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INSERT COIN IGAMING,

By Ed Беттеп

‘New layoffs at Sega...

*Nintendo loses in Japan...

*Sony's growing too fast...

*EGM redesigns Review Crew. and Tricks...

ega has just announced that IS there has been another series of layoffs at the home of the hedge- hog. This is the second such "leaning down" in less than one year, and this is leading to a whole new series of rumors about Sega's future. While anything can happen in the next few months, staff who still have jobs there appear optimistic about Sega staying in the video game business. And why not? Sales of the Saturn were strong last Christmas, as Sega finally found the hook (free games) that was needed to get gamers to buy the system. Now all Sega has to do is find a way to increase the number of games in their software library. With rapidly rising costs of producing games, many develop- ers are looking at the PlayStation and PC as the safest way to invest their budget. Nabbing a few key games, like a Street Fighter III or МКМ as Saturn-only exclu- sives, would go a long way to show every- body that Sega is serious about staying in the hardware and software business in the United States. The bottom line is that it is still too premature to go and list your system and games in the want ads. About Nintendo? According to the sales figures that they are talking about, it seems that Nintendo of America can do no wrong. About the only thing that is slowing them down is that they can't get enough quality software into the market- place fast enough to keep their hardware sales moving. But that is America. In Japan it is just the opposite. Having lost both Square (Final Fantasy VII) and Enix (Dragon Quest 7) to Sony's PlayStation, coupled recently with a series of not-too- revolutionary software from their so- called elite group of third-party develop- ers, the Nintendo 64 has quickly dropped out of favor with the Japanese game players. Nintendo has gone through droughts before, and they will surely spring back when StarFox comes out, but there is a much larger problem on the horizon. As previously mentioned, Nintendo is counting on the revolutionary 64DD disk drive to jump one step ahead of the CD-based game systems. Unfortunately, Nintendo miscalculated the speed at which 6X and 8X CD drives would drop in price, so now when they finally launch their DD, they could be up

Ed gets the first crack at Tomb Raider 2 during his visit to the CORE offices.

each game, it will be very hard Nintendo to win back the Squares and Enixes, let alone keep the developers they have. Couple that with a very high apparent cost for cartridge memory and Nintendo has some serious thinking to do before next Christmas. Already they are slashing game prices in Japan down to the $60 and $50 range, just to stay competitive with Sony's and Sega's CD games.

Finally there is Sony. The company that came from nowhere in a few short years became number one in the video game business. All isn't well though in PlayStation land. Losing key executives not once but several times is not helping Sony keep their focus on the game mar- ket. By not looking back over their shoul- der, they let Nintendo get a foothold in the marketplace. If they want to stay number

one, Sony will really have to work hard їо „

slow the Nintendo 64's growth in the U.S.

Who's going to win? That's the beauty of this industry-no one knows! Analysts will make projections, editors will make seat-of-the-pants opinions. (Who me? Never!) And players will banter back and forth praising their system, its specs and game library. But again, with the proper marketing plan, enough financial back- ing and a killer exclusive new game line- up, any of the big three could wind up on top when the numbers come in at the end of the year.

In other news, if you haven't yet scanned through the magazine, check out our new Review Crew section and the revised Tricks section. One thing that has always bothered us here is the fact that there just wasn't enough room to fully review each game. After kicking around ideas, | think we have the ultimate solu- tion. Our Tricks section is now tighter, and we can pack in even more tricks, tips and codes than ever before. In addition, we now have better paper quality and our screen shots are vastly improved. But this

MONTHLY,

NUMBER 10.4, APRIL 1997

Publisher Jonathan Lane

Editorial Director Joe Funk

Editor In Chief Ed Semrad

Managing Editor Ken Williams Associate

itors Crispin Boyer Shawn Smith Dan Hsu Scott Parus

а Liaison John Stockhausen

Editors Dean Hager " Kraig Kujawa News Editor Nelson Taruc

Intemational Editor Wataru Maruyama West Coast Editor Kelly Rickards

Tricks Editor Terry Minnich

Contributing Editors Howard Grossman

Andrew Baran * Sushi-X Tim Davis * Phil Theobald John Gurka * Jason Streetz Mark Hain * Dave Malec Dave Ruchala * Carey Wise Scott Augustyn * Dindo Perez Chris Johnston

