Publisher: Hasbro (1999)
Reviewed: 2000/1/19
Rating: Everyone

Hasbro has been rather inconsistent in their attempts to update classic games, but I think they got it right with this one. Especially when you consider how Hasbro
butchered Frogger, this is a pleasant surprise. Q*Bert offers three modes: Classic, Head-to-Head, and Adventure. Classic is the original arcade version, although you can choose between the original or updated graphics (good call). Anyone who has played the original Q*Bert knows how simple yet relentlessly addicting this silly game is. In case you don't remember, Q*Bert is the orange character with the big nose who hops around a pyramid, attempting to turn all its blocks the same color. He needs to avoid a gang of wandering enemies, most notably Coily the snake. Q*Bert's gameplay stands the test of time, and its head-to-head mode provides some enjoyable two-player simultaneous action. The Adventure mode challenges the solo player to complete some wild non-pyramid layouts, and you can save your progress between stages. This game is configurable in every way, including the control scheme. That's significant when you consider the game relies on diagonal movements. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.
Publisher: Mud Duck (2003)
Reviewed: 2005/8/8
Rating: Everyone
Publisher: Agetec (1998)
Reviewed: 2000/5/10
Rating: Everyone

R-Type Delta is an old school-inspired, side-scrolling shooter with eye-popping 3D graphics. Like previous R-Type games, you're armed with a deployable weapon called a "force module". The force module really adds a lot of strategy to an otherwise typical shooting experience, and you can even
attach it to large creatures to inflict substantial damage. Delta's graphics are truly impressive, with huge bosses that approach menacingly from the background. The post-apocalyptic scenery looks okay, but there's nothing particularly imaginative about it. The objects on the screen tend to be large and detailed, but sometimes your ship will run out of real estate, which can be frustrating. Fortunately, the pace of the game is slow enough that you can usually navigate out of harm's way even when things get hectic. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.
Publisher: Ascii (1999)
Reviewed: 1999/8/3
Rating: Everyone

This unremarkable compilation features arcade-perfect ports of R-Type 1 and 2, along with a few minor bonus features. The original R-Type is a classic side scrolling space shooter that was popular in the early 90's. Both games feature cool bio-monsters, deployable weapons, and insanely hard gameplay. It seems like you're constantly losing ships
even when you know where the enemies are coming from! The graphics and sound are respectable, even by today's standards, but the lame bonus material is limited to screens describing technical details about the ships and enemies. I was disappointed that they didn't include more R-Type games on this disk, since several other editions of the game were previously released. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.
Publisher: Taito (2000)
Reviewed: 2003/9/10
Rating: Everyone
Publisher: Namco (1996)
Reviewed: 2017/2/24
Rating: Kids to Adults

This game is Ridge Racer 3 in all but name. That's a shame because I'd really like to file it next to my other three Ridge Racer games. Rage Racer is so good I can hardly believe it. Building on the winning formula of its predecessors, it ups the ante with additional cars, new customization options, and crazy eye candy. There are three courses but frankly they're all just variations of the same one. That's okay because the track is
fantastic! It twists and dips like a rollercoaster as you race through watery ruins, towering falls, San Francisco-style hills, and a bright Greek seaside village. New lighting effects add realism but make the scenery look a little gritty. I noticed a few unsightly seams here and there. The arcade controls are consistent with previous Ridge Racer titles, complete with the fishtail weirdness. I found the jazzy music to be a huge upgrade over the previous games, as is the woman announcer who provides moral support. The sense of progression is terrific as you're constantly unlocking new features and upgrade options. There's a lot of pressure to finish each race in the top three because you only have five credits. Even after all these years Rage Racer stands as a testament to how much fun arcade-style racing can be. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.
Raiden Project, The
Grade: A
Publisher: Sony (1995)
Reviewed: 2005/9/18
Rating: Kids to Adults (animated violence)
Publisher: Sony (1996)
Reviewed: 2011/2/15
Rating: Kids to Adults
Publisher: 989 Studios (1998)
Reviewed: 2011/2/15
Rating: Everyone
Publisher: Spaz (2000)
Reviewed: 2002/1/6
Rating: Everyone

This long-overdue sequel to Ray Storm doesn't quite live up to the legacy of the original. Like the first game, Ray Crisis features rapid-fire shooting, lock-on missiles that target multiple enemies, and transforming bosses that take forever to defeat. Excellent overhead 3D visuals offer cool camera angles and nifty visual effects. Unlike the first game, you can select the order of the stages, and you have four different ships to choose from. But Ray Crisis has some glaring problems. First of all, the two-player mode has been dropped completely, which is a major disappointment. And unlike the magnificent stages in Ray Storm, the levels in Ray Crisis seem awfully generic (lava stage, desert stage, etc). Finally, you'll have to deal with some extra-long loading times that you didn't have to put up with in the first game. Ray Crisis provides more of the same for fans for Ray Storm, but in this case more is less. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.
Publisher: Spaz (1996)
Reviewed: 2002/1/6
Rating: Kids to Adults

