Shipwreckers! (PSOne Review)

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. That's what I always think of whenever I see that little Psygnosis symbol down on the bottom of a CD case. It always seemed that whatever they created, it was just "this close" to being a monster game. I always thought of them as the "little company that almost could." Unbeknownst to me at the time, they were one of Sony's in-house development companies acquired in 1993 before the Japanese launch of the original PlayStation.

For those familiar with the early days of the original PlayStation, there should be a plethora of known Psygnosis titles rolling off of your tongue. Colony Wars, Destruction Derby, Formula 1 and WipeOut are probably their best known titles with a multitude of lesser-known cult classics hiding in the shadows (Discworld anyone?). No matter how good these titles were, there just seemed to be a little something missing from each one to vault them into my favorites list. Nevertheless, I could always feel safe in knowing that seeing the Psygnosis label meant that there were some good times a'waiting to be played. So now, let's step away from the mainstream and lean more towards the cult classic flavor and check out one of Psygnosis' lesser known titles, Shipwreckers!

Most people would think that pirates and video games would go together like peanut butter and jelly. Nevertheless, nothing could be further from the truth. Really, one should expect to see pirate game after pirate game in one of the most bloated genre-exploiting explosions rather than the bare handful of titles spanning three separate console generations. If you take away the expected Pirates of the Caribbean tie-ins, you probably could have the rest of the genre counted out on one hand. Luckily, Psygnosis wasn't afraid to break from the crowd and bring us some Yo-Ho-Ho goodness.

Shipwreckers! gives players a top-down view of the Seven Seas with some of the best water effects available on the PSOne. However, players are not given full polygonal goodness as the whole game, minus the cut-scenes, are done via pixels. Although back in the 90s this might have been a negative, for today's gamers this is a refreshing trip down memory lane and gives the title a feeling of nostalgia. Nevertheless, this title doesn't offer much extra in the eyecandy department, even though the graphics are all clear, have no pop-in or ghosting at any time. There also are no in-game hesitations to distract you from hitting a target at the exact moment that you need to sink an opponent. Everything is pre-loaded before anything is accessible, which does create some rather extensive loading times, especially in this day and age of streaming.

Gamers are given plenty of depth with 20 different levels to play and three difficulty levels to play them at. For most of the levels, you simply have to find the assorted treasure chests, take over the seaside towns and obliterate the competition. Each of the end world levels pits your ship up against a big boss where quarters are close and the strength of the boss is intense. Level design is rather inventive. Hidden sections are scattered across the worlds. Some of which have to be blasted open, others are simply hiding behind waterfalls. All these hidden sections become more easily findable as you acquire floating map sections scattered throughout the level in the form of little green bottles. Players can also pick up additional weapons, ammunition and health floating in the water. Moreover, when you capture a town, usually a plethora of extra pick-ups appear to assist in your endeavors. More importantly, these captured towns work as checkpoints, so you aren't forced to start completely over when your ship gets inevitably sunk.

Over time, you ship's weaponry does increase in power and range, making things a bit easier to lay to and blow up structures from a distance. Players are also graced with weapons besides the everyday cannonball. Flaming oil slicks, MX missiles, depth charges, floating mines, flame-throwers and even Tesla-like electric weaponry all can be acquired and leveled-up while you sail the seven seas. This does give extreme flexibility for individuals to use whatever methods they find best to proceed through the story level. Perhaps using the broadsides multi-cannonball shot for taking out the competition is too difficult for you? Well, you do have the option for firing single shots from the bow or drop mines from the rear instead of trying to get yourself parallel to the quick moving targets. As the levels progress, your arsenal also grows to allow you to pack a punch big enough to take down anything you might come across.  

On the other hand, Shipwreckers! just doesn't stand pat with the regular enemies. As your ammo and weapons increase, newer and more challenging enemies make themselves known in the most rudest fashion. Regular sailing ships now pack flaming ammunition, bomb dropping birds appear along with crew-napping UFO's to keep things hopping. Mantas and baby sea monsters attack you from under the waves while airships attempt to drop explosives onto your deck. Although enjoyable at the beginning, as the levels progress things do start to get a bit repetitive, even with the introduction of more exotic weaponry that your ship can weld. Nevertheless, this game keeps you on your toes and doesn't give one inch unless you can take it.

If you are expecting a simple run to the end, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Even on the easiest difficulty setting, this game is no cakewalk. Players only have three ships to start, while additional ones can be acquired during gameplay, that's all you get to make it thru the 20 levels. This can up the frustration factor excessively, especially when you are down to your last ship and are up against one of the many boss battles. However before you get to the point where controllers are in jeopardy of being destroyed, there is a password access to use via cheat codes to sidestep the down to one ship frustration, if you are willing to compromise your gaming integrity. Shipwreckers! also does have memory card support, so you do have the ability to save your progress once you complete a level. Nevertheless, you'll start to hate that parrot sitting on the lit bomb loading screen after watching it for the umpteenth time when you keep losing your last ship over and over again.

However if you get bored sailing the seven seas by yourself, you can break out the multitap and have a 5 player free-for-all in the multiplayer part of the game. The multiplayer can go as far as 9 rounds of either timed or untimed action. Also, you can choose whether the health of the ships recharge at the end of the round or damage carries over in a survival mode. Players also have ten different arenas to choose from for their multi-ship action. This alone is worth the price of admission, as there really are very few good multiplayer games where players don't need to have an excess of experience to have a good time with their friends.

When you are looking for an example on how to do controls for a game correctly, you can use Shipwreckers! as the number one example.  To begin with, the default controller layout seems pretty much natural for anyone's preferences. Nevertheless, if there is something that you don't like, there's no need to fear because the entire button configuration can be customized to however you like it. The only downfall of the game is that it was designed before the DualShock came out, so the thumbsticks are not utilized. Besides that, this is exactly how all games should be done. Letting the consumer decide what works best for them without having to memorize some unnatural button layout when it's just as easy to let the user program their likes into the game. Surprisingly, this is not common practice two generations later and it's still only rarely done in games today.

The audio section of Shipwreckers! is also just as impressive, especially when you take its release date into consideration. Not only do you have the standard mono or stereo selections, there also is a Dolby sound option, the beginnings of what would eventually become surround sound. Moreover, you have the tuning option for the individually tweaking the BGM (BackGround Music) and the game's sound effects to your personal tastes. All of the BGM feels right for the game, varying from a bouncy lite island theme in the early stages to a heavy brooding dramatic score when the going starts to get a bit more tough. The only thing missing would be actual voices for the characters in the cut-scenes instead of the primitive grunts and groans used to barely convey a conversation. Anyway, that's a minor complaint and it barely scratches away at any of the overall rating.

