Music Reviews

Excellent game for 20 bucks. Reminds me alot of the Transformers game, though the graphics and AI aren't as good. The variety of weapons and the ability to jack into other bots and control them is great. Definately worth picking up for 20 bucks.

I bought Metal Arms: Glitch in the System last week and I can't put it down, it's so addictive, of course the controls are somewhat difficult, but isn't that what makes all games great? (Metal of Honor: Frontline & SOCOMI&II. )

This game is insanely fun, and Hillarious, not to mention challenging, You have to recognize the enemy then figure out a way to kill it.

But being able to hijack certain enemy robots is the awesomest part of this game, you can atack the other army at no expense to you.

No doubt MA:GitS is s great game, if you can handle it! This game is definately in my top 5 games, which is a pretty good list considering there is 1. Socom II, 2. Rachet and Clankmor MA:GitS 3.NCAA 2004 4. Tak and the power of JuJu 5. Kingdom Hearts or Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Anyone who loves 3rd person sooters should seriously buy this game, if your not sure that you want to shell out $50 just yet, rent it, no matter what you do, give this game a try, its worth every penny.

P.S MA:GitS is a whole lot like Halo for the PS2 and those who give it great ratings, do 't forget to put stars! Your hurting this awesome game.

An outstanding Third Person Shooter with excellent graphics, sound , and gameplay! It truly feels like playing a light-hearted version of HALO, complete with awesome vehicle use and melee attacks! Also it has a great story with excellent voice work.
I try very hard to take shooters on their own merits, but the similarites to HALO are uncanny. This game is chalked full of spastic running and gunning against various butt-kicking, smart enemy A.I. that works together well. But don't worry because you'll have help from friendly A.I. fighting beside you. However you must either keep yourself as a fast moving target or use the cover provided by the large, beautiful levels (or maybe alittle of both) to stay alive. The vehicles are original and handle well. This is a very challenging and entertaining shooter. The multi-player format (like HALO) provides for hours of replay. For it's bargain price you really don't have a good reason to, at the very least, not rent or buy this game. Metal Arms is one of the most enjoyable shooters I have ever played!

Having compared the difference between the normal A/V conection and an S-Video cable, I can say that it does improve picture quality perceptibly, and is definitely worth buying, but not for the $30 that Sony wants or the $40 that Monster Cable wants. Definitely buy a S-Video cable (if your TV has an S-Video jack, that is), but pick up a 3rd party one for $10. The difference in image quality between it and the more expensive cables is negligible.

I bought this cable the same time I bought my playstation2. It is a very good cable and works good. But it is over priced. The Monster s-video 300 is about the same price and delivers better picture then the sony. The sony s-video cable you are paying more for the name then any thing else. The Monster s-video 300 is the best s-video cable you can buy for ps2. It is 24kt contract then just gold plated and Nitrogen-injected for best picture. I have this cable now

I just bought the component AV cable from a 3rd party company and already has the S/video cables (3rd party too) . I've read that AV component it's much better than S video, and tha's why I bought it. But is not!. AV component seems to be a little better than standard AV cables (RCA). S video gives an extraordinary brilliance to images. Video Component looks opaque, maybe Monster cables works better. In summary:
1- S/Video
2- AV component
3- Standar Av cables (rca)

What's your experience?, could it be 'cause they are 3rd party?

I bought this game to play with my 4 and 7 year old and it was an excellent choice! The graphics are excellent and the game is fun as well as challenging. It took us DAYS to beat Puss-N-Boots! We have been playing for days and are only 25% complete. I would highly recommend this game for those who want to be involved in your kids gamming time!

I don't know what people are complaining about this game. We absolutely love it. I have a 5 year old who was able to pick this game up and run with it. He loves it and plays it constantly. These people that run through it in a few hours must be much older because we have been doing a few levels a day and they can be time consuming. I love being able to jump in with him and playing for a while and then getting out without bothering his game. My 3 year old also loves to just sit and watch all the characters. The characters are great and so are the voices. If you have young players, this is the game for you. It is well worth the money.

