Amazon.com Product Description

Through Jango Fett--father of Boba Fett--players will plunge into thedark, deadly world of a bounty hunter. Inspired by events between EpisodeI and Episode II, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter presents anoriginal, compelling, third-person action experience that establishes JangoFett's place in the Star Wars galaxy and his connection to the notoriousClone Army. The game draws players into Jango Fett's sinister and seedy world,where thieves and assassins thrive. Using his cunning and a host of deadlyskills, Jango Fett ventures into the rarely explored dark side of the StarWars universe to track down the elusive leader of a mysterious and deadlycult. All the while, he'll compete against a brutal rival from his past in aquest to capture the ultimate bounty, dead or alive.

Gameplay emphasizes intense combat and physical action in the relentless pursuitof prey across six fantastic worlds and 18 levels. Jango Fett faces off againstan onslaught of the worst scum in the universe, including crime lords, corruptpoliticians, and enemies of various species. He is equipped with an arsenal ofpowerful weapons such as dual blaster pistols, a flamethrower, missiles, and adistinctive jet pack. ... Read more

Reviews (72)

Not as great as expected, but still not that bad
First off, I'd just like to say this is an average game. There are more cons than pros. The game has a good sense of showing the Star Wars universe to you, but most of the time it's just constant enemies reappearing around corners that you can kill with your blasters in 3 shots. A really bad problem about this game is that the structure of the environments are so hard to follow and there are quite a few technical problems as well. The A.I. isn't that dumb, but way too simplistic. You do get a jetpack, you can burn people with your wristwatch, you can use your cable to wrap people up in, or just your fists and blasters to get the job done very easily. Youd do feel like Jango Fett, but you also feel this isn't a sensational game.
A huge dissapointment was when I saw the intro with the incredible, polished, cinematics and then when the real gameplay hits, as soon as it begins, you'll see the graphics aren't as expected. The only thing I think the game almost had to perfection was the sound. Whenever you are in danger or in a battle, the loud orchestra of music begins to play, and all the enemies have the same type of voices compared to the movie. This is indeed a fun game and I'd recommend this to anyone that is a big fan of Star Wars, other than that, it's an average game, for which I give it a 3 out of 5.

Star Wars Bounty Hunter rocks!!!!
This is one of the greatest Star Wars games! Not only do you get to claim bounties other than the main baddies, but you can fry civilians! Nothing can satisfy you more then the sight of a well-done resident. You can use a bunch of weapons, like saberdart launchers, twin blaster pistols, whip-cord, ID scanners, and more!

You can't stop playing this game once you start. The graphics are great and the music is fabulous. The voices are also good. Bounty Hunter takes place through episodes one and two, so there's plenty of game play.

You will travel through many worlds and places like the home of some tusken raiders, or the skyscrapers of coruscant. You have to take out millions of Republic guards, aliens, out-laws, and rival bounty hunters. This game is over-all a great, must have game!

Where's Meeko!!?
This is a phenomenal game. If your a Star Wars fan especially, you'll be knocked out by the Lucasfilm Archives sound effects (Ithorians, Jawas, Tuskens, and Gonk Droids to name a few).

I don't understand the complaints either with the gameplay. Those who claim to have "beat" the game in a single day are simply playing video games too much. The mere length of the game would require, literally, a day...and that's providing a perfect performance on your debut outing! But then, I suppose anyone who plays video games that much isn't going to be surprised by much; many games have structure similar to this one, but I've seen few pull it off with as much panache and grace. The controls are pretty easy to master, offer a ton of variety, and the enemies provide ample challenge. As far as the bounties go, I had a blast looking for them. They don't offer anything necessary, per se, for the gameplay to take place (in other words, you can simply blast 'em all if you want), but provide a personal & fun challenge, much like trophy hunting in Tournament Melee does.

The atmosphere is simply enchanting, atmospheric and increasingly creepy as the game goes on. Ultimately, as a Star Wars fan, you will be submersed into a convincing, enveloping world that is already familiar to you from the movies. It will be a joy for you just to walk through it!

The voice acting was done by Temuerra Morrison (Jango), Clancy Brown (Montross) and even the woman who actually played Zam Wessel in Attack of the Clones. Extremely well done with great cut scenes and outtakes.

I only hope a sequel will appear someday.

Aliens beware!
This game is awesome!With great graphics, great gameplay , and a great storyline.There's so many weapons and devices to choose from you can blast 'em, burn 'em, catch 'em, shock 'em, explode 'em, and just totally demolish them!The only drawback is you have to keep tapping buttons in the middle of a fight to get the weapon you want.And that sometimes hurts your health.It's a fairly hard game and is very enjoyable!It's awesome dodging bullets, fighting dozens of baddies at once, flying around and shooting everything!There's alot of great things to this game that makes up forthe little nuisance of switching weapons around.Stick with the dual blasters and have a blast!!!

A New Twist on Star Wars
This is a simply amazing game.The graphics are awesome, and the voice overs are great too.In nearly all of the star wars games for any platform, you're a jedi, facing wookies with blasters, and cutting thru them like a warm knife thru butter.This game presents a challenge, not to mention that Jango Fett is awesome beyond imaginable.You face enemies that arent easy to kill and you do so with graphics that are unpresidented for a star wars game. The story line is good and easy to follow and Jangos wit is definitly cool.I would recomend this to any gamer who likes star wars, and a decsent challenge. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Game & Watch portable games were before the time of Game Boy, but are available again in both classic and updated versions in this Game & Watch Gallery 4 anthology for Game Boy Advance and previous installments for Game Boy Color. This anthology contains remakes of Donkey Kong 3, Mario Cement Factory, Rainshower, Boxing, and Fire Attack. Players can choose to play the games in an emulation of the original monochrome LCD display or in updated color versions designed for the GBA. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MARIO!!!!!!
WOW!! This is a good game and has a looooooot of games!!!! I like this game!!!

good game
I don't own this game,but i have played it before and I'd say a 4 out of 5 stars,sure you start out as easy but as you advance,u unlock more games new and old and harder settings such as meduim,hard and if you think you can handle it,super hard...yes there are four settings instead of one.

I personally love the little sounds and music this game has to offer,and a game gets harder as you progress.

If you think this game is for kiddies...then I'd have to say your wrong ;)

Ripofffor the old folks who played it and are now rich
This is just a money ripper aimed at kids from the 80's who have played these.Some of them are now rich, feel nostalgic about their childhood, and must get this game.The ones don't have much money still buy it by only eating once a day for about a week.

I liked it.........For a while
I will admit that I enjoyed this game for around a week or so. The gameplay was repititous, and took alot more time than I would take to finish the levels. I still play it on and off, although I paid $40 for the dang thing(wish I would have checked amazon.com before making that splurge)

Just got this game !!!
I really loved the Game and Watch of the yesteryears.So it was exciting that they have this for the Gameboy.But the only thing is that I don't know how to save the high scores or get the stars to unlock the other games.The instruction of the game tells me that all I have to do is to press start during the game and to turn off the unit.Nothing happens.
I don't know if I bought a defective game or something.
Please help. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Newly optimized for GameCube, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is the all-new iteration of the 3-D time-honored hack-'n'-slash arcade classic Gauntlet. The game design allows players to work as a team as they venture through eight worlds. One to four players can select one of eight different characters. Using force of arms and exotic magical powers, players vanquish creatures, search for treasure, evade traps, and embark on quests. The game features special character-based power attacks, magic potions, stunning new power-ups, and combination moves. The game save system allows you to transfer evolving characters from your own machine to a friend's so you can take on the dungeon together. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

ROCKS THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLAY IT. by patrick russell!
I love this game man it is the best. (For $20 MAX)Althought I thought it could be better like, it shuod be online,more bosses,items stay forever and units HARDER!
This is my review score.
1.sound-7/10
2.units-9/10
3.4 playing-10/10
4.pick your guy-10/10
5.BOSSES-10/10 (WAY COOL!)
6.story-7/10
7.items-9/10
Thats my review and overall I love Gauntlet:Dark Legacy. 10/10

ROCKS THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLAY IT. by patrick russell!
I love this game man it is the best. (For $20 MAX)Althought I thought it could be better like, it shuod be online,more bosses,items stay forever and units HARDER!
This is my review score.
1.sound-7/10
2.units-9/10
3.4 playing-10/10
4.pick your guy-10/10
5.BOSSES-10/10 (WAY COOL!)
6.story-7/10
7.items-9/10
Thats my review and overall I love Gauntlet:Dark Legacy. 10/10

The Gauntlet of Cridicts
This has got to be one of the best games I have ever played.... EVERRRRR!!!! I mean c'mon out of all the games I have played this has got to be the 2nd best!!!!! The price is low and the game is addicting!!!!! If only the disk( for gamecube) was more durable. The memory takes up alot uf blocks so you need about59 blocks. This has got to be one of my favorite games I have ever played!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Gauntlet of Cridicts
This has got to be one of the best games I have ever played.... EVERRRRR!!!! I mean c'mon out of all the games I have played this has got to be the 2nd best!!!!! The price is low and the game is addicting!!!!! If only the disk( for gamecube) was more durable. The memory takes up alot uf blocks so you need about59 blocks. This has got to be one of my favorite games I have ever played!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Multiplayer is a MUST
This was the first game I bought for my Gamecube. For the most part it was a solid game in Multiplayer mode and a boring game in Single Player. Lets break down some of the aspects to this game.

Multiplayer Play: 5/5. Cant get much better then this. Its fun the sit around the TV with 2 or 3 of your friends and play this game. Its always a race for the treasure or a race for the food item. Multiplayer play wise this game is almost the best out there.

Single Player Play: 2/5. I tried it but it just isnt the same. There is no build up of emotions to get to the chests and theres no teamwork to take down the boss. Its not as fun with only one person I'd stay away from this if your going to play it by yourself.

Characters: 5/5. there are 6 characters to begin the game with and about 10 unlockables that you can unlock throughout your adventures. Plently of great charcaters from a Jester, to a wizard, to a Amazon, etc. Wonderful Selection.

Length- 4/5. Its about an 8-10 hour game not cheating or using any guides. Its certainly worth the $20.00 MAX you would put out to buy it.

In conclusion this game is 100% worth it for Multiplayer action and not worth it for single player action. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

To say that Shenmue is an anticipated title is an understatement;the game made huge waves in Japan upon its release, and American gamers havebeen waiting since then to see what the fuss is all about. It's a game in whichthe concept itself is the selling point. What if you could portray a young heroin a fully realized Japanese city? Would you like to participate in andinfluence an over-the-top kung fu-style action-mystery flick in your livingroom? What if lots of combat, cinematic flourish, detail, and a dash of romancewere thrown in?

The game itself is awash in small details, crammed into a confined space. Thecity of Yokusuka circa 1986 is rendered beautifully in a short series ofneighborhoods that are long on detail even if short on variety. The story itselfis ripped straight from a chopsocky flick: you portray the young hero RyoHazuki, whose father (a kung fu sensei, naturally) is killed before hisvery eyes by a mysterious and frightening villain. Ryo must uncover the identityof the killer and fight his way through the city in an effort to avenge thiswrongful death.

Shenmue's Yokusuka might be short on space--in total, it represents maybea square mile--but the detail is overwhelming. You can interact with nearlyevery person or object that you see; 300 citizens go about their daily routines,and whom you encounter is as much determined by where you are as when you arethere.

Much of this interaction involves combat that ranges fromDragon's Lair-style reaction tests (such as timing a button press tododge an oncoming car) to freeform kung fu fighting. Further, each second ofreal time equals about a minute of game time, and Ryo has to be home by 11 p.m.each evening. The game moves at a brisk pace, and each challenge or battle feelslike a race against time. Some might say that gaming doesn't get shallower thanthis (you are essentially performing tasks and exploring, instead of gaming),but the game feels like no other and is ultimately satisfying by the time thatit all ends. In this way, Shenmue is more than a game--it's an eventthat's worth experiencing. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Compelling, well-told story
• Good action and combat
• Fantastic sound and graphics

• Plot is familiar to fans of kung fu action films
• Task-and-exploration gameplay might seem slow to action gamers

Reviews (300)

The realistic sphere of emotion and time
Shenmue is a graphic adventure game from 2000 exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast.The setting is Japan in 1986.You're placed in the role of Ryo Hazuki, an 18-year-old student and martial arts disciple on a winding, multi-faceted quest to uncover the mystery behind his father's murder.Along the way you'll traverse myriad locations and interact with countless non-player characters, as well as engage in side interests and attend to personal issues.

The progression of gameplay is quite open and arbitrary.There is no particular pace you have to keep in playing; you can sprint through the entirety of it, or you can devour days and days roaming around, engaging in the oddities, practicing martial arts, chatting with passersby, playing mini-games or whatever else.The hands on the clock tick away in real time in Ryo's world.The date and time of day--morning, afternoon and evening--is presented in convincing fashion by the game, and is reflected in the towns and villages and industrial areas you'll be visiting.The streets may be thronged with pedestrian traffic during mid-day, shoppers and businessmen, families and children.But after nightfall things change.After the streetlights flicker into life, the locales take on an aura of eerie stillness as the crowds thin and--in the urban and industrial areas--are replaced by members of the seedy nightlife, while in the residential districts they begin to bob their collective heads towards sleep.Many, although not all, businesses, shops and residences are open and interactive for you to explore. Time of day comes into effect here, for certain businesses and shops are only open during particular hours of the day or night.In addition to the realistic sphere of passing time, there are varying weather effects in place as well: sun, rain, and even snow as the calendar edges into the winter months.

