Music Reviews

Megaman and Bass is like most Megaman titles. You fight a series of Bosses which once beaten you gain there powerups and from there can advance to the final set of levels which always end up being run by Dr. Wiley. This game is no exception to that rule.

Technically should be considered Megaman 9 Megaman and Bass will push people away with the fact that it is so terribly difficut. SOme levels are more geared towards Megaman and some are more towards Bass, as are Boss fights. THe diffuculty is insane enough that recent fans (those who jumped in from #6-8 and the X series) will be turned away at the degree of frustration that some of the bosses create. For example one boss (towards the end of the game) only weakness is the top of his head, he is a full screen tall and in order to beat him you blast the top of his head into submission. As Megaman You get a moving platform to help you in your task. As Bass you don't and instead must rely on your double jump and abitlity to shoot diagnolly upwards. Ultimatly leading to many lives lost and a long stream of profanity.

Overall this title is for DIe Hard Megaman fans.

Okay, to start off Mega man and Bass is a great game. Interesting fact: this game was one of the last (possibly the last) game made for Super Famicom, which is the Japanese Super Nintendo. You play as either Mega Man (a classic game character) or Bass, his somewhat evil rival. Mega Man has all his trademark moves: jumping, sliding, Buster shots (charged and normal) and boss weapons which are obtained by beating bosses, of course! Bass has a double jump, dash (like in the Mega Man X series) and his Bass Buster only shoots rapid fire, but he can shoot in all directions (even diagonals) except down. Also, Bass cannot fire while moving and canot shoot through walls (like Mega Man) without a power-up. Power-ups are purchased from Auto (called Lightott in the manual, either the manual is totally screwed up or they changed his name.) Some examples are the spike helmet and the Energy Balancer. To buy items, you need screws, which you can get from destroying small robots throughout the levels. There are eight robot masters, two are from Mega Man 8, they are Tengu Man and Astro Man. To get to each boss, you must play through their level and finally fight and defeat them. Each boss is weak against another boss's weapon you can obtain, for example The Wave Burner is Pirate Man's weakness. The coolest bonus to this game is the 100 CDs. They are buried in the ground and can be in hard-to-reach places. It is fun to collect them all and read data about your favorite Mega Man characters. If you like platform games or Mega Man in general, this is a must-buy for you. The only downside to this game is that there are no Energy Tanks so beating the bosses is somewhat harder. Mega Man and Bass has tight play control and a pretty good story line, except for the fact that Proto Man gets chopped up in the 1st level, I mean, he deserves to be a playable character, for cryin' out loud! This game has given me hours of fun, and if you buy it you will enjoy it too.

MM and Bass is a very challenging game but is so cool if u get used to it and actually beat lvls. The first few days after i bought the game i was mad cause i got stuck on BurnerMan but after i beat him i was pretty good at the game. I highly recommend this game if u are a hardcore gamer.

I love music, but I feared I wouldn't be "geeky" enough to understand this game, since I'm not an expert at mixing music or anything. Boy was I totally wrong. Whatever your skill level, you will find yourself having a good time and making music you cant believe you could make! First of all, let me say it's not actually a game. It's more like an interactive creative tool. But it sure is just as fun as any game, if not more! You can also make "videos" which consist of graphics to coordinate with your tunes. Anyone who likes to design video effect will have a blast with this. The sampler and microphone accessory are not a necessity for me at this time, since there are so many riffs to explore and use. This title is a guaranteed great time and endless hours of fun. Although the controls seem intimidating at first, all you need is about an hour to sit down and go through the tutorial and you can start working on your first masterpiece. I found the interface to be very user-friendly and well-organized. This game is a must-have for all ages, and certainly more worthwhile than just playing 50 rounds of Tekken (again!).

