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Playstation 2 Reviews

Timesplitters : Tekken Tag : ESPN Track & Field : Fantavision : Street Fighter 3 EX :
Ridge Racer V : Drum Mania : Burnout : GTA 3 : Gitaroo Man : Freak Out : Ominusha
Gran Turismo 3 : Para Para Paradise : Moto GP : F1 WC 2000 : Guitar Freaks 3/DrumMania 2 Keyboard Mania : Burnout 2 : Toca Race Driver : ICO : Headhunter : Frequency
Metal Gear Solid 2 : Guitar Hero : Buzz

TIMESPLITTERS - FRD/EIDOS - PS2

If there was ever a game worth putting on your CV, it has to be Goldeneye. The game not only sealed some future for the N64, it also redefined the first person shooter, and saved the genre from becoming a PC only pursuit. What made Goldeneye as great as it was, was the split screen multi-player modes. It is this mode which Free Radical Design have chosen to concentrate on for Timesplitters. Thankfully, the Playstation 2 has enough grunt to prevent any multi-player slowdown, which adds greatly to ease of play. Weapons are varied and interesting. Particularly exciting is the gun with bouncing bullets, allowing you to ricochet bullets down corridors against your rivals. Graphics are sharp, and the levels are interesting. Not to mention the built in level designer, which amazingly easy to use. Levels can be saved on PS2 memory cards, and take up little surprisingly little room.

There are a few things which let the game down, firstly animation is poor, with no interesting death scenes as in Goldeneye or Perfect Dark. Then there is the complete lack of blood or gore, which is something hardened genre fans have come to expect. Possibly more important to the game is the rather poor one player game. Puzzle elements are few and far between, and while enemy AI isn’t too bad, it takes several levels to offer any real challenge. The slick nature of the scolling and movement takes away some of the realism from the game, as you can zip around levels at incredible speed. This is a game which centres around it’s multi-player experience, which while good, doesn’t keep you coming back for more, even if you do have your mates round. After years of playing Goldeneye, and then Perfect Dark, i’m not sure that there’s too much mileage left in the first person shooting genre full stop. Jace Rates 6/10

ESPN TRACK & FIELD - KONAMI - PS2

With little of any quality to buy for your shiny new PS2, many may opt for something more familiar. Yet another example of poor marketing, this Summer Olympic sports game may get a frosty reception, but is actually a vast improvement on the Dreamcast game of the same name. Graphics are excellent, using motion capture from real Olympic athletes. The events have changed, requiring different angles, or different varieties of actions to complete them. For example, in the swimming you are required to press the two shoulder buttons simultaneously to propel your athlete. The Javelin requires super early pressing and angle control with the up and down button, instead of the usual press and release. There are also a couple of all new events which help spice up the mix. The shooting is far better than on Dreamcast, with more skeets offered in accordance to your success rate. Gymnastic floor exercises take the style of Dance Dance Revolution, matching joypad controls in rhythm to the music.

The biggest gameplay addition to the game has to be the all time top ten chart, which also keeps the all time records for each event and medal tallies. There are even bonus items which open up the more you play. Forget the one player game, and you are guaranteed loads of multi-player sessions full of nail biting competition. Jace Rates 7/10

Fantavision by Sony

Fantavision was a game I previously commented on, after getting to grips with the demo version. At first glance, you’d have to think that this is a title which would appeal to Retrogamers, with its roots firmly set in the classic shoot-em-up, Missile Command. The idea of the game is to connect unlit fireworks together in chains as they shoot into the sky, and before they fall back to earth. To do this, first place your cursor over a firework, once selected, the joypad allows you to spin a solid line around your cursor. Aim the line onto a similarly coloured firework, and your cursor moves along to that postition, keep going and then press the detonator button, before part of your chain descends off of the screen. To make things more interesting, some fireworks flash multi-colours, allowing you to change from one colour to another, mid-chain. (similar to the multi coloured tiles in Klax). Huge chains give you points, and some very beautiful visuals when they explode. Proceed well, and stars join the number of fireworks, detonate enough stars and you are awarded a bonus letter. Bonus letters build up the word StarMine, and you must complete the StarMine bonus a specified number of times before the end of each level to complete it. New levels bring new scrolling backdrops, and different types of firework, leading to more impressive displays.

