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February,1998

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Read this while you still have time to save a life.

Gamer First Aid

Act quickly. Get to the The victim nearest may faint. hospital.

Stop the Call for game. help.

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In most Eidos-related emergencies, your first response will be to finish the victim’s game, potentially resulting in the loss of a lot more than a friendship. So before playing games like Tomb Raider 2 or Deathtrap Dungeon,

study the enclosed first aid instructions. Then mount them in an easily accesible location near your PlayStation. And rest assured that once you've assisted the injured, you can finish what their lame ass couldn’t.

ир

You’ve been warned.

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Editorial

By Ken Williams • ken_williams@zd.com

here is an important trend in gaming that's gaining in popularity. Multiplayer gaming has clearly become the catalyst for growth in our industry — GoldenEye ооу and sports titles are among the hottest sellers on the market, and Location-Based Entertainment facilities, or LBEs, are popping up everywhere. We have long since zoomed past the halcyon days of dark, seedy arcade hangouts and lone rebel gaming. Instead, gaming has become...gasp...socially acceptable.

Things haven't always been this social. In my early teens, nothing like LBEs or multiplayer games even existed. Arcades were seedy at best; usually poorly lit, cement-floor caves where | could escape the pressures of adolescence. The older kids smoked while playing a lone game of Space Invaders or Asteroids, their quarters lined up along the bottom of the screen. Arcades were usually crowded, yet there was a distinct lack of conversation. This was a soli- tary time; a time to be alone with a single goal— defeat the game— not a social gathering on par with school sporting events and mixers. It's no wonder arcades were blamed for the cor- ruption of youth. Even at our best, we looked more like entranced zombies than the future

of America.

And then came the home systems—talk about a social placebo! | was one of the shameless statistics, joining a legion of teens frozen for hours, mesmerized by the dazzling graphics and engrossing gameplay of the latest Atari game. Social withdrawal? Certainly. But hey, | was developing hand-eye coordination, right? In hindsight, l'm amazed the FDA didn't move to classify video games as some sort of narcotic. There was no alternative to reaching that 100th round of Defender. Gaming was like a drug, and I, like many of my peers, was addicted for life.

Sports fans have a name for such an intense focus; | was “In The Zone." The problem was, being In The Zone was pretty lonely. Gradually, more games began to allow for more than one player at a time. It was the start of something big. Then the first four-player simultaneous titles began to filter into arcades and console systems. Anyone remember Warlords on the Atari 2600 and in the arcades? Now that was a game that required some pals to really enjoy. There suddenly was a social aspect to playing video games.

Fast forward to my late teens, where arcades had undergone a radical transformation. Clean, well-lit game rooms started popping up everywhere. It got to the point where a kid only had to take a short walk to the nearest corner or mall to meet his buddies for a game of four-player Gauntlet or Cyberball. Martial arts games required a human competitor to have the most fun. Street Fighter, Double Dragon, Final Fight and Bad Dudes machines were constantly packed with two friends (or enemies) hacking away at each other. Suddenly, arcade games weren't so much of a rebel, loner pastime anymore. Sure, many of us hunkered down at home at night to enjoy the latest incarnation of Mario, but gaming would never be the same.

Today, home games have once again caught up with arcades in embellishing the human element of video gaming. Now we're playing games like GoldenEye 007, Duke Nukem 3D, Bomberman, Mario Kart 64 and countless sports titles, all of which support—and are arguably at their best in —Multiplayer Mode. With the exception of a few genres like RPGs, many games require a friend to realize the full entertainment value. Even here at EGM, we used to grab our favorite titles and hunker down for some serious gaming binges, alone. Now we play sports, various fighting games and racing games as a group. We sometimes even visit the local Dave & Busters for merriment and mayhem.

There's only one thing missing in this pleasant evolution: multiplayer RPGs. With advanced Internet capabilities linking computers worldwide, PCs have had a head start. Breakthrough titles like Diablo, Meridian 59 and recently Ultima Online create virtual communities complete with unique, diverse roles for gamers. Whereas before you were forced to be the lone hero, | now you can join a party of real friends, slay a dragon and battle the forces of evil as a

team, sharing the glory and bonding of victory, and the humiliation and finger-pointing of defeat. Home consoles are the final frontier for multiplayer RPGs. Final Fantasy VIII Online? We can't wait!

There's no question, the latest trend in gaming requires a little help from your friends...

Additional postage for orders outside the U to Electronic Gaming Monthly, P.O. Box 557

publication may be reproduced, stored i

Electronic Gaming Monthly and EGM are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Inc. d the turers’ change and the publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. The Canadian GST Registration nu

Printed in the USA.

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EVE СТЕ ОМ ГС

Number 11.2 February 1998

www.videogames.com

аа — Ona

Dean Hager * dean_hager@zd.com Dan Hsu * dan_hsu@zd.com

Kraig Kujawa е kraig_kujawa@zd.com John Ricciardi • john_ricciardi@zd.com Shawn Smith е shawn_smith@zd.com SushiX e sushi ; x@zd. ‚com

A Michael Stassus « m Stasusead. com

Ann-Marie Mrozynski Subscription Service Number: 303-665-8930

Cathy Bendoff

Ziti- Davis Inc., 1920 Highland Ave., (nibs IL 60148 Telephone: 630-916-7222 FAX: 630-916-9254

West Coa

John Yoffie, 13 h :415- 357-5322 FAX: 415- 357- 5201 E- mail: jon,

Karen Landon, 135 Main Street, 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA 945. s Telephone: 415-357-5460 FAX: 415-357-5201 E-mail: karen landonGzd.com

Mike Darling Founder Steve Harris

additional

write

5 discs deep. A universe wide. Say goodbye.

|

Ion

PlayStat

ас ER

THE SEQUEIETO

[RATING PENDING

ссізіт is a division and registered trademark of Acclaim Entertainment, © Al ights. served.

CONTENT RATED BY PlayStation

Presenting Masters of Teras Kasi, an all-out fighting frenzy featuring 9 Star Wars

characters and introducing a new villain masterfully trained in the ancient martial

e

art of teräs käsi. Battle through 9 action-packed arenas. Engage in weapon-to-

weapon or hand-to-hand combat. Wield lightsabers, blasters, flame throwers and

battle axes to engage in the ultimate conflict. Heck, even the к 2 74

com PlayStation com

ЈЕ | fJ.

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Empire never struck back this hard. www.lucasar

@,™ & © 1997 Lucasfilm Ltd. and LucasArts Entertainment Company. All Rights Reserved. Star Wars and the LucasArts logo are registered trademarks, and Masters of Teräs Kasi is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd., used under authorization. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

77% _

THE GALAXY IS FAR, FAR AWAY.

THE FIGHTING IS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

=

or TERÄS RASU

onter ts

El ctronic Gaming Monthly, Febr di ry 1998, Issue 103

84 - Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Arcade Gone?

We trace the evolution of arcades, from the Nickel-in-the-Slot joints of the old days to today’s mammoth entertainment centers.

96 - 10 Games You Should Not Play Alone

There are good games, and then there are those that are oh-so-much better when you’re pulverizing your friends.

4 - Editorial

Gaming: It ain’t what it was 10 years ago.

12 - Letters

Angry fathers and gay men don’t mix.

20 - News

Someone’s making a new system...and it’s not Nintendo, Sony or Sega.

32 - Gaming Gossip

PlayStation 64 development kits are shipping soon!

#00 37 - Legend of Zelda: ТОТ __ |

у 107

37 — Previews 2

119

37 - Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, N64 4 64 – R-Types, PS i

46 — F-Zero X, N64 67 - Tekken 3, PS 70

48 - NBA Basketball, N64 70 - Bushido Blade 2, PS 559

49 – Mario Artist Series, N64 70 - Riven, PS 76

52 - Super Mario RPG 2, N64 | 72 - Alien Resurrection, PS z 101

53 – Mother 3, N64 72-C, PS 64

54 ~ Fighter’s Destiny, N64 72 - Fifth Element, PS 107

58 - Burning Rangers, SAT 76 - Last Blade, Arcade i

62 – Breath of Fire ІІІ, PS 76 - Rival Schools: UBF, Arcade 120

129

] 110

* | 52

104 – Review Crew T = лышы Жу?

Is this the last big wave of Saturn games we'll see? £ ) a Шы =

| 0 Ж И... 128

126 - Jump Start 3 2

Get off on the right wheel with Diddy Kong Racing strategies. MI | ^ А - | | 54

128 – Tricks of the Trade | U Жә _ 16 iE

Wanna see Princess Leia in her slave outfit?

132 - Get Some!

Check out the new Street Fighter V anime

and a $5,000 dinosaur.

5 a

` Game Directory |

180-Degree Snowboarding AeroGauge

Alien Resurrection Alundra

Armored Core

Atari’s Greatest Hits 2 Auto Destruct Bomberman 64 Breath of Fire ІП Broken Sword Burning Rangers Bushido Blade 2

с

Chameleon Twist Colony Wars

Crash Bandicoot 2 Duke Nukem 64 Enemy Zero

FIFA: RTWC 98

Fifth Element Fighter’s Destiny Fighting Force Frogger

F-Zero X

Ghost in the Shell G-Police

Last Blade

Last Bronx

Legend of Zelda: TOoT Lode Runner

Mario Artist Series Master of Monsters Micro Machines

MK Mythologies: SZ Monopoly

Monster Rancher Mother 3

Moto Racer

NBA Basketball

NBA Fastbreak ’98 NHL All-Star Hockey '98 Nightmare Creatures Ninja

One

PlayStation Underground No. 4 Quake

Rascal

Ray Tracers

Reel Fishing

Rival Schools United By Fate Riven

Robotron 64 R-Types

Sega Touring Car Shipwreckers Sonic R

Spawn

Star Wars: MoTK Steep Slope Sliders Super Mario RPG 2 Tekken 3

Tennis Arena

Test Drive 4

Tomb Raider 2 Tonic Trouble

WCW Nitro

Wetrix

Worldwide Soccer '98 Yoshi's Story

Turn to the Tricks ' section to look at the princess in her new outfit!

e Evolution Df Arc

JUMPING

Welcom 1

<; DSTO лошта ~

Sean Exetusive

Letter of the Month

Growing Up уе been observing the trend of nostalgia that has been sweeping the past few issues of your magazine, and l've given it some thought. It would appear the top 100 list, readers' responses and even Ed Semrad's most recent column have demonstrated what fierce loyalty so many people possess toward the games of yesterday (and how many others don't). It seems to me that video games, like other branches of the enter- tainment industry (movies, television, etc.) are subject to this form of appreciation mainly because of the many unique (and not-so-unique) viewpoints of younger and older gamers. Semrad stated in his column how unimpressed his son was with the games that Semrad himself appreciated. His son didn't grow up with those games. Similarly, | didn't grow up watching black-and-white serials at my local movie theater.

Those who don't grow up with certain things usually don't appreciate them the same way. In fact, I’m imagining today’s youth growing up and becoming nostalgic about today's games in an era that makes GoldenEye look like Pac-Man and hearing their kids say, “Yeah, Рт bored with that. Look at how much more fun today's games are. The graphics are better too."

| could be completely wrong, of course. But the point I’m try- ing to make is that video games, like everything else, are sub- ject to individual interpretation and appreciation (except for dogs like Shaq-Fu), and while the era many games arrived in is now gone, lots of people still like them because their original charm isn't gone. It all depends on who you are as a gamer as far as many of the aspects of game quality go.

But that's just my opinion.

Ivan Henley — Broken Arrow, OK

Whenever we bring up an old game in fond memory, we're always wondering, “Do we still like this game because we liked it so much when we were younger? Or is it a genuinely good game, even by today's standards?" More than one fantasy was destroyed when we brought out the classics in making the Top 100. We found out some of these “awesome oldies” aren't so awesome anymore. _

It’s not always nostalgia, however, that makes a classic good in our minds. Games like Ms. Pac-Man are still fun because they were made with one thing in mind: great gameplay.

Thanks for your letter.

Congratulations. Паја и вене You win ап InterAct controller. You will be receiving a Barracuda (PS), an Eclipse Stick (SAT) or a SharkPad Pro 64° (N64).

EGM Letters gives you the chance to praise, gripe, ask, speculate or simply reflect. EGM will discuss some of today's top issues іп the video game industry. If you have a subscription inquiry or problem, please contact our subscription department at (303) 665- 8930 or by going to: http://subscribe.egmmag.com/service on the Web. Writing the editorial staff about your subscription concerns is futile! Note: ЕСМ cannot and will not personally respond to any letters: We reserve the right to edit any is WE eee Pr space purposes. You can reach EGM by writing to:

EGM Letters 1920 Highland Avenue, #222 Lombard, IL 60148 e-mail: EGM_Mail@zd.com

letters

Compiled by: Dan “Shoe” Hsu Dukespeak

Did you know that most of Duke Nukem’s quotes are from the Evil Dead movies? “Come get some,” “Hail to the king, baby,” are all such quotes. Also, the “kicking @$$ and chewing bubble gum” thing is from the movie They Live. Just wanted to let you know if you didn’t already and give you a few more reasons why Duke rocks!

vmiletic@facstaff.wisc.edu

George Presard, 3D Realms’ product manager оп g the original Duke Nukem (for the PC), told us that the § Duke team wanted the game to be a pop-culture refer- ence fest. So, they threw in a few memorable quotes from some of the team’s favorite cult movies, the Evil Dead series and They Live. Good thing the developers aren’t fans of Cool As Ice.

On £5M s Side

| want to let.you know that | totally agree that Resident Evil is over- rated. In fact, | think Resident Evil is probably the most overrated game in history! | bought the game-because of the hype surrounding it, but when | played it, | was very disappointed. First off, | was forced to hear the horrible voice acting! Then there was the storage system, which made me want to puke. Overall, the game was OK, but it shouldn’t have gotten that much praise. By the way, that picture of Cloud’s ass cracked me up!

“Groovy

Tom Vitale—Staten Island, NY

Heh...heh...heh...he said ass cracked. Well, we’re glad someone was OK with us not including Resident Evil in the top 100.

Video Game TV Show Looking For Staff

Do you play video games and work in TV production? Ziff- Davis Television wants you! ZDTV is looking for segment producers, production associ- ates and interns for its daily gaming show. Only those with a passion for video games need apply. Staffing up in the first quarter of 1998, ZDTV’s gaming show will feature competitions, along with the latest previews, reviews, tips, tricks and news in the world of video gaming. Covering the entire spectrum from consoles to PCs, arcade to online, ZDTV is looking for team players capable of all aspects of production. The ability to operate a video camera, produce field segments and direct edit sessions is a must. Candidates should be familiar with studio production, and most of all, must be avid gamers. All interested parties should mail a resume and reel with a brief cover letter to:

EM Capuano

ZDTV

650 Townsend St.

San Francisco, CA 94103

Political Turmoil

Your response to issue #100’s “Letter of the Month” dismayed me. In that particular issue, you blame House and Senate conserv- ative Republicans for the ongoing political nagging over video games (you replied, *Then the conserva- tive senator/parent wouldn't have anything to worry [or complain] about..." in that issue's letters col- umn). You have put the blame on the wrong political wing, gentle- men. Video gaming's most vocal Washington, D.C. opponents are Democrats, and more specifically liberal Democrats. The whole "let's have the government rate video games" ordeal and its subsequent "Violence in video games" hear- ings were proposed-by Senator Lieberman, an outspoken and extremely left-wing Democrat.

So why does EGM keep blaming conservatives for video games' never-ending political turmoil? Perhaps the evidently-too-young sub-college-age editors are failing their poli-sci classes, unaware of the differences between right- and left-wing politics? Why, it was uber-Republican himself Ronald Reagan who once said something to the effect of "If parents would watch their kids more closely and

N E "ay ©

У Designed For CONTENT RATED BY N64 Rumble Рак” ESRB

6 /

© ATLUS / RACDYM 1997 U.S. Patent Number 5.269.687,5.354.202 and 5.577.913 and related informational Patents are used under license from Atari Games Corp. Licensed by Nintendo, the Official Seal, Nintendo 64, the 3-D "N' logo, and the Rumble Pak are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. ©1996 Nintendo of America Inc.

intently, there would be no need at all for game rating-systems and their like:” Truly, it’s the-politicaleftists-who-want-more and more govern- ment in our'tives; video games are just another issue to them.

Neil Johnson --mr.kotterGQjuno.com

First off, we never blamed any Republicans. Second, if you had any political savvy, you'd realize that the “liberal” and “conservative” tags mean less now than ever when applied to the Republican and Democratic parties. You'd realize that lately we've seen the rise of the so-called *New Democrats," who take a decidedly moderate approach in an attempt to please the majority of their constituents. Sen. Joe Lieberman is considered by many to be the "captain" of this new Capitol Hill crew, and that's why we're seeing a conservative policy— such as the game rating system—along with liberal views from a Democrat. Whew...we'll get off our soapbox now.

And The Name of This Game ls...

The game you were talking about in issue 102 on page 16 is Astrod [sic]. | know it is Astrod because you can go to: Wal-Mart and check out the arcade file.

Desmond Johnson, Jr.— Havelock, NC

OK, thanks.

Mission: Delayed, But Not Impossible

| am writing to you to express my frustration over Nintendo 64’s Mission: Impossible. Every time | get my new issue of EGM, | turn to the Coming Soon list and see Mission: Impossible being pushed back another month. What’s the deal?

Mike Wolfe—Indianapolis, IN

We theorized that Ocean/Infogrames (the joint developers of Mission: Impossible) took their game back to the drawing boards upon seeing what an utterly fantastic job Rare did with GoldenEye 007. А spokesperson for Ocean, of course, denied this. He told us the game is being held back for its own reasons—being that М:! contains “revolu- tionary game mechanics,” the game is taking much longer to complete than anyone there anticipated. Right now, the game is slated for a sec- ond quarter release, 1998. Hopefully, ІРІ be worth the wait.

Macintosh Loyalist

| am writing in response to a comment made in your 102nd issue, “If it’s games you're into, forget about а Mac— it's not even worth consid- ering anymore." | know that the PC game market is a hell of a lot bigger than the Mac's, but | would also like to make it clear that there are a ton of great games for the Macintosh such as Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, MechWarrior || and so on. | also couldn't help but notice that you at EGM use the Macintosh too. On page 178 in your 100th issue (in the picture in the right-hand corner), you show a keyboard with the Apple logo on

We shouldn't need to see a Director's Cut since [the cen-

What are thoughts on censored "Director's Cuts?"

n the first place. "cloudxQwebtv.net

Censored difector’s cuts...what an oxymoron. mojorecords@juno.com

egm letters

it. In the future, please think before hopping on the Macs-are-good-for- nothing bandwagon, especially if you use them yourselves. Lucifero63@aol.com

We never said that Macintoshes are poor computers for production (which is what we use them for). We-simply wouldn't recommend them if you're looking for a strong gaming machine. That is, unless you prefer shopping amongst the few games on that tiny island dis- play at the video game shop over the rest of the store. By the way, all those games you mentioned are

EGM —HELP WANTED

Wait, don't get too excited here. We're not looking for new edi- tors (well, not until Joe Funk catches Crispin sleeping again, anyway). We want your input. We want to know what childish antics you perform when you're losing in a game (joypad tossing, name calling, etc.). Mail your best stuff to:

LOSERS c/o EGM 1920 Highland Ave. #222 Lombard, IL 60148

or EGM_Mail@zd.com with the subject heading: LOSERS.

Many gamers are getting ripped off. s case of Resident Evil:

apo available овер. We'll publish some of the more

creative responses in an upcom-

It Takes Guts ing feature in EGM.

| want to commend you for print- ing the letter from Richard Spoonts, the gay man from Harvard [EGM Letters, issue #101]. | felt the mere fact that you let it see print deserves a big pat on the back. Why? Because presently, the world, in general, is taking an extremely “anti-gay” attitude. lm sure that you received piles upon piles of letters blatantly trashing you for printing said letter. But you didn’t discriminate at all, and you let another point of view see light. It’s a gutsy move that I’m sure freaked many readers out, but one that validates my faith in you guys that you won’t be pushed around.

As a straight white male, | get really tired of hearing others in my demographic group whine on and on about this issue. | don’t know about other readers out there, but the “hate those awful gays” attitude gets stale real fast. So another thumbs up to you guys at EGM. You could have sacrificed Richard’s letter for the purposes of a joke, hurting him in the process, but you didn’t, which | think deserves acclaim.

Ira Wells—wells_d@agt.net

We hardly received any letters complaining about us printing Mr. Spoonts’ letter. We did get a couple, including one from a father who cancelled his sons’ subscription because he didn’t want his children exposed to such “filth.” We’re surprised this family is even reading Electronic Gaming Monthly; we certainly can’t imagine these kids play- ing video games. The electronic images and strange noises emanating from the “moving picture box” must be frightening to people living in the Stone Age.

And hey! We’re perfectly capable of printing letters without cracking a joke or poking fun of (or insulting) the author. Now...can you tell us what the hell kind of name is Ira. Wells? Sounds like а girly name...

A director’s cut is a version of a product in which the director expresses his/her original vision, Censorship of a director's cut is hypo- critical and not at all true to its label. | RJStuff&aol.com

Just because Director's Cut is censored doesn't mean

ul a gre: ter what you: do to it. happystickman@ mail.geocities.com

Next Month’s Question of the Moment: What classic game(s) would you like to see revived for today’s systems? Send your short (very short, please), but sweet, responses to: EGM_Mail@zd.com with the subject heading: Classics

Windows” 95

Я ; cs m Sim SEGA SATURN m еее ра

Mass Destruction” is a trademark of BMG Interactive International, a unit of BMG Entertainment. ©1997 NMS Software, Ltd. ASC Games” is a trademark of American Softworks Corporation, ©1997 American Softworks Corporation. Mass Destruction” is developed by NMS Software, Ltd. The NMS logo is used under license from BMG. BMG is a trademark of BMG Music. Play Station” and the Playstation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, inc. Windows® 95 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. Sega” and the Sega Saturn” logo are trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved.

All you folks (look up sarcasm in the dictionary, by the way) who wrote in and told us that this game is called Asteroids clearly did not check with this “Wal-Mart Arcade File,” whatever that is. So the next time you're in the mood for some classic arcade shootin’, go to your local video game retailer and ask to see their Astrod. Trust us, it'll be fun!

Gender Bender

I’m responding to your article about Toad in issue #101. You thought Virgin's Cool Spot may possibly be a “chick.” Well in issue #88, page 50 and 51, there is a Cool Spot Goes To Hollywood ad with the heading, "He's Flirting With Disaster!" See? He. He's flirting with disaster. So next time you tackle gender issues, get the facts at least almost straight.

Chase Macri — Hampton, VA

Hum s An BREE Kee-ripes! Take it easy! J ІШ. | | JISAS ER! Run out of laxatives, did ( ; i | we? The Toad story was 4. | done in fun, so chill. Besides, there is more than one Spot. Remember the early 7eUP commercials with Spots running ram- pant? Well, who do you think gave birth to all those Spots? A momma Spot.

| saw your piece on Toad [What's the Deal With Toad?— EGM #101]. Му observation is that Toad is not a male or a female. He is both. Science tells us that life cells of mold, spores or related fungi have no sex. Toad is a mushroom, and so аге all of his people, right? Mushrooms are mem- bers of the fungi family. This explains it all, ya? Oh, except for one thing—all of the fungi family are asexual. This means they breed amongst themselves and are both male and female. Clint Riese—Hibbing, MN

Actually, fungi is neither male nor female, and mush- rooms themselves are not fungi (but merely a product of them). Bob Fogel, professor of biology at the University of Michigan— Ann Arbor (and curator of fungi at the U of M Herbarium), told us, “Mushrooms are the fruit bodies of certain fungi. Mushrooms are reproductive structures like apples on an apple tree, that’s made to spread the spores produced by

WINNER

Daniel Rosa Brooklyn, NY

Congratulations, your prize is on the

| ee ee а way—an ASCII asexual reproduction.” In short: Specialized Control

Mushrooms do not reproduce Pad for the

(and therefore, have no sex).

The fungi that makes them do PlayStation. It

Letter Art

reproduce (but have no sex— they either self-reproduce or match up with compatible fungi—however, they do it “plus” to “minus,” not male to female).

What does this mean for our lil’ buddy Toad? It means he’s probably a bastard child of some nasty fungus somewhere, and he cannot be classified as

features rapid-fire controls for all buttons and slow motion for those intense moments.

himself). Make sure to check out www.herb.lsa.umich.edu if you want to learn more about the fascinating world of fungi.

Wake up guys! If you’ve ever seen the Super Mario Bros. Super Show on UPN, you would clearly see that Toad is a male. Thomas Duffin—Berthoud, CO

We never caught the Super Mario Bros. Super Show on TV because we never seem to want to turn to that channel. Want to know why? We'll spell it out for you: U-P-N. ’Nuff said.

| want to respectfully talk about Zero, from the Mega Man X series. You forgot to include (him or her) in your list of androgynous characters in the Toad feature. | think that Zero is a female hero. Can you solve the

problem of this enigmatic character? Lymari Zayas — Patillas, P.R.

Zero is male. You can read this for yourself in the Mega Man _ Р =

X4 manual. }, 4

You can question his feminine appearance, and you can question his long,

blond hair, but you can’t

question his gender.

OOPS

in last month’s Video Game Timeline story, we inadvertently stated that Milton Bradley released its Microvision handheld system in 1982. The

correct year was 1979. We wish to thank Leonard Herman, author of the book Phoenix: The Rise and Fall of Videogames, for clearing up the matter, Also, we'd like to thank Steven Kent, author of the forthcoming book Electronic Nation, for contributing to the feature.

Where creativity, your favorite video game and a stamp can make you immortal!*

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IT’S TO ‘SURVIVE.

When you’re busy leaping treacherous chasms and

swinging across deadly pits,

you don’t have time to contemplate life’s mysteries...

After all, being a legendary

jungle adventurer suddenly thrust into a mystical universe takes a toll on the psyche. Besides, you've already learned. more than the meaning of life... You’ve learned what it means to

be one step from death.

Next Generation Adventure Swing past acid-filled pits, hurdle dissolving platforms, navigate around dangerous energy fields. and defeat morphing beasts.

True 360° Exploration Scramble through city ruins; trek through an active volcano. and escape a prison colony before the final battle in the Scourge’s Lair.

BEYOND THE JUNG

By Chris Johnston chris_johnston@zd.com

s expected, the 64DD made its appear- ance at this year’s Nintendo Space

4 World 1997, held Nov. 21-24 at the Makuhari Messe outside of Tokyo. The device hadn’t been seen or heard from since last year’s show, and while Nintendo announced a handful of additional titles that will be coming to the DD (and peripherals to go with them), no games were playable.

During his annual speech, Nintendo presi- dent Hiroshi Yamauchi announced that the DD will hit Japanese shelves in June of ’98, instead of April as originally planned. The exact cost of the system will be announced in early 1998.

But the disappointment from the lack of

The hottest gaming news on the planet

The Medium Is

The Message

Nintendo proves that the DD is more than just your average add-on

playable games and the delay was displaced by the games Nintendo showed on tape for the DD—including Mother з (Earthbound 64), Pocket Monsters Stadium, Pocket Monsters Snap, Super Mario RPG 2, Picture Maker, Polygon Maker, Talent Maker, SimCity 64 and SimCopter. All incorporate Nintendo’s vision of the DD—writability and creativity.

The DD also opens up the option of bringing two separate games together, either by expanding a current cartridge or combining data from two different titles. “You could have a game, and we have talked about this in the context of the SimCity product family, where SimCity might be a disk-based game and SimCopter might be a cartridge-based game that would read the city data that you generated off SimCity and then would let you fly around your own SimCity. Or Streets of SimCity could be another add-on Sim file,” said

RINTENDo“*

ree ME

- ее:

Jim Merrick, Nintendo’s project manager of soft- ware engineering. “It actually is something that Maxis is working on now.” The method of com- bining data from one title to use in another is also being used in the Mario Artist Series.

Merrick says that Nintendo will not be push- ing developers to make disk games over the current cartridge format. “That is up to the developer. We want people to support the DD. We think it offers many advantages for the licenses and the consumer. But it’s up to the developer ultimately as to what they choose to write for,” he says. “There are some games that there might be a cartridge version and a disk version, and the disk version might offer some enhancements over the cartridge version. So that is up in the air right now. We are not going to pull the plug on cartridges...”

The added storage space and lower cost of producing a disk game will undoubtedly be tempting to developers who have not yet joined Nintendo’s ranks. However, 64 Megabytes still isn’t as much storage as a CD (650 MB), a drawback which might be considered by some to be fatal. CD audio and full-motion video are luxuries not afforded to developers by the DD.

Could Nintendo have increased the storage space that the DD could hold per disk? “Yes, it could have been larger. You know, it doesn’t seem as large now when you have a cartridge game [Zelda 64] that is 32 MB. That’s half the size of the DD. But we’re really aware of the price sensitivity issue. We feel that over time prices of games are going to drive down,” Merrick says. “It still is

quite a bit of storage capacity when you con- sider that we are not advocates for full- motion video and other things that eat up a lot of CD space. The real- time stuff that you see in Zelda or Star Fox is every bit is as dramatic as FMV sequences and still tells the story equally as well, but uses the real models

and takes a fraction of the space.”

Multidisk games are definitely a possibility in the future, and Merrick told us that there are actually seven different ratios of read to write that a DD disk can have. The entire disk can be used as read-only, and up to 38.44 MB of a disk can be writable.

The drive spins at one continuous rate, so there’s a trade-off between write and read speed as the heads read closer to the center of the disk. Merrick told us that developers will have to decide how to use that to their advantage.

The U.S. release of the 64DD remains sketchy. George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s vice president of marketing and corporate com- munications, told us that the DD would hit the U.S. after its Japanese release. “We won’t talk about our plans [for the U.S.] until E?. It won't go until the software is ready. What we are seeing here is a demon- stration of several new prod- ucts but we still have to deter- mine which one we will launch it with," he said. *We find that we will have to sell the DD to somewhere between 60 and

Peripheral Visions

he most interesting part of Space World ’97

(apart from the games) was the sheer num-

ber of peripherals for the N64 and Game Boy. At least a few of these will make their way across the Pacific, so to give you a glimpse of what you might be adding to your GB or N64, here's a rundown of the peripherals of Space World:

The Game Boy Pocket Camera and Pocket Printer

capitalize on the current photo sticker booth craze by allowing people to use the Game Boy as a digi- tal camera. The screen acts as the viewfinder, and you can snap and save up to 30 pictures on a sin- gle cartridge. The snapshots can then be edited or painted on, and then printed out onto stickers using the Pocket Printer. Both go on sale in Japan in February for about $50, and also come in differ- ent colors (corresponding to the GB Pocket colors).

Moving to the N64, Nintendo has a way for gamers to bring portable games home and play them on the N64 and vice versa. Pokemon (short for Pocket Monsters), having sold 7.5 million copies in Japan, is the main reason behind the device, which lets the N64 share data with the Game Boy and vice versa. Pokemon fans can then bring their monsters home, use them to battle using the Pokemon Stadium 64DD game and then take them on the road with the Game Boy. There's no doubt that this will give Japanese gamers a huge incentive to buy a Nintendo 64 and a DD to go along with it (just to play Pokemon).

