Reviews (4)

A great Game!
This is great game!They're 2 poy poy's 1 and 2 currently the US didn't make one yet.In this game you pick a person and throw rocks and bombs and other playes at each other or on a team.I think this a good game for kids 7-(when you want to stop).It's a great game to play when you have a lot of kids over and find a good 1 or 2 player game.I hope you get! It's REALLY worth the money! P.S. I put a 4 because the game is kind of hard to learn.

need a question answer
please before i buy this can you use this game on playstation 2

Reviews (4)

Ghost in the Shell is a great game
This is the original video game adaptation of the Ghost in the Shell series.The game centers around Fuchikoma combat.Casual fans may remember that there is a scene involving a Fuchikoma mech in the original Ghost in the Shell film--the shootout in the natural history museum.Fuchikomas are more prominent in the GitS manga series, Masamune Shirow's poster artwork, and similar "Tachikomas" appear in Stand Alone Complex.For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, Fuchikomas are the insect-like mini-tanks that the characters ride around in.In this game the Fuchikomas can climb all over the place--up walls, on ceilings, etc.It's tons of fun to be able to "go anywhere" and the controls and handling for the Fuchikomas are excellent.

If there is any slight disappointment in this excellent game, it is that the game only involves Fuchikomas.After reading the Ghost in the Shell manga and seeing the first film, one would expect to be able to play as Major Motoko Kusanagi.I guess that you do get to play as her--she's piloting the tank.This problem has been remedied in the new Ghost in the Shell game for the Playstation 2.

What is especiallly cool about this game is that the anime cut scenes were made by the same people who made the original film, but it is all brand-new footage.It is a little bit grainy because it's on the original Playstation, but fans of Ghost in the Shell will enjoy the scenes.The dubbing is by the same people who did the English-language dub for the film--too bad it's not in Japanese, but it is a neat attempt at continuity.I recommend playing through the training missions too.Try getting bad scores, good scores and great scores in the training--there is a variety of different brief anime clips that you get to see when you earn different scores in the training.Plus, the training mode is fun, which is often not the case in video games.

Of course, since we're talking about a game that came out for the original Playstation some years back the graphics won't be up to the same standards as current games.Plus, there are a couple of features that seem a little quaint--enemies re-spawn if you leave and come back.

Bottom line, this is a fantastic game.The game play is well-designed, the game is fun, and the game is especially good for fans of the Ghost in the Shell series.

very cool for a PS game
this is damn sweet. coolest game i've played in a long time. it may not be as good as the PS2 or XBOX or Gamecube games but you gotta admit its awesome. it has a very nice third-person veiw (view from the back that stays there), cool machine guns, the grenades are cool too. very powerful. the only cons i have about the game is that the ending is bad and i dont think there is a sequel. if there is someone please e-mail me. that and you should be able to carry more than 3 grenades, even though they are easy to find and can use them without worry. u could probably use 3 a mission. i wouldnt though. save your grenades for the boss. after mission 8 they get really hard. after saying that, the game is very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very cool.

Incredible
this is one of the best games for the playstation i've ever played.it's just great.

i mean, what could possibly be great on a 30mhz processor?Ghost in the Shell.

Features

• Fighting game based on popular anime series
• 17 different characters
• Trainable character development
• High-speed, multiple-power action
• For 1 or 2 players

Reviews (160)

the worst game ever
Im a big fan of DBZ/GT but Id rather watch Barney or telletubbies than play this game
this game is without a doubt the worst game ever
the controls are horrible
the graphics are OK
the intro is stupid
the voices are really messed up
and its agonizingly slow
dont waste your money on this abysmal piece of trash

Best of DBZ PS game
I like this edition since the characters look nice and realistic. Compare to the budokai series for PS2, i still prefer the Final Bout series.I would recommend this rather than budokai series. But I certainly wouldnt recommend the previous edition such as DBZ ultimate.

Features

• Turn-based fantasy strategy game
• Introducing the unique "Job" system, allowing characters to train in different character classes
• Over 40 different monsters to encounter
• Incredibly detailed and complex storyline
• For 1 player

Reviews (125)

Another FF classic
This is not your average Final Fantasy game, but still an enjoyable one. This is more of a strategy game than an RPG. It is a four-chapter game. The first chapter is learning the basics, the second and third chapters are a little bit harder, and the last chapter is medium and then gets extremely easy once you get Orlandu. There are many differents monster and/or human enemies you must deal with in battles. If you lose a major battle, this means that you must train your men a bit before re-entering. I have beaten this several times and guarantee that you, the viewer/customer, will enjoy it also.

