Xbox Reviews

Xbox
Crash/Totaled : Cell Damage : Abes Odyssey : Transworld Surf : Crazy Taxi 3
Halo : Project Gotham Racing : Jet Set Radio : Deathwake : Wreckless :
Knights of the Old Republic : Broken Sword Sleeping Dragon : Grabbed by the Ghoulies
Project Gotham Racing 2 : Pince of Persia - Sands of Time :
Secret Weapons Over Normandy : True Crime Streets of LA : Far Cry : Burnout 3
Burnout Revenge : Fable

Xbox 360
Project Gotham Racing : Kameo : Call of Duty 2 : Perfect Dark Zero

HALO - BUNGIE - XBOX

It has been a long time since a first person shooter (FPS) took the console market by storm. The last time was with a certain James Bond related game on the N64. But while Goldeneye pushed the genre forward, showing PC gamers the way things could be done on consoles, Halo mixes the ideas of countless PC games gone before, in the hope of bringing something new to the party. That isn’t Bungie’s fault, they were PC developers before Microsoft turned up with a huge heap of cash, and there must have been more than a hundred FSPs in the five years since Goldeneye. It is then, not for new ideas that Halo is being heralded as a breakthrough game, it is instead the style and content lavished on those old ideas. When playing the game for the first time, you are immediately struck by the choral introductory music, a stark contrast to the techno themed sputum usually thrown at gamers. Into the game itself, and you get to sit through rather poorly animated cut scenes, nothing new there. Then there is the training session, and suddenly, from nowhere, while still sorting out how you shields work, the game explodes around you, and you are in. The way the action starts midway through the training is inspired, and starts the game in the best possible way.

From there the pace is pretty much a hundred miles an hour for the rest of the game. The story involves battling aliens, and while their types become familiar quite quickly, new breeds like the stealth aliens which ripple the world around them like in Predator, serve to keep you on your toes. Sound is amazing, with the aliens jabbering at each other, and communicating in English at some points. Unlike other games of this type, you are not always alone. You are working with a whole bunch of Space Marines, and at times you’ll need to hook up with them to destroy a particular alien hoard, or rescue someone from an enemy space ship. The other marines will work with you, firing at enemies and shouting out information to each other, and you. They easily get killed, but each have their own kind of character, and some are extremely passionate. One gaming memory is of a friendly marine running towards a dead alien corpse, showering the body in bullets while shouting “i’ve got you now!”. Hilarious.

Much has been made of this game’s use of vehicles, and while the hover bikes, gun turrets, and all terrain vehicles provide vital speed, they are incredibly hard to control. The main ATR is a kind of half tank, half jeep vehicle. You can enter any seat you like, so you can drive, or use the big anti aircraft gun on the back, even sit in as a passenger. If you are driving, friendly marines will jump on and fill the other seats, providing you with a mobile killing machine. These touches help provide variety, in what is primarily an exercise of shooting anything that moves and is a funny colour. The size of the levels varies greatly, one mission was completed in an hour and a quarter, while the next took a staggering two and a half hours to finish. Saving is done intermittently throughout each level. A small, “checkpoint” flash appears on screen when you’ve got to a new point, which is reassuring as you know your position is safe on hard disk.

All is sounding good so far, but I haven’t told you yet about the best feature of the game. The Cooperative mode allows two players to complete a mission together. While this was a novel idea in Perfect Dark, the hardware didn’t really allow full immersion into the concept. With Xbox, these problems are resolved, and to play through Halo with a friend is one of the most refreshing ideas on a console. Not only that, but two play co-op games are as valid as single player games, meaning you can open up new levels in two player mode and it opens up that level in one player mode. At last, a developer who truly understands multi-player console gaming! I haven’t even mentioned the weapons yet. Unlike other FPSs, you can only hold two weapons at a time. Running over another weapon will allow you to change the one you are holding for the one you are on. Every enemy, or fallen comrade, has a weapon which can be taken. Most pleasing are the sniper rifle, which can be zoomed in by pressing the analogue site button down like a switch. The view from the gun is amazing, allowing enemies to be picked off with great satisfaction. The Rocket Launcher is also brilliant for taking out planes and enemy hoverships. Alien weaponry include a plasma pistol, the heat seeking needle gun, and a rapid fire machine gun which overheats if you hold the trigger for two long. All the alien guns use batteries, while human weapons require ammo to be found.