I must be playing a different game then the other reviewer.
Bought the game - my six year old and nine year old love it!
I've played a few levels with them and enjoyed it as well.

Allows you to play 4 players at a time and players can join or leave at any time. Controls are quite easy. Game mixes up platform type action with mini-games called hero time. Lots of different characters from the movie. Graphics are quite good - much better then the first Shrek Video Game. Any kid that likes the movie will have a blast with the game.

XIII is a cel-shaded first-person shooter based on a long-running French comic book of the same name. The game definitely plays up its comic book roots, complete with readable sound effects and comic-book-like panels that pop up while you're playing. XIII, or "Thirteen," is both the name of the game and the name of the character you'll play as. The game opens with you waking up with a gunshot wound after washing up on a beach, unable to remember anything at all. As you proceed through the game, you'll begin to piece together your past. As it happens, you have the face of a man accused of assassinating the president with a sniper rifle. Are you that man or are you an agent given a new face in an attempt to get to the bottom of the assassination conspiracy? XIII on the Xbox contains online multiplayer as well as a four-player split-screen mode and the ability to play against bots. The game contains deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, and sabotage, which is a class-based team game that has one team defending a series of checkpoints while the other is charged with blowing them up. This is a great game and it's certainly worth owning.

XIII is a beautiful, challenging FPS. It is the first FPS to use cel-shading, a graphical technique that makes the game look like a cartoon. The level of detail throughout is amazing. It looks and feels like a comic book. XIII controls like most console FPS games. If you have played Halo, Red Faction, or Timesplitters, you will be familar with this setup. The controls are very responsive, and allow you to aim with much precision.

XIII has a lengthy one player mode. There are 12 levels, connected by a good story, although the plot is far from original. This can get difficult, especially because enemies always hit you.

XIII is also online. It supports up to eight players with Xbox Live. There are 30 maps, which support deathmatch, capture the flag, and team deathmatch. There is no lag at all.

XIII is one of the best FPSs on the market. As for which version is better, they all have exclusive content. The PS2 version has an exclusive multiplayer mode, but it isn't very fun. It is like deathmatch, but you have to only kill certain players. The Xbox version has 8 players online, and voice chat. The Gamecube version is the only one that has split-screen multiplayer.

Overall, XIII is a must buy.

I really enjoyed this game and I can't wait for the sequel.
Some people didn't like the cel shading graphics, but I think it looks fantastic. The graphics remind me a little of anime. The story line is great, being based on a French comic book. I had this for PS2 and when I gave that to my brother and bought an Xbox, I made sure to buy this one again. It also has a lot of "replay" value. I like the control setup. I could play this game all day after beating it. I much prefer this game to Halo (which is also a good game, but kinda boring after a while.) The other games I like are Hitman 2 and Hitman contracts.So if you like those, you'll like XIII. In Hitman you can't punch a guy, but in XIII you can. Some people didn't like the save features, (using checkpoints) but you get used to it. For $20 you can't go wrong. For example, I just bought Freedom Fighters for $20 and finished it in about 3 hours. XIII took a few days. Buy this game!

This is a very nice wireless controller for PlayStation 2.

Quality workmanship and materials are evident throughout. The buttons are solid and pressure sensitive. The D-Pad is well done but takes a bit of getting used to. The analog sticks are very nice -- offering just the right amount of resistance. I've not had a problem with my thumbs slipping off them but your mileage may vary.

Response time is excellent. Games play just like they do with a corded controller. I expect this of any wireless controller since both radio waves and electrons in a wire travel at the speed of light. If it's done right, wireless should show no performance degredation. And Logitech did it right.

The only things wrong with this controller are size and weight. It's around 50% larger than the standard PS2 controller. Depending upon your physical makeup this may or may not be a problem. I'm around average and I'm still adjusting to it's gargantuan size. My brother in law thinks it's very comfortable.