Your home is the Hazuki Dojo in Yokosuka.Ryo's mother and father, his last living relatives, are now both gone.You live there with a former student of Ryo's father, Fuku-san, and the elderly housekeeper, Ine-san.Ine-san is a grandmotherly figure who'll fret and worry about Ryo's safety, imploring him to be careful and to let the past go.Yet she's soft spoken and demure, almost resolved to the situation.Each evening Ryo must be home by 11PM, and when he's late Ine-san seems almost hurt by it.It creates a true sense of obligation, of emotion, of connection to the characters and situation.Shenmue excels at creating a sense of strong emotional ties between the player and the characters, as evidenced by the potent flashbacks of Ryo with his father and the difficult parting with Nazomi at the end.You begin to feel the things Ryo feels, to truly take on the role of a lost, yet fiercely indomitable 18-year-old boy up against overwhelming odds to avenge the death of his father.

Every NPC is interactive and will converse with you.Many characters you meet near his hometown know Ryo by name, and some are his close friends--such as Nozomi Harasaki or the American Tom Johnson.There are actual curves of character development as the game progresses, relationships that alter in scope and nature, and a seemingly new, wary awareness of a wider, more iniquitous world by Ryo.Indeed, the villains Lan Di and unstable, tittering Chai impose heavy, bleak footprints on the narrative.Most people Ryo speaks to will have a few lines of dialogue about this or that--sometimes relevant and sometimes not, or now and then sending you off on splinter pursuits apart from your more crucial objectives--and a few will offer up clues to where you need to go next, what items you might need to acquire and to whom you need to talk.Every interaction can be important as you struggle to uncover clues.And with a continuous, moving timeline, it's all-too-possible to miss certain events as they occur when you're someplace else.While most of the gameplay involves the patient, explorative extrication of mystery upon mystery, there are also occasional action segments of martial arts brawling and QTE (quick time encounter) events calling for some speedy button pushes.

About midway through the proceedings Ryo is obligated to find employment to further fund his undertaking, and in this the game's principal setting and structure is somewhat altered.Ryo secures a job operating a forklift on the harbor docks.Here the game delves even further into the realms of realism, for every morning you must get up and report to work first thing--and then do the actual work for eight hours before recommencing with the more important tasks.And while this sometimes leads to a certain degree of monotony and tedium from the player's perspective, it does seem to work well overall within the scope of the game.

Outside the core body of gameplay are multiple minigames and collectible items that Ryo can pursue.The mingames are found mostly in the You Arcade in Dobuita, where full, authentic versions of the Sega arcade classics Hang On and Space Harrier are playable.There are also darts, billiards, slots and QTE games available.And a jukebox that plays real music.And cassette tapes of music you can buy in stores.Every sunrise before work at the harbor, Ryo can participate in a forklift race.And over 600 collectible items are available--everything from photographs to ancient Japanese mirrors to light bulbs to a package of squid legs--and they're located just about everywhere.

Visually, Shenmue is a tour de force, a world you just fall into like a pool of water and then don't want to get back out of. Stylistically and thematically, in both architecture and culture, it's a purely Japanese world.And the Japanese vibe really gets under your skin after a while.In a strange way, by the end of the game, you almost feel as if you've actually been in Japan, not just playing a game set there.It's a striking ambiance and environment they've created; time's suffocating grip has no hold here on the Dreamcast.The environments spring to life around you: trees and grass sway in the breeze, fish dart around a pond, a kitten meows by the roadside, ships dock at the harbor, pigeons startle into flight by your footsteps, people go blithely about their daily lives, the structures appear so lifelike you can almost reach out and touch them.Character animations are carved with a fine chisel; every line etched in the face a graphic relief, hair strands that divide and drift on the winds, eyes that bore holes of meaning and emotion into you.Even the detail present in Ryo's brown leather jacket is stunning.And all this on the Dreamcast, easily looking as good here as later, more advanced gaming consoles.

Shenmue breaches generations and cultures, a game people of vastly different ages and backgrounds can concurrently enjoy and become absorbed with.In the act of investigating, something is revealed, and that points you to the next stage--and from there to the next.You want to see what happens next; you care about Ryo's journey and the people around him you've come to know.The settings are pragmatic and the basic storyline is simple enough that a child can follow it, yet there is depth enough to draw anyone in.It's a universal theme, and a game that has remained wedged in the memory over the years.Regrettably, the ultimate resolution isn't found here; Ryo's tale winds on in Shenmue II on the Xbox.

Yu Suzukies Masterpiece...
Shenmue for the Sega Dreamcast may possibly be the greatest video game experience I've ever had in my gaming days(including Shenmue II for xbox).Shenmue is about a young man out for revenge to find his fathers murderer but theres WAY more too it, I won't spoil anything other then this game is flat out beautiful and should be played by gamers that won't wyn about the slow paced action..

Like the title above, this is Yu Suzukies Masterpiece, the man worked EXTREAMLY hard on this amazing game(Shenmue is also known as one of the most expensive video games ever created).Sadly Yu Suzukies hard worked game never made any good sales because of the PS2's launch, I like many others got it at the time it was first released, This game is just pure brilliance.The visuals are some of the best seen in games...This may be the longest game review I've ever done so lets get to it..

Visuals
This is one of the if not THEEEE best looking DC game ever made, everything is so detailed and the character models are great.The building, the Atmoshpere, thank you so much Suzukie.

Gameplay
ok this is probably the reason this game is the most hated/loved game ever created.IT'S EXTREAMLY SLOW PACED, and may turn off some casual gamers but if you can hold on long enough the action will start to come up.The game play is simple and easy to get use to very quickly.The game plays like a mystery novel, ask people question and clues about something and when you find some clues you go ask other people that may know BUT THIS GAME PULLS IT OFF SO WELL IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY!This game(plus Shenmue II) has THE best fighting engine ever!!!It's taken straight out of the virtura Fighter games.And the Free Battle sequences are extreamly rare yet very fun in the game.Did I mention you can do almost everything in this game?Well not everything but alot of things like getting a job, gambling and alot of the other things that can be done in real life...

Sound/music
When I say this games music is beautiful IT IS, Ten times better then MGS 1.Especially the main theme which you'll notice alot, it's amazing if theres one thing Yu Suzki did well(other then everything els) it's the music in this game, pure brilliance

Controlls
I'm really lazy to get into this but there pretty good
Lemmi just some it up right now

The Good
-Superb Visuals
-Great Controls
-Superb sound
-Amazing Inviorments
-Loads of things to do
-AWESOME FIGHTING ENGINE
-One of the most expensive games ever made
-A beautiful story about vengence but with alot to it

The bad
-action gamers will be turned off by how slow paced this game go's
-For some long, for some a SHORT game, took me about 13 hours my first time but that's because I just did all the story parts and not the side quests
-The sales for this and Shenmue II did so bad that we probably won't see a Shenmue III anytime soon
-For anyone looking for a good challenge for this and Shenmue II, look elswere, it's pretty simple an pretty straight forward..

Other then that Shenmue is an instant classic with everything on the spot, Yu Suzukie created something more then a game....This game is not just good because it feels like you're acctually in that world and living Ryu'S life.....This is good because Yu Suzukie braught us something that just feels so real, and like as if there really is a world like that....acctually there is, JAPAN, duuhh, but still no other game has hit me or motivated to the point were I HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME more then shenmue....This game is hands down...One of the greatest video game experiences you'll ever have...... When it all comes down to this, I give Shenmue for the sega Dreamcast a

5 out of 5 stars...

Brilliant....Just...Brilliant

Totally a great game a must have for dc fans.
This is a really sweet game. Totally a butt-kicking game. I mean you go around beating people up the game lets you see in real live play beating some one up you know without the pain and nose bleeding.

TPittman
Ok, first of all im 12 years old, i bought this game, and played it from 3:00PM-2:00AM, three days in a row, and beat it! I only took about three breaks, and didn't go outside or even eat supper!!! I love this game so much, i beat it twice... total time of the game is about 27hours of game play! Man i wish i had an Xbox so i can play shenmue 2, shenmue 2 is also for the European dreamcast, which i dont have, but someday, i will get shenmue 2, and beat it...

This is a list of all the great things in the game...

1.Great storyline and detailed world...

2.Great minigames: Space Harrier(Quite weird, you look like a mother with a purse coming home from the store), Hang on(A motorcycle racing game), Darts(This ones probably my favorite), Exite QTE2(A game where a letter from the controller apears on the screen and you press it as fast as you can), Pool(not that fun and this is only located in the bar), and last but not least, QTE Title(Pretty much the same as Excite QTE2, but this is a boxing one). Most of the Minigames are located in the Dobuita(The city), at You arcade, and darts is also located at the harbor lounge...

3.You get a job at the harbor, and you take boxes with a Forklift to the warehouse your boss tells you to take it...

4.You can go in most of the buildings in the city Dobuita, and the harbor...

5.You can buy pretty much anything, food, Soda, buy a little toy out of the toy machine, and you can win prises, and win video games...

6.Vehicals are in this game, theres a motorcycle, and a forklift, and you can race on the forklift when you have a job...

7.Theres time, clocks, and it turns day and night, and it snows, and rains...

8. Buy tapes, and you can find a tape player in your room, so you can listen to really cheesy songs...

Heres a list of the bad things in the game...

1.The voice of the main character(Ryo Hazuki) sounds like he only put effort in the beginning, threw the rest of the game, he sounds he doesn't even care that his dad died...

2.The part where you have to save a girl(Nozomi Harasaki) on the motorcycle sucks big time, You only drive the motorcycle straight, i thought you would be able to drive it anywhere, and that part is hard too...

Thats everything, the only part of the game that sucks is them two, but buy the game, trust me, its the best RPG/Adventure game ever made on the planet, and the game not that bad, its rated Teen for Animated violence, Strong language, and Use of Tobacco and Alcohol, but dont let that stop you, just buy it already!!!

NOTE: You need a memory card!!!

The peak of gaming.
4 years ago, I saw tons of ads for Shenmue. I had never read anything about the game, or knew what it was about, as the ads simply said "SHENMUE" and its release date. I started to get hyped up about it, because they made it seem like this was the biggest game to come out since Super Mario Bros. 3. When it finally did come out, I managed to get it at Target for an incredibly sick low price. Upon taking it home and starting it up, I had a new standard for what makes a game good. I couldn't even believe this was a game when I saw Ryo Hazuki in action, running through an almost photo realistic Japan in the 1980's. It was beauty in motion. But this is more than a pretty game, much more.

What exactly is Shenmue? Is it an rpg, adventure, action, or fighter? It's really all of those. If you don't know by now, it was originally slated to be an rpg with Virtua Fighter characters, which sounds pretty cool. Later on though, everything was changed into something completely original. You play as Ryo Hazuki, a Japanese teenager who arrives home to see a black car parked near his home. Entering through the gates, he finds the housekeeper on the ground, probably beaten up. She tells him that his father's in the dojo and the men in the car are with him. Making his way to the dojo, an "adopted" family member gets thrown out and is unconscious. Finally, Ryo enters to see a Chinese man in a silk robe asking for a mirror. Ryo's dad, Iwao, doesn't tell them, and they begin to fight. Iwao is no match though, as Lan-Di dodges every move without effort and takes him out with a simple kick. Saying that he won't tell him again, Lan-Di threatens to kill Ryo. Iwao has no choice, and tells him that it's buried under the cherry tree outside. But it's too late, and Lan-Di tells Iwao to get up and die with honor. He kills him right in front of Ryo, and leaves with the mirror. The scene is very dramatic and the music addes even more to an already emotional scene. From that point on, it's up to Ryo to track down Lan-Di and avenge his father. Unfortunately for him though, it won't be easy. A lot of time will be spent asking questions around town to get more details on where to go next. This part of the game tends to bore some ignorant people, but it isn't as bad as they make it out. If you actually follow directions, things will be very simple. Sometimes, the people you try to get answers out of take offense, and immediately start a fight. Trust me, the fights in Shenmue are sweet and I was always pumped to get in one. The music, moves, and danger of it all renders all other fights in games obsolete. It took me a long time to get back to turn-based fights in rpgs after playing this.

