GamesRadar - PS2 Reviews

Cabela's Alaskan Adventures (Review)

Feb 23, 2007

The Sikh temple massacre level in Hitman 2. Hot Coffee. Weve seen it all on PS2, yet no one game has quite elected the same level of disbelief and horror as Cabelas Alaskan Adventures, which encourages you whip out a rifle and fatally wound a lady caribou by shooting her right in front of her ...

Cabela's Trophy Bucks (Review)

Oct 19, 2007

Oct 19, 2007 If the thought of getting up early, intentionally smelling like buck urine and sitting in one spot for hours waiting for something to shoot isn't entirely foreign, then Cabela's Trophy Bucks might seem interesting to you. Seem interesting. In this single-player, single mode, first-person shooting game, you are plopped in the middle of a prime hunting spot right as the best game (in this case, animals) are passing through or where the best fowl have decided to nest. In each of the ...

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Review)

Feb 28, 2006

When gazing out over the smoking, cratered expanse of World War II shooters, it takes a really special title to snare your interest. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One takes a fairly competent perspective on the genre, but, despite some stirring segments through Italy, these tattered soldiers could have used a little more time in training. CoD2:BRO centers around the exploits of the First Infantry Division (the legendary "Fighting First"), so you ship-out to the war's European hotspots, facing ...

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Review)

Feb 15, 2006

There are times while playing Call of Duty 2 that you'd be forgiven for thinking the apocalypse was happening around you. Scampering across a Sicilian beach, you'll be ducking, diving and weaving as seemingly everyone in the world takes pot-shots at your ass. Explosions batter your ears and flames can be seen all around. Call of Duty 2, even more so than its prequel, is built around a structure of some rather excellent first-person-shooty bits, which then lead into some of the most ...

Call of Duty: Finest Hour (Review)

Dec 1, 2004

It's the best war game on PS2 then. Job done. War is over. Troop disbanded. You can all go home for Christmas in an ill-fitting free suit. It's easy to be glib. Easy to see Call of Duty: Finest Hour as 'just another war game' and easy to question why you should buy it when you've already got Medal of Honor: Frontline and Rising Sun. Thanks. Here's why: Call of Duty is, at its best moments, twice as good as either game. If you want realism in your FPSs (and lots of people do given the ...

Capcom Classics Collection (Review)

Jun 22, 2007

Classic compilations appeal to two types of gamer: the old-school, roughly 30-something player who waxes nostalgic about when these games were new, and the less discerning, volume-conscious gamer who quickly deduces, "$20? Thats less than a dollar a game!" If you dont fit into either category, move along. For those still here, after moving on from the obvious choices (Street Fighter II and a Final Fight that's still fun despite being ravaged by age) and exploring the rest of this sprawling ...

Capcom Classics Collection vol. 2 (Review)

Nov 14, 2006

Retro packs rule when they don't suck. Let's interpret that statement. There are lots of great games from the past, and now that they can be packed together cheaply on a single disc, well, it sounds great! Fire up the presses! The "suck" problem often comes in the quality of translation, or lack thereof. Simply put, a lot of packs aren't worth the discs they're printed on. Other unfortunate retro collections have no games worth remembering, much less replaying. Happily, Capcom Classics ...

Cars (Review)

Jun 14, 2006

Imagine a game like Need for Speed Underground 2, in which you can drive around in a freely explorable city, racing other drivers or just messing around as you see fit. Now, imagine it with talking cars, a tiny desert town and nearly every hint of crime or violence removed, and you'll have a good idea of what to expect from Cars. While it ties in with the Pixar movie, Cars actually picks up where the film left off, with cherry-red racetrack star Lightning McQueen settling into the town of ...

Cars Mater-National (Review)

Nov 1, 2007

Nov 1, 2007 As the second adaptation of a now-sixteen-month-old Disney/Pixar CG animated film, Cars: Mater-National absolutely screams cash-in. But considering the quality of the original release and the pristine pedigree of Rainbow Studios, we remained optimistic that Mater-National would prove to be an evolutionary upgrade over its very solid predecessor. It's not - it's a total cash-in. In fact, Cars: Mater-National is one of the more blatant retreads we've seen in some time, as the core ...

Castlevania Curse of Darkness (Review)

Feb 28, 2006

Trading in Castlevania's trademark 2D action for 3D is a fool's bargain. At least, it is if Curse of Darkness is any indication; the body is willing, but the heart is all but missing. The story, a tale of competing vengeances between two of Dracula's henchmen, is serviceable in that it motivates the new hero-in-puffy-shirt, Hector, to hack and slash his fashionably gothic way from one ghoul-filled area to another. But it's the collectible materials dropped by slain monsters, and the items ...

