Landspeeders & Drum-beaters

As originally printed in The Davis Enterprise (reprinted with permission)


You know what’s great about October?


Besides autumn coolness, trick or treating, and increased candidate bashing, October is great because it means less than a month until November 9- the best date in 2004.


November 9 is the release date of “Halo 2,” follow up to the greatest first-person shooter ever.


Now granted, there are a bunch of great games released before 11/9/04. Heck, some of them are reviewed for you below. But make no mistake about it: Halo 2esday will go down as one of the geekiest dates in history.


God I love being a dork.



Star Wars Battlefront (Xbox, PS2; $49.99; Rated T; starwarsbattlefront.com)


To increase the synergetic celebration of the Classic Trilogy release on DVD, Lucasarts unleashed “Star Wars Battlefront” on the same day.


And dorks like myself everywhere rejoiced.


Effectively, “Battlefront” is the kissing cousin- or for Star Wars fans, the kissing sibling- to the critically acclaimed “Battlefield 1942,” only taking place a long, long time ago in a galaxy far away. Controlling command posts and wiping out opposing forces amidst a massive firefight is the name of the game.


Like “1942,” crushing the enemy can be done by either hoofing on foot across the spacious battlefields or by hopping into any one of the many vehicles from either Star Wars time period- the Clone Wars or the Galactic Civil War (read: crappy films or good films).


Before charging into battle like a crazed Rancor, you’ll select your class of troop. The appropriate class choice depends on the type of terrain: a rocket launcher or sniper rifle will do little good against close-quarters combat with no vehicles, but put them in a board like the forest moon of Endor, and you will be blowing up AT-STs and bullseyeing Ewoks aplenty. Class distinction between the four selectable armies is non-existent, however each army does have their own specialty class unique to their team, which means Wookies for the Rebellion.


And dorks like myself everywhere rejoiced again.


Battles on the consoles are huge, with approximately 32 soldiers on the field at any time. Because soldiers continue to respawn until their command posts are overtaken, players really get the sense of being in the middle of the epic battles as seen in the films.


Impressive as this recipe may seem, the repetition of command post conquering in the single player mode gets stale quickly. Taking the game online is the only way to inject some extra longevity. Even though multiplayer battles have the same capture goals as in the single player campaign, playing against other human opponents requires teamwork with fellow human teammates. The coordination of offensive and defensive strategies with others is not only critical to success, but also adds a great amount of fun unattainable in the solo-play setting.


Still, the lack of gameplay style, online options, and frequent lag only stunts the additional longevity created by “Battlefront’s” multiplayer. Although this game may fill the gap for massively multiplayer battle games on console systems, it does so at a $50 price tag, which is a pretty expensive cork.


Love Star Wars, hate George Lucas, and have a great broadband connection? Seriously consider this title, especially when it takes a dip in price. Indifferent to the movies and don’t game online? Avoid this game like Bantha poo-doo.



Burnout 3 Takedown (Xbox, PS2; $49.99; Rated T; burnout3.ea.com)


“Burnout 3” injects the same adrenalin pumping, euphoric exhilaration as the world’s best theme parks- all without the $12 hot dogs and motion sickness.


In this street-racing throwback to the arcade racers of old, defensive driving takes a backseat to seizure-inducing speeds of reckless racing. In fact, the more dare-devil stunts, the more points and precious turbo boost are earned.


Case in point: I’m racing head to head against the computer. Due to several bad turns, I end up sucking exhaust fumes and am in a distant second place. The only way I can hope to catch up is to drive like a maniacal bat out of Hell. Swerving into oncoming traffic, I bob and weave my way though semis, motor homes, and passenger cars. The closer I come to playing chicken with fellow motorists, the more boost I earn to propel me into more oncoming traffic at higher speeds, requiring millisecond reaction time or else I’m a road pancake. Many drifts and needle threads through traffic later and I nudge my opponent out of first, rocketing past the finish line in a split second before he does-


Now this is an awesome game.


But even Speed Racer’s going to screw up and careen 150 MPH into an overpass now and then. This is where the ability to slow-mo, or “Aftertouch,” your crash can turn from burning wreck to blaze of glory. Aftertouching allows the player to control the direction of his wreck, namely into oncoming traffic and cause massive pile-ups, netting tons of points leading to unlockable cars and tracks.


More importantly, it allows the player to steer into the path of opponents- leaving opponents out of commission and the player back on the road with increased turbo capacity!