We both agree that this thing is dwarf star heavy. Without batteries it weighs a little more than a standard PS2 controller. With all 4 AA batteries installed it gets very, very heavy. Fatigue can become a factor if you play for a while. Children will have trouble using this controller due to it's size and weight. It's definitely designed for adults.

Until Sony makes it's own wireless controller, the Logitech is the only real option for wireless gaming on PlayStation 2. Excessive size and weight keep it from being the perfect solution. But it's the best I've seen so far.

When I first got this, I loved it. I've had it for about a year. So, I was playing a racing game, and I was holding the X to go and then suddenly, I slowed down. After that it still didn't work so good. It even happened in other games. I even tried changing the batteries. This is still a great controller because it only does it sometimes.

I always liked the quality of Logitechs products and wanted the convenience of a wireless when playing my games in bed so I didn't hesitate to purchase this. Very good quality, feels good in the hands with just the right amount of weight to it. Sturdy and well made. some guys here complained about broken analog sticks but I think the problems were due to them just being a bit abusive with their stuff. These are very well made. I have an updated model slightly different from the picture. Logitech must have responded to the complaints of hands slipping off the analog sticks. The new controller has black rubberized sticks that are not concave. The only complaint I have is the placing of the select and start button so close to the analog sticks. Requires a little bit of dexterity in the fingers! Other than that this is a superb wireless. A

I like teh spongebob tv series, but i would not suggest getting the video game. I know some peopel can't get enogh of spongebob, but its just not worth it. The graphics are sub-par. The music/sound is poor. I still say that you shouldn't get games that were made off of a tv show.

This game is very fun! The levels like downtown and jellyfish fields are interesting. On every level you have to complete challenges to get letters of SpongeBob's name. I think this game is one of my favorites. SpongeBob rocks!!!

This game has you searching for treasures, doubloons, and letter tiles in Bikini Bottom, Jellyfish Fields, Chum World, and more in Spongebob's new adventure, sterting when Spongebob releases the Flying Dutchman from his endless slumber.

I have actually only borrowed the game and I only have it for two days, so I am racing to get the entire thing completed. It is not easy. I would assume that a Spongebob game would be easy, since little kids would want to play it (I'm 13, by the way), but there are some tough challenges. One of the benefits of the game, though, is that Spongebob has unlimited lives, and I am able to finish them after killing off Spongebob 20 or so times. (to please the children, no doubt) And there aren't many hard challenges, so I'll be able to complete this (hopefully).

One of the things I found disappointing was that you have to do things in the correct order or you'll mess up and have to start over the game (or you'll have to return to one of your previous save files). I'll give you an example, as I've found this in various places. When Sandy's Tree Dome first became available, I couldn't find it. So when I bought the "acorn", I didn't bring it to her. This was a mistake, as Squidward packed up his garage sale, acorn and all, and I couldn't get the letter tiles required to finish the game.

An interesting side note is that the story kind of builds, and, personally, I want to find out what's happening to my little ocean friends (especially since there are only five of them in the game, not counting the thugs that you have to kill)! There are only two of them left!

I know that if I finish this game, I am returning it and never looking back. This is not a replayable game. Too long, too tedious (how many times can you collect doubloons?), too annoying. And the music, though good, gets annoying after an hour or so since there are only four tracks to match your four costumes. So buy at your own risk. I would recommend renting or borrowing this, and if you deem it replayable, going out and buying it.

All ya do is watch Pikachu watch TV. Not fun. The people on TechTV's "X-Play" gave it a 1 out of 5. I agree wholeheartedly.

