company ZIFE DAVIS. REVIEWS, 97 PREVIEWS, OVER TRICKS ° DONKEY oy ~ K€ DNA 54 December 1999 54.99/56.50 Canada 0°"14024"06960 | SS жо) THE WORLD'S #1 Ф. Lo ыы өтке Follow the light ..ta a New Cast of Characters | „жапаа зз 27 z^ - 1 ^ rra J — LA REVELATION Enter their world at eidos.com " | Enter their world at eidos.com = = РГЕ 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 trademarks of Core Design Limited. Fear Effect is a trademark of Eidos Interactive. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a trademark of Crystal Dynamics, Inc. © 1999 Eidos Interactive. 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. Titles in this advertisement are rated Teen through Mature by the ESRB. х SOLVING COMPLE MURDER * SECONDS... FIGHTING. LIKE THE HEROIC NI Metal Gear Solid® and Konami are registered trademarks of Konami Co., Ltd. Metal Gear Solid VR Missions is a trademark of опат Со: Ltd. PlayStation and the PlayStation logòs PlayStation => are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment (ас: The ratings icon is a trademárk of the Interactive Digital Software Association. ©1989 Konami ot America, Inc. Al rights ¥esejved: THE ONLY ALLIES ARE ENEMIES ann ы и i \ Ё RS қ 4 Š * " = ) % = | 3 ~ 5 . 3 Unique ALIEN SPECIES Whether you command the , ad nomadic Terrans, mysterious T [ ARCRATT y. аў ,e8 "%- Protoss, or voracious Zerg, you must devise totally unique EJ ENTERTAINMENT i specialized units, abilities . .. ж . . T [sur] strategies to master the ©1999 Nintendo/Blizzard Entertainment. Starcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks of Davidson & Associates, Inc. ™, @ and the “N” Logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc. ©1999 Nintendo. - and technologies ofeach. . Exclusive NEH FEATURES Customized for the Nintendo 64 with 2-player, split-screen action, rumble pak support, and exclusive maps not found anywhere else. Міл тте THEATERS OF BATTLE Engage in a deadly mix of space combat, planetary assault and covert base infiltration. Command Ghost Espionage Agents, Protoss * High Templars, and Zerg Defilers as you seek to conquer the galaxy. i "2 d = 3517 PL ТІ 2 Games іп 1 - includes Starcraft and Brood War missions, using N64 Expansion Pak” F — mem 5: dues c l| @sennne a носа " E Quos фе” TENE) 2 шілер 73 Exclusive Two-Player Modes, using N64 Expansion Pak | ‚©. Units stiteteo: 18 Over 100 hours of expifsive game play TEEN ANIMATED VIOLENCE MILD LANG www.wwi.com www.thg.com www.jakkspacific.com World Wrestling Federation” 3 THO, ©1999 World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. THQ is a trademark of THO Inc. © 1999 THO/JAKKS Pacific LLC. Nintendo, Nintendo 64, “М” Logo and Game Boy Color are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. © 1996 Nintendo of America Inc. All rights reserved. By John Davison • john_davison@zd.com ELECTRONIC Number 12.12 GAMING pecemher 1999 Www.videogames.com | EDITORIAL Group Publisher | Editorial Director || . Funk • joe_funk@zd.com Editor In Chief John Davison * john_davison@zd.com Managing Editor Dean agere dean_hager@zd.com Features Edi! Crispin Boyer • crispin_boyer@zd.com Previews Editor Dan Hsu * dan_hsu@zd.com Consumer Hardware Editor Shawn Smith е shawn_smith@zd.com Reviews Editor Che Chou * che chouGzd.com Ninja from the 69th Dimension | Sushi-X sushi_x@zd.com Contributions to this month's EGM were made by: Gary Mollohan • Andrew Pfister • john Ricca ohn, ricciardi@zd.com * [odd Zuniga • tod 0 азба СӨЛІ» d Sam Kennedy e sam@videogames.c The DVDs of Raising Arizona and fl Metal Jacket News Editor... Thank God For Chris ‘CJ’ Johnston * chris. johnstonQzd. com Tricks Editor Terry te * tricks@zd.com West Coast Editoi Wataru FERRETUR * wat maruyamaGzd.com Space Man Michael Stassus • mstassus@zd.com Big Hair Hairy M Monkeys for $70 intendo has big plans for Donkey Kong 64. Clearly hoping to repeat the magic that Rare's Donkey Kong Country performed for the SNES, it comes at a vitally important time for the N64. Is it really the game that will save Christmas for Nintendo? |5 everyone going to swallow that hefty $70 price have no doubts that it's a wonderful game with hours and hours of gameplay...but couple the lack of innovation with that huge price tag, and | think it could cause something of a backlash. Still, come Thanksgiving, I’m sure we'll all be reading reports of how it's the fastest-selling game ever. When (or if) you buy it...make sure I franr i апо ШШ tag? Are people going to be pissed that you сап only buy it bundled with an Expansion Pak, even if you’ve already got one? Is it going to be a good game...or is it a repackaged Banjo-Kazooie wannabe designed to cash in on an age-old franchise? We take a long hard look at what many think will be the biggest game since Zelda, and the game that’s replaced Perfect Dark as the ‘biggie’ for Nintendo this Christmas. Personally, | was a little bit disappointed with it. How many frickin’ cuddly character-based 3D adventure games do we actually need on the N64? Mario was amazing, Banjo was cool, but at first glance DK64 doesn’t raise the bar to anywhere near the degree that these two did. | Contributing Writers Todd Zuniga You may have seen Todd before as part of Team EGM, or at his ‘other job’ as an editor on Expert Gamer (Ricciardi’s his you send us a review to review_crew@zd.com. This is your magazine...we want to know what you think. Б John Davison | Inthe run up to Christmas, we want youto | | send us tips and any amusing features that | | you find in this season's ‘Big Games’. | | Whether it's a bug with a strange effect, | | something hidden deep withinalevel,ora | | special way of completing a task that only | | you know about...tell us. Mark them ‘TIPS’ | | and send them to EGM@zd.com Senior Art Director Cyril Wochok • cyril wochokGzd.com Art Director Andrew Burwell • andrew burwellGzd.com Associate Art Director Jim Cordano • jim_cordano@zd.com TOKYO BUREAU Mixx Entertainment. Stuart Levy, CEO & Bureau Chief Matthew Galgani, Producer Kiyomi Fukuyama, Editorial Manager Yutaka Ohbuchi, Japanese Correspondent Managing Copy Editor jean fer Whitesides су Editor an Peluso | Production Director Carlos Lugo Production Manager Dennis Fitzgerald Prepress Manager Dave McCracken E Electronic Prepress Technician Chris Melody Project Leader Mark LeFebvre e mark. lefebvreGzd.com Anal Scott Parus Vice President/ZD Game Group Dale Strani Business Director Cathy Bendoff Corporate Counsel 'obert Kabat Circulation Director Joan Mcinerney Circulation Director Shirley Viel Senior Newsstand Sales Manager Don Galen ЈОН EVRU MBER: 0: i930 (| EY BSC HIG Service Web Site: http://service.egmmag.com boss). Previously he worked on staff at Playboy, so it has to be said that he has some interesting contacts. We like ing Inquiries Contact: 10 Beale, 12th Floor, San Prisco! CA 94105 felephone: 4154 547: 8000 Fax: 415-547:8777 е Publisher John Ricciardi Believe us, John doesn’t look as evil in ‘real life’ as he does in the picture above. Previously the able-bodied Reviews Editor of EGM, John now resides as Captain Supremo of our fab tricks and strategy sister publication, Expert Gamer. He likes to keep his hand in reviews and previews though. interest you. If you do not with to receive suci Weeks before receiving your of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced int this publication, obtain а permission request form at www icopyri and the characters contained therein ate owned by the respective The Canadian GST Registration number is 140496720 RT. Printed in the USA. eval syste or have a form f lemark and copyright owners. Todd. For obvious reasons. as for any subscription changes to take place on any existing subs ite | in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, to you by calling (425)430-1663. No longer an intern, we’ve set Andrew loose...back into the wild where he’s returned to school or something. We told him he'd amount to nothing with or without a degree, but he went anyway. Oh well. Fortunately he wasn't too offended and is now one of our ‘regular’ contributors. magazine. POSTMASTER: Send addres anges to label when w lisher are 1999 ZD Inc. All Rights Reserved, Ej 2 ogames.com ide ERAT zie Reider Tel: 415-357-4915 e-mail: suzie@zd.com Account Executive Linda Philapil Tel: 435; тар, 8781 e-mail: linda_philapil@zd.com National Sa les Manager, Northwest PIU. eorge Dist күз (апае, Southwest Karen Land Tel: District Sales Teres a ета Senior Ма! | at Sharma Tel: 415-357-4935 е-тігі: sat_sharma@zd.com | Advertisin Teresa | Founder . Steve Harris Class Postage Paid at Lombard, IL and additional mailing offices. Single issu ctronic Gaming W | || | | | | | | | | | | доке | Ziff-Davis | l | | | | | l | | | | | | 5459. , or otherwise), without the the prior written notice of ZD Inc. To reuse any materia in ronic Gaming Monthly and ЕСМ are trademarks of ZD Inc. TM and © for all other pr All materials listed in this magazine are subject to manufacturers’ change and the publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. j. P.O. Box 55722, Boulder, lists of our customers available to mailers of goods and services that may valuable information about your subscription that wil help us. Please allow 6-8 terials. Without limiting the rights under copyrights reserved herein, no part 60-9! 26277 e-mail: karen_landon@zd.com lanager, Midwest & East Coast allison 0-382- 2074 Fax: 630-382-9010 marc_callison@zd.com rketing Manager Production Coordinator lewson The one year (12 issue) subscription 80322-5722. For its Aust Burma f Orcas | | | | ideo Game Group | | | | | | 7-8774 e-mail: anthony_george@zd.com | ALL YOUR FAVORITE SOUTH PARK CHARACTERS FLU | ARE WAITING FOR YOU AT COMEDY CENTRALS SOUTH PARK: CHEF'S LUV SHACK. SPREADING THE HOT BUTTERED GAME LOVIN' WITH DOZENS OF CRAZY MINI-GAMES! TESTING YOUR SOUTH PARK KNOWLEDGE WITH OUTRAGEOUS TRIVIA QUESTIONS! AND TELLING IT LIKE IT IS WITH INSANE SOUND-BITES! COMEDY CENTRALS SOUTH PARK: CHEF'S LUV SHACK- IT'S ONE BIG MULTI-PLAYER LUV-IN! б 0-29" 1523 , CHEF < LUV sui АСК, жееезжесежзееегетет = Suppose the Bull, or "Того," = 2 were replaced by a Japanese 2 5 "Того." What would ће = s ù Matador be fighting? e ass, md ana em OO S “= А = c й eo I єз а ЖА banua 25 em m D Т.А Bloodthirsty Octopus. үза зани 2.А Charging Fatty Tuna 3.An Enraged Wild Cabbage эй Chef serves up dozens of A sweet party mix of South Park Hundreds of tasty sound-bites! And all the multi-player yummy trivia questions! mini-games! lovin’ you can stand! е | WWW.COMEDYCENTR AL.COM E $ E L РС Ni А<ісіт |, об та ТТІ ES www.acclaim.com PlayStation www.playstation.com DONAC UNIVERSAL LZ UNIVERSAL INTERACTIVE STUDIOS Spyro's back He toasts his enemies one by one. And this time, he's not taking any prisoners. Spyro is on a rampage in the air, land and sea. This is one fire-breathing dragon ready to take on the world. Spyro 2: Riptos Rage! It's fast. It's fierce. It's where second-degree burns are just part of the job. Mess мії you'll Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! ” & © 1999 Universal interactive Studios tac, AlffittilSireserved, Developed byinsomniacGames, Ino All rights reserved. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc December 1999 Issue 125 CONTENTS Features Departments j @ Editorial 12 @ Letters ® News 46 In-depth info on Р52, including hardware specs, games and more. ® Gossip 62 Info on upcoming DC games, a special report on Microsoft’s X-Box and hot pics of the new Lara model. би? = = 8 ў Previews Climax Landers, RE: Code 194 500 GP 162 Action Man 159 Ашпйга 2 286 Antz 188 Armored Core 2 26] Army Men: Sarge's Heroes E. R. г) 210,286 Ballistic 136 Вапозіо 282 Bass Landing 282 Bass Rise 282 Big O! Bass 286 Billy Bob's Huntin’ and Fishin’ Boarder 1 Gaming E.R. Quit crying over your busted game stuff. We show you how to keep your consoles in tip-top ил ыа shape. Learn how to avoid game- 271 GyberTiger injuri 23 амын related injuries, too. 194 Пепзеп 202 Dragon Quest | & Il 13] Dragon Sword 116 Dreamcast Sequencer 192 Drum Mania 288 Duke Nukem 154 Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home, The 282 Dune 2000 102 Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future a? me 156 Countdown Vampires 192 Eternal Ring Veronica, Crazy Taxi on DC. Dragon арын Quest 1.11 on GBC. Castlevania: ee Legacy of Darkness, Turok: Rage 21 FIFA 2000 110 Flintstones: Bedrock Bowling, The 164 Formula One 99 282 Gallop Racer Gekido 116 Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact Grandia 184 Gran Turismo 2000 200 Grand Theft Auto 130 Harvest Moon 64 266 House of the Dead 2 161 iron Soldier 3 108 Incoming International Track & Field 2000 210 Jambo Safari Jeti Gordon XS Racing Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo claims Donkey Kong 64 will be its best- selling game ever. We examine what all the fuss is about. 268 Resident Evil 2 278 Resident Evil 3 Nemesis 137 Ridge Racer 64 265 Rippin’ Riders Gran Turismo 2000 and many more PS2 previews pg 184 Wars on N64. Twisted Metal 4, Tomba! 2 on PlayStation. This month we take on Toy Commander (DO), Resident Evil 2 (N64) and a load of PS games. Review Archive 292 Jet Set Radio ? 106 Roadsters Jojo's Bizarre Adventure - 114 Robbit Mon Dieu Puer RS 269 Rocket: Robot On Wheels Reader Reviews 294 Б nnd ot pragosa 284 Shadow Tower” UL NAM 200 Shamus @ Power Tools 258 Mario Golf 186 Shin Ridge Racer қалама стой паси 295 South Park, Cher's Luv Shack @ Tricks 296 Mission: Impossible an рама И Resident Evil: Code 1 Monopoly N64 1 Monster Rancher 2 НЫ E saa Veronica Dreamcast @ Get Some 304 baa Ж Special Ва кемемен Soccer, Hockey Preview pg 100 југо. a ia Siar Tot ew oras @ The Final Word 308 1 Pro 3 Ё im н z € Liu " Next-generation consoles: Will the Hu lare-Ext. Racing n £ Fri nn 182 Tekken Tag Tournament X-Box be a major player in the NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC er Te киш ит game, or just another 300? on ron eee 2000 160 Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return NHL Championship 2000 144 Tomorrow Never Dies No Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee Outtrigger PGA European Tour Planet Dob Planet of the Apes Pokémon Yellow Pong Popolocrois Story Ш Q*Bert 210,284 118 116 No. 1 100 Resident Evil: Code Veronica 218 Touring Car Challenge: TOCA 2 200 Towers: Lord Baniff's Deceit 267 Toy Commander Turok: Rage Wars 212 Typing of the Dead: Keyboard Masters 146 Twisted Metal 4 194 UNISON 114 Vampire Hunter D 282 Vandal Hearts 2 286 Vegas Games 2000 m Vermillion Desert 94 Worms Armageddon 92 WWF Attitude WWF Wrestlemania 2000 186 КАВЕ 219 You Don't Know Jack 16 (V.G.A.T. | Video Game Aptitude Test The V.G.A.T. OK, genius, you think you know a lot about video games? Take our Video Game Aptitude Test to see if you're a console Einstein or a hopeless Poké-moron. pg 244 | WHO Dreamcast | Bi Nintendo 64 | BE | PlayStation | Bb == PlayStation 2 | me м4 Агсаде Game Boy Color | IVERSON LEARNS FROM YOUR MISTAKES. APPARENTLY, ТНАТ5 A FULL TIME JOB. “бу, уз y v 620, Sega© Dreamcast. ~ rr Li ж”. беда Dreamcast. SEGA SPORTS™ LE = IT'S THINKING А °x NBA 2K — Twenty-nine teams throw down in 28 arenas with 1300 motion-captured moves. actual NBA coaches' playbooks and jawdropping action down to hand signals, tattoos and sneaker squeaks. Microwaves don't get this hot, son. segecom ||| |11 our Warriors. One Arena. SHAOLIN STYLE Featuring Three Original Wu-Tang Music Tracks. PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT LYRICS MATURE www.activision.com ACTIVISION. PARADOX Ф. PlayStation Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style is a trademark of WuWear, Inc. © 1999 Activision, Inc. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainm ! Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. Bring Da Kung Fu Ruckus. CHANG DAO /мам WANG “www “mms — fea turing = Set it off К against up to three opponents in ultra-violent, № = , :na-based METHOD MAN AA ym СЫН; brawls. RZA GZA | Wi | i il 1 and special оъ о ЕЛ HEREDES ofthe, Wu-Tang Glan. OL DIRTY BASTARD RAEKWON Add insult to injury with over-the-top MASTA KILLA character. U-GOD aT | ит Unleash the INSPECTAH DECK | ОЕ M c.c. i ја 4 Staten Island streets. Chinatown warehouses and GHOSTFACE KILLAH иии NBI PS Extreme - GOLD, EDITORS CHOICE, 93% E £ = š Е Е 8 5 E & š 5 Ë £ Š Š E E à 5 © = 3 5 8 £ H g 2 Н £ 8 = а (8 = Е = g 5 | H Е Е š š £ 5 š E а > 2 £ < g š 2 š в 9 » в 5 E 5 Е 5 i E 2 Ы 5 g s E 3 ЕЗ т = 5 8 2 ° 8 4 ш i £ H 5 8 2 5 E 5 š Е 8 à 5 2 8 < 2 g в 5 Ф ш 2 8 ° . Crush, Dom & Roland, Uberzone, and E-Z Rollers. Slow down to admire the landscape and you'll be buried in it. PlayStation www.sledstorm.com COLLECTORS PACKAGE FINAL FANTASY ANTHOLOGY. FINAL FANTASY Two complete, classic RPGs never before released Countless magic spells and job skills to learn as you This special package includes stunning, on the PlayStation” game console follow epic storylines through 60 hours of gameplay all-new CG cinemas unique to this collection Ж Contains а bonus soundtrack CD featuring favorite music from both games SQUARE SOFT: www.squaresoft.com Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. MILD ANIMATED VIOLENCE COMIC MISCHIEF | EA qalas © 1992, 1998, 1999 Square Co., Ltd. © 1997, 1998, 1999 Square Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. FINAL FANTASY, SQUARESOFT, and the SQUARE SOFT logo are registered trademarks of Square Co., Ltd. FINAL FANTASY ANTHOLOGY is a trademark of Square Co., Ltd. U.S. Patent No, 5390927, 5649862 PlayStation 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. Letters to the Editors 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 1 Pikachu | was very pleased by your dark side of Pikachu article in the November issue. | think it’s great that Mark TER OF THE MONTH The Dark Side Of game" Magic the Gathering, | hope he also sees the evil role-playing elements of such games as Chess, Risk, Chutes and Ladders, and the countless console games featuring a main character. The one thing | do question is how Mr. Juvera's child nily Satanic cartoons like ? Power Rangers, The Smurfs and yy ШоҒ ағ, Metubhies. Juvera stands up for his beliefs. | sincerely hope that he and other good Christians also see the Satanic influences in common fictional characters like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. Not to mention such blatantly Satanic cartoons like The Power Rangers, The Smurfs and The Telletubbies. Though he has already chosen to steer his child away from the vile “role-playing ended up with $400 worth of Pokémon games and toys. As a Christian, Mr. Juvera says he doesn't believe in magic or the ability to use psychic power, but when did he start believing in fluffy yellow monsters that could talk? Let's all make sure we buy toys we can believe in. T. McNish pezd@networksplus.net We received a lot of mail about this, thankfully all with the same sentiment, whether from avid gamers who thought it was ridiculous, or other Christians who felt Mr. Juvera was over-reacting. If there’s one thing gamers are unified about...it's the fact that Pikachu isn't the work of Satan. Shame On You Mr. Juvera | have become very upset by a recent article in EGM entitled “Poké- Banned: The Dark Side of Pikachu." lam a Christian and | am angered at the level of ignorance that is so pervasive among so-called members of my religion. A Christian minister holds a ritual sacrifice of a cute little stuffed animal in his service and this is supposed to teach people to be closer to God. I really hope that Mr. Juvera feels vindicated by his actions. If something isn’t ‘good’ burn it! If something isn’t ‘righteous’ kill it! If something isn’t ‘Godly’ destroy it. Mr. Juvera, in my opinion, has only demonstrated to his congregation those principles which have lead Christianity into atrocities like the “If something Crusades, the Salem witch trials and isn't ‘good’ the Spanish Inquisition. Thinking in burn it! If such a manner has also lead toa great something isn't many ignorant laws on our books right ‘righteous’ kill now (I will not elaborate on such laws р, 9 for the sake of brevity and potential it! If something offensiveness to the conservative isn't ‘Godly’ right). In short, | think Mr. Juvera is destroy it!” wrong. Christ is about love and hope, not about the sacrifice of a poor little Pikachu. Shame on you Mr. Juvera. FA. Doss Plf@most-wanted.com 24 LETTER FACTS * Most popular ‘Question of the Moment’ in recent history?: Last month’s “What do you think of Pokémon?” % Hsu in our Hsu and Chan cartoon is so-called because: Norm couldn’t draw Asian features, so he used our young Previews editor, Dan Hsu as a template. * Most asked question to EGM letters?: “When is [insert wrestling game name here] coming out?” Special thank you to: Whoever keeps enrolling EGM in Internet porn mailings. You should probably stop doing that. Can AOL Join In On The Dream? I tried signing on to the Dreamcast network but | can't seem to. I’m not using the AT&T ISP, I’m using AOL. Is there a special thing | have to do before signing on with AOL? Can you tell me what | am doing wrong because | thought | would be able to go online with this when | got a Dreamcast. JCrew1673@aol.com Unfortunately, because of the ‘closed’ nature of AOL, you can’t use your account as an ISP for your Dreamcast. If you want to hook up, you'll need to use a provider like AT&T Worldnet or Mindspring. Also, maybe try Altavista’s new free service. | read all the time that a game has ‘gone gold and will be shipping soon’. What exactly does ‘gone gold’ mean? | have a feeling it’s got something to do with the color of the master CD the copies are made from. Can you clear this up for me? Mark Buckingham Primeo1010@aol.com www.whymilk.com ШЕ АР Ae Sawa uon PROMOTION BOARD. TM. бізі» өз d LETTERS You are quite correct, when a game has ‘gone gold’ it simply means that the game is in a state where it can be burned onto a gold ‘master disc’. This phase is also referred to as ‘Beta’ which is the name of a phase in which the games are testing. A ‘final beta’ is often a complete version of the game pending final changes. PlayStation 2 Will Make Life Even More Expensive In the September issue of EGM you guys told me the Dreamcast was a safe bet to buy. Now all this on PlayStation 2. Soon you're going to tell me to buy the PlayStation 2. A lot of people, including me, don’t have all the money to buy these systems. Looking at PS2, it makes me feel bad that | bought the Dreamcast. It's probably going to die like the Saturn and I'll go broke again for months. Then when Nintendo launches Project Dolphin, Dreamcast will die the day it launches. Thank you very much EGM! Dom amcGemai.msn.com That's your problem...not ours. We don't ‘tell’ anyone to buy anything. You're responsible for your own cash. If we told you to buy a million Twinkies...would you? Hsu & Chan Rule Kudos on bringing the comic strip Hsu and Chan to EGM! When I first turned to the pages featuring this game designing duo, | thought “Great! Another crappy game comic!" But | have to tell you that | was pleasantly surprised. Mr. Scott has gaming culture down to a comic art, and | hope to see this become a regular thing within the pages of your magazine. | have always regarded EGM as the best cross- platform magazine in the business, and | appreciate that you always attempt to raise your own standards instead of resting on your laurels. Thank you very much. Lee Govatos Govatos@hotmail.com 4 have to type this letter on their ‘virtual’ keyboard. Argh!” The very bottom of the ШИ letters barrel. Pika-chu-cu-pika- pika-PIKACHU-pi. Pikachu. pika@viridian forest.com OK. I'm in my fifth anniversary as one of your readers. Do you have any prize for that? Abió64Gwebtv.net No. Hey | loved them FMV games (Night Trap, Double Switch, etc.) | just wanted to know if any of you know what happened to the people who made these games, and if anything like these games (FMV) will see the light of day again. digitalpunk@home.com Are you completely frickin’ mad? Ricky Martin is the дем! munkeysavior@aol.co Really. How is Gamepro “The World’s Largest Multi- Platform Gaming Magazine”? | thought you guys were physically and mentally superior. Dragoonx@depeche mode.com We're the #1 Video Game Magazine. As for ‘physically and mentally superior’ we hear the GP guys are pretty buff. EGM@zi.com Send us your thoughts, your wishes, your innermost weirdness. ..or your pictures, crazy screenshots or photos of bizarre game-related moments. We've been getting a lot of appreciative comments about Hsu and Chan. Rest assured, they are now a regular thing within our pages. Teething Troubles What the heck is up with Sega? They're off to a bad start. First off, | was one of the many people unfortunate enough to get a faulty machine. When | exchanged it for a new one, | found out | had a faulty Sonic. When | exchanged it for a new one, | found out | couldn't download any Chaos into my VMU. Soul Calibur was also another game that went belly-up on my system. Second, Sega messed up on the shipment of the various accessories. The guns just now came out and the Sega brand ump Packs are nowhere to be found. Also, let me express my disgust for Sega and AT&T for making the eyboards available only through them by signing up with their service. | have to type this letter on their “virtual” eyboard. ARGH! Don't get me wrong about Sega, though. They're a good video game company with good games. They just eft a bad taste in my mouth and this mouthwash that is Dreamcast isn't helping to rinse it out. Shape up, Sega, or PlayStation 2 and Dolphin will eat you alive. Gameboy@ecentral.com We received a lot of e-mails like this this month from people who really wanted the Dreamcast to be a ‘good thing’ but who were stung by some unusual near-sightedness on Sega’s part. Fortunately, many of the problems have been fixed now... although the keyboard thing is a pain in the ass. Not Covering Everything? | think your mag is the best all- around