Editorial Review

How big is this game? Even publicists for other games end up talking about Vice City when they call our office, babbling in the same helplessly intoxicated way that afflicts everyone who plays it. The achievement of Vice City (which, as everyone knows by now, is set in the 1980s and offers an all-new, Miami Vice-inspired story) is not only that it manages to live up to an absurd level of expectation, but that it takes the game places that fans of its predecessor Grand Theft Auto 3 never dreamed of, and that it achieves this astonishing level of innovation without losing anything that made GTA3 the bestselling PS2 game of all time.

After a brilliant homage to the era of the Commodore 64 in the opening credits, the first thing you'll notice is the improved graphics, which are smoother and more detailed, and--with effects like neon lights reflected on rain-slick streets, and intense Florida sunlight--have a lush, tropical look that immediately gives you a strong sense of place. The architecture is more fabulous by tenfold, with art deco buildings, high-rise hotels, and believably seedy back alleys. The control scheme is essentially the same as in GTA3, but the cars handle much better, and in pedestrian mode there is a new crouch move. You will have access to fast, great-handling cars right away, as opposed to GTA3 which made you unlock the second island before you could get your hands on any respectable wheels. This game has such riches to offer that there is no need to be chintzy with the vehicles.

Cops are more vigilant this time--minor offenses like whacking innocent bystanders will more often than not get you a two-star wanted level--and are harder to elude (though they still can't seem to climb stairs or negotiate sharp turns). So while free-roaming exploration is as fun as ever, there is more incentive to perform the missions instead of randomly raising hell. Not that that's a bad thing: even lazy criminals like myself (in GTA3, I would rather toss hand grenades into traffic than follow orders from some rude Mafia boss) will be quickly caught up in the vivid characters and hilarious, fascinating story, in which you play an acid-washed-jeans-wearing thug named Tommy Vercetti. Where in GTA3 missions were blocky, schematic affairs only nominally connected to the story, this time tasks move the story briskly along and deftly blend cinematics and game action. For example, there is a scene of a character throwing Tommy a gun, at which point you are suddenly thrown back into the action and must make an instant decision about whom to trust and what to do.

There are more, and more detailed, indoor environments, including a hotel, police station, and mall (a slight downside to this is that some of the more elaborate indoor environments require load times). The layout of the city, with tons of backyards, narrow alleys, and fire escapes, encourages creativity when eluding pursuit, as does greater access to rooftops. Get your motorcycle up the fire escape and a whole new world of action is possible, including... well, use your imagination.

This overview barely scratches the surface of the Vice City experience, its colorful explosion of music, clothes, combat, and brilliant voice acting, not to mention the plot twist midway through the game that changes the very nature of the game itself. Though it was the outrageous, amoral violence that got all the press, the essential genius of GTA3 was its intoxicating blend of script and open-ended action. In Vice City this is--to use a cliché that is for once apropos--taken to a whole new level. --David Stoesz

Pros:

• Astonishing, innovative gameplay
• Godlike attention to detail
• Opportunity to drive on the beach at midnight listening to the Human League's "Fascination"

• More load times

Editorial Review

EA has finally brought its Medal of Honor series (already wildly popularon the PlayStation) to the PC. Set during World War II, Medal of Honor:Allied Assault chronicles the fictional exploits of Lt. Mike Powell as hebattles his way from the shores of Africa to the shores of France to the heartof Nazi Germany. On the PSX, the Medal of Honor games were hailed asrevolutionary, and though Allied Assault never quite merits that level ofpraise, it's still a great game.

At first glance, Allied Assault seems to have a lot in common with theWorld War II-themed Return to Castle Wolfenstein, but the similaritiesare strictly superficial. Allied Assault takes a more realistic approachto the action, both in the enemies that you face (there are no zombies ormutants) and in the mission structure. The game unfolds across six real-lifetheaters of war, and the 30 playable missions vary a lot in how they play out.Just like a character in a good army movie, you'll be sabotaging tanks,destroying submarines, and sending false communications. Nearly all yourmissions are very well designed, especially the mission where you land on OmahaBeach.

The D-day mission has received a lot of attention, and for good reason--once thedoor on your Higgins boat drops, all hell breaks loose. The men in front of youdrop in a hail of bullets, a Higgins boat to your left is blown to bits, andmachine gun fire rakes the water everywhere. Getting from the boat to therelative safety of the shingles is a truly harrowing experience, although partsof it borrow a little too much from Saving Private Ryan.

Since the game is set during WWII, you'll face a wide range of enemies,including tanks, machine gun nests, and even planes. The enemy AI is better thanin Wolfenstein--enemies will duck for cover, lay down suppressing fire,and throw back grenades--but too often it's obvious that enemy actions arescripted. At times you can actually tell when you've triggered the next wave ofenemy attacks: stay still and nothing happens; silently creep a foot forward andthey all come rushing out. This kind of heavy-handed scripting is a throwback tothe days of Doom, and more than a little bit of a disappointment.

