (three in multiplayer) of your Mii's are being abducted by aliens and you have to stop them. Everyone that you save is worth ten extra points. This can be especially fun when playing multiplayer because you can let your friends Mii's be abducted while you save your own and get the extra thirty points that might push you over for the win.

Billiards - The main problem is that the controls take getting used to. The controls involve heavy use of the the "B" button and it can kind of get confusing. The other problem for some people is the way you hit. You pull back with the Wiimote and let go of "B" as you push forward for a good and hard hit. Unfortunately some of my friends seem to have problems with this so I don't know how easier it is for beginners. Once you master the controls the game can actually be somewhat fun. However in single player the gold take a lot of practice and time because of the game you are forced to play. You are playing billiards, not pool. In other words you have to hit the target ball first and this can be really annoying if the ball is behind another one. This forces you to bank the ball and that is very hard to do with the camera set-up. The default camera is zoomed in on the cue and you can change it by hitting "A," which will show an overhead view. The problem with this is that the default view is still shown in the background of the new view and you can not accurately judge banking angles of the cue ball.

Charge! - This game is the best in my mind. It's amazingly fun... partly because you are riding a cow! Now come on what can get better than that? I could only say "It's Dangerous!" or Ocarina of Time (just kidding, but seriously riding cows is awesome.) There is only one big problem with this game and that is the controls. To go forward you have to tilt the Wiimote forward, and that can take a little bit of getting used to. Using a button to go forward would have been easier but not as fun, because after you're used to tilting forward you hardly even realize that your doing it. Other than that the controls are fairly simple; tilt to the side to turn and jerk upwards to jump. Now other than riding a cow you have to knock down scarecrows, which is the point of the game. You are given a time limit and you haver to knock down as many scarecrows as possible. Scarecrows are worth a point each and they come in sets of five. There are also scarecrows that move from side to side and are worth fifteen points (they are way to easy to hit.) The only negative for this game is that the gold medal is way to easy to get. Other than that every aspect is very well done, even the multiplayer.

Tanks! - The most complex game out of the pack, but you have seen this game many times before. You control a tank and you have to shot down the other tanks that appear on the screen (this is from a birds-eye view.) This game is fun for awhile, but it's nothing special because odds are you have played something very similar to this many times before. This is also the only game that doesn't use the motion sensing capability's of the Wii/Wiimote. It's also the only game that you need the Nunchuck...well you can use the D-Pad but that is much harder than the Nunchuck to use. In single player the medal is way to hard to get...or maybe I just suck but I like the multiplayer better because it's co-op. It's hard for me to say anything more because this is the game that I play the least and I expect to keep it that way.

The only reason that you should consider buying this game is for the Wiimote. Sure some of the games are fun but it's not worth it, not even for the multiplayer. You might want to buy this game if you are a complete noob at the Wii because it does a nice job of teaching you how to use it. If this game is ever released without the Wiimote and it's cheaper, than you should buy it for the multiplayer. I also forgot to mention that at the main screen where you choose the games, all the Miis that you made appear in the background, and they do stupid things that make them look ridiculous, such as swimming in mid-air.

Pros: Charge!, Shooting, Laser Hockey, Table Tennis, Billiards after awhile, Miis in the background.
Cons: Pose Mii, Tanks is nothing new, Billiards at first, Some medals are hard to get.

Review: Dan

Review: Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA (N64)

Graphics- 9/10
Sound- 4/10
Gameplay- 8/10
Replay Value- 7/10
Overall- 7.5/10

Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA is what the title says...Rush 2. The game is good but doesn't do much to improve on the original formula. The main difference is that it isn't "San Fransisco" it's "USA." The game is slightly better than the first thanks to a few improvements.

Ah yes, Rush 2. Rush re-released, only this time it was exclusively for the N64. You can just read my review for the original game and understand this game. The game is generally the same with some minor improvements. I got this game because, as I mentioned before, Rush was amazing to me at the age I got it. If you can follow that logic to me Rush 2 would have been phenomenal. Well it's not. There are many great features in this game such as the graphics. Once again the level of detail that went into this game is out of this world for an N64 game; and this is really shown off when you drive through a city. Once again the cars themselves look really good and life-like. The cars look good until you crash into something that is, because once again the collision damage is terrible. No matter where you get hit the damage will be in the same place. If you are hit in the front the damage will show up in the back, as well as the front. If the collision damage really bothers you, you could ram straight into a wall instead of crashing into and bouncing off. However you might actually do this a few times because the explosions look really cool, unrealistic (like the air time), but cool nonetheless. There is an improvement as far as cars go and that is the ability to customize cars. This feature is heavily pushed in the game and can really make or break you in a race.

