Clearance Bin Video Game Review: The Simpsons Skateboarding

Clearance Bin Video Game Review: The Simpsons Skateboarding

Game: The Simpsons Skateboarding
System: Playstation 2
Rated: T
How much did I pay: 100 Goozex Points; It's $9.99 on Amazon.com

Story: Big fan of The Simpsons, big fan of skateboarding games, so I've always wanted to play this game. When it first came out, I remember wanting it a lot, but never got around to buying it. It then became impossible to find in stores. I read the reviews a long time ago, but did not care about them. I just always wanted to play this, I'm guessing just because of The Simpson's name on the cover.

Review: I turn on my Playstation and the title screen comes up. What do I hear? Probably the worst Simpson's theme remix I've ever heard. This scares me a little, but I decided to carry on anyway (can't base a whole game on the title screen). I'm taken to a character selection screen, this has the regular family members on it. I decided to be Bart, because he is the only one in the family I have seen on a skateboard before. I get to pick from three different game types. The first one is challenges(which is just a tutorial). I start doing the tutorials, and I find out something very annoying about this game. After each time you do a trick... Princible Skinner ethier complaiments you, insults you, or says something... Yes after each trick this happens, even when you do an ollie! Why Princible Skinner? Why is he telling bart, "Nice 50-50 grind!" Can't milhouse? Can't Otto? Can't... even Mr. Burns would of been better than Princible Skinner!

On to the next part of the game, it's like a mission mode. You have to collect things, from I think they were magazines too cherry bombs. I was out collecting and I came accross Ralph, who has said the funniest things out of everyone. From "Your skating hurts my eyes!" "My cat is better than you." Yep that is the funniest thing said, I have played other Simpson's games before and they had way funnier things in it. I bumped into Ralph and it automatically started a new mission for me. There was no, do you want to play this mission screen, it just started me off. The mission was to find 3 more kids that were skipping school. Well for one thing... I'm Bart so don't I count? Which is another good reason Princible Skinner shouldn't be telling me, "Nice Nose Grind!" Anyway, I finish the mission and I wait for a award or anything. I get nothing, even after completeing each tutorial challenge I got $0.10 for completing it.

The controls in this game are not the best. It doesn't have the worst controls for a skateboarding game though. I think S.K.A.T.E.(The one on the Playstation 1) won that award of what I remember playing of it when I was in middle school. The Simpsons and S.K.A.T.E. had the same hold the UP button to push the skateboard. Which I have not seen work for these types of games. It's hard to move your character side to side and seems glitchy once in awhile.

Maybe I should give this game more time playing, because who knows? Maybe there is something really cool in this game. I didn't even talk about the third game type. Which I just read from the description is a timed game where you try to get the most points you can, by completeing tricks. I just don't feel like playing this anymore. To be fair though, lets look back to when this game came out. 2002 was the year, there was another skateboarding game that came out called Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. Between these two games, I will have to say Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 was a much greater game than The Simpsons Skateboarding. I am guessing that it's also in a clearance bin too.

Other Opinion: Looking around Amazon.com at what people said, there are people out there that really enjoyed the game. There are also some people saying the game is awful. Overall it got 3 stars at Amazon.com. No matter what the reviews say though, you will buy this game if you're a really big Simpsons fan and must have everything that has their name on it.

-Nick

Story: The Who

Many of you probably know of the band The Who, it's a band that consists of Pete Townshend on guitar, Roger Daltrey on vocals, John Entwistle on bass, and Keith Moon on drums. If you don't know of the band, you should check them out.

The Who happens to be one of my favorite bands. As I was driving to work today around 2:30P.M. I was happily surprised that there was a block (3 or 4 songs from one artist) of The Who playing. I listened through the whole block. I got to work and when I got out at 9:00P.M. I was happily surprised again to hear another Who block(on another station, I think radios like to play lots of blocks during the weekend). During this second block they started playing a song that was on the first block. I thought to myself, "Oh I know what Who song I want to hear!" I put on my CD player in my car and play my favorite Who song, "Won't Get Fooled Again" I listened to it and when it was done I thought, "Now I don't know what to listen to, nothing compares to Won't Get Fooled Again." I turned the radio back on in search for music and I hit a station. That was playing... Won't Get Fooled Again! So I listened to it a second time.

I thought this was an amazing Who day, I went to tell my brother and there it was... he was wearing a Who shirt. I was like woah... this is awesome!

So it was a pretty great day.

Also as I was writing this blog, The Who - Amazing Journey started playing.

-Nick

Clearance Bin Video Game Review: World Tour Soccer

Clearance Bin Video Game Review: World Tour Soccer


Since this is the first Clearance Bin Video Game Review, let me explain:
1. Review of games (new or old) in a clearance bin
2. I guess that's it

Game: World Tour Soccer
System: PSP
Rated: E
How much did I pay: $6.99

Story:
I was in Blockbuster when they were having a deal. You buy one get one free on games that were $14.99 or less. I ended up getting 8 games during this sale. In the pile I was looking at, I came across World Tour Soccer for the PSP. I'm not a big soccer fan, but I do like it better than other sports out there. I decided to get it, even if it did not have the PSP case, they gave me a DVD case (This looks weird with my other PSP games).

Review: World Tour Soccer is descent soccer game. It has a long loading screen before a match, but during the match it does not seem to load. The loading did not seem to be frustrating, if I had to take a guess it was 30 seconds. So what am I to complain about? Since the game did not come with a manual, I had to guess what each button did. After the first game I played and lost. I checked the option screen and saw a controls option. Now that I knew the controls I am back to play another game. Which I ended up loosing! I seem to keep getting penalties... and kicking the soccer ball way to far and past the net.

This is a good game for just picking up and playing anytime you want. Games do not take that long to complete (you can make it longer if you want). I think this game is something you might think about picking up (Especially if it's $6.99). That is if you are a soccer fan, if you have no idea what the rules of soccer are. You might get frustrated playing this game. I could not find the rules to soccer in this game and since I did not get a manual with this game. I could not tell you if the rules of soccer are in it. I am sure you could find the rules and how to play soccer on the internet.

Other Opinion: Looking at a couple different sites, World Tour Soccer got a pretty good review. There is also a World Tour Soccer 06 that might be worth checking out.

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