Graphically, Allied Assault looks quite sharp. It uses the QuakeIII graphics engine and the character models, vehicles, and textures arewell done, especially if you have a high-end video card. Unfortunately, thereare some glitches, such as clipping and collision detection problems. It's notuncommon to see enemies walking halfway through a door or a wall. Also, in a(successful) effort to get a "T" rating, there is absolutely no blood or gore.When you a shoot a Nazi infantryman with your captured MG-42 machine gun, hesimply falls down.

The weakest part of Allied Assault is its multiplayer component. Thereare four game types, all of which are exceptionally average, and none of them isas compelling as Wolfenstein's multiplayer. Still, it is undeniably funto wage war in bombed-out French villages and other World War II battlefields.Allied Assault offers a fun single-player game and its D-day mission willgo down as a classic gaming experience. --William Harms

Pros:

• D-day mission is incredible
• Lots of mission variety
• Nice graphics

• There are a few graphical glitches
• Heavily scripted AI
• Multiplayer is very average

Reviews (9)

AUTHORISEDCOLLECTION strategy guide is the BEST!
If you want to play this game with a strategy guide, then your best option is to forget Bradygames and Prima, because authorisedcollection has a much much more detailed and thorough explanation of the game. I had a look at the reviews that 4 or 5 stars are put, they just didn't know what real strategy guide should look at. If you want to have the ranking of the legendary "Big Boss" in the game, go try authorisedcollection guide, otherwise you are just wasting your time playing this game. I'm not trying to offend Bradygames and Prima, but authorisedcollection series the best.

If you are a Final Fantasy fan, go and compare guides from authorisedcollection and bradygames and you will know what I meant above.

the worlds best
This guide is the most helpful when you are stuck at a certain place in the game that seems impossible to get past!!! The guide is in-depth and simple at the same time. If your stuck then this guide is for you. (this guide is CHEAP and easy to buy to help you)

an excellent guide if you play through on normal mode
I was almost finished with Metal Gear Solid 2 when I stopped playing for almost a year.When I went to play again, I realized that I didn't remember the story that well and I didn't remember the layout of the area I was in.I decided to restart the game, but this time use a guide to make sure that I don't miss any items and to quickly get through the areas I had already played.Since this was the only guide available, I picked it up.

Some reviews of this guide make mention that the guide is not actually needed to complete the game and that simply playing the game is all the strategy that one needs.That may very well be, but I don't think that applies in reviewing the guide.What matters is that the guide has all of the necessary information required to complete the game and not miss any items and that it includes tips on how to beat the bosses.This guide has all of that and is very valuable in completing the game.While many things can be discovered by trial and errors, this guide will get you through the game with no trouble (the only trouble may come in actually applying the strategies to beat a boss).The most valuable aspect of this guide comes in that it details on a map the patrol patterns of the guards.Knowing in advance how far a guard will patrol is very useful in planning your path though the level.If capturing the dog tags from the soldiers is important to you (and if you want the bonus items, it should be important), the guide provides useful strategies on how to get every dog tag in the game (on normal mode).I tried out some of them, and it worked just as the guide suggested.I wasn't that interested in collecting the dog tags my first time completing the game, so I didn't spend the time to collect them all.As far as I could tell, the strategies were spot on.

One thing I should mention is that the strategies to get the dog tags and for beating the game apply to the normal difficulty setting.Since some things change on the higher difficulty levels, the guide is probably not as useful for mastering the game on the highest difficulty.

Editorial Review

In the tradition of the multi-award-winning Star Wars: Jedi Knight, Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2, Jedi Outcast features rebel agent Kyle Katarn in exhilarating first-person action. Several years have passed since Kyle avenged his father's death and saved the Valley of the Jedi from Jerec and his band of Dark Jedi. Allowing his Force powers to languish for fear of falling to the dark side, Kyle entrusted his lightsaber to Luke Skywalker, vowing never to use it again. But when a new and menacing threat to the galaxy emerges, Kyle knows he must reclaim his past in order to save his future.

LucasArts is developing Jedi Outcast in partnership with Activision's critically acclaimed Raven Software. Players assume the role of Kyle as they employ a unique mix of weapons, Force powers, and the lightsaber in both single- and multiplayer modes. Jedi Outcast features expanded and enhanced use of the lightsaber, with new attack and defense moves. Tap into the powers of the Force, including jump, push, Jedi mind tricks, and more. Employ combat or stealth, depending on the situation. When a fight is necessary, be at the ready with an arsenal of weapons: stun baton, Bryar blast pistol, and blaster rifle to name but a few.

Features

• Traverse a crippled spaceship and explore the vast worlds of Tallon IV in an all-new first-person perspective!
• Take advantage of Samus's many powers using new suits that enable her to gain new abilities and revisit earlier worlds to uncover many hidden secrets.
• Master Samus's combat, scan, and visors -- elements crucial to your success.
• Explore each area to find many familiar weapons, such as the Wave Beam and Freeze Beam, and some all-new ones as well.