Beat machine, not a game, trust me i've got 20 beats already. Not dinky, keyboard beats, but REAL BEATS, some better than some of the songs out today. Trust me. Only thing is the sounds have to be thought out yourself on how fast or slow, or how a certain tune may sound, before you put it into a beat; and it could be difficult to find a particular sound you prefer. Also if just getting started it is difficult to create a real beat, if no one around you has played it before; the 1rst time you make one it may be "keyboardy" like. However bass lines such as the "slide drum" are forreal.The"2step" rythym beat and "low strings" melody are classic to a beat.OVERALL: Definitley an execellent source for beat makers or production artist; For any music preferrence.........

As you might already know, this game allows you to take samples and piece them together to make a song. But what's also great about MTV:MG2 is that you can start from scratch! You can create and arrange your own bass lines with a different line of 'instruments,' and you can make your own original beats. Probably the hardest to make an original composition in, is the Melody section, so you need to have some knowledge in music theory and keyboarding. If you're experienced in this game, you'll know what I'm talking about. There is also many ways to change the 'instruments,' so it isn't that hard to make your very own sounds!

The vocal samples are only good for Trance songs, but if you want to make rap or rock songs, your going to need the adapter that lets you insert your own vocals and other music (I still need to get it, if it's still available).

This game will consume a lot of your time, because it is somewhat difficult to make an original piece. An original piece that sounds GOOD. I have owned the game for about 4 months, and I am still making 1 song as original and good as I can.

This game is also not very hard to learn. I started without reading the instruction booklet first, and I found the game easy to navigate.

All you really need for this game is a love of making music and a lot of creativity. Also, a lot of free time if your serious about making good, original music.

My 6 yr old son thinks this games is so cool! He loves the fact that you can change characters (sponge bob, patrick, or sandy) and that they all have different powers. He gets frustrated with at times because it is difficult. But all in all it's his favorite game (for this week anyway).

This game is awesome! My boyfriend reanted it for our 2-year-old who loves Spongebob, and me and him played it all weekend! Even my niece who doesn't like video games enjoys it. Some areas are diffcult, but they never seem impossible. I also like the fact that there isn't really any violence. After watching Daddy play "Manhunt" my son decided to hit us, and he has "learned karate" from "Rise to Honor". Spongebob blows bubbles at the robots (who have taken over bikini bottom, thanks to Plankton). This game is at the same time simple and complicated. Some parts require precise timing, but this is the coolest video game I have ever played.

This game is awesome. Nickelodeon games never have the best graphics but in this game the graphics are great especially simple-designed characters like Patrick and Plankton. The story is that Plankton makes these robots that don't obey him and try to rampage the town. The sound and music have improved since "Flying Dutchman." Now, there's good music for each level and each situation unlike in the last where music changes depending on what Spongebob is wearing. The only complaint about this I have is Mr. Krabs and Mermaidman have different voices and Spongebob acts stupid by trying to pass off stupid jokes and euphemisms but it's not a big deal. The gameplay is great. In addition to Spongebob, you can play as Patrick and Sandy. At parts, it is challenging beating robots and solving puzzles but a challenge is a good thing most of the time. If there is one Nickelodeon game you must buy this year, it is this one. Get it now!!!!!

I rented this thinking it would be similar to Mario Party and was very sorely disappointed. If I had bought this game I would have freaked out, because even the 6 bucks I spent on renting it was a total waste. The mini-games were nonsensical and the opposite of fun: tedious. No explanations, no apparent point to the game, stupid graphics. I'm surprised Nintendo is putting their name on this crap. Don't buy this game! Buy Mario Party 5 instead.

This game is addictive and fun at first, until you play all the games twice, this is a great game. But after you've replayed all the mini games, this game is pretty boring ... I wouldn't buy this game, I'd definitely recommend you rent it but don't buy it unless you really, REALLY like it. A game you will want at a party.

Wario Ware Mega Micro Games was a huge hit on the handheld GBA! And no wonder! With 100s of minigames it was instantly addictive and had a warped sense of humor. Now it comes to the GameCube, but oddly pretty much INTACT other than a multiplayer option. Think of it as the ultimate party game and you'll be fine! The most fun multiplayer game in a long time, and nobody has to explain how to play.

