Great handheld compilation of card games, June 25, 2004

--Backgrounds - You can change the background image to a picture or a gradient color.
--Music - There's an hour worth of music on the cartridge and it's playable CD-style, so you can pick and choose what songs you want to hear.
--Windows-style menus - This may sound crazy, but it really does make it easier to navigate options while you're in the middle of a game. You can save or load a game, view rules, change the music or background. All games should implement this system!

The graphics are wonderful considering how much the screen has to show, and on the photo backgrounds, the images are crystal clear--I never knew the GBA SP could display photos so clearly. There's even a simulated 3D face creator, so you can create your own likeness for when you play.

So here's what I don't like:

--Glitchy buttons - In order to rearrange your cards, you must first press the "R" button and then choose which card you want to move by pressing the "A" button. Thing is, if you're not careful, the "A" button also acts as the discard button, so you can lose a card you meant to keep.
--No female features in face creator - I'm sorry, but every single feature in the "Face Creator" program looks like a man's face. I tried making one for my fiance and decided against it as she would've killed me if I told her, "I think this looks like you."

These are small gripes and I think the game still deserves the five-star rating. This is a great game for all ages. There's no violence and the selection is such that there is bound to be a game you know, no matter your age. I mean, what six year old doesn't know "Go Fish"? And even if you don't know, the game has a pretty good "How to play" to get you started. I recommend this game to everyone, although I think adults will enjoy it more with the inclusion of Blackjack, Poker and Video Poker.

You need this game!, June 25, 2004

Graphics: (5/5) The Game Boy Advance's screen has never looked better. Bright colors and fabulous simulated 3D images. It's from the makers of "Golden Sun" (Camelot), so if you thought those graphics were awesome (I did), they're all here! Cool!

Sound: (5/5) The music is catchy and there's actual digitized voices! You can hear "Nice Shot" whenever you hit the ball perfectly or your character whine when he/she fails at a task. I don't know how they packed all this into one game!

Gameplay: (5/5) Okay, I'm not the most coordinated gamer out there, so for me to say that this game is easy to learn, it says a lot. But, like the real game of golf, it's easy to learn, but darned near impossible to master. Plus, the game is limited to the few buttons the GBA has to offer, so expect those buttons to be well used. The game itself is not merely a golf game, as I mentioned. Like the box states, "It's Role-Playing Golf" and that makes it much more interesting than a plain old golf game. But if you only want golf, you can have that, too, as well as a bunch of other mini golf-centered games. However, with all the features locked away in the "Story Mode," I'm not sure why anyone would buy the game and NOT play it like a regular RPG. Also, you can link to other GBAs for muli-player cooperative or head-to-head action. Camelot sure stuffed a lot of different features into this one tiny cartridge, let me say.

Replay Value: (5/5) You won't be able to put this game down. Ever. You will lose friends, pets and the ability to see without glasses. That's how much you'll be glued to your tiny front-lit screen. Like I said, the game is easy to learn, but near impossible to master and that's what will keep bringing you back for more. And then there's the ability to play with your friends in doubles play or against one another. There's just so much to do!

Let me start off by saying that this game is NOT just for people who love golf. I'm not terribly fond of the sport, although I used to go every once in a while. But Mario Golf, in the two incarnations I've played, are the BEST games out there. They combine the challenge of golf and RPG into one slick game that the whole family can enjoy. As far as I know, there's no violence in this game, so I can recommend this game to gamers of all ages, but because of the RPG-nature of this game, I think kids age 10 and up will appreciate the game much more. Oh, and adults won't be able to put it down, either.

Excellent British Series, but Too Pricey for 13 Episodes, June 22, 2004

This set actually comprises only one-half of the original 26 episodes that aired in its only season in Britain (1969-70). Why the remaining 13 episodes are not included here is a mystery to me. Clearly, since they are calling this "Set 1" there is also a "Set 2" planned down the road.

This, however, is unacceptable as a COMPLETE series set of 26 episodes is out in the U.K. for roughly the same cost, but unfortunately cannot be played in U.S. machines. Why the money-grab from this title which is sure not to sell piles of copies in the U.S.? Perhaps to squeeze maximum dollars from those who WILL buy. Shame!

Classic Horror Film; Not So Classic DVD Release Here's Why, June 14, 2004

First, this movie from an entertainment value from 1 to 10 is a 10 plus.
Second, this movie from a technical visibility and technical audibility release value on DVD from 1 to 10 is a 4.

Reason for the first critique: The PROS
1. Director Lucio Fulci directs a fast paced nail biter from start to finish.
2. Excellent film scoring as the music really accentuates the drama.
3. Excellent casting, the actors are solid for this type of film - no phonies.
4. Excellent locations - from New York City to the exotic Carribean where the two main characters meet up with vacationers who agree to charter their boat and take the main two characters to the island of Matool where the horror begins - you'll know why there going there as you see the film.
5. Excellent makeup effects for zombies and the gruesome and great death scenes.
6. Excellent cinematography to heighten the tension during the film.

