And All the Trimmings...

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


What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving?

1. TiVo

2. Halo 2

3. Ohioans


And my incredibly forgiving wife who understands that due to number 2, the only time she will be able to watch TV in the near future is after I drop from pure exhaustion.


It’s a good thing we have number 1 in the house.



Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 (Xbox, PS2, Gamecube; MSRP $49.99; Rated T; thug2online.com)


Well another year, another Tony Hawk game.


Why the grandpappy of the extreme sports genre continues to release yearly offerings in the same vein as the Madden series is beyond me. Surely there’s something to be gained by waiting some time in between releases? At the very least some excitement could be generated surrounding the release of a new game.


But the kids love the skateboardin’; and Activision and the Hawk love their money. Thankfully though, the ol’ Hawk has got some flight in him left.


The story-based concept of “THUG” is continued in the sequel (which translates to the sixth Hawk game). But rather recycle the rags-to-riches story of an your highly customizable character, “THUG 2” focuses on the “World Destruction Tour” competition between hooligan teams lead by the Hawkster and “Jackass/Viva La Bam” star Bam Margera. Points earned during each of the numerous stages are determined not only by the skill with which tricks are executed, but also by the amount of juvenile delinquency caused. This low-brow humor adds a bit of levity to the “realistic” tone that the original “THUG” took, but also opens the door to plenty of bodily function humor which is, I suppose, to be expected with ex-Jackasses Steve-O and Wee Man as unlockable characters.


As much as I may poo-poo the frequency with which these games are released, it’s undeniable that “THUG 2” has more bang for the buck than ever before. Tons of goals await would-be thrashers on each level, and more goals are unlocked with each pro skater, guest skater, and hidden character found on every stage. New heights can be reached both figuratively and literally between the level of customization in Create-A-Skater/Park/Trick/Goal aspects and the continued “THUG” tradition of off-the-board open exploring of each level.


Hawk traditionalists who shyed away from “THUG’s” GTA-inspired non-linear gameplay will be able to grind anew with the benefit of a “Classic Mode” that allows the same type of time-based goal challenges that players became accustomed to through the first four “Hawks.” If collecting S-K-A-T-E and the hidden tape was your thing, then welcome home.


Extreme sporting has certainly lost its steam in the past few years, and who knows how much longer Tony and the crew can keep up his game-a-year gig. But if you’ve tuned out of the genre a while ago, there’s no better game this year to reacquaint yourself with the exhilaration and pain that comes from pulling your teeth from the asphalt after you miss the landing on that 300,000 point combo.


Fresh? Not so much, but grind for grind there’s no better value.



Get On Da Mic (PS2; MSRP $39.99, $59.99 w/mic; Rated T; getondamic.com)


I’m kicking myself for not having reviewed Konomi’s brilliant “Karaoke Revolution, Vol. 2” when it was first released. The game’s joy is found in its simplicity, party fun, cartoon visuals, and inviting gameplay.


Instead, I’m reviewing “Get on Da Mic,” an awful attempt to capitalize on the Karaoke genre “Revolution” left out- hip hop.


Unlike “Revolution” which judges crooners on pitch, “Mic” critiques only on wannabe’s ability to flow- sounding like the artist isn’t required, but keeping pace with the rapid-fire lyrics is.


This is the first problem area. Unlike the rhythm found in most songs, hip-hop moves with piranha-like ferociousness- meaning that even the most die-hard fan can flub up in the middle of his flow, have to take a few lines to reorient, and begin rapping again. When points are earned for how many lyrics are timed correctly, a simple screw up means tons of points lost. Additionally, the presentation of the lyrics on screen strays from traditional karaoke so confusion and where-the-heck-am-I-in-this-song begins to set in quickly.


The story mode follows your character from “8-mile” inspire rap battles, through the party scene, to the money-makin’ big time. With each off the chain round, playaz earn mad bills to buy bling and pimpin’ cool whips to roll as the Mac Dad of all Mac Daddies…


I’m not even sure what I just wrote means.


The problem in all this? Who cares? The graphics are bland and jaggy; the animations are simple, repetitive, and wholly independent of the lyrics. During one round, my character was punctuating words repeatedly with finger points- the only problem was that there were no lyrics on the screen and I wasn’t rapping anything.


Rapper’s Delight? Anything but.



