Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Average Customer Review:
Game Cartridge
list price: $39.99
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Editorial Review

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time may be the greatest single-player video game ever created in any genre. It's that good. Those new to Nintendo's enormously popular Zelda series will be glad to know this game stands completely on its own. Our hero, Link, starts the game as a young boy living in a magical forest village populated by elf-like children. But there is evil lurking in the world. Strange monsters are appearing, and the land is changing. It's up to Link to discover why, defeat the monsters, and stop the evil at its source.

The game world's ever-changing environment looks like a fairy tale come to life. Majestic waterfalls, towering castles, and magical forests are a feast for the eyes and ears. Rivers flow, rain falls, the sun and moon rise and set. There's even an erupting volcano! Exploring this world is half the fun of the game. Along the way, you learn musical tunes that you can play on the flute-like Ocarina, a magical device that helps you teleport, alter the weather, even control time itself.

Character interaction is important to gather clues. The fairy princesses, singing frogs, and dragons you'll meet can be cute, humorous, or somewhat terrifying. Sprinkled liberally throughout the game are hundreds of secret treasures and enjoyable minigames (one of which, the fishing game, would almost be worth buying by itself). Game controls are easy to learn. There's even an elaborate fight training course built right into the game. Controlling the hero quickly becomes instinctive, and you can concentrate on saving the world. To win the game, you'll have to use not only Link's sword, but your mind as well. This game's challenging and inventive puzzles really make you think. In fact, to keep from getting stuck, it's worth spending a few bucks on an official player's guide. With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo has come up with an all-consuming adventure title that will provide days of engrossing gameplay. --Eric Fredrickson

Pros:

• Best single-player video game
• Freedom to explore a rich, complex world
• Helpful fairy guide gives hints
• Charming, humorous, lighthearted, yet challenging

Cons:

• Some puzzles can be frustrating
• Only one saved game per player--don't save when you're stuck!
• Much more fun with Rumble Pack

... Read more

Features

• Variety of items and secrets
• Fully 3-D rendered graphics
• Clear background music and detailed sound effects
• Highly interactive environment

Reviews (833)

ocarina of time review
I loved it.It just draws you in.There was some parts i got snagged on but it is one of the best puzzle solving games you'll ever buy.I'd give it 5 stars any day.Like finding one of those big chests wondering what will be inside,is it a bomb bag,is it a bow and arrow,is it a sling shot?It's a magnificent game,i'd recomend it for anyone and everyone.So next time your out buying video games and you see it on the shelf BUY IT!

What a revolutionary LoZ game
The most recent LoZ games, in my opinion, have all been fairly average.Wind Waker was the latest actually good LoZ game.But of all the LoZ games, OoT is just plain incredible.

In this game, you play as Link as he grows from a child into a young man while on his quest to defeat Ganon and save the world from ultimate, evil rule.Along the way, you meet many friends and face amazing boss battles.

The graphics (at the time) were just incredible.It really made me enjoy looking at and playing the game.Nintendo really did a great job in this department.

The gameplay is like no other.One of the few incredible games to utilize the C Buttons for vital controls, this game felt really comfortable to play, and there's tons to do in the game besides just beating it.Also, throughout the game, you are forced to travel back and forth through time and play as Young or Adult Link to complete the game, which is awe-inspiring in my opinion.Sadly, after doing little everything, there's no addictive mini-games to really play and not much else to do, but go through the game again and again.

The sound is incredible, and the music has never been better.I found myself turning the volume on the TV all the way up while playing this game, because the sound was that good!

If you're an avid gamer, yet you've never played this game, then something's really wrong with you.Pick this game up and play it 'till your fingers fall off (which I guarantee you'll do).This game is worth buying and owning for as long as you even are alive.

An epic classic! Still the greatest game to roam the Earth!!
A long time ago... in the unevolved time of 1985, a video game company emerged on the scene, known as Nintendo... And from a classic platform (genre) named Mario came a new series: The Legend of Zelda....

I love this game so much, I have to play almost all the time. This is THE greatest game to walk the planet. Or roam. Or kill the other video games. Any are true. This classic is the first 3D legend of zelda, and is still an amazing game to date.

Well, if it's such a great game, why's it so good? What makes it good? Here's a fork in the road where opinions split into multiple directions, but personally, I think the freedom of galloping on horseback on a wide, open, orange-green field, courtesy of the setting sun. This is just awesome for me. I never understood the game when I was young, but now I know all the characters, and all the dungeons. Or the whole game. Whatever. Off topic.

