| Featured List | Simple List |
Go to bottom to see all images
Click image to enlarge
|
The Driver Director: Walter Hill Average Customer Review:  VHS Tape (29 May, 1985) list price: $29.98 -- our price: $28.48 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Features Reviews (15)
Asin: B000006GF6 |
$28.48 |
|
Gone in 60 Seconds Director: H.B. Halicki Average Customer Review:  VHS Tape (28 November, 2000) list price: $9.95 -- our price: $9.45 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review When car nut and aspiring B movie maverick H.B. "Toby" Halicki released his debut film, he gave top billing to his car, a yellow 1973 Ford Mustang named Eleanor. That's a good indication of Halicki's priorities in the original car-crunching, tire-squealing drive-in classic Gone in 60 Seconds. Halicki wrote, produced, starred, and did all of his own extraordinary stunt driving in the picture, the story of a career car thief who makes a deal to steal 48 cars for an overseas smuggler. OK, it's not Shakespeare. The plot is perfunctory at best, and Halicki's all thumbs when it comes to directing his wooden cast, but he gives a crash course in the mechanics of the car-theft biz and tops it off with one of the greatest car chases of all time: a 40-minute finale that roars through five Los Angeles-basin towns and destroys 93 cars in the process. It's a masterpiece of stunt driving, down-and-dirty photography, and sharp, furious cutting; the unsung hero of the picture is editor Warner Leighton, who paces the film perfectly and never lets it stall. Forget the messy Nicolas Cage in-name-only remake, this is outlaw auto cinema at its purest, and it's never looked better than in this newly restored edition with a revved-up sound design and an entirely new (rather generic) score. The 25th Anniversary DVD also features an introduction by Denise Halicki (the director's widow); laid-back commentary by Leighton and cinematographer Jack Vacek that foregrounds Halicki's seat-of-the-pants filmmaking style; interviews with Parnelli Jones, J.C. Agajanian, and stunt driver Bobby Ore (all of whom appear in the film) and former Ford honcho Lee Iacocca; two cut scenes; unused driving footage; and 300 stills. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more Features Reviews (55)
Asin: B000055ZNI |
$9.45 |
|
Executive Target Director: Joseph Merhi Average Customer Review:  VHS Tape (27 January, 1998) list price: $14.95 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Features Reviews (3)
Asin: 6304687672 |
|
Poor Roy Scheider.
|
Bullitt Director: Peter Yates Average Customer Review: VHS Tape (08 May, 2001) list price: $14.95 -- our price: $13.46 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review San Francisco has been the setting of a lot of exciting movie car chases over the years, but this 1968 police thriller is still the one to beat when it comes to high-octane action on the steep hills of the city by the Bay. The outstanding car chase earned an Oscar for best editing, but the rest of the movie is pretty good, too. Bullitt is a perfect star vehicle for cool guy Steve McQueen, who stars as a tenacious detective (is there any other kind?) determined to track down the killers of the star witness in an important trial. Director Peter Yates (Breaking Away) approached the story with an emphasis on absolute authenticity, using a variety of San Francisco locations. Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Duvall appear in early roles, and Robert Vaughn plays the criminal kingpin who pulls the deadly strings of the tightly wound plot. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more Features Reviews (115)
Asin: 0790733897 |
$13.46 |
|
The Italian Job Director: Peter Collinson Average Customer Review: VHS Tape (07 October, 2003) list price: $9.95 -- our price: $9.45 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review This little-known cult caper is about as depraved as they come. Michael Caine, ever the enterprising swinger and swindler, has an ingenious plan to steal a huge cache of Chinese gold to be shipped to Turin as collateral for a new Fiat plant. Since the Italy-Great Britain soccer match is being played at the same time, Caine wants to create a diversion in the form of a monumental traffic jam. For financing, he turns to Noel Coward, who directs British criminal enterprises from his jail cell. A motley crew is assembled, including Benny Hill as a computer expert with a fetish for large-breasted women. It's all a nasty and fun parody, with the most memorable robbery-chase sequence in the history of the caper genre. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more Features Reviews (85)
