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Christmas Cheer Entertainment Games

2003 Videogame Holiday Gift Guide 194

Posted by CmdrTaco from the games-people-play dept.
Tim Grube writes "Gaming Horizon is currently hosting a feature that informs gamers on what to buy this holiday season. The 2003 Holiday Gift Guide presents twenty-five titles per console including the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube, PC, and HandHelds."
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2003 Videogame Holiday Gift Guide More

2003 Videogame Holiday Gift Guide

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  • A little more info please... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by PurdueGraphicsMan ( 722107 ) * on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:28PM (#7632387) Homepage Journal
    Any Final Fantasy fans out there? I'm a big fan of the entire FF series (my fav is still 7) and I'm trying to figure out what FF X-2 is going to be like. Any insider bits?

    Also, same thing for Tony Hawk: Underground. Does anyone know if anything has changed other than the small bits mentioned in the blurb?

    I've done a little research into Silent Hill 3 and I have to say that it looks like it's going to be a great game. It actually looks like it might have some of the best game-mode graphics I've seen on the PS2 yet.

    • who needs insider information?

      Gamespy's Final Fantasy X-2 review [gamespy.com]
      Tony Hawk Underground review [gamespy.com]

      Or search yourself: PS2 Review list on gamespy [gamespy.com]

    • I'm 90% sure both of those games are out (i'm sure on tony hawk underground) you should really try what I did, rent the games and judge based on that, though th:underground is a very good game, the ability to jump off the board and walk around is a cool addition
      • Yeah, FFX-2 came out about 2 weeks ago. Silent Hill 3 has been out for quite a while as well.

        Personally, I think the website's list has just shortened to a new server, though that could just be my connection burning. The XBox list contained a few notoriously bad games, so I can't see much hope for the remaining lists.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • This sequel was supposed to be an improvement over the incredible first game, but instead it became a straight X-Box console port.

      The AI sucks, it takes 5 shots to the head to kill a guy, the ragdoll physics are ridiculous, the interface is notoriously console-oriented (you even have to use the keyboard to exit a menu screen), the graphics are bad, and as far as gameplay goes, they removed:

      - Skills system
      - Conversation logger
      - Size-based inventory screen (12 slots...candy bar takes the same slot as a rock
    • I've done a little research into Silent Hill 3 and I have to say that it looks like it's going to be a great game. It actually looks like it might have some of the best game-mode graphics I've seen on the PS2 yet.

      Silent Hill 3 is a great looking PS2 game, especially the character designs, they look and sound like they could be based on real people, with freckles or wrinkes and normal clothes. Good architecture, the areas are designed like they could be real places. It feels like you're actually exploring
    • I've been playing FF X-2 for around 2 weeks (got it day after release).

      Very fun. All of Spira is open from the get-go, and you have missions all over the place.

      Animation and graphics are top-shelf.

      You only get the three playable characters, but it's kind of cool figuring out which dresspheres (jobs) you want them to specialize in. For instance, I've been training:
      Yuna - Gunner, White Mage, Black Mage, Songstress
      Rikku - Thief, White Mage, GunMage, Warrior
      Paine - Warrior, Samurai, Black Mage

      I have never p
    • You talk about FFX-2 in the future tense, "is going to be like." You talk about Silent Hill 3 in the future tense, "looks like it's going to be a great game."

      These games are both released. In fact, Silent Hill 3 was released 4 months ago in North America, and even earlier in the UK!

