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DOG CTR (Crash Team Racing) Game ©1999 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Developed by Naughty Dog, Inc. СТВ (Crash Team Racing) and related characters TM logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

PlayStation

Itsnotdriving It’s a motorized beat-down. Leave skid marks on 25 different tracks. Reduce your fellow drivers to roadkill. And if youre man enough to survive the hair- pin turns, you'll score a TURBO boost. Unless, of course, you get 86'ed by a TNT crate. Plug in the Multi Tap adaptor and up to four players can race to the ugly fin- ish. With over 12 playable characters in all. Basically, it’s a full-blown war on wheels.

www. playstation.com

Once he gets behind the wheel, things get ugly.

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EDITORIAL

Why Do You Want To Catch "Em All?

ou've spent $5 billion on Pokémon stuff in the last two years, That's nine zeroes...and considerably more money than most forms of entertainment ever Stand a chance of making in their entire lifetime. It's more than Star Wars, considerably more than Titanic and certainly a lot more than your average Game Boy game. In researching this month's cover feature we found that there are 90 companies in the U.S. producing Pokémon

The TV show has gone from cult status at a weird time to be the WB's biggest ratings success, running six times a week. The movie looks set to break all kinds of box-office records and the games continue to hold on to the top two spots in the charts —every month.

Pokémon is proof that video games are the biggest, baddest, fastest growing form of entertainment in the world, and Nintendo has tapped into the very heart of the average kid's

"Pokémon is proof that video games are the biggest, baddest, fastest growing form of entertainment in the world.”

merchandise...there are 4.2 million Americans out there playing the thing...and the average Pokémaniac really is completely flipped out on the stuff. We saw kids at airports go loopy when they saw the ANA plane with the art on the side, we saw families at Disney World (ironically) completely decked out in Pokémon gear—from backpacks to shoes to sunglasses and hats. Remember years ago when it was proclaimed that kids recognized Mario more than Mickey Mouse? Looks like neither of them stand a chance when it comes to Pikachu.

Contributing Writers

John Ricciardi

Before defecting to “the other side” and taking the role of editor in chief of Expert Gamer, young John was the Reviews editor of EGM. This month he returns as a member of Team EGM in the Reviews section, as well as lending his talents to some of our Japanese previews. You just can’t get rid of some people.

ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY (ISSN #1058-916X) is published monthly by ZD Inc., P.O. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338. Periodicals Class Postage Paid at Lombard, IL and additional mailing offices. Single issue rates: $4.99. The one year (12 issue) subscription | Tate is $24.97 in the U.S. and $40.97 outside the U.S. Checks must be made payable in U.S. currency only to Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Electronic Gaming Monthly, Р.О. Box 55722, Boulder, CO 80322-5722. For

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changes. The Cenadian GST Registration number is 140496720 RT.

Printed in the USA.

Gary Mollohan

Previously assistant editor

for Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine and now a contributor for his former employer, www.videogames.com and EGM. Our tie-wearing hero never fails us when it comes to writing about big sweaty men grappling with each other.

psyche with this thing. It’s going to get wilder too. If you check out our feature you'll be able to see the first details about the new games set for release later this year in Japan. New games that introduce hundreds more Pokémon into the simple game universe—and at the same time introducing hundreds and hundreds of merchandising opportunities.

The Game Boy...10 years old, the simplest hardware on the market—and at the heart of one of the biggest entertainment phenomena in

history. Ho i t? 5 istory. How cool is tha! John Davison

p" =

Andrew “Wildman” Pfister Young Andrew was our editorial intern for several months. We have no idea where he came from or even how he got our address. Apparently it had something to do with IRC chat. Anyway...he’s gone now. His powerful silence will be

missed. He was a top

chap...expect to see him again in the future, coz we like him.

Electronic Gaming Monthly - 8 - www.videogames.com

ELECTRONIC GAMING

= MONTHLY

Number 12.11

November 1999 www.videogames.com

Group Publisher _ Dale Strang Editorial Director J. E. Funk e joe_funk@zd.com

He Who Must Be Occasionally Obeyed John Davison е john_davison@zd.com Creamblasting Managing Bator Dean Hager • dean_hager@zd.com | Boston Steamroom Clea ning Features Editor Crispin Boyer * crispin_boyer@zd.com Dirty Sanchez Enjoying Previews Editor Jan Hsu * dan hsuGzd.com É Arabian Goggles Wearing Consumer Hardware Editor Shawn Smith ө shawn_smith@zd.com Atomic Sit-Up Performing Associate Editor Che Chou е che chouGzd.com Ninja from the 69 Dimension uShi xGzd.com

USN: Contributing Poopblasters James Mielke * ‘багу Mollohan е Andrew Pfister e John Ricciardi e john ricciardiGzd.com • Sam Kennedy • SamQvideogames.com Joe Fielder * joe@videogames.com News Editor.. Thank God For _ Chris ‘CJ’ Johnston chris_johnston@zd.com d Legs Tricks Editor ferry Minnich e tricks@zd.com Tea Bagging West Coast Editor Wataru Maruyama * wat_maruyama@zd.com

Space Мап

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Cyril Wochok • cyril wochokGzd.com Stone-passin' Art Director

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Founder Steve Harris

lanager, Southwest fon

Aust Bureau f rcnt

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real-life faces, eye black, and breathe strips

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3rd generation Ultra Hi-Rez graphics for the ultimate in NFL realism

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Тһе PLAYERS IN ol America Inc. U їс. Ай Rights

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It started 5,000 years ago. It's going to end now: Can Lara Croft stop an ancient curse from plunging the world into madness? Get ready for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, the epic adventure with everything you've been

asking for. Seamlessly integrated gameplay апа ЕМУ sequences for non-stop action.

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CONTENTS

Game Directory

All-Star Tennis '99

Armada

Army Men: Air Attack Ballistic

Battle Тапх

BattleTanx: Global Assault Beserk

BoomBots

Centipede

Crisis Zone

Crusaders of Might and Magic Custom Robo

Daikatana 64

Dead or Alive 2

Demolition Racer Destruction Пегіу 64 Dragon Warrior Monsters Dukes of Hazzard; Racing for Home Dynamite Cop

Eternal Arcadia

Excitebike 64

Evolution Final Ра! Galerians

Game & Watch Gallery 3

Grand Theft Auto 2

Heroes of Might and Magic ІІ Hot Wheels

Hot Wheels Turbo Racing

Jet Force Gemini

Jet Moto 3

Kirby's Dreamland 64

Legend of Zelda Gaiden, The Legend of Zelda: Fruit of Mysterious Tree Magical Tetris Challenge Mario Party 2

Mini Racers

Mother 3

Mr. Nutz

MTV Jams: Music Creation NASCAR Rumble.

NFL Blitz 2000

NFL Quarterback Club 2000 NHL 2000

NHL FaceOff 2000

Nadesico The Mission

Но Fear Downhill Mountain Biking Paperboy

Prince of Persia 3D

Rayman 2 The Great Escape Red Dog

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis Re-Volt

Ringout 4X4

Rippin’ Riders

Road Rash 64

Roommania #203

Rugrats: Time Machine Shenmue

Soul Fighter

Super Runabout

Star Gladiators 2

Star Wars Episode 1 Phantom Menace Suikoden Il

Super Mario RPG 2

Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing Tail Concerto

Test Drive Le Mans

Test Drive Off Road 3

Test Drive Rally

Thousand Arms

TNN Motorsports Hardcore TR TOCA 2: Touring Car Challenge Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Toukon Retsuden 4

Toy Commander

TrickStyle

Virtua Fighter 3th

V-Rally 2

WCW Mayhem

Winback: Covert Operations Wings of Fury

World of Sacred Device ву Anthology

54 WineOut 3

Worms: Armageddon

Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena Warrior Princess: Talisman of Fate lombie Revenge

November 1999 Issue 124

What's the Deal with Pokémon? Whether you love the Sickeningly cute Pikachu or not, you gotta admit Nintendo's Pokémon is the reigning king of vid-game franchises. We cover EVERYTHING Pokémon in our 25-page blowout. pg 166

5) AN

Shenmue is the most amazing game we've played in awhile. pg 92

Hsu & Chan Thus begins the hilarious new comic we've added to our News section. pg 92

Grudge Match It's old- school RPG versus the state of the art when we pit Final Fantasy Anthology against the mighty Final Fantasy VIII. Surely FF Anthology can't win? Can it? рв 224

Jet Force Gemini review pg 242

12

‚ЖИНИ

Q Enitorial 6

Pokémon is the biggest sign yet that video games have “arrived.”

@ Letters 20 © News 44

More official news straight from Japan about the PlayStation 2.

@) Gossip 58

Metal Gear Solid 2, No more DC games from Namco, Tekken Tag to be PS2 launch game and more.

ow B8 Previews

12 Toy Commander and Star Gladiators 2 for the DC. The Legend of Zelda Gaiden and Super Mario RPG 2 for the N64. Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and Galerians for the PS. And more for GBC and Arcade.

Review Crew 232

This month we take on TrickStyle for the DC, Rayman 2 for the N64, FF Anthology for the PS and more.

Review Archive 258 @ PowerTools 228 © Tricks 266 © Get Some 218 @ The Final Word 282

The staff talks about the ins and outs of Pokémon in all of its $5.5 billion dollars of cuteness.

| [Ge Nintendo 64 | gb PlayStation ШЕ В Game Boy Color

FÎ Û Arcade

2 SONIC HAS А NEW

LIGHT SPEED DASH.

SONIC ADVENTURE |

Sega(9 Dreamcast.

IT’S THINKING

< TOO BAD YOUR LAME-ASS REFLERES ARE THE SAME d

| Yují Naka's warp speed 3D adventure through 40 expansive worlds of bonus rounds and minigames where

6 playable characters snowboard. play pinball. fly and even talk. moving 360° never felt so good. *.: sega.com -

Sega is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Sega, Dreamcast, the Dreamcast Logo and Sonic Adventure are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Enterprises, Ltd. OSEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD., 1999. All rights reserved.

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"The Critics have Spoken on the - Action /Adventure Game of the Year!"

"A technical achievement... "Soul Reaver is a deep game Soul Reaver delivers an epic piece possessed with a myriad of

of vampiric literature.. 93%" impressive little touches... 9/10" - IGNPSX.com - VideoGames.com

"Soul Reaver's environment's "98%" are jaw dropping."

- PS Extreme Magazine - Gaming-Age.com

"3D exploration and adventure at its finest... Game of the Month." - Expert Gamer Magazine

2,

A As Raziel, stalk Nosgoth feeding on the souls of your enemies

Engage your creator, Kain, in an epic struggle for dominance

Dark gothic story

No load times

DOS

C. DYNAMICS,

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

See page 289 for official rules

The E-Sak Legend

Ever since | learned about the man called Elephant Sak, | have been fascinated by him. | believe you will be shocked to see what | have found. While Searching West Turkey, | came across this: “Long ago, when the people of the world were new, one man rose above all. He was a strong man, and was made to conquer all. His name? Elephant Sak. He was the world’s greatest hero. From his birth, he was the greatest fighter on earth.

“From his birth, h fighter on earth.”

But something was missing. Over the years, E-Sak developed a great mastery of professional wrestling. Using his powers and mastery of moves, he joined the West Turkey wing of the WWF. After defeating all opponents that came his way, E-Sak needed a new rival. That is when he met the Llama of Death. The Llama of Death is revered world round as the most vile, evil llama to ever grace the earth. But E- Sak had an advantage. He was human. Elephant Sak and the Llama of Death had many great battles in the squared circle. Their greatest, perhaps, in the summer of 1976, where the Llama of Death and Mr. Face squared off against E-Sak and The Masked Guido, at the West Turkish WWF pay-per-view extravaganza, Royal Ackhmedah. Their battle is one that can never be forgotten. It started out as a regular

Elephant Sak is fast becoming something of a mascot for us. Lots of people seem to have picked up on his significance to us and have sent

tag-team match, but quickly became a spectacle of wrestling greatness. Great moves, great counter moves. Until the moment that changed West Turkish WWF wrestling forever. Elephant Sak had delivered his finishing move, Sak- o-Death, to Mr. Face when һе got the victory at 25 minutes and 33 seconds. It was a joyous time. People all over West Turkey gave praise to Elephant Sak and The Masked Guido. Well- earned respect had finally been bestowed upon Elephant Sak.

Three months after this historic

e was the greatest

match, Elephant Sak decided to prove his use elsewhere, and the elsewhere was WCW. Elephant Sak had proven himself in West Turkey; all that was left was America. Soon, E- Sak was on his way to the Americas, ready to beat all of his opponents. But when he made his debut on WCW, he was forced to job to Hollywood Hulk Hogan, because Hollywood didn't want to look weak in front of the fans. After this night, Elephant Sak was put in the jobber pool, and was quickly washed out of the ranks of WCW. Today, Elephant Sak has disappeared, but he can be seen all across American homes, in WWF Warzone and WWF Attitude. A small, but well-earned tribute to West Turkey's greatest and brightest star. Elephant Sak, we salute you." Adam Robinson monkey_savior@yahoo.com

pictures and other weirdness. This has to be the weirdest yet...but it certainly is appreciated. Who really is the Elephant Sak?

20

* Number of e-mails in EGM mailbox as response to Dreamcast issue (122): Over 4,000...twice what we normally һауе.

* Average number of e-mails to EGM@zd.com per month: 2,000

* Responses to our Review Crew position (Dept. E-Sak): Over 100

* Dept. E-Sak gets its unusual name from: Elephant Sak... EGM's special fighting character, as seen in all wrestling reviews since WWF Warzone.

* Who gets more mail? Elephant Sak, or Sushi-X?: Sushi-X

Zelda Is A Muslim?

| recently played through Zelda for the second time and noticed something interesting in the Fire Dungeon. | recognized the chanting you hear every once in a while from somewhere. Me being a Muslim American, | realized that it’s a prayer. Translated it means “God is greatest.” Has nobody else noticed this? Ameen Belbahri ameen2@excite.com

No one else seems to have noticed this...but the Zelda games are filled with imagery and ideas from the “real” world.

Bernie Stolar Was OK By Me

Some may be cheering Bernie Stolar’s recent separation from Sega of America. However, no one should forget that Bernie is largely responsible for the success of the Dreamcast in the USA. The inclusion of the 56k modem, major retailers getting back on board with Sega, most of the big developers and publishers supporting Dreamcast, and AT&T as the preferred ISP were all things Bernie worked hard for.

THE TONGUE =:

HOLIDAY 1999 FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 212.967.9111

LETTERS

Sure, Bernie made some mistakes (Working Designs comes to mind) but doesn’t everyone? In this long-time game player’s humble opinion Bernie did a pretty good job and he will be missed. His heart certainly seemed to be with the American gamer and Sega of America.

Besides, wasn’t it just too cool to call the COO of a large company by his first name and know that it was OK and expected? Thanks Bernie!

Glenn David Hanson glennhanson@webtv.net

It came as a big surprise to us all. The day the October issue of EGM went to press was when we heard about it. Although it’s normal for senior management to come and go, we were surprised by the timing of Bernie’s move. We were also surprised by the lack of sentiment in any of Sega’s communications about him. Regardless of what happened, as you say, he became the “face” of Sega— and became a name that people knew. As an evangelist for the “new” Sega, he was certainly effective.

Pokémon Has Anti Self-Abuse Message?

In the midst of all the Pokemania that’s going around, there’s one fact that seems to have gone unobserved; namely, the (ridiculous) length of Pikachu’s arms. Look how short they are! He couldn’t even put his hands together. And unless Pikachu isn’t anatomically correct, his arms are too short to reach his genitals. Is this an anti-masturbation message from Nintendo? Are they saying that if only

©ці. сот

Send us your thoughts, your wishes, your innermost weirdness. ..or your pictures, crazy screenshots or photos of bizarre game-related moments.

“Besides, wasn't it just too cool to call the 600 of a large company by his first name and know that it was OK and expected?”

The very bottom of the GM letters barrel.

You suck! andradeg@telnor.net

OK. Why?

EGM, it is grand, Whoever says it sucks should be smacked by my hand, Your mag is my bible, it's cooler than Nigel, yes...EGM is best. brianmlGaol.com

Thanks. Nigel Who?

You know what would be REALLY great? If you guys, as a testa- ment of your undying love to us subscribers, sent me every Dreamcast game and peripheral that will be coming out over the next year. sushijoel@aol.com

No.

NFL2k is the best- looking sports game for any system. This. is not an opinion, it is a fact. Change that bias rating system. because you are telling me Metal Gear Solid's blocky graphics are better?

spunky2iGstargate

.net

That's not what we're saying at all.

10 YEARS AGO

Mistaken Identity

From £6M issue Four | thought your article on the 16- Bit systems was awesome! | have а question about the TurboGrafx- 16 machine. You said it used cards similar to the Sega Master System's cards. Since they are close to identical, could you play Sega cards on the TurboGrafx, or vice versa? Joe Neikirk Montville, NJ

While they appear the same, the Sega Master System and the TurboGrafx are about as different as Super Mario Bros. One and Two! The cards used in the PC Engine, TurboGrafx and the new Atari hand-held are essentially the same as the cartridges used in the NES and other popular game machines.

humans were physically unable to masturbate, they'd rise above their animal instincts to a higher plane of existence, uncaring of base material

needs? Or is it possible that I’m reading

too much into this? Pika pika!

mr_integrity@yahoo.com

You know what? You might be reading just a little bit too much into it. Although you’re right...looking at

him more closely, it has to be said that

he probably can’t reach. But then, do we really know if he’s a boy or a girl?

Metal Gear Pocket

| think that it would be a smart move

by Konami to take the Metal Gear games for the original Nintendo, and convert them to Game Boy Color. I’m a huge Metal Gear Solid fan and have been trying to find the old Metal Gear games for Nintendo but have never

been lucky enough to get my hands on them. Do you guys know if Konami has

any plans? Or how about a version of

22

Question of the Moment

What do you think of Pokemon?

In the words of the world’s best metal band (Metallica): “KILL’EM ALL!”

bootwotoo@aol.com

What's Pokémon?? (1 still pretend it doesn't exist.) potvin@gwis.com

Pokémon are the coolest thing since sliced bread. dogmeat99@ignmail.com

| have to admit | was a little

skeptical at first but once | got it |

couldn’t stop playing it! piro615@aol.com

165 what America thrives off of: fads. Such as: Furby, Tamagotchi, Power Rangers, and the oh-so- wonderful Spice Girls. tartyparty@aol.com

| didn’t used to like Pokémon at all. Then my cousin recorded an episode and got the game and | found it kind of cool. The cartoon is interesting, the GB game is addictive, the N64 game is too Short and is not worth the money, and the CD is um...different. Nick O'Hair Calcium17@yahoo.com

| think parents everywhere are going broke buying Pokémon shet for their spoiled brat kids. mr_bigglesworth3626@ yahoo.com

Next Month’s Question of the Moment:

Donkey Kong...Nintendo savior, or just another franchise character?

Send your short but sweet responses to: EGM@zd.com with the subject heading: Donkey

ЕСМ Letters Р.0. Вох 3338 Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338

e-mail: EGM@zd.com

You can write EGM at:

Please note: We reserve the right to edit any correspondence for space purposes. If you don't want your name, city/state or e-mail address printed, tell us 50 (but please include your phone number and mailing address for Letter of the Month consideration).

LETTERS

Metal Gear Solid for Game Boy? That would be cool. Safe Al-Attar, Fremont, CA sharpstyle@aol.com

Last thing we heard was that Konami had been considering lots of

options on this front, but had settled on releasing a version of Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy Color. No release details are available yet, but we'll bring you news and screenshots as soon as we get anything.

| was just wondering, do you think there is any possibility that a Quake game would be released for the Dreamcast? I’m sure | am not the only person out there who would love to see some massive fragging on Sega’s new system.

barcodbaby@aol.com

As we've reported several times іп

both the News section and in QMann, Quake III: Arena is currently in development for Dreamcast, although no release details are available yet. We quoted John Carmack last month when he spoke at QuakeCongg...and things seem very hopeful that something would be ready soon.

Converted To

“Hey Sega... didn’t you want people to know апош this Dreamcast thing?” | think you guys are cool because you're not putting a bad rap on the Dreamcast and you're actually going along with it. | read your preview on Dreamcast in issue 122 and that really made me want it. Bryan Leon BSaiyajin@aol.com ‘Tm sure I'm Before we worked on that feature, not the only we (as a bunch of avid gamers) had person out the same reservations as everyone there who else. We hadn’t been impressed by the would love to Japanese launch, and we were wary of see some Sega's Internet plans. After we'd spent massive time with Sega though, we became fragging on believers...and the feature was Sega’s new something that we hoped could be system.” enlightening for everyone.

$100m Worth?

| was watching MTV the other day and | came across a commercial for the Dreamcast. Do | see the DC in action though? No. Instead | get to see some guy who looks like he's on acid...and then for a VERY brief second, the Dreamcast symbol. Hey Sega...didn't you want people to know about this thing?

db3db3@hotmail.com

Craig Nicholas Petaluma, CA

Close, but no controller

Bad luck to these guys...better luck next time. Feel free to e-mail us artwork as well. More of our messages are e-mails these days-so don't miss out!

Congratulations, your prize is on the way-an ASCII Specialized Control Pad for the PlayStation. It features rapid-fire controls for all buttons and slow motion for those intense moments.

The ASCII Control Pad

Put your creative skills to the test by decking out a #10 envelope (the long business type) with your own unique touch. Send your letter art to:

EGM Letter Art

РО Box 3338 À Oak Brook, IL

60522-3338

(All entries become the property of ZD Inc. and will not be returned!)

Kristopher Joesel South Lyon, MI

Flavio T. Tajiri Guaratingueta, Brazil

INTRODUCING THE NEWEST WAY TO PLAY BASKETBALL

Camera angles that put you in the action

Addictive gameplay that's fast and fun

Also on PlayStation" game console

` HINTERACTIVE|.

©1999 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. “Fox, "Fax Sports," "Fox Sports Net," "Go-To-Guy," "Fox Sports Interactive," "Fox Interactive,” "Twentieth Century Fox” and their associated logos ore trademarks and the property of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The NBA ond individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this produc ore registered trademarks ond copyrighted designs, and/or ather forms of intellectual property that are the exclusive property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective member teams ond тоу not be used, in whole or in рап, without he prior writen consent of NBA Properties, In. ©1999 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved, Windows and the Windows logo ore either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation їп the United States and/or other countries. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Manufactured and printed in the U.S.A. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. THIS SOFTWARE 15 COMPATIBLE WITH PLAYSTATION GAME CONSOLES WITH THE NTSC U/C DESIGNATION. U.S. AND FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING.

log on for more info, screenshots and downloads

]

2

4 PlayStation

www.squaresoft.com Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C.

© 1999 Square Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. FINAL FANTASY, SQUARESOFT, and the SQUARE SOFT logos are registered trademarks of Square Co., Lid. О а double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. The ratings icon is а trademark of the Interactive Software Association.

COLLECTORS PACKAGE

FINAL FANTASY ANTHOLOGY.

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This special package includes stunning, all-new CG cinemas unique to this collection

Ж Contains а bonus soundtrack CD featuring favorite music from both games

MILD ANIMATED VIOLENCE, COMIC MISCHIEF

Vis wor ваго org or call 14092713771 "tor rating information.

SOUARE SOFT: E

FINAL FANTASY, SOUARESOFT, and the SOUARE SOFT logo are registered trademarks of Square Co., Ltd. FINAL FANTASY ANTHOLOGY is a trademark of Square Co., Ltd. U.S. Patent No. 5390937, 5649862. The MUSIC FROM FFV AND FFVI VIDEO GAMES is provided exclusively by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. and is not developed or sponsored by Sony Computer Entertainment America or other Sony affiliates.

$9,000,000,000

That's a lot of zeroes. Yep, $5 billion is the amount of money the Pokémon franchise has taken to date. That's for the games, the toys and all the other knicknacks.

LETTERS

To Be Continued

15 it just me or did anyone else feel a

It's supposed to be a "teaser" and no doubt by now you've seen the full campaign, complete with some of the

completely frustrating. | was left with a sense of incompletion. When I fought Kain the second time, in the clock

game ads. We think they're pretty cool...almost like mini-movies. The early stuff was maybe a bit too vague though, relying too much on gamers' knowledge about the system.

Living, La Vida

little shocked at the ending of Soul Reaver? It was like buying a 500-page book only to discover there is only

writing on 250 sheets and that it ended

in the middle of an action sequence. Now don't get me wrong, I’m not bashing Soul Reaver as a game, in fact it is one of the best I’ve ever laid my

Loca "Instead of hands on. The beginning, gameplay, audacity of people who would do such wanting graphics and in-game events were a thing, it came to me. Instead of In an age where gaming companies gamers to fantastic; however, the ending was wanting gamers to really enjoy a are trying to come up with the next big really enjoy a thing, | believe | have stumbled upon n WEN UE 3 completed this so-called *Big Thing." Ricky Martin Work, they is a hot Latin star and is currently the а = clever? The PlayStation rules! Sto | biggest thing to hit America, while want 10 eek as Stop Bitching being biased. ^ | console gaming is at its highest point much money - David Kzinski, СА | it’s been in some time. So it's only as they can out About Bias | natural that the two go together, right? 01 Ші deal.” | feel, personally, that Sega is | Welcome to "Ricky Martin: Livin' La going to make a comeback. | feel | Vida Loca." You are Ricky as you help the шелш БЕ Ее | him find the real meaning of “Living the popular. т thinking of buying one | Eee T | myself and praying to God that | crazy life." Ricky explores his 3D, fully | I'm just online and reading your Sega doesn't screw this up. Don't | latest issue right now (September blame the media. Everything they 1999 Dreamcast cover). But say about a system, in the terms of anyway...l'm just sick and tired of whether it's good or bad, is opinion. people accusing you guys of being EGM is a good magazine, and is not | biased toward a certain system. biased. Open your eyes. They are | mkyxpress@aol.com not out there to ruin Sega’s chance | of a comeback. | Why is your mag so biased? I david.hobson@ss.austin.tx.us | | used to get it but now | get Next | | беп because it sickens me how This ridiculous paranoia has to | much you butt-kiss Sony. stop. The fact that we get letters | falcoriooQaol.com saying the same thing about all | к systems just goes to prove how | interactive world with his good friend You guys are loyalists to the silly this is. All game systems are | Yoda. Together they try to foil the PlayStation, and act like the N64 is fantastic...just because you're | devilish James Van Der Beek from 5***. You've already destroyed the particularly loyal to one, doesn't | Dawson's Creek. It seems that Mr. Van Saturn, and | guess it isn't as easy mean that others are bad. It also | Der Beek is stealing all the craziness to destroy the best home console doesn't mean that there is | ds : system in the world, the N64. The evidence of bias where there is not. | out of Ricky's world and he has to get it fact is, Nintendo has bigger, better, Games are а form of entertainment | back. Other teen heartthrobs make higher-quality games than the PS (just like movies or music) and | guest appearances such as Britney will ever, so you can tell Sony to. that's how we look at them and | Spears and the Backstreet Boys. This stop paying EGM, because it's not rate them. If we feature more PS | game will be big for two reasons: gonna work. Don't forget that the games, it's simply because more | 1. Ricky Martin is dreamy and 2. Ricky “И seems N64 had two games that were Я are released. We endeavor to cover | Martin is a hottie. Although | haven't considered the greatest of all time ALL video games. You'll find that found a publi ізі that Mr. Van (Zelda and Mario), as opposed to we've rated the “good” games оп publisher yet, | feel it's just a M ч Я E Der Beek is the PS's zero. all systems accordingly—and we'll | matter of time. | have included a sneak 2 у > | Е stealing all 5раго85 ао!.сот continue to do so. There is no | рее gams the craziness conspiracy and по favoritism..we | poopington@aol.com ut of Ricky’ Why do you guys always give just say it like we see И. If a game's | out of Ricky's Nintendo games better scores than good, it’s worth shouting about, | I don’t think there’s any responseto World and he PlayStation games? Why аге you 50 regardless of what system it’s on. | that which could really convey what has to get it biased? 15 it just because Sony is so It’s all supposed to be fun. Chill | I'm feeling right now. back.” successful? Are you trying to be out, they’re games. |

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64 EVERYONE a E | Y №. Destruction Derby 64 ©1999 Psygnosis Ltd. ades t by Looking Glass Studios. N64 Version Published exclusively by THO Inc. under license from Psygnosis. Destruction Derby, Psy nosis and the Psygnosis logo are ® and TM of Psygnosis Ltd. THO and the THQ logo are trademarks of ESRB’ THO INC. Nintendo, The Official Seal, Nintendo 64 and the 3-0 "М" Logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. тм

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PlayStation ®

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

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PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sega and Sega Dreamcast are trademarks of SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD. All rights reserved. Game Boy Color is a reg- istered trademark of Nintendo of America inc. © 1989, 1999 Nintendo of America Inc. All rights reserved. LIGHTENING F-150 AND GT40 TRADEMARK(S) USED UNDER LICENSE FROM FORD MOTER COMPANY. Test Drive is a registered trademark of Accolade, Inc. Test Drive 6 © 1999 Accolade Inc. All rights reserved. Created by Pitbull Syndicate. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

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TOO BIG TO BE A МОМ

{ Can an adventure be too big? Can mayhem be too crazy? To find out, join Donkey Kong? huge new worlds that go on forever. You'll meet Donkey and Diddy's new friends, Lanky

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LETTERS

Got a game-specific question for our resident Ninja? Write him at:

Sushi-K

PO Box 3338 Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 e-mail: sushi x&zd.com

Q: Has Street Fighter EX2 or any of the SFIII series made it to the PlayStation yet? Mario Sanchez Sansares CD. Victoria, Tamps Mexico

A: Neither has appeared on the PlayStation, and at this late stage, it is unlikely Capcom will take the time to rework these games for an older platform. Remember, SF EX2 runs on a System 12, while SFIII is pure CPS3 driven. A PlayStation version would mostly likely suck. My ninjas in Japan tell me that Capcom is working on SFIII for the Dreamcast though, so we'll see.

Q: Hi Sushi-X, | wanted to know your opinion about Tekken Tag Tournament and what the best game for the PlayStation is. Also, what's your favorite game? Fernando A. Nunez Brazil

A: Fernando, personally, І think ТТТ is Namco's way of tiding players over until Tekken 4 hits proper on the PlayStation 2. Even if it's just Tekken 3 with an extra button, the game has enough added value to give it a different feel. It's not coming to the PS though so don't hold your breath. Best fighting game on the PS is SFA3, duh! And my favorite game is the DC version of SFA3, duh!

Q: When is Chrono Trigger 2 coming out, and for what system? bettenha@bvsd.k12.co.us

A: Chrono Trigger 2 is coming to the PlayStation this winter in Japan and it’s supposed to hit these shores sometime next year. Oh, and you know that they’re rereleasing Chrono Trigger for the PlayStation in Japan, right?

Q: Are they ever going to make another Spawn game? And do you think they should remake Mortal Kombat 1 or 2 for the PS or N64? Alex Solorzano Grand Terrace, CA

A: Yes and for the love of all that is decent, no.

X

Electronic Gaming Monthly - 40 - www.videogames.com

THE LOWEST SCORE EVER

The lowest score EGM has ever given ANYTHING went

to the N64 version of Superman by Titus. Johnny England wasr't a fan.

completed work, they want to eek as much money as they can out of this deal. The bigwigs probably figured, “Why put it all in one package, when we can wait a few months and charge another 50 dollars for the second half?"

dragonzj@aol.com

When we produced our cover feature for the February 99 issue of EGM, there were indications that the game would be much bigger. Speaking with the producers it seemed that the original plan was for the game to be much bigger. All of Raziel’s brothers were supposed to be bosses, the glyphs more significant, there were to be forges for sound and water...and Raziel was supposed to learn an ability that would let him shift between realms at will. The stuff was removed for a variety of reasons (see News for full story) — but the result does leave something of an Empire Strikes Back-ness to the whole thing doesn’t it? It’s still a great game though, eh?

You have to give Superman a little credit. At least they give you the option to increase the difficulty as you go along, instead of playing the whole game

on easy, only having to start all over again on

hard. kevinlot@aol.com

You may be clutching at straws there somewhat. Face it, Superman is one of the worst games ever made.

| want to know why there aren’t more European games being brought

over here. As an Englishman living in Mexico City | own an NTSC PSX and N64, but this means | cannot play games that are only released in Europe such as Premier Manager 99, Brian Lara Cricket, UEFA Champions and other sports management games. This sucks! Why don’t they release any of these games? | am desperate for some kind of soccer management sim, anything! Do you know if there are any plans to release any of these games, or other games previously only available in Europe? Thomas Schaller thegooner@mail.com P.S. John, what soccer team do you support, and do you know if Michael Owen's World League Soccer will be released in the States?

Soccer's getting bigger here...but it's going to be a while before you see management games | would imagine. As for the specifically English football stuff...that isn't going to happen as it's too uniquely Anglo-centric. If you have a PC, you might want to look at Championship Manager 3 (from Eidos in U.K.) instead. It's the best there is. Check out www.gamespot.co.uk for info—and demos of some of the other games you're interested in.

P.S. Nottingham Forest and no, it probably won't.

* Last month, Ready 2 Rumble should have received a Silver Award...not a Platinum. It's good, but not that good.

* And before anyone else writes to us...yes, we know, Mario Golf needed a Silver Award in issue 122. This has been amended in the Review Archive.

* In our Pac-Man World review we accidentally mentioned Capcom instead of Namco in the text.

* Finally, in our Pokémon Snap preview we got Todd and Ash mixed up a little. Simple mistake. We don't get up. that early on Saturdays.

The instigators of all of these problems have been strung up and forced to play Superman.

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Press Start

By Chris Johnston chris johnstonezd.com

The Hottest Gaming News on the Planet

PlayStation 2 A Reality

ept. 13 began with an earthquake rocking Tokyo. That night, Sony rocked Japan in a different way. It's now official—the name of what Sony has been calling the *Next-Generation PlayStation" since last March is PlayStation 2. Why they just couldn't have called it that from the beginning, we don't know. The system will

If you thought Namco did a good job with Soul Calibur on Dreamcast, wait until you see what they've done with Tekken Tag. Not only are the characters super-detailed, but individual blades of grass move, there is superb water effects, and each arena is fully 3D-not just a single bitmapped texture. Some stages even have spectators watching the fights. Tekken Tag is a launch title.

be released in Japan on March 4, 2000 for a price of 39,800 yen (about $375). This is the same price the original PlayStation was introduced at in 1994. Steep, yes, but you get a lot for that money. Included in the package is one Dual Shock 2 controller, one high-capacity 8MB memory card, a PlayStation 2 demo disc, AV Multi cable and an AC power cord. The system will also be able to play DVD movies, straight from the box.

SCEI President Ken Kutaragi hosted the conference, opening it by saying that Sony's approach with this new system isn't simply to conquer the new generation of the video game market, but to establish a new Computer Entertainment Market. "It was a great challenge to come up with a design for PlayStation 2." Will it look more like a PC? Surely, it doesn't look like any console video game system ever released.

Gone is the gray color

44

synonymous with the PlayStation, replaced by blue and black. According to the system's designer, Mr. Koto, the black represents the infinity of the universe, with the blue representing the Earth (the water planet). Just when you thought the days of a front-loading CD tray were over, it's back with the PlayStation 2. The “Р5” logo will remain the same, although a very futuristic-looking PS2 logo adorns the top of the machine. There are two controller ports...not four, as we had expected, apparently due to cost-saving measures —and two memory card slots on the front of the machine just like the first PlayStation, but there's also two USB connectors and an i.Link ІЕЕЕ1394 on the front for future expansion. On the back is a Type III PCMCIA card slot for things like modems and ethernet cards (for cable modem and broadband communications, all part of the PS2's future). Also in the back is an optical out for Dolby Digital AC-3 and DTS sound. You can position the system in two different ways: horizontally, or vertically with an optional stand (sold separately). Surprisingly, when you place a disc in the CD tray while it's vertical, it doesn't fall out. It reads

as DVD keep cases.

CD-ROMs at a 24x speed, and DVDs at 4x. Perhaps that will mean faster loading not only for PS2 games, but PS1 games as well.

Sony's Dual Shock 2 will be released simultaneously with the system (available separately for 3500 yen— $33), and is an evolved version of Sony's analog controller. All the buttons (except Select and Start) on the Dual Shock 2 are analog, based on how hard you're pressing the buttons. It's also backward-compatible with all previous Dual Shock games. We were able to take it for a test drive after Sony's presentation, and it doesn't feel any different than the regular Dual Shock. All previous peripherals made for PlayStation 1 (except devices that plugged into that system's expansion port, like the GameShark) can be used on PlayStation 2, including the PocketStation. And although there's still no firm plans to bring PocketStation to the U.S., it wouldn't be surprising to see a new model of PocketStation for PlayStation 2 which incorporates the technology of the new 8MB memory card.

Speaking of which, also packed in with the system and available separately at launch is a new High Capacity 8МВ memory card (also 3500 yen— $33). Just to compare, the original PlayStation memory card was 256k, so the new card has over 30 times the memory capacity of the old one. It's also super-fast...up to 250 times faster data access than the current PS memory card. It also has encryption techniques (called *MagicGate") built in that will be used when Sony introduces its network plans for 2001 and beyond.

Games will be delivered on both CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. Instead of the traditional black CDs, PlayStation 2 CD-ROMs will be blue in color. PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM titles will come on silver discs. Jewel cases have been replaced by plastic Amaray cases...already in wide use with DVD. To illustrate this, Sony showed off a prototype box of Gran Turismo 2000.

PlayStation 2 is not going to have anything to worry about as far as software support is concerned. So far, 46 North American and 27 European companies have joined with 89 Japanese publishers to develop titles for the system. There are currently 84 titles in development, with another 128 titles tentatively planned for release sometimes within the first year or so of the system's availability. Sony showed the crowd a video of five selected launch titles: Gran Turismo 2000 (SCEI), Tekken Tag Tournament (Namco), Kessen (Koei), Dark Cloud (SCEI) and The Bouncer (Square/Dream Factory), all of which were demonstrated for attendees after the show along with Street Fighter EX3 (Capcom), Densen (SCEI), Unison (Tecmo),

| The retail boxes will be the same

Screen shots from top to bottom: Armored Core 2, Boku to Maoh (The King and I), XFire, Onimusha, Ridge Racer, Street Fighter EX 3, Gran Turismo 2000

Eternal Ring (From Software), Take the A-Train (Artdink) and Popolocrois 111 (SCEI). Among the developers working on games are Atlus, Capcom, Chun Soft, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Enix, Konami, Namco, SNK, Square, Tecmo, Titus, Infogrames, Ubi Soft, Acclaim, Activision, Agetec, LucasArts, Midway, THQ, Working Designs and The 3DO Company. Big titles on the "in development" list include a Bio Hazard (Resident Evil) series game from Capcom, Bust A Move 3 and Star Ocean 3 from Enix, Gradius 111 & IV from Konami, Bloody Roar 3 and Bomberman 2001 from Hudson, a new Ridge Racer and 500 GP from Namco, |.Q. Remix е (Intelligent Cube Remix) from SCEI, Tenchu 2 from + Sony Music, Ninja Gaiden (called *Kunai" in Japan) ү from Tecmo, a new Cool Boarders game from UEP Systems and Robocop and Roadsters Trophy 2000 from Titus.

Starting from 2001, Sony will offer network communication options, but not via modem. Instead, Sony is jumping straight to broadband, through an ethernet connection via cable modem. Sony will release a hard disk drive to take advantage of the speed, allowing gamers to download game data and demos. The company also plans on offering various e-distribution services, which will be helped along by the encryption technology utilized in the new memory cards.

The development system for PS2 games is a slightly larger version of the system which can be networked together for easier game creation. The dev system itself has two modes of operation: a regular PS programming/debugging mode and a workstation mode, allowing tools to be used ina Linux development environment, putting all the tools needed to create a game on Р52 іп one box, without the need for a separate PC.

Sony expects to sell a million units within the first two days of the system’s availability. U.S. and European launch dates are still scheduled for

fall 2000. E

45

Кошак Interactive

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Web Site: www.kodiakgames.com

Current Project(s): WCW Mayhem (N64 and PlayStation).

Some of our favorite wrestling video games include: Fire Pro Wrestling — Six Men Scramble. The original Tag-Team Wrestling, along with Taito's Mat Mania and Mania Challenge provided coin-op players the chance to finally become participants in the glorious world of professional wrestling. But as far as the current generation goes, THQ/Asmik's WCW/NWO Revenge is the current champ. Most challenging aspect of developing a wrestling video game is: Some try to be “Mortal Kombat with Wrestlers,” but we | decided that our priority was to provide the players with an easy-to-control game with an authentic look in terms of moves and environments. Providing controls and Al which equally satisfy beginners and hardcore Wrestling fans was the ultimate challenge in building the game.

The most exciting thing about the next- generation systems, is, in our opinion: Being able to add back to the game all of the cool design ideas that end up on the cutting room floor due to technical limitations of the current machines.

If there’s one thing we would change about this industry, it’s: The constant pressure to build compelling titles in a short deadline—driven by the undeniable fact that Christmas comes but once a

| year. Second, the frequency of platform transitions is both great and horrible. Everyone’s excited about the potential, but the economic realities are harsh. Story behind our name: Our company’s president was raised by friendly Alaskan bears that were a lot of fun to play with, hence the title, “Kodiak Interactive.” It was either that or we couldn’t come up with anything we liked better.

Game Boy Gets Advanced

In the wake of its Space World expo, Nintendo announced the next generation of Game Boy hardware, tentatively called Game Boy Advance. The system will feature a 32-Bit RISC-based CPU at its heart, developed by UK- based ARM Corp. (who develops CPUs for cellular phones) which will be able to display 65,000 colors simultaneously. The new system will be able to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles, but those developed for the Game Boy Advance will not play on any previous incarnations of the portable.

Game Boy Advance will also have the ability to connect to a cellular phone (or a PHS phone in the case of Japan) for Internet connectivity such as downloading games, e-mail and chat. Though if that will be achieved with any kind of intuitiveness on a handheld game system is Still unknown. Nintendo says that a digital camera device will be made available for the unit (not the existing Game Boy Camera) that will allow you to see your opponent while playing network games on the Advance.

The most interesting part of Nintendo's announcement is that they are partnering with Konami to form Mobile 21, a jointly held

software development company which will create games for the new handheld. Staff members from both Nintendo and Konami will be brought to Metro 21, which will not only develop games for the Advance, but Dolphin as well. There will be some kind of connection between the new handheld and the Dolphin, which will likely become clear as the release of both systems gets closer.

Nintendo Co. Ltd. Chairman Hiroshi Yamauchi said that he sees the new handheld and its network capabilities as a way to explore new ways of multiplayer gaming, likening the system to a personal communications terminal more than a video game system.

Game Boy Advance will be released in August 2000 in Japan, and Christmas 2000 in the U.S. and Europe. A retail price for the system has not been announced.

But the real question in all this is: Do we need another Game Boy system that isn't backlit, isn't even up to the resolution of the NES, and has a slightly smaller screen? More colors and 32-Bit, yes, but at what price?

www.nintendo.com

GAME BOY COLOR VS. GAME BOY ADVANGE

4/8 Bit 780 work-alike at

8mhz

LCD: Reflective TFT Color LCD

(By Sharp) Display Size: Resolution: Maximum colors displayed: 56 colors

Weight:

Approx. 138g Power Supply: 2 AA batteries Battery Life: Launch Date: Nov. 15, 1998

Suggested Retail Price: $69.99

58.42mm x 58.42тт

166 x 144 pixels

Approx. 78mm (Н) x 133.5mm (W) x 27.4mm (D)

20 hours of play

Memory embedded 32-Bit RISC CPU (core design by ARM)

Reflective TFT Color LCD (By Sharp)

40.8mm x 61.2mm 240 x 160 pixels 65,000 colors

Approx. 80mm (Н) x 135mm (W) x 25mm (D)

Approx. 140g

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Christmas 2000 (North America and Europe)

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EVIDENCE

CASE DATE 1972

я | ow — 3 GT Interactive “> Q e Software PlayStation REFLECTIONS

PlayStation 2 Hacks Up Furballs

Bizarre Creations' cartoony Dreamcast (and PS2!) action shooter Furballs will be published by Acclaim... Rockstar announced that it has signed on a variety of top-level hip-hop groups for Thrasher: Skate and Destroy. Run DMC, Public Enemy, The Sugar Hill Gang, The Freestylers and Sniper are among those lending their musical fingerprints to the game, which hits stores in November...Sony is working on a sequel to Alundra in Japan (Working Designs released the first one in the U.S.)...Midway’s next Blitz-type sports arcade game will be a baseball title, and Off-Road Thunder (developed by Kalisto) is on the way...Ubi Soft is not only bringing out Evolution for Dreamcast, but may continue a relationship with ESP, bringing out Evolution 2 and Grandia 2 outside of Japan...THQ has announced it will publish games for Dreamcast. The first will be Felony Pursuit in Spring 2000...SCEA has set a release date for Gran Turismo 2 in the U.S.—December 7... Medieval 2 is coming to PlayStation...Hasbro Interactive's less- than-stellar Centipede is coming to Dreamcast...Sony’s injunction against Bleem! has been denied, meaning it’s clear sailing for the emulator at least until the official trial begins next year...The co-creator of Mortal Kombat, John Tobias, along with two other original MK team members have left Midway to pursue other opportunities. It’s not known what those are yet, but we're sure this won't be the last we hear from them...Chrono Trigger will be re- released on the PS this winter in Japan, with new animated sequences. Let’s hope Square brings it out here!

3 | 0 у ü ü | Over 300,000 Dreamcast

If you've been playing Eidos/Crystal Dynamics' Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and were puzzled by the game's abrupt end, you're not alone. Some of the things that the team originally planned for the game were changed/taken out before its release. And, if you go back and read the feature story we did on the game in EGM #115 (February 1999), you might notice that some of the story line and gameplay elements we told you about aren't in the final game.

Why? We spoke with Amy Hennig, the game's producer/director to clear up why the game changed during development. Hennig told us, “Тһе decision to split it into two games was actually made several months ago, it's not something we decided at the very last minute, just to rush the product to the shelves. We realized a while back that we had essentially over-designed the game, and that the epic story we wanted to convey was too ambitious for a single product. Once we came to terms with this realization, we had a difficult decision to make— should we further delay the game's release, or should we bite the bullet and leave Soul Reaver with a cliffhanger ending, to be resolved in the (already-planned) sequel?

“Realistically, the former really wasn't an option—there were both internal and external pressures to get the game out, without any further delays. And so, somewhat reluctantly, we decided to make it a two-parter— and despite our own disappointment, we realized that this decision was really a blessing in disguise. Because of schedule pressures, we felt we had already compromised the latter portion of the game, squeezing characters and story events into too small a space, and too short a time. We had abandoned cool ideas and mechanics, because there wasn't time to do everything we wanted to do. Saving these ideas for the sequel meant that we could give them the breadth and care that they deserved."

Hennig told us that areas excised from the final product amount to only a small fraction of what appears in the final game— speculations that a half or a third of the game was deleted are simply inaccurate. (For those familiar with the game, the deleted terrain is the equivalent of the Silenced Cathedral level). And, most were areas that the team wasn't that happy with or felt that spending time on them rather than areas that were going in the right direction wouldn't be the

48

systems were pre-sold prior to the Sept. 9 launch date.

most effective use of time.

"Those gamers who have avowedly completed and enjoyed Soul Reaver (even with the cliffhanger ending) should not feel differently about the game after hearing about the edits,” she said. “For someone who took до hours to complete Soul Reaver, the deleted material would have only accounted for another 4-5 hours of gameplay.

“The main thing | want to convey to fans of the Kain series is that the team and | are 110 percent committed to this franchise, and care deeply about it,” she said. “There’s no corporate conspiracy to cheat the consumer, to get two games out of one game’s worth of material. We simply just felt that we were compromising Kain’s epic story by trying to cram too many major events into the last 10 percent of Soul Reaver. | agree that Soul Reaver’s ending was abrupt, and | would have loved the time to make it more elegant. But I'm confident we made the right decision in saving these events for a full-fledged, follow- up title; for fans of the Kain story, this was the best possible decision we could have made."

www.eidosinteractive.com

Amy Hennig, producer of Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver, explains why the game changed so much between our feature and the final product released in late August.

remain focused.

Mastery of the Fo

requires that one `

í purge all unnecessary } are you doing here? " рі En /

activities from daily life.

STAR: WARE THE PHANTOM MENACE

Prepare to immerse yourself in the epic adventure that is The Phantom Menace. As the central character, you will journey to all the stunning locations of Episode I, where you are destined to play a decisive role in every key event. All-consuming? Yes. But then, there's no such thing as a part-time Jedi.

2 8

www.lucasarts.com/products/phantommenace www.starwars.com

© Lucasfilm Ltd & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 3D accelerator hardware required for PC version.

Ever Driven 200 MPH?

On a rain-slicked, twisting track? with 15 other And laughing about i? In that cocky English

pee ‚ Actual screenshots from PC version.

Drive for 8 official teams with 16 Race in varied weather conditions Seize the lead against up to 8 customizable cars, including Honda, оп up to 18 complex, specially players via a PC network and up Ford and Nissan. designed circuits. to 4 with PlayStation:

drivers? ди trying to ГИП you ОН the road? accent? rna: really, really

pisses you OFF?

m. Е

Race for gritty glory in full-throttle, full-contact British touring car competitions. You've got to learn the tracks and know your limits before

you'll earn the victory lap on these shores. Consider it payback for the Revolution.

тана The Ultimate Head-to-Head Racing Sim. Ж

7 play modes, with multiple difficulty levels, welcome beginners and challenge experts.

OFFICIAL GAME OF THE AUTO TRADER RAC BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

www.toca2.com

Codemasters (f, ; VAUXHALL a Бу,

www.activision.com Available for PC CD-ROM and PlayStation® game console.

десен

Nintendo’ $ Long-Delayed 6400 | Sees the Light of Day in Japan

125 been a long time in coming, but the 6400 is finally a reality—in Japan, at least.

The current plan is that it will be released around Dec. 1, although an official launch

date for the system in Japan hasn't been announced. Nintendo and Recruit have set up a new company, RandNet DD, which will handle the DD and its online service (RandNet). The online service will offer downloadable games and extra data for existing games (such as extra tracks, cars or playable characters), multiplayer online gaming, a "spectator" option where you can watch online game tournaments taking place, e-mail magazines and MP3-encoded music, to name just a few of the services planned. Web browsing and e-mail will of course come standard.

While speculation puts the 64DD at a 15,000 yen ($138) price point, the exact pricing details of the system and its online service, as well as retail availability of the DD haven't been announced yet. The DD setup comes with the N64 modem cartridge, a modular phone cable, the N64 Memory Expansion Pak, the 64DD itself and a Member Disk, allowing you to access the Internet and special members-only Web pages.

Nine titles for the DD were showcased at Space World: Kyojin no Doshin 1 (Doshin the Giant 1), F-Zero Expansion Kit, SimCity 64, Yousuke Ide's Mahjong School, Gendai Daisenryaku: Ultimate War, Japan Pro Golf Tour 64, Talent Studio, Paint Studio and DT.

Kyojin no Doshin 1 (Doshin the Giant)

This is perhaps the wackiest N64 game yet. You star as a big yellow giant on a tropical island. Since you're so big, you have the run of the place, deciding what to do. For instance, you could decide to smash houses or raise the land, build or smash mountains, etc. Depending on how you act, you'll grow in size and enner become good or evil. And, ‚ even

mente uza зета она ақтамай.

Games available at the launch of the 6400 in December include Sim City 64 (top left), F- Zero Expansion Kit (top right), Paint Studio (bottom left) and Talent Studio (bottom right).

after you've turned the game off, time marches on in the tropical paradise, so you could turn it on the next day to find that something's happened. It's possible that this game will

see a release in the U.S. on cartridge.

F-Zero Expansion Kit

Just as it sounds, the F-Zero Expansion Kit allows you to edit and save your own tracks (up to 100) for F-Zero X. There's also two additional cup races of new, pre-programmed tracks, and you can save up to three ghost racers for each course.

SimCity 64

As mayor, you decide the fate of your city as you build it from the

ground up. With Paint Studio you can edit characters in the game, and even put yourself in there!

Talent Studio/Paint Studio

These two titles are part of the Mario Artist series. Paint Studio is much like Mario Paint, but you can use the Game Boy Camera and the 64 GB Pak to put yourself in your pictures! Talent Studio is just as fun, where you can create whole scenes with your face plastered on a polygon body to dance around, fight or whatever else you can think of.

Some of these games might show up in the U.S. as cartridge games, but how that'll be handled and when they'll be released has not been announced yet.

www.nintendo.com

When you get a 64DD, it comes with everything you need (at left, except the N64 itself, of course). That cartridge is the modem cart. RandNet DD, formed by Nintendo and Recruit, will handle releasing all the DD games and its online service.

re HOUSE Se DEAD 2 Sega(9'Dreamcast.

IT'S THINKING

prs - <. APPARENTLY YOWO RATHER SUCK HATCHET

new characters travel branching paths on 6 intense levels for ultimate replayability to confront over 20

kinds of mutants with hatchets. chainsaws and razor sharp teeth. check your shorts for cake. ”.: sega.com

Sega is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Sega, Dreamcast, the Dreamcast Logo and The House of the Dead are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Enterprises, Ltd. © SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD., 1999. All rights reserved.

While at Space World "99, we had а chance to sit down with Shigeru Miyamoto to talk about Dolphin, game development, and his feelings on the next generation of game consoles. Here's what he had to say:

EGM: What's your involvement in Zelda Gaiden?

SM: | can't be involved as completely as | usually am. From time to time l'Il be involved at certain points in the development, but I have restrained myself from making specifications for the game.