The Gamecube has been out for two years and now we finally have a Pokemon game for it. Unfortunately this might not really be a game. Lets start with some details and what this game does right first. Apparently Prof. Oak has been hard at work on a television network for Pokemon (does the man have a life?). Now you've been chosen to test this network and see if it's any good. Right when the television is delivered guess who suddenly breaks into your house? If you said Pikachu you're unfortunately correct (more on that later). So now you and Pikachu (who is apparently allowed to break the law) are now tasked to watch this network and see how it works. Each channel has different Pokemon themed shows such as PNF (Pokemon News Flash), Shop n Squirtle, Pichu Bros Party Panic Anime, and Slowpokes weather report. There are more but they're neither interesting nor fun to watch. Let's start with the good. The graphics are okay, not heavily detailed, but they get the job done with the exception of some of the Pokemon models looking like they came from the N64 games. You can occasionally go outside and see different Pokemon, which is pretty cool. The shopping channel even sells bus passes which can take you to different areas to see different Pokemon. Now the bad and there are more of these than the good. If you hate Pikachu this WILL increase your hatred ten fold at least. He always wants to watch TV! It usually takes an act of congress to get him to go outside and see the different Pokemon, which is arguably the best part of this game. Now some of the shows are okay but noo he wants to watch all of them including crap like Smoochum exercising for five minutes. It's like babysitting some annoying child. After a few days of this you will try to get him run over by the bus (sadly you cannot). Now my biggest gripe: lack of interactivity to the point you question whether you have a DVD or a game. Everything here has you watching. Sure you get to click on things but after that you only get to see what Pikachu does with them (which if you don't like him anyway you won't want to see him roll around with a ball for example). As an interesting side note (and this is neither good nor bad) this game runs on real time like Animal Crossing. So if you're Gamecube's clock is set correctly and you turn this on at three PM it will be the same in the game. At first this intrigued me but it soon became clear that this feature is very limited here. For example there are no exact time specific events such as "Charmander only comes out from three to four in the afternoon". Instead it seems as though things are divided into three time sections each day: playing before noon, playing from noon to seven PM, and playing from seven PM to seven AM when the first section starts again. While simplistic it does keep the game from ending too quickly unless you mess with the clock. Each day when you save it unlocks things that when turned on in the proper time section the next day you can access. As stated before it isn't complex in the least but it does serve to stretch out what would be an otherwise short game. I know you're thinking I'm being too harsh on a game that's geared towards children right? Well it's because I know that tons of older Pokemon fans will pick this up and be disappointed. I almost did but thankfully I rented it first. Even at thirty dollars it's too much for what an older person would get out of it. However if you're a parent looking for good game for your pokemon-loving child this is actually a good choice. I could see a child enjoying it. Anyone over ten would be wise to wait until this can be picked up for at most half the price, I know I'm going to.

I'd like to admit that this game is really fun. I was greatly excited when I saw the commercial for it. The thought that a new pokemon game for Nintendo Gamecube is out now was exciting! I rented it at Blockbuster a long time ago! Eventually I bought it and had a lot of fun raising and traveling with a graphical pikachu; meeting other pokemon, collecting pokemon cards in the game, and getting to watch new fun pokemon related channels every day! My favorite was "Shopping Squirtle" and Pichu. Bros.-wich is a cartoon about (not video game like,it was real animation) - about the 2 observant pichus you saw in Pokemon 3 the movie! You would like it too.

I was really hoping to enjoy this game, but I was very disappointed to find that it's one of the worst games I've ever played on the XBox. The graphics are poor, the announcers are horrible, and the game play is terrible. By my 3rd game I was stealing the ball 80+ times w/ the game set to the hardest level (not because I'm particularly good or anything). The only thing that is half-way decent is the recruiting mode, but recruiting and simulating a season is only fun for so long.

This game, despite its numerous faults, was unfortunately quite addicting. With all the "street ball" in the NBA, I found it refreshing to get back to calling the ol' Pick and Roll, or a little 2-3 Zone. The other benefit of this game is the fact all Div. 1 schools, stadiums, and songs are included. Unfortunately, there are quite a few glitches programming wise that wear on the nerves:
-In-side scoring; Post-up your best player, dunk, repeat
-Difficulty; Went undefeated 3 consecutive seasons with the Campbell Fighting Camels (Go Camels!)
-Commentary; This was the most annoying of the glitches, as the commentators would often mix-up who was in the lead or trailing.
-Gameply; Much too easy to steal, especially in a full-court press.

