Release Archives: WEEK OF MAY 3, 20055.03.2005 Pariah *Game of the Week* Dev. Groove Games Pub. Digital Extremes MSRP: $49.99 Systems: XBX, PC For those keeping track, this is now the fourth consecutive first person shooter I have given Game of the Week honors to. It's even more ludicrous when you consider that all of them have been for the Xbox and none of them are good enough to even hold Halo 2's Needler. However, Pariah, like Timesplitters, Doom 3 and Unreal Tournament before it, does offer enough to entice fans of the genre who are simply craving more gun toting action. On the surface Pariah seems fairly generic. But as you dig deeper you'll find a game that pretty much rips off everything that made previous hits, like Unreal Tournament and Halo, so successful. You have your spread of alien and human weapons, vehicular combat and the even a regenerating over shield. What it does bring to the table is the most comprehensive multiplayer level editor ever seen for a console. For the first time on a console, gamers will actually be able to let their imaginations guide them instead of overbearing development restraints. That means if the designers weren't up to the task you can create your own killing rooms or even recreate classics from better FPS. Sure, Pariah isn't the most imaginative FPS out there, but it should be a solid title for those still trying to wash the awful taste of Halo 2's "ending" out of their mouth. Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee Dev. Clap Hanz Pub. SCEE MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PSP I have always been a huge fan of the Hot Shots Golf series. Back when the PS2 was still in its infancy and nothing compelling was available for it, it was HSG3 that eventually wooed me over to Sony's side. It should come as a great relief to the million PSP owners out there that Sony has finally brought this classic series to their suped up portable. For those only familiar with Tiger Woods Golf this is a very different experience. Thankfully, this means you won't have to use that undersized nub to control your swing. Rather, HSG uses the triple tap design - hit X once to start the swing meter, again to gauge your power, and one last time for accuracy. It may not sound too difficult, but trying to line everything up perfectly while deciding how much spin to put on the ball is a skill that will take many hours to refine. Clearly this is the best game on the PSP at this point. If you have any interest in a fun, pick up and play title, look no further than the best golf franchise out there. Forza Motorsport Dev. MS Pub. MS MSRP: $49.99 Systems: XBX I am so sick of realistic racers. You may remember me tearing into Gran Turismo 4 a few months ago for being little more than a virtual car museum and offering no improvements over its predecessor. Well, say hello to an even more reprehensible title, one whose ultimate goal is to imitate a franchise that hasn't offered one significant improvement since its first title. While Forza doesn't look nearly as good as GT4 - which is as much a testament to Polyphony milking the PS2 for all its worth as Microsoft rushing this out before the Xbox 2 hits - it does offer something GT has been promising for years but still hasn't delivered: an honest to goodness online mode. If the driving experience is anything like GT's pinball-esque affair I can't imagine the feature will be used too often. However, you can trade all your hard earned cars with people desperate to see digitized versions of over-priced Euro-trash mobiles. - Tom |