While the graphics stayed the same, one major change was the music. In the original Rush the music was abysmal. While the music still sucks out loud it is a great improvement from what it was before. The music is still weird Techno-Reggae mix with bizarre screaming at points. I would still recommend muting your television set, but if for some reason you can't you can wait longer before smashing your skull in than you could before. While the music obviously isn't the greatest part, it's pretty obvious what is...the shortcuts/stunts. These two elements make the game what it is and the shortcuts are what the game is know for. There is once again a heavy emphasis on shortcuts, although it may be slightly less than before, it's hard to judge. Unlike the shortcuts the stunts are dramatically different in this game. While you still get unrealistic air time there is a course designed specifically for stunts and this is the best part of the game by far. The countless hours that I spent driving around that large and rather nicely laid out course is unreal. On top of that playing the stunt course on multilayer is even better because you are given points based on your stunts (the system is pretty straight forward.) I remember one time my friend I were playing and trying to get the highest air time. I got an 18, which was the highest any of us had gotten at the time, so I was pretty cocky... only to see my friend land a 24 air time with two seconds left. I did manage to get a 28 later, and that record still stands today. As you can see this can be pretty damn entertaining. To contrast that the worst part is Midway decided to get rid of "It's Dangerous!" What the Hell?!?! However, the game is relatively the same as before. If you don't like the sound of the stunts aspect, then don't buy this game... unless you want different courses for San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing.

Pros: Stunt course, Graphics, Shortcuts, Exaggerated gravity.
Cons: No "It's Dangerous," Collision damage graphics, Same as before.

Review: Dan

Review: MotorStorm (PS3)

Graphics- 9.5/10
Sound- 9.5/10
Gameplay- 9/10
Replay Value- 8/10
Overall- 9/10

If you have a PS3, you probably downloaded the demo for MotorStorm, played it, and have been waiting for the game to come out. It's finally here, but was it worth the wait? The short answer: yes. The long answer: read the review.

First of all: the graphics. Holy crap, the graphics. They are simply phenomenal. Why do I mention them first? They are probably the first thing you've noticed about the game. The environments are beautifully rendered, and bring the game to life. The cars also look fantastic, each with their own unique style. Plus, the explosions look pretty good as well. This game just simply looks good. Also, this game sports an excellent soundtrack. If you enjoy rock music, you will find something here you like. And if you don't like a song? Just uncheck it from the playlist, a feature sadly missing in some games (Supercar Street Challenge, just to name one).

Which leads us to the gameplay. Honestly, the gameplay is a little disappointing. It's still very good, but it could be better. The storyline, I guess you can call it that, is pretty pointless. All you do in the game is race races over and over again. Yes, that is what you do in every other racing game, but some racing games (Gran Turismo 3, just to name one) have more variety in what you are allowed to do, with buying cars and so forth. It is just too linear. Speaking of the cars, yes there are unlockable cars, but the only difference between them and other cars of the same class is looks. They have the same speed and handling. As for the types of cars you can drive, there are seven. The small ones: the motorbike, small and agile, and the ATV, bigger than the bike, but less agile, more meant for driving in the dirt. The medium ones: the buggy, a smaller, speedy car meant for off-roading; the rally cars, the fastest car in the game, but limited to smoother roads; and the racing truck, good for rough terrain, but suffers in speed. And the big ones: the mudpluggers, a mix between monster trucks and pickup trucks, best for driving in, well, mud, and the big rig, slow, bad at handling, but this doesn't matter since you can plow through your enemies. With the different types of cars, there are also different things you can do with them. For example, if you are on a bike or an ATV, you can deliver an oh-so-satisfying punch to other drivers to knock them off their bikes or ATVs. Or if you are in a big rig, simply run over your bike/ATV-riding enemies.

To go along with the theme of cars, boosting is a major part of this game. Without it, there is no way you could win most of the races. When you boost too long, a fireball not-very-realistically comes out of the back of your car as a warning, because if you boost too long, you explode. However, this can create some entertaining moments, as you can have a fireball coming out of the back of a big rig (must be intimidating for the other racers). There are some more problems with the game. Sometimes you will get randomly stuck in a corner or on a rock if you take a turn too fast, the worst part being that it is hard to get unstuck. Most of the time, I have to boost so much that I explode just to get free. This can understandably make you go from first place to last in a matter of seconds. Also, there is no splitscreen multiplayer, meaning if I want to play with my Wii-owning friend, for example, he would have to buy a PS3. And by the time this happens, a better racing game will probably be out. The reason for this is probably because it would be pointless to have the graphics as freakishly good as they are if you cannot enjoy them, but still, the feature would have been very welcome. This game does have online multiplayer, however, and the system is very good, and worth playing. Also, in the preview, I thought there would be more courses, but I was mistaken. There are only eight, and while they are all long, this is still not enough. They get old rather quickly. The best part about the courses, though: there are so many paths to take, which leads to a different strategy for the different vehicle types. Overall, this game is worth buying if you like racing games and have a PS3, and is making me very excited for the expected MotorStorm 2.