      SH3 is the best graphics you'll ever see on a PS2, which is to say not as good as GCN or Xbox graphics. It's still a great game. X-2 is also good, and much better at hiding its load times than SH3.
    • Also, same thing for Tony Hawk: Underground. Does anyone know if anything has changed other than the small bits mentioned in the blurb?

      http://www.gametrailers.com is your new best friend. Just watching the trailer for Tony Hawk Underground shows how much has changed (the fact that the skater can pick up the board and run, as well as climb walls and houses)

    • I've been a fan of the FF series for quite some time. FFX2 is a huge improvement on FFX, mainly because it devotes far more attention to the gameplay and far less attention to some blonde airhead pretty boy who plays a lot of underwater soccer. If you're a fan of the more thought-driven "Tactics" series, you'll probably get a kick out of the fact that the concept of Jobs have yet again been intoduced into the mainstream of FF games. I think the last time this happened was in FF5, which was released in Engli

  • Real Christmas Game (Score:5, Funny)

    by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:28PM (#7632398) Homepage Journal

    In the spirit of the season you should send links to Jesus Dressup [jesusdressup.com] out to your loved ones. It's free[1] and really makes one appreciate the holiday spirit.. or something like that.


    [1] Nails not included

  • Dear Santa: (Score:4, Funny)

    by shystershep ( 643874 ) * <bdshepherd@gmai[ ]om ['l.c' in gap]> on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:30PM (#7632416) Homepage Journal
    I really enjoyed that lump of coal last year, but this year how about something a little more, um, interactive. I've been real good. Honest!

    Thanks Santa!

    • I found this letter for you:


      Dear shystershep,

      How dare you be so ungrateful! That coal is a precious artifact taken directly from the sunken Titanic itself! You should be spending every day telling people how YOU have a piece of the most important history ever! More interactive... BAH!

      Love,
      Santa

      • Re:Dear Santa: (Score:1, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        For Christmas, I want a sense of humor

        -- AKAImBatman

    • Re:Dear Santa: (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Shep,

      This year I am going to bring you a stick and a string. What you need to do is attach one end of the string to the coal and the other end to the stick. Place the stick in the ground and you have a custom tetherball set.

      Santa
    • Have you tried burning the coal? That's pretty interactive - real time plasma effects and everything!

  • That was quick (Score:3, Funny)

    by IANAL(BIAILS) ( 726712 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:30PM (#7632420) Homepage Journal
    Wow - two comments and the website is already getting slashdotted...
  • Please let valve release Half-Life 2 soon. I'm dying here. A man can only play so much Counter-Strike.
    • if your looking for half-life 2 for christmas you better be planning a christmas in july :) (I'm sure thats not the actual month it's going to be released but at the rate things are going you never know)
    • Step away from the keyboard, friend.

      As a Counter-Strike Refugee, i implore you to try another game, ANY other game.

      It got so bad in my house that my wife started to recognize maps by name. She even recognized the remake of de_dust in Soldier of Fortune.

      I used have dreams and all the words in these dreams were Counter-Strike Radio commands. "gogogo", "fire i the hole", "taking fire, need assistance" "negative" "roger that". It's amusing at first but a whole night of dreaming gets a little unnerving.

      Addti
    • Counter-Strike just really isn't that good. At all. There have been much better multiplayer games released since the late 90s. Better engines than that 1998 clunker.

      I don't get Counter-Strike players. Even Worms 3D is a better multiplayer game.
  • Half-Life 2 won't happen. Or Halo 2 for that matter.

    Damon,
    • not to mension Doom III, I really wanted to play it during the holidays :(
      Anyway, I've got Deus Ex 2, it's as good as the first game IMO, I've also got the new Broken Sword game, and I really like it, so it's not a bad gaming holiday for me.
      • True, it is a good substitute for now...but I'm with you on the Doom III. A lot of people wanted to be playing that game on Christmas day. :(

        Damon,
      • Broken Sword

        Ah what a great game this is turning out to be! It's been far too long since the last game with a decent narrative. Hmmm was that 'Broken Sword 2'?

        So okay the graphics engine is just 'adequate' and its not one for people with attention issues, but for a slice of good, old-fashioned fun it can't be beaten.

        If only LucasArts would stop churning out sub-standard Star Wars tie-ins and fire up SCUMM again we could have more games which rely on character and story to drag you in.