One of the strangest N64 peripherals yet comes with BioTetris, currently scheduled for a March release in Japan from Amtek. The game comes with a clip that clips to your ear, and connects to the N64 controller. It reads your biorhythms and adjusts the game's difficulty accordingly. You might

Jim Merrick, Nintendo of America's project manager of software engineering discusses with EGM the advantages the 64DD offers developers.

data to use.

80 percent of the N64 installed base and that will be quite a challenge. It is something that never has been done before."

The idea that a peripheral could be accepted by over half of the installed base of the original system would be a feat not duplicated in the video game industry before. But Nintendo has already done the impossible by introducing a success- ful cartridge-based game system in an industry dominated by the CD stor- age medium. At E? in May, Nintendo will show the DD for the first time on U.S. soil, and will probably at that time introduce addition- al games to launch it with in North America.

Check out our previews of Nintendo's new N64 and DD games later on in this issue.

N64, TRANSFORM!

Nintendo 64GB Pak

Pocket Monsters Stadium, a DD version of the popular Game Boy series will help make the 64DD a hit in Japan. The mega-popular series has sold over 7.5 million units for the Game Boy since its introduction in February 1997.

Nintendo 64 Mouse

say that this is the Tetris that gets into your head, literally. The game and clip will set you back about $70 when it’s released. _

Ever find yourself talking to your favorite game? Nintendo and Marigul intend to capitalize on this by bringing out a Voice Recognition System for the N64. The first game to use it is Pikachu Genki De Chu, starring one of the more popular (and cute) characters from Pokemon. Scheduled for release next fall, the VRS will a for about $30 in Japan,

Nintendo’s also got a host of N64 peripherals to use with upcoming games. The Nintendo 64 __ Moüse will come in handy for games like SimCity 2000, SimCity 64 and the Mario Artist Series. | Mario Artist will also take full advantage of the Capture Cassette — which has video, audio and microphone inputs for collecting video and audio

There's also a digital camera interface cat oe coming from Nintendo, Fuji Film and Tokyo Electron - next fall (in Japan). It allows you to take full-color pictures with a Fuji-standard digital camera and then interface its data module into the N64. The pictures can then be stored in a virtual photo album or used with the Mario Artist series. You can also just retouch them using the Мед then (аке | them to your local photomat and have them print- ed on higher quality paper. The interface cartridge will set you back about $92.

We'll keep you updated on whether any of these new peripherals, all announced at Space World, will be coming to the U.S.

Game Boy Pocket Camera and Printer

~

| FAVORITE SPECIAL MOVE:

NAME: Douglas McClure HOMETOWN: Kokomo, IN

RANK IN NET FIGHTER: 151

DEGREES EARNED: 235,000,

traded 27,500 to buy Quake™ in the HEAT store

661 USED ТО SMILE AND HAND PEOPLE THEIR FRENCH FRIES, SECRETLY IMAGINING A GIANT TARGET CHEST

KETCHUP STAND. AFTER | PLAYED OTHERS ON HEAT.NET’S NET FIGHTER, | FELT BETTER

. MEAT USER NAME: reniu TOURNAMENT RECORD: 12-2

swinging knife decapitation TRASH TALK EXCERPT:

“Now that's what you call a super- close shave!” res

OTHER FAVORITE GAMES ON NEAT. NET:

Quake;

Hexen ІІ” Outlaws; Diablo; WarCraft ||“

` NET FIGHTER, THE ONLY FIGHTING

LOCALLY-get the HEAT internet game network box at your local computer store! GLOBALLY- you can divert your anger off the streets and onto the net against real, live people

anti

NAME: Bill Shultz HOMETOWN: Portsmouth, VA RANK IN NET FIGHTER: 2nd

BEGREES EARNED: 197,500, traded

17,500 to buy Scud: Industrial Evolution" іп the HEAT store

661 USED TO TAKE OUT MY BULLETS, AND ON EACH ONE I WOULD WRITE THE NAME OF EACH PERSON ON MY BUS. THEN A FRIEND SHOWED ME | COULD PURGE MY VIOLENT URGES IN NET FIGHTER ON HEAT.NET AGAINST OTHER PEOPLE. THANKS TO HEAT, THE PEOPLE ON MY BUS WILL NEVER KNOW HOW (105 THEY CAME! 99 |

HEAT USER NAME: thunderhammer TOURNAMENT RECORD: 9-3

FAVORITE SPECIAL MOVE: forked lightning kick

TRASH TALK EXCERPT: “Stop hitting like a sissy girl!” OTHER FAVORITE GAMES ON HEAT.NET:

Blood; Duke Nukem; Total Annihilation; Shadow Warrior, Postal”

GAME ON THE INTERNET!

log on to HEAT.NET NOW! Through НЕАТМЕТ and the miracle of CyberDiversion, TAKE IT 70 all over the globe! You'll feel better, the whole world will feel better!

1

4%.

| Playing With Digital Poison

Senators Lieberman and Kohl tell the industry what theyre doing right, and what theyre not

olence in video games once again took center stage in Washington in late November when The National Institute for Media and the Family, along with Senators Joseph Lieberman and Herbert Kohl, released the

Arcades/Video В Computer Game Outlets

1097 Video Game Report Card

Ratings

Arcades

Cooperation

Ratings Enforcement

in many areas. 4 store coopera

Family, 1997-

Good progress din arcade an

Overall Comments: tion.

t neede Improvemen | Institute on Media and the

Source: Nationa

Dead Air

The Sega Channel ends its broadcast day

uring the Genesis’ reign of the 16-Bit market, ga toyed with the idea

of “games on demand.” That came to fruition through the Sega Channel, a 24-hour-a-day service that allowed players to download and play Genesis titles for a monthly fee.

The idea worked, for the most part, but there were a few draw- backs. Sega’s older, b con- figuration of the Genesis system couldn’t be used with the Sega Channel adapter, making it hard to sell the idea to gamers who had bought a Genesis early in its life. When the Sega Channel

debuted, it was toward the end of the Genesis’ rule, and only had

Don't just watch TV, play TV was the Sega Channel’s motto.

second annual report card on the interactive entertainment industry.

The results were favorable. The arcade indus-

try has yet to adopt the industry-wide ratings system, so they received an incomplete grade. Both rental and retail aspects of the interactive entertainment got high marks for ratings, but lacked enforcement of those ratings.

“These developments are very encouraging, and | want to join Senator Kohl in praising the video game community for their cooperation and commitment to making the rating system a real success,” said Senator Joseph Lieberman, who, along with Senator Herbert Kohl, brought the video game violence issue to light over Mortal Kombat’s depiction of fatalities and Night Trap’s B-movie scenes.

However, even with the high marks given to the industry, Lieberman is quick to point out that violence is still prevalent in many popular games. “The bad news, however, is that there remains a small but significant element within the industry that insists on churning out ever- more graphic, gruesome and grotesque prod- ucts,” he says, citing the PC titles Postal and Carmageddon. “Let there be no doubt: These games are not harmless fun, as some suggest, but digital poison.”

Doug Lowenstein, of the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), issued a state-

150,000 subscribers out of the 20 million homes it was offered in. In late November, it was announced that the Sega Channel will

stop broadcasting on June 30, 1998. Run apart from Sega of

America, the service had watched its subscriber base dwindle

with the rise of 32-Bit consoles.

Reportedly the Sega Channel had been toying with the idea of providing its games-on-demand service to personal computers, but with the rise of cable modems and Internet gaming, the need

for a system like that through a coaxial cable also dried up. www.sega.com

Wish For A Mega Hero

Capcom grants a young boys wish to meet his hero

uring the first week of December, a special wish was granted to Joey, an 8-year-old boy from Ohio who suffers from a life-threatening form of cancer. Capcom and the Make-a-Wish Foundation fulfilled Joey’s wish to meet Mega Man. Joey and his family visited the Capcom Entertainment offices, where he played Mega Man Neo, saw how Capcom’s games are designed and was presented with many Mega Man gifts—including a Mega Man cake,

a sketch of is a young man that Capcom will ^ Mega Man Бу not forget.” the game's WWW.capcom.com

ment presenting the industry's viewpoint.

“Video and computer games are used by people of all ages, genders and interests. Some products are not intended for children, just as some books and movies are not intended for younger audiences. And the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings tell parents when this is the case. That's how it should work— consumers are provided with the credible information they need to make their own informed purchasing decisions."

Lowenstein says that children are an impor- tant part of the market, but that because 73 percent of PC gamers and 46 percent of video gamers are over 18, sanitizing the content for younger players ignores the inter- ests of older consumers.

Before Thanksgiving, the National Institute for Media and the Family also issued a guide for parents called KidScore: The 1997 Parents' Guide to Software and Video Games. The guide rates games by violent content, giving parents the information they need when buying games for their children. To give you an example, Final Fantasy МИ is summarized by the guide: “This game contains some violence, illegal and harm- ful behavior, disrespectful language and has the ability to cause fear in children."

The guide can be obtained by calling (888) 772-2264. mediaandthefamily.org

creator, a Mega Man RC car and video games. Capcom also digi- tized a picture of Joey's face and composed it into the image of Mega Man, so that he could become his favorite video

game hero.

*We really couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present. In a time where violence in video games seems to take the center stage, it's nice to show the world the positive side to video gam- ing," said Bill Gardner, president of Capcom Entertainment. "Joey

<>

PlayStation

CONTENT RATED BY SRB

Dur games go to 11!”

PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "ALUNDRA" is a trademark of Sony Compuier Entertainment Inc., licensed by Working Designs. Original Game © Sony Computer Entertainment Inc./Matrix 1997. English Translation © Working Designs 1997. "Working Designs" is a registered trademark of Working Designs, Inc. All rights reserved. Landstalker is a trademark of SEGA Enterprises, LTD. Combatting wetness, one dream at a time! For a dealer near you, call (916) 243-3417. Call 1-800-771-3772 for Game Rating Information.

Tidbits... -

. Games that Go Platinum.

According to Nintendo, Diddy Kong

Racing reached sales of 1 million copies in early December. Nintendo

- says that DKR is the fastest-selling video game in history.

Not to be outdone, Sony also. announced that Final Fantasy VII has exceeded sales of 1 million copies. Considering that FFVII is an RPG, this is a huge leap for the genre.

Digitally Immortalized

Ever dream of starring in a video . game? Well, with a new contest from Electronic Arts and Mello Yello, you can! EA will create digitized images of three lucky grand-prize winners to appear in a future EA game. The three winners get an all-expense-paid trip to EA's HQ near San Francisco for a tour and a chance to check out the company's future games. :

To win, look under the caps of 20- 02., 1 liter and 2 liter bottles of Mello Yello. Each bottle includes an offer for $10 off EA's games.

The promotion runs through Feb. 28, 1998 in markets throughout the Southeast.

Robotech Still On

Early in December, Gamelek filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Wheel of Fortune, the company's first N64 release, is currently on shelves. Jeopardy! has also just been released.

But the project that might have fallen is their N64 title Robotech: Crystal Dreams. According to the company, the game is still on and making progress and will not be effected by the bankruptcy. According to GameTek's Milt Bland, the game is still in development and is look- ing great, and should be out soon. “We want to make sure that this is the best

game we can make before releasing it.” If

that holds true, then Robotech fans should be very pleased by the results.

iUi

here's a new video game system on

the horizon, but it's not from any of the

names you've heard before—no Sega, Sony, Nintendo, 3DO, Atari or Amiga. Dubbed the *Project X," this new machine has been in development for three years by Los Altos, Calif.-based VM Labs. Shrouded in secrecy, the company has finally been able to share some of the details with EGM.

According to VM Labs' founder and CEO Richard Miller, who once served as Atari's vice president of technology, the new system is "sev- eral generations ahead of the current gaming platforms." Miller declined to cite exact system specifications, but the guys at VM Labs stress the fact that this machine will change the way games are made, allowing developers an unprecedented amount of freedom. They would not put a number on the main processor (64-Bit, 128-Bit, etc.), but did say that it's several times more powerful than current machines.

Building the hardware is only half of the battle that VM Labs has ahead. Bringing out a new video game system is never a cake walk, and to handle manufacturing, the company is dealing with several major consumer electronics compa- nies. According to Miller, more than one compa- ny will be involved in producing "Project X" hardware, although specific hardware partners have yet to be disclosed.

With the PlayStation currently at the peak of its success, 1998 may be the best time to release a new system. Current consoles are get- ting serious competition from the PC market in terms of graphics superiority, so it's a good time to release hardware that could once again tip the scales toward the console side. The price of the machine will be a factor in its mass mar-

et appeal, and VM Labs told us that their machine will land at a price that's competitive with current consoles. Once you have good hardware and a manufac- turer, the next vital step is software. A steady flow of software is a key factor in the success or failure of a system. While many consider Tempest 2000 as the Jaguar's killer app, lacklus- er software support eventually killed the machine. VM Labs claims that they have gained the interest of developers and publishers and

X Marks The Spot

i Y

that software development began ramping up about a month ago.

VM Labs also points out that developers who have seen their technology are enthusiastic. They provided comments from Gerry Blau at AndNow LLC, who said "At first | was skeptical about the introduction of a new gaming platform in what is already an extremely competitive mar- ket, ruled by formidable players. However, by the end of our meeting with the wizards at VM Labs, | found it very difficult to think of any pos- sible outcome other than success for this new machine." Previous credits from AndNow's staff include Mr. Bones on the Saturn as well as Ecco the Dolphin and X-Men 1 and 2 on the Genesis. Formed in 1996, the company has yet to release its first game but are working on projects for other platforms.

Japanese software support is also of concern, and one that VM Labs recognizes, but has not yet addressed. A majority of software for video

game systems comes from Japan, and while U.S. and European development can sustain a sys- tem for a while, Japanese development will be vital to the long-term success of "Project X."

Some will say that there just is not enough room in the video game industry for another hardware platform. Bill Rehbock, VM Labs' vice president of third-party development points out that when Sony first introduced the PlayStation, there were as many as six systems on the mar- ket, and that at the time, Sony was new to the video game industry.

Jeff Minter, who was behind what is widely considered the Jaguar's best title, Tempest 2000, is also an active member of the Project X team. As a game developer, VM Labs says that Minter's knowledge has helped them keep the project on the right track and focusing on the right things. Art created by Minter using early Project X tools can be seen at his Web site (http://www.magic- net.net/ - yak/).

If all the factors come together— software, solid hardware, a big marketing and promotional push, worldwide software support and a mass market price, then the "Project X" at the very least has a chance. We will have more updates on the “Project X" in future issues of EGM.

www.vmlabs.com

Hoppy Stomp Charge + Kick Rabbit Shortarm

0 <> $ пу + Punch (close) Rabbit Longarm

+ Punch (far)

e. Charge < > + Punch * Punch Jackrabbit Punch SUPER MOVES Rising Ghoul Roll TA, Punch Frozen Frenzy FRE + Kick SUPER MOVES орао У + Kick Icky Kick | Hash ’N Bash зи E Ж) BAD GAS + Kick 9 $16 д аф + Kick SUPER MOVES Mega Carrot M. Gun Super Hurricane Evil Presence нен B $4419 GP + Kick ¥ 8 @ ¥8 € + 1P Rabbit Punch Overdrive т а EM 4 + Punch VIN 3 bd € 9 49 SL Half a Loaf of Clay-Fu CLAYTALITY Knock Off Top Half ¥ Ф цу ¥ $1 ® + Kick Rabbit Out of a Hat a few steps away CLAYTALITY Rabbit Pellets GRE CIT РА CTUM 1«</<а a Tew steps away a E? © SL Launch From Island Scary Denn VW ¥ SL, SR оо SR Fire! Fire! Seon} Kick PEE Mer Dun e + Punch X @ 9 + Punch au Taffy Spit Ferris Wheel ши оша» Рипсһ к \ a tly Roll SUPER MOVES | Worm Ball | v e Rute Welcome to the Big Top Фа + Kick en GAD SAS + Kick SUPER MOVES үф Sie uper Fire + Punch (in air) в A BM BMD + Punch SUPER MOVES Super 3 Stairway to Heaven Charge Punch, hit Kick eR SER eek T уаз ы ы ш Super Twist CLAYTALITY ¥ B аз È «а + Kick та + Punch Brum, SUD ee ranch ick O’ Plenty ; % * * Kick а + Ki Cannon Claytality қамал iy $999 CLAYTALITY | Slap Sill Off the Island Claytality DUE, M > SR T Claytality Cow From the Sky ann т v d %%% SR, SL Fireworks en D SR adap Splat! These moves are courtesy of our sister magazine, ЕС/М?. Be sure to check EGM?

SL SR, SE SR

Ice Bash + Punch

Snow Ball

Charge + Punch Blizzard

у ME + Kick

Ice Pick

+ Punch

Ice Skate Dash Opener

Unearthly Travel WB «а + Punch

Great Pumpkin + Punch

Ghoul Roll

Charge + Punch Bats in the Belfry Ю + Punch Boohooken

out for in-depth strategies and tips for practically every game released.

SUPER MOVES Da Bomb Knock Off Top Half Irvine Axe Massacre => SR SR

Buzz Saw ve @ + Kick Meat Grinder Bite

Charge @® «Punch Super Lunge Punch SL SL YS SL

Blob Raid S $5 + Punch Hit and Run

$149 0 + Kick Overhead Axe + HP (2 inches away)

L.A.P.D. FR GU ва + Punch Pac-Man

PRQ «Punch CLAYTALITY SR

Dragon Glove Squish

gue + Punch а rrom istand Ни SR

Crane Technique + Рипс Egg Fu Young DI + Kick The Crane

ЧУ HK (in the air) Nunchakus

* Punch

SUPER MOVES Pork Fried Rice * Kick

Fu Manchu

& X) $1 E> + Punch Lo Mein

@ + Kick CLAYTALITY

Bruce Lee Squish Slice & Dice

Round Toss

$95»

Pan Toss

Voodoo Surfing

0 4а + Kick

Air Voodoo Surfing чу: + Kick (in Air) Chicken Baseball

X $48» + Punch Voodoo Mask Smash GE + Kick (in Air) Curse Crawl

+ Kick (in Air) Upperkick

+ Kick SUPER MOVES Super Twirl VLERE + Kick Super Chicken Attack 391 ® ¥ $t EP + Punch Graveyard Shift

€ 8 ¥ $4 ® + Punch CLAYTALITY Claytal Hand Grope ¥ SL

Claytal Bad Hand FTPA SR

Claytal Bad Mojo

GE YAD SL

See Ya Clucky VIDAL

A History of Clay

Clay Fighter has really been around for some time. Starting way back on the Genesis and Super NES, the little clay fighters have been at each other’s throats. Of course, if it weren’t for all of the gore of Mortal Kombat and the stan- dard Street Fighter set, we most likely would never have even seen one game like Clayfighter made —let alone a half dozen or so! So here's a short history of clay in video games.

Genesis:

Clay Fighter Super NES:

Clay Fighter

Clay Fighter 2: Judgement Clay

Clay Fighter: Tournament Ed. Grumby and

Pokie don't dig

3DO: violence at all,

Clay Fighter 2: Judgement Clay even though they're just as clay as the fighters in Clay Fighter.

®

PlayStation: Clay Fighter Extreme

Nintendo 64: Clay Fighter 63 1/3

On a side note, we shouldn’t forget Claymates on the Super NES and the upcoming Skullmonkeys (even though

they're not really in the CF series).

Counter Point

Does Clay Fighter do a good job at being both fun and funny?

Bad Mr. Frosty > Bonker N Kung Pow An evil snowman a Whoever said A Stereotypes go with bad habits. : clowns were fun? crazy with Kung.

_ POINT: Yes, for two T. Hoppy | The Blob Taffy reasons. One, the A rabbit with a real | The пате really : This guy's really game does a good job Rambo complex. : says it all | -” bad for your teeth of mixing several fight- ing game engines, and the control is very responsive. It just feels right. Two, Interplay rounded up several recognizable voice actors to lend each character a hilarious goofball personality. —Crispin Boyer

Ickybod Clay B. Houngan „4 5 Earthworm Jim Atypical scary, 1 A witch doctor : Interplay's token

Halloween type. | um and his chicken. character!

COUNTERPOINT: No way. Sure, the game may be funny, but when it comes right down to it, | just wasn't impressed with Clayfighter as a fight ing game. It's sup- posed to be funny, but that sure isn't worth $60 to me! I'll go with something that may not make me laugh, but will last a lot longer.

—Shawn Smith

= Newman/Haas Racing. | E , ss We've got racing in our blood. | АСИ/ЛҰЛА/ RT, а. 2 : = ^" а winning indy Car tradition

© 1997 Psygnosis Lid. Psygnosis and the Psygnosis logo are ™ or @ and © 1990-7 Psygnosis Lid. Developed by Studio 33 (UK) Ltd. in conjunction with Bizarre Creations. Newman Haas is a trademark of Newman/Haas Racing. Real tracks and drivers appear under licence. "(PS)" and PlayStation are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Ine. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED racing.psygnosis.com

PlayStation

aS "STON NINTENDO%

| n t e r n at | О n a | М ews By John Ricciardi john_ricciardi@zd.com PE

AI ј уз T

= 2 =

а 72% % 9 Моје, 57

Yamauchi Says “Stop Playing Dull Games”

by Nintendo Co., Ltd. president Hiroshi

Yamauchi. He repeated Nintendo’s battle cry with both the Game Boy (which is still going strong after nearly nine years), N64 and 64DD: quality over quantity, innovation over dullness. According to Yamauchi, Nintendo has the formula for success, and that their 64DD and upcoming N64 titles will revitalize

S World ’97 kicked off with an address

ega recently released their new 4 : S Megabyte RAM upgrade cartridge for ine

Saturn in Japan. The cart, four times as big as the previous RAM cart (which was used with Marvel Super Heroes, Metal Slug, King of Fighters ’96 and several other titles), comes bundled with the fantastic Saturn conversion of

a boring, drab market.

“The recent TV game market is losing momentum. Naturally, it’s because of too many boring or too complicated software, that ordinary users can’t enjoy playing. Such games are flooding the market,” Yamauchi told the assembled crowd.

The DD, in Nintendo’s estimation, will change the way video games аге made—for the better. “We can’t have a bright future prospect for the TV video games right now. This is why we are about to offer the 64DD, to bring about a quali- tative change in games. Without introducing unique new ideas, we can’t persuade users to accept the 64DD, and that is why it’s taking a long time to launch the system,” he said. “As for the price, | want to make it as cheap as pos- sible, but | can’t say how much it will be right now. We would like to make the notable differ- ence with the existing TV games.”

“Now, the game industry is facing the turning point for the developers toward the next year and thereafter. The current TV game market is

Vampire Savior, neers: а Dias ns Collection and Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street _ Fighter. Without this cart, whose U.S. release is . Still up in the air, it’s highly ‹ these games will ever make it to the U.S. In other XM Vs. SF news, Capcom announced a | version of the game for th yStation, but it's

Capcom’s X-Men Vs. Street Fighter. While the д

Meg cart isn’t backwardly compatible with the aforementioned smaller cart games, it does

work with Marvel Super Heroes—and there are

several games planned for it in Japan, including

announced that the company’s hugely

successful RPG series, Dragon Quest (known as Dragon Warrior in the U.S.), would be coming to the Game Boy. Titled Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland, this first-ever portable Dragon Quest will be released in March 1998 overseas and will weigh in at a hefty 8 Megabits. Not much information has been released about the game yet, but it will be compatible with the Game Boy Link Cable, just like Nintendo’s Pocket Monsters, which as we reported earlier has sold over 7 million copies in Japan. Thanks to DQ’s enormous popularity in Japan, it’s expected that sales of this hot title will burst into the millions within weeks

| n a surprise move, Enix of Japan recently

Enix Brings DQ to ТЕ

Enix’s Popular Dragon Quest Series Goes Portable

Street Fighter EX Edition (no, it’s not 3-D). Because of the PlayStation’ 5 RAM limitations,

of its release. DQ fans might recognize the character Terry from Dragon Quest VI, the 1995 Super Famicom RPG that was never released in the United States.

doubtful that any of -

just the setting sun, and it must realize the changes. | believe the overseas [outside of Japan] TV game market is fine compared with Japan, but we can’t be optimistic. It, too, is facing the turning point, | think.”

Yamauchi also announced that an N64 version of Derby Stallion, a hugely popular PlayStation horse racer, is coming. Plus, he confirmed that the U.S. will be getting Pocket Monsters (with a new name because of trade- mark issues) sometime in 1998. At the show, Nintendo offered players a special Pocket Monsters monster, and thousands of kids and their parents descended onto the Space World floor. Pokemon madness was so widespread that Nintendo added a fourth day to the show to accommo- date the over- whelming number of eager players.

per ean but an one of them will do the fight ing—the other only comes in during special

. moves. To make up for the loss, they are includ- . ing Training and Survival Modes —two options . that aren't available in the Saturn version of the

game. A U.S. release

. of the “EX Edition" is . slated for this spring,

according to Capcom USA representatives. Look for a preview in EGM soon.

The Ten Best-Selling Games As of Nov. 23

@ J.League Pro Soccer Club Tsukurou! 2 (Sega)-SS Gallop Racer 2 (Tecmo)-PS

Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo)-N64 Einhander (Square)-PS

Let's & Со! WGP Hyper Heat (Jaleco)-PS ) Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (Atlus)-SS ) Pocket Monsters (Nintendo)-GB

) Power Dolls 2 (ASCII)-PS С) Everybody's Golf (Sony)-PS Game De Hakken!! Tamagotchi 2 (Bandai)-GB

a

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Developed By

BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS.™

Designed for

Microsoft®

Windows'95 PlayStation

TM

| © 1997 Interplay Productions. Game developed by and Software Engine © Vis Interactive Plc. + Earthworm Jim and certain other characters © Shiny Entertainment, Inc. Earthworm Jim and related marks are trademark of Shiny Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Interplay Productions, the Interplay logo and “By Gamers. For Gamers.”

trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc. © 1997 Nintendo of America Inc. All rights reserved. PlayStation and the PlayStation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Windows ® "95 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

Video Game Gossip & Speculation

alutations Quarterfans! It is I, the great Q-holio, reporting live from sunny Foster City, Calif., home— of Sony of America’s HQ. Right now mM hiding i in the bushes with my Nipponese buddy, Terry Aki. We were just about to-iffiltrate Sony's stronghold via the air л vent, when we got deluged wireless EGM

have unearthed so fary "4

ge =

^^

@ He’s Mine, No нее Міпе

(San Mateo, Calif) This just in, We hear several reports-from ‘our

Q-informants tHat Fox Interactive i is the latest gaming company launching a sports lineup. According to those ir- “the-know, Fox is looking to leverage their presence on TV (miftdshare earned ђу— the Fox Sports label) to bring sports gaming toa PlayStation and N64 near you by Christmas 1998. Considering how luCcrative- tHE sports gaming genre is with the gaming consoles {sports games make up/almost 50 percent of the video game market), this news- comes as little shock to fans of sports video games! However, someone else may find this move to bea shock to/their systefn.

Who could that be? None other than the leader i in! [sports gaming“ á

Electronic Arts. | 24 m NC

You see, EA owns a sports fares that ig ve near and, dear to them: Madden Football. Up until now, the

isa television announcer for Fox Sports was not a big “concern to EA as Fox Was not in direct competition, with EA Sports. That.i İS

So what’s en At this point, it’s hard to say. On one hand, the Madden franchise is an established nàme with great brand awareness among football gamers. On the other-hand,

act that John =

е Madden football from Fox? e PS64 dev kits arriving this summer?

е EA, Virgin deal dead е Dural release pushed back to 1999

е Rewritable PlayStation games? % Rare working on new Bond game?

ө PlayStation 64 Tidbits —fFoster City, Calif.) Terry and | have uncovered a mother lode of

info on the PlayStation successor. According to our Q-spies, the format of the PlayStation.64 has not been finalized as of yet, although the field has been паггомед down to two well-qualified — finalists. The first candidate іп question is the Mini Disc HD. As one would'surmise from the name, this new format is basically a high-density мегзтољо the current generation Mini Disc. Unlike the existing Mini Disc (which boasts around 120 megabytes of rewritable storage space), the new MD HD i B said to feature over _600 Megabytes of infinitely rewxitable storage “space. This new high- density version ofthe Mini Disc i is a format Sony has been working on forthe last few years and is targeted to, be the succes- sor to the Mini Disc. The PS64 would be a prime candidate to —use.this format since ‘Nintendo i is also introducing a rewritable

С format öftheir own with‘ the DD64. If used, the MD HDiformat woüld. give the. PS64 the storage capacity of a CD and the rewritable-featüres of the 0064. Тһе second candidate i is a more recent possibility \DVD-RW. Over the past year, Sony andi Philips

haye been working\on a rewritable DVD format. In contrast to

5 Toshiba's DVD- RW format, the ‘Sony/Philips DVD-RW is designed to, be cheaper and more efficient than Toshiba’s rewritable DVD, which would result i in lower licensing costs to developers, Sony is T the DvD: RW format ПІ, be inexpensive E to, use by

Bom hasr’ t beén chosen yet, the Mini Dist HD seems jo be the moré logical path. ;

= other, PS64 news, Sony approached ced deeper late in _1996-with proposed spécs of the next PlayStation console unit. It turned out most developers were not happy with the ‘design so Sony scrapped it and started to redesign the system. Because of this delay, dévelopment systems will not be available until June of

it’s difficult to dispute the fact that John Madden is not the 5016-----1998 at the earliest. The PS64 i is how said to have four times as

property of Electronic Arts and has obligations with Fox as well. Will heads roll? The ФМапп guaranteesit...

| |

= | ~ |

® Westwood But EA Wouldn't (Irvine, Calif.) Speaking of EA; (and don't we always?) talks

between the sports gaming behemoth and Virgin Interactive ate reportedly dead in the water. Inside soürces Teveal Virgin Interactive has until March 31, 1998 to raise efiough capital t stay in business. Virgin initially wanted to hand over the. company to EA in exchange for a cool $215 million cash only, thank you very much. EA then countered that with abid of around $150 | million (most of which would be EA stock) and back and forth the negotiations went. Things reportedly came to a screeching halt when Brett Sperry, head of Westwood Studios (a subsidiary ae = Virgin), demanded to be a member of EAS board of directors. EA politely said no and proceeded to kick Virgin to the curb. Down, but not out, Virgin is reportedly speaking to several other inter- ested heavyweight industry players ( number of which are very attracted to the idea of acquiring the wells egarded Westwood Studios in the bargain). We do know dne t thing for s sure...the clock _ is ticking for Virgin. As soon as we =. more.Virgin.info_from.the.... Q-crew, we'll let you know...

much memory as the current PlayStation (З. 5, Megabytes) and is targeted to be at least as. powerful as Sega's upcoming Dural system. That would. ‚mean the system would have 14 Megs of RAM (the Dural i is said” to have around 18 Megs of RAM) and should be able to display more than 2 million“ polygons per second. The PS64 is due for a Christmas 1999 release in Japan with a U.S. and European release sometime in the year 2020, but we now hear

with the Genesis? “Oni tine will tell...

| | E Yum | |

In last month’s Q- Mann, | broke the news on a top-secret first- person shooter being worked оп by Rare using the GoldenEye engine. Well, our sources indicate the game in question will be another Bond game, although | it will not be a sequel to Golden- Eye. The game is currently well i in development and is due out in “early 1999. Well, that just about wraps it up for this month _Q-fans..Catch. a Jater... Ber

The "о"

== = PlayStation

lon.