A Timeless Classic--Still Addictive after Seven Years
Strengths: Involved and complex story, addictive gameplay, beautiful graphics

Weakenesses: Poor camera control, dead-end savepoints

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of those rare console games that you can return to again and again and yet always find it to be enjoyable, immersive, and incredibly addictive. For a seven-year-old game that will take most gamers over fifty (that's right, five-zero) hours to complete, this is quite an accomplishment.

FF Tactics' two most brilliant virtues are its intricate plot and a unique gameplay experience which is the result of a nearly perfect integration of three-dimensional, turn-based combat and the familiar RPG strategy of guiding the advancement of the characters in your party through various jobs and skills. The elegant and involved gameplay element of FF Tactics is ultimately it's love-it-or-hate-it attribute. In addition to developing characters in between battle sequences (by upgrading abilities, purchasing new weapons and armor, sending characters on adventures, etc.), you also command parties of up to five characters in 3-D battles by maneuvering to gain tactical advantage (attacking from the sides and behind is always more effective) and executing attacks or other actions.

Gameplay is quite complicated and, as a result, the learning curve for FF Tactics is relatively high. Square (the game's publisher) graciously includes a tutorial mode (accessible via the game's main menu) that provides newcomers to the game a firm foundation upon which to begin experiencing the game. Be warned, however: it will take you one to two hours to progress through all of the included tutorials. Despite this significant time requirement, I would highly recommend that gamers who are not familiar with similar games (such as Vandal Hearts for the PSX) take the time to look at some of the tutorials.

The story is even more enveloping than the gameplay. The carefully-written plot will always leave you in suspense, anxiously looking forward to the next twist or turn in the storyline. The events of the story are subtly (sometimes ambiguously) unveiled with an elegance that is rarely found in literature and film, let alone in video games. As with gameplay, however, the complexity of the plot can sometimes work against itself. I will frequently find myself having to go back several cutscenes to try to piece together what's going on. Fortunately, Square planned for this as well: you have access from within the game itself to every cutscene that you have viewed as well as summaries of all the characters (even minor ones) and their involvement with the plot thus far (yes, these summaries are updated as the game progresses).

The graphics are another of the game's many virtues; they are beautiful and have worn quite well considering the age of the game. You won't find any flashy 3-D effects (the landscapes are colorful and attractive--although low-resolution--3-D models while the characters are 2-D animated sprites), but the artwork present throughout the game--from battles, to cutscenes, to menus--is just that: artwork.

Despite its excellent gameplay, plot, and graphics, however, FF Tactics does have its share of weaknesses. Most frequently annoying are the camera angles that are available in the battle sequences. More often than not, the 3-D landscapes obstruct your view of the characters and action, and the limited camera control makes it difficult to find a good angle from which to view most of the action. The result is a lot of switching from view to view throughout the course of a battle (or even throughout a single turn). Occasionally, this makes it virtually impossible to even see a particular character, but this is admittedly rare.

A less-frequently occurring but even more frustrating element of the game are the opportunities it provides to paint oneself into the proverbial corner. There are several points in the game (usually at the end of each chapter) where you will play through several battles back-to-back, with no time in between to develop your characters. Since battles can last as long as 30 minutes (sometimes more), the game provides you with the opportunity to save your game in between these battles. Good, right? Not necessarily. The problem with this setup is that if your characters aren't adequately prepared for the subsequent battle(s), then you may get stuck in a situation in which victory is impossible to achieve. Unfortunately, the only way out of this situation is to restart the game---a serious annoyance if you've already racked up, say, forty-four hours of gameplay time. The moral of the story: reserve more than one memory card slot for your saves so that you can create a savegame file both before and during such a series of battles. On the upshot, however, this was one of the few games that I found just as entertaining and addictive when re-playing the first 44 hours (yes, this happened to me).

The verdict: Final Fantasy Tactics is a great and timeless game that I'll be returning to again and again over the years, and I hope you will too.