        Best wishes,

  • This the season ... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:32PM (#7632456)
    I work for one for the larger electronics distributor in Georgia, and we greatly depend on the profits generated during the holiday season.

    One thing we have noticed, is that a lot of young professionals seem to own and purchase video games on a regular basis. These are probably the same children who in the 80s were purchasing Atari's 1300, Intellivision, Coleco, and Amtrads.

    We find that there is a great shift to more mature titles such as Final Fantasy 13, Gotham Racing 4, and Super Smash brothers.

    I'll probably return next January to post our sales statistics in this forum, since it may be of interest to some folks around here.

  • I suggest.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Kirk Troll ( 729217 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:32PM (#7632458) Journal
    ... not giving the gift of MMORPG to your kids, because not only will you be laden heavy monthly fees, but you'll probably never see them again.

    Unless you, like... hate them or something. At least they won't pester you for a car anymore. Excelt way to remove them from your life without giving 'em away. And you can feed them with just cheap chips!
    • Man so true, I started Dark age of Camelot 2 years ago and I still cant let go, its consuming sooo much of my time. It made me realize what exactly the term EverCrack means.

      Good games for kids would be : NHL 2004 and I guess the new Prince of Persia
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • But couldn't you just play a nice free (Gunbound, Enemy Territory) or 1-time-fee game (Warcraft, Tron) and give your $12 away, or at least put it in a savings account so you can buy more games? (Or whatever you want?)

        I don't see how you can enjoy paying money per month to kill a bunch of badgers and snakes with strangers. =/

        I guess if you're wealthy (I'm not), you can afford it. Whatever. I know people who consist on MMORPG and live in a rat's nest of fitlh, papers, and dog shit.
        • Online games are about finding a game that you enjoy, and wanting it to continue and expand. The monthly fee ensures this expansion, at least in games with dynamic content like the original Asheron's Call, which I'm still playing after 4+ years. A bunch of new stuff every month to roam around and explore is well worth my $9.95.
  • 1. Call of Duty
    2. Jedi Knight 3: Jedi Academy
    3. Need for Speed Underground
    4. Counter-Strike Condition Zero

    CS:CZ is already 1.5 years late... maybe it'll make the Dec. 18 release date though.

    The 3 I'm really waiting for don't come out till march- Doom ]|[, HL2, and UT2k4.

  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Best PC/Xbox RPG this year, easily. Awesome story (better than most of the movies), fun play and lightsaber battle action! Yeah!

  • Heh. (Score:4, Funny)

    by MAXOMENOS ( 9802 ) <mike&mikesmithfororegon,com> on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:34PM (#7632485) Homepage
    Right, because I not only have a patriotic duty to spend spend spend this time of year, but I have to be told what to buy by some stuffed shirt.

    How about consulting the wish list your kids wrote to Santa? Or asking?

  • Why not use Metacritic (Score:4, Informative)

    by backlonthethird ( 470424 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:35PM (#7632493)
    They list by console and by rating. There's links to reviews, too. I am a big fan.

    Metacritic [metacritic.com]

  • 25 titles per console? What person has that kind of money? For that kind of dough, you could buy Christmas...

    They should have picked five, or ten at the most (allowing for different genres).

    • Think about it like this:
      You don't buy every game on the list. It's just a recommendation.
      Perhaps they recommend some RPG's, but you hate RPG's. Cut those off. Suppose they recommend game X, but you hate game X. Cut that off.
      It's a bunch of opinions arranged in such a way as to give diversity for different players and their tastes. They want the largest reader base possible, so they'll try to appeal to the most number of people.
    • Because if the Top 5 games in a given season are all Sports titles, and you don't like sports, then you will not find it very helpful at all.

      If you do not find it helpful, you don't go back.

      If you don't go back, they won't make $4.50 in ad revenue.

      It's a process.

  • Dear Santa Claus... (Score:5, Funny)

    by musingmelpomene ( 703985 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:36PM (#7632502) Homepage
    These games are great and everything, but before you get any of them for me based on this advice, I would like to call your attention to the fact that I lost my job on Monday.

