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GAMES
REVIEWS
SILENT
SCOPE
Publisher : Sega
Released : 2000
 Live
out those Lee Harvey Oswald fantasies from the safety of your
seat in Sega's update of the coin-op classic, Silent Scope.
With Dreamcast sales faltering, and developers pulling out
left, right and centre, Sega are relying heavily on the power
of their arcade conversions to woo Johnny Punter. So far,
the strategy seems to be paying off, with the success of Soul
Calibur, Crazy Taxi and Virtua Tennis. Silent Scope has the
potential to match these hits, due largely to its amazing
playability and user-friendly controls. Converting the game
from the arcades could have been a nightmare, but has been
handled brilliantly. The game has the kind of pick up and
play feel that made Virtua Tennis such a smash. Coupled with
a cool plot, which has the player as a police marksman up
against a vast, Bond style terrorist force, this should ensure
the games success. Not the longest lasting of games but a
hit with those who enjoy fun with guns. 4/5 Andrew Rousell
18
WHEELER AMERICAN PRO TRUCKER
Publisher: Sega
Released: March 2001
 Experience
the thrill of long distance haulage in Sega's truck driving
sim. Beer gut, baseball cap and bad attitude not included!
Much of Pro Truckers appeal in the arcades came from its awesome
cabinet, designed to recreate the look and feel of a truck
cab. Take away the massive wheel and padded seat, and the
presence of surround sound and the game loses much of its
pulling power. The games graphics are good, with some neat
touches, without ever coming close to the perfection of, say,
Crazy Taxi. Gameplay wise, Pro Trucker suffers due to the
very nature of its subject matter. Big rigs don't handle very
well compared to racecars, take an age to get going and are
infuriatingly S-L-O-W! In this respect, the developers have
got the game spot on. There is no real feeling of speed, the
long, straight roads are tedious and the tight time limit
leads to frustration and odd bouts of joypad flinging! Overall,
about as interesting as doing it for real, without the greasy
spoon cafes. Avoid. 2/5. Andrew Rousell
READY
TO RUMBLE 2
Publisher: Midway
Released: November 2000
 I
was hoping that this game would be a lot different from the
original Playstation version. Yet, it doesn't seem to be.
Ok the graphics are obviously better, the sound effects have
improved a bit and there are some new characters to choose
from (no one immensely special I may add). But, at the end
of the day the format and the whole point of the game is still
the same as it is for Ready To Rumble 1 on the Playstation.
Yet, if you haven't played the first version then you may
actually find this to be quite a good and enjoyable game.
The arcade version against the computer is great at first
as the opponents are fairly easy to beat, yet when you get
further into the competition, then it becomes a little more
difficult and may begin to cause you some grief. My advice
is to play against your friends in the two player as this
is the most fun and can before you know it become very addictive.
Overall, buy this game if you haven't already got the first
one. 5/5 Gary Marshall
JET
SET RADIO
Publisher: Sega
Released : 2000
 Part
skating sim, part Parrappa the rapper style rhythm game, Jet
Set Radio is one of the freshest games to hit the Dreamcast
yet. While the gameplay is a highly original blend of Tony
Hawk cool and Space Channel 5 kitsch it is the unique graphics
style which most stand out. This is a game that screams, "I
am Japanese" at the top of its lungs, and the western gaming
world will have to sit up and take notice. Visually stunning,
the game takes the player and drops him into an insane, Manga-esque
version of West Side Story. Here rival gangs battle to out
do each other, both with their skills on wheels and as graffiti
artists. Players must learn mad skills as skaters, in order
to be able to 'tag' their name in the most out of reach areas.
The game is clearly going for an old skool feel, from the
graffiti and skateboards theme to the hip-hop soundtrack featuring,
amongst others, the mighty Jurassic 5. If this all sounds
a little too Ali G then stay away. Otherwise plug in and prepare
to be amazed. Respect. 5/5 Andrew Rousell
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