MEMBER PROFILE FOR ARONO129
Average Overall Score Given: 8.61538 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 1416
Reviews
NHL 2003
Overall: The graphics are better than Sega's NHL 2K3 and that's the only positive aspect of the game. The graphics are good but the A.I. in this game will make you wish you held on to Kabuki Warriors.Gameplay: The horrible A.I. really takes away from the gameplay. Players just circle the puck. It's frustrating to watch. Like I mentioned the graphics are good but it's not enough to make this game worth renting let alone buying.
Graphics: Looks good but so does Shrek. It ends up being eye candy that's frustrating to play. EA has to put more effort into other areas of the game as well.
Audio: Can't I give this game a 0.0 in sound. They put Don Taylor in again. Did EA sign him to a 20 year contract? If I want a comedy I'll rent one.
Suggestions: Why make suggestions? EA doesn't listen. They have become lazy. The NHL series was heading in the right direction and they put Don Taylor and NHL Cards in the game. Doesn't it matter than the A.I. is as bad in this game as last years NBA 2002. I have no suggestions to EA Sports because they treat their customers like fools.
Overall Score: 3.0 / 10
NFL Fever 2003
Overall: The graphics are pumped up from last year. The defense is tighter. The QB's can throw bullet passes. The commentary is well done. Best of all you can play it on LIVE. Fever 2003 has no competition and I've played them all. Pepsi Hilite Reel at the end of each game is awesome. Just like a TV broadcast! I'm glad I traded Madden '03 for this game. I would have missed out on a lot. And by the way, in Dynasty mode you can adjust the quarters now from 5 to 15 minutes.Gameplay: The defense reacts better. The passing is more realistic. Dynasty mode is top notch. The DPP (Dynamic Player Progression) adds a whole new demension to the game.
Graphics: The graphics look slightly better than last years game. I didn't think there was room for improvement since even last years Fever blows away this years competion in graphics. Even the towels that some players have move in the wind. Looks like a TV broadcast.
Audio: I grew tired of Madden '03 and one of the reasons was Madden's lame repetitive comments. The commentary in Fever is a welcome relief. Also unlike Madden and Sega's 2K3 there are no pauses when announcing teams or players. The way the crowd, stadium announcer and commentary blend together is excellent.
Suggestions: Just keep up the good work and next year Fever will dominate EA and Sega. It does now. A lot of effort was put into this game.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Knockout Kings 2002
Overall: Knockout Kings '02 is an excellent game with realistic fighters and fighting. The blood, sweat and fatigue effects are very well done.Gameplay: This game is a lot of fun to play. It has the perfect blend of arcade and sim which combine to make this the best Xbox boxing title. There is exhibition, tournament and career mode. Took 1.0 off due to a weak CAF mode. They probably don't want you to create a fighter that isn't in the game for legal reasons.
Graphics: The fighters look like their real life counterparts. They begin to sweat and bruise and bleed during the fight. The collision detection for the most part is decent just not excellent.
Audio: I was actually surprised at how well the sound was done in this game. Adds to the excitement. The sounds of the punches are recreated well.
Suggestions: Improve the CAF or just leave it out next time. And don't ruin this series like you ruined the NHL Hockey series.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack
Overall: The best gun and run game ever made meets up with the best console ever made. Shoot people, steal cars, work for the mob all in a days work in a virtual city. And don't forget to give the occasional motorist "the finger" every once and a while. Vice City alone would have been sweet but the fact that GTA III is included makes this bundle a steal and no carjacking needed.Gameplay: See above for overview of the games.I played GTA III on the PS2 and loved it. The game is even better on the Xbox because while the story line is just as solid as it always was the graphics are greatly improved.
Graphics: While the GTA double pack doesn't take full advantage of Xbox hardware it has significantly improved visually over the PS2 version. To the developers credit there is a lot of on screen action going on at one time. If you played the game on the PS2 you will appreciate how well the graphics were fine tuned for the Xbox.
Audio: Screetching tires, gunshots, wailing sirens, pedestrians muttering on the street, cool radio stations to choose from and the ability to rip your own music made this game perfect in the sound catagory.
