Features

• Cockpit design alike actual car models
• Original FIA GT Series cars and courses
• Real racing teams featuring more than 70 racecars, including the Porsche 996, Viper GTS-R, BMW Z3 M, and Ferrari 550 Maranello
• Car physics based on actual racecar telemetry data
• Sounds recorded from actual racecars

Reviews (3)

Best racing sim on the market
This is, without doubt, the best racing sim on the market. Models are outstanding, physics are tops, sounds are awesome, support is excellent, and the 3 new add-ons are definitely meant for the American market: the creators of GTR have already added 3 ovals to satisfy left-turn-itis... You have 3 levels of difficuly: Arcade, Semi-pro, and Simulation. Simulation is very difficult, while Arcade is quite easy. Lots of cars, lots of tracks, lots of options. Have fun!!

drivers heaven !
this is the best experience i have ever made in racing game !
forget about gran tourismo 4. i am now on the game since 1 week and playing it nearly 12 hours a day. my opinion now, this is the most realistic and hardcore game of all categories...

and i love the porsche`s in it... :-)

GTR FIA GT Racing Game PC
If you have any interest in racing games, and you own a PC, then this is the game for you. Two words: Incredibly Detailed. You can customize nearly every aspect of the game.For example, want to drive in the cockpit view but can't see over the dashboard? No problem - use the hotkeys to adjust the drivers seat. You can even tell the game to add driver head movement so you can actually look through a turn the way real drivers do.You can adjust every part of the car to make it handle exactly how you want it to handle.
The graphics are fantastic.You can adjust so many graphic settings that it should run on most computers.The car detials are exact, though most of the race car sponsors are unfamiliar to me.The cars have different paint schemes and customizations.Even the cockpits are exact replicas of the real sports cars.
The gameplay is near perfect.That is, you can modify the game to make it as hard as you want it to be.The cars all exhibit real physics with down forces and tire wear just to name a few.The game gives you three modes to play, from Arcade mode to Simulation.Remember, this game is designed as a simulator, so the game has a steep learning curve.I recommend a good two analog stick game pad to get the most out the game. And practice changing the setting to make the game comfortable to play.
Overall, the game is fun and deep, with excellent graphics and sound.What more could you want in your race car driving simulation?

---Update: For a game with so many settings, you can't adjust the number of laps in the arcade mode.Seems like they should have added that.Also, the game is very hard.I have spent most of my time playing in Arcade mode.Just be prepared to practice, ... Read more

Product Description

The Star Wars universe is expanded and enhanced in this action-packed game. You'll interact with droids, Wookies, Jedi and more as you battle across the galaxy. Travel to a total of 10 awesome worlds—both familiar and new. May the force be with you. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Action/Adventure
• Mission: The ongoing battle between the Jedi and the Sith rages on. Your actions determine the outcome of this colossal galactic war—and your destiny as a Jedi
• Platform: Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (206)

Play tester anyone?
I couldn't give this game a "fun" rating, because you have to be able to play a game to know if it's any fun.I ranked it a 1 because I certainly didn't have any fun with this product.

KOTOR didn't allow me that opportunity.

When I loaded the game, the framerate was something like 5 frames per second, and that was just the main menu screen.Once I got into the actual game, it ran at about 2 fps.

It's not like I was playing this on an overclocked 486 either.This was on a brand new computer that I had literally bought the week before I tried to play this game.

My specs:

Compaq Presario 4012 notebook
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor
512MB of RAM
ATI Mobility Xpress 200 graphics card

I spent three days mucking about with Bioware's tech support forums before I got an email back from Bioware's tech support that told me that ATI graphics cards in the family that my graphics card is in are incompatible with this game.If I wanted to play it, I'd need a card from NVIDIA.

Gee, that would have been nice to know before buying the game.Maybe they could have put something in the system requirements (Far Cry, for example, lists the compatible graphics cards in the system requirements)

Furthermore, that doesn't explain the fact that the reviewers at Gamespot (who for some inexplicable reason gave the game an 8.8 ranking) noted that they game flat-out wouldn't play on three of the four systems they tried it on.These are professional game reviewers.Surely, if a system exists that could handle this game, they would have more than one.(And one that it crashed frequently on, I might add)

The review is here:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/starwarsknightsoftor/index.html?q=knights+of+the+old+republic


It's obvious that Bioware developed this game for one hardware configuration, and didn't playtest it on anything that didn't match that configuration.Bioware is currently blaming ATI for faulty drivers-- adbicating any responsibility they have to release a product that actually works as advertised.



Here's a word of advice:Before you buy this game-- or any game from Bioware-- make darn sure you contact their tech support staff and ask them if the game will work with your specific hardware setup.And don't accept a "should work" answer either.Otherwise, you might just wind up with a very expensive set of shiny coasters.

GREAT GAME
THERE IS NO PS2 VERSION!! FOR THE PERSON THAT SAID HE HAS THE PS2 VERSION OF KOTOR. ONLY PC AND X-BOX.

Awsome Game
One of the best games i ever played, great story, really 2 different games choosing light or dark sides, highly recommend to anyone, even not star wars fans, great game.

PlayStation 2 version
I have this game in the PlayStation 2 version.It's a great game.I would like to sell it if anyone is interested.

the best video game of all time!
if that doesnt say it all,i will elaborate.this is a star wars role playing game.you pick this dude,gather droids,a wookie,some soldiers,some jedis and such then travel many planets and getting into all sorts of high adventure!you can choose from a long list of force powers to have.there are weopons practicly falling out of the trees.unlike older rpgs,you have control of your characters during battle.you can even customize weopons with all sorts of cool upgrades.theres a lot of stuff to do but it is highly unstructured.you could pay very little attention to the actual story and still become powerful just fighting monsters.then theres a few more cool things.one is you can coax just about anybody into a fight.you remember the old days when a king just told your guy off and sent him on a perilous journey then screwed him out of his money later?well now,if he tells you off,you can dismember him and if you dont want to do the job,you dont have to.if he screws with you,more often than not you can force choke him or blast him.so no more putting up with mouthy npc authority typeson a power trip!the other really cool thing is you dont have to be a good guy either.now you can go to the dark side if youd like.every decision you make can ultimately lead to a dark or light side point being gained.here are some examples of bad things that can get you dark side points.............using the jedi mind trick to force a wookie to kill his best friend,or using it to make someone commit suicide,refusing to pay docking fees,smuggling,killing witnesses,going to sith school.the story even changes for whatever style guy you run.but ultimately,you fight the same last boss,just under different circumstances.this is definately worth checking out! ... Read more

Product Description

This game lets you customize your character by choosing species, gender, clothing, and more and then create a custom light saber to do battle against the forces of Darth Vader. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Action/Adventure
• Mission: Learn the true ways of the Force from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker
• Platform: Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (92)

firebrand, your pc is a load of rubbish
hey, last time i checked "P4 3.0 Ghz, 512 MB of RAM, and an ATI Radeon X300 SE with 128MB of Video Ram" is NOT a "powerhouse pc". it wasnt even a powerhouse pc 1 year ago. most pc's have been running a gig of ram for over a year. and last time they checked, they had to overclock a 3.6/3,8 ghz p4 processor to like 5ghz to match an fx55, so your processor is crap. 3.4ghz has been the standard for over a year now in most new pc's.
most gamers also use 256mb cards.

also your graphics card is also the cheapest, lowest range card ati do since yours is x300 and they go right up to x850,lol.
plus its a dell, which shows how ignorant you are about "power computers".
so yeah, dont moan and say u got a powerhouse pc, because all u got was a really rubbish spec'd pc, no doubt for a very cheap price from dell.

I CANT WAIT TO GET IT
I want this game so much it sounds like fun espically the plot. Im looking foward to playing out my favorite battle in the series the battle between maul,qui gonn,and obi-wan!!I WANT THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

best internet play ever!!
this games play is good.i was just finished with another game and board so i looked through my games i came acrose jedi academy i thought hmm could be good then i saw the multiplayer option and i was hocked!!! i ended up playing loads this game is ot only fun i realised it was also addictive.starwars fans or people who like slashing people with light sabers this is for you!!!!!!!!

Fun, awesome star wars action, one complaint
first the complaint.I just bought myself a Dell Dimension 8400 with P4 3.0 Ghz, 512 MB of RAM, and an ATI Radeon X300 SE with 128MB of Video Ram.This is a powerhouse computer.

I played Call of Duty, which graphically is a more advanced game than Jedi Academy, and finally had it play perfectly smoothly.It was such fun to do so.I then popped in Jedi Academy to test its performance in a faster environment (before I had a P4 2.0 Ghz, 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce 4, and 256 MB of RAM), and I was disappointed.I put the highest settings (1024x768, 32 bit color, high graphics) and the game ran choppy!I put it on "normal" settings, and the game STILL ran choppy.How is it possible that Call of Duty runs perfect, but Jedi Academy runs choppy?It doesn't make sense...

Anyway, you can set the graphic settings to the lowest (which is what I did), and it will play smoothly, but you won't get any of the graphics benefits.The game, however, is fun.

What happened?!!!?
This game was my introduction to Jedi Knight series. The only Star Wars game I had played before this was Knights of the Old Republic (which I loved). After finishing it I was excited about more Star Wars gaming and I tried Jedi Academy.

The game seemed to be a mixed bag: there was some great things like ability to customize your character and choosing between saber styles. The acrobatics were fantastic. But these alone were not enough to save the game: some of the graphics looked really bad especially outdoor environments. In general everything felt like it was made in great hurry: the textures, lightning and everything felt unpolished. Quake III engine is capable of much better when levels are planned with artistic vision. Character animations in cutscenes looked clumsy and unfinished. But the biggest problem with the game was the story (or the lack of it). Overall the game feels like you had different fan made maps put together.

I know a lot of people probably wanted more lightsaber combat. Well you certainly got that with this game. The problem is that it gets VERY repetitive after a while. In movies the saber fights were used sparingly and always connected to major turning points in the plot. Now it is just endless repetition (didn't I beat this guy already? Like 100 times!!!)

I recently tried Jedi Outcast (the previous game in the serie) and I was SHOCKED to realize just how much better it was in almost every way: the graphics, the plot, the missions all had real touch of quality in it. It seems Raven tried to improve some elements in the game and totally forgot everything that made Jedi Outcast such a classic. Or more likely this product just had to be finished with a real tight deadline. That just how it feels like: an unfinished product which COULD have been great if they had maintained the quality of previous game. I truly recommend Knights of the Old Republic and Jedi Outcast over this. ... Read more

Reviews (622)

Open Mind
Hey guys.I love this game, flat out.It has great characters, a good plot, a good system, and fantastic music.A lot of people think that the game is boring, or maybe they don't like the plot, but I think that those people need to just give it a chance.This was the 7th Final Fantasy I have beaten, and now I have finished 1-9, and this game is in my top four.

