Xbox Addict

With this single disc, you get the complete Silent Scope experience (hence the title) including all three Silent Scope games previously released on the Playstation 2 and the arcade version, Silent Scope EX. In the first Silent Scope entry, you take on the role of a professional sniper who is brought in undercover by the government to take out the terrorist group that has kidnapped the President of the United States and his family. For the second outing, Silent Scope 2: Dark Silhouette, the terrorist group has set its sights on stealing a new gas missile by taking over a research lab. The government has sent in a strike team, but all contact has been lost, so a second strike unit is brought in?you. Here you take on the role one of two snipers who must act alone in order to stop the potential destruction of the free world and rescue the first strike team. While silence has been implied to all the missions, secrecy is another big issue for Silent Scope 3. This time a wealthy terrorist group has kidnapped a brilliant doctor who has the ability to clone missiles, which is only discovered after some of the cloned missiles have been found. The new team, headed up by Colonel Robert has been reduced to one man as result of the need to keep the public out of the loop for fear of causing a panic. And in case you hadn?t guessed already, that one man is you. Finally, in EX, you take on a series of different assignments in order to become the best sharp-shooter in the game. All the Silent Scopes here include target practice areas so you can get used to the game and perfect your shot before stepping into the line of fire.

While you may be thinking ?what possible fun could come from porting a bunch of PS2, controller based shooting games over to the Xbox?? How about the fact that for the first time the Silent Scope games are light gun compatible, the way they were supposed to be played. So for all those people who shelled out a bunch of money for a light gun just to play House of the Dead 3 will finally have a second game to use it with. But for those who don?t have a light gun, you have three options. First, you can do the obvious move and purchase a light gun. Second, you can use the controller, similar to the way you would play these games on the PS2. But the best option is the third one, which is what I chose. The third is to go out and pick up the new light rifle, specially designed for Silent Scope Complete.

(Warning: I am about to go off topic and talk about my new favorite toy, the light rifle)

If you have ever seen the Silent Scope game in an arcade, then you know what the light rifle basically looks like. Much like a real sharp-shooter (or sniper) rifle, the gun comes in multiple pieces and must be assembled in order to use (really only two pieces are necessary, but it just looks better, and is kind of fun, if you put it completely together). Once assembled, you can go into the options area of any of the Silent Scope games and set up the gun for play, which includes the incredibly cool feature of going to zoom mode only when you get behind the scope. This really is the only way to play the Silent Scope games. The only draw back is the idea of paying fifty dollars for light gun designed for a single game. But the good news is that you can use the main gun piece as a shotgun (equipped with working pump and recoil action) for House of the Dead 3. If that isn?t enough, just remember that it is cheaper then getting into the Steel Battalion series (near two hundred dollars for controls that work for only two games just seems real insane to me).

(Back to Silent Scope Complete review already in progress)

In order to give Silent Scope Complete a fair review, I decided to split the play: half using the light rifle and the other using the controller S. This first section will be based on playing with the controller. Using the controller had a couple of perks to it that the rifle did not. First, reloading is easier to deal with because you don?t have to fumble the buttons on the side of the rifle in order to find the appropriate button (otherwise you have to wait to run out of bullets in order to auto-reload, which always seems to happen at the worst possible time). The second is just the familiarity that you won?t have with the riffle until after a few hours of play. Other then those two perks, the controller is super limited. Movement with the analogue stick is just not smooth, especially trying to get a good aim on such small targets. Another big issue involves a choice you have to make, and that is how will you locate your targets. The first way is to remain in normal view and move towards the green lit targets, then hit the zoom button, and then take your shot. The second way is to stay in zoom and find your way to the target and take your shot. If you choose the first route, then you have to hit an extra button, and possibly have to readjust, using the analogue stick, to get the best shot off. But if you choose to remain in zoom you have to deal with finding the target with an incredibly sensitive analogue stick, which means tons of overshooting your mark. Basically, neither option is that great.