Online Editor Joe Fielder

Managing Copy Editor Jennifer Whitesides

Senior Copy Editor Jo-El M. Damen

Editor Dan Peluso

Foreign Correspondents Stuart Levy * David Rider

Creative Director Michael Stassus

Art Director Jason Hinman

Associate Art Director Mike Vallas Lout a Design Manager Paul Ojeda ports Layout & Design John Ritter

Production Director Marc Camron Prepress Manager Dave McCracken

Assoc. Prepress Manager Jack Copley

Network Manager Pamela Schneider Assoc. Client Service Specialist

Circulation Director Joan Мсіпегпеу

Mark LeFebvre

Newsstand Sales Manager Don Galen

Circulation Coordin: Business Manager Cathy Bendoff

г Ann-Marie Mrozynski

Advertising Ziff-Davis Publishing Company Inquires 1920 Highland Avenue Contact: Lombard, IL 60148

Telephone: (630) 916-7222 FAX: (630) 916-9254

Assoc, Publisher Ad. & Jennie Parker Marketing (Also East Coast)

Account Executive Suzanne Farrell

West Coast: Jon Yoffie

District Ad Sales 135 Main Street, 15th Floor Manager/Northwest San Francisco, CA 94105

Telephone: (415) 357-5320 Fax: (415) 357-5201 E-mail: jon_yoffie@zd.com

District Ad Sales Karen Landon Manager/Southwest 11766 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 1550

Los Angeles, CA 90025

Marketing Coordinator Amy Dellos

Sales Assistant Jessica Prentice

Send Advertising Materials to: ing Coordinator Mike Darling

Founder Steve Harris

У p 5 тело и: ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY (ISSN #1058-918Х) is published monthly by Zi Publishing against a “new” PlayStation, fully back- is only the beginning—wait till next Company, 1920 Highland Ave., Suite 222. Lombard, Illinois 60148. Second Class Postage Paid at Lombard, IL К 2 Я and additional mailing offices. Subscription rates for U.S.: $24.97 Sin s: $4.99. Additional postage

ward compatible, that will equal if пої month. By the way, have you found our for orders outside the US: Add US, 516 per ear for surface scription rate. POSTMASTER: For exceed the disk access time and memo- April Fool's joke in this issue? Also, let me subscription changes, change of address, write to: Electronic Gaming Monthly, РО. Box 55722, Boulder, СО xditors and the publi re not responsible for unso чаїв. Without limiting

ry capacity of Nintendo's disks. And as games become more complex, feature тоге Сб and require multiple CDs for

know what you like or dislike. Send me an e-mail. My address is 75052.1667@compuserve.com.

1997 Ziff-Davis Publishing marks of Ziff-Davis Publi

Printed in the USA.

трапу. All Rights Reserved. Electronic Gaming Monthly and Е;

по part of this publication г ansmitted, in any form, or by any ie), without th

npany. TM and © for all other products and th ad

re owned by lemark and copyright owners. All materials ibject to manufacturers’ change and the publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. The dian GST Registration number is 1:

‘Audit Bureau of Circulations

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*(10) Orbitz bottle caps & video game proof required. Expires 5/15/97. Details inside video game. 104 video game available 3/11/97. 5

INTERACTIVE © 1996 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. “Twentieth Century Fox,” “Fox” and their associated logos are the property of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. TM

You're in the cockpit against Earth's deadliest menace in this high-tech flight-based game with blazing arcade thrills. Battle alien attack fighters as you obliterate the City Destroyers deployed overhead by the massive Alien Mothership. As your mission progresses from city to city, you fly faster and more heavily-armed planes, from the F-18 Hornet to the captured alien fighter from Area 51, building to a

death-defying climax in a whiplash-paced assault inside the Mothership!

Blast your way through. а dozen missions that

you from the Grand Cai to Tokyo, to Paris.

