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If ever a film was overdue for the console treatment it is ... Read more

If ever a film was overdue for the console treatment it is Rocky. The game is full of the atmosphere of all five films. From Rocky's humble beginnings to his crowning glory as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, this game has the lot. Take control of the Italian Stallion in your effort to beat the rest--including Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang (aka Mr T), Ivan Drago and Tommy Gunn--and be the best. Like most boxing games it has the usual exhibition and sparring modes, but being licensed from a film it also has the all-important movie mode, which is where the fun starts. Progress through the fights to unlock each new opponent en route to meeting your big movie rivals. After each fight you'll need to improve your fighting prowess by training; you can do this the hard way, under your own steam, or opt for the auto-train mode which improves your precious stats for your next bout. Finish the movie mode and unlock the knockout tournament and prepare for some intense button bashing. With the ring full of boxing sims the question is "Which one packs the biggest punch?" Rocky, with its great graphics, great combos and the all-important great gameplay, is the top contender. --Rob Holliday This review refers to the Xbox version of the game Minimize

If you're not content with just watching Hulk on the screen ... Read more

If you're not content with just watching Hulk on the screen or reading about him in comics and want to be the big green beast--and if you like the punishment of super villainy to involve as much collateral damage as possible--then step right up for some true video gaming mayhem. Based loosely on the Ang Lee movie, Hulk the game casts you as the weedy Bruce Banner, who rather inconveniently turns into a giant green monster whenever he gets annoyed (good job he doesn't take the London Underground to work or he'd burst a blood vessel). Although the movie features only human bad guys the video game features a number of the Hulk's comic-book enemies, including big-headed bad guy the Leader. At first glimpse the game appears to be a fairly ordinary 3-D scrolling beat-'em-up, but it manages to spice things up via the fact that you actually spend a significant part of the game as Bruce Banner, sneaking around army labs and the like in a manner that would make Solid Snake proud. No doubt Hulk combat is what you're really interested in, and here the game doesn't disappoint, with lots of moves and the ability to destroy just about anything within reach, including walls and even the floor beneath you. Simplistic it may be, but it's good fun for those with a short attention span. --David Jenkins Minimize

Platforms: GameCube

Platforms: GameCube, ESRB Rating: Teen

From Sega, creators of that other job-based driving game Cr ... Read more

From Sega, creators of that other job-based driving game Crazy Taxi, comes 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker. While hauling logs, fuel and heavy machinery over vast distances might not be the most tantalising of prospects for a video game, Sega have thankfully condensed the mundane experience into bite-sized chunks of arcade action. 18 Wheeler's main mode is "Arcade", where players can test their skills against a direct port of the coin-op original. Here your mission is to deliver four increasingly valuable trailers in a whistle-stop tour of the US, avoiding the perils of traffic, natural disasters and of course the ever-decreasing time limit. While the arcade machine's juggernaut-sized steering wheel is missing, everything else is present and correct, including the ridiculous taunts from your evil nemesis "Lizard Tail". This motor-mouthed fiend makes your life difficult by attempting to run you off the road and littering your path with his jettisoned cargo. Beat him to the end of the stage, though, and you'll be rewarded with a sub-game that sees you attempting to park your truck as quickly and accurately as possible to win improved parts. Other features in the main game include special bonus cars that can be run over for extra time, and shortcuts to help you skip ahead of the opposition. When you tire of the "Arcade" mode" there are a couple of other mini-games to play. The best of the bunch by far is the "Versus" mode where two truckers can compete in a split-screen race to finish the chosen circuit with as much cash as possible. Unfortunately, this is the only mode with any real replay value. "Score Attack" is a rather dull single-player take on the versus mode and "Parking Challenge" is a more sophisticated version of the "Arcade" mode's between-levels sub-game. Ultimately, the meagre four circuits on offer mean that even with a good buddy to play against 18 Wheeler won't last the long haul. --Tim Cant Minimize

Reign of Fire is based on the dragon-filled movie that prom ... Read more

Reign of Fire is based on the dragon-filled movie that promised massed battles between dragons and humans, but unfortunately didn't deliver. However Bam!'s officially licensed title is filled to the brim with dragons, tanks and lots of nice machine guns--and you can choose to play as a human taking on the pesky dragons or as one of the fire-breathing monsters taking on the pesky humans. Great stuff. In the Human element of the game you have to drive around the game areas completing various mission objectives while shooting at the hordes of ancient beasts. You start with just a machine gun hitched to the back of a jeep to fight the flaming brutes, and as the game progresses you pick up lots of new and pretty looking weapons to add to your arsenal. In Dragon mode you get to swoop around spitting fire balls and terrorising the poor humans; it really is great fun--you can even pick up vehicles and throw them around. Reign of Fire offers two different control methods: a simple mode and a more advanced aiming setup in which you use the right analogue stick to aim with; it's hard to start with but very effective once you're used to it. Overall, Reign of Fire is a fun and polished title which makes you think what a great film the movie could have been. --Laurent S Hall Minimize