There are some problems with this game, but I don't think they are very critical.Most of them affect the first couple hours, but they are nothing toreally have too big a problem with.First of all, the begining is slow.There are about 4 battles in the first hour, and you finish only about 20-50 in the first few hours.Also it takes a little getting used to to get into the gameplay.Characters gain magic and abilities based on what equipment they have on.

Anyways, I put this in my top list of games, which are in order of which is most important to play

Final Fantasy VI
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VII
Earthbound
Final Fantasy IX
Chrono Cross
Xenogears

Play those RPG's and you will have experienced the best games ever made.

This is to the people
Look, I realize you are entitled to your opinions, as am I.So, let me get my two cents in.This is to the people who do not like FF( because only mages can use magic(like cure, fire, etc.).Stop complaining!Not only can Garnet and Eiko cure, but Amarant uses Chakra to cure, Freya uses a skill to cure, and so can Quina.This game DOES return to the roots which has only certain characters use magic.It makes it harder.Now, to those who claim this game is childish because of certain things.I am twenty-four years old, and I like this game a lot.My friends like this game.Even my twenty-eight year old brother likes this game.None of us think it is too childish.
To those who complain about the storyline, claiming a thirteen year old could do better.I've read the fan fictions people of such age write about the Final Fantasies; trust me, they ARE NOT BETTER.If you think you could do better, try it.By the RPG Maker, and DO IT!Betcha can't, though.If thirteen year olds COULD do better plots, you would think that such companies as Square Enix would hire them.Duh.

Great Game, despite all other opinions
First of all, I'd like to point out that I haven't played many other Final Fantasy Games, so I'm not going to compare them.

On to my thoughts about FFIX. It was the first real RPG Playstation game that I ever bought and it's the one that got made me love the genre.
Plot: 4/5 Great plot, however they fail to really explain some crucial details (for example: why does Zidane sees Garnet's memory?). A little more explanations would be nice for my lack of brain cells.
Characters: 5/5 You really do get attached to Zidane and Garnet, you laugh at Amarant's oblivious and cynical nature, and just want to shoot Thorn and Zorn. The point is, the characters are interesting and have a personality.
Gameplay: 4/5 At first it's hard to understand how to train the characters and use different accessories to learn attacks. However, once that is settled, the gameplay is great. Also, it took me forever to realize that pressing Select on the world screen brings up a map: VERY USEFUL! You'll get lost if you don't use it. Other than that, good gameplay.
Graphics: 6/5 :) Gotta love the grahics. Squaresoft created different cultures/architectures for each different country. Gaia is absolutely gorgeous. The FMVs are amazing. Two thumbs way way up for the graphics.

Overall: Though it required a lot of time training to beat Kuja and the final bosses, the game is really fun. The minigames range from "fun-for-two-seconds" (Jumprope Vivi) and "takes-forever-but-gotta-love-it" (Chocobo Hot and Cold) and the game itself is great, long and never boring. Five stars out of five it is, then. Great way to get yourself in the world of Final Fantasy.

Possibly the greatest game of all time.
Yes, i admit that I have taken risks in writing the title of this review sincem after all the title was highly opinionated, but here me out. Ill look at it from a reasonable angle.

When Final Fantasy IX (FF9) was released, it was very differant than it's predecessors, Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. It had gone from a harsh 'sci-fi' feel to a soft 'fantasy' feel. The main character was not a silent and melencholy introvert. And overall, the game had a very prelavent tone of charm and whimsy, whereas VII and VIII had, for the most part, more depressing tones. Like I said, very differant from its predecessors.

For anyone who doesnt like simple RPGs, this isnt for you. Everything in this game has been made slightly more simple. No Junction or Materia systems here. Every character has unique abilities that only he/she/it can learn. While I enjoyed VII and VIII's systems, XI's felt more believable. Believe it or not, this simplification adds some serious challenge to the game. Because not everyone can learn 'cure' or 'revive' you will have to be careful on forming your groups. and since you can't junction switch at all, you'll find that keeping all of your characters at high levels is a good idea. You cant simply put 'curaga' on someones hp and have it skyrocket. youll have to do alot of levelling up. This doesnt mean that Final Fantasy IX is impossibly hard. In factm if I were to rate its difficulty level, I would say it was 60%.

these differances in abilities add to the very well written characters. Each character feels alive, and you believe what it says. In past final fantasies some characters, although important to the story line, just didnt feel real (Cait sith, anyone?) but in Final Fantasy IX, each character seems 100% believable. Their dialoge matches their personalities seamlessly. some scenes which have no importance to the story are written in just to make you 'feel' the character. Such as when Eiko scolds Vivi for looking the wrong way and vivi says "I was just looking at the mountains".

And then you have the games visuals. Are the graphics breakthrough? no. What you have in Final fantasy IXs visuals is emotion. For example, when playing Final fantasy VIII and you look at a floor tile, it just looks like some-old floor tile. But in Final fantasy IX when you look at a floor-tile,you feel a story behind it. It looks unique to each culture's lifestyles and beliefs. You feel a bit of what the "tile maker" felt when creating it. Yes, every blade of grass in Final Fantasy IX is a work of beauriful art.

One mustn't forget the music. Final Fantasy IX lives up to the high standard of its predecessors when it comes to music. Each song is beautifully well written and perfectly placed. Cooky and silly songs play where there is a village of quirky dwarves, sullen and sad music plays in a destroyed city, and so on. Some people (myself included) would get tired of certain songs after awhile in the past final fantasies. For instance, in FFVII when I was in the gold Saucer, although the music was good, it did get tiresome and I muted the volume. Same with Finl Fantasy VIII in Balamb garden. But with Final Fantasy IX i would often just sit and listen to songs re-loop so that I coud hear and feel them again.

The storyline in Final Fantasy IX is beautiful. I wont say anything to ruin it, but trust me. Its amazing.

Out of all this, why do I say that it is possibly the greates game of all time? Well, i'll explain myself.

Does anybody remember Halo? No no, not Halo2. Halo. just plain Halo. It was revolutionary. I remember that everyone played it. everyone who had an XBOX owned Halo. (partially because after awhile XBOXs started coming with a copy of Halo, but still) it was a great game. But now, with the arrival of Halo2, it has just faded out. Even big fans of the origional have said 'Man, there really isnt any reason to play the first halo anymore." Sadly, this is how it is with alot of games. Beautiful and wonderful games slowly fade out when shiny sequals come out. Yes, Final fantasy IX felt some of this when Final Fantasy X came out, but still many many fans play final fantasy IX because of its greatness. In other words, Final fantasy has lived on despite the release of more advanced graphics and things like that.

So, I urge you,(haha, I sound so devoted) if you havent played Final Fantasy IX before, play it. Make sure you buy it, because Ive been noticing that its harder to find at Game stores than it used to be.

Finally, ill leave you with one thing. You may hate this game despite everything i've said. Guess what, people are differant. If you try this game and for some unearthly reason you loathe every second of it, well then at least you gave it a shot.

Not a masterpiece, but still a great game...
I wouldntgo as far as to say FF9 is as good as the recent FF games,or most of the games for that matter, but it is still a great game. The atmosphere of this game is a far cry from FF8's romantic, adult atmosphere. Everything is more comedic and cartoonish, but the graphics are still up to par with recent RPGs, but not very innovative. (They basically look the same as FF7 or FF8). Anyway, I'll break this review down...

Graphics- 9/10 Like I said, they are up to par with games of its time, but are not very innovative. Then again, the Playstation is very limited graphics-wise. But that's what I love about the Playstation one, the games were not all about graphics, unlike the PS2(I am not a fan of PS2 at all, or the recent FF titles.)Anyway, the character designs are a lot more old-school, especially the black mage which looks pretty cool.

Sound- 7/10 This is one of the low-points of this game, the sound isn't that amazing. FF4, 6, tactics, 7, and 8 all have amazing soundtracks, not to mention 5 as well, but this one just doesn't amaze me. After playing through this game several times and mastering it several times, I still don't really remember any tracks in the game. FF8's soundtrack blew me away, so I was hoping for the same here. The only highlights for music are on the start screen, and the world music is pretty good, as well as the battle music.

Gameplay- 10/10The setup is pretty good, making you choose abilities from items that are equipped and learn them. The junction system in FF8 was in my opinion, one of the most innovative systems ever for a video games. This games isn't very innovative, but it's still a great idea that is fun to do. Also, there's synthesis shops now, where you combine items to make armor. (much like FF8s weapon system, except now you can also buy weapons and armor as well.) Overall, this game has a great system that is a lot of fun. The card game isn't nearly as fun as FF8's in my opinion, though. In ff8, you collected cards and then could card mod them, which was also an amazing idea, but in this game the cards seem to do absolutely nothing for the player, other than giving them knowledge that they completed the game 100%, and achieved the highest card collecting level, which is also pointless. Overall, the card game is just a lame re-hash of FF8's Triad game, so dont expect a blast playing cards here, look to ff8 for that.

Controls-10/10 Basically the same controls as in every other ff game. Now there's an exclamation mark which appears over Zidanes head if you are near an item, which was a pretty good idea.

Story- 6/10 This is the games biggest weak point. In my opinion, FF9 has the most forgettable story out of any FF game. Sure, it has its high points( The idea of having summons attack the town was a great idea,and was pretty sweet to watch) But other than that, it didn't leave me feeling amazed. FF4, 6, 7, 8, tactics and heck they all had great storylines, but FF9's is pretty lame. You go after some little guy wearing a thong, and thats about it, it isnt deep like the other titles, although at times it may appear that way. It wasnt the worst storyline, but definitely not up to par.

Overall- 8/10 I have spent a good deal of my life playing this game, since it took a while to master my characters levels and find all the items, and it was definitely worth it. This is a wonderful game that all RPG fans should play. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The Dreamcast system is, in a word, awesome. Fire up Soul Calibur, and instantly you'll appreciate that the graphics and gameplay are even better than in the arcade version. And Sonic Adventure, with its light-speed gameplay, is sure to wow even the most jaded gamer.

It's amazing that such a small machine (it's about the size of your mouse pad) can deliver such incredible performance. Chalk it up to superior engineering. Dreamcast's only downside is that it comes with only one controller and a demo disc. In order to truly take advantage of Dreamcast's capabilities, we recommend outfitting the controller with a Jump Pack and a Visual Memory Unit. Getting one or more extra controllers is also a good idea, because some of the best Dreamcast games support up to four players at once.

Why it's so cool:

• Ultramodern components: Custom-made video, audio, and processor technology blows away the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation and puts Dreamcast in the same league as PS2 and XBox.
• Integrated modem: In another video-game first, Dreamcast comes with a 56K modem. Use your regular Internet service provider and the separately sold keyboard to access e-mail, shopping, and the World Wide Web. Not only can you upload high scores, participate in chat discussions, and download updates and enhancements for your games, but, through a membership to the SegaNet Internet service provider, you can play Quake III Arena, NFL 2K1, and other games against Dreamcast owners over the Internet.
• The Visual Memory Unit (VMU): More than just a memory card, the VMU is a miniature portable game system that fits inside a controller--so its LCD screen is easily seen by you but hidden from your opponent.
• All-in-one entertainment: It plays games. It plays audio CDs. It connects to the Internet and lets you browse the Web or e-mail friends. Our note to the cost-conscious: If you have a Dreamcast system, you just don't need a separate CD player or a separate computer. Dreamcast does it all, and does it well.

