Recent Multimedia Reviews

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Wednesday, September 22 2004

The X-Files: Resist or Serve

By Jason Thompson

It was certainly the kind of show that openly invited believers and skeptics to tune in and enjoy. And one would think that such a terrific show would be a goldmine of ideas for a video game spin-off, no? Well, yes and no.

Burnout 3: Takedown

By Michael David Sims

The more cars you wreck, the higher your points and more cars you unlock. That's it. Death and destruction is rewarded, and it's a bloody good time!

Wednesday, September 8 2004

Space Channel 5: Special Edition

By Jason Thompson

It's all very '60s-like in its undying optimistic themes of naiveté through pop tunes and dance.

Far Cry

By Sean Trundle

Far Cry was designed not just to look good; it actually aspires to beauty. Taking advantage of the technology to display more than the grotesque is a bit of a startling shift for the genre.

DVision: Contraband

By Michael David Sims

While DVision isn't exactly a news source, it's surely enlightening and brings many political issues to the table.

Thursday, August 26 2004

Thief: Deadly Shadows

By Sean Trundle

There have always been developers interested in alternatives. Not just to develop alternative genres, such as puzzle games, but alternatives within the mainstream brands identified with excessive gore.

Sega Bass Fishing Duel

By Jason Thompson

Sega Bass Fishing Duel brings all the thrills of the sometimes laid back, sometimes furious sport of bass fishing right to the PlayStation 2. Plus there's no muss and no fuss.

Wednesday, August 11 2004

True Crime: Streets of LA

By G. Christopher Williams

Restraint in a lawless world is hard. Cops have to tangle with folks that have total freedom of action every day, and they need to do it the hard way, the frustrating way. They have to follow the rules even though they get to carry a gun.

Shrek 2

By Bryan S. Byun

In a market where movie tie-ins are about as common as McDonalds (and, usually, just about as satisfying), it's almost a surprise to see a game that captures the spirit of the original movie well enough to be considered as good as the film.

RalliSport Challenge 2

By David Leonard

Offering 'rough, rugged, and untamed back roads,' this game brings together extreme and racing sports under the larger virtual project of destruction and mayhem.

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny

By Jason Thompson

It's not hard to see where Onimusha's inspiration lies. Maybe you've heard of a little franchise called Resident Evil, or perhaps you've even played the other Capcom franchise known as Devil May Cry.

N

By Michael David Sims

As technology advances, so does the graphical capability of video game consoles. One look at Ninja Gaiden and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time demonstrates this to even the most stringent detractor. However, realistic graphics doesn't necessitate quality gameplay, and one must also remember the converse.

Wednesday, July 28 2004

The Ur-Quan Masters

By Sean Trundle

The thing about playing classic games is that, for most of us, the real appeal is in recapturing a piece of earlier days.

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

By David Leonard

It is commonplace within all war games to see an erasure of death, blood, or the violent consequences of smart bombs on humanity. Pandora Tomorrow takes this to a new level by encouraging critical thought and creativity while battling terrorists.

Thursday, July 15 2004

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

By G. Christopher Williams

This sort of tired and hackneyed plotting and game play is exactly why the B-movie comparison must be made.

Mega Man Anniversary Collection

By Michael David Sims

When longtime gamers stop caring about the classics they grew up on, it becomes quite clear that most studios no longer care about how much fun you or I have (or even if their ideas are original), but rather about the green we're willing to shell out.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

By Sean Trundle

Videogame producers, and Nintendo in particular, thrive on nostalgia. For example, virtually all GameCube-exclusive games of any merit are from licenses which entered the videogame world two decades ago.

Wednesday, June 30 2004

NBA Ballers

By David Leonard

Its erasure of racism, its fetishization of an imagined black cultural aesthetic, its glorification of excessive materialism, its celebration/demonization of black athletes as focused solely on bling-bling, and its treatment of women as sexual objects of possible acquisition, are all troubling.

Lightning Break

By Michael David Sims

No video game has ever, or will ever, accurately reproduce the pool hall atmosphere. Not even the best of them. And Lightning Break is no different.

Donkey Kong (Classic NES Series)

By Jason Thompson

Nintendo has gone the purists' route with this title and has left everything at its mediocre best.

