Music Reviews

Let me agree with everyone else and say that this is a fantastic game -- quite possibly the best college football sim ever. Sure, there are unrealistic moments, but c'mon ya'll -- it's a video game. The game is fun.

Lots of nice touches in the game, and lots of improvements as well. Finally, a HB screen that plays like a real screen play -- the halfback stops and turns, waiting for the pass -- unlike before where the back would just keep bolting down the field. Gang tackling is very cool. I still think it's a little too easy to gain four or five yards with the run. The passing game is good, the AI pass defense is improved.

The cheerleaders are a good touch. The team prestige rating is pretty cool in Dynasty Mode. (You have to earn the respect of the polls and the fans, as well as maybe not having your games televised.) The Mascot Game is silly, but fun. I couldn't bring myself to play an entire game though. Maybe too silly.

I really want to give this game five stars, but I'm running into a problem -- the game will ocassionally freeze. Wouldn't be THAT big of a deal, except for the fact that you cannot save during a game (at least in season/dynasty modes). So if the game seizes up in the fourth quarter against #1 Miami, and you've got the lead -- well, you're hosed. Searching around the net, I've found I'm not alone on this either -- it seems to be a widespread problem. The symptoms are pretty clear that it's about to happen too -- all of a sudden, the game announcers "leave the booth" (they stop talking). After a few plays, or if you hit the Start button, the game will just stop. At that point, only "Reset" on the console works. Yes, it's a headache.

EA did it again in NCAA2003. the greatness of this game can hardly be measured in our time. dynasty mode is sweet and you can recruit the top high school players to make a great team like Miami better or bring a small school like UConn up from the depths. The game doesn't have names due to ncaa rules, but any real football fan would put in the names of the top college players to replicate authenticity (many players' names like Grossman, Suggs, and Leftwich are all said). the coach Lee Corso, the quarterback Kirk Herbstreet, and famous college announcer Brad Nessler speak thousands of lines in this game. all 116 D-1A schools are represented with fight songs, crowd chants, and authentic stadiums (The ASU stadium is EXACTLY like it is in real life). i reccomend this game highly to any football fan, and if you dont have it already what are you waiting for??

I like football, especially college. This game made my dreams of college football come true. It has tons, and tons of schools to choose from. It has great gameplay, good graphics, and a lot of college fight songs. It even lets you create a team of your own and lets you pick that teams fight song. If you're looking for a good football game than this game should be considered.

SSX Tricky is an awesome game. It's thrilling and challenging but easy enough so that children and adults alike can play. It's much better than ssx, and you can easily rack up points to score a top spot on the high score list. if you are not sure weather to purchase or not, i reccomend that you high-tail it on over to your nearest blockbuster or hollywood video and rent it. don't have a playstation? blockbuster allows you to rent the console as well. to rent a game is usually about $6 and the console is usually around $24 with a $300 deposit which you get back when you return the system a week later. i highly reccomend ssx tricky and once again, if you are not sure, try blockbuster or hollywood video. oh and some people might think that kids can't write reviews, right? well guess what, i just did.

SSX Tricky is a great game in many ways. One of the ways that makes it so great is its graphics. The graphics are so good that you barely can tell whether this is simulation or not!! Another great thing about this game is its dialogue. Each character has their very own personality. Examples: Mac acts like he is Eminem and Eddie is a disco dancer!! This game also has amazing tricks!! You can do front flips and backflips. You can also do some huge and sweet moves when your "tricky" meter fills up. I personally like to do the Single Events. You can choose from a race, a showoff, or a time challenge. A showoff is when you try to do lots and lots of tricks and get as many points as you can. Overall, this is a fabulous game!!!!!

I'm a 15 year old girl, maybe not someone you'd expect to be a psII fanatic, but, oh well. I got playstation 2 in december, and I did not have the original SSX, but I found out that it didn't really matter if you did or not; SSX Tricky is awesome either way. You start with a small amount of characters and 3 different courses, but as you win medals in the races you unlock characters and new coarses. There's a huge variety of tricks you can do, and while it took me a little while to get the hang of it, now I'm experimenting with uber tricks, which are special, very cool looking tricks you can get by doing other tricks to fill up your boost bar. If you dont have SSX, dont worry about it; it's not neccessary to understand or like this sequel. I think it's a game that anyone would like - my 7 year old cousin loved it, but I let my dad try it, and he loved it too.

