| Mario Party 7 | |||
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| Grade: D+ |
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Last modified 2007/8/21.
The overriding criteria is how fun the game is to play, although control, graphics, and sound are also taken into account. |
Screen shots courtesy of IGN.com, Game Nation TV, Gaming Age Online, Nintendo.com, Sega.com.
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For those having to decide between this and the Playstation 2 version of Madden 07, either one will do, because both are practically the same. The differences are slight. I thought the graphics looked a bit "softer" on the GameCube, at least on my high definition television. There are fewer awkward "pauses" after plays than in the PS2 game, resulting in slightly more fluid contests. Some of my friends also noted that the audio (especially the crowd) sounds cleaner. One important aspect to take into account is the controller. If you're used to a PS2 button layout, you may find the GameCube configuration awkward. Fewer buttons necessitates holding multiple in for certain functions. For example, you need to hold in the right trigger and hard-to-reach Z button to bring up the passing icons. Of course, once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. The best new features are the "lead block" controls and the new "highlight stick" that lets you perform nifty moves while eluding tackles. The worst addition is the analog kicking stick, which effectively makes the kicking game predictable and boring. The music is pretty awful, but overall Madden NFL 07 is a solid, competitive game with ample replay value. See the Playstation 2 review for further details.
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This new Mario Golf gets the job done but could have been a lot better. Toadstool Tour looks and plays very much like Mario Golf 64, but it's bogged down by glaring flaws and unwanted new features. The main new feature, and by far the most useless, is the "automatic" swing. This employs the standard swing meter, except you only need to push the "A" button twice - once to initiate the swing and once for power (the accuracy is random). Apparently this was meant to cater to the young kids, but it's ill-conceived. In order to circumvent this ridiculous "feature", you must press "B" on the second button press. It's a mess, but I still prefer it to Tiger Woods's "analog swing". Aiming and applying spin is intuitive enough, but getting a decent camera angle is another story. The game places a gaudy "grid" with flashy colors and moving dots over the location you're aiming for. These gratuitous visuals not only clutter the screen, but often hide the flag, hole, and obstacles! Adjusting this view with the C button is awkward and frustrating. Worse yet, after you putt, the camera stays trained on your golfer, so you don't even see your shot go in (or miss)! This is inexcusable. Not all the news is bad though. The graphics are very easy on the eyes, depicting tropical locales with rolling green hills and incredible water effects. There are plenty of classic Nintendo players available from the get-go, although you'll need to play a few rounds to open up the courses. Unfortunately, it seems as if most of the courses are either too easy or crazy hard - there aren't enough "middle-of-the-road" courses here, which is what most players prefer. The characters are nicely animated and quite entertaining as they celebrate or grimace after a shot. The music is pleasant and includes some nice steel drum music. But easily the best aspect of Toadstool Tour is its fast pacing. There's virtually no load time so you can play eighteen holes in a matter of minutes. And when you get tired of regular golf you can try "Ring Shot, "Club Slots", "Speed Golf", "Coin Shoot", or assorted other side games. In the end, Toadstool didn't live up to my lofty expectations, but it's not a bad choice if you're in a mood of a quick round of golf.
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Kart games are always fun, but Double Dash perfects the formula, and is truly a joy to play. Each kart can hold two characters, one to drive and one to hang off the back and employ weapons. This two-man concept was first realized in the gladiator racing game Circus Maximus (Xbox, 2002), and it was pretty effective in that game as well. While the second character doesn't make a huge difference here, it does add a few subtle nuances to the strategy. Pairing up characters introduces weight factors, gives the ability to "juggle" power-ups, and lets you team up with a friend. Characters can switch places on the fly, and each can hold a different power-up. The tracks here are absolutely gorgeous, and many are reminiscent of the exotic worlds in Mario Sunshine. There's a tropical paradise, jungle, castle, and a desert track complete with a Sarlacc (for all you Star Wars fans out there). My personal favorite is the track that winds through a giant cruise ship - it's incredible! The one track I didn't care for was the giant rainbow, which incidentally appears at the end of every Mario Kart game (and always sucks). Most courses tend to be wide open, so it's not difficult to stay on the road. Even if you do crash or get hit by a weapon, you're back in action almost immediately. All your favorite weapons are here, including the bananas, heat-seeking shells, and the lightning bolt that makes all the other racers tiny. You receive three shell projectiles at a time and can shoot them in a rapid-fire fashion. Control is responsive, although the handling depends on your character combination and vehicle. All the characters and most of the tracks are available from the start (thankfully), and the new Mario, Luigi, and Bowser "baby" characters are absolutely hilarious. The races are extremely fun and unpredictable, and the "Battle Modes" are also worth checking out. Double Dash is a must-have for GameCube owners, and for you non-GameCube owners, this may be the excuse you've been looking for.
