The Hungry Hungry Writer

Here are Jake’s and my collection of games. I gave my rating then what I think Jake’s rating would be based on how I’ve observed him enjoy the games and his interest level in them, then averaged the score. If he’s not allowed to play it I gave his rating a N/A. The (reviewed) comment after the ratings means I did a quick review below. (and visit my GameSpot Blog!)

It’s easy to get addicted to XBox Gaming. Just ask my best friend Dale.

XBox Games and counting… TWENTY NINE!

— XBOX GAME COLLECTION — (in alpha order)

· Burnout 3: Takedown (Ratings: Mine 9.1; Jake’s 9.3; Ave 9) (reviewed)
· Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Ratings: Mine 8.6; Jake’s N/A; Ave 8.6) (reviewed)
· Crash Nitro Kart
· ESPN NHL 2K5 (Ratings: Mine 9.2; Jake’s 9.8; Ave 9.5) (reviewed)
· Fable
· FIFA 06 (Ratings: Mine 9.8; Jake’s 8.6; Ave 9.2) (reviewed)
· Greg Hastings’ Tournament Paintball Max’d (Ratings: Mine 8.5; Jake’s 10; Ave 9.25) (reviewed)
· Halo 2
· The Incredibles
· Lego Star Wars (Ratings: Mine 8.3; Jake’s 10; Ave 9.15) (reviewed)
· The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age (Ratings: Mine 7.7; Jake’s 6.5; Ave 7.1) (reviewed)
· Madden NFL 2005
· Major League Baseball 2K5 (Ratings: Mine 9.5; Jake’s 9.2; Ave 9.35) (reviewed)
· MotoGP3: Ultimate Racing Technology (Ratings: Mine 7.5; Jake’s 6.0; Ave 6.75) (reviewed)
· MVP 06 NCAA Baseball (Ratings: Mine 7.8; Jake’s 6.0; Ave 6.9) (reviewed)
· MX World Tour Featuring Jamie Little (Ratings: Mine 6.6; Jake’s 7.0; Ave 6.8) (reviewed)
· Nascar 06: Total Team Control (Ratings: Mine 8.9; Jake’s 6.0; Ave 7.45) (reviewed)
· NBA 2K6
· NBA Inside Drive 2004 (Ratings: Mine 6.1; Jake’s 7.5; Ave 6.8) (reviewed)
· Ninja Gaiden Black
· Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Ratings: Mine 9.2; Jake’s N/A; Ave 9.2)
· Sonic Heroes
· SSX Tricky (Ratings: Mine 9.5; Jake’s 9.5; Ave 9.5) (reviewed)
· Star Wars: Battlefront (Ratings: Mine 9.5; Jake’s 9.8; Ave 9.65) (reviewed)
· Star Wars: Battlefront II (Ratings: Mine 8.5; Jake’s 8.7; Ave 8.6)
· Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Ratings: Mine 6.3; Jake’s 3.5; Ave 4.9)
· Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Ratings: Mine 6.6; Jake’s 3.6; Ave 5.1) (reviewed)
· Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 (Ratings: Mine 9.0; Jake’s 8.5; Ave 8.75) (reviewed)
· TMNT: Mutant Melee (Ratings: Mine 4.7; Jake’s 9.8; Ave 7.25) (reviewed)

 

— XBOX GAME REVIEWS — (in alpha order)

Burnout 3: Takedown
Ratings: Mine 9.1; Jake’s 9.3; Ave 9
I’ve never had so much fun playing a racing game. Unfortunately this isn’t N64’s Mario Kart - which Jake loved - but it’s a fast paced, high action game that both Jake and I like playing together or even alone. At first I was concerned that a five year old wasn’t old enough to be exposed to such violent car crashes, but he was smashing and crashing his Hot Wheels WAY before he got into Video Games. I explained the whole ‘this is not real life’ stuff. He gets it though. He just likes the fast paced drving action. This is excellent entertainment with hours of fun! It’s one of those games I tell my friends to buy. (back to collection)