Another great thing is the ever-changing environment. In the night, things get noticably unsafer than in the day, just like reality. The gate to the town closes so you have to battle these skull things that rise up out of the ground. The sun sets and rises every few minutes, (which is kinda scary, in 5 minutes it becomes night), and the moon appears when it's nighttime.

Now the BESTEST thing is the interactiveness, and more importantly, the side quests. The Oot is an eploring RPG, so you don't HAVE to do what the plot tells you to do. There are TONS of mini-games to do. One, you can go fishing. Yes, you heard me correctly, F-I-S-H-I-N-G. How cool is that? There's also archery shootouts, on-horseback shootouts, and even a treasure chest game.

There are tons of things you can do in this game. One nice thing is that the game jumps for you, so it's easier to do things. You can swim and ride on a horse. Oh yes, and dive.

The plot is swirling and amazing, truly spectacular. This is THE best storyline I've ever seen in a videogame besides the Windwaker, which is as good, if not better than the Oot, but I'm preferable to the Majora's Mask. I'm not gonna tell you the story, so I don't spoil the excitement of learning what you have to do.

ALL IN ALL, I think the Oot is a must-have game for any N64 or Gamecube owner. It's the revolutionary classic. Once you play the game, that's when you'll realize. If you realize it's the greatest game you've ever played, rock on. If you think it sucks, go to hell. ... Read more

Asin: B00000DMB3
Subjects:  1. Video Games    2. Role Playing Games    3. Nintendo 64 (Nintendo64)    4. N64    5. Role Playing Games (Game, rpg, rpgs)   

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Average Customer Review:
Game Cartridge (26 October, 2000)
list price: $59.99
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Reviews (451)

Stange is good
Majora's Mask is a strange game: while it is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, it is clearly a Zelda game of a very different shade.

It begins with Link slowly trudging deep in the Lost Woods, with his trusty horse, Epona, when he is attacked by a masked and mischevious Skull Kid - who steals his precious Ocarina and Epona. Worse still, the Skull Kid turns Link into a Deku form of himself, and Link finds himself in a strange Mirror - like Hyrule. Things turn even worse when Link finds the moon slowly getting bigger over the course of 3 days...

Majora's Mask features the very same Gameplay as Ocarina of Time, with a few exceptions. The entire course of the game is set within 3 days or 72 hours - and hours seem to pass like minutes, giving a player a total of just over an hour. While this may seem off-putting, it is implemented very well - people have set schedules over the course of the game, meaning you will be pottering around the Clock Town while not in dungeons, with the promise of an upgrade - or even a new mask.

Masks, as the title suggests, play an important role - some make you run faster, talk to enemies, summen foes or sooth arguements and more. There are a total of 24 masks to collect, the reward being a mask containing "The Merits of all masks". The best of the masks are the ones that allow transformation. (Let's face it, who HASN'T dreamed of swimming as a Zora or rolling as a Goron) The Zora Mask, the Goron Mask and the Deku mask. they allow you to transforminto all your favourites from Ocarina, each with the gifts of the species - Super fast swimming, Incredible strength, and, er, spitting nuts.

Majora's Mask is harder, darker and more original than Ocarina of Time - the unique aspects of the game are implemented very well but the way the game is played may be off-putting for some. Brilliant and totally original.

P.S. the start bits kinda boring.

The darkest in the Zelda catalogue
If only that damn site IGN didn't take my idea first. They described this game as the Empire Strikes Back in Zelda and it's true. It's more darker, more gloomy and at times it can even be depressing. Unlike Ocarina of Time which oozed coolness and wonderment or Wind Waker which was cheery and uplifting due to its look, Majora's Mask is quite different than other installments but in no way is it bad, it's just different.

Story: I always considered this game more like an epilogue to Ocarina of Time rather than a full sequel. At the start of the game directly taking place after Ocarina, Link is in a forest and gets ambushed by Skull Kid and is turned into a Deku(they look like tiny trees with a long mouth) and enters a portal. From here Link finds himself in Termina, a land that is gonna be destroyed by a falling moon in 3 days. So it's up to Link once again to save the day using the powers of time and this weird masks.

Graphics: Reviewing this game in 2005 with such games as Metroid Prime, Halo and Metal Gear Solid 3 of course puts Majora to shame but remembering the graphics at that time, it's more of an extension of Ocarina only darker and not as vibrant. Due to maybe the Expansion Pak or just the game itself, the game does have framerate issues and some rough textures. Beware that the Gamecube re-release on the Collector's Edition sometimes freezes the game.