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When the original Mario Party was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998, it was so well-received that it spawned a new genre of four-player "party" games. Since then, Nintendo has released sequels on an annual basis, but seem to be gradually running short on ideas. In fact, the series has degenerated to a point where many gamers actually feel animosity towards it! After playing this seventh edition, I can see why. You'd think by now Nintendo would have honed Party into a sleek, mean, multi-player machine. Instead, it's slow, tedious, and sometimes arduous. As always, the idea is to traverse an oversized "board" while engaging in mini-games against your opponents. But too much of the game is spent paging through cutesy dialogue and waiting for spinning "wheels" to stop. I can forgive Nintendo using a lot of text up front to explain the rules, but it never lets up! Worst yet, much of the dialogue is worthless fluff like "Come back and see me again", or "Do try a mini-game again". You'll find yourself constantly pounding buttons in an attempt to expedite the process. The boards are attractive enough, but there are too many types of spaces to keep track of, and the use of various "orbs" needlessly complicates matters. One innovative (but ill-advised) feature is the inclusion of "voice-activated" games played with an included microphone that plugs into a memory card slot. These "mic" games are so weak that they smack of desperation. There's nothing more assinine that having to sit there and watch a CPU character play a solo mic game. What was Nintendo thinking? Even the "normal" mini-games fall flat, with too many slot machine and dice games that require more luck than skill. When playing with four people, three players will often have to wait for one player to complete a solo mini-game, and that's just plain wrong. Mario Party seems to have run its course, and if Nintendo wants to resurrect the series, they should forgo the gimmicks in favor of streamlining its slow, convoluted gameplay.
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The light-hearted tennis game looks like a sure bet at first glance, but it's seriously flawed. Mario Power Tennis allows you to play as fourteen Nintendo characters including Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Boo, Sky Gun, Wario, and a rather shapely version of Peach. The gameplay calls to mind Virtua Tennis (Dreamcast, 2000), as you can "charge up" your shot if you can position your player early enough. Unfortunately, Power Tennis' control scheme is far more complicated than it needs to be. Although slightly simplified from Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64, Nintendo still makes you use combinations of the A and B buttons to execute normal shots, lobs, drop shots, and slams! For example, a drop shot is performed by pressing A and then B, which is very unintuitive and awfully easy to forget in the heat of competition. The graphics look absolutely terrific with its colorful courts, fluid animations, and shots that leave bright trails behind. There's one thing that really kills the gameplay however, and that's the ultra-annoying "power shot". Incredibly cheap, it allows a player to reach the ball from any spot on the court - even if it's already whizzed by them! Performing a power shot initiates a wacky bit of animation like Donkey Kong Jr. strapping on a missile launcher, or Waluigi swimming through a pool of water (huh?). You'll really get tired of watching these things. It would be annoying enough if these power shots happened once or twice per game, but they seem to occur on every frickin' volley! I would love to turn that silly gimmick off, but sadly, that's not an option. Mario Power Tennis has a tournament mode that lets you climb the ranks, but it inexplicably prompts you to "delete your game" after each tournament, which makes no sense at all. Also included are "gimmick master" tournaments featuring contraption-laden courts that change on the fly. These look great and add variety, but the gimmicks (such as sliding floor panels) are distracting at best and annoying at worst. A selection of mini-games is also included in the package, with highlights that include playing against an octopus or taking shots at ghosts in the windows of a haunted house. The games that require you to reconfigure mazes or paint pictures are just a headache. Mario Power Tennis was never produced in large quantities and can be hard to find. Perhaps Nintendo realized the game wasn't quite up to their usual high standards.
