Amazon.com Review

Step into the stylish shoes of teen supersleuth Nancy Drew to crack thecase of the haunted mansion. As Nancy, you'll hang your hat in San Francisco,where you've been invited to help a family friend renovate a historic Victorianhome. Some strange things have been happening in the old house--could it bespirits from the past, or just shifty characters on the make? Use yourmagnifying glass to search the place from top to bottom for clues. You'll findtrap doors, personal papers, keys, tools--all sorts of spots and items toexplore or hang onto for later use. You never know when you might need a paintscraper or crowbar to help you out of a bind. To fill in some of the gaps, talkto characters in the game, and choose your responses to their questions based onwhat you want to know.

Play Message in a Haunted Mansion in one of two modes: new or youngerplayers can sign in as junior detectives for more simplified play, while oldpros can log in as senior detectives for serious sleuthing. Once you're in, youmay never want to leave--the graphic detail of the Victorian-mansion setting isstellar. The Chinese-influenced décor is authentically and exquisitelyreproduced, and many elements can be highlighted to better focus on the level ofdetail. (Those interested in Victorian interiors will be especially pleased.)Also realistic are often-overlooked touches that add a true-to-life ring, suchas photos of family and friends on the wall, and sunglasses kept in the kitchendrawer. The sound effects further add to the sense of realism and heighten theair of suspense. You'll hear doors and cabinets creak open and shut, hauntingcries, and loose chandeliers swaying overhead.

This third installment in the popular Nancy Drew interactive series (a follow-up to Stay Tuned for Danger and Secrets Can Kill) is successful not just for its design and production, but forits thoughtful features that keep players hooked, even as things start to feelhopeless. When you're in a bind, you can call home or old friends Bess andGeorge for help. And if you make a game-ending decision, simply pick up rightwhere you left off before the terminal mistake by utilizing the Second Chancefeature. There's even a self-updating journal in Nancy's suitcase that recordsclues as you find them, to help you keep track of all the facts you unearth.And, of course, you can save your game after each session--no backtrackingthrough clues you've already found, or conversations you've already had.

Our only complaint: the game takes some time to install, which can be hardto stomach if you've played the previous Nancy Drew games and are as excited toplay the third as we were. But once you're in the game and can see the wealth ofwhat awaits, you'll realize that it's worth a lengthy installation. A niceimprovement over previous games is the inclusion of a tutorial to explaingameplay to new users. (Ages 10 and older) --Leah Ball ... Read more

Reviews (579)

Yawn
I've got to say; you have to have an interest in ancient culture to play this game. It gets pretty boring otherwise. Also, I am stuck at the part of the cave where you have to answer what Pacal was afraid of. I tried talking to the hospital-bound what's-his-name, but he didn't know and now the hospital is closed, apparently never to open again. This must be a glitch of some sort and it really annoyed me! This game is nearly impossible so you HAVE to use a hint website--overall, I think, the worst of the Nancy Drew games I've played so far.

The Final Scene
I loved Final Scene so much!!!!!!!!!Well if you have never played Nancy Drew be aware there will be alot of traps!!!!!Well Final Scene is really about Nancy and a school reporter Maya Nguyen.The setting is at The Royal Palladium Theatere.I promise you will be hooked to this game,i know because i have solved it.You will never guesswho it is!Most of the rooms have lots of secret passage ways so be aware!Oh yeah they have millions of Secret Passage ways!The music is increidble!The game is timed on the 3 day!Because of the demolition.You have 3 days too find alot of clues well not in real life but in the game!!!!!!!!!Nancy Drew Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My DDI review!
I have to applaud the creators for the greatest gaming experience I have ever known in my short life!If this was a movie and I was Epert and Roper I'd give it ''two thumbs up''.You as Nancy are vacationing on a tiny island in the San Juan Island chain.But before you can kick up your feet for a relaxing day,Katie,the woman you're staying with's boat is vandalized!Who did it,and how is it tied in with the baby Killer Whale who showed up in the channel?That's the mystery to solve in Nancy Drew:Danger on Deception Island.

Nancy Rocks!!!
Ok I've played and finished all the games and am awaiting the new one.These games are great!!!They are suspenseful and fun for girls 10 & up.The Final Scene is one of my favorites.I reccomend Ghost dogs of moon lake, Secret of Shadow Ranch and I also liked Danger on Deception Island.If you like puzzles and mysteries, you'll like Nancy Drew computer games.

NANCY DREW RULES!!!!!!
I love the Nancy Drew games!The first one I ever did was Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake. It was a challenge and so real it's frightening! I had to look up a few cheats for a few challenging parts but it was so hard to get away from the screen! The next Nancy Drew game I did (Treasure of the Royal Tower) was with a friend I had over. We were glued to the screen for hours! We solved it, and were very surprised to see who the culprit was!Now I started Secret in the Scarlet Hand, and I am probably halfway done with it. I suggest you get all three games, because they are addicting, and such a blast!I will be doing the Curse of Blackmoor Manor next. Oh one more thing, animation 5 stars, fun 5 stars, and customer happiness 5 stars! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Another title to add to the Star Wars gaming shelf, The Clone Wars picks up where the movie Episode II: Attack of the Clones leaves off. In fact, the very first battle in this game re-creates the climactic battle in the movie, with you leading the clone army and blasting every droid in sight. Not big on strategy, Clone Wars is your basic arcade-style shoot-'em-up game. If you liked Star Wars: Starfighter, this game’s for you.

You control the Jedi leading the Republic's clone army, sometimes fighting as Anakin, Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, or other familiar Jedi as the war takes you from planet to planet. As the leader, you may issue squad commands to teammates, allowing them to act independently and assist you in your mission. Your ships and weapons are varied, giving you the pleasure of piloting everything from zippy speeder bikes to the impressive Republic Gunship. Soar over ice fields and desertscapes, or maneuver through labyrinthine galactic scrap yards, leaving robotic wreckage behind as you blast through enemy ranks. And every so often you actually get to use your lightsaber as well.

The game is fun to play, the controls easy to master--but you won’t find a lot new or challenging if you’re an experienced gamer. Also, unlike its sibling, Bounty Hunter, the graphics leave a bit to be desired, but luckily this aspect of the game doesn’t detract much from the gameplay. The pure pleasure in this game lies in becoming a part of the Star Wars universe. And, of course, blowing up robots. --Maile Bohlmann

Pros:

• High-intensity play
• Fun, classic Star Wars music
• Four multiplayer modes

Cons:

• Silly voiceovers
• Graphics aren’t very detailed and color palette is limited
• Plotline is threadbare
• Overall, not very challenging or unique

Reviews (29)

I realy want this for myself
The game is great.You can fly or drive so many different ships.Its awesome.The best mission is where you evacuate a ice planet before its taken over.The multiplayer options areeven better.

very repetative
It seems to me, with very rare exception, that for the last ten years, 80% of the Star Wars games that are released are all (basically) clones of the old 'Rebel Assault' PC title.Dress them all up anyway you want, but when all's said and done, you're really playing the same game.

You will have several different vehicles to pilot as well as being on foot, but the whole game's plot is essentially the same: finish the level as fast as you can without getting killed ... that's it.There's not a lot of strategy involved past that, that's about it.Frustrating part is, they could have stuck to the mold and still added a little variety.For example, how about letting us pilot one of those AT-ATs for a little while?

The one thing that I had hoped may be a saving grace would be the animated cut-scenes between levels, but even they were a little sub-par.Aside from the animation being (at best) average, there were too few of them.Even the ending animation scene was only about a minute or two!I finished the game and that's all I'm rewarded with?

I'll also answer the question that I know at least a few of you have.No ... this game will not lend any hints to what may be ahead in the new Episode III and does nothing to advance the plot of the prequel trilogy.They may have been able to sell a few more titles if this game was a little more tied to the plot of the movies.The recently released 'Enter the Matrix' game as a terrific example to what I'm talking about.On a side note, it was nice though to see an old character from the comic books named Ulric Qel-Droma make an appearance.

So, as been stated before, if you liked Rebel Assault (I or II), Starfighter, Bounty Hunter, and Jedi Starfighter ... etc etc ... then this is probably going to be right up your alley.One the other hand, if (like me) you're getting a little burned-out on this style of play, this isn't going to do ANYTHING for you.

Very simple game
I was so excitedwhen I bought it, howewer I finished this game in just 1 week!!. I mean the last game I played was Final Fantasy and I spend more than 5 months to finish it. So this game is very very short.

a must have!!!!!!
alright i got this game for christmas but i was antisipating its arrival i saw the trailers for the game i read the reviews and it seemed to be great,AND IT WAS!!!! i put in the game and POW!!!!!! it happened!i was amased i loved it i was hooked on clone wars.but let me tell u about the game u play as anikan skywalker,obi-wan kenobi and mace windu,the first black guy since lando caleruseom lol.your mission stop dooku from bringing back an ancient sith wepon af mass destruction any ways you play in vihicles like repulic tanks,staps,in one mission you get to pilot an aat,also a speeder and a repulic gunship well what did i studder A REPULIC GUNSHIP!!!!!sweetness!!!!!! A MUST HAVE FOR ALL STARWARS FANS ALIKE!!!!!!!!!

Too short, too easy. 3½ Stars
When my wife bought me my PS2, I naturally wanted a Star Wars game for it and at the time my choices were Bounty Hunter and Clone Wars. I chose Bounty Hunter and while the game play was very repetitive- run and gun- it did provide hours of game play, great voice acting and superb cut scenes. A few of the missions, such as Tusken Canyon and Gardula's Lair were very tough, but ultimately playable. Everyone else I knew who had a PS2, Gamecube or Xbox kept telling me I should have bought Clone Wars instead, that it was a better game, that it offered more and varied missions than simply running around shooting everything. Well, I have Clone Wars now, but I am at something of a loss as to how it could be perceived as `better'.

Firstly, the object of both games is to run around shooting everything in sight. The major difference between the two is in Clone Wars, you drive vehicles whereas in Bounty Hunter, you're on foot. Essentially, the game play is the same- run and gun. Admittedly in Clone Wars you do get different vehicles from the TX-130 Republic Fighter Tank- a hover craft with guns and missiles; a Speeder Bike; the AT-XT, a precursor to the AT-ST- missiles and guns, plus a plasma shield. My favorite, the Republic LAAT/I Gunship with its multi-rockets, rapid fire blaster cannons and wicked continuous beam lasers, and the silliest one yet- the Maru, which is kinda like a big tauntaun with dual blasters mounted on it. However, regardless of what you're in the job is still basically the same.

Count Dooku, along with his allies the Trade Federation, the Galactic Banking Clan, the Commerce Guild and the Separatists armies are waging war across the galaxy, and looking for an... wait for it... an ancient Sith artifact, (surely not! -ed.) Don't get me wrong, I like ancient Sith artifacts, but given the volume of Star Wars stuff I have read, there have been an awful lot of them. The game begins right in the middle of Attack of the Clones- with Mace leading the infiltration into the Geonosian arena escorting transports full of Jedi, destroying anti-orbital cannons and finally using a Republic gunship to take out Techno-Union and Trade Federation Core Ships. Next, it's on to the planet of Rhen Var to evacuate it before the Trade Federation invades.

Then to Raxis Prime- a junk planet and the location of the Sith artifact, the Dark Reaver- the first mission of which is an irritating speeder bike chase where the terrain frustrates, because places that look clear of debris seem to have invisible walls that damage your bike and prevent you from going forward. Next it's on to one of the moons of the Wookie homeworld, Kashyyyk where Dooku plans to test the Dark Reaver- a tough mission as Anakin attempts to escape the life-leaching field of energy. Back to Rhen Var for some fun gunship missions- lots of stuff to shoot as you fly around attempting to bring down the planetary shield so the Republic forces can invade. Finally, all forces converge on the planet Thule, the planet where Dooku has set up the Dark Reaver, which resembles a giant segmented sphere that sprays out purple energy. You must also defeat Dooku's bounty hunter henchman, Cydon Prax.

Graphics are pretty good, but the PS2 really starts to strain when there is a lot of stuff going on around you and it starts to drop frames making for some pretty choppy visuals. Plus, if you get too close to objects and vehicles, the texture quality is quite low, as is the polygon count. For the most part I found the architecture, vehicles and visuals to be quite pleasing, especially on the planets Raxis and Thule. Mission maps, while pretty linear, are quite large, giving the player lots of places to go. Sound quality is excellent, but pretty standard effects for a Star Wars game- I did encounter some music problems where it seemed as though that part of the audio track was skipping. The big downside for this game with me was the fact that I finished it in less than 15 hours- less than half the time it took me to complete Bounty Hunter. Then going back to try to get as many bonus points to unlock extra features took perhaps another five.

DVD Extras include unlocking four two-player maps- big deal, playing games split screen just doesn't interest me. A unit viewer that enables you to look at all the 3D models from the game, a `making of' video, the quality of which is so lousy that it's annoying to watch, a jukebox function that lets you listen to music from the game, and a sketchbook of some very nice concept art. Plus you can watch all the cut scenes whenever you want. I must admit, Matt Lucas, who does the voice of Anakin almost convinced me that it was Haydon Christensen until I checked the booklet to make sure. LucasArts games can always be counted on to provide lots of little extras making their games a good value for Star Wars geeks like me.

