8B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
THURSDAY, MARCH 17. 2005
Now.
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Video games
All photos courtesy www.iGN.com
Fight Club System: X-Box, PS2
What in the world is happening?
Me...bad at a Megaman game? How is this possible? I proudly wear my Megaman T-shirt and now this. The eighth story of Megaman X is quite a hard one. I couldn't even beat one Robot Master.
After many battles with Mavericks and Reploids, society has decided to begin a massive exodus. To do this, the Reploids have built a highway that extends all the way to the moon. A huge explosion occurs on the highway and Megaman arrives on the scene to investigate. A shadowy figure emerges from the wreckage. It's Sigma. All of a sudden, more Sigmas begin to emerge. X can barely form words. All of a sudden a flash of light falls on Sigma and
Megaman X8 PS2
Some movies should just stay movies. Take Fight Club for example. David Fincher's 1999 film needed a fighting game adaptation about as badly as Citizen Kane needs a first-person-shooter.
Kane needs a first-person playing *Fight Club* is about as much fun as being repeatedly punched in the kidney by a professional wrestler, and about twice as painful. The game's story mode follows a lone street fighter as he works his way up the ladder in *Fight Club*. Not only does it completely disregard the antimaterialism theme of the movie, but it also lacks character development, intelligence and any real point.
This kind of desecration would be a little more forgivable if the gameplay wasn't as
changes into a female Reploid. She explains that they have Sigma's DNA in order to become stronger. Now X must stop this new menace and save humanity once again.
once again.
X8 returns with X, Zero and Axl as playable characters. Each of them has their own strengths to bring to the battlefield. X can charge up his X-Buster to release powerful shots, Zero is greatly skilled at close-combat and Axl has rapid fire. Before each stage, you must form a team of two of the three Maverick Hunters.
Also, along with them are analysts that help them in the stage. Each analyst has their own strengths as well such as detailed map layout, item knowledge, and boss strategies. However, you can go without an analyst if you are brave enough.
terrible as it is. The fighting engine lacks any real imagination, and the game's three fighting styles all feel like variations on the same moves. Most of the game's single player modes are singular in their focus, and will quickly bore players.
focus, and what to do.
The multi-player modes do nothing to help. You and your friends are more likely to have fun beating each other with game controllers than attempting to delve into either the game's versus or online modes.
either the gameplay is just the tip of the iceberg. The gameplay is terrible on so many other levels. The graphics are plastic-looking, the sound effects are barely audible, the music is repetitive, the cut scenes are abysmal—the list just goes on.
are absymal—the last pose.
Do yourself a favor and find something healthier to do than play *Fight Club*. Beat your head into a brick wall, super glue your eyelids shut, or staple your face to an oven. Anything is better for you than playing this game.
Grade: F
X8 also has a metal system to help out the heroes. When collecting metals from robots, you can use them to create special chips to aid you such an as extra try-again chip (extra lives) or chips to aid you in battle.
Andrew Campbell
Grade: C
Megaman X8 is an OK game. Nothing about it stands out. It's a system that many old-school gamers can easily follow.
Megaman keeps upgrading, but the basis is always the same.
The game once again comes back with a merge of 2D and 3D graphics. This is a definite change from many of the previous games which were strictly 2D.
Brothers in Arms:
Road to Hill 30
Xbox, PS2, PC
—Chris Moore
Brothers in Arms is a tactical squad-based first-person shooter starring Matt Baker, a 20-year-old paratrooper. The
story is in depth and has a Saving Private Ryan feel to it, complete with a musical score to make Tom Hanks proud. Baker is just a soldier. He can be killed easily, his gun shakes as he shoots and shooting while running is inaccurate. It's realistic.
The three best antagonists in video games are aliens, demons and Nazis. Halo 2, Doom 3 and now Brothers in Arms has fulfilled its aspirations of purging evil from the French countryside.
while running is made easier.
Outmeuering the Nazi's isn't a walk in the park. The basic situation is having one of your squads lay down cover fire to suppress the enemy, while you lead the second squad around to flank them.
"I don't."
The story is what sticks in my mind. "I never asked to be squad leader" it is Baker's favorite line and he says it several times in the first several levels. It's sad to get to know the men in your squad and then see how it bothers everyone when they are killed.
It's been a while since I've played a good WWW1 first person shooter and after play
ing Brothers in Arms I wish there were more good ones on the market. The multiplayer adds depth to a game as you play as either a Nazi or an American, fulfilling objectives like defending or destroying anti-aircraft guns.
What makes it fun is the chaos you endure while trying to create order by flanking your enemy and then when you've finally moved into a flanking position you hear the sound of metallic treads rolling along. You turn to find yourself staring down the barrel of a German Panzer and you feel like Matt Baker, just another soldier.
Grade: A
Dan Hoyt
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