Features

• Head-to-head 2-D fighting action
• 9 Street Fighter characters and 8 Marvel characters
• 5 play modes: battle, vs., training, hero battle, and crossover
• Incredible hit, kick, and chainable hyper combos
• For 1 or 2 players

Reviews (9)

color me green
why is it capcom never makes the hulk green he is always the wrong color on capcom games. thegame is fun animation good just the hulk's color is wrongthey either turn him pink or grey. good tagteam work ,i like the turbo and wolverine looks like the comicbook style not some asian styled version of wolverine. works well on the vibration sound is distorted but otherwise a fun game.

Pretty good
I've been a big fan of the Street Fighter series since its outset. And to be quite honest, playing Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter only reminds me of how great the series used to be. Sure, the game is mildly entertaining, but without the true tag team gameplay that the arcade version of the game had, it comes off as just another Street Fighter game with Marvel characters. The character roster totals out at 17, with nine from the Street Fighter universe and eight from Marvel. There are five modes of play including battle, versus, training, hero battle, and crossover. Battle and versus are your typical one- and two-player fighting game modes. Hero Battle is an endurance mode that separates the groups to see which has the stronger stable of fighters. Nothing special here. Crossover mode, however, is at least somewhat interesting. You see, in the original version of MSH vs. SF you could pick two fighters whom you could switch between at any time during the fight. This tag team style of fighting was first featured in the arcade version of X-Men vs. Street Fighter but couldn't make it into the PlayStation port due to the technical limitations of the PlayStation. Sadly, the tag team aspect of MSH vs. SF was also excluded for the same reason. Sure, you can still pick two characters, but you can only play as one of them. The second character only comes into play when you execute a team combo or team counter. Crossover mode tries to bring the game's main selling point home. This mode allows you to pick two characters, then the computer uses the same characters you picked. This limits the amount of information the PlayStation has to handle to two characters instead of four. If you are victorious in this battle, the computer swaps one of the characters each of you have for another. This is done so that you aren't playing with and against the same two characters each fight. It gives you the tag team experience of the arcade, but having to deal with the rotating character thing and having to fight mirror images of yourself is extremely weak. Visually, MSH vs. SF looks good. But when you compare it with its arcade counterpart, it simply fails. The colors aren't nearly as vibrant, and the game suffers from quite a bit of slowdown. It still comes across better than the PlayStation version of X-Men vs. Street Fighter, though, because not nearly as much animation was cut out. This is a major plus, since frames of animation not only affect the game's appearance but timing and gameplay as well.On the gameplay side, Street Fighter fans will definitely feel the typical Street Fighter gameplay. But in the end, it's all a question of how starved you are for another Street Fighter game. Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is all about the tag team mode, and with the overall exclusion of this mode, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is just another Street Fighter game.

Editorial Review

The measure of a good game, like a good movie or book, is the emotional and, sometimes,physical response it elicits. Syphon Filter will literally make your pulse race. As counterterroristspecial agent Gabe Logan, you must eliminate an evil terrorist determined to unleash a deadly virus in ournation's capital. Syphon Filter features the smoothest, slickest motion capture of any PlayStationgame. Gabe seems to come alive as he seamlessly connects acrobatics such as running, crouching, rolling,and hanging from pipes. As in a good action film, there's an impressive arsenal of firepower that rangesfrom stealthy night-vision sniper rifles to high-impact, short-range shotguns.

But this game's landmark contribution is its targeting control, which enables Gabe to lock and hold on to atarget while freely moving in any direction, eliminating the hassle of adjusting the viewpoint to face hisenemies. There are plenty of surprises, but all the goals are evident, and your partner, Lian Xing, keepsthings rolling along with radio messages of changing mission objectives. Everything in this game playssmoothly: the story line fits, the action moves at a steady clip, it just works. --Jeff Young

Pros:

• Fluid, stylish animation
• Useful weaponry and contextual puzzles
• Excellent level design

• Occasional slowdown when many enemies are onscreen at the same time
• No 2-player mode

Features

• Platform: PlayStation
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Ages 6 and up

Reviews (227)

Top of the wall!!!!!!!!!!!! a must buy for all GT fans!
This game is better and the cars are badder than ever! More tracks to race, new cars to drive, and better chances to make SOME HARD CASH!! As you upgrade your car it becomes faster and better that what the shop sold you, and there is also a chance of having race paint on your car. In GT you beat even the world champions, got the best cars, ruled the tracks, and made more than a million. Well it's time to challenge more cars, conquer more tracks, and new champs to beat! If you don't buy this game, you're missing out on some racing of a life time, Well what are you waiting for? Bump all cars in your chance of victory money! This is a racing madness. It's catching hold of you. Buy this game and rule the tracks!