A good game? Yes, it's a good game, just too darn short for my liking, plus I like a little more meat to my stories and game play. It's probably better on the Gamecube or the Xbox and would have been better on the PC, especially when it comes to graphics. ... Read more

Features

• Return to the world of Lunar, in the completely reworked 32-bit version of the classic game
• Journey back to a place where dragons yet live, and magic is valued above all else
• Join young adventurer Alex as he tries to save the land from the crushing advance of the Magic Emperor
• Explore dungeons, fight terrifying monsters, and gather information from the locals
• For 1 player

Reviews (108)

A Lost Classic
*Please note I am reviewing Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, they are basically the same games, but just with a few new additions.Thank you*

Every once in a while the classics return updated.Working Designs has done a phenomenal job restoring the classic Lunar: Silver Star onto the Playstation as Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete.The game is very enjoyable and while the game is considerably short compared to other RPGs, it works well.The dungeons test the level of your characters but never exhaust them into a need to train excruciatingly to move from place to place which is the type of flow that is much needed to enjoy an RPG rather than just play it.Also the inclusion of ability to use the joy pads makes moving easier than pressing down on the control pad.
The artwork and cut scenes are done beautifully, however the majority of the time the game characters are sprites.The gameplay is enjoyable but if you don't have the patience or want to strategize you will find yourself throwing down your controller, dying, or asleep.The game itself never is frustrating if you take the time to train your team and not just run from every threat.Each boss has strengths and weaknesses and if you take the time to observe them you can defeat them without much of a problem, but not to say they are easy.Though no one boss will kill off your entire party with just one blow.
The writing is some of the best I've ever seen in a game.The sharp wit of the characters and comedic dialogue is balanced so well that it never gets stale or reused.The game can also be very serious to the point you can relate your own emotion to the characters to laugh and even cry with them while playing this game.The cut scenes are something you will look forward to rather than just wish you can skip from the rich opening to the enjoyable ending.
However this game was made back in 1999.While it can be pretty to look at, if you are a fan of rich cell shaded 3-D environments and characters... well lets just say the game never looks better than the animé on Saturday mornings.It also can get tedious, as some dungeons seem to go on and on and on...
Even with some of its shortcomings, RPG veterans and those new to the series should pick up this title for a good time.Lunar: Silver Star Story is the lost classic and sleeper hit of the end of the millennium.I proudly give a game that has become my favorite a perfect score.

A lost classic
*Please note I am reviewing Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, they are basically the same games, but just with a few new additions.Thank you*

Every once in a while the classics return updated.Working Designs has done a phenomenal job restoring the classic Lunar: Silver Star onto the Playstation as Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete.The game is very enjoyable and while the game is considerably short compared to other RPGs, it works well.The dungeons test the level of your characters but never exhaust them into a need to train excruciatingly to move from place to place which is the type of flow that is much needed to enjoy an RPG rather than just play it.Also the inclusion of ability to use the joy pads makes moving easier than pressing down on the control pad.
The artwork and cut scenes are done beautifully, however the majority of the time the game characters are sprites.The gameplay is enjoyable but if you don't have the patience or want to strategize you will find yourself throwing down your controller, dying, or asleep.The game itself never is frustrating if you take the time to train your team and not just run from every threat.Each boss has strengths and weaknesses and if you take the time to observe them you can defeat them without much of a problem, but not to say they are easy.Though no one boss will kill off your entire party with just one blow.
The writing is some of the best I've ever seen in a game.The sharp wit of the characters and comedic dialogue is balanced so well that it never gets stale or reused.The game can also be very serious to the point you can relate your own emotion to the characters to laugh and even cry with them while playing this game.The cut scenes are something you will look forward to rather than just wish you can skip from the rich opening to the enjoyable ending.
However this game was made back in 1999.While it can be pretty to look at, if you are a fan of rich cell shaded 3-D environments and characters... well lets just say the game never looks better than the animé on Saturday mornings.It also can get tedious, as some dungeons seem to go on and on and on...
Even with some of its shortcomings, RPG veterans and those new to the series should pick up this title for a good time.Lunar: Silver Star Story is the lost classic and sleeper hit of the end of the millennium.I proudly give a game that has become my favorite a perfect score.

This game is a labor of love!
This game has what I fear RPGs are losing: a true sense of adventure. A true adventure not only changes the world in the game but the characters themselves (one of the greatest examples being Final Fantasy VI). Some games have tried to portray love in a passionate sense, but they really fail to grasp the way people are drawn together and instead the love seems rushed. But not with this game! This game really brings home the point of how powerful a love for someone can be without being too over-dramatic. The charaters are great. They all are more charming and fun than the average RPG. In conclusion if you love RPGs that offer more than just great graphics and complicated features than I really really recommend this to you. Out of the many RPGs I've played including all of the Final Fantasy games, this one is definitely one of my top three, with only Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII being higher. Old-School gamers or gamers who love a good plot should definitely check this out!

Old Fashioned RPG
This is an old fashioned RPG that may not appeal to those who have only known the likes of Final Fantasy X, FFX-2, and Xenosaga.There's not a lot of cutscenes here to help tell the story.No fancy soundtrack.Very little voice acting, which is a shame considering the voice actor for Ghaleon did a wonderful job. There's nothing like an elaborate prologue or ending that you got out of Xenosaga. Instead, gamers will have to depend on lots of reading and playing to make the story unfold.

Battles are quite challenging.Basically, you plan the moves for all of your characters and then turn control over to the battle system.There is also an option to have the battle system fight for you, but this mode is not recommended.

This game's story is very mild and shallow compared to the other RPGs mentioned above.LSSS's strong points are definitely fighting and solving puzzles.The story is a lightweight.And definitely not for those looking for something along the lines of "epic".

The best game ever
Lunar games are the best games ever. They have indepth story lines. There more fun than most PS2 games. Lunar Silver Star is the best game besides Lunar Enternal Blue. It's the best game ever i will play them and beat them and then play them all over again just because they are the best game ever. ... Read more

Product Description

At the far edge of the Lylat system, a lush planet is in turmoil. Once a primordial paradise, Dinosaur Planet has been torn apart by an evil dinosaur named General Scales. This monster has caused sections of the planet to be ripped up and flung into low orbit, and his legions of mutated dinosaurs are running wild. It's been 8 years since the best pilot in the Lylat System, Fox McCloud, defeated Andross, and Fox's team has since disbanded. So when word of Dinosaur Planet's plight reaches General Pepper, it's Fox alone who must shoulder the burden. ... Read more

Features

• Platform: Nintendo GameCube
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Action/Adventure

Reviews (277)

4 and 1/2 stars
Starfox Adventures is a great game, though not without its faults. Dinosaur Planet is being taken over by the evil General Scales. It's up to the Starfox Team to get him out of there!! So the great Fox McCloud sets off to accomplish just that. Along the way, you will interact with interesting characters and the plot takes a few twists and turns. Gameplay consists of finding items-do this, pull that, kill him, etc, etc. Some of the puzzles can get pretty arduous, however, so I reccomend buying the strategy guide. The game goes above and beyond in terms of length, clocking in at about 30 hours for the average gamer. To top it all off, Rare went above and beyond and made the graphics B-E-A-Utiful!!Buy!!

Starfox SUCKS!
Starfox 64 was great. But now they have gone to this "Use your crappy magic staff" formula. And guess what? It was a BAD idea! What happened to getting in your ship and blasting the hell out of everything in sight!?!? You use magic powers in some dino-land, with crappy magic going on! Fox uses blaster rifles, and the arwing! Not magic staffs and ancient dinosaurs! This is a very very very boring game! Fox, whats up with the magic staffs??? THis is like taking away Arnold Swartzenegger's AK-47 and giving him a lollipop! DO NO BUY.

A Different Kind Of Fox
It always becomes as a surprise about just how much Nintendo puts out there for so many of their delightful video games. Yet, with all of those characters to choose from, some of those remain as cult classics. In 1997, Nintendo hit the nail on the head with the revolutionary Star Fox 64. The game was not just groundbreaking in the game, but also for the player it was groundbreaking because you could feel what the game is like. Nintendo has tried it again with a different kind of Star Fox. This one seems more as if Fox has joined the cast of The Legend Of Zelda, rather than made it as a game of his own. No matter for Fox and Company, because they still have made it a great game to undergo.

Star Fox Adventures for the Nintendo Gamecube, is a different kind of Star Fox game. The idea of the game is to restore the Dinosaur Planet, Sauria from fatal destruction from the villainous General Scales, and the even more foolish, Andross. The game places Fox, trying to do whatever it takes to save Krystal, a young war fighter from General Scales, with the help of Tricky, and a mighty staff that can do just about anything. The graphics and the sound on the gameplay are just amazing, and gorgeous with every beautiful detail. The storyline also hits a home run as well, with each nook and cranny told beautifully. The control does function quite well as well. It is very simple to operate, and the gameplay is very well put in itself.

While some may feel that Star Fox Adventures isn't worth the challenge as it is with Star Fox 64, or the recently released Star Fox Assault for the Nintendo Gamecube, the game is really a well worth one for anybody who wants a challenge for the Gamecube. I suggest this as a add-on for anybody who is into the feel of Fox McCloud.

Graphics: A-

Sound: B+

Control: B 1/2+

Fun & Enjoyment: B

Overall: B 1/2+

Starts out fun but becomes boring
When I first got Star Fox I thought it was great! It was fun, hard, interesting and cool. Then when I got towards the end it got boring. It really is a bad game. If you are someone who starts to like a video game then doesn't like it you will not like this video game. I would not recommend this to most people.

Exceptional (the soundtrack especially)
As you probably know from some of the other reviews above, the storyline centers around dinosaurs and putting the planet back together. Gamers who come at this looking for another sci-fi shooter will be sadly dissapointed, as this game stalks Zelda in playing style and genre. The graphics are all exceptional (some of the best!) and the music is absolutely sensational (particularly the scores in places like Thorntail Hollow, Cape Claw and Krazoa Palace) The voices are well done and acted within a realistic sense and not over dramticized. The only complaint I have is that twice when I moved the camera, these colored lines would cover 60% of the screen, clearly a bug from Tricky's programming.(Tricky is your dinosaur companion for the game.) Otherwise the programmers convey a seemless world, with a changing landscape and history. The varying tribes- the Snowhorns, Thorntails, Earthwalkers, Cloudrunners, Redeye, Hightops, Lightfoots and Sharpclaw are well presented, with even a few miscallaneous and very nasty raptors thrown in. Two storylines abound when Fox must collect both the four Spellstones and eight Krazoa spirits and then return them to their rightful places. While this leads to quite a bit of temple-trotting, it doesn't feel tedious as the programmers mix things up to keep it interesting. Overall, this is what people mean when they talk about a quality game. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Fun... but annoying after awhile
I've been playing this game for about two weeks (on and off obviously) and I've had a lot of fun with it. However, I can't seem to build up a large fleet of ships because every ship I have sinks the third time I send it out. Like clockwork, boom it's gone. And if I wait and build up my ships, the pirates get bored and restless. And I need a good number of ships for my economy to grow. But how can you build your economy if all your ships are sinking on the third voyage?! It's becoming very annoying. I don't know if this is a common problem, but be warned that it's something I've found to be wrong with the game.

Fun game if you have patience
I love this game! It is very fun,I did have problems getting it to install and even more problems uninstalling and reinstalling but when i did get it to work i enjoyed it. You do need patience with playing the game too, it takes a while for you to build lumber up (with out cheating). Its challenging trying to keep your captives from escaping or starving to death (because with out captives you cant keep your island working) its also challenging to keep you pirates happy with wenchs, taverns, and gambling. This game is pretty challenging as long as your not in easy mode. Great game!!!

If you liked Tropico I RUN Don't walk to buy this one
How can anyone like Tropico I over Tropico II? Well in Tropico I you managed EVERY aspect of your citizens' lives. Each of them needed a house(Tenements would not do the job at higher difficulty levels) a job, access to religious facilities, healthcare, entertainment, liberty, safety,food etc. etc. Problem was the economy did not expand properly. Your people demand ever increasing wages but your economy cannot be ever increasing. At higher difficulty levels you have to pay your people the maximum wage rate after like 50-100 years to keep them in line. In fact the Caribbean region wage increase is pure garbage. Problem becomes when you have a limited amount of Freight ships coming in and tourist, it just gets boring too fast. The most idiotic aspect is when you hire a foreign worker and they come in and JOIN A REBELLION AGAINST YOU! Or they emigrate off the island. Demographically it is a disaster because people marry have children they grow up and need jobs as well and need housing etc... It is not well controlled and just too much micromanagement.

Why is Tropico II better? Nobody EVER asks for a wage increase period. Half your population does not get paid(capitves work 4 free hehe...) No babies, no families, just pure fun.

Here is a tip: Captive rebellion and escape are not really serious problems. WHY? Because you can "press gang"( turn into a pirate) all unskilled captives. Yep even the ones that are escaping... Furthermore, if you have pirates that are unhappy you can ALMOST ALWAYS prevent a coup by upsetting the balance of power- just create more pirates. All pirates that are brought into life by virtues of "press gang" start out as super happy. That is a temporary measure of course but sometimes you need more time.

Another tip, get UPSCALE eastblishments ASAP because your captains will quickly become enraged with anything less. And when they are enraged they always kill somebody because they cant lose a dueling match. They can also "kill" a "skeleton" which makes no sense but the game still allows it.

The game's production/distribution is slightly different. There are no teamsters, each building that takes an input has a hauler sometimes 2(dock) which creates problems if there is more than one imput. For example. I had a case where I had a papaya farm with an output of 750 and a bakery low on papayas. Certainly the game's code needs to be improved to allow the delivery of the most amount of supplies. There is alot more to this game but this is a review not a strategy guide afterall.

The game is MUCH superior to Tropico I although the passion subsides rather quickly...

A typical simulation
The game might seem fun at first but then after a while it gets old. All you have to do is build and wait. You can set ships on sail, however, but you don't have control of them and you don't even get to see them. So if your not a simulation fan skip this.