All in all, Shipwreckers! gives players a decent, if not overly challenging, ride on the deep blue sea. The added multiplayer can give gamers a reason to keep it around after they somehow complete the 20 demanding levels of the single-player mode. Although I can pretty safely say that besides this, the replay factor just isn't high enough to expect much more. Shipwreckers! could have been gaming gold but, like most of my experiences with Psygnosis' products, it just falls slightly short. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, just don't expect to be completely blown away.

Difficulty: 6
Control: 9
Audio: 9
Visuals: 7
Replayability: 6
Overall: 7.4

Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events (PS2 Review)

Writing video game reviews is a very difficult occupation. Now, I’m not talking about plowing-the-fields difficult, working-a-double-shift-in-a-steel-mill hard or even taxing like spending a full day teaching a class of rowdy third graders. Each of those jobs are very much more important and involving, along with many others that I didn’t have room to mention, than sitting down and playing games for a living. Well, that’s not exactly true in the involving factor. You might be hard pressed to find an occupation that requires one to be so multifaceted. 

 

True, anybody can sit down and type up a review. Just as anyone can perform the duties of a police officer or doctor, however, the efficiency that the regular Joe can perform in one of those occupations is no where near the level that the truly chosen are capable of achieving. Reviewers must have reflexes like a cat, the patience of a priest, the deductive reasoning of a police detective, the attention to detail of an antique appraiser, the ability to express oneself in the written text like an author and the flexibility of a gymnast where gaming tastes are concerned. Just like most callings, there is more to it than meets the eye.

Not only do all of these requirements come into play, but one also must be able to put themselves into the place of your average everyday player. Normally, I’ll try to evaluate a game on how much I enjoy it, as my personal tastes are rather narrow. However, not every gaming genre matches well to the palate of every gamer. There is a minority of titles that will appeal to the majority of the public and these usually will receive a high rating. However, once a game falls out of that very tight grouping, the reviewer must now assume the likeness of a fan of the genre, even if they personally can’t stand to play games of this nature. You have to do a sort of out-of-body experience and transfer your consciousness to that of a player that looks forward to games of this specific genre. Now, you have to grade the title as a player of this magnitude would, and walk a mile in their shoes to see if this game is their cup of tea.

I can see a large group of people gathering pitchforks and torches, getting ready to storm the castle if I don’t quickly get to the heart of the matter. Well, my friends, I’ve taken this roundabout way to explain the how and why of my thinking process when evaluating a game so when you come to the end of this review you won’t be completely dumbfounded how this game received the score that it did. So without further adieu, let me introduce you to Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events.

However, before we get too deep into the review, let me give you a piece of advice: If you are neither a fan of the series or consider yourself to be a “hard-core” gamer, you really should stop reading now and go find an article on something more your style. In fact, as I take a page from the Lemony Snicket’s playbook, you really should stop reading now no matter if you have somehow managed to trudge your way through all of the unfortunate books or not. This review will be filled to the brim with some rather unpleasant circumstances and I’m sure that you could find something much more enjoyable to do with your time.

Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events is based from an extremely successful series of books. As of last count there have been 11 titles released, with at least two more waiting in the wings. Following along similar lines to the Harry Potter series, these are written for children, but have been adopted by the more seasoned reader because of their outstanding content and quality. However, unlike those of our young wizard, these books do not focus around the magical or the fantasy realms. Furthermore, readers are warned that if they are looking for a happy ending, or even a happy middle, to the story, that they should quickly close the book and look elsewhere for their enjoyment. The entire series is based on unfortunate events surrounding a trio of young orphans that seems to keep happiness from escaping from its dungeon. 

A Series of Unfortunate Events follows along the path of the first three books in the series, so those not familiar with the dreadful lives of the Baudelaire orphans should have no problem with being forced to do any backtracking. In fact, the game looks to be an interactive version of the movie due out in December, which just happens to have some massive star power of its own with Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, and Jude Law all playing parts in the big-screen adaptation. Nevertheless, gamers will have the opportunity to share in all of the misery of the three orphans, as each of the children are playable and you have to utilize their individual talents to progress through the game.

Well, I’m sure that you are asking yourself what is so terrible about the lives of these kids. Coming from a wealthy family, you would expect their entire existence to be one of happiness and joy. This is far from the case. After a mysterious fire destroyed their home, and killed their parents, they were bundled off to live with a distantly related Count Olaf, who just so happens to be one of the six worst villains in the entire world. Blinded by the opportunity to get his grubby mitts into their inheritance, Count Olaf begins to contemplate a way to get the pesky children out of the way. With the help of his extremely bizarre henchmen, and some incredibly horrible acting talents, he begins his quest to acquire the Baudelaire fortune.

Violet is the eldest of the trio and her specialty is in the department of invention. Brought up in the tradition of MacGyver, she has the unique talent of making incredible contraptions from common everyday household items. Her inventions are very impressive and they are necessary for the furthering of the game. Her devices are character specific and can be accessed immediately with the excellent control system that Lemony Snicket’s has been given. Even though most of your missions are pretty linear, the inclusion of the different items allows for some wiggle room for the player and gives you a selection on how you would like to handle certain situations.

Klaus is the middle child and is the perfect union of brains and brawn. Since he is the only male child, most of the physical requirements fall upon his shoulders. Moving heavy objects or reaching distant ledges is some of his personal specialties. Moreover, he has been blessed with a photographic memory and can remember anything that he has ever read. What is even better is that he can actually put this knowledge to use, which comes in exceptionally handy when confronted with new and difficult situations.

Sunny is the youngest, and she spends most of her time babbling away in her very own language while being carried along on Violet’s back. However, being tiny has it’s advantages as she is the one who can be counted on to get in those exceptionally tight areas and reach inaccessible sections by her older siblings. She also seems to be part beaver, as see really enjoys chewing on objects and this really neat ability to gnaw her way through the stoutish of obstacles.

One of the really nice things that Lemony Snicket’s does for the player is switches characters automatically when specific ones must be used to achieve a goal or defeat an enemy. Furthermore, the difficulty level of the game increases progressively, rather than in big jumps, so that the player will be able to handle the later missions, which provide a deeper challenge, without being overwhelmed. Overall control for any of the children is very tight and the button layout allows for versatility without requiring the player to have to remember too much or conquer complex button combinations. On the downside, players are required to manually save their progress and there is no autosave feature available. One would think that with the target audience, Amaze Entertainment would have utilized a feature similar to that of another recent release, Shark Tale, which worked excellently and always kept the player’s data file updated. 

