At best, NCAA March Madness 2008 is a pretty solid game. 

EA’s competitor with 2K’s College Hoops had high expectations. Fans of the relatively new series were disappointed in its predecessor, but anxious to see where EA would go with it this year. It’s an improvement, but they just didn’t go far enough.

The graphics are quite good. The atmosphere of a college basketball game could not have been captured any better. The fans constantly cheering and jeering, psyching out opposing teams while they are at the foul line, and the players actually look real. In this game; they actually have facial expressions depending on what they’re doing. It’s about as good as it’s gotten in a basketball video game.

The sound is another strong point. Voice-overs from Dick Vitale are good. He doesn’t just shot off a bunch of one-liners like in most sports simulation games. He has different ways of saying different things, and it doesn’t get too stale.

The gameplay has been revamped with more moves, especially in the post where players will find themselves able to move around freely. This is an improvement over what we saw in March Madness 07, which the game pretty much crumbled around.

The shooting system is also great — finally; a basketball simulation where luck doesn’t play the major role. Shots are hard to master, but when you get the system down, it becomes much easier.

You can also curve game physics around with sliders in the options menu, but physics is the biggest problem with this game.

The.

Game.

Is.

Slow.

It’s a ridiculously slow-moving game. The player movements are pretty choppy, and there is no turbo. Also, shot blocking is a near impossibility.

The online is good. It’s a mirror image of playing the game with a friend right next to you. As long as your friend is running broadband, lag isn’t an issue.

A huge array of playable teams, the best graphics to date on a basketball simulator game, and some great replay value are all huge pluses for this game, but March Madness 2008 suffers from poor gameplay that is just too slow. In the end, that’s going to be enough to sink this game from greatness.

Quick hits:

Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Sports
Platform:Xbox 360 (reviewed), PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: December 11, 2007

Playability: 3 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The game is a feeble attempt at entertainment. The game is so simple that it completely fails at holding any type of storyline, maps or anything. Bethesda disappointed many “trekkies” with this one.

The gameplay is turn-based strategy, which in the proper element can be good, like in a Mario Party game. However, this was not the proper element.

You find yourself in the middle of a universe surrounded by a bunch of baddies. You move one space at a time in a map that is quite large and one space at a time doesn’t really cut it. Your enemies also move one space, and once you finish hearing their speech (which never changes) you get to make your next move.

After you move, you find yourself some trouble with enemy ships. You have the choice of simulating it, or entering arcade mode.

SIMULATING?

If all I elected to do was “Sim This” I would be watching a little ship move space by space, until it gets to an enemy. Then I’d let the game play with itself.

In arcade mode you will be surrounded by several ships, and you have to take them out. Why? Who knows! There is no storyline! So you destroy them, because everyone in this universe hates each other. No plot. No intrigue. No intergalactic politics. No Star Trek.

The graphics are remnant of the old Star Fox 64 with some advances. The graphics aren’t necessarily awful, and there are some moments where the ships look pretty cool and the planets look bright.

That’s about it for the graphics — stars and ships. I guess it’s pretty hard to screw that up.

The controls are awkward as you move the Wiimote to select targets. The guns are hard to aim, and unless you hit right on target you won’t be doing anything but flying around in a circle, aiming your Wiimote, trying to make something happen.

Online Play? None. Would have been a possible savior of this game.

Storyline? None. Everyone in the universe hates each other, so they shoot each others’ ships down.

Soundtrack? Bad. No voiceovers from the actors. No Star Trek music.

Star Trek: Conquest doesn’t belong on the Wii; at best this is a 25 cent play at your local arcade, and that’s being pretty generous.

If you’re enough of a Trekkie and a fan of the series, maybe pick it up for rental.

Quick hits:

Publisher: CBS Consumer Products
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Platform: Wii
Genre: Turn Based Strategy/Sci-Fi
Players: 1

Playability: 2 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 2 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 3 out of 5 stars
Overall: 2 out of 5 stars

The game is a lot like Blizzard’s Warcraft III and also has the RPG style of a game like Quest. The true beauty of Fantasy Wars lives in the fact that, especially for a clone, it has amazing replay value!

There are three campaigns in which you take the roles of the humans, the cute little elves and the tough orcs. The orcs are the usual fantasy stereotype. In “Wars,” they are known for desiring gold, being a strong race and a constant need to pillage.

