Science Reviews
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Room for Improvement, but still a good toy
A Welcome addition
Used price: $21.99
Buy one from zShops for: $27.79
To that end, developer Buka has given the game an admirable physics engine to make flying feel more realistic. If you drop a bomb or fire a missile, it affects the way your craft flies. Same with damage--the game really gives you a good sense of how much you're hurting simply by how the planes fly. But as admirable as this system is, it feels out of place in such an arcadelike game.
Part of the problem is that while you're subject to the whims of gravity and physics, the enemy is not. You can blast an enemy ship to 90-percent-plus damage, and you'll note no degradation in his or her maneuverability. Another problem is the control scheme. There's too much information on the screen (and a lot of it seems useless), and the mouse combat probably should have been scrapped, as it feels overall unresponsive. This is a joystick game and the box should say so. Also, the missions suffer from a certain sameness and a lack of inspiration: navigate canyons, dodge antiaircraft guns, kill bad guy fighters, repeat.
But that's also the bulk of the game's charm. It's a fun arcade shooter, and the graphics are simply stunning to behold. Explosions are thrilling and the low-altitude aerobatics induce an adrenaline rush. It's genuinely fun to turn and burn through a narrow gap in a wall in order to lose a missile on your tail, and, thankfully, you'll have to do that a lot. Sure, there have definitely been deeper and more intelligent flight shooters in the past, but that genre is neglected these days. This is the one you can buy right now. For adrenaline junkies it's a smash hit and a hell of a ride, but it won't please the simulation crowd it also seems strangely aimed at. --Andrew S. Bub
Pros:
- Beautiful graphics
- Great physics
- Intense, nonstop action
- Somewhat awkward controls
- The physics don't seem to apply to the bad guys

Great graphics, challenging gameplayControlling your fighter is very challenging, you have to keep one eye on your target and another on your HUD (Heads Up Display). Ships don't handle like X-Wings, which I liked; you have to give them time to respond to joystick commands. This time factor varies depending on the type of plane you are flying. Fighters handle differently from Interceptors. My main beef with the game is that it does'nt let you pick your fighter for every mission. There were a few missions where I was forced into an Interceptor (good speed but useless overall) when a simple fighter would have been a better choice.
Weapons are pretty standard with few exceptions. I liked them but I was surprised that ships were not equipped with some missile counter-measure. Well, at least the damage and blast effects are pretty awesome.
Beautiful game
Somewhere between Falcon 4 and WC: PrivateerEnemy AI is basic: try to get far enough away from you to turn around and take a good firing run. Some will fire missiles as soon as they can. A hard turn to one side will fool some missiles, but a more foolproof way is to put a hill between you and the missile.
I only have the demo, so I can't speak for the single-player missions, but the Instant Action is entertaining by itself. It's definitely worth a look, and as old as the game is, it's usually worth shelling out the bux for.

List price: $49.99 (that's 60% off!)
Used price: $5.99
As you travel around the world, climbing and smashing buildings, leaving destruction and carnage in your wake, the only thing standing between you and a festival of urban demolition is a paltry bunch of tanks, rocket-pack soldiers, and police cars. Even if these guys manage to take you down, they pose no real threat--the game offers unlimited replays.
What makes Rampage World Tour so addictive is the fun of punching holes in buildings, downing planes with a single kick, and cannonballing though the roof of the local courthouse. In two-player mode, you can also fight other monsters, but the main fun of the game is still to be found in unrelenting destruction of high-rises, hot dog stands, hospitals, and every other kind of building imaginable. In short, the game revolves around quick-and-dirty mass carnage.
The graphics are true to the original game's style while being a strong improvement over previous versions. The game interface is easy to learn, and phony news reports and the antics of Scumlabs scientists provide a humorous intermission between levels. So if you have ever wanted to grind the major landmarks of the planet under your heel and stomp out to sea, Rampage World Tour is for you. Allen Stewart
Pros:
- Fun, cartoony, movie monster mayhem
- You can work with or against a friend
- Unlimited replays keep the focus on just having fun--not on winning levels
- Punch through a wall, and screaming occupants or other treats may be revealed
- Gameplay is very repetitive
- The cities tend to look alike
- Very little plot

