2/6/00

Brad’s Quickies: February 

Alrighty, it looks like I’m gonna throw my hat into the overpopulated game reviews arena, after all. Of course, I’ll be doing things a bit differently. First, I really don’t like those 5-page reviews that cover every little detail of the game. I usually just need to know whether the game sucks or not. With 20 or 30 games coming out every month, I think it’s best to keep reviews in nice, bite-size pieces. Also, I’m not going to rate a game based solely on graphics, sound, etc. I’m more interested in whether or not it’s fun. Games may have some pretty underwhelming visuals and sound, but they can still be fun as all hell, like Worms Armageddon. So, if a game’s graphics and music are especially good (or bad), I’ll mention it in the review, but I won’t have separate scores for each facet. Lastly, in the interest of paying homage to Spinal Tap, and being generally obnoxious, I’m going to eschew the usual scoring methods ( 1 to 5, 1 to 10, A-F, etc.), and allow games to " go to 11!". You won’t see many of those, but they will happen occasionally. Also, since console games tend to be either really good or really bad, with little middle ground, you probably won’t see many "average" scores from me. Okay, let’s get the proverbial show on the road:

Gran Turismo 2 – Playstation – Polyphony Digital for SCEA. I personally like the Ridge Racer style control over GT’s, but I know quality when I see it. The graphics don’t seem as polished as GT1’s, but with just short of 600 cars, and seemingly endless customization options, I can’t complain too much. There are more licenses, but they are much easier this time, and you can use your GT1 save data to bypass some of them. The soundtrack is decent, as well, but I would have liked some kind of music option for changing tracks. There’s an assload of courses here, as well, including rally tracks. The game isn’t perfect, though. There are several bugs that were obviously ignored in order to get it out by Christmas (barely), and the manual looks like it was thrown together at the last minute. However, even with these problems, if you crave realism in your racers, this is THE definitive driving game. Buy it.

My score: 9 – Not perfect, but damn close.

Ridge Racer 64 – Nintendo 64 - Nintendo. Whilst on the subject of racers, I was pretty surprised by this one. Considering that Namco didn’t program RR64, it controls identically to the Playstation versions. Graphics are pretty nice, music is good (for the N64), and the somewhat-annoying announcer has been toned down. Throw in a decent collection of cars and tracks, and you have a winner. Of course, this is essentially the same game that PSX owners have been playing for years. Therefore, the two people on Earth that still only own an N64 are the only people that really need this game.

My score: 8 – The N64 finally gets a decent racing game, and, hey, it only took 3 ½ years! Woo-hoo!

Silhouette Mirage – Playstation – Treasure for Working Designs. I’m gonna catch all manner of hell for this, but I like this game. Maybe it’s because it’s a Treasure game, maybe it’s ‘cause WD published it – I dunno. The game is classic 2D platforming all the way, with enough sprite-based madness filling the screen to give you seizures. Some of the voice work is REALLY annoying, and WD upped the difficulty to insane levels, but I can’t bring myself to dislike this one. Of course, that Lunar 2 demo didn’t hurt. Anyway, if you have cash to burn, and you’re looking for an old-school fix, pick it up.

My score: 7 ½ - It’s Fruitastic!

Zombie Revenge – Dreamcast - Sega. Man, it sure is great to see the return of the classic beat-em-up, even if Sega seem to be doing it all by their lonesome. I actually liked Dynamite Cop, but this one destroys it in every way. The game is actually longer than 15 minutes, and the graphics are pretty nice - arcade perfect, even. However, just like Dynamite Cop, ZR is only fun if you play 2-player mode. Single-player gets boring pretty fast. The levels are long and unique, and there’s oodles of weapons and combos to be found, but single-player gets dull after one or two levels. This one’s great for parties, or when you just wanna beat on the undead for a few minutes.

My score: 7 – If you have a friend, pick it up!

Mario Party 2 – Nintendo 64 – Hudson Soft for Nintendo. Ugh. I don’t know anyone who actually liked the first one, and this one is more of the same. The graphics have been cleaned up, and there are now 64 minigames, but does anyone really care? No one buys real board games anymore, so why would you buy a virtual one? This one is great for grandparents and small children with single-digit IQ’s, but everyone else should stay far away.

My score: 3 – It’s a virtual bored-game!