The storybook presentation is truly wondrous and the way that the scenes appear as if they are being drawn solely for the gamer really reaches out and touches something inside in a great way. When you flip to the back pages of the instruction guide, you will also be excited to see that all of the cast from the movie, including Jim Carrey as the despicable Count Olaf, have done the voice-overs for their characters and their Hollywood professionalism does nothing but raise the bar on how future games should be graded.

Your styles of gameplay are just as varied. Most of the game is presented in the standard 3-D platformer presentation. However, when players must rely on the talents of little Sunny, the game shifts its perspective to that of an old-school 2-D side-scroller. There are some interesting select mini-games, like the Simon-styled lock-picking episode or the PaRappa the Rapper version of vibrating a piano into tiny pieces, but none of them are anything truly original. You also have some select areas where the game is transformed into that of a First-Person shooter, but these are few and far between the rest of the chapters. Nevertheless, each style works well and has no decreeable flaws. There are some minor instances when the camera gets blocked by walls or curves in the path, but these are a slight inconvenience at the worst. The environments all have plenty of background action and the level layout is well done, even though they border on the simplistic. 

This is where the game reaches it’s limit and shows its true intended audience. The game is not overly difficult at all. In fact, I could not imagine that very few experienced gamers would have to spend much time working completely through it, as everything is basically out in plain view to be discovered. My first time through it took me about 7 hours and that was getting every piece of the puzzle that the game had to offer. There wasn’t much of a challenge to me at all, but I was not whom this game was created for. The younger target audience should find Lemony Snicket’s neither too hard or too soft, but just right for gobbling up in big tasty spoonfuls.

Extra content is extremely limited in Lemony Snicket’s. Players do have the opportunity to unlock hidden special movies or production photographs from both the game and the upcoming movie, but that is about all that you can look forward to seeing. There is no online play, multiplayer aspects, special minigames, or awards for completing the game. Nevertheless, the little that is available does give the player a nice look behind the scenes and should be enjoyed by fans looking for exclusive content. Owners of high definition televisions also can take advantage of the built-in progressive scan for some exceptionally sharp graphics.

As I stated way back in the introduction, Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events is not something for every gamer. While some would criticize this, I applaud Activision for not trying to overstep their boundaries by keeping the game playable for those most likely to actually pick up a copy. Nothing about the title is exceptionally innovative or groundbreaking, but everything that is squeezed onto the disk is extraordinarily well crafted. More content would have been welcomed, along with some incentive to keep on playing after you complete the game, as I actually enjoyed my time with the game, however I’ll settle for what it had and move on from there. Between the solid controls, the insightful humor, the storybook presentation and the excellent voice-overs, I could find no real reason not to highly recommend this game. If you are a gamer who is daunted by the massive amount of objectives that you need to complete in today’s games like Jak and Daxter or worried about the content for younger players, this is the title to stuff in their stocking.

Difficulty: 6

Control: 9

Audio: 9

Visuals: 9

Replayability: 6

Overall: 8.5

Extreme Pinball (PSOne Review)

Back in the day before pixelated happiness or polygonal goodness graced video screens across the world, the king of the arcades was the pinball machine. However, what you might not know is that during the majority of the genre's lifespan, it was illegal in most cities to play or own a pinball machine. Considered a form of gambling, most major metropolitan areas here in America from the 1940s until the mid-1970s forbid their existence and actually held prohibition-styled raids on pinball parlors. 

The ban in New York City was finally overturned in 1976, only after the herculean effort of a 26-year-old magazine editor named Roger Sharpe. He was able to prove during a city council meeting that properly playing a pinball machine was more related to skill, rather than luck, by calling his shots on where he would make the ball would go. Nevertheless, there remain cities to this day that have forgotten pinball bans still on their books. 

But now, you don't have to worry about going out and exposing yourself to sticky flipper buttons, noisy arcades or fighting with ten-year-old kids for a place in line to enjoy some time with the magic silver ball. Thanks to EA, pinball fans now can fulfill their pinball cravings in the convenience of their own home, without having to fork out hundreds of dollars for a single machine. Keep your quarters in the piggy bank and let's take a look at Extreme Pinball.

For those of you looking for some pinball variety, this game features four unique tables all with very different themes. You can go the 80s heavy metal route with Rock Fantasy, battle a dragon in Medieval Knights, go bananas in Monkey Mayhem or stamp out crime on the Urban Chaos table. The amount of flippers ranges from either three or four total, varying in placement, size and strength for every table. There are also a multitude of various rail lanes on each table to keep the action always moving quickly. Furthermore, don't think that since you're playing a video version that you can't incorporate your own "special english" with the play. The table can be "bumped" left, right and up, just like in real life. However, there also is a tilt function that kills the gameplay for the current ball if you get over excited or too ambitious. Just like in the arcade, you have to learn how much you can get away with on the machines without crossing over that fine line so you can ride the tiger to its fullest extent.

Observant players will also notice that the ball itself will metamorphisize its appearance from a normal silver ball into gold rings or other apparent rolling items. Personally, I found this a distraction and usually ended up losing the ball because I was more interested in looking at the new ball rather than where it was going. Also, tables offer multi-ball bonus events where a literal hailstorm of balls will shower the table and then let the chaos begin. Furthermore, each machine has limited extra minigames that can be unlocked with exceptional play. Yes folks, there is plenty of action going on and it is very easy to get distracted by the glitz and glamor. 

Extreme Pinball also has variety in the setup of the game itself. Tables can have the number of balls available per game set at either three, five or seven. Moreover, every table can be played by up to four different players with the bonus of not needing to actually have four different controllers plugged in to accomplish it. Of course, there will be plenty of controller swapping since everything can be run on a single DualShock, but it's definitely a better option than having to dig out the multitap and make sure you have four working controllers squirreled away for those rare multiplayer opportunities. The only downside is that high scores cannot be saved, as there is no memory card function available.

Visually, Extreme Pinball gives the player a good view of the action. The tables are all blown up enough for you to actually see where the ball is going and the screen usually does a good job of keeping up with the ball's action. However like most screen-scrolling pinball games, there is the problem of the table view lagging behind the motion of the ball. Even though it seems like the view is lagging only by about a half of a second, it can make success in the game weighted more towards luck rather than skill. All of the targets and ball paths are clearly marked, but the action is so fast that without an intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of each table you can get easily get lost on what you need to do once a bonus opens up. While some may find this discouraging, pinball wizards will attest that this reflects the realism of playing in real life. Without using skill, or knowledge of your surroundings, simply bashing the ball back and forth will never get you into the high score environments. 

