The sequel to one of the best comic-book games ever made, X-Men Legends II offers more of what made the original so much fun while streamlining some features to make it more approachable. The game is a dungeon crawler similar to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath. This time around, the X-Men team up with their enemies to stop the menace of Apocalypse. In videogame terms this means running through a number of levels, beating the crap out of lots of little things, beating up ...
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6 Mar 2007

Major League Baseball 2K7

Xbox Review

That strange sound youre hearing this spring is the release of an actual new game for the original Xbox. While Microsoft has wholly ignored their first console since the advent of the 360 and Electronic Arts has made its latest baseballer a PS2 exclusive, 2K Sports has bequeathed a shiny new disc to play unto the Xbox community in the form of MLB 2K7. With no other competition for the baseball dollar, it stands alone as a solid effort that is worth a look for any fans still counting the Xbox as ...
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21 Dec 2006

College Hoops NCAA 2K7

Xbox Review

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, ...
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21 Dec 2006

Jade Empire

Xbox Review

Moments like these are why we love Jade Empire: four members of a deadly assassin's guild have our character and her companion, a small girl perhaps eight years old, surrounded. The assassins haven't got a chance. Magical claws sprout from our lovely avatar's wrists and we tear the first opponent to shreds with a quick flurry of strikes and kicks. We vault fluidly over and behind him. We land just in time to initiate a magical combo that traps a second assassin in a stone cocoon and then ...
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21 Dec 2006

Eragon

Xbox Review

What a coincidence: Eragon has shown up on consoles just in time to coincide with the release of the movie of the same name. One look at the film's trailer, or even the cover of the game, and you can get a pretty good idea of what you're in for: A short licensed game filled with half-assitude. The game features your typical hack-and-slashery, with only a limited amount of combos to speak of. Eragon isn't your standard kiddy fare. Oh, there will be blood; not to mention broken necks, shattered ...
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21 Dec 2006

Far Cry Instincts

Xbox Review

While still clearly a big success, a lot of folks would probably agree that the PC version of the first-person shooter FarCry was less a great game and more a great tech demo. This was thanks mostly to lush visuals and massive, go-virtually-anywhere levels that often far overshadowed the gameplay itself. It's no surprise then that this console-only, enhanced port actually feels like the better game, thanks to a number of tweaks that remind players that you're not here to gawk at the scenery - ...
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21 Dec 2006

Winback 2: Project Poseidon

Xbox Review

An over-the-top action sequence introduces you to the three playable characters of Winback 2: Project Poseidon, but the gameplay in this third-person shooter is much more traditional. What immediately distinguishes it from the rest of the crowd is its compelling use of alternating viewpoints, but some fumbling with the basics limits its potential. Two officers take on each explosive situation simultaneously, though you'll play each in turn - meaning, you'll go through each level first as one ...
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21 Dec 2006

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Xbox Review

Given the endlessly bad press it receives, you'd almost think Grand Theft Auto was the ruin of Western civilization. But while its hooker-beating and indiscriminate violence come up every time some culture critic wants to rag on digital entertainment, gamers have their own reasons for liking it. Reasons like limitless freedom, unfettered exploration and infinite possibilities for running over old ladies at high speeds. And with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you'll get more of that stuff than ...
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21 Dec 2006

The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind

Xbox Review

The third installment in the long-running and extremely popular Elder Scrolls series, Morrowind establishes a new standard in role-playing games. It's astonishing in its depth and detail, and also sets a new benchmark in graphics. Morrowind's extreme open-endedness sets it apart. Despite the linear story, the way the other characters in the world interact with you changes based upon your actions. There are various guilds within the game, like the Assassins Guild, and whether or not they see ...
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21 Dec 2006

The Godfather

Xbox Review

If you ever need proof that video games are a powerful educational tool, look no further than The Godfather. After a week with this Grand Theft Auto-like gangster simulator, you'll know more about the movie than most film students. You'll know the name of the guy who gets shot in the "leave the gun, take the cannoli" scene. You'll know the order in which Michael Corleone's enemies get whacked during the climactic revenge montage. You'll know this, because you'll have done it all ...
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