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 Mix the high flying glamour of WWE Wrestling and the brutality of boxing and your pretty close to impact sports
latest craze - Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Make no mistake, this isn't a watered
down sport to just bring together washed up meatheads from varying disciplines.
Ultimate Fighting Championship is a mix of various different
fighting styles and techniques, such as Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai and
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Fights take place in a cage called the Octagon. Rounds are
5 minutes each and range from 2 to 5 rounds. Ways to win the fight include
Knockout (KO), Total Knockout (TKO) and submission. It's brutal, very brutal. A
few years ago developers Yukes picked up the job to convert UFC to the...
FULL
REVIEW |
UFC 2009 UNDISPUTED
THQ
(
PS3 / XBOX 360 )
82%
Great Graphics
Polished Gameplay
Takes Time Learning |
.
.
 Twenty
years since sucking up ghosts while speeding along the street with a vacuum
cleaner on top of a Cadillac on my old Amstrad CPC is a long time waiting. With
a new film in the works, everything Ghostbusters is back in again and the PS3 is
the first platform to get the latest Terminal Reality release. The moment the
familiar Ray Parker Jnr tune kicks in the hairs will stand up on the back of
your neck. Not only is the game awash with the licensed music from the
soundtrack, together with incidental music and original cast members doing the
voice acting, this game is 'canon'. That means the story runs hand in hand with
the films, no offshoots or alternative realities here...
FULL
REVIEW |
GHOSTBUSTERS THE GAME
TERMINAL REALITY
(
PS3 )
88%
Spectacular Visuals
Fun Environments
Easy Controls |
.
.
 Its
been a while since we've seen a decent wrestling game, so I was pleased to take
a look at the latest WWE franchise to hit the XBox360 system. The the first
thing you’ll notice is that the controls are very different from previous
Smackdown games. Grapples are now controlled with the right analog stick. Up,
down, left, and right each correspond to a different grapple and once you get
into a grapple you push another direction to perform a move. This took a lot of
getting used to and I’m not really convinced that it is better, just different.
The upside of this is that there an enormous variety of moves and combos
available to your wrestler....
FULL
REVIEW |
WWE SMACKDOWN vs RAW
2007
THQ
(
XBOX 360 )
91%
Great Visuals
Fun Scripted Events
Tricky Controls |
.
.
 In
2000, Deus Ex seemed to pick up just about every PC accolade under the
sun, including a BAFTA for outstanding interactive media. Since then millions
of nanotech minded gamers have anxiously awaited its sequel DeusEx:
Invisible War, portraying the aftermath of what transpired in the original
title. Probably the most ambitious addition to DX:Invisable War is that
of object physics. Like the first game many things can be picked up, moved
or thrown, but this time around items roll, impact with other objects,
drop, bounce and have their own level of damage tolerance. The manipulation
of objects is very much part of the game...
FULL
REVIEW |
DEUS EX:
INVISABLE WAR
EIDOS
83%
Engrossing Story
Cool Object Manipulation
No EAX Support |
.
.
 The
whispered release of Konami's Pro Evolution Football 3, had certainly pushed
all the right buttons at EA. Football gaming is cetainly big business and
FIFA football for the first time delves into team management like never
before. The 2004 release of FIFA promises a nice selection of new features
and polishes over last years predecessor. What pricked my ears was the
option to play as lower Nationwide teams and just scanning through the
team selection really hits home how much depth EA have gone to this time
around. The players and grounds are remarkably detailed and accurate giving
a little glitter to the 350 or so teams in the game...
FULL
REVIEW |
FIFA 2004
ELECTRONIC
ARTS
(
XBOX )
86%
Visually Great
Hundreds of Teams
Strong Online Play |
.
 Dust
off your pulse rifle and load your grenade launchers because there's trouble
about to break out on LV-742. This time the action takes from a top down
view point in real time, new ground for the Aliens vs Predator genre. The
aim is very simple. Use team work and tactical positioning of your units
to carry out the mission objectives while the other alien species attack
you. You get the option of playing as either the Colonial marines, Aliens
or the Predators, each with their own set of upgradeable units and firepower.