As serious as it may sound, you can still have fun in Shenmue. Remember, this takes place in Japan in the 80's, so it's a very new world to many people. It's also as realistic as you can get. The designers took the actual weather reports and forecasts from that time period and put them into the game's actual calendar. If it was raining on a friday in December in real life, it's doing the same thing here in the game. If you don't want to wait around until a store opens to talk to the owner, buy some capsule toys of classic Sega characters (ranging from Sonic to NiGHTS to Sega executives), or go to the arcade and play classic games like Hang-On or Space Harrier. Time flies when playing those gems. You can also try out darts, a boxing simulator, and a QTE arcade machine to win capsule toys of said machines. QTEs are pretty cool. During a scene, sometimes a button or direction will flash on the screen, and you have to press it quickly in order to move on. An example is when some bikers attack (well, try to if you're good) Ryo at the harbor. If you manage to hit all the buttons correctly at the right time, Ryo will knock a biker off his motorcycle, causing him to fall into the sea. Even now, four years later, these excite me. Shenmue also has a vast variety of characters- Ryo's potential love interest: Nozomi the flower girl, Tom the hot dog vendor, Goro the street-wise punk with a heart of gold, Mark who supervises Ryo when he gets a job (oh yes, you get to work, and it's nothing but fun) driving forklifts, and many more characters. You can also practice your fighting moves in the dojo or even a parking lot. And you'll want to if you don't want to get beaten up in the many fights. Go out and buy some new move scrolls at the antique shop, or look around the Hazuki house. There's just so much to do here, that I could bore you even more with a second review just to go through it all. And by the time you're even 2 hours into the game, you will actually feel like you -are- Ryo Hazuki. The character attention is worthy of 5 stars in its own.

For the time it was released, nothing could compare to Shenmue. Character models all have nothing but the best detail. Wrinkles in their skin, articles of clothing where you can see each individual stitch, and actual facial expressions. Not just heads that had moving mouths, but real expressions. You can see the anger and determination in Ryo's eyes when confronting members of gangs in the area, shock when Tom demonstrates a new move later on, and grace in the final scene. But the developers didn't just stop with the main characters like so many others do, each individual character has their own unique look to distinguish them from anyone else. Just look at some of the workers at the harbor, or the resturant workers who look the part. On the Shenmue passport disc, there are almost FMV quality graphics in some of the characters that talk to you about the Shenmue world and explain various things. They're so close to being of Final Fantasy X FMV quality. Even today after the likes of the Xbox and GC have set the bar, those graphics look great. If there's anything to degrade in the graphics at all, it's that there's slowdown when walking through crowded streets. It never bothered me, but it does get to some people. Fortunately, this doesn't occur during the incredible fights. The 70 man battle in particular.

There's nothing bad to say about the music. The game's theme will automatically be stuck in your head once you hear it for the first time. And when the Chinese fiddle version is heard, it makes the theme even more memorable. It's epic, plain and simple. The theme is heard a lot throughout the game, but used differently and with variations. There's even a christmas version once December rolls around. Through the game, you can also buy cassette tapes if you want to hear something different. My favorite would probably be Hang-On, which can be won at the Tomato store as a prize.And the music that kicks in during fights, nothing short of dynamic. It's a shame it wasn't carried over to the sequel. That theme alone was worth playing for. And like the graphics, there's one tiny thing I didn't like- some of the voice acting. A lot of the voices are pretty good, but some of the extras just didn't try. If you have the chance, import the Japanese version to get the better voices.

Shenmue remains my favorite game even after the Panzer Dragoon Ortas and Blinxes and even Bust-A-Moves that I've played recently. Please buy this game and show support so the saga can continue. Right now the series is kind of in a rut, and its future isn't looking too good. As long as its finished in some way (even if the official comic manages to get more attention), I'll be happy. Shenmue isn't for everyone, but for those that pick it up and can appreciate it, they'll be hooked. Thank you for making this experience Mr. Suzuki. Here's hoping to more in the future *raises glass of cranberry apple raspberry juice*. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Wouldn't it be nice to play games without a cord stretching across yourliving-room floor, especially if you have little kids or large dogs in yourhousehold? Nintendo's Wave Bird isn't the first wireless controller ever broughtto market, but it's a whole lot better than what came before. You may remember abrief fad a few years ago with spotty infrared devices. These units failedbecause they were a lot heavier than standard controllers, and also because theyrequired a direct line of sight between the controller and the infraredreceiver. The Wave Bird is much lighter (it weighs a bit more than a regularcontroller) and uses radio frequency signals for reliable game control atdistances of up to 20 feet. Unless your playing on a stadium-size TV screen,that should be more than enough. The unit will last for about 100 hours of useon just two AA batteries and has 16 channel frequencies, so you'll easily beable to hook up four controllers without interference. ... Read more

Features

• Platform: GameCube

Reviews (197)

The Best Controllers Ever!
I swear by these controllers. I have 3 of them and they are workhorses. Couldn't lose the signal if you tried. Highly Reccomend!

My Story on the WaveBird Wireless Controller
I first heard about this brand in the Toys "R" Us big toy book.
On Christmas Eve I went to aunt Helene's they have a cool projector and my cousin Matt played with the GameCube on the projcetion screen. He was busy playing an NBA basketball game, and I wanted to play a game with him. So my mom told him to play a game with him, and I picked Mario Party 4. I had the WaveBird wireless controller. When the game was over I wanted it so badly.
I have a baby brother he's a toddler now so he's curious and I don't have to tangle the wires to prevent him from getting it. Instead I can just keep it in a safe place. Also I play on the floor, and it's more comfy playing on the bed. I haven't got it yet because Mom just ordered it.

WhyBuy This When you can get a corded controller?
Why? Because it is much more durable. I own 3 corded contollers which I bought at the same time as my only wireless. The corded ones broke about 1 year hence, the wireless is still going strong. [...] In any case, if you are looking for an excellent gaming experience Purchase this item. SOMEWHERE ELSE!

the best controller ever
ok this is so awesome i love it alot because i can play it on my bed when my tv is a lil far distance its so cool i dont have to worry about and cords i have 4 controllers 2 are blue then i have this one and i aslso have a black one but out of them all this one was the best so if i were you i would get it.

The Best Wireless Controller of Any System
The Wavebird has set an example for all other wireless controllers. Lighter in weight than the regular controller (although lacking the somewhat cool rumble feature), the battery life of the Wavebird is surpisingly good, lasting much longer than expected. A pair of AA's lasted me all the way through The Wind Waker, and partway through Metroid Prime. Range is excellent, although I find that certain obstacles will cause a little glitching. It has also defeated the problem of the relatively short cord on the regular Gamecube controller. Overall, it's worth every penny. ... Read more

Features

• Explore rich environments from the colorful Burrow to the dark reaches of the Forbidden Forest.
• Master new spells including Expeliarmus, Diffendo, and Skurge.
• Overcome dangerous foes from Aragog to the Basilisk.
• Take flight to play improved Quidditch.
• Interact with new characters from J.K. Rowling's world, including Dobby, Lockhart, and Ginny Weasley.

Reviews (89)

The Chamber Of Fun!
This game is one of the best games I have ever played.

>Every hidden corner can be explored.
>Each spell is very creative.
>The surroundings in the game are very well detailed.
>It is more fun to collect wizard cards in this game than in
any other because the cards unlock many secrets.

From Arigog in the Forbidden Forest to the bascilisk in the Chamber Of Secrets this game is great fun. It is a must play!

Great Game, Great Graphics
I've had trouble finding computer games for my daughter that are age appropriate.Most games labeled "for children" are really for kindergarten & under, and thus too easy & childish."Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets" is just perfect!This is a wonderful game, challenging without being frustrating; great graphics; low on violence; and just plain fun.

geting better
This game is better than the first harry potter but don't get me rong I liked the first also.this is another must have for harry potter fans.

One great game
This is the best of the 4 Harry Potter games. The graphics are good,the music is good,and the gameplay is great. The spells you learn are really creative. This is the hardest Harry Potter game I've played. However,you have to restart the game to acsoss the Main Menu.

A great game for all ages!
Harry Potter and the Chamber Of secrets is a very fun and interesting video game. You start out having to save Ron from the Whomping Willow. On the Whomping Willow there will be a sign that means you may cast Flipendo on it and save Ron. When you arrive at Hogwarts, you're first day you will have a lesson with Proffesor Lockhart on the Third Level. You will have to hit an arrow key on the keyboard as a wand makes its way around it. This is called Rictusempra. It stuns many unusual creatures. It is useful in this game, though. You will then go to the Rictusempra Challenge. When you arrive in a room that has three boxes where you can cast Flipendo on it, look at the doors. On each floor level there will be a picture of Proffesor Lockhart. Cast Flipendo on the blocks until you have the three bottom level doors unlocked. Then unulock the left door and go into it up into the next level and so on. Then when you arrive in the last room You have to hit the creatures into the pit where they belong. Then go up to get the Completion Star, and your time will become your new personal record. What I like to do after I complete the Rictusempra Challenge is go to the Dueling Club and duel other members. After you beat levels, the courts change. Then finish all of the other challenges. When you arrive at the Chamber Of Secrets, I have barely any advice. The only advice I have is that when fighting the Basilisk in the second round, only hit him when his mouth is open. Before you fight the Basilisk, you must gain a lot of health. After you defeat Tom Riddle and the Basilisk, you end up in Dumbledore's office. Go up to the top of his office and look for a Wizard card. Then, when you are finished, do not i mean DO NOT go to the feast. First, you must make sure you have every Silver Wizard card to advance to the Gold Wizard card Challenge. If you do not have every Silver Wizard card, I would duel people and buy cards from sellers. That is all the advice I have. And I recommend to purchase Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the popular Ogre Battle games, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis marks the first installment of the series on a portable platform. As Alphonse, a knight of Galicia, you're sent to investigate the intentions of the suspect governing body of the Holy Lodis Empire and solve the mystery of Ovis. Players will encounter many battles to test their wit and strength, and their experiences will determine the true nature of their characters, as well as game's possible endings. The game offers more than 40 hours of gameplay, as well as a head-to-head battle mode via the separately sold Game Boy Advance link cable. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

Tactics Ogre the knight of Lodis
This is the best GBA game ever! Better than Final Fantasy Tactics advance! This game is worth every penny! Tons of Gameplay!

Puts your GBA to a good use
I dont know if this is really the kind of game for everyone. I am very personal with my games and with every great game I play I find myself deeply attached to certain aspects that could even be overlooked by a casual gamer. Chances are if you play this game you will miss out on parts of the experience i had with it. I enjoyed this game because of the great characters, thoughtful dialog, sweet music, and the atmosphere. Each little person you meet seems to have a heart.There are people that make you glad, people you feel sorry for, and people you will get angry at. I felt bad about certain enemies you're forced to kill. Alphonse, the main character, is an admirable guy and I love the girl who rescues him from the sea, Eleanor. Her theme song is one of the best in the game. There are people that make you glad, people you feel sorry for, and people you will get angry at. I felt bad about certain enemies you're forced to kill. And although he's kind of evil, the final boss is awesome. I felt respect for just about every character. The music is sometimes a little simple, but it always matches the scene is which it is place. And its not all giddy and giggly like some games music that gets on my nerves, like harvest moon. Some of the better tunes are the opening movie, eleanor's theme, cybil's theme, the final boss, and the credits. The battles are long man. Train your party members and level them up in random battles whenever you have nothing better to do, then when youve got more time enjoy the key parts of the story. There are all sorts of details in this game, in the menus and in the graphics as well. I love details. Poke around with the help feature and find out things that make the world feel more complete. This review really rambles i guess i just wanted to honor the game rather than convince people to buy it... but if you like some of these other games I've enjoyed maybe you'll like Tactics Ogre: Both Golden Suns, Dragon Warrior 1 thru 3, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. This is an excellent Game Boy title that doesnt feel quite like the other games you play on this system. I loved it!

This game rocks!!!!
This game rules!! There are new classes and what used to be male only classes are now female also and vice-versa.New missions new people new wepons what more could you ask for?If you like The ogre battle series buy it!!!!

Enjoy a challenge??......Here it is.
Tactics ogre for the game boy advanced is the fourth game down a long and great line of stragedy games, involved key game play elements from FFT (final fantasy tactics) and Ogre Battle( N64 & super NES). The great thing about this game is that is has the best mixure between the two. The fighing style for this game follows the same techniqe as FFT, but with a twist. Now when it's your turn to battle you can choose who moves at any time!! You can move you heavy steel weiding Knight first thing, or have your powerful wizard clear the way with his spells, choosing who moves and when is one of the key's to what make this a great game.

Graphics- The graphics are good for the Game boy advance, better than most 32 bit games out there. The toon style characters follow those from the playstation version of Tactics Ogre.

Sound- The dramatic sounds this little game puts out are good at creating the mood for whatver is happening, fighting sounds are also a plus.

Gameplay- The gameplay makes this game what it is...Wonderful!! You follow the life and times of one charcter, and make an impact to other unique characters lives. The ability to make choices adds to the fun factor. If you start over, you can never play this game exactly the same twice.

Highlights- Three battery save slots are available, plus a suspend option for those really long battles. Fun exicited and challenging.

Cons (Had to think of some)- This game is for ones seeking to use stragedy and their mind, not just simple games play. This is not for you if you just want to have some simple fun. It's too easy these days to get a quick walkthrough which takes away from the game play, and anticipation (use skill not cheats).

Overall- You MUST buy this game if have any RPG or stragedy blood in your viens!!

tactics ogre
this is the best strategy game for gba.it even competes with golden sun.

it has a pretty so so storyline (you are this guy who starts in the ranks of these special troops, and you break up to find this item and you basically run around a map killing enemies).it is fun, because not only can you persuade people to join your party, but you can hire people in towns.

