PlayStation 2

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

This game is going to definately appeal to those that liked the movie, because the characters are true to it, and the game stays on plot almost from beginning to end. It's got some solid if a little frustrating gameplay, a great new way to block and counterattack, and solid graphics to back it all up. Throw in movie clips from the real thing, and a bonus storyline with Lo, and you've got a really good action-fighting game. When I sit down to play Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I usually put 3-4 hours at a time into it. Now that has to tell you something. Solid work once again for UbiSoft!

When playing CTHD you’ll get some pretty cool fighting scenes mixed with par graphics and par sound effects. A good rental if you’re a fan of the movie or you’re interested in what the movie has to offer. In the end, sadly, it doesn’t really make to many sparks in your head go WOW.

Overall, I thought the game had great potential and would have probably been one of my top picks. I did really enjoy the fact that you could wall jump and dash up to the walls, eventually running alongside it like a ninja, but the camera angle problems completely killed my appreciation for the game. If you can bear with this big downside, the game is quite enjoyable; it has good replay value, letting you play four different characters as well as achieving different endings. The awesome martial art fights and blocking chorography are simply astonishing. Hopefully, in the next installment of CTHD, the developers will improve aspect of the game so that it will appeal to a wider audience of gamers instead of just the movie lovers. Try out the game before you make your decision on whether or not it is worth buying.

Most licensed games suck because they are rushed out the door so it can get to store shelves while the movie is still in the theater. So, when a game is released years after the film and it’s still no good, who’s to blame? That’s uncertain, but one thing is for sure: The new Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon game is certainly less than the excellent movie deserves.

Once again we have another great movie that could have been turned into a great game but something got lost along the way. There simply isn’t enough variety in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and the repetitive combat, troublesome camera, and platform-like jumping puzzles will quickly go from entertaining to annoying long before the game is over.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may be worth renting, but if you are looking for a top-notch video game to meet the high standard of martial arts that the movie brought, you’re out of luck.

Additionally, none of the game's unlockables enrich the experience at all--especially when you consider that the unlockable movie clips are far better-served on the Crouching Tiger DVD. To watch your favorite scenes on the DVD, you won't have to play through a mediocre game. In the end, you can simply chalk Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon up as an interesting idea for a game that just didn't work.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was an amazing movie — and one that really came out of nowhere. The game, also, came out of nowhere. I mean, as I said, it has been about three years — the hype for the movie has died down considerably — people have lost most of that spendthrift buzz that comes from a fresh hit franchise. What is most baffling is that they've had three years to make a game on this movie, but clearly they haven't used those three years. While not reaching the absolute moronic bliss of the 8-Bit and 16-Bit era movie cash-ins, this does feel like a trek back to the good old days of movie-based video games. A time when a movie about a demented child killer with knives for fingers could easily be turned into an unassuming platformer with bats and other bugs as main enemies. CT: HD doesn't quite stoop that low — but it may as well have. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a rental at best and even as far as a rental is concerned I strongly recommend against it.

Fans of the movie might be slightly more impressed with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon than fans of fighting games in general. Whilst it's a good thing that you get to play as characters from the movie. the lacklustre combat model in the game means that it just doesn't feel right and requires little skill to master. If the game had a proper combat model in place, improved graphics and a camera that behaved itself then it would have been a much better experience. It's a nice touch that the game is fully subtitled and you won't miss out on the dialogue but essentially there are many better titles in the genre.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon tries to create a novel martial arts fighting system, but quickly buries it in repetitive gameplay. All the bad guys are the same, the same environments get used over and over, and the large majority of the game is about squaring off with five guys at a time. Combine this with some sloppy design and a useless camera and you get a six hour mind-numbing experience.

Absolutely nothing is creative, besides the dodge system. Crouching Tiger is a short game with not really anything to do but hack and slash everyone on-screen. There is no real reason to replay the game either, unless you want to hack and slash some more people. This is not the best title to have in your collection, even if you are a die hard fan of the movie. Does Crouching Tiger even deserve a rental? You be the judge of that, since it is only $5, but with the large amount of high-quality titles coming to Xbox early this year, Crouching Tiger doesn't deserve more than a glance.

Anyone who fancies an afternoon of martial arts action would be much better purchasing a few Hong Kong Legends DVDs and watching them instead. This game isn't even worth the rental cost!

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, alongside Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, drags movie licensed games right back down into the sleazy underworld of quick cash-ins, with a blatant disregard for why the licence might have been a good idea in the first place. There are endless beat-'em-ups, platformers and third-person action adventures that do everything Crouching Tiger does infinitely better, and manage to make it fun while they're at it. Buy this for a loved one this Christmas and don't be surprised if they flat out refuse to return your phone calls - get them the DVD instead. For a gaming alternative that is far, far ahead in terms of playability and actual fun, get Prince of Persia. Please.