Ok, let’s summarise. It’s a huge alien adventure, owing more to the story of Starship Troopers than should be allowed. You can play two player all the way through. Enemies are intelligent, varied and sometimes genuinely frightening. Sound is incredible, surround is used to great effect, and the voices of your comrades screaming in the background is both chilling and humorous. The two player mode is amazing, allowing true cooperative play, and the battle arena stuff, while done to death in other games, is still good fun to play. As much as i’d love to herald this as one of the greatest games of all time though, there are negative factors. Firstly, some of the levels are two sprawling. Get stuck hunting around the scenery for two long and the game has to help you, but giving you a beacon to home in on. Gameplay, while often exciting, does get repetitive. For instance, the underground space base includes at least thirty rooms which look exactly the same, which is too much, even if it is intended to disorientate you. Then there’s the graphics themselves. While aliens are impressive, marines and cut scenes are poorly animated. While the one player action is smooth, this isn’t the fastest FSP you’ve ever seen, and there are glitches while the Xbox loads graphics off of the CD or saves to hard drive. It also isn’t the most original game you’ll ever play, but whatever the negatives, they certainly don’t out weight the positives. Halo is a groundbreaking game, by grabbing all the ideas they could out of PC FPSs, Bungie have managed to create an amazing console based shooter. For once the total is greater than the sum of it’s parts. I bet PC gamers are gnashing their teeth. Jace Rates - 9/10

PROJECT GOTHAM - BIZARRE CREATIONS - XBOX

Those of you who regular read this column will no doubt remember the slagging off I gave to this game’s predecessor, Metropolis Street Racer on Dreamcast. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to love the game, it was just so flawed. A couple of years and a whole bundle of Microsoft cash later, and MSR is back, with a batman inspired title, and the weight of being the only Xbox racer resting on it’s shoulders. While the rest of the gaming world has made Gran Turismo 3 the racing standard bearer, it’s lack of physical damage always left a sterile taste in my mouth. Project Gotham does include damage, eschewing Polyphony’s reason that car manufacturers refuse to allow damage, by using real cars too. To be honest, damage is light, this isn’t demolition derby, but the odd scrape down the door, creased bonnet, and smashed lights, certainly add to the experience.

Like MSR, PG uses the Kudos system, where driving with style adds to your overall score. This means handbrake turns, flying leaps, and burnt up tyres are all rewarded. In the first game, this seemed clunky, and rather random. This time round, the handling of the cars is so well tuned, that your rewards can be perfectly lined up. Pull more than one trick within three seconds, and your score will double with bonuses. Before you know it, you are having more fun driving like Colt Severs than actually trying to win the race. There are many game modes, probably some more I haven’t even opened yet, such is the progressive nature of the game.

First up is the quick race mode, clear all four races in the top three, and open up the next level. Clear all of those four races with first places (earning gold medals) and you win a new car, which can be raced in any other event in the game. This continues, clear the whole of the four levels of the quick race with gold medals, and you’ll earn a Ferrari. Don’t think just because it is quick, it is easy. Then there is the arcade race mode, which counts kudos as more important than placings. Next is the MSR based Kudos Challenge, which sees you progress through a series of levels, each containing a number of individual events. These range from trying to overtake as many cars as you can in two minutes, or completing a lap in a particular time. Get medals in each event, and progress up the levels. This may all sound rather confusing, but when you get into it, it’s all pretty simple. The game remembers a lot about your playing sessions, and rewards of new levels, cars, and modes are offered once you’ve driven so many miles, or played for so many hours, or earnt enough total kudos points.

This constant stream of gameplay gifts adds more to the title than you can imagine. Of course, all of this wouldn’t matter if the game played like a pig. Thankfully, it doesn’t. Forget GT3, think Ridge Race, throwing the back out and smoothly applying the power out of the turns. Give it a couple of hours and you’ll be driving like a racing hero. Graphics, while not amazing, are very good, with buildings replicated in great detail. There is instant recognition of the cities depicted in the game. Cars are stunning, with reflective paintwork and screeching wheels. Replays are the best i’ve ever seen in a racing game. Usually in racing games, replays fall into two categories. Either they look great, but you were driving terribly, so they shouldn’t look great, or you were driving great, but the replay shows your car twitching in unrealistic movements around corners, and driving at ruler straight angles through straights. Project Gotham shows the racing in the most stunningly real way, always looking convincing and always matching how you drove. Phenomenal.