Pros: Graphics, soundtrack, running over a biker with your truck, punching an opposing racer off their bike/ATV, fun, online multiplayer.
Cons: No splitscreen multiplayer, having to explode yourself to get unstuck.

Review: Eric

Review: Gears of War (360)

Graphics- 10/10
Sound- 10/10
Gameplay- 10/10
Replay Value- 10/10
Overall- 10/10

Gears of War... more like Game of the Year. Intense, challenging, stunning- these are only a few of the words that can describe Gears of War. Get ready for one wild ride.

A game as highly anticipated as Gears of War will naturally come with plenty of skeptics. The gameplay quickly came into question when it was revealed that the game would use a "stop and pop" formula. This simply means that you go through the levels dodging bullets, jumping for cover, and then blowing away your enemies from said cover. This works out perfectly. The rush for cover as bullets, grenades, and rockets fly literally over your head is INTENSE. A single well-placed shot will kill you, and a burst of a rifle to your gut will tear you apart. Oh yeah, this game is gory. Limbs literally fly through some of the battles. Even your own. But that's where your arsenal comes in. You're a COG soldier. A monster made of muscle and armor. You're armed with rifles with chainsaw bayonets, shotguns, spiked grenades, snipers that tear through enemies, and the torque bow. The torque bow is basically a bow that revs up, sticks a guy with a metal bolt, and blows him away. The rifle is pretty good, but it's main feature is the chainsaw attachment, which, when revved up, can tear a guy in half. Although there are a few more weapons such as pistols, the arsenal is kind of small. But that doesn't make it useless, it packs quite a punch in fact. When you do shoot (which there is A LOT of), you either shoot "from the hip" which is pretty inaccurate, or you can aim more accurately over the shoulder by holding the left trigger, but this slows you down. These options make you make choices that can have heavy consequences in split seconds. The challenge in the game is near excellent, although it can feel like a bit too much in some parts. In this game, you're constantly on the edge of your seat. The gameplay is simply perfect.

The most noted thing about Gears of War are its graphics. And yes, they are some of the best available on any console. The details are superb. There is no way to really explain it except to say that the graphics are crisp, clean, and perfect. Although, sometimes the graphics are a bit blurry when you load the game, but this fixes itself within seconds and the overall quality makes up for it. The lighting is done wonderfully. The lighting does a great job of creating a deep, dark, war ravaged mood. And the design is very original. It really fits the game and makes the game very enjoyable to watch. The sound, too, is done very well. The music in the game is placed perfectly at the right moments and the sounds of screeching bullets and ear popping explosions make for a very memorable and exciting experience.

The replay value is quite good in this game as once you finish the game on hardcore difficulty, the insane difficulty opens up. Also, through the game are many spots where your team has to split up, letting you choose which path you want to go. This nice feature adds the chance to have a bit of a different experience when playing through the game more than once. Also, the multiplayer is a nice change from the regular multiplayer shooter experience with the "stop and pop" formula. The chainsaw on the Lancer rifle also opens a new way of pwnage in multiplayer games. Overall, this game is excellent. It easily takes the place as one of the best games ever and can easily take on Halo. High quality graphics and sound with some of the best and most exciting gameplay ever make one great game.

Pros: Exciting gameplay, crisp visuals, and great sound.
Cons: Nothing really.

Review: Vedran

Review: Supercar Street Challenge (PS2*)

Graphics- 3/10
Sound- 1.5/10
Gameplay- 3/10
Replay Value- 2/10
Overall- 2/10

Supercar Street Challenge simply put, is a bad game. A really bad game. I mean, this game is just shameful. The graphics suck. The gameplay sucks. Everything else sucks. The one good thing about this game only applies to certain people: the game features a techno soundtrack that only major techno fans will enjoy. Just don't buy it.