PlayStation "m

SEGA SATURN |,

- .

~! 7 STRA DU MEL

FORGET THE! REST!

—T36 [X37]

[| ROOKIE. LISTEN UP. YOUR 15 TO RESCUE A HOSTAGE AND KICK SOME TERRORIST BUTT.

INTERACTIVE)

TEUER IT TAKES:MACHINE GRAB A PARTNER IN TWO-PLAYER

GUNS, MISSILE LAUNCH x MODE AND DOUBLE-TEAM YOUR THROWERS, BROKEN BOT WAY QUT OF HELL. з

& SEGA SATURN”

Die Hard™ © 1988, 1997 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved, Sega is registered in the U.S. Patent Office and Trademark Office. Sega Saturn is а trademark of Sega. 1997 Sega.

WWW.SEGA.COM WWW.FOXINTERACTIVE.COM

SATURN" У

Soviet Stake” ву Etectronic Авто"

Тома Raiven ву Eibos INTERACTIVE

TURN À

SAU

DavronA* USA CCE“

SEGA SATURN' ERO j

SEGA is REGISTERED IN THE U.S. PATENT & TRADEMARK OFFICE. SEGA SATURN, SEGA RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, SONG 3D BLAST, BUG TOO!, FIGHTING VIPERS, Vi AND LARA CROFT AND HER LIKENESS ARE TRADEMARKS OF EIDOS PLC. © 1996 0$. Амок AND SCORCHER © 1996 SCAVENGER, INC. DARK Savion © СЫМА; DAYTONA PROPERTIES. THE WORLD SERIES 15 A TRADEMARK OWNED BY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION. NFL TEAM NAMES, LOGOS, HELMET DESIGNS AND UNIFORM DESIGNS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THE

ммм. еда. сом

зл WoRLOWIDE Soccer 97, NIGHTS ano VIRTUAL Он ARE TRADEMARKS OF SEGA, SOVIET STRIKE AND DESERT STRIKE ARE TRADEMARKS OF ELECTRONIC ARTS. Тома RAIDER, Lore ву CLIMAX LTO. PUBLISHED ву SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTO: DAYTONA USA 18 A TRADEMARK OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY CORPORATION, USED UNDER LICENSE FROM ШЕ BASEBALL TRADEMARKS AND COPYRIGHTS ARE USED WITH PERMISSION OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PROPERTIES, INC. MLBPA Loco © MLBPA. OFFICIALLY LICENSED BY THE о. NFL AND SUPER BOWL ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THE NFL. SEGA IS AN OFFICIAL LICENSEE OF NFL PROPERTIES, INC, SEGA i$ LICENSED ву NFL PLAYERS © 1996

PLAYERS INC. © 1996 SEGA, РО. Box 8097, Reowoo Сту, СА 94063. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

<

> й 4

ao

ectory

К :

ocalypse

E Balsio

Battle Stations

Big Bass World Champ Blast Corps

Bubsy 3D

Buster Bros. Collection Command & Conquer Crusader: No Remorse Crypt Killer

Dark Forces

Descent Max Destruction Derby 2 Die Hard Arcade Donkey Kong Country 3 Duke Ñukem

Fighters Megamix Herc's Adventures Hexen

League of Pain

Lunac;

Manx

Mario Kart 64

MDK

MechWarrior 2

Mega Man Battle & Chase NBA Hang Time

NBA Shoot Out 97 NCAA Bball Final Four 97 Need For Speed II

NFL Qback Club 98 Overblood

Pitfall

Pro Pinball

Puzzle Fighter Revelations: Persona Sentient

Shadows of the Empire Shining the Holy А!

Sky Target

Soul Blade

StarFox 64

Syndicate Wars Tempest X3 Ten Pin Alley Test Drive: Off-Road Toshinden 3

Triple Play 98 Twisted Metal 2 Vandal Hearts

VR Baseball

W. Gretzky 3D Hockey WCW vs. The World Wild Arms

Wing Commander IV Yoshi's Island 64 Zelda 64

INSERT COIN

Trouble in video game land? Sega out? Nintendo losing?