Fun but gets old
When I bought this game I was like cool its a game about a pirate controlling an island. Its got ok graphics. I never played the original Tropico so I couldn't tell you the differences. I played the game for about 5 hours. The only exciting part I found was sending the ships out to raid areas (when i played there was only one place to raid) Funny thing is they would never run out of people or be smart enought to move to another place (means not realistic). You would never see these raids. If you build too fast you would run out of captives. Very annoying. The whole fear thing on the captives doesn't mean anything. I never lost one captive. You could buy it or not its up to you! ... Read more

Product Description

Battle a cosmic evil across space and time in Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. From swords to guns to mind-warping spells, you'll use an array of weapons in this epic adventure that unfolds over thousands of years. A new style of psychological thriller, the adventure gets even more frenzied as you battle your own dwindling sanity. Made in USA. ... Read more

Features

• Platform: Nintendo GameCube
• ESRB Rating: Mature (17 and older)

Reviews (196)

Most under rated game in modern day history
Eternal Darkness for the gamecube is by far the most under rated game in the modern day.

When I first purchased the game, I thought it was a resident evil rip off. I was wrong! Eternal Darkness is by far more better than Resident Evil.

I gave eternal darkness a 5 star must buy game.

The storyline is just perfect and should make a movie out of it. The villian Pious Augustus is one bad cat. Great voice acting that grabs your attention.

Eternal Darkness ranks next to Metroid Prime as the best game on the Gamecube. ED actually gives Resident Evil a run for its money.

This game sometimes just gets plain weird, this is what makes it scary. Play this game 2 in the morning and turn off all the lights. Your in for a time of your life.

Flawless
I sold my gamecube to my cousin but for this game I'll buy GCube system again. I miss it to play a lot. It is the best of all.

A highly original concept executed brilliantly
Nintendo likes to stick to the tried and true methods for their games. There have been at least 30 games that involve Mario or Luigi, 10 that involve Link, 10 that involve Donkey Kong, and 7 or 8 that involve Samus. And, don't get me wrong, that's not necessarily a bad thing, each successive game has brought new innovations to those games' respective genres, but the characters themselves are starting to show their age. Eternal Darkness is a fresh look for Nintendo that they really needed. Before I start, I'd just like to say that Eternal Darkness is NOTHING like Resident Evil and is not technically of the survival-horror genre (Melee weapons are your best bet until you get real far in the game, so you don't need to worry about ammo).

Eternal Darkness starts in modern times in Rhode Island, but you'll spend most of your time as different characters during different time periods, everything from a Roman centurion over 2000 years ago to a Canadian fireman during the Gulf War. Although each character you play as live during different time periods, all the levels are set in one of 4 locations: A temple in the Middle East, a temple in Cambodia, a cathedral in France, or the Roivas mansion in Rhode Island. As you play through as each character, you'll be able to explore new areas that previous characters didn't have access to. Every character has the Tomb of Eternal Darkness, which enables him or her to cast spells. You'll find new items that allow you to cast new spells as you progress through the game. Your characters have physical properties to a certain extent. For example, if you swing a sword or run around for an extended period of time, your character will be panting for breath. They can't attack or run as fast until they can recover. Depending on your character, your speed and stamina will be affected. Max, a heavyset character, is quite slow and loses stamina easily. Ellia, a young girl, is very fast. Michael, a firefighter, is in great shape and can run and attack without losing much stamina.

Also I should warn some people that Eternal Darkness has lots of gore. So, if you don't like your kids playing violent games, you probably won't be too eager to let them play this one. Anyway, you'll get different weapons depending on the time period you're in, but for the most part melee weapons are the most effective thanks to Eternal Darkness's combat system. You can specify if you want to attack your enemies (namely hordes of zombies and the like) in the head, arms, or torso. If you use a melee weapon and cut off their limbs, they're basically harmless (unless they are the "singing" zombies who have a nasty habit of exploding all over you). Eternal Darkness does have some puzzles in it, but nothing too difficult; it mostly focuses on combat.

But, the most interesting gameplay element is the sanity meter. This is an awesome concept that as your character fights the baddies, they slowly go insane. The only way to recover lost sanity is to kill more enemies, use spells, or enter the trapper dimension. As your sanity drops, some crazy stuff will start to happen. I won't spoil any of the good effects, but they include: the walls bleeding, entering a room on the ceiling, and a statue head that turns to follow your movement. There are times that you might accidentally (or in some cases, purposefully) throw your controller because of the sanity effects. I know I did >_>.

Eternal Darkness looks great. The character models are nice, animation is smooth, and there are no slowdowns whatsoever. There are a few things in the background that don't look too good, but you'll be focussed on everything else around you. Eternal Darkness takes place in the dark, so there are plenty of lighting and shadows throughout the game. They all look great, but you'll have to play this game in the dark to reduce glare, otherwise you can't see a thing. If you were too scared to play Resident Evil or other games like it in the dark at night, get a friend over for when you play it.

Eternal Darkness doesn't have much music, but it doesn't need it. There are good sound effects for everything and great voice acting, but it's when you lose sanity that the sound really kicks into high gear. The ambiance is great when you start to go insane. Again, if you were too scared to play Resident Evil or other games like it with the sound up in the dark, get a friend over for when you play it.

Overall, Eternal Darkness is a highly original game that Gamecube owners can be proud of. Unfortunately, Nintendo didn't market the game well, so most people I know hadn't even heard of it until recently. Eternal Darkness is creepy, innovative, and, most importantly, fun. You'll have fond memories of some of the sanity effects for years. I believe that if you own a Gamecube you should own this game. Definitely in my top 5 Gamecube games.

One of the bestever.
When nintendo seemed to be doing everything wrong, in comes eternal darkness. Easily one of the best games for the cube, not to mention one of the best games around. Eternal Darkness has a very well done backstory to it. All aspects of this game are great.

The controls are easy to learn, as are the tactics in the game. Although things were easy to learn in this game, they are challenging to be good at. The cut scenes move the story along nicely, and effectively change depending on which of the three ancients you picked at the beginning. The insanity cut scenes are a very pleasant addition.

Another thing the games did well was being scary or creepy. The insanity cut scenes have no warning, and will give you a good scare. An insantiy cut scene happens when your insantiy meter runs out.

You also have a health and magic meter in the game. The magic meter is there because as you progress through the game you'll learn new spells from the three ancients. Each ancient can defeat an ancient, but is defeated by an ancient also. That is an important thing to remember in the game.

All the playable characters are brillanty done. Weapons that reflect the time that they are in. Not to mention they move according to their attributes, which makes it realistic. Like when you play Maxillion Rovias, he's fat and slow. So when you play him, you can't out run enemies. That's where your skill comes in.

There is no doubt that this is a 5 star game, also there is no doubt that this game is a classic.

AWESOME GAME
This game is so FRIGGIN Wicked! I haven't stopped playing it since I bought it! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Get ready to dance the night away with all-new songs and game modes in this sequel to Dance Dance Revolution. Players can save and edit dance steps to create their own dance routines. The special workout mode allows you to have fun shaping up while also tracking the calories you burn. And you can re-create the arcade experience with Konami's Dance Dance Revolution controller. The game includes more than 50 high-energy songs in a variety of genres, including pop, disco, Latin, techno, and house. It also features a completely redesigned interface and new graphics, plus a special edit mode that allows players to customize dance steps for every song, develop player-specific routines, and trade dance patterns with friends. Also included are new songs never released in the Japanese version. Burn up the dance floor with two-player modes, allowing players to dance cooperatively or competitively. Multiple options and difficulty settings make Dance Dance Revolution Konamix easy to learn for people of all ages. ... Read more

Reviews (52)

AWSOME!!!
DDR Konamimix is very, very, very, ect. fun!! It is great for working out and losing weight!!!!! I was introduced to this because my school had it!!! belive it or not the princable lets us play with it all recess!!!! I am planning to by this game to enjoy it more that ever!!! YAY!!

DDR<333
Only problems with Konamix, to me, is that it's not set up like the arcades (which is where I play half the time) and "basic" mode is the same as light on the other games (thought it would be standard). Other than that, it's great.

As for accessories, I got one of the really thin mats and it quickly got destroyed with friends who don't know how to pick up their feet and the mats would get scrunched up into a pile. So, I invested a bit more in a mat with a 1" foam insert and now, I'm putting forth a bit more to get a metal dance mat.

(I put 1 star for educational, because the most I see you getting out of it is a good work out and foot/eye coordination...=/)

Tight Game, but its missing something
I hate video games, but DDR is to good to be considered a video game. This game has helped me build stamina and quick thinking skills. DDR Konamix has an awesome song list with the original Paranoia and this is the only US release which features the very complicated Orion.78[AM-EuroMix] So why would I give it four stars? Because you can't use speed modifiers.[x1.5,x2,x3,x5,x8]
I know most DDR fans don't really care something like that, but some songs on here are impossible to do with only one speed.

This game is still a good buy, but I recommend DDRMAX or DDRMAX2 over this one.

A full fledged hooked on game
This game Rocks! For ps it has great graphics. And as an owner of the whole set of DDR games, you should listen. I like Yuni and Emi personally. Take my advice, get the game.
If only I had a memory card for ps.

Great fun and workout!
This is a fun game! Every day at an arcade I see many kids there playing this game!They simply love it!I highly recommend buying this game! There are 52 songs to try! Theres even a workout mode so you can actually see how many calories you burned!GREAT! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue is old-school role-playing goodness at itsvery best. From the story to the simple battle system, it doesn't bore playerswith the details that can make newer role-playing games unbearable. No, Lunar2 won't impress anyone with its likewise old-school graphics, but that's notthe point. This game is fun.

The story in Lunar 2 doesn't take itself as seriously as otherrole-playing games, which contributes to the fun. The game's hero, Hiro, and hissidekick Ruby must help a young girl locate the goddess Althena. The quest turnsout to be long, spanning three disks, most of which hold full-motion videocutscenes.

The video sequences in Lunar 2 are probably the best part. They mixJapanese anime with computer graphics and are completely stunning. The in-gamegraphics, on the other hand, are ported straight from the 16-bit Sega CD, with afew enhancements, so those who like eye candy should consider themselves warned.--Robb Guido

Pros:

• Light and fun
• Super movie sequences that mix anime and computer graphics

• Outdated graphics

Reviews (101)

FLAWLESS!!!!!!!!!!
This game is really something else. the scheme of the battles are quite tactical and where you really have to think whats going on the the game. its amazing how that characters talk during the cut scenes, you really know what is going on. it exceeded past their first game Lunar: Silver Star Story complete. i cant wait to try thw one for the game boy advance!!!!!!!!!!!

FLAWLESS!!!!!!!!!!
This game is really something else. the scheme of the battles are quite tactical and where you really have to think whats going on the the game. its amazing how that characters talk during the cut scenes, you really know what is going on. it exceeded past their first game Lunar: Silver Star Story complete. i cant wait to try thw one for the game boy advance!!!!!!!!!!!

THE GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME
when i first played this game i was amazed even though it was sorta poor graphics not the best graphics but still good onesthis game is a old school rpg i figured out about this game my friend brought it over and he was playing it so after he was done playing i wanted to try it when i first played most of the beginning of the game i was amazed i got pretty far then my friend left after a week or so i bought lunar 2 eternal bule complete i was amazed of the story of the game and how you battledthe key to playing and beating most bosses on lunar 2 is haveing tacticsif u can do that u will have a lot more easy time beating the game well that's all

To be played into the wee hours of the morning.
The games of the past truly are marvelous accomplishments.They know nothing of the modernized games we have today, and their quality is more focused and mature.With the harness of gaming graphics pretty non-existent in Lunar, the game has more power and depth, and certainly more room to grow than recent titles do.With each passing moment, Lunar does not become old and boring, it just becomes more charming and impressive.Lunar is a game that only gets better in time.
Since Lunar is a relatively old game, it was free to run with a complicated story, rather than just display some appealing eye candy as you drag a character through another repetitive task.The fact that Lunar is so different than other games is what really drew me to it.Here you are, in a massive world, with a hole mess of party members, when you realize that you've just embarked on an unforgettable and hilarious adventure that you would be foolish to hope to find in any other game.Lunar's story is touching and it doesn't insult you with the old cliché's and stereotypes.Just when you think it's all over, you always seem to find another important task at hand.When you finally DO finish this game, your left with an indescribable feeling of accomplishment and you finally understand just why everyone loves this 'old-school' game so much.
Lunar's charm washes over you completely from the moment you insert that first disc.It's filled with characters that you just love to interact with.When your away from the battlefield you don't always find yourself worrying about what boss is next, sometimes you just want to talk to the townspeople and see what hilarious thing Ronfar or Ruby or ANY of your party members will say.It's great that there's an rpg out there that's not all 'business', Lunar is just plain FUN!!!
Lunar is a light-hearted, but DEAD serious game, and you can always appreciate what's going on.In one scene you'll be laughing your guts out, then the next second your back to business when something HUGE happens!!!The game is soo exciting, and it's just awesome to play it.
If there is a thing that Lunar lacks, it absolutely makes up with it tenfold with it's laughable dialog, interesting story, and massive amount of extra goodies.Lunar is a game that you'll love forever, and you'll never EVER regret playing it.So, if you haven't already experienced what a true rpg can be, don't waste another precious moment, PLAY LUNAR!!