Supercar Street Challenge for the PS2 has a simple premise: design a car, and then race it. Actually, that is more or less the game's slogan. Here is the game's real slogan: "Design it. Build it. Race It." Yea, that's it. It was that simple premise that made me buy the game. Oh, and the $20 price tag, without being a "Greatest Hits" title. Me in my misguided youth... I really should have known better. The thing is, the designing of the car, the game's main concept, doesn't work well, whatsoever. On the back of the box, a picture of a designed car, which, might I add, looks pretty retarded, cannot even be made at the start of the game. And even if it could, the editing system is so bad that you would lose your patience well before you finished the car. However, the single player mode isn't all that bad. Oh, wait, yes it is. The cars have amazing handling at less than 70 mph, but over that, they become incredibly hard to handle. Not that it really matters though, because if you hit a wall, unless it is a head-on collision, you only lose 40 mph, at the most. And when you are going 150 mph, that doesn't really matter. Also, the first series of races is too easy, the second series is fairly difficult, but the last series is so frickin' hard, you will wonder why you are even playing this game. Which will probably happen quite often, actually. If, no, when you get bored of the single player, you can play some two player multiplayer with your friends. It's only you two, no extra computer players. And since you both should stay above 120 mph the whole race unless you get into a really bad crash, whoever gets the better start usually wins.

As if to add insult to injury, the game looks like crap. Gran Turismo 2, for the PS1, looks better. The nine cars available are nice cars, but the game simply doesn't do them justice. Also, hopefully you have some music of your own to play, because the background music sucks, with as much emphasis on "sucks" as possible. My friend was over, and we were playing this game. Less than 30 seconds into the first race, he said, "Sounds like a night club." And it does. Except for it sounds like a really bad night club. Apparently the music is by some good techno bands. But since I've never heard such crap before, I had no idea that this was actually licensed music, not just some cheap tunes made for the game. I bought this game for $20. If you really are stupid enough to want this game, you can probably find it now in a bargain bin at your local game store. Or, you could just buy Gran Turismo 3, or just about any other racing game, for a much better gaming experience. Just say no, kids.

Pros: Bargain price, soundtrack if you are hardcore techno fan.
Cons: Everything else.

Review: Eric

*Also available for PC. Review for PS2 only

Preview: Gripshift (PS3)

Gripshift, for the PS3, is an enhanced version of the game by the same title for the PSP. It is a racing/ puzzle game, with some strategy elements thrown in, too.

Not a lot of content is shown in the downloadable demo, but I'll tell you what I do know. It features a nice techno/rock soundtrack, with plenty of songs available. They fit in very well with the style of game that Gripshift is. The game also has some pretty interesting courses. Most of them are straight forward, but some of them have several different ways you can complete the objectives of that particular track. Every course has the same three objectives: get a fast time, collect all the stars, and find the Gripshift token. There is an online leader board for whoever complete the mission the fastest. If you have a competitive spirit, you will try your best to get the fastest time possible for yourself, and if you get pretty close to the top time, you may find yourself trying over and over again to get the top, or simply just a faster, time. This adds a certain level of challenge, until you realize you have stopped caring, and either give up, or keep trying anyway. None of the levels are really all that difficult, though, so after you complete it, you may have a "That was too easy" feeling.

That being said, the game gets repetitive. I am not sure how many courses there are (there were only ten in the demo), but I can't see them being very creative any more after the 50th one. Although the courses look nice (cartoony nice, not MotorStorm nice), the scenery in the ten tracks provided looks relatively the same, so if there are more than 100 levels, it will definitely get boringly repetitive. Also, like all driving games, there is some racing involved. However, I do not think this will be a big part of the game, as only one of the levels in the demo was racing. And it was really easy. So hopefully this is improved in the final version. Also, I know there will be some sort of multiplayer racing, most likely over the internet. Hopefully this will be good and actually worth playing. Overall, Gripshift is a fun game with a creative concept, but since it's very repetitive, it will be interesting to see how well the final version is done.

What's Good: Soundtrack, courses.
What Could Be Better: Racing, repetitive, difficulty.

Expected Overall- 7/10

Preview: Eric

Review: Kirby's Adventure (VC*)

Graphics- 8/10
Sound- 7/10
Gameplay- 9/10
Replay Value- 8/10
Overall- 8.5/10

To this day this is still a good game a great download from the VC. The gameplay was unique at the time it came out and still is pulled off rather nicely in todays' gaming world (some unfortunately being nothing more than button-mashers).