Some racing games are fun with other people, but boring by yourself. This one is fun either way, especially since you have the opportunity to play world circuit if you're a single player. And try to complete all the tricks in your trick book - if you do, you get a special uber board which, while I haven't gotten it yet, looks like it will be amazing. Get this game!

Metroid Fusion is a game that grabs you and does not let go. A compelling storyline coupled with innovative graphics and gameplay make for a fantastic adventure. Although it is the fourth outing in the popular Nintendo series, any newcomer (like myself) can appreciate the story and grasp the real danger behind the game's namesake, a parasitic lifeform known as Metroid.

The story seens to come straight from a sci-fi movie (in fact, there are striking similarities between the earlier Metroid games and the Alien series.) - Samus is infected by a parasitic life-form known as the X. Near-death, and after having to undrgo surgical removal of pieces of her Power Suit because they were so integrated with her body, scientists try a radical procedure - a vaccine made from the last known Metroid, the natural predators of the X on their homeworld of SR388. It works, but she is now part-human, part-Metroid.

When an explosion rocks the Biologic Space Labs station orbiting SR388, Samus is sent there. She soon discovers her mission - race against time to stop the X from destroying the B.S.L. station, infecting all the lifeforms aboard, and threataning the entire known universe. Samus is also threatened by a creature called the SA-X - an exact copy of her formed from the pieces of the suit sent to the B.S.L. station.

You are guided by a computer called Adam, and Samus occasionally compares it to an old CO she once served under. The computer directs you and gives you advice, but lets you also follow your own course to the objective.

The game controls are simple and intuitive. You'll find controlling the main character, female intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran, is easy and rather enjoyable.

Graphics are top-notch, especially on the dark GBA screen. The colors are bright and vivid, and the game, althogh a 2-D side scroller, has a real sense of depth to it.

The gameplay never gets repetitive, or as soon as it does, Samus gains a new ability. The main way to restore abilities is by a data download or by absorbing the X parasites. It's exciting to try and find the next boss and get a new ability. It's also frightening to hear the sound of the SA-X as it patrols the hallways, waiting to destroy your weakened form. And with 5 different endings - based on game time and item collection - the game has high replay value.

Parents, if your child has good gameplay skills, this game is a great game. There is some violence, but no blood is ever spilled. There are no other humans on the station, so no human violence is ever depicted. The game builds memory and logic skills as you try to find hidden items, and it also encourages problem solving when trying to beat enemies. Text is displayed slowly, and you have a lot of time to read it. The words are not difficult, and the game directs you to locations instead of endless wandering. The game also encourages children to always strive for their goals and not to give up, thanks to later events in the game. There is no sex or vulgar language. In fact, you have a chance to save some cute little creatures along the way, which gives one a sense of responsibility for others. Plus, the lead character is a female, which helps give girls a role model and teaches boys respect for the opposite sex.

This game is fantastic. You will not be sorry if you purchase this game. Whatever genre you like, this game will thrill you and take you on a journey to the edge of space... and beyond. Buy Metroid Fusion. For any gamer, recommended 10 and up. It's incredible.

Metroid Fusion was a great game. Samus has a new look, well at least most of the game. You had your same old equipment such as missiles and rolling into a ball. The story was good and also it was easy to figure what to do and go because a computer can tell you where to go. That made it a lot more fun to know where I'm going. I also have to say that it was kinda challenging too. Some bosses were pretty hard. The only thing was the last boss pulled a Mother Brain rip off if you know what mean. I won't go on anymore cause I'll spoil it, but no Mother Brain isn't in the game. Overall, buy this if you like Metroid its really fun and gots some fun challenges with it. You also can link it to Metroid Prime also to get features such as to play the old Metroid which is kinda lame though cause you have to beat both games first, but don't worry, it isn't that fun. So just get it, its something new and different for gameboy advance.

From the moment when the game says "Metroid IV" before the opening cinematic you know you're in for something special. It has been years since Metroid had seen a new title, and now it's back in force. Metroid Fusion is a departure from the norm, but it definately lives up to its Metroid name.

The story is as follows, you, Samus Aran, are sent to help scientists of the Biologic Space Labs study life on the planet SR388 after Samus removed the top of the food chain by exterminating all Metroids on that planet during Metroid II. This seems all dandy and peaceful until you discover a strange floating viral organism that infects Samus and her power suit. Samus' suit is cut away in attempts to save her life and she's given a vaccine of Metroid DNA, Metroids being the sole predator of the virus organism which is dubbed "X", so the vaccine kills the virus and as a side effect it allows samus to absorb the virus.