Asin: 6302491940 |
$9.45 |
|
Eat My Dust! Director: Charles B. Griffith Average Customer Review:  VHS Tape (25 June, 2002) list price: $9.98 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Way back in 1976, actor-director Ron Howard made a bargain with shlockmeister producer-director Roger Corman. It went something likethis: Corman agreed to produce Howard's feature directorial debut, the 1977 Grand Theft Auto, and Howard agreed to star in another of Corman's piecesof drive-in fodder, the quirky Eat My Dust! Written and directed byCharles B. Griffith (a favorite screenwriter of Corman's who penned the original Little Shop of Horrors, among many others), Eat My Dust! is as wacked- out as anything to come out of the American International Pictures factory, and it isstill surprisingly fresh and funny. Howard plays Hoover Niebold, son of asmall-town, no-nonsense sheriff (Warren J. Kemmerling) and a prime candidate for dreary obscurity with his nowhere job and dull love life. Hoover takesa risk and asks out a popular girl (Christopher Norris), but after she demands that he steal the car of a professional racer (Dave Madden), the young hero abandons his innocence for a wild ride. Griffith hammers on the chase action sequences, bolting a camera to the car's hood to instill maximumvertigo in viewers, and constantly finding new and witty ways to jazz up scenes of speeding autos terrorizing the roads. But the real hook is the film's distinctive mix of youthful energy and comic irony, the latterexploding in Griffith's gallery of rural half-wits and neurotic, middle-class stereotypes. A whole cloth Z vision of teen rebellion writ large, Eat MyDust! is a corker. --Tom Keogh ... Read more Features Reviews (5)
Howard plays Hoover Niebold, a rip roaring young man just aching to stir up trouble in his hometown. Unfortunately, Hoover has several problems in his life. He's the son of Sheriff Harry Niebold (William J. Kemmerling), which is a bad thing to be when you're looking to date town cutie Darlene (Christopher Norris-yes, a girl). Harry Niebold is always riding Hoover about speeding around town or not working at his job delivering toilet paper to local businesses. Things come to a head when Hoover turns up at the local stock car track only to endure a withering rebuke from his father. Annoyed, Niebold the Younger spots Darlene sitting with her parents. He once again attempts to set up a date with the pretty gal, but she brushes him off with a statement to the effect that Hoover doesn't have a nice set of wheels with which to ferry her around town. Well, Howard's character spies a very nice car just a few feet away on the track, a car that just won the race. For some reason never adequately explained in the script, Hoover hijacks the car from under the nose of its incredulous driver (Dave Madden of "The Partridge Family" fame) and roars off with Darlene and a few friends. Hoover and company never go anywhere except through the streets of this small town, endlessly pursued by his father and a passel of inept deputies. The kids destroy property, wreck cars, and generally terrorize the town over the next few hours. In one series of scenes, Niebold and his friends level a small farm while trying to escape from a deputy sheriff. So many townspeople fall prey to this group of hellions that the police station fills up with screaming citizens demanding action. Harry Niebold doesn't have a clue about what to do with his out of control boy, so he generally sits around the station pushing his hat up on his head, sighing, yelling at people, and watching tow trucks haul in the shattered hulks of his deputies' cruisers. After an interminable amount of time goes by, Niebold the Elder and a few of the stock car drivers finally formulate a plan of attack. What follows is about what you would expect from a crash 'em dash 'em derby movie: lots of over the top chase scenes, dumb good old boy dialogue, and the requisite feel good conclusion. A subplot concerning Hoover's unrequited love for Darlene has not only been done better a billion times before, but ultimately goes nowhere here. The opening credit sequence of the film, where we see a car tearing up a country road from the point of view of the driver of the automobile, and Ron Howard's