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Ratings: Mine 8.6; Jake’s N/A; Ave 8.6
Of course Jake can’t play this and he understands. And when I first played it I wasn’t too thrilled. I just came off of the Star Wars Battlefront 1 & 2 FPS games and this seemed too confined. You’re not free to roam the ‘world’ and have to complete a mission to get past fences, doors and things like that. It would be great if there was a free play/instant action feature. But as I got on it late at night it has started to grow on me. I’m getting use to the aiming, the weapons and the missions. Unfortunately you can’t just save where you left off and if you need to quit you have to start the mission over. My rating may even climb as I keep playing the game. Right now it’s an 8.6 and a game that makes me interested in other WWII type games. (back to collection)

ESPN NHL 2K5
Ratings: Mine 9.2; Jake’s 9.8; Ave 9.5
Talk about game play. This game got played! Jake loves it, I love it, we love it… Both of us love hockey, Jake watched me play hockey when I played. And it has become one of his all time favorite sports. Coupled with that and this being one of his first XBox games we bought, he played it every time the console was on. We even created a team for him called “The Gorillas” with bright green jerseys and an All Star Lineup. Unfortunately, his favorite team “The LA Kings”, do not have the roster that are on this game anymore. We will have to pick up the EA Sports NHL LIVE ‘06 hockey game soon to get the faster paced rules into our gaming! (back to collection)

FIFA 06
Ratings: Mine 9.8; Jake’s 8.6; Ave 9.2
Game Spot has this game ranked as one of THE BEST X-BOX GAMEs in the last 12 months. That’s a big deal if you ask me. And it made me curious. I don’t play soccer - never liked it. I don’t know all the rules - but I know the basics. And I find soccer a little boring to watch. But the curiousity got the best of me and I bought FIFA 06 and let me tell ya… this is one of the best sports video games I’ve ever played! It is hard to score but once you find a good formation (mine is 4-2-4) and learn how to pass, you can create some exciting goals. Jake enjoys it but gets frustrated when he can’t score - as we all do. I let him score on me every once in a while which forces me to try and catch up. Sometimes he’ll score a goal on his own which really puts me on my heels. This game has really made me want to try Rugby 06 which comes out shortly. If you like soccer you’ll probably love this game. If you’re a sports nut, this game might be up your alley too. It just might make me go outside and kick a ball around! …I’m tempted. (back to collection)

Greg Hastings’ Tournament Paintball Max’d
Ratings: Mine 8.5; Jake’s 10; Ave 9.25
This is one of those games Jake LOVES. I’m asked to join in on this game when Jake plays more than any other game. At first Jake picked up the game play faster than I did and so I liked the challenge. But once I got up to speed I’ve had to let him win here and there. Unfortunately you can’t play on the same team (at least from what i’ve tried). But Jake loves this game. Maybe because its the closest he could get to playing paintball with dad! I know he wishes he could go with me to play sometimes, and this gives him a taste of what its like. (back to collection)

Lego Star Wars
Ratings: Mine 8.3; Jake’s 10; Ave 9.15
Jake LOVES this game. When he watches one of the movies this game is sure to get it’s share of play. I tend to watch because I’m not that into it. I gave it an 8.3 just because it is fun to go through at least once, but then after that I’m not that excited to play. It’s not enough action for me but is excellent fun for younger gamers like Jake. I love how it follows the storylines of Episodes 1-3. (back to collection)

The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age
Ratings: Mine 7.7; Jake’s 6.5; Ave 7.1
Graphcs are great on this game. And I love Role Playing Games. So those two together should have made a successful game by my standards. But I haven’t played one (an RPG) in several years. So I dove into this with all the Hit Point and Spell Casting frenzy I did when I first played an RPG. It was exciting at first. I was moving from stage to stage. I was building Hit Points and gaining Experience Levels and I was commited to completing the game. But then it became the same old thing. Battles were repetitious, action was slow as the action is turn based - which I don’t like that much anymore. Action should be action with access to controlling, moving and attacking with your character. Taking turns and choosing an attack which is then played out is boring. Only having three characters to battle is very limited as well - but consistent with true board RPGs like Dungeon’s & Dragons. Jake enjoyed it for a few hours after I gave him some hints on what spell or attack to use. But there is too much to read and understand for a 5 year old to really get alot out of it. He liked destroying the goblins and orcs but that got old fast too. If a great D&D RPG comes out for the XBox I’ll be right there. For any other RPG I’m leary of purchasing it. (back to collection)

