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Tomb Raider
The obvious point of reference is Indiana Jones, Lara is very
much a female variation on Tim Burton's half-interested updating
of the Batman character: She's rich, graceful, athletic, supposedly
obsessed with a dead parent, and, in her downtime, close to somnambulant.
But that's about all we know. Character shadings take a back seat
to confusing exposition and feeble mysticism. more
info
Final Fantasy XI
Since Square Enix revealed that Final Fantasy XI would be an MMORPG,
series fans have been crying for them to rename it Final Fantasy
Online, to save the enumeration for a "real" Final Fantasy
game. The game will certainly challenge series fans about what
a Final Fantasy game is, and MMORPG fans are in for a similar
challenge. After surmounting two very different learning curves,
however, both camps will find Final Fantasy XI to be a beautiful
and well-crafted game if they can get over some of its shortcomings.
more info
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship
Tournament 2004
Of all the collectable card games based on oddly named kids with
unrealistically spiky and angular hair, none has been quite as
successful as Yu-Gi-Oh! The little guy and his pals have made
the concept of having pictures of monsters come to life and fight
each other just as much a part of our culture as Thanksgiving
dinner or baring one's breast during the Super Bowl. The Yug-ster
is back on the GBA with Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament
2004, and if you're a card-carrying duelist, you might want to
hold off on buying a few of the latest booster packs so you can
drop the dough on this cart. more
info
Tony Hawk's
Underground
Gamers, you remember how great Tony Hawk 3 was, and how the following
game was even better, right? The courses were much more expansive
and featured improved level interaction, keeping players entertained
for weeks at a time. Now let's see if you can guess what I'm going
to say about Tony Hawk's Underground. It feels weird to be giving
similar praise to another Tony Hawk game, but as long as Neversoft
continues to improve the courses that can't be helped. THUG's
courses are the biggest yet. They're very urban " expect
to see lots of houses and other neighborhood content. The visual
field is nearly perfect, giving you the illusion that the world
goes on forever. Sadly it doesn't, but any time you step out of
bounds the game will automatically take you back to where you
belong. more info
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell follows the exploits of Sam Fisher, an experienced
NSA agent who gets called in to investigate the disappearance
of two CIA agents in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. As
more of the mystery surrounding these agents is uncovered, more
questions surface. And as Fisher tries to prevent World War III,
things get a little personal. more
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Onimusha
According to Capcom, feudal Japan was full of these evil dead
guys. They just can't seem to kick that brain-eating habit and
the intelligence of the locals are suffering because of it. You
are the great Samanosuke Akechi, swordsman extraordinaire. Inabayama
Castle has been overrun by evil Demons and, of course, it falls
on your armored shoulders to stop them. So how does Samanosuke
kill what's already dead? Easy - with the power of Ogres! It seems
that the Ogres and Demons had some sort of falling out in the
past and the Ogres are more than happy to help mess up things
for the Demons. more info
Max Payne 2: The Fall of
Max Payne
There are some things that will never stop haunting a man no matter
what changes occur in his life. Sometimes a man can never really
shake the dark cloud that seems to follow overhead no matter how
hard he tries to run from it. For men like Max Payne this dark
cloud shrouds him like a cloak and he is haunted by the ghosts
of loved ones lost to violence. Once again, Max Payne sets out
to seek his own brand of bloody violence in Max Payne 2: The Fall
of Max Payne but little does he know that on this quest there
is someone who can set him on the right path to his salvation
or lead him to his downfall. Yes, this is a true sequel to a great
game. more info
Madden 2005
Our brief, early look at Madden NFL 2005 finds the game headed
in a promising direction. The visuals are well on the way toward
living up to the high standards of the franchise, and the work
being done to the gameplay should make for a compelling experience.
Given the game's position as an institution in the sports genre,
it's nice to see that Tiburon is still trying to tweak the formula.
Madden NFL 2005 is currently slated to ship this fall for the
GameCube, PlayStation 2, PC, and Xbox. Look for more on the game
in the coming months. more info
GTA: Vice City
As big as GTA3 is, Vice City dwarfs it in almost every way. The
city is absolutely huge and so full of back alleys and interesting
locations that just touring around is fun enough. And with so
many different styles of vehicles and bikes, it's neat to find
out what each set of wheels is capable of-especially while learning
how to do tricks on a motorcycle or piloting a helicopter. Trust
me, flying over Vice City for the first time and realizing its
sheer size is humbling. more
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Dead or Alive 3
DOA 3 is probably the best-looking fighting game yet, with much
more exciting and vibrant environments than past DOA games. Witness
the flock of birds flying around as you scuffle on the beach in
front of a gorgeous sunset. Check out the deformation of the snow
on the 'Snow' level as you scoot around. From the terrific water
effects to the fantastic sun glares and lighting, this is really
a top notch effort. The new levels are pretty cool, particularly
the 'Lost World', in which you begin fighting atop a cliff only
to eventually plummet down, down, down. While not all the stages
feature breakaway walls and multiple levels, most do, and it's
very rewarding finding the hot spots. more
info
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