video game mag. But you guys aren’t covering all the systems. You have had very minimal coverage of SNK's new totally awesome system, the Neo*Geo Pocket Color. This system 26 w.videogames.corr Question of the Moment Donkey Kong. . Nintendo Savior Or Just Another Franchise Character? | have nothing derogatory to say about Donkey Kong! Whaddya know? Mr_bigglesworth 3626@yahoo.com No, Zelda was Nintendo's savior... guess that means Zelda Gaiden is the “second coming.” Babelfish4@aol.com Will Donkey Kong be Nintendo’s savior? What the hell do you mean savior, Nintendo doesn’t need to be saved— look at their sales. Jruinerg@aol.com F**k that big, hairy loser. He’s just another f**king franchise figure in the stupid world of Nintendo. If anyone’s cool over there at “N” world, it’s Samus (Metroid) and Mega Man. That's it. F**k Link and his puberty problems, f**k Mario and Luigi, and f**k this Pokémon s**t. ІСО-29211041 Mr_sinister@plexi.com | think Donkey Kong 64 is just a wannabe Banjo-Kazooie. graveler2@aol.com Mario has always been and always will be the savior of Nintendo. Donkey Kong freakin’ sucks compared to Link or Mario. Sykesa@earthlink.net Next Month’s Question of the Moment: What do you think of PlayStation 2? Send your short but sweet responses to: EGM@zd.com with the subject heading: PS2 О кВа | BRE, You battle monsters. You outrun enemies. You’re attacked by a killer whale. A painless buying experience is the least we can do. Ir you're looking for a stress-free way to get the hottest video games, proceed directly to KBkids.com. No matter what you're into, you'll have plenty of new releases to choose from. Our selection covers all the coolest games, like Final Fantasy VIII, Donkey Kong" 64 and Sonic" Adventure. You'll also find all the hardware and accessories it takes to make the game rage. So go to KBkids.com. And save your adrenaline. You're going to need it. www.kbkids.com AOL Keyword: kbkids (01999 KBkids.com. Final Fantasy is a registered trademark i ‘Utd. Sony Playstation and Play Donkey Kong is a registered trademark of Nintendo of Am: Dreamcast and Sonic ar& re 20 nm You can write ЕСМ at: EGM Letters Р.0. Box 3338 Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 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 so (but please include your phone number and mailing LETTERS e-mail: EGM@zd.com address for Letter of the Month consideration). is way better than Game Boy Color and | think almost all of its games are high quality as compared to Game Boy's lineup, which only about one out of every five games isn't crap. Yet you still devote whole sections of reviews and previews to Game Boy and nothing to the Neo*Geo Pocket Color? Why? Ben Rowny Hrt_rat@hotmail.com We decided a while back that we'd keep an eye оп the Neo*Geo Pocket Color to see how well it was received. We've been trickling bits of info through as we get it, while trying to judge how interested you all are by it while also watching sales figures. Crap or not—the Game Boy is a mass- market system, and dominates the handheld market (which is 25 percent of the games market). Perfect Mess | am writing because | just found out about the April 2000 delay of Rare's Perfect Dark. | couldn't even wait for December to come around to buy the game. But instead they had to delay it. Don't get me wrong, | would rather have a good/delayed game than a game that has flaws in it just because the development team rushed it to get it finished by the release date. But by the time it's out, the N64 is going to look really dated compared to the other systems out there. Matt Holt Matthewh@intrex.net There are a lot of people who are very angry about the decision to delay Perfect Dark. We received hundreds of e-mails complaining about it, and we know that both Nintendo and Rare have been inundated with death threats, complaints and probably dead “ would animals. Yes, it does seem odd that rather have the game has been delayed so much, а good/ but you have to admire the integrity of delayed a company that understands gamers’ game than frustration with incomplete buggy a game that games. Donkey Kong may have has flaws.” stopped us playing PD this Christmas, 2 but at least we can rest assured that PD will be virtually perfect (we hope) when it's finally released. | Pokéwhacko? All I had to First off | want to say that you guys do was simply kick ass. but I’m sorry to admit because say that I of my admiration for you guys that | don’t wear was very disappointed with your Pokémon Pokémon aptitude test in issue #124. underwear All I had to do was simply say that | and ‘poof’ don’t wear Pokémon underwear and I'm not a ‘poof’ I’m not a Pokémaniac. That is Pokémaniac." 100 percent bullshiznit, from someone who can sing the whole Pokérap, name Bard Jung Fullerton, CA AON EY > y ЕЗ š Sui 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 PO Box 3338 Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 (All entries become the property of ZD Inc. and will not be returned!) 28 - www.videogames.com all 151 in less than a minute and runs around throwing his poor little dog on his friends and bellowing “GROWLITHE 6000000." (I know it's sad.) Your Pokémon test was as inaccurate as they come. Other than that | believe your Pokémon coverage has been great. Keep up the GREAT work. Elmo18497@aol.com And what? You want some kind of recognition? Even if you don’t qualify as a Pokémaniac according to our test, you definitely qualify as a bona-fide nutcase. Wild Poke Love My best friend and | rented Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 several weeks ago. We were bored and just trying to find stupid poses [when] we snapped pictures of two Charmanders uhh, how Chao Sen Chen Brooklyn, NY 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! © 1999 Levi Strauss & Со. “hasyl Әле} UOM ром ац `ВшоВ јад “dn 180 "реду Inok ave i a адор. ma suodeam Mau +Z 10 aun ә m шәшіпә pue ѕәлош једшоз риец-0-риеу јо _ Jeuasse Ue 100 аллоу ТТЕ ашеб (J£ Мац |р чо suonenersu! qs jo 100 pue ш далпацеш oio si qof пок 5402-15 '59102 afieuoidsa шәшшәлоВ әц jo anjesado ‘UOSUEY MEH sv uolss sip uo uondo ue o s jeu yng 116) пол J! ешејд 0) дәѕлпоќ |08 Kquo aA nok oç ‘auo siy} uo j2unsui под pue под jsní s1| Hawk Manson Espionage Operative Ultra Magnum 9b» 41 P Ña ffl Grenade Launcher Shotgun Sniper Rifle Assault Rifle Knife Beam Laser wer ental Industria] | pons Retraction ployment Ñ 06 : ` е tion 27 Я ЖЕ т b: @Dioamcas i | PlaySta š LETTERS do you say, “making wild hot Poké love.” It was just so funny we had to print it out and send it to you guys at EGM. Mary Neuman chantel@ij.net Erm...we could make lots of ‘Poké’ jokes here. But we decided not to. For obvious reasons. Preview Girl | was flipping through the new issue (November—#124) when | got to the 1-900-PRE-VIEW ad (page 235) featuring a really hot girl who | can’t take my eyes off of! You should interview her for me in an upcoming issue of EGM and find out if she has a boyfriend. Come on, what do you say? EGM, hook me up! mallratmn@aol.com Not particularly great news for you, we're afraid. She hates video games and boys who play them. So that’s not really what you wanted to hear was it? Primus Fan | love grindin’ to ‘Jerry was a Race Car Driver’ by Primus and have two questions about Tony Hawk Pro Skater. 1) Being a huge Primus fan, | saw that in the Tony Hawk review (page 254, issue #124), Dean said, “This is the second game to feature Primus tunes.” What is the other one? | gotta know! 2) Also, on page 62 in issue #124, under the December list, it says that Tony Hawk Pro Skater is coming out for Nintendo 64. Do my eyes deceive me? Tony Hawk on the N64 would be a dream come true. Greg Taylor Brighton, MI GzaULM@hotmail.com “Ilove grindin’ to ‘Jerry was a Race Car Driver’ by Primus.” More snippets 01 mail from the bottom of the hag. A honkatonk a honkeytonk a honkeytonkey honkeytonkey honkeytonkey топкеу...оооһ eeeh oooh ah ah! Ting, tang, honkeytonkey bing bang! honkeytonk monkey @yahoo.com Thanks. See? This is the kinda crap we put up with every month, You guys always say ‘AL in the mag EXAMPLE: ‘the AL is tuned for tight races’. What the hell is AL? sk8terpunksoGhotm ail.com That's ‘Al’ not ‘AL’. Al stands for artificial intelligence. Microsoft is the Devil! They are a locust company. They will enter the market with a piece of hardware that will be cheaper than anything Sega or Nintendo could produce. mayzar@webtv.net And that’s bad because...? Whatever happened to your other magazine, EGM2? | remember it a long time ago. psxnégegm@aol.com It turned into Expert Gamer...same mag, different name. 407,094 The average number of people who bought GM each month between January and June this year (as audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation). We just keep growing and growing... Further proof that we're the #1 Video Games Magazine In The World Five Games You Gouldn’t Do Without If you were stuck on a desert island and could only have five games with you, which would they be? E-mail us your lists at EGMGzd.com. Mark the Subject line ‘Desert Island Games.’ Tetris DX Soul Calibur Gran Turismo Tetris DX Soul Calibur Saturn Bomberman GoldenEye 007 Pokémon X-Wing Alliance (PC) John Davison Final Fantasy Anthology Crispin Boyer Madden 2000 All-Star Baseball 2000 NFS: Hot Pursuit NBA Live 99 Defender (arcade) Dean Hager Editor in Chief Features Editor Managing Editor Super Mario All-Stars Tetris Soul Calibur DD Revolution 2nd ReMix BeatMania GB Saturn Bomberman Drum Mania Super Mario All-Stars GoldenEye 007 Sonic Jam Zelda: Ocarina of Time Winter Heat Tetris Attack Pac-Man FFVIII Chris Johnston News Editor Final Fantasy Anthology Gran Turismo John Ricciardi EIC, Expert Gamer Shawn Smith Consumer Hardware Ed. KQ Collection (PC) Super Mario All-Stars Tetris Age of Empires (PC) Zelda: A Link to the Past Super Mario All-Stars Bust-A-Groove Super Metroid Assault Suits Leynos Bubble Bobble Dragon Force Soul Calibur Super Mario Bros. Dan Hsu Che Chou Zoe Flower Previews Editor 1) The other game with the Primus soundtrack was EA's Hot Wheels game. Very cool...don't let the toy facade fool you— it's excellent. 2) As far as we know...yes it is. | realize that it is difficult to not always give away a story, but come on! In the last issue, there were two spots where you blew the ending of Soul Reaver. One, a letter such as this complaining that the game ended in the middle of the final fight with Kain, and second there was an interview with the producer, which wasn't as bad. My point is | can avoid strategy guides and hints, but who would have thought that by reading letters to the editor about a game that isn't even two months old! This is like someone coming up and blowing the end of the movie Sixth Sense! Oliver Kruszka oliverk@erols.com 32 Reviews Editor Electric Playground Our apologies that this spoiled anything for you. Are you really surprised that the game ends after a confrontation with Kain though? In our scramble to address the complaints of many gamers about the ending, we maybe could’ve handled it with a little more subtlety. It’s not quite as dramatic a revelation as the end of Sixth Sense though. When it turns out that Bruce Willis is actually a monkey from an alternate dimension, and he jumps around eating bananas and scratching his ass, it’s a real shock. Oops...sorry if that spoiled it for anyone. Who The Hell Is Ray? What’s going on over there at the EGM headquarters? | saw a full two- page ad in the Pokémon issue (last month’s issue) in the beginning of the mag. There, | saw a man (more like a freak of nature) and it said Ray: The game. Coming soon. Realizing that it’s © 1999 The Соса-О Pd bust through your video screen, spray you with CUT OUT AND PLACE OVER I3 AN IMAGE OF YOUR MOST FEARED VIDEO-GAME MON- STER.ITWON'T MAKE SPRITE ANY MORE REFRESHING, BUT IT WILL GIVE US A PRETTY CHEAP ENDORSE- MENT, WHICH IS REALLY HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED ANYWAY. IMAGE IS NOTH- ING. THIRST IS EVERYTHING. OBEY YOUR THIRST. * You're just lucky | don't have taste buds or toxic gas and drink all your Sprite? === = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = A4 ola Company Sprite" and "Obey Your Thirst” are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company. | ELECTRONIC GAMING — 9/9/99: The Biggest 24 Hours in Entertainment History?" we asked | on the cover of our September issue. So what's the answer to that | question? Was it or wasn't it? We can now confirm that the answer is | a definite “yes”—the Dreamcast generated $97 million at retail in its | first 24 hours of sale, more than three times that of comparable | events such as the first day of Star Wars Episode One. The Biggest 24 Hours in Entertainment History? LETTERS Got a question for our Sushi-K resident Ninja? Sushi is PO Box 3338 open for business and will tackle anything you Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 send. Write him at: e-mail: sushi_x@zd.com Q: | think everyone should check out the Dreamcast to see for themselves if it’s worth buying. Oh, and will there be a sequel to Super Mario Bros. Deluxe? And when is the next issue of Pocket Games coming out? Susheel Gupta Fremont, CA A: Susheel, | agree with your Dreamcast sentiment. As for a sequel for SMB Deluxe, Nintendo has nothing in the works for a sequel, but expect a topnotch SMB title for Game Boy Advance when it launches in fall 2000. The next issue of Pocket Games is being worked on now...it will be out this winter. Q: Will we see a sequel for Nights or UmJammer? Trevan Higgins Wauwotosa, WI It’s been rumored that Yuji Naka and Sonic Team were working on a Nights sequel for Dreamcast, but Mr. Naka recently dispelled those rumors (and the hopes of a million fanboys). Too bad, because Sonic Team’s new project looks bland and niche. As for UmJammer, my ninjas tell me his next game will most certainly be on Р52. Q: | saw in EGM that there's going to be a sequel to Mario Party. What can | expect from this game? Also, did you guys already review Dino Crisis? What did the game get? | must have missed it. Amanda Basa Straten Island, NY A: Amanda, shame on you for missing our Dino Crisis review! Dino got pretty good scores from the Crew: 9, 8, 8, 7.5. I’m not a survival horror freak and even I enjoyed it. Mario Party 2 will have pretty much what we all expect, more mini-games, a greater variety of mini-games and more depth in each of the mini- games. Q: Hi. Do you know the GameShark code that will destroy everything in GoldenEye 007? Dan Powers Address Withheld Dan, you’re such a cheater. And as far as | know, there is no code that allows you to “destroy everything” in GoldenEye. @ not the month of April, | decided to look at the copyright. “(c) 1999 RAY This name is MINE, so all rights are reserved to me.” Even the Web site is fake! | know because | tried to go on that Web site. | have NO IDEA what this sick advertisement is trying to promote here. I’m guessing it’s for the N64 because of the box. Is this real or not? | think | figured it out. The ad is trying to advertise Rayman 2: The Great Escape for the Nintendo 64. Please tell me I'm right. If I'm wrong, then the marketing strategy of Nintendo (or whoever is responsible) has really gone off the deep end. Orayus@aol.com You're right...it was for Ubi Soft's Rayman 2, but unfortunately the ad went out before things were finalized. Try www.rayrules.com. That should do the trick. After all these years of finger pointing to who Sushi-X is, it has finally been solved! In case you guys have no clue to what I’m talking about, look on the third page of last month's issue. Doing extensive research on all of the pictures EGM has printed of Sushi-X, they all distinctly show an exact outline of what ‘Ray’ looks like on page three. Note the saggy man breasts and the huge beer belly; there is no one else on the EGM staff even close to Ray's posture (well, maybe Che). Even more proof of my theory is the URL on the page, and the copyright at the very bottom. Both completely false. Even the N64 box this 'Ray game' is printed on has no Nintendo logos or copyrights on it. Nice try EGM, but Sushi-X's identity has finally been revealed! Justin Lofstrom blerkin@hotmail.com Last time we looked, Sushi didn’t have any ‘man breasts’. Obviously it’s difficult to tell (wearing black is apparently the best way to conceal an expanding figure we’re told) but he still seems quite spritely under there. 34 | enjoyed your recent issue, and enjoyed the articles on Spider-Man. He's been my favorite superhero since | was little. I’m very glad he’s back in the spotlight, and being taken seriously. The game looks great and | can’t wait for the movie. There’s something | wanted to ask you. Where did you get the Spider-Man outfit the guy wore in the pictures? | am a big collector, and have not been able to find anything like that. Could you please tell me where you got it and how much it is? | could use something like that for Halloween... Fubarog4@aol.com That was actually both the suit and the guy from the Universal Studios ride in Florida. So it could be argued that we photographed the ‘real’ Spider-Man...or at least the next best thing. It’s a great suit, but you really need to be in pretty good shape to wear something like that. * Yeah, yeah, yeah...we know, we messed up our Final Fantasy facts last month. The late nights, the booze, the loose women and playing Soul Calibur for cash obviously messed with our minds. Unfortunately we said FFVI was released in the U.S. as FFII when it fact it was FFIII. Little slip up...and believe us, we kicked ourselves as soon as we saw the mistake when the issue came back from the printer. * No, the Review Crew hasn’t really grown mustaches and had their hair cut into mullets. * The 3DFX ad had nothing to do with us. Promise. PlayStation ® GRAN TURISMO 2 turers, cars, of Sony Computer Ent 5 ainment Inc e tral rademar \ GOT YOUR HAND SIGN AL * RIGHT HERE BUDDY. > PlayStation Its not driving. 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 bya 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, its a full-blown war on wheels. www.playstation.com 4 7 1 21 CEASWITEAMIPACING: — Once he gets behind the wheel, things get ugly. ПОП о нете ies Ña Е “SOULE IY) ۴ pid noh pue , [910 29) Jud поі 22 “Ә2Р|0 aif) әта под juoneen PSDP)DDJ 00 5рлетој Е Peg moter (беш. odiy (2) (2145 109015 aq 0} anes} an THEN шл ЛШ Z "Nirhetomooigp. 9714 pueag [ Soyeisdsan i uon AO MASE TUS `0002/с1/1 spuə sayejsdaamg -Auessagau asi aseyaind on ¿Əlosuoo әшеб иопеја Леја е umo NOK oq әүешәз- are, хәс 7 :аоа ) :euoug exis ANO ssoippy әшем 24 hien 1Ә210ЦЭ Jnof Jo LORLIA e uo puads o) O00 “0Lt шм о} әләц ләзиз БН i Morperep fisv)utJ 000 ‘ols. 5,2 ofig uoneI5Áed ===> - PlayStation www.playstation.com 2 ` ~ Z Жау < 4 ЖА, \ “а > AS Y А se Réquires Dual Shock analog controller? 52 It's аре anarchy and it's up to you to stop their banana-fueled mayhem. You'll hunt down over 200 unruly apes, you'll drive a Tank, steer a Remote Control Car, you'll even launch an aerial attack in a propeller-powered Skyflyer. You'll use plenty of anti-ape devices, like a primate-pun- ishing Stun Club, a simian Slingshot and Monkey Radar. Plus, it's the first and only 3D game that fully utilizes the Dual Shock" analog controller. e x Prepare yourself, things are about to get hairy. im „ЖЕНЫ uf TSN *Or other official PlayStation brand or licensed controllers featuring the “Analog Control” icon. Analog mode only. Мау not function or performance may Entertainment America Inc. ©1999 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. No apes were harmed in the making of this advertisement. As for the truck driver, that's a different story. You better get them before they get you. vary with other controllers. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Ape Escape is a trademark of Sony Computer woo'uoneysiejd MMM эу ййәшиенәиз JeynduJo fuos jo уџешаред pejersibe; әле S060) UOEISAE|d аш pue UONEISAE|d xuiperul/iejquaau `V faupog © “OU! шәшиенаиз Ndug uos 6661 © `3ul езиәшу шашшенаиз Jeynduuo? fuos jo WeWApeN e SI \шшел awwer шп "103 Jo INO зегдполб әлооѕ џеле }цбіш пол ‘yOeH чәЛе|а jeujoue UO әуе} иәлә UBD под .Jeddeg oy} eddejeg JO злемеш əy} Aq пол о} 1u6noJg 5,3) ‘SH! 131114 46010 pue dod ‘yuNd ‘ооз 0} Bulwwel Aq Лер eui әлес 'pueq |4116-(е eu ‘иво нуу чим 616 Big 13y 10) әје| 5,945 ‘S| шә|долд 'гшеб оәріл 3901 мән eu Ашшел ләшшег шп JO гејѕебәш бшби5-леупб 2U} 5,945 ollo] зид цвош 'seo Awwe7 әләум © чопе15Ара D8538Drrt р әзі рта p ai Бэдаряш) DMRIN сір эБізсі ВәЯ20>5 ЭЇххра p 5biərti БәНор>г UDI зазпрогпог b55pool .(TIDsIDrIDr1O3 р 5biərti Not everyone can solve the mysteries of Grandia. It's a strange land where magic and technology coexist among the forces of corruption. A place where the dominating culture lives in peace and harmony while a sinister force works just below the surface to discover the dark secrets of an ancient civilization. In this world, an epic struggle shall be determined by a brave, smart and resourceful hero who must master dozens of spells. A hero who is outnumbered by several hundred to one. This is the world of Grandia—a mysterious, odd, strange yet beautiful planet that hangs in the balance between good and evil. www.playstation.com * GAME ARTS By Chris Johnston chris_johnston@zd.com USB Ports (2) Two Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports reside on the front of the machine. Uses for these ports haven't been specified yet, but could support devices such as extra (or more sophisticated) controllers, Zip drives, digital cameras and future expansion. i-Link Port (1) Commonly known as “Firewire,” or IEEE-1394, this port is used for high-speed data transfer. Once Sony's broadband network is in place for use with PlayStation2, users may be able to hook digital inch yourself. Sony's announcement and public showing of the PlayStation2 in Tokyo just prior to the Autumn Tokyo Game Show has stirred up this industry once again (like the announcement of any new hardware platform does). Already Sony has 46 U.S. developers, 27 in Europe and 89 in Japan signed on to make games for it. That list will undoubtedly continue to grow. Price. Is PlayStation2 expensive? Yes. But, when the original PlayStation launched in Japan in 1994, it was priced at 39,800 yen (the same price as PS2). As with all video game Systems, the price will gradually fall. Services to be offered via PS2's broadband video cameras to it so you can see the person you're playing in real-time digital video. network capabilities include shopping, internet functions (such as e-mail, web browsing, etc.), downloadable music, game demos, and more. A hard drive is already planning that will hook to the PCMCIA port, turning it into a mini-computer. Why isn't Sony planning to offer modem connectivity as Sega has with Dreamcast? SCEA's Andrew House said, "We do not se the analog modem infrastructure that we know today as being capable of delivering the high- end entertainment experience that we are striving to deliver. Fighting to be the leader in the analog modem space is like racing to be the world's tallest midget." 46 Dual Shock 2 Why mess with a good thing? Sleek, stylish and looks exactly like the regular Dual Shock. But Sony has made a good thing better by going back and making all the buttons on this enhanced Dual Shock analog. In Gran Turismo 2000, how hard you press on the buttons will correspond to how hard you're pressing it down inside the game's world. It looks and feels exactly like Sony's original Dual Shock— no bigger, and not noticeably heavier. One of these babies comes packaged in with the hardware. Even though we've now seen the machine, played the first games, and have a date and price, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. The original PlayStation had an expansion port that went unused by any official peripherals. Sony has only begun to speak in very vague terms about the possibilities for PS2 expansion. Exact plans for the machine in the U.S. are still only answered by Fall 2000. After the machine is released in Japan, we're likely to see the first U.S.