Reviews (930)

The Sega Dreamcast is better than a Gamecube.
I love the Sega Dreamcast so much. The Dreamcast has online and a Gamecube dose not. A Dreamcast is easyer. A Gamecube is more harder. Dreamcast has more better games than Gamecube. Gamecube is just a copy of a Dreamcast. I give a Gamecube a 7.5 . I give a Sega Dreamcast a 9.5 . I wish they haven't stop making games for the Dreamcast.

Hours of good fun playing!
I bought a Dreamcast last week for (...)with more than 20 games and I'm very happy I did! Some games on it are just amazing.. I have an xbox but I love fighting games and Dreamcast has a bunch of quality ones. I can also play, nes, snes, mega drive and mames games on TV: that's just the best ! Very cool console.

Dreamcast
The release of NHL 2K2 marks the end of the Sega Dreamcast's remarkable run. While production of the Dreamcast may be over, the legacy lives on. In the dreamcasts short lived life time 248 Dreamcast titles were released. The first console to venture into online gameplay, Dreamcast has a built-in 56K modem. With 128-bit processing, 3D audio capabilities and stellar 3D graphics, your gameplay experience just got better.

When you purchase Dreamcast, you receive the Dreamcast console, 56K modem, one standard Dreamcast Controller, Stereo A/V cable, power cable, ten-meter phone cable, Internet browser CD-ROM, game sampler CD-ROM, and instruction manual.

Peak graphics performance of over three million polygons per second provided by the PowerVR 2DC graphics engine for the fastest, most sophisticated 3D graphics ever seen on a videogame console.

128-bit 3D processing power provides amazing lighting and other special effects.

Built-in 56kbps modem for the ultimate in multiplayer online gaming.

16 megabytes of memory for huge, complex game worlds.
64-voice CD-quality audio.

Four built-in controller ports for easy multi-player action.
Built-in high-speed expansion ports.

If you a collector and want the last sega console ever made then dreamcast can be had for about $40 to $20 bucks depending on where you look

a chunk of moneydown the drain
I bought it, but then I bought sonic adventure 2 after that. I turned my console on, then the screen turned pitch black. It froze. If you want to play sonic adventure or sonic adventure 2, buy a NINTENDO GAMECUBE. I know those work. This system is 6 years old. If you buy it, a big clump of money is down the drain. Now, go to the homepage and type 'gamecube' in the search bar for amazon.com and start shoppin'!

What is wrong with you ppl?
Ok, Ive been reading the reviews and I'm A bit angry. Sega revolutionized the market with Dreamcast.Without it, alot of the games we play now might not even exist. Without Sega, We might not even have 3-D games. The first systems with true 3-D capabilities were the Saturn and PS1 and the PS1 technology was stolen from Nintendo! The Playstation was A CD add-on for Super Nintendo but when Sony was recruited, they stole the technology and the name. If Nintendo were to launch a lawsuit and the new home console code named revolution, you would be buying Nintendo PSP because Sony would be wiped out. As for the Dreamcast, it was a great system but because the phanboys failed to see that, it failed. As for the phanboys in question, if you cant even capitalize letters, your not worth my time. Stop putting bad reviews here and go play your PS2. ... 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

While planning the perfect vacation on Dinosaur Island, things go awry for Mario and Luigi when they learn that Princess Peach has been kidnapped again by the ever-diabolical Bowser. Being chivalrous plumbers, Mario and Luigi set out on a massive adventure to rescue their long-time friend. To reach their goal, they'll have to crush Bowser's evil Koopalings and solve some of the most challenging puzzles they've ever faced. ... Read more

Features

• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Action/Adventure

Reviews (251)

Polishing a classic
There's pretty much a debate on the best Super Mario game: Super Mario 3, Super Mario World or Yoshi's Island(but you control Yoshi instead). Some might say Mario 64 but the lack of gameplay moves doesn't hold a candle to the many gameplay mechanics each one of the 3 provide. So we delve into one of them: Super Mario World.

Story: What little story there is. As usual, Princess Peach gets kidnapped(I swear that b**** needs bodyguards or take up karate or something). So it's up to Mario to save the day as he traverses worlds in caves, the chocolate level, underwater and in the air.

Graphics: This is Super Nintendo graphics so granted these aren't stunning anymore. But it does have a nice vibrancy to it and the variety of the levels adds some nice changes to the scenery without being too repetitive.

Sound/Music: I often call Nintendo good support music. Besides the Mario theme, nothing is really hummable yet it doesn't feel out of place. They added some voices for Mario and Luigi which as usual get annoying.

Gameplay: I remember playing this on the SNES and I was so happy I cleared all 96 stages, got the Star Road finished, the secret areas and everything. Now I have to do it again, ugh. All the levels are here with some minor tweaks.

It was this one I believe they introduced one of Mario's famous sidekicks: Yoshi, the green dinosaur who likes to eat anything and s**t it out and makes eggs that he can fling at people(only in Yoshi's Island and maybe some others). He also turned into a different colored Yoshi depending on what he ate. So red turtles gave him abilities to shoot fireballs while one enabled him to fly and another gave a slight earthquake quality when he bounced.

Mario 3 wins in turns of transforming Mario. In 3, he had the tanooki suit(that raccoon), the frog suit, that shoe, not to mention the fire flower and the leaf, capable of making him fly. With this one he gets the fire flower and the feather, giving him a yellow Superman cape where he can fly. It's different than the leaf cause that just made him soar straight up while here you can fly across. He can glide down by just holding the button while in 3 you had to repeatedly hit it.

The Mario Advance ports are great for us old school gamers who remembers playing Chrono Trigger, Uniracers and Final Fantasy III(officially VI but that's another story). Don't forget about Mario 3 and Yoshi's Island too.

This is an old classic, but it cannot overshadow Mario Bro 3
The game is good and then some. There is so much to do, you may never do it all.
The story is that Peach is not in the witness protection program and gets kidnapped once again. You and Luigi must save her.
On the map you can alternate between Luigi and Mario just by a press of a button. All in all, it does not matter. The game is no harder or easier. Luigi has a better jump but is slower than Mario.
In the levels your goal is to get to the end without dying. The twist in this game is that any red dot on the map means there is more than one exit. And many of them are hard to find. Upon finding them, you are able to gain access to a different path on the map.
This is a must. You will see dotted lines everywhere in a certain color. What you must do is find a certain special exit and you get to go to a block palace. They will fill in the lines with blocks that match the colors. Now these blocks give you access to new places and sometimes save your life.
Running around in the levels, you get four different powerups and they vary from mushroom to stars. If you had Mario before, you know what they do. The new addition is Yoshi. He can add an extra hit to your life and eat enemies and more! Plus, by special exits, you can go to star world. Beating a level there the right way will give you access to a new yoshi. Some will turn enemies eaten into fire while others can fly when they have any enemy in their mouth. They appear at random
The bosses can be brutal. Each boss either has three or four hits. You must find the special way to beat them. This will be easy, but causes you to keep readjusting throughout the game.
You may never do everything.
You need help to do everything. So buy a strategy guide.

Best Game EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
For a gamer like me, that is, someone who likes basic yet chalenging games, this is a must.Its fun never wears away, because there's always something new to do.Play either as Mario, who is fast but a bad jumper, or Luigi who jumps far and high.I love this game!!!!!!!!

My all time favorite Mario game.
This game is the greatest Mario game I have ever played. All the Mario's seem to have gone down hill to me since this 4th installment. But now that this classic SNES game has been revived and upgraded to the GBA, its back, and even better then ever!

There is a few differences between this and the SNES version, but they just make this version better!!! Theres a few new halfway markers, theres 5 Yoshi coins to collect on each stage, and when your found them all you get princess coins... but everything is still there and just as much fun as ever. I only wish I could program some add ons into it somehow.

Super Mario, Super Good
Super Mario world is the best gameboy game I have ever played!
The levels are hard, but no so hard that you stay on one level for a month. Some of the levels, are a bit frustrating though. Some examples would be the "big green goop balls",The boos, and the big boo who are in some ghost houses. They are impossible to defeat and you cannot touch them without losing your special ability or life! Also,there are some enemys not mentioned on the "Denizens of Dinosoar Land" paper, like the "skeleton birds". I think the music for this game is good, but others might say it's cheesy. It's fun to ride "Mr. Dinosoar"a.k.a Yoshi, but the controls are hard to learn for him, and regular Mario/Luigi. It might be easier for some people, because I am a person who likes to not read instruction booklets. Some of the graphics are funny, like when you do a run jump your belly comes forward, and if you collect a certain item you inflate like a balloon, and when Luigi jumps, h wiggles his feet! You can "cheat" on certain levels by using a cape to fly across the sky of the level, avoiding most enemies. ... Read more

Product Description

FLIGHT SIM 2004 CENT/FIT WIN32 EN DVD BOX CD ... Read more

Features

• Dynamic weather system based on realistic atmospheric physics, with true three-dimensional clouds that form and dissipate, and automatic real-world weather updates when you're connected to the Internet.
• Weather "themes" that generate a wide variety of stunningand challengingflying conditions with just a few clicks of a mouse
• Enhanced interactive air traffic control (ATC), including traffic at all airports around the world (including non-towered airports), altitude changes en route, pop-up IFR clearances, and precision and non-precision approaches to multiple runways
• Interactive 3D "virtual" cockpitstune radios and operate key aircraft controls and avionics by pointing and clicking in the virtual cockpit view.
• Scenery improvements, including taxiway and runway signs, enhanced auto-gen 3D objects, more high-detail airports, and improved lighting and sky effects

Reviews (101)

The best FS till date!
I've had MSFS2004 for the last 3 months and there's not a single day that I haven't played it. Its just that absorbing! Some reasons for this are much improved GPS navigation, more interactive ATC and ofcourse, the new airplanes.

But I'm not a huge fan of classic aircraft, and I fly my favourite plane, the 737, all the time and it is an absolute joy to fly it on MSFS2004 with the new GPS system. Its accurate to the T for precision landings. The detail paid to accuracy is mindblowing, specially runways and airport layouts. I live in a relatively smaller city of India and I was stunned to find that the airport layout is almost exactly the same as the real one here!

I do face some problems with the game, mainly with screen resolution which flickers when I have the game on high or ultra-high display settings. Also, external scenery transition isn't smooth with high display settings. Microsoft could also have done a better job with the aircraft paint jobs - the orange scheme of Soar Airlines is disgusting.

