Review: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Gamecube)

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

The only Mario Kart game on the Gamecube is the worst in the series for a non-porable system, mainly due to bad couse design. But don't misinterpret that to mean it's a bad game, because it's still a good game.

I was very excited about this game when it came out, because it was a Mario Kart game and you should always be excited about any Mario Kart game. I was also excited about the newly added multiplayer mode, which as you should know involves two players on the same kart. This seemed like it would be really fun, and at points it is fun. However, some of the times it is the last thing that you want to do, especially if the person that you are stuck with sucks. The things that make it fun, are really fun. There is the item strategy, meaning that the person who isn't driving gets the items, and seeing as one of the newly added features of this game is each player has there own "special item," it can really effect the outcome of the race. The other feature that makes the new multiplayer really fun is the side swipes. In other words the person who isn't driving can hit L or R and they will reach over and punch in that direction - possibly stealing an item from a kart next to them.

On to the main problem that I hinted at earlier, which is the course design. It is by far the worst in any Mario Kart game to date. Sure there are great courses like DK Mountain, Wario Colosseum, and Waluigi Stadium. However, these good courses get outweighed by terrible courses like Dino Dino Jungle, Dry Dry Desert, Bowser's Castle, and Daisy Crusier - to name a few. Not only that the courses that are in the middle, a.k.a the average ones, usually fall one lower end of the scale. For example, Baby Park is a small circle courses that involves almost no skill and is solely based on your luck with items. Not only is the course design lacking, single player is to. This is because the game was obviously designed with only the multiplayer aspect in mind. The problem is that in single player you have to still choose two players, and when you are racing this can become very distracting - trying to have the right player in position when need that crucial item. That is not as bad though as multiplayer battle however. The course design in this part of the game is the worst I have ever seen anywhere, and isn't even worth mentioning.

I realize that my views do differ with a majority of the owners of this game, and I'll be honest, the other games in this series have spoiled me a great deal. I was just hoping for a lot more in this game. I guess it was somewhat predictable - the changes they made that is - the graphics are enhanced, new players and courses etc. Bottom line, this game is a great multiplayer game if you aren't battling your friends, and this is a great game to add to your collection if you are one of the owners of the Cube.

Pros: Multiplayer racing is fun, Enhanced graphics, Some good courses.
Cons: Lots of bad courses, Multiplayer battle, Single player, Expect more.

Review: Dan

Review: Starfox Adventures (Gamecube)

Graphics- 10/10
Sound- 9/10
Gameplay- 9.5/10
Replay Value- 6/10
Overall- 9/10

Rare's last game on a Nintendo console shows why the sale of Rare to Microsoft was one of the worst things that could happen to Nintendo. I had forgoten about this game until recently when rediscovered this hidden gem on the old Cube.

This game was popular and well received when it came out, but unfortunately this game seems to have lost its popularity as of late. The game starts out with you playing as Krystal, who is trying to reach Dinosaur Planet when she receives a distress signal, which was sent because General Scales was attacking the planet. Eventually one thing leads to another and the famous Fox McCloud gets evolved. Once you start to play as Fox the game really picks up and gets good. As soon as you start you are given you main weapon that you use throughout the game - you staff...well Krystal's Ex-Staff, which you can upgrade and really pimp out. When you have your first fight you will quickly discover how totally awesome the staff truly is. The combat system in the game is simple enough - you really just have to hit A - but because the moves that are pulled off when you do this look so cool, you don't care how easy it is. The other thing that you should notice during your first fight is the in-game graphics. They are still some of the best graphics on the Cube, even though this game was released in 2002 which is a year after the Gamecube's release. Despite the fact that the graphics looked well, it didn't slow down gameplay when there was multiple enemies. I mean I can not think of on instance of lag. Soon after your first fight you will encounter your new sidekick, Prince Tricky - the dinosaur. He is quite useful, annoying, funny, and adds a unique element to the game.

While you are playing the game more and more tasks you have to accomplish keep piling on, making this game a great time-consumer and even though there is a lot of stuff to do it really doesn't get that confusing. If for some reason it does though, you can always ask Slippy for help and he is sure to tell exactly what to do. You just hit start and Slippy will greet you with a hello and a nice message explaining what you should do. That brings me to another part of the game the voice-acting - it is top notch. A majority of the dialog is spoken, and most of it is very nicely done. There are a few spots were it is a bit over the top and the Dinosaur language used at the beginning of the game can be a bit annoying, but overall it is a fantastic job all around.