Reason for the second critique: The CONS
1. Anchor Bay Entertainment's DVD release of this movie is poor. This critique of poor DVD quality is rare when it comes to Anchor Bay Entertainment releases as their remastered-from-the-good-old-cellar-movie reputation normally puts out excellent quality DVDs with full frame-by-frame color correction, removal of original picture blurriness, and excellent audio track remastering, but this movie somehow slipped through the cracks as perhaps there was a rush to get this movie out on DVD due to its immense popularity among gore hounds and Fangoria Magazine fanatics. The rush job to DVD certainly shows. And below are the main points to look out for on this particular Anchor Bay Entertainment release.

2. Poor picture clarity. The picture from start to finish is viewable, but not at all crisp and without blur. This will be corrected see ALTERNATIVE DVD below.

3. Poor color management. The color from start to finish lacks vibrance and richness. The color frame-by-frame is as dead and bland as the zombies themselves. The opening scenes especially as the abandoned yacht( or so you think ) sails into New York Harbor as it is coralled by the New York police, you will see that the city buildings including the World Trade Center towers look more purple/grey in tone, the harbor looks dark brown-grey in color, the sky looks grey in color, and the facial tones of the characters look more fuscia-pinkinsh-beige. The color on this release is horrible and will be corrected. The most frustrating aspect of the poor color is when the movie shfts to the Carribean as two main characters meet up with two vactioners and the four somehow agree to sail for the Island of Matool, after some hesistancy, you will see that the color really suffers here. The exotic locations - the beautiful water, the green of the palm trees, and the like are painfully lacking the vibrant standout color correction needed to make every film frame standout with crisp clear picture quality and life like color. This will be corrected see ALTERNATIVE DVD below.

3. Muddled audio track. The sound is clear, but not at the level of a remastered audio track with either DTS or THX Sound treatments. The musical score periodically steps on the sound effects This will be corrected see ALTERNATIVE DVD below.

4. From the original uncut full-version, there are some scenes missing on this DVD. This will be corrected see ALTERNATIVE DVD below.

5. Periodic purple outlines on the edges of the widescreen black bars.
This will be corrected see ALTERNATIVE DVD below.

-----> ALTERNATIVE DVD <------

Coming from Media Blasters Entertainment, another respected DVD Production Studio in the same ilk as Anchor Bay Entertainment and Blue Underground Studios a two new releases of this film are on thier way.

The first will be a Special 2-Disc Fully Remastered ( Picture and Sound ) 25th Anniversary Edition Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer due out as Amazon.com states on the web page hosting this title as July 27, 2004.

--This DVD has 2 hours of Extras including Director commentary, Film Trailers, TV-Spots, Cast and Crew interviews and audio options. This version is the one to buy and as of this review is only less than two months away.

The second will be Single Disc Fully Remastered ( Picture and Sound ) Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer due out I would suspect around the same time as the 25th Anniversary 2-Disc Edition in late July 2004.

Final Thoughts:

1. Avoid buying the Anchor Bay Entertainment release if you can wait less than 2 months from todays date June 13th. The wait will definitely be worth it. If you own this version already as I do, then I would recommend donating this release to the local public library for a tax break when the new versions, especially the 2-Disc set, come in.

Expect from the newer versions as a recap.

1. Excellent Frame-to-Frame Picture Quality from start-to-finish and Full Elimination of Film Blur.
2. Excellent Frame-to-Frame Color correction bringing the movie to life.
3. Excellent Sound Treatment for fully enhanced dialog clarity, punchy sound effects, and a robust musical score getting more crisp.

If these do indeed happen as Media Blasters Enterainment Studios are indicating, then this film goes from a 4 to a 5 plus.

Rev up your engines, it's back!, June 9, 2004

The graphics are EXACTLY like the original, and if you're playing this on the GBA SP Classic NES, it really is a blast from the past.

Graphics: 10. Okay, that's misleading. The graphics suck in comparison to other GBA titles. Heck, they suck compared to the original Game Boy titles. But if you've ever played the original, you'll love the way this game looks. Oh, and on the GBA SP's crisp screen, the game never looked better.

Gameplay: 10. Exactly the same as the original, which is wonderful! You can choose between racing alone or against other Excitebikers. Plus, like the original, you can create your own track. It also adds the ability to save any track you've created and best time, so when you turn it off, you won't lose it!

Sound: 10. Again, like the original. Sure, digitized revving and bleeps for music may not appeal to young gamers today, but if you're like me, listening to it will bring back fond memories of spending your afternoons afterschool vegging in front of your TV while your Mom gets on your case about doing your howework first.

Okay, I'm a bit biased here. I LOVED "Excitebike" as a kid. I never owned it (my neighbor did), but always wanted it. Now it's all mine!!

If you ever grew up playing this game, you've got to buy it! Buy this and the Classic GBA SP and it'll feel like you're back in the 80's!