IGN

• NGC
• PS
• PS2
• XBOX
• PC
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

I had plenty of fun playing NBA Live 2003, but you're not going to get the same depth that you expect from other EA Sports games. The Franchise mode is complete, but a good player will be able to win no matter what his roster looks like. And the thing is, the Freestyle control will make everybody a good NBA Live player sooner rather than later. The Freestyle system will at least be a revolution in EA's universe with NHL 2003 and FIFA 2003 both incorporating the new scheme and it's a welcome dose of freshness to the genre. Don't be surprised when Madden 2004 has stiff arms, hurdle and spin moves on the right analog stick next year either. The emphasis in this game is on scoring and creating spectacular plays, a job that once belonged to the NBA Jam/Showtime series. People enjoyed watching Live 2003 as much as they enjoyed playing it. It's easy to pick up and play, making it very well suited for hours of head to head matches, the cornerstone of any sports game's value. With all of the highlight-worthy moves and action you can pull off, bragging rights for the best shake-and-bake dunk sequences will be on the line. With NBA 2K3's emphasis on creating the ultimate simulation, there's room for Sega's and EA's game in the same library since you're getting two entirely different approaches to the NBA.

• XBOX
• 8.9 / 10
• États-Unis

• XBOX
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Dynasty Warriors 3 reminds me a lot of Capcom¿s older arcade action games (Final Fight, Captain Commando, Knights of the Round etc...). If I¿m not mistaken, I think they even had a game based off the same historical material (Dynasty Wars). While those games are incredibly simple at heart, and amount to little more than button pushing, I always found them wholly satisfying in their own way. Sometimes all you want to do is put your brain on hold and have fun beating up hordes of enemies (especially with a buddy). Dynasty Warriors 3 lets you do just that, and even throws in a some cool features to help break up the repetitive nature of the game. Riding horses and elephants, finding new weapons, and improving stats by equipping items in a very RPG-like way, all help to add a little depth to game that could get old very quickly. If the developers can fix some of the underlying problems with the game and improve on what they already have to give the game a real polished feel, the Dynasty Warriors series could be one great stress reliever.

• GBA
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• 8.8 / 10
• États-Unis

If you own no hockey game for the PC, this is the one to get. Even if it wasn't really the only game in town, it would still come highly recommended on the basis of its presentation and action. Sure, I have lots of minor issues with the game, but that's just what they are -- minor issues. At the end of the day the game offers an incredibly fun and addictive vision of hockey. It's not a simulation by any means but that's not necessarily a criticism. It's much closer to what people think hockey is like than it is to what hockey actually is. As such, it bends a few rules and takes a couple of liberties. But since it's all done in support of your enjoyment of the game, you can't fault the developers for their concessions. Games that are ultra-realistic aren't usually very fun anyway. The real issue for me is whether or not the game offers a substantial enough improvement over the previous version. In a sense, EA's competing with itself here, offering a few notable upgrades but not changing enough of the game over last year's version to make it imperative that owners of NHL 2002 rush right out and buy it.

• PS2
• 8.7 / 10
• États-Unis

If you don't yet have a hockey game, you really can't go wrong with NHL 2003. It's a fun, tight-controlling, well-presented game that makes good use of the NHL license. However, those expecting a sim-style game, beware. NHL 2003, like last year's edition, slants more toward arcade-style hockey. All the bells and whistles may just annoy the hardcore fan who's looking for a pure hockey experience. The bottom line is that NHL has always been a great series, and brings us another good installment. But this year's game just maintains at the status quo level. True, that's a high level, but it isn't the marked improvement we were hoping for.

• XBOX
• 4.6 / 10
• États-Unis

I wanted Loons to be great. The premise was there, the presentation was solid, but the fighting was ill-conceived. Too simple, too bland, and too boring to be recommended. Adding grabs and throws, or even the ability to pick up and chuck objects would have helped greatly. The game also needs some afterburners. Powerstone played fast, this one limps along far too often. As I said in the beginning, a madcap fighting game needs speed, frenzy, and tension. Loons is slow, and while there are moments of hectic play they don't last very long. And really, the killer is a lack of tension. There's never much of a feel of urgency in what you do, because the matches seem unending at times. Add to this that there are only four playable characters -- Unacceptable for any fighting game. If you are an absolute die-hard Looney Tunes fan, rent it first. Otherwise, this one is best left alone (or bought at a garage sale for $5).

