Product Description

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

Features

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

Reviews (121)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com Review

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

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

Features

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

Reviews (137)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews (28)

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

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

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

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

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

Features

• Role-playing action game set in the distant past
• Action takes place after previous title with good continuity
• Twice as many classes to play
• Collect and trade valuable weapons and armor
• For one or more players using GameLink cable

Reviews (5)

Amazing
I think this game is great. Me and my friend got this game and we both love it. We both started out as an archer and even though my friend got it 5 months beore me. He is only at fairy spring and has only done 1 side quest I am at Hotshek volcano and have done all the side quests up to that point besides the two hidden dungeons. It has only one con. The cons are that important conversasions you have to wait. I have heard that people dislike the storyline but I don't really think its bad and if I did I wouldn't care. I have never played the first game but that does not make a diffrence.

Graphics 9 out of 10 Pretty good. The soul powers are awsome.

Gameplay 10 out of 10 The controls are very easy to understand.

Replayabitlity Limitless You have 9 characters (8 normal one secret)that are customizable in abot a million ways each.

Secret You can go through the wall on the right side of the red shoe girl's wall then there is a passage way where yo go through 2 more walls when you get to the second one go up.
Music ? I turn music off

I really love this game

A portable diablo game.
This game is good for people who most likely to spend your hours hack and slashin' enemies and baddies, and love to see your character level up. Why I said this is a portable Diablo game, was because they have over 100 generated items, it's really fun to see your equip get stronger and stronger as you buy weapons/armor from the stores. If you are a gamer who likes a good storyline, I recommend you don't buy this, because this has a crappy story, you will not enjoy it, dialogs are slow, but if you are a gamer who likes to play, not caring about the story, this game is for you, 18 levels to beat up baddies, it can get repetitive going to the same dungeons with the dialog and all. I recommend this game to most people.

awesome
I was getting my GBA and decided to pick this up as my first game.I hadn't played the first one and didn't know anything about it.But then I started playing it and loved it.The story starts out with your character going to some tournement but the king ends up sending you on a journey to save the princess.Then once youv'e gone through a few levels and save the princess the story goes on.One complaint I have is once you load a save file and forget to save again your all the way at the begining of the dungeon again.If this happens you get more and more experience but you have to play the level again and it makes the bosses way to easy.I havnet really listened to the music cause I keep the sound off but when I did hear the music it's not that bad.This game is great so if you like hack n slash games this game is a good on to have.

Item Description
Shining Soul II arrives on the GBA with more expansive content and features than its predecessor. Become a mighty Brawler, Priestess, Dark Wizard, Ninja or others for a total of 8 character classes. Each character has certain strengths and weaknesses that can mean the difference between victory and defeat in the exciting co-op multiplayer mode. Enter the Royal Coliseum and challenge the computer or your friends in a battle for special items and glory!

This is a great game and totally worth buying.

Shining through the Ages
This game is heaps of fun.I could play for hours and hours and actually found myself doing just that.If you don't mind returning to town all the time to buy more health drops and to sell off extraneous items, this game is a must buy.The only qualm I had was that it seemed at times monsters could attack you from a diagonal but you couldn't hit them.Maybe just a bug or a quirk.Either way, fun, fun, fun.Finally, levels are easy to gain and the variety of weapons and items make the game a little more enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description

Along with an enhanced EA SPORTS Dynasty Mode, now you can rewrite NCAA history by replaying classic match-ups between some of the greatest teams ever assembled. With mascots, cheerleaders, arenas, crowd chants, fights songs, and Dick Vitale and Brad Nessler calling the action, NCAA March Madness 2005 continues to deliver the most authentic college basketball experience.Run the floor with an enhanced playcalling system; As your teams point guard, call out team-specific plays and lead your sch ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Solid gameplay with a (mostly) realistic feel
If you're looking for a game that makes you feel like you're actually playing or coaching college basketball, this is a pretty good game to get.The game is, for the most part, accurate:

* The arenas all have the right names (as far as I've checked), and if you're playing in a high- or mid-major team's arena, the court is a good facsimile of the real thing, but teams from low-major conferences are generally given generic courts with the team's logo at center court.

* All 31 Division I-A conferences and their teams are in the game, but if you're looking to play as Savannah State or TAMU-CC or any other independent, you're out of luck.

* Season schedules are set up randomly (of course, nonconference games can be changed, although teams can reject playing against you).The number of times you play against each team in your conference is correct, at least (i.e. if you are in the SEC East, you play each team from the East twice, each team from the West once).

* You can edit each player's physical features, name, jersey #, and so on, but the hair choices are very limited (no afros, Adam Morrison hair, etc.).Also, you can only save about 275 player's names into your roster file (at least that's the point where my PS2 would always freeze when I tried to add anyone else's name).

* The crowd noise really doesn't seem to be too distracting once you get used to it.If you play against, say, Duke at Cameron Indoor, the crowd will be fairly noisy as long as Duke is ahead, and the camera will shake a little, but after a while it's not very noticeable.Also, unlike NCAA Football 2005, there is no way to manually intensify the home crowd.They just get louder when the home team makes a shot and quieter when the road team makes a shot.

* Dynasty mode is good, with the following exceptions.1) Players commit violations way too frequently, and this makes it fairly likely that if you don't suspend players for several games for each violation, the NCAA will sanction you at the end of the season.2) The amount of recruiting points you have seems to be too small.You can set how you want to prioritize training vs. recruiting, but when it gets down to you wanting to do everything you can to land top recruits, you often have to use up a lot of points just finding out how good various recruits are and trying to get them interested in your program (especially if you're not a big-name program).Otherwise, recruiting is fun and it's a good way to make you feel more like you're a real coach with a real program that you need to develop and maintain.

* The game does include realistic conference tournaments (i.e. the brackets are set up correctly), and the locations seem to be realistic (i.e. the major conference tournaments are played in a no-name arena, while the 2005 West Coast Conference tournament is played at Santa Clara, which is where it was played if I recall correctly).The NCAA tournament has similar realism, with games in the 1st and 2nd round played in generic arenas, and the regional semis and finals played at Texas-Austin, Syracuse, The Pit in Albuquerque and DePaul near Chicago.The seedings are not always realistic, however (during one season, UNC Wilmington was able to get a 5 seed), but teams mostly get the seeds that you would expect, based on their performance through the season.Once February starts, there is an option called Tournament Watch which shows you who the automatic bids are from each conference as well as the probable at-large teams and bubble teams, and gives the RPI for each of them.


As far as gameplay, I have a few more comments:

* If you are used to the EA Sports style of gameplay, this game should be comfortable.ESPN's College Hoops has a very different feel, and it takes some time to adjust in going from one style to the other.

* It is a lot harder to score on this game than on NBA Live.If you have a very quick team and are going up against a weak opponent, you probably can run fast break after fast break, but in most games you will have to run plays from the Floor General playlist at least occasionally.You can still do basic things like posting up, running a pick-and-roll or an isolation just like on NBA Live, but they often don't work quite as well as on Live.

* If your (computer) opponent has a decent big man, expect to get blocked a lot when going to the rim.This happens particularly when you try to run a fast break.Unless you have someone who can dunk with authority, the computer will get an inordinate number of blocks (same problem exists on Live).

* The Floor General playcalling is a great thing to have, although on easier difficulty levels the plays will be successful too often.On the hardest difficulty level, the computer will sometimes not be fooled and block what should be a wide open shot coming off of a screen.The flip side of the playcalling, of course, is that once you get used to your opponent's plays, you can tell what he's going to do and try to neutralize the play.


All in all, I love this game and have played some 200 games and still going.I suppose that's as good a recommendation as I can give.

