Whether you play video games once in a while or for many hours of the day, I'm sure you'll agree that they are a very enjoyable form of entertainment. During the past twenty years or so, video games have evolved, from the NES and Master System to the current generation of the Nintendo Wii, XBox 360 and the PS3. I'm very fortunate to own game consoles from the 80's to the 2000's. On this page I would like to show you my collection and express my opinions of different video games, consoles and associated merchandise.

 

NES.

Nintendo 64 (translucent red).

Nintendo DS original (silver).

Nintendo Gamecube (black).

Playstation (original and also I have the slimline version).

Playstation 2 (slimline).

Sega Dreamcast (white).

Sega Gamegear.

Sega Master system.

Sega Megadrive (MK I and also I have MK II as well).

Sega Saturn.

Xbox (black).

Xbox 360 60GB Pro. (white).

 

Master Gear Converter (play Master System games on Gamegear).

Power base converter (play Master System games on Mega drive).

 

Rating: 15+

By: The Collective

Region: PAL (UK).

Game type: platform with fighting.

Number of players: 1.

 

I was never a big fan of the Buffy TV series but I had heard good things about the video game which I have to say are spot on. There are very good likenesses between the characters from the TV show and their game counterparts. You play as Buffy not surprisingly as you make your way through the levels finding items to help you progress as well as killing any of the vampires or other monsters that get in your way. Buffy will often comment, usually in a sarcastic way, when you come across bad guys or a locked door.

 

Rating: 18.

By: Midway.

Region: PAL (UK).

Game type: beat-'em-up.

Number of players: 1-2.

 

I've been a fan of the Mortal Kombat games for a long time and as possibly the last ever Mortal Kombat to appear on the PS2, I have to say Armageddon is great! It features nearly every single character from past Mortal Kombat games as well as the ability to create your own human or not so human character, though just one per memory card.

 

 

It's a two player beat-'em-up with online support as well as the one player modes like the Konquest mode which allows you to explore the Mortal Kombat worlds and meet up with familiar characters who may want to help you or turn out to not be very nice.

 

There's an almost Mario Kart like race which is fun and very deadly, but it's a shame there's only a limited number of characters since they each have their own unique car. There aren't any other bonus games like there was in past Mortal Kombat games which is a let down but they were extras having said that.

 

 

The Kyrpt is strange, this is where you swap your coins for unlockables except now they tell you before buying what you get instead of leaving it as a surprise. You get the usual alternate outfits, different stages, music and other extras; you can also pick up unlockables in the Konquest mode.

 

In summary, Mortal Kombat Armageddon is a must have for lovers of this game series and even for people new to this type of game it has a lot to offer. However, there are a number of bad points but they are very minor such as a few characters that were left out. The graphics and sound are all top, the controls logical and with many different moves for each character, Midway have done very well.

 

Rating: 3+ (PEGI)

By: Bizarre Creations and Microsoft game studios.

Region: PAL (UK).

Game type: racing.

Additional Info.: 60Hz mode only.

Number of players: 1, 2 split screen, up to 8 using system link or online.

 

There was a racing game on the Dreamcast called Metropolis Street Racer that I really enjoyed playing that the Project Gotham Racing game series is based on. What is unique about PGR is that you have different goals to complete and you are awarded Kudos points depending on how well you do in a race which can be used to buy more cars, tracks and game modes.

 

Yo can choose between motorbikes and cars, all of which respond realistically with the added bonus of being able to perform tricks on the bikes and get past your opponents somewhat easier. As with keeping with the tradition way back to MSR on the Dreamcast you get to drive around courses based on locations from around the world, including good ol' London.

 

The weather, ranging from sunny to snow, which can change as you race, adds to the realism and the challenge as well as altering a second or more try at the same course. Some of the races are hard but that is a good thing, rather than finish the game quickly without letting you develop your skill.

 

The game locations and vehicles look great, the game runs smoothly and is real fun to play. The extra details such as being able to customize your racer although somewhat lmited are the kind of additions that are the icing on the cake, so-to-speak.

