Here at Daytrum, our mission is to cover games and technology from a family perspective. After evaluating hundreds of games, we have come up with our list of the finest family games of 2003. The games that made our top ten list are those that are lots of fun, keep the violence to an acceptable minimum, have wide appeal among family members and encourage people to play together. Here are 2003's best of the best in alphabetical order.
DDRMAX2
Dance Dance Revolution - PlayStation 2
This game encourages kids to stand up and do something physical. Konami's
DDRMAX2
Dance Dance Revolution plays music and asks players to step on giant buttons
and mimic the dance steps depicted on the screen. It's a fantastic party and
family game.
Disney's
Extreme Skate Adventure
PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
Take the premise and spirit of the wildly popular Tony Hawk games and add
Disney characters and settings, and you get Activision's entertaining Disney's
Extreme Skate Adventure. This excellent family title lets players skate
as characters from Disney films that include "Toy Story," "Tarzan" and "The
Lion King."
EyeToy:
Play - PlayStation 2
Sony's EyeToy:
Play relies on a USB camera to track players' movements and lets them
physically become a part of several arcade games. It's an innovative, amazing
and fun title that even appeals to parents who may have little or no interest
in video games.
Karaoke
Revolution - PlayStation 2
Konami's innovative Karaoke
Revolution lets aspiring pop stars sing with over 35 hit songs and scores
their performance based on pitch and rhythm. It's a great party and family
game and its songs appeal to a wide range of ages.
Mario
Golf: Toadstool Tour - GameCube
Nintendo's Mario
Golf: Toadstool Tour deftly blends a golf simulation with Nintendo characters,
crazy courses and hazards and offers fun multi-player gameplay. Those famous
Nintendo characters, which include Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Peach,
take their turns on the links.
Mario
Kart: Double Dash!! - GameCube
Kart racing lives, especially on the GameCube. Nintendo's Mario
Kart: Double Dash!! delivers racing fun with rich graphics, challenging
courses, several racing modes and those colorful Nintendo characters. We especially
liked a new racing mode that lets players team-up, two to a car and switch
between driving and tactics.
The
Sims
PlayStation
2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, Game Boy Advance
For those who like to meddle and micro-manage the lives of tiny, virtual people
in a strategy game, there's Electronic Arts' The Sims. In the best version
yet for the consoles, The
Sims Bustin' Out lets players take their Sims out of the house and into
new locations to play and work and interact with new characters. On the PC,
The
Sims Double Deluxe bundles the original The Sims game with the fun Livin'
Large and House Party expansion packs to add more features, objects and places.
And if you want to add some magic to your sim experience, there's the latest
add-on, The
Sims Makin' Magic, which gives sims magical powers.
Top
Spin - Xbox
Microsoft's Top
Spin is the finest tennis game yet. It serves a complete tennis experience
that's fun and lets players define their playing style, execute risky shots
and develop an on-court image.
Pro
Cast Sports Fishing - Xbox
Far beyond soaking virtual worms, Capcom's Pro
Cast Sports Fishing is an immensely entertaining title that lets players
fish from the comfort of their easy chairs. Players try to win tournaments
set in various lakes and get to upgrade their lures and boats.
Zoo
Tycoon: Complete Collection - PC
In Microsoft's Zoo Tycoon strategy game, players begin with an empty lot and
try to build a successful zoo. Zoo
Tycoon: Complete Collection combines the excellent Zoo Tycoon strategy
game with the Dinosaur Digs and Marine Mania expansion packs, and comes with
an all-new Endangered Species Theme Pack.
Honorable
Mentions
Racing games offer great family fun. Some that we particularly liked include
Acclaim's ATV:
Quad Power Racing 2 for PlayStation 2 and GameCube, a compelling four-wheel
arcade racing game that's loaded with outrageous stunts and big air; THQ's
Splashdown Rides Gone
Wild, a Sea-Doo simulation; Nintendo's F-Zero
GX for GameCube that lets players hurtle through space at mind-boggling
speeds and Nintendo's Kirby
Air Ride, a good racer for the younger set.
Chess is the ultimate strategy game that makes an unlikely video game. UbiSoft's Chessmaster for the PlayStation 2 provides players with an entertaining chess experience and helps improve their skills. And for the PC, Sierra's Hoyle Majestic Chess offers solid computer competition, great graphics, online play and an innovative tutorial.
Sports titles offer good fun for sports-minded families so they may manage their own teams and compete in leagues. A couple of our favorites include Microsoft's NBA Inside Drive 2004 for Xbox and Acclaim's All-Star Baseball 2004 for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight is the 20th anniversary edition of Microsoft's venerable Flight Simulator for the PC. The simulation celebrates 100 years of powered flight and features historical as well as modern civilian aircraft, improved graphics, interactive 3-D cockpits, dynamic weather effects and interactive multimedia content. It's a thorough, intelligent and realistic simulation that appeals to those who want to practice real-world flying.
It's fresh, fast and lots of fun, and Nintendo's WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ for the Game Boy Advance serves a slew of frantic mini-games that engages players.
1/26/04 Daytrum Editorial Staff