Samus is then sent back out to see to a problem at the Biologic Space Labs in her modified and weaker power suit only to find that all hell has broken loose. This is where the gameplay starts and the differences begin.

First of all you're on a space station instead of a planet (The different areas are built to look like different ecosystems on a planet anyway). The graphics are phenomenal and a big improvement over Super Metroid. The gameplay has remained largely the same but that's a good thing, you take a lot of damage which can be explained away since your power suit is crappier than your old one. Also on this mission you're given missions dictated to you by a computer named Adam. This takes away from the non-linear gameplay of previous metroid games and makes it a tad bit more linear but it also adds a welcome and cool science fiction story. Another twist to the game is the SA-X. It seems that the X virus can copy anything it touches, and since it infected Samus with all her best abilities it decided to copy her. Through most of the game you have to run from this fake Samus as it kills you in only a few hits and this adds for some tense and frightening moments.

The music in the game is also noteworthy, all the tracks fit their intended purpose from the creepy to the heroic. You'll want to use headphones for this game.

In conclusion it might not be Super Metroid, but it's Metroid and it is nearly as good. No Metroid fan's life would be complete without picking this one up.

For those of you new to the Metroid series, I reccommend buying the equally fantastic Zero Mission first.

THE GCN OF SOUL CALIBUR 2 IS A MUST OWN.
The game is very fun and innovative. I extreamly recomend it to hardcore game fighter fans.

I didn't think there were any flaws in the game but I found a few. But I won't get into that. This game is very well done I can tell you that. The graphics for the GCN are off the hook.

LINK IS IN IT! YAAY!

The game is very addicting as you must get lots and lots of weapons to complete the game in the chapters if you play it in that mode. The game does not dissapoint in multiplayer.
The multiplayer in Soul Calibur 2 is friken awesome! Especially when you have friends, cause then it's time to woop some butt!

Really fun for partie....well maybe not...

I still recomend getting the Original...THE ORIGINAL SOUL CALIBUR FOR THE DREAMCAST IS THE BEST 3D FIGHTING GAME EVER CREATED!

2 is one step away but still manages to pull through...Was the game worth the wait....Oh hell yeah....

SoulCalibur 2 will be an instant classic....I loved this game even though I still thought the original was better...I donno why..

Overall this is a must own! GET THIS GAME NOW!

Later...

This the kind of game you would find in an arcade. It is that kind of fighting game. It has fun playing modes and the controls are easy to get used to. The graphics are up to date.
The only problem is that You have to beat the game a certain amount of times. But dont let that stop you from buying this great fist in the face and ow that looked like it hurt game

When the first Soul Calibur made it onto the Dreamcast years ago, the graphics blew away any other console game in existence. It also had arguable the most fluid, exciting gameplay of any 3D fighting game to date. Thus, when the sequel was announced, expectations were through the roof. I'm happy to say, those who loved the first one won't be disappointed by its sequel.

First, let's get some of the criticisms out of the way. Yes, some of the new characters in Soul Calibur II seem out of place. Todd McFarlane's Necrid in particular looks like he should be in a Mortal Kombat game instead. It's also not as well-balanced a game as its main competitor, Virtua Fighter 4.

These slight problems aside, it's still an incredibly fun game to play, especially with a group of friends, and the graphics are once again top notch. Anyone can pick it up and start playing, whether they're a fighting game expert or a button masher. The single-player Quest mode is EXTREMELY challenging and offers many hours of gameplay. It's easily recommendable on any system, altough I chose the GameCube version for the inclusion of Link.

The following features have been confirmed for GTA: San Andreas:
• Tweaked Vice City
• Entire state of San Andreas included, meaning three cities will be present in the game, each connected by countryside. Los Santos, a fictional Los Angeles, San Fierro, a rendition of San Francisco, and La Venturra, which is the Grand Theft Auto version of Las Vegas.
• Larger map, which is much more interesting and "alive" than Vice City. Hills have been confirmed, and even a mountain is to be included.
• Smog will be present in Los Santos to give it a "real life" feeling.
• "Characters from the past" will return.
• Ragdoll physics, aka "Impact Animation" similar to that seen in recent PC titles like Far Cry, Half Life 2 and Max Payne 2.
• In La Venturra, set up a casino, or gamble in those owned by others.
• Recruit gang members and perform four person drive by's. (Screenshot)
• Pedal Bicycles (Screenshot)
• House robberies will take place but require skill and planning.
• Stamina Meter. Carl will have to consume food on his journey across San Andreas, and will gain weight if he eats too much. Gyms will be available to work out in.

