By
PSM2_
posted November 19, 2004
At first glance you'd think that this game's a straightforward stock car racing romp. But after a few minutes of hurtling around the course you'll start to notice something disconcerting. You see, FlatOut plays as if two different teams, with two different ideas developed it in two different buildings. One group had the genius to create tracks and vehicles that made the most of the awesome physics. And the other group seemed to be creating a solid driving game with complex racing lines. The
Okay, this is a stretch, but - you know when one of your favourite retro films comes out on DVD but the 'special features' turn out to be a couple of manky trailers and scene selection? That's Street Fighter Anniversary Edition, that is.Make no mistake - Street Fighter's great. The original's brilliant, and SF3: Third Strike (included in the Xbox package) stands up next to Guilty Gear X2 as one of the best, most beautifully animated 2D fighters ever. There's even the chance to watch the SF
By
PSM2_
posted November 19, 2004
Backyard Wrestling is frickin' painful. All that clubbing around the head with a barbed wired bat, and the high-risk slams from the roof of a bus. But did you know you can experience this hard-hitting 'sport' without the fear of a ruptured spine? Oh yes, BW is back, baby. Yep, back with the same crap as last year! The real sport hurts your body while the game just does your head in.Given the amazing subject matter, Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes The Neighbourhood could have been brilliant.
By
PSM2_
posted November 17, 2004
Last year's Smackdown! was all about refining the physicality of the pseudo-sport. Yukes succeeded in defining a more realistic version of the strength differences between wrestlers and also delivered a limb specific fatigue indicator. This meant that slight wrestlers like Rey Mysterio couldn't body slam heavyweights such as Big Show, but could concentrate on an area of his huge frame to wear down. This was a real step forward for the series and wrestling fans have been salivating over the
By
PSM2_
posted November 17, 2004
Sony must have been delighted that The Getaway was given a (cough) mixed critical reception. Why? Since the faults were: (a) obvious and (b) easy to fix. Result? Black Monday took just two years to develop (the original took six). The misleading PR guff about 'When is a movie more than a movie?' is history. And the developers have addressed the glaring flaws - poor targeting, maddening stealth and crappy camera. In short, the approach couldn't be more different, and the results... couldn't be
By
PSM2_
posted November 17, 2004
The Urbz is basically The Sims with people who would've been in SSX, but couldn't get there early enough because their hair needed doing. Still, the title's got a 'Z' in it. Rock! It's not even The Simz. It's more rock than that. It's The Urbz. Woo! Stoked!Is that annoying? Then you're not going to like this. Clearly aimed at a very young market that aspires to be all teenage and grown up - and suburban American and white and BMW-at-17 rich and middle class - the whole thing's been hosed with
By
PSM2_
posted November 17, 2004
The designers of Crash Bandicoot obviously think that there's someone out there who desperately wants to be a tiny creature with a grin so punchably smug that it makes mince-haired motoring pundit Jeremy Clarkson seem almost bearable. People play videogames for the element of escapism - controlling a sinister secret agent or a warrior from the Wilderness of Death - but who wants to be a fuzzy little irritant?But we digress. Even if Crash Bandicoot is deeply unlikeable (and we think he is) it
By
PSM2_
posted November 15, 2004
After dishing out much love to The 'Slug months ago this most crumbly of shooters is finally getting a UK release. And, despite its looks it's a beautiful game. Not in a Cameron Diaz-type way, but more like your Michelle Pfeiffers or your Amanda Donohoes: ultimately starting to show its age and not to everyone's taste, but still undeniably worth a try.Previously only available on the Neo Geo and a conversion to the ill-fated Sega Saturn in the '90s, this is the first version of Slug to appear
December 7, 1941. Hawaii. There's a war going on, but you don't expect the devil to make an appearance. Not in Paradise. Not on a Sunday. But sure enough... planes. Hundreds of them. They fill the sky, spew lead like hail and tear the American Navy a new one. They're the common thread running through all the best bits of EA's assault on the Pacific and with every set-piece you're reminded just what your newest recruit could have been.Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault is the tale of rookie Tom
Oh yes: it's a sordid business. In my experience, those with first-hand experience of what supersonic-speed chunks of metal do to people don't speak of honour, or duty, or the privilege of fighting for freedom. Most don't want to talk about it at all. Full Spectrum Warrior doesn't shy away from the unpleasant parts of war, featuring a mass grave in an early level, but this is very much gaming from a Hollywood angle. The heroes are ordinary men, doing extraordinary things, and saving the day. Or
