Game Reviews

we're late 20's and have a set that comes out sometime during most dinner parties! A few glasses of wine and its amazing how rough the battle for the crown can get. BEWARE though the crown is flimsy- we broke ours and had to replace it with a rhinestone model from claire's

this is definitly the best game ever!! im 15 and me and my friends still totally love this game! and when i babysitt the kids play it all the time, the little girl and even the boys (who are 8 and 11) this is so much fun to play... everyone gets to put on the pretty jewlry and have fun! I THINK THIS IS THE BEST GAME FOR ANYONE AGES 4-120!!!

I bought this for my 4 year old daughter. She loves it. She's even gotten Daddy and Grandpa to dress-up :) Very cute game!!!

The resolution is good, I don't miss any details in the video games I play on it. It's got a headphone plug so you can play anywhere without disturbing people. You can plug it in to your television just like a regular PS1 without the extra LCD screen, and it shows up on both screens a the same time... nice for two player games. (Note: It shows the same thing on both screens, so you don't get different views of the game).

The built in sound isn't the best, probably like laptop speakers, but you can plug your headphones into it, or just use your AV out and plug it in to your stereo...

The best part is, in addition to being a CD player / PS1 game player, you can plug in an external input for any kind of video - TV, VCR, DVD, PS2. Here's how.

Buy a 1/8" stereo male to dual RCA female adapter.

Plug the yellow video out from the PS2 into the white plug of the adapter.

Plug the white left audio out from the PS2 into the red plug of the adapter.

And you're good to go. The screen should turn itself on whenever the 1/8" plug is in.

Sure you only get a mono/left signal, but if you can switch your material to mono it works. 95% of the time this should be fine. Or you can buy further adapaters & combine the left & right signals.

Great combo, light, easy to use. The screen made all those bad PlayStation graphics disappear! Wonderful color and resolution, just not the best when viewed from all angles. I played games such as Quake II, Final Fantasy VII and Diablo and the graphics were smooth without jaggies like on a regular TV. Tricked me into thinking it was PS2 and not old PS. Plus you can read all text nice and clear in RPG's and such. Headphone jack too for good quality sound although speakers arn't too shabby. Plays CD's and PlayStation Games (that's a lot).

The PSOne and screen is great for trips and such. If you buy this item I would recommend:

1. PSOne Car Adapter - Makes device Portable. Plugs into any cigarette-type outlet in car, even to socket on airplanes (check below your seat next time)!

3. PSOne Island Blue Dual Shock Controller (Awesome color)

2. PlayStation Memory Card (Light Gray or Island Blue)

4. PSOne Deluxe Carrying Case (Made by various companies)

5. 1/8" (Headphone jack type) Camcorder Stereo A/V Cable (Ask for at any Radio Shack, they will have it. This is ALL you need to hook up a DVD Player, VCR, etc. to the screen's AV IN. You don't need any PS2 cables or whatever described in another review.)

Put one in every room in the house! Portable and perfect, now you can have the enormous PS1 catalog in a teeny tiny package. There are plenty of features (see most other reviews), but I most appreciate the ability to toss a few games and a controller in a bag with the PS One and Screen combo and take it anywhere. The games look terrific on the small screen, and the whole thing fits easily into a backpack (or a large purse if you swing that way).

My family has been playing boggle since I was 10 yrs old! I am now 46. Somewhere along the line we graduated to big boggle (5 letters or more ) We always played after dinner, even my grandmother. We needed teams to beat my dad! Our set has seen better days. We can't seem to find a replacement...does anyone know where big boggle has gone?

Boggle is a great word game that is fun for the whole family in which players have three minutes to find as many connected words as they can in a 4x4 grid. It doesn't take long to play (only three minutes to be exact) and you don't need a lot of space to play it. It uses a lot of the same skills as scrabble, but unlike in scrabble you won't keep getting beaten every time by that brainy uncle who must have memorized the dictionary, because most of the words that can be found are only 3 or 4 letters long, and even younger kids have a fair chance to win(occasionally a very long word can be found however - my personal triumph was the 8-letter "nicotine"). Also, you WILL learn new words you never knew existed from this game when people guess them and make you look them up - crazy words like "hie" and "tat" and "coe". Overall a very fun game well worth buying, although I wish they still made the bigger version, because that one's a lot of fun too.