A fun game... for the first 20 minutes!I think I'll sell it the first chance I get. I don't care what kind of games you like, don't get this one at all.
A fun GameMight play it a while since I will make progress on it then i did on Kingdoom of hearts. If you enjoy this game I recomend Rampage 2 Universal tour and Rampage Warp through time
okay
List price: $29.98 (that's 67% off!)
Used price: $2.49
Buy one from zShops for: $29.98
Fighting Force 2 is filled with massive levels, giving lead character Hawk Manson the opportunity to explore multiple floors, smash through walls, and break almost anything in search of keys to new areas. Levels are filled with enemies whom Hawk can defeat using any of 20 weapons (including rifles, knives, and sledgehammers) that can be obtained by destroying cabinets, soda machines, and crates.
Fighting Force's graphics are on par with Syphon Filter's, but controls are far simpler. As a result, it is fairly easy to dive in quickly to the action. While simplicity is the key to Fighting Force 2, this game does lack the substance and theatrical style that characterize Syphon Filter and other offerings. --Robb Guido
Pros:
- Huge levels and loads of weapons
- Rarefied controls compared to Syphon Filter's
- Levels may be a little too big

This game is borring and stupid!
It's cool
Absolutely fantastic
- 3-D fighting game set in the Star Wars universe
- Excellent backgrounds and settings
- Tons of cool special moves and Force powers
- Multiple gameplay modes
- For 1 or 2 players
Used price: $8.69
Buy one from zShops for: $34.87

Classic example of "great idea, terrible execution"PROS:
-Let me start by saying the variety of characters you can choose from is pretty good. You've got lesser-known characters like a Tusken Raider and a Gamorrean, and the wildly popular characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. The game also introduces at least one new character.
-The game also has secret characters - a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader, Jodo Kast, and an alternate version of Princess Leia.
-Every character has his or her own unique weapon. Some characters always have their weapon equipped, others must have a motion entered in order to draw it.
CONS:
-The graphics for this game are downright terrible. As stated above, they look like they were made a year before the game was released.
-The control, what I feel is the most important thing in a video game, is just horrible. Not the button placement, but rather the fighting engine. In other words, adjustingthe controls isn't likely to make your day any easier. The primary challenge from this game comes not from what difficulty you select, but rather the bad fighting engine.
-The secret characters are just regular characters in different outfits (The Stormtrooper has the same moves as Han Solo, and the alternative version of Princess Leia has the same moves as the normal version of Princess Leia.)
-The characters are horribly imbalanced in terms of their fighting strength. A Tusken Raider is a better fighter than Han Solo? I find that a little hard to believe.
-Star Wars games are always either a "hit" or a "miss", and this one is a "miss", sadly. Too bad, because this was actually a great idea.
OVERALL:
Pass this game by. Not only is it out of production and extremely tough to find now, it's also not even worth finding. Do not buy this game unless you're the kind of Star Wars nerd who can't live without every Star Wars game ever made. There are much better fighting games out there, and there are much better Star Wars games out there. Trust me, you're better off imagining these fights than actually playing this game.
Great game
Used price: $1.43
Buy one from zShops for: $0.99
Players start off with a predetermined set of pieces, constructed from a group of more than 150 characters, weapons, and ships, each with varying abilities and value. Players use their pieces to gain control of the planets in their quadrant, as well as to attack and fend off their opponent's pieces. A player wins by seizing control of the challenger's home planet and capturing the Q or by holding off an opponent long enough to rack up the necessary points.