18 PRESS START

The news that’s making headlines in the world of video games.

ТОРЧО

See which video game won the number-one spot this month.

GAMING GOSSIP

THE inside source on the gaming industry from Q-Mann.

PROTOS

Exclusive first-looks at games on the horizon.

REVIEW CREW

The only honest, no-hold's-barred game reviews.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Stuck in your game? We have the solution.

SPECIAL FEATURES

FF7 news, plus the scoop on MKIV, Tomb Raider 2 and more.

NEXT WAVE

Get a sneak peek at upcoming titles for all systems!

TEAM EGM

Previews and reviews for sports gamers.

INTERFACE

An open forum for readers’ questions and concerns.

WCW CONTEST

Don't miss your chance to Win a trip to E and party with the WCW wrestlers in the contest sponsored by T*HQ! Look for more details on page 115!

і | | — г M |

Геї hu

=, FINAL FANTASY УП IS NOW | A REALITY!

-Т BOON TALKS WITH

WITH EGM б е bie D. |

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TO

SCHOOL.

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony ntertainment Inc. U R NOT E® i

SON AY i ii i т i ) as c For game hints call 1-90! ). The charge is $0.95 per minui nder the age of 18 must get parental permission to call. > у: : 5 ч 3 PRODUCT е оп

PlayStation

Camaraderie. Brotherhood. Sportsmanship. That's what NBA Shoot Out '97 is all about. Oh, victory has its spoils, but they're not as rewarding as the shared fellowship one feels after capping off a drive to the hole with a towering Tomahawk Jam. Particularly when you're jammin' on Ewing, Malone or Olajuwon. And now, with revolu- tionary Icon Passing; you can execute pinpoint passes that would make Payton, Kidd or Hardaway jealous. Plus, new motion capture will make all your moves appear much, much

шайке ЫШЫ smoother. And faster. So if

—

you're going to demonstrate the pump fake, fade-away jumper or the flying windmill, you'll want to perform them over and over again so students of your game don't miss any fine points. МВА Shoot Out '97. Don't let it mess with your head.

and Icon Passing is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. МВА Shoot Out is a trademark of NBA Properties, Inc. The NBA and individual NBA Team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc., and the respective member Teams and may not be used, in whole or in part without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. ©1997 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. ©1997 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. www.sony.com

ТНЕ БЕ5Т VIDEO GAME NEWS

UPDATE

BLACK PS UNITS HIT U.S./CANADA

nfortunately, these sweet-looking systems U won't be available in stores. Available only

through Sony Computer Entertainment, the black PlayStation will be offered to those interested in joining Net Yaroze—a program that lets people develop PS games at home on their PC or Mac.

Aside from the scaled-down development tools

that come with it, the system is unique because it can play Japanese, U.S. and European games (the latter requires a PAL-capable monitor). The cost to join Net Yaroze? 5750 U.S. Ш

For more Net Yaroze info, visit this Internet site: http://www.scea.sony.com/net.

THE BIG STORY

А Sega/Bandai Team

Brings New Hope—

and Conflict—To The

Video Game Market

wo major players in the video game Т апа toy industries have teamed

up to create—if all goes well—the next interactive entertainment empire.

Sega Enterprises has announced a $1 billion-plus stock swap to merge with Bandai, a company best known for the Power Rangers, Ultraman and the Pippin @World multimedia machine.

Barring any unforeseen glitches, the companies will merge Oct. 1. under the name Sega Bandai. It'll be based at Sega's offices in Tokyo.

The merger certainly aims to reverse the recent troubles plaguing both companies— the Saturn trails both PlayStation and Nintendo 64, while Bandai's @World has failed to catch on like wildfire.

Sega's foes in the video game market, Nintendo and Sony, took the merger news

with indifference. One Nintendo Co. official,

quoted by Aeuters, said the merger posed "no worries" since Bandai and Sega's strengths currently lie in toys and arcade games, not the home game market. Sony Computer Entertainment did not release any statement in response to the merger. Most analysts agree that the merger poses no immediate threat to Sony's or Nintendo's market share. However, they note the bonding of Sega's and Bandai's operations will give the new union an edge as television,

Bandai says the merger won't affect its commit- ment to the Pippin...but does it clash with Sega's Net Link efforts?

