Zone of the Enders Review

Introduction
Throughout the history of video games there have been many strange reasons why some games have become mega-hits and best sellers. However, Zone of the Enders (ZOE) probably became the first ever to reach that status because of a demo that was bundled with it. Most people that originally bought the game spent hours upon hours drooling over the wonders that are Metal Gear and completely forgot about the main game. Ebay was loaded with auctions of the game, all with the demo disk surprisingly absent. Hardly any of them were sold. Nevertheless, one can only play the same demo for so long before it gets tiring. Eventually fans decided to give Snake a rest and try out the ‘other’ disc that came in the case. What they found was something out of the ordinary that could stand on its own mechanized feet.

Warjetz Review

Introduction
War games have existed since almost the conception of video games. Those of you who are old enough to remember that the Atari 2600 came packaged with Combat know this to be true. Many a night I spent basking in those 4-bit graphics as I drove my tank through mono-colored mazes banking shot after shot at my opponent. At that point in my life I believed that I had reached nirvana. From those simple beginnings, the combat genre was born.

Up until 1995, most combat-styled games focused on players manipulating military-styled vehicles. Whether it was on land, in the air or under the sea, gamers were stuck bringing the fight to their opponents via tanks, planes or submarines. However, the genre was permanently changed when a small company shocked the world with the release of Twisted Metal for the PlayStation. Although it was not the first “official” car combat game ever released, it was the title that finally broke open the self-induced boundaries game developers were not willing to cross and became the first to be accepted by the masses. By today’s standards, the original Twisted Metal is nothing to cheer about. The blocky graphics and stiff digitally controlled gameplay leave much to be desired. Nevertheless, at that period of time in the PlayStation’s lifespan, the game was on the cutting edge of technology.

Not only did this original spawn six different sequels (so far), it also spun off an entire new genre that had developers scrambling to bring clones to market. Soon, you couldn’t throw a controller down a software aisle without hitting a game based on Twisted Metal’s roots. The situation got even muckier when Sony acquired Single Trac and their founders left to create a completely new company. Now former publisher and developer were competing head-to-head along with all the rest of the newcomers.

By the time that the PS2 came to market, games of this type were second nature. Just about every company in existence had something comparable for gamers to mangle their opponents. Even companies not known for this style of game took a tumble in the hay as a matter of course just to see if they could capture the magic once created by Twisted Metal. One of these developers was the now defunct 3DO.

Better known for their sometimes questionable Army Men series, 3DO decided to try their hand at the genre with the introduction of their World Destruction League series. Attempting to blitz the genre, they went in two directions at the same time. Players could test their mettle either on the ground with Thunder Tanks or take to the air with Warjetz. Neither game received much applause from the gaming media and we’re going to find out why, for at least half of their offerings. Were they overlooked gems or corpses deserving to be buried? Well, that’s what we are here to find out. Up next, Warjetz.

Tsugunai: Atonement Review

Introduction
As an educated gamer, I have learned that if I find a new game brought out Atlus to grab it quickly no matter what the gaming genre is or what the asking price may be. While they might not be well known titles, their offerings are always unique and enjoyable. Moreover, they usually turn into rare and hard to come by gems. Tsugunai: Atonement is another interesting import conversion brought over to the North American market from the Land of the Rising Sun. Released during the time that all RPG fans were awaiting the arrival of Final Fantasy X, Tsugunai fell through the cracks and faded quietly into oblivion.

Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Review

Introduction
What exactly is it that creates such a draw for video games? People outside of our experiences seem to think that it’s the sex and violence that drives the popularity. You can simply verify this by seeing or hearing any news release done by a media outlet that does not make covering video games their prime business. The most recent example of this was of ABC’s radio news broadcast on the day that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released. Their reporter noted that this version would be so much more than, “The three previous games before.” Sure, this may be a minor gaffe, but this is one of the same agencies that demoralizes the very existence of games whenever a video game happens to be linked with a crime.

What outsiders fail to realize is that gaming is the ultimate road for expansion of thought or imagination. Moreover, it allows people to assume the personage of characters that they would have, in no expectable way, the possibility to become in their actual lives. True, it is an extreme form of escapism, more so than books or movies could ever be, mostly because of the interaction that games allow rather than the passive observation that other media outlets present. Nevertheless, probably the most successful genre for video games in a whole would be those of the sports category, rather than those that have blatant killing or fanciful worlds.

A prime example of this would be Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 (THUG), especially to one of my generation. For a 35 year old, my days of skating have well passed, even though they never really started in the first place. No longer do I have the “Superman” mental aspect and my mortality is more clear to me than to those less in age. So, now it is through games of this nature am I able to become “Superman” once again and live my life on the edge without having to worry about a financial increase to my medical plan.