Major League Baseball 2K5
Ratings: Mine 9.5; Jake’s 9.2; Ave 9.35
Oh how I love Baseball. The statistics. The strategy. The hotdogs and beer… Unfortunately ESPN’s MLB2K5 doesn’t come with hotdogs and beer but it comes with everything else! And I love it. This is one of the first XBox games we owned and both Jake and I played it to the ground. Especially me. I played a whole season as the LA Dodgers (with some creative trades) and got to the WS against the NY Yankees. I didn’t play all 162 games but played most. I paralleled the 2005 season and stayed with the schedule as much as possible. If I fell way behind I’d play at least one game of a series then let the computer play out the game. I made trades, used Minor Leaguers and played my style of baseball. I ended the year with a starting lineup of Halladay, O.Perez, J.Weaver, K.Lowe and M Buehrle. I got Beltre back and actually had to play the playoffs without J.Kent since he was out with an injury. Talk about real life General Managing! It was awesome! The controls are difficult at first but if Jake, a five year old kid who loves baseball, can make bullpen changes, steal bases and hit Home Runs, this game is not a hard game to play. I love baseball. And I love this video game! (back to collection)

MotoGP3: Ultimate Racing Technology
Ratings: Mine 7.5; Jake’s 6.0; Ave 6.75
My first impression – WOW! Yeah, WOW! My next impression – HOW?!? Yeah, HOW?!? I can’t get the touch and feel of this game. I can go fast, I can go slow, I can lean into turns, I can hold up… but I can’t MAKE the turns. I’m going wide, I’m cutting short, I’m stopping and letting people get by… its difficult and I don’t want it this hard. I want Jake to enjoy it. Right now its just frustrating to me. And if its hard for me, its mega-hard for Jake. I haven’t spent more than two hours total on this game so maybe it just needs some sit down time. Again, people rave about it. I’m sure it could be awesome. Remember my first impression? – WOW! Yes… it’s got ‘wow’ factor, and with that it also has a high play factor. I’m just not patient enough to figure it out just yet. 7.5 rating is probably low – but for right now, that’s what it gets. (back to collection)

MVP 06 NCAA Baseball
Ratings: Mine 7.8; Jake’s 6.0; Ave 6.9
All the talk, all the hype… well, not so much talk, not so much hype. Just an 8.0 rating at www.gamespot.com really made me want to try this game. And I did. “MVP 06 NCAA Baseball’s top-notch gameplay is exactly what baseball purists are looking for.” Uh… really? I’ll take Major League Baseball 2K5 any day! Okay, maybe, maybe I haven’t put enough time into it. A couple of hours the first night is actually all I’ve played. I’m a little pissed that the UCLA team is NOT as highly rated as I thought it was for 2006. This just makes gameplay more of a challenge I guess. But its like when you’re use to watching PROS play, COLLEGE play is much slower, has more room for error, and isn’t as crisp. So going from MLB 2K5 to NCAA Baseball 06 is exactly like going to a Dodger game and then driving down to UCLA for a baseball game. It’s almost two completely different sports. Jake has had a very hard time transitioning from MLB 2K5 to this game because he’s so use to the control dynamics of the former. I too have to really get into the game to adjust to the play making. I like one feature – throwing. You can control the strength of your throw which means there is room for tons of errors! A hard rushed throw could go over the baseman’s head, a soft throw will fall short and a good throw means holding that stick just long enough and releasing at the right ‘gauged’ time. The good thing about the game, the more I talk about it the more I want to slip it in and play it! Here’s to a night of College baseball! (back to collection)