є The Making of an Entertainment Empire?

76»

m Arcade Expertise: With games such as Virtua Fighter 3 and entertainment centers worldwide, Sega knows how to run arcades. и Software Development: Saturn and PC.

W A Strong Software Distribution System.

и Sega Channel: It has already forged strong links with major cable TV companies.

‚в

Cu

Both companies bring a variety of operations under one roof. Some key elements include:

One of the world's best- 2 known video game mascots

£ (Sonic) will join forces with one

of the world's most popular toys

(the Power Rangers).

Internet and video game technologies begin to converge. For video gamers, the merger raises intriguing questions over the future of Bandai operations that surely conflict with Sega's plans. Most notably, Bandai is a third-party publisher of PS games (see the ZXE-D story іп EGM issue 49275 Press Start for one example). The most recent word from Bandai is that it has no plans to stop PS game publishing—after all, it makes no sense to dump a profitable business.

One product with a far murkier future is Bandai's Pippin @World player, since it does compete somewhat with the Saturn's Net Link Web browser. Again, Bandai has said it will support the machine, despite reports that its inventor, Apple Computer, may stop active development for it. №

EGM Photo Mlustration

"E

m Key Licenses: Not only does Bandai have

popular franchises in Japan, but it knows how

to sell toys featuring those franchises.

m Software Development: Pippin and PS.

Again, most games are based on licenses. Digital Entertainment: The Pippin World

placed Bandai in the TV/Internet market.

Gaui

PlayStation

- | 0n 0

CONTENT RATED BY

шан کد‎ Ашы З omozmo-r

о

SCUS-94552 94552

Ў

SONY

г>-О-тто omozmo-r

COMPUTER PRODUCT ЕВ

The PlayStation mem- ory card storage limit has been broken yet again: In Japan, one company has released a 480-block memo card (above). That’s equal to 32 standard cards. The card has an LED that shows what part of the card is being accessed. No word yet whether any company will sell a similar card here in the United States.

GT Interactive Gets Busy: It was only a matter of time before GT took its 3-D games to a 64-Bit console like the Nintendo 64. GT plans to roll out three N64 titles this year; the first is Raven and id Software’s Hexen, due by July. The others are Duke Nuke'm 3D and Unreal, a GT rep said.

Out of all the pictures taken from Central Park Media's new video, Battle Arena Toshinden (based on the video game), we had to pick the shot of Tracy (below) show- ing off her ultrasassy outfit. Shame on us! Anyway, the video's in stores now for $19.95.

Despite Stellar Holidays, N64 Loses Key RPG

hile posting record sales in the United States at the end of 1996, Nintendo

suffered a tough blow when N64 developer Enix announced that the next game in its Dragon Quest series, DQ VII, will be a PlayStation exclusive to arrive by 1999. Nintendo Co. President Hiroshi Yamauchi downplayed the loss of the series (and quite possibly, its 2 million or so followers in Japan); after all, Enix still remains an N64 game maker. However, N64 has not fared well in Japan without a killer RPG to pit against the PS' offerings, including Square's Final Fantasy VII (another top RPG that had been expected for the N64). According to overseas reports, Enix decided to bring DQ VII to the PS for purely economic reasons: It offered the largest market, and the

This title may have belonged to the Super NES, but it's the PlayStation that will reap the benefits of its sequel.

CD format meant it would be cheaper to mass-produce games. Along with Square, Enix also noted the appeal of the CD format from a development standpoint: It doesn't have memory limitations

like N64 cartridges do.

As a response to complaints over high N64 cartridge prices, Nintendo plans to drop prices on upcoming games in Japan. For example, Blast Dozer (Blast Corps in the U.S.) will sell for roughly $70 U.S.—well below the standard $100 U.S. tag. Nintendo hopes to boost sales of other games like StarFox 64, by offering free accessories such as the Force Pak. №

UPDATE

EGM GETS PAWS ON ANALOG PS PAD

GM's editors are among the first gamers in the

United States to grip the eagerly awaited dual-analog PlayStation controllers from Sony Computer Entertainment. First thoughts? Two thumbs on, er, up.