I was very excited when I learned that this game was coming to the VC, because I knew that I had liked the game before but I just didn't remember much about it and why I liked it. When I began to play the game I soon remembered why I liked it so. The gameplay is very unique and compelling for a side-scrolling video game. You might think that Kirby is nothing special, but I disagree with you. The ability to copy certain enemies moves is so creative and adds such an addictive element to this game, it is unreal. Once you get a move you might not think about it but this requires you to think about what you are doing and going to do. What I mean is you might get an ability that you really like, but then you see an enemy with an ability that you think would be better or more useful. Do you give up your current ability? Do you keep it? Can you even take his ability? The other unique feature is Kirby's ability to "fly" (float.) This is something that is in all Kirby games and is a great concept that really wouldn't work on other games. Imagine a classic Mario game. Fun side-scrolling adventure to ensue...right? Now if he had the ability to fly...well not quite the same anymore is it? The cool thing about Kirby's flying ability is that it leads to unique level designs that require you to do more than just run forward and time your jumps. As far as designing goes, the world set-up is done very well. You have the ability to revisit old worlds which can contain that enemy that has the key to your success against that challenging boss. However "challenging" is not a word that be given the honor of being associated with Kirby's Adventure. You see... you just can't lose. Game over? Just hit continue and you are right back where you left off...except outside the level...not the world. Not only can you not die, the bosses and mini-bosses are ridiculously easy especially when you have a power-up you "borrowed" from and enemy. A good gamer...hell, a below average gamer can knock this game out in no time.

The graphics in this game appear to be very well done - there are multiple colors and patterns in each world and level within. However it is a bit hard for me to judge the graphics because I do not know what other games at the time looked like. The sound isn't the greatest, but then again none of the games at the time where phenomenal. There seems to be nothing but positives (almost) right? Well...let's get back to my first time playing. I entered a room and glanced up and saw a lot of enemies (five or six.) My first thought was...hey this might give me a slight challenge (it didn't.) I then started to inhale to suck up an enemy with a move I deeply desired, but as soon as I started to inhale...no, it can't be was that...LAG?!?! Are you kidding me?!?!? A NES game lagging on a Wii?!?!? I know that Nintendo isn't going to mess with games and release them in there original state...but I think that they could have made an exception for this (and a controller pack for Mario Kart 64.) The slowdown fiasco only gets worse as the game goes on because it increases in "difficulty," which means more foes. However this is the game I have played the most on my VC...well maybe Mario Kart 64 (yes I do own the cartridge and the VC version.) This is still a good game and worth 500 Wii points ($5.)

Pros: Unique, Copy enemies moves, "Flying," Game design.
Cons: LAG!, Way too easy.
Should it be downloaded? - Yes

Review: Dan

*Original version on NES - Review based on VC version only.

Review: Samurai Warriors (PS2*)

Graphics- 5/10
Sound- 5/10
Gameplay- 6/10
Replay Value- 6/10
Overall- 5.5/10

Samurai Warriors from Koei is pretty much the same game as Dynasty Warriors, just set in Japan, not China. So if you've played any of the 5,000 Dynasty Warriors before, you know what you're getting. If you liked those games, or if you like other pointless button-mashers, you'll probably like this one too. If you didn't, then stop reading this review, because nothing will convince you to buy this game.

Samurai Warriors is set in ancient Japan. And while I'm pretty sure this game might have some historical accuracy, I can't really tell. But it doesn't really matter, because the stories suck. Each playable character has a separate story, although since almost all of the stories overlap, a lot of similar elements are used throughout. There are a good deal of playable characters, but it's rather pointless to play them all, since you just unlock new characters with the same story you have already heard. Also, you can create your own character if you like, and while the character creation mode is pretty good, I don't really see the point for the same reason mentioned above. But if you get bored, which you will, you might want to give it a shot.

And to make it worse, this game is a pure button-masher. You can upgrade your character to give them new moves, but it doesn't really matter, since you just press the same button or two over and over again. There are two attack buttons, Square and Triangle. Square is your basic attack (the only button you'll ever need) and Triangle is a stronger attack. However, all you need to do is press the Square button 100 times, anytime you are near a group of enemies, and you will get the job done. Speaking of the enemies, they all look the same. There are maybe five different types of enemies, but most of the time you will only see a group of 20 of the same type of enemies. And if there happens to be more than 30 enemies and/or allies (which also look the same) on the screen at once, the game will start to lag. Because of this, you can usually only see enemies that are 20 ft. in front of you or closer. But it doesn't matter, because the AI sucks too much to attack you anyway. You can run straight passed a group of enemies, and they will just stare at you. To prove my point, I took the character with the worst defense at level 1, and just stood in a group of enemies. Even with two officers, it took me 2 min. to die. That is way too ridiculously long, even for a game of this low caliber.

