J's games of 2004


I bought five games in 2004. Only five essential
games, then? Of course I wanted Spider-Man 2, Pikmin 2, Second Sight (etc), but I finally realised $50/€60 is a bit steep for a game that's not un-
missable. So I will buy these games, once they're cheaper.


XIII by Ubi Soft [on NGC]
- I'm a big fan of the Belgian comics, so I wanted to see what Ubi Soft did with the tasty license. It's a very accomplished shoot-'em-up. It's no GoldenEye, but then, what game is? A very attractive pricetag ($25/€30) too. Half of the price, three months after release!

Phantasy Star Online by Sonic Team/Sega [on NGC]
- A classic roleplaying-game, revamped for the Gamecube. Wallet-friendly at $20/€25!

Outcast by Appeal/Infogrames [on PC]
- A Belgian (yes!) classic, only $2/€3!

Syberia by Microïds [on PC]
- A point-and-click adventure, published in 2002 when the genre was old-fashioned. This brilliant game is the brainchild from Belgian artist B. Sokal. Essential at only $8/€10!

Knights Of The Old Republic by Bioware/Aspyr/LucasArts [on Mac]
- Ok, I bought it on the 14th of January 2005, but I ordered it in 2004! This game received rave reviews when it was released for X-Box and later scooped the "Game Of The Year"-award when ported to PC. It's success even granted a Mac-conversion. Which I bought for (ouch) $65/€56, but Mac-games are pressed in such limited quantities that I had no choice. According to the reviews, I won't regret it!

[22 January 2005] Looks like I will regret it. The box says it's compatible with either G4 or G5 Mac-processors, but my G4 is not "strong" enough. I'm in need of a G5 to play the game, but I'm not going to spend 2000 bucks just to play a game. My eMac is only a year and a half old and he is in perfect order. Damn Star Wars-wankers! €56 down the drain!



Julian, 19 January 2005