NHL Hitz 2002 - All GameCube Games

[Ashley]

@Cubeisn't your Pikmin release date wrong for Europe? It launched just after the console. If I recall correctly it was 3 weeks after the console and then Smash was 3 weeks after that. 

[Cube]

15 hours ago, Ashley said:

@Cubeisn't your Pikmin release date wrong for Europe? It launched just after the console. If I recall correctly it was 3 weeks after the console and then Smash was 3 weeks after that. 

Yeah, I somehow got the days/months mixed up for each region but the years correct. 

All-Star Baseball 2002

Where the stars play.

• NA release: 18th November 2001
• JP release: N/A
• EU release: N/A
• Developer: Acclaim Studios Austin
• Publisher: Acclaim Sports
• NGC Magazine Score: 60%
• Mods Used: Widescreen Hack

The All-Star Baseball series trundles onto GameCube but, despite better looking players during gameplay, lacks the presentation of FIFA. It all sounds very muted and unenthusiastic at all, like nobody in the crowd wants to be there. The calls for no ball or strike are also very quiet, with no big on-screen text, leaving the random numbers on the UI the only thing to help you try to follow the game.

The batting also feels quite wonky. You have greater control over aiming, and can twist your shot upwards or downwards with the C-Stick, but actually swinging the bat seems to have a mind of its own. Holding A sometimes gets the player to swing at the right time, but other times he won’t swing at all, no matter what you do (I even used save states to test). I thought it’s some assist to do with no balls, but then it happened on pitches that were in, meaning you’ll get a strike no matter what you do.

I had similar issues in other areas of the game, such as getting my players to run between bases and fielding. I managed to accidentally get the catcher to throw the ball behind him, resulting in the CPU getting additional runs. All in all, this just feels like a poor baseball game. By far the best part is being the pitcher and deliberately hitting the batsmen.

Poor

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All-Star Baseball 2002 is solid, competent and playable, but never spectacular. GameCube is capable of hosting something that would look as good as a TV broadcast, so the expressionless players and ultra-dark astroturf come as something of a disappointment. Check it out if you’re a massive fan of the sport, but if you’ve got one of the earlier N64 versions, you’ve already seen most of what this disc has to offer.

Martin Kitts, NGC Magazine #65

Remake or remaster?

There are better baseball games out there.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to play All-Star Baseball 2002.

[Ashley]

1 hour ago, Cube said:

Yeah, I somehow got the days/months mixed up for each region but the years correct. 

I blame the Americans and their weird date format. 

[Glen-i]

5 hours ago, Cube said:

It all sounds very muted and unenthusiastic at all, like nobody in the crowd wants to be there.

I mean, it is Baseball.

[Cube]

Batman Vengeance 

A darker justice must be served.

• NA release: 18th November 2001
• EU release: 3rd May 2002
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Ubisoft
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• NGC Magazine Score: 70%
• Mods Used: Widescreen Code

Batman Vengeance is a video game based on The New Batman Adventures, which is essentially season 3 of the classic Batman: The Animated Series, but with a new visual style to match the Superman TV show. By the time this game had come out, it had ended and had already been replaced with Batman Beyond, which previously had a terrible video game on the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation.

On top of this, Batman Vengeance is its own story, and not an adaptation of an episode or film, which means that Ubisoft weren’t rushing to get the game out while the thing it was based on was still hot, which is something you can see help the game itself.

While this is still a cheap game aimed at kids, it still features a nice visual style (which does make it hard to see things at times), as well as the original cast reprising their roles, including Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. There’s a mysterious kidnapping and The Joker is involved, with The Joker seemingly dying during the ensuing fight – although Batman believes that it’s a nefarious plot. The cutscenes are CGI (I think it’s a shame that they’re not animated in the style of the show), but the voice acting does elevate it, giving it a solid presentation all around.

The gameplay is a bit clunky and basic, but enjoyable. Combat relies a lot on blocking with only a few attacks, and using gadgets requires going into a first person mode, which is rather fiddly. One annoying mechanic is that enemies get up again unless you handcuff them, and you have a very limited supply, so you really only want to handcuff people if there’s a button or switch nearby. Another aspect is stealth, which the game goes into detail about avoiding light and clinking to walls in the tutorial, but it’s not really useful at any point and is less effective than just running past enemies if you want to avoid a fight.

There’s also no camera control other than pushing the C-stick left or right to reset the camera behind Batman, although that doesn’t in certain sections that use a set camera angle.