Of the three, I found the Marines by far the most enjoyable. While co-ordinating
facehuggers and sneaking around cloaked is pretty cool, frying xeno butt
with some serious Weyland-Yutani Corporation firepower is great...
FULL
REVIEW |
ALIENS
vs PREDATOR: EXTINCTION
ELECTRONIC
ARTS
(
PC )
81%
Lots of weapons and upgrades
Play as three species
Levels can get repetitive |
.
 After
being available in Germany for a good few months Gothic 2, the sequel
to the 2001 RPG hit has finally arrived on UK and USA shelves. Continuing
on from the previous title, Gothic 2 puts you in the boots of the "nameless
one" who in the original title was thrown into the Empires prison colony
of Khorinis to mine ore for King Rhothbars armies. The sequel boasts much
sharper graphics, a greater playing area and a broader scope to the story
of the Kingdom of Myrtana. While your character and many other npc's from
the original title have broke their bonds from the colony, another problem
has arisen in the land and the blood-thirsty orcs and undead from the north
are all too happy to take advantage of the situation...
FULL
REVIEW |
GOTHIC
II
JOWOOD
(
PC )
96%
Great Interaction
Intelligent NPC's
Very Addictive |
.
.
 There's
nothing quite like a good global dominiation sim to burn up your well earned
free time. Lots of stategic alliances, petty quarrels, aggressive management
of vital resources and even maybe a little education thrown in for good
measure. Brian Reynolds brought us perhaps two of the greatest titles of
the genre, namely Civilisiation 2 and Alpha Centauri and was a key figure
in the design of Rise of Nations the new real time simulator from
Big Huge Games. The game offers a good number of civilisations to take
control of, from old colonial powers of the British and Spaniards to the
war mongering Nubians and Mongols. ...
FULL
REVIEW |
RISE OF
NATIONS
MICROSOFT
(
PC )
81%
Diverse Units
Action Intensive
Limited Negotiation |
.
 The
WWE franchise has brought us some decent wrestling titles in the past,
so it was interesting to hear of the new driving spin off Crush Hour on
the PS2 console. With many top-notch extreme driving titles on the system,
perhaps the most difficult task for THQ was to bring something new and
refreshing to the market. The intention here was clearly to inject the
fun of the grappling US superstars to the demolision derby-esque arena.
Crush Hour offers three main modes of play. Exhibition mode is the game's
quick and easy single-player mode, which allows you to chose your wrestler
and vehicle, the arena and rules for the level. There is also a mildly
entertaining split-screen mode for multiplayer and a season mode which
comprises of a series of arenas for any of thirty pre made WWE superstars....
FULL
REVIEW |
WWE CRUSH
HOUR
THQ
(
GAMECUBE / PS2 )
57%
Official WWE license
Annoying Audio
Limited Gameplay |
.
 On
the back of the second movie, the Wachowski Brothers have gone to town
with a wealth of additional footage allowing Neo-head to immerse themselves
in the Matrix universe. Unlike many other spin off titles, the game focuses
on the side-story of Niobe and Ghost and their role within the Matrix to
help the original team, namely Neo, Morpheus and Trinity to succeed in
their quest. The Wachowski's shot all of the exclusive content at the same
time as the second movie, taking advantage of all of the movies special
effects. Such polish and depth to the Matrix world will prove to be a winner
for the hardened fans of the movies.. FULL
REVIEW |
ENTER
THE MATRIX
ATARI
(
PC / XBOX / PS2 )
79%
Great Unique Footage
High System Requirements
Frustrating Cameras |
.
 Twenty
years after Armored Core 2, the Raven mech robot is back for more explosive
action. With the warring corporations a thing of the past, an AI unit known
as ‘The Controller’ now maintains order in the world. The the Raven’s are
now hired to the company Global Cortex to carry its dirty work. There are
50 missions in all. Missons range from protection to out and out destruction
of all enemy units on the map, with the story slowly unravelled as you
progress. The usual mech upgrades are available for your robot, but a welcome
addition to your firepower come in the guise of wingmen, who you can hire
for a pricey sum... FULL
REVIEW |
ARMORED
CORE 3
METRO
3D
(
XBOX / PS2 )
76%
Good Storyline
Cool Multiplayer
Tough Control |
.