They have opened up the ability to play and practice the minigames in a library section of the game. Now it's great if you want to learn how to do one you are stumbling over again and again, but it's kind of a cheat. You can become familiar with all the games and how to win pretty quickly. Which makes you no fun to play with when your friends grab a controller with you. And that is where the fun is! It also makes the solo version less fun because you can pretty much go to any level in the library and control the speed.

I would have expected some more advanced graphics, or more involved games ... but this one plays EXACTLY like the GBA -- you use the directional pad/joystick and the A button and that is it! People missing the Atari 2600 rejoice! The games are funny, and if you don't have the GBA version this version of WARIOWARE is the way to go -- your friends will love you. But if you do have that handheld ... you may want to rent or play your friends and just show them that you are already the master at picking noses, putting in eye drops, and teasing kittens!

This game has great graphics to me the faces look very real so if you are looking for a sport game to buy you should by MLB 2005 as your next game as well as Need For Speed Underground

989 Sports has certainly brought their game to the table with their latest effort, "MLB 2005."
The graphics are top notch and the details (use of color, definition, etc) make this one of the best baseball games available. Where the 2004 version seemed more like a PS1 game, the 2005 version definitely looks at home on the PS2.
All of the stadiums look great and even include the new parks in Philadelphia and San Diego. Unfortunately the crowds are still VERY 2D and look like aniated cardboard characters, 989 needs to improve this aspect of the game.
Hitting can be very difficult and anything above the rookie level may cause you to have fits when the CPU scores 12 runs. Also stealing bases prove to be almost impossible. It's funny because you could steal every time in the 2004 game - 989 needs to find a middle ground here.
A welcome addition is that errors actually occur in this game. While the 2004 version claimed to have that option, I *never* once saw it happen - it does in 2005. One of my biggest complaints though is that there still aren't wild pitches or passed balls in the game and not having them lessens the realism. Also one of the oddest things of the game is that Barry Bonds is nowhere to be found! Why is one of the greatest hitters of all time NOT in this game? There is no reason for him not to be in it as the game is endorsed by both MLB and the player's union. Was this a mistake? How could they overlook this? Another issue I have regards player profiles you can save which apparently allow you to collect "points" where you can unlock "gold" and "silver" era players like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb but the game manual says absolutely nothing about it so how is the player supposed to know what to do?
Still, I'm very impressed with the fantasy aspects of the game such a allowing you to control virtually every aspect of running a baseball franchise and the fact that they include a good number of minor league players for you to call up when needed. Also trading for players requires you to figure out what you REALLY need and who you're willing to lose because the game can reject trade offers. Also when signing free agents, you must propose a satisfactory contract or else the player will turn you down.
While there are some negatives to "MLB 2005" (no Barry Bonds, no wild pitches), 989 Sports has finally come through and delivered a quality baseball game that will keep your interest for a very long time.

this game is great. The best baseball game ive played on ps2 next to mvp 2005. Everything looks great. the graphics are good the sound is good and the game offers many modes of play. when you chose your team you can also chose the jersy you want them to wear, from classicc jersys to new ones.the only down side that i have come across is the fact that barry bonds is not in the game.

BUY IT NOW!

Look the only thing good about nba live is the gameplay which isn't thast realistic considering the players ratings are so off, pierce an 83 ru joking. Look the game is ok in general the gameplay is fun but not realistic and can often get boring quickly. Unlike its counterpart NBA2K4 NBA LIVE'S franchise mode is horrible, the computer never signs free agents. leaving you to sign the best players to a minimum contract, making your team ridiculously better than anyone elses team. Not only this but you cannot hardly ever trade for first round draft picks and half the time it doesn't matter cause the players you draft usely are terrible. On the otherhand in this game the players develope so slow sometimes that its better to have an old player on your team than a young star because the start will never reach their potential. Also addding insult to injury is the fact that in order to get points for team workout you have to do tasks that make one player a ball hog. About the only this realistic in NBA is the basketball.