    Therefore, here is my list:

    A manual labor job at the North Pole, which probably has better weather and better working conditions than my last workplace

    And one XBox so I can play Fable.

    Thank you Santa!

  • Google Cache (Score:2, Informative)

    by Pingular ( 670773 )
    Gaming Horizon [216.239.59.104] is currently hosting a feature that informs gamers on what to buy this holiday season. The 2003 Holiday Gift Guide [216.239.59.104] presents twenty-five titles per console including the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube, PC, and HandHelds.

  • Yes! Duke Nukem Forever... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Kirk Troll ( 729217 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:38PM (#7632535) Journal
    ... in Christmas 2056.

    I hear it comes with bundled Arthritis cream, for we'll all have old-man joints by the time it finally comes out.


    • Hope they don't write it in C++, otherwise they'll have to start all over by the year ~2038 :D

      hint: unix time()
    • Arthritis cream?

      More like "Well ya see grandson, back in my day we had a handheld controller to play video games, some even had foot pedals. And you had a big screen in front of you."

      *scratches back of head*

      "Not that these sensory-interactive implants aren't bad mind you, they're a bit itchy and sometimes they give an old man seizures... but at least they let me frag your noob a** every now and then!"


      Seriously though, who knows what to expect from games in 2056 (barring post-nuclear destruction of

  • A PC isn't console (Can't you guys edit at all?) (Score:3, Funny)

    by WIAKywbfatw ( 307557 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:38PM (#7632551) Journal
    ...presents twenty-five titles per console including the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube, PC, and HandHelds.

    Uh, I hate to break it to you, but a PC isn't a console. Would it behove you editors to actually correct sentences like this one before you hit the "publish" button?

    Can't you correct other people's mistakes? Is that it? Well, let me help you out then:

    "...presents twenty-five titles per platform, including the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube, PC and HandHelds."

    There you go. Drop the italics from the above, and you're good to go. I've even tidied up some of the punctuation for you. No charge.

  • Ok, the site has already felt the effect, but I noticed that Dino Crisis 3 and Enter the Matrix were on the XBox list.

    Well, their credability went down the toilet for me, and this is the first time I've heard of these people. That might be a record!
    • I noticed that Dino Crisis 3 and Enter the Matrix were on the XBox list.

      Well, their credability went down the toilet for me

      Come on, they had to find *25* good titles for the xbox.. be happy they didn't just list Halo 25 times.

      • Re:Shitty List (Score:3, Interesting)

        by illuminata ( 668963 )
        I'll make an XBox list.

        Beyond Good and Evil
        Burnout 2: Point of Impact
        Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO
        Colin McRae Rally 3
        Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
        Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix
        Deathrow
        Deus Ex: Invisible War
        ESPN College Hoops
        ESPN NBA Basketball
        ESPN NFL Football
        ESPN NHL Hockey
        FIFA Soccer 2004
        Freedom Fighters
        Gladius
        Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde
        Grand Theft Auto Double Pack
        Madden NFL 2004
        Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
        Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
        Midnight Club
        Midtown Madness 3
        Morrowind Game of the Year

        • Re:Shitty List (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Jagasian ( 129329 )
          I wouldn't suggest all of those games. Instead, let me cherry pick the true greats:

          1. Grand Theft Auto Double Pack
          2. Deus Ex: Invisible War
          3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
          4. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

  • The 2003 Holiday Gift Guide presents twenty-five titles per console including the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube, PC, and HandHelds.

    Umm, any suggestions for us Mac users? (HHOS [catb.org])

  • mmmm (Score:3, Interesting)

    by gunfinger ( 729227 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:42PM (#7632604) Homepage
    hosting a feature that informs gamers on what to buy this holiday season
    rent before you buy, so much sod out there these days. never ceases how much time and money and eyesight (on behalf of programmers) goes towards creating utter sh*te.

    on my list is simpson's hit & run, keeping it simple.