Best GT title out.
It edges GT3 by a bit. Though the graphics arn't exactly PS2 quality (obviously), it's the most addicting game I've every played on PSOne.
The graphics are great (for a PSOne game realesed in 1999). The sounds, car SFX and soundtrack, are pretty cool. The gameplay is fun, yet manages to be realistic. A perfect balance.
I highly recommend GT2 to anyone with a PSOne or PS2.

Be a good driver....
...or just get the 2,000,000cr Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak car and you're good to go. Well...I guess you have to be one to get the other. But then again, there's always good old-fashioned patience. Because frankly, Gran Turismo 2 is not going to hand you anything in a hand basket...especially not the aforementioned (best in the game) vehicle. In this game, you have to work for any car worth having. GT2 isn't playing, folks. There are no super cheats or codes (yes, I looked for them) to earn you free credits, skipped races, or magic cars. The best tricks of the game are tips to tune a car properly, which car to use when, and how to avoid spinning out. Yeah, sounds fun, doesn't it?

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.

Features

• For 1 or 2 players
• Addictive block puzzle game
• Over 20 stages
• Build your own cube combos
• Five different cube textures

Reviews (7)

Simple, yet disturbingly addictive
This was the first (and only) puzzle game I've ever bought for a video game console, and it hooked me from the first five minutes of starting it up.

The concept here is really simiple.You're a tiny guy (or gal) on a big platform of blocks suspended in a world of darkness.You're sitting there, minding your own buisness, when suddenly huge smashy blocks appear at the end of the platform, coming right towards you.There's nowhere to hide, nowhere to run to.Your only chance is to set explosive devices and destroy the blocks before they reach you.If you fail...well, lets just say it won't be pretty.

So you run around, frantically destroying the blocks before they reach and crush you.It's very simple gameplay, but add in the fact that things go faster and faster, and the challenge gets harder and harder as the game goes on, and you've got a challenging game that's easy to learn, almost impossible to master.

So we've got fun and challenging gameplay, but absoloutly terrible graphics.By todays standards, Intelligent Qube is a visual mess.The charachters are terrilbly ugly and everything has a first generation playstation look to it.The game also gets impossibly hard as it goes on.I never got past the fourth level, which says a lot about how hard this puzzle is.

But the graphics and difficulty can be easily forgiven, considering how addictive and compelling the gameplay is.In it's finest form, Intelligent Qube is a perfect example of superior gameplay over superior graphics.This is one puzzler that stands the test of time quite well.

welcome to the hostile wasteland
This is a brain-changing game. Get in your car and drive afterwards, and everything on the road in front of you becomes tumbling cubes ...I rented it ...a couple years ago, and loved it. Now it appears to be a collectors' item. I can honestly say I will someday pay x amount for it, ...

Features

• Search for the Mother Lode and help your planet survive
• Featuring many well-developed characters
• For 1 player
• Action game delving into the past of Mega Man
• Cool 3-D graphics

Reviews (29)

One of the best Megaman games ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is one of the best Megaman games ever!!!!!!!Don't be fooled if your looking for a 2-d side-scrolling Megaman game though, because this is not the same as the other Megaman games. The graphics are great for a Playstation game, but the environments are very blocky and blurry. This game is very fun and enjoyable. I would recommend this to every Megaman fan. Overall this is one of the best Megaman games ever!!!!!!!!!!