PlayStat

“A total rush... The undisputed king of combat racing games!"

-Tips and T.

ж ©

| | | |

| | |

CONTENT RATED BY | ESRB

Maris

KIDS TO ADULTS

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INFOGRAMES uid Need For Speed and Electronic Arts are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the U.S. and/or other countries. V-Rally, INFOGRAMES MULTIMEDIA and the тм and logos present in the game, are reproduced and used with the formal authorization of the owners. Company names, logos, and trademarks are protected by Intellectual Property Rights.

MICHELIN ACO ENKEI

книжа

THEN YOU SLUG IT OUT DAY OR NIGHT OVER 42 PERILOUSLY LIFE-LIKE, GRITTY OFF-ROAD TRACKS. SNOW. RAIN. FOG, AND IF YOURE LUCKY, BLISTERING HOT SUN ROUND OUT THIS BRUTALLY RAW JOURNEY. BRING SOAR

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www.ea.com

INFOGRAMES logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of INFOGRAMES. ©1997 INFOGRAMES MULTIMEDIA. Developed by INFOGRAMES MULTIMEDIA. Software © Infogrames Multimedia 1997. All vehicles, company names, trademarks Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Need a reason to get surround sound? You're about to flip through pages of them.

The Long-Awaited Return To Hyrule ы,

The Legend пе Әсе in е

е5 been a long wait, but Zelda 64—now known as “The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time” in Japan—is finally on the way. Unfortunately for. U.S. gamers, it won’t be hitting store shelves as soon as we had hoped. The Japanese release has been pushed back until the last eek of April, meaning a stateside release isn’t likely until June or July at the earliest. The good news, however, is that we finally had a chance to spend some time with the game, and we came away more than impressed. In fact, impressed is quite an understatement. Zelda 64 is by far the best- looking Nintendo 64 game yet, and based on

what we’ve seen and played, it’s safe to say that it may very well end up being Shigeru Miyamoto’s greatest creation ever.

The Story So Far... Much of Zelda 64’s story is still being kept under wraps. Apparently, the game takes place BEFORE the Super NES game, A Link to the Past, mak- ing it the earliest game in the Zelda timeline. As a young member of the Kokiri family, Link sets out to_receive his guardian fairy at his clan’s customary coming- of-age ceremony, when he stumbles across an injured fairy with a dark message: Don’t let the man named Gannondorf gain control of the Triforce.

As the story goes, Ganon is still an ordinary man and hasn’t yet become the evil SOB that you’ve come to know and hate in past Zelda games. The goal is to prevent him from get- ting ahold of the Triforce and turning into that monster, and to successfully achieve that goal, Link will have to travel through time—a first for the Zelda series.

Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may or may not be released in the U.S. It is designed to run on a Japanese system.Import at your own risk.

Publisher] Developer _Payers/Genre % Done ` Release Nintendo Co., Ltd. 1 70 April 1998 Nintendo Co., Ltd. Action- RPG Japan

Address: WWW. nintendo, co.jp

of Zelda:

The Intro

The game's short-but-sweet intro sequence (which most likely wasn't finished yet at the show) begins with a young Link approaching Hyrule Castle at night in the pouring rain (remind you of a previous Zelda game?). Suddenly he hears a noise and runs off to the side of the castle drawbridge to hide. As the castle gates swing open, a beautiful white horse—ridden by a Hyrulian guard and the young Princess Zelda— comes galloping out of the castle at full speed, as if being chased by someone. After they take off, Link walks out to the center of the drawbridge to see what happened, only to.come face to face with Zelda's pursuer, also on horseback. As you can imagine, the pursuer is none other than Ganon (err, at this point his name is Gannondorf, a mere young thief), and as you can also imagine—he looks awesome. As Link and Ganon glance upon each other for the first time, the camera heads off into the stars, setting the mood for the long adventure that’s about to take place.

Touring Hyrule

The version displayed on the Space World show floor was about 70 percent complete, but it was set up so that you could only try certain portions of the game

* Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time

* F-Zero X

* 1080 Degree Snowboardi

* МВА Basketball

* Mario Artist Series

е Super Mario RPG 2

е Yoshi's Story

e Mother 3

е AeroGauge

е Tonic Trouble

« Fighter’s Destiny

е Wetrix

Space World '97 has come and gone, and Nintendo has left their mark on the industry once again. Always about inno- vation and setting the trends, Nintendo is pushing forward in Japan with a variety of Pocket Monsters games and some truly unique peripherals (or downright weird, depending on which side of the fence you're on) that they are banking on to push the N64 back into the race in Japan, while getting the 64DD off to a rocket start.

What does this mean for the 64DD situation in the U.S. though? Not much. Pokemon

hasn't even hit the U.S. yet (it'S coming in late 1998), so NoA is going to have to rely

on something else to push

the DD out here, and right

now it doesn't look like they're going to have enough big-name games to get the DD out in the U.S. before Christmas (they won't release it without at

least one "killer app"). But alas, all will be revealed at this year's E? show in Atlanta, so stay tuned- it's going to be an

exciting year.

ot INTEND

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% ки:

Sang wwe!"

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Recognize this guy? His full name is Gannondorf Dragmire. Silly name for

such a powerful foe...

The red target shown here appears when you press the Z Trigger button. This allows Link to focus on an object while moving about freely.

During the intro, we find the young Princess Zelda fleeing Hyrule Castle on horseback at night, accompanied by

a Hyrulian Guard.

through special “Tours” that were selectable on the Main Menu Screen. The three Tours, the Hyrule Tour, the Dungeon Tour and the Battle Tour, each showcased different areas of the game and let anxious showgoers get a good taste of the variety of different play styles in the game without having to play through the entire game to see them. Before we get into the Tours, though, let’s take a look at Zelda 64’s control setup.

The Controls

Zelda’s control setup has obviously been very well thought out. Moving Link around is a cinch, thanks to the N64 Controller’s Analog Control Stick. Movement is

similar to Mario 64, and while Link may not be able to perform Mario’s infamous “Butt Stomp,” his arsenal of moves and abilities far surpasses anything the stout plumber could even dream of.

Pressing Start will bring you to a subscreen that is

broken up into four separate areas, each with different info. There’s a Map Screen (to show the Field or Dungeon Maps), an Item Screen (where you can select your items, as well as view which Medals you’ve col- lected so far), an Equip Screen (where you can equip Link in four different areas— Sword, Shield, Clothes and Boots) and finally a Magic Screen that displays the magic spells you’ve collected so far.

Back at the top of the Main Screen, there are icons for each of the main buttons—B, А and the bottom three С but- tons. The Top C button is used for camera control. Indoors, it changes to an overhead view that lets you see things from above, while outdoors it switches you to a first-person view so you can look up, down and all around Link. The Left C, Bottom C and Right C buttons are each used for items or weapons (like Bombs, a Boomerang, your Bow & Arrow, etc.). The A button is

used for Link’s sword (which can be upgraded at least twice during play). To unsheathe your sword, you press A once. To use it, you’d press A again. To put it back, you press B. Of course, there are various moves you can pull off with your sword, like charging it up, doing the old Whirling Blade technique and more. You can even put away your Shield for a more powerful (though harder to handle) Sword later in the game that requires two hands to wield. Speaking of Link’s Shield, the R button is used to control it, while the L button is used for Options (such as bringing up the transparent map in dungeons, etc.).

Next up is the multifaceted B button, whose usage depends on the situation you’re in. Above the icon on top of the screen is some text that changes as B's func- tion changes. For example, if you approach someone, B will be used to “Talk” to that person. If you walk up to a treasure chest, B will change to "Open." If you're just walking around and want to search the area, B will let

The young Link (above) will be able to use certain items and weapons that the older Link (right) cannot, and vice versa.

you "Check" your

surroundings. There are several uses in all, and the ease of use makes it much easier to become immersed in the game without having to worry about which but- ton does what. You'll be able to jump with the B button as well (usually when holding down the Z button to maintain a specific camera angle), but there will be several cases where the game will auto-jump small:

Immerse yourself in seven unbelievable fantasy worlds and take on а marrauding metallic battalion of mechanized death machines with your weapon-packed, futuristic assault vehi- cle. The Shadow Master, an evil overlord, has gone complete- ly mad, and he will stop at nothing less than total genocide of

anything organic. Through 16 punishing levels, and an end- less barrage of spectacular explosive firepower and amazing lighting effects, you must track the Shadow Master down and make scrap metal of him and his lethal robotic creatures. Shadow Master, the ultimate fantasy shooter.

EB

ROM

<

= PlayStation

Inside the towns and houses, the camera can be switched to ап. overhead view, as shown here.

The Underworld comes to life in Zelda 64, with many old and new faces alike coming together to try to stop Link from finding the Triforce.

pits and the like for you, so you can concentrate on more important matters. Finally there’s the all-important (and completely innovative) Z Trigger button. The Z Trigger is used to “lock-on” to objects and enemies (and basically any- thing in the game you can interact with), so that Link can approach it and check it out without you losing sight of his surroundings. For example, in battle with the 3-D viewpoint, it would be very tough to maintain a clear view of the action if you’ve got Link jumping

and ducking, slashing and dodging, etc. without any camera control. So, to fix this problem, you simply hold down Z to lock on to your enemy so you can always see where it is, while still maintaining full control over Link. It’s an amazingly simple idea that works surprisingly well. Battles are now a treat

to participate in AND to watch, and you’ll have no problem becoming completely immersed in Zelda’s 3-D world because of this ingenious little addition to the control setup.

Back To The Hyrule Tour

The first of the three Tours on the demo was the Hyrule Tour. The Hyrule Tour gave you four locations to start from, including Link’s House, the Hyrule overworld, a River area and outside the castle—riding Link’s horse. The dif- ferent scenarios took place at different times of

The older Link can ride a horse to get around faster. If you need a speed burst, you can give it a little whip.

40

the day too, showcasing the game’s progressive time feature.

When you first exit Link’s house, you'll probably be blown away by the beautiful world that unfolds before your eyes. Local villagers will explain the game’s basics to you, while your guardian fairy, Navie, will lead you toward any important objects or locations (like the signpost near Link’s house, for example).

The overworld and river areas (yes, Link can swim, too) are merely other places of Hyrule to explore. There are huge mountains, narrow valleys, dark caves—you name it, it’s there. In the demo, you could explore the town (the game is only going to have one main town, similar to Zelda: A Link to the Past), which has several different interesting viewpoints, depend- ing on what area of the town уоште in.

Then of course there’s the horse scene. There wasn’t too much to do in the demo, but you could mount

Is it really just a game?

Multi-Racing Championship blurs more than just the scenery. It blurs the line between gaming and reality.

Each of MRC’s eight, fully customizable vehicles (plus two other secret vehicles) allow you to tweak gears, brakes, suspension and more. And you'll need to, because MRC's three intense courses pit you against more than just the clock. You'll be up against neck snapping terrain, nasty weather and up to 20 other drivers at a time.

Designed for the N64 Rumble Pak, MRC's detailed graphics, sound and multiple viewing perspectives can mean only one thing.

It starts where all the others finish.

© 1997 Ocean of America, Inc. Ocean is a registered trademark of Ocean Software Limited. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the 3D “М” logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ws TO ADULTS INFOGRAMES

www.oceanline.com

AN EVIL MASTERMIND OUT TO DESTROY TELEVISION. A RENEGADE

FREE-ROAMING GAMEPLAY REVOLUTIONARY 3-D GRAPHICS FEATURING WALL-CLIMBING ACTION AUD TAIL-WIPPING: ATTACK OVER SOO CELEBRITY

Midway is a registered trademark of Midway Games Inc. Distributed by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. under license from Crystal Dynamics, Inc. Crystal Dynamics, the Crystal Dynamics logo, GEX, and the GEX character are trademarks of Crystal Dynamics, Inc.©1998 Crystal Dynamics Inc. All rights reserved. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the 3-0 "N" logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. (61998 Nintendo of America Inc. Licensed by Nintendo. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

THEY COULD HAVE TAKEN ANYTHING. 5

HIS HOME. HIS PRIDE. EVEN HIS FREEDOM.

BUT THEY TOOK AWAY TELEVISION.

NOW IT’S PERSONAL. _

MIDWAY

` www.midway.com

www.crystald.com

GECKO DETERMINED TO STOP HIM.

WPRESSIONS МО SMART-MOUTH REMARKS —360-DEGREE CHARACTER CONTROL ІШ)

A Brief History of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda series is one of the most popular gaming franchises in the history of video games. Despite being around for over 10 years now, Zelda 64 is only the fifth main installment in the series (there were also a couple of licensed CD-i horrors and a very cool Game & Watch game). Here's a quick look at each of the previous four Zelda titles. Link’s horse and ride around the fields near the Castle, jumping over small fences and hills and trotting around to get used to the control.

The Dungeon Tour

The Dungeon Tour allowed you to start at one of three dungeon scenarios, each of which was a little bit different from the other. Like previous Zelda games, there are traps and puzzles in the dungeons, and there's a slick map system which resides at the bottom

corner of the screen that can be toggled on and off. There are huge pits and obstacles, Treasure Chests and keys and, of course, as you'll read about next —Bosses.

The Battle Tour

Ahh, the Battle Tour. Certainly the most impressive aspect of the Space World demo by far, the Battle Tour let you try your hand at three different Boss battles—against Сһота, Dodongo and Stalfos. The Stalfos battle is fairly simple— you fight against two huge Stalfos Knights in a big room, simply 1 | и hacking and slashing until WW | T " Zelda ІІ:

all that’s left is you and two piles of bones. The Ghoma and The Adventures of Link

Dodongo battles, however, are > E i (NES, 1987)

The Legend of Zelda (NES, 1986)

truly a sight to behold. Without

spoiling too much, let’s just say

the cinematics before, during and WE

after the battles are incredible, 7

and the actual creatures them- %

Interacting with the locals is selves look amazing. Clearly battling nothing new to Zelda fans. in Zelda 64 is going to be quite a Now, important words and treat—both in terms of gameplay and phrases are highlighted in red. visual splendor.

The Missing Links —As you can probably tell from some of the screen | E

shots here, you'll play as both a young Link and 2“ _ The Legend an older Link. This ties in to the central plot of the : of Zelda: story, with the Ocarina of Time. The Ocarina will allow ; P A Link to Link to travel through time, but the exact details of 3 SEN Е the Past how, why and when are still a bit cloudy. We do know . that a place called the Tower of Time plays a big part in (Super NES,

all of this, and we also know that 1 1992)

the two different Links (young |

and old) can wield different

weapons, some exclusive to

their respective forms.

—The Rumble Pak will be

utilized in some form, although

exactly how and how much is

still up in the air.

—Yes, the Triforce is back,

and it’s the ultimate item. How The Legend will it tie in to this already awesome plot? We'll just of Zelda: have to wait until this summer to find out... @ Link's

Awakening (GB, 1994)

d

f

ENVIRONMENTS TO SAVE

ESRB

THE EARTH YET AGAIN.

“THERE ARE 10 LEVELS OF

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W/MVIDEOSYSTEM PARADIGM ПН Ф МС ОКАІ, ІМС Эт en en THE

BATTLE IN THE ONLY GAME

FAST ACTION THAT DEMAND

NINTENDO!

© 1997 Video System Co., Ltd./Paradigm Entertainment, Inc. AeroFighters is a trademark of МСӨНІМЕН, inc. (Video System U.S.A., Inc.) Licensed by Nintendo. Nintendo, the Official Seal, Nintendo 64, the 3-D "N' logo, and the Rumble Pak are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. THAT MATTERS. ©1996 Nintendo of America Inc. с се

t may have been a long time in coming (over seven years, to be exact), but Nintendo is finally back in the garage working on a sequel to the smash hit first-gen Super NES racer, F-Zero. F-Zero X (tentative title) was shown in playable form for the first time at Space World 'o7, and it wowed crowds with its fast, fluid animation, variety of crafts and intense track design.

F-Zero X features four racing circuits to race on—the Jack Cup, the Queen Cup, the King Cup and a fourth Cup that (presumably) doesn’t open up until later in the game. Each Cup has a variety of tracks, just like the first F-Zero, and in fact many of them come Straight from the Super NES game (just the names though—the layouts are, for the most

Nintendo’ Gravity- Defying Racer Returns

Rarely do you ever see even this many cars

on screen at once.

In F-Zero X you can have all 30 at one time!

BBP in

part, entirely new). The track layouts are superb, with big jumps, lots of twists and turns, special features (like tracks that are spherical, where you race around the outsides of a huge tube that holds you in with some sort of gravitational pull) and more. And for those who complain about N64 games not having enough variety—there are 30 (yes, 30!) crafts to choose from, each with its own unique characteristics and drivers (including the four from the first game). In addition, each craft is rated from A-E in terms of Body, Boost and Grip at the Selection Screen.

Obviously the best part about F-Zero X, though, is the game’s astonishing sense of speed. If you thought the first F-Zero was fast, wait until you see this baby zip across your TV. We’re talking 60 frames of animation per second, with crafts that reach speeds of 1000 km/h and more (our personal best was over 1400 km/h), and this is with up to 30 crafts on screen at once. Even the Two- and Four-player Modes are fast. Just like the 16-Bit version,

there are “zippers” on the tracks

that send you forward, and when you complete a lap, your craft gains the ability to “Boost” at the expense of your Power gauge. Fortunately, just after each lap you can race over special bars on the track that will help replenish lost energy (again, just like the first F-Zero). Allin all, F-Zero X is shaping up

F-Zero X features both Two- and Four-player Split Screen

action, both of which show little to no slowdown.

Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may or may not be released in the U.S. It is designed to run on a Japanese system. Import at your own risk.

Some tracks (like this one) are laid out like giant tubes with no sides. Thank goodness for gravity...

to be a killer racing game, and with a 64DD add-on already in the works (see sidebar), you can count on seeing this baby in the headlines for a long time to come. The only problem? You'll have to wait until late ’98 for the U.S. release. With any luck, NoA will give us a quick port so we can be playing the game before the end of

the summer. ®

Behind the Screens

F-Zero X for the 64DD

At the Space World show, Mr. Miyamoto revealed that F-Zero

X would be one of the first N64 cartridge games to have a 64DD add-on disc released sometime after the cartridge. With this add-on, you will be able to choose from more hov- ercrafts, more tracks and best of all-the disc will come with a track editor and a hovercraft editor! Not only will you be able to create your own tracks, but you'll be able to download ones that your friends may have made, or possibly (in Japan at least) download special event tracks from participating retailers with special kiosks. Heck, you'll even be able to record your best race and turn it into a ghost racer for someone else to race against on their machine! The possibilities are endless!

|

chipset, you’ I get 9-0 fighting like - you ve never seen before. So pick up Mace - The Dark Age today. But

be careful of Lord Deimos - he’s looking

for his next victim.

_EVERYTHiNGS A WEAPON.

/DMIDWAY.

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre _ _% Done Release

Nintendo Co., Lt Ltd, 12. 80 February | ‚Nintendo Co., Ltd. ~ Sports i 1998 Japan 0/0

ne of Nintendo's two surprise games From The at Space World (the other being NBA Basketball), 1080 Snowboarding Creators Of and overall polish that only an EAD

game could provide. Wave Race 64 Developed by the same team that brought us Wave eec Race 64, 1080 Snowboarding is one of several snow- three tracks to choose from at the show (there are sup- posed to be at least six in the final version), and three different boarders to race as, as well as (you guessed Attack Mode (just like. Wave Касе), and two players can go head-to-head via a split-screen in the game's Two-player

€ "ow ` Web Address: ми www.nintendo.co.jp shocked everyone with its amazingly boarding games on the way to the N64 in the coming it) three different snowboards to race with. There’s a Mode. The most

d жи 080 S nowboa rdi pms rich graphical detail, smooth control months. So far it seems to be the best one. There were Match Race Mode, a Time Attack Mode and a Score amazing part of

Steep drops, big jumps, “mondo” stunts and more are all a big part of 1080's highly realistic gameplay.

the snow to the photorealistic scenery in and around

Incredibly realistic graphics

highlight the gameplay. 1080, though, is each track. And control with the N64’s analog Control 1 the graphics. Stick makes everything move smooth as silk. It truly Everything looks awesome.

1080 is scheduled for a February release in Japan, and it WILL be coming to the U.S. soon after, so be sure to check back for a full preview of the U.S. version as it nears release. @

looks incredibly realistic, from the path your board leaves in

Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may Like Wave Race, 1080 Snowboarding or may not be released in the U.S. It is designed to run features a Two-player Split-screen on a Japanese system. Import at your own risk. 2 ў І

Racing Mode. It’s smooth!

arning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may may not be released in the U.S. It is designed to run a Japanese system. Import at your own risk.

Nintendo’s second surprise Space World title is looking very nice so far, despite only being roughly 50 percent complete at the time of the show. NBA Basketball (tenta- tive name—the U.S. name is scheduled to be NBA jo m IE | Courtside) is Nintendo's latest AP ist QUARTER addition to their Nintendo Sports lineup, and is being developed by а U.S.-based company called Left Field Productions. Courtside features all of the official teams, players and stadiums from the NBA, and has nice polygonal graphics (obviously) and particularly strong player animations (especially for this stage of the game). All of the players are modeled after their real-life counterparts, and believe it or not, there NBA Basketball will seems to be a good amount of CPU AI in this baby ET we feature all of your favorite already—clearly a strong sign of a potential blockbuster. is NBA players and teams There's full play-by-play announcing too, and the crowd ; in all their 3-D glory. really gets into the action, something that has been noticeably lacking from many NBA games as of late. Since the game won't be available until July in Japan, it's

| Instant Replays and a variety doubtful that we'll see it here until the fall—unless CETT в of camera angles highlight Nintendo is planning on a simultaneous launch, or even a the action in Nintendo's

U.S. launch first. Whatever the case, as soon as more info NBA Basketball.

is released, you'll read about it right here іп EGM.

bU Los Angeles

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre 90 Done

Nintendo Co., Ltd. N/A Variety

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Web Address: www.nintendo.co.jp

Mario Artist Series #0

Release

June 1998 Japan

The Fun Machine Gets Creative

Picture Maker isn’t limited to mere 2-D creations like Mario Paint was. Go all out in 3-D!

t Space World, Nintendo unveiled the first three entries in the Mario Artist series (everyone remembers Mario Paint, right?). All three games are going to be available for the 64DD, and all three

(four actually—the fourth title,

P ША Sound Maker, wasn't shown on the floor) will work in conjunction with each other, thanks to the DD's writability features.

To accommodate these games, Nintendo is releasing both an N64 Mouse and something called a Capture Cassette, which has A/V inputs that allow you to hook up video cameras, VCRs— basically any- thing with Audio/Video out- put—so you can grab images and use them in your creations. For more on those, check out this month's News section.

Picture Maker:

Consider this the direct descendant of Mario Paint. You can draw your own pictures (up to four people can at the same time, if you wish), or download pictures and edit them with a variety of options and tools

(similar to some higher-end PC paint programs). So simple, yet so much fun. And you can take your pictures and import them into the other programs, like Polygon Maker, where they can be mapped to polygonal characters for even more creative uses.

Polygon Maker:

This one looked the most impressive —and rightfully SO. It's basically a stripped-down, affordable version of Nichimen Graphics’ high-end Nintendo 64 develop- ment tool, N-World, stuffed into a little 64DD disk. With Polygon Maker you can create 3-D models from scratch, then texture map them, animate them and more. In the demo at the show, programmers showed how they took a simple flat polygon and turned it into a huge space shuttle in no time at all. This one looked VERY impressive.

Talent Maker:

Talent Maker was certainly the most bizarre of the trio, but it also looks like it might have the most poten- tial for flat-out fun. In TM, you create a person from scratch, and then have it do a variety of different things, almost as if you were entering it into a Talent Show. You can have your character dance, practice

Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may or may not be released in the U.S. It is designed to run on a Japanese system. Import at your own risk.

Talent Maker lets you create a character and then perform your own virtual talent show with your new creation.

Picture Maker is basically the 64-Bit update of Nintendo's classic Super NES game Mario Paint.

karate, perform balancing acts and more— and best of all, you can map your own face (or anyone else's for that matter) onto your little virtu- al talent star for some serious laughs. There's so much you can do it's scary.

Each of these disks will be available in Japan at the launch of the 64DD, and are expected to be very affordably priced. Nothing official has been announced yet, but it’s likely that the Mario Artist series will come to the States. These disks are perfect realizations of just a few of the many cool things that the 64DD will be able to do once actual games are released for it when it launches in late 1998. ®

Pictures made

in Picture Maker can be transferred to objects in the other titles in

the series.

49

Laugh while you frag, fram Hollywood to outerspace!

Bag some aliens with over a dozen hi-tech weapons!

An all-out a of

non-stop carnage!

DUKE NUKEM: TOTAL MELTDOWN. „Duke's in town. And there's nothing he hates mare than бап ‚army of alien punks crowding his space Ji levels

| Sof freak-smashing 30 mayhem should see 1d it. > Gigantic’ ‘guns! Gruesome enemies! Total interaction! - = And-all- dut. devastation! ду mess with The Man! SI а

ык,

з : 2 че 6 х Fa 7 Ес. “=> Duke Nukem: Totat Мерфи 61958, 1887 3D Realms. АН Rights Reseri „Вуке шет 64" 21996, 1997 3D Realms. As N + A = = ii Xo PlayStation and ge PlayStation Ne ages |

^

x E 27, / % |

Earthquakes, exploding buildings and working subways!

player, split-screen Dukemateh action.

ІШКЕ „El 64

Publisher/Developer | Players/Genre- % Done Release Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may or may not be released in the U.S. Itis designed to run Nintendo бо, Ші. 1 М/А отд оп а Japanese system. Import at your own risk. Intelligent Systems RPG Japan

“Web Address: wwwnintendo.co]p 5

uper Mario RPG was one of the most charming and well-designed games that ever graced the Super NES, and now, two years later, the first screens of the sequel have been released. Not much is known about the game yet, but as you can see by these pictures, it looks dras- tically different from the original. Mario is now a flat 2-D object in a 3-D world (this is obviously some sort of artistic thing), and according to Mr. Miyamoto, the game will be geared toward a younger audience. We just hope it’s as good as the first one. ®

Mario RPG Takes On A Whole New Look

Mario’s right-hand, err, “pal” from the original Mario RPG, Toad, will be back for more in the sequel.

Mario RPG certainly looks nice, but what’s with

the flat 2-D Mario? Unfortunately, it’s too early to tell right now.

АУ9-%узази 7) Еа –

Now Japan

‘Nintendo Co., Ltd. Nintendo Co., Ltd.

The sequel to one of the most underrated Super NES games of all time is almost fin- ished, and will be available in Japan by the time you’re read- ing this. That’s right, Yoshi’s Story, the “2 1/2-D” follow-up to Yoshi’s Island, is on the way, and from what we've seen (and . played), it looks fantastic.

»9

oangie Sy

In Yoshi's Story, the main goal is to : а : 2 collect fruits hidden throughout each m 7 wb stage in the game's six worlds. There „ m^ ng “ are six different Yoshis you сап а ____ : choose from in each stage (differing only in color), and no sign of that irri- tating baby Mario anywhere (thank goodness!). The game controls much like the first Yoshi, but with

some nice enhancements. For

one, everything is controlled

The fruit you collect fills in the dots around the border of the screen.

addition to a variety of cool moves (both old and new), Yoshi now has the ability to swim.

We don't need to tell you how incredible the graph- ics are—these screen shots speak for themselves.

Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may or may not be released in the U.S. It is designed to run on a Japanese system. Import at your own risk.

with the analog Control Stick. So now Yoshi can lash his tongue out in any direction possible, and aiming eggs is much easier than it used to be (just press the button to throw, and move the target anywhere on the screen with the Control Stick). And in

е

But if you think this is nice, just wait until you see the game in motion. Be sure to check back next month when EGM blows the doors open on Nintendo’s latest master- piece in our in- depth preview of Yoshi’s Story.

Yoshi's Story has graphics that just have to be seen to be believed.

Nintendo Co, Lt. — 1 — y June Nintendo Co., Ltd. RPG N/ A 1998 Japan

when it arrives

is in place, the game

one Soon.

Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may or may not be released in the U.S. It is designed to run on a Japanese system. Import at your own risk.

While there hasn't been much information released on Mother 3 in quite a while, Nintendo did man- age to sneak some new video onto the giant video wall at the Space World show, and the game seems to be coming along nicely. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mother, it's the Japanese version of our EarthBound series (EarthBound was Mother 2 in

Japan). The full 3-D RPG is

slated to launch with the 64DD in June in Japan, and looks well on its way to being completed.

The fight system and looked quite polished for only being shown on video. We will have more on this

4

| www.ubisoft.com

w

. fhe primary cre- - ator of Rayman, __ Tonic Trouble is — already starting

Designed

that made the forementioned

onic Trouble's plot revolves 2227 ап аһеп d who drops a mysterious can onto Earth. s, and mutations of plants and animals коен the planet. Seeking to fix the - problems that he created, _ Ed must explore and fight

weapons. Аз you can see from these screens, this | game shows promise. Rest _ assured, we'll do a more in- * depth preview as soon as ме | get some more info.

_ Release

February |

ЅМӘІЛӘЈ

.

‘enemies with a variety of

side from the wild designs of the vehicles,

AeroGauge is pretty straightforward

both in gameplay and appearance

(think WipeOut meets F-Zero). Five

unique machines are available at the

game's outset, including one that

looks like an N64 controller craft.

Five more are included but must be

opened later in the game. The crafts are ranked by

speed, acceleration, shield and agility. Each one is dec-

orated with wacky logos and paint jobs a la WipeOut.

They resemble everything from sleek speeder-type vehicles to modified tugboats and dump trucks.

Four tracks plus two bonus ones are spread out around the world. The courses feature lots of bridges, banked turns and the obligatory tube portions. The vehicles have the ability to fly very close to the ground or way above it. Because of the vehicles’ maneuvering abilities, the tracks have multiple levels and some- times alternate routes hidden among the lay- out. Also includ- ed are short pit-stop lanes in which cars can replenish their shields.

Game modes

It doesn't take a genius to see

how games like WipeOut and F-Zero have influenced AG.

The cars can take corners way up high or very low (like

"icd this one), adding a twist to traditional racing play.

include: Grand Prix (with a time trial), Single Mode,

Time Attack and Split-screen Two-player.

Gameplay is similar to WipeOut with a bit more maneuverability. To help in this area, most of the cars have flaps that extend out on the turning side to help tighten corners. Turbo boost is done with a button combo but can only be used coming out of the corners. @

Game speed remains constant even in Two-player Mode.

Destiny Turns On

the ММ

Brush up on your technique against the dummy in the Training Mode.

Jokers steal your skills unless you defeat them in battle.

Fighter's Destiny

ighter’s Destiny is a 3-D fighting game with 10 regular characters and a bunch of hidden ones — ranging from a clown toa Middle Eastern wrestler. In some of the game's other modes, you'll face bizarre opponents like a cow (yes, that's right— | COW) and a training dummy.

The setup is similar to that of Virtua Fighter—you fight in a ring (of variable size) and the goalis to knock the other guy out as many times as possible. The graphics are smooth and move very fast, giving the game that arcade feel.

Gameplay is different from most fighting games though. The action is points-based, meaning that each attack or knockdown gets you a certain amount of points. For instance, a “ring out” is only worth one point, so it’s not advantageous to just knock your opponent out of the ring and be done with it. Using special attacks and combos will get you more points. The game also lets you adjust the amount of points that each attack gives you, so you can customize the game to get rid of cheap wins.