- developed games. At E3, we'll be playing them. By the end of next summer, you'll be able to soak up PlayStation2 with your own eyes. Until then, read up. Sony's booth at the Tokyo Game Show was mobbed by fans anxious to get a first-hand look at what the machine can do. 41 Here is just a sample of the developers and publishers already signed up to make games for PlayStation2. Specific game titles, although they may be tentative, are marked in Acclaim Activision Agetec Artdink Ascii Corp. Asmik Ace Atlus Bandai Bungie Software Capcom Chun Soft Core Design Ltd. Crave Entertainment Dreamworks Interactive Eidos Interactive Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Square Enix Fox Interactive From Software Choro Q ЖС — Genki GT Interactive Hasbro Interactive Hudson Soft Idea Factory Imagineer Co. Ltd. Infogrames Insomniac Games Interplay Irem Software Engineering Jaleco Koei Konami LucasArts Wild Wild Racing 48 Naughty Dog Oddworld Inhabitants Reflections SCEI SNK Corp. Square Co. Ltd. Taito Takara Tecmo Тһе 300 Company THQ Titus Japan Ubi Soft UEP Systems Video System XING Entertainment Grand Prix Whoopee Camp Working Designs 1Q Remix PCMCIA Туре ІП This port is where the broadband ethernet adapter cable will plug into the machine. There are also plans for a very large (we're talking 10's of gigabytes) hard drive connected here. Optical Out Digital audio out capability, yeah! Power Switch АС Power In AN-Multi Out PlayStation? F 0. Q: When will PlayStation2 be released in Japan? A: The official release date for PS2 in Japan is March 4, 2000. Q: How much will the PlayStation2 cost? A: The price of PlayStation2 in Japan will be 39,800 yen (about $383). Q: Is PlayStation2 backward compatible? Can it play PlayStationa games? A: Yes. PlayStation2 can play the entire library of games made for the original PlayStation. It will not enhance them or speed them up in any way —they will play exactly the same as they do on the original PS hardware. Sony's goal is to make it 100 percent compatible with games made for the standard system, and decided not to enhance any of the graphics of original PS games. At the Tokyo Game Show, Sony showed off this aspect of the system, with it playing Hot Shots Golf 2, perfectly. Q: Can | play PlayStation2 games on my PlayStation? A: No. PlayStation2 games cannot be played on the original PlayStation. Q: When will it be released in the U.S.? A: It will be released in the U.S. and Europe in the fall of 2000. Q: How much will it cost in the U.S.? A: Sony has not announced a U.S. price for PlayStation2, and probably won't until next spring/E3. Q: Will it play DVD movies? A: Yes— directly out of the box, PS2 plays DVD movies. It plays both dual- and single-layer DVD movies the same. Q: What does the PlayStation2 come with? A: When you buy a PlayStation2, you get the following things inside the box (this is for the Japanese system): one Dual Shock 2 analog controller, one 8MB high-capacity memory card, one PlayStation2 demo disc, one AV multi cable and one AC power cord. Q: How many games will there be at launch? A: There will be 12 games available on the first day of the system's launch in Japan. While that number is subject to change, it looks like there'll be at least that. As for the U.S. launch, it's anyone's guess how many games there'll be. Q: Why only two controller ports? A: We're told by a Sony representative that it was a cost-saving measure to only have two controller ports on the system. Q: Does it have a modem? A: No. Sony has skipped over conventional modem technology, deciding instead to wait for broadband networking to catch on (such as cable modems, etc). In 2001 (or later), Sony will begin its e-Distribution model which includes network gaming, chat, e-mail and shopping. You will have to buy a cable modem adapter when Sony's ready for that feature. Q: Can | use the Dual Shock 2 or 8MB Memory Card on the original PlayStation? A: No. These are only for use with the PS2. However, you CAN use these with your old PlayStation games that you play on PS2. Q: What packaging will PS2 games come in? A: They will use plastic Amaray-type keepcases, already in use for DVDs. Q: Can | use my PlayStation controllers, memory cards, PocketStation, etc. with PS2? A: You can use all Sony-licensed peripherals with PlayStation2 —such as memory cards, joysticks and multi-taps. You will NOT be able to use any device that plugged into the original PlayStation's expansion slot, such as the GameShark. Sony themselves or licensed peripheral companies never released any devices that use this port. 49 Model number: SCPH-10000 Dimensions: 301mm(W) X 178mm(D) X 78mm (H) Weight: 2.1 kg (4 lbs., 10 02.) Media: PlayStation2 CD-ROM, DVD- ROM, PlayStation CD-ROM Formats supported: Audio CD, DVD- Video 128-Bit Emotion Engine CPU System Clock Frequency: 294.912 MHz Cache Memory: Instruction-16kb, Data: 8kb + 16kb (ScrP) Main Memory: Rambus (Direct RDRAM) Memory Size: 32MB Memory Bus Bandwidth: 3.2GB/sec. Co-processor: FPU (Floating Point Unit) Floating Point Multiplay Accumulator x 1, Floating Point Divider x 1 Vector Units: VUo and VU1 Floating Point Multiply Accumulator x 9, Floating Point Divider x 3 Floating Point Performance: 6.2 GFLOPS 3D CG Geometric Transformation: 66 million polygons per second Compressed Image Decoder: MPEG2 Graphics Synthesizer Clock Frequency: 147.456 MHz DRAM Bus bandwidth: 48GB/sec. DRAM Bus width: 2560 bits Pixel Configuration: RGB:Alpha:Z Buffer (24:8:32) Maximum Polygon Rate: 75 million polygons/sec. Embedded Cache VRAM: 4MB Sound: SPU2+CPU Number of voices: 48 channels plus software Sampling frequency: 44.1KHz or 48 KHz (selectable) Sound memory: 2MB 1/0 Processor CPU Core: PlayStation CPU+ Clock Frequency: 33.8688MHz or 36.864MHz (selectable) Sub Bus: 32-Bit Interface types: IEEE1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB) Communication: via PC-Card (PCMCIA) 1/0 Processor memory: 2МВ Disc Device: CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Device Speed: CD-ROM-24x DVD-ROM-4x Ever Driven 200 MPH? Оп а rain-slicked, twisting track? with 15 other cocky English tg And laughing about it? In that po =... 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 FUN you off the road? accent? That really, really pisses you OFF? bo су, Mc 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 Tu you'll earn the victory lap on these shores. | Consider it payback for the Revolution. 12) so рана The Ultimate Head-to-Head Racing Sim. E ZU F27/76 (C PH ra "Y Sg CHHIHLUE/ITGE: = = 42277 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, Vo ws ~ OM КА www.activision.com Available for PC CD-ROM and PlayStation® game console. The Internet has been rife with rumor for months now, and magazines across the globe have printed speculative stories about Microsoft’s plans like they were facts. Truth is, as we go to press, no one is prepared to go ‘on the record’ about what the machine is, or what it’s capable of. Because of this, the Q-spy network unleashed its best agents into the field to uncover as much gossip as possible and assess whether or not it’s likely. RUMOR - Microsoft will announce X-Box at the November Comdex show in Las Vegas. TRUTH - Microsoft always makes big announcements at Comdex (if you want info on the show, check out www.zdevents.com/comdex/) and all of our sources have indicated a November 99 ‘revelation’. Watch the Web between Nov. 15 and 19 for confirmation. RUMOR - The system itself will roll out fall 2000 with both Gateway and Dell signed on as early partners. Microsoft itself won’t be building consoles, it'll be simply instigating the tech spec for the system and letting PC vendors build the things. n 381 Q-Mann Special Report Microsoft to wage war on Nintendo and Sony? TRUTH - This is one of those things where we've had to rely on information from people who aren't prepared to go ‘on the record’ but the Gateway/Dell rumor is so widespread that it's virtually accepted as fact. Everyone we spoke to indicated that one or both of the companies would have a system out as early as September next year...possibly beating PS2 to the U.S. by a couple of months. RUMOR - The specs of the machine have been rumored as all kinds of things, with reports appearing on MSNBC, in numerous magazines and on www.videogames.com. The current rumors seem to be settling down to something that might well be feasible though. At its core the system will boast a 500MHz processor. Initially it was thought that this would be an Intel Celeron derivative as found in the cheaper PCs from manufacturers like Gateway or Dell (whaddya know?). Recently though, it seems to be accepted that the CPU will be sourced from Intel archrival AMD. AMD’s recently announced Athlon processor would fit the bill remarkably well. Regardless of who makes the thing though, it seems likely it'll clock in at 500MHz for sure. That's pretty damn fast, and puts it at a more than These screens are all taken from a PC running the nVidia GeForce GPU-the graphics processor rumored to be in the X-Box. The demo, which comparable level in terms of raw computing power to both PS2 and Dolphin. As for graphics, after all kinds of stories were bounced around, it seems that nVidia's GeForce 256 GPU has been settled on. Fora long while it was thought that 3Dfx's Voodoo 3 would be at the system's heart (wouldn't that be ironic, given their current anti-console ad campaign?) but this now seems unlikely. The cool thing about the GeForce is that it's not a graphics accelerator like the PowerVR or the Voodoo —the GeForce is actually a graphics processor (GPU) much like the Graphics Synthesizer in the PS2. What this means is that the GeForce will handle all of the graphics data, allowing the CPU to simply work on game logic and Al. Expect performance in the PS2 range from this baby...early PC demos of the thing produced some startling results. Check out www.nvidia.com for more details, plus check stories on our PC Web site www.gamespot.com for more info. Other specific details are also hard to track. The story that MSNBC ran indicated the system would ship with a ‘multi-gigabyte’ hard drive for storing data, a 56k modem matched with an Internet Explorer-based Web browser, and 64Mb of RAM. Also expect all joystick runs at a solid 60 frames per second, is pushing more than 5 million polygons around. Check out www.wxp3d.com for more images. 52 Microsoft's new Sidewinder Game Pad Pro is designed for the PC, but is this going to be similar to what we'll use to contro! X-Box games? ports to be USB-based (so you can use pads like the seriously cool new Sidewinder Game Pad Pro, or the weird Dual Strike) along with outputs for standard composite video, S-video, VGA monitors and HDTV. Also expect a DVD drive, although no one seems to know if the thing will play movies as well as games. TRUTH - No one's going to know anything until Microsoft finally unveils the thing at Comdex. This all seems very likely. RUMOR - It's not Windows CE-based like the Dreamcast, it’s based on a refined version of Windows 2000. TRUTH - Our development sources have been most open about this. The fact that the X-Box is a play to establish Direct X as ‘the’ games development environment is no secret. Look at the name of the system ferchrissakes! The version of the OS in X-Box will apparently be ‘stripped down’ so that it doesn’t have to worry about all of the zillions of configurations that a normal PC could present. The Direct X element is the most important aspect of this though. For more discussion, check out the Final Word this month (page 308). RUMOR - Developers already love the thing, because they won't have to pay a license fee. TRUTH - Probably the most used quote about the X-Box came from an unnamed developer when he left the Microsoft press conference in London during ECTS in September. “When they tell you that the format will be PC-based, under $200, DVD, ships with the nVidia GPU and it’s Internet capable, with no royalty fee for supporting it, you listen closely.” Some of this may be a misquote (we're pretty sure they gave а different price) but the “no royalty fee” element is a really big deal. Whenever a company sells a game for the N64 or the PlayStation or the Dreamcast, a percentage of the money taken is immediately taken away and paid back to the ‘licensor’. This (especially on N64 games) can produce a significant financial dent for the publishers and developers concerned. Producing games for X-Box is just like producing games for the PC. You make the game, you sell the game...you pay all the people who need paying with the proceeds. Publishers and developers like this, and are more likely to produce games for a system where they're in control of what happens to the money. RUMOR - All PC games will run on X-Box. TRUTH - Things are still a bit sketchy here. We won't know for sure until Comdex, but the indications seem to be that X-Box will run all Direct X-based software. As for other stuff...who knows? General consensus as to why other consoles have been successful is down to their unique content. MSNBC's story on Sept. 13 puts things into perspective (if a little naively). “The only reasons for purchasing a Nintendo 64 are Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda, Wave Race, Donkey Kong 64 and GoldenEye 007. These games are made by Nintendo, and you can bet you will never see them legally marketed for any non-Nintendo systems in the near future. Sony has not released PC versions of Crash Bandicoot and Gran Turismo for the very same reason. If you want the games, you have to purchase the system. The only way X-Box will succeed is if it has great games that are only available for X-Box, not X-Box and PCs." Quite how Microsoft could encourage X-Box-only games is unclear. It would be more likely that the machine is being developed to encourage a) all games content within the Windows environment to be geared toward X-Box, and not desktop PCs and b) all games development within the Windows environment to run under Direct X— shutting out all other APIs such as Glide or OpenGL (the 3D API recently announced for PS2). RUMOR - X-Box is the beginning of the end of traditional PC gaming. TRUTH - It could be. Microsoft has acknow- ledged that in the near future the 'PC' is going to be very different from what it is now. Versions of Windows beyond Windows 98 are being designed to be modular so that they can adapt to different tasks. Bill Gates, in his typically visionary fashion, predicts a time where the ‘traditional’ PC is no longer the be-all and end- all. He sees lots of cheaper machines working together that are all targeted toward different tasks. X-Box looks like it's the first step toward this idea. RUMOR - It's going to be really cheap...under $200. TRUTH - The $200 thing is probably a misprint from what someone, somewhere said in a whimsically enthusiastic frenzy. Everyone 2 а the 05 spies have spoken to seems to think that a price point of “less than $300” is likely. 914,000 Published monthly, $2 by Jason Dvorak, 10405 S. Longwood Dr., Chicago, IL 60643 Issue reviewed: October 1999, version 3.10 Game Rave is a multiplatform gaming fanzine (with a sizable staff of editors) that focuses on two main subjects: reviews and codes. It includes reviews of both new and retro, domestic and import games. This issue features a bit of news on PlayStation2 as well as a long list of | monsters created with various game CDs (both U.S. and import) for Monster Rancher 2. One of the most interesting pieces in this issue looks at the first 30 days of the Dreamcast in the U.S., and both criticizes and praises Sega for its actions. It's good to see the other side of the coin once in a while, and hopefully GR will continue to run these kinds of articles in the future. Recommended reading. The GIA Located at www.thegia.com, the Gaming Intelligence Agency focuses on news and previews of games the hardcore gamer is going to care about. That means coverage and reconnaissance on the latest games from Japan, the main focus being a heavy dose of RPG coverage. As part of its mission statement, the GIA "promises to provide timely, complete, honest, intelligent and interesting coverage." Memorable features include a battle of the most useless RPG characters ever and an Awful Box Art Competition. The GIA also features fan-drawn artwork, strategy on some of the more popular RPGs | (Japanese and %” U.S.), and daily news. If you consider yourself hardcore, make The GIA one of your daily stops. | Sega sold this many Dreamcast systems in North America in the first two weeks. SNK is introducing two new Neo*Geo Pocket Color titles for the holiday season (with more to come). The biggest of the two is SNK Vs. Capcom, which will come in two forms. One is a card battle game, and the other is a true one-on-one fighting game. The fighting game is expected to be released in the U.S. this December. A non-playable demo version of the game was shown at Tokyo Game Show. It features the most popular characters and backgrounds from SNK and Capcom's most popular fighting games, including Capcom's Street Fighter Il and Darkstalkers, and SNK's Samurai Shodown and The King of Fighters. An arcade and Dreamcast version of SNK Vs. үзіне, will also be introduced next spring. In Beast Buster, you’re employed by death himself and you have to go out and do his deeds. This includes collecting things and bringing them back to him. There are a lot of monsters to kill along the way, and for each monster you kill, you “capture” its soul and you can use them to power up your weapons or create new ones. Beast Buster will also be available in December. You'll find the NeoeGeo Pocket Color system at electronic gaming retailers like Electronics Boutique and Babbage's, or you can order direct from SNK by visiting their home page located at www.snkusa.com. Travel areas filled with gruesome monsters collecting items in Beast Buster. Or if that's not your speed, SNK and рыш maniy meet on the battlefield in SNK Vs. Capcom for NGPC. Dolphin to Use 53 Texture Compression - Nintendo and 53 Inc. announced a partnership, which will give the company's next-generation game console— currently called Dolphin — advanced texture- compression technology. The S3TC (S3 Texture Compression) technology will be embedded into the machine's graphics chip. According to Nintendo, this will result in clearer, more varied textures that will blur the line between fantasy and reality. Textures can be com- An example of what S3's texture compression technology can do. 54 pressed to one-sixth their normal size, yet maintain or improve the detail of the original. The textures require less memory, further reducing load times. “In just the past few years, the graphic improvement in video games has been stunning. S3 will be a major force in accelerating the performance we'll achieve on the Dolphin,” explains Howard Lincoln, chairman of Nintendo of America Inc. “With their unique graphics-compression technology, developers will be able to provide players with more complex and colorful graphics. Coupled with our previously announced strategic agreements with companies like IBM, Matsushita, ArtX and MoSys, incorporation of S3 technology will make Dolphin a console without equal.” Dolphin is still scheduled for a holiday 2ooo release worldwide. The company recently said the first glimpse the general public will get of the machine will be at Space World 2ooo, next August. Matsushita (a.k.a. Panasonic) recently stated that the company will not bring its own Dolphin unit to the U.S. The company plans to introduce a Dolphin-capable DVD home entertainment machine in Japan. WANTED BY MIAMI • NEW YORK * SAN FRANCISCO * LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENTS eyewitness comments: *...A HIGH SPEED THRILL RIDE!” Newsweek “IF YOU'RE A FAN OF WHITE KNUCKLE DRIVING ACTION, LOOK NO FURTHER” NextGen “BUY IT!” Maxim "...HIGH SPEED ACTION MAKES IT A RIDE YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS...” GamePro "ONE OF THE MOST ENTERTAINING CAR GAMES AROUND." Official PlayStation Magazine SUSPECTED WHEELMAN SHOWN HERE evidence items Yow AEE THE FWHESLWAN " DRIVER. GTGAMES. COM of driver game player. EVIDENCE evidence photos courtesy of driver game player. CASE DATE 1972 ve Software Corp. All Rights R a GT Interactive Software Corp. ed. Created io. Published Н GT Interactive Software — =) 'arks are the property of their PR ST ESS ART Tokyo Game Show Autumn 1999 Scrapbook Come G THQ and Renaissance Pictures have signed an agreement giving THQ rights to develop and produce games based on Sam Raimi's cult horror classic Evil Dead. The first title will be a 3D adventure title called Evil Dead: Ashes 2 Ashes, for PlayStation and PC. Capcom’s Spawn arcade game will be released on the Dreamcast in 2000 and PlayStation2 in 20001. LucasArts has canceled its plans for a PlayStation version of Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. Bandai will release Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes in the U.S. The game is based on the mega-popular Japanese series Gundam, currently being released in the U.S. under the Anime Village label, distributed by Pioneer. Agetec will release a two-CD add-on pack for Armored Core called, Armored Core: Master of Arena in the first quarter of 2000. Taito’s Psychic Force 2012 for Dreamcast is coming to the U.S. from Acclaim. Sega recently announced that | the first Dreamcast network games will m not hit shelves until first or second | Ë > | quarter 2000. Meaningful multiplayer - | i 7 “ р геа пса > [ | network titles like Half-Life, Baldur’s > f Gate and Sega’s own sci-fi RPG Frontier, | will not be released until the third or | fourth quarter of 2000. Sega will | release a version of Sega Rally 2 minus network play in the meantime. Sega and Swatch have announced a partnership which will bring the Dreamcast such benefits as official Swatch time and the incorporation of clocks into games. You can all scratch your heads in a synchronized fashion. aaa A Jedi Knight must \ N Mastery of the For requires that one | purge all unnecessary activities from daily life. STAR WARS 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. ІҢ ЕЗ L. o www.lucasarts.com/products/phantommenace www.starwars.com © Lucasfilm Lid & ТМ. АП 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. international N News One of the most anticipated Dreamcast games in Japan has had another setback. This time, Shenmue has been delayed until spring 2000 (no specific date set). Yu Suzuki’s most ambitious project yet was originally slated for release in Japan on Oct. 28, but the game was notably absent in playable form at TGS. Just a week after the show was over, Sega announced the delay. It is unclear whether Shenmue will be released before Sony releases the PlayStation2 in Japan. The game’s complexity and graphic- intensive nature is blamed for the delay, although several new features of Shenmue have just been revealed. Shenmue Chapter One: Yokosuka will include a special fourth disc called Shenmue Passport. It includes such features as an online tutorial, Web board for high scores on various mini-games, plus a look at profiles of the various characters you meet in the game and more. Sega showcased several new online games as part of a new campaign to get your Average Joe's online. Virtual On Oratorio Tangram, Chu-Chu Rocket, Dee Dee Planet, a new Sakura Taisen-themed Columns puzzle game, a network Pachinko title and a networked horse racing game are part of Sega Enterprises' big online push. Speaking of online, the most talked about game before the show ended up being perhaps the biggest disappointment. Sonic Team's Phantasy Star Online was expected to be at the show, but instead was only present in T-shirt form at Sega's store. The quick glimpses of the game that were given don't tell you much about the game. What's known right now is that you don't have to play on- line. You can have Al characters in the rest of your party. Shenmue Delayed, Phantasy : Star Goes Online Phantasy Star Online remains a mystery (cool logo though, eh), while models pose with a Shenmue motorcycle. But one thing is clear: If 7% Sega is to compete with Sony on the same playing field in Japan, something has to be done, fast. With Shenmue delayed, that leaves very few big titles that aren't arcade ports. Namco's continued support of the DC is especially unclear now that Tekken Tag for PS2 has surfaced. Are adding Passport features to games like Shenmue going to be the thing that sways players against PS2? We'll see. Square's Busy Millennium: РАК, Chrono Trigger, Parasite Eve ll... "A little old, a little new" is how Square's showing at the Autumn TGS can be described. The company showed off a handful of games, including Dew Prism, Chocobo Stallion, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, Chrono Trigger and Parasite Eve Il. Parasite Eve ІІ seems to look different this time...Aya appears to have gotten younger. The game takes place in September 2000, and once again brings Aya face-to-face with some ofthe most gruesome enemies ever faced by a human. Parasite Eve ІІ is planned for a December release in Japan and next year in the U.S. Chrono Trigger is being rereleased on the PlayStation to lead up to the release Chrono Cross. This new version has special animé cut sequences throughout the game (including a new opening and ending). Chrono Trigger comes out in Japan in November. Currently there are no plans for a U.S. release. Square will release Chocobo Collection for the PlayStation on Dec. 22 in Japan. It will contain three games starring Square's unofficial mascot, including Chocobo Racing, Chocobo Stallion and a new title—Dice De Chocobo (a board game). Square will host an event in Yokosuka, Japan on Nov. 23 where it will announce its plans for PlayStation2 and show Final Fantasy IX. FOOTWEAR WILL NEVER BE THE SAME... THE => PRESSURE М i f$ K< се Nee Ws PRESS START international Tidbits - Viewpoint On/Off American Sammy's N64 space shooter Viewpoint 2064 (a sequel to the NeoeGeo game) was first reported to be canceled but is now still on for a release in Japan in the spring. ~ Resident Evil 2 DC Capcom plans to release Biohazard 2 (a.k.a. Resident Evil 2) for Dreamcast in December in Japan. Previously, Code Veronica was a December release for the DC, but has since been delayed until early 2000. Monolith Software is a new subsidiary of Namco, formed to concentrate solely on new games for the home market. Former employees of Square and Namco are heading up the company, and its first title will be an RPG scheduled for release in December 2001. Episode One Racer Sega Style The same team that worked on Sega Rally 2 is putting the finishing touches on an arcade version of Star Wars Episode One: Racer for release on Sega’s new Hikaru board (not NAOMI). This title will be different than the PC or М64 versions of the game. Aki Tames Animals Sega showed off Animaster, a virtual pet breeding/racing simulation developed by Aki for Dreamcast at TGS. This is the game that will allegedly use a link between the Game Boy and Dreamcast. As for if and when that link is actually going to happen—it’s anybody’s guess. Animaster is scheduled for a 2000 release. Cotton Cushions Holidays If you've never heard of Cotton, don’t feel bad. It’s a shooter series from Success that has only been released in the U.S. once (on the TurboGrafx-16). The company is bringing back the lil’ witch for a new adventure this December on Dreamcast and PlayStation called Rainbow Cotton. Cotton has traditionally been a 2D series (there is one “3D” version called Panorama Cotton), and this is the first time it has been done in full 3D. ‘Valkyrie Profile | 12/22 Rainbow Cotton, Success | 11/25 Maken X, Atlus (Action) | 12/3 Baku Bomberman 2, Hudson | notice. Consult your local import game Success' successful cartoony shooter series Cotton comes to Dreamcast and PlayStation this December in Rainbow Cotton. A cute, animé style witch shooting baddies? What's not to like? Import Pick of the Month: Valkyrie Profile, Enix (RPG) PlayStation 10/28 Arc the Lad III, SCEI (RPG) 11/2 Chrono Trigger, Square (RPG) | 11/18 Alundra 2, SCEI (RPG) | 11/18 Chrono Cross, Square (RPG) | 11/18 Runabout 2, Climax (Driving) 11/25 Valkyrie Profile, Enix (RPG) 12/2 Dragon Valor, Namco (Action RPG) (Shooting) 12/22 Chocobo Collection, Square (Misc.) Dec. Koudelka, SNK (RPG) | Dreamcast 10/28 Zombie Revenge, Sega (Action) | 11/11 Сһи-Сһи Rocket, Sega (Puzzle) | Nov. Giga Wing, Capcom (Shooting) Nov. Jojo’s Venture, Capcom (Fighting) 12/16 Space Channel 5, Sega (Misc.) 12/23 D2, Warp (Action) Dec. Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh, Treasure (Shooting) | Dec. Rainbow Cotton, Success | (Shooting) | Dec. Virtua Striker 2, Ver. 2000, Sega | (Sports) | Nintendo 64 | 11/11 Viewpoint 2064, American Sammy | (Shooting) 12/3 Custom Robo, Nintendo (Action) (Action) Game Boy | 11/21 Pokémon Gold, Nintendo (RPG) | | 11/21 Pokémon Silver, Nintendo (RPG) 11/25 Beatmania GB2 Culture Mix, | Konami (Misc.) | *Schedule subject to change without | store for the latest release information. UNFORTUNATELY FOR YOU, ALL THE DUMB FISH ARE IN OTHER GAMES. са Sega@ Dreamcast. S SEGA 3 петимкме — / N BASS FISHING — Cruise around Lake Paradise stalking crafty, mega-lifelike lunkers that — | ponder time of day, weather, location, lure type and motion before deciding, to chomp. Moving gills, slapping tails. bitchin’ fishing. ѕеда.сот [Iw | 111111 | In the U.K., where the Dreamcast is launching | | on 10/14, Sega Europe is poking some | | harmless fun at Sony. This billboard, seen on | abusy street, tells gamers that after | Dreamcast launches, the PS has expired. Quartermann - Video Game Gossip & Speculation _ lenty of rumor this month, so much so that the Q-network has been able to expand its coverage this issue. Not only do we have our usual tumors to share with you, but elsewhere we also һауе lots of gossip onthe new console set for release from Microsoft. The core of this month’s juicy stuff centers on the Dreamcast though, with some interesting tidbits cropping up from all over the world. RUMOR - EA will be producing games for the Dreamcast within six months. TRUTH - This one came out of nowhere as the 05 spies were hunting around, but it comes from a very credible source. Apparently the powers that be are very impressed with Dreamcast and how it has performed since aunch Rather than just hitting big on day one and then fizzling out the system has managed to sustain some impressive growth. This was what EA wanted to see...and that’s why they're ooking into porting a number of major ranchises across from the\PC. Nothing has been confirmed as we go to press, but it Seems likely that we'll see Need For Speed (probably High Stakes), FIFA and. maybe МВА Live 2000. Annoüncements are expected to be made at the end of. November with release dates hitting in early 2000. Once this batch is out, expect to see a fulNineup of the EA Sports 2001 games in late-2000. Madden on Dreamcast at last? Let's hope: so. RUMOR - Metal Gear Solid will hit Dreamcast within the next year. TRUTH - Another big shock, but again, this is from one of the Q's more reliable sources. It's widely known that Microsoft is working with Konami on a PC version of the game—and it's now believed that part of the deal was to release the game (running under Direct X and Windows CE) for the Dreamcast. It would certainly make a lot of. sense...the PC version can be ported quickly, and easily, Microsoft is keen to push the Windows side of Dreamcast (regardless of its own X-Box plans) and Konami is already established as a Sega supporter. There's no ‘exclusive’ arrangement with Sony that we're aware of so the odds seem stacked in favor of this one. RUMOR - The DC version of Half Life will include the PC mission pack too: TRUTH - It.seems that Valve, Sierra and Havas Interactive were-as surprised as the rest of.us wheri Sega.announced it would be using Half Life to launch the online Dreamcast network. It's no Secret that-a ‘work in progress’ build of the game has been knocking around Sierra for a while...but nothing has-been formally announced or committed to. Even now. The Q’s spies have done some digging and it seems that yes, the game will be released, but it will ‘be a seriously enhanced package with better graphics and lots of features skewed toward multiplayer gaming. Let's hope that Valve also decides to work on Team Fortress 2. RUMOR - Die Hard Trilogy 2 is also coming to Dreamcast. TRUTH - We're not pulling all of these DC rumors on purpose...it just seems to be the hot ticket at the moment. Our spies have learned from people at Fox that they would like to capitalize on the extremely high sales and demand for the Dreamcast gun that has stemmed from the popularity of HOD2. One of the Q's spies even heard someone from Fox say, “They [Sega] need another gun game for that system, this-could be one of them.” RUMOR - Dolphin is going to be L-A-T-E. TRUTH - Doubtful. The Internet is rife with rumors that the machine won’t make a 2000 release based almost entirely on the fact that Nintendo isn’t planning on showing the thing until Space World 2000 in Tokyo next August. It now seems likely that we'll see а Japanese launch before the end of next year. The much- rumored 'global release date' seems highly unlikely. How many times have we been told that a system will release everywhere on the same day, only to find that there's a six-month gap between territories? RUMOR - Ready 2 Rumble isn't just a game, it'sa philosophy, man: TRUTH - It seems Midway has found its niche and is going to exploitit with some considerable fervor. 'Arcade' sports titles are the way ahead for the company, with everything coming along in the spirit of Blitz, R2R and ShowTime. Titles to watch for...the inevitable Ready 2 Rumble 2, a Ready 2 62 Rumble Wrestling game which looks to be quite exciting (imagine a wrestling game that’s even more extreme), a golf game\as well as а soccer and baseball title. RUMOR - The next San Francisco Rush game is going to be set іп (ће '7os. TRUTH - From what the Q's spies have dug up, it Seems that the original idea behind, Rush was to produce something with more in common With "705 cop show car chases than with a racing game. Unfortunately that never worked out, so the team is going back to its original design notes and looking into doing something in the spirit of classic car-chase movies like Bullitt. Cool. RUMOR - Tomb Raider the movie is set for release next year. TRUTH - There's still no ‘star’ attached to the project, although Liz Hurley is still the number- one choice of just about everyone. The story apparently takes place after Tomb 3 and sees Lara pursuing the 'Achilles Shield' through Antarctica and Asia. Directed by Stephen Herek (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Critters, 101 Dalmatians) we should see it in theatres by the fall. Assuming they find a girl to play Lara: -The “Q” Biohazard 3 Last Escape Een Dragon Quest 1 ll Enix Tornecos Mysterious Dungeon 2 5ш World Soccer Jikki v fron Eleven 4 | 4 ! Konami У Ë + ni Doko Demo Issyo p | | SCEI У | Dance Dance Revolution 2nd ReMIX Konami | | س Idol Jyanshi 0 Tsukucchaou ©} Jaleco | | Minna no Golf 2 val 0 и" Post 4 +. | 1 Medarat 2 (Kabuto таңа Version} H Imagineer | Weekly Famitsu, week e ending 9/26/99 | NE STUNT DOUBLE #56 NEAR SLOT MACHINES IN | JOHN MeCLA | - ARM BROKEN SHARPSHOOTER | ç DUEL WITH A RUSSIAN TERRORIST. VIVA LAS VEGAS ™ | Thanks to more efficient communication of the sales data we receive from the NPD group (who collate the charts) we are able to bring you more up-to-date data than ever. This | month we skip to September, rather than following on from last month when we printed the | July chart. We have not printed the August chart. All references to previous chart positions | refer 0 the last Position printed i in ЕСМ The Тор 20 Best-Selling Games of September, 1999 us Final Fantasy ШІ Pow! Straight in at number one, selling in excess of 400,000 copies. Between this and the Dreamcast stuff, the reign of Pokémon in the Top Five is finally over. All rejoice! And all hail the mighty Square! 2 - Madden NFL 2000 B When the football season gets going, people want their Madden games, and Electronic Arts Bi certainly knew what they were doing this year. Expect this one to be sitting around this point in the chart for months. Bras Æ НЕМ 9595 l Che | Сера Che | Shawn Well...it surprised us that Sega's biggest selling game on | Dreamcast launch day was NFL2k. | = Dean | Shoe We were pretty certain it would be | +— | Sonic—but everyone has to be sl Wrong sometimes. A beautiful 19 9.0 game, justifiably popular. 4 - Sonic Adventure We really thought that Sonic would slot in nicely at number | 9 5 9 0 two, closely followed by Soul | Chris | Dean Calibur. But hey...that’s just us. ——— Sonic’s triumphant return is further sign of Sega's return to 9. H] 85 form. Go Sonic! Go! La] Jom 5- Gran Turismo You drop the price to $20, and whaddya know? All the people that really wanted a copy of Gran Turismo crawl out of the ES woodwork and buy it. SCEA must be very happy. It’s still the best racing game out there. Soul Calibur Namco 1 Pokémon p" Nintendo ©) New John К Re prm GT Interactive WWF Attitude Acclaim _ Ready 2 Rumble | ТЕШ Midway | 64 NR GameDay 2000 | | 1" Electronic Arts 12 Spyro The Dragon SCEA 18! s ШІ 1 Crash Bandicoot WARPED SCEA 1 Star Wars The Phantom Menace у LucasArts 16 Firal Fantasy ТЕ SCEA 1 Madden NFL ТЕ Electronic Arts 18 legacy of Kain Soul Reaver | A= Eidos m ——À — 19 A Bugs lite — RN 2 Dino Crisis иш 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. | | System Race | Based on what you know today, which platform do you think is | going to win the system race? 23% Sega Dreamcast 29% PlayStation 2 92% Source: Videogames.com main poll results for 10/11/99 JOHN М с жалы STUNT. OQUBL ON PROXIMITY зч 1 NEA ВОДЕ ТТЕ TABLE е WHILE | pu m JOHN MCLANE (том ND FROM HIGH SPEED WRECK EME DRIVING pawn VEGAS STANÊ. ; „pEADWOY Ff РАДА EXTR ™ VIVA LAS EE PRESS START Gi е Boy Color Alice in Wonderland - Nintendo Army Men - 300 Babe and Friends - Crave Bass Masters 2000 - THQ Battletanx - 3DO Billy Bob's Huntin' and Fishin' - Midway Bomberman RPG - Electro Source Bubble Bobble Classic - Metro 3D Deja Vu I & II - Vatical Earthworm Jim - Crave Entertainment Evel Knievel - Rockstar FIFA 2000 - THQ Godzilla - Crave Grand Theft Auto - Rockstar Hot Wheels Stunt Track Driver - Mattel Jeff Gordon XS Racing - ASC Games Killer Loop - Crave Entertainment Konami Rally - Konami Magical Tetris Challenge - Capcom Marble Madness - Midway Mickey Racing - Nintendo Mr. Nutz - Infogrames Ms. Pac-Man - Namco NBA Showtime - Midway NFL Blitz 2000 - Midway NHL 2000 - THQ Oddworld Adventures 2 - GT Interactive Puchi Carat - Tommo Rampage Universal Tour - Midway Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - Midway Rugrats Time Machine - THQ Shamus - Telegames Speedy Gonzales - Electro Source Street Fighter Alpha - Capcom Test Drive Off-Road 3 - Infogrames Thrasher: Skate & Destroy - Rockstar Towers: Lord Baniff's Deceit - Telegames Toy Story 2 - Activision Uno - Mattel Vegas Games - 300 Vigilante 8 - Vatical WWF Wrestlemania 2000 - THQ PlayStation 40 Winks - Psygnosis All Star Tennis - Ubi Soft Army Men Air Attack - 3DO Ballistic - Infogrames BoomBots - SouthPeak Caesar's Palace 2000 - Interplay Carmageddon 2 - Interplay Clock Tower 2 - Agetec Cool Boarders 4 - 989 Studios Crusaders of Might & Magic - 00 Danger Girl - THQ Darkstone - Take 2 Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home - SouthPeak Dune 2000 - Electronic Arts Elmo in Grouchland - Mindscape Fighting Force 2 - Eidos Flintstones Bowling - South Peak Interactive Formula One “99 - Psygnosis Glover - Hasbro Interactive Jackie Chan’s Stuntmaster - Midway Juggernaut - Jaleco Knockout Kings 2000 - Electronic Arts Konami Arcade Classics - Konami Macross VFX 2 - Bandai Major League Soccer 2000 - Konami Medal of Honor - Electronic Arts Missile Command - Hasbro Interactive Mission: Impossible - Infogrames MTV Jams - Codemasters NBA Basketball 2000 - Fox Interactive NBA ShootOut - 989 Sports NBA Showtime - Midway NCAA Final Four 2000 - 989 Studios NCAA March Madness 2000 - Electronic Arts Need for Speed V-Rally 2 - Electronic Arts No Fear Downhill MB Racing - Codemasters Q-Bert - Hasbro Interactive Rainbow Six - Red Storm Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - Midway Action Action Action Sports Action Misc. RPG Puzzle Action Action Action Sports Action Action Racing Racing Racing Racing Puzzle Action Racing Action Action Sports Sports Sports Action Puzzle Action Sports Action Action Action Fighting Racing Action Action Action Misc. Misc. Action Sports Action Sports Action Puzzle Action Misc. Action Action Sports Action Action Action Racing Strategy Misc. Action Sports Racing Action Action RPG Sports Misc. Shooting Sports Simulation Action Action Misc. Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Racing Action Action Sports Compiled By Chris Johnston chris_johnston@zd.com Renegade Racing - Interplay Racing Resident Evil 3 Nemesis - Capcom Action Shao Lin - THQ Fighting Smurfs - Infogrames Action South Park: Chef's Luv Shack - Acclaim Misc. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage - SCEA Action SuperCross Circuit - 989 Sports Sports Test Drive 6 - Infogrames Racing Test Drive Rally - 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 - 3DO Misc. Vigilante 8: Second Offense - Activision Action Worms Armageddon - Hasbro Interactive Action Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style - Activision Fighting Nintendo 64 Bassmasters 2000 - THQ Sports Battletanx Il: Global Assault - 3DO Action Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling - THQ Sports Caesar's Palace - Crave Entertainment Misc. Carmageddon - Interplay Action Destruction Derby - THQ Racing Donkey Kong 64 - Nintendo Action Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside 2 - Nintendo Sports Knockout Kings - Electronic Arts Sports Major League Soccer - Konami Sports Monopoly 64 - Hasbro Interactive Misc. NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant- Nintendo Sports NBA Live 2000 - Electronic Arts Sports NBA Showtime - Midway Sports Nuclear Strike - THQ Action Rainbow Six - Southpeak Interactive Action Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - Midway Sports Resident Evil 2 - Capcom Action Rocket: Robot on Wheels - Ubi Soft Action South Park: Chef's Luv Shack - Acclaim Misc. Supercross - Electronic Arts Racing Top Gear Hyperbike - Kemco Racing. Toy Story 2 - Activision Turok: Rage Wars - Acclaim WWF Wrestlemania 2000 - THQ Xena Warrior Princess - Titus Dynamite Cop - Sega Centipede - Hasbro Interactive Evolution: World of Sacred Device - Ubi Soft Fighting Force 2 - Eidos Action NBA Showtime - Midway Sports NFL Quarterback Club 2000 - Acclaim Sports Redline Racer - Ubi Soft Racing Rippin’ Riders - Sega Sports Sega Rally 2 - Sega Racing Sega Sports NBA 2k - Sega Sports Slave Zero - Accolade Action Street Fighter Alpha 3 - Capcom Fighting Test Drive 6 - Infogrames Racing Vigilante 8: Second Offense - Activision Action Virtua Fighter 3% - Sega Fighting Game Boy Color 1942 - Capcom Shooting Game & Watch Gallery 3 - Nintendo Misc. Ghosts *n' Goblins - Capcom Action International Track & Field - Konami Sports Knockout Kings 2000 - Electronic Arts Sports Mission: Impossible - Infogrames Action NBA Courtside 3 on 3 Challenge - Nintendo Sports Puzzle Master - Metro 3D Puzzle South Park - Acclaim Action Star Wars Ep. One: Racer - Nintendo Racing Urban Chaos - Eidos Action WCW Mayhem - Electronic Arts Sports Yoda Stories - THQ Adventure PlayStation Blaster Master || - Sunsoft Action Detonator Gauntlet - Working Designs RPG Die Hard Trilogy 2 - Fox Interactive Action ESPN NBA Tonight - Konami Sports ESPN Outdoors Bass Fishing - Konami Sports Fatal Fury Wild Ambition - SNK Fighting Gekido - Interplay Action Gran Turismo 2 - SCEI Racing International Track and Field 2000 - Konami Sports Iron Soldier 3 - Telegames Action Jeremy McGrath 2000 - Acclaim Racing South Park Rally - Acclaim Racing Air Boardin’ USA - Agetec Action Castlevania Legacy of Darkness - Konami Action Cyber Tiger Woods Golf - Electronic Arts Sports Excitebike 64 - Nintendo Racing Harrier 2001 - Video System Flying Harvest Moon 64 - Natsume RPG Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 - Acclaim Racing Looney Tunes: Taz Express - Infogrames Action South Park Rally - Acclaim Racing Space Invaders - Activision Action StarCraft 64 - Nintendo Strategy Armada - metro3D Action F-1 World Grand Prix - Video System Racing MDKz2 - Interplay Action Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator - Konami Simulation Shadow Man - Acclaim Action Worms Armageddon - Hasbro Interactive Misc. Game Boy Color Blaster Master ІІ - Sunsoft Action Dragon Warrio Monsters - Eidos RPG Rainbow Six - Southpeak Interactive Resident Evil - Capcom Army Men Sarge's Heroes - The 3DO Company Action Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine - LucasArts Action Jeff Gordon XS Racing - ASC Games Racing Misadventures of Tron Bonne - Capcom Action Panzer General Assault - Mindscape Strategy Road Rash Unchained - Electronic Arts Action Superman - Titus Action Tanktics - Interplay Action Tiger Woods & PGA Tour 2000 - Electronic Arts Sports Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return - SCEA Action NHL Blades of Steel 2000 - Konami Tarzan - Activision Castlevania - Konami Climax Landers - Sega RPG Resident Evil: Code Veronica Sega Sports NHL 2000 - Sega Game Boy Color КЕ RPG - Electro Brain RPG Earthworm Jim - Take 2 Interactive Action Gauntlet Legends - Midway Action Konami Rally - Konami Racing Lemans - Infogrames Racing Lunar 2 Eternal Blue - Working Designs RPG PGA European Tour - Infogrames Sports Rayman 2 - Ubi Soft Action Reel Fishing Il - Natsume Sports Silent Bomber - Bandai Action Spec Ops - Rockstar Action Team Buddies - Activision Action Test Drive Cycles - Infogrames Racing Wild Wild West - South Peak Interactive Action Nintendo 64 40 Winks - GT Interactive Action Looney Tunes: Duck Dodgers - Infogrames UEFA Striker Pro 2000 - Infogrames © 1999 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Die Hard © 1988 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Fox, Fox Interactive, Die Hard Trilogy 2, and their associated logos are all trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. 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 McCLANE IN EXTREME DRIVING MODE. JOHN McCLANE Iç BACK, AND LAS VEGAS WILL NEVER RE THE SAME, IN DIE HARD TRILOGY 2. you CAN PLAY YOUR FAVORITE GAME OR Мі ALL THREE GAME STYLES INTO ONE INTENSE ADVENTURE, YOUR ENEMIES НАМЕ ADVANCED AI, SO тч TAKE BOTH STRATEGY AND Skul To SAVE HOSTAGES WHILE TRYING TO SAVE your дим Витт. USE TWELVE DIFFERENT WEAPONS To BATTLE ENEMY TERRORISTS, WHOSE Five ОАМАФЕ QUADRANTS MAKE THEM Тау©Н То DROP, с 2 [c л > T9 = VIVA L Ás vEGAS www.foxinteractive.com GOOD LUCK. YOULL NEED IT. It’s a done deal. That hot new release you're drooling over will soon be yours. You just found www.chworld.com, the planet’s most reliable source for games, guides and accessories at great prices— plus up-to-the-minute release dates, online news and reviews from fellow gamers. (What more would you expect from the people who brought you Electronics Boutique?) Whatever you need, know yov're gonna score it here. We'd never tease you, man. world com ——— electronics boutique —— AOL Keyword: EBWorld We told you we’d show you Lara Croft as you’ve never seen her before...and here she is. The 24- year-old professional model made her first appearance as Lara Croft at E3 in Los Angeles this May. “It’s taken a while to sink in that | will actually represent Lara Croft, but the more I think about it, the more excited | get about the whole idea," she commented before the show. "It's actually quite amazing since in the past people have mentioned that | remind them of the Tomb Raider girl!" So how are things now that she's had the gig for a while? “There are no bad things about being Lara Croft," she told the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM). “But | would like more outfits. | only have one outfit, but in the game she has like six or seven things that she wears.” Fortunately, thanks to our friends at Eidos we were able to track down some pictures of Lara wearing something different for your viewing pleasure. Put your tongues away boys. It may not be the Gucci bikini from the game...but it’s close. At 5'8” and measuring 34c-24- 34, Lara Weller’s statistics certainly reflect those of her ‘new and improved’ (read: less ridiculously busty) digital counterpart. We have to ask, is there a Mr. Lara Croft? “Boyfriend, yes,” she told OPM. So has he asked her to wear the costume? “Ahhh, yes. He goes upstairs and says, ‘Go put it on for the night, darling.” With four years experience as a lingerie and swimwear model plus interests in sport, travel and adventure, Lara Weller is an ideal body-double. “It’s just great because Lara is such an active character,” she says. “The pictures look great, and it makes me feel good, not like a boring catalog job. But, good lingerie is nice too because you feel really sexy wearing nice clothes.” We couldn't agree more. Ms. Weller has signed on as Lara Croft up until the game’s launch around Thanksgiving. AER GERNE аты All screen shots from Sega Dreamcast”, except for four-player shot from Nintendo 64”. М a> Sega PlayStation Dreamcast. MAXIMUM un Now upgrade any Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense vehicle with extra speed, armor, target avoidance and more! "Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense leaves the competition in the dust!" " ч 5 PSM | 116 Years Old Possibly the most significant new feature of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is the fact that you spend a part of the game playing Lara in her more formative years. The three images we have on this page are the first to be released of Lara as a young girl. The initial level of the game takes place in Cambodia when Lara is just 16, and is effectively a training mode for the rest of the game. Treated as а flashback, the level tackles Lara’s relationship with her mentor, Von Croy, and also introduces the player to all of the moves available in the game. | 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 a 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 CD's, while the rest of the party cat-calls, taunts and fights over who gets the controller next. So next time you throw a party, get YOU DON’T KNOW JACK and nobody gets hurt. “> SIERRA BERKELEY. attractions» SYSTEMS Comic Mischief, Strong Language Berkeley, Berkeley Systems and the Berkeley Systems logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Berkeley Systems, In 99 Jellyvision, Inc. YOU DON'T KNOW JACK, онат на 7 Inc. Sierra and Sierra Attractions are trademarks of Sierra On-Line, Inc. Any other trade espe For information on this product's arks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. rating, please call 1-800-771-3772. THE ADWENTURES ОҒ By Jeremy “Norm” Scott No DOUBT You HAVE ALREADY ENJOYED SEVERAL OF THE GAMES WE TWO HAVE CREATED: ROLLER DEATH DERBY, SUPER ROLLER DEATH DERBY, ROLLER DEATH DERBY 5000, FIGHTING FIGHTERS, AND ооа SMASH-HIT RPG EPIC, SOULSONG 2, ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN JAPAN UNDER THE TITLE "ЈАНО SUTO: BIG PANTS SUBMARINE,’ TO THE CONVENIENCE STORE! AR THE STREETS, less PEDESTRIANS! ARE NIDEO GAME DESIGNERS! IGNORANT PHILISTINGS/ HELLO, VIDEO GAMERS! 1 AM HSU | TANAKA, АМО THis (5 MY BROTHER CHAN! WE ARE VIDEO GAME DESIGNERS! PLEASE DO NOT LET THE TITLE Foor YoU: OUR SOB REQUIRES A MATURITY вечомо OUR YEARS! ASO! t HAVE GUIDED AWE PURPLE MONKEY ACROSS THE PLATFORM WITHOUT ONCE BEING Hit BY THE L - PoRCUPINES THROWN BY МОШ 00 WE CREATE Soci MASTER PIECES? OUR TOOLS ARE VAST AND VARIED! GENIUS, CREATIVITY, SKILL, THESE ALL PLAY А PART! woT TO MENTION OUR STATE-OF- THE-ART HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND, TO A LESSER WAIT, MY BROTHER? WSU, LOOK! ҮТ ЖЫЛАН FoR OUR CONVENIENCE, THIS STORE 15 OPEN 24 HOURS А DAY, SEVEN DAYS А week! ? WE HANE WHAT wE суме FOR! LET US NOT WASTE ANOTHER SECOND IN THIS HELL OF SNACK CRACKERS AND CHEAP AMERICAN BEER! [ THE PADDLES € PONG, HSU! 16 Au OF THIS FOR CIGARETTES AND LOTTERY TICKETS?! у ЈЕ we HAD WISHED 10 SEE THE THE FATES A HANE SURELY Fay? WORLDS LARGEST BACK FLAG, WE'D HAVE PAID ADMISSION! LET US THROVOH! LISTEN, 8! нео! 7 IT WAS AN нын. d URS C. teu! OLD SEDI MIND H neg You'Re HSU AND CHAN TANAKA, ARENT WOU?! фо 6045 MADE KoLLER DEATH , 5000, DIDNT Come, CHAN! weve You? | (060 wastep Too мосы THAT! SOMEDAY, OF OUR LIVES HERE | WANT ТО GE ALREADY! LEANE THE ust LIKE YOU! To THEIR 504 PEANUTS AND SLUSHEES! WE RIDE то BETTER PLACES! 3 ment Ameti¢a Inc. Developed by 98% Studios are trademarks of Spy Computer Entertainn s logo 989 Studio nd the 3tudios ai | PlayStation р. 71 dur SILAN Sweet Tooth’s back and in charge of the originai car combat - freakshow, Twisted Meta! 4. With new interactive battlegrounds, wicked characters, innovative Ее: killer graphics, а helraising soundirack, cer customization and best'bt all, Sweet Tooth's evil henchmer. Man, as if ciowns weren't Scary enough. 