ONE OF THE BEST MEGAMAN GAMES EVER!
Like I said, this has to be one of the best MegaMan games ever!And what's cool is, it's not the exact same original Megaman or X series.I'ts totally different!A baby was found in some ruins and raised by Barrell Caskett with his granddaughter Roll.He's later named MegaMan and they all go out digs together to make a living.They crash land on a uncharted island that's riddled with ancient ruins.Next, a family a air pirates, the Bonnes, show up and screw everything up for the people trying to find the treasure buried there.The hot babe, Tron Bonne falls in love with MegaMan, but doesn't want to admit it because she's a pirate!This game's got a great storyline that leaves a mysterious impact.I'ts almost like a Zelda game, but futuristic!Another great thing is the awesome weapons you can build and upgrade.The pirates ships and robots are sweet too.They've got unique designs and many destrutive weapons.Near the end of the game, it's kinda confusing and it gets even deeper into the story, but you'll get the hang of it.When I beat the game, I wanted more.But then after the credits went by it read "to be continued".I almost passed out.More Mega Man Legends!Then I thought,"Well, duh!"There has to be another game to explain the entire story and all that confusing stuff MegaMan Juno was talking about(sorry, don't wanna spoil it now do we).Over all, buy this game.The graphics may not be that great, especially for a PS game, and the characters may look like their cardboard, but the story and action is what counts!If like a game that has a mythical or legendary storyline, Mega Man Legends is for you!

Good, but not really a Mega Man game
In recent years, Capcom attempted to bring their classic Mega Man franchise into the new millennium. They gave the series a complete makeover, in a number of ways, and thus, the Legends series was born. How does this, the first game in the Legends series, measure up? Read on and see.

PROS:
-IT'S A FULL 3D GAME. Many fans of the Mega Man series had long been awaiting such a game, and at long last they have one. Well, sort of.
-THERE ARE TONS OF WEAPONS AND ITEMS FOR YOU TO FIND AND USE. The island where the game takes place is filled with ruins which it will take a good deal of time to explore in their entirety.
-THE STORYLINE IS BETTER THAN SOME PEOPLE MAKE IT OUT TO BE. This is NOT really a Mega Man game, but the storyline the game has is an interesting one nonetheless.

CONS:
-THE BIGGEST CON IS THE MOST OBVIOUS ONE - IT ISN'T REALLY A MEGA MAN GAME! Capcom just used a Mega Man look for many of the characters so that they could sell more games. For shame, Capcom.
-THE GRAPHICS ARE HORRIBLE, EVEN FOR A FULL 3D PLAYSTATION ONE GAME. The characters look like they were made out of paper, and I don't mean that in a good way. The 2D Mega Man games on the Playstation had graphics way better than these.
-THE CONTROLS SUCK. If you want to turn, you have to rotate the camera. This becomes extremely annoying in no time at all. There are also several other control faults.
-THE GAME LEAVES TOO MANY QUESTIONS UNANSWERED. If the series really IS somehow connected to the other Mega Man game series, the game fails to tell you how. Likewise, your character's origin is never explained.

Reviews (108)

Overrated
It's probably just me, but this video game doesn't fit my taste like the old-school games do.The 'excitement' found here is nothing compared to a wedding reception or a high-school prom (depending on what moves you make).Plus, only segments of the songs are included.This could be better if the whole song was played.At least that's my opinion.

I found it watching others participate, but I've been forced to give it a try to one of the 'slower' songs.Not many moves.Not too much fun.

This game seems okay if you want a good workout.I'm not bashing this game.In contrast, it might grow on me over time.Right now, I ... I may be too old-fashioned.:)

Sweat to the Beat...
First off, let me get the one bad point out of the way. I don't like the music. It's okay and I didn't expect better from a dance game but it just isn't to my taste.

Okay, now all the good. If played diligently, this game will work on your rhythm, reflexes, stamina and timing. I even found it easy to push myself into playing 3 times longer after I started getting tired and actually felt like I was dancing after just a few hours. A few of the levels are easy enough for a beginner but I would recomend taking real dance lessons if you can get through the harder ones.

And finally the technical. This game has a wide range of options on how you can play with it's game, workout, lesson, and trining modes. Each with verying difficulties. Combine this with it's 25+ songs and you should never get board playing it.

It's an all around great game so get your hand out of that bag of crisps and dance!

Editorial Review

The third installment of the series that redefined the survival horrorvideo game genre, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is the best ResidentEvil yet. As Jill Valentine, one of the original game's survivors, playersmust fight for their lives while fleeing a city overrun by hordes of zombies andother hideous creatures mutated by a sinister corporation's biotechnologicalvirus. To make thing worse, a near-invincible monstrosity known as the Nemesisstalks Jill throughout the game, which raises the series' suspense level to anall-new high.

