Sega's 64-Bit Plans Revealed

Nintendo“ PlayStation ° Saturn * Super NES ° Genesis ° Arcade

ELECTRONIC ...

GAMING ‘is

МС.-"НЕУ Fighting Force,

4.7

Save the World One | — Broken Bonê а i : in Eidos: 3-D)Brawile

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UNLESS YOU CAN UNFOLD THE MYSTERIES OF THE WASTE

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takes to conquer Metal "Demons. And no, the ultimate goal of your ques! 15 nol fo save the princess. Us to save the planet. Good luck. You're gonna need it.

Computer Entertainment Inc. U R NOT E* is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Wild Arms is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

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беда developing new 64-Bit Dural game system, but is it

enough to turn Sega around?

he big news this month is

Sega's new game system.

After discovering the not-so- secret (nor publicized) document from 3Dfx to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), our editors immedi- ately got on this story and started dig- ging. In this Intent of Public Offering (IPO), 3Dfx had to disclose (to some extent) all of the deals they were work- ing on. One of which was a multimillion- dollar project to create a custom version of their popular PC Voodoo graphics accelerator card for Sega's “...upcoming video game system...”

New game system? Yes. Code named Dural (after the Boss in the Virtua Fighter games), the new Sega 64-Bit system could be in the stores in Japan as early as 1998.

Of course, Sega of Japan, Sega of America and 3Dfx all refused to com- ment beyond what was revealed in the IPO, but that is where our editors start- ed. A lot of the information we got was obtained from companies who have already been contacted by Sega to start developing games next year for Dural. While the system is far from being com- plete, the specs and, more importantly, the thought process of how the system is to work looks very promising.

Hopefully the one thing that Sega has learned from all of its past game systems (both failures and successes) is that they can’t work in a vacuum. It probably is very frustrating for the staff in America not to know what Sega of Japan is going to do next.

From the third-party developers we talked to most have stated that one rea- son why they aren't doing Saturn games is the lack of support and cooperation with Sega. For instance, the newest program libraries (the ones that do the best "tricks" with the Saturn) are not being given out by Sega of Japan. Instead, the developers have to eith invest sizeable amounts of time and effort to "learn" on their own how to do the new tricks or to go and compromise their goals as to how they want their game to come out. Or, as in many instances these days, not to even bother to do a Saturn version at all and stick with PlayStation and PC. When that happens, nobody wins. The end result is where Sega is now-in a "quality-not- quantity-of-games" attitude...meaning that there is a decreasing number of dedicated Saturn third-party developers in the U.S. and Sega is relying more and more on the arcade conversions from its R&D headquarters in Japan. | guess

It's not a video game, but “sticker pho- tos" are the latest Japanese fad coming from the arcade game companies.

they have no choice since there isn't а US. Saturn development group апу more (not that they did anything spectacular anyway).

The problems weren't limited to only software development. Who can forget the infamous Sega CD and 32X systems?

The thread that ties all of Sega's prob- lems together is support and coopera- tion. The 32X could have worked if only Japan had given the hardware support to the companies who wanted to do games for it. There now would be more companies doing Saturn development if Japan would be more responsive to the developers' software needs. And if Japan would share more of the informa- tion that it has learned about the way the two processors in the Saturn work, we might now be seeing games that are so revolutionary that players wouldn't even think about buying a PlayStation or Nintendo 64.

So where are we with Dural? Maybe... just maybe...Sega of Japan is beginning to see the light. By using the soon-to-be US. "standard" in graphics chips, рег- haps the U.S. developers will actually want to start making games for Sega's new system. Add in both 3Dfx's and Microsoft's new programming interfaces and guess what, a conversion from a hot PC game to the new Dural system will be virtually a push of a button away. That means reduced conversion costs for the developer (i.e., more games from third-party developers) and the Dural version would be the first one in the stores (not like the months of waiting for a Saturn conversion now).

All that leaves Sega to do is design the hardware properly. By being able to decide on what the system will actu- ally consist of (and cost) and then to start consolidating the circuitry early on, if not even up front before the Dural comes to market, then Sega would be able to stay ahead of the competition if and when the price wars start between the next generation of systems.

Will it actually happen? Or will Japan repeat history a third time? We can only hope for the best.

ELE TRC NIG

GAINING MON THEY, NUMBER 10.7, JULY 1997

Publisher Jonathan Lane Editorial Director Joe Funk Editor In Chief Ed Semrad Managing Но Ken Williams itors Crispin Boyer Shawn Smith Dan Hsu Sushi-X Third-Party Liaison John Stockhausen Editors Dean Hager * Kraig Kujawa News Editor ое Domestic) Wataru Maruyama West Coast Editor Kelly Rickards ІШЕ Editor Terry Minnich Protos Editor Scott Parus Arcade Editor Mark Hain Online Editors Chris Johnston * Helen Lee Managing Copy Editor Jennifer Whitesides Senior Copy Editor Jo-El M. Damen Copy Editors Dan Peluso * Mark Eleveld Foreign Correspondents Stuart Levy * David Rider

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The two greatest fighting Together, at last, ЧИ death 11 vicious Fighting Vipers" 11 combatants from Virtua 10 hidden mystery games of all time. do they part. characters. Fighter" 2. characters.

Sega is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. Sega Saturn, Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers, and Fighters MegaMix are trademarks of SEGA. © 1997 Sega, РО. Box 8097, Redwood City, CA 94063. All rights reserved.

SEGA SATURN”

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TIGHTERS 2 ECAR

Опе of the largest collections New and nasty Virtua D - қ Choose from 32 rockin’ 5 battle Modes, including of fighters ever. Fighter™ 3 moves, redimat arenas. Team.

An unparalleled, world-class festival of fighting.

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114 All-Star Baseball '97 Armored Core BallBlazer Champions Batman & Robin Battlesport Blasto Breath of Fire 3 Broken Helix CART World Series Clay Fighter 63 1/3 Colony Wars Command & Conquer

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IT'S TRIPLE THE EXCITEMENT! COLLECT ALL THREE OF EGM'S SPECIAL EDITION COVERS.

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Will a new systern solve Sega's problems?

PRESS START

Sega's 64-Bit system, Dural, may be the Boss of all systems!

TORIO

Wild Arms (PS), Mega Man 8 (SS) and Star Fox 64 (N64) are #1.

GAMING GOSSIP

Could Nintendo lose a part of its Dream to Sony?

PROTOS

MK Mythologies, Tomb Raider 2 plus 23 never-before-seen games.

REVIEW CREW

See how Wild Arms and Hexen 64 rated with da Crew.

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IF BATTLING THE CYCLOPS AND THE FOUR-HEADED HYDRA ISN'T FUN ENOUGH, YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO HADES.

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%- In addition to all the other freaky creatures, you'll have to battle a boar.

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have a happy ending, you'll have to wind up in hell. After all, that’s where you must duel with Hades, god of the underworld, to save civilization. STRENGTH OF CHARACTER. You'll go

into battle as one of three

fighting even freakier enemies:

Тһе four-headed Hydra, snake- haired Medusa, sword-swinging skeletons, crazy clowns, nasty heroic, mythological characters, Martians and more. GamePro says "Challenging bosses, bumorous

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Hercules possesses super strength. Atlanta has lightning speed. And, has it all.” In the end, it's up to you Jason - savvy street smarts. to save the world in this crazy twist on

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Herc's Adventures™ and © 1997 LucasArts Entertainment Company. All Rights Reserved. Herc's Adventures is a trademark of LucasArts Entertainment Company. The LucasArts logo is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment. Sega and Sega Saturn are trademarks of SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.

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[=]

BREAKING NEWS

rs SEGA'S LS

CONSOLE

GM has learned from sources inside

Sega that their next-generation game

machine is already well under develop- ment in Japan. Code-named Dural, Sega’s new top-secret system apparently is already in a noncondensed wired version, and Sega officials are meeting with “top-name devel- opers” both in Japan and the U.S. to line up killer software titles for release as early as late next year in Japan. HISTORY:

Rumors of a new system began as early as January, but the first solid piece of evidence appeared when the company—3Dfx Interactive Inc.—filed an Intent of Public Offering (IPO) document with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington D.C. on April 17, 1997. In this document 3Dfx had to disclose all of its work-in-progress, and one of the items was an agreement dated Feb. 28, 1997 between Sega of Japan and 3Dfx whereby 3Dfx was to "...develop for Sega a semiconductor 3-D graphics accelerator...for use...in Sega's FORTH- COMING VIDEO GAME CONSOLE..” GAME SYSTEM:

While most of the

“revealing” specs of Dural were blanked out (privacy enhanced) from the SEC document, EGM has been able to learn from other sources some

of the details about Sega's next console.

First, there is the graphics processor. 3Dfx will provide Sega with a modified version of its already-popular Voodoo Graphics PC accelera- tor card. This is a “...two chip [device] and has a 128-Bit ‘dedicated texture memory’ architec- ture that provides over 800 megabytes per second of memory bandwidth"

Second, all indications are that Sega will be

“ПЫНА

THE SPECS SO FAR

1) 12x speed CD-ROM 2) 16 Megabytes [EDO] RAM 3) Hitachi 64 Bit SH-4 * 200 MHz Clock Speed ° 350 MIPS 4) 3Dfx\Voodoo graphics chips * 128-Bit dedicated texture memory * 800 Mbytes/sec memory bandwidth * At least 1 megabyte of texture map memory 5) Operating System * Microsoft API * Sega custom low level OS * 3Dfx ‘Glide’ API 6) Misc. specs * Z-buffering (16-Bit) * 50 pixel triangles

using the latest CPU in the Hitachi lineup of microprocessors. Currently code- named the 5Н-4,

this CPU will go into production this fall and it boasts a speed of over 200 MHz and an ability to calculate over 350 million instruc- tions per second (MIPS). While not a true 64-Bit processor, the SH-4 has only a 32-Bit address register but it does have a 64-Bit data path. For comparison sake, neither the M2 (dual Power РС 602 CPUs) nor Sega's own Model 3 arcade board (one Power PC 603e chip) have 64-Bit address registers. Only the N64 is a true

64-Bit machine.

However, in practice, both of the above systems are capable of calculating more floating point math operations than the N64 and, more importantly, can calculate more MIPS than the N64's 4300 and, in the end, are more powerful. A second chip that Sega is considering is the Motorola PowerPC 603e. Already in use on Sega's Model 3 arcade board, this chip could become the main CPU of Dural if it wasn't so expensive. Sega will look at the costs and probably go with the SH-4.

Third, for a storage device Sega will continue to use a CD disc drive. Gone are the days of the old, slow 2X drive, and, depending on cost,

Sega will probably opt for at least an 8X unit, perhaps as high as 12X. Again total system cost is of primary importance here and disc drive speed is one of the ways that Sega will look to keep costs in line. DVD will not be an option, mainly because of cost.

With a system as powerful and fast as Dural, there will have to be a lot of system memory. The 3Dfx chip alone will require at least one Megabyte. Best estimates to date put the total between eight and 16 Megabytes of EDO RAM. Again, cost is a major concern and the exact amount of system memory is the one item which Sega will decide on at the last minute— after the other costs are in.

Lastly, there is the operating system (OS) for the machine. It's no big secret that developers were not pleased with the extremely difficult OS on the Saturn. This time around Sega is exploring a different OS. First, Sega has been working with Microsoft to jointly develop an applications programming interface (АРІ) to allow for easy ports from the PC. Second, Sega themselves is creating a new OS. This OS will run at a much lower level, and will be the backbone of the system. Finally, Sega has contracted with 3Dfx for a new version of 3Dfx's low-level "Glide" 3D API. "Glide" will optimize the performance of software designed for any entertainment platform, and affords virtually seamless portability of game content to the Dural. Using one (or more) of these OS configurations, not only would the Dural enjoy a development environment that is even easier and more accessible than the PlayStation or the N64, but Sega could literal- ly have tons of successful PC titles (and the thousands of consumers that buy them) virtually

overnight. What is even more intriguing

is that this API is said to be the same software

Sega will be using

in their upcoming

arcade machines.

Sega's world-

famous AM divisions could create games for the arcade and then reuse that same code for the ? Dural (with the Saturn, games like VF2 and Sega Rally had to be written from scratch). SUMMARY:

Will the Dural really come about? That's the big unknown. Sega (and all of the hardware manufacturers, in fact) are constantly working on prototypes of new game systems. Yes, Sega threw over $1.5 million (to start) at 3Dfx for their technology, but that does not guarantee that there will be a new system. It does look promising though, with the many strategic alliances that Sega is setting up, that some- thing is in the works. That leaves the big question—will consumers buy yet another Sega game system? The existing systems could dip under $100 quite soon and will there be enough players who will pay 5300-- for a new System that may not be significantly better than what we are using now? Time will tell. We'll keep you informed on this revolutionary system as more facts appear at E’.

гр - Fa ве) WHY: A АПГх CHIP? With the increasing use of polygonal graphics in 3-D games, the graphics processor is becoming the vital component in a game system. Mind-blowing gameplay doesn't come cheap anymore and all of the new 1998 game

systems are going to need one of the new super chips. While current PC games like Descent or NASCAR are doing in-software 3-D texture mapping, when the action gets hot and heawy, software can't do it all. Take a complex scene which has to be rendered at 30-- frames per second, 640x480 double buffered resolu- tion, in 64k dithered colors, without the blocky textures and texture aliasing and something starts to give as the current systems can't handle the data manipulation in software.

Enter the next generation in graphics super chips. Currently, the leader of the pack is the Voodoo Graphics chip designed by 3Dfx. It already has developed quite a following of PC game developers, and there are dozens of big-name PC games already designed and optimized for their 3-D graphics accelerator board. Check out the Tomb Raider comparison below, and if you get a chance, watch the new generation of PC games on a loaded-for-bear system at your dealer—you'll have a glimpse into the future of console gaming!

Voodoo Graphics Chip Specifications:

Perspective-correct texture mapping

Bi-linear and advanced texture filtering

Level of detail (LOD) mapping

Sup-pixel correction

Polygonal-based Gouraud shading and texture modulation

24-Bit internal, 16-Bit dithered RGB frame buffer

Multiple format texture buffer (8-Bit and 16-Bit)

1, 2 and 4 Mbytes of frame/aux buffer memory per pixelfx

1, 2, and 4 Mbytes of texture memory per texelfx

45 Mpixels/sec sustained fill rate for bi-linear or advanced filtered textures

Over 1 M triangles/sec for filtered, LOD MIP-mapped, Z-buffered, alpha blended, fogged, textured 25-pixel triangles

Antialiasing

Depth buffering (16-Bit)

Alpha blending

Per-pixel special effects: fog, transparency. translucency

Texture compositing, morphing, animation

Linear frame buffer access

PRES

i : i |

۱ „ |20 |

Іп arcade-related news, Intel has announced a hardware specification for coin- op play based on its Pentium II technology. This not only puts a new face on arcade gaming, but also carries implications for PC gamers, namely the possibility that arcade games could run unported on home PCs. Games using it are expected to be in arcades by the end of the year. The hardware will have a Pentium II processor at its heart with 512KB of cache, a high-performance 3-D graphics accelerator, and arcade-quality controllers. The stan- dard operating system will be Windows 95 in 1997 and Windows NT in 1998. Intel says that its new hardware is faster than and will outperform Sega's Model 3 arcade board. The specification is supported by computer game industry players such as Microsoft, Quantum3D, Happ Controls and Hanaho; game developers GreyStone, Interactive Light and Mango Grits; and coin-operated game distributors and operators H. Betti Industries and the Amusement and Music Operators Association. None of the "major" arcade manufacturers have signed on to this deal—no Sega, Namco or Capcom has jumped in..yet. Japanese coin- op manufacturer Taito has signed on with Intel’s new machine, and there are others that are rumored to be coming onboard soon. This is good news for arcade operators, who recently have had to spend more and more money on "deluxe" machines that turn

in little profit at $1 (U.S.) per play.

PRODUCT REVIEW

FIRST HANDS-ON TEST OF GAME.COM

ger hand-held for a spin

EGM takes the Ti

ollowing up our initial look F at Tiger's new entry into the

portable gaming category, EGM recently got a chance to put the finished version through its paces. We first have to mention that although the system is fairly complete, there are still some minor details to be worked out. The software that was available for play included Lights Out, Indy 500 and Solitaire which is built into the system. There were non- playable demos of Duke Nukem and Batman and Robin with short clips of cinema openings and gameplay action to give a small taste of what was to come.

The first thing you notice is how slim the portable is in your han The view screen is slightly larger than that of the Game Boy and the resolution of the images also seemed to be an improvement. As mentioned before, the Game.Com has built-in functions such as a non-interactive calendar, phone

GAMES WE TESTED

Solitaire

This classic standard is still as addictive as ever. Hey, it's free! Lights Out

Adapted from the bigger stand-alone hand-held, this Tiger puzzle game loses little in the transfer.

Indy 500

This was a surprise considering you can change the car views from behind-the-car to a driver's-seat camera angle. This is supposed to be an 8-Bit system! Anyway, the forward scrolling road was a nice try at pseudo-3D, but the game itself offered little challenge or fun. Still, this is as good as black- and-white portable driving games can get.

Р

“He ost WORLD

Will the Game.Com make an impact on the portable gaming market? Tiger Electronics is putting a lot of muscle behind its biggest product launch yet.

number directory, calculator and the game Solitaire. When connect- ed to a modem and a communica- tions cartridge, you can send and receive e-mail and browse text- only Web sites. Of all the built-in stuff we toyed around with, Solitaire proved to be deliciously addicting, especially for Review Crew member Crispin Boyer who refused to let the rest of the staff examine the other games until he was threatened with bodily harm.

The Game.Com has a touch- screen interface you can activate with a pen stylus (included with the system) or finger. Tiger has gone to great lengths to ensure the durability of their touch screen and has gone through several

uke Nukem—apparently, D Duke doesn’t realize he’s

not on a system that is capable of doing 3-D. The amazing thing is that the demo we viewed looked impressive and vaguely resembled Duke running on a crappy PC. Since this is an 8-Bitter, crappy PC 3-D ain’t too shabby. Batman and Robin—based on the upcoming movie, the caped crusader must once again defend

revisions in manufacturers. The same effort was also implemented in the quality of the screen resolution. The games we tested and saw previews of (see boxes below) were a cut above anything we might've expected. Licensing power is what Tiger has in spades and it shows in their lineup of upcoming software. Everything from the new Jurassic Park and Batman and Robin movies to arcade/home console hits like NBA Hang Time, Madden Football and Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

Look for a final review score when we have one that is off the shelf, including the launch titles that will be available. So far, so good.

Gotham City. This will be available at launch and will be the first test of the Game.Com’s side- scrolling ability.

Here is a list of the confirmed titles scheduled for release in the first year:

The Lost World: Jurassic Park Mortal Kombat Trilogy

Wi ms’ Arcade Classics: Defender, Defender ІІ,

Joust, Robotron, Sinistar,

Henry,

Quiz Wiz Jeopardy},

Name That Tune, Tiger Casino, Madden Football, NBA Hang Time

ing Soon! / po

і

Download Тһе Demo $ @ www.machinehunter.com

The virtual pet craze that has swept Japan has arrived on these shores. Tamagotchi from Bandai took

the island country by storm last November when it released these keychain virtual pets that required care and attention

to keep them “alive.” Demand was and

still is sky-high which has driven the black market price of these gadgets well into

the hundreds. Now Bandai has started release of Tamagotchi here in the U.S., but they are not alone. Tiger electronics has

a similar product called Giga Pets.

The main distinctions between the two

are that the Giga

Pets come in different animal varieties like

a dog or dinosaur while Tamagotchi have different possible creatures on any given egg. Other differences are that the Giga pets have more "activities" to do as well as pet-specific functions like playing fetch with the dog. Time and people like you will reveal which will be more popu- lar. Tamagotchi $14.95 (Bandai)

Giga Pets $9.95 (Tiger). They're available now, if

you can find “ет.

221-4

= = = "у № ш Жш шш „ш.

PRODUCT REVIEW

Reality Quest is set to give gamers a better grip

id you ever think you could

make a better control pad?

Adam Ullman and his brother had those thoughts and followed through with what they believe is a more natural way to play games; still having a free hand to drink a soda or punch your sibling. They formed Reality Quest and proceeded to make their glove-like controller a "reali-

ty" Imaginatively titled "The Glove,"

the controller enables you to play video games with wrist motion for directional movement and natural finger buttons for inputting com- mands in an efficient manner.

THE GLOVE

$8995

Available Fourth Quarter >>> Digital, true analog and simulated

analog settings. One- handed control action. VÎ Learning curve for some games. One-handed control action.

As expected, The Glove handles some games better than others with Doom-style games getting the biggest boost. Speaking of Doom, it works very nicely with The Glove in terms of movement and feel. There is a Simulated Analog Mode that allows precise control when aiming your weapon or just walk- ing around in general. It also has a mode that supports the “negicon” channel for true analog movement which is handy for racing and flight simulation games. When used with fast twitch games like Tekken 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 2, The Glove was a bit more

awkward to use, but can be adjusted with enough practice. The coolest thing about using it to play SF Alpha 2 is that your hand is emulating a fireball motion which gives you the illusion of greater interactivity. One of the images that leaps to mind when contemplating a controller of this sort are the many failed attempts at this type of controller. Anyone remember the Power Glove or the U-Force? You can rest assured that The Glove had a lot more planning and is well thought-out from a gamer's perspective. Best of all, it really works which is more than can be said for those other products. The Glove is designed to be a controller that becomes second nature and while it might not be the ideal controller for every game, it's far from the worst. The Glove will be available for the Saturn, N64 and PS, with each getting a system-specific model. The PlayStation model will be available first with the other two released | shortly thereafter. ||. Overall, ЕСМ was very | impressed with The Glove | and looks forward to seeing Santa put some n our stockings.

AI PADS

$2995

Available Now

= Lots of stuff to play

around with. Every function you want is here.

1 Doesn't excel in

any one area. Mini-wheel

is problematic and can be confusing.

WITH PLAYER STRIKES, FREE AGENCY, AND СОМТВАСТ DISPUTES, JUST HOW BRIGHT IS THE FUTURE OF SPORTS?

ACTUALLY, ІТ

Forget today's big egos and endorsements. In the future, athletes will be

fighting over just one thing: this bright, glowing Plasmorb. Introducing

Eight champions fiercely compete for the Interstellar BallBlazer Championship.

Mega-huge arenas give you plenty of room to maneuver. And show off your winning moves.

Glide along in your Rotofoil as you battle for control of the elusive, glowing Plasmorb.

BallBlazer- Champions.

A futuristic sports game created for the Sony PlayStation that's

part hockey, part

racing, and part

insanity. It's an action-packed,

real-time 3D

gaming experience

like no other.

Have a ball

if you can.

Players compete

for the Plasmorb.

Which is sort of like a

ball. Except that it totally disregards the laws of gravity. You can't kick it, dunk it, or catch it.

So how do you control it? Jump into

© 1997 LucasArts Entertainment Company. АН Rights Reserved. BallBlazer is a trademark of LucasArts Entertainment Company. The LucasArts logo is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd., used under authorization.

your hovering Rotofoil, grab onto the Plasmorb,

and blaze it into your opponent's goal.

You're not alone. Of course, your

opponent is trying to do the

same thing. And, that's

Р а, Е when all the fun begins. “ The competition will be fierce, fast-paced, and frenetic. Whether you compete alone, in single-player mode, or in two-player mode via

split-screen. But, however

you play, you're in for the

most action you've ever

N had. In this galaxy, or any other. BallBlazer Champions. With anti- gravity arenas, blazing thrusters, cloaking devices and nitroid injection

systems, it's the way sports will be played in

the future. So, you better start practicing now.

PRETTY BRIGHT.

You shoot, you score! You'll taste the thrill of victory as you launch the winning goal.

Earn the title of Master Blazer, and you'll bask in the glory of piloting the Ultimate Rotofoil.

- Е = Low

1$ v

ІЛЕ PlayStationi

P =

PlayStation

http://www.lucasarts.com

PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.

mur e»

Бы

Recently, the Nintendo 64 got a big push as far as graphics develop- ment goes—Softimage, which is owned by Microsoft, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Nintendo to produce a Nintendo Game Development Environment (GDE) for Softimage 3D. This announcement under- scores Softimage's continuing support of video game developers on all major platforms. "With this joint effort, Nintendo 64 game developers will have access to another set of powerful tools, so all our products will continue to give players realistic and exciting games," said Howard Lincoln, the chairman of Nintendo of America. "The new GDE will allow developers to fully exploit the industry- leading 64-Bit graphics capabilities, plus the power of the Nintendo 64, within an easy-to- use integrated develop- ment environment" Previously, Softimage's 3-D development tools were used to create Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64 and Nekketu Professional Baseball King. Now the tools will be available specificall for N64 developm: for all companies developing games for the system.

ntil now, developers of games for Nintendo's 64-Bit system were forced to develop their own Nintendo tools using the Softimage SDK,” said Moshe Lichtman, the president of Softimage. “This new GDE allows developers to concen- trate on producing world-class titles rather than development tools.”

| : : |

RB wow

PRODUCT REVIEW

SONY VIBRATES PAST

THE COMPETITION

n Japan, Sony has just released its much-anticipated analog controller that also has force feedback features for games that support that protocol. The basic layout of the pad

is the same as the standard model with the exception of two analog Sticks on opposite sides of the Start and Select button. Also between the sticks is an analog toggle button that switches the functions of the pad from stan- dard, Analog/Feedback and Dual Joystick Analog Mode. Although

HOT NEWS

the pad does not 544 require additional

power from batteries, the vibrating jolt it provides is not compromised as the games we have tested thus far (Tobal 2, Rally Cross and Bushido Blade) have shown. Like the Nintendo Rumble Pack, the Sony pad has different degrees of vibration and can vary greatly from game to game. For example, Rally Cross proved a much more rewarding tactile sensation than Tobal 2 due to the nature of racing

As many gamers have seen now, analog is the way to go when it comes to game controllers. There are still some gaming cate- gories that aren't as ideal for that type of control, but flight simulator/action games are definitely not one of them. The Bio Grip digital joystick from Nyko seems like a huge throwback to the old days with its rigid stick that has a limited range of motion.

The layout of the stick is rather awkward with the majority of buttons laid out toward the front of the stick and aligned with your thumb which makes accessing them an ordeal. You can easily hit the wrong one in the heat of.battle or even for mundane tasks. As EGM put the stick through a rigorous test, some staff members

games versus the constant light thumps of the latter. The Normal Analog Stick Mode offers complete compatibility with the double stick device which is also from Sony and made for games like Bogey Dead Six, MechWarrior 2 and )m Commander IV.

The analog sticks feel Кы and are comparable if not better than that of the N64's in terms of motion and

feel. The thumb rest is "dimpled" like the Saturn analog pad, but the sensitivity of motion is far superior to Sega's effort. Sony has done an excellent job on this pad and it is almost assured that there will be plenty more games available soon that will take full advantage of this wonder.

