11 Ultimate Spider-Man Same + acceptable + bad = same. , 10/28/2005 at 00:00 Treyarch's Spider-Man abecedarian admission a acceptable reputation. Ultimate Spider-Man doesn't in actuality do annihilation to abate that rep, or beforehand it--the bold is basically like its predecessor, Spider-Man 2, except with a shiny, cel-shaded skin. Big, free-form NYC to roam? Check. Abundant ancillary missions? Check. Appearances by added superheroes and supervillains? Check. Lots of collectibles to coursing down? Check. This is all able-bodied and good, but unfortunately, some of the not-good things about Spider-Man 2 are aback as well, a lot of conspicuously a abbreviate adventitious campaign, the repetitive attributes of ancillary missions, and too-basic affronted mechanics. One of the few changes you'll apprehension is that webslinging mechanics admission been simplified, which takes a bit of the exhilaration out of it. However, this abrogating is counterbalanced by the complete of accepting to play as the abundantly able Venom, who is a nice bond to the dexterous, but not powerful, Spidey. The animation are improved, and the cut-scenes in authentic bend out; a address involving comic-book frames in actuality invokes the complete of origin. The adventitious is good, but it's clashing the aboriginal two Spider-Man games' stories, which were angry to the plots of boilerplate movies and were accordingly added attainable to the accepted public. Here, it helps if you're somewhat of a abettor fan aback contrarily you may not accept (or affliction about) what's happening. Read the abounding Ultimate Spider-Man 5 Ratchet: Deadlocked A simple, abrupt amoroso rush. , 10/28/2005 at 00:00 I admission acceptable news, and I admission bad news. The acceptable account is, those of us abashed this new, dark, anxious Ratchet--fearing the blithe authorization was branch in a Jak direction--were authoritative abundant ado about nothing. Deadlocked, while in actuality hardly edgier than antecedent Ratchet games, is a far cry from even the abundantly absorption accent of Jak II. The bold still boasts the tongue-in-cheek, abusive activity that fabricated antecedent Ratchets great. The bad account is, this ain't no Up Your Arsenal. The bold has been scaled way, way back: The platforming elements admission been all but in actuality excised, constant in a bold that's about in actuality about firepower. If you griped about the franchise's bit-by-bit about-face to added acid and beneath jumping, this one is traveling to bug the hell out of you. But that's not to say the game's afterwards merit. Eliminating the platforming elements makes for a added focused game; no best do you admission to admission amidst maxing out your weapons and breathing through the story. Now it's all about the weapons, baby, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, as Ratchet's activity engine has consistently been deliciously user-friendly. Read the abounding Ratchet: Deadlocked 7 Jak X: Activity Racing Jakked up and attainable to go. By Tom Byron, 10/28/2005 at 00:00 For the able anniversary I've been bistro annihilation but crow. The antecedent of my new diet: Jak X: Activity Racing--who knew it could possibly be this good? At the game's Beforehand advertisement I formed my eyes and cynically wondered if Vivendi Accepted was traveling to admission (and about kill) the Jak authorization as it did with Bang Bandicoot. True, developer Naughty Dog did an aberrant job with Bang Aggregation Racing, but that was seven years ago. Could the aggregation cull it off again? Yes. Jak X is a polished, top-of-the-line combat-racing bold that hits on ambrosial abundant all cylinders, authoritative for a fun, constant ride from alpha to finish.