Great no matter what!
Whether your a long time resident, or a new-commer into the magical world of lunar, you have to admit that it was A LOT more than you expected!LUNAR may bea quite an old game, but that doesn't mean it's charm is in any way outdated.If you ask me this game just gets better with time.
I actually played this game before I played the first one--which is also an awesome game.You can play these games as a set, or idividualy, it makes no difference, you'll love em just the same!!^-^
I won't go into explaining the story, everyone else has already done that for me.You look at all the reviews this game gets and they're all either positive or they're negetive and nobody votes for them!!It's pretty obvious that this game is very crowd pleasing.And with all it's little quirks, it's just a pleasure to own it.
Anyways, I played this game like two years ago now, but i'm still not tired of it, and I don't think I will be any time soon!!Oh and by the way if anyone has information on the infamous "lunar 3" PLEASE PLEASE e-mail me, I'll really apprecieate it!!!

~have fun!!! ^o^ ... Read more

Product Description

The object of Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland is to successfully save the village from being turned into a resort. Construction begins in a year, so you must find a way to save your homeland before that. Unlike previous Harvest Moon titles, Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland will offer nine unique ways in which to complete your task. Thus offering nine different endings to the game!Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland focuses more att ... Read more

Features

• Make friends with over twenty characters.
• Nine endings and plenty of events make every day on the farm anything but routine!
• Cook up new meals using recipes or invent tasty homegrown concoctions in your kitchen!
• Explore an innovative not-linear game system with a bushel of subplots and entertaining story lines!!

Reviews (92)

Just one year
I have played other Harvest Moon games and I like them all, and I like this one too. The only problem is that you only get one year. In the other games, you can form lasting relationships, get married, even have kids, get divorced, remarry, etc. year after year. This one starts you from scratch after a year (you lose) or you manage to save the homeland (you win). You get to keep your stuff, but all the relationships start over. It's cool that there are different endings, but I lost interest after the second one- and that's only because I was putting up a brave face since the kids got it for me for Christmas and I didn't want them to feel bad! I was pretty disgusted the minute I realized I'd lost all the ground I'd gained just cause I beat the game.

This was particularly disappointing because I thought surely the PS2 version would have all kinds of extra side quests and fun stuff to do after the first year.

What the...!?
This game has a great concept, lots of things to do, and a cute look. Why the low score? Well, the in-game time system is, in a word, wack. I would barely get outside and get my bearings, and it would be mid-afternoon already! Then, one time, I got lost trying to find a path in the "morning", and by the time I found it (a few real-world minutes later), it was "night"!! How am I ever supposed to build a farm and save the homeland if all the stores are closed by the time I get to them!? This game could have been Animal-Crossing caliber, but instead it's just confusing and weird. Too bad. I was really looking forward to it.

An Entertaining Game
Ok, the mission to this game is to save the Homeland from being... turned into an amusement park.
You meet many characters, and experience the life of a farmer. Farmer style. You can buy chickens and cows, adopt a stray dog, and earn a trusty steed from doing great work at Bob Brownie's Part-Time job.
I recommend this game to everybody.

Huh?
This is a weird addition of Harvest Moon. It's kind of weird, but it gets away from your farm and to your homelands. There multiple endings for this game, but here's my review.

Concept- Harvest Moon on PS2 = Weird

Graphics- am I playing Dark Cloud Or Harvest Moon?

Sound- The Catchy music makes this one the Harvest Moon gamewith the best score

Playability- Easy as pie

Entertainment- Enjoyable from begining to end, but it feels a little Wierd

Replay- Moderate-High

Alex- 8.25/10

I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!
this game is so fun!!!! i love the new look of your house and animals!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Pok&eacute;mon Crystal is to Pok&eacute;mon Gold and Silver what Pok&eacute;mon Yellow is toPok&eacute;mon Red and Blue. It features severalminor upgrades from its predecessors, but in essence it's still the same game.The classic Pok&eacute;mon formula of adventuring, collecting, and battling isat a series best with Crystal. This is one of the best and most addictiverole-playing games for the Game Boy Color.

The most notable feature is theselectable female trainer who has her own set of animations and backgrounds.This is a great option for female Pok&eacute;mon fans who were previously stuckplaying the game as a male character. There are also subtle improvements to thecell phone system, HM moves, and prebattle animations. Rival trainers' phonecalls are now more plentiful and pragmatic. HM moves, which are requiredthroughout the game, are available at the push of a button--you'll no longerhave to navigate menus to use these moves. Lastly, seeing a Pok&eacute;mon's newanimation makes encountering new creatures more fun than before.

If youhaven't played Gold or Silver yet, Crystal is definitelythe way to go. If you've played those previous games, Crystal has onlyenough new features to justify a purchase from Pok&eacute;mon fanatics. Thisgame is compatible with the link cable, Game Boy printer, and Pok&eacute;monPikachu 2. It's playable on Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance only, and can beplayed on a television using Pok&eacute;mon Stadium 2 and a Transfer Pak.--Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• New female trainer
• Prebattle animations are cute
• Lots of subtle improvements

• Too similar to Gold and Silver
• Mobile phone features not in the U.S. version

Reviews (254)

Crystal ?, You betcha!
After the new gold and silver, Pokemon Crystal might be one of the greatest games Pokemon created. Unlike all of the revisions and new versions of Pokemon, You might want something better. What crystal allows you to do is that it is the only game to capture 90-95% of johto Pokemon wild.More things is that crystal was the first pokemon game that allows you to choose if you are a boy or a girl. You can make Pokemon hold items.You can also play in real time. After 150 Pokemon, you might think there is more. Well there is!! Crystal also includes 2 dirfferent types of Pokemon, steel and Dark. It was also the first to have these types. Bad things about crystal also means it seem to be a long game that might take forever! But can you handel 16 gym leaders through the game? However, the greatest thing Crystal can do is that you can get legendary Pokemon before the game. the badest thing for crystal is that you need to trade 27 out of 250 poke'mon.That's the number doubled of red blue or yellow!!

In all, this is a great game for long trips inside a airplane or a car.

This is really Awesome!
I like the crystal, gold, and silver line better than all the rest of the pokemon games. 1.) you have to get 16 badges, which include Jhoto, the new world and Kanto, the old world. Kanto is 4x harder too. 2) no more annoying legendary birds! 3.) eevee gets 2 new evolutions, Espeon (the best one) and Umbreon (the average one.) you can be a girl too!

My All Time Favorite
For people who have started to read my reviews I am a all time gamer, and this is my all time favorite game. This game is LOADED with stuff to do, figure out puzzles, capture pokemon, win battles and more! Here are the good and bad in my opinion:
Good
-Loaded with stuff takes a while to play (a good thing)
-So many pokemon to catch and raise
-The battles bring out the true trainer in you
-The pokemon now make noises and move when summoned
-You can choose gender
Bad
-Sometimes you can get very stuck
-Some of the puzzles need the game guide to figure out in my opinion
-The graphics aren't as good nowdays
Note that all the pokemon games are good and that I think this game appeals to all ages.

I wish people would stop writing bad reviews about Pokemon
I have grown up with Pokemon. My whole life has been spent growing up on Anime and Manga. So, I feel at home playing these games, but, this review is for G/S/C, yes all 3 of them. THESE GAMES ROCK!!! If you get bored by this game, you probably are, well, picky. Yep, picky. I mean, if you, like I, are a true Pokemon veteran, you would know that it is Nintendo and Gamefreak's duty to create a third Pokemon game that includes more than its predecessors. All Pokemon games are deeper than they look, you just have to play them long enough. Sometimes, if you train and put effort into these games, you will be satisfied and weirdly enough, attached to your Pokemon. I keep a special case full of all of my favorite GB/GBC/GBA games, and these are in it. So, who cares if Crystal is the same as G/S, these games are good enough that you can change the course of everything. So, if you are an RPG fan or a fan of the show, or anybody who plays video games (well actually, I'd say most video gamers are people who have grown up around them, so, if you didn't, this is not for you) this is the game for you. And now, for my trademark ending *Peace Out*.

"I had to see the city with my own eyes" Tidus, Final Fantasy X
P.S. There is no GB/GBC/GBA game better than the Pokemon games (ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

This is the best pokemon game
This is really the best pokemoin game, nothin' to do with Blue/Red versions, it has more things to do than Silver and gold, The story is the same, but there's some differences.
a) New female trainer (Named Jenny, Mariah, Kelis or Blu)
b) New puzzles and chambers at the Ruins of Alf
c) Suicune is easier to catch
d) When you reach to certain point in the game an ol' man gives you an egg that may contain a shiny pokemon like the red Gyarados, something like a yellow Marrill
e) More detailed graphics
d) New battle tower, ubicated near of Olivine City
Overall, the story doesn't change at all, but there's more things to do, Another thing that like me is the time.
You can set the clock as the real time. It's very important, beacause you can get pokemons only at night, or day
I wish Ruby and Saphire had a clock... ... Read more

Product Description

Born into a famous thieving family, young raccoon Sly Cooper must recover his family's heirloom, The Thievius Raccoonus, which was stolen and divided among a marauding gang of intruders. Joined by his friends Bentley and Murray, Sly will have to exercise all his cunning and stealth to locate the book's many sections, scattered across a far-ranging landscape. ... Read more

Features

• Platform: PlayStation 2
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Action/Adventure

Reviews (121)

Exelent Game
I've had this game for a couple of month's now. It's a great game overall, there's really nothing wrong with the gameplay, audio graphics and it never gets boring. The only thing that could be changed and was changed in sly 2 is that you don't really have any freedom in roaming around the enviroments. I reccomend this game to anyone but you should buy it with sly 2 and the upcoming sly 3 (Supposedly coming out in fall 2005)

Wow What A Great Game!!!
This is a great game!!! It is easy for anyone to become addicted to! It is one of the very few games that I have gotten all the way through. If you are looking for a GREAT game for PS2 grap Sly Cooper.

Great action game
Sly Cooper is a game that could have easily escaped all notice- at first glance it probably looked too cartoonish to some older gamers, and the game play may have turned out to be a bit difficult for some kids.The game evidently took off though, and its success is certainly deserved, as its a very entertaining gaming experience.The gameplay is basically "linear" - you run straight through the missions without a lot of side missions - but the graphics are so impressive it seems a bit more complex.The game looks great, and gameplay is challenging without being maddeningly difficult (with the possible exception of finding some of the bottles).Overall, this game is well worth checking out, along with its more complex sequel.

Sly Cooper pulls off a slick operation...
I first saw previews for this game in a magazine and thought the "cell-shading" graphics looked cheap and unprofessional. By the time the game came out, I couldn't wait to buy it. I recieved the game as an A Honor Roll present, and it was excellent. The graphics are incredibly smooth and all-out amazing. I now actually prefer this style to the traditional 3-D graphics. The shadows amazed me.

I loved to play this game because the controls are so easy to master it makes you feel light and quick. Many a time I felt like I was a light-footed, smooth-talking raccoon. Certainly, Sucker Punch achieved the thievy, quick-like action Sly should have. Another thing that amazed me was the storyline. The characters are perfectly placed and make you see the "bad" thieves because Sly is evidently a "good-guy with morals" deep down. Sometimes very deep down. The only thing was that I wanted more! The game really wasn't as long as most other games. Finding all 30 clue bottles in each of the levels wasn't extremely difficult, although some gave me trouble. Also, the music is exciting and intertaining, unlike so much of the annoying music we get on other video games. My personal favorite music was on the Panda King's domain :) The time trials were challenging, but not so impossible like collecting all the precursor orbs on Jak 2 and Jak 3 (bleh).

I was extremely happy when Sucker Punch came out with another excellent game, Sly 2: Band of Theives. I would strongly suggest buying both of them, as the first one is a kind of introdution of all characters and getting Sly's book back, and the 2nd is more involving with a much more complex storyline. Both of the games were excellent, but this one just wasn't long enough. 5 stars for the pure fun and excitment, 4 stars because it was just a little too short. Another thing, you DO NOT need to buy any guides whatsoever to complete this game. Have fun exploring all the interesting worlds that Sly visits on his exciting journeys.

I like it
Sly Cooper is a sneaky raccoon who is trying to steal back his family's book, Thievious Raccoonous. He has to go through dangerous challenges to get back his family's book. He is in love with Inspector Fox. She is a fox who is after Sly Cooper. Sly Cooper is a fun game. I enjoyed playing it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

It’s a pretty bold claim but for many, Mario Party is the best multiplayer game series ever. No need for guns or complicated role-playing elements here--Mario Party is fun because it’s simple. The original N64 game created an entirely new subgenre--an unlikely combination of traditional board games and lots of ultrasimple arcade titles. The idea is that you travel around the board trying to collect stars, which must be paid for with coins, and you get coins by competing in minigames, which occur at the end of every round. These minigames generally don’t last longer than a minute or two, and many are based on old Game & Watch titles. There are over 50 minigames in Mario Party 4, and each involves either a free-for-all, two players against two, or one against three (depending where you land on the board at the end of your turn). These can involve anything from skydiving to basketball dunking, or car racing to hide-and-seek, to name a few.

Admittedly, this basic description of the gameplay might not sound too exciting, and indeed if you’re playing with less than three human opponents it can be pretty tedious. But play it with the full complement of non-virtual rivals and the game’s infinite capacity for cheating, backstabbing, and ganging up allows it to completely transcend the humdrum sum of its parts. There’s nothing terribly new in this third sequel except that the graphics are much improved and the minigames are all new, but that really misses the point: get this game out at Christmas instead of Trivial Pursuit and you’ll wonder how you ever got through the holiday without it. --David Jenkins, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Features

• Choose favorite Nintendo video game characters and compete in a series of contests to win the birthday present.
• Take advantage of the Mini-Giant system - players can use items on the boards to grow larger or smaller in order to access different areas of the game boards and trigger special events.
• Bump, whack and bang away in the newly introduced Tag Battle, which lets players pair up in two-man teams and compete at collecting stars.
• Set a handicap that allows players of all ages and abilities to compete against each other.