Lock and load kids, because now we move on to the light rifle. The biggest reason why this method of control is better is because?it?s just like dealing with a real rifle. If you want to aim at something, you move the barrel of the rifle towards it. Nice and smooth, or rough and jerky, you can get to your target much faster then you could if using the analogue stick. Second, you don?t have to hit an additional button to zoom in on a target if you don?t want to. As stated earlier, you can setup the rifle to zoom once you put your face behind the scope which, coupled with the recoil action, gets you as close to the real deal as possible without using a real rifle. About the only two drawbacks you using the rifle are a) using the mini analogue stick to do menu selects can get annoying, and b) when asked to hit a particular button, you?ll have to stop and search for the button until you get used to the layout of the rifle. Definitely, there is much more fun to be had playing with the rifle.

The game play itself (regardless of whether you?re using the rifle or controller) is fun and challenging. It is all about learning not only to be an accurate shot, but a fast and accurate shot at the same time. A typical situation will have you targeting four or five enemies on a rooftop. Once you take out the first one, you will have only seconds to take out the others before they realize your location and begin to return fire. In hand with accuracy and speed, you?ll need a steady hand. Another situation will have you acting as escort to the President and there will be three or four terrorists on motorcycles with guns in hot pursuit. Again, you?ll only have seconds to take out all the targets before they get to the President, but these guys will not be standing still. The best advice I can give is don?t get frustrated easily and give up. Just keep trying again until you get used to the targeting system and you will get it down. But don?t get too cocky. As you progress onward to the second and third game things will only get more and more difficult. Those four soldiers on the roof will turn into eight terrorists with hostages that you?ll have to shot at through one foot by one foot windows (at one point, the windows are behind towering flames). Remember the bad guys on motorcycles? They turn into a couple of jeep loads of terrorists and you have to take out all four to take out the jeep in its entirety. In the end you need to get real accurate and very quick on the draw to get through all four games.

Graphically, things look a bit rough. The graphics have gone unchanged from their original format. Explosions and flames look somewhat digitized, while distant objects look out of focus. On the flip side of that coin, when you are zoomed in on the terrorists, they come in clear as day. The time the game really shines is during the EX game when you have to take out a caravan of jeeps tearing through the desert. The trails of dust and the reaction movement from driving on an uneven surface look amazing (if you have the time to notice such things). So overall, the graphics are a bit weak, but this game isn?t about graphics. It?s all about the game play. Also, if you choose to use the light rifle, you?ll have to jack up the brightness level, which at times makes things look kind of strange, but once you get into the game, you?ll barely even notice.

The sound issue is a split decision. Sound effect wise, Silent Scope Complete is amazing. Again, if you have surround sound, the bullets really do sound like they?re coming from hundreds of yards away. But the stand out here comes from EX. The arcade designed sound comes out big even through standard television speakers. The best area to judge is the airplane hijacking shootout scene. The insanity of the situation is only escalated by sounds of enemy fire, the thunderous blasts from your rifle and explosions as tanks near and around the plane send flames everywhere. So the sound effects rock, but the soundtrack, on the other hand, does not. The music is, at times, very cheesy and annoying. It seems like they took the most generic, clich? suspense music they could find and stuck it into the most intense fire fights in the game, which just got annoying after a while. My solution was to blast Black Flag?s Damaged album through my stereo system during boss fights so the music would drowned out the soundtrack.

To sum up, Silent Scope Complete, when played with the light rifle, is a great way to bring the arcade experience to the Xbox. While the game might feel repetitive at times, the increases in difficulty are going to challenge your abilities as a sharp-shooter. It is all about speed, accuracy and a steady hand in order to take down the terrorist threat (which ever one you?re working on at the time). But the real question comes down to is this: is it worth spending fifty dollars on a gun on top of the cost of the game itself? If you want the best all round arcade shooting experience available today on any video game console, then it is definitely worth it. Besides, you can?t beat getting four games for the price of one. Good luck and happy hunting.

Overall Score: 8.0 / 10 Dead Man's Hand

It was the happiest day of your life when you were accepted as a part of the crew. With you as a member, the gang now makes ten (a nice, even number). You do everything as a unit and it?s as if when you?re all together nothing can stop you. Life seems perfect. Then one day your boys start doing some things you just don?t like. At first you look the other way, then you try reasoning with your them, but in the long run nothing works. When you finally share your feelings with your ?friends,? they don?t seem to show much sympathy for you plight. After a bit of a round table discussion, it is decided that you and the crew are going different directions and some downsizing is necessary. That?s when they give you the boot, via gun fire. But don?t worry, things will start looking up. The good news is you survived the shooting and you?ve been discovered by the local militia. The bad news is you get locked up because of your association with your former friends. After some time in a rather small cell, you manage to escape during a daring prison break. With your new found freedom and a shotgun in hand, it is time to find those so-called ?friends? of yours and downsize them. Just pray that in the game of western life you?re not dealt a Dead Man?s Hand.