Gameplay: All Zelda games pretty much to this day revolved around some kind of "gimmick": in Ocarina it was time travelling, Wind Waker was controlling the wind, Minish Cap was the ability to shrink to thumbnail size and the Oracle series revolved around time travelling and season changing. Majora's Mask revolves around, yep you guessed it, masks. Link with the benefit of 24 masks(25 if you get all 24), Link can turn into different characters such as the Deku race, Goron race(big tough creatures with a taste for rocks) and the Zora race(fish people roughly). Or there's different masks like Postman, Ghost, or Bunny mask which makes him run faster.

The other aspect for the 3rd time in Zelda's history revolves around time travelling, once in Ocarina and the other in Oracle of Ages. Only this time it's different. You see the game's clock makes 3 days take about roughly 50 minutes before the moon crashes so with the Ocarina you can go back to Day 1 and start over, even make the time go slower so you have more time. This is quite annoying to say the least since your funds, arrows and bombs revert to zero if you go back to Day 1, your items are intact, your extra stuff isn't. And also you could be in the middle of a dungeon to be really close only to be on the final day and have to reset to Day 1, which incidentally cancels any progress you made in the dungeon.

Not to say the game is bad(it's just slightly hard) but it's quite enjoyable to go through, if you don't mind it's tone anyway.

very very good but,not as good as 'ocarina of time'
I played the Legend of zelda ocarina of time in 1997,WHAT A YEAR THAT WAS!!!I had so much fun!then in gameinformer magazine the new preveiws page said that there was going to be a new game called 'the legend of zelda:majora's mask'it was about link going to a new land where the moon is falling and he has only 3 days to live and on the third day link has to play the song of time so that he can go back to the first day,I HAD TO HAVE IT!but then half a year later when it came out,I was very upset because when I played it,it was too easy and I beat it in almost a week!when I played'Ocarina of time'it took me almost two YEARS!but other then that it was a fun game,Very fun in fact.I really liked that you can upgrade your sword,when in 'ocarina of time'the master sword is what you see what you get!PROS TO MAJORAS MASK:There are lots of masks that you can get and they give powers(like fast running),you can upgrade your sword twice,there are new songs for link to play on his ocarina and there is a bank so link can have alot of money!CONS:you have to play 'the song of time'way to often because the moon is falling for some reason and you have only 3 days to live,finding more then half of the masks are very hard to find,the game has only four temples and they are all very hard way too short.but all in all this game is worth around $15.00,so if you like the other Zelda games try this one too! ... Read more

Asin: B00004U1R1
Sales Rank: 374
Subjects:  1. Video Games    2. Nintendo 64 (Nintendo64)    3. N64    4. Role Playing Games (Game, rpg, rpgs)   

Skies of Arcadia
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM (19 November, 2000)
list price: $49.99
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Editorial Review

Arcadia is a magical world in which folks float through the air on giantairships. A young and lively air pirate, named Vyse--who leads the swashbucklingBlue Rogue pirates--spends most of his time traveling fromfloating island to floating island. While touching down on the Valuan Empire onefateful day, Vyse and his sidekick Aika rescue a mysterious girl, named Fina,who was captured while trying to find six magic crystals that are used to summonGigas--powerful ancient weapons. Naturally, the Valuans want the Gigas fortheir own malevolent political plans; Vyse, Aika, and Fina, then, set out tofind the precious, scattered crystals and fight enemies (both human andnonhuman) to keep the world safe from tyranny.

Graphically, Skies of Arcadia is surreal and stunning. In total, thereare six huge lands to explore, with many different kinds of environments--suchas villages, dungeons, forests, and deserts, as well as otherworldlylocations.

The turn-based combat system is effective, with more than 70 customizableweapons to use (based on different colors) and more than three-dozen magicspells (and special attacks), as indicated by the game's "spirit bar," shown onthe screen. The visuals during the fight scenes might cause your jaw to fall tothe ground, with its bright lights and mesmerizing colors and textures.

Skies of Arcadia is a highly addictive, gorgeous, huge, and deep RPG, andworthy of your attention. Kudos to Sega for creating a breathtaking fantasy thatlikely will be a mainstay in Dreamcasts, well into the spring. --ToddMowatt

Pros:

• Awesome graphics
• Solid story
• Lots of customization

Cons:

• Random battles can become tiring

... Read more

Reviews (105)

An awesome Japanese-style RPG - marred only by random combat
I have enjoyed Skies of Arcadia more than practically any other RPG I've played - yet curiously, the place the game is most lacking is at its core. The combat system (and in particular, the random nature of the combat system) is rather lacklustre, and not as good as (say) Grandia II.