*pros*

fighting

moves

persuasion/hiring

quest mode

*cons*

graphics (they are ok, not anything special)

storyline

no-save period during enemy's turn

no-save period during long conversations that can take up to ten minutes if you bother to actually read what all the idiots are saying

allinall i think this is a great game, but if you sense a conversation, start htting (A) at like ten times a second.most of the conversations are irrelevant.

buy this game if you like strategy games, but if you like rpgs go golden sun:P ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Larger in scope than itspredecessor and better in almostevery way, Breath of Fire II is a perfect port of the original SNES game,and will leave role-playing fans begging for more.

The game starts out, dreamlike, in a small border village 500 years after theevents of the first game. You play a small boy named Ryu (ring a bell?) who islooking for his lost sister. After finding his sister and reuniting her withpops, Ryu wanders around a bit and returns home--and that's when things reallystart to get interesting. To go further than that would risk spoiling the story,but we can say that the plot is really topnotch this time around and has threealternate endings.

Graphically, the game is a huge jump from the original. The towns are larger,the character sprites are more detailed, and the field map is gorgeous. You seeweather effects such as rain and drifting clouds, wandering animals and jumpingfish, and plants blowing in the breeze. If you have any experience with the best16-bit RPGs for the SNES, like Final Fantasy VI orChrono Trigger, you getthe idea.

The characters are completely new in the series, and have brand-new skills. Theonly exception is Ryu (who isn't the original Ryu, but basically has the sameskills). Like the original Breath of Fire, certain areas of the game areonly accessible by using the skills of your party members. For example, one ofyour members can turn into a frog, and can ferry you across rivers and streams.

Among the changes to Breath of Fire II is that fishing and hunting havebigger roles; they're now minigames that require technique and reward with itemsthat can advance the story. An animated monster image shows up on the field menuto give you an idea how often you'll encounter the baddies--nice for avoidingall those random battles. There's also the new Guts stat, which will sometimesallow a character to fight even when he should be knocked out. The two coolestadditions are town creation (where you get to build and populate your own town),and the new fusion system, which allows your characters to "fuse" with shamansthat you encounter, thus joining and augmenting their powers. In a nutshell,this game improves upon the best parts of the original. --Bryan Karsh

Pros:

• Character fusion
• Fishing and hunting minigames
• Town creation
• Save anywhere
• Trade items via link cable
• Improved graphics, sound, and music

• Ryu doesn't actually make contact when he attacks

Reviews (31)

Ahh!Need Water!O_o
Breath of Fire 2 was originally released for the Super Nintendo.Somehow, I managed to miss it when I had that system, so buying it on the GBA seemed like a natural move considering I'd heard a little about it from other gamers who played it, as well as some online reviews.

...This was a poor game to start the system off with (yes, this was my first GBA game)...

I know this was a direct port of the SNES version, so I went into this knowing it would retain SNES quality.For the most part, graphics and sound are average here.Nothing super extravagant, but nothing too bland either (sound is a bit below-average, though).

Gameplay is what killed me throughout playing this.Comparing this to several other RPGs (anything from Dragon Warrior games, to Final Fantasy games and so on).I'm still not able to figure out where this one went wrong.Here are my guesses, though:

- Horribly high amount of random battle encounters (and they even have an icon that tells you how high your probability of lots of encounters are).
- Unbalanced gameplay.Combat is more of a chore in this game compared to any other old school RPG.
- Weak attacks.A huge majority of the characters are practically useless, and what's even worse is the shaman system employed partway through the game, which fixes some of these issues, is dispersed if your characters get too low on HP.Not to mention most of the spell casters good attacks are just magic, and even then Ryu (the main character) still does more damage than them.
- Over-reliance on certain attacks.Even though most RPGs tend to make you favor certain attacks, this one does it to the point of monotony.
- Poor exploration.Somehow, this world just wasn't all that enjoyable to journey across.In fact, somehow even the residents of the world aren't that interesting either.A shame, because it had lots of potential in my eyes because of the interesting diverse races (such as the winged people of Windia, and the dragon clan).

There are only two reasons I don't outright give this game the lowest score ever.For one thing, the story was quite interesting (even though the translation seemed to be mauled a bit).For another, it had a bit of humor in it, but nothing worth writing home about.

So, to sum this up, I cannot recommend this game to anyone.Whether you've been playing RPGs since before they were cool, or never heard of them, it would be best to skip this.There are lots of other much better RPGs on the GBA.

best rpg besides fire emblem
so i wanted a new rpg for my game boy and saw all of the reviews for breath of fire II. I instantly was begging to go to the local gaming store. At the begining it was bad you control this stupid midget guy and its in black and white. I thought i bought a bad game but i learned quickly dont get decieved by the begining after you come out of the forest its in color, well 1 problem solved. So you go along and eventually get caught up in a cave where a monster is that knocks you out for 10 years. yay im not a retard anymore. this game is awsome the battle sequences are cool and it is an excellent game.

storyline: 5/5

graphics: 5/5

controls: 5/5

gameplay: 5/5

even though ryu makes a slash in the air when he attacks and not the enemy, get over it other people dont. This is 1 of the best rpgs ever made, some other great rpgs are, final fantasy x, fire emblem, golden sun, harvest moon etc. really dont hesitate to buy. It will be 1 of the best buys youve ever made.

Randomness
A four and a half star game.Good graphics, interesting story line, awesome spells.The spells make the game.The only thing that bothers me is getting stuck in stupid and random places.I'm normally pretty good at video games but this one was over my head.The story line was pretty weird to. Who ever heard of killing evil fatty monsters? Messed up.The end bothered me to.I won't spoil it, but it basically says, Oh, you really didn't do what you thought you were going to do.Okay then.But I enjoyed it.

Keeps getting better
Arguably the best game in Capcom's RPG series, Breath of Fire II makes a seamless transition from the 16-bit Super NES to the small-screened Game Boy Advance. Although the game got smaller, it's still an engrossing adventure that no RPGer on the go should be without. BOFII is essentially an epic quest of self-discovery. As one of the fleeting kin of a group known as the Dragon Clan (so named for their ability to transform into gigantic fire-breathing things), you'll meet up with eight other diverse souls and embark on a quest to unlock the secrets of your past...and save the world in the process. The road is loaded with entertaining and challenging side quests that keep the game fresh and exciting-even when the narrative takes occasional trips to cliché-ville. Sibling rivalry, lost love, domineering parents-you name it, this game's got it all. The game's only flaw is the ease with which you can defeat bosses and reach the end of the game. Anyone who's ever played a turn-based combat system will immediately take to BOFII's antiquated slug-fests, but most of the time you'll just hit Auto-Battle. Despite an occasional tough opponent, you'll bulldoze over most monsters without breaking so much as a hand sweat. BOFII's plush sprite visuals are matched by an atmospheric music score that admirably gets the job done. Straightforward and simple controls solidly track your every move, too. In the realm of today's high-powered next-gen role-players, BOFII is an excellent time-killer-not to mention one of the better entries in the series.

GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT!!!
I bought this game a few years ago for the SNES after playing BOF1.I was looking for more of that wonderful gameplay in the first classsic game.I was terribly disappointed and I endorse the comments of the other reviewer from Valencia, CA USA.I quote them immediately below.

*******************
"The sequel to one of the best rpg games with the best story line is a total and complete flop. breath of fire 2 does not follow anything even remotly like a story and is not in any way realated to the first game.the game should have had some thing to do with defeating Tyr after she comes back at the end of Breath of Fire 1. the fighting is different and when i tried to select a enemy to fight out of 3 enemies, i ended up shooting myself. what is probably the worst part about fighting is when you meet a new enemy. you can't see how much health they have so it is frustarating not knowing how long until you kill them. the graphics are horrible and are worse than any game i have ever played. the hunting in this game is extremly disipointing and you spend the time waiting for a deer or boar to come out of the grass. if you are looking for a good RPG, play Breath of Fire 1 or Golden Sun"
*********************

Additionally, the storyline (what there is of it) is horrid.It is not even a true sequel, but seems to be an attempt by the company to simply capitalise on the success of the first without too much effort.In short people.Do NOT buy this game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

You don't have to be MacArthur to recognize that Advance Wars isone of the best strategy war games for any console. The game pits four fictionalcity-states in a battle for territory. Your job as commanding officer is todefeat the enemies in turn-based combat over land, air, and sea. AdvanceWars has a stiff learning curve, but its interactive tutorials can turn thegreenest GI into agreat leader of pixelated men. AW also offers manymultiplayer options, including the ability to play against a friend by passingthe GBA back and forth. To extend the possibilities, you can also create newbattlefields and trade them with others. Despite cutesy visuals, this is a verydeep game that is also accessible. For GBA generals looking to flex theirtactical muscles or anyone looking for a simply great GBA game, look no further.--Mark Brooks

Pros:

• Clear and informative graphics
• Ideal interface for the tiny GBA screen
• Lots of multiplayer and customization options.

• Misleadingly cute box art (this is not a game for tots!)

Reviews (230)

Best turn-based strategy I've ever played
You take on the role of a Commanding Officer (CO) in a cartoony world at perpetual war with itself. Easy to get into, and deceptively deep. Advance Wars is strategy at its best. What makes it so special? First, the graphics are great. The animations are instant gratification when a well-timed attack turns the tide of battle, help you visualize battle results in several ways so you know exactly how your units are doing. Second, the options for multiplayer are excellent. Because the game is turn based, 4 players can play together even on only one system. Grab a friend, and enjoy the anticipation of having the system handed back to you and seeing your opponent smirk as you stumble into their trap (playing on seperate systems can be done, but isn't nearly as fun).

The most important facet of this game is depth. Fog of War (where parts of the map your units can't see are blacked out) makes for intensity- you're always trying to calculate what forest or hilltop might contain enemy units waiting for you. The basics of troop movements give way to incredible strategy (delay the enemy tank by sacrifing your troops, or retreat and lure the tank into range of your artillery?). Each CO is completely unique (Max has stronger tanks, but weaker artillery. Sami has tougher troops, but weaker vehicles) and thier individual powers add an extra level of depth to the process.

Advance Wars is an amazing game for singleplayer action. Add in a full-featured map creator, a ton of unlockable COs, and the wealth of options, and this is one of the best multiplayer games on the GameBoy. A must-have.

War Chess
This game is basically chess, with more units, you can move all of your units per turn, and you can create units.It is challenging, but it is very fun.Not to mention its a gameboy game, so you can play it anywhere :)

Another Review To The Other 190 Out Of 229!!!!
Like the REAL people out there said: awesome, thrilling, attractive, exiciting, strategic, "A two thumbs up!", "A never put down until your through!!!", "THE BEST!".

Bum, dum, dum, bum (drum beating for background music). "The best high firepower strategy game yet!!". ADVANCE WARS. Now being bought...SO BUY IT!!!!!

PS: And what boy would not think Sami is sexy?!?

A Great Turn Based Strategy Game
Advanced Wars is everything you could ask for in a strategy game. If you're like me and you love turn based strategy then look no further, Advance Wars is definately up to par with the host of other tactical RPGs for GBA. While it's not an rpg by any means i can't see anyone who likes Final Fantasy Tactics not falling in love with this game. I love turn based strategy and Advance Wars is definately pretty high up on the list of must owns for the genre.

The lack of an RPG element (which has pretty much taken over turn based strategy games in recent years) is somewhat of a blessing. Don't get me wrong i enjoy building up characters but it's definatly a nice change of pace to be able to just jump in and start playing without worrying about much else.

It's also worth mentioning that Advance Wars is fairly difficult.The extensive tutorial while somewhat annoying in its length is probably necessary for the vast majority of gamers. There are quite a few battles where one mistake will easily put you out of commission.

Advance Wars definely deserves 5 Stars

Frickin' Addicting!
Man ... I just got totally sucked into this game.It's a lot of fun.Not an action game at all ... you have to use your head.I think if you liked Pikmin for the GC, you'll like this game.And, I'll go the other way on this one then too ... if you like this game ... make sure you get Pikmin on the GameCube. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Plunge into a world unlike any dreamt possible before. From the makers of the original Myst and Riven, this groundbreaking adventure beckons players to uncover the elusive secrets of the ancient D'ni civilization. Follow Yeesha, eccentric daughter of Atrus, to discover Linking Books, encounter descendants, and solve puzzles as you venture through visually stunning environments.

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Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is the next chapter of the Myst franchise and the most immersive and ambitious Myst experience ever created. The game is bigger, better, and more innovative than any of the previous Myst adventures. Players can move at their own pace, spending hours discovering visually stunning, real-time 3D worlds, solving a large variety of mind-challenging puzzles, and following an epic storyline. Players can continue to discover new areas of D'ni by downloading new maps, worlds, and puzzles.

The Story of Uru

The story of the D'ni civilization began when they established their underground empire on Earth some 10,000 years ago. While living beneath the Earth's surface, the D'ni practiced what they called the "Art of Writing," which enabled them to create links to incredible, alternate worlds of fantastic variety called "Ages," to which they could travel through "Linking Books."

