53 The Simpsons ROAD RAGE (EA/Fox Interactive, 2001)
It's Crazy Taxi meets the Simpsons, literally! in the game you help the Simpson's Family (plus some secret character too) out on their new delivery service to compete with Mr. Burns new nuclear powered buses. Yeah, I don't get it either. Although it's very unoriginal and the load times are very annoying, chances are you'll get a kick out the game's real voices and good graphics.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 6
sound: 8
gameplay: 5
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67
UFC THROWDOWN (Crave Entertainment, 2002)I'm a huge fan of watching real one on one fights so that's why I really like the idea of a Ultimate Fighting Championship video game. If you don't know the deal two men enter an enclosed Octagon and just beat the hell out of one another (hopefully, sometimes they don't do a lot). You get play as big mixed martial arts names like Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and many others plus you can create your character as well. You can either knock out, submit, or win by decision here so it opens up various ways to fight. This is another game in their long running series but other then a few new moves and escapes, it still feels like the same game found on the old Sega Dreamcast and the whole one on one action can get repetitive after a while. UFC Throwdown looks and sounds pretty good but expect anything new here.
For 1 to 8 players
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 7
sound: 7
gameplay: 6
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70 ULTIMATE MUSCLE (Asmik, 2003)Wrestling games have either been about soap opera-like story lines or hardcore violence but Ultimate Muscle here is quite different from all those other titles. Based on the wild wrestling characters from the cartoon show of the same name, you get to fight your way through the ranks so you can become the next world champion. Even though this game was created from the makers of No Mercy (Aki) so the game controls very well but you still have to use to being able to jump, the heavy cartoon visuals are usually to take, and the corny story isn't for everyone. Although the game is on the weird side, Ultimate Muscle is a lot of fun.
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 7
sound: 8
gameplay: 8
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77
VIEWTIFUL JOE (Capcom, September 7, 2003)Sure, the name sounds pretty weird but Viewtiful Joe has to be the most original game to come out in 2003! You follow the story of a average teenage movie fan who just witness his long time hero get defeated during a show. Things gets even weirder when his girlfriend gets adducted by a movie monster. You must now become a cool looking super hero with the ability to play with time if you want to rescue your love. Although the game is way too hard, Viewtiful Joe is a very creative title with a lot of style.
For 1 player only
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 9
sound: 8
gameplay: 8
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62 VIEWTIFUL JOE 2 (Capcom, 2004)
I guess since Capcom has another hit franchise on their hands (although it wasn't a block buster by means) it appears they are ready to bury the series into the ground with a bunch of minor upgrades. Here is the first lame sequel of many! Viewtiful Joe 2 almost looks exactly the same as the last game but now you get to either play as the time altering Joe or his sexy but stereotypical cheerleader girlfriend who can use replay effects and projectiles. It's great that you can switch between the two at any point during the game and the action is as fun as ever but Viewtiful Joe 2 still feels like the same old title you played before so it doesn't feel like a real sequel.
For 1 player only
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 7
sound: 7
gameplay: 5
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76
WARIO WARE Mega Party Games (Nintendo, 2004)Wario had a real winner with the original Wario Ware Micro Games Inc. for the Gameboy Advance and Nintendo knows it. Basically this is the same game as the Gameboy Advance original because all the quick 3 to 6 second long 200 plus mini games are no different here. The game even has the same out dated graphics and sounds that just look embarrassing on the powerful Gamecube. There is some cool extras though. The new multi-player games are the real meat on this bone. Players can compete in random mini games to see if they can out last the others and if you get eliminated first you may be able to interfere the other player's game as well. Wario Ware isn't too innovative but the collection of mini games are still quick and challenging enough to test anyone plus if you want a good multi-player then you may want to try this.
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 3
sound: 3
gameplay: 8
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55 WAVE RACE Blue Storm (Nintendo, November 18 2001)
Here is the long awaited sequel to the original ground breaking N64. Although we had to wait over 5 years for this to arrive the game doesn't really do too much for me and the original Jetski game was just fine with me anyway. The graphics are mediocre, the controls are unforgiving, and the sounds are average at best. This is not a very good title for Nintendo's next generation system here and the new Wave Race BS ended up being quite unremarkable despite the long wait.
For 1 or 2 players
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 7
sound: 6
gameplay: 6
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75 WWE
Day of Reckoning (THQ/Yukes, August 31, 2004)DOR does a lot of things right. I love the whole idea of the rags to riches story mode and the graphics and animation are top-notch as well. Unfortunately, like the Wrestlemania X8 and XIX games, DOR still isn't much fun to play with friends because the constant button mashing needed to get up, escape a submission, and ripping off the clothes really starts to hurt in the Bra and Panties in only a few minutes. It was so bad that my friends never want to play 'what should have been' an awesome Bra and Panties women's match ever again! WWE Day of Reckoning is still a fully loaded game that wrestling fans will love.
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (T) for Teen
graphics: 8
sound: 7
gameplay: 6
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Dud of the Month
55 WWE
WrestleMania X8 (THQ/Yukes, June 2002)I'm a huge wrestling fan and WrestleMania X8 for Gamecube sure looks great in the screen shots, eh? WrestleMania X8, on paper, sure has a lot going for it like a updated 2002 roster (unlike WWF Raw for Xbox and WWF Smackdown 3 for PS2) featuring some newer WCW/ECW stars, tons of speciality matches like Hell in the Cell and Ladder, plus killer graphics and sounds custom made for the Gamecube. Sounds good, doesn't it? Don't be fooled, this game has some serious issues! WrestleMania X8 for Game Cube maybe a solid wrestling games on this system but now there is some stiffer competition from other wrestling titles like the Ultimate Muscle, and the limited but very fun to play Def Jam. What's even sadder than that is the ol' Nintendo 64 system and No Mercy game combine are probably cheaper than getting the WM 18 game brand new.
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (T) for Teen
graphics: 6
sound: 5
gameplay: 6
Find WWE Wrestlemania X8 on eBay here!
69 WWE
WrestleMania XIX (THQ/Yukes, September 2003)"Kurt Angle gets the game cover, alright!" He's one of my favourite wrestlers and I'm glad to see he's getting some more respect. It's True! As for the game itself, I will give the developer Yukes a lot of credit for trying hard to improve on last year's rather mediocre WWE WrestleMania 18 also on the Game Cube here. Some of newer editions include a brand new story mode, a updated 2003 roster, and a better grappling system but for all the positives there are still a lot of big problems holding this wrestling video game back. The animation still doesn't look as smooth as other top Game Cube grapplers and the game is a pain to play in multiple player action as well thanks to a lack of a block button.
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (T) for Teen
graphics: 7
sound: 6
gameplay: 8
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All reviews are by StarSoldier1 unless noted.