• NGC
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• NGC
• XBOX
• 4.6 / 10
• États-Unis

I don't think I've ever been this unimpressed by a Tetris game in my entire life. I've been playing the game since it was conceived in the late 80s. I've seen how profound an influence it has had on modern puzzle game design. But, never, ever have I been so disappointed with Tetris. THQ's Tetris Worlds is below average and even for the discounted price, it's not worth the buy. The intended visual and aural "improvements" to the GameCube and Xbox versions were a waste of time. Instead the gameplay should have been totally reworked, especially the multiplayer mode. So, unless you're dying to just play Tetris -- any Tetris -- on your system, don't even bother with Tetris Worlds. The point is that there's nothing new and the peripheral elements such as art and music composition are dull to the point of being abominable.

• NGC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• NGC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• XBOX
• 6.7 / 10
• États-Unis

Street Hoops was a struggle to get to know, but in the end it's not as bad as I initially thought it would be. On the surface, you see a rough looking (graphically, not socially) arcade basketball game with a ton of ambitious superficial elements. At its core, Street Hoops is a weak playground simulator with a little basketball thrown in on the side. I always thought "Hoops" was the operative word for this basketball videogame, but it turns out it's all about the "Street," at least as much Black Ops and Activision can understand it. And this is its fundamental problem. There's not enough basketball to keep you engaged as a gamer looking for a new hoops experience and far too much attention paid to an ill-conceived representation of what life is supposed to be like for playground all-stars. An arcade game like Midway's NFL Blitz doesn't have us simulating the behavior of overly aggressive football players before a game like buying steroids or bashing a forehead into a brick wall, because those are common myths about a world many gamers may not understand and they should be required to enjoy that kind of game. It would be like buying jewelry and getting new haircuts for the playground legends in an arcade hoops game.

• PC
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• NGC
• PS2
• XBOX
• PC
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Taz: Wanted is a game that's better than the average platformer in many ways, and in most aspects of its production, it's poorly executed. The mish-mash effect of the occasional gems of hidden gameplay in between long lengths of average play, which is then poorly complemented by less than stellar graphics and weaker than desired voice samples and sound effects, creates a disturbing out of kilter feeling. I wasn't sure whether the next level would bring fun or misery...or bad editing. And while I'm always up for being thrown off balance, it better be by design, not mistake, and I'm not sure whether Blitz Games knew one way or the other. Overall, Taz: Wanted is a decent game worth about 8-10 hours of your time, given your level of interest in Looney Tunes' Taz the Tasmanian devil. In short, rent this before you buy it.

• PS
• 2.6 / 10
• États-Unis

This game has some nice features, like spawning generations of Norns and watching genes and behaviors carry on, but the limited feedback allowed by the graphics really kill this one. As I played this, more people stopped and stared in awe of how bad this looks than the number of people that stop to check out a really nice looking game. I think that there's just too much to this game to be ported to the PlayStation with it's limited memory, and the design team didn't seem to cut corners in the right places. While the PlayStation version of Creatures shares the same concept and ideas as the PC version from which it is based, the PC version plays entirely different. Most of this version's faults likely don't exist in the PC version, and if you're really interested in trying this game out, pick up Creatures on the PC instead if you can.

• NGC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• XBOX
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed NASCAR Thunder 2003. Not a big stock racing fan by any means, the user-friendly controls and interface along with an absolutely splendid presentation really helped draw me in, and I expect it will do so for the majority of console owners out there as well. The only real qualm I have is that the repetitiveness of racing in ovals and other similar shapes for countless laps over and over again, could wear thin after while. But with a high number of street tracks, ergonomic driving, and other plusses I mentioned elsewhere in the review, this is one racing game that I'd recommend to veterans and newbies alike without hesitation.

• PS
• 2.3 / 10
• États-Unis