While this game is mostly on foot, which is straying away from the original Starfox formula, there are some instances were you need to fly from planet to planet to accomplish you goals and of course the flying is done the original Starfox way. The controls are simple and easy enough, but so is the flying, I mean it's too easy to go from planet to planet, but this is a minor part of the game so it doesn't really matter. Back to what I said earlier - this game is mostly on foot, if you haven't figured that out. Now at first I was a bit hesitant when I heard that, but it works perfectly fine. Will fans of the original Starfox game be disappointed? I wasn't, but if you really liked the flying aspect of the originals, you may be disappointed. However in the end, this is a game that deserves to be revisited by everybody, because it is really a good title, with superior graphics and Voice-acting. This is all not mentioning that Fox has quite the attitude problem, and can be quite comical at times.

Pros: Graphcis, Voice acting, Staff fights, No Lag, Tricky
Cons: Over the top voice acting, Fighting is easy, Tricky.

Review: Dan

Review: Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube)

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

Super Mario Sunshine is the sequel to the massively successful Super Mario 64 for the N64. This puts it against some pretty stiff competition. That being said the game is still very well done and manages to incorporate many of the elements of Super Mario 64.

This is one of the better reviewed games on the Gamecube and for good reason. This game manages to recapture a lot of the magic that Super Mario 64 presented, but unfortunately this game isn't as groundbreaking as 64 was. Don't misinterpret that as me saying that it is a bad game, it's still great. The game starts out with Mario, Peach and Toad on a vacation to Delfino Isle. Once they arrive they discover the island has been covered with graffiti. As a result, the islands power source, "Shine Sprites" have disappeared and to make matters worse the person polluting the island is disguised as Mario, leading to him being accused of all the pollution. He is tried and found guilty and must clean up the island as punishment. This is achieved with the help of a hand-dandy little tool called "FLUDD," which of course stands for "Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device." I give Shigeru Miyamoto props here, as he strayed away from the typical formula of Princess captured, Mario rescue. Well at least for awhile anyway...after a certain number of stars Peach is in fact captured and the focus of the game is shifted to her recuse rather than cleaning. Speaking of cleaning I forgot to mention that it is actually pretty fun even if it doesn't sound like it. In fact, that is the reason I didn't purchase the game when it first came out. I liked Mario games and wanted his next 3D adventure but the thought of you cleaning an island as the main focus just did not appeal to me. I was wrong, the FLUDD does add a whole new, great element to gameplay. Speaking of gameplay another new feature was added that I'm undecided about. It's the blue coins, every ten you collect you can purchase a Shine Sprite. I'm just not sure if you should be able to buy stars in a Mario game, they're about collecting stars and challenging yourself to get them all.

One of the things that was highly touted before this game was released was the graphics. They where touted for a good reason, they where they best on the Cube at that point and still are up towards the top. The best part of the graphics is defiantly the water graphics, which seems appropriate given the goal in the game. Unfortunately you might not get to admire the water graphics all that well because you will not be swimming underwater a lot. This isn't because there isn't opportunities to, because there are, it's because the underwater swimming system is very annoying and hard to control. Unlike Super Mario 64 underwater swimming is something you will want to avoid. Speaking of Super Mario 64, this game is definitely a sequel to it. It has many of the same elements that made is a massive success. You may ask why the score is slightly lower than its successor. That is mainly because this game lacks the newness that Mario 64 presented and is know for. However along with that comes the other thing that Super Mario 64 is well known for - the bad camera and unfortunately the camera is pretty much the same in Sunshine. There is one big improvement in this area , and that is the see-through system. When the camera gets caught and you are behind a building or wall that would normally obscure your view and easily make you lose some of your life everything will became see though. This allows you to be on the look-out for enemies and items and the like.