The game is no pushover. It’s very difficult in the beginning and gets harder in later phases. It’s important to use your units to their maximum potential and be able to plan for what your opponent might attack you with. The game is a turn-based strategy, which means that you will direct units to attack, hold their positions, defend, gather, etc. Then it’s the other guy’s turn.

Unlike other TBS games, your units and supplies will carry over to the next mission, instead of just starting fresh. Each individual campaign has it’s own ups and downs. The key to being successful at Fantasy Wars is to stay focused, protect your units and deploy them at the right time.

The graphics are well-done. The environments are clear and well animated. It’s all just a little “cartoony” sometimes though. The battle animations will even have you laughing at times.

On the other hand, the sound is enough to drive you insane. The battle cries start off okay enough, but when you hear them every four seconds in a heated battle, you might turn your volume all the way down.

Multiplayer is also available via networking.

The game delivers. It’s an affordable strategy title. Fantasy Wars is highly addictive and a great way to kill an afternoon.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Atari
Developer: Ino-Co
Platform: PC CD-ROM
Genre: Turn-based strategy
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: November 13, 2007

Playability: 4 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Kane and Lynch: Dead Men is a very solid game with an excellent story, good graphics and original multiplayer. It’s also easy to learn the controls and basics.

The game’s storyline puts you in the position of one of two men, Kane, the former mercenary, or Lynch who is a drug-up psychopath babysitting Kane. The two men go through various stages of heists and committing other kinds of crimes. They interact so realistically; it’s one of the strongest points int he game.

Not only during cut scenes, but during the actual gameplay you can see the two men showing their pleasure or displeasure towards each other and the current heist. The storyline is even better in cooperative mode with a friend, where one of you takes the role of Kane, and the other, Lynch.

The controls are easy to master. The game is a third-person shooter in which you use the Left Trigger to aim, and the Right Trigger to shoot. You are able to use the other buttons to control people that are helping you.

The graphics, while not the most impressive thing to hit the Xbox 360, are well-done. Each area is well-detailed and nice to look at. The people are well designed and so are the structures — interior and exterior.

Xbox Live multiplayer might be the best part of the game. It allows you and seven other companions to go on heists. You start by picking up jewelry and cash, trying to raise your total worth before the escape. However, players have the option of being a team player, or getting greedy and killing you for all of your loot.

The killed player gets respawned as a guard or police officer, and the killer will be marked as a traitor. Your former companions will come gunning for both of you.

Dead Men is the perfect way to fix that action-game craving. It’s not at all perfect, but there’s real “edge of your seat” action, exciting multiplayer, and a story that will suck you right in. It’s a definite rental, and if you aren’t turned off by the crude language, drug references, and bloody violence (F-bombs EVERYWHERE), this is one of those games you just buy by default.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Eidos
Developer: Io Interactive
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Playstation 3, PC
Genre: Action, Third-person shooter
Players: 1-2 (local) up to 8 online,

Playability: 4 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

While there are some dramatic changes made in the game, what really sells it, are the little things — the soundtrack, the comfort of the controls and the natural storyline.

The storyline puts us right in the life of Ryan Cooper, a former street racer who is trying to “go legit.” The plot isn’t the selling point of this game, which could be expected since this is a racing game. You have a rival named Ryo, who gets quite annoying with his messages about how much better he is than you, and how he could beat you in a race anytime.

The storyline is where we see the classic Need for Speed game where you start of with the crummy car, race against other people and make enough money to either improve your current car, or purchase a whole new one. Customizing your car is fun to do, whether adding a new paint job, or a new engine.

The Artificial Intelligence is realistic and much better than in previous Need for Speed games. In this game, if you fall behind, nobody is going to slow down for you so you can catch up. It’s now your responsibility to catch up. Likewise if you take the lead, the computer doesn’t speed up. This flies in the face of past games where the computer would always try and make it a close race.

One thing that gets rather annoying is the announcer guy who always repeats himself and has a bunch of cheesy lines, but that’s what volume control is for.

The different racing and gameplay styles deliver in their own ways. The tracks are challenging and well done graphically. There is also a drag racing mode which is getting popular with the online crowd.

The graphics are fantastic. The cars, the people and the environments all seem real. There are also tons advertisements on the track like in every Need for Speed game, but you learn to ignore them after awhile. Need for Speed Pro Street is a graphic dream come true, and a huge step forward from the previous Need for Speed games.

