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MechAssault Review (Xbox) |
December
22, 2002 |
The
venerable Battletech franchise gets a new lease on console-based life in
MechAssault.
Featuring amazing graphics, destructible environments, and an incredibly
fun online multiplayer through Xbox LIVE, this is definitely a big robot
title with serious appeal.
Click here. |
Beam
Breakers Review (PC) |
So
what could be more fun than running around jacking cars in a crowded
modern city? How about jacking hovercars in a futuristic city?
Beam Breakers
features amazing graphics and brings the Driver and GTA style of
gameplay into the future.
Click here for
more. |
Marvel
vs. Capcom 2 Review (PS2) |
Capcom
is known for releasing their games all over the place, and sometimes we
give them a hard time for it. Other times, like right now while we're
playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on
the PS2 and Xbox, we're very happy that they keep their titles alive.
MvC2 is still a great game that any fan of the fighter should check out.
Click here. |
Arx
Fatalis Review (PC) |
JoWood
Productions has made a great showing for us at the end of the year.
First there's Beam Breakers, and now we get
Arx Fatalis, a PC
RPG that draws a lot from the success of Morrowind but still manages to
be incredibly enjoyable. Hardcore PC RPG fans should be very happy about
this. Click here. |
Rise of
Nations Preview (PC) |
Microsoft
kicked us down an early version of Rise of Nations, their new,
fast-paced RTS title, and we love it. Due out next year,
Rise of Nations
asks you to develop a civilization and take over the world, all in
rapidly paced battle and building segments. Be prepared to confront your
inability to do anything else next year.
Click for more. |
Super
Monkey Ball Jr. Review (GBA) |
THQ
has done a nice job with the GBA version of Sega's popular Gamecube
puzzle game.
Super
Monkey Ball Jr. manages to capture almost all of the endearing
qualities of the original. Grab a copy or three and get your monkey roll
on with a group of friends.
Click
for more. |
Fighter
Maker 2 Review (PS2) |
Agetec
brings us the next-gen installment of their very creative franchise in
Fighter Maker 2. The
graphics are better and there are more options than ever for making your
own fighters and then duking it out in the ring. Unfortunately, tedious
creation menus and a clunky core fighting engine hinder this one.
Click here. |
Legaia 2:
Duel Saga Review (PS2) |
Legend
of Legaia was a moderately successful RPG several years ago. Eidos'
Fresh Games has now brought the sequel,
Legaia 2: Duel Saga, to
the US, and it's not bad. It's got the requisite RPG elements, including
the bunny-eared waitresses. But it's not great either, mainly because
it's tough to escape the feeling that we've been here, done this.
Click! |
Zapper
Review (GC & GBA) |
We
sent Jason to review both the GC and GBA versions of
Zapper and what did we
get? One review. It figures -- Jason can be difficult like that
sometimes. But we can sympathize: It's hard to deal with mediocre games
that cover well-trod territory and fail to really stand out in any way.
Click here for the whole sad
story. |
Disney's
PK: Out of the Shadows Review (PS2) |
Disney
and Ubi Soft have teamed up to release
Disney's PK: Out of
the Shadows, in which Donald Duck takes on the role of a superhero.
Sound good so far? Now, imagine, instead of Donald's regular voice, we
make him sound like Sideshow Bob? Just for fun?
Click here. |
Ripping
Friends Review (GBA) |
John
K's latest abomination is
Ripping
Friends, showing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It's not a good
cartoon: The titular friends are just grotesque Tick wannabes and it all
feels like the boring parts of Ren and Stimpy rehashed. But that's a lot
better than the game...
Click here. |
Hot
Wheels Velocity X Review (PS2) |
Leveraging
their Hot Wheels property, THQ has released
Hot Wheels: Velocity X.
Built on the well defined futuristic race/combat model, this game is
held up by dated graphics and terrible controls. For now you're better
off in the toy aisle looking for Hot Wheels joy.
Click here. |
WWE Road
to Wrestlemania X8 Review (GBA) |
Certainly
the most horrible wrestling game we've played this year,
WWE Road to
Wrestlemania X8 is a stinker that no wrestling fan wants to find in
their stocking. Bad animation and bad controls ruin this game, although
the retro Mortal Kombat vibe is kind of cool.