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As much as I enjoyed Mario Superstar Baseball, I'm irritated by its lack of fine-tuning. This should have been the ultimate arcade-style baseball game. The randomized teams are composed of just about every loveable character you've ever encountered in a Mario game, including obscure characters like Boo, Goomba, Shy Guy, and Dry Bones. Nintendo fans will absolutely freak out when they see these classic characters rendered in lush 3D. The baseball fields are a nice break from the usual, including Peach's castle with the trimmed hedges and Donkey Kong's jungle with a stream running through the outfield. Superstar Baseball's controls are simple as can be and responsive to boot, although selecting a base with the analog stick is a bit inexact. The games themselves are fast moving, action-packed contests with minimal lulls. Since there's no obligation to be realistic, Mario Baseball is able to forgo the more boring aspects of the sport. The default game length is only five innings, there's no bullpen to worry about, and you don't have to wait for the catcher to toss the ball back to the pitcher. But despite doing so many things right, Nintendo also screwed the game up in a number of ways. First off, it's awfully hard to hit the freakin' ball, and too many games turn into tedious pitching duels. This is supposed to be an arcade title, right? Even when you do make contact, the ball sails foul more than half the time! Hello? Didn't anybody bother to play-test this thing? Worst of all, the brain-dead base runners take off on any contact whatsoever, resulting in an inordinate number of double plays. The umpire that calls balls, strikes, and outs is extremely annoying as well. Several four-player mini-games are also included, but these are marginal. Mario Superstar Baseball is a nice break from those "realistic" baseball games, but it's still disappointing. A little fine-tuning could have gone a long way with this one.
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The original Metroid was an NES classic, and Super Metroid (1994) is considered by some to be the best game for the Super Nintendo. Both featured top-notch platform shooting in creepy, desolate space environments. Transitioning such a popular series to the third dimension turned out to be a monumental challenge. Originally intended to be a first-person shooter for the N64, the project was plagued with controversy, endless delays, and development team changes. All things considered, it's surprising that Metroid Prime turned out this good! Not only does Prime capture the distinctive flavor of the series, but you'll need to search high and low for a more polished video game! The razor-sharp visuals, fluid framerate, and intelligently crafted stages are astonishing at times. It's amazing the level of detail they can squeeze onto one of those tiny Gamecube disks. Eerie sci-fi music and Alien-inspired corridors make you feel claustrophobic and paranoid. Despite adopting a first-person point-of-view, Prime's gameplay remains faithful to the series. Long-time fans will be giddy as schoolgirls as they behold awesome 3D renditions of bosses they battled in the previous Metroid adventures. Even some stages call to mind the old games, like the timed escape sequence in the very beginning. A few original elements have been added to spice up the action, including visual devices called "visors" that allow you to scan objects, see in the dark, and even see through walls. You'll need to morph into a ball to squeeze through narrow openings, and the game wisely switches to a third-person view for this. You check your position by rotating 3D map, which is a lot of fun to manipulate. Metroid Prime's clever puzzles are far more thoughtful that the standard pull-the-switch stuff. You can only save your progress at specific locations, but these tend to be well placed. The controls are somewhat unconventional, and this has been a sticking point for many gamers. There's no strafe control (unless you're locked on), and that can be problematic. But the overall quality and playability of Metroid Prime is more than enough to win over any skeptics.
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The first Metroid Prime was great, but the Echoes follows the same formula too closely, and it's already starting to wear thin. The graphics and audio of both games are practically identical, so if someone walked into the room they wouldn't be able to tell if you were playing the original Metroid Prime or Echoes. It doesn't feel fresh or new, but Echoes is certainly huge. It offers excellent shooting action, easy platform jumping, and thoughtful puzzles set in bleak alien landscapes and subterranean worlds. Morphing into a ball is key, and in certain areas you can even launch yourself like a cannon ball. This new chapter revolves around the idea of "light and dark aether", which failed to win me over. We've seen the concept in other Nintendo titles, and it seems to promote a lot of backtracking. I found Prime 2's storyline confusing, and many cut scenes left me wondering what the heck just happened. The control scheme is unchanged, which is surprising considering how many fans of the first game clamored for a strafe move. You can only save your progress at special "beacons", and while these are strategically placed, you'll usually breathe a huge sigh of relief when you reach one. Echoes also features a four-player split-screen mode, but I didn't find the redundant, closed-in environments of to be very conducive to shoot-outs. Echoes isn't as much fun as the first game, but it's still the same high caliber of first-person shooting action, and for some gamers, that's enough.