Wednesday, June 16 2004

Syberia 2

By Chris LaVigne

It can't be argued that Syberia or its sequel are flawless masterpieces the way films like Dr. Strangelove or The Sweet Hereafter are, but in the history of gaming they stand out as pinnacles of the form.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

By Sean Trundle

KOTOR is like watching a 40-hour Star Wars movie that you get to play a part in. Plus, George Lucas didn't mess this one up.

Frank’s Adventure (1, 2 & 3)

By Jason Thompson

The Frank's Adventure series recasts digital sex in a satirical light, exposing all of its one night stand dementia in bright colors, sleazy music, and addictive gameplay.

City of Heroes

By Jason Thompson

It's quite thrilling to make your dream character and then watch him do battle with the baddies. Who hasn't ever wanted to live out a super hero fantasy or two?

Wednesday, May 19 2004

Visual Pinball

By Jason Thompson

Kids these days may seriously not have the pleasure of experiencing the whole wonderful mystery of why pinball carries a far greater pleasure than any video game I can name.

Uplink: Hacker Elite

By Sean Trundle

Uplink is too far removed from reality to provide more than an extremely crude representation of hacking. It does do a very good job, though, of establishing the atmosphere.

Siren

By Chris LaVigne

If Resident Evil scares us with visions of a future driven by profits at the expense of human life, Siren frightens us with the possibility of a return to a violent past based around repulsive ancient beliefs.

Red Dead Revolver

By Michael David Sims

Maybe 155 years after the San Francisco gold rush, cowboys and Westerns just aren't relevant anymore.

Wednesday, May 5 2004

Trivial Pursuit Unhinged

By Jason Thompson

Thanks to the many editions of Trivial Pursuit, everything from Friends to the Holy Bible has been trivialized for your gaming pleasure.

Real Lives

By Sean Trundle

In case you think this is simply a bleeding heart exercise to pity the poor, in Real Lives even the more fortunate people in the world are bound by their circumstances.

Hitman: Contracts

By Chris LaVigne

To complete the game's missions, you literally have to think like a hitman.

Wednesday, April 21 2004

Madness Interactive

By Chris LaVigne

The heart and soul of Madness is homicide, and lots of it. It is as basic and primal as a video game can get.

MTX: Mototrax

By Sean Trundle

The good news for the uninitiated out there is that there is still a solid game underneath all the extras.

MLB 2005

By David Leonard

While certainly reflecting today's world of global capitalism within baseball, the ubiquitous advertisements are both overwhelming and bothersome.

City of Heroes

By G. Christopher Williams

Americans lack any real connection to mythology in the classical sense. All our stories of heroes and monsters -- religious and mythological -- are imports.

Wednesday, April 7 2004

Top Spin

By David Leonard

Unlike other sports games and America's sports pages, Top Spin doesn't completely erase women from its sports world. Yet their presence is to fulfill male fantasies as sexualized commodities.

Sacred

By Bryan S. Byun

This action-RPG plays like a 'greatest hits' package of fantasy RPG elements, with a couple of brand new tracks thrown in to entice the fans who've heard the classics a million times.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

By Chris LaVigne

With its Middle Eastern setting, Sands of Time deserves credit for allowing Western gamers the chance to experience a different cultural atmosphere.

Ninja Gaiden

By Michael David Sims

No longer are your virtual enemies content to die one by one, lining up for death like lemmings overlooking a cliff.

Wednesday, March 24 2004

RealArcade

By Jason Thompson

It certainly puts to rest the myth that online gaming consists of nothing but first person shooters and MMORPGs.

Mafia

By G. Christopher Williams

The plot is markedly less clichéd than that of The Getaway, which steals relentlessly and less interestingly from Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino's films.

Metroid: Zero Mission

By Sean Trundle

There's a difference between sticking to the formula and adhering to it as dogma. Super Metroid greatly expanded the breadth and depth of both the original setting and Samus herself.

Wednesday, March 10 2004

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition

By Michael David Sims

It seems as though Harry winks and nods at the camera during every cutscene, as if he knows he's in a game and not on some dangerous expedition. Moments like that really pull you out of what should be an immersive experience.

Out of Order

By Chris LaVigne

While artists and programmers continue to push the limits on graphics, sound, level design, and animation, video game writing is lagging far behind in terms of innovation.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2

By Jason Thompson

Electronic Arts has always given a true feeling of insane speed in these games, if nothing else.

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge

By Sean Trundle

From the first minute of the opening cinematic, when our protagonist chases down a plane on foot and then jumps on to catch it, you know that any notion of 'realism' will be taking a back seat in this game.

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