EGM: What types of games do you want to see re-made or sequelized for Dolphin?

SM: | think from now [on], and even оп Dolphin, there will be Nintendo games [and sequels] and although | won't be deeply involved in their development, you are going to feel the Nintendo touch in many games.

So in other words, while | won't be deeply involved in the process of developing a sequel, you'll feel the same way when playing those games as when | once worked on them. | think

the biggest difference between being the producer and being the director is, if you are director you can check each phase of the game yourself in order to confirm that it's your game so that you can feel what it is like to touch the game itself. For example, F-Zero and Yoshi, when you look at these games, you realize that they have more of the touch of other directors. I’m kind of trying to oversee the overall process, and then ask each of the directors to take care of the game so they can reflect on their own individual touch. While, a game like Legend of Zelda, | want my own touch to be reflected sharply.

EGM: Personally, would you like to see a Wave Race game on Dolphin? SM: Yes, definitely (laughs). Even when we were working on Wave Race, we realized that the N64 was not powerful enough for that kind of game. Specifically, we wanted to make very detailed movements for the waves, at least as detailed as what Wave Race was for N64. In the case of Dolphin that should be easily done. EGM: What about Dolphin's technology is most exciting to you? SM: Even though N64 was advanced, much more than the previous

| Capcom's Spawn arcade

| game will debut at JAMMA,

| andis sure to make it over to | the U.S. before the end of

| this year.

After taking a year off, Nintendo once again held its annual Space World expo at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

pay total attention to every point so that the system can still run. In the case of Dolphin, this isn't a problem, so we can put our maximum attention into little details. The system can easily run so you can try something totally new. That's the most exciting thing to me with Dolphin. Also, with the N64, at the beginning we made games for the first time in 3D. Through the course of that we realized so many things, especially we encountered the inefficiency of making these types of games on the N64. | believe those inefficiencies and problems have already been solved on Dolphin hardware, so it's going to become a very cost-effective product.

^| still believe that cartridge is the best

technologies (Super NES), | still have to admit that we have to pay our attention curing a game's development in order for the game to run on the System. When N64 was introduced I think | said asimilar thing, but now it is easier for us to make a game on Dolphin compared to when

we were first beginning on N64.

Let's say we're going to try some new experiment based on the hardware... with the N64 we had to

54

medium for software development...”

EGM: What kind of limitations are you talking about with the N64? SM: You see a lot of 3D fighting games on other platforms because it is one of the easiest ways to make use of the hardware's function. More specifically, if it's a fighting game you have only two characters to put into RAM, and that's relatively easy so that's why there are too many fighting games on those platforms. In the case of Smash Brothers you see up to four players on the screen simultaneously, but at the same time, the character models are much simpler than the ones in games with only two players. That's the kind of limitation | am talking about.

But if you are a creator and you are told, ‘If you like, we can make it five or 10 players

without any problem.' That's what the situation is with Dolphin. Dolphin can do that, N64 cannot do that. Your energy can then be concentrated not on how to increase the number of game characters, but how you are going to make use of these five or 10 more characters on the screen. Having said that, it may put you as a creator into another problem, because now you can use as many players as you want and you've got to sort them out in your own mind so that you can manage to control that in the end.

EGM: H

evelopment

uper io for Dolphin? SM: l've been told not to say anything about that.

EGM: So th confirmed then?

SM: At least | am working on it...| am the kind of designer who starts with an experiment. In the case of Wave Race, | started from the experiment of making waves. If Mario is surfing on the wave, it's going to be a Mario game, if it's Link, then it will be a Zelda game. That's how | decide what game to make.

es the Do

EGM: How d

SM: | still believe that cartridge is the best medium for software development, so | have to tell you that | feel some inconvenience making games on DVD as the new medium

for the new platform. But at the same time it’s very important that the cost for the medium is going to be stabilized and it's good for our own teams because we don't have to take into consideration that the memory size will decide the cost of the software to the retailers. Now all we have to be mindful of is how much time and energy we are going to spend in the

creation of new software. That is going to be reflected upon the final price at retail. Dolphin may follow the same concept of N64, which was originally called Project Reality. It will have much more functionality with advanced technologies, like Al. It is becoming much easier for us to install actual Al into the game characters because we are going to have a much more powerful CPU which should be enough to realize this concept. Rather than the calculation ability, it's the ability to simulate something real. That is going to be heightened or advanced. Until now, the freedom in making games has been expanded with the advent of new technologies in the game field. But we have not come far enough as to make something very free.

EGM: Compet ambit r the Ir з 2 hin as well? SM: There's got to be something Dolphin has with the Internet, because from now on we can't create entertainment without thinking about network communication. At the same time, we are an entertainment company so we have to take into consideration the cost associated with network games, and the ages of the users, who are actually going to make use of it. If we consider these two points right now, | have to tell you that there is not a big market right now for Dolphin to involve a significant Internet business. Nintendo, as an entertainment company, has a responsibility to parents and children so that the parents can always feel secure to provide their children with Nintendo machines, hardware and software. So because of that | don’t think network capabilities will be the core of the Dolphin project.

www.nintendo.com

BOSSES ARE FOR

SLAVES.

CHEAT CODES ARE FOR

LOSERS.

e QUAKE I * KINGPIN™ * UNREAL ТО * BALDUR’S + TOTAL ANN

Last-Minute Update From ECTS

As we're going to press with this issue, the European Computer Trade Show (ECTS) is going on in London.

Making its debut in playable form at the show was Ridge Racer 64, which is actually based on the very first PlayStation Ridge Racer (but with better graphics, obviously).

PlayStation 2 was on everyone's minds as well, as several companies announced that they were developing or had specific titles in mind for the new Sony machine (see the first two pages of news for the full scoop). And, Dreamcast held strong as it prepares for its mid-October launch in Europe.

x

A 3D remake of Blaster Master (Top - Sunsoft/PS), UEFA Soccer (Bottom Left -

Infogrames/DC) and Worms Pinball (Bottom Right - Infogrames/PS) debuted at ECTS.

Sonic Team is announcing four new games in September. One of them is Sonic Adventure International, basically the U.S. version of Sonic Adventure but with Japanese as its default setting. The second of the four is

Samba De Amigo, a music game where you play the maracas. YES!

Speaking of Sega, they've got a new first- person NAOMI shooter on test in Japanese arcades, called Outtriggers. Gameplay is similar to Quake, only in smaller arenas so you're always near an opponent. It will make its first official appearance at JAMMA.

ШК 2

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has announced it's working on a new four-CD PlayStation RPG called Legend of Dragoon. The game's currently lined up for a December release in Japan.

Nintendo will begin a version of its Nintendo Power convenience store game distribution service on Nov. 1 in Japan. Twenty-one titles will be available day one, including Super Mario Bros. DX, which hasn't been released as a stand-alone game in Japan yet.

Dragon Quest III will head to Game Boy next year, according to Enix president Yasuhiro Fukushima. Dragon Quest VII hits PlayStation this year, but for the moment, Enix denies that they're working on a DQ game for PlayStation 2, yet are they working on six PS2 projects.

On the Dreamcast front, Treasure's N64 Shooter Bangaioh (very cool game, btw) is headed to Dreamcast in December. Let's hope someone picks this up for a U.S. release. Capcom's got more DC projects, too, with Street Fighter Ill Double Impact (a combination of SFIII and SFIII: and Impact).

Import Pick of the Month: Dragon Quest l&ll, a collection for the first two Famicom Dragon Quest games on GBC.

PlayStation

9/22 Biohazard 3: Last Escape, Capcom (Adventure)

9/30 Derby Stallion 99, Ascii (Misc.)

10/7 Zill ОЛІ, Koei (RPG)

10/7 Psychic Force 2, Taito (Fighting)

10/14 Robbit Mon Jya, SCEI (Action)

10/21 Magical Drop F, Taito (Puzzle)

10/28 Koudelka, SNK (Adventure)

10/28 Baroque, Sting (RPG)

Oct. Rockman д: New Ambition!!, Capcom (Action)

11/25 Valkyrie Profile, Enix (RPG)

11/25 Tokimeki Memorial 2, Konami (Sim)

Nov. Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes EX Edition, Capcom (Fighting)

Dreamcast

9/23 Espion-age-nts, NEC Home Electronics (Action)

10/14 Sonic Adventure International, Sega (Action)

10/28 Shenmue Chapter I: Yokosuka, Sega (FREE)

10/28 Zombie Revenge, Sega (Action)

Nov. Maken X, Atlus (Action)

Game Boy Color

9/23 Game Boy Dragon Quest I&II, Enix (RPG)

10/22 Qix Adventure, Taito (Action/Puzzle)

11/21 Pocket Monsters Gold, Nintendo (RPG)

11/21 Pocket Monsters Silver, Nintendo (RPG)

11/25 Beatmania GB2 Culture Mix, Konami (Misc.)

*Schedule subject to change without notice. Consult your local import game store for the latest release information.

Dave underestimated

the party guests’ hatred of charades.

Don’t let this happen to you. With the new YOU DON'T KNOW JACK®, your PlayStation® game console may just be a life saver. Not to mention, one of the

greatest party games ever invented. (Nude twister comes in a close second.) One, two or three players at а time get scorched by JACK's sarcastic game show host. You and your friends wrestle over more than 1,400 seriously bent trivia questions on two CDs, while the rest of the party cat-calls, taunts and fi ights over who gets the controller next. So next time you throw a party, get YOU DON’T KNOW АСК and nobody gets hurt. D

SIERRA BERKELEY, 3

attractions»

|For information on this prod call 1-800-771

lemarks of Sony Compu ppg [ rating, pie:

Quartermann - Video Game Gossip & Speculation

һе Q's spies have all just gone out

and bought Dreamcasts with copies

of Soul Calibur and a pair of fighting

sticks..,we strongly recommend that you do the same, if only to prevent a nasty rumor from/coming to fruition. It’s nearly all next-generation system news this month... and with the Q’s spies jetting off / to Japan/and Europe inthe coming months we expect to be able to bring you all sorts of juicy rumors between now and the turn of the fentury. | /

|

— There are currently all kinds d stories circulating about the follow-up to Metal Gear Solid, with the most specific originating in the U.K. Stories ofthe new game being set in Peru are running rife along with details of its confirmed status as а\Р52 title.

TRUTH The Q's spies have been looking into this since the first game came out, and from what we've learned it would seem that the next Metal Gear is a long way off. Don't expect

to see this 'under the пате Metal Gear Solid 2”

though. It'll'almost certainly\have the Metal Gear prefix, Dut no final title is.confirmed yet. Current estimates for a release put it at some time in late 2001 (maybe even later.here) and indeed have it slated as a PlayStatiom title. As far as the story goes, it seems apparent from our probings that things will pick up a ^ few years after MGS. Snake will be forced out of retirement to continue his pursuit of Ocelot and this will lead to his eventual'discovery that the president is in on the whole conspiracy (as revealed at the very end of-.

MGS). Expect a massive budget game with alî

of the frills of a major production. PS2 games are estimated to weigh in with a minimum development cost of $5 million...expect the Metal Gear sequel to be budgeted at a considerably higher cost than that.

RUMOR The Command & Conquer series is drawing to a close, but the next installment... will be designed with PlayStation 2 in mind. TRUTH This isn't strictly true. Yes, the final ‘real’ installment of the Command & Conquer series, C&C Tiberian Twilight, is in development right now, and is far enough | ahead that it's out of its ‘design’ cycle. It won't however be coming to any consoles. The

rumored Р52 title is a first-person perspective

shooter set in the C&C universe titled Command & Conquer Renegade. Nicknamed ‘Up Close and Personal’ by the development team, Renegade looks set to be a Quake-like blaster that makes use of all the weaponry

and heavy artillery that is familiar to C&C fans. Expect some amazing-looking graphics (apparently it makes Quake IIT took.outdated) that make use of all the fancy effects the PS2

is capable of producing. EA and Westwood аге“.

y confident that Renegade will be а U.S. and European launch _title for the system, with a PC version preceding it by several al months...

Command & Conquer Renegade

RUMOR Namco has canned а-о? its Dreamcast development. TRUTH The Q's spies have been particularly concerned about this rumor as they've all-got а special soft-spot in their hearts-for the Dreamcast these days. The ugly rumors began when it transpired that Soul Calibur didn’t perform as well as hoped in Japan. Although going straight in at number one in the charts, it fettthe following week and is continuing to flag with each passing week. Despite | anticipation that it will be a huge seller in the U.S. (and by the time you read this it surely

_ Will be already) Namco is still more focused on

the Japanese market than the West. The result ^ „—is that other projects have apparently been.

shut down. Hopefully this may change if the

Dreamcast performs spectacularly well in the |

U.S. and Europe...so it's up to everyone reading this to make sure it's a success!

RUMOR Staying with Namco for a moment...we’ve heard a lot more rumors about the Tekken saga in the past month with rumors floating around about PlayStation 2 launch titles, the fate of Tekken Tag as a home game and the mythical Tekken 4.

moment now seem to be indicating that a vastly enhanced version of Tekken Tag Tournament will actually be a Japanese Р52 ^ launch game, not Tekken 4 as previously thought. This puts all the Dreamcast and even PlayStation rumors to rest that have been going around for the past couple of months.

Expect something even more jmpressively updated than Soul Calibur was for Dreamcast. We've heard from reliable sources that the game makes use of the 3D CG models from the Tekken 3 intro movie as the actual in-game models. As for Tekken,4—it seems that this is also destined for PS2 (and an arcade system based on the same technology) and will almostcertainly not be titled Tekken д. \ , RUMOR Final Fantasy IX will make a move\ \ away from\pre-rendered backdrops and will

\ make use of a fully 3D environment. |

\TRUTH This one’s been floating around for a

while, and the Q-network can't find anyone |

lwho can back it up. The fact that FFIXisa |

/PlayStation/game (and not PS2) makes us |

/ | think that Square will stick with tradition and

/ doone last gorgeous- looking game before | ' shifting tø the new system. Expect more news

on this gne next month. / /

/ /

RUMÓR The next ‘big’ RPG from Square/after ЕАХ will be released оп /both PS2 and Dolphin. _/TRUTH This is unlikely...but we do know that Square is currently looking at development for Dolphin, and will be making a triumphant return to the Nintendo format at some point in »f -"The 0”

и

the next two’or three years.

5D Gundam G Generation-Ü

Bandai

Everybodys Golf 2 | E sem 22248 |) Diii Powerful Pro Baseball ‘19 р |

МЫЛ

EN 4 ШИШЕ Ис E

Mario Golf GB

Nintendo

Yugioh Duel Monsters ЇЇ

Konami

1 Medarot 2 (Kabuto Tawagata Version)

1 Шалыс

Soul Т

Mme.

Mario. Gal М

| Nintendo

| Weekly Famitsu, week ending 8/22/99

Dance Dance КОШО

Konami

PLAYERS

NFL GameDay 2000 gives you 1,200 new plays and 200 new motion captured moves designed and performed by 45 NFL players. There’s a Training Camp Mode to practice plays, and a GM Mode to manage your team over multiple seasons. We've even added a revolutionary telestrator along with Dick Enberg and Phil Simms commentary. Now everyday is game дау.

tered trad Ament America inc.

k of the NFL players. wivw.nfiplaye of Sony Computer 3$;

ег Entertainment Inc.

PRESS START

The Top 20 Best-Selling Games of July, 1999

1- Driver

GT Interactive's action driving game Driver (fitting name, don't ya think?) tops our list this month. With a Dreamcast and N64 version

B still looming as possibilities, and a sequel almost assured, this won't be the last we hear of Reflections.

2. Pokémon Pinball

bad

— me %

Take Gator's Revenge, insert

the Pokémon characters, add a rumble-enhanced cartridge, and you've got Nintendo's Pokémon Pinball. Lots of fun to play—you'll find yourself playing for hours to catch them all.

3 - Pokémon (Blue Version)

It's Pokémon domination this month as Nintendo's slew of new Pokégames take hold of four of the top five slots. But let's not forget the games that started it all, Blue and Red. Without them, none of those other games...

4- Pokémon (Red Version)

...Would have been possible. In Classic Pokémon, you star as Ash, who wants to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer. To do that he's got to catch 151 Pokémon and defeat all the Gym Trainers to collect badges.

J- Pokémon Snap

= Who would've thought that taking - № pictures of Pokémon in their natural habitat would be fun? Snap may seem boring, but it's lots of fun—at least while it lasts. Nintendo and HAL Laboratory score points for originality.

E

JP. uw

| | | | 858.

perm

-U 0. | Shawn | Пеап

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Nintendo

6

Nintendo

Star Wars Episode One: Racer

Nintendo

8 Tarzan

га | ЅСЕА

| 10 Шр. Scavenger Hunt уя

== ——=————= o | 1 Super Smash Bros.

[ 11 п Fantasy VII 12 Disney's Tarzan ГІ NEW Activision | 13 Triple Play 2000

Electronic Arts

m s. 10 me - | 16 ШЕР The Movie 14 йш 18

Syphon Filter 989 Studios

Mario Party

Nintendo

МІВ 2000

989 Studios

18 19 2

Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games Service. Call Mary Ann Porreca at (516) 625-2345 for questions regarding this list. Top 5 game descriptions written by the EGM staff.

VIDEOGAMES.COM POLL Game Boy's Advancement What feature are you most excited about on Game Boy Advance (see News)?

More Colors

Source: Videogames.com main poll results for 9/8/99

THE CREATORS ОҒ COMMAND & CONQUER" АВЕ TURNING UP THE HEAT. -

| cc

PlayStation

* Real-time strategy blended with blazing action * Dozens of 3D-modeled units specific to each side * Sharp, 3D terrain with true elevation * Solo play, head-to-head, or skirmish versus the AI * Play three distinct sides across 30 missions + Pulsing cinematics and soundtrack

71999 Electronic Arts. Westwood Studios and Electronic Arts are registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the U.S. and/or other countries. Westwood Studios We st WO O d is an Electronic Arts” company. Dune" "1999 Dino De Laurentiis Corporation licensed by Universal Studios Licensing, Inc. Playstation and the Playstation logos -

are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is а trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. www.westwood.com

Coming Soon - November 1999

All Star Tennis ‘99 - Ubi Soft ports Antz - Infogrames Action Azure Dreams - Konami RPG

Ballistic - Infogrames Action Beauty & the Beast Board Game Adv. - Nintendo Action Classic Bubble Bobble - Metro3D Puzzle Ghosts N’ Goblins - Capcom Action Godzilla: The Series - Crave Entertainment Action Harvest Moon - Crave Entertainment RPG Legend of the River King - Natsume RPG Mario Golf - Nintendo Sports Micro Machines V3 - THQ Racing Ms. Pac-Man - Namco Misc. NBA Live 2000 - THQ Sports NFL Blitz 2000 - Midway Sports NHL 2000 - THQ Sports Pokémon Yellow - Nintendo Adventure Rainbow Six - Southpeak Interactive Action Shadowman - Acclaim Action Tiger Woods 2000 - THQ Sports Toy Sto! Action PlayStation Army Men Sarge's Heroes - 3DO Action Ballistic - Infogrames Action Carmageddon 2 - Interplay Action Crash Team Racing - SCEA Racing Cyber Tiger Woods Golf - Electronic Arts Sports Dune 2000 - Westwood Studios Strategy Earthworm Jim - Rockstar Action Fatal Fury Wild Ambition - SNK Fighting FIFA 2000 - Electronic Arts Sports Final Fantasy Anthology - Square Electronic Arts RPG Grand Theft Auto 2 - Rockstar Action Grandia - SCEA RPG Jeff Gordon XS Racing - ASC Games Racing Jeremy McGrath 2000 - Acclaim Racing Lego Rock Raiders - Lego Media Action Metal Gear Solid VR Missions - Konami Action MTV Sports: Snowboarding - THQ Sports NBA Basketball 2000 - Fox Interactive Sports NBA Live 2000 - Electronic Arts Sports NBA Shoot-Out 2000 - 989 Studios Sports NHL FaceOff 2000 - 989 Studios Sports Official Formula One Racing - Eidos Racing Omega Boost - SCEA Shooting Pac-Man World 2oth Anniversary - Namco Action Pong - Hasbro Interactive Action Rainbow Six - Red Storm Action RC Stunt Copter - Midway Action

Scrabble - Hasbro Interactive Misc.

Silhouette Mirage - Working Designs Action Supercross Series 2000 - Electronic Arts Racing Test Drive Off-Road 3 - Infogrames Racing Tiny Tank: Up Your Arsenal - SCEA Action TNN Motorsports Hardcore 2 - ASC Games Racing TOCA 2: Touring Car Challenge - Codemasters Racing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater - Activision Racing Trickin' Snow Boarder - Capcom Racing WCW Mayhem - Electronic Arts Sports WipeOut 3 - Psygnosis Racing Xena Warrior Princess - Electronic Arts Action X-Files - Fox Interactive Adventure Nintendo 64

Castlevania Special Edition - Konami Action Earthworm Jim 3D - Rockstar Action

- Nintendo Action Paperboy - Midway Action Rat Attack! - Mindscape Action Rayman 2 The Great Escape - Ubi Soft Action StarCraft - Nintendo Strategy WCW Mayhem - Electronic Arts. Sports Armada - Metro 3D Action King of Fighters ‘99 - SNK Fighting Marvel Vs. Capcom - Capcom Fighting NFL Quarterback Clue 2000 - Acclaim Sports Sega Bass Fishing - Sega Sports Sega Sports NBA 2000 - Sega Sports Soul Fighter - Mindscape Action Speed Devils - Ubi Soft Racing Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing - Ubi Soft Racing Toy Commander - Sega Action

Game Boy Color Alice in Wonderland - Nintendo Bass Masters 2000 - THQ

Grand Theft Auto - Rockstar Magical Tetris Challenge - Capcom Mickey Racing - Nintendo

Mission Impossible - Infogrames Mr. Nutz - Infogrames

NBA Showtime - Midway Rampage Universal Tour - Midway Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - Midway Rugrats Time Machine - THQ Street Fighter Alpha - Capcom Test Drive Off-Road 3 - Infogrames WCW Mayhem - Electronic Arts

Compiled By Chris Johnston chris_johnston@zd.com

Action Sports Action Puzzle Racing Action Action Sports Action Sports Action Fighting Racing Sports

WWF Wrestlemania 2000 - THQ Sports PlayStation

Army Men Air Attack - 300 Action BoomBots - SouthPeak Action Cool Boarders 4 - 989 Studios Sports Crusaders of Might & Magic - 300 Action Danger Girl - THQ Action Darkstone - Take 2 Action Detanator Gauntlet - Working Designs Strategy RPG Die Hard Trilogy 2 - Fox Interactive Action Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home - SouthPeak Racing Fighting Force 2 - Eidos Action Formula One ‘99 - Psygnosis Racing Gauntlet Legends - Midway Action Jackie Chan’s Stuntmaster - Midway Action Jeremy McGrath 2000 - Acclaim Racing Juggernaut - Jaleco RPG Knockout Kings 2000 - Electronic Arts Sports Konami Arcade Classics - Konami Misc. Konami Rally - Konami Racing Major League Soccer 2000 - Konami Sports Medal of Honor - Electronic Arts Simulation Missile Command - Hasbro Interactive Action Mission Impossible - Infogrames Action MTV Jams - Codemasters Misc. NBA Basketball 2000 - Fox Interactive Sports NBA ShootOut - 989 Sports Sports NBA Showtime - Midway Sports NCAA Final Four 2000 - 989 Studios Sports No Fear Downhill Mountain Biking - Codemasters Racing Q-Bert - Hasbro Interactive Action Rainbow Six - Red Storm Action Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - Midway Sports Resident Evil 3 Nemesis - Capcom Action Road Rash Unchained - Electronic Arts Action Shao Lin - THQ Fighting SuperCross Circuit - 989 Sports Sports Test Drive 6 - Infogrames Racing Thrasher Skate and Destroy - Rockstar Sports Tiger Woods/PGA Tour 2000 - Electronic Arts Sports TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat 2 - ASC Games Racing Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation - Eidos Action Tomorrow Never Dies - Electronic Arts Action Toy Story 2 - Activision Action Twisted Metal 4 - 989 Studios Action Vandal Hearts 2 - Konami RPG Vegas Games 2000 - 3D0 Misc. Vigilante 8: Second Offense - Activision Action Worms Armageddon - Hasbro Interactive Action Ш

Bassmasters 2000 - THQ

Battletanx 11: Global Assault - 3DO Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling - THQ

Cyber Tiger Woods Golf - Electronic Arts Destruction Derby - THQ

Donkey Kong 64 - Nintendo

Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside 2 - Nintendo Knockout Kings - Electronic Arts

Looney Tunes: Space Race - Infogrames Major League Soccer - Konami

Monopoly 64 - Hasbro Interactive

МВА Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant - Nintendo NBA Live 2000 - Electronic Arts

NBA Showtime - Midway

Nuclear Strike - THQ

Rainbow Six - Southpeak Interactive Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - Midway Resident Evil 2 - Capcom

) 62-۷

Sports Action Sports Sports Racing Action Sports Sports Action Sports

Misc. Sports Sports Sports Action Action Sports Action

Space Invaders - Activision

Supercross - Electronic Arts

Toy Story 2 - Activision

Turok: Rage Wars - Acclaim

Vigilante 8: Second Offense - Activision

WWF Wrestlemania 2000 - THQ

Xena Warrior Princess - Titus Dreamcast

Centipede - Hasbro Interactive

Evolution: World of Sacred Device - Ubi Soft

Fighting Force 2 - Eidos

NBA Showtime - Midway

Redline Racer - Ubi Soft

Shadow Man - Acclaim

Slave Zero - Accolade

Street Fighter Alpha 3 - Capcom

Test Drive 6 - Infogrames

Vigilante 8: Second Offense - Activision

Virtua Fighter 3tb - Sega

Action Racing Action Action Action Sports Action

Action RPG Action Sports Racing Action Action Fighting Racing Action Fighting

Game Boy Color

Game & Watch Gallery 3 - Nintendo International Track & Field - Konami Knockout Kings - Electronic Arts

Magical Tetris Challenge - Capcom

NBA Courtside 3 on 3 Challenge - Nintendo

Misc.

Star Wars Ep. One: Racer - Nintendo Racing PlayStation

Detanator Gauntlet - Working Designs ESPN NBA Tonight - Konami

ESPN Outdoors Bass Fishing - Konami Gran Turismo 2 - SCEI

Excitebike 64 - Nintendo

Harrier 2001 - Video System

Looney Tunes: Taz Express - Infogrames Perfect Dark - Nintendo

Tony Hawk Pro Skater - Activision

Vigilante 8: Second Offense - Activision Action

F-1 World Grand Prix - Video System Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator - Konami Rippin' Riders - Sega

Shenmue - Sega

Toy Commander - Sega

Worms Armageddon - Hasbro Interactive

Januar

Racing

Simulation

Sports

Action/RPG

Action Misc.

Game Boy Color

ШЕШ Warrior Monsters - Eidos RPG

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine - LucasArts

Panzer General Assault - Mindscape

Tiger Woods & PGA Tour 2000 - Electronic Arts

Action

Strategy

Sports

Misadventures of Tron Bonne - кашар Action

Castlevania Special Edition - Konami

NHL Blades of Steel 2000 - Konami

Tarzan - Activision Dreamcast

Castlevania - Konami

Resident Evil: Code Veronica

Sega Sports NHL 2000 - Sega

к” %

h RE3 Nemesis - PS

Action Sports Action

Action Sports

happypuppy.com

http://ujujuj.happupuppu.com version 3.0

all platforms daily updates previews features release lists

game clubs

saree thousands of cheats

Ls a limited time

This is the first installment in a new series of comic strips that we will be running each month. Written and inked by Jeremy ‘Norm’ Scott of Evil Monkey Productions it deals with the escapades of Hsu and Chan Tanaka, two Japanese- American game designers.

If you want to check out more of Norm’s work...it can be seen at www.ape- law.com/users/ evilmonkey

HEY! WHERES THE KIDS? WE SHOW UP, AND THEN ARE NOT HERE! INGRATEFUL WHELPS!

COME, WE WILL INVEST GATE!

BACK 70 THE WORKSHOP CHAN! THERE'S MONEY

USING OUR EXTÉNSNÉ KNOWLEDGE OF,

GENETICS AND CUTENESS, BEHOLD! WE

HAVE CREATED CHERNÓÉ«L, THE RADIOACTIVE CHIPMUNK!

ISNT HE А, MARKETABLE LITTLE DICKENS?

HSU TANAKA, AND THIS IS мк BROTHER CHAN!

GRIMM DETERMINED, HSU AND CHAN WORK THROUGHOUT THE

WHILE NINTENDO шш. Come AND GO, OUR CREATION WILL. CONTAMINATE THE Sow FoR THOUSANDS: А ОЁ YEARS ТО COME!

REN witt SER s

JusT То PUR АА OUTSIDE THe MANDATORY TEN- Foot PERIMETER!

HELLO, VIDEO GAMERS! 1 AM

WE UKE To STROLL THROUGH THE TREES, OR JusT SIT BACK АМО WATOd THE CHILDREN

4 BASEBALL !

FIGHTS BREAK FREGUENTCY ! іт 15 GREAT

PARK DOES ENTERTAINDENT И

US A WORLD, OF 0000:

THAN , GNN BASEBALL

Ноуе 9 Fi rı Abram rcrafts and E Harrier Jet ! ts,

> - 1 i fields- ۱ Player'g behaving’ АСЕ, с. Y |

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d envi gameplay ang

istic a e nd Shockwaves;

n è -detai almost 11е

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TH Available this Winter

Arts. Nuclear Strike, Electronic Arts and the Electronic Arts logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the U.S.

NINTENDO.

Nuclear Strike © 1997 - 1999 Electr and/or other countries. All rights reserved. Nuclear Strike 64 is published and distributed by THQ Inc. under exclusive license by Electronic Arts. THQ and the THQ logo are www.thg.com trademarks of THO Inc. All rights reserved. Nintendo, The Official Seal, Nintendo 64 and the 3-D "N' logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc.

NOW, AS CHERNOBYL'S TRANERS, IT 15 OUR RESPONSIBILITY To SEEK OUT VARIOUS WILD CREATURES FoR WHICH To BEAT THE STUFFING OUT oF вот WHERE?

PIGEON 12

ЕЕ... -— _

CHAM: GO, CHERNOBYL! USE GAMMA ATTACK! SHOW HIM WHAT- FOR!

| You FIEND! CHERNOBYL! SHow NO MERCY!

PIGEON CERTAINLY LOOKS ANGRY! | BELIEVE HE ‹5 TRYING To PERFORM A SPECIAL ATTACK!

/ 1 BELIEVE THAT HE HAS GONE CRITICAL! & THAT | COUNTS AS А т< CHIPMUNK, MELTDOWN! we Wei p SOME QUICK, To THE ВЧК oF OUR MORKETABILITY. BUNKER!

PER FAMICOM,

Real Fishing. Real Feel. Reel Included"

3 | PlayStation

ба eet, апа еу

7-4 - | [Select | Stat |

Қ

With its exclusive Dual ' Shock? compatible rod and reel controller, Bass Landing sets the standard for ігие- to-life fishing action. Now ‹ |

. you can cast, set the hook, — апа reel them in just like — -real life. So pack your tackle 2rd pick up some cold ones, and grab your rod, ‘cause fishing season is now open.

* Game is bundled with custom designed fishing rod ^n reel controller

* Solo or tournament modes

* Stock your tackle box from 50 different rods, reels, rigs, and lures

* 5 challenging lakes,14 species of fish

* Cast side arm, overhead, or skip

* Tuforial mode shows how the pros hook the big ones

* Dual shock compatible

agetec ^

www.agetec.com

Agetec, Inc. 900 Veterans Blvd. Suite 600 Redwood City, CESET 998, 1999 ASCII CO Bass tending and the Bass Landing Logo are trademarks of ASCII CO. Inc. Published by Agetec, Inc. Agetec and the Agetec logo are trademarks of Agetec, Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony

Computer Entertainment Inc. Produced under license by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the

| | PlayStation game console. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.

PlayStation

www.mountainbiking.co.uk www.activision.com

© 1999 The Codemasters Software Company Limited. ("Codemasters") All Rights Reserved. "Codemasters"* is a. registered trademark owned Codemasters Limited. Published by Codemasters. Developed by UDS. © 1999 No Fear, Inc. The “No Fear" mark is being used under license from No Fear, Inc. Distributed by Activision. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. The Giant logo is а registered trademark of Giant UK Lid. NeGcon is а trademark of Namco Lid. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment Ameríca for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trade- marks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Ай rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

$ 5 © Е 8 ® 5 $ = 5 8 © 2 © 2 =

wey Ride and wipe-out

on 25 mountain biking trails as one of eight riders, each with different skills.

Hurl yourself over precipices and race for glory in one-to-fourplayer head-to-head competitions.

Perform insane stunts, including wheelies, 360s bunnyhops and suicides on customizable bikes

DOWNHILL

RACING JE

1 E H E E

THAT WiLL TOTALLY. CONSUME YOU.

ALL OF You.

CREATORS оғ RESIDENT Evi’. Your COVERT MISSION TO INFILTRATE AN ISOLATED ISLAND COMPOUND HAS GONE 1 HAYWIRE. NOW, YOU FIND YOURSELF PURSUED BY A і у ы ^d RESIDENT Е RELENTLESS PREHISTORIC TERROR... | р. ail лн NEMESIS’ DEI SUDDENLY, YOUR MISSION BECOMES А ЫШ M | "LIMES ВЕРЕЯ А DESPERATE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL. | WWW.CAPCOM.COM | ы

ЕТІ пайыз of Sony ботуийо Ente

У CAPCOM CO., LTD. 1999 АЦ. RIGH

©) Dreamcast

Ш Nintendo 64 № >. PlayStation Ш В Game Boy Color

E 4 Arcade

This Month in Previews

T3 Soul -

74 Evolution: The World of Sacred Device 80 Toy Commander 82 Armada 84 Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing 88 Zombie Revenge Rippin’ Riders 90 Heroes of Might and Magic III Red Dog Centipede Nadesico The Mission 92 Shenmue 94 Super Runabout Beserk 96 Eternal Arcadia Star Gladiators 2 103 Roommania #203 Toukon Retsuden 4 Nintendo 64 104 The Legend of Zelda Gaiden 106 Super Mario RPG 2 112 Kirby's Dreamland 64 T3 Xena Warrior Princess: Talisman of Fate 16 Excitebike 64 Paperboy Daikatana 64 Worms: Armageddon 122 Mini Racers Test Drive Rally Mario Party 2 124 Mother 3 Custom Robo

1 esident Evil 3 Nemesis 130 Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation 141 Army Men: Air Attack 142 Grand Theft Auto 2 143 Crusaders of Might and Magic 144 Prince of Persia 3D MTV Jams: Music Creation Galerians 146 Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home BoomBots Test Drive Le Mans Ballistic 147 V-Rally 2 No Fear Downhill Mountain Biking 148 NASCAR Rumble TNN Motorsports Hardcore TR TOCA 2: Touring Car Challenge Jet: X Guitar Freaks 149 Runabout2 Brightis Tondemo Crisis 150 Valkyrie Profile Koudelka 151 Doko Demo Issyo Front Mission Third Saiyuki Zeus Il: Carnage Heart Game Boy Color 154 Legend of Zelda: Fruit of the Mysterious Tree 156 Dragon Warrior Monsters Game & Watch Gallery 3 WCW Mayhem Worms: Armageddon Magical Tetris Challenge 158 All-Star Tennis '99 Wings of Fury Ballistic Mr. Nutz BattleTanx Rugrats: Time Machine

159 Crisis Zone 161 Dead or Alive 2 Ringout 4X4

hank God for Space World. If

it weren't for this show, we'd

have lost all faith in Nintendo.

We all know that Rare's going to put out some kick-ass games this winter season (Perfect Dark can't come soon enough...the editors here are already dropping trash-talk bits here and there, thinking they're going to be the office Perfect Dark deathmatch champ, not realizing ЕСМ” stunning previews editor will blow them all away). But what about Nintendo? After a brief trip to the land ofthe rising sun, we came back happy and reassured. The Big N has shown the world once again why it's the best game developer in the biz.

In this month's previews, we put the sights on the latest wave of franchise updates from Nintendo (do they do any other kind of games today?). Check out Super Mario RPG 2 (which will make it out over here as Super Mario Adventure), Kirby's Dreamland 64, Excitebike 64 (whose

1. Shenmue 2. The Legend of Zelda Gaiden 3. Crisis Zone 4. 5,

Mario Party 2

Dreamcast, Q1 2000 Nintendo 64, March 2000 (Jpn) Arcade, October 1999

CB Color, December 1999 (Jpn) Nintendo 64, Dec. 2000 (Jpn)

Zelda: Fruit of the Mysterious Tree

transition into the 3D world is unsettling for us... we'd rather this be a pretty 2D update of the original), Zelda Gaiden and more (including Mini Racers, which we'd love to believe is a true sequel to R.C. Pro Am...but it's not). Now...there's just one more Nintendo franchise that we absolutely must see if we are to die happy people....Will someone give us a freakin' new Metroid game for crying out loud???

Oh, and check out our update on Sega's Shenmue for Dreamcast. It is unfreakin' believable. ж

Source: videogames.com online poll

Excitebike 64

Zelda Gaiden Kirby's Dreamland 64 Perfect Dark Talent Studio Paint Studio

Electronic Gaming Monthly - 72 - www.videog

621 4513 414 4237 102

133

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The number of motion-capture |

animations each monster has for particular actions.

PREVIEW

Mindscape

Toka

1

Action

8596

October 1999

None

www.mindscape.com

Classic, arcade-style beat-'em-up action with pretty graphics.

Characters run too slowly, and where's the multiplayer?

The massive, and we mean massive, slowdown in some of the later levels.

the Trade

Each of the three warriors has his/her own special weapon. Orion has a magic staff, Altus wields a sword, and | Sayomi uses a pair of knives. |

Upon receiving certain projectile items, you can switch over to first-person view to get a lock on your enemy.

You'll frequently find yourself the center of attention, as the monsters like to gang up on you. Even the odds with your weapon.

rawing early comparisons to the classics Golden Axe and Final Fight, Toka’s Soul Fighter is one of the more anticipated post-launch Dreamcast titles. A game that can be described as a medieval Streets of Rage (in 3D, of course), Soul Fighter takes you into the world of Gomar, where a mysterious mist is turning the locals into half-men/half-beasts. Like any self-respecting half-man/half-beast would be, they are vicious monsters bent on destroying anything and everything. Enter the three heroes, Orion, Sayomi, and Altus, who must destroy the monsters and recover their human souls in order to set things straight. Gomar is divided into six different worlds, with

each world having 10 sublevels. In order to progress through the levels, all enemies must be defeated and their souls collected. The medieval locales include courtyards outside of a castle, the inside of а cathedral, and deep in the recesses of a dungeon. The three characters each has his/her own different weapon and fighting style, and are able to perform power-combos and super-combos if they have collected enough magic. More than 4o different monsters exist, programmed with some intelligent Al—they’ll attack in groups, call reinforcements, and block many of your combo attacks.

At this point, Soul Fighter is shaping up to be a quality title. The “arcadey” graphics are relatively smooth, except for a few problem spots with massive slowdown. However, there is one major hurdle. For whatever reason, Toka has decided to make Soul Fighter a single player-only title. While it still has the prospect of being a quality one-player game, the lack of any kind of multiplayer mode could have a serious negative impact on the replay value. Who wouldn’t love some cooperative beat- 'em-up action? Since the game is far along in the development process, things are unlikely to change—perhaps we'll see it in a sequel.

While not quite the “soul” of the Dreamcast (another game holds that title), Soul Fighter looks like it could be a worthy addition to the Dreamcast library. Now how about a DC Streets of Rage? ж

Ubi Soft Sega/ESP/Sting 1 RPG | 80% | November 1999 None

www.ubisoft.com _ | Gorgeous graphics, well-designed battle system.

o tad, Light on gameplay- most will finish in under 20 hours.

What kind of a girl's name is "Pepper Box," anyway?

Evolution 2

While we're getting ready for the U.S. version of Evolution, Japan is already gearing up for the sequel.

Evolution 2, which was recently announced in Japan, will have several new features. In addition to the random dungeons of the first game, there will be new "Scenario" dungeons as well (with fixed layouts). Weather and time elements will factor into gameplay this time, and there'll be a new escape feature to run away from battles. Also, the CyFrame will be usable outside of battles, which means there'll be more puzzle elements for sure. Stay tuned to EGM for more details on this one soon!

ow that Sega's Climax Landers has been delayed until February, Dreamcast RPG fans are going to have to look elsewhere for that "next-generation" RPG experience this holiday season. Fortunately, there's a pretty solid alternative in the form of Sting's Evolution: The

World of Sacred Device, which is coming to the U.S.

courtesy of Ubi Soft. In Evolution, you play as Mag Launcher, an enigmatic young treasure hunter with a cybernetic

frame (known as a “СуҒгате”) strapped to his back.

Mag's goal is to scour the dungeons of Northrop in search of valuable treasures, which can then be traded in for cash at the mysterious "Society," an organization dedicated to excavating ruins. He can be joined by up to two (of a possible four) companions, who help him out on his journey.

The first thing you'll notice when you pop in Evolution is its incredible graphics. The Dreamcast handles the game's beautiful 3D world with ease, providing visual splendor that, while not quite as artistically satisfying, puts Final Fantasy VIII's otherwise amazing aesthetics to shame. Everything moves quickly and fluidly, even when manipulating

the camera (which can be rotated 360? at any time).

But despite the fact that the game is overflowing with eye-candy, it's not Evolution's best asset. Rather, that would be the game's well thought-out battle system, which should keep fans of battle-

n

A majority of Evolution's gameplay takes place inside the game's massive randomly generated dungeons. There are plenty of traps that can impede your progress, but fortunately, you can save after each floor, which decreases the frustration factor big-time. The auto-mapping feature helps out a bunch, too. Fans of the classic dungeon dweller Rogue will no doubt be pleased.

heavy RPGs rather pleased for the 20 or so hours it'll take to finish Evolution.

Since over 90 percent of those 20 or so hours are spent exploring the game's massive randomly generated dungeons (yes, all the dungeons in Evolution are random), it was rather important that the developers incorporate a battle system that's not only user-friendly, but innovative and fun as well. They did. First of all, since you can see enemies in the dungeons, you can try to avoid fights if you wish. If not, you can actually give yourself an advantage by approaching an on-screen enemy from behind (giving you a slight head start in battle). Of course the opposite is true as well, so it's important not to get ambushed. Once in battle, the turn-based action is relatively straightforward, though the tactical elements (which are ever so important in an RPG) are in full force. The best of these elements is the nifty meter to the right that shows the order in which people— companions or enemies—are going to attack. This is a great feature, as it basically forces you to plan and prioritize your attacks with care. Of course the amazing graphics and spell effects don't hurt, either...

If there's one thing that's holding Evolution back, it’s that it’s pretty short. Still, it’s a lot of fun to play, and fans of RPGs will no doubt enjoy the game's quirky characters and fun battles. Let's just hope Ubi does a good job with the U.S. localization... ж

"5 LEARNED THAT VOU LIKE TD >

THRU UPPERCUTS

Sega? Dreamcast READY 2 RUMBLE: BOXING

IT'S THINKING

YOU'VE LEARNED TO LOSE TEETH AND DIGNITY AT THE SAME TIME

20 whacked boxers with an arsenal of outrageous moves, taunts and Rumble Mode inflict serious bruises and

tooth-loss in jaw-dropping detail as Michael Buffer calls the action. Let's Get Ready to Rumble! *.: sega.com

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'uoissiuuied Аа pesn ‘эм! sewe AEMPIN Jo xeuepen e si бемору “24 зцешиенешз эшюн Аемрии Jo seuepen еле SILLU лаелецо ү (шоо әйдштивцәг MMM) diusieusreg зәрпе шоу әзиәз л “pemasa: зубы ilv "эм ueuureueius эшон AEMPI 6661 © ЭМХОВ v3 18ADB Z AOVSE ‘реллезел siuu ү “6661. "017 S3SIHdH31N3 VO3S © "PIT 'зәвишәшз ү936 jo зрешерел

А WAR HERO. SH

LOC PlayStation and the PlayStation logos аге registered trad

In combat, life ог death is often а

Split-second choice. You're on a covert

operation for Military Intelligence with 12

authentic WWII weapons at your disposal. 7

Your mission: execute high-risk rescues, evade Gestapo search parties, and

sabotage enemy U-boats. Au to cripple the Nazi regime and ensure freedom.

The entire ©

Allied war

зай а - . a

ГА — PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Omega Boost is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. ©1999 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. а

А

PlayStation ®

www.playstation.com

GE € iio е ыл

While the engineers at NASA might have been shortsighted, ours were not. They've put together a Ж

gravity-defying, medulla-blowing shooting game with a full 360 degrees of free-range motion.

Translation; Now you have the ability, and the sophisticated weaponry, to annihilate ‘alien

warships with ! frightening speed and accuracy. All of which beats the hell ошо! adjusting

some wing nut on the MIR Space Station, Omega Boost, from the creators of Gran Turismo: = x

Being able to relive favorite childhood memories.

The control can be frustrating at times.

Not much. The gam runs at a smooth 60 fps.

Some scenes of various aerial missions in the game.

Eu

h, to be a kid again. Making forts in your living room, getting up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons, and of course, playing with toys. Who doesn't have fond memories of playing with Transformers, С.1. Joe or the plastic army men? French developer No Cliché remembers the good ol' days too, and they're teaming up with Sega to bring us Toy Commander, a fully 3D world where toys come alive. Sort of an interactive Toy Story, Toy Commander features a variety of well-known staples in any child's toybox. The gameplay is mission-based, usually consisting of a target that needs to be destroyed or an allied force that needs to be protected. There are some training and racing levels mixed in as well, and No Cliché promises at least 50 hours of gameplay in all. The action takes place in eight different parts of the typical house, such as the kitchen, children's bedroom and the garage. Each of these locations features an astounding level of detail, complete with items that you can interact with and actually use to your advantage. For example, one mission has you trying to free your captured helicopter using only a transport truck and five soldiers. However, the ramp up to the next level is defended by a bazooka sentry and a missile turret. In order to advance up the ramp, you need to give your soldiers enough time to destroy the gate, but with Johnny Bazooka raining death and destruction from above, you're going to have to find some kind of shield. A stray basketball, pushed in the line of fire, should do nicely. You could go for the full-assault approach, but your men

..that G.I. Joe is 35 years old this year? Born іп 1964, the military- themed toys have been a childhood favorite for well over three decades. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Yo Joe!

Many of the missions in Toy Commander require the use of multiple vehicles. The above sequence shows a plane and a truck teaming up in order to Stop an incoming enemy convoy. First, the plane takes out the barrier of the base, allowing the truck to enter and retrieve the bomb. After setting the bomb down on the bridge, the truck takes cover while the plane swoops in for the kill.

(if they survive) wouldn't think too highly of their commanding officer. There are a few other cases of interactivity like running faucets and active light Switches that really give Toy Commander an immersive feel.

Along with the level of interaction, the crisp and colorful graphics add to the immersion factor. Graphically, Toy Commander is splendid. For the most part, the game runs at a nice and smooth 60 frames per second (and you gotta love the Dreamcast high-res). There is some slowdown that occurs when multiple moving targets are on screen at once, but it's not unbearable. There are a few problems with the collision detection as well as the camera, but at only 6o percent complete, there's enough time to make necessary fixes. The multiplayer modes are deathmatch, capture-the-flag, or “cat-and- mouse" for up to four players, and take place in the areas of the house that have been unlocked.

Toy Commander will be available this October, so for now, you'll have to be content with your Legos. Just be sure to clean up after you're done. ж

Insert your favorite quote from Das Boot, The Hunt For Red October or Crimson Tide here.

КЕРАКЕ.

Coming to the PlayStation® game console.

NEW wénn COMPUTING’ ê [Um pou CD-HOM ™ © 1999 The 300 Company. All Rights Reserved. Crusaders of Might and Magic, New World Computing, 300, and their respective logos, are trademarks and/or service marks of The 300 Company in the U.S. and other countries. Playstation шаа PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other e ESR

trademarks belong to their respective owners. New World Computing is a division of The 3D0 Company. www.3do.com

PREVIEW

Metro3D [ТТЛ Metro3D С 1-1 [TT Action/RPG

90%

November 1999 [uon cac www.metro3D.com Dreamcast's first

four-player action RPG.

ІГІ ШИН Asteroids, anyone? The biomechanical

menace that is the "Armada."

Four's Company

One of the biggest selling points about Armada is that it allows four players to fight and explore the universe simultaneously. Metro3D has seized this opportunity to take advantage of gameplay options a four-player mode provides. For instance, when playing with newbies, you can help them acquire items, and access levels normally not accessible to rookies of the game. This helps to balance out multiplayer, as each person will progress at his/her own pace during single-player games. Players can also use the VMU to swap items with other players. Unfortunately, Armada is not Internet capable. Maybe Armada 2?

Alien ships you encounter throughout Armada all have individual levels and hit points which dwindle as you shoot them. Kind of like an RPG, huh?

here hasn't been a four-player RPG for nearly

10 years. Not since Hudson's Dungeon

Explorer (which was five players) for the

Turbografx-16 has there been a full-blown RPG that allowed more than three-player simultaneous— until now. Developers Metro3D are putting the final touches on their debut Dreamcast title Armada, with an expected release shortly after the system's launch. After getting some hands-on play at Sega's Gamer's Day, we can safely conclude that this game is definitely one of the most original action RPGs we've seen yet.

Sometime in the not-so-near future, mankind is threatened by a mysterious race of aliens known only as the Armada. This single-minded biomechanical entity infects the databanks of starships and has the ability to replicate itself in order to survive. Little is known about its motives for transgression except that it must be stopped at all costs. As the captain of a large starship capable of intergalactic warfare, your job is to protect civilization from being overrun by this ominous force.

The bulk of Armada's gameplay takes place in a top-down perspective of your (and your companions?) starship(s). Conversations with NPCs all take place on screen so there are never any pop- up dialogue boxes to obstruct the view or stutter the action. Combat in Armada is a throwback to classic gameplay mechanics such as Asteroids, Space Duel

82

In 1588, King Philip II sent his massive Spanish Armada to take over England? The Armada lost the battle, thanks to bad weather.

LVL:38 70

or Subspace. With this straightforward arcade persona, Armada will hopefully score points with action and RPG fans alike.

The biggest question about Armada is how it will play out as a RPG. From what we've seen so far, all of the ingredients are there: story line, a true experience points system, random encounters, intelligent enemy and friendly АІ, exploration, and a cache of goodies to upgrade your ship. Alien enemies even have hit points which pop off as you send ’em back to where they came from.

With plenty of action and a solid multiplayer experience, it will be interesting to see how Armada is received by gamers when it hits shelves in

November. БЯ

VEDO ot

| That's cool if you're still gaming on a console. Oh, by the way, did one of you guys lose your blankie? €cause we found one.

But things change as we mature. We stop sucking our thumbs. We stop wetting our beds. And when we find out that Р

with a 3dfx Voodoo graphics accelerator is far superior to consoles, we stop playing on consoles. So check one out today.

As for the bed wetting, we're pulling for you. For more information, check out www.3dfxcom. So powerful, it’s kind of ridiculou adf A.

The 3dfx PC Gaming Experience : Higher Resoluti Hard Core Games Internet Play Free Levels Off The Net

PREVIEW

| Ubi Soft

| Criterion Studios

| 1-2

| Racing

75%

| October 1999

PC (Redline Racer) www.ubisoft.com

Smooth frame-rate. ШІСІ To some degree, the bikes seem to ride on rails.

1227 Superbikes on sand.

Wipeout See how far you can launch your rider.

here’s a good chance cycle fans will buy Suzuki Alstare (pronounced ol-stär-ay) out of simple curiosity, seeing as how it’s the first game of its kind for the DC.

What are they in for? It’s not a serious sim— Alstare is pure arcade right down to its sandy beach tracks and tron-like bikes. While it does contain a couple real bikes (Suzuki GSX R600, R750) they're not exactly the main draw. A silky-smooth frame-rate (60 fps) and high graphic detail take that honor.

Not since Moto-Racer have we seen such speed in a motorcycle racing game. The cool part is, the backgrounds keep up with minimal draw-in. It’s exciting to see that kind of detail moving so fluidly.

Most of the 12 tracks are speed-friendly and fortified with lots of sweeping curves and rolling hills, not unlike those found in Moto-Racer 2. A few non-traditional courses feature dirt roads, beaches and even snow. The decision to include these rally-

Superbikes on the sand? I don't think so... some of the tracks are better suited for motocross bikes than these beasts.

84

Formerly known as Redline Racer (in Japan), the American release is beefed up with four additional tracks, the GSX-R600 and -R750, Reverse Mode and real riders. Don't let the realistic stuff fool you though, this game is arcade to the bone. Just the same, check out the scenic backgrounds and fancy lighting effects.

type offerings in a motorcycle game is a bit weird. But you must remember, Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing is all about the arcade experience not to mention “extreme.” (said sarcastically.)

The gameplay is very forgiving. Smackin’ other bikes during a race won't cause a wreck. More than likely the rebound will shoot you halfway up an embankment...then you'll wreck. Hitting the pavement is quite an interesting spectacle (see sidebar). At the point of impact the camera stops moving but the rider doesn't. Depending on the severity of the crash, he'll do a quick roll or launch into the hemisphere. It's an entertaining way to show a wreck.

For the most part, the controls are simple—ease off the gas in the turns or tap the brake to slow down. That's about the extent of it. The tricky part is keeping the bike in a good racing line. Oversteering results in the typical side-to-side stuff that eventually results in a mishap. Just the same, it'd be nice if the bikes were more responsive, they feel a bit stiff, especially for the twisty stuff. Hopefully that can be fixed before final product.

