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Gran Turisimo 3: A-Spec
Publisher: Sony
Format: Playstation 2
The third installment of the Gran Turismo series is quite simply every racing game you could ever want, all in one! You like Rally games like 'Colin McRae'? GT3 contains what is probably the greatest rally game available today! The trill of flying around the extensive collection of rally courses in such cars as the Ford Focus and Mitsubishi Lancer feeling every bump in the track through the rumble pad is probably the most fun you can have and it still be legal. You like street racing with some of the world's greatest Super-cars? Why try winning the Aston Martin Vanquish and take it out for a spin around the streets of Tokyo, Seattle, or Rome. And as for F1, the ultimate prize in the game is winning a collection of classic F1 racing cars based on the models of Senna, Mansell, and Hill, then taking them out for a spin around the world famous streets of Monte Carlo. Although it is an experience that will take an age to unlock, it is one of the many reasons to keep at it and why you'll spend countless hours playing GT3. You will also probably spend hours just watching the replays because the graphics are so amazing. The cars look stunning, as does the scenery and the effects of such things as the light reflecting of the bodies and the spray of racing in wet conditions or the dirt flying up from the dirt tracks. The soundtrack isn't bad either with such bands as Feeder & Ash (although this varies from country to country, I believe the US version has Snoop Dogg, Lenny Kravitz, and Judas Priest!). In short, GT3 is the best looking, best playing, and most challenging racer available thus far and I defy even the most anti-racing fan not to enjoy this!
Madden NFL 2001
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Format: Playstation 2
This latest incarnation of the John Madden series is the first outing on the PS2 and it truly is a next generation title as opposed to a spruced up Playstation game. The graphics are lush, with the players being incredibly detailed both in their team kits and body sizes. This is highlighted by using the incredible replay option that allows you to view the action from almost any angle and zoom in right up close to the players or out for a Goodyear blimp view much like the effects used in The Matrix. All the great visuals would be for nought if it weren't for the incredible game play that the series is renowned for, and the PS2 version does not disappoint. If anything it improves on previous versions, as it uses a momentum based system that takes a players weight and speed into account when determining their movements. One of my favourite aspects of Madden 2001 however must be the Madden card's which make the game even more insanely addictive. These cards allow you to boost some of the better known players depending on the value of the card. For example, if you have a gold Marshall Faulk card then he will receive a 75% boost for the half, if the card is bronze you'll only get a 25% boost for one play, and so on. To get the cards you must meet Madden challenges, such as pass for 300 yards in a game, to earn the points to buy the cards. In addition to these regular player cards, you can unlock historic players such as, Dan Marino, John Elway, and Roger Craig, as well as various other extras, like the old Oakland or Houston stadiums, plus much more, some of which you won't believe! My only gripe was that there are no classic 49er quarterbacks like Montana or Young and a more appropriate name for these cards would have been 'recent' historical players as all of them played up until quite recently. But these gripes are minor and hopefully will be addressed in the 2002 edition, which promises even more cards than the present versions 297. There really is so much in this game, such as classic teams going back 50 years, or the franchise mode that let's you take a team through season after season strengthening the team with free agents, trading, and the draft, you could spend forever just talking about it. In short this could well be the only American Football game you will ever need, because although future versions might have improved rosters and graphics, what you have here is already so perfect that it will keep both fans and non fans alike gripped for an extremely long time. You have been warned!
Resident Evil - Code: Veronica X
Publisher: Capcom
Format: Playstation 2
The fourth instalment of the Resident Evil series (discounting the first person 'Survivor' game on Playstation) first appeared on the Dreamcast and this updated version is the franchises first outing on PS2. What we have here is a return to the feel of the original RE game released in 1996, in that you find yourself in a strange secluded location as opposed to the middle of Racoon City like in the RE 2 & Nemesis games. This creates a heightened sense of tension and anxiety as you not only know what monster might be about to jump out on you, but also don't know where you are with the unfamiliar surroundings being quite disorientating. Once again you are presented with the familiar combination of puzzle solving, searching around, and zombie slaying. RE games are very much like Bond films, very formulaic, but it's a formula that works and the real question is how it is going to top the last in the series. As such, Code: Veronica is much like one of the Brosnan Bond films, nothing we haven't seen before, but much slicker with better visuals and effects. There are many references to the original RE game, such as monsters we haven't seen for a while, which fans of the series should appreciate, but it should not make much of a difference if this is the 1st RE game you've played. The main difference between this and a film is that you control the character and therefore every zombie or giant arachnid that jumps out is in effect jumping out on you and not some character in a film. Which definitely makes things more intense, as does the rumble pad responding to everything that happens in the game, the RE games have been known to make me jump, something which no horror film has managed in years. It would be fair to say that the 1st outing on PS2 for the RE series is yet another success and a very addictive one at that, as even completing the game will merely challenge you to attempt it once more and improve your score to unlock more goodies. Hopefully we won't have long to wait for the next instalment in the series.
