Sports Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

Extreme sports video games, up until the year 2000, were usually extremely lacking. The games often suffered from poor play control and graphics, and seemed rushed. But at long last, in the year 2000, Activision set out to correct all that had been done wrong previously with such titles. They went the extra mile to try to make the perfect skateboarding game. Did they succeed? Read on for my review of Tony Hawk Pro Skater.

PROS:
-UNLIKE A NUMBER OF EXTREME SPORTS TITLES, THIS ONE USES ACTUAL PEOPLE! As the title of the game may have implied, Tony Hawk is a playable character. In addition to Hawk, there are a number of other pro boarders selectable.
-THE GAME USES ACTUAL MUSIC BY ACTUAL BANDS! Most extreme sports titles feature lame, generic music that sounds like it would be better off elsewhere. In this game, that is NOT true. Bands like Goldfinger and Primus contributed music to this game, and their contributuions are one of the things that make this game so great. The other bands that contributed aren't as well known, but their songs are no less excellent.
-NO TWO CHARACTERS ARE EXACTLY ALIKE. Although every character plays in a similar fashion, each one has his or her own special moves. Likewise, what one character may lack in one area he may make up for in another, while with another character it may be vice versa.
-THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INTERESTING LOCATIONS. This game's settings are another great strength that it has. You'll go everywhere from an abandoned warehouse to an abandoned mall, and even a dam! There is no shortage of cool places to go in this games.

CONS:
-IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THIS VERSION OF THE GAME WOULD GET AN E RATING FROM THE ESRB, THE BLOOD AND MANY OF THE SONG LYRICS HAVE BEEN EDITED OUT. THAT is why I suggested in the subject bar that you get the Playstation version instead.
-CONTROLS TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO. If you've never played any game by Activision that uses this same game engine, expect to take some time adjusting to the controls. Once you get the hang of them, though, you'll end up liking them. And, of course, the N64 controller is godawful anyway, so it's even harder to adjust to the controls on this system.
-LATER ENTRIES IN THE SERIES WERE CONSIDERABLY BETTER. Although this was a good game, the later games were better, featuring more characters (and some even cooler secret ones), more secrets, and more music. Oh well, this game is still good.
-THE GAME GETS TOO HARD, TOO FAST. This game starts easy, but gets hard after a few short play sessions. Expect to blister your thumbs a lot, and often times accomplish nothing for it.

OVERALL:
Overall this is a very good game. Sure, it's overrated, but that's because it's a good game! If you want the best skateboarding games out there, the games in the Tony Hawk series are exactly what you're looking for.

So I was stupid and bought the game twice, one for N64, and 1 for Playstation. Honestly, I think the platstation vesion is better because the controls are easier, but even if you buy the n64 version, you still wont regret it! I like the N64 version because I think it's a lot easier to move your character. I've never tried the Dreamcast version, but im guessing it's probaly somewhere in between. The game is awesome, it's so easy to skate and do tricks! I mastered all the moves in both versions. Honestly, I love skateboarding, I bought so many different skateboarding games, but Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is by far the best!

I loved this video game! I have never played a game as good as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. This game is about as fun as Golden Eye 007 and has even more replay value. I play it for hours and never get tired of it. I am not a skater and do not know a thing about skateboarding but this game is still very fun for me. In this game you get to choose between a bunch of different real skaters. After you pick a skater you choose a board from a number of real board designs. As you progress im the game you get even more boards to choose from. The point of the game is to collect 5 tapes in each level. You get these tapes by doing lots of tricks, doing certain tasks, and collecting things. The more tapes you get the more realistic levels (such as San Francisco) are openned up for you to play in. In 3 compitition levels instead of getting tapes you compete for medals. This is not all Tony Hawk's Pro Skater has though. It also has three different multiplayer games and a free play mode where you can just mess around. I played this game for hours and hours until my fingers hurt. This game is addicting, so play responsibly.

This game is fun! You get to choose from all of your favorite Mario characters and villans. I would really reccomend it. Great game.

