Chicken Run

Developers ~ Blitz Games Publishers ~ Eidos Interactive Released 24 Nov, 2000.

Chicken Run is a game based on the animated film of the same name and is suprisingly playable compared to the other film-to-game disasters. The story is simple: you must escape Tweedy Farm with all of your domesticated fowl chums by building catapults, see-saws and other comical escape devices. Its a parody of The Great Escape and hen houses look like POW barracks and are fenced in behind barbed wire. It also plays in parts similar to Metal Gear Solid where you must avoid search lights and sneak around with your feathery back to the wall.
Lookswise it can be a little blocky but not so much as to ruin the game, and in truth it only crops up in a few close up shots. Characters move well enough and it does feel like you're in a cartoon. The cut scenes of course are sublime and are straight out of the films animation drawer.
One of the coolest things about Chicken Run is the music. Again its very Great Escape with cheery brass band sections, that really do stir you onward in missions. (Well they do with me!) Voice overs are the genuine artice too.
Another neat touch are the mini games like The Bunty Eggs-Press game where you must feed a hen by tapping the blue button until its full then catch the eggs she lays before they smash on the floor. Neat!
You play three characters ~ Ginger (the main one), Rocky and Nick & Fetcher. Its all mainly gathering the bits and bobs you need to built the devices, while avoiding the Tweedy's and those pesky guard dogs. (You can lure the mutts away by lobbing sprouts around, like the knock-on-wall trick that Snake used in MGS.) When I first played this a decade ago, those dogs were genuinely frightening. It was that close up shot afer they caught you and bared those teeth that did it. Mrs Tweedy too is pretty spooky in a Wicked Witch of the West kinda way.
Im enjoying playing this again after all these years, the only downside is that while the camera can be moved with left/right d-pad dabs its not entirely helpful in allowing you to see your surroundings. I have often ended up in farmer Tweedys torchlight owing to the camera being an awkward swine. Thankfully your position (and those of your enemies) is marked on the little radar at the bottom of the screen (another nod to MGS) so its not utterly frustrating.
All in all Chicken Run is a decent game and for the price of a few pints you can't go far wrong. Wings up!

Top Ten Dreamcast Downloads

Lots of excitement around the fact that PSN and XBLA are now making Dreamcast titles available for download. It seems there might be one a month which is very cool news for veteran Dreamcast players, and those who didn't get to play them on the machine the first time around.
In anticipation of which games will make the download jump here is my TOP TEN wishlist in no particular order. Pay attention Playstation and Xbox download dudes.
N.B. You can read what I think of these games in more depth by going to the relevant review on this blog.

1. CRAZY TAXI

This fantastic game is already confirmed (it could even be available as I type) which pleases me greatly. Hopefully you can mess around with the music too as the only bad thing I have to say about Crazy Taxi was having to listen to The Offspring constantly.
This is near perfect for online shenanigans too.


On the highway to Dreamcast Heaven

2. HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2

Brilliant game and another which would be satisfying online. Rankings on leaderboards, togther with different boss challenges.

3. SILENT SCOPE

Cool game and what else would be cool would the ability to target others online. Good for a Hi-Score table also.

4. SPEED DEVILS

One of the best racers ive ever played. Think about it; you can place bets in Speed Devils and having the chance to bet (and possibly lose) your own vehicles in online races would make for more nteresting battles. And imagine downloading new tracks and vehicles like in Motorstorm. Count me in!


Imagine this in HD on a 50" screen

5. SHENMUE

Need I say more?

6. READY 2 RUMBLE 2

I want to punch out complete strangers in a different country while they are dressed as Bill Clinton. WIN!

7. ZOMBIE REVENGE

An awesome zombie shooter is essential because blasting zombies in the face is fun.

8. POWERSTONE

Either the first one or the second, im not fussed but one of them HAS to be included.

9. VIRTUA TENNIS

The best tennis game on ANY console ever. Online tournaments, new trophies, leaderboards, rankings, its all possible with tennis.

10. GUNBIRD 2

Sega GT

Developers - WOW Entertainment. Publishers - Sega Corporation. Released 2000

Sega GT is a driving simulator that was aimed at being a Gran Turismo beater. Or at least aimed at being on par with Playstation's car game/pornography. And in my opinion it succeeds. Granted this title drove straight past me ten years ago, and truth be told I had already had enough of 'real' driving games thanks to the Sony game but now after all these years I have picked up a copy of Sega GT for my collection and must say, I love it.
All the car makes are here, including Peugot, Suzuki, Subaru,Fiat and Honda, and they look the buisness too. Graphically this a very fine example of what the Dreamcast was capable of. (In fact I get the feeling this game wasn't running at full pelt and Sega's console was capable of so much more.) Still, everything looks lush from road shadows to whispy, moving clouds in the blue sky.
Of course before you can partake in any of the serious races you must first acquire a license. There is the B Class, A Class and SA Class to obtain in all and each will let you in to their relevant races. There are time trials to full blown championships to get stuck in to.
One particularly cool aspect of Sega GT is the corporate sponsorship of the championships (featuring, among others, McDonalds!) Win the tournament title and you'll earn more than just moolah and a fancy car; you'll bag a sponsor who rewards you further with great performances. The money is all well and good but the Golden Arches still hasn't gotten me my very own Big Mac vending machine.
When not racing for money (and burgers) you can pay a visit to your garage and upgrade your cars by fine tuning everything from fly wheels to pistons. Fans of the other driving simuluator will know what I mean here.
The only downside to Sega GT is during the early Club stages, the races are slow and as you can only afford a basic, un-souped up car you are forced to grind around the circuit feeling like you are steering an iron on wheels. But the game is only reflecting reality so no blame can really be applied to Sega GT.
Another great thing about this game is the music. Different races have different music styles so for example the dusty, desert circuit 'Deep Rock Road' has gentle country music in the background whilst 'Sky Peak Hill' has jazz. Its all a merciful release from having the likes of Ash belt out the same tedious track ad infinitum like they did on Gran Turismo.
Best news of all? It can be taken for a spin for the same price as a pint of beer so racing fans should have no excuses for not picking this up.

