More fun than the Arcade version
357630
I remember playing the arcade version of area 51 when i was a kid and i loved it. Now that the game is out i was excited to get it and play it. Everything in the game is superb. the controls are easily used and the graphics are amazing. The storyline is interesting, and pieced together as you go through the game finding different secret documents that you can read later. However, this is not mandatory, so some people can essentially go through the game without knowing the story.
3719391
This is one of the best arcade wrestling games that I have played. One of its major flaws is that the entire campaign, spanning four players, is relatively short, maybe about thirty hours. The control is better than most, but the focus control in tag team is a wee bit awkward. The likeness of the hip-hop artists is down to the mark, and the character models are excellent. Even much more, the arenas are done well, and they are animated. The storyline is not boring, but it's the same for all four players.  What makes this game even more entertaining are the finishing moves.  Some of the finishing moves that I have seen are a tribute to the current WWE stars.  For example, Moses performs a Tombstone like the old-school Undertaker.  Additionally, Spider does a modified version of the Rock Bottom.  Lastly,  Omar does a version of Undertaker's Last Ride.  Overall, this game is definitely a keeper! The extras count a million...with the photographs of the "fly honeys" that you obtain. I realise that EA Big is creating a second one, and please have Deja (and her gorgeous pictures) return in the second one, with newer photographs, of course.  The cons of this game are few.  First, you can't create a wrestler.  Second, there are no modified matches from the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match to the Cage Match.  Lastly, there is no use of external weapons like pipes or even the audience.  But, this game is definitely fun, with your friends, real or imaginary.
974023
This game is one of the closest you will get to an arcade port. This game is tons of fun from the alien spacecraft, to the teleporting(or hyperspace whatever they call it). It is truly a great Atari 2600 game, probably one of the best!!
3605171
I own the XBox version and my girlfriend has the PS2 version, which is what I base this review on.

The XBbox and PS2 versions are pretty much exactly the same, except for 2 things:

1) The XBox uses the analog triggers for gas & brake while the PS2 version uses the X and square buttons.  Not a big deal to me, but some people might have a preference one way or another.  I prefer the PS2 controller to the XBox's by far, so this is a plus for me anyway.

2) The XBox lets you rip your own music to the HD, and you can use this music in the game.  Considering most of the music is kind of lame, this is a definite advantage.  Not all of the music is bad, but if I have to hear "Shake that Bush Again" or "Lazy Generation" again I'm going to go postal.  At least you can de-select tracks you don't want to hear.

On to my review.

One thing: SHUT THE DJ OFF AS SOON AS YOU CAN.  Trust me, if you don't, you're going to be wishing you tied him to the bumper of your car.  And I don't mean your car in the game.

This game is pure speed, adrenaline, and white knuckle racing taken to the extreme. I bought Burnout 2 some time ago and didn't think it could get much better than that. I loved that game for its insane speed, graphics, and especially the crashes. Crash mode in Burnout 2 was so much fun it was unreal.

Burnout 3 makes 2 look primitive by comparison. There is such a sense of extreme speed in 3 that no other game I've seen has come even close to having. This game feels dangerous. The addition of takedowns was a genius move: its added a layer of aggressive strategy that I can't imagine playing without now. I'm not going to go into detail about every little bit of the game, you can go to official magazine or website reviews for that.

There are a number of play modes to choose from, all of which are fun. The world tour mode (which is where everything is unlocked) is excellent, combining every aspect of the game into a system of increasing difficulty, but also variety. Some have complained that the crash mode levels are not all unique, with some being extentions or other minor changes, but I have to disagree. With all the additions made to crash mode, changing anything on a level changes it completely. With the ability to steer your wreck after a crash you are able to destroy more vehicles or obtain more power ups, and in fact this is often required in order to meet the requirements for the lowest of medals.