SONY CONTROLLER

$2995 (tentative U.S. price) Available Summer

uses Great feel, solid con- struction. Nice analog con- trol and you get two sticks. A great value for the price. iviinuses:

Feedback is slightly weaker than N64 Rumble Pack.

actually liked the old-school style and likened it to the old Atari joy- Sticks. Indeed when playing some of the classic game collections available on the PlayStation, the Bio Grip seems to have found its niche. If you are still interested in this type of joystick, we highly recommend you test it out first since it took a

good while for us to break in the stiffness of the stick and work out the stiffness in

our hands.

BIO GRIP JOYSTICK 52495

Available Now

Pluses:

Old-school controls

Iviipuses:

Stiff stick, awkward button placement. Overall balance ofthe stick is off.

From: Nyko

ONLY FOR ЕСМ SUBSCRIBERS...IT'S ALL GOOD

THE

‘Submit your ramblings via E-Mail to Sushi_X@zd.com

A guide to the weird, offbeat stuff ЕАМ couldn't print...until now!

SPEECHLESS SHOCKING, BUT TRUE!

ED: A DAY IN THE LIFE 7 ; BOY BORN WITH SATURN CONTROLLER FOR A HAND!

As a special treat for you Sushi-X Files fans, we INDIANA-Five months ago, a boy in Gary, Ind., was born with have uncovered secret spy photos of Editor in Chief a Sega Saturn controller instead of a hand. Parents say all was Ed Semrad in action. What is he doing?! What has normal in the delivery of the baby, until what was supposed be he done?! Why is he so happy?! Help us uncover the emergence of a right hand from the mother's womb horrifically the mystery behind these turned out to be the peripheral in question. "I thought it was pretty pictures by filling in neat at first,” says the nonchalant father. “| mean, you can plug it the word bubbles and into the Saturn machine and it works just like a real controller sending them to us! except for the Z, C and R shift buttons which should grow in as the child develops.” The mother, on the other hand, was a little more critical, stating, "I wish it could have been a PlayStation con- troller or that new Nintendo machine. At the current market rate, his hand will be obsolete by the time he's a year old!" When asked, for a comment, Sega officials said they were investigating the | possibility of charging | the boy licensing fees for the use of his hand. Sega added, "People can't have a free ride just because they're born with a controller for а hand."

FIRST TOASTED HO-HO AWARD EN

Sushi-X loves his fans, but sometimes they can send in some fairly odd stuff. Below is a map sent in by Tony Phosec from Florida. Apparently, this fearsome map is what

Hey, send your guesses to; Tony envisions what

The Sushi-X Files c/o EGM the next Doom game

1920 Highland Ave. on the N64 should be.

Suite 222 Can anyone tell us what Lombard, IL 60148 those objects are?

E

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 property of Sushi-X—so deal with it! The address: Sushi-X Files, 1920 Highland Ave. Suite 222, Lombard, IL 60148. Sheng Long Lives!

ONLY FOR ЕСМ SUBSCRIBERS...AWWWW YEAH!

PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES

EGM'S SEVEN | DEADLY SINS! |

Oh the horror! The world is rife with decadence and decay which corrupts the | minds of the weak. Now, witness the spectacle of ЕСМ seven deadly sins! Can you name the identities of these wretched souls? Try your luck then read the answers at the bottom of the page. Don't cheat or you'll find yourself next to these guys in a place far from heaven!

a,

ROR GTR ROOD CIRCULAR FILE

247 чот r T Sushi reveals the games EGM S TOP Jy. 77 the developers brushed "ANCELLED GAMES! «e the rus. Mex о Union Strike: the intended "true" sequel to EA's Urban Заем Take out those scabs before they cross the line! =

[2] Bronco 4x4 Extreme Racing: Choose O.J., A.C., Kato or the fuzz.

мч

ICANT WAIT

Barney Fighter: Duke out that dino! “I punch you, you kick me...” 9 smi necant FoR E? TTLL

Q Ellen 64**: Help guide the TV star to find her lost advertisers.

Q Virtual Thumb Wrestling: Realistic motion-captured thumbs battle for appendage supremacy. Uses analog controller technology!

P.C. Web Shooter: Jack into the Internet and shoot down all trashy Web sites you find for big political correctness points!

уге good, we just might print them in а future issue and give пате and anyone whose name is really Josef P. Richter. sorry.

Q Wal-Kart: Race around the store in shopping carts while avoiding falling prices. Clean-up in aisle 6!

Q SimMag: Make money facing impossible deadlines and impracti- cal decision-making as the editor in chief of your own magazine.

Q Heavens Gate: Similar to Lemmings, you assimilate and guide as many cult members as you can to catch the Hale-Bopp comet.

toys while making a profit selling them to desperate parents. Although many do not know his true identity, one thing is sure: He is - 2. балы А P р probably insane...or at least wants to Бе. When EGM commissioned him

Q Мг. T vs. The World: “| pity the fool who stifled my career!" to do some work, we had no idea what we were getting into.

" Submit your own Sushi-X cartoons and cartoon ideas! If th you credit. By the way, we think Josef P. Richter is a false

The Sins: Mike “Gluttony” Vallas, Crispin “Envy” Boyer, Dan "Lust" Hsu, Scott "Pride" Parus, Shawn “Sloth” Smith, Wataru “Greed” Maruyama, Ken “Wrath” Williams.

P ө | Y VER and

d Iz po m у. ALF Sa ‹ САС

Ever feel like driving a Porsche? Want to? The Alps Gamepad for ІПЕПУБИПІПОТИЦШТЕ СОТО Е Р Р J

offers you the power, performance, and handling you've been waiting FOI ЕРЕК MT EDI finely-tuned and tested controller designed by professional game playersspymertaneyaemanding

needs of today's gamers.

24

PlayStation

ELECTRONIC GAMING = MONTHLY

OVERALL ‘|| Wild Arms

PlayStation

11) Star Fox 64 "Nintendo 64 Nintendo 2 Blast Corps

Nintendo 64 Nintendo 1 Mega Man 8

Saturn

TUAG LR LLI PARR КУГ Л АУУ E LA CO DARYSTATION HOW то RZAD ИШ сс a

THE ТОР 90 CHART 111: Wild Arms 8.8

W| |SCEA H 5 ş| Name of Game ПШ ИЕШЕ Dynasty Wamiors 8,1

W| | Koei " | Average Review Crew Score. À

# Consecutive Months On The Chart 3 Tekken 2 Last Month's Rank 4

Namco Rank Number.

Rage Racer

Namco

8 4 А 8 5 A 9 5 12 боз! Storm 9.0 n A | MechWarrior 2 8.1 ' 9 7 7 7

J- Intl Superstar Soccer 9.3

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675 77% GameDay '97 8

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Mario Kart 64

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Doom 64

Midway Turok: Dino. Hunter

Acclaim

Wave Race 64

Nintendo

Super Mario 64

Nintendo MK Trilogy

Midway

NBA Hang Time

Midway

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‘COMING SOON ELECTRONIC

EGIV'S GUIDE TO GAMES IN DEVELOPMENT === MONTHLY

Magic Knight Ray Earth Role-Playing Manx TT Seg Sports

Marvel Super Heroes Fighting

Mega Man Х4 Action

Re-Loaded i

Shining the Holy Ark Seg Role-Playing

‘Super Street Fighter ІІ Collection Fighting

World Series BB 98 Sports

Duke Nukem 3D First-Person Shooter Sonic Jam j Action

Ten Pin Alley Sports

Bomberman Seg; Action

Colliderz Action/Sports

D & D Collection Я Fighting

Lost World: Jurassic Park Sega Action

Lunar: Silver Star Story Working Designs L Role-Playing

NHL Breakaway 98: Acclaim Sports

Quake L First-Person Shooter Sky Target

Clay Fighter 63 1/5

F-1 Pole Position Lamborghini 64 Aerofighter Assault

Int! Superstar Soccer 64 Top Gear Rally

Chess 64

MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero Robotron 64

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[= s] 181-сһаппе1 ЕЖ -

* 64-Bit Dural chipset for Sega * Nintendo has a Dream * Quake movie in the works * Pac-Man goes 3-D * Atari vs. Street Fighter * Sony angers 2-D developers

Hi-ho Quarter-maniacs. It is І, Quartermann...Master of disguise...Sleight-of-hand specialist. Vídeo game sleuth extraordinaire...the gaming industry's worst nightmare and hero to all of those who demand the juiciest industry gossip FIRST. This month the Q-crew and | have deftly scoured the gaming universe for the news Q-fans expect...

The biggest buzz around the gaming industry, currently centers around Sega’s newest 64-Bit monster console. Called the Dural (after the last Boss in Virtua Fighter 1, 2 and 3), this new 64-Bit system is being designed in both Japan and in sunny Silicon Valley. Our Japanese sources report that some of the first games in development include: УЕЗ, Super GT, GL Quake ЇЇ and Unreal. Due out in Japan around mid-1998, the Dural is rumored to use a 12-speed CD-ROM drive, 16 Megabytes of EDO

RAM and is. said to offer PC-style expansions like a modem, mouse, keyboard and тоге...һеу, ап arcade-perfect Virtua Fighter 3, Quake or Unreal deathmatches, a million polygons and an Internet browser, all in one box?...Can you say Web TV Killer?...Dude, sign me UPI...

Terry Aki (our Japanese superspy) reports that Nintendo of Japan is working on, of all things, an untitled 3-D fighting game for the Nintendo 64. Supposedly, NCL is handling all design and programming work on the one-on-one fighter, and the game is not due out until sometime next year. Although this won't be the first fighting game to be released under the Nintendo label (Rare pro- duced КІТ, КІ2 and КІ Gold), this is the first time the Japanese wing of the big N will be venturing into this genre. Unlike the ren- dered Killer Instinct series, NCLs game will use true 3-D polygons and have weapon-to-weapon fighting. In other N64 news, one of the original Dream Team members has canceled its N64 project and is developing the game for the PlayStation instead. Our source reports that other Dream Team members have awaken from Nintendo's spell, and are moving over to greener pastures in Sony land...Stay tuned for more details in next month's Q-Mann...

Shifting gears over to Hollywood, it seems that the latest game to make the transition to movie-land will be Quake. The Q-crew reports that several major film studios аге in a bidding war for the movie rights for id Software's latest bloodfest. Although nothing has been set in stone as of yet, we hear that Paramount Pictures are the odds-on favorite to win the Quake rights...Ahh yes. | can see it now...Quake-Marine grabs rocket launcher, Quake-Marine sees Shambler, Quake-Marine launches rocket at Shambler, Quake-Marine gets tele-fragged by another Quake-Marine...hey, | could be the screenwriter for this flick, no-prob.,.Look for Quake: the Movie around X-mas 1998. In other Quake news, Midway is already planning to release Quake 64 |! for the Nintendo 64 in time for Christmas '98. 064 II will be based on the upcoming PC title Quake 2...

Namco of America has been secretly working on a new 3-D Pac-Man for the PlayStation. The game, reportedly, is totally free- roaming a la Super Mario 64 and Tomb Raider. From what we hear, Namco-of Japan ordered the U.S, branch to develop the game. Furthermore, Namco of America is under strict orders that the game WILL be out for the PlayStation this Christmas and must be an A title otherwise it will be canned. No matter what happens. Pac-Man 3-D should make an appearance at E*. In relat PlayStation news, Namco's.new Pac-Man game was originally supposed to be а quasi 2-D/3-D game when Sony of America brought the project to a ‘screeching halt. It seems that SCE of America has decided to put an informal embargo on any game

that even whispers 2-D. Some third-party developers are beginning to voice negative opinions on Sony's dirty Ише s but no developer is more outraged than Capcom. whose very life blood is probably two-dimensional sprites...The О feels that Capcom should call Sony's bluff and use Resident Evil 2 as bait/ransom...hey, it could happen...if this is true, could Konami's glorious Castlevania: Symphony of the Night be the last exception to Sony's no 2-D rule? Sony's final word on the matter will be heard at the E* show in Atlanta. Third-party standouts rumored to make an appearance at E^ include: Road Rash 3D, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle, Agent Gex, Street Fighter EX Dash and Wild 9's for the PlayStation; Virus, Grandia. Duke Nukem 3D, SSF2 collection, Quake, MK Mythologies and Ray Earth for the Saturn; and Turrican 64. Densetsu No Ogre Battle 64, NFL QB Club '98, Battle Dancers, Cruis'n World, Family Stadium 64 and Tales of Xanadu for the Nintendo 64We also hear that the voice of the main hero in-Blasto (Sony's killer 3-D action game for Е”) м be played by Phil Hartman of Saturday Night Live fame. Those who have seen Blasto report that the game looks amazing...Sony and Universal Interactive are also planning on releasing a game called Crash Karts for the PlayStation. Our Q-spies indicate that Crash Karts is a Mario Kart-style, multiplayer racing game featuring characters from the Crash Bandicoot universe. Crash Karts is due out for the PS around the middie of 1998.

In arcade news, Atari has a new, rendered; 2 1/2-D fighting game called Juko Thread. JT is currently nearing completion and should hit arcades across the country this summer. Those who. have sampled Juko Thread claim it plays exactly like Street Fighter Alpha 2, right down to the two-in-ones, Alpha counters and Super Combos. Our Q-spies report that JT will arrive on

the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 under the Midway label іп the summer of 1998. Juko Thread is also said to be in contention

for conversion on Sega's 64-Bit Dural console... more on this game as it develops... More details on Dream. Nintendo's big N64 game for this X-mas, have surfaced. First of all, the name Dream is definitely a working title and will change. The game uses а free-flowing game camera like Mario 64 (and countless other clones) but uses an all-new game engine from the ground u

not an enhanced SM 64 engine; as has been reported in other mags. From what we understand, Dream will be Nintendo

N64 game to start а new franchise. What this means is that Dream is going to be similar to F-Zero, Star Fox. Mario Kar PilotWings. АН of those games started life ori (and were designed specifically for) the Super NES and are now major № franchises on the N64. Dream will be born on the N64 and will live on, in future Nintendo consoles. In a nutshell? This is а HUGE game for Nintendo..it is as significant as Maria 64. In other N64 news, Terry-Aki has uncovered all four N64 games Paradigm Entertainment is working on. Game #115 PilotWings 64 И. PW64 11 will feature multiplayer Battle Modes. larger levels and more flying craft. Look for the game around first quarter of 1998. Paradigm is also doing three games for Video Systems in Japan. The first game is Sonic Wings Assault (to be renamed Aero Fighters Assault when it arrives in the U.S.), due out in Japan this summer. The other two games аге an unnamed Formula One simulation and another flight sim tentatively titled Flights of U.N. That wraps it up for this month's edition of Q-mann. Tune in next month when we deliver the details on the Neo*Geo 64, uncover more mysteries of Sega's 64-Bit Dural and a report on one top-secret subject that | can’t even give you a blues clue on...heh,

heh...Till next time; Hasta la vista, baby. p E D. THE Q

He's skinny. Не wears а loincloth. He has по weapons. (He's the guy that you play.)

Walk. Talk. Feel. Hide. Think. And take on the ugliest bunch of carnivorous crustaceans this side of a baboon's butt in a new kind of game and a brave new world of interaction.

From slave-laborer at Rupture Farms to Liberator of

the Mudokon. It can all be yours. That is, if you can make it through the most inexplicably challenging gameplay in the known universe.

Communicate with real characters. But, not in some cardboard RPG. Blow away your enemies. But not in some

don't get mad: get elum between a paramite and a hard place possession is 9/10ths of the law

Meet the Ons.

one-dimensional shooter. Solve wicked situations and you've ever seen and blends them into one seamless, wicked enemies. But, not in some wallpaper puzzle game. surreal, sensory overload of pure gaming. So take your ODDWORLD: ABE'S ODDYSEE takes every game genre loinclothed butt and claim your destiny. Savior. Or salami.

ШШ ABE S ODDYSEE

| VN MW pU TuS SEPTEMBER 1997

HL № ODDWORLD » Ga Aware Lifeforms In - >= | N | А P ITAN 15 = |

Virtual Entertainment Playstation №

Here's proof that EGM brings you the first look at the newest of the new games. The following section contains everything from cut scenes to screen shots for titles in early development. Watch for updates in future Protos and more extensive coverage in upcoming Next Waves.

It looks like the N64 will be getting its dose of specialized racing titles in this year's lineup. Among one of the better racers comes Titus' latest title, Lamborghini 64. It features not only the chance to control a race-ready Lamborghini Diablo, but great racing vantage points as well as outstanding use of haze and lens flare graphic effects. Pit scenes are astounding. Let's just hope it doesn't look too much like Turok with the excessive fog. Keep an eye out for this one in the future.

PREVIEWS

We know this title has been lingering in Protos for a while now, but soon gamers may actually have this one in their systems. Besides the general improvements in graphic quality, it is rumored that this N64 version will have specialized graphics only the N64 can produce, like | antialiased edges and smooth-flowing backgrounds. Even though | Action the N64 can do better sound effects, this version will include sound | PUBLISHER effects plucked right from the original. Controls will possibly use the N64's keypad as well as the analog stick for control similar to the arcade original. Robotron 64 is bound to be an experience that |

PLAYERS COMPLETE pushes the limits further than the PlayStation could.

КӘВОТКО

А PUBLISHER SYSTEM Into racing titles? 4 Ubi Soft NINTENDOS*

Well, prepare yourself RELEASE DATE — PLAYERS | ul for Acclaim's Extreme G. It features one- to four- player action with different weapons and racing

techniques for players to use. Players select the

vehicle they want and gather weapons through the

race to use on the opposition. These include rockets

and heat-seeking missiles as well as placed traps

and other death-dealing devices.

Extreme G will have players feeling

queasy while racing in the topsy-

turvy variety of worlds.

SYSTEM RELEASE DATE Е : Remember a while back when a game called HED was in Protos? Well, HED is now called Tonic Trouble, a game by Ubi Soft (makers of Rayman and other titles). Ubi plans on taking full advantage of the Nintendo 64 hardware with this new title which has its main character trying to clean up a toxic mess he accidentally created on Earth. Because of the green liquid he PME let loose on the planet, life and land on Earth mutates. Although

Acclaim J ч it may sound menacing, Tonic Trouble is a fun title.

PLAYERS i Я шаг =

MK Mythologies is designed to create a backdrop for the titles already in circulation by being set a full 10 years before the first MK Tournament. By taking on the role of the ice master Sub-Zero, players will live through the events that brought about the fearsome creature known as Scorpion. Players can expect to see Raiden, Liu Kang, several ninjas and other well-known MK characters as well a handful of entirely new characters. Think MK is just a mindless fighting game? Well, now you may have

a. to think agai

PUBLISHER

Ё RELEASE DATE PLAYERS

Later this year, players will be able to use the < = superpowers of the Marvel heroes to wage epic battles SYSTEM EETA DRTE against other forces of good and evil in arena combat.

Marvel Superhero tars all the favorites including Wolverine, Iron Man, Juggernaut and Spidey. Special moves abound for each character along with other features such as an aerial combat ability that allows players to jump off the screen and PUBLISHER

wage battle in the vertical. Not only is Marvel | Capcom | Superheroes a decent fighting game, but it is | Capcom also an entertaining title that re-creates the 1 PLAYERS characters and their actions in shocking

realism. Movements like handstands and | flips have to be seen to be believed

PUBLISHER SYSTEM

MGM Interactive

| RELEASE DATE PLAYERS

- Sony loves showing off the speed of their system, and

The only title sponsored Ў what better way to do it than implementing race cars that by the U.S. military returns nz n1 3 reach speeds in excess of 200 mph? Indy Car Racing fea- for a second shot this year | iom tures a one- and two-player Split-screen Mode as wellasa | Although not much is known — ^ variety of different tracks to race on. Right now, this title is about this upcoming release, و‎ still being shrouded in secrecy, but it looks like a game not it is obvious that Return Fire 7 \ to be missed. Knowing Sony's reputation, great graphics 2 will be a hit if it includes all and fast play are just part of what is to be expected. Race the original elemen S Ж P 1 + Тапв Кеер ап еуе ореп some surprises. We To ; = | for this one—it's bound to | more vehicles are going to Ж cross the finish line with be added as well as a lot i flying colors. more levels to explore and conquer. There will | be more info on this one as it becomes available. PlayStation

PUBLISHER

SCEA

PLAYERS

The blood-soaked game Forsaken is gearing up to shock PS owners early next year. Forsaken takes place in a maze-like arena where the player is supposed to solve puzzles with wit and a little ingenuity. There is also a two- player Battle Mode where two players can battle against each other in the open mazes. To develop the mazes with unbiased originality, Acclaim has three

SYSTEM

PlayStation PUBLISHER

PLAYERS

=

ү, Matas ы Балшыға Armored Core pushes mech games to the limit with its beautifully staged levels and sharp graphics. Right from the start, players are thrown into a giant room where there appears to be no enemies...until you start getting blasted from places you can't see normally (mainly up). Controlling the movement of your mech, its viewing area and

separate teams of developers working on four levels each. All are to be included in the final release of this well thought-out title. Forsaken looks like it will be the next level in the Descent line of games. But unlike Descent, this title has gravity and much better scenery in all of the levels and hasn't neglected the all-important fun factor that makes a game enjoyable as well as challenging.

PUBLISHER SYSTEM

Take one group of well-known comic book superheroes and mix in characters from the

hottest fighting game titles and you have an epic clash of good vs. almost good. Based on the arcade original, X-Men vs. Street Fighter is expected to grab home players' atten- tion as much as its premiere form did this past year in the

PUBLISHER SYSTEM THEME

SCEA Action/Adventure | RELEASE DATE PLAYERS

arcade. The

title features

totally unique

backgrounds from other Marvel/SF games and has leveled off the fighting balance so most of the characters have a chance to stand up against the others in their side-scrolling arenas. This year, Capcom seems to be putting more than the usual emphasis on games that

involve superheroes.

f people have a problem У10 іп vi

We, for example, f hasn't been realisti

\ | | | DA 21 5 $ s 19 ao} threatening to kill off humankind, ar enka, а war-hardened,re

The irst shooter that lets “ес 3D warzone with you look up & down, jump gonal еп їп a rich, and crouch while moving. ment.

PSYGNOSIS Û |

are trademarks of Sony Computer Er

iton

Not only do you get the chance to complete demanding missions in Steel Reign, but you can also choose your vehicle of destruction. SR features great graphics and smart-moving enemies who don't think twice about teaming up and using their numbers against you. Tank movement is accomplished with the keypad while the turret is controlled by using the top buttons for barrel-pitch and rotational movement. Besides the gang-based enemies, there are also buildings, radar stations as well as ammo stores to be found, gathered or destroyed. Steel Reign is prime for couch tank gun ners everywhere.

PUBLISHER SYSTEM

` | RELEASE DATE PLAYERS

PlayStation

SYSTEM

PlayStation PUBLISHER

|

PLAYERS Join the female Indiana Jones (Laura Croft) once again in an adventure that takes

her to the ends of the

% COMPLETE first game, some levels will be set out- side. New weapons and even more treacherous enemies and animals are to be expected this second time around.

Lara will also be able to perform new

Earth and beyond in Tomb Raider 2. This time Lara will delve into a tomb beneath the Great Wall of China, a mansion in Venice and a wrecked ship. Unlike the

moves, like climbing hand-over-hand up sheer cliff walls.

We'll have more on this hot sequel in our Е? coverage next month.

Throw Tomb Raider along

with a 3-D € may get something

nia and you ose to

Nightmare Creatures. But this

game doesn't complete!

Creature: There are lots of iter gruesome enemies. Since

ures plenty of innovative idi :ecial attacks—some that are actually pretty brutal-and 5 and power-ups to use against the game's army of

copy the games it resembles. Nightmare to keep gamers happy.

on the horror tip, expect anything from werewolves to giant, man-eating spiders imagination!). Some lev

ind everything in between (use your take place on infested city streets of

European towns while others are in graveyards with dark tunnels underneath. To go along with the eerie mood, Nightmare Creatures has fog and lighting effects.

SYSTEM

PUBLISHER

PLAYERS

THE 1$ & MORE

)

RATING PENDING

BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS.” 9 е? www.interplay.com Ja [әри

с Bomberman is а trademark of Hudson Soft Co, Lt AI rights өзегім Interplay тео trademark of Interplay Productions, АП rights гезеті ister and distributor. | Ali rights reserved. АЙ other trademarks and copyrights are property of their E ive owners.

Нн ww

101997 Hudson Soft Co. Ltd. Ай rights reserved. Atomi is Licensed from Hudson Sof Co, Ld Windows and tne Windows 95 ogo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

WHEN YOU

DRIVE A TRUCK THIS

FRIGGIN’ BI YOU DON’ RUN.

s

A gear-grinding joyride

ИМ um R Wally from the makers of TRUG Destruction Derby 1 & 2.

Strap yourself in pal, because Thunder Truck Rally is putting you in the " TM driver's seat of destruction. When you get behind the wheel of a two- PSYGNOSIS ton, nitro-burning, sedan-eating, four-story 4x4 steel beast, the result

is high-octane excitement. Pound asphalt, dirt and the com- с

petition into submission in several monster vehicles. And with life-like 4WD suspension, 360° range of motion and killer · 3D landscapes, kicking-ass will look kick-ass. Ravage roads. Trample trouble. Send family wagons to meet their maker. Get Thunder Truck Rally, and get ready to shred.

eicere]

ырды

SYSTEM RELEASE DATE

f 4th Qtr. 97) р Й Probably the best way to describe any Namco Arcade : | Classic Compilation is to list the titles it contains. After all, most Playstation Classics | gamers have played them or at least heard of the titles contained

PUBLISHER | inside. The fifth release contains the 3-D Pac-mania; the top- -ROM down shooter Dragon Spirit; the skateboarding and dodging CD-RO , Metro-Cross; the space man sensation Baraduke and the RPG PLAYERS % COMPLETE Legend of Valkyrie. / Most players will either remember these titles or just have the = desire to check out more of the old classics that all had a hand in

forming the industry we now are apart of and enjoy.

The game with the strange title features three-quarter perspective views of your character and his surroundings. ONE contains five in-depth levels of deadly hunters, attack craft, armored vehicles and mechanized beasts г а of war. And to take on these nasties, there are plasma cannons, flame й SYSTEM throwers and missile launchers. As a last protective barrier against the incoming attacks, your character can com- plete evasive rolls and acrobatic flips as well as hanging, climbing and sliding moves. Even physical attacks are possible in ONE.

Although ONE is a one-player title, | two players can battle іп the built-in M | ASC Games Alternating Mode in one of the three Tm different levels of difficulty.

TTA. PlayStation PUBLISHER

PLAYERS

| RELEASE DATE PLAYERS

PlayStation TT

Machine Hunter is similar to a top-down version of Spider mixed with levels and enemies who look like they were plucked right from Loaded. The stages are multi- layered and incorporate staircases, thin ledges as well as gates, doors and switches that allow further exploration into the depths of the levels. Machine Hunter uses directional shooting with the four buttons similar to the all-too-famous classic title, Robotron. Power-ups and bonuses also await adventuring players.