The audio aspects of Extreme Pinball are rather limited, but that is more a reflection of the times. Standard mono and stereo sound options apply, but there is nothing for those of us using high tech audio systems. Nevertheless, everything comes through clearly and all the beeps and boops you would to expect to hear when playing a table are all included. All four tables have unique background music and sound effects, both of which can be individually tuned in volume level for the gamer's preference.

Nevertheless, everything is not positive about this title. The load screen times are somewhat lengthy. In fact, there were many instances where I began to worry that the system had locked up because they took so long to finish. These lasted as long as a full minute at some times, and in this day and age of immediate gratification, that might seem like a lifetime to many. However once you get into actually playing the table, the action is seamless without any hesitation or delay when shifting between balls or players.

My biggest problem with evaluating this game is that it moves so damn fast. It is really difficult, for a duffer like me, to keep up with everything that is going on. Lights are flashing all over the place, the lower scoreboard has information running across it when something new is activated and the ball is simply flying around like a greased pig. This in no way a criticism of Extreme Pinball, rather a self-realization that I'm not a very good pinball player.  Nevertheless, I kept being drawn back to play a table "just one more time" over and over again and that in my book means this has some quality to offer.

Now this game is not going to be attractive to every person. You adrenaline junkies will find the gameplay slow and limited compared to those FPS or racing titles. However, this game is right up the alley of a more casual gamer. As far as pinball titles go, this one is by far my favorite (so far as of this writing). The four different tables give enough variation to hold the boredom away and each table has enough action on it to bring you back for more. If you are a pinball wizard, this one should offer enough to keep your attention, even with the limitations of being released back in 1996. When shopping at your local independent retro gaming store, if you see this game gathering dust on the shelves, be a trooper and give it a new home. You shouldn't be sorry.

Difficulty: 8

Control: 9

Audio: 6

Visuals: 7

Replayability: 8

Overall: 7.8

Stuntman (PS2 Review)

Throughout my gaming life, I have only broken one controller due to frustration. It was during my umpteenth attempt at completing the final mission in the original Driver. Just as I could see the opening of the garage, I was hit from behind by one of the bad guys and slammed into the far edge of the door. Eventually, I was pummeled to death as I tried to get inside by the swarm of evil cars that came out of nowhere. After screaming a string of “colorful metaphors,” the controller hit the floor with every once of strength I could muster. Pieces of plastic went flying all over the house. Sometimes I still come across a bit of controller when doing some cleaning. After a trip to Wal-Mart for a new DualShock, I finally completed that mission after 72 hours of gameplay and I still have that replay saved on a memory card. Now Reflections, the company that brought Driver to life, has come up with a next generation game that will stir your soul with that same love-hate relationship. Strap on your crash helmet and step into your firesuit. You no longer are the Wheelman, you are a Stuntman.

Let me start off by saying that you should not play this game if you have had a bad day and are looking to release a bit of stress. Well, at least you shouldn’t attempt to progress through the Career Mode. However, the Stunt Arena is the perfect place to let off a little steam. Stuntman truly combines the Yin and the Yang of gameplay to encompass something for every gamer. 

In the Career Mode, you begin as a fledgling stuntman looking to break into the Silver Screen. Your new job takes you London to work on a British gangster film. Your pay is meager and the film takes are relatively easy to get you warmed up for the tougher challenges that are yet to come. You only have to pull off eight perfect gags in the first take compared to the twenty plus stunts in later films. There are six different films that you get to work on, each having three to five different levels. Some of these include a Dukes of Hazzard knockoff, a Raiders of the Lost Ark wannabe and a James Bondish flick. The better your performance is, the better the rewards. As you complete takes in the movies, you receive unlockables to be used in the Stunt Arena portion of the game.

The stunts that you are asked to pull off in the career mode are brilliant and were designed with the help of a true legend, Vic Armstrong. For those of you who are not up on reading the credits at the end of action movies, he has done work in classics like Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, Terminator 2, Dune and An American Werewolf in London. The game also re-creates some of history’s greatest gags including the famous falling smokestack scene from the stuntman movie Hooper. When you get everything just right you are treated to a replay of your work that is just as good as watching the car chase in Bullitt.

Probably the biggest obstacle to quickly completing your assignments is the fact that the game really gives you no advance warning of what the director wants you to do until you are in the middle of doing it. Combine this with a very short timer that is constantly running, and you will most definitely become very familiar with the “Try Again” option. Nevertheless, if you have that “If at first you don’t succeed” attitude you eventually will go far in the business.

The other half of the game concerns the arena. It is here that you can use the obstacles, cars, ramps and burning hoops that you have acquired. This is basically a create-a-park that allows you to just have fun. You are free to run as many times through the courses you design until you demolish your car of choice. Reflections has done a great job with the realistic car damage. As you put your ride through the paces, you actually get to see pieces and parts fly off your vehicle. It gets very challenging to complete stunts after you lose a wheel or two, however there is nothing stopping you from resetting the park and doing it all over again. 

Reflections gives us another quality presentation with Stuntman. Cut scenes and in-game graphics are exceptionally sharp with no popup or clipping to distract you from your tasks. Unlike Driver 2, the motion of the game remains constant without the slowdown that was the downfall of the previous game. On the downside, the loading times of the many cut scenes, and even for the movie retries, are very lengthy and happen often. Some of the FMV are very short. In some instances, you spend more time looking at the loading screen than watching the results. What would have been nice for Reflections to offer would be a way to skip these in-game movies to keep the pace of the game flowing. Alas, this is not the case.

The audio for the game is crystal clear. Sound effects match up with the on screen action and there is no delay between hitting a box or hearing it crush underneath your wheels. The director’s voice can be clearly heard over the in-game action. All of the voice-over work in the game is top notch. Reflections should really give their audio people a raise because they have earned it with this game.

A nice addition to the game is all of the DVD extras. There is a making of video for Stuntman, an interview with Vic Armstrong, the TV spots for the game and a coming attractions selection that includes a trailer for Driver 3. While this may not seem to be too impressive, it’s a nice touch that is appreciated by the more serious gamer.