Music is very suitable to the game, with cheerful hammond ditties to help you while away the hours. That though is the problem, despite the mix of so many valuable ingredients, the end result is a game which seems monotonous, it’s 128bit visuals do nothing to add to the gameplay, and levels feel to long and laborious to warrant further attempts. Overall, very pretty, but tedious and shallow. Jace Rates - 5/10

TEKKEN TAG by Namco

For many prospective PS2 owners, this is the game to look forward to. The huge successes with the title’s prequels have somehow left Namco rather hollow, relying on Ridge Racer or Tekken related games (Soul Calibre included) for 90% of it’s income. Hopefully for Namco, their followers will remain as excited about their new game, for which there has been a huge amount of promise and expectation. The first load of Tekken Tag is something special, the CGI intro is the most impressive I can remember, though as with RRV, you can’t help thinking that PS2 was meant to promise in-game visuals as good as these. Once the game starts, the scrolling option bar somehow seems too familiar, giving a terribly anti-next generation feel. All the usual options are there, including Team Battle and Theatre modes.

Once into the game itself, and Tag’s defining feature becomes evident. Pressing the keys at the rear of the controller allows you to swap between two selected players, vital to preserve energy and add a new ingredient into the mix. Graphics are sharp and fluid as you would expect, however the game instantly fails to live up to early expectation in the background department. Early demo shots and information in magazines told us of a large jeering crowd which surrounded each fight, and each member of the crowd was as well defined as the fighters themselves. I imagined the crowd spitting, putting the boot in, and getting out of the way as the fight spilled onto the street. The reality is very different, and has more in common with the laughable 2D hand-clappers in the Street Fighter games. The crowd in Tag consists of little more than a few people standing in the background. They occasionally lift their arms, or gesture to the fighters, but frankly they are pathetic, and insignificant when compared with Namco’s initial promises. It is then, that the game must be judged simply on the fighting, and direct comparison with Tekken 3 is inevitable.

Regular readers will remember that I wasn’t exactly enthralled with Soul Calibre on the Dreamcast, and quality-wise, Tekken Tag isn’t exactly a step further from that. Tekken 3 offered similarly detailed characters, indeed, the same characters, with the same moves, and while the resolution has been improved, Tag hardly represents the leap in gameplay fans of the series hoped for. Backgrounds are pretty, with realistic flames and waterfalls, but remain completely un-interactive, used purely as eye candy. The end of character set-scenes are hardware driven, Namco obviously thinking that they were comparable with the CGI reward sequences of the past. Well frankly, they were wrong, with the endings of levels now often leaving you with a “so, is that it” taste in the mouth. One good point is the music, which offers some brilliant tunes, often suiting the mood of the fight setting perfectly. However, the whole of the Tekken series has boasted superlative audio, so it’s something we should have expected.

Don’t get me wrong, Tekken Tag is a great fighting game, and i’m sure fans of the series will love it, but those of us expecting the first tripple A title, a title capable of persuading us that the PS2 really does contain groundbreaking technology, well, we’re going to be dissapointed. This is just another Tekken game. As I conclude with my rating, I can imagine some other publications giving the game 9/10, well, this is a great shame, as if Namco continue to have to do so little to impress, they will lose their image as an innovative video games producer forever. Jace Rates 7/10

RIDGE RACER V

Before I start, let me say that I have loved all the Ridge Racer games, I have finished every one, got all the bonus cars, the money, the t-shirt. Sure Gran Turismo is bigger, cleverer, tougher, but RR has crazy skidding cars with Pac Man and Galaxian logos on them, flashy graphics, girls, sheer arcade-ness. Of all the new PS2 games, RRV was the one which I held the most excitement for. On loading the game for the first time, I held my breath. The obligatory CGI intro introduces the game, “ah, no need for this I thought, the game itself will be as good” , actually, the intro this time is shorter and not as exciting as the one for RRIV on the regular Playstation. The game starts, a plethora of menus, and its into the grand prix. Yet more options and menus, brilliantly presented with animated logos, but menus none the less. Thankfully the game and options are all in English. Ok, into the game itself. Waiting for the lights to go green, and taking in all the detail was brief, the lights go green, i’m off. The realisation that this isn’t the next generation game I was dreaming of was almost instant. It suddenly dawned on me, this was just another Ridge Racer.

A few laps later, and sure, there were nice backdrops, but aren’t there always? The resolution is sharper, but that just seems to make everything look super clean, and unrealistic. The cars are shinier, which is nice enough, but where was the living breathing city scape, the hoards of intelligent drivers trying to thrash you off the track, the cheering crowd consisting of five hundred individually rendered people. This, i’m afraid, is not the game you were hoping for. Sure, it’s a good game, all RR games are. The championship is tough, with fourteen cars to race instead of the usual eight. You do not converse with your team as in RRIV which is a shame, but there is an improved two player version with a total of six cars in each race. However, the two player version uses fogging to dramatically reduce the draw distance, making you think exactly how good the new hardware can be.

