249 public reviews
The views here are this user’s only and are not representative of Giant Bomb's thoughts and opinions on the discussed video game. GB's official reviews reside at giantbomb.com/reviews.
I could tell you that if Club Drive is considered horrible, then this is a complete udder abomination that is disgusting on too many levels! Released in late 1994 by Atari for the short-lived Atari Jaguar, Checkered Flag seems to be a 64-bit "reboot" (if you can even call it that) of a 1991 Atari Lynx game of the same name, due to the two games playing rather different from each other. My review will be only…
More than 25 years later, this is still a big favorite among Windows 9x enthusiasts. Cavedog Entertainment, a division of edutainment game giant Humongous Entertainment, originally first released this underrated gem in 1997. Over the years, it has sold more than a million copies. It won several awards and recognitions from publications, including GameSpot. It should be nominated for greatest game of all time very…
This has been one of my favorites that is fun and easy to play--immersing yourself in the world of strategy. Along with Dune 2 (1990), also by Westwood Studios, this game heavily popularized the real-time strategy genre. It was developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive. The original newspapers ads featured a pictures of various infamous dictators labelled under the word "Previous High…
How long have we been waiting for more sports on Wii? I'm sure we've all been waiting till now! The charm of Wii Sports returns after a few years of its initial release, but this time, Wii Sports Resort advances the setting further in the series. This sequel to Wii Sports is one of the first titles to require the all-new Wii MotionPlus accessory, bundled with the game, which improves the Remote's motion controls,…
This massive bestseller as a pack-in launch title for the Wii makes it the single best selling game on a single console ever made. It was a favorite of mine on Wii in my childhood (I was 10 years old when they released the Wii in the US) and it still is. You've probably wondered if it was originally a sort of tech demo. Despite that fact, it has all kinds of unique features which are really fun that makes it even…
The first-ever 16-bit installment in the Contra franchise sees us in the year 2636, two years after the events of Super C , an alien invasion once again invades the Earth, this time they decide to launch a full-scale war, beginning the "Alien Wars". Bill Rizer and Lance Bean once again must defeat the alien forces and stop the invasion. The game was originally going to be titled Contra IV , as Contra Force was…
This official 1988 sequel to the original Contra sees Bill Rizer and Lance Bean return once again as they are sent to thwart another alien invasion. A year after the battle with the Red Falcon organization, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are sent on another mission. This time, the alien forces have taken over an allied military base somewhere in South America, possessing most of its troops. Bill and Lance must not only…
One of the more harder video games of the eighties...unless you know what to do and have a friend. This proves it's one of the first games with a two-player mode, playing as Bill Rizer and Lance Bean having to stop an evil terrorist group called the Red Falcon from taking over the world and destroy the alien forces controlling them. Strongly influenced by the Aliens franchise and other 80s action films like…
Ah, yes. The classic 1979 fixed shooter arcade game developed by Namco. Designed by Kazunori Sawano, you could even say that it happens to be the Namco version of Space Invaders , a similar space shooter released the previous year by rival developer Taito. Space Invaders was a sensation in Japan, and Namco wanted a game that could compete against it, so this is the result. The game was inspired by the cinematic…
This awesome 1981 fixed shooter arcade game made by Namco still remains one of my all-time favorites, and serves as the official sequel to Galaxian which happened to be the first Namco arcade to be a smash hit. It uses a new arcade board named after it which was later used in other games like Bosconian and Pole Position . While this game does have some differences, it's still your favorite typical starship game,…
I had never even heard of this game until very recently when I went to play it. I couldn't even remember what it was called. So I went along with no idea what I was going to play, which is often a good way to go since there's no big build up and no big disappointment. So this PlayStation video game from 1997, based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name, developed by Probe Entertainment and published by…
The third installment of the Duke Nukem series is probably the best of them all, even more than 20 years later. Unlike the first two games, which are action-platformers, this one is a first-person shooter. Originally, it featured online multiplayer through TEN, now you can get it through the GOG/Steam/ZOOM Platform editions or Duke Matcher; as of 2024, ZOOM Platform frequently updates the Atomic Edition with some…