Reviews (584)

bore me to death
...ok so heres the idea of the game....take an action genre such as first person shooter..thats typicaly fulled of action and fun...and instead make it incredibly boring...but give the consumer lots of needless information like "this plant is the jugahuga plant"..I DONT CARE!!

this game bores meeee the boss fight where u were runnign around it was pretty fun but thats the only action in the game...the world was beautiful and everythign was beautiful...but i didnt 'click' with this world... it just felt like i was looking at a pretty moving picture....kind of the equivalent of watching somebody else playing.......then again i like watching my friends play games..but..just not this one...

MYSTIC
If you have played Metroid 3 on the Super NES, and loved it like i did this is a must have it have the exact same feeling as that game hade that mystic fantastic feeling. And this game plays on almost the same way you have to go round and discovering new stuff and its very fun and exciting. This is proboblyone of the best adventure games ever, and the graphic is fantastic every thing looks great and the soundtrack is one of the best ever if i culd find this on CD i whuld buy it, thats how good it is very deep and mystic. So this is a must buy for anyone with a Gamecube, to tell you the truth i bought my Cube yust so i culd play this fantastic game, after that i have bought many ather great game so it was well worth it.

And after you have played through it, andyou whant more i strongly recomend you to buy the Metroid Prime 2.

Editorial Review

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance brings the MK series a new 3-D fighting engine, adds tons of features and extras, and still offers classic gameplay.

This installment introduces a 3-D battle system that still manages to maintain a 2-D feel. For example, pushing up on your controller makes you sidestep your opponent's attacks, yet it also allows you to jump by tapping up plus a direction. A revamped fighting system offers up to three different fighting styles for each fighter (one includes a weapon technique). The multiple styles provide countless variations of attacks for any given fighter. Different combinations of punches and kicks allow for lengthy and powerful chain attacks similar to the Mortal Kombat of old. Fatalities are also back and are rich in graphic representation.

New fighters join the cast of old favorites such as Sonya, Kano, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Jax, Cyrax, Kung Lao, Kitana, Quan Chi, Reptile, and Shang Tsung. The lavish environments surround your fighters with animated backgrounds and rich skylines. On some levels there are even breakable objects and hazards that you can interact with, such as pools of acid--the perfect landing place for a thrown opponent.

In addition to regular modes of gameplay (arcade, versus, etc.) there is an option called Konquest mode. This mode allows you to learn more about fighting styles, read up on each character's personal history, and gain Koins which can then be spent in the Krypt to unlock a host of new characters, costumes, and early concept drawings. The additional content offered with this title is plentiful, including "The Making of Deadly Alliance" and "The History of Mortal Kombat" featurettes.

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance successfully reinvents the series by dishing up a unique mix of improved graphics and stylized gameplay without compromising those features that made the MK series popular in the first place. --Carlos Rodela

Pros:

• Complex gameplay
• Realistic 3-D graphics
• Hundreds of unlockable features

Cons:

• Weak story line
• Unbalanced combo system

Features

Reviews (80)

THE HITMAN FACTOR!!!
Hitman was a hit cause it brought about a new meaning to gaming by intruducing 47 to the world.Its excellent levels,good storyline and irritating toughness makes it as crazily as possible-A WINNER.Then Eidos brings the sequel.HITMAN 2 and i got to be honest wih anyone who reads this review.This game is worth playing.There are a few control issues and it does get a bit tedious as you advance thru the missions,but you'll be so addicted to the game that to get a silent assasin rank you have to replay every level again devising 2 or 3 stratigies using elements in the game itself.That makes HITMAN 2 another winner.There are huge levels located in excotic places.Every level is different.Even the 3 st petersburg missions have different atmospheres.There are decent no of guns and snipers and an excellent storyline.

MY FINAL COMMENT
Play this game even if you are new to the hitman series.IT WILL get boring after you FINISH the game 4 times

Suspenseful!!! (4 1/2 stars)
This game is one of the most intense and suspenseful gaming experiences I've ever had.You are a hitman for hire trotting around the world and taking care of business.There are 20 missions, tons of weapons, great music, and again, some VERY intense gameplay.

Gameplay: I can't say it enough--suspense and intensity!The game is designed to be played in whatever way you choose.You can go in with guns blazing (which works much of the time, depending on the difficulty setting) or you can lurk in the shadows, behind corners, and within a variety of disguises.The game encourages you to use stealth and rewards you for being strategic and limiting "collateral" damage.Most missions will allow you to take out your target without harming anyone else.However, there are a few missions in which you'll have to send more than one person to the morgue.Much of the gameplay boils down to surveillance, getting disguises, staying away from guards (and most civilians), dragging and hiding bodies, finding and disposing of your target(s), and escaping.The real fun comes with choosing a strategy for the job and all of the tension created when you're sneaking around and trying to avoid being discovered.The only quirks I experienced with gameplay was the oversensitivity of the guards on a few occasions.Otherwise, this is a very entertaining game.It lasted me about 40 hours on expert (medium) difficulty.