I do not play board games, plain and simple. Boggle is the exception. I got hooked on it about 18 months ago. It is the most addictive game I've ever played. Its appeal crosses generations -- my 76-year-old father is its most ardent enthusiast. I like it because it keeps his mind sharp.

My wife and I compete fiercely. We slightly modify the rules. For example,we allow two turns of the timer per board, allowing us more time to develop words. We say that the game is over after three boards; then we start a new game. This keeps it interesting if someone falls decisively behind. We also give two bonus points (13 in total) if someone develops a nine-letter word. (Play the game, see how difficult THAT is, then you'll see why we think it deserves a bonus.)

I am fortunate to have found a VERY old Big Boggle game in my mother's basement. This game is good, but the BEST game is Master Boggle. I cannot find it anywhere, but my father has it. The mix of letters allows you to develop really cool, exotic words. Last week, I spelled "gestalt."

I was at a family event last week and we were all trying to figure out what to do. The suggestion for a movie came up. One of my cousins fought the idea saying he didn't come all the way to visit so we could all sit together in the dark to watch a film. So we went to Walmart and bought some games. Taboo, Cranium, and Pictionary. Well, we had such a great time together. We really laughed and bonded. That weekend as we rode around one cousin pulled out a singing lesson Cd and played it in the car, Voice Lessons To Go by Vaccarino, so we all sang together in our car like crazies- again having the best time. The rest of the weekend, we played more games and never thought about turning on the TV or watching a film. My niece even played the piano for us one night and we sang songs from a song book. These games really help bring back the communication our generation has lost.

Pictionary is a great game that anyone can play. You can play with your entire family and people from different age-groups. Kids can play as long as they are told what the words mean, and even people who do not speak English so well can enjoy this game. It is a great ice-breaker for anyone. I pull it out for parties without worrying about who will fit in or who will feel left out.

Our family has been playing this game with dry erase boards for a while now. Not only does it save on paper, it is so much more fun. There are new strategies in eraseing pictures and using multiple colors. It really changed our game nights with these boards. My husband just purchased whiteboards at, eraseboards.com(?), I think. Pretty affordable. Every Pictionary owner should try using dry erase.

There are many entertaining Board Games, but by time the fun gets lost but not with Pictionary! What makes Pictionary so much fun no matter how much you play it are:

1. Each player has his/her own imagination. So no matter how often you play the game, each player might draw or guess differently the same card!

2. It's fun for parents to enjoy it with their teens.

3. It's fun for friends to play it together.

4. It's fun when men play against their wives (oh I love this one)!

Do you know it's very difficult to draw simple objects? Just try drawing anything and see what others guess it. Oh sometime they go very far that even if you wanted them to guess that word they'd have not :-)

One of the best games that are as good as this one (if not better) is Taboo! Have fun...

