GameCube Reviews C-E

Holy cow - this may be the worst shooter I've ever played! Like most modern shooters, it attempts to meld 3D visuals with 2D gameplay. I'm the biggest fan of the genre you could ever meet, but Chaos Field is a disgrace. It's nothing but one pointless "boss" battle after another! By 2006, everybody knows that boss battles are totally played out, and everybody just hates them in general. But apparently O-3 Entertainment didn't get the memo!

In Chaos Field, you encounter one huge ship after another, and each takes forever to wear down while it disseminates hundreds of slow-moving projectiles. Besides normal shots and lock-on missiles, there's the concept of "changing fields", but this is poorly explained in the manual and confusing in general. You also have a "sword", which acts like a windshield wiper, cleaning out projectiles in front of you ship. Since you can't fire while using the sword, you'll need to alternate it with your attacks, which is tedious and dumb.

The techno soundtrack is decent, but Chaos Field's graphics are completely forgettable and lacking in detail and imagination. The gaming media loves to refer to games like Chaos Field "old school", but they forgot that old school games were actually fun. This isn't. As a shooter expert, let me assure you that this game totally sucks. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

If you think a Disney game made by Capcom couldn't possibly be bad, you're not wrong! Magical Mirror is a 3D adventure where you navigate rooms of a mansion while solving puzzles, not unlike Luigi's Mansion (Nintendo, 2001). The main difference is its point-and-click style.

The premise is that Mickey's bedroom mirror has been destroyed by a ghost and you need to gather the scattered shards to reconstruct it. I had trepidations about the controls from the outset. The first screen puts you in a room with three doors, but you don't control Mickey directly. Instead you move a hand cursor to point at the door you want, and press a button to select it and then again open it. Using a key requires several more presses. Sheesh.

Since "the hand" typically becomes brighter when you pass over an object of interest, typically you'll just go around the room clicking on everything. The problem is, that big white glove isn't very exact, so it can be hard to tell what it's pointing to. The camera angles can be disorienting as well, and Mickey himself sometimes gets in the way.

For the most part the scheme works. You need to collect stars that enable you to perform "tricks", causing madcap situations to unfold which usually result in obtaining an item. You'll be prompted to animate silverware and tea cups. You'll jump on a bed and jostle cabinets to knock loose out-of-reach keys. Some sequences are more elaborate than others.

What intrigued me were the more edgy sequences that push the boundaries of a kid's game. In one scene there's a framed picture of a beautiful woman who transforms into a ghoul. Scary! In another you're chased down a hallway by an animated magical sword! Whoa! Turning on a TV in one room causes a vintage black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoon to play. Creepy!

Magical Mirror is a slow, methodical adventure, requiring more trial-and-error than skill. What makes the game appealing is its inviting graphics, pleasant music, and simple puzzles. It's fun to explore and you can save at any time. If nothing else, this game conjured a sense of childlike wonder I hadn't experienced since Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Genesis, 1990). © Copyright 2022 The Video Game Critic.

Nintendo needed another title besides Donkey Konga (Nintendo, 2004) to justify their bongo drum controllers, and Jungle Beat fit the bill. Visually the game resembles a Donkey Kong Country platformer, with attractive, 3D-rendered characters and simple 2D gameplay. It's the unusual controls that really set this game apart.

Tapping the left or right bongo makes your ape gallop in that direction. Hitting both at the same time initiates a jump, and clapping causes Kong to emit a shock wave. This wave not only sucks in nearby bananas, but also stuns enemies. Suffice to say, you'll be doing it all the time!

The controls lack the crisp, responsive feel of a normal controller, but the difficulty is low and the gameplay is forgiving. Jungle Beat offers diverse environments with jungle, snow, and volcanic locations. Its brief stages incorporate jumping, flying, swimming, racing, and of course the obligatory boss encounters. There are times in the game when Kong can latch onto an oversized boss, and tapping both drums alternately lets you beat the hell out of it! Good times!

As you would expect from a Nintendo game, the presentation is beyond reproach. Jungle Beat's graphics are sugary sweet and its festive music will keep your toes tapping. Although most stages are your standard platform fare, there are a few stand-outs, like one where you swim through chunks of Jello. It's pretty amazing.