Fighting Force 2 – Dreamcast – Core for Eidos. This franchise must die! The first was a horribly misguided rip-off of classics like Final Fight and Streets of Rage, and this new one is a similarly bad rip-off of Syphon Filter and Metal Gear. The graphics aren’t terrible, but the gameplay is non-existent. The mission briefings sound kinda cool, but then each level quickly degenerates into punching the brain-dead enemies into oblivion and beating up furniture for items, ad infinitum. A kick seems to do as much damage as a rifle, so why bother with weapons? And why does the furniture explode when you punch it? That’s just weird. Avoid this one.

My score: 2 – Note to Eidos: Let Hawk sleep with the fishes next to his friends.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – Dreamcast - Crystal Dynamics for Eidos. Wow. Okay, I’m officially impressed. The PSX version was awesome, with great voice acting and atmosphere up the yin-yang. Its only problems were nasty fog and a framerate that chugged when lots of stuff was on the screen, making fighting difficult. These problems are long gone, and CD completely redid the backgrounds and character models to accommodate the superior Dreamcast poly-power. The result is an incredible looking and playing title that no DC owner should be without. A few annoyances from the PSX rev, such as the non-ending and annoying push-the-block puzzles, are intact, but they don’t detract too much from an otherwise stellar title. If this is the kind of attention that the DC Tomb Raider is going to get, then sign me up!

My score: 9 - Eidos did something right! The end of the world is nigh!!!

Crazy Taxi – Dreamcast – Sega. This may be the coolest thing I have ever seen. Crazy Taxi is really hard to describe in words – you really have to play it to understand the inherent genius in this title. Basically, you drive around town, picking people up, and taking them where they want to go. Of course, you’re doing this while smashing through traffic, diving underwater, and flying off bridges in your indestructible cab. The faster you get to your destination, the more cash and time you get, and then it’s on to the next fare. The graphics are truly amazing, and the feeling of speed is uncanny. I’m not a big fan of the Offspring, but I can handle them in small doses. And, you gotta love it when the priest says "You’re one hell of a driver!" If you have a Dreamcast, go buy this game right now. If, for some reason, you don’t have a DC, go buy one and this game. It is that good.

My score: This one goes to 11!

Evolution – Dreamcast – Sting for Ubi Soft. I can’t believe how much everybody dogs this game. For a system’s first RPG, it could be a LOT worse (Beyond the Beyond, anyone?). I freakin’ love the character designs in this game, and the graphics are great. The story is okay, but the focus of the game is on dungeon crawling. Usually I would hate a game for such a transgression, but Evolution actually pulls it off. The dungeons are randomly generated, but each floor is small enough that it’s not a big deal. The cool thing is, the dungeons regenerate after you leave, and so do the items! So, you can revisit each dungeon multiple times to beef up your arsenal, and have a new experience each time. Enemies can be seen wandering around the dungeons, so there’re no random battles – a feature I’m starting to acquire a taste for. Battles are even cool, with nice graphics, typically wild spell effects, and a battle system not unlike the one in Grandia. The game is kinda short, but in an age of 80 hour RPG’s, a 25 hour quest is somewhat refreshing. This is an all-around good game, and it just proves that a title doesn’t have to be revolutionary in order to be fun.

My score: 8 ½ - If you need an RPG fix for your DC, here it is!

Biohazard 2 Value Plus – Dreamcast (Import) – Capcom. I love Resident Evil. There, I’ve said it. Yes, they don’t change much from title to title, but why monkey with a good thing? The story line continues to impress me, and always makes me anticipate the next in the series. What we have here is a Dreamcast version of Resident Evil 2, with VERY beefed up graphics and a host of new options. The coolest option is some kind of "hyper mode", in which you start out with the rocket launcher and chain gun. Oh, baby! The CG intro and cutscenes are now full-screen, as opposed to letter-box, and the in-game graphics are even better than those in the PC version. The voice acting is all in English, with Japanese subtitles, so the gaijin-protection isn’t too bad. The item screen is in Japanese, but each item has a little picture next to it, so you should be fine. Basically, if you played through the PSX version, you’ll have no problem with this one. It should be noted that this bad boy also comes packed with a Code Veronica demo, which features an hour or so of gameplay and is guaranteed to make you mess yourself in anticipation of the next chapter in the Resident Evil Saga. Hell, I bought this for the demo alone! This is good stuff, and word is that Capcom has no plans to release this on our side of the pond, so you’re gonna have to import. Go for it!

My score: 9 – Itchy, tasty…

Okay, that’s enough for today. Tune in next time for NHL2K, Saga Frontier 2, and maybe even the DC Rainbow Six! See you next time! Same Brad time, same Brad channel!!!

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