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The VGC loves originality, and Odama has it in spades. Its gameplay is an unlikely hybrid of real-time strategy (RTS) and - get this - pinball! The action takes place on a screen-sized battlefield set in ancient Japan. In the midst of a huge battle, the object is to have your soldiers transport a large bell through a gate at the top of the screen. Using a pair of huge "flippers" on the bottom, you propel a huge black iron ball (the "Odama") across the battlefield, knocking out obstacles and steamrolling any soldiers who get in the way (including your own). A special power-up causes the Odama to glow green, allowing it to "convert" enemy troops to your side. Odama's pinball gameplay is addictive, but the game falters in its attempt to incorporate voice recognition. You're supposed to issue vocal commands to your troops via the included microphone, like "press forward", "move left", and "rally". Unfortunately, it's rarely obvious when to issue each command (except when the game prompts you), and using the microphone in the heat of battle is distracting. I would prefer to just hit a button, or not have to worry about these commands at all. The targeting system for selecting groups of soldiers is quirky as well. Another big issue is the game's steep learning difficulty curve and excessive complexity. The second battle alone took me and a few friends literally hours to complete, and subsequent battles have so many confusing objectives, it's hard to keep track of them all. Each battle is timed, so even when you seem to be making progress, the game can end abruptly if the clock runs out. As flawed as it is, however, Odama is still strangely compelling and addicting. My abysmal performance and lack of progress did not prevent me from playing Odama for hours on end. The ancient Japanese theme is artistic and unusual, and has an off-beat, self-deprecating sense of humor. Odama could have been a winner if it were easier and less complex. I love to see innovation like this, but I could really do without the frustration.
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Outlaw Golf is an irreverent take on the sport, featuring "colorful" characters, suggestive commentary, and wacky gameplay. It sounds like an edgy version of Hot Shots, but it's not even in the same league. The cast of juvenile delinquents and hotties is certainly original, but their antics are more immature than funny. You can't help but like the sexy babe with the hot cheerleader caddy, but others like the redneck and white homeboy are just annoying. Likewise, the smart-ass commentary is terribly corny to the point of embarrassment. The graphics are actually quite good, with smooth green rolling hills and slick fairways, but Outlaw's gameplay falters badly. This whole "analog swing" business has got to go! Its implementation here is even more aggravating than EA's Tiger Wood's Golf. Power is difficult to gauge, and the various indicators are totally confusing. Adding insult to injury, poor play results in a decreased "composure", making the game even harder! You can recoup composure by beating up your caddy, and this goofy sequence employs a standard meter that should have been used to swing your club! Other annoyances include poor course design and lengthy pauses in the action. I normally enjoy whimsical sports games, but Outlaw Golf really turned me off. NOTE: After posting this review, I received the following email from Simon and Shuster: "Hi.. I saw your review of Outlaw Golf. While I can appreciate that is your opinion of the game.. no site gave us a "F" for the title. The lowest we got was a C or C- and that was because of the swing control. Needless to say I've had to remove you from future console titles as my boss was furious. Sorry about this.. Regards"
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This could have been called "Battle of the Namco Stars" because it really isn't a Pac-Man game at all. No, Pac-Man Fever is a four-player party game starring Namco characters like Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Asteroth (Soul Calibur), Heihach (Tekken), Reiko (the hot Asian chick from Ridge Racer), and some black dude with a big Afro. Three game "boards" offer medieval, tropical, and space themes, but none are particularly interesting. I enjoyed the pulsating techno music of the space stage, but the looping flute of the medieval stage was almost unbearable. You can select from three games lengths, including my personal favorite, short. Fever's gameplay consists of moving a random number of spaces (no dice roll necessary) and collecting coins that help you reach the finish line. The rules are fairly simple and the contests move along at a steady pace. Of course, a party game is only as good as its mini-games, and Pac-Man Fever's are a mixed bag. For every fun event like dart throwing, there's some kind of irritating "whack a mole" crap. I did find it interesting how certain games are inspired by old classics like Kaboom, Pong, Beamrider, and Tron Deadly Discs. The instructions preceding each are minimal, but figuring out what to do is half the fun (although some of my friends would dispute that). Pac-Man Fever is entertaining with multiple players, but one heinous design flaw nearly ruins the whole affair. The last four spaces of each board have special conditions that make it easy to become hopelessly stuck on them while the rest of the field catches up. It really doesn't matter how well you performed during the course of the game, because invariably everyone ends up bunched up in those last few spaces! Even so, Pac-Man Fever still compares favorably to the recent crop of mediocre Mario Party games.