In summary, and I have thought carefully before writing this. Project Gotham is the best racing game I have played in years, if not ever. All the front end issues associated with MSR have been irradiated, and the tense battle for points and places has never felt so real. Forget Gran Turismo, realism is fine, but we’re all here to be gamers aren’t we, not Top Gear nerds. Another XBox Killer Ap, which for some reason the majority of the games press are ignoring. Jace Rates 9/10

AMPED - MICROSOFT - XBOX

It is pretty difficult to get excited about a snowboarding game these days. It is a genre which has been done to death in the last five years. Amped offers a few new treats to fans of the game type, like a career mode, and the addition of photographers opposite ramps. These photographers will snap your picture if you perform a great stunt in front of them, and you may even get your picture in the paper. Control is smooth, and the action relatively fast, but we’ve all been here before. If this game had come out a couple of years ago, it would have no doubt have been the game to beat, but you have to wonder how many more snow games manufacturers will produce. Jace Rates 6/10

ABES ODDYSEY - INFOGRAMMES - XBOX

Every new format needs a puzzle/platform game. Abes does its best to fill the gap. I will admit that I was never the greatest fan of the previous Oddworld games, and this edition does little to re-enthuse me. Pushed into 3D for the first time, movement looks awkward, particularly for a series renowned for it’s animation. The game plays fast, and the banter between you and your fellow aliens is amusing for a while, and irritating in the end. The puzzles throughout the game are well thought out, and there are sparks of originality, like a giant crane which has to be used to open a door, or crush the enemies. For all the novel touches, like the 3 wheel tricycle, or the radio controlled robot, the game retains a lack lustre atmosphere throughout. While the game is certainly polished, it is about as far from a Miyamoto classic as you could imagine. Jace Rates 5/10

CELL DAMAGE - EA - XBOX

Of all the line up games for Xbox, Cell Damage always looked the poorest. It is then with great surprise that you are greeted with in game graphics as good as a Hannah Barbera cartoon. While Cell Damage is little more than a home made version of whacky races, multi player split screen play is really smooth, and a lot of fun to play, taking elements from games like Diddy Kong Racing and Conkers Bad Fur Day. At the end of the day though, the content is hardly comparable to a Rare title. Cell Damage will be known only for it’s the graphics which initially are stunning, but this is still an inevitably shallow title. Jace Rates 5/10

TRANSWORLD SURF - INFOGRAMMES - XBOX

The last time I surfed in a videogame, was way back on the Atari Lynx, and what a satisfying concept that was. In stark contrast, this Xbox title offers real world wave effects, and next generation animation. Unfortunately, the gameplay was left on the shelf. While playing in a similar, though more 3D style, to California Game’s Surfing event, stunts are over complicated by the control system. To restrict the games boundaries, there is the threat of shark attacks, which are virtually impossible to avoid. While this game looks exciting in motion, it’s play mechanic has been quickly appended to a water routine. This is one for desperate surfers only, and a definite launch schedule filler. Jace Rates 3/10

Crash!/Totaled! - Rage - Xbox

When the only games to look forward to on Xbox are coming from companies like Rage, there has to be a problem with your developer program. The highly rated Crash! (or totaled! in the US) starts well. Demolition derby style crashes and stunts are a lot of fun. Winning an event, unlocks a load of new events, winning them unlocks the next, it’s familiar stuff. Despite nice graphics, realistic damage effects, it soon becomes rather boring. The problem is that each level involves winning demolition battles, and there is no real racing. There is nothing as fun as nursing a heavily damaged car to the chequered flag, but unfortunately Rage disregarded any conventional race scenarios. Multi player is pointless, as there are not enough cars involved to make it challenging. It’s better than a lot of Xbox titles, but certainly not worth trading your project Gotham for. Jace Rates 5/10

Crazy Taxi 3 - Sega - Xbox

The difference with this page and more familiar paper based magazines, is that I don’t get given exclusives, I have no need to repay developers for previous favours , I can just tell the truth. Crazy Taxi 3 is the biggest disappointment from Sega for many years. Instead of starting again and creating an exciting sequel, Sega have opted to use the same old tired engine. Sure, there are lots of cars going about their business, but they are all on rails, lifeless cardboard drivers who’ll just crash into you if you get in their way. The ridiculous jump button remains, removing the last grain for realism from the title. I know, it’s not about realism. The new city has one different feature, it’s dark. Yep, the sky is black, but the city is as dull as all the other new cities Sega have added to the series.

The original Crazy Taxi city is thankfully included, but we’ve all driven around it a thousand times before, and there is just nothing amazing about driving in the sea, or leaping off of a multi storey car park any more. Maybe there should be, but the graphics carry so little weight, and the experience so far away from realism, it’s ultimately pointless. Sega must bury this franchise before it buries them. While the Xbox needs more software, this is not going to do it any favours. Jace Rates 3/10

JETSET RADIO FUTURE - SEGA - XBOX

Sega, it could be argued, have a tendency to push each concept they come up with to its limits. Crazy Taxi 3 is now in the works, despite the second incarnation offering anything additional to the experience. Jet Set Radio was one of the games which made the Dreamcast great, but a game which strangely never gathered the mass market appeal of Tony Hawkes. This new game is set in the future, a ploy to allow Sega’s graphic artists more of a free hand in designing the scenery. The game follows a very similar route to the prequel, paint over all the available tag areas, then avoid the police for a bit. Added onto that, each area now has a rival gang to be beaten. Painting has been simplified, instead of following complicated key patterns, just hold the trigger and spray.