I’m sure when Namco get ready to release their next big game, they will say, “ oh yes, but RRV only used 15% of the PS2 hardware”, well, perhaps this isn’t good enough, perhaps releasing a game which uses such a small proportion of the hardware on offer is a stab in the back of loyal gamers. Ridge Racer V is a good game, but frankly not worthy of buying new hardware for. For an altogether more impressive technical showcase, stick with Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast. Jace Rates - 7/10

STREET FIGHTER 3 EX

It’s a long time since I played an SF game. I loved the SNES orginal, I dabbled with the 3DO version, I tried to understand the popularity of the VS Marvel et al versions, but 3 EX promised to be a true 3D PS2 showcase, and so I dabbled once more. After the poor intro, the drab menu screens, the page of fighters to choose from, I was presented with what looked like any other Capcom fighter. The game works in a 2D way, presenting the special moves in 3D, but always returning to a 2D stance, I suppose a kind of 2.5D. I know i’m not much of a fighting game fan, but I loved the Tekken games, and to compare this against Namco’s finest seems laughable.

In the video game industry we are starting to create cults, there are gamers who will buy every FIFA soccer incarnation, there are gamers who will buy anything related to Pokemon, well this game serves those with a penchant for Street Fighter, and frankly does nothing for me. This game could have come out on the original Playstation with very little difference. Capcom have blatantly cashed in on their position as first on PS2 with a fighting game, and very undeservedly so. Jace Rates - 3/10

DRUM MANIA by Konami

I have recently become a devoted Konami fan. Sure, from a retro perspective, they have been at the forefront for a very long time with games like Gradius and Track & Field, but these days they have become one of the most daring and original publishers on the planet, providing some revolutionary gaming entertainment. Drumania is a long way from Silent Hill or Metal Gear Solid, and continues their series of Bemani games. The game is the most expensive of all PS2 titles, thanks to the supplied controller (see top), a five drum control kit, similar to professional electronic drum kits, complete with metal stand and plug in bass drum pedal.

There are drum sticks supplied, and you’ll need a stool to sit on to use it properly. The game itself follows the traditional Bemani premise, follow the drum symbols on the sliding grid, and hit them when they are on the target line. Do well, and you progress to the next harder song, you might even get your score in the hi-score table. This is fun enough, as the game is very progressive, and it doesn’t take long for you to hit perfect rhythms, and dazzling solos, which is accompanaied with an overpowering sense of self achievement.

However, it’s the multi-player game which really proves how good the game is. Last year Konami released a game called Guitar Freaks in Japan, which was sold with its very own guitar controller (see top). With a multi-tap, up to two of these controllers can be plugged into the PS2 along with the drum kit. Selecting Session on the menu screen (all of which are in English by the way) gives you the option to have a drummer and two guitars simultaniously playing a song, allowing for the most competitive and innovative slice of gaming entertainment of recent years. The tunes are structured perfectly, with brilliant bridge sections where one player will take a solo, then the drums will fill inbetween. Muck it up and you’re friends will laugh at you, play it dead right, and you’ll feel like a hero.

Obviously, Drum mania didn’t need a PS2 to be fun, it’s just a brilliant game, with brilliant controllers, which no doubt will never be released here as they think that us Brits are too boring to understand Bemani. Well Konami, you’re wrong. Jace Rates - 9/10

BURNOUT BUGGED - Acclaim - PS2

Worry began to fester when I heard that Burnout’s release date had been brought forward by two weeks. I was excited by the previews, as it was being compared to Need for Speed, a game packed full of atmosphere, and stunning crash scenes. The problem is, you give a company like Acclaim good previews, and they are going to rush the product and try and get it out in time for early Christmas sales. On the first play, the rushed deadline was noticable by the lack of any graphic introductory sequence. I didn’t mind too much, you only click past them the second time you play. Next the options, all pretty simple. Race your car against three rival drivers through a variety of tracks at breakneck speed, avoiding the real life traffic. Graphics are excellent, and the speed of play will certainly take your breath away. At first, the breaks in the action to show the inevitable crash you have just taken part in, seem irritating. These are important though, allowing the rival drivers to get away.