Thankfully two-player is operational and moves along just as well as single-player. Unfortunately no plans for Internet play have been announced. That's too bad—this would be a great game to use it.

As a simply arcade racer with loads of graphic appeal, Suzuki Alstare is right on track. ж

* Free Magazine Offer е Collectible 3D Trading Card е Memory Card Stickers (Ж) Bonus Pack Indudes: * Special CD Offer* Includes: Music Soundtrack, PC Screensaver Program, Anime

Wallpaper, and Selected Voice Files. — "(small shipping & handling fee required for Special CD offer)

бо you think you can survive in this world by following the rules? > -- М ТР

pe (ы) Ж qu. SS N S в. "r1 packed heatrical quality | ition and TZ fours of spoken dialog!

ер

ү Cûmputer Enedoiment Ic Dut Shack He MSC UC DESAI US AND FO

к à logs are registerad tademarks

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АІ screen shots from Sega Dreamcast", except for four-player shot from Nintendo 64 act тр А

û trademar

a> Sega PlayStation Drea mcast.

Standard Burro Prison Bus. Fully SS bus dn Power-Up. Now upgrade any Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense vehicle with extra speed, armor, target avoidance and more!

Get back on the bus for even more Cruise, bruise and pick-up hidden weapons, blistering, off-road auto combat insanity plus special power-ups that let you float, in 10 totally destructible arenas. hover and tread on snow.

Control 15 all-new, fully loaded "705 and Blast 'em sky-high in one and two-player futuristic vehicles with special attacks and modes, or up to four-player on Sega on-the-fly morphing upgrades. Dreamcast" and Nintendo 64".

"Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense leaves the competition in the dust!" - PSM

WWW.activision.com : IF IT DRIVES BY, BLOW IT UP!

PREVIEW GALLERY

Imagine the Mod Squad asa zombie-infested gorefest; or a Resident Evil arcade game; or Dynamite Cop meets House of The Dead—that's pretty much a good way to sum up Sega's Zombie Revenge. Up to two players can select one of three characters to tear the undead limb from limb. There are a large variety of combos to use against your foes and typical of these Streets of Rage clones, each character also has a number of exclusive moves. While a E 3 hand-to-hand combat is a = 1 x : PRESS START BUTTON necessity, Zombie Revenge is s н ] CREDIT(S) 3 constantly leaving guns for you to use at your leisure. Pistols, shotguns, machine guns and grenades are only a few of the toys in your arsenal. The graphics in Zombie Revenge far surpass other games of the same genre (Dynamite Cop 2, for instance). Details such as zombie dismemberment, and a boss with pipes and shards of glass sticking out of its body, add to the overall camp aesthetic of Zombie Revenge. Originally released as a Naomi title for arcades, Zombie Revenge will be out in Japan this October with a release stateside in 01 2000.

Rippin’ Riders (known as Cool Boarders Burrrn! in Japan) is done by UEP Systems, the creator of the snowboard video game. RR combines tricks, slalom, half-pipe and two-player action with a smokin’ 60 fps to produce the fastest slider in town. The game sports several tracks fortified with shortcuts, breakable objects and strange things (sheep) to avoid. Sega is releasing Rippin’ Riders this winter.

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PREVIEW GALLERY

Heroes of

The critically acclaimed Heroes of Might and Magic series' best chapter is coming to the DC late in 2000, thanks to Ubi Soft.

This turn-based strategy game has players building castles that contain structures which provide income, spells, artifacts and most important, monsters for armies. Players then venture out to capture resource-generating locales, and of course, to fight others trying to do the same. Battles take place on hex-maps, with players needing to take advantage of their monsters' special skills (like Vampires' ability to drain life force from enemy units, or Unicorns being able to blind other troops).

It is unknown at this point whether Ubi Soft will include online play or the Armageddon's Blade expansion pack.

Hasbro Interactive promises the Dreamcast conversion of Centipede will address a lot of concerns critics have over the poorly received PS version. This GD-ROM is due out in November.

The number of games sold worldwide from the Might and Magic universe.

Sega's Red Dog puts you in the cockpit of an armored vehicle not unlike the one from Sunsoft's old NES game, Blaster Master. But instead of shooting bugs and other Silly monsters, you'll be taking out all kinds of military forces from a third-person viewpoint.

The game's shooting and targeting is handled a bit like Sega's Panzer Dragoon series. Your target can be moved around at will. Pounding the fire button will result in lots of small blasts, while holding it down will let you lock-on to your enemies with missiles. Hitting both trigger buttons will swing your vehicle Sideways, letting you strafe left and right to avoid enemy fire while still delivering damage.

We'll have more on this Argonaut-developed title (which has been delayed until early next year) later.

Based on the wildly popular Martian Successor Nadesico anime series, Nadesico The Mission is an interesting hybrid of mainstream genres in Japan. Half of the game takes place in *adventure" mode where you must interact and converse with characters from the Nadesico series in order to advance. The meatier combat half of the game is a 3D turn-based strategy sim. Nadesico, from ESP Software is out now.

O-60 IN 1 SECOND.

` At 60 frames-per-second, TOKYO XTREME RACER is one of the fastest console games in existence. It's a white-knuckle racing experience that will leave you breathless.

HIGHVOLTAGE

ev, Th к Б e :

EN R row down against road rivals in point battle mode, customize your import racer in quest mode, or choose versus mode to go head-to-head at a blistering 60 frames-per-second.

HIGHOCTANE

"This game has unbelievable graphics that,

Va 3/4 in my opinion, easily rival that of the E Gran Turismo 2 demo” -SEGANET.COM "Graphically, this game is better than any N ACC

console racing game to date...period." -GAMEFAN ONLINE

Available 9.9.99

Sega(9) Dreamcast.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Crave and their respective logos are trademarks of Crave Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Crave Entertainment is a registered trademark in the U.S. © 1999 Crave Entertainment, Inc. Genki is а registered trademark of Genki Co., Ltd. Sega, Dreamcast, and the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd. А! other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

PREVIEW GALLERY

Shenmue

Sega recently gave out free Shenmue demo GD-ROMs with the purchase of any Dreamcast game in Japan. EGM got ahold of one for a hands-on look at Yu Suzuki's most ambitious game ever. On the disc, characters describe in detail the four main aspects of Shenmue's gameplay system. The detail in these real-time face М demos is absolutely stunning (see [ il i EGM #122). The high number of = Soy 1) polygons on each face allow the ee i characters to express subtleties x unlike anything we've ever seen. NAS The second and more significant + юе а part of the demo involves exploring the city of Yokosuka. You play the role of the Asian Tom Cruise, Ryo Hazuki. Somebody has informed you that Hidekazu Yukawa, the face and personality of the Dreamcast in Japan, is in trouble. Ryo must protect Yukawa and find out why a bunch of pipe-hittin" bruisers are after him. There are two QTE (Quick Time Events) in the demo; in one you're chasing Yukawa through the crowded streets of Yokosuka, and in the other, you kick a couple high school bullies into the dirt. Shenmue is due out Oct. 28 in Japan and Q1 2000 stateside.

92

Now you can blow and burst bubbles without getting sticky!

Chase HQ: Secret Police © 1988, 1999 TAITO Corporation, GAGA Communications Inc., Metro3D, Inc." Classic Bubble Bobble © 1988 1999 TAITO Corporation, GAGA Communications Inc., Puzzle Master © 1999 Metro3D, Inc.™ All other copyrights and trademarks acknowledged.

Secret "Police

PUT. THE LUNE. ARM OF THE LAW UN HAND!

Metrog0’s CLASSIC BUBBLE BOBBLE makes bubble busting fun a blast!

PUZILE MASTER is much more than а puzzle game. It combines the addictive gameplay of fast paced puzzles with the exciting action of a fantasy adventure game. Are you clever and quick enough to become a true puzzle master?

Action Game with Strategy and Simulation Elements

5 modes of play, 5 cars aud cops to choose from

70 action- packed stages 2 more than the original Chase HQ!

Attack with GUNS, or USE your wheels as a weapon to run ‘em off the road

www.metro3d.com

Metro3D, Inc.

12 South Ist Street,

10th Floor, San Jose, CA 95113 Tel: 408-286-2900

Fax: 408-286-2970

PREVIEW GALLERY

Developer Climax has announced the latest in their Runabout series on the Dreamcast, and boy does it look delectable! Like its prede- cessor on the PlayStation (brought to the U.S. as Felony 11-79), you tear through urban streets modeled after real cities to complete goals within a certain time limit. Climax has also given the game more personality by allowing you to play as different characters. Don't get too cocky or the fuzz will have to lay the smack down. Super Runabout will be out this winter in Japan.

One of the most promising action titles coming to the Dreamcast is Beserk, from veteran developers Yukes. Like Siegfried in Soul Calibur, the main character here brandishes a massive "zweihander" blade. His arsenal of attacks includes the bowgun strapped to his forearm, as well as a dagger to slice and dice the local populace. Beserk will be out in December from Ascii.

94

WHERE SERIOUS

GAMERS SCORE

PREVIEW GALLERY

Eternal Arcadia

Despite a slow trickle of RPGs for the Dreamcast from Japan, there's been nothing epic to get excited about—until now. Eternal Arcadia (formerly known as Project Ares — see ЕСМ #121) looks promising in more ways than one. Several members of Sega's beloved Phantasy Star team are working to make this every fanboy's dream come true. While gameplay details have not yet been revealed, we do know that the game takes place on floating continents where inhabitants travel back and forth on airships. You play as Vyse, a young explorer and a member of the “blue pirates" whose job is to loot from the rich (and give to the poor?). Interesting enough, an ad for Eternal Arcadia featured in recent Japanese magazines is accompa- nied by a poem. Sega hasn't announced a release date, but look for it sometime next year.

E: 4 Sa (LU c ill

As one of Capcom’s lesser-known fighting game franchises, Star Gladiators probably did more to showcase PlayStation’s likeliness to Namco's System 11 than stand out as a brilliant fighter. Its sequel will be making its way to the Dreamcast with plenty of graphical improvements. The DC version will also feature an extensive practice mode with on- screen flowcharts for moves. Capcom will release SG2 in September.

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“4. POKEMON YELLOW, GAME BOY, Nintendo

55. DONKEY KONG 64, NINTENDO 64, Nintendo

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Sega's latest virtual pet simulator has you playing the role of a benign spirit inhabiting a young man's room. You can manipulate certain objects in the room, move them around and rearrange them while he's away. Talk about voyeurism in the worst possible way! When his friends come over, you can tap on areas in the room to attract their attention (and freak them out). With Seaman coming stateside, there's hope for Roommania yet. Sega will release Roommania this winter.

Toukon's back! Yukes’ insanely popular Toukon Retsuden series makes its debut on the Dreamcast, and like all other Toukon titles, it'll move off the shelves in droves. The latest in the series features, among other things, Internet support (via the Dream Passport) and a 46-page "skill book." If you're a fan of wrestling games, but haven't ventured into the world of Toukon, it's time to have a look. TR4 is out now.

yukon Retsuden 4

PREVIEW GALLERY

103

Publisher: Nintendo

Nintendo es. №

ІСПЕН Action/RPG

50%

March 2000 (Japan) [soon None www.nintendo.co.jp

www.zelda64.com

ЛЕШ соте on, man. It's

another Zelda!

It'll probably be a

year or so before it hits the U.S.

Chris Johnston

running around the office wearing a home-made Deku Scrub mask...

Even though Zelda Gaiden will require the Expansion Pak to play, don't expect fancy-pants hi-res visuals like those found in so many other N64 games today.

| Ratherthan simply increase

| the screen resolution, Nintendo instead opted to use the Pak to improve gameplay by allowing for richer textures, more objects on-screen simultaneously (see above) and greater viewing distances, among other things.

Kudos to the big N for

| keepin' it real and making | sure gameplay comes first. If only more companies would take note, there might not be so many sub- par N64 games out there...

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

The Legend of Zelda Gaiden

ere months after restoring peace to the land of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link once again set out on an adventure. One day, deep in the forest, he encountered a Skull Kid wearing a strange mask. Turns out, the Skull Kid stole his beloved pony— Epona—and took off into a doorway that led toa warped alternate dimension. What Link saw when he followed the Skull Kid through the doorway was a strange, yet oddly familiar world full of familiar faces. However, one thing was clearly different: In the vast sky above loomed a gigantic moon that was slowly falling down onto this world...“In but a few short days, this world will end...” So spoke those living there. Even as they waited, time passed mercilessly. “If you can find the Skull Kid with the strange mask, you may find a clue to saving this place.” And so, Link’s latest adventure began...

What you just read came pretty much word for word from the Nintendo Space World '99 Official Guide Book. Is your mouth watering yet?

Currently 50 percent complete and on target for a March 2000 release in Japan, The Legend of Zelda Gaiden (translated from the Official Guide Book as “The Legend of Zelda: The Continuing Saga”) is shaping up to be every bit the monster hit that its best-selling predecessor was just one short year ago. Originally slated to be a 64DD game, Zelda Gaiden has since moved to cart and will require the

104

Qu

One of the major new gameplay elements in Zelda Gaiden stems from the use of those wacky masks that originated in Ocarina of Time. In this alternate dimension, a mask actually transforms Link into the creature that the mask represents! In addition to granting Link lots of new abilities (above, above left), they also bring new musical talents into play (left).

Expansion Pak to play (no doubt a side effect of it being in development for the DD for so long). Strangely enough, it's been reported that Ura Zelda (the working title of the DD Zelda before it surfaced as Zelda Gaiden) is still in fact planned for a DD release. Confused yet? Don't worry, so are we. Anyway, back to the game. Zelda Gaiden uses the same game engine as Ocarina of Time, though there are several modest enhancements, most notably in the graphics department. This is thanks to the Expansion Pak, which, rather than offering improved resolution (as it does in so many other games), instead works to provide a better frame-rate, more detailed environments, more action on-screen and a greater viewing distance. For example, at one point in the Dungeon Tour (one of the “Tours” concocted for the Space World demo version of Zelda Gaiden), Link enters a room with six Stalfos knights moving about independently— all without a hitch in frame- rate. Now if only they'll work on getting more than Six different enemies throughout the overworld... Gameplay-wise, Zelda Gaiden seems similar in a lot of ways to Ocarina of Time, but thanks to the quirky (and interesting) story, there's plenty of room for innovation. As you read earlier, in Zelda Gaiden, Link finds himself trapped in an alternate world — one that seems very much like Hyrule, yet unmistakably foreign in many ways. In this world, a giant moon is on a crash course with Earth, and if

Link doesn't figure ош a way to stop it т а certain amount of time, the world—and Link's chances of finding his way home—are kaput. The thing is, in Zelda Gaiden, time really IS important. You're actually playing against the clock (specifically, a giant Clock Tower—see screenshot below) which counts down in real time toward the impending doom that's going to occur if the moon hits home. This makes for one interesting diversion from Ocarina's gameplay. The masks make for another. That's right —the masks. Those happy, fun little masks from Ocarina of Time are back, but in this strange dimension, they're a heck of a lot more useful (and there are a lot more of them). Whenever Link dons one of them, he morphs into the creature that the mask represents. On the Space World demo, there were three available masks—a Goron mask, a Zora mask and a Deku Scrub mask. Each provides unique abilities for Link, and each has a special instrument that only that particular creature can play. The Goron form has great strength and can roll into a ball (like Sonic) and zoom around at high speeds. It also plays a wicked set of bongo drums. The Zora can swim with amazing speed and finesse, while also possessing mad guitar skills. The annoying Deku Scrub can walk on water, shoot seeds, hide out in the ground and use special flowers to shoot sky-high, allowing it to fly (actually, it hovers). On the musical side, the Scrub's got a set of horns that'd make Dolly Parton jealous. All this

1 million

with just three masks! Who knows what else you'll

be able to do once more masks are u

Aside from the time element and the masks, there

really wasn't that much new to check Space World version of Zelda Gaiden

miscellaneous things you may find in

Link starts off young and will likely stay young for

the majority of the game (since this t. he was returned to his youth form at

Ocarina of Time). He can now ride the horse (Epona) as a kid. B) There's less room for items in Link's inventory than there was in Ocarina of Time, and in

the version we played, there weren't

haven't seen before (of course there's gotta be something new in the final version). C) There seems to be a variety of new enemies in Zelda Gaiden—

some entirely new, some recycled fro Zelda games (like Zelda Il and A Link

The environments are much more varied and vast than those found in Ocarina. Expect huge dungeons, thick forests, snowy plains, nasty swamps and more. E) Navi's back. Is this good? Bad? You decide.

To sum it all up, we're damn excited about Zelda Gaiden, and you should be too. If this early version is any indication of what the final product will be like (which, while due in March, could easily get pushed back further— let's not forget how many times Ocarina of Time was delayed before it was finally released), Nintendo's gonna have yet another

masterpiece on their hands. No word

release, but it's pretty safe to assume that at the very latest, you'll be crackin' Stalfos heads once

again before Christmas 2000. ж

. Still, what we saw looked extremely promising. Here are a few

The number of copies that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has sold worldwide as of

Aug. 24. If you don't own this masterpiece yet, you can get it new for only $39.99 (it's a Player's Choice title). What the heck are you waiting for?!

In the Space World demo of 76, there were a few racing scenes that could be played out with each of the different masks (left).

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PREVIEW

LTEM Nintendo

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January 2000 (Japan) LIEN кепе www.nintendo.co.jp ЕШТЕНЕ At first glance, the

art style seems to get in the way of gameplay, but it actually makes it more fun to play.

Square helped develop the first Super Mario RPG and isn't working on this one. (ECT Mario must've jumped into a newspaper press to get this thin. Wonder what exercise plan he’s been on to keep his figure!

MARIO ко

Down w/RPG

You charge your attacks by holding the analog and releasing at the right time.

Super Mario RP

Though Mario is paper-thin, he can move around the world in 3D. Despite its kiddie appearance, the gameplay is all RPG.

As a pre-emptive strike, you can attack enemies without going into a formal battle with them in the “overworld.”

t first glance, it looks as if Nintendo has

turned Super Mario RPG 2 into a kiddie,

simplistic version of the 16-Bit original.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Intelligent Systems — whose credits include Tetris Attack, Fire Emblem (a Super Famicom RPG never released in the U.S.), Metal Combat and Battle Clash (both Super Scope games) —take hold of the reigns for the sequel from Square, who developed the first.

Bowser is again wreaking havoc upon the land

and, as he has always done in the past, Mario is the only one who can stop him. Mario and the other characters in the game are paper-thin sprites set in а 3D world. When they turn around or lie down, they flip over, just as they would if they'd been drawn

106

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onto a card. Nintendo describes it as a “сотіс strip/puppet show" style.

As you explore the game's overworld, you'll run into familiar friends and enemies from the Mario universe. You can attack enemies early without having to get into a full-fledged battle, but if they hit you, the scene changes into a close-up battle with one or more enemies. You now choose attacks from a pop-up menu, and charge them up by holding the analog stick in one direction and releasing when your power bar is charged. You can also "invent" equipment for Mario to use in battle for more power.

New to the game is the ability to make enemies your ally. When you need a special ability, such as bombing a wall or flying over a pit, you can call upon that ally, which pops out of your pocket, to perform the necessary task. We'll have more on Super Mario RPG2 (Super Mario Adventure in the U.S.) as news

filters in. ж

When you enter buildings, the camera zooms іп, then opens the building (such as this house) up on hinges 50 you can see inside easily, like a pop-up book.

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Rainbow Six is as close аз it gets to the intensi- ty of real-life tactical operations. You'll control an elite multi-national strike force battling internation- al terrorism.

Rainbow Six's explosive real-world action is coupled with spine-tingling tactics to create a gaming experi- ence you won't soon forget. Rainbow Six is so real you'll find yourself yelling "Tango doun!" in your sleep for weeks.

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PREVIEW

LONG LINE AT SPACE WORLD — You'd think that Zelda Gaiden would be producing the long lines at

Space World, but not so! Kirby's Dreamland 64 had the longest of і | all of them—up to ап hour and 45 minutes for five minutes of play.

Kirhy's Dreamland 64

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СТИ ное www.nintendo.co.jp Old school 2D gameplay in an expansive 3D environment. Very promising.

The only bad thing about this game would be if they don't release it in the U.S.

Eating all those bombs has to be bad on the digestive system. Ouch! СИ Kirby's Dreamland 1/2/3 (GB), Kirby's Dreamland (NES), Kirby 3 (Super NES), Klonoa (PS), Pandemonium (PS/Saturn) and Tomba! (PS).

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After you finish each level, you're presented with a picnic blanket spread of power-ups. One well- placed jump, and one of ‘ет’$ yours.

Levels are 3D, but gameplay is set on a 2D plane. The camera sweeps around Kirby, making for some great visuals.

irby always seemed to get the shaft—his games showing up well after a system is already established and in the wake of the next big thing (with the exception of the Game Boy games). Maybe this will change things, as the N64 still has plenty of life left in it, as proven by Nintendo's strong first-party games at Space World. Kirby's Dreamland 64 is a 3D side-scrolling platform game on a fixed plane like Klonoa (PS) or Pandemonium (PS). The camera often swings around the action, keeping Kirby in view at all times, to reveal an enemy or curved trail. In some of the castle levels, you stay more or less stationary in the center of the screen as the scenery moves around you as you climb its spiral. Graphically speaking,

Kirby has never looked better. Forget Kirby's Air Ride—he deserves, and has now received, better. As in previous games, he inhales enemies and gains their abilities. For example, he can become a bomb, do a super-speed dash, have ice breath, turn into a refrigerator, become a spikey ball and more. But unlike those previous titles, he can now combine two abilities, creating even more new attacks. You're also able to pick up enemies and use them as weapons or pick up their weapons, such as swords, to swing back at them.

The story goes like this: A mysterious enemy has kidnapped an innocent fairy, and Kirby must come to her rescue. To save her, he has to collect crystals that have been scattered throughout the game's levels. There are plenty of bosses to get in the way of your goal, too. One in particular is a boy who draws enemies for Kirby to fight. They jump off of his canvas and attack our poor lil’ pink puff-ball hero. (They are flat, crayon-ish drawings in 2D like the characters in PaRappa or Super Mario RPG 2). At various points in the game and before and after bosses, there's a cutscene using the game's engine.

Levels in the game include: Desert, Ocean, Seaside, Castle, Forest, Mountain Pass and Greek Ruins. Music is comprised of upbeat, very saccharin- laced music-box-ish tunes that fit right in with what

the Kirby series has become. Even at only 50

percent complete, Kirby 64 looks like a winner. ж

[Punisher — Titus

Saffire a 1

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% Done: 90%

November 1999 [шо On: None

www.titus.com

Only the second four-

player fighter available for N64.

The Вай: Gamers who dismiss a

game because of its license.

End Boss Despair.

PlayStation owners will be receiving their very own Xena game, entitled Xena Warrior Princess. Published by Electronic Arts, the game is more of a Tomb Raider- style 3D adventure. (See Review Crew this issue.)

Xena Warrior Princess: _ The Talisman of Fate |

Attack foes from a distance with Xena's Decapitato Ring, ег, Chakram.

Superb collision detection allows single attacks to affect multiple characters.

ighting fans, Titus wants to get medieval on your collective asses with intense four-player combat starring everybody’s favorite doughnut bumper from down under, Xena.

Not to be confused with Xena Warrior Princess, EA’s 3D adventure for PlayStation, Xena Warrior Princess: The Talisman of Fate is a weapon-based fighter in the tradition of Wu-Tang Shaolin Style, minus the gratuitous blood and guts. In addition to Xena, the game includes such series favorites as loyal gal pal Gabrielle and Autolycus, played by Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell. There’s also a Julius Caesar wannabe, a fan-wielding Oriental girl, a Greek goddess or two, and a nasty End Boss aptly named Despair.

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Controls are reminiscent of Samurai Shodown, with strong and weak weapon attacks and kicks; however, the game has one important addition: a targeting button, A, that allows you to focus your attacks on the enemy of your choice.

While two-player contests are interesting, the action really heats up during multiplayer matches, which can be fought as handicap, team or last- barbarian-standing contests. Thanks to excellent collision detection, a single move such as a leg Sweep or roundhouse may take out two or three foes, a feat developers of multiplayer wrestling games have yet to learn.

Although the version we received is only 90 percent complete, the fighting engine is surprisingly polished for a first-generation effort. It includes plenty of “juggling” attacks in addition to more subtle moves which most developers don't get around to adding until the second or third installment of a game, such as ground attacks and wall escapes. There are also plenty of flashy projectile attacks involving pillars of flame, lightning, cyclones and —of course —Xena's trademark Chakran-bladed flying disk.

While the game is obviously aimed at Xena fans, there's plenty for non-fans to like, not the least of which is plenty of leather-clad babes. If you're an N64 gamer jonesing for Wu-Tang or Shao Lin-style multi-player combat, look no further. ж

It's not the size of your howitzer, it's what you do with it.

www.playstation.com

Tiny may have the body of a vending machine, but he's got the spirit of a rottweiler.

Think Tiny packs a powerful punch? Try the ultimate destruction of the two-player, death-match mode.

Ever seen a pack of itsy-bitsy piranha devour a water buffalo? Size is a poor indicator of annihilation potential.

Chaos has struck Sentrax, the world’s largest defense contractor. And now its evil robots are destroying the earth. Mankind may not make it to the 22nd century. The only hope is a bright yellow tank the size of a riding lawn mower. Can Tiny, with his 80mm cannon, Gatling guns and assorted rocket launchers save the human race? Maybe. But even if he can't, he's gonna piss alot of people off in the process.

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PlayStation

Check out the top URL for general news and updates on lon Storm's beleaguered shooter...and PREVIEW the bottom URL for updates on the N64 version.

GALLERY

3 1 ж ыы

Excitehike 64 Nintendo and Left Field bring the NES classic to the N64 this December. It has six modes of play: Season, Special Tracks, Multiplayer, Time Trials and Custom Track Mode. Much like the original Excitebike, you use the analog stick to point your bike in the right angle for safe

landings. As you can see at the right, there's a four-player mode, track editor and a variety of stages including an all-terrain jungle level.

Paperhoy

Midway and High Voltage Software are giving the classic arcade game a 3D update. Gameplay is basically the same, except you can do bike stunts for more points. Paperboy is due out in October.

Worms: Armageddon

If you missed out on the first Worms (PS, Saturn, PC), then you missed out on one of the most addictive multiplayer strategy games ever. Now, the third game in the series (consoles never saw Worms 2) is on its way to the N64, complete with more weapons of mass (and not so mass) destruction, new levels and four-player play. Infogrames is releasing this version early next year.

Daikatana

The PC version of Daikatana has been a hot topic of more debate, and the subject of more game industry scandal than just about any other game in history. For those of you not up on your PC games political history, Daikatana was initially to be the first game released by lon Storm...the company set up by ex-iD software design guru John Romero. After numerous delays and staff changes (with the odd scandal thrown in) the game still isn't out and is more than a year late. Kemco has picked up the N64 rights to the Quake-like 3D blaster and may well have its version out before the real thing. It's a very ambitious first-person shooter with multiple characters and some cool dynamic environments. Travel through time, killing bad guys and marvelling at the graphics. No release date is set yet.

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PREVIEW GALLERY

Mini Racers

Nintendo showed off a 9o percent complete version of Mini Racers at Space World '99, due out later this year. It's very reminiscent of R.C. Pro-Am, only without the weapons. Tracks are both on and off-road, with a Tag Mode where hitting your opponents is encouraged. Up to four

players can race simultaneously, and the game's track generator lets you randomly generate tracks you can edit and save for later use.

Test Drive Rally

Infogrames is set to release its first Rally game under the Test Drive name in early 2000. The title features 51 tracks, 22 licensed vehicles and real-world rally drivers. In addition, a game mode called “Knockout” pits you against a computer opponent using the same vehicle and setup for a true one-on-one race. Other notable features: four-player mode and cool graphic effects such as sparks, smoke and burn-outs.

Mario Party 2

The sequel to this year’s party-inducing board game is set to hit Japan in December. Hudson and Nintendo have teamed up once again to bring players a total of 64 mini-games and a handful of new boards. There’s also a level where Bowser himself plays. Now you can use items, and there are a lot more traps to lure opponents into or fall into yourself! No word on when this will hit the U.S., but we hope it’s soon.

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Excessive Speeding 2:54 a.m. Jet Moto racing is back. With an all-new 3D racing engine that delivers sharper graphics, faster speed and more adrenaline. Jostle and fight for position on 19 killer tracks and 11 insanely fast hover

bikes. It's the wicked speed you've always wanted,

without all the tickets. | The rush is back!

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PREVIEW GALLERY

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Once а 6400 game, Nintendo's Earthbound sequel Mother 3: The Final Days of the Pig King, is now headed for Japan on cartridge in May 2000. A 50 percent complete version was shown off at this year's Space World. There are four main characters — Flint (the father), Ryuka and Krause (his two sons), and their dog Boney. The game begins as Flint goes to investigate strange sounds emanating from a nearby forest, to protect his family and the village. It's split into chapters, as you take control of one of the main characters in each. As you go through the game you'll experience each event differently depending on which character you are. The battle system is pretty simple, but if you press the buttons to attack on the beat of the music, you'll score multiple hits. You can even jump into enemies to get the first attack in.

One of the biggest surprises at Space World 'o9 came from Noise (a

team within second-party Japanese developer Marigul) in the form of Custom Robo. It can best be described as a mix between Virtual On,

Robo-Pit and Pokémon. In the game's Story Mode you get your very first

Custom Robo, "Lei," and head with your brother to the Robo Station's

Holosseum, where other Custom Robo owners go to battle (yes, they're

all holographic robots). When you get there, a huge battle breaks out, with rivals challenging you one by one. Your goal is to work your way

up to the final showdown with Mamoru and gain the title of champion. If that's not your speed, you can take control of 30 different robos and

suit them up with weapons and armor of your choosing then battle either the computer or a human opponent. Combat takes place on a

virtual battleground that zooms in/out and makes obstacles transparent

50 you can see your opponent. It's easy to pick up and a lot of fun to play. Nintendo will publish the game this November in Japan.

In the early “905, Nintendo contemplated releasing the original 8-Bit

| Mother for the NES, but decided against it due to poor sales of Dragon Warrior in the U.S. It got a second chance through a fan-translated version called Earthbound Zero (for play on NES emulators). You can find more information on Earthbound Zero oby visiting http: //www.earthbound.net.

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RE2 had its two-character “zapping system" as its spin on the Resident Evil formula.

Capcom Capcom

1

Adventure

70%

November 1999

None

www.capcom.com Zombies everywhere!

Resident Evil 3? It's more of a sidestory than a sequel.

Your face after it's been "french kissed" by the Nemesis' tentacled hand.

This time, we get special

choose-your-own-path parts.

Menu choices pop up on

screen at key points in the game. Take the scenes above, for instance. Jill is minding her own business when a gang of flesh-eaters begin breaking through a nearby gate. Two options flash up—she can either run

from the room or throw a

nearby switch. Act quickly or the game decides for you.

Unlike Resident Evil and RE2, Nemesis is a one-character game- for the most part. Even though you take on undead as Jill Valentine 90 percent of the time...

„уои will play a brief stint as Umbrella badass Carlos Oliveira.

hey do it once a month. Every producer,

planner and director involved in the

development of any current Resident Evil

project gathers in Capcom R&D's offices in Japan and talks shop. Their goal: to avoid any continuity problems in the Resident Evil saga's increasingly complex story line.

Seeing as how the newest installment in the series, Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, drops characters from the first game into settings from the second and is set at roughly the same time as RE2, Capcom's planning meetings are no doubt a necessity. In case you missed our massive cover story a few months ago, here's a quick recap of RE3’s tangled tale. You play Jill Valentine, who

128

returned from the first game's mansion only to see the entire horrific incident covered up and forgotten by the Raccoon PD. She resigns from S.T.A.R.S. and packs up to follow Chris Redfield, who's already left to investigate Umbrella's HQ in Europe. But just as she's about to wash her Raccoon City troubles outa her hair, the G-virus-infected zombies hit the streets, putting the kibosh on her plans to escape.

So, the game picks up on Sept. 28, the day before events depicted in RE2. It continues on through Sept. 29 and finishes up the following night. You'll trundle through familiar settings, including the police station (scan this preview for a screenshot of а room and minor character from RE2). But one thing we haven't seen as we played through our nearly complete preview version is any Back to the Future Part Il-style intertwining of prequel/sequel plot lines. We were hoping to see RE2's Leon or Claire grappling zombies in some distant alley. Would that be cheesy? Sure, but It'd also be a nice graphical touch that would drive home the idea that, yes, you are stalking around town during RE2's time frame. Of course, such a sequence may be in the final game and we just haven't seen it yet.

Gameplay-wise, RE3 is faithful to the previous games: You explore, shoot zombies, solve puzzles, shoot more zombies, uncover the Umbrella Corporation's misdeeds, shoot even more zombies. Heck, this thing is jammed to overflowing with

stinkin' undead. It's more action-oriented than past Resident Evil games. Zombies are everywhere, and you'll have to master the new dodge move pretty early if you wanna survive Raccoon City's mean streets for long. You'll even come across the occasional civilian in need of saving. You can hear their terrorized cries from a distance. Race to their rescue before they get gang-munched. We know of at least one mini-game you can open when you beat RE3. Perhaps saving all the civilians is one key to unlocking it.

With its zombie-packed streets, RE3 is a tad trickier than previous Resident Evil outings. Newbies can play at an easier mode, called Light Mode, which offers more ammunition and an easier dodge move. Besides the varied undead (you'll face zombie businessmen, zombie doctors, etc.), you'll also go up against the devil dogs and spiders of

Artful dodging: Tap R1 at the right time and your character sidesteps attacks (left). You perform different dodges depending on the monster you face. Puzzles (bottom left and below) are less tedious this time. Many can be solved within a single room; you rarely have to haul items from one end of the game to another.

Strange but true: Early press releases for the original Resident Evil claimed it would be a two-player game. So where'd the multiplayer mode go? “1 originally planned to have a ‘partner’ character always act together with а player character,” RE series producer Shinji Mikami told us. “The partner's role was to do various actions and responses to the enemies, traps and puzzles, but the plan was scrapped due to hardware limitations."

The real star of RE3 is your ruthless pursuer-the Nemesis. How scary is he? "[The Nemesis] is always watching you," series producer Shinji Mikami told Japanese mag Dengeki PlayStation. “Не is somewhere around you, but you never know where. He is extremely horrifying. He runs extremely fast. He keeps tracking you even though you move from door to door.”

previous games. Nasty newcomers include poisoning spider/licker hybrids and giant slugs.

It’s not the new critters, dodge move or decision moments (see sidebar) that make RE3 different from its predecessors. The new wrinkle here comes in the form of a hulking, mutating, terrifying new character named Nemesis. He shows up early in the game.

He has a definite problem with S.T.A.R.S. members. And he spends the rest of the game busting through walls, doors and windows, kinda like the boogey man meets Kool-Aid man. He'll follow you from room to room and he’s lightning quick. The Nemesis is easily the most terrifying Resident Evil enemy ever.

Flagship—the company that wrote the scenarios for RE2m Dino Crisis and the upcoming Code Veronica—didn’t create RE3’s story. That has some die-hard RE fans a little worried, and some skeptics see RE3 as more of a sidestory than a true sequel. But while Capcom staff wrote RE3’s scenario, Flagship is still checking over the plot to make sure everything fits together in the growing Resident Evil universe. The game does promise to answer many of your questions about the Umbrella Corporation and its schemes. Unless the Nemesis kills you first. ж

129

We agree that RE2's ЕМУ intro rocked, right? Right. Good, ‘саизе RE3 packs an equally cool opener. The sequence shows a Raccoon City gone shithouse, as zombies begin their assault on the citizenry, police and members of the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasures Force. Take a gander...

PREVIEW

Eidos

Core Design

1

Action/Adventure

20%

November 1999

РС

www.eidos.com

www.tombraider.com

А proper sequel to Tomb Raider...this one actually has some different stuff in it.

Do people still care? Tomb 3 wasn't that hot.

Blowing people's heads off with the new weapons.

Lara Knows How То Handle A Loaded Gun

As you can see from the screenshots just over there to the right, Lara’s arsenal is now not dissimilar from that of a small army. Pistols, Uzis, shotguns, cross-bow and grenade launchers all make an appearance, and all of these can be affected in some way by attaching pieces to them Parasite Eve style. Slap a laser sight onto the top of the powerful revolver and you can aim at the bad guys’ heads and blow them off the GoldenEye way. It’s particularly fun when you're battling undead skeletons that just won’t go away when you ask them nicely. Don’t want to kill everyone in a room, but want to knock them out while you run through? Slap some stun grenades in your launcher and watch everyone drop like flies. It’s all derivative stuff...but it’s good fun.

or whatever reason, the fourth Tomb Raider

game isn’t to be known as Tomb Raider 4.

Absolutely not. Suggest it to anyone involved

with the project and they pull a funny face and then explain that sticking a number after a big game name isn’t a great idea. It doesn’t seem to have done Lara any harm in the past though. Tomb Raider 3— by far the crappiest installment so far is apparently the biggest seller by quite a considerable margin. Ho hum. Tomb Raider guru and Core Design big-wig Adrian Smith explained the logic in a recent interview with www.videogames.com. "In essence, in TLR, we want to capture a lot of new PlayStation users and introduce them to the Tomb Raider series of games," he begins. "People are normally fairly

(Below) Lara's arsenal is quite considerable this time around, and it's bolstered by the fact that you can now combine items (like a gun and a sight) as well as choose types of ammo for the crazier guns.

get x Merah Амте

Continued on p.132

Things have certainly changed a lot this time. While at first glance it all looks decidedly "Tomb Raider-y" things are different. The fact that it all takes place in the same part of the world also makes the whole story feel much more cohesive and "movie-like." Note that it's not called Tomb Raider 4. Apparently this is designed to attract new gamers to the franchise.

skeptical when they know it's the fourth or the third or even the second in the series. They feel they need to go and buy the first one. It's just really something we've wanted to overcome in The Last Revelation. We wanted to make this game appeal to the core users who enjoyed playing the Tomb Raider series and also to completely new users. What we're trying to say is, ‘This is the definitive Tomb Raider.’ This is the combination of the first three games with elements that will tell the history and explain why Lara is who she is today."

Sounds like marketing talk to us. Call it whatever you will though, taking a closer look at the most recent playable version of the game reveals that things have taken a step up in terms of quality this time. While Tomb 3 seemed to lack focus and sprawled all over the place in a series of "set pieces," The Last Revelation seems very cohesive. All set in Egypt, it takes Lara back to a far more Indiana Jones style setting with cramped interiors and cunning puzzles. “Тһе gameplay in Tomb Raider Ill was changed,” explains Smith. “Some say for the better, some say for the worse. We've actually reverted back to what we think Tomb Raider should be, which is more in line with TR1. We've also made this one a sort of epic adventure. It isn't Lara jet- setting around different locations. We've chosen one

(Below) Puzzles come in a variety of styles. Here you need to keep the door open by manipulating the machine to the side of it. How to do this? Why, shoot it of course (aim with your laser sight) and open sesame!

130

“>

Remember, the only thing to fear is fear itself. Especially in this deadly mercenary mission where your own emotional responses determine what happens next. So go ahead, make your move. Just be sure to keep your fear in check.

NS

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- we |81 ГИ

Breakthrough SUSPENSE/ACTION ADVENTURE

game. Beyond your realm of fear. Beyond any 3rd person game created.

%,

MOTION FX TECHNOLOGY. Pre-rendered, fully animated backgrounds creating a frighteningly real world.

NON-INTERRUPTED GAMEPLAY for more intense action and debilitating power. Comes in handy for the THREE RUTHLESS

MERCENARIES whose destinies you control.

EIDOS

eidos.com

EIDOS, EIDOS INTERACTIVE, and the EIDOS INTERACTIVE LOGO are all registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive.Fear Factor is a trademark of Eidos Interactive. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trade- marks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.

Continued from p.130

| am the

-Set—an Egyptian with an apparently very bad temper

Lara pushes through the first set of doors in the library.

As with the earlier games, the levels in TLR are hub-based. Find a large area and many puzzles will branch off of it.

location, and the whole game takes place there." Also significant this time around is the fact that we get a lot more characterization this time. We get to learn about Lara's history and some of the important influences in her life. Smith explains “the training level [at the very beginning of the game] takes place in Cambodia and is a ‘flashback’ that is used to introduce Lara's mentor, Von Croy. It's also to re-introduce Lara herself at the age of 16 years. The 16-year-old version of Lara is not a ‘feature’ of The Last Revelation but is used as a means to tell both old and new users more about her history and the reasons why she is an adventurer today. Von Croy has the same moves as Lara and teaches her how to perform all of them both old and new." Playing the early version of the game also reveals that Lara herself looks and acts a lot better than she has before. The dual analog control system from Tomb 3 is back, but it seems to have been refined somewhat, and Lara now seems to look and feel a lot more like she's *within" the environment. She crawls about, steps over things, pulls herself up ropes and she can even twist around mid-jump to make combat more controllable. She looks much better too...gone are the polygonal sharp edges of her past— now she's all smooth and curvy... smoother and curvier than in Tomb 3 thanks to a fancy graphical technique that lets the artists wrap

the graphics around her like a skin.

For the real hard-core Tomb Raider fans, we've also got word of how the save system is going to work this time. This has been a hot topic of debate throughout the series with chops and changes between unlimited save and specific save points. Impatient or inexperienced players will be pleased to hear that TLR features a return to the "save anywhere" philosophy of Tomb Raider 2. Several thousand of you will no doubt be groaning at that particular revelation...but it seems Core and Eidos are trying to be as friendly as possible with all of the gameplay mechanics this time. ж

182 - www.videogames.cor

ALL IN ONE PL

Walk Like An Egyptian

“Egypt is probably a return to one of the best locations we could put a Tomb Raider game in,” explains Core Design’s Adrian Smith. “So it’s in Egypt, but it’s around a small center. And that isn’t really going to be known by the player in the beginning. The story line is driven very much through the whole of the game. What happens at which point and with which character will make the story unfold in front of you."

Few details have been revealed about what Adrian is actually talking about here...vague details are something of a tradition when it comes to the Tomb Raider games during development. What we do know though is that the story line is very timely in that it deals with Egyptian mythology, meteorology and how all of this ties in with various events leading up to the millennium. It's a definite return to *old style" Tomb Raider games, | something most welcome after Tomb Raider 3.

SET sayeth: 'I ` am the shadow across the sun; | am the bringer of plagues. My wrath will consume all lands and shall be ceaseless.’

Egypt. Land of mythology, mystery, pharaohs... and the most complex

tombs known to man. Tombs littered with

mazes, puzzles and traps, designed to drive even the most persistent raiders to distraction... or death. Enter: Lara Croft. Based entirely in Egyptian locations, The Last Revelation's plot revolves around ancient mythology and the alignment of

the stars at the millennium. Finding herself in a serious predicament, Lara's objective is clear from the outset - she must escape a terrifying destiny and rectify a situation that threatens to destroy humanity.

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TOMB

RAIDER

The story is unveiled seamlessly through gameplay action driven by advanced engine technology. New programming routines allow levels to dissolve into cinematic cut-scenes and full motion video (FMV). Loading screens are eliminated, making the adventure a continuous, focused experience.

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation's redesigned inventory system replaces traditional inventory rings with an easier- to-use interface allowing items to be combined, collected and stored. The new inventory also features Lara's diary, which includes her personal notes from each adventure and a location map that players can access for hints and tips. Application of the transformed system will give new life to puzzle elements —

a key feature of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. Clear objectives and smaller locations will result in less time spent traveling between areas. Individual

CORE DESIGN is at it again. This fall will see the return of two top games with the PlayStation's hottest characters and Core's knack for addictive gameplay. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and Fighting Force 2 are sure to satisfy fans as well as capture the imagination of new players. For more on two of the hottest titles coming this fall, read on.. +

environments are more reminiscent

of the original game - tightly focused and puzzle-oriented, but with higher levels of detail and a greater number of objects than seen before.

The atmosphere will also be more akin to the original due to the emphasis on ancient locations and tombs. To further the atmospheric detail, the lighting system features spotlighting. New environment mapping allows a variety of surfaces and objects to reflect and react to light sources. Lara herself will have a new remodeled look -- fully skinned and more detailed. A range of new moves, both simple and complex, provides an assortment of brand new puzzle and trap mechanisms for Lara to negotiate. The puzzles are based on Egyptian mythology and will operate like complex board games right at the player's fingertips.

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CORE De

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Interview with Adrian Smith of Core Design

So what's the plot this time? We've made the basis of the story a lot simpler this time around - the player is given a very clear objective from the outset. The plot will twist and turn as Lara progresses, but the ultimate goal always remains in sight.

Very basically, Lara inadvertently releases something rather nasty whilst breaking into an ancient tomb... and of course she's the only one who can put things right. The path of true adventure never runs smooth so Lara will have various tasks to complete before she's able to face a final confrontation.

Do you fear a backlash against this title since it is the 4th in the series?

Despite any number of new features and improvements, the game is still, in essence, ‘Tomb Raider’ - an adventure game featuring Lara Croft. What we have done this time is completely re-address a

number of key elements. This will immedi-

ately distinguish Last Revelation from its predecessors and bring fresh life to the title. The on-screen format is completely new - gone are the old inventory rings, loading screens etc. It's always been our

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intention to make the fourth game as accessible to as many people (both old fans and new users) as possible. We've focused on simpler gameplay so the game will be easier that TRIII in terms of direction and objectives. Players will know exactly what to do, and where they have to do it. The difficulty lies in solving the puzzles that will enable players to complete objectives - so it's very much like the original game in that respect. A very clear storyline and single location means that a lot less time is wasted covering vast distances.

In some ways Last Revelation is a prequel to the trilogy, but the technical advances will make it far more detailed and atmos- pheric. If you've never played a Tomb | Raider game, this is the one that we'll be recommending!

Can you tell us about any of the new enemies that Lara will face? We're concentrating on highly detailed enemies - there may be fewer of these but they will certainly be more purposeful than those seen in previous titles. Since we're dealing with Egypt, our ] artists and animators have really been able to let their imaginations go so we've got mythological baddies as well as natives and gener- ics. Due to the nature of the plot, you'll find a lot of \ rather strange things N, happening and don't be surprised if you find that your are pitting your skill against an adversary through the adventure.

Will there be another game in the Tomb Raider series?

Well you know what they say... You just can't keep a good girl down...!

A Sequel? Well, - What's New?

In Fighting Force 2, everything is new. Core Design took the best elements of the original game, which was the fast-paced hand- to-hand combat and object interaction and carried it to the next level in gaming. Sporting a brand new 3D game engine and focusing on the action genre rather than simple beat'em up has really opened the eyes of tough to please hard-core gamers. Rather than using an entire "Force" of characters, Core has chosen to focus on one main character (see side bar), Hawk Manson, to lead the charge in this sequel. This allows for more storyline elements to be introduced as well a greater number of animations or moves the character will have. The main

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i objective of the

i game is not known

і at the outset. The

1 storyline is integrat- i ed, giving clear

і objectives that allow ; the plot to unfold.

: Cut scenes will be

і used to give the

i player his next

1 objective or further

i information. Then as i the player progresses through each location, a number of scripted i scenes will be used to advance the story line. Hawk is або

i equipped with a data handset of which information is received

i via the Control Base. The Base will give Hawk additional

i information and objectives.

i "In fact we have introduced many new weapons, which will

i help the player to deal with some of the most difficult situations i making the action more realistic and rewarding. АИ the fighting

i moves and the system have been redesigned so that interacting і with them results in a more balanced game for the player, "says t Ken Lockley, Producer at Core Design.

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€ 324014 DNILHDI4

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LEVEL PROGRESSION

The player must negotiate nine global locations, split into approximately 24 separate stages. The levels vary from the steel mills of Pittsburg and a tank factory in Japan to South America. Each location holds a clue that leads to the final confrontation with the ultimate enemy. Throughout the missions Hawk will also collect body armor at the various locations which provide additional strength and protection. The game flow

Heckler and Koch НК-6Т. Dodge Urban.

€ 32404 ONILHDIA

Schiegler TOM-72.

Escher Commando Blade.

also splits after the fifth level where the player is given a choice that will result in the player visiting different locations.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Each of the 50 enemies and bosses have unique artificial intelligence and are knowledgeable about the layout of the surroundings. For example, if Hawk enters a room the characters may react in different ways. They may choose to confront the player, try to raise the alarm or run for assistance and if fired upon directly they run away, but also raise the alarm in the process. This is where some of the stealth capabilities play a role in

Dodge Riot Baton.

General Dynamics M-30.

ARMACOM - 400.

Black Widow Strike Series 900.

Hansol Short Sword.

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*

ments by taking the "alarm setting" enemy out FIRST before he is able to call them," says Lockley.

the game. Some characters will not perceive the player as a threat unless

а direct action is taken against them. Avoiding confrontation is some situations

allow many more combat moves / ^ combos. There are specific combos and deadly weapons, even moves when guns are emptied (player can use empty pistol

may be a more strategic decision. to hit enemies.) We also have 'charge- : КЕМ LOCKLEY ON THE NEW able’ moves that take time to charge, but $

"The Al and game flow control in FF2 APPROACH TO FF2 are extremely powerful. Due to the fact

create much more varied and interesting Тһе original game's major weakness that there are more weapons available

potential outcomes in any given would have to be repetition. With FF2 and to the type of 3D environments the

situation. For instance the removal of the ratio of hand-to-hand combat and count of moves has almost doubled from -

an enemy before he manages to set an weapons use is roughly 50:50. We had to ће previous Fighting Force.

alarm (Bringing reinforcements into a completely re-think the control system to

room - This would be BAD!), will make :

passage through that area substantially а

easier. The player will also be able to learn from the behavior of individual enemies and in later levels, avoid having to deal with the reinforce-

—^-

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CORE Design

198? Enrolled in the U.S. Marines. Saw active duty in Panama, Grenada. and the middle east. Served one year in the elite Navy Seals unit.

1995 Injured and discharged on medical grounds

1335-153" Freelance security advisor for local law enforce-

SMG AT-9. ment agencies in the United States and Europe. Police records cannot prove any links to vigilante activity but Manson is suspected of strong arm lau enforcement and has been seen at paramilitary training camps in Texas and Nevada.

2000 Part of the team that uncovered and stopped Dr. Zeng from wiping out the population of planet earth at the turn of the century.

€ 32404 ONILHDIA

Colt SAR-9. А Current Occupation: Currently employed as а lleapons Inspector for the United Nations. Specifications: Alias: The Hauk Height: b’2 Experienced in projectile Weight: 193b lbs weapons and motor vehicles Special Skills: Extras: Can hack any computer system 7 Dorling Industries > MK-3000. е? эө Core s ША! ' таға б хт Hoe x EIDOS.COM

Tomb Raider and Fighting Force, CORE and the CORE LOGO are all trademarks of Core Design Limited.

When the rof a powerful Chi KS businessman disdüpdars “into the hedonif@ and dangerous Sham ж Protectorateunder _ mysterious circumstances, our team of specialists infiltrate the city and attempt to reach her first. _ Hoping to leverage her ~ safety for a sizeable pile of cash.

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Way through the archaic chaos of an alternate reality China and its inhabitants. Along the way, you will be constantly challenged by the henchmen of the girl's father who have no intention of letting you get to her first.

But what begins as a mercenary snatch and grab to retrieve a young runaway instead becomes a mission more perilous and * пу other that you could've # le for the survival of the

the most unimaginable of ~

* —— ж Тһе батер!ау Ехрегіепсе EAR EFFECT is a suspense action

lventure game unlike any of its aes.

rs. The gameplay is not about ju twinning.

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sters (although there will be plenty

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emotional responses from th as, laughter, screams, anger) | them into the imaginary story of the experience

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^ $ Ы \ ” t PN $ i » ike watching a great horror action film, Motion FX Technology en the movie is over, the audience is While previous games have combing 88 ith a satisfying experience... 7 | Real-time Characters with Pre-render 4 y've been scared, they've screamed and backgrounds, he cO always been fo a р; 1

flat, dead world in which wide open spa:

are largely devoid of any sort of human VishFEAREFFECLte — & | tivity | PT

Г ultimate reward will not be апу different.

" jee jumped out of their seats.

же Ж. FEAR EFFECT surpasses апу previous H P experience in the genre because EVERY f background in the game is ANIMATED,

г 4 ДА | dubbed MOTION ЕХ Technology. This means “ , that the worlds of FEAR EFFECT will be 1 alive, with dynamic action taking place with- s aking in the backgrounds.

4“ е - By creating the worlds-of FEAR EFFECT t with Motion FX, you are fully-imrifersed in

L $i

qoe Player Characters T By design, you will get to " come ТЕТІ

J Aes FEAR EFFECT, so that you ma experience all of the facets of the story. This is not achieved through gimmicky gape 4 mechanigs such as "mind controllin ы |] ping" or "soul possessing." It is accomplished through logical plot editing t and creative cinematic direction.

As you move from character to character, you e more than new talents and abilities, yoye: also presented with new challenges and'knowledge which helps you айас Шы through the experience. Like апу great "story, FEAR EFFECT has a wide range of characters as well as interesting sub-plots that will draw your player's attention and f keep you entertained for hours.

Ж Fast-paced, with plenty of terror а ills, * FEAR EFFECT is a game in which

the focus of the your interaction. , 4а $ “ii ЕИ Bal

EIDOS, EIDOS INTERACTIVE, and the لا‎ EIDOS INTERACTIVE LOGO are all registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive.

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the anim grounds provide.

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TEEN У

B eios

CONTENT RATED Y

=

300

3D0/Cyclone Studios 1-2

Action

75%

November 1999

РС

www.3do.com www.armymen.com

Toy helicopters with rockets launchers are cool.