The city is well detailed, packed full of people, though they are mere drones, incapable of anything more than running out of your way. Traffic is similarly stupid, cruising the streets as little more than eye candy. Play through three or four levels, and it suddenly dawns on you how shallow the whole JSRF experience is. Each level follows the same form, each area of the city is much the same as the last, and once you adapt to the control of your skater, there isn’t really much lasting challenge. The first JSRF was so stunning, that you ignored the concept’s shortfalls. Unfortunately, the step up to Xbox hasn’t moved the game on any further. No doubt a sequel will be announced imminently. Jace Rates 5/10

DEATHWAKE - MICROSOFT - XBOX

This looked like a really original concept in preview footage. Huge boats armed with tons of weapons, blowing up tons of other boats. In reality the game is constructed of simple, destroy this, collect this, type missions. Your boat moves quite slowly, and though the water moves realistically, throw a few extra enemy ships on screen and everything starts to grind. Collision detection is pretty dodgy too, with stray bullets taking out enemies as easily as carefully honed shots. It all just goes to show that it takes more than ideas to make a game. Jace Rates 3/10

WRECKLESS - ACTIVISION - XBOX

Before I rant on about the visuals of this game, let’s set the scene. A driving based game set in huge cities, where you have clear objectives like stopping a certain car or collecting a particular item. There are two sets of missions, one with you as the police, and one with you as the bad guys, or Yakuza. Now, it’s the graphics which really make the game stand out, with amazing smoke and crash particle effects really adding to the realism. The game is incredible fast, and the city is packed with all kinds of traffic, and those padestrians that always run out of the way when you try to run them over. You can drive through most places, across parks, through glass windows, knocking down market stalls.

The visuals are to be honest, the best i’ve seen on a home console. That is some statement, i’m well past having my jaw drop! There are problems though, the missions are terribly unbalanced, and the handling of some vehicles is questionable. However, don’t listen to reviews saying you’ll bore too easily, i’m still hooked and i’ve been playing a couple of months. And you’ll also have plenty of fun showing your friends your favourite replays. They’re amazing! Jace Rates 7/10

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - Xbox

Sometimes I wonder about myself. Do I really know what’s going on with games, do I even understand them. This is one game which has made me question myself more than any other for a long time. It’s not the game itself really, it’s not that complicated. Simply walk around, shoot some people, find some stuff, use some stuff, shoot some people, meet someone, buy some stuff etc etc. It’s that I just don’t understand what the fuss is all about. I think I must have got it totally wrong, i’m obviously missing something. This is one of the highest rated Xbox games released so far, but I still haven’t worked out what makes it special. Graphics are rudimentary at times, your character/s amble through the scenery and judder awkwardly against walls, objects, and other people. The vast majority of the characters you talk to don’t have anything interesting to say, just the same old predetermined line. Meet them again three minutes later and they do exactly the same. There are a lot of objects, and there are a lot of places to go, but I had to wonder how long I had to play this game before it hooked me. It simply never did.

Don’t get me wrong, I love role playing games, I met the Dungeon Master, I overheard the secret of mana, and if you’ve read my reviews of Zelda, some would say i’m even biased towards them. I really enjoyed Bioware’s previous games too, I completed Baldur’s Gate, though have yet to conquer it’s sequel. For the life of me though, I just can’t work out what the fuss is about. Maybe it’s a time thing, maybe those reviewers spent a week playing it and something amazing happens, but somehow I doubt it. I can never have the three hours I gave those old Knights back, but i’m pretty sure I don’t want to spend another minute with them. If you’ve been intrigued by the glowing reviews, take note, this game is only for the truly dedicated. Jace Rates 4/10

Grabbed by the Ghoulies - Rare - Xbox

You have to wonder whether Microsoft are still pleased with their deal to buy Rare. While they do make high quality games, they are incredibly slow at releasing them. This is their first Xbox game, and, only their second on this generation of consoles! Two games since Conker’s Bad Fur Day!! It’s almost hard to believe. Of course, those of us who remember Rare in their Ultimate guise know it’s usually worth the wait (i’ve forgiven them for Nightshade now). And any of you who were worried Rare would lose their style moving to Xbox can relax. Grabbed by the Ghoulies is an incredibly polished game. The title screen alone is worth leaving on for a few minutes. Following the story of a boy and his girlfriend lost in a haunted house, you must progress from room to room killing enemies, either by fighting them, or using the furniture and objects around you. Your journey is all planned out, so there is no need for exploration, simply move from one task to the next as you progress through the rooms.