There are a few additional parts, such as some vehicle levels involving the Batplane and Batmobile, with the Batmobile being a kind of quick time event. as you need to push L and R when arrows pop up in order to use the grapple to turn (miss one and it’s game over), and a few times you need to dive to catch people. They’re not good, but add a bit of variety.

All in all, Batman Vengeance is a decent game, and for a game based on a licensed cartoon, that’s a pretty significant thing.

Fine

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But when it comes down to actually playing the thing, there’s nothing here you won’t have seen a million times over. It’s a 3D world interspaced with identical goons, health and weapon pick-ups, chasms to leap over, locked doors to find keys for, and simple puzzles to solve. But despite the so-so gameplay, it’s surprisingly good fun.

Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #67

Remake or remaster?

A spruced up re-release would be nice, but a more linear and shorter Batman game that looks like the classic cartoon would certainly be a great idea now.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to play Batman: Vengeance.

[Cube]

Crazy Taxi

Prepare for the craziest cab ride of your life!

• NA release: 18th November 2001
• EU release: 3rd May 2002
• JP release: 30th May 2002
• Developer: Sega, Acclaim
• Publisher: Acclaim
• NGC Magazine Score: 70%
• Mods Used: Widescreen Code

Crazy Taxi is a classic arcade game that takes the simple task of driving a taxi and makes it incredibly frantic and hectic. Your taxi is very fast, and you have a very short amount of time to get your passenger to their destination. A large arrow hovers above your head guiding you to your destination (sometimes really well, sometimes a bit off), although you’ll need to learn the routes, shortcuts and locations of places on the maps to really do well at the game.

As you speed though the city (with a great soundtrack blaring out of your cab), you will gain extra money by driving dangerously, and all the pedestrians will frantically dodge out of the way to avoid you ploughing into them, which all adds to the immense fun of the game. There’s also one thing about Crazy Taxi that would seem tacky in other games, but I can’t help to love it here: product placement. It’s great having to drive someone to KFC or Pizza Hut as though their lives depended on it, and grounds the game in a strange way.

For the Dreamcast version, Sega added an additional, larger city, which is much more difficult to navigate due to more complex roads and a lot of walls that make getting to higher locations more taxing. There are also a couple of different ways to play: either by the original rules (where your time counts down and you gain more from delivering passengers), or by playing sessions of 3, 5 and 10 minutes. The GameCube version is a very faithful port of this with everything intact.

Another addition for home consoles is Crazy Box, a series of challenges that require the use of advanced techniques, such as the boost that takes some practice to pull off right. It’s great for practicing those techniques, which you can then use to improve your scores in the main mode.

Crazy Taxi is still a ton of fun.

Fun

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Inevitably though, games developed for the arcade rarely translate well to consoles. Crazy Taxi may be an exception to the rule to some extent, but the fact remains that there are only so many times you can drive the same customers to the same destinations before things start to get a little dull.

Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #67

Remake or remaster?

There have been multiple ports throughout the years, but none of them contain the original package. The PC, Xbox and PS3 versions lack the original soundtrack and loses the licenced locations. The more recent mobile versions are wonky emulation that does bring back the original soundtrack, but lacks the licensed locations. We really need a remaster of the original with everything intact.

Official Ways to get the game

The various incomplete ports of Crazy Taxi are available on Steam, Xbox One/Series, iOS and Android.

[Glen-i]

That random woman who wants to go to KFC has a voice line that I still remember perfectly today.

"Take me to Kentucky Fried Chicken!"

No-one calls it that, you weirdo!

This, alongside Luigi's Mansion, was one of the two games that I got when I first got a GameCube for Christmas, so naturally, I got very good at it! Especially once you unlock the Crazy Bike, which somehow is better then a car in every respect!

Edited Friday at 09:31 AM by Glen-i

[Dcubed]

Bit late responding to the thread (have been super busy), but man! GameCube really did have a killer launch lineup!

I don’t think we’ve ever seen a launch lineup as good as the western GameCube launch before or since (with the sole exception being the western Dreamcast launch; which is the best launch of all time, but also a massive cheat because the console had a nearly 1 year delay in the west from its original 1998 Japan launch).

Really puts the Switch 2’s anaemic launch lineup into perspective (especially when GCN NSO is amongst the most exciting parts of the Switch 2’s launch lineup ).

Also, as an aside, the GameCube version of Crazy Taxi is the only one that matches the Dreamcast original in terms of both content and performance.  The only meaningful difference is the fact that they use voice samples from Crazy Taxi 2 for the passengers instead of the originals; for whatever reason.  But as @Glen-i pointed out? I’d argue that this is actually an improvement 

Edited Friday at 09:37 AM by Dcubed

[Ashley]

yeah yeah yeah yeah!