PROS:

- New additions like GPS and interactive ATC are excellent
- Airports are accurately detailed (there are almost 25,000 of them!)
- Good value for money

CONS:

- Doesn't work smoothly with high display settings. Images are not crisp
- Cockpit graphics are substandard

TIPS:

- If you're looking for some real challenge alongwith great scenery, try flying the ILS approaches into Princess Juliana Airport in St. Maarten, Madeira in Portugal, Male in the Maldives and Osaka Kansai Airport in Japan (built on an artificial island)
- Try flying the polar route and check out the Northern Lights at night! Eg: Taipei-Anchorage, Moscow-New York etc.

Also, I have a question which I hope readers can help me with. I'm unable to turn the aircraft left or right while on pushback. I've tried using the numbers 1 and 2 key as mentioned in the handbook, but it doesn't work. Can somebody help me with this? I would really appreciate the help.

Enjoy this game!

Item Good Seller NOT
I don't have a problem with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. As expected it's good. The store that is selling this particular item is the problem!

I've seen where many customers have had good experiences when they get what they ordered from this company but those of us that didn't get what we ordered have had nothing but problems.

Don't believe the advertised Limited Edition Tin box. It isn't! When trying to contact customer service: The first time the gentleman on the phone was nice and said a manager would reply the next day. The manager didn't. After a week I called, waited on hold for 22 minutes, the lady on the phone argued with me that the manager did reply by e-mail, although my inbox showed nothing from this company other than the original purchase verification. When I asked if it could be re-sent she said no. When I asked to speak to a manager, she said he was in a meeting. Her overall tone was rude and not at all helpful!

When I finally received a return authorization number, I prepared the item for return and then wanted to make sure shipping would be reimbursed also. After e-mailing Gamestop 3 times, I finally got a reply and stated only the price of the item would be refunded. (Wow their e-mail actually reached me this time!)

This company has no customer service as demonstrated by the false advertising, the rude associates, the difficult customer-company communication, and the fact that when they advertised a product and didn't deliver it as advertised, they feel that they are the ones who shouldn't live up to their promises. The $29.99 price is higher than even Amazon because you think they are selling the Limited Edition. Don't be fooled, save $5 and buy somewhere else.

Bottom line: DON'T SUPPORT GAMESTOP OR PURCHASE FROM THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK! I know I'll never buy anything from them ever again!

best sim so far
I OWN TWO PREVIOUS VESIONS MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 95,98 AND NOW 2004 A CENTURY OF FLIGHT.IN MY OPINION MICROSFT HAS DONE A BETTER JOB WITH THE 2004 VERSION,MORE AIRCRAFT TO FLY A REALY GREAT FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ROD ,IMPROVED ATC,ONE THING THOUGH LETS HOPE THAT WHEN 2006 COMES OUT(IT'S ALL HUSH HUSH AT MICROSOFT HQ)THAT THEY WILL AT LEADT ADD NEWER AIRCRAFT MY FAVORITE BIENG THE AIRBUS A321 WHICH I FLEW TO EUROPE ON,AND THE CITATION X BY CESSNA.

Good Sim, But Remember the "Sim" Part!
I have been using flight simulators since MS Flight Simulator 4.0, and have more diverse experience than only Microsoft's offering to call upon.While any simulator can be made quite realistic with the latest hardware and enough money, it is important to note that Microsoft's offering is no different - you cannot, as they say, make a silk purse out of a pig's ear.This means that if you're running an underpowered system, you will not be able to run the simulation optimally.

Published system requirements:
* Pentium 450 or greater processor
* 64 MB RAM for 98/Me, 128 MB RAM for 2000/XP
* 8 MB/3-D with DirectX 7.0 or later videocard
* 1.8 GB hard drive space

My recommendation:
* P4 2.x GHz processor; the faster, the better
* 512MB RAM, with ideally 1GB under the hood
* 128MB / 256MB AGP video card that pushes TONS of pixels - the more, the better
* At least 5GB free hard drive space - You'll want to do a full install, and that comes in just under 3GB (2.88GB, I think)

I run on:
* P4 3.0GHz processor
* 1GB RAM
* Windows XP PRO (SP1)
* 256MB 8xAGP GeForce 5700 series NVidia video card
* Sidewinder joystick (soon to go, thanks to some pedals and a yoke I ordered!)
* On-board surround sound processor

The software itself is practically infinitely extendable, with software and hardware add-ons supported.A quick look around in the flightsim community will support my assertion that the software is CHEAP compared to what can be done to augment it.Add-on packages are available to augment FS2004's admitidedly weak "ground mesh" mapping - flying through Norway's waterways and coasts with the default scenery is nothing next to the real thing, and pales in comparison to some of the add-on packages (both for photo-texturing and mesh-building) out there.But of course, these things cost money (sometimes), as does building and maintaining a system that can fully take advantage of the software.

This is a SIMULATOR, remember - a dozen years ago something like this with a set of pedals and yoke would have been a BIG deal and far out of the reach of the home consumer.Now, as the bar of admission lowers, it is important to realize just how MANY numbers are being crunched every second (most of those in graphics routines), and spec a system appropriately.It might not be a multi-million dollar prospect to own any longer, but to adaquately run the simulator and get something "real" out of it, it is certainly not unheard of to run multi-head (throwing many monitors onto a machine) for a partial panoramic view - but, of course, realism comes at its price.

Excellent tool
This verison is better than ever and a great tool for learing to fly IFR. The dynamic weather is amazing to say the least.

For fans of the other versions this is a must have. ... Read more

Reviews (451)

Stange is good
Majora's Mask is a strange game: while it is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, it is clearly a Zelda game of a very different shade.

It begins with Link slowly trudging deep in the Lost Woods, with his trusty horse, Epona, when he is attacked by a masked and mischevious Skull Kid - who steals his precious Ocarina and Epona. Worse still, the Skull Kid turns Link into a Deku form of himself, and Link finds himself in a strange Mirror - like Hyrule. Things turn even worse when Link finds the moon slowly getting bigger over the course of 3 days...

Majora's Mask features the very same Gameplay as Ocarina of Time, with a few exceptions. The entire course of the game is set within 3 days or 72 hours - and hours seem to pass like minutes, giving a player a total of just over an hour. While this may seem off-putting, it is implemented very well - people have set schedules over the course of the game, meaning you will be pottering around the Clock Town while not in dungeons, with the promise of an upgrade - or even a new mask.

Masks, as the title suggests, play an important role - some make you run faster, talk to enemies, summen foes or sooth arguements and more. There are a total of 24 masks to collect, the reward being a mask containing "The Merits of all masks". The best of the masks are the ones that allow transformation. (Let's face it, who HASN'T dreamed of swimming as a Zora or rolling as a Goron) The Zora Mask, the Goron Mask and the Deku mask. they allow you to transforminto all your favourites from Ocarina, each with the gifts of the species - Super fast swimming, Incredible strength, and, er, spitting nuts.

Majora's Mask is harder, darker and more original than Ocarina of Time - the unique aspects of the game are implemented very well but the way the game is played may be off-putting for some. Brilliant and totally original.

P.S. the start bits kinda boring.

The darkest in the Zelda catalogue
If only that damn site IGN didn't take my idea first. They described this game as the Empire Strikes Back in Zelda and it's true. It's more darker, more gloomy and at times it can even be depressing. Unlike Ocarina of Time which oozed coolness and wonderment or Wind Waker which was cheery and uplifting due to its look, Majora's Mask is quite different than other installments but in no way is it bad, it's just different.

Story: I always considered this game more like an epilogue to Ocarina of Time rather than a full sequel. At the start of the game directly taking place after Ocarina, Link is in a forest and gets ambushed by Skull Kid and is turned into a Deku(they look like tiny trees with a long mouth) and enters a portal. From here Link finds himself in Termina, a land that is gonna be destroyed by a falling moon in 3 days. So it's up to Link once again to save the day using the powers of time and this weird masks.

Graphics: Reviewing this game in 2005 with such games as Metroid Prime, Halo and Metal Gear Solid 3 of course puts Majora to shame but remembering the graphics at that time, it's more of an extension of Ocarina only darker and not as vibrant. Due to maybe the Expansion Pak or just the game itself, the game does have framerate issues and some rough textures. Beware that the Gamecube re-release on the Collector's Edition sometimes freezes the game.

Gameplay: All Zelda games pretty much to this day revolved around some kind of "gimmick": in Ocarina it was time travelling, Wind Waker was controlling the wind, Minish Cap was the ability to shrink to thumbnail size and the Oracle series revolved around time travelling and season changing. Majora's Mask revolves around, yep you guessed it, masks. Link with the benefit of 24 masks(25 if you get all 24), Link can turn into different characters such as the Deku race, Goron race(big tough creatures with a taste for rocks) and the Zora race(fish people roughly). Or there's different masks like Postman, Ghost, or Bunny mask which makes him run faster.

The other aspect for the 3rd time in Zelda's history revolves around time travelling, once in Ocarina and the other in Oracle of Ages. Only this time it's different. You see the game's clock makes 3 days take about roughly 50 minutes before the moon crashes so with the Ocarina you can go back to Day 1 and start over, even make the time go slower so you have more time. This is quite annoying to say the least since your funds, arrows and bombs revert to zero if you go back to Day 1, your items are intact, your extra stuff isn't. And also you could be in the middle of a dungeon to be really close only to be on the final day and have to reset to Day 1, which incidentally cancels any progress you made in the dungeon.

Not to say the game is bad(it's just slightly hard) but it's quite enjoyable to go through, if you don't mind it's tone anyway.

very very good but,not as good as 'ocarina of time'
I played the Legend of zelda ocarina of time in 1997,WHAT A YEAR THAT WAS!!!I had so much fun!then in gameinformer magazine the new preveiws page said that there was going to be a new game called 'the legend of zelda:majora's mask'it was about link going to a new land where the moon is falling and he has only 3 days to live and on the third day link has to play the song of time so that he can go back to the first day,I HAD TO HAVE IT!but then half a year later when it came out,I was very upset because when I played it,it was too easy and I beat it in almost a week!when I played'Ocarina of time'it took me almost two YEARS!but other then that it was a fun game,Very fun in fact.I really liked that you can upgrade your sword,when in 'ocarina of time'the master sword is what you see what you get!PROS TO MAJORAS MASK:There are lots of masks that you can get and they give powers(like fast running),you can upgrade your sword twice,there are new songs for link to play on his ocarina and there is a bank so link can have alot of money!CONS:you have to play 'the song of time'way to often because the moon is falling for some reason and you have only 3 days to live,finding more then half of the masks are very hard to find,the game has only four temples and they are all very hard way too short.but all in all this game is worth around $15.00,so if you like the other Zelda games try this one too!

Zelda
A great game but it doesn't have the zelda magic if you want a good N64 Zelda I would get Ocarina of Time.