Take on the role of El Tej?n, a gunfighter hell bent on revenge for the men who left you for dead in this latest first person shooter. Nine outlaws with targets on their backs will fall one-by-one at your hands. But don?t think it is going to be an easy hunt. Since the double cross the nine have gone their separate ways and have formed new gangs stretching all over the land. So when you come a riding into town or travel through the barren wastelands, be ready for waves of outlaws looking to take you out before you can get anywhere near any member of the nine. Armed with a pistol, a rifle and a shotgun, you set out to collect the price on the nine members? heads and get some payback for the life they nearly took away.

Not since the ghost town level in Time Splitters 2 has the Old West been captured so amazingly in a video game. From the weapons selection to the layouts of the areas, things are kept true to life in Dead Man?s Hand. At the beginning of each new level, you select a single pistol, a rifle and a shotgun to use in the world of outlaws. Along the way you can pick up and use items like dynamite and whisky bombs for a bit more bang for the buck. In addition to the weapons, Dead Man?s Hand offers more then a few trick shots to keep things interesting. In addition to the standard ?shooting everything that moves? strategy that is the norm in most first person shootings, you can use the surrounding environment to take out the bad guys. Shoot powder kegs to cause massive explosions that can take out a number of enemies at once. Trapped under fire by an enemy standing on a balcony? Then shoot the balcony right out from under him and watch everything come a falling down. Along those same lines, shoot at barrel hanging above an outlaw and watch him get crushed to death. You can also kill by fire, knife, or get off a head shot which blows their hats clean off.


So why should you take all the time to pull of these trick shots? Aside from just being cool ways to take out the enemy, it creates shot chains. When taking out the bad guys, you are awarded a number. That number is a shot chain number and as long as the chain is filled, the more points you score for the kill. In addition to awarding you more points, the chain also builds up how many powershots you are allowed. Powershots give you more fire power using the secondary fire button. Examples of powershots include scope aiming with certain rifles, blasting two barrels at a time with the shotgun, and firing bursts with your pistol. The powershots come in real handy when dealing with boss fights and multiple enemies at once.

Overall, the game play is monumentally fun. Enemies can come from virtually anywhere and it can be tricky finding them. Levels in the woods and desert are particularly tricky because of all the potential hiding places where outlaws can surround you. Things only get more complicated when you have to take to a horse and have the same enemy situation to deal with. So much for taking the enemy by surprise in those situations. Also, as the game progresses, you have to be aware of not only the bad guys, but of the environment around you. During the mountain levels, the outlaws are waiting for you and have set up a number of traps that will kill you before you even figure out that you?ve hit a trap. It is all about taking your time, especially in blind situations when enemies can come out of no where, and being fully loaded at all times.


?But why the title Dead Man?s Hand,? you maybe asking yourself. Besides being a really cool name, the game involves poker as well as shooting bad guys. Before the start of each level, you will be dealt five cards with the intention of playing some five card draw poker. Like standard video poker rules, you need to get at least a pair here if you want to win. What?s at stake? Ammo and powershots are the prizes on the line. After each hand, you will have the option to begin the new level, or you can put what you?ve won on the line for even more ammo and powershots. But should you lose a hand, then you begin the mission with the standard issue amount of ammo and no powershots built up. Of course, you also run the risk of drawing into the ?Dead Man?s Hand,? which causes you to start with only 50% health and very little ammo (I won?t spoil what hand is the ?Dead Man?s Hand? for the sake of those not familiar with poker terms). Remember, it is called gambling for a reason.


In addition to being a fantastic single player game, you can take Dead Man?s Hand to Live play and take on the world in one of three different games. In Deathmatch, it is every man and woman for themselves in this all out fight that makes the gunfight at the O.K. Coral look like another Saturday night at the local tavern. You can also have Team Deathmatch if you feel like having some friends to back you up. Want something more then just kill everything that moves? Then collect cash for killing your friends on Live in Bounty mode. Or ride into town with your boys and take on another crew until only one side is left standing in Posse mode (very similar to Team Deathmatch, but with a bit more structure to it). In addition to multiplayer mode, content downloading is available. In the works are more levels and weapons to be used in multiplayer Live mode.

