Dreamcast

Jet Grind Radio's gameplay has some of the feel of Crazy Taxi. As you skate, you see little floating arrows that indicate where you should go (and where you should be tagging). Also, like in Crazy Taxi, the pace of the game is absolutely nonstop. There is moving traffic in the street, and nearly everything can be jumped, hopped, or ground. Underscoring all of this action is a DJ at the local hip-hop station, who spins cool tunes while you tear up Little Tokyoto.

The game starts out with a training course that's designed to bring you up to speed. Pay good attention to this section; it teaches you the basics, and you're tested on one of the lessons right away. Learning how to hop over obstacles while keeping a rail grind going is particularly helpful.

After graduating into the real game, you have the option of going it cool or easing up and figuring out how to do the flips, splits, and other midair antics that make this game so much fun. Once your skating skills are set, you'll learn the spray-can side of things. You pick up cans of paint as you maneuver around (keep your eyes open--some cans are placed in those hard-to-reach places, so that you'll have to catch serious air to get them). After securing your fill, use the left trigger and the analog to spray as you pass by areas that have been indicated by the arrows.

The game's tunes are right on schedule. Much of the Japanese soundtrack has been

Amazon.com Product Description:
In the 21st century, the Tokyoto city government bans kids from expressing themselves in any way. Only three things keep their spirits alive: Overdriver magnetic-motor skates, graffiti, and a pirate-radio broadcast that's called Jet Grind Radio. Explore and, uh, decorate three fully interactive worlds in which traffic moves at real time and pedestrians wander the streets. Watch out for police who'll want to nab you for breaking the law, and rival crews that want to deface your artwork. The "Cartoon Dimension" art style gives the game the appearance of a 2-D comic, but the characters move through it in complete 3-D. Animations run at 30 frames per second. Ten characters are available at the outset, each of which has its own style and abilities.

• All new Dreamcast exclusive game modes
• 8 unique fishing locations rendered in gorgeous 3D graphics
• Compatible with Dreamcast fishing controller (sold separately) for the most lifelike experience possible

The key word is simulation. There are no arcade trappings to be found here. The pace is toned down to match the speed of the real sport, goals are infrequent and hard-won, and the offensive and defensive strategies come straight from the hockey textbooks. The graphics are excellent, and special note must be made of the phenomenal animation for everything from the players to the spinning puck (which flips end-over-end after particularly aggressive slap shots and careens realistically off any object it encounters). Beginners will have an easy enough time warming up to the controls in the default mode, but much more depth is offered by switching to the advanced control layout. Here, button combos make nearly any trick possible, from dekes and precise shot control to hooks and side steps. The more you put into the game, the more it rewards you, and the enhanced AI makes single-player games nearly as challenging as a multiplayer match.

Everything from an exhibition mode to a full-blown career mode is offered, and plenty of options exist for adjusting penalties, toggling rules, and setting the overall speed of the game. There's no way to turn it into an over-the-top arcade experience like NHL Hitz, but as the focus here is strictly on simulation, that's not really a problem. As it stands, NHL 2K2 is among the best sports games ever released, and we can think of no more fitting swan song for the Dreamcast. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Lifelike animations, realistic
  
  Amazon.com Product Description:
  NHL 2K2 for Dreamcast features all-new gameplay modes, a revamped graphics engine, and an improved player and team AI. You will have tighter and more detailed control than ever before: control whether you use your finesse skater to avoid the crushing checks of the defense or bring in your own intimidating checking line to loosen up the opposition. Shadow the other team's best player with your defensive specialist and protect your star with your enforcer. Fight along the boards to dig out the puck or fight against the other team's enforcer man-to-man. Use franchise mode to take a struggling team to the Stanley Cup finals by building up slowly through the draft or choose to win right away through crafty trades and free-agent signings. International teams allow you to have your own tournament to see which country rules the hockey roost.

• This item comes with no original case, box, sleeve or artwork. Media ONLY. Discs, tapes and games wi

• This item comes with no original case, box, sleeve or artwork. Media ONLY. Discs, tapes and games wi

Pro Skater 2 is all about customization. You can still play as one of the real-world skaters represented in the game, such as Steve Caballero, Elissa Steamer, and Mr. Hawk himself, but the real fun comes from creating your own skater and rising up through the ranks. As you conquer the massive skate parks included in this release, you rack up cash to be spent on pumping up your stats or adding new tricks to your repertoire. You can specialize in verts, concentrate on your street skills, or take a more balanced approach, and the addition of manuals will let you string together tricks from either category to rack up some amazing scores. The custom options extend to a complete skate-park editor that is easy enough to use that we were creating basic arenas in less than 15 minutes. It's a thoughtful addition to one of the most purely entertaining games ever released. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Create-a-Skater option lets you decide on everything from the tricks you use to the shoes you wear
• Easy-to-use park editor allows for complex creations
• Beautiful graphics and smooth animation make this one of the best-looking sports games on any platform

• Getting the hang of manuals takes some time, but once you do, watch out

Nine characters can fight it out in the ring at any one time, making this game a showcase for the power of the Dreamcast. The action turns into quite the melee as over 20 of your favorite WWF superstars (the Rock, the Road Dogg, Kane, D'Lo Brown, the Big Show, for instance) take to the squared circle in a battle of epic proportions.

Like its arcade cousin, the Dreamcast version features controls that are easy to learn and a breeze to execute. One button is used for attacking, another for grappling, and a third for pinning, running, and climbing the top rope. Use the directional pad when tapping the buttons to determine which special move you will perform on your opponent. A double button press during a match causes your partner to toss in a concealed weapon, do a run-in attack, or maybe even perform a double tag-team move on your opponent.

Each time a wrestler takes damage or delivers a special move, his or her special meter increases. Once the meter is filled, an S appears next to the meter. The letters allow signature moves to be executed, or they can be used to escape or hold a pin. The more Ss you have, the more power you have in a match (you can save up to five of these important letters).

The single-player mode gets old quickly, but add two or three of your friends and this game becomes amazing. For some