A Cane's Review
As a huge Canes fan, I really looked forward to the 2004 version of this game (Carmelo on the cover), because it would be the first with our brand new Convocation Center. It disappointed, though, as the arena in the game was clearly patterned after the Convo, but lacked its feel and was actually still called the Miami Arena.
Anyways, all that has changed for 05. The stadium looks great, the only flaw being that ACC isn't painted right below the free throw line, and our cheerleaders seem to be wearing blackish-green. But those are so minor compared to how well they rendered the building. Plus the gameplay in general is so much better than 04, and if you start Eric Wilkins at the point (instead of Okpalobi- Anthony Harris is a middling reserve) you have a fighting chance of competing, because he can finish at the rim when he penetrates. Or he can kick it out to Mo Diaz or Rob Hite for 3s.
But... I would advise against buying the game. While the Dynasty mode is great, it has one major, huge flaw. After my first season, one in which I finished 4th at 9-7 in the conference, beating UNC, GT, and Wake along the way, not only did I not make the postseason (justifiable based on my weak non-conference record), but I was inexplicably booted out of the ACC in favor of Louisville (while none of the SEVEN teams below me lost their spots).
While I'm sure that in spite of our success this year, the ACC bball fans would still love to boot the Canes, this was ridiculous. And considering how much I've come to love the conference, I just couldn't keep playing the dynasty without being a part of it.

best college game ever and best game this year
this is the best game ever i play it like 2 hours a day my dad even plays it with me!You got to get this it isn't good it is awesome.GET IT NOW!!!!



sincerly,
this games #1 fan

Want to Quench Your Thirst for a Good College B-Ball Game?
6 seconds left...you call a timeout..its the final game of the final four..your team (the team you play religiously with) is down 2 with the ball at halfcourt..2 point jumper to tie or 3 point J to win the game?..You resume action..nerves running through your hands..you press a button on your d-pad..you option to run a play to get your best 3 baller open..you want the victory..you inbound the ball..turn..set yourself up for the shot..and...you brick the shot off the side of the rim and lose by 2...Dissapointment?..Well, yes and no..I simply love this game for the fact that you dont just wildly run a rampage down court with one person, stop a little in front of the half court line, and swish the shot while being guarded by 2 defenders. I have experienced this in the other college basketball games ive played/owned and it ruins the thrill of the game..When i can effortlessly beat my opponent 150-5 at any given time, its pathetic. The controls are tight yet not too hard to learn..i've found this to be true on all three systems also. The graphics are stunning and make the game feel like a real experience (besides the fact they made Patrick Sparks black. LoL.) Everything about this game outshines its competitors. ESPN College Hoops was horrible in my opinion simply because the controls were way, way too sensitive. If you barely tap a button your player goes wildly out of control among many other control problems. At 20.00 you could waste your money on that game or for 30.00 you could purchase a game that will have you more excited than Dick Vitale at the championship baby!

Not Very Good - Get College Hoops Instead
I have played all college hoops games of 2005 (March Madness, Final Four, and College Hoops). This one is, by far, the worst.I can't stand the controls, gameplay, or camera.One of the few things in this game is the realisticness.

Gameplay 4/10: The actual gameplay is pretty bad.Unfortunately, the cameras are terrible, and out of all the games College Hoops has the best camera (2K5 Broadcast).The fluidity is rough and it seems like its one of those vibrating tables.To me, it resembles something you would see on a SNES (fluidity wise).The shots are good (the way they shoot and the way the net moves) and it does show you the plays.But one HUGE flaw, as I said before is the camera.I have tried all cameras but they all suck.

Controls 3/10: I can't stand these controls.They are poorly set up throughout the controller and could have been much better.They need to fix this, for sure.It seems like I have to go through a lot of work to shoot and rebound, etc.

Realsticness 7/10: The game is pretty realistic. Not only in graphics but also in the players actions. Such as when they are shooting, it looks very real.Also, when they are on defense it seems realistic.This is one of the best features of the game, but can't make up for the other bad features.

Overall 4/10: I really dislike this game.Maybe if they fixed the camera and controls it could come close to College Hoops.So, if you are planning on getting a college hoops game, don't get this one.Either get College Hoops or Final Four.But out of all of them I would suggest College Hoops, Definitely.

NOTE: You can see my review on College Hoops by going to my "About You" area or searching fot College Hoops. ... Read more

Product Description

2 Challenging word puzzles games in one collection! It is great fun for family and friends to see how many words everyone can make out of the letters given to you...the games that get you thinking! Take the word challenge and build your vocabulary today with Super Text Twist and Super WHATword. ... Read more

Features

• Includes the word puzzle games Text Twist and Super What Word
• Solve fun word games before times runs out
• Increase your brain power and vocabulary while having fun
• Fun and addictive gameplay
• For 1 player

Reviews (2)

Like Word Games? This one is great!
This is a great package - two fun word games! You can challenge your mind by looking for words -- or you can REALLY challenge your mind and play with a timer! Either way, it is fun, and you can make excuses that it is also educational. What more do you want?

makes Wordtris look like "chump"tris
What Word looks a bit like boggle, but don't shake the monitor. :-)

You're given a board of 5 rows by 5 columns - 25 letters. Some letters have a brighter glow, making them worth more points - this is a random occurance. On the right panel is a list of words and their point values, below that are the words you must complete before you run out of turns (depending on the number of letters you've used) and below that is a super "what" word that can only be completed by making words with special orange tiles.

Challenging and addictive!

Text Twist is almost like Hangman on steroids. You're given jumbled letters and you try to get as many words as you can. You can click a button to randomly shuffle your letters over and over again to re-order them to see if it stimulates your brain into spotting new words. You can play an untimed mode in which you have to find all possible words, or a timed mode in which you have to find the longest word to survive, and all other words are bonus points.

You can use your mouse, but an easier method is to just type out the word and hit enter. Easy and fun - and a great way to speed up your typing skills!

If you played Wordtris before, but got bored - this is the next level and you won't get burned out! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Best Game I Have Ever Played
This is an awesome game. I played with it for hours on end

There is one gotcha
Be aware that RT 3 _requires_ 32 MB of graphic memory. You can't run it on early PowerBooks for example. It also strongly prefers a 2- or 3-button mouse.

A good update, but hardly a new game
After anxiously waiting for a Mac release of Railroad Tycoon 3, I find that it's a much-needed upgrade of Railroad Tycoon 2. However, that's really all it is -- I'd be tempted to call it Railroad Tycoon 2.5 rather than 3. There are probably enough changes to track building and industries to warrant a new version number, but other than that and a few interface changes, RT3 is essentially the same game as RT2.

The most obvious difference is in the graphics. The new 3-D engine is fantastic. You can actually watch the side rods of most of the steam engines go round and round. Tracks are a bit high off the ground, which is a little distracting at first, but overall the graphics are a huge improvement.

Track laying is substantially improved from the previous version of the game, as well. Most significant is the return of tunnels, one of the most maligned omissions in RT2. You can also build a bridge over another railroad or duck under an existing bridge, a feature fans of this game series have long wished for.

Gone is the grid with its limitations of tracks at only eight angles. You can now create smooth, sweeping curves at any angle you please. That said, the gradients could use some tweaking. Particularly annoying are the ramps leading to bridges. It's silly to have a 3% grade just because you're crossing a river. Likewise, I found it very difficult to create a railroad in even slightly hilly terrain that didn't resemble a roller coaster. And don't think this is a model layout design aid, either. It's impossible to force tracks to go where you want them.

Maintenance shops and service towers are now separate elements. You can't place a service tower at a depot and have a locomotive serviced while it's making its station stop. This hurts the game's realism a bit and can be annoying if, like me, you're used to the old style station expansions. The good news is that such facilities can be placed anywhere, even where there's no station, and you can demolish them to save money when they are no longer useful.

