Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness with Custom GameCube Skin Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)A fun trip back to the land of Orre with some familiar faces and some new friends.If you liked Colosseum, you will find the upgrades in this game to be a godsend.I still don't enjoy the GameCube versions as much as the GBA ones, but everything that I WISHED I could do in Colosseum can be done in XD.

The main differences are as follows:

1.What we all wished for has happened .. you can SAVE the game anywhere, anytime, as often as you like!This was by far the most annoying thing that I discovered when I first bought Colosseum.I was so used to saving my game before any major battle, or before trying to catch a "one-shot-only" Pokemon.With XD, you no longer have to seek out a PokeCenter or a computer to save the game.This makes all the difference in the world.I am no longer "afraid" of what's lurking around the corner because I can always start over if I wasn't ready for what was lurking in the darkness! LOL

2.You can catch WILD POKEMON in XD.Another thing that I could never get used to in Colosseum.In XD you are shown three "Poke Spots" where you leave treats (bait) for wild Pokemon.You have a Pokemon-detector that goes off if any wild Pokemon are munching your treats at a Poke Spot.Again, with the new "save feature", you can save the game and THEN go hunting.If you kill the wild Pokemon by accident, just restart.

3.There is a cool new Purification machine so you can purify up to NINE pokemon at the same time.Very much a time saver.No more dragging around Pokemon that you never intend to use just to open up their hearts.

4.New story line.Some old towns, some new towns but an interesting storyline throughout.

5.Graphics.Graphics are noticibly better in XD.

6.Shadow Moves.Instead of one shadow move, all shadow pokemon automatically come with two.There are many possible shadow moves .. all with different strengths and effects.Much more interesting.

7.New Pokemon.There are (at least) two new Pokemon.You can't catch them, but I think their appearance foreshadows a new batch of Pokemon which will probably be available in the next version of the game.

All in all, much better than Colosseum.Just adding a few simple changes (most notably the "save feature") brings a whole new enjoyment to an older game.Pokemaniacs will not be disappointed with this purchase.

NOTE:As I have suggested in my other reviews, buy the NINTENDO POWER guide instead of the Prima guide.MUCH more complete.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness with Custom GameCube Skin

Want to read more honest consumer review about Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness with Custom GameCube Skin now ?

Pokemon Box Ruby & Sapphire Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pokemon Box was made for players to store, display and arrange their Pokemon in a handy form.This title was only available from the now defunct Pokemon Center in New York. This title can be used with Pokemon Colleseum for Gamecube, and Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance.It not only allows you to store Pokemon from these games, but you can also PLAY the Gameboy Advance versions of Ruby and Sapphire right on your TV by hooking up the link cable to a Gameboy Advance and a copy of either game.This means you do not need the Gameboy Player to play these games on your TV!

This was a rare move by Nintendo to even release this game, much less in such limited quantity.This title was originally released in 2004 and has become increasingly hard to find since Nintendo halted production.

Here is the info from Nintendo:

Search, sort and handle other management functions to organize and display the Pokemon you've collected from your Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire Game Boy Advance games.

Features

* Save up to 1,500 Pokemon to a special Memory Card
* Play Pokemon Ruby or Pokemon Sapphire on a television screen without the Game Boy Player
* Includes custom Memory Card 59

Pokemon Box provides a solution for players who have captured Pokemon in their Game Boy Advance games but don't have enough space to keep them. Players can save up to 1,500 Pokemon to a special Memory Card for Nintendo GameCube, more than three times as many Pokemon as can be stored in a Pokemon Ruby or Pokemon Sapphire Game Pak. As you capture more Pokemon, you can store them on a Nintendo GameCube Memory Card.

Using Pokemon Box, players can play Pokemon Ruby or Pokemon Sapphire in single-player mode on their television screen via the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable.

Players need a Game Boy Advance system, Pokemon Ruby or Pokemon Sapphire, Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable and Nintendo GameCube system to use Pokemon Box.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Pokemon Box Ruby and Sapphire

Product Description:
The kit gives you a gamedisc that allows you to connect your GameBoy Advance Pokemon.

Want to read more honest consumer review about Pokemon Box Ruby and Sapphire now ?