Stop comparing this game to Madden! Sure, we'd all like every sports game to be as great as the Madden franchise, but they're not all equal, so stop denigrating every release that isn't exactly like Madden!

I think this game is incredibly fun, with deep options, much more realistic gameplay than previous releases. The upgrades over the previous incarnations are immeasurable: you can actually hit mid-range, and long-range jump shots with consistency; the passing mode is much more realistic; MANY more plays and schemes; way better defensive system; more realistic rebounding; a very deep dynasty gameplay; great arenas and realistic player graphics; much more realistic player stats; great off-ball controls; better post moves; the freestyle controls are nice, especially on defense; the CPU actually substitutes players at a realistic rate; the flow of the game is realistic; the cut-a-aways during gametime are nice; the player management/contract component is as realistic as they could get, given the swampy rules of the NBA CBA; the commentary is much better than even the Madden releases, and is non-reptitive and informative, actually, as Fratello offers particulars about even marginal players in the league; the game sound is incredibly realistic, the crowd response adding to the tension and drama of the game; and the NBA store feature is a really neat addition, as you can outfit your squad with socks, shoes, headbands, and even Throwback Jerseys.

So the interface isn't exactly like your precious Madden games? So what? This is, by far, the most realistic basketball video game I've ever played. It has great replay value. An owner mode would be nice, but given non-Madden titles are lagging a couple years, it should be in there by 2006.

A few caveats: it's much too easy for the CPU to block shots on the perimeter. I recently played against the Nets, and Kidd ended up blocking 10 shots from the perimeter. He's a good player, but he isn't THAT good. Also, the booklet isn't as thorough as it could be: some explanation of play-sets would have been helpful. I'm a basketball nut, but I don't know the difference between the five different Motion offense sets. A little more content would have been nice.

All you losers who sayed this game sucks your wrong.You just dont know how to play it.The best part is making your own charecter and make him the best.It has alot of detail in Dynasty Mode with the player retiring and the draft picks and trades.And the retiring jerseys.This game is the best NBA LIVE game yet. PEACE, King JV

Overall, this is an exellent game. There are many enemies and dungeons in this game. The bosses are huge and awesome, and the FMV's are simply fantastic. There is also a very comeling story, and that is pretty much the most important part about an RPG.
So get this game, you'll be playing for hours having a lot of fun with a great game for a low price.

this game is a top noch game. it's an rpg with changing environments. it is really no differant form the dreamcast but what this does do is it takes evolution 1 and 2 and puts them together so you really get a 40 hour game. apart they could be done in a week but this will take a few with the mirger of the two games, also it has great replay value a few months later(i'm sure). its a must if you like rpg's (especally since there are none on the GC) but if you don't like rpg's try something else cause this game would not be for you.

The Dreamcast version of this game was a good game, if you enjoy this kind of thing. The point is not to wander around fighting stupid monsters, its to continue the story. After all, this is a role-playing game, so if your expecting to go blasting in from first person view, no i would not suggest this title for you, but if you want a good adventure and your willing to give it a chance, pick this one up. Oh, and if your wondering about why I gave this game a 5 for durability, it has a really good replay value, as the dungeons are randomly created and will always be diffrent.

(NOTE: this review is based on the demo. I have liked the demo enough to buy the full version.)

While any fantasy kingdom-building game will be compared to Warcraft, this game is not just another WC clone. The developer bills it as a "fantasy kingdom sim" instead of an RTS game. The biggest change is that you never give orders to individual units. This is very nice if you don't like the mad click-fest that Warcraft can become when you're trying to order around large numbers of units. Instead, you recruit heroes from the guilds, then manipulate their attacks through placing bounties. Heroes can gain experience levels as they hunt monsters, and spend the gold they earn on better equipment (such as better weapons, magic rings, potions, etc.) The levels have a set quest for you to accomplish before you move to the next level.