The D'ni people thrived for thousands of years, but later met with a great catastrophe that all but ended their civilization. Their vast cavern was left uninhabited, and their Linking Books and Ages seemed lost forever.

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Then, in the late 1980s, a few humans from the surface discovered that cavern. One of these humans was Elias Zandi. He devoted the rest of his life to exploring and, eventually, restoring that ancient city in the D'ni cavern, preparing to one day reveal their discovery to those who were suddenly feeling irresistibly drawn to the cavern.

When he passed away in 1996, his legacy was divided between a foundation that he set up and his only son, Jeff Zandi. The foundation came to be known as the DRC (D'ni Restoration Council). As their name implies, they took on the task of physically restoring the ruins of the D'ni cavern. If you choose to visit the cavern at some point, you're sure to run into them.

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Jeff Zandi, on the other hand, was interested in learning why the D'ni civilization fell in the first place. He continued studying the teachings of Yeesha, by far the most talented of all the D'ni writers, and daughter of Atrus and Catherine. After years of learning, the younger Zandi is finally comfortable bringing others to an uru (a D'ni word meaning "large gathering" or "grand community").

On your way to the cavern, if you decide to join us, it might be a good idea for you to learn some of the great teachings of Yeesha. Experience the adventure of a lifetime, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst.

Game Features

• Experience a new freedom of movement, a first for the Myst franchise: Explore each unique age in real-time 3D, moving your character effortlessly through the world without pointing and clicking.
• Create a realistic character: Choosing from a wide variety of facial and clothing features, you will be able to create a male or female avatar that you will use to explore the world. The range of character options allows you to appear the way you look, or the way you want to look.
• Explore the mysterious and graphically intense world of Uru. Uru's work-of-art style graphics will immerse and captivate you like never before.

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• Follow an epic storyline: At the request of Yeesha, the eccentric daughter of Atrus, you'll journey through a variety of different ages, and discover the lost civilization of the D'ni people. As the story unfolds, you'll be drawn deeper into the D'ni civilization, and if you choose to download new content, the journey expands even further. You can explore new ages and areas of the D'ni civilization, unravel new mysteries, and adventure in a world that continually changes and expands. Exciting new content will be downloaded regularly, providing an adventure experience that is fresh and ever-changing.

Features

• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Adventure/Puzzle
• Mission:?Single-players?move at their own pace, spending hours discovering visually stunning, real-time 3D worlds, solving a large variety of mind-challenging puzzles, and following an epic storyline.
• Platform:?Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (237)

A major disappointment
When I heard that the makers of Myst had created yet another adventure game, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Taking into account that I had thoroughly enjoyed all of the other Myst games, I expected that Uru would be no letdown. Wrong!!! As it turned out, Uru did not even work on my computer; the game merely allowed me to view the introduction before requiring some advanced graphics card and stopping dead in its tracks. This game was such a disappointment! I had been so fond of the Myst series until this little party pooper came around. I had basically exchanged 50 dollars for Uru's cover art and a fruitless 30-minute installation! Anyway, if you plan on buying this game, be aware that it requires a computer that was probably invented seconds before the game's completion.

Brilliant & Appreciated
i felt this game had enough challenge & atmosphere to credit the team that worked so hard to build it..(!) i dont understand why this game was knit-picked so badly. i thought the moving objects were really interesting especially with the way they mimicked actual objects. i've played games with stick-figues for graphics that took *hours & dozens of tries* to position. Having a little effigy of yourself running around on the screen is adorable. All the different camera features with total surround was brilliant. The only reason this game didnt get 5 stars was because it does need a patch to run on XP.

It doesn't stand out
When I first heard that Uru would allow the user to make their own character and place him/her into this world, I was very excited. However, once I got my hands on the game itself and learned how troublesome it was to simply move this person around the worlds, I was very disappointed. My father and I have been playing these games since Riven and have loved them immensely. Every year, right after Christmas we begin to play them and usually continue nonstop till we have beat it. However, it has been about a year since Uru has first come out and it is just now that we are actually beginning to go through it again and finish.

The past games had problems that could have been solved by using clues spread throughout the world. But I find with Uru that you just have to play guess and check a lot which I have never found to be the way when it came to Myst.

Now I am usually a patient person but the loading time between worlds is unbelievable. This game requires a lot of linking I have found and some of the problems are timed (I am thinking of the Paths of the Shell expansion pack on this comment), so you really start panicking when your computer takes a good 5 minutes before something actually shows up. And then to actually get the player moving without being all jolty, it takes another minute to load. Sigh. Very disheartening.

I have found that with Uru and even Exile the quality has come down. Riven seems to be their own real achievement currently but hopefully Myst IV will redeem them... if only I could get it to load on my computer. Sigh. These games have it in for me and my computer, I tell you.

SO disappointed...
I was a bit suspicious of this game at first.Wasn't the Myst Trilogy supposed to stop with three games?I was rightfully cautious.It's been about a year since I've had this game, and I finally figured out that I don't play it because it is no fun!I had the problems with system requirements too, but after updating my graphics driver, things finally started working.I had been stuck in the desert you get dumped into first because whenever I approached a certain journey cloth, the game crashed.The driver update solved that.However, once I could go to any of the worlds in the game, I noticed how bad the game was.

My first complaint is that MYST DOES NOT NEED AVATARS!I enjoyed being able to click and proceed to the next screen.I DON'T NEED TO WATCH SOMEONE WALK AROUND.If I wanted to do that, I would be a stalker!Like other reviewers have said, the slideshow was so much better.

Second, the controls of the other games were SO MUCH EASIER!Clicking, moving mouse, clicking again.There is elegance in simplicity.None of this <insert bad language here> that is thrown into Uru.If it can't be done by clicking the mouse and using your head (Ubisoft - please don't take that literally - I've heard the horror stories of kicking rocks), it shouldn't be in a Myst game.

Third, I am not interested in a Myst online game.Games like Myst, Riven, and Exile do not belong in an online environment.I admit that I haven't tried Uru online, but I have no desire to do so.If the game comes out, it should be GOOD ENOUGH to make me want to play it online.

In short, this game is not well developed.I prefer DOS games to this!It overworks my computer and it is NO FUN TO PLAY.Cyan and Ubisoft, please do not try anything like this again.Myst fans, stick with Myst, Riven, and Exile, the real Myst trilogy.

URU:Too much hype
This age of myst was one the really dissappointed me. Upon getting the game, it wouldnt play on my system because of the video card, so i had to buy a new card to play it. But the game itself is really boring, you spend all your time searching every inch of the screen to find things. All the other myst series had it alot easier to see when you had something to look at or click on, but not this game. If you are not in the exact right spot, you will miss something that you need to continue the game. I never finished playing URU because you are not sure what you are looking for, also you almost need a PHd to solve a few of the puzzles. This game was a big waste of my money, and i hope that they go back to the drawing board on the next installment they make. Get back to some of the old myst, newer isnt always better! ... Read more

Product Description

It will be shaken, not stirred in James Bond 007: NightFire. Do you have what it takes to be the ultimate secret agent? Take part in Bond's most exciting adventure yet. This mission-based first-person shooter takes you on an international secret mission through the Alps, the South Pacific and even into outer space. You will run into some of Bond's famous enemies as well as some new characters in this original storyline. You get to use all of those Bond gadgets from the movies as well as get up close and personal with beautiful Bond women. ... Read more

Features

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

Reviews (127)

A New Agent
This game includes many possibilities, and is over the top fun. New guns, and new weapons. The Missions are action-packed and very entertaining. New enemies! Here are some tips:

*When playing Capture the Flag, (if two players are playing) Have a person to get the flag, and a person to guard your own.

*When just playing Nightfire Arena, set booby traps such as using a tribomb and locate it down where the feet of a person would be.

*Do not use Heatseeker alot, because this will usually not work the best.

*Use Sentinal gun,(a big dark green one).

(These guns are in explosives 1)

I hope these tips were heplful to you. You should definatly rent it first and then buy it.

A Fun Classic James Bond Adventure
This is a great game. If you like James Bond get this game. If you hate games that you beat quickly then get this. The graphicas are great but sometimes a little dark. Nightfire has a great storyline but a stupid ending. Nightfire has a very high replayability because of the multiplayer. This was a great game.From all the high tech gadgets to the abundence of wepons Nightfire is my second favorite Bond game ever.( The best was Goldeneye for n64)

Cool Game!
This game is great! The scenarios could be a bit better, but the multiplayer is fun. That's the main reason I bought this game.

nightfire is an excellent game
I recently just purchased nightfire and to my amazement i was quite pleased. Now the 1st person mode wasn't anything special but the multiplair modes were awesome!!!!!!!!!1

I could play it for hours
The 1 player mode is really fun,the graphics are AWSOME,the plot ia good and the multiplayer mode is THE BEST!Me and my friends always rent this game and play it on my Cube for hours.Multiplayer mode is just so adicting! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Mario's illustrious career has earned the fella the right to relax, so it's no surprise that virtual golfers can now join him on the links... Mario style, of course. In Mario Golf, players join the star and his usual posse--Luigi, Pyoshi, Wario, Princess Peach, and Baby Mario, among others--on six themed courses, each with unique obstacles and landmarks recognizable from Mario's previous ventures. Despite one's expectations of a cartoonish "golf light" experience, the gameplay is actually on par with many serious golf simulations and is undeniably the best golf game for the Nintendo 64.

The game is equally balanced for pros and amateurs alike. Seasoned virtual golfers and perfectionists can choose a club, adjust the golfer's stance, gauge the wind direction, and apply a variety of spins to the ball. Casual golfers can let the computer caddy pick the best club and line up the golfer, and then simply swing away.

A variety of 10 classic and cleverly original game modes are available. Among the more interesting challenges are ring shot, requiring players to land shots through floating rings, and mini golf, complete with banked walls and ramps. In addition to the traditional tournament, skins, and match modes, golfers can play speed golf, requiring players to finish a round of golf as quickly as possible. --Eric Twelker

Pros:

• Great variety of game modes
• High replay value
• Strong multiplayer mode for up to 4 players

• No hidden Mario Golf Kart mode (that we know of, at least)

Reviews (45)

Good
The Golfing Is Nice And Smooth In This Game And Also There Is Lots Of Playable Characters.The Golf Courses Look Very Good And Just About Everything In The Game Has Nice Things To Offer.Any N64 Owner Should Defintely Check This Game Out

Mariogolf 64 Review
This game is very entertaining for many golfers and children alike. It is a lot of fun although it is very far from reality, as in having piranha plants,chomps,etc.

Four!!!
Not that many golf games in the video game industry can actually sell very, very well. Most of them use a major player's name, and suppose to have their "skills" in the process. Not that many of them can have a strong sense of enjoyment in the golf world, where everyone wants a more serious side in the sports world with football, and basketball. However, Nintendo seemed to hit the nail on the head with their 2000 creation.

With Mario Golf, the game consists of the start of four golfers, including Baby Mario, Peach, and a couple of others. Throughout the game, you can access the Get Character mode, which can help you challenge other characters like Mario, Bowser, and Yoshi. Once you win the character, you also need them, the harder the challenger in the round. It is also important in the Tournament mode, where you can also earn enough points toward newer golf courses and challenging holes in the process. Each course reflecting on the cute, Mario Brothers themed style, which makes it appealing to all ages old and young, where the other games don't seem to have that sense of enjoyment.

Although Nintendo stopped making games for the Nintendo 64, Mario Golf is only one of the very few sports games I highly recommend for the system. Although many people might not see the review, because of the newer game system reviews and newer games of the Gamecube, Xbox, and Playstation 2.

Bunch O' Fun!
I am NOT a video game fanatic. Actually, there are very few games that I even like. This one though, I can truely enjoy. Eight cool courses (two of them mini-golf!), secret characters, its all good. Should go on the wish list of one even if they call themselves a medicore gamer!

Greatest Game Ever
Mario Golf is the greatest game in the history of the world.Period. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force is as close as we've comeso far to actually being able to participate in an away team mission.The plot of this first-person shooter is pure Star Trek: during abattle with an alien ship, the badly damaged USS Voyager istransported by mysterious means to a strange spaceship graveyard. Itisn't long before the Voyager crew members discover they aren'tthe only abductees trying to patch their vessel together and escape, andthe adventure begins. As a member of Voyager's newly formedhazard team, it's your job to secure required repair materials, gatherinformation about the other survivors, and ultimately enableVoyager to resume its long journey home.

Frequently there are two or more team members with you (includingfamiliar faces like Seven of Nine), which lets missions play out morelike episodes from the series than a solo firefight that just happens totake place in a Star Trek setting. Other team members willdisable security fields, analyze data, converse with you as the missionprogresses, and add some much-needed firepower in the tough battlesequences. Elite Force uses the Quake III engine to goodeffect, serving up some beautiful environments, colorful specialeffects, and smooth frame rates. Our only gripe is that all the missionstake place inside various spacecraft, but the architecture used by eachrace is unique so that it isn't too repetitive.