To me the best feature is the music/soundtrack. The music sets the "tone" nicely for a Mario game. The main music for Delfino Plaza gets annoying because you are in that area so much, but it still catchy, especially when you are riding Yoshi (he's back!) However the best music is far and away when you do "throwback" levels (old Mario side-scroller with a 3D twist.) It's the best because it's the original Mario theme...only it's a capella. C'mon. That is up with the likes of "It's Dangerous!" It just doesn't get any better than that. While that is the best feature the worst feature is something I can't believe was messed with... and that is the stars. They have been fine in previous games, but they just look queer. To be fair they are "Shine Sprites," not stars, but still. Seriously though, the main problem with this game is it's lack of freshness that we expect from a Mario game... hell, a Miyamoto game for that matter. That leads to me not wanting to play the game for as long as I did with Super Mario 64. Then again it might be unfair to compare this game to one of the best games ever (second to me behind Ocarina of Time.) Yet, to argue my point again that is what I was expecting from this game. Wow, I think I've even confused myself now. The point is this is still a great game and should be purchased before stores stop selling Gamecube games.

Pros: Many of the same elements of Super Mario 64, Music (a capella!), Graphics.
Cons: Camera is the same, Queer "stars," No new freshness.

Review: Dan

Review: Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube*)

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

There are many who have left the Resident Evil series due to recent sub-par games. Not much faith was put in this game before it's release, yet people make mistakes. This game has not just surpassed people's expectations, but completely blown them away.

I remember not having much interest in this game. It seemed like nothing compared to what was out at the time, yet I reluctantly picked up the game. Before I start the actual review, I will tell you that this is one of the best games ever to come out.

The actual look of the game is great. Lots of deep color and great details surround you, emphasizing an edgy and exciting mood. The graphics, although not perfect, do a wonderful job of pleasing the gamers eyes. The sound, also adding to the edgy mood, is quite nice. Good, although not very memorable, music plays throughout the game. Also, creaky floors and ghostly sounds remind you that you're not alone. Now the gameplay comes in turn. And this is what the game truly perfects. A combination of adventure and over-the-shoulder shooting makes the gameplay addictive, fun, and very refreshing. Through the levels of villages, old castles, dungeons, and laboratories, you move around with your gun in hand, searching for items and clues and solving some interesting puzzles. Your character moves very smoothly and the camera moves with you and is very easy to use. The actual fighting, which there is plenty of, is amazingly intense. When you shoot, you hold the R trigger to aim, at this point the camera moves in close, over your shoulder, and you aim using the analog stick and shoot by pressing the A button. While aiming you can't move. This worried me at first, but it actually makes the game much more interesting, making you choose when to fight and when to retreat. Along with your knife, you'll get the chance to acquire a lot of interesting and very fun weapons. These include hand guns and revolvers to rifles and rocket launchers. You can purchase these weapons, ammo, items, and weapon attachments from dealers. The attachments are very fun to use and make the weapons much more fun and useful. You find things such as bigger ammo mags and scopes. After certain achievements and finishing the game you'll unlock certain items and weapons. These add ons and the game itself will keep you coming back for more. All in all, this is an amazing game. Buy it, play it, have fun.

Pros: Great gameplay, deep weapon customization. Very fun and a good length with a nice challenge.
Cons: Music could have been better.

Review: Vedran

*Also released for Playstation 2 - Review for Gamecube only.

Review: Monopoly Party (Gamecube*)

Graphics- 3/10
Sound- 1/10
Gameplay- 8/10
Replay Value- 5/10
Overall- 5/10

Monopoly Party is a pretty bad game. The graphics and sound in this game are terrible and can distract you from the game. This is the lazy man's Monopoly, and if you don't like to play Monopoly...then why are you reading this? Don't buy this game (unless you like to play Monopoly.)

Let me start off by saying I only paid $20 for this game and I still might have over paid. My initial though was, "Hey, this could be fun to play with my friends sometimes." I guess it was at first, but the novelty of the game quickly wears off because the graphics and increasingly annoying soundtrack and voice acting distract you. The graphics in this game are terrible, but I guess if you're considering buying this it's probably not for the graphics. You will get fed up with the voice acting in this game, no matter why you're buying it. Not only is the acting bad, but it's repetitive and stupid sounding. The new addition to this game is the way to play called "Party" (verses classic) and that game is absolutely terrible, I can't even begin to explain it and all of its crazy rules.