Read the full review Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour
Now this is an awesome must-have extreme sports game! 24 years later, and it still is a popular N64 title, with amazing visuals and really detailed environments for its time. Unfortunately, due to hardware limitations of the Nintendo 64, its port didn't feature the cinematic movies unlike the PlayStation version, which came first. With really tight controls, it's hard to properly balance your board when grinding. I…
This is a major improvement over previous James Bond games. I really like John Cleese as Q, and Brosnan is still at his very best in this final installment involving his role of Bond. The story is nice and original, and the third-person action-packed gameplay is awesome. I also like the weapons and gadgets they've developed as well. And as always the visit to Q branch is the highlight. No matter how bad a Bond video…
Half-Life 2 is a masterpiece and it's surprising that people still play it to this very day, and honestly, it deserves all those players, because it's a game that defines peak technology. This sequel lives up to the first. Valve's second installment in the franchise followed a protracted five-year $40 million development, during which a substantial part of the project was leaked and distributed on the Internet.…
This is awesome, go play it! Now *THIS* is a video game! This is the kind of video game that makes you wanna make electronic games AND video games! Valve's debut product from their beginning in the late 90s and the first installment in the series, this is the meaning of Full Life. It has been one of the first FPS to feature alien invasion themes (and I'm a great fan of such things as you can probably tell), as well…
Oh man! GiantBomb has finally given this a page. Now I can crush it to smithereens with speeding race cars. Developed by Stainless Games and published by Sales Curve Interactive in Europe and Interplay Entertainment in North America, Carmageddon II, the sequel to Carmageddon involves vehicular combat, much like twisted metal. It became something of a game of importance. But not the Nintendo 64 version (known as…
One of the latest main installments in the FlatOut series, this might as well be the worst game of the decade and even one of the worst games of all time. In fact it nearly killed the FlatOut franchise, until 2017's FlatOut 4: Total Insanity . Unlike the rest of the game, at least the menu is decent. But no, we're about to cover every single aspect of why this game in the franchise FlatOut sucks. The elephant in the…
I'm shocked that even after all these years the Tom Clancy's branding is still going, even after his death. I can understand his literature and legacy continuing but the games with his name in them like this one just lack a complete connection to the audience and the poor writer and his literature. Rainbow Six is pretty good and is pretty much the only thing that has a connection with his literature, Splinter Cell…
The third installment in the Burnout series, Burnout 3 is characterized by fast-paced arcade racing. A staple of the series is the use of boost, earned through risky driving, to rapidly increase a car's speed. The central mechanic introduced is Takedowns, which allow players to slam their opponents until they crash. Takedowns work in conjunction with the boost system by filling up and extending the boost meter.…
The first fighting game produced by Nintendo (way before the 1991 Japan-only fighting game Joy Mech Fight released on the Family Computer), Urban Champion was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1984 and it took two years for release in North America and Europe. Later it was released on arcade machines, more specifically the Nintendo VS. System under the title Vs. Urban…
Crypto is back for more destruction on humanity, and this time he's ready for war, not love! More than a decade has gone by since Crypto defeated Majestic and took over the American government in the cult classic sensation that was Destroy All Humans . Now it's 1969, and Orthopox 13 has died after a Soviet nuclear missile destroyed the Furon mothership five years earlier in 1964. Pox has downloaded his consciousness…
Get ready for one giant step to rule the galaxy, nifty fifties style! Destroy All Humans revolves around Cryptosporidium No. 137, an alien dude of the Furon Race...or maybe should I even call him E.T. the Extraterrestrial's tough badassed distant cousin? In 1957 he arrives on Earth to search for his predecessor clone, Cryptosporidium No. 136, who went missing ten years earlier after Orthopox No. 13 sent him to earth…
Now this is a very awesome game and it really kicks ass! If Duke Nukem had his own franchise and made it as Mario-like as possible, this is his version of Mario Kart on PC! The graphics and gameplay all make this one of PC DOS at its very best in the late 90s. I might not give it a perfect score, but you'll really love it so much. Forget frigging Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, play this. Right. NOW!