This is not a game to read about. Like intimate encounters, its all about the experience. Secondhand information is good, but its all about the experience.
2383595
This is fun, more like some arcade games than anything else.  Recommended, especially if you are playing tennis or bowling all the time and want to switch it up with other fun things
4902176
This game is jam-packed with retro goodness. It is a sequel to the NES Classic River City Ransom and also includes characters from other "Nekketsu/ Kunio" games. BORIS and YEMI from Super Dodge Ball return as playable characters in the two mini games, and there are remade classic tracks such as the Bean Ball song from Super Dodge Ball and some of the tunes from River City Ransom, plus some other things I won't spoil. Most of the combo moves from RCR is in this game.

I've beaten the game once and am now almost done a second go-round in order to unlock the final character, Gold Lion.

In addition to the 9 levels of the game, there are optional side quests that net you a sum of money or a special item to boost stats. One of the tasks is called "Lift-A-Thon" and says you have to lift 50 thugs to complete it. This description is wrong as you actually have to THROW the thugs forward for it to count. Another error is the "Throw-A-Thon" where you must throw 100 weapons. If you throw weapons while running or jumping, they don't count towards the goal. There are minor errors in the Character database, such as the person from NES World Cup Soccer being described as first appearing in Super Dodge Ball.

These minor flaws aside, the game is bug free and flows smoothly from beginning to end. The 3D gives a "Paper Mario" effect and works nicely. There is enough content here to keep you busy for a week or so, not including the dodgeball match mini game and 4-person brawl mini game!

Natsume, I love you. BORIS FOR PRESIDENT.
744098
For those of you who are not serious gamers and just want something funny and easy going, this is really worth the $15.  I bought it just to have fun and I haven't put it down yet.  In fact, I'm even playing it at work, on my breaks. It reminds me of the pac-man games, only with Who's instead of those ghost things. You travel from house to house stealing their gifts and decorations, avoiding different kinds of Who's and going up and down chimneys.  It's easy to follow and just gets you away from reality for a while.  I would recommend it to anyone.  It's just fun and silly.
2270708
Really like this game, even when playing the two player version.
3553741
I bought frogger as a arcade bundle from AOL,and love it! The old version was monophonic this 1 has support for surround sound,the old 1 had 8-bit graphics,this 1 has 3d. The 3d graphics aren't bad(worst on playstation folks),but could be more vivid. Sometimes if your graphics card is poor it will freeze or crash your pc. Single player moods are easy and fun. Multi-player modes are a bit fun for 2 people,but for 4 it's difficult. It is fun to play on a good graphics card and with a large screen moniter,but still it isn't truely "original" in gameplay. But still much better than before. And for those others who said it had poor graphics,adjust the video graphics to high and your screen to 8000 by 6000. Lower the brightness and boost up the contrast on your moniter to get the "true" 3d effects!(Please disregard if you don't have a ATI PRO video card).
2947757
This was one of the first games I got after I got my laptop. I like the classics, point and party options. What I don't like is the stalling and dropout that often happens whenever I try to run this game, and my laptop has the memory for it. My friend's computer also had the same problems when he tried this game.

The game itself is loads of fun. The party option has a "first to buzz in" feature, and there are questions with visual and audio clues as well. In some cases, there's a brief explanation of the answers to entertain and educate you. I'm certain I heard Wink Martindale's voice on some of the questions. He did host the TV version of TP in the 90s. Overall a fun game, but be prepared for glitches and drop out, especially the longer the game goes. You need to have the disc in your PC to play it each time.
3497961
Monopoly for the SNES surprised me.  I was expecting a cheesy third-rate version of the classic board game, but was impressed at the settings feature before starting a game.  This menu allows the human player(s) to make the game as easy or as challenging as desired.  It is even possible to start with $30,000.  The animations are amusing, although repetitive...but what do you expect?  It's Monopoly.  I have the N64 version of this game as well and, yet another surprise, I have found the SNES version to be much more fun AND entertaining.  This game is worth purchasing and playing again and again.  Good job, Nintendo!
1188410
Burnout Legends is almost what I expected from the long running Burnout series.  It offers fun arcade racing action.  It packs a solid 20 hours to complete the game 100%.  The graphics are some of the best I've seen on the PSP.  But, it just does not have that Burnout feel from the console versions.  The crash and takedown modes are fun, but the racing levels seem to suffer as you get further into the game.  As you get further into the game the cars you unlock get faster and the framerate on the PSP starts to have noticable drops.  And the cars do not seem to handle as well as the console version.  Which again could be the difference between the accurancy/sensitivity of the analog stick vs the ones from the Xbox and PS2.  I also found it hit or miss in the crash mode.  It is still fun to create the most horrendous accident possible, but don't expect the visuals from the console version.  Another complaint is during the crashbreaker mode the car is not as maneuverable as it is in the console version.  Overall I think it is great for those who want arcade racing and crashing action on their PSP.  But if you already have it for the console don't was the money for a lesser version on the PSP.
857080
If you've played the original Space Invaders on the arcade cabinet 3 decades ago, then you should have no problems with this "Extreme" installment.  You still shoot down enemy ships; however, it takes a while to get used to the more complex logistics that are contained within the game, so I'll try to explain it as best as I can.  First off, there are several modes to choose from:  Arcade Mode, Ranking Mode (no saving is allowed), or the much more satisfying Multiplayer mode.