AWESOME! Star Trek: Conquest OPEN BETA available to downloadAWESOME!!! I'm gonna give it a try after I do homework! AWESOME!!! (...)Activision's new online Star Trek game, "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is at the Beta testing phase and Star Trek fans can get first crack. The open beta of the game is available for download.
"Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is a turn-based game in which players assume the role of a member of the Q Continuum to try to accumulate galactic real estate by taking over planets, and whoever ends up with the most planets wins.
Choosing from three types of game pieces (Ships, People and Items), players have to construct offensive and defensive forces to take over new planets and protect the ones they already control. Turns are broken down into three phases, Deploying pieces, Moving pieces and Attack/Defend.
The game is played online, with players going head-to-head from their own computers. Ultimately, once the testing is complete, the game will be available in stores featuring bonus pieces not available online. (...)
AWESOME! Star Trek: Conquest OPEN BETA available to download(fill any spaces in the html link, Crankyland bug)
http://www.startrek.com/news/productnews.asp?ID=111879
Activision's new online Star Trek game, "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is at the Beta testing phase and Star Trek fans can get first crack. The open beta of the game is available for download.
"Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is a turn-based game in which players assume the role of a member of the Q Continuum to try to accumulate galactic real estate by taking over planets, and whoever ends up with the most planets wins.
Choosing from three types of game pieces (Ships, People and Items), players have to construct offensive and defensive forces to take over new planets and protect the ones they already control. Turns are broken down into three phases, Deploying pieces, Moving pieces and Attack/Defend.
The game is played online, with players going head-to-head from their own computers. Ultimately, once the testing is complete, the game will be available in stores featuring bonus pieces not available online.
http://www.startrek.com/news/productnews.asp?ID=111879
AWESOME!!! Star Trek: Conquest OPEN BETA available to downlo(fill any spaces in the html link, Crankyland bug)
http://www.startrek.com/news/productnews.asp?ID=111879
Activision's new online Star Trek game, "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is at the Beta testing phase and Star Trek fans can get first crack. The open beta of the game is available for download.
"Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is a turn-based game in which players assume the role of a member of the Q Continuum to try to accumulate galactic real estate by taking over planets, and whoever ends up with the most planets wins.
Choosing from three types of game pieces (Ships, People and Items), players have to construct offensive and defensive forces to take over new planets and protect the ones they already control. Turns are broken down into three phases, Deploying pieces, Moving pieces and Attack/Defend.
The game is played online, with players going head-to-head from their own computers. Ultimately, once the testing is complete, the game will be available in stores featuring bonus pieces not available online.
http://www.startrek.com/news/productnews.asp?ID=111879

Used price: $2.50
Buy one from zShops for: $10.09

Choppy and annoying game play, may not work with XP HomeDespite this, I installed the software, and began playing the game. Although swapping the 5 CDs becomes cumbersome very quickly (there needs to be an option to load more on the HDD to eliminate the swapping and choppiness caused by frequent cd access, but there is not), the colours and images seem crisp, though all pre-rendered. When characters talk, their mouths just do a random open close motion, but that really wasn't a big deal to me.
You can't interact with a lot of the environment, and wide open spaces that you'd think you can move towards aren't available. There are three major zones of interest for your character, and I had no issues with exploring two of them, with no game play issues. Every so often, the game will "zoom out" and show your actual character doing something, like getting in or out of the hovercraft, or running across the desert. I'm not sure what the purpose of that is, other than to add a little cut-scene to the game. You can't play the game in 3rd person like that.
The puzzles are mostly easy, and do not provide brain killing challenges like those in Schizm for example. Ringing gongs in a certain order based on translations of the martian text using your in-suit computer was interesting. I like the concept of the in-suit computer, it's got a dictionary, translator, mission logs and archives, as well as real data from the NASA programs.
The showstopper for me, which I've yet to find references to on their website (because XP isn't supported), was when i went to the third location and used the remote arm to remove the top of the capstone, allowing me down into a chamber to perform an incredibly tedious process to get a translation disc.
After performing the same process 9 times to get the pieces of the disc, i wanted to leave the building and move to the next phase of the game, unfortunately, my hovercraft, which had no problem climbing up the mountain to get to the capstone, is now stuck on top with no way of moving. Therefore, game over for me. My character can't walk down by himself, and since the hovercraft won't move, it's all over.
Another issue is that when you use the jumpers in your hovercraft, the craft spins to the right because the mouse is so close to the right of the screen, it thinks you want to move right.
If you want a Dreamcatcher game with better graphics, get schizm on DVD...the graphics are very crisp, but the gameplay is disappointing and the puzzles are too einstein-esque for me. Perhaps they will come out with a new game that blends good dvd imaging and gameplay with an actual lengthly storyline and indepth characters. Unfortunately, this one isn't it.
As an addendum, I tried the website recommendation to set win98 compatibility mode on the program. This did not change the gameplay, or allow my game to continue. Nor did installation of the patch (the patch actually caused my game to crash, as you apparently must start a brand new game to use it).
Pretty good for Dream Catcher
A refreshing change...
- An alien invasion devastates Earth and only you can save the world
- Purge the planet through skillful global-resource management and small-squad tactical combat
- Research new technologies to develop incredible weapons and devices
- Unique combination of real-time and turn-based combat
- 20 available soldiers whose skills evolve throughout
Used price: $15.95
Buy one from zShops for: $19.89

