RESIDENT EVIL: OUTBREAK (M)
(3 stars)
Capcom
GameCube
The best zombie movies have always been like traditional disaster films. A group of diverse people who would never exchange two words in real life must band together to survive the (pick one): hurricane, volcano, capsized boat, brain-eating zombies. Outbreak is no different, and its eclectic group of playable survivors makes up for the lack of a strong narrative.
But it doesn't make up for the game's annoyances. Because it was built for online play, you can't hit pause when you equip items or read notes, turning you into a motionless zombie buffet. When online, character interaction is limited to a few canned phrases, and it gets
Like all RE titles, the gritty graphics and understated music make for one atmospheric experience. And for the first time, you can turn into a zombie and chew up anonymous strangers across the world. All in all, this is a decent enough holdover for Resident Evil 4.
NBA BALLERS (E)
(3.5 stars)
Midway
XBox, PlayStation2
There's an air of superficiality in NBA Ballers. How you play the game isn't quite as important as how you upgrade your crib. The result is decent game play, similar to EA's NBA Street series, dressed in a sleeker package. Detailed
THE SUFFERING (M)
(3 stars)
Midway
XBox, PlayStation2
At Abbott Penitentiary, there's more to fear than dropping soap in the shower. That's because the prison has been taken over by hell beasts right out of Clive Barker's wet dreams. Fortunately, this first- and third-person shooter has more ammo lying around than the local gun shop, making it a surprisingly easy—and astoundingly gory—survival horror game. Definitely not for kids.
SPLINTER CELL: PANDORA TOMORROW (T)
(2.5 stars)
UbiSoft
GameBoy Advance
As big a fan as I am of old-fashioned side-scrollers, stealth games just weren't meant for that format. Sure, Splinter Cell's graphics are still fantastic, but on a 3-inch screen, you can't see the bad guy until he's close enough to say, "Tag, you're it!" The designers created a magical camera that scans the area ahead for unfriendlies—as long as you stop every five seconds to use it. Yawn.
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].