6 bit title - now impossible

e жесе of the Black Queen features рыс, addtional aeia scores, and we have even

pells to look even better than the original version!

and your army through the Zenobian Empire and reclaim the ent! Along the way, recruit additional characters to join your

quest. Once in control, will you hand over power to the rightful ruler or keep the continent for yourself?

Only you can decide!

A proven hit! The name says it all!

COMMAND 75 DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHARACTERS! 13 POSSIBLE ENDINGS ENHANCE REPLAY VALUE NON-LINEAR GAMEPLAY.

HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE EITHER GOOD, NEUTRAL OR EVIL!

THIS LIMITED EDITION TAKES OGRE BATTLE TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF 32 BIT GAMEPLAY!

ол Stategy/RPG’s” “One of the All-time great (PSExtreme)

Ogre Battle has Solid Seller emblazoned on it

(Video Game Advisor—April, 1997)

ATLUS

(ый: 1 [RPG/SIM.- | = -> = А — Prin. Come visit us on the world wide web at www.atlus.com

Atlus Corp., LTO. Ogre BattleTM Episode 5 March of the Black Queen is a Trademark of Quest © 1993, Artdink © 1996, Published by Atlus Corp., LTD. 1997. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Сай 1-800-771-3772 for Game Rating Informatio:

ААА ы

This polygon-based title looks like a cross between Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot, since you have complete freedom of movement and Croc can perform a Butt Smash on crates to nab their contents. But Croc is actually as much a puzzle game as anything else. Each of the 40+ levels requires you to hit certain switches or push crates to certain positions to reach the exit. But you can only leave the level if you've

on four so ct І. Fox is also

THEME

е

RELEASE DATE PLAYERS = % СОМРЕЕТЕ

title to give the tri

how it is to drive cars most of us only dream of owning is scheduled for a release on the PS this year. Test Drive 4 features multiple cars (including the Viper GTS shown in these pictures) as well as beautifully designed levels which you can try to get a glimpse of as you race through the countryside. Other options include simple features like selection

between automatic and manual transmission for players with

different preferences as well as different viewpoints that range

from behind-the-car to right-in-the-driver's-seat.

6 PUBLISHER м ^

A Accolade

О RELEASE DATE PLAYERS

SYSTEM

This RPG may be running a little late, but it looks like it's going to be worth the wait. BoF3 takes the traditional RPG elements from the previous BoF games and plops them into a 3-D world, which you can rotate around your party to a limited extent. Your ability to rotate the view is vital to

ple may be hidden by buildings or stages of development, trees. BoF3 isn't a continuation of (| ^ A Ў ааа MGM's hot action/sport- the previous games, but it's set in Jj | ing title puts players on

wheels in an arena where only the strong survive. Roller Ball has goals, a large banked arena and multiple angry

the same dragon-infested world.

PUBLISHER Capcom

RELEASE DATE — PLAYERS

HAVE А VIRTUAL TOGA PARTY...

INFLICT MYTHICAL MAYHEM!

It's time to get mythical and kick some Greek monster butt. Try on the super-strength of Hercules, or the lightning speed of Atlanta, or the street smarts of Jason. It's open season on the one-eyed Cyclops, the multi-headed Hydra, Medusa with the snake hairdo, sword-swinging skeletons, deranged gods,

nasty Martians, сга2@

clowns and other not-so%

mythological monstrosities. With your arsenal of arrows, slingshots, swords, houses, sheep, inflatable cows and ray guns it's up to you to save ancient civilization from massive myth-fortune.

* Over 40 unique worlds of action and adventure

* Single or two-player cooperative mode

* Choose to be Hercules, Atlanta or Jason and become faster and stronger with game play

е А maltitade of creatures and weapons of mythic proportions

KIDS TO ADULTS.

‘CONTENT RATED BY ESRB

“...а virtual laugh riot in every sense" —videogamespot

"Herc's is great fun" —Intelligent Gamer

“fun, high quality... Herc's will keep us busy for some time"

—Next Generation

LOOK FOR THESE OTHER GREAT NEXT GENERATION GAMES FROM LUCASARTS ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY

BELL ir: LES] " * ы.

* B

www.lucasarts.com

nr ee Re sR ж:‏ = = > چچ = = = => = = > که جه ج سمه

Psybadek takes place in five different themed zones of 10 levels. In each level, the player blazes around the screen on a hoverboard. The player is to collect power-ups while searching for secret levels, perform amazing stunts and avoid enemies with weapons like magnetic-mines, | snowball and smart bombs and boomerangs. Colony Wars is a galactic Psybadek features a realtime 3-D platform that allows 1 adventure that spans five T the player free-roaming capabilities of the various levels solar systems. This real- Р as well as some eye-catching stunts and air thrills many time 3-D action title players may desire. Psybadek also features a unique includes an intricate mis- blend of Japanimation for - в Sion system as well as in- those characters who are 5 i) д the-cockpit fighting positions incorporated with the 6 where the player is in a fight for background through all Ж к Р his/her life in an action-based, the stages. ý one-person shooter. z Т EDU As a rookie pilot in the League SYSTEM = of Free Nations caught т the 4 middle of a vicious war to free К | the Colony Worlds, adventure >>”. | and intrigue await the daring іп PlayStation { Colony Wars.

PUBLISHER

2 4 - 5 ы. £i cum. um J 7 Po: Psygnosis р 3 : | a ж : ICA V EB A FP „л. - I" PUBLISHER SYSTEM

PLAYERS

Overboard is a pirate- and maritime-themed arcade title that combines a free-roaming top-down perspective where the player is expected to use sea-based strategy as well as shoot-'em-up action. Players will captain a galleon on a mission to rid the 1 world of the infamous Blowfleet, a pirate of great Psygnosis prepares racers to enjoy the thrill of cunning and power. F-1 racing with Formula 1 '97 This fast title features The player will destroy various enemy strongholds, multiple viewpoints, statistically correct and random ports and shipyards while building his/her own fleet 4 weather conditions and car options such as steering of oddly enhanced ships with add-ons during the and braking assistance. The Al is also very sophisti- game. One of 1 cated by incorporating car reli- the add-ons is ability and aggression levels. the ability to Й S DAE 2 You can sense the teams' dif- morph your uo ш | ferences when they are next to ship into Jules- |. У 1 you on the track. Vern-style air- на i ships to attack Í SYSTEM with grace from the air.

PUBLISHER SYSTEM THEME Adventure 7 RELEASE DATE PLAYERS >. % СОМРЕЕТЕ | October PlayStation

prise

CRISPI

SUSHI-X

EDITOR'S CHOICE

N

EJEGM

Late-night di Atlanta ha

adlines and the upcoming E in in a twisted mood, but noth- 1 doctor abot

1 play NT FAVORITE Stan Fox 64 you anywhere.” : Dymasty Ward; Little doe Wiid Arms: know! Now he's Excalibur 2555 A.D) trating on his FAVO) GENR

es for ЕСМ : s for EGM. petiom/Adivemtune

Shoe's in RPG he Wild Arms, an

зуеп...ог maybe hell? He loves

у ly av g Shinin Odyss Final Е у

he refuses to play until the English

on comes out.

e's not Cl INIT FAVORITE

Japanese, by the РаЖарра time Rappe

way.) But how on Warcraft. |І

Earth will he Wildl Arms;

time to play th Dynasty Warriors

all? Maybe Ed will ORITE GENRE

give him time off 5 ы Sirategy//Puzzle

FAN

ate the arcade ega Ages, so he chair to simulate Aft

Burner 2's п vat he war rock his chair no matter what дг

Siniiniing tine: Holy Arik Warcraft. 111

тоба 2

FAVORITE: GENRE

Role-Playing

stick Cris and chair in lot for a whi

the strateg with multi a few thou

CURRENT FAVORITI

Warcraft I

Street Figfter ПІ Tekkem 3 FAVORITE: C

Еак

SENE

Silver Awards are granted to games with a total average score of eight, while games that average nine or above receive Gold Awards.

The wait for Final Fantasy VII doesn't seem so bad now, because Wild Агтв-еавШу the best PlayStation RPG to date—is more than enough to tide me over. The best thing about this game is how busy it keeps your three-person party. During the course of the game, you'll discover tools and special weapons, learn powerful attack skills, uncover "Crest Graphs" to learn new spells, nab runes so you can summon guardians (huge creatures similar to Final Fantasy's Espers), roam the land in three unique vehicles and solve hun- dreds of puzzles. Why, you even have to complete mini-adventures for each of the three characters before the game begins in earnest. And while guiding only three characters may seem a little lame, Wild Arms actually offers one of the best party systems in RPG history. Each charac- ter can wield up to four tools, which you discover as the game

es, and each tool wi

come certain obsti

geons. Bombs, fo

open walls to re

(just like they

games), while the

will carry your pa

Most puzzles, ther

to select the chara

right tool for the job.

Once in а while | can to get into a soli was one of tho enjoyed playing tl was interesting (h acters come togeth ics were great. ТІ 2-D and 3-D wa almost like two di nothing | couldn't gi

Well, this winner for Beyond the Be traditional RPG el for a classic: a sin music, cool-looki and involving stoi

so forth. | love the of offensive attack tually get. The little game too. For exar

With the stream of all-time low, it's re solid title like through the E? fi deceptively comple

veteran RPG game trouble adapting commands and o posal. Luckily, you

trol three characters, b

VISUALS

PUBLISHER: SONY

CATEGORY: RPG BACK-UP: MEMORY CARD BEST FEATURE: ITEMS WORST FEATURE: LINEARITY ALSO TRY: BEYOND THE BEYOND

to discover all 12 tools to beat the game, but then you'd have to deal with the guilt of leaving certain parts of dungeons unexplored because you lacked the right tool. The 3

turn-based battles also force you to rely on the unique skills of the char- acters. Besides the standard sword attack, each character has innate skills that build throughout the game. One character is good with guns, missile launchers and other heavy gear; another wields magic (she can learn more than 60 spells in all); and the third is a wiz with blade attacks. Besides these special attacks, th characters can also cut loose with powers that become available when they take enough damage, giving you more combat options than you'll find in nearly all other RPGs. Yet despite all the combat possibilities, Wild Arms remains simple to play (it's even ideal for RPG newbies,

uch better than n. Each character, ents of towns, is and detailed. And ies in the battle omenal—especially ‚ Wild Arms is so en give FFVII a run

IN

ne is that it has a lot G influences with cenes from тоге h all of the hustle nding Final Fantasy back and play an eally good by the about what's to round solid buy for

-SHAWN

ange when a bright spell a room. Awesome!

d to of had more

ers and a story that

It then again, every

retty linear). Fans

this up. It may

great RPG for efore Square's giant -DAN

tup, you'll be wish- ave more allies. | sed with the back- it most RPGs һауе nimation, however, ul, and the charac- ions were a пісе

, you'll enjoy

Final SUSL Vil

INGENUITY

| SYSTEM: NINTENDO 64

КУ = EXEN 64

PUBLISHER: GT INTERACTIVE

CATEGORY: SHOOTER BACK-UP: MEMORY РАК BEST FEATURE: 4 PLAYERS AT ONCE WORST FEATURE: OUTDATED ALSO TRY: DOOM 64

Hexen 64 is in a bed of hot competition. You have the fancy-looking Turok in one corner and the new-and-improved Doom 64 in the other. Unfortunately, | think Hexen 64 will be squashed in between and left for dead. Why? It's just an old game with an old engine. The enemies in Hexen 64 are (and this is my biggest gripe of most "Doom" games) very predictable. It gets rather repetitive when you meet an enemy and (in order): Shoot, step out of the way, shoot again (if necessary), step out of the way, etc. So what's left? The level design. But the generic medieval look of Hexen can't com- pete with other first-person shooters' better- looking worlds. Hexen's stages just aren't that interesting to explore! At least the game gives you four-player deathmatch. This mode is fairly decent, but only because we haven't seen it in a console game yet. Having a four-player ver- sion of a lackluster game only makes it slightly better thanslackluster. The different.characters апа their different weapons also makes the game interesting, but | doubt many of you will want to play the game through-with another character once you've beaten it already (1 did- n't). So although many of you will buy Hexen 64 due to the current drought, І recommend wait- ing for Duke Nukem 64 or Quake 64. -DANI

CATI RY: ACTION

BACK-UP: PASSWORD BEST FEATURE: GRAPHICS WORST FEATURE: CONTROL

ALSO TRY: NIGHTS

Pandemonium! was a great PlayStation title, and it makes a stylin’ debut on the beleaguered Sega Saturn. This past year has seen the emer- gence of the pseudo-3D genre, and Pandemonium! still leads the pack. Filled with excellent 2-D action on 3-D backgrounds, Pandemonium! on the Saturn is а step above its PlayStation sibling. The control is not perfect, but it is tighter, which is a blessing on later levels. The only surprise, which isn't a bad thing, is the different color usage for the levels. On the PlayStation, the color was bright and happy... happy..happy. This version is gloomier, with darker foreboding colors that set a slightly different mood as you play. Basically, there is no difference between the two games, but months later, Crystal Dynamics has seen fit to fully optimize it for the Saturn (another disturb- ing trend in video games). If you are one of those lucky few who own both systems, this is the version-to-get, but if you. already own Pandemonium! for the PlayStation, the changes aren't worth the money. If you only have a Saturn, why are you still here? Go-buy it! You won't regret it. Аһ, it is refreshing to see the floundering 2-D side-scrolling platform make the leap to pseudo-3-D in order to remain a viable marketing option... “SUSHI

SYSTEM: SATURN SEGA AGES PUBLISHER: WORKING DESIGNS

ir EX)

CATEGORY: CLASSIC СОМР BEST FEATURE: З GREAT GAMES

ALSO TRY: ANY CLASSIC COMP.

It's about darn time a compilation disc hit the Saturn, and you couldn't ask for a better starter set than this trio of Space Harrier, Out Run and After Burner Il. These classics—created by Sega's Yu Suzuki-led AM2 development team— were revolutionary in their time, not to mention expensive (the sit-down version of ABII was one of the first games to cost a buck). So it's extra cool to finally play arcade-perfect versions without going bankrupt. Each game is true to the original in every way, right down to the Demo Screens. Even the music is authentic (a good thing, since ABII has some of the most kick-butt tunes ever, something | missed in the Genesis version). Of course, the games don't look so hot when you compare them to today’s flying, driving and shooting games. Looking back, | find it hard to believe | was so impressed by their simple scaling effects. Still, the graph- ics do pack a certain personality that you don’t find іп .the.polygonal visuals.of.most modern arcade titles (the Space Harrier dragon remains а classic video game bad guy). Гат disappoint- ed in only getting three games. The oldies іп this small collection put me in such a nostalgic mood that.| wanted to play other Sega classics, such as Thunder Blade and Hang On. Too bad they weren't included, 100. —CRISPIN

Although: action is part of my "Favorite Genre,” sometimes one too many of a certain type of game comes out and | get bored. That's how | feel about Hexen. 64. Sure, the graphics look great and | like the inventory system, but when it comes right down to. it, it's still a Doom clone. The four-player feature is what saved this game from a lower score. =SHAWN

OK, before you guys start researching old issues for my score for Pandemonium! on the PlayStation (which was 9.0) let me just say that the 0.5 difference comes from the slight decrease in graphic quality. | really liked Pandemonium! оп the PS, and | still like it now. It's a lot of fun to play апа | didn't find that it got old in the slightest. I'll buy it. =SIHAWINI

C’mon...l; know there were more than three old Sega games. The three that are included are cool and all but that's all? | never really liked Space Harrier that much anyway. Working Designs did a kick-ass job with what was on the disc though—even. though it's straightfor- ward. Some background info (a la Namco Classics) would've been nice. -SiH/AVVNI

Hexen 64's/frame rate is a little sluggish, and so is the control. You'll find yourself taking unnec- essary enemy hits simply because strafing's such a pain in the butt. On the bright side, the four-player Deathmatch Mode is a nice touch. | also like that you can save your.game at any- time, anywhere in the dungeon—a feature | wish more Doom clones would copy. „© иЄ

Crystal Dynamics' рагіпа gift to Sega (Pandemonium! is their last Saturn game) is a fine one. This visual and musical tour de force may not be the most original thing around (it's a simple side-scroller with very cool 3-D back- grounds and perspectives), and-the controls stink (the original Super Mario Bros. had bet- ter), but I still highly recommend it DANI

Ahhh, the-memories. Everything seems the way it should be, from the great smoke effects of After Burner to the little horse ornament flip- ping around on the car in Out Run. These games were all revolutionary in their time, so it's nice to have them in their untouched, original form. A couple more games would've helped greatly, but these three are golden. ^ -DAN

Besides the factthat this is an old game, | can't recommend this relic to anyone off hand. The Four-player Option, while nice, is not conducive to deathmatches in Hexen. Doom 64 needed it, not Hexen. Hexen is also an outdated first-per- son engine, as well as an unpopular one to boot. ld much rather wait for Quake, which should be awesome. у

Everyone should play through:Pandemonium! at least once, if for no other reason than to gawk at its gee-wiz special effects and wild, winding levels (which: hold plenty of hidden areas). It happens to be a solid 3-D side-scroller to boot. Control is tight for the most part, but sometimes it becomes awkward when the camera whirls around into a new perspective. РРА

It's clear.to see how revolutionary Sega's arcade games were (and why | dumped tons of quar- ters into their games) from these three great titles. Alas, | can't help but wonder why only three games are featured, and why no excellent "inside info" is shared. with us, as is the norm with the other classic compilations. Loyal Sega fans will feel cheated by this. SUSI

.S.K3.5.E4 VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY

ES 7. = М VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY

E35. 5 VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY

SYSTEM: PLAYSTATION | SYSTEM: PLAYSTATION

BATTILESPOR!

PUBLISHER: ACCLAIM

CATEGORY: ACTION/SPORTS

BACK-UP: MEMORY CARD

BEST FEATURE: ACTION-PACKED WORST FEATURE: REPETITIVE ALSO TRY: CYBERSLED

Cybersled meets soccer. Not a bad combina- tion. Being a big fan of the above two, | enjoyed Battlesport right off the bat. The action is very fast-paced, and unlike BallBlazer Champs (a similar game in concept, also reviewed this month), Battlesport's animation was smooth and superb. The graphics, however, could've used some more pizazz. After all, we are used to light sourcing and other 32-Bit frills in futuristic sports games. Looking past the humble visuals, | thought the handling of the vehicles, to put it mildly, stunk. It's difficult to catch the ball at any time, unless it's sitting still, or you and it are heading toward each other in a straight line. | was frustrated when | was constantly missing the ball and power-ups because | wasn't quite in the perfect position. In order to make up for this, you may find yourself slowing down or out- right stopping to get your bearings straight. So what's wrong with that? The supposedly "fast- paced action"-comes to a halt.and.you.become cannon.fodder (this problem greatly lessens over time and practice). Battlesport gets kudos for offering so many arenas to playsin (though many of them are pretty much the same) and so many in-game options (variety is 90091. Battlesport is-not great, by any means, but Cybersled fans should check it out DAN

Another futuristic sports title to review! What's the world coming to? | have to say | liked this one a little better than BallBlazer because it was easier to get into. The graphics were a step down in Battlesport, but | found myself gen- uinely wanting to ѕсоге оп, the enemy. Sports enthusiasts beware: To me, Battlesport is more action with sporty influences. SHAWN

Battlesport isn't as fun as this month's other futuristic sports game, BallBlazer Champions, but it ain't bad either. You get plenty of options to set up before each match, as well as lots of nifty power-ups. The different types of goals are especially cool (you try.scoring on a goal that flies 20 feet above the arena's floor!). The slug- gish control needs tweaking. =€RISPIN

By far my greatest kudos for Battlesport are for the immense options settings. | wasn't terribly impressed with the vehicle graphics, let alone their paltry control. Then again, I'm nota big fan of these futuristic sports games, so | didn't expect much. I’m surprised at the apparent unfinished quality of the game, almost as if it were a first-generation PS дате=Э 5-Х

SWAGMA PUBLISHER: EIDOS

1 A id id i dk

EERERRRRRERLE

CATEGORY: ADVENTURE

BACK-UP: MEMORY CARD

BEST FEATURE: COOL LEVELS WORST FEATURE: TOO SIMPLISTIC ALSO TRY: CASPER

Games like this are always at least a little fun for me even if they're half-rate. What makes Swagman even better is that it's hardly half- rate! Granted it's a bit of a kid's game but there isn't anything wrong with that—in fact, that's part of what makes Swagman so great. The idea behind the game is simple (as far as the fanta- Sy type of story line) but a lot of fun. The graph- ics are pretty sharp (except for the occasional rough-edged sprite) with the different realtime lighting effects and shadows. The adventure aspects of the game are also done well. All of the different items were neat since they kind of matched what would be in a house—what kids could find and use. The switch to the dream world was also a very cool idea, although | have to admit | was a little scared of the different monsters..OK, maybe not really scared, but they were eerie. The level design was pretty complex but really, what house is that big with all of those-hidden rooms? l.guess.that's why the game is a fantasy. | liked being able to walk around a house with a kitchen, bathroom, etc. Sure, it sounds weird, but it added a lot to the game. For example, in the bedroom, to go into a secret room, you can bat the clothes out of the way in order to find the secret entrance. Overall, it's a good buy. =SHAWN

PUBLISHER: KOEI

3118288 c —

CATEGORY: FIGHTING

BACK-UP: MEMORY CARD

BESTFEATURE: SOLID CONTROL

WORST FEATURE: FEW CHARACTERS

ALSO TRY: SOUL BLADE

Dynasty Warriors is a great fighter, almost at a par with recent hits like Soul Blade. Character detail and animation are perfectly smooth, and even the color choices are well-planned. My only real beef with this game is the relatively low number of fighters to choose from. I'm not sure if you're like me, but I tend to choose the female characters first, then branch out from there. This is the first fighting game to only have one female fighter to choose from in a long time. In other peeves, the backgrounds are less than inspiring, but are forgivable, as they remind me of Tekken sets. The control is very tight, and to accomplish some of the best com- bos, you'll need to practice, practice, practice. You get very little room for error here. This becomes most noticeable when you attempt to use your special attack. Thanks mainly to the location of the buttons on the control pad, get- ting your special to work when you want it becomes-the- hardest part of Dynasty. Warriors. | would;have to say that if there weren't already a few hundred titles like this already, we could very well see a great series forming here. All it needs is а little tweaking to the character bal- ance and the backgrounds, and it. would be far better. Dynasty Warriors is one of those games that reels you in after a while. =5USHIX

Never before has a game been so..normal. Although I can't really find one concrete com- plaint about the gameplay, | can't find anything stellar about it either. It's just there. When you first play Swagman, you'll swear that, you've played hundreds of games. like it before. The cartoon-quality graphics and creepy sound- track do create a great atmosphere." DAN

This is my kind of fighter; Sure, games like Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Tekken 2 are incred- ible, but when you start having authentic char- acters from history, you get to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Of course, it may be a little weird to control players from the 15th cen- tury, but it's a learning experience nonetheless. Besides this, it controls very well. =5ĦHAWN

Simple but fun-that's the best way to describe this vaguely Zelda-esque action game. Swagman's more than 15 levels are large and imaginative, with plenty of puzzles and hidden areas. Most of the puzzles are easy to figure out. Throwa switch here, move a box there and you're all/set. The game looks spiffy, but some- times it's hard to see doors. =CRISPIN

It's about darn time that a.polygonal fighter offered more than tap..tap.tappin’ the buttons away for a silly combo. Although a few of Dynasty's combos are done this way (ugh), they have many Street Fighter-style moves too. The best way to describe Dynasty is that it's a cross between Soul Blade and SF EX. Good variety among the characters is also a plus. DAN

Swagman deals out the goods: powerful ambi- ence, deep story, Zelda-style controls, and backs it up with fairly decent challenges now and then. Its not too complex, so learning gamers will want to pick this up. | had a lot of fun rooting around in Swagman, and I know you will too, but | wouldn't recommend this to advanced gamers. =5USHIX

Dynasty-Warriors lets those who like апа those who dislike Block buttons beat each other up in peace and harmony. The game supports both types of defense—you can pull back to block or use thé two defensive buttons. But you'll prob- ably want to make use. of the entire blocking system, since certain parries will set up ene- mies for devastating counters. =CRISPIN

КА 6 £ EA VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY

ES ЕЯ E37. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

=. EA Е >. VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY

= =>

PlayStation

ntertainment Inc, "RAYSTORM" is a trademark of Taito Corp., licensed by Working Designs. Original Game © Taito Corp. 1996. ered trademark of Working Designs, Inc. All rights reserved. "SPAZ" is a trademark of Working Designs, Inc. All rights reserved. %

SYSTEM: PLAYSTATION

BROKEN HELIX

PUBLISHER: KONAMI

BALLBLAZER CHAMPS

[AMICO MUSE PUBLISHER: NAMCO

BACK-UP: MEMORY CARD BEST FEATURE: BRUCE CAMPBELL

WORST FEATURE: GRAPHICS

ALSO TRY: SENTIENT

It's been awhile since we first saw Broken Helix, but as far as I'm concerned, it was worth the wait. It may not be the premier game on the PlayStation but it certainly has some cool fea- tures. First, Bruce Campbell's voice-overs are hilarious and the whole intro with that jerk-off drill sergeant is great. Where's the chainsaw for an arm though? On the flip side of that, some of the other character voices were overdramatic and almost laughable. The graphics were done well, but often looked too polygonal (early ver- sions seemed grainy but cleaner than in this finished version). The non-linearness of the game really adds to its playability. You could walk in there, guns a-blazin; but if you do so, you'll lose. Eventually the bad guys (who are supposed to be good guys by the way) will kill you for not completing your "mission" properly. So listening to your objectives and taking time is worth it. The missions in the game are really fun to play:through as well. Thesdevels have dif- ferent; paths, one possibly being quicker or more effective than another. The progression of the story (moving from vague instructions to top-seeret Area 51. stuff) is interesting. Strange how Broken Helix is coming out at.à time when aliens are so«darned' popular. Good timing on Konami's part—or is there more... =5HAWN

CATEGORY: ACTION/SPORTS

BACK-UP: MEMORY CARD

BEST FEATURE: GRAPHICS

WORST FEATURE: SLUGGISH LOADING

ALSO TRY: LEAGUE OF PAIN

Ah, memories. | remember playing BallBlazer more than a decade ago on my Commodore 64 (it was one of those games that kept us going during the video game crash). So | booted up this update expecting to experience the origi- nal's classic gameplay. | wasn't disappointed. BBC demands both quick reflexes and а little bit of strategy. The object is to nab and carry a glowing orb across obstacle-ridden arenas and launch it into your opponents goal (which sometimes moves or shrinks). Trouble is, the ball saps your craft's energy, slowing you down just as your opponent gets ready to turbo boost into your sluggish keester. You can pick up mines, missiles and other power-ups to keep your opponent off your tail, but then he can use the same weapons against you too. Success depends on you learning the layout of each of the 12 huge stadiums, which contain scattered energy-replenishing zones that'll recharge your craft whensthesball saps all its-power. With its smooth, Gouraud-shaded visuals, BBC looks as good аз it plays. №5 packed with little details like blowing banners, billboards and snazzy lighting- effects. The two-player, Split screen Моде сап be a little confusing at first, but you get used to it; BBC also supports Sony's analog pad and its rumble feature. =CRISPIN

жїз Sats ee 30900 _

ат ЖЕР as

CATEGORY: ARCADE COMP.