Elite Force stays very true to the source material, as wediscovered the first time we beamed into a Borg cube and watched theinhabitants march by as if we weren't there. We shot a passing Borg tosee what would happen, and the massive environment sprung to life as thethreat was detected and dozens of angry Borg converged on our position.The cast of the TV series provided the voices for their characters inthe game, and the artists painstakingly modeled the interior ofVoyager. It all lends an authentic flair to this fun game thatbelongs in the collection of any Star Trek fan. --T. ByrlBaker

Pros:

• Almost like participating in an episode of the show
• Better than average voice acting
• Authentic environments, visuals, and sounds add to the experience

• Somewhat boring weapons
• Plot-driven story line forces linear mission design

Reviews (110)

A Star Trek Game at the Climax!
This is the best Star Trek game ever made! The graphics and lip-syncing (excuse my spelling) are great even though the game is 4 yrs. old! I have not beat the game yet, though I have gotten pretty far. I really like this game because it has all of Voyager's cast members lending their voices to the game (except Kes of Course, who left more than 2 yrs. earlier) The story is good too! Activision hired good writers for this game. If you are thinking about buying Star Trek: Elite Force II unless you are very daring. I will give you a hint, No Voyager characters except Tuvok and Barclay. There even is only one TNG character which is Capt. Picard.

generic shooter in star trek wrapper, w/ some goodies n btw
Unlike a lot of other good story-driven FPS games around like Half-Life, Thief (not an FPS, but whatever), XIII, NOLF, and the like, I found Elite Force to be highly disappointing given the fact that it took place in the highly intelligent Star Trek universe.All the away mission levels had basically the same pattern: walk about 20 feet, fight off a horde of baddies, walk another 25 feet, fight another group of baddies, and so on.Raven even intelligently replaces the mindless key hunt in so many other old games with the mindless control panel hunt, as so well shown in the Etherean and Borg levels.And speaking of the borg, they were portrayed horrendously, they never run and you, they always slowly trudge toward you but always corner you and get you as in the show, and in the show more than one can always trounce you.While I admire the effort of the developers, it just ended up feeling like Doom with Borgs when a good 20 borgs were on my tail on I was mowing them down with the shotgun-like I-Mod.But the implementation of the Borg adapting to other guns (dying first, then others adapting) was great.Also, the stealth mission on the Scavenger ship, while an admirable attempt, was laughable after playing such stealth-based masterpieces as Thief and Splinter Cell, and even stealth missions in games such as XIII are much, much better.
The end really sucked.Unlike Half-Life's haunting movie-like cliffhanger, you end up encountering this giant slug who tells of how the ship you are in (it has some special name, I forgot it) will enslave the universe.When Munro tells him/it that the ship is about to be destroyed, he laughs and tells them that it can multiply!HAHAHA!Then who comes to save the day but the mysterious Etherians, who quickly blow up a nearby panel, destroying its multiplying capabilities!What a twist!The slug is a boring-a$$ boss too.
I'm not saying this game sucked, I liked it, but it didn't live up to the Star Trek legacy.Blasting the baddies was fun, especially the repair droids (good explosions), but repetitive and unintelligent.Also, while character interaction lacked during away missions, it was outstanding on Voyager, where you could watch off-duty teammates playing poker, listen to Chakotay and Paris discuss their plight in the mess hall, and even practice gunplay in the holodeck.The rendering of Voyager was great and the interaction of other NPCs in the background was very Half-Life like (in other words, awesome).Unfortunately, it was very linear exploration.Most of the doors on the ships were locked, which really, really sucked.
In short, buy this if you'd like a short shoot-em-up in a Star Trek universe and if you'd like to do a little exploring on Voyager itself, this is the game for you.But be warned:this is not the best Star Trek game ever, as said.Most people saying that are Quake fans who hate Star Trek and other Star Trek games for being too "geeky."It's their loss, older Star Trek titles such as Generations, A Final Unity, 25th Anniversary, and others are much, much truer to the Star Trek universe. (I should know, I'm a ST fan).Generations (which was panned by most critics by the way....) even had FPS styled portions but they were coupled with graphic adventure-like environment interactions, making it a much fuller experience.

Awesome game and a great buy
I bought Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force about a year ago, and I still play it every now and then.To put it simply, Elite Force is just one of those games you can really get into and have a lot of fun playing.
For starters, it sets itself even with the competition with standard features that every FPS should (but sometimes dont) have, such as instant save, completely customizable controls, etc...
The graphics, while not top notch, are still running off the tried and true Quake III engine and add to the excitement of the game.Character models are decent but to be honest, graphics are not my main interest.Generally, I care about the gameplay (or lack of) and Elite Force has plenty of fast-paced exciting action.You start off immediately in the middle of a mission inside a Borg cube and the gameplay takes off from there.There are plenty of weapons, each with a secondary fire to choose from and the environments are extremely fun to fight in (my favorite is running through the halls and cargo bays of Voyager).In hostile territory the battles are fast and furious, requiring good choice in your combat skills.Little things like the mini-Holomatches or the occasional non-violent assignment make the game enjoyable.
Another awesome option is the Holomatch, which also has the same fast-paced fighting in the game, against not-so-terrible bots too.Again, the maps are well-designed and the weapons are awesome.
Finally, I think any aficionado of FPS's would definitely like this game for its gameplay and graphics: but if you like or watch Star Trek too, you'll like it even more.Even though its rather ironic how in most episodes the crew shoots at most 3-5 aliens and you kill 3-5 aliens in 3-5 seconds, I was almost giddy at being able to run through Voyager at psuedo-will and shoot bugs at the same times.In summary, buy this game, its worth the money and lasts a long time.

A real Star Trek game
Ever since I first read about it, I knew I had to have it.This is one of those games you don't get tired of.If your a Star Trek fan, the idea of shooting Borg should be appealing enough to you.

A real Star Trek game
Ever since I first read about it, I knew I had to have it.This is one of those games you don't get tired of.If your a Star Trek fan, the idea of shooting Borg should be appealing enough to you. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Midtown Madness 2 is the exact opposite of the typical racinggame. Instead it's the simple racer for which PC speed freaks have beenpraying.It looks and plays better than most console racers, and while it is definitelyan arcade racer and not a full-on driving simulation, that doesn't mean youcanplay it with your brain in park. The only people who might have a gripe withMidtown 2 are those who played the original to death, as the sequel isonly slightly improved from the original. As in the original game, Midtown2 features wild racing through busy city streets complete with multicarpileups and citizens diving for cover.

This time the action takes place in the streets of San Francisco and London.Asexpected, San Francisco sports its many landmarks and famous rolling hills,which offer plenty of chances to build up speed for ludicrous stunts. Keep aneye open for the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts. London'stightturns and twisting streets put the emphasis on driver skill rather thanflat-outspeed. Landmarks include Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Trafalgar Square. Ofcourse, the secret to success in the Midtown games is to findunconventional shortcuts that can bring about a quick victory.

For the most part players will be racing in standard circuit and checkpointraces. Interestingly, you must unlock most of the 20 cars in the game byfinishing a series of races or completing the two in-game driving schools. Youcan't drive our favorite car--the Aston Martin DB7--until you finish Britishcabby school, but once you do get it, you'll be a terror on the highways. Weonly wish more automobiles were available right from the start, as theperformance of the cars varies as wildly as their makes and models.

While the cities are interesting to look at and many of the structures containshortcuts and other secret passages, the overall look of the game is morecartoony than realistic. While the graphics don't stand up against the Needfor Speed games, they are more than adequate in their own right. However,you will need a fairly powerful machine to see them in all their cartoonyglory.--Mark Brooks

Pros:

• Fast-paced driving action
• Easy to play with a wide variety of cars
• London and San Francisco look just enough like their real counterparts to be worth exploring even when not racing

• Too many vehicles need to be unlocked by completing various tasks
• Graphics, while decent, aren't the most up-to-date
• If you've played the first game, there really isn't a lot here you haven't seen already

Reviews (74)

GREAT online
i got this game a while back, played it a little, then forgot about it. sure, its fun to destroy the crap out of everything, but you can only do that so much. a couple months ago, i stumbled on it again. i was looking at the box and saw it had online gameplay, something i had overlooked before. i started playing it and got online. a whole new world was opened! this is much more fun online, so if you have it go online i wanna play you if you dont have it go get it and play online. my nickname for the msn gaming zone is El_Bub.

Almost as good as the original.
I own Midtown Madness 1 and 2, and enjoy them both quite frequently.(Nothing's better at the end of a stressful day than sitting down and bashing the snot out of a Panoz GTR-1.)This is Good Stuff, to be sure.

When I purchased MM2, I admit I had preconceived notions of what to experience.Most were fulfilled.

The graphics aren't necessarily better than in MM1, but that actually works quite well for me.The game hitches and freezes and takes forever to load if I set it on the highest graphics possible.The same happens with sound.(Maybe I should get a more powerful computer, huh?!)The two cities are fantastically built and wonderfully conceived.I had a _blast_ running up and down San Francisco's streets and going airborne.

The cars are _awesome_, man!MM2's car selections include an Aston Martin, and Audi (my favorite), a Mini Cooper, a fire truck, all the cars from the first game, and more.These are the cars I didn't know I was missing out on in the first few years of playing MM1.

In San Francisco, the races in Amateur mode are easy.Way too easy.And in Pro mode, they're incredibly hard.In London, I found myself just ripping through all the races with little or no difficulty, even in Pro.In MM1, the Checkpoint races were a challenge because they asked you to find the best route.In MM2, they're basically Blitz races.A clear straight line with little deviation from the path.This was really disappointing.I remember in MM1, North River Run was a lot of fun because I got to find a new way of running the race - the checkpoints were more scattered.

The stunt driver courses, while innovative, are disappointing as well.The London Cabbie course requires you to drive a cab - no surprise.However, that cab is the most difficult vehicle of them all.It's sluggish, heavy, and slow.I found myself just giving up and not trying to unlock the Aston Martin (that's the prize at the end of the course).And while the San Francisco course was better, with a Fastback, the course requirements were either too demanding or way too easy.Overall, very uneven.

The map was a pain in the neck.I could never see a whole image of the map at one time.When I enlarged the map, it was distorted.The colors on the map were also all very pale and hard to see, whereas in MM1, everything was very clear and well-contrasted.

Also, you can't boot MM2 without the source CD, and that's quite irritating.If I spent thus much money on a CD, I don't want it to get scratched.Ever.And if I have to take it out of its sleeve each time I load the game, there are that many more opportunities for it to get damaged.

Still, Good Stuff.

Overall, ****/*****.

An Outstanding Racing Program
Overall:
Microsoft Midtown Madness 2 is an excellent racing game.I consists of detailed scenery and a wide variety of cars.There are specific landmarks in both London and San Francisco.I definately reccomend buying this software.

City Scenery:
Midtown Madness 2 has specific landmarks form both London and San Francisco.You can drive through the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco or around Trafalger Square in London.

Commentary:
It is interesting to hear the Midtown Madness 2 commentary.Some of the commentary voices are against urban racing.They feel like it disturbes the city.Other voices, though, are enthusiastic with urban racing.

Physics Realism:
The physics in Midtown Madness 2 are not realistic.You can drive up to the top of one of San Francisco's tall buildings, and then drive off.You will only have light damage.You can flip other cars upside down and not hurt them at all.But it is fun, you can do things you could never do in the real-world!

Car Selection:
In Midtown Madness 2, there are a wide variety of cars you can drive.It ranges from a London Double Decker Bus to a Panoz GTR-1!There are three Volkswagon New Beetles, two Mini Coopers, a fire truck, and a city bus, and a Cadalac Eldorado along with a lot of other cars.There are creative paint jobs, such as a Bathtup Floural London Cab, which is yellow with flowers and a smile!

Compatability:
Midtown Madness 2 works on almost any computer above the standard Windows 95.A 3d accelerater card will improve its performance, but a non-accelerater card works great too.The software also works good if your computer is right on the minimum requirements.

Conclusion:
Midtown Madness is not very fast paced, but its creativity makes up for it and does what many racing games do not do.

Okkkkkkk.
The game is great. One question though, why does the green paint job for the fire truck never come unlocked?

Great, in depth, semi-accurate game!
Midtown Maddness 2 is just about the most fun racing game I've ever played!Contray to some more negative reviews, I think microsoft did a great job on this game.First of all, the statistics:this game boasts a grand total of 88 races, not to mention that 64 of those become more difficult if you choose the "professinol" level of racing, as apposed to the "ameatur".There are 10 blitz races(races against the clock), 12 checkpoint races(races against several computer cars), and circut races(similar to checkpoint, except there are a certain amount of laps that you most complete), in each city.Also, there are 13 London cabbie and 13 SF Stunt Driver "crash cources", which include 3 midtermes that you must take, and 1 final exam.Now to run these many races, there are 20 differant vehicles to choose from:everything from the racecar that can do around 205 mph, to the city bus which does 0-60 in 1 hour as I like to say.Now on to the reasons why this game is fun to play!