The tan army. The mutant bugs that

you let loose.

Art imitates life, | imitates art |

Air Attack's ЕМУ is modeled after U.S. propaganda reels from WWII. Sarge himself is modeled after General Patton, and he even mimics the famous speech from the motion picture.

On a bit of a side note, а Patton doll was released recently as a part of the classic 6.1. Joe line of toys.

The action is set at a pretty fast pace, putting your reflexes to the test. Thankfully the frame-rate is quick enough to keep up with it all.

The overall graphics are also a standout feature with crisp textures and fancy explosion effects detailing plastic carnage.

rmy Men 3D was great for those fans of

infantry action, but what about sky combat?

You know, death from above and all that?

That's where Army Men: Air Attack comes in. Reminiscent of Electronic Arts' Strike series, Air Attack has you taking control of one of four helicopters while carrying out your mission objectives. These tasks range from your standard search and destroy sorties to more convoluted goals like air lifting apples and playing bodyguard to supply trains.

You take control of the green forces (the good guys) who must once again answer the threat of the tan army. You'll also have the additional problem of insects that must be dealt with. You have the option

of either destroying them outright or using them to give the tan army a rough time. For instance, flowers attract bees so if you use your helicopter winch to move a daisy next to an enemy camp, the bees are sure to follow. Being the rotten bad guys they are, the tan army has performed experiments on some of the insects transforming them into unruly mutants. Fortunately for the green, you can set the bugs free, and they will proceed to turn on their tormentors.

As the missions progress, you will be able to access other helicopters and co-pilots. You start out with the standard Huey and move on to the Chinook, Super Stallion and the ass-kicking Apache. Depending on your chopper, you can use weapons like swarm rockets, homing rockets, machine guns and even napalm. Each co-pilot has a specialty and the key to success will be determining which one suits your mission the best. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the multiplayer capabilities of the game. You can play a co-op game or go head to head in a special capture the flag-style matchup. ж

PREVIEW

Rockstar DMA Design

1

Action

80% October 1999 РС

www.rockstargames.com www.gta2.com

DMA has made GTA2 with more of a focus on strong gameplay than on fancy graphics...

„риё those graphics sure do look pixelized and outdated.

Running over innocent pedestrians for points.

Movies And - Music

GTA2 features an extremely well-produced nine-minute short film before the game, which highlights many of the game's criminal activities (like stealing vehicles, escorting crime lords around town, being chased by rednecks, etc.). Some say this short will be nominated for awards. On the audio side of things, all of the hilarious radio chatter and original music in GTA 2 is being handled by Rob Playford, founder of U.K.- based Moving Shadows | records. Among other | accomplishments, Playford | has also 6 produced | albums for | 5 drum ’n bass | pioneer Goldie.

Grand Theft Auto 2 takes the GTA world into pseudo-3D territory with slightly fewer sprites than before. One neat "3D" effect is when you blast yourself sky-high by firing off a rocket too close to home-you scale

toward the screen flailing your arms around.

he original GTA did quite well in worldwide sales considering it received such bad press because of its adult nature. If negative press is any indicator of sales though, GTA 2 should sell tons since it has even more violence than GTA.

But GTA 2 isn't strictly about violence—there is a game underneath that stuff, you know. So off you go, taking on job after job of various criminal natures, killing and maiming along the way in different types of cars with different types of guns. Overall, there are three levels, with around 25 jobs and mini-jobs per level—an even more robust package than the original. There are also mini-games for points.

This time around there's only one city to cause havoc in— but there are multiple gangs within the city, so it balances out. Like any good criminal, you don't really work for any one gang. Instead, you align yourself with them by completing jobs or doing bad stuff to a gang's enemy. Of course, by helping one gang, you usually upset another. You can tell how you're faring with a particular gang by your Respect

142

The number of copies Grand Theft Auto has sold worldwide

Meter. When it's low with a particular gang, they'll start blasting with no delay. Nice thing is, your gang chums will come defend you.

Like the first, there are tons of vehicles to jack, each having its own feel. GTA 2 also has special vehicles. For example, if you're driving a taxi, you can actually make money from picking up fares. Same goes for the ice cream truck, except you pull up to the curb and sell some frozen delights for cash. You can then use this extra dough to trick out your vehicle with Spy Hunter-esque upgrades, or simply get it painted to confuse the 5-o.

But the cops won't stay away for too long—they're smarter in GTA 2 than in the original. If you cause too much damage or kill too many innocent folk, you'll be chased (there are some consequences to your actions after all). The more bad stuff you do, the worse it gets—so much so that eventually the feds will come to town, and then the army. But you need to kill and destroy for points and money...so the game is а 30- to 40-hour-long balancing act really. ж

The jobs in GTA2 will have you driving all over town, trying to avoid the fuzz. In one particular job a crime boss calls you up and tells you about à half-rate pizza he just got from this pizza place. Now your job is to blow the place up with some explosives. Another job is much less violent, but almost as criminal: Deliver a couple of working girls to the mayor's house. Sweet.

300

[TERME New World Computing соле. Action LEE 52»

December 1999 пе e

www.3do.com

www.mightandmagic.com

It's from the world of

Might and Magic...

„but it has nothing

to do with previous M&M games.

The way body parts

fall off struck enemies.

Mighty Spin-offs

The Might and Magic series has been around for a long time on the PC, and it has seen some interesting spin-offs in the last few years. The Heroes of Might and Magic off-shoots (turn- based strategy games) departed most from the RPG format of the original series up until Crusaders of Might and Magic came along.

You can power up your weapons with magic properties. Fire, water, lightning and earth are just some of the possible enhancements spells.

Not only do you do battle with regular undead, but you have to man up against ghostly spirits. How do you hit them?

he Might and Magic series has been around for what seems like ages and although some of the earlier installments made their way to consoles before, never has one been specifically tailored for a home system. Crusaders of Might and Magic takes the action to a format Tomb Raider fans can easily identify with, but don't let that fool you into thinking this will be about moving blocks and mindless action. Although there are dungeons with devious traps and barricades, expect a more traditional action-RPG feel to the game with vast amounts of weapons, spells, armor and magic to select from. Your character grows like it would in an RPG, with multiple level progression. Your character will also learn new spells, gain abilities

143

-— |

PREVIEW

and become stronger as he makes his way through the game.

The title's pedigree has given it a built-in depth in terms of specific monsters and spells as well as the whole Might and Magic world of legend. There will be five distinct worlds, each with different levels and specific quests. The action is non-linear so you can go back and forth between these levels as well as worlds. The variations in monsters won't just be superficial either, since they are all unique in one manner or another. This means they not only attack in separate ways, but they also have distinct weapons and magic. As in any good adventure game, there will be plenty of characters to interact with, all of whom will advance the story.

Developer New World Computing is trying to make sure all of this is backed up with some eye candy so expect plenty of snazzy lighting effects for the magic spells. They are also stressing how each world will have its own look and feel with realistic environment textures. We're seriously hoping they can pull out something better than Eidos Interactive's god-awful Deathtrap Dungeon. ж

The last prince of Ancient Persia was Arses, son of

P — Arataxerxes III. Arses was a descendant of Xeres, one of E

| the great Persian Kings. When Arses was slain around 330 | BCE, Darius III took over. Darius was later conquered by PREVIEW | Alexander the Great, ending the Persian Empire.

GALLERY

— d — Ф Prince of Persia 3D · Music Creation

This action-oriented PlayStation Prince of Persia will have you running Sample sequencing software has proven to be a huge boom area on around Persian-styled palaces, dungeons and mystic ruins in order to the PC and on the Mac, but until U.K. publisher Codemasters got in on save your princess. Of course this time everything is in 3D. Mindscape the act, it was notably absent on consoles. Pull samples and loops off

and Avalanche Software say this version is specifically being made with the CD and sequence them up to make your own tunes by arranging PS gamers in mind — instead of it being a straight port of the PC version. them on a simple grid pattern. It's alarmingly simple, and can produce The game should be released sometime in the first half of 2000. some professional-sounding results. Watch for it in November.

You awaken one day to a world gone insane. The darkness which surrounds you is overwhelming and absolute. There are no weapons with which to escape, and no survivors to assist your flight. All you have are your wits and your newfound psychic powers to help you survive. Crave is localizing this psychological thriller adventure which is being published by Ascii in Japan. Stay tuned for more next issue!

_ DESERVES SERIOUS PUNISHMENT

9 heavily armed vehicles

Twice the firepower of the original

MAXIMUM FIREPOWER : ZERO TOLERANCE — WWW.GPOLICE.COM

G Police, Psygnosis and the Psygnosis logo are TM or of Psygnosis, Ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.

A Э PREVIEW GALLERY

Racing for Home

This SouthPeak title is early but plays a bit like NFS: HS’s Pursuit Mode. Missions include: delivering late mortgage payments, rescuing Daisy, chasing car thieves and more. Due out in November, the game is packed with cars, characters and plots taken straight from the show.

ee

Le Mans

Infogrames has become quite ambitious with their Test Drive series. Their latest venture, Test Drive Le Mans is set for an early 2000 release. As the official licensed game of the Le Mans circuit, TDLM is packed with 48 cars (GT1, GT2 and prototype classes), 24 teams and real-time environmental effects such as day-to-night lighting and weather changes. Two-player and Dual Shock are operational as well.

FIGHTIN’ ROBOS

You and a friend can duke it out Rock-em Sock-em robot- style over the Net at www.tomorrowfund.org/ swgameon1.html.

ж

Think of the characters and comedic style from Clayfighter, with the arenas from The Unholy War—what you get is BoomBots. Coming from The Neverhood and SouthPeak Interactive, this 3D fighter features a cast of robots, each with a variety of special moves and wacky quips. In fact, the entire game seems pretty...how can we put it...unique— but it is from The Neverhood after all! It's slated for a November release.

Very much like the Bust-A-Move series, Ballistic has players shooting colored balls out, trying to match up three or more of the same color. This time, however, the balls are piling up on a spiral rail, and when they hit the center, you lose. If disappearing playing pieces causes other balls to collide together and cause matches, you form high-scoring combos. If you set things up right, you can start off huge chain reactions.

Ballistic is due out in October from Infogrames.

5" Е РЗ

146

The sequel to Europe's number-one racing game of last year, (four- player ready) V-Rally 2 is poised to win the hearts of American rally fans. Take your pick of 16 licensed and 10 historic cars for racing on more than 80 stages in 12 different countries! Arcade, Rally Championship, V-Rally Trophy and Time Trial comprise the game modes. Electronic Arts plans to release this Infogrames-developed title in the fall of 2000.

Downhill Mountain Biking

Hey, are you into downhill mountain biking? If so you'll probably dig this November release from Codemasters. Here's an extreme sports title devoted entirely to downhill mountain bike racing. The game features eight racers, 25 courses and tricks galore. Players compete for trick points and overall best times. Two-player split screen and Tourney Mode could be the highlight of this hardcore biking experience.

Animation for а New Generation!

www.advfilms.com nail: info@advtilms.com FILMS ^ —À—ác

presents

T H = [а] OG p

Everyone's favorite hyper hedgehog returns in an animated spectacular that will blow its American coun- lerparts right off the tube. Sonic races deep into the heart of Robotropolis to save the planet and comes face to face with an evil robot version of himself, crafted by his diabolical arch-enemy Dr. Robotnik. Speed, bud- dies, romance, humor, high-tech and cool blue attitude combine to form A.D.U. Films’ Sonic the HedgeHog!

SAKURA*WARS2 а

DVD contains all four episodes.

The second Demon War is upon us. But the beautiful Spirit Warriors have жс trained hard and look forward to meeting the armies of mechanized soldie

the battlefield — if they can stop fighting each other. When a dashing young naval officer is installed as the new commander, the stakes are raised even

higher. Can love stop an army of demons, or will jealousy rule the day? Find out in the explosive Sakura Wars Vol. A

г designed, the — Sah раде AVAILABLE FROM THESE AND OTHER FINE 57 а desperate war in the $ by-products of technology run RD amuck with cow e as the acclaimed

cyberpunk masterpiece, Bubblegum Crisis, is reborn in an all new series!

PREVIEW GALLERY

Hey ya’ll, the lowdown on NASCAR Rumble is that it plays a lot like

Need for Speed: HP. The title offers NASCAR—cars, trucks and legends of

the past. Each of the six race locations has three tracks for a total of 21 events. The goal of NR is arcade-fueled fun. Cars and courses will feature hot-rod upgrades, shortcuts, breakable objects and cool sound effects. Check out this Electronic Arts title in March 2000.

TNN Motorsports Hardcore TR

Remember Hardcore 4x4? It didn’t look anything like this. Judging from these shots, Hardcore TR looks more like a flat-road racer. Ten tracks each with three variations—forward, backward and multiple path, challenge players in Single or Two-player Mode. Take your pick from 25 off-road and hot-rod trucks. Race in a variety of conditions including snow, rain, darkness and mud. ASC will release this game in November.

The popular touring car racing game from Codemasters in the U.K. (released here Бу 300) has spawned a sequel. Already storming up the charts there, it looks set to be released in the U.S. by an as-yet unnamed publisher. Featuring new cars and enhanced physics models, it’s a

surprisingly realistic racer featuring Euro faves such as the Volvo S40, Nissan Primera, Peugeot 406 and Ford Mondeo. Watch for it in October.

— a Jet: X

Curly Monsters, a team of ex-Psygnosis game designers and programmers, is developing this one. Recently Infogrames came aboard as publisher. The game is best described as a jet racing game with incredible WipeOut XL-esque graphics and fast-paced gameplay. Look for it in the first half of 2000. On a side note: Curly Monsters is very impressed with the PlayStation 2 technology, so that means...

Percentage of NASCAR fans who sport a mullet haircut as well as a mustache.

It may not be the most popular of Konami's Bemani series in Japan, but Guitar Freaks rocks. The idea is to play the notes on your controller (either the kickass guitar controller or the regular pad) as they land on the bar at the top. Sounds easy, but it's not! There are 25 songs here, most of which you unlock by passing the game's normal and hard modes. Guitar Freaks is available now in Japan— and maybe the U.S. if Konami America realizes just how much potential it has here.

148

Jet: X is being developed by Curly Monsters. Why should you care? Well, the team consists mostly of ex-Psygnosis employees who helped create WipeOut and WipeOut XL. Both are kick-ass racers. They broke away because they didn't like the direction Psygnosis was going in.

Developer Climax has recently announced their follow-up to Runabout, their quirky arcade racer which emphasized chaos over finesse. You may remember the original Runabout; it was picked up by Ascii (now Agetec) stateside and renamed to Felony 11-79. Like the first game, you choose from a variety of vehicles (or motorbikes) and complete different tasks within the allotted time to move onto the next level and unlock better (or more interesting) cars. You'll have access to four initial sets of wheels, all based on real-life counterparts, to race through six new courses. Each level is divided into sections, but your goal remains the same— get from point A to point B before you're out of time, out of gas or a smoldering wreck. Ascii hasn't committed to a U.S. release date but expect a Japanese release this winter.

Quintet's latest 3D action RPG combines puzzle and fighting elements from games like Zelda 64. Not only can you interact with a wide range of NPCs in the world of Brightis, your character will develop better stats and gain powerful spells. Those with a PocketStation can also look forward to a mini-card game. Given Quintet's excellent track record (Actraiser, Soul Blazer), Brightis could be that sleeper hit you've been looking for. SCEI will release Brightis in October in Japan.

Tondemo

Are you looking for a game that's so completely absurd it makes even Rising Zan look mainstream by comparison? Well, your search is over. Welcome to the world of Tondemo Crisis, developed by Polygon Magic. Live a day in the life of a not-so-ordinary family trying to get home in time to celebrate grandma's 81st birthday. Tondemo manages to parody just about everything pop culture, from dance games to snowboarding generica; from E.T. to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Import it now. Indeed, buy it for the excellent Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra soundtrack.

leFrrield rhyrhm and stealth the new album

Produced by Leftfield except “Africa Shox" & “Dub Gussett" produced by Leftfield and Nick Rapaccioli

www.columbiarecords.com www.leftfield-online.com “Columbia” and ¥ Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. Marca Registrad. 1999 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

У уд Available at VL / Something for all of You

MEGASTORE

MUSIC MOVIES BOOKS SOFTWARE

> PREVIEW GALLERY

Profile

Tri-Ace's ambitious RPG Valkyrie Profile is looking very nice indeed, and judging from these battle screens, we simply can't wait. If you missed our quick coverage in News last month, you assume the role of a Valkyrie out of Norse myth and collect souls to train for battle in the ethereal plane of Asgard. Combat will be a mix of real-time and turn- based battles on a 2D plane. Enix has VP slated for a winter release.

H fe ЕЕЕ

As if DQVII and Valkyrie Profile weren't enough this winter, RPG fans worldwide can binge on the beauty of Sacnoth's Koudelka, published by SNK in Japan. Not only is this game developed by former employees of Square, it's also being billed as a *horror RPG." By combining gorgeous FMV and what we hope will be a solid combat engine, Koudelka could be the PlayStation's first great horror RPG.

Doko Demo Issyo

Loosely translated as “Everywhere Together" from the Japanese, Doko Demo Issyo demonstrates nicely that Sony is still the leading pioneer in the use of its own devices. It's a hybrid PlayStation/PocketStation game with no other goal than to spend time with your virtual friend (you can choose from three different types). Users can bring their animals with them for some Tamagotchi-esque antics on the road by dumping it to the PocketStation. Additionally, you can swap pets with the PocketStation's infrared port. The amount of time your pet stays depends on how well you guys got along; at some point, it'll leave you on its own accord. It's out now in Japan, and doing quite well.

Saiyuki

One of the oldest Chinese myths makes its way to the PlayStation in the form of an RPG. Koei's been keeping the lid tight on Saiyuki (Journey To the West) but if it follows traditional mythology, you're in for a hell of а ride. You control a party of four adventurers, led by the great Monkey King, on a sojourn that will take you through the giant palm of Buddha. Saiyuki should be out by the end of the year. We'll keep you updated.

151

Front Mission Third

OK, FM Alternative sucked and FM2 had horrible load times, but it looks like Square has finally gotten it right the third time around. Like the original FM on the SFC, FM Third is a meticulous turn- based strategy sim set in the near future. As you progress through the story, characters under your control will gain levels and acquire new armament. Skip Assault Suits Valken 2, this is the real thing. FM Third is available now in Japan.

Zeus ІІ: Carnage Heart

While Artdink's Carnage Heart never hit it big here in the U.S., there are still gamers to this day who swear by how hardcore it was. Carnage Heart combined 3D mech combat with an icon-based programming system to produce one of the most unique, and cerebral strategy games ever made. There was much ado in Japan over who could create the best combat programs. With Zeus Il, Artdink has kept the philosophy of Carnage Heart intact while adding new modes and features. Aside from a full-blown story and campaign mode, you'll also be able to fight battles like a turn-based strategy sim. Don't worry, the 3D battles are still there; but by making Zeus II more accessible to the mainstream, Artdink may have a small hit on their hands in October.

Get your mission briefing at www.eidos.

ты The Legend of Zelda: Fruit of the Mysterious Tree.

Nintendo Nintendo/Capcom рае. Ш

ЕЕЕ Action/RPc

70%

LN December 1999 (Japan) лоот None www.nintendo.co.jp

The Good: Three new Zelda games for Game Boy Color! Yes!

Graphics aren't

improved much from Zelda DX...

Poor Link's gotta

climb into that Kangaroo's sack...

pees ¢ | ans of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening exactly the same as the logo for the original Legend | (and its color update, Link's Awakening DX) of Zelda from the 8-Bit Famicom. The influence is not | Hot Rod | have plenty to be excited about. Nintendo has only obvious in the story, though. The actual game | | teamed up with Capcom to create three — yes, draws many references from old-school Zelda as Check out the Rod ofthe | THREE—new Zelda adventures for the Game Boy well. While Fruit of the Mysterious Tree uses the Seasons in action: | Color, the first of which is scheduled for release т exact same game engine as Link's Awakening DX, Japan this December. the graphical style— particularly in the dungeons— Similar to Shining Force III for Saturn, The Legend is extremely reminiscent of the first NES Zelda. Lots | of Zelda: Fruit of the Mysterious Tree (tentative of old-school enemies have returned too—the demo | name) is actually one big story broken up into three version featured Octoroks, Wall Masters...even | parts—a Tale of Power, a Tale of Wisdom and a Tale Aquamentus (you get a cookie if you actually know of Courage. Gamers can start playing from any of who Aquamentus is). ] the three adventures (though Tale of Power, shown The demo version at Space World allowed you to here, will be available first), and their actions in mess around with the Rod of the Seasons, which each will carry over to the others. Through a special was very cool. With it, you can change between the

“link system," save data for the three games can be seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall...silly), interchanged (most likely via the Game Link Cable or which makes for lots of gameplay possibilities. For

Infrared Port), making for an endless amount of example, in one scene, Link tries to reach a treasure | possibilities. Anyone who was fortunate enough to chest...but it's surrounded by trees and he can't get | play through all three Shining Force III scenarios through. So what does he do? He uses the Rod to | summer = | surely knows how incredibly cool this can be. fast-forward to winter, where the trees are gone

Е - The story behind the new Zelda trilogy was (presumably chopped down for firewood), thus | developed by Flagship, the Capcom off-shoot giving him access to the chest. Pretty neat, eh? | | headed up by industry veteran Yoshiki Okamoto Link will also get help from several allies, | | (Flagship is most noted for their work on the including the peculiar Ulra Tribe (who reside in the | | Resident Evil games). This time, the evil Ganon has other-dimension where Ganon went), the Mysterious | | kidnapped Princess Zelda and stolen the Triforce of Tree (which *houses the spirits," according to | Power, and it's Link's job to get them back. Once Nintendo) and a witch's apprentice named Maple. | Ganon hears of Link's plight, however, he divides the He'll also get to ride in the pouch of a kangaroo | Triforce into eight pieces and scatters it throughout named Ricky who can jump and has a punch attack the land. As if this weren't bad enough, he also ('cause all kangaroos are excellent boxers, right?) | takes Hyrule Castle and its sacred treasure—the All in all, this latest Zelda adventure is shaping up | mystical Rod of the Seasons—and hauls it off to an to be something spectacular. A U.S. release date | “other-dimensional” world. hasn't been determined yet, but the Japanese If any of this sounds familiar, that's because it is. version is due out in December (Tale of Power). The Flagship basically took the story of the original NES following two chapters (Wisdom and Courage) are | Zelda and used it as а springboard for developing expected to release sometime in the spring and ГЕ 2 | the story for Fruit of the Mysterious Tree. In fact, the summer, respectively. Stay tuned, Zelda fans — we'll КЕ Wy ІЗ! logo for the Japanese version of Fruit is almost have more on this exciting prospect soon! ж

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тті А omole ноп game ¢ ; Scree Screen shots from Playsta! Playstation | М een shots from Nintendo 64 System www.ratattack.com - www.mindscape.com ÅA ج ڪي‎ Developed by 51999 Pure Entertainment. АЦ rights reserved. Mindscape is a registered trademark and Rat Attack! and the an Mindscape logo are trademarks of Learning Company Properties Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are

registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the “N” logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Nationality:

Korean Chinese * .. Ре! 408: Golden Retriever German Shepard -- School: Armstrong State University San Jose State University ө Fave Music Group: Janet Jackson Jackson 5 Fave Movie: There's Something About Mary Mary Poppins PREVIEW Likes to: Dance around the wrestling ring рапс» around in Soul Calibur until he can ring you out GALLERY EGM Rating: 10 75 |

Terry's Wonderland Dragon Warrior is back! This December, Eidos is planning to release the first Game Boy Dragon Warrior game (Dragon Quest in Japan), Dragon Warrior Monsters: Terry's Wonderland (working title). Enix's first portable DW game could best be summed up as classic Dragon Warrior meets Pokémon. In DWM, you play as Terry, a character from Dragon Quest VI, who sets out into a fantasy wonderland to rescue his sister Millieu who was kidnapped. In this land, he collects and breeds monsters to fight at his side while also trying to become the world's #1 Monster Master. With over 200 monsters to collect and breed, classic DW battles, a huge quest and 2P link play, DW Monsters is sure to be a hit with both DW and Pokémon fans alike.

‚ Gallery 3

Nintendo's third Game & Watch Gallery collection is on its way. Due out this December, G&W Gallery 3 features five classic G&W games —Egg, Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Green House and Turtle Bridge, as well as the usual extras (Modern and Classic modes, hidden stuff in the Gallery, etc.).

Mayhem Like its PlayStation and Nintendo 64 cousins, this WCW Mayhem will have wrestlers duking it out all over the place, from inside the ring to back alleys and locker rooms. This cart will have fewer wrestlers (12),

but it will support two-player play via link cable. WCW Mayhem is due out in November from EA.

Worms: je

Worms: Armageddon is an addictive turn-based strategy game that has teams of little worms battling it out with a variety of weapons, from Uzis to homing missiles. This portable version will feature two-player

link cable play and is due out the first part of next year, from Infogrames.

Tetris

Capcom’s portable version of the №64 cart has a few new features, like an adventure game story mode and a new piece that lets you fire down little one square blocks to help fill in those unsightly gaps. Of course, normal “Classic” Tetris is in, as well as two-player support. This is due out in November.

(Unfortunately for our Che, he has nothing in common with Chae)

ШЫ) qu.

p [T 1 6 Li г

БИ: Га ін us.

SEES тың ]

Insanity Is Just

State of Mind

MM SUM

Dueling personalities and multiple dead-endings lead you through an all-new "goryline" of thrills-and-chills. Terror reigns you in and horror holds you down, as you let out a blood-curdling scream against the insane pain that has become the bane of your existence. Also, with vibration function compatibility, nail-biting becomes almost impossible, as the shaking of your hands is equaled only to the shaking in your boots. So, you are cordially invited

into a world where death comes unnaturally...and often.

The horrifying sequel to the original Clock Tower

* Multiple enemies and a main character plagued by split personalities

* Vibration function compatible

2 = [=] = 0 x л > ic с.

agetec.com

Customer Service: 650-780-0166

© 1998 HUMAN CORPORATION. Al rights reserved. Agetec. Inc.. Clock Tower Il: The Struggle Within, and the Clock Tower Il: The Struggle Within logo are trademarks of PlayStation Agetec, Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The rating icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital e Software Association. Al other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

* 13 different endings

MATURE

eyi

* Great sound & graphics

* Fast-paced storyline and more strategy

agetec

PREVIEW GALLERY

АН Star Tennis "99

This GBC version of AST '99 is quite similar to its big brother. Eight pros (Chang, Martinez, etc.) and four original characters play on eight different court surfaces. Seven shots plus one special are available to each. Quick ball speed, link and Bomb Mode round out the features of this October Ubi Soft release.

Wings of Fury This Mindscape title is based on the classic Apple/PC game of the same name. As a WWil-era fighter pilot your objective is to escort damaged

aircraft carriers to safe waters. Earn points for

completing dogfights, sorties and bombing runs. WoF is a fall release title for GBC and standard GB.

Think Bust-A-Move —except without the cute little dinosaurs. And instead of everything hanging from the ceiling, the balls are spiraling out of control toward the center of the screen. Coming in October, this Infogrames and Mitchell Corporation puzzler has a two-player mode that utilizes the link cable and more.

In November, Infogrames will unleash one of its oldest heroes for the Game Boy Color. Spawned from a Genesis game released by Ocean sometime in the 16th century, it sees the hero (a cute, cuddly, nut- obsessed squirrel) bounce around platform levels in a style only seen several thousand times before.

BattleTanx

How do you take something like BattleTanx on the N64 and put it onto the Game Boy Color? Simple—make it from a top-down perspective. Hence, it looks like the tank part of the arcade game Tron...and that’s a good thing. This December release from Lucky Chicken and 300 presents the task of saving all of mankind from post- apocalyptic extinction. The mission-based action takes place in 15 different major U.S. cities. You'll have access to several different tanks and а good deal of weaponry.

Rugrats: Time Travelers

It looks like the characters from the award-winning cartoon—even Baby Dil—have come across a time machine in a local toy store. The kid-friendly title incorporates several different types of genres into its 10 levels on one little Game Boy cartridge. Look for it this winter from THQ and Software Creations.

‹ \ ly - 158

Матсо Матсо

1

Light Gun 10096 October 1999 None

www.namco.com

The exhilaration of firing a machine gun.

It isn't on Naomi.

The scene of the crime after you've left your mark.

Unlike Time Crisis 2, Crisis Zone can only be | played in one-player mode. Since you're т a squad of five, you'll often see teammates firing back at the enemy. At times, you'll | need to cover them as they advance. Given the limited | development cycle for Crisis | Zone, Namco opted to | concentrate on creating the | best single-player | experience possible. By not | spreading themselves thin | with a two-player game, | Namco was able to focus on improving the game's graphics and backgrounds. We've also caught ear of a rumor that Namco is planning to port Crisis Zone to the Dreamcast, which in itself is more powerful than System 23. Possibly... especially with Namco now doing Naomi arcade titles!

pnm ee EN |

amco has always been about refining rather

than defining. Their biggest arcade titles

have consistently upped the ante on existing

genres—everything from driving, riding, fighting to shooting, skiing, dancing, you name it. And to their credit, Namco was first with the notion that arcade and consumer development should reach a perfect compromise so both parties benefit. With their System 11 board, Namco singlehandedly dominated both arcades and consoles; they gave coin operators an affordable (and profitable) alternative to Sega's high-end Model 2 games, while ensuring that home conversions on the PlayStation were flawless and identical. Namco's latest wonder, Crisis Zone, is not only a marvel of software

159

PREVIEW

Continued on p.160

Almost every object in Crisis Zone reacts to being shot. Here (left), an enemy soldier cowers behind his bulletproof shield as it buckles and dents like tinfoil under the strain.

engineering, but quite possibly a final hurrah for System 23 (which also housed Time Crisis 2). For Crisis Zone, Namco aimed to simulate the power of a machine gun; and in typical Namco fashion, they've taken a sub-genre and refined Crisis Zone to be one ofthe most exhilarating shooting games ever.

The "crisis zone" in question is Garland Square, a megamall complex just outside of London. It's been recently discovered that the terrorist group URDA is developing an underground nuclear reactor beneath the mall. Further investigation has revealed that URDA plans to destroy London with a meltdown if the authorities refuse to cave into their demands. As one of the five elite members in the STF assault group, your job 15.10 infiltrate and avert a potential global disaster. While none of the characters from previous Crisis games ever carry over to their sequels, the goal of the series remains the same. Shoot your onscreen enemies before they get the chance to squeeze off a shot on you.

Crisis Zone has three major points of departure from previous Time Crisis titles. The first immediate difference is that this time around, your standard weapon is a fully automatic assault rifle. Gone are the days of wimpy pistols in the heat of battle. Your weapon has a magazine capacity of 4o rounds, but be careful though — 40 rounds can go mighty quick. Spraying an area with gunfire might give you a rush, but it isn't always effective; better to focus your fire

| Crisis Zone is the first light-gun game to actually eliminate that annoying on-screen flash when you pull the trigger. The game has a built-in laserscope for the gun to help you aim better!

PREVIEW

Continued from p.159

on single targets. To compensate for your boost in firepower, all enemies in Crisis Zone are now equipped with full body armor. Whenever they take damage, a lifebar that appears above their heads will show you how much health they have left. Unlike Sega’s Gunblade series, the machine gun in Crisis Zone is attached to the cabinet with a cable. This means that you'll have to cradle this baby іп your arms while you fire and forget. Combine the actual weight of the weapon with the tactile kickback when you pull the trigger, and you have one of the most realistic shooting games ever. We've come а long way since Operation Wolf.

The second major shift in the Time Crisis paradigm is the pacing and flow of the action in Crisis Zone. In previous games, you went from scene to scene and remained stationary throughout most of the action (this was most evident in the first Time Crisis). In Crisis Zone, you're constantly in motion. To retain the same "poke and shoot" gameplay of its

predecessor, you now hide behind an armored Shield when you reload. This design decision makes Crisis Zone faster-paced, more realistic and a much more dynamic affair.

Finally, Crisis Zone differs from Time Crisis 1 and 2 in that its environments are now more interactive than ever. Nearly everything is destructible. Everything. Namco spared no details when they created Garland Square. To illustrate what we mean, check out the chaos in some of these screenshots. We learned after talking with Namco that most of the team's development time was spent in researching and perfecting the way objects and bodies behaved when they were struck by a volley of gunfire. Statues will dynamically crumple; rugs will ripple and fold; tennis balls, hats, stacks of paper, glass and much more will scatter and shatter to the whimsies of your gun.

Crisis Zone is made up of three non-linear levels (you decide your point of entry and the game will unfold accordingly) and a major end-boss level. The game will also rate your performance on a stage-by- stage basis and adjust the difficulty to best suit your experience level. It’s time to bust a сар. # №

A variety of baddies will try to foist your heroics. Here, an assassin shows off what he can do with that long knife

ii| of his.

4

РВЕМТЕМ GALLERY

As of press time, Tecmo's ambitious follow-up to Dead or Alive had already been testing in select arcades around the country. Like Soul Calibur, DoA2 goes a long way to reinforce the belief that Sega's Naomi and Dreamcast hardware is not only versatile but = very powerful indeed. DoA2 will feature at least four new characters and a ton more moves than its predecessor. Since the first Dead or Alive wasn't received well by arcade goers stateside, Tecmo is still debating a U.S. release.

The latest game off of Sega's Naomi factory line is Ringout 4x4, a four-player top-down perspective arena game. Your goal in the game is simple: knock your opponent's vehicles out of the ring and be the last man standing. There are a total of nine stages, each with varying themes, strategies and power-ups. This game is being developed by АМ1— 50 far, Sega has not announced a release date.

161

LET THE EVOLUTION

BEGIN.

— EVOLUTION TX — A SHINING EXAMPLE OF 222 DREAMCAST'S POWER.”

-NEGADREAMCANT. NET

ТЕ MAG LALINCHER IN HIS BATTLE AGAINST THE ВТН EMPIRE & DISCOVER THE MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT PANNAMN AND “СҮ FRAME" TECHNOLOGY. REVOLUTIONARY 3D GRAPHICS AND LIGHTENING QUICK ANIMATIONS AND COMBAT DEMONSTRATE THE POWER OF THE NEGA DREAMCAXT'". EVOLUTION, THE FIRST RPG FOR THE SEGA DREAMCAST™, TAKES THE GENRE INTO THE

NEXT, NEXT GENERATION.

1999 Ubi Soft Entertainment. Ubi Soft Entertainment is a trademark of Ubi Soft, Inc. The Ubi Soft logo is a registered trademark of Ubi Soft, Inc. All rights reserved. Evolution: The World of Sacred Device is a registered trademark of Ubi Soft © Entertainment. Ай other trademarks belong to their respective holders: Sega, Dreamcast, and the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

© 1999 The 300 Company. All Rights Reserved. 300, Army Men, Air Attack, Real Combat. Plastic Men., and tl є гайетагі Tera arks of The 300 Company | the U.S. and other countries. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Compi n trademarks belong to their respective owners.

After a Mission Like This Comes All the Paperwork.

‚ = е 7 awe т =

'ICUNO ad ICE BEAM?

It started as a Game Boy game. Now it's a billion-dollar business for Nintendo. Just what is all the fuss about? EGM examines the Poke-phenomenon.

he story something goes like this: When he was a kid in Japan, Satoshi Tajiri would stalk bugs. He'd capture them. He’d collect them in jars. He wanted to make them fight like the rubber-suit monsters of his favorite flicks. He wanted to catch them all.

Sound familiar?

Now in his 30s, Tajiri, the founder and president of Game Freak, has taken this hobby and turned it into something bigger than a game, bigger than a movie, bigger than a toy line. The inventor of Pokémon, Tajiri has unleashed a global pop-culture phenomenon that has made more money than Poké-icon Pikachu can shoot sparks—$5 billion in worldwide merchandising sales. American gamers have bought 4 million copies of Pokémon Red and Blue. The animated series, now in its second season, is the top-rated kids’ show in the country. Nintendo's Pokémon training tour crams malls with 10,000 kids at every stop.

And, yes, even though the number of Pokémon licensees is up to 9o, the craze is still growing. “I don't even think the property has been fully taken advantage of by the industry," said Ed Roth, president of the NPD Group's Leisure Activities Tracking Services. “I don't think it's anywhere near its upside potential. There's a lot of pent-up demand." At this point, Pokémon faithful can get their hands on nearly anything emblazoned with Pikachu or his too-cute kin, including toys, T- shirts, comic books, ball caps, pajamas, backpacks, novels and lunch boxes—all items from heavy-hitter licensees such as Hasbro, Topps, General Mills, Viz and Pioneer. Nearly all the

Electronic Gaming Monthly - 167 - www.videogames.com

Pokemon Camera uo Its а Standard 35mm camera and а whole 101 more...well, not really. Mainly, it just prints all 150 Pokémon on the horder of each піс.

9

Рокетоп Thundershock

It's basically a litte Pokemon one- to two-player pinball game, with Pokemon sounds and graphics on it.

99

Pikachu Milk Cocoa This lananese Pokémon milk chocolate treat is loved by all children. The Japanese Pikachu spoon is sold separately.

9.9.9

Poke-Stuff 3.2.2.’ ’

what the?! You can't walk inte the grocery store 9999 without seeing a dozen Pikachus staring at freakish you from as many different products. More 999 than 90 companies are churning out Poké- сана ода wares, and we've scoured the globe for 9 C the best, the oddest and the rarest items. We even rate the stuff on our weirdness | hmm. scale (right). Can you get it айа 9

хате

licensees are expanding their Pokémon lines. The first Pokémon flick—Mewtoo Strikes Back—hits theaters across the U.S. Nov. 12. Current speculation in the toy industry is that Pokémon could easily become this season’s Furby. And, of course, Pokémon Yellow, Gold and Silver are on the way.

Not bad for a Game Boy game crafted by a skeleton crew of programmers and artists. Tajiri’s first step into the world of video games came in 1981, when he won first prize in the TV Game Idea Awards, a Sega Enterprises-sponsored design contest. Later he became a game-industry analyst, writing about and critiquing games for his own magazine called Game Freak in 1982. Іп April 1989, he incorporated Game Freak, which has since designed and created games for the likes of Sony, Sega and Nintendo. In 1990, Tajiri began designing the concept and code for Pokémon. That’s also when he started working with Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of Creatures, the Japanese game company that among other things produced the artwork for Pokémon and its 151 critters. During the six years it took to develop the project, Nintendo invested in the game and became co-owner of Pokémon in Japan.

The Red and Green versions hit Japan on Feb. 27, 1996. Accompanying merchandise included a weekly comic series but little else. Nintendo hoped Pokémon would boost the original Game Boy’s lagging sales. It did a bit more than that. It sold nearly 4 million copies in 1997, topping newer titles like Square's Final Fantasy VII and the mega-popular horse- racing title Derby Stallion. To date, more than 12 million copies—split across four “color versions" —have been sold in Japan, putting Pokémon sales ahead of other high-profile PlayStation titles like Final Fantasy VIII and Metal Gear Solid. Japanese fans have bought more than a billion cards from the Pokémon trading card game, also designed by Ishihara. The animated series, which gained notoriety after one episode’s strobe-light-like scene threw a few hundred kids into seizures (turns out the whole thing was blown out of proportion), is just as big a hit in its home country. It’s spawned two feature films, the second of which has just finished a тип in Japanese theaters. Japan’s two toy-filled Pokémon Centers have lines out the door and down the block on weekends and holidays. And All Nippon Airways painted way-larger-than-life Poké-critters and logos onto several

168

Game Freak Gameography

Most gamers probably aren’t familiar with Pokémon developer Game Freak, but in its 10-year history this company —and its founder, Satoshi Тай! — has designed games for the likes of Sega, Namco, Sony and Nintendo. Not bad for a small team that started in a tiny one-room studio. You may have played some of these titles, but none of them reached the kind of popularity in the states that Pokémon has. Here’s a rundown of Game Freak’s pre-Pokémon work:

Quinty (Famicom) Released: June 1989 (Japan) Publisher: Namco

An odd-looking puzzle game.

Jerry Boy (Super Famicom)

Released: September 1991 (Japan)

Publisher: Sony/Epic Records

This puzzle game stars an odd-looking blob of goo.

Yoshi's Egg (Famicom/Game Boy)

Released in the U.S. as Yoshi

Released: December 1991 (Japan)

Publisher: Nintendo

Yep, it’s another puzzle game, except this time you line up monster eggs.

Magical Tarurat-kun (Sega Mega Drive) Released: April 1992 (Japan)

Publisher: Sega Enterprises

A cutesy side-scrolling platform game based ona popular anime.

Yoshi's Egg

Stuffed Pokemon Cute, cuddly, collectible. Perfect for regular and hardcore Pokémon fans.

%

Mario & Wario (Super Famicom)

Released: 1993 (Japan)

Publisher: Nintendo

A puzzler similar to Lemmings, this game supported the mouse. It was supposed to come to the U.S. but never did.

Nontan and Issho Kuru Киги Puzzle (Super Famicom)

Released: April 1994 (GB, Japan), November 1994 (Super Famicom, Japan)

Publisher: Victor Entertainment Inc.

You guessed it —another obscure puzzle game.

Pulseman (Mega Drive)

Released: July 1994 (Japan)

Publisher: Sega Enterprises

A side-scrolling action game similar to Sonic the Hedgehog.

Bazaar de Gozaru's Game (PC Engine) Released: July 1996

Publisher: NEC Home Electronics Ltd.

One of Game Freak's most obscure titles.

SCORE 1200

Pulseman

Pokemon Figures

Toy figures are always a popular item. Pokémon toy figures are even more popular. These Tomy figures are available in Japan.

3

Pokemon Candy

This flavored Japanese Pokémon Piffre candy is delicious and nutritious. Perfect while you're on the go playing some Pokémon.

99999

Pokemon Toy Plane

This Japanese toy plane is based on the real-life Pokémon jet from All Nippon Airways. Rev it up and it rolls.

999

Pokemon Band-Aids These handages feature popular Pokémon. But there's something not right about associating these cute creatures with bloody wounds.

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planes іп its fleet to lure family travelers.

If the thought of a 30-foot Pikachu staring down at you from the hull of an airliner doesn't strike you as odd, consider this: Pokémon has followed the standard franchise formula backward. Instead of starting as a popular movie, TV show or comic book and then moving on to become a game (like Spawn, Batman, South Park, etc.), Pokémon started as a hit game and went on to become a hit TV show, movie and merchandising phenomenon. Few saw that coming, and when the Pokémon craze did hit hard, even the experts were surprised by the big Poké-boom. Roth said, “| expected when the concept was launched in the U.S. last year, not just the video game but the toys in general, it would probably be a nice Success and generate 25 to 50 million retail on an annual basis, and then it would just fade as most of these fads do."

So what is the deal with Pokémon? There's gotta be something about this crude-looking black-and-white Game Boy RPG that captivates millions of pre-teen boys and adults, not to mention an unusually large audience of girl gamers. “| think it’s the amount of depth and overall quality," said Gail Tilden, Nintendo's vice president of Product Acquisition and Development, who left her position as head of Nintendo Power to launch Pokémon in America. "It took six years for the creators to complete the game and all the original ideas and concepts and things about the RPG, the evolve system, the battling, the trading. It has so much depth and it's so carefully and creatively thought out, and | think that's appreciated."

We won't argue with that (we gave Pokémon great reviews, after all). But when it comes to the merchandising blitz, we have our own theory on why so many gamers want to buy so

much Pokémon stuff: The game programs you to collect

things. After spending 50 hours gathering 150 pocket monsters, the average player's probably pretty keen to 1 get his hands on as much other Pokémon-related gear as he or she can afford.

The game's creators, however, say Pokémon's merchandising bonanza is more of a happy accident than part of any sinister plan to turn kid gamers into Poké-addicts. *Mr. Tajiri didn't start this project intending to make something which would become very popular," Pokémon producer and master game designer Shigeru Miyamoto told us. “Не just

110

В

f Pokemon Pokeball A little five-game һай that you tilt

around and play with. It allows you to “capture” ай 150 Pokemon.

999

wanted to make something he wanted to play himself. There was no business sense involved, only his love involved in the creation. Somehow, what he wanted to create for himself was appreciated by others in this country and is shared by people in other countries."

"Mr. Tajiri didn't start this project intending is to make something which would become very popular.” —Shigeru Miyamoto

One of the main reasons Pokémon has become so popular with a mass audience of younger players is its emphasis on trading and battling. It’s a social game that gets kids out of the house. Parents can’t complain that their kids sit in front of the TV all day because, unlike traditionally popular home video games, you can take Pokémon anywhere. Nintendo Co. Ltd. President Hiroshi Yamauchi told a crowd at the company’s Space World ’97 exhibition, “| want people all over the world to play Pokémon. First in the U.S. But people in different countries have different tastes. So changes must be made, and we are working on that.”

Even though Yamauchi was steadfast, Nintendo was never sure Pokémon’s appeal in Japan would translate to American gamers. After all, it is a fairly complicated and unusual game, and Nintendo of America had few raw materials to build a Pokémon hype machine back when Red and Blue launched here last September. “We didn’t have any artwork or TV shows as a reference,” Tilden said. “We just had a Game Boy game. So we went to great lengths to localize the game, to make it just as intriguing for American players as in Japan.”

Tilden added that Nintendo

actually had to reprogram

Pokémon Red and Blue instead of

just translating the Japanese text (which would explain many of the subtle differences between the U.S. and

Stuffed Marril

This Pokémon is from the upcoming Gold and Silver versions of the game. But for $60, you have to be pretty harticore to order one.

9999

om ( є

Pokémon Sneaker This one is for kids| so not all

But it does look pretty cool.

Pyramid Poké Bags The regular hackpacks are acceptable but there's just something wrong ahout having a Pikachu strapped to your back.

993

Poké-Freaks will пе|аше to enjoy it.

Pokemon Keychain This little wind-up Japanese Pokémon keychain is both silly and "« lame at the same time. The little Pokémon inside barely move!

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Japanese versions). “Because the original creators, Game Freak and Creatures, had taken six years to build the game, the code was somewhat fragile, so we couldn’t directly port the game to English.”

One of the first steps was changing the names of the 150 Pokémon into names that kids in the U.S. would understand. While Pikachu was still called Pikachu (“pika” in Japanese means a flash of light), American kids might not have accepted Fushigidane as much as the altered name—Bulbasaur. To make sure that each name was unique only to Pokémon, Nintendo trademarked all 150 monster names.

A small team at NOA's Redmond, Wash., headquarters came up with the names for the U.S. versions' monsters. Headed by Hiro Nakamura, they eyeballed each Pokémon's appearance

“Л was told was that this kind of thing would never appeal to American audiences.” —Shigeru Miyamoto

and characteristics, then submitted names to the game’s creators in Japan for approval. “It’s not just the way the Pokémon look that determines what they're called,” Tilden told us, “It’s also their attacks and powers and what kind of Pokémon they are. Like Snorlax has a sleep spell. And if they evolve, you have to think of how the name fits the first, second and third phase of this character."

Meanwhile, Nintendo of America purchased the rights to all things Pokémon, thus locking up the rights to the TV show, merchandise and the Pokémon name everywhere in the world except Asia. Then NOA kicked off a $20 million marketing campaign to support the launch of Pokémon Red and Blue, the animated series, the toy line — everything. Nintendo held its first and most spectacular publicity stunt in Topeka, Kan., which the mayor renamed ToPikachu for one day while cargo planes carpet bombed 10,000 kids with Pokémon toys. From there, Nintendo reps piled into 10 Volkswagen Beetles painted like oversized Pikachus and zoomed to 10 cities across the country. Nintendo also mass mailed more than 1 million videotapes to open-minded gamers that explained the game's

112

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2 he Last Revelation’

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------ = Eidos Interactive and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. Fighting Force 2, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Core and the Core logo are all trade- Fiber marks of Core Design Limited. Fear Effect is a trademark of Eidos Interactive. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a trademark of Crystal Dynamics, Inc.PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are 142) registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is а trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Titles in this advertisement are rated Teen through = ШШЫШ Mature by the ESRB.

The most vicious predators in history are back from extinction and ready to fight. Battle to the death against a Mega Raptor or 13 other savage dinosaurs. Crush objects and feast on edible power-ups in over a dozen arenas from The Lost World and Jurassic Park. Because when these flesh-ripping claws and bonecrushing jaws meet, the

only instincts that matter are kil] and eat.

Inc. Licensed by Uni №, їодов аге ге www.warpathgame.com

IT'S CALLED; HARDCORE EAT” BECAUSE “MUD: ЗИМСКЕ, AIR CATCHING, JAW. BREAKING, STOMACH TURNING, ROCK ` PUIVERIING; SQUIRREL FLATTENING, | АМТ SMASHING; FOREST CREATURE

ЛИШИ, OUT OF MY WAY OR OIE, -KARNES DUST, ST IT IN YOUR EAR, MIS ШНИТ BIG ENOUGH FOR THE “ROTH E US, ALETERRIUN, OFF-ROAD - «ДҮР JUMPING, BIG BAD, ASS BOYS . Lal] WOUN TATON THE BOL, 4

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75 intense ay modes. 6 extreme world-class locales. 8 геперайе dins Complete ( саг хот, Advanced artificial intelligence. Customizable replay mode. -

ardore Heat” is a trademark ol ASC Games”. ASC Games" is a registered trademark of American Softworks BATING PENDING

THN Motorsports is a servicemark of Network Enterprises. Inc. countrycem is a trademark of country cam, inc. . `

Sega, Sega Dreamcast, and the Sega Dreamcast logo are ether registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega » обиты

Enterprises, Ltd. 1998-1999 SR Research Institute Corp. (CRI) Licensed from Four Winds, Inc. and CAL. The ratings отит icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. М rights reserved. ume Vl.

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А е Сода

Pokémon Books This one's pretty straightforward— books based on the TV show.

Pokémon Bubbles Adorable. Unscrew the lids and blow the tiniest little bubbles. So darned cute, ven an agitated Mankey will enjoy them.

9999

workings, introduced-some of its 150 monsters and previewed the animated series.

à All Nintendo coul do was май for Pdkémon's release date— Sept. 27, 1998—to come and go to see if the preparation paid off. As we all now know, it did. In the first two weeks of its availability, Pokémon became the fastest-selling Game Boy title ever, selling 200,000 copies. Pokémon's success even took Nintendo's top brass in Japan by surprise. "When we started this project in Japan, one of the first things | was told was that this kind of thing would never appeal to American audiences," Miyamoto told us. “They said, ‘Because the characters are in a very Japanese style, you cannot sell them to Americans.' So from the very beginning, | never thought there would be an English version. Now, it's just as popular in the United States [as in Japan], and | realized that we shouldn't always believe the opinions of conservative marketers."

Today, Nintendo is pushing the competitive aspect of Pokémon — һе link-cable feature that lets you battle your best pocket monsters against a pal's— by holding special tournaments across the country. The tour hit malls in 19 cities this summer, with tens of thousands of Pokémon fans earning badges by participating. Nintendo recently extended the tour and is now giving away the 15154 Pokémon, Mew, at these events. Check www.pokemon.com for a listing of tour dates and cities.

And, of course, Nintendo is readying several new Pokémon titles for U.S. launch. First up is Pokémon Yellow. Hitting the

Pokemon Lunch Box Kids will love this durable lunch box from Thermos. Some come with a thermos and special pringle container inside. Cool.

9

There are two Pokémon Center stores in Japan, in Tokyo and Osaka, respectively. Each one is filled to the brim with Pokémon goods. The shops are so popular with kids all around Japan that people come from all around just to shop here.

| —* (а "Ё miss the animated series on | | 2 Rancher’ BKN KID'S NETWORK! :

Every, ср. you own contains а menster!

Monster Rancher 2 can unleash hundreds of monsters from your common household CDs. That's right-you can actually use this game software to

spawn unique monsters from any CD you own- music CDs, PC software CDs, or even other game CDs: EVERY CD YOU OWN.

/ YOU'RE THE MASTER: fully interact y with your new pets

Hundreds of new monsters with monstrous attitudes

Unlock secret expeditions, 7 levels, and monsters

Release your Monster Rancher 1 monsters into the world of Monster Rancher 2

For 1 or 2 PLAYERS

Start unleashing your ;

Monster Rancher 2 TM 1989 Tecmo Inc. US and foreign patents pending, Tecmo is a registered trad Entertainment, INC. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Comp Interactive Digital Software Association.

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Pokemon Figurines Stuff like this is always fun to have around. Especially if you're a Pokémaniac. And they're cheap.

9

Game Boy in October (it doesn't take advantage of the Game

Pokémon Challenge Boy Color's full palette), Yellow follows the TV show more A two-player spinning top game closely than the original, but has the same gameplay as Red from Tiger. How do you win? Well, and Blue at its core. Pokémon Stadium for the Nintendo 64 will basically the last top spinning is hit in March, and Nintendo’s still evaluating Pikachu Genki De the winner. Un... Пи Chu—the Japanese №64 game that lets you talk to Pikachu with D 9 9 9 a special microphone peripheral—to see how hard it would be to alter the voice-recognition system so it understands English.

But it's the sequel— Pokémon Gold and Silver—that have Poké-freaks іп an I-can't-wait frenzy. These Game Boy Color titles are the true sequels to Red and Blue in every way, with a new story, new characters, a new world to explore and 120 new monsters. You won't get to play them for a while, though. Gold and Silver aren't due in the U.S. until at least next fall, and Nintendo has barely begun localizing the games. "Translation work hasn't begun on the game itself,” Tilden said, “but some of those Pokémon are already featured in the show, and a few are in the upcoming movie, so we have worked on coming up with those new names."