Visual: Very well-done.The weapons look and act realistic, and the settings (St. Petersburg, Malaysia, Nuristan, India, Japan, and Sicily) are all attractive and convincing, with weather effects, region-appropriate language, and great architecture.The graphics are not state-of-the-art, but they are still quite good and create immersive atmospheres.

Sounds: The soundtrack by Jesper Kyd is probably the best I have heard in a game.It is orchestral, but fits the atmosphere of the game very appropriately.It also adds tension at the right times and does give you the sense that you are doing your deeds in faraway places and different cultures.The voice-acting is good, and people talk in the appropriate languages.All weapons sound as they should.Even the sound of the footsteps of your assassin are determined by whatever terrain he is walking/running on.

Replay value: I definitely intend to play this one again, since there is more than one way to complete the missions.Also, the more strategic and secretive you are, the higher your rating and rewards.

All together, Hitman 2 is an excellent game for anyone who likes stealth missions and intense gameplay.

HITMAN 2: Silent Assassin......or Rambo II
I agree with what PC-Gamer said about the game (series). It's a couple of steps short of being a great game. I think the fundamental idea behind the game is good. However, it needs alot of work.

First off the enemy AI is out to lunch. Enemies will flip out on you at times when it feels you're doing everything right (prompting the often used WTF phrase for the game), and are happy-go-lucky at times when your clearly up to no good. Many times you can upset the enemy by doing something wrong or being in the wrong place only to rectify the situation completely by a change of clothes which many times is done in a dead end room or hallway. If the AI was any good enemies should get at least a little suspicious of a 6foot5 bald dude (oh yeah...UPC tatoo) now wearing a change of clothing coming out of the same place/area the enemies just chased your character (Agent 47) into. But no, everthing is kosher with them. To make matters worse sometimes enemies catch you in the act of changing into the clothes of a victem you just killed only for them to stand there and go "hmmm...is this right?". Sometimes you can actually get away with even that just by walking out of the area. One level in particular had problems with AI. Basically the idea was that you needed to come up with a Pizza delivery boy disquise and had to take out a Pizza boy for it. I found the best place to do that was in the bathroom while the delivery boy was taking a whizz. Nobody else was in the bathroom at the time so no one would immediately see a crime and then report it. Killing him was no problem. Changing into his clothes was no problem. But, the second you go to drag his body to a more secluded location everybody goes nuts. From the map system you can see how all security make an immediate beeline from across the building to the bathroom you are in to take you out. After trying this a couple of times I opted not to drag his body anywhere; taking a risk that someone would walk in on it. No one ever did. I find that with both the first and second Hitman I have to "work around" the AI like that. I hope they totally changed the AI on Contracts.

Although the map system has been greatly improved and simplified over the first Hitman I personally think that having a "satellite" dynamic feedback on every individual on every floor (inside and outside) is stupid. It really makes the new feature of looking through keyholes in doors(for enemies)laughable. I hope they have removed this in "Contracts".

Another thing I dislike is the report card you get at the end of every level. You get ranked on how aggressive you were in the past level (the more aggresive the poorer the score) and how stealthy you were (the higher the better). Although I don't mind being ranked on my performance in the game, this system allows players to finish levels with horrific scores. In another words they can go through the level shooting at almost everything in sight. Personally I think that defeats the purpose of the series. If you want a shooting fest you shouldn't expect it here. I would prefer if it was more like the original (I said more like it, not just like it, because that system was not without faults either). If you can't finish the level like something resembling a "Silent Assassin" you shouldn't get past it. You should get shot to pieces in a real hurry. Unfortunatly this is not the case. You just get a bad report card and move on.

I like the addition of the tool shed; a place you collect all of the various weapons available throughout the game. Unfortunatly many of the weapons are unholsterable and have to be carried out in plain sight of everyone else in order to be collected. If you are seen with it causing an alert (very likely) your score goes down. Also such weapons have to be carried out of the level one at a time. So you have to gamble with which weapon you leave a level with, hoping ones you have discarded will be available later in the game for you to collect. For example the first level allows you to collect a Golf Club and a sniper rifle. But you can only take one out. I have yet to see another occurrance of either weapon later in the game.

I also liked the use of more appropriate costums in this release. Gone are the days of a 6foot5 caucasion chineese waiter (in China) delivering poisened food to unsuspecting targets.

Eventhough I liked the levels of the first Hitman better (I thought more time was spent on them, ie plant leaves moving out of your way as you pass by) I also liked some of them here. St.Petersberg, for example, was done pretty well.