Alright heres the stuff i read in the official Playstation 2 magazine (some of the stuff you may already know but oh well):
-The game is set in 90's San Andreas, which is a whole state that contains cities like Los Angelas, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and a bunch of country stuff in between like deserts, mountains, rivers, and lots and lots of interstate highways.
- You are CJ who decides to come back to his old Los Santos gang called the Orange Grove Family after spending a couple of years in Liberty City...
-YOU CAN: eat in restuarants (get fat), Work out in the gym and get buff( get too buff and you move slower), improve CJ's skills, get haircuts, ride a bicycle, wear lots of outfits, buy and build buildings (many more things to do with this than in Vice City), Gamble at casino's, break into houses and steal money, swim,dual wield mutliple guns, recruit your own gang to help you out, do 4 person drive by shootings.
The improvements: -five to six times the size of Vice City, game comes on a rare dual layer dvd, no more loading between cities, new graphics engine with 35-50% more polygons on screen, longer view distance, more realistic relections, shadows, and animation; every character has a "brain", a bunch of more detailed indoor locations, more mini games, man hunt style gun targeting, better hand to hand combat, each weapon is detailed and has its own realistic experience, rag doll physics, wider range of vehicles with improved physics, and the vehicles get rusty and dirty over time.
The average pedestrian in San Andreas will have up to six times more dialouge than in Vice City. Another thing is that the game will automatically adjust the level of difficulty if a player gets stuck on that impossible mission. However this doesnt mean you can fail and then it will be easy, the changes are supposed to practically invisible and very small. IF you get fat the insults will be pretty mean. You can ride a bicycle by pushing x real fast to go real fast. There is free aiming with any weapon. Also your rival gang are the Balla's and if you go in their territory you are dead meat. The cops provide a greater challenge and are very determined. I got all of this information from a very good magazine that is 100% Play Station 2 called PSM, I strongly recommend this magazine if you are interested in upcoming games and reviews on games. From what i read in the magazine this is going to be a great game and I am preordering it right now... you should too!

This game is an must have. I mean whats not to like. This gansta genre video game is one of the best titles on store shelves. When this game hits store its definetly gonna be on a first come first serve basis. Also rumor has it no Carl can swim. That means no more swimming with the fishes.

I didn't get this at toy rus but I think it's pretty cool.If your under 17 and are aloud to play m rated games you'll find something to like here later

Resident Evil, having lost it's horror edge, has striven harder to achieve a more cinematic feel. In the recent GameCube remake, this gradual metamorphosis was nearly perfected. The highly detailed pre-rendered backgrounds along with the gorgeously constructed character models and in-game cinematics combined to easily make a game that was almost more enjoyable to watch than play. Nevertheless, the transition from video game to "feature film played with a joystick" wasn't complete until now in this latest Zero chapter featuring the final appearance of the "classic gameplay" seteup of the RE franchise.

The level of detail pales in comparison to any other video game out there and I could only describe the spectacular beauty of this game as art design run amuck. Nearly everything in the game was meticulously crafted to create a totally convincing reality. If Raccoon City's dark forests and spooky mansions didn't exist in your mind already then they were imprinted indelibly hereafter. In comparing it to the remake, it's not so much that the graphics are way better as they are so much more over the top.

All this eye candy belies the fact that there isn't much of a game. A new character, Billy Coen, was added, plus a new villain (Dr. James Marcus). The magic boxes were dropped in favor of a new item dropping system which was supposed to enhance gameplay. But like all things new, it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. While I will say it's convenient it doesn't reduce the amount of backtracking you have to do ferrying items around anymore than in previous RE titles. The game itself still revolves around unlocking doors to new areas and finding hidden items to solve puzzles.

The partner zapping system also lacks in depth. The few puzzles that require two characters or a different character's attributes are all pretty obvious and would not have enhanced the game much if either character was allowed to perform all the actions in the game independently. The added character also tends to get in the way when moving around in the games innumerable cramped hallways. In combat, the partner character is more a liability than an asset because they tend to only stand in one place and shoot. As support fire against a zombie, however, Becky sometimes serves useful. Otherwise, you'll probably end up loading Billy with the guns and ammo and let him do all the dirty work.