Amazing with a suprise in every repeat!
This is truly an impressive game!Although many say this is the worst Shigeru has ever made in a Zelda game, I love this on top of all others.Although this game is repeated because of the 3 day repeat, I found that every time i traveled back, i was able to find something new to do.What other game designer can make three days, exactly the same, have so much differentiation between them. truly a work of art. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Though it looks like a toy, don't be fooled: the Nintendo GameCube is a powerful video game console that rightly deserves its place among the other next-generation game systems. In fact, its playful, appealing design and small size (the unit is a not-quite-cubed 6 inches) aren't the only features that set it apart from the others.

For starters, Nintendo has quite clearly made this a game-only machine. It doesn't try to play your CD collection, run your movies, read your e-mail, or store your MP3 files. The company has concentrated its efforts on games. All the prelaunch titles we've seen play smoothly, with bright, fast graphics and great sound. Nintendo says its engineers have removed traditional bottlenecks that have, in the past, slowed down processing. New components designed by IBM and MoSys, as well as a large-capacity secondary memory cache, keep instructions moving through the system's microprocessor (MPU) at peak levels. In English: the GameCube is optimized to push speed up while pushing costs down; hence its position at the lower end of the price spectrum.

The GameCube is the first Nintendo video game system to use a disc-based medium rather than cartridges for its games. Moving the software to disc media generally means lower development costs for the publishers, which, in turn, trickles down to the consumer not only in price, but also in availability and quality, as it's then easier to try out untested game ideas (Pikmin, anyone?). While most other systems likewise have their games stored on discs, the GameCube's 3-inch format is smaller than everyone else's, and is so designed to fit in a shirt pocket as much as to deter would-be software pirates.

Of course, the main advantage of the GameCube is that it's the home field of one of the world's premier game designers: Nintendo. While powerhouses Electronic Arts and Sega make games for all systems (including this one), you can play Nintendo games only on a Nintendo system. And Nintendo, you might recall, has been hitting them out of the park since it started with Donkey Kong. In fact, here's a roll call of characters and series you won't find on the other consoles: Mario, Legend of Zelda, Perfect Dark, Metroid, Kirby, and, of course, Pokémon. A few names that the GameCube will share with the other guys: Madden, Tony Hawk, Sonic, Batman, and Star Wars.

The system also comes with four built-in controller ports, so you can easily plug in extra controllers and let friends join in for the multiplayer games--it's even got a built-in handle so you can easily move it to a friend's house. It comes with two memory card slots for saving your progress through games, and there's the capacity for future expansion into the world of online gaming.

In short, the GameCube isn't an all-in-one entertainment system, and neither is it the most powerful of the modern video game consoles. But for video game enthusiasts who want to stick with their favorite characters, its value cannot be beat. --Porter B. Hall

Unit Specifications

• MPU (Microprocessor Unit): 485 MHz custom IBM PowerPC Gekko
• Graphics Processor: 162 MHz custom ATI/Nintendo Flipper
• Texture-Read Bandwidth: 10.4 GB per second (peak)
• Main Memory Bandwidth: 2.6 GB per second (peak)
• Pixel Depth: 24-bit color, 24-bit Z buffer
• Sound Processor: 81 MHz custom Macronix 16-bit DSP
• Sound Performance: 64 simultaneous channels, ADPCM encoding
• Polygon Performance: 6 to 12 million polygons per second (peak)
• System Memory: 40 MB
• Main Memory: 24 MB MoSys 1T-SRAM
• Disc Drive: 128 ms CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) system
• Data Transfer Speed: 16 Mbps to 25 Mbps
• Media: 3-inch, 1.5 GB capacity disc
• Controller Ports: Four
• Memory Card Slots: Two
• Audio-Video Output: Analog and digital
• Dimensions: 4.3 by 5.9 by 6.3 inches (height by width by depth)

Features

• External bandwidth of 3.2GB/sec, for really fast gameplay
• It also includes 64 sound channels -- you'll feel like you're in the game, with the top-quality audio
• The new 485MHz processor makes loading & starting the games faster than ever -- no more long load times!
• The processor is also capable of creating 6 to 12 million ploygons per second -- no more slowdowns in the middle of the game!
• Supports instructions for incredible effects -- your games will be brighterm faster, and more dramatic than ever before

Reviews (487)

You are right and wrong 1 star folks
Okay,I agree with you,this system is sort of childish. But the what you call "childish games" are suppose to be fun for adults. Let me give you some examples.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: My mom loves this game!

Super Monkey Ball: Fun for all ages (and adults)

There's millions and millions of examples,too much.


Now that I've told you why you are wrong,let me tell why you are right. Okay,I goota admit,there is didly squat of rated M games,and Rated T games are like rated E. Overall,this system is great. I'd reccomend it. If you have have some extra cashola,buy the best system of the year,DS. Make sure to get SM64 DS as well.

P.S X-Box and PS2 sulks,I like Play Station better then the newies.

the affordable gamecube
Today I finally purchased a gamecube from a local retailer on sale for just 97$ w/ a free game, Metroid Prime 2(50$ game currently). I figured I then only paid 47$ for the system itself adding in the bundle. (I really wanted the metroid 2 echoes game too) I chose the metallic "platinum" color over the ugly plain jane black one. For me nintendo has far too many kiddie games and just a couple I'd be interested in, but my wife and kid like all the kiddie stuff and I already own an XBOX & PS2 that have more games for the teen/adult gamer. The 3 systems will entertain our family until the hype ends over the upcoming "next-gen" systems (Revolution, 360, & PS3)and they have price drops into 100-150$ each and have 20$ games available as well. If you get a gamecube I'd suggest adding the 1019 memory card for it(30$) and also an S-Video cable from monster cable. I really like the compact size of the gamecube, but I don't really care for the akward styling of it's controller very much, the N64's controller was pretty weird too w/ it's "3rd leg". It's also nice to see nintendo finally using discs instead of old-school cartridges. I was considering a Nintendo DS, but I couldn't justify spending more for a portable system w/ less powerful graphics than a highly rated home console like the gamecube. Maybe the DS will have a price drop down to what the advantage costs now(80$). The PSP is way too overpriced for me to even consider it and it's weak battery life and fragile LCD are major drawbacks to me. Anyways I'm happy w/ my decision, the gamecube is a quality system and you can get a system and games cheap now.

Best system
This is the best system currently out. It has all the classics and is more fun than the other systems.

Highly recommended.
Any fan of the Nintendo 64 needs this console to add more depth and knowlegde to their already large collection of games. I highly recommended a Gamecube for any fan. And soon the Gamecube Revolution will be released making another ultimate console due out in the future.

listen up, fanboys...
all you nintendo fanboys are cramping up the xbox reviews. thats our turf! :p but anyway,you say "oh, the crapbox (wow thats clever) is so bad, all the games are just rippoffs, and they're all for pc, and the controller is huge, and this and that and whatever" well, gamecube stinks even worse. i mean, what games do you have for it? animal crossing? pokemon staduim? please. what's that? there are 'mature' games for it? resident evil series, thats it. name ONE 1st party nintendo game that's rated M. you can't. conker doesnt count, he's from rare. or perfect dark, thats rare too. and rare went over to microsoft anyway when they saw how bad gamecube was doing. even the system itself looks like a Playschool product. who makes a purple console? and to the one who said 'xbox players are losers and loners with no friends', that's gamecube's territory. i'm not gonna call the guys over to play a heart-pounding game of butterfly catching on animal crossing. oh, and nintendo STILL HASN'T GONE ONLINE. xbox live is the greatest online gaming service around. and the xbox controller has gotten progressively smaller as time has gone by. and 3rd parties make controllers that are even smaller than gamecube's. so lets see, if i want Billy Hatcher's Giant Egg i'll get gamecube. if i want GTA AND Halo 2 AND just about every other game you could want, i'll get xbox. ... Read more

Product Description

After Archimonde and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal, a new threat rises throughout the land and it's up to you to defeat it. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Experience a vast new chapter in the epic Warcraft saga
• Platform: Mac OS 9.0 or higher, OS 10.1.3 or higher; Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (88)

Great addition to a great game!
When I first went to my friend's house to play Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos, I had lots of fun! I didn't enjoy the normal maps too much, sadly, and I wasn't really looking forward to buying the game.

Then, I went online with my free Battle.net account and downloaded a player-made map. I really loved the map, so I decided I'd save up and buy Warcraft 3. The game kept me entertained on and off. I'd play it for hours on end, then I'd stop for about 2 weeks, then go back to play it again! New maps are made almost every week, as players love to find fame. I, myself, have made a number of maps.

Anyway, when my friend got the expansion pack, I played a few Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne maps at his house. WOW! They were great! I couldn't stand having the game without the expansion! So, I got my allowance, and bought the expansion!

I recommend this to anyone who likes RTSes (real-time strategies) or even people who DISlike them, because the game could be called an "Action\Adventure Role-Playing Strategy Sports Driving Sim" or something! It's a multi-genre!

good stuff
this is definatly a good expansion set, just like the regular Warcraft3 itself. if you beat the first one, i suggest you buy this. graphics improved, more gameplay, and more fun. online action is great, including 1 new hero per race. i love this game and so does everyone i know who owns it.

1 year of frozenthrone playing and im not yet tired of it
Alright people that think this game is boring and it should have a Naga race and a Drenei race is stupid. I mean it would be pretty fun, but it would take lots of balancing and stuff so...no. Humans, nighrelves, undead, and orc are enough and the game is fun enough with out those other 2 races. I mean u can still play as adrenei or naga in the single player...and even on custom games...i was playing open rpg islands and i was a naga and i was swimmin anround shootin things with the naga seaweitch. The game really isnt that hard to play when u get used to it. Heros make everythign so intense and exciting which is why when ur fighting the enemy you really should take out the hero then work on the units.

The thing that i kinda hate about warcraft frozen throne and warcraft roc is the blademaster...cheap crap. he just got cheaper in this patch i mean now he can run through my units. Im always undead...and if youve been undead race u know what im talking about. Death to that dam blademaster. BUT finaly, they just got 2 new heros in a patch a alchemist and a firelord. I am very impressed with the alchemist he can take on the bladeamster pretty well.Anyways, people been saying how starcraft is better then warcraft and im like why? they say because its too shiney. I'm like ok...period over gotta go to enxt epriod...get this game ur kids will liek it buy it!! wee!!!!!!!!!!!Sinferno rulez!!!

Tried and true style of game works yet again
There really isn't much original about the Warcraft 3 game, and its expansion Frozen Throne campaign.It's yet another clone of itself/StarCraft/Ages Of Empires, etc. etc. etc. where you build, upgrade, build some more, upgrade, start sending your forces out, upgrade, replenish your forces, upgrade, repel enemies that may be attacking your base(s), start wiping out major concentrations of enemies, replenish your forces and complete any upgrades not already made, and finish off all your enemies.This has been done a hundred times before, and I'm sure it's not the last strategy game which will use the same method.The hero unit in Warcraft is cool, though.

The game is really easy to start, and gently eases you into the game.The cutscene movies are incredible, the best I've ever seen in a game.It's hard to say which campaign was the best, but I'd have to say it's a toss up between the Orc and Night Elf ones.I didn't like the Undead campaign, but the summoning of buildings was kinda neat.