Midtown Maddness 2 is a great, classic arcade game.In the game, you can ram into as many cars as you want, and still keep going! Yes, you will see smoke start to some out of the engine, but eventually the computer will restart your car so you can keep on road ragin!Another thing is that the cops never get out of there cars, so the game is never delayed by them trying to acually arrest you like in the Grand Theft Autos.Don't get me wrong, thats a fun game, just a little too realistic for me.So anyway, the cops will still chase you and try to stop you, even to the point where the wheels go flying or rolling off their cars!Next, both maps are so emensly big that I've had the game for almost a year and a half now, and I think I finally saw absolutly everything there is to see.

The only unrealistic part of the game that has always stuck in my mind is the "underground" or subway in London.I've been to London 3 times now, and the only thing realistic about this is that the stations are fairly accurate in apperance, not nessacerily in location.The tunnels are about 3 times as wide as they need to be, and the trains are doing about 90 or 95 mph in the game, when in reality, they really only do about 30 mph.So if the game could have just one improment, I would say to have the "underground" more accurate.It was a good idea, but needed a little more attention then it was apparently given.

Overall, I strongly recommened this game to anyone, from beginers to pros, that are a fan of street racing.If you are questioning the game, I would say go for it, you won't regret it! ... Read more

Editorial Review

You are Solid Snake, a superspy who's half James Bond, half Snake Plissken, and you are mean. Your mission isn't terribly new (infiltrate a terrorist base and blow everything up), but the gameplay is: your numerous enemies are watching for you, and you are encouraged to sneak rather than simply charge in. Every level brings new challenges. You fight snipers, invisible ninjas, psychic warriors, and even an M-1 tank! As the father of the modern spy game genre, this game is an instant classic.

Your allies and superiors speak to you via a cool, implanted radio,monitoring your progress, offeringtips--but failing to give you the full story. The combination of a mysterious and engaging plot and high in-game tension makes this a thrilling ride. Campy humor also abounds as you rescue beautiful women, verbally spar with your allies, and blow up enemies in the bathroom. A user-friendly control interface allows for sniping, hiding, crawling, and running, and the graphics leave nothing to be desired. If you like espionage, spy movies, or just want to own and play a piece of gaming history, then this is a must have. Metal Gear Solid is one of the all-time greats. Game tip: Secretly attach plastic explosives behind an enemy, sneak out of the room, and see what happens. --Allen Stewart

Pros:

• Story well-integrated into gameplay
• Stealth favored over brute force
• Challenging puzzles

• Puzzles can be frustrating
• Torture scene too intense for younger gamers

Features

• 3rd-person shooter that launched a popular series
• Players assume the role of Solid Snake
• Emphasis on covert actions, rather than blazing guns
• Linear, story-driven progress
• For 1 player

Reviews (265)

This hasn't aged particularly well, but.....
After eight years without a new Metal Gear game, this franchise got it's third entry with Metal Gear Solid. The graphics have not aged well at all. Textures are very pixellated, animation is very jerky, and the framerate can get rather slow at times. The audio, however, has lots of great dialogue, combined with a catchy musical score.

The gameplay is based around stealth. You are Solid Snake, a spy working for a secret agency whose objective is to stop a device called Metal Gear, and save a couple of old guys. The story is deeper than that, of course, but in a nutshell, that's it. The controls, while laid out well, can be very unresponsive at times. The game itself is very fun (sneaking around to either get past or silently eliminate enemies), but is very easy to complete, and take away all of the cinematics and dialogue (12 hours of it all!), and you've got just three hours of gameplay.

Metal Gear Solid hasn't aged well at all, but is still very fun and happens to be a nice collector's piece for fans of the series. But should you start here? No, grab a GameCube and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (a next-gen remake of this) instead, then grab Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance on the PS2 or the Xbox.

Brilliant, possibly the best action game ever created...
Metal gear solid has the most complex and often perplexing storyline I have ever seen in a video game, hands down. It will always have you on your toes, literally. I have seen many movies, and I can honestly say this game has a better storyline than most movies. Here is what you need to know..

Graphics- 100/100 The graphics were top of the line when this game first came out, and even to this day they look great. There is so much detail to every aspect of the game, and even compared to most newer games, this game wins out. Back when I first played it in about early 2000 or so, the graphics were the best the playstation had to offer, and that's a year or so after this game came out, which is pretty astonishing. There is even a scene where Snake is in the girls bathroom, and there is a mirror which perfectly reflects everything. I mean, back when this game came out that was a pretty big feat both graphically and attention wise. Most games just don't pay the kind of attention this game does.

Sound- 100/100 Perfect. Just flawless. There isn't much of an actual soundtrack, but the music is incredibly atmospheric and will make you feel like you are Solid Snake, infiltrating a nuclear base. The voice-overs are the best I have ever seen in a video game. Solid Snakes voice over is perfect, and just about everyone elses fits their personality and there image. Otacon's fits him perfectly, so do Meryl's and Liquid Snake's.
Seriously though, this game has incredible sound and has never been surpassed by any action game to date.

Gameplay- 100/100 I have heard people complain about the poor camera views limiting the gameplay, but in my opinion, the camera views perfectly fit this game and the game wouldn't be the same without them. Sure, it would have been nice to have a first person perspective while using the weapons, but it's all the same to me. I think it is perfectly fine having to shoot enemies in a third person view, and it works better with the type of graphics that it has. When you are spotted, enemies will storm in from all directions to stop you, something that seperates this game from all others. This game gives you good reason to want to play it safe, but still allows you you have some action packed fun as well, if you want to take a chance that is. Also, this game has an incredible storyline but doesn't throw it in your face all the time. MGS2 drags the storyline on eccesively and bores you with excruciatingly long cut scenes and codec conversations. I remember using the square button to skip most of the cut scenes in MGS2. The problem with MG2 is that the storyline is too complex for the good of the game. I mean, much of it is pointless grubble and the game bores you by making you listen to conversations about crap that doesn't apply necessarily to the main storyline, making it a waste of time. This game, however, truly has a wonderful , complex storyline that you will WANT to watch and listen to. Every conversation and cut scene adds to the game flawlessly, so you will probably never get bored, although I am sure you will find yourself reading the codec conversations manually instead of listening to the people talk, since they tend to talk rather slowly and take up a bit too much gameplay.

Overall- 100/100 This game is as perfect as it gets, and I have beaten it at least 15 times, if not more. Even to this day it is a pleasure to play, and I don't think it will get old any time soon.

Metal Gear Solid
Well this is one game that I love playing and I always will. This game has it all, everything you would expect in a movie. Im talking about true military action which features, VR training, special weapons, and ofcourse the hero and the villains.

You are Solid Snake, and your mission is to find and eliminate the nuclear war head 'Meatl Gear Rex'. But beware, expect challenges through out your mission, be preared for antthing. Only you have been chosen to attempt this mission and you know you can do it. Prepare yourself for stealth action like you have never seen it before, and experience the life of a genetically born soldier.

The best Playstation game ever
Metal Gear Solid can be said in three words.Brilliant,Amazing, FUN!Metal Gear Solid is one of Hideo Kojimas finest.It has a very superb plot, Superb characters and lots of great dialoug.Metal Gear Solid was a very hyped up game in 98' and lived up to the hype.I simply loved this game.Metal Gear Solid has bin called by man fans and gamesites as one of the best PS1 Action games.I totally agree and I think it's not only the best Action game but also One of the best games ever created.It has a brilliant story line which I won't bring up since You can find time to read other reviewers since they pretty much tell you.The game is a stealth game.It pretty old Stealth game Acctually, the game is about 7-8 years old.I was one of many Fans to buy this amazing game when it first hit stores.Metal Gear Solid earns its 5 for these things.Story, Gameplay and Villans.The villans in this game are awesome.From the moment you get to the Ocelot fight to getting your hands on Rex You will love this game.Metal Gear solid Has bin one of the most Popular Playstation games and has spawned sequals(ala MGS2 and now Mgs3)And what makes Metal Gear Solid one of the best games is also the fact that Metal Gear Solid has one of the best Storylines in a game.Sure there are some plot holes in the series but Kojima did that for us(the fans) to make our on Theories and to guess and what not once the next one comes out.If you've had a Playstation for a loooong time and don't have Metal Gear Solid in your PS library Then I donno what the hell is wrong with you.

Metal Gear solid Sums up to these things
Best Story line in a game
Some of the best Graphics scene on the PS1(yes it's extreamly out dated but I still love the graphics in this game as it was the best in it's time)
Great Stealth action
Amazing Level desighn
My favorite....The boss battles(just awesome especially the finale with Rex)
Good Replay value..

Cons
NOTHING....
well I guess I should point out that this is a pretty short game.The first time through for me(since I looked around alot)will be maybe 8-10 hours second time through should take 5 hours or less.But that doesn't ruin the game at all


This game is a masterpiece, everything about it is amazing and it's even better then the remake(I thought it was)

It all comes down to Metal Gear Solid as one of the best Ps games ever and it totaly earns its...

5 out of 5 stars....Superb

Lates...

ROFLMAO
lol

cons:
torture scene too intense for younger gamers...

That idiot who wrote that must not have been aware this is a Mature rated game ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

SimCity 3000 is back, and it's bigger than ever! Maxis pulled out all the stops for this new version of the bestselling game, adding enough new customized graphics to re-create cities from around the world. The new European and Asian building sets serve up hundreds of new buildings that match the architecture of these diverse environments. From the Great Wall to the Berlin Wall, it's in there. Of course, you can still mix and match--freedom to run a city as you choose has always been the name of this game.

No addition to the SimCity family would be complete without some new methods for destroying your creations, and SimCity 3000 Unlimited has four more devastating disasters than the old version. You can re-create the movie Armageddon by unleashing large chunks of flaming space debris, smite your populace with a buzzing swarm of locusts, destroy seaports and coastal developments with a whirlpool, or uncork some toxic clouds.

The Building Architect, formerly available as a free download, is now packed on the CD-ROM. This 3-D architectural program lets users create the buildings of their dreams, from dilapidated outhouses to towering skyscrapers to works of modern art that are intended for pure decoration. Don't worry if you don't feel like using this powerful tool to create things yourself--the game comes with dozens of new ways to make your cities unique, and you can always head to the SimCity Exchange to download imaginative add-ons created by other users. The infinite expandability and infinite replayability of this game should keep would-be mayors completely occupied until they move to the suburbs of The Sims. ... Read more

Features

• All-new Asian and European building sets with hundreds of new buildings to choose from
• 13 challenging scenarios or create your own custom, goal-based adventure
• 4 new disasters to inflict: plague of locusts, toxic cloud, space junk, and a whirlpool
• 23 new landmarks: Helsinki Cathedral, Japan's Himeji Castle, and more
• Customizable terrain with scores of new options, such as snow, rolling hills, and a desert

Reviews (124)

Very Addictive
I find this game very addictive, and considerably better than 2000. I really like the News Ticker, which gives you great advice on how to run your city. It does take up a lot of memory, though, so it's a good thing my computer has so much. I've heard that it tends to destroy your computer, so if you don't want that to happen, here's my advice: Don't take out the CD until the program is done being exited, don't install it if your computer can't handle it, and when you do take out the CD, be sure to press Ctrl, alt, and Delete and close all tasks that sound anything like "SimCity."

My only complaints are this: it makes your computer run slowly, and when locusts hit your town, the sound effects don't ever go away.

Happy playing!

Great game in its day; rather old now.
This was a great game back in its day. However, it is old and dated now. It was a vast improvement over SimCity 2000 and the original SimCity, offering larger cities and maps and improved graphics and other details.

For all the reviewers who are being so negative, look at the system requirements. This game was designed for Windows 95 and 98, not 2000 or XP. Most games like that will not run properly under 2000 or XP (if at all). For those of you with 2000 or XP, I recommend SimCity 4 (Rush Hour or Deluxe Edition) instead.

Technology marches on, and it is critical to verify that your system meets the requirements of the software programs (and understanding that old programs may no longer work on newer PCs and operating systems).

4 stars for win 98, 0 for others
Like other reviewers, I've had problems with this game on both Win 2k and Windows XP. On 2k, the game installs and loads, but stalls on the first screen. On XP, the game installs but does not load.
I originally bought this in China (legally) and thought that this may be the reason. I used to play it on a Windows 98 machine until that machine crashed, and I had to upgrade to 2k, and have not played it since.
I also contacted EA Tech Support who insisted that this game is/was designed for Windows 98. They suggested I run the compatibility wizard but this was a failure.
Why they're still selling this game escapes me. Maybe they've corrected things on later versions though.
If you can get it to run, this really is a fun game. There are plenty of improvements from Sim City 2000 that I enjoyed, especially the more logical traffic and crime patterns, and the huge increase in map size.
All in all though, don't buy this.

simy 3000
this game is a city.you build roads etc.How is it that no one likes this game anymore?duh!the next one.It is sad that this game is not enough for people anymore.it should be.

Computer Problems
Do not buy this game. I was really, really excited when I bought it, but when my dad and I tried to install it, it didn't work. It just, instead, sort-of-ruined our computer. That made me and my sister not able to buy any more Sims games, which really stinks. Do not buy this computer-breaking game! I'm hoping that this reveiw will save your computer from Sim City 3000 Unlimited's horrible software (when I say horrible software, I mean horrible software). ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Star Wars Starfighter is finally here, and, as expected,it serves up Wookiee-sized portions of action and adventure. Flyingfrom either a first- or third-person perspective, players must fighttheir way through 14 sprawling missions that weave together the livesof three seemingly unrelated pilots. Set during the same time period asStar Wars: Episode I, the events in Starfighter parallelthose of the movie, letting players participate in the conflict againstthe Trade Federation from a slightly skewed perspective.