 

Rating: 15.

By: Capcom.

Region: PAL (UK).

Game type: Survival horror.

Additional Info.: Not compatible with unofficial memory cards.

Number of players: 1 player only.

 

I've been a fan of the Resident Evil games for a long time but RE4 has to be the best so far. Fully 3D, it does away with many of the problems of past Resident Evil games, offering almost non-stop action with plenty of horror.

 

The game continues Leon and Ada's story from RE2, but Umbrella are very much in the background. The President's daughter-Ashley-has been kidnapped so Leon has to save her as well as get to the bottom of what has caused the villagers to go crazy.

 

Gone are the slow moving zombies, replaced with fast, and intelligent baddies who will come after you, often with a weapon. You can buy and upgrade weapons whenever you come across a merchant using the money you have accumulated, giving you an advantage over the bad guys if you choose the right item. There is a good mixture of good old fashion shooting, stealth and a few puzzles to solve to progress to the next area.

 

It's not just about killing, there will be times when you can make use of one of the provided shooting ranges to fine tune your aim, with other rewards. The greatest challenge, however, is not just looking after yourself, you'll have to protect Ashley as well.

 

 

Typewriters offer unlimited saving (i.e. no need for finding ink ribbons), and you restart from the last loading point if Leon does get killed and there was no typwriter in that area.

 

As well as the main game in which you control Leon, and Ashley briefly, there are extra modes of which are the battle mode, Assignment Ada and Separate Ways. Assignment Ada is more of a mini game and although the same could be said for Separate Ways, it has a story to it and let's you see the story unfold from Ada's view.

 

The Gamecube version of RE4 was an absolute joy to play and the PS2 version adds to that with extras such as the Separate Ways mode. It's hard to find fault with RE4 except that although a lot was fitted into the game I wonder if the main game could have been longer. Also, I know you have to look after Ashley for most of the game but it would have been great to partner up with Ada again.

 

Rating: 18.

Rating: 12+ (PEGI)

By: Konami.

Region: PAL (UK).

Game type: Female wrestling

Additional Info.: Only on XBox 360.

Number of players: 1-4, co-op 2, online 2-4 players.

 

I had played the first Rumble Roses on the PS2, attracted to it by the all female stars that take part in the matches, and as a different type of game than what I would normally play. Compared to other more well known wrestling games Rumble Roses was somewhat lacking in the range of moves and modes available but that's where Rumble Roses XX improves on the original.

 

With up to four off and online multiplayer, more modes and the ability to edit existing players or create your own characters (although quite limited) this is a much better attempt from Konami.

 

 

The 'XX' in the game title comes from a new type of move that can be performed when playing matches with more than two girls. There are also the lethal, killer and humiliation moves of the previous version.

 

For some odd reason this version does not have the story mode that the PS2 version had which is a bit of a let down for those who are new to Rumble Roses, wondering more about the different characters. On more of a plus side, you can now earn money to buy more outfits and other extras so the game should last longer than the first installment.

 

A minor bonus point is that the game doesn't have to run in 60Hz so I was able to use my capture card to take the above screenshots. The biggest problem I have with this game is the loading times, although not too long they are very frequent and cannot be sped up by installing the game onto a harddrive. Sure the girls are rendered beautifully but the areas are small so there is no excuse for having to wait so much. Other than that there is a lot of fun to be had with this game but admittedly it won't be to everyones' taste.

 

In the UK there was a comic featuring Sega characters (most notably Sonic the hedgehog) called Sonic the Comic (STC) that went from 1993 to 2002. I used to buy it in its last years but recently I was able to get my hands on some of the older issues. In addition to the stories, which were made by different writers and artists, the comic had video game reviews, help for various games, letters page, news and a page dedicated to art drawn by the readers.