The construction and demolition tools aren't all that intuitive. To bulldoze a building, for example, you have to enter the track building interface and select the bulldozer. And industry construction is done from the station building interface. No doubt this was done to minimize the number of tool buttons in the main interface, but it feels klunky -- especially if you're used to the old RT2 interface.

While access to the controls has changed somewhat, most of the core game controls will look extremely familiar to anyone who's played RT2. Building and changing train consists works essentially the same way as in RT2, with a few excellent additions. One major change is the "auto manage" option which autmatically sets the train's consist depending on what loads are available at the station. You can select the minimum and maximum number of cars on each train, and select whether the train will carry any kind of car, just freight cargoes, or just express cargoes. You can also manually control the trains' consists. For more realism it would be nice if passenger cars were always placed together in the consist, but I'll admit that's picking a very small nit.

A couple of very handy shortcuts have also been added to train building, including the ability to copy trains. Mac users will find this process rather klunky and very un-Mac-like, but at least it's there and works. One new feature I really like is the ability to replace locomotives based on their class or age. This comes in very handy for keeping your locomotive fleet current. There's also a checkbox which will make the consist the same at all stations in the train's route. Beware, though -- the change happens as soon as you check the box and isn't undoable by unchecking the box!

The economy and stock market works essentially the same as it did in RT2. You can buy and sell shares of your railroad or your competitors, set your company's dividend, sell bonds, and sell stock. Selling stock is just as useless for raising money as it was in the previous version, even though you're now allowed two sales of stock per year instead of just one. You also still have to have a good credit rating to sell a bond.

I haven't gotten into the map editor yet, but from reading the manual, RT3 seems to have the one limitation I was afraid it would have -- you can't use maps from RT2. With the huge number of user-built maps from RT2, this is probably the biggest disappointment in the entire game. It's understandable, however, given the number of changes made to the industries and track building. Still, some sort of conversion utility would be nice for map developers so we don't have to start from scratch.

All in all, this is a fair upgrade over the previous version of the game. I'm not all that sure that this version was worth either the wait for the Mac port or the $45 price tag, but now that I have it I certainly won't be getting rid of it! ... Read more

Product Description

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

Features

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

Reviews (146)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some nice additions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then mission 4 hits you, hard and heavy.

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

A detrimental mistake!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com Product Description

Take command of either Confederate or Union troops and command them to attack from the trees, rally around the general, or do any number of other realistic military actions. The AI reacts to your commands as if it was a real Civil War general, and offers infinite replayability. The random-scenario generator provides endless variations on the battles. You can also test your strategic skills against a real-life opponent through a LAN or via the Internet. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

VG game, needs a major overhaul for XP
I love Sid Meier's games.I had never played Gettysburg before but have always been fascinated by the battle.I picked up the Civil War Collection for under $20 the other day and have been both exhilarated and significantly disappointed with it.

First, the exhilarating stuff:

The gameplay is very interesting and can be extremely challenging.I've been playing RTS games for years, including AoE, AoK, AoKTC, Empire Earth, Empires: DMW, RoN, AoM and a couple of others.Gettysburg is refreshing compared these games because your sole focus is fighting (no economy to micro-manage) and the fighting is far more historically accurate than other RTS games in terms of the use of formations, flanking attacks, morale and line of sight.

Take note that another recent review has stated some things that aren't correct: Brigade commanders can move regiments at the Double-Quick simply by pressing "Q" while the Commander is selected, and while the units are already moving to a destination.Also incorrect is the assertion that cannon do not fire "canister" rounds at close range.This element of game design is transparent, but it is noted in the manual that all cannon (especially Napoleon batteries) do more damage from close range than from a distance - in order to simulate the use of canister rounds by intelligent artillery officers, so no need to micro-manage this.

Second, the not so good stuff:

The game is now 8 years from original release, and it shows in ways that are crucial to the player's ability to actually play it.Most players are using Windows 2000 or XP these days, and the Antietam and South Mountain add-on games don't actually work fully on XP.There is no sound for the add-ons, which is a shame because they are actually newer code than the original Gettysburg is.Of course, Firaxis has a "patch" that "allows" the Windows XP platform to run the game, but the patch is incomplete and there are still major issues with the game as a result.For instance, one can't see the name of saved games when trying to reload an ongoing battle!Also, there are issues with map scrolling which cripple enjoyment of the game.Specifically, after loading up the game and playing the first scenario of the day, you cannot continue to the next scenario in sequence because the map will not scroll at all.So you are forced to shut down CWC and restart it to get the scrolling screen back.This is VERY annoying.

I've tested these issues on two completely different XP machines over the last week, and it is a consistent problem with both with a default install of the game (default directories, etc.).The game is broken; perhaps because of a DirectX incompatibility (I have 9.0c (latest version) on both XP systems.

So, very good game with major bugs for XP users.If you're still running Windows 98, go ahead and get it.Sid, please have Firaxis fix/update this game!

Game play and historic accuracy poor
The game play is clumsy.For example, if your units are all bunched together, trying to select a specific brigade is difficult.You may click on a unit of that brigade, but for some reason, it doesn't select the brigade.Secondly, selecting a brigade commander is supposed to allow you to move all units in that brigade at once.That works - except your brigade commander doesn't have the option to move your units 'double quick', so you end up needing to move each brigade separately if you want them to get to their destination quickly.

The historic accuracy of the game might be there as far as the landscape and units available, but as far as how the units were deployed, it fails miserably.For example, in the pickett's charge scenario, the confederacy startsvery close to the union and the union army is not dug in (what happened to the stone wall that protected the union forces which Longstreet used as one of his main reasons not to attack? He reminded Lee that the confederates had one a battle in the past because they were protected by a similar wall).Even in the intro, it says the confederacy needs to march 1 mile to reach the union (this is false - in reality they had to march 2 miles).In the real battle, the confederacy were slaughtered long before they reached the union - part way along the march, they had to get over a fence, which bunched up their forces and made them especially vulnerable to union cannon - none of this is reflected in the game.

By distorting such crucial strategic points, they can not hope to claim that this in anyway puts you in a true historic battle.One may dismiss these descrepencies, but these strategic points are exactly why one side or the other succeeds.

Speaking of cannon, there is very little variety - cannon at the time, if they did any research for this game, would show everything from grapeshot to cannister.The game doesn't offer any options for what to fire.

I don't understand these other reviews that give so many stars to the game.Its clumsy and historically inaccurate.Maybe the other reviewers are so desperate to finally have someone pay attention to their hobby by making a civil war game that they are incapable ofreviewing it critically.

A Patch for Windows 2000 and XP
There is a download available at the firaxis.com website to allow Civil War to run on Win2K and XP.

Excellent Civil War Package!
This set is a must for the Civil War buff and the gamer who likes historically-based games!

With real-time strategy, you are attacking and defending while the computer is doing the same thing.In my humble opinion, this is more entertaining and realistic than the turn-based games.

Both Gettysburg and Antietam offer several scenarios of two categories:historical (your chance to replay and perhaps change the outcome of what actually happened in the battles) and speculative (a chance to play and win "what if" scenarios that did not happen in the battles, i.e.- one Gettysburg scenario has Stonewall Jackson present - an interesting scenario indeed!).

The graphics for both battles are excellent.Since I have visited both battles several times, I was readily able to identify terrain features for both battles.

The player is also allowed to choose either North and South and the level of difficulty - in my opinion, these are excellent features.

Buy and enjoy the set!Highly recommended!

