Super Smash Bros Melee
GameCube £39.99 Nintendo ****
Super Smash Brothers Melee does exactly what it says on the tin. This is caffeine-fuelled gaming that allows you to beat up a host of famous Nintendo characters - yup, Pikachu can finally get his comeuppance. An update of the N64 original, SSBM is as frantic and colourful as before, but with some important improvements thrown in.
A new adventure mode impresses, and there is a range of new characters and features to unlock. But while this all helps, the game really comes alive when two or more combatants are fighting.
Thankfully, the button-bashing chaos of the N64 title has been toned down, with more emphasis on blocking opponents. But although tactics and strategy play a more prominent role, they are still less useful than reflexes, luck and a double espresso.
Nevertheless, there is a surprising amount of depth that only becomes apparent after regular play. Each character has a unique fighting style, while each arena demands different tactics. Then there is the overwhelming amount of customisation available. Want to do battle in slow motion, collect coins, or fight as giants? It's all possible here, making longevity less of an issue than before.
Graphically, SSBM is a mixed bag. The characters are great, well-animated and instantly recognisable, but the backgrounds fare less well. Blurry textures on the ground and on buildings are of a similarly low standard to Luigi's Mansion and obviously a problem for the console. Despite this, Super Smash Bros Melee is one of the best releases for the GameCube and reason enough to invest in Nintendo's little bundle of joy. (GH)
Resident Evil
GameCube £39.99 Capcom ****
Proof of the legendary status of the definitive survival horror game, Resident Evil, will be provided when the film of the game opens next month. This version (it won't reach the UK until Friday September 13) of the original is a coup for the GameCube. That's because it could not be further from the average new-console port.
Although the action takes place in the familiarly creepy Resident Evil mansion, Capcom has beefed up the game with stunning visuals and a brilliant intro sequence, two difficulty modes that, for once, offer widely differing experiences (you must weigh up ability to carry items against zombies) and a significant number of new puzzles. Surprisingly, the zombies have been given extra staying power, which means you must employ a much more strategic approach to their disposal than in the original.
A button that lets you execute 180 turns, and flasks of zombie-dissolving acid help redress the balance. In general, the feel is familiar, but not to the extent that those who completed the PlayStation original will feel they are retreading well-worn ground. The GameCube version, which spans two CDs, is longer, too. The care that Capcom has put into this version renders Nintendo's assertion that the GameCube is not just for kids much more credible. To nit-pick, you would pinpoint occasionally unhelpful camera-work and wooden voice acting, but Resident Evil looks so fantastic and drips with such menace that you will forgive those minor irritations. But why is it taking so long to reach these shores? (SB)
Cultures 2
PC £30 Funatics/JoWood **
Ten years ago, a game like Cultures would have been a cult hit. It looks a bit ropey, but so much attention to detail deserves recognition and, in more forgiving times, would have received it. Today, however, the gulf between the big developer and the gifted amateur is wider than ever, and Cultures looks like a poor relation of so many games.
With its tired animation, annoying music and unhelpful interface (you have to visit the options screen to make it scroll properly), nothing beckons you or helps you out: you're on your own in a land that is frustrating and bland. Each of the 10 Norse-based missions has set economic or military goals, and achieving them is strictly by the numbers. Micro-management fans will love this game, because your workers need to be told to do everything. They need to be allocated housing and jobs and training, not just once but several times each mission. They also need to be encouraged with bribes. All this, while every click opens up a separate pop-up menu, which has to be shut again.
But the developers have only just started. Now you have to keep your economy running, too. So if you need to make bread, you need a miller, but you can't have a miller until you've trained a farmer. In the heat of a mission, you soon realise that some cultures perhaps deserved to die out. The pity is that small developers cannot invest enough money and expertise to produce the results required. When you have management/ strategy games as polished as Battle Realms, why give Cultures 2 a second glance? (MA)