1 Vogal: PtayStatien aa developed by 1601 Winds PlayStation | 1 | | | | | ја L ава leges ТЕТІ! domaits of Sony Computes Entertainment tac SuperCross Circuit, 989 брега aad 28a $8 ished by 969 Sports. € T Seay Computer Entertainment America lac: Бойда 346 ibe Wing lage are registered М г th t 5 Í To order a copy of this poster, visit www.989sporis.com \ ————— „мр == otis 18до are trademarks of Sony Computes Eccertaiament Amarica inc Designed ang masks gi American Honda Major Co. lac. vied vader license, Paste: Jia Sanderson | H t PlayStation 989. STUDIOS диз imu) fuos 66612 24 E3ueuy шәшшщврдиз anduwa Г / Š | Ej 3 ІШ il ( ШЇ A ШАЛА * N Шы 4 juone1SAeld ant logos are trademarks of the teams indic 11999 PLAYERS IN( Developed by Red Zone Int copyrighted designs and other forms «01999 Sony Computer Ent ed Ай other (NFL-related marks) are trader vrave nfiplayers com intellectual property of NBA Prope [ есіме memt the National Football League and NFL Prop пс and 989 Sports, 621999 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc NBA ShootOut Inc. and the NBA res www.989sports.com [T Te ий product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC logo | rademark of NBA Properties. Inc The NBA and individual NBA member Te ‘and may not be used. in whole or in part vathout the pror written со 'ademark of the National Hockey League. NHL National Hockey League, the NHL Shield and the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. Ай HHL logos and marks snark of the NFL Players. Inc. “1999 NBA Properties, Inc. All пој | | || Í ` | , $ s Gling "най PlayStation) = isi PlayStation) © p>) ell " GAMEDAY 20007 . PlayStationi Made by the Pros. Played by the Pros” ter Entertainment America Inc. T в g š š š % Ë š = Sony Compt WHAT IS THE EXTRA "D" IN YOUR NAME FOR? IN NBA ShootOut 2000, ARE YOUR HIGH TOPS TIED IN A DOUBLE KNOT? I$ IT TRUE YOU'RE ALLERGIC TO CELERY? DOES YOUR UNIFORM START TO CHAFE БҮ THE FOURTH QUARTER? ЕЗІ It’s NBA ShootOut 2000 starring Jason Kidd. Check out 300 new motion captured moves with 42 signature dunks, or design your own slams with “Create Dunk.” New defensive Matchup & Deny™ and offensive Read & React™ artificial intelligence gives you the most realistic hoops game play ever. “Touch Shooting” even lets you control the accuracy of your shot. You think you got enough game? Bring it. ж PlayStation! www.989sports.com Exclusivety at www.989sports.com Items shown available at all Kmart, Big Kmart and Super Kmart stores Super E BIG ME om Dreamca Nintendo 64 Climax Landers WWF Attitude Worms Armageddon Striker Pro 2000 Resident Evil Code: Veronica Crazy Taxi Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future Felony Pursuit Star Trek: New Worlds Metropolis Street Racer MDK 2 Incoming Roadsters Space Channel 5 Chu Chu Rocket Evolution 2 Let's Golf Jet Set Radio JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Vermillion Desert Rent A Hero No. 1 Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact equen 124-25 Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness 126-27 Turok: Rage Wars 128 South Park Rally 130 Harvest Moon 64 134 South Park: Chef's Luv Shack 136 Bangaio 137 Dragon Sword Monopoly N64 Ridge Racer 64 144 Tomorrow Never Dies 146 Twisted Metal 4 148 Macross VF-X 2 150 MTV Music Generator 154 The Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home 156 Countdown Vampires 158 Silent Bomber 159 Alundra 2 160 Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Gekido V-Rally 2 161 Iron Soldier 3 Planet of the Apes 162 International Track & Field 2000 Action Man Missile Command 164 Formula One 99 O*Bert NCAA Final Four 2000 NCAA March Madness 2000 170 Renegade Racers The Flintstones Bedrock Bowling The Smurfs PGA European Tour Mission: Impossible 172 Legend of Dragoon Rakugaki Showtime 174 Vampire Hunter D Robbit Mon Dieu Tokimeki Memorial 2 Planet Dob PlayStation2 182 — Tekken Tag Tournament 183 EX3: The Street a 184 Gran Turismo 200 186 The Bouncer Shin Ridge Racer XFIRE 188 Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee Armored Core 2 192 Dark Cloud Eternal Ring Drum Mania 194 Densen 500 GP — Popolocrois Story III NISON Game Boy Color 200 Grand Theft Auto Mission: Impossible Towers: Lord Baniff's Deceit Wicked Surfing Evel Knievel Shamus 202 Boarder Zone Jeff Gordon XS Racing Thrasher: Skate and Destroy r: 208 World Kicks Outtriggers 210 Spawn Jambo Safari 212 Samba de Amigo Mr. Driller Sports Simulation's Soccer, Hockey The Typing of the Dead: Keyboard Masters -геЙ 4 This Month in Previews hris Johnston, affectionately referred to as “Secret Turtle” around the EGM offices, just got back from his long trip to the land of the rising sun. When he was there, he covered TGS, Japan's equivalent of our E3 (for the non- enlightened, TGS stands for Tokyo Game Show, E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo). As you should know by now, TGS is where we got to see PlayStation2 in action for the first time. So in this month’s previews, we bring you the first batch of PS2 screens (better get some towels to catch your drool...). From EX3 to Dark Cloud to Shin Ridge Racer to Drum Mania, it looks as though Sony’s new machine will have all the major and minor genres properly covered...something the М64 can’t even brag about. Not to be out-spotlighted, the Dreamcast has some pretty heavy hitters coming along. Everyone’s buzzing like bees about Resident Evil Code: Veronica and Crazy Taxi, both of which look fantastic. Code: Veronica may be delayed a little bit because of RE2 coming out for the Dreamcast (in Japan only, so far), so in the meantime, | © Dreamcast B й Nintendo 64 Е >. PlayStation HE PlayStation 2 Е & Game Boy Color | © Arcade Caught on film: EGM news editor Chris Johnston, crying to his mother because he's frightened by all the oddly dressed individuals in Tokyo. feast your eyes on our page of new screens in this issue. In case you’re wondering why some of the screenshots don’t look quite as good as others (example: Tekken Tag looks way better than EX3, but doesn’t look it in the screens we have), it’s because some images were taken off of promo tapes and such. Sometimes, that’s how companies show off their games, ya know. ж 1. Resident Evil Code: Veronica 2. Gran Turismo 2000 3. Tekken Tag Tournament 4. Crazy Taxi 5. Worms Armageddon Dreamcast, 01 2000 PlayStation 2, March 2000 (Jpn) PlayStation 2, March 2000 (Jpn) Dreamcast, Q2 2000 Dreamcast, December 1999 What franchise would you most like to see continued on PS2? source: videogames.com online poll Street Fighter Resident Evil PREVIEW 40% Q2, 2000 None www.sega.com Опе of Sega's best RPG developers returns. Took awhile getting here, didn't it? Now the Dreamcast has twice as many RPGs as the Nintendo 64. | n» ‘Leonardo Climax Landers is better than Titanic at sappy scenes! If floating islands filled with lava isn't enough for you, then you're better travelled than us. Climax Landers is filled with exotic locales. There are no Pokémon in this game, but there are numerous amounts of funky little creatures. Here is a styrofoam bird. limax. The name is famous for its outstanding Genesis/Super Famicom/Saturn titles in the form of LandStalker, LadyStalker and Dark Savior. Members of that team went on to produce Alundra for the PlayStation, and even more bizarrely, Runabout (Felony 11-79 here) for the PlayStation. Well, now they are back to their roots with an RPG that is widely anticipated for the Sega Dreamcast. Delayed more often than Climax would care to remember (it was supposed to be released around launch in Japan), Climax Landers is often quite similar to the Dreamcast’s other RPG, Evolution. Filled with randomly generated dungeons, the challenges in Landers are slightly different every time you play. But more on that later. At the start of the game, the gamer is treated to a cinema (rendered in real time using the game engine), which introduces us to the hero of the game, a fella by the name of Sword. He’s talking trash to some chick and subsequently causes her to burst into tears. What a cad! As a result of this affront, Sword gets caught napping (not literally) by some varmint all suited up in some red armor. Well, this rascal soon learns the error of his ways when Sword sends him packin’, and from there, you're off on your grand adventure. Your first challenge is a dungeon, five levels deep, which introduces you, immediately, to the basic battle engine. As you make your way through the randomly generated level you'll find that your potential enemies can be clearly seen ahead of time. At this early stage in the game, they tend not to attack you unless you choose to do so from a menu. Should you opt to whack-a-mole, you'll soon discover that not only can you attack with your sword, but that you also have some magic spells at your disposal as well. After your first few battles, you'll find that you “level-up” fairly fast, and with each few levels gained, your magic options increase. While making your way through these dungeons, you are assisted by an auto-mapping function that clues you in to the upcoming paths available in the X 00:06:10 5 F Battles are turn-based, not real time as they are in games like Zelda. Menu-mania, just like Final Fantasy, but different. labyrinth, or in an alternative mode, reveals the layout of the entire floor. The camera is adjustable via the shoulder buttons on the controller, although this doesn't seem to be of much help. During your travels you will find all manner of item strewn about the dungeon floors: fruits, weapons, armor, etc. Once outside the underworld, the similarities with Evolution come to an end. Whereas Evolution had a a small town to explore, and nothing else save for the dungeons, Climax Landers has a fairly extensive over-world, where you can interact with a large collection of NPC's. There are a lot of freaks to be found in the world of Landers: a bondage-inspired grandpa and Playboy bunny companion, a purple- suited superhero wannabe, a tribe of aboriginal indians, a mad scientist, you name it, it's in there. Each funky character has his or her own locale, with the aborigines residence being a floating island filled with volcanoes and trees, and the superhero's being a funky futuristic platform. The interesting thing is how all of these disparate locations are connected by little paths in close proximity to one another. There are six or seven of these areas available from the outset, with a couple more waiting to be discovered. Perhaps the most interesting area is the giant floating turtle suspended with a fleet of giant balloons. Developed by Climax founder Ken Naito (who was at one point or another, responsible for the previously mentioned LandStalker, LadyStalker, Dark Savior, and even some of the Shining titles for the Genesis), Climax Landers is practically a greatest hits collection of his previous games' lead characters. Aside from the new characters like Rao the lion-man and Marion the Marionette, Lyle and Lady, respectively of Land and LadyStalker, return, as does Marlin the Elf from Shining In The Darkness. Of course there are many other characters you will meet throughout this strange adventure, but it's certainly nice for a developer to acknowledge his past creations and to integrate them into a brand- new game such as this. While not as famous as Final Fantasy, Climax’s past works speak for themselves and give Sega fanatics reason to be excited for its impending U.S. release. Graphically the game is a pleasant blend of high- resolution textures and colorful environments. While the characters are a little simple (read: blocky), it looks as good as anything that has come before it. The frame-rate boils along at a smooth 30 frames per second, without hitch. While screens of the game may indicate a Zelda- esque approach to the gameplay, you should be warned that combat and other battle functions are conducted in an old-school turn-based format. Attacks, defensive choices and item management are all conducted via a clear-cut menu selection. Gamers wondering when exactly they would be able to use their VMUs for doing something other than raising those damn Chao from Sonic Adventure will be happy to hear that Climax Landers features 10 brand-new VMU games for you to play. How’s that for value? Unfortunately, Climax Landers won’t make it to our comfy shores until the second quarter of 2000, meaning that Evolution will be Dreamcast owners’ only RPG option for the foreseeable future. However, with games like Climax Landers, Grandia 2, Black Matrix, Eternal Arcadia, Baldur’s Gate and Phantasy Star Online (and eventually ShenMue) scheduled for release in the Dreamcast's future, the Dreamcast's RPG library seems like it will be filled with triple-A titles fairly quickly, which is more than you can say about the М64 іп its three-year history. Whether this is a must-have or a must-try remains to be seen, but from the evidence at hand, it seems as if Climax Landers has the DC’s RPG library headed in the right direction. Thank god! m 91 | | ا Climax Landers features 10 VMU mini-games for the swashbuckler on the go! Climax Landers is filled with all sorts of old-school characters from previous Climax-helmed games. Lyle from LandStalker (Genesis) and Lady from LadyStalker (Super Famicom, a.k.a. Super Nintendo in Japan) have roles in Climax Landers, as does Marlin the Elf from Sega’s Shining in the Darkness. No character from Dark Savior (Saturn) has been sighted in the game so far, but you never know. The main hero of the game, puzzlingly named “Sword,” is a fang-toothed swashbuckler of unknown origins. His goal is to figure out what the heck he is doing on a series of interconnected islands, one of which is a giant turtle held aloft by a flock of balloons. It's your job to help him meet his goal. ССВ Acclaim J ƏƏyë 5F Ñ Üšl Acclaim Studios-Austin October 1999 кай” N64, Ps, GBC www.acclaim.com ГЗ WWF on DC! СЗС Sadly it has that rushed feel to it. Mankind, Kane and Triple H. Isn't that ugly enough? Wrasslin' or square dancing? You decide, punk! Bodyslam 3:16, courtesy of Mr. Stone Cold. If you haven't yet picked up Attitude for the PS or N64, the Dreamcast version will offer four-player action better than those two combined. t seems as if the 500,000-plus new Dreamcast owners won't have to do without WWF Attitude for much longer. For the millions of WWF fans who like their action lean ‘n’ meaty, and haven't actually gotten the N64 or PlayStation versions just yet, keep in mind that whatever those consoles can do, the Dreamcast can do better. We're talking about 60 frames-per-second, we're talking super-duper high resolutions, we're talking about no holds-barred, no compromises four-player wrestling mayhem. All of the good stuff you're looking for will be in the Dreamcast version: 40 hard-core WWF house- wreckers like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, D-Generation X, Mankind, Ken Shamrock, Kane, The Undertaker, Val Venis, Al Snow and all the rest of the troublemakers. You'll be able to create your own Pay-Per-View Mode, and participate in a plethora of other competitions. European, Inter-Continental, Tag Team, World Heavyweight, Hard Core, Light НЕ ла сл Heavyweight and Women's Belt. All these and more can be yours for less than the cost of the N64 version. Isn't life grand? In addition to all the various mode and match options is an extensive create-a- wrestler option that'll have you busy for days. You can customize your wrestler's move sets with moves from any of the wrestlers in the game. You can also customize the text on T-shirts, pants and jackets. The 60 frames-per-second animation and the higher resolution are the primary things this game has over the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions. Other details, like a more animated audience is in the works, to improve the circus-like atmosphere only the WWF could provide. While the gameplay hasn't changed any, this should more than satisfy fans eager to get their hands on 128-Bit wrestling. Only on sale through November (due to licensing restrictions, etc.) WWF Attitude for Dreamcast will be Acclaim’s last wrestling title until work begins on their ECW game. Err, did we say ECW? ж All that wacky WWF action you've come to know and love is landing right here on your Dreamcast. Only now, you can do it in hi-res, at 60 frames- per-second. You can practically feel these big sweaty men hugging up on each other! Snuggle, snuggle! UNIVERSITY OF THE BUTTSLAM... CLASS, MEET THE PROFESSOR. беда Dreamcast. ~ VIRTUA FIGHTER" a ITS THINKING / N 3TB — Adapt or get squished as opponents catch on to your moves, rampaging at 60 fps through subways. walled arenas, and 11 other stages, or combine legendary fighters into a dream team of mayhem for Team Battle. Wear a cup. segacom [||]! ||| PREVIEW Hasbro Interactive Team 17 1-4 Strategy 50% December 1999 PS, PC (Hasbro Int.), N64, GBC (Infogrames) hasbrointeractive.com Bigger and badder worms. Who wouldn't want that? Wait...don't answer that. No Internet play. But that's 0K, because this is a better living room party game anyway. The names you and your friends will eventually come up with for your worms. | Š Destruction | Worms Armageddon contains super-duper weapons from the previous two games plus a few new ones. Pictured above is the Donkey (introduced in the PC Worms 2), which drops from the sky and levels all beneath it. Shown below is the new Mole Squadron, an air strike of sorts that passes right through the landscape like a dissecting knife through a worm. You can say we get a little creative (and juvenile) when it comes to | naming our worms. Here are a couple of office favorites: | | • Shawn Smith's Pimps: Dolemite, Shaft, Superfly, Lando Calrissian | | • Shoe’s Boobies: Dolly, Pamela, Ann Marie, Wendy Whoopers | t wasn't that long ago that Ocean (now absorbed into the Infogrames collective) brought out Worms for the PlayStation and Saturn. The ultra (and when we say "ultra," boy do we mean it) addictive turn-based strategy game was an instant hit in the EGM offices. Those days, editors would lob grenades and launch air strikes against one another for hours. Then a couple of years later, Microprose brought out Worms 2. Alas, it was for the PC only. Even though Internet games were laggy and buggy, we still had a blast with the sequel. Now, the third game in the series is out for the PC, but we have our eyes forward for the console versions instead. After all, Worms is a hilarious party game...everyone has a much better time laughing and talking trash in the same room, in front of a TV, rather than typing the occasional “hahaha” or “lol.” If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s about teams of cute worms who are armed with deadly (and goofy) weapons. These teams are scattered about outlandish landscapes and forced to fight one another, until only one side remains. Only one worm moves and attacks at a time, and when his or her turn is up, the next team gets to have a crack with its own worm representative. When your worm is up (umm...don’t read too much into that phrase), you have to decide how you're going to get from point A to B. You can move Because you have to carefully aim or place weapons around the map, things go nutso when things don't go exactly as planned. Sure you might've shot that bazooka just right, but the explosion might bounce the target worm right back at you, knocking you off a cliff. Trust us...you're gonna laugh а lot with this one. A funny strategy game? Who'd have thunk it? into a better spot for offense, burrow underground and take a defensive stance, parachute off a cliff to take the lower ground, teleport, grapple rope (with the famous Ninja Rope) to move closer to the enemy, teleport, etc., etc. When you're where you want to be, you then have to pull out one of the many weapons at your disposal. Is the enemy standing on the edge of a dangerously high cliff? Then a baseball bat to the noggin should send him a flyin’. What if he's ina valley? Throw a cluster grenade down at him. Other offensive tools include shotguns, mini-guns, dynamite, flame throwers, guided missiles, bazookas, mortars and more. Some of the more non-traditional attacks include Dragonballs and Fire Punches (yes, they're mocking Street Fighter), exploding sheep and old ladies, stinky skunks and the Holy Hand Grenade. And when you need to exterminate a whole field of worms, try one of the weapons of mass destruction, like a napalm strike or carpet bomb (which involves an explosive batch of carpet rolls being dropped from the sky). This game has over 70 weapon types, many of which are secret and can only be gained by collecting them from air-dropped weapon crates. If the finished product matches the quality of the PC title, Worms Armageddon for Dreamcast is going to rock. Don't miss out on what will probably be the best party game for DC this year. ж TONY HAWK = 3S BOB BURNQUIST 6” ер —M— Ce ONY Hawk ај, ТӨГ аи BUCKY LASEK bu же 4 | 2504 po k Na ay EACH PRO SKATER'S TECH DECK COMES WITH THEIR SECRET SIGNATURE MOVE FROM THE NEW ACTIVISION GAME: TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER. COLLECT THEM ALL TO | < MASTER THE САМЕ“ СЕТ *SKILL NOT INCLUDED JAMIE THOMAS Infogrames Rage Software 1-4 Sports 90% February 2000 PS www.infogrames.net DC owners have a decent soccer game to buy. Players seem a little robotic at times. Nothing ugly here. | | - Practice | Atraining mode helps | develop the fundamentals. REMEMBER THIS GUY? Back іп the ’7os you'd be hard-pressed to find an American who could name a single professional soccer team. But ask for a player, and Brazilian soccer superstar Pélé would always come to mind. hile it's true there are a lot of good soccer games out there, there aren't a lot for the Dreamcast. In fact, there are none. Infogrames has handily beat Sega and everyone else to the punch. Because of this, it's tricky to compare SP 2000 to other soccer games. Think FIFA: Road to the World Cup, with sharper graphics and smoother animation to get an idea. What jumps out at us first? Most definitely the analog control. It's more responsive than we've seen in other soccer games, the difference being the easy transition from jog to sprint or vice versa. Special moves benefit from the graceful animation as well. You can actually see the player's legs manipulate the ball in conjunction with the trick. Rage Software (the game's developer) claims some 9,000 frames of motion-captured animation is used in the game. It definitely looks it. Striker Pro 2000 is good- looking, speedy and very playable. With a trio of attributes like that, how can it miss? Like NFL 2K, Striker Pro 2000 features silky- smooth animation and topnotch graphical detail. Seeing players move so fluidly in high resolution is most impressive. Now if we could only say as many kind things about the DC controller. Ughh. Graphically the title is pretty darn nice. Loads of polys and textures bring the sport to life in super detail. Yet having said that, once you back out the camera to a comfortable view, the fancy graphic detail becomes a non-factor. At that point the focus shifts to gameplay. For the most part it's solid but a few things concern us. For one, the computer will switch control off your player as soon as you slide-tackle. This is uncomfortable as most soccer games let you follow through with the tackle, then switch after. The computer seems to jump the gun too quickly in other circumstances as well. A simple manual switch option would fix the whole thing. Let's hope they tweak that area before the final version comes out. Striker Pro 2000 is no slouch when it comes to depth. Nine game modes challenge with everything from friendly matches to massive tournaments and championships. Even the Training Mode is extensive! You could spend loads of time just perfecting your shot and defending abilities. Forty-four European, all the European National and 30 non-European teams are available. In addition, a unique certification feature rewards skillful play by opening up even more teams, including the U.S. team (there's no MLS license, though). We're sure the DC will offer even better soccer sims down the road. But for the time being, Striker Pro 2000 is looking pretty nice. + Friendly - Select Teams Vw ERU sega.com YOU CAN ATTACK, BUT YOU CAN'T ESCAPE WHEN GOOD TOYS GO BAD. am —— Sega(9 Dreamcast. Yo TOY COMMANDER. ITS THINKING / \ —Neglected, angry toys overrun your house at 60 fps. Show them you still care as you bomb, hotrod, bulldoze and vacuum through 8 rooms and 50 hours of flooded kitchens, hordes of bitter playthings and a giant lizard in a bunny suit. Lose the chaps, Woodrow, it's a totally different story. www.mountainbiking.co.uk www.activision.com © 1999 The Codemasters Software Company Limited. ("Codemasters") All Rights Reserved. “Codemasters” is а registered trademark owned by 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 a registered trademark of Giant UK Lid. NeGcon is a trademark of Namco ttd. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trade- marks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. E $ ° 8 £ 2 Lj ` z 8 Б 5 2 8 8 ° £ £ Ride and wipe-out 22 оп 25 mountain //' biking trails as x one of eight riders, each with different skills. Hurl yourself over precipices and race for glory in a one-to-fourplayer м head-to-head competitions. Perform insane * stunts, including wheelies, 360s, ) 24 bunnyhops апа i suicides on customizable bikes. BREAK YOUR FEAR Codemasters Available on PlayStation? game console PREVIEW GALLERY At the recent TGS, Capcom's Resident Evil Code: Veronica was shown in playable form for the first time, and new game details were unveiled. First of all, the game will ship on two GD-ROMs, опе for each playable character (most likely Claire Redfield and Chris Redfield), and it features a zapping system similar to RE2. Sadly, the release date has slipped to “early 2000,” though a playable demo will be bundled in with the DC version of RE2, due out in Japan in December. If you’ve been following the game, you already know that it’s the first fully 3D RE game, and that it centers around Claire’s journey to Europe to find her brother, Chris. At TGS we learned that the game is going to be almost twice as large as RE3. We also learned that the 180° turn from Dino Crisis and RE3 is in the game. Rumor has it you'll be able to handle two guns at once at some points. And oddly enough, it looks as if the promised first- person mode may have been scrapped (at the very least, it wasn’t in the TGS demo). Needless to say, this is gonna be a hot one. More info to come... Electronic Gaming Monthly - 100 ideogames WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A KAMIKAZE & A BLUE IMPULSE PILOT? (9411142) DO PERFECT AERIAL STUNTS AND FORMATION PILOT ONE OF 11 DIFFERENT JETS FIVE MODES INCLUDING BLUE IMPULSE E FLYING IN 20 TRAINING MISSIONS. FROM THE F-86F SABRE TO THE F-15DJ. MISSION, FREE FLIGHT AND EXHIBITION. * * * X л "n CRAVE. GI Sega (9 Dreamcast. Ir EIER EET CSK Research Institute. Aerowings, Crave ond 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. CR is о registered trademark of CSK Research Institute. Sego, Dreamcast, ond the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sego Enterprises, Lid. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. PREVIEW GALLERY Taxi Even as Sega’s Naomi title Crazy Taxi is enjoying its 15 minutes in arcades everywhere, the buzz about the Dreamcast version is reaching fevered heights. Those of you who haven't yet experienced this unique “occupation” game, we recommend you take it out for a spin at your local arcade—soon. Predictably enough, you drive a taxi and your goal is to cash in as much dough as possible within the given time limit of the game. An on-screen arrow guides you to your destination while you tear through an imaginary city landscape. Each successful delivery racks up your total fare and adds precious seconds to your game clock. The Dreamcast version of Crazy Taxi should be near perfect (running at 60 frames per second). It will also have exclusive new levels not seen in the arcade version. Crazy Taxi will be out Q2 2000. For those of you old enough to remember, Ecco the Dolphin made his first appearance on the Sega Genesis back in 1992. Appaloosa Interactive plans to bring back this classic for a new adventure (to be published by Sega) on Dreamcast in April 2000. The game is set ina future world where dolphins and humans live in peace. But when a band of evildoers travels back in time to prevent peace from being achieved, only Ecco can stop them. As you progress through the game you'll travel back and forth through time, seeing both peaceful and chaotic versions of the future. Gameplay will be very reminiscent of the first two Ecco games this isn't the first time our dolphin friend has had to travel through time. Along the way you'll meet aquatic friends (turtles, other dolphins) and enemies (sharks, jellyfish and squid). Appaloosa has done extensive research to make the game look as authentic as possible. 102 Ld COVER! w Purrrfect game features: ~ VATICAL ENTERTAINMENT www.vatical.com Copyright @1999 Vatical Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Software @1999 KEMCO. All other elements @1999 DC Comics. CATWOMAN and all related characters, names and indicia are trademarks of DC Comics ©1999. Licensed By Nintendo. Nintendo, Game Boy, Game Boy Color And The Seal Of Quality Are Registered Trademarks Of Nintendo Of America Inc. © 1989, 1999 Nintendo Of America Inc. Much like the cities that appear in Reflections’ Driver on PC and PlayStation, the locales in Bizarre Creations’ MSR are all faithfully modeled after the real thing. Using maps, topographic information and video footage, the team has built believable-looking cities that PREVIEW look just like the real thing. Couple this with the beautiful re- creations of some amazing sports cars (the Honda S2000 looks GALLERY amazing), this could turn out to be the Dreamcast’s Gran Turismo. Felony As you can probably tell from the screenshots, THQ and Polygon Studios’ Felony Pursuit is still very early in development. Set in the 21st century, you play the role of a cop who has to chase bad guys. Think Reflections’ Driver, only with the boot on the other foot. The press release claims that the game is set in a “city with too many vehicles.” From these screens, it looks OK to us. If only our drive home were like this. It seems that Interplay is going to stretch out its final few moments with the Star Trek license. The PC version of New Worlds (whose screens are shown here) has been wowing gamers since it was first announced ages ago, and it seems that developer Runecraft is nearly ready to unleash the DC version too (set for release early next year). Real-time strategy, combat and resource management have never looked so good. You probably know lots about Bizarre Creations’ Metropolis Street Racer already. So here are some more screens to go nuts over. Still no release date we're afraid. Doesn’t it look great though? 104 gp Dreams! . Тһе arcade fighting legends are here on King of Fighters Dream Match 1999 for the SEGA Dreamcast" System. 38 of your favorite fighters On 6 . different game modes come together for the battle royale. Link up with the NEOGEO Pocket Color to upload and download information. The game that kings dream of. TẸ ошооов лм SNK Corporation of America, (877) 341-8286 or visit www.snkusa.com. ©1999 SNK. All Rights Reserved. SNK, SNK logos, The King of Fighters Dream Match 1999, and The King of Fighters Dream Match 1999 logos are either a registered trademark or a trademark of SNK Corporation of America. Sega, Dreamcast and the Dreamcast logo are either a registered trademark or a trademark of Sega Enterprises, LTD. The rating icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. PREVIEW GALLERY When Shiny finally finished the original MDK for Interplay, it turned out to be a superb PC game which sadly didn’t sell terribly well. Maybe it was the fact that the world wasn't ready for its weird humor...or maybe it was the dark, spooky graphics. Or maybe it was the bad guys who farted and wiggled their asses at you. The sequel, set for release in December, is being developed by darlings of the PC world, BioWare. Unlike the first game, MDK2 allows you to control all three of the eponymous heroes. Max, the six- legged dog sees lots of shooting action, Dr. Fluke Hawkins gets to wander around and solve puzzles, while Kurt gets some MGS-style action in that funky rubber suit. All three characters interact throughout the game and open up areas of the levels for each other. It looks great too. The second game from Rage Software in the U.S. (after Expendable) will be coming this way in October from Interplay. Pretty much a straight translation of the team’s successful PC shooter, it has you blasting incoming (geddit?) aliens from a variety of vehicles and gun placements. It’s low on brains and high on firepower—just hold down the fire button and blow everything away. Even though it’s a couple of years old (on PC) it’s still a damn pretty-looking game. MDK was originally supposed to stand for ‘Murder, Death, Kill’ before it was sanitized to the point of blandness when it became ‘Max, Dr. Fluke Hawkins & Kurt’ (the game’s characters). Conservatism is alive and well and living in game company marketing departments. Bearing a striking resemblance to Titus’ previous sports car effort, Lamborghini, Roadsters is, um...a racing game (for up to four players) featuring lots of open-top roadsters. Showcasing licensed ‘open-top’ cars from Toyota, Alfa Romeo, Mitsubishi, Ford, TVR and numerous others, the game seems to revolve around eight tracks that suffer from natural disasters. Quite how open-top cars and extreme natural phenomena were paired up is beyond us. No release date is set yet. 106 IMPORT === ^. "i Presents "Most A... "This game has unbelievable graphics” “One of the Hottest Racers of the Year” “Better than any console racer to date...period” TYPE-A TYPE-FD 100 ACCESSORIES TO 4 GAME MODES, INCLUDING SPICE UP YOUR RIDE SPLIT-SCREEN VERSUS MODE Sega Eme Tokyo Xtreme Rac ve and their respective logos are trademarks of Crave Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Crave Entertainment is a registered trademark in ће 0.5. © 1999 Crave Entertainment, Inc. 6 gistered trademark of Genki Co., Ltd. Sega, Dreamcast, and the Dreamcast logo are either regi: trademarks or trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. PREVIEW GALLERY Imagine, if you will, a future where space aliens invade and methodically begin brainwashing the human race by tempting them with irresistible dances. And imagine you are Ulala, an up-and- coming news reporter for Space Channel 5, and the only way to win over your boss is by covering the story and saving the human race. That’s what it’s all about, baby, yeah! This is a combination of music and dancing games (like Bust-A- Groove) where you beat the aliens at their own mind-controlling dance. When they do their moves, remember the steps and then do them right back. You'll also have to shoot them to thin out their ranks. By the end of each level, you'll have a horde of people dancing with you. Sega plans to release Space Channel 5 this winter in Japan. Sega's Chu Chu Rocket is the latest game from the infamous Sonic Team. It’s an action-puzzle title for 1-4 players, and also supports network play. The idea is simple: Get as many mice into your rocket as possible while moving them away from your opponents’. They only move in one direction so you have to set down directional tiles so they T go the right way. Modes of play | 000 | include puzzle, stage challenge (for 1-2 players), four-player battle, team battle and network battle. It comes in two versions: one with a skeleton orange controller for 4800 yen (about $45) and one without for 2800 yen (about $25). It comes out in November in Japan. it's all games | [+ | | ca Са Happy Puppy is а service mark of Attitude Network, Ltd., part of theglobecom ) network. ©1999 Altitude Network, Ltd. All rights reserved. TM Airforce Delta is a trademark of Konami Co., Ltd. Sega, Dreamcast, and the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega PREVIEW GALLERY Evolution was one of the first RPGs available for Dreamcast in Japan...you either played Evolution or...Seventh Cross (cough). Sting is now hard at work on Evolution 2, slated for a release before the end of the year. The biggest complaint about the original Evolution was that it’s too short. Experienced RPG gamers blew through it in no time at all. Another complaint lodged against Evolution was that it was basically one town with a bunch of randomly generated dungeons. This time around, Sting has addressed all these issues. Evolution 2 takes place six months after the original and will have actual dungeons, different locations and a solid combat engine reminiscent of other great RPGs like Grandia. Let’s hope Evolution 2 has an actual story this time around! Bottom Up takes the Mina No Golf (Hotshots Golf) route and strives to be a fun, arcade-like golf game for the unwashed masses. Definitely good news for a system currently devoid of any golf titles as of yet. Let’s Golf will be 60 fps, allow up to four players, will feature a Network Ranking Tournament, and support the Dreamcast Jump Pack. Sega will release Let’s Golf on Nov. 25. No U.S. release date yet. About the number of hours it takes to complete the first Evolution. 112 ON Exercise your muscle to т т т т Ап evil curse has fallen оп the kingdom of Gomar, turning it’s inhabitants into vicious creatures. A fearless warrior, female |: = spy and powerful wizard have escaped the fate of their fellow villagers. They must now ЈИ << search for and capture souls in order to reverse the curse, ес; г i EE Single player 3D fantasy combat Choice of 3 heroes, each with their own set хан if | of weapons and fighting style | Explore 5 huge worlds and battle over 1 40 unusual and powerful enemies а Attempt to defeat 5 brutally fierce Bosses 3 E = — A Use Ist person perspective for long-distance weapons | Your enemies will stalk, attack in groups and summon reinforcements, watch out! Execute combo moves || for more effective fighting | Jojo is an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin who has been living and frolicking in the shallow waters of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies since 1980. He’s one of the few dolphins who voluntarily PREVIEW interacts with humans! GALLERY Jet Set Radio was one of Sega's surprise highlights at TGS. There has been scant details revealed about the gameplay itself...with a little deductive reasoning, we’ve pinned it down to a rhythm-and- dance rollerblading game. As you can see, the graphics are simply amazing; they’re highly stylistic and the motion-capture is cream- blastingly good. It all looks like some hipster Levi's jeans commercial. The screenshots you see here are all in real time. Yup. There's no release date for JSR yet. Adventure Anyone who's ever seen JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in its animé form knows it's a total mindbender. It's a macho series with huge epic battles between men of the world. That said, Capcom's game based on the same series has captured perfectly the spirit of JoJo and his strange shenanigans. This month, the Japanese PS gets its (hacked CPS3) version of JoJo, but the DC version is the one to look for this November. Gleaming. € 1999 Mad Catz, Inc. Р.О. Box 14778, El Cajon, CA 92022 US its subsidiaries and affiliates. The Dream Blaster is officially Ltd. International and domestic patents pending. Made in stands behind its products 100%, Questions? Visit our PREVIEW GALLERY Desert This December, Riverhill Soft wages war on the Dreamcast with Vermillion Desert, a real-time strategy RPG set in the near future. The story takes place on a newly discovered planet with three different military forces wrestling for control of the different regions. Aside from commanding the action first hand, you can discuss strategies with your aides and plan out attacks. Here at EGM, we just can’t get enough of tactics games. Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact already has one thing going for it—there’s no possible way for this game to be any worse than its predecessor. And judging from these screenshots, it’s looking much better graphically too. Sega will release Maximum Impact in December. 17414900 * NS No. 1 One of the more bizarre games to come out for the Mega Drive in Japan was Rent A Hero. You played = a dubious superhero in a modern- day urban environment. In a somewhat celebrated return, Rent A Hero is back on the Dreamcast, this time in full 3D. Not much has been revealed about the gameplay except that it's an RPG with a lot of action elements (happening mostly outside of combat). Sega has not announced a release date yet. Sequencer Ever wanted to make your own music but were too cheap to buy any real equipment? Aside from j using your Dreamcast as an online _ = box, you can now use it to record samples and sequence instruments to produce your own music. There are a number of instrument samples from different genres you can choose from (blues, rock, jazz, techno, drum ‘n’ bass, R&B, etc.). Waka Seisakujo will release Sequencer this winter. 16 TOYSRUS.COM BUY.COM 539 534% B BUY.COM BUY.COM" is a trademark of BUY.COM Inc. All other marks are those of their respective owners.©1999 Aa Ohiso] i «ӨР STING | Sega Dreamcast ~Evolutionris-a-shining example of — Dreamcast’s power.” ‘SegaDreameast: пей 9 | | | “The Dreamcast handles Evolutjon's beautiful 3D world with ease, providing visual splendor that...puts Final Fantasy VIII's otherwise sd X amaz г — —JOO———X—X—— É—À A |^ MAG LAUNCHER ІМ HI BATTLE AGAINST THE ATH EMPIRE & DISCOVER THE MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT PANNAMN AND “CYFRAME” TECHNOLOGY. REVOLUTIONARY 3D GRAPHICS AND LIGHTENING | QUICK | ll EM ATE | | | EVOLUTION, THE FIRST ⁄ DREAMCAST™, TAKES THE RPG GENRE INTO THE NEXT, NEXT GENERATÉGN.— ж РА P d on | Licensed fr Ubi Soft Entertainment Original game © SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD / ESP / English / French / German Translation © 2000 Ubi Soft EntBtinmenl. 1999 114 Sol Entertainment. Ubi Soft Entertainment is a trademark of Ubi Soll, Inc. The Ubi Soft u к 5916 Entertainment. АЙ other trademarks belong to tir respective hokkdfs Sega, Dreamcast, and the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or tradema š -— Н asane ak КОА $” МАНЕ АКАР Q/19997Hre 388 Can ер Countries Мини «кадета қа бр ágiste Fight for the Foture:: The four Great podir of the шола are collapsing into a political irn and bloody шаг. To help. you must bring to the battlefield: strategy. courage, and an armory of over 120 different weapons. Your rewuard? Шола peace. And perhaps the hand of a beautiful maiden. Fail, and on your ошл head be it. ka 2 сЕ» КОМАМІ logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertain 5 Тһе гайб icon is a trademark of the Interactive’Digital. Software Association. © 1999 қой! of America. Inc. Alf rlohts reserved 9 gi n S: 9 ` ^. em 4: e PREVIEW ІСТЕН Konami [TNI кс Kobe ИЙ Action/Adventure ЛЕН 60% [CRI December 1999 ЕТТЕН None (ETS www.konami.com FE It includes all the stuff Konami intended to include the first time around. EXE It's extremely similar to the previous installment. ЕШТЕ The new sea serpent Boss seen in the game's first level. puc € Henry's Quest | Reminiscent of the Bomb | Mode in Resident Evil 1— | Dual Shock, Castlevania LOD contains a brand-new play mode of its own. Playing as Sir Henry, a gun-toting knight of the church, you must enter the castle and rescue six hidden children within seven of the game's days. Unlike the other playable characters, Henry is restricted to just six stages, and his story is far less developed. legacy of D By collecting power-ups, Reinhardt can upgrade his trusty whip in favor of a deadly morning star. hen considering potential names for the follow-up to its well-received Castlevania for N64, Konami might just as well have picked Castlevania: Director's Cut, because that's what Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness essentially is. The game stars returning favorites Reinhardt Schneider, heir to the ancient Belmont clan of vampire hunters, and Carrie Fernandez, a young girl gifted with great magical powers, in addition to two newcomers —Henry, an honorable knight dispatched by the church to rescue six children from the infamous castle, and Cornell (a.k.a. Blue Crescent Moon), a powerful man-wolf Konami originally intended to include in the previous game before STATIS GOOD [x7 COLD | 124 running short on time. While Henry’s rescue mission supposedly takes place concurrently with Reinhardt’s and Carrie’s respective battles with Count Dracula, Cornell's adventure is set eight years before the events of the previous game. Upon awakening from a century of enforced slumber, the Count dispatches an army of skeleton warriors to the man-wolf's village. After torching everything in sight, the re-animated creatures kidnap Cornell's only living blood relative, Ada. Using his enhanced sense of smell, Cornell follows Ada's scent to a place where mortal men fear to tread, the dreaded Castlevania. Like Reinhardt and Carrie, Cornell has two primary attacks: a claw attack for close combat and an energy projectile attack for battling more distant foes. (Henry, by the way, has a sword and a six- shooter, which must be reloaded each time it is emptied. Thankfully, he did have the foresight to pack an infinite supply of ammo.) Aside from a new opening stage set aboard a ghost ship (see sidebar), Castlevania: LOD is extremely reminiscent of its celebrated predecessor. Most of the settings are identical, and you are sure to encounter more than a few familiar enemies, including venom-spewing lizardmen, stained-glass knights, ghosts, harpies and the aforementioned skeleton warriors. The forthcoming Castlevania: Resurrection for Sega Dreamcast will be the first title in the series developed by Konami Computer Entertainment America. ud Like its predecessor, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness is loaded with larger-than-life baddies, such as this fearsome sea serpent, which attacks your vessel while it is en route to Castlevania. To survive, you must escape the watery deathtrap and face the beast on more solid footing. In addition to returning favorites Reinhardt Schneider and Carrier Fernandez, Castlevania LOD has two new heroes-Cornell, a powerful man-beast Konami originally planned to include in the previous game, and Henry, a knight of the church sent to Castlevania to rescue six kidnapped children. Many of the game's time-based puzzles are similar, too; certain doors can be unlocked only during daylight or nighttime hours, and special characters roam their particular haunts only at designated times of the day. One new feature is the ability to power-up your character's attacks by collecting special icons. Reinhardt, for instance, can now trade in his trusty whip for a powerful morning star, which can be upgraded yet again to emit bolts of energy. The effect is less dramatic on most of the other characters; Cornell's and Carrie's energy attacks, run in the N64's High-Res Mode. As these screens indicate, however, the improvement isn't particularly noticeable. (The graphics still look a little too blurry for our liking.) While Reinhardt's, Carrie's and Cornell's missions are full-fledge quests complete with elaborate cutscenes and puzzles, Henry's mission is more of a bonus game similar to the Bomb Mode in Resident Evil II—Dual Shock. In RE II—Dual Shock's Bomb Mode, the player had | to scour the zombie-infested police headquarters in search of several ticking time bombs. Similarly, in for instance, simply change color to signify their greater power. Another addition of note for all of you Expansion Pak owners: Castlevania LOD can utilize the pak to Henry's mission, the player must find and rescue six kidnapped children in seven of the game's days, which, incidentally, are accelerated and not based on real time. Puzzles are virtually non-existent, and the player is restricted to six zones— Silent Forest, Castle Wall, Annex to the Evil Castle, Underground Passage, Underground Waterway and Outer Wall. The game ends after all seven days have transpired or after all six of the children have been rescued. In the finished game, you will earn a special bonus by rescuing each child and then saving your data. While Castlevania: LOD isn't the full-fledged sequel many gamers might have wanted, the new characters and play mode are interesting additions, nonetheless. What's more, given the fact that Konami is hard at work on the first Dreamcast installment of the series, this might be the final opportunity for N64 owners to clash with the Count. ^ 125 PREVIEW Publisher: Acclaim Acclaim Studios-Austin [n 1 ШШШ Action % Done: 90% Release: November 1999 ЗШЕ None ТТУ www.acclaim.com A much improved Turok-style deathmatch experience. This should have been part of Turok 2. Perfect Dark won't be out until next year. | | In Turok: Rage Wars, it isn’t simply a matter of “pick a character and go.” There are 17 characters to choose from, although most | must be unlocked by | beating the trials in the one- | player mission mode. | | | Among the benefits to reap | and customize your | character with are: 19 ranks, 25 alternate skins, 50 medals, etc. You can select Turok, Adon, Fireborn, Raptor, Mites and the bosses from the first Turok, like the Campainer. With all of these options, gamers will find themselves very attached to their char- acters, especially since the secrets are based on per- formance. The better you do, the sharper your skills be- come, which will be reflec- ted in your character itself. Turok: Rage Wars Even the most basic weapon in Rage Wars, the Warhammer, packs a skull- crushing punch. Its secondary attack is even nastier. Your big green pal misses you. Say “hello” with your mini-gun. urok is back! The dinosaur hunter, having had a triumphant sequel tucked neatly under his belt, is now returning to the N64 for another swipe at the FPS-crown. No, it’s not Turok 3, instead, Acclaim Studios-Austin has set about creating a console-friendly deathmatch-only first- person shooter. Since Quake 3, Unreal Tournament and Team Fortress are likely to be PC only for the foreseeable future, this is the only game in town this holiday season for furious deathmatching. When asked what led the Austin team to develop a deathmatch-only game, producer Dave Dienstbier said, "We knew of Quake III Arena, and of course we thought it was a good idea, but the idea for Rage Wars started a long ways back, even before we finished Turok 2. Rage Wars was born out of knowing that we couldn’t flesh out all our multiplayer ideas in Turok 2 in time for the holiday season. Multiplayer games are what give a game its ‘legs’ well after gamers have beaten the single- player game, so we figured that the time was right for an over-the-top deathmatch Turok experience. Rage Wars is deathmatch from start to finish.” Turok fans who are wondering what sort of features they will find in the game can rest easy. 126 There will be a slew of single and multiplayer options. The game also features 36 maps anda billion weapons, both old and new (some examples include Inflator, Warhammer, Shotgun, Assault Rifle and Scorpion). Most feature a secondary fire function, practically doubling the number of attacks available. There are some new weapons that can alter the strategies you use in the game, especially during team play. Dienstbier says, “We’ve gone back and decided that there were a couple of weapons from the original Turok that we liked—so people will get the chance to wield a proper mini-gun against their friends. The cerebral bore is back. There’s also the Iron Claw and the napalm gel, which is particularly interesting. With the napalm gel, you can stick it to anything in the game including players and detonate it manually. This can lead to some interesting tactics. Let’s say your teammate has very low health, and you know that another shot will do him in. You can cover him with Napalm Gel, send him into a pack of your opponents, and detonate him right in their midst. All kinds of confusion will take over!” Other weapons like the Turret will offer even more strategic possibilities for players. For example, if you are interested in guarding a hallway, you can throw down the Turret (which automatically fires on any approaching enemies) and use it to watch your back As in Turok 2, there are even some under- water passages that you can swim through to sneak up on an opponent from behind. 