  • Older Games (Score:3, Interesting)

    by GospelHead821 ( 466923 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @04:44PM (#7632631)
    I often ask for older games, on my Christmas list. At least, I seldom ask for games that are brand-spanking new. Jak 2 and the transportation expansion for Sim City 4 are fairly new, but established. Diablo 2 is old news. Not only are the products usually a little bit less expensive, but I have had plenty of time to read reviews and check out the game in advance.

  • Partial Mirror (Score:5, Informative)

    by Vaevictis666 ( 680137 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @05:03PM (#7632899)
    The google cache didn't index the 2nd page, so here's the first 12 of 25 for all the systems:

    XBox:
    Soul Calibur II
    Freedom Fighters
    Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
    Capcom vs. SNK 2: EO
    Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder
    Burnout 2: Point of Impact
    Counter-Strike
    Dino Crisis 3
    Enter the Matrix
    Midnight Club II
    Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

    PS2:
    Final Fantasy X-2
    SOCOM 2: US Navy Seals
    Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando
    Silent Hill 3
    Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
    Soul Calibur II
    Madden NFL 2004
    Jak II
    Manhunt
    Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
    Everquest Online Adventures: Frontiers
    Primal

    PC:
    Halo: Combat Evolved
    Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004
    Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of World War II
    Homeworld 2
    Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour
    Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
    Deus Ex: Invisible War
    Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
    Counter Strike: Condition Zero
    Call of Duty
    Midnight Club II
    Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield

    Gamecube:
    Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
    Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
    Viewtiful Joe
    Soul Calibur II
    Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
    NBA Live 2004
    Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
    I-Ninja
    F-Zero GX
    Need For Speed Underground
    Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
    Freedom Fighters

    Handhelds:
    Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
    Medal of Honor: Infiltrator
    Boktai
    Banjo-Kaozzie: Grunty's Revenge
    Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition
    Madden NFL 2004
    Monster Truck Madness
    Stuntman
    Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue
    Mega Man Battle Network 3 White
    The Simpson's Road Rage
    Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising

    • Re:Partial Mirror (Score:3, Informative)

      by zontroll ( 714448 )
      Google did cache the second page for each console:
      Gamecube [216.239.59.104]
      PS2 [216.239.59.104]
      XBox [216.239.59.104]
      Handhelds [216.239.59.104]
      PC [216.239.59.104]
    • From the list of the first twelve from each platform it looks like I won't be buying any games this holiday season. Not a single one of the console games sound interesting (okay, Rainbow Six might be fun, but FPS games on console suck. IMHO, of course, but I'm not trying to tell other people not to buy them). The only racing game is Midnight Club 2, which isn't a racing game but just another arcade POS with car graphics. Fighting games are boring, so no Soul Caliber.

      Some of the PC titles look good thou

      • Re:Partial Mirror (Score:2, Informative)

        by ZzzzSleep ( 606571 )
        Quoth Demonbug
        Too bad you can't play Super Bomberman on gamecube; there was another great 4 player game
        What the heck are you talking about? Bomberman generations [metacritic.com] has been out for ages now. I still remember playing 4 player Bomberman on my amiga many years ago...

  • Worms 3d! (Score:2, Informative)

    by xactoguy ( 555443 )
    All I have to ask is, where is Worms 3D on this list? True, so far it has only been released in Europe and Australia, but it has for more playability value, and overall "fun" factor than some of the other games on this list.
    • A lot of people might laugh at this, but where worms really does shine as a game is in replay value (multiplayer doesn't really get too old even after a few years) and range of audience.
      It's not hard to learn, so everyone from age 10-50+ can theoretically play after a while, and find the experience fun.