Terrible DissapointmentI must tell you, that I have had this game for over a week and I still have yet to play it. I installed it straight out of the box and it instantly crashed. I was prepared for this, as I had already read the reviews. I then downloaded all the patches, bringing my game version up to 1.3. Guess what? It still crashes and my computer greatly exceeds all the recommended system specifications.
A LITTLE RANTING: I have never played a game by Cenega before and I probably will think twice before buying another. This game certainly doesn't speak well for them. If I went to a car dealership and bought a NEW car, I would expect the engine to be in it and be able to drive the car off the lot. Cenega should ensure its games are complete and playable before they release them to the market! Even if it means pushing the release date back.
BOTTOM LINE: I can't recommend this game, I haven't even played it! You buy a game for enjoyment and trying to fuss with multiple patches and still not have the game work is NOT enjoyment.
Definitely a must have for fans of X-COM ApocalypseGameplay:
As I said, this game plays exactly like X-Com: Apocalypse. You have up to seven soldiers per mission and you can have each specialize in a certain mode of attack (handguns, rifles, launchers, throwing, psi, or marksmanship). In the missions you have certain objectives from rescuing downed pilots, performing reconnaissance, capturing UFOs, to invading enemy bases. Outside of the missions, it's your job to expand your territory on earth with the acquisition of bases. Now unlike X-Com, the worldview is much more simplified. Rather than building bases piece by piece, your bases come pre-built and you can change them whenever you see fit with only 24 hours of downtime. Your basic base options are military, scientific and engineering - with one other kind opening up as you progress in the game. Though diehard X-Com fans won't like the macroness of this approach it does allow for much more bases than they might be accustomed too.
The research and manufacture trees are one of my favourite aspects to this game. Not only is there a huge selection of earth technologies to begin with, but you will be finding new old-tech toys to the end. In terms of new alien technology, you have your standard laser and plasma technologies that you would come to expect, but rather than just researching the alien techs, you now have the ability to synthesize alien - human weapon hybrids that add a little flare to the game.
The story is on par with what you would expect. Both endings are quite lacking, but one of them is being expounded upon with Cenega's planned release of UFO: Aftershock in Q3 '05.
Graphics:
Very crisp - and the specialized locales are a nice touch. The outdoor levels seems a bit too small, but they way the transgenants tend to swarm you, you hardly have to move in the later levels so I might just not have had the chance to sight see. My only problem came with the alien architecture. It's just plain hard to figure out where you can and can't go within the ufos. However, that's more of a design issue than a graphical one. The creatures are kind of bland, but odds are you won't be zoomed in as you need to keep an eye on other approaches. Yet, all in all, the graphics are very clean and no needless eyecandy that would make the game inaccessible to less fortunate gamers.
Sound:
Make sure you patch the game up to 1.3 as soon as you get it or else you won't be able to hear the aliens. Now, they aren't anything special, but it's nice to judge how one battle is going if you have to have your attention elsewhere. The sound in the worldmap is nice, but again nothing special elsewhere. Individual unit sounds get quite annoying after a while, but if you make sure all your units have seperate portraits, it can help you to see how other parties might be doing.
Overall:
I had this for a while before I sat down and really played it. But once I cracked down, I was drawn in. If you are a super fan of the first 2 X-Coms, this might not be quite your cup of tea because making it real-time changes the romance. However, if you liked X-Com 3, then this is exactly what you've been waiting for. It's a great game that follows in the tradition of X-com and adds to it in its own way. And for $20 how could you not buy it?
UFO Aftermath is a OK X-COM like gameGraphics- The graphics where pretty ok, the animations are good and each gun looks different when they use it in the field. The units though are pretty basic and the terrain is somewhat good. The earth is also very detailed, the earth looks so real, every aspect is there, the cracks in the earth in the ocean are also noticable! They over did themselfs on the earth but thats a good thing for us :)
Gameplay- The game is pretty fun when you play it, it's pretty easy at first but as soon as you get deep in the game it starts getting really hard and you choose from easy medium or hard. Some things could of been better like the world around them, In X-COM Apocolypse the walls and other obsticles fell like they would in real life, you shoot the bottom, it breaks off, and the whole top just falls down. The weapons also dont blow up, when you shoot a rocket at someone, wouldn't their weapon explode or break? they dont in this game. Most things you cant get rid of too, like walls of buildings, street lights, and more, you should just be able to go straight through the level with the help of like 35 grenades. The missions are good and fun though.
Sound- The sounds are ok and the music is good. The way the soldiers talk can sometimes get annoying lol and the aliens and mutants make no sounds at all.
overall- the game is good, it coulda been better in a few more months of development but it is still fun to play, it brings back the memories of X-COM and how fun it was, i give this game 4 stars out of 5.