Story-wise, we know most of the details already so what we get is more a clarification of things already told in other games than a new chapter in and of itself. Continuity-wise too, much of what is revealed in the game is actually contradictory to events in later titles or involves information that assumes prior exposure to the rest of the RE story. But the biggest problem of flow is the issue of Rebecca's personality. From Zero to One they just don't match up. This isn't that big a deal since Capcom, true to form, dodged the bullet by making Jill's game in the remake the official story anyway.

Wrapping up, it's another killer title in a killer franchise but only improves on an already well-tuned system by small steps and no major leaps or bounds. After all these years, you would hope Capcom would bring the series up to date (it's almost 2004 and the STARS are still stuck the last half of 1998!). I guess you can't blame them for wanting to stretch out the Raccoon City plotline as long as possible since creating something new would be a harder challenge in appeasing the diehard fans. I'd say this game is a true coda (not a prequel) to the series so far and is great to whet the appetite until the much anticipated release of Outbreak and RE4 next year.

If your all still mad that Nintendo has the right to the rest of the RE games well then your going to miss RE Zero, in my opinion that gives Resident Evil 2 a race for #1. Playing as Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen you search a train, an Umbrella facility, and other places leading up to the Spencer Mansion incident. Yes, this is before RE 1 and all the Bravo team members are alive. Personally Forest looks cooler in RE 1 (he's torn apart and becomes a zombie) than he does in 0 but oh well. The omission of the chests makes the game difficult since it was a key factor in every other game. Unfortunately for Rebecca and Billy, they can only carry six items each unlike Jill, Leon, and Claire from past RE's who can carry 8. Still graphics awesome, guns sweet, bosses awesome still. This is by far a great Resident Evil. The only thing I didn't like about it though was the Crimson Heads from the remade first didn't make it. Capcom, please include them in 4 and keep doing a good job!!

I have two words for you wrestling fans: No Mercy! WWF No Mercy, the latest installment in the WWF Ninendo 64 series, this game has all the latest features. This is a great game for a while, with only a few set-backs.

1 of those is the fact that for new players to WWF Wrestling games on the 64 it may be difficult to control. But when you master the control of the game, it is very addicting.

A great feature is the ability to create your own characters. When you create your own wrestlers (Man OR Woman) you can use them or the original wrestlers like The Rock, Chris Jericho or Lita to go after the titles, be it the Hardcore Title, Womens Title or the coveted WWF World Heavyweight Title.

You can also create a Pay-Per-Veiw of your own, with as many as 16 matches, including the new matches like Ladder, Handicapped (1 against 2), Iron Man and have a special Guest Referee, and have old favorites like cage matches or the Roayl Rumble, where as many as 30 wrestlers and try to eliminate each other untill there is only 1 man left standing victorios.

There is also a new sort of shopping area called "SmackDown Mall" where you can "buy" such things as moves, new wrestlers, arenas, weapons & props, and clothes for your game. To get money for them you have to compete in either Championship mode or Survival, where you must eliminate other men to get points, and you only get points for men YOU eliminate. So in short Survival is pretty much the ENTIRE Federation roster is against you with 4 men in the ring at 1 time, and it is only over when you are eliminated. A helpful hint is to attack only 1 person at a time so there is less to worry about, and eliminate them quickly. When another man comes down to replace the eliminated man, they will be focused on you. They can attack each other, as it is not a 1-on-3 handicapped match where when a new, fully reested man comes down to beat you to the mat, as that would be get too hard eventually. The more men you eliminate (which you can do by pinning, submission, or knocking them over the top rope) the more points, and the more points, the more money you get to buy out the Smackdown Mall shopping zone. The most expensive thing is the Ho, which is 500,000 WWF$, which is alot compared to what they give you, so start saving.

There are many other features like the old games such as WWF WrestleMania 2000, like normal 1-on-1, Tag Team, Triple Threat (1-on-1-on-1) and Cage Matches, or even the fabled legendary King Of The Ring, where as many as 16 men compete in matches (in either tag format or 1-on-1 format) to determine who is the best of the best.

1 more thing i would like to quickly cover is the fact that now you can travel backstage to rooms like the parking lot, locker room, sports lounge, and the (gasp) Boiler room. There is also the hallway, the stage, and maybe a few more little areas.