Reviews (137)

I love Mario.
I love every Mario game known to man and this one rocks!!!! (I
actually don't like Mario Party 6 but that's it)!!! I played this game 2 summers ago all the time!!! This is a good game and it has really good graphics. I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!!

slightly dissapointed but hey who cares!
I'm Espio and I love all of the mario party games from 1-6 but Mario Party 4 is one I was dissapointed in. First lets go through some downsides. Its quite slow compared to some of the other games,some of the items are...well...chee-seey and some of the boards are not so great.Hey now for good stuff.Shy-Guys board rocks!plain and simple,the mini games are great and the graphics well their boss! So if your a big fan of the series like me then get it it's cool but if your looking for your first Party then I recomend Mario Party 1 or 2.

Love this game
I love to play this at frieds houses!The mini games are the best.It's the best one in the Mario series!

Sorry Mario, but Mr. Insanity is crashing this party.
This game functions and no more. If you want to Mario Party, I would recommend all three for the N64.
First I will wail on the graphics. They are good and smooth. It does not feel like the characters are made of polygons. But everything is empty. Eye candy is good, but we need more. The board maps are like a empty field.
Sound was a big thing in the first three parties, but has become weak. The annoucer was a big part, but seems uninterested. Music is WAY too simple for what the first three had.
Gameplay: Functions but is uninteresting.
Game: It's your birthday and some guys want to throw you a party! Yes, the stories may have been weak in Mario's parties, but you do not care. You go from map to map with six in all. What you do is collect money and try to buy some stars. The one with the most stars wins the game. In between rows of die you play a mini game. Which destroyed this game into so-so. They are all creative, but they many have the same controls. I bet there are more than three games there that ask you to hit the A-button as fast as you can!
Overall, this game functions. And you should look for an N64 for Mario's older parties. I am not going to review them, but I strongly recommend the first three.

A Game That'll Keep You Asking For More
To start out with, I'd like to say that I only have Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 4. To me, 4 seems better board-wise, but 2 has funner mini-games.

Mario Party 4 introduces, instead of the normal Toad hosts every game formula, different hosts for each board. The boards in this game are spectacular. Ranging from tropical soirees to haunted houses, Mario Party 4 seems to excell in boards.

The only board I was a bit disappointed with was Toad's Midway Madness (an amusemant park board with a roller coaster you can ride, and the only board in the game hosted by Toad), and it's because of the first part. The tea cups- which alternate directions everytime someone rides them- can leave someone wasting pointless time running around in a circle for half the game. I like the tea cup idea, but not if it's going to send me in circles!

Goomba's Greedy Gala (hosted by Goomba) is a casino board, and in the earlier Mario Party games, there is always a board that is seperated into four different boards (for 1 it was Wario's Board, for 2 it was Mystery Land). This one is the board for Mario Party 4. In the middle is a roulette, and you spin it to decide which small board you're going to go to. If the ball lands on a star, you get to chose which direction you go in and you get 20 coins!

Shy Guy's Jungle Jam seemed like the most boring board on Mario Party 4, but in truth, it's actually quite fun. You can go in all sorts of directions, and you can have Shy Guy- the host of the board- flood the river which runs through the middle of the board, so players cannot cross it for a certain amount of turns. The biggest bonue of this one is the eagle, who can fly you from one point of the board to the other, and sometimes it'll let you collect coins on the way.

Boo's Haunted Bash is hosted by none other than Boo. This haunted board, instead of Mario Party 2's Horror Land, which is just a field full of monsters, is a haunted house, and it's probably the most creative. I enjoyed the ghosts. They looked like real ghosts (you could see through them), and the ghost train is a big advantage if you want to get somewhere fast. The see-through floors that appear only when Red Boos stalk the corridors can be annoying, but they make an excellent challenge if you're an expert player.

And to top it all off, Koopa's Seaside Soiree! This is my favorite Mario Party board yet, probably because it's hypnotic. You could sit for fifteen minutes just looking around at all the beautiful sites (made by Koopa, the host). The aquatic water is what fills most of the board. You can see fish swimming in it. Where the beach part of the board is, there are fruits sitting on tanning chairs. Koopa's Seaside Soiree isn't my favorite just because it's the prettiest, it's because the game is very challenging! The monkeys have you slip on banana peels, sending you in a random direction, and if you land on a question mark space in front of Koopa's resort, then you could end up paying a huge sum of coins while watching a tsunami tear the building down! You can also ride a fish to get to different points in the board.

There's also a Bowser Board too, hosted by his son, that's unlockable, but it's nothing much. The lava was nice looking, but it didn't give you many options on where you wanted to go when you got to a fork in the road. If you're mega and you pass Bowser you'll face him in a Mini Game, but that's all that comes to mind for this board.

The mini-games in Mario Party 4 are fun, but some can be a pain. Repeatedly pressing the A button over and over as fast as you can in games like Domination and Slime Time is really annoying, and sometimes you could waste all your energy for nothing. But other games like the skiing game (name, anyone?), Mario Medley and Hop or Pop are very entertaining.

Mario Party 4 has many bonuses that Mario Party 2 doesn't seem to have. The graphics, of course, but also the option to chose the amount of turns you get to have (10, 15, 20, and counting by fives all the way up to 50). Another is the custom mini-game mode, where you get to select a set of mini-games, and that set is the only set of mini-games that will appear at the end of each turn. This is nice for getting rid of those few horribly annoying games that you just can't stand.

All in all, Mario Party 4 is grand game, and is definately worth the fifty bucks! ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Games not realistic!!
I played the tournament Texas Hold Em poker and there is no way you can get pass the second round. You can have 3 of kind, and the other player would have 4 of a kind. You can have a flush, 2 other players would have a straight flush. This is what it is like almost every hand. Anyone who plays poker knows you don't see that many good hands out there.
Blackjack is way to unrealistic. If you have a 20 and the dealer has a 5 face up, he seems to always to get a 6, then a 10 to get 21. I played 10 straight hands, the dealer had 4 blackjacks and 6 20's. That is almost impossible for a dealer to get that lucky. And if you see the dealer has a king faced up, just surrender unless you have 21 because the dealer ALWAYS has another king down.
If you want to learn how to play the game, you should get this, but if you already know how to play, don't buy this, it is a waste of money!

I would give this game 3 1/2 stars
I bought this game for under $10 bucks which also included shipping.For that price, You can't lose!I was reading the reviews for Hoyle Casino 2004 which had all the worse reviews I've seen yet.The reason I bought Hoyle casino 2003 instead of the 2004 version is the fact that there really isnt much a difference.Plus with the 2003. I can play without having the cd in my drive. Which is a BIG PLUS! I was hoping to see if the Texas hold'em tournaments were gonna be like the world poker tour.SADLY ENOUGH IT'S NOT. They dont have a NO LIMIT game.It would of been exciting to go all in and see if anyone or a computer match it. But still can't knock sierra just yet.Because it is still fun.I want to try out the new drink system but only if they improve two minor issues.One: They have a no limit texas hold'em tournament and Two: CD optional if people want it in the drive. If you are in the market for a casino game.Get this version because you would save money.But still waiting to see what newer version will bring.So if Hoyle casino 2005 comes out.I'm reading reviews before I buy.Don't want to make the mistake by buying the 2004 version.

Hoyle's Casino 2003 - Best Ever
I recently purchased this from Amazon and received a manual along with it that I find very helpful as I'm new to Poker and Blackjack.The characters are so realistic and it's fun to listen to their conversations.
The first time I clicked on the AutoPlay screen to start playing I could hear sound but my screen went black. I have Windows XP Home Edition with DirectX 9.0. I was sure this was the latest version of DirectX, but when I went to Microsoft's Help & Support Center, on the list was the question did the screen go black. I then went to Microsoft.com and found there was an update called DirectX 9.0B. It took a little over 30 minutes to download this version. When I clicked Play on the AutoPlay Screen this time, the place where you hear what seems to be a frog croaking, it worked fine.
When some of the reviewers blame Hoyle for problems it could be Microsoft has an update that will make everything go smoothly. Hoyle creates extremely clever games and I'm very happy I bought this CD. The only games that can even compete with this are the Bicycle Card and Board Games which I also own. None of the other Casino games can even begin to compare to Hoyle's Casino 2003 in my opinion.

Lot's of fun and good practice
The table games are great and the play is very realistic. The players voices are a turn-off after a while so I play with the sound off. It is a great way to sharpen your skills before a trip to Vegas or AC. I had never played Pai Gow Poker but I learned from this software and look forward to trying it in a casino. The craps and roulette are fun too. I don't play slots in a casino so I don't use the slots on this either.Overall I think this is a good buy for some fun on the PC.

Fun Game
Very nice game. Graphics are well done.Facemaker is fun, and it uses the face I created in Card games without me having to tell it to go find it.The table games are well done, the speed of play is easily adjusted, graphics and audio are clear and crisp.There are so many gmes it is difficult to tire of this game.The slots could be a tad better, in that none of them are copies of real machines.Also the "feel" while playing them is not quite right.They are certainly playable though, as these faults are minor.I gave 4 stars out of 5, because the characters comments get annoyingly redundant very quickly.Of course, you can turn the character speech off if you want. ... Read more

Product Description

MODEL- 97032 VENDOR- SCEA FEATURES- Component A/V Cable for PlayStation 2For use with today's more sophisticated video equipment that allows component input from high-end gear like the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Component AV Cable delivers impeccable,distortion-free picture quality. This cable works with TVs and monitors that have Y, Cb/Pb, Cr/Pr inputs. If your entertainment center is ready, prepare for the leap in detail you'll see with theComponent AV Cable (for PlayStation 2).playstation.comNice electronics is your source for everyday low prices on theSony 97032 - Component AV Cable for PS2 and all other Sony Video Game Acc ... Read more

Features

• Component AV Cable delivers impeccable, distortion-free picture quality
• Works with TVs and monitors that have Y, Cb/Pb, Cr/Pr inputs
• Great for HDTV's
• Improve the video quality of your Playstation2 games
• 6 foot long cable

Reviews (36)

DEF. WORTH THE $$$
First off, i did not buy the Sony brand cable.I bought a Madcatz brand one for $14.99 from Gamestop (thats all they had).I bought this cable because i recently bought a new tv that supports component video.It is NOT an HDTV so i didn't expect it to make a huge difference, but boy was i surprised!Games/movies were sharper and the colors were richer.Def. a noticable difference.I can only imagine the quality you would get if you had an HDTV.

1080i in GT4, the only way is with these...
If you want to experiance something awesome play GT4 with these component video cables and your surround sound hooked up with Driving Force Pro as your controller. You can try out this setup at Best Buy right now. If you have an HDTV and you have 20 dollars by this. Regular SD games look crisper as well. You won't regret it.

Excellent! for FFXI the difference is awesome...
Now I can say I am playing the game! the cable literally opened my eyes to the definition of the colors and images of the game... I am using a flat screen Samsung TV and game looks awesome! {Component Cable} {Can I have it?} {Yes, Please}

Produces a Great Picture.
Prior to buying these component cables, I had been playing my PS2 with composite cable, connected through my VCR.The result of this: soft, muddy, and dull graphics.After purchasing Final Fantasy XI for my console, I heard quite a few times how the PC version is far superior visually.I had enough of my inferior video and audio experiences, so I purchased a new televsion, and these cables.The result: CRISP, CLEAN, VIBRANT images.The first time I turned on FFXI with these cables, the difference visually was as clear as day.The various imagery in the game, from trees, rocks, the sky, the terrain, and the characters pop out and are very well defined.They all seem to have the depth that I was missing all this time.The text present in the game has also become much clearer.I am proud to say that I can now enjoy this game at the same level visually as PC gamers enjoy theirs.My PS2 has gotten a major face lift.

AV ComponentvrS/Video
I just bought the component AV cable from a 3rd party company and already has the S/video cables (3rd party too) . I've read that AV component it's much better than S video, and tha's why I bought it. But is not!.AV component seems to be a little better than standard AV cables (RCA). S video gives an extraordinary brilliance to images. Video Component looks opaque, maybe Monster cables works better. In summary:
1- S/Video
2- AV component
3- Standar Av cables (rca)

Could it be 'cause they are 3rd party. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Game Boy platform (which includes the original unit, the Game Boy Pocket, and the Game Boy Color) came to market when most video game consoles had a life expectancy of just a few years. More than a decade later, the system is still going strong. How did the Game Boy successfully compete--and in some cases bury--an onslaught of faster, more powerful handheld and home console systems? Let us count the ways: affordability, a huge library of games that consistently made the most of the hardware's limitations, smart power management that extended battery life, and uncluttered controls. But perhaps it was the system's ultraportable design that allowed devotees to play video games around their schedule, making it the must-have system for kids and adults alike.

Now the Game Boy Advance (or GBA as people are already calling it) comes to us with power that would have been unthinkable back in the day. The portable's 32-bit RISC CPU runs circles around the former's 8-bit workhorse, allowing it to process program instructions much faster. What that means to everyday gamers is more intricate visuals, more simultaneous movement on the screen, and better sound. In fact, the often-annoying beeps and boops of old-school Game Boy titles are being replaced with digitized stereo sound. The extra processing muscle also means you can even network up to four Game Boy Advance units together, via the communication cable, for multiplayer fun off of one shared cartridge. Only two Game Boy Color units could link together, and each unit had to have its own copy of the game.

