As we start to see more and more racing games hitting the market, it isn't merely enough for a game to be a solid racer in either the arcade or the simulation categories. Apex attempts to differentiate itself from the pack by putting you at the head of a new car manufacturer and challenging you to race your concept cars against similarly powered licensed cars from a handful of real-world carmakers. While this new twist is a welcome one, it isn't nearly as fleshed out as it could have been, and the game's generic approach to the actual driving doesn't pick up the slack terribly well, either. It's still a good all-around arcade-like racer, but it's definitely not one the Xbox's best. The key portion of Apex is known as the dream mode. It's here in dream mode that you'll name your new carmaker, choose a logo for hood ornaments, and develop your first roadster. "Develop" perhaps isn't the right word here, though. You won't actually be developing anything. Instead you'll be given a choice of three different cars to build, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. From there you'll be set into motion in a series of amateur races and other challenges. As you progress, you'll open up new sections in your ever-expanding car manufacturing facility, including an area that shows how many cars you've sold. The number of cars sold is actually tied directly to your race performance, and as you sell more cars, more options will open up, such as the ability to develop one of the remaining roadsters. Or if you'd rather progress forward, you can save up your research points to develop the next class of car, the sports car. Much like in the roadster segment of the game, you're again given three choices of cars. This moves forward through the sports car ranks, through a set of supercars, and all the way up to dream cars. As you win races and progress through the game's events, your company's building expands to include new rooms--but all this really serves to do is to annoyingly spread your existing options out into different spots, making you click through a room or two before actually getting to where you want to go.
Tommy:
this game sux! it was hard to control!!
DJ:
I liked this game the graphics were good and the sound was great.
Sound: 6 Grahpics: 7 Control: 4 GamePlay: 6
Kung Fu Chaos
If you're lucky and up late enough, you might catch an English-dubbed kung fu movie from the '70s while surfing through the channels on TV. While a few of Hong Kong action cinema's greatest performers have burst into worldwide superstardom--guys like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li--there's an untold number of chop-socky kung fu flicks starring no one in particular, featuring cheesy English dialogue, having no real pretense of a storyline, and shot on film stock that looks as if it were developed in muddy water. These movies are really just an excuse to present two hours of martial arts brawling for your viewing pleasure. Microsoft and developer Just Add Monsters' new party game, Kung Fu Chaos, draws on '70s kung fu movies as its source material, poking fun at while still trying to pay homage to this unique material. It also has low aspirations similar to those of the sorts of movies it's mocking. The core gameplay of Kung Fu Chaos is a simple but visually impressive beat-'em-up for up to four players, reminiscent of Capcom's Power Stone series or Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. games, though with a less distinguishable cast of characters and with a few minigames thrown in. Kung Fu Chaos probably won't keep you occupied for long, especially if you're not playing it with a rowdy group of friends. But it can make for some good, silly fun in short spurts. There's an old, politically incorrect joke about how some Hong Kong kung fu movies are so cheap, their directors can't afford any special effects whatsoever. So you know all those guys you're seeing get beat up, or stabbed, or what have you, all for your viewing pleasure? They're actually getting beat up, or stabbed, or what have you. That's the premise of Kung Fu Chaos, in which you play as one of several different wannabe kung fu heroes and will have to take on droves of ninjas bent on killing you--all while the cameras are rolling. Much of the game should actually be pretty funny for kung fu movie fans, though the movie director who narrates the game's main mode of play is really awful, a hyperactive fountain of stereotypes with a shrill, irritating voice and bad dialogue.
Tommy:
This game is only kewl when you have a bunch of your friends over playing it but its good.
DJ:
This game KICKS BUTT REALLY!! move over Jet-Li there is a new guy in town!