 

 

The comic strips were of Sonic characters (Tails, Knuckles, and others starred in their own stories as well as together) and other Sega games such as Streets of Rage. As for the Sonic stories, they often featured the levels from various Sonic games; Sonic was joined by Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose and animals based on the creatures you would free from the badniks in the Sonic games, called Porker Lewis and Johnny Lightfoot (who was killed off not long before the comic finished).

 

Most interesting about the Sonic comic strips was that they used the Kintobor/Robotnik story that now seems to have been forgotten. Also, there were the Marixo brothers who were an obvious take off of the Mario brothers, and were usually causing trouble for Knuckles.

 

Rating: 12.

By: Namco.

Region: PAL (UK).

Game type: beat-'em-up.

Additional Info.: 60Hz mode only (does not indicate that on game case).

Number of players: 1-2 offline or online.

 

Since playing the first Soul Calibur game (actually the second if you count Soul Edge), I quickly grew to love the well made fighting game series. With such a wide range of different characters with their own stories, and the different game modes, Soul Calibur has to be one of the greatest games of its type.

 

Soul Calibur II included a Spawn character and another bonus character for each game system, such as Link on the Gamecube version who seemed very at home with his sword and shield (oh, and bombs!). Soul Calibur III added a mode for creating your own characters of which returns in Soul Calibur IV with the ability to customize the existing characters.

 

Compared to the previous Soul Calibur games, Soul Calibur IV is perhaps lacking in game modes and such. But there is still plenty to do with the usual great level of detail to the characters and backgrounds, and in general is much of a better fighting game than others of this generation, notably better than Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe.

 

What, for me, seemed unecessary and out of place is having Star Wars characters, Yoda in particular. But to Star Wars fans I'm sure it would be the idea opportunity to live out your fantasy of attacking the Soul Calibur characters with a lightsaber.

 

Rating: 15.

By: Bethesda SOFTWORKS and 2K.

Region: PAL (UK).

Game type: RPG.

Additional info.: 60Hz mode only.

Number of players: 1 player only.

 

I wasn't so sure about getting this game when I first heard about it, worrying that it would be spoilt if forced to see the game world in only first person. But everything good I had heard about it convinced me to get it, and I can honestly say it was worth every penny.

 

Firstly, you can switch between first and third person, although when fighting, the game likes to change to first person, which helps with targetting objects. I have to say that I found the fighting difficult in both types of views but with a good range of weapons to acquire and magic to use, there are many ways to defeat the bad guys.

 

At the start you get to create your own player, including choosing between the various races so, for example, if you don't mind walking around as a cat-like human or some other creature that adds to the fantasy of the game.

 

 

At the beginning of the game you find yourself in prison but when you get out into the open that is when your jaw is likely to drop to the ground. Not only does everything look real, the world is so huge you can wander about ages and get lost, if you ignore the map. The game does load quite frequently either at a loading screen or as you're walking about causing a slight hesitation, there is slowdown at times, and with parts of the areas suddenly appearing in the distance but for an early XBox 360 game it isn't so bad.

 

What really makes this game revolutionary more than the HD graphics and the large worlds is the game play. As well as the usual RPG elements, you feel actually part of the game world with every action resulting in a good or bad consequence. For example, in other games you can just take things laying around but in Oblivion if a guard sees you you'll get arrested, unless you decide to fight. And, as well as progressing in the story, you can spend hours just buying stuff or levelling up your character.

 

I can't praise Oblivion enough, and if it weren't for the minor imperfections already noted, I would be tempted to say it was close to a perfect game.

 

While playing the A Brush with Death quest I came across a bug that made it impossible to escape the painting world to continue the game. After some research I found that it was actually a very common problem which might require that I start the game again. Fortunately, all I had to do was re-load from the automatic save from when you first enter the painting world; due to the level design you can actually avoid most of the trolls which made up for having to do it again.

 

Rating: 12.

 

I've always enjoyed playing the Tomb Raider games; exploring lush environments, fighting wild beasts and learning more about the beautiful and strong Lara Croft. The very first Tomb Raider I owned for my Sega Saturn so many years ago so playing Tomb Raider Anniversary-the remake of the original-almost brought a tear to my eye as I relived Lara's first adventure.