At this point, Nintendo could name Gold and Silver's critters after the kids on Brady Bunch and the games would still sell a few billion copies, but that doesn't mean Pokémon will remain Nintendo's cutesy cash cow forever. “You don't know with these things,” Roth said. “I don't want to make a cop-out and say it's just a fad, but that’s what it is. This too will have its peak. It won't be around for the next 20 years, | don’t think.”

Whatever Pokémon’s lifespan, this humble little Game Boy game has already accomplished more than anyone expected. Looking forward, we're certain the movie will be a hit; Pokémon Yellow, Gold and Silver will be blockbusters; and the merchandise will get more varied and bizarre. But even if the franchise Pikachu built dries up sooner rather than later, there are those at Nintendo who will always like Pokémon for what it is—a good game. "The point was not to make something that would sell, something very popular, but to love something and make something that we creators can love," Miyamoto said.

“It’s the very core feeling we чи should have іп making games."

Pokemon Toaster - Throw in some bread, put it over

some heat and you have yourself

some branded toast. Leave it to the

Japanese. We love it.

99999

lectronic Gaming Monthly - 180

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN А KAMIKAZE & А BLUE IMPULSE PILOT?

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PERFECT AERIAL STUNTS AND FORMATION PILOT ONE OF 11 DIFFERENT JETS FIVE MODES INCLUDING BLUE IMPULSE * * * XX - NEXT GENERATION

FLYING IN 20 TRAINING MISSIONS, FROM THE F-BBF SABRE TO THE F-150). MISSION, FREE FLIGHT AND EXHIBITION, С Ѕеда 5)‘Dreamcast CAVE.

Aerowings, Crave and their respective logos оге trademarks of Crave Entertainment, Inc. АЙ rights reserved. Crave Entertainment is о registered trademark in the U.S. © 1999 Crave Entertainment, Inc CRI is о registered trademark of (SK Research Institute. Sega, Dreamcast, ond the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trodemorks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd, All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners,

RACE THROUGH MOUNTAINS, VALLEVS, BEACHES, AND MORE WITH TEAM. SUZUKI ALSTARE, EXTREME POWER АМО SPEED ON WICKED FAST SUZUKI ALSTARE SUPERBIKES,

(Е THE PROS DONT

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BIKES WILL,

Ubi Soft

RACING SUPERBIKES IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS?

е sw Ww `` 7% THE BE е

Sega(9 Dreamcast.

The Heroes: Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu. Ash is on his way to becoming the world's greatest Pokémon master,

k wants to become mon breeder and о be the best at

The Enemies: Team Rocket blast Off at the speed of light! Surrender now, or prepare to fight. Jesse, James and Meowth

Ash’s Pikachu and kémon so they can oss’ favor.

TV Show Pokedex

Although missing the infamous seizure-inducing scenes, Pokémon debuted on TV screens in nearly every market in the U.S. on Sept. 7, 1998, and quickly became a top-rated syndicated show. Funny thing: When Nintendo and 4Kids Productions launched the series here, the game wasn’t even available, but the show helped build hype toward its release a few weeks later. Not only is the show based on the game, it actually follows the game’s events (with some divergence to mix things up a bit and keep it fresh) and gives players tips on how to become a better trainer. Heck, you can almost use the show as a strategy guide. For instance, Ash learns in the show that rock-type Pokémon are weak against water- type. And if you’re playing and watching the show at the same time, but not quite sure which town you should be traveling to next, you can find out by following the show’s continuity.

Monsters from Gold and Silver have been introduced slowly into the TV show in Japan, mainly because the release date of the game has been pushed back so many times. But on Oct. 14, the show will start to have a more Gold and Silver slant, introducing the new monsters. Don’t worry: Ash is likely

to remain the main character.

Kids WB has taken over airing the show in the U.S., and will run the original 52 episodes in addition to 52 brand-new episodes. So if you’re a Poké-freak who needs your daily Pikachu fix, you can get it six

times a day on your local WB affiliate.

If you're getting into the TV show late, or are slowly watching all of the first 52 episodes, we've compiled this handy Episode Guide of the first season. Have you seen 'em all?

1: Pokemon, | Choose You!

Who's That Pokémon: Pikachu

Ash begins his Pokémon training. He receives a Pikachu from Professor Oak, but this Pika-pal is a stubborn Pokémon, refusing to be friends with him. A run-in with a horde of nasty Spearows puts Pikachu in danger.

2: Pokemon Emergency!

Who's That Pokémon: Koffing

Ash races to the Pokémon Center in Veridian City, where Pikachu is nursed back to health. Team Rocket bursts onto the scene to steal the rare Pokémon staying in the Center, but with the help of Pikachu, they are blasted.

3: Ash Catches A Pokemon

Who's That Pokémon: Caterpie

After plenty of trying, Ash catches a Caterpie. It takes an immediate liking to Misty, who hates bugs (but loves other types of Pokémon). Caterpie helps defeat Team Rocket and evolves into Metapod.

4: Challenge of the Samurai Who's That Pokémon: Metapod

Just as Ash is about to catch a Weedle, a Samurai challenges him. Their battle is interrupted by a swarm of Beedrill, and in the confusion Ash loses Metapod. Will he be able to get Metapod back without getting stung?

5: Showdown in Pewter City Who's That Pokémon: Onix

Misty and Ash travel to Pewter City, where Ash challenges the city's Gym Leader, Brock. After a loss, and with the help of Flint, Ash energizes Pikachu and goes back to take care of Brock. In the end, Brock joins the two on their Pokémon journey.

Б. Clefairy and the Moon Stone Who's That Pokémon: Clefairy

The adventurers run into Seymour the Scientist, who is studying Clefairy and the fabled Moon

184

Stone. When Team Rocket show up, they help the Clefairy defeat them and protect their precious stone.

7: The Water Flowers nf Cerulean City

Who's That Pokémon: Seel

Our friends end up in Cerulean City, where Ash challenges the three Sensational Sisters to a Pokémon match to gain his second badge. Misty counterchallenges Ash to a battle, but Team Rocket intervenes.

8: The Path to the Pokémon League

Who's That Pokémon: Sandshrew

After leaving Cerulean City, Ash & Co. drop by A.].'s private training gym. A.J. trains his Pokémon extra hard (and is undefeated in 99 matches). After his 100th win he'll start going for badges. Ash, a little too proud of himself for already acquiring two badges, thinks he'll beat A.J., but gets proven wrong.

9: The School of Hard Knocks

Who's That Pokémon: Cubone

While Ash is learning how to be a Pokémon trainer as he goes along, some actually go to school for it. Ash and Pikachu stumble on a group of Pokémon Tech students picking on a younger student, and our friends stick up for him. Turns out Team Rocket are Pokémon Tech flunkies, too. But Jezelle, the top student at Pokémon Tech challenges them to a match.

10: Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village

Who's That Pokémon: Bulbasaur

Ash, Misty and Brock come across an Oddish while wandering through the forest, and try to capture it. But a Bulbasaur appears and stops them, and the two Pokémon disappear into the woods. After Brock falls into the river, our friends come across a Pokémon rest center, where Melanie nurses injured Pokémon back to health —

FO

SOMETHING

SPECIAL FOR

CEO-FEED BACK

LOYAL

SUBSCRIBERS

ONLY! EGM 124

Comments? FORCED FEEDBACK

* Р.О. Box 3338

WIN WIN WIN!

Cool Stuff From Us To You

Take a look at what we're passing on їо you this month:

* Re-Volt Racing for the N64

* A Spider-Man action figure

* A Crash Bandicoot 3 action figure

* A wacky cowboy hat

* An N64 fishing controller

* A stand-alone Pac-Man handheld game

* A fishing lure

* A N64/PS controller

* Instruction sheets for some of the above items

* And more

As you may or may not know, we get a lot of cool items from game companies. And yes, we do appreciate them, but all too often after covering them in the mag they end up sitting in somebody's cubicle or getting stored in a cabinet. So we thought, “Let's pass some of these things on to our readers, instead of just having them lay around." After all, better you enjoy this stuff than us. Like last month, read the instructions below, send in a postcard and you might just be picked as the winner! This doesn't cost you anything—it's as sim- ple as sending in a postcard with your name, address and phone number on it to the address below. We'll then pick one win- ner in a few weeks, and send out the goods.

ЕСМ” Box о” Stuff Sweepstakes #124 с/о Electronic Gaming Monthly

P.O. Box 3338

Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338

Congrats to EGM #122 Winner Jae Song of Harbor City, CA

All of this and more can be yours by simply sending in a little card with your name, address and telephone number on it. See above and below for further details.

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OAK BROOK, IL 60522-3338 + E-MAIL: SHAWN_SMITH@ZD.COM

Staff Profile: Andrew Burwell

Real Name: Andrew Burwell Alias: №5 Andrew, not Andy Occupation: Art Director

Hobbies: Video Games, Computer Games, Movies, Collecting Star Wars toys

Favorite video games of all time: Quake, Quake 2, Quake 3 Arena and most of Jane's flight sims (all for the PC by the way).

How | got this job: About five years ago | met a guy named Kraig Kujawa at a friend's house, while work- ing on a fanzine called The Guru. Some time later, Kraig (who is now the EIC of Official U.S. PlayStation’ Magazine) had just got hired on at Ziff-Davis to work for a mag called Intelligent Gamer. He knew | had lots of computer skills, seeing how | worked at NASA Johnson Space Center, as well as some art talent, so he hooked me up with Michael Stassus, our Creative Director. | submitted some sample layouts, including a mini-feature about me. Everyone seemed to really like it, so | was hired on about three months later when a position opened up. Talk about cool...| actually landed my dream job! Not that working at NASA sucked or anything — it's just not as fun as working at EGM.

Favorite movies: The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, Predator, The Abyss, Terminator 2, Die Hard, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind...to name a few.

I'm looking forward to: The entire Star Wars series on DVD, and the Dreamcast.

When I'm not at work | am: At home on the computer playing games, browsing the Web, watching movies, or just being with my wife.

Most awful job ever held: Cleaning toilets at a local grocery store called Kroger. (ed- Andrew has a great story about how he had to quit this job because of a certain toilet the manager wanted him to clean. Yuck.)

ІНІ wasn't working for EGM, I'd be: Back at NASA, try- ing to develop a new way for inter-planetary space travel to take place.

DID YOU KNOW...

Che Chou, Shawn Smith and Dan Hsu went for new haircuts and/or hair colors. None of them went as far

as to get a mullet cut thankfully.

Should the three-day-Long E3 video game convention be open to the public?

At least the Last day

52%

The term "Boston Steamer" is another popular term for human fecal matter.

Art Director Andrew Burwell recently bought a house. ALL he had to do was clean the pee stains off of the carpet, and enslave fellow staffers to help him move. Pizza was provided.

videogames.com poll 8/19/99

Shawn Smith recently bought a Nissan Xterra. He's enjoying it but he's too chicken to take it off road - he doesn't want to scratch it up. What a Little baby.

HOT & NOT

шынына E шынын = шшш) ЕСМ

The ЕСМ Hot & Not list—a place where you can get an inside look at what the staff of EGM likes and dislikes. The list contains general and specific items, concepts, games, people and other such things. Once in

The Dreamcast is, in fact, a Creamblast. This is a good thing.

WEB SITES

AS COOL AS ICE

member.tripod.com/~HatPerson/weirdweb.html

Thank you to all who continue to send us sites. We love checking them out more than we love wild primates. This time around we have all kinds of sites for you: Weird, gaming-related, zany, funny, cool, stupid and so on and so forth. Because a site is a site is a site

* www.wheresgeorge.com

* macross.simplenet.com/zanyvg/

* www.farts.com

* padlockcovers.com

e tradedforwheat.com/meshugenah/hvdance2.gif e www.apbonline.com/gfiles/index.html

* rocknman.freeservers.com/waterball.html * www.kimble.org

* www.conleyprecision.com

* www.glenridge.org/macbeth/mainpage.htm * www.denverpost.com/news/news0814a.htm * www.nrg.be

• lefty.simplenet.com/svam/

* We cannot be held responsible for any of the material presented on the sites listed above. Parents or guardians may want to verify the content of the site(s) before allowing their children to venture forth. Don't be a creamblast.

awhile we even throw in an inside joke. We're movin' on up.

* Pokémon Silver and Gold

* Donating stuff to poor kids

* The Sixth Sense

* Dragster exhaust pipes

* Pokémon Movie

* The Nissan Xterra

* Disney animated classics on DVD

* Nintendo Space World

* Sept. 9, 1999

* The extra stuff on the Matrix DVD

* Tattoo

* Sony СІ Picture Book

* Magnetic poetry

* Freakishly big sea monkeys

* DVD easter eggs

* The Dreamcast fighting stick

* Buying the Dreamcast

* Soccer ball in the balls

* Hoarding stuff poor kids would like

* Rollerblading injuries

* Home versions of Hydro Thunder

* Blair Witch hype

* People who steal ideas

* The design dept. at most American car companies

* Pokébashers

* Bernie leaving before DC launch

* Chimps drinking beer

* The price of the Sony C1 Picture Book

* No Dreamcast online gaming for quite some time

* Dead sea monkeys

* Waiting for new systems

EGM's Random Quote of the Month

"If | was a fat zombie, E | would eat myself “ў

What Shawn Smith Consumer Hardware Editor would do if he was a fat zombie in Resident Evil 3

Bulbasaur being their guardian. And, Team Rocket to capture those Pokémon for themselves.

п. Charmander - The Stray Pokemon

Who's That Pokémon: Charmander

Finding a Charmander that is stubbornly waiting for its trainer, our friends stop at a local Pokémon Center to rest and eat. They overhear the Charmander’s trainer talking about how he left it out in the forest. As it’s raining, there’s a danger that Charmander’s flame will go out and it'll die. So our friends save it from danger, and it must decide whether to go with them or its old, neglecting trainer.

12: Here Comes The Squirtle Squad Who’s That Pokémon: Squirtle

Our friends meet up with the Squirtle Squad, a gang of prank-playing Squirtles who're terrorizing the local town. Jessie and James strike a deal with the pranksters to help capture Ash’s Pikachu. Having captured them successfully, Ash tries to convince them that not all Pokémon trainers or humans are bad. The Squirtles see the light of day and help defeat Team Rocket and a new Pokémon joins Ash’s team.

13: Mystery at the Light House Who's That Pokémon: Crabby

On the way to Vermillion City, Ash & Co. stop at a mysterious light house. There they meet Bill, a researcher studying extinct and rare Pokémon. Bill has been hoping to meet a faraway Pokémon for years, and when it comes to visit the light house, Team Rocket are there to try to capture it. But they only succeed in scaring it away.

14: Electric Shock Showdown

Who's That Pokémon: Raichu

Will Ash evolve Pikachu into a Raichu? That's the dilemma at hand in this episode, when they arrive at Vermillion City. Ash does battle with Lt. Surge, the town's Gym Leader, for a Thunder Badge but Pikachu is defeated. Surge taunts Ash, saying that he should evolve him into the stronger Raichu, but Pikachu's got some attacks that Surge's quickly evolved Raichu doesn't.

15: Ваше Aboard the St. Anne

Who's That Pokémon: Raticate

Setting sail on the trainer-filled St. Anne, our friends head toward trouble as the ship's overrun by Team Rocket members who start nabbing everyone's Pokémon. Ash trades Butterfree for a Raticate but starts to regret his choice, and James buys a worthless Magikarp. Ash gets his Butterfree back and the ship begins to sink...

16: Pokemon Shipwreck

Who’s That Pokémon: Magikarp

Trapped in the still-sinking ship, our friends use their water Pokémon to escape. Team Rocket’s only water-type monster is Magikarp, which helps them to escape. Marooned in the middle of the ocean without food, Team Rocket try to fry up their fishy Pokémon, but kick it off the makeshift

raft after finding out it’s all bone. It evolves into Gyardos and exacts some harsh revenge.

17: Island of the Giant Pokemon Who’s That Pokémon: Slowbro

Perhaps the best idea for a Pokémon episode— subtitle what the Pokémon are saying! When our friends and Team Rocket land on an island, they get separated from their Pokémon. They quickly discover that this is no ordinary island, but infested with giant-sized Pokémon. As Pikachu, and the rest of the Pokémon try to find their trainers, we find out that the island is really an amusement park.

SKIPPED JAPANESE EPISODE!

18: Holiday at Aopulco

Who's That Pokémon: Obaba

In this episode, Ash and friends find themselves in a sunny summer paradise. After enjoying a boat ride they accidentally smash into a dock, damaging it. The dock's owner isn't too pleased, either, so they offer to help out at his restaurant. Team Rocket steps in, helping to promote a competing restaurant. Discovering they still don't have enough cash to help pay for the damage to the dock, they enter Misty in a Pokémon trainer Swimsuit Competition. Team Rocket — with James in a rubber, pump up suit—and Gary's entourage (Shigeru) compete in it too. There is a flashback to this episode in episode 26 (Hypno's Naptime), which did air in the U.S.

18: Tentacool & Tentacruel

Who's That Pokémon: Horsea

After saving a group of construction workers and a Horsea from imminent doom, our friends find themselves in Porta Vista. There they meet Nastina, who's building an amusement park but having a problem with unruly Tentacool meddling in her plans. She tries to get Ash & Co. to help, but Misty (who likes the water-type Pokémon) refuses to help. Team Rocket, though, isn't against it.

19: The Ghost of Maiden's Peak Who's That Pokémon: Gastly

After hearing the legend of a beautiful maiden that hangs out near the seaside, Brock and James begin a fruitless search to find her and capture her heart. The legends turn out to be false when our friends find out that the image of the maiden is just a Gastly. They do battle, but the Gastly retreats as the sun rises.

20: Bue Bue Butterfree

Who's That Pokémon: Butterfree

A very heartwarming episode of Pokémon where Ash bids farewell to the first Pokémon that he captured and trained as it evolved. A Butterfree festival gives Ash the chance to let his roam free, and it finds a girlfriend, but is rejected. Ash gives him a little bow to wear, but it doesn't please the girl Butterfree. After Butterfree saves the whole flock of Butterfree from Team Rocket's clutches, she warms up to him.

185

SKIPPED JAPANESE EPISODE! 18: Holiday at Аориісо

ns | Rights Reserved. 300, Army Men, Sarge's Heroes, Real Combat, Plastic Men., and their respective logos, are trademarks and/or service marks of The 300 Company in the U.S. and other countries. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the

1996 Nintendo of America Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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22: The Tower of Terror

24: Primeape Goes Bananas

32: The Flame Pokemon-athon

21: Abra and the Psychic Showdown

Who's That Pokémon: Abra

Beating Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader, isn’t going to be as easy as Ash thinks. Our three adventurers get shrunk down to miniature size and are used as dolls in Sabrina’s dollhouse when Ash loses the match against her. They escape and find out that the only way to beat her is to use a ghost Pokémon in Lavender City.

22: The Tower of Terror

Who's That Pokémon: Gengar

The three arrive at Pokémon Tower to nab a ghost Pokémon so that Ash can defeat Sabrina. Ash, Pikachu and Charmander venture in alone after one ghostly experience scares off Brock and Misty. After a run-in with the ghosts, Ash and Pikachu become ghosts themselves to have some fun. In the end, Ash does get a ghost-type Pokémon. We also get an inkling that Misty might actually care about Ash.

23: Haunter Vs. Kadabra

Who's That Pokémon: Haunter

Ash and Haunter return to the ring against Sabrina, but Haunter deserts Ash when called upon for battle. Brock and Misty are turned into dolls, while Ash escapes. He finds Haunter, and goes back to battle Sabrina, but Haunter deserts again. But Haunter does help Sabrina find her true self, and Ash gets a Marsh Badge in the process.

24: Primeape Goes Bananas

Who's That Pokémon: Primeape

On their way to Celadon City, our adventurers run into a wild Mankey. Determined to get more new Pokémon, Ash tries to capture it, but only ends up making it angry (driving it to steal his Pokémon League Expo Hat). When Team Rocket appear and kick Mankey, it makes him evolve into Primeape— and Ash has to figure out how to beat him.

25: Pokemon Scent-sation

Who's That Pokémon: Gloom

Something smells fishy in Celadon City, and it’s Ash! After declaring that he hates perfume, he’s banned from battling the Gym Leader (so he can’t get the next badge). He teams up with Team Rocket, for the moment, and disguises himself as a girl to get into the Gym. He’s soon found out, but still gets to battle the Gym Leader and save the gym from Team Rocket.

26: Hypno’s Naptime

Who's That Pokémon: Psyduck

As our friends arrive in Hop Hop Hop Town, Ash is attacked by a Mother who thinks he’s her missing son Arnold. They find out that Hypno was making the kids (Misty too!) act like Pokémon, and help them snap out of it after getting rid of Team Rocket. Misty gets Psyduck, too!

27: Pokemon Fashion Flash Who’s That Pokémon: Vulpix

Team Rocket puts their fashion knowledge to use by opening a Pokémon Beauty Salon as a front to steal rare Pokémon. Ash & Co. meet with Susie, a Pokémon breeding expert, and Brock falls in love—asking her to accept him as her pupil. Misty gets kidnapped by Jessie and James, but Ash and Brock battle them and save her. Brock gets Vulpix.

28: The Punchy Pokemon

Who's That Pokémon: Hitmonchan

Our friends come across what they think is a wild Hitmonchan, and Pikachu tries to box it, but gets the bejeezus beaten out of him. They find out Hitmonchan belongs to Anthony, the city’s Gym Leader. After promising his daughter that they'll get him to retire from Pokémon training, they enter the P-1 Fighting Pokémon tournament. Ash says goodbye to Primape, for now.

29: Sparks Fly for Magnemite

Who's That Pokémon: Magnemite

As they arrive in the aptly named Gringey City, Pikachu starts losing energy and gets seriously ill. They take him to the city's Pokémon Center, but the power goes out because hordes of Grimer have clogged up the hydroelectric power intakes. Magnemite, attracted to Pikachu for some strange reason, give our friends a helping hand.

30: Dig Those Diglett!

Who's That Pokémon: Diglett

On their way to Fuchsia Gym, our friends stumble upon a Dam Construction Site, who's got a little problem with interfering Diglett. But no Pokémon will battle the Diglett! They discover that the reason is that the Dam is being built on top of Diglett and Dugtrio's homes, Koffing and Ekans evolve into Wheezing and Arbok.

31: The Ninja Poke-Showdown Who's That Pokémon: Venonat

Ash and friends arrive at Fuchsia Gym by accident as they enter a mysterious house filled with booby traps. As Ash goes for a Soul Badge against Koga, the Gym Leader, Team Rocket bursts onto the scene. Psyduck knocks Team Rocket into orbit in time for Ash and Koga to continue their battle.

32: The Flame Pokemon-athon Who's That Pokémon: Ponyta

Welcome to the Big P Ranch, where the Laramie family raises fire-type Pokémon in their natural habitat. The group befriends Lara Laramie, whose Ponyta is a contender in her family's festival Pokémon Race. But Dario, a Dodrio trainer, is up to no good. He hires Team Rocket to sabotage Lara. Ash takes her place with Ponyta in the race, but can he avoid Jessie and James' traps and win?

33: The Kangaskhan Kid

Who's That Pokémon: Kangaskhan

Arriving at the Safari Zone, our friends are apprehended by Officer Jenny, who mistakes them for Pokémon poachers. After explaining that they're in a Pokémon reserve, our friends go with

her to stop Team Rocket from capturing а herd of Kangaskhan. Tommy, a young boy who was raised by the Kangaskhan, throws a wrench into all their plans (helping to defeat a mechanical Kangaskhan), and Ash reunites him with his parents.

SKIPPED JAPANESE EPISODE!

35: Legend of Dratini

Who's That Pokémon: Dratini

Still in the Safari Zone, the group finds itself at the Warden's house. The Warden's a strange fellow who's just a little trigger-happy (pointing guns at just about everyone). But he did catch a Dratini once, and when Team Rocket finds out about it, they want a piece of that action. They torture him to find out where the Dratini is, and Ash, Misty and Brock arrive just in time to stop them from capturing it.

34: The Bridge Bike Gang

Who's That Pokémon: Cloyster

Finally out of the Safari Zone, they arrive at the bridge to Sunny Town. They can't cross on foot, but Nurse Joy sends them on an errand so they can bike across. They run into a gang of bikers and start battling when Jessie and James (who are infamous biker gang members) show up. Officer Jenny breaks it up, and they continue across the bridge.

35: Ditto's Mysterious Mansion Who's That Pokémon: Ditto

There's trouble at the House of Imite! Ash and friends stumble upon a mysterious house during a rainstorm, meeting up with Duplica and her Ditto. But her Ditto can't transform into other Pokémon perfectly. That is, until Team Rocket gets ahold of it! Contains one of the funniest moments in the show—the good guys doing their version of the Team Rocket theme.

SKIPPED JAPANESE EPISODE!

38: Electric Soldier Porygon

Who's That Pokémon: Porygon

Our friends get transported into the Pokémon Transfer System to check out a bug, but find Team Rocket's inside up to no good. They're able to vanquish team rocket, ending with the flashing blue and red sequence that gave hundreds of kids seizures in Japan. While one of the better episodes of the show, this one won't be seen again in Japan, but 4Kids Productions does want to translate and edit it to run in the U.S.

SKIPPED JAPANESE EPISODE!

Holiday Special: Jynx’s Christmas Who's That Pokémon: Jynx

This episode was originally supposed to air the week after Electric Soldier Porygon, but, because of the epileptic seizures incident, it never aired on TV (Pokémon was taken off the air for a few months). Jessie is haunted by a memory she has of a Jynx short-changing her on Christmas. She mistakes the Jynx as the real Santa Claus, so she goes on a quest to exact her revenge. Ash and

friends show up at the North Pole just in time to save the real Santa from being nabbed by Team Rocket, and the Jynx send Jessie, James and Meowth flying.

36: Pikachu's Goodbye

Who's That Pokémon: Pikachu

As they’re walking through the forest, our friends run across a group of wild Pikachu frolicking. They’re scared of Ash and the rest of the group, until Ash’s Pikachu saves one of them from a watery grave. Team Rocket shows up and tries to nab them all, but there are some holes in their plan (or their net). Will Ash say goodbye to his Pikachu, leaving him with the pack of wild Pikachu? A new song is debuted in this episode.

35: Ditto's Mysterious Mansion

37: The Battling Eevee Brothers Who's That Pokémon: Eevee

After finding an Eevee tied up, our friends travel to Stone Town (known for its evolution stones) to return it to its owner. Mikey, its trainer, can’t decide which Pokémon to make his Eevee evolve into—and gets pressure from his brothers (who have three different kinds of Eevee evolutions) to make up his mind. Team Rocket shows up to nab all the evolved Pokémon, but Mikey and his brothers foil their plans.

ee 2 38: Маке Ур бпомах

38: Wake Up бпомах

Who's That Pokémon: Snorlax

An old man by the side of the road plays the group a song on his Pokéflute, expecting something in return. The town they stop in is running out of food because the river that flows through their town has stopped flowing. They find out that a snoozing Snorlax is the cause of the problem, and after trying everything possible to awaken it—even with Team Rocket's *help"—they get the old man to help them move him and restore the river to normal.

39: Showdown at Dark City

Who's That Pokémon: Scyther

Rival Pokémon trainer gangs? Dark City is terrorized by battling gangs of trainers, the Yaz Gym and the Kaz Gym, who want control of the town's Gym purely for the money to be made. To teach them a lesson, they're covered in ketchup 50 that their Pokémon (who are enraged by red) turn on them. But that only makes the gangs combine efforts and attack Ash & Co.

40: March of the Exeggcutor Squad

Who's That Pokémon: Exeggcute

Melvin the Magician's carnival magic act is in serious need of help. After Misty helps him, he shows them his tricks and hypnotizes Ash to make him do his dirty work and capture some Exeggcutor. But things go awry and the Exeggcutor go on a stampede through the carnival. Melvin and Charmander save the day, and Charmander evolves into Charmeleon!

You can see some scenes from the Japanese intro in the American show, hut not these. Character names are a bit different, too:

Who's That Pokémon? is also in the Japanese version of the show. Of course, the names of the Pokémon are different.

41: The Problem With Paras

Who's That Pokémon: Paras

This is the first episode of Pokémon run on

Kids WB. We meet up with Cassandra, a Pokémon good samaritan whose Paras is a real wimp.

She wants it to evolve into Parasect so she can make a potion to help Pokémon everywhere. Everyone (even Team Rocket) helps Cassandra meet her goal, but a disobedient Charmeleon makes things difficult.

42: The Song of Jiggluputt

Who's That Pokémon: Jigglypuff

Jigglypuff can’t get any respect. Everytime it sings its song, it puts people to sleep! When that happens, he likes to draw all over the snoozing audiences’ faces. And, this particular Jigglypuff doesn’t like Pikachu much, either. Team Rocket tries to harness Jigglypuff’s power, but it puts everyone to sleep, no matter how hard they try

to stay awake.

43: Attack of the Prehistoric Pokemon

Who’s That Pokémon: Kabutops

Our friends take part in the Great Fossil Rush, but end up getting more than they bargained for. They end up accidentally in a cave that’s full of prehistoric Pokémon that haven’t been seen for millions of years. Aerodactyl takes Ash for a ride, and Charmeleon evolves into Charizard to “help” Ash escape its clutches. And what's this? Ash wakes up to find a mysterious egg...what could it be?

44: А Chansey Operation

Who's That Pokémon: Arbok

After Pikachu chokes on an apple (that’s what you get when you eat ’em whole), they rush to get help. Finding no Pokémon Center in the area they’re forced to take him to a human hospital. After being taken care of comes word of a big accident which involved many Pokémon. Ash and friends help treat the Pokémon while thwarting Team Rocket's attempts at capturing them.

45: Holy Matrimony!

Who's That Pokémon: Growlithe

If James doesn't marry his fiancee, Jezebel, within 24 hours, he won't collect his inheritance, or so the plot goes. His parents fake their own death to try to trick James into marrying Jezebel (who looks like Jesse). He refuses, turning to

his childhood Pokémon friend Growlithe as well as Ash for assistance in fending off the advances of Jezebel.

46: Su Near, Yet 50 Farfetch'd

Who's That Pokémon: Farfetch'd

The trio are all excited after seeing a Farferch'd in the forest. But things aren't always as they seem, as this Farfetch'd is helping a thief rob trainers of their monsters. He even fools Team Rocket, stealing their Pokémon too. Will they be able to get them all back?

192

47: Who Gets to Keep Togepi?

Who's That Pokémon: Aerodactyl

Now that they've been carrying around that egg for four episodes, we get to find out what's in it. It's a game of hot potato as our friends and Team Rocket try to be the ones who keep the mysterious egg (and get it to hatch). It hatches into Togepi and after battling for it, Ash wins, but Misty did see it first.

48: Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden Who's That Pokémon: Ivysaur

Bulbasaur's bulb starts to glow, indicating that it's about to evolve. As part of its evolution, it makes a pilgrimage to the Mysterious Garden. Ash and friends follow it to a garden filled with other Bulbasaur, Ivysaur and Venusaur. Bulbasaur doesn’t want to evolve, and Ash tries to convince the others to accept his choice.

49: Case of the K-9 Caper

Who's That Pokémon: Vileplume

After seeing a Police K-9 trainer in “action,” Ash and Pikachu decide to take part in the training too. They fail...miserably. Team Rocket shows up and gases the place, making everyone's voices change. They then imitate Officer Jenny and Ash to get Growlithe and Pikachu to turn on them. In the end, their Pokémon see through the act and get rid of Team Rocket.

50: Pokemon Paparazzi

Who's That Pokémon: Geodude

The travelers meet up with Todd, a Pokémon photographer hired by Team Rocket — disguised as senior citizens —to "capture" Pikachu. Of course, Team Rocket doesn't understand that he's a photographer. After multiple tries to find Pikachu's natural poses, Team Rocket realizes their mistake, taking matters into their own hands. So the trio becomes a foursome, at least for a little while. If you've played Snap, you'll recognize Todd, who is the star of that game.

БІ. The Ultimate Test

Who's That Pokémon: Vulpix

Can Ash pass the test to be accepted into the Pokémon League? He thinks so, but it's harder than it looks. Team Rocket takes the test too, and the final exam is a hands-on battle using random Pokémon. James breaks the rules and gets expelled, but Ash does pretty well (before Team Rocket interferes, that is). Maybe collecting the badges would be easier, though, eh?

52: The Breeding Center Secret Who's That Pokémon: Psyduck

In this episode we meet Butch and Cassidy, two more members of Team Rocket, who are stealing Pokémon under the guise of a Pokémon Breeding Center. Misty leaves Psyduck there, but they discover they need Psyduck (for a change!) and go back to retrieve him, discovering what Butch and Cassidy are up to. This is the last episode of the first season, and is also the episode where Todd leaves the group.

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Poke-Flix

Mewtwo Strikes Back

If you’ve seen Mewtwo in the game, you know that he’s one tough customer. In this first Pokémon movie, which hits U.S. theaters on Nov. 12, we get to see the story behind Mewtwo, who was genetically created by scientists as the ultimate rare Pokémon. Things go horribly wrong as Mewtwo goes a little berserk, escaping from his test tube. After some training by the mysterious leader of Team Rocket, he escapes from his binds and flies to a faraway island. He elevates himself a level above Pokémon, who he thinks are only for fighting, and he invites trainers from across the land to come to the island. Little do they know why they’re actually being brought to the island. It’s a kind of “Enter the Dragon” meets “Goonies”-type movie. Compared to the series itself, Mewtwo Strikes Back is a lot darker, more foreboding flick. It’s well-paced and the ending (which we won't spoil) might bring a tear to the eye of the young Poké-fanatic.

This is the first theatrical Pokémon movie, originally released in Japan during the summer of '98. Warner Bros. is distributing in the U.S. and abroad, except in

Asia. The music from the original Japanese movie will be completely replaced by Mewtwo is one badass Pokémon. He invites all-new music, with a soundtrack album to be released by Atlantic Records. Only trainers around the world to his island to female teen pop group M2M has been confirmed as performing on the prove he's not just a fighting monster.

soundtrack, while rumors abound that Canadian band Len will rerecord the show's main theme for the movie's opening.

Pikachu's Summer Vacation

Pikachu's Summer Vacation (called Pikachu no Natsu Yasumi in Japan) is a 22-minute short film to be shown before Mewtwo Strikes Back. It takes place in a Pokémon resort and opens with Pikachu and friends trying to stop Togepi from crying. Of course, things end up going horribly wrong as the good guys have a run-in with a gang of not-so-nice Pokémon: Snubble, Marril, Raichu and Cubone. But they come together in the end to help a Pokémon in need.

Summer Vacation isn't like the rest of the TV series—there's very little dialogue. What's there is mostly Poké-speak—weighing in heavily on the cuteness factor (and when we say heavily, we mean bordering on vomit-inducing cuteness for those uninitiated with the show). Pikachu fans will get the most Pikachu hangs on for dear life after falling enjoyment out of it, but it's also the first time U.S. audiences will see Snubble into the river in Pikachu's Summer Vacation. and Marril, which are both in Pokémon Gold and Silver.

The teaser poster for the U.S. movie (far left), and the new Japanese movies— Pikachu Tankentai (Pikachu Explorers, middle) and Revelations Lugia (right).

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Pokémon Gold and Silver's brand-new main character is ready to set off опа brand-new Pokémon adventure!

What's Next?

Pokemon Silver And Gold Set To Deliver Your Next Poke-Fix

On Nov. 21, kids across Japan will get to play what they’ve been waiting over two years for—Pokémon Gold and Silver. Unlike the first game's variations of color, these two games аге the true sequels in the Pokémon franchise. At Nintendo’s Space World ’99 expo, 280 game stations were set up, split between Gold and Silver. They quickly filled up with kids anxious to get their hands on the new games, with wait times creeping to more than an hour for 5-10 minutes of playing time. Keep in mind that all the details below cover the Japanese version of the game. Many of the details here (such as names of Pokémon, places and characters) will be changed for the

U.S. version scheduled for release in fall 2000.

Pokémon Gold and Silver take full advantage of the Game Boy Color's hardware and its 52-color palette, while remaining backwardly compatible with the earlier iterations

of Game Boy hardware. The first thing you'll notice when booting up the game is just how much difference color makes. You can even choose the look of pop-up windows from eight different styles. If you've played the previous versions of Pokémon and are attached to the monsters you collected, you can link up and transfer them to the new game. Feel like printing out your favorite Pokémon’s data? Hook up the Game Boy Printer and go to town.

The game begins, like the first one, with Professor Oak (or Orchid, as in the Japanese version) telling you about the Pokémon world, preparing you for your journey ahead. Gone is Ash Ketchum (or Satoshi, in the Japanese game), replaced by a new trainer. This new trainer doesn't have a main name yet. At Space World, the name choices were Gold, Hiroki, Tetsuo and Takashi in the Gold version, and Silver, Kamon, Tooru and Masao in the Silver version. Like the first Pokémon, your goal is to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer, and you have a new rival to boot. Your rival this time is more evil—he has actually stolen a Pokémon from Dr. Utsugi (the Pokémon expert who gives you your first Pokémon a la Professor Oak in the first game).

At the beginning, you are asked to set the game's clock to the current time. The game runs in real time, so some monsters will only appear in the morning hours, some only during the day

200

DOCKET MONSTERS

(21999 GAME FREAK inc.

and others show up only at night. So instead of playing whenever you've got time, this requires you to play during the day and night so you can catch all the Pokémon in the game. As time passes, the environments you're in will change as well. As it gets dark in real life, it will get dark in the game. There’s reportedly over 200 Pokémon in the game, with about 100 brand-new monsters, but Nintendo is keeping the exact number a secret until the game debuts. It’s rumored that not all the monsters from the first game are in the sequel, but at least the more popular ones are (Rattata, Caterpie, Kakuna and Metapod were all in the Space World version). Some of the new monsters are pre-evolved or further-evolved versions of already known Pokémon. For instance, Elekid is an early evolution of Electrabuzz, and a pre-evolved form of Pikachu is rumored to be in the game as well (but hasn’t been confirmed).

Gold and Silver take place in the same world as the original, but іп а different area, called Jouto. You begin the game in Wakaba town, leaving your home as Ash did (after getting some advice from your Mom) then going to the town’s Pokémon research facility, headed up by Dr. Utsugi. Here you choose which Pokémon you'll begin the game with from three choices: Waninoko (literally “juvenile alligator” in Japanese)—a blue alligator who is Gold/Silver's Squirtle- type character, and who evolves into Alligates; Hinoarashi—a

laming porcupine-type character, who evolves into Magmarashi; and Chicolita, a plant-type Pokémon that looks like a Victreebel or Bellsprout. All three have male/female forms and will evolve twice.

Male and female-type, you say? That's right. In the new

201

You not only have to deal with playing during the day, but at night 100! Some monsters will only appear during the evening hours.

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The new Pokégear keeps track of time, acts as a cellular phone, radio and more.

= = games, there are male and female Pokémon, which becomes

Ў important if you decide to breed them. There are even genders for those Pokémon brought over from the older game. It's not exactly clear at this point how this will be achieved, but it's thought that you'll be able to breed your Pokémon to produce an egg. What that egg hatches into will be determined by the stats of the monsters you mated.

: Items now go This time around, if a trainer you're fighting has items, then it in different can use them on their Pokémon. So let's say you've gotten your pockets of your opponent's Pikachu down to near-zero health, it can eat some character's fruit and replenish its life. That's going to make fights with Gym backpack, making

everything a lot more organized.

Eager Poké-fans line up and wait for over an hour to get their hands on Gold and Silver for five minutes.

Leaders that much harder. Speaking of items, you can now find nuts or fruits hidden in the overworld inside plants. Giving these fruits and nuts to your Pokémon will replenish their life. To make it easier to store items, your character has a backpack. It has several pockets, each for storing a different type of item: Regular Items, Pokéballs, miscellaneous important stuff and Hidden Machines. So you won't have to go through your entire stock of items just to find where your hidden machines are, just go to the right pocket in your backpack.

Perhaps the newest thing in the game is the Pokégear, a wrist-mounted do-it-all machine that brings many new facets to the way you play Pokémon. In addition to keeping the time, it

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also acts as a cellular phone and radio. You can upgrade your Pokégear by adding or buying upgrade cards, which give it new abilities and options, such as the ability to listen to all the radio stations (there are several, including a station with just music), and view a world map. During the game you'll collect trainer phone numbers that you can call if you need advice, etc. Listening to the radio will give you information on Pokémon seminars so you can learn techniques that will help you become a better trainer. Professor Oak can be heard from via the radio feature of the game. There are even events that will take place only on certain days (yup they're going to make you play this one every day!). Aside from the Pokégear, Professor Oak has also updated his Pokédex, making it easier to use and as comprehensive as possible. In fact, you'll meet up with him early on in the game, where he'll give you a Pokémon book, for data on new monsters in the game beginning at #152 (right after Mew). here were eight different Gym Leaders in the version shown at Space World, all named after plants or flowers—Hayato, Tsukushi, Akane, Matsuba, Shijima, Mikan, Yanagi and Ibuki. Some of the monsters from the new games have already appeared in the Pokémon TV show and the movies in Japan, but they'll start appearing more regularly in the series beginning Oct. 14 in Japan. It's likely that we won't start seeing these new Gold/Silver Pokémon until around the time those games are ready for release here.

Professor Oak's got a hrand-new Pokétlex for you, complete with all the information you're going to need when you Spot or capture a new species of Pokémon.

208

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And The Rest...

You may have to wait until next fall to play Gold and Silver, but that doesn't mean you'll spend the next 11 months in a Poké-drought. You probably already have Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Pinball to play with, and Nintendo has a couple of other Pokémon games on the way to tide you over 'til Gold and Silver's release.

First up is Pokémon Yellow, due in October. Although it packs the same basic story as Red and Blue, Yellow offers lots of little touches that'll tickle any Pokémaniac's fancy. For starters, you get Pikachu right from the get-go. He follows as you wander around the world, and you can talk to him at anytime just by looking his way and tapping the A button (the game stores several digitized Pikachu sounds). Pikachu will also act more and more friendly toward you throughout the game as long as you use him frequently in battle, give him healing potions and teach him new Technical Machine skills.

Pokémon Yellow also takes on more of the flavor of the TV show. The same Team Rocket members you know from the series appear in Yellow, including Jesse, James, Meowth, Koffing and Ekans. The game packs new art for all the monsters, as well as new abilities for several Pokémon.

Unfortunately, you won't find any new pocket monsters in the game. Yellow does include a different allotment of critters, and you'll be able to collect Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle instead of having to trade for them. Yellow's best feature is its Game Boy Printer support. Hook up the printer and you can squirt out pictures and stats of your Pokémon to create your own real-life Pokédex, or just print out lists of Pokémon you have in storage. The only feature Yellow lacks is full-color support for the Game Boy Color, but we figure all the tweaks and hidden mini-games make up for that.

Next up is Pokémon Stadium for the Nintendo 64. This game, which arrives here in March 2000, lets you load your Pokémon into an N64 cart via the Transfer Pak and battle them in a 3D arena. Your friends can also load their pocket monsters and pit them against your own. There's no real story here. Combat uses the same menu-based system of the Game Boy games. But we gotta admit it's still pretty cool to watch your Pokémon wield their attacks on your TV Screen in snazzy 3D.

209

American versions of the cards are actually worth more in Japan.

In The Cards...

The-Pokemon-Gard-Game is a Hit on Both Sides of the Pacific

If you’re looking for a new way to get in some Pokémon play time but don’t necessarily want it to involve a video game system, look for Poké-fun in the form of Wizard’s of the Coasts’ Pokémon Trading Card Game. The American version of this particular Pokémon-licensed money-maker is actually based on the Pokémon card game in Japan, which was originally designed back in 1996 by Pokémon co-creator Tsunekazu Ishihara. Since its inception, the game has sold around 1 billion cards in Japan.

Stateside, Wizards of the Coast got the rights from Nintendo in the middle of 1998 to unleash this wildly popular two- player trading card game on America’s youth. The game shipped toward the end of that year, into the beginning of this year, and has since sold over 1 million card sets. In fact, Electronics Boutique pre-sold some 50,000 Booster Packs before the first card decks even shipped. Even now, many stores sell out soon after receiving their shipments.

It’s doing so well Wizards of the Coast has taken the game on the road to spread the word even more, stopping at various locations across the U.S. These events feature all sorts of Pokémon activities ranging from the card game tournaments to Game Boy game battles. These days, Pokémon Trading Card Game tournaments can be found at selected malls throughout the U.S. A tournament locator can be found on the Wizards of the Coast company Web site (www.wizards.com/Pokémon/).

So how does the card game work? Well, first you need a two-player Starter Set (about $10) and probably a couple of Booster Packs (around $3 each, or $10 for a preconstructed theme deck). The Starter set includes an advanced rule book and 61 cards, each with full-color original artwork of the Pokémon from the video game. The Booster Packs feature a variety of different cards. Some cards have special holographic printing—a sign that you have a rare Pokémon on your hands. There is also a Jungle Expansion Set available which

210

You'll find expansion sets in Japan based on the new movies and Team Rocket characters.

includes 48 new cards. The object of the game, of course, is to collect, trade and battle your various monsters with or against your pals, eventually becoming the world’s greatest Pokémon trainer. To do this, you must g collect all 150 Pokémon cards — each put into one of three categories: common, uncommon and rare. You start the game by shuffling your deck and drawing a hand of seven cards, laying the rest of your deck as well as one card from your hand face down. After some other starting procedures and a flip of a coin to see who goes first, you're ready for battle. You have a variety of different card types to use—four of them to be exact: Basic Pokémon cards that are used to fight opponents; Evolution cards that can be used in combination with Basic cards to make your Pokémon bigger and more powerful; Energy cards which give your Pokémon its necessary energy for battle; and Trainer cards that can only be used once. Players take turns laying down cards, fighting each other. The first player who obtains all six cards from their opponent wins. The game is available at most toy, game and retail outlets.

For more info on the game, check out Wizards' Web site. The card game is so z popular in Japan that Various manga artists—some heated matches often of them famous—lend their draw a crowd.

Skills to illustrate the game.

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eleases Pokémon Red Game Boy Pokémon Green Game Boy Pokémon Blue Game Boy Pokémon Yellow Game Boy Pokémon Stadium Nintendo 64 Pikachu Genki Dechu Nintendo 64 Pokémon Card GB Game Boy Pokémon Stadium 2 Nintendo 64 Pokémon Snap Nintendo 64 Pokémon Pinball Game Boy Color

.S. Releases Pokémon Red Game Boy Pokémon Blue Game Boy Pokémon Pinball Game Boy Color Pokémon Snap Nintendo 64 Pokémon Yellow Game Boy

Here in the States,

Nintendo released Pokémon Red and Blue. Over in Japan, it released Red, Blue and

Green—not to mention Yellow. What's with the

Technicolor treatment? This chart cracks the rainbow code and explains which colors correspond with which on both sides of the Pacific.

Nintendo released a Blue version to capitalize on Red and Green’s success, Blue was basically the same game, except with a different

allotment of monsters.

Many Japanese gamers actually preferred playing Blue because it packed more of the rare and powerful Pokémon that weren't in Red and Green. Blue also

featured new art for all

150 monsters.

Pokémon Red and Green hit Japan in February 1996 and were immediate hits.

The U.S. versions of Red and Blue mix different features from the Red, Green and Blue Japanese versions. Our Red game contains the same allotment of Pokémon found in the Japanese Red version, and our Blue has the same Pokémon from Japanese Green. But both the U.S. Red and Blue were reprogrammed with the art file from Japanese Blue. On top of all that, the final dungeons in our Red and Blue are different from the dungeons in the Japanese originals. Confused yet?

Adding to Nintendo's rainbow of Pokémon games, Pokémon Yellow hit Japan last fall (it's due here in October). This game has the same basic story as Red and Blue— except with a few enhancements, an entirely new art file and a different final dungeon.

216

“PVE DUSTED THE FASTEST RACERS IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE...”

sloppy, blurry text

‚ Poke-Banned

The Dark Side of Pikachu

There are people who don’t like Pokémon, and then there are people who really don’t like Pokémon.

Sometimes they even make headlines. Mark Juvera, a children’s pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., nabbed national attention in August when he took a sword and soldering iron to Pokémon merchandise in front of dozens of kids during one of his church services. While he says the whole thing’s been blown out of proportion (newspaper reports claim he used a blowtorch to incinerate trading cards, when he really just singed them with the iron), Juvera readily admits to bringing his wrath down on Pokémon. “We do have a sword, which is symbolic of the word of God,” he told us,” and we struck a stuffed animal—that Pikachu guy — with it. The sword isn’t sharp, and since Pikachu is soft, we didn't cut it. We only struck it one time and then ripped it apart so no one could take it from the trash."

Juvera said he gave little thought to Pokémon (his 9-year-old son had even

218

Find the Fake

Look for These Warning Signs to Avoid Counterfeit Poke-Goods 4), official

Nintendo or Pokemon (одо

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amassed more than $400 worth of games and toys) until he read an e-mail on the evils of Pikachu and his ilk. “I learned it can bea stepping stone toward other role-playing games like Magic the Gathering," he said. "And 1 saw that one of the videos is titled ‘Psychic Friends.’ When it starts talking about the ability to use psychic power, magic and things like that, well, all that’s totally opposite of what we

Christians believe.”

Juvera’s son has stopped playing with Pokémon, and the pastor thinks he has other kids

thinking twice about the pocket monster craze, too. “I had one girl in the service tell me that they’re not allowing Pokémon in her public school anymore.”

In fact, several schools across the country have banned Pokémon cards and the Game Boy games. They’re too distracting, say some teachers, while others fear that bigger kids are bullying younger ones into unfair Pokémon trades.

Cripes—and we thought it was bad when they just took our lunch money. ж

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It's about time somebody made something like this—a cabinet specially designed with gamers in mind. There's plenty of storage space for games, controllers and more, and the system sits coun- tersunk on its own shelf. The con- struction of the unit is quite stur- dy considering the price, and it's a snap to put together. Problem , the space for the TV is only big enough for a 21-inch TV or small- er. it’s prob for

www.blaze-gear.com

% four, four, four = plugs in one... Power Link

It’s an all-in-one link cable that’s compatible with any and all link- һ ablesGame Boy systems. апа products. And that's about it, It works and that's what counts.

It's nice to have all of your cables

in опе 60. And the nice thing is, it has that cool iMac look to it. www.nyko.com

к

Infrared controllers have long been looked down upon since they require batteries and need to be within a certain range to work properly. And while the

This А/В SW «си Infrared Shock2 has ап is for max imu № admirable range, the battery Е poc t b LN requirement just doesn't appeal

to us. Plus the pad is too bulky. Thankfully. the buttons and sticks are well-placed and feel good, and the'pad has a rübber- ized shell for easy gripping. www.guillemot.com

Intensor LX EDMUND

The original version of this chair was priced way too high for the average gamer. Now that this has been addressed a bit, we can get into more details about the chair's new construction. Knobs have been placed in a more nat- ural position than before, speak- er quality has been upped and assembly is a сіпсһ It's a little high in.price, but the thing really works well with action games or others with lots of explosions. This version-of the Intensor is much better than the first. www.imeron.com

Shock 2

Infrared Shock 2

The regular Shock2 controller is just like the infrared version, except without the wireless fea- tures. As such, our main com- plaintsyare the bulkinessyof, the pad@nd how overly rdmbly it; Still, thesprice is right and— being а third-party controller itself, feels solid ав a first-party pad. www.guillemot.com

Worm Light i ик

It's such a simple idea, it's no wonder somebody didn't think of | it sooner. Instead of the usual big chunk of plastic, it’s a little bendy light that sticks in the side of your systém. Plus it draws power the Game Boy instead.

www.nyko.com

ASTRONAUT

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s

ЖЕ FINISH 1 Es

KILLER COMPETITION - Better hold оп tight. It’s throttle pinning, dirt slingin handlebar-to-handlebar racing.

TITLE HOUNDING - 5 E E Take on the best riders and tracks for the ==. $ E 5 coveted EA SPORTS Series Championship. а =. ч

» Ou.

AERIAL ASSAULT -

Throw sick mid-race tricks. Or get insane air as you take to the skies in Freestyle mode.

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PlayStation

Om p. B

With the Dreamcast nearly here, staff members are engaged in their usual pre- launch rituals: atomic situps, DQ Creamblast chugging, etc. Cris is cele- brating the occasion with his customary launch-day mullet haircut. Imagine his dismay when everyone showed up on 9/9/99 with. shiny new mullets, too.

Current Favorites FF Anthology, Rayman 2

Favorite Genres Action, Adventure

Shoe's all upset over the possibility that Namco won't be doing any more DC games. Sure, he can play Tekken 4 on PS 2, but he was hoping for longer term DC support from them. On the happy side, Shoe's all psyched for a Panel De Pon 64 (aka Tetris Attack 64).

Current Favorites Soul Calibur, Shenmue, Final Fantasy Anthology

Favorite Genres Strategy, Puzzle

The Dreamcast is a cream- blast, that's for sure. While everyone cultivated their mullets, Che got his hair done bright red. Aside from

traveling coast-to-coast and

Soaking up gaming good- ness, Che's been on the lookout for Mankey and his evolved form, Primeape.

Current Favorites

Soul Calibur, Tony Hawk, Front Mission Third, FFA

Favorite Genres Fighting, racing, RPG

Chris Johnston

Somehow, Chris was able to

lug all the Pokégear he

picked up in Japan back to the EGM offices. The jetlag must be affecting his head,

because during deadline he

could be heard yelling out phrases in a southern accent. Perhaps he really is considering opening a Pokémon Ranch...

Current Favorites Rayman 2, Final Fantasy Anthology, Hot Wheels

Favorite Genres Adventure, Puzzle

John's been cracking the whip recently, partly inspired by the recent DVD release of Full Metal Jacket. Now, in a fit of cruelty he's forcing all new contributors and misbehaving editors to sport a mullet & mustache combination for a full week—as ably demonstrat- ed by Team EGM.

urrent Favorites Soul Calibur, Winback, Hot Wheels Racing

Favorite Genres Action, Racing

SHINY NEW Review Crew Member

Who Will It Be?