Click here. |
On Hiatus |
GF! will be taking the next 10 days or so
off. If you've already read all of these pieces, check out our
Archive section, or, if all else
fails, go spend some time with your family: I'm sure granny has
recovered from that whooping you gave her in VF4. It's been a great year
for us, and we'd like to thank the game developers, our PR contacts,
fellow webmasters, and, most importantly, our dedicated staff of GF!
writers. Without them we would have nothing to read, and they don't get
nearly the rewards they deserve. And, of course, this site would be a
failure without all of you readers. We look forward to serving you
piping hot videogame coverage in the new year. Thanks for reading. We're
outta here. See you in 2003.
The GF! Editors:
Shawn
Rider
Jeff Luther
Sarah Wichlacz |
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GTA: Vice
City Review (PS2) and Official Soundtrack Review |
December
20, 2002 |
Rockstar
brings us the long awaited next installment in the GTA series,
Grand Theft Auto: Vice
City. It does a whole lot of things right, but it isn't as
revolutionary as GTA3, and, frankly, we're disappointed with the
direction in which the series is heading. Of course, the soundtrack is
amazing, so we reviewed the
Vice City Official
Soundtrack Box Set, too.
Click here. |
Asheron's
Call 2: Fallen Kings Review (PC) |
Microsoft
Games and Turbine have created a thoroughly worthy sequel to their
original MMORPG. Asheron's Call 2:
Fallen Kings is beautiful and amazing to play. It is a sign of what
is to come in the realm of massively multiplayer online role playing.
Click here for more. |
Age of
Mythology Review (PC) |
The
Age of Kings series also gets an update in the latest installment,
Age of Mythology. Bruce Shelley
and company have created a wonderful strategy game that melds three
distinct strains of mythology. Featuring a new 3D engine, you can check
out the battles in an array of views. It's really a blast to play, so
click here for the review. |
BloodRayne Review (Xbox, PS2, GC) |
Majesco's
big fall title is a sultry little adventure game called
BloodRayne.
Half-human, half-vampire, and all woman, agent BloodRayne slaughters
mutated zombies and Nazis at the same time. It's gorey, fun to play, and
full of B grade horror goodness. Not for everyone, if this is your
thing, you'll really love it.
Click here. |
Denki
Blocks Review (GBA) |
Puzzle
games are the most dangerous: A good one can keep you glued to your Game
Boy for days on end, inciting ridicule from friends and relatives until
they try it and get addicted, too.
Denki Blocks is
a great example of a great puzzle game, and fans of the genre need to
get it. Click here. |
Turbo
Turtle Adventure Review (GBA) |
Taking
a page from the likes of Marble Madness and Super Monkey Ball,
Turbo Turtle
Adventure has you tilting and sliding your way to fun and
frustration. It's a fun concept, but the trial and error gameplay gets
tedious. Click! |
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D-Link
Wireless Access Point and Ethernet Bridge Reviews (PC & Consoles) |
December
16, 2002 |
See
that thing at right? That's the new
D-Link DWL 810 Ethernet to
Wireless Bridge, and that's the thing you can use to hook your Xbox,
PS2, or Gamecube into a wireless broadband network for online gameplay.
Pretty sweet, huh? But you have a wired network at home, right? No
worries -- pick up the
D-Link DWL-900AP+ Wireless Access Point to turn your home network
into WiFi paradise. Click here
for the DWL 810. Here
for the 900AP+. |
Roller
Coaster Tycoon 2 Review (PC) |
One
of the most popular games of all time, believe it or not, is Roller
Coaster Tycoon. Weird, huh? It seems that way until you've gotten sucked
into an all-night park-building marathon.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 has
come out, and Infogrames has wisely chosen to not change much. See what
all the hype is about. Click here
for the review. |
Godzilla:
Destroy All Monsters Melee Review (GC) |
If
you're a fan of the button mashing multiplayer beat-em-up, then you
definitely need to check out
Godzilla:
Destroy All Monster Melee. Sporting some of the prettiest graphics
on the Gamecube, this is a must-play title, if only to spend an evening
destroying cities and wreaking havoc.
Click here to
rampage on. |
Resident
Evil Zero Review (GC) |
Those
neck-chompin', boot-scootin', moanin' and scrapin' zombies are back.