In addition to the constant threat of the Nemesis, Resident Evil 3features other gameplay elements new to the series: players can now dodgeattacks, perform quick 180-degree turns, and create ammunition by mixinggunpowder types. Also, the "Live Selection" feature forces players to makedecisions that affect the story's direction.

While none of these additions are particularly groundbreaking, Resident Evil3 keeps the player in suspense and the action even more intense than in itspredecessors, proving that more of same can be a good--make that very,very good--thing in a sequel. --Joe Hon

Pros:

• Suspenseful and thoroughly engrossing storyline
• Excellent use of topnotch graphics and sound to establish mood
• Improved controls and faster load time between scenes
• The Mercenaries secret game adds serious replay value

Cons:

• Third-person, fixed-camera-angle point-of-view can be awkward
• May be too intense for younger players

Editorial Review

Note to Parents: Realistic violence, gore, horror

An abandoned research complex on a remote jungleisland, a team of special forces operatives, a horde of vicious velociraptors, and one big, meanTyrannosaurus rex constitute the setting and cast of Dino Crisis, the latest masterpiece from themakers of Resident Evil.

You play as Regina, a member of a four-person team sent to retrieve an expatriate scientist. Your radio manbecame a midnight snack for the T.rex, so it's up to you and your two remaining teammates to explore adino-infested research station, rescue the scientist, call for a helicopter retrieval, and escape with your lives.Along the way you'll uncover the grizzly remains of those who got in the dinosaurs' way, and you'll unravelthe mystery of how a top-secret energy research project turned into a Jurassic nightmare.

And about those dinosaurs: they're all over the island. One instant you'll be walking along a second-storybalcony, admiring the view, the next instant you'll be dodging a T.rex as it smashes its huge maw throughthe concrete walls. Velociraptors chase you down blood-spattered corridors, flying reptiles circle theoutdoor areas, and your only weapons are your pistol, whatever else you can salvage, a dwindling supply ofammunition, and your wits.

Packed with clever puzzles and heart-pounding surprises, all superbly presented with realistic graphics andhorror-movie camera angles, Dino Crisis is a triumph of survival-horror gaming. --MikeFehlauer

Pros:

• Great sound effects and music
• Well-integrated, varied, and clever puzzles
• Awe-inspiring, terrifying dinosaurs
• Branching story line improves replay value

Cons:

• Doors impervious to explosives

Editorial Review

SquareSoft has always had a sure-fire hit when releasing any of their Final Fantasy titles, and Final Fantasy VIII should be no exception. The basis of a good RPG (role-playing game) has always been the story; spectacular graphics are secondary. Final Fantasy VIII's involved and interesting story line is filled with great twists, well-developed characters, suspense, and romance. As an added bonus, the graphics are beautiful. Everything--from the low-lit jazz club to the steam-filled railroad tunnels--is gorgeous and perfectly sets the mood and tone of a scene.

The game mechanics are standard fare for an RPG: acquisition of items and spells, turn-based combat, experience points earned in combat allowing advances in levels. From exploration to battles to dialogue, Final Fantasy VIII has it all. However, Final Fantasy VIII falls to that great weakness of RPGs: random battles. While necessary for advancing in levels, the battles occur with such frequency that they can grow annoying, making for a tedious game experience.

The epic storyline spans four discs--over 40 hours of gameplay--and is based around a mercenary cadet who finds himself caught up with an underground rebel faction. He winds up in a plot to assassinate the sorceress who has just seized power from the president.

You could complain of limited replay value, but this gripe is of no consequence: the game is such a satisfying experience, it doesn't require replay. Final Fantasy VIII is easily worth both the hype and the wait. You can't buy a much better game. --John Cocking

Pros:

• A story to beat all stories
• Characters worth caring about
• Hey--it's from SquareSoft
• Stunning animations

• Too many random battles
• Combat is, as always, turn-based and offers minimal excitement
• Weak souls might give up after two or three discs of play

Editorial Review

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, with all of its new additions, isbasically more of the same stuff that players saw in the first Tony Hawk'sPro Skater--which is not a bad thing at all. Those who loved the first willespecially love all of the new skate parks, with their hidden areas that can beunlocked by performing certain tricks. For instance, on the first stage, playerswill have to grind across an airplane propeller to get the thing to twirl, whichopens a hangar door. There also are some neat little touches to the levels, likea hall monitor who races around in a golf cart at the high school.