MX World Tour Featuring Jamie Little
Ratings: Mine 6.6; Jake’s 7.0; Ave 6.8
I had originally gave this a lower rating: (Ratings: Mine 5.5; Jake’s 6.6; Ave 6.05), but after having an afternoon of gaming with Jake, I found this game more enjoyable than before. We tend to race each other and forgo all the other features to unlock race courses which shows we really don’t take advantage of all the game has to offer. I’m really not as interested in the unlockables on this game which goes to show it’s not a game that I want to really get into. Hence, the lower original lower rating. But it is fun. And I don’t always win. I just don’t get all the cornering and jumping and refuse to look up how to better myself. It’s trial by error. Yes, a little frustrating but still fun. If your kid likes motorcycles and racing, he’ll have fun. More advanced gamers may find it stiff, and the same thing over and over. But I thought in order to be fair I’d play it a little bit more. And I had to inch my rating up a little and from what I observe, Jake likes it more than I thought he did. (back to collection)

Nascar 06: Total Team Control
Ratings: Mine 8.9; Jake’s 6.0; Ave 7.45
At first this game was tedious and hard and slow and not really something I thought was worth all the hype - hype in the ratings game spot gave it (an 8.4) that is. To jump in, get in a car and drive is a task… they make you go through this intro to the game and then you take over for a car with one lap to go. And if you have no experience in this type of driving game you’ll crash and burn right away. Which is the case with Jake… It’s a tedious intro, and then he gets into the game and he can’t control the cars with much ease… but for me… I got past all that, got into a season of game play “Race to the Top” and started off with easier handling cars and have just moved up to the Truck series… and from my initial reaction to my current reaction of this game I can say it is hella fun to play - if you like Nascar and driving games. I’ve gone through 18 weeks of the race season so far, gone from a top driver in the first series and now am fighting to stay in a race in the Truck series. So the level of difficulty and challange actually grows as you grow as a driver. I’m really enjoying it and there’s no room for error because you can’t just quit a race you’re behind in and start over. Quitting forfeits that race which brings your popularity down and your race to the top is slower. And your goal is to get to the big show - the Nextel Cup!!! I haven’t taken advantage of the whole “TEAM” concept yet, so I’m not using the game to its fullest. But right now, I’m happy with what I’m doing. It’s a great game for Nascar/VideoGamer fans! (back to collection)

NBA Inside Drive 2004
Ratings: Mine 6.1; Jake’s 7.5; Ave 6.8
I bought this game because Jacob is so into basketball. But the game play was limited for him. It was a little too stiff. On occasion I see him play but he doesn’t last long and moves on to other things. It was pretty much a waste of money. I tried it a couple of times and started to get into it but I can’t say it’s hours of fun. I haven’t come across a great basketball game for any system yet. But I’ll keep trying. (back to collection)

SSX Tricky
Ratings: Mine 9.5; Jake’s 9.5; Ave 9.5
I bought this game because of all the Snowboard coverage seen during the first week of Torino 2006. It was a pre-played used game for $8.95 (with EBGames discount). It came without the instruction booklet. It was cheap enough for an Xbox purchase even for a throw away type game. An older bargain game (released way back in 2001). And talk about a bargain. This game is one of the best games in our collection to date! There are tons of features that I’m been totally taking advantage of. From World Circuit to Showing off, to a Time Trial thing where you just bomb down the mountains. I’ve never been so enthusiastic about unlocking new mountains, Snow Board Clothing, Snow Boards and characters. Teaching Jake how to do tricks is a challenge, but he discovers some on his own which he shares with me as well. It’s fast, it’s exciting, it’s a great two-player game, and if you can find it for ten bucks it’s worth it big time! I’d pay full price for this game if I knew going into it how great it is. But it always helps to check the GameSpot reviews (8.8 rating) before purchasing any game. Here’s the first line of their review that introduces the game: “Tricky for the XBox exhibits some the obvious signs of being a port but remains a highly addictive and entertaining experience.” They nailed it on the head. “Addictive. I’ll admit it, sometimes I get caught up in a game (like most people who play do) and know I’ve sat there for an hour or more. Last night, I looked at my watch and I had been playing from 7:00 PM to 9:10 PM. The time flew by. I tried to shut it off but ended up trying a couple of things. Thirty minutes later I decided I needed to stop and check out the Olympics. This is a top notch game that I recommend for any console! (back to collection)