Test Drive: Eve of Destruction Review

Introduction

If you wanna be happy
For the rest of your life,
Never make a pretty woman your wife,
So from my personal point of view,
Get an ugly girl to marry you.
- Jimmy Soul (1963)

Now I realize that this may be the strangest way to start out a game review since their conception way back when. However, there seemed to be an underlying connection between this 1963 classic and Atari’s most recent endeavor for the PlayStation 2. For those unfamiliar with the way that the song continues, it goes into depth, describing how marrying a good-looking woman will bring a man nothing but pain later on down the road. While, on the other hand, choosing a less attractive lady would be better as she will be there for you when you need her and you never have to worry about her breaking your heart. Although song lyrics like this, in today’s politically correct society, will eventually ruffle somebody’s feathers, the message is clear and understood.

So how does this tie in with Atari’s Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (TD:EoD)? Well, this is probably the first game in recent memory to flaunt the idea of ugly being good. In fact, Atari recently sponsored a contest, right here on XGP, to find the ugliest car in America to help celebrate the release of the game. Forget about the bright lights, big city approach that racing titles seem to be heading towards. This title is looking to take you deep into Backwater USA, where men are men and their cars are more than street showpieces with big wings and shiny paint jobs. Forget about the high maintenance demands of the vain tuner imports, for these ladies will be there when you most need them and will never leave you in a lurch when the going gets tough. Now, reach up and pull those belts tight. We’re getting to go racing, dirt track style

Stuntman Review

Introduction
Throughout my gaming life, I have only broken one controller due to frustration. It was during my umpteenth attempt at completing the final mission in the original Driver. Just as I could see the opening of the garage, I was hit from behind by one of the bad guys and slammed into the far edge of the door. Eventually, I was pummeled to death as I tried to get inside by the swarm of evil cars that came out of nowhere. After screaming a string of “colorful metaphors,” the controller hit the floor with every once of strength I could muster. Pieces of plastic went flying all over the house. Sometimes I still come across a bit of controller when doing some cleaning. After a trip to Wal-mart for a new Dual Shock, I finally completed that mission after 72 hours of gameplay and I still have that replay saved on a memory card. Now Reflections, the company that brought Driver to life, has come up with a next generation game that will stir your soul with that same love-hate relationship. Strap on your crash helmet and step into your firesuit. You no longer are The Wheelman, you are a Stuntman.

Star Wars: Starfighter Review

Introduction
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

This type of opening can only stand for one thing; it’s time to do a review for one of the many Star Wars games. There is probably no other franchise that has so thoroughly saturated the video game market. Games have been released on just about every system that has ever been created, dating back to the Atari 2600. Many of these have been less than stellar creations, and helped to perpetuate the movie-to-video game conversion curse. However, there have been gems scattered throughout history that have given us many hours of Jedi entertainment. Possibly the best of that which has come before was the Rogue Squadron series, which was exclusively released on the now defunct Nintendo 64. Everything about the game reflected the feel of what truly was Star Wars, and the game is considered by most to be one of the top ten titles available on the system. This in itself is no small accomplishment, especially when you take a retrospective look back on all the outstanding titles that came out for Nintendo’s 64-bit machine.

This move by LucasArts bewildered PlayStation loyalists, and had an uncountable number of them gnashing their teeth in anguish. While we were forced to trudge through the muck that was Rebel Assault II or Masters of Teras Kasi, N-64 owners were able to scream across the galaxy, taking on the evil Empire. Life was definitely not fair. Nevertheless, upon the launch of the PS2, fans of the series learned that we now would have the opportunity to fly through space. Let us welcome Star Wars: Starfighter to the fold. Even if it wasn’t in an all-out assault on the Death Star, this was exactly was players had been clamoring for; a chance to submerge oneself in the Star Wars universe. How did it all turn out? You are about to find out. Cue up the booming orchestrated John Williams’ musical score and let us begin.

Spy Fiction Review

Introduction
It was a Thursday like any other. I was just finishing up a race in Gran Turismo 3 at Laguna Seca, when I heard a knock at the door. Setting down my controller, I went to see who could be so rudely interrupting me from my racing bliss. It was the local Federal Express guy who had an unannounced package to deliver. I had no idea whom it could be from, and when asked he simply replied that there was no return address. Now this deepened the mystery, as I was under the impression that it was a requirement that every package have background information in case there was a developing problem with the delivery. I signed for the envelope, said my obligatory thank you to Mr. Federal Express and went back inside my house.

Upon closer examination, there was very little writing on the envelope to determine the sender’s identity. Only my typed address was visible along with the standard collection of tracking bar-codes. Being able to learn nothing more, I opened the package to find inside an unlabeled DVD and an audio cassette. Now this presented new problems. The DVD could easily be checked out, as there are multiple devices in my house that have the capacity to read it. However, listening to the tape would be much more difficult, since all of my stereo equipment had been upgraded to neglect this form of media. I spent the next 20 minutes searching through closets, looking for an old walkman that I knew had been tossed away to be forgotten years ago. Once I got everything collected up and operating, I slipped the tape into the machine and then my whole world changed forever.