Isbn: 0744001552
Sales Rank: 1141757
Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Game)    5. Video & Electronic - General   

Reviews (11)

Really disappointing
This guide REALLY isn't worth its price. The sequences of places to visit are irrelevant. The directions are poorly expressed (Example #1: when you read "Chris's LEFT", you must understand "the RIGHT of Chris, in his own point of view"; Example #2: even if 2 rooms (A & B) are separated by a corridor and a room (C), the author will give indications as if A and B were just directly connected). Furthermore, an effort could have been made on the maps (numbers OR precise names attributed to each in a legend). At last, instead of writing precisely what kind of enemies OR items one has to expect in each room, the author describes the situations enigmatically (I guess that someone who purchases a guidebook is accepting to GET spoilers; if not, I don't get the point!!!!): it doesn't preserve any suspense for me, but upsets me instead.

No doubt the author is way better than me for playing that game, but he's a really poor help for others: I've read far better FREE walkthroughs in the past, so I'm regretting my purchase of this book!

helpful
while not nessecery to finish the game by any means, this guide is still very helpful, especially if you are trying to unlock different endings, or cheats.

Reviews (4)

Easy to follow strategy guide
Dan Birlew (better known to survival horror fans on the web as "President Evil") penned this easy-to-follow strategy guide.

I'm one of those players who doesn't have great reflexes and normally gets sliced to ribbons playing a game like this.But thanks to Birlew's guide, I was able to survive some of the toughest bosses, bad reflexes and all.The book points out the bosses's strengths and weaknesses, how to attack them and how to avoid them, as every good game guide should.

Oh, yeah, I did find one mistake in Birlew's guide: he states that you can't purchase untouchables (items that temporarily make you invincible).In fact, untouchables can be purchased at any time, though it'll cost you.Perhaps this was a change in the game that was implemented after Birlew's guide went to press.

...
Even I have to admit that Dan Birlew is getting much better. After that FFIX guide I thought this guy would be bad. Anyways, to start off. I've been a HUGE collector of video game guides (I may be 15 and have high expectations for a guide such as they do need to help me a give me a gaming experience in the process) and I know a good guide when I see it.

This guide is defenitely good. Anyways, I read the other reviews, and Dan Birlew didn't do the Xenogears guide nor did David Cassady, it was Ronald Wartow, its right there on the fron cover. The maps are easy to read while I do admit they get tiresome every guide does. I know the maps aren't done by Dan Birlew but still they could use a little work. I look more at the detail in the walkthrough rather than how flashy the maps and screenshots are.

The walkthrough helps you out a lot and doesn't give off any spoilers at all and gets right to the point. I like this guide because the walkthrough is put together organized and doesn't look like it was rushed to get out. Its 160 pages and the guide has extremely good detail to it. Unlike the Prima (only 90 pages) and VERSUS BOOKS (112 pages) this guide has a ton of info.

I'd recomend this guide for anybody who likes strategy guides as much as I do.

Reviews (42)

Not bad, yet not quite perfect
Some things about the game turned me on, some off, yet some of the music was quite interesting.
People say you feel sick playing this. That is mainly because of the movement, at least in my opinon.
When I first played Descent, I was not use to flying a ship in all axis's, and looking down and not falling, etc.
Doom is not too sickening as far as movement, nor is NOLF, NOLF II, Contract jack, others, simply because you dont have the same movement like you have in this game.
Return to castle wolfenstein is more like the "being in a boat" feel.
You dont go up and down, but more like tilt left and right when you walk.
Doom and other games don't have that, which made it easier to play.
Overall, it's not a bad game if you can handle that movement.

One of the best games out there
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is probably one of the best games to ever come out on PC. Its single-player is excellent. Who doesnt like killing zombies and nazis?(If you dont then you have some serious problems :P)The only problem with the single-player is the enemy AI. Even on the hardest setting "Im a death incarnate" the game is still too easy. The enemies act the same on every difficulty just about. Oh well. Still fun!

But the best fun is when you take this game for a spin ONLINE! This is one of the best team games I have ever played in my life. When you play RTCW online TEAMWORK IS A MUST! You WILL NOT survive without teamwork. You have 4 classes to pick from, Soldier, Engineer, Medic, and Lieutenant. Soldiers get to use heavy weapons like Panzerfausts(rocket launcher)and Flamethrowers. Engineers get to plant dynamite and repair various items. Medics get to give out medpacks and revive soldiers who are down but not dead. Lieutenants get to give out ammo and call in airstrikes and artillery strikes.

Whatever class you pick, you will need to rely on another class to survive and win the match. Thats the way the game works online.

Also RTCW has some great maps too like Beach Invasion, and Destruction. Even HUGE maps like Depot and Tram(my god these maps are huge).

Overall extremely fun game! You cant say your a FPS fan until you have picked up this game.

Happy Nazi & Zombie killings :)

Were you expecting "History on Film" with Ann Medina?
Well, where to begin?This game was overwhelmingly satisfying in every way imagineable.My friend showed me it earlier this year, and it still hasn't lost any of its edge!

I loved the overall story with the Himler and the SS, HeinrichI, undead, etc.I've always been a sucker for the whole Nazi/occult thing, and this was no exception.

The music was also top-notch.I've caught myself absently humming it during the day, and stop abruptly since everyone is staring at me.The catacomb score was downright eerie, perfect for that particuar gameplay.The piece from the opening cutscene was so good I restarted the game several times just to hear it!