100[Е]зо “Even the warhammer has a powerful duality, adding rocket- propulsion to its head-crushing power.” Dave Dienstbier Creative Director for the Turok series z RE = Gentlemen, select your weapons! while you wait for any oncoming visitors. You can mount the Turret on either the floors or walls, making it a particularly useful weapon. There are a number of features that make Rage Wars interesting. To begin with, you can play with or against three other friends, while adding a certain number of computer-controlled 'bots to the frenzy. With 36 different deathmatch levels to choose from (which are dependent on how many gamers are playing for optimum balance, i.e., fewer players have a smaller arena so no one goes for too long without seeing an opponent), there are more than enough levels to play without seeing the same ones over and over again. In the event that no one is home (or you simply don’t have any friends) you can play in any of the deathmatch levels with CPU-bots only. In addition to that, there is an extensive one- player “mission mode” that rewards the player for making progress. Spread out over a large series of personal challenges designed to inaugurate the novice player, the difficulty soon leap-frogs to levels that will have hard-core veterans crying for their mama. Based on your success and performance in the mission mode (i.e., number of frags, hit percentage, etc.) you will be rewarded with various secrets, such as extra character skins or weapons. Adding to the customization, you are prompted to select your own specific weapon library before gameplay even starts, allowing players to become comfortable with their favorite weapons. Here's what Dienstbier had to say: “Each character can hold five weapons from the 16 that are available. This way, gamers who like heavy-duty firepower can pick those kinds of weapons, while gamers who prefer stealthy tactics can pick sniper weapons and such. The awards system also builds over time with the character. Depending on your accuracy, or total victories, etc., you can unlock new character skins, game modes and weapons. You can save your customized characters and bring them to a friend’s house, and see whose character is better. Weapons are very cool, since each one has a duality, just like they did in Turok 2. Personally | like the shotgun's duality. In its second form, it’ll pump four times and let out a continuous blast of shotgun ammo. It’s very awesome. Even the warhammer has a powerful duality, adding rocket-propulsion to its head- crushing power.” As of this writing the game is nearly complete and going through rigorous bug-testing. The game speed has been increased (which is important in the age of Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament), and things like the particle effects and other subtle features have been optimized to ensure smooth gameplay, even in the frantic four-player split-screen mode. With Perfect Dark out of the running this holiday season, Turok: Rage Wars may literally be the only game in town when it comes to first-person shooters. Even if it weren't, it remains a compelling game that shooter fans should definitely investigate when it arrives on store shelves this November. ж Fxetosivt водног Inn 121 PREVIEW ЕШШ Acclaim Developer: Tantalus 70% Release: _ | January 2000 [ве о. Fs, pc www.acclaim.com Different modes of play and lots of characters from the South Park universe. Still way too early to make any sort of assessment. Religious | | | | | | | | | organizations after seeing Satan taking out Jesus' cloud. More than 2o characters | from the world of South | Park are playable, from Big | Gay Al to Damien. Initially, you can select from eight racers, but more are | unlocked as you progress. | To the dismay of some editors, Mr. Hankey is only a power-up item. South Park Rally Big boned or fat ass...regardless, Cartman is a force to contend with in his police bike/Big Wheel hybrid. It looks like your run-of-the-mill mascot kart racing game, but South Park Rally has a few new ideas going for it. erhaps the easiest and most popular spin-off game to produce has been the mascot racer. Mario has had one. So has Sonic, Bomberman, Chocobo and Crash Bandicoot (note to Sony, there’s still time to rename it “Crash BandiKart"). And now Acclaim is about to give South Park, one of the hottest (and most controversial) pop-culture licenses, the same treatment with South Park Rally. A logical move, considering South Park's current peak in popularity (TV show, feature movie, merchandising) and the fact that mascot racers tend to sell moderately well. The real question will be "How is this different from any other racing game, mascot-themed or not?" The focus of the game is more on the interaction 128 between players rather than straight old-fashioned racing. Because of a more mission-based objective, players are encouraged to go after each other before crossing the finish line. There are seven tracks (all set in "real" South Park locales) in the game, and for each track, there are 12 possible modes of play. Each mode is based on a South Park holiday, such as Christmas or Cow Days, and up to four players can participate. Each vehicle is specific to the character behind the wheel. Stan is in his father's hot-rod, Grandpa races a wheelchair equipped with jet rockets, and Officer Barbrady exerts his 'authori-tay' from his police cruiser. As with most multiplayer racers, a variety of power-up items are littered about the course. Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls, the Mexican Staring Frog and Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo are just some of the various weapons. Adding to the authenticity are show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who along with Isaac Hayes (the voice of Chef and the singer of the theme from Shaft) have once again lent their voices to create over a hundred new soundbytes for all the characters. South Park Rally should hit the stores this December, just in time for the frantic holiday shopping season. It makes you wonder how many unsuspecting mothers will pick it up for their kids, thinking it's a harmless cartoon. Maybe the sight of Satan taking out Jesus' cloud will tip them off? ж WITH YOU Abe's” back—and he's got five new allies! He's going to need them, too, if he wants to stop the бішкКоп 5” latest mad scheme! Abe" and his loin-clothed comrades-in-arms have to fight their way through 24 towering levels and two modes of vicious gameplay! Not to mention a rampaging host of homicidal Sligs, Glukkons; Scrabs, and Paramites! Never before has your full-color Nintendo” Game Boy” packed so much odd-inspiring wallop! ШИШ, Adventures GAME BOY? ODD BOY. Sees 5$ 2 1:4 Battle through 24 Play 2 modes of monstrous Say it like towering levels! Mudokon" gameplay! more Gamespeak"! = ж ODDWORLD (%) » га INHABITANTS Nhe i GT Interactive Software ІСТЕН Natsume Victor Int. Software ravers. E [cene ЕШ % Done: 50% Release: December 1999 СНИ None www.natsume.com COI If it's your сир of tea, it can be very addicting. The Вай: This is as non- mainstream as games get. It also gets rather monotonous. ШЕСІ That guy who's dancing with the girl of your dreams at the Flower Festival. So what's new? Besides a new, adjustable isometric perspective...plenty. А new part-time job system will give you access to new areas, help you recover lost energy (needed to keep working through the day) and earn you money, of course (for example, if you help a local man build a bridge, he'll compensate you for it). The part-time jobs conveniently show up the most in the winter, when income from farming is at its lowest. You can also make money by betting on horse or dog races. You can even enter your own horsie or doggie for bigger earnings. Let's hope uptight parents don't get their panties in a wad over this like they have with Pokémon card “gambling.” WWW. EHARVEST.COM | | For farmers with access to the Internet | (don’t they all?), www.eharvest.com | has your latest farming news and info. | Tomatoes Corn hings are a little different on Harvest Moon’s world. Ugly monsters aren’t the enemy here, inclement weather is. Experience won't raise your character’s level, but it may upgrade your garden hoe. You won't find any evil tyrants trying to rule the universe, but you may find a dog peeing in your house. And you definitely won't risk your life trying to save the universe...our little hero’s biggest concern is getting a little action from the ladies. Harvest Moon 64 isn’t like anything else you've seen on the Nintendo 64. It's a romance RPG and a farming simulation (yes, you read right...a farming simulation). As a young boy who just inherited your grandfather's farm, you must...ummm...farm and make a living for yourself. A typical day starts off like this: Go into town, buy some seeds (appropriate for the season at hand), go back, clear some land, till the soil, plant seeds, water seeds, then go to sleep. If you take care of your crops properly, they'll soon be ready for harvest. Now, sell the corn, potatoes or whatever, and make some cash! With the new dough, you can buy more seeds, different farm equipment and even livestock for bigger and better profit (you can sell a cow's milk or a chicken's Besides tending to the crops, you must care for the animals. Brush 'em, feed ‘em, love ‘em. They'll make you good cash. eggs or a sheep’s wool). And don’t forget about the little things in video game farm life. Brush your horse regularly to keep him happy, and always bring the dog in when it’s raining outside. But what’s the point of all this work? To get laid, of course. You will meet several girls in town who are deserving of your attention. Woo them by buying them flowers or bringing them a yummy cake. Keep working it and eventually, one will marry you...but only if your home looks OK (use some of your hard- earned bucks to pretty up your house with stuff like rugs or full-blown additions, like kitchens or bathrooms). Be careful—some of the other guys in town may get jealous if you're chasing after the same gals they are. (These other suitors may actually treat you differently, altering the game's dialogue and story line a bit. Harvest Moon 64 has over 400 different subplots, and which ones you'll see depend on how you play the game.) The Super NES and Game Boy sleeper hits received many a kudo for their original, non-linear gameplay. Now, the 64-Bit big brother is serving up more of the farm-fresh goodness, complete with a graphical overhaul (the animals are just too cute now) and a few new features (see sidebar). It’s still not a game for everyone, but those looking for a seriously different gaming experience should give Harvest Moon 64 a whirl. Oh, and it’s safe for the entire family too. ж The gal with the pink hair wants you to grow a special flower for her. If you do...you may just get lucky. Don't forget to water it! 191990 FO Interactive, they Console gaming can really be a lot of fun. S0 can finger puppets. You might want to give those а whi rl, too. j 3dfx PC Accelerators. There's a better Way to game. There's a reason why you're not still playing with stuffed animals. There's also a reason why you shouldn't still be playing on a console. Actually, it's the same reason. They both suck. The fact is, when enhanced with a 3dfx Voodoo graphics accelerator, the performance and visual effects on your PC will blow your console out of the water. So check one out today. ify And leave the coloring and stuff to the console guys. For more information, check out www.3dfx.com. So powerful, it’s kind of ridiculous. 3df Ж The 3dfx PC Gaming Experience : Higher Resolutions | Hard Core Games | Internet Play | Free Levels Off The Net Know the | Difference, This is Rayman’, star of the massive 3D а action-adventure, Rayman? 2 The Great Escape. Beware of cheap imitations! Only Rayman can save all. Only he can battle the invaders, ride the rocket, hurl fireballs, fly, surf, ski, climb, slide, and more. A world this troubled needs Rayman. So, beware РІЗ ғыс _ рек P кк of imposters! 3, b Rayman Consumer Test #86 ‘a RAMAN Ps жм: ® ев: ; ^ at алара в. Ray: The Great A. Rayman 2 2. Gre 13 ...the most detailed and lush game on the N64 ever.. 2. a magnificent, challenging game.. —GamePro 3. Š 1 ant entry for ...ап inst game of the year." —Gamers Republic 4. . . “Түл1у inspired design.” —Nintendo Power еее ет “ie [r^] EVERYONE Lo iore 6 Nintendo AN PREVIEW LH Acclaim Developer: Acclaim Studios-Austin ers. ДЫ (еле СЯ % Done: 85% November 1999 [aiso on: Ps, oc, РС www.acclaim.com A Mature (M) rating preserves all the raunchy humor of the TV show. ECCT Repeat questions diminish the challenge and humor. And The Ugly: probes. Two words: anal Kitty, No! From Donkey Kong to Warlords to (ahem) Ass- teroids, many of Chef’s Luv Shack’s Action Rounds lampoon classic arcade games. Others, such as Huntin’ and Killin’ with Jimbo and Ned, re-create scenes from the TV show. outh Park: Chef's Luv Shack __ Rectum? Damn near killed ‘em! Answer seven out of 10 questions correctly within the allotted time to prevent Cartman from being anal probed. outh Park Cable Access welcomes you to Chef’s Luv Shack, the sexiest, sultriest, most soulful game show on earth. This month, EGM previews not one but two new South Park titles for N64. (Nobody can accuse Acclaim of letting a perfectly good license go to waste...) While South Park Rally is a Mario Kart-style racer, South Park: Chef’s Luv Shack is an irreverent game show parody that tests your knowledge of South Park, pop culture and Leonard Maltin. While the rules are similar to Jeopardy, the categories — Foul Balls, Styx and Twigs, Giant Japanese Monster Bad, Famous Gay Cowboys, etc.— are decidedly more offbeat. Like junior college, the game's questions are all Нот, STRONG & DARK IS IT A STAR WARS CHARACTER (JABBA) OR A ТҮРЕ OF COFFEE (JAVA)? THERE'S A BOUNTY ON CARTMAN'S "FETT” ASS! multiple-choice, saving you the agony of typing on an on-screen keyboard. Here’s a sample: Male vocalists without balls are known as: Geldings Unichs Castrati Backstreet Boys While we're all in favor of Backstreet Boys bashing, the questions—which were written by Acclaim, not Matt Stone and Trey Parker—are a bit sophomoric and lack the show’s comedic edge. Still, you’re sure to get the occasional chuckle or two. On the plus side, Chef’s Luv Shack has hundreds of original soundbytes created specifically for the game by Isaac Hayes (the voice of Chef) and South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. You also get dozens of multiplayer mini-games, such as Spank the Monkey with Mr. Mackey, Asses in Space with Terrance and Phillip, and Tethered Pheasant Shoot with Jimbo and Ned. Judging from the screens in the sidebar to the left, the creators seem to know their classic arcade games as well as their South Park Trivia. And if you’re really lucky, you might even get to see Cartman get anal probed! If you’re a South Park fan looking for a good multi- player game to entertain your friends—even those who don’t particularly like video games—at your next party, Chef’s Luv Sack might be the ticket. ж 134 s. -IGN. Com asia M NINTENDO: TH Ie Available this Winter Nuclear Strike © 1997 - 1999 Electronic Arts. Nuclear Strike, Electronic Arts and the Electronic Arts logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the U.S. ind/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 аге www.thg.com trademarks of THO Inc. All rights reserved. Nintendo, The Official Seal, Nintendo 64 and the 3-0 "N" logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. PREVIEW Publisher: ESP Treasure Pavers: · CE Shooter 100% Release: Now-Japan jaiso on: гс www.esp-web.co.jp Old-school hardcore 2D shooting from Treasure! You can only play it on the Japanese N64, for now... СТСТ The N64 can't handle all the onscreen mayhem; slowdown. Treasure's been cranking them out since 1993. Interesting enough, their most memorable games are always on Sega systems (Megadrive and Saturn). *Gunstar Heroes (MD) *McDonald's Treasureland Adventure (MD) *Dynamite Headdy (MD) *YuYu Hakusho (MD) *Alien Soldier (MD) *Light Crusader (MD) *Guardian Heroes (SS) *Silhouette Mirage (SS/PS) «Үшке Yuke!! TroubleMakers (N64) *Radiant Silvergun (SS) *Rakugaki Showtime (PS) *Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaio (N64/DC) The fate of Treasure's Naomi title Gunbeat is currently unknown. Breaks your heart. Before moving on to make some of the best games of all time for the Sega Genesis, key members of Treasure were at Konami making classic SNES games like Castlevania IV and Contra III. Talk about talent! - У КОБРА 7 a L£ f you've been around since the 16-Bit days, the name Treasure should resonate deep sentiments of awe and respect. Treasure’s heyday was exclusive to Sega’s 16-Bit Megadrive/Genesis. Games like Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy and YuYu Hakusho were more than just gameplay and aesthetic purity—they pushed the Megadrive further and harder than anybody thought was possible. Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaio, Treasure’s second game on the N64, is a straightforward, side-scrolling shooter firmly rooted in the old school. The game centers around brothers and sisters, Riki and Mami, a sibling power duo in control of the Bangaio mech. Depending on who is in the pilot’s 136 ж «tati There's no shortage of on-screen chaos when it comes to Bangaio. When you charge up for a "super attack," each item you hit turns into a combo; by racking up huge combos, you can open up a "store" where you upgrade weapons, armor, speed and your life gauge. Forgotten Worlds? seat, your mech will dish out either swarms of auto-targeting missiles or volleys of green reflective bolts which ricochet off walls and corridors. Each weapon has a strategic purpose: Riki's fire-and- forget missiles are good in most open areas where enemies surround you 360 degrees; Mami's reflective bolts always shoot straight so you know you're going to hit what you aim for. Switching between Riki and Mami throughout the game will be one of the first things you pick up as you learn the game. Bangaio's gameplay revolves around the level designs and the movement/weapon controls. There are a number of control setups to choose from, but it basically amounts to moving and firing independently of each other—a bit like Robotron. Since Bangaio is heavily score-oriented, your ultimate goal is to blow stuff up, collect the fruit left behind and dust the boss. Fruit also replenishes your "special" meter which becomes really useful as the action gets heavy. The levels themselves have a slight "puzzle" feel to some of them. There are objects in the game that behave a certain way when shot at or touched, and you'll often find yourself racing against a clock. Only 10,00 copies of this limited-edition cart were released in Japan, so good luck trying to import one. Hopefully, someone will pick up the rights to publish Bangaio in the States...but don't hold your breath. ж UVES "notus MORE GAMES THAN EVER! Check out the flip side for the gifts gamers are going for this season! Discover something new at CompUSA new gaming department. Whether your instrument of choice is a PC or a gaming console, CompUSA has a complete selection of titles and accessories to put new challenges at your fingertips — as often as you dare! Experience the latest titles firsthand at our in-store gaming stations and decide for yourself if youd like to add them to your collection. And if уоште looking for sure-fire gift ideas, be sure to bring along those hard-to-please friends and relatives. Chances are, they'll be dropping holiday hints left and right! So stop in today to explore CompUSA’s incredible selection of games and accessories. When it comes to games this holiday season, CompUSA has what you want. Visit www.compusa.com to find a store near you! THE COMPUTER SUPERSTORE ° ©1999 CompUSA Management Company. CompUSA The Computer Superstore is a registered trademark of CompUSA Management Company. All trademarks are the property of their respective companies. SURE-FIRE HOLIDAY HITS FROM COMPUSA NINTENDO" 64 w PLAYSTATION® Jet Force Gemini = 2 Crash Team Racing Nintendo” 64 #264978 : PlayStation® #266732 PlayStation Ж PlayStation! Turok: Rage Wars Gran Turismo 2 Resident Evil 3 Nintendo® 64 #269301 PlayStation® #269298 PlayStation® #268360 AVAILABLE 11%24%99 AVAILABLE 12•10•99 AVAILABLE 11%13%99 GAME BOY" COLOR DREAMCAST @ Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo* 64 #268358 AVAILABLE 11%24%99 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Dreamcast #262137 Mario Golf Game Boy" Color #265052 1 Cx =. Ёс @ Pokémon Yellow Game & Watch Gallery 3 фф Sonic Adventure NBA 2K Game Boy" Color #260099 Game Boy" Color #269302 Dreamcast #262099 Dreamcast #262096 AVAILABLE 12•9•99 AVAILABLE 11•5•99 CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE SYSTEM @ PlayStation® Game Console Breathtaking graphics with CD- quality sound that makes gaming an awesome experience. PlayStation® #239883 @ Dreamcast Game "m ر‎ Console К Creates incredible living worlds, and its stunning 3D graphics will leave you speechless. м i CI Dreamcast #260649 Game Boy" Color @ Nintendo® 64 ‚2 | Take your games and adventures Я Game Console @: | 9. = everywhere you go. % > Provides 64-bit graphics к ° « Й Game Boy" Color #221624 Clear Purple ^ А. with real-time rendering аю E E Game Boy" Color #235885 Teal 5 Ao and awesome graphics. It will = Г š Game Boy" Color #235895 Kiwi P = immerse you into an incredible т = ww = Game Boy” Color #267885 Pokémon Yellow Bundle yea video game world! Nintendo® 64 #221306 Check out our complete gaming line featuring Nintendo’ 64, PlayStation®, Game Boy" Color, Sega Dreamcast, PC and Мас” games at your local CompUSA store! Visit www.compusa.com to find a store near you! CompUSA proudly =) Р AMERICAN mam A accepts the American EXPRESS THE COMPUTER SUPERSTORE ° Express Card ë Cards Which of the following is your favorite racing game series? Bi Gran Turismo Daytona Rush Need for Speed ШЕ WipeOut W Sega Rally E Test Drive Е Ridge Racer Source: videogames.com online poll PREVIEW GALLERY Dragon Sword Interactive Studios (the developer with the most boring name in history) is set to unleash Dragon Sword (possibly the most boring game name in history) upon the world early next year, assuming a publisher can be found. It actually looks very impressive...imagine a cross between Golden Axe and Konami's Soul of the Samurai and you're pretty much there. Fighting fantasy combat, with an adventure-driven story. Cool. Monopoly N64 - Mr. Monopoly adds the Nintendo 64 to his ever-expanding portfolio with this Hasbro Interactive release. This new version of Parker Bros.' classic board game features humorous real-time 3D graphics, animated characters that interact with each other, and original music scores and sound effects. The game also includes computer opponents of varying Skill and customizable rules. The shoe drops fall 1999. e Ridge Racer 64 For those of you waiting for yet another N64 racer, Ridge Racer is on its way. This version will contain all the tracks from PlayStation's Ridge Racer and RR Revolution, as well as three new ones. This will also be the first one in the series to feature four-player split-screen action. Nintendo Software Technology is taking care of the development duties, not Namco. No release date has been set yet. Electronic ( Namco Museum 64 One of the world's leading game developers is finally bringing out an N64 game, but unfortunately, it's not a Tekken or Soul Calibur. Namco Museum 64 is a compilation of six Namco classics from the '8os: Pole Position, Dig-Dug, Galaga, Galaxian, Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man. Namco Museum 64 uses the exact same code found in the PlayStation Museum Vol.s 1 and 3, and is due out around Thanksgiving time. TOP 12060 TIME SCORE 12010 62 ROUND H ing Monthly - 187 - www.videogames.com À Е 3 злеџмо eAn2edsei ләці jo səlluədoid әзе SYLL п JBYIO у ‘иоце!ооѕѕу BJEMYOS JEBI елповлејш оцу у јал e S! uoo! ѕбицез eu, ‘ощ еоџеш JO орџајић jo ѕҳешәред әле 060| „№. Q-£ aui pi OpuejuN ‘eas |erorjo әш 'opuƏluIN ош зчәшиерәшэ џешерел рәләреібә: әле зобој ио Iv '2uj 'seniedoid YEN 6661@ `2ul ‘sen уам jo juasuoo иәцим soud aui упоцим "ied ш зо ејоцм ше SWRA} једшеш әлцоәдвә) әці pt Igniəəlləlui jo swoj aujo pue ѕибіѕәр рәрцбиАдо> “syyetuəpe exe јопрозд віш u! jo uo pəsn ѕиоцеоуциәр! weej WEN әц `риелд „90ү 3luonoəl3 Seununoo зә io pue ‘SN әш u! SHY омодәә!