Platforms: GameCube

In Blood Omen 2 you play the bad guy, but the vampires in t ... Read more

In Blood Omen 2 you play the bad guy, but the vampires in the Legacy of Kain series are more likely to talk you to death than get around to chewing on your jugular. Blood Omen 2 is a sequel to the okay-ish original, whose greatest claim is that it spawned two much higher quality spin-offs, in the form of Soul Reaver 1 and 2. The original Blood Omen was a top-down, 2-D, with vaguely Zelda-esque RPG action that sold pretty much on the fact that you were the baddie and could run around drinking innocent people's vital fluids. This new game has the same concept, but because everything's in 3-D it comes across as nothing more than a poor man's Soul Reaver 2. Despite the fact that there's just as much combat in this game as Soul Reaver you're saddled with a very sluggish control system, and the puzzles have been made much less interesting--90 per cent of them involve pulling switches. The game is also incredibly linear and the graphics, although quite detailed in places, suffer from bad slowdown. In short, if you're a fan of the Legacy of Kain series buy Soul Reaver 2 on PS2 instead. If you can take or leave all the vampire nonsense then Star Fox Adventures is a much better entry in the hall of 3-D adventuring fame. --David Jenkins This review refers to the PlayStation 2 version. Minimize

If you've ever wanted to drive a ludicrously fast car down ... Read more

If you've ever wanted to drive a ludicrously fast car down narrow roads at terrifying speed there's no longer any need to thrash a Mini Metro through the countryside--just buy V-Rally 3. The latest in Sega's highly successful series of off-road racing games embodies the best and the worst aspects of the racing genre: it's great fun, and unlike some racing games it's possible to smash huge chunks off your motor and give it a, er, structural redesign. On the downside it's hard, very hard, to master. The learning curve is almost vertical and it takes a good couple of hours' practice to get to the point where you can keep the car on the road for any length of time. Get past this initial sticking point, however, and V-Rally is excellent fun. Graphically it's gorgeous--low sun blocks the view of the horizon in winter weather and the snow courses look so real it's tempting to get out of the car and construct a quick snowman. Sound too adds to the flavour with fully realistic engine sounds and a co-driver who gets almost sarcastic when a mistimed bend results in an unfortunate meeting with the scenery. Race modes include an arcade driving section and an excellent career mode which allows the competitive player to tackle the 20 top class vehicles on offer. Overall, V-Rally 3 is a very worthwhile purchase; once the initial shock of the difficulty wears off there's real depth and excitement here. --Chris Russell Minimize

Take a pinch of Tron's lightcycle action, mix in more than ... Read more

Take a pinch of Tron's lightcycle action, mix in more than a dollop of WipEout and introduce the mix to the PlayStation 2, and you have Extreme G3. It's a tried and trusted formula--futuristic motorcycling on gravity-defying circuits with armaments on the cycles and turbo boosts which make everything go blurry--and it's utterly engrossing. There's no attempt at realism here; it's arcade racing at its best. Graphics are incredibly smooth, with no distance pop-up, and the background details are splendid--the cityscapes have a stark reality to them and the 360-degree loops are a joy to behold (if a little stomach turning). There's plenty here to keep the average arcade racing fan happy--extra gadgets for your chosen vehicle and increased capacity engines, tyres and more are all there for the taking and all help to speed the player through the game to the point where the really groovy effects kick in. With a bike that's boosted to the hilt, hitting the turbo button produces an utterly stunning effect; the screen distorts as you hit high G and the sound goes woozy, waving in and out of phase to simulate the effect of raw speed. It's really very impressive. Add to this the novelty of the side-by-side two player mode and Extreme G3 is great fun and good value for money. --Chris Russell Minimize

Platforms: GameCube, ESRB Rating: Teen

In a year dominated by the World Cup it's inevitable that s ... Read more

In a year dominated by the World Cup it's inevitable that soccer games by the handful will be released into a market keen to soak up as much footie as possible. Enter Konami's ISS 2, the follow-up to their massively successful International Superstar Soccer on the PS2. Being a follow-up doesn't guarantee success, however, and ISS 2 proves it's possible to take a winning formula and contaminate it with a sprinkling of annoyances that take the shine off a game that promised so much. The biggest problem stems right from the heart of the gameplay itself. Player control suffers from stop/start movements, meaning a change of direction can result in instant loss of possession as the opposition sweep the ball away while the player under your control hesitates for a second before performing the desired manoeuvre. Get caught by this a couple of times and you'll realise how exasperating it is and how it breaks up the smooth flow of play. Commentary too is weak and lacks the variety and smooth flow of titles such as 2002 FIFA World Cup--turning it off is the only real way forward unless you're in a sadistic mood. If you can push these issues to one side, the rest of ISS2 is a pretty good effort. Intro screens and menus are comprehensive and easy to use and a wealth of club, national and international sides are presented for your ball-booting pleasure. Action replays are comprehensive and, as has become the norm, can be viewed from hundreds of different angles. Graphically, the game's a treat for the eyes and manages to inject a little humanity into the players (unlike 2002 FIFA World Cup's zombie Beckham, who's more likely to frighten the opposition to death than shimmy round them with a flick of the boot). All in all, though, ISS 2 feels woolly and below par; the inadequacies of the control system make a real dent in the gameplay, which is very disappointing and takes some of the excitement away--it feels more like radio-controlled football then "being there". For best results stick to 2002 FIFA World Cup or try out Sega's Virtua Striker. --Chris Russell Minimize