Graphically speaking, things are pretty good. While nothing new here, the graphics do the job they?re supposed to do?put the player in the middle of the Old West. Things look basic and grainy because things just looked that way back then. Don?t expect vibrant colors (except during explosions), but very basic earth tones. The real good news is that here is that the frame rate is no problem here. Aside for the occasional buffering issue when massive action is going down, the game runs smoother then most first person shooters. About the only complaint I could come up with is that bodies tend to fall (or fly in the case of explosion kills) with zero movement. It?s as if bodies are going stiff in a matter of seconds. Aside from that, the graphics are nice and smooth here.


Normally when dealing with sound, I break it up into two sections: sound effects and soundtrack. This will not be the case here because there is little to no music present here. The only music occurs during cut scenes and times you enter taverns where there are shows going on. As far as the sound effects go, everything sounds great. The gun shots and explosions not only sound like the real deal, but you can even judge the direction from which they are coming from, which really helps out in areas where enemies could be hiding behind a number of different obstructions (if you have surround sound, the effects have real distance to them). Footsteps, glass breaking, doors opening, animal sounds, and elemental sounds (wind, rain, thunder) all sound true to life. Even the voice talent, which seems clich? at first, sounds perfect and just the way it does in western movies. Major ups to the sound effects team on this one.


Bottom line, Dead Man?s Hand is anything but a dead title for the Xbox. The story of revenge and bounty hunting will keep players on the trail of all nine of the men who wronged you. Their first mistake was trying to kill you, and the second was not getting the job done. Arm yourself with the weapons of the Old West and hunt your way through ghost towns, the sun scorched wastelands, the mountain woods and all locations in-between in search of your goal. The graphics and sounds will only keep the spirit of the Old West alive as you take out hundreds of outlaws with a few pulls of a trigger. Add addictive multiplayer modes and a low price tag of $29.99, Dead Man?s Hand is easily the best buy so far of 2004. Now deal the cards and see how your hand comes out.

Overall Score: 9.0 / 10 Unreal 2: The Awakening

I have always been a fan of first person shooter video games. It probably all started when a friend of mine introduced an aspiring video game addict to a simple program called Wolfenstein 3D. After about five hours and one rather large, splitting headache later, I was hooked on a new drug called the FPS. So when I was told that I was going to review Unreal II, I was excited. Sure, the previous Unreal game for Xbox had a whole bag full of problems, but surely the developers would take these minor setbacks into account and create something new and great. Now, I have yet to play Unreal II on PC, but I hope it doesn?t have as many negative issues that its Xbox counterpart has.


Before I get to the game itself, I?d like to teach every reader a quick lesson. Don?t freak out, this isn?t like a school lecture, but its one of those life lessons that usually causes pain in order to learn said lesson. The good news is that I am going to teach you the same lesson and you won?t feel any pain (and believe me it hurt like a swift boot right in the wrong part of town). Anyway, here is the story. I go into my local video game store (or my dealer as us addicts refer to them as) and I inquire about a copy of Unreal II, which had been released the previous day. The clerk informed me that he had ?good? news. ?We actually have a used copy,? he tells me. Nothing is better then getting a new game for cheap, so I told him that I?d take it. It was then that I saw that the used copy he had talked about had several twin siblings living in the used game area?eight to be exact. Eight used copies of a game that had come out less then twenty-four hours ago. DANGER, WILL ROBINSON, DANGER! Only thing that kept me from telling the clerk ?no thanks? was the fact that I had committed to doing this review, so I took it. Anyone else who finds themselves in that situation should seriously reconsider their purchase. Lesson ends.


Nonetheless, I ventured on. Okay, here comes the first load screen. It?s?still loading. We continue to load. I feel my life slipping away. Finally, after close to a minute I get to hit the start button and select what game I want to play and the difficulty level. Oh boy, time for some more loading. Another minute has past, and we arrive at the first cut scene. This is going to be a very long night.