Reply to Trenton NJ
My husband loves these games...but couldn't get them to work when we upgraded our computer.Go to www.firaxis.com, then choose DOWNLOADS at top of the page.There is a download for the civil war games to make them compatible to Windows XP.The Gettysburg game we still get an error message, but if you choose to run it from the Programs menu, it's fine.Good luck! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If you can't find anyone to play with you because you're just too good--or you just don't like cleaning up little wooden tiles--the Scrabble CD-ROM is for you. Up to four players (human or computer) can play on a variety of boards and backgrounds (try chrome in the desert for that Road Warrior look). You can choose your computer opponent from five levels of difficulty, from Novice to Champion, or you can create your own custom opponent, based on a chesslike rating.

Play is speedy and satisfying; the sounds of the tiles clicking on the board are alarmingly realistic. You can challenge words, be challenged yourself, or find definitions of words you don't know in the online Official Scrabble Dictionary. (You can even receive hints and suggestions from the "Maven.")

Online multiplayer is in full force, too. Play with bored students in Oxford using the network features; though this slows the game down depending on your Internet connection rate, you'll find you need more time to crush your human challengers anyway. Sharpen your skills with the minigames: find two- or three-letter words, do anagrams, or find the best play with a given setup. Even if you're a regular Scrabble player, you should find yourself returning to your computer time and again, either to brush up or to try again against the champion. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Smart Scrabble
This product is great for improving your Scrabble game, and it's also a lot of fun.You can play against 1-3 computer opponents with varying skill levels, or against real people.Unless you're in tournament mode, you can take advantage of features such as a word lister that generates suggestions for how to score the highest points with the tiles you have.There are also features such as instant summaries of letters remaining to be played.

My one annoyance is with the dictionary: it challenges some words you'd think it would accept, while accepting some words you'd think it would reject.If in doubt, doublecheck a word with it prior to finalizing your move, or add words to your own custom dictionary.

Overall, though, MacSoft's Scrabble exemplifies the benefits of converting a board game to software.No more tedious adding up points for tiles--the computer does it all for you!

Scrabble for Macs
This is a great way to play Scrabble if your partner doesn't play. It has a dictionary, word lists, and other guides. It would be nice if you could click once for a new game and not have go back to the menu and re-do your preferences. Another problem (with Macs) is, it crashes when interrupted by indexing and other automatic computer functions (updates, etc.) All in all it's an easy and fun way to squeeze a little Scrabble into your life, and to improve your game.

A winner
I play this game on the new iBook (128 RAM; 10G). It may be necessary to restart your system before playing if you left the iBook on for many days without shutting it down. Otherwise Scrabble plays without a glitch.

The game is a joy to play. There are numerous modes (e.g., 2 or 3 letter words, anagrams, 'bingo' or 7 letter words, etc.);numerous set ups (one or many players, networking, human or computer players); and different levels of difficulty. Sometimes I play for the sole purpose of learning new words, in these sessions I use extensively the hint menu and the word suggestion menu. For a word lover it is pure joy.

The interface is beautiful--it is an excellent mix of the quaint traditional feel and possibilities of technology. Although different 'look and feel' are available from high tech, to desert, landscape, etc.

The game set up menu is a bit clunky (player selection, score summaries, etc.). Regardless this is a great design.

Highly recommended for all ages

Scrabble - a guilt-free use of time!
We finally succumbed to purchasing Scrabble for the computer before Christmas and promptly lost our seven year old son and houseguests to various parts of the house.Friends and acquaintances have become hooked too.

The game is positively additive.Both adjectives can be equally applied - which parent can complain when a child will sit for an hour playing a game that expands his vocabulary, spelling and strategy?Our vocabulary has been broadened too.

Although we give the game 5 stars overall, there are a couple of glitches that could be ironed out for better play.Maven (the computer player) is both judge and jury in game play and assumes that he, and he alone, knows all words.If he doesn't recognise a word opponents are instantly chalenged and loose their turn.There is no opportunity for "appeal" or the facility to educate the computer as you play.The custom dictionary feature is not entirely intuitive and can only be revised outside game play which gives the computer opponent a distinct advantage.One can avoid such conflicts by checking the on-screen dictionary before playing the word, but that's not really how the game is played.

The computer's suggestions for word play are slightly limited - it manages to see individual words, but lacks the breadth of perception to "see" stacked word play and the higher points that can be played in this manner.It also isn't particularly good on strategy.

These niggles aside, we are happy to give the game an unequivocal "two thumbs up".As a way to hone skills and play a game when either no-one else wants to or is available, it's great.

Countless Hours of Fun for Scrabble-philes Eveywhere!
This new, update version of Scrabble on CD-ROM is as entertaining as its' boardgameequivalent. Providing challenges that even the most professional players will find challenging,Scrabble is a great to kill free time or develop your vocabulary skills.

The addition of a dictionary, in addition to the games screen views only adds to the excitement thatthe boardgames lacks when it comes to design and usefulness. The people at Hasbro have done itagain, and I am totally elated that they decided to release this updated version on CD-ROM.

So if you are a single player in look for some major competition, or want to compete with a friendonline, Scrabble is your guarantee for an entertaining time. Add this to your shopping baskettoday, and see what I am raving about. ... Read more

Product Description

Nintendo (AGB P AZWE) WarioWare GBA ... Read more

Reviews (79)

Best GBA game of all time
When I first got the game, it was all I could play. 200+ 5 second games that you have to figure out how to do while playing them. What could be more fun? My favorite genres are 9-volt's Nintendo and Orbulon's I.Q. games. I highly recommend this game to anyone with a gba.

Hungry eye hi yeah
Well it seems obvious that this the game of all time... I had to laugh when I read the minimal amount of 1-2 star ratings (only about 4 out of 77) anyways this goes and shows the very idea of video games, they are pointless!Video games are pointless, there is no such thing as a "serious" game, all games to the very core of thier being are a waste of time.This game is great as in it is a light game that doesn't take forever to beat (ITS CALLED REPLAY VALUE GUYS, REPLAY VALUE) yes you will "beat" the game pretty easily, that doesn't mean it's over, you can play them even more.The concept is sound and the game is funny (unless you have a dignified sense of humour or your just too serious to laugh at something goofy) I think the funniest part is where that monkey is throwing the bananas at the cop cars, FUN-E!As I was saying this is a light game it is just to have fun with, there is no engrossing story line and what not.So if your playing a game for story line and character development (read you are a nerd) then please skip this game, it will be too "easy" for your advanced gaming (spare me!).This is one of the few breaths of fresh air I have seen in gaming in a long while, though video games are making more and more money every year they are losing focus.Ummm so yeah, this game is fun (E) and entertaining, if your a nerd you won't like it sooooooo this is a game for the "casual" gamer (read non-nerd) and cool people who don't read gaming magazines all day and have deep conversations about Final Fantasy.The end.

The best reason to buy gameboy.
The gameboy is a cool concept of taking games anywhere but most of the games for it are either intensive action arcade games or long RPG or strategy games.This is a game that makes the gameboy do what it was designed for.Plug in wario ware and play for five minutes, you'll have a blast and you'll advance to unlocking more of the minigames.Makes it so that you can use your gameboy while you're standing in line at the bank.

Great if you have A.D.D.
This game is really lots of mini games rolled into one.It's a solid original concept.Some of the games make you laugh so hard you nearly wet yourself when you see them for the first time (i.e. finger in the nose) and some can be quasi infuriating at first.I beat the game pretty fast though so I could only give it 3 stars even though thats the only knock on this game.