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People who complain about the lack of originality of video games owe it to themselves to give Pikmin a try. Best described as a cross between Lemmings and Warcraft, Pikmin is brimming with all of the originality and charm you'd expect from a Nintendo original. Fun and addictive, it combines the simple controls of a console game with real-time strategy elements usually found on a PC. You control a little spaceman who's crashed into a planet, attempting to locate 30 parts of his ship. By enlisting the help of small leaf-shaped creatures called Pikmin, you gradually retrieve the pieces and reconstruct your ship. The crux of the game involves raising groups of Pikmin and using them to retrieve objects. These little guys are cute and endearing, and their special abilities are indicated by their color. You can make the Pikmin perform several tasks in parallel, and they can even defeat monsters when unleashed in large numbers. The game showcases the Gamecube's power by letting you command up to 100 of these creatures at a time. Pikmin strikes a nice balance of action and puzzle-solving. The camera is sometimes an issue, but it doesn't dampen the fun. Once you get drawn into its little virtual world, you actually start empathizing for the little Pikmin. I truly felt guilty whenever I left a few behind at the end of a day, knowing they would be eaten by nocturnal carnivores. This game will appeal to both men and women of all ages. Although its gameplay wears thin over time, Pikmin will still fascinate you for hours on end.
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Since 1986, the Rampage franchise has allowed gamers to fulfill the common fantasy of decimating major cities with enormous beasts like King Kong and Godzilla. But the series has aged poorly. It seems as if the more its graphics improve, the less challenging and more pointless it becomes. In Total Destruction, the action has gone fully 3D, and is all the worse for it. Stage locations include Las Vegas, San Francisco, London and Los Angeles, but they're just one set of boring buildings after the next. The goofy monster animations provide sporadic comic relief, and the gratuitous damage you can inflict is satisfying - for the first five minutes or so. The controls are erratic and imprecise. Kicking and punching is no problem, but picking up cars and latching onto buildings is problematic. It's really hard to do stuff that should be easy. Bringing down a 10-story skyscraper is a piece of cake, but trying to damage a single-story building is nearly impossible. Why Midway assigned "jump" to the "A" button is beyond me, because it's generally worthless. Total Destruction's lack of difficulty is another major issue. The game goes on forever, and you'll quit out of sheer boredom long before you'll run out of lives. Ironically, Total Destruction renewed my appreciation for the first Rampage (1986), which is also included on the disk (along with Rampage World Tour, 1997). I was never a big fan of the original back in the day, but at least you can play the game in a few minutes, and its graphics have an old school charm. Rampage Total Destruction just goes to show that "more" doesn't always mean "better", and in this case at least, it means much worse.