You can use either the analog or digital pad to con- trol your fighter, and configure almost every aspect of the game. There are plenty of modes to play, too. It’s got a One-player, Training and Vs. Mode, but Fighter’s Destiny has other modes that are not so common for fighting games. Record Attack is an endurance mode (with three categories—Survival, Fastest and Rodeo). In Survival, you’re pitted against 100 opponents in a fight to the finish. As the name implies, Fastest Mode is based on how quickly you can defeat your oppo- nent, and Rodeo is a battle to see who can stay in the ring.

The game’s Master Challenge is also vastly different from your average fishting game. You fight to win use of a certain skill or

СП: Release _ Ocean 1-2 | 90

Јапџагу

and И will be very inter- esting to see how the finished product turns out. @

Using special moves and combos in Fighter's Destiny will gain you more points.

1-2 Puzzle

55: www.infogrames.com

special move. Your moves can then be saved onto the N64’s memory cartridge and used against a friend and their cus- tomized fighter. Developed by Genki/ Imagineer, Fighter’s Destiny looks like the best fighting game for the N64 so far,

Ойлы PIERRE g ___1___ Н

After gaining skills in the Master Challenge Mode, you can save your traits and battle a friend.

Wetrix is an imaginative puzzle game reminiscent of Tetris, only instead of stacking boxes the object is to build walls and barriers on a floating 3-D platform. If done cor- rectly, the falling pieces will stack up to form little corrals in which water will gather as it periodically falls from the sky. The more water that drains out due to faulty pools the quicker you lose.

Along the way you'll have to deal with falling bombs, fire, ice and mines. Use these elements to patch or blow holes in your pools or just wreak havoc on your opponent. As the game progresses, pieces will fall faster with water coming in quicker intervals.

Alternate modes of play include ice-covered platforms, variable landscape and random holes. Two- player Split-screen Mode offers a straight-ahead race for survival with the player who fills their drain first losing.

The only question now is how long can cool new games like this one be spawned from the Tetris archetype?

Look at the pretty rainbow...man, they thought of everything!

Two-player adds the bonus of controlled bomb- dropping to help slow your opponent's progress.

Get the pom

Underground” CD Magazine, a CD qus case, and a Bon baseball Cap.

Jet Moto, Playstation and Underground are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Offer expires January 31,1998. _ - _ _ ©1997 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. ©1997 Sony Electronics Inc, All rights reserved. Sony is a trademark of Sony. www.sony.com/, sav

of survival will be your precision |

our razor-sharp aim and j sense of style. Good thin. es Bond. In the new Golde you ve got a 360-degree rang eapons and a license to kill. lope your tux is pressed.

d e»

* Burning Rangers

5 ЛОШО

in sega News...

The biggest news in Sega- land this month involves a game that hasn't yet reached our shores. X-Men Vs. Street Fighter was released in Japan in late November with Sega's new 4 Meg RAM cartridge built in. The game is a near-perfect port of the arcade game in every aspect, and has virtually no load time because of the cart. However, as we go to press it's still uncertain as to

Saturn X-Men Vs. Street Fighter— Сарсот best arcade port ever,

whether or not the game will make it to the U.S. Sega has no plans to manufacture the RAM cart over here, so Capcom is looking for alternate ways to get it here, and (hopefully) a final decision (and announce- ment) will be made soon. The game will not run without the cart, and it's NOT that expen- sive (it retails for about $65 in Japan), so with any luck we'll have some good news to report next issue. In other Sega news, many stores have been dis- counting Saturn hardware in anticipation of a weak holiday sales season (Target dropped to $119 and EB dropped to $129-and by the time you're reading this there may have been more drops). If

you've been holding out,

now might be the time 58 to take the plunge.

Sets the Saturn on Fire

Nakas Masterpiece

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release

Sega of America 1 March Sonic Team 75

Action 1998

Web Address: www.sega.com

ine out of 10 gamers agree—NiGHTS is a fantas- tic game. Yet it faced a mon- umental obstacle when released—namely, Super Mario 64, which stole the spotlight from NiGHTS’ novel gameplay. Burning Rangers, the next big thing from Sonic the Hedgehog papa Yuji Naka, doesn’t have that problem. It’s coming at a time when Saturn owners are desperate for great games.

The game’s set in a doomed space station where everything’s being consumed by seem- ingly intelligent fire, which blasts out of walls Backdraft style and darts at the player like a living thing. You play a member of the Burning Rangers, a futuristic rescue squad charged with battling the blaze while saving the station’s scattered personnel.

An automap keeps you on track, as does the occasion- al radio chatter from other Burning Rangers team members. Besides Boss monsters and the flames them- selves, you'll bat- tle robots and other unfriendly station residents. Your ranger can wield five types of firefighting weapons, such as foam cannons and gas grenades, which you can power up by hold- ing the Fire button.

Some levels leave youin Numerous traps—

the dark, at least until you including collaps-

find the light switch. 178 floors and

exploding canis-

ters— pop up throughout the station, as well.

To complicate matters, hostage locations are randomized each time you play.

Burning Rangers uses a supercharged NiGHTS engine, so it looks and plays a little like the ground-based portions of NiGHTS. Yet Burning Rangers has the Saturn perform- ing tricks through software that the system’s hardware was never designed to do. The

The Boss baddies breathe fire. But then, what did you expect?

game’s packed

with transparen-

cy effects and

dynamic lighting.

In fact, some lev-

els have you

groping in the

dark, with noth-

ing but the green-

ish glow of your

suit’s flashlights to push back the darkness. Burning Rangers may not look as cutesy as

Naka and his Sonic Team’s previous efforts,

but it does pack all the trademark touches.

You collect the apparently mandatory rings,

and—just as in NIGHTS— you receive a grade

for your rescue and firefighting efforts at the

end of each level. Fans of Naka’s other titles

certainly won’t be disappointed.

«с

PlayStation |,

"Best Flight Sim/Shooter." `— Ultra Game Players, 0 97

Geare: 5 oul af 5.

d Colony Wars puts all other space shooters ta shame.”

po ‚Wars ranks аз е -best space combat game

Blast the chains of slavery straight to Hell. Join the rebellion and fly the hattest ships in the stars. You'll master six unique craft in your quest, each with different flight characteristics and weaponry. You'll fly more than 70 unique missions, success or failure determining a destiny that lies along one nf five different paths. The cost of freedom is high. Are you willing to pay it?

e»

гоп the: PlayStation.” pane. Noveiiber 97

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OFFICIAL LICENSED: PRODUCT

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icom 44" йити о logos aretrademarks af Son routes Entertainment fi the 3 0 “N'logo are Irademarlipt Nintendo of America, Inc. GNintendo-of Ametica, Inc. The ratings icon {the Interactive Digital Software Association. KONAMI: SPORTS SERIES™ is û trademark of Konami of America, onan i isa registered trodemarksof Konami to. Ift © 1997 Kontmi of Americ пс, All Ди Reserved.

d "O

ə Breath of Fire Hl

* R-Types

е Master of Monsters

е Ninja

• Tekken 3

e Bushido Blade 2

е Rascal

е Riven

е Alien Resurrection eC

• Fifth Element

e Atari's Greatest Hits 2 * Tomorrow Never Dies

5 ЛОШО

For 1998, Sony is making sure they can maintain the suc- cess they enjoyed in 1997. And what an enjoyable year it was. After lowering the price of the PlayStation, Sony saw sales skyrocket to the point where they finally broke the N64 sales dominance in September. It was also in September that saw the release of Final Fantasy VII. FFVII went on to be the first Japanese RPG to sell 1 million units in the United States.

The Hot-As-Lava RPG Publisher/Developer Pk е %0 Release

Capcom February Capcom 1998

Comes to the Рот

emember Breath of Fire back in the days of the Super NES? Well, the popular series is now making its way onto the PlayStation. And with the update comes nice- looking 3-D graphics and a CD-quality score, among other features.

ВоР | gives us a healthy dose of plotline before you even pick up the controller. Even in the beginning of the game, you can see that this isn’t like the old Breath of Fire—

polygon graphics and neat-o effects

fill the screen as a dragon lets

loose on some baddies (you being the dragon).

There are two different views: the map view and an area view. Although the map view is not quite as 3- D as the area map, it’s still in an isometric view. While in the world map, you can

walk around to various loca- tions such as towns, moun- tains and dungeons. When you walk over a place you can enter, you can either do so or simply get info.

The area map is different from the world map in that it uses 3-D polygonal graphics. The characters are still 2-D but nearly every- thing else in this view is polygonal. When you run into an enemy, you don’t go into a special fighting screen, your character(s) sim- ply spread out into attack formation and the battle begins.

While in the area map view, each character has a unique action that he/she can perform

Train rides are supposed to be fun, but in this case, it’s just a one-way ticket to hell!

while walking around. For example, Ryu can use his sword to slash through the shrubbery to unveil a secret bag of gold or other goodies. More to come later. Ө

The 3-D graph- ics in the area map are new to the Breath of Fire series.

Sony also enjoyed plenty of suc- cess with their Power Price line of software. Consumer reaction to the Power Price games were overwhelming, especially during Christmas. Some of Sony's best-selling games like Game- Day '98 and Crash Bandicoot 2 outsold the competition because they undercut their price. With a worldwide installed hardware base of over 23 million units and highly anticipated games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Parasite Eve and, of course, Metal Gear Solid coming soon, the future looks bright for the PlayStation.

Yep, just an average day in the for- est—saving little naked boys from fire-breath- ing dogs.

Aggressive Moves! Tomb Wader

Punky Skunk © 1998 Visit Co., Ltd. Presented by JALECO USA. Jaleco and the Jaleco logo are trademarks of Jaleco Lid www јаіесо com PlayStation and PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc. The ratings

CONTENT RATED BY Fe = PlayStation icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. ксав СИ | :

теп Soft. Engineering t2 рб Feb. 1998

Irem Soft. Engineering Shooting Japan www.irem.co.jp Е: = | Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may or may not be released in the U.S. It is designed to run on a Japanese system. Import at your own risk. Hopefully

someone will pick up R-Types fora

U.S. release.

fter a long break, Irem is back in business with their first PlayStation game, R- Types. R-Types isn't an all-new shooter though; instead, it's a compilation disc containing the full arcade versions of _ the original R-Type and В-Туре (the Туре is known for i * latter of which has never been its awesome Boss rebased on a home console—the PC Engine version of characters and R-Type II is merely the second half of the original R- challenging play. Type, which at the time didn’t fit on one HuCard).

Both R-Type and R-Type II will be 100 percent perfect translations of the arcade originals, and as a special bonus, Irem is adding all-new rendered FMV sequences to the games. Even better though, they’re including a demo movie of their brand-new upcoming PlayStation R-Type sequel, R-Type Delta. R-Type Delta will retain the classic 2-D gameplay of the older R-Type games, but with 3-D backgrounds and dazzling graphi- cal effects (similar to Philosoma or Einhander). From the limited amount of screens that have been released, it looks like R-Type Delta is still quite a ways off, but what we’ve seen so far certainly looks impressive.

R-Types is due to be released in February in Japan. No U.S. plans have been announced yet, but hopefully

R-Type Delta will feature someone (Working Designs maybe?) will pick it up for 2-D gameplay with 3-D a U.S. release soon. The shooter market needs some modeled backgrounds. rejuvenating, and bringing back true classics like the

R-Type games is just the way to doit. @

See z Publisher /Devela Players/Genre | СТЕ Release 2 Publisher/Developer ЕСІ % Done Release _ oper Pi ч аш CH ASCII Entertainment 1-4 N/A 2nd Qtr. | SystemSoft, Inc. Strategy | 1998

Web Address: www.asciient, com

. Master of Monsters

Master of Monsters will return to the gaming forefront in a bright new 32-Bit incarnation early in '98. The former 16-Bit strategy game will boast several new features including impressive 3-D battles (hopefully) and a ton of new terrain to conquer.

This turn-based strategy game will challenge you (or up to four players) to take command of your own race of home-bred monsters and turn them

against anyone or anything that | stands between you and world con- | quest. Points and experience are gained by roaming new territories with the intention of taking them over by means of battle. Of course, your monsters do all the dirty work for you because you are the Master of Monsters!!...or

at least you're trying to be. Eight different characters are available, each with his/her own strengths and summoning abilities. Look for a full report in the

coming months.

IT’S A SIMPLE PROPOSITION, REALLY. JUST USE THOSE STRATEGIC POWERS IN THAT NOG- GIN OF YOURS TO OUTSMART AND DESTROY THE HUMORLESS GEOMETRIC BLOCKS AS THEY COME CRASHING TOWARD YOU. OR BE SQUASHED LIKE A POTATO CHIP. YOU MIGHT ALSO FIND YOURSELF CAREENING OFF THE END OF THE UNIVERSE. IS ІТ ANY WONDER YOU'LL KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE?

PlayStation

Intelligent elu b e]

» Only on PlayStation.

PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Intelligent Qube is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. ©1997 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. www.playstation.com

Оон 3rd Atr. “5

Катсо Fighting N/ A 1998 ress: www.namco.com

Tekken 3

hen the two previous install- ments of the Tekken series hit the PlayStation, they had one thing in common: Both were improved over the arcade version. Still, we had our doubts over whether Tekken 3 would make an equally stunning rn home translation. From what we have seen so far (admittedly, only screen shots), the game looks nearly arcade perfect.

Tekken 3’s story starts where Tekken 2 left off— at the final battle with Kazuya (and Devil). Heihachi has gained control of Kazuya’s Mishima conglomerate and is now helping to settle wars and aiding third- world countries. During an archeological dig in Central America, Heihachi’s workers dig up a mysterious life-form. Heihachi knows not what it is because communication is lost. When he gets there, all that is left are corpses.

Many of the old stars of Tekken came back. Of course, there are some new additions as well.

/ Like Tekken 2, the KOs still look as painful as ever. Should “Beard-O” Paul be knocking down girls like that?

As the strange story continues, Heihachi comes to conclusion that he must hold another King of Iron Fist Tournament. As fighters gather to challenge one another, so will PlayStation owners. Of course, no one will die (or hopefully even get hurt) when they fight each other on the PlayStation.

Tekken 3 has an improved graphics engine, more lighting effects and more detailed. characters. The backgrounds have also been improved, with all the pseudo 2-D buildings and structures of the arcade game. Of course, the PlayStation version will have a rendered intro along with ending cinemas for each of the characters.

We should also put to bed rumors of Tekken 3 need- ing an add-on to work properly. Mike Fischer, Namco’s director of marketing, says that no add-on will be

needed to enjoy the PlayStation version of the arcade hit. “The development team is really push- ing the limits of the PlayStation,” commented Fischer. “Tekken 3 will showcase what the system is really capable of doing.”

But is the system capable of reproducing the visual pizazz of the System 12-based arcade game? We'll let you know when we get a playable version. @

Like the arcade version, Tekken 3 on the PS looks to have some nice lighting effects,

See No Evil... No Evil...

©1987 DreamWorks Interactive 11.0. AN rights reserved. Skullmonkeys Is a trademark of DreamWorks Interactive LL. DreamWorks Interactive Is a trademark of DreamWorks LLC. The Neverhood is a trademark of The Neverhood LLC. Hectic Arts and the Bectroni Arts loo are trademarks andor registered trademarks of Венере Arts in the

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Some fighters will be able two attack buttons now and there's a heav- to battle with two swords јег emphasis on the story in the Story

Warning: This is a preview of a Japanese title that may or may not be released in the U.S. Itis designed to run on a Japanese system. Import at your own risk.

Square Co., Ltd. Fighting

: www.square.co,jp

hile the original Bushido Blade has only been out for a couple of months here in the U.S., Square is already hard at work on the sequel in Japan. Bushido Blade 2 is well under way, and judging from what we’ve seen of it so far, it’s going to be a nice improvement to the unique samurai brawler that took traditional fighting games to an entirely new level.

So far, 14 characters have been revealed, seven of which are new, while the other three are returning from the first Bushido Blade (Tatsumi, Mikado | and Kannuki). There will be a Story Mode , where you can choose to fight for one of two clans, and there are numerous game- play enhancements planned, including faster, smoother play, better defensive tac- tics, two-sword fighting and more. In addi- tion, there are more unique fighting stances for each character, there are only

for dual-bladed action. Mode (now known as the “Top Mode” in

“Square Co., Ltd. 12 pese WA E

BB2). This one's still early, but already it's look- Bushido Blade 2 will feature Like the Japanese original,

ing hot. We'll have more оп BB2 as it develops. Іп. at least 14 characters, many Bushido Blade 2 will support

the meantime, start sharpening your Nodachi...@ of which are new. _ Sony's analog pad.

Psygnosis Traveller's Tales Adventure

In March, Psygnosis will be bringing out a new 3-D game unlike anything you've seen before. This impressive-looking title will contain a bagful of tech- nical tricks, giving it a hi-res look in low-res, at 60 fps.

The game concept also looks impressive at this early stage. The game has you following the adven- tures of Rascal, an original Jim Henson Creature Workshop-creat- ed character. Rascal must rescue his kidnapped father, an inventor, by travelling through six worlds in three different time zones. Each of the worlds has a traditional theme, like Aztec, Wild West, Pirate Boat and Castle. But what sets this 3-D platform game apart from the rest are the different time

periods. Each world has a past, present and future, giving the game a unique approach to traditional themes (for example, the Wild West may have cowboys in the past, but it turns into

С

70

a movie set for the present).

The number of weeks in a row the game Myst held the number-one spot on the computer game best-seller list. _

ned For rumble Pak

Over 40 wrestlers, including more | than 20 WCW and NWO superstars: Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Sting, Giant,

Lex Luger, Ric Flair, The Outsiders, The Steiner Brothers, Dean Malenko, Syxx, Eddy Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Scott Norton, Rey Mysterio, Jr., Steven Regal, Ultimo Dragon,

Buff Bagwell, Eric Bischoff and

many more!

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Each wrestler has 30 to 40 moves, www.thg. com including his own signature moves www.WCWwrestli hg.com || | қ - 1 j : Visit your local retailer or call Tag Team and simultaneous four-player action в 1-818-225-5167 tor orders only a. Five different play modes. ee ee EEE —

March 1998

1 Action

Konami Appaloosa

s: www.konami.com

After Contra: Legacy of War, fans of the long-running Konami series were itching to get a game that captured the classic feel. If all goes right, this game will be successful in bringing the series back to its rightful place. Not much is known about “C” atthistime— not even if the game will be called Contra—but from

the screen shots, it looks as if the game will be a combination of 2-D and 3-D levels with rendered backgrounds and enemies. The game is currently 30 percent complete, and Konami is hoping to release the game in March.

Publisher/Developer

Fox interactive Argnonaut

2nd Qtr. 1998

www.foxinteractive.co!

Science-fiction movies lend themselves to video games, so it's no surprise that early screens are already appearing for the PlayStation (a Saturn one is also under development) version of Alien Resurrection, the game.

This third-person, 3-D action game takes place in the Alien- infested corridored environment of the research vessel Auriga. Players will command five differ- ent characters as they progress through 13 levels to stop the troubled ship from reaching Earth. Cut scenes from the movie will also be integrated into the game-which could be a good or bad thing, depending on what you thought of the film.

The only shots available are those of full-motion video clips.

Number of A/ien movies

Number of times the last Alien was blown out of an airlock to end the movie

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release |

Midwav

‚ompilatioi

Web Address: www.midway.com DO

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Greatest Hits:

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ы МА ‚10085 The Fifth Element

inspired game has arrived. The Fifth Element contains elements that will come as no sur- prise for many gamers. To draw a comparison, our early glimpses of the game reveal Tomb Raider-like room-to-room adventuring along with combat action rem- iniscent of Nightmare Creatures. Large polygonal charac- ters romp through 3-D buildings, city streets and land- scapes displayed in the ever-popular third-person per- spective. Playing as Korben or Leeloo, you must do your best to rid these areas of evil forces using several combat weapons including rifles, handguns and big blasters, not to mention your dukes. It’s not clear how closely the game will follow the actual movie story line, but if it stays true to past movie-inspired games, it will shed all semblance of a plot and leave you with an all-out kill fest. Just use your imagination and pretend you’re Bruce Willis...

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ARCHIMEDES

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GT Interactive Software

E [nra PlayStation

, www.singletrac.com www.gtinteractive.com

©1997 SINGLETRAC Entertainment Technolagies, Inc. Twisted Metal, Warhawk and Jet Moto are trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Twisted Metal oto were published by Sony Computer Entertainment America). Critical Depth, SINGLETRAC and the SI trademarks of SINGLETRAC Entertainment Technologies, Inc. PlayStation and the "PlayStation" logo are t ( FEN inment, Inc. Published and distributed by GT Interactive Software Corp. The GT and the GT! IT logo is a registered trademark of GT Interactive Software Corp All other trademarks а г companies.

|

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MGM Interactive announced that it will be publishing Tomorrow Never Dies. The game begins where the movie leaves off by letting you play through an original screen-written story, while interacting with Bond- inspired characters. The action of the game is reminiscent of past

same Directo

е Rival Schools United By Fate е Last Blade

Mortal Kombat 4 has been in the arcades for a few months now, and we just heard from Midway it may come home as early as March, with home conversions of NFL Blitz and Bio-Phreaks to follow. Some compa- nies take a little more time (Tekken 3), but for the most part, companies

are still feeding off the “arcade fren-

zy” of a game when they announce the console release.

22227227

What сап we as consumers do about this? Keep going to the arcades! Our cash support in the form of quarters will help make sure that companies will be bringing home the most (financially) popular arcade hits The home translations are almost always flawless, and they manage to add options not available in the original release

Coin-op companies don’t need to worry about lost business since arcades continue to stay one step

ahead of the consoles in fEGMY terms of technology. They merely need to push the 76 envelope of quality.

James Bond movies, all of which will be meshed together with cinemas. The finished product will have at least five styles of play that include skiing, driving and fighting levels. They will be playable through first- and third-person views. TND’s scheduled release is fall 98.

Rival Schools United By Fate is Capcom's lat- est 3-D fighting game. Due out the first quarter of 1998, RSUBF is the first game to run on the brand-new Capcom PS-1.5 arcade board. (It’s basically an updated version of the original PS arcade board used with. Star Gladiator and Street Fighter EX.)

The story of RSUBF goes as such: Near the turn of the century, high school students are being mysterious- ly kidnapped by an unknown force. Four high schools have to fight it out to solve the mys- tery. The stu- dents must oppose a pow- erful | enemy that even the police can't touch. And so they rise to the occasion to take matters into their own hands.

The gameplay in RSUBF is a combination (so to speak) of other popular

The gameplay in RS is as fast and furious as any 2-D game.

Last Blade is SNK's latest NeoeGeo offer- ing. The gameplay is similar to Samurai Shodown with weapon-to-weapon combat and projectile attacks. It's so similar to Samurai Shodown that fans of the series should be happy with this game until 55д hits the arcade scene.

Last Blade also features a "Rage Meter" used for stronger basic attacks and Super attacks. Each charac- ter has six basic attacks (short and long range) which are accessed with the

1-2 Fighting

www.capcom.com

Capcom games. The Chàin Combos, Supers and Alpha counters (Tardy counters in this game) are straight out of SFA and the Team attacks reek of X-Men vs. SF. Players choose two char- acters from one of the four high schools, and the characters can be switched between rounds. Some of the characters range from baseball and soccer players to school teach- ers and a school girl bearing an uncanny resemblance to Sakura from SFA2 and SFEX.

There are 14 selec- table characters and all the character artwork has been illustrated by Bengis, Capcom's top staff artist. Look for a PlayStation version of RSUBF sometime in the future. Ө

SNK of Japan [C 1-2 SNK of Japan Fighting

www.neogeo.co,jp

first three buttons. The fourth button is used for the “Shadow Block” (a form of counter attack). There are 10 characters to choose from and three Boss characters.

Super combos play a big part in Last

Blade. That's a hell of a big bell.

—

Fans of fighting games with projectile attacks will feel right at home

CHIPS &BITSinc. atso Available < WWW.cdmag.com/chips.himl

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Brake and gas pedals provide a Darklight Conflict NOW $44 МОК NOW $46 Ратдетопшп 2 NOW $45 Warhammer 2 NOW $49 realistic feel and are ergonomically designed to be used Darkstalkers 3 NOW $52 МК Mythologies NOW $46 Parasite Eve 02/98 $69 Wild Arms NOW $42 either sitting or standing. Steering column can be а adjusted for correct height. Жеген VIDEO GAMES: SATURN Game Source (Hariware) ASCII Fighter Stick NOW $34 Duke Nukem 3D NOW $44 Lunar Director Cut NOW $46 PanzrDragn Saga 03/98 $49 Release Date: NOW PSX/SAT $52 Albert Odyssey NOW $48 FIFA Soccer 98 NOW $46 Madden FB 98 NOW $46 Racers Megamix 02/98 $49 Batman and Robin NOW $44 Fighters Megamix NOW $52 MgcKnghtRayrth NOW $52 Rally NOW $36 “LUNAR SILVER STAR’ Join Alex as he begins a quest Battle Monsters NOW $34 Free Runner NOW $52 Manx T.T. NOW $44 Resident Evil NOW $44 to save Lunar from the Magic Emperor. 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NOW $49 Lunacy NOW $52 РТ02 NOW $52 World Series 98 NOW $46 Working Designs (Roleplaying) VIDEO GAMES: SNES VIDEO GAMES: GENESIS Release Date: 2/98 SAT $52 Оопку Kng Ctry3 NOW $64 NHL Hockey '98 NOW $52 Demolition Man NOW $19 Мопа!Котва3 NOW $54 ‘MORTAL KOMBAT:MYTHOLOGIES’ The Mortal Harvest Moon NOW $56 Pwr Ranger ZEO NOW $49 16 Wireless Pad NOW $12 МВА Live 98 NOW $52 Kombat saga continues with an all new storyline. Killer Instinct NOW $19 Secret of Evermore NOW $46 FIFA Soccer 97 NOW $52 МН. Hockey 98 NOW $52 Instant playability as you take on over 30 different ene- Lost Vikings 2 NOW $44 Secret of Mana NOW $62 Genesis Nomad NOW $169 Popful Mail NOW $22 mies while exploring 8 new worlds. Real-time 3D light- Madden '98 NOW $52 Super Mario NOW $59 Liberty or Death NOW $39 Prince of Persia NOW $19 ing, fully rendered 3D characters. 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Diddy Kong and seven other char- | Castlevania 64 04/98 $76 ^ Lost World NOW $76 MK Mythologies NOW $10 Super Mario Kart R NOW $10 acters will race through a total of 20 beautiful 3-D | Cruis'n the World 03/98 $76 МК Mythologies NOW $76 Мапо 64:Players Gde NOW $14 Tekken 2 Official NOW $13 courses with rivers, waterfalls, tunnels, canyons, lava, Dark Rift NOW $72 Масе: Dark Ages NOW $62 Мог Кот 3 Рок KodeNOW $ 6 Tomb Raider NOW $10 snow, rolling hills, and quiet lagoons. Diddy Kng Racing NOW $56 Madden 64 NOW $65 Mort Kombt 3 Play GONOW $11 Tomb Raider? 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contains 60 tradable game cards, randomly assorted,

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В 4 Е PENAT " =| 8 А В = Ас be 21 with same product. All sales final. Call for details. Shipping and handling charges calculated on а per order, per shipment, and per item basis. The “per order” charge is charged once | per order Topas ЖОР ee fom БАЩАТА арр

per order placed апа the “per item” charge is charged once for each item ordered and the “per shipment” charge is charged once for each shipment we make to you. Each United States | Рег Shipment $1.25 $1.00 $3.00 57.00 $2.00 $2.00 order will include а 12-month subscription starting with the Nov. 1997 issue(while supplies last) of Computer Games Strategy Plus Magazine, for which $10.00 of the order cost will be allocated. | Per Item 8075 $100 51.00 $200 $200 5600

I ITROPUENSESTERFEIRS GAME VOUT! ҚОРАДА Ы ПТИЦА спин

CONTENT RATED BY ESRB

BETTER GRAB YOUR LIGHTSABER. JEDI KNIGHT™: DARK FORCES® II CONFRONTS YOU WITH THE JOYS OF JEDI KNIGHTHOOD. INTER-GALACTIC ASSASSINS ABOUND ON SINGLE AND MULTI-PLAYER 3-D LEVELS, EACH WITH THE SINGULAR INTENT OF PUTTING YOUR SKULL ON A STICK. AND THERE’S NO JOY IN THAT.

www.lucasarts.com

February 1998

PLAYSTATION

Atari Collection 2 Midway b. Collection Breath of Fire III Capcom Feb. RPG Broken Sword *HQ Feb. Adventure Cardinal SYN Sony Computer Entertainment Feb. Fighting Dead or Alive Tecmo Feb. Fighting Klonoa Namco Feb. Action NBA In the Zone ’98 onami Feb. Sports NCAA March Madness 98 EA Feb. Sports Pitfall 3D Activision Feb. — Act/Adventure Point Blank Namco Feb. Shooter Punky Skunk aleco Feb. Action Risk Hasbro Interactive Feb. Simulation Skullmonkeys EA Feb. Action X-Men: Children of the Atom Acclaim Feb. Fighting Agent Armstrong GT Interactive March Action Blasto Sony Computer Entertainment March Action Bloody Roar Sony Computer Entertainment March Fighting (е опаті March Action Clay Fighter Extreme Interplay March Fighting Deathtrap Dungeon Eidos March Act/Adventure Diablo EA March Action Elemental Gear Bolt Working Designs March Shooter NBA Shoot Out 98 Sony Computer Entertainment March Sports Newman/Haas Racing Psygnosis March Racing Rascal Psygnosis March Action Running Wild Universal Studios March Racing Saga Frontier Sony Computer Entertainment March RPG TNN Motorsports Hardcore 2 ASC Games March Sports Vigilante 8 Activision March Action VR Baseball 99 nterplay March Sports VR Sports Powerboat Racing nterplay March Sports Wreckin’ Crew Sir Tech March Racing Bass Masters Classic: PE T*HQ April Sports Crime Killer nterplay April — Action Forsaken Acclaim April Action HardBall 6 Accolade April Sports Jack Nicklaus Golf Accolade April Sports Mega Man Neo Capcom April Action Populous 3 EA/Bullfrog April Strategy Super Motocross Acclaim April Sports WarGames MGM Interactive April Action Warhammer 2: Dark Omen EA/Maxis April Strategy One of the hottest

games for the PC is finally making it to the PlayStation. Look for a full preview of this com- pelling dungeon game in next month's EGM.

soon

Compiled by: John Stockhausen

NINTENDO 64

AeroGuage ASCII Feb. Shooter NBA In the Zone '98 Konami Feb. Sports NHL Breakaway 98 Acclaim Feb. Sports Robotron 64 Crave Entertainment Feb. Action Banjo and Kazooie Nintendo March Action Conker's Quest Rare March Action GASP Konami March Fighting MLB featuring Ken Griffey Jr. Nintendo March Sports Mystical Ninja Konami March Action Quake Midway March First-Person Snowboard Kids Atlus March Sports Twisted Edge Snowboarding Midway March Sports Virtual Chess Titus March Simulation Yoshi’s Story Nintendo March Action

All Star BB 99 Acclaim April Sports Forsaken Acclaim April Action MLB StrikeZone GT Interactive April Sports NBA Courtside Nintendo April Sports Quest 64 T*HQ April ВРО Snowboarding Nintendo April Sports

Yoshi's Story is one of the most-anticipated platform games. Does its 2-D gameplay live up to expectations?

