When do you stop praising a game for being practically a movie and start criticizing it for being a bad movie? MGS 3 has an elaborate, twisty story and gorgeous, cinematic cut-scenes, but it downright abuses slo-mo and has cheesy, even inane dialogue. Early on, our hero's superior says, "Jack, the enemy can probably overhear our radio, so I'm giving you a code name." This information is delivered via the compromised radio.
The code name winds up being Naked Snake—ironic given how many clothes Snake's brought with him. To avoid detection, he can slip into the most appropriate camo pattern on the fly. This ability and some awesome boss battles are what make the game as good as it is, but a tedious healing system and archaic camera controls prevent it from excelling. Ultimately, MGS 3 is stuck in the past, making modern stealth games like Splinter Cell the true Snake eaters.
Capcom Fighting Evolution (T) (3 stars)
Capcom
PlayStation 2
This is a decent 2D fighter for anyone dying to see Ryu take on an opponent from one of Capcom's lesser-known, non-Street Fighter brawlers. But for a crossover, there're a disappointing number of missing faces. It's like having The Flintstones Meet The Jetsons without Wilma and Elroy.
Godzilla: Save The Earth (T) (3 stars)
Atari
PlayStation 2, Xbox
The characters play like slow, lumbering monsters. Or worse: like guys in slow, lumbering monster suits. Unless you get all tingly at the idea of pummeling Mothra with a building before belting out that trademark roar, you'd better skip this clunky brawler.
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex (M) (3 stars)
Bandai
PlayStation 2
Despite some impressive cyborg acrobatics and Ghost in the Shell-style hacking (ie. stand next to terminal, press X, read text), this anime-inspired title eventually boils down to run, shoot, jump, repeat. An OK rental for fans.
Karaoke Revolution Vol. 3 (E) (4 stars)
Konami
PlayStation 2
More than just a batch of new songs (which is arguably good enough), Vol. 3 features a new duet mode, increasing its drunken party value. What could be more fun than discovering your tone deafness alongside a friend to the beat of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe"?
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].