This game keeps up the fun of Mario Classics,with a big bunch of characters playing against each other. You can choose Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Toad, Bowser, DK, Yoshi, Boo, Birdo, Shy Guy, Para Troopa, Wario, Waluigi, DK JR. It is a funny and hard game, if you choose to play against an intensive level cpu. As You advance Mushroom Cup(Hard Court), You can play Flower Cup(Saibro)and finally Star Cup(Grass). As you win the challenges new characters appear. You can still challenge yourself at Piranha Challenge, where a Piranha machine throw balls quickly against your side of the court, or ring challenge, trying to hit the rings on other side. Each character has a typical and unique style of play. Technique will be found in Waluigi or Shy Guy, Speed in Toad or Yoshi, Power in DK or Bowser, Tricks in Boo... Mario and Luigi are all around players. The game can be played in doubles, with 4 controllers or against computer. If you have a friend or a relative who likes challenge, it is a great oportunity to play together. I recommend this game to all ages.

Mario has stayed with us from the beginning, the regular nintendo. Since n64 came out he has been in 50 other different games. Mario golf, super mario, mario tennis, mario smash brothers, paper mario, on and on. All of these games are fun and I couldn't stop playing them.

Tennis for Mario was something new, but he soon got the hang of it. The graphics are good, and each player has a different quality. Mario is fast and accurate, and Donkey Kong hits the ball hard, and if you can master him, you can ace it every time on the serve. The doubles play is also very fun, espacially when you play with your friends. Single player is also fun, and you gain new characters the better you get, much like other mario games. It takes a little time to get used to it (10 minutes) but after that it gets pretty easy. That would be my only complaint with the game, after you play for a day it gets easy. When it gets too easy just try the rings, those will frustrate you for a while, until you get it.

This is an all around fun game for the whole family 5 and up. Rock on Mario.

Mark_Sigel

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

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

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

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

I like this game and have not played Madden much at all.
How to control defensive linemen:
off the snap:
press A and hold with heel of thumb
-press trigger L or R for club
-hold A and a trigger, then lightly tap B for spin
-hold A and a trigger, then tap Y for swim maneuver
-hold A and a trigger, then tap X for rip(I think)

Original 2K was the football video game that came closest to perfection. This time around, they tried to build upon that perfection, and ended up losing alot of what we loved about the first one...

Pros: Great online play with little or no lags. Wonderful running game that allows that NFL staple 3 yard run up the middle with striking realism. Faster and smarter computer AI. Better and more varied color commentary. Blitzing is more realistic and, like the name implies, it's fast like lightning. Updateable rosters make player abilities truer-to-life. Players get hurt more often, especially quarterbacks, so you better master the QB slide before he gets popped and out for the season.

Cons: Player Graphics noticeably inferior to last time. Fast quarterback ball movement makes interceptions and tips, as well as pass defense, very difficult. Even Charles Woodson and Ty Law find it hard to stay with mediocre receivers. Defensive plays are more complex, yet generally weaker than last time. More blitzes are offered, but DB's get dusted alot easier. QB rushing stats are still screwed up. Doesn't list the longest rush.

Overall the game is less refined in the graphics department, more complicated in the playcalling and defensive department, and much more challenging overall. Its a good investment for those huge fans of the first (still expect to blow out the pro level), but those casual fans need not pick this one up. Save your money and get a used copy of NFL 2K from your local game store.

This is a very excellent football game. great graphics, great game play. If you want a different experience though, build up your little team and play on coach mode. Why? Well anyone can throw the ball to Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison 10 times or run the same play's all day. But to see how your players really measure up, just call the play and let them run it (better yet, putthe camera on cinema mode and pretend your watching the game on Sunday). My only complaints are:

1. I franchised the Eagles seasons and got the EXACT same schedule for year 3 that I had for year 2. What's up with that?

2. No career stats, I don't get to see Donovan McNabb break the NFL record for yards and touchdowns?

3. Created players don't copy over into franchise mode. I wanted to be the NFL's all-time leading rusher!

That's it, and those three things are what makes Madden slightly better than NFL 2K1. Other than that, buy it. (but keep a copy of Madden too!)

