Grinding and rewinding



Its not been long since the first one's been released for Dreamcast owners and some said that Activision were ripping us off with the release of Tony Hawks Pro skater.

Over the past 20 years skateboarding has gotten popular. It's one of the sports I'll probably never learn to be good at. The story begins like this: there was a man called Tony Hawk. He was the only person ever to do a 900 on a skateboard. Then a game was made after him called Tony Hawk's Pro skater, and it was a success. But enough about me talking, on with the review!

I read EGM's review of this sequel on both systems and both of them got an EGM Platinum Award (for those who don't know what that means, it means the average grade for it was a perfect 10). It's not perfect, but it's great.

Graphics
The graphics are pretty much what you'd expect in an average Dreamcast game. Graphics - 6/10

Sound/Music
They picked good music for this game. It won't decrease your skill or distract you in any way and it is used well as background music. Sound/Music - 8/10

Difficulty
Now, this is the main reason this game just didn't get a 10. I might have given it that if only it was a little harder. The problem is that after 20 minutes of playing, you'll figure out how to be awesome and look like a pro. If you just saw me playing right now, you'd think I was awesome at this game, must have had it for a month, and played it a lot. No, I didn't. In fact, I've had this game for only a week while I am writing this. Difficulty - 4/10 (based on how hard I think it is)

Gameplay
You will be having a blast playing this game and trying to do tricks. You can create a player, and there are some 2-player games you can do. It is certainly better than skateboarding for real because chances are you'll never be a skateboarder. Gameplay - 10/10

Control
Easy and responsive. Yet can be difficult for some. control 4/5

Replay Value
There are many things to do. There's career mode, in which you will unlock many skateboarding arenas. You will be playing this game for a while because there are many things for you to do. Replay Value - 9/10

Rent or Buy
Buy, but it might depend differently for you. Try it first.

This is definitely one of those games that goes into the you-will-like-it-even-if-you-don't-like-this-genre category. I don't like sports either. Overall, it's a good game for you to get, and you must see it to believe it!

Reviewers score:8.5/10

Zelda:Majoras Mask reviewed here!

Tomb Raider Chronicles Review cont.

But is Lara really dead? Well, the adventures from her past might just reveal something about her future, and with every new level you complete, something becomes a little clearer about Lara's fate. Besides, you don't want me to tell you, do you? As with the other progressions in the Tomb Raider series, Lara has loads of new moves to show you. If you are tired of filling your enemy full of lead, you can now beat them in with a baseball bat, or for the pacifists out there, you can take them down softly by knocking them out with a chloroform-soaked handkerchief. Another new move is Lara's tightrope walk - edge her across a rope suspended between two points and she will balance herself carefully and slowly tiptoe forward. Balance her properly or you will have a Lara pancake to clean up. She can also swing on bars to reach higher levels like a gymnast.

The new format seems a lot fresher, and breathes new life into the Tomb Raider series (which some might say was flagging a bit). Tomb Raider Chronicles is better looking, more diverse and a lot more interesting to play than the previous (admittedly excellent) games. But is she dead? Well... you'll just have to find out for yourself!

Reviewers Score: 6.5/10