Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Game Boy Advance £29.99 Capcom/Nintendo *****
With Mario's star seemingly on the wane - Super Mario Sunshine sold disappointingly - it seems the Legend of Zelda is now Nintendo's flagship franchise. The latest instalment is out on the GameCube in May, but whetting the appetite is a Game Boy Advance conversion of one of the finest Zelda adventures - A Link to the Past.
Initially released 12 years ago, the game has lost little of its sparkle, remaining as engrossing and playable as ever. In many ways, this set the template for the N64 classic Ocarina of Time, with a freeform world, full of secrets and mini-games, a number of brilliantly designed dungeons and a challenge/reward system so effective that it borders on genius.
For example, completion of one dungeon will reward players with a hookshot. Not only does this allow progress to the previously unreachable next dungeon, but also to other areas full of goodies and challenges. The Dark World - same map, subtly altered environment - is another example of the imagination shown by the developers.
The conversion to GBA is good, with the top-down look perfect for the handheld. The graphics weren't earth shattering in 1991 but are charming none the less. This conversion also includes the first multiplayer Zelda game, called Four Swords. The action involves basic team-based puzzles combined with hacking and money collecting. Although it waters down the more sophisticated gameplay elements, Four Swords is an enjoyable dessert to the main course. It may be another SNES conversion, but Zelda: A Link to the Past is as relevant and enjoyable as ever and a title every gamer should own. (GH)
Racing Evoluzione
Xbox £39.99 Infogrames **
Games that attempt something new tread a fine line between bravery and foolhardiness, particularly at a time when the most successful are rehashes of franchise games.
Racing Evoluzione's premise is that you have inherited a run-down garage in which you find blueprints for several sports cars. You decide to make and drive them. As you progress by winning races, the ramshackle garage is transformed into a world-class sports car factory, and the tedium of the racing game format is leavened by an element of management.
That's the theory. In practice, Racing Evoluzione is unsatisfying, although not as much of a mish-mash as one might fear. The management element is perfunctory and largely automated, which leaves you feeling it has been tacked on. The fact that success in Dream mode (what other games call Career mode) unlocks cars to use in the Arcade mode is laudable.
And the racing, although nowhere near as impressive as Gran Turismo's, improves dramatically once you start winning races and uprating your car. There are plenty of decent racetracks, and the AI breeds some bruising racing.
Car feel is all but absent, though, and limpet-like handling will bore devotees of driving games. Racing Evoluzione may have set out to put a new spin on racing games but, sadly, it has ended up mired in mediocrity. (SB)
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
GameCube £24.99 Kalisto/THQ ***
Despite trailing PlayStation2 and Xbox, the GameCube dominates some genres. The arcade adventure, for instance, as epitomised by Luigi's Castle, is a classic because it puts gameplay first. And while Jimmy Neutron wants to be Super Mario, there the similarity ends.
Based on the Nickelodeon cartoon series, your boy genius has to travel six huge levels looking for items to free his parents and friends. At first glance, the 3D engine looks spot on - expansive and varied while gloriously weird. With gadgets galore (in the shape of a morphing robotic dog) and excellent use of sound using the same actors as the cartoon, this should be a trip worth taking - had Kalisto possessed Nintendo's skill in turning imagination into reality.
What you have instead is a by-the-numbers arcade adventure, ideally suited to a younger audience were the gameplay up to scratch. Unfortunately, the 3D camera is fixed and seemingly determined to make progress as frustrating as possible.
For example, although you can turn, run and jump in full 3D, you can never see very far in front of you - resulting in Jimmy running in circles until something catches his peripheral vision or attacks him. Consequently, all the gadgets in the world won't make up for a game that seems to play you rather than the other way round. Also, given its three to eight-year-old target audience, the cross-promotion of Neutron merchandise seems far from innocent. (MA)