Overall however, with all the problems, I did end up playing over 250 games of basketball, and definately got my $$$ worth. I would recommend it for it's adictiveness, just keep the sound turned down.

It's that time of year again... college basketball is in my veins, I'm watching/following my UVa Cavaliers, and what better way to occupy my time than buying a college basketball game to keep myself busy when my team isn't playing. NCAA Basketball 2K3 is an amazing game; despite several flaws, the game's pros put the cons to shame. I'm going to review this backwards so that you can finish feeling good about the game, and want to go out and buy it.

Cons:
Repetitive commentary- after playing two seasons with a team, you'll be able to recite the lines of the commentators word for word (for the most part)

Fouls are rare- besides the end of the game when you're winning, fouls are pretty much nonexistent in this game

Strange AI calls- when the computer is losing by two with five seconds left, they just dribble! i don't have to do a thing, they won't shoot the ball at the end of the game unless they're close enough to make it, meaning that half-court buzzer beaters NEVER HAPPEN

No name teams end up #1- as i entered the NCAA tournament, Baylor was my opponent for the final four, seeded #1?!

Teams have no legacy- if Duke has a poor season, it will take forever for them to get back on top... they will not be able to sign blue chippers, they will disappear off the top 25, and not even make the NCAA tournament

Crowds are once again, poor- when will the developers realize that people like to see crowds that are real? when the coach is shown close up, the crowd is very choppy and fake

Some things too easy- on starter (rookie) setting, i can steal the ball 25 times in a game, but the rest of the gameplay is about my level... it doesn't make sense!

Pros:
Pregame- the pregame is unbelievable.. you get to hear about the teams, the matchups, while watching the players do warmup shooting before the tip-off

Stadiums- the stadiums and courts look exactly the same as they do in real life.. U-Hall for UVa looks exactly like it does, with the pep band in the same spot, and the regular fans in the spots that they sit in real life

Free Throws are challenging- using the triggers for the xbox, the free throw system is wonderful and show ingenuity, people who complain likely need more practice

Fancy finishes- the dunks and 360 layups are so fun to watch in this game, you rarely see the same move to the hoop twice

Momentum meter- the momentum meter is a wonderful touch.. the home team racking up points, the crowd getting into the game, and the intense gameplay of the winning team, the meter captures the energy in the building

Crowds get into it- although they don't look real up close, the crowds start going wild, you can even hear individual shouts from fans

Running plays is easy- with the right analog stick and the ability to call your own offensive and defensive plays, picking up on a defense is a piece of cake, run the offense you want to run, when you want to run it

Dive for balls- for the first time that i can remember, players can dive for loose balls! hardcore basketball gamers know how frustrating it is to have a ball on the ground just roll out of bounds because you can't get to it, but with this button on your controller, diving for balls is one less complaint from this gamer

Good options- you can fully customize your game, from the offensive and defensive plays to the game tempo, to the substitutions, to the pressure, to the crashing of the boards

Graphics- seeing this game for the first time was like jumping into a cold shower... it took the breath out of me. my jaw must have hit the floor, seeing the pregame layups from each team, the gameplay, and after the game, the menus are even easy on the eyes

Editing names is a snap- although it does take a bit of time, many college basketball fans were turned off when they realized that players were replaced by numbers, but this year you can have the option of actually naming players what you want, it's pretty simple too. if you'd rather keep the players numbers, that's okay too, as the real life player corresponds with the number and position in the game. also, time is saved as the game has a name-recognition system that can find most names of real college players such as Duhon, Watson, etc. (p.s. announcers do a fine job of pronouncing most names)

Onto the legacy and its wonderful features...
...the legacy feature for hardcore gamers is wonderful. so much depth and so many features provide you for an unbelievable experience. you can choose open or career, meaning you can choose the team that you would like to coach, or start off a coaching career by being offered small-time team head coaching spots.