This game was obviously rushed through production so it could make it to the shelf by X-mas. The intro videos and sound are of lame quality even for the N64 and the create a wrestler option is done better in WWF Attitude. But by far, the most appalling aspect of the game is the AI. On the Road to Wrestlemania, the matches in the latter stages of the game become almost impossible as the ultra-cheap computer opponents reverse every single move you attempt and win every lock-up. The only way to win in later matches is to repeatedly bludgeon your opponent with a foreign object. In a cage match, I was literally reduced to using the Fisherman's carry, the only unblockable move, 30 times to get a victory. This complete removal of strategy from the matches makes the game a chore to complete. The only saving grace of this game is that it will provide a few hours of multiplayer entertainment before getting stale. Rent it the next time your fellow wrestling fans come over, but for God's sake, don't buy it unless you want to experience some hardcore frustration.

WWE WM 2000 is a great game with tons of matches..
When I first got this It was around the time it first came out.
Man this game is awesome. They steel cage match, Hardcore match, and I can't remember but I think they had first blood?...I think...I don't remember.

The graphics were good for it's time. Gameplay was quick which is a good thing. It is also the first N64 game to have blood in a WWE game.

My favorite match is the steel cage. It's sooo fun but I wish they had a Hell in The Cell match.

gameplay 5/5
matches 4/5
graphics..for its time..5/5

4.5 out of 5

Later...

This game is one of the best wrestling games that I have ever played. There are no bars at the top of the game that tell you how much strength you have left, just a very cool meter at the bottom that shows your wrestlers as being cold and slow or hot and happening. The create a wrestler is simply amazing as you can pick and edit attire, (Clothes) and even pick from over hundreds of moves to personalize your man's fighting skill instead of your face. (Moves win matches, not custom face engines...) You can even choose different taunts that can be used to tease or badger an opponent, which adds more realism to the game. Wrestlemana 2000 is well worth the money as it is the most realistic wrestling game ever released! Loads of fun, and the blood can be turned off if you feel it's not appropriate for children. Highly recommended!

I recently started playing SSXT on the Game Cube and absolutely loved it! The Graphics are outstanding, the characters are crazy, and the tracks are intense! Although my fave character is Kaori Nishadaki, I also like to play Elise Barns and Psymon Starks. (Talk about Crazy!) So I'd say two thumbs up, this game is a must for any age, gender, system, anything!

I purchased SSX Tricky on a whim, and I've never been happier. The graphics are astounding, the gameplay is addicting, and the trick-book will take about a week to get down.

There are 3 modes; Practice, Single Event, and World Circuit. Forget about practice. Single Event allows for both single and multi-player, forget about multi-player. World Circuit allows you to gain medals based on races, and show off's (based on your tricks). More medals mean better ranking, better ranking means better boards, meaning better tricks. The trick book has 30 tricks for you to do, per charactor. When you finish a trick chaper (about 5 tricks), you get a new outfit. Stylin and profiling..

However, I absolutely will not use an alpine board (the longer ones). Tricks are harder to do, and when you land wrong, you have to turn around (not good for time sensitive races).

The graphics are astounding. From the Easy Girabaldi, to the Super Expert Aloha Ice Jam (why Hawii has snow, i'll never know) and Alaska, you'll be blown away. Once you get gold on all the races, and all the show off venues (much, MUCH more difficult than it sounds), you'll get a silver-surfer outfit.

There are little glitches, of course. It will freeze on my cube every once and a while. But it doesn't happen enough where it affects my opinion of it. As with all cube games, rent before you buy, if possible.

...

SSX Tricky, one of the very first games for GameCube, has ended up being a favorite by many gamers. With excellent graphics, plot, and features... it makes one of the all-time exciting games that can be enjoyed by a group of people playing together in 2-player mode. The discomfort of vertical split-screen for 2-play mode makes it difficult for a player to see where they're headed, but when a jump nears it's all hell from there on. Characters with motion with real life-like movement, this game has reached the 5-star rating for character-animation. As far as game-play goes, this game is very close to real snowboarding with few minor (exacterating, hehehe...) exceptions. Excellent game overall. Definite 5-star. If you don't feel that this game will be a hit, first rent it and then decide. But I'll guarantee you that you'll end up buying it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THIS GAME IS HARD to control ( the characters ) and the music stinks and its a little boring but its cool because you can play as over 100 skaters including wolverine, Darth Maul, Kelly Slater, and a lot more!