What's not being replaced, however, is the wide selection of Game Boy games. Because the Game Boy Advance system is backward-compatible, it will play its own line of colorful games--including such launch titles as Super Mario Advance, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Army Men Advance, High Heat Major League Baseball 2002, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2--as well as all of the monochrome and color games that have already been released for the previous Game Boy systems (nearly 500 in total). Players can view the older games in their smaller, originally square dimensions, or, with the touch of the shoulder button, expand the game to fit the GBA's larger screen. We tried enlarging the screen on a Game Boy Color edition of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and found that Mr. Hawk was much easier to see.

When you first pick up the system, you'll be amazed at how lightweight it is. At fewer than 5 ounces and a little larger than a deck of playing cards, the system easily fits into a shirt pocket without any sag. The GBA's wider shape fits better into a wider range of hands. The former design too often pushed the left and right thumb knuckles together during gameplay. The new layout should be comfortable for all ages, and the center screen orientation makes it easy to see.

Game Boy Color owners will find the GBA's larger screen somewhat darker than they're used to, but that's because the screen is outfitted with antiglare technology. Like the old Game Boy Color, the color LCD is not backlit, so you need pretty good light to play by. Unlike that system, though, you won't be craning your neck and tilting the unit to see around the hot-spot reflection of the light bulb in your screen.

But you'll also notice the graphics. Sporting what's basically a redesigned SNES technology, you'll see things on the GBA that the big consoles do, such as scaling (making objects larger or smaller) and rotation effects--technological advances that will affect the look of everything from crossing a finish line to throwing a touchdown pass to crawling through a dungeon.

Some might argue that Nintendo could have tried to put even more power into this Game Boy Advance. After all, the 32-bit video game had its heyday more than five years ago. Perhaps, but after handling this new handheld, we're inclined to think that Nintendo wisely struck a balance between size, price, and power consumption. And considering how well the old 8-bit system weathered the decade's technological storms, we think the Game Boy Advance is here to stay, and we're glad. --Porter B. Hall

Unit Specifications

• CPU: 32-bit RISC CPU with embedded memory
• Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
• Display Size: 1.6 by 2.4 inches (40.8 by 61.2 mm)
• Resolution: 38,000 pixels in a wide-screen aspect ratio (10,000 per square inch)
• Colors: 512 simultaneous colors from a palette of 32,768
• Size: 3.2 by 5.6 by 1 inch (82 by 144.5 by 24.5 mm)
• Weight: Approximately 5 ounces (140 grams)
• Power Supply: 2 AA alkaline batteries
• Battery Life: Approximately 15 hours continuous play

Features

• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• Includes Pokémon Crystal for GBA & GBC

Reviews (367)

Very Good
I used to own a game boy color, but i updated to a gba, for the better sound and graphics. I found that the ONLY downside is that it has no backlight. I am going to buy a gba light and sheild asap to fix that, and i will reveiw it too. I am just starting to collect games, as i only have one, but i am hoping it will be a long time before i get bored and get a gba sp. the price is good, but if you really want a good experience, and you have the money, get a Nintendo DS. My brother has one, and he enjoys it. The downside to a DS is they only have 3 or 4 good games out.

Good...........but outdated sad but true
The game boy advance is definetly better than a game boy color.Bigger screen, smaller game consoles, and better grafics.Why only 3 stars.Well, this system just can't compare to the new psp or nintendo ds.If you want a cheap gaming console, this might be the way to go. It is inexpensive and has lots of games.If you however don't mind spending a little (or a lot) more money than you should propably go with the psp if you are older or the nintendo ds if you are like under 12. Like I said this was worth it like 3 or 4 years ago but just like the game boy color before it, this system is getting old.

hello
this game boy sucks it close and it has horible graphics.you should get the nintendo ds

Great System after 3 years
I am here to say that I am not too big on the whole SP idea. I bought a Platinum SP about 2 years ago when they first hit shelves and I can't honestly say it was the greatest purchase I made. If you ever have time to kill, go on Ebay and compare what you can get a Regular Model for to what you pay for a SP. There is no comparison, for lack of a better word I'd have to say looking back on it that the SP was overhyped and priced. The controls give a sick feeling of clausterphobia and the light is something useful only to those that take long trips day-in and day-out. I recently was able to purchase a 3rd GBA system on ebay for the jaw-dropping price of $35.00, and the real shocker was that the system was BRAND NEW. The original GBA model had the SP beat in so many ways it is hard to look back on it and think what a mistake I made for ever buying the SP. This system is the complete deal, I wouldn't pay the listing price of $70.00 for it, but if you find a bargain like I did, go for it. The graphics are crisp and it too is small enough to just slip in a pocket, I wouldn't recomend storing it in a pocket because of the scratches it may cause. The light is the only thing that the SP has over the standard system. I personally believe that the GBA regular has better battery life than an SP. I am playing Zelda Minish Cap on a system that came out 3 yrs ago and is still running strong. Over the past years I've played it, I've played some of the best games on any console such as Metroid Zero Mission and Fusion, not to mention the Castlevania series which in my opinion ranks as one the best series for any system to date. With games like these becoming harder to find, it sure would be nice to find more regular GBA's on a store shelf...

Steller Handheld with steller line ups
Put it simply...this is a great edition to the nintendo franchise.Advance has a great line up of games like
Metroid Zero Mission
Advance Wars
The Mario Games and Zelda games.Awesome must have handheld for this year, and if you don't already have it get SP then!

4.9 out of 5...A great hand held to own.. ... Read more

Product Description

Take advantage of enhanced visuals, richer tactics and strategic gameplay as you build your fleet and engage in 3-D space combat. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Lose yourself in the sequel to the groundbreaking 3-D real-time space strategy game Homeworld
• Platform: Windows 98/Me/XP/2000

Reviews (146)

Very good game
This was one of if not the most fun strategy game i have played. It has an amazing story, unbelievable graphics, and an interface that once you learn it is relatively easy to use.
Tbe only reason i didnt give it a 5 is because it is so hard as to exclude this game from some of the less hardcore stategy gamers. The game does take a hit as well from not being able to order your ships into formations (an important part of any space strategy game) but it is more than compensated by just generally being alot of fun. Now i am a fan of space stategy games and i thought that the toughness of the game was an asset because insted of just building a huge fleet and crushing your enemys (satisfing but doesnt take much brain power) you could manipulate the battlefield leaving your enemy crippled and unable to fight back (buy controlling recource spots ect.) I do have to admit i went through a few mouses because i broke a few in sheer frustration. So in conclusion i highly recomend this game to you if u enjoy a tough but satisfing game and your not one of the "gamers" who like to boot up warcraft and put in all the instant build cheet codes. This game is well worth $20 and it was worth it to me when i pre ordered it in 03 for $60. BUY IT PEOPLE!!!

Fun?
I just have one thing to say: this game is as fun as you can throw it underwater with your wrists chained to some wall.Also, the interface and mere gameplay feels like an act of congress (looking up how to do things in the manual!)To be frank, don't by this game even if they would give you money in return!

Loss of The Real Concept!
Look, I've been a Homeworld fan ever since I bought it when it FIRST came out, it was beautiful, the graphics were just delightful, and the stradegy was complex to a portion where I can sit in a room, for 20 hours of non-stop harvesting and planning of an attack with a lil' math and algebra on the side.

When I started to play Homeworld 2, I was hyped, and ready to complete the saga in my world of stradegy gaming other than StarCraft, WarCraft, Age of Empires, and all those other fun stuff.

I began by downloading the Demo from Sierra, and I was full blown by the new graphics it had, though my video card was really acting kinda messy since it was the summer time. (Yeah seasonal changes make items work slower or faster.) Anyways, when I started to play the demo, I used the mechanism of the keyboard and controls of what Homeworld 1 had, lemmie tell you this, TOTALLY DIFFERENT! I can't believe my eyes of what I felt and seen! Everything; the whole concept has changed, the keys and etc. Then I saw that the stradegies have changed, and there were only 3 formation patterns I could only choose for my fithers, I'm like, WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE THEY THINKING!? I really wanted to bust a few chops with my strategic mind... so then I thought to myself, eh, not bad, lemmie get the whole game and see what it's really worth...

Bought it, it's totally the same concept, doesn't relate to Homeworld 1, doesn't relate to ANYTHING LIKE HOMEWORLD AT ALL! I thought that they would stick to their story, but the whole thing changed... I was really mad about it.

The game-play suddenly became boring, just traveling with no real dog-fight, "Some destiny this is..." ok, maybe a few dog-fights, but the game just gets harder and harder *like any other game* But I'm looking at it, I swear to you, I would've beaten all these fools if I had all those formation patterns. This game has less stradegy in mind, and the shipmaking, is just build in bulk, something that a gamer would NEVER LIKE. Listen, usually, it's always great to build ONE AT A TIME... WHY!? BECAUSE HAVING THAT FEELING TO SIT ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT WAITING FOR THAT SPECIAL OBJECT TO BE BUILT REALLY SHOWS THAT IT'S A GREAT GAME. This however, was truly dissappointing... No wonder it was 20 bux. Not many people like it! For God's sake even Diablo 2 is 20 times better than this and the graphics can be as horrible as they want, but their game play is just completely mind blowing as well as the story line.

For all kids that love graphics, I suggest this game as a STARTER, but for gaming stradegy and story lines, I suggest that you should TURN BACK, THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE BUT A GAME THAT TAKES 20 HOURS OF YOUR LIFE JUST SITTING AND WAITING FOR NOTHING, BUT RUNNING AWAY FROM YOUR ENEMIES.

Even Homeworld Cataclysm is better than this. I wouldn't call this game trash though, but would've worth a lot of money if they knew how to bring back the story line as what they were before, but spiced up, with more allies and enemies, and probably if Sierra was lucky, deception.

Wonderful Game
Before I start, I would suggest anyone who gets this game be sure to download the patch that has been made available.This balances out units a little better (not too much, but a little) and also decreases the difficulty of several of the missions (they are possible to beat without the patch, but they are hard).

This game builds wonderfully over the orrignal Homeworld.It has made several improvements in how things are handled and also polishes up things in general.In addition, unlike the orrignal Homeworld the different sides have very different strengths and weaknesses that are readily apparent when playing them.

Some nice additions:

You no longer build single fighters, but rather build fighters in wings.So long as a single fighter in the wing survives you can send the fighter group back to a carrier or mothership or shipyard and have the unit returned to full strength.This makes fighter units much more useful and practical then the frail things they were in Homeworld.

Resource collection at the end of missions has been automized.You will no longer have to sit around for hours after missions sending harvisters out to collect resources for you.Once all enemy units have been defeated all resources in the map are automatically collected and added to your resource pool.

Subsystems.You can now build subsystems that give your ships interesting capabilities as well as target enemy subsystems.Large ships (such as battle crusers, carriers, motherships) come with some standard subsystems that cannot be completely destroyed but can be dammaged to the point that they no longer function.This makes hit and run type attacks much more useful then they were previously since you can use them to dammage enemy capabilities or cripple enemy ships, while allowing access to some nice abilities should you chose to build some of the more unique subsystems.

The ability to capture any ship in the game has also been added.That is right, capture ANY ship in the game.Including motherships.In addition, the units which capture enemies are much less flimsy so while they do still need an escourt they can be counted on to not die immediately.

Fleet formations have also been added.While there are really only 3 choises for fleet formations, they really do make it easy to use ships of different classes together.When used properly these formations are extreamly powerful, however you need to learn when to use a formation and when to break it up.

There are a few things I am less than satisfied with however.It is for these reasons that I am only giving it a rating of 4 out of 5.

The first major thing I was disapointed with was the reduction on the number of formations.I remember that with the orrignal Homeworld there was a large number of fomrations to chose from.I kept wishing I had access to some of those, particularly the claw and the sphere.While it may be argued that the addition of fleet formations makes up for this change, I couldn't help but wish that I had access to many of the old formations.

The interface is something I am not 100% satisfied with as well.While I will agree that it is definately a step up from what was used with Homeworld, it does feel somehow cumbersome.I guess it is a function of too many menues when it comes to building units and researching.Even in this respect it isn't too bad though.

Also, the 3D nature of space has largely been ignored.This problem still existed in Homeworld, though it was a little less noticable there since they did fairly often launch surprise attacks from above or below.Homeworld 2 largely just uses the horozontal plane when it comes to combat.Units controled by the AI simply will not try coming from strange directions, but rather take a head on approach.Thankfully I was able to find a group of people to play with online who were not burdened with this problem.

My final real problem with Homeworld comes with the addition of a new unit: the shipyard.The reason for this has to do with multiplayer where its importaince overshadows even that of the mothership once it has been built.It has more subsystem slots than the mothership.It is the only unit which can build battlecruisers.It has all the capabilities that the mothership has and more.From a stand point of game ballance I can see why this may have happened (the game designers didn't want players skipping ahead in the research tree right to battlecruisers), however I cannot help but feel that if anything the shipyard should be more of a smaller mothership with more limited capabilities.Somewhere between a carrier and the mothership.

All that said, the game is still a wonderful game.It contains almost all of the orrignal Homeworld's good points, and gets rid of many of its bad ones with the introduction of few flaws.If you like the idea of controling an intergalatic battle fleet then I would definately suggest that you pick up this game.The campaign alone would be worth it, but multiplayer is where this game really shines since that is where you will see interesting tatics that can be used once the pesky notion of 2D is forgotten.

Visually stunning but shocking game play
In light of completing Homeworld 2 twice, the review is a brutal truth of what the game is---a game so challenging, so hard, it just simply isn't worth your bother. Ordinary gamers will derive no enjoyment from this. In a manner of words: this is a game with spectacular graphics, breathtaking naval fleet warfare, all hampered by arduous game play.