 With
the games market awash with high-speed racers, new groundbreaking ideas
are pretty thin on the ground these days. Acclaim's Burnout 2: Point
of Impact certainly isn’t the greatest looking of the bunch, but once
you get in and turn the key you'll be hard pressed to find a better arcade
driving game on the console. What works particularly well for me is the
terrific car physics and responsive controls. While the large selection
of cars offer different advantages, you always feel in control of the car.
Like its predecessor, Burnout rewards for dangerous driving. Each high-risk
manoeuvre like driving into the oncoming traffic and braking around corners
gain you Burnout Throttle. Once the dial is at max a press of a button
sends the car at blinding speed for a few seconds. Very useful when playing
catch up.... FULL
REVIEW |
BURNOUT
2
ACCLAIM
(
XBOX / PS2 )
91%
High Speed Fun
Lots of Extras
Smooth As Glass |
.
 For
such a major event in the racing calendar, the Paris to Dakar rally just
screams for a decent game to absorb the gamer into the variety and diversity
of the event. Acclaim have clearly done their homework and won the
licenses to the courses and vehicles bringing about a true representation
of the hot tarmac streets of Artois to the sandy, scorching Sahara. The
game offers a wealth of bikes, trucks and jeeps for you to choose from.
All with their own mechanics, advantages and drawbacks. The option to tweak
with the engines, gears and tyres to suit the courses will be music to
the ears of wise rally fans who understand the need for different car set
ups for such contrastingly different terrains.... FULL
REVIEW |
DAKAR
2
ACCLAIM
(
XBOX / PS2 )
56%
Licenced Vehicles
Tricky Controls
Very Difficult |
.
 Will
Wright brings his top selling PC game to the XBox. For those who who have
been on another planet "The Sims" drops you in a virtual world and allows
you to create and micro-manage your own virtual "Sim". The game's open-ended
depth allows for a wealth of careers, romance and house fittings with large
amount juggling between going to the toilet, eating and obtaining money
to survive. For the console version, Maxis teamed up with EA to offer something
that still has the fun-factor of the PC version while being intriguing
enough to warrant buying the game again. To a degree the developers have
done this. The console version now provides a very nice looking 3D freely-rotational
view of the game with significantly improved graphics and visuals... FULL
REVIEW |
THE SIMS
ELECTRONIC
ARTS
(
XBOX / PS2 )
85%
Lots of New Additons
Much Improved Graphics
Some
Annoying Bugs |
.
 On
the back of the latest film in the Trilogy comes Electronic Arts' Lord
of the Rings: The Two Towers. Working closely with the films director and
cast, EA have crammed in a wealth of official footage, interviews and losts
of new stuff surrounding Tolkien that's going to prick the ears of many
Middle Earth fans. One thing that hits you from the word go is the presentation
of the title. A big aim was to pick the gamer in and make them feel part
of the film. To an extent the developers certainly do this. The visuals
are fantastic and musical soundtrack consistent with the original motion
picture...... FULL
REVIEW |
LORD OF
THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS
ELECTRONIC
ARTS
(
XBOX, PS2, GCube )
82%
Looks Great
Lots of Bonus Stuff
Fairly Short |
.
 Originally
a PS2 title, Koei import their Chinese war hack and slash to the XBox,
taking advantage of its souped up graphic capabilities and hard disk space.
The Dynasty Wars saga takes us back to ancient China where a number of
oriental heroes vie for the land. A series of campaigns are fought at strategic
milestones in time and locations as you move around second and third century
China. No question, Dynasty Warriors 3 is damn easy to play. While I prefer
the more slow, thinking mans game, there's alot to be said for simple mindless
maiming of a number of angry enemies in one swipe. In Dynasty Warriors
3, enemies dont just die, they die with bells on - especially with some
of the special moves on offer to the playable heros..... FULL
REVIEW |
DYNASTY
WARRIORS 3
THQ
(
XBOX, PS2 )
89%
Mindless Violent Fun
Lots Going On
Short View Range |
.