Actually, since Resident Evil Zero
takes place before the first Resident Evil, those zombies just haven't
been cleaned out yet. Slick graphics and a brand new two-character
simultaneous play mode set Zero apart from its predecessors.
Click here. |
Armobiles
Preview (PC) |
Polish
developer, Ganymede Technologies, brings us a game that feels like a
combination of many other games.
Armobiles combines
elements of Twisted Metal, San Francisco Rush, and even Re-Volt to
create a game that feels surprisingly fresh and is really fun to play.
Click here for the
complete preview. |
David
Beckham Soccer Review (GBA) |
David
Beckham is one of the biggest stars in the soccer world. That means that
his game franchise,
David Beckham
Soccer, should be really great. Unfortunately, it isn't. Most of our
American readers won't care either way, but simplistic controls will
frustrate our more worldly gaming audience.
Click! |
US
Special Forces: Team Factor Review (PC) |
Xicat
Interactive brings us another military-based tactical first person
shooter, and it feels a lot like Counterstrike except bad.
US Special Forces:
Team Factor has pitiful graphics and terrible sound. The single
player mode is pretty cruddy, and the multiplayer is hindered by the
fact that nobody wants to play it.
Click. |
Star
Wars: The New Droid Army Review (GBA) |
THQ
has put out several new GBA Star Wars adventure games, and all of them
have been pretty bad. Star
Wars: The New Droid Army is no exception. It's another sidescroller
adventure game where you jump stuff and swing your lightsaber. Whee!
Hardcore Jedi Knights click
here. |
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MS Combat
Flight Simulator 3 Review (PC) |
December
10, 2002 |
Our
guy in the sky, Thomas, returns to give us the lowdown on the latest
installment of Microsoft's venerable WWII flight sim franchise.
Combat Flight Simulator 3
packs in a load of new planes, a new dynamic mission system, and some
improved ground-level graphics. It's not revolutionary, but it is a very
solid update to a well loved series.
Click here for more. |
Dino
Stalker Review (PS2) |
Capcom
brings us a combination of FPS and on-rails shooter in
Dino Stalker.
In order to save the future, you must destroy the past, or some such
nonsense. The plot isn't important -- killing dinosaurs is. Fans of the
shooter might want to take a closer look.
Click here. |
Robotech:
Battlecry Review (PS2) |
TDK
Mediactive has singlehandedly made Robotech fans very happy this fall.
Their take on the franchise has been very successful.
Robotech: Battlecry
is stylish and fun to play. Unfortunately, this is a season swamped with
giant robot games, and the biggest thing going for this one is the
story. Robotech fans, check this out.
Click! |
Last Day
for Vice City and Zapper Contests |
This
is the last day to enter our
Vice City Soundtrack Official Box Set contest and our
Zapper contest. We're giving
away a complete box set featuring the music from Vice City and special
codes for the game. Plus, we're giving away four copies of Zapper, the
bug-zapping platformer from Infogrames.
Click. |
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WWE
Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth Review (PS2) |
December
1, 2002 |
THQ
and Yukes has done a number on the Smackdown series. After the
disappointment of Just Bring It last year,
WWE Smackdown:
Shut Your Mouth restores the franchise to its original glory. The
season mode is great, graphics are seriously improved, and the wrestling
has undergone some minor changes to make it a lot better.
Click! |
Star
Wars: The Clone Wars Review (GC) |
LucasArts
puts you in the last battle of Episode II and takes you into the ensuing
conflict with
Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Sure, it plays a lot like Starfighter,
Rogue Squadron, and every other Star Wars battle oriented game, but the
scale of these engagements is enough to drop your jaw once again, as
well as the framerate on your 'Cube.
Click here for
more. |
Myst III:
Exile Review (Xbox, PS2) |
Ubi
Soft has brought the venerable Myst series to console systems, and, as
anyone familiar with the franchise would guess, the style and focus of
gameplay doesn't quite jive with what most console gamers expect. Many
reviewers have reacted to Myst III: Exile like our reviewer, Eric. (Click
here to read his review of Myst III: Exile for Xbox.) The pacing and
mechanics of the game are unusual on the console, but this is still one
of the most popular franchises in the history of gaming. So Monica, a
long time Myst fan, reviewed
the PS2 version of the
game and gives us the other side of things, showing for the right
gamers, Myst has still got it.
Click here. |
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