Fifteen missions long, the average player will find themselves struggling by just the fourth, if you finished the third by the skin of your teeth. Rapidly changing mid-mission objectives, wave after wave of enemy forces, you'd better be up to the challenge of preventing your shipyard from hostile takeover to graduate to the real fun.

Then mission 4 hits you, hard and heavy.

Players are simply not prepared so early in the game, after such breezy missions, for one of such difficulty. Continual enemy attacks never leave you alone, never giving you a breather, to collect resources, to replenish your ragtag fleet. Don't grin that smile yet, that massive frigate assault will wash it away. There's no time to get a feel for ship classes, what works best against which enemy unit, to experiment on new technologies. Took a stunning number of weeks to beat that mission alone. Just concentrate on bombers and pulsar corvettes and she'll be right mate. Homeworld 2, it seems, is one heavy mission after another, broken up by occasional missions so quiet you could sleep through them. Those restful missions would be ideal to build your fleet to full strength and maximum unit numbers.

A detrimental mistake!

An unbelievable attribute of the game---the stronger you are, the heavier the next mission's enemy forces will be. The astounding stupidity of this is simply shocking. Try full unit limits from the tenth mission onwards, when enemy forces are already considerable, you'll see. This isn't so bad, really, but it makes hill into mountain.

Homeworld 2 is a RTS game of its own, nothing like Starcraft-type games. Even the hardest Starcraft mission gave you time to rebuild a weakened army, fix your base up. You could explore the darkened map, tease the enemy from different sides. H2 won't let you do that. This game demands strict obedience to the mission objectives. You play to fulfil them, not your own agenda.

Even more absurd, whatever forces you have left you begin with next mission. Scrape a mission too finely, and what are your chances of survival, really, when come the enemy hordes, and come in numbers they will.

What H2 steals from you is enjoyment. This is for the determined player. Who doesn't want a challenge in a game? But it's not fun. Move! You can't sit idle at any time; you can't split your fleet up, to feint at an enemy base from different angles. You want to live, keep all eggs in one fleet.

The menu controls are shocking. Mouse scrolling doesn't work in H2. It takes valuable time to position and drag the tab down the page. You can't even press ENTER or ESCAPE keys, only mouse commands. Such is the Idiotic Intelligence of the developers, that you can't authorise commands with an ENTER tap. The screen panels where you click to load or save games are so slim you really have to position your mouse precisely over them.

The method of saving is a joke. Strict alphanumerical order, the starting letter or number determines its placement in the list. It's better to save games chronologically, like Starcraft and Jedi Outcast. In-game auto-saving works against you; replay a mission, and you might re-save over it.

Where in the game booklet does it say docked strike craft automatically repair? A tiny offhand mention in the Vaygr Battlecruiser. How would you think to dock your fighters when you need them active at all times?

Absurd to target warship subsystems (engines, weapons, etc) when destroying the ship takes just as long. Absurd to capture an enemy ship, not only from your strict unit numbers, but the ship will always target your marine frigate. Played game twice, still can't get cloaking technology.

Like viewing a sphere of blinking red and green dots all game long? You'll spend considerable time looking at your radar screen; it's the only way to see enemy units and positions, and easier to select targets.

Graphics are awesome, ship details commendable. Mouse-wheel scrolling permits easy panning and rotation of the camera angle. Fun to follow a bomber group on their attack runs, or zoom right in at besieged warships about to be missile volleyed. High comp system will avert the occasional slowdown when camera-close to a ship going nova; exploding capital ships are cool.

Mid- and inter-mission cutscenes are simple but satisfactory. Fleet Command voices sounds too similar; Makaan is chilling as the Vaygr warlord, smooth and polite.

Game music will become repetitive. Only two tracks stand out: the oriental Hindu-like music of the Keeper missions, and that brief heavy battle track in missions 9 and 12. Hammered by endless Vaygr fleets, your heart pounding as you brawl for survival, why the damn hell did they finish after two minutes? Superb and haunting, they rapidly faded back to that mundane battle music.

There is nothing special about mysterious Sajuuk, the one hope of your homeworld. Can't spoil you here, but the game designers are criminal fools to make the guy just that. And if that doesn't inspire your outrage, behold the short, simplistic final cutscene of the game.

This is Homeworld 2. Visually stunning, rigid game play design. You'd do well to think long and hard before sampling this farce of fun. All fine and fancy to spout rave reviews and the shine the five-star flag, but honest and informative feedback goes a long way to whisper the truth. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Gauntlet Dark Legacy is the all-new iteration in the 3-D "hack 'n' slash" time-honored arcade classic Gauntlet franchise.

The revolutionary Gauntlet game design allows players to work as a team as they venture through eight dangerous worlds. One to four players can select one of eight different characters. Using force of arms and exotic magical powers, players vanquish creatures, search for treasure, evade traps, and embark on quests. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

THE BEST GAME EVER
THIS IS THE ONLY GAME I CAN PLAY SO FAR.I AM 23 AND NOT REALLY INTO VIDEO GAMES BUT THIS GAME WILL KEEP ME UP ALL NIGHT I NEED TO FIND A SIMILAR GAME LIKE IT SO MAYBE I CAN SWITCH UP OR SOMETHING I WISH THEY WOULD MAKE ANOTHER PART OR A GAME SIMILAR THAT GOES THROUGH BOARDS AND STUFF.I RECOMMEND THIS GAME TO ALL.IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY GAMES LIKE THIS ONE PLEASE EMAIL ME.

Great Game!
This is fun and easy game to play. There are many characters to chosse from. As you advance in higher level, the game is more difficult.This game will give you weeks of fun. Try it, you will like it.

EXTREMELY BORING
Well this game was pretty basic... a bunch of freinds all get to gather to kick evils butt. sounds fun right...WRONG. in this game all you do is toss projectiles at what ever comes your way. the only thing i enjoyed was the boss battles. hahaha all four players would be slaughtered! any way i dont reccomend this game.

Best long-term game ever
This game was a wonderful hit in my world. When I first got it, I was worried that it might get boring after playing it for days. I was amazed at the way it pulled me in. I didn't want to stop playing it. The only problem with it is you do the same thing again and again. The enemies don't really change much. This game is the best multiplayer game ever! I loved it. The boses make up for the normal enemies. There hard and fun. I love to go up levels. I've been playing the game for half a year now, and I'm not even half way done! When you go up levels, you get stronger and better. I'm almost at level 50! You get bigger and better every ten levels. Wonderful game. Rent it first, make shure that you agree. Then buy it!

Gauntlet Rules all Kingdoms on XBOX!
Well when me and my friends rented the game all i did was complain. "This looks boring" "lets rent a star wars game" but everyone told me it was cool. so we took it to my xbox and we just couldn't get off it! It is a 1-4 player team co-op game. I never new what a gauntlet was all i knew was that its just some arcade game. But know i am like a number one fan! Its so cool collecting gold to power up your character (that you chose at the begaining from 8 different ones) you also fight vicious bosses, zombies and other creatures. This is an interesting game because you are on your friends team to find all the sharms but at the same time there is alot of compitition againist your friends of who gets the treasure and whos this strongest whos the fastest and whos the on the highest level, whos weapon is the strongest and so forth. This is the absolute best sleepover game to stay up late and play. whats also cool is that u can't fall off cliffs your player will just stop! (AWESOME) I am so tirered of stupid games where i keep dying from cliffs.I think its fun for all ages and it is not super complitacated, the fighting part any way, So even my lil bro can come in and kill some zombies! This game is great! The only bad things are if u change your character in a game the new person is at level 1. And the plot is kind of odd but still an awesome game i got to go play it now seeya! ... Read more

Product Description

John F. Mullins Major, United States Army Special Forces (retired) John Mullins was born and raised in Oklahoma, living on the farm settled by his grandfather upon the opening of the Kiowa/Comanche reservation. Upon graduation from high school at the age of 17, he joined the U.S. Army. After basic and advanced training he volunteered for airborne training, becoming a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division. Soon thereafter he was recruited for Special Forces, becoming a medic on an "A" ... Read more

Features

• Enhanced Quake III Arena game engine
• 20+ military-grade weapons
• Immersive storyline with real-world locations, including Columbia, Switzerland, Hong Kong and many-more.
• GHOUL II Technology for ultra-realistic damage modeling
• Advanced AI

Reviews (18)

Crispy Game
I was almost going to give this game five stars because it was really good. duh
First, let's get a few things straight.The guns in the game are sweet.In first person shooter games I think that most people would agree that the gun design is important.Well these guns are serious as in Serious Sam.
The gore is extreme, and I am going to leave that up for you to decide wheter that is bad or good.You can turn it off or tone it done though. The models in the game are very good and very fun to shoot because of their juicyness.And I think that the graphics are very nice onmost of the levels.Some people thought that the story was confusing, but I thought that it was very interesting.
The bad things about this game would be the bugs, and the times where they don't tell you what to do next in the level.Overall, I think that it is a good buy.Also, the demo doesn't do the full game justice.

the most awesome, yet graphic game ever

My opinion on this game is that it is GREAT!!! this is simply because it combines a good story line with heart pounding action and well lots of blood and gore. which video games are all about

A Lengthy and Awe-Inspiring Action Game!
Yea, this game is gorey.Once you kill (many different ways to kill him/her) a terrorist, you can basically, at your leisure, just shoot the crap out these enemies.Once the limbs are eliminated, you will begin to see their lungs--no lie.It's that gorey.But it is great fun to watch!

Just like Soldier of Fortune 1, you will explore levels situated from dense Vietnamese jungles to a remote ship out on the Atlantic Ocean, from the Airport Terminal to Japanese urban streets.From mantions to massive mantions.Lots of variety.Also, for each level where you combat outdoors, it's either raining/snowing or just plain clear.In the beginning of one level where you enter the large virus-producing (discuss later) lab., it's like 50 degrees below zero, and terrorists aren't expecting you.

I love the music in this game.When on the main menu, you're greeted with orchestrated music, that sounds very suspenceful but critical music.You'll know what I mean when you hear it.Also, each level has slow-paced and fast-paced music.Each pace changes when the mood changes--what I mean is:fast, suspenceful music when you're in danger, and vice versa.I love the mantion level music, probably the best orchestrated music--kind of sounds like Medal of Honor, WWII type music.

Weapons range from a sidearm to the UZI, to an AK47, to an ultra-powerful shotgun.Grenades are awesome.Choose from either phosphorus (eye-blinding), stun (loud/bright) or flame (destroys objects and flames up stuff)grenades---and then you have your regular explosive grenades--NOT that the others DON'T explode also--they do explode.

The story is about John Mullins trying get face to face to Promethius and his connections with the illegally-operated labs that are producing a fatal virus that will kill everyone, which you will notice after the Vietnam level, where you're in a small city with sick people regurgitating.

Taylor, a partner of John Mullins, and Sam, John's advisor, are in the game.However, later in the game, after the ship in the ocean, when you fly back to the "the Shop" or headquarters in outskirts of NYC for a mission breifing, the 2-storey building partially explodes because of an "inside job".There's a fire, and must rescue Sam and bring him to the awaiting ambulance.I liked that part.

I have a GeForce FX 5200, 768 MB RAM while playing SOF2, and there are instances of slow-down, but not drastic but somewhat noticeable.However, that only occurs if there are many objects and buildings in the background, of course.You can also adjust the graphics settings to make it faster.

There are many reasons why you should get Soldier of Fortune 2.Excellent, driven plot; realistic graphics like eye-candy; sounds great on my computer; gameplay is excellent with unlimited gorey scenes; there are also great scenes of destruction, too.

Jeff

an addicitve fun, smart blood bath
i got in the habbit of staying up all night playing this. The gore is excellent, the violence is off the hook, the multiplayer looks like alot of fun even though i haven`t tried it yet. dont realy have any complaints about this one except the graphics.

Great single player game!
In comparison, this game is like Jedi Knight 2. The singleplayer is a fun and interesting expierience. The main characters are incredibly alike, and the graphics are alike. The multiplayer consists off pushing guys over and doing backslashes in jedi knight 2. That was a fault in jedi knight 2 that led alot of people to different games. This game has a problem with multiplayer as well. Namely... the people. There are so many little kids that believe themselves kings of the online gaming world that it is pathetic. The multiplayer brings nothing new to the table except when you play the outdoor maps. Namely the large ones with weeds and houses. Those are the best maps as you can hide in a house and guys are hiding all over the place. There are people hiding in the grass sometimes ambushing you or people in buildings waiting behind doors. Other than that, most of the levels get boring. Most of them.

The single player is truly an expierience. Jedi Knight 2's was fun, but this game has a great thing going with the GHOUL II engine. You basically dismember your opponents. Sometimes it's fun, others it can be a little gruesome. Namely guys falling over holding their arm sockets. On one hand though, it does make the game feel real, and fun. I The single player also has stealth. It's okay. There are some problems with steath that make it kinda boring.

The weapons are pretty cool too. The shotgun is fun, but what's cooler is customizing your pistol with laser sight and silencers. Now, the light attatchment would be cool if the editors made the light a little less bright. You can basically illuminate the land for a mile and have no enemy realize your existence. There's also some nice nades that are fun to use.

The singleplayer portion is the reason to buy this game. Multiplayer is rather dull and feels meaningless most of the time. That's why there's counter-strike. If you are expecting anything really new about multiplayer.... It is too easy. I haven't played multiplayer in a year or two. I logged on a big sniper server yesterday and was 58 17. It was almost laughable at how veterans of cs will excel in Solider of Fortune 2. If you haven't played cs than SOF2 is a fun multiplayer expieirience I would say.