 Lace
up your boots and don that face paint because Legends of Wrestling 2 is
here. I was curious as to what Acclaim had under the ring apron in terms
of beating their particularly entertaining precursor, which to date was
probably still the best wrestling game out there. Oh, it had its faults,
but the meagre opposition in its path really struggled to budge Acclaims
wrestling funfest. This time theres more wrestlers. Lots more it seems
and if you're from British shores you'll be well-pleased to see Big Daddy,
Giant Haystacks and Kendo Nagasaki giving it some in the squared-circle.....
FULL
REVIEW |
LEGENDS
OF WRESTLING 2
ACCLAIM
(
XBOX, PS2, GCube )
86%
Packed with Extras
Smooth action
Some elements missing |
.
 It's
not easy to whip up a media frenzy like what Microsoft have done with their
new "Super Mario and Sonic killer", Blinx - The Time Sweeper. The game
is the first real 4D platform game to grace the XBox and reportedly taking
full advantage of the consoles graphic grunt and visual vra-vra-vroom.
It's no fun when your a feline janitor, especially when you have time splits
and bike riding-hogs to deal with after the toilets and the yard. The cat
universe is all kept in order with time crystal, all nicely located to
ensure balance and tranquility..... FULL
REVIEW |
BLINX
MICROSOFT
(
XBOX )
83%
Atmospheric
Tense Action
Cool Storyline |
.
 Well
this was interesting. An extreme BMX game with a storyline? Original to
say the least, but could Toxic Grind shine much like other games in the
extreme sports genre, namely Tony Hawk and Agressinve Inline? I popped
in the disk to take a look. You play the able-BMXer Jeff in present-day
downtown USA, who before long is sent headfirst to 2090 where he finds
himself as a contestant in a particularly lethal BMX game show. The prize?
his life.... FULL
REVIEW |
TOXIC
GRIND
THQ
(
XBOX / PS2 )
79%
Atmospheric
Tense Action
Cool Storylin |
..
 Being
a fan of an earlier Eidos creation, namely Deus Ex, the plot to Hitman
2 certainly had me intrigued. A genetically engineered assassin being
brought out of retirement to deal
with the skeletons in his closet. The game begins with you living in the
humble surroundings of a Cathedral assisting with gardening duties from
your shed of a home. A confession to Father Vittorio leads to his kidnap,
resulting in the assassin literally opening the hatch to his past and booting
up his agency's laptop.... FULL
REVIEW |
HITMAN
2
EIDOS
(
XBOX / PS2 )
91%
Atmospheric
Tense Action
Cool Storyline |
.
 Turok:
Evolution is the latest episode of Acclaim's very successful "Turok"
adventures which graced the Nintendo 64 for the first time, five years
ago. This installment is a prequel to the other three games, which paints
the foundation of Tal'Set's history and his reasoning for being in the
prehystoric world. The story opens with the hero in battle with his nemesis
Captain Tobias Bruckner in 1886 Texas after Bruckner kills Tal'Set's
chief and with his Cavalry most of the Indian tribe... FULL
REVIEW |
TUROK:
EVOLUTION
ACCLAIM
(
XBOX / PS2/ GC )
87%
Awesome Sound
Easy Controls
Solid Storyline |
. |
 When
you think: Roll calls, Nazi camp and computer games, If you're as old as
I am you'll be nodding your head thinking back to the ZX Spectrums, Great
Escape - which brought about a good number of nights of fun dodging guards
and crawling in pixelated pipes. I'd watched the development of Codemasters
latest title closely with anticipation and wasted no time in loading Prisoner
of War up and turned out the lights... FULL
REVIEW |
PRISONER
OF WAR
CODEMASTERS
(
XBOX / PS2 )
86%
Great Graphics
Easy Controls
Strong Depth |
.