BACK-UP: MEMORY CARD

BEST FEATURE: MUSEUM MODE

WORST FEATURE: UNKNOWN TITLES

ALSO TRY: ANY NAMCO COMP.

III

The idea here is simple enough, but | have to give props to Namco for not just throwing their old-school games onto a disc and shipping them out. Granted this is the fourth one they've put out (in a series of five), so by this time it's a given that they know how to make a solid com- pilation, but the Museum area is still pretty darn cool. | like walking around looking at all the preliminary sketches, sounds, music, etc. of the games and then, of course, playing them. 1 especially liked the time line of Namco releas- es. My only gripe is that the games on this one were a little weird. Sure, Ordyne is a pretty neat shooter-very modern compared to the other titles on the CD—but the rest of them are a lit- tle strange (especialy that darned Genji & Heike Clans) Pretty much three of the five games in Volume 4 are fun: Pac-Land, Assault and Ordyne. The other two, the aforementioned Genji & Heike Clans and The Return of Ishtar, were pretty-lame:due to difficult.control.and the games being... well, not very fun. The 3-D graph- ics while walking around the Museum аге done well, similar to Jumping Flash! It's-cool that they gave you control of Pac-Man, a Run button and the ability to look up and down. Honestly though, | would've rather been Dig-Dug as | walked around the place. =SHAWN

This game-is sassy! | love the humor. Broken Helix is а potpourri of so many other types of games (Fade to Black, Overblood and so on) but has its own style and flair. The missions are packed with variety. It із а very challenging game, made more difficult. by the substandard graphics (it's hard to avoid security cameras if you can’t see them too well!).

Broken Hélix may pack а cool'story and excel- lent voíce acting, but it still falls well short of being (а perfect shooter—mainly because of its graphics. The game manages to be too colorful and too dark at the same time. You'll stumble into pitch-black walls.and obstacles that stand beside banks of garish computers until you jack

up your television’s brightness. —CPISPIN

SDAN

This oneds sporty, but it is pretty fun since it has a sci-fi touch. Definitely а/дате where some strategy could be employed. The Selection Screens were sluggish, making character selec- tion, ete. annoying. The different Play Modes were fun (my personal.favorite being Freeplay) and the competition was pretty fierce at times. The graphies were awesome. =SHAWI d

The Namco collections аге getting more obscure. IVe played Assault and Pac-Land, but the others are new to me. Ordyne (the shooter) is the best game here, and besides Assault (awesome with the dual analog joystick only), | don't see much more.reason torget this one except to have a complete Namco series. Not bad, but the earlier editions are better. [ANI

This is one game that could've taken'it easy on the speed! It could've been an almost perfect futuristic sports/action title. The choppy and speedy animation combined with-the loose controls make the game very difficult to follow, especially іп the Two-player Mode. The confu- sion could lead to frustration, but you may get used to it with time and practice. =DAN

Only two,of this collection'$ titles—Assault and Ordyne-are worth a darn. But that’s OK, because Assault (one of my favorite arcade games) is nearly worth the price of admission. Be warned, though- you'll need-Sony's analog pad or dual analog stick.to get arcade-true con- trol in this classic. The other three games— although novel-aren't much fun. =CRISPIN

| really-hate-the graphics іп-Вгокеп Нейіх. With the third-generation games almost upon us, I'd think the polygon count would be much higher, but instead/I’m forced to resort to parlor tricks and "The Force" when playing. The story and humorous dialog really save Broken Helix, and without them, Га have to rank it much lower than this: =SUSHI-X

Негез”а пісе solid сате tO play-with your friends. The numerous stadiums, while similar, still give an individual feel about them. The music is best left off. The addition of several key strategic elements really round out this game, placing it, little ahead.of the other many futur- istic sports/action titles like Battlesport, which lack this vital piece of gameplay. =SUSHIEX

This museum really disappoints me with its irri- tating selection of games: Usually, you could count on at least three hot games you used to monopolize at the arcades, but this one only has Assault and Ordyne as its main draw. I'm shocked at the meager.selections offered here, but as always, the behind-the-scenes inter- views and movies rule. =SUSHI-X

VISUALS | SOUND INGENUITY VISUALS ІМСЕМОІТҮ REPLAY

EJEGM

.7. >. INGENUITY REPLAY

npud Borne ОГЕпсһал їй bre Exist Only One RIE Expect The Impossible;

This official seal is your

assurance that this ргобінсі: = 1 m те: Tue

M

ар fl

SEGA AND SEGA SATURN ARE TRADE! at Г ji б опхо by Working Desig Game © Sungott 1996, English Translation. Арол n as par you, û A formation оп Game Найт 5 $7 ?

NOW AVAILABLE FOR NINTENDO 64

SUPPORTS 4 PLAYERS !

(NINTENDO 64 VERSION ONLY)

ge»

me, nintendo 64 us sto the decaying world of режет.

а; A maAqe, A cleric, or warrior, you An three friends have the ability to go

E

wt fbead-to-bead ín a split screen deathmatch. you bave a wicked

arsenal of Mecdieval weaponry. you have 5и pev buman powers. you pave NO 1С1@ А. wrat you'll be getting yourself invo. hexen.

beyond EVIL. beyond hope. be yond any 3-d game ever created.

™

GT tater interes | iC Е GT Interactive Software (6) я

www.gtinteractive.com www.idsoftware.com

ora

SEGA

SEAL OF QUALITY

TRICKMAN TERRY LOSES EVEN MORE BRAIN POWER!!

Samson's strength was in Trickman's brain power hed after his haircut. yoked on with awe, as

| in the office with short

MANY BONUS VEHICLE PASSWORDS

TRENE press start (о accept

JEPME: Comanche pickup LCME: Landcruiser

LIMOME: White limousine MAZME: Mazda Miata QUATME: Audi Quattro SEMIME: Semi-truck cab SNOWME: Same as ARMYME, different trailer

TRAMME: Monolithic

Studios tram

VANME: Combi minivan VOVME: Volvo station wagon YJME: Jeep Renegade/Wrangler CRATME: Brown wooden crate

е back of his head! For ü On the Main Menu Screen, is kept it long - highlight the Options and Ju ime he decided | č enter it. Move down, highlight as in order. We still don't | № and enter the Password уаз a good decision or Е Option. Now put in the ту seems to be fumbling ч following passwords: lessly, even more than > LILZIP: Bonus car: Ford an effort to pay off more о Indigo ills, he has resorted to selling a SHOTME: Bonus track: air for money. How pathet- | Monolithic Studios eister think POWRUP: Pioneer engines; е don't even know the _ faster acceleration for all cars t question! What we (lasts for one race) wever, is that he still has | in power to make a great | 26 SECRET CARS: At the Main п! Send your stuff to: Menu, select Options, then Ti : Password. Enter the desired car's 2 password. You can now drive one of 26 secret cars! Return to the Main Menu and select Race. It doesn't matter what normal car = - қ you already have selected. Note: If WIN GAMES AND ACCESSORIES you want to use a secret car pass- FOR YOUR TRICKS! word in Two-player Mode, simply > да replace the password's ME with 0 If your trick is selected for the second player (example: as the Trick of the. Month, you will win - (8 free. Game, Shark АВМУМЕ: Army truck | provided by the kind BUSME: Yellow school bus people.at Interact. Ш ВЕЕТМЕ: Car with sunroof you are given credit for jot ш in this section, rc coast nr vv a Жо hiang Avenue, Suite 2 و‎ SPECIAL OO CHEAT SCREEN /on$ors and will not be масун итен, a Go into the Options from the - Menu Screen. Move down to [4 the Player Name Option. bs Enter one of the words а shown below (highlighted іп не Й D red) on the Name En Ua eden 5 Screen. Then go back to the ч Main Menu Screen and press

v» and he odds ol winning jos rocaiod, "osidents of United States апа Canada. vith ho time parameters containod салон ЖЕШ

Employees. ‘alates aro

мини

Left, Right, Square, Circle, Triangle, Triangle, Down. A new screen called "Cheater" will appear. Listed here are the codes that will turn the different options on or off in this screen:

and E3).

GO POSTAL: opens up FAST RELOAD (quick missile launches), DAMAGE BONUS (one missile

to kill enemies) and WEAPONS (infinite missiles).

FOX ROX: opens up CITY. Select any level, including bonus levels. MR HAPPY: opens up PLANE. Setting the plane to "BAC" will let you fly the alien craft on any level! GODZILLA: opens up KILL CIVIL (locks onto civilian objects) and KILL WING (locks onto wingmen

TOURIST: opens up CITY, TOURIST (all aliens removed from the world), DEMO CAM (detaches camera from the plane. The game can't be played in this mode,

but the camera is controlled by the control pad) and NO TIME (not timed).

ишин

ГЕ > піну H [pus n creas

LOGME: Long wooden log OUTHME: Small brown outhouse from North Country

STDAME: Souvenir stand(green) STDBME: Souvenir stand (blue) STDCME: Souvenir stand (red) TREXME: T-Rex from

Monolithic Studios

from Monolithic Studios. These passwords stay in memo- ty for one race.

Brett Schultz Elm Grove, WI

SINGLE PLAYER MULTIPLAYER OPTIONS

CHEATER CITY GRAND CANYON твЕЛАМЕ” NE INVINCIBLE DAMAGE BONUS RECON VEMICLES

QURIST

MEAPONS FAST RELOAD DEMO CAM мә TIME

START

LIVE FREE: opens up INVINCI- BLE (You'll take no damage).

Fox Interactive

Sweet Dreams.

In the nightmarish world of

the Swagman, members of

the Dreamflight are being

held captive. The twins е j Zack and Hannah need f your help to make the

night safe again for

happy dreams.

Explore the eerie house. ^ "Swagman is

of the real world and _ . өтей learn the bizarre secret eye-popping: -GameFan

of the dream world wit Zack and Hannah in 6 |, E massive levels of adventi | | | E ; *Swagman's dream-like with 16 graphically 1" ММ AN TAA), graphics and involving 3-D settings. Е АВВ \ ' gameplay will capture the к! 112 player's imagination!" -PS Extreme

GMAN, CORE and Eidos Interactiv lemarkS of EIDOS, PLC. © 1997 EIDOS. The г; is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Sof ociatic nto St., San Francisco, СА 94111 For Swagman hints and tips: CALL 1-900-77EIDOS $.95 per minute / must have touchtone phone. If under 18, must have parent's permission.

The Trade

WCW vs. The World

Here are some moves for the

wrestlers in the game provided by T«HQ: d Hollywood Hogan

Choke Hold: Hold the Circle button long, then press Up. -

Face Crush: Press R1 to duck behind a stunned opponent, then tap the Circle button. Chris Benoit :

Power Bomb (pin): Hold the Circle button long, then press Down on the directional pad.

German Suplex (pin): Press R1 to duck behind the stunned opponent, hold the Circle button long. Eddy Guerrerro

Pendulum Backbreaker: Press R1 to duck behind stunned opponent and tap the Circle button.

Tiger Suplex (pin): Press R1 to duck behind stunned opponent, hold Circle button long and press UP on the directional pad. reus

Lex Luger

Torture Rack: Press R1 to duck behind stunned opponent and hold the Circle button long.

Choke Slam: Hold the Circle button long, then press Up on the direc- tional pad.

Sting

Scorpion Death Drop (Reverse DDT): Press R1 to duck behind stunned opponent and hold Circle button long.

Pile Driver: Hold Circle button short and press Down.

Ric Flair

Knee Drop: Press R1 to duck behind groggy opponent, tap Circle and press Up.

Canadian Backbreaker: Hold the Circle button long and press Up. Dean Malenko Bryant Suplex : Hold the Circle button long. Neck Jerk: Press R1 to duck behind groggy opponent, hold Circle button long and press Up on the direction- al pad.

Lord Steven Regal Regal Stretch: Hold the Circle but- ton long and press Down on the directional pad

Diving Cross Arm Bar: Press R1 to duck behind groggy opponent, tap- the Circle button and press Up on the directional pad.

Bad Blood

Avalanche Frankenwhip: Throw _ groggy opponent into turnbuckle. Hold the Circle button until you put your opponent onto turnbuckle and perform the move

Throw German Suplex: Press R1 to duck behind opponent. Hold the...

Colecm

POWERTRIP

LÀ

TITLE SCREEN TRICK, WARPS AND SECTORS

Here are some great tricks and strategies that will enhance Star Fox 64: Follow the Numbers: On the Title Screen, press the B button once and then start rotating the analog joystick around until the number 64 on the end of the logo begins to move. Now you can move it anywhere on the screen and the characters will follow. it with their heads! Let go of the stick and it will return to its original position. Go to Sector Y from Corneria: On the first planet, Corneria, your wingman Falco will be attacked by three ships. The easiest way to take them out is with a homing blast by holding the Fire button and then letting it go on the middle ship. This will destroy the others as well. After a little while, you will see arches made out of rocks. Make sure you go under- neath each arch. Falco will then lead you into the waterfall (where you couldn't go before) and you will soon be fighting a different Boss. You may recognize him as the Boss from the first Star Fox game. After defeating him, you'll be led to Sector Y. Go to Aquas: In Sector Y, get 100 kills or more to go to the planet Aquas. Go to Sector Z: In Zoness, you must shoot down all the floating spotlights in the stage. You will then move onto Sector Z after you finish this stage. Get a Warp to Titania: When you're in the meteor field Mateo, make it past the checkpoint and soon you will see rings made of

SPECIAL CHEAT MENU

As soon as the War Gods logo appears on the screen, use the directional pad and the buttons (not the analog joystick) to enter the foll ing code very quickly: Rig Right, Right, B, B, A, A. If you did it quickly enough, you will hear the announcer say, "All too easy" At the Main Menu (Start/Options) Screen, high- light Options and enter it. A new option will be available called "Cheat Menu!" Choose this menu to get a new screen filled with options such as a level

ао қ»

27/У1Ф7 5 cal

light blue triangles. Go through all seven of these, and you will warp into a strange world full of power- ups and then you'll end up on the planet Titania.

Get a Warp to Sector Z: At

around the halfway point of Sector

X, move to the left side of the screen and stay in that general area. Eventually, you will have a choice of the direction of two arrows. Pick the left one and soon you will be faced with a few

“Note: The trick was done on a Japanese

select, timer option and skill

levels for players one and two. Depending on the length of these meters, your life meter in the game will either go down slower or quicker. Also, easy fatalities will be available. When you are about

т of the game and is subject to change on the prod

= 000 BE 100

нт сгжтоһ-э» 202 нт ^

~ Emon

grey/white rectangular gates. You must shoot these constantly until they turn red, and then they will open. This is nearly impossible with anything other than the blue double laser. Make sure you have this weapon before getting to this point. Once you have passed through the last gate, you will warp! Avoid the rotating shapes and shoot the enemies to survive in this alternate world. Then you'll end up going to Sector Z.

n American version.

еее опока те

to finish your opponent, make sure to stand the correct distance with your character, and press A+B+Top C+Right C buttons simultaneously for the fatality.

"Note: The trick was done on a preproduction version of the вате and is subject to change on te production version

Yavitz; St. Louis, MO

SHE'LL KICK YOUR

AT E3 AND BEYOND

The Trade

1 WCW vs. Тһе World

Drop: Knock your oppo- | of the ring, then move - pes and press the

tton and the directional away from him. After you the far ropes, hold the |

Siant Robot Crab Boss: | ga Ball into the Boss’ fat

Stage ,

Grenade Man as their first. chal- ч To defeat Grenade Man, use the Modai Eur or the Thunder

1 must use the ісе Man until he | т with your weapon stroy him, you Will get th

in ТД To defeat the mi on this € your best be

POWER TRIP

NANOTEK WARRIOR

ж STOP SHIP, FULL : SHIELD, ETC.

Press Start to pause during the game and enter any of the codes: Stop your Ship enter: Triangle, Left, Triangle, Right, Triangle, Up, Triangle, Start. Stop your ship at any time by pressing Triangle. Enable your Memory Card enter: Left, Right, Left, Left, R2, Circle, L1, X. This allows you to save a game onto the memo- ry card. A memory card must be inserted prior to booting up for this work. Once the code is entered, you can save by quitting out. Then you will be put into the modified Password Screen from where you may save. To access Full Shield enter: Select, Circle, Right, Up, Up, L1, L1, X. This allows you to gain full shield capacity. To access Warp Sim enter: Circle, Square, Circle, Square, Triangle, Triangle, Triangle, X. This will allow you to simulate the speed burst of the warp zones.

PlayStation Virgin Intera

TIGERSHARK

s TONS OF Š CHEAT CODES

Go to the Resume Mission Option and then to the Password Screen. Put in these: For Improved Weapons enter: RUBLE For Minimal Gravity enter: SOYUZ For the hidden Sea Hunter game enter: SNEEG For access to Movie Menu enter: KIEV For the “Bugrider” Preview enter: BUGGY To begin at Debriefing 2 enter: AKULA To begin at Debriefing 3 enter: PASHA Begin at Debriefing 4 enter: MIRAS Begin at Debriefing 5 enter: NAKAT

хү >»

Begin at Debriefing 6 enter: REZKY Begin at Debriefing 7 enter: TUCHA Begin at Debriefing 8 enter: ZARYA

Begin at Debriefing 9 enter: VOSTA.

PlayStation GT Interactive

ж

BÀ»

POWER TRIP

POWER TRIP оз

POWER TRIP

GROW/SHRINK, PLAY AS THE BOSS

At the Character Select Screen, press and hold L2--R2 simultaneously. While holding these, press X to choose your character. During gameplay, press L2 to shrink your char- acter and R2 to make your player grow! You can do this any time during the match, or replay of the game. To play as Mufu beat the game on Easy.

For Nork, beat it on Normal. For Emperor Udan, on Hard.

"Noto: The trick was done on a Japanese version of the game

and is subject to change on the production American version.

PlayStation SquareSoft

FADE TO BLACK

CINEMA TEST

Go to the Password Screen and enter the cheat enabler code as follows: Square, Triangle, Circle, X, Circle, Triangle. Then press Start. The screen will say you have entered an invalid code. Exit the screen and re-enter the Password Screen. Now put in Square, X, Circle, Triangle,

Circle, X. You'll be brought to a

WEAPON REFILL, FLEA CODE

To enter these codes, just begin your game and then pause. Then enter them:

To Refill Weapons/Power

enter: Triangle, X, X, X, Circle, X, Square, Triangle, X, Triangle, Circle. If done correctly, the spider will regain power and weapons. Do as often as you wish.

To Turn into a Flea enter: Triangle, Square, Circle,

PlayStation

Movie Player Screen where you can view the cinemas. James Мешпа ittman, OH

Triangle. Spider will then shrink down to the size of a tiny flea!

BMG Interactive

SOVIET STRIKE

MANY CHEATS

Just go to the Password screen and enter any of the following for various results: For four attempts enter: SADISSA

For Infinite fuel enter: EARTHFIRST

For a Peaceful World enter:

For Infinite Ammo, Fuel and Invincible Chopper enter: MIDNIGHOIL

PlayStation

Enter в Fanart Бит

For Infinite Ammo, Fuel апа Attempts enter: GAZI

BALL BLAZER CHAMPIONS

6 VARIOUS CHEATS

a Б” Here are a couple of pass-

= codes to enter in your

E UB nex game. Use the key below as a reference to the 4 PRESS START 10 Бат

g e following passcodes. = To Shrink the Rotofoil enter, On this menu, access the Enter this “smiley face” code

> e at the Password Screen, Enter Passcode command. inside the Passcode Screen. the password: : e XOXXOX Me E. теста XXXXXX eL. arm e XXTTXX

SXXXXS XSSSSX

To jump to the Master Dome stadium on Easy in the tournament with one previous loss on your record enter, at the Password Screen, the password:

To jump to the Master Dome stadium, enter this code.

O L1 L1 R1 R2 L2 X S S R1 R2 R1 R2 T L2 R1 L2 O L2 R2 R1 X L1 R2 S L2 R1 X R1 R1

You will be able to play in It is less challenging, but the Master Dome on “Easy.” — you'll get there a lot quicker.

NANOTEK WARRIOR

s LOCK-ON LIGHTNING BOLT

LAB When you finish the game on the Hard diffi- culty setting, you get a lock-on lightning bolt e special weapon. With this password, you can get it without beating the game. Just highlight e and enter the Password Option from the Main Menu Screen and enter the button code as ө follows: X, Square, Triangle, Circle, Square, Circle, X, Triangle, X. You'll be taken to Level 1 e with your ship all souped-up with spread lasers and the new lightning bolt weapon [2 which сап be used with the Circle button. Enter the password and you'll have a souped-

Joe Cecchin; San Carlos, СА up ship with the awesome lightning weapon!

INCREDIBLE CHEAT CODES

While at the Password Screen enter the following cheats to receive some helpful items in your game. You should see the word "Classified" if the code was entered correctly.

For Unlimited Fuel enter:

(Your fuel should then return back to 100

after running out.)

For One Extra Life enter: ч AN

For Four Extra Lives enter: | D. қ

For 4X Weapon power enter: ت‎ — — - (This cheat is one you definitely Use the Gabriel cheat to eliminate your

ought to try!) enemies with little firepower! For Fuel Consumption at half speed enter:

‘Mega Man 8

—by Capcom for о (=) Issue 790 | #90 © (continued) | ВА Toshinden URA SAT Project Overkill PS Bubsy3D Pro Pinball PS You must use the Mega Buster. | Mega Man does not get a weapon | Die Hard Trilogy PS Street Fighter Alpha 2 SAT Crusader: No Remorse SAT Revelations: Persona PS after defeating Duo. |

Aqua Man Stage = То swim you must continuously Gunship PS Time Commando PS Destruction Derby 2 ps Soul Blade PS

push the Jump button. The mid- Boss on this stage is annoying. The Machine Head PS Tomb Raider рс Fighters Megamix SAT Twisted Metal 2 PS strategy to beating him is to contin-

uously jump from log-to-log and | = attack with your weapon of choice. Namco Museum Vol.2 ps Twisted Metal 2 PS NBA Hang Time N64

To defeat Aqua Man, use the Astro Crush. Once you destroy him. you NHL Powerplay 96 SAT WipeOut XL PS | Issue 494] #94)

will get the Water Balloon.

| Bubble Bobble PS МВА Live '97 PS stage is unique in that it ) Issue #91 |

consists of four areas which you | 2Extreme SAT Pandemonium! PS The Crow: City of Angels PS Soviet Strike PS must complete before going on to the rest of the level. There will be four statues that block your path. The statues will open as you jump | on each of the orange buttons in | Killer Instinct Gold N64 Street Racer PS Mortal Kombat Trilogy N64 Turok: Dino. Hunter SAT the four areas. The four squares in

the first ro f Sw /5 casti he first room of Sword Man's castle NBA Hang Time N64 — Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey №64 (ІСТЕГІ гала

illustrate what weapon you must

use to complete the specifies area. | A.G.H. Atari Collection ps Scud: The Disp. Assassin SAT Area 1. Top left. In this area you (=) Issue 492 | Ж PO XM в Bubble Bobble PS Perfect Weapon | ps Doom 64 N64 Soviet Strike SAT Area 2. Top right. In this area you must use (һе ісе Wave to freeze the Fighting Vipers SAT Tempest X3 PS Independence Day ps Test Drive: Off-Road PS pillars of flame. | Area 3. Bottom left. In this area

Cruis'n USA N64 Space Jam PS Incredible Hulk PS 5. Puzzle Fighter II SAT

Iron Мап/Х-0 Manowar PS Mario Kart 64 №4 ТММ M.S. Hardcore 4X4 PS

you must use the Thunder Claw to к This guide is a reference to all of the game codes printed within the last six Swing and to reach the levers. | months of EGM. Note: This does not include Game Shark codes or any Area 4. Bottom right. In this area, | other codes that use a peripheral attachment. Look for the update in next Mega Man 8 SAT

u must use the Flash Bomb.to monthis Tes of the теде. light your path. After completing the four areas | you will be able to progress past Working Designs and Electronic Gaming Monthly present the...

the four statues which were in your ply jump on the button to the

side of the direction you would like | Grand Prize (0: $10,000 : r

to go. To defeat the mid-Boss, you AU s fire your weapon of ha at Giese Prizes (25): One-Year Subscription to ЕСМ

the red gem. Once you get to Sword | RUNNErS:UP Prizes (80): RAYSTORM Mouse Pads Man you can destroy him with the Eney Deadline: Nov. 29, 1997

Water Balloon. Once you defeat А him, you will get th Flame Sword. To enter: Send a legible photograph or a videotape showing the Final Status Summary Screen (sample depicted at left) from the Search Man St. PlayStation arcade shooting game RayStorm in One-player Mode, along with a 3x5 card or paper containing your name, address, age and COM ET e. phone number to: RayStorm Contest c/o Working Designs, 18135 Clear Creek Road, Redding, CA 96001.

ошм! изе. ше Thunder:Claw a lot during this stage. Use the Flame Sword to burn down the spikes for more bolts. To defeat Search Man; you must use the Flame Sword. You will then get the Homing Sniper. Astro Man St

In Astro Man's stage there is a 3 Ас

maze. The maze repeats itself so The key to defeating the first Boss is Once these are removed, only the turret Blast it with either your laser or your Now ignore the missile launchers on study it well. When there is an area to take out the laser generators on has to be contended with. Use your assault array special weapon. Repeat each “leg” of the Boss and concentrate that you can't jump t you must {| each side. тірі дееп лап targeting on the process on the other laser generator. ‘on taking out the turret on the top. use the Tornado Hold then jump | Enter as often as you wish, but only the single highest score submitted by any one individual will be entered for final со n. vens derived from the into the storm. To defeat Astro Man, Be Rede tne! Qa PRU Me anie ahi ШЫ pem OE O Nov. 29, 1907 Aliens become tho p Н Е ara you must use the Homing Sniper. | Working Designs directed entries. Unclaimed prizes will not be awarded, Limit one prize per famil. organization, or Once you defeat. Astro Man, you plot Elecvonie бат Vy (Approximate retail value $60). Fifty (50) Runner-up prizes: RayStorm mouse pads (approximate retail

an entry requirement), Judges: decision to be made the week of December 1 and winner wil be notified will get the Astro Crush: оп or about December 15th. In the event оГ a tie, ied players will be required to play eo tape. AlI judges decisions are final. Grand prize winner will be notified by Federal Express once entry has been verified

эз eligible. Runner-up prize winners will benotified by mail. Results will be publish tronic Gaming Monthly, on Working Designs’ web page (www.workingdesigns.com), and on Electronics Boutique's Internet Web

page. No substitution of prizes is allowed, except at the discretion of Working Designs, Inc, should one of the featured prizes become unavailable. For a complete rules listing, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Raystorm Rules, c/o Working Designs 18135 Clear Creek Road, Redding, СА 96001.