In many ways, Grandia II and Skies of Arcadia are the perfect RPG split into two. Take the combat from the former and wed it to practically every other aspect of Skies of Arcadia and you have an awesome game.

Skies somehow manages to work despite its lacklustre combat (and irritating random combats - which thankfully you eventually earn the right to avoid). I think much of this is due to the amazing world that you get to explore - and I really do mean explore, as flying your ship around Arcadia is one of the best exploration experiences I have ever had in an RPG. New and wondrous sights are always just around the corner, and the desire to see more of the world just kept me going.

Not only did I love exploring the world - but later, when you get to recruit your own crew - you can go back and interact with people you've already met and ask them to join your crew. This was also hugely satisfying - finally, a game with NPCs who aren't just cardboard.

If the combat has to be just right for you to play a game, or if you find random combats very annoying (and I have to say, I wouldn't play a sequel unless they fix the random combats), you'd do best to avoid it. But otherwise, every RPG fan needs to play Skies. Everything but the combat is pratically perfect.

Memory Maker
There a few games that provide wonderful, enjoyable and everlasting memories.Skies of Arcadia is such a game.This game has such beautiful environments, scenery and characters that you immediately fall in love with them.You even learn to love the villians.

Whenever I hear the soundtrack, I feel utter nostalgic and would recount the events in my life during my game time with SOA.I nothing but the best opinions for SOA.

Unfortunately, Sega Overworks will not release a sequel to SOA.The sequel was in the planning stages but later scrapped because the GameCube Director's Cut did not sell well.In fact, the GameCube version of SOA sold worse than the Dreamcast version.Thus, SOA 2 was tossed in the bit bucket.

I only have one copy of SOA and Dreamcast.I'm keeping these for life.You can have them after you pry them out of my cold, dead hands.

Forever a Champion
I have ejoyed this game from the moment I put it in my Dreamcast to the second I completed it some 90 hours later (yes I am slow). The Graphics are somewhat dated and blocky but they're good enough and in the long run are not that important anyway. Skies is just plain fun, it keeps you wanting more with interesting characters and a well executed story line. I recomend this to anyone and if you don't own a dreamcast GET ONE or buy the gamecube version, either works and I doubt you'll be disappointed! ... Read more

Asin: B00004WLVV
Subjects:  1. Video Games    2. Sega Dreamcast    3. Role Playing Games (Game, rpg, rpgs)   

Super Mario Brothers Deluxe
Average Customer Review:
Game Cartridge
list price: $29.99
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Editorial Review

One of the best things about the Game Boy Color is that it'sbasically an original Nintendo Entertainment System that can fit inyour pocket. What this means for gamers is that many of the great gamesfor the classic system are being ported to the Game Boy Color, givingus a chance to re-play (or in some cases discover) the best game titlesfrom the '80s.

Nintendo's own Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is among the first ofthese conversions, and it certainly remains one of the best. Actually,calling this game a conversion really doesn't do it justice. Thisversion actually contains more levels than the original game, includingthe entire Japanese version and a slew of extras (such as a two-playermode).

The controls in this game are easy to grasp--even for novice gamers.All Mario can do is jump (and shoot fireballs with the right power- ups), but it is amazing to see how much gameplay can be squeezed fromthese simple actions when the controls work in direct harmony with aplayer's thoughts. The only element of this game that could have beenbetter is that the Game Boy Color's screen isn't quite large enough toshow the entire layout of the original game screen, so players mayoccasionally need to press up and down on the control pad to see someoffscreen action. While this can be distracting, it ultimately hasminimal impact on gameplay. If you are looking for the quintessentialside-scrolling platform game, you can't do much better than SuperMario Bros. Deluxe. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Classic side-scrolling action gameplay
• Lots of extras

Cons:

• Screen isn't quite big enough to show the entire layout of thegame

... Read more

Reviews (159)

Momma mia, what a come back!!!!!!
I was a vivid gamer back in the day, and Mario was always one of my all time favorites. I have long since moved away from the video game scene, but now and then I play the classics on the PC. And when I played this version, I was amazed at how great it had been revived to the GBA. The graphics are the same, the gameplay is the same, the sound is the same, but there is new extras and bonus stuff, a pathway to choose, multi player ect.. I have to say this is the best Mario Bros. (1) game ever! Even better then Mario All Stars (snes) version!!!