I thought the variation in levels was pretty good, my favourites being the Castle and the village levels.The assortment of bad guyswas decent, too. Overhearing the horrified officers(you know the ones), the angry mechanics, (them, too), and all the others was both interesting and amusing.Severalpeople have been complaining in these reviews about how the levels are kind of dark, but that's to be expected.It's wartime Europe, people, not a commercial for Lemon Tide!

The choices of weapons were varied- something for everyone!TIP:Ignore the flamethrower, it's prety much useless.I preferred the Thompson and double .45s(sigh) but it was a shame that they came with limited ammo. Oh, well.

I wanted to really say something clearly to all the people I've read who claim this has nothing to do with WWII and the zombie thing is overdone:
For the love of God, open your eyes!This is a COMPUTER GAME, not fact! F-I-C-T-I-O_N!What did you think was going to happen, you'd singlehandedly win the Battle of the Bulge?! Meet Hitler?! Try to kill him?! NO!This is a game, manufactured for the purpose to entertain for a price.And so what if Nazis once again intermingle with the supernatural? It works.It's entertaining.Period.

People have also been whining about the toughness of the game.I admit that I can't beat it on "Bring 'em on", but at least I didn't have to use cheat codes for "Don't Hurt Me".I managed to beat RTCW in a little under a week, and people (who are clearly exaggerating) claim to be still stuck on Level 2. Two. Ten second of life? Please, stop embarrassing yourself.Or just stop lying.

Editorial Review

The Alien and the Predator are two of filmdom's most beloved and fearedcreations, and fans have been clamoring for a matchup between the two speciesfor years. Their dreams were teased by a brief shot of an alien skull in thePredator's trophy room in Predator 2, indulged by several uneven pairingsin comic books, and finally fulfilled in Rebellion's underrated Aliens VersusPredator video game. Fox Interactive, teamed this time with developerMonolith, delights these fans again with Aliens Versus Predator 2, andthe result is easily one of the most intense 3-D shooters ever released.

Like in the first game, there are three distinct campaigns. One lets you play asthe Predator, another as an Alien, and a third as the overconfident humans theyprey upon. This time out the stories are much more detailed, even crossing overin interesting ways. The plot concerns some arrogant human scientists, a groupof heroic marines, a rogue Predator, and the faceless Alien horde found onLV-1201 (the planet from the first two Alien films).

As a human, you play a fearless roughneck sent to check things out and performmissions. This generally involves rescuing fellow marines, recon work, restoringpower to various systems, and trying to stay alive against fast-moving killingmachines with acid for blood and nasty dispositions. You're armed with theincredible pulse rifle from the films, other weapons such as a knife and a smartgun (which automatically locks onto targets for you), a tension-inducing motiontracker, and a shoulder-mounted flashlight that casts eerie shadows. ThePredator is armed with his shoulder cannon, cloaking device, spear, and hisfamous wrist claws.

The Alien campaign is the most interesting as it first casts you as thespiderlike face hugger. You've got to roam the corridors looking for a solitaryvictim. Once you implant a human, you play the small and snakelikechest-burster, seeking out rodents and other tiny prey so you can quickly molt andgrow into a full-fledged alien. Then all hell breaks loose as the humans becomeyour prey. You can claw, perform a head bite (which restores health), andexecute a fearsome pounce attack that literally explodes the target. Aliens canalso cling and climb on walls, which takes some getting used to, but the effectis exhilarating, as is the hunt.

The graphics are evocative of the films and feature strobe lights, flashing redsand whites, ample darkness, abandoned barricades, sputtering ruined equipment,and horrific scenes of carnage. The music rises and falls with the drama anddraws heavily from the Alien films in particular. And the game is relentlesslycreepy, whether or not you are the hunter or hunted. The audio is equallyeffective, from screaming humans to screeching alien attackers to the familiarPredator purring chuckle. The game is also filled with often amusingconversations between guards, marines, and scientists.

The three campaigns offer 21 missions, but the wide range of multiplayer gamemodes deserve special mention. The game has legs, no matter which species youprefer, and already a community has sprung up for challenges between gamers.Unfortunately, the Net code is a bit buggy: be sure to download the latestpatch.