Ray Storm is one of the most spectacular shooters you'll see on the Playstation, thanks to its incredible overhead 3D graphics. The impressive scenery includes towering skyscrapers, ruins sticking out of the ocean, and huge galactic star cruisers. Your ship is equipped with rapid-fire cannons, lock-on missiles, and bombs that devastate everything on the screen. You'll battle enemies of all sizes from both the ground and air, and your lock-on missiles can target multiple enemies to maximize damage. Two people can play simultaneously, creating tremendous mayhem and devastation. While Ray Storm is an amazing technical achievement, its gameplay is flawed. First of all, the bosses take
way too long to destroy. It seems like I spent
half the game just pounding away at these mechanical beasts! And although the early planet stages are outstanding, the advanced space stages are far less interesting. It's uneven in quality, but shooter fans will still find Ray Storm appealing. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.
Publisher: Gremlin Interactive (1996)
Reviewed: 2008/3/15
Rating: Mature

I've played some crappy sequels in my time, but Reloaded borders on
criminal! The original
Loaded (released earlier the same year, 1996) was no classic, but it did supply fast-paced shooting action with a satisfying degree of destruction. This game offers neither. In contrast to the original's dark, mysterious environments, Reloaded features bright, generic planet surfaces. The camera angle is more tilted than overhead, emphasizing the
lack of detail and dreadful
pixelation of the characters. Platforms are of different elevations, and some are only accessible via ramps or elevators. Apparently somebody thought this was a good idea, but it has a really detrimental effect on the game's speed. Your character moves slowly in general, and when shooting he moves like a
snail! It's so bad that you'll actually
avoid shooting whenever possible! What kind of a shooting game makes you
not want to shoot? A really
bad one! Reloaded's stages are more reasonable in size than the previous game, but their nebulous objectives make them less satisfying. The new mapping display is counterintuitive, and the music consists of weak, generic beats. By rushing this ill-conceived sequel out the door, Gremlin effectively killed the promising series. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.
Publisher: Capcom (1996)
Reviewed: 2004/10/25
Rating: Mature
Publisher: Capcom (1998)
Reviewed: 2004/10/25
Rating: Mature

This second chapter of the Resident Evil saga expands the scope of the original in a number of ways. This time the entire town of Raccoon City is a burning disaster area overrun by zombies. Spread across two disks, Resident Evil 2 offers multiple missions and two playable characters. The graphics have been refined, and the ferocious new bosses include a giant alligator lurking in the sewers. While the premise might suggest a free-roaming game experience, in fact your movements through the streets are heavily constrained by cars and burning wreckage. Most of the action actually takes place inside of public buildings including a large police station. There's one particularly startling sequence in the station involving a mirror that scared the living hell out of me! Despite being a bigger adventure, the gameplay follows the same winning formula as the original, with thoughtful puzzles and intense monster encounters. As a terrific sequel that remains true to the original formula, many fans consider Resident Evil 2 to be the pinnacle of the series. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Grade: B+
Publisher: Capcom (1999)
Reviewed: 2004/10/25
Rating: Mature

The first Resident Evil (RE) set the standard for survivor horror, and RE2 expanded its scope from a single mansion to an entire town. In some ways, this third chapter feels like Resident Evil 2.5, since it takes place in the same burning city and even
reuses some locations (notably the police station). Despite a strong sense of deja vu, it's hard to beat the tried-and-true Resident Evil gameplay, with its awesome pre-rendered scenery, interesting puzzles, and jump-out-of-your-seat scares. The main character, Jill Valentine, looks seriously
hot running around in her boots and miniskirt. But the real star of the game is a hulking boss named "Nemesis" who keeps coming back much like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies. He's pretty scary, especially when you're limping around with that ugly bastard hot on your heels. Since Nemesis loves to sneak up on you and can crash the party at any moment, the intensity level is always high. The improved control scheme offers a quick turn-around move, a dodge, and a nice auto-aim mechanism. Other new features include the ability to manufacture different types of ammo (about as fun as "mixing plants"), and new "decision points" that can slightly alter the branch of the story. Resident Evil 3 feels awfully familiar, but those who can't get enough of the series will appreciate this well-designed third chapter. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.
Resident Evil Director's Cut
Grade: A
Publisher: Capcom (1997)
Reviewed: 2004/12/16
Rating: Mature