 

Things went a bit downhill for Lara with the release of Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness which was a shame since it had the potential to be such a better game with features such as only being able to hang from a ledge for a limited amount of time, that I wish they had kept in the Tomb Raider games that followed.

 

Tomb Raider Legends more than made up for the disappointment of Angel of Darkness although Legends was too short but it had plenty of unlockables such as costumes, and a great story. Tomb Raider Anniversary, as already mentioned, took us back in time to experience again where it all started.

 

I followed closely the progress of Tomb Raider Underworld and soon started to hear from the people who had played the demo contrasting opinions of either hating or loving it. At the time I did not have an XBox 360 but now I do so I downloaded and played the demo and although it was quite brief it made up my mind. I bought Tomb Raider Underworld which had dramatically decreased in price and I have to say with all honesty I think it's the best Tomb Raider made so far.

 

Underworld continues from Legends and the first Tomb Raider, in which Lara meets up with two of her enemies from the past: Amanda and Natla. This game really is next generation Tomb Raider with vast areas to explore and the kind of architectures you would expect from a Tomb Raider but now in even greater detail.

 

Yes, the combat is perhaps a bit thin but Lara's new attacks as simple as there are make a break from shooting all the time and come in handy for breaking open vases that contain treasures or for squashing annoying bugs. There is artwork and journal entries to unlock as you get further into the game. Most helful, Lara can now shoot underwater, and when clinging onto a ledge as bats tend to notice Lara when she's not exactly on safe ground.

 

The puzzles are there on a grand scale which is great but at times it can seem like using the same formula repeatedly, yet there is plenty of variety. If you cannot work out how to progress you can use Lara's PDA and hear her thoughts or check out the sonar map (which for me usually is not much help). There are moments when time will slow down so that you can make some vital jump or other move to escape certain death.

 

Underworld does not seem to be too buggy, at least not this version, but there are still some minor problems. Sometimes Lara won't move even though there doesn't seem to be anything in the way, and when you try to tell her to safely drop no matter which way you face her she won't so you just have to run off the edge and hope she'll grab it. The self-shadowing of Lara can be horrible at times and sometimes you'll see her hands aren't quite touching a surface. The camera can be a pain (what's new where video games are concerned) when trying to line up a jump but even worse the camera sometimes goes through a wall. And I'll just add that the auto-saves take up all the save slots that are not used rather than overwriting just one auto-save.

 

There are nice touches such as Lara pushing overgrown plants out of the way and her skin becomes shiny when wet or dirty in some areas. Lara's animations are fantastic if perhaps a bit too fast at times. The game does lack a bit with extra features, however, there are free costumes to download and paid for new levels.

 

In certain levels Lara can use her motorbike which is much fun as well as helping to get to places fast. Also, Lara has her own torch attached to her outfit as she did in Legends which is just as well for the very dark places you will have to get through.

 

In summary, I think for Tomb Raider fans Underworld is at times an amazing game with a few annoying let downs. It's a great adventure game that's very true to the Tomb Raider series. The worse part is the game ending so quickly but at least there are downloads to extend the game's life.

By: Microsoft.

Region: PAL (UK).

 

On 21/1/9 my order of an Xbox 360 and three games-The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Soul Calibur IV and Project Gotham Racing 4-came from Amazon.co.uk. Let's start with the Xbox itself which makes the Nintendo Wii look tiny and the Xbox 360 power pack is bigger than any laptop power supply pack that I've ever seen. In comparison, my slimline PS2 sits on top of my Xbox360 and misses the air vent holes either side.

 

With the Xbox 360 60GB version I had bought, you get a wireless controller, but not with rechargeable batteries; you have to buy the charger pack separately. However, the supplied batteries have lasted ages even with the rumble. You also get what passes as a headset that plugs into the controller, information booklets, an AV cable with both composite and component connections and an ethernet cable.

