Reviewed by JON MINIFIE
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox)
(EA Games)
Rather than squeeze another game out of a 20-year-old trilogy, BioWare Corp set the clock back 4000 years (before Vader and Co) to a more civilised age where the Sith and Jedi numbered in their thousands. In this
epic RPG, players assume the role of a reckless young Jedi, roaming from planet to planet with a posse of bounty hunters, demented droids, even your own Wookie.
* * *
SSX 3 (PS2/Xbox/Cube)
(EA Big)
With its giant mountain and extended cast of characters, EA Big went even bigger for this sequel, which held off Top Spin Tennis, Pro Evolution Soccer 3 and Rugby 2004 as top sports title of the year.
* * *
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2)
(UbiSoft)
This reworking of Jordan Mechner's 1989 classic is flat-out brilliant. Like a Middle Eastern ninja, the prince uses more than 750 animations, giving him a range of movement that makes Lara Croft look awkward.
* * *
Brute Force (Xbox)
(Microsoft)
Midway through the year Microsoft came up trumps with this addictive and challenging mission-based shooter. Thanks to intuitive, Halo-like control Brute Force is the best team-based third-person shooter on any console.
* * *
Legends of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube)
(Nintendo)
Exuding originality and charm, Nintendo's cel-shaded masterpiece was the best action-platformer of the year, despite stern competition from recent releases Jak 2: Renegade, Voodoo Vince and Ratchet & Clank 2.
* Email Jon Minifie