That’s not to say there isn’t variety, each room has it’s own brand of enemy and weapons, and most of the fun can be found in using different objects, like the spinning pool table, to destroy as many baddies in one hit a you can. Possibly the most enjoyable part of the game isn’t actually the game itself, but the story, which plays out through a big comic book. It’s a cinematic effect used to great use. Music and sound effects are brilliant too, particularly if you have a surround set up. However, while the game looks great, and plays great for a while, it eventually becomes tiresome. There are treats in there for retrogamers, like posters of the old Ultimate games, and there are bonus games to be earnt too. It’s actually the history of Rare that is most likely to see you through the game to the bitter end. Famous for the climaxes of their games (like the way the two Banjo Kazooie games were linked) and strange bonuses you could earn by getting there, it’s an exciting prospect too see what lies ahead. Unfortunately in the meantime, the game has got arduous, but i’m sure i’ll get there. Jace Rates 6/10

Broken Sword Sleeping Dragon - Rebellion - Xbox

I have long been a fan of George Stobbart and Nicole, and it’s with some excitement I was waiting for this, their next adventure. I wasn’t to be disappointed, the story begins in epic fashion, intertwining between the two characters. This is not just a point an click adventure, now you control the action in a beautiful 3D world. The reason why Broken Sword was/is so popular, is because of the voice acting used throughout. Click on an object and George tells you what it is, try and do something, and George tells you why he can’t. It’s total simplicity, but done with such humour and style and it often makes you laugh out loud. The game is incredibly thought provoking too. So easy to get stuck, yet the solution is always right in front of you. You get to a point where you swear there is a bug, that you’ve tried everything, only to go away and realise the answer was staring you in the face. Many hours into the game, I am currently at one of those points. I’m a stubborn gamer, I won’t look up the answer on the net, because I will resolve it myself in time.

There are a couple of down points. Once you’ve tried every door in a street for the third time you can feel irritated. Loading is a problem, very slow between scenes, but something you learn to live with. In truth, the richness of the story, and the involvement you feel, more than makes up for the occasional technical issue. Highly recommended, particularly if you play your games along with your girlfriend or someone else to help you with the mental clues. However, If you’re one of these gamers who buys the guide book the same time you buy the game, this one is not for you. Jace Rates - 8/10

Project Gotham 2 - Bizarre Creations - Xbox

I think I must be mad. I’ve been here before! This game is the sequel to a game I finished long ago, yet I continue to be completely addicted. What makes PGotham different is the use of Kudos points, awarded for the skill you show around the race track. This means that each race gives you the ability to improve on your score (similar in a way to a coin collecting racing game I may have mentioned), and the points you earn bring big rewards. Not only do they open up the next racing series, but they allow you to buy cars, or earn medals, which will open up even more. It’s a familiar story to anyone who has played MSR on dreamcast or Project Gotham 1. The Kudos system has been tuned though, little brushed against the armco don’t steal your total like they used to. Perhaps that frustration added to the additive qualities though, i’m not sure. The handling model feels brilliant, but takes a bit of getting used to, and after watching relatives tackle the game over Christmas, probably not best suited to novices. Graphically the game is excellent, slightly better than the first game, but with many more tracks. You would have thought that after completing every part of the first game, i’d have bored easily of the sequel. Completely the opposite, i’m gonna have to do it all over again. Jace Rates 8/10

Prince of Persia Sands of Time - Ubisoft - Xbox

It’s a long time since I enjoyed the first Prince of Persia on the Amiga. Back then, the quality of the animation was what gave the game it’s edge. It’s very gratifying then that the quality of animation remains the stand out feature of the new version. It’s not necessarily just how your character moves on screen, but how he relates to your control. Even before you gather much experience, you can create some breathtaking sequences of movement. Watch your hero scamper up and across walls, back flip then leap to reach ledges, and fight with all the pernache of zorro. The game itself is pretty linear in structure, simply follow the path to the next challenge and hopefully a save point. However, the experience vastly outweighs the sum of its parts. Like ICO, Prince of Persia manages to create a real atmosphere within its world, and any game capable of generating emotion within the player should be celebrated. I’m only 60% through, but this is one game which will definitely be finished before next Christmas. Jace Rates 8/10

Secret Weapons over Normandy - Lucasarts - Xbox

Back in the summer, when the Christmas release schedule was beginning to fill up, i’d have laughed in your face if you’d said my favourite game at Christmas would be by Lucasarts. Truth is, I never even noticed this one at the time. Based on world war 2, this is an old style flying game. Now, flying isn’t something we’ve been treated to much on consoles. Old gamers like me are experienced with flight based games, from that black line horizon of ZX81 flight sim, to the stunning reality (at the time) of Falcon on the Amiga. It’s something that console gaming seems to have lost touch with. Well, not totally, we’ve had Air Combat and more recently Crimson skies, and the dreadful Yaeger. Console flying has generally been given to us in the arcade friendly After Burner style, when what we wanted all along was realism.