The audio is good. Not as much for the sound of the cars, but the soundtrack that Need for Speed is known for. The songs are like what you could expect to hear in racing movies, such as “The Fast and the Furious” series. Even if you don’t like the genre of music that the soundtrack includes, it just feels right with the game.

The multiplayer needs no explanation really. It’s good. You can race with your friends over Xbox Live, or you can find people at your personal level and compete against them. Drag Racing is a popular choice because it’s quick, fun, and competitive. Everyone tries to claim #1 Drag Racer on Live.

Overall, Need for Speed is a solid addition to the franchise. EA does an excellent job keeping it fresh and fun to play. The changes that needed to be made, were made, and Need for Speed: Pro Street is the best one to date.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: EA Games
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Playstation 3, Wii, Playstation 2, Nintendo DS, PSP
Genre: Racing
Players: 1-2 (local) up to 8 online
Release date: November 15, 2007

Playability: 4 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: 5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Everything.

Switchball is a game that needs not a storyline, nor characters, nor a plot to be great.

Gameplay is simple. Use a little ball to roll around the levels, completing puzzles by moving boxes around to make paths to the end of the level. Sometimes you’ll be a heavier ball to push heavier boxes, or a lighter ball to cross sensitive bridges. That’s about it.

There are also some 40 objects to interact with including wooden blocks, sheets of cloth, spinning fans and magnets to make things more interesting.

The single player mode is six worlds each composed of six levels each. Some levels take 2-3 minutes at maximum, while some take about 45 minutes to an hour. The puzzles will have you slamming your controller in frustration at times, but beating a level feels like such an accomplishment. making this game so addictive that you won’t want to stop playing until you beat it.

The elevator-like music is pretty annoying, but it’s really the only downfall to this game. While you’re focusing so hard on your next move, the music doesn’t seem to matter.

The graphics are … cute? It’s a 3D game, with different environments in each world. There is the ice world, the lava world, the sky world, all of which reflect in the environment of the game. — very impressive graphics for an Xbox Live arcade game.

Overall, the simple, downloadable Switchball is more addictive than some of the 360’s most prestigious high-budget titles.

Switchball is available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft points. There is also a PC version of Switchball. Click here to download the demo!

Quick hits:

Publisher: Sierra Online
Developer: Atomic Elbow
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: November 7, 2007

Playability: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Guitar Hero III boasts a brand new set list of over 60 songs and a ton of downloadable content.

If you have never played a guitar hero game, here’s a quick overview: you take the role of one of the game’s playable characters and battle through the career mode on four difficulties, ranging from easy to expert. There are five buttons on the guitar representing different frets. To play a note, you have to hold down the fret button and strum the guitar. Sounds easy right? Now just do that about 2000 times in 5 minutes. In this game, practice makes perfect, and sticking with it is the key. The learning curve is difficult , but once you get the hang of this game, you will be quite pleased. On to the review:

Guitar Hero III tried to go more in depth with a career mode, but this title isn’t going to be known just for a great storyline. The game starts off with you and some friends starting a band, and after playing five or six songs you move onto the next level and the next set of songs. You go through it all, including your garage band days, your music video and playing in sold out arenas. The storyline in general is quite humorous at times and is fun to watch as the comic book-like characters show their emotions.

While the Guitar Hero franchise isn’t known for breakthrough graphics, but for the spectators Guitar Hero III has done a great job of making the characters look better and the places where you perform are much more detailed. After the prequel was attacked for poor graphics you can tell they really worked to squelch the critics.

The song list is in a word, Excellent. The wide variety of songs make this a very versatile list and there’s something on it for everyone. Whether you’re an 80’s rocker or a fan of the metal, you will be pleased. Some bands featured in the game include Guns and Roses, Slipknot and Kiss. The bonus songs feature some obscure titles you probably have never heard of, but they are very fun to play.

The multiplayer has been improved on huge levels. There are now more ways to embarrass or cooperate with your friends while playing. The multiplayer provides a great way to spend a night with a friend. On the other hand, if your friends have something better to do, you now have the choice of signing into Xbox Live to find a partner or an opponent or bandmate.