MISSION PASSWORDS

The covert missions in both disks: . For levels within the NOD mission disk enter: Level 2: Level 3: Level 4: Level 5: Level 6: Level 7: Level 8: Level 9:

Level 10:

Level 11:

Level 12: Level 13:

An opening cinema to the next level will tell you that it worked.

MECHWARRIOR 2

TARANTULA "МЕСН

On the Main Menu Screen, move down and highlight the Password Option. Enter it with X. Now, enter the password: . This will give you a new 'Mech chassis called “Tarantula.” Now choose your clan and then pick one of the available missions. After you do this, you may opt to choose your 'Mech with the Square button. Scroll down the list until you see Tarantula, the spider-looking "Месһ. You may now use it in combat! Brett Schultz Elm Grove, WI

SUPER BIKE AND SHEEP CODE

For the Superbike code, just go to the Bike Select Screen and then press: Y, Z, Right, Left, Down, Down, Up, Up. You should hear a sound like the motorcycle rewing up.

To get the Sheep code, go to the Transmission Select Screen and press: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Z, Y. If this code is done correctly, you will hear the sheep make a noise. Then begin your race and you will be on the back of the sheep, trotting along to the finish line!

On the Password Screen, enter this in NOD or GDI.

Entering the code gives you Covert Operations missions.

Use the NOD passwords to jump to your chosen mission.

System: Saturn Publisher: Sega

Ta

AND

CONQUER:

еби ERATIONS p

Covert Operations will now be an option on the menu.

Enter one of the mission passwords for NOD.

These passwords will only work on the NOD disk!

When you have the option to choose or change your ‘Mech, scroll to find Tarantula!

A rn

Enter the code and you will begin your race on the back of a sheep!

RATING PENDING

PlayStation

ШІ 4

THI

1 l

A diabolical product from

Behaviour Interactive

—

“

<

?

5 ж.

“МОК promises 3-D technology so cool and action so...realistic that it will send everything

else running for cover." -РС GAMER

"The ability to zoom in from a mile away within the sniper mode is remarkable."

- ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY

“One of the most innova- tive games ever created." — GAMEFAN

"This is one game that no Playstation owner will want to miss."

-PSX

Created by Shiny Entertainment, Inc. O 1997 Shiny Entertainment, Inc. MDK is a trademark of Shiny Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Artwork and design © 1997 Playmates Interactive Entertainment Inc. PIE™ is a registered trademark of Playmates Interactive Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. PlayStation and m the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Your planet is being bulldozed by the ton. Alien controlled mobile mining cities are strip-mining the earth's surface overrunning and crushing anything in their path...Unless you can stop them.

PLAYSTATION GAME OF THE YEAR..."

- GAMEFAN

* Fully 3-D rendered graphics unlike апу- and equipment including: thing you have ever before seen. - A helmet-mounted sniper rifle that tar- * Over 60 arenas spread out over 6 cities. gets enemies from over two miles away. * Never before seen "sniper mode" that — A living polymer suit that protects

allows you to zoom in on the enemy and pick it off with

from piercing projectiles. — A high-tech reusable

astounding accuracy. / рагасһите.

* The most sophisticated | - Bombs... enemy artificial intelligence decoys... ever created. Fully reactive homing sniper "smart enemies" think, grenades...

listen, and communicate in a calculated assault on your life.

* An arsenal of totally innovative weapons

and many more.

* Two styles of adrenaline- pumping game dynamics featuring first and third person point of view.

IT THINKS, THEREFORE IT KILLS.

PAVO V %; E o http://www.playmatestoys.com 2 5:2 2 2 www.shiny.com “уу

obody likes а smart-ass...unless that smart-ass is the lovable lizard known as Gex. This wise-cracker is going to make his 3-D debut on the PlayStation (well actually, it'll be his only 3-D appearance).

Gex: Enter the Gecko will be Crystal Dynamics' answer to Mario 64. Not only will the worlds of Gex be fully explorable with complete freedom of statues. By the movement, but the mechanics of being a gecko 4 way. when youre will allow for twists on the 3-D platform genre. 89 ЕА playing this level, For example, Gex can climb vertically on certain ) A some of Gex's walls. When you see this executed in a 3-D : speech may be off- world, you'll come away thoroughly impressed. 2 ES sync with his lip

Perhaps even more interesting is the creative 4 : movements. This, energy put into designing the worlds of Enter 4 < for once, is not due the Gecko. All of the humor, sarcasm and wit i х ҚҰЙ to your PlayStation that put Gex on the map of success will be fully : | É skipping or exploited (yes, comedian Dana Gould will be = overheating! doing the voices again). Each stage of the game puts plenty of emphasis on mocking one thing or another. To meet those goals, each world will feature a TV or movie theme from contemporary media.

We compiled a bunch of early screen shots, | concept drawings and more for your viewing = т Y pleasure. Each world is briefly summarized, and Space-suited Gex has a limited amount of air on this level. where the information is available, we list some of To make things worse, bat creatures tend to steal some of it the enemies and collectables that should inhabit from him. бех can replenish his O2 supply by attacking them. To protect the innocent (and themselves), these bats, or by visiting the few "air stations" that are Crystal Dynamics has changed certain names for around. Some enemies wield glowing sabers. Also expect their parodies. We give plenty of hints, so try to to see enemy droids (maybe they'll represent certain other guess what TV shows or movies some of these droids from the same movies as those sabers, but that's references (printed in BOLD) are alluding to. just us letting our imaginations run wild).

Please note: This stuff is the most up-to-date "NT info available anywhere but is subject to change!

Some of the early concept information has yet to be finalized, but for the most part, what you see and read is what will end up being in the final product. Make sure to stay tuned to upcoming episodes,...er, issues of EGM when we preview the game in depth.

It's big trouble in little China when metal samurais roam the streets of Hong Kong-like cities. Gex has to collect Yin-Yangs and golden Buddha

ENTER THE GECKO

68 [11

THEME: SCREAM М

Many horror movie themes make ап’аррёагапее here..Gex must run-around and.collect 1сопз of Jason Masks, Freddy Gloves апа skulls/with nails pierced into them (Clive Barker may like those:last icons the best). A certain knife-wielditig:doll'named 7 ;:f*Hucky"can.;be;seen afound ы ы ' a&wellYou сап even-See morphing walls, (гот à recent Michael J. Fox-flick:

THEMES PREHISTORIC

Based a little bit on a hit Steven Spielberg movie and a little bit on Land'of.the Lost, this prehistoric level has plenty of comedy matē- rial. The collectibles include dinosaur leg;Shanks and water buffalo hats (from

а rocky сагіооп). Caveman Gex, raptors and purple dinosaurs inhabit this “Lost World?"

8 1ч

THEME: CIRCUIT CENTRAL

Tron may feel. right át home- inthis Г world of siligon| chips and energy. | The enemies-inclüde:circuits. (that | lay still until you get close to + them) and:fobots thatshave-a single moving red eye (Starbuck and Apollo-hate-these guys). On. / this levél, Gex will'need:to find —- enetgy charge-ups,thát when used-on a certain ن‎ W will launch-him*to:bigher levels." :

THEME: TWISTED CARTOONS

Very little is known about the Twisted: Cartoon world at this point. All Crystal Dynamics knew was that plenty of kids’. TV parodies will be included. One concept'enemy is a superhero wanna-be. Problem is that he-tries.to fly.zand falls flat on:his face. If you. jump on'him, he'll release some.gas, Which. you can use to ride to new. heights.

THEME: SEGREL AGENT

It's time to "get smart” by defeating the enemies on a top-secret research island. This island,

as well as a few

tall, steel-jawed henchmen are typi- cal of a certain three- digit (numbers,

not fingers) spy's movies. All we've seen on this world, so far, is this preliminary concept sketch of the island's outside.

К Four үшыррер Т HOME руы 15 THE [оше WAY T6 Тец. 20, 000 SCREAMING РАМ То | SIT Down AND SHur Of.

The Ultimate Judge of baseball just re-entered the building shoulderin’ a hefty o new 3-D engine. And polygon players so real you can see sweat on a pitcher's

шы e =] 3 bis кесі E Ы ыы б. A

Here it is again: the fattest show of the year with a whole mess of games

from a whole mess of companies. Where to begin? This is a good place to start.

ext to the Christmas season, Е? is the biggest time of the year for gamers (and pretty much anybody in the industry) to see games—both good and bad. It's the time when we'll see a gigantic quantity of games from a bunch of different companies—pretty much all of the gaming companies have at least one game. Can you tell it's a big show?

Army Men

Statior

Uprising I

on hampionship Racing

Batman & Robin PlayStatior

Extreme G Ninten

Fantastic Four

PlayStatior

728 EGM

This isn't the first Е? to bless all of

us with its presence, but this year the Electronic Entertainment Show is in Atlanta instead of Los Angeles. The following list of games is incomplete but that's OK...in some cases it's for the best. Why? Because there are some companies that will have a few little gems hid- den up their sleeves-some great games possibly. After all, they can't tell us everything they'll be show- ing—what fun would that be?

Forsaken PlayStatior

Magic: Battlemage PlayStation/Satur

NFL QB Club '98 N64/PlayStation

NHL Breakaway 98

PlayStation/Saturr

HardBall 6 Pla tion

Jack Nicklaus Golf PlayStatior

Test Drive 4

Seriously though, Nintendo (along with a couple other compa- nies) really hasn't let anything out of their sight, so screen shots of their Nintendo 64 games are scarce—even with our digging!

EGM knows this list is a whopper but fret not, we'll make it up to you in upcoming issues (in the next few or so) with plenty of E coverage—both in screen shots, game names and who knows what else.

Basically use this list as a guide. Readers may even want to mark off the games they are especially anticipating. The list is broken down by company name (in alpha- betical order) and their respective titles (also in alphabetical order). Also shown are the system(s) the particular game is coming to. The last page is dedicated to upcoming peripherals.

Remember that "The Games of Е? 97” is not a complete list.

G Police-Psygnosis

Clock Tower PlayStation

Ogre Battle PlayStation

Virtual Skiing

PlayStation

Dragonball GT

PlayStation

Colliderz PlayStation

Motor Sp P tio

Courier Crises PlayStation/Saturn Major League Soccer

PlayStation Monkey Boy

PlayStation

Psybadek-Psygnosis Colony Wars-Psygnosis Moto Racer Gold PlayStation Silicon Valley Nintendo 64 SpecOps PlayStation Tanktics

TNN Outdoors Bass Tourn. PlayStation

Aqua Prophecy PlayStation

Carem Shot

PlayStation

Breath of Fire 3 PlayStation

Dark Stalkers:

Jedah's Damnation

PlayStation/Saturn

Dungeons & Drago

PlayStation/S;

Mega Man Neo

n

Apocalypse-Activsion

Bomberman 64-Hudson

PlayStation

Mega Man X 4 Saturn

Resident Evil 2 PlayStation/Saturn

Super Street Fighter II Col. PlayStation/Saturn

Street Fighter ЕХ+ PlayStation/Saturn

X-Men vs. Street Fighter

P tion/Saturn

Kill Wheel PlayStation

Gex: Enter the Gecko P tation

HardBall 6-Accolade

Akuji the Heartless PlayStation

Pandemonium! 2 PlayStation

Lost World: Jurassic Park 2 PlayStation Skull Monkeys

PlayStation

Madden '98 PlayStation

NASCAR '98

PlayStation NCAA FB '98

PlayStation

SPECIAL FEATURE

Beast Wars-Hasbro Interactive

Nuclear Strike ReBoot

Warcraft 2

Deathtrap Dungeon

Fighting Force Lunatic Ninja

Tomb Raider 2

ae

Aliens/Predator

CROC

Jeopardy! Robotech Wheel of Fortune BugRiders

Duke Nukem

Hexen Nir

BNO

Lamborghini 64-Titus Machine Hunter-MGM Interactive

Е/ЛЕсМ

Tonic Trouble-Ubi Soft

Nuclear Strike-Electronic Arts

Deathtrap Dungeon-Eidos

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

Rebel Moon tior Youngblood

Battleship

d auor Beast Wars Frogger

Monopoly

Risk

Indy Car Racing-Sony Comp. Ent.

Bomberman 64

Dual Heroes

Carmageddon Raze 3» swiv

VR Football РІ t 1

Wild 95

ReBoot-Electronic Arts

«08 re

ON e uU \ For Sony PlayStation"

Exclusive! Over 60 missions, including 20 А . bonus missions _. 2

a |

bigh 5 ;15-0134.2 Bee

Extreme G-Acclaim

* JALECO Dream Knight PlayStation

* KALISTO ENTERTAINMENT Nightmare Creatures PlayStation

* KEMCO Top Gear Rally Nintendo 64

* KOEI

Majhong Nintendo 64

R. Chaos PlayStation

MDK-Playmates

* KONAMI

Bottom of the Ninth '97 PlayStation

Castlevania N64/PlayStation

In The Zone '98 PlayStation

Inter. Superstar Soccer 64 Nintendo 64

Metal Gear Nintendo 64

МВА In the Zone Nintendo 64

Poy Poy PlayStation

* LUCASARTS

Star Wars:

Masters of Terás Каві PlayStation

Duke ТӘН

Aerofighter Assault Nintendo 64

* MGM INTERACTIVE Machine Hunter PlayStation Maximum Gauge PlayStation Return Fire 2 PlayStation Rollerball PlayStation WarGames PlayStation

* MIDWAY Bio Freaks N64/PlayStation

Gretzky '98 N64/PlayStation

Mace PlayStation

Maximum Force PlayStation

MK Mythologies N64/PlayStation

Rampage World Tour PlayStation

Robotron 64 Nintendo 64

San Francisco Rush N64/PlayStation

* MINDSCAPE

Super FB Champ PlayStation

Supersonic Racers 2 XS PlayStation

Enemy Zero-Sega

his one has every- thing the TV show did back in the "7Ов. It even had all of the cool special effects ofthe last year's movie. Mission: Impossible has been in the works for some time now. Finally more screen shots are rolling in and an actual playable demo. Use gadgets, disguises and weaponry to outsmart (or just plain kill) the enemy. As is expected, this Nintendo 64 cart employs all of the graphic effects we've согпе to love.

Cut the crap out of your gaming diet.

Look for exciting games by Studio e

The people who know games...

шаве

1920 Highland Avenue, Suite 105 Lombard, Illinois 60148 www.studioeinc.com

` SPECIAL FEATURE)

(9-22 2 | BOMBERMAI

Last Bronx-Sega

Tetrisphere Ninte

Missio Ninte

Multi-Racing Championship Nintendc

V Rally

Soldiers of Fortune, Inc. PlayStation

Colony Wars Рі

Buggie Boogie Discworld 2 Nintendo 64 PlayStation Donkey Kong Country 64 Formula 1 '97

Nintendo 64

GoldenEye Nintendo 64

Ken Griffey BB 64 Nintendo 64

Legend of Zelda 64

Nintendo 64

A

Blasto-Sony Comp. Ent. Lost World: JP2-Sega

€ Finally, there's violence on T.V. worth getting excited about. That's because NAKI's new Red Sight Laser Target System gives you total shooting control. Blow away enemies cowering benind obstacles, pick out terrorists without killing hostages — any time the situation demands pinpoint accuracy, you've gotta power up the Red Sight Laser.

There's simply no alternative. а

t hown with— * Combine special Features like Auto Fire, Auto ы A OUS Reload, and Semi Auto Fire in any way you like. PlayStation (attaches to any NAKI Lunar Gun).

NAKI Lunar Guns arg. lightweight, durable, and «Тһе Red Sight Laser Target System works with available For all platforms.

shooting games For PlayStation, N64, and Saturn.

Ж = =:

1 Я 0 0 " 6 2 6 3 6 2 5 4 ег Pro Fighter Wireless PSR-2 Memory Cards RF Switch CD Cleaner

Controller (IMB, 8MB)

Сай for your nearest retailer System

* actioni

SPECIAL FEATURE `

Shadow Master Blasto PlayStation PlayStation Bushido Blade * READYSOFT PlayStation Jersey Devil Crash Bandicoot 2 PlayStation PlayStation Final Fantasy VII PlayStation Bomberman Legion Saturn PlayStation Duke Nukem 3D MLB '98 Saturn PlayStation Enemy Zero NBA Shoot Out '98 Saturn PlayStation Last Bronx NCAA FB '98 Saturn PlayStation Lost World: Jurassic Park 2 NFL GameDay '98 Saturn/Genesis PlayStation NBA Action '98 NHL FaceOff '98 Saturn PlayStation NHL Hockey '98 Saturn Panzer Saga Saturn Quake Saturn Sky Target

PaRappa the Rapper PlayStation

Spawn Pla

Steel Reign PlayStation

Syn PlayStation

Deadly Honor N64/PlayStation

* TECMO Dead or Alive PlayStation/Saturn

Saturn 1 5 By: DreamWorks Sonic

ELOWERPOT World Series Baseball '98 ZCELOWERPOI TY Saturn

FMOWERPS: | : ort Worldwide Soccer 98

Saturn

Critical Depth PlayStation

Excalibur 2555 A.D. Joe Blow

PlayStation Wreckin' Crew

Armored Core PlayStation

Eye Be Nimble, [Eye Be Quick, Or Eve Be Sliced by Gore's big Stick.

le. Eve works her butt off to turn Gore into a meaty pin cushion. Gore busts his gut to ou ll need your best, because Dark Rift gives it up. Dark Rift delivers more fight, more

ver seen before. Check out Dark Rift for N64 or Win 95 and get flesh scorching , blazing frame rates and some very unpleasant surprises for the competition.

Dark Rift brings out move Eve into the path ‹ ofien with more speed

N64

N64 е, > Available 1997 маомов эф A 22904 Lockness Avenue zi Torrance, CA 90501 (310) 326-8880

N64

Nintendo” and N64 are trademarks of NINTENDO OF AMERICA INC. Dark Rift"; Kronos", their logos and characters are trademarks of and © 1996 Kronos Digital Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by VIC TOKAI INC.

Station

Gallup Racer

Monster Rancher

Te:

ation

mo Super Bowl "layStation/Sa

2 THO Bassmasters Classics PlayStation

Bravo Air Force

Play

Destruction Derby Saturn Disney's Hercules

Hame Nan 32 Воу

Disney's Timon & Pumba

Krazy Ivan Saturn Lost World: Jurassic Park 2

Game Boy

Madden NFL 79

Checkin Protas for more int on Nightmare Creatures

Quest for Camelot Slaughter & Mutilation Superman Ray Tracers

RayStorm

PlayStation * UBI SOFT l ation Speed Tribes F-1 Pole Position Albert Odyssey on Nint 64 Saturn Tonic Trouble Lunar Silver Star РІ 10 Nintendo 64 Sat WCW Nitro : Magi : Freakboy

Lamborghini 64

Nintendc

в have deadly proof y repeats itself.

Xiahou Dun Taishi Ci Zhuge Liang

vP WARRIORS” hghind it.

DYNASTY The fi 4 і m S

Lu Bu Lu Xun Cao Cao Zhou Yu 4 Gaun Yu L4

* Traditional Chinese weapons dictate style, speed, range & accuracy of attack.

* Dynamie storyline unfolds on legendary battlefields.

* Fast gameplay — ultra smooth 60 frames per second.

Only on

* Based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the leg- PlayStation

endary warlords who fought to unite 3rd century China.

+ Strategic combat — unique defensive moves including 2g VA multiple blocks, dodge & parry are as important as = (3 Ж offensive moves. ау үчү,

>< A % PB EA a коа | ТЕЕМ | PlayStation

Zhao Yun

Available at retailers nationwide. То order, call 415-348-0500.

KOE! Corpor: ny С;

SPECIAL FEATURE

hat would the \\ gaming world be without periph- erals? Not тис p especially consi = ing everything these little technological devices do for gamers.

Because of time constraints, we weren't able to show as many gadgets and gizmos as we would have liked, but we were able to get a list of many of the con- trollers, memory cards, steering wheels, guns and who knows what else.

Remember that the term peripherals doesn’t solely mean a “controller.” A new addition to this group of gaming acces- sories is the rumble pack (or should we say “vibration unit,” according to Performance?).

Another new face to the PlayStation family of peripherals is the dual analog pad. Although it's not listed, expect it to be a big player at E* and with future games.

Strange but true, the peripher- al areas at most big shows are usually overshadowed by the

BRE A wee»

large, speaker-thrashing booths of gaming giants like Nintendo, Sega and Sony. But fret not little

companies, that's why we're here.

Count on EGM to show (usu- ally in our News section) what new peripherals are on their way, or what peripherals are available now and if they're worth buying.

Like the gaming list that pre- ceded this page, the peripheral list isn't complete because of last-minute additions by compa- nies and the possibility of "top- secret" projects that not even the editors here know about.

LIGHT GUN

Arcade Rex Joystick-PlayStation Eagle Max Flight Stick-PlayStation Light Gun-PlayStation

Nitro Arcade Pad-Nintendo 64 —

АЅСІЇ Arcade Stick-PlayStation ASCII Grip-PlayStation | ASCII Sphere 360-PlayStation

Majoris Saturn Controller-Saturn. - Sakkara PS Controller-PlayStation’

SharkPad Pro 64-Nintendo 64 Hammerhead-Nintendo 64

N64 Gun-Nintendo 64 GameShark-Nintendo 64 Steering Wheel-Nintendo 64

3D Controller-Nintendo 64

Mini Hand Wheel-Nintendo 64 - MakoPad 64-Nintendo 64

.. Steering Wheel-PlayStation

Enhanced Gun-PlayStation Dual Analog Joystick-PlayStation

Advanced Memory Cards-PlayStation Dual Analog Joystick-Nintendo 64

` Rumble Pak-Nintendo 64

. Bio Grip Joystick-PlayStation

Maximizer Joystick-PlayStation Memory Card 4X-Nintendo 64 Universal CD Cleaner-PS/Saturn , Viper Light Gun-PS/Saturn

-ORMANCE SuperPad 64-Nintendo 64

Basic Gun-Nintendo 64

Memory Card-Nintendo 64 Vibration Unit-Nintendo 64 Basic Mini Wheel-Nintendo 64 Basic Gun-PlayStation

Mini Hand Wheel-PlayStation MakoPad 64- Nintendo 64 Steering Wheel-PlayStation Enhanced Gun-PlayStation

Dual Analog Joystick -PlayStation

“Analog Controller-PlayStation

А FORCE г

RECKONED WITH

EIDOS BRINGS AN OLD-TIME GENRE TO A KILLER 3-D ENVIRONMENT

t's easy for a company to bring what they're trying to do—we know they Sticks, bottles and even rocket launchers. out a new game that's half-rate. wouldn't just rip off an idea. But for that basic info, check ЕСМ #94 in All they need to do is come up Let's break Fighting Force down a little bit the Next Wave section. with a novel idea, slap together into its features. First, gamers will be able to This feature focuses on what Core wants a quick press release and a to do to make Fighting Force some-

start the job. It's especially easy to do this when a fighting game is involved—or at least one with lots of fighting in it.

thing special—not just another game that is bought and put on the shelf with the rest of the duds.

Employing the talents of Top

‚ "No more Mr. Nice Render." Don't let

Fighting Force for the the pupil-less eyes Cow comic artist Marc Sivestri (both PlayStation by Core Design (pub- mislead you. This for story line and preliminary lished by Eidos Interactive) could version of Hawk is р A sketches), Core plans on giving have been one of these games, just one of the steps ] each of the characters his or

' but would the maker of Tomb Raider let this happen? Quite bluntly, no way! process from a 4 Fighting Force takes place right

So what can gamers expect comic-style drawing after the millennium. Dr. Zeng, a from Fighting Force with that said? to a 3-D fighting Heaven's Gate-inspired madman

In case readers don’t know, machine. Eerie... " with a very strong sexual desire, the best way to describe Fighting S — plans on ending the world himself Force, it's a 3-D Streets of Rage. Since his premonition didn't come Gary Keith, marketing communica- true. He plans on polluting the entire tions manager for Eidos Interactive world with LSD. Eventually, everyone says, "It's a 3-D beat-'em-up with will die and his apocalyptic forecast Tekken influences. Basically, it's will come true.

her own story, vitals and, most important, attitude.

in the transformation

Streets of Rage taken to a new level.” use 40-50 moves per character to beat the Luckily a person on the inside can't help Those are some strong words considering living who knows what out of all the enemies but want out of all this craziness (Snapper the popularity of both Tekken and Streets of in the game (from the suit-wearin’, “men in is her name). Somehow she contacts some Rage (in relation to when they were originally black" types to the uniform-likin, assembly- of her friends on the outside and that's released). By the way, it’s nice to hear compa- line rejects). On top of fist, knee or other body where gamers come in. By picking one of nies compare their product to other games part hits, players can also use a bunch of four characters (on the next page), they can

from the past. That way, we can understand objects scattered about the ground, like start kicking butt and taking names.

ІНЕ PLAYERS OF THE GAIE.. ALSO KNOWN AS FIGHTING FORGE:

196 Ibs. BLOND BLUE 36” 48” 20”

187

Hawk is a vigilante with a good heart. He wants to do good for the $= community but often won't admit it.

BEN "SMASHER" JACKSON

ETA

65” 280 Ibs. GREEN HAZEL 48"

60"

26"

25

ALANA McKENDRICK 17 NN 5 5" 108 Ibs. BLOND BLUE 28-20-28

240 Some could call her immature, but don't let her bubble gum fool you. There are rumors that she has “special powers” of some kind.

MACE DANIELS

PX 57"

126 Ibs.

BLOND

GREEN

38-22-36

200 сай With her incredible fighting skills, |o she's easily as strong as any man. [№ Not only does she know how to use her fists, she also...

Have you

ОТ YOUrS yet? : Ё

If you know Tomb Raider, you know why Lara Croft

is the #1 cover girl in gaming. No other game has won more awards, sold more copies, or kicked more ass. Hardcore gamers have made Tomb Raider

the undisputed megahit of the year. Have your got yours yet?

EIDOS

Е R А (е) Т www.tombraider.com

PCLE м

= ( © R СО түзат | ссд SATURN [БЕЗИНЕ

TOMB RAIDER

Game of the Year -PS Extreme

Game of the Year -Game Fan

Game of the Year -Computer Player

Action Game of the Year -PC Gamer

Adventure Game of the Year -Ultra Game Players

Nin.

Жата Croft, gaming's #1 i P 1

` SPECIAL FEATURE

0 doubt about it-Bruce Willis is definitely

<“ іп Activision's PlayStation shooter \ Apocalypse, due in October. He's not just

some pretty-boy actor hired to fill a few minutes of dull FMV. And he's not some off-screen co-pilot who shouts the same sound bite every 30 seconds. He's your part- ner, your bodyguard, your friend. In essence, he's player two controlled by the CPU.

