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GAME ON!

November 7, 2002

Hello, loyal readers, and welcome to yet another edition of Game On. Before we begin, I’d like to remind all of you reading out there that these reviews are simply just One Gamer’s Opinion. I’d also like to reiterate that, yes, a few of my more recent columns have leaned a bit more toward the Sony side of gaming. This is merely coincidence, and is not meant to reflect the general tone of this column. I will be reviewing games for all the consoles, as soon as I get a chance to do so. The truth of the matter is that PS2 is releasing 200 game between now and Christmas, which is why reviews for that platform have taken over so much of my reviews. I’ll be reviewing some Gamecube titles next week. As far as Xbox goes, well, out of the 12 systems I do own, I don’t have that one yet, but I should be getting one shortly. In the meantime, the only reviews for that system will be of games that are available on multiple platforms (such as THE THING and HITMAN II from previous weeks and TONY HAWK 4 in this week’s column). That being said, let’s dive right into the reviews for today, shall we?

VICE GRIP

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year and a half, I’m sure you’ve heard of GRAND THEFT AUTO III by now. The ultimate in “mature” gaming, GTA3 had it all: explosions, hookers, murder, mayhem, and other good, wholesome family fun, all the while breaking sales records for games (100,000 unites per day is pretty nice). Well, at least it DID. That is, until, the prequel came along.

GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY is the ultimate in “we can do it better than our last game” efforts. Taking the general idea of the hit formula from GTA3, setting the era back 20 years (GTA: VC takes place in the Me Generation, the 1980s), and adding more extra features than you can shake a stick at beefs this sucker up to beyond your wildest dreams for a game. Fans of the previous chapter have been chomping at the bit for this game to arrive, and when it finally hit store shelves on October 29th, stores could barely keep the shelves INTACT, let alone stocked. Fortunately, I work in a place that sells games, and snagged a copy before the hordes depleted our stock (380+ copies on Tuesday, we were sold out by Wednesday afternoon). But you’ve already heard this hype. You know everyone SAYS it’s good, but really, how good is it?

Well, let’s start with the plot. There actually IS one. As opposed to GTA3, you’re not some nameless mute just running and gunning for every nickel and dime hood in Liberty City. This time you have a name, Tommy Vercetti, and a voice, provided by GOODFELLAS’ Ray Liotta, as well as a mission. In the beginning of the game, we find out that Tommy was just let out of jail after 15 years. In order to incorporate him back into the ways of “the Family”, Sonny (why are all mob guys named “Sonny,” anyways?) sends Tommy to take care of some action down in Florida’s beautiful (and very Miami-like) Vice City. The deal goes bad, of course, and someone makes off with the money from the deal. It’s your job (as Tommy) to discover who, why and how, and most importantly, get it back. Already the cut scenes are top notch, the voice-acting is spot on (Ken Rosenberg cracks me up) and the action is quick and steady. But again, you expect this.

What you don’t expect, however, is how much more fun this game is over the original. GTA3 is already a tough act to follow, and the game seems perfect already, so how could they improve? Well, since it’s set it the decade of excess, the answer is one simple word: MORE. Give ‘em what works, and just add to it. People loved the vehicles from the last game, so they gave them more. Now, not only are there cars a-plenty, but motorcycles, helicopters, and yes, even planes (planes that actually FLY, not list about like the Dodo from last game). More weapons too -- you’re allowed to carry one of each type, one hand weapon, one melee weapon, one handgun, one type of semi-automatic, one type of automatic, one big gun, one assault weapon, and one weapon of absolute destruction. Since there are so many weapons for each type, they limit what you can carry (which saves you from cycling through your inventory to find the right one, as well as letting you play favorites with what you want to keep).

Not only do you have the means to cause mass chaos and disorder, but also you have such a large play-area to do it in. Vice City is huge, and you can go just about anywhere right from the start (a few bridges are blocked off due to a “hurricane warning”, but that doesn’t last very long). Missions vary in difficulty, but all are pretty enjoyable, but what’s more, as Tommy completes each mission (for whomever he’s hired by) he gets closer to owning the city himself. And I mean that literally. One of the coolest elements in the game is to not only enter building, but to buy them and use them as hideouts where you can store your cars or save your game. As the game progresses and you becomes more powerful, you can buy businesses, and start earning daily on what they make, allowing you to buy even more businesses. Definitely a cool feature. Also new is the ability to change clothes. Not only does this break the monotony of watching you character walk around in the same outfit for weeks at a time, but it allows you to pose as different people, as well as help you out. If you’ve got two stars on your wanted level, just switch outfits, and the cops won’t recognize you. It’s like a Pay N’ Spray (from the previous game) for your body.