To me there could be only 2 other new features, with a couple of handy things along with it, that could make this game truely amazing... #1.Table Matches! and #2.Hell in a Cell Matches! #1.If you may have heard this game has Table matches, you herd wrong. I can safely tell you there are NO Table Matches, only tables in a few different areas, like the Commentators Table at Ringside, a Pool Table in the Sports Lounge, and a table in the Locker Room, but they no matches directly involving needing to put others through tables. Though in Championship mode there are requirements involving tables, putting men on tables and doing such things as Powerbomb them through it is as close as you can currently get, but I here THQ is working on a new game that has table matches! As that is only a rumor, let us all pray that this kind of new hardcore gameplay comes to the 64. #2.And as for the Hell in a Cell, it is no ordinary Cage Match, as you are COMPLETELY locked in the cell because the cage has a roof on it. It is like an extreme singles match with the bar raised to another level, since I have seen screenshots of Playstaion WWF games with Hell in a Cell, I can tell you if a new game were to have it, you can get on TOP of the cage itself, creating for an extreme atmosphere.

That is about all there is in No Mercy. A great game, awesome gameplay, pretty good handling in the 3D world in which they wrestle, but when there are 4 men on the screen in seperate areas of the ringside zone, gameplay begins to slow down quite a bit. Hook up a Memory Card and save wrestlers to the Card to play on someone else's game and challange them with your greatest wrestler to see who is the better man. I rate this game 9/10 out of my personal opinion, and I know there are others that don't agree with that, but that's just me. A game that is worth a try, WWF No Mercy is, I think, the best wrestling game in stores yet. But because with time comes upgrades that, simply put, outdate older games, there will be better games in the future, in which I await in a world where technology has no limit, only setbacksand current computing capabilities that can't handle such things later games may have. And as such great technology such as GameBoy Advance looms closer for better gameplay, I shall continue on the everlasting path commonly called... Life.....

This this the best video game ever. Let me just get right to the point.

PRO'S
1. All the favorites; Undertaker, Stone Cold, Rock, Triple H...
2. A bunch of others guys; the Dudleys, Hardys, divas...
3. Lots of matches like Cage, Latter, Handicap, Triple Threat, Battle Royal.
4. Special ref- Be the ref. You can call rope break early, DQ somebody, count them out too fast, do 3 count just as long as you want, just don't be the target.
5. Create mode- Make 18 different people, with the moves YOU want them to have (you can't change the regular guys moves)
6. Real storylines. Remember when HHH retires Foley. That's in here!
7. All the belts
8. Story changes depending on what you do.
9. It might take some experimenting to get the controls right, but once you have them, it's easy.
10. Earn money to buy moves, characters, weapons.
11. Graphics decent for that time in history (2000)

CON'S
Well what do you know, there aren't any...

Okay this is tied for the best wrestling game ever. It is tied with here comes the pain. This game has more superstars than any other WWF/WWE game. Okay, everybody is talking about their data being erased for no reason and the game slowing down when 4 people are going at it. Well, niether of these has ever happened to me. There are only 2 matches that are missing that people really like. Hell in a cell, and table. There is every superstar you could think of that is in the wwf is in this game. You can even unlock Andre the Giant, Earl Hebner (ref), and Shawn Michaels. There is also a create a wrestler mode. But the weird thing is, when you create a superstar, no matter how light they are, when you face them YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PICK THEM UP. I have no idea why. But you could be Andre and try to pick up a 150 pounder and it would not work. The graphics and sound are good, but the titantron videos don't look very good. Me and my friend always play a tornado tag no count out match forever. And it never slows down. Overall, this game is awesome.

The Xbox Live Starter Kit is right up there on the "must haves" list for any Xbox owner with Halo, Controller S, and Splinter Cell. If you are new to online gaming or a veteran from the realm of PC gaming, you are in for a whole new world of hurt!

When developing Xbox Live, Microsoft payed attention to what gamers wanted down to a universal player list, lag free gameplay, and the freedom away from keyboards. Some people will complain about the keyboard deal, but honesty... when you are in the heat of combat in MechAssault or trying to school someone in NBA 2K3, you don't have the time to type. Plus, the voice chat is crystal clear and the headset fits comfortably in your ears.

When getting the kit, there's a handful of games to accompany it currently and in the future. MechAssault and Unreal Championship are fan favorites along with Ghost Recon and the Sega Sports games. As for games coming out, most of them will have some form of online interaction from gameplay, downloadable content, to stat tracking. Seriously... when Capcom vs SNK 2 comes out not only will you get to play one of the most polished 2D fighting games ever, but play it online! Yup, for the first time we get to play people online in a fighting game. Only on Xbox. Only on Xbox Live.

