Gamer's corner

“Blinx: The Time Sweeper” Microsoft Games
1.5 Paws

“Blinx The Time Sweeper,” casts doubt on the future
of Microsoft’s XBox game system. All good games need a solid
premise and this is something Microsoft has always struggled with.
Blinx, the hero and main character of the game is a cat (first
problem), attempting to save the world and rescue a princess by
sucking up time and garbage with his vacuum (second problem), and
shooting down monsters with this trash (third problem). Blinx is an
annoying looking character. The monsters are also one-dimensional
and extremely easy to destroy. The gimmick in the game seems to be
Blinx’s ability to control time and slow down, speed up, or
even pause game play while dodging obstacles and subverting
enemies. This is all fine and dandy, but the motif grows old as the
game progresses. Microsoft seems to be targeting younger gamers
with this one, but even a 3-year old could grow bored playing
Blinx. With an atrocious plot, sound effects reminiscent of bad
Nintendo, and graphics that only exemplify the mundane characters
of the game, the composition is below par for a system that is
designed to astonish the imagination. Windows Minesweeper is
probably where Microsoft should have quit in the software gaming
business. -Mark Zabezhinsky

“Kingdom Hearts” Square Soft, Inc. 4.5
Paws

“Kingdom Hearts” is the best role playing game ever
developed for the Playstation 2. It rocks. Teaming up the Square
Soft “Final Fantasy” engine with Disney Interactive,
the story, graphics and game play all capture the imagination, and
are guaranteed to please any gamer. The plot follows the young
adventurer, Sora, through a compilation of worlds comprised of all
of your favorite Disney characters and villains. With Goofy and
Donald at Sora’s side, the adventurer travels through
“Peter Pan’s” Neverland, “Nightmare Before
Christmas'” Halloween Town, Alice’s Wonderland,
and Hercules’ Coliseum. The player must match wits, might and
magic against classic Disney villains such as Hook, Jafar, and
Ursula. Cutting in and out of mesmerizing computer graphic
animation, the game is as much a feature film as it is an education
in the behind-the-scenes life of your favorite Disney characters.
The soundtrack is great, the game control is calibrated, and the
graphics are surreal. For these reasons, and the pure nostalgia of
interacting with the characters that have dominated
children’s’ imagination, “Kingdom Hearts”
is a masterpiece. -Mark Zabezhinsky