Star Wars: Battlefront
Ratings: Mine 9.5; Jake’s 9.8; Ave 9.65
Jake and I had this game for a while and every once in a while we’d play. It wasn’t until I took a week off from work during Christmas ‘05 and ended up sick in bed for that week that we actually got in deep with this game. And we played, played and played some more. This game is extremely fun! We basically finished the game and replayed different worlds over and over and over. It was great! We had so much fun playing this game and working as a team to defeat whatever side we were battling. Jake even chose the ‘other side’ and we went head-to-head several times. This is one of THE BEST Star Wars games ever! Obviously the replayabilty factor is extremely high we’re still playing it. The game is such a great game it makes you want to try Battlefront II. So we bought that after Christmas as well. (back to collection)

Star Wars: Clone Wars
Ratings: Mine 6.6; Jake’s 3.6; Ave 5.1
I thought this game was going to be better than it was. It got decent reviews on gamespot.com. But my review is based on my ability to play as well as Jake’s. And this game loses alot of appeal for that reason alone. I can go into the missions but feel limited in actions. Saving features aren’t great and overall game play isn’t really appealing to me for some reason. It’s a tough game for Jake to enjoy as well. One day I should sit down and just go through it and give it a fair chance. But for now, it’s shelved. (back to collection)

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
Ratings: Mine 9.0; Jake’s 8.5; Ave 8.75
First impression… it wasn’t worth the money. Although I got it used +5% off, the money I paid seemed like it could have gone to another game. Or a couple more pairs of running socks (Balaga socks for that matter). BUT… after getting into it, starting a tournament, creating a character for Jake, and using 90% of all the control features, I’ve done my www.gamespot.com name, “XboxNutAddict”, justice. I’m addicted to Tiger Wodds PGA Tour 06. I haven’t owned a golf video game since the days of my Sega Genesis in the early 90s. So I’m 15 or so years removed from the ‘video golf’ gaming world. Yes, graphics are much, much better, but the game remains the same. Not that that’s a bad thing. I just mean video golf is addicting and fun. Could real golf be just as addicting? From what I hear it is. But I’ll stick to the video links. I just got into a tournament and have yet to get through the first couple of rounds. I’ve picked up all the key controller details and shot features, but haven’t used them fully. The right control stick is now being used to hit the ball in a certain area, the white and black buttons are also used for strength and spin control, and the A button is used for Game Breaker moments – which I’m not sure I get yet. I rely on the ‘caddie’ to pick my clubs and just go for the hole. Jake is slowly getting use to the controls as well and has a knack for figuring out if he needs back spin or front spin as the ball flies toward its target. He’s reading the green a little better but has a hard time controlling power and distance. This game is close to a 10. The reason its not is because its not one of those action packed games. Its slow and easy going. I’ll now enjoy a Sunday afternoon game of golf with a beer at hand. Except my golf game will be in a recliner and not out in the hot sun! (back to collection)

TMNT: Mutant Melee
Ratings: Mine 4.7; Jake’s 9.8; Ave 7.25
This is another one of those games that I find extremely weak yet enjoyable only because Jake likes it so much. And when he gets into his TMNT moods this game is the game of choice for day. I’d like more of a mission based scenario where the turtles work together. This is mostly battles that include fighting the other turtles as well as the other bad guys. It’s ‘King of the hill’ battles more than anything. I can’t sit there and play very long - or play at all - but I join in every once in a while because Jake likes to play. (back to collection)