There are also some bugs in the game. You may shoot a guy and bullets will go through. This is extremely rare and sometimes happens when he is running. There are also other things you'll see that don't crash the game, but they certainly tell you alot about SOF2's testing team. In one part a prisoner is holding an uzi, then he kills the guard and picks the uzi up again. It looks really stupid because the testers should of caught that.

Anyways, this game is a solid investment. If you enjoy the ability to fully dismember your foes then get this game. ... Read more

Book Description

Suikoden III is the deepest and most innovative installment in the series’ rich seven-year history. With multiple endings, three styles of combat (party, army, and one-on-one battles), and the ability to recruit from over 100 characters throughout your quest, Suikoden III raises the bar for RPGs everywhere. Also new to both the series and the RPG genre is the Trinity Sight System, which enables players to experience events from the viewpoints of three different characters. ... Read more

Reviews (89)

Well, this Suikoden is...
I've never given four stars to a game I liked, so I won't but this Suikoden has a few problems that may tick Suiko fans off. I especially got hooked on this Suikoden solely because of the Lizard Clan. They are actually what convinced me to give this game five stars, otherwise...it would have received a dreaded four. In any case...

Story: The Suikoden series has always followed an intricate and amassed story of a leader gathering an army to fight against a great threat. This Suiko does not fail here, especially since you play the story roles of not one, but four people. In each story, you guide the central character through a series of events that makes him/her meet up with the other three main heroes. Also, the story of the True Runes is brought into the spotlight more in this Suiko than the previous volume, so if you've been wondering, you should be satisfied with what you learn. However, the whole gathering of the Stars of Destiny bit has taken a nap and is not even mentioned in this game and Leknaat will not be there in classic form to explain it to you.

Characters: The four main characters are Geddoe the Harmonian mercenary, Hugo the Karayan hunter, Commander Chris of the Zexen Knights and Thomas the soon-to-be castle manager. Each of them have their doubts and reasons for being involved in the game's events. Each of them, along with their most trusted group members, are developed enough to not to appear boring. At one point, you will have to choose someone (not Thomas) to be the final leader character to guide the 108 Stars of Destiny and their army to victory. Although, if there are characters who deserve praise, it's definitely the Lizard Clan and the Duck Clan party members. They along with the members of their Clans make for another classic Suiko experience since the previous games also had non-human allies.

Music: Uh-oh. Well I'm not one to complain about music, but I find some songs in this game a little lackluster. The boss, event and town themes are great, but the standard battle themes are very mediocre because they sound either too perky or too lacking. The standard battle theme is very important in RPGs, so if it stinks, it's hard to enjoy combat. This game also seemed to lack a good song of sadness, which is surprising since the other two Suikos had heartbreaking sad themes.

Gameplay: Another gripe here. Map travel is quite annoying in this game since in order to get a certain area, you are required to go through a rather unnecessary hike along a meadow road to get back on the main road. This is something you will end up doing a bit too much and it may bore the heck out of you. Gathering the Stars of Destiny seems to have remain unchanged as you either receive people by story automatically or you go on some errand to earn their aid.

Battle: Double uh-oh. What happened here? The battle system is somewhat of a joke in this game. Thankfully you still can have six people at a time, but you pair up the characters into three teams. What this means is you have three teams of two people who are responsible for each other only. For example, Alanis the mage girl is teamed up with Dupa, the Lizard Clan chief. Alanis can use medicine to heal Dupa but she can't use it on Koruku the dog or Geddoe the mercenary. Also, if you want double combination attacks at all, you must always pair up those same two people (can be annoying if your setup is composed of various characters). Magic also has a new system where there is an actual charge time to spells before they can be cast. The speed is determined by skill level (which you can raise at schools and libraries) and if the character is generally very good with that elemental rune. What makes this bad is that one element has to be cast with caution: fire. If you're not careful with the spell's actual execution, you can end up cooking your teammates instead of the monsters. Thankfully, a turn meter is available during battle to show you the point at which the spell will be cast. On a final note, there is no longer a Rune combination feature for the big spells, so don't bother trying to cast two spells at the same time for a big Rune attack.

System: Well the newest system in this Suiko is the skill system. Skills are the abilities of characters that improve their combat efficiency. Skills are either innate (by level) or bought at learning centers to add to a character's list. Each character can reach a certain grade level with skills. Anything from B+ to S is great while B and below is average/horrible. Skills cost skill points (which are earned after battles) to first attain from a center as well as upgrade. Depending on what the highest letter grade they can attain, the point cost for upgrading can either be grossly high or happily cheap. You can also tell how good a character can be with a skill by reading the skillmaster's comment. If the master says you need way more practice, skip it; if he says you have unbridled potential, grab it. These skills greatly improve your fighting and spellcasting to the point monsters may not ever get a turn in, so you should definitely invest in skills to get anywhere.

Overall: Suikoden 3 is cool in some ways, while quite lame in others, and because of this odd contrast, Suikoden 2 will seem way better to fans of the series. Give it a try if you're a fan, otherwise beware the downsides. For completing the game, you do get a nice extra which will please fans of a certain character who has been in all the Suiko games to date. If anything, the game's ups outweigh its downs.

pleast suprise
Ok heres the story...your a boy from a native american/aztec ish tribe...your also a leader of a division in the harmonian army....also a knight in the zexen army....my memorys a little fuzzy....u play as these three for three chapters...then u choose who u want to play as for the next two chapters...these peoples destinys are interwinded....the thing i love about this game is that its storyline revolves around war/goverment/politics I LOVE THAT...which is why i really enjoyed this game...the abd thing is theres no voice overs and the bad thing about no voice overs is..i cant pronounce geddoes name...how do u pronounce "geddoe"?

An RPG achievement in almost every way.....
Suikoden 3 is an excellent RPG in almost every way imaginable.

The Good: Fun battle system, variety, tons of characters, cool story, trinity sight system, fun feel, combos.

The Bad: Bland graphics and characters. No cutscenes.

Bottom Line: An excellent RPG that should be played by an RPG PS2 owning fan. I highly recommend it.

BORING!Has the World Gone Mad?
To me, the appeal of Suikoden 3 to so many people is one of the world's greatest mysteries, right up there with Roswell, Stonehenge, Easter Island and JFK's assasination.Why did so many people enjoy this game so much?My theory is that someone switched the discs in my game when I bought it, and that I was actually playing a fake version of Suikoden 3 that really, really, REALLY sucked.

Well at any rate, I'll review the game that *I* played.

Suikoden 3 is terrible.It is one of the most boring games I've played in my life, and I played all the way through it.Up to the very end, I kept telling myself that the game MUST get better (based on the reviews I read).Yep, right up to when they started rolling the credits I promised myself the game would get better.

It didn't.Elizabeth R. Powell's review is actually a pretty good description of my experience, though I would disagree with her contention that Hugo's plotline was worth playing.It wasn't.The worst part of the game hands are the game triggers (those events that happen when you enter a certain place that "triggers" the game to progress).Some of the game triggers are so random it's ridiculous.Sometimes, the game doesn't even tell you what you need to do next (like the chapter you spend recruiting people, and you have to talke to EVERYBODY in ALL the towns you visit).I spent countless wasted hours running from screen to screen trying to figure out how to progress that damn game, baffled because apparently I was supposed to know I to go to some remote corner of the castle to speak with some character I've never even met before.How in the world was I supposed to know to do that?And of course the overly high random encounter rate, coupled with the boring terrain and terrible music made the whole experience dreadful.

The story hardly makes up for the game either.In fact, if the game had good gameplay, I'd probably complain about the boring storyline.The uninspiring characters make you think Konami game designers flung darts at a personality chart to come up with their characters.

All in all, not even worth a rental.But I do implore you, if you are the least bit curious about the game based on the other reviews (reviewers bribed by Konami no doubt, CONSPIRACY I tell you), RENT, don't buy, the game.Don't worry, I'm sure you won't mind if you don't finish it in time.

Great story
Most of the next gen RPGs have great cuts scene and graphics, but no real story or game play substance. This is the first ps2 RPG that seems to have a great mixture of everything. No annoying 10-minute cut secences. Lots of action, memerobal characters and much as 100 + game play. There are a few minor problems, and some areas seemed unfinished. Looking forward to Suikoden IV. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

You don't have to be a hard-core gamer to notice that innumerable--not tomention impressive--role-playing games (RPGs) have been released for the SonyPlayStation. Although the fourth installment in the Breath of Fire seriesis a fine RPG, it's doesn't quite hold a flame to the best of the aforementionedalternatives.

Breath of Fire IV is a single-player game that continues the story withthese "dragon people," who gave their lives to eradicate the evil goddess andrestore peace in their world. This time around, battle has broken out betweentwo powerful continents, and the fair Princess Elena has disappeared during atour of the war-torn region. The princess's sister, Nina, who reigns o'er theWindia Kingdom, vows to retrieve her missing sibling. She meets Ryu along theway, who joins the epic quest.

Breath of Fire IV's gameplay is refreshingly simple, with only a fewminor additions to its predecessor's battle system. Most noticeably, a new combosystem lets spells dish out more damage than when cast alone, by working inconjunction with other spells. As before, Ryu can transform into a dragon orhybrid half-human, half-dragon creature to gain special attack powers. The partywill pick up other drifters throughout the game, some of whom have the power totransform.

Each town opens up a new set of subquests and minigames (yup--there's anotherfishing game here, folks), both of which add longevity and replayability toBreath of Fire IV, although not everyone will appreciate the mandatorynature of these diversions.

Like many Japanese-bred RPGs, the musical score and crisp sound effects areexcellent, but there is very little voice talent in the game. In all, Breathof Fire IV is a solid, although not fantastic, RPG. --Todd Mowatt

Pros:

• Solid story
• Effective battle system
• Extraordinary musical score

• Average graphics
• Sometimes-awkward control and camera angles

Features

• Search the war-torn regions to find the princess in this fantasy RPG
• More than 200 spells to learn and master
• Higher resolution characters in a vast 3D world
• Two epic intertwining storylines
• For 1 player

Reviews (33)

A Grave Disapointment
When I bought this game I expected something as good as BOF III or better. Sadly it turns out this game is the Mystic Quest (for those familiar with the Final Fantasy series) of the BOF RPG's. Since I only paid 16 dollars including shipping I don't feel too bad, but I can recomend this game only for completist collectors unless you can get it for what I paid or less. If you have an old Super Nintendo game box and don't have BOF and BOF II, get them first, they're better.

Breath of Fire Review and conclusion (By Steven Lawrie)
For a PS1 game this rules! Graphics are good (For a PS1 game) loads of spells to learn, hundreds of enemies to beat, good storyline, can carry loads of items, lots of possibiltes and the list goes on! Plus the game is long not a puny 5 level game and that's it! this game lasts! A must have!

This is a very fun and cool game...
I'd say that this is a very fun and interesting game. The sidequests are good, because it makes the game even longer. The only thing about this game that many people don't like, is the camera settings. People say that they can be very frustrating. The music for this game is great. The themes for the variety of towns is fantastic! The battle system is pretty good too. You can learn different abilities from enemies by gaurding. If the name of the attack appears in blue, then that means it can be learned, but it may take some time to learn it. All the characters in this game are all skilled fighters, so you might want to rotate which ones you'll use. Also, everyone will get the same amount of experince points (EXP) after a battle. Hope this review helped!

To me, this is one of the best games I have ever played! I hope you buy it, becuase you'll love it!

Improves with Age...
When I bought BOF IV on its release, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the simple plot and rather poor graphics.

However, being (as I am) temporarily broke, with the prospect of any new PS 2 games being but a distant horizon-blip, I decided to give it another go, and I have to say, I am delighted I did.

BOF IV is not a game about technical bedazzlement or complicated quests with much philosophising. It is not a Final Fantasy game! Nor, in fifteen years' time, will it be remembered as a Classic, like the FInal Fantasies. But it's still an excellent homage to the early days of RPGs like Shining Wisdom, the original Zelda, and The Legend of Oasis games.

Briefly, the plot: Cray and Princess Nina are investigating the disappearance of Nina's sister Elina, when they run across Ryu, a strange boy with no past and no direction. Their quest to find Elina and give Ryu a life takes them across several continents, accumulating a cast of memorable characters and unravelling a plot that involves Dragons, Civil War and theological Entities.

What I am most impressed with is the simplicity and clarity with which BOF IV plays. Stylishly retro, the graphics are actually rather good - with more frames of animation and bigger, brighter characters than before - and some lovely spell effects. Everything is drawn in real-time, and the option to rotate the camera a full 360 degrees compensates much for the lousy camera angles one often runs across.

The control system, too, is very easy to get to grips with and user-friendly - spells and abilities are learned and interchangeable - and the Combo system is a nice, innovative touch.

The characters are decent, well-thought out personalities, but lack diversity. So far, so good.

Sadly, BOF IV, like Onimusha after it, is just a little too far entrenched on the side of 'mundane' to be a truly memorable classic. It does take a good three or four hours of play time before the plot and characterisation picks up and by this time, you may well be unable to forgive the game its rather uninspiring opening. Similarly confusing, and dull, are the playable early sections starring Fou-Lu, the Laguna Loire to Ryo's Squall. Like the rest of the game, thankfully, these sections get progressively better, and by the end, you'll have formed an affectionate attachment to BOF IV.

All in all, an excellent little title with one or two sadly fatal flaws that keep it from being a Classic, BOF IV is a definite reccommendation if you can get it cheap...

a cool game
this game is almost like Suikodin in this game you is two different kind of people one of the side are good the other side is evil that's becuase both of them saperate form each other and they both are dragons. ... Read more