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Gaming Landscape Weekly by Douglas Flowe The times, they are a'changing. Remember those long hard days leading up to the American launches of the Xbox and Gamecube? Better yet, remember that cold lonely night sleeping in front of Electronic Boutique to buy a PS2 then being turned away empty handed? No. Well anyway, here we are two years later basking in the glory of three powerful systems churning out memorable titles and there's no sign of any one of them stopping. There's really no way to grasp such a festive time for video games other than buying every system. And of course, referring to Gameculture Magazine often for game reviews and weekly release updates! |
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Here, in the new Gaming Landscape Weekly column, we'll keep you up to date on all weekly news and game releases and tell you what to spend your money on and what to leave rotting in its package on the shelf. Since releases numbers have been lazy of late, I'll include games released in the last two weeks for this, the first installment of the Gaming Landscape Weekly.
It's been a slow couple of weeks for game releases which is hard to forgive because of the lackluster Christmas release list in 2002. Yeah, great games hit store shelves this Christmas such as GTA: Vice City, Metroid and Splintercell but comparatively, the Christmas of 2001 was much more merry. Still, a few gems have made their way to the public in the past two weeks and can only keep us excited for what 2003 has in store.
Infogrames has topped off the glut of mech-combat games with Battle Engine Aquila on all systems. Impressive weapons effects and vast landscapes make this one notable for fans of the genre. Acclaim has also released their multi-platform offroad racer, ATV Quad Power Racing 2, for the dirt inclined. Dirt and boots fly as players fight their way to the finish line.
For those living life while bound to an armchair there's Fisherman's Challenge from Konami and The Sims from Electronic Arts. Koei delights players once again with Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends and Sony's own in-house developers of Twisted Metal bring forth more carnage to the PS2 with War of the Monsters. As soon as GTA fans had finished wrecking Vice City, Sony introduces us to yet another famous city to destroy and paint with the blood of our enemies in The Getaway. 20 square miles of London are yours to wreak havoc in, all wrapped around an intriguing British gangster flick storyline and dozens of licensed vehicles. Feels like Christmas all over again.
Microsoft acquired a few more exclusive reasons to own an Xbox this month. The nearly nude bouncy babes of DOA spiked their way into game players's hearts and wet dreams in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball from Tecmo. The screens look more like a Sports Illustrated video than a videogame to the bliss of many fans. Only to get better, the much-awaited Panzer Dragoon Orta finally touched down. Beautifully crafted, painstakingly detailed and full of fast-paced action, Orta is an instant classic.
Gamecube had a slower week but no one has noticed because we're all still stuck in the Phendrana region of Metroid Prime. Still, Ubi Soft continues to endow the genre of stealth and team based military infiltration with The Sum of All Fears. Forget about Morgan Freeman and Ben Afleck, there's nothing better than leading a squad of heavily armed stealth operatives into combat. The Gamecube conversion of Resident Evil 2 is added to deluge of RE games and Digimon Battlespirit is released for the monster collectors on GBA.
PC game-makers have been quiet since the beginning of the year but still have spawned a few interesting titles. Highland Warriors from Data Becker brings players through the battle-scarred past of old Scotland in an intricate war game. Then jump a couple hundred miles south and a few hundred years into the future in Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy by Dreamcatcher Games. A point and click adventure much like Dreamcatcher's Syberia, just as gorgeously rendered and deep and mysterious. Mystery of the Mummy is one of the most interesting titles of 2003 so far.
Another week, another list of games. January is usually pretty discouraging but this year the gaming Gods have bestowed upon us an opulent bounty. Ye shall eat, play and be merry. Next month, things become more serious. Until then, as the French say…hasta la vista!
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