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Electronic Arts Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (Player's Choice GameCube)
It was no surprise that the first <I>Harry Potter</I> games were a huge success, but what was unusual was that they were actually pretty good. Millions of fans will be pleased to hear that the <I>Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</I> game is even better.<p> Taking its visual and audio cues from the movies but sticking closer to the book than a two-hour film ever could, the PS2 game begins as Harry starts his second year at Hogwarts despite an ominous warning from Dobby the House Elf. At its heart <I>Chamber of Secrets</I> is a 3-D platform game, similar to <I>Super Mario</I> or <I>Jak & Daxter</I>, with the same basic controls being used for the majority of the game. However, the nature of the story means the game is peppered with various mini-games and side quests, including Quidditch and Wizard duels.<p> In between the major quests you get a chance to explore Hogwarts, which is impressively massive and filled with hidden secrets--the collecting of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans being of particular importance since they can then be traded with Ron's brother for everything from Famous Witches and Wizards Cards to upgrades for your Quidditch kit.<p> If the game has only one fault it's the extremely long and unusually frequent loading screens that keep popping up, and which you soon get very tired of seeing. It's not nearly enough to ruin the game though, which must go down as one of the best book/movie conversions of all time. --<I>David Jenkins</I>
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Shipping: refer to store website
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£11.96
at Amazon.co.uk
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Electronic Arts FIFA 2004 (Players Choice) - Nintendo Gamecube
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Shipping: refer to store website
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£16.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Nintendo Mario Party 5 (Players choice)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 weeks
Shipping: refer to store website
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£19.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Activision Shrek 2 Players Choice (Game Cube)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Shipping: refer to store website
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£16.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Atari Enter The Matrix (Gamecube Players Choice)
Now's your chance to take the red pill for real and <I>Enter The Matrix</I>--not simply a video game adaptation of the films but a whole new chapter in the <I>Matrix</I> saga. Indeed, the best thing about <I>Enter The Matrix</I> is the way it seamlessly connects with the three films, for although it's based on none of them directly, it allows you to play the role of either Niobe or Ghost (minor characters from <I>The Matrix Reloaded</I>) while running into the likes of Neo, Morpheus and Agent Smith as the game's story unfolds. Not only that but the story, as well as all the exclusive video footage, is written and directed by the films' creators, the Wachowski brothers.<p> The game itself is, somewhat predictably, a third-person shoot-'em-up not at all dissimilar to a more balletic version of <I>Max Payne</I>. It's somewhat surprising though, for such a high-profile game, to find the graphics are actually a little below par and the controls somewhat clunky, but generally it all looks and plays pretty well with all the classic <I>Matrix</I>-styl e slow-motion acrobatics relatively easy to pull off.<p> Easily the best bits of the game are the on-foot chase sequences, usually involving agents, which are actually rather tense and a great way to show off all the running and leaping powers you've mastered in the rest of the game. The worst bits are the car chases, especially if you play as Niobe and have to put up with the terrible car handling, instead of just hanging out the window and shooting as Ghost. Still, this is a decent game overall which, although unlikely to win any awards in itself, is sure to please most <I>Matrix</I> fans. --<I>David Jenkins</I>
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 weeks
Shipping: refer to store website
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£17.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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THQ WWE Day of Reckoning (Players Choice) (GameCube)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Shipping: refer to store website
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£14.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Activision Spider-Man 2 Players Choice (Game Cube)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Shipping: refer to store website
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£16.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Nintendo Super Smash Bros Melee (Players' Choice GameCube)
Normally, Nintendo contract players like Mario, Pikachu, Link, Donkey Kong, Bowser and Kirby are generally happy and well-mannered, but in <I>Smash Bros. Melee</I> the pleasantries get thrown out and the gloves (except for Mario's) come off. This update of the N64 favourite has these and other video game icons in furious, yet utterly absurd fisticuffs that usually make for a smashing good time. Just make sure you have at least one human opponent to pound on.<p> Starting off with 14 characters (there are an additional 11 to be unlocked), the basic premise of having Nintendo's stars beat on each other until the timer runs out is pretty standard. However, much emphasis is put on knocking opponents off ledges while avoiding the same fate. In typical Nintendo manner, there are many power-ups to assist you in the melee. The actual combat isn't as intricate as other fighting games, however the ultra-cartoony layout of the many, many arenas sometimes adds a strategic element not usually found in fighting games.<p> <I>Melee</I>'s strength lays in the mayhem created in four-player fights. The camera does an excellent job of positioning itself so all combatants are constantly visible. Also, <I>Melee</I> sports some of the best visuals seen in a Nintendo product. All of the characters are highly detailed, and the movements of each are smoothly infused with personality; Donkey Kong lumbers and Princess Peach fights with grace. <p> As the multiplayer mode is the key reason for this game's existence, the single player mode is decidedly weak. There's an adventure mode that plays somewhat like an old-school, side-scrolling Mario game. Sadly, despite its good looks, its gameplay is rather uninspired. This game is clearly at its best when there are two or more players with controllers in their hand. --<i>Mark Brooks</i>
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 weeks