 I've
always loved real world, slightly futuristic games such as Deus Ex and
the Fallout series, so on reading the background story to New Legends,
I knew I just had to take a look at this disk. You are Sun Soo, a soldier
in one of last areas of China in the near future preparing for an immanent
attack from a particularly nasty emperor and his half demon henchmen. By
the time you take over as the hero, the army of evil are right on your
doorstep and congregating around your largest city in your province. After
a patrol calls in, identifying the threat, you and a couple of units head
out to assist the recon team... FULL
REVIEW |
NEW LEGENDS
THQ
(
XBOX )
68%
Cool Story
Dated Graphics
Repetitive |
..
 With
three basketball games out for the XBox, I thought I'd check out what all
the commotion was about. Being about as American as buttered scones and
afternoon tea, I had to remind myself that Basketball is a huge sport across
the pond. With this in mind, I was expecting something special from Microsoft
to appeal to the masses. ... FULL
REVIEW |
NBA INSIDE
DRIVE 2002
MICROSOFT
(
XBOX )
84%
Great Graphics
Easy Controls
Strong Depth |
.
 The
late eighties/early nineties was a true golden era for
the WWF. As fake as it was, the Hulk Hogan's, Ted DiBiase's and Jimmy 'Superfly'
Snukka's brought about true, top quality entertainment for the hyperactive
teenager. The depth of Legends of Wrestling is impressive. For the price
of games today, you wouldn't expect anything different and Acclaim certainly
deliver here... FULL
REVIEW |
LEGENDS
OF WRESTLING
ACCLAIM
(
XBOX / PS2 )
80%
Lots of Opponents
Good Career Mode
Clustered Rings |
.
 When
I was a young pup, one of my favourite games on the bulky computer I owned
was a game called Lotus Turbo Esprit. It wasn't for its racing value and
the game itself had little to no aim to it, in all honesty. What it did
let you do was cruise around a city and smash into anything else that moved.
Oh, the mind of a young and foolish child. Today being old and foolish,
the scent of Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions certainly pricked my ears up...
FULL
REVIEW |
WRECKLESS
: THE YAKUZA MISSIONS
ACTIVISION
(
XBOX )
86%
Nice Visuals
High Velocity Action
Frustrating Controls
|
....
 After
playing Metropolis Street Racer on a friends Dreamcast years ago, I had
officially been won over by racing gaming. On hearing that the very same
company, Bizarre Creations' were going to bring a similar driving game
to the XBox, I couldn't wait to test drive Project Gotham Racing on my
shiny new console. On start up - PGR just oozes with visual splendour.
The detail on the cars and the circuits are simply second to none and the
smooth visuals make this one hell of a title... FULL
REVIEW |
PROJECT
GOTHAM RACING
MICROSOFT
(
XBOX )
93%
Awesome Graphics
Responsive Controls
Very Addictive
|
.
 James
Bond returns in another mix of high tech gadgets, explosive firefights
and beautiful women in 007 - Agent Under Fire. After the smash hit, Goldeneye
on the N64, creating another Bond blockbuster is no easy task. The game
itself doesn't skirt any of the films, but instead weaves up its up Bond-esque
intrigue over 12 levels. ... FULL
REVIEW |
007 -
AGENT UNDER FIRE
ELECTRONIC
ARTS
(
XBOX / PS2 )
81%
Nice Visuals
High Velocity Action
Frustrating Controls
|
.
 In
the months leading up to the Xbox launch, it's been hard to have a conversation
about Microsoft's new system without a mention of "Halo," Bungie's intense
first-person shooter. Originally conceived as a PC title, "Halo" has made
up a large portion of the anticipation surrounding the Xbox since Microsoft
acquired Bungie and announced that the title would be an Xbox exclusive.
...FULL
REVIEW |
HALO
BUNGIE/MICROSOFT
(
XBOX)
88%
Stunning Graphics
Immersive Atmosphere
Cool Storyline
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