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REVIEWS- What BubbleSnow played, what's good and what's not

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Game Boy/Game Boy Advance

HARVEST MOON 3

If you are an original Harvest Moon fan (see the review above this one) you will enjoy having this game on the go.  As many of you who played the game might already know it gets boring after a while, especially if you already beat the game.  This one however has several surprises in store and the game board is much bigger and involves a new shopping mall, a movie theatre and an aquarium where Pokemon style you can help the business by capturing several original fish and donate it there.

So far so good with this game, however I have to say I was so disappointed that Playstation obtained the rights to the game and that it is not available for Nintendo 64 or Game Cube.  The version on Game Boy is well represented but it is not as cool as it should have been.

-B

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POKEMON GOLD

-A

SUPER MARIO WORLD 2 (ADVANCE 2)

If you have played this game on Super Nintendo then you will totally reminisce and love this once again.  If it was too easy for you to beat then don't waste your time and $ on this title.  Personally, it's been such a long time that I forgot all the secret paths and the special exits of each stage- the best feature in the game.

GBA's advanced graphics are so great it feels just like you dusted your Super NES and had yourself the fun you had years ago-- all over again.

-A-

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YOSHI'S ISLAND (ADVANCE 3)

I remember back in the day, when Super Nintendo was at the height of sophistication, that people used to say Yoshi's Island was too kiddy-like. Well, they are right... if you ever played Paper Mario, for example, you can expect the same graphics in this game.

But goodness, this one is challenging! The first few worlds are an all right challenge even if the bosses are easy as heck to defeat however it later gets a lot harder.

Yeah, this might not be Zelda or Donkey Kong 64 but don't take it for granted! Yeah it gets annoying though, you will be throwing your GBAs out of the window a few hundred times like I did.

-B-

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PC Games

THE SIMS HOUSE PARTY EXPANSION

I have to admit I liked this more than the previous expansion pack, Living Large.  There are several more party items, including a bubble-maker, a dj turntable, a rental chef and a private dancer that pops out of a huge birthday cake.  If you are a Sim-lover you cannot miss this game but if you are a bit fed up with the idea of controlling your Sim then this will only keep you entertained for a few hours, and is it worth the 20 dollars?

-A-

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THE SIMS LIVIN' LARGE EXPANSION

I was really looking forward to the release of this game, especially because I was getting somewhat tired of the usual rhythm in "The Sims."  This expansion pack allows you to play around with new objects, but don't expect to find a black table and white chairs! The new game features bizarre furniture such as a Medieval throne and a red-hot vibrating bed... that you can use with a partner! (watch them as they play underneath the sheets)

There are also new characters, such as a genie who can grant your wishes and sometimes make your life miserable and a clown who will never leave you alone and bug you until you explode.

Overall Livin' Large met its expectations.  The game is also more challenging and difficult.  If you are a Sim lover then you definitely have to check this game out.

-B+

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THE SIMS 2

I waited eagerly to get my hands on this game and finally I was able to play it. The most important thing to say about it, before describing frills and little details, is that if you don't have a fast, state of the art computer featuring a big hard drive, speedy RAM and an excellent graphics card you will not be able to enjoy the game for what it truly is.

The problem is due to the fact that the options and actions are so detailed that a slow computer is only going to make you hate them. For example, you can edit the house and watch it in the night and day mode so you can say how it looks throughout the day... well, if you have a slow computer prepare to wait 2/3 minutes before that activates. If you think that is not a big deal I'll give you another example. A 700/800Mhz Pentium II with 128MB of RAM is going to take about 5 minutes to load the game. An average graphics card is going to show you images that are not well detailed (at least not as detailed as the pictures you see on the game's box!); also, I've been around many message boards and found out that many graphics cards render the interiors of the house too dark (I, for example, had to remove pieces of wall so the light from "outside" filtered in because putting windows was not going to cut it).

As far as features are concerned I can give it a million thumbs up:

-Sims characters: you can create a Sim and modify its face/body to make it look as closely as possible to you or someone else you want it to resemble, they meet, get married, have children, age, die and even have sexual relationships (if you install a specific patch you can see them without censure and when they try to have a baby in the hot tub they dive in and you see the fireworks going off). They have fears, dreams and aspirations according to the type of astrological sign you give them.

Also they can have different jobs and have vacations and pay raises.  All this is topped with violent fights between them, twisted soap-opera like relationships, scandals, surprises, ghosts, alien abductions (which may result in returns of pregnant abducted MALE Sims which eventually bring a baby alien to life) etc.

-Houses: You can build entire neighborhoods and houses on more than 2 floors and even porches and patios. The objects can be modified by color (you can for example choose a certain couch and a color that suits your living room.