Neversoft, the developer of the first Hawk game, really deepens thisinstallment by challenging players with 10 objectives per level. Now, not onlydo players have to find hidden tapes and reach high scores by doing tricks, theyhave to jump certain gaps, as well as collect items and cash. This kept usplaying some levels for hours before completing the majority of levelobjectives--and even then there were some objectives, like achieving a "sick"score, that we couldn't quite manage.

The levels are set up to allow some clever trick combinations, and players evencan create their own skate parks by choosing from over a hundred props,including ramps, rails, and pools. Also fun is creating a skater from scratch,and determining his weight, attire, and skills, which can be improved by earningcash in career mode.

Like the last game, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 dips into the worlds ofhip-hop, rap, and punk rock for its soundtrack, although many of the songs arerecognizable and pretty old--this loses some of the freshness that thesoundtrack had on the original. And that describes the game in a nutshell: notas fresh, but still an extreme amount of fun. --Robb Guido

Pros:

• More objectives per level than previous game
• 13 pro skaters, with different outfits and boards

• Soundtrack lacks freshness of original
• More of same stuff we saw in original

Editorial Review

Expectations ran high for this game, due to its exciting, eponymous movie and the exceptionalNintendo 64 James Bond game GoldenEye 007. And while this game presents the variety andintrigue one would expect from the beloved licensed-to-kill, martini-sippin' spy, it would have benefitedfrom a bit more polishing. Don't expect this game to be on par with the games and movies that preceded it.In fact, if you're looking for a GoldenEye-like experience for the PlayStation, you'd be much betteroff with the WWII period piece, Medal of Honor.

Tomorrow Never Dies uses an auto target mode, but it's far too restrictive to be of use here,requiring players to stand still in order to keep the target locked. The game loyally follows the film, butwhen the action intensifies--such as a hot pursuit on skis, or flying a nuclear warhead-laden jet out of a hotzone--players are forced to either relinquish control entirely or have minimal input.

Gadgets from Bond's old pal Q are too sparsely used, and the absence of any multiplayer mode seals thisgame's fate as a small diversion rather than a stellar accomplishment. --Jeff Young

Pros:

• Excellent music
• Good use of real film clips to propel the story

• Very poor control scheme and limited distance vision inhibit stealthy playing style
• Skiing and driving sequences feature outdated graphics and ambiguous controls
• Easy levels and no multiplayer mode give this game little, if any, replay value

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:

• Drive like a bat out of hell in four different city settings
• Action now takes place on foot, as well as behind the wheel
• One- and two-player minigames add replay value
• "Film director" option lets players edit their own car-chase sequences

• Missions can be quite unforgiving--requiring many restarts to complete
• Coarse, choppy 3-D graphics make gameplay more difficult than it needs to be

Editorial Review

Vigilante 8 is a beautiful shoot-'em-up driving gamethat also happens to be a lot of fun. The premise is fairlycomplicated: enter the level, drive around picking up weapons, andblast your opponents to kingdom come. Any questions?

There are several vehicles to control in the game, from a nimble dunebuggy to a hard-to-kill pickup complete with camper. There's even a UFOin the two-player mode. Lining a target up in your sights is easyenough using the digital pad, and controlling the vehicle is even moresmooth when you use the analog pads on a Dual Shock controller. You'llneed all the help you can get, as the enemy vehicles are relentless.

Graphically this game is a stunner, with terrific lighting effects andover-the-top explosions. The sprawling environments you'll encounterare universally detailed and interactive. You'll slide sideways down aski slope on a snowy mountain during one of the game's more franticlevels. Another fun challenge involves dodging incoming aircraft at theairplane graveyard in the dusty desert. Action fans will undoubtedlywant to see the world from behind the wheel of the cars in Vigilante8. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Terrific graphics and special effects
• Tear around in anything from a dune buggy to a UFO
• Interactive environments are a blast to play in

• Single-player game can get a little boring