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Based on a movie that nobody has even seen, Reign of Fire places you in an all-out war between dragons and humanity in the year 2024. It begins with a series of missions in well-armed jeeps and tanks, but later actually lets you play the role of the dragons! Reign does a fine job of making you feel as if you're in the middle of a large-scale conflict, with raptor-like "jackyls" attacking from the ground and huge dragons swooping in from above. Your arsenal includes rapid-fire machine guns, rockets, and heat-seeking missiles. Since you are part of a larger fighting force, you don't need to do all the work yourself. In fact, the key to surviving most missions seems to be: a) Keep moving, b) Keep shooting, and c) Don't wander too far off. Unless you have guided missiles, it's hard to tell if you're inflicting damage, and the dragons will sustain many hits before they die. Your vehicle is constantly set on fire, requiring you to find water ASAP, which can be a real pain. A small scanner identifies enemy positions, but you can't distinguish if they're approaching by air or land. Reign's graphics are surprisingly detailed, and the post-apocalyptic earth looks both desolate and beautiful. The dragons look so realistic that if they did in fact exist, I'm betting they would look exactly like these. It's quite a rush to see one of these huge beasts turn around in the distant sky, lining you up for their next attack run. Some dragons will even pick up large objects and drop them on top of you! I once did a double take as I watched a boat fall onto one of my tanks! The fire effects are completely convincing, and a dramatic musical score fits well with the explosions and rampant carnage. Reign of Fire lacks polish however, causing my mood to alternate between excitement and aggitation. The difficulty of the missions is wildly uneven - some are incredibly hard while others require little effort. The frame rate gets a little rough when things get hectic, and the load times are easily the longest I've seen on the GameCube. Clips from the movie are interspersed with the stages. Despite its lack of polish however, Reign of Fire's visually compelling action is exciting enough to keep you coming back for more.
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The granddaddy of survival horror has returned to reclaim its crown! The original Resident Evil, released in 1996 for the Playstation, was the first genuinely frightening video game. Trapped in a house full of zombies, traps, and puzzles, you had to brace yourself for each new room. Several sequels expanded the scope of the original, but rarely matched the level of hair-raising thrills. In light of that, remaking the first Resident Evil makes a lot of sense. Even those who played through it the first time around shouldn't hesitate to pick this up. With dramatically improved graphics, a new room layout, relocated monsters, and better puzzles, it's practically a whole new game. For horror movie buffs, it's like the difference between Evil Dead I and II. The cheesy live-action scenes from the first game have been replaced with some jaw-dropping CGI work. The mansion interior is spectacularly detailed and magnificently gothic and ornate. Lightning flashes and shadows from trees reflect realistically on the walls. New areas include a decrepit old graveyard. All the scenery is pre-rendered, which is both good and bad. On the positive side, pre-positioned camera angles allow for some downright creepy cinematography. For example, at the end of one long hallway you may see the faint image of a mysterious figure. On the other hand, you can't adjust your view, and it's occasionally frustrating to obtain a decent camera angle. The music effectively builds tension, and improved voice acting makes the awkward dialog sound halfway credible. Shrill screams and ominous groans will send tingles down your spine. While the graphics and audio are stellar, you still have to deal with a rather clumsy control scheme that really hasn't changed much since 1996. A targeting system makes it easy to locate monsters, but aiming at close range can be maddeningly difficult. As in past Resident Evil games, you'll need to juggle a lot of items, and you're carrying capacity is very limited. It seems like whenever I find a new item I need, I don't have any place to put it! One clever new gameplay element is the "defensive weapon". These special weapons (including a dagger) let you subdue your enemies after they've gotten a hold of you. Just don't confuse the dagger with the knife like I did. Another major change is the ability for some monsters to follow you from room to room. The first time this happens, you'll feel like you've lost what little sense of security you had. And the monsters don't go down as easy as they did in past games. Remember, they aren't dead until the music stops! Resident Evil is an all-time classic, and you're sure to be terrified by this slick, updated two-disk edition.