I did get tired of hearing "Frostmourne hungers" everytime I moved my Undead hero, though.

the beast at this game beassssssssst
Warcraft is my favorite computer game. It has a lot of fun especially when you kill your allies. I'm level 100 because I play every minute of my life except for now and when I'm at school. When I play nobody messes with me. I'm the best person you could find on the game except for my brother. You should definitely buy this game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Train Simulator takes the obsessive realism ofMicrosoft's best-of-breed Flight Simulator games down to earth. Sixreal-world rail lines are included from throughout history, includingthe Flying Scotsman line of 1920s England and the modern OdakyuElectric Rail commuter line in Tokyo. Attendees at the National ModelRailroad Association's August 2000 convention marveled at the game'spainstaking attention to detail. But this game is not a model railroadgame; it simulates the real thing. The game's developers traveledacross the world with cameras and microphones in order to authenticallycapture the trains in their natural habitats. Train Simulatorlets you experience the world's greatest trains in all their glory.

Train aficionados can drive the train, run the rail yard, or dive inwith the terrain editor and create the rail lines of their dreams. Oryou can just sit back, relax, and admire the beautiful scenery anddreamy click-clack of the tracks. --Andrew S. Bub ... Read more

Reviews (143)

Great game for train lovers!
If your a train lover you will probally like it alot! IT allows you to be right up with the controls of many locomotives, it has superb graphics and great sound. If you are looking for realism this is the game for you. The sounds of the trains are exact and there is doppler effect. For those who don't know how to drive a train there is tutorials that teach you how to operate steam, electric and diesel locomotives. If you don't feel like driving you can take a train ride and be the passenger. The scenery is fantastic it looks just like it would in real life. The passenger trains are very fun to drive, beacause you on a tight shcedule and there are many hazards along the way such as animals on the track, wheather, damaged track, broken signals and more. It also provides the challenge of freight trains. Also there are hundreds of downloads and add-ons for it! So if you like trains and realism I highly recomend this game.

Bad, bad, bad
Unless you need something to put you to sleep, you can skip this one.Given, It was originally published in 2001, so the graphics could be much better, but in the end this is just a very boring game.Essentially, you get to drive a range of different trains, but there is none of the strategy you find in something like Rail Road Tycoon.

Great fun
I purchased this game a couple of years ago, after the initial release. For one reason or another, I ended up getting rid of it. But I just had to re-purchase this game. It was a little cheaper this time around, considering the game has been out some time already.

My decision to purchase this game, twice, should reflect how much I enjoyed this game.

I personally like to play a "free" activity, and my favorite is to take the steam engine on the Northeast Corridore tracks. When driving any of the trains, play with full manual controls for the best effect.

The steam engine has a slightly steep learning curve, but it's definately worth it. Twisting the valves, opening the firebox, shovling coal, all these things (when done manually) can lend a great sense of realism to the game. To the point where I can imagine myself sweaty and grimy, sailing ~60mph trying to keep this infernal contraption from derailing! And yes, make sure you turn derailments ON, and switch to an external view as you realize, with horror, that you just cannot make that curve...

Superb Experience-Gotta love Trains
I totally agree with the Customer from Idaho and others - it really gives you a real life experience, and can bean"addictive" experience
I run it on Windows 2000 and have no problems of downloading and crashing.I hesitate to say but have the impression Windows XP doesn't have enough "steam" for it.Also you need a good graphics/video card.My real joy is driving the steam trains - Deisels don't have the same degree of difficulty - !!!! Ever slid back down a steep gradeor gone nowhere with a Deisel.

Train Sim.
I really enjoyed this game. When i first bought it i had a little problem installing it but that was on behalf of my computer. The game is very realistic, it clears your mind, and helps relax you. There are some challenging parts but what game is fun when you can beat it in the first hour you play it. I gave this game 5 stars because i really like the softwear Microsoft makes. So if anyone is interested in Trains then this is one of the best games on the market money can buy, and not to mention this game is cheap. ... 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

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 Review

A long time ago, an awesome real-time strategy game set in Earth's pastnamed Age of Empires II was unleashed on an unwitting public. Almostimmediately, it took its place among the best games of its genre. GalacticBattlegrounds takes many of the elements that made Age of Empires IIso good and gives them a complete Star Wars makeover. The gameplay is sosimilar, it's hard to recommend it to anyone with a copy of AOE II.However, if you haven't played AOE II, or you're a hard-core StarWars fan, you might just find this game to be strong in the Force.

Battlegrounds offers you the chance to become a leader in deciding someof the most important battles of the Star Wars mythology. As in otherreal-time strategy games, you'll concern yourself with such things as keepingyour troops fed, advancing technology, and trade. And, of course, keeping yourbase from getting completely wiped out is generally considered a plus.

Among the few enhancements Battlegrounds makes to the Age of EmpiresII engine is the bigger technology tree (more stuff to invent and play with)and air and anti-air units (TIE fighters, X-wings, etc.). Most of the favoriteraces, machinery, and characters of the films are also well represented.Wookiees, Jedi, the Trade Federation, Darth Vader, Luke, and the rest of thegang (including Jar Jar) are all there for you to command in the campaign mode.Those looking to wage war in the battles seen in the films might be somewhatdisappointed, as many of the missions, while no less important, take placeparallel (and usually very close to) those shown in movies.

Thankfully, a few of the better-known skirmishes have been incorporated in thegame--just don't expect to significantly alter Star Wars history. Forexample, when controlling Imperial forces in the Battle of Hoth (the snow battlefrom The Empire Strikes Back), you lead your troops in an effort toannihilate Rebel scum before they can flee the planet. Can you change theoutcome of the battle seen in the films? Aside from losing your commander andimmediately losing the game, no. But the stories behind the skirmishes depictedthroughout Battlegrounds do fit well into the Star Wars myth andare usually fun. There are also quite a few standalone missions, a random mapgenerator, and tools for creating your own battles. It's enough to keephard-core Star Wars fans ignoring their earthly responsibilities for a good longtime.

Battlegrounds is, at its core, a modification of Age of Empires IIand it plays about as well as can be expected. Fortunately, despite its somewhatoutdated graphics, Battlegrounds' famous characters and locales add justenough Star Wars flavor to help make it a solid game in its own right.

Pros:

• Puts you in command of AT-ATs, stormtroopers, and Jedi
• Familiar Star Wars locales, characters, and music
• Uses the familiar (and very good) Age of Empires II interface
• Interesting main campaign that spans the films and goes beyond Return ofthe Jedi

• Outdated graphics lack definition and are rather flat
• AT-ATs too small, TIEs and X-wings hover instead of fly

Reviews (127)

Star wars galactic battlegrounds is awsome!!!!!!
Star wars galactic battlegrounds is awsome!!!!!! the game has good grafics and is fun to play. they teach you how to play in the menu.
to make it better you should get an expantion like star wars galactic battlegrounds the clone compainion.

Great game, but lacks a certain something
Let me preface my review by stating that I am an enthusiastic Star Wars fan, and bought this game because of it. The gameplay is fun and interesting and the SW locals are great; however, when compared to AOE II (the game from which this is derived), there is a slight lack of cohesion and balance. It is harder to find unit combos that work seamlessly together, and there are too many top-heavy units (AT-AT and the rebellion tank, for example) which don't cost enough to make (it is VERY easy to build 15-20 AT-AT's and steamroller across a map). The flying units are a mere annoyance, lacking any real power when faced with anti-aircraft, and a sheild generators and towers make uber-strong defensive combos that take eons to remove, especially in the face of defensive siege weapon emplacements.

To summarize: This is a good game, but if you are playing someone who has a similar skill level, prepare to be playing a LONG time.

Good game
I had a lot of fun playing this game. There really was only one problem. This would be that it is a total clone of Age of Empires 2. It is the AoE game engine set in a Star Wars galaxy. The units are exactly the same. For example, there is a unit in AoE that is called the ram, it is resitant to arrows and destroys buildings. In Star Wars there is a unit called a pummel. It is resitant to lasers and destroys sturctures. This sounds pretty similar, right? I suggest that you buy Age of Empires, and you love it, to buy this game. You should try AoE out first.

wonderful
I am an avid RTS gamer, and of course I fell in love with Starcraft the first time I played it. But SC does have its faults, namely the biggest one being it was too limited. I always wanted to load up with 100 or so carriers and raid someone's base. But alas, unit limits keep you from doing such a thing. But then I discovered Battlegrounds, and was satisfied. It has an even more detailed tech tree then Starcraft, and of course the unit limits were more forgiving, so I was able to take 150 at-ats and raid bases at my whim. Of course, its challenging to keep your base going long enough to do this, so the difficulty I had at playing SC never really left either. Of course, you could sit around and complain that the graphics arent 3d, the story mode doesnt have Starcraft's excellent cutscenes, well, to that I say, hard cheese. If you like Starcraft, Star Wars games, or just strategy games in general, this is worth the cash.

A good RTS with a star wars twist
this game is overall good, although it's hard to play the random battle mode well. the CPU's are either dumb as rocks or hard to beat but never in between. also it has easy to access online gaming but limited players unless you have the expansion. in the end, this game is a great star wars RTS but is very limited with out the expansion. ... Read more

Book Description

In the tradition of the multi-award-winning Star Wars: Jedi Knight, Star Wars, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast features rebel agent Kyle Katarn in exhilarating first-person action. Several years have passed since Kyle avenged his father's death and saved the Valley of the Jedi from Jerec and his band of Dark Jedi. Allowing his Force powers to languish for fear of falling to the dark side, Kyle entrusted his lightsaber to Luke Skywalker, vowing never to use it again. But when a new and menacing threat to the galaxy emerges, Kyle knows he must reclaim his past in order to save his future.

Players assume the role of Kyle as they employ a unique mix of weapons, Force powers, and the lightsaber in both single- and multiplayer modes. Jedi Outcast features expanded and enhanced use of the lightsaber, with new attack and defense moves. Tap into the powers of the Force, including jump, push, Jedi mind tricks, and more. Employ combat or stealth, depending on the situation. When a fight is necessary, be at the ready with an arsenal of weapons: stun baton, Bryar blast pistol, and blaster rifle, to name but a few.

Explore breathtaking Star Wars locales such as Cloud City, the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, Nar Shaddaa, the smugglers' moon--plus some never-before-seen locations. Multiplayer options include capture the flag, free for all, team FFA, duel, weapons-only, and Jedi master. ... Read more

Reviews (49)

GameCube and Star Wars: Disturbance in the Force?
Can anyone tell me DEFINITIVELY why LucasArts, et al., are NO LONGER making games for the GameCube?Legos Star Wars and Sith are being made for GameBoy Advance/DS, but not for the 'Cube.What's up with that?