The only positive thing about this game is it stays true to Monopoly and doesn't change the basic format unless you personally change the settings. You can set things such as the free parking jackpot and $400 when you land on "Go." 10 dollars is about the right price for this game.

Pros: Good if you like Monopoly. Good if you're lazy.
Cons: Graphics. Sound. Bad if you don't like Monopoly.

Review: Dan

*Game also available for Xbox and PS2. Review for Gamecube only.

Review: Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (Gamecube*)

Graphics - 7.5/10
Sound- 3/10
Gameplay- 8.5/10
Replay Value- 9/10
Overall- 7/10

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle has some good updates from the Dreamcast version but when place with bad voice acting and average graphics- it makes an average game. Don't spend $50 dollars on it, more like $25-$30.

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle has a great starting ground and basic idea but it falls short when it comes to voice acting and camera. The voice acting in this game is horrendous- I mean this is some of the worst I've ever heard. The only thing that might be considered worse is the camera- but I don't think so. The camera in this game is worse than Super Mario 64. However you can fix it with "L" and "R" but that's hard to get to work properly. Also, the graphics in this game would have been a little better off with an update.

Even though there are so many negative the gameplay isn't too bad- at least the multiplayer. The story mode has its peaks and drops. There are some levels that are really good, but some levels absolutely suck out loud. The multiplayer is really fun and entertaining. The best part of this game is it's really high replay value. There are five different ways to complete each level, and they are pretty challenging and will keep you coming back for weeks.

Pros: Gameplay. High replay value.
Cons: Voice acting. Average graphics. Camera.

Review: Dan

*Game also released for Dreamcast - Review for Gamecube version only.

Review: Super Monkey Ball 2 (Gamecube)

Graphics- 6/10
Sound- 7/10
Gameplay- 9/10
Replay Value- 5/10
Overall- 6.5/10

Super Monkey Ball 2 has gone through a major update since the first when came out and the new additions and improvements make the game worth purchase consideration (for a party that is).

Super Monkey Ball 2 is a great party game and not much more. Whenever you have a bunch of friends over it's a great way to pass the time. This is only made better if your willing to unlock all of the party games- and you should be because it's not that hard. The game itself is a great game. It's pretty challenging at parts but you'll be back quickly if you do decide to give up.

However, they tried to incorporate an actual plot into this game- and they really shouldn't have. I barely understand the plot as it is; it has something to do with a giant monkey shrinking the main characters down to a smaller size and... I don't know. The graphics in this game aren't the greatest and it isn't helped by the fact that you can fly right through the stage backgrounds. As for the sound in the game it's, well... unique. The soundtrack is OK at first but after a while it gets incredible annoying and I usually mute the TV. The worst part of this game is the lack of replay value. The only reason you would want to replay is to finish unlocking all of the party games and after you beat the game on advance for the first time you should be pretty close to having enough points for them. Overall it’s a good $30 dollar buy.

Pros: Party games. Good the first time.
Cons: Sound. Minimal replay value. Graphics meager.

Review: Dan

Review: Luigi's Mansion (Gamecube)

Graphics- 7/10
Sound- 8.5/10
Gameplay- 8/10
Replay Value- 3/10
Overall- 7/10

This is the first official Mario game to feature Luigi exclusively and was a great way to help launch the Gamecube. This game definitely showed Nintendo that Luigi has the power to sell a game. This is a good buy for almost any gamer.

Luigi's Mansion features Luigi searching for Mario instead of Mario searching for Peach. As it turns out Luigi won a mansion in a contest that he didn't enter. He and Mario planned to celebrate at the mansion that night. Seeing as Mario arrived there first he was captured. While this plot is weak, it's what you would expect from a game that features a Mario Bro. As it turns out Luigi has to fight ghosts by sucking them into a vacuum (the Poltergust 3000) to fight his way through the mansion. The controls in this game are a bit confusing at first (the Poltergust 3000 doesn't help) but don't worry, because after a while you'll be sucking things like a pro (pun?... What pun?)

