Choose from three awesome modes of play; defend your home turf in King of the Court, take it to the road in World Tournament or hone their skills with Pick-Up Game. The multiplayer exhibition-style pick-up game can be played on a full court or a half court, with gamers playing head-to-head or on the same team. You can initially choose from 9 different teams or they can build their own unique, customized "ballers. " In addition, you can play one-on-one to five-on-five and anything in between. Street Hoops is like the kid who shows up on the first day of school decked out in brand-new, brand-name duds, trying really hard to be cool and laid-back, while his rival (in this case, NBA Street) effortlessly oozes hip, relaxed charm. It's not that it's a bad game-it's that it could be so much more, if only it wasn't trying so hard, and in the most shallow ways. Everything about Hoops is overly complicated, with no real payoff. The players can be personalized and stylized-you get to pick haircuts, jewelry, tattoos, and clothing. But instead of being a cherry on top of an otherwise great game, this decoration is in some ways more interesting than the actual court time. This issue of mixed-up priorities really takes root in the mechanics of the game. Considering there's no tutorial, the overly designed controller configuration gets in the way of just starting up and playing the game for the fun of it. In another example, unless you assign controllers to teams in the opening menu, the game mysteriously starts playing itself. The music is great, with songs by mainstream hip-hop artists. But the abundance of tie-in deals seems like overcompensation for poor play. Hoops sometimes feels like a catalog, heavy with ads for clothing, sneakers, and sunglasses. In a spectacular example of the obtrusiveness of this co-branding, gamers can get cheats by buying real-world Sprite (vending machines for the soda are also littered throughout the game maps). Still, there's a fair amount to recommend Hoops-mainly the presence of real-life street ballers. The opening cinematic of inspired tricking makes you want to invest the time to make this game pay off. Anyone who just wants to play a little ball with their friends-a pickup game instead of a tournament-would be better off looking to the unmatched NBA Street. -Jennifer Hauseman Pros: Options like taunt and intentional foul evoke true baller bravado Hip-hop soundtrack includes "Da Rockwilder" (Method Man and Redman), "Who We Be" (DMX), "Make Em Say Ugh" (Master P), and "Rollout" (Ludacris) Cons: More development time was spent on partnership deals than gameplay Street Hoops is a gritty, street-style basketball game that encompasses the look, speed, energy, and attitude of park and playground blacktop competition. The game allows players to represent their hometowns in a nationwide tournament on the most notorious street courts in the nation. Players can choose from a roster of athletes and performers, including key athletes made famous by the And 1 mix tapes and Nike's Freestyle commercial series. Realism is the rule. Players are allowed to bet cash on competitions and buy authentic real-world gear-including Sean John, Ecko Unlimited, Southpole, and Pure Playaz-with their cash. On the court, you can talk trash, shout, and throw an elbow, if need be. The game features multiple modes of play, including World Tournament, King of the Court, Multiplayer vs. , and Half-Court. Street Hoops offers a wide variety of real freestyle basketball moves and a hip-hop soundtrack.

Like the last game, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 dips into the worlds of hip-hop, rap, and punk rock for its soundtrack, although many of the songs are recognizable and pretty old-this loses some of the freshness that the soundtrack had on the original. And that describes the game in a nutshell: not as fresh, but still an extreme amount of fun. -Robb Guido Pros: More objectives per level than previous game 13 pro skaters, with different outfits and boards Cons: Soundtrack lacks freshness of original More of same stuff we saw in original.

The level design is enormous, with 10 interactive courses, including skate and pool parks, half pipes, and a downtown area. Each skating environment is filled with secret places, shortcuts, and obstacles. Once you get the moves down, you can perform a trick off of just about any object that you see. Tony Hawk is not the only star in this game-the music stands strong on its own. Cool cuts come from Primus and the Dead Kennedys-which can be inspiring during the frantic onscreen action. While game control is relatively solid, there are some minor problems in tight areas. This title is so large it is overwhelming, given the enormity of levels and available moves. However, persistent skate pros will master this game with a little practice. (Fortunately, there is a practice mode to scrape your knees on. ) -Kasty Thomas Pros: Variety of moves and tricks Excellent course design and graphics Solid controls Cons: Control problems in tight areas.

It's not the best wrestling game available, but the many options (including the cool "create a belt" feature) and sheer number of wrestlers make up for its shortcomings. -Sajed Ahmed Pros: Dozens of moves, many different wrestlers Above average graphics and better animation than most wrestling games Variety of options will occupy you for some time Cons: Bland soundtrack Lacks the quirky fun factor of hidden weapons, special matches, etc. A lot of wrestlers, but who are these guys?.

-T. Byrl Baker Pros: Smooth animations Revert adds vert combos to the game Enormous skate areas Cons: No option to create female players Tony Hawk brings you into his world yet again with all-new features that'll have you shredding even more cement. Skate all new global locations-Paris, Tokyo, L. A. , and Canada. Test your skills in 10 massive real-world levels. Perform hundreds of the raddest tricks and combos in obstacle-filled locations with cars that honk at skaters or slam on their brakes as you board past them. Again, you can ride using the signature moves of Tony Hawk or any of the 11 pro skaters included in this release (it also includes Bam Margera of MTV fame). Or you can use the enhanced create-a-skater editor to choose female or kid skaters and select a varying range of features, such as hair, glasses, and tattoos, to customize their look. A variety of modes let you stick lip tricks, combos, nollies, and manuals, as well as shred like there's no tomorrow. All-new goals and rewards promise to challenge you even more than in earlier games. The upgraded career mode, for instance, gives players more character-specific goals. Special effects include sparks, blood, real-time weather, and natural disasters. And for the ultimate, expanded multiplayer modes and a skate park editor deliver increased replayability.