This was received as a Christmas gift back in December 2003, with the impression from the giver it wouldn't be received too well. Being a dirt track racing addict, having played Dirt Track Racing on Windows 98 by Ratbag, which this, in addition to Dirt Track Racing 2, must be made for a Playstation 2 (hint, hint) to keep the other dirt track addicts at bay; this game has every element a racing gamer demands. The graphics are outstanding, realistic sounds of the announcer, engine revving, crowd noises, options being numerous, and I just can't stop playing it. If your thumbs aren't calloused and numb, forgetting how to blink your eyes, and experiencing sharp pains in your palms, arms and your lower left side of your body because of the "leaning left syndrome" after a couple of hours of racing your custom sprint car, then this isn't the game for you. Racing games are supposed to be just as white knuckled induced as the real thing and this fits the bill. I can't describe how incredible this game really is. It's so good that I haven't even opened my other Playstation 2 games yet. You have to try it yourself, either by renting it first before you purchase it or buy it outright, to be a true believer as myself. So, you'd better get it now before it becomes obsolete and hard to find.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines, And Step Hard on the Loud Pedal!!!As a big fan of sprint car racing, this is a breath of fresh air for the Playstation 2. This game is one of the best racing games I have ever played. The track changes from start to finish, you get mud on you screen and have to use tear-offs to see again, and there is always a chance of the driver in front of you wrecking and taking you out. I also like the fact that they have alot of the current race driver and also remember one of the great one with the 93 Ammaco sprinter for Kevin Gobrecht. The tracks are very realistic down to the half letters at Bristol and the detail like the crowd and off-track things are very sharp. I also like the description they give at the begining of each race, like when you race at Williams Grove, they tell you about the track and about the PA Posse and how it is some of the toughest local driver's the Outlaws face. I have this game for the computer as well and I think the one for Playstation is far better. If you like any type of racing, this game is for you!! And remember this, real men race in the Dirt!!!

I remember when the first Gran Turismo came out. The feel and control was like nothing I had experienced on a console racer before. And by the way I only buy racing games. No football, no boxing, no shoot-um-ups, no RPG's for me. None of these offers the adreneline rush of an awesome racing game. World of Outlaws Sprint Cars 2002 is one of those games. One of those games that push the envelope called realism to the extreme. When I first nailed it coming out of a corner and felt the front end actually lift, I was stunned. The physics and control of this game is the very best yet. And I've raced a ton of games on PS1 and PS2. Nothing touches this. Not even close. Thought GT3 was the ultimate? Wrong my friend. The AI in GT3 are absolute idiots compared to the AI in WoO. They are relentless. Venture into Outlaw mode and you will find the truth there. And this game has far and away the best Arcade mode yet in a racer. Hands down. And the graphics are gorgeous. Awesome track lighting and the most lovely skies yet seen. The progression from evening practice to the night's A Main is rendered like never before. And to top it off, this game is only [amount]. If you are a true racer like myself, go buy this ASAP. I bet them guys over at Polyphony Digital are playing this game as we speak, in awe of Ratbag's dirt track masterpiece.

Let me start off by saying I cried at this game. Yes, I did. The game totally immersed me into the planet Hyllis, engrossed me into the characters and their relationships, and captivated me into the story line.
The gameplay mixes stealth, action, and puzzle (even some driving!!) into one awesome game about how the government lies to you about an alien invasion. The supposed "helpers" are called Alpha Sections and are really importing human bodies to the alien's planet to produce monsters. Armed with your camera, and stick, and one of two sidekicks, you seek out the government's lies.
The title of my review goes to almost all you gamers out there. Why did True Crime sell the same time BG&E was out?? Tons of bad games over the holiday season (when this was released), and very few good games, and this is what happens? Please.
The graphics are pretty good, not the best, and all the elements of the game fit together perfectly. Get ready for a cinema-worthy action/adventure game. The ending is so sad, even though there are no words, it speaks for itself.

There are certain games that manage to slide in under the radar and go unoticed by the gaming public. Ubi Soft's Beyond Good and Evil is one of those rare games that does so many things right it's hard to imagine why more people aren't playing it.

The main character, Jade, is a freelance reporter on a planet named Hyllis. It's a bit of an odd world, with unusual life forms such as talking pigs, cat people, and walrus like men. Hyllis is under attack by an alien race called the DomZ. The para-military units known as the Alpha Sections are defending Hyllis from the attacking aliens. But all is not what it seems. People are disappering from Hyllis. And the Alpha Sections are suspected of collaborating with the DomZ. Jade, our heroine, is recruited by the underground IRIS Network to uncover the conspiracy.

The games graphics are outstanding. Hyllis is a huge, living breathing world complete with wild life, oceans, and even a moon. Water effects are rendered extrememly well, especially since Hyllis is mostly a water world. The game is also presented in widescreen through it's entirety. This makes it possible for seemless transitions from the action to cutscenes. This is really a nice looking game in all areas.