While the graphics won't blow your mind they are were a nice start for the Gamecube and in a sense, the graphics that we are used to in a Mario Bros. 3D platformer. The sound in this game pretty good- Luigi will actually shout out "MARRRRRIIIIIOOOOO!?!?" while he's wandering the mansion and there are other little minor sound effects such as wall tapping that sound really good. There are just parts where, in my mind, the sound seems to fall short- possibly due to a lack of it a certain points. The only down side to this game is the total lack of replay value. Once you're done with this game-you're pretty much done with it. The only reason you might want to play again is to get a higher score, but I don't think you will.

Pros: Sound. Good controls once mastered. Typical Mario (I mean Luigi) game.
Cons: No replay value. OK graphics.

Review: Dan

Review: 007: Agent Under Fire (Gamecube*)

Graphics- 7/10
Sound- 9/10
Gameplay- 7.5/10
Replay Value- 5/10
Overall- 7/10

007: Agent Under Fire is a great multiplayer game with an ok single player. The story mode in this game is what you would expect from a 007 game. The graphics are an improvement from N64 although not a great one. The game has very little replay value other than getting better scores.

007: Agent Under Fire was the first Bond game on the Gamecube and you can tell because the graphics are about the same as the N64. The single player itself is mediocre at best because of its low difficulty level. There are a few levels that you have to drive a car, which doesn't translate well onto the Gamecube. The single player in this game is really short with very few creative levels with some of the levels appearing out of place due to difficulty (the eighth level is one of the hardest levels in the game and the last level is one of the easiest). The best part of this game is the multiplayer definitely. The Q-Claw and Jet Pack add a nice touch but can become cheap and annoying after some time (they can be turned off.) The level choices aren't the greatest- mainly because of their size- but some (Town and Harbor) are pretty good. The multiplayer can get boring after some time because it's too basic. Overall it's just an ok start to James Bond in the next generation.

Pros: Multiplayer. Controls. Easy.
Cons: Single player. Driving levels. Too easy.

Review: Dan

*Game also available for PS2 and Xbox - Review for Gamecube only

Review: Spider-Man 2 (Gamecube*)

Graphics- 10/10
Sound- 5/10
Gameplay- 7.5/10
Replay Value- 6/10
Overall-7.5/10

Spider-Man 2 is a fantastic visual presentation along with seemingly unlimited roaming ability in New York City. The problems lie within the missions - they become very repetitive, you get bored of the about 4 different mission styles. If not for that, this game would be amazing as a sandbox game.

Have you ever wanted to dive off of the Empire State Building? Well now you can - and no doubt will in Spider-Man 2. The rendering of New York City is stunning which leads to willingness to explore. The main story that you follow isn't anything special but it's enough to keep your attention as well as providing a decent challenge. The only thing that might match the rendering of New York in awesomeness is the fighting - the style in which you fight is breath-taking. You can run up to someone and punch them into the air at fight up in the sky. The controls in this game are also pretty easy to learn- but can get complicated after buying a couple of new moves.

However this game can get very repetitive after the main story is finished. There are about 4 different mission styles that you repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat. This always led to me turning off out of boredom - which I don't do a lot. The other problem is the sound - it constantly overlaps itself, but the narrator in the game is great and sarcastic. If you beat the game 100% there is very, very, very little to do afterwards. If they come out with Spider-Man 3, still buy it.

Pros: Stunning visuals. Good storyline. Nice fighting style. Controls.
Cons: Repetitive. Sound overlaps. Low replay value. Controls.

Review: Dan

*Game also available for PS2 and Xbox - review for Gamecube only

Review: Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube)

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

Super Smash Bros. Melee was a great almost launch title for the Gamecube. I know it was the first game I wanted for it. The game has good graphics, is glitch free, and, as always with the series, a must have for a gamer gathering.

This game is very similar to the N64 version with the exception of new characters and updated graphics. The single player in this game is massively addictive, not only because you can unlock new characters, but you can also unlock trophies. The multiplayer in this game (as in N64) is pretty much the reason the you should buy the game (if you have four controllers... and friends.) Event mode is nice and plays well, as well as adding a nice challenge to the game. The bad thing about this game is that it can get boring after awhile but that phase should pass quickly and you'll playing once again. The sound in this game is really good and is nicely timed with cool visual effects. This was definitely the game to have when Gamecube came out and it still is the game to have when you and your friends get together.

Pros: Multiplayer. Visual effects. Good replay value.
Cons: Some people might get bored of it - not many.

Review: Dan