Summer is upon us, and what better way to spend it than by avoiding sports injuries and cancer inducing sunlight in favor of playing fun, safe, productive video games. Here's the top ten games you will spend your summer playing, when you're not 'wasting' time outside.
If you have played the arcade version, then you already know that this is the best weapons based fighting game ever created. Soul Calibur 2 will make your console smoke with its stunning graphics, and your controller may just cave in under its awesome button bashing madness. Each console will have its own unlockable characters, very cool. --Rating Pending
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness not only has this summer's longest name, but it also one of the most anticipated games. This summer Lara gets a new movie and a facelift, via a new 3D engine. The new Tomb Raider game leans more towards the stealth / action style of gameplay and allows you to not only control Lara, but Kurtis Trent, a new playable character. --Rated Teen
I know what your thinking... Wakeboarding? Oddly enough, Activision O2 does it right. It's quite possible the best extreme sports game since Tony Hawk 4. Of course it also feels a lot like Tony Hawk. But it is a very fun game with some pretty slick tricks. The multiplayer even offers a mode where you can drive the boat while your buddy soars. --Rated: Everyone
It's a very Wario Summer. With the wacky Wario Ware game on the GBA and Wario World on the GameCube there should be more than enough Wario for everyone. Wario World features more great action adventure fun, though perhaps a bit zanier than Mario Sunshine or Luigi's Mansion did. The amazing boss battles alone make the game worth checking out. --Rated: Everyone
Though Star Wars games have a tendency of leaning towards the sucky side of the force, there are a few gems from time to time. BioWare, the folks that developed the PC version of Baldur's Gate, may be bringing you one of them. Aside from a cool story and some amazing voice acting, you can choose to follow the light or dark side of the force. --Rating Pending
When it comes to cars, nobody is as hip as Rockstar. After Grand Theft Auto Vice City, hopes were high, and Rockstar delivered. Midnight Club II features fast, sweet looking cars and some intense arcade-esque racing action. To top it all off, with Xbox live support trash talking races are only a star button away. --Rated: Teen
The wait for Halo 2 just got a bit easier. Brute Force is one of the sharpest games to come out on the Xbox yet. This futuristic, squad based, third person shooter puts you in command of an elite group of special ops. Commanding your teammates is easy and fun. Good visuals and great controls make this one of the Xbox's best. --Rated: Mature, for violence.
OK, how sad is it that the best wrestling game out there is based off of a cartoon featuring a guy with a fin on his head?The Rock is should hang his head in shame. Ultimate Muscle is a fun, fun game. It's faster, and more cartoony than any of the WWE games, but that's a good thing. The only things lacking are a better create a character mode and more out of the ring action. --Rated: Everyone
A game that doesn't look like every other stinking game out there... what an original idea! Alter Echo is a 3D action game that looks like it takes place in Timothy Leary's head. Trippy graphics and the ability to mutate into three different forms makes Alter Echo look like the risk of making a psychedelic action title may just pay off. --Rating Pending
Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution is a gift from above. Virtua Fighter 4, was one of the best fighters made for the PS2, hands down. VF4 Evolution will feature two new characters, a quest mode - which pits you against AI versions of Japan's best VF4 players, better load times, and better graphics. The kicker? It's only going to cost 20 bucks! Run, don't walk. --Rated: Teen