Stuntman is a game like no other available for the PlayStation 2. While it is very possible that the difficulty of the game may result in a broken controller or two, the glowing feeling of victory that is felt when you complete a take is worth the test of your patience. Honestly, how many games have you played that when you finish a level you go and wake up your significant other so that they can watch the replay at three in the morning? This game is one of the few that can create such a vigorous love-hate relationship with the player. The dedicated gamer will curse up a storm as they retry take after take until getting the assignment correct. After the replay is complete, you get to relish in the glow of victory for a short while, then are driven to do it all over again as you take on the next job. Give this one a try, even if it’s simply to test the limits of your patience.

Difficulty: 4

Control: 7

Audio: 9

Visuals: 8

Replayability: 9

Overall: 7.6

Onimusha: Warlords (PS2 Review)

Time travel is probably the most thought inducing topic in the history of mankind. For those who love the past, just to be a spectator at the burning of Rome or Lincoln’s Gettysburg address would be enough to elevate themselves to the highest of highs. With the advent of video games, historical voyeurs now have the opportunity to see an artistic rendition of that which has come before. Games in the Dynasty Warriors series have been met with deafening applause because of their historical accuracy and character association. Nevertheless, Koei does not have the monopoly on historically directed games. Capcom has entered the fray with their own 16th century epic, Onimusha: Warlords.

Two of the game’s main characters, Nobunaga Oda and Tokichiro Kinoshita, are based on real-life Japanese historical figures. Nobunaga was one of Japan’s greatest military leaders. His first major victory was in the defeat of the 25,000 man army of Imagawa Yoshimoto using only 3,000 troops. This battle is depicted in the opening credits of the game and it shows Oda’s tactical knowledge at its best. His inhuman and viciousness mannerisms have been compared to those of Vlad Tepes Dracula and even Napoleon Bonaparte. Being the first Japanese warlord to arm his men with firearms, he was also one of the first leaders to incorporate the use of weather and landscape as part of his military strategy.

Tokichiro Kinoshita is the other historic character of the game. This character has been created to represent Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the true-life lieutenant of Oda. Toyotomi actually made Oda’s dream a reality and unified Japan under one shogunate. However in this time that the game is set, the unification is far off and Kinoshita is just a bit player in the grand scheme of things.

While both of these previously mentioned characters are on the ‘dark path of the Force,’ the true hero is not in the history books. Samanosuke Akechi is a ronin (master-less) samurai. During his worldly travels, he receives a message from his former master’s daughter asking for his help. The Inabayama Castle has been besieged by demon monsters and Princess Yuki is in fear for her life. Samanosuke rushes to her aid, but arrives at the castle too late to prevent her kidnapping. With the assistance of Kaede, a skilled female ninja who also is a limited playable character, he hopes to rescue the princess and rid the Mino province of this evil influence.

Onimusha: Warlords is billed as an action game. Although there is plenty of this, it is definitely more than just another hack-and-slash adventure. Cerebral traps and puzzles are generously sprinkled through the adventure. Unlike Resident Evil, Capcom’s well known zombie killer series, there is not a lot of backtracking across great distances to solve most of these challenges. There are some instances where you will have to gather clues to unlock some of the coded chests, but these are mostly the exception rather than the rule for the gameplay. Special keys will usually appear right before they are needed and their corresponding doors can be reached by simply following a straight line by using concealed passages that were missed the first time through.

While the player will usually rely upon the prowess of their blade to see them past the many enemies, this is not the only weapon that you will wield. Kunai (throwing knives), bows and firearms are available for the playable characters to use. Most of the projectile ammunition is limited so it’s best to save it for the proper occasion. Weapons can be exchanged on the fly without having to worry about letting the bad guys get in a couple of cheap shots. Moreover, each one is upgradeable using the souls of the defeated demons that you have captured.

Samanosuke is granted the use of a special gauntlet which collects the souls of the monsters he dispatches. There are various types of soul matter that can be only used for a specific purpose. Pink colored souls can be used for upgrading your equipment, yellow souls will return health to your character and blue colored ones will add to your magic meter. Depending on what the monster is, and how it is killed, directly reflects on what type and amount of soul matter will be released. If not captured in a timely manner, soul matter will eventually drift away.

Even though Onimusha was completed in the early part of the PlayStation 2 lifecycle, it is still graphically impressive today. Environments are interactive and can be utilized to assist you in killing enemy forces. Ropes, fires, mist and other aspects of the game can be influenced by you or the demon characters. This truly keeps a player on their toes and makes them think outside the box for a unique answer to an everyday problem. Why should you go and duke it out with a horde of monsters, when you can simply cut a rope that is holding a cart up on a hill and let it do your light work? It’s the simple touches like this that really makes Onimusha stand out above other action titles.

Some of the most interesting aspects of Onimusha are the sound options. Language and subtitles can be set to various combinations of English or Japanese. The background music and sound effect volumes can individually be adjusted. However, the most ingenious part of the game is in the stereo sound choices. You can set up the speakers to work in normal stereo, stereo specific or inverse stereo specific. What stereo specific means is that anything that would make a sound on the right side of the screen will come through the right side speakers. The really unique choice is the inverse stereo selection. If your character is facing towards you on screen and a sound comes from the left side of the screen, the sound will resonate through the right side speaker channels because the sound came from the character’s right. This detail is unlike anything else I have experienced in a video game and it definitely was appreciated. 

Probably the only disappointing aspect of the entire game would be the control setup. Even though the DualShock 2 is now completely analog, for some strange reason Capcom has restricted the character’s movements to be done only through the directional pad. With the rest of the button function assignments making sense, and being exceptionally well designed, I have yet to fathom why Capcom went this direction with Onimusha since the left analog stick is not used at all in the game. Perhaps game developers will learn in the near future that it is us, the gamers, who are buying their games and each of us like to use their controller differently. I honestly can’t believe that custom button configurations are that hard to incorporate into a game, especially after everything else that I have seen done in this title. 

The only other minor gripe is the limited save point abilities of the game. You only can record your progress in one of the limited ‘magic mirrors’ scattered across the land. While these are also used for leveling up your equipment and weapons, I would have liked to simply be able to pause the game and save where I was rather than having to backtrack halfway across the level to find the last known mirror so that I could continue on with my real life. I realize that Onimusha is developed by the same company that created the Resident Evil series, and this game has its roots deep within that which came before. However, the typewriter save style was frustrating back in 1997, so why would they believe that today’s players would desire to see it appear again? This is one of those questions that will plague mankind until the end of time.