Sound: 7 Grahpics: 5 Control: 8 GamePlay: 5
Indiana Jones and The Emperor's Tomb
When Tomb Raider first hit the scene back in 1996, it was easy to describe the game's premise as an Indiana Jones movie with a female lead. Lara Croft spent the next several years cornering the market on the video game version of action archeology, and even though the comparisons to Harrison Ford's big-screen character never really stopped completely, it took LucasArts four years to strike back with Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine--a flawed game for the PC and the Nintendo 64. Now, LucasArts is giving its whip-cracking action hero another shot at the title with Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. While the game does a lot of things right, severe technical issues surface at almost every turn and really drag down the game's high points, leaving behind a game with tons of untapped potential. Emperor's Tomb takes place in 1935 and puts the rough-and-tough archeologist on a quest to recover a Chinese artifact known as the heart of the dragon--a black pearl with the power to control minds. In keeping with the standard Indiana Jones theme, our good doctor isn't the only faction involved in the quest, and along the way you'll encounter plenty of Nazi thugs and Chinese gang members, all of whom want the pearl for their own evil plans. Though the plot contains a few twists and double-crosses along the way, the game is very thin on storytelling, only breaking into a cutscene to move you from one part of the world to another. Even the mission objectives aren't expressly conveyed outside of the pause screen, though the linear nature of the level design doesn't often force you to know exactly what you're after at any given time, anyway. While the game is pretty straightforward, it does throw a lot of different levels at you, moving through various locales along the way. You'll travel to Prague, Istanbul, Hong Kong, an island fortress, and more. Even though you'll be moving along from place to place fairly quickly, it doesn't feel like a short game, and players should be able to get a bit over 10 hours out of it. There isn't much replay value to speak of, of course, though the game does contain three difficulty settings and a handful of optional artifacts that are hidden throughout the game.
Tommy:
If you loved the movie then you will really love the game.
DJ:
I hit people whooohooo!!
Sound: 6 Grahpics: 7 Control: 6 GamePlay: 5
Metal Dungeon
Metal Dungeon is a dungeon-crawling game originally developed in Japan by Panther Software. As an RPG more in the vein of Grandia Xtreme than Final Fantasy, it stands out from the traditional console RPGs and should be a welcome change. Regrettably, its lack of content and lackluster design take away much more than its relatively unique mechanics add. Overall, it's an experience that redefines the word "bland." The premise of the game involves simply clearing out the titular dungeon. The regions of the futuristic world of Alansas have been at war for a long time, and the most powerful weapons are "weapon monsters," a mishmash of cybernetic beasts and humanoids. The Giamel region, fighting a losing battle, makes a last-ditch effort to create weapon monsters by capturing powerful sorcerers. The sorcerers are put into a trance deep within an underground facility, and production begins. However, the scientists aren't able to control the sorcerers and soon the monsters have taken over the facility. If the sorcerers manage to recover fully from their trances, the weapon monsters will break out uncontrolled, and it will be the end of Giamel. As all of Giamel's forces are engaged in battle, mercenaries are called on to enter the facility and destroy the sorcerers.
You control a team of up to five mercenaries, whom you can create using a console rarity--a character generation system. However, what could have been a breath of fresh air turns out to be a little thin on oxygen. With five classes, and the ability to further advance into five more, there are plenty of character types, but apart from some differences in the trimming on the different classes' generic full-body armor, all the characters look nearly identical. While some nods are made to customization by allowing the player to select one of 24 heads, choose one of eight colors for armor, and adjust height and weight (weight is represented by a ridiculous-looking compacting or widening of the entire base character model), the only thing that gives the members of your party any sort of identity in game is the weapons they're holding.
Tommy:
this game sux! it was hard to control!!
DJ:
This game is pointless has no good story line and just all around sucks!.
Sound: 4 Grahpics: 3 Control: 2 GamePlay: 1
DBZ Budokai
Have you ever wondered what its like to be Goku, Gohan, Krillin, or any of your favorit DBZ warrior well now you can if you play
Dragon Ball Z Budokai test your skills against the most powerful DBZ heroes and most sinister villains; face up to 23 mighty fighters. Fight your way through many saga like the great Cell Games.
Tommy:
BUY THE GAME BUY THE GAME BUY THE GAME!
DJ:
What he said.
Sound: 7 Grahpics: 10 Control: 7 GamePlay: 9
Kingdom Hearts
One of my all time favorit role-playing games. Roam around different worlds with Donald Duck, Goofy, and other WaltDisney charectors to defeat the Hartless and to save a friend as the key holder sora.
Tommy:
it was a cool game and fun but hard to beat
DJ:
I loved this game talk about hard though!
Sound: 7 Grahpics: 7 Control: 7 GamePlay: 9
The Pro Poll
What video game would you like see reviewed or codes for this upcoming mounth?
Sexy Bitch
mario is
never mind
Pro Drawingz
send us any of your favorit game charecters and we will post it up. for the Travis Middle School Students just send it to D.J. or Danny. or scan it and mail it e-mail it in.