Fable (Xbox; MSRP $49.99; Rated M; fable-game.com)


Peter Molyneux released his self-proclaimed “Greatest Role Playing Game Ever Made” to eager fans, hungry for the game that had been in development for five years. Although unable to deliver on every promise made of the game’s foretold greatness, Moleneux and his company produced a game that’s highly engaging, beautiful, and epic in every sense of the word.


Players control… well… themselves. See, “Fable” prides its existence on the fact that no two people will play through the game the same way. Every choice players make determines the outcome in how characters within the game perceive you and therefore respond. Show mercy on fallen enemies and townsfolk will revere you as a champion among champions. Slaughter entire villages and sell the now-vacant homes to feed your evil greed and your infamy will ring throughout the fictional world of Albion. Players’ alignments towards good or evil also affects the characters’ physical appearances- only the most pious will grow a halo and have butterflies fluttering about; while despicable villains sprout horns and develop a foul stench.


Frequent use of melee and ranged weapons determine skill and proficiency with those items and the hyper-aging effects of magic use result in deeper wrinkles and wear-lines for those gifted in sorcery. In a refreshing break from the RPG norm, all combat occurs in real-time, which gives “Fable” a much more hack ’n’ slash feel to its gameplay.


Although there is a set storyline that is a tad short for hardcore RPG fans, exploring all of the side-quests, minigames, and hidden treasures that abound this giant land allow for many hours of gameplay, even once the story has concluded.


In fact, I knew I was playing a very special game when after only logging five hours into the main story, I was already looking forward to playing through again from a completely different moral alignment.


Not to mention eagerly anticipating “Fable’s” sequel (fingers crossed for online play next time around).



Katamari Damacy (PS2; MSRP $19.99; Rated E; namco.com)


Own a PS2?


Sick of carjacking, first-person shooting, platform hopping, or race car driving?


You would do well to pick up this quirky little title immediately.


The premise is simple: your father, the king of the cosmos, got drunk one night and knocked out all of the stars in the sky. You, the little prince, are sent to Earth to roll up earthling-items into a ball with the use of the cosmic Katamari.


What kind of earthling-items you ask? Initially, matches, thimbles, playing cards, and other minor prizes. But as your Katamari grows like a rubber band ball, so does the size of your treasure. What once started out being no larger than an orange now has the ability to pick up livestock, airplanes, stadiums, and skyscrapers.


Its simple control scheme (only the analog sticks are used) and Terry Gilliamesque quirkiness are infectious. Its laid back and soothing vibe is enhanced by its fantastic soundtrack and minimal, but grin inducing, sound effects. It is marvelous. It is inviting. And it is a shame that it almost did not make it to the States.


So few games actually calm nerves while playing, it’s important to add a title like “Katamari” to our library when we can, along side our zombie/Nazi/alien killfests.


And at twenty bucks, how can you argue?



X-men Legends (Xbox, PS2, Gamecube; MSRP $49.99; Rated T; activision.com)


Excelsior! True Believers!


Slews of sub-par X-themed releases date all the way back to the days of the NES. Really, when it game to gaming, the only thing “uncanny” about the X-men was how any developer was unable to do justice to one of the most successful comic books of all time.


“Legends” succeeds where others have failed by creating a semi-satisfying action/RPG title. It doesn’t blaze any trails, but it doesn’t screw up either. The levels are unusually long, with appropriately spaced save areas where players can mix ‘n’ match between a large number of classic muties to form a team of four and take on Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. They just never seem to quit, do they?


Gameplay presentation is reminiscent of the classic “Gauntlet” series, or more modernly, of “Hunter: The Reckoning,” with the camera fixed on a top-down perspective of our heroes in action. Cel-shaded graphics and X-costumes ranging from the humble days of “Uncanny #1” to the modern “Ultimate” comic series gives the game a stylized look. Micro-managers will enjoy the ability to upgrade characters’ powers and skills and outfit them with performance-enhancing cybernetics, but thankfully there’s an option to bypass and auto-upgrade your team in order to get you back to the smashing.


Four heroes on the screen screams for cooperative multiplayer, a feature that was almost omitted from release, but thankfully found its way into the final version. Having three other friends jacked in around the same console (no online, sorry) takes me back to those days when I would feed my life savings into the “Gauntlet” machine, just so I wouldn’t leave my fellow players in the thick of battle. In fact, I hear the faint cry in the wind:


“Wolverine needs food… badly.”