The tape had an annoying hiss in the background. Suddenly a sultry female voice broke the static. “Greetings PSX. My name is Eve and I represent the Special Execution Agency. We have been watching you for some time and feel that you may be of assistance to us in this dire time of need. As I am sure you are aware, terrorist activity has skyrocketed in the last few days and it is our belief that certain agencies have the capacity to unleash biological weapons of mass destruction upon an unsuspecting public. We need your help to defuse this situation. So your mission, if you choose to accept it, will be to join up with the remaining team members of PHANTOM and help stop these terrorists from bringing their plans to fruition. All of the necessary background intelligence is included on the enclosed disk and this mission has been code-named Spy Fiction, for if you are captured we will disavow all knowledge of this assignment. The world is in need of your abilities; however the decision is completely yours. If you choose to accept this mission, you will be contacted by our team within 12 hours with a deployment timetable. Good luck PSX, and god speed. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.”

I was too shocked to move, and only the smoke bursting out of my walkman was enough to break the enchanting spell. I dumped the tape player into the sink and then tried to focus my thoughts on what had just happened. Questions came at me from all mental directions. Who were these people? How had I been chosen? What adventures lay ahead? The whole world was asking for my assistance. How could I refuse? That final thought made up my mind for me. There was no way I could not try to stop these evil criminals from taking the lives of hundreds of innocent bystanders. I sat down and inserted the DVD into my PlayStation 2. It was at that exact moment my life changed forever and I have never regretted that decision.

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy Review

Introduction
Gamers are a jaded lot. On one hand, you can hear them constantly demanding for new gaming genres and unique playing experiences. However, when it comes time to put their money where their mouth is, you can usually see them picking up the sequels to previously released games from years gone by or falling into the hype machine to be ground up like hamburger because they have followed the trail of bread crumbs left by the mass media. Then, after a few months, they return to their soapbox to clamor on about the failings of the industry since all of the few unique titles have disappeared from the retail shelves with extremely poor sales.

2003 had a tremendous amount of new and original titles released that simply did not go anywhere in the sales department. Two of the biggest would have to be Prince of Persia and Beyond Good & Evil. Both of these received critical acclaim from media sites across the spectrum and were serious Game of the Year contenders that did incredibly bad during the holiday season. But these weren’t the only outstanding or original titles to be snubbed by the consumer. EyeToy: Play had some success, but disappeared into a wisp of smoke quickly. Namco’s I-Ninja was another highly rated title that didn’t get the respect it deserved by the masses. Even games that had big marketing campaigns behind them, like Disgaea, Disaster Report and Primal were left sitting on store shelves while the multitude of numbered sequels outsold them in droves.

Another game that had a big push that went nowhere was Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (SatCM). THQ had a tremendous amount of development difficulties bringing this game to retail. First, the game went through numerous title changes during its creation, which always makes things difficult for average gamers to keep track of a title’s progression through the development cycle. Secondly, THQ released a demo of the game well before many of the programming issues, mostly camera problems, were ironed out which probably helped to scare away many of their promising sales. Finally, Sphinx was released during the same two-week period that SOCOM II, True Crime: Streets of LA, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King all came to market. With these three things going against it, there is no surprise that the game quickly slipped into oblivion. However, the really important matter is did gamers miss out on a diamond in the rough or just another so-so release. There is only one way to find out, just read on brave explorer and see what you may have missed out on.

SkyGunner Review

Introduction
Where, oh where have all the good shooters gone? Being a seasoned veteran of video games, I have come to miss the days when Defender and Space Harrier reigned supreme in the arcades. Today, everything has become a Halo or Grand Theft Auto clone. No longer are the adventures where a player would go up against unbelievable odds of enemy fighters on the forefront of gamers’ minds. Now we are bombarded with ‘fragfests’ and ‘jacking a ride’ instead of hunting down swarms of baddies to victoriously face the big boss in a final showdown. While I don’t mean to diminish these games for their fun factors or gameplay, it just isn’t the same experience that I was taught to enjoy.

Even though the majority of the gaming community may have forgotten what drives the soul of older gamers, Atlus still can be counted on for giving us a quality trip down memory lane. Let me introduce you to their latest creation with the complete retro feel still intact, SkyGunner. This ‘retro’ reference is not meant to confuse the newcomer to the gaming world. SkyGunner is a completely new work from the studios of Pixel Arts that has its roots deeply embedded in classic games of the past. 

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The story begins aboard the luxury liner Merveilleux where the unveiling of the Eternal Engine is about to begin. This engine will revolutionize current technology since it is capable of running forever without an outside power source. The town of Rive has created this Expo especially for this event. Although this is a time of celebration, the town officials have planned for the worst. They have employed the SkyGunners to protect their ship and its precious cargo. Even with these safeguards in place, the criminal genius Ventre has devised a plan to use the celebration as a distraction and to steal the Eternal Engine for his own evil purposes. With the help of his created Poulet army, Ventre sets sail for Rive and thus begins our adventure.