the best
i had this game and its great i love the fact that it is exactly the same except for the fact that instead of 3 lives you start out with 5 and when you die you are asked if you would like to continue or start over. two great pros to the classic game which make it even better. also the new levels are challenging but great. i lost my copy of this game a fewyears and now i cant find it anywhere! :'(

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe - A True Classic
Super Mario Deluxe was my first Gameboy game ever.It was my first video game ever.It was my best video game ever.Even after buying 16 other Gameboy Color and Advance Games, this is still one of my favorites.
I know what you are thinking: This is a Gameboy Color game!It must have horrible graphics and ridiculously simple gameplay.Well, you are wrong.Yes, it is a Gameboy Color game.Yes, I bought it 2000.But, it is a great game.The graphics are blocky (What do you expect from a Gameboy Color game?) but still pretty good, and the gameplay is anything but simple.
You play as Mario, and you have to collect gold coins, jump on enemies, and save Princess Toadstool, more commonly known as Princess Peach. Once you complete every level in Regular Mode, you have to go through the same levels again as Star Levels.They do have minor changes to make them harder, such as replacing Goombas with Buzzy Beetles, but they are pretty much the same as their regular counterparts.Also, as you complete each level in Regular Mode, it becomes available in Challenge Mode.When you complete a certain amount of the game, the You Vs. Boo Racing Option becomes available. (You can also race against a friend via a link cable.)After you complete more of the game, the Super Mario Bros. 2 Option becomes available.But, that is still not all.You get a table of ten high scores that you can combine with a friend's table.You unlock pictures for your photo albums and other features that can be printed with a Gameboy Printer (which hardly anyone has) and you can tell your fortune and record important events on a daily calendar.Whew, that's a lot of features!
As you can see, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is a very complex game.It took me two months to complete the Regular and Challenge Modes alone, and I haven't fully completed any of the other modes.Super Mario Bros. Deluxe never gets old, though.When I brought it to school in 2003, four or five kids were swarming around me asking to play it, more people than were ever asking to play a Gameboy Advance SP game all at once.I have summarized my review in the following list of pros and cons:

Pros:

It has tons of different features and modes.
It takes a very long time to fully complete.
Even after you beat the game, it never gets old.

Cons:

It has blocky graphics.
Many of the features require a Gameboy Printer, which not many people have. ... Read more

Asin: B00000J9J9
Subjects:  1. Video Games    2. Action and Adventure    3. Exploration    4. Nintendo Game Boy (Gameboy)    5. Action    6. Adventure    7. Classics (Classic)    8. Retro    9. Arcade   

Shenmue
Average Customer Review:
Game Cartridge (10 November, 2000)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $19.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

To say that Shenmue is an anticipated title is an understatement;the game made huge waves in Japan upon its release, and American gamers havebeen waiting since then to see what the fuss is all about. It's a game in whichthe concept itself is the selling point. What if you could portray a young heroin a fully realized Japanese city? Would you like to participate in andinfluence an over-the-top kung fu-style action-mystery flick in your livingroom? What if lots of combat, cinematic flourish, detail, and a dash of romancewere thrown in?

The game itself is awash in small details, crammed into a confined space. Thecity of Yokusuka circa 1986 is rendered beautifully in a short series ofneighborhoods that are long on detail even if short on variety. The story itselfis ripped straight from a chopsocky flick: you portray the young hero RyoHazuki, whose father (a kung fu sensei, naturally) is killed before hisvery eyes by a mysterious and frightening villain. Ryo must uncover the identityof the killer and fight his way through the city in an effort to avenge thiswrongful death.

Shenmue's Yokusuka might be short on space--in total, it represents maybea square mile--but the detail is overwhelming. You can interact with nearlyevery person or object that you see; 300 citizens go about their daily routines,and whom you encounter is as much determined by where you are as when you arethere.