Although the main missions can be completed in an afternoon, it cantake weeks to earn the bronze, silver, and gold medals that unlock thegame's bonuses. These include extra missions, a few two-player modes,and the ability to choose any ship for each mission (including DarthMaul's incredibly powerful Infiltrator).

Most of the missions are intense, involving efforts like racing throughan enemy-infested canyon or defending a base against a ceaselessprocession of droid air and ground forces. The game engine can throw anoverwhelming number of 3-D objects on the screen at once--such as amission where more than 50 hostile fighters swarm nearly a dozen largecapital ships. The beauty of these large battles is mesmerizing, withlasers crisscrossing, massive explosions thundering all around, andconstant radio chatter alerting players to new threats.

The controls for the various fighters and bombers are extremely basic,and combat is straightforward, but there is always so much going on atonce that the game mechanics almost need to be simple. The only realdrawbacks to the game are a few bugs that occasionally crop up andprevent us from completing missions, and the fact that planetarymissions have a low "ceiling" that prevents us from climbing very high.Even with these faults, the game exceeded our expectations, and noarcade, action, or Star Wars fan with a PlayStation2 will wantto miss it. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• No Jar Jar
• Stunning graphics
• Exciting, massive missions

Cons:

• Some mission-stopping bugs
• Simplistic combat will disappoint simulation fans looking forsomething along the lines of X-Wing Alliance

Reviews (97)

Needs Some Work
To tell you the truth, I disapprove of this game.I like the graphics, yes, but I strongly sugggest one of the other Star Wars games.It isn't very fun because of the difficulty of dodging enemy fire.The level in the desert is my favorite.Other things that I like are how it is:
(1) in third person
(2) starship weapons
(3) nice graphics

I suggest that Lucas Arts puts in squad-based air fighting or make the game a litle easier and longer.Still, I am a big fan of Star Wars.Good luck on the next game Lucas Arts!

Star Wars Starfighter is a Phenomenon
Overall, the graphics are great, the story seems original and the characters are fun.The wingmen commands are great, being able to fight alongside other pilots.Its levels are very well-designed and quite extensive.It expands on the Star Wars universe very well.Its shortcomings are the dogfighting action.Its flight modle is not great.You don't feel like you are really flying.It seems you are floating with speed.It could have used the flight model as Rogue Leader (one of the greatest space combat games ever!).The last level is very disappointing to me.I was expecting something like a military like attackprocedure kind of thing.Not a flimsy attack with a few Bravo squadron pilots and just about forty droid fighters.I was expecting like 20 naboo pilots and hundreds or at least some high number of droids.Lucasarts could have made getting revenge on a pirate scum a mission just before the last level on some other mission.All in all pretty nice game but because of the flight modle, the fun wont last.When you turn it doesn't even ban, just turns like its on ice or something.Really disgusting flight model.I got this game years ago (2001?) and is reviewing now becuase of bordeom, I have no life.

Wonderful game, not just another flight simulator.
I had already mastered Star Wars Rogue Squadron when I got this game.Starfighter is much better.It is very realistic.You get recharging shields, and only one life!That is a real pro for me.You don't get the unrealistic business of your x-wing crashing and resurrecting.However, the recharging shield I mentioned earlier makes you as hard to beat as in games where you have 3 lives.
P.S. I actually got the PC version, but it's basically the same.

Star Wars Starfighter: My Review
I received this game as a gift for my birthday in November of 2001, along with METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY. I completed the first mission and quickly fell out of it. The game sat on my shelf, un-played, until November of 2003 - two full years later. The only reason that I picked it up again was so I could properly beat it and put it to bed once and for all. I had recently decided that I had to many incomplete games, and was refusing to purchase another until I had finished all of the ones that I had.

One thing is for sure, this game grew on me. I wasn't a fan of it in November of 2001, but I sure am now. Probably most comparable to STAR WARS: X-WING VS. TIE FIGHTER for the PC (which I love), this game features you piloting one of three characters on a variety of different missions on a variety of different worlds.

In game graphics are really good. Ships look very detailed and accurate to the specifications that the movies set forth. Controls are perfect - I've got no complaints.

While missions rarely are ever anything more than "Shoot a bunch of stationary objects while avoiding fire from various fighters", they always manage to be fun. They do, however, also manage to be frustrating at times. For one thing, you seem to be the only competent member of your squadron in the air at any given time. If you don't complete mission objectives, they won't get done. Asking for covering fire from teammates will help you very little, if at all. And despite always hearing your teammates cries for help, enemies tend to single you out pretty consistently and you are frequently bombarded by a large amount of laser fire, missiles, etc. This alone definitely hurts the final score.

Another thing that hurts the score is the length. While the game consists of fifteen missions, very few will take you more than one try to complete.

The story takes place around the events of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, and while it is better than the movie, it isn't anything to write home about. The introduction of the character works well enough (Character A's story will overlap with and serve as Character B's, effectively introducing the latter character), once it expands beyond that it tends to fall flat. Events come off as unmotivated, and above all confusing.

The presentation here is very high. From detailed level locations to John Williams' classic score, nothing here fails to impress.

All in all, I do believe that I should have given this game more of a chance two years ago. It was fun while it lasted (which wasn't very long), and it definitely made me want to go out and pick up STAR WARS: JEDI STARFIGHTER, which is something that I was totally against a few days prior to playing this game again.

A great flying game
This game is one of the best flying games in the world! It's always fun to play when I'm bored. About 15 missions with 3 pilots to battle your way to save Naboo from the Trade Federation. The great graphics and many bad guys are cool. This is like real life. The last level is the best where you and your team battle with at least 40 bad guys flying everywhere in space. If you like Star Wars or any type of flying game then this is for you! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The keys to a successful basketball video game are its controls,artificial intelligence, and pacing. NBA Courtside 2002 excels in allthree areas, with only a few problems. One is the defensive AI, which oftenleaves itself open to dunks and fast breaks, and is generally a slouch when itcomes to rebounds. This can be remedied with the higher difficulty levels, butthat makes the computer a flawless shooter, even from behind the line.

The controls are good, but take some getting used to if you've spent a lot oftime with other basketball simulations. Players use the C stick on thecontroller to pass the ball. No button pressing is necessary; just point thestick at the desired player and the ball is away. Unfortunately, this samesystem is used to select defensive players, and that can be difficult,especially if the action is moving fast and furious. The game does feature quitea few game modes: practice, exhibition, season, and even an interesting modethat takes place on top of the roof.

As you might expect, the player models are smooth, crisp, and photorealistic.The animations are detailed with nary a slowdown or glitch. Even the crowd looksgood, and benched players are likewise in full 3-D. The audio isn't soimpressive, however. Never have I heard such uninspired and slow commentary--itoften seems to be describing plays from another game, or worse, talks aboutplays that happened 30 seconds prior to the current action. Not a game breaker,but definitely not as good as the competition.

NBA Courtside 2002, aside from the minor flaws described above, is stilla stellar entry in the basketball fold and an asset for the Nintendo GameCubelibrary. It's worth the purchase now, and with a few fixes, it'll be a realcontender next year. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Fast action; good fundamentals
• Terrific graphics

• Slow, inaccurate commentary

Reviews (60)

Fun... for a Ten Year Old
NBA Courtside's an entertaining game, a very easy game to learn and play.The biggest drawback of this game is that it's just too simple.There's practically no skill involved in playing this game.There's very little control over dunks, blocks, shooting, and everything else.

The players and their likenesses are in the game, but in terms of skill and everything else, it's just not there.Players' real-life talents and abilities are not relfected in the game, with the exception of Shaq being a poor free-thrower.

The graphics are also very generic.The crowd looks very bad.The two announcers are those who call Clippers games, and are decent, but their limited phrases get old really fast.

One of the minor redeeming qualities of the game is that you can create your own player.This feature is great in that you can customize a large list of physical characteristics about the player.Of course, when it comes to basketball skills, the attributes aren't specific enough to make a noticable impact on game-play.

So if you're looking for a very simple, unrealistic but easy-to-play basketball game without much customization, this one's for you!If you'd actually like skill to be involved in the outcome of a game, look elsewhere.

Basic Basketball title
While this game may be pretty fun, other companys offer so much more and for so much less.This is the prime reason this game was overlooked.If you're looking to buy this, then go buy NBA 2k3 instead.It's waaaay better.

why buy this?
this game is the absolute worst game i've ever played bcause...

Pros:
There are none

Cons:
Players make imposible dunks
Graphics are horible
Slow gameplay
Fans are real wierd( they take your attention of the game)

overall the game is real bad

TOO HARD!
I was in the store and I was looking at the games and there was NBA Courtside 2002. My Mom was with me and she was going to get it for me because it was on sale. But I told her I would want to rent it first. I AM SO GLAD I DID! the menu is hard to under stand! the D is harder then geting a computer with nothing to read or tell you hoe to put it togethere! And the dunks look so odd. There taking steps before they get to the hoop and there not moving! NBA*Street is yhe only other NBA game I'd played for GameCube and I have.If you like fast running, high jumping, crazy dribbaling game NBA*Street is the way to go.

DON"T BUY NBA COURTSIDE 2002!YOU WILL HATE IT!

Gamecube Gives a bad impression
When I purchased this game I thought it would end up being one of the best basketball sims I've ever played. Instead, it turned out being one of the most unrealistic games with fair gameplay and outrageous stats. The average player, whether it is Austin Croshere or Shaq averages around sixty points a game and twenty rebounds and fifteen assists. The league leaders average over ninety ppg. The transactions are so unrealistic and you could trade every single player on the Clippers for every single player on the Lakers, or you could create a tean of franchise players. The average score in a game is 200-190. You can steal and block balls as easy as you can say 1-2-3. Forget about this one and do yourself a favor. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This is a special limited-edition, platinum-colored Game Boy Advance console.

When you first pick up the Game Boy Advance system, you'll be amazed at how little it weighs. 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 is 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 you see on big consoles, 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. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

Gameboy Rules!
First of all,I want to make it clear that I'm not giving this 5 stars because it's platinum but because it's gameboy.I would have given it 5 stars if it was blue,too.The point is that I just love gameboy.I have a GBC too and I still love it as much as I love my GBA.If anyone was ever going to get a game console,I'd reccomend a GBA.

WOW
this was a realy cool hand held system especially if your playing Golden Sun 1 & 2

Game Boy Advance Review
This is the greatest handheld system over. The game are cool because they come all other consoles too. I mean like there making the PS2 hit Grand Theft Auto 3 for GBA, Super Monkey Ball Jr. from Gamecube,and ect. It has a 32-bit processor and GBC only has a 8-bit processor. There are some sick accessories now so you can turn it into a tv, digital camera, mp3 player, radio, and more. You have to get this. The top 10 games are * Super Monkey Ball jr. * Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 * Golden Sun * Mega Man Battle Network 2 * Zelda:A link to the past * Crash Banticoot: The Huge Adventure * Crash Banticoot 2: N-Tranced * Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder * Spider-Man : The Movie * Mat-Hoffman's Pro BMX You have to get this thing now. p.s. Game Boy Advance SP is coming March '03 so you might want to wait for that. I hope you really invest in a GBA and a light you won't be sorry.

GBA Limited Addition Platnium
I love the GBA, and am amazed at all the cool things that are available for the GBA. At times I wish the graphics were better like that of the the Playstation 2. But you know the deal, want in one hand and ____ in the other. Ha!
seriously the GBA is truly great and the Platnium is a really good looking color, not so generic like that of the see through kind.
Only problems are finding the best light and screen protectors.
I got some screen protectors that are adhesive when applied it had a ton of scratches on itright out of the package.
And the Flood light eats batteries like you wouldn't believe.
The GBA is great because you can carry it anywhere ya want camping, long car rides to the beach. This smal investment in pleasure turns into a television to see your favorite shows, and turns into a digital camera so you can send pics to all your friends via email. It can't ggety any cooler than that.
Games for the GBA seem like there really geared to kids, but some are cool for adults, hey there are plenty of people in their late twenties who are still a kid at heart, but I think they should make a few geared towards us grown ups.
I think they should also make the Simms a GBA game aswell as a very realistic pin ball game that actualy looks like the real kind you play at the pizza joint, that would be cool.

GBA TOP RATES
GBA IS THE MOST INTERESTING HAND HELD GAME OF ALL TIMES. IT HAS GREAT COLOR AND LOADS OF NEW AND EXCITING GAMES THAT YOU CAN PLAY ON IT INCLUDING OLD NINTENDO GAMES. IT ALSO HAS GREAT EXTRAS THAT YOU CAN ADD ON TO IT TO MAKE YOUR GAME PLAY EVEN BETTER, GET GBA BECAUSE IF YOU DONT YOUR'RE MISSING OUT ON TONS OF FUN. ... Read more