Excellent in all directions!
This game is addictive, fun, funny, action and loads more! THERE IS A PLOT. The plot is that a new game is released and you have to defeat to put wario in buisness, But it doesn't end there it keeps going! I've had it for 1 1/2 years and stil play it a lot!
You have to buy it if you have a gameboy advance!!!!! ... Read more

Product Description

Your favorite digital pet monsters are back in a whole new adventure with Monster Rancher 4. This time breeding and training your monsters is just the beginning, as you train multiple monsters that will lead you on an adventure of a lifetime! Let your pet monsters be your guides as you embark on journeys to distant lands where you will unlock new characters and fight big bosses with the help from your team of monsters! Monster Rancher 4 is no longer a training ground, this is the fight you and y ... Read more

Features

• Customize your training facilities
• Unlock a variety of monsters simply by playing your favorite CDs and DVDs
• For 1 player
• Set off on a role-playing adventure to unknown lands
• Breed and train multiple monsters simultaneously

Reviews (14)

A game to rent and try out first
I realy liked this game.I've never played the others but i remember watching the tv show.Everything in this game was great.Except i would of rather like itfor the characters to talk so u dont have to read.Also i wish that monsters would stay alive longer cause me i like to get them good leveled up to like 200 b4 batteling.And the main character....The real mystery is he male or female?.. I would of liked it if they would have had a option of characters to pick from and they put great work in the graphics of the monsters but not so much on the main character.The training gets very very boring but its so freaking addicting I keep traing.I reneted the game and got to the third town but now i cant rent it for a while. :(
But over all a great game but some would rather rent to try out first.

Fourth version is great
The game returns to it's former playing style (Rather than following MR-3's style, it's more like MR-1 and 2).The graphics are a nice 3D environment regarding your character, the monsters and the battles.The chat/shop modes are flat anime style drawings, however the characters do have facial expression changes during the appropriate moments of chatting.

Whether you're a seasoned MR breeder or new to the game, the fourth version will be easily playable while still offering challenges for us "old timers".The larger your CD/DVD collection is, the more likely you are to get more monster choices.The game will walk you through "extracting a monster" from your discs.Computer discs, music CD's, DVD's, and game console CD's are read by the game at specific points and will display a monster held within for you to keep or not.

The interface (the yes/no options) are a bit tricky, be careful when clicking through to speed text up as sometimes it will click "yes" when you're not ready and tend to destroy a battle or result in purchasing an item you really weren't ready to spend your money on.

The music is nice, low-key, and fits well with the scenes.The monster models are excellent, very cute.Their animations while training/fighting are well done.

All in all, I love the game despite the minor issues with the interface at times.I am a long time MR player, so I was already hooked before I ripped the plastic off the case. :)

probably the best in the series
monster rancher was the reason i bought a playstation instead of sticking with my sega genesis and nes.i have now played all four playstation games in the series, and monster rancher advance 2 for gba sp.i like the increased number of moves that i can have available in battle, training multiple monsters at a time, the new adventure system, doing adventures and battles and things on weekends instead of taking up training weeks, the more realistic look of the monsters, training gadgets and placing the house and barn and such.the only thing that i didn't like was having to be a premade character.in the other games, you could choose your gender and you name.i can still choose my name, but i have to be that kid.i know that in other rpgs you have to be a premade character, but i like being whoever i want in monster rancher.they probably did that because you have to have some form when you're running around on the ranch and on adventures, but it'd be better if the character was customizable, or not obviously a girl or boy so you could call it either one.or maybe if you could choose between a male or female form.also, i'd rather not have more of a past than, "oh, so you came from age island" and that's it.oh, and the pixies, at least the ones i've seen, aren't quite as cute in their new, realistic style..still, the good outweighs the bad.another good thing that i forgot to mention is that they brought back the combine feature.that was something i really missed in monster rancher 3.you can combine two monsters to make one with qualities of both.i can't say much about it for this game because i haven't used it yet.you really should buy all the monster rancher games, but if you can only get one then you should get this one.

Okay, But Lacks Certain Qualities
This game is deffinetly an improvement over the third but it lacks a few things that seperate from the best. For example: Because you can now hold up to 5 monsters on your ranch at a time, you'd think the designers might give you more vs. data slots. But they don't, which means that you can only have one full party of monster's data, plus one monster! Also, when your monster has to be retired, you can't save your vs. data so your stuck with what you have saved in the past.
Training in this game has improved dramatically with the introduction of training gadgets. You can customize your schedule so you don't have to fiddle around with the controls every week like in it's predeccessor.
Once you finish your training you have to go to "weekend activities" and choose to either enter a competition, go adventuring, go to town, or go to the next week.
The all new 3D adventuring in this game is amazing, walk around 4 levels, that you have to unlock as you go through the game, and search for treasures, do goals, or just try and get your monster a new move. You can also unlock the ability to fly, or ride on your monster.
Now about the battles. Your monster can now hold up to 9 moves, plus you can press any button you want, not just the button that's high-lighted, like in MR3. Also, when your monster does a move that annoying black screen, that shows up in MR3, doesn't show up. The second you hit the desired button, unless your monster is disobeying you, the monster does the move. What a relief!
Going to town is also a cool thing. You can go to 4 different towns and talk to people. You can also buy food, and items for your monsters at the item shop. I won't reveal any more of the game, but I will say, this game is deffinetly worth getting!

NOT FOR EVERYONE !!
This game looked cool so I rented it for my 7 old son.Glad I only rented. My son knows how to read but what 7 year old wants to read for 15 minutes before you can start the game?There is too much reading in this game.I played it and I didn't like it. If I want to read I will get a good book. I give it 2 stars because I quess some people don't mind reading.I like all game play. ... Read more

Product Description

Sonic is back. And this time hes bringing all his friends to break more than the sound barrier! Dr. Eggman is up to his old tricks again, Splitting the world into 7 parts and trying to make each his own personal empire. Sonic and Tails must reunite with their friends Cream, Knuckles, and Amy and restore order to the world. ... Read more

Features

• Pick any one of the 5 playable sonic characters. Then choose from the remaining 4 to play as your partner to help aid in your quest to bring down the evil Dr. Eggman
• Gain new abilities based on your partner, master them all for a variety of exciting adventures.
• Link up GBA systems to play with up to 4 players in awesome 2 on 2 team battles.

Reviews (25)

Sonic Advance 3-a must-have for Sonic fans!!
Excellent graphics and is very entertaining! Exciting gameplay and cool levels. Fun for everyone! This game has good music and you can partner up with different Sonic characters- like Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and Amy. Although some bosses are difficult to defeat, it is a very good game overall.

good
all the sonic games are pretty much the same. you run through a maze of loops, ramps, cannons (ect.)and always do a stunt or two, and have explosive bosses. this game is pretty much the same. i suggest you get this game if you're a sonic fan, but i wish that all the games woul'nt be the same.

Good? Maybe. Long? Very.
Sonic Advance 3 is the long anticipated sequel of the already popuLar Sonic Advance series. Sonic Advance 2 was longer, funner and more challenging and Sonic Advance 3 takes the formula a little longer.

You select a partner to help you in this game, varying from partner to partner there is Speed, Fly and Power formations which are different to each set of partners. They all make the game harder, easier, funner or more challenging. ALso the character that you control, the char. you control varies between partners. It is quite fun to play with the different combos.

Ah yes, the game would be twice as more fun if you haven't played Sonic Advance 2 immensly like me and got a habit of using the R stunts; they're back but not compatible with every partner team.

If you love a game that takes a long time to beat and has replayability, this game is for you!

Good Game
This game gets complicated when you first start but overall the game is great.

Sonic Advance 3, Best of all of em!!!
Ithink that it is the best out of all of them because it has now got a partnership going on.This is when you hold down R and a tagteam system starts.This is cool cause you can get things like a speed boost from sonic, or you can go up in the air with tails.Right now i am on zone 5, stage two. It is really hard when you get to the water bit cause you always drown.I am also wondering when you get to be another character cause right now i'm only sonic or tails. ... Read more

Product Description

Your City is on the move! Take complete control of your city's transportation system including roads, rail, air, and waterways. Watch you approval rating skyrocket as you get your Sims on the go. Test your nerves with a new UFO disaster, snarl traffic with car accidents, and wreak havoc with train derailments. Seize control of vehicles and complete the all-new U-Drive-It Missions to improve your Mayor rating, unlock new buildings, and earn other rewards. Name streets, neighborhoods, mountains, and bodies of water to personalize your city.

