Aside from such an annoying and unforgivable programming glitch, Vexx is a decent action riff in the vein of Mario 64-but only decent. If you've seen the commercials or magazine ads, Acclaim prides itself on pitching the game as a so-called "mature" and "edgy" evolution of the platforming genre. Well, if you consider a furry, indescribably ugly teenage "thing," the act of collecting beating Wraithhearts, and clawing other unsightly enemies with your Astani war talons "mature" and "edgy," then a feast of mediocrity awaits you.
Basically, Vexx is a game that was bursting with potential, brimming with an energized soundtrack, inspired level concepts (poorly executed, mind you), and a cool, in-game planetary system that shifts from daylight to midnight hours (wherein the baddies are more fierce in the dark). It's obvious that it was rushed onto store shelves, causing the developer to dump half-baked ideas and incomplete designs into this lackluster romp. What could have been great is merely a shoddy mess.-JMG
Aero Elite: Combat AcademyConsole: PlayStation 2Publisher: SegaDeveloper: AM2Hot: Aerodynamically swiftNot: It's only for patient pilotsScore: 0 0 0
When you were a wee lad, did you ever earn your flimsy, plastic pilot wings by sitting up front with the big boys in the cockpit? There are so many buttons, switches, and knobs, it's tough to make sense of it all-kinda like Michael Jackson's endless checklist of facial grafts. Luckily, Aero Elite does a fine job of taking the foreign mishmash of flight and tuning it for the laymen endowed with only a driver's license.
This is not to say that the low-altitude proceedings don't pack a whopping challenge-they do, and then some. But the game warms up your engines in an intense series of schooling missions, spoon-feeding impetuosity-soaked players the ins-and-outs of jet fighter aerobatics (hence the surname, Combat Academy). It's tedious to a great degree (just like that Geometry class you despised in high school), but pacing through the 40-plus odd tasks-which range from taking off and landing to evasive combat-proves most helpful once you graduate into a competition of aerial prowess. With success, you'll be known as the Maverick of the Skies by friends instead of Vomitus Muchus. For the less patient, ripping into Arcade mode provides for more blow-stuff-up-type thrills, but less adroit handling (since you skipped class, mister).
Awaiting flight fanatics is a vast hangar of more than 60 past- and present-grade aircraft, from the U.S.-designed F-14B to the Russian-engineered Su-27. Most varied, though, is the inclusion of the AH-64 Apache helicopter, verified to be quite a bitch to fly. And the visuals-after all, this is a "simulation"-are the closest you'll get to the real thing without having to eject, matching that of Namco's previously preeminent Ace Combat 4.
However, be warned: dexterous hands do apply.-JMG
Devil May Cry 2Console: PlayStation2Publisher: CapcomDeveloper: CapcomHot: Jet Li-movie style chop-socky action and cool John Woo-directed movie moves. Good replay value with lots of secrets to unlock.Not: We can picture Nads as Dante.Score: 0 0 0 0
Dante, Son of Sparda-sounds like a name that would strike fear into the hearts of Internet geeks around the world. Well, maybe not. Anyhow, you are Dante, a half human, half demon creature-hunter who is armed with a choice sword and a pair of pistols ready to kill your opponent in the most stylish way possible. Your mission is to explore huge worlds and utilize massive attack combos and flying techniques to defeat your enemies.
Although the basic premise of the game doesn't sound too original, the actual gameplay is-just read on. The scenery is beautifully rendered and has a semi-gothic style that makes you feel like you're in Transylvania. The levels are massive and the enemies are definitely scary. The music is filled with tasty guitar riffs, blending nicely with the game's action sequences.