After reading some of the reviews of Xbox Live (like the guy who thinks the Xbox has a modem - it's an ethernet adapter - and the guy who is mad because he can't connect at HIS college, even though all he has to do is spoof a registered computer's MAC address) I felt it necessary to chime in.

Xbox live works nearly perfectly. I have MechAssault, Splinter Cell, and various other Live games, and it's of incredible value. MechAssault is VERY fun online, although don't use the headset if you're easily offended. There are a lot of stupid kids on Live!, so their language reflects their maturity.

At any rate, I have a connection (shared T1) that maxes out at around 120k/s. This is typically slower than most cable and DSL connections, but I've experienced no lag whatsoever.

The voice communications is really great, and is probably the aspect of Live! that makes it stand out among the competition. That, and the fact that all Live! games are hosted on Microsoft's servers, and will therefore be uniform in their speed and security. (Unlike PS2 or Gamecube, which will be painful to play because of lag, or, even worse, cheaters.)

If you have an Xbox... GET XBOX LIVE. 50 bucks for a year is pretty darn cheap, especially since you get the headset with your starter kit.

I bought a 3 month kit of xbox live to see if I liked it;however during the sign in, it said to enter a major credit card.

Undoubtadly the best and most innovative Mortal Kombat game since Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance takes the long running fighting franchise to new heights. Unlike the pseudo-3-D Mortal Kombat 4, Deadly Alliance is the real deal: filled with lush backgrounds, realistic looking fighters, and buckets of blood, Deadly Alliance is the technological breakthrough that fans of the series have waited years for. Although it has a few faults (Liu Kang is dead, the storyline is weak compared to storylines in past installments of the game), Deadly Alliance still offers loads of value. Plenty of new fighters are introduced (Kenshi, Bo' Rai Cho, Drahmin, Frost, Hsu Hao, Li Mei, Mavado, Nitara, and Moloch), as well as bringing back old favorites (Cyrax, Jax, Johnny Cage, Kano, Kitana, Kung Lao, Quan Chi, Raiden, Reptile, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, Sonya, and Sub-Zero). The older fighters have been given complete makeovers, and they all look phenominal (Sub-Zero's new look is a real highlight). Each fighter has 2 different fighting styles, and one other style which includes a weapon; this feature is a welcome addition to the franchise and is pulled off almost flawlessly. Also included besides the standard Arcade mode is the Konquest mode in which you go on various missions and earn Koins which you can use to purchase all kinds of hidden items (characters, costumes, arenas, production designs, etc.) in the Krypt. Also included is an interesting video timeline on the history of Mortal Kombat, footage of the making of the game, and a video for Adema's "Immortal". All in all, Mortal Kombat fans around the world rejoice, this is the game we have all been waiting for.

Mortal Kombat is back and it never looked so good. That's right, and this time you will have to increase your strenght to defeat a very deadly alliance formed by the right hand of Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung, and a more powerful and more evil Quan Chi.

Incredible real graphics, with dripping blood, clothes ripping, and with fully interactive 3-D arenas, over 20 of them. Also, you will see the return of your favorite characters (Rayden, Jax, Sonya, Scorpion, Subzero, Kitana, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, and many more) and also a whole new cast, including Blind Kenshi, Moloch, Mavado, Female Subzero, and many, many more...over 20 characters in total.

But this isn't just about graphics and characters, because it now includes a great variety in the gameplay. The biggest change is the ability to change your fighting style (Karate, Taekwondo...) in the middle of a fight, giving you bigger and better combos. Each character will have three different fighting techniques.

Also, you'll be seen completely new fatalities, brutal and bloody, just the way we like it..

Mortal Kombat games have always been great, but this one is the best. The graphics are perfect, the gameplay is perfect, and everything else about it is perfect. It has many classic characters back and looking better than ever. The best part about the game is that there is so much to unlock. With many characters, arenas, and 3 fighting styles with each character, this is without a doubt the best fighting game for the PS2.

