Josh H

I left the games no one gives a crap about out.

Gamecube

Metroid Prime- 10, 10, 10 (Platinum Award, game of the month)
-Most overwhelmingly postive review I've ever seen in EGM.

Mario Party 4- 8.5, 8.5, 8.0 (Silver award)
Resident Evil 0- 8.0, 8.0, 9.0 (Silver Award)


PS2

Contra- 9.0, 9.0, 8.0 (silver award)
LOTR- TTT- 8.0, 8.5, 8.0 (Silver award)
NHL2K3- 9.5, 9.5, 9.5 (Gold award)
March Madness 2003- 7.5
Mortal Kombat- 6.0, 5.0, 8.5
Rygar- 9.0, 8.5, 9.0 (Silver award)
WWE Smackdown!- 7.5, 7.0, 7.5


X-box
Splinter Cell- 9.5, 9.0, 8.5 (Gold award)
Steel Battalion- 8.0, 9.5, 8.0 (Silver Award)
MGS2: Substance- 9.5, 9.5, 9.5 (Gold award)
Dragon's Lair 3D- 5.0, 6.0, 2.5
Colin McRae Rally 3- 9.0 (Gold award)
007 Nightfire- 9.0, 9.0, 8.5 (Silver award)
MechAssault- 9.0, 8.0, 8.5 (Silver award)
Unreal Championship- 9.0, 8.0, 8.5 (Silver Award)
NBA Inside Drive 2003- 7.0


GBA

Metroid Fusion- 9.5, 9.0, 9.0 (Gold Award)
Zelda- Link to the Past- 9.5, 9.5, 9.5 (Gold Award)
LOTR: TTT- 7.5
Kirby- 8.0, 8.0, 8.0 (Silver Award)

Tuan Jim

Thanks for the info. I'm kinda surprised that an original game like SC scores below a rehash like MGS2:S, but oh well. I'll still pick up SC after grad. next month ;p

Tuan Jim

brkhrt7

Wow. That has to be the most awards in one issue in a long time.Oh, what the hell happened to Dragon's Lair (2.5)?

CaptDS9E

There are just too many good games out at once. What a time for video games

capt

Josh H

Yeah, there's definitely too many great games and not enough time.

I was glad to see Mortal Kombat not get reviewed highly. I didn't figure on having time to play it, and as I agree with EGMs reviews 95% of the time, I'm probably not missing out on as much as the impression here indicate (as I don't tend to agree with most of the posters here.

However, Rygar looks like something I'll have to check out. I was hoping it would lose my interest after reviews lie Shinobi did, but I guess not.

Maybe releases will slow down after Zelda in February and I can get caught up.

darkside

Great reviews this month for all three consoles.

The reason Substance scores higher than Splinter Cell is because its a better game IMO, but I know many here don't want to hear that. I spent an hour playing Splinter Cell and I was far from impressed. Substance is pretty cool though. A big improvement over Sons of Liberty by giving you so many more options. You really get your moneys worth this time.

KingSmoth

I agree - we are in the minority. After posting my thoughts on SC on a few forums, the responses from the SC fans were that I was a) having hallucinations b) I have no skill c) fanboyism. One mod of a forum even called me "The Lamest Member of the Board" and a few choice names for what I posted....None of those are correct, but I guess some people just can't accept that some people think it's just not that good.

Gallant Pig

Smoth, you throw your opinion around like fact and it tends to annoy people.

quietsoul

Agreed. Different strokes for different folks. I had high expectations for Splinter Cell, and the demo did a lot to kill those expectations. However, that said, I think Splinter Cell still has a lot of merits going for it. It's no longer going to be a blind buy, but it's easily worth a rental.

Gallant Pig

I'd like to say I mean "*If* you throw your opinion around like fact..." not saying you actually do it a lot:

Josh H

You just have to assume that when people are talking about games they are just stating their opinions. There are tons of members here (trigger comes to mind) that seem to state opinions like fact because they don't bother to preface things with "i think" or "IMO."

KingSmoth

It was a mistake of mine. When I first posted

I erased some of it to reword it. I intended to say "....accept that some people think......."; I accidentally erased that part, and when quickly proofreading, saw "some people", assumed I had typed my piece, and posted it. I have corrected it above.
Anyway, you're mistaken in thinking I try to throw around my opinions as fact - but you're entitled to your opinion.