performance constitute the only two worthwhile things in this movie. Well, Christopher Norris's character, who looks a lot like a young Nancy Allen, strutting around in short shorts helps a bit too. But a movie cannot subsist on two or three small points if it wishes to succeed. The main problem in "Eat My Dust!" is the script: a tired, decrepit old dishrag of a thing dripping with so many clichés that it bored me to the point of exhaustion. The editing was sloppy, too, as was some of the acting. Too, for a movie that relied on car chases and crashes, "Eat My Dust!" is almost chaste in crunching metal and squealing tires. I guess I expected too much. At least we get to see several familiar faces: Clint Howard turns up in a small role, as does Ron Howard's father Rance. Paul Bartel and Corbin Bernsen also turn up in bit parts. It's unfortunate in the extreme the film fails to make adequate use of its talent. Extras on the DVD consist of a short Roger Corman interview conducted by Leonard Maltin and a bunch of trailers. A movie full of unfunny gags, barely competent car chases, and pedestrian production values, "Eat My Dust!" is a film that only Ron Howard or Roger Corman completists need bother with. Looking back on the experience now, I am sure I spent more time looking at my watch than I did at the screen. 'Tis a pity, I say.
Asin: 6304564384 |
|
|
Gran Turismo 2 Average Customer Review: CD-ROM (27 December, 1999) list price: $19.99 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Features Reviews (227)
Well, if you LOVE cars and get off on racing them, this game will be tons of fun for you. Vastly expanded from the original Gran Turismo, GT2 employs practically any car you can think of---from throwback muscle to tuned-out super cars, if you want to drive it, they've got it waiting for you. And not only do they look just as good as if you were seeing them for real, but they sound and FEEL like real cars. Each car has it's own unique driving style and sound, so you'll never be bored...maybe surprised, but never bored. You can customize your own car from the ground up (GT2 lets you customize your wheels this time...yay!) or if you can hold out long enough, you can buy the "special" models from the car distributors. However, I do have some issues with this game. First of all, the load times can be a bit irritating and it doesn't help when you have to move to so many different screens to get around in the game. Going from a race to another race or back to your garage seem to take forever after saying no to a dozen replays and the save/do not save question that pops up after all races. Also, I don't take well to formalities in video games. Like the original, GT2 has those wonderful licenses you must obtain in order to race in different competitions. It's like, am I going to be putting lives in danger by playing this game? Why do I need to be tested on everything from braking distance/time to my S-curve technique? I'm not going to listen to the rules anyway, so why put me through it? When it comes down to it, I am awful at those individual trials. Put me in the thick of the action and I can dominate. I just don't get it. Finally, I wish that the races weren't so predictable and repetitive. Once you get to the point where you know that you are going to win the race before you even leave the starting line, the game gets a little lackluster. All of the other cars follow the same imaginary line (like the license tests make you follow for "optimal performance") every single time out, so I know where they are going before they get there. Why can't cars spin out for no apparent reason (damnit, I do it!) or give me a little competition? Because let's face it, once you get ahead you stay ahead...that is if you have a reasonably suitable car or you don't spin out stupidly at the final turn, of course. Ah, but I get over the pain of constant winning quickly. I love this game. I wouldn't complain about it so much if I didn't... I wouldn't still be playing it. P.S. While doing the long, grueling endurance races I recommend turning the sound off and listening to your own music (or nothing, if you prefer) because as much as this game is hailed for its soundtrack choices, they will drive you mad after you hear the same song fifty times in one race. ... Read more Asin: B000034DC7 |
|
|