Secret Weapons over Normandy isn’t a simulation like we used to endure. There are no tortured take offs, and you can opt for automatic landing. It’s a story based dogfight simulator spread over 17 missions and 15 challenges, and to anyone who ever played the seminal Wings on the Amiga, a successor has finally arrived. You play Chase, a young American pilot brought to help the RAF (to begin with at least). Over the course of the game you’ll battle with elaborate authentic aircraft, take out land targets, rescue agents, and destroy battleships. The game world is very convincing. Watch tanks chase allied forces across the terrain below you, blow enemy planes to pieces as they take off of an enemy carrier, and even drop bouncing bombs down a river canyon to destroy the damn at the end. The missions are so well thought out, and so diverse that you’ll not give up until you’ve completed them. Each mission requires different aircraft, and all can be upgraded. Secondary weapons range from submarine sinking torpedoes to guided missiles (hold down the fire button to view the missile-cam and watch your payload destroy the target). There are wing men too, like Trevor, who gets captured in part of the game. Radio contact is constant as you battle with planes and land targets, and you hear the enemy too. It all adds to an intense atmosphere, as does the full orchestral score.

Picture the scene, you’ve managed to destroy 18 fighter planes, an entire German airbase and a supply locomotive, and limped your old hurricane back to the partisan airstrip, smoke pouring out of the right engine, and the left one on fire. This game makes you feel like a hero. There’s a two player mode too, both cooperative battles and head on dog fights (with wing men if you desire), which really bring out your aggressive tendencies.

I don’t know if its because the game is so well designed and produced, or whether its so different to current console games that it is like a breath of fresh air, but I found this the most addictive experience of the year. Indeed, if I have any complaints it is that it was too short. I still want to be playing in the Summer, but have now finished every mission and test held within, though there are always scores to beat. This of course is just testament to how good the game is, I don’t finish as many games as I used to, but that’s because most games set their sights too high. Secret weapons is just as well suited to a ten minute blast as it is to an evening session, though the ten minute blasts sometimes end up as evening sessions. Fingers crossed there’s more games like this to come, my trigger finger’s getting itchy already.
Jace Rates 9/10

True Crime streets of LA - Activision - Xbox

This is my rant page, and really I shouldn’t discuss another magazine as often as I do, but if anyone out there is an Edge reader, doesn’t it just wind you up sometimes! Back when the game was released I awarded Grand Theft Auto 3 the 9/10 it deserved, Edge gave it four or five, dismissing it as flawed. Then it appeared regularly in their most played section, and now they keep referring back to it as a classic. In their review of True Crime they acknowledge it does not live up to GTA3’s standard, yet they gave it a seven!? Of course, Edge would never admit to being wrong, and perhaps that’s what makes me love and hate it so. Well, they got it wrong again. True Crime is a complete rip off of GTA, and a flawed one at that. After the initial enjoyment of the feeling of freedom, the obscene language, and shooting innocent people, it suddenly dawns on you that this feeling is the same as when you played GTA. So, you head for the meat of the game, and find the missions are restrictive and take away the very freedom the game relies on. There are camera issues too, and the graphics are drab, and while this is meant to be an accurate representation of LA, they feel very repetitive too. Forget this one, and let’s wait for GTA4. Jace Rates 5/10

Far Cry – Ubisoft – Xbox

I thought I’d given up on FPS games, but this title has forced me to think again. Amazing graphics, and realistic combat mixed with a sense of freedom and a strange story. Like PDZ, you usually just follow the directive to the next location, but there is real freedom to explore, and what a beautiful place to explore. Without doubt the best looking FPS on the original Xbox, and the multiplayer is a blast too. Jace Rates 9/10

Burnout Revenge – Criterion – Xbox

Amazing speed and effects, but they’ve taken all the danger out. The courses are all new, but too long and wide, so the need for accuracy is greatly diminished. As an ardent fan of all the other versions of the game, I was desperate to like this one, but under the gloss and sparks is a rather plain racing game. And this time you HAVE to complete the incredibly inane crash levels to progress through the game! That’s more hassle than I can take. Jace Rates 5/10

Burnout 3 - EA - Xbox

Yes, me too. I was as upset as everyone else that EA came along and bought Criterion. Then I thought about it, Burnout 2 was pretty much the best racing game of the past two years, but had not sold anywhere near the level of EA’s Need for Speed Underground. That didn’t seem fair at all, so perhaps now, sales will match the games’s quality, and we’ll see plenty more titles in the series.