Extras are plentiful in Onimusha: Warlords. An unlockable Onimusha 2 trailer is available once you complete the game. Extra costumes can be found by finishing the game with a superior ranking or finding special hidden items while playing the game. Moreover, if you find all twenty of the hidden Florite stones, a special mini-game is opened for the player. If the player can beat all twelve levels of this game, then access to an additional special mode for the story mode of Onimusha becomes available.

Onimusha: Warlords gives the player a quality product. Almost every ingredient, from the engrossing storyline, to the solid graphic engine and wondrous sound options brings this game to the forefront of the action genre. Even the static cameras, that usually are a distraction for most games, add to the overall movie-like feel that Onimusha was trying to bring about. This is definitely a game that gives the player the most bang for their gaming buck. I recommend that fans of all genres give this one at least a rental, but action fans should run out immediately and pick up a copy for their libraries.

Difficulty: 8

Control: 6

Audio: 10

Visuals: 9

Replayability: 8

Overall: 8.9

Red Faction (PS2 Review)

Mars. This red neighbor of our lush, green planet has been one of great speculation and drama since man first looked up into the dark curtain and realized that those pinpoints of light were something more than holes that the angels had poked into the shroud of night to keep watch upon humankind. This heavenly next-door neighbor has singly been the theme for more science fiction creations than any other body in the entire universe. Every author from Asimov to Zelazny has dabbled at some time or another in probing the depths of the strange red planet. Even the most infamous radio broadcast ever within the history of American radio concerned the planet Mars and of course I’m referring to Orson Wells’ radio drama of H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds that was broadcast back in 1938. 

 

Science Fiction has blurred the lines of Science Fact to the point now where the public really isn’t sure where one part leaves off and the other begins. From way back in the age of humanity, the supposed Martian canals were proof that we were not alone in the solar system and even today space missions are probing the planet for evidence of a past civilization. Movies like Total Recall have explored the possibility that Mars was once the center of the solar system and humanity keep rolling right along hoping beyond hope that the proof that something more than ourselves populated our little corner of the universe.

Video games are no different from other forms of media. There have been games galore that tread on the red sands of the fourth planet from the sun and gamers have always come back begging for more. Well, THQ and Volition Inc. have heard the cries of the gaming public and decided to bring the Martian craze to the next-generation gaming platforms. Now take a deep breath of fresh air, as you are not going to taste anything but recycled junk for the next few days, and strap on your environmental suit’s helmet. We are about to trek to where many have dreamed, but no living man have ever ventured. We are off to Mars to explore the Red Faction.

Red Faction (RF) starts out innocently enough. You assume the personage of Parker, a more-than-a-little-naive kid in a man’s body. On a whim, he goes and joins the Ultor Mining Operation on Mars looking for a life of excitement and adventure and to also throw a monkey wrench into his parent’s plans for his future. Unfortunately, he actually finds it a bit more than the recruitment posters ever could have shown. Everything is not exactly as he expected to find it. Life off-planet is quite a bit different from what the advertisements announced. The barracks are filthy, the food is sparse and terrible, the beds and environmental suits are shared between different workers and tempers are beginning to reach a boiling point. In fact, the game begins just when the top blows off of the pot. You witness a guard attacking a fellow miner. The miner strikes back and both go down in a bloody heap. You grab up a control baton and revenge the death of a fellow worker. After the immediate smoke clears, you then realize that you have stepped into something moist and wet and it is more than hip deep. The Revolution of the workers has begun and now it is up to you to make it out of here in one piece.

Unlike most First-Person Shooters (FPS), Red Faction actually has an actual storyline that merits mentioning. The story progresses from the mundane average everyday kill-everything-that-moves to something of the more bizarre where alien lifeforms, or rather mutated miners affected by a mad scientist’s experiments, are streaking from the shadows to leap out and rip you limb from limb. There is also some extensive background information on the key characters of the Red Faction to be found in the instruction booklet that really brings the game to life beyond that of the average shooter. Volition Inc. really brought out the storytelling ability of their designers with Red Faction and it really would make a great big-screen movie with little to nothing else needed to make it to blockbuster status. 

Now, I’m sure that you would expect the environments to be bleak and overly exposed to the color red. Fortunately, that is nothing further from the truth. Believe it or not, the places that you will explore are full of color, both beneath and on top of the planet’s surface. Many of the levels take place within developed space station sections but there is a fair share of underground mines that need your attention. These places seem to suffer from an overly dark problem at first and can make it very challenging to find a way to progress to the next area. Nevertheless, Volition was nice enough to include a brightness control for the game that eliminates this possibly game-killing situation. After setting the meter a few notches to the right, you will have absolutely no problem in seeing everything that you need to see and progressing smoothly onward.

The in-game Heads-Up Display (HUD) keeps you completely in the game with little to no question about your status or whatever weapon you have equipped. Even though there is a ton of information shown, you never have to worry about it being cumbersome or blocking your view of the action. Moreover, when two-way communications come in from the other NPC’s (Non-Player Characters) during the story mode, you can still react to your surroundings and clearly see everything that is going on. The facial construction of the game’s characters look better than half decent, even in today’s age of digital enhancements, and the FMV (Full-Motion Video) segments only add to the allure of this space epic. Graphically, Red Faction has no real weak points to exploit.

When Parker is running around the red planet, he usually is garbed in a typical environmental suit. Not only does this give our hero added armor and protection from incoming fire, but it also enables him to traverse the multiple different environments with ease. This not only functions on land but also works just as well when swimming through the subterranean lakes that exist below the planet’s surface. However, this also plays an added difficulty for if his suit is shot to pieces while in a non-oxygen filled area he will not be able to survive for very long. There is not much to fear, however, as there usually are medical packs along with environmental suit repair pick-ups strategically placed in numerous storage areas on each of the levels. You can also acquire these, along with weapons and ammo, from recently deceased characters that you eliminate along your path to freedom. 

Character control, one of the most important things for any FPS, comes ready for the gamer in eight different controller presets. However, if none of these are to your liking, you do have the ability to customize the controller completely to your personal preference. Players also have the ability to tweak the look-around sensitivity, weapon sway sensitivity, invert the y-axis for those who have a problem telling up from down, change out different crosshair options and even turn on different vibration function for their weapons or happenings in the environment. Another helpful item for the FPS rookies is to enable the auto aiming lock-on for your character. While this will not always ensure a one shot kill, it does assist the player in getting the bead on an approaching enemy and keeps you in the game a lot longer when first starting out. If running through the game on the easy mode is too simple, gamers have the option of ramping up the challenge with more intensive difficulty levels that really put your talents to the test. The Dual Shock 2 worked exceptionally well for the entire game, although some of the vehicles were a bit difficult to get used to the first time that you drove them.