From the creator of NiGHTS comes Burning Rangers. This new Saturn game places you in

the role of a fancy, futuristic firefighter.

SATURN

Dead or Alive Tecmo Feb. Fighting Burning Rangers Sega March Action

Panzer Saga Sega March Act/Adventure House of the Dead Sega April Shooter

Psygnosis has been known for their eye-popping visuals. Hopefully, they can bring their technical skill to their new 3-D platformer, Rascal.

1 8 Reversals 2 4 Overhead grabs

3 % Combination moves

#

Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks

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Playstation ее FEBRUARY Phone (310) 787-2900 Fax (310) 787-3131 visit Тесто с! www.fecmo.co.jp.

HO

GLEN RICE, CHARLOTTE

PlayStation

SPORTS SERIES.

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1-900 -896 must have parenta -HINT (4. only fie gpa 281 Permission пей 468) www. i ДУ and in 10ге dialing. Minis are ava «опа Ae ИШ ҮШ БЕЙ ШШШ И 24 hours Hoy ite BANDA ИШИ Sl TUNE ШШ {rom а game ШИП; al Amer МЕШІТІ Soltware A 1, in whol i In part, without u proier ШАДЫ ТШД ШП un D nh ШІ Ie JL slt n E m endo ol America, | tion and the Оре | tof NBA Properties, Inc 1097 Ао РЕН АОЛ a ТЕЙ үш Int. and Ihe те ERIES = is a trademark af ШШШ ШОШ ШШ ШШ Inr. Wintendn G4 ШИГЕ Ini TT ШИ „те s а registered trademark of Konami Со. ЛИ, 1997 Konami of America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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im lights. Rows of Defender and Joust machines. Greasy Galaga gurus in concert T-shirts. A jangled jingle of Pac-Man waka-waka and Centipede thump-thump-thump. Given the average age of an EGM reader, all that’s the stuff of arcades back when you first caught your fingers in Missile Command’s trackball, back in early ’80s suburban game-room land.

Then you grew up. And so did the arcades. They grew in size, from cramped mall niches to today’s

arena-size “Family Entertainment Centers,” as the industry calls them. They grew in content, with Final

Fight sharing floor space with ticket-spitting Skee-Ball and Wack-

a-Mole, as well as virtual-reality gizmos, massive ride games and

bumper cars. And although the $7-billion-a-year coin-op industry has remained stagnant since the late '8os, we're seeing a boom in

bigger, flashier, more expensive arcades. We're seeing 30,000-

square-foot location-based entertainment (LBE) centers — anoth-

er industry tag— pop up across the country, including Sega and

Steven Spielberg's GameWorks centers and the immensely suc-

cessful Dave & Buster's chain of arcades for adults.

Meanwhile the smaller, independent game rooms struggle to survive.

What gives? Where are all the dark, no-nonsense arcades of our junior high hangout heydays? Why does every game room pack Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter right alongside Skee-Ball, plush prizes and other seemingly opposite entertain- ment experiences? And are these huge LBE centers inevitable in

een.

| EGM Takes a Time-tripping

me" Look at the Evolution of Arcades

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474 к 4 ји "III, the continuing evolution of arcades? u The answers lie in the ups and downs of the industry. They lie

in the way arcade operators try to lure in mom, dad and little sis— not just the typical teenage male—over the years. They lie in the way arcadegoers seemingly yearn for a one-stop spot for all their gaming, eating and even shopping and movie-watching needs. But to get a bird’s-eye view of the entire process, you have to go back— way back—to the very, very beginning.

Four Score and 10 Years Ago... Before Pong, before pinball, before the suburbs and malls and mall arcades, there was that one breakthrough sensation that kicked off the coin-op industry, and it came way back in the 1880s. *The first coin-operated machine that took the world by storm was called Nickel-in-the-Slot," said Marcus Webb, editor of RePlay magazine, the coin-op industry's main trade publi- cation. *It was a variation on the Edison Dictaphone, and it was the forerunner of today's jukebox." These bulky machines played prerecorded songs and speeches that were stored on interchangeable tubes (the entire recording industry as we know it today was created to support the Nickel-in-the-Slot phenomenon). Although hardly hi-fi, Nickel-in-the-Slot created such a stir that lis- tening parlors began sprouting across the country, in cities, resort areas and amusement parks. These were the grand- daddies of the modern arcades, and the newborn coin-op industry boomed. Then in 1906 came the Victrola phonograph, a $7 machine that delivered the same experience in your living room as Nickel-in-the-Slot. Suddenly it was like fast forwarding 80 years into the future, when the Nintendo Entertainment System offered gamers a cheap way to bring home pixel-perfect translations of arcade games. "The Victrola killed the Nickel-in-

EGM) 85

the-Slot business,” Webb said, “and so all these guys who had these locations ran out and got all kinds of novelty machines to fill up the place and keep attract- ing people, and that’s where the original Penny Arcades came from.” These gadgets—mostly fortune tellers, peep-show viewers, love testers and crane machines — are familiar even today, and they were so popular they spread out of the inner-city arcades and resorts into bars, tobacco shops and grocery stores. They were also the first in a series of *Next Big Things” that kept the industry afloat through a series of broadside bashes. Pin games, pinball’s flipperless precursor, drew a steady stream of down-and-out cus- = ; a dud. So, to salvage the huge tomers during 19305 Depression-era America. inventory of Radarscope machines Pioneering companies such as Gottlieb and Bally pro-

gathering dus New Jersey ware. duced most of these simple machines, just as pioneer- = i ntenc ged a young staff ing arcades such as Playland and Sportsland began amed Shigeru Miyamoto with popping up in major cities. Besides pin games, these gning a game that could run on the arcades featured Skee-Ball, claw games and other Radarscope hardware, ў novelty machines, yet they were geared more toward adults, His creation was Donkey Kong, which while children were sent to play in the amusement parks. ` became Nintendo’ first blockbuster. Yet But while the industry made it through the Depression it wasn’t until 19825 Donkey Kong Jr. that unscathed, the 1940s were another story. Across the nation, city the game's plumber star was named | councilmen and county commissioners—eager to combat the Mario, in honor of the leasing manager alleged evils of slot machines and other games of chance —began

_ of Nintendo's warehouse. banning all coin-op amusements. *Suddenly many arcades closed

j a у their doors,” said Roger Sharpe, who has been involved in the industry for more than two decades and is now Williams’ director of marketing. “Some remained with just

Skee-Ball types of entertainment and

fortune tellers and the like.” When Dave Theurer, the creator of ; But arcade owners had little time to worry about the ill effects Missile Command, set out to design қ

Tempest (originally called Vortex), ће | wanted it to be a first-person take |

· оп the Space Invaders formula. — —

b But no one at Atari seemed |

keen on the prototype

game he'd up with

of city ordinances. America's need for World War Il war machines delivered what at the time seemed the coin-op industry's death blow. “The majority of manufacturers during the war wound up changing over their production lines from games to building war materials, bomb sites and the like,” Sharpe said. By the mid-’4os, coin- op-machine manufacturing was nonexistent, and arcades nationwide closed their doors as business nosedived to an all-time low.

After WWII and the Korean War ended, the few companies still able to manufacture coin-op games, as well as the few surviving arcades— the Playlands, amusement parks and resort game rooms—were rewarded with another innovation that jumpstarted the dying industry: the pinball flip- per, which brought about pinball as we know it today. Through the ’50s and "605, pinball became the most important machine in coin-op, with new arcades opening across the country ~ . . toride this new tide of success. But even more monumental was ntiped fi = Something that had been brewing since the close of WWII, when =

о attract m n babies began booming and families started craving more space | than cramped cities could provide. The history teachers call it suburban sprawl, and with it came the retail fortresses that defined suburbia. ) “Suddenly you have the phenomenon of the shopping mall,” Sharpe said, “and by the early and mid-1970s, what the shopping mall became was the place to go not only to shop but also for entertainment. Most malls built movie theaters. Many started to increase and improve their food services, so you wound up with the phenomenon of food courts.” The bright idea of sticking arcades in malls, of wedging them between the multiplex and the

Not exactly Mortal Kombat, early arcade machines were a bizarre lot of strength testers, fortune tellers and other gizmos that delivered novel thrills for about a penny a pop.

indoor McDonald’s, seemed a no-brainer. Sure enough, arcades migrated into the malls’ climate-controlled interiors at the begin- ning of the ’7os.

Pinball was still the primary draw, but other, more sophisticat- ed machines such as shooting galleries, bowling games, air hock- ey and elaborate electromechanical devices that had players con- trolling model planes or driving race cars also snatched quarters. The game rooms were so successful that arcade chains began their mall-to-mall expansion, with the Time Out centers starting in New York, Bally’s Aladdin’s Castle spreading through the Midwest and Sega’s Kingdom of Oz opening on the West Coast.

And then, in 1972, a strange-looking coin-op called Pong— developed by a newly formed company named Atari—began raking in quarters at a Sunnyvale, Calif. bar.

The Golden Age...

Pong wasn’t the first coin-operated video game (that honor goes to Computer Space), but it was the first whose popularity went supernova. Video games joined the pin game and the pinball flipper as the Next Big Thing in the coin-op industry. “Here was this introduction of a totally different technology that never exist- ed before,” Sharpe said. “It brought a whole new generation of people curious to see how they could interact with the TV screen.”

Pong’s stellar success was followed by hit after arcade hit. Taito’s Space Invaders. Atari’s Asteroids. Namco’s Pac-Man. Williams’ Defender. Nintendo’s Donkey Kong. Sega’s Frogger. “There was a lot of innovation at that time, and games were sim- ple because of the technology,” said Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and widely consid- ered to be the father of the coin-op

video game industry. “That meant the games were very inclusive to people from a broad walk of life, because there wasn’t any built-in learning curve.”

Bushnell banked on this all-inclusive nature of video games in 1978, when he pur- chased the Pizza Time Theater franchise (after selling Atari to Warner Communications). With its mix of animatronic animals, greasy pizza, birthday parties, Skee- Ball, plush prizes and video games, this new breed of arcade broke the mold of the dark- ened mall game room. Bushnell’s franchise was an immediate hit that soon grew to near- ly 300 locations.

Although Pizza Time Theater (later renamed Chuck E. Cheese’s) spawned several clones, most of the arcade industry wasn’t ready to copy the chain’s conventions yet. Everyone was doing just fine as they were. By 1981, arcades had sprung up in just about every mall, many with rows of the same game. They were making money, lots of it, more than the coin-op industry had ever seen. The arcades earned $5 billion in revenues in ’81, while the coin-op industry as a whole brought in $7.25 billion. It was bigger than the movie and record industry combined, and it was way bigger than the $1 billion-a-year coin-op market of only a half- decade before. ` Then the whole thing went to hell.

Crash Course...

Something bad happened to arcades in 1982: People stopped going. In one year, the coin-op industry’s revenues shrank by $3 billion. Suddenly, there were too many game rooms, not enough gamers. “By ’82, the shooting match is over,” said Steve Kent,

HS

Ir vasion of the

Be i ЕТ Space Invaders became an instant | Re ' | hiti

n Japan, where the game was so popular | that soon Ae its release, the Japanese treasury department was hit with a mysteri- ous shortage of 100-yen coins. Turns out Y the coins were E br all inside Space ER | Invaders machines. 3 the game | came so popular ae ie hadto коша . make its deliveries и at night in

all parlors of the ’50s). But with г, game rooms in 1981 saw no

EIDOS HINT LINE 1-900-773-4367. Cost of call $0.95/minute. Must be 18 years or have parent's permission. Touch-tone phone required. Eidos Interactive, Core, Tomb Raider, Lara Croft and her likeness are trademarks of Eidos, Plc.©1997 Eidos. PlayStation and the PlayStation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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author of Electronic Nation, a forthcoming book on the industry’s history. “The big arcades and the tiny ones were the first to go. The big guys disappeared because people just weren’t interested in going to arcades. And then the spillover, the folks who didn’t go to the big arcades would go to the smaller ones, and that was enough to keep them in business for another six months.”

Over the next two years, the coin-op industry continued to slide into oblivion. Even Bushnell’s Chuck E. Cheese’s chain went bust in 1985, when it was purchased by ShowBiz Pizza Time. So why did all the self-proclaimed “Vidiots” who lined up for Pac-Man, Asteroids and Defender a few years before suddenly give game rooms the cold shoulder? Some industry observers think the coin- op video game was simply a fad that had run its course. Others say the агсаде 5 early-’80s downfall was tied to the equally dis- astrous crash of the home console industry.

“The nail in the coffin was the public’s perception that video games were over, and that was all due to the crash of the home market,” said Keith Feinstein, president of the video game muse- um Videotopia. “There was all this news coverage of Atari col- lapsing in on itself, and Warner reporting huge losses. Then along comes the Cabbage Patch Doll. That’s the big Christmas gift and the next big story, and that translated into people saying all video games are done.”

Arcade operators once again began the quest for the Next Big Thing to lure back their shrinking audience.

Laser disc games pro- vided a brief resur- gence in 1983, thanks to the success of Don

Bluth’s animated dun-

geon romp Dragon’s Lair. But it wasn’t enough—especially when the Nintendo Entertainment System debuted in 1985 and brought true-to-the- arcade games home.

Game rooms had to reinvent themselves, or die. “There was an actual summit meeting of some leading industry figures in San Antonio,” Sharpe explained. “They coined the phrase Family Entertainment Center, making sure the word family was in there so it would be easier to sell. But more impor- tantly, they promoted the idea that the classic county-fair skill game, the shooting games, Skee-Ball, etc., were updated elec- tronically and brought into arcades. They were called redemption games, and you added the element of winning tickets and redeeming them for prizes.” |

And so even the mall arcades began adopting Chuck E. Cheese’s family-friendly tactics, bringing in cheap toy prizes, Skee-Ball and other ticket games, as well as a younger audience. Many even began hosting birthday parties in their cramped inte- riors. The game rooms put on their happy faces. They brightened up and became more kiddie friendly, leaving fewer and fewer teens to pick game rooms as their after-school hangouts of choice. And although no redemption machine ever brought in the 59оо-рег-меек profits of a hit arcade game, they did earn a steady flow of tokens that kept arcades going through the lean years of the middle and late "805. :

The game room goldrush of 1981 would never return. But the industry would see another spike in business soon enough, when

in 1991 two Dragon Punching dudes named Ken and Ryu opened another chapter in arcade histo- ry—and some say nearly closed the book.

‘Deep Dish Pac-Man

. During the heyday of the arcade . shoot-em-up (Space Invaders, Asteroids, | Missile Command, еќс.), a young game | - designer at Namco | “named Moru Iwatani- | decided (0. create - .

The Curse of Street Fighter Il...

To hear Atari Games Game Director James Goddard tell it, the arcade scene was mighty lame in the early 1990s. Of course, we all know that; we were there, dropping tokens into Final Fight, N.A.R.C., WWF Superstars and not much else. Then Capcom released a sequel to its 1987 game Street Fighter. “Here comes Street Fighter Il, and all of a sudden there's four people around it," Goddard said, “and this game opened up a sports-club mentality in arcades with its head-to-head competition.

It had the whole macho thing going. Next thing you know, there's six people around it. Then there's eight people. Then there's two machines. Then there's 16 people playing it on a Wednesday

4. маз non-violent and -

° appealing to women as — - - well as men. He settled on a maretype game with | enemies that wer fashioned after —— М): mop-heads. But —— : when it came те /

Arcades wanted to be more than just game rooms in the mid-'80s. Soin |

came the fast food, the birthday night. Then there are three machines.” х to design the games parties and a broader audience. Family | Goddard should know his Street Fighter history. He worked for hero, he was stumped. = entertainment centers were born. | Capcom between 1991 and ’93 as co-designer and U.S. producer Over dinner one night; Iwatani gazed i - | ofthe Champion Edition and Hyper Fighting upgrades. He also at a pizza with a single slice removed, and created the character Dee Jay in Super 5ЕП (not coincidentally, suddenly he had the idea for his main Goddard’s nickname is-DJames). character—a simple yellow circle with a “All of a sudden, the arcade operator is looking at a slice missing. Pac-Man was born, and it machine that cost $1,600 that can earn $300 to $900 a week went on to become one of the most suc-

for eight months,” Goddard said. “A $200 upgrade comes cessful arcade games of all time. out and he can get another eight or с Р ; er,

The Asteroids “Lurker”

Jobs First Job

nine Marche, That’s huge. People are buying houses off the kind Ataris Breakout, | of money they’re making from those machines.” It’s not surprising _ the ultimate evolu- · then that arcade owners wanted more of this newest Next Big tion of the Pong: Thing, and Capcom was only happy to oblige with upgrades style arcade game, | (released in part to combat the illegal *Rainbow Edition" was designed by a upgrades that less-scrupulous arcade operators jacked into their young Atari employ- | SFII machines). ee named Steve

Meanwhile, Midway's Mortal Kombat put its own bloody spin Jobs who would on the SFII formula, and it, too, was a hit. “Suddenly, there are two camps of fanatics for two series, both fighting games, that are earning outrageous amounts of money," Goddard said. *Now the arcade operator is going, ‘Wow, | gotta have more fighting games!’ At that point at Capcom there was this mentality of, ‘Well, heck, let's just pimp the series!’ That's when we asked, ‘Is this right? Will this be a problem?' And sure enough, it was a problem for Capcom."

In 1992, Super SFII hit an arcade scene clogged with fighting Atari Wa experiencing ‘ ‘growing ee game clones, as well as gamers who were loyal to one series or "and Bushnel didn't think it wise to пас another, but not eager to pump tokens into every new game that came along. Super SFIl was a dud compared to its predecessors, and arcade operators began scrambling for the next winning fighting-game variation. They found it in Virtua Fighter and Killer

drifted. about and fragmented. Instinct and Tekken, but none of these could bring back the 16-

into smaller ships when shot. Thesé person-to-a-machine crowds of 1991. Those days, just like the big

little guys would then hunt the money boom of a decade before, were over.

player's hip. | So just as SFII, for a brief time, recharged the industry, it also

- | bred a shrinking audience, a core of die-hard gamers who are so

lethal at the art of video game hand-to-hand combat that по new- | of the game and its artwork or in the bies would dare challenge them. “I like to say that Mortal Kombat таҝе-ир of its hardware. Ш was only fun if you had a Ph.D. in Mortal Kombat,” Bushnell said of the fighting genre’s ill effects. “What this does is it tends to narrow the market. People who go into the arcades, a lot of the games developed today are for them specifically, not for Joe

Sixpack and not for the guy on the street.”

Of course, other genres—namely driving and shooting—have grown in popularity to make up for the wane of the fighting game (note the coin-op blockbusters Cruis’n USA and Daytona USA). Still, profits from video game coin-ops have remained stagnant — and, in some cases, declined. “Williams announced an 18 percent loss in its arcade and pinball division over last year,” said lan Berman, an industry analyst with Frost and Berman, “while Konami announced a 10 percent loss in its arcade division. Everybody’s complaining in the last 12 months how much the

industry has dropped in the number of quarters being spent and Part night club, part game room, the

in sales of equipment.” Sega GameWorks centers try to offer Meanwhile, the home console market is expected to show a something for everybody. Check next

more than 40 percent jump in revenues this year over '96. Such а month for an on-location report.

boom only makes sense, considering that the Saturn, PlayStation and Nintendo 64 are pumping out arcade-qual- ity games at home. It's like 1985 all over again, when the NES debuted and made life even more difficult for the already beleaguered arcade operator. Once again, game rooms must evolve. "They have to come up with ways to prove that you get something from going to arcades that you wouldn't get from staying home,” Kent said. “It can be done. That's what Namco did best when they came out with Alpine Racer. All of a sudden you saw this game and said, ‘Wow, this is something | could never do at home.’ Unless of course you're Steven Spielberg."

TOW а

Thinking Big... And if you're Spielberg, you build the prototype for the next generation of arcades. Spielberg's GameWorks—a

joint venture of DreamWorks SKG, Sega and Universal Studios —typifies these 30,000- square-foot arcades for adults. In theory, the LBE centers offer everything: a club atmosphere, VR-type games and the newest arcade hits—including linked Super GTs and Lost World—that smaller arcades just can't afford (some machines cost upward of $20,000 apiece). Most LBEs are within walking distance of movie theaters and shopping centers, the idea being that guests need never trek elsewhere for their weekly dose of entertainment. And with the notoriety of GameWorks and the success of the 12-loca- tion Dave & Buster's arcade chain, other big players—including Sony, Disney and Namco—are lining up to play the LBE game.

But are these mega arcades living up to their hype? And how can the smaller game rooms survive when faced with super- expensive arcade hardware designed for the big boys? That’s for the second half of this feature, which you can catch next month, when we scout out the LBE centers for an on-location report, as well as look at the options of the small arcades (which are recent- ly finding unlikely allies in the PC industry).

Big doings are most certainly ahead for arcades. And to hear some industry observers speak, it’s as if the coin-op scene is mor- phing once again, just as it did when the Victrola killed the listen- ing parlor and Nolan Bushnell’s Pong transformed the pinball par- lor into today’s video arcade. “I think that computer-driven social experiences were fairly limited up until recently, and those were offers called video arcade games,” said Carl Goodman, curator of the Digital Media exhibit at the American Museum of the Moving Image in Austoria, N.Y. “Now with these LBE centers, you have

хоор sae las тапу more computer-driven social experiences that take what

< ‚the home systems. Check was going on with arcade games many steps further. We're only at

__ Videotopia's Web site the beginning of these sorts of experiences, and | just don’t think (wwwyideatopia:com) th see if we're going to call them arcade games, and we're not going to call the places in which they are played arcades."

rnia's Sunnyvale Golfland liniature golf to draw in more customers. But since this famous arcade

5 the prime testing site for new games — om Capcom, Namco, SNK and others, it rdly needs the extra help.

a museum nea

EVER BURY THE ONE YOU LOVE IN A MATCH BOX? THAT'S ALL THEY LEFT OF HIS SISTER.

| VU

FOR SLATER, EVENING THE SCORE WASN'T VENGEANCE, IT WAS SIMPLE JUSTICE.

AND IT WAS TIME FOR THE EXECUTIONER TO DO HIS WORK.

0 Police... one of the most amazing-looking titles ever seen on the PlayStation.”

- ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY You are Jeff Slater, 21st Century cop. Fly your Havoc gun ship on 35 missions through 51 of ‘Callisto's domed environments. You have fly-anywhere 360° maneuverability and tons of firepower. Serve & protect.

THERE, ON THE HORIZON!

BEFORE THEM, A CORPORATE WARBIRD, А FLYING CITY OF DEATH, COLD AND BLACK, WITH ENOUGH FIREPOWER TO TAKE OUT THE ENTIRE DOME.

~

ww.gpolice.com

«= к>

PlayStation

ITED EDITION

cae

W hile the Internet has become a popular | conduit for multiplayer PC games, there's no substitute for being able to sit around the television set and play games in your living room with a bunch of friends. This "social" gaming is one of the biggest strengths of con- sole systems and responsible for their popularity today. Nowadays, just about every game has a Multiplayer Mode of some sort, but only a few are really designed with multiplayer action in mind. Great multiplayer titles incorporate gameplay elements that keep them fresh and replayable. They also usually support more than two players, although there are the outstanding excep- tions. Think about some of the great multiplayer games that continue to captivate their players sequel after sequel: Bomberman, Street Fighter, Madden and NBA Live. All possess that special element that keeps gamers coming back for more— even if the sequels aren't much different from the ones before it. Multiplayer games are such a large part of our gaming diet that we decided to list 10 of the best ones that really shine. They are titles that won't get stale, and for the most part, more than two players can get in on the action at once. Some of these games are so skewed toward competitive game- play that they really aren't even much fun to play by yourself. So gather your multitaps, extra controllers and plug your console into a large TV. These are the 10 best multiplayer games you can find on the next- generation systems.

10. international | SuperStar Soccer 64

The Game:

Oh, it’s only the best soccer game ever— number 24 оп EGM's Top 100 List, for those keeping score at home.

Why You Shouldn’t Play It Alone:

Soccer games are much more exciting in multiplayer because great goals demand great teamwork. There’s no better play than when your teammate passes you the ball, and you finish the job with a sweet goal.

How We Like To Play:

ISS 64 doesn’t have many modes of play, and frankly, just using all four of the N64 controller ports is good enough.

Best Excuse For Giving Up a Goal:

Shoddy goalie АЛ. It's never your fault—it’s the poor goalie’s. They make great scapegoats for sore losers.

ПРШ ӨМ Coliute ¢

by Kraig Kujawa

The Next Step in Multiplayer Gaming

The future of multiplayer gaming— and we're talking beyond when Diablo hits the PlayStation—is becoming more clear as console manufacturers start to provide some clues into what we'll be playing in years to come. One common denominator that we know about each new console system is that they will most likely embrace multi- player gaming over the Internet. Sega's new system is embracing PC architecture and, probably, its connec- tivity. Nintendo's forthcoming 64DD has been confirmed to have a modem, and what little has leaked about Sony's PlayStation 2 suggests that they plan on taking a similar route.

While any further speculation on the future consoles is just that, it is safe to surmise that companies know that multiplayer gaming over phone lines will be a “killer app.” Presumably, they intend on exploiting it in the next, next generation of gaming consoles.

9. Worms

The Game:

Worms is one of the most underrated multi- player games, but it has a strong cult follow- ing. You control a well-armed team of worms who position themselves along a large, 2-D landscape. Killing the other team involves strategy and understanding the subtleties of your weapon’s physics, not twitch gameplay. Why You Shouldn’t Play It Alone:

Worms is a perfect example of an average one-player game that also delivers an excel- lent multiplayer contest. The game is much more interesting when you outwit your buddy by skillfully bouncing a grenade in his worm’s cubbyhole and blow him to bits.

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How We Like To Play:

Having a lot of different teams can really encourage backstabbing. The player with the most remaining worms at the end of the game usually winds up with everyone else teaming against him—at least until his troops are worn down to their level.

Did You Know?:

Sony tried to stop the release of Worms because it was 2-D. Back when the PlayStation was still young, Sony was adamant that games on their system looked "next-generation," which to them meant 3-D. Thankfully, Worms finally crawled onto the PlayStation.

8. Twisted Metal 2

The Game:

Just about everyone loved wrecking their Hot Wheels when they were a kid, and Twisted Metal 2 allows you to revisit and indulge those childish urges in this wonderful, car- nage-filled sequel.

Why You Shouldn't Play It Alone:

When you play the Single-player Mode, it's a lot of dumb vehicles versus you. The action is much more intense in a one-on-one battle where your combatant is smarter than the computer (he/she is smarter, right?).

How We Like To Play:

Cruisin' around Paris and destroying the Eiffel Tower is good multiplayer fun. Even better, when it falls, it forms a bridge. That way, destroying the Eiffel Tower doesn't make you look like such a bad guy. The only other level nearly as entertaining is Hong Kong, complete with subways.

Cheap Way To Play:

Use the car Spectre. Keep away from your opponent and pepper him with the homing missiles that go through walls. That's really annoying— and deadly.

7. Street Fighter Collection

The Game: .

Super Street Fighter Il, Super Street Fighter Il Turbo, Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold—three great 2-D fighting games, one inexpensive compilation that will satisfy any fighting game fan.

Why You Shouldn’t Play It Alone: One-on-one fighting games capture the true competitive spirit in all gamers. Nothing is more satisfying than mercilessly beating your friends into a bloody pulp...in a Street Fighter game, that is.

How We Like To Play:

EGM Street Fighter rules are simple: handi- caps off, the winner can continue playing and don’t reconfigure the buttons. Cheese wins, ticks (throwing someone when they’re blocking) and tap-throws are grounds for a real-life beating by the staff. Heck, we just look for excuses to give staff members a real-life thrashing.

Why Didn't Capcom...:

..include the original Street Fighter II? Or Championship Edition? Or our office favorite, Hyper Fighting? The compilation, although excellent, doesn't feel complete.

6. Point Blank (PlayStation)

The Game: Point Blank is a simple and colorful potpour- ri of dozens of light-gun minigames.

Why You Shouldn't Play It Alone:

If you have two Guncons, a few friends and Point Blank, then you have a party. All types of gamers love Point Blank: young or old, male or female. Two can play at one time, both competitively (trying to outscore each other) and cooperatively (trying to reach a common goal). Even eight people can com- pete on two teams of four. With the variety Point Blank offers in gameplay, you can't help-but have fun.

How We Like To Play:

For some reason, Crispin and Shoe invented the “Quick Draw” technique to keep them entertained between Point Blank

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minigames. When it comes time to pick the next level, the two players must draw and shoot at their desired stage. This way, the faster hand gets to pick the next minigame. But That Sounds Kinda Lame...:

It is, but the game itself isn't. Don't forget, Crispin and Shoe are easily entertained (and they invented this idea over a couple of brewskis at Dave & Buster's).

5. Madden NFL 98 (PlayStation)

The Game:

This is by far the most realistic football game on the market. It also happens to have the widest variety of Play Modes and Multiplayer Options found in a football game.

Why You Shouldn't Play It Alone: While Madden’s Al may be really good, nothing substitutes for the chess game that ensues between two veteran human players. Coming through in pressure situations, mak- ing big plays and doing awesome jukes is what multiplayer Madden is all about. And don’t forget the art of taunting and talking smack during the game.

How We Like To Play:

A few weeks ago, we had a Madden tourna- ment where we drafted our own teams then battled it out. It was great fun, and led to a lot of broken joypads and bruised egos. Also, playing two teams of two players is interesting because it really changes the way the game is played. The biggest chal- lenge is getting both players on the team on the same page when it comes to playcalling. It gets so serious that sometimes you make signals to your teammate when you're call- ing a play so he knows what you're running. Biggest Upsets In Our Madden Tournament: Upsets happen, and as they say, “That’s why they play the games." John.Ricciardi

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Hardware advances in multiplayer gaming haven't come easily. Sony created the inexpensive Link Cable, but third-party support for it waned. Companies thought it was too unreal- istic to expect gamers to bring two television sets, PlayStations and copies of the same game in a room to play. For the most part, they are right. Too bad, because Link Cable games are a blast.

Sega took the most risky and ambi- tious route with the NetLink. The idea was sound, but unfortunately there simply weren't enough Saturns sold to boost sales of this Internet device. Although software support is decent, killer multiplayer games such as Quake don't support the troubled Link.

EGA SATURN”

SEGA SATURN”

notched his first win against art monkey Mike Stassus in the critical elimination round. Editor in chief Joe Funk, favored early to make it to the finals, bowed out in the first round due to a cheap call.

4. NBA Live 98

The Game: This is the best PlayStation basketball game, by far. Live combines realistic hoops with intuitive control and fun gameplay.

Why You Shouldn’t Play It Alone:

However good Live is, the computer oppo- nent is just too easy to beat to a pulp (even on the hardest difficulty setting). Thus, to get some good competition, you really need to turn to humanoid help.