On the downside, there seem to be a lot of arbitrary rules. You can latch onto certain objects, while others will harm you on contact. There are a lot of mechanisms that catapult you all over the place, making it feel as if you're not-quite-in-control. Since clapping usually yields good results, you tend to do it a lot, and it's hard on your hands.

Jungle Beat is strictly a single player game, and there's only one playing mode. That's fine, because with the constant pounding and clapping, you'll want to keep your sessions short. For the record, I tried using a normal controller but it was terrible. While only fun in short bursts, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is too enjoyable to be written off as a simple novelty item. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

Packaged with a sturdy set of little bongo drum controllers, Donkey Konga is a musical title that will appeal to those who enjoy rhythm games. The idea is to hit bongo drums (or clap) along to a row of icons moving across the screen. In the tradition of Dance Dance Revolution (PS1, 2001) or Samba De Amigo (Dreamcast, 2000), keeping the beat is essential.

The challenge mode offers a random selection of songs which include "current" hits along with old standbys like "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Row Row Row Your Boat" (sung by children no less). Some of these are annoying, but at least the game is family-friendly.

Once you get into a groove Donkey Konga feels almost hypnotic. Then again, it only takes a brief lapse in concentration to throw off your rhythm. A microphone between the drums is used to pick up the "clap" sounds. It's so sensitive it sometimes interprets an extraneous sound (like a laugh) as a clap. A rubber undercoating keeps the drums from slipping off a table, but I usually hold them in my lap.

What makes or breaks any music game is its song selection, and Konga includes 33 tunes that cover a wide range of genres including pop, Latin, country, classical, and rap. I prefer the more catchy pop tunes like "All The Small Things", "Whip It", "The Impression I Get", and "Rock Lobster". The frenetic Latin tune "Para Los Rumberos" was more than I could handle.

For the longest time I did not realize the songs are not performed by the original artists. That's how good they sound! You also get jazzy renditions of Nintendo originals like the Legend of Zelda theme and the syncopated Mario Bros. theme. 33 might seem like a lot of songs, but after working your way through all of them all you'll be wishing for more.

In addition to single player mode, the "jam session" allows up to four players to perform simultaneously - each with their own separate rhythm tracks. If you only have one drum set you can still play cooperatively by letting a friend assume the clapping duties. Konga goes a little overboard with the clapping, which can be hard on your hands after a while!

Nintendo also threw in a few mildly-entertaining mini-games, mainly of the whack-a-mole variety. I've been told Konga is a rip-off of Drum Mania, but I can't verify since I've never played that game before. All I know is, if you own two sets of drums, Donkey Konga will quickly turn any get-together into a party. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

I went ape over the original Donkey Konga, but this follow-up strikes me as a half-baked rehash. Donkey Konga 2's gameplay is practically identical to the first, save for a lousy song selection and some unwanted new features. You still smack the bongo drum controllers to the beat of icons streaming across the screen, but will you want to?

A music game is only as good as its soundtrack, and the list of 26 songs leaves much to be desired. There are a handful of decent tunes (U Don't Have To Call, Hit 'Em Up Style, The Anthem) but few standout tracks.

A few of these tunes seem woefully out of place. Unpretty? Drive? Do these sound like party songs to you? What the [expletive] is "Losing My Religion" doing in there? And even if you do enjoy the song selection, your ears will tell you overwise. It's woefully obvious that these were not performed by the original artists! Some of these renditions are so far off, it sounds like karaoke night at a dive bar!

The concept of earning "coins" offers little incentive, as they just unlock pointless "bonuses" like irritating sound effects and alternate song mixes. The various bongo sound effects are one bonus feature I'd prefer to live without. Imagine hearing beeps whenever you hit a drum. It totally ruins the song!

The two-player mode routinely awards victory to the worst player, thanks to the new "rock-paper-scissors" ending sequences. Patently unfair, they award an inordinate amount of bonus points solely on the basis of luck. What's the point of even playing the game?