Or so Activision claims. But to their credit, Apocalypse's developers have put a lot of effort into turning the action hero into an interactive game character. And it all started with two days of motion-capture sessions back in mid-January.

CAPTURED STAR Willis has played some strange roles in his

ғ-------------------------------

|

career, but few were more bizarre than when he donned a body suit and—toy gun in hand—plodded around the padded floors of a Venice, Calif. film studio. Activision was putting Willis through the motions of motion capturing, a process that uses special cam- eras to record an actor's movements and reproduce them as 3-D animation.

These cameras, which emit infrared beams, were placed in a circle around Willis, whose bodysuit was covered with shiny sen- sors, one at each joint. The beams bounced off these reflectors and were picked up by. the cameras again. Willis' motions and the positions of his limbs were thus recorded as points in 3-D space, giving Activision a moving model of the actor's skeleton.

Why all the high-tech hubbub? Well, Willis’ character—the nanotechnologist Trey Kincaid—fights alongside you through most of the game, and he'll react with several signature moves when things get particularly sticky. Activision wants Kincaid's reactions to remain true to Willis’ own—hence the motion capturing. But the bulk of Willis’ motion-captured acting will be seen during the brief in- game cut sequences, none of which are expected to last more than 15 seconds.

Activision zapped more than just Willis’ body. His face, too, was coat- ed with sensors, so that the devel- opers could map his expressions onto his video game counterpart. So don't be surprised if you recog- nize Willis’ trademark smirk during Apocalypse's cut scenes.

According to Apocalypse director John Spinale, Willis took to the motion-capture process quick- ly—at least after he got used to its multicamera approach. "Bruce was

zb. d

пу

like, ‘Hey, where's the camera?”

Spinale said. “And | told him that there was no single camera and he didn’t have to act to any one in particular. He really liked the freedom that gave him"

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP, MR. WILLIS What good would motion-capture ses- sions be if you couldn't recognize Willis? Activision turned to cyberscanning to get the most true-to-life digital version of the hero. Unlike motion capturing, which models the

ЖБ.

any scene in which Kincald cuts loose with his blaster rifle.

Willis wielded a toy laser gun during his motion- capture scenes, and the gun beeped out puny laser noises when he fired it. ОҒ course, the plastic weapon was just serving as a place- holder and will be replaced by a huge, rendered hand cannon in the game—one that will no doubt make bet- ter sound effects, too.

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insides—specifically the skeleton—of ап actor, cyberscanning passes a laser beam over the actor's face to map his or her appearance, every pimple and dimple. The result is a near- perfect portrait of Willis in the game. Players will a high-resolution Bruce during the cut scenes, then a low-poly one—about 450 polygons from head to toe—during gameplay.

On a side note, while cyberscanning works fine for grabbing skin textures, it's not so keen when it comes to mapping facial hair, which scatters the laser beam. So Activision had to do some touch-up work on Willis’ goateed mug, and there's a good chance his character may even show up in the game sans hair

One thing is clear from Willis’ career—he likes playing a smartass. And Activision wanted to capture this bad-boy attitude for Apocalypse.

Keep an eye aut for...

Behind that scene:

So when they sat Willis down to record dialogue from the more than 100-page script, they let the guy improvise. "Bruce would make suggestions for ways to make the dialogue more organic, more suggestive and just plain cooler," said Michael Kirby, Apocalypse's producer

Willis recorded several movies' worth of dialogue, so it's no surprise that his character is pretty chatty. Kincaid shouts warnings, asks you to cover him, tells you when he wants to split up—he even tells you not to be so greedy if you're shooting too many enemies. "If you're doing really well, he'll be like, 'OK, kid, you got it," said Lead Game Designer Chad Findley. "But he'll get a little jealous once in a while, too, and say something like, 'Hey, kid, leave some for те!”

One thing Activision wanted to avoid is repeti tious banter, and so did Willis. Consequently, he

Willis’ mug (top) never looked creepier, but then how pretty do you think you'd look if your face was

cyberscanned, then flattened out as a texture? A

on mapped Willis' skin onto a model of his noggin

(accurate right down to his teeth), and you'll see the end result (bottom right) in Apocalypse.

recorded each of his more common lines several times so that players wouldn't go to bed with the same catch phrases ringing in their heads. "It's not just, 'Nice shot, pal. Nice shot, pal. Nice shot, pal over and over again," Spinale said. "Bruce says, 'Shoot. Shoot! What's the matter with you? When are you going to shoot?!"

Kincaid may look, walk and talk like a Bruce, but what good is he as a partner if he doesn't cover your back and can't hit the barn's prover- bial broad side with his blaster? Good news: "Bruce is the ultimate culmination of all the А! work that has gone into this game," Spinale said.

In other words, Kincaid's intelligence system is built on three levels. Level one, written in C language, is made up of traditional if-then state- ments. For example, if your character is under attack, then Kincaid will come to your aid. If you're doing especially well, then he'll hang back for a while and let you get some. Level two is more mode-based. Depending on the circum- stances, Kincaid will switch into an attack, defend or other mode, any of which determines eed, the distance he strays from your

Snarl for the camera, please. When Willis wasn't decked out in spandex for his full-body motion capture

sessions, he was recording dialogue and having his facial expressions captured.

1$ recorded several

hours of in-game commentary, so players won't hear the same wisecracks repeated ad nauseum.

[92 [= |

character and other characteristics. Level three is trigger-based, meaning that nearby objects will trigger his actions. If you both approach a power-up, for instance, he'll race you to it, mak- ing Kincaid a partner and a competitor at the same time. Few games pack such extensive AI routines into their characters. Most have either the low-level, C language routines or the high- level trigger-based ones, but rarely both.

It's pretty clear that Activision did everything they could to drop Willis into Apocalypse, to make him mimic a real second player as closely as possible. But does the action-star-turned- game-star have what it takes to join the ranks of plumbers, hedgehogs and bandicoots? EGM will have a better idea soon, when we preview a playable version in the Next Wave section. №

Behind that scene:

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Forget X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter

How Бош Chewie Vs. Leia?

inally; the age-old question of whether Han Solo could beat the bejesus out of Boba Fett will be answered this fall, when LucasArts releases Star Wars: Masters of Terás кая. This PlayStation-exclusive 3-D fighting game pits the biggest stars in George Lucas' universe against each other in one-on-one, Tekken/Soul Blade-inspired bouts.

The game's roster includes the most famous faces—and hel- mets—of the Star Wars galaxy, including Luke Skywalker, Han

Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Boba Fett and Darth Vader, as well as several hidden characters. The game also features a new villain in the Star Wars universe, one created exclusively for the game. Her name's Arden Lyn, and she's the ultimate master of Тегаз Kasi, a form of martial arts that's fueled by the Force.

As the game's story goes, Darth Vader has hired Lyn to assassinate Rebel leaders in hand-to-hand combat. Fortunately, the Rebellion has gotten. word of this plot, во Ішке begins training his pals in Terás

Каз! (that explains why you can pit Han against Chewie—

TY = | they're helping each other роя. | bone up on fighting skills).

In her battle to eliminate the Î Rebels, Lyn is joined by two

H г ЩА | henchmen, а Gamorrean уе? Poraa ек named Тһок and.a Tusken e қа Raider called Hoar.

Aside from its stellar cast, the game's most novel feature

is its dual combat system. The charac-

ters can either duke 2 it out with weapons or rely solely on their fists and feet, and the control layout is determined by which of these modes

game plays. much like Soul Edge,

with three Attack buttons and a

Kick button. With weapons holstered, it plays like Tekken, with a separate button for

each limb.

house on Dagobah; on the windy rooftops of Cloud City; and. even in the prisons of Stars' End, a planet from one of the first spin- off novels. You have the ability to run around the arenas in.total freedom, similar to the run-any- where system in Bushido Blade.

Ring-outs are possible, but you won't get knocked-out unless you're airborne when you're hit: Each arena will. also vary in size, destruction. Luke and: Vader апа one may even spread out in wield lightsabers, Leia carries all directions.

a staff, Boba Fet's. ши, TTT wi)

armed with a blaster '

rifle (as well.as

a small arsenal

of other gadgets), Chewie fights тт with his crossbow-like | bowcaster and

Han battles with

his blaster.

Combat will be based in arenas that are spread across the | galaxy. You'll battle on a shuttle platform on Endor; in a Tusken Raider village and

Each character packs his or her own trademark tool of

Rancor Pit on Tatooine; near Yoda's

is chosen. With weapons drawn, the

early stage, the game looks good. Each character is large and made up of more than 1,200 polygons.

mt ۱ ر‎ Short combos build up your Force bar, which lets | you unleash longer combos and projectile attacks.

Some may not like that Luke's saber isn't as lethal as it is in the movies. But lighten up— this /s a fight- ing game.

he is with

his blaster. Expect to hear some of his trademark wisecracks.

„ Вора Fett? Where?! The bounty hunter wields several gadgets, including his flame

webs Blaster Rifle thrower and Г smart горе.

тт MIASSECRET/AND) BOSS CHARACTERS

Besides the characters listed above, you'll also be able to play as Darth

1 Vader (he's the game's final Boss character) and the Tusken Raider Hoar, who wields a gaffi stick.

«64 Other characters will be hidden т au in the game, but LucasArts D ; isn't naming any names—yet. x 1 We can only guess who they 2. —9 | 0 are. Lando's a safe bet, and

the action. Who knows—Jaded F Jedi fans might ж even be able to beat the stuffing

out of an Ewok.

J А maybe the droids will join in

FISTS VS. SABERS TWO WAYS TO PLAY,

1 The diminu- tive princess

4 is decked out in her bounty hunter garb. Darn! We were hoping for the slave gin outfit.

In the early version we played, you can switch between Weapon and Hand-to-Hand Modes Бу tapping the Square, Triangle and Circle buttons simultaneously (except for Thok, who's always in Weapon Mode). To keep game- play balanced, weapon attacks were made slower but more pow- erful, while fists and feet can inflict less damage more quickly.

BARE FISTS

Chewie, who towers above the other

longest reach. Remember— Wookiees hate to lose.

The дате5 star villain, Lyn is the ultimate mas- _ | ter of Teräs Kasi. Yet Vader remains the final Boss.

The game plays much like Tekken when your weapons are holstered. Jack on the buttons to pull off furious combos.

This burly Gamorrean is the only char- acter who

can't put

weapon. His huge ax is all he needs.

Nothing beats a good blaster—or staff or lightsaber-at your side, right? Weapon attacks work best at longer ranges.

We know you're busting with questions about this hot fighter. What makes LucasArts think they can make a fighting game (after all, this is their first)? How did they re-create our favorite Star Wars characters and locales in the game? And just what the heck is Terás Kàsi anyway? We'll get the answers straight from the developers next month.

Yep, that's Solo's polygonal noggin. Find out how they made it next issue.

24195 |

t was bound to happen. Just

as Street Fighter II's success

spawned numerous copycat 2-D fighting games, Virtua Fighter's popularity created a 3-D fighting game sensation. Now, one of the newest games in the SF universe has jumped on this polygonal bandwagon.

Street Fighter EX was an instant hit with many SF aficionados. It was, after all, the first 3-D fighter to play like the classic 2-D SF games. This was no acci- dent as Mr. Akira Nishitani, the creator of the legendary Street Fighter Il, was the one to create SF EX. He took leave of Capcom to head up his own develop- ment company, but he pulled a bit of a comeback by making EX for Capcom.

Now, Mr. Nishitani and co. are pour-

ing their talents on the console side. They are bringing to the PlayStation an enhanced, exclusive version called Street Fighter EX Plus о.

These two pages will outline some

P >, 3 RAN The original long-limbed fighter makes а

special appearance in SF EX Plus (Alpha). His patented Head Dive has made it intact in the game, but we have yet to see any of his Yoga fire-breathing powers (they will, no doubt, be put in later). We'll have to wait and see what kind of keep- away techniques Dhalsim will have.

of the new additions to the PS version.

The cute and underage schoolgirl fighter who made her debut in Street Fighter Alpha 2 will make her next appearance in Street Fighter EX Plus о. (outside of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter). Her Hadoken (fireball) and Sho-oken (uppercut) are definitely in as you can see in these pictures.

EX Plus o. will feature а couple

of new characters called Cycloid (Beta)

and Cycloid (Gamma). Little is known about these fighters, except that they take their fighting styles from several of the other Street Fighters.

Beta has a Slide Tackle not unlike Bison's (who's getting kicked in this picture, in fact).

Cycloid (Gamma) looks like a wireframe model of a generic 3-D character. Perhaps he's not even a playable character, and these screen

shots are of work-in-(early)-progress. We aren't sure quite yet, but

we'll let you know in

a future preview.

liar move: 4 famous (to SF fans, at least) Flash Kick.

30, What Exactly Does the "Plus" Do For Us?

Street Fighter EX Plus is sort of a "championship edition" version of SF EX. And you may want to call EX Plus о. a "super championship edition" (con- fused yet?). Here are some of the fea- tures that were added to each update of this 3-D fighter.

EX Plus (Arcade Upgrade)

1) Darun, Blair, Allen, Kairi and Garuda are now all playable with a time-release program. Likewise goes for Akuma, Bison and Evil Ryu (rumors are also х abound of a "Killer Hakuto").

2) Touch-ups to the graphics. These consist of visually improved fireballs, smoother animation, etc.

3) Some characters were given new moves and Super Combos.

4) New colors were added to some

of the characters.

EX Plus œ (PS Version)

1) All of the changes added to EX Plus

arcade (though how you can play as

all the other-hidden characters is

unknown as of this writing—they may

all be immediately selectable).

2) Dhalsim and Sakura are added.

3) New characters Cycloid (Beta & Gamma version)

PS owners (who did- n't get Evil Ryu for SF Alpha 2) can now brag that they get his 3-D rendition. The other may be the "Killer Hokuto.” =

p. d f Gas

Santa may have a weight problem, but he knows how to use it.

Stereotypes abound in Clay Fighter 63 1/3-look for the Asian Kung Pow!

Ai

(CLAY FIGHTER |

ы Forged From Big ОГ

he fascination with Stop-motion animation involving clay has been around for some time. Way back when Gumby thrilled audiences as he glided around on one leg, and more recently Jack Skellington sang his heart out in The Nightmare Before Christmas. But TV and the big screen aren't the only places clay has dazzled audiences.

Clay Fighter 63 1/3 is coming to the Nintendo 64 and promises to be everything the other ver- sions were and more. Readers should be warned: The version EGM had was VERY early, so

there are many things that may change when the final version comes out. Older versions of Clay Fighter had the same style of graphics,

but because of graphic limitations (mostly on the 16-Bit systems), the true nature of these graphics usually wasn't shown. Now that Clay Fighter is making its way onto a next-gen system, look for some great graphics...with all that cool antialiased stuff!

Although the actual game screens don't look quite as good as the stills EGM received from Interplay (check issue 395 Protos), the game still has crisp graphics and effects. This may be attributed to the earliness of the copy we were given, though.

The same type of gameplay applies to this version of the clay saga as it did to the others. Gamers need not look for serious action like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. Instead, look for humor and wackiness-like something out of a cartoon.

As mentioned, there are 12 characters selectable in the game at first. Here's a look at some of the fighters who are new to Clay Fighter and a list of who is who:

jb-was in both games 'r-was in the first game -first appearance, but he was referred to in the others

igan-new -пеу/

ЕСІЛЕсІМ

y-was іп both

w-new y-was in the first game —only in second

game, but he was not a cybernetic bunny

Lady rty-new in-new

y-was in the

first game

Pieces

Voodoo magic or not, Houngan will- kick the livin’ clay out of you.

There are 12 main characters in the game, but there are supposed to be hidden ones as well. The band of fighters contains some old-school Clay Fighters along with others that are new. Check out the sidebar for a look at some of the new ones.

The game has standard punches and kicks arranged on the control pad like Street Fighter (Low Punch, Medium, High, etc.) but the game also features combo systems and Situation Hits.

These hits yield a different reaction from an opponent if

a gamer hits them in a certain place (i.e., a hit in the butt causes them to moon you).

PUBLISHER Interplay

[| DEVELOPER Interplay

Fighting |

lor2

PlayStation

2

Of Clay

The backgrounds in the game are as highly detailed as the characters. The 3-D environments, over 20 altogether, have objects scattered about them that players can "interact with," according to Interplay.

The music, at this stage in development at least, has a very Warner Bros.-mixed-with-a-circus feel to it.

With all of this, can Clay Fighter 63 1/3 break the mold that it has made for itself? Many gamers may agree that the original Clay Fighters were fun at first but soon lost their % flair. Check upcoming issues for a full-fledged review to see if this Clay Fighter is any different.

©-199#-nterplay Productions. АЙ rights reserved Clay Falter es 1/3 and Interplay are trademarks of Interplay Pratuctions. Al rights reserved, Nintendo, Nintendo SApS D М are trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc. "RI rights reserved. All other eapyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ж. TM о. Жай

Developed and published by

EE.

BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS

www.interplay.com

The Bonus Stages аге immediately accessible from the beginning.

Jam With

ove over Mario All- Stars. Step aside Namco and Williams Classics. Here comes the long- overdue Sonic Jam, a compilation of four of the most popular blue hedgehog games around. Sonic Jam for the Saturn features Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles. Sonic Jam also shows off a short 3-D level that should have Saturn owners drooling in anticipation of the system's future. Sonic Jam is a two-part disc. The first part is a Sonic fan's

"The

3 - № аще

most

Why didn't Sega make а full 3-D Sonic game like this much

earlier? The system wars might have turned out differently.

SONIC JAM

quickly you can complete each of the levels. Sonic Jam will also allow you to go directly to the bonus stages. And for the paper- phobic, electronic manuals are included—you can read all the original instruction booklets right on your TV screen.

Sega took more steps in improving the actual gameplay of these oldies but goodies. First, Sonic can now do his Spin Dash in the first Sonic game. Second, you can play Knuckles in any of the Sonic games (previously, the Sonic and Knuckles lock-on Genesis cartridge was only

oxcit

may а

ting

=

Sonic's patented Spin Dash can now be performed іп the original game.

virtual museum of sorts, is a fully playable, fully interactive 3-D world in which Sonic runs around

г

т оло

most disappointing."

dream: four complete classics, all with new features. Each game has been slightly enhanced graphically and audibly. You can also enter a Time Attack Mode to see how

backward compatible with Sonic 2 and 3).

The most exciting part of Sonic

Jam, however, may also be the most disappointing. Sonic World, a

and picks up rings while visiting key buildings. These locations will take you on a tour to see various Sonic paraphernalia. You can check out artwork, sound clips, toys, books, etc. Sounds good, so why is it disappointing? This 3-D mini "game" demonstrates that the Saturn has what it takes to com- pete directly with Mario 64. It looks and plays that good. But it's only one level and not a whole game. After testing it out, it'll only. leave you hungry for more.

The good news is that this Sonic World demo hints as to

The Blue puuuenog Classics

Nothing worse in a Sonic game than losing all your hard-earned rings.

what the next original 3-D Saturn Sonic game will look and play. like. Sega says it's no longer going to be called Sonic X-treme, but it will be a true 3-D, free- roaming game that should Silence any critics.

EGM is pretty excited, but we can't help but wonder how much better the Saturn could be doing today if this potential killer- app came out two years ago with the Saturn's launch. Perhaps if. this upcoming 3-D Sonic game would've come out with the launch of the Saturn, it could've done for Sega what Mario 64 did for Nintendo 64's initial sales. №

[4 PUBLISHER Sega |

(| DEVELOPER Sega Й

THEME Compilation

PLAYERS 1ог2

| % DONE

t's wayback-machine time for fans of Sega's long-running Shining series of RPGs, which began with Shining in m the Darkness for the Genesis and continued through numerous installments for all of Sega's systems. The latest addi- tion, Shining the Holy Ark, offers к the same turn-based, first-person gameplay as Shining in the Darkness. Why, it even uses the same icon-based menus of the ШЕ 16-Bit originator. | But story-wise, Shining the Holy Ark is no more a direct sequel

Scattered through the game's world are dozens of pixies who join your party when you find them. There are five types in all—the pixie, fairy, succubus, incubus and lep- rechaun—and each helps your party in combat.

The key is to note from which direction enemies appear on the screen, then unleash the right pixie for the job. Leprechauns, for instance, attack enemies that tunnel up

from underground, while fairies go after monsters that fall from above. If you pick the right pixie

(and you have to Бе quick, since you only get about three seconds to send one off at the beginning of a battle), the tin

than any other title in the Shining saga. You play Arthur, a merce- nary whose pursuit of a Renegade ninja named Rodi runs into a snag when the pair are buried in a cave-in. Fortunately, their broken bodies are saved by benevolent spirits, who merge with the adven- turers in exchange for their help in restoring peace to the world. But not all spirits are good—especially the one who has possessed the king. So Arthur and his party spend the rest of the game, which has as many plot twists as any Final Fantasy title, trying to restore peace to the world.

warrior will weaken your ene- mies and increase the amount of gold you can nab from them.

Some pixies are given as rewards for good deeds, but you'll find most in the dead ends of dungeons and in other out-of-the-way places. Just use the search command often, and soon you'll have an army of little helpers.

f 90x | | | RELEASE DATE July Ё Ё Мопе

All of Shining the Holy Ark takes place in a first-person per- spective, with you moving in steps rather than in the continuous, go- anywhere motion of most Doom clones. Your adventure will take you through forests, dungeons, sewers, towns, castles, shrines and other typical RPG locales (and the handy automap keeps you from getting lost). Combat occurs at random, and the battles are turn-based, making the game more traditional than most of the action-oriented RPGs that have come out lately. Your party can contain no more than four war- riors, but you can hold additional adventurers in reserve and call them in when things get dicey. Although its story line will keep

|| PUBLISHER

you hooked, most of Shining the Holy Ark's charm comes from its graphics. Every enemy in the game is prerendered, colorful and well-animated (and we could swear that some of the enemies are actually dancing to the music!). The monsters in this game don't just do a little hop when they attack; most rear back and spring their entire bodies into Ёк a fearsome strike, or they cut loose with screen-filling, pyrotech- nic spells. The members of your party, too, are prerendered bitmaps, as are the folks you'll encounter in towns. When you converse with other characters, they react with facial expressions and body language.

But although Shining the Holy Ark boasts these visual perks (as well as some kick-butt pixie com- panions—see sidebar), it does lack the digitized voice and cinemas that grace many other modern RPGs. No big deal. It's still a solid game that's a worthy addition to the Shining series. № |

ее”

ТНЕ DARK SAGA

The Best Strategy Game Ever?

ou'd be hard-pressed to find a computer gamer who has not heard of Warcraft Il. This critically acclaimed real-time strategy game has won с countless awards from PC maga- zines, and now it's coming to the PlayStation and Saturn. The premise is so simple that it i Е will entice the most novice of play- == ers. The depth of the game is so 5 involved that strategy game fans А. Swill be playing it Ж ЕТЕ to come.

ve

still one of the most played online games, 1 1/2 years after its initial release.) The game has you start- ing out playing as either the humans (the "good" guys) or the orcs (the "not-so-good" guys). You can play any one of 96 individual scenarios, or you can play one of the vast and challenging cam- paigns. These campaigns weave an epic adventure worthy of a full feature film and were taken direct- ly from the original PC Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness CD and the expansion set: Warcraft Il: Beyond the Dark Portal (whose story line continues after Tides finishes). Bottom line: The console version of Warcraft 11 has more levels, more maps and more cam- paigns packed in them than any other game of its kind. If you play as the humans, you will have to defend your world from the other- worldly orcs, who are invading your lands via a mystical portal. At first, you'll build up basic towns and outposts to defend strategic locations about the countryside. In the end, you'll find yourself hav- e ing to destroy the portal itself, д forever sealing off the tunnel between the orcs' and your worlds. The second human campaign (from Beyond the Dark Portal) takes you into the

Peasants gather wood and gold for Some of the maps have themes, like

you to make buildings with.

This game uses fog but not in the traditional sense we are used to (Turok, anyone?). Warcraft 11% Fog of War is an option that adds a bit of realism to the real- time strategy war game genre.

In both Command & Conquer and Warcraft Il, areas not yet explored are completely blacked out. If you want to see what's underneath, you'd have to send units in to see it for themselves.

But in Warcraft Il, areas peoxplored but not in current

range of view of your build- “@ ings or characters are одеа out. This means you can explore regions and see what's there, but

once you leave, those areas will be grayed out on the map.

So an enemy can build new structures there, and you won't see them until you revisit that section of the map. All you see in the fogged-out areas is an image of what your units actually last saw there

To compensate for this, Watch Towers, archers or axe throwers and air units all have great ranges of sight that help elimi- nate some of the fog in which enemies may be hiding. Or you can always play it cheap and turn off the Fog of War Option.

orc homeworld to bring the war to their front yard. You can

also choose to play as the orcs. Their path

is as plain as day- light: Conquer

the humans.

Each mission in the campaigns will vary. Most of them involve establishing a home base, building military units and

killing all of the competition on that map. Other missions may

be completed by establishing a certain number of key structures, or rescuing important prisoners of war. Eventually, you may find

Some scenarios nile around high- sea battles for control of scarce oil.

full-motion

Я line for gamers.

traitorous clans from the other side joining you to serve their own selfish needs.

Some of those mis- sions will have orcs and humans fighting side by side.

'А of your suc- cess in Warcraft II will depend on your ability to manage your limited resources and your ability to com- mand your forces. The basic resources are gold, lumber and oil. Your first unit, а peasant (human) or a peon (orc), is also your foundation. These little guys build all of your structures. From there, these buildings can produce your military units and upgrade them as well. You will have to direct your forces well. Every unit behaves differently. Some can fly, some only do kamikaze runs, some attack from a dis- tance, some are better up close. And for every character on the human side, an equal, but slightly different character exists for the orcs. For example, a human Paladin is about equal in power and defense to an orcish Ogre-Mage. But they cast very different spells—Healing and Exorcism for the fa Paladin, Bloodlust and Runes for

New to the home versions are two

and auto-build. As their names imply, ^ they allow players to take less of a role in managing their towns.

Unobtrusive

video weaves 4 the epic story

For example, you can have your barracks automatically pumping out soldiers, according to your orders (you can select how many of each type you want, and as long as you can afford them, and as long as you have enough farms to feed them, they'll be created). You can also set certain buildings to automatically do the upgrades and learn the spells. Warcraft И purists may frown upon this hands-off approach, but it certainly makes things easier on the player. Unfortunately Electronic Arts, as of this writing, is planning on

taking out the Two-player Link Option (which was working on the early beta we were sent). Don't ask us why, but we do hope they'll change their minds—it is there, after all.

