Midway Games Ltd GameCube Games

Sensibly, instead of trying to do just the same old thing with better graphics, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance brings that most unexpected of presents to the beat-'em-up party: a new idea. Specifically, it gives you the ability to switch, at the press of a shoulder button, between one of three different fighting styles for each character. This works tremendously well, allowing you to change from ranged to close-up to weapons attacks, for example, with ease. The ability to see physical damage appear on your opponent during the course of a match is also a nice touch, but thankfully they haven't thrown the baby out with the bathwater and all the old Mortal Kombat extras are still here: there's a ton of spilt claret if you so much as touch the other player and a range of spine-ripping fatalities and brutalities to show off with at the end of a bout. Admittedly the graphics still aren't all that great, but they do the job and quite frankly anything that manages to make Mortal Kombat fresh and exciting again is doing very well indeed. --David Jenkins

This preview is based on an incomplete version of the game; features or problems mentioned above may not appear in the finished game.

The game features 14 fictional teams, each with its own arena. Midway's traditional three-button codes are in the game, allowing you to unlock modes such as Big Head, Infinite Turbo and more. Certain characters and teams will be available only after they are unlocked. Game modes include exhibition, championship and franchise. The soundtrack sports famous acts such as Korn, Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock.

Gameplay is already slick. If you like the extreme style of Blitz and Showtime, you'll love this game. One big difference in gameplay is the use of the goalie. The developers didn't want the goalie to be a victim on the ice. Goalies in Hitz are quite powerful, and are very offensive characters. The graphics are great across the board, with the PS2 version looking good, the GameCube version looking great and the Xbox version looking outstanding. --Raymond M Padilla

Yet whilst this could easily turn out to be short-lived fun, Midway have injected Red Card with a few extra goodies to ensure a longer play life. The World Conquest mode, for instance, allows you to take control of a national side and quite literally beat off the best of the world, while cup tournaments and the simply essential multiplayer mode further enhance the entertainment. Throw in extra teamss to unlock and there’s a fair challenge packed onto the disc. So don’t be fooled by the seemingly over-the-top approach of the game. In the arcade football genre, it easily beats Sega’s tepid Virtua Striker series, and it also gives more mainstream titles a real run for their money. In short, it is a really quite surprising, and irresistible, hybrid of sporting and fighting games. --Simon Brew

The original Spy Hunter was a vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up from the early 80s that was inspired by the Lotus Esprit sequence from The Spy Who Loved Me. This sequel manages to update all the elements of the original in superb 3-D graphics-o-vision yet still maintains the same manic arcade spirit.

The basic gameplay involves you driving your gadget-stuffed spy car (which can also transform into a boat) through one of 14 different courses attempting to complete a variety of different goals, such as blowing up prototype helicopters and defusing bombs. You only have to complete one goal to exit the course, but completing additional goals is the only way to access subsequent levels.

Spy Hunter is unquestionably the best marriage of a driving game and shoot-'em-up ever--and considering how many games have attempted this in the past that's no small compliment. Shallow it might be, but this is great fun. --David Jenkins