I've heard a number of things:

*Star Wars titles never sold very well at all for Nintendo, whose strength still lies in its Mario and Pokemon franchises, among several others.But not Star Wars games.And in 3rd place in market share behind both Playstation and Xbox, making a 3rd version of any Star Wars game was a guaranteed money loser.(Not so for GameBoy which still owns the handheld domain.)

*The new Star Wars games require more buttons on the controllers.The others have them, GameCube does not.

*GameCube has no game playing interactivity, though I fail to see this as a showstopper.

Your thoughts?I really want to play Star Wars games like Battlefront but unless I move to another platform I am SOL.Any guesses if Nintendo Revolution will address these shortcomings?

JAMES BOND MEETS STAR WARS
THIS GAME IS EXACTLY LIKE THE JAMES BOND GAMES. THE MULTIPLAYER IS WAY TOO GOOD AND THE STORY MODE IS VERY CHALLENGING. WHEN YOU SWITCH TO THE LIGHT SABER YOU GO INTO 3RD PERSON MODE. IT IS A VERY COOL GAME.

IF YOU PLAY MULTIPLAYER IT KIND OF STINKS WITHOUT THE FIRST PLAYER HAVING A LIGHT SABER. I ENTERED IN THE CODE FOR IT AND A FEW OTHERS JUST FOR MULTIPLAYER AND TO MY SURPRISE THEY WORKED IN STORY MODE. DON'T I REPEAT DON'T USE CODES IN STROY MODE. ONCE YOU GET UP TO A CERTAIN LEVEL YOU ARE CHALLENGED TO DUEL A LIZZARD AT THE END OF A LEVEL. IF YOU HAVE INVINCEABILITY ON YOU CAN'T LOSE TO GO ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL. YES, YOU HAVE TO LOSE THE BATTLE. YOU CAN'T TURN CODES OFF IN THE GAME SO WATCH OUT.

THEY WAY I DO THE CODES FOR MULTIPLAYER IS TO LET THE GAME LOAD THE LEVELS AND CHARACTERS. THEN WHEN YO GET TO THE MAIN MENU REMOVE YOUR MEMORY CARD. THEN ENTER THE CODES. IT WILL NOT STOP YOU FROM MOVING ON IN STORY MODE AND YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT MULTIPLAYER GAME GOING.

I MADE THE MISTAKE OF ENTERING THE CODE WITH THE MEMORY CARD IN AND HAD TO DELETE THE DATA AND START THE GAME OVER JUST BECAUSE I HAD TO BE DEFEATED IN A BATTLE. WATCH OUT.

THE GAME IS VERY GOOD. IT HAS SOLID GAMEPLAY AND A GREAT MULTIPLAYER. THE LIGHTSABERS COLORS CAN BE CHANGED AND THERE IS A BUNCH OF OTHER STUUF YOU CAN CHANGE.

JEDI OUTCAST IS ONE OF THE BEST GC GAMES.

FOR THE NINTENDO REVOLUTION IT WOULD BE NICE IF THEY RELEASE A SEQUEL AND HAVE IT GO ONLINE.

IF YOU LOVE STAR WARS, YOU WANT A GREAT ADVENTURE GAME WITH SOLID MULTIPLAYER GET THIS GAME.

BY TEXX

BEST
This is the best game I have ever played and I very highly recomend it. Yet it is also rated Teen due to mild violence because your running around killing people yet itisnt that bad once you get past that.

THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
I'm 13, but it's easier to use the kids review....
This game is awesome! If you are a star wars fan, you have to get
this. You can do jedi arena and choose from like 6 games, like 15 places, and who knows how many characters! You can customize your character and change stuff such as lightsaber color, force powers and physical abilities. Sadly, there are no vehicles, but this game makes up for that in weapons. It's very entertaining to use grip and hold a guy up,....and then throw him down some stairs or a pit!!!! You can do multiplayer without 2 people, I do all the time and it's just as good, considering the
AI(artificial intelligence) bots. The bots make it very realistic, you can have tons of them and they make the battles fun, being so unpredictable. They will snipe you or sneak up behind you, and they respond to the weopon choices you make and such.Try this game, it's a great game, trust me!!!

Wonderful game
I don't understand why people give this game a bad review. Granted the single player story mode can be a little slow at times, and there is that one level where you can't be invinsible, because you have to be able to die at the end, but once you beat it, you can just warp to any level you want(I personally like to skip, Nar Shadda and go straight to Bespin), and once you beat it, you can play multiplayer, grab a friend or play alone, with 10 bots, there is a capture the flag mode where you can activate invulnerability go to the warring factions level and set human (1 or 2) against computer (1-10), but don't worry because you won't be totally invinsible, that map has narrow pathways and a deep hole under all the map, and you can be affected by force push and grip(you just can't choke to death, but at a high enough level it can be used to move people off a cliff). Now I seem to have forgotten my point, so I'll leave the desicion making up to those who do not have it, but I like the game, I've had it for almost 2 years, and few games could even be considered a rival to it for me. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Featuring graphics that surpass even the amazing NFL 2K, Soul Calibur is the martial arts fighting game to end all fighting games and the game to get if you're a Dreamcast owner. Based on the arcade classic of the same name, Soul Calibur lets you choose to represent one of 10 fighters in a series of battles against your peers. If you can successfully defeat all of your opponents, you will then face the fiendish Inferno in a final showdown that will determine the fate of the world. Each of the game's warriors is armed with a different deadly weapon--sword, ax, stave, nunchaku, you name it--and an assortment of special moves all tailored to that specific weapon. The warriors include men, women, and creatures from all over the globe and from various mythologies. Each is brought to life with amazing motion-capture animation, which results in incredibly lifelike and realistic duels. If you own a Dreamcast or are thinking of buying one, do yourself a favor and add Soul Calibur to your collection. --Mike Ryan

Pros:

• Exceptionally lifelike graphics and animation
• Multiple game modes--1-player, 2-player, team, computer vs. computer, martial arts demo, and more
• Secrets and extra features will keep players coming back

• May be too violent for some parents

Features

• Arcade-style 3-D fighting action
• All-new game modes not included in the original arcade game
• 10 characters, all with full 8-direction movement and control
• Master unique moves and uncover secrets
• For 1 or 2 players

Reviews (262)

AMAZING
This is, without exception, the BEST FIGHTING GAME EVER MADE. PERIOD

Read the other reviews, everything positive said about this game is true.I know thats a bold statment but graphics, gameplay, story, modes, music, replayabilty is all EXCELLENT.


Don't listen to any Sony fanboys that are mad that Soul Calibur was a Dreamcast exclusive - It truly does live up to the "hype" (Its not really hype when its absolutely true, utterly amazing)

I hope you have the chance to enjoy the fighting game to end all fighting games.

A Huge Dissapointment
For The Love Of God Don't Believe The Hype! This game had so many people kissing it's butt it wasn't funny. I got it and it was a huge let down. Soul Blade on psone was better then this! Sure it's all pretty, but it's basically just a virtua fighter clone with wepons and smaller backgrounds.alot of the charactors are basicly the same (Astoroth&Rock/Mina&Kilick/Lizardman&Sophitia/Inferno&Edgemaster) The backgrounds while pretty are basically just the old 2-D backdrops used on the first 3-D fighters. The "innovative" world tour mode had been done in SFA3 already so that wasn't a huge plus either. Dead or Alive 2 kicked this things butt as did the painfull to play VF3. If you have either of those forget about this.

Way ahead of its time
This is the definitive evolution in fighting games.I grew up on Street Fighter, then switched to Virtua Fighter, Tekken, Guilty Gear, Powerstone, etc... but nothing has ever captured the essence of fun as much as the Soul Calibur series has done.This is the one fighting game that strangely does not turn off those who are not into fighting games.It is accessible enough to newcomers for them to just pick up and have fun with, yet at the same time, it holds the depth that will keep veteran gamers playing this for years as long as they have access to good human competition.The characters are not completely balanced, but that won't become noticeable until you actually play against really good people for a long while.Still, none of the characters are a waste and the variety of fighting styles are extremely well thought out and fun to watch.I especially like how they have an exhibition mode where you can just watch characters performed their motion captured katas by themselves in an empty ring.This game is simply beautiful in many ways.

Yes this is the greatest fighting game ever made...
I'm make this short and sweet.This is the greatest fighting game ever.And this is a DC exclusive and will forever be one of the best DC games ever.It has everything I love about fighting games.First off the visuals are just so juicy.Not as sharp as SC2 but still great visuals even for this time of the year.The game has some really great things added to this DC version such as a mission mode, it's like a story mode, what you do is buy art galleries to start new mission, trust me it'll keep you in for weeks especially since it's for EVERY CHARACTER!The game has some other neat things added to this game such as

Practicemode
Mission Mode
Survival Mode
ARCADE MODE, which you can unlock characters.

And some other neat things but I will tell you right now if you do have a Dreamcast don't keep it to dust and play GTA on your Ps2.You need this game for the Dreamcast.This is one of the reasons people got a Dreamcast....I got it as a gift from my aunt and took advantage of it by getting the games..And this gem was one of them.Listen..do your self a favor and get this game...heck even Gamespot gave this game 10 and it's extreamly hard getting a good score on this game..The visuals arn't as great as SC2 and that is pretty much the only thing wrong with it..Bottom line

Good
Superb Visuals on the DC
Great extras for the DC version
MISSION MODE ROCKS
Controlls are easy to get use to
Loads of play time and Arcade Mode is a blast

Bad..
Hmmm....Nothing

Ugly
Nothing...

GREATEST FIGHTING GAME EVER ONLY ON THE DREAMCAST!

I give it a 5 out of 5 stars!!

Lates

Still fun after all these years
Soul Calibur is the classic version of the arcade game, and is only available on the Dreamcast. For many, it's the main reason to buy a Dreamcast!

You get a nice selection of characters, both male and female, young and old. If there's a complaint about the characters, it's that the females tend to have VERY skimpy outfits that mostly show off jiggly breasts and lots of underwear. The guys tend to have fully covered bodies. Something's not quite even here.

There are a number of modes, between simple arcade mode, one on one combat, training demos, and more. As you play through the game you earn points, which let you unlock more secrets. It encourages you to go through the game as each character, learning their best moves and techniques. Each character has his or her own favorite weapons and combat style.

As with all fighting games, you have to get used to the violence. The characters are bashing each other with some rather nasty moves - and it doesn't necessarily stop when one person is defeated. I've seen my character kicked to the ground, the game announce my defeat, and then the enemy throw in a final, gratuitous kick. It's very discouraging.

The different levels are fun, with their atmosphere and backgrounds. The music is on the generic side and doesn't go themed with the world you're in, as more modern fighters tend to do. Also it is sometimes fairly easy to simply knock your opponent out of the ring and be done with it.

Also, on the sounds angle, there are only a limited number of things that the announcer says. So if you play a given character through an 8 round series of fights, you are going to hear the same thing over and over again.