The crashes themselves are pretty realistic. I say pretty, because I got my car to stand end up on its bumper one time. The one player game is good, though laps are long, and your rivals can be incredibly hard to catch up. Rival players have amazing AI, and weave through the traffic with great skill, yet still make mistakes sometimes. However, it is the two player game which is truly amazing. Criterion have learnt a couple of two player racing game lessons. Firstly, you race as in the one player game against the second player and two computer controlled rivals. Scores attained in the two player version, go into the same score table as the one player game. Amazingly, the action is just as fast, and there is just as much traffic in the two player version, as in the one player game. The only problem for the two player version, is that you are unable to open up the other tracks via two player championship modes, instead you still have to finish the one player game to unlock all the tracks. For a game so compelling in two player mode, this is a pity. Many gamers play more socially than on their own.

Ok, sounds like a dreamy game, so what is wrong with it. Well, i’m not blaming Criterion, but Acclaim for rushing them. There seems to be two rather nasty bugs in the game. On the one player game, the sound of your engine cuts out sometimes, only returning once you’ve crashed. More horrific is the two player game, which suffers from complete system crash. I was playing last night, and it froze the PS2 once every three games. It’s a long time since i’ve spotted such a blatant bug, and can only imagine the game will eventually be recalled. A shame that this great game has to have it’s image tarnished before it has even made it’s mark. Jace Rates (bugged) 6/10 (un-bugged) 8/10

GRAND THEFT AUTO 3 - DMA/ROCKSTAR - PS2

I always liked the idea of the first two GTA games, the thought of stealing cars, beating innocent people up, and becoming a ganster in an elite type do-what-you-like kind of world, was a pretty groundbreaking concept. Problem was, it didn’t work as a top down game. Fun for a while, but freedom in a 2D driving game world isn’t that much fun, particularly if it has none of the style of Atari’s APB.

The news that the game was going to be pushed into 3D was rather laughable, particularly as it was all going to be done in just a year and a bit. The result of the project has to be one of the biggest surprises in the history of the PS2. DMA have crammed so much into GTA3, it’s hard to know where to start. The introductory music and images provide all the atmosphere of a seventies gangster movie, a kind of cross between the French Connection and Scarface. From the moment the real game starts, you are presented with more freedom than you’ll ever have recalled.

Graphics are excellent, you can see inside the vehicles, and all the doors, bonnets and boots work. You can steal any vehicle you like, and drive it however you like. The cars are heavy, with all the solidity of the aforementioned Need for Speed. Crashes are spectacular and realtime damage remarkable. The city is huge, opening up as you complete more missions. There are shops you can visit, and alleys to hide in, or find secret weapons. There are rival gangs, and friends you can find to work with. These meeting are met with cut scenes, but each is expertly voiced and packed full of ganster ambience. As you progress, you’ll start addressing missions which need you to get out of the car, like taking out the gangsters on a huge ship, hiding on the rooftop with your sniper rifle, while your friend tries to lay explosives to sink it. Then there are the police, hours of fun can be had just trying to avoid them, or make them drive into the river while in pursuit. There’s plenty more too, you can take prostitutes back to your base for sex, you can work as a taxi driver to earn cash (ala Crazy Taxi), or steal a police car and become a vigilante, hunting down rival criminals. You can even become an ambulance driver or Fireman.

Most probably, you’ll prefer to be a low life scumbag, running over scores of innocent people, or gunning them down with an Uzi in a shopping mall. The soundtrack is also phenomenal, with each car having it’s own tunable stereo. There are loads of great stations, my favourite is the hilarious talk radio station, Chatterbox, and the dub thumping, Jah Radio. I’ve actually parked up somewhere, just to sit and listen to the radio! There’s more than this too, like hidden bonus items, special stunt opportunities hidden throughout the city, and a working mono-rail and underground system. I have dreamed of this game for the past twenty years, since Durell’s Turbo Esprit. It has everything you could wish for and I have no idea how anyone could follow it within the genre.

Forget Driver or Gettaway, I think the only people who could improve on it are DMA themselves, and even then, I don’t know how. This game is exceptional, a must for your PS2, and while not completely groundbreaking, is a perfect match of so many gaming elements that you’ll be lost within it for months. And it’s British... Jace Rates 9/10

Guitaroo Man - PS2

Regular readers will be well aware of how often I update this page, (not often enough I hear you cry). For that very reason, the games I choose to write about have to be important ones, and the very fact that there is only one game being reviewed this time round is not a testament to my laziness, but a sign of the current quality drought the games industry finds itself in. Thankfully, one title did manage to provide more than a little light relief. Guitaroo Man presents a typically Japanese tale of a teenager and his talking dog, who must rid the world of evil using their magic guitars. Each part of the game is set up with a cartoon style story, very much in the Parappa style but with far better 3D graphics.