There are few games i’ve ever played to death as much as Burnout 2. Shaving hundredths of seconds from record times seemed to be a passion for me last Summer. Expectantly I craved this sequel more for new tracks, than for any major changes in gameplay. However, changes there were. Burnout any time you like, don’t worry about filling the bar. Mmmm, that does reduce some of the challenge, and while you still need to take risks, you never seem as desperate to earn boost as you were in the prequel. Then there’s the tracks, lots more of those really long routes which most people aped in favour of the short circuits. In fact, there’s only one reasonably short track in the whole of Burnout 3. Perhaps this is the reason they decided to remove the lap time counters for each lap from the screen display. You are only informed that you’ve beaten a lap record by a flash on screen as you complete it. Lap times are recorded and given after the game, but it’s really nothing but an afterthought. Lap times are not this game’s priority, and my days of shaving them are over.

The speed of the game is as impressive as ever, crashes are just as violent too. However, the traffic, something which the Burnout series used to set itself apart with, has dropped in number considerably. Gone are the days of weaving between lanes on a packed three lane motorway, or that death defying feeling of the 120 mile an hour slip road getting onto it. Traffic is docile, I don’t know why any reviewers haven’t noticed the difference. With less traffic, racing is easier, and indeed faster. So fast in fact that you are missing the scenery around you - however elaborately it’s been decorated. Wouldn’t it be better to have a slower game and “real” levels of heavy traffic.

Other aspects of the game, multiplayer, crash modes, bonus games, are all well thought out and perfectly excecuted. This doesn’t feel like Burnout 2 though, and it’s one of those games which can’t replace the prequel with. (as EA likes people to do with their series). I was actually feeling a bit let down by the game until I got into the Xbox live mode, where for some strange reason, traffic is increased to a normal Burnout level, at least 30% more cars, buses and lorries on the streets. Multi-player burnout across Live is something to behold, though as with most online racing games, be prepared to seem absolutely rubbish in comparison to the competition, however well you’ve done in the single player game.

If i’d never played Burnout 2, this would be the greatest racing game i’d ever played. However, in trying to make Burnout 3 distinguishable from the earlier games, Criterion somehow weakened the mix. We want traffic, we want roundabouts, hang on, we want more realism! Jace Rates 8.5/10

Fable - Big Blue Box - Xbox

You have to laugh at the hyperbole for this one, about seven years in development, originally meant to be on 3DO Bulldog Mark 2, then adapted and reconfigured, the greatest game ever developed for any machine in the history of the world etc etc. Then before the actual release, Peter Molyneux apologises for it not being the game it is supposed to be. I bet Microsoft loved you for that Peter!

However, what Fable is, is an incredible RPG. Forget the real life mechanics, the self evolving story line codswallop. This is a brilliantly structured adventure game, with a storyline seeing you grow from a boy to a man to a person of your own choosing. A game where following the missions is not what it is all about, where more fun can be had building experience, and trading in valuables.

Regular Rant readers will know i’m a Zelda fan, and there are parallels, mana gauges, spells, bows and arrows, amazing monsters. But there’s so much more freedom that Zelda. A simple teleport system means you can zoom straight to areas you’ve already discovered, so you’re never trudging around getting from place to place. Everybody talks to you, and as you progress and your fame grows, they’ll all know you by name, cheer or boo as you walk past, the game certainly seems to understand your position within the world, and the voice acting to convey it is excellent and often humorous.

The possibilities are huge, buy houses in every village and rent them out for extra cash, or become a fisherman selling fish to local traders for good profit (actually, that would be a very boring way to play the game). While compared to other RPGs fable is quite a short game, you’ll find yourself pacing your play, holding back doing the next Gold mission in favour of completing subquests. If you’re playing it to enjoy it, expect to be there for much longer than 20 hours play time.

To be honest, there’s so much to say about what you can do in Fable, but there’s not much to say about what you can’t. So far I haven’t found any transport, and as in Zelda, a horse would be nice! One of the most brilliant facets of the game is the soundtrack, a properly orchestrated score, and it evokes an incredible atmosphere. Indeed, one part of the forest, complete with lightning, feels like my old favourite, Forbidden Forest on the Commodore 64. Without doubt its the best soundtrack i’ve heard this year.

In conclusion, I suggest you forget the hype, and view Fable as the best current Role Playing game available on a home consoles. Right, i’m off to kill some more Hobbes. Jace Rates 9/10

Perfect Dark Zero – Rare – Xbox 360

It was a long time ago now, but back in my early rants, I couldn’t stop going on about Perfect Dark, it was a game I looked forward to intensely after the stunning Goldeneye, and while I praised Perfect Dark highly at the time, it never hooked me the way Goldeneye had, and was quickly surpassed by other First person shooters.