      Mind you, I haven't play W3D because it isn't out here as mentioned, but prior worms games have all been quite amusing. The biggest lack I found (which hopefully they fixed) was that online multiplayer was

  • The holiday game guide is lame (Score:4, Insightful)

    by gorbachev ( 512743 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @05:48PM (#7633189) Homepage
    As an avid gamer and owner of several different video game systems and a PC used extensively for gaming, I gotta say the holiday guide is an absolute joke.

    The games on the list are dated, and there are several newer, much better games available for nearly every single game they list. For example, nobody in their right mind would choose NFL Fever 2004 instead of Madden 2004 or ESPN NFL on XBox.

    If you're using that guide to buy games for your kids, friends or relatives, please expect them to hate you after Christmas.

  • game opinions (Score:3, Informative)

    by mandalayx ( 674042 ) * on Thursday December 04, 2003 @06:00PM (#7633317) Journal
    Games I've played over the past few weeks...working 40+ hours a week for this comment ;)

    STAR WARS GALAXIES (PC)
    The big MMORPG is promising and I have invested 200+ hours in it. However it's full of as much frustration as promise--vaporware gone horribly. Would NOT recommend to anyone even without the $15/mo fee.

    MADDEN 2004 (GAMECUBE)
    This cash cow for EA Sports is better than last year's. I've seen so many bad sequels (coughMatrix) that I'm impressed. I like the well-done execution as well as the fact that it's a party game that people can get into fairly quickly. In addition, there is added depth in the mini-camp and owner modes. Is it worth $50? Maybe, maybe not. But it IS unequivocally a better game than last year's, which is more than I can say for...

    MARIO KART: DOUBLE DASH (GAMECUBE)
    Welcome to Mario Kart, rehashed. I've seen companies get fried for "tinkering with the original formula" and Nintendo took this one to heart by producing...well...the same game. You'll see "clever" re-releases of each track (read: the same thing, rehashed a little and with new names to boot) along with the somewhat-gimmicky two-person-in-one-kart feature. THERE IS NO QUESTION IN MY MIND THAT THIS IS A GOOD GAME--just like its predecessor--but I feel like I'm playing the exact same game as before. Having said that, it's still a great party game and the learning curve is low, low, low. That makes this game still a "safe" buy for anyone who has a GameCube.

    CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER 2003/2004 (PC UK)
    Good luck finding this one in the US. The best selling game in the UK last year, CM4, was a good game with horrible execution. Bugs, crashes, everything. This feels like the finished product of Championship Manager. However this game is relatively time-intensive and some people just don't like the idea of not controlling Ronaldo running down the field. Having said that, this game has rabid fans (including me) and the execution is relatively flawless. I'd rate this a strong buy towards folks into management games--the soccer knowledge can come later.

    CIVILIZATION 3: CONQUESTS (PC)
    Welcome to Crack, redone. I played the original Civ, Civ2, Col, CTP2, SMAC, SMACX and limited doses of Civ3, so I'm a Civ fanatic at heart. Having said that, I realize this game is not for everyone. It's an expansion pack for CIV3 so prior purchase may be necessary (but inexpensive). Yet while a safe gift for Civ3 enthusiasts, how much value this game adds is questionable. Perhaps I'm spoiled from Half-Life and its endless string of free MODS. This pack honestly feels like a MOD--decent-looking campaigns added on that DO drag on for me (I'm talking about 20+ hours). I wouldn't buy this game for myself if I were worried about money. Yet as much as it doesn't do much good, it does no bad.

    SIMCITY 4: RUSH HOUR
    Disclaimer: I love public transportation. I couldn't wait for this expansion pack to SC4. I bought it from EBGames the first day it came out. Last week, I saw it FAR (free after rebate) on Black Friday. Perhaps free is too low of a valuation (SC4 required, but you can buy the deluxe version at Costco which includes both) but the added value is questionable after a few hours/days of play. One-way streets are cool, and I love watching the variation of traffic patterns, but I fear that it's too nerdy for the rest of you. Plus, the U-Drive-It feature is kind of lame IMHO. If you really want to drive around a city, go check out GTA3 for a much more fun implementation. This is a risky bet IMHO.
    • MADDEN 2004 (GAMECUBE)
      This cash cow for EA Sports is better than last year's. I've seen so many bad sequels (coughMatrix) that I'm impressed. I like the well-done execution as well as the fact that it's a party game that people can get into fairly quickly. In addition, there is added depth in the mini-camp and owner modes. Is it worth $50? Maybe, maybe not. But it IS unequivocally a better game than last year's, which is more than I can say for...