Because of your near-inability to die, most of the time you lose a mission, it's not because you died, but because of the next point. The game will give you objectives based either on a timer, or on your progress. You will sometimes think you are going the right way, and then will get an objective telling you to go to the opposite side to the map, and since the characters move incredibly slow without, and most of the time even with, the use of a horse, you will not reach where you are supposed to go in time.

Every once in a while, there will be an "officer" (very slightly stronger enemy with more health) who comes along. After you defeat them, you see a cut scene to break up the monotony. However, the voice acting is so bad, and because you most likely won't care about what the officer has to say, you will skip it. Speaking of the cut scenes, you know how, in most games, the cut scenes look better than normal gameplay? But do they in Samurai Warriors? No. They look just as bad as the rest of the game does, and most of the time, the very repetitive animations during gameplay are actually better than those in the cut scenes. The only reason I bought this game was because I played a little of Dynasty Warriors at a friend's house, and the game seemed fun. It was for a little while, but soon enough I began to see this game for what it really is: the same garbage featured in every other Dynasty Warrior game, and a poor excuse to make money.

Pros: A lot of playable characters, character creation mode, ability to skip cut scenes, same as Dynasty Warriors.
Cons: Button-masher, stories in story mode suck, voice acting, animations, graphics, lagging, AI, same as Dynasty Warriors.

Review: Eric

*Also available for Xbox. Review for PS2 only

Editorial: The Xbox 360 is More Than Halo 3's Bitch

People keep saying that all the Xbox 360 has is Halo. Why? They can't think of a better way to call a wonderful console bad. They say the 360 has worse graphics than the Playstation 3 because it doesn't have the HDMI output. Look at Gears of War, the best graphics ever besides Killzone 2 which were PRERENDERED. If a game's visuals in-game can match the prerendered graphics of Killzone 2, then it's obvious who owns in terms of graphics. By the way, Gears of War is also an amazing game. Halo 3 and Gears of War, two of the biggest games ever- found only on the 360. People freely bash Xbox Live. Why? Because of a $50 A YEAR subscription price... 50 bucks a year is not a lot when you look at the services and quality offered by Live. Now lets look to future games- Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 4, Final Fantasy XIII- these are all pretty big threats to the future of the 360, but people have to actually look at what the 360 is packin' before they say the battle is lost. Besides some very high-quality games already out, the 360 has a line up of Halo 3, Fable 2, Mass Effect, BioShock, Blue Dragon. These are all exclusive games coming out within a year to year and a half and all of them have some pretty big names behind them known for their high quality of games.

But you know what? I'm tired of comparing the 360 to the Playstation 3. The 360 won 2006. Better graphics, better games, better online. The fact is, the 360 is a great console. Whether you compare it or not. Has the console had some bumps in the road? Yes, but it still managed to get the first year done not just right, but great. Look at its power and price, it's a perfect balance between the two. It already has a developed online system, has great games out, and has plenty of great and promising games coming. Sure, not all Xbox games are backwards compatible on the 360(for now), but those that are work just fine.

But we can't focus on its backwards compatibility. The quality of the console is what matters, besides games that is. And the quality is superb. A fully developed online set up that is unlike anything consoles have seen before. The power to deliver graphics such as those in Gears of War(which are considered the best to date) without killing your budget. As well, the system can be personalized in numerous ways for that extra touch, and truly becomes a gamers console. The console itself is the best looking out there in my opinion. Of course, equally important are the games available on the console. Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, The Elder Scrolls 4, Lost Planet, FarCry, Hitman: Blood Money, Enchanted Arms, FEAR, Rainbow Six Vegas, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Gears of War- these are just a few of the good games already out on the 360. They may not all be exclusive nor the best of the best(while there are some that truly are) but these are all great games out now and there is something for everyone. And by playing those multi-platform games on the 360, not only do you get access to some amazing exclusives, you don't have to spend more than half a grand on the console nor do you get sub par graphics. Also, besides the exclusive games already mentioned that are still in development, multi-platform games including Resident Evil 5 and Grand Theft Auto IV are coming to the 360. This is a pretty killer line up.

Sure the 360 has had a bit of rough start, but it still proved itself against the bashings of Wii fans and PS3 owners. Was it a complete failure, did it have only terrible games all year round, did it not deliver on what it promised? No. Is there more than Halo 3 on the 360? Yes. Just like there is more than just Metal Gear Solid 4 on the Playstation 3 and Legend of Zelda on the Wii. The Xbox 360 has an amazing arsenal of games and plenty of ammo left, along with some very high quality services and features and some of the juiciest graphics out there.

