Title: Spider-Man 2: The Game

Review rating: ****

Platform/console: PS2, GameCube, Xbox

Genre: Action

Players allowed: 1

ESRB rating: T (violence)

Production company: Activision

Let freedom swing! Spidey won’t die when he falls to the ground as he did in the first game. He’s down on the street fighting crime in environments that mirror actual layouts of New York City, including the World Trade Center memorial lights. The excellent graphics, great navigation, fluid controls and great cut scenes elevate this emotionally charged game to a very high level. The only entertaining element missing from this highly-recommended game is a multiplayer mode.

You don’t have to save everyone, but you just might want to. You can roam the city completing random objectives or follow the storyline. It’s all up to you. The more objectives you complete, the more Hero points you can have for upgrades. The fights have a medium challenge level because the enemy AI isn’t very strong, which is great for young players. The challenges come when you fight numerous enemies or main antagonists like Rhino, Shocker and Mysterio. Gamemakers minimize the musical score for voice talents including Tobey Maguire and Holly Fields, who plays the voice of Black Cat. Spider-Man 2: The Game, come highly recommended for players of all ages.

Title: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow

Review rating: ***1/2

Platform/console: Playstation2, PC, Xbox, GameCube

Genre: Shooter/Military/Action

Players allowed: 1 to 4 (on-line capabilities)

ESRB rating: T (blood, drug reference, violence)

Production company: Ubi Soft

Sam Fisher returns to battle antagonists as political relations among nations begin to break off all over the world. The new moves and gadgets including targeting enemies with liquid that glows when viewed in thermo vision. The game has a high level of problem-solving challenges and battles with well-equipped mercenaries. You have to follow mission objectives closely, which may result in some trial-and-error frustration, but it’s worth the effort.

The top notch graphics blend moving shadows and soft lighting extremely well to create excellent environment for all the stealth action. The Xbox version has better graphics, but the PS2 version features a new jungle mission and other options including a soldier that can disarm traps. You’ll definitely need the appropriate console headset for this game.

This highly-recommended game has a lot of excitement and genuine thrills. It helps to have background in the previous Tom Clancy games, otherwise you’ll have a large learning curve at the beginning.

Title: ESPN Football 2K5

Review rating: ***1/2

Platform/console: Playstation2, Xbox

Genre: Sports

Players allowed: 1 to 4 (more with on-line capabilities)

ESRB rating: E

Production company: Visual Concepts

The most amazing element of this game is the price: $20! All the graphics, gameplay and entertainment elements work great too. This title features options for highlights from select games (even ones you didn’t play) and great roleplaying elements like CRIB and training in franchise mode that push the interaction level through the roof. The Celebrity Phone option in CRIB would’ve done well with more sports related celebrities. Even drafting players becomes simple and fun with simples interfaces.

Want more reasons to get this game? OK, how about a first person perspective option where you see the game from inside the helmet and a special ESPN 25th Anniversary mode that allows you to relive historic games.

You can use custom difficulty setting to include just about everything you’d find in a football game including great commentary from Chris Berman and ESPN broadcast team. Excellent game that’s definitely worth the money (Special note: only Xbox version has soundtrack options).

Title: NCAA Football 2005

Review rating: ****

Platform/console: PS2, Xbox, PC, GameCube

Genre: Sports

Players allowed: 1 to 4 (more with on-line capabilities)

ESRB rating: E

Production company: Electronic Arts

Another fantastic football experience that features several new options that enhance overall gameplay. You can increase your new home field advantage element by making good plays and signaling to the crowd which then makes your controller and even the screen shake at the highest level. A related component, player composure, has a tremendous effect on gameplay. For example, visiting team players with low composure will get rattled when the home field advantage reaches a high level. You can always take a timeout and even have the quarterback talk to certain players to increase their composure, but it’s usually best to start with a confident, experienced team roster.

Composure becomes important in match-ups as well. Players can exploit weaknesses by checking their opponents’ composure level before the snap using the “matchup stick”. Punishing hits can affect a player’s composure level, but you risk missing the tackles all together. The defensive controls allow you to cycle through best players instead of their position of the field while fake pitches and other new elements enhance the execution of running option plays. Other elements include hot routes for running plays and the option to view celebrations of players, fans or mascots.

The on-line modes can display real-time sports scores of actual games and player games for an even better experience. You can build your team with a 1A, 1AA or historic roster and create schools, players, playbooks and even customized signs for fans. The dynasty mode even gives you the option to recruit non-football athletes and divides the budget among recruit, training and discipline activities. You always have the option to create extremely detailed teams while tracking their statistics, breaking records and acquiring trophies. This highly-recommended game features Larry Fitzgerald of the Pittsburgh Panthers on the cover and has on-line capabilities for all consoles except the GameCube.

Title: Athens 2004

Review rating: **

Platform/console: Playstation2

Genre: Sports

Players allowed: 1 to 4

ESRB rating: E

Production company: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Not much has changed in the button mashing genre of Olympic video games since their inception, but Athens 2004 incorporates some timed techniques to reduce your frustration. The biggest advance is the optional dance pad option (other peripheral game pads like The Fightmaster also work). The pad works best on the gymnastic events and reduces the hand stress of a standard controller.

The competition mode represents most of the formal games which include the medals and world records, while you have no rules and smaller crowds for the practice modes. Events include track, field, swim, gymnastics, jumping, weight lifting, archery and shooting. Players can choose to participate in existing event formats or customize their own.

The colorful environments include solid figure animation and a mascot looks like an alteration of Ziggy. Great graphics replay options and sound, but the disappointing options don’t even have a language choice or all the national anthems.

All reviews done by

Michael Siebenaler

Editors note

This summer video game showcase was produced thanks to Bowling Green’s Blockbuster Video! Frequent players can purchase a BLOCKBUSTER Flip Card for just $49 plus tax to get unlimited game rentals (one out at a time) for three consecutive months. You can also get a Game Pass, Movie Pass and enroll in the Blockbuster Rewards program. Stop by their store on 816 South Main Street or call 419-373-9888 for more information.