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So here we are... November. And what a glorious month... we don't have to worry about Christmas, because that's next month, so we can spend all the spare money we have now on games and expect to be overdrawn in the bank because of Christmas, Right? Definitely!
So, I suppose we better go from the top down... first console....
N64: Mario Party 3 - Just like the others, more mini-games costs almost £50!
Now that's out the way, we can get onto a platform with a slightly more endowed line-up...
PlayStation 2 - My goodness, even me being a Ninty was happy about this! First off we have Airblade - It's like a kinda air-boarding games (A bit like Trick-Style (DC)). The game tells the story of Ethan, a hotshot skater, whose friend Oscar worked at a certain GCP Corporation. Oscar happened to invent a hoverboard while simultaneously working on a secret project for the GCP Corporation. During the course of his research, Oscar found a way of generating unlimited energy via force field technology. The game seems to focus heavily on the storyline, and the ‘Airblade’ is the Chaos Emeralds or the game! – If you wanted THPS3, but were worried about a lack of depth, here’s your game!
The next game is Burnout. Like Airblade, Burnout is also made by the UK’s Criterion Studios, it’s basically your traditional checkpoint racer, but with unimaginable speeds that increase the more dangerous your driving, there is definitely something special about the game – My girlfriend would be great at this!
Maybe you need a bit more muscle in your game… sure driving games are cool and airboarding must be fun, but look how skinny the people who do that sort of thing are! What you need is WWF Smackdown!: Just Bring It! – The third, and possibly final instalment of the popular Smackdown! series is the first game to bless the PlayStation 2 with the WWF licence. There are loads of superstars, 78 types of matches and amazing play-by-play commentary. If you’re a fan of wrestling games, there is no reason NOT to buy this game… it has everything you could ever want from a wrestling title, including the ultra-detailed ‘Create-a-Wrestler’ Mode
But you know what? All of those great games are for the common man… maybe you’re slightly upper class? You need something more... “Traditional”, but it still has to include violence and fast cars! Here’s your answer – James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire. Although not a genuine Bond film, the game is amazing… sure it might not be the tactical espionage thriller that is Metal Gear Solid 2, but sometimes, all that sneaking around gets a bit boring, and who better to go out with all guns blazing than an unofficial James Bond! There are shooting missions, car missions, and even transmissions (Maybe not...). The characters are tip-top with Bond looking like Bond should… And the blonde is quite a looker too!
Still not impressed? Even with James Bond!?… Maybe you need a little more humour in your life! And who better than the Simpson family! Their take on the popular Crazy Taxi series is comical to say the least! You can ‘work’ as one of 20+ characters chauffeuring one of 30 Springfield well knowns to over 100 landmarks spanning 6 levels. The reason for all this is Monty Burns… he’s brought all the local busses and fares are sky high, so it’s up to ‘you’ to raise enough money to buy the busses back! With a two-player split screen to boot and VERY Simpsons-like visuals, this game is bound to make it’s mark… and unlike The Simpsons Wrestling – There is plenty of gameplay behind this and it should have no trouble seeing you though hours and hours of gameplay! WARNING: Crazy Taxi veterans will adore or abhor this game, try before you buy?
You’re still not happy are you? You must be one of those freaky people who only likes scary stuff – I bet you eat sprouts as well, don’t you! Ulgh! Well, anyway, the gaming industry hasn’t left you out – Konami are here to rescue you (and I use that term loosely!). Silent Hill 2 is the sequel to the scary PSX title ‘Silent Hill’. This disturbing survival horror sees you take the role of James Sunderland. Upon receiving a letter from your deceased wife, you decide you better go and meet her, as she requests... I’m already scared!
Well, that’s you horror ‘nuts’ out the way, who’s next? Ah – Mr. Football! Well, without any further ado, let me introduce Pro Evolution Soccer. Made by KCET or KCEO (I can never remember which one! – [Both Are Divisions of Konami]) PES is the most realistic football game going! With real names (bar Nike sponsored teams like Brazil) and the player data from Championship Manager 01/02, you can’t really go wrong, especially when the long-standing ISS series has stood-out with its amazing gameplay attributes for so long! The graphics, sound, gameplay and physics are amazing - 100% minus 5% for that damn awful commentary!