Released exclusively in Japan for the Famicom in 1988, this is the first interactive adaptation of the classic manga and anime franchise Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) by Osamu Tezuka. Thieves have stolen all the money from Professor Ochanomizu and you in the role Astro Boy are send out to retrieve it. First of all, the soundtrack along with the graphics make this game look like it wasn't mean to be released in 1988 and…
The fifth installment in the Need for Speed series, unlike other entries in the franchise, centers on racing Porsche sports cars, with models ranging from the 1950s to the 2000s. The game is noted for its extensive information regarding Porsche and its cars. PC Gamer US named Porsche Unleashed the best racing game of 2000. In fact this is probably considered game of the year 2000! This game is basically a love…
The fourth major installment in the Need for Speed series has aged very well. With graphics that are still great by the late 1990s standards, like its predecessor (except for the skyboxes looking dull, especially in the PC version), the gameplay, unlike newer titles, is pretty fun and challenging, as it focuses more on a realistic driveplay scheme while conservating the original arcade gamestyle, something that not…
The third major installment in the Need for Speed series has been heralded during its time for its intense action and beautiful graphics, even by the late 1990s (1998-2000) standards, even more so than the first two installments. The gameplay, unlike newer titles, is fun. Especially in PS1 version where cops using loudspeakers are hilarious. It actually introduced the concept of police pursuits as a part of the…
The second game in the Need for Speed series, three years after the first, is also the first game in the series to be independently developed by Electronic Arts. A Special Edition was later released exclusively on PC. Instead of over-realistic physics like the previous game, this game adopts much more arcade physics, which is much more fun and less frustrating to play. Physics tends to become unstable upon…
The first installment of the Need for Speed series, developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts was first released for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in 1994, then ported to MS-DOS, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn during the mid-to-late 1990s. The premise of the game involves racing in sport cars, including several exotic models and Japanese imports. In the late 1990s, an edition for Microsoft Windows and…
Read the full review Road & Track presents The Need for Speed
The ninth installment in the Need for Speed series features street racing-oriented gameplay, with certain customization options from Need for Speed: Underground . This is the first Need for Speed game released for a seventh-generation console, being a launch title for the Xbox 360. The game was widely acclaimed, becoming the best-selling game in the franchise with 16 million copies sold. It is also considered by…
The eleventh installment of the Need for Speed series was the first title to not involve illegal street racing; instead, it involves legalized, closed-track racing. It includes more than 40 cars including a few from American Le Mans Series, and was the first PlayStation 3 game with DualShock 3 rumble support. If you've seen the 2014 Need for Speed movie, then you probably noticed the Marshall Performance Shop crew…
The sixteenth Need for Speed title and a revival of the Hot Pursuit name first used in 1998's Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit , this game returns to the real roots of the franchise: grand touring in supercars on freeways since Hot Pursuit 2 (2002), instead of the urban street racing and customization (between Underground to Shift ) that a lot of people believe. The graphics are pretty with beautifully designed…
I've been wondering about this one and where it was my whole entire life. Who would've thought that there's a game in the Burnout franchise...that breaks away from the previous entries...by giving players a COMPLETELY OPEN SANDBOX WORLD TO DRIVE ABOUT? You can also partake in various events that are scattered throughout the map. Various cars and other vehicles can be unlocked. Not only that, but it is even the first…
The only other sequel to the 1997 PlayStation/Nintendo 64/PC game Fighting Force, this game is set in a cyberpunk future of 2009-2010 where the world is ruled by powerful corporations. Not only that, human cloning is possible but has been banned by an international treaty. As one of the first game‘s protagonists, Hawk Manson, you are sent in by SI-COPS to destroy the Knackmiche Corporation, which has been suspected…
A word of warning: this may be the longest review yet. Before we get into this review, the plot for the sequel to The Last of Us was leaked online, which revealed major plot details and pivotal cutscenes. Many major characters ended up dying in disgrace and because of Naughty Dog's out-of-control crunch culture and poor attitude towards its employees. However, some of the elements present in the leaks were confirmed…
