New video games join the reality craze

Every character in the game is based on a real actor, whose voice and body characteristics have been scanned into the game, as have 42 miles of London streets.

The scripted scenarios for the ongoing story play rival a Dickens serial. This is as close to improvising your own movie as console games have gotten.

"The Getaway" is the game to play for anyone who wants to see where this multibillion-dollar industry is headed.

Panzer Dragoon Orta: (Xbox, from Sega): This game shows off the splendid graphic abilities of the biggest game console out there. It's a standard shooting game that is easy to learn, but if you aren't in the mood to strafe the elegant countryside or blow the other guys out of the sky, just coasting through the delicately rendered skies on your beautiful dragon, high above minutely detailed countrysides may be entertainment enough. Rated T, for teens.

War of the Monsters (PS2, from Sony): This is a sort of goofy sendup of the old monster genres, in which the big guys duke it out in the middle of city landscapes, smashing through building after building. Ten Massively Destructive Monsters!!! 13 Fully Destructible Environments!!! Unlimited Weapons!!! King Kong never had it so good, and neither did the fighting teen movie fan. Rated T, for teens.

NCAA 2k3, College Basketball (PS2, from Sega, also with online play available): Widely considered the best college console game out there, this has an impressive array of playing choices. The game includes a good range of the major college teams (Yale, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, or Syracuse) and even offers Army and Navy teams. The game actually gives a pretty good rendition of each teams strengths and weaknesses, so if college ball is your thing, this is your game. And now, you can find your perfect foe somewhere out there in cyberspace. Just when you thought you'd beat the software, the unlimited possibilities of real time play offer endlessly new competition. Rated E for everyone.

Dirt to Daytona (Gamecube, from Infogrames): For the racer who wants to do the dangerous driving without the consequences, this Nascar game offers 31 total tracks, including a dirt track, dozens of parts to upgrade your car, and realistic damage that won't cost you a cent. This game is getting good reviews from aficionados of the racing genre. Rated E, for everyone.

Monopoly Party (Gamecube, Xbox, PS2, from Infogrames): This speaks for itself. The board game classic is taken to the next level with zippy console play. It's always your turn as you play up to a four-person game or play against the console. Everyone rolls and moves at the same time, the old board game is definitely sped up for the 21st century. Bonus features: four alternative theme game boards: fantasy, sci-fi, ancient monuments, and prehistoric and tokens to fit each environment. Rated E, for everyone.

Catz 5 and Dogz 5 (PC, from Ubi Soft): These little guyz are the cutest petz you may never have to really care for. I put a gaggle of the goofy muttz on my desktop and discovered that while this relatively simple game of adopting, caring for, and breeding really cute, bug-eyed catz and dogz may be geared to kidz, it's got adult amusement written all over it. I can't seem to stop chasing these guyz around my desktop. Rated E, definitely for everyone.

Page: 1 | 2