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Average Customer Review: CD-ROM (24 March, 2000) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Satisfying the fantasies of envious driving fans everywhere, the latest Need for Speed focuses exclusively on the popular exotic car, the Porsche. In Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, players are immersed in over 50 years of Porsche history and cars. Focusing on just one company limits vehicle-selection type, but the game offers variety by reaching into Porsche's past. With Porsches ranging from the 356 Coupe Ferdinand (1950) to the state-of-the-art 991 Porsche Turbo (2000), car aficionados will have plenty of luxury joy-ride choices. Diverse game modes and a crisp physics model complete yet another winning driving experience from Electronic Arts. One of the most exciting new modes is called Evolution, where drivers purchase an early-model Porsche and compete in races to earn money so they can acquire upgrades, repair damage, and tweak performance. The contrast in both look and feel, from the antique models to present-day roadsters, is captured magnificently by the graphics engine and physics model. Each vehicle handles differently and offers a unique driving challenge. Graphics are simply breathtaking, though not a significant enhancement over last year's impressive version. Realistic weather effects, rolling hills, and animated scenery all add to Porsche Unleashed's near visual perfection. Over a dozen tracks take you through grassland villages, autumn forests, and mountain roads. A wealth of Porsche historical information makes Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed a well-rounded package that should excite those looking to sample the open road in dozens of exotic sports cars. --Doug Radcliffe Pros:
Reviews (66)
Graphically, this game is stunning, from night-time driving to driving in the Alpine snow, you got everything.The graphic doesn't need a very robust CPU, but try to get the best 3D graphic card you can afford (anything better than a Voodoo 2).I was able to run this game with a 800 Mhz CPU with Voodoo 3 and it was fine.Sound quality is also superb, and I especially like the sound of the older 911 - very raw and throaty. I would like to address some issues that others have pointed out (either here or in discussion sites).One is that Porsche Unleashed works horribly with XP and Windows 2000.EA-sports technical support doesn't have much to say about this.If you search the web, you should be able to find some answers to fit this problem (with a patch or some figetting around).The second problem is that Porsche Unleashed doesn't seem to like some newer version of DirectX and the Nvidia Denotator Drivers.For example, my mouse would freeze (hard crash) at the start-up screen.I was using DirectX 9.0b with the latest Nvidia drivers.To "fix" this, I eventually had to rollback the DirectX version to 8.0 and use an older version of Detonator (version 30.82 for win98SE) and everything seems to work okay.So hopefully this could help those who have problems.This is a great game and I think it is worth the trouble I listed to play it.
There are no Yellow Ferraris, No Black Diablos, No White F1s, No Green Astons, No Blue Lotus' No petty Mercs and BMs....Only Porsche. This game, from its absolutely stunning high-end graphics in the game menus, not to mention the actual game, is simply a bliss to be in. From the 1950 Coupe Ferdinand, named after Dr Ferdinand Porsche, the Creator of Porsche, to the GT1s, GT2 Cup, GT3, 959s (Only 200 in the world), 928 GTS, The 550 A Spyder (James Dean became immortal after he died in this car), and not to mention all those Carreras, the Moby Dick, and 911s. There are 81 different Porsches and not counting the bonus cars which you download. You have 3 Different Types of Games to play, the Evolution, which is the heart of Porsche Unleashed, and the Factory Driver, whereby you undertake little missions to qualify as a Authentic Porsche Factory Driver, (There is a Rolf who first is introduced, reminicense of Dean's personal Porsche Mechanic, Rolf Wutherich) and normal Original NFS Games featuring some of the Factory Cars to play Quick Races and Knockout Rounds. The Evolution. This is a game that is to have you on your Racing Wheels for a very longtime. Starting from 1950, moving from the Classic Era, to Golden, to the Final Modern Era, you have to win the Tournaments to make your way up in the Timeline, you will earn money, sell cars, collect cars, paint them, tune their gears, adjust tire pressure, shock level, shock travel, the toe-ins, brake