The development time of this sequel has almost legendary status, as with Kameo, originally intended for the N64, then Gamecube, and finally skipping a generation completely to debut on 360. You’d think in all that time, Rare would have been evaluating the evolutionary waves of FPS games, taking their new features and improving on them for their own game. Instead, it seems Rare have only been looking inwardly, to the original game, which while successful, was never really viewed as a landmark title.

The result is a game which works in two ways, firstly it looks great, not particularly next generational, but there are a continual stream of characters and objects scattered through the game which are exceptionally impressive. Largely I feel this is down to the hard work of dedicated animators rather than anything derived from the new hardware. The rubber suit of the scientist you need to rescue in the opening level is a good example, in comparison to the other characters and objects around you, it shines and moves in an almost hypnotically realistic way. However, chasing such a well animated character through corridors of less sophisticated graphics does jar a little. Zelda fans will remember those Disney-esque animated spearmen you had to stealthily avoid in the Wind Waker, and how they looked ten times better than any other enemies you subsequently met in the game. While I’m glad these visual treats are included in games, it’s a shame they’re quality isn’t consistent throughout.

For action, Perfect Dark Zero is well paced, cut scenes steadily move the action on, and the story is well told if you can be bothered to listen. However, the crux of PDZ’s problems are its history, this is a throw back to more innocent times, when just the ability to play a death match on a console was amazing, when just moving from one place to another when you were told to seemed like freedom. While the missions feature varied locations, a good selection of objectives and some great graphics, the result is a mixture which will leave Halo 2 fans cold. I’ve almost finished the game on the moderate level, but the game has never induced the feelings of panic, or intense action usually associated with first person shooters. Those desperate situations when ammo is low and the enemy is surrounding you, that’s what we like, danger. This game is about as dangerous as a wet fish finger. With it’s follow the arrow style gameplay, the only threat is the horribly spread out restart points and the dread of having to go through that “bit” again.

Like many others, I hoped Rare would re-establish their worth, and finally bring us a groundbreaking First Person Shooter. In case they hadn’t noticed, other games have been released in the genre while they were busy, not just FPS games like Half Life and Halo either, how about GTA. The need for some freedom in our games has been firmly hammered home by GTA’s massive success and while most FPS games offer limited or disguised ways of doing your own thing, PDZ feels as on rails as Time Crisis.

In conclusion, Microsoft got a game with pretty graphics they can show on TV and in advertising, but this is a shallow and over glossy attempt which should have been knocked back on track about a year after it’s laborious development cycle began. I’m a gamer, don’t patronise me with pretty graphics, I want a game. Jace Rates 4/10

Project Gotham Racing – Bizarre Creations – Xbox 360

While I might not get round to reviewing much in my rant sections, I’ve previously reviewed both Project Gotham 1 and 2. Thankfully, all the magic is still there, piles of rewards just waiting to be earnt for skilful driving. Personally, I love the cone sections the best.

But it’s the graphics which will stun most people, incredibly accurate replications of famous cities, with Las Vegas being particularly impressive. The racing is always exciting, the online experience seamless, even the sound is fantastic.

The only niggle I have is loading, which throughout the series has always been slow. This time the problem seems particularly annoying because you just can’t wait to get back to the racing. If this problem could have been solved by taking it for granted every console would have a hard drive, Microsoft should be ashamed of themselves.

In conclusion, while other early 360 games are intent on blinding us with light effects, PGR3 looks amazing but it’s the game underneath which will keep you racing till the small hours. An incredible game, and if anyone wants to humiliate me on Xbox live, you’ll find me under “retrobloke” (of course!) Jace Rates 9/10

Kameo – Rare – Xbox 360

After the disappointment of Perfect Dark, I was set for yet another slap in the face from Kameo. Things don’t start well, as you are tugged along with a continual stream of instructions through the opening level. Training levels have their place, but as the years go by they just seem increasingly tiresome.

Once the game starts properly, and you find your first few elemental sprites to help you through, things look up. Using more than one monster to tackle a problem is rewarding, though can lead to long periods of trial and error. The graphics are lovely, but there are issues with bad camera tracking and collision detection which only occasionally makes you feel like you’re touching an object.

Overall though, a compelling though slightly short and easy adventure game, which sadly lacks the fun and humour of Banjo & Kazooie but reminds you of the game more often than Rare would want. Jace Rates 7/10

Call of Duty 2 – Activision – Xbox 360

As with PDZ, this game looks great in still pictures, but relies on simply asking the player to make their way from one point to another. This lazy follow-the-dot game design ruins some impressive atmosphere which builds up between you and your comrades. It’s one thing giving the player a beautiful war arena to play in, but to then say they can only move through it in a particular way is so frustrating. It seems the Xbox has more than one beautiful but dull game in its roster. Jace Rates 4/10