And then we have the highly-touted "Freestyle" mode, which lets you bang away on the drums as random images are plastered across the screen. After about 30 seconds of that garbage, Jonathan declared it the "worst mode ever". Donkey Konga 2 is a real clunker. Fans of the original should gird their loins before diving into this trainwreck of a sequel. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

When I see an unwieldy name like "ESPN International Winter Sports 2002", I can only assume they couldn't get the Olympic license. Too bad! Winter Sports lets one or two players compete in events like alpine skiing, ski jumping, speed skating, bobsleigh, half-pipe, figure skating, and curling. This isn't a remarkable game by any stretch, but it's not a dud either. The pacing is brisk and you have to love the snowy landscapes with their rolling hills and ice-encrusted evergreen trees.

You select the specific events you want to compete in, which is always a nice option. Each is preceded by an explanation screen which explains the controls well but tends to drag on for a little too long. The events tend to be more difficult than they need to be. The skiing events look great, but it's hard to make tight turns and missing a single gate instantly disqualifies you!

The ski jump event really isn't that hard, but the elaborate set of gauges on the screen will make you feel like landing the freakin' space shuttle! The curling event is pretty long and tedious, but it does offer a strategic aspect the other events lack. Figure skating will only appeal to girls, and since girls don't play video games, it won't appeal to anybody.

You might expect Winter Sports 2002 to be a good multiplayer title, but that's not the case due to its learning curve. Even the simpler events typically require several attempts before you really get the hang of them. There is however one event that really stands out above the rest, and that's bobsled. When played solo, you navigate a rollercoaster-like pipe complete with speed boost strips! In two-player mode the game is played on a split-screen with both players racing on the same track! It's not realistic at all, but it's a blast to jockey with a friend at high speeds.

Winter Sports 2002 is a quirky title. The menu screens feature disco music and the A button is referred to as the "decide" button. The game could definitely be more playable, but there's something to be said for its short events and inviting scenery. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Mixing elements of Resident Evil and Tomb Raider, this dark adventure offers some a number of original features including multiple playable characters, spell-casting, finishing moves, and an inventive "sanity meter" that's bound to freak you out. Eternal Darkness unofficially marks the Gamecube's transition to the "mature" demographic. That's right, this is a mature-rated (17+) title from the company who brought you Yoshi.

Initially, the game feels like Resident Evil as you guide a woman around her grandfather's mansion to investigate his gruesome death. Her subtle facial expressions are amazing, but her hair looks chunky. While collecting items and solving puzzles, the calm is occasionally shattered by a startling event that will scare the living hell out of you. As it soon becomes apparent, this mansion serves as the "hub" of the game. Certain books and transcripts send you back in time where you play out ancient stories as a Roman soldier, a servant woman, a swashbuckling swordsman, and a colonial American doctor.

These stages feel a lot like Tomb Raider, offering a nice blend of traps, puzzles, and hand-to-hand combat. The animated monsters look incredible, and I love how they writhe on the floor after being mortally injured. Characters don't show external injuries, but they do slow down and limp as their life depletes. The audio effects in Eternal Darkness are outstanding. From water trickling in a fountain, to mysterious whispers, to the shambling sound of rotting flesh, a number of effects really caught my ear.

The game's unique control scheme lets you target specific body parts, so you can hack off the limbs of approaching creeps. I love how the skeletons feel for their heads after being decapitated. Finishing moves are also available - very unusual for an adventure game. Unlike many survival horror games, the bosses in Eternal Darkness are few and far between, thank goodness. The spell casting aspect might have been a good idea had it not been so ridiculously complicated. Not only do you need to collect the necessary spells, artifacts, runes, and tablets to create a spell, but then you need to combine everything correctly!

The most interesting feature of the game is its bizarre sanity meter which triggers events that blur the line between fantasy and reality. Your character will grow larger, the camera will sway, the title screen will appear, or a message will tell you your controller isn't connected! While these don't really affect the gameplay, they usually catch you off guard and sometimes freak you out. Scary, quirky, and fun, Eternal Darkness is a good choice for those looking for an original horror title for the GameCube. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.