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John McClane is back, and he still hasn't got a clean vest. ... Read more

John McClane is back, and he still hasn't got a clean vest. Die Hard: Vendetta is the GameCube's first exclusive first-person shooter and, despite some problems, it puts the [expletive deleted] back into yippie-kai-yay. There have been lots of attempts at making video games out of the Die Hard films; the only decent one so far has been the original Die Hard Trilogy for the PSone. This new game isn't based on any single film but features its own story that takes place several years after Die Hard with a Vengeance and so has nothing in common with the recent PC game Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza. With Vendetta it seems as if the developers are trying to "do a GoldenEye", taking an established action franchise and building a fairly unique shooter around it. Although it's not as inventive as its inspiration, there is a genuine attempt in Vendetta to provide something new: the real-world police settings are well conceived and the constant set-pieces are exciting and well scripted (complete with lots of foul language). Where the game falls down is in the awful graphics and some questionable level design--in particular a number of irritating jumping sequences. But if you can persevere with these there's much to enjoy, especially some of the neat little touches such as being able to hold bad guy leaders hostage and build up Matrix-style bullet time by saving innocent people. It can't be recommended unequivocally but if you like the films or first-person shooters in general, Vendetta is well worth considering. --David Jenkins. Minimize

Okay, granted Viewtiful Joe is just about the stupidest nam ... Read more

Okay, granted Viewtiful Joe is just about the stupidest name for a video game ever--but seeing as the game is one of the most original, fun and visually stunning for years, it's pretty easy to forgive. Not that the name is the only thing that's odd about Joe, mind: the plot sees you sucked into an old movie, in which you've got to battle evil as a hokey superhero with some nevertheless impressive powers. Viewtiful Joe is a side-scrolling adventure with highly stylised cel-shaded graphics that look literally like a moving comic book. The big gimmick with the gameplay is the "viewpoint" fighting system, which lets you speed up or slow down time whenever you want. The system works beautifully and allows for the kind of balletic, slow-motion fighting that Enter The Matrix utterly failed to deliver. The viewpoint fighting is more than just a gimmick, as many items in the game, from bad guys to bullets, move too fast for the human eye to see. Slow down time, though, and you can duck and weave your way through a hailstorm of missiles and take down your enemies before they've had a chance to even move. The only problem with Viewtiful Joe is that it's so unremittingly hard. It's heartily advised you choose the "Kids" difficulty level, because even that is anything but child's play. The various puzzles can also be a bit tricky but they're all internally consistent and don't come anywhere near spoiling this superb game. --David Jenkins Minimize

Platforms: GameCube

Platforms: GameCube