That all being said, this is a true classic of a game and many people have become quite fond of the sequels. So if you're into inexpensive fighters, or if you're a Soul Calibur fan who wants to see where it all began, this is a must have! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Nintendo first dabbled in video games during the industry's early years of the mid-'70s. Generations of successful gaming console releases through the years led to the much-hyped 1996 launch of Nintendo 64, a system that represented a giant evolutionary leap in video game technology. Within the first three days of launch, hundreds of thousands of gamers hunkered down with Mario 64, considered by many to be one of the greatest video games ever created. Even today, the system's excellent design continues to host an ever-expanding library of breakthrough games.

Nintendo 64's popularity among younger gamers is no surprise. Well-respected games featuring such long-lived and much-loved personalities as Mario (of arcade classic Donkey Kong fame), Zelda, and Banjo-Kazooie are easy to learn and offer enormous replay value. But times are a' changin' and the system's ever-growing library of titles has expanded into every genre of games imaginable, including games better suited for older gamers. In fact, some of the most acclaimed--in some cases, groundbreaking--games available on any platform today are packed onto N64's old-school cartridges.

Under the system's hood, its appeal to the young certainly didn't produce a less mature gaming machine. On the contrary, the 64-bit system boasts impressive graphics, stereo sound, and numerous accessory enhancements, including a high-resolution pack that boosts graphics to awe-inspiring resolutions.

Start your library with Goldeneye 007, Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, and Star Wars: Episode One Racer--these titles represent a decent start to any N64 cartridge library.

With the recent launch of Sega's Dreamcast system, Nintendo 64 is being left behind as the leader in video game technology. And with newer game systems featuring CD-based games, the system's expensive cartridge format is proving itself an archaic and unconventional storage format. But, at a sub-$110 recommended retail price for a console with two controllers, innovative accessory enhancements and a great library of games keep the system's rabid fan base satisfied, if not eager for Nintendo's next evolutionary step. --Eric Twelker ... Read more

Reviews (123)

The Nintendo that didn't have a fair go
Nintendo will never be out-done, just out-priced.

Nintendo started off making small hand held electroic games before creating the 8 bit system in the 80's. And when they released the Super Nes they had the 2 greatest home video game systems of the day. Sega never stood a chance because they rushed things just to compete with nintendo, where as nintendo took there time when releasing systems to make sure they where the best they could be. Only the people whose mothers bought them a Sega instead of a NES or SNES where the ones who would defend the Sega systems. But the segas where slow, graphics wernt as good and the sound was as bad as the game play handling.

Nintendo had completly beaton Sega in the market of games. But sega brought out an attachment for the Genises/Mega drive that allowed you to hook on a CD ROM drive to the machine. And nintendo decided to make an even better one to attach to the SNES. If you look on the bottom of a SNES console, you will see where it would attach. The CD Rom for SNES was being developed by Nintendo and Sony. But arguments arose between Sony and Nintendo and Sony seperated themselves from Nintendo and went solo on the project that eventualy became the Playstation!

The playstation was only twice as powerfull as the SNES. The snes was 16 bit, the PS was 32 bit. So ninetendo developed a 64 bit system, twice as powerfull as the playstaion, better graphics, better controll, and better potentiol.

But when the 64 was released, it did not get the fair attention it should have. Why? Because of the CD's Sony used. Not because they where better, not because they where slower, not because they where more fun...no... it was because people where buying them ripped / copied / burnt / bootlegged for a small price. And this still goes on today. That was the biggest reason why Sony was having more succsess then nintendo. Because those CD rom games where able to be copied and the cartridge of the nintendo was not.

The PS games only surpassed with slightly better sound, the 64 could play high quality sound, but it was up the games developer on wether or not to use up space on the game with sound or not. That is about the only advantage the PS had, sound, particuly just music. Some people say the controllers of the PS where better then the N64, but I preffer the 64, it did take some time to adjust to it, but that is personaly taste rather then anything.

The nintendo 64 suffered a blow when more game developers wouldnt make games for the 64 anymore because it was easier to put them on a CD and develop them that way, then to program them for cartridges. So, that is not nintendos fault, that is the game developers fault for being lazy and just wanting to make quick games instead of decent and good games.

Nintendos team called RARE where the ones who always pushed the boundry on games. Just like they did with Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, they broke new ground by not just using the full potintiol of the system, but by finding ways to go beyond it's full capabilty! They released one of the best games on the 64 called "Golden Eye". The James Bond game was the 1st to use the full potentioal of the 64's capability. The game is amazing and still hard to beat by todays standards. The game did not even need the expansion pack the 64 soon offered.

The best games where coming from the game developers who put the effort into making the great games, and the playstaion never had anything as fun to play as the 64 offered. The graphics where so much smoother, the game play was so much more responsive and the fun was there. One of the first games I compared was WWF ATTITUDE. And pretty much like I said, the PS version took longer to load, wasnt as responsive, the graphics where horriblly blocky, and the only thing that was better was it had more sounds from the commentators. And maybe some of the entrance themes where longer. But apart from that, nothing (maybe video footage) but that was never apart of what you where playing which is what counted and the PS was the thumbs down, but because of people able to buy copied games, the PS became popular that new comers to the sytem THOUGHT it was the better system. It isnt.

These days the battle goes on between Nintendo, Sony & Microsoft. But I know for sure, Nintendo will always supply quality games, games worth playing, games using full potentiol of the systems capability, and most important...respect.

nice thing to have
THIS N64 IS COOL BECAUSE IT HAS A PLAIN CONTROLER AND A NICE CONTROLER PLUS THE SYSTEM OF N64 AND IF YOU KEEP BUYING GAMES YOU WILL END UP WITH A WHOLE COLLECTION OF GAMES ANDA SYSTEM OF N64. SOME OF THE GAMES FOR THE N64 ARE THINGS LIKE THIS: SUPER SMASH BROS., HEY YOU PIKACHU, STAR FOX, PAPER MARIO, SUPER MARIO 64,AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

N64 ROCKS!!!!
I love the Nintendo 64. The N64 has some of the best games like super mario 64 and the legend of zelda the ocrina of time. If you like the older systems, then you need to pick up a N64 because it is awesome!!

Amazing Console with amazing games..
The N64 had some of the best games on the planet and eventhough N64 was a great system it ended too quickly cause of the Gamecube.The N64 launched in some were in 96' and it launched some great titles and some incredible games.The N64 is one of the best systems ever but it also had a short lived history.I mean they could have come up with wayyyyyy more games No...

The N64 was one of Nintendo's finest and is probably better then the gamecube.The gamecube didn't have much launch games but N64 did.It had some amazing graphics and some really amazing games.

The N64 was at one point BETTER then Playstation and It could have but in the end the PS beat it.But make no mistake about.The N64 launched some pretty amazing games.Hell SOME OF THE BEST GAMES EVER Created.Sure N64 is old and cheap but it still has some really awesome games like

Super Mario 64
Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time(greatest game ever)
Perfect Dark
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Starfox 64
Paper Mario
F-zero X
Didy Kong Racing
Donkey Kong

and some more....

You will get your 5 bucks worth of this system and I think it should cost more then that eventhough it's out dated

It has amazing games, an amazing console and some really impressive graphics and that is why this is one of the best systems ever...But it aint' no Dreamcast I can tellz ya that.

This systems earns a 5 out of 5 stars

Let alone Getting Ocarina of time is worth this system.Get it!!

It rules!

Lates

THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ok i have ps2, nintendo gamcube, and xbox.THEN her comes nintendo 64 i just got it in my room it is soooooooo fun!!! so if u don't have it get it the games are mario party games on nintendo 64!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Chessmaster is a good introduction to the rules of chess, as wellas a useful tool for experienced players looking to improve their games. Asplayers continue, they'll learn more advanced strategies and tactics while theirskill levels increase. The game also features a tutorial mode to acclimate newchess players to the basics of the game; 150 famous recorded games; sixopponents; 10 chess sets; scalable gameplay for chess players of all skilllevels; and a two-player mode via the Game Boy Advance link cable. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great for what it is.
Cons: the menus could be a bit more intuitive, and it does play at a high level for someone who isn't a pretty serious chess player (even the weakest players on the weakest setting).

Pros: challenging to good players and people trying to improve their game.I'm not beating it very often, but I am getting rid of bad playing habits.Once you get used to the menus, there really is a lot to this program:different AI opponents with various playing styles, tutorial stuff, and a few hundred classic games to review along with some chess history, and it saves your game if you need to put it down.

I also like playing chess on my GBA and can get in a couple of games a day just by carrying it in my pocket and taking it out when I'm not doing anything (waiting in line).Also nice to have a chess computer that I know isn't going to break.

Good little chess game
I like this game but there is room for improvement. First, the AI is really tough--even the lowest level opponents are probably too tough for the casual gamer. Second, the chess tutor section is pretty poorly done, in my opinion. Good points about the game include the graphics and the play control. It also lets you redo all the moves of a game, which is good for learning.

It needs a manual or game guide
Fun but hard to figure out how to get to earn chess sets. It needs an instruction manual

The GBA chess game for serious enthusiasts.
Chessmaster for the GBA is a better choice for real enthusiasts
than Virtual Kasparov.It was released several months later, and its obvious than Kasparov and its obvious that this game fixed some of the shortcomings.

Some very important features this game includes:
A true save feature instead of Kasparov's antiquated password system.
Ability to undo moves.Helpful for when you want to experiment strategies or simply make a silly mistake.
150 classic matches from real masters.its takes a few seconds to load, but gives a fantastic lesson in strategy as a game actually unfolds.
Ability to choose different pieces.A bunch of them are useless (like dog theme pieces) but several are excellent to play with and give nice options.
Tutorials on moves, strategies and notation.I find the notation tutorial to be especailly helpful for players who want to learn more detailed strategies from books and other sources.Great job including this!

I do agree with some of the other comments ofr this game..the difficulty is a bit high for novice players or children who aren't the next Bobby Fischer, but for enthusiasts who want a chess challenge at thier fingertips this is great.There isalso a comment that selecting pieces takes several clicks to register.I never encountered this problem, the game plays just fine.

A strong Chess program for the GBA
I have both Virtual Kasparov (VK) and ChessMaster (CM).I wish I could combine the best features of both.

First off, CM plays at a much higher level.Whereas most of the VK personalities make occasional blunders, very few of those in CM do.This means that you really have to earn your wins against CM.Youngsters and novices (below say 1300 ELO) are likely to get walloped by most of the CM characters.
Also on the plus side:CM reports the moves in standard algebraic notation (VK does not) and allows infinite undo and redo.CM also contains a large library of famous games for review.
On the minus side, as the previous reviewer comments, I find I frequently have to press the arrow keys several times before CM acknowledges my move (and then frequently shoots past the piece I'm trying to pick up).This is quite annoying.
Also, CM does not automatically record the board position (VK does, which is useful when your batteries suddenly run out).CM also expects only a single user (VK records board positions and preferences for up to three different users).
Choose CM if you're a strong chessplayer or are looking for a real challenge.Choose VK for youngsters or novices. ... Read more