Much of this interaction involves combat that ranges fromDragon's Lair-style reaction tests (such as timing a button press tododge an oncoming car) to freeform kung fu fighting. Further, each second ofreal time equals about a minute of game time, and Ryo has to be home by 11 p.m.each evening. The game moves at a brisk pace, and each challenge or battle feelslike a race against time. Some might say that gaming doesn't get shallower thanthis (you are essentially performing tasks and exploring, instead of gaming),but the game feels like no other and is ultimately satisfying by the time thatit all ends. In this way, Shenmue is more than a game--it's an eventthat's worth experiencing. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Compelling, well-told story
• Good action and combat
• Fantastic sound and graphics

Cons:

• Plot is familiar to fans of kung fu action films
• Task-and-exploration gameplay might seem slow to action gamers

... Read more

Reviews (300)

The realistic sphere of emotion and time
Shenmue is a graphic adventure game from 2000 exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast.The setting is Japan in 1986.You're placed in the role of Ryo Hazuki, an 18-year-old student and martial arts disciple on a winding, multi-faceted quest to uncover the mystery behind his father's murder.Along the way you'll traverse myriad locations and interact with countless non-player characters, as well as engage in side interests and attend to personal issues.

The progression of gameplay is quite open and arbitrary.There is no particular pace you have to keep in playing; you can sprint through the entirety of it, or you can devour days and days roaming around, engaging in the oddities, practicing martial arts, chatting with passersby, playing mini-games or whatever else.The hands on the clock tick away in real time in Ryo's world.The date and time of day--morning, afternoon and evening--is presented in convincing fashion by the game, and is reflected in the towns and villages and industrial areas you'll be visiting.The streets may be thronged with pedestrian traffic during mid-day, shoppers and businessmen, families and children.But after nightfall things change.After the streetlights flicker into life, the locales take on an aura of eerie stillness as the crowds thin and--in the urban and industrial areas--are replaced by members of the seedy nightlife, while in the residential districts they begin to bob their collective heads towards sleep.Many, although not all, businesses, shops and residences are open and interactive for you to explore. Time of day comes into effect here, for certain businesses and shops are only open during particular hours of the day or night.In addition to the realistic sphere of passing time, there are varying weather effects in place as well: sun, rain, and even snow as the calendar edges into the winter months.

Your home is the Hazuki Dojo in Yokosuka.Ryo's mother and father, his last living relatives, are now both gone.You live there with a former student of Ryo's father, Fuku-san, and the elderly housekeeper, Ine-san.Ine-san is a grandmotherly figure who'll fret and worry about Ryo's safety, imploring him to be careful and to let the past go.Yet she's soft spoken and demure, almost resolved to the situation.Each evening Ryo must be home by 11PM, and when he's late Ine-san seems almost hurt by it.It creates a true sense of obligation, of emotion, of connection to the characters and situation.Shenmue excels at creating a sense of strong emotional ties between the player and the characters, as evidenced by the potent flashbacks of Ryo with his father and the difficult parting with Nazomi at the end.You begin to feel the things Ryo feels, to truly take on the role of a lost, yet fiercely indomitable 18-year-old boy up against overwhelming odds to avenge the death of his father.

Every NPC is interactive and will converse with you.Many characters you meet near his hometown know Ryo by name, and some are his close friends--such as Nozomi Harasaki or the American Tom Johnson.There are actual curves of character development as the game progresses, relationships that alter in scope and nature, and a seemingly new, wary awareness of a wider, more iniquitous world by Ryo.Indeed, the villains Lan Di and unstable, tittering Chai impose heavy, bleak footprints on the narrative.Most people Ryo speaks to will have a few lines of dialogue about this or that--sometimes relevant and sometimes not, or now and then sending you off on splinter pursuits apart from your more crucial objectives--and a few will offer up clues to where you need to go next, what items you might need to acquire and to whom you need to talk.Every interaction can be important as you struggle to uncover clues.And with a continuous, moving timeline, it's all-too-possible to miss certain events as they occur when you're someplace else.While most of the gameplay involves the patient, explorative extrication of mystery upon mystery, there are also occasional action segments of martial arts brawling and QTE (quick time encounter) events calling for some speedy button pushes.

About midway through the proceedings Ryo is obligated to find employment to further fund his undertaking, and in this the game's principal setting and structure is somewhat altered.Ryo secures a job operating a forklift on the harbor docks.Here the game delves even further into the realms of realism, for every morning you must get up and report to work first thing--and then do the actual work for eight hours before recommencing with the more important tasks.And while this sometimes leads to a certain degree of monotony and tedium from the player's perspective, it does seem to work well overall within the scope of the game.

Outside the core body of gameplay are multiple minigames and collectible items that Ryo can pursue.The mingames are found mostly in the You Arcade in Dobuita, where full, authentic versions of the Sega arcade classics Hang On and Space Harrier are playable.There are also darts, billiards, slots and QTE games available.And a jukebox that plays real music.And cassette tapes of music you can buy in stores.Every sunrise before work at the harbor, Ryo can participate in a forklift race.And over 600 collectible items are available--everything from photographs to ancient Japanese mirrors to light bulbs to a package of squid legs--and they're located just about everywhere.