I have played THPS3 (along with the other two) and have concluded that it is a great game with a couple bad points:
Some bad points are that the gameplay is easy & repeatitive, which makes it a typical rental game; some modes are frustating (such as the park editor) for control reasons; and sometimes the blood effects go a bit too far (once you see your skater being dragged down a half pipe with a HUGE trail of blood marking where he or she bailed, you'll know what I mean).
Still, THPS3 has many delightful features. Civilians minding their own business in levels like Los Angeles give the game a more realistic feel; the soundtrack is much better than the last one with more recognizable artists; the create-a-skater and park editor features have more options; there are a lot more levels (which are much bigger & better); and the characters (including the 5+ secret ones) are much more detailed and realistic. Also, the objectives in career mode are very fun, unique, and creative.
In conclusion, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a must-buy if you don't mind its cons.

There's just no getting around it these days. Any of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater games and especially this last installment deserve your money and attention NOW! For those of you new to the concept crawl out from the rock you've been hiding under for the past 3+ years! For those familiar with the platform here's what's new: new tricks, special tricks, more skaters, better more skatable environments, a park editor that lets you create your own park, harder more challenging goals. There are also some cool hidden characters like DARTH MAUL, WOLVERINE, OFFICER DICK, etc. This is definitely a game that will keep you occupied for a long period of time (unless you use the cheats) and always fun to play no matter how many times you've solved it. All of these things= best game on Gamecube system so far! Buy it now!

Although Super Monkey Ball might not be the most complex of games available, it certainly can be very engaging. For those of you who don't know about this game, it basically involves moving a floor to make a monkey in a clear, plastic ball move to a goal. The three levels of play for the single-player main game are Beginner, Advanced, and Expert. Beginner and Advanced are both fairly easy, but when you get to the later levels in Expert, you had better be willing to devote a few hours to beating them. If navigating a 3D puzzle isn't your thing, you can choose to play any one of six mini or party games, including billiards, mini-golf, bowling, fight, race, or target. The first three games are pretty straight-forward, and can be played with up to two people. The latter three are capable of being played with up to four people. While playing fight, you command a monkey with a boxing glove attached to the ball, and you try to knock other monkeys with boxing gloves off a platform. Race needs no explanation, and target makes you launch your monkey off a ramp and then try to glide over the ocean to targets. The problem with Super Monkey Ball is that the game hardly ever has the correct difficulty level, almost always being either too hard or too easy. So far most of my time has been spent playing the mini-games. If you're a big party or puzzle gamer, then Super Monkey Ball is for you. If not, I would recommend a rental first, as Super Monkey Ball is a very quirky game with a certain taste needed to enjoy it.

Super Monkey Ball is huge. The single player mode is set up in platform fashion where we guide a monkey in a ball through hundreds of varying puzzles. Puzzles range from embarrassingly easy to rupture-your-spleen hard. This is a challenging and long mode, but it not only gets frustrating, it gets somewhat old after a while. That's why Monkey Ball has a basket full of party games. These range from bowling, pool, golf, fighting, flying, and racing. However, these, to some degree, are very reminiscent to old Mario Party games. While creative, fast, and fun, their concepts are extremely simple and lack a lot of sub-levels. Even the clever bowling and pool mechanics can't be topped by games that dedicate the whole cartridge to the sport. Super Monkey Ball is a fantastic example of what kind of power the Gamecube has to offer. This is a highly original title bursting with party games and iced with many puzzles for single players. Yet--- better is on the way. If you get frustrated and bored easily and you don't have any friends to play with, then maybe you should skip this game and wait for Gamecube's ultimate lineup.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to say that supermonkey ball is a nice, safe and fun game. I really enjoyed the racing. I played it with my brother and we had a great time. This is a good family game. There are a lot of party games to choose from, and they are all fun. So if you were thinking about buying it you should, I promise you won't regret it!