Features:

• New U-Drive-It Missions: Race through canals and waterways
• Conduct your Sims on a railway excursion
• Chase down criminals before they leave town
• Take out undesirable businesses with force
• Wow your Sims with skywriting
• New Transportation options:
• Build elevated rails
• Create a ferry system
• Connect far-reaching areas with a monorail network
• Add wide avenues to your metropolis

Features

• Expansion to Sims 4 allows god-like control over city infrastructure
• Players take complete individual control of roads, rail, air, waterways, and even vehicles
• Choose from modern European or three historical architectural eras
• Introduce new disasters into your city
• For 1 player

Reviews (4)

AMAZING!!!
This game is definetly worth the price you pay and makes Sim City a whole lot better! I especially like plopping Area 5.1 to get the UFO and decimate my city! (Ok here is a way to get an easy $10000... Ok build and iscolated build with a short peice of road connected to a fire station. Next use the fire disaster on the iscolated building and use the u drive it mode and select the fire truck. You should get the mission "Fire!". Accept it and because the fire station is right next door you put out the blaze in like two seconds. I made a FORTUNE doing this! So just BUY IT!

A very good expansion pack overall
Rush Hour is a very good addendum to the already great SimCity 4.With it, you wil have more options to build your perfect and more realistic city.The addition of a new category of building type (Euro-Contemporary) adds variety to all your cities and new rewards and landmarks adds a great deal more visual interest.There are also more options for customizing your city, such as a greater variety in size of schools, police departments, fire departments, and recreational areas.If you crave a little action now and again, the U-drive it missions will also be of some interest to you.

Some things to keep in mind:

1)My computer exceeds all of the system requirements and the basic SimCity 4 ran fine on it.But Rush Hour made the scrolling action very choppy.If this happens to you, contact Aspyr tech support and see if you can get a replacement file entitled:"graphics rules.sgr."This solved my problem and the game runs smoothly now.

2)The code of your SimCity 4 will be slightly altered.If you have existing cities, be prepared for explosive growth after installing Rush Hour and possibly a massive deficit.You might need to greatly restructure some of your existing cities to become solvent again.In one large city, I went from breaking even in taxes to a $8000 deficit in a few months.Try to build up your funds to the millions before installing Rush Hour by running a surplus for many years so you have time to make your changes.

3)Rush Hour doesn't sound as good.Inexplicably, many sound effects, such as the destruction of buildings and roads have been virtually eliminated.I preferred the old sound effects.

Despite the nit-picking, Rush Hour is definitely a worthy purchase and makes a fun game even more so.Just be sure to prepare your cities properly before installing.

My Favorite Game!!!
This is my favorite game in the entire world!!!Even my kid brother(who does not like Sim games)loves this game!I like to build different things and play U Drive It Missions to win different things!There is no doubt in my mind that(if you do not already have this game)you should buy it!!!!

Makes SC4 so much better...
At first I was unsure of the value of this game.I wasn't interested in the traffic or the You Drive It missions.However, after playing, these make the game so much more interesting.Also, the ease of play is much improved.Highly recomended to purchase with Sim City 4. ... Read more

Features

• Game Boy Advance
• ESRB Rating:Everyone
• Adventure

Product Description

MODEL- AGBPFDMEVENDOR- NINTENDO FEATURES- Classic NES Series: Dr. MarioThe games that defined an era are ready to go on your Game BoyAdvance! Help Dr. Mario cure a virus outbreak in this compellingpuzzler. Use the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter or the Game Boy Advance Game Link cable to play the game head-to-head with a friend! -- SPECIFICATIONs ------------ ESRB Rating : E for Everyone Genre/Category: FAMILY System: Nintendo Game Boy Advance Number of Players : 1 OR 2ON-LINE Compatible: Nice electronics is your source for everyday low prices on theNintendo AGBPFDME - Dr Mario Classic NES GBA and all other Nintendo Video Game Handheld Soft ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I miss the big screen, but this game still rocks the house.
Incredibly simple -- and simply addictive. It's practically impossible to put this game down once you start playing it. There are vague similarities to Tetris, but Dr. Mario is even simpler in concept. So you can jump in immediately -- but this doesn't mean the game isn't challenging. You'll quickly discover just how difficult a simple game can get! Fortunately, the three game play speeds and 21 levels of play allow you to set the difficulty level at whatever is most challenging for you.

A serious beef with the GBA version: the screen is poorly lit, and as a result the red and yellow viruses and capsules can be hard to distinguish from each other. I'm hoping that, since GBA games can also be played on the DS, the better lighting of the DS might solve this problem.

And a minor quibble: why not save the high scores?! (They are erased every time you turn off the system.) This was also true in the 8-bit NES version, but there's just no excuse for not having the saving capability now. It'd be nice not to have to write down my high scores!

Dr. Mario for the Gameboy Advance........my opinion....
Yup, it's about dadgummed time we see Dr. Mario for the Gameboy Advance. Except for the version on the original Gameboy, there's been no other handheld version of the game til' now. Admittedly, it's been on every other Nintendo console system that's been out. Course, I can never get enough of the game- it seems. It's really addictive. I understand how Nintendo is releasing the Classic NES series on the system, though. For the sheer pleasure of people enjoying the original games. Yet, part of me somehow wishes they had of updated the game for the Gameboy Advance kinda' like they did for the Nintendo 64, graphically as well as multiplayer-wise. If you own a GBA; you've seen updates of classics like Tetris and whatnot...why not Dr. Mario. I'm inclined to agree with arlando909 in that, unless you don't own any of the other systems and their versions, why bother spending your money on this version. The only reason why I got it is for the fact that I've had trouble rounding up the original Gameboy version and I wanted a handheld version of it to play on the go. Wish I had of looked here at Amazon first. Could have saved some money in the process.
Other than that, Dr. Mario is worth it. The classic will never get old. It's addictive gameplay will keep you coming back for more and more.

Not for 20 Bucks!
Dr. Mario, another NES classic game and another game in the classic NES series that suffers from "Too much of the same game availible".

Dr. Mario is easy to get the hang of.Mario throws pills into a jar and you have to match the color up with the proper virus. So a red pill needs to land on a red virus.As the never ending game progresses the jar has more and more viruses inside.It doesn't sound like much fun but its one of the most addicting games once you get into it (the only addicting game that draws competition to Tetris, mind you).

Graphic wise it looks really colorful and neat.Again, as with the other classic NES games the ratio had to be made to fit on the gameboy screen.Some things actually look smaller than they should but it shouldn't pose a problem.You can still see everything just fine.

The problem with Dr. Mario is its a game that through its transition to other systems, it never changed in the way of its gameplay.I could buy the original Gameboy version and it would still be like owning the classic NES version.I could even go out and find a copy of "Tetris and Dr. Mario" on the SNES and that would still be the same thing I'm getting here.

Unless you don't have the Gameboy, NES, SNES or even the N64 version, you've got no reason ot pick this up at all.Through the years, Dr. Mario has only received graphical upgrades but nothing that deteriates from the gameplay.

