Start with a second-rate cartoon license. Add a dash of a bargain-bin party game, then stuff it inside half-baked 3D roaming combat and stir well. Finally, let the mix rot in the sun for a week. What do you get? Youd be half right if you said “something really icky,” but youd be totally on the mark if you said Xiaolin Showdown on the Xbox. Xiaolin Showdown is a four-player, free-roaming competitive fighting game (though youd be hard-pressed to tell by reading the blurb on the games ...
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28 Nov 2006

Thrillville

Xbox Review

Simulation games are always a tricky proposition on consoles. The versatility of keyboard-and-mouse controls is hard to pull of on a gamepad, ergo some of the fun is often lost when the genre hits a console. But the developers at Frontier Developments, the makers of the renowned Rollercoaster Tycoon games, are up to the task of bringing the heady fun of theme-park simulation to consoles. For the most part, they succeed; the game mechanics in Thrillville work and there's a great deal of variety ...
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28 Nov 2006

Splinter Cell 4

Xbox Review

You all know Sam Fisher. Muscle-bound guy, voice like a moose with a hangover and one of the leading men in video games thanks to his acrobatic sneaking, versatile gadgets, and witty knifepoint interrogation banter? Well, he's at it again in Splinter Cell: Double Agent. The excellent, albeit very familiar, stealth action gameplay is spiced up by the fact that Sam now has to serve two masters, juggling opposing objectives in order to maintain their trust - and stay alive. Trust is the crux of ...
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27 Nov 2006

Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 4

Xbox Review

The revolution is far from over, it seems. For a franchise that took forever to reach our shores, DDR has become one of the most prolific game series in North America, hitting every platform under the sun and getting a generation weaned on videogames up out of their chairs and jumping around like ...
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21 Nov 2006

Superman Returns

Xbox Review

It must be frustrating to be the most iconic superhero in the known universe, yet still be a laughing stock amongst the video game world. But just like every Superman game before it, Superman Returns is a Kryptonite sandwich. How exactly is the Atari 2600 Superman game still the best one ever? Big Blue Boy Scout is absolutely stacked with powers right from the start: Super strength, heat vision, freeze breath - the works. You have no life bar. You're indestructible - why would you need one? ...
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14 Nov 2006

Capcom Classics Collection vol. 2

Xbox Review

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 ...
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13 Nov 2006

Tony Hawk's Project 8

Xbox Review

Another year, another Hawk. To most, the arrival of any new Tony Hawk is a splendid thing, while others will dependably gripe about new additions making the worst Tony Hawk ever. While the later isn't altogether true, there are some skinned knees to go along with this trucks-and-bearings stunt spectacular. Say what you will about the goofy THUG stories and the me-too create-a-character modes, the heart and soul of TH has always been the skating mechanics, and the trick system has remained ...
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8 Nov 2006

Need for Speed Carbon

Xbox Review

You can be forgiven for cynically thinking "Another year, another Need for Speed." Frankly, that's what we thought when the latest title in the series was announced. After all, the damn good Most Wanted just came out a year ago, so what could Carbon possibly offer so soon afterwards that would get our motors runnin'? It turns out that the answer comes in two parts. First off is the Wingman - not the buddy who'll sit with your hot date's ugly girlfriend at the bar - but a crazy fool who for ...
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31 Oct 2006

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Xbox Review

Avatar: The Last Airbender, an anime-styled cartoon on Nickelodeon, has gained quite a respectable following for a show that was originally targeted at younger viewers. In a mythical world of four quarrelling nations (Air, Earth, Water, and Fire), the Avatar named Aang is the only one who can bring peace and stability through harnessing all four elemental powers. The show combines an entertaining mix of humor, drama, and likable characters that has drawn in a wide demographic of viewers. ...
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26 Oct 2006

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Xbox Review

Developer Raven Software and publisher Activision have teamed up for two of the best X-Men adventures in videogames (X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends II: Rise of the Apocalypse). Now, using some of the best, most powerful and most popular heroes in the Marvel universe, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is an enormous adventure filled with dozens of vile villains and multiple universe-shattering threats. The game features an ambitious story and an equally ambitious cast... that's wrapped up in the same ...
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