Nintendo e-Reader - Card Reader for Game Boy Advance Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Game Boy Advance is nothing if not, well, advanced.It's more powerful than a Super Nintendo Entertainment System and yet runs for hours on a pair of AA batteries.It plays all the original Game Boy (classic, Color, Pocket) titles, and its games are priced right for kids on tight allowances.Now, it provides something for the old-school gamer in all of us, along with new features and boundless possibilities.
The Nintendo e-Reader is the latest in an oddball line of scanning devices for kids.Earlier such devices generated virtual pets based on the UPC barcodes on various products; in fact, a particular brand of instant soup flew off store shelves in Japan after it was learned its barcode created an ultra-powerful character.However, the craze has never really caught on in the United States.That is, in my opinion, until the e-Reader.
The e-Reader is about the size of an N64 Transfer or Rumble Pak, and plugs directly into the cartridge port of the GB Advance.As the e-Reader also plugs into the GBA's Game Link port, a "replacement" port is provided on the e-Reader itself, so you can continue to use Link Cables and some (not all) GBA lighting products.
The key to the e-Reader system is its data cards, which are basically another family of trading cards, a la Magic The Gathering and Pokemon (more on this in a moment).Cards designed for use with the e-Reader are distinguised by rows of dots along their length.These dots are the basis of Dot Codes, a proprietary format that the e-Reader sees as digital data.By swiping a compatible card through the e-Reader, you are loading data into the Reader.
What kind of data, you ask?Depends on the cards.The e-Reader comes packaged with two 5-card booster packs.The first contains the complete Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) port of Donkey Kong Junior ... you read that right, an NES cartridge stored on five trading cards!Other NES games, similarly translated, are available from retailers now, with many more to come.
The second pack contains an assortment of other e-Reader cards, including three from the Pokemon Trading Card Game.These three cards are the first in a new line of Dot-Code-bearing Pokemon cards.Along with being used in the Pokemon card game, these cards hold (in their Dot Codes) extra data on the particular Pokemon (readable on the GBA screen), and even mini-games you can play.A fourth card includes a sample Nintendo Game-and-Watch game (old pre-GB handheld games).
However, it is the fifth card that really can open up doors in how you play games.This card contains bonus items that can be used with the Nintendo GameCube title "Animal Crossing."By connecting your e-Reader-equipped GBA to a GameCube via the appropriate Link Cable (with a compatible title, like "Animal Crossing"), you can upload new information to the GC game.Just imagine ... you could update the stats of your favorite football or baseball player simply by swiping his compatible trading card through the e-Reader!
How does the system work in practice?Actually pretty well.It takes about 60 seconds to completely load a game like DK Junior, for example.Unlike ATM or credit cards, an e-Reader card needs to be swiped slowly.Like credit cards, you need to treat them somewhat gently; any stray marks (such as writing something on the card) in the Dot Code area could mess up the data, rendering the card useless.Younger kids may need some assistance at first with swiping, but they'll get the hang of it quickly.The e-Reader has a small amount of internal memory, so if you load a game/program you like, you can keep it, at least until you want to swipe something else into it.
Also, some of the NES games aren't 100% perfect ... DK Junior's sequence of boards is wrong, and it seems to have gotten slightly squashed in order to fit onto the GBA screen, but neither of these detract seriously from the gameplay.In other words, it's as fun as I remember it.
It's too early to see how e-Reader will catch on.After all, Pokemon isn't as popular as it once was, and so far only Nintendo and Wizards of the Coast have any card support.But, as early adopters go, the e-Reader is a cheap investment whose potential uses are as unlimited as the imagination.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nintendo e-Reader - Card Reader for Game Boy Advance

Product Description:
The e-Reader is an accessory for use with the Game Boy Advance that reads information from collectible trading cards and translates it on the GBA into standalone games or enhancements to some traditional games. The e-Reader connects into the GBA cartridge slot and can also connect to another GBA or even a GameCube. Players simply slide the paper cards, available for as low as $1.95, through the e-Reader much as you slide a credit card through a point-of-purchase machine at a grocery store. When you do this, the unit scans the codes imprinted on the card and stores the information in its 1-megabit flash ROM for as long as the power is on. Animal Crossing for the GameCube takes advantage of this technology, and many more uses are planned. This set includes the e-Reader unit and the e-Reader card for the NES version of Donkey Kong Jr.

Want to read more honest consumer review about Nintendo e-Reader - Card Reader for Game Boy Advance now ?

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This game is absolutely awful, I would actually rather study than play it.It's one of the worst pieces of trash I've played in a long time & I'm an AVID Tony Hawk supporter (until now that is).

First of all, 2/3 of the skaters that have been with the game from the beginning are gone, only the most mainstream skaters made the cut.OG skaters like Rowley, Reynolds, and JT have been replaced by the likes of Steve-O, Jesse James, & even Bigfoot.