Regardless, Warcraft Il will supply individual players countless hours of entertainment. Those of you who have beaten Command & Conquer and are looking for more challenges should look no further. Warcraft II is among the best the PC has to offer, and will hit the home systems soon. №

[^

PUBLISHER Electronic Arts

DEVELOPER Electronic Arts

|| THEME Strategy

| ^ DONE 80%

Here's a brief list of some of the human structures that you'll see in the game and what they do. COLOR KEY: = Human, Yellow = Orc = Both

Almost every structure can be built only after a Hall is erected and upgraded. Build your peons here.

Farms are needed to feed & all your units. You can

maintain four units

with one farm.

7- Where most of your mili- tary troops are created. Create many of these training facilities.

Increases lumber produc- tion and allows you to upgrade archers and

axe throwers.

Allows you to see greater distances and protects your cities. Wall in the towers for longer use. and efficiency.

Builds all of your naval forces. Also allows cre- ation of the Oil Refinery and Foundry.

Creates powerful magic-wielding units. Research new spells here.

Breed great and power ful flying creatures to attack with.

quare demolished every doubt that they could make a kick-butt fight- ing game when they released Tobal No.1,

= which packed the most ШЕ innovative grapple system in beat- 'em-up history. Tobal 2 delivers all the goods of its prequel, except this time Square didn't skimp on the gravy.

First and foremost, Tobal 2 looks leagues better than No.1. And that's saying a lot, considering that the prequel-in all its hi-res, 60-frames-per-second glory— looked boxy but good. Now the

B combatants һауе a higher poly- gon count and make better use of Gouraud shading, so they look

В more rounded and lifelike. The

W arenas, too, have been spruced up with textures and more- detailed 2-D backgrounds, although they don't have nearly as many 3-D structures as in the

first game. Best of all, Tobal 2

packs some of the most amazingly fluid animation ever seen in a game

1342799 7.” E

гози START sorrow ES سے 49د‎

(but then that's one of those you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it kinda things).

Like the original, Tobal 2 was designed by Dream Factory, Square's team of former Sega содегз whose credits include the Virtua Fighter games. As a result, Tobal 2 plays much the same as No.1. You're once again given Block and Leap buttons, and the pad maneuvers your fighter around the arena in complete 3-D freedom. Moves are still of the Virtua Fighter variety, while the combos follow the

10313725 _

tap-tap-tap style established by Tekken (except now you can juggle opponents in addition to comboing their butts across the arena). Tobal 2 also supports Sony's dual analog pad, which vibrates slightly with each enemy hit.

Tobal 2's character roster includes the original eight fighters and three playable Bosses. Square has added two new characters to the fray: the bouncy space ranger Chaco and Arsenio Hall look-alike Doctor V. Numerous bonus charac- ters are hidden in the game, as well, including monsters from the Quest Mode and even one of Square's infamous Chocobos (who look exactly as they do in FF7).

he most notable addition to Tobal 2 is actually anything but new to fighting games: projectile attacks. Yet Square has given these moves a twist to eliminate their innate cheapness. Your life bar drops each time you launch a pro- jectile, and the longer you charge an attack, the more your health falls. So now it's possible to drop

| THEME

Quest Mode Revisited

Тора! No. 15 Quest Mode was nice but nothing special (it was little more than a fun way to hone your combat skills). The sequel’s Quest Mode, on the other hand, has been so greatly improved that it could almost stand alone as its own Square title.

Now, instead of being limited to the claustrophobia- inducing dungeons of the original, you can explore four different towns and the coun- tryside that sprawls between them. While in town, you can pop into buildings, talk to peo- ple and buy supplies, which are held in the new inventory system. Of course, there are still miles of dungeons to explore and an army of critters to battle, but at least now you can build up your character's stats.

opponents with a single fireball— provided you charge it up long enough. You're in deep trouble if you miss, though, since you'll likely have little health left.

Fortunately, one thing Square didn't tinker with too much is the grapple system, still the game's main claim to fame. As in No.1, you can grapple opponents from any side, except now grapples become mini tug-of-war matches between opponents, the winner being whoever's quickest with his/her buttons. You can counter grapples, and you can counter counters. But don't expect to become an instant master of these moves. Tobal 2's ultradeep game- play will take weeks to master. №

PUBLISHER SCEA

DEVELOPER Square Ў

Fighting | PLAYERS lor2 % DONE 75% |

RELEASE DATE 4th Qtr. "97

lt Soe ^

M.

| SS cs

LA

This puzzle may seem as easy as one, two, three...think again!

XCALIBUR

If Lara Croft And King Arthur...

et's say. Lara Croft from Tomb Raider got together and made a... um...game with King Arthur from medieval folklore. What gamers would get is probably something close to Excalibur 2555 Players control Merlin's assistant against a band of futuristic thieves who have stolen Excalibur from its rightful owners. Gamers will have to travel through dungeon after dungeon, fighting enemies and talking to friends to get it back. The graphics in the game are similar to Tomb Raider in that

Excalibur 2555 A.D. features a speech system that allows each person gamers come in contact with to speak, each with his/her own unique voice.

The load time for each voice comes from the decompres- sion of all of the voices saved on the CD. There is an option to have text along with the real

| voice, so reading ahead can

gamers can roam around in a fully

3-D environment, with realtime lighting effects. The differences come in when gamers see that Excalibur has plenty of action and over 50 characters to run into—both friends and foes.

So is this adventure title from Sir Tech the PlayStation's answer to the long-awaited Zelda 64? That may not be what Sir Tech is setting out to do, but the game-certainly seems to be going in the Zelda-esque direction—at least in looks.

As mentioned, gamers control a young woman (who does resem- ble Link a little, by the way) but

take place. All of the different voices (or evil growls, in some cases) add to the game's depth, giving a certain attitude to the character.

For instance, a dying man has a pitiful, exhausted voice, whereas the bartender is a lit- tle shady-sounding (which is confirmed when he hands you ajug of ale—see pic below).

Some of the colored lighting effects make things seem eerie.

Your broadsword can do lots of neat stunts. Charge it up for extra power.

the cast list hardly stops there. Players can run into thugs ranging from sword-wielding warriors to plasma-gun toting cyborg guys (hence the 2555 A.D. date).

Are gamers too lazy to read? Excalibur provides a way for players to just sit there and enjoy the sweet sounds of full-speech. There's a slight load time for each of the voices, but there's an option for voice with text for those who want to read ahead. Each of the game's 50-- characters has his or her own unique voice. Since the game isn't complete, however, some of this could change.

Excalibur not only gives players a large broadsword to hack off enemies' limbs, but also the ability to cast powerful spells. Some damage the enemy while others give the main character more armor for a period of time.

Another feature of Excalibur is the ability to "choose your own adventure," so to speak. By talking to certain inhabitants of the towns' dungeons, vital information can be obtained. Some info like

ah x і 3 a

which path would prove most safe might come up in conversation, ог $ where to find an item. \ Тһе game's inventory system is like Tomb. Raider too. Items can be saved up for later use (whether to be eaten for more energy or to use for trade with a character in the game). By hitting the Select button, an Inventory and Map Screen pops up—highlight an item and then gamers can use it. Not only will gamers be finding items and fighting their way past all kinds of enemies, they'll also be solving puzzles. Some may seem simple at first (like hitting buttons marked 1; 2 and 3) but further snooping uncovers.a far more intricate puzzle. №

layStation owners may or may not admit that they wish they could play a game like Mario Kart 64 on their 32-Bit 1 system. They've had а few games, but have they really compared to Mario Kart 64? Wreckin' Crew, published by Sir Tech, will be arriving soon and gamers will be able to see if this one does the job.

A fun-filled racing title, Wreckin’ Crew doesn't worry so much about stock cars and their performance. Instead, gamers will pick cars based on their weapons

and special features (like turbo power, jumping ability and other cartoon-influenced wackiness).

The game has an insane cast of

characters to choose from (another possible decision maker for gamers). Most are outrageous and fit their car well.

Wreckin' Crew has plenty of other neat features as well, rang- ing from graphical delights to game options.

80:56:15

Players will be able to compete іп a two-player extravaganza in a Link-up Mode (using two TVs) or a split-screen Two-player Mode. The Split-screen Mode lends itself to a TV larger than 13 inche: s

much easier to see the Two-player

Mode on 20-inch TVs or higher.

The tracks in the game are huge and let gamers do a little exploring instead of confining them to a straight or circular path. For example, in the Egyptian level, gamers are able to split up the track—some paths are quicker; therefore letting gamers finish the race sooner. Others have far more power-ups and bonuses scattered on them, along with tunnels going through a pyramid.

The levels also feature animat- ed parts like a moving elevator on a building in the city level or a rotating ferris wheel on the circus level, among many other neat-looking goodies. Some of the bonuses are hidden levels, drivers among others.

|| PUBLISHER

Down the back streets or on the main roads, there are lots of paths.

The game also has effects that make it look neat. Although the game is full 3-D polygonal, the cars and power-ups are sprites. The lighting effects are in real- time and Wreckin’ Crew also takes advantage of translucency effects and other shading that makes the tracks look more realistic (as realistic as cartoons can look anyway).

The peripherals that are sup- ported are the standard controller (of course) but also the steering wheels (available from MadCatz and Gamester) and the neGcon.

The version we saw was far from completion, so some of these features may change. №

Sir Tech

Telstar

Here's how a level in Wreckin’ Crew could go. Note that this graphic doesn't represent a real level, rather it’s a general example of how some of the levels could be arranged.

Wreckin' Crew has eight char- acters to choose from along with possible hidden ones. Here's a look at sorne of the standards along with the vehicles they drive and their special attributes:

Car: Ford F-1OO pickup Special Move: Vapour cloud

Car: `57 Chevy Corvette Special Move: Flame circle

Car: Ford Popular Special Move: Teleport

Car: 49 Mercury Special Move: Sonic boom

Car: Ford High Boy 34 Special Move: Fist-Quake

Car: Deuce Coupe Special Move: Magnet

Car: '59 Corvette Special Move: Shrinking other cars

Саг: '37 Willys

Special Move: Exploding remote-control cars

From the shores of Ocean comes their latest title for one or two players called Multi Racing Championship. MRC fea- tures a selection of eight vehicles and the chance to push those vehicles to their limit on three distinctly different tracks. In-game options include player- specified engine and braking options as well as handling and acceleration

options. Road courses have the player

racing through various types of

scenery, also. These vary from seaside

and mountainous tracks to the heart

Capcom has relocated zombies to your neighborhood with Resident Evil 2. Staged this

time inside Raccoon City instead of the boring outskirts, RE2 allows players to explore such places as police headquarters, parking lots, sewers and much more with two entirely new characters. Besides the

unique environments and char- acters, an extra disc has also been added for more gaming thrills. From the slow flow of incoming pictures we have been receiving, it appears that the

The future of law enforcement has

taken to the skies with Psygnosis

latest title, G-Police. Due to be

released this October, G-Police fea-

tures unrestricted fly-anywhere freedom in a dark urban environ- ment. Staged in a biodome city on Callisto (a colonized moon of Jupiter), G-Police gives the player total free-roaming control of an advanced gunship with an awesome array of combat weaponry to use against the evil insurgents. G-Police is an excellent combina- tion of flight-shooter combined with strategic elements to keep the

downtown for a constantly changing thrill. This forces play- ers to custom tune their cars’ performances to make the best of any situation. There are also on- and off-road "junction boxes" where the player is given the option to select different paths that may be faster or hin-

der their

winning chances by forcing them into places

their

number of onscreen undead have also been upped to nea intolerable levels. Let's just hope the ammo levels are raised also to compensate

for this hindrance. Fire effects

have also been added in great abundance to bring

the element of heat into the second version. With eye- catching features like these, it's no wonder Capcom is , working slowly on this title by setting the conservative release date for

early next year.

game entertaining as well as challenging. G

early, G-Police appears to

Commander IV and MechWarrior

touches of Warhawk with

of graphics. Psygnosis

are not equipped to go. With features

phically, although still be a cross between Wing

plus it has some Psygnosis' own unique style hitting this year's

Е? fast and hard with a strong showing of promising titles. We'll have more on this title

PlayStation

in our complete E* issue.

7 107

dimension with

Capcom's latest title

Mega Man Neo. It

will be the first

polygon Mega Man

(next to Mega Man

Battle & Chase).

Besides the obvious loss

of his helmet, not much is

known about this sure-

to-be-different title.

Players will, however, have a chance to play it early in '98.

Acclaim's reluctance to enter the forbidden realm of Batman titles may have finally come to an end with Batman & Robin. The game features a behind-the-character 3-D perspective where Batman,

EX3aSkulliMonkeys

Gamers who are familiar with Neverhood (on the PC) should see the similarities to Skull Monkeys. Not only is Neverhood's main character in Skull Monkeys, but the same style of graphics is used. In Neverhood, players need to venture around in a pseudo 3-D environment rendered from clay. Although it looks 3-D, it is still flat with FMV stuff, too. Although

Skull Monkeys is also in 2-D, it looks to be more of an action-oriented side-scroller

with lots of enemies and dif- ferent power-ups. This may appeal to console gamers because Neverhood has been called cool-looking but slow-paced. Expect lots of neat graphic effects like flames and others.

Robin or Batgirl must act as a detective through

Gotham using "projectile gadgets" to ensure his/her

safety. The landscape boasts over 26 square miles of area to explore with plenty of thugs and Bosses along the way. Other noteworthy fea- tures include secret passages and weight- sensitive switches that take your character's mass into consideration. This is one title that may be better than the movie it's based on.

The game takes place in many differ- ent environments, some inside and others outside. Not losing their roots in nifty puzzle aspects, Dreamworks may implement some puzzles within Skull Monkeys. Remember, all action and no brain-work makes somebody something. Expect Dreamworks to release this one sometime in October.

The 3-D action/adventure title Blasto is one of Sony's best-kept secrets. Heck, it's not yet even known if the game will be called Captain Blasto. What is known is that the game centers on the burly, raygun-wielding hero whose adventures take him through

several expansive

3-D worlds. The

graphics will

remain simple

and cartoon-like,

so they'll have a

high frame rate

and ultrasmooth

animation. The

developers have given Captain Blasto, his enemies and the interplanetary locales a retro look, reminis- cent of a '50s sci-fi flic, so expect plenty of cheesy humor. Sony will launch Blasto in the fourth quarter of this year, although it will be one of the company's biggest star titles at June's E’ show. We'll have much more on this hyped title in our next issue.

Silicon Valley, a ! А . The third installment of the monstrous brought out ET | ONU fighting series has been announced by by BMG d 2 i Capcom for a fourth quarter release for Interactive < E + the PlayStation. This опе- or two-player later this year, =: z ^ = 2-0 fighter will feature four new сһагас- features over 30 different ters: Jedah (a Grim Reaper-type), Q-Bee creatures with over 90 differ- ce (a giant queen bee), Lilith (a demon) ent skills. The levels are huge, қ : — and B.B. Hood (a mockery of Red Riding fully three dimensional and Hood who carries Uzis). Each fighter will contain dynamic light sourcing. ; һауе а new Silicon Valley is going to be DMA's Б Е “Пагк Ғогсе” (makers of Lemmings) first N64 power which release. Bet on visual thrills and a 4 lasts for a fun level DMA has mastered in the 1 v few quick past to be included in Silicon Valley. ҒА moments

and dishes

out lots of

damage.

Kuma has not changed much in 30 years. Kuma and Panda's story are not yet known А as of press time, however, here is EGM's speculation: Because of what they are wearing, Kuma seems to be the original's son and might be owned by Paul since he defeated Kuma in T2 (and he is wearing a scarf and bracelet not unlike Paul's). Panda

is wearing similar attire as Xiaoyu and might be

The actual Kuma character hasn't changed much. His

moves are basically the same, with the addition of a

couple new throws and punches (that look like Paul's,

no less). They also have two taunts—one of which can

hit! Panda is just a "palette swap" of Kuma; his moves ВЕ 1

are exactly the same. It also seems that his original After Julia is added, the Bosses' 10-hit has been removed or changed. It is unknown character boxes move directly under if he has any new А the original character's boxes, sug- unblockable attacks, gesting 10 Bosses (including

but he does have \ Неіһасһі and Ogre?).

his old ones. ; ED ime Release Update

i 99 WHO IS тт? Julia is Michels Julia Chang and Gun-Jack

daughter (with

Ganryu?). And at the T end of T2, Jack2 got entirely vaporized and P. Jack was falling apart. Gun-Jack might either be the fusing of those Jacks or an entirely new "Jack3^ Nothing is yet known about playability, ЖЖ = but assume they play ^^ Above: Julia's mug shot and victory like their predecessors. ^ pose, Right: Gun-Jack takes on Julia!

*Special thanks go to Gravedigga and Tadarich for the pictures of Julia Chang and Gun Jack Tadarich's english home page - WWW.win.or.jp/tadarich/eng/eindex.html GraveDigga's home page www.tiac.net/users/kidcombo/tekken3.htm e-mail-kidcombo@tiac.net Tadarich's e-mail - Tadarich@super.win.or.jp ЕЄмМм Г]

This is what appears after the intro for a split second. It is a picture of the next character to be released. Unlike Tekken 2, these characters are released on a random schedule.

After the first appearance in the intro, you'll be able to play against him; soon after that he'll be playable.

mp uc заст E т

JULIA

Kuma, Julia Chang, Gun-Jack, Brian Fury

MM G;

I MONTH LY

ELECTRONIC EAM

The motion-captured animation was impressive, even at this early stage of

completion (top). The playbook is being com-

t's no secret that the modest Nintendo 64 the offensive plays and will probably о pletely revamped with software lineup has suffered from a have his say when it comes to BEI many plays drawn up by shortage of realistic sports games. the game's artificial intelligence. Ы WÎ signal caller Brett Favre. With the launch of NFL And speaking Xx] Gener > Quarterback Club 98 this fall, " — = of artificial intel- There will be plenty Acclaim will be the first on ARE BNO OTR M ligence, the distinguished of play modes (such as Season Play)—the most the block to give pigskin- : = voice of Marv Albert original is QB Club's signature “historic sim" starved N64 owners some- { г will commentate feature, which allows you to re-create some thing to look forward to. during gameplay. of the NFL's greatest moments.

All of the requisite NFL n ies ses | As you might expect, Being the only football game scheduled for teams and players are =e z - QB Club is a fully 3-D game, release this year, N64 sports fans can only hope licensed in QB Club '98, ы апа Acclaim promises that that QB Club '98 delivers on its promises. in addition to quarterback ind it will take full advantage Brett Favre's endorsement. of the N64's polygonal Besides guaranteeing that power. Both the players г oe the Packers will һауе ап and stadiums will be 3-D EAS A. awesome team in the game, à m rendered. The players will Favre will design some of х be animated through the

motion capture of Adrian

Murrell, the New York Jets

of the №4'5 little used ЕСУ EE running back, while the high-resolution graphics mode. 8 х й я stadiums will resemble their : real-life counterparts.

= pes 4 Е ОВ Club's feature list 212 9 B 55% M isan extensive one, and е early signs show that it

GB. m CM ы S : à а SMIN E Е : УА Эчә : x will be a very complete " m

amana- iti ж à football game. There f SYSTEM RELEASE DATE Е are plenty of Roster =

Management Options available for avid foot- A

ball fans who wish to try their hand at being

an NFL general manager. Teams can be

manipulated by the trading, signing or even

creation of players. If you wish, you can НЕ

build your own team from scratch. All of this

must be done within the confines of the

dreaded NFL salary cap, however. Hopefully, р PLAYERS there will be an option to turn the cap off, enabling the creation of killer teams.

GRAND TOUR 96

rand Tour Racing '98 boasts so many options and racing variables that it's hard to believe they crammed it all on one CD-ROM.

Forty different vehicles divided into three styles of racing—Rally, Sports and Buggy Off-road—will seemingly give you enough varied racing action to keep you busy for a long time. All the vehicles, the Dakars, the Dune Buggies or the Formula One-styled, are 3-D rendered and feature independent physics and stylings. Great care was taken to ensure the vehicles would handle as their true-life counterparts would in the same driving Situations. One developer even went as far as taking the Earth's varied gravitational pull into consideration when programming the vehicle physics. Luckily somebody stopped the over-achiever before he actually tabulated the numbers.

Another noteworthy portion of the sim is the extensive range of driving environments. Developers traveled to the actual countries in which the races take place (in the game) for the sole purpose of taking in every nuance of the landscape and local environment-all in the name of authenticity. Race in Scotland, Switzerland, Egypt and several other countries complete with local residents and their farm animals as well. All this is done with absolutely no pop-up! That's what the producers say at least, and upon playing the game here at the EGM offices, it's evident that the claim is true.

Several of the tracks will challenge

drivers with obstacles such as fallen temples, broken bridges and flooded roads. Spontaneous rock slides will occasionally make the driving intense as well. Along with the fun road obstacles, variable driving conditions can put you in the heart of a snow, ice, sand, shale or rain storm just to make things interesting. To top off the load of options, a race can take place in the morning, dusk or nighttime hours giving drivers the extra challenge of low- or no-light driving situations. Answering the call of racing fans everywhere, the game will include several unlockable short- cuts and alternative routes on many of the tracks. The alternate routes will add a dimension to the game that has been sorely lack- ing in the entire racing genre for a long time. Perhaps one of the most interesting options in the sim is still tentative, but if included, it will allow players to use a zoom-capable, 360-degree camera to view large portions of the landscape. Originally used as a programming tool, developers thought it would be interesting to leave in the camera for players to explore the detailed landscapes around the tracks while the game is paused. For multi- player racing, Grand Tour Racing '98 leaves no stones unturned. Race in single, split-screen, linked split-screen or just time attack. It's quite evident that Eutechnyx Ltd. have bet their bottom dollar that racing fans will appreciate the seamless quality that has gone into the backgrounds and exotic racing locations. The only question is: Will the actual racing gameplay live up to the standards the rest of the game has set...only time will tell.

SYSTEM RELEASE

PUBLISHER

PLAYERS

|

ИЛ DATE

MOTO ПА

(5 about time we had some motorcycle sims come out for the 32-Bit game platform! One can only play Road Rash for so long, as good as it is. Moto Racer Gold hopes to slay its audience with flashy 3-D environments and a whole lot of different bikes and styles of racing to choose from—16 different bikes to be exact, all sport their own handling and performance characteristics dictated by the type of racing and the complexity of the track or city course. Having eight different tracks—some motocross, some Grand Prix and a few city and foreign locations—the game is attempting to cover all the bases. Whether or not it can pull off Moto and Grand Prix racing in the same game remains to be seen. Andretti Racing successfully delivered Stock and Indy Car racing in a driving sim but that was a little

ony's first baseball game, MLB Pennant

Race, was the only weak link in their

otherwise spectacular lineup of sports

games. Hoping to improve upon last year's title is MLB '98—a game with a whole new name and 3-D look.

Sony claims that most baseball video games are too slow—and you know what? They're right. They promise that they'll deliver a game that plays fast, but also remains true to the sport by car- rying all of the nuances and strategies that make baseball what it is.

As is the standard in most

D J Jm E

easier since it all took place on level, paved roads not to mention in automobiles. Hopefully it can be done for motorcycles as well.

For multiplayer action Moto Racer will sup- port up to four players via link-up cables. Race in Practice, Single Race or Grand Prix Mode.

While these shots were taken from a development computer, ax they give us a good idea of how this motorcycle racing bonanza will look when it finally hits the PlayStation. The game will also be available for the PC featuring 3-D acceleration capability and a new Stereo Doppler sound effects system as well.

We can only hope BMG pulls it altogether to give race fans a great motorcycle racing sim.

sports games, MLB will carry motion-captured, 3-D baseball players. This will pay off with colorful animations such as back-hand stabs, throwing the ball while on your knees and dramatic over-the-fence grabs. There will be many different batting and pitching stances (in addition to different player sizes), allowing MLB '98 to re-create many of the baseball's more recognizable players.

MLB will be robust with features, espe- cially when it comes to stats. Fifty cate- gories of statistics will be tracked

RELEASE DATE

SYSTEM

PUBLISHER

PLAYERS

throughout the season, which might be a useful reference when it comes to trading players (you can create them too).

Sony promises to deliver the fastest, most intense baseball video game experience. With any luck, it'll play just as well.

SYSTEM RELEASE DATE

PUBLISHER

PLAYERS

— Game Informer

Try it! It's new. It's different. | You тау never go back to your old game again. №

УВ BASEBALL" ‘97 |

Pg

KIDS TO ADULTS

Designed tor © 1997 Interplay Productions. All right reserved. VR Sports, VR Baseball and The Difference Is Real are trademarks of Interplay Productions. All rights reserved. Major Ж League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties Inc. ОМАВРА Official Licensee-Major League Baseball Players МОД ост Association. PlayStation and the PlayStation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Windows and the Windows95 logo are registered B

Current Favorites: — Kraig Kujawa - ISS Soccer 64 е NBA Live 97 (PS)

Dean Hager - ISS Soccer 64 « Grand Slam Baseball

Sporting Game Reviews

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR SOCCER 64 * N64 KONAMI

27

ISS 64, without a doubt, is the best soccer game у | on themarket (with PS Goal Storm 97 dose behind). Konami's soccer game is incredibly realistic, but it is still an easy game to play. It does a great job of appealing to both casual gamers and die-hard fans of the sport. The 3-D graphics are incredibly lifelike, and are perhaps some of the best in a sports game. А variety of modes are available including extensive Practice, International Tournaments and even a Player Creation feature. If you want a Soccer game, look no further—ISS 64 is the best one.

Kraig Kujawa

I was really looking forward to this game, and | must.say that I’m sadly disappointed, NFS 2 offers an incredible selection of supercars and concept vehicles, but that’s about all it does right. NFS'was good when it felt more like a simulation. Now, it has been given an arcade: edge that simply doesn't fit. The cartoony-look- ing graphics are subpar, because they ruin the realistic feel of driving these real, exotic cars. Aside from having fun crashing million-dollar cars into Station wagons on a busy road, Need for Speed 2 is unfulfilling.

Kraig Kujawa

Rush Hour strikes me as a poor man's R.C. Pro AM (remember that NES сате?) It’s ап isomet- ric racing game that doesn't play nearly as well as itlooks. The 3-0 cars and tracks are well- rendered, but that's about the only good thing about this title. The gameplay is monotonous, lacking.any of the'excitement indigenous to most racing games. There's little interaction with the tracks, and any small mistake (common because of sloppy control) will usually cost you the race. Ultimately, like in real life, Rush Hour is a frustrating and boring experience.

Kraig Kujawa

ALL-STAR BASEBALL 97,

Formerly entitled Frank Thomas Baseball, Acclaim’s latest baseball game may һауе a new name, but it still plays the same. And that's not а good thing, All-Star Baseball reeks of mediocrity. Not one, single facet of the game. stands out. The 2-D graphics (with 3-D stadi- ums) are bland, and the gameplay is a little stiff and unexciting. There are just enough features and options to make the game passable, but nothing to write home about. While slightly improved over their last baseball effort, this title fails to live up to its prestigious All-Star name.