Monolith has created a much better game than the previous installment, mainly bypumping up the atmosphere, refining the controls, and making sure the threestories combine into a greater tale of horror and survival. Oh, and mostimportantly to some, the game lets you save whenever you want. Just rememberthis when playing the game--on the Internet, no one can hear you scream, butyour neighbors can. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Superb atmosphere that evokes the best of the movies
• Excellent graphics and single-player gaming

• You need the marines to do a bug hunt in the multiplayer code

Reviews (24)

The BEST FPS game EVER!!
I've played lots of FPS games: Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Quake I & II, the DOOM series, Unreal, the AvP series(which is awesome), Wolfenstein, Deus Ex(also awesome), etc.You name it, I've probably played it...but QUAKE III wears the crown for most badass straight-up FPS game.Very intense and lots of fun.And the online Capture the Flag games are highly addicting.This game is about 3 years old and I'm still waiting for someone to top it!DEFINATELY WORTH THE MONEY!!

plz ship one game to germany!!!
Hi,
I know this game and I'm 25 years old. It is not offered at german amazon or ebay. So, I even will fax a copy of my pass and drivers license if its necessary. Above that I will pay the full according shipping taxes of course. My E-Mail-Adress is A.Paus@gmx.de. Please contace me !!
mfG Alexander Paus

Quake 3 is still the best!
Quake 3's DeathMatch and CTF cannot be compared. It's got the best graphics and physics of any FPS - much better than recent games like UT2K3 and BF:1942. If you want extremely intense action with superb physics and perfectly balanced weapons, Quake 3 is for you. It has tons of mods, tons of servers, and a huge community. It's easily the best first person shooter in the history of gaming and still remains the king.

Read the FiringSquad review - which covers the game best - in summary:

"So what does Quake 3 give you? It's quite simple: the utter refinement of deathmatch, and the ultimate multiplayer shooter experience - nothing more, nothing less. " -- Dennis "Thresh" Fong

Reviews (20)

No Reason To Get It
Wow. Who'd be dumb enough to buy this when you could go to bungie.net and look at the walkthrough there?Even on Legendary Halo's not that hard.

KICK ASS
rocked me to my core. this game has kept me glued to the tv screen for a year and i don't plan on leaving. highly recommended!!!

Editorial Review

Features

• Half-Life: Blue Shift
• Comprehensive bundle of the award-winning first-person action-shooter Half-Life games
• Features Half-Life: Game of the Year Edition
• Half-Life: Opposing Force
• Team Fortress Classic and Half-Life: Counter-Strike

Reviews (19)

DON'T BUY
This is a horrible game...half life 1 is s*%t! half life 2 is good, buy that. the graphics suck and the storyline and actual game is not fun to play

a must-have for any PC gamer
Half-Life has revolutionized first-person shooters in an amazing way; it made you use your brain instead of just your left-mouse button. And Even though Half-Life 2 is sweeping up all the press, the original, and its expansions, are still worth much praise. And this set is less than 20$ now! If you have a computer that meets the specified system requirements listed, buy this. Best 20 or so dollars you will ever spend.

Editorial Review

Unreal Tournament earned Action Game of the Year accolades from Gamespot, CNET Gamecenter, and Amazon.com. While other games matched it for single-player and online multiplayer deathmatch excitement, UT stood out as the best team-based action game of 1999. Players duel with sci-fi weapons in such diverse environments as a rocking pirate ship, an amphibious invasion in World War II, and opposing guard towers atop a wildly spinning asteroid.

Reviews (66)

One of the best Final Fantasy guides ever made!!!!!
This guide has everything you could possibly want to know about Final Fantasy X. Maps for every area, detailed walkthrough, shop lists for every area, each character's sphere grid, a whole picture of the entire sphere grid, how to get every ultimate weapon. There is a two page list of how to obtain every single ablility for weapons and armor including the No Encounters ability. It really goes into detail about every sidequest and mini-game including Blizball that has pages of Blizball player data for every single player and team. There is an interview with the Squaresoft team about the development and a two-sided poster of Rikku's Overdrive Mix on one side and the entire Sphere Grid on the other side which is also included in the actual guide. I love the pictures and illustrations, it's a very beautiful guide. There are pictures and details about every Aeon and all the abilities that every Aeon can have.

There's only one minor flaw with this guide: in the Bestiary section, they don't tell where you see the enemies in the game. And I know that they list all the enemies in the beginning of each section throughout the walkthrough but those lists are a shorter version of the real lists in the back of the guide. For instance, if I just want to know an enemies' HP, it will tell me in that section of the guide, but if I want to know what I will get for Bribing, how much Gil is needed to Bribe, if I want to know if an enemy is immune to Poison or something like that, I have to turn to the back of the guide. That's the only downfall but other than that, the guide is perfect.

Great from what I've heard
From what I've heard, this seems to be the best guide made by Brady Games. The Final Fantasy IX Guide was a sorry excuse for a quide, always telling you to goto PlayOnline.com and even if you were to go there it wont exsist anymore...

Editorial Review

The Sims: Deluxe Edition combines The Sims, the most popular PC game of all time, and the top-selling Livin' Large expansion pack in one box with a host of all-new exclusive features and content.