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No game is perfect, but Resident Evil 4 (RE4) comes about as close as you can get. I'm starting to think this could be the best video game I've ever played. A masterpiece of great length and substance, RE4 is such a huge leap forward for the series that it doesn't even feel like a Resident Evil game. Perfectly conceived with originality to burn, the game is madly addictive and supremely satisfying. What makes it so compelling? First of all, the rural mountainside setting is pure genius, bringing to mind films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blair Witch, and Night of the Living Dead. The desolate forest is so fully-realized that it's practically a character in and of itself. Although your movements are limited to a predetermined path, you'd never know by the natural-looking surroundings. The dilapidated old houses you stumble upon look authentic and foreboding. You even explore an old church on a hill surrounded by a graveyard - it doesn't get much better than that. The adventure begins on a dark cloudy day, and only gets scarier as night falls and a thunderstorm rages. Resident Evil 4's audio adds to the sense of urgency with harrowing sound effects that seamlessly meld with the haunting musical score. The perfectly balanced gameplay features brisk pacing, extraordinary variety, and a very reasonable difficulty level. The puzzles are interesting but mercifully easy. Don't rest during the cut-scenes, because "quick action events" prompt you to hit certain buttons at critical moments to escape injury. The game constantly keeps you on guard, but you never feel hopelessly stuck. When you die, you always continue close to where you left off. The storyline involves rescuing the President's daughter from a cult, and you'll spend a large portion of the game escorting her to safety. Instead of conventional zombies, RE4 features chanting monks and brainwashed townsfolk armed with pitchforks, torches, and axes. The violence is unflinching, and when a farmwoman freaks out after being shot in the face, it's actually quite disturbing. But nothing strikes more fear in this game than the sound of a chainsaw - it's downright alarming. RE4's control scheme may seem awkward at first due to the lack of a strafe button, but the limited mobility just adds to the tension. The over-the-shoulder view is a nice compromise between a first-person shooter and third-person adventure, and the jumping controls are practically automatic. Your firepower is astounding, and a powered-up shotgun can blow several attackers across a room with a single blast. The game incorporates a surprising amount of sniping action, so before you enter a new area you'll want to weed out as many creatures as you can from a distance. Unlike previous RE games, item management is not tedious at all, and a mysterious cloaked figure appears every so often to buy and sell goods, or upgrade weapons. A testament to RE4's greatness is how many memorable moments are packed into this single game, including a battle with a giant "troll" monster, a wild encounter on a ski lift, a crazy mine cart ride, and a row-boat sequence as thrilling as the movie Jaws. It should be noted that the game is definitely intended for mature audiences, due to excessive violence and gore, along with use of the "S" word. Although it never takes itself too seriously, there are some genuinely intense moments and gruesome images. Resident Evil 4 is one for the ages. The bar for survival horror has now been set very, very high.
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Gamecube owners are fortunate that these excellent Resident Evil titles are exclusively available on their system. Resident Evil Zero and the original Resident Evil remake released last year (2002) are two of the very best Gamecube titles. Although I didn't find this chapter as terrifying as most, Zero still delivers it share of thrills and is quite enjoyable. Zero is actually a prequel, revealing the backstory of the first Resident Evil. While the narrative is somewhat interesting, the main draw here is the classic gameplay we've come to know and love. Zero features fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered scenery. The level of detail is absolutely stunning, but a major drawback is how you can't adjust the view. These graphics surpass anything I've seen in a survival horror game, with driving rain, aged wood furniture, and subtle lighting effects that are nothing short of spectacular. Even the characters move with a certain grace rarely observed in a video game. The story begins with Star Team member Rebecca Chambers (very cute by the way) in a train full of dead people - an intriguing setting to say the least. Walking down aisles of dead passengers, you know it's just a matter of time before they get up and start shambling around. After the train moves and eventually derails, the action moves to more familiar surroundings - a research center which resembles an old mansion (oh no - not again!). Zero may tread on familiar territory, but at least its puzzles go beyond the standard "find the key and unlock the next door" variety. You often have to examine and combine items, as well as work together with a partner. That's right - Rebecca must join forces with an escaped convict. Having a partner backing you up is comforting, but it reduces the scare factor being isolated. Often your partner fights right along side of you, but occasionally he'll just stand there like an idiot. You can switch between characters on the fly and even exchange items. The helpful map feature not only displays the room layout, but also tracks objects you've found or dropped. One new innovation is how you can now drop an item anywhere - you no longer have to search for a chest. As an unwanted side effect, it's easy to pick up the wrong item when too many are lying around. I don't like how each character only has six item slots, with some weapons taking up two of them! You'll need to do a lot of item juggling to stay well-equipped. Like past RE games, you'll use ribbons and typewriters to save you place, which always provides a feeling of relief. Control is a bit clumsy, and this time there's no auto-aim - you'll need to turn slowly towards your target. But these are minor issues. Resident Evil Zero is like a good book - it's absorbing and hard to put down. I have to confess I didn't feel the same degree of fear as I've felt in past games, perhaps because I've become too familiar with the series. I've seen dogs jump through windows and zombies burst out of closets before - you almost come to expect that kind of thing. Newcomers are in for some surprises however, and long time fans will feel right at home with this well-designed game.
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