http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,395073~7~0~10bestvideogamereleases,00.html In case you haven't seen it, Entertainment Weekly has a great issue on gaming. Look for Lora Kroft on the cover. Here is their list of top 10 games: 1 GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY (Rockstar Games, PlayStation 2, Mature) The reason ''Vice City'' blows every other game away isn't that it's a driving, shooting, action, or simulation game, but that it's all four combined into a criminally stylish package. Riding around on a hog in a Don Johnson suit listening to Wave 103, or one of the six other '80s radio stations, is as much fun as figuring out how to defend Tommy Vercetti's mansion from rival mobsters. Granted, it's not ''The Sopranos'' -- even ''Scarface'' had more emotional depth -- but a visit to Vice City is sure to keep you out all night. 2 ETERNAL DARKNESS: SANITY'S REQUIEM (Nintendo, GameCube, Mature) With a revolutionary ''camera'' that captures the action with the visual flair of a James Cameron movie, and a combat system that combines an arsenal of period weaponry with an impressive book of magic spells, ''Eternal Darkness'' makes for a unique experience. And if playing through a murder mystery that spans 20 centuries and involves a dozen playable characters sounds daunting, well, it is. But to ignore this adventure title is to miss out on one of the most thoroughly immersive and challenging games of the year. 3 WARCRAFT III: REIGN OF CHAOS (Blizzard, Mac/PC, Teen) Steeped in story and majestically crafted, ''Warcraft III'' has all the trappings of an epic. Available only for computers, this strategy game pits four warring factions against each other in huge fantasy battles with dozens of troops. You'll need to use your noggin to win, but the rich visuals and deep gameplay leave a lasting impression. And when the massive single-player game is finally over, there's more: You can go head-to-head against friends in online multiplayer skirmishes. 4 TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL (Ubi Soft, Xbox, Teen) Tom Clancy's gadget-loaded undercover operatives make for obvious digital-entertainment heroes, and his previous games had a certain ''Guns & Ammo'' appeal. But ''Splinter Cell'' creates a much bigger stir. The stealth actioner is as impressive for its use of shadows and light as it is for its classic plot about a rogue nuke threat. As you creep past a guard, snipe the overhead lighting, engage your night-vision goggles, stalk your enemy -- whose life will be spared after you've extracted some information -- and you'll understand in a flash why this Xbox-only title is such a surefire hit. 5 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (Electronic Arts, PS2, Teen) Most games based on movies are unnecessary at best -- and downright appalling at worst. But this great hack-and-slash actionfest bucks that trend. Based on sequences from Peter Jackson's first two ''Lord of the Rings'' films, the gameplay feels as if you paused your DVD copy of ''Fellowship,'' stepped right into the middle of key battles as Aragorn, Gimli, or Legolas, and then pressed play. Exclusive ''Two Towers'' footage and Howard Shore's score make this hotter than the fires of Mount Doom. 6 SPIDER-MAN (Activision, all platforms, Everyone) Activision's sticky crime-fighting title debuted alongside its namesake blockbuster and was larded with Peter Parker's corny one-liners. Yet it offered much more than a rehash of the main event. The game engine, which lets you battle the Green Goblin from 50 stories above New York City, along with the 10 original subplots overrun with classic comic-book villains, keeps Spidey swinging long after the movie's credits rolled. 7 MADDEN NFL 2003 (EA, all platforms, Everyone) There are those who, when they see X's and O's, think ''hugs and kisses.'' Well, ''Madden NFL 2003'' is not for them. This game, the latest installment in EA's best-selling football franchise, appeals to the armchair gridiron tactician for whom true joy is drawing up a play fake designed to freeze those outside linebackers and gain 17 yards off that pesky free safety. (Hug and kiss that.) With its mind-boggling depth and eye-pleasing graphics, ''Madden'''s grip on console football can be best described in a word beloved by coaches and general managers everywhere: dynasty. 8 STAR WARS JEDI KNIGHT II: JEDI OUTCAST (LucasArts, all platforms except PS2, Teen) ''Star Wars'' games aren't anything new, but few are as good as this action title where you play lightsaber-wielding hero Kyle Katarn. (No, you're not hallucinating -- he's an original hero not found in the movies.) Set in the era of the classic trilogy, look for guest appearances by Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker. The Force powers are what differentiate this game: Hasn't everyone dreamed of pulling a Vader and strangling a poor Imperial Stormtrooper? 9 MEDAL OF HONOR FRONTLINE (EA, all platforms, Teen) If there were a ''Saving Private Ryan'' game, this would be it. The comparison shouldn't surprise, since it was Steven Spielberg who conceived this World War II-themed videogame series. In this fourth installment, G.I. James Patterson takes part in authentic combat scenarios like the D-Day beach invasion at Normandy. The first-person perspective and brilliant sound design make this an in-your-face war experience in Europe -- which can last a brutal 15 to 20 hours. 10 TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 4 (Activision, all platforms except PC, Teen) You don't need to know the difference between a ''casper'' and a ''stalefish'' to enjoy the vertiginous thrills of this groundbreaking skateboarding title, now in its fourth edition. We like the new Career Mode, in which completing goals will let you access ''pro-specific challenges'' from such luminaries as Chad Muska and ''Jackass'' star Bam Margera (who races you in, yes, a shopping cart). There's also something to be said for creating your own dream park, where you can perfect your flips and grabs. If you're one of the three people who've never played the game, now's the time to get on 'board.
that list blows... nfl2k3 is better than madden in my opinion. where is either resident evil or resident evil 0? rogue sqaudron ruled. eternal darkness graphics suck donkey balls.