Plus, all the typical GTA features are there: the radio stations are a hoot with ACTUAL music from the 80s. Right when the game starts up you’re treated to “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the BUGGLES and “Broken Wings” by MISTER MISTER (a personal favorite), but honestly, I find myself listening to “Pressing Issues” on VCPR (Vice City Public Radio) more often. It’s just hysterical, and showcases how far Rockstar went in developing a whole world for this game. There’s uncountable numbers of hours worth of recorded dialogue on this game, featuring such Hollywood names as Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, Robert Davi, Gary Busey, Lee Majors…the list goes on. Even Phillip Michael Thomas (Tubbs from MIAMI VICE, to which much of this games owes it’s look) makes a regular appearance throughout the game. And the missions, did I mention them yet? From threatening jury members, to doing a hit on a Golf Course (complete with the outfit to match), to stealing a tank, to organized hits, to owning the town, this game throws everything at you. Plus, with it’s non-linear gameplay, you can either choose to do a mission, or just wreak havoc throughout the city by car-jacking and blowing shit up. Always a nice way to pass a dreary day. Just keep it in the game, kids.

I don’t think I need to say how sweet this game looks, you’ve already seen the screen shots on other sites. Besides, they don’t do the game justice. You have to play it to believe it. Just let me say this, you’re in Florida (a fictional town in Florida, but I digress), so there’s bound to be some sun. I’ve been blinded a few times, driving towards it setting on the horizon, and it’s still cool to see, even in the game. Plus, other weather effects such as rain and wind (as in the last game) are spectacular as well. Control is virtually the same as the previous game, with a better lock-on system for the handheld weapons and new controls for the new vehicles (the bikes are just awesome, but watch the handling). There are just so many LITTLE touches in the game too, that I can barely fit it all in this review (certain cool ways to earn money, the Renegade missions, how the blood splatters on the screen when you use the chainsaw). All in all, the game is just unbe-fucking-lievable. If you haven’t bought it yet, you’re either out of money, or out of luck and got to the stores too late. Find it. Buy it. You’ll love it.

GOIN’ PRO

Next up is another sequel to a popular franchise, TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 4, available for PSOne, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, PC, and every other format under the sun. I, of course, played the PS2 version. Not because I’m system biased, mind you, but because the PS2 version is the only one to offer the online playability feature. More on that later.

Again, this is a game where, if you’ve played the previous incarnations, you know what’s going on here. Skate around and complete goals to become the ultimate skater. However, in THPS4, things are set up a little bit differently than last time. First and foremost, gone are the time limits in the game. You now start out in perpetual “free-skate” mode until you choose what goal you want to perform. This is done by talking to one of the NPCs (non-player characters, for the layman) in the game. Each goal is set up by the NPC, and only then is the time limit implemented. You then can choose to complete the goal, or move on to a different goal. Fairly simple, but it works well for the laid back atmosphere of the game.

Levels in the game are just frikkin’ HUGE. I though the layout was massive in THPS3, but this is ridiculous. There are a total of 16 goals per level, and each stage is unlocked after completing a certain number of goals. There are new tricks, such as the spine transfer (two halfpipes are set back to back, when you go up one side, you transfer over to the other side with ease), and skitchin’ (hanging onto the back of a car and riding it up the street). Some of the goals are really unique too, such as playing baseball or tennis, using your board in less than normal ways. This game offers up so much more for the franchise that it may be a bit overwhelming at first. Some of the goals, however, are just really tough. I found myself searching the web a few days after I purchased the game to see if I could find any cheats. If you’re familiar with the game, though, you should have no problem getting into the swing of things.