Sky Odyssey
Publisher: Activision
Format: Playstation 2
Ever been in a shop and seen a game on one of their screens that blew you away? Usually you discover that the game is only available for a system that is totally out of your price range, and any chance of owning it is a mere pipe dream. Imagine my pleasure then when I found out that such a game was available for my little black box of joy at home. Strange then that every review of Sky Odyssey I�ve read has said the only weakness of this game is it�s graphics, because as I said they blew me away. I�ve always been a fan of this type of game, one that falls between arcade and full on flight sim, and I�ve always felt it a shame that there weren�t more of them about. Pilotwings on the SNES & N64 were some of the few, and now Sky Odyssey is the latest in this select group, and although there are undeniable similarities between this and Pilotwings, it would be unfair to label it a copy as this is an original game in it�s own right. Like Pilotwings you do fly missions and aim for checkpoints, but here it is more in the form of an adventure, which is reinforced by the music, which sounds like something out of Steven Spielberg�s Amazing Stories. The learning curve is perfectly balanced as you can pick up and play instantly, experiencing the hugely enjoyable sensation of flying, however getting the most out of each aircraft will take slightly longer. This is a great game and without doubt one of those underrated little gems.
WWF Smackdown 2: Know Your Role!
Publisher: THQ
Format: Playstation
The sequel to the hugely popular �Smackdown� from 1999 is more of an update than a fully-fledged follow-up as this is basically the same game with loads added to it. But when you consider that �Smackdown� was the greatest wrestling game of all time, this is no bad thing. The graphics are only a slight improvement, unsurprising when one considers the quality of the original, however it is the extra modes of play that give this an edge over it�s predecessor. Included this time are Table, Ladder, and Hell in a Cell matches to name but a few. The collection of wrestlers in this edition is also more impressive as there are 60+ this time around, nearly twice as many as the original. New editions include Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Rikishi, and Tazz, as well as secret classic wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels and Cactus Jack! All in all, as I said earlier this is more of an update than a new game in it�s own right and I think we will have to wait for the PS2 version in the latter half of 2001 for a truly new wrestling game experience. In the meantime however this will do as it is without doubt not only one of the best wrestling games but one of the best games available today!
WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It!
Publisher: THQ
Format: Playstation 2
The first outing on PS2 for the WWF is sure to be a massive hit, but how does it compare with its predecessors? As expected, the game play is very similar, after all the previous two were the most playable wrestling games in history, so why would they drastically change anything? One key difference is in the way you perform your special or 'Smackdown' moves. For a start, most of the wrestlers have two (The Undertaker has 'The Last Ride' & a chokeslam), but the main difference is when you pick up an opponent because they no longer stand there all groggy & vulnerable to attack. Instead you lock up with them and can either perform a move (dependent on the direction pressed on the control) or kick/punch them leaving them dazed and open to a 'Smackdown' or other move available to you. This increases the moves available over previous incarnations. Another improvement is the reversals, which made me shriek in terror when I first heard this as I had flashbacks to the awful reversal system employed in 'Wrestlemania 2000' on the N64. Anything attempted was turned into a backflip or other damaging move making it one of the most frustrating games in history! Thankfully the reversal system here is much more fun as the ability to reverse a move is much more random, and they're usually a proper wrestling move. So when you go to grapple with an opponent and attempt a move he might reverse it into a wristlock just long enough to make you cry like a girl before letting you go so that you can try another move (and hopefully be more successful this time). Watching these moves that you rarely see on TV nowadays gives you flashbacks of classical technical battles featuring the likes of Bret Hart, I could watch William Regal and Kurt Angle (two of the more technical wrestlers in the game) reversing each others moves all day. As you'd expect with a PS2 title, the graphics are the best seen yet, which is why I'm puzzled by some reviews saying that they're not much better than the PS one versions. Although the first two games in the series pushed the PS one to the limits of its capabilities, the PS2 graphics are superior in every way, the animation is smoother, facial expressions are more lifelike, and the introduction's blow previous attempts out of the water. The first time you see them you might do a double take to make sure your not watching them on TV. Other criticisms I've read include, being unable to get weapons out of the crowd. Well you can, there is a mop to the right of the screen and a crate to the left. Wrestlers getting straight up having fallen off the 'Hell in a Cell'? Well if they stayed on the ground injured for half an hour to add 'realism' it would be a pretty dull game! Much has also been made of the commentary and although it doesn't add much it doesn't detract much either. I was worried because I enjoyed the background music in the earlier games as opposed to annoying commentary as I felt it gave more of an arcade feel. Well here you still have the music plus the odd quote like 'that's got to hurt' so it does work even if it is the 'B' announcing team of Michael Cole & Tazz, hopefully this can be improved upon in the next game. In short I haven't found any criticism of this game that is truly justified and not written for criticisms sake. Although there are only a few new match types (such as 6-man tag's & 3 stages of hell) over SD2, this is a testament to the previous incarnation's completeness. The only aspect which is lacking in comparison to SD2 is the number of wrestlers but this is the same problem experienced with GT3, better graphics means longer programming. Therefore you get 40 wrestlers instead of 60 unless you want to wait forever for the game, personally I can live without additions like Essa Rios. Notable exclusions from the game involve legal wrangles with EA & Acclaim owning the rights to wCw & ECW games respectively (which could explain the appearance of RVD in Acclaims 'Legends of Wrestling'). This means that the whole 'Invasion' angle is absent from the game, but as this isn't the fault of the programmers I wish people would stop complaining about it! Some new additions to the game will please fan's of ECW as they include, Spike Dudley, Rhyno, Tajiri, Raven, & Jerry Lynn (they made it into the game as they were under contract before the whole 'Invasion' angle). In short the 1st WWF outing on PS2 is the best wrestling game yet, hopefully this can be added to and improved upon for the next version. Just imagine if the WWF manage to sort out the legal wrangles, we could see The Rock versus Ric Flair with Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on Commentary! If that becomes a possibility Smackdown 4 could be crowned the next champion of wrestling games, until then 'Just Bring It!' holds the title.