Speaking of classic gameplay – ever heard of Half-Life? Yeah... you non-graphics card wimps now have no excuse to not have played this game! I’m not entirely sure of the on-line capabilities, but I don’t think they’re present. But still... with one of the best PC games from the last 5 years mixed with the most advanced gaming console to-date – I don’t think you can go wrong! Half-Life is a First Person Shooter.
If you’re not impressed by now, you must be a tricky customer… hold on – I think I know of a tricky game just for you! (:P) – Yep, the sequel to the popular PlayStation 2 launch title SSX, SSX: Tricky has improved in all areas since it was first shown @ E3! With a smooth 60fps constant, the game is smooth as ice! – Or should that be cool as ice?! Anyway… love snowboarding? Love this!
Klonoa 2 is a nice little platformer from Namco. For those of you who weren’t quite sure about Airblade and you want something a bit more down to earth, this is it… Although it sports a more bizarre storyline, the feel of Klonoa 2 is much more normal. It’s quite a enchanting New-Age Japanese tale, but easy enough to follow. It's a relatively short game, and it's not very hard, but it's got so many great qualities and is so much fun to play that it'll definitely be worth your while.
Tony Hawk… apart from having a surname associated with spitting greenies, Tony Hawk’s all good. Ever since the first THPS game on the PSX, Activision’s boarding franchise has succeeded in bringing the extreme sport to home consoles all over the world. The third and possibly final instalment of the series sports loads of tracks, near-perfect (if not) graphics and incomparable gameplay. The tricks have come in droves and the skate-parks are plenty… and you can’t get too much of a good thing, right?! Right! If you’re still unsure what to get, I’d advise you get this. It is a title that anyone can play, and when you’ve been playing a while and you can pull off a Nose-Bone 6,000,000, with a twist, an indie, and 6 grabs, you’ll be loving it! All the gameplay modes have returned – it’s just like a better THPS2 with better graphics, better sound, better music and more pro-skaters than you can shake your in-line skates at! Definitely the one to consider!
These games look fantastic and they span over all the genres known to man, if you own a Playstation 2 or indeed you hope FC and his reindeers will drop by with one on Christmas Eve, you should have no problem seeing a game that you want...
...The only trouble is, that most people wouldn’t mind all these games… seeing a game you DON’T want will be the hardest part!
Happy November!
Game
good, that's another game i can cross off my list. only about 10 others to decide about.
now...
So here we are... November. And what a glorious month... we don't have to worry about Christmas, because that's next month, so we can spend all the spare money we have now on games and expect to be overdrawn in the bank because of Christmas, Right? Definitely!
So, I suppose we better go from the top down... first console....
N64: Mario Party 3 - Just like the others, more mini-games costs almost £50!
Now that's out the way, we can get onto a platform with a slightly more endowed line-up...
PlayStation 2 - My goodness, even me being a Ninty was happy about this! First off we have Airblade - It's like a kinda air-boarding games (A bit like Trick-Style (DC)). The game tells the story of Ethan, a hotshot skater, whose friend Oscar worked at a certain GCP Corporation. Oscar happened to invent a hoverboard while simultaneously working on a secret project for the GCP Corporation. During the course of his research, Oscar found a way of generating unlimited energy via force field technology. The game seems to focus heavily on the storyline, and the ‘Airblade’ is the Chaos Emeralds or the game! – If you wanted THPS3, but were worried about a lack of depth, here’s your game!
The next game is Burnout. Like Airblade, Burnout is also made by the UK’s Criterion Studios, it’s basically your traditional checkpoint racer, but with unimaginable speeds that increase the more dangerous your driving, there is definitely something special about the game – My girlfriend would be great at this!
Maybe you need a bit more muscle in your game… sure driving games are cool and airboarding must be fun, but look how skinny the people who do that sort of thing are! What you need is WWF Smackdown!: Just Bring It! – The third, and possibly final instalment of the popular Smackdown! series is the first game to bless the PlayStation 2 with the WWF licence. There are loads of superstars, 78 types of matches and amazing play-by-play commentary. If you’re a fan of wrestling games, there is no reason NOT to buy this game… it has everything you could ever want from a wrestling title, including the ultra-detailed ‘Create-a-Wrestler’ Mode
But you know what? All of those great games are for the common man… maybe you’re slightly upper class? You need something more... “Traditional”, but it still has to include violence and fast cars! Here’s your answer – James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire. Although not a genuine Bond film, the game is amazing… sure it might not be the tactical espionage thriller that is Metal Gear Solid 2, but sometimes, all that sneaking around gets a bit boring, and who better to go out with all guns blazing than an unofficial James Bond! There are shooting missions, car missions, and even transmissions (Maybe not...). The characters are tip-top with Bond looking like Bond should… And the blonde is quite a looker too!