The only downsides (and these are stretching) to this near-perfect game is the fact that the cars are not actually licensed cars. So although you’ll be driving Ferrari look alikes, they won’t be the actual cars. That and with the exception of the Von Bondies and Franz Ferdinand being on the in-game soundtrack, all of the other licensed songs suck. Granted, this is made up by the fact that the Xbox allows for custom soundtracks, but hey, it is worth mentioning.


But do not, in any way, be dissuaded by the very minor criticism, this game’s single player mode is deserving of everyone’s library. Add seamless competitive online play for both platforms, without any downgrade in the supreme graphical presentation seen in the single player mode, and lunatic driving hasn’t been this much fun since the first day you got your license.



Def Jam: Fight for New York (Xbox, PS2, GC; $49.99; Rated M for Blood/Sexual Themes/Strong Violence)


I’m more Vanilla Ice than Ice T;


More Pearl Jam than the Wu Tang Clan;


More Green Day than Redman.


So it was with great trepidation and cynicism that I played this sequel to the hip-hop inspired fighter.


40 legendary stars of hip-hop fill the roster of fighters on both sides, providing their own voice-overs so filthy they would make a trucker blush. Additionally, the stars, ranging from OG’s like Slick Rick to young Playaz like Busta Rhymes, provide their likenesses.


Although I use the term “likenesses” loosly- last time I checked, Method and Red were two scrawny guys with a struggling TV show, not the hulked-out beefcakes they appear as in this game.


No matter your level of appreciation for the misogynistic melodies of these lyrical MC’s, it’s impossible to deny that “Fight for NY” is an incredibly tight game. Each fighting location has its own distinct look and feel and boasts many environmental objects to throw, body slam, or pummel your opponent into- be them jukeboxes, cement poles, or the rowdy crowd of onlookers.


Countering your opponents’ move sets will depend on which of the five fighting styles you are fighting against. Special finishing moves vary between fight styles and can be unlocked and added to your repertoire for a limitless variety of head-cracking, back-breaking, groin-kicking fun. Performing these special moves leads to a short animated sequence of the utterly painful move that is unblockable by opponents.


Unfortunately, the instruction booklet is thin and there is no substantial in-game tutorial or practice mode; so learning the delicate timing of defense/counter-attack involves getting your butt handed to you over and over again. Adding insult to injury, the computer takes cheap shots, making some bouts seemingly impossible to land a single punch. Without learning the proper defensive techniques to turn the tables and you may be cursing more than your in-game homies.


I will probably never understand hip-hop culture, or why some artists in this game appear as themselves while others are “playing” characters. But the top notch graphics, fluid fighting, variety of moves and styles, unlockable characters, and solid multiplayer matches won me over to this thoroughly solid fighter.


Now I just turn the in-game rap off and blare some rage-inducing Tony Bennett in its place.



Donkey Konga (GC; $49.99; Rated E; donkeykonga.com)


I will hand it to the Big N, they sure don’t mind taking the unconventional route. Sometimes it flops terribly, like the Virtual Boy (1994). Other times it flourishes like “Donkey Konga,” the first DK-themed title for the Gamecube and Nintendo’s best peripheral since the Power Glove.


Riding the surge of rhythm-based music games created by the “Dance Dance Revolution” craze, “Konga” has players (up to four) banging out drum beats to onscreen musical cues- all on a set of plastic bongo drums hooked into the ‘Cube.


Numerous play modes allow for cooperative or head to head competitions across 33 songs. Ranging from children’s songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to Blink 182’s “All the Small Things,” from the Mario theme song to Stray Cats’ “Rock this Town” to “Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor,” there’s something for everyone’s musical pallet.


Obviously, the greatest amount of fun is had by hooking four sets of bongo drums up and having a tribal quartet play the bones on the hardest setting. But even though a set of bongos are included with the purchase of “Konga,” extra controllers are costly and outfitting a 4-player game will drain the pocketbook. True, you can always use controllers instead of bongos, but where’s the fun in that?


Of course the problem with any rhythm game is that only so many songs are available and any extended drumming sessions means repeating songs. This, naturally, leads to longevity problems. Preservatives are added to “Konga” by being able to unlock special drum sound effects and moderately enjoyable mini game, but that only goes so far. Without the ability to download new songs, players can only hope for a quick sequel.


Thankfully, Nintendo already has plans to release a 2-D side-scrolling platform adventure that uses the drum controller- “Donkey Kong Jungle Beat” should be out by the end of the year.


Family friendly, easy to learn, and perfect for those non-gamers in the family, “Konga” puts everyone on an even playing filed since complex controls are replaced by simple, but highly addictive drumming. Pick up a set and do your best Ricky Ricardo.


Babaloo!