Winter Games is a video game released for the Commodore 64, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Famicom Disk System and Nintendo Entertainment System. Though Winter Games was a high-selling game and most ports were favorably received, the NES/FDS version was critically panned. While the other ports of Winter Games had seven or eight events, the NES/FDS version had only four (just like the Atari 7800 version) due to hardware…
This 1989 American football sports game, developed by Atlus and published by LJN for the Nintendo Entertainment System, is an officially licensed National Football League game, and some teams from the NFL that existed at the time such as the New Orleans Saints are listed by their official NFL trademarked name. However, due to a lack of an NFLPA license no players are named by their actual real life name. The game…
Developed by Atlus and published by LJN for the NES, this game is based on an American baseball league of the same name, and contains all of the official teams in the league, although all player's names were omitted and stats were slightly modified, (which caused an entire lawsuit because of that). It was released in 1988 exclusively for the North American region. In 1989, Clark Thiemann was excited to play his…
Kong is a video game developed and published by Ocean Software in 1983 for the ZX Spectrum. It is a clone of Donkey Kong . The soundtrack is like someone was actually dancing to a music that is so loud, the composer of this game actually wanted to do the same thing with the soundtrack of Kong . And unsurprisingly, the composer of this game literally has done it. The soundtrack is abysmal and ear-bleeding. The level…
One of the most controversial arcade games, Lover Boy was produced by Global Corporation Tokyo in 1983. The game was lost for over two decades because it was released only in Japan and before the internet became hegemonic. Nowadays, there are dumped ROMs and it can be emulated on MAME (an arcade emulator). Unlike the other games on Giant Bomb and elsewhere online, Lover Boy is not panned because of gameplay or…
This 1989 fighting game was developed by Tiertex and published by U.S. Gold for various home computers as an unofficial sequel to their port of the first Street Fighter , using the same game engine, but different characters to the original Street Fighter . It is the first fighting game to feature four-legged animals (Shepski and Brutus), it was released twenty-three years before the likes of Samurai Shodown VI and…
In this 1988 action game based on the TV series of the same name by Hanna-Barbera, Fred and Barney want to go bowling but Wilma has other ideas......and guess who's left holding the baby? Join The Flintstones in this officially licensed arcade adventure based on the famous Hanna Barbera cartoon characters. First, poor grasp of the source material. Despite appearing on the cover and loading screen, Betty Rubble…
Developed by Lenar and exclusively licensed by Irem as a software title for the NES this action RPG was released in Japan in December 1986 and North America in September 1987, Europe would never get a release, but it was actually one of the earliest RPGs in North America. The game was originally called Hell Bell in Japan, known as and was going to be called Hells Bells in the US, but was changed due to Nintendo of…
Developed by Nexa and published by Sega, this game is based on the SF sitcom of the same name. ALF must locate pieces of his spaceship in order to return to his home planet. The graphics aren't too bad; for a third-generation console such as the Master System, this was acceptable. The music is alright as well, for the same reason as the graphics. In fact there is only music and no sound effects. Hong Kong 97 would…
Developed in 1987 for the Famicom by Another (developers behind The Black Bass ) and published by Hot-B, this game involves four kids with ESP powers who must stop a computer which went insane and now threatens the world. These four are very decent main characters in the game, plus they have really good character designs too. Their battle sprites also change depending on their experience level, which is a pretty…
For the most part, this video game adaptation follows the movie quite faithfully. The soundtrack by Frank Kovitz and Mark Van Hecke is quite good. It also has a decent rendition of the Ghostbusters theme. Unfortunately, this game actually prevented New Ghostbusters 2 , a far better game, from being released in North American markets, because it would have caused confusion over this game. The sprites are poorly…
Okay, so this is an E-rated game adaptation of the 1992 R-rated film adaptation of the classic novel. Making an E-rated game based on an R-rated movie is an unusual decision. It's like making a T-rated game based on a PG-rated film or a G-rated film or an animated television series rated TV-Y or TV-Y7 or TV-G or TV-PG. The game is a blatant Castlevania rip-off, and does almost offers nothing to stand out from…