Editorial: The PS3 is More Than a $600 Grill

I'm sure you all have heard people comparing the PS3 to a grill, due to its likeness in shape to the George Foreman grill, similar to the photo on the right. And while this picture is obviously fake, some people did actually convert their PS3 into a grill. While I cannot think of a bigger waste of money... maybe the Zune... I must admit there are many similarities between the grill and the PS3's shape. That being said, that is where the similarities end. Well, maybe not...

The PS3 is a gaming powerhouse. The George Foreman grill is a grilling powerhouse. Ken Kutaragi is risking his good name on the system. George Foreman is risking his good name on the grill. And with the amount of heat the PS3 generates, it probably could cook a steak in about 10 minutes (unlike the Xbox 360, however, it doesn't overheat). But that's not the point. The point is that the PS3 is not a joke. Just about everybody who isn't planning on buying one thinks this, and even some of the people who have bought it think this. Sony knows what they are doing. Look at the original Playstation and the Playstation 2, and look at their other electronics. Sony brand stuff is the usually some of the highest quality stuff on the market. (And actually, Betamax was the better quality format, but lost anyway.)

I will agree with some people though, Sony may have been a little overconfident in their ability to sell the PS3 based on the fact that its got the Playstation name. Also, Sony may be in some trouble in the game department, as they have lost a lot of once-exclusive titles. However, if Motorstorm, Warhawk, Lair, and Metal Gear Solid 4 are as good as their supposed to be (a big "if", and if Killzone looks just about as good as it did at E3 2005 (monstrously immense "if"), then I think the PS3 has a major shot at winning the console war. And I will go on record saying this: if MGS4 isn't an exclusive, Sony lost. And although they have lost some exclusives, they still have Heavenly Sword, Devil May Cry 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Gran Turismo 5, and I can't forget Ratchet and Clank 5. But if that's not good enough for you, don't forget about all the exclusive games that were on the PS2, seeing as the PS3 is almost fully backwards compatible, something that cannot and will never be said by the Xbox 360.

One thing I must say, Xbox fanboys: stop comparing Gears of War to Resistance: Fall of Man. Yes, Gears of War is the better game. However, you simply cannot, or rather, should not, since people obviously unfairly can and have, compare a game that came out one year after the console launch with a launch title. That's like comparing Metal Gear Solid 4 to Perfect Dark Zero (actually, Resistance itself is better than Perfect Dark Zero), or comparing MotorStorm, or maybe Gran Turismo 5, to Project Gotham Racing 3. Not very fair now, is it? However, because Resistance was compared to Gears of War, it made Resistance look bad.

Also, you may or may not have heard stories about some stores having a plentiful supply of PS3's for while. Most commonfolk would interpret this as the PS3 selling poorly. However, this is not the case. The real reason is that since Sony didn't want there to be a shortage of systems available, they were flying them over, rather than shipping them by boat, to shorten the time of delivery. And since most stores are getting shipments every week, and sometimes more often than that, people are seeing lots of PS3's on store shelves. And the PS3's launch wasn't bad, it's just that the Wii's launch was better, and less violent. It's actually quite the contrary, since the PS3's launch was the best launch of a system Sony has ever had.

A point I have seen made about the PS3 is its online and how bad it is. First of all, I don't really know where this comes from. Yes it could be better, but it's definitely not bad, and is a hell of a lot better than the PS2's online service, which was pretty much none (sure it had online games, but other than that...). Second, I will agree that it should be better. I mean, look at how far Nintendo has come in its online offerings, only two or three games had online and I doubt any of those were really worth playing. My point is though, the PS3's online service isn't bad. Yes, Xbox Live is better. Yes, there is room for improvement. The best part of it is, though, that its free. I paid $600 for the system (actually about $650 with tax), so I would expect some added benefits. And since its free, I can understand how it's not as good as Xbox Live, which, if you didn't already know, costs $50 a year.

Another thing I have against the public's view of the PS3: its price. Stop complaining about its price if you weren't going to buy it in the first place. It's like if I was buying a Toyota because I needed a car, never considered buying a Ferrari, but complained about its price anyway. I don't and shouldn't really care about the price of a Ferrari because I know I'm not going to buy it. Same thing if you are buying a Wii because of the games, so you never considered buying the PS3; don't complain about its price because it doesn't affect you. On the other hand, if you were thinking about buying a PS3, but the price turned you away, then you can complain about it. Dan's right, the PS3 is for hardcore gamers, and hardcore gamers will be willing to pay the $600 for the console, and might end up buying all three next-gen systems. (Unless, of course, they're cheap bastards, then they'll just buy the Wii.) And if you are getting a console, no matter which one, as a gift or by some other means without actually paying for it, you have no right to complain, you lucky bastard. And a major (or minor, depending on the person) selling point was the fact that the PS3 is a cheap Blu-Ray player, but since this doesn't have to do with games, I don't feel like arguing about right now.