List price: $24.99 (that's 40% off!)

Looking at the tube, we did not see a frenzied, angry mob of impatient ants as we expected. Rather, they were all pretty quiet. Too quiet. We tipped them into the ant habitat, and they lay there in a heap. Two eventually struggled to their feet and staggered around a bit and drank some water. We phoned Uncle Milton, and the customer support folks at Uncle Milton were great. It's almost like talking to actors in character because they seem to really care about their ants and even anthropomorphize them a bit. Could they really love the ants this much? I couldn't tell for sure, but they sure were convincing. Anyway, they told us that sometimes the ants are a bit listless at first, but to give them 12 hours. If they were indeed dead, then the living ants would "see to their burial."
Twelve hours later, it was pretty clear that most of them were dead. The two living ants moved all the dead ants into a pile in the center of the central part of the habitat, then they themselves expired shortly thereafter. We rang the folks at Uncle Milton back up, and they were extremely solicitous about our ants having "passed away." (I just love these people.) They sent us a coupon to order a new tube of ants.
Fast forward six months and we got around to ordering a new tube of ants. They arrived a few days ago. (Uncle Milton only ships certain times of the year, and they check the weather reports for the route before they ship.) These ants were all alive and active. We stunned them with a 15 minute visit to the refrigerator then dumped them in the habitat and they set to work reshaping the landscape, after an initial confusion over the rock climbing wall (they all piled up at the bottom for a bit, but figured their way out soon enough). They moved the dead pile of ants from the first batch to the BMX biking arena (the lower portion down the road). This area we have termed "the mortuary." About twice a day they might move half of the ants around in here, perhaps from one trough between the motocross jumps to another, or bury them with sand and then unbury them. Most of the dead ants are kept down here. Two are kept in the upper part of the habitat and moved around almost continuously, somewhat like the Olympic torch.
Of course, you need to read all the directions and never let your kids touch the ants. (You probably don't want to either.) My kids (ages 4 and 6) are really good now and won't try to carry the ant farm around, although the 4-year old did carry it once when we first got it and received a lecture about how it would make the ants carsick to be moved around like that. We just leave it on the kitchen island for everyone to watch and enjoy. I don't think you need to send away for any of their extra things, like food. They are happy with a few drops of water, plus a tiny crumb of bread damp with water, a pinhead-size piece of apple or other fruit, a tiny bit of hard-boiled egg white, a drop of honey mixed with water, a single dead fly, or a tiny piece of hamburger. They don't need much.
They are bringing us much enjoyment. We love to go back and check-up on them and see what they've been doing, or follow one ant's activities for a while. It's funny when one ant is on some sort of mission ("must carry this piece of sand downhill") and another ant bumps into him, he seems to forget where he was going or what he was doing, drops his sand and starts on a different project. Then, of course, there's Flik's tunnel within a tunnel project...


The secret to Uncle Milton's Aquasaurs is an unparalleled and entirely natural self-preservation technique that enable eggs to reach a state of permanent inactivity prior to immersion in water. Once hatched, Aquasaurs reenact millions of years of fantastic prehistory. Step 1: representing the Triassic Period, Aquasaurs hatch and grow proportionately to the quantities of Aquasaur food deposited into each day into the habitat. Step 2: the Jurassic, during which your Aquasaurs reach their maximum size of 2 inches and, with a little luck, reproduce a new generation of the ancient beasts. Step 3: the Cretaceous Period, where a combination of intragroup competition, climactic change, and unexpected natural disasters bring the decline and eventual extinction of all Aquasaurus specimens. Imagine over 300 million years of special diversity metaphorically preserved in an easy-to-order, easy-to-assemble kit. Such will your child see when he looks through the plastic barrier into his Aquasaurs underseas domain.