Oh yes, you don’t have to spend all of your time venturing on foot. There are five different vehicles that you get to play around in, and some of these add quite an interesting twist to the game. Not only will you operate the expected ATV’s (All-Terrain Vehicles) or mobile drillers but you also get to strap yourself into an aesir fighter jet and even a combat submarine. All the vehicles have a different strengths and weaknesses in terms of firepower and maneuverability and each one even has a unique HUD to utilize. Sometimes you will be behind the wheel while other times you will be literally riding shotgun manning some heavy mobile firepower while a NPC handles the driving duties. These sections help to break up the run-and-gun staleness that could occur after four or five hours of running around on foot but they just don’t have the same smooth control features that your normal character radiates while using the shoe-leather express. 

Red Faction also employs a completely new Geo-Mod game engine that lets you destroy the environment unlike anything ever experienced before. Although everything in the environments is not destructible, players do have the ability to destroy certain walls to open up new or hidden areas to explore and most of the secondary items in the many rooms can be blown apart into little tiny pieces. RF rewards players for thinking outside of the box, as usually you find something of value in these hidden rooms that will make your journey much easier in the long run. The Geo-Mod Technology puts a whole new twist on the game. Now instead of fighting a convoy of security forces, you can simply blow up the bridge that they are using to cross the canyon. You come up on a locked door, you simply blow out the supporting wall and make your own entranceway. This definitely adds to the replay value of the game as there are a plentiful ways to get through each of the levels. Even though shooting the cups or coffee makers does nothing but waste precious ammunition, it does play its part as a pleasant distraction from the plentiful killing of the many security forces that you will face and it adds a touch of realism not often seen in games of this genre.

The audio parts of Red Faction are just as impressive as those of the rest of the game. All of the conversations can be clearly understood and the characters actually sound as if they are having conversations rather than reading a script. You have separate selectors for the background music and the effects of the game, however there is just the normal mono and stereo choices with no option for surround sound in sight. I would blame this mostly for the release date of the game, as it did hit the streets early in the lifecycle of the PS2. However, there have been plenty of games that have come before that have utilized this option, so it’s more of an excuse rather than it being a reason for this deficiency. 

For those of you who are tired of combating the forces of evil with a bare bones arsenal, gamers will find enough variety to keep them pleasantly satisfied. Most of the fifteen different weapons have, not only, a primary but also a secondary form of firing to obliterate the tyrannical forces of Mars. No matter if you run with the rather wimpy 12 mm hand pistol or the terrain changing explosive power of the fusion rocket launcher, control and pinpoint precision should be employed to ensure the minimum expenditure of ammunition. In fact, you can even set the priorities of the weapons on how they will appear on your menu. This cuts down on the time searching for a particular weapon when you either run out of your favorite ammunition or when you want to switch out to something different. Enemy forces react accordingly to whichever firearm you decide to use, whereas persons will explode into tiny bits when high-explosive firearms are employed while their lifeless bodies will even do backwards somersaults when meeting the business end of the automatic shotgun at close range. Heck, gamers even have the choice of having their baddies cooked well-done with the flame thrower or diced via the attaching of remote mining charges. Even Rambo would have little difficulty cuddling up to this impressive arsenal that Red Faction provides.

Since Red Faction came out before the PS2 went into Online mode, players are restricted to just slugging it out against one other player. However, you can add an extra element of challenge by letting loose NPC (Non-Player Character) up to four additional bots in a player vs. player mode or six bots in the player vs. bots mode. Bots have four different difficulty levels and really add a special flavor to the recipe. Players can also select how they would like the matches to end by selecting the kill number or by having a time limit. You also get to choose from the cast of character of Red Faction to portray, however these are mostly for cosmetic satisfaction as there really is no difference in which person you choose to utilized in your multiplayer experience. Gamers also have nine different levels to select and each of these are large enough to get away from the competition without getting lost and not being able to hunt down the other player. 

RF also comes packed with an excellent tutorial for first-time players that is sure to get you up to fragging speed in no time flat. It goes over everything that you will need for your adventure on the red planet to keep you breathing the stale recycled air and among the living. Besides this, gamers are also able to take a look at two different trailers for other THQ games. Both the trailers for MX2002 and Summoner are rather long and give potential buyers a good look at what they can expect to experience.

Volition Inc. and THQ really brought everything but the kitchen sink when putting Red Faction out for the PlayStation 2. Besides the slightly difficult vehicle handling and the lack of Dolby Digital support, I could find no real fault for the entire game. It would have been nice to include a four-player split-screen multiplayer mode but this is a minor gripe not worthy of subtracting a single point from the overall score. The customization of the controls, along with the excellent story mode brings enough to the table to satisfy the most jaded of FPS fans. Gamers can expect to spend quite a few hours on the extensive story mode and the Geo-Mod technology really keeps the replay value of the game quite high as you can spend hours looking for alternate pathways by blowing the holy heck out of the environments. Even if you have never thought about trying out a game of this particular genre, Red Faction could possibly be the game to change your mind and make you a lover of games of this particular type. This definitely is a must-have for any FPS fan and should at least be worthy of a rental for every person who owns a PS2. 

Difficulty: 9

Control: 10

Audio: 8

Visuals: 9

Replayability:10

Overall: 9.4

Aero Elite: Combat Academy (PS2 Review)

Throughout all of history, man has quested after the power of flight. Life is truly ironic. Great minds like Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton and Daniel Bernoulli were unable to get their feet off of the ground and two simple bicycle repairmen were the ones to make powered flight a reality. Since that windy day in 1903, man has progressed through many stages of flight design and has even landed upon the soil of another heavenly body. 

 

The video game industry has moved forward with the same leaps and bounds. What began as a simple distraction of a few white dots moving on a black background has evolved into photorealistic graphics and movie quality production values. Where games used to be completely designed by a single person over a four day weekend, they now have a staff of a hundred or more people working for two or three years. How fitting that these two elements have finally come together to create a wondrous marriage where everyday people can enjoy the best of both worlds, without all the risks involved with leaving the security of the solid earth.