balances, and most importantly, the Downforce. You get to choose your own Rim style for your Porsche, buy Slicks, or Rain tires, open up the boot, the door, look inside the car, take it for a Testdrive in the infamous Autobahn, go to Corsica, the Cote D'Azur, Pyrenees, the Alps, Normandie, and so on. After you finish each tournament, you get to play the Club races, which offer a wide range of every kind of prize money, and every kind of difficulty. The most important aspect of the Porsche Game is that the Porsches get very hard to control as you advance. Some cars, like the 944s will be easier than the Carrera 2.7 RS Models, or the 911 Turbos. You will have to take in consideration every little information you can find. You will have to practice to be able to qualify for the next round. After a while you would be familiar with words like 'loose' 'tail happy' 'toe-ins' 'add more rear down pressure' 'buy the low-speed gear box' 'add the whaletail' etc...After this game, literally, you'll know more about Porsche the cars and their History a lot more than anyone else. Although not every single car that was made production is available, such as the 912s, featuring 81 cars in a game is not bad don't you think? I wasn't much of a Porsche lover, but after this game, every time I see a Porsche, I can tell exactly what model that car is or what year it was made. For example, the difference between the Carrera 2 and the Carrera 4. Its obvious to a lot of people that the Carrera 2 came before the Carrera 4, but intruth, Carrera 4 is an All-Wheel Drive and Carrera 2 only drives on the front 2 wheels....its these little information that will make you interested in Porsche a lot more. Driving the infamous "Little Bastard" driven by James Dean, will give a much different perspective of Porsche and James Dean both...and driving the GT1 or the Moby Dick 935, will let you be able to feel the power of the speed which goes over 280kms an hour. If you have 2 Million pictures of the Ferrari, met the Ferrari President, dream of owning the Enzo, know all about Ferrari and their 356GTs, Maranellos, F50s, love your Lambos, seen the Murcielagos, know what the VT stands for in the Diablos, Know the first name of Lamborghini, what happenend to the company, IT DOESN'T MATTER. Even if you hate Porsche so much you'd like to scratch a reallife car when you see one, this game....this game has to be played. With Force Feedback ofcourse. ... Read more Asin: B00004DITL |
|
|
Age of Empires Collector's Edition Average Customer Review:  CD-ROM (02 November, 2000) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Age of Empires is a real-time strategy game where players build a great civilization out of an Ice Age tribe over a period of 10,000 years. Players accomplish this by exploring their surroundings, conquering other civilizations, and accumulating wealth. Key elements include building and controlling units and managing resources. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings starts the player out in the Dark Ages, roughly when Age of Empires ends. The goal remains the same: use advanced technology and troops to establish your civilization's dominance. But now the player has better toys: each of the 13 civilizations has unique buildings, soldiers, and advantages. The Teutons have knights, for instance, while the Vikings have berserkers. Winning the game requires military dominance or the construction of wonders of the world. The single-player game is fun, but most players love Age of Empires II for its wildly popular multiplayer component. Thousands of civilizations rise and fall every day as gamers around the world compete in matches over the Internet. This bundle includes Age of Empires: Gold Edition, containing the original Age of Empires and Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion, plus Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings and Age of Empires II: The Conqueror's Expansion. The bundle is a great way for fans of the series to keep all the titles in one place, while for newbies it is less expensive than buying all the titles separately. ... Read more Reviews (27)
Asin: B00004ZB2I |
|
|