      It is unequivocally a better game than last year's. It's al
      • It is unequivocally a better game than last year's. It's also a terrible game in comparison to ESPN NFL Football.

        ESPN = Sega's NFL series?

        I loved NFL 2k2. Awesome game. Enter NFL 2k3 stage left. Horrible disapointment, I hated the gameplay mechanics. Haven't had a chance to check out the newest installment.

        One thing I like about Madden is the Mini-Camp mode. Awesome stuff, it basically teaches you how to play. I feel 100% more educated about football and I have more of an appreciation for skills like po
        • ESPN = Sega's NFL series?

          Yup!

          I loved NFL 2k2. Awesome game. Enter NFL 2k3 stage left. Horrible disapointment, I hated the gameplay mechanics. Haven't had a chance to check out the newest installment.

          NFL 2k3 wasn't that bad, but they did redo NFL2k4 quite a bit. I have converted every Madden fan I have come across because of the gameplay.

          You have to bite your tongue and bare the learning curve (if you're unfamiliar with the 2k series), but it is really worth it. It is much more realistic in the game,
          • Interesting, I want to check out ESPN. What format would you recommend?

            Sadly I just declared war on the Ottomans and they had a @#$^@$ mutual defense pact with the Germans, who somehow had 25-30 infantrymen in my neighbor's land of France...
            • Interesting, I want to check out ESPN. What format would you recommend?

              I personally would have recommended the dreamcast (r.i.p.), but at this point I'd recommend the ps2.

              It has online play for free, and it is incredible graphically on the ps2.

              It's all personal preference though.

              ESPN Football is marginally better than Madden when all is said and done, and if you truely like Madden, you may not like ESPN football as much.

              ESPN Basketball is 10000 times better than Live. End of discussion.

              I'd suggest i
            • Oh yeah, always attack the French. I fear them more than any other civ. I can kill war mongering civilizations. I just hate the French. :)
    • You think that Mario Kart DD hasn't tinkered with the original formula? It is a complete hack job of the original Super Mario Kart for the SNES. A game that I still play regularly with my friends for over 10 years now!

      Hell, I even entered into a competition in Super Mario Kart at one of this year's gaming conventions. Any person that has been with Mario Kart since the original will tell you which one continues to be the best... especially in battle mode: Super Mario Kart for the SNES.

      It turns out that

  • What about . . . (Score:4, Funny)

    by npsimons ( 32752 ) on Thursday December 04, 2003 @06:22PM (#7633537) Homepage Journal
    The 2003 Holiday Gift Guide presents twenty-five titles per console including the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube, PC, and HandHelds.


    What about Linux [tuxgames.com]?

  • Kind of off-topic, but I'm really curious as to how much these game companies have to pay (or how much free stuff their given) to be included on this list. Does anybody happen to know how those things work?

  • Where the hell is my Half-Life 2?
  • Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
    Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

    What more could one ask for?
  • Since when is a PC considered to be a 'console'?
  • Testet games were from the following categories: War, war, war, scifi war, war, war, historical war, modern war, street racing, war, scifi war, and war...

    Seriously, though, why are we, as a civilization so obsessed with war and violence? Aren't we teaching our kids the wrong things if we let them play games like this? I am always a bit freaked out when I realize how prevalent war and violence is in this country's kids' rooms. Maybe a country has to have a war on its own turf once in a while, lest it forge

  • Check it out. [techtv.com]

    Tao Feng? Get with the times.

    Dolemite
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