Jager Rating: 10 Jagerbombs !!

WWF Attitude

Developers - Iguana Entertainment. Publishers - Acclaim Sports. Release Nov 10, 1999.

As I have stated in my Royal Rumble review, I am not the biggest wrestling fan, but this is one WWF game I did go out and buy back in the day. It boasted so much depth of play for a sports title and had such bold looks that I couldn't resist. (That and I was wanting a break from action games for a bit.)
If you are a wresting fan then WWF Attitude cannot fail to excite. It has all the standard Exhibition and career modes and then a whole lot more. King Of The Ring events, Pay Per View events, you can even create your very own unique sweaty extravaganzas and design everything from lighting placements to event logos. Now thats depth!
New features included blood letting and the ability to play to the crowds and from the little I have watched of wresting, the chance to get those audiences hollering for you is a big part of the show. Also each wrestler entered the ring with their own unique entrances, that is the ones they use in real life. So far so good then.
I spent Saturday morning with this game and came away with the impression that while Iguana Entertainment has no doubt made a fine looking game with all the bells and whistles (or should that be bandanas and lycra?) it also has its share of downward pointing thumbs.
First off are the arenas themselves. Now while they look the buisness and have the official logos and fighters entrances, they 'feel' very small and not arena like at all. For instance you can hear single shouts of support for one wrestler, making it feel more like its being held in a pub than stadium. Commentary is dire too compared to the accomplished television style commentary we have got used to by the likes of Madden. At certain times one of the presenters giggles for no apparant reason which made me feel like I was being watched by a madman.
Each fighter has their own taunts too but personally with lines such as The Undertakers, 'children shouldn't play with demons,' I would feel more threatened by a tag team consisting of lambs and butterflies. And don't get me started on Kane, who for some inexplicable reason sounds like a toaster.
On the other hand the wrestling itself is done well and the slabs of muscle and lycra move about the ring as you would expect. No problems there. Also the moves (don't ask me to name any) seem to be cool enough and all in order. Saying that I did seem to get by simply sticking to using a kick and punch combo which tells me something is not quite right for a 'sport' that prides itself on wild, stylish manouvres.
So there you go, about as fair and unbiased review by a non wrestling fan as you're likely to get. And my gripes are only with the sounds, which aren't up to the games decent looks and scraps. Most fans of WWF will love this, especially with the depth of play and chance to set up their very own events. (If only we had a rugby game that did this.)
More good news is this sells for peanuts on auction sites and can be got for the price of a Sunday newspaper.

8 Jagerbombs.

Ducati World

Developers: Attention To Detail. Publishers: Acclaim. Released: March 9th, 2001.

Ducati World is a racing game of the two wheeled kind, where the developers shunned the sports cars and jeeps for motorbikes, and not just any bikes but Ducati superbikes (and the odd vintage and touring models.) Not being a lover of cars but being a huge bike fan I got really excited when I first heard this was being made all those years ago, and because the Playstation version was released before the Dreamcast game I went straight out and picked up a copy on the day of release. (And to be honest by 2001 I had more than enough Dreamcast racers to keep me going.)
Fast forward nine years and here I sit with a Dreamcast copy of Ducati World and a happy bunnykins I am too. Other reviews have spent most of their time being on the stingy side and picking out flaws but I ignore them as usual. This is a pleasant enought racing game (especially for Ducati fans) and there is nothing about it to warrant a drubbing. Ok there are a few downsides such as aggressive opponents intent on knocking you into the scenery and there are no replay videos but these really are minor scrapes rather than a full head-over-handlebars accident.
If you want to, as Steppenwolf said it, just head out to the highway you can by hoosing Quick Race but the real meat of this game, the real rubber on its tyres (enough already! - impatient ed) then Ducati Life is the way to go. Here you must buy/sell bikes, obtain the important licences (to be able to race the big events), tune the bikes engine, brakes, etc and compete in some cool races. It really is a petrolheads daydream come to life and if you have ever played the career mode in Gran Turismo then this is it once again but with fewer wheels.
There are three licences to go get and tests for these go from the incredible easy starting and stopping to having complete laps in under a minute while never making a mistake. They are all fairly enjoyable however the tests can be unforgiving at times and frustration levels can go way past the healthy level.
Looks wise its no Katherine Jenkins but in the same breath its no Susan Boyle either. Some of the bikes look pretty good and the bails look painful enough.
Get to know the circuits well enough and it pays off by being able to weave around the corners, leaving those waspish opponents in the dust. Very satisfying. And there are over 40 Ducati's in the game along with helmets, leathers. Everything a budding Carl Fogarty would need.
I don't see this come up at auction sites very often and while by being no means rare, the bike fan with a Dreamcast should snap Ducati World up if they get the chance. I paid £3 for mine and thats about right.