If we talk about the overall features of the game we can honestly say that its many characteristics are spectacular but will we be able to see them all if it takes 5 minutes to view one?

GAME FEATURES: A

GAME PLAY: C-

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Nintendo 64

A BUG'S LIFE

The controls on this game are terrible.  It is so hard to orient yourself around the game area but the little objects and things around are kinda cute.  The most horrible thing about this game is that you cannot save unless you have a memory card, something I never needed to have with the Nintendo games I played.  I don't know, maybe kids would like this.  And it's pretty cheap too; but definitely not a big bargain.

-D-

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BANJO KAZOOIE

I played this game months after Donkey Kong 64 and despite rumors that Banjo is a replica of DK, I found the two games to be very different from each other. Although the general look of the game is similar, Banjo Kazooie is a new story and a different set of features; what makes the game great is that it is very long and there are new worlds to discover hidden behind secret doors that can be opened only after a certain amount of musical notes has been collected.

The villain in the game however does not fit the typical description.  The "evil" witch is actually quite fun to listen to as she rhymes while you walk around the game area.

Definitely a must play for every Nintendo 64 lover out there!

-A

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BANJO TOOIE

They did it again.  Seriously! You can't go wrong when you purchase this game: it's challenging and full of little brain teasers that I just love... and only a few are timed!  You will travel to new worlds including an abandoned witch theme park with a bouncy blow up castle.  New moves, items and not too necessary game guide need.  There are easy challenges and hard ones where you have to travel to other worlds to unravel mysteries and puzzles.  Definitely a game every Nintendo lover should own!

-A+

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BUY THIS VIDEO GAME AT BUBBLESNOW'S STORE

CONKER'S BAD FUR DAY

There are several ups and a few downs for this game.  First of all, Conker is definitely for more mature audiences, as there is a lot of swearing and vulgarities.  The great feature of the game is that it resembles Nintendo hits Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo Tooie because the quests are very original and fun to complete.  The characters in the game are also a good addition to the fun and expect a few laughs here and there.  The best thing about Conker's Bad Fur Day is that the dialogues are written and sound-spoken and this avoids annoying hours attempting to read small writing.

There is only one fairly significant bad feature of the game.  Not only is it quite difficult, the tasks to complete are also very long and repetitive.  For example, there is a point in the game when you must collect sweet corn by whacking it with a pan and throw it to a big monster made up of... droppings.  This must be done a total of 6 times and when the quest is difficult, it gets really annoying to lose and try again.

Prepare to have a lot of time in your hands if you want to beat this game.  Graphics and sounds are awesome but again, get ready for some repetitive play.

-B-

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HARVEST MOON 64

-A++

KIRBY 64 "THE CRYSTAL SHARDS"

Finally Kirby 64, "The Crystal Shards" comes out in stores to complement to the list of the best Nintendo 64 games.  Here, the cute pink marshmallow must save the world by collecting six shards of a broken crystal.

The game is set in a pretty world with several bright colors and even the enemies look "too cute to swallow."  The good think about Kirby 64 is the variety of attacks that are available.  By swallowing different kinds of enemies, such as fire, ice and rock, the player has several attack options.

The downfall for most people is that half of the game is very easy for the most expert gamers but it gets a bit more difficult afterwards... finally!

In short, I suggest at least renting this game, especially for children, because it is definately an original piece of the Nintendo 64 collection.

-B+

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PAPER MARIO

Can't miss this latest Mario game if you are a true fan of the Italian red & blue plumber!  The game is so new I have not yet finished it but I don't want it to end!

Don't be fooled by the cartoon environment, this game is for all ages AND GENDERS.  It is first very easy if you are a habitual gamer however it progresses and becomes slightly harder as you go.  Just like any other Mario game, this one is packed with hidden passages, tricks and special attack badges you can find in the most bizarre places!

If you are not an RPG fan however, rent this game first! There is a lot of dialogue and gamers who enjoy hardcore action may be left hanging impatiently for a bit.

-A-

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POKEMON SNAP

You might laugh at the idea of this game but try it and get hooked! Travel around the Pokemon world and unravel mysteries while the object is to take as many Pokemon pictures as you can.  Some creatures are hard to find, some need to be attracted to something to appear and your task is to find out what that something is.  The better the quality of your pictures, the better your score.  Older gamers used to violent games might hate this but others might love it.

-B-

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ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK

If you enjoy adventure games, you will like this game.  If you are an RPG fan, you will love this game.  If you like challenging games, this will keep you entertained for weeks.  Be careful though: you might want to purchase a game guide- this game is pretty hard to figure out.  Good luck finding a copy and enjoy.

-A-

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