I like Dr. Mario, its one of my favorite games, but what would be the point of getting the GBA version when I've already got the original Gameboy version and the SNES version?Save your money on this one, it isn't worth the 20 dollars. ... Read more

Product Description

To obtain the ultimate rush, you'll need to overcome anything the mountain throws your way: fierce lightening storms, breathtaking vertical drops, serpentine slopes, and earth-swallowing avalanches ... Read more

Features

• Enjoy out of bounds exploration and racecourses
• The mountain's 3 peaks are wide-open and full of collectables, secrets, and shortcuts
• For 1-2 player(s)
• Attack the mountain in this snowboarding adventure
• Beware of avalanches and lightening storms as you seek your adrenaline rush

Reviews (93)

Yet another good review
With all the other good reviews about this game who needs another. But I just felt like writing this one. First the game this off da chain but not that much better. First if you master Tony Hawk then the only thing to worry about this the racing which I consider a flaw. To think I do all the ramp stuff first and when a race comes up I think "Oh God no." Next is the longivity which is often a game's weakness. If the challege does not keep you playing the fun will. So what is the problem it enough levels especially for RPG fans who love long games. I would have given it 5 stars but for the would have to be perfect and it is not but it does come close.

AWESOME GAME
This is one of the greatest video games on the market today.SSX 3 will keep you entertained for hours and you will not be able to stop playing. One of the best things about this game is that it never gets old.You can play for a very, very long time and still not complete the whole game.There is so much fun jam-packed in this game that you may never complete it.SSX 3 is very challenging, but not too challenging that it is impossible to beat.

The conquer the mountain feature in this game is absolutely perfect. There is so much in it, and it has a great storyline.It can go on forever, and you will never tire of playing it. Trust me, if you enjoy competition and racing, this is the game for you.

The graphics in this game are also one of a kind. They look so realistic that if you weren't playing, you would really think a real snowboard competition is going on.It is great, and very refreshing to finally have a fantastic snowboarding game that is worth playing, and watching.

Another great feature is the tricks each player has the ability to do.Even though the multi-flips, grabs, and sideway spins may not exactly look completely real, they are so much fun to perform and watch.There are many tricks to do, and as you go on, you will always find more and more to come up with.

SSX 3 is without a doubt the best snowboarding game out there.At a price of 20 dollars, it is defintely worth the money and you will be glad you made the purchase.

A good game
Ssx3 is an absolute must-have for any, maybe all, fans of sports games. Though the character selection is a lot smaller than the previous game, it doesn't let you down. It includes:

Zoe
Moby
Psymon
Griff (new guy! he's a twelve-year-old. kinda interesting..)
Viggo(new! another cool character)
Elise
Nate(another new guy! pretty cool..)
Mac
Allegra(new! Even though her name resembles that of an allergy medication, she's great!)
Kaori

The gameplay is set on a mountain with 3 peaks (peak 1 being the easiest and peak 3 the hardest). The single mode in which you earn money, buy stuff, and unlock peaks and places is "Conquer the Mountain" mode. The Single Event is the normal one-player mode, and the Multi-play mode is the two-player mode. In Conquer the Mountain, you can do the race, slopestyle, and freestyle modes.

The accessories for characters are amazing (ex: flaming head)! When you play this game, it can get you addicted but eventually bored, which is the only thing I have against it!

Great game play, clunky design
SSX Tricky was a great game, but this one is clearly better.Instead of cartoony characters and bright garish colors, this game sports lovely snow-covered scenery and color-coordinated character design.The weather is more advanced, with snow, wind and ice feeling true to life.The lack of snowboard selection is sorely felt, but made up for by the coolness of the single mountain and the improvement in game play.

Still, there are some really obvious problems with the actual navigation of the game that I wish they would have fixed.For example, why, when you click on "Save" does is ask you "Are you sure?" and then set the default to "NO."Why on earth would you not want to save?There is no penalty for playing poorly, no save tricks.So why would you want it to keep you from saving your scores and points earned?It does the same thing when you try to load for the first time; "Are you sure?"Of course I'm sure, I just started, I need to load something, don't I?I just wanted to scream at the stupid text prompts.

There are some other problems like this in the navigation, like the difficulty in getting in and out of the lodge and the inability to compete two different saves againt each other, but this is easily made up for by how much fun it is to play this game.The tricks are great, the courses are great, and the music is great.I just wish they had spent five minutes making the navigation even vaguely intelligent.

Fresh powder awaits.Grab your board, and go big.
SSX 3, for my money, is one of the best games for just picking it up and doing cool stuff right from the get go.This snowboarding game from EA Big is simple to pick up and get the basic ideas: even if you didn't touch the control pad at all in a race, you would eventally finish.The controls are simple and easy to use, so as a party game, even the luddites of your invitees should manage to figure out the basics.Once you start playing though, SSX 3 hooks you.

For some people it's the driving soundtrack that you can ride to by such artists as the Swollen Members, Fatboy Slim, and The Chemical Brothers that will quiet going through woods or detour off the main track, dampen a little in the air, and slam back in when you land that big trick.Not to mention a radio announcer who is amusing, and worth leaving on for a change.

For others, it's the sheer variety of gameplay.Want to go up against other racers and pound down the hill breathlessly?Go racing.Want a intense burst of tricking madness?Big Air's your game.Want to try something a little different?How about a Big Challenge.Just want to board?Go Freeriding, and see if you can find some snowflakes.Just want to listen and admire the graphics?Don't matter, SSX 3 has got you covered.

Then again, maybe you like collecting things.Alright then, try more than 'snowflakes', 100 pieces of art, posters, pictures, music, ubertricks, secret characters, boards, hats, backpacks, pants, boots, accessories, sunglasses and more, not to mention getting all your stats amped to 11.You have all three peeks to explore, and you'll have to go everywhere to find everything.You'll spend weeks finding and buying access... and then you can do it all over again with a new character.

Or maybe you're into depth.You've bought everything, but have you picked up the platinum medals?Trying to shave those last few seconds makes the difference between a player and a master, and the more you play, the better you will get, most certainly.You can always work on longer combos, faster runs, bigger points, and you will be rewarded.

Now, admittedly, it's not perfect.The voice acting doesn't quite live up to the Hollywood caliber quality of SSX Tricky.While the game encourages you to explore everywhere to find the collectables and find the fastest route, it's a bit too easy to go out of bounds and be reset to the middle of the track.And while all the characters are there, there's not really a strong plot between the characters.

But really, I'm quibbling here.SSX 3 is simply fantastic.Don't believe me?Go out, rent it, and take your board down the mountain a few times.You'll get hooked, and want more.

What are you waiting for?Fresh powder's calling... ... Read more

Product Description

Mario vs. Donkey Kong ... Read more

Features

• Use switches, conveyor belts, hammers, and more to overcome enemies
• Track down keys, collect gifts, and navigate platforms before battling Donkey Kong at the end of each world
• For 1 player
• Mario squares off against his orginial foe, Donkey Kong
• Leap and battle through increasingly difficult levels, solving puzzles along the way

Reviews (24)

The older DK with better graphics
This game is really fun with good graphics. It is like the older one but with more stuff and different story line. Instead of saving Peach you save these Mini Mario Toys from Donkey Kong. The levels are challenging for people who aren't hard core gamers. Gamers might think it to easy. I'm enbetween and I enjoy playing it.

It was nice... I guess
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a nice game, nothing really special. I've played better Mario games in the past. The game play was okay and the game itself gets boring after a while. I don't own the game myself (I've only played it from my older brother). But, I wouldn't really recommend it if you're really looking for one of those pick up and play games.

BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS THE WORST MARIO GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's to easy to beat and it's boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Don't buy this game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is why you don't outsource your intellectual property.
So... Mario vs Donkey Kong. Nintendo's latest shameless capitalization of a once-venerable series of games. I bit the bullet and started playing this recently, curiosity winning out over the recent experiences with Mario-branded games. Despite such tragedies of game design of the last 10 years like Mario Sunshine and Wario World, I still harbor warm feelings for the Mario games of the late 20th century, forgetting time and again that as their management and lead designers age and stagnate, fun, clever, original games like those are seemingly forever in Nintendo's past.

