Category: Game Reviews

Developer: Edge of Reality (N64 Port), Neversoft (Original) Publisher: Activision Released: August 20, 2002 Rated: T 8/10 The biggest thing working against Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 is, unsurprisingly, hardware limitations. At this point, we’re already used to the N64 receiving the worst console version of these games, which are complete masterpieces, otherwise. But with… Read more

Developer: Point of View Software Publisher: Midway Released: November 28, 2001 Rated: E 7/10 In lieu of a past-generation release of the new NFL Blitz 20-02, which debuted that same season for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube, Midway opted for a quick and dirty update to the previous year’s NFL Blitz 2001. Though built on… Read more

Developer: Shaba Games (PS1 Original) Titanium Studios (N64 Port) Publisher: Crave Entertainment Released: November 27, 2001 5/10 Rated: E Razor: Freestyle Scooter wears a lot of its shortcomings right on its sleeve. Basically being a carbon copy of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater both in structure and gameplay, it replaces the  consistent cool factor of skateboarding,… Read more

Developer: VIS Entertainment Publisher: Bam! Entertainment Released: October 14, 2001 2/10 Rated: E Sometimes I worry about my rating scale, particularly in finding the right assessment for those “average” games. The 4-6 out of 10s that often feel fine, but not very interesting. Certainly functional, but not engaging in the long term. The anxiety coming… Read more

Developer: Tiburon Publisher: Electronic Arts Released: September 7, 2000 7/10 Rated: E There’s a definite concern heading into Madden 2001 that the focus on getting the version for the shiny new PlayStation 2 is going to cause casualties in the quality of other versions, namely this one and that of the PS1. Which is why… Read more

Developer: Neversoft (Original Version), Edge of Reality (N64 Port) Publisher: Activision Released: August 21, 2001 Rated: T 9/10 With the Pro Skater series now a firmly established reference point of what an extreme sports game can be, rather than merely a new and exciting foray into the counterculture, evaluating Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 on… Read more

Developer: Neversoft (Original Version), Edge of Reality (N64 Port) Publisher: Activision Released: March 15, 2000 Rated: E 8/10 The catalyst of the extreme sports gaming boom in the late-‘90s to mid-2000s, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater first debuted on the PlayStation in fall of 1999. Carrying a sense of authenticity that rarely survived the transfer process… Read more

Developer: Hudson Publisher: Nintendo Released: May 7, 2001 Rated: E 9/10 I remember growing up as an avid Game Informer reader (RIP) that Mario Party, as a series, was often considered a punchline at best and a punching bag at worst. As someone who enjoyed the early entries he had played, while only having really… Read more

Developer: Hudson Publisher: Nintendo Released: January 24, 2000 9/10 Rated: E Although in no way is there any definitive ranking, either within the N64 trilogy or the series as a whole, I have often seen discussions regarding Mario Party 3 as the best of the three, and the original as the weakest, and I think… Read more

Developer: Hudson Publisher: Nintendo Released: February 8, 1999 E 9/10 Far from the “humble beginnings” vibe that some other titles might give off when looking at them in retrospect, the first Mario Party still isn’t perfect out of the gate, as many ideas, pacing problems, balancing factors, and more don’t necessarily pan out on this… Read more