Kraig Kujawa

ТЕ

8 Fresh off the success of Goal Storm for the

PlayStation, Konami unleashes a soccer masterpiece for the N64. That's a big praise, but this one is worthy of the accolade, believe me. ISS 64 is the perfect blend of fluid 3-D animation, extremely competent gameplay and a host of options and teams to select from. The N64's analog controller-does a lot to. give you more control over your players on the field not 10 mention more buttons for more functions. The downside is it takes а little longer to learn all the functions, but it is well worth it.

Completely rebuilt from the original, Need For Speed 2 is a different game altogether. Taking a tum toward the arcade side, the look is a bit car- toony, pixelized and somewhat dark. Overall, the gameplay is not nearly as precise as the first addition, and realism has been traded in for weak arcade elements. Reaching the highest speeds on your first time-out ona, given course (something that was very hard in NFS) is actually easy. On the bright side, the game is very fast, living up to its name, and the selection of cars and tracks is large.

| have to give this game some credit for being the first 32-Bit, top-down perspective racer. 1 scoffed at first but grew accepting of the bird's- eye view of the action. Overall

sensitive gameplay dictates careful and conservative driving to be successful. It's a strange combination of intense sim-like driving and an unusual overhead view, but it seems 10 work for some reason, unfortunately not for a long period of time. While this is no F1 Pole Position or Rage Racer, it is something new for the ever-growing race genre.

All Star Baseball '97, like VR Baseball, seems

to be.about three-fourths finished: In short, it. needs to be polished up to make it competitive їп а very crowded genre. As you can see from the picture, there is some unwanted pixelization. Extraneous things like the actual ballparks are in need of more detail as well. Gameplay is OK but the Al is not quiteas:good (or maybe too good). For example, it seems like the CPU play- ers are always in place to field your hits no mat- ter were they go. Not a bad game but not that great either.

чавен ueag чэбен ирас «эбен ueag

“эбен ueag

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ELECTRONIC TOMB RAIDER R2 وس‎ CRASHBANDICOOT2 |F ےر‎

LEGEND OF ZELDA 64 1

SONIC TT Ш oocoo MK ius Ba i if fa

LETTERS ТО

Interface gives you the chance to praise, gripe, ask, speculate

or simply reflect. EGM will discuss some of today's top issues in

the video game industry. You can reach EGM by writing to:

THE

Please direct all subscription inquiries to:

EDITOR

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Subscription Department

Interface, Letters to the Editor

1920 Highland Avenue, #222 Lombard, IL 60148

or, you can e-mail:

EGM_Mailezd.com

Note: the above addresses are for editorial correspondence only!

Dear EGM,

I'm curious as to why Working Designs

makes so many Saturn RPGs and

makes nothing for Sony. It's obvious

the PlayStation needs more RPGs. Plus,

wouldn't Working Designs make a lot

more money with the PlayStation's larger

customer base? Is this some kind of

loyalty thing 1 don't know about? Ruholla@aol.com

It all goes back to 1995. You see, Working Designs has always been a licensed developer for Sony, even before the PlayStation's launch. But back then, the old management team at SCEA, very blunt- ly mind you, told WD that role-playing games were not part of their marketing plan. Sony, at the time, was very anti-RPG and wanted nothing to do with WD's prod- ucts, no matter how reputable they were. Victor Ireland, president of Working Designs, told us that Sony basically kicked them in the teeth. But not concerning themselves with who had the higher installed base (PlayStation, of course)

or whom they could make more money with, Working Designs continued to bring their products to Sega, Ireland and со:5 attitude being: Money is not a motivation in bringing great games to the gamers.

P.O. Box 55722 Boulder, CO 80z22-5722

or, contact the subscription department by visiting:

http://www.zdnet.com/zdsubs/egm/service/

Don't forget, EGM reserves the right to edit any correspondence

for space purposes.

But hold on. A new management team took over at Sony in the last eight months, and they have a different view of RPGs and Working Designs. Now SCEA, knowing where the money is, pulled a 180 and

is very pro-RPG. Working Designs, with the ball in their court, is bringing to

the PlayStation the Japanese shooter RayStorm under their new Spaz Games label. If everything goes well (i.e., if they can do things their way, with minimal interference from Sony—RayStorm is а test for WD to see how well they can work with Sony), then chances are very good that WD will be bringing out exclusive RPGs to the PlayStation in the future. But Saturn loyalists shouldn't fret. WD is bring- ing out five Saturn products this year to the PlayStation's one. As Ireland says, “Ме are not abandoning the Saturn by апу means. We just want to make sure that everyone can get a chance to experience all the great games from Japan.”

Dear EGM, 1 saw Street Fighter ІІ at my local arcade today. Loved the graphics, loved the sound. But what the hell is wrong with the con- troller? The thing is designed for a lefty! I know many are like that in Japan (I've seen a few myself). My boyfriend heard that the arcade manager wanted to be more universal, but was this really neces- sary? Playing cross-handed is definitely more annoying than a sticky button. Did Capcom decide to give gamers a hard time, or is this arcade manager just crazy? Name and address withheld by request

These left-handed SFIII machines are not Capcom-created products. Chances are, the arcade owner put the SFIII board in an older, custom-made lefty cabinet (from another game, or an older SF). Why would anyone do this? Maybe, 1) The arcade owner couldn't afford a brand-new,

dedicated SFIII cabinet, 2) This lefty setup was all that was available (being that SFIII is such a hot property right now). The owner may have thought a lefty SFIII is better than no SFIII, 3) The arcade owner

COUNTDOWN

a 90 Dear EGM,

If you were the first gaming mag out then why is GamePro 10 issues ahead of you? IM1B1GTard@aol.com

Well, um, Mr. Tard, our magazine was first (the first EGM came out in the fall of 1988, GamePro #1 came out in the spring of ’89), but as our friends at GamePro said in their “100th” issue, their numbering includes special editions and such. So, their counting system is a bit different from ours, which explains the discrepancy. If we were to include our special magazines and one-shots (like our recent Sports games guide; our annual Guide to Fighting Games; the yearly Buyer’s Guide; the Nintendo 64, PlayStation and Saturn buyer’s guides; the Shadows of the Empire and MK2 and 3 strategy guides; our issues of Mega Play, Super NES Buyer’s Guide and Turbo Force; and, of course, EGM?), then we'd be well over issue #200 by now! And that's not including our sister publica- tions, like P.S.X., CYBER SPORTS, Computer Gaming Review, Internet Underground, etc.

Anyway, we are coming up on our 100th issue soon. Watch the next few maga- zines for more tidbits like this that will explore the great history of video games and ЕСМ, the longest-running, #1 video game magazine in the country!

Dear ЕСМ,

This letter is to address some comments previously made by a couple of your read- ers on the African-American presence in video games. Please allow me to drop some knowledge on my fellow brothers and sisters, and even those of Anglo descent, or anyone else whom this sub- ject may strike an interest with. First of all, we lack the numbers in this industry. If we were to take a general census of pro- grammers, design-artists and software developers, I’m sure that there would only be a handful more Afro-Americans work- ing in this area than there are Caucasians working for Death Row Records. Caucasians and people of Asian ethnicity seem to be the predominant players in this field. Most people are inclined to associate things with what they are most familiar with (i.e., white people, white video game characters)—so don't take it as a complete "dis" of our people. What they know about our people usually comes from what is depicted in Hollywood movies and the news media, not from reputable historical sources illustrating the lives of courageous and intelligent men of African descent, or cur- rent issues of Black Enterprise, Ebony or Jet magazines. If we want a greater pres- ence and better image of brothers/sisters of color in the video gaming world, then we need more African-American artists, programmers and developers to blitz the scene. | would even suggest learning C+, buying the $750 Sony PlayStation (Yaroze) and creating your own game— and not a stereotypical title like Zelda: From the Hood (although it has a nice ring to it). But that’s only part of the solu- tion. Next we need to consider the “Dead Presidents” (dollars). If the presence of more people of African origin would mean more profit, Рт sure blacks would be more visible in video games. The bottom

is a lefty himself and prefers this setup, or 4) Left-handed controls make finding Sheng Long much, much easier (those of you who know this highly coveted secret understand what we mean...).

LAUGH A LITTI

Dear EGM,

In response to Chad Mullen's letter in your May issue, who thought that you could fix a CD by taping it with electrical tape, Га like

line in any business is what sells—“Show me the MONEY.” However, this doesn't mean that we have to put up with a bar- rage of negatively portrayed characters. Lastly, compared to most other ethnic groups, we are ahead of the pack in terms of representation in video games—even without the negative stereotypes. We can start with Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, along with other boxing titles featuring the likes of Buster Douglas and Riddick Bowe. Continuing in the world of sports, there’s Big Hurt and Deon Sanders; Tim Brown helped with Madden ’97; Latrell Spreewell used his form and talent to bring realism to Shoot-Out '97 as did Mitch Richmond with NBA Live "97. And in the fighting arena, don’t forget the bone-crushing Jax (MK series); Balrog (SF series); Dee Jay (SSF); Combo (Killer Instinct series); Blade from Eternal Champions and who can forget the grunting, sharply dressed Fox from Way of the Warrior? Now the lat- est “homie” to hit the butt-kicking scene, is Tekken 3’s Eddie Gordo. There’s proba- bly more (I'm mostly familiar with sports and fighting titles), but І hope you get the message. By the way, there are some excellent black superhero comic books for some future character ideas. Joseph Huggins Huggy26@aol.com

to comment, even my dog would know that

you couldn't fix а CD by taping it with

electrical tape. You gotta use duct tape. Name and address withheld by request

Dear EGM, ..the cool part about the Letters Section is your responses. When Chad taped the CD, and you acted like there was no problem, | cracked up. Keep up the good work. D.J. Kirsten Littleton, CO

Dear EGM, I'm disappointed when you don't give straight answers to the people who write letters to your magazine. For example, in issue #94, Chad Mullen asked about using electrical tape to fix a PlayStation CD. He asked for your advice, and you gave him a stupid response. Why didn’t you give him a straight answer? Evan Erickson Floral Park, NY

It just goes to show that some people have a sense of humor, and some people don't.

HOOKING UP Dear EGM, І own a PlayStation, Saturn and N64. Since my TV only allows one audio/video connec- tion at a time, | have to unhook one system in order to play another. Is there a device that would allow me to hook up all three systems at once? :

David Bentley

Martin, KY

Go to Radio Shack (or somewhere equiva- lent) and ask for a video/audio selector. This wonderful little device will allow you to have multiple A/V connections to your TV. Now how's that for a straight answer?

A NEW FIGHTING VIPER (FOR MKA)? Dear EGM,

In issue #94 (May 1997), | saw a picture of a character for Mortal Kombat 4 named Viper (in the Letter Art section). Do you have any information on this character? Jesse Simpson Ballwin, MO

We received a bunch of

| letters on Mr. Jimenez's | rendition of a "Viper" for | МКА. Viper is just а cre- ation of his imagination

| (unless he has precog- nitive skills of some sort and is able to see some- thing about the game that no one knows about yet—in which case, we'd like to offer him a job).

Wir. Jim E lope art to ever in EGM!

| twice

CAPCOM BLUES

Dear EGM,

I submit this letter to those of you out there who can remember the first time they ever played Street Fighter 11. | remember when 1 first played, what drew me to the game. Тһе |

EGMA

depth of the characters, the creative effects, the lifelike graphics and sound and the challenge of learning your favorite guy's special move. Its freshness and origi- nality of both story and technical achieve- ment would carry it through numerous upgrades and popularity battles with cheap imitations. The problem I have with all of this is that the business of selling games has since taken over the creative process of making games. As consumers, we are being served the same game souped up with the latest technology. Basically what 1 want to know is: When is Capcom going to stop squeezing every last penny, and every drop of dignity from the game that put them where they are today? Street Fighter Ш is a joke; it’s nothing more than а rehashing of the concepts from the previ- ous games. It is not an inspired creation that the original was. Until people stop accepting these marketing strategies and demand better, we'll never find a worthy replacement for the destined classic that is Street Fighter Il.

Danna Abrams laquita@bu.edu

Well, Capcom will keep on putting out updates and upgrades because they can. Just look at how popular Street Fighter III is, despite its derivative formula. Although we want to see an original product just as much as you do (we give Capcom a hard time for releasing lackluster updates of their old games too), we are guilty of sup- porting their rehashing business. We play SF Alpha 2 every day, and we are looking forward to Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street

Where Creativity, Your Favorite Video Game and A Stamp Can Make You Immortal!*

WA ‘чозбшхәт » uewmay uoSAIIW

Congratulations, Your prize is on its мау—ап ASCII Specialized Control Pad for the PlayStation. It features rapid-fire controls for all buttons and slow motion for those intense moments.

ЕСІЕСІМ

Fighter. Yes, Capcom may have lost some of their originality and magic, but they haven't lost their sense of fun. Like they say, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it!” Plus, it'll be hard for Capcom to come up with something as groundbreaking and pioneer- ing as Street Fighter ІІ again. So what does everyone else think about SFIII? Good? Bad? Original? Copycat?

THE MORAL MINORI Dear EGM, So, regarding Final Fantasy VII. Sony is working hard to preserve the integrity of Square’s work? What a fine example of moral integrity! Public urination, sexual activity, prostitution! How marvelous! A work of art indeed!...This is absolutely unacceptable. Sony will get none of my money. All they care about is preserving porn from Japanese games, and that stuff shouldn't even be there. Stephen Ford Edgewood, NM

OK, so don't buy the game already. Why bother to make such a big stink about it? Your views are definitely unique, Mr. Ford, in an age where everyone's opposed to censorship of any form.

SEX $i Dear EGM, I want to talk about this whole male-domi- nance-in-games issue. Sure, it's all right to make the main character of a game a woman, but that doesn't necessarily mean

LLS

the game is “innovative,” as is the case with Tomb Raider. Innovation does not come from some girl in a tight shirt run- ning around with a gun. Innovation is a result of a new style of gameplay and the overall fun factor (although it may be fun for some males to look at a polygon with womanly features). And look at all the advertisements for Tomb Raider. They all have something to do with the fact that the main character is а girl with a “great bod!” I think that is a bad marketing strategy; most Moms wouldn't buy a game with a sexy woman on a cover for her child. 1 want to say to the game companies out there: lay off the sex when directing your games towards the younger audience! Bobby Jannarone FI 1

What can we say? Sex sells and Eidos Interactive knows it. They. told us that they didn't use any type of focus group study or scientific research in their advertis- ing techniques. They just knew that they wanted a sexy girl franchise that would be their equivalent of Nintendo's Mario (but more appealing to males, of course). We like what we see!

| Acclaim T

| Activision 4-5 Alps Electric 27 Atlus 47

| BRE Software 121

| Chips & Bits 91 Eidos 59,89 Electronic Arts 70-71

| Game Spot 115

GT Interactive 33-35, 56-57 Interact 124-125 | Accessories | Interplay 37,43, 99, 13 Koei 83 LucasArts 16-17, 23-25 - 1 Malofilm 63,65 Brandon Allen Ryan Leyesa Adam Sturch атест 2і Keller, TX Bloomingdale, IL Cimarron, ММ | Midway 39 | МУР Productions 77 EE | Naki International 79 a | Pandemonium 120 | Playmates 66-67 The ASCH Control Pad | Psygnosis 41,44-45 Put your creative skills | Samsung 9d. to the test by decking | Sony Computer 23 п out a #10 envelope (the т y р! = long business type) with есто ies your own unique touch. Tommo 1224 Send your letter art to: | ei Century Fox E [nct | Virgin Interactive 75 Suite 222 Working Designs 53,55 Lombard, IL 60148 |

July 1997

The wait for Nintendo 64 games is finally over. The system has a hot new lineup of strong titles coming your way (Star Fox 64, Hexen 64 and Clay Fighter 63 1/3), and in the next issue, we'll have strategies on

these games for single as well as

multiplayer gaming! Also, be sure to

check out our growing sports

strategies, featuring tips and plays

for hot baseball titles like Grand

Slam and Triple Play 98 as well as some basketball tips on NBA Shoot Out "97.

New on the horizon

is an action-packed crossover game for both the PC and the PlayStation—MDK. EGM will give you all the differences, hints and tips to master any version.

graphi you'll need its ЕСМ? strategy guide.

Fox McCloud and crew return with Star Fox 64, Gamers can expect intense levels and tremendously hard enemies, which is why

Check out the growing M sports strategies and Ң get in the game!

EVECTRONIG,

Gz ¬

MING:

— MONTHLY!

August 1997

It's coming! E’, the biggest video game trade show in the world, is June 19-21 and EGM will be there in full force. If you thought our eight-page preshow feature was great in this issue (with dozens of never-before-seen game screens), you haven't seen anything yet! Look for MAJOR coverage in our August issue. If the game or prod- uct is coming out in 1997 (or early 1998), you will see it in this issue. You name it—Street Fighter III, Tekken 3, Resident Evil 2, Tomb Raider 2, Quake, Virtua Fighter 3, Street Fighter ІІ Collection, Duke Nukem 3-D, Sonic ТТ-апа we'll have it.

In addition to our special show coverage, we won't be leaving out

all of the regular columns and features, including a behind-the- scenes look at Psygnosis and a detailed "making of" the new Star Wars fighting game! You definitely won't want to miss our August issue!

MIN

Now everyone who plays wins a free six month

magazine | subscription! | You can't lose!

E Gamin

You have the POWER. In this contest you don't rely on the luck-of-the draw. You determine if you win or not. You win by outscoring others in a game of skill. Can you solve the puzzle below? Then you have what it takes. It looks simple, but its only the start. Each of five more puzzles get a little harder. But this time it's all шр to you. Stay іп to the end with the highest score and the gear is yours.

ith whatever options you want. Do you have what it takes? Then play to win! Computer Contest. Win a blazing fast computer with 200 Mhz MMX Pentium, 24 meg. RAM, 4 Gig. HD, 8X CD-ROM, Windows 95, modem and more! Video Game Contest. Pay on the hi-tech citing іі with this line-up: Sony Playstation w/ ASCII control pads; Sega Saturn; Game Boy Pocket; and Nintendo 64! Get all four or trade the ones you don't want for CA$H! Bonus options include: 33 inch monitor, $1,000 in games, cash, accessories and more!

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We're talkin’ GAMING HEAVEN! Directions. Fill in the Mystery Word Grid with words oing aoross that spell

out the Mystery Word down the side. Hint: use the Mystery Word Clue.

In the future. There will be four more puzzles at $2.00 each and one tie- breaker at $1.00 which will be sent to you by mail. You will have 3 weeks to solve each puzzle. We don't know how many wil play but typically 55% will have the highest score possible score to Phase |, 43% to Phase ||, 36% to Phase III, and 32% to Phase IV. The tie-breaker determines the winner. If players are still tied they will split the value of the grand prize they are playing for.

ENTER ME TODAY, HERE’S MY ENTRY FEE: [ ($3.00) Video Game Contest

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SEND CASH, М.0., OR CHECK TO: PANDEMONIUM, Р.О. BOX 26247 MINNEAPOLIS, ММ 55426-0247 RY RI

997 * ENTR) опіш limited to entr,

City

[=>

nts of the U.S. and е. S, Eden Prairie, th this magazine,

Return this coupon with your next mail order (not valid on phone ^

or online orders) and receive $5.00 OFF your purchase. Please

list alternatives when ordering by mail. Not valid with any other

« offers, Sales or Specials. This coupon is valid thru 7/31/97. Мо

„ copies accepted. If we can't fill your order within 30 days, we , will return your order, payment and this coupon to you. EM7

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To Sell Games/Systems

1. Ona full sized plece of paper, write your name, complete address, phone number and a list of all the cartridges/systems with the buy back prices you are selling.

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FIFAINTL SOCCER S7 3455140 | STAR WARS

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HIGH VELOCITY ‘COLLEGE SLAM 29951000 MICKEY МАМА 59:952000 STORM ASNAN RPG 44951800 |We are now buying Genesis, Super Nintendo, PlayStation И зо | WILD CHOPPERS 54.95/30.00 | до sconouen 0c ММО Fars 38000 Знае о desm борон ы HME | and S ichs Finstuctons. The b WILLIAMS ARCADE! LONGO AS81400 MK TRILOGY 3495/1200 STREET FIGHTER ОЗ, 3222120 [and Saturn games without boxes or instructions. The following 5 CONTRA LEGACY WAR 3455/1409. MLB PENNANT RACE 3095/1800 TETAS 39551900 [аге prices for cartridge/disc only. INTHE HUNT Š GREATEST HITS 54.95/30.00 || Coisoinbens "^^ Мела MLB PENNANT RACE эл ER 28981000 туны 8597800 INCREDIBLE HULK COSMCRACE 7 юла MONSTER FARM Я i 981000 TANBASSTOURN. | 29051500 Nintendo 8 bit (cartridge ony)" $190 INDEPENDENCE DA Y 2995/ WORLD CHAMP WREST 54.95/30.00 || cats eancicoor зала MONSTER TRUCK AAL 24552400 STRIKE POINT 2 TNNBASSTOURN.96 44951800 IRON 4 81000 ] CREATURE SHOCK 19581200 MONSTROUS CI 400 SUKODE TOPGEAR 981800 Game Boy (cartridge only) $200 TRON MÀN. E PGA TOUR GOLF 97 39951500 THEME PARK 29991000 CAME CRACKERS 2451400 МОЯТА, КОМВАТЗ 2434800 SUPER KCK BOXER TOY STORY КОШИ ‘Game Gear (cartridge only) $200 IRON STORM PRIMAL RAGE 2455800 00 CRIME WAVE 34951400 MOTOR TOON GP. (6 SUPER Ото 9 5210. ULTIMATE MK3 44551800 ө юе only JOHNNY BAZOOKA PRIZE FIGHTER 34991400 T 1995600 CRITICOM 2 34551400 MYST 3495/1400 SUPER PUZZLE FIGHT. 38981500 UNCHARTEDWATERS 22551500 Genesis (cartridge only) $2.00 JUDGE DREDO PROIECTSPACE 29951000 TIN MOTORSPORTS 44252000 CROW CITY OF ANGELSZ9 98/1200 MYSTARIA 39952000 SUPERSONIC RACERS 39950000 URBAN STRIKE 3898500 Sr NAFO Ca ork E KILLING TIME. QUAKE. 3995/1500 TOMB RAIDER. 3995/1800 CRUSADER NO REM. 29951200 NAMCO Deed pud 39951800 super Nintendo (cartridge only) KINGDOM OMAGIC RAYMAN TRUE PINBALL 29951000 CRYPT KILLER 95/1400 VOI ою Эмики xw» Alaames Saturn (disc only) $400 KRAZY VAN. 3457400 RETURN FIRE a TUNNEL В. ЖОООП CYBER THUG КЕШ 000 TALOFTHESUN 39582000 20 LAST BOUNTY HUNTERS 810 00 RISE 2 RESURRECTION 24. VALORA VALLEY GOLF 29,95/10.00 CYBERBYKES 39951800 RATES WARRIOR 9: ЕД MEMO SAC RON layStation (disc only) LEGACY OF КАМ ROAD KILL VARUNA'S FORCES 29551000 CYBERIA 1995600 МА ӨТЕ CER M DATE MO Se POR АШ Include Nintendo 64 (cartridge only) $15.00 LEGEND OF OASIS. 81000 ROAD RASH 3485/1200 VIRTUA COP 2 31951000 D 28561000 NASCAR RACING 4495/20 MOWORLOGOLF 345/400 ҚАР ТЕКСЕ ы DUET ы LEGEND OF THOR ROBINSONS REQUIEM S4891400 VITUACOPZWGUN 39992000 DAREDEVLDERBY0 24554000 NBAHANGTME | 39590800 TECHOS DECEPTION 3 e 00 intendo 8 bit games except Super Mario, Duck Hunt, Gyromite, LOADED ROBO PIT 29951000 VIRTUA FIGHTER KIDS 29951000 DARK LEGENDS 951800 NTHEZONE 109800 TENEN 8 Original Bi Hogan's Alley and other zapper gun or power pad games. LUNACY ROM.SKINGDOMS 4 39951400 VIRTUAL CASINO 3896/1400 DARK NET 380918900 NBAIN THE ZON 8140 TEKKEN? жемю (rigina БОХ | The above prices do not apply to demo discs, special oferimited MAG алғ? Е VRTUALON о DES eng 38891800 NANE O SAMAD TENPNALLEY О ME packaged games (Virtua Fighter Remix, etc) and games that were те О REELS AD VENAE POOL нш DAWNOFDARKUESS ФВ NBA SHOOTOUT ат 3963500 TEST DIVE OFF ROAD 422000 and Original included with systems. Miscellaneous/extra PlayStation and Saturn MANX TT 3495140 34951400 ҰЯ BASEBALL 39991500 DECADE EET ҚАННАН ME AIEN, кын E DM с> ы m BC Send MARVELSUPERHER. 34981400 SHINING WISDOM — 34951200 VR GOLF 34981200 ICAA Gi Р E B your Genesis, Super Nintendo, Saturn and PlayStation games MASS DESTRUCTION 3495/1400 SHINOBI LEGIONS 1995600 VR HOCKEY 34951400 ОЕАТНОВОМЕ 39931800 NEED РОЯ SPEED 34951400 THE FINAL ROUND | 3995/1600 MAXIMUM SURGE Et: SHOCKWAVE ASSAULT 1398800 VR POOL КОН DEATH RACE. 39951800 NEEDFORSPEED2 3995/2000 THEME PARK 2895100 Instructions without boxes or instructions to the address above.

Titles in ITALICS are newer and may or may not be available, please call for availability. All games must include box, jewel case, instructions, and any hint books/maps that were included with the game, We wil deduct $2.00 for each SNES/N64 cartridge without a cardboard insert and $5.00 for broken CD cases. Games without box, instructions, etc will be returned at your expense ($5.00 minimum). Cartridgas/discs not in resellable condition or with evidence of rental store stickers will be returned а! your expense ($5.00 minimum). All games are Used, include a 90 DAY WARRANTY and are subject to availability. We reserve the right to refuse any sale or purchase. Allow 40 days to receive orders placed with money orders and 60 days to receive orders placed with personal checks. No refunds or exchanges on games/systems. For shipping, add $8.00 for the frst 2 games and $1.00 or each additonal. AlaskHawaifPR/APO/PO Boxes double shipping charges Cali. ез айй 775% tax. We do nol ship out of the US. Prices are for mal order only and based on 1 copy per ile, to buy or Sell in quantty, contact our wholesale dept. Limit of 1 cartidge/CD per tile accepted without proof of purchase. If we do not receive your package by 7/31/97 or your game tiles are not listed іп this ad, you will be paid from our current catalog. To receive prices in this ad you must include the "өрі. # from this ad on the OUTSIDE of your package. If you are unclear about any of our policies, procedures or prices, please call, Individual ites revadenasot he especie companies, PaySuton and he Pale go are ademas ol Sony Computer nein. Sega SUN a egt radar o! Sega maa, n. Super ово Nintendo 6¢ and Nt are gite vaderark sot Nerd ol America lwc

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