On the bottom left screen, you will start with a Normal Cannon.  As you progress with shooting down those pesky Space Invaders, you will eventually acquire one of 4 power-ups:  Laser (blue), Bomb (red), Broad Shot (green), or Shield (silver).  Each power-up is very helpful along the way but they don't last forever.  You can gain these incredible power-ups by killing 4 ships of identical color.  Next is the Feature panel.  You will light it up by shooting down invaders in the specific order you see on the screen; however, the panel will disappear if the shooting combination is interrupted.

There's also a Round Feature mode in which you have to kill a certain number of ships or ship colors within a 15 second time frame.  If you are successful, you will enter Fever Time mode.  This is your chance to rack up some serious points and jackpot bonuses!!  And let's not forget about the Roulette Feature, which sometimes gains you an extra player or other cool effects.

Overall, there are 5 stages to work through on Space Invaders Extreme (stages 3 to 5 are non-linear).  Each stage ends with a boss; on stage 4, you need to hit the enemy ships on the top screen.  This will cause a "reflect" shot which is the only way to hit the boss on the bottom touch screen; however, you must aim accurately!

Once you've beaten the game, the credits will roll, then you will unlock the "Extreme" mode of the game, which is much harder than Arcade Mode!  This is an overall fun game, along with the second installment, but it's much better as a multiplayer than just going it alone.  So if you have any specific questions about this game, please feel free to ask!  :)
3000277
King of New York is a solid update to the original.  It keeps the game simple enough (in my opinion) to help it remain a fine gateway/in-between game, but introduces enough fun new elements that I would suggest buying this instead of the original (King of Tokyo).  If you already have King of Tokyo, I wouldn't go so far as to say you still need to pick this up, but I also wouldn't dissuade you from doing so.  It's a very fun press-your-luck dice game with a funny theme and lots of enjoyable ancillary elements.

It takes the original mechanics from King of Tokyo, and adds in a few fun new features.  At the base of the game, the dice have been changed from 3 icons and 3 numbers to 6 distinct icons: attack, energy, heal, celebrity, destruction, and 'ouch!'.  The first three have carried over, and are pretty self explanatory (damage other monsters, earn energy currency, and heal yourself).  The others are a bit more interesting.  Celebrity rolls take the place of the entire numbers system from the prior game.  Now, you need to roll 3 Celebrity on your turn to take control of the Superstar card (a global card that is stolen back and forth throughout the game).  You get 1 point for stealing the card, and 1 point per Superstar dice beyond 3 that turn.  If you have the card at the start of your turn, each Superstar dice saved on your turn will give you 1 point.  This turns the 'roll for points' mechanic into a situation where you may be forced to try to steal the card away from a player who has gotten close to a point victory.