Here?s the basic rundown on the Unreal II story. You take on the role of John Denton, and former Marine-like soldier who has been busted down to the intergalactic equivalent of a traffic cop with a burning desire to get back into action. So while you?re in the middle of your routine patrol, you respond to a call for help, a call that would lead you to the action you so desperately sought. Oh, but not to worry, you won?t be all alone. Aided by your crew of able bodied (and freakin? useless) partners, you just might succeed and live to see tomorrow. In translation, the story is filled with bad action flick clich?s and no real story. The only difference is instead of the rough, tough detective losing his badge and getting brought back into service when no other option seems available, you get to be a rough, tough Marine who is called back into service because you happened to be at the right place at the wrong time. And the biggest similarity with those action flicks?Unreal II is just as clich?d and hallow. I lost interest in the storyline after about five minutes of terrible cut scenes. ?Just let me shoot things,? I found myself shouting at the screen every ten minutes. Time to wait through some more annoying load times, then perhaps I can finally do something other then sit back, watch and listen.


Finally, I have control. If you?ve ever played a first person shooter on the Xbox before, then the controls will seem very familiar. First thing you need to do is make your way to the practice facility for the usual button training. On the way there I discovered the first thing I liked about this game: you can fall from very high places. What is so great about this? After the fall, the screen will focus above your character that appears to try to crawl away before the reality that he has just fallen from a twenty story opening sets in. You don?t actually see him expire, but it is pretty funny to think that after falling such a distance someone would not only still be breathing, but would try to crawl away. I know that if I survived such a fall, I?d just lay there and wait for the medics or something.


Once my character had reached the training facility, I still had some faith that things could turn around. After going through basic training, it was time to fight the teacher. As I entered the room and ran towards the teacher with guns blazing, my biggest fear about the game manifested: the frame rate problems from the first Unreal game had returned with a vengeance. Along with that, the graphics in fight mode left much to be desired. Someone in the forums wrote about ?dummied down graphics? to describe this game. That, my friends, is the understatement of the year (so far). Finally, training is over and it is time to put the hurt on some bad guys?after some more really long load times.

To make a long story short, after another minute of load time, five minutes of boring cut scenes and another minute or two of load time, it was time to go crazy (not in a good way). Once I encountered my first swarm of enemies, I came to a few conclusions. First, the frame rate might very well be worse then it was in the previous installment. Second, the graphics are just plain sad. Third, the A.I. of my opponents was just pathetic. I stood all of six inches from a rather ugly gentleman who was carrying an extremely large gun, and after close to thirty straight seconds of shooting he still hadn?t come even close to hitting me. When I finally pulled out my standard pistol-type gun and put him out of his misery, I really wished I had the ability to put that gun in my character?s mouth and pull the trigger. Alas, no dice on the self execution front, and I ventured on in search of a large building or cliff to jump off of.

After about another hour of seemingly meaningless single player action, I realized that maybe the problem was that I am investing too much in the story game when I should be playing others online. So I jumped onto Live in the hope that maybe something will finally make me enjoy this game (something other then taking headers off of tall buildings and cliffs). After playing for about two hours, I had reached the conclusion that I would rather be playing any other first person shooter online at that moment. Unreal II brings absolutely nothing new to the table in the way of online FPS games (accept for maybe the worst frame rate of an online FPS). Lack of map selection and weapons are the main problem. Without that variety, players have no reason to play more then a couple of games. Content downloads (or patches) could solve this problem, but I this would just fix a leaking !&%$@#* with a bandage. However, gamers who have never played a FPS online before might find some enjoyment here.


So let?s take a brief look at all the aspects of the game. Graphically speaking, this title is just not taking advantage of the Xbox?s power. Scenery shots look good, but you can really see the downfalls when you get up close and personal with a band of villains. Like I said earlier, I haven?t played the PC version, but I hope for the sake of sales, the game looks a whole lot better. Sound like?history class in high school. The voices are some of the most dull, emotionless and mind-numbing in recent gaming history. I totally blame this bland, flavorless soundtrack for the minute long naps I took during game play. Speaking of pain, whoever wrote this script really needs to make a public apology. Clich? piled on clich? is the only way to describe this story. I?m not even sure why they even bothered with a story to begin with. I think everyone would have just accepted the words ?Go Shoot Bad Guys? appearing at the beginning and that being the end of it. Finally, add more weapons and some more maps to the Live mode to make this a competitor in the war of FPS games. Perhaps this isn?t such a good buy for experienced FPS players, but Unreal II could act as a learning tool for those who have never played a FPS before and want to know what it?s all about. The training is some of the most user friendly out there and the player won?t be bombarded with countless enemies with near genius A.I. So if you, or someone you know, is looking to ease your way into the world of FPS gaming, then check out Unreal II for Xbox.