Cossacks: European Wars Average Customer Review: CD-ROM (25 April, 2001) list price: $44.99 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Cossacks: European Wars is a historical real-time strategy based on events of the 16th through the 18th centuries in Europe, when nations and states were created and demolished, and wars shed seas of blood. There are 16 nations or regions in Cossacks: Algeria, Austria, England, France, the Netherlands, Piemonte, Poland, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and Venice. Each has its own original graphics, economic and technical development peculiarities, military advantages and drawbacks, and unique units and technologies, providing vast choices of tactics and strategy in war against any enemy. Thus, England is the mightiest sea power, Austria has powerful light and heavy cavalry, and Cossacks are the pride of the Ukrainian army. Battles of up to 8,000 units may be conducted on single or network game maps. One can carry out lingering city sieges, wage guerilla wars, capture commanding heights and arrange ambushes, deploy landing forces on enemy shores, and conduct sea battles. The game system is arranged to reduce per-unit control and resource micromanagement, and to turn to global goals of powerful economy formation, science development, the capturing of new lands, and defending borders. ... Read more Reviews (71)
Asin: B00005A9W0 |
|
THE VERY BAD GAME
|
Swat 3: Elite Edition Average Customer Review: CD-ROM (24 October, 2000) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review When SWAT 3 was first released it faced two major criticisms,namely a short mission list and a lack of multiplayer options. Both of these have been addressed by the SWAT 3: Elite Edition, which sports a totalof21 missions and full multiplayer support for up to five players in deathmatchorcooperative games. Add to this a well-organized mod interface for facilitatingfurther enhancements to the game as they are developed and a fully fledgedscenario editor and you can no longer criticize this game for a lack oflongevity. With these issues resolved, you are left with the most impressive portrayal oftactical squad action in the first-person shooter genre to date. Set in thenearfuture in Los Angeles, you are placed at the head of a five-man armed responseteam of the LAPD. A conference on world peace plays the backdrop to justifyallthe crazies coming out of the woodwork. This provides you with a stream oflinear missions ranging from hostage situations to disarming missiles, all setin real-life locations. While the likes of Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament offer"all-guns- blazing" action, subtlety is the order of the day in SWAT 3. A single bullet can put you down. With no health pack round the corner to come to yourrescue, you need to employ guile and teamwork to survive. Unlike similargames,such as Rainbow Six, the teamwork isn't planned prior to the missions;rather it is managed on the fly with a number-driven tiered command system foryour two-man teams. It works beautifully for the most part, and with ascaleableAI, you can ensure both your compatriots and the suspects put up a convincingdisplay. This, combined with superb audio that blends information and suspensethrough radio chatter, well-modeled graphics, and tense gameplay, makesSWAT3: Elite Edition a worthy addition to any gamer's collection. --JasonWeston ... Read more Reviews (33)
Asin: B00004Y2MS |
|
|
Driver Average Customer Review: CD-ROM list price: $19.99 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Reviews (95)
My brother didn't like it, and he gave it to my neices.They said it was too hard for them.I laughed, borrowed it from them, and it ended up being a waste of time.I'm sorry I bought it in the first place. Why, might you ask?You are REQUIRED to pass a very difficult driving test before you can do anything else with the game.The test consists of some maneuvers that require a lot of skill, and even if you are able to do each one of them, you have to do them in so little time that it is nearly impossible to pass.There is no cheat code to get around it, and you can't even go for a leisurely cruise through the cities without passing this lousy test.So for me, anyway, it makes the game useless and a useless game is a worthless game unless you enjoy getting frustrated. I have Driver 2, and recommend that instead.At least you can play the game without having to pass a stupid test.It's difficult, so you might not play well at first, but at least you can do *something* with it.Don't get me wrong, though: Driver 2 is far from easy and the level of difficulty can be frustrating at times.At least it isn't as worthless as this piece of junk. You can get plenty of useless CDs in the mail for free.Why pay for one?