Suggestions: Thank you to Rockstar for bringing GTA III and GTA Vice City to the Xbox. People underscore the significance of Xbox scoring this series. It's like the PS2 getting Halo. Maybe my letter was one of the many letter that convinced you to make GTA III and Vice City Xbox games.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Brute Force
Overall: A stunning third person shooter with great graphics and solid gameplay where you need to do more than "run and gun". Strategy is a key element in this game. There are many missions and neat enemies to keep you busy.Gameplay: You start off with one squad member and work your way up to four members each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There are many levels and the story is good. ton's of weapons to choose from. My favorite is the "Roller" bomb.
Graphics: If you think the graphics are better in Halo then I respectfully suggest you clean your TV screen. The graphics in Brute Force are amazing. Period.
Audio: Some would say the lines (especially Tex's) are cheesy but I think that adds to the character and the game. DD5.1 compatable. Weapon's sound effects are very well done. And you gotta love when the enemy say's "They killed Kenny".
Suggestions: Make it Live compatable.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Nascar Thunder 2003
Overall: Fast cars, realistic driving effects and damage. Add your own music to this thrilling game. Features season and career mode. Ever wanted to hire and manage a pit crew? Now you can. Career mode is extremely detailed and will immerse you into this fun and challanging game. Gameplay: The cars look great and there is a lot of depth to the game with lots of customizable options. The season mode is deep and the career mode takes you even deeper. Even on "Rookie" the game is challanging.
Graphics: The cars look very realistic, but the background effects (crowd, railing, etc). is not as stunning. The car detail and light effects work well.
Audio: Your pit crew gives you details about positions of other cars and information about your tires, fuel consumption, etc. Rip your own tunes and listen to them while you race. Perfect.
Suggestions: Ever hear of Xbox Live? Step up to the plate EA.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Rocky
Overall: If you have ever seen the Rocky movies now you can be part of them with this amazing "Sleeper Hit". All the blood sweat and drama of the Rocky series is packed into this game. Ever want to recreate Rocky vs. Drago is Moscow? Now you can.Gameplay: You can choose from exhibition matches, movie mode, tournament or sparring is this exciting game. Excellent replay value even after you have completed movie mode. Best boxing game for the Xbox. Leaves Knockout Kings in the dust.
Graphics: All the blood, sweat and swelling of the Rocky movies is in the game. You can really see the damage to the fighters faces. Good camera angles. One particular arena (outdoor diner) even has moving cars in the background. This game has the most realistic fans I have ever seen (Listen up EA). they move independently from each other and look great. Each fighter looks the way the actor in the movie looks.
Audio: Had to give the sound a 55. The sound effects of the connected punches, missed punches, fighters hitting the mat, and the crowd a dead on.
Suggestions: UbiSoft knows how to make great games. Thank you for making a spectacular Xbox boxing game. Definate "Sleeper Hit".
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Madden NFL 2004
Overall: All the hard hitting action you would expect from the #1 NFL series. The A.I. is solid and console football doesn't get more authentic than this. Excellent Franchise mode with the all new Owner mode and Playmaker feature.Gameplay: The A.I. is rock solid. This is the most authentic football I have ever played. I traded the competition because I grew tired of blowing out the other teams. This is not likely to happen with Madden. Deep Franchise mode and all new Owner mode. Owner mode is Sim City meets NFL. Playmaker is useful if you don't like the way the opposing team is lining up.
Graphics: Identical to Madden 2003. Not a bad thing but not Fever graphics either. Some player's skin tones appear "off". If you liked or disliked Madden '03 graphics you will like or dislike this years.
Audio: Al Michaels more than makes up for having to listen to Madden. Big John doesn't seem as repetative as in last years version. You can rip your own music this year.
Suggestions: Work on the graphics in next years version and make future games Live enabled. If you don't you will lose fan support. You already are.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
UFC: Tapout 2
Overall: The graphics have improved over the original tapout. There are more modes to choose from and you can even play your own music. The developers did a good job on this title. They added new features and left what worked well alone.Gameplay: There are more modes to choose from in Tapout 2. After you use CAF you can spar against opponents for points which is a neat feature. There is arcade, tournament, career etc. modes to choose from.
Graphics: The fighters and even the crowd looks great. The blood is pretty much the same but I'm glad they left it in. You really have to see the fighters to believe how good they look. The fighters move the way they would in real life.