As stated іп an earlier EGM

news story, the pads are roughly the same size (and heft) as the regular controller. The only changes: the two analog sticks; a digital/analog switch; larger, curved L2 and R2 buttons and the force feedback function (it makes the pad vibrate).

At SCE's product development offices, one editor played a simple 3-D pong demo to test its control The analog sticks are surprisingly responsive; a little nudge is all that's needed to record movement.

The L2 and R2 buttons (not shown) on this pad are bigger— thus easier to find by touch.

The joysticks, which look like short mushrooms, felt like a hybrid between Sega's analog thumb pad and Nintendo's longer analog stick—a nice combination.

Other EGM editors tested the pad at several developers, which had received their own pads to incorporate analog control into their games in progress.

While SCE has not officially announced a release date, multiple sources said it would come out by the end of August. №

P ө | WER and d i e FONE. “а CL

Ever feel like driving a Porsche®? Want to? The Alps Gamepad for they Pltiystationiignine console offers you the power, performance, and handling you've been waiting tor mia sleek; high-tech finely-tuned and tested controller designed by professional game players tomeer the demunding

needs of today's gamers.

C >

PlayStation

q a Ш 2 q ©

Are you a Mortal Kombat junkie? If so, you might want to check out some new PolyGram videos— both episodes from USA Network's suc- cessful cartoon series. Each 30-minute video costs $9.95.

Bruce Willis is making the leap once again from the silver screen to the computer screen. Activi

has inked a multimil- lion-dollar deal to put Willis’ likeness into Apocalypse, a futuris- tic arcade-style action shooter. In the game, Willis will play a side- kick who tags along with the player as a fighting compadre. To pull off the feat, Activision will employ “revolutionary cyber-scanning and motion-capture tech- niques” to create a 3-D model of Willis.

The developer of VMX R studio e, has filed a lawsuit against two ex-employees and their current employer, Т*НО. The lawsuit claims that the former employees allegedly reneged on a deal to finish VMX Racing (thus delaying its release), and used

e's equipment to begin a new company called

which had made a WCW wrestling game for T*HQ. А T*HQ rep said the company denies any wrong- doing in its work with Inland.

| 229 [|

: | | i

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT

NEW 3-D SEEKS LINK TO VIDEO GAME USE

This continues a series of stories that highlight emerging technolo- gies and their possible effects on video gaming's future.

Inland Productions,

he prevailing complaint T about current visual 3-D

displays is eye strain—and the headaches that often ensue— which makes 3-D difficult to view for extended periods of time or from certain angles.

However, one firm has found a way to solve those problems. By using a special screen overlay that “floats” 2-D images on multiple layers, users can watch in 3-D without straining eyes, and without needing headsets or glasses.

REVIEW

IT'S CUNT

here seems to more light T guns than gun games out for the PlayStation right now.

ACT Labs’ model, dubbed the Gunz, is one of the better quality ones out there—not necessarily for its features, but since it has virtual- ly no compatibility problems com- pared to other guns.

EGM tested it with Konami's Crypt Killer, and not once did the auto reload fail to work (the auto reload comes in five-, 10- and 15- round bursts). Otherwise, the light- weight gun offers the standard set of features (the special weapon button is placed at the back). There’s also a Saturn model. №

Gunz (P5)

$29.99 (msrp) * Available now Pluses:

+ easy auto-reload switch

+ no compatibility problems Minuses:

- no autofire/rapid fire feature - no dual-system plug

“The Floating Image System is a very impressive technological offering that could be a very prac- tical and economical method for 3-D imaging,” said Hisao Oguchi, general manager of Sega's AM3 arcade game development team.

Indeed, arcade and home video games may be the first fields to take advantage of this technology from Floating Images.

Basically, all that’s needed is the special reflector screen that fits over a TV or monitor. Because these layered images run indepen- dently of each other, they can cre- ate special effects such as true parallax scrolling or focus shifts from foreground to background.