Playing Crazy Taxi at an arcade in Tokyo was one of the highlights of my trip. Love that game and obviously the nostalgia plays a bit role.

[BowserBasher]

I don’t think I ever played Crazy Taxi when it was first around. I knew of it, might have seen videos but just never got it. I have been giving it a go recently as I’ve been playing some GC games and it is fun in short bursts. 

[Dcubed]

59 minutes ago, Ashley said:

yeah yeah yeah yeah!

Playing Crazy Taxi at an arcade in Tokyo was one of the highlights of my trip. Love that game and obviously the nostalgia plays a bit role.

I love seeing Crazy Taxi in the arcades, but I’d say that it’s one of those rare arcade racing cabinets that I actually prefer playing with a controller.

I just find it quite awkward pulling off the moves like Crazy Drift and Crazy Dash with the arcade wheel & pedals, and quite uncomfortable & unreliable.  I find it much more natural to play with a controller; which makes it the big outlier as far as SEGA arcade racing game cabinets go.

[Cube]

Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 

10-time world champion Dave Mirra is back in this sequel to the original hit game.

• NA release: 18th November 2001
• EU release: 3rd May 2002
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Z-Axis
• Publisher: Acclaim
• NGC Magazine Score: 75%
• Mods Used: Widescreen Hack

Out of all the Tony Hawk clones, Freestyle BMX 2 is probably the one I’ve seen talked about the most in a positive light. It takes the structure of Tony Hawk games and applies it to another trick-based sport. The biggest thing going for this one is that it has a good amount of levels and isn’t horrible to play, instead being good fun. The biggest difference is that you now have three minutes instead of two.

Freestyle’s biggest issue, though, is the size of the levels. They’re absolutely colossal, and the three minute sessions are not long enough to get to grips with them. They also don’t seem to flow very well, with pockets of trick segments and then spaces that don’t feel very useful. For some of the objectives, you have to speak to an NPC and they’ll give you a quest, which is really how they should have done the whole game, as ditching the timer is the conclusion that the Tony Hawk games came up with when it went the route of much larger levels.

It’s a shame as the core gameplay is good fun, it just needed better flowing levels or a different structure to take advantage of it. Another missing feature is the ability to create your own character, which means you just have a rather drab cast of professional riders to choose from.

Fine

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Of course, by huge, we mean frickin’ massive. We thought Tony Hawk’s sizeable levels were impressive, but the face of Dave Mirra they positively pale in comparison. Unfortunately, such ambitious level design is ultimately its downfall. It isn’t instantly accessible – the first hour of play involves you riding round like a clueless idiot trying to figure out where you’re supposed to be going and what you should be doing – and because of the scale of the game, everything seems far less focused than Tony.

Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #67

Remake or remaster?

Nothing special for this one, especially for how much trouble it would be to license everything needed.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to play Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2.

[Cube]

Madden 2002

#1 For a reason

• NA release: 18th November 2001
• EU release: N/A
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: EA Tiburon
• Publisher: EA Sports
• NGC Magazine Score: 75%
• Mods Used: None

While Madden 2002 also came out on Nintendo 64, that was just the previous game with some stat changes. The GameCube got the full fledged sequel, which feels like a much different product, even starting off with personality with its own rap song. Knowing nothing about American Football, I was expecting to mess around with it a bit and then move on, but this one features a training mode.

While the training mode doesn’t explain the complete basics (so I don’t fully understand when the ball passes to the other team, for example), it does explain each play in detail, with markers on the map, plays it out for you then gives you a bunch of tries to test it out. Due to this mode, I was finally able to figure out how American Football plays, how to look for passes and how to create gaps for running through. Although I did get told off for scoring a touchdown in one of the tutorials because I passed to someone that wasn’t the intended target, but luckily that doesn’t apply in proper matches.

With the simple to use create-a-team, it was then time for the Welsh team Llaneron Sheep to try their hand at joining the NFL. Thanks to their training and some handy assist functions (branded under EAsy play), they were able to perform quite well. Gameplay felt very smooth and with the button prompts for passing giving you four players you can pass to, it felt like I was fully in control of the situation.

For someone that doesn’t know much about the sport, Madden 2002 actually made me appreciate, and realise that it’s not a load of people flailing towards each other, but more like a turn-based tactic game where you have to plan your move while also anticipating what your opponent is going to do. I actually quite enjoyed it.

Fun

Quote

Madden 2002 offers an impressive range of moves on the field. You can perform hand-offs, jumps, spins, blocks and custom C-stick jukes, along with a bewildering array of on-the-fly tactical switches that will only make sense if you’re a keen follower of the sport, or the series itself. If there’s a weakness here, it’s that the game’s complexity will be off-putting to newcomers.

