The first and last game I ever played on a Macintosh was Lemmings. As a result, my experience as a Macintosh gamer was addictive, fun and all too short-lived. Sounds like most Mac gamers, doesn't it? Well, Lemmings also happened to be one of the few games my wife enjoyed playing with me, so to see the classic game disappear meant a little piece of our gaming relationship disappeared with it. All that is changing with Lemmings on the PSP. To hear Sony tell it, Lemmings on PSP is a faithful, modern-day translation of the … [Read more...]
Monster 4×4 World Circuit Review
Dear Ubisoft - It's with a heavy heart that I must write this letter to you. You see, today is the day I've lost all faith in you. The reason? Monster 4x4 World Circuit, a malodorous excuse for a game that frankly says "you've lost it" to me in regards to your choice of titles to publish. Here's a simple enough concept - racing big bouncy trucks around some wild and wooly courses while earning points for big airs and smashing up the competition (and a few strategically placed columns of cars.) Sure it's simple, but … [Read more...]
Lego Star Wars II Developer's Diary: Part 2
After unveiling LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (preview) in February, LucasArts kicked off a series of developer's diaries highlighting what Traveller's Tales is changing for the sequel. The fist entry, which you can read here, covered general topics such as gameplay and camera enhancements. This latest entry gets a little more specific, as it discusses various characters and their character-specific moves (Chewbacca's arm-pull and the Emperor's Force Lightning). All the Characters in the Galaxy With so much … [Read more...]
Rainbow Six: Critical Hour
Let's get right to the point...shall we? With its recent releases of Rainbow Six: Lockdown and now Rainbow Six: Critical Hour, it seems UbiSoft is hell-bent on destroying the Rainbow Six franchise. That, or this is their not-so-subtle way of saying, "we're moving to next gen platforms, so expect more garbage like this unless you do, too!" Rainbow Six: Critical Hour is a shameless attempt at cashing in on R6 nostalgia by claiming to bring back the classic strategic and tactical elements of the original game while at the … [Read more...]
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown Review
When reviewing games that are meant for kids, you have to sometimes ask yourself, "do the guys who made this even have kids, or know what one looks like or what they enjoy?" I say this, because it's games like Ice Age 2: The Meltdown that make me think the answer is a resounding "no." Here's a game that could've been a whole lot more, even if it had to be hurried to get out the door when the movie did, but can't maintain interest for more than 15 minutes. Now, I could gripe about it being a slapped together movie … [Read more...]
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Review
Ubisoft has saved Microsoft's bacon on more than one occasion. Splinter Cell. Rainbow Six 3. Ghost Recon. Whenever interest has begun to wane for a Microsoft console, be it Xbox or Xbox 360, along has come Ubisoft to make the systems' owners thank the gaming gods they bought one. Ubisoft hasn't always struck gold; its Ghost Recon 2 and Rainbow Six Lockdown were a departure and serious step down, respectively, from their predecessors. But with Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Ubisoft has come to the springtime rescue of … [Read more...]
Magix Movie Edit Pro 11
I'm a home video editing junkie, and while I like to think I'm a pro (though really far from it) I don't have a pro's budget. Thus, I've tolerated Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker 2 for XP for a good long time. Recently, I was kicking the tires on tons of new editing packages, looking for something inexpensive that offered fast rendering and intuitive editing. Vegas and Premiere, while best-of-breed for Windows editing, were just too expensive and a bit scary, whereas the low-end stuff like Avid's Free DV just didn't … [Read more...]
Metroid Prime Hunters
The DS has had a remarkable past 12 months, with titles like Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS and Metroid Pinball leading the handheld to an easy victory over the competition. But the game many have been waiting for has been Metroid Prime: Hunters, Nintendo's attempt at showing the world that an FPS can be done on an handheld. The big question is, "have they done it, have they shown an FPS can be done right?". Well, the answer is a resounding "yes," and while not without a few nits, it's a solid game that anyone who enjoys … [Read more...]
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
While the PS2 was known for its lineup of amazing RPG's, the PSP has yet to come into its own when it comes to the genre. With Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (who comes up with these names?), Konami was hoping to change that. Sadly, Ys' lack of any depth has killed its chances at being that key RPG for Sony's handheld, and frankly, wouldn't make it on any other console. It's a basic game that feels like something developed then shelved a decade ago, then resurrected because someone was hoping to make some money off their … [Read more...]
MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On the Edge
It seems like only yesterday everyone was complaining that there were too many "extreme" sports titles on the market, and for the past few months, it seems our pleas of "give us a break" were headed by publishers. But alas, that lovely break is ending, as we now have MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On the Edge, which is a strong competitor for longest name in game industry history, and a strong competitor for the "is this necessary?" award of 2006. MX vs. ATV, for those uninitiated to THQ's perennialextreme sports series, … [Read more...]