7 Jagerbombs

Gunbird 2

Developers: Psikyo. Publishers: Capcom. Release date: Febuary 2, 2001.

Gunbird 2 is a fantastic (hows that for early praise?) 2D scrolling shooter and yet another hit for the brilliant Capcom. Basically players chose one of 7 zany characters (each with different attacks) and flew up the screen shooting everything that comes your way. And I do mean everything! Enemies constantly come in waves at you, showering the play area with hundreds of bullets and projectiles.
Not being much of a shooter fan back in the day, Gunbird went totally beneath my gaming radar and I didn't play it, but having picked up a copy (a bargain £3) for my Dreamcast collection I must say that its a brilliant title which has hardly been off the console. (And what a fool my younger gaming self was.)
It looks fabulous, even having just come off the sublime looking Devil May Cry 4, proving that the Dreamcast can still shine with todays games. Robots and weird looking space crafts sail around the screen in lush colours, making the player often yell 'cool!' at them. Or maybe just me.
There are 5 difficulty types in all ranging from BABY mode to VERY HARD, the latter being indeed very VERY Hard, blimey! The not so hard levels are a joy for first time players of these type of frantic shooting games, I was sure glad of them because the tougher modes would be enough to put me off altogether. Hey, nobody enjoys dying every 5 seconds right?
What was cool about Gunbird 2 was that for the Dreamcast it had an online rankings board so gamers could strut their virtual stuff. Too bad Dreamarena is a thing of the past but only illustrates just how far ahead of the pack Sega was at the time.

Characters:

Marion - A magician.
Alucard - Vampire, son of Dracula. Alucard is Dracula spelt backwards.
Valpiro - A military robot.
Tavla - Teen girl with a jet pack.
Hei Cobb - A guy with a turban on a flying carpet. Cool!
Aine - A one eyed Samurai.
Morrigan - The succubus from Darkstalkers makes an appearance. Doubly cool!

And like I said you pick one these dudes/dudesses, in order to take on the hilarious (but deadly) Queen Pirates. The final boss is an Eleephant God that is an obvious parody of the Satochan mascot of Sato Pharmaceuticals company.
This is arcade 2D shooting at its brilliant best and deserves a place in any gamers collection, the only downside can be the price. I got really lucky in getting it for £3 because ive seen Gunbird 2 sell for around £8 and upwards. On second thoughts for £8 its still a pretty decent price for such gaming excellence.
Quality rating: 10 Jagerbombs!

Metropolis Street Racer

Developer: Bizarre Creations. Published by Sega. Release date: 11th March, 2000.

Metropolis Street Racer was initially pegged as a launch title for the Dreamcast, however due to numerous delays it was not to be. Probably a good thing too because it gave Bizarre Creations time to fine tune everything from the tyre up. Make no mistake about it, this is a fine racing game with slick looks, cool soundtrack and a great feel to the races.
Foolishly I ignored it first time around (those adventure/fighting games again) but I picked a copy up a few weeks ago for peanuts and have gone some way to redeem myself by taking it for a spin every chance I get. And richly rewarded I am too whenever I do.
There are 3 cities to tear up (not literally) - London, Tokyo and San Francisco and each of these are recreated with delicious detail and are a joy to race on. They 'feel' like their real life counterparts. Considering the title is a decade old its quite a feat as other racing games at the time were often lazy in track design. For example if they wanted to make a British based circuit the would simply include a few red phoneboxes and miserable weather conditions or for a Dutch track a couple of windmillos would suffice but Metropolis Street Racer doesn't steep so low. Racing in Tokyo IS like racing in Japan (or how I would think it is) so big THUMBS UP to Bizarre Creations for pulling it off.
The soundtrack to this was a neat innovation of the time too. Basically it was a mix of fictional radio stations. There were 9 in all, 3 stations for each city and the only other game I remember doing this back in the day was Grand Theft Auto.
There were 5 race modes:
Hotlap: A solo sprint consisting of usually 3 laps attempting to beat a specific time.
One-on-one: A race against an opponent. (Players can give themselves or the computer opponent a head start up to 60 seconds.)
Street Race: A single race against multiple opponents.
Championship: A 4 race series against 3 opponents. Points are received based on the player's position at the end of each race.
Challenge: A race with custom rules like passing a certain number of cars within a time limit for instance.

All of them pretty spiffing too. And what is also cool is that this is STILL one of the BEST racing titles out there in Videogame Land© which can be bought for as little as £2. £2 for Metropolis Street Racer you say? Get thee off the starting grid on the double!