Overall Score: 4.0 / 10 Ninja Gaiden

When it comes to cross-console game sequels, it literally is hit or miss. The audience already has predetermined expectations based on previous versions, which means such games are riskier then new concept games. On the other hand, some might say that such games will bring with them instant success because fans who bought into the game before will so again. But the question is can a game series without an entry in over a decade find the old audience, or even an audience period? With Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo once again takes on one of the most popular game series of ?90s and tries to reintroduce older gamers and bring in a whole new audience in 2004. Did their gamble payoff? Did they find that target audience? Did Ninja Gaiden live up to all the hype? The answer, without a doubt, is yes.


In Ninja Gaiden, you assume the role of Ryu Hayabusa, a highly skilled and deadly ninja who, after the massacre of his clan, has one thing on his mind?revenge. Take control of Ryu and venture deep into the world of Vigoor Empire, where challenge after challenge lies ahead for a single rouge ninja. Armed with deadly weapons, beyond belief agility and a will to kill, Ryu just may succeed in his mission. Along the way, Ryu (you) will receive much needed advice from an unknown source via Kunai scrolls to keep him on the right track. But this only brings up more and more questions as far as who is there to help Ryu and who is there to hurt Ryu. Keep your friends close and keep your enemies even closer in this game.


Far too many times interesting storylines get in the way of game play, but thankfully that is not the case with Ninja Gaiden. The cut scenes are nicely spaced out so they usually occur after a long, hard-fought battle, right at the point where your fingers need short break to recover from the button-meshing. Personally, it was usually the cut scenes that caused me to continue playing as opposed to taking a short break. If nothing else, the story will give players a reason to hate the Vigoor Empire (which just fuels the desire to go out and slice and dice some more bad guys).

People are saying this is the best game of 2004 so far. I would go a bit further and say this is the best game of the last year because, if no other reason, the game play is simply amazing. The movement physics are ultra smooth and fast paced. But, the real fun comes from flipping off of walls and (taking a page out of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time) wall running to get to areas normally unreachable (or to perform insanely cool fight combos). My personal favorite is starting to wall run, jumping back over the top of a ninja soldier and delivering a big ten hit combo in a matter of seconds.


Speaking of combos and button-meshing, this is what Ninja Gaiden is all about. Switching between sword attacks, hand-to-hand combat and throwing weapons allows for the player to perform multiple hit combos to three or four ninjas at a time. The time to shine here is not against the single boss villain, but when you enter a room and get surrounded by a few ninjas. Sword slash one ninja down, back flip over another while throwing shuriken stars at a late arriving ninja, and finally, slice the head off of the ninja you just jumped over (you do all this in a matter of like five seconds). Now, keep in mind that you probably won?t pull off big combos right away. Much like a fighting game, you have to learn button combos in order to take out a room full of ninjas without getting hit once (or you can just hit buttons randomly and hope it works out).


Let?s review. You have amazing ninja moves and a deadly assortment of weapons at your disposal. What else could a ninja with revenge on the mind need? How about some magic for your troubles. Better known as ?Ninpo,? this magic allows you to pull of attacks that will affect multiple opponents at once. As you venture on, you will find scrolls containing these Ninpo techniques. In order to use these techniques, you must use Ki, which is where you derive your Ninpo power from. Ki can be obtained and refilled as a result of beating ninjas and collecting Ki orbs. These spells include Inferno, Ice Storm and Inazuma (lighting) and are all quite deadly. Inferno is a personal favorite as it allows you to shoot massive fireballs at opponents. Kentucky fried ninja anyone?

The deadliest of all ninjas armed to the teeth?this should be a walk in the park, right? Wrong. The Vigoor Empire does not employ slack-jawed morons. Even the soldier ninjas have some fighting skills. Ryu will be fighting two ninjas on one end of a room and a third ninja will be throwing stars at Ryu. These guys are smart and will try to corner you and even try flanking if there is enough of them and enough room to do it. As far as the bosses go, good luck. The first boss fight I engaged in was more difficult then most final boss fights in recent games. You?ll need to utilize all your ninja skills if you want to get through this alive.


