The acrobat formerly known as Prince is looking a little haggard these days.
That's what happens when you mess with the sands of time, causing a nasty Dahaka to follow you around until you die. That issue, and some added bloody violence, make the prince's sophomore 3D quest to save his own royal hide a decidedly darker affair than his previous whimsical adventure. Not only does he use more extensive combat moves to leave his foes in pieces, but he ridicules them in the process. That's just mean.
Our hero's disposition aside, Warror Within retains everything that made its predecessor great. The platforming sequences will have you walking on walls, flipping off ledges, and wishing you could do it all again. And thanks to the added feature of mystical time travel, you can. Yay!
Call Of Duty: Finest Hour (T) (3.5 stars)
Activision
Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube
If WWII soldiers were as dimwitted as your A.I. comrades in Finest Hour, we'd all be speaking German. Aside from the suicidal tendencies of your allies, this first-person shooter does an excellent job of re-creating the experiences of Russian, British, and American soldiers in war. It's hell for each, but with different accents.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (T) (3.5 stars)
Atari
PlayStation 2
This fan offering has some kick-ass moves. Teleporting from one side of the screen to the other while ping-ponging your rival back to yourself can be quite rewarding. Of course, you have to master the Saiyan art of combat to pull it off, and if you don't know what that is, it's probably not worth your trouble.
Blinx 2: Masters Of Time & Space (E)(3 stars)
Microsoft Game Studios
Xbox
Blinx is Microsoft's answer to Super Mario. Unfortunately, Mario's question must have been: How can a 3D platformer have virtually no personality, but still be complicated and tedious? Despite cuddly graphics and some nifty time-meddling effects, the adventures of these cats seem simplistic and perfunctory—like the adventures of most cats.
King Arthur (T) (2.5 stars)
Konami
Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube
This hack 'n' slash title captures the feeling of its source material perfectly—its source material being a mediocre and forgettable action film. Play this game and discover the true boredom behind the legend.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].