The game started out alright, an interesting puzzle-focused twist on the main-sequence Super Mario series... they eliminated the venerable stomping-enemies-and-grabbing-power-ups formula, and replaced it entirely with simple logic puzzles in underwhelming levels usually no larger than two screens' worth. You can still jump around, but Mario's jumping range is no higher than about twice his height, which for Mario is absolutely pathetic. He also moves at a constant rate of speed no matter how long he's been running, making nimble jumps practically impossible, and skids randomly when he stops; I found myself constantly plunging into crevasses and falling off cliffs, wondering with utterly genuine surprise and confusion why the character was receiving commands I wasn't inputting. Probably the biggest sin of all, though, is the ludicrously short distance he can fall before pancaking on the ground and whining like a toddler. And if you're falling while holding something, he'll pitch the item across the screen once you've fallen a certain distance, forcing you to retrieve it once he's done feeling sorry for himself.

Also, Mario's got the same voice actor they've been using in Mario games for years, Charles Martinet, who produces an entirely testicle-free whiny broken falsetto soaked in an Italian accent that rings less authentically than a Wichita Godfather's Pizza commercial. After maybe 20 minutes of gameplay, I was nearly in tears, begging the gods of video games to make him shut up... even if you're Mother Teresa, you can only really hear that "Mama Mia!" croon a limited number of times before a primal urge to exterminate mankind kicks in. And god help you if you let the rescued mini-Marios fall off the screen on the Mini Mario levels: until you retrieve all of them, which can sometimes take a while, they'll continuously shriek "Oh, Mario!" every second or so like starving lupine infants, producing a sensation that I can only describe as cannibalistic rage mixed with crippling nausea. One of the biggest letdowns in the game is the inability to pitch these mewling little parasites into an active caldera, forever silencing their demonic little voices.

Donkey Kong himself is probably the strangest part of the game, though. During the opening cinematic, we see DK sitting on his fat simian butt in his house, flipping idly through channels, until he sees a commercial advertising some kind of weird mini Mario dolls. Then, suddenly, hearts appear in DK's eyes. I am not making this up. It appears to anyone with more than one digit in their age that Donkey Kong is either harboring a secret lust for everyone's favorite effeminate plumber, or has a sick fetish for plushie toys. The latter becomes evident as we see DK break into the factory and steal one sack full of mini-Marios, crippling the entire toy doll industry. Apparently in their panic, the ubiquitous, androgenous little toadstool slaves forgot they could just turn the machines back on and... uh, you know.... just, uh, make more. Instead, Mario comes to the rescue and follows DK through six worlds of improbable puzzles, rescuing one mini Mario on every level.

So yeah, yet another failed opportunity to restore the Mario franchise to some mote of its former glory.I'm sure Nintendo won't care as it'll still undoubtedly make them money, but it's yet another shovel working to dig their corporate grave.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong
This game is mostly about Donkey Kong trying to steal Mini Mario toys. Mario goes through 6 levels with 6 courses a Mini Mario course and a Donkey Kong course. Here are my ratings:
Music-10/10 its cool
Gamplay-10/10 good
Hardness-8/10 its pretty tough
Funness-10/10 you will love it
... Read more

Reviews (2)

This Box Rocks
For months I've had to carry my XBOX, controllers, Controller Converters, Electrical & A/V Wires, LAN cables, and games in my green sports bag (which I recieved as a gift from my father's gift of cologne!).... It held all my items, but it did not PROTECT THEM.
With this suit case, I am now able to not only protect my XBOX, and accessories, but put everything I actually use all in one place. Plus it saves me space in my car's trunk since I practically live out of my car (I'm currently a college student).



You have to be nuts to not appreciate the extra accessories (the CD Disc Case, Programable controller and DVD Lens Cleaner). You don't have to use all these items, since they're easily sellable on your own accord.

Great buy and save!

Not worth the money
This item, while neat in its own feature-esque way, is not worth the (...) one would put into owning it.It's only really useful when you take your Xbox places, and the case only holds 6 discs.The cleaning kit is absolutely worthless, but the controller is useful... if you don't already have 4. ... Read more

Features

• Fast leveling system - Character skills increase quickly. No more waiting around for those awesome combos & powers
• Plan out your strategy -- use your tactical knowledge to lead units into battle, achieving victory
• Carry up to 149 items at once -- and use your powers to strengthen items in real-time
• Use your powers to purify defiled ground and enemies -- defeating them in an all-new way
• Over 100 hours of gameplay with multiple endings

Reviews (13)

LA Pucelle: Tactics
This game is very good. You could buy item or equipment hat would help you in you journey. this game also lets you train monster that you obtained during your travels or whatever. Since it has the name Tactics you might know what kinds of battle system they use to fiht enemies.this game is quite easy and has a fast leveling system . This game starts with a girl named Prier the main character, Culotte, Prier little brother,and Aoloutte, Prier and Culotte's teacher. this game could be fun if you like anime very much. Good Luck!!!

cute monsters, endless playtime
This game is not advertised that much and I only knew it through looking through rpg's that just came out. However La Pucelle is a pretty unique game that follows tactical strategic games such as final fantasy tactics. Storyline is okay, monsters are cute, almost feel bad for killing them, playtime is almost endless. I didn't get to finish it yet but I would recommend it for anyone who loves RPG's and willing to try out tactical games. It is a long game though, and has a twist in the middle. I personally chose "japanese" sound version because i felt like i was reading a storybook when i chose english. pretty good game overall.

a big set back
i bought this game because i loved disgaea (another game from this games company).i ordered this online and was so happy the day it arrived in the mail.i was so excited, i had heard all kinds of cool things about it on the internet and in magazines.when i stuck the disc in, the bad graphics didn't really hit me at first.the story was that same wacky stuff most japanese games have, and the battles are okay.but i was so used the the fast paced fighting (well, as fast as a strategy rpg can get), that this game battle system just seemed archaic to me.i mean, the navigation is basically the same, moving from square to square on the big grid map, trying to kill off your foes.but as soon as i went to hit an enemy, i found that every time i attacked, the game had to "zoom in" on the battle.it turns to a side-scrolling view and lets the characters go at it.it was a neat idea at first, but after a while, you just start to wish your guys would just freakin' attack the enemy without the need to zoom in.it's just irritating.then i got a little further into the game, to a port city, where i found out that the game would have looked dull even as a first-gen ps one game.then it started to get pretty hard, almost unfairly hard.all of a sudden i was getting my ass kicked when i'd been trotting along so well through the rest of the battles.i'm not saying i don't like the occasional challenge or mind-bending task, but cheap battles and deaths just aren't my thing.so with bad graphics, no-fun combat, and a boring story, La Pucelle: Tactics is a hit or miss.if you like terrible graphics and boring gameplay, you'll like this.but if you want something i would like to call fun, get disgaea: hour of darkness.it's a much better game.

advanced thinking game
some people don't seem to understand what a tactical game is. The purpose of this game isn't to randomly attack, but to employ different strategies and increase your teams skill. If you plan on buying this game [or any game for that matter] than you should know how the gameplay works. This game is filled with fun gameplay, but I suggest it only to those who enjoy complicated tactics.

This game isnt funits also very hard
You wouldnt want this game.It has a weird tactical battle style that is really weird. Its nothing like a real fighting game and its not real-time.First you are on like a board-game type screen and your team and the bad guys just stand there and do nothing.You click the character of yours you want to attack and you can move them a certain amount of spaces and you attack the monsters and this weird screen pops up and you have no clue whats going on.

I would reccommend getting a real time fighting game, this game is so fake.not only that its very hard and long. ... Read more