Aside from the screens’ rather inexpensive cost (possibly as low as $80 per TV monitor), the display can be viewed at any angle with- out image degradation—another plus over current 3-D methods.

Currently, Floating Images is seeking out companies interested in exploiting this 3-D technology, including at least one PlayStation game developer. №

BY THE NUMBERS

According to TRSTS, who sold the most N64 controllers in the last two months of '96? Hint: It's not Nintendo. In fact, InterAct Accessories

showed that its peripheral lineup, which includes the SharkPad Pro 64,

took up 53 percent | of all N64 controller sales, according to InterAct and TRSTS.

PREVIEW

NAKI CUTS ALL CORDS WITH WIRELESS PS PAD

aki has just brought out м а new style of its popular

wireless PlayStation con- troller that works up to 30 feet away from the system.

An infrared receiver that plugs into the PS controller ports can be used for either one or two of these wireless pads.

In addition to its slow-motion and turbo fire features, the pad also offers automatic shut-off to conserve battery use.

[ AAA batteries, — the pad runs for 40 hours.

Another smart idea is the raised D-pad similar to the one used on the Sega Genesis. ІШ

Exclusive Pitching Meter lets you control your wind-up and release like an ace reliever. Feel the pressure on the mound that it takes to throw big-league pitches.

Unique Batting Meter lets you keep your eye on the ball and control the power in your swing ..everything it takes to find the sweet spot and "park one."

On-the-fly 3-D environment and free-moving camera give you the action from field level in 28 authentic stadiums. Accelerated animation pro- vides the smoothest, fastest graphics for the most realistic baseball action.

Superior Artificial Intelligence creates over 800 MLBPA players and prospects who think,

move and play like the pros, based on up-to- р Ag) non date player statistics by STATS Inc.® It's your т à К à STATS 11114112)

SPORTS TEAM ANALYES TRACING SYSTEMS PLAYERS average against theirs. And they didn't come to

the majors to lose.

erved. Grand Slam is a trademark of Virgin Interactive is a trademark of Virgin Interactive Entertainment, Inc. Official Licensee — Major League Baseball Players Association.

о 5 19 Е > 2 [Ж й

Entertainment, Inc. Virgin is a registered trademark of Virgin Enterprises, Ltd. Burst € MLBPA. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ELEC IRONIC GAMING MONTHLY 25

— REVIEW CREW-

ВЕ 1 Name of Game ЕЗ Publisher's Маг Average Review Crew Score # Consecutive Months On The Chart

Last Month's Rank Rank Number

Game System

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he editors of EGM have put

together a listing of the best

games for the most popular systems. Our Review Crew has done the ratings, and they have been aver- aged into one easy-to- read score. It is also important to note that sometimes a game will get ranked higher than others with larger Review Crew scores. This is because the game is "hot," and it is one which our Review Crew is constantly playing. These lists will change every month as additional games are reviewed.

The games are ranked by individual system, and there is an overall top 20 list for all the systems. This last list will pick up any hot 16-Bit or portable game that may come out.

On the right-hand page, we have put together a list of all of the games that will be coming out in the next three months for the three major game systems. This list should be helpful for players, so that they can plan out their future game purchases. The game name and the month the title will be released was obtained from each of the game companies and is correct as of the mid- dle of the month listed on the previous page. Please note that the release date could change due to reasons beyond our control.

@М/ИТЕМ О 05:9 re E ЛД етет тте . З бїттї Кесе” № ЗД стл —

Шеге” m цит” aj ау бе -

EXCLUSIVELY FOR ЕСМ SUBSCRIBERS...THIS MEANS YOU

Odds&Ends

Sushi-X's notes from the

video gaming underground

In the past months, the EGM staff and I have been trying to figure out a way to thank you (yes, you) for subscribing. It came down to revealing my true identity (so you'll know when I whup you in SFIII at the arcades), or offering a free bonus.

Well, my identity is the most closely guarded secret at EGM, so forget the first option. Rather, what you hold in your hands is the first edi- tion of the Sushi-X Files: a tear-out section given only to loyal sub- scribers like yourself.