If there's anything keeping this review from 5 stars, it's that you almost don't do enough... once all your buildings are set up, you can sit back and watch most of the time. On the other hand, that is more in the spirit of Sim-type games, which is what they were aiming for.

This game was very novel, you don't have direct control over you units and you have to use other methods to motivate them (such as bribes). Eventually the novelty wears off and it gets a little boring to not be able to just take control in certain situations.

Basically, you should buy this game if you want to have fun with it for a week or so (it is cheaper then a dvd, so it pays in comparison). Don't expect very much long term intrest in it though.

Majesty for the Mac (and also for the PC) is a major league addictive recreation and time sink in our household (and both my wife and I are old enough to know better). Consequently, we've had to limit our playing to lunchtime, evenings, and/or weekends, or we won't get anything done.

This strategy game combines some of the more enjoyable aspects of Sim City and various fantasy role-playing games. You are the monarch of a small kingdom, facing a variety of challenges from the simple to extremely difficult (depending upon scenario). Your job is to survive and win; the catch is that not all of your subjects understand the task at hand (nor are they always up for the challenge); and the various monsters and "creatures of the night" are doing their best to destroy both your kingdom and you. (It can be very disheartening to watch your castle being destroyed by a wave of fire-breathing dragons - found in one of the more challenging scenarios - while your various heroes, who are your main defenders, are off chasing minor monsters.)

On the other hand, if you chose a scenario where the odds are in your favor, then you can easily take out your frustrations with the everyday world in a burst of heroic leadership in less than an hour's time. The graphics are good, but not gory; so the faint-of-stomach (or with mothers who are) shouldn't worry about seeing excessive violence (I've seen worse in made-for-television movies).

Majesty requires you to chose between supporting "good", or orderly, clerics and "evil", or chaotic, ones, depending upon scenario. (Both, however, can give you a victory.) How much magic is necessary to use also varies with scenario (magic-users can be critical to your victory or merely a distraction). For people who want gender equality or support political correctness based on gender, it is also worth noting that half of both the stronger fighters, and clerics (of both alignments), are female. (The monsters occur in both sexes, too.)

At the higher level, a good deal of puzzle-solving is required; but at the intermediate level, it's mainly just-plain-fun "monster-bashing" (and as long as you exercise a minimum of caution, generally a victory over the "forces-of-evil"). The basic level scenarios are primarily a way of teaching you the finer points of the game (a very useful feature) as is the manual, though unfortunately the latter is not perfectly clear (I had to get my adult son, who owns a PC version of the game, to explain some of the details before being able to master the game). Barring that one problem, I have nothing but praise for both the game and the quality of its design; I haven't had this much fun with a fantasy-based computer game since I played Wizardry.

Brought up on the original Space Invaders, PacMan and Defender I thoroughly enjoyed this game and so did my kids.

The younger kids really like the smilley character. Many other modern games are filled with grumby, growling, gun slinging doodes with bad attitude that give kids nightmares.

Sure Pacman has ghosts but with his constant smile and happy ending I was able to sweep the ghosts thing aside.

I was also able to teach my kids perseverence (no I'm no kidding ;-). This game isn't for wimps or people with no backbone, you really need to keep pressing forward, learn from your mistakes and just keep going and going.

But now that we've finished the entire game there's a big void in the play time department, I'm hoping for Pac Man World 3 ;-)

We've got Jak and Dexter (1) it's very good. Ratchet and Clank its good but has guns. Sonic Heroes but we still prefer PacMan.

PacMan World 2 even includes the original Pac Man and a bunch of other Namco Pacman arcade games, wow what a bonus.

In general it's an excellent game. It starts easy and builds to being challenging, outright difficult at times but a good guide/help/cheat on the web should fix that.

Highly recommended.

this has got the classic and broughten it to another level. the graphics are great, and cute, and there is great play control, short load times, and a fun atmosphere throughout the game. the levels are really cool and the game is worth checking out. it is definately worth your money because since playstation is inteneded for more of a mature audience, there have been a lack of great games for all ages. there is Jak and daxter, an under rated flawless platformer, and now we have pac man world 2 to add to the collection. this one improves upon the original for the PSX, graphics and gameplay wise. try this game out if you even have a hint of love for the original arcade version.