This "Director's Cut" was clearly just a marketing ploy designed to generate hype for Resident Evil 2. Ironically, its main selling point was supposed to be its "uncensored footage" showing a detached arm in the opening scene. Gamers had been incensed when it was ommited from the original game, and due to a mix-up at Capcom, it's not in this version either! Resident Evil Director's Cut does offer a slightly modified version of the original game with shuffled puzzles, a few new camera angles, and multiple difficulty modes. The music has been changed, but considering how good it was in the original game, what's the point? What really caused a stir in 1997 was the second disk, which includes an playable demo of Resident Evil 2. It gives you a nice taste of the sequel by letting you fend off hordes of zombies on ravaged city streets, if only for a few minutes. This Director's Cut is not a critical upgrade for owners of the original version, but if you've never played Resident Evil, this is an ideal package. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.
Resident Evil Survivor
Grade: F
Publisher: Capcom (2000)
Reviewed: 2001/10/6
Rating: Mature

Survivor is such a monumental disappointment, it probably doesn't even deserve to bear the Resident Evil name. Previously Resident Evil (RE) games had always been played from a third-person perspective, but over the years rumors were swirling about a first-person version. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but this piece of garbage feels like a low-budget throw-away project. Survivor's 3D-rendered graphics are extremely blocky and pixelated, and the scenery is marred by unsightly seams and glitches. The audio is completely recycled from past RE games, but it's the control that really drags Survivor down. You can't strafe, and turning is painfully slow. Targeting zombies involves moving a clumsy crosshair around the screen, and you can't even tilt down far enough to hit creatures chomping on your legs! The need to explore is eliminated by the "quick search" button which automatically zooms in on any useful objects in a room. Likewise, objects in your possession are automatically used when needed, eliminating the need to think. Survivor is a linear experience with a lot of "find the key, open the door" puzzles. All that's left is constant shooting at monsters, which is surprisingly lame. Adding insult to injury, the load screens are frequent and you can't even save your progress! Clearly, Survivor was ill-advised and should have never seen the light of day. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.
Publisher: Time Warner (1995)
Reviewed: 2009/8/12
Rating: Kids to Adults
Publisher: Namco (1994)
Reviewed: 2014/11/29
Rating: Kids to Adults
Ridge Racer Revolution
Grade: B-
Publisher: Namco (1995)
Reviewed: 2014/11/29
Rating: Kids to Adults

Revolution?
Really? This tepid sequel offers little more than a new track and a rear-view mirror! I was anxiously anticipating a two-player split-screen mode, but Ridge Racer Revolution only provides head-to-head action via a
link cable. I never knew anyone who even
owned one of those things. The quality of the graphics is the same as the first game, which is not a bad thing. The new course has three variations, but the general layout seems suspiciously similar to the original. Still, I like driving past those lighted tiki huts at night and racing through the tunnel carved into the side of the mountain. The controls haven't changed but the tracks tend to be more narrow, making it harder to maintain control during the fishtailing power slides. The new rear-view mirror feature is kind of a bust. On the plus side you can use it to "block" oncoming cars. On the down side, it's kind of big and tends to obscure the scenery. As in the first Ridge Racer, you can play a Galaga minigame during the load screen, but you can no longer swap in your own music CD. That's a problem, because some of the techno jams sound like a cacophony of noise. All things considered, Revolution is still a fun game with the same arcade sensibility of the original. There are additional options including the ability to save best times for each track. But instead of feeling a big step forward, Ridge Racer Revolution just feels like a big step sideways. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.
Ridge Racer Type 4
Grade: A
Publisher: Namco (1999)
Reviewed: 2017/2/24
Rating: Everyone
Publisher: Capcom (1998)
Reviewed: 2014/2/9
Rating: Teen (animated violence)
Publisher: Midway (1996)
Reviewed: 2011/8/27
Rating: Everyone
Our high score: 121,000
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Singletrac (1998)
Reviewed: 1999/7/15
Rating: Teen (animated violence, suggestive themes)

Here's yet another car combat game from the good people that brought you Twisted Metal 1 and 2 (989 Studios took over for the third installment). Rogue Trip may lacks spectacular graphics, but it certainly doesn't lack a sense of humor. Everything about this game is wacky. The only truly original element is your ability to pick up "tourists" and drive them around to earn money. It sounds dumb, and it probably is, but it does add a bit of strategy. Rogue Trip's whimsical cars and stages are interesting but appear a bit sloppy. The energetic soundtrack includes some fine tunes from popular artists you're sure to recognize, and there's a nifty split-screen mode. Rogue Trip didn't push the limits of car combat, but its irreverent tone and multiplayer fun make it amusing nonetheless. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.
Publisher: Psygnosis (1998)
Reviewed: 2016/4/9
Rollcage Stage II
Grade: B
Publisher: Psygnosis (2000)
Reviewed: 2016/6/15
Rating: Everyone
Publisher: Electronic Arts (1998)
Reviewed: 2010/3/24
Rating: Everyone
Publisher: Psygnosis (1996)
Reviewed: 2010/3/24
Rating: Everyone