Shipping: refer to store website
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£19.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Nintendo Super Mario Sunshine (Player's Choice GameCube)
Six years. Six long years we've had to wait for a new Mario game and finally it's here. And even considering the ridiculously unfair expectations, <I>Super Mario Sunshine</I> is almost entirely as good as you'd hope and expect.<p> The premise of the game is that Mario's tropical holiday is ruined when he's stitched up by an evil lookalike for daubing graffiti all over the island. Rather conveniently there's an extremely useful water pump waiting for him to use, which not only washes away the mess but also doubles as a handy jet pack. The jet pack aspect means that whenever you fall off something you have the chance to immediately recover yourself; this built-in safety net means the game can afford to be far more ambitious in its level designs than ever before, with massive levels filled with trampolines, tightropes, water-powered windmills, huge coral reefs and mountains and mountains of platforms. <p> The whole thing looks amazing, too, with the most realistic water ever seen in a video game and a near infinite draw distance. And that's without evening mentioning the rideable, fruit juice-spewing Yoshis, the extra water nozzles, the super-hardcore platform levels where Shadow Mario nicks your jet pack, or the goop-generating bosses who seem to live to make Princess Peach's laundry a nightmare. <p> After the sweet but rather short pleasures of <I>Luigi's Mansion</I> and <I>Pikmin</I>, you need have no fear that <I>Mario Sunshine</I> is of a similarly brief nature. There are a total of 120 shines to collect--the same number of stars as in <I>Super Mario 64</I>--and the game world is at least as large and far more interactive. This is without question the best game on the GameCube yet; that may be no more than you'd expect from a Mario game, but it's certainly more than most of us mere mortals deserve. --<I>David Jenkins</I>
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Shipping: refer to store website
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£17.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg Player's Choice
Billy Hatcher must use the powers of a legendary suit to conquer an evil King who seeks to rule with an everlasting night. Slightly mischievous, yet always cool, only Billy can return the light to the land.
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Availability: refer to store website
Shipping: refer to store website
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£9.99
at Game.net
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Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Players' Choice) (GameCube)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 weeks
Shipping: refer to store website
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£17.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Electronic Arts Medal Of Honor Rising Sun (Players Choice)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Shipping: refer to store website
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£16.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Need for Speed: Underground Players Choice
Enter the world of urban street racing and high performance tuner cars with the latest title in the hit Need for Speed series: Need for Speed Underground. Take on today’s most popular tuner cars from Mitsubishi Motors, Subaru, Toyota and many more, building the ultimate street machine by earning cash to pay for custom body kits and a host of licensed car performance mods. But just creating a custom street racing machine will not get you to the top; it takes a certain amount of attitude and razor sharp driving skills to compete in the tough world of urban racing.
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Availability: refer to store website
Shipping: refer to store website
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£9.99
at Game.net
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Sega Sonic Heroes (Players Choice)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Shipping: refer to store website
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£16.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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VU Games The Simpsons - Hit & Run (Players Choice Game Cube)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 weeks
Shipping: refer to store website
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£17.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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Ubisoft Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within (Player's Choice) (GameCube)
, Platforms: GameCube
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 weeks
Shipping: refer to store website
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£16.99
at Amazon.co.uk
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The Incredibles (Players Choice)
Of all the movie-licensed video games, Pixar's offerings, like the films, are among the most popular. Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and Toy Story were all hits, and joining the league of film-turned-game offerings is The Incredibles. A comedic adventure, The Incredibles tells the tale of a group of undercover superheroes trying to live a quiet life when they are quickly and reluctantly forced back into action in order the save the world from impending doom. As the player, you'll take control of each of the film's lead characters and their unique abilities in a 3D world filled to the brim with your enemy's minions. For example, partaking as Mr Incredible himself, you'll find brute strength your best weapon. Elastigirl possesses the ability to stretch her limbs and strike from a distance, and Dash has the ability to run at immense speeds. Each of the game's 18 massive levels is tailored for a specified superhero, and is in keeping with the light-hearted theme of the film equivalent. And because of the diverse, circus-freak nature of your protagonists, gameplay is brilliantly varied too, incorporating fighting, racing, puzzle, and platform playing styles from the outset. Regardless of superhero, the control method remains suitably simple for a younger gaming audience. There's also an appropriate level of difficulty, complete with steady learning curve that tests players' skills from start to finish. The video game representation of The Incredibles is very much like it is on the big screen, visually speaking, and is overall a nifty game that doesn't just use its movie tie-in status to rake in the cash. Film or no film, The Incredibles is well worth playing.
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Availability: In Stock - usua
Shipping: refer to store website
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£14.99
at blah!
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