Alot of people have mischaracterized this game as a "platformer". This game is actually an adventure with quite a bit of stealth elements included. Some of the stealth elements are very reminscent of games such as Metal Gear Solid, Tenchu and Splinter Cell. The action varys quite a bit from stealth to martial arts action. There's even a mini-game thrown in for good measure. Though stealth plays a big part of this game, it doesn't seem tedious. There is also a unique power up system. Throughout Hyllis there are vending machines where you purchase meal packs called K-Bups and Starkos. Other items can also be purchased from these machines. One of the more interesting features is that throughout the game you get updates in the form of Emails from the IRIS Network, and you can subscribe to publications that can be emailed to you.

The controls take some getting used to. The learning curve is about thirty minutes. But once the controls are down the game flows very nicely.

Unfortunatley there's not alot of replay value here. Once you complete the game there's not much reason to go back and play it again. That's the one criticism you can lay on it.

This game is great buy for the new reduced price. In an age where the gaming world is flooded with sequel after sequel, it's great to see a new origial game that really gives you something different for your time and money. I HIGHLY recomend this game.

This was one of the best games I ever played. I like playing video games some times but i never seem to finish them. But this game was not only fun but had a good plot where I wanted to know what was going to happen next till I finish the game. Jade is the main charter well going along the game you have to take pictures of the different creatures but the game is much more then just taking pictures, you have boat you drive, a ship you fly, you fight, solving, sneaking around guards ect... I would say Jade kind of plays the role of a spy. This my favorite game, I enjoyed it sooooo much and I hope they are going the make a second Beyond good & evil because if they do I be first in line for second!!!!

wow. i just got my gamecaube as a very, very early christmas gift, and the first game i bought was NCAA 2003....i haven't stopped playing since i first popped that little mini game disc in my new GC system! it is i n c r e d i b l e! the graphics are silky smooth...the animations are fantastic...and the gameplay is superb. gone are the days of the "money" plays...gone are the days of the easy sack...this is college footabll gameplay on the highest level. the pagentry...the mascots...the cheerleaders on the sidelines! i can't say enough about this game! the running game can be very tough, and the passing game is very challenging...but, of course, EA Sports included "slider bars" so you can customize whatever you want about the gameplay. the commentary is terrific with Corso and Herbstreit (sp?) in the booth adding color...the stadium sound effects are insane...the crowd goes nuts... and the bands play on!! whew! did you get all that?? look, i bought the GameCube because i did alot of research, and everyone said how great the sports games were on this little miracle box, and they weren't lyin'. if there is one game you MUST own for the GameCube it is NCAA College Football 2003....it is simply an amazing game. Deep deep dynasty mode...creat-a-school, create-a-player, 50 all mascot teams (yes, you can battle it out on the grid iron with Testudo vs. the Nitanny Lion mascots!), career stats, tropy room, rivalry games with trophies on the line....the list goes on.....buy this game, now.
GO PENN STATE!

peace,

cicatelli

I was thinking of just waiting for the new madden but I got impatient and bought EA's NCAA Football 2003 instead. The graphics are great, the gameplay is smooth, and the controls make sense.

Some things I like:

The passing is easy, you don't have to press a button before you can pass, making quick releases possible.

It is easy to set the difficulty to exactly how you want it. They have junior varsity through heisman, but each element of the game from run blocking to pass rushing is yery customizable, which makes for competitive games.

The dynasty mode is fun, and you can even customize your schedule to an extent.

You can knock over the first down chain guys when you go out of bounds, and the crowds sound realistic.

The announcers aren't too repetitive, and they actually use the player's names when talking about them (in the second year of my dynasty when they have names, in the first year they have only numbers).

Recruiting is fun, more fun than drafting players.

Overall, this is a sweet game, and I recommend it highly.

I bought this game and wow! The graphics are amazing and the rosters are right on target. The controls are pretty simple and the play calling is easy. It includes all of the NCAA division one football teams and has all of the players on the rosters. It is really fun because you win trophies from playing your rivals. It also features all of the fight songs for each team. There are also modes where you can create a team and a player, play seasons or own a dynasty, and play mascot mode to have a little fun. All in all, this game is the best sports game I have ever played.