Asin: B000034DMT |
|
|
Driver 2 Average Customer Review: CD-ROM (17 November, 2000) list price: $39.99 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Fine-tuning the white-knuckled car chase formula of its predecessor,Driver 2 features more of the same high-speed, inner-city vehicularmayhem, and casts players once again as Tanner, a hard-boiled undercover copwho's posing as a badass getaway driver--this time, to stop an international mobwar. With computer-animated cinematic sequences doing the lion's share of thestorytelling, players must guide Tanner through more than 40 action-packedmissions in four different city settings, this time on foot--which primarilyallows Tanner to carjack other vehicles--as well as behind the wheel. While it can be of a lot of fun to play, Driver 2 is no joy ride. Themissions can be quite unforgiving and require many restarts to complete, and thecops are quite determined--even at the "Easy" setting. Also, the game's coarse,choppy 3-D graphics often get in the way of things, with slowdowns disruptingthe game's pace, and buildings and such popping up out of nowhere. --JoeHon Pros:
Reviews (99)
Asin: B00004ZCP0 |
|
|
Train Simulator Average Customer Review: CD-ROM (07 June, 2001) list price: $19.99 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Train Simulator takes the obsessive realism ofMicrosoft's best-of-breed Flight Simulator games down to earth. Sixreal-world rail lines are included from throughout history, includingthe Flying Scotsman line of 1920s England and the modern OdakyuElectric Rail commuter line in Tokyo. Attendees at the National ModelRailroad Association's August 2000 convention marveled at the game'spainstaking attention to detail. But this game is not a model railroadgame; it simulates the real thing. The game's developers traveledacross the world with cameras and microphones in order to authenticallycapture the trains in their natural habitats. Train Simulatorlets you experience the world's greatest trains in all their glory. Train aficionados can drive the train, run the rail yard, or dive inwith the terrain editor and create the rail lines of their dreams. Oryou can just sit back, relax, and admire the beautiful scenery anddreamy click-clack of the tracks. --Andrew S. Bub ... Read more Reviews (143)
Asin: B00005B4AS |
|
|
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Average Customer Review: CD-ROM list price: $74.95 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Microsoft continues its 17-year tradition of flight simulators with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition, an expanded version of the standard Flight Simulator 2000, with enough extras to justify the slightly higher price. Though the last few editions have disappointed long-time aviation enthusiasts, Microsoft looks to reinvent the series by including cutting-edge graphics (supporting 3-D accelerators), enhanced sound, and a wealth of flyable planes and new features. Flight Simulator 2000 Professional features all the new planes and cities of the standard edition with two additional aircraft--the Mooney Bravo and Raytheon King Air 350--and six additional detailed cities--Boston, Washington D.C., Seattle, Berlin, Tokyo, and Rome. Along with the new planes and cities, FS 2000 Professional Edition also includes two additional high-resolution, extra-large IFR-flight instrument panels. Perhaps the most creative additions, however, are the flight dynamics and instrument-panel editor that allow gifted designers to create their own flight conditions and plane interiors. Best of all, Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition's flight model feels just right, and each plane performs according to specifications. FS 2000 Professional Edition is fully compatible with Flight Simulator 98's aircraft, scenery, and adventures. Along with all the enhancements, the game includes a hefty 300-plus-page manual to provide tips and strategies for both novices and aviation veterans. --Doug Radcliffe Pros:
Reviews (67)
You can also try to earn the various liscences that real-world pilots can. For instance, you can try to earn an ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) Certificate by flying a 737 around, performing various maneuvers. It is fairly fun, and will keep your interest for a while. Once you get the hang of flying the planes though, the tests become easy, and present little challenge. Until you master them, however, they will keep you busy. The game also gives you the GPS coordinates for most of the famous landmarks, so you don't have to fly around looking for them yourself. I used that tactic on several occasions, just jumping to the area I wanted. As with any flying game, landing is a real challenge. In general, it will take you a little while to master the art of landing, but that's only day time approaches. Night time landings are a whole different story. Just finding the runway is often a challenge, although radar helps a lot. Still, until you learn to use radar to the best of your ability, you'll pretty much rely on your sight to tell you where things are. I think that what I was expecting from this game was something akin to a storytelling game, in which you took the role of a young pilot's live, and