Still not impressed? Even with James Bond!?… Maybe you need a little more humour in your life! And who better than the Simpson family! Their take on the popular Crazy Taxi series is comical to say the least! You can ‘work’ as one of 20+ characters chauffeuring one of 30 Springfield well knowns to over 100 landmarks spanning 6 levels. The reason for all this is Monty Burns… he’s brought all the local busses and fares are sky high, so it’s up to ‘you’ to raise enough money to buy the busses back! With a two-player split screen to boot and VERY Simpsons-like visuals, this game is bound to make it’s mark… and unlike The Simpsons Wrestling – There is plenty of gameplay behind this and it should have no trouble seeing you though hours and hours of gameplay! WARNING: Crazy Taxi veterans will adore or abhor this game, try before you buy?
You’re still not happy are you? You must be one of those freaky people who only likes scary stuff – I bet you eat sprouts as well, don’t you! Ulgh! Well, anyway, the gaming industry hasn’t left you out – Konami are here to rescue you (and I use that term loosely!). Silent Hill 2 is the sequel to the scary PSX title ‘Silent Hill’. This disturbing survival horror sees you take the role of James Sunderland. Upon receiving a letter from your deceased wife, you decide you better go and meet her, as she requests... I’m already scared!
Well, that’s you horror ‘nuts’ out the way, who’s next? Ah – Mr. Football! Well, without any further ado, let me introduce Pro Evolution Soccer. Made by KCET or KCEO (I can never remember which one! – [Both Are Divisions of Konami]) PES is the most realistic football game going! With real names (bar Nike sponsored teams like Brazil) and the player data from Championship Manager 01/02, you can’t really go wrong, especially when the long-standing ISS series has stood-out with its amazing gameplay attributes for so long! The graphics, sound, gameplay and physics are amazing - 100% minus 5% for that damn awful commentary!
Speaking of classic gameplay – ever heard of Half-Life? Yeah... you non-graphics card wimps now have no excuse to not have played this game! I’m not entirely sure of the on-line capabilities, but I don’t think they’re present. But still... with one of the best PC games from the last 5 years mixed with the most advanced gaming console to-date – I don’t think you can go wrong! Half-Life is a First Person Shooter.
If you’re not impressed by now, you must be a tricky customer… hold on – I think I know of a tricky game just for you! (:P) – Yep, the sequel to the popular PlayStation 2 launch title SSX, SSX: Tricky has improved in all areas since it was first shown @ E3! With a smooth 60fps constant, the game is smooth as ice! – Or should that be cool as ice?! Anyway… love snowboarding? Love this!
Klonoa 2 is a nice little platformer from Namco. For those of you who weren’t quite sure about Airblade and you want something a bit more down to earth, this is it… Although it sports a more bizarre storyline, the feel of Klonoa 2 is much more normal. It’s quite a enchanting New-Age Japanese tale, but easy enough to follow. It's a relatively short game, and it's not very hard, but it's got so many great qualities and is so much fun to play that it'll definitely be worth your while.
Tony Hawk… apart from having a surname associated with spitting greenies, Tony Hawk’s all good. Ever since the first THPS game on the PSX, Activision’s boarding franchise has succeeded in bringing the extreme sport to home consoles all over the world. The third and possibly final instalment of the series sports loads of tracks, near-perfect (if not) graphics and incomparable gameplay. The tricks have come in droves and the skate-parks are plenty… and you can’t get too much of a good thing, right?! Right! If you’re still unsure what to get, I’d advise you get this. It is a title that anyone can play, and when you’ve been playing a while and you can pull off a Nose-Bone 6,000,000, with a twist, an indie, and 6 grabs, you’ll be loving it! All the gameplay modes have returned – it’s just like a better THPS2 with better graphics, better sound, better music and more pro-skaters than you can shake your in-line skates at! Definitely the one to consider!
These games look fantastic and they span over all the genres known to man, if you own a Playstation 2 or indeed you hope FC and his reindeers will drop by with one on Christmas Eve, you should have no problem seeing a game that you want...
...The only trouble is, that most people wouldn’t mind all these games… seeing a game you DON’T want will be the hardest part!
Happy November!
Game