Forget your nice driving techniques, throw away the "Worlds' Scariest Police Chase" videos, cause here comes Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2!Race the worlds' best high performance cars from, Jaguars, Lamborghinis, Porches, and McLarens on exciting and sometimes grueling street tracks from across the globe. Whether you want to run from the cops? Or just race to see whos' the fastest, this game has got you covered. You won't get bored with it, it's constant racing action with awesome hills for soaring jumps, off-road shorcuts to out maneuver your daunting opponents (or Cops), and a hefty engine under your hood to take you to the extreme of street racing. The controls are fairly simple, especially if you've played some of NFS previous titles, but you'll have to be careful with some cars for they might be more sensitive to steering than others. Car handling is very near to realistic. Graphics are in a league of their own. Every solitary detail is expressed, from flying gravel, to the reflection of trees off of your car. Realistic is the key factor in this game.Music just rocks and you can never get tired of it. While playing, the songs particularly picked by EA seem to just drive the andrenaline out of you to race these fast cars.The COPS. Uh oh, you're racing with your buddies on the streets, but all of a sudden you hear the sound of a blaring siren! The cops are on your tail, and sending reinforcements! Now you have to turn up the heat and out maneuver the cops to win! But these guys aren't stupid, they'll do anything (and I mean ANYTHING) to get you busted! From road blocks, spike strips, to the desperate sending of their Helicopter to drop explosive barrels all over the road to knock your car out of throttle, these guys are experts at catching abusers of the traffic laws, and they INTEND to uphold the law. But most importantly...THE CARS! Did you ever want a 49 car garage? Well yes you can have it! Any high performance sports car from American models to the ever so popular European models. You start out with the relatively small and weak HP cars until you keep racing to build up points to unlock cars. Play the tournaments in both "World Racing" and Hot pursuit modes' "Ultimate Racer" to unlock the cars, and the tracks. Speaking of which, you get 30 tracks from beginner to expert, so whatever you feel like handling your car on, you have the option to chose it. Basically folks, this game tops all the factors of the essence and sheer power cars can dish out on the streets, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is a car fanatic.

When I got Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 on 10/11/02 I thought wow this game will be the bomb! And it was!

It has the best graphics in the world!
The cops are very dangerous and drive as badly as you do! They send helicopters that drop bombs on you, fire missiles at you, and drop mini spike strips in front of you! The cops also set up roadblocks and spike strips to keep you from breaking the law.
The damage is realistic, but your car doesn't get all bashed up if you run into a tree at 221 miles per hour!
There is a lot of traffic, so you'd better watch out!
I have beaten the game a long time ago, so I know the cars are:
The McLaren F1, F1 LM, Ferrari F50, 550 Barchetta Pininfarina, 360 Spider, Lamborghini Murcielago, Diablo, the new 911 Turbo, the concept Carrera Gt, Mercedes-Benz Clk-Gtr, Cl 55 Amg, Ford TS50, Mustang, Lotus Elise, Opel Speedster, Vauxhall VX220, BMW M5, Z8, Holden HSV Gts, Jaguar XKR, Aston Martin Vanquish, Chevrolet Corvette, and the Dodge Viper!
Need for Speed addition cars have special colors and improve performance:
NFS Vanquish, NFS Elise, NFS Cl 55, NFS Clk-Gtr, NFS Speedster, NFS VX220, NFS HSV, NFS XKR, Challenge NFS Ferrari 360 Modena, NFS F50, NFS 550, NFS Mustang, NFS TS50, NFS Viper, NFS Corvette, NFS Diablo, NFS Murcielago, NFS 911, NFS Carrera, NFS F1, and The NFS F1 LM!
These are the cars the police will have:
Pursuit Ford Crown Victoria, Pursuit Mustang, Pursuit M5, Pursuit Corvette, and a Pursuit Murcielago!
The ways you could win these are to win an event or get enough points!
To get points is to get air, run a roadblock, lead a lap, drive a clean lap (don't run into anything), accelerate to top speed, or beat the cops!
The fastest you could go is 240 M.P.H. with any one of the McLarens!
You must buy this game!

this game is by far one of the best racers ever. i loved the first hot pursuit. i liked how you earned money to fix/upgrade your car after winning a race. this did not return for the second hot pursuit game, but they kept everything else good about the game. there are great graphics, especially if you played the computer version first. much better version on the ps2. the cars are great, and the cops are ruthless. while this game is very well made, they could have added more to it to make it more intertaining, like maybe more speech from the police, you know, commical stuff. you will get many hours of sheer joy playing this game. the gameplay itself is very good. you can plan to take a shortcut or other way to get around roadblocks and completely through the police off. the slowmotion on jumps and crashes are also very intertaining. in my opinion the ps2 has the two best racing games, this one and gran turismo 3.