The opening level teaches you how to play, and even though all the speech is Japanese, it’s pretty clear what you have to do. The game cleverly mixes familiar in-time button pressing with manipulation of the analogue stick. Rather than making things more complicated, this seems to simplify the proceedings but increases the required level of skill, which not only makes things more challenging, but gives you that proud-of-yourself feeling so rarely emulated in games these days. Each level has a story, from mad keyboard playing aliens descending from outerspace, to a guitar axe wielding devil bursting through the floorboards of your bedroom.

UK readers should be aware that the whole game has the hypnotic atmosphere of a kind of 3D Jamie and the magic torch. The music is perfect for the context of the game, and certainly good enough to guarantee replay value. Bemani style grading is given to you after completing a level, and opening up a new part of the game adds it to the multiplayer levels. Four players can compete in guitar playing mayhem in this mode, which is frankly amazing. Unfortunately, while hardcore and musically minded gamers seem to adapt to this style of game very easily, social or opportune gamers rarely get the hang of it, and will be reluctant to compete against you again once you’ve thrashed them two or three times. If you have read through previous rants, you probably think that I am totally biased towards Bemani style games, however it seems the only genre to offer gamers anything different. Guitaroo Man beats Parappa and Un Jamma Lammy hands down, the graphics are amazing, the playability incredible, and the longevity assured. If you still think bemani games are for Japanese gamers or for little kids to dance around the TV with, think again. Jace Rates 8/10

FREAK OUT - Treasure - PS2

Is it just me, or are there other people out there scratching their heads trying to figure out what is so special about Treasure? Freak Out is a strange game where you stretch enemies with your magic scarf in a 3D world. Stretch the baddies enough, and they will die. It’s highly stylised, colourful, and has some nice audio. However, it’s nothing special. Relatively easy to complete, and each level becomes tedious in a very short while. I am a huge fan of strange Japanese games, but this just isn’t strange enough, or original enough to warant the attention it has gained. Jace Rates 3/10

OMINUSHA - Capcom - PS2

The idea of Resident Evil, brought into the mystical world of the ancient far East, doesn’t seem a bad one. Indeed, the introduction to this game is epic, bringing a level of excitement to an even higher level. This just goes to make the actual game even more dissapointing. Basic sword play, and standard puzzles, do little to lift this above other games in the genre. Huge fans of Res Evil/Dino Crisis will no doubt find the change of scenery welcome. The rest of us will just wonder what all the fuss was about. Jace Rates - 5/10

GT3 - Sony - PS2

Remember this, when I started writing this review of GT3, I just wanted it to be short, a few lines just summing up, however the depth of GT3 is such, that I doubt a few lines will suffice. I got the Japanese version of the game some months ago, so have had plenty of time to get inside it. First I should talk about the graphics. When you first load this up, you’ll probably dive straight into GT mode, buy a tiny car, then drive it on a pretty dreary track, at an incredibly slow speed. You would then be forgiven for putting the game back in the case and saying, “what was all the fuss about”. What you should have done is dive into the arcade mode, go for the fastest car, on one of the tougher tracks. Then you’ll see this game really moving, and you’ll probably gasp, “now I see what all the fuss was about”.

Once you know what the game can do, you won’t mind plodding through the lower levels of the GT mode. Once you’ve got a better car, you’ll be hooked. I’m not going to say that GT3 isn’t just more of the same, it is. More championships to race in, but nothing much different. More cars to buy, but so what. Same handling too, so no surprises there either. It’s just the graphics this time, are truly breathtaking. Sunlight blinds you as it emerges from behind a building, or it lights the road surface as it filters through the trees. My favourite track, Tokyo, is so realistic, I actually think it is the closest I have ever come to going to Tokyo. For a while you will be mesmerised by the amazing graphics, then you’ll be honing your skills and winning the races. If you are rich enough to buy the dedicated steering wheel, then prepare for the first ever realistic force feedback, a triumph indeed.

However, you still won’t be able to match the lap times you did with the standard joypad! The wheel is for completists only really, but gives you the closest thing you’ll get to a home arcade machine. I’d love to link the game up with another player, but there are no link up cables available in the UK.