What else can you do for a game that has garnered as many awards as Freespace 2 has? Why add new missions of course! The result is Freespace 2: Sci-Fi Sim of the Year Edition, a product which includes 20 extra missions as well as some high-res artwork and wallpaper not included on the original CDs. The missions have been crafted by users and are approved by Volition and Interplay. First the specs: Freespace 2 requires at least a Pentium 200MHz processor and 32MB of RAM with a 4MB 3D video card. Ideally, you'll want to run the game on a Pentium II 266MHz or faster processor with an 8MB or higher video card and 64 or more megs of memory. Because the game has a 1024x768 screen resolution option the maximum install is about 1.2GB of hard drive space. But it's worth it, all of it. Freespace 2 is the ultimate representation of what any computer game should be. From the opening cutscene, which chronicles the Battle of Deneb from the previous game, to the first battle in which a cruiser destroys another with an iridiscent energy beam the game unfolds in magnificent fashion. The plot is set 32 years after the first game and casts you as a pilot flying sorties and missions against a rogue faction of Terrans called the New Terran Front (NTF). The implacable Shivans make a return from the previous game with new ships and weapons of mass destruction. Battles range from the cold void of space to the miasmic shadows of ubiquitous nebulae.

Graphics are handled by a game engine that requires a 3D accelerator card; supported chipsets include the 3dfx Voodoo family, nVidia's TNT and GeForce offerings, ATI's Rage Pro, and Matrox's G200 and G400. Direct3D and Glide are also supported as are EAX for Creative Labs' SoundBlaster Live! sound cards, and A3D for Aureal's Vortex audio chipsets. Force feedback deepens the level of immersion with wrist-rattling effects that will make you swear your den (or whichever room your PC's in) is a cosmic battleground.

Freespace 2: Sci-Fi Sim of the Year Edition is the culmination of excellent gaming. The music, graphics, and missions will have you in awe for hours on end. Get this game and experience it today!

Review System: P3-450, 96M RAM, RIVA TNT2

Sweet mother of god. Just thinking about this game gives me goosebumps, bringing me back to long sleepless nights spent in the eerie confines of a nebula, told that SOMETHING is out there, but silently knowing you won't see it until it's too late... Then something appears out of the shadows.

Freespace 2 is without a doubt the best space combat sim I have EVER played, blowing away its contemporaries X-Wing Alliance, Independence War, Starlancer and Tachyon: The Fringe. Graphics wise, unmatched. It's like playing a $100 million movie. Huge explosions, screen filling shockwaves, and incredibly detailed and bump mapped ships. Sound: Excellent. Atmospheric music, good voice acting, and perfect sounds for weapons, engines and more. Value: Great. A long campaign and good multiplayer options will keep you playing for a long time.

But, you say, Starlancer had great graphics! Tachyon had great sound! X-Wing had great value!

Where Freespace 2 really excels is atmosphere. I remember the first time I went up against a capital ship. All other space sims had taught me to believe cap ships were big, sluggish tugs, useless in a fight and just waiting for me to light 'em up with a few well placed torpedoes. Heck, even the first Freespace didn't do much to shake this belief.

So, towards the ship I went in my bomber, thinking this would be a cakewalk. I saw the normal ineffective and poorly aimed lasers flash towards my squadron. Smirking, I armed my torpedoes and fired a volley. As they streaked towards the bridge of the enemy corvette, I saw strange looking flashes surround the torpedoes, then they exploded 500 feet away from the target. Hmm, I thought. Better get closer in.

My ship began rocking as flak from the corvette filled the space around me. This isn't right at all! I thought! This shouldn't be happening! I fired two more torpedoes, and they exploded a second later, flipping my ship around from the force of the blast. Then, I heard a noise. A kind of powering-up noise. I faced the corvette, and I saw a ball of energy growing on its nose. What the....? And then my ship was cleaved in half by a huge pulsating beam of death. I replayed that mission with a new respect for my advisary.

