MEMBER PROFILE FOR RedRooster
Average Overall Score Given: 8.00000 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 15
Reviews
Project Gotham Racing
Overall: I believe this was one of, if not the only, racing launch title, and boy what a start!! I bought this game used almost a year after it came out, and can't believe I didn't buy it sooner. It has dozens of VERY detailed real cars, and a selection of tracks/layouts that would make any other game wet itself.There is SO much stuff to do in this game, you can literally play it for days and not complete it all. And once you do, there's lots of little things to keep trying(unlock car paint schemes, time trials, etc)
Gameplay: PGR implements a Kudos system, which rates you on how fancy you can get around the track, and it also has regular timed racing. The controls are easy to get used to, however the vehicle physics are quite similar which makes the lower powered cars become useless near the end of the game. The racing is just plain fun though, I can't get enough of it.
Graphics: Wow! I'd have to say this is the best looking racer on any console to date. The graphics and small details will blow you away.
Audio: The in-game soundtrack is loaded with actual bands and you'll have to play for several hours to hear repeating music. Some of it is really good too. You can also use custom tracks.
The car sounds are decent, I'd give them about a 3.5-4, however the sum is greater than the parts.
Suggestions: More/modifyable cars and more tracks(layout selection is good) and this would be one of the top 10 games ever.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003
Overall: Only the second golf game to grace the XBox, Tiger Woods 2003 will be a welcome addition for some who've used Outlaw Golf for their golf fun since the introduction of XBox. And being slightly more serious along with Tiger's name on the front, this should sell alot of copies.However, due to the fact that XBox-hating EA Sports created the game, you'll soon see the limitations this game has.
Gameplay: The gameplay, with the analog swing, is similar to Outlaw Golf's method which was very good. I didn't much care for the ability to change the spin in mid-air, but the extra power button was decent for getting that extra little power. The ball physics, however, are ridiculous. In one weekend of playing this game, I got over a dozen hole in ones in regular rounds(not the target game, which is even easier), and that is very unrealistic.
After the first fews hours, I told myself I was going to buy it, and get rid of Outlaw Golf. Now that I've put in more time to see the game, I will not be doing that however. If Outlaw Golf 2 adds more courses and golfers, it'll dominate EA's offering. Even if it is more arcadish.
Graphics: This is where the game really stumbled. Since this game is a cross platform game, it REALLY shows in the graphical department. The environment is quite good, but the players and spectators(ugggh!) are horrendously under detailed(besides the close ups of the face), and extremely aliased. This game really looks like what it actually is, a PS2 game. For shame EA, why must you continue to punish us XBox owners with your substandard graphics.
Audio: The sound, not bad. Good ambiance and background noise. Fortunately, the music is crazy techno as it was before, however the music still doesn't really suit golf. It sounds like they took the music out of their football and hockey games.
Suggestions: Fortunately for you, Outlaw Golf is under-coursed, or you'd still not be competing a full year after it came out. A suggestion, if you're going to make a game for the best console on the planet, at least give it better graphics than the other ones. If I wanted PS2 graphics, I would've bought one.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver
Overall: Having heard great things about Stuntman for PS2, I was excited that there was a similar game coming out for XBox. The premise of the game is interesting, but the execution is horrible.Gameplay: Vehicle physics are quite bad. Controls are reasonably well laid out though. Still, a VERY arcadish game, the vehicles are bad.
Graphics: The graphics are quite pitiful as well. I enjoyed the intro, as we get a good look at Chase(a very good look), but other than that the graphics in this game are below average at best.
Audio: Sounds is pretty generic, music is boring and voices are tiring. I couldn't figure out how to get custom music on, but it wouldn't have helped anyways.
Suggestions: Good idea, terrible implementation! Please don't try to improve it with a sequel.
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
NHL Hitz 2003
Overall: Since this was the first 2003 hockey game on the market this season, I HAD to get it just to sooth my nerves. Us Canadians can't go without hockey for too long, or we get wierd. I bought it on a whim, only reading about three people's opinions on it. I knew, getting it, that it was a total arcade game, but lots of the key things like real players and teams as well as little things like earning equipment to put on your players, sounded fun to me. I was looking for something to fill the time until NHL2K3 comes out in November, however I was very surprised and pleased with the quality of this game!Gameplay: Three on three, three minute periods and fast paced gameplay make this a definate arcade title. It's basically "run up and down the ice on rush after rush of crazy scoring attempts", similar to NBA Jam and NFL Blitz. But oh boy, is it fun with two or more people, screaming at each other the whole time and laughing at the incredible goals you just scored on each other. The other gamestyles like Season and Franchise are incredibly in-depth and will add so much replay value to the game. It's the type of game where you'll sit down and play for 6 hours straight without noticing, and those kinds are few and far between.
Graphics: This is easily the high point of the game. The graphics are absolutely top notch! The crowd is fully 3D, and the animations are very diverse. Goalies will stack their pads and kick the puck over the glass, skaters will deke defensemen out of their shorts, all while looking exactly like the real players. Faces are really good, and body sizes are very believable. I don't think the EA game, which is usually the top graphical game, will touch the graphic quality in this game.
Audio: The sound in the game is very good as well. The crowd reacts to the play on the ice, and the announcer is actually aware of the score and game situation. The game music is only ok, but you are also able to use your own music which is definately a good thing. There's so many "hockey songs" that you never hear in these games, now you can.
Suggestions: For an arcade game, you couldn't make this any better! Tiny things like Jose Theodore is the wrong hand are the only quibbles I can think of for this game.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
The Thing
Overall: How in the world is this game getting such good reviews?! Maybe I was expecting too much, coming from a PC gaming background, but this game is so painfully linear in the plot that it hurt to play. It was frustrating as all get out. But, the plot/storyline was pretty decent, so I can't rag on it too much. It's the gameplay that stunk. This game does not deserve to be the second highest rated game on XBox, that's for sure. A one week rental, at best.Gameplay: This is by far the worst part of the game. Have you ever played Deus Ex for PC? At any one point there were about a dozen or more different paths you could take in the game, with a TON of NPCs to keep you occupied. In The Thing, throughout the first few levels, I found that there were only one or two possible things you could do before being able to move on to the next twist in the story. I felt trapped in the gameworld, because once you get stuck, you are really stuck! Maybe I suck at the game, but surely I'm not the only one?
The controls on the otherhand, are really good. The layout for the screens are simple to understand and operate, and I was very pleased to be able to control a game like this with a console controller so easily.
Graphics: The graphics were quite nice, the cut scenes were not bad, although there was a little framerate stuttering and clipping. And the snow, oh my, the snow. Those uot; seem to be the perfect excuse for short draw distances, all too convenient.
Audio: Sound was quite good. First console game I've played(outside of PC games) with any sort of cursing. Not that I care, just thought it was kind of funny to hear, for once. Nice atmosphere with the various environmental sounds.
Suggestions: I don't know if it would've been possible to fit, but it would've been nice to have at least a half dozen directions to take, at any time in the game/plot.
Is it me, or is this a " attempt to copy an X-Files episode?
Overall Score: 6.0 / 10