Anyway, I fear this will just be a one on one race. When will developers realise that gamers want multi-player championships, with lots of computer controlled cars in there aswell. Anyway, back to GT3. Sure, it’s more of the same, and you probably don’t think you need more of the same, however this is the benchmark for racing game graphics which will take a long time to beat. Jace Rates 9/10

PARA PARA PARADISE - Konami - Playstation 2

Regular readers know I go all crazy over Bemani games, and it is a great relief that there is still an unquenchable thirst for them in Japan. Para Para Paradise is an alternative dancing game. Instead of using mats to tell where you are stepping, it uses six jug sized light sensors to see where your arms are. Like Dance Dance Revolution, you need to follow the arrows, and move your arms over the corresponding sensor. At first this seems strange, but within minutes you’ll be punching the correct bit of air with a certain air of bravado. Some arrows sweep between positions, meaning you have to wave your arms across groups of sensors at the time, certainly providing ample entertainment for anyone watching. If there is one area of the game which lets it down, it’s the choice of music, which are all Japanese style dance tracks. Like most Bemani games, it is the two player option which provides the most playability, whoever gets the most perfects wins. If you love Bemani, you’ll love PPP, but if you are new to the genre, stick to Dance Dance Revolution for now. Jace Rates - 7/10

MOTO GP - Namco - Playstation 2

Another game I should have reviewed ages ago, but it certainly deserves a mention. Motorbike racing hasn’t provided a big hit game since the days of Super Hang On and Enduro Racer, and after the lack luster Ridge Racer V, who would have thought Namco were the ones to revitalise the genre. Let’s start with the graphics, which are crisp, fast and largely accurate. Each rider is provided with a passport style photo which pops up as you get close to them. This makes you familiar with the other racers, and certainly adds to the authenticity. The game doesn’t really become jaw dropping until you view the replays, which are quite stunning, sometimes even close to photo real. The championships are tough, and it does take some time to get used to the handling of the bikes, particularly when so used to car racing games. Namco have done well with Moto GP, others have criticised it as too easy, but if you are prepared to wage a long campaign on the championship, you’ll find plenty to keep you engaged. Not only the best motorbike game on a home console, but just about the best racing game on PS2 too. Jace Rates - 7/10

F1 World Championship 2000 - EA - PS2

I love Formula One, and loving the real sport definitely adds to any computer version. In the same way that wanna be Beckhams and Shearers clammer to buy the latest Fifa licensed game, I want to drive around real circuits as Jenson Button, putting the wind up Micheal Schumacher. However, we have had a glut of F1 games on consoles since the success of Psygnosis’ first official effort in 1995. Thankfully, some lessons have been learnt between then and now. Graphics are actually very good in EA’s game, with realistic cars, plenty of views, and faithful tracks. Well, I say faithful, of course I haven’t driven around them in real life, and if you compare the layouts with those of the earlier F1 games, there certainly seems to be differences, tighter corners, longer straights, etc, but who knows who is right??

Purists will immediately ignore any single races, or arcade modes and go straight for the championship. A nice feature immediately rears its head, as you have the option to attempt a flying lap without having to drive the out lap. The level of your rivals is nicely balanced, and all the usual options of flag and damage switches are included. It all feels pretty familiar really, and once into the races, the driving is particularly well realised. Rival drivers fight for position, and multi-car crashes look suitably spectacular. Replays can be called upon at any time with the click of a button, but like most other games in the genre, the steering in replays doesn’t look quite right, the car twitching inaccurately, and the lack of deformable cars means crashes look strange, your car remaining complete. That said, your car will get scrapes on the body work if you bash the barriers around Monaco. Overall the game offers nothing very new, but packages it all up really nicely, giving a decent drive, and a significant challenge. It’s just a sorry state of affairs when this is probably the most accomplished game released for the PS2 in the UK. Jace Rates 7/10

Guitar Freaks 3/Drum Mania 2 - Konami -PS2

That’s right, two games on one disk. Maybe this will be the new trend with Bemani games, all I know is it not only makes good sense considering the cost of the original controllers, but also makes you think you’re getting a bit of a bargain. Those unfamiliar with Guitar Freaks may not know of the Guitar shaped Playstation controllers required to enjoy the game. Press the appropriate fret button, and strum as it goes through the score bar. Like Dance Dance Revolution, and Beatmania, you get differing levels of score depending how accurate you are. The first Guitar Freaks game was great, particularly with two players, allowing each to take it in turns with the solo. This sequel takes it a step further, giving one guitar the bass part, and the other the lead. For some reason, this increases playability ten fold.