completed various tests until you finally get the "Ok" to fly, then flying to various places (as a real-world pilot would) for money, until you retired, and bought more airplanes. Of course, that isn't the way the game is, and it is one of the reasons why, after you master the game, you have no reason to re-play it. You can pretty much fly anywhere you want at the beginning of the game, and so there's no reason to even attempt some of the various license tests, unless you're really desperate for something new to try. Therefore, the gameplay is very average. I think that if this game had more "adventures", and/or had more things to do in multi-player, it would have recieved a five in this area. As it stands, however, it needs a lot more re-play value before it is considered an "excellent" flight sim. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Pro is a very average game. It's controls are very good, it's graphics are awesome (but the price you pay for that is a lot of slowdown), and the re-play value is minimal. You can also play it on Microsoft's Zone .... but I didn't even try that, simply because of the fact that, if I'm having this much slowdown in the single player game, the multi-player game will probably not even work for me. Not only that, I really don't see how flying commercial aircraft would be really fun with other people. What would you do, race someone from New York to Paris? I think that the real hard-core flight simmers might like the the idea of racing your buddy like that, but for me, it really doesn't have that much potential. However, the game, played in single player, is fairly fun. I enjoyed flying around New York City, seeing the Statue of Liberty, and the various other sites. As far as I know, Microsoft hasn't released a patch to delete the World Trade Towers from the game, so they're still there. The manual is very well designed, and will tell you how to fly your plane with little fuss. Lessons are included in the game as well. However, I found it hard to find some of them...as in, you have to navigate through several of the in-game menus before you actually find anything. However, you really need to read the manual before you go flying, unless you turn the realism settings on low. There are also several of what this game calls "adventures". Basically, what they are, are pre-developed flights with a certian objective. For instance, in one "adventure" your prop plane runs out of fuel out in the middle of the ocean. You get permission to land on an air-craft carrier that just happens to be patrolling the area. You then have to land your plane, with no engine power, on the deck. Very innovative. In another "adventure" you have to fly under the Russians radar in Red Square to try to land your plane. Supposedly, if you don't fly under the radar, they will target you, and shoot you down. However, I have never had that happen to me, no matter where I flew my plane. You can also create your own movies. However, I found this fairly confusing, and really didn't get into it much. It has potential though. Imagine flying over Paris at night in a Concorde...then watching what your plane did. Since you have a cockpit view, you really can't see the outside of your plane...so with a movie, you would get to do that. Movies also have the potential to be cool if you are interested in airplane aerobatics. In case it needs to be said, I would HIGHLY recommend playing this game with a joystick. I can't remember if it actually says that a joystick is required on the back of the game's box, but regardless, If you want this game, you really should buy a joystick. I can't imagine playing this game with a key-board and mouse. Overall, I would recommend this game to hard-core flight simmers who want to absolute most realistic thing they can get their hands on, and don't mind some slowdown. To people that want to fly, but want something to do while they're up there, I would steer them away from this game, and insted direct them toward a combat flight simulation.
NOW, you CAN get good results with a slower machine! I have a P2 300mHz on a 66mHz buss (That's IT!), and it cruises. Here's how: 32mb AGP NVidia card (not even running at 2x or 4x!) with the latest driviers from NVidia.com. You need to get a minimum of 32mb, or forget it. The card was less than 50 bucks! THEN, go to Options --> Display, and click on Enable Hardware Acceleration. THIS IS ESSENTIAL. I run Win2K Pro (runs faster than 98 in my world), DirectX 8.1, and 192mb Ram. I do have the Scenery Complexity cranked all the way up. BUT, TURN OFF the ground shadows, and you'll have a great flight. If you have a faster processor or buss (or both), it'll all be that much better. But the graphics card is the big one. They're cheap right now, so get 32mb minimum. I have a VAIO I use with a 600mHz P3 but only 8mb video ram, and FS2000 runs on that like a truck with square wheels, so don't bank on the processor speed. Happy Flying! ... Read more Asin: B00002NDRR |
|
| 1-15 of 15 1 |
Questions on ordering or shipping? click here for help.
| Computer & Video Games - Brands - Blizzard, Knowledge Adventure & Sierra - Action - Best movies/games (images) |
| Images - 1-15 of 15 1 |
               |
| Images - 1-15 of 15 1 |