So, Pac-Man is back in a new game Pac-Man World 2. Basically it's the original with a modern kick to it. You have to avoid the ghosts and mcuh more. You get to roll around, ice-skate, bouce off of trampolines, what more could you want in a game? I absolutely love this game. I mean me and my mom can sit there for ever trying to get through the levels to see what's next in the next world. This game isn't very hard, but not too easy so it is the right amount of difficulty. I love this game so if you're thinking of buying it I would definately say, go for it.

I loved B gate2. the action is awsome and the characters are extrordinary. I enjoy playing it even after I have betten it. Though I used a cheat code from time to time, I still love it! the characters are each skilled in different things. now in the second game, there are five charaqcters to choose from and, more locked characters to open.

I'm a die hard PC RPG fan. Perhaps that's the source of my disappointment. I bought an XBOX while deployed to Iraq and got star wars KOTOR (Most awsome game) and Dark Alliance 2. I've played Baldur's gate. This is not Baldur's gate. This is Diablo 3. BG is turn based combat from an angle down view. This thing's camera angle is like running around and staring at your feet and trying to find your way around. I havn't gotten to far into it yet. I will try to give it another shot if I can keep away from KOTOR long enough. Perhaps I can learn to like it if I don't try to compare it to Baldur's gate. I hate it when someone takes liberities with a well known title just to make money and destroys it. That's like putting up a taco bell but not serving any Tex/Mex food only tofu! I didn't like Diablo and I don't like this pseudo Baldur's Gate!

BGDA2 is a mixed bag. It does a lot of things right, but it also messes up others. Here is on short the story:

The Good:
- 5 characters to choose from, plus 2 secret ones equals a lot of replayability! This time they have around double the number of skills from BGDA1. Also, secret skills can be 'discovered', once all the specific character quests are completed.
- unlimited arrows and bolts! No more quivers to carry around.
- weapons and armor can be upgraded in a workshop (like in Diablo, only that here you pay for it). This means you can craft your own weapons and armors.
- Easy plays like Easy, not like in the first game. Also, gaining levels is much easier. It took around 5 minutes to gain first 2 levels and it continues to be as easy. Spells don't cost much either, so you'll be powerful early in the game.
- using L and X,A,Y and B, you can set up up to 5 spells at a time
- characters are much more balanced than in the first game (where the sorceress' Lighting Ball was too strong). All classes play different, yet all seem to be as good and fit all playing styles.

The Bad:
- too many levels are huge mazes in very bad lit areas, where is hard to make sense who you are fighting or even where they are. This forces you to use the map, which makes it even harder to see around (in coop the map sits in the middle of the screen). The map is also needed for finding the secret areas, which means you have to use it all the time.
- bosses are very forgettable. In the first game, you could clearly remember every boss. Not here though. Most bosses are made easier, so most of the time they won't present a challenge
- Hard setting is still easy. Only Extreme presents a challenge.
- Finding the merchant in BG may be difficult (he's not shown on the map and he sits outside, in a place hard to see unless you rotate the default camera)
- Upgrading weapons takes a lot of money and stones. The system is a bit unintuitive - for example, making a +4 Strength weapon requires 8 Rune Stones and 8 Jacinth stones (those stones alone cost 40000 gold in total) and the number of stones increases exponentially for better items ...

The Ugly:
- Graphics! Forget the gorgeous BGDA... This sequel has poor textures, which came as a shock. While the characters look definitely better, the textures used for everything else are very poor. Black Isle designers also have no clue on using light sources - most levels are very dark (darker than Drow Underworld, for example).

Overall, i would recommend this game. While not as good as Diablo 2, I think is better than BGDA1 and Dungeons and Dragons Heroes and offers enough replayability to be worth the full price.