Sony Reviews

The Sony Playstation has become one of the greatest game consoles of all time. Sony took the 2D gaming crowd and converted them into a 3D gaming nation. While doing this, a few surprise titles have appeared. Although the system is now very late in its life cycle and Playstation2 will soon take its place, Activision has published one of the most surprising games since the original Jumping Flash! Tony Hawk Pro Skater is a skateboarding simulation that offers great controls, awesome music, excellent graphics, and addictive multiplayer modes.

Three words are synonymous with high quality gaming on the PC: Rune, Viking and Warlord. Unfortunately for me, a gamer with a low-end graphics card, I was unable to experience Rune: Viking Warlord when it was released for the PC last year. It was pretty heartbreaking for me, as I usually get to play all of the best games available each year. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky in Rune's case...

Probably the most popular fighting game franchise around the world, Street Fighter is a legend. Though the series hasn't changed its basic formula much over the years, Capcom adds enough to each chapter to keep the series going strong. A few years ago, Capcom took the series into 3D for the first time with Street Fighter EX Plus for the PSOne. The play mechanics were basically the same, but the characters were all modeled in 3D along with the backgrounds. Spectacular light shows also accompanied the special moves and super combos. It was one of the PlayStation's greatest fighting games and the start of the Street Fighter EX series. Now, with the launch of the PlayStation 2, comes Street Fighter EX 3. Unfortunately, it's not as good as it could have been.

The illustrious Pamela Anderson finally stars in her own video game based on the television series V.I.P. The show has garnered quite a following with its explosive action sequences, high-octane car chases, and--oh who are we kidding? V.I.P. rules because we can see Pamela and her cute little friends run around in tight-fitting outfits while they pretend to be chasing some bad guys.

Warning: if the "Blair Witch Project" camera doesn't make you sick, the gameplay will.

Shadow of Destiny, the follow up game from Junko Kawano, creator of Konami's 1999 masterpiece Silent Hill, is basically a murder mystery. That alone would be unusual for a game, but Shadow has an incredible twist. The player's character, Eike Kusch, is the one murdered in the opening sequences of the game. Eike is then brought back to life by an entity calling itself Homunculus, and the player (controlling Eike) is given a time travel device, and returned a few minutes before the death originally took place.

Ever wonder how gamers' superior sneak, Solid Snake, would look like decked out in medieval garb, sporting rickety obsidian gages and greaves, a blood besmirched tunic, and an arsenal of knives enough to put Ginsu out of business? Be lucky if you have.

The Bouncer is one of Squaresoft's first domestic game for the PlayStation 2. Like past fighter/RPG hybrids, this one again fails to excel in either genre. Featuring incredible graphics and a decent story, The Bouncer tries hard to be a good game but ends up being one that ultimately falls flat.

"Suikoden spells war"' is the terse slogan Konami is toting to promote their new game, Suikoden II. But this sequel to the original melee masterpiece also spells love, intrigue, betrayal, and a great game.

Back in the days of the SNES, there were very few RPG's. And since the market for them was very tough, only the best made the cut. Square's legacy was virtually created with two games, Final Fantasy IV (which was known originally as II on the SNES) and Chrono Trigger. While the current generation of Square games looks better due to technology, fans usually will agree that FF4 and CT are two of the best games that ever have come out of Square's development studios ever.