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (Review)

Jan 14, 2004

What creature lies in the deepest dungeon? The long spiral stairway leading to a blood-splattered arena may well be the first area you investigate, but it's likely to be the last you'll unlock. The cloying atmosphere and dingy moss-clad walls suggest this is a killing ground for a diabolical monster of ancient origin. To the left is an enormous door, enchanted with a lock to keep the creature at bay. And this being Castlevania, you just know it's just one of the secret chambers too tempting to ...

Catwoman (Review)

Jul 29, 2004

We haven't seen the Catwoman movie but judging by the game - where "Buy a girl a saucer of milk?" is considered an amusing put-down - it's not going to be the deepest or most intellectually stimulating production to fart its way out of Hollywood. Also boding badly for the film is the game's explanation of the Catwoman backstory, where a two minute cut-scene half-asses something together about anti-ageing drugs, a factory accident and a cat all combining to somehow create this sexily-dressed ...

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Review)

Jul 2, 2008

It’s such a familiar quandary – there you are in your local games store, crisp note in hand, looking for a new addition to your collection. There are a few caveats, though: one, you want it to be a linear adventure mainly based around flicking switches and collecting shiny things; two, you’re also very keen for it to have a Christian subtext; oh, and three, there simply has to be a homicidal dwarf involved
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The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe (Review)

Nov 23, 2005

Who said videogames can't make you laugh? Narnia had us cackling like witches throughout - not bad for a game that isn't supposed to be funny.The Chronicles of Narnia is a very Lord of the Rings-like mix of adventure and combat. Which is why we giggled like chimps; to make it work, the four kids you control use hilariously inappropriate moves, such as thumping thick bars of ice apart with their bare fists, or riding bareback on wild wolves.When you've finished sellotaping your sides back ...

Chulip (Review)

Feb 14, 2007

The same people who brought us Harvest Moon, a beloved-to-many farm-simulation RPG, have now unleashed upon us Chulip, a kissing simulator with a brand of quirkiness that could only come from Land of the Rising Sun. The object of the game is to boost your reputation by kissing everyone in town. As you acquire conquests, you'll level up until you're strong enough to face the girl of your dreams. The in-game clock moves quickly, so you have a limited time each day to interact with people and try ...

Cold Winter (Review)

Jun 2, 2005

The new GoldenEye' tag is something that gets bandied about too often in videogames, and it's one that's already been stuck on to Cold Winter, thanks, mainly, to the fact that one of the programmers of this worked on that particular N64 classic. It's a huge burden to carry, one that the supposed 'sequel', EA's Rogue Agent, failed to withstand and it's one that Cold Winter desperately tries to live up to, but can't quite manage it.In fact, the first couple of stages of Cold Winter are so far ...

College Hoops 2K8 (Review)

Nov 26, 2007

Nov 26, 2007 College basketball is all about tradition and consistency. It's no surprise to see the same teams ranked in or around the Top 25 every season, whether it's 1997, 2007, or 2017. You can always bank on the Dukes, North Carolinas, UCLAs, and Kansases to be bouncing basketballs in the Big Dance come March. Truth be told, however, we've grown tired of the consistency shown by College Hoops 2K8 on the PS2. By this point, it's a wonder that they bothered to release a new version at ...

College Hoops NCAA 2K7 (Review)

Jan 3, 2007

They may share the sport's name, but otherwise the basketball played in the NBA and NCAA couldn't be more different. The professional game is a grim, 82-game slog played by mercenaries under a cloud of bad attitudes and an often grousing fan base. Conversely, each college hoops season brings with it a joyous romp through a 30-odd match schedule full of ups and downs in front of wildly enthusiastic crowds - topped by the single most riveting championship tournament ever created. Similarly, this ...

Coraline (Review)

May 27, 2009

You know exactly what you’re in for when a game’s first move – its way of drawing you in to the rest of the adventure – is forcing you to slowly drag a box around the kitchen. Then making you say hello to the neighbours. Then getting you to prepare tea. Basically, everything you don’t enjoy doing in real life. ...

Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant (Review)

Dec 4, 2008

Last time we saw him, in Crash of the Titans, Crash Bandicoot was a brainless chump, lacking both charisma and charm. The game wasn’t much better either. But things are definitely better for both parties this time around. Everything here says ‘Saturday morning’, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Judging by the fully animated cartoon cutscenes, fast-talking bad guys and pop-culture references, that’s exactly what the game intended to mimic and it's done well. ...