Game reviews

By ROBB GUIDO

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 26, 2000

Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol

SYSTEM: PlayStation

PRICE: $9.99

MAKER: Take 2 Interactive

Yes, that price is right. Spec Ops is part of Take 2's budget line, which brings game prices down around the level of music CDs. With so many titles out there, that's not a bad idea. Spec Ops, which sends U.S. Rangers behind enemy lines, comes off as a pretty good game for the money.

Grade: A

Street Fighter Alpha 3

SYSTEM: Dreamcast

PRICE: $49.99

MAKER: Capcom

How many characters can you fit into one fighting game? Apparently more than 30. Alpha 3 also offers arcade-perfect backgrounds and animations, as well as classic game play, making it a must-own for fighting fans.

Grade: A

4 Wheel Thunder

SYSTEM: Dreamcast

PRICE: $49.99

MAKER: Midway

The follow-up to Hydro Thunder is an indoor-outdoor four-wheel-drive racing game that resembles Hydro Thunder on dirt. With 24 tracks, four vehicle types, speed boost and short cuts, not to mention fun two-player options, 4 Wheel Thunder makes a fine rental.

Grade: B-

Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed

SYSTEM: PlayStation

PRICE: $39.99

MAKER: Midway

As an arena football fan, I really wanted this game to be good. As a Kurt Warner anti-fan (you remember what he did to the Bucs), I just wanted this game to go away. As it turns out, Arena Football probably won't sell many copies. That's because most players already own this game under the name Blitz.

Grade: C-

Rugrats: Time Travelers

SYSTEM: Game Boy Color

PRICE: $29.99

MAKER: THQ

The Rugrats Movie spawned several games, and this one seems programmed under time constraints. The levels are colorful and the characters are playable, but there just isn't much to do.

Grade: D

Toobin'

SYSTEM: Game Boy Color

PRICE: $29.99

MAKER: Midway

What possessed Midway to reintroduce this game after most of us had safely forgotten it is beyond me. This one-dimension tubing game doesn't deserve more of our time.

Grade: F

-- Robb Guido is an avid gamer who lives in Clearwater.

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