User Reviews

All Reviews by boyward

Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II - GameCube

Tough, but worth the commitment.

Rogue Leader recreates the Star Wars space battle experience like no other game on the market. You'll be a crucial part of actual events from the original trilogy, as well as embark on a number of less documented missions. For that reason alone it's worth picking up. I'm a Star Wars fan, and I've finished Rogue Squadron and Battle for Naboo on N64, but I've never finished this masterpiece because it's a real challenge. I bought it to get a Star Wars fix, but it actually requires a lot more from the player in terms of commitment. It's frustrating enough that I docked a half point from the FunFactor, but it's good enough that I will continue to work at it. Rogue Leader is extremely polished and shows off the GC like few other games have to date (1/03). Now that it's available for $20 it's worth a look from everyone.

SSX Tricky - GameCube

Always in motion, always a sense of urgency.

One little complaint: the framerates gets a little choppy when the screen fills up with opponents. Now that that's out of the way, I must say that SSX Tricky is a worthwhile addition to the GC game library, especially now that it's a $20 budget title. It's been compared to Tony Hawk, but I think that's inappropriate because while Tony Hawk is all about tricks, half of SSX is the race. You're flying down a hill at 75 mph. You can't go back and retry that last trick. And because the game is always in motion, always moving toward that finish line at the bottom of the mountain there is a sense of urgency in SSX that Tony Hawk doesn't push, so let's the stop the comparisons right there. SSX has a large number of characters, trick books, venues, and the presentation is quite stylish, if over-the-top. I love the music, the big air time, the variety in the different mountains along with the many shortcuts and alternate routes I can discover. SSX Tricky will remain in my collection until my house burns down.

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee - GameCube

Multiplayer mayhem is the big draw here.

If you're playing games by yourself then Godzilla may not be the fighting game of choice for you. There's simply not enough depth or playable characters to justify the purchase unless you're collecting Godzilla stuff. In fact, one could say that the single-player mode is there simply to allow the owner to unlock all the stuff and gain skills to whip his friends in mulitplayer. But that argument falls apart once the multiplayer actually begins. While there are moves to be mastered, Godzilla is very easy to pick up and play. The ease of play and destructive mayhem translates into an unbeatable multiplayer experience that is a worthwhile addition to your GC library, provided you have 4 controllers. The sheer chaos of a 3+ player melee is an engaging (albeit mindless) experience where the best strategy is to hide among the wreckage and wait for an opportunity to throw a building into the mass of fighting monsters. With everything going on onscreen that's not too hard to pull off! Buildings are crushed, monsters scream and howl, and that sums up the appeal of this game. Shallow? Yes, but also quite satisfying as a party game. So get yourself a nice sound system, invite some friends over, and feel the walls of your game room shake.

Burnout - GameCube

Now that it's a budget title, get it!

I have three complaints about Burnout. First, it took me about ten hours to unlock absolutely everything it had to offer, and feeling no compulsion to continue playing, I traded it in for a new release. The replay value just isn't there. Second, the music is weak. Third, the computer opponent cars operate on a rubber band A.I., meaning that even if you've watched them crash five times, if you mess up once then they speed right past you into first place. Those are the reasons why I docked the game a full point. But let's not neglect to praise Burnout's two strongpoints, namely its blistering graphics and perfect controls. First, Burnout's graphic engine runs beautifully, giving a true sense of high speed and danger as oodles of speeding cars stand in the way of victory. The framerate has to be excellent (and it is) as you'll need split-second reflexes on the cluttered roads. Second, you'll also need your controller to respond to those split-second reflexes, and once again, Burnout delivers. Now that it's a budget title I highly recommend Burnout's 10-hour experience. If you can find a friend to play with you, the replay is further extended.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - GameCube

Golden Axe/LOTR fans unite!

Peter Jackson's vision of Middle Earth is beautifully recreated here for fans of both the hack 'n' slash genre and LOTR. The game is deeper than you might expect, giving you the option to upgrade your character's knowledge of attack combos, stamina, projectile impact, etc. And there comes a point where banging on the buttons just won't work anymore, so if you're worried that this game is a brain waster, think again! You will have to think. While certain characters' faces look a little muddled, the animation is truly excellent. Every monster acts like its movie likeness, and watching the trolls beat up their own teammates is a hoot! The sounds and soundtrack are simply brilliant. There are certain sounds (like the trolls moaning off in the distance) that give me chills. The only reason I docked this game a half a point is because there was no two-player cooperative mode. This game begs to be played with a friend, like old-school Golden Axe.