That list sucks. Spiderman isn't that great. I heard that Lord of the Rings sucks. Medal of Honor is okay. STAR WARS JEDI KNIGHT II: JEDI OUTCAST sucks.
i keep hearing so much about Vice City. I think I may finally have to dust off the old PS2 and rent the game tomorrow. I hope its worth it because playing video games really takes up my television watching time.
Nah, EW reviewed Metroid Prime before they did this list. They graded it a B+, complaining that the game "didn't have a story." The game does have a story...a pretty damn good one too...it's just presented via scanning rather than scripted cutscenes...which I like because it allows you to piece the story together at your own pace and in your own way, or skip the story altogether. Based on the review, I'm sure the reviewer didn't play the older Metroid games. Eternal Darkness is very good, I enjoyed it a lot, but it has more than a few flaws. On the plus side, it had a pretty interesting story, great atmosphere, made excellent use of sound, and had excellent voice acting. On the minus side, the sanity system was not as effective as it could have been...the execution of the sanity system could have been handled better (ex: get rid of the sanity meter altogether). Some of the insanity effects were well done while others seemed gimmicky. Also, the game as a whole should have been more challenging, and the different "paths" (depending on which artifact you choose in Pious's chapter) should have been differentiated more. I didn't like how your magick recharged just by walking around. The combat system in itself is neat, but it should have been utilized better (most enemies require little strategy). Honestly, it's my most disappointing game of the year...it had a LOT of potential, but quite a bit of it seems wasted.
So...you enjoyed it a lot, but it was the most disappointing game of the year. I really liked the sanity feature, and I don't think I would have liked them to remove the meter, because it is VERY important to know how insane you are so you don't get down so far that you start losing life. I think the graphics could have been done better, and I might have enjoyed a little more in depth fighting system, but it was still fun. I agree that choosing one of the three artifacts should have changed more than it did. I don't agree that the magic meter shouldn't charge up from walking...I can't think of a good alternative to that that would seem better to me.
Madden 2003 not only blows the **** out of NFL2k3, but it blows the **** out of Spiderman too. I don't know about LOTR game though because I wouldn't touch that entire series of movies/games with a 20 foot metal rod.
If you liked GTA3, you will dig Vice City. I'm off work tomorrow and every time my little boy naps I'm going gangster.
That's probably the saddest thing you've ever said besides when you admitted to being a midget ****er.
Well I actually own LOTR:TT and I liked it. WAY too short, but what there is is sweet. The opening of a new game is the actual opening of the movie, and the tutorial level puts you as Isildur at the battle at Mt. Doom. Every level starts off with a cutscene taken straight from the movie and blends in to the game's engine. Covers both Fellowship and Two Towers, meaning yes it has spoilers. Overall, a B+ from me. PROS: combos for the 3 characters are cool and different from each other, EA mixed movie and game together well, extras (pictures, interviews with actors, behind the scenes footage) are tremendous, sound (voices work is from the actors). CONS: TOO SHORT, and where's the damn Balrog?
i've never played it. maybe i should rent that game as well. i've only played sports games for most of my life, never tried much else.
Time to lay off the Smirnoff Ice and white wine spritzers. First, using the term "midget ****er" goes well beyond the boundries of good taste even if your little world of nymphs and fairies was denegrated. Second, flying off the handle over criticism of LOTR doesn't make you look smart. It makes you look pathetic. In conclusion, you are out of line and for all the wrong reasons.
The Lord of the Rings on the Xbox has gotten panned by most reviewers. The Two Towers is a PS2 title and has done quite well. You may be thinking about the wrong game.
No...NO...NO...you can't skip GTA3. I firmly believe that you won't fully appreciate Vice City until you've played GTA3. GTA3 was a landmark game...a revolutionary title. Vice City is where they make improvement nobody thought possible. You HAVE to play GTA3 first.
It's true GTA3 was revolutionary, and Vice City is more of the same with improvements... but if I was going to rent just one of the games for a short while, I'd go to Vice City. If I was going to buy the games and play them through I'd start with GTA3, too much good action to be missed if you are going to play the whole thing. Either way they are both great games.
WARCRAFT III: REIGN OF CHAOS Did anyone think this game was boring ? I liked the other two but for some reason this game just seemed flat.I played less than about half the missions before I got tired of it and deleted it.