The Destruction dice side is used with another new system in the game - Building/Unit tokens.  The game board is broken up into a set of 4 outer 'boroughs' and the inner 'borough' - Manhattan (the Tokyo of this game).  Each borough has a set of building tokens which can be destroyed for one-time benefits of healing, victory points, or energy.  You just roll enough Destruction, and you then flip over all of the building tokens you wish to destroy and take their benefits. By flipping over a building token, you reveal an army Unit token.  Visible Unit tokens are a major risk/reward.  Whereas Building tokens are benign, the Unit tokens can cause you damage if you or other monsters roll enough of the 'Ouch!' dice side.  If you roll 1 'ouch!', all military unit tokens in your borough attack you for one damage each.  If you roll 2, all units in your borough attack ALL monsters in your borough.  If 3 are rolled, ALL showing military units on the board attach any monsters in their respective boroughs.  Additionally, that player takes and holds a card that gives them 3 victory points until someone else rolls 3 'ouch!' and steals the card away.

In addition to the dice changes, the 'sitting in Tokyo' mechanic has been slightly altered.  Now, instead of a simple gain of a point or 2 for remaining in Tokyo for a full turn, you have a three step escalation of rewards.  By remaining in Manhattan for a full turn, you get 1 victory and 1 energy.  Stay another full turn, and you'll get 2 v and 1 e.  Stay another full turn and you'll now constantly earn 2 v and 2 e per turn you continue to remain there.  Again, another good enhancement to the risk/reward gameplay.

As already stated, it's a game I'd highly recommend in general.  If you're choosing between the King of Tokyo and King of New York, I would only ever choose Tokyo if you needed to keep things EXTRA simple.  And in that case, I would question if you'd even like Tokyo...
643734
I grew up in an age that pinball machines were considered a ton of fun. You rarely find people going out to arcades any more to play pinball - but you can play it on the XBox!

You can choose from a variety of classic games. There is Ace High, Genie, Central Park, Tee'd Off, Victory, Big Shot, and Black Hole. Each game has gorgeous graphics showing the original pinball game layout. The triggers pull the flippers, and you can tilt in all four directions.

You get images of the original flyers for each game, histories of the game, and full instructions about special features. You play games from the 50s on up here, so you really get a sense of how pinball has progressed through the decades.

The graphics are so nice that you can even see the reflection of the top of the pinball machine down in the area you're playing. The sounds are quite authentic as well.

I was really annoyed at first with the scrolling cameras - they drove me completely insane. Being able to aim a flipper shot at an off-camera bumper was completely impossible. However, I finally tracked down the camera shift option to let the screen turn into a full-screen mode, and the game became quite fun.

Numerous people in my household are now hooked on the game, each of us having our own favorite board. I really wish they had more boards available - the ones here whet your appetite for some of the old favorites. Still, this is a great sign that the technology is here and all they have to do is map in the other boards.
1258706
I admit it. When I was growing up, I used to spend hours and hours either in front of my Atari 2600 or down at the arcade, playing Joust, Defender, and my other favorites. I don't know how many quarters I wasted during these pursuits.
This Nintendo 64 game brings back the fun! I sat down with my boyfriend and 12 year old and played for HOURS, becoming quickly addicted to my old favorites, Joust and Defender. My boyfriend is a huge Spy Hunter fan, which my son also loved. We quickly got the hang of Tapper and Robotron. Even the trivia quiz that's included is fun.
The games are all set up like the original arcade versions, with the exact same graphics, and as close to the same controls as you can get. Use a smoke screen to kill of your spy's enemies, avoid the pterodactyl in Joust, catch those little falling humans in defender. The games are the same, the sounds are the same, and the addiction level is the same.
However, now you can play for hours on end for "FREE" in the comfort of your own living room, and share it with your friends and family! Best of all, you can WIPE the entire high scoring board with your name and then challenge them to beat you! Bwah hah hah hah hah ...
A must-have for anyone who loves these games, or wants to see what all the fun was about!
3586275
I finished this game in a little over 2 months, which is amazingly fast for me.  Its very similar to the first game.  You get more glitches in the camera views with this one though.  The newer weapons, with the upgrades, are pretty cool.  You can beat the final boss without aquiring any super-weapons, like the RYNO.  Just make sure you upgrade the weapons you have to their full potential.

Its a fun game that should help you kill some time when you need to.  [...] Its hardly any more offensive than an episode of Tom and Jerry.