MY VIEW
Games: 'Cold Fear'

By Jeremy Castillo
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing Pong.

Console: PlayStation 2; also available for Xbox and PC.

Developer/publisher: Darkworks/Ubisoft.

Genre: Survival horror.

Number of players: One.

ESRB: Mature (for blood, gore and violence).

Premise: You are Coast Guardsman Tom Hansen, sent out to investigate distress signals coming from a Russian whaling ship in the middle of a heavy storm. When you get on board, the ship's bloodstained decks indicate weird activity.

Game play: Within moments of playing, "Cold Fear" feels like "Resident Evil 4" with a dash of "Metal Gear Solid."

Stealth isn't always as important as it is in MGS games, but it's not like you'll be shooting bullets all over the place either. In fact, the first item you come across in the game is a note about ammo conservation. As you go through the game, you'll uncover what's the deal with the things you've seen on the ship.

The skeletals system of this game is well-built, too. Controls are simple enough for anyone to pick up; there's all the regular occurrences of the genre such as light bulbs randomly burning out, leaving the room pitch black and undead enemies jumping up behind you; and there's lots of blood to be had or not had, if you're on the wrong side of the bullet.

Developers took an extra step in making this game's environment seem more realistic. When you're on the deck, the boat starts rocking back and forth consistently; swinging objects knock you down for a few moments if you get hit. And when you get a head shot while you're in aiming mode, not only does your enemy's head burst, it will splatter onto the screen and walls. (Don't worry, it comes off once the sprinklers come on.)

The good/bad: The most frustrating thing is that there's no map on screen or a menu, so there are many times you don't know where you're going and you have to do lots of searching.

My take: "Cold Fear" is a satisfactory game, seeing as it's Ubisoft's first in this genre. It may be fun enough to earn a play-through for regular gamers or casual fans of the genre, but then again, "Resident Evil 4" it is not.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College.

Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.

UPCOMING VIDEO GAME RELEASES
Dates are tentative.

PLAYSTATION 2

• May 29: "Digimon World 4"
• June 6: "In The Groove"; "Medal of Honor: European Assault"
• June 7: "Samurai Western"; "Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers"; "Arc The Lad: End of Darkness"
• June 10: "Juiced"
• June 14: "Batman Begins"; "Romance of 3 Kingdoms X"
• June 17: "Destroy All Humans!"
• June 21: "Psychonauts"; "Delta Force: Black Hawk Down"
• June 27: "Fantastic Four"
• June 28: "Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana"

PLAYSTATION PORTABLE

• June 7: "Dead To Rights: Reckoning"
• June 14: "Batman Begins"
• June 21: "Armored Core: Formula Front"
• June 28: "Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition"; "Coded Arms"

XBOX

• June 6: "Medal of Honor: European Assault"; "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas"
• June 7: "Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers"
• June 10: "Juiced"
• June 14: "Capcom Fighting Evolution"; "Batman Begins"
• June 15: "King of Fighters: Maximum Impact Maniax"
• June 17: "Destroy All Humans!"
• June 21: "Conker: Live and Reloaded"; "Delta Force: Black Hawk Down"
• June 27: "Fantastic Four"
• June 28: "Cold War"
• June 30: "Monster 4x4 World Circuit"

GAMEBOY ADVANCE

• June 8: "SpongeBob & Fairly Odd 2-Pack"; "Finding Nemo & Monsters Inc. 2-Pack"
• June 13: "Yoshi Topsy Turvy"
• June 14: "Batman Begins"; "Cabela Rapala 2-Pack"
• June 21: "Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel"; "Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Protoman"; "Herbie: Fully Loaded"
• June 27: "Fantastic Four"
• June 28: "Riviera"

NINTENDO DS

• June 13: "Goldeneye: Rogue Agent"; "Kirby Canvas Curse"
• June 21: "Bomberman DS"
• June 27: "Meteos"

List provided by Toys n' Joys, with shops in Kaimuki (735-4546) and Westridge Shopping Center (487-8697) in Pearlridge. See www.toysnjoys.com.