So as you can see, the PS3 is more than a $600 grill. It's a $600 grill that can play games and movies. What more could you want?

Editorial by: Eric

Editorial: The Wii is More Than a Hula Hoop

I have read a few articles recently that have stated that the Wii is nothing more than this generation's Hula Hoop. While I guess I know what they are saying, I obviously disagree with them.

One of the main reasons I disagree with them is the Nintendo DS. Back when this portable system was launched, it was scoffed at and only bought by extremely hardcore Nintendo fan boys and by parents who didn't understand or were just to cheap to by the PSP, which at the time was the front runner. Message boards all over criticized Nintendo for it's approach to their next portable system and claimed that the touch screen was nothing more than a gimmick. Sound eerily familiar? When the DS was launched there was a huge sales surge and while it was popular for a while it soon died down and it seemed that Sony was poised to take over the portable market just like they took over the console market. Fast-forward to now and look at the sales of the DS verses the sales of the PSP. The PSP has 24.70 million units shipped worldwide as of December 31, 2006. The DS has 35.61 million worldwide as of December 31, 2006. That's over 10 million more. The DS has seen this recent surge largely due to the surge of good games; games that actual used the touch screen well after initial complaints that some games used it horribly. I must say the DS looks like a good purchase to me right now. What does the PSP have?... GTA's? PS2 ports? There isn't much right now. In short PSP = PS3, and DS = Wii.

Before the Wii was launched, it didn't garner much respect from the gaming community, and I will admit to originally being on the PS3's bandwagon. Then more details where revealed about the Wii and it's games, soon followed by the details of the PS3's availability which lead me to the glorious conclusion of getting the Wii. I got up early on launch day and went to the local Best Buy and managed to get a Wii pretty easily, which I had expected. I got Wii 67 out of 102 possible Wii's; the last ticket given to a buyer was given to a guy who walked up at 8:45... the store opened at 9:00. As the days went by after launch day, I began to see reviews of the system online and the games and the articles raving about it and the articles bashing the PS3. I soon realized how lucky I was to have gone out and gotten one right away. However the thing was it was not that hard to get one. Most of my friends who went out to get one on launch day did in fact get one. Compare that to the PS3's launch where you had to camp out for ridiculous amounts of time to get one for sure. Now the tide has turned, I have had five different opportunities to purchase a PS3. I have passed all of them up and surprisingly money was actually not a factor, I could have scraped the money together (600 dollars is still way to much.) I was expecting to be able to walk into store now and see the shelves lined with Wiis, which is simply not the case.

Many people will also claim that the Wii is like the Gamecube (the most portable console ever) because of the lack of third party support. While many third party companies were with the PS3/360 at the beginning, the strong launch of the Wii seems to have convinced them otherwise. Furthermore "Third party developers didn't receive proper Wii development kits too long before the consoles release. With the average game taking well over a year to make these days, we should see an influx of third-party releases -- developed specifically on Wii kits (not GameCube placeholders) -- rushing to Wii later this year and in 2008.*" The main reason that companies didn't believe in the Wii was because of the failure of the Gamecube. The Cube had no third party support and it's first party was very weak. Wind Waker was a miss for many fans as was Super Mario Sunshine - they where both good games but they definitely did not reach the high standards that where set by previous installments. Now look at all the reviews for Twilight Princess and the initial reception of Super Mario Galaxy.

Another thing that is forgotten when people consider what console to purchase is the Wii's Virtual console. If the future Wii games are lacking people will always be able to download old classics that where not lacking from the NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, and TurboGrafx- 16. On top of that the Neo Geo and MSX have games available for download in Japan and they have been first to get everything meaning America should soon follow. Not only will you be able to download old games but some companies have hinted that they will release brand new games exclusively on the VC.

The Wii is more than a 250 dollar hula hoop. The Wii is definitely here to stay and I predict it to win this generation's console war. We have seen Nintendo take this approach before and succeed; they do know what they are doing. The Xbox 360 will stay on top for a while because of the massive head start they got, but the Wii appeals to all gamers and will have games for gamers of all ages. The PS3 is for hardcore gamers and the 360 is for cheap hardcore gamers while the Wii is cheap and for everyone.

*http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2007/02/19/
is_the_wii_another_hula_hoop.html

Editorial By: Dan