Kainan

Well, I'm with the majority that think that EGM is dead wrong with the lower score on SC. Splinter Cell blows MGS2 away IMO. I tell you, if they put any more movie in MGS games then you'll just have to tape a button to CONTINUE every 10 minutes or so and they will call it gameplay. Bad thing is people will LOVE it!! EGM will probably give it game of the year and it could get movie of the year too!! Yippee... two birds with one stone.

Josh H

The VR missions seemed to be the thing that put MGS2S over the top. They also mentioned snake tales, and the actual gameplay as being great.

I think most hate all the cinemas, and the supposedly lame story (I haven't played MGS2 yet, but loved the first one), but dig the gameplay. Splinter Cell is too stealth oriented for some people, as I've seen that mentioned in a couple reviews, because it can lead to a lot of trial and error, doing the same thing over and over again.

But anyway, it still got a great review from EGM. It's not "dead wrong" it's just their opinion, and opinions can't be dead wrong.

I tend to agree with them more than other reviewers, but no review group is always going to match someones opinion for every game. For example they scored Eternal Darkess lower than I rated it, but I didn't get bent out of shape over it. It's just 3 guys opinions of a game.

zero

You just did it again.

Gallant Pig

KingSmoth

Nope - considering I know my intentions when I post, it is quite fact.

Gromit

I like Splinter Cell, but sometimes it seems like more work than fun.

Isn't is safe to assume that pretty much everything that gets posted here is someone's opinion?

Stoolie

Sorry, but you guys are beating on KingSmoth for a reasons I don't understand. GallantPig, you said that Smoth throws his opinion around as if it's fact, and that annoys people. In my opinion (I repeat, this is my opinion), you are wrong in the interpretation. You openly state that you already know that Smoth is stating his opinion, but in a way that you don't like. Well, get over it and stop being sensitive. Everyone on this board states their opinion in a way that sounds like fact. But if we keep in mind that they are opinions (which everyone says they do but they really don't), then I don't understand where the problem is and why you guys dog Smoth so much. If he thinks Splinter Cell sucks, you can't change that, certainly not by making fun of him. My two cents on the matter.

On topic - this is an amazing amount of highly rated games. Admittedly, it's only one mag's reviews, but still, I can feel the pull of my wallet when I look at that list of games.

stoolie

Kainan

LOL, since we are all running in circles about what opinions can and can't be then I'll address JoshH and his last comment to me.

Umm.. Actually it can be MY OPINION that their opinion is dead wrong. This is just like me saying I can't have an opinion that an opinion maker is a moron. Opinion is opinion is opinion and you can have opinions OF opinions!!! Now how is that for confusing things?

By the way Josh, MGS was one of my all time favorite games. It had a perfect blend of gameplay and cool cinemas. MGS2 does NOT have this IMO. It is strange how this game gets perfect 10s yet I know TONS of people who really do NOT like this game.

Stoolie

Opinion is really starting to sound like a weird word. And that's a fact. Or is it?

stoolie

Lastblade

Opinion is just Onion with a pi in the middle

Draven

I am only a little way into Metroid Prime, but I don't think it is a PERFECT game by any means. There have been enough little things that have bothered me that I would have rated it a little lower than that.

But it's nice to see all the good scores. I'm a little disappointed in Mortal Kombat. I plan on renting it to give it a try, but most of what I've seen/read has been positive on that game.

P.S. Opinions CAN be wrong. If someone said "I think the sky is red," that's their opinion, but it's wrong.

What we run into with games is opinion vs. fact. If someone says "I don't like the control scheme of Splinter Cell," that's an opinion about a fact (the control schemes configuration.) If someone says "The control scheme for Splinter Cell sucks!" that's an opinion STATED as a fact. And that's where we run into trouble. If everyone would just say things like "I don't like this part of the game" or "this didn't work for me" things would go a lot better, because there is SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE who likes the worst games in the world, and they aren't WRONG to like them.

Michael Corvin

Not if they are colorblind.

Draven

Or just annoying