For those of you who have played the previous Ninja Gaiden games, the days of simple side-scrolling action is long forgotten. This new incarnation takes place in a breathtaking, detailed enriched, 3D environment. Graphically, Ninja Gaiden uses all the power of the Xbox and takes it a step further. From the design of the characters, to the simple details, everything looks fantastic. As you walk up an outdoor hallway, you can?t help but notice the leaves falling from the nearby trees and being carried in the wind. The lighting in this game is well detailed too. Shadows in brighter areas and flickering of light in darker areas stays true to life. While the soldier ninjas all look the same in their basic uniforms, the main and supporting players look like finely painted portraits. Stand out characters include the barbarian ninja Murai, hunter Rachel and the ominous Dark Disciple.

Going in hand with the graphics, the sound is just as rich and vibrant. The sound effects in marshal arts games tend to walk a fine line between quality and cheesiness. Ninja Gaiden keeps it simple and realistic here. You really get a sense of the sound quality when the game opens near a waterfall. As you move closer to and further away from the waterfall, the sound fades in and out as it would if you were really there (I know it seems like a small thing to most people, but water seems to get screwed up more then any other sound in most games). Players with surround systems will appreciate the depth of the sound, especially the sound of approaching soldiers which even had me looking behind my back once in a while. The metal on metal hits during fights is some of the best ever. Equally great is the soundtrack. Very peaceful and relaxing during down times and suspenseful during fights scenes. Normally I?m one for custom soundtracks, but I won?t use one here.


Now that we?ve covered so many reasons why this game has lived up to the hype, let?s talk about what?s not so good. After playing for hours and hours, I could only discover two small things that kept this game from getting a perfect score. The first problem is the very occasional buffering issue, which only showed itself twice in ten hours of game play. But I can overlook that with the fast-paced action going on in Ninja Gaiden. The second problem is the camera. Similar to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the camera can be a major enemy during serious fights. Granted, you can reposition the camera by hitting the R button, but in a major battle, especially a boss fight, remembering to hit the R button is difficult. I word of advice would be to hit the R button each time you go around a blind corner so you don?t get jumped by surprise. But aside from those two minor issues, this game is flawless.


Earlier on I referenced audiences that grew up with the Ninja Gaiden series back in the early ?90s. Well now you can relive those early ?90s games because Tecmo has included within the game the first three Ninja Gaiden games in their entirety. So junkies of retro games can rejoice, and young gamers can enjoy some jewels of the past (and I?d argue that the originals are more difficult then the new version). Bad news is that you can?t access the classics right off the bat. As you progress in the new game and achieve master ninja rankings, then you unlock the previous games. Happy hunting.


So what about online play? Well, the bad news is?there is none. But not to worry. You can use Live to post your scores and progress in order to achieve the honor of being the worldwide master ninja. More important then that, Ninja Gaiden does include the downloadable content feature. New weapons and levels (possibly even new Ninpo) will be available for download as time goes on. Personally, I?d like to see some double sword action in the near future.


Like I said before, cross-console game sequels are hit or miss. Well, Tecmo has hit one clear out of the park with Ninja Gaiden. Amazing move physics, button-meshing hit combos, Ninpo, a deadly arsenal of weapons, challenging opponents, downloadable content, classic Ninja Gaiden games can be unlocked, etc. All of these elements add up to a game that is the best of 2004 so far. Very rarely does a game get as much hype as this one did and lived up to it. Thankfully, Ninja Gaiden not only lived up to the hype, the hype did the game no justice. So do yourself a favor, throw up an away message right now, leave your residence, get to a game store and buy this game immediately. You won?t be disappointed.

Overall Score: 9.6 / 10 Midway Arcade Treasures

Nostalgic products seemed to pop up everywhere in 2003. Whether it was a new spin on an old idea or just general reissues, the past haunted us in all shapes and forms. He-Man and the Garbage Pale Kids got face-lifts, Strawberry Shortcake and the Care Bears made comebacks, and VH1 reminded us why we loved the '80s. True to this trend, the video game industry embraced the early day creations and they too paid homage. And it is because of this homage that we have Midway Arcade Treasures.