Like before, the Files will feature top moves and strategies for my favorite video games like SFIII. (It seems more like SFIV with all those dangling story lines for the missing SFII cast. What's up Capcom?)

This time, however, the EGM staff and I are adding more. Lots of weird video game stories and tidbits crop up at our HQ; confidential stuff we normally don't get to talk to you about.

Plus, the Files gives us an outlet for our twisted video game humor,

| and also info on related topics: toys, videos, fanzines and odd game secrets. No topic is -too sacred for us to touch!

I hope you enjoy this inaugural edition; send me a line and let me know what you think.

Sushi-X

A guide to the weird, offbeat stuff EGM couldnt print...until now!

intro to Soul Blade for the PlayStation is truly a treat, not only because of

top-notch ai ТА nadon; put also а chance to са

i і birthday suit.

itia (above) in her й pepe left out. female readers can сас!

А \\ woolly briefs, ол) i 4n odd differenc

unt lance team Nas Ct Soul Blade, and

LK IS CHEAP

ome cón panies will say anything to sell their video game

products. Just check out this list of eye-catching, head- scratching ad phrases recently seen in EGM. Just remember, these were in ads for video games:

п “The stealthy samurai can carve you a new orifice in seconds flat."—an ad for Tekken 2. Hey, that wasn't on the moves list...

п "Size: 8 inches from nose to butt."—an ad for Konami's Justifier light gun. What did you think?

m “Hit the court and kill your friends!"—an ad for Pitball, obvi- ously marketed by folks who never learned Barney the purple dinosaur's “| love you, you love me" mantra...

п “Say по to drugs. Say yes to bloodshed and helicopter war- fare."—an ad for Black Dawn. Can you say "mixed message"?

п "Master the fine art of mercy killing."—an ad for Star in the Japanese version (below left). Gladiator. Geez, it seems anything can pass for "modern art" me 5 S. version, she’s got a wh nowadays. Sure makes those art museum field trips more fun! нов on instead (below nent), m “Nothing to do? Squeeze it! Slam it! Thrust it! Smoke it!"—

я

Or, maybe you can just cozy up to a really good book and think happy thoughts, wholesome thoughts....—a Mindscape games ad. m "The first time you did it you were excited, frustrated and you lasted about 10 seconds.”—an ad for Tempest. What were you thinking about?

in Namco mad

ou explain why eer hange? We think that som — обов а cOnspir

* Thought this equation sucked? Let's see you hot-shots do better: Subscribers, send in your own "math" equations!

So what do you think about The Sushi-X Files? If you have any story ideas, lewd pictures, news of the weird or top-secret info you'd like to share with the honorable Sushi-X, let him know. All materials sent become the property of Sushi-X—so deal with it! The address: Sushi-X Files, 1920 Highland Ave. 2nd Floor, Lombard, IL 60148. Hadoken!

Watch and Learn

е)

VIDEO REVIEW

/ riginally, the staff ої ЕСМ wanted to

review leggy supermodels, bu

ка Cindy Crawford

strait-laced boss and a burly bodyguard nt Sy

named Escobar foiled those plans.

Instead, the staff was asked to rate two videos based on popular fighting games:

Kathy Ireland Kate Moss

Ru Paul

Battle Arena Toshinden 1 hr. е English Dubbed Unrated (nudity, violence) Central Park Media » 519.95

ofia. Shower. Naked.

Those three words may be enough to pop the pimples of any teenage anime freak who's a Toshinden fan.

However, this animated video offers much more than brief titillation; it answers the question, “Why are all these characters—Sofia, Ellis,

ЕЙ, etc.—in the same video game?” Add to

that some nicely drawn animation, and you've got one very enjoyable cartoon.

This video should be called Toshinden 2 because the plot features almost all the charac- ters in that game (Chaos is especially whacked out in this video). Most make cameo roles; the plot focuses mainly on Eiji's quest to find his bro' Sho, and the fighters' battle against bad Boss Uranus and her super- android cronies.