Auto Replay

How We Like To Play: Playing two teams of about three people each works really well. If it goes any higher, offenses get a little too unorganized апа ille- gal. Finding six people to play isn’t too hard a task, because rookies tend to learn the basics of Live quite quickly. If things get hairy, just turn down the fouls and realism. Мете actually just starting to gear up for our NBA Live tournament, which will probably happen after the holidays. If you want to make a really in-depth tournament, you can undergo the time-consuming task of putting together teams with all-time great players (with the player creation feature). Then, you can save them to a memory card and use these custom players in a tournament. Overlooked Part Of This Game:

The 3-Point Shootout taken from the NBA All-Star game is a really good but underrated part of Live 98. It’s also easy for casual gamers to pick up and be competitive at.

SEGA SATURN™

3. Mario Kart 64

The Game:

Take a few of the most popular Mario char- acters, throw them in a bunch of souped-up go-karts and you have a totally unrealistic, yet awesome racing game.

Why You Shouldn’t Play It Alone:

There’s nothing like playing Mario Kart 64 with four players at a time (well, OK, Diddy Kong Racing is something like it, but we pre- fer Mario Kart 64 for multiplayer games). Racing is fun and frantic; very few games out there let you shrink, shoot or squish your friends on the race track. You can also forego the racing factor and simply battle it out with three friends, head-to-head-to- head-to-head. Last kart standing wins.

How We Like To Play:

Cheap with no-holds-barred. No EGM editor feels an ounce of guilt releasing the light- ning bolt at the perfect moment to screw up another racer’s well-timed jump. Did that cheap little nudge knock you off a cliff? Heh...tough luck, sonny. You can also be really crafty and hang around second or third place until the last lap. This way, you can get the better power-up and speed past the leaders who get the crappy green shells because they’re in first.

Why Mario Kart 64 Beat Diddy Kong Racing: It was a close call, but Diddy Kong Racing wins in the one-player department, and Mario Kart 64 wins in the multiplayer department (some even like the Super NES Mario Kart more). Why? Kart 64 is simply more exciting. The levels and power-ups were designed to keep races close and hec- tic (see above strategy). Everyone is always close to the action, and almost always, it’s anybody’s game.

2. GoldenEye 007

The Game: As you’ve probably heard, this 3-D first- person game is one of the few that does its movie license justice. Why You Shouldn’t Play It Alone:

GoldenEye is the first and best four-player Doom-type game on a console system, period. The multiplayer competition in this game is as groundbreaking as it is intense. Endless hours of fun can be had with all of the different modes, some of which are unlocked by progressing through the game’s One-player Mode. There’s nothing better than filling your favorite Bond movie charac- ter up with lead—especially that short guy named “Oddjob.” How We Like To Play: There are a few modes we prefer, although we love ’em all. Try playing two-on-two teams with the Golden Gun. That’s about as intense as it gets. One shot, and you’re dead. And it feels oh-so-good to get those one-shot kills. It’s also amusing to see every- one running around the level like mad trying to find Golden Guns so that they have a fighting chance. If you’re wondering about which weapons to use, keep in mind that Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers are nice, but using Power Weapons and Automatics is more entertaining because it lends itself to long gun battles.

Most Embarrassing Way To Die: If you’re killed by the weak little Klobb gun (named after Nintendo Guru Ken Lobb) in multiplayer competition, that’s reason to be ashamed. And whoever kills someone with a Klobb should probably get two points instead of one.

1. Saturn Bomberman

The Game:

One of the grandfathers of multiplayer gaming, the latest in the series adds subtle improvements to a proven game.

Why You Shouldn’t Play It Alone: Bomberman has never been known as a one-player game (although the N64 version tries its darndest to be one). If you bought Bomberman for solo action, you bought it for the wrong reason.

How We Like To Play: Naturally, getting as many players as possi- ble into a game is a good idea. There’s plenty of room in the Hi-res Mode on the Saturn to allow 10 players to play at once. Unfortunately, the 10-player level is a very plain one (nothing but bricks), and we play on the more interesting, smaller levels. The soccer level is one of our favorites—how can you beat fire coming out of soccer goal nets? That’s something special, indeed.

Dumbest Way To Lose Momentum:

Sega held a Bomberman competition a few months ago in the EGM offices. The partici- pants in the finals match were Kraig and Shawn. Kraig was up 2-1 in a best of five. Game Three started, and oddly enough, one of the Bombermen died immediately. Apparently Kraig wasn’t paying attention

and didn’t notice that his starting spot on the map changed, and it resulted in bombing himself out of game four in less than five seconds. Shawn took advantage of this embarrassing mistake and won game five

to become the office’s new Bomberman champion. Let that be a lesson to all you Bomberman players out there. Learn from Kraig’s mistake—pay attention to your starting position.

SEGA SATURN:

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For the third month in a row, we've reached our all-time high for reviews. (The big 33!) Here's how it's done: Each reviewer gives a game an overall score, which is

displayed behind the review and based on how the game compares to other titles for the same system. In addition, the reviewers rate each game's graphics, sound, ingenuity and replay value. The averages of these scores are listed at the bottom.

Shawn Smith Current Favorites Quake

Shawn finds it hard to believe that February is already One here. Last thing he remembers is Christmas-lots of gifts Sonic R to wrap and a bit too much eggnog at one of his Christmas (СИЕ parties. Since he's a little confused, Shawn figures that it'd Е be best to just snuggle up by a toasty fireplace, grab а Favorite Genres: controller and play some games. Sounds nice. Action/Adventure

Editors’ Choice

Gold Awards go to games whose average score equals 9.0 or higher.

Games that average at least an 8.0 receive Silver Awards.

Current Favorites X-Men Vs. SF (Japanese) Last Bronx

Sonic R

Burgertime

Favorite Genres: Strategy/Puzzle

Shoe missed a day of deadline so he could fly out to New York to make his TV debut. MTV invited him to appear on MTV Live, to speak as an expert on the video game indus- try. We were pretty flattered since we were the only mag- azine asked to go. Imagine our surprise when Shoe showed up on TV for an entire minute. Well Shoe, 14 more to go...

Rating Scale

10-Perfection

An absolutely flawless experi- ence. It doesn't get any better

9-Virtually Flawless

Drop what you're doing and buy this nearly perfect game

8-Semradical

Delivers everything you'd want in a game, despite minor flaws

7-Worthy A solid title that you won't regret buying

6-Good, Not Great

Sure, it has its problems, but it's still fun to play

5-Average Not great, not crap. A ho-hum title that isn't for everybody

4-Rent First

We have problems here. Definitely try before you buy

3-Time Waster

Playing it for more than 10 minutes gives you a migraine

2-Don't Even Rent

The only point in playing this garbage is to make fun of it

1-Flush It

Run for your life if you see it, or use it as a coaster

Crispin Boyer

Chicagoland's arctic weather had Cris-who grew up in Florida-looking for gaming-related ways to keep warm. He tried heating his seat with the Naki laser sight, but the beam wasn't powerful enough. Then he wrapped himself in overheating PlayStations, but all those skipping games drove him crazy. In the end, he just put his pants back on.

Current Favorites Colony Wars

Armored Core

NBA Live 98

Madden NFL 98 (Retired)

Feeling good after taking home the trophy for the

hang up the uniform and retire victorious from this

Current Favorites Alundra

Legend of Zelda 64 Monster Rancher

Quake

Favorite Genres: RPGs/Action

Kraig Kujawa

office's Madden NFL 98 tournament by defeating former Team EGM comrade Dean Hager, Kraig is now ready to

Favorite Genres:

year's game. He'll probably move on to basketball, or

Sports/Strategy whatever new sports tournament we happen to cook up.

John Ricciardi Current Favorites X-Men Vs. SF (Japanese) Legend of Zelda 64 Yoshi's Story

Alundra

Favorite Genres: RPGs/Adventure

John's about to head back to his hometown (New York) for a nice two-week break. After all the mania that was Space World "97, and the subsequent bashing he received in Х- Men vs. SF when he returned (although NOT by Shoe, mind you), he figured it was time for a break. So what's he gonna do on his big vacation? Play more games, of course!

Guest

Reviewer Joe Fielder VGS Features Ed.

Kelly Rickards

Now that EGM's Jamaican editor has gotten Quake || out of his system, he's once again content with console games. Yoshi's Story has struck his fancy lately, and the general consensus is that the cute dino should keep him happy until Zelda 64 and Metal Gear Solid arrive. When asked if the wait is worth it, all he could say was, “Yeah mon.”

Current Favorites Legend of Zelda 64

SF Collection

X-Men Vs. SF (Japanese) Yoshi's Story

Favorite Genres: Racing/Fighting

icago, but ZD moved him to San co last year to act as features editor to

spot.com). His gaming interests y hasn't any U.S. company f Theft Auto and Gamera he asks) and collecting old console systems (a the ones that were shown in our recent iece b im). He comes out to the to discuss the site, and is s. Current Favorites Legend of Zelda 64 Tekken 3 SF Collection Tomb Raider 2

Favorite Genres: Fighting/RPGs

Sushi's got the love bug, and we're all wondering who the mystery girl is. At least, it seems that way. All we know is that he's floating around the office with a glossy look in his eyes while humming a particularly sappy tune. That ear-to-ear grin can only mean: a) Sushi's been struck by Cupid's arrow, or b) he's gotten an inside look at Zelda 64...

Current Favorites GoldenEye 007

Armored Core

Critical Depth

Frogger

Favorite Genre: Shooting

Publisher Midway | Developer: Midway

| have mixed feelings about Bomberman 64. | Chameleon Twist is one of those games that Following in the footsteps of its PlayStation like it, but | think | do for the wrong reasons. I shows off how creative this new generation of twin, MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero is probably mean, the One-player Mode is better than the . programmers can fare but also how limiting the last attempt of this type of genre mixing Multiplayer Modes! This can’t be right...can Ї? 4 their techniques are. What we have here is an for a while. Don’t look for MK Mythologies: It’s a weird situation. As a regular old one- || utterly useless story line combined with an у Raiden anytime soon. While | somewhat player game, it’s a lot of fun with plenty to intriguing weapon: your tongue. Go figure. The enjoyed the PlayStation version, | detested the offer. The graphics are simple, but still pretty various uses for your secret weapon are not N64 mockery. The cool cut scenes are com- nice (especially those reflections on water), only bizarre but limited at the same time. | pletely missing, replaced by static screens and the music is great. One of the main things 4 You'll quickly find yourself more than a little that look like Super NES rejects. | can't imag- about the game that really rubs me the wrong bored, if your skill level is akin to beating ine how this game got approved by Nintendo way is the awkward camera positioning. Sure, Super Mario World. Obviously, Chameleon for publishing. It has nothing that made the the camera is fully adjustable, but even with Twist is aimed at beginners, and with that in PlayStation version work for me. The sound that, certain tight areas make it impossible to mind, І can see the appeal of the overly cute and music aren't nearly as crisp and moving get a really good angle on what you're doing— graphics and sickeningly sweet background on the N64. Overall, this translation feels like or more important, who's about to hit you or if tunes. Now if only they could fix the terrible a rush-job. This is truly a shame too, since oth- you're about to fall to your death. Since the camera angles, we'd have a real contender for erwise, it is a veritable carbon copy of last game is one of action and exploration, | think a top spot in Top 10. Plus, it could have used month's reviewed title. The scene transitions it's important to have a nice view of where more power-ups to add variety to the game. seem slightly cleaner, thanks to no load time, you're exploring. OK, now on to what B-man is Basically, you won't see much different in the but that isn't enough to save MK Myth from a known for— namely, multiplayer fun. As a game beyond the techniques you have from fatality of the most gruesome kind. The quest Bomberm n game (that is, as a multiplayer the start. The e is no way to improve your | remains true to the Mortal Kombat world, with Man 64 isn’t ай | :

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Let те get this straight — Midway decided to Enemy Zero is one of those games that (gener- Last Bronx is perhaps my favorite of the Sega release War Gods, but PASS on this? Hello? ally speaking) doesn't do well. Games like И three-button fighters. It’s the type of fighting Robotron 64 is one of the most addictive Myst, Mansion of Hidden Souls and D may M game a patient gamer (who's willing to learn games to come along in quite some time. After ^ have a cult following, but they certainly don't Й all the intricacies and nuances of the deep being canned by Midway, Crave picked up the B make it into the mainstream console market. || fighting engine) will truly appreciate, and the game and here it is, back from the dead. Was | Luckily, it has been awhile since a game like Eo || type а casual gamer would probably be bored this a wise move? You bet it was. Robotron | has been out, and besides that, the game is with fairly quickly. Each character has dozens 645 action-packed gameplay will strongly incredible. With that said, | hope the game of unique moves, combos and juggles—plenty appeal to fans of twitch shooters and old- does well. The intro sequence—and really all more than any 2-D sprite-based fighting game. school style arcade games (especially those the video in the game—is spectacular. It cre- It also has more personality than the average who liked Smash TV), and the variety of con- ates a great, cinematic mood. The story line fighter. The character backgrounds and game trol setups (particularly the ability to use two and how it unfolds is much like an actual intro and outro fit well together, giving the N64 controllers at once) is a welcome addition movie. Sure, the whole "trapped in a ship with game a decent story line. But it's the (mostly) to the game. The graphics are nothing to write an alien" plot has been overdone, but it's still blunt weapons that set this game apart from home about, but they're hardly what I'd call cool. One thing about the big-screen feel is the rest. Sure you can get swords and sabres bad. The music, on the other hand, is really that everything is really dramatic— sometimes in other fighters, but it's very satisfying to good— it's almost all fast-paced techno and it too dramatic. For example, at one point Laura bash your opponents in with tonfas and mal- really gets your adrenaline pumping for the (the main character) opens her locker to find || lets. What | don't like is the amount of damage frenzied gameplay. Still, what's the best part an item she needs. The whole time this overly | simple combos can до. | play Yusaku, and a about Robotron 64? The amount of pure game suspenseful music is playing. | mean, come simple two-hit juggle can do almost 50 peron There are 200 stages tota! on—she’s opening her locker for cryin ifit properly connects. Add i 100, | was sure d i r, but sure

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| Developer: Radical

Publisher: Sega

Featured In: EGM #101

Last year, Virgin’s NHL Powerplay ’96 was widely considered to be the best all-around Saturn hockey game. Sega’s NHL All-Star Hockey ’98 is the unofficial sequel to Powerplay '96, with the same developer (Radical), the same basic game engine and the same slick interface. Compared to the last All- Star Hockey, this game is light-years above

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Publisher: Sega

Developer: Lobotomy

Featured In: EGM #99

Quake for the Saturn is a remarkable re-cre- ation of the computer game, even in spite of its flaws. The game moves at a reasonable frame rate and Quake’s 3-D graphics and gloomy mood are intact—for the most part. The enemies’ animation is occasionally chop- py, and sometimes they blend in too well with the backgrounds when they are far away.

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Developer: Sega

BOS TO ADULTS

Publisher: Sega

Featured In: EGM #100

In the arcade, Sega Touring Car has a reputa- tion as one of toughest racing games ever. Now although it's much easier to shave those precious milliseconds off your time when you don't have to pay a buck per play, the Saturn version is still one of the more challenging rac- ing games in recent memory. If ever there was a driving game of millimeters, STC is it. Unless

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and beyond it in just about every category. But | Some improvements help make up for its defi- compared to last year’s Powerplay, ASH ’98 ciencies, such as new light sourcing on firing falls short in several areas where it should’ve weapons and explosions not in the original. improved. First of all, more important than any There are two major problems with this game other problem, the game plays WAY too slowly. that severely mar the excellent game engine. Everything moves along so sluggishly it almost The first is the lack of multiplayer support. seems like the game is running in some sort of Quake is not a great one-player game—it slow motion. The animation of the players is gained its notoriety on the Net as a multiplay- nice, and the overall graphics aren’t bad at er. The Saturn version of Quake doesn’t even all—but when they’re moving like they’re in have NetLink support, which is criminal, given quicksand, it really takes a lot of fun out ofthe Quake’s Internet roots. Also, the control is dif- game. Another problem (which isn’t quite as ficult to manage, even when using the analog bad, but still noticeable, especially to veteran controller. Without being able to look around

you hit every turn just right and accelerate just so, moving on to the next track is just a pipe dream. Because the margin of error is so small on each track and the demands are so great, only the utmost intensity and concentration will cut the mustard. | feel as though | need a pep talk and some cheerleaders whenever | play this game. As a two-player game, my spir- its lifted as | discovered that | didn’t suck at games; everybody struggles with this one at first. Part of the problem is that STC plays much better with the analog controller than the standard six-button pad. The other prob-

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UNIVERSAL INTERACTIVE STUDIOS

PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back & ©1997 Universal Interactive Studios, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed by Naughty Dog, Inc. All rights reserved. www.playstation.com

This time, Crash will have to work his way through huge, all new 3-D environments. He'll fly with a jetpack, surf on a jetboard and saddle up a polar bear cub. He's got new moves, he'll meet new characters and he'll face plenty of dangerous new

obstacles. It won't take long to realize: Only the strong survive.

PlayStation

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SONIC R

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Travelers Tales

Featured In: EGM #101

If you’re a Saturn owner and you fancy a fun, addicting racing game with furry characters, Sonic R is your game. If you just want to race through the game (so to speak), you can beat it fairly quickly but you won’t see all there is to see. Although there are only four main courses (and a couple of additional hidden ones), this game is a blast to play. There are tons of secret paths and items in the game (some of which open up additional characters and courses), so it’ll take a while for players to see everything. Each character has his/her own strengths and special abilities too, which offer incentive to try different tracks with different racers. Graphically, this is one of the best-look ing Saturn games l've seen in a while. The 3-D texture-mapped graphics are absolutely lush in their detail, and the frame rate always seems to hover around 30 frames per second. In addition, | really think the track designs are excellent. Not only is there a lack of the

. The music i tastes, and

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SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

6 7 7

EEP SLOPE SLIDERS

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Cave

Featured In: N/A

Steep Slope Sliders may be a stupid name, but the game itself is the best snowboarding sim on the consoles. Simply put, it’s a lot of fun. The four main courses are well-designed and full of rocks, bumps, ramps and other obstacles that launch you skyward for flips, spins, board grabs and dozens of other cool tricks. You also get a half-pipe course, a more conventional Alpine track with slalom gates and a ramp- and rail-filled snowboarding park where you can really cut loose with the tricks (yes, the game’s setup is very similar to Sony’s Cool Boarders 2, complete with hidden alien character). Better still, once you open the four secret boarders—including a punk kid and a speedy racer who can’t perform any tricks— you can earn access to four secret tracks. And then you can open even more characters! It all makes for high replay value. The game con- trols fine, even though it doesn’t support ana- log. You need to use the A, B and C buttons der buttons to р

18

5. Still, there а еѕоте соцгѕеѕ toc com

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY

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WORLDWIDE SOCCER 98

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Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega

Featured In: EGM #101

Cobi Jones said, “This is the best soccer game on the planet." Cobi Jones’ licensing bonus check must've made him blind. Worldwide '98 is one of the biggest disappointments of the year for me. | was a huge fan of last year's ver- sion. The problem is, soccer games in general have improved, and Worldwide didn't. First off, the multiplayer aspect is seriously lacking (for example, only certain modes can be played with friends). When you start the match, you're treated to an impressive view of the stadium and a loud crowd waving their home countries' flags in support of their respective teams. But once the game begins, the disappointment kicks in. Human-controlled players are identi- fied by little, hard-to-see numbers, not by large, colorful circles. The real trouble, howev- er, starts when play stops. With every corner kick, free kick, goal kick and throw-in, every- thing stops. You cannot move around the play- ers on the field to set anything up. You simply

he setup the

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VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

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lve been anxiously awaiting this one for a long time, and now that I’ve finally got my hands on it, | can confirm what | believed would be the case for quite a while. Simply put, Alundra rules. Action/RPG is a genre that, for some reason, has dropped off the face of the planet (sorry, Legacy of Kain isn’t my defin- ition of an RPG in any sense of the word unless you mean Really Poor Game), and WD’s bring- ing it back with Alundra just makes my day. Alundra is like a mix of Zelda and LandStalker (that’s practically holy), but with enough origi- nal elements and atmosphere to completely stand on its own. The story is involving, though not incredibly deep (although it does pick up later in the quest), and the characters develop nicely throughout. The translation is WD’s best yet, and hopefully all of their future titles will follow Alundra’s lead (read: subtle amounts of humor, but not so much that it ruins the mood of the game). Anyway—the

| :5лаћеђа JO зедшпм

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AGH: MIDWAY

iue MI МЕ 450 280 oo

Deve oper: Digi | Eclipse

I'm all for compilation discs that feature classic arcade games (even classic home games), but whether or not this one is worth owning is entirely up to the tastes of each individual player. The seven games on AGH: The Midway Collection 2 are certainly classics by nature, but I found that after playing most of them again, some don't live up to the fond memories that | have, while others are turning ut to be even more enjoyable than | remem- ered them to be. For example, | loved Spy unter on the NES and in the arcade, but for whatever reason, | just can't stay interested in it now, even in all its *arcade perfect" glory. On the other hand, | was never a big fan of Root Beer Tapper (maybe because the original Tapper was mostly located in bars, and being 8 years old at the time, | had more pressing things to worry about than getting into bars— like trying to convince my parents to buy me Voltron), but after playing it now, I’ve come to thé game. Overall; B

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Ever since | was a kid, | loved those television shows, such as Transformers, Voltron and Robotech, that were chock-full of fightin’ robots. Armored Core is a game that puts you behind the wheel of those monstrosities in what amounts to a very deep and well- designed game. Like many other mech games, you play the role of a mercenary-for-hire whose only allegiance is to himself—and money. Credits are earned by completing con- tracts whose objectives include destroying other robots, killing monster ants and protect- ing bases. Adding complexity to the game is that you must pay for the ammunition spent and damage incurred during battle. This makes you carefully conserve your firepower, and try to avoid being hit, even if you’ve got an overpowering mech. Once you save enough money from missions, you can upgrade just about anything on your mech, enabling you to kill faster (to earn more money, to kill even faster, ic.)}The best thing about Armored incredible amount of customiza-' to your mech by buying parts arms, legs, heads; in addition rtment of weapons can be bought to failor your mech. As the missions get harder, you may find yourself having to.adapt the way you ріау іп addition:to'refitting your mech. Top to bottom, this is а great game. | Krai |

Armored. Core may be the best mech game to

step further by giving you mis: ility to buy parts for, and i t comb

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PlayStation

Officially licensed by PlayStation! Complete steering wheel, accelerator, brake and Stick shift system! 4-way D-pad plus 8 programmable digital action buttons. Incredible 270° wheel rotation.

PlayStation" and the PlayStation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America. Nintendo 64

Sometimes, to achieve perfect control, you've got to get a little out of control.

We at Team Mad Catz take pride in going the distance for you and your game. You want perfect replication of the high-speed driving experience. We got it.

The real wheel — for PlayStation, Saturn and Nintendo 64.

www.madcatz.com

AUTO DESTRUCT | FIFA: RTWC 98

WOS TO ADULIS |

IDUS

| Developer: EA-U.K. Developer: Revolution Software

Developer: EA Canada

1 s4ahe}q JO задшпм | :saae}q JO 4equinN

At first, | didn’t know what to expect from Auto Prior to playing Broken Sword | never even The FIFA series of games on the PlayStation Destruct. On the surface, the game seems heard of the Knights of Templar. Now that I’ve has been disastrous, but this FIFA looks like it more like a rip-off of Twisted Metal than any- played the game, | want to know more! And may signify a turnaround (albeit a slow one) thing else, but after spending more time with that’s what’s cool about the game. You can’t or the series. That is not to say that this is a Auto Destruct, | found this game has more help but get drawn into the complex and great вате — it's not. It is, however, a substan- substance than TW in certain ways (keep in twisting plot, the characters you meet up with ial improvement over last year's horrible FIFA mind that I’m not a big fan of the Twisted and the bad guys you're after. Needless to say, 97. FIFA 98's 3-D graphics are the most

Metal series). For one, the learning curve and the story line is excellent, but that's not the detailed of any 32-Bit soccer game, but the pacing of the missions seems very well tuned only thing that's cool about Broken Sword. The problem is that the game's erratic frame rate to my tastes. Although action is the rule of graphics are really nice—they totally look like and player animations leave much to be

the day, there are some aspects of resource something from a Don Bluth cartoon and are desired. Because of these problems, the con- management in AD, and whatever you need animated just as well, too. The backgrounds ofthe game isn't as smooth as it should always seems to be close at hand. This “just- are also nicely drawn. One thing about the . Often, you are forced to take a few extra in-time" resource availability works well in the graphics that | notice is that at times some of ps in the wrong direction because of chop- game. For example, | always had myself to he detail is lost, especially in the item bar and polygonal animations. Such a thing is blame for a failed mission instead of the certain objects that you must interact with. On annoying when those extra steps force you to game...a good sign. All the action takes place he flip side, the item bar itself and all of the kick the ball out of bounds or overrun a pass. in San Francisco, and even though the game Menu Screens in the game are really easy to Overall, the gameplay is pretty realistic, and environment is absolutely huge (several use. Of course, what makes it user-friendly is includes all of the moves you expect to see in square miles), the radar is useful enough for he mouse. If you're into games like this, buy a soccer game. The passing has some prob- you to find what you're looking for. If anything, he PS mouse (especially for Broken Sword). ems, mostly due to passes not being led in the city is a bit too big as it Такев whatseems һе of thi д f front oftheir intended receivers;'Also; the =

like forever to traverse it. Graphically, Auto | i voices. goalié intelligence is competent, but prone to Destruct is only about average. The texture ont expect all i cting 2 some really dumb mistakes. FIFA easily has quality is OK and the explosions are decent, 0 j hts to be ac the most.features and licenses of any soccer but overall, the graphics are nothing to write it | ian?). Whatever и game. Player creation, hundreds of real tear home about. The music also gets on your Ct here’ ) | and several modes of play are available, but nerves after a while as the tunes are repeti- c bi i id Not does it matter if the gameplay, isnt refined EA tive. If you're into«mission-based racers, Auto they? LOT . | Destruct is a decent choice. Kell

8-1 :s1aÁe]d JO Jaquunn

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Тһе two games may share the same name but the PlayStation version of Road To World.Cup 98 doesn’ t quite have the magic that the N64 version provides. That said, RTWE 98

best soccer game I’ve played on the PS

The graphics have a clean look and the anima- tion is very smooth. Although the Single- "p layer Mode is fun to play, the multiplayer game i blast and a half (аз i is töbe expecte

soccer game). Not bad by any mean

Imagine. AD as a Twisted Metal/Felony.11-79 mix with тис, more depth апага much larger playing area. Although the missions are f тену much the same, they are all delivered with enough Window dressings to keep things inter- esting and fresh. If you’re a fan of offensive | driving, and felt something was always miss- ing from the other games of the genre ü | two aforementioned titles), give AD a | might just have what you're looking for. Dan

to hear what they'd say.) Its i also pretty good, though t

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Auto Destruct doesn't do a whole lot for me. The gräphies,are пісе and the missions do. thejob, but | can’t get into the game. AD 1 | makes it fun to drive around and hit things, | th. ast (f ttable) FIFA, and as usual with find things or, protect things, but sooner or » dt i i he line orts games, it’s loaded with options and h later you get bored — you'll want more. The | |

missions allow you to do different things,

with a whole array of weaponry;but all it

boils down to 15 just driving around. Overall, it’s made well but doesn’t last long, Shawn

This is a very ambitious game that re-creates large cities for you to cruise in your supercar. For the most part, the cities are well-construct- Ri ed, although there is some visible 3-D. pop-up. The gameplay is good, but som

missions will try your patience. е

сайу ше | you’ve almost comple ea

шоз'ра MMM wo» Бууммм

Developer: Presage Soft

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Рме never watched the Japanese anime of You don’t need to be a fan of the original If you’re a fan of the 16-Bit versions of Micro Ghost in the Shell before but if it’s as cool as Apple or Commodore 64 Lode Runner to get a Machines, then | have good news—the classic this game, | gotta watch it. | knew going in that ick out of this update. You only need to be a gameplay is nearly intact in this spectacular Ghost in the Shell uses the Jumping Flash! | an of tough puzzles. lm talkin’ really tough 32-Bit update. For the uninitiated, the game engine but to my surprise this game is much puzzles. Some of the later levels in this more has you racing Micro Machines (yes, those more interesting and fun than JF 1 and 2 (and | than 50-stage game had me so stumped, I tiny toys) through oversized environments, really like both of those games). | really enjoy _ || tossed my controller aside in frustration. Still, such as the tops of dining-room tables, across mission-based action games so this game is | he thought of getting to that next puzzle did school desks, etc. Depending on the play right up my alley. All of the missions are fairly eep me coming back for another crack. You mode, you'll win by either beating opposing diverse and challenging, but the Bosses are can save at any time, so you’re not forced to racers to the finish line, completing a track way too easy. It took me a while to get used to backtrack through a lot of old stages if you under a certain time limit or staying on a having the ability to stick to any surface like a screw up. While Lode Runner’s two different course longer than anyone else (trust me: It's spider but once | did, it became second nature, collections of single-player levels kept me too easy to get lost in some tracks, or fall off The really cool thing about that feature is that busy, | actually had the most fun with the the tabletops to smash on the linoleum floor you can sort of adjust the difficulty of the Two-player Mode. It forces both players to below). All of the coolest Micro Machines are game on the fly. When you take the high road invent strategies, such as having one person represented, including monster trucks, tanks, and stick to the ceilings or walls the game is run interference to distract the pursuing power boats—more than 30 bug-size vehicles much easier, as you can just stay out of the monks, while the other collects all the gold. in all. Plus, you earn secret cars that are saved range of fire and launch your (unlimited ) mis- Just as in past Lode Runner games, this one to your memory card and wagered in multi- siles and pick off the enemy at will. On the lets you make your own levels, which can be player races. Yet it’s the tracks that are the other hand, if you те feeling frisky you could saved to а memory card. It's a cool 0 tion but | real draw na, You'll see nearly 50 courses

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Still, as fun as single-pl ayerr rac- ayer stinks. Sure, it supports up

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шо Ъцуммм шоэХемршммя

© 1997 YANOMAN GAMES © 1997 CLIMAX. All rights reserved. ASCII Entertainment, Felony 11-79, and the Felony 11-79 logo are trademarks of ASCII Entertainment Software, Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other ENTERTAINMENT brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

MONOPOLY

Developer: Gremlin -

17

Is Monopoly really that much fun anymore? Maybe, but I’m not convinced | need a multi- media, FMV-enhanced version, when | already own the more sociable, party-ready board game edition. That’s not to say the video game is bad. In fact, any Monopoly aficionado will appreciate how comprehensive Gremlin made this game. It has just about every rule varia- tion you’ve ever encountered growing up with the game, official and otherwise. Anyone can customize this game to their own preferences (hey, we all want to collect money on Free Parking, don’t we?). A few little details could’ve made Monopoly better though. For example, | wish the CPU would tell you that you’ve landed on property that you already own. | also wish the Player Status Icons were bigger and easier to read. This useful tool lets you see at a glance what assets you own, but it could’ve been designed better (even the Railroads are not in their proper locations, between the correct colors). Overall, this is a fine video game version of an already fine product, But it's still the same old game Гуе played hundreds of times growing up. Give it a ry if Monopoly is still fresh to you. Even if ou're tired of the game, | would recommend ecking out the neat features and cute FMV. ut in the long rungtthis, may not hold your tention like it once used to. Dan