Our search for the last RC member is nearly over. But who will it be? The ‘real’ Elephant Sak? The return of Sushi-X? Find out soon.

Holy smokes, has Dean received a lot of grief for giving the fledgling NFL 2K a very respectable “8” in the last issue. Maybe peo- ple are interpreting state- ments like “NFL 2K is a must-buy game indeed.” as “Gosh, this game sucks!" — Go figure?

Current Favorites

Madden 2000, NFL2K, NCAA Football 2000, Ready 2 Rumble

Favorite Genres Sports, Racing

All of these review games mean long hours, junk food and lack of exercise for Shawn. So to avoid getting a chubby belly, Shawn has recently started a rigorous workout routine. It includes such exercises as deep knee bends, atomic sit-ups, the world-famous mankey squats and many others.

Current Favorites Winback, Rayman 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

Favorite Genres Action, Adventure

Team FGM

$ we enter the sporting season

once more, меуе decided to

expand the Review Crew still further with Team EGM. The three attractive young hipsters below will be aiding the Dean and other mem- bers of the Review Crew with foot- ball, hockey, baseball, basketball and soccer reviews. This will go fur- ther to help bring you the most authoritative reviews in the business. All are bona-fide loons with bound- less knowledge of all things sporty. ж

Dan Leahy

Current Favorites Madden 2000, NHL 2000, FaceOff 2000, NFL 2K

бап” schedule rotates around a 24-7 schedule of football. The “all-pigskin” diet goes something like this...Video game foot- ball, fantasy football, followed by watching football at home. Dan swears the gridiron grind doesn't get to him, but we think wearing a helmet to work is a bit excessive.

Current Favorites Madden 2000, NHL 2000, FaceOff 2000, NBA Showtime

Some of you may recognize this chap... previously the Reviews editor of EGM, he has now moved up the chain of command to take the reins of Expert Gamer as editor in chief. A long-term sports game fan he’s the self-proclaimed office champ at pretty much anything hockey related.

Todd Zuniga

Current Favorites

NHL 2000, Madden 2000, NCAA Final Four, NBA Showtime

Also known as T-Zone, Todd joins Team EGM fresh off an office championship in NBA Showtime. He says you gotta beat the best to be the best, and has plans for establishing a new reign as the resident Madden champion. “You can’t stop T-Zone, you can only hope to contain him.”

This Month...

et again, we're sad to inform

you that we're unable to bring

you a review of House of the Dead 2. We've got the game...but we've yet to get our hands on an “official” U.S. light gun (this issue goes to press before 9/9/99). Next month, finally, we'll be able to bring you our opinions—and we encour- age you to send us your reviews of all the Dreamcast games for our Reader Reviews section. This should prove to be a hot topic in coming months. Please remember...all games are reviewed within their own genre and take into considera- tion other games available on each specific system. Refer to our philoso- phy (below) and remember that a 5.0 is an average score. ж

Our Philosophy

® 5 іс

ЕСМ rates games based on how they compare with other titles on the same system. The highest score we'll give a game is a 10. When a game receives a 10, you can rest assured it's one of the best games ever made—a revolutionary title that truly stands above everything else in its genre for its time. At the other end of the spec- trum sits the lowest score a game can receive: а о.о. This is the kind of game you want to avoid at all costs. It's pure crap, as our scale (above) explains. In the middle lies the aver- age grade, 5.0. We repeat: 5.0 IS АМ AVERAGE GRADE. Simple, ain't it?

Platinum Awards go to games that get four 10's, the best and rarest review a game can get.

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

Games that average at least an 8.0 receive Silver Awards.

Dynamite Cop

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega

Featured In: EGM #120

Players: r2

Supports: Jump Pack

Best Feature: Arcade perfect (natch) Worst Feature: Short, easy and dull Web Site: www.sega.com

You've got to switch into a different frame of mind when you play a game like Dynamite Cop. You have to forget about the last five years of game develop- ment, and remember the time when Final Fight and Streets of Rage ruled the roost. On face value it has to be said that it’s spectacularly dull, far too easy and remarkably short. It’s not particularly rewarding if you play it really hard, and if you complete all of the objectives, the secrets that open up are hardly worth the considerable effort involved. Sure, there are mul- tiple characters and three variations on the missions (until you open up the extra mode) but they’re all far too similar. Prolonged play results in extreme frus- tration as you learn that this is only as much fun as you are prepared to get out of it. You start making your own objectives like ‘I’m going to clear this stage just with my fists’ or ‘I'm going to see how long | can keep my character in just his briefs’ (health is indi- cated by state of dress btw) — but this only satisfies for a while. Soon, you start to notice the idiosyn- crasies of the graphics and questioning the most bizarre things. Why do all the characters have enor- mous noses? Why is the script so bad? Why is the president's daughter so fugly? Why is that man wear- ing a crab on his back? Nostalgic players may love it. Impatient ones will despise it.

You're either a fan of Die Hard Arcade or you're not, that simple. Dynamite Cop retains the same basic gameplay of DHA but now you're working with Naomi power. Behind all the offbeat weapons and combos is а game you can master to an absolute certainty. Sure it’s repetitious, but then again, so are shooters. Bosses have patterns of their own which you can memorize and exploit. Check out this game while you wait for its prettier cousin Zombie Revenge.

Dynamite Cop isn't that bad. No, I'm serious. All you have to do is realize that: a.) This is a port of an arcade game, so it doesn't take that long to beat, b.) It's incredibly goofy (not on purpose, | don't think), c.) It shouldn't be taken too seriously, d.) It involves an awful lot of button mashing, and e.) You might get pissed if you spent good money on this disc. But the game is still enjoyable and worth checking out! Like eee о: га shoe This arcade port has cheap thrills in abundance; too bad the gameplay wears thin fast. Sure, you get a lot of level variety with the three characters. And you'll probably dig Dynamite Cop if twitch games that look pretty are your thing. But this game turned into a Chore. Despite some cool weapons and the enticing idea of seeing your female character's clothes knocked off as she takes damage, the button-mash- ing gameplay didn't hold my interest. Crispin

VISUALS SOUND REPLAY

INGENUITY

6 6 9 9

233

NFL Blitz 2000 J FUMBLE j

Publisher:

Midway Developer: Midway/Avalanche Featured In: EGM #120 Players: 1-4 Supports: Jump Pack

Best Feature: Incredibly fun Worst Feature: Alcan be dumb sometimes Web Site: www.midway.com

Getting а console-based version of Blitz that's better or at least as good as anything that has been at the arcade is pretty awesome. There isn't one thing off- center about Blitz 2000. And since most every arcade version of Blitz that has been out kicks so much booty...well, you see the score. The play is fun as hell and incredibly easy to get into. The graphics in this DC version are spot-on—super crisp and clear. Animation is right-on. The sound quips from the announcer are still hilarious. And the play selection and passing interfaces are still as easy as ever. Dreamcast owners who've never played a console version of Blitz are going to be in for a real treat. And even if you have had the pleasure of playing other versions of Blitz 2000, or any of the other games in the series, the graphics and smooth play will still be pleasing. The one-player is a blast thanks to Al that's pretty smart most of the time. But of course the two- to four-player stuff is the biggest treat. Throw four controllers in the system with custom plays and the whole nine yards and go to work. Needless to say, Blitz 2000 was an excellent way to alleviate late-night deadline stress this month. Blitz is an excellent alter native to the sim-like nature of NFL2k. And actually, if you have the extra dough | think it'd be ideal to have both games in your library for balance. Shawn

I'd like to say that this is THE Blitz 2000 to get, but the bugs are crawling all over. This Blitz was clearly rushed, because it crashes once in a great while (and you can see other silly little oversights, like the code entry screen not telling you that you inputted the code correctly). But if you can get used to the problems, you'll find ап awesome-looking (and playing) conversion. The VMU play screen is a nice touch for those hidden play selections. Shoe

If there was ever one version of Blitz that was worth owning, this baby is it. NFL Blitz 2000 for DC one-ups the arcade version of Blitz 99 in every way, making for a better-than-arcade-perfect experience. The new stuff added for “2000” is pretty slim, but it doesn’t matter—just having a perfect four-player version of Blitz at home is reason enough to get this. My only complaint? The final game has a couple of minor Bugs when dampens things a bit. John R. What more can | say about this game? It's arcade perfect, fast, exciting, 4-player equipped...the list goes on and on. Naturally, out of all the systems sporting Blitz 2000, this one kicks the most “arse” (as John would say). | like the custom play editor as well as the ability to create your own mix from other teams' reserves. Helmet-popping, on-side kicks and mushy fields are nice additions. Dreamcast owners should definitely own this arcade classic. Dean

VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY

SOUND

GANT

SI —

NG; MONTHLY,

V. NNI

Three First Place Prizes:

* One limited-edition Pokémon Game Boy system with Pokémon Yellow

* A partial set of Pokémon videos/DVDs from Viz/Pioneer* or Pokémon books and comics from Viz

Viz Pokémon Comics

Viz/Pioneer Pokémon Videos М

Official Sweepstakes Rules:

1. No Purchase Necessary: To enter, send a standard size postcard containing your name, address, and phone number to ЕСМ Pokemon Sweepstakes, PO Box 3338 Oak Brook, Illinois 60522-3338. Please indicate whether you would like VHS or DVD should you win. No purchase or payment of any money is necessary to enter. One entry per household per month. Entries must be handwritten and must be received by the Nov. 15, 1999. Mechanically reproduced entries will be void. All entries become exclusive property of Ziff-Davis and will not be acknowledged ог returned. Ziff-Davis assumes no responsibility for lost, mutilated, late, illegible, incom- plete, postage-due, or misdirected entries. Ziff-Davis reserves the right to cancel this sweepstakes at any time

with appropriate notice. 2. Prizes: 2 Grand Prizes. Grand Prize winners will receive

one (1) set of Pokemon DVD or VHS tapes (at winner's option), one (1) Nintendo lim- ited edition Game Boy, and one (1) Pokemon Yellow Game Boy Pack. Grand Prize has an approximate retail value of $300. 3 First Prize Winners. First Prize winners will receive one (1) Nintendo limited edition Game Boy, and one (1) Pokemon Yellow Game Boy Pack as well as one (1) of the following at Zifi-Davis' discretion: (а) a set of Pokemon comics; (b) a partial set of Pokemon VHS tapes; or (c) а set of аззоп- ed books. Each First Prize has an approximate retail value of $150. Winners shall be determined by a random drawing from all valid entries by EGM editors whose decisions are final. Drawing to be held on or about Nov. 16, 1999. All prize winners will be notified by mail. Prize(s) are non-transferable. No substitutions of prize(s) are allowed, except at the option of Ziff-Davis should the featured prizes become unavailable. 3. Odds of Winning: The number of winners and the odds of winning will be determined by number of valid entries received. 4. Eligibility: Sweepstakes open to residents of United States and Canada (Void in Rhode Island and Quebec). Non compliance with the time parameters contained herein or return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification. Winners or their legal guardians shall sign and return an affidavit of eligibility/release of liability/prize accep- tance within 5 days of receipt or forfeit prize. By acceptance of prize, міппег(ѕ) agree to the use of their name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising, trade, or pro- motion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Neither Ziff-Davis nor its officers, directors, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, or related companies are responsible or liable for any damages, taxes, or expenses that consumers might incur as a result of this Sweepstakes or receipt of prize. 5. Winners List: For a list of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to EGM Pokemon Sweepstakes Winners List, PO Box 3338, Oak Brook, Illinois 60522-3338. Allow 4 weeks for deliv- ery of winners list. 6. Restrictions: Void where prohibited or restricted by law. All fed- eral, state and local regulations apply. 7. Sponsor: This sweepstakes is sponsored by Zifi-Davis ©1999 20, Inc. © Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAKS 1995, 1996 1998, 1999. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Correctly Answer а Series of Video Game Questions &Win!

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YOUNGER THAN 18 YEARS OLD MUST HAVE PARENTS' PERMISSION

and phone number as instructed. Winners will be determined by judges whose decisions are final. One winner per household per month. Ziff-Davis assumes no responsibilty for unintelligible, incom- plete, or misdirected responses. 2. Prizes: Winners will receive one (1) of the following at Ziff-Davis sole

discretion: Boomerang 64 controller, PS Sniper Gun, or Game Boy Color Action Pack. Prizes have an

Say approximate retail value of at least $25.00. All prize winners will be notified by mail. Prize(s) are non-

— a а transferable. No substitutions of prize(s) are allowed, except at the option of Ziff-Davis should the fea-

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х 5 Void in Maryland. Non-compliance with the time parameters contained herein or return of any prize/prize

5 ^ i 2 notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification. Winners or their legal guardians shall return a o да! gi

- és ы ts 08 signed affidavit of eligibilityirelease of liability/prize acceptance within 5 days of receipt or forfeit prize.

H H H Employees of ZD Inc., Nuby Interactive, and their respective affiliates are not eligible. Neither ZD Inc. Nuby

* Listen to Quartermann Gossip Before It's in EGM! Interactive, nor their respecte afflates,subsidianes, divisions, or related compares are respon sry

‚4: Бау УК кел Аы ал Dr " damages, taxes, or expenses resulting from this contest. Winners acknowledge that ZD inc. has neither

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e Get the Latest Expert Gamer Codes & Tricks 8 ien i agents, representatives, and employees will have no liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses, ог

damages of any kind resulting from acceptance, possession, or use of the prizes. 4. Winners جما اک ی کات ار‎ ys "d List: For a list of winners, send a stamped, sell-addressed envelope to Preview Line Trivia

Е] ° Contest, РО Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338. Please ‘specify the month for which you е Hear Review Crew Members’ Game Ratin are requesting the winners list. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery, 5. Restrictions. Void whine < e — URSI р у Prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state and local regulations appy.

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TrickStyle

Publisher: Acclaim Developer: Criterion Studios Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1-2

Supports: None BestFeature: Graphics

Worst Feature: Short courses Web Site: www.acclaim.net

The first thing you'll notice about TrickStyle is its incredible graphics. The game is filled with tons of detailed polygon models and textures, and all kinds of fancy effects. It really is a great example of what the Dreamcast is capable of. Next, you'll notice the game runs at a continuous 30 fps. It's quick—not too quick, but definitely quick enough. Then, after a few races you'll notice the control, and how it's pret- ty tricky to get the hang of. And that's when the game gets interesting. When you're having trouble getting past a stage, it may be time to learn a new trick. Once you learn the trick and complete the course you were having trouble with, you get a new board. Once you get a new board, you can move on to the next cir- Cuit...and so goes the game. It sounds like standard racing game stuff, but TrickStyle does it with style. On the negative side though, beautifully designed courses are often far too short. And one track in par- ticular (the 5th track on the Japan circuit) is so ridicu- lously hard, it'll drive you to drink—even though it's admittedly the coolest-looking track ever. Basically, they could've prepared you better. And lastly the А! could've been more balanced. It's either way too good, or actually slows down for you when you're in last place. On a side note, the VMU mini-game is fun but doesn't really do much for the game. Shawn

Trickstyle, a game that's neither tricky nor stylish. Well, OK, it's a little tricky. It certainly does take a while to get used to the controls, but once you do, the game instantly gets better. Since performing tricks often boosts your speed, you'll need to pull them out often. | also like how different moves can smoothly transition into each other. But call me old- fashioned, I just can't get into riding a board with- out wheels. What, no grinds? Sacrilege! Che

Imagine a cross between WipeOut and a skateboard- ing game, and you'll be pretty much there. It looks absolutely fantastic, but there are some things about it that I'm not a big fan of. Maybe it's just me, but I found the tricks way too difficult to come to grips with. It just didn't feel natural. Couple that with the weirdly erratic Al in the other racers, and it all feels а bit off balance. And what's with the VMU game? My phone has the same function built into it! John

If you're into hoverboards and really pretty graphics TrickStyle is right up your alley. To some extent it's more show than go but not horribly so. Think of it as your introduction to the world of DC graphics. The courses are pretty darned creative if not a little hard to master. The tricks are pretty tough as well. Overall TrickStyle doesn't do much for me. It certainly does- n't break new ground, it simply polishes up the ol’ futuristic hoverboard genre a bit. Dean

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

8 1 6 1

Virtua Fighter 3th

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Genki Featured In: EGM #118 Players: 1-2

Supports: None

Best Feature: VF3 gameplay fully intact

Worst Feature: Graphics are sub-Model 3 quality Web Site: www.sega.com

Being the rehabilitated VF2 junkie that | am, | have mixed feelings about VF3tb. It seemed АМ2 had final- ly accomplished their goal with VF3 on Model 3: to make a game with unsurpassed depth and visuals. So it's no surprise | had ridiculously high expecta- tions of VF3tb on the Dreamcast. The import version was shakey but overall | thought it was a pretty decent port, especially if you consider how much time Genki had before the Japanese Dreamcast launch. The fact that it lacked a versus mode was a silly oversight, but who cares?! It was in my living room! With a U.S. release pending, hopes were high for Sega to fix some of the problems found on the import, and thankfully, they did. Added to the U.S. version is that much-needed versus mode which most of us took for granted when Street Fighter 2 came out on the SNES back in 1992. Other improve- ments were made to the graphics but to be totally honest, it’s hard to tell what they were exactly. The shadows have certainly improved, yes, but the char- acter models have retained their imperfection. Just take a look at Sarah’s jagged ass or Jacky’s unflap- pable jacket. | know it’s nitpicking but this game was a masterpiece on the Model 3. What really counts though, is that VF3tb’s gameplay is fully intact. And as a 3D fighter, it's one of the best. Che

VF3tb has none of the flash Soul Calibur has. Noris its combat system as enjoyable to fight with. But VF3tb Still holds its own. | was fortunate enough to be a bit of a novice when | started reviewing this one, and as | progressed and learned more guarding and cancel- ing techniques, the game became much more enjoy- able. VF3tb simply has tons of technical stuff to learn if you want to. But it does look rather dated — espe- cially when jel ROE to Soul Calibur. Shawn It can be extremely hard trying to р lay this game after being immersed in Soul Calibur-ness for so long, but if you can purge that out of your system and start afresh, you'll find an excellent game in VF3tb. Translation-wise, this game looks and plays great, although a better training mode or more motivation to play the single-player game (like SC's Mission Mode) would be ideal. VF3tb is solid, fun and very technical...but a bit чу: Shoe Sega has been pretty smart in releasing this a while after the incredible Soul Calibur, as it really does suf- fer in light of Namco's classic. While it doesn't stand up to the best in terms of presentation, the game- play is very in-depth and quite different to what many fighting games present. The ducking and dodging nature of the fights give them an almost graceful, dance-like quality. Make sure you play with a stick though...it’s real bad with а DC pad. John

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

8 6 1 8

BattleTanx: Global Domination

EET

Publisher: 300 Developer: 3DO

Featured In: ЕСМ #120

Players: 14

Supports: Rumble Pak, Controller Pak

Best Feature: Two-player co-op for the main game Worst Feature: Frustrating escort missions

Web Site: www.3do.com

Easily the best thing about the original BattleTanx was its four-player mode. 3DO apparently realized that; they've gone and supercharged this sequel’s multiplayer capabilities. You need never play this game alone, because—and this is the best thing about BattleTanx: Global Assault—two players can go through the story mode cooperatively. In fact, you can even play through most missions solo, if you like, and only have a pal jump in if a particular stage gets too tricky. | ended up having to do just that with the two escort levels, which have you protecting a con- voy of cargo tanks. These missions are far too diffi- cult and frustrating when played alone, but when | had Shoe join in, we got through 'em just fine. It's the huge selection of multiplayer modes— seven in all— that's the real life of this party. You can play them by yourself against Al drones, or play with a second player and team up against the computer. But do yourself a favor: Get three friends and split into teams of two. It works great for the capture-the-flag- like Battlelord Mode and the Hold-em game, both of which require teamwork. | also like the Convoy Mode, which has players splitting into teams of attackers and defenders of a tank convoy. And while the graphics are just so-so, they do keep a smooth frame- rate for the multiplayer games. Crispin

3DO has ERE paid attention to what people liked about the original Battle Tanx and has really put a lot into the multiplayer aspects of the sequel. The team based play is especially fun, and | got a big kick out of the capture-the-flag style games as well as the Deathmatch modes. Unlike Crispin though, | thought the convoy (protect and attack) game had some serious play-balance issues which prevented it from lasting long NOUER I to ges be fun. John

Ва!еТапх yasa a nice surprise—an EET tank game that doesn't suck. The real strength behind this title is its well-implemented multiplayer mode. There are enough deathmatch variations to keep the the party going for a while. | did find the level design to be boring and uninspired. Every stage felt like an empty shipping dock with square warehouses. Still, | gotta give BattleTanx props for maintaining a smooth frame-rate in the diis of panie Che Forget ПИЯ story lines and epic adventures and deep gameplay fora second. Let's visit that primal bit of ourselves that just loves to blow s*** up real good. BattleTanx: GD is just the perfect game to satisfy that destructive inner child in all of us. Sure it's shallow, but it's a ton of heavy-duty arcade-action fun (don't expect any more depth than that). The multiplayer stuff (esp. co-op) is fantastic, making this one of the better group games around. Shoe

SOUND REPLAY

VISUALS INGENUITY

1 1 6 8

The first blast wiped out your Space Center. Injust 3 hours, the high-tech weapons satellite will strike again...It's your job to make sure that it doesn't.

<> Intense 3rd Person? :

Action/Shooter | E

<> Preasion laser sighting aiming be

м ар ме mechanism 64

<> Immense 3D Environments

adventure" В. \ n

«Nintendo Power

<> Ва Че heavily- armed Boss Chracters and "smart! enemies

4- Player Deathmatch; қ along with L'ethallTag; <> Rumble Pak G@obe Hunt; And Quick ,

ә www.koegigames.com Сос

ed. Nintendo 64 ond Ihe 3-0 “N” logo are

lemorks of Niptefida OL America Inc. The ratings icon is о

The amazing Sniper Helmet that lets you $ПОбЪал”аЦеп in the eye from a mile away is coming to the most powerful entertain system, the Sega Dreamcast. Kurt Hectic, the original hero of stealth and sübterfuge returns to reclaim Earth along with the help of the dangerously brilliant

Dr. Hawkins, and the 6-legged gun-toting robotic dog, Max. Developed B; gged g 9 g BioWA RE?

©1999 Interplay Entertainment Corp. Omen Engine ©1999 Bioware Corp. LUA ©1994-1998 TeCGraf, PUC-Rio. Written by Waldemar Celes, Robert Lerusalimschy and Luiz Henrique de Figueirido. Developed by Bioware Corp. The Bioware Omen Engine and the Bioware Logo are trademarks of Bioware Corp. MDK, МОК? and related marks are trademarks of Shiny Entertainment, Inc. and certain characters are ©Shiny Entertainment, Inc. Interplay, the Interplay logo, and "Ву Gamers.

For Gamers." are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. Sega, Dreamcast, and the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd. All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

ШШДЕ

More Fuel For. Your Machine

A ES

Мау V E NEw WORLDS We've added the ultimate feature to real-time strategy.

Star Trek". It's time to leave the vastness of space behind and play out your destiny in the biggest land battle this

universe has ever known. In Star Trek’: New Worlds, you'll experience this classic universe as never seen be

РТТ

Sh

p PALAGG ít — 2000,

The closest thing to actually being in the casino at the

world famous Caesars Palace. Full 3D Action! Includes Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Slots, Poker & More!

Wanna' race? Take 12 wacky characters, each with their own unique speed boat. Add in 48 interactive tracks plus a

plethora of turbos, power-ups, weapons and shields. Welcome to the fast-paced, high-action world of Renegade Racers

Sega

Dreamcast.

Destruction Пегізу 64

ame 7

Écore/place E113 3

cars left 10

Publisher: THQ

Developer: Looking Glass Studios Featured In: EGM #123

Players: 1-4

Supports: Rumble Pak

Best Feature: Four-player capture-the-flag Worst Feature: Choppy frame-rate

Web Site: www.thq.com

This game managed to both impress and disappoint me. All the basic car-crunching ingredients from the PlayStation Destruction Derby prequels are here. But the car, physics and damage models are much less realistic, giving the game more of an arcade feel. The graphics are decent, with no fog or pop-up, and the game manages to cram a lot of cars on screen at once. But the gameplay is so terribly choppy that you have to play for a while to get used to it. The frame-rate seems to drop below 15 frames per sec- ond at times, even when there aren't a lot of cars on the screen. The choppiness hurts the multiplayer modes, since the frame-rate really suffers once you kick on four-player split-screen. The only multiplayer mode that's not too badly affected is Capture the Flag. And this mode is more fun than the overly hyped Bomb Tag, which is too choppy and gets dull fast. As far as the one-player game goes, it's nothing special. Once you open one of the sturdy secret cars, you can clear all the circuits fairly easily just by ram- ming head-on into every oncoming baddie. There's very little strategy here. The bowl-shaped arenas are still the highlight of the game. They're chaotic, intense and fun, even if | never really figured out the damage scoring system. Still, the thrills here, as in the rest ofthe game, are е shortlived. Crispin

Like Road Rash 64 andit its GSES this doesn't feel anything like the previous DD's. Granted it's a different system, it should at least vaguely resemble the others. On its own merits it's not terrible, just mediocre. The physics are not conducive to exciting car-crunchin' action. They tend to bounce off one another rather than cause major havoc. The frame- rate is skippy as well. The only thing 1 like about 00641 5 multiplayer capere The Flag.

| can honestly say that | didn't CARET enjoy any- thing about this game except one mode...the four- player capture the flag game which was incredibly addictive. Racing around the unimaginative arenas with your teammate trying to grab your opponents" flag while kicking their asses is incredibly addictive. I'm not sure if it's really $50 worth of fun though. The rest ofthe game | can live without. It doesn't look that great, or play to that great. John As far as the series goes, this Destruction Derby feels the worst. The cars are real floaty, and for some rea- son, they like to ride up vertical walls and flip over a lot (you'll be on your back more than Monica Le...um, never mind). But the one great thing this game does have is four-player support. Most of the multiplayer modes are dull, but Capture the Flag is an absolutely must-play. Too bad there aren't more well thought-out modes or more tracks. Shoe

INGENUITY REPLAY

VISUALS SOUND

9 Е] 9 9

Hot Wheels Turbo Racing

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Stormfront Studios

Featured In: ЕСМ #122

Players: 1-2

Supports: Rumble Pak, Memory Pak Best Feature: Selection of classic Hot Wheels Worst Feature: Track environments

Web Site: www.ea.com

When | first heard about HWTR | thought it would be a Micro Machines/Circuit Breakers-inspired game. | imagined tracks and environments similar to the way we made 'em as kids—down the stairs, off the dress- er, under chairs, etc. | also thought it would incorpo- rate things like the car wash, garages, those gaunt- let-like rubber thrusty things...anyway, to my disap- pointment the game doesn’t take that approach. Think of it as a cross between San Francisco Rush and Beetle Adventure Racing. The tracks are a mix- ture of traditional racing game fare-snow courses, deserts, etc., and old-school HW stuff: loops, cris- crosses and helix twists. So, essentially it’s most of the cool things from the old sets laid out in fantasy land. Beyond the so-so environments, | really like the game. The racing is fast and smooth and has that gut-dropping, roller-coaster feel. You perform mid- air stunts for extra turbos. Once that’s done, it's a thrust-a-thon to the finish line. The Al is tuned for tight races but unfortunately two-player races aren’t as exciting. It'd be nice if computer cars raced along as well. Being somewhat nostalgic | also like the large selection of classic Hot Wheels. Fans of the lit- tle cars will definitely dig that. In the end, it’s no Beetle Adventure Racing but it does have a simple charm. Younger gamers will really | like it Dean

| cannot believe someone didn't do this earlier. | used to love playing with Hot Wheels cars when | was a youngin', and this game is the culmination of childhood dreams of racing the ultimate track. Just about the only thing missing from this game is a track editor (can't have everything, I guess). It stays true to the Hot Wheels license, with handfuls of shortcuts, plenty of cars to choose from, and a wide vanem of tracks make this $0000 much fun.

This game’s cm MERE must have been working overtime, because the levels are the best thing here.

Courses are crammed with corkscrews, loops, ramps, slopes—everything you'd include if you could build your own life-size Hot Wheels track. The actual gameplay, however, needs help. Although | like the stunt system, control's a bit flaky; it's too easy to turbo backward accidentally and you spend most of OS ЖОШ into ШЕП track's sides. Crispin It’s not the greatest racer ever, but it is strangely addictive thanks to the fact that it keeps the sense of competition alive throughout the races. You can move between last and first place within the space of à lap meaning that the balance of power is contin- ually shifting throughout each one-player race. It's a shame that this sense of urgency isn't apparent in the multiplayer games. I like the stunt system too. It's superfluous, but makes things fun. John

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

1 6 6 1

240

NFL Quarterback Club 2000

aud 4

- Publisher:

Acclaim Developer: Acclaim Studios-Austin Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1-4 Supports: Rumble Pak, Controller Pak, Exp. Pak Best Feature: Good replays Worst Feature: Jerky frame-rate

Web Site: www.acclaim.com

| have to give credit to Acclaim for trying to make ОВ Club 2000 smarter and more intuitive, but unfortu- nately it has backfired in a big way. First off, if you don't own an Expansion Pak forget about it. Without one the game moves painfully slow—even on low resolution. This alone is baffling, after all, why put so much emphasis on the graphics when the AI and gameplay are the neediest parts of the game? Making the title more interactive by user-controlled catching and trickier plays is not the answer either. To be fair the Al is better this year. You can't run wild with your quarterback nor can you speed-burst your way down field. The turbo was ditched in the name of realistic play. But sadly the improvements are totally eclipsed by the problems. The worst being the jerky, frame-skipping animation. It's really hard to follow the action after the snap not to mention trying to complete a pass. The view after the snap for pass- ing plays is hideous as well. Finally, there seems to be some bugs. Computer running backs will some- times run out of bounds when faced with an open field. Also, switching to the man closest to the ball is often too slow or won't work at all. Could these be cheap ways to keep games close? Whatever the case may be, | can't recommend this game to anyone. | think the QB Club series has run its course. Deam

This is NOT a club I'll be joining anytime soon. There is no reason to buy this game given the quality of other football titles available on the N64 (includ- ing earlier versions of QBC). This game's growth must have been stunted shortly after the nice graph- ics were in place. Control is horrid and the frame- rate, even with the expansion pack, does not lend itself to fun football. The passing game is a cruel ірке. Not recommended. Dan Wow. ИИ ЕВ ТЕЗІ to take last year's relatively decent QB Club 99 and totally ruin it. It's not even worth it for me to get into gameplay details here, because | can tell you right now—there's NO way you want to buy this game. The frame-rate, even with the Expansion Pak in and all detail levels turned off, SUCKS. It's like watching a slide show it's So bad. There are several much better football games on the um Steer clear of this turd. John R

І Nonest can " say! knew what was going on while | was playing. The players look great . . . until the quarterback shouts hike. The frame-rate. is choppy and as soon | snapped the ball it was mass confu- sion. The playbook doesn't differentiate between the running and passing plays, so I'd find myself sacked before | knew what hit me. The only positives are а pretty instant replay and a few good run animations. But that's obviously not enough. Todd

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

4 4 3 1

Vatical Made The Great Outdoors Portable

ma «ше d

Class: Large

Zebco Fishing! incorporates the latest Game Boy Color breakthroughs from rumble feature for biting fish to real voice playback so it is just like you are fishing with a buddy. * Eleven Lures To Choose From & Two Different Lakes To Fish 0n. * Tournament And Blackjack Bass Fishing. + Land Old Nessie And You Too Will Become A Legend Of The Twin Lakes!

INTERACTIVE HUNTING EXPERIENCE

Now the thrill and excitement of Deer Hunter

Then, get ready to lock in your sights on the largest rack in the woods. So, dust off your boots and break out the blaze orange, because with Deer Hunter, it's open season year ‘round. Key Features: Choose your weapon - Rifle, Shotgun or Bow * Tools of the Trade - Deer call, Rattle, Binoculars, Cover Scent, Attractant Scent + Track your Quarry - On Ground, Tree Stand, Overhead Map • 4 Scenic Locations - Arkansas Autumn Woodlands, Colorado Alpine Forests, Indiana Winter, Target Range

Copyright ©1999 Vatical Entertainment and its licensors. All rights reserved. Licensed by Nintendo. Nintendo, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and the Seal of Quality are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. a

Zebco is a registered trademark of Zebco Corporation. ©1997 Zebco Corporation IM Deer Hunter™ © 1997 Sunstorm Interactive, Inc. АН Rights Reserved. Deer Hunter is a trademark and WizardWorks is a registered trademark of the WizardWorks Group, Inc. All WIZARD eh:

other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. ENTERTAINMENT

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Rare

Featured In: ЕСМ #121 № Players: 14

Supports: Rumble Pak

Best Feature: Huge levels, fun to play

Worst Feature: Learning curve on the control Web Site: www.nintendo.com

are has a reputation for making games

with deep gameplay. Jet Force Gemini is

no different. Over the time the company spent developing Jet Force, it's changed the look a few times, thankfully landing on a much more mature design for Juno and Vela (Lupus was always pretty cool). If you're used to the control of first-person shooters (espe- cially Turok), you'll feel right at home with Jet Force's control. Some of the environments in the game look fantastic, but sometimes the games gets choppy when there are hordes of enemies on the screen. Oddly, it doesn't sup- port the RAM Pak, and we have to question whether or not it would have solved the prob- lem of the frame rate or if it could have made some of these stunning visuals even better. But if it's one thing Rare does really well, it's

creating a movie-like atmosphere using the in-

game engine. While FMV does the trick for

Jet Force Gemini

You'll meet some of the biggest, baddest and meanest bugs in the galaxy as you navigate through Jet Force's huge levels.

some games, it makes the game feel more cohesive if the characters you see in cinemas look like the characters you're controlling in- game. The game itself feels sort've like what a new Metroid game would be like if it was put into 3-D and very reminiscent feels (game- play-wise) like a deep 8- or 16-Bit game. And while you can't complain about mini-games, there seems to be an awful lot in here. As far as multiplayer goes, it delivers tons of options—all of which you have to unlock by going through the game in one-player. Even though it's got all these options, we didn't feel that the multiplayer was as strong as it could have been. Almost as if it would have been better had Rare spent more time devel- oping or tweaking those levels. Probably the best part about Jet Force is the absolutely excellent bosses (Mizar's minions are some tough lookin' customers), and the fact that you'll be playing this game weeks after you've bought it...hmm, just in time for Perfect Dark.

242

After vaporizing a string of bug enemies, they'll leave a trail of green goo. There's even one bug enemy you'll run into that likes to feast on the remains of those bugs you've smacked down.

Jet Force is the only first-person shooter on a con- sole that I have ever had fun playing. It's not entirely an FPS—it’s a mix of tried-and-true 3D plat- form-style and FPS gameplay. You switch control schemes from a third-person to pseudo first-person view for blasting baddies. It takes a while to get used to, especially if you don't play many (or in my case, any) first-person shooters. There's no way to cus- tomize the control either, and | wished there was a way to get the crosshairs to move a tad slower in first-person mode—the analog's a lil' too touchy. It's fine for the one-player game, but multiplayer is miss- ing something. One other gripe about the analog is that you can't stop on a dime. If you release the ana- log stick while walking your character will keep mov- ing for a few steps. If you're on the edge of a plat- form, this means certain death. Graphics and music in Jet Force's cinemas give you the feeling that you're playing an epic adventure. The frame-rate does suf- fer the more enemies there are on screen, which can lead to some confusing moments. There's so much to do and interact with in this game. As you progress you unlock secrets and extra games that boost the replay a lot. And don't be fooled—this isn't a short game. It'll take you many hours to navigate through all the levels with all three characters. Chris

Jet Force Gemini is like a culmination of every bad Rare habit and then some. That's not to say JFG is a bad game, not at all. In fact, JFG is highly ambitious and quite polished too. The only problem is, it feels like a generic 3D platform shooter. The dopey char- acter designs don't help much to establish personal- ity and the story is pretty much throwaway. You end up just wanting to gib some insects, or play death- match with your friends. Cute and gory. спе

JFG doesn't have the kind of impact you expect from a Rare game...at first. But after some play time, it’s easy to see what separates JFG from others. It has robust gameplay, a multiplayer mode jam- packed with stuff and the best soundtrack on the N64 to date (next to GoldenEye, of course). JFG isn't without flaws though. The lack of variety in enemy types, a flaky camera and unintuitive control can get annoying. Still, it’s another Rare gem. Shawn

When Rare's in charge of a project, you just know it won't be something small and insignificant. This action/adventure game is humongous, with lots to see and do. And while things may get intimidating at times (especially with these larger-than-life bosses), you'll never feel overwhelmed. Buy this game for the single-player experience, but don't expect much mul-

tiplayer-wise...even with a myriad of options, multi- play JFG is really boring after a few sessions.Ghge

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

bet ready for a roller coaster ride through Hell.

Juggeriaut will take you on a journey

a> through time and space that could prove to be 2 the most frightening and puzzling experience

ever опа video game. Demonic possession,

murder, and ghostly vendettas are some of the

terrors that you will be forced to confront as

| you make your way through this 3 disc epic of

, horror. If your nerves and your intellect are

| good enough, Juggernaut will amply reward

those who accept the challenge of this trip

through dementia.

ÎŞÎ www.jaleco.com

of Jaleco Ltd. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The

ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.

JALECO> р E Playstation |

Publisher: Koei

Developer: Omega Force \- Featured Іп: ЕСМ #122 А Players: 14

Supports: Rumble Pak, Controller Pak

Best Feature: Doing covert operations Worst Feature: Camera Web Site: www.koeigames.com

here’s nothing quite like running around,

hiding behind a crate and then jumping

out *70$ cop-show style to take down an enemy with a few shots from your pistol. Winback is filled to the rim with strangely sat- isfying stuff like this. To give you a little histo- гу lesson, Winback was supposed to come out well over a year ago. Right before its original release, Nintendo took interest and suggested it be taken back to the drawing board for some tweaks. They saw something special in Omega Force’s game, and now that we've had some in-depth playing time we feel the same way. It will provide a great deal of fun —both in the action movie-esque one-player mode, and to a lesser extent in the variety of multi- player modes. You control Jean-Luc who must stop a group of terrorists from using a satel- lite to blow up stuff around the world. And although the story line is a bit shaky in parts,

Many levels take place inside a giant scien- tific-type complex. And it's filled with plenty of boxes and stuff to hide behind.

it's very entertaining. As you make your way through the game's 30 or so stages, there's a lot of leaning against walls waiting for the right opportunity to jump out and start shoot- ing. This sort of thing just never gets old. Characters are animated flawlessly, levels are designed extremely well (although the multi- player ones tend to be on the small side) and the graphics are very pleasing to the eye. The game is filled with tons of action in the form of flying bullets and lots of tumbling and scripted cinematics which explain the story through cheesy but informative dialogue (character development in these parts is often cut short Бу an untimely shooting of one of your team members though). There's also a bunch of simple but effective puzzles to keep things interesting. Sure, Winback has some problems — like its flaky camera, fairly easy bosses, lack of weapon types, and А! that can be a little slow at times— but overall it's put together well, and definitely one to purchase.

244

Although Winback doesn't need you to be as sneaky as you have to be in something like Metal Gear Solid, it has plenty of opportunities for crawling around and hid- ing, and then jumping out and shooting.

I'm a Winback fan from way back, so | feel privileged to have seen how far the game has come. Winback is really something. I love sneaking around, leaning against stuff until the time is right and then jump- ing out to shoot a terrorist in the gut. But that's not all the graphically impressive Winback offers. Levels are designed well and offer a lot of cool gameplay elements. Checkpoints are placed in such a way that makes the game challenging but not tedious. The game throws a fair number of enemies at you, many of which are pretty smart (though not geniuses). The game is also fairly non-linear in some parts, offering multiple paths in a given situation. And lastly, Winback has plenty to offer by way of multiplayer modes — most of which are quite enjoyable (though more weapons would've been appreciated). But of course Winback isn't perfect. First off, the game's camera needs some work. Keeping an eye on your surroundings is key since you don't want to be seen by the enemy. All too often it gets screwed up for a second or two, which leaves you wide open to attacks. There's also puzzle bits that are prefaced by a quick flyby of the scene. This sounds cool but in doing this, the solution to the puzzle is usually revealed. This is bad. Nonetheless, Winback is very entertaining and that's what counts. Shawn

Winback is much more impressive than | thought it'd be. The graphics are really detailed, and the lev- els are interesting to work your way through. I'm not a big fan of the characters or the story line, but nei- ther of these things really keep the game from being enjoyable. | agree with Shawn on the camera though—it really does need some work. | had the most fun with the multiplayer stuff, especially the Deathmatch and the Team Battle modes. Chris

Winback is a little Metal Gear and a lot of Syphon Filter. Sneaking around and picking off baddies is a lot offun. The controls take a little getting used to but they definitely work, especially for this type of game. If you like popping off a shot, ducking back behind the wall, reloading, then creeping around and squeezing off another couple shots, this game is def- initely for you. The multiplayer modes are hit or miss with me but I really like deathmatch modes. спе

It’s weird, but Winback has almost as much т com- mon with something like Virtua Cop as it does with Syphon Filter. Beneath the stealthy adventure facade, this is actually quite a simple shooter with lots of overly scripted sequences, but it's all carried off with enough panache to make it very atmospher: ic. The sneaking around and jumping out around cor ners will make you feel like Mel Gibson...but the story itself is a bit on the lame side. John

SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

VISUALS

RPG Revolution Vigilante 8 Zelda 64 L Parasite Eve NFL Xtreme

8 1080” Snowboarding Colony Wars: Vendetta X-Men vs. SF NBA Courtside Einhánder Wargames

Issue #106-$6.00

June '98

Turok 2

Colony Wars: Vengeance Metal Gear Solid Tiger Woods 99 Mortal Kombat 4 Abe's Exoddus

NFL Blitz

Pocket Fighter

Rival Schools

Issue #107-$6.00

#5 More Than 300 Games Inside

ELECTRONIC MA

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Bushido Blade 2

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Rayman 2

Gex 64

Spyro the Dragon

Gran Turismo

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August '98

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Rogue Squadron Final Fantasy VIII Xenogears

NFL Blitz 99 Metal Gear Solid Crash 3: WARPED F-Zero X

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Sonic Adventure G-Police 2

Ridge Racer Type 4 Jet Force Gemini Perfect Dark Twisted Metal 3 Zelda 64 WCW/nWo Revenge A Bug's Life

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Zelda 64 Cruis'n World NBA Live 99 Rush 2: E.R. USA WipeOut 64 Bomberman World Bushido Blade 2 Metal Gear Solid Pokémon

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South Park

Ёл: Ridge Racer Type 4 Extreme-G 2 Quarterback Club 99 Asteroids

Tetris DX

Castlevania 64, Knockout Kings

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Soul Reaver Silent Hill Mario Party R-Type Delta WCW Nitro Civilization Il Carmageddon Gex 3

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LAGI ROMS GARING | Maio Party MOMs’ | Final Fantasy VIII " Driver SF Alpha 3

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Umjammer Lammy Fighter Maker Beetle Advnt. Racing Grandia II

е с бгап Тигізто 2 P G-Police W.O.J. ж Sega Rally 2

е Marvel vs. Capcom x Quake II

e

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в ; Spider-Man

3 WWF Wrestlemania 2k á Twisted Metal 4

53 Strider 2

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Rayman 2 The Great Escape

EVERYONE

Publisher: Ubi Soft

Developer: Ubi Soft

Featured In: ЕСМ #114

Players: 1

Supports: Controller Pak, Expansion Pak Best Feature: Lush graphics, tight control Worst Feature: Music could be better

Web Site: www.ubisoft.com

The amount of time Ubi Soft has taken to develop the №4 version of Rayman 2 was well-spent. This has got to be the most detailed and lush game on the N64 ever. Moreso than even Rare's best attempts. Even in low-detail and low-resolution, it looks great (though fuzzy in low res). The controlis very tight and the difficulty is well-adjusted so that anyone can pick up and play right away. But perhaps my favorite fea- ture of the game is the use of Z-targeting. This keeps the enemy you're attacking in your view at all times 50 you can dodge attacks quickly without having to worry about where the camera is positioned. It’s been in a few games now and it makes so much sense that it's a shame more 3D action platform games don't have it. The action starts up right where Rayman 1 left off, and there's just about every kind of level a 3D action platform fan could ask for, too— Waterskiing, flying, sliding through tubes, wild pig- gyback rides on top of a missile with legs. Cinema scenes are done with the in-game engine and will make you laugh at least a few times. The music's nice, but more to fill the game's ambience than make their way into your head so you're humming them all day long. While we haven't heard much from Rayman in the past few years, it's nice to see that his return has been done the right way. Chris

This game has "sleeper hit" written all over it. Rayman 2 is more fun than Tonic Trouble and looks better than Banjo. In fact, with the Expansion Pak in place, this thing pumps visuals that had some office passerby asking if | was playing a Dreamcast title. Better still, Rayman 2 offers plenty of gameplay vari- ety, excellent control and fantastic level design. It's not quite as fun as my favorite 3D adventure game, Banjo-Kazooie, but it's close. Crisp

Five years is a long time to wait for a sequel, but | think that Ubi Soft has shocked us all with the quality of Rayman 2. Graphically it's on a par with some of the Rare games (especially with the expan- sion pak) and the gameplay is sprinkled with cool ideas and quirky humor to keep you interested. The Z targeting system is a welcome feature too, making this one of the easiest to control 3D platformers oe John Rayman 2 is surprisingly awesome. | figured it'd be another uninspired 3D action/adventure. | was very wrong. There are a ton of imaginative and fun mini- games and gameplay elements in each of the levels, and the graphics are some of the best I've seen on the N64 to date (with the Ram Pak). And get this: The controland camera don't get all that touchy like most 3D games, It's obvious a lot of work has gone into this title, and it really shows when playing. Shawn

SOUND

VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY

10 8 8 8

Publisher: THQ

Developer: Pacific Coast Power&Light

Featured In: ЕСМ #121

Players: 1-4

Supports: Rumble Pak, Controller Pak, Exp. Pak

Best Feature: Cool combat Worst Feature: Simple graphics Web Site: www.thg.com

Like pretty much everyone | have fond memories of Road Rash. It’s one of those franchises that’s kind of lost its charm a bit over the years—but back in the day, on 300, it ruled. Oddly, it’s taken a very long time for it to arrive on the N64, and it’s interesting to see that the focus of the gameplay has shifted away from what we see on the PlayStation. While EA has gradually evolved it into more of a straight racing game, THQ has chosen to focus more on the combat and gang-warfare elements. The race itself seems almost superficial as you batter your opponents with a range of oversized weapons...and as a ‘quick fix’ game it’s actually quite fun. Prolonged exposure to it though reveals that it just doesn’t develop as quickly as you'd like. Sure, you earn money to buy better bikes, and you get the opportunity to join one ofthe gangs (so only half of the pack is trying to kick your ass) but it doesn't seem rewarding enough. The tracks are pretty dull too. There's hardly any attempt at providing alternate routes, and the whole thing almost feels ‘оп rails.' As a multiplayer game it suf- fers too. Many of the 'arenas' are far too limited, and if four of you play you can hardly see what's going on half of the time. It's just not fun. The music's pretty cool though...the first time you hear it, you'll double check it's a cart and not a CD. John

This feels like Road Rash Lite to me, especially when compared to previous versions (3Do in particular). The sensation of speed is pretty low and the graph- ics are bland. On top of that the animation looks totally goofball. Multiplayer redeems the game somewhat—four-player road battles are good for а laugh. Unfortunately it’s not entertaining enough to warrant a purchase. | can only recommend Road Rash 64 as a party night rental. Dean

It's not terribly exciting, and it's very grainy and blur- ry. Nothing that Road Rash 64 possesses will excite you—not even the four-player mode can save this game's face. All of the multiplayer modes are boring, because you don't see (and therefore, don't fight) your human opponents that often...even on tracks designed for maximum confrontation). The plain, default race mode is the most fun, and even that isn't anything to write home about. ‘Shoe

| don’t really mind that Road Rash 64 looks so god- awful. The sparse visuals allow more bikes on screen, and RR64 does a good job of sticking lots of bad guys on the road with you while maintaining a decent frame-rate. The one-player game delivers a few intense thrills, even if control seems a bit out-of- control at times (especially when you pop major air or have to make a sharp turn). None of the multi- player modes held my interest, though. Crispin

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

4 1 4 9

Publisher: Infogrames

Developer: The Pitbull Syndicate

Featured Іп: EGM #118 Кы Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock, Analog

Best Feature: Speedy frame-rate

Worst Feature: Shallow gameplay

Web Site: www.infogrames.net

Previous attempts at combining racing and wrecking have all turned out mediocre experiences. Anyone remember the racing mode in Destruction Derby? I didn't think so. Somehow, Demolition Racer manages to integrate offensive driving with the thrill of seeing that checkered flag. The game is set up so that you absolutely have to ram other cars in order to win; this gives you plenty of goals to think about as you zip around the tracks. Since winners are determined on a point system, you'll lose even if you come in first but fail to score by nailing other cars. This concept is the game's biggest strength, but it also calls attention to some of Demolition Racer's weaknesses. The biggest problem is the game's inconsistent collision detec- tion. Sometimes, you'll hit a car square on but there's no reward; other times, you'll accidentally cause a nasty pileup and get points you never knew you scored. This sort of frustration coupled with the fact that there are major camera bugs causes Demolition Racer to fall short of greatness. These camera bugs plague the game throughout each race. When you're hit hard, the camera tends to automati- cally change views as if the impact somehow jarred your PlayStation controller. It doesn't render the game unplayable, but it's distracting as hell. A little polish would have gone a long way here. Che | love cars, | love racing games...but | don’t normally dig the whole demolition derby thing. That said, DR actually endeared itself to me a little after a while. The large courses give you plenty of room for action, and everything feels very fast-paced. As for multiplayer modes, there's an admirable spread, but the one that's the most fun is actually the simplest (Last Man Standing) and it brought back memories of the Psygnosis game from four years ago. hn

How do you spice up something as straightforward and simple as demolition derby racing? Add a style- based scoring system and cleverly placed power- ups, that's how. Demolition Racer is more exciting than any of the Destruction Derby games because you have flashy scores jumping at you everytime you do something cool, like smashing some hot rodder up against a concrete wall. Two-player, however, is glitchy and has too much pop-up. Shoe | dig this game mostly because the destruction/rac- ing balance is just right. You can't win races unless you inflict the proper amount of damage and vice versa. Control is quite natural using the analog stick; It's on par with Driver in that regard (not quite as tight). Overall DR's not spectacular but it provides a fair amount of good gamin'. Two-player has one cool mode — Last Man Standing, the others are so-so. Take a look at DR if you like good destruction. Dean

VISUALS REPLAY

SOUND INGENUITY

246

2 ^а

ив

Fall 1999

—À'

STRATEGIES:

+ SONIC ADVENTURE * SOUL CALIBUR,

* BLUE STINGER

+ POWER(STONE

(id PREVIEWS: 60/96 3 “SOUL CALIBUR 2800 |9906 * RAINBOW SIX * MARVEL VS. САРСОМ NFL BLITZ 2000 BLUE STINGER HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 MORTAL KOMBAT GOLD READY 2 RUMBLE MONACO GRAND PRIX NFL 2K HYDRO THUNDER $ < AIR FORCE DELTA

F1 | 2. SPEED DEVILS р Г а egy Ш es -] SEGA DOES NOT ENDORSE, SPONSOR, NOR OTHERWISE AUTHORIZE THIS MAGAZINE

Expert Codebook Vol. 3 Pocket Games Special Vol. 1

Simply check off which magazines you want and send in the order form (photocopies accepted) along with a check made payable to: Ziff-Davis, Inc. for the amount indicated for each magazine plus shipping and handling—add $3 for U.S., $3 for Canada and $5 for foreign orders—in U.S. funds only for each magazine! Orders should be mailed to Back Issues, Р.О. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338. Price and avaialability subject to change without notice

Publisher: Square Electronic Arts

Developer: Square Soft

Featured In: EGM #120

Players: 1-2 A ж

Supports: None Best Feature: Finally...Final Fantasy V!!! Worst Feature: No Final Fantasy IV (U.S. 11) Web Site: www.squaresoft.com

irst, let's get this out of the way: Final

Fantasy Anthology is a compilation of

Final Fantasy V (a Super Famicom game that was never brought over to the U.S.), Final Fantasy VI (seen here on the Super Nintendo as Final Fantasy III) and a music CD with tunes from both titles. Final Fantasy IV (seen in the 0.5. as Final Fantasy ІІ on the SNES) isn't being rereleased here (see issue #120 to see why), even though it was brought out for the PS in the Japanese Final Fantasy Collection.

Are you confused? Well dummy, it's not that hard to figure out, but just realize this: Final Fantasy V is considered by many, including many EGM staffers, to be the finest chapter in the series, and Final Fantasy VI is considered by many to be the second finest chapter in the series (as FFIII, it ranked #9 on our Тор 100 Best Games of All Time list, ЕСМ #100). The two games in this anthology are faithful

©

JudgeBlt

Above: The spell effects look a bit primi- tive compared to those seen in FFVII and FFVIII, but hey, at least these won't drive you to the asylum after watching them 50 times in a row.

ports of the 16-Bit classics, with a few new features like full-motion video and an art gallery (for FFVI). But don't be under the impression that these are two crusty games that can't hold their own against the polygon might of FFVII or FFVIII. Each of these titles has a unique game system used for develop- ing characters. FFV has the infamous "Job System" (seen in a different form in Final Fantasy Tactics) that allows you to customize your party completely. In fact, the four review- ers all ended up with different character class- es (all with different skills) by the end of the game (this is rather common with FFV...every- one ends up developing his or her own people differently). FFVI takes a different approach with totally individual characters who each have radically different skills (from Sabin's Street Fighter-style moves to Setzers's Slot Machine attacks) which you do not customize. Either way, it's a helluva lot of fun.