There are some typically suitable tunes, like Smoke on the water, Bolan’s Get it On, and even Can’t Hurry Love, but you’ll probably have more fun with the obscure and quirky jazz and funk tunes which have been included. As a two player party game, it makes an ideal alternative to Dance Dance Revolution. Drum Mania 2 brings more tunes for the drum controller, but also allows the jam mode to go a step further. This time you can add both guitars, but with one as the bass and one as the lead. In essence a three part band. The only drawback is that operating the Konami Drum controller is considerably harder than either guitar part making that player the brunt of low scores throughout a session. Overall, yet more proof of how brilliant multi-player bemani games can be, providing you can afford the controllers. Jace Rates 7/10

Keyboard Mania - Konami - PS2

As something of a hardened Bemani fan, I have been looking forward to the home version of Keyboard mania since it debuted in the arcades. I actually play the keyboard, and always assumed that the game would be very easy for me. Anyone familiar with Pop n Music will be familiar with how the game works, each key of the Keyboard controller must be pressed as the coloured light hits the bar. Easy with only a handful of buttons, but very tricky with a two octave keyboard. The front end of the game is very stylish, far more so than previous Konami music games, with a brilliant robotic voice introducing the proceedings.

The music selection is also suitably inspired, covering a variety of tastes. It’s not until you try and get through a song that you realise how hard to play it is. Thankfully Konami have tried to offset the difficulty by bringing down the amount of success required to complete each level, but in the end, that just makes it more fustrating. To complete a tune with more bum notes than a Bjork record only to progress to the next level takes some getting used to. One interesting point of note, is that the controller plugs into one of the small ports next to the controller port, opening the way for future combination with the guitar and drum controllers - hopefully. Overall, a very novel game lacking in lasting appeal. Perhaps Bemani concepts are more reliant on multi-player options than I first thought. Jace Rates 4/10

Burnout 2 - Acclaim - Playstation 2

I really enjoyed the original Burnout, well, that was when I was able to play it. The problem was that the two player game had so much action on screen, that it made my Playstation crash. Now we have the sequel, new tracks, improved crashes, and the subtitle - Point of Impact, Nice. The first thing to greet you when loading the game is a much needed 60hz option, so you can play the game without any slowdown. Into the game proper, and you’ll enjoy the top gear inspired music. However, its when you finally get into the game, that you’ll be truly impressed.

Super fast action, and just as much traffic chaos as in the prequel. The tracks are all made of sections of the same area, with different parts connecting to make each circuit. The terrain is diverse, including rocky cliff top roads, busy intersections, motorways and city sections. A new part to Burnout 2 is the boost meter. Drive dangerously, too close to cars, in the wrong lane against oncoming traffic, and your boost meter grows. Once it gets to the top, press the button and watch your car leap to an incredible speed. Carry on driving dangerously with boost on, and you’ll get another boost, and so on. It certainly adds to the game dynamic. The one player mode is improved, with police car pursuit levels and one on one races. It is over pretty quickly though. The prize of the pack though is again the two player mode. Race over any of the tracks unlocked in one player, and race through the traffic against a friend. It’s frantic, and more than just fun. It’s the most addictive two player game on the PS2.

It’s a shame that you can’t unlock the tracks with two player grand prix races, but apart from that, it is faultless. I never thought i’d say this about a game from Acclaim, but this is the greatest racing game on PS2. The adrenaline rush is amazing, i’ve played it so much over the past couple of weeks, that every time I close my eyes, I can see myself racing between two cars at traffic lights, or overtaking lorries on the hard shoulder. The music is brilliant too, really well matched to the action, and it get’s louder and harder when your boost button is pressed. Get this game, you will never look at another Gran Turismo type game in the same light again. Jace Rates: 9/10

Toca Race Driver - Codemaster - PS2

Codemasters certainly came up with a good idea, by turning the Toca series into a soap opera. You take the role of Ryan McCane, and must battle through all the major Toca series in the world to become world champion. Cut scenes let the story unfold between races, your older brother who’s better than you on the track, your Dad who got killed in a race years earlier, the guy who killed your Dad returning to the track to race against you, it’s like a petrol fueled episode of Dallas. But that is where the ultimate problem lies. There just isn’t enough of it. As you play you can see so many ways the producers could have taken the game in different directions, that it is frustrating when they don’t. When you finish the game, the ending is pitiful, and you are left with a, why did I bother, kind of feeling.

The racing is excellent though, good close battles, and plenty of skill in the driving. You can’t just keep your finger on the accelerator. A downside is that the analogue joypad buttons have been used to regulate acceleration, which means you’ll be pressing the button as hard as you can most of the time. After a couple of hours, this is pretty painful. Overall then, a brilliant idea, poorly executed. It still doesn’t stop me wanting the next installment though. Jace Rates 7/10

ICO - SONY - PS2

Sometimes you think games designers have forgotten a lot about what gaming is about. Then, a game comes along to remind you everything is alright. Remember when games had amazing atmosphere, the kind which filled their physical form, just looking at the outer box and packaging could stir an emotion. Well, ICO is one such game. The story is simple, you play a young boy, dumped in a huge castle to be sacrificed, you escape and rescue an angel faced girl, and must find your way out of the castle, protecting her and gaining your freedom. The graphics are incredibly detailed, with castle architecture so vast it dissapears into a fine mist. The walls, the grass, the doors, everything is so expertly painted, that it takes you a long time to take such ellegance for granted.