Visually, Shenmue is a tour de force, a world you just fall into like a pool of water and then don't want to get back out of. Stylistically and thematically, in both architecture and culture, it's a purely Japanese world.And the Japanese vibe really gets under your skin after a while.In a strange way, by the end of the game, you almost feel as if you've actually been in Japan, not just playing a game set there.It's a striking ambiance and environment they've created; time's suffocating grip has no hold here on the Dreamcast.The environments spring to life around you: trees and grass sway in the breeze, fish dart around a pond, a kitten meows by the roadside, ships dock at the harbor, pigeons startle into flight by your footsteps, people go blithely about their daily lives, the structures appear so lifelike you can almost reach out and touch them.Character animations are carved with a fine chisel; every line etched in the face a graphic relief, hair strands that divide and drift on the winds, eyes that bore holes of meaning and emotion into you.Even the detail present in Ryo's brown leather jacket is stunning.And all this on the Dreamcast, easily looking as good here as later, more advanced gaming consoles.

Shenmue breaches generations and cultures, a game people of vastly different ages and backgrounds can concurrently enjoy and become absorbed with.In the act of investigating, something is revealed, and that points you to the next stage--and from there to the next.You want to see what happens next; you care about Ryo's journey and the people around him you've come to know.The settings are pragmatic and the basic storyline is simple enough that a child can follow it, yet there is depth enough to draw anyone in.It's a universal theme, and a game that has remained wedged in the memory over the years.Regrettably, the ultimate resolution isn't found here; Ryo's tale winds on in Shenmue II on the Xbox.

Yu Suzukies Masterpiece...
Shenmue for the Sega Dreamcast may possibly be the greatest video game experience I've ever had in my gaming days(including Shenmue II for xbox).Shenmue is about a young man out for revenge to find his fathers murderer but theres WAY more too it, I won't spoil anything other then this game is flat out beautiful and should be played by gamers that won't wyn about the slow paced action..

Like the title above, this is Yu Suzukies Masterpiece, the man worked EXTREAMLY hard on this amazing game(Shenmue is also known as one of the most expensive video games ever created).Sadly Yu Suzukies hard worked game never made any good sales because of the PS2's launch, I like many others got it at the time it was first released, This game is just pure brilliance.The visuals are some of the best seen in games...This may be the longest game review I've ever done so lets get to it..

Visuals
This is one of the if not THEEEE best looking DC game ever made, everything is so detailed and the character models are great.The building, the Atmoshpere, thank you so much Suzukie.

Gameplay
ok this is probably the reason this game is the most hated/loved game ever created.IT'S EXTREAMLY SLOW PACED, and may turn off some casual gamers but if you can hold on long enough the action will start to come up.The game play is simple and easy to get use to very quickly.The game plays like a mystery novel, ask people question and clues about something and when you find some clues you go ask other people that may know BUT THIS GAME PULLS IT OFF SO WELL IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY!This game(plus Shenmue II) has THE best fighting engine ever!!!It's taken straight out of the virtura Fighter games.And the Free Battle sequences are extreamly rare yet very fun in the game.Did I mention you can do almost everything in this game?Well not everything but alot of things like getting a job, gambling and alot of the other things that can be done in real life...

Sound/music
When I say this games music is beautiful IT IS, Ten times better then MGS 1.Especially the main theme which you'll notice alot, it's amazing if theres one thing Yu Suzki did well(other then everything els) it's the music in this game, pure brilliance

Controlls
I'm really lazy to get into this but there pretty good
Lemmi just some it up right now

The Good
-Superb Visuals
-Great Controls
-Superb sound
-Amazing Inviorments
-Loads of things to do
-AWESOME FIGHTING ENGINE
-One of the most expensive games ever made
-A beautiful story about vengence but with alot to it

The bad
-action gamers will be turned off by how slow paced this game go's
-For some long, for some a SHORT game, took me about 13 hours my first time but that's because I just did all the story parts and not the side quests
-The sales for this and Shenmue II did so bad that we probably won't see a Shenmue III anytime soon
-For anyone looking for a good challenge for this and Shenmue II, look elswere, it's pretty simple an pretty straight forward..