Control is practically the same from the previous game, with the exception of the new tricks. Stats are earned after completing certain goals instead of them being icons throughout the levels (a feature I kind of miss) and scattered throughout the levels now are bills of money, as in THPS2, requiring you to buy certain things (a feature I hate). For some of the items, it’s cool, such as new boards, and new clothes. As for the others, however, you can buy new skaters, cheats, and new levels for the game. These items in the previous games were rewards for completing al the goals, and as such greatly reduce the replay value of this game. Ah, but then there’s the multiplayer elements.

As is typical in the series are the two player VS elements where each skater tries to get more points or pull a sicker trick than the other. The PS2 version, however, one-ups this idea and allows player to play online via the PS2 Network Adapter. Online you can choose a game, or host your own and play up to 8 people in varying games such as KING OF THE HILL, GRAFITTI ATTACK, CAPTURE THE FLAG, and more. Compatible with both dial-up modems as well as broadband, there’s no noticeable lag in the game, other than when a new player joins the room. In a broadband game, if you’re hosting, you can have up to 8 players in your hosted room (the game connects the players to your system as the host server), and up to 3 in a dial-up game (though if you have dial up, you can join a game with up to 8 players with no real slow-down too). A neat little feature, furthering the online gaming community with this solid title. Overall, if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll enjoy this title as practically everything is the same graphically and control-wise, but some of the goals are REALLY damn hard.

QUICK SHOT OF THE WEEK

Occasionally, I’ll be replacing the RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK feature with the QUICK SHOT OF THE WEEK feature. This will either be a quick review of a current game out or talk about a game due out soon. This week’s quick shot is TWISTED METAL BLACK: ONLINE for PS2. Since mentioning the online elements in THPS4 above, I figured I’d work this title in as well, since everyone who has the PS2 Network Adapter will get this game (it’s a free game you get from mailing in a card that came with the peripheral).

Basically, the game is exactly what it says. If you’ve played Twisted Metal Black, this game is exactly the same, only online, meaning you don’t have to wait for a buddy to come over to whoop his ass (or in my case, have you ass handed to you repeatedly). Offering compatibility with both dial-up and broadband connections, this game is a great way to let off some steam and just blow shit up. You have your selection of cars, all with varying power-ups and abilities, and your different arenas in which to cause your chaos. Again, dial-up users are only allowed in two player games (but a third computer controlled character can be added if wanted) and broadband players can play against up to 8, allowing for you to either host a game yourself, or join one already set up. Like I said, if you’ve played TMB, this is the exact same game, only online, with features for that realm such as modifiers for the rooms (all players use one weapon, all players use same character, etc) and nothing more. And I mean NOTHING. This game doesn’t even offer the regular, non-online version of the game. To play it, you HAVE to be either online, or connected to a LAN network. While a small draw-back, the game is still fun to play online, graphics are crisp, sound is excellent and there’s no lag at all (that I’ve noticed anyway). Plus, what do you expect, it IS a free game.

CRAPTACULAR GAME OF THE WEEK

This week, we’re bringing you bad tidings of an arcade port called NINJA ASSAULT for the PS2. Another Guncom2 game by Namco, this game features Ninjas battling Demons. With Guns. Yeah, you read that right. It’s basically a very bad version of ONIMUSHA, and by bad I mean very, very, mind-numbingly bad. While the home version offers improved graphics over the arcade version and a few extra shooting modes, the story is just so god-awful, you won’t care about what your doing and just turn it off anyway (I almost demanded my money back when I played it in the arcade). Laughable plot and action, and some of the worst voice-acting I’ve ever heard (and I’ve heard plenty bad), this game isn’t even out yet, and already you should avoid it like the plague. If you’re going for a Guncom2 game, stick with TIME CRISIS 2 and be happy with that. While not many other games are compatible with the Guncom2, the extra mission modes in that game should satisfy you. And if that’s not enough, pick up the wannabe TIME CRISIS game ENDGAME. It has the same duck-and-shoot action, while not being as teeth-gratingly awful as NINJA ASSAULT, which doesn’t even attempt the duck-and-shoot style. NINJA ASSAULT is just shoot, yawn and shoot again.

This brings us to a close once again, dear readers. I’ll be back next week with more reviews for you (and hopefully, more diverse formats for them, too). Until then, Game On!

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