Second, the storyline has essentially turned the game into an episode of "Viva La Bam".Half of the goals don't involve skating of any type and simply play on the "skateboarding-is-punk-so-we-destroy-things-'cuz-that's-the-cool-skater-thing-to-do" mantra that seems to be pervading the youth skate culture.If you've skated for any length of time this comes off as a desperate & pathetic attempt to make some money off a crappy game that caters to all the 13 year olds who think Bam Margera is the greatest.

Lastly, as if the pop culture influence that permeates the gameplay isn't insulting enough, there is A video at the end.No, not 1 video per pro, A video featuring all of them.They each throw 3 moves & it's over.

When the Tony Hawk series began the games actually influenced pop culture; now they're doing just the opposite & letting what's trendy dictate the direction of the games.I used to buy all the sequels without question, but after seeing the previews for this game I decided to rent it first (thank goodness I did).You could do a lot better with $50 than buy this game; like buy some real skateboard gear.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Tony Hawk's Underground 2

Product Description:
In Tony Hawk Underground 2, you've been chosen by the world-famous Tony Hawk to take on Bam Margera on a World Destruction Tour! Travel around the world on an insane road trip, in a hilarious story mode -- and challenge the Skate Gods for fame and glory! Complete all-time favorite goals like S-K-A-T-E, Secret Tape, and High Score against a 2-minute timer

Get 20% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Tony Hawk's Underground 2 now ?

Sonic Advance 3 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is by far the best Sonic GBA outing ever. Whereas SA1 felt too linear and cautious with the stage design, and SA2 concentrated almost entirely on an uneven mix of speed and exploration, SA3 feels a lot more like the old-school Sonic games on the Sega Genesis.
Clearly responding to negative feedback to the previous SA games, Sega have taken the insane 'superspeed', tricks and character animations from SA2 and the intricate level design from Sonic & Knuckles. The game is much longer than SA1 and 2, featuring 7 zones and 3 acts to each zone, as well as 'hub' levels, where you can select to play the acts in any order you wish (and also play/unlock minigames). Glitches like grinding in SA2 have been fixed, and special stages are much easier to reach.
A new element introduced is the 'partnership' system, where you play with a partner, either a friend or AI, enabling you to perform new 'combos': for example, with a Sonic/Cream combo Sonic can breathe underwater and use Cream's homing attack, while with a Knuckles/Amy combo Knuckles attacks with Amy's hammer. 20 combinations are available, each with their own advantages, although it is possible to complete the game by just leaving your partner behind (albeit harder).
The acts themselves feel much like the Genesis Sonics (taking out the massive ebdless pits from SA2), and feature many classic Sonic signatures, like popping bubbles for air, slippery waterways and bouncy flagpoles (and cheap deaths:P). Badnik design has improved, with some enemies who 'do the unexpected', like a piggybank that drains you of your rings. Thankfully, Sega have abandoned the 'running' boss battles of SA2 and returned to the 'static' bosses, each of whom need some getting used to. An improved version of the Phi robot from Sonic Battle also features, and as you fight him throughout the game he gains more attacks and becomes harder to beat. The game is far from easy, and the final acts (and the final boss) are really quite difficult, hard to get past without losing a life or two.
Sound is excellent, featuring the usual cheery tones of the Sonic games with a few twists (ie Sunset hill, with the remix of the original 'Green Hill' theme from Sonic 1). A new addition is the voice acting from Sonic battle, so deaths are no longer signalled by the "bong!" but with a "whoa!". Which is sometimes annoying, especially on the harder stages, but Eggman/Robotnik's "You're going to pay for this!" makes up for this.
Overall Summary:
Graphics 5/5: colourful stages, great character animations
Sound 4/5: cheerful music, voice acting can get on nerves
Gameplay 5/5: most of the level and boss designs are perfectly executed and timed
Lastability 4/5: many charcters and combos to try, gotta find all the Chao!
Overall 5/5: a return to roots for Sonic Team, with all the problems that plagued SA2 smoothed out. Welcome back Sonic!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sonic Advance 3

Product Description:
Sonic Advance 3 lets you save the world as the world's fastest hedgehog. Sonic's archenemy, Dr. Eggman, has used his Chaos Control to break the world into 7 pieces. While Tails and Sonic work with friend to put the world back together, Dr. Eggman builds the ultimate fighting robot to stop them once and for all.

Want to read more honest consumer review about Sonic Advance 3 now ?