Other then that Shenmue is an instant classic with everything on the spot, Yu Suzukie created something more then a game....This game is not just good because it feels like you're acctually in that world and living Ryu'S life.....This is good because Yu Suzukie braught us something that just feels so real, and like as if there really is a world like that....acctually there is, JAPAN, duuhh, but still no other game has hit me or motivated to the point were I HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME more then shenmue....This game is hands down...One of the greatest video game experiences you'll ever have...... When it all comes down to this, I give Shenmue for the sega Dreamcast a

5 out of 5 stars...

Brilliant....Just...Brilliant

Totally a great game a must have for dc fans.
This is a really sweet game. Totally a butt-kicking game. I mean you go around beating people up the game lets you see in real live play beating some one up you know without the pain and nose bleeding. ... Read more

Asin: B00004S99R
Subjects:  1. Video Games    2. Sega Dreamcast    3. Fighting    4. Role Playing Games (Game, rpg, rpgs)   

Perfect Dark
Average Customer Review:
Game Cartridge
list price: $59.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

A first-person shooter that mixes spy and sci-fi, PerfectDark is both a thoroughly engrossing one-player experience and ariotously fun multiplayer romp. Easily one of the best games of itsgenre on any video game console, this long-awaited follow-up toGoldenEye 007 is a must-have for Nintendo 64 owners--and a damngood reason to be one if you're not.

The futuristic Perfect Dark casts players as Joanna Dark, asecret agent who becomes embroiled in a sinister conspiracy involvingaliens and an evil corporation. Gameplay is broken down into missions,each with objectives that must be unerringly completed beforeprogressing to the next mission. This is not your typical kill-anything-that-movesgame: putting a bullet in the wrong person, not keeping theright one alive, or perforating a seemingly unimportant inanimate objectcan often result in mission failure.

While Perfect Dark's solo missions play out much like those inGoldenEye 007, the game's fantastic multiplayer options areanother matter entirely. Cooperative and counteroperative simultaneous-playmodes allow for another player to join in on a mission as,respectively, a teammate or the enemy. However, the real fun here is inthe highly customizable Combat Simulator, a one-to-four-playersimultaneous-play mode that features both free-for-alls and team-basedchallenges and can include up to eight Simulants, computer-controlledcombatants of varying behavior.

Although Simulants make for decent adversaries or teammates, you'll wantto grab a friend--and an Expansion Pak, as only 35 percent of the gameis available without one--to fully enjoy Perfect Dark. --JoeHon

Pros:

• One of the best first-person shooters on any video game console
• Outstanding multiplayer game with huge replay value
• Bevy of game options, cheats, and secret features
• Excellent training mode with challenges all of its own

Cons:

• Graphics get ugly when playing with more than two players

... Read more

Reviews (396)

Still Good
I have a rather large collection of N64 games, and still play them.This is one of those games that, even with the breadth of first person shooters available today, still stands out on it's own.Improving on the Golden Eye engine, you're given plenty of imaginative weapons to work with, from the Farsight gun that shoots through walls, to machine gun that allows you to cloak yourself, there's plenty of toys to go around.

The one player campaign is filled with replay value, especially with co-op and "counter-agent" options, allowing another player to either play a mission with or against you.Same format from Golden Eye exists here: easy, medium and hard difficulty levels with rewards for completing each.

The multiplayer does suffer a bit in terms of graphics, but the fact that you have so many options, from adding simulants, to changing the format of the game (team mode, death match, capture the flag, etc.), to customizing your level weapons, makes up for this.

Wisely, Rare placed some unlockable features from the Goldeneye games, including guns and multiplayer levels.Other secrets include hidden levels, cheats, etc.

In short, this has to be high on the "must" list for anyone who still plays N64 games.

For the sake of parents buying this for children, I will note there is some occasional cussing (guards sometimes yell "what the h***" when they see you), but this can be turned off on the options screen.Animated blood can also be turned off.By and large this is incredibly tame compared to what passes for "M" rated now, but it should be noted.

Golden eye is a peace of shit

Perfect dark toatly whoops golden eyes ass i mean the graphics are incredible the game its self is toatly awsome like combat simulator mode is way cool .. I highly recomand this game get it today at gamestop. Have fun

The best 64 killing game yet.


This game is so fun i play it everyday .I always do the combat simulator mode and shoot one of the simulants in its penis and and it falls to its knees and crys AWWWOOO YOU B**** and i bust out laughing this game is fun get it today at blockbuster or gamestop for 5.99.

Have fun. ... Read more

Asin: B00002STGL
Subjects:  1. Video Games    2. Nintendo 64 (Nintendo64)    3. N64    4. Action    5. Adventure    6. Great Deals (Outlet store)