New Reviews

Battlefield: Bad Company	Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit	Don King Presents Prizefighter

NASCAR 09	Kung Fu Panda	Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Cool Videos

Top Ten Women of Gaming The demands placed upon women in gaming are great. Not only do they have to be totally hot, but they've gotta kick serious ass. You won't find any bimbos on this list.

Game Commentary

The social side of gaming (J. Morgan, 01/15/2008)
Video games will rot your brain and ruin your social skills, or so our parents told us. Yet, as Jeff Morgan explains, the gaming industry has tried to combat this stereotype by developing games like "Halo" and "World of Warcraft" with complex multiplayer components that have spawned virtual societies.

Featured Sites

Do you have the makings of a true Gangster? If you deem yourself a criminal mastermind with the brains and balls to become the ultimate kingpin, this is the game for you. GangsterMind is a FREE game where you are a ruthless Gangster thirsting for money and power. Play today!

IGN.com
When you think of video games, this should be the first site that comes to mind. IGN has forever been a staple on the internet with its reliable supply of in-depth coverage on the game industry. From previews and reviews of all of the latest games, to updated news and cheat codes, IGN is the one-stop source for the serious gamer.

Video Game Controller Family Tree
An interesting family tree chart that displays the evolution of various game controllers throughout the years. While the site is still in the early stages, it's amazing that no one thought of making these obvious connections earlier.

Cool Online Games

Kung-Fu Election Be a fighting candidate in this awesome online game!

Animator vs. Animation Game The stick figure returns! Fight with him… or against him.

Games Web Guide

Nintendo l Microsoft Xbox l Sony PlayStation l Joystiq

Game QuickTakes

Top Spin 3

The latest installment in 2K Sports’ semi-popular tennis series may seem tailor-made for the Nintendo Wii, but after struggling just to win a match for the umpteenth time, you’ll likely fall back to “Wii Sports” like comfort food after a bad breakup. “Top Spin 3” is a massive failure when it comes to creating an enjoyable experience, and though it claims to have “easy pick up and play” controls, that’s simply not the case. Not only is the learning curve harder than usual, but all 10 in-game tutorials are absolute musts if you hope to learn the basics of gameplay. That’s not exactly what you’d call “pick up and play,” but then again, it’s also not the only major issue plaguing the game. Citing “complete Wii functionality” on the back of the box, left-handed players will be surprised to discover that this is not the case. Designed only with right-handed players in mind, lefties could theoretically play the game using their dominant hand, but it would be near-impossible to master. Of course, when the controls are already wonky to begin with, it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to master the game. Add to that some ugly, last-gen graphics and only a handful of licensed players, and you’re looking at one of the most unattractive sports releases of the year. ~Jason Zingale

UEFA Euro 2008

With the Euro 2008 tournament just around the corner, it isn’t very surprising that EA would want to take full advantage, but while the company’s latest soccer title serves as a nice appetizer of what we should expect to see in “FIFA 09,” it’s simply not worth the full price. The gameplay is pretty similar to that of last year’s installment, and while there was plenty to admire about the changes that were made, it also resulted in some pretty low scoring games. Thankfully, EA hasn’t just repackaged “FIFA 08” under a new title with fewer teams, but they’ve also added some very interesting game modes that should at least keep you occupied until the new season being. Among the best is Captain Your Country, which allows you (and up to three friends) to compete cooperatively to win games, but against one another for the captaincy. Using real-time player ratings that change based on performance, it’s essentially a glorified version of Be a Pro, but with actual depth. Also included is a take on the Challenge Mode called Story of Qualifying, which allows you to recreate and rewrite history by playing out famous scenarios, and an online competition (EURO Online Knockout Draw) that pits gamers from other countries against one another in a 16-team elimination tournament. All of the points you earn while connected to Live will also go towards your country of choice in a month-long community competition called Battle of Nations, but unless you have an interest in the future of European national teams, “UEFA Euro 2008” probably isn’t for you. ~Jason Zingale

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Edition

Gen X pinballers, take note: your favorite machines have just made their home video debut. Before they quit the business in 1999, Williams were the best pinball machine designers period, and this collection of ten machines released between 1970 and 1990 is as bulletproof a collection as you’re likely to find. Nearly every cutting edge game Williams made – Black Knight, Gorgar, Firepower, Pin*Bot, Sorcerer and Taxi, to name a few – is here, and the gameplay is remarkably lifelike. The machines have two main visual modes, one that zooms in on the ball when it is towards the top of the machine and another that emulates the player’s standard view in front of an actual machine. The former view is helpful when trying to increase the score multiplier, but watch out if the ball comes flying down towards the bottom flippers. Sadly, there is no online option, and Jive Time’s frustration factor far outweighs its retro cool factor (we would much rather have seen High Speed here in its place), but for a pinball fan, there is far too much to love here to be disappointed with its minor shortcomings. With any luck, Crave will follow this with a Bally edition, complete with The Addams Family, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Attack from Mars, and Twilight Zone. Just sayin’. ~David Medsker