A-Z: Videogame reviews
More like A to Y, actually. 
Category: Videogames
Game Zone: Blast from the Past
I’m not sure what happened, but this latest entry in 989 Sports’ football (as the rest of the world calls it) franchise kicks major butt over the previous installment.
Bigger is the name of the game for 2005
With 2005 just one day away, we look ahead to what’s in store for the videogaming industry. It’s going to be a busy year. With the introduction of its PSP, Sony will be making a bold move to break Nintendo’s domination of the handheld market. And fans of popular games such as “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” will be pleased to learn their favorites finally will be available on other platforms.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
While 2004 has been a strong year for video games, it’s one of the latest releases that has truly made an impact on me. Regular readers of this column won’t be surprised to learn that my pick for game of the year is Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.”
Game Zone: The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II–The Sith Lords, Crash ‘N’ Burn
The idea is to race cars and crash your competitors out of the race. Simple idea. Simple game. Unfortunately, there’s nothing more than that.
The videogames everyone wants for the holidays
Video games aren’t just for kids anymore. The Entertainment Software Association’s most recent data shows the average age of gamers is 29. While many games still are marketed for the kiddies, video gaming these days is hardly child’s play.
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2
When it’s all said and done, you’ve got to give your props to Tony Hawk. Though the extreme athlete is getting a little long in the tooth (dude, he’s in his 30s!), he’s got a nice little franchise going with his eponymous skateboarding videogames.
Game Zone: Mario Pinball Land, Law & Order: Justice is Served, X_Men Legends
Doing Dong! Unless you haven’t watched TV in the last few years, you’re probably familiar with the foreboding two-note intro that starts every episode of “Law & Order” and its spin-offs. The latest in the “Law & Order” PC game franchise takes you into the world of an Anna Kournikova-ish tennis star who is found dead the day before she’s supposed to play at a big tournament.
Game Zone: Tales of Symphonia, In-Fisherman Freshwater Trophies, Kim Possible 2: Drakken’s Demise
Kim Possible is kind of a mix between Sabrina the teenage witch and Buffy the vampire slayer. Cute, perky and very athletic, this cartoon character is a popular high school cheerleader by day and a crime fighter at night.
Doom 3
“Doom 3” is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it particularly subtle. But if you like films such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Nightmare on Elm Street” or even those “Alien” flicks, you’ll probably get a kick from this well-worn franchise.
Game Zone: Catwoman, Splinter Cell, Karaoke Revolution
“I’ve been playing this game called ‘Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles’ a lot with my GameCube these past days. It’s actually the first game that lets you use the Game Boy Advance as a controller. It’s very nifty — you can use it to see maps, status, lists, and stuff like that while you play with other people. ” — Sebastien Lefebvre of Simple Plan, part of Saturday’s Warped Tour show at the Tweeter Center
Game Zone: NBA Ballers, Samurai Warriors, Shrek 2
“We got out of control playing [PlayStation 2] games on our last tour. We haven’t played that many on this tour, but ‘Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’ is sooooo much fun. But we can’t play it anymore because we lost it somewhere.” –Sharin Foo, lead singer of the Raveonettes
Game Zone: Lifeline, Jet Li, Pitfall
“You’ll laugh because it’s an older game on an older platform, but one of my favorite games is F-Zero X for Nintendo 64. I am the reigning household champ at that game.” –Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Richard Marx
Game Zone: Peter Pan: The Motion Picture Event
How do you successfully take a motion picture event and encapsulate it into a game for a GBA? Well, you really don’t. “Peter Pan” works on some levels; the storytelling is adorable — from Peter’s first meeting with Wendy through his final battle with Captain Hook.
Game Zone: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Mega Man Zero 2, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Feel like you’re missing out on some secrets within “Arc the Lad?” Use the steal spell on your enemies and shake them down for items that uncover extra bonuses in the game.
Game Zone: EA Sports Rugby 2004, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo, XIII
“My favorite is ‘NBA Live,’ because I love basketball. It’s very entertaining and realistic. The graphics are great. It’s almost like you’re watching a real basketball game. –DaMarcus Beasley, the Chicago Fire midfielder
Game Zone: P.N.03, Jak II, Dance Dance Revolution Max 2
Peter Gabriel recently inked a deal with Ubisoft to provide his song “Burn You Up, Burn You Down” on November’s “Uru: Ages Beyond Myst” game. Why stop there? We think Ubisoft’s “Ape Escape 2” is a perfect match for Gabriel’s “Shock the Monkey.”
Game Zone: Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Bombastic, Wrestlemania XIX
Everybody loves a bargain–especially gamers. Nintendo reports that GameCube sales have quadrupled since they dropped the price to $99.99.
Game Zone: Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Voodoo Vince, Simpsons: Hit and Run
Game Boy Advance players won’t need cables to link handhelds together anymore, thanks to Nintendo’s plan to include a free device (similar to Bluetooth technology) with its upcoming “Pokemon” title, due out in 2004.