Martin Kitts, NGC Magazine #64

Remake or remaster?

I’m not sure what the current games are like.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to play Madden NFL 2002.

[Nicktendo]

13 minutes ago, Cube said:

Madden 2002

#1 For a reason

• NA release: 18th November 2001
• EU release: N/A
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: EA Tiburon
• Publisher: EA Sports
• NGC Magazine Score: 75%
• Mods Used: None

While Madden 2002 also came out on Nintendo 64, that was just the previous game with some stat changes. The GameCube got the full fledged sequel, which feels like a much different product, even starting off with personality with its own rap song. Knowing nothing about American Football, I was expecting to mess around with it a bit and then move on, but this one features a training mode.

While the training mode doesn’t explain the complete basics (so I don’t fully understand when the ball passes to the other team, for example), it does explain each play in detail, with markers on the map, plays it out for you then gives you a bunch of tries to test it out. Due to this mode, I was finally able to figure out how American Football plays, how to look for passes and how to create gaps for running through. Although I did get told off for scoring a touchdown in one of the tutorials because I passed to someone that wasn’t the intended target, but luckily that doesn’t apply in proper matches.

With the simple to use create-a-team, it was then time for the Welsh team Llaneron Sheep to try their hand at joining the NFL. Thanks to their training and some handy assist functions (branded under EAsy play), they were able to perform quite well. Gameplay felt very smooth and with the button prompts for passing giving you four players you can pass to, it felt like I was fully in control of the situation.

For someone that doesn’t know much about the sport, Madden 2002 actually made me appreciate, and realise that it’s not a load of people flailing towards each other, but more like a turn-based tactic game where you have to plan your move while also anticipating what your opponent is going to do. I actually quite enjoyed it.

Fun

Remake or remaster?

I’m not sure what the current games are like.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to play Madden NFL 2002.

Colin Moriarty refers to the NFL and American Football as the "greatest tactical RPG of all time", and I think he's probably right about it. It's quite a hard sport to get into it, but once you do, it's a lot of fun to play (as a video game at least) and fun to watch.

The Madden games of today unfortunately suffer from FIFA syndrome though, where EA is just using them as a vehicle for people to micro-transact and spend money. The old games from this gen and the PS360 gen are really fun though. 

[Dcubed]

Surprised you enjoyed Madden so much.

I don't think I could muster up enough interest to actually play it, but I have to admit that you two make it sound somewhat interesting.

Edited yesterday at 04:58 PM by Dcubed

[Cube]

15 hours ago, Dcubed said:

Surprised you enjoyed Madden so much.

I was surprised as well. That said, with where I'm up to in terms of playing, I'm very fed up with American Football. 

NHL Hitz 2002 

We Know Hitz!

• NA release: 18th November 2001
• EU release: 3r May 2002
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Black Box
• Publisher: Midway
• NGC Magazine Score: 79%
• Mods Used: Widescreen Hack

With the success of NFL Blitz and NBA Jam, it’s quite surprising that it took this long for ice hockey to get the same treatment. With the tackling and actual fighting that goes on in ice hockey, it really is the perfect sport to turn into an other-the top nature, and it works incredibly well here, making this a highly enjoyable ice hockey game.

One aspect that Hitz does extremely well are the unlockables. As you earn points for playing the game, you can unlock new crazy teams and stadiums to use, which meant I could set a village pond as the rink for Llaneron’s ice hockey team – they did well enough at American Football that they figured they’d try out other sports. Ice hockey did get a bit crazy, as they went up against pirates, woodmen and were even taken to the moon to compete against aliens.

Hitz is fast, fluid, controls well and is just all round fun. The fun stuff to unlock gives more reasons to continue playing and there’s a surprising amount of detail in all the silly ice rinks. It’s a great sports game with a lot of nice touches.

Great

Quote

In its favour, however, the multiplayer proves to be a great laugh, especially if there are four of you going at it. There’s also a comprehensive selection of modes, team and player editors, hidden extras and minigames to paly. But as we said, this will only hold your interest so long if you’re a solo player.

Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #67

Remake or remaster?

Over-the-top sports games need a comeback.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to play NHL Hitz 2002.

[Dcubed]

The first game on a Nintendo console from Black Box Games, a noteworthy studio because after making a little known game called SEGA Soccer Slam, a large chunk of the development staff would splinter off to form a little studio called Next Level Games; yes, THAT Next Level Games.

First in a long and storied line of OTT sports games and excellent first party Nintendo titles to come!