Audio: I like the fact that I can rip my own music and add it to the game. Every (almost) Xbox game should have this awesome feature. When the fighters enter the crowd calls out their name. It sounds good.
Suggestions: Add real time damage to the fighters. Knockout Kings 2002 has it and it's great.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
Legends of Wrestling
Overall: This game is by far a better wrestling game than RAW. There is even a blood mode that adds to the excitement of the game. The caw is actually pretty good. The collision detection is excellent and there are many legends to choose from. This game is hugely underrated. Gameplay: This game is a lot of fun. The controls take some getting used to but once you learn them it's not a problem. There should be more types of matches to choose from though. That's why I gave this category a 4 out of five.
Graphics: The wrestlers look cartoonish but I think the developer intended them to. The graphics are actually quite good. and of course there is no other Xbox wrestling game where you can turn the blood on. It's nice to see that the blood effect is not overdone.
Audio: You may ask why anyone would give 5 out of 5 for sound in a wrestling game. The reason is that you can play custom soundtracks during matches. It's a neat feature.
Suggestions: Add more types of matches for variety. The blood mode is a nice touch.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
NHL 2K3
Overall: The AI is bang on. The way the players and puck move is the best I've seen in any hockey game.There is a deep franchise mode and best of all it's not an arcade game like EA's NHL 2003. Gameplay: The AI is incredable and makes up for the games faults. You can even pin the puck and players on the boards. Puck physics are excellent as well. The way the players move,check an fall is very realistic.
Graphics: The graphics are good but don't match the effort put in to the rest of the game. This game does not take advantage of the Xbox's superior graphics. Skin tones are a bit of and there is no expression in the players faces. Camera angles need to be lower and closer. As I mentioned the AI and physics make up for this.
Audio: If if just can't stand the horrid Don Taylor jokes in EA's version then this games is a welcome treat. The play by play announcer will ask the color commentary announcer a question and then nothing. No answer. This has to be fixed. Music and organ sounds are fine. Crowd sounds good too.
Suggestions: Lower the camera angles with closer views. Put effort into the graphics next year. Don't become another EA. If you put the same effort into the graphics in this game that you did in NFL or NBA 2K3 then this game would be perfect. Fix the commentary. When one announcer asks the other a question, it should be answered. I like the game but Sega you can do better. Especially since this game came out a month after EA's version.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
Madden NFL 2003
Overall: Took off a point for no online play. Other than that this game is tight. I can see me playing this game until the next series of NFL games comes out. Many different modes to this game. Don't let the low scores by Sega fanboys fool you. Madden wins this year.Gameplay: Other than no online play this version of Madden is perfect. Thank you Sega for pushing Madden to put out the best football game to date.
Graphics: Much better than Sega's NFL 2K3. At least you can adjust the camera angle in Madden the way you like. Sega's camera angles are too far away. the ggod graphics in that game are a waste.
Audio: Took off a mark because, well, it has Madden's voice. But not very often. Gave it a 4 because Al Michaels makes you believe you are watching Monday Night Football on TV.
Much better than the reject that announces NFL 2K3.
Suggestions: ONLINE PLAY. THAT'S IT. Don't mess this up like you did with the NHL series.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
NFL 2K3
Overall: Although I exchanged this title for Madden I feel I can be objective about it. I can see some very good ideas implemented into the game. But the negatives outnumber the positives. Not up to Madden yet. Maybe next year?Gameplay: With online play if you can get by the audio and visual problem which I will explain later then this game scores a 5. This is the only area where it beats Madden.
Graphics: When you can see the changing expression on players faces how can anyone score the visuals so low?
Easy. No user customizable camera angle. C'mon Sega. You can do better than that. The play on the field still seemed too far away even at the closest setting. You know you can do better. NBA 2K3 has no customizable camera angle but it's twice the effort you put into this.
Audio: Talk about a game being overhyped. Who is that announcer on Helium? I know that Al Michaels has signed on with EA but where did you find that announcer with the most annoying and hard to listen to voice. Get rid of him next year.
Suggestions: customizable camera angles and an announcer that doesn't sound like he inhaled the worlds supply of Helium.
Overall Score: 4.0 / 10