248

Remember the opera scene іп the SNES FFIII? Here's a tiny bit of FMV tribute to that unforgettable gaming moment.

For a moment, forget the polygons, fancy lighting effects and 10-minute long summoning spells. Let's go back to the old school, where visual splendor took a back seat to awesome gameplay. Let’s.go back to Final Fantasy V and VI, the two best games in the series. Now, if you're so keen on graphics that you can’t enjoy games that don’t look good (you know who you are), you won't dig these two. They're 16-Bit games, and outside of the new CG scenes, they still look it. But if you don't mind the retro look, PLEASE check out these two epic RPGs. Most of you already know, ЕРУІ. (ЕРШ) kicks enough.ass on its own. The characters are fantastic with their unique skills and powers, and the music, story line and just about everything else are unforgettable. But what about FFV, that legendary Super Famicom RPG you always heard about but never got to play? FFV is most Final Fantasy aficionados' favorite chapter for this one rea- son: the fantastic job system. This engine gives you unprecedented control over what your characters turn out to be. You can create Geomancers, Thieves, Monks, Ninjas, Knights, Time Mages, Hunters, Chemists and so on and so on...and you can combine different abilities with these jobs for even more cus- tomizable goodness! These two games are two of the best. Give them a try if you haven't already. Shoe

Final Fantasy Anthology is the perfect package for those that missed the train nearly a decade ago. With people's interest in FF at an all-time peak, it makes a lot of sense for Square to release a retrospective at this point. I’m not sure why the U.S. Anthology has a soundtrack instead of FFIV, but you need to buy this game just to get FFV, a game many still insist is the best of the series. You have got to see these gor- geous FMV sequences. Yum! Che

RPG fans weaned on Final Fantasy VII and FFVIII may look at these old games’ crude visuals and wonder what all the fuss is about. Trust me: These classics are every bit as enjoyable as the new stuff. FFV stands out for its rich variety of characters and rewarding story. ЕРУІ is worth playing just for its deep character-development system. In no other game have | had this much fun building my charac- ters and tinkering with their abilities. Crispin

When the new CG opening to Final Fantasy УІ came on, my heart began beating faster, and memories of the 60+ hours | spent on that game a few years ago returned, Although both games have some load time and there's slight slowdown not in the origi- nals, they're still as fun to play today as they were all those years ago. ГА never played FFV, but it's nice to have an English version of it to play through. A great collection and a must-buy for true fans. Chris

VISUALS SOUND REPLAY

INGENUITY

"Because we don't want с your Аа shootin in their games, J you dont want your ға shootin’ in their games: ' с є

EARLY CHILDHOOD | 9. | EARLY CHILDHOOD RATING: Deemed Suitable For Children 3 1 Or Older. Products Carrying This Label Have Absolutely No Material That Would Be Considered Inappropriate By Parents.

CONTENT RATED BY

EVERYONE aU y. | EVERYONE RATING: The E Replaced The Previous K-A Rating E Last Year. Suitable For Kids Ages 6 And Up, E-Rated Games May Contain Minimal Violence Or Crude Language.

TEEN RATING: Contains Suggestive Themes, Mild Or Strong Language And Animated Violence. Some Parents May Want To Supervise Children Playing T-Rated Games.

MATURE RATING: These Games Contain More Adult Themes, Such As Blood And Gore, Stronger Language And Sexual Themes. Deemed Not Suitable For Those Under 17.

ADULTS ONLY RATING: The Extreme Of The Ratings, Suitable For Adults Only. Packs Sexual Themes And Extreme Violence. Console Manufacturers Have Yet To Allow An AO-Rated Game.

CONTENT RATED BY ESRB

ESRB Rating System: www.esrb.com

ZIFF-DAVIS LECMRONIEN —Ó 1 А COMPUTER aSOFTBANK ( МЕК Ф un MER GAMING

Jet Moto 3

EVERYONE

Publisher: 989 Studios

Developer: Pacific Power & Light Featured In: ЕСМ #121

Players: 1-2

Supports: Analog, Dual Shock BestFeature: Speed (in some instances)

Worst Feature: Overall sloppiness Web Site: www.989studios.com

Jet Moto 3 is fast. Really fast. So fast in fact, it takes away from the game in some spots. Granted you can get the hang of this speed and basically control your hover bike OK, but it still gets to be ridiculous— especially in the two-player mode. It's almost like so much speed is being milked from the rest of the game, the overall title suffers. First, JM3 has a gener- al sloppy look about it. There are polygon seams tearing here and there, strange glitchy-looking graphics in places and awkward crash animations and cinemas. Next, the physics are a bit too out of this world for me. Sure, this is to be expected from a fictional racer like JM3, but | just don't like how easy it is to get all flipped around. Thankfully the camera doesn't follow too close when you're like this, and you can use your grapple to bring you back down to earth. Of course, Jet Moto 3 isn't a complete waste of a compact disc either. It provides the classic Jet Moto feel with a good deal of race modes, and new courses with interesting designs (later tracks tend to be more confusing than fun though). The game has some big-name sponsors like Doritos, Mountain Dew and Slim Jim as well. But who cares—l'd rather have creative, imaginary sponsors like the ones in WipeOut 3. Overall, Jet Moto 3 is a flashy racer with a lot of speed, but not much else. Shawn

I've never played the previous Jet Moto games for more than five minutes (just not interested in them), and the third game didn't draw me in any more than those that came before it. Graphics are very plain and repetitive texture-wise, and sometimes it's really hard to tell which way to go is the right way. When it seems like there'd be shortcuts, there aren't. It's faster than the first two games and has a lot to offer fans of the series, but I'll pass. Chris Although M3 manages to capture the feel of the pre- vious two games pretty well, it’s spoiled by being a little too ambitious on the speed front. Although | wasn’t wretching like poor Shawn I did think that the pace ruined the whole thing. It didn’t particularly help the graphics either—there are some particular- ly nasty polygon problems with textures warping and tearing. If you want high-speed futuristic stuff, maybe go with WipeOut 3 instead. John

What is this— Wave Race on crack? Holy cow it's fast— but not necessarily a good fast, if that makes sense? The environments can't support the speeds these little pups are capable of. Half the time you're shooting up the side of a mountain or diving head first into a lava pit...two-player only magnifies the problem due to the limited viewing area. Also, in- game advertising is an unwelcome addition. Jet Moto fans should rent this, otherwise beware. Dean

REPLAY

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY

9 6 9 4

NHL 2000

3:16 tA 1 3rd АМА

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Electronic Arts

Featured In: EGM #119

Players: 1-8

Supports: Analog, Dual Shock, Multitap Best Feature: Big Hit button

Worst Feature: Fighting

Web Site: www.easports.com

I'll start off by saying that EA's NHL franchise can be held accountable for the lost hours of my youth. Now on the cusp of a new millennium NHL 2000 must crawl from beneath the shadow of NHL 94, my favorite game of all time. How EA still has to compete with a lesser system after all this time escapes me, but they’ve made some outstanding strides and came up with a game that even the most hardcore, never leave the basement types, will love. The addi- tion of a big hit button offers up an outstanding amount of power, checking with intent to decapitate. Refs allow a little fisticuffs after the play, so you can deal a cross check once the whistle blows. Players make great efforts to stay onside, so you can keep the rules and have fun. My favorite new features are wonderful goalie animations that include stacking pads and useful diving, and an All-Star mode that isn’t based on the computer cheating by clutching and grabbing. Players do accelerate too fast and brake too quickly. It causes the skating to feel jerky and sometimes out of control. Fighting looks silly, and backhanders are unrealistically weak and floaty. In the worthwhile franchise mode there is a draft, a free-agent signing period, and stats stay realistic and competitive no matter how much you score. And Pronger 5 the cover boy! A great вате. Todd

It's close but | have to score NHL slightly higher than FaceOff this year. The subtle things make the differ- ence for me. I really like the Big Hit—it's a great way to level your opponent. Game speed and anima- tion are a notch higher than last year as well. While the physics are not as realistic as those in FaceOff, it feels pretty good. The announcing, replays and TV- style presentation are spot-on as well. Both games are solid but NHLI is just a bit шше overall. D

NHL 99 was a major РОТЕ TES of its choppy frame-rate, but this year the problem has been eradicated. As a result, NHL 2000 is awesome. The action is fast-paced and frantic (just like hockey should be), and the opponent Al is fantastic. The new moves are pretty cool (particularly the deke), though the controls feel a wee bit less responsive than FaceOff's. While both games are really good this У sim ig will рану refer NHL. John. R.

This game falls. a Tittle short of being perfect. Unfortunately, the area it falls short in is one of the most important—control. Players still loop in odd patterns instead of going exactly where you direct them. Overall, action on the ice is fast and respon- sive. Great goalie and checking animations add to the package. Newer features (big hit and deke but- ton) are implemented well, and franchise mode delivers great depth to the series. Dan

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

250

NHL FaceOff 2000

Publisher: 989 Sports

Developer: 989 Sports

Featured In: EGM #122

Players: 1-8

Supports: Analog, Dual Shock, Multitap

Best Feature: Fast gameplay, great atmosphere Worst Feature: Too easy on Rookie and Veteran Web Site: www.989sports.com

I've never been а huge fan of the FaceOff series, mainly because the games have been plagued with shoddy AI and practically nonexistent atmosphere. | came into FaceOff 2000 expecting the worst, but—to my surprise—! came away mighty impressed. FO2000 offers significant improvements over its pre- decessors, most notably in the two ever-so-impor- tant areas mentioned above. The crowd comes to life big-time in FO2000, making for a much more exciting play experience, апа the Al— while still not perfect (it’s easy to exploit holes in the goalie Al in Rookie and Veteran difficulty levels) —is majorly improved. As usual, gameplay is lightning-fast and smooth as silk, and this time the controls are superb as well. In fact, the movement seems even more precise than in NHL 2000, though you don't have nearly as many options while on the ice (no deke, no dive...not even a poke-check button). The interface has been improved as well, and is much more intuitive this year (the last two FOs had ugly, cumbersome menus that were a pain to navigate). Any problems? The play-by-play, while also majorly improved, still pales compared to EA’s...and the replays are annoyingly choppy. Otherwise, | have little to complain about. Even though I slightly prefer NHL (I dig the sim stuff), I still highly recommend FaceOff 2000. John В

When | first started playing FaceOff 2000, | knew | was investing my time in a solid game. The physics of the game are accurate to the NHL, skating is tight and players stop and turn according to their skating speed. Goalie animations don't thrill me, but | love when they lay on their back with the puck under- neath them. Shots are accurate to what corner you're shooting at. But ultimately, the lack of depth (no franchise mode) | hurts the game. Todd

To make plays in hockey, you've got to have control. FaceOff 2000 delivers with smooth, silky skating physics which should delight any true fan of the sport. Gameplay speed (notched up 25 percent from the default setting) is dead-on, with a nice balance between odd-man rushes and controlled puck move- ment. Other excellent features include multiplayer season mode and unrivaled shot control. Overall рге- SERIE Ie is not оа Д һи ее һап Wow, this series is really on track now. They’ уе smoothed out the frame-rate and animation to the point of perfection. The physics are actually closer to the target than those in NHL 2000 (surprising). The players don't unrealistically stop on a dime or accelerate and turn too wildly. It all looks very nice. A couple things Рт not crazy about—the sound, espe- Cially the commentary, seems layered. Also, where's the Franchise Mode? Otherwise it's great. Dean

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

9 1 1 8

Exercise your muscle to EXORCISE their souls

^

A evil curse has fallen 0n the kingdom.

Your enemies will stalk,

of Gomar, turning it’s inhabitants into DES 21 attack in groups and, vicious creatures. A fearless warrior, female [ée 4] watch out! spy and powerful wizard have escaped the ; е: $e fate of their fellow villagers. They must now f «5: oe search for and capture souls in order to — am reverse the curse. Use Ist person perspective = for long-distance weapons || б У Single player 3D fantasy combat amii - > Choice of 3 heroes, each with their own set |^? oec of weapons aud fighting style | um

> Explore 5 huge worlds and battle over 40 unusual and powerful enemies

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Execute combo moves 09 ‚В for more effective fighting |||

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Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace

Publisher: LucasArts

Developer: Big Ape

Featured In: ЕСМ #118

Players: 1

Supports: Dual Shock, Analog

Best Feature: Fantastic sound

Worst Feature: Top-down view is obstructive Web Site: www .lucasarts.com

It's always particularly disappointing when a Star Wars game fails to meet the standards that you think it should. Sure, The Phantom Menace has some gor- geous graphics, awesome sound...and even a copy of the music video included on the disc (if a little grainy), but it suffers from numerous tiny niggles that ruin it. First, there's the sort of top-down view, something that makes you feel like you're wandering around looking at your feet all the time. You can never see very far in front of you, and there is noth- ing on screen to give you any sense of direction...something that's especially annoying іп the less action-oriented 'adventure' sequences. Speaking of those sequences, the fact that key gameplay points are fixed to conversation set-pieces is irritating too. You know you have to find Anakin in Mos Espa, but if you haven't had the right chat with the right person, he doesn't appear. It makes sense, but the way the game guides you...it feels very clum- Sy. Throw in some overly sensitive controls that make the ‘platform game’ bits unnecessarily challenging and you have something akin to )аг-)аг on the annoy-o-meter. If you battle on, it follows the movie in a satisfactory manner, but it inconveniences you so often that you might give up halfway through. After all, you know what happens at the end. John

As a big fan of the flick, | can overlook most of this game’s flaws, except for one biggie—the poor con- trol. Jumping from platform to platform is more than a chore; it’s annoying, falling forces you to loop back through terrain you already covered. The game does look nice, and the voice acting is well done (the voic- es for Jar Jar and Watto were done by the same actors from the film). Deflecting lasers with your saber is

the best thing about this game. Crispin

| agree with John that Episode One lacks that special something you expect from a game based on such an incredible universe, but it’s stilt cool walking around and kicking ass as a Jedi. But let’s step back a bit and pretend the thing isn’t associated with Star Wars—that it's just some generic action/adventure game. As such, it’s only average. It has decent game- play and incredible music and dialogue but not much

else. Some levels are pretty tedious. _Shawn

TPM wasn’t as bad as | had expected (the PC version was panned awhile back), but that’s not saying a whole lot. Doing an action/adventure based on the movie can be tricky. To make the game playable and lengthy, they had to tweak with the flow of events. This automatically backfires because nobody wants scenarios that aren’t in the movie. Plus, you can’t change views so the top-down camera position can be obstructive at all the wrong times. Che

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

6 8 9 4

Test Drive Off-Road 3

ПЕТ

Publisher: Infogrames

Developer: Infogrames North America Featured In: ЕСМ #123

Players: 12

Supports: Dual Shock, Analog

BestFeature: Licensed vehicles Worst Feature: Squishy vehicle control Web Site: www.infogrames.net

Beyond Rally Cross 2, there hasn’t been many off- road racing games that pull off the physics and speed of the real thing. 4x4 fans will enjoy the vast amount of licensed rigs in TDOR 3 but may find the game lacking in real excitement once they rip into it. Last year we complained the tracks in TDOR 2 were overly long and too mundane. This year they're still long but they're filled with hills, steep climbs and rocky terrain galore. Beefy stuff like that is great but there's a problem. The vehicles are so spongy with oversteer, keeping them under control is tough. The lag in the steering is detrimental to tight control. It's probably more realistic this way but to me it's not as fun to play. How does this affect the game? Two- player races are less speed and excitement and more an exercise in driving concentration. You spend more time trying to stay on course than overtaking your opponent. Single-player games suffer from the same thing only to a lesser degree. On the other hand, if you're into the nuances of 4x4'ing you may like the game. It's more about learning how to traverse the obstacles and finding the right line up a mountain than flat-out racing. Unfortunately | have no patience for that style of driving game. For me TDOR 3 needs more speed and tighter control. Give it a rent if you're a 4x4 enthusiast. Dean

Thousand Arms

Front > ATTACK {444

Back «Heal

Publisher: Atlus

Developer: Red Featured In: EGM #119 Players: 1 Supports: Dual Shock

Best Feature: Going on dates Worst Feature: Combat is tedious and plentiful Web Site: www.atlus.com

After weeks of Final Fantasy VIII immersion, | looked forward to playing Thousand Arms. It would practi- cally be an RPG vacation, what with TA being only two discs and almost self-indulgent in its anime pre- sentation. Well, | was only half-right. Don’t let the saucer eyes and cute SD characters fool you, TA gets to be a pretty tough game. All my complaints about this game center around how combat is handled. While | like the stylized 2D sprites, l'm lukewarm on just about everything else. You can have up to three members in your party, but only the character in the front row can fight. Characters in the back are rele- gated to supporting roles (using items, casting spells, taunting), but will step into the fight once the front row is defeated. You'll get over the tedium of one-on-one combat after building up your repertoire of spells, but too bad the system has this sort of self- imposed limitation. Oh, and | hope you like random encounters because this is one of those “every five steps you fight” RPGs. The saving grace of TA is the dating aspect. To gain new spells, stronger weapons and cuter chicks, you'll need to woo the women. There's not much in the way of a compelling story line, but the characters are likeable even if | don't empathize with them. TA is a unique RPG, and one that should be experienced —at least once. спе

If you intend on buying this one for fun two-player racing...don't. The frame-rate blows. But as a one- player game, Test Drive Off-Road 3 isn't that bad. It has its share of well-designed stages (on top of some very uninspiring ones). The racing itself has some nice interaction to it (like having to rapidly press the accelerator to climb steep surfaces), making for a more interesting racing experience. Customizing cars before races is pretty UAE Shoe

Red must have "read" my mind while creating Thousand Arms, because | really enjoyed it. The graphics are crisp and clean, and combat is straight- forward. The dating aspect sort of reminds me of Sakura Taisen. But there's a lot more emphasis put onto the dating aspect. One problem 1 had with the script is that the girls’ responses are fickle and arbitrary. It makes a lot of it a huge guessing game. Hmm...kind of like real life. Chris

Off-Road 3 packs cool vehicles and better tracks than last year’s model, but it just never delivered enough white-knuckled thrills to get me excited. Opposing racers often keep their distance; | felt like | was alone on the course half the time. Vehicle upgrades didn’t boost performance as much as I'd like. The tracks аге varied and well-designed (1 really like the hilly parts), but control takes getting used to. This is a competent

racer, if a little less than thrilling. Crispin

| like a good off-road racing game but TDOR 3 has some undesirable elements. For example, why play up the realistic appeal of the trucks when the tracks are obviously too extreme to be driven by any real vehicle. Itd be better if they were beefier or the tracks toned-down somewhat. Even on the easier courses it's hard to control most of the 4х45. They bounce around and spin out a bit too much for me. Two-player isn't bad though. Chris

REPLAY

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY

Innovative, beautiful and annoying. That’s what Thousand Arms is all about. It’s like nothing you’ve played before (well, the dating thing is reminiscent of Azure Dreams), so it's worth checking out. The music, art and graphics are all breathtaking. Problem is, this game can drive you a wee bit nutso with boring battles (that get a little more interesting as you progress) and having to point exactly in the right direction to talk to people, find items, etc. Shoe Here's an RPG that's definitely not for everyone. You have to be a fan of anime. You have to like the idea of a virtual-dating game. But don't go getting any funny ideas—the dates here are tame, high school-level stuff. They're based on conversation, not hanky- panky. Still, the dating system із а novel idea that keeps the game interesting, and the voice acting's pretty good (there's so much of it, in fact, that Thousand Arms comes on two CDs). Crispin

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VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY

1 1 8 4

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^ ВЕМНАНА 500 Publisher: Activision Developer: Neversoft Featured In: ЕСМ #122 A Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock, Analog

Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:

The flexible combo system Level design is hit-or-miss www.activision.com

This is hands-down the best skateboarding game I’ve ever played. The game’s unique combo system lets you string together as many moves as you can while you've got air. This gives you free license to cus- tomize your run as much as you'd like. Neversoft has done a superb job of giving THPS just enough real- ism, without compromising any over-the-top embellishments that make for great gaming. One of the highlights is the differentiation between vert and street skaters. Each breed has its own style, as well as a different control scheme. Take Kareem Campbell to downtown Minneapolis and you'll know what | mean. Another nice touch is that the game forces you to diversify your tricks. If you repeat the same moves, you'll score lower points every subse- quent attempt. The game's career mode puts you on a national tour of cities, skate parks and downhill tracks. Going through the career mode will improve your skater, unlock boards and give you access to more levels. | do have gripes about some of the level designs in THPS. Some (the mall and the downhill jam come to mind) are just too massive and wacky. The best part of the game is still the anarchic "free skate" mode where you can explore each level at your leisure and hone your skills. THPS has just taken the genre and redefined it. Believe it. Che You're not gonna find a better skating game ‘than this on the PlayStation, Control is intuitive. Performing tricks is easy. And when you crash, you feel it. The courses are the best thing here, They sprawl every- where and are crammed with trick opportunities. Practice enough and you'll get in that zone where you can build tricks on top of tricks on top of tricks. It’s almost a Zen thing. The cool course objectives will кер you Hasy, fora Wi too. Crispin

I'm in total ESO with Che on this pup. It’s

hands-down the best skate sim I’ve ever played. They've managed to capture the physics and feel of hardcore skating. | especially like the trick combo system. It’s challenging yet not overly tough. More emphasis is put on completing several tricks in a row than one big thing. The music is cool as well. This is the second game I've played that features Primus tunes— DD SOUS ERU Bp Dean

| know very little about pro skateboarding, but Tony Hawk is ridiculously addictive. It’s easy to get into and the combo system is deep. It makes even a novice like myself look real good on the ramps. One thing | do have an issue with is the game's graphics. They're good, but what's with all the clipping and rough edges? | would have thought they'd cleaned it up with the final version. THPS is a great game, even if you're not into the hardcore skate lingo. Chris

REPLAY

SOUND

VISUALS INGENUITY

GOLDBERG

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Kodiak

Featured In: EGM #122 кы > Players: 14

Supports: Dual Shock, Multitap

Best Feature: Very fast game engine

Worst Feature: Very “clippy” game engine

Web Site: WWW.ea.com

At first glance, Mayhem looks like a sure-fire champ, with very fast and smooth animations (much faster than Attitude), and easy-to-jump-into gameplay and controls (like Revenge on the N64). After a little ring- time, however, the problems surface. Mayhem won't be robbing Attitude (or even War Zone) of any titles. The biggest problems are the polygon clipping and collision detection. Moves will go through char- acter models almost any chance they could get. It's rather sloppy and unpleasant to watch. Other things detract from the experience, like: cheap run-in part- ners that stick around for waaay too long...lengthy load times (Everywhere! Even to change a hair style in Create-A-Player)...a slow and useless block but- ton...how easy it is to get pushed into a turnbuckle (even if you're not whipped into it), and how much a weak, sitting duck that makes you...a limited Create- A-Player mode (when compared to Attitude's)...too few modes of play and options...and so on. But a few things may make Mayhem worth checking out, like a cool Pay-Per-View mode that you can update with codes from wcwmayhem.com, and the chance to fight in non-ringside locales. The real reason to get Mayhem, though, is if you want a simple game to get into that emphasizes easy-to-pull-off moves over memorization of long moves lists.

How much slower could the load times be? What's going on? The whole thing is slow, clunky, seriously dummied-down and half the time you don't feel like it's actually doing what you're telling it to. There are some nice camera angles used throughout, but this doesn't compensate for the glitchy graphics and stripped-down features. Even the create-a-wrestler mode is disappointing. We couldn't even make a passable Elephant-Sak. John

l've never seen a wrestling match in real life that's lasted longer than 5-8 minutes, but boy, some of the battles in this опе can go on for a looooong time. I'd find myself getting moves off that would go right through my opponents, only to be countered by the CPU. And what's with the load times? If four people want to go at it with created wrestlers, you've gotta wait for everything to load up. This one just didn't

excite me much. Chris

This game's ЕСІНЕ claim they Wanted to make a fast-playing, easy-to-get-into wrestling title. And yep, the gameplay here does move pretty quick. But even though you only have to learn a few button combos to pull off moves, control feels sloppy, and 1 often felt like | was performing moves by accident. Collision detection is a bit messy. The game lacks polish. It needs more multiplayer modes and options if it's going to compete with Attitude. Crispin

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY БЕРІЛҮ

‘EVERYONE

Publisher: Psygnosis

Developer: Psygnosis-Leeds

Featured In: ЕСМ #122 кы Players: 12 > Supports: Dual Shock, Analog

Best Feature: Hi-res graphics

Worst Feature: Difficulty in later circuits

Web Site: www.psygnosis.com

Even though WipeOut 3 doesn't have the same kind of flair WipeOut XL did when it came out, this third installment does the futuristic racing series justice which is refreshing in this age of uninspired sequels. Its graphics are even more impressive than the previ- ous games, though it's not the effects fest | expected. There are still a number of sweet-looking hovercraft to choose from, each with its own make-believe futur- istic corporate sponsor. As you'd expect, the awe- some design style is in full force. And the courses, though still filled with crazy banks, jumps and hills and such, aren't quite as impressive as the courses in XL. Problem is, the difficulty isn't as gradual as 1 would've liked. In WO3, the jump from the first cir- cuit to the second will definitely take you by surprise. І finished with gold on all of the courses in the first circuit in a matter of a couple of hours, opening a bunch of new vehicles and tracks in the process. When I moved onto the second circuit, | got stomped in no time. And forget about the third circuit—l bare- ly finished a race! This aside, control is still top- notch—even though there's that damned "touch the wall even in the slightest and you'll come to a dead stop" thing. And of course there's the music...the sweet music. As usual, it's incredible and deserves its own CD at the local music store. Shawn The most fashionable game around receives a little bit of visual body work...and almost nothing else that's really worth mentioning. Sure WipeOut 3 has new weapons (big deal) and new tracks (the mall is cool, | gotta admit), but it's practically the same game you've been playing for years. But man, this game looks nice, especially with the ultra-smooth frame-rate, which stays slick even with the two-play- er split screen action going on. Shoe

The big deal with WO3 is the hi-res graphics and DJ Sasha (he's big in the U.K.) on the wheels of steel. Well, | was disappointed musically because the tracks all sound similar. 1 didn't think Orbital could sound like the Chemical Bros. but | guess | was wrong. Aside from the lame polygonal engine light, the graphics in WO3 are some ofthe best Гога racing title on the PS. It also feels like the controls are a lot less forgiving in NOS than they were in XL. спе

Before you play this| for very long, it's um to bag on it for just being more of the same, but | think it offers just about enough to make it worthwhile, especially for fans. First and foremost, 1 think the whole thing is worth it for WipeOut junkies just to be able to play with the analog controller...it makes such a huge difference. Throw in the crisp new graphical look and the split-screen modes and you have a worthy sequel. John

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

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Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Universal Interactive

Featured In: EGM #113 cu Players: 1 > Supports: Dual Shock, Analog

Best Feature: Sword-swingin' women Worst Feature: Unforgiving, loose control Web Site: WWW.ea.com

Xena has one major downfall: control. Turning requires a U-turn motion— you can't take small steps in one direction or another. So, if you're on a small platform surrounded by lava and have to change directions to make a jump, you're in serious danger of falling in and losing your life. It's a huge problem if it's the fault of the control that you keep dying repeatedly. Xena is well-designed for a licensed game. Using the Chakram is especially cool and enables you to send a feeler out into a level to see where things are (as far as you can guide it, that is). Combat feels much like Golden Axe, and there's a few puzzles to solve as you go. Some are really madden- ing, and you can’t tell if the tips you're being given are vague “riddles,” or being told what you need to do, which can be frustrating. Graphically, Xena looks good and the levels are nicely laid out. Only problem is they’re too short until the end. There are only a lit- tle over 20 levels so you could probably get through this one in a weekend. Lava kills you too quickly, and it's hard to jump back out because of the shoddy control. Why on earth does Xena not have true ana- log control? You can choose either running or walk- ing for both the D-pad and analog, there's no in- between. Too bad about the control—this could've been a decent game otherwise. Chris | don't watch the show, so | can't relate to all the guf- fawing around here about the lesbian subtext in Xena; nor сап | appreciate any sort of camp kitsch because the franchise takes itself so seriously. So this was simply a sub-par 3D beat'em-up with blocky, poorly animated graphics. Throwing the Chakram is cool but the novelty wears off quick. The later platform levels will really frustrate you due to the horrid controls and slippery gameplay. спе

This is an awful, awful game that must be avoided at all costs (unless you're a big Xena fan who absolute- ly cannot live life without playing out some amazon- sappho interactive adventure, no matter how bad it is). Xena has the two things that'll kill any 3D adven- ture game: bad camera and bad control. The game- play itself is really monotonous and boring. Other stupid problems plague the game as well, like fires ШЙ ПЕШІ you and polygon clipping. ў Ѕпое Xena isn't the worst licensed game I’ve ever played. Nor is it the best. This leaves it somewhere in the middle—where average games live. There are some parts that are fairly enjoyable, but there are also parts that are tedious as hell...or downright laugh- able (like when Xena yodels). The main problem is the control. 125 just not responsive enough, and often leaves me wanting a quick turnaround button. Fans of the show might like it—! don't. Shawn

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SOUND INGENUITY

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Stormfront Studios

Featured In: ЕСМ #122 = Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock, Analog

Best Feature: Cool cars Worst Feature: Fantasy environments Web Site: WWwW.ea.com

Surprisingly this game looks and plays better on the PlayStation than the N64. It moves a bit faster and fea- tures more detail in the cars and backgrounds. Like Dean said in his N64 review, we hoped the environ- ments would've been more micro machines/Circuit Breakers inspired. Instead it’s a standard-style racer. No big deal though, in fact it’s adarned fun little game. The huge selection of cars (40) and the crazy roller coaster-like tracks make for a good ‘ol time. It’s packed with cool music too— Metallica, Primus, Cat Heave, etc. Overall HWTR is a solid game.

VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

Publisher: Acclaim

Developer: Acclaim Studios-London

Featured In: EGM #117 A Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock

Best Feature: Track editor Worst Feature: Poor frame-rate Web Site: www.acclaim.com

What you've got here is a relatively cool concept— tiny RC cars armed with lighthearted weapons racing around real-world environments—gone horribly awry. In addition to the unnecessarily realistic car physics that detracted from the N64 version, the game is plagued by one of the worst frame-rates in recent memory. It’s so bad, in fact, that it may induce Stunt Race FX flashbacks. Some of the track designs and play modes are kind of cool, but in the end, the game’s visual shortcomings are too much to overcome. Cool tunes, though.

SOUND INGENUITY

VISUALS

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256

Publisher: Konami

Developer: ICCE Tokyo

Featured Іп: ЕСМ #123 -— Players: 1 >

Supports: N/A

Best Feature: 108 characters

Worst Feature: Can't move diagonally Web Site: www.konami.com

If you have the time and are willing to commit at least 50 hours, Suikoden II is an RPG that will keep your attention. It heralds 108 characters (an equal amount to its predecessor) including some old favorites like Flik and Viktor. The storyline is compelling and fea- tures the adult themes of betrayal, death and tom- foolery. If you had the foresight to save your memory card from the first Suikoden you can download those into this lengthy thrillride. Annoyingly, the main char- acter cannot move sideways. But otherwise, it's a real hoot. If you've got the time, it's worth the ride.

VISUALS SOUND

INGENUITY REPLAY

Publisher: Atlus

Developer: Bandai

Featured In: ЕСМ #121 ғ Players: m > Supports: Dual Shock, Analog

Best Feature: Imaginative environments Worst Feature: Mindless Web Site: www.atlus.com

When you look past the imaginative and nicely ren- dered environments, interesting cast of characters and a world with a good deal of depth, unfortunate- ly you see a 3D action adventure title that's only slightly above average. Sure, it features a good num- ber of neat gameplay bits (like flying around with a jet pack strapped to your back, or riding around on a mine cart) but the rest of the game is kind of mind- less and cutesy—though strangely addictive for some reason. Overall, TC is a decent title that's worth looking into —but as a rental instead of a purchase.

SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY

VISUALS

ТІ! їй

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©1999 Interplay Productions. All Rights Reserved. Caesars Palace and Caesars Palace Il are trademarks of 5 World, Inc. and used under license from Caesars World Merchandising, Inc. All Rights Reserved. tertai 2 4 е of this pr. 9 ing is prohibited. 1999 SCI (Sales Curve Interactive) Ltd. All rights reserved. Carmageddon, SCI and the SCI logo are les Curve Interactive) Ltd. CASPER: за! s d Ai 1999 by RUNANDGUN! inc. All Rights Reserved. Wici

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EGM's Last 100 Reviews From ЕСМ #119 – 123

A Platinum

бате Publisher Best Feature Worst Feature Scores Issue tt Dreamcast AeroWings Crave Intense Realism Frustrating Advanced Maneuvers 6.0 123 Airforce Delta Konami Cool Replays Generic Gameplay 6.0 5.0 60 5.5 123 Blue Stinger Activision Wicked-Looking Monsters Horrendous Camera Angles 45 40 40 45 123 Expendable Infogrames Awesome Graphics Can't See Your Guy Amidst The Chaos T5 123 Flag to Flag Sega Loads Of Real Tracks And Drivers Too Easy 6.0 123 Hydro Thunder Midway As Close To The Arcade... Slowdown In Two-Player Mode 75 80 15 10 123 Marvel vs. Capcom Capcom The Four-Player Crossover Mode Impossible To Play On Standard Pad 80 80 80 75 123 № Monaco Grand Prix Ubi Soft Awesome Control No Real-World Drivers Or Teams 8.0 123 Mortal Kombat Gold Midway Crisp Visuals Dated Gameplay 4.5 123 Е мк Sega Realistic Graphics Play Selection Menu 80 80 70 90 T3 Pen Pen Trilcelon Infogrames Great Graphics, Fun Multiplayer Not Enough Tracks 5.5 123 Power Stone Capcom Simple, Arcadey Gameplay Too Much Jumpy Jumpy 80 65 75 80 123 Ready 2 Rumble Midway Facial Graphics and Animation Unbalanced Championship Mode 90 90 8.0 90 123 Sega Bass Fishing Sega Get Y'self Sum Fishin’ In Y'livin Room — It's Quickly Beaten 1.5 123 © Sonic Adventure Sega Great Graphics And Gameplay Camera Problems, A Bit Glitchy 95200505. 85 123 № Soul Calibur Namco Graphics, Controls, Extras No Rendered Intro Or Ending 10 0 10 10 123 Speed Devils Ubi Soft Gambling Gets REALLY Tough 152565 -Ы5) 80 123 TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat ASC Good Graphics And Tracks Bad Control, Slow 35 45 40 40 123 Tokyo Xtreme Racer Crave Smooth-Ass Frame-Rate Stop-Start Racing Is Annoying 70 123 Nintendo 64 A Bug's Life Activision Interesting Levels It's A Sloppy Game 40 40 55 40 120 All-Star Tennis '99 Ubi Soft Short Skirts On Them Ladies Tough To Aim The Ball 50 55 55 55 121 Air Boardin' USA Agetec Hoverboards! High Learning Curve 15/2520: 51577 38 121 Command & Conquer Nintendo New Graphics Old Gameplay For RTS Veterans 6.5 70 8.5 85 122 Duke Nukem: Zero Hour GT Interactive Huge Levels No Checkpoints Within Levels 55 50 23/0: 65 122 Gauntlet Legends Midway Being Able To Save Repetitious Gameplay 6.0 123 бех 3: Deep Cover Gecko Crave Exclusive N64-Only Levels Awkward Camera 6.0 123 Hybrid Heaven Konami Interesting Fight System Awkward Camera Problems 70 15 15 80 120 In-Fisherman Bass Hunter 64 Rockstar It's Quite Relaxing Can You Handle The Pace? 5.0 122 Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest Nintendo Arcade-Like Gameplay Weak Sounds 80: 10: 65. :55 120 W Madden NFL 2000 Electronic Arts Great Gameplay Umm...Nothing Worth Mentioning 8.5 123 № Mario Golf Nintendo Great Golf Physics Aiming System Is Confusing 90. 85. 75 75 122 Monaco Grand Prix Ubi Soft Solid Controls Weak Frame-Rate 80 80 65 60 120 Monster Truck Madness 64 Rockstar Nice Graphics Bouncy Trucks Are Tough To Control 50 45 50 65 122 NFL Blitz 2000 Midway Gameplay Slowdown In Multiplayer 53528025 655705; 122 № Pokémon Snap Nintendo Watching Pokémon Reactions A Little Short, Not All 150 Are In 85 80 8.5 8.0 122 т Quake Il Activision Multiplayer Modes Can't Save During Levels 85 80 90 80 120 Re-Volt Racing Acclaim Track Editor Annoying Tracks, Obstacles 60 60 6.0 45 123 Shadowgate 64: Trials of 4 Towers Kemco Interesting Story Line Sleep-Inducing Gameplay 40 40 65 65 121 № Shadow Man Acclaim Horrifying Levels, Graphics Confusing Level Design 90 80 70 80 123 Starshot Space Circus Fever Infogrames 300+ Characters A Truly Heinous Camera 3.0 123 Superman Titus The Box Art Just About Everything Else 05 40. 20 15 120 The New Tetris Nintendo Swapping Out Pieces Nothing Else Is Original 70 70 80 80 122 Tonic Trouble Ubi Soft Solid Level Design and Gameplay Just A Lil’ Too Drab 70 4.5 65 65 122 World Driver Championship. Midway Gorgeous Graphics Wanky Guitar Soundtrack 801-165: 700 075 120 B WWF Attitude Acclaim Customizable Everything! Poor Collision Detection $0 85 85 80 123 PlayStation Alexi Lalas Intl. Soccer Take 2 Interactive Alexi Lalas Looks Funny It's A Terrible Soccer Game 25 40 25 40 121 № Ape Escape SCEA Innovative Use Of Dual Shock Analog The Camera Can Get Annoying 80 90 9.0 9.0 121 Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time Infogrames Cartoony Visuals Nasty Camera 55. 50 40: 35 121

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Castrol-Honda Superbike Racing Centipede

Championship Motocross Chessmaster Il

Chocobo Racing

Croc 2

Dino Crisis

Driver

Echo Night

Evil Zone

Final Fantasy VIII

G-Police: Weapons of Justice High Heat Baseball 2000 Jade Cocoon

Konami Arcade Classics Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete Madden NFL 2000

Metal Gear Solid VR Missions Monaco Grand Prix

NCAA Football 2000

NCAA GameBreaker 2000 NFL GameDay 2000

NFL Xtreme 2

Next Tetris, The

NFL Blitz 2000

Omega Boost

Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary RC Stunt Copter

R-Type Delta

Rising Zan

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Star Ocean: The Second Story Street Fighter Alpha 3 Tarzan

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Trick'N Snowboarder

Um Jammer Lammy Warzone 2100

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Game Boy/Game Boy Color

Conker's Pocket Tales Looney Tunes

Motocross Maniacs 2 Pac-Man Special Color Edition Pokémon Pinball

R-Type DX

Spawn

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Tarzan

The Smurfs' Nightmare

Publisher Electronic Arts Hasbro Interactive THO

Mindscape Square EA

Fox Interactive Capcom

GT Interactive Agetec

Titus

Square EA Psygnosis

300

Crave

Konami

Eidos

Working Designs Electronic Arts Konami

Ubi Soft Electronic Arts 989 Sports 989 Sports

989 Sports Hasbro Interactive Midway

SCEA

Namco

Titus

Agetec

Agetec Electronic Arts Konami

Sony Computer Entertainment Capcom

SCEA

Capcom

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Konami

Namco

Nintendo Nintendo Konami CEA, Inc. Nintendo Activision Infogrames

Best Feature Simulation Elements

Playing The Original Centipede Realistic Physics

Extremely Customizable

Final Fantasy Atmosphere Level Design And Graphics Cool 3D Graphics

Great "705 Cop Show Car Chases Very Cerebral, Good Puzzles Anime-Style Fights, Great Art The Characters, FMV, Plot Thankfully, It's Easier Umm...The Clouds Look Nice Character Designs, Story

Time Pilot

It's Enormous

Great Story, Nice Anime Scenes The Running Game

The Puzzle-Oriented Missions Great-Handling Vehicles

Great Replay Value Interceptions

Arcade Gameplay

Graphics

A New Twist On An Old Formula Speedy Frame-Rate

Graphics, Frame-Rate

Multiple Play Modes

Cheaper Than A Real RC Copter... Classic R-Type Gameplay Weird, Weird, Weird, Weird Fast, Smooth And Lots Of Options Interesting Story Character-Skills System

World Tour Mode

Incredible Graphics

A Few Interesting Levels

Link Cable Support

Two-Player Modes Customizable Units

Lots To Customize

Inventive Quest Unlimited Continues Track Editor

Two Games In One

Worst Feature

Choppy Frame-Rate

Graphics And Control

Gets A Little Boring

No Analog Support

Lacks Originality

Poor Control, Stupid Dialogue Load Times

Read Bad Slowdown

Too Short, Not Cinematic Enough Poor Translation Of A Great Game The Games Will Eventually End Still Has Horrible Draw-In

Batting And Pitching Is A Chore Lacks Personality

Circus Charlie

Sometimes A Bit Tomb Raider-y Nall Sounds Like A Little Girl "Maddenisms"

A Lot Of Boring Shooting Missions Lack Of An F-1 License

А Few Quirks In The Al

Cheap Back-Field Hits

Players Appear To Be Sliding On Ice Awkward Animation

Hard To Get Away From Old Formula The Cowboys

Too Short

A Bit Repetitive

...But Almost As Frustrating To Fly May Be Too Hard For Some Obstructive Camera System Running Over Bunny Rabbits Controls

Some Battles Frustrating

Slight Animation Loss From Arcade Childish Gameplay

Provides Nothing Interesting Unoriginal Gameplay

This Game Is Like A Very Bad Trip Difficult To Control

Game Engine Not Precise

Damn Cute Animals

A Bit Tedious

Later Tracks A Bit Too Tough Sloppy Programming

Lots Of Replay Value, Catching Pokés! Nothing

Three Games In One The Ability To Turn It Off Loads Of Extras!

Great Animation

Nice Graphics

High Level Of Difficulty

Being Able To Turn It 0n

Vertical Scrolling Can Disorient You Too Much Banana Huntin’

Mindless Gameplay

95

45

8.5

5.5

3.0 35

45 5.5 8.0 8.0 6.0 7.0 95 50 35 55 10 90 85 80 15 6.5 10 75 6.5 3.0 70 9.0 9.0

15 T5 15 90 45 80 90 55 55

8.5 15

8.5

3.0

4.0 3.5

75 55 90 85 60 40 95 15 4.0 6.0 70 8.0 9.0 9.0 8.0 6.5 ТЕЙ 1.0 80 35 80 85 85

7.0 8.0 7.0 9.0 6.5 8.0 8.5 6.5 6.5

7.0 5.0

8.5

4.5

122

123

121

122 120 19

121

Rigor Motorist

е & м

Coming Soon for Console

BY GAMERS FOR GAMERS,

www.interplay.com — 1-800-INTERPLAY

“LE

Mario Golf “ What we said:

“Mario Golf should be required for all N64 owners...it packs easy-to-use interfaces and addictive gameplay... the game is extremely accessible, and fun...Mario Golf is a solid title that should appease young and old players alike..."

How we rated it:

85 15 15

What you said: Mario Golf is one of the best golf games I’ve ever played. But there are ups and downs about the game. First of all, the game relates to the real physics of golf. Its graphics are superb, and it's much better than Hot Shots Golf, still using the same engine as Hot Shots Golf. The only problem | had with the game was that the aiming system was too difficult to master and there were some charac- ters in the game I’ve never heard of. This is a kind of game that young and old people would like to play and for veteran and newbies to the game of golf. | give ita 8.5 and | recommend it to anyone who likes golf or just likes to collect Mario games. Rudy Antido Jr via the Internet

| never played Hot Shots Golf (I don't have a PlayStation), so | got this game to see what all the fuss is about. Now | see why Hot Shots got so much praise. Mario Golf is a lot more fun than you'd expect from a golf game. I really like the control. The Nintendo characters add a lot to the appeal. This game is just plain addicting. The only

^Mario Golf is one of the best golf games I've ever played.”

Here’s your chance to vent your views on recently released games. If you have something you think needs to be said about either one of our reviews or a game you've recently bought, e-mail us your thoughts at review crewGzd.com or write to us at the following address:

downside is that it's a little hard. But that's not a big deal. It just means it'll take longer for me to get bored of the game. You know what? | don't think I'll ever get bored of this game. Kevin Peterson via the Internet

Pokémon Snap ж

What we said:

“This is one of the most original and innovative games I’ve ever played...Pokémon fans will eat it up...you'll want to reach into the screen and give Pikachu a big ol’ hug..."

How we rated it:

EGM Reader Reviews, P.0. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338

SAUR NE

What you said:

The idea behind Pokémon Snap is great. Having to solve puzzles to get the Pokémon out of their hiding spots would be a blast. The problem is that the puzzles are so simple a 5-year-old could beat the game on his/her first try within two hours. Most of them are simply solved by throwing a pester ball or playing the flute. Sure Metal Gear Solid can be beaten in two hours but that's after you've beaten it several times and already know where to go.

What we said:

“Quake 11% multiplayer modes rock...as a one-player game Quake И is rather repetitive...games like this MUST have at least one save point in the middle of a level!...it easily outshines Turok 2 in 4P play...this game is strictly about the twitch action and simple puzzles (i.e., it's no GoldenEye)...”

How we rated it:

85 80 90 80 What you said:

When the game was first available for rent at Blockbuster, | got excited and rented it. | was amazed!

The graphics weren't quite what | expected, but they were satisfactory. The play control was superb because you could adjust the sensitivity of the joystick, like on the original Quake. But what satisfied me the most was the multiplayer. | loved the flag tag mode and wanted to

262

“I loved play it forever. The one-player mode the flag was good, but not great. | can see why this game is rated Mature, and | lag mode don't think the little kiddies should and play this game. This game is a must- buy and I can’t wait for it to become wanted to one of the 40- dollar games. Шау it

Steve Kalbach » via the Internet forever.

Another problem with the game is that all the Pokémon are in the same place every time, eliminating the need for your "lightning reflexes" advertised in the commercials. You point to the place the Pokémon always pops up, and easily snap a winner. Wackylraqy@aol.com

Your review of Pokémon Snap was dead-on. The game's strengths are in its unique gameplay and the anima- tions of the Pokémon. It is a real kick to be able to go on a guided safari tour and torment the animals for once! Beaning Pikachu in the head with Pokémon food always gets a laugh. Unfortunately, | have not played a game this short since the 8-Bit NES. It definitely is beatable in one day for the average gamer, and only takes a couple of days to find the handful of well-hidden others. Having not been bitten by the Pokémon craze, Che was right when he said, “Thankfully, there is Pokémon Snap to pull us non- believers into the fold." This game delivers on quality, but lacks in quantity, which is a rare occurrence in the video game market today. | think the game would have been of suffi- cient length had all the Pokémon been included. Nonetheless, a solid rental. Jeff Weber jweber@creighton.edu

Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer «

What we said:

“...Ктда like a supersonic Beetle Adventure Racing...it’s as impressive as it is dizzying...Racer is one of the fastest games I’ve ever seen on апу system...the frame-rate suffers a bit in hi-res mode...let's just say Racer put the smack down on me..."

How we rated it:

What you said:

Episode 1 Racer is basically a great racing game. It has good graphics, good tracks, there are pod racers to fit

REAR VIEW

everybody, being able to upgrade your pod, doing over 600 mph, and that it didn't come out on the PlayStation. There are a few downsides, though. One thing is the lack of music and the little music there is is crap. Why didn't LucasArts put the people in charge of Rogue Squadron in charge of Racer? Also the tracks don't have enough secrets. Another thing that would have been nice is more weapons and a four- player mode. Overall though, it's the best racer out for any system. Will Hinkley via the Internet

How a game like this is actually on store shelves for $60 is way beyond my comprehension. | could make a better game than Superman with my calculator. This is by far the most painful gameplay on the N64.

Jimmy Koutsoukos

via the Internet

What we said:

“If you really like to personalize your games, then go get some Attitude... Create-A-Wrestler is so damn deep with options it’s scary...even if you’re not a wrestling fan, buy this...the real star here is the Create-A-Player...”

How we rated it:

What you said:

WWF Attitude kicks ass. Thiz iz like the best wrestling game of the decade. This game is even better than Warzone, Revenge and all the other wrestling games. | say itz the best sportz interactive game out this year. The graphicz are great, options are great

“Why didn’t LucasArts put the same people in charge of Rogue Squadron in

charge of Racer?”

What we said:

“The man of steel has gone horribly limp...it’s almost like amateur

night at game programming school with this one...the gameplay is devoid of anything that even remotely resembles entertainment...”

How we rated it: 05 40 20 15

What you said: Superman is such a terrible game, | returned it the same day | rented it.

263

and most of all, how Acclaim made

the Create-A-Wrestler options are better

than ever. If u got №4 or Psx itz

a must-buy. (Not very sure about GBC.) Br8nEDeAD@aol.com

WWF Attitude is way better than WWF Warzone. Acclaim should have not made us wait so long. There were too many delays. The game is hot. It has a way better Creat-A-Player Mode and it also has better match modes. The arenas and the players look a lot better. | would have to give this game а 9.0. | hope the new WWF game from THQ is better. Charlie Jett via the Internet

Аре Escape >

What we said:

"Ape Escape won me over because its controls are ingeniously good...the level design is superb...deserves high marks for showing new ways to use the Dual Shock..."

How we rated it:

What you said: When | first saw this game I thought: "THAT'S THE DUMBEST PIECE OF SH*T GAME I'VE EVER HEARD OF!!!” Then, | rolled my eyes once more when | saw commercial after commercial for Ape Escape and | figured it was a lame attempt to build up hype. A few weeks later, | played it at a friend's house and it was actually kinda fun (the controls took a few minutes to get used to). Then more gripes came in: 1. Of all animals.... MONKEYS! Cartoon monkeys are really really annoying! (mostly their taunting animations) 2. Bike helmets w/sirens that make monkeys evil...'nuff said... 3. Crappy cast of characters. Just looking at them (especially Specter) makes me wanna vomit! 4. Banjo Kazooie-style colors: The color scheme and the effect of light reflecting off objects (actually it's painted on to the texture maps) makes almost everything look like pastel colors 5. Overall gameplay gets boring quickly! Well there you go, my review (don't accuse me of not giving this game a chance 'cuz l've played plenty! And gripe #4 may be off because that's how | remember the game and I haven't played in a while!). Egggmail52@aol.com

Driver _ 2

What we said:

“It’s a great game but the stupid glitches spoil what could've been perfect...the story line is funny and interesting...Driver pulls off that '7os

“Overall gamenlay gets horing quickly!"

cop show theme quite well...it's packed with options..."

How we rated it:

What you said:

| really believe Driver should have had a better rating. | know | can't change that but anyway...when you guys reviewed Driver you made it sound like the game

After playing it for myself | didn't notice that many at all. | know there were some like getting stuck in the air forever in "Survival Mode" in San Francisco. And I only noticed the frame-rate to drop only a few times like when a road block was up ahead and | was being chased by two or more cops. And | just loved the Film Director Mode for your replays. But anyway, love the magazine. Dan Peters via the Internet

What can | say, it's a good game. Like any game it has its flaws, but they are few and far between. There is some graphic slowdown, but it's not too bad that it can't be overlooked easily enough. It would have been really sweet if there could have been some hidden cars like the one from Starsky and Hutch to unlock. Any memorable cars from the shows of the '70s would

had bugs or glitches everywhere in it.

have made

Final Fantasy МШ 2 What we said:

“Square has outdone themselves this time...nothing short of awe-inspiring... you forget you're playing a video game...FFVIII is the pinnacle of its genre...character development is the best of any RPG I’ve ever played..."

How we rated it:

95 95 95 935 What you said:

First of all, let me say that the gurus at

Square must be working around the clock and then some to churn out all of these games, and even longer to make sure they're as good as can be. Final Fantasy VIII is one of those: It's as good as can be. The Junction and the Draw systems are both innovative and engrossing (though endlessly drawing spells from the enemies gets boring), and the characters seem more like human beings rather than lifeless polygons. The rendered worlds are rich and colorful, and the implement of a salary system is more realistic. The FMV is the best ever seen on the PlayStation. Period. It seems almost impossible that the system can

264

wis ell 505 Sguall..452 Selphie 47

handle it. This four-disc monster is one of the best games ever made. Peter Jurmu

When | first saw those Dreamcast screens, ту PlayStation faded for a moment there. Enter Final Fantasy VIII. The game kicks so much ass, you'd think twice about buying a Dreamcast and waiting for Squaresoft to make their move on the new wave of consoles. Remember when you first experienced FF7? Quadruple that experience. The game's a reunion with the PlayStation.