This port, о the PC hit game lost a few neat eatures'in the translation, but it's still ~ decent game. The cut-scenes are cute, they tiré quickly after the hundredth showing, | also wasit very pleased with the clunky menu system that is obviously meant fora mouse. A word of advice to those of you who want to. remain sane after a long Monepoly:session:: turn оне highly afinoyihg, b back- ground music. SS "Sushi

I’ve always liked Monopoly, even though it seems to take a lifetime to finish. | recommend picking it up, but only if you're going to play the gameiwith friends—it’s not all that fun with the Al players. The graphics are good even though they're sprite-based, and I'm.

glad there's an option to turn the in-game cine-

mas off (they're cool at first but get annoying). It may be a port of the PC version but for a console board game, it's done well. Shawn

If there’s a Бр way to re-create Monopoly on

faithfully ive up to that tradition by providing a list of rules and options that can be turned on and off to customize the game. Even the computer players will try to burn you with bad deals. Not sufprisingly, sometimes I'm dumb enough to take them. i

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Developer: Tecmo

This game was a surprise to me, in that | had quite a bit of fun experimenting with it. | fig- ured it for yet another virtual pet wanna-be, but after creating a few monsters and testing hem out, | had a blast. Not only did every CD | ried produce a unique monster, each one had different strengths and weaknesses, thus a completely different challenge each time. Add o that the ability to breed two monsters into a totally new monster, and you’ve got a recipe or virtual monster-making fun unparalleled anywhere else on the market. The battle sequences are fairly straightforward, where he more skills and training your monster has he easier the fight. Your battle options don’t require much strategy, but you'll definitely have to maintain complete control of your monster because the auto-fight Al stinks. The options for training are excellent, with many stats to raise, and several tasks along the way to ‚keep it interesting. Watch out, however, for

| сег going, and it to advance your first monst

These аге obviously thrown if | ап Т didnt ne d Bein h

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Developer: Visual Concepts

In case you can’t tell from the screen shot, this is the same game as Sega’s NBA Action ’98 (reviewed last issue). The differences between the two games are subtle. The PlayStation version is a little better thanks to its sharper graphics, but otherwise it’s a carbon copy of NBA Action ’98. NBA Fastbreak ’98 is a good and challenging basketball simulation, but it falls flat in a few key areas. The 3-D player graphics are good, and the motion-captured moves (especially runners and post-ups) are some of the best and most flamboyant I’ve seen. Unfortunately, they move a little slowly and with some awkward physics, sometimes making the players appear like they “float” through their moves. This is particularly annoying because basketball is a fast-paced game by nature. The gameplay is good, aside from its occasional slow pace, but too many shots drain, especially from three-point land. Regardless, ‚the atmosphere ofthe ате is the

higher. easy to mk

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big deal. | and ntrols. Seem a little sluggish and. the а й. - My (гаји адот to be

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Developer: Kalisto

Utilizing a third-person engine that rivals Tomb Raider, Nightmare Creatures delivers an awe- some horror story that you participate in.

uch like Clock Tower, you'll soon find yoursel Slowly peeking around every corner looking for he boogieman. The special attacks are sur- prisingly easy to perform, and only the turning speeds get on my nerves. Otherwise, Nightmare Creatures is a well-done title that has lots to offer those who love to explore as well as beat the crud out of undead meanies. Nearly every technique is useful, except the ame jumpkicks. Don't even try them on most enemies, unless you enjoy being swatted from he air like a gnat. Also, this game is easily picked up by beginners as well as experts. You will not need to use the block button while you earn, but experts will quickly take advantage of it to complete their goals perfectly. Even the items are so powerful that it almost seems unfair to use them against the undead. Pistols ШЕН Obit and life capsules'üre eve where, The only thing that keéps the

from ruining your game is that they are Јо | hard 9 use without losing a al

ther playable charai < response and lots of cool |

the gameplay itself }diculously dif

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Developer: Visual Concepts

EGM i

The E? sleeper hit and visually incredible One has finally arrived. So does it live up to its hype? Yes. This is what a 3-D Contra should be. It has huge explosions, lots of lights, a simple but effective story line and loads of action. And this action is apparent from the get-go—a short but impressive intro quickly gives way to an action-packed escape from a giant attack chopper along a narrow, elevated walkway! Yes, it is as cool as it sounds. Т progression of levels is brilliant and remi me of the old days of gaming. For examp you’re fighting a Boss at the top of a tower— BAM, the next level starts on the top of that building. And where are load times? Virtually invisible. My major gripe is control. There were times when І expected to move one way but ended up going another because of a camera change (i.e., pressing left moves me forward— camera rotates—now left is actually down). This i isa a problem inherent in most 3-D ames.

ontains а new you want to ke Technologically, howeve

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Developer: Taito

| was excited when | first saw Ray Tracers. It ooked like an updated version of Taito’s awe- some coin-op Chase HQ. Then I beat the game in about 30 minutes, and I really have no urge to play it again. There’s just not enough о it. Each of the six levels has you barreling down the highway in an indestructible car, plowing through Sunday drivers for bonus points, then ramming a big Boss machine to death at level’s end. Sounds exactly like Chase HQ, right? Trouble is, Ray Tracers doesn’t pack any personality, making for boring gameplay. The courses are dull, the drone cars are no more than random nuisances (which yield bonus points when you hit 'em), and the six Bosses are easy to topple. You simply turbo boost into them until they die. Heck, two of he Bosses—a helicopter and a Harrier fight- er—don't even make any sense. Why don't hey just fly a few feet higher off the road, out of reach of your ramming attacks? On the plus side; Ray Tracers is very fast. Тре осепећу, blazes by. The four selectable cars control |, pretty well, too, although you'll encounter a ew tight turns (the tracks aren’t very challeng- ing). You also»get a Time Attack Mode that lets you race оп four courses against a drone | opponent, but it adds little to the replay value. Weapons, better tracks and tougher Bosses are what this game needs. í

| like the blend of racing and destruction in Ray Tracers, but there are just too many prob-

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Developer: Pack in Video

Fishing games have historically been fairly popular for some unknown reason. | don’t doubt that Reel Fishing will do well, but it won't be by my recommendation. I really couldn't stand to watch someone play this for the first time; my own experience was bad enough. On the easiest level, in the simplest fishing hole, you will find that catching a fish in Reel Fishing isn't anything like real life. You have a 95 percent chance of losing either the fish, the bait, the hook, or (most likely) all three. Sure, you might finally get the hang of it after building your virtual fishing skills for hours, but who wants to lose for that long? For one thing, you are guaranteed to hook a fish. These fish are dumb. Despite your high rate of hooking a fish, you will find that these bad boys can break your toughest line without much problem. This is mainly due to the lack of sensory feedback for the tension on the line. Without that, it's a pure guessing ame. |

| :saakeyg JO Jaquıny

ply daajs 36245 :запуеац 1599

Купоцид snojnoipry :әлпзеәј 1510M

Shipwreckers is a cute and original game whose simple play mechanics make it very appealing. Using an isometric view to navigate the cartoony 3-D terrain, your goal is to pilot a pirate ship through various waterways in the hopes of securing harbors and finding trea- sure. The gameplay is mostly action-oriented, but there are a few basic puzzle elements that involve the opening of doors and the use of transporters. A variety of weapons such as flamethrowers, depth charges, rockets and mines are available in addition to any pirate’s weapon of choice—cannonballs. Although the One-player Mode is fun, the two-player com-

bat is clearly this game’s strength. Here, play-

ers square off in various water arenas with power-ups and ship upgrades available to them during battle. The game feels a lot like a fancy game of Combat, especially when the camera zooms way out when opponents dis- tance themselves. Aesthetically, Shipwreckers

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Developer: Son Interactive Studios

| remember going out to see this game in its very early stages, and getting excited. The idea behind the game was not only to convey what the Spawn world was like, but also to give PlayStation owners a fun gaming experience.

| thought it shouldn't be that hard to make a good Spawn game considering the 16-Bit one that came out really didn't do the job. A lot of time passed and | couldn't help but think of how cool the game was going to be. Well,

it's finally here and I can't say that I’m impressed. |’m a fan of Spawn (well a few of the comics and a lot of the figures anyway), and the game definitely has a certain horrific, gritty feel, but that's as far as it goes. Graphically, Spawn is a step below Tomb Raider. The special lighting effects and animat- ed textures are impressive, but only go so far.

| like the music—it being more for ambiance most of the time, and then rockin’ when a fight sequence takes place. Which i is another point.

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Tennis Arena is a prime example of a solid Wrestling games usually aren't my cup of tea I'll be the first to admit that it seems weird tennis game that took a little too much liberty but the newer games have sparked my interest that Nintendo has their name slapped on with its arcade-ish feel. Now don't get me |J in the sport. WCW Nitro is one of them. I’m not these headphones, but if you think about it, wrong, | do understand the concept and fun of . f one to take pro wrestling any more seriously it makes sense. If you can't afford a big ol' an arcade-style tennis game, but | feel some of | | than a form of organized (and sometimes over- surround sound system and your parents or the stuff in this game is just dumb. For exam- wrought) entertainment and this game is a neighbors complain, these headphones are an ple, just about every tennis game I’ve ever fine (but not outstanding) representative of 1 inexpensive solution. After using them, | never played uses the directional pad to create that СЦ the "sport." The graphics are well-done with want to mess around with wires anymore! It extra little bit of *English" on the ball. With large wrestlers and a detailed wrestling arena is sweet to just sit back wireless, hear the Tennis Arena you can use the D-pad if you but the action seems to be set too far away. | sounds from every game I play and not have want, but the effect is very subtle. The main would've preferred if the viewpoint was up to bother anyone around me (except when I way of swerving the ball in the desired direc- close and personal. | want to see blood flow- would get mad at the game and scream). Plus, tion is to use the L1 and R1 buttons which I feel ing and bodies bouncing but that was nowhere the set has two inputs. So not only did | have is counter-intuitive and complicates things for to be found in WCW Nitro. For a beginner like my systems hooked up to the headphones no reason. To be fair, you do get used to the me, the controls were simple and intuitive but (through a switcherbox), but | also had my control after a while, but if it ain't broke, why there seems to be a slight delay with each portable walkman jacked in. The infrared unit fix it? Problem #2: Each player has their own button press. This doesn't pose as much of a needs to be plugged into a wall outlet, but has “Unique Super Special Shot" where you'll see problem in the One-player Mode because the a pretty good range, and for most practical ludicrous things like balls being hit by players’ computer Al seems to be kinda dumb, but uses, the set should work just fine. The head- bellybuttons and 360 spins. It all seemed a lit- when playing a real person, it can be really phones take a couple of AAA batteries which tle cheesy to me. If you get in a long rally, you frustrating. Speaking of playing a real person, last a good 10-15 hours. I will say that the fire a regular süß : V ilti hemselves are уш acquire this ing it ; ustable, but under your play i ic ( rs a little unt stlers are a verall, WCW stling game. and they worked grea especially ki

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Sony Corporation. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc; Playstation Computer Entertainment America Inc. срв

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Time Crisis ғ

USE PEDAL WITH THE GAME

To do this method, you will have to have the Mad Catz steering wheel peripheral. Make sure your GunCon is

game, you can use the ped- als included with the wheel to activate the “duck” fea- ture. This will give you more of an arcade feel while

Fighting Force

CHEAT MODE

At the Main Menu Screen, press and hold buttons L1, R2, Square, and Left (on the directional pad). Do this until

Options. Now go into the Options Screen and you will see that the first two options will now let you select your

plugged in port 1 and plug playing the game. 5 А mur the Mad Catz wheel in port Wim de Koning Cheat Mode" appears under level and invulnerability! 2. When you begin your Holland

нєл PEIE MOISE REL EET poke р Vero

Press and hold the correct buttons at the Main Menu Screen.

Now go into the Options and you can select two cheats!

Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Kasi MANY CHEATS AND HIDDEN CHARACTERS

The following tricks are to be done during the Character 1 Loading Screen and can be done in the Versus and Practice Modes only. Big Head - Hold the Select button during loading. Super Deformed - Hold the Select, Down and X keys during loading. Tiny Mode - Hold Select, Down, X and R2 buttons during loading. The following characters or arena select features can only be unlocked if “Player Change at Continue” in the Options Menu is set to “No,” which is the default setting. Unlock Darth Vader - Play through Arcade Mode with Luke Skywalker on “Standard” or “Jedi” difficulty. Unlock Stormtrooper - Play through Arcade Mode with Han Solo on “Standard” or “Jedi” difficulty, Unlock Jodo Kast - Play through and: win against Seven or more ш. in “Survival Моде.” Ee I Unlock Slave Leia - Play through Arcade Mode with. Princess Leia on МАНА mor *Jedi" difficulty. Unlock Mara Jade - Hold the L1, L2 and Rm buttons as you enter Team Mode on “Jedi” difficulty. After the computer selects the characters, you will see “Battle for Mara Jade.” Win the battle and she will be released. Unlock the Ability to Select Arenas - (Practice and Arcade only) 7 Play through Arcade Mode with Chewbacca on "Standard? "numer or "Jedi" difficulty. - -

RSS S.

Slave Leia is just one of the hidden characters in the game!

с ut in any

E dudes on nthe Main Menu Seen the results shown. below: _Invincibility - R button, R button, R ио, В В бор R button, R button, R button, Left. — —

- Items On/Off - R button, Right

RightC Right 0

Monsters On/Off- U button, Left-

Тек, Left, Mit nn

= НЕН GANE 2

OPTIONS

CHEATS

Enter the main code and then _

r the main сос n In п Cheats, you can access them! | . ће others on the Main Menu. ___ |

ға INUINCIRILITY OM MONSTER S@QFF : mi (TENS OH =

_ BAIN МЕНЕ

ARE ZONES ерем

Moto Racer ` G-Police MANY CHEATS WEAPONS, AMMO AND SHIELDS |

These codes are to be Pocket Bikes - Press Up, Unlimited Shields - On the Screen (weapon choice), entered on the Title Screen Down, 82, L2, Down, Up, L1, Briefing Screen, hold hold Lı+L2,+Rı+Circle+ (with Start/Options): X at the Title Screen. Lı+R2+Square. While hold- Triangle+Square. While

` ing these, press Leit. holding these, press Left. View Credits - Press 0,1,0, CPU Bikes Only Go 50 km/h Al vegan and отне 222 Kevin wählte O, T, O, Up, Right, Left, X. - Press Down, Down, Down, Ammo - At the Loadout Belvidere, IL .

O, L1, O, L2, Down, Down, X.

View Victory FMV Sequence : || - Press О, T, O, T, O, T, L1, Turbo Boost - Press Up, Up, d 4 Up, R2, X. Up, T, R3, T, R2, Up, Up, X at

the Title Screen.

Enable All Tracks - Press Up, Up, Left, Right, Down, Down,

O, R2, T, X. ES b

Enable All Reversed Tracks - 5 At the Briefing Screen, hold the Do the code at the Loadout Press Down, Down, Right, buttons to get unlimited shields. Screen for all weapons! Left, Up, Up, 0,12, T1,Xat _ |

the Title Screen.

Night Mode - Press Up, О, Li, Down, T, L2, O, Left, Ra, X.

Reverse Mode - Press Left, Right, Left, Right, O, O, R1, OIX

You can combine the different modes to have a wacky race!

Test Drive 4 NEW CARS AND BACKWARD TRACKS Monster Rancher

Choose a One-Player Race from the Main Menu and choose a

Drag Race from the Race Menu. Now choose a car and win the race. You will set a new record for the race. When the “Race Again” SECRET MONSTER Menu appears, choose “Quit.” Now put in your name as KNACKED IM ; ; for backward tracks, or SAUSAGE to get four new cars (GTSR, TVR eae ee ie en ши суз 12/7, Pitbull Special and а "69 Dodge Daytona)! The new cars and Deception” to do this trick. When you are about to breed a tracks will appear in the Single Race Mode only. monster, put in the Tecmo’s Deception game CD and you will David Howsley get a secret character from that game called Ardebaren when Purcell, OK you generate a monster in the shrine! Also, PlayStation and computer data CDs that have one track on them will produce INT purebred monsters.

SURE

ABEBEFEHKERNGPARST НОВО

Enter your name as Sausage for In Single Race Mode, you can new cars and Knacked for tracks. race any of the new vehicles!

Insert the Тесто5 Deception A character from that game CD in and generate a monster. will be the secret monster!

7 _

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lable at the follow

THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO

IS aval

K mart, Wal-Mart, Electronics Bout

Waldenbooks, Target, Borders Crown Books, Barnes & Noble Licensed by Eidos Interactive PLC

Thi

Toys

Electronics

Cool Places New Media

Cool stuff you could probably live without, but shouldn’t

9 V is for Victory

Street Fighter maniacs can now kick back and watch the early adventures of Ken and ^ A Ryu as they strive to become the best r fighters in the world. Top-notch animation | РаКаррег5 ср and a wonderfully developed story line ү уоп got ШЕ urge to bust-a-move highlight this 10-volume set. No, Sheng ue playing ШЕ КЕШЕР Long doesn’t make an appearance, but MUT not alone. Why, if it weren't look for the hidden Akumas in nearly all 29 for the ша of the game

(it requires all your concentra-

ion-pack i : action неке сое: tion), we’d all be layin’ out

the cardboard for some old- school breakin’. Get the soundtrack through this small but friendly importer.

Price $19.95 (dubbed) each $24.95 (subtitled) each For more information www.manga.com

phone (212) 780-4058

Price $21

For more information WWW. DOO .edu/anim phone (714) 824-2752

4 E е

D No Skip to My Lou After you get your PaRappa CD, check out the SL-S651C Personal CD Player from Panasonic. It features a 10- second anti-shock memory, so you can skip around like an idiot and not miss a beat! A remote control and illuminated control buttons make this pup a gem of a car CD player.

: * Corrections from last issue: The ABC Price $200 4 Monday Night Football game shown For more information actually costs $149. Miggle Toys does www.panasonic.com offer more modest models for $69

and $49. Also, the Duke action figure phone (201) 348-9090 Web site is www.resaurus.com.

(5) То Boldly Sit Down...

Why is it that with a cool license like Star Trek the only good games are the multimedia offerings from Simon & Schuster? Star Trek Captain’s Chair lets you explore every nook and cranny on the bridge of the Classic Enterprise, Voyager, Defiant—as well as the Next Generation’s Enterprise D and E. QuickTime VR technolo- gy lets you “walk” wherever you want to go, so you can check out all the cool bridge displays, many of which actually work when activated. Heck, touch the wrong button and you can even auto-destruct the USS Voyager!

Price $39 For more information www.simonsays.com

Hey Gamers!

This time of year there are so many cool games coming our way it's hard to find enough space to tell you about ет all. That's why we have EGM and EGM? special issues like the 1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide, Guide to Sports Video Games and Video Games for the Nintendo 64. Although these mags are created by your favorite FGM and EGM? editors, they contain lots of information not found in the pages of EGM and EGM?. Let me tell you a little about each...

1998 Video Game Buyer’s Guide

Put together by Dan Hsu and the rest of the Review Crew, this mag tells you our pick for this year’s best system and which games you should buy! We also have our Good, Bad and Silly look back on the gaming industry, along with a massive trick index and game review chart with over 1,300 games listed and rated! Plus, go behind the scenes with Shigeru Miyamoto оп

the future of Nintendo, and take a top-secret look at the world of video game-controller design.

Video Games for Nintendo 64

Written by brand-spankin’ new Review Crew guy (and Nintendo-book veteran) John Ricciardi, this mag has everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the N64. It’s packed with reviews of all the new N64 games, previews of more than 20 hot new titles, a huge tips-and-tricks section and—best of all—strategy guides for all of your favorite games. John just got back from Japan with the latest Nintendo news, and he’s itchin’ to unload it all in this special issue.

Sports Video Games

Tired of watching the other team make all the big plays? Want to know which sports games you should even bother playing? EGM's guide will satisfy all of your sports-gaming needs with comprehensive strategies, interviews, in-depth previews and a hard-hitting review lineup of the ultimate sports titles. Watch for the huge Madden 64 behind-the-scenes blowout and an interview with legendary Q-back Brett Favre. EGM’s armchair jock Kraig Kujawa is writing

this sucker, which focuses mainly on football, basketball and hockey titles. Watch for it! :

Crispin Boyer

EGM Review Crew Features Editor

BUYERS GUIDE

On Sale Nov. 11, 1997

FOR THE NINTENDO 64

On Sale Nov. 25, 1997

On Sale Dec. 2, 1997

Don’t forget to look for our newest title... Official U.S.

PlayStation

Magazine

Available Today!

Looking down the barrel of a machine gun is a memory a person doesn't quickly forget.

emember the live CNN coverage of the Gulf War from inside Iraq? Journalists sometimes have to go to dangerous areas to cover a Story. Fortunately, video games are a rather “safe” industry to cover.

Until now.

For the past couple of months | have been traveling around the world gathering information for a story | am working on. | was able to go to a couple dozen countries including Russia and China, and to get the details, | had to go beyond the nor- mal tourist sites. That’s where things really got interesting.

First, there was Russia. | always have had uncanny luck of being in the right spot at the right time. | got there just when they were celebrating the 85th anniversary of the Russian revo- lution. | was among the crowds in Red Square taking pictures when a soldier came and stood next to me. | left a few minutes later. So did he. Where | went, he went and that continued all day. I'd go in a store, so would he. It wasn't until that evening when he finally left me alone.

But that was nothing compared to my China experience. Again, as luck would have it, there was quite an event going on in Tiananmen Square, and | joined the crowd to watch. Apparently the prime minister of Russia was getting a tour of the city with the prime minister of China and security was tight. Well, there | was, standing a foot taller than the crowd, taking pictures. Up come three Chinese soldiers, who proceed to grab me and pull me off to their car. All the time they were yelling some- thing in Chinese and one soldier had a machine gun aimed at me. Needless to say, | just froze. Minutes (which seemed like hours) went by and noth- ing got resolved. They knew as much English as | knew Chinese. Finally | gave them my passport and business card and then showed them a copy of the magazine. | could see that they didn’t understand anything, but they must have realized that | was

by Ed Semrad

ed_semrad@zd.com

EGM's own gaming guru shoots from the hip

harmless, and after a few more minutes, they let me go. Still, the memory of looking down the barrel of a machine gun is one | won’t soon forget.

Sweden, Germany, France and Spain went as they should—uneventful. Then there was Italy. Rome is a city where a person should never attempt to drive. The cabs and motorscooters are everywhere, and people drive like there is no tomorrow. It should be no surprise that my cab driver got into

an accident. Nothing major, but | still get headaches from when my head hit the window.

Finally there was Brazil. The prob- lems started-when the customs agent asked where my entry visa was (my travel agent didn’t get me one). He took me to a small holding cell which had a chair, a table and a two-way mirror. The police took my passport, money and plane ticket and left. Later | asked if | could call the U.S. Embassy and they said no. So much for the right to make a phone call. An hour later nothing was resolved and | finally suggested to them that | could take the next plane out of the country. Any place would be better than jail (where they wanted me). Fortunately the airline finally came to my rescue, switched my flights and the Brazilian police escorted me up to the plane.

CNN, Рт now ready for an assignment in Iraq. Covering video games is becoming too dangerous.

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AM EP FELD E ES

Winning is really fun! To play, just enter E MÀ our contest area and answer a series of cool & easy video game trivia questions!

| J ЕМА | | fe FILLY HERES THE STOFF ELECTRONIC 2 ТЕ EGM | == MONTHLY.

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The year 1997 was a great time for next-generation gaming. Now that the last games of ’97 have arrived, dress up in your tux, because it’s time for the 1997 EGM

Editors’ Choice and Reader Awards.

We’re sure you can guess some of the obvious winners, but there will be a few surprises.

The only event big- ger than the Oscars, | or the Super Bowl— The EGM Editors’ Choice Awards.

The next few months promise to be landmark ones for gaming. Kicking off the tidal wave is Resident Evil 2, which we will review, in addition to major cover- age of the N64’s Yoshi’s Story. Also look for reviews of NBA In the Zone ’98, Nagano Winter Olympics (N64/PS) and Winter Heat (SAT).

ELECTRONIC

MIM G;

Resident Evil 2 is an eagerly antici- pated sequel. Does it live up to expectations?

Yoshi’s Story has been caus- ing our editors to drool for months. Finally, we get our hands on the popular dino.

AMON THEY,

March 1998

Travel through time and even hell to obtain the keys to the Tower of Hell while beatin’ up

If you can't get Lara to the next level, she might not be “just another pretty face.”

February 1998

It’s finally here! February will see the first annual OPM Editors’ awards. What will be chosen as the Game of the Year? What were the standouts that will receive honorable mentions? Will Joe Rybicki’s New Year’s resolution be regrowing his flowing mane? All these questions and more will

You can cut the tension with a knife! What will the game of the year be?

4 Check out the first-ever hands-on strategy guide ! available for Resident Evil 1 2—and learn the ins and outs of this “killer” title.

be answered in February. Continuing our coverage on maximizing your PlayStation, CFG Lab’s president Brent Butterworth tells you how to calibrate your television! Of course, the issue will still be packed with the latest info about all things PlayStation. Be there!

February 1998

7 Mr. Groundhog won't be popping his head out all too soon because EGM? has a fantastic lineup of strategy guides next month.

Starting with our second part to the Tomb Raider 2 guide, we left off with Lara dangling froma cliff...OK, maybe not. But we do show you how to conquer the next

We'll have the latest previews and reviews as well as the latest installment of the OPM Demo CD!

your foes!

couple of levels and Bosses.

Next, the zombies are on the loose in Raccoon City, and without our help, you could be zombie chow. Learn all the ins and outs of the sequel to Resident Evil.

Plus, it will be a good day in hell if you use our Spawn strategy in next month's issue!

$5.00 OFF

Return this coupon with your next mail order (not valid on phone or online orders) В and receive $5.00 OFF your purchase. Please list alternatives when ordering by 8 и mail. Not valid with any other offers, Sales or Specials. This coupon is valid through в п 2/28/98. No copies accepted. If we can't fill your order within 30 days, we will g return your order, payment, and this coupon to you. EM2

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CRYPT KILLER 24.95/10.00 MEGAMAN X4 34.95/15.00 RESIDENT EVIL 2495/800 WAR HAMMER 28951200

5 2995/1000 MICKEY MANIA 34951400 STRATEGY GUIDE 9852.00 WARHAMMER? | 39952000 То В uy Games To Sell Gam es/ Sys tems DAREDEVIL DERBY 3D 1955800 MICRO MACHINES 3495/1400 DIRECTOR'SCUT 28551200 WARCRAFT II 3495/1400 eas PR

DARK FORCES. 24,95/10.00 MIDNIGHT RUN 34.95/14.00 RESIDENT EVIL 2 39.95) WARRIORS OF FATE 3995/1500 1. Ona full sized piece of paper, write your name, 1. Onafull sized piece of paper, write your name, complete address, phone number

BRE Software

Credit Card Orders: (209) 432-2684 24 Hour FAXBACK Information System: (209) 432-2644

| DARKLIGHT CONFLICT 1905800 MKMYTHOLOGIES 3495/1400 STRATEGYGUIDE 9595200 WAYNEGRETZKY 88 3495/1400 г ii i t DARKSTALKERS 2495/1000 MK TRILOGY 28951200 RETURN FIRE ‚8510.00 WCW NITRO зазеивоо Complete address, phone number and a list of all a alist of аца games/systems MIR 209 back Huc in BI sin WT gf DEADOR ALIVE. M MLB PENNANT RAGE is 1660) RETURN FIRE 2 95/14. WENNS, WORLD N the games you would like to order. To speed 2.Ifyou | e ee games wit He money or credit received, list the titles DEAD UNITY MLB PENNANT RACE 98 24, RIDGE RACER REV. 745540) i i в jou would like to order on the same ресе of paper. 4 г» DEATH RAP DUNGEON 3495/1500 MONOPOLY 3495/1400 RIVEN (282400 WILD ARMS тыш Processing of your order, listan altemative for each ҮІ AN your games, all paperwork а an URGE ina box Send the borto the DESCENT MAXIMUM 28951200 MONSTER RANCHER 24951000 ROAD RAGE 19516.00 STRATEGY GUIDE 995200 title you are ordering. - , г a box. Send ) 4 DESTRUCT. DERBY 1995/00 MORTALKOMBAT3 19957.00 ROAD RASH 34, WING COMMANDERS 2495/1000 2 Calculate the total for the games you wish to Address below by UPS or registered mail. Be sure to include the ‘Dept # on the Ph а St ation DESTRUCT.DERBY2 24951000 MOTO RACER 29.95/12.00 ROCKET JOCKEY. WING COMMANDER 4 29.95/12.00 i 4 E 8.00 outside of your package. Packages not addressed to the Dept # below will be issued у м DIEHARDTRILOGY 3495500 MOTORTOONG.P. | 24451000 ROM.3KNGDOMS4 39991800 WIPEOUT 1898600 order, including shipping в handling charges ($8.00 ir current catalog prices DISCWORLD 2095000 MYST 29951200 RUSH HOUR 24981000 WIPEOUT XL 1998800 for the first 1 or 2 games, $1.00 for each additional. 1 g prices. DISCWORLD 2 34951500 NAGANO OLYMPICS 34.95/15.00 SAMURAI SHODOWN 3 24.95/10.00 WORLD CUP GOLF 29951000 Alaska, Hawaii, PR, APO, FPO, PO B dd 4. You will normally receive your check within 7-12 business days after we receive We Sell Used /We Buy OOM 2995/1200 NAMCO ARCADE CLAS. 34951400 SAN FRANCISCO RUSH WORMS 28951200 Alaska, Hawaii, PR, APO, FPO, oxes add your package. ehe 1895700 DRAGONHEART 20981200 VOLUMEN ЕТТЕ Ы МИРОН. ЖОШ o QUE Galera esten ӘМ 1'75 Sales ш. 3D BASEBALL 19.95) .95/1 ME 1 А 10.00 5 1 ATRAINA 1095700 DUKE NUKEM 34551400 VOLUME 2 29951000 SHADOAN 349811400 WWE ARCADE САМЕ 2485800 3. Allow an additional 21 days for personal checks Send your Games/Systems/Orders to: ADIDAS PWR SOCCER 1095700 DUNGEONS 4 DRAG, 39951800 VOLUME 3 34581400 SHADOWMASTERS 34951400 WWFINYOURHOUSE 2995/1200 to clear - send money order for fastest processing. B R E 5 ft ADV. OF LOMAX 1928740 DYNASTYWARRIORS 3495/1400 VOLUME 4 3495/1400 SHINING SWORD 3995/1800 XCOM 195560 Allow 40 days to receive orders placed with money oftware AIR COMBAT EPIDEMIC 19951800 VOLUMES 20051200 SHIPWRECKERS 2995/1200 X MEN CHILDREN ATOM 34554500 y : Dept. EM2 ACE COMBAT 2 T ESPN EXTREM GAMES A Sio NENOTEK WARRIOR 24,95/10.00 SHOKENDO 3495/14,00. КАЕ TM E 5580 orders and 60 days to receive orders placed with e a ALIEN TRILOGY 1855700 00 МА ING 2995/1200 SHREDFEST 34581400 ¥ 95/14.00 i ALLSTAR BASEBALL'97 1958700 EXODUS 34251600 NASCARRACING 98 3908180 SILVERLOAD 1257.00 personal Checks. Я 352 W. Bedford Ave, Suite 104 ALLIEDGENERAL _ 24951000 EXTREME PINBALL 19.35/8.00 NBAFASTBREAK 2995/1200 SIMCITY 2000 r 4. Send your order to the address to the right. Fresno, CA 93711 ALONE IN THE DARK 1995800 FIITAARDVARK | 3495/1400 NBA HANGTIME 19.95/600 SKELETON WARRIOR ALUNDRA 3895/1800 FANTASTICFOUR _ 2495/1000 NBAINTHEZONE2 1995600 SKULLMONKEYS | 34281400 a or ANDRETTIRACING 2495/1000 FATAL RACING 2495/1000 NBA IN THE ZONE 98 34951500 SLAYER APOCALYPSE 34951400 FELONY 11.79 24,95/10.00 NBA JAM 98 3995/1800 SOUL BLADE 1 AQUA PROPHECY 29.95/12.00 FIFA SOCCER 96 1995800 МВА JAM EXTREME 1905800 STRATEGY GUIDE 952; AQUANAUTSHOLIDAY 19. FIFA SOCCER 7 2995/1200 NBA LIVE 98 3495/1500 SOVIET STRIKE Г ARC THE LAD . FEA WOLD CUP ва 3088/1800 NBA SHOOTOUT 96 “4550500 SPACE HULK ENG. | ARCADES GREAT #1 3495/1400 NCAAFINALFOUR _ 1995/8.00 SPA it у 5 ice Li ARCADES BREAD 20. PU Prope N nes. Seal 4 Check out our website for Specials, Closeouts, PC CD-ROM games and Complete Price List

AWN AREA 51 29. FINAL FANTASY Vil 39951800 М№САА САМЕВАКА 98 29.95/10.00 STRATEGY GUIDE Saturn ARMORED CORE : ULTIMATE GUIDE 795200 NECRODOME 2995/1000 SPEED TRIBES 29.

