wildweasel

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (PlayStation 2)

Far better than the price suggests

The Good
PHOF:Williams includes several real-world Williams pinball tables, all lovingly detailed and 100% accurate to their real counterparts. Every feature is reproduced, from the thundering heart of Gorgar to Funhouse's talking head. Ball physics are very good and do a magnificent job of reproducing real pinball, and the extra little sounds really add to the experience (you can actually hear the ball rolling down the playfield!).

The Bad
The PS2 version of PHOF is actually missing the Jive Time and Sorcerer tables from the handheld and Wii versions of the game. This seems inexcusable, considering the DVD should be able to hold far more than the PSP disc, and the "missing" tables are still visible in the menu (they just cannot be selected). Also, the ball will glitch on rare occasions; I've had it fly out of the table twice. Thankfully, though, the team at Crave looked ahead and figured out how to detect when such things happen, so it's never a game-breaker whenever it happens.

The Bottom Line
The best pinball collection in a long while.

By wildweasel on August 23, 2008

Ballgame 2 (DOS)

Fun little diversion

The Good
It looks and feels smooth, has some good intro music, modest system requirements.

The Bad
A little frustrating, and the game timer tends to create an artificial challenge.

The Bottom Line
Ballgame 2 is a little demo-scene effort by The Toxic Dream. They created a small game that may bring back memories of Amiga games like Rock'n'Roll or Oxyd. The object is to roll your ball with the arrow keys and pick up all the gems, avoiding pitfalls and destroying walls with dynamite as necessary. There are six level sets in the game, each with moderate length and a fair challenge to them (time limit notwithstanding).

By wildweasel on June 9, 2006

Real Myst (Windows)

The ultimate way to experience Myst.

The Good
Myst is no longer just a slideshow with an occasional sound. This game is in full 3D, with dynamic weather, passing time, and incredible ambience. Everything from the original Myst is here - even the hidden easter eggs (as well as a couple of new ones), and it's all enhanced for modern computers. This is a great way to "get lost" in another world.

The Bad
Outside of the new Rime Age, there is nothing else new about this edition of Myst. All the puzzles are exactly the same as they were before. It's really only worth playing this game again to see all the new graphics, or just to explore the ages and see what things look like. Newcomers, however, will be greatly rewarded.

The Bottom Line
RealMyst is the greatest edition of Myst to hit the market, taking nearly everything that was good about the original and expanding upon it.

By wildweasel on March 27, 2006

Call of Duty 2 (Windows)

Excellent world-war-two shooter, though not as good as the first.

The Good
The game looks fantastic, even with low detail settings - it's very scalable, and can run on older machines. The sounds are just awesome - if your windows aren't shaking from all the mortar fire, then your speakers aren't loud enough! The combat chatter that both friends and enemies will shout really adds to the atmosphere, and the weapons look and feel highly realistic. This truly feels like a war.

The Bad
There just aren't enough missions. Just as the game feels like it's reaching its climax, it stops. Multiplayer is also somewhat flawed.

The Bottom Line
This is a very awesome World War 2 shooter, and in my opinion, is the standard by which all further WW2 games should follow.

By wildweasel on March 18, 2006

Umihara Kawase (SNES)

Excellent, if not obscure, platformer

The Good
The game is extraordinarily easy to pick up, thanks to the various demo reels that are played between levels. There is also next to no Japanese text in the game, so you won't need a patch or Japanese skills to play it. The physics of the grappling hook are very well-done and fun to play with.

The Bad
It can get quite difficult at times. Since there's no password system, losing all your lives means starting the game from the beginning - but there are hidden warps, so all is not lost.

The Bottom Line
A pleasant romp through many different levels, dodging large evil fish and swinging through levels with an elastic fish hook. Yeah, I know - sounds crazy, huh? But that's the beauty of it - the concept is so absurd, that you can't help but like it.

By wildweasel on January 15, 2006