In this box you'll find:

• The Sims: Create an entire neighborhood of Sims and run or ruin their lives with the full version of the bestselling PC game of all time. Help your Sims pursue careers, make friends, and find romance--or make a complete mess of things! Open-ended gameplay gives you the freedom to set your own goals as you chart your Sims' destiny.
• The Sims: Livin' Large: With over 125 additional items, five additional career tracks with 50 additional jobs, and a cast of wild characters like the Grim Reaper and the Genie, this bestselling expansion pack puts your Sims into outrageous situations and settings.
• The Sims Creator: Create any Sim you can imagine with this powerful new tool that allows even novice users to customize every detail of how their Sims look. Choose their clothing or create your own. Select from a variety of details like ties, jewelry, and tattoos. Players can even put their own face in The Sims with this easy-to-use tool.
• 25+ Exclusive Objects: Furnish your Sims' homes with two completely new design sets with over 25 objects exclusive to The Sims: Deluxe Edition.
• 50+ New Clothing Choices: A selection of modern and extreme fashion choices await your Sims.

The game begins with the creation of your simulated people: pick a name and a gender, decide on personality/astrological sign, and then choose a look from a variety of heads, bodies, and skin tones. Name, gender, and appearance don't affect gameplay much, but personality determines how your Sim plays with others. A serious, neat Sim might go crazy living with a sloppy party animal--or opposites might attract, and the two could end up falling in love.

After creation, the next step is to find a place to live. Again, the player can choose from among the empty houses in the neighborhood or decide to buy some land and design a dream house. Building houses is a blast, and the easy-to-use house design interface could almost be its own game: players design the floor plan, put up walls, pick carpet, wallpaper, and siding, and fill the house with furniture, decorations, fixtures, and appliances. You're limited only by your imagination--and your Sims' pocketbook. But the choices you make in designing and decorating your Sims' house are vital.

A good general rule is that the more expensive the object, the better its ability to satisfy Sim needs. Each little Sim person has needs (Hunger, Comfort, Hygiene, Bladder, Energy, Fun, Social, and Room) which can be satisfied by interaction with other Sims or purchased objects: throw a party with the help of a rockin' stereo system, and watch your Sims' Social and Fun ratings improve. Have one of your Sims whip up some food from the refrigerator, and you'll satisfy the Hunger needs of your guests. Or have your Sim engage another Sim in a game of chess: not only will their Fun and Social moods improve, both Sims will gain some points in their Logic skill rating--which might help on the job.

One gameplay goal is to improve your Sim so he or she can climb a career ladder, which nets him or her more money, which allows the purchase of higher quality stuff, which lets you improve your Sim even more. With proper care, your Sim can have a mate, kids, and a mansion with an indoor pool.

Mismanage your new, simulated family, and you'll be faced with the worst of MTV's The Real World: jealousies will ignite, fights will break out, jobs will be lost, and the house will fall apart. Bringing about such a calamity is almost as much fun as guiding your Sims to material paradise, and takes considerably less time.

Triumph or tragedy, each significant event in a Sim's life is captured in a snapshot and saved in a photo album for later viewing. Players can also take photos any time they wish. The photo album feature is cool by itself, but the best part is that you can upload the album to www.thesims.com and share your Sims' sagas with the world. Entire families can also be uploaded and downloaded, as can houses. Want to re-create and manage your own version of Friends? Download the free face and body editor and make Sim clones of the Ross, Rachel, and the rest. Want to perfectly re-create the set? Snag the free wall and floor texture editor. Feeling a little silly? Add Darth Vader to the family and see what happens. With The Sims, you can create whatever--and whomever--you desire.

Toying with the lives, successes, and emotional states of dozens of little Sims is undeniably fun. In the same way that SimCity players develop a condescending attitude toward real-world city planners, The Sims players will begin to see life as a series of needs-satisfying challenges; the game gets in your head. But that's OK: limitless gameplay, endless variety, imaginative Internet features, and the ability to play matchmaker/landlord/counselor/God makes The Sims a great way to increase your own Fun score. --Mike Fehlauer

Pros:

• Unique, addictive, fun gameplay
• Included photo album feature records triumphs and tragedies
• Free uploads and downloads expand the game and allow swapping with other players
• Sims are smart--it's sometimes best to just let them act on their own

• Addictive gameplay may cause loss of sleep, job
• Complex behavioral modeling program--requires serious computing power
• No pets other than fish

New characters (including a gladiator and Xena-like warriors), and, moreimpressively, new decorations are the reasons to buy this game. Thefurnishingsare mostly grouped by theme, with the medieval dungeon option the mostauthoritative of the bunch. (Little Cassandra Goth has been longing toread by torch light all along.)

Our personal favorite is the futuristic theme, with an optional, butexpensive,maid/gardener robot to take care of the fabulous modern furnishings. ClearlytheSims team has been doing its research over at Herman Miller, and you'll have abright red, flowing-foam sofa to show for it.

But it wouldn't be The Sims if only good taste prevailed. Bring on themai tais with a tiki-heavy islander theme. There's also a startling collectionof carpeting and objects best grouped under the design ideal we call "dementedclown."

The attention-getting rarities include: a lame fortune-telling ball (ouradvicemostly centered around hiring a maid), a voodoo doll for hexing roommates,and agenie who delivers as much bad as good (dead plants, anyone?). And, yes,there'sa vibrating bed to give your Sims the spice they've been missing.