Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: July 26, 2002

Who among us has never awoken with a cold sweat, shivering with fear at some private night terror. It’s universal that humans be riddled with fear every so often, and psychology, biology and survival all dictate that night is the time when these fears are most prevalent. You can’t see, you hear things that have no apparent source and before long your adrenal gland is pumping enough raw energy into your system to terrify even your cardiologist. Thankfully, we can fumble for a light switch, grab a flashlight or otherwise dispel our impressions of the dark with ease. ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: July 17, 2002

The world is waiting for their wrestling game: Robotic gameplay, confusing controls, and disappointing graphics have been the norm since the genre’s inception. We’re now in a world of 128-bit game systems, yet recent offerings have still failed to impress. The technology is there, the content is there (wrestling is an activity ready-made for video gaming), but where’s the execution? The time has come to take a close look at this latest GameCube release, THQ’s Wrestlemania X8. ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: June 19, 2002

Ever since Tetris, the world has been besieged by falling blocks, and only our dedicated puzzle game addicts have been able to keep us safe. Along those lines, Acclaim proudly brings us PuzzleKings’ ZooCube, the first puzzler for the GameCube. The gameplay features a three-dimensional playfield and a literal menagerie of colorful cascading geometry. ZooCube was created exclusively for Nintendo hardware, so cubists are getting a puzzle title to call their own. Sure enough, it is a console exclusive, but is it something that cubists will be proud to play? ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: May 16, 2002

Where have all the racers gone? Most modern systems are deluged with racing titles, from rally to simulation to arcade action; there’s never a shortage of four-wheeled power drifting for the automobile fan — except on GameCube. Nintendo’s new console has seen jet skiing in Wave Race: Blue Storm and futuristic biking in XGIII, but for anyone simply looking to hop into a virtual sports car, there have been, surprisingly, no choices available. Now, Burnout comes speeding out of Acclaim, polished up since its PlayStation 2 appearance. Does it fill the racing hole in the GameCube lineup? ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: May 10, 2002

The film version of Spider-Man hit the theatres with record breaking box office numbers on its opening weekend. Indeed, its first-night gross was the biggest take of any movie to date. This is good news for the Spider-Man console game. It is positioned to ride that same wave, offering all of the thrills of the movie, packed into an interactive experience. Also, unlike some other movie-to-game licenses, this one has received some major support; it even features actors like Tobey McGuire and Willem Defoe reprising their roles from the summer blockbuster. With the GameCube lineup so starved for top tier titles, some solid action would be a very welcome addition to the system’s lineup, and that’s precisely what Treyarch and Activision hope to provide. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: April 29, 2002

“What Drives You?”

While it could have been easily applied to military service recruitment campaigns, effective management seminars, or used car dealerships with equal ease, the above slogan was the catch-phrase for the 2001 movie release of Driven. While the presence of Sylvester Stallone was a good clue, the select group of people who actually attended the film can certainly attest that its plot was Driven strictly by testosterone. Blending the same high-octane mix of fast cars, beautiful women and extensive posturing, Driven strove to make the F1 circuit look even cooler than it actually is. ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: April 4, 2002

After the immense success of Rare’s Goldeneye, every interactive rendition of Bond has been measured against it. Technology has taken enormous leaps; the industry has seen four major console systems since the bygone Nintendo 64, yet people still refer to a game from 1997 as the torchbearer of the franchise. Now we welcome James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire, the latest first-person shooter with the super spy’s license, courtesy of Electronic Arts. For the first time, the plot has no ties to any Bond movie, so the designers had unlimited action and storytelling possibilities. The result, originally conceived for PlayStation 2, has now come to GameCube, questing for the Goldeneye torch. ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: March 21, 2002

If there’s one thing GameCube’s lineup lacks, it’s a few good fighting games. All we’ve seen so far is one mascot-based fighter, Super Smash Bros. Melee. That’s well and good, but Melee certainly isn’t a brawler in the Tekken sense of the word, and no console can consider their catalog comprehensive without a cadre of 3D throwdown. Activision now steps in to fill the void with Bloody Roar: Primal Fury, an updated and expanded version of PlayStation2′s Bloody Roar 3. While the name doesn’t have the pull of big boys like Virtua Fighter, it’s the first kid on the block, so to speak. To Cubists looking for a fight, that alone should be enough to stir some attention. ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: March 14, 2002

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle is the second Sonic title to hit Nintendo hardware. The requisite response is probably a half smile and a comment along the lines of, “Never thought we’d see the day.” Sonic was, after all, conceived as a mascot to topple Mario. The Sega vs. Nintendo days are over, though, and now that Sonic has graced the GameCube, it’s become clear this town really is big enough for the both of them. That’s because the two mascots rule two completely different types of platform gaming. Mario may hold the ledge to ledge, head stomping crown, but what Sonic does, Sonic does best, and he’s back to do it some more in this latest installment. ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: March 7, 2002

Most hardcore gamers lived through the 8-bit golden age of the Nintendo Entertainment System. For many, it was the time when the quirky hobby that Atari birthed turned into an undeniable addiction. Now they’ve grown up, and some of them have since turned away from their Nintendo roots, claiming the company is too “kiddie” for their tastes. Not a groundless criticism, as Nintendo’s flagship products, for all of their brilliance, don’t exactly scream “adult-oriented.” But those “adult-oriented” game companies, in turn, certainly can’t scream about a roster of landmarks like Nintendo can. So in case you’ve forgotten how much of an effect the Big N had on the industry’s formative years, Super Smash Bros. Melee is here to remind you. ( read more… )

Review by: Matthew Dujnic
Published: February 28, 2002

Historically, most console real-time strategy games have been lackluster ports of PC franchises. Developers did decent work in shoehorning complex keyboard configurations onto handheld controllers, but the results were always second best to their PC parents. Now we have Pikmin. It’s also an RTS, inasmuch as you command an army strategically, in real-time. This time, however, the console world is not stuck with second-generation software. Shigeru Miyamoto’s latest opus was built around GameCube, with console sensibilities in mind, and the result is quite a different breed of game. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: February 21, 2002

Having met with reasonable success on the PS2, Acclaim has decided to bring their racing series to the GameCube. Following in a trend that we can trace back as far as Tron, Extreme G 3 is the next step in high-speed cycle racing. Careening through winding tracks at incredible speeds, the hopes are that with the GameCube’s extensive capabilities for textures and graphical performance, we’ll be able to feel the wind whipping through our hair. ( read more… )

One Piece Grand Battle for the Gamecube is a visually beautiful representation of a television show from 4KidsTV, and as ports from TV show to game go, this one seems to have worked out quite well. It is effective both in maintaining the appeal necessary for the show’s regular viewing audience, and in maintaining a light-hearted but overall fun experience for players simply looking for a good beat em’ up. ( read more… )