Racer X

this game rule. And where's the speedometer, dammit?! It could have really helped to have some idea of how fast | was going. | suspect the reason something this common to most driving games was left out was because it would have made the graphic slowdown even more noticeable. | guess it really isn't necessary in order to play the game, but it sure would have been nice. My one major gripe was with the game's law enforcement. How many of you have been pulled over by the police for speeding? Well, when they caught you speeding, did they ever swerve to hit you head-on? The game's manual says that the more felonies you commit and the longer you evade the police, the more aggressive they get. They waste no time in doing so. Wouldn't it suck in real life if cops used lethal force right away when they catch you breaking the law? Wait, they already do in L.A. This really makes the game a pain. Other than that, it's pretty good. If you like the realism of Gran Turismo and the mayhem of Grand Theft Auto, drive to the store and buy Driver right now. Watch your speed, though. Kent Glinsky Kunta_G@aol.com

| thought this game was very cool. | loved the idea of a game being made based on the '70s car-chase scenes. The graphics are amazing, except for that slowdown. The sounds of the "705 musicis great, along with tire squeals, police sirens, and people yelling at you when you "accidentally" drive on the sidewalk. The gameplay itself is amazing. A wide variety of jobs to do, along with being able to drive anywhere you want and the different modes of play, make Driver a winner. | thought your scores were dead-on. Great game. jsecord1@excite.com

Jade Cocoon - What we said:

“Unfortunately, somewhere between concept and execution, the game

fell terribly short...the Poké-cloned monster-mixing gameplay is ultra-deep...”

How we rated it:

What you said: What did | think of Jade Cocoon? Well, | thought the story didn’t have enough depth, and the characters didn’t seem to grow (or talk for that matter). The main character seemed to spend more time sitting in the background while his monsters did all the work. | also didn’t like the fact that you couldn’t walk around the town. What's up with that?! What | did like was the visuals, which were bright and vibrant. Also, capturing monsters and having infinite combina- tions was a real plus. Unfortunately, overall it was a pretty dull game. With enough time, it could have been more. jsecord1@excite.com

“Kids will enjoy the simple gameplay... it’s got great animation and richly detailed graphics, but firing weapons is slow and clumsy...running around and jumping gets old fast...”

How we rated it:

What you said:

You guys hit it on the mark with this one. While the graphics are truly eye-candy in every sense of the word, the game is far too short (1 clocked in at 1 hr. 13 minutes; on my first try)

265

“While the graphics are truly eye-candy in every sense

of the word, the game is far too short...”

and the final levels, especially

Conflict With Clayton and Journey to the

Treehouse are far too difficult for

the target audience of children 4-11. ANTBond 007@aol.com

UmJammer Lammy _

What we said:

“Тһе story line is so freaking bizarre— it borders on insanity...expands upon the first games' ideas and has more to do than the first one did...Lammy is a whole different animal..."

How we rated it:

Wes falten care of yes

What you said: | wasn't expecting much when | got this game. But it surpassed my expectations immensely. What | liked most about it was that it drew me in even though | prefer hip hop over rock п’ roll. | liked the way it kinda forces you to play on normal rather than easy. After | beat the game | found myself coming back again and again trying to beat my high score. | like all the songs except for stage 6 which you'll probably only get by with luck. The game also has loads of extras such as PaRappa remixes of all the songs. There's also vs. PaRappa, team up with PaRappa and the same with your evil twin (I think it's her evil twin) Rammy. | definitely recommend this game to anybody who follows a beat and has quick reflexes. Justin Lattany JLattanyGnetscape.com

Send your best tricks, codes, Web sites and anything else that can help make games more fun and interesting to: Tricks of the Trade

P.0. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338

or send e-mail to: tricks@zd.com

Tricks of |

If your trick is selected as the Trick of the Month, HM

you will win a free GameShark provided by the kind people at InterAct, and a Pro Shock controller from Gr Fire International. If you are given credit for submit-

ting a hot trick in this section, you will win a free i

game. See page 289 for rules.

NOTE: IF you send your trick by e-mail you must include your real name, address, city, state and zip code.

DREAMCAST

Sou! Calibur Unlock Hidden

Characters and Stages Every one of these characters

Play as Hwang

1st completion

Play as Yoshimitsu

2nd completion

Play as Lizardman

3rd completion

New stage added: Water

will be unlocked using Arcade Labyrinth — Mode. While it doesn't matter 4th completion who you use to unlock these Play as Siegfried

5th completion

New stage added: City of Water 6th completion

Play as Rock

7th completion

characters, the order in which they appear remains constant. You'll also notice that a few stages will unlock as well, on the 4th, 6th and 8th completion:

New stage added: Colosseum 8th completion

Play as Seung Mina

gth completion

Play as Cervantes

10th completion

Play as Edgemaster

After you get everyone available up to (and including) Cervantes, you must then win with ALL remaining characters (only once per character) to open up Edgemaster.

Play as Inferno

Select Xianghua's 3rd outfit (select with У+А) and win the game to unlock him. (Note: You must earn Xianghua's outfit in Mission Battle Mode before you do this.)

Extra Modes

Extra Survival Mode

Open up picture (167), and this mode will be playable. This mode requires you to win with one-hit victories as opposed to the normal “full health" battles ofthe standard survival mode. Opening Direction Mode Once you unlock picture (179), you'll have access to this mode. This mode allows you to place any of the game's characters

in different spots of the intro sequence.

Weapon Select Feature

After unlocking picture (224), you can now use this feature. In

266

By Trickman Terry * tricks@zd.com

Arcade/Versus mode, just press the L button to cycle weapons from 1p, 2p or EdgeMaster ver- sions. It's now possible to use your alternate outfit weapons with your original outfit, or

vice versa.

Metal Model Feature

Open up picture (265), and you can access this feature. In Arcade/Versus Mode, hold R while selecting your character to get a metal-looking version of any character. You can even get multiple hues of metal (gold, sil- ver, etc.) by selecting the alter- nate outfits of each character. Slide Show

Once you complete the second Chaos Gate mission, a "SLIDE SHOW" option will become available in the art gallery.

Once selected, it will randomly cycle through all of the artwork displayed in each of the

15 galleries.

New Title Screen

If you beat the game with Inferno, you'll notice an extreme- ly smooth new graphic when you load up the Title Screen.

NINTENDO 64

Bass Hunter 64

Tons of Codes

You will hear a *boing" sound if the codes were entered correctly. АЙ Lakes Available:

Enter “ALLDLAKES” as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under the options.

Extra Money:

Enter "ALLDCASH" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Slow Boat:

Enter “WHATADRAG” as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Fast Boat:

Enter “НУРЕВВОАТ” as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Bathtub Boat:

TER вх

Enter "RUBADUBDUB" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under the options.

No Snags While Fishing:

Enter "BAGDSNAGS" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Unbreakable Line:

Enter "SUPERSTRING" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Large Fish:

Enter *MONDOFISH" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Less Fish:

Enter "WHEREDFISH" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Easy to Catch Fish:

Enter “SUPERLURE” as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Fish are More Active:

Enter "HAPPYFISH" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Catch AL Lindner:

Enter "FISHMAN" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under

options. Then instead of catch- ing a regular fish, you will see a head with sunglasses, a hat and fins.

No Penalties During Tournament:

Enter “NOPENALTY” as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Win Current Tournament:

Enter "IWINIWIN" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

New Game Sounds:

Enter "SILLYSOUND" as a code at the Cheat Codes Screen under options.

Command &

Conquer Adjust Battle Screen

At the Battle Screen, hold L and press Up-C or Down-C to magnify and reduce the screen.

Password Screen and Passwords Password Screen

CODE ENTRY

Please anter a сода.

At the Main Menu highlight the the option labeled club house and press Z+R+A at the same time.

Toad Highlands Tournament: Put in КРХМ/М9МЗ as the pass- word.

267

The ultimate online resource for strategy

Also, read Expert Gamer every month for the latest tricks and strategy

Enter “оЕ056162” as a ра55- word at the “Code Entry” Screen to play a tournament on the Koopa Cup course with Donkey Kong.

Second Camp Hyrule Cup: Enter “5VW68906” as а pass- word at the “Code Entry” Screen to play a tournament at the Toad Highlands course with Plum as your player.

Monster Truck Matiness 64

Low Rider Trucks

Ia

Enter "YRDR" as a password. Your trucks will now have low rider wheels!

DEKDRIVE SITES

PlayStation:

TOP 10 TRICKS

The top 10 games of the last month given the full-on Trickman treatment:

1. Pokémon (Blue) (GB) Fight Safari Zone

Pokémon

This will allow you to fight and catch the Safari Zone Pokémon outside of the Safari Zone. To begin, you must have a Pokémon with the Surf Ability. Now go to the Safari Zone and enter the area where the Pokémon you are trying to catch is found. Stay in the section until the time runs out. Go to the Seafoam Islands by surfing south of Fuchsia City. Be sure you don't encounter any enemies on the way, or the trick won't work (this does not include the Pokémon in the water on the way there). On the edge of the islands, there is a strip of the screen that is half land, and half water. Now, surf on this section and just keep going up and down on it. When you run into an enemy, it will be the Pokémon from the Safari Zone section you

cont. on pg. 270

http://www.psxmax.com/cheats/dex/index.html http://geocities.com/Areas1/Shuttle/4921/psxsaves.html http://consolers.stomped.com/Console/codes/Dexdrive/dexfiles1.html

Nintendo 64: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Corridor/8554/N64Saves.html http://www.members.home.net/linkoo7/003.htm http://www.nintendozone.com/dexdrive3.html

Both:

http://www.mindspring.com/~magik1/

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/6625/start.html

TRICKS

The New Tetris

Cool Codes Turbo Mode

AHO

Select single-player mode, enter “2FAST4U” as a name, then highlight *OK" and press A. When the game begins, the blocks will eventually fall

very quickly.

Turbo CPU Mode

Select single-player mode, enter "AI2EZA4U?" as a name, then highlight “ОК” and press А. When the game begins, the CPU's blocks will fall very quick- ly, while your blocks will remain at normal speed.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? — FOR WHAT GAME?

3Xtreme (PS)

Music Kaleidoscope

Enter the audio options screen and set the song to “Haluci” and the music mode to “Choose.” Then select single-player mode, enter "HALUCI" as a name, then highlight “ОК” and press А. А

Name: BRAIN/Pin: 1111 (Brain)

Name: FORDEN/Pin: 1111 (Dan Forden)

Name: SKULL/Pin: 1111 (Skull)

Name: TURMEL/Pin: 0322

kaleidoscope will now appear in

place of the game. Please note

(Mark Turmell)

that the Nintendo 64 must be

reset to quit this mode.

NFL Blitz 2000

Tons of cool codes

Select the "Enter Name For Record Keeping" option and enter one of the following player names and PIN numbers.

TOP 5 EXTREME CODES, BRO

WHAT DOES IT 002

Hidden Tracks

Cheat Codes:

At the Versus Screen, press Turbo, Jump and Pass to change the icons below the helmets. The numbers in the following list indicate the number of times each button is pressed. After the icons have been changed, press the D-pad or Analog-stick in the

HOW 00 YOU DO IT? RATING

At the Main Menu, highlight *Memory Card" and press

Left or Right, then choose the "Codes" selection. Then, о enter any of the codes as shown for various results:

Enter "VOUYEUR" at the Codes Screen to unlock all the Exhibition tracks. Enter “TRIXXY” at the Codes Screen to unlock all the Freestyle tracks.

Big Air (PS)

All Courses

On the Main Menu Screen, quickly press Right, Left, Right, Left, Circle, Square, Circle, Square. Then select any Freeride Mode to get the new courses.

Cool Boarders 3 (PS)

ГІ Rushdown (PS)

Cheat Names

Unlock АЦ Tracks

Enter each cheat below as a name in Tournament Mode o to get the various results. WONITALL - Access to every

course OPEN EM - Access every boarder and board BIGHEADS - Get huge heads

On the Main Menu Screen press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Circle. This will unlock all the tracks in the Arcade Mode.

All Boards

On the Main Menu Screen, press Right(2), R1, R2, Left(2), о L1, L2. When you put in the code correctly, you'll hear "Yeah!"

268

indicated direction to enable the code. If you entered the code correctly, you will see the name ofthe code and hear a sound. For example, to enter 1-2-3 Left, press Turbo, Jump(2), Pass(3), Left. Note: More than one code may be activated per game.

Result Code Infinite turbo 5-1-4 Up Fast turbo running 0-3-2 Left Power-up offense 3-1-2 Up Power-up defense 4-2-1 Up

Power-up teammates 2-3-3 Up

Power-up blockers 3-1-2 Left Super blitzing 0-4-5 Up Super field goals 1-2-3 Left No interceptions 3-4-4 Up

No random fumbles 4-2-3 Down

No first downs 2-1-0 Up No punting 1-5-1Up Allow stepping out of bounds 2-1-1 Left Fast passes 2-5-0 Left Turn off stadium 5-0-0 Left Late hits 0-1-0 Up Show field goal% о-о-1 Down

Show punt hang meter

0-0-1 Right Use team plays 1-0-0 Up Hide receiver name 1-0-2 Right

Invisible 4-3-3 Up Big football 0-5-0 Right Big head 2-0-0 Right Huge head 0-4-0 Up No head 3-2-1 Left Headless team 1-2-3 Right Team tiny players 3-1-0 Right Team big heads 2-0-3 Right

No play selection (Teams Must Agree) 1-1-5 Left Show more field (Teams Must Agree) 0-2-1 Right No CPU assistance (Teams Must Agree) 0-1-2 Down Power-up speed (Teams Must Agree) 4-0-4 Left Hyper blitz (Teams Must Agree) 5-5-5 Up Smart CPU opponent 3-1-4 Down Tournament mode (2P Game) 1-1-1 Down Always quarterback (Requires two human teammates) 2-2-2 Left Always receiver (Requires two

i P. бе” сон м

Ina world of floating ES ents, ating around a li ving | puter core, he rophess has come.

OFTHE

An adventure of epic proportions. Coming this Fall to your PC. қ

жж

NX PIS

Meet Led,

Daughter of a

General,

forbidden from

% > battle, yet

driven by duty.

Whatever the consequences, sometimes a girl just

has to kick serious butt.

TRICKS

just left. This time though, you will be able to fight them and use the other Balls on them as well.

2. Pokémon (Red) (GB)

Find Codes Find more tricks for this game and send them in!

3. S.W. Episode 1: Racer (N64)

Podracer Codes

There is a special way you must enter these codes. First, you must choose a mode from the Title Screen/Main Menu. Then on the Select Player Screen, pick an Empty file, When asked to enter your initials, press and hold the Z button while scrolling through the letters with the analog stick. Next, choose each letter of the code with the L button. You will see the letters of the codes appear in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. After the entire code has been entered, press the L button on the word, "End." This will confirm the code. Use this method to enter the codes shown below:

RRJABBA - This code makes you invincible to damage and overheating. (Note: This code needs the Cheat Menu to be activated.)

RRTHEBEAST - This code activates Mirror Mode. Your left and right controls will be switched during the game. (Note: This code needs the Cheat Menu to be activated.)

Cheat Menu

To activate the RRJABBA and RRTHEBEAST codes, start a race and press Start to pause it. With the control pad, press Left, Down, Right, Up. A new option called Game Cheats will be available under the

cont. on pg. 27%

human teammates)

2-2-2 Right Old day stadium 5-0-1Up Day stadium 5-0-1 Down City stadium 5-0-1 Left Old night stadium 5-0-2 Up Night stadium 5-0-2 Down Future stadium 5-0-2 Left Old snow stadium 5-0-3 Up Snow stadium 5-0-3 Down Roman stadium 5-0-3 Left Grass field 3-0-0 Up Asphalt field 3-0-1 Up Dirt field 3-0-2 Up

Astroturf field 3-0-3 Up Snow field 3-0-4 Up Fog on 0-3-0 Down Thick fog on 0-4-1 Down Weather: clear 2-1-1 Left Weather: snow 5-2-5 Down Weather: rain 5-5-5 Right Night game 0-2-2 Right

Star Wars Episode 1: Racer

All Tracks and Racers

To get all pods and tracks, you must first have the “Debug Trick” code activated. (You need to go to an empty game file and push the A button. This will bring you to the screen where you would normally enter your initials. When in this screen hold down the Z button, while hold- ing it down use the L shoulder button and type in RRTANGENT. Now scroll over to the End option while still holding Zand press the L button once more. At this point nothing will hap- pen. Now, while still holding 2, press the B button to exit the screen and then push “A”

to bring you back into the Initials Screen.

1-900-PRE VIEW

have parents' permission

113 8439

The number to call for the latest cheats & gaming info

Now, while holding “2” and using “L” shoulder button, type in “ABACUS.” Scroll over to the “end” option and while holding “2,” push “L.” It should say “OK.” Now begin any saved game and start a race. While in the race, pause the game. While on the Pause Menu push “Left, Down, Right, Up.” The GAME CHEATS option should appear). After that code has been activated, go to the Main Menu on the Title Screen and press and hold L+R then press Right-C. It should say, in blue and white flashing letters, ALL

PODS AND ALL TRACKS UNLOCKED. The file with all pods and tracks will be at the bottom and will be named DBG. Go into that file and all the pods and tracks are available for use.

PLAYSTATION

Jade Cocoon: Story

Of Tamamayu Free Mugworts

Start a new game and go through the entire introduction sequence until you get to Koris in Beetle Forest. He will be wait- ing to train you. Talk to him, then go to attack and defend.

He will give you a free Mugwort to start with. Then you must dis-

210

obey his commands while in training. He will make you start over, but you will still have the

Mugwort. Repeat this process and he will keep giving you Mugworts. This way you can build up your Mugworts without effort!

Madden NFL 2000 Cheat Codes

Enter one of the following codes at the code entry screen to acti- vate the corresponding cheat function:

20 yard first downs: FIRSTIS20

Super stiff arm: SMACKDOWN

Super jump:

SPRONG

More injuries: PAINFUL

More sacks: QBINTHECLUB

More fumbles: ROLLERGIRL

Easier interceptions: PICKEDOFF

No interceptions: EXPRESSBALL

Less penalties: REFISBLIND

Big versus small players: MINIME

Camera follows football: VERTIGO

TRICKS

TOP 10 TRICKS (CONTINUED)

Pause Menu. Access this option and you can now turn on any of the available cheats.

4. Super Smash Bros. (N64)

Borrow a Life

Do this trick if you are defeat- ed in a multiplayer match. If your teammate still has one or more lives in stock, you can use one of his lives to get back in the action by pressing A«B«Z«*Start.

5. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (GB)

Five Extra Lives

Note: This trick works only on a new game. Select the Toy Box option at the Main Menu Screen, and then choose the "Fortune Teller" option. Keep choosing cards until you get the Extremely Lucky card. This will give you five lives. Return to the Main Menu and choose to play the original levels. Start a new game to begin with 10 lives instead of five.

6. Pokémon Pinball (GB) Animate Unevolved

Pokémon

If you want to animate the Pokémon you've caught, go to the Pokédex and highlight one of the regular, unevolved Pokémon. Now press and hold the Start button to see the character move!

1. Lunar: Silver Star Story (Ps) Lords of Lunar Mini-

Game

Insert the “Making Of Lunar" disc. Then when the video sequence of the making of game begins, press Up, Down, Left, Right, Triangle, Start. You will then be taken to a new Title Screen called, Lords Of Lunar! You and one

сот. on pg. 272

Antarctica stadium: XMASGIFT

Dodge City stadium: WILDWEST

EA Sports stadium: ITSINTHEGAME Tiburon stadium: WEPUTITTHERE Tiburon Bros. stadium: COTTONCANDY Industrials team: INTHEFUTURE Marshalls fantasy team:

EXHIBITION.

COWBOYS All-Madden team: TEAMMADDEN

АЦ 60s team: MOJOBABY

АЦ 705 team: LOVEBEADS

1972 Steelers team: DONTGOFOR2

1972 Raiders team: GETMEADOCTOR 1976 Raiders team: GAMMALIGHT

1976 Patriots team: HACKCHEESE

1981 Dolphins team: 15MOREMIN

1981 Chargers team: BUILDMONKEYS 1985 Dolphins team:

CHICKIN

1985 Bears team: DOORKNOB

1986 Browns team:

Cool GameShark Codes | |((

TRICKS

TOP 10 TRICKS (CONTINUED) other player can battle against Six computer players. You can choose your character for the

castle you defend, set up your options and more!

8. Superman (N64)

Mission Select

First begin a one-player game. Play until you get the option to save the game on the con- troller pack. Save the game, then reset. Select "Load Game" from the Main Menu, then choose the game that was saved. A prompt to insert a Rumble Pak will appear. Hold L + B for approximately one second, then press the A button. A mission selection Screen will appear that allows any mission to be played under the current difficulty setting. Note: The difficulty setting may be changed by entering the option screen from the Main Menu.

9. Syphon Filter (PS)

Cinema Code

When you begin the first level, go into the bar. When you get to the guy shooting at you from behind some crates, shoot him, then go into that room and out the window. On the right is the fence and the elevator, on the left is an alley. Go down the alley and you should be in a street with flaming squad- cars at the end. On the left side are three doors. Use the sniping mode to look up, and it should say THEATER above the right door. Go up to the door and pause the game. Keep MAP highlighted, then press and hold in this order: Right+L2+R1+X. Gabe should say "Got it" after you enter the code. When you press Start again, you should be in the theater, Enter either cur- tain and all the movies should appear. Press X to skip any of the movies and press Start to go back to the theater.

KAMEHAMEHA 1986 Broncos team: BLUESCREEN

1988 49ers team: CALLMESALLY

1988 Bengals team: PTMOMINFOGET 1990 Giants team: PROFSMOOTH

1990 Bills team: SPOON

1995 Steelers team: STEAMPUNK

1995 Colts team: PREDATORS

1997 Packers team: TUNDRA

1997 Broncos team: EARTHPEOPLE

NCAA Foothall 2000

Tons of Cheat Codes

tricksczd.com

We want your tricks! Plus, next month, we want to feature

Go to the Game Options Screen. Scroll down to access the Secret Code Entry Screen and input any of the following codes:

АЦ exhibition mode stadiums STADSGALORE

Maximum recruiting points STAFFUP

Super stats team UNSTOPPABLE

Receivers always catch the ball GIMMEDABALL

Defense always intercepts PIXGALORE

Defense always tackles BRICKWALL

Extra-long kicks

ICBM

Knock down referee for 1 point BADCALL

Faster daylight effects TIMEFLIES

View CPU plays

MINDREADER

View introduction sequence BIGSCREEN

View entire rankings CONTROVERSY

1946 Notre Dame

GOLDPAINT

1947 Army

INSIDENOUTSIDE

1957 Notre Dame

STREAKOVER

More GameShark Codes

212

1962 USC FIGHTFORTROY 1962 Wisconsin BUCKY

1965 UCLA REVENGE

1966 Notre Dame TAKETHETIE 1967 USC WHITEHORSE 1967 UCLA PRESSBOX

1968 USC NICERUN

1969 Arkansas WOOPIGSOOEY 1969 Texas TEXASFIGHT 1970 Ohio State BRUTUS

1971 Nebraska GAMEOFTHECENTURY 1971 Oklahoma SCHOONER

1973 Alabama PLAYTHEPASS 1974 USC

RALLY

1975 Arizona State DEJAVU

1976 Georgia HEDGES

1978 Alabama GOALLINESTAND

TRICKS

TOP 10 TRICKS [_ (CONTINUED) |

10. WWF Warzone (PS)

Play as the Trainer/Big Head Mode

On the Main Menu Screen, press L1, R1 (it may take a few tries to get it to work). This will take you to the basement, where hidden characters and modes are accessed after they are unlocked. Here are two of them to get you started: Wrestle as Training Mode wrestler:

Go to Training Mode and from the screen where you choose wrestlers, select “Custom” fol- lowed by “Trainer.”

Big Head Mode: Win the WWF title in Challenge Mode on the medium or hard difficulty level with British Bulldog.

Driver cont.

Enable Rear Wheel Cheat 80086484fffe 80086486 Е

Enable Stilts Cheat 800864f4fffe 800864f6ffff

Have All Flags 800c6c940064

Echo Night

Always In Best Condition 801a6b500005

Freeze Timer Воооѓосд

Infinite Curing Potion On Pickup 801bebe20005 Pedometer Reads 1 801a6b4cooo1

WWF Attitude P1 Infinite Energy Doo38Co41021 800EC2A40000 Doo38Co41021 800EC2A60000

1979 USC MVPRUN

1981 Clemson TOUCHTHEROCK 1982 Cal

THEPLAY

1982 Georgia SICEMDAWGS 1983 Nebraska GOFOR2

1984 Boston College MIRACLE

1985 Alabama BLOCKTHATKICK 1985 Auburn SMARTBACK

1986 Penn State LINEBACKERINT 1986 Miami FATIGUES

1987 Miami MONSTERD

1987 Oklahoma SLOWSTART

1988 Notre Dame LEPRECHAUN 1988 UCLA LBBRUINS

1988 West Virginia HURTQB

1989 Colorado MISSEDCHANCES 1989 Notre Dame LIFTOFF

1991 Miami SHUTOUT

1991 Michigan NICEPOSE

1991 Washington WILDDOGS

1992 Alabama REALMENPLAYZONE 1992 Miami TOOTALENTED 1993 Florida TOMAHAWK

1994 Miami RUNOUTSIDE 1994 Nebraska STEAMROLLER 1994 Oregon GREENGANG

1994 Penn State ALMOSTNO.1 1996 Florida PUTINLARRY

1996 Florida State GETTHEQB

1997 Washington

TURNOVER

1997 Nebraska CORNFED

1997 Michigan SPLITVOTE

1997 Tennessee SMOKEY

All Tiburon Team

LASERBEAMS АЦЕА Sports Team INTHEGAME

NFL GameDay 2000

Cheat Codes Enter the Options Screen and choose the "Easter Eggs" selection. Then, enter one of the following codes to activate the corresponding cheat function: Receivers catch better GLOVES Super speed bursts JUICE Super stiff arm PISTON No penalties for home team HOME COOKING Running back is juiced DAVIS Hidden difficulty level GD CHALLENGE Large players GOLIATH Tall and thin players

из

сш эт вз вов

ште

PENCILS Tiny players FLEA CIRCUS

213

NFL Xtreme 2

New Fields and Strange Players

Lunar Field:

Enter "LUNAR FIELD" as a name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the "Quick Start" option to begin a new game. Urban Field:

Enter “CITY SCAPE" as a name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the "Quick Start" option to begin a new game. Big Head Mode:

Enter "BIGHEAD BOBBY" as a name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the "Quick Start" option to begin a new game.

Flat Head mode:

Enter “COINHEAD COREY” as a name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the "Quick Start" option to begin a new game.

Long Neck Mode:

Enter "GEORGE GIRAFFE" as a name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the "Quick Start" option to begin a new game.

Long Arms:

Enter “МОМКЕҮ MICKEY" as a name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the "Quick Start" option to begin a new game.

Short Arms:

Enter "SHRIMPY SEAN” as а name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the "Quick Start" option to begin a new game.

Small Players:

Enter "TINY TOM" as a name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the “Quick Start” option to begin a new game.

TRICKS

GAME Bov

Paperboy (Color) Infinite Papers o10ad8do

Infinite Lives 01036ec3

Pitfall (Color) Infinite Lives 010518c6 Infinite Health 01561bc6

99 Gems 010919С6 01091ac6

R-Type DX Infinite Lives 0104eodo

XPLORER CODES

Ridge Racer Type 4 Unlock АЦ Cars Во1Ғооо2 0000 100F3AEo FFFF 800f396e ooFF

Turbo Boost

70F3BEA 0100 800AC288 оеду

Unlock Extra Trial 800F3B24 0001

Resident Evil Disk 1 Play as Hunk 880cc958000c Play as Tofu 880cc958000d Play as Ada 880cc958000e SuperCode

ANY num. of ANYTHING in any slot Code foo66170 0010 7006617c 0018 5006617с 0010 0080 023С 9076 4234 0800 4000 0000 0000 0000 9000 7690 0018 5000 7690 ооа1 1800 B2AF oC80 123C 1Coo ВҒАҒ 0400 03AC 0800 08AC 1000 04AC 1800 oAAC oCoo 0492 68CB 4336

Reversed Animations:

Enter "LAMEBOY LENNY" as a name at the Player Creation Screen. Then, select the “Quick Start” option to begin a new game.

Sled Storm

New Sled and Player Storm Sled

Enter the Options Screen, select

the load/save option, and dis-

IMPORTANT NOTE: standard GameShark/Action Replay codes can also be used with the Xplorer cheat cartridge!

0000 0890 8010 0400 0300 0011 FFFF 0825 0000 08Ao oFoo 0010 6C64 4896 2018 6200 oFoo 0831 2877 0234 2110 4800 0401 0434 0650 ОАо1 0100 4A31 0000 4480 2118 6A00 0000 6280 оАоо 0A34 2020 4400 0000 64Ао 0000 оААо 0400 038C 0800 088C 1000 048C 5843 5226 0680 023C 8C61 4234 0800 4000 1800 oA8C ooFF FFoo 0100 0000 01 00

Resident Evil 2 disk 2

4th Survivor Mode Menu 880C7AAC 0048

Tofu Survivor Menu 800C7AAC 0049

Infinite Health 880С7С42 ооС8

Fast Fire (all weapons) 780С6234 0048 800C7C38 000B

g Monthly - 214 -

play the Password Screen. Then, enter Circle, Triangle, Square, R2, R2, L1, X, Triangle as а pass- word to unlock the Storm Sled in single-race mode.

Play as Jackal

Enter the Options Screen, select the load/save option, and dis- play the Password Screen. Then, enter L2, L2, Circle, R2, Square, R1, L1, Triangle as a password.

Kensai Sacred Fist Infinite Health Player 1 800C4D70 0090 800СЕ25С ooCo

Extra Characters 80010588 FFFF 8001058A 0034

Enable Extra Mode $80010090 0007

Megaman 4X Infinite Energy 80141924 2020 Infinite Lives 80172204 0002 Infinite Lightning Web 80141970 3030

Max Weapons 3014196E 0404

Uprising X

All Weapons & Ammo 801907F6 0063 801907F8 0063 801907FA 0063 801907FC 0063 801907FE 0063

WCW/NWO Thunder

Infinite Health Player 1 801FB6B4 03E8

Infinite Time Out of Ring 80093F2E 2400 168

videoga

Sports баг GT

Multiple Codes Extra Money

At the “Press Start” Screen, press Up, Left(2), Right, Down, Right, L1, Square.

All Cars Available

At the “Press Start” Screen, press Up, Right, Left, Right, Down, Up, L1, R2.

All Tracks Open

CEA

At the “Press Start” Screen, press Down(2), Left, Right, Up, Left, Circle, R2.

GAME BOY COLOR

Tarzan

Level Passwords

3-1: Vertical Lines, Vertical Lines, Maze, Swirl.

471: X, Moon, Up/Down Arrows, Cross.

5-1: Up/Down Arrows, Up/Down Arrows, Moon, Vertical Lines. 6-1: Swirl, Maze, Cross, Up/Down Arrows.

tation THE ONLY MAGAZINE

WITH A EACH ISSUE!

Grandia, Cool Boarders 3 (Greatest Hits), Crash Bandicoot: WARPED (Greatest Hits), 40 Winks, NFL Blitz 2000, Killer Loop, Legacy of Kain: Soul

Reaver, Super Cross Circuit, Demolition Racer, Fear Effect, G-Police: Weapons of Justice

PLAYSTATION

Tme Release Price Тт Release Рик Тт RELEASE РАС тт Release Price Асе Combat 3 09/99 $46.99 Legacy Kain Soul Reavr 08/99 $4299 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing 11/99 $46.99 Test Drive Cycles 10/99 $42.99 Alien Resurrection 01/00 $44.99 Reel Fishing 2 11/99 $44.99 Test Drive Off Road 3 10/99 $42.99 Arcade's Great 12 10/99 $44.99 Lunar Silver Star Story 06/99 $53.99 Thousand Arms 08/99 $48.99 Army Men:Sarge's Heroes 10/99 $42.99 Macross VFX 08/99 $42.99 Road Rash Unchained 11/99 $42.99 — Thrasher:Skate & Destroy 11/99 $44.99

Madden Football 2000 08/99 $4299 Roller Ball 10/98 $44.99 Тірег Woods 2000 09/99 $44.99 CTR:Crash Team Racing 10/99 $42.99 March Madness 2000 12/99 54499 Rugrats Studio Tour 09/99 $44.99 Tiny Tank Up Yr Arsenal 09/99 $44.99 Chocobo Racing 08/99 $42.99 Medal of Honor 11/99 54499 Saboteur 11/99 $44.99 ТТ Tricks n Treasures 11/99 $44.99 Clock Tower 2 10/99 539.99 Scrabble 10/99 $42.99 Cool Boarders 4 11/09 $42.99 Monster Rancher 2 09/99 $42.99 Shadow Madness 06/99 $49.99 — Tomba!2 08/99 $39.99 Crusaders Might Magic 10/99 $44.99 — Mort.Kombat Spec Forces 11/99 $48.99 Shadow Man 08/99 $46.99 Tomorrow Never Dies 11/99 $44.99 Darkstone 10/99 $52.99 NASCAR 2000 09/99 $44.99 Shanghai True Valor 08/99 $42.99 Топу Hawk's Pro Skater 09/99 $42.99 Die Hard Trilogy 2 11/99 $42.99 МВА In Zone 2000 11/99 $44.99 Shao Lin 08/99 $44.99 Тоопепвігіп 07/99 541.99 Dino Crisis 09/99 $48.99 МВА Live 2000 10/99 $4299 Sledstorm 08/99 $39.99 Trickn Snowboarding 10/99 $42.99 FIFA Soccer 2000 10/99 $44.99 МВА Showtime NBA/NBC 11/99 $44.99 Triple Play 2000 03/99 $42.99 NCAA Final Four 2000 11/99 $42.99 South Park Rally 10/99 $44.99 Twisted Metal 4 11/99 $42.99 Fear Factor 11/99 $46.99 МСАА Football 2000 07/99 $44.99 Space Invaders 09/99 $39.99 Ultimate 8 Ball 06/99 $39.99 Fighter Maker 06/99 542.99 NCAA Game Breaker 2000 08/99 $42.99 Speed Tribes 08/99 $44.99 Unjammer Lammy 08/99 $44.99 Final Fantasy 8 08/99 $52.99 NFL Blitz 2000 08/99 $44.99 Spiderman 09/99 $44.99 Urban Chaos 10/99 $42.99 NFL Game Day 2000 08/99 $42.99 Spyro the Dragon 2 08/99 $42.99 Vandal Hearts 2 01/00 $44.99 Frogger 2 11/99 $42.99 NHL Face ОН 2000 10/99 $42.99 Star Ocean Second Story 06/99 $42.99 Vapor TRX 10/99 $46.99 G Police 2 09/99 542.99 NHL Hockey 2000 09/99 $44.99 Star Wars Phantm Mence 09/99 $46.99 Vegas Games 2000 09/99 $36.99 Game Shark Pro 04/99 $42.99 Need Speed 5 Motor City 10/99 $44.99 Streetfighter Alpha 3 05/99 $38.99 Gran Turismo 2 10/99 $44.99 Отеда Boost 09/99 $44.99 WWF Attitude 08/99 $44.99 Grand Theft Auto 2 10/99 $42.99 PSX Dex Drive 02/99 $36.99 Supercross 2000 10/99 $44.99 War:Final Assault 09/99 $46.99 Grandia 12/99 $44.99 PSX Dual Shock Asstd Colr05/98 $29.99 ТМТ The Next Tetris 06/99 $42.99 Warzone 2100 06/99 $42.99 Hot Wheels 08/99 $42.99 PSX Memory Card 09/95 $1499 Та! Concerto 09/99 $42.99 Wipeout 3 08/99 $44.99 Indy Jones/infrni Mach 09/99 $46.99 Tenchu 2 10/99 $44.99 X-Files 10/99 $40.99 Intellivision Classics. 08/99 $29.99 Рас Man 30 World 10/99 $44.99 Test Drive 6 08/99 $42.99 Xena Warrior Princess 09/99 $42.99 Jet Moto 3 08/99 $39.99 Panzer General Assault 11/99 $42.99 | Juggernaut 11/89 $4409 Quake? 09/9 $44.99 DREAMCAST | GAMEBOY COLOR R Type Delta 08/99 $39.99 Air Force Delta 09/99 $49.99 Blades of Stee! 2000 11/99 $28.99 Knockout Kings 2000 11/99 $42.99 RayMan 2 10/99 $46.99 Blue Stinger 09/99 $46.99 Bugs Bunny 4 09/99 $28.99 NINTENDO 64 | Carrier 09/99 $49.99 FIFA Soccer 2000 09/99 $29.99 Castlevania Resurrectn 11/99 $49.99 — Game & Watch Gallery 3 12/99 $28.99 Asteroids Hyper 64 09/99 $59.99 Dreamcast Controller 09/99 $29.99 Battle Tanx 2 10/99 $54.99 NASCAR 2000 09/99 $54.99 Ken Griffey Jr BB 2 06/99 $28.99 Blades of Steel 2000 11/89 556,99 МВА Courtside 2:30n3 11/99 $54.99 Dreamcast Visual Memory09/99 $29.99 Legend Zelda Link Awake 01/99 $28.99 Carmageddon 64 10/99 $54.99 МВА In Zone 2000 11/99 $56.99 Link Cable Purple 06/99 $7.99 Castlevania Spec. Ed. 10/99 $59.99 NFL QB Club 2000 08/99 $64.99 Hydro Thunder 09/99 $49.99 Ms. PacMan 09/99 $28.99 Command & Conquer 07/99 $54.99 Paper Boy 64 09/99 $62.99 Mad Catz Dream Blaster 09/99 $24.99 NBA Courtside 3-on-3 12/99 $28.99 CyberTiger Golf 11/99 $54.99 Mortal Kombat Gold 09/99 $49.99 RayMan 2 10/99 $62.99 МВА Showtime NBA/NBC 11/99 $48.99 Revelation Demon Slayer 08/99 $36.99

Duke Nukem Zero Hour 08/99 $54.99 Resident Evil 64 10/99 $64.99 NFL Blitz 2000 09/99 $49.99 SF Alpha Warriors Dream 08/99 $28.99 Gauntlet Legends 09/99 $59.99 Road Rash 64 09/99 $62.99 Power Stone 09/99 $49.99 Wicked Surfing 10/99 $28.99 Goemon's Great Adv. 08/99 $54.99 South Park Rally 10/99 $59.99 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing 09/99 $48.99 Hot Wheels. 09/99 $54.99 Space Invaders 11/99 $52.99 Resident Evil Code Veron 01/00 $49.99 BOARD GAMES

Star Wars Racer 05/99 $62.99 Sega Rally Champion 09/99 $46.99 Axis & Allies 11/94 549.99

Ken Griffey Jr 882 05/99 $54.99 Starcraft 09/99 $54.99 Sega Sports NBA 2K 08/99 $49.99 Battletech 4th Ed. 12/94 $21.99 Knockout Kings 2000 11/99 $54.99 Tetris 64 08/99 $54.99 Sega Sports NFL 2K 09/99 $49.99 Castle of Magic 05/99 $24.99 LEGO Racing 10/99 $56.99 Tonic Trouble 08/99 $59.90 Crimson Skies 01/99 $29.99 Legend of Zelda 11/98 $39.99 Sou! Calibur 09/99 $48.99 Deluxe Diplomacy 12/94 $49.99 Mario Golf 64 08/99 $54.99 Vigilante 8 2 Offense 11/89 $54.99 Speed Devils 09/99 $46.99 Monopoly 11/09 $54.99 Virtual Chess 64 06/98 $52.99 Test Drive 6 09/99 $49.99 Lionheart 10/97 $35.99

WCW Mayhem 09/99 $54.99 Tokyo Extreme Racer 09/99 $49.99 Lost Cities 06/99 $17.99 N64 Controller Asstd. Coir 10/96 $26.99 War:Final Assault 08/99 $64.99 Trickstyle Skatebrd 09/99 $49.99 N64 Expansion Pak 12/98 529,99 — WinBack 08/99 $64.99 Virtua Fighter 3 09/99 $49.99 Quests of Round Table 02/99 $19.99 N64 Rumble Pak 09/97 $19.99 Worms Armageddon 11/99 $56.99 Wild Metal Country 11/99 $48.99 — Risk 03/96 534.98 COMPUTER GAMES & HARDWARE incl bebe Robo Rally 01/96 $36.99 Action Samurai Swords 04/97 $46.99 Descent 4 03/00 $45.99 Prince of Persia 3D 09/99 539.99 Saitek P2000 Tilt Pad 07/99 $44.99 Settlers of Catan 11/96 $32.99 Doom 2 W95 06/96 $9.99 Zero Critical 05/99 $19.99 Saitek PC Dash 04/98 $49.99 Ultimate Stratego 08/90 $25.99 Огакап 08/99 $39.99 Zork: Grnd Inquisitor 10/97 $29.09 Saitek R100 Racing Whi 07/99 $49.99 Duality 08/99 $46.99 — ZorkNemesis 04/96 $19.99 Saitek R4 Fre Fdbk WI 11/98 $169.99 HINT BOOKS ] Duke 30 Lifes Beach 02/98 $19.99 Arcade Saitek R4 Racing Whi 12/98 $92.99 Army Men Sarge Heroes 11/99 $10.99 Duke 3D Nuclear Wnter 03/98 $15.99 Asteroids 11/98 $19.99 Saitek 5Р550 Stk 8 Pd 09/99 $29.99 Вие Stinger OSG 0999 $1199 Duke Nukem 30 05/96 $19.99 Atari Arcade Hits 09/99 $28.99 Saitek 57110 Dynmc Stk 07/99 $19.99 Castlevanai Spec. Edtn 09/99 $17.99 Half Life 11/98 $29.99 Atari Arcade Hits 2 12/99 $29.99 Saitek USB Hub 10/99 $39.99 ClockTower2 Off Srv Gde10/99 $11.99 Heavy Gear 2 06/99 $39.99 Atari Arcade Hits 3 03/00 $29.99 Saitek X-35T System 05/98 $49.99 Dino Crisis 050 09/99 511.99 Hexen 2 09/97 $26.99 Attack of the Saucermen 07/99 $18.99 Saitek X-36 Cont Sys 05/98 $107.99 Donkey Kong 64 11/99 $12.99 Hexen 2 Hexmaker 02/98 $29.99 Balls of Steel W95 01/98 $29.99 Saitek X-36F Joystick 04/98 $69.99 Interstate 82 11/99 $39.99 Beavs 8 Btthd Ве п1 01/99 $19.99 Saitek X6-33M Pad 11/98 $27.99 Final Fantasy Anth OSG 10/99 $12.99 Jazz Jackrabbit 2 09/98 $26.99 Bomberman 07/97 $12.99 Sound Blaster LIVE! Value 10/98 $99.99 Jet Force Gemini 09/99 $10.99 Kingpin: Life Crime. 07/99 $39.99 Mortal Kombat 4 07/98 $24.99 ТМ Nascar Racng Wh| 12/97 $89.99 Legacy Kain Soul Reaver 08/99 $10.99 Starsiege Tribes 2 02/00 $45.99 Racer 05/99 $44.99 Interact V4 F Fdbk Whi 02/99 $129.99 Legend of Zelda 64 12/98 $12.99 Thief 2: The Metal Age 03/00 $34.99 Rayman 2 11/99 $26.99 Мад Catz Panther 01/98 $29.99 — Perfect Dark 12/99 $10.99 Hardware Май Catz Panther DX 06/99 $48.99 Tomb Raider Gold 03/98 $14.99 3Dfx Voodoo3 3500 09/99 $249.99 Saitek R4 Fre Fdbk WI 11/98 $169.99 — Resident Evil 3 11/99 $12.99 Unreal Tournament 09/99 $48.99 Diamond Monster M80 03/98 $49.99 Saitek R4 Racing Wh! 12/98 $92.99 Sonic Adventure OSG 09/99 $11.99 Wrhmmr 40k Agents О 12/99 $42.99 Отпа Vpr V770 МІ AGP 06/99 $229.99 Saitek 5Р550 Stk & Pd 09/99 529.99 Star Ocean: Second Stry 07/99 511.99 Adventure. Interact V4 Р Fdbk Wh! 02/99 $129.99 Saitek 57110 Dynmc Stk 07/99 $19.99 Suikoden 2 09/99 $12.99 7th Guest 09/97 $14.99 Май Catz Panther 01/98 $29.99 ТМ Nascar Racng Whi 12/97 $89.99 Tomorrow Never Dies 10/99 $10.99 Azraels Tear 10/06 $9.99 Mad Catz Panther DX 06/99 54899 ТМ Мәс FroGTRcgWhi 12/98 $149.99 Badlands 09/99 $48.99 Mad Catz Panther XL 01/98 $55.99 ТМ Nscr Pro Dig Rcg Whi 12/99 $89.99 WCW Mayhem 09/99 $10.99

sa,

Discover accepted. Checks held 4 weeks. Money Orders under $200 same as cash. COD 58. Price, release, avallability, shipping times

& offer not guaranteed & are subject to change at any time. Hardware may require added S&H. Within 10 days defectives repaired or replaced at our discretion. After 10 days the manufacturer's warrantee applies. All sales final. S&H calculated on a per order, per shipment, and per item basis.

The "рег order" charge is charged once per order placed, the "per item" charge

P Dp n Standard Priority Express Express Mall To Ми т els is charged once for each item ordered and the ‘рег shipment’ charge is Û Mal US Mal Canada Тһе World charged once for each shipment we make to you. For each US order $10 00 он Ша Qus 25 дю Че Duda ШИШ ЖЛ Single will be allocated to а 12 issue subscription to Computer Games Strategy Plus. |рег shipment 925 3120 3500 $1300 $200 3200 d pet Call for details. Per item. $075 — $100 — $100 — $200 200 — $600 | N64 As a

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Sous (Hardware) elease: NOW Dreamcast

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or WEASEL]

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The Search Engine for Cheats

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

= < OR ON

В.А.р. Stuff And More From Toymax A

Some of you might remember R.A.D. from awhile back. Well, now is avail- able from Toymax. He has a new look, and can use special —like the Space Gun and Target Set (sold sepa- rately). Another sweet-looking addition to > the Тоутах RC robot line is . This little dino roars and actually walks around. The best part is when you make him shoot foam darts out of his mouth! Pet cats beware. " Price: R.A.D. 2.0 $100, R.A.D. Gear $30, b Ripjaw $60 b www.toymax.com

Want to see a larger-than- life Ripjaw? This towering beast can be seen at wrestling events, Monster Truck Rallies and other such places. Wherever it is, this giant metal dino of destruction is definitely the epitome of excess testos- terone. It picks up stuff and burns it to a crisp! Yes! WWW.robosaurus.com

Power Тіп Е

Don't forget about the most crucial part of the RC equation: Power. Most radio-controlled cars, planes and robots require some sort of power pack or bat- teries. If you go the power pack route, chances are you'll need a charger of some sort. As far as batter- ies go, AAs are the popular type. Lastly, don't for get a 9-volt battery for the controller. Note: Some vehicles run on gas instead of electricity. Prices range anywhere from $20-50 for all of this stuff.

The Coolest Blocks In The World

In today's technology-driven world, it's not enough to simply build stuff with regular old Lego blocks! That's why Lego has all kinds of cool motorized and robotic sets. The

lets you create any kind of robot you want, and then program various functions for it via your PC. The lets you do some of the same stuff, except with more of a Star Wars theme (who hasn't wanted an R2-unit of their very own?). Lego's gives you a base with the motor and such and a bunch of blocks. It's up to you to build whatever kind of vehicle you want, and then take it for a drive. And with all Lego sets, the point of it is to use your creativity and build whatever comes to mind. Price: Discovery Set $150, Droid Set $100, RC Racer $80 www.lego.com www.legomindstorms.com

Real-life Podracing

2-2 / At some point in the future, we all 5 |

may very well be flying around іп jet-

GET SOME powered vehicles like the one shown here thanks to the Moller 6 Corporation. The M150 and Мдоо prototype skycars are М œ capable of flying around at 350+ mph at 15 miles рег gal- ^^\

lon— no traffic, no red lights! So instead of relying on Pi the movies or some radio-controlled vehicles 4 for this stuff, we'll actually be driving around in them.

www.moller.com

Sick of your RC cars flipping over while going over rough terrain? Then look no further than a couple of new offerings from Mattel: The

and the . The Rebound can make it over whatever it encoun- ters thanks to its fat tires, while the Wild Sting can go nearly anywhere because of its segment- ed body and eight powered tires. Both cars can do crazy stunts as well. Price: Around $60 each (batteries not included) www.mattel.com

Neato Вб Vehicles From Nikko

Monstrous trucks with lots of big,

knobby tires will never stop being | е cool. Take the

from Nikko for instance. This speedy off-road RC eats rough trails for breakfast! On the more placid side of things, Nikko offers the radio- controlled sail boat. Like a real sail boat, the speed of this vehicle actu- ally depends on the direction and velocity of the wind. It's made for pool, ponds and small lakes. Price: Around $60 each www.etoys.com

Oh The Humanity!

OK, so this big silver thing is supposed to be a UFO and not a blimp. The speedy FX Turbo Flying UFO from Softech features an RC-controlled high-speed fan attached to an extremely light helium-filled balloon. The fun comes in mastering the control! Please note: Supply of this product was low at press time, so if you order one you may experience a slight delay in shipment. Price: Around $60

www.softechusa.com

Land Speedin’ And Sky Jumpin’

Cox has dozens of RC vehicles available, but a couple of them jumped out at us—no pun intended. The Sky Jumper is a radio-controlled scale model of the Huey UH-1D. Worried about it crashing? When the helicopter runs out of fuel, it safely descends to the ground thanks to auto-rotation. Cooler still, the copter’s pilot pops out on the way down, para- chute and all. The Land Speeder is...well, a gas-powered RC Land Speeder. Both sets require a Cox 405 Starting Kit and Super Fuel, neither of which are included.

Price: Landspeeder $70, Sky Jumper $50, Starter Kit $14, Fuel $8 www.etoys.com

Robot Balls Are Fun And Educational

Want to build more robotic-type stuff? Then consider another robo-kit: The Cyclone from OWI Incorporated. Part of ОМІ” MOVIT series, the complex Cyclone is an RC ball that you actually build yourself from the ground up, and then race around. It turns, swivels, rolls and more. Many have marveled, “How does it move?”

Price: Around $75

www.owi-inc.com

FINAL WORD

Jim Cordano

Chris Johnston

Crispin Boyer

John Davison

Dan "Shoe" Hsu

Jim: | can't name any other Game Boy game | would devote 60+ hours to (maybe Zelda) and still want more. People bash it because of the kiddie look of the characters, and then there's the mandatory backlash against anything popular, but I dig it, and can't wait for Gold and Silver. My daughter likes to play too (with a little help—she is 2 after all). Shawn: | thought Pokémon was pretty stupid at first. | figured it was going to be another one of those lame-ass Tamagotchi type of things. More recently,

jim cordanoGzd.com shawn smithGzd.com chris johnstonGzd.com Crispin boyerGzd.com John_davison@zd.com dan hsuGzd.com

Che chouGzd.com

things up for you?

Crispin: Hell, sometimes | lose track of time in there. My business on the john will be long finished, but I'll be in the middle of battling a Pokétrainer or trying to catch a rare Pokémon, and then when | finally do get around to standing up,

my legs will be asleep, and l'Il have to call the fire department to pull me off the commode. It's kinda like that part in Lethal Weapon 2 when the toilet blew up, except nothing like it.

John: | can appreciate the game...but |

“пу legs will һе asleep and ГИ have to call the fire department to pull me off the commode.”

after playing a couple of the games and watching the show a bit, | can see why it's so popular—although | can't say I’m hooked. It's a pretty interesting universe, with loads of different Pokémon. Quite imaginative. And most of them are so damned cute it's sickening.

Chris: It's got so much more to offer than a Tamagotchi. It plays off a natural instinct to capture and train animals to do your bidding. Part of the fun is that you amass your own team of monsters and your monsters can be different from anyone else's. Had Nintendo not started as serious a marketing campaign as it did, or if there wasn't as much merchandise, movies or hype, it would still be a good game. The fact that all these peripheral things support the game makes it that much more a phenomenon.

Crispin: Anyone who stays away from Pokémon because it looks too kiddie is making a mistake. The guys who created Pokémon took, like, six years to finish the thing. The game is so well thought-out.

It never gets overly complex or dull like Monster Rancher or some of those similar games that get old pretty quick. Yeah, those fat-baby pocket monsters are too cute for their own good, but it's a Nintendo game, so whadya expect?

Kids love this game. Adults'll like it if they give it a chance. Heck, even girls like it. Something like 3o percent of the gamers who play it are female. How many girls you see playing Duke Nukem? Best thing, though, is that since Pokémon's on the Game Boy you can play it on the crapper. John: Do you not find that the battles Sometimes get too tense to play while

on the crapper? Or does it help loosen

have a bit of a problem with the TV series. Makes me feel like I'm getting old or something coz it just seems too freaky. Are all kids on crack these days? Or do | just not get it? CJ seems to dig it though. Chris: The TV series is definitely not for everyone. | enjoy it mainly because I'm already an anime fan, and | dig the fact that it’s a continuing story not segmented into a 30-minute stand-alone chunk. The main characters use monsters they’ve collected in previous episodes, etc. If | were still in grade school, I'd be gettin’ up every morning to watch this stuff (not that | don't anyway). I’m just waiting for the breakfast cereal to come around, and you know it will...Frosted Pokéballs!

Shoe: All | һауе to say is, what the hell is wrong with today's youth to get so obsessed over these glassy-eyed little Japanese freaks?

Chris: See, it seems like that on the surface, but would it be any different if there was this amount of merchandising ona different вате — say, Zelda? If it's not your thing, then shut the HELL UP, Shoe! Or I'll stick my freakin’ Charizard

on your arse.

Che: My Pokémon experience was gained mainly through osmosis from Mark MacDonald (editor for sister magazine ОРМ). On the plane to Ез, | began playing Pokémon Red but it just didn't do it for me. Still, | see that it's definitely a cool franchise with endless marketing possibilities, cool characters and it's appealing to everybody...from Jim Bob to fanboy. Nintendo could win me over with just one move: They need to make Mankey a major character in the Pocket Monster universe.

282

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Decemher 1999

Donkey Kong 64 — Nintendo and

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* Fear Factor

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