 

Since the three games I got with the Xbox 360 operate in 60Hz mode only I couldn't use my capture card and instead used the TV, which wasn't such a bad thing. But then I bought a VGA cable so that I can view the games on a spare computer monitor of mine, in HD. There were two little additions to the setup; I have to use separate speakers as the monitor doesn't have them built in and since my monitor is of the older type that has a video lead I had to use a gender changer to connect the monitor cable to the VGA cable from the XBox 360.

 

The games look amazing even when I used the composite connection (although the text can be difficult to read without using a better video connection such as VGA) and play smoothly. The controller itself fits in my hand exactly as I would like it to, and the trigger buttons are a great addition; it reminds me very much of the Dreamcast controller and that's a good thing. Speaking of the Dreamcast, the XBox 360 has a screen saver that dims the screen after a certain amount of time if no buttons are pressed on the controller; the Dreamcast had something similiar, which for some games was more than just darkening the screen.

 

 

It wasn't long before I was streaming music from my MP3 player to listen to while playing a game, even during loading. The XBox 360 had no problem with my USB keyboard which is a welcome alternative to using the controller to input text especially when chatting to people online. There are two USB ports at the front behind a flap and another USB connection at the back above the ethernet port.

 

Being able to bring up the dashboard whenever you want by pressing the Xbox button on the controller is very handy. If your XBox 360 is online you can invite and send messages to your friends and check how your downloads are doing.

 

 

Not having to worry about using memory cards (although there are two memory card slots that some games support) and instead saving to the harddrive is a blessing. Take note that on the 60GB version that I got there is just under 50GB that can be used and is not taken up by the operating system. You can install your games onto the harddrive but you still need the game disc to start the game, presumably to make sure you bought that game and didn't copy it from someone else's harddrive.

 

You can download free or paid for extra content for the games and the operating system. As soon as I took my Xbox 360 online there were plenty of updates which reminded me too much of using a Windows computer but with less trouble. But Soul Calibur IV required an update before it could be played.

 

There are a few XBox games that I would like to play, but you first have to check that the XBox 360 can play them; more games are being added to the compatibility list. But the emulation is never going to be as good as the Nintendo Wii's ability to play Gamecube games.

 

 

I had heard that the Xbox 360 supposedly is noisy, especially when reading from a disc. I can tell you that it isn't loud enough to be too distracting; my laptop is louder when the cooling fan is on full!

 

Now for the things that I find annoying, the first of which is having to pay to play games online, but I'm happy to do multiplayer offline, but take note that some games are only multiplayer online. There's the worry that the Xbox 360 will fail soon but as with all my other electronics, I will look after it the best I can.

 

In summary, the Xbox 360 is a much better attempt from Microsoft than the first Xbox, but it is the games that really allow the Xbox 360 to shine and show what it is truly capable of, some of which are currently not on the Nintendo Wii or PS3.

 

I got a wireless controller with my Xbox 360 when I bought it but as I needed a second controller to do multiplayer games, and at a slightly lower price, I got a wired controller.

 

It looks and feels just like the wireless version except for the USB cable which is actually long, a good thing in my eyes (it has a special connector towards the end that is meant to avoid accidents if someone trips on the cord). There was no problem with using the controller on my Xbox 360 to play games in multiplayer, just plug the controller into one of the USB ports.

 

As a bonus, the controller can be used on a computer, so after installing the software that came on the provided CD, I tried it out. The test was to use the N64 emulator Project64 and after configuring it, it worked a real treat to be able to use the analogue stick as you would be able to on a real N64. The irony of playing Super Mario 64 in emulated form using an XBox 360 controller!

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You can email me at james.boshikoopa@gmail.com

 

Added: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (XBox)

My Video Game Systems and Accessories

Resident Evil 5

XBox 360 wired controller

Tomb Raider Underworld (XBox 360)

Rumble Roses XX (XBox 360)

Elder Scrolls IV (XBox 360)

PGR4 (XBox 360)

Soul Calibur IV (XBox 360)

Xbox 360

Resident Evil 4 (PS2)