Object related puzzles and simple fighting don’t seem enough to make a game great these days, but in ICO they are, thanks to incredible animation. Beckon to the girl and she’ll hold your hand, you can then pull her along, running as you go. Speed is also impressive, you scamper around the landscape in an agile childlike fashion. However, like all great games, you can’t really put your finger on what makes it so. The game progresses naturally, never over complicated, sound is enchanting and adds to the emotion of the action. Remember the first time you played Another World, or Prince of Persia, well those are the feelings ICO invokes. It’s a special game which deserves a place in the gaming hall of fame. Jace Rates 8/10

HEADHUNTER - SEGA - PS2

This game was largely ignored on initial release, primarily because it was a Dreamcast game. Now converted to PS2, it’s largely been ignored, because it was originally a Dreamcast game. Catch 22. Headhunter is a game which combines the stealth of Metal Gear Solid with the puzzles of resident evil, interspersed with motorbike driving sequences. Thrown in are some amazing gunplay mechanics, allowing you to roll accross the floor then fire (aka professionals) and take pot shots round corners, all with incredible ease.

The story is set in the future, you are a headhunter who is hunting while being hunted for a crime you don’t remember (sound familiar). The plot progresses nicely, with licences having to be earned in the simulation centre before you can progress, but licences only available once the required experience points have been aquired. Visually the game is stunning, control of the bike is a little awkward, but while the puzzles are pretty simple, the story keeps you hooked. Set in a future where organs are donated automatically by criminals, and you can get your partner’s history by taking her to a lab, it’s the narrative which drives the game. A great game which shouldn’t be ignored, just because it is in Metal Gear’s shadow. Jace Rates 8/10

FREQUENCY - SONY - PS2

Just when you thought I was not going to rant about music games, along comes Frequency. If you can imagine playing Tempest, where each successive wave of aliens destroyed added to the game’s soundtrack, you’d have a pretty close approximation of what Frequency is. Work your way through a series of music tracks, House, Hip Hop, Rock, Metal, by completing the preceding level. Each level involves manipulating a 3D pipe, spin the pipe and press the corresponding buttons as they reach the edge. These in turn activate music samples, adding to the soundtrack. Complete the highlighted sequence of buttons, and you activate a loop of music to join the mix. Create loops to mix the track, and earn points at the same time. It’s bright, brashy, and very loud. One of the funkiest games you’ll play, and a breath of fresh air in the current wave of driving and FPS games. Jace Rates 8/10

METAL GEAR SOLID 2 - KONAMI - PS2

I am so slow at reviewing, if i’d written about this last year when I first got it, it would be a lot more relevant, but hey, maybe some of you gamers reading this have yet to experience the game. Sadly, this title uses cut scenes and recorded narative to the maximum, indeed it takes about eleven minutes just for you to begin moving a character. Control is complicated, and camera angles do little to help.

Firing your weapon is done by going into a first person view, and it is with this view that you soon realise how much better the game could have been if it had all been presented in this way. The constant switching between third and first person grows frustrating. The game is also incredibly short, with only two main areas. The graphics are grainy, and while far from colourful, do look realistic. However, a game so interspersed with predetermined scenes loses any real feeling of freedom. Konami have proved how well they can do CGI, even occasionally mixing it with the action, but i’d much rather play a game than watch one. Jace Rates 5/10

Guitar Hero – Harmonix – PS2

Regular readers will know I’m a sucker for these types of games, and this one is expertly put together. The plastic guitar peripheral looks rather feeble, but once you’ve strapped it on, you’re ready to rock. A brilliant selection of tunes, a menu system which is simple but expertly put together, and a multiplayer game which will make any party a lot of fun. Fingers crossed this gets a UK release and some success, as we need more games like this. Jace Rates 8/10

Buzz – Sony – PS2

If they can afford to release a game at 29.99 with four buzz controllers which independently light up, then regular games are far too expensive. Buzz is great in a group of four, but the cover versions they base the questions on often fail to be recognised. Jason Donovan does a good job as the presenter until you realise its him, then it’s all you can think about. Graphics and presentation are good, but the pauses between questions grate after a very short time. Overall an interesting party game, but you’ll only dig it out at Christmas.

Jace Rates 5/10

 

 

 
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