If things like that don't shake you up, I guarantee you the nebula missions will--especially one when you go on a scouting mission with the GVD Psamtik near the middle of the game. I'll leave it up to you to discover why.

In short, buy this game.....buy it now.

Though this game is coming up on 5 years old, it has aged very well. I have replayed the game more times than I ever had any other game. You will see why it is THE benchmark upon which all other space sim games are based. It's a travesty that it didn't get more credit and press. If you enjoy combat flight simulations and you haven't played this one, you're missing out. Play it; you won't be disappointed.

Now if only Volition would release a Freespace 3!

We've all see this toy before, haven't we?

Although I owned Rubik's Magic rings as a kid, a similar but easier-to-solve toy, I never owned the most famous, the original Rubik's cube. I tried, but always got stuck after figuring out one of the sides.

Fast forwarding to a few months ago, I saw it again at a friend's house and was inexplicably hooked. I knew it was only a matter of time before I ordered it.

This cube has proved to be reasonably durable and is fun if you like puzzles. Don't bother to buy a guide to how to figure it out, as there are TONS of solutions on the Internet, from the basic ones to the fast solutions which require a lot of memorization. Whether you cheat or figure it out yourself, it will certainly keep you entertained and is a good value for the money.

The Rubik's Cube has got to be the most classic puzzle toy of all time. But I don't really consider it a toy because I've known a lot of adults that like the cube better than kids do. You have several different colors on the cube and you try to match them up where all the different colors are matched up on every side of the cube. It's easier said than done, but after you keep trying long enough, you'll solve the puzzle eventually. I've heard of people taking the stickers off and placing them in different sections of the cube, but that would take the fun out of it.

I've been playing the Rubik's Cube since I was a kid and when there's nothing else to do or when I feel like taking a good challenge, I still like trying to solve the difficult puzzle every now and then. The cube can be good for kids because it can teach them some thinking and concentration skills, but it's great for anybody no matter how old you are. It's real durable and not easy to break even when you drop it. Just as long as you don't remove any of the stickers from their original spot, the stickers will also stay in place and you'll have the Rubik's Cube to challenge you for the rest of your life.

I recommend anybody who likes puzzles or a good challenge every now and then to get the Rubik's Cube.

...Was the title of a book I bought out of sheer frustration when I was a kid in the mid-eighties, stuck with a mixed-up Cube I couldn't solve. Well, the book was very helpful and allowed me to solve my Cube on a regular basis, so eventually I got bored and put my Cube aside.

I left home in 1992 to join the Army and my stepmom put all my childhood stuff in storage. I didn't get a whole lot of my stuff back til I came back to the Memphis area (for the second time) in 2001... and there, amongst my things, was that selfsame Rubik's Cube.

And lo and behold if it doesn't still work beautifully after nine years in storage! Doesn't even need to be lubricated, all the stickers are still intact (even if some of them have nicks in them) and... it's still mixed up, doggone it, and now I wish I had my book again!

Definitely a fun toy. I have heard most kids these days would rather zonk out on the computer than play something that might actually provide an intellectual challenge. It's a shame, too.

this game is adictive,FUN and educational.it is all my 6 year old sister has thought about since she played.

My 5 year old daughter received this game as a gift, and although she needs my help to read the cards she loves to play this board game! It has more than one game version for you to play and educates you about the different markings on the horses, colors, etc. Great gift for the horse-loving girl! I bought 3 games online after receiving it, so I now have them to give as gifts to her girlfriends!

My parents got this game for me when I was 10 - and at age 15, my friends and I still play it. It's very educational, with beautifully-illustrated cards representing different horses that tell about each ones' breeds, colors, markings, etc. It also includes a handy booklet with general information on horses as well as game rules and plays. The game is actually 3 in 1; with two versions for multiple players and one version for a single player. Another bonus is that to play you don't need extensive knowledge of horses - anyone can play! I have over 5 other different horse board games and this one is my favorite with my friends and family. It is money well spent.