Each genre of gaming has their elite. Saying the names of Halo, Gran Turismo or Zelda will either cause a player to get that dreamy-eyed look or their face to explode in a crimson fury. There just is no in-between. On another page of the same book, most PS2 flight fans have come to consider the Ace Combat series the weight upon which all other flying games are to be measured. Some feel this is true because of the lack of competition, while others believe that it is one of the best arcade flyers because it is done so professionally. No matter what side of the coin you prefer, the why really isn’t important, since the end justifies the means. Ace Combat is the reigning ace of aces when it comes to PS2 flight games and there are very few game developers willing to take the series on. 

Then out of nowhere, Sega suddenly emerges onto the scene with Aero Elite: Combat Academy (AE: CA). With their great reputation for quality gameplay coupled along with hard-core action, this looks like there may be a new heavyweight contender to take away Namco’s crown. The game options are long and deep and the list of playable aircraft is huge. It’s everything that flying fanatics everywhere desire. However, let us examine if the cake is moist in the center or if it’s nothing more than creamy icing over cardboard.

To start off with, there really isn’t a heart to the game. In flight games, there usually is a Story Mode with a bunch of side modes tossed in for good measure. AE breaks with tradition and recreates the wheel. Everything is evenly spread across five separate sections: Arcade Mode, Training Mode, Aero-meet 2002, Free Flight and the 2 player Vs. Battle. No one section is dominant over another.

The Arcade Mode is a way for players to get a quick fix. You have only four available aircraft to choose from and the missions are all the same no matter what plane you pick. This option has its good and bad points. On the bright side, ammo is unlimited and you have the freedom to use as much as you would like to complete this section. The bad is that you cannot save your progress in-between the missions, so it’s either finish what you’ve begun or give up and come back to start over when you have more time. Missions are all timed, but don’t learn to rely on that counter to tell the truth about how much time is actually remaining. An example would be the final contest, where you are tasked to take out a bomber before it can obliterate your base. I have personally experienced losing this section with ten minutes left, out of the original fourteen, on the timer. The lesson learned from this was to finish each segment as quickly as possible.

The training section is very detailed and well presented for flight rookies. You have nine separate stages, that are broken down even more internally, that go through every aspect of flying from takeoffs to complex flight maneuvers. All of the lessons have a visual tutorial explain what is to be done and you are given tips while going through the motions as if the instructor was sitting next to you in the plane. These instructions are of high enough quality that they could easily be used for persons interested in learning how to fly a plane in real life.

Areo-meet 2002 is presented like a simulation competition, but comes off more like an edited story mode. You have four main categories (Air, Ground, Maneuver and Recon) from which you can take part in and the later stages are much more challenging than the arcade mode. Ammunition is in short supply and your fuel is limited. Add to this a clicking timer and the stress levels go up even higher. Successfully completing missions in this section unlocks more available aircraft to be used in the game. Although the air and ground sections are self-explanatory, the maneuver and recon sections are unique and add more flavor to the flight tastebuds. Performing the recon missions simply require you to stay below a certain flight level and take a picture of a target when you get close.

This may sound like a cakewalk, but it’s more challenging than first perceived, especially since you only have one chance to take a picture. Most terrain vary greatly with obstructions, like mountain ranges or towers, that force you to keep low and dive through valleys to keep from being detected. The maneuver part of the game matches you up on target fields with balloons and other non-lethal objects where time is your biggest adversary. Once again, your ammunition is limited and you have bunches of targets that you need to obliterate before the countdown reaches zero. Having a heavy trigger finger will not get the job done and only by releasing short, well-aimed bursts of firepower will let you have enough weaponry to finish what you started.

Free flight mode lets the player experience twelve different environments in three different options. Solo flight lets a player enjoy the wild blue yonder without the burden of enemy fighters buzzing about. You also have the choice of either an air-to-air or air-to-surface attack. There also is the ability to have all of your mission options chosen randomly. Wingmen become available in the later stages, once they are opened, and can be directed by a push of a button to watch your back, take on enemies head-on or simply to stay out of the way.

The final playable selection is the two-player vs. battle. You can either choose whatever option that please your soul, or have them all randomly generated. All of the planes that you have unlocked are available in this one-on-one confrontation where it can finally be decided who is the true king of the skies.

Game options are plentiful. The DualShock 2 can be completely customized to however the player prefers to have it coordinated. Sound selections allow the choice of the standard mono or stereo speaker output, along with individual settings for the background music sound effects or voice dialog. There also is a music player which will let you listen to all of the Top Gun styled in-game music.

Some of the smaller extras that AE has to offer help to round out a nicely put together product. The Replay room will allow the player to watch saved missions or your most recent flying endeavor if there hasn’t been one personally saved by the player. One can also watch training missions to get a closer inspection on what is needed to be done to complete them properly. The data bank keeps track of all of your flying statistics, the multiple unlockable squadron emblems and an aircraft glossary and encyclopedia. One exceptional finishing touch is the ability to have red or black outs when you are pulling excessive G’s in your craft of choice. AM2 really tried to assemble the complete package. Unfortunately, they missed one specific element; the control factor.

Only one factor was neglected in the making of Aero Elite, and that was having the planes actually react like their real-life counterparts. No matter which fixed wing craft you choose to pilot they all handle the same; like a dump truck with a full load of gravel. Turning, climbing or diving makes no difference. The only factor I found to make maneuvering partially tolerable was to power down the forward thrust of the plane to turn the ship, and that still didn’t give me the reaction that I was looking for. The helicopters are on the complete opposite side of the fence. Fast and exceptionally loose, these craft are so twitchy that it makes locking onto targets well beyond difficult. After everything that Sega had to offer, they forgot the most important thing and it totally destroys the entire experience. 

Although it may not be the first, AE is the oldest game that I have found, so far, to actually support the newly released PS2 Hard Disk Drive (HDD). The game disk is still required to play the game, but I have noticed shortened loading times with it being installed. Aero Elite also has a wide-screen option which, when used on a big-screen TV, gives you a better surrounding view for your flight operations.

Aero Elite: Combat Academy has so much going for it that it was very difficult for me to give it its final grade. What should be a flyboy’s erotic dream, turns into their worst nightmare because of the horrible control. Sega had themselves a surefire winner and they let it slip through their fingers. Even with this massive obstacle, I still found myself attempting to continue to work my way though the game, repeating the same mission or test over and over again. Nevertheless, I can in no way give this game a quality score by overlooking such an important factor. This game can only be recommended to flight fanatics or those into self-abuse. All others should just taxi themselves over to Ace Combat 4′s runway or just wait until Ace Combat 5 is launched off the carrier this fall.

Difficulty: 6

Control: 4

Audio: 7

Visuals: 8

Replayability: 4

Overall: 6.0