There are two dozen famous players that can be unlocked and added to their national team's roster. View larger. Every supporter in the crowd is armed with streamers, confetti, and balloons. View larger. Your gameplay options comprise such real-life soccer staples as quick matches, practice sessions, and penalty shoot-outs, as well a the virtual staple of online play. In addition to these, 2006 FIFA World Cup includes global-challenge scenarios, an excellent FIFA Lounge mode, and the all-important chance to guide your favorite international team to victory in the World Cup competition. 2006 FIFA World Cup defaults to the semi-pro difficulty, the level at which you will probably quite handily cut through the competition's AI (artificial intelligence) like a hot knife through butter. But the World Cup mode is where most people start, and although its default settings have you assume control of one of the 32 teams that qualified for the finals, it also includes the 95 other teams that didn't make the final cut. You can now begin in the qualifying rounds in North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania, or jump straight to the final 32 teams using real or randomly generated group information. If you are a veteran soccer player looking for a truly punishing challenge, the unlockable Perfect difficulty level will give you the game of your life. The player animations in 2006 FIFA World Cup are excellent, and the controls are fully customizable. Although every player on the pitch has a handful of skill moves at his disposal, you'll find that good use of the intuitive first-touch controls, along with passes, through balls, and dummies, are your most reliable means of besting your opponents. The most notable improvements in this version of World Cup soccer are its new star players feature, the new shooting mechanism, and the penalty shootout. Denoted by a star above their heads, there are two dozen unlockable players that can be inserted onto the bench of their respective national teams and can take over the game in a variety of ways. There are play-making passers like David Beckham, dribblers like Ronaldinho, speedsters like Michael Owen, and shooters like Alessandro Del Piero. Just like in real life, if you are able to play to your stars' strengths, you'll greatly increase your chances of winning. Penalty kicks are also more fun than ever. Opposing goalies can now dance, jump, and move left and right to get into the heads of the penalty kicker. As a kicker, your goal is to hit a small bar on a shot meter, which, if done successfully, allows you to power the ball into the selected corner with ease. However, if you take too long the goalie and the crowd will get to you, forcing the controller to shake and the bar on the shot meter to dance. The overall presentation throughout the World Cup mode, and throughout the entire game, is amazing. Before each match, a camera positioned somewhere in orbit around the Earth zooms in on the appropriate German stadium, and you'll be treated to flybys of the grounds where almost every supporter in the crowd is armed with streamers, confetti, and balloons. You can choose to listen to one of the game's many licensed songs, which come from an eclectic soundtrack spanning 14 countries. Good pre-match commentary replete with World Cup trivia and anecdotes is the icing on the cake, and as your players line up on the pitch before kickoff, you feel the excitement of the moment. The UK announcing duo of Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend raise the bar in terms of soccer commentary. Combined with the chants and roar of the crowd, you will find yourself sucked in to a intensely immersive, emotional soccer experience, especially when leading your favorite team in the finals. Another great feature is 2006 FIFA World Cup's global challenge mode, where you are tasked with matching or bettering memorable team performances from World Cup history in 40 different scenarios. For example, you might be required to jump into a game with only 30 minutes remaining and win by the same margin as the real-life victors, simultaneously trying to achieve bonus objectives such as keeping a clean sheet, or not having any players booked. And when you feel like pitting your 2006 FIFA World Cup skills against a human opponent instead of the AI, you can play online or to get some friends over for a FIFA Lounge session. Like its predecessor, 2006 FIFA World Cup requires you to either pay a small fee, or submit your e-mail address before you can play online. 2006 FIFA World Cup's Lounge mode supports up to eight players, although it can certainly be enjoyed by just two or three. Like the Lounge mode in its earlier iteration, 2006 FIFA World Cup's Lounge keeps track of your performances against all of the other participants, giving you a different options for determining who gets to play next. The Lounge mode also retains the "cheap shots" feature, which lets you level the playing field against opponents by using cheats you've earned during previous performances. As another fun option, the Lounge mode has a new risk-style map feature that allows you to take control of countries on the map by winning games with, or against, them. The closest thing yet to experiencing the excitement and emotion involved in World Cup soccer, and at a fraction of the ticket price, 2006 FIFA World Cup is just too good to pass up.

There are now more than 50 wrestlers from which to choose, including the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Chyna. New gameplay modes include Ladder Match, Hell in a Cell, Casket Match, and Tornado Tag-Team Match. To mimic the TV show's format even further, plots are developed through cutscenes that feature the voices of the superstars. You can create your own wrestler or even a new pay-per-view event. Season mode includes more matches, events, and pay-per-view events than did its predecessor. It all adds up to a fast and furious virtual version of the real thing.