Recruiting- this feature is not only easy, it's also fun. at the end of a season, you get to see what big-time players are interested in your school. the more winning seasons you have, the more big-time players want to come there. give it some time, and soon enough a team like Lehigh (who i coached in my career legacy) will sign blue chippers.

Media coverage- when your small-time team does well, the team makes it onto TV/radio

Conclusion---

This game really captures the essence of college basketball, it has emotion and the real feel of college hoops. Sega did a wonderful job and should be commended for doing so. I'd give this game an A- for certain problems that continue to reappear (such as crowds), but the rest of the game is great. I recommend it to anybody of any age that enjoys a great game, sports or not, and I hope that my review was helpful!

-Sam Latter

I played the first Summoner and loved it. (Had some flaws, but still great.)
The improvements to this game are outstanding. The spell / item / quest item menu is a great improvement. I was beat by the first Boss, but that is why I liked it. You have to change your fighting style to kill the Boss. I went all the way thru Baldur Gate without dying (That is why I think that game was graphically great, but game play just does not cut it.) Summoner 2, the HUGH amount of quest is great. I like that you can stop the "Storyline" and get a break with some other quest. The choice of 8 different characters might be a little negative, due to you have Eight characters to "level-up", but that is small in my book. I like the VAST difference of each character. They are not just a 'little' different, but completely different. Do not get me wrong, there are certain abilities that run between some, and others have very unique abilities. This game is not a hack and slash game, but a "thinkers" game.

I loved this game! I was heart broken after playing Summoner 1 to learn that Summoner 2 was only going to be released on Playstation. So I saved up and bought one, played Summoner 2 and loved it.
You know all about the plot the graphics and the stlye of play. All I can add to it is that's it's not as bad as some have portrayed it. The graphics are kewl, the music is magical, the characters are stunning in their own right and the story is one of the best I've encountered. The plot twists and turns and leaves you wondering, right to the end.
The choice of characters can be a little daunting, but you can soon pick up which character is suited to what task and under what conditions he/she is best suited. Again, I liked the stealth and backstab ability of the thief character Sangril.
Like Summoner 1 there're side quests aplenty and they all add xp, so by the time the Boss Battles come you're ready to give them a challenge. The side quests do actually tie into the plot, and they're not the usual fed-x type of go there, speak to 'Name', get 'item' and return to beginning. You visit some amazing places and talk to some interesting people(?).
Like Summmoner 1, each character is suited to a particular part of the game and you'll often find your character alone or in the company of one other who sometimes don't get along, which I thought was a good touch.
Again, the chain combat system came into play, which I liked. The challenge of getting a good rhythm going is a hard one, but once mastered you should be able to defeat most enemies before they get a chance to hit you.
I'll be playing Summoner 2 again this summer and as I'm still trying to figure out the story, so I'll probably be going back more than once.

This is a very worthy follow up to the original Summoner. The action is more fast-paced and intense, the characters are more interesting, there are a huge number of quests to do and, like it's predecessor, the game does a very good job of creating a highly immersive, well-realized world.

I think that this is a wonderful game. Who ever thinks this game is bad must have no taste. I have never tried ssx, but I have played ssx tricky, and that game was alright. Though it is alittle expensive it is worth it to save and buy this game. It may seem hard at first, but you will get used to it.

this is the best snowboarding game of all time. graphics are great, gameplay and tricks are awesome, and characters are cool. only problem is no eddie unless you use the cheat (worm) and even then you cant do career with him. also selecting the stuff isnt boaring. if you want to do a race, you snowboard to the starting line. and there are many doffesrent games to play (race, freestyle, big pipe, etc). and one on one is fun. all in all awesome game.

It started with me, then I introduced the game to my friends. We are all addicted. We're not getting any sleep. We spend most of our evenings playing SSX3. Awesome graphics. Awesome Fun! BUY THIS GAME! You won't be disappointed!