Cooperative mode allows two players to play at once. In most cases one player will take the role of the bassist, and one will be the guitarist. In some songs, rhythm guitar and lead guitar are played. Most achievements will come through playing co-op songs and trying to earn huge note streaks and point totals, and the ever-sought after 1,000,000 points.

The Face-Off modes return. You can either try to match your opponents skill level in a Pro Face-Off, in which you are both given the same set of notes, or you can battle them in a Face-Off in which you can go at different difficulties and battle for highest score. This mode represents a great way to show off.

The new “Battle” mode allows players to instead of achieving star power (a power-up which doubles your note-score) you can gain the ability to attack your opponent. You can break their strings, make their note-screen flash, and even raise the difficulty level they are playing on. This was an instant fan-favorite with the people on Xbox Live.

Guitar Hero III is a great game, and an addicting one at that. It’s great fun to play, especially with a bunch of friends and once you start, you won’t stop until you’re the best.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Neversoft Entertainment
Platform: Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, PS2
Genre: Music
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: October 28, 2007

Playability: 5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: 5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Campaign mode follows the continued story of the Master Chief. The earth environments are well done, sharp and detailed. Enemy creatures like “grunts” steal the show with their humorous one-liners, while “brutes” and other covenant creatures are sure to show you a great fight.

Later you will have another encounter with the flood — the swarm of bug-like enemies — that are sure to challenge your rapid-fire abilities. New weapons are available like the double shotgun action of the Mauler, the Gravity Hammer and the Spartan Laser. New vehicles including the Hornet, which is the human equivalent to the fast-moving Covenant Banshee aircraft, and a new chopper, provide great depth and new means of travel and destruction.

The same four difficulty levels are there to choose from, each one giving you an individual Xbox achievement. Easy, Normal, and Heroic are great fun and great to play through, while the Legendary mode introduces you into a whole new level of difficulty. Luckily for you, four-player cooperative play is available, and it never gets old to beat this game with your buddies. Halo 3 provides the same depth of plug-and-play multiplayer that made the game franchise so successful.

Throughout the game there are hidden Easter Eggs known as “skulls.” Each unlocks its own special effect. Silver and gold skulls do everything from achievement points, to making the grunts heads explode with confetti.

Two new features introduced in this game are the Forge and the Theater. The Forge is where you can modify weapons and vehicles. This feature makes it so that your custom games really become customized.

How far can we go with forge mode? Obviously you cannot fill up the map with Scorpion Tanks and Banshees. Each map has a certain amount of “money,” and by erasing some things on the map you can add new things. Your friends will never figure out your side of the map has the powerful sniper rifles and shotguns, while they are left with the less than impressive plasma pistols and the magnum.

Enter theater mode. Have you ever said to yourself, “What a shot! I wish I could see that again!” Now you can. Actually, you can see every shot; from every perspective; from every angle. The last 25 campaign or multiplayer games you have played can now be re-watched, saved and sent to your friends on Xbox Live. Using this new feature, you can find ways to make these maps really work to your advantage and develop new strategies.

And of course, the online play in Halo always wins over the hearts of many. Matchmaking allows you to play a various array of ranked and social matches. In ranked matches you build up a score as you win matches.

Slayer mode is still there, and it’s always a favorite. There are a few new slayer modes like “Shotty Snipers” – a match where your long range and close range skills are challenged and “Team Swords,” which tests your timing and speed.

If you don’t feel like slayer, there are many skirmish games to choose from such as a returning favorite; “Capture the Flag.”

The new additions to multiplayer are endless. Players can also veto a map and a set of rules they don’t like. If a majority of players press the veto button, then a new map and rules get picked. There’s also a new badges feature, taking you through the ranks from private to general. Once again you have the choice of whether to make your online character a Spartan or an Elite of the alien-type race. By playing the campaign mode, new armors and new helmets are available to unlock and use in multiplayer.

In a final new and impressive addition, Bungie.net now records your game statistics along with your most commonly used weapon. This feature is especially intriguing because it records your entire gaming history on Halo 3, featuring full statistics of everyone in the game.

Halo 3 epitomizes what a great first person shooter should be. A great storyline meets great graphics and online play. You will not be disappointed at all by this chapter in the halo trilogy.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Bungie
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: First-person shooter
Players: 1-4 local, up to 32 on Xbox Live
Launch Date: September 25, 2007

Playability: 5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars Editor’s Choice