In the tradition of the Namco Museum series, Midway Arcade Treasures focuses on some of the best games to come out of the Midway library. The difference here is the sheer number of games included in the collection. Rounding out at 25 games, Midway gives more entertainment for our money then other collections of this kind. You get the following:
-Spy Hunter
-Defender
-Gauntlet
-Joust
-Paperboy
-Joust 2
-Rampage
-Marble Madness
-Robotron 2084
-Smash TV
-Defender 2
-Bubbles
-Road Blasters
-Stargate
-Blaster star
-Super Sprint
-720
-Toobin'
-KLAX
-SPLAT!
-Satan's Hollow
-Vindicators
-Root Beer Tapper

Don't just think of this as playing another collection of old video games. Think of it as a history lesson. See where games like Spy Hunter and Gauntlet got their start. Relive playing your Atari system with Defender and Joust. Finally play through games like Road Blasters and Smash TV without spending enough quarters to equal the next two weeks worth of allowance (yes, there was a time arcade games cost only a quarter to play).

So who is this game for?

This is a great game for all different kinds of players. If you like multiplayer games (not through Live), you and three of your closest friends can fight your way through Gauntlet, or take turns trashing everything in sight with Rampage (up to 3 players) or Smash TV (2 players). For those of you Bejeweled and Tetris fans, give KLAX a try. There is a game in this collection for just about any kind of gamer.

But the main target audience for Midway Arcade Treasures is the old school gamer. These are the arcade games that so many of us in our 20s and 30s grew up with. These are the games that made us become the hardcore gamers that we are today. These are the games that are going to take us on a much-needed trip down memory lane. Besides, there is just something about these classics that you just can?t find in the games of today.

This is also a good game for the gamer on the go. While some people might say this collection is not worth it because these early games can be beat in about an hour or so, these are perfect for someone who just has a few minutes to play and doesn't want to deal an long winded storylines or load times. You can play a game like Paperboy for ten minutes and feel satisfied that you got the total game experience.

Are you in control?

This is the one thing keeping this game from getting a perfect mark. These games were not meant to be played on a Xbox controller, or any other modern controller. Atari joysticks and arcade pads are what these games were built around and they don?t translate well to twelve button consoles controllers. Games like Rampage, Marble Madness and Joust need the flexibility of the a joystick, otherwise its just feels awkward and clumsy.

Once you get past the stiffness, the controls are easy to master in a matter of minutes. Most game simply use two buttons and the left thumbstick, so no need to hold the instructions in one. This is a nice advantage for lesser experienced gamers who would be attracted to this kind of title.

Graphically speaking...

There are two ways you can look at a game like Midway Arcade Treasures. The first way is to compare it to the other games of 2003, which (aside from being just plain wrong) is going to give this game the dishonor of having some of the worst graphics of 2003. The other way is to compare it to games from the ?80s, which makes the graphics really stand out. No matter which side of the fence you?re going with, one key detail must be acknowledged: these are the graphics used in the arcades, not the home console versions, so the games look the way the creators intended to. They are amazing in their simplicity, acting as a reminder that graphics were much simpler at one point and that game play meant so much more.


Much like the graphics, the sounds have been pulled directly from the arcades of the ?80s (minus the over usage of the word ?rad?). The music (when it is included) is a flashback to when video game soundtracks were produced on Casio keyboards. Remember, Midway?s attempting to make players relive the past, so give the surround sound and DTS a rest when playing this one.

It's important to mention that Midway did not include the all great custom soundtracks feature. While this is may be a major let down, you can do the '80s thing...pump up the volume on your headphones and play to the sounds of Guns N Roses on audio tape (more memories of torn jeans dance in my mind).

Judgment Call

Midway Arcade Treasures is like taking a walk down the street you grew up on and had forgotten about. We hold movies like Citizen Kane and Casablanca as true classics and champions of early films, films that paved and changed the way we view modern cinema. The titles included in the Midway Arcade Treasures did the same for the video games of today. They may seem corny and out-of-date to younger gamers, but someday people will have the same perception of Halo. They?re called treasures for a reason, and older gamers will do just that...treasure them, as they deserved to be treasured.

Why not pick up a copy and see how you stack up to other gamers using the Xbox Live Scoreboards.



Overall Score: 8.4 / 10