ATARI COLLECT. #1 : SURVIVAL GUIDE 1295900 NEEDFORSPEED | 29954200 SPIDER 24281000

ATARI COLLECT. #2 OFFICIAL GUIDE 12:950800 NEEDFORSPEED2 29951200 SPOTGOESHOLLY. 1895700 s.

AUTO DESTRUCT FORMULA 1 2495/1000 NEEDSPEEDV-RALLY 3495/1500 STARBLADEALPHA 19.95/7.00

BALLBLAZERCHAMP. 19.95/8.00 FORMULA 1 CHAMP ED. 2995/1200 NFLGAMEDAY'98 ^ 29951000 STEEL REIGN 24551000 ап ] es BASS MASTERS CLASS. 39.95/18.00 FOX HUNT 19.95/8.00 NHL'98 34951400 STREET FIGHTER BATMAN & ROBIN 299512.00 FROGGER 19.95/8.00 NHLBREAKAWAY'98 2995/1000 ALPHA 2 29.95/12.00 BATMAN FOREVER 19.95/8.00 G POLICE 29951200 NHLFACEOFF'98 29.95/10.00 STREET FIGHTER II ж; BATTLEARENATOSH2 19.95/8.00 GALLOP RACER 3495/1400 NHLPOWERPLAY 98 29.95/10.00 COLLECTION 34.95/14.00 not 1] ste BATTLEARENATOSH3 29.95/12.00 GAMESHARK W/BOOK 3495/1400 NIGHTMARE CREAT. 3495/1400 STREETFIGHTEREX+ 34.95/14.00

BATTLESPORT 2495/1000 GEX ENTER GECKO 2995/1200 NINJA 2995/1400 STREET RACER 1995800

BATTLE STATIONS 19.95/8.00 GHOSTINTHE SHELL 34951400 NORSE BY NORSEWST 2995/1200 STRIKE POINT 1995800

BEAST WARS 29.95/12.00 GOALSTORM'97 29.95/12.00 NUCLEAR STRIKE 34951500 SUIKODEN 29.95/12.00

BEYOND THE BEYOND 29.95/12.00 GOLDENNUGGET | 29951600 ODDWORLD 34951500 SUPER PUZZLE FIGHT, 39.95/15.00

BIG BASS WALD CHMP 38951500 GRAND SLAM 97 1895/00 OFF WORLD INTER. 19.95/7.00 SWAGMAN 2455800 en us BIG HURT BASEBALL 1995800 GRAND TOUR ВАС 98 34951400 OGRE BATTLE 34551400 SWIV 24,95)8.00

BLAZING DRAGONS 19.95/8.00 HARDWOOD HEROES 34951600 ONE 34.95/14.00 SYNDICATEWARS 2495/10.00

BOGEY DEAD 6 24251000 HEAVY GEAR 34251400 OVERBLOOD 2495/1000 TACTICS OGRE 39.95/20.00

BRAHMA FORCE 24251000 HERCSADVENTURE 34951500 PAC MAN GHOST ZONE 3455/1400 TAILOFTHESUN 29.95/12.00 you r old

Look for Budget Priced games for PlayStation, N64, Saturn, Super Nintendo, and Genesis

BRAVO AIR RACE 29.95/12.00 HERCULES 34.95/15.00 P.T.O. 11 39,95/18,00 TECMOSTACKERS 29.95/12.00 BREATH OF FIRE III ^ 39951800 HEXEN 24.95/10.00 PANDEMONIUM 19.95/8.00 TECMO SUPER BOWL 29.95/10.00 BROKEN HELIX 24.95/10.00 IMPACT RACING 19.95/8.00 PANDEMONIUM 2 29.95/12.00 TECMO WORLD GOLF 29,95/12.00 BROKEN SWORD 29.95/12.00 INCREDIBLE HULK 24.95/10.00 PANZER GENERAL 29.95/12.00 TECMO'S DECEPTION 34.95/15.00

ар BUBBLE BOBBLE 29951000 INCREDIBLE IDIOTS 34951400 PARAPPATHERAPPA 29.95/12.00 TEKKEN 19.95/8.00 S ste m S BUBSY 3D 1995700 INDEPENDENCE DAY 29951200 PEAK PERFORMANCE 24951000 TEKKEN 2 29551200 BUGRIDERS 29551200 INTELLIGENT QUBE — 2995/1200 PERFECTWEAPON 1995/00 TEMPEST X 2425800 - BUSHIDO BLADE | 2995/1200 JACK NICKLAUS 98 34951600 PERSONA 29951000 TEN PIN ALLEY 29951000 The folowing are buyback prices ony We Sell Used / We Bu

BUST A MOVE 2 29.95/12.00 JERSEY DEVIL 29.95/12.00 PGA TOUR GOLF 96 24.95/8.00 TENNIS ARENA 29.95/14.00 n BUSTER BROS COL. 24951000 JET MOTO 19.95/8.00 PGATOURGOLF'97 29.95)10.00 TEST DRIVE 4 3495/14.00 Genesis зг | AEROFIGHTERS ASSAULT 54.95/24.0

CAESARS WORLD "94951600 JETMOTO2 3481400 PGATOURGOLF'S® 9999/1600 TEST DRIE OFFROAD 2001000 Се Nintendo НЕ BOMBERMAN 64 54.95/24.00 DINAL SYN 34081400 : 3495/1600 TETRIS PLUS. 39051500 CARNAGE HEART 24.95/10.00 JURASSIC PARKLW. — 3495/1400 POD 34.95/14.00 THE FINAL ROUND 29.95/10.00 Sony PlayStation LAY FIGHTER 63 1/3 49.95/22.00

CAROM SHOT 28951200 K1 ARENAFIGHTERS 19.95/8.00 POINT BLANK 29951200 THEME HOSPITAL 29.95/14.00 (Price based on style/serial number) CARTWORLDSERIES 2951200 KILLING TIME 19.95/7.00 PORSCHE CHALLENGE 29951200 THEME PARK 19.95/6.00 ОЯ style (WPCA AV jacks) CASTLEVANIA 34051400 KINGOFFIGHTERS 19.95/8.00 POWER MOVE THUNDER TRCK RALLY 29.95/10.00 “Serial #USXXXXXX, UBKXXKXX, CHESSMASTER 34.95/12.00 KING'S FIELD 19.95/7.00 PRO WRESTLING 24.95/10.00 TIGER SHARK 19.95/8.00 SXXXXXX $25

1 ij CHRONICLES KING'S FIELD I 1995/800 POWERRANGERSZEO 24951000 TIMECRISISW/GUN — 4495/2000 OF THE SWORD 2895/1200 KLONDA 2995/1400 POWER SLAVE 24.95/10.00 TNN HARDCORE 4X4 39951800 Зла OD: ОВКХАКХА, CITY OFLOSTCHILD. 2995/1200 LEAGUE OF PAIN 1995700 POWERSOCCER2 2995/1400 TNN HARDCORE 2 CLAYFIGHTER EXT. 34.95/15.00 LEGACY OF KAIN 24.95/10.00 POWERBOAT RACING 34951600 TNN OUTDOOR BASS New Style (no RCA AV jacks) 570 CODENAME: TENKA 19.95/8.00 LETHAL ENFORCER 182 29.95/12.00 POY POY 2495/1000 TOBAL NO. 1 195800 Тһе serial number can be found оп COLLIDERZ 3495/1400 LOADED 19.95/8.00 PRIMAL RAGE 19,95/8.00 TOKYOHWY BATTLE 24.95)10.00 the bottom of your PlayStation. If you COLONY WARS 24981400 MACE THE DARK AGE 3495/1400 PSYCHIC DETECTIVE 24.95/10.00 TOMB RAIDER 24.95/8.00 паме any questions about the serial COMMAND &CONQUER 2995/1200 MACHINE HEAD 18.95/700 PSYCHIC FORCE 24951000 STRATEGY GUIDE .95/200 number or how much you will receive RED ALERT. 3495/1400 MACHINEHUNTER _ 1995/7200 PUNISHER 3495/1400 TOMB RAIDER 2 95/1800 ог your PlayStation, please call CONSTRUCTOR 3495/1400 MADDEN 98 29.95/12.00 PYRAMID INTRUDER 34951400 STRATEGY GUIDE 2 CONTRA LEGACY WAR 24.95/10.00 MAGIC CARPET 29,95/10.00 QUAKE 39.95/18.00 TREASURES OF DEEP

RUSIN USA 49.95/24.00 Pl 5

DDY KONG RACING 49.95/24.00 d у (а t 0 n м

OOM 64 49.95)20.00

UKE NUKEM 54.95/24.00 Agile Warrior - Air Combat - Alien Trilogy - Andretti Racing XTREMEG 49.95/22.00 Bases Loaded '96 - Ball Blazer Champions

1 POLE POSITION 49.95/22.00 Battle Arena Toshinden - Battle Arena Toshinden 2

ҒА SOCCER 64 49.95/20.00 Big Hurt Baseball - Blackdawn - Blast Chamber

IFA WORLD CUP 98 54.95/24.00 Bottom of the 9th - Braham Force - Broken Helix IGHTER'S DESTINY 54.95/24.00 Burning Road - Codename Tenka - College Slam OLDEN EYE 007 54.95/24.00 ||| Cyber Sled - Cyberia - Cyberspeed - Dare Devil Derby 3D

mmcogcococ

comma

BEFORE sending your system. $75

А T M [Sw o: X B AUTE IN Comi: pelon bora

і 1 ace қ COURIER CRISIS _ 24951000 MARVEL 2099 3495/1400 RAMPAGEWORLDTR 3495/1400 TUNNEL B-1 185/800 Control Pad, AC Adapter and АМНЕ . . Epidemic - Fade to Black - FIFA 96 - Formula One CRASH BANDICOOT. "1885600 MARVELSUP-HEROES 3408400 RASCAL 34.8871400 TWISTED METAL .95/8.00 Cable. Genesis systems must incude || KILLER INSTINCT GOLD 49.95/20.00 ||| Hardball 5 - Impact Racing - In the Hunt - Intl Track & Field

CRASHBANDICOOT2 29.95/14.00 MASS DESTRUCTION 29.95/12.00 RAY STORM 29,95/12.00 TWISTED METAL 2 E 1 CD connector cover. Additional LAMBORGHINI 64 49.95/22.00 Iron & Ві

STRATEGY GUIDE 9.95/2.00 MASTERS TERAS KASI 3495/1400 RAY TRACERS 34.95/14.00 VANDAL HEARTS 95/1200 controllers also purchased. Defective lood - Iron Man X-O War - Johnny Bazookatone

=

IAGANO OLYMPICS 54.95/24.00 BA HANGTIME 49.95/20.00 IBA INTHE ZONE 54.95/24.00 FL Q-BACK CLUB 98 54.95/24.00

CREATURE SHOCK 22281200 MAXIMUM FORCE En 283800 VIRTUAL POOL 95/12. systems wil be retumed et your | LEGEND OF MYSTICAL NINJA 54.95/24.00 Jumping Flash 2 - K1 Arena Fighters - Killing Zone CRITICALDEPTH | 3499/1400 МОК 34981400 REBELASSAULTI — 2495/1000 VR GOLF 97 mop зарецеодрлвнит), | И MACE THE DARK AGE 49.95/22.00 Kileak DNA Imperative - King's Field 2 - Krazy Ivan GROC canoes 2501000 MECHWARRIOR2 2998200 REDASPHAULT | 34554400 YR PRO PINBALL missing or defective сотой: | MADDEN '98 Legacy of Kain - Lemmings - Loaded - Machinehead CRUSADERNOREN, O 196800 MEGAMAN NEO 3988800 RELOADED 1959900 WARGODS N M КА Е а 49982000 UM = = Madii Carpet ME Pennan Race. „95/20. опа! Kombat 3 - е - ЈЕ. ; MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 54.95] NBA Live '97 - NBA Shootout '97 - NCAA Final Four '97 N O B oxes 2 S tr, a te ду а и 1 а es MK MYTHOLOGIES SUBZERO 54.85) NCAA Gamebreaker - NFL Full Contact - NHL '97 . 2 MKTRILOGY 49.95/20.00 NFL Gameday 97 - NFL Quarterback Club 97 No Instru ctions* an d H i nt B oo ks MULTI RACING CHAMP 49.95/22.00 NHL Face Off '97 - NHL Powerplay '96 - Overblood

Olympic Summer Games - Pandemonium - Pitfall Perfect Weapon - Primal Rage - Primal Rage Project Overkill - Project Horned Owl - Reloaded Return Fire - Revolution X - Ridge Racer

=

ІШ М О Р ro b | е m на PlayStation Survival Guide Vol. 3 $14.95

We are now buying Genesis, Super Nintendo, PlayStation Includes: Bushido Blade, Cool Boarders 2, Crash Bandicoot 2, Madden 98, Masters of Teras Kasi, 1 and Saturn games without boxes or instructions. The Megaman X8, NHL '98, Oddworld, Tomb Raider 2 and more HL BREAKAWAY 98 54.95/24.00 Rise 2 Resurrection - Robotron X - Shellshock following are prices for cartridge/disc only. Pi iie ae aan " а ل‎ 4 мат аны Assault - Silverload - Skeleton Warrior " : = " inal Fantasy urvival Guide ы t 1 Slam Scape - Space Griffon - Space Hulk - Space Јат Nintendo 8 bit (cartridge only) $1.00 ||| Nea Survival Guide $14.95 | | ROBOTRON 64 54.95/24.00 Spider - Spot Goes to Hollywood - Star Gladiator Game Boy (cartridge only) $2.00 Includes: Cruisin USA, Killer Instinct, Mario Kart 64, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Pilotwings 64, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH 49.95/22.00 Starwinder - Steel Harbinger - Street Fighter Alpha Game Gear (cartridge only) $200 [|| Suisse ностро Ser Fox 6a. Super Mano Gà Turok Wave acs K4 Wayne Grau Hockey | | STAR FOX 64W/RUMPACK 54.95/24.00 | Де үш ЕРІН : 5 Ше ا‎ пар ШЫ Жау y SHADOWS О P. 49.95122 00 Street Fighter Movie - Street Racer - Thunderstrike 2 Genesis (cartridge only) $200 ||| N64 Survival Guide Vol. 2 $14.95 | | STARWARS SHADOWS OF EMP. 49.95)20.0 Tigershark - Time Commando - Tobal No. 1 - Top Gun Super Nintendo (cartridge only) $5.00 Includes: Bomberman 64, Clay Fighter 63 1/3, Golden Eye 007, Mischief Makers, MK Mythologies, SUPER MARIO 64 49.95/20.00 Total Eclipse - Triple Play '97 - Tunnel B1 Saturn (disc only) $2.00 ict Maric ed E rect al as $12.95 JETRISPHERE y, 4295 2000 Twisted Metal - Viewpoint - VR Baseball '97 PlayStation (disc only) $5.00 Tre cunei ui de Ba ya til nel il ae Sell oui THE a TUROK DINO HUNTER 84.954 00 Warhawk - Wipeout - Wipeout XL Nintendo 64 (cartridge only) $15.00 techniques that make the journey a Не easier. СЕМ А НЕ N 8 5: m except Super Mario, р Hunt, Gyromite, ЁЁ Crash Bandicoot 2 Hint Book B Wer 64 49900000 с одап Alley and other zapper gun or power pad games. n i | А The above prices do not apply to demo discs, special offerjlimited Toms Raigar- in Boo k s Guide 1 WAYNE GRETZKY HOCKEY 49.95/20.00 packaged games (Virtua Fighter Remix, etc.) and games that were у gt pu Nae У Г => 5 WAYNE GRETZKY '98 54.95/24.00

|

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included with systems. Miscellaneous/extra PlayStation and Saturn WCW VS. NWO 54.95/26.00 || | Supplies limited to stock on hand. Please iist altematve game tiles when ordering by | |

тж

boxes and instructions will be purchased for 9.50 each. Send your ~ > mail. Limit 6 games per customer. Above games are used and include original box, Genesis, Super Nintendo, Saturn and PlayStation games without Eur =. га gen hs WHEEL OF FORTUNE 54.95/24.00 original instuclons pun day warranty. Маай with above $5.00 OFF coun or any boxes or instructions to the address above. The above strategy guides/hint books are BRAND NEW factory fresh. YOSHI'S ISLAND 64 54.95/26.00 || | other specialsjoffers.

Now Buying DVD Movies/Discs - Prices in this ad are good through February 28, 1998

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 will deduct $2.00 for each N64 cartridge without a cardboard insert, $5.00 for broken Saturn plastic boxes and $1.00 for broken CD cases. Games without box, instructions, etc will be returned at your expense ($5.00 minimum). Cartridges/discs not in resellable condition or with evidence of rental store stickers will be returned at 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 first 1 US.

or 2 games and $1.00 for each additional. Alaska/Hawaii/PR/APO/PO Boxes add $5.00. Calif. Res.add 7.75% tax. We do not ship outside of the Prices are for mail order only and based on 1 copy per title, to buy or sell in quantity, contact our wholesale dept. Limit of 1 game/CD per title accepted without proof of purchase. If we do not receive your package by 2/28/98 or your game titles are not listed in this ad, you will be paid from our current catalog. To receive prices in this ad you must include the ‘Dept. # from this ad on the OUTSIDE of your package. If you are unclear about any of our policies, procedures or prices, please call. Individual tiles are trademarks of their respective companies. PlayStation and the PlayStation logo are trademarks ol Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. Sega Saturn is a registered trademark of Sega of America, Inc. Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and N64 are registered trademark sof Nintendo of America Inc.

ELLE

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Erazer MP5 Light Gun Recoil, Machine Gun Action PSX/Sat/Namco Compatible

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Aerobiz 25 i Battletoads/Dbl Drg 513 еш Н Donkey Kong Су $13 Rad Racer Earthbound 35 Super Mario 3 Griffey Baseball 8 ра Boul Home Alone 3 Vegas Dreams We S el | Ж d We Ft Ба E Yoshs Cooke Previously Played ario Kal NBA Jam 8 | Oge Bate 8 Video Games, Decks & PGA Golf 29 . Rom 3 Kings 2 9 Sup Mario All Stars 5; С беда CD 3 Accessories TMNT 4 8 E Ы V k Wits — at Great Prices. X-Men 1 Yoshi's Island 28 КОШЕ, 2 an Returns Chuck Rock 3 1 ; We also Sell New Products! Eternal Champions 7 Ground Zero Texas 4 Joe Montana 1 Monkey Island 2 = = NHL Hockey 94 3 РІ St ti 61 2 946 81 02 Lethal Enforcers 1 Out of This World 2 6 6 ау а ion 9 Power Factory 2 Road Avenger 2 Slipheed 2 lien Trl С SEGA | Sherlock Holmes 1 Alien Trilogy _ $29 Aladdin 1 Alleyway 11 Third World War $11 Battle Arena Tohshin $11 Beyond Oasis 5 Baseball $8 Tomcat Alley 3 Crash Bandicoet 9 Ceasars Palace 18 Castlevania Adv. 1 Time Gal 2 D е 9 Desert Strike 9 DR. Mario 3 Wolf Child 2 Extreme Pinball 9 Earthworm Jim 9 | Faceball 2000 $15 Wonder Dog 3 Gex 30 Flashback 8 N Fortress of Fear 7 Independence Day 520 Golden Axe 7 | = p Hatris 9 Jet Moto 18 immortal 5 que IN Your Face 7 ШШШ LAM John Madden 96 1 John Madden 96 9 illeak- + nie m ( GameBoy ) ПШ о Kis Chameleon 87 Kirbys Dreamland 9 Mortal Kmbt Trilogy $35 Mickey Mouse Cstle $18 2 7 Kirbys Pinball $17 Nascar 29 NHL Hockey 95 3 1 Metroid 2 i Ogre Battle 35 Operation Europe 39 mn NBA Jam T PIA Наде Е Phantasy Star 2 29 Pipe Dream 5 SimCity 2000 20 Road Rash 3 39 Qix | 9 imCity Shining Force 39 Super Mario Land3 825 Tekken 2 39 Ultimate MK3 39 Tetris 5 ҚУА Facing |" Vector Man 11 ТШ Е pagu Zombie Ate Neigh 18 Mortal Kombat Myth $45 Golden Eye 007 35 Wave Race 49 ( Game Gear Blast Corps 39 € Satu m ) Я Cruis п USA 48 а Боот 64 38 € Nintendo64 3 FIFA Soccer 97 35 Gretzky 64 35 Andrett Racing 9 а 1 гол istis Soccer 3 Baku Baku 24 Chessmaster 7 it Sp! Killer Instinct Gold 38 Bug 5 Def of Oasis $12 Mario Kart 64 53 Daytona USA 4 Earthworm Jim $35 i Golden Axe Duel E Hook 5 Mortal Kombat Ti $39 oiden Axe Due NBA Hang Time $48 Iron Storm 28 Incredible Hulk 8 Pilotwings 64 $39 Legend of Oasis 9 Jurassic Park 5 Star Fox 64 48 Myst 8 Leaderboard Golf $4 Star Wars Shadows $38 МЕ. QB Club 97 13 Mortal Kombat2 3 Super Mario 64 39 Off World Extreame $11 NBA Jam Tourn 3 Turok 39 Panzer Dragon Ш E al i War Gods 29 оаа Ras Sega Rally Champ 513 Shinobi 2 8 Shining Wisdom 25 Sonic Hedgehog 2 3 = = Theme Park 24 НЕ of Rage 2 1 Online Ordering!! Ultimate MK3 9 azmania. Ба Virtua Сој $3 Wheel of Fortune 9 i World Sets Basbl 1 World Series 5 ез For the Hottest Ті ps & с WWF Arcade 9 X-Men 8 қ The Hottest Games at the Hottest Prices Xmen Chidn of Atom $27 Check us out!

http://www.funcoland.com To purchase: Call for Current Prices, send check, money order, ы or credit card number to Funco, Inc., 10120 West 76th Sireet, We Accept: Mpls, MN 55344. Add $1.99 per item ($3.99 per control deck) for shipping and $4.00 handling charge. For Canada, Guam, Puerto

Rico, and Virgin Islands please double the per item charges. Please call for all other international orders. CA, CT, IL, IN, KS, МА, MD, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TX; VA, WA & Wi res- VISA MasterCard

idents please add applicable sales tax. All prices based on US funds. Most games delivered within 7-10 business days.

Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am to 7:00pm Central Generally games don't come with boxes or manuals. We are sorry

but we can't accept fequests for them. Rush delivery is available. Personal Checks and Money All sales are final. Defectives replaced with same item. All prices are subject to change. We ПА the right to тезе any Orders Are Also Accepted. 6 1 2 = 9 4 6 = 8 1 0 2

purchase or sale. TR

All Games Come With a 90 Day Warranty! ONE YEAR Warranties are Available

3

GOEMON 5 569 |

ALL JAPAN PROWRSTLG $59 LAST BRONX $29 ne Яо 7

N ci en, E : : ROMANCING SAGA 3 549 FINAL FANTASY 5 $59

DBZ LEGEND $49 WAKU WAKU 7 $39 DEAD OR ALIVE $59 SKULL FANG $29

sr IMPORT U.S. E | Cotton 2 NBA Live 98 aor Masi Si er § $79 Shining Force 3 Sega Touring Champ ment Soul Hackers Dungeons & Dragons Lunar Magicoal School Magic Knight Ray Earth Real Bout Special Soukyugerentai 2 Yuno Grandia

Bomberman Fight Wonder 3 Slayer Royal

AL Do Don Pachi THUNDER FORCE 5 $65 Panzer Dragoon Azel

Final Fantasy 7

Action Figures: $20 EA.

DBZ Super Battle Collection Action

Figures VoluME, j Li 7 fy

1-27 Price From 1 | ж PE 77 $12 to $18 EA. Е LT] | И ШБББ WU ма VOL мл LZ VOL 22 VOL 22 UL

(0)

The Ultimate over 520.0009 in prizes: Gaming Rig!

desee

You have the POWER. In this contest you don't rely on the luck-of-the Media Rig Contest. The Ultimate Gaming Environment, 60 inch monitor, draw. You determine if you win or not. You win by outscoring others in a game of 130 watt receiver w/ Dolby Digital Surround Sound, and all components shown. skill. Can you solve the puzzle below? Then you have what it takes. It looks simple, Win DSS Satellite Receiver as a BONUS OPTION! This rig will blow you away!!

but its only the start. Each of five more puzzles get a little harder. But this time it's all , in' [| up to you. Stay in to the end with the highest score and the gear is yours. We're talkin’ GAMING HEAVEN!

With whatever options you want. Do you have what it takes? Then play to win! Directions. Fill in the Mystery Word Grid with үш going across that spell

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Е à : In the future. There will be four more puzzles at $2.00 each and one tie- Pentium Il, 32 meg. RAM, 4 Gig. HD, 24X CD-ROM, Windows 95, modem and more! hreaker at $1.00 which will be sent to you by mail. You will have 3 weeks to solve

Video Game Contest. Phy on the hi-tech сабо бе with this line-up: each puzzle. We don’t know how тапу will Play but typically 55% will have the Sony Playstation w/ ASCII control pads; Sega Saturn; Game Boy Pocket; and highest score possible score to Phase I, 43% to Phase Il, 36% to Phase Ill, and 32% Nintendo 64! Get all four or trade the ones you don't want for CASH! Bonus options to Phase IV. The tie-breaker determines the winner. If players are still tied they will

include: 33 inch monitor, $1,000 in games, cash, accessories and more! split the value of the grand prize they are playing for. ME اد‎ ENTER M DDA E J y = $3.00 пес 0 S 5j BG Hig Са E | ($3.00) Comp D R | S9 ы n n Д Е 5 00 0 = W = О К р

> > i AS VION 14141 U P М PRES BLAS A REC D > ра БАЛЕ ро ОА ВРЕА D DRA RB HAN 0 1 DOAS Pp AND R PR DREA О GID OHIBITED DEAD PO D Е 5 DED Only o рег perso B р d Ü old to ele 0 пето 0 рр пена р C R CÎ A р ela

NEW RELEASES & UPCOMING TITLES

US N64 Titles Bloody Roar | 05 PlayStation Titles [FPA R Body Harvest : pocalypse

Forsaken

U.S. Saturn Titles

AX Burning Ranger Banjo and Kazooie Batman спорт | Dead or Alive Ch | Twist Bloody Roar Enemy Zero зтесопиеа Crime Killer Grandia Cer iE Diablo House of the Dead Earthworm Jim 3D Earthworm Jim 3D Lunar Forsaken F.F. Tactics А P | Magic Knight Rayearth Mission Impossible HARDCORE 2 9 NBA Live idi Robotech Mystical Ninja 64 Megaman Neo Quake % Pitfall 3D : Quake 64 Я Riven Rn Power Boat Racing Н Rev Limit Sega Touring Car Respect Inc. i Robotech Reboot Sonic R

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Import PlayStation Im

Import М64 Titles Titles in Titles | Art of Fighting Twin А . Attack арап, Ее ез! ing Chameleon Twist . Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Dark Stalkers 3 Dual H Crtitical Blow Grandia ual Herqes Elemental Gearbolt Gunblade F Zero 64 Escaper RS Hybrid Heaven Maria undam Strategy

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NYC area Inquires call:

(С THE SAGA CONTINUES >)

Sailormoon

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QEP Tuxedo Mask 11” Dolls

(not shown) $29.99 ea.

» Chibimoon Super S 8” Doll (not shown) $29.99 ea.

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Star 6" Dolls v.1-4 (not shown) 919,996 Petite Figures v.1-9 $14.99 ea. Mini Play Set (not shown) $29.99 ea. Animation Movies from $12.99 ea. Music CDs $19.99 ea.

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#7

Sephiroth

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Posters: 1st $7.00; ea. addtl. $5.00 ea.

Posters: tst $7.00; ea. ааай. $5. 00 ea.; also available Vincent & Yuffie posters.

Aerith Gainsborough Qud Highwind | Cloud Strife

Iris Chateubriand

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OVER 2500 TITLES IN STOCK, LOWEST PRICES Direct all Inquires & Payments to the Showrooms:167 Glen Cove Rd., Carle Place, NY 11514 Tel. 516-248-4911

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t rk, NY i » 212-2 1 Fax. 212-290-0432 + 163-18 Jamaica Ave, Queens, МҮ 11432 Tel. 718-739-5045 > 1464 Rockaway Pkwy., Brooklyn, NY 11236 > 534 86th St, Brooklyn, МУ 11209 Tel. 718-833-0598

Price and availability are subject to change without notice. We accept all major credit cards, Money Orders and C.O.D. Allow 14 business days for shipping when paying by personal check. All sales are final, we will only replace defective items with thesame title. Games Express Inc. is not responsible for misprint. NY residents add 8.25% sales tax to your order. All tradenames/trademarks are the properties of their respective owners

ADVERTISER 3n GAINING

ACCLAIM зынды арынан aite де а SE 5 www.acclaimnation.com

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SPECIALS ARE LIMITED TO STOCK ON HAND, AND IN MOST CASES QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED. INFO EGM008 ARTWORK COPYRIGHT THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPANIES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. = = ЕН за IMPORT PLAYSTATION GAMES ARE МОТ COMPATIBLE WITH NEWER SYSTEMS, CALL FOR LINE

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GAME PRODUCTS "73.SHARK (Call costs $1.29/minute. You must be 18 years of ige or have parents permission to call.) Dangerous Waters Newsletter (For more info | ; |

I anal 1.

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RESIDENT EVIL 2 HAS RISEN.

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