З jo ә%гешәрелірәәј=бәг 10 взиешәред әгә обо SLHO S V3 ‘SHY 21N019813 66610 ‘t9 4 үз. at a v 4 d % Rete ксн HF BE». The praise is pouri “А mix of death-defying leaps, tight racing action, | and thrill-a-minute-turns and burns.” ° “Great graphics, great tracks, need we say mone!” "Hydro Thunder is a thrill-a-second experience from beginning to end. The game is incredibly fast and fluid and the track designs are to die for..." "The bottom line is this game rocks." bp “The game is gorgeous.” “It's simply one of the most entertaining, pure і 2 —— c ш — arcade-style racing games out there." = aii "...A very exciting, edge-of- оиг-веа! racer that | offers awesome grap 2 "Hytno Thunder's а жуз =~ this game into ЇЙРЇП elf what the hype is all about! "Hydro Thunder is about speed and ease of play, sparkling Style and radical graphics.” "Hydro Thunder rocks and is а must-huy for any and all racing faris." E e "You may need a bucket of. water handy to cool yourself: down after playing." е bebes bebe кісісі іі с "Thé game's:real life physics, gorgeous 9 graphics and extensive track list make this пе a must for racing fans.” "The graphics are Š0 crish and lush x youd teel.as if you're riding іп a i Sy, simulator at a theme park!" вте. Prights v HYDRO THUNDER, MIDWAY; andthe M IN A CIRCLE DESIGN are radera lg v Ubi Soft Sega ©Dréamcast. Hell on earth is coming to Sega Dreamcast”. You can't resist speeding in these hot-rods from hell. Join Team Suzuki Alstare® and experience the fast and furious pace of motorcycle racing. GRAND PRIX Intense 3D graphics and authentic car performance team up for the most realistic sim ever. kl р 6 9 Ё Ë P 5 (а) Š р p A 2 Sega? Dreamcast. Get the best arcade, sim, and motorcycle Sega Dreamcast" racing games with this ultimate deal! see inside game packages for complete details Includes product rated E by ERSB and product not yet rated. Visit www.ersb.org or call 1-800-771-3722 for rating information Ubi Soft Entertainment is a trademark of Ubi Soft, Inc. Ubi Soft and the Ubi Soft Entertainment logo are registered trademarks of Ubi Soft, Inc. All rights reserved. Sega, Dreamcast, and the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd. Monaco Grand Prix is a trademark of A.C.M., Automobile Club de Monaco. All rights reserved. Speed Devils ©1999 Ubi Soft, Inc. Speed Devils, and the Speed Devils logo are trademarks of Ubi Soft, Inc. Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing is a trademark of Ubi Soft, Inc. ©1999 Criterion Software Ltd. Published exclusively by Ubi Soft Entertainment under license from Criterion Software Limited. ت PREVIEW Electronic Arts Black Ops/MGM Inter. 1 Action 80% November 1999 None www.ea.com www.tndgame.com James Bond is a real bad ass, and he gets all the ladies. The movie came out well over a year ago for God's sake! Not the James Bond women, that's for sure. БН: 2 OVIE STU The (Not So) | Big Screen | | For you die-hard fans of | the movie, there are a | number of cutscenes taken directly from the film that | are woven into the game's | levels. Also, the opening | credits of the game play out exactly the way they do in the big-screen version (with shadowy female forms, | guns, the theme song, etc.). | But instead of the names of movie directors and | producers fading in and out, | the names of everyone | involved in the game- | making process appear. And | finally, а couple ofthe kick- | ass songs from the movie | soundtrack appear in the | game. The rest of the music | is by Tommy Talarico Studios. КОШЕ tree MERC SAM You'll meet up with all of the people from the movie-except the characters in the game don't have their voices from the movie. Nearly all of the levels are based on scenes from the movie. The arms bazaar scene is one of the game's first levels. es, Tomorrow Never Dies was due well over a year ago. Now it's finally coming out, and nothing seems to be getting in the way this time around. It's funny how the same thing happened with GoldenEye on the N64. If you've seen the movie, you know basically how TND works—although there are a couple of story line bits different from the flick. The game is composed mostly of movie-inspired gameplay. Other original gameplay segments—though not from the film—fit into the Bond universe. Take the skiing segment where James battles his way down the slopes while faceless thugs ski after him for instance— it's classic Bond stuff you can't help but love. There are also a couple of driving segments. HEALTH FULL 144 | The total number of James Bond | films, including the Nov. 19 release | | The World is Not Enough. | LU. S There are plenty of missions to work through— more than 10 of them overall—filled with countless bad guys. Bond will make his way through the Hotel Atlantic, the Carver media center and the stealth boat in Ha Long Bay to name a few. There are a number of in-game cinematics within each of the missions which link gameplay segments together. You'll move from inside to outside, from foot to vehicle to foot again completing objectives and what not. Sometimes you have to sneak around, other times you simply get to blow stuff up. In one level in particular, you'll be able to play as Wai Lin, the Chinese agent who partnered with Bond in the film. Obviously the gizmos, gadgets and weaponry are a major part of anything Bond-related, and the game isn't lacking in this area. You'll use Q-stuff like cufflink detonators, thumbprint scanners, a mysterious cell phone device and a whole lot more. Weapons include a number of guns and other toys like grenade launchers and proximity mines. There will be 12 to 16 total weapons by the time the game is done. One feature we'd like to point out: The action in TND freezes when you change weapons or items, so you'll suffer no penalty if you run out of ammo and need to switch to a different gun. Surprisingly, the game will have no multiplayer support whatsoever. When asked why, an EA representative explained the focus on the one-player stuff would ensure the game's high level of fun. ж THE CREATORS OF COMMAND & CONQUER" ARE TURNING UP THE HEAT. 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 Al * 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 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 a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. ===> 989 Studios 989 Studios 1-4 Action 70% November 1999 None www.989studios.com An all-new Create-A- Car Mode. Still not as impressive as Twisted Metal 2. Still has vehicle roll- overs, although not as frequent. A first for the car-combat | genre, Twisted Metal 4 has an all-new Create-A-Car Mode that allows players to customize their own vehicles. While you can't create a car entirely from scratch, you are able to select the vehicle size, body style, paint job and special weapon. You can even select | your own personal "call | sign," which your character shouts while charging | headlong into battle. | | Total copies of Twisted Metal, TM II and TM III sold to date. Are we there yet?! One of TM4's new vehicles is a family truckster-style station wagon, complete with luggage rack. The bedroom course is exactly that-a giant bedroom for you to explore, complete with TV and Hot Wheels track. K, we're not going to dance around the obvious: Twisted Metal III pretty much stunk. After assuming development responsibilities from Singletrac, maker of the ground- breaking Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal II, 989 Studios promptly made a hard left and steered the franchise straight off a cliff, causing it to plummet from its lofty status as the king of car combat to a distant third, behind johnny-come-latelys Vigilante 8 and Rogue Trip. It also sold about half as many copies as TM ІІ and failed to outsell even the original Twisted Metal! (It should be pointed out, however, that TM || has sold a ton of copies since becoming an economically priced Greatest Hit title.) Among other ills, fans complained about the game's slow-as-molasses gameplay; small, unimaginative levels and "realistic" car physics, which resulted in all-too-frequent rollovers. Having heard these complaints, the developers have gone back to the drawing board B | se e ° ce 2 It's gonna take à a little bit of ingenuity to bring this bird down-we think... and produced what they believe to be a vastly improved game. First and foremost, the physics have been revamped to make them more forgiving and arcade- like. 989 also sped the game up a bit and improved the graphics, one of TM ІІІ few bright spots. Not content to stop there, the developers added an all-new Create-A-Car Mode, which allows gamers to customize their own rolling nightmares (see sidebar). While you can't create a car from the rims up—the Create-A-Wrestler Mode in Acclaim's WWF Attitude is way more elaborate —the developers should be applauded for their attempt to infuse the genre with some much-needed originality. They also packed in 20 new characters and eight new levels. There are even a few new hidden levels, including Neon City, Road Rage and Sweet Tooth's Carnival. One thing many TM fans liked about the previous installment was the hard-driving soundtrack provided by Rob Zombie. Well, Mr. Zombie once again lends his musical, um, "talents" to the game, along with Cirrus, Skold, Ghoulspoon, One Minute Silence and Cyprus "Insane in the Membrane" Hill. While hip music can't make a crappy game good, a bit of variety never hurts. Will TMA restore the series to its previous greatness or drive the last nail in its coffin? Stay tuned for the answer... ж TASYA Pliu 5 Life Tns у we је е” Hit the Road! High Speed Chaos! Multiplayer randi Hardcore Demolition Action! Get into 24 Vehicles, from Up to 12 Opponents Battle Deathmatch, Destruction Exploding Cars Stock Cars to Hot Rods to Simultaneously on a Dozen Race, Bomb Tag, and Capture Realistic Darnage Ambulances. Arenas and Tracks. the Flag Modes. 64 EVERYONE Destruction De MER Psygnosis Ltd. Developed by Looking Glass Studios. N64 Version Published pers] THO Inc. under license from Рукі. Destruction Derby, Psygaosis and ће Psygnosis ogo are Ө and TM of Prygnoss ШІ. THO and tne THA logo re trademarks of E'S FEES] THO INC. Nintendo, The Official Seal, Nintendo 64 and the 3-0 “N” Logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. ™ Macross (the animated series) was originally released in the U.S. as the first series in a loose trilogy called Robotech. It was one of the first serial anime shows to air in the U.S. back in 1985. PREVIEW Macross UF-X 2 Publisher: Bandai | Developer: Unit гем СТИ 50% November 1999 СТИ None www.bandai.com [CEA Much better graphics, more Valkyries and mechs to pilot. ЕСІГІ ТЕ The game still needs work in the gameplay department. | And The Џој: | The look on your face when you're first trying to figure out how to play this game. Macross Summer '84 All those pining for the golden days of Macross will dig all the moments of nostalgia in Macross VF-X 2. Check them out below! Macross VF-X 2 has gameplay that's reminiscent of recent mech shooters like Omega Boost or to a lesser degree, Panzer Dragoon. Hmm. Not. Every good Macross game has tons of munitions. It's all about that crazy spiral of missiles that homes in on its target. here hasn't been a stellar Macross game... ever. For as long as the anime series has been around (since the mid-'8os), there's only been a couple of decent ones, notably, the Super Famicom and Saturn shooters. Puzzling when you think about it, especially given Macross' incredibly rich universe of mechs, characters and story lines. When Macross VF-X hit the PlayStation back in 1996, early adopters got burned. Macross VF-X became the new standard of anime-licensing-gone-horribly- awry. It was a mediocre affair on all fronts, and even hardcore Macross fans threw up their arms in frustration. It's been three years, and developer Unit, who brought us the first VF-X is back with Macross VF-X 2. Given the legacy of how crappy VF-X was, it isn't a question of how much better VF-X 2 will be, but rather, is it the definitive Macross game to buy for the PlayStation? Macross VF-X 2 picks up nicely where the first one left off; you're Aegis Focker (related to Roy Fokker?), elite VF pilot of the UN Spacy. Mission briefings are usually accompanied by static anime cutscenes and voice-over narration. To Unit's credit, this game has a better variety of Valkyries on its roster. Back from the past are VFs like the VF-1S Super Valkyrie and the cumbersome but payload-heavy Armored VF. In developing VF-X 2, Unit had marked gameplay as one area that needed improvement, and in that respect, the game moves and feels much better than 148 E % its predecessor. Тһе camera is always padlocked on your target, so you simply point the nose of your plane or gun reticle toward the enemy for some eye- popping dogfights. Unit has also placed heavier emphasis on each of the three battle modes of the Valkyries. For instance, fighter mode is most versatile and allows you to fire the most missiles, while Gerwalk allows you to strafe and hover; transforming into a Battroid allows you to get up close and personal with the enemy. Even with all its improvements, Macross VF-X 2 will probably draw a more niche audience than Omega Boost, another mech game with similar gameplay. For those looking for a game with heavy anime presentation, check out Macross VF-X 2. ж 00006110 From our home "ге fo yours...FREE! Zü моюну С Choose FREE UPS ground or upgrade to 2-Day Air for only $3.95. $30 minimum purchase required par shipping address. Applies to in-stock items only and orders less than 10165. Offer good 11/25/99 - 12/25/99. Toy Fite Any game, Any time, In no time. ©1999 ТоуТіте. ToyTime, toytime.com, and ToyTime logos are registered trademarks of ToyTime, Inc. All Trademarks and brands are owned by their respective companies. PREVIEW Codemasters Jester Interactive 1-4 Miscellaneous 15% November 1999 РС (еагіу 2000) www.codemasters.com You can make your own music on the PlayStation. How much more ‘good’ do you want? It can be a bit slow pulling samples from the CD. Some of the video stuff leaves a little to be desired! пне но ED а. „==. Video Star Those of you who | remember psychedelic ‘light | synthesizers' like Jeff Minter's Colourspace on the Atari ST will feel right at home with the videos. Here's a rough storyboard of my video to ‘Puke’ from my forthcoming album. MTV Music Generator is actually a ‘sequel’ of sorts. The original | product simply called *Music' was never released in the U.S. because | publishers here thought the subject matter was ‘too specialized’ and not commercially viable. It was a huge hit in Europe though. FFF YF Fr lal» ееееееееееееееіеіт fa A о ооо о 0 6 6 6 6 0000606804608 068006 The Music Jam mode is the more ‘game like’ part of the package. Mash buttons with up to three other people to make cool tunes. Your grid will soon fill up as you build your song and you'll have to keep track of which tracks are for which loop. TV Music Generator is possibly the coolest thing that will ever be released for the PlayStation. Those of you with PCs and an ear to the world of pop culture will no doubt be aware of a funky music creation tool called Acid Music by Sonic Foundry (Fat Boy Slim allegedly uses it) which allows you to sequence samples to make cool tunes. Those of you who have craved something like that, but don’t have the computing power can now try a similar, less powerful tool on the PlayStation. It may not be as flexible or as easy to use...but it's an incredible tool to use as a first step in music creation. You simply pull samples off the CD and lay them down on a time grid to piece together a song...it's rather like a music jigsaw puzzle. As an added bonus, the package also includes a simple video creating tool as well as a simple 'game' for up to four players that lets you jam on the joypad buttons to create a song. To illustrate how easy MTVMG is to use...| decided to build this preview around the creation of the song ‘Puke’ which | pieced together from the techno, drum ‘n’ bass and ambient samples supplied with the package. When it's finally released you'll also be able to pull samples off music CDs too and save them down to your memory card. | begin by trying to find a basic drum loop that re 1 T T "ш doesn’t sound like a bad German techno act that you'd find in a club on Spring Break. After much hunting | settle for a hardcore (ish) ‘bum-chika-bum- chika' loop and then add a faster bass drum and hi- hat loop to keep things driving along. Pasting this into the grid is easy and is only hindered by the slow access speed of the PS CD drive. Once this is stripped in | go in search of a bass and melody structure that | can introduce. Bass lines are easy...but the melody proves a little tougher. | want to create something with an industrial edge, but on first hunting most of the melodies sound a bit poncey. | eventually settle for a moody piano line and strip this in. Now | want to build the track toward a Trent Reznor-like crescendo before stripping the drums out and letting things settle into something quiet and moody. Can I find some nasty guitars though? Nope. I settle for some noisy synth sounds and some more rhythmic bangs and crashes before cutting everything off and finishing with just that moody piano line and a hi-hat. Groovy. It's only a couple of minutes long, but it already sounds reasonably professional. Add a touch of reverb and this baby's ready to be recorded for posterity. Now all | need is a recording contract and someone to appreciate the psychedelic video I created to go along with it. ж You start with a simple empty grid (1). The numbered slots оп the left-hand side аге the ‘voices’ within the song, and you simply pull samples off the CD and arrange them on the grid (2). Video portions are edited the same way (3). ө Pasta seg Wack 150 the SuperSound gaming seat with VIBRA-KICK technology! Don't stand for just "kicking-back^ with your favorite € games, videos or music. Kick it up with sound waves surging through your body. Get intense as you ride on the electro-magnetic Vibra Kicker flanked by extra-range stereo speakers. Feel the reality of sound turned into powerful tactile energy anywhere, any time, from any audio source. Take advantage of a real technical knockout, Intensor!" fx with VIBRA-KICK. Model IGS 500 Just log on at www.intensor.com to find out more about the Intensor™ fx and how you can win a $100 gift certificate! ТВ ТЕПЕ SuperSound Gaming Seat With ҮЙ А А-ДЇСД Technology. Available now at your favorite gaming store or quality electronics retailer. | e Imero INTENSOR™ fx and Sensory Entertainment Experience are Imeron trademarks. © 1999 Imeron, Inc. Immersive Technologies Symptoms of Fear: Perspiration Trembling Nausea Loss of Appetite Dry Month 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. Eidos Inte 11205. eidos.com PlayStation NON-INTERRUPTED GAMEPLAY for more debilitating action and power. Comes in handy for the THREE RUTHLESS MERCENARIES whose destinies $4 you control. 5 3 MOTION FX ў TECHNOLOGY. Pre-rendered, fully animated backgrounds creating a frighteningly real world. Breakthrough SUSPENSE/ACTION ADVENTURE game. Beyond your realm of fear. Beyond any 3rd person game created. e ware Association It can recognize your fear. Can you? sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ra n is a trademark of the Interact => SouthPeak Sinister Games 1-2 Racing 60% Spring 2000 PC www.southpeak.com Stays true to the flavor of the TV show. There don't seem to be many shortcuts. Character FMV is downright disturbing. | OPENING CIN! Weird Stuff | Weird Stu | They re-created the entire | opening sequence from the | ТУ show in FMV. It's verbatim | down to the cutscenes of the | “Balladeer's” guitar work | and Daisy’s southern-girl-in- | distress routine. The whole | thing seems strange at first but becomes hypnotic after repeated viewings. The General is scaled right down to the politically incorrect confederate flag plastered on the roof. We couldn't resist displaying this big, cheesy picture of Bo and Luke proudly cruisin’ The General. here was a time when every red-blooded American male held the The Dukes of Hazzard show in high esteem. Was it The General? Daisy? The intriguing plots? Whatever the case, SouthPeak is cashing in on the nostalgia with their own version of the cult classic. Staying true to the show, the game is centered around a ton of mini-missions involving plots and objectives plucked straight from the series. They include: Chasing car thieves who have stolen the General Lee; Racing for prize money in the Hazzard County overland race; Saving Daisy from kidnappers, and so on. While completing missions you'll have the pleasure of rippin’ by Uncle Jesse’s farm, The Boar’s Nest, Cooter’s Garage and several other familiar Hazzard haunts. While The General is the primary vehicle, 10 other cars are available. Drive Daisy’s jeep, Cooter’s tow truck or JD Hogg’s convertible, to name a few. When all is said and done, most of the game involves chasing or getting chased by Hazzard county's finest. Coot, Coot... 154 - Driving fast and wild is the name of the game. Тһе General is capable of jumping over creeks, crashing through barns, driving on two wheels and corkscrew barrel roll jumping. Power-ups are scattered throughout the courses and provide quick fixes and weapon upgrades. Two-player games include Hot Pursuit, Derby and Race. Naturally, Pursuit Mode most accurately represents the personality of the game. Chase down your opponent, ram "ет а few times, etc. First impressions? Take the nostalgic appeal of the show, toss in Need for Speed-style pursuit and top it with FMV story line cinematics and you have the game. At this point in the title's development the vehicle physics could use Top Ten more tweaks. A happy | nicknames for medium between Driver | Daisy's shorts and Need for Speed: Hot | 4, Daisy Dukes | Pursuit would be very | 2. Short shorts | пісе. Sadly the novelty of | 3. Ass pants racing The General will | 4. Cheek hammocks surely fade. Will the game hold up after that eventuality? You'll have to wait for our review to find out. ie | 5. Southern comforter | 6. Hot pants | 7. Booty wrappers | 8. Rump covers | 9. Denim mountains TOBACCO IS У if you’re a teen Sponsored by the Lorillard Tobacco Company's Youth Smoking Prevention Program www.buttoutnow.com PREVIEW Bandai Bandai/K2c 1 Action 60% 01, 2000 None www. bandai.com It's good to see someone else do a “Resident Evil.” Only Capcom does them right. Keith runs like a fairy. There are many RE-style puzzles to solve here. As in Resident Evil, when you suffer an injury, it is reflected on-screen as you walk around limping. No zombies here, just zombie-like vampires looking to taste your man-meat. Do ‘em a favor and shoot their asses. et ready to party like it’s 1999, cuz it is. The problem, however, is that things aren’t going to end up in a beer-keg, fall-over- yourself kind of way. Instead, it’ll end up a blood-sucking vampire-fest, the likes of which you haven't seen since, well, your last blood-sucking vampire-fest. It’s all good! In Countdown Vampires, brought to you courtesy of Bandai (makers of all things Dragonball), you assume the role of Keith Snyder, tatooed bodyguard-turned-vampire- hunter extraordinaire. Don’t mind that Keith has a bit of a sissy way of running, it keeps the vampires confused. The setting is the Desert Moon Hotel (which may or may not be related to the Dennis DeYoung song) 156 on the evening of the millennium. As is bound to happen during a public gathering of this nature, a fire begins to torch the joint, causing the sprinkler system to leap into action. Sadly, it is not water that rains down upon the assembled masses, but rather, a nasty black ichor which not only ruins many a party dress, but starts turning the crowd into vampires as well. The trick here is to get to the bottom of this mystery, since you luckily avoided the transformation yourself, and find the antidote to return things to normal. If you get bitten by one of these creeps, you may have problems yourself very soon. Over the course of the game, you will travel through eight different locations, ranging from vampiric woodlands to seedy vampire-filled bars. You even begin the game in a gothic casino of a particularly suspicious nature. Currently the game is practically unplayable due to the buggy state of completion. Enemies don't really attack at the moment, they just stand there and swoon in a hypnotic trance. The backgrounds are prerendered (a la Resident Evil), but despite its similarities to Capcom's awesome titles, Bandai has overlooked the obvious improvements made to the genre, such as not having to press the action buttons to walk up a flight of stairs. However, there is still some time for K2C to implement these changes. So if you're looking for an RE-style game with a twist, this might be your best move. m atsaliens have taken over the Earth: Boombotspare ІРГЕ LO SION ШЕП? Gommani 15 Boomuots through 15 far-out arenas of realjtimeys=D И ТИП action ` TEEN ® indicates USA vegistiáltion. Other brand or product Woks lteractve L L C Developed by the Meverhoag* SOUTHPEAK™ INTERACTIVE T PREVIEW Bandai Bandai/Cyber Connect 1-2 Action 80% 01, 2000 None www.bandai.com Old-school gameplay meets 3D graphics. Too easy to lose sight of your guy amid all the explosions. The game's hokey anti-war theme. To destroy enemies, drop bombs in their paths or use the Lock-on Unit. The game's screen-filling explosions will nearly shake your Dual Shock out of your hands. A floating, dynamic camera pans and zooms to capture the action. any have called Silent Bomber a Bomber Man for the "905. Others have called it one done right. Whatever you call it, the game is chock-full of some of the most intense old-school action to appear on the PlayStation in a long while. The object of the game is simple: run around destroying anything that moves. Your primary way of accomplishing this is by dropping bombs in your enemy's path and then detonating them as it passes over him/her. Or you can use a Lock-on Unit to automatically target foes. If you're really crafty, however, you can collect power-ups— such as napalm, paralysis and gravity liquids —and combine them with regular 198 bombs to create all-new "strategic attacks." Or you can drop up to three bombs between stationary structures to create giant chain-reaction explosions that fill the screen with fire and nearly shake your Dual Shock right out of your greasy mits. And that's pretty much it. No cumbersome camera to Steer. No puzzles to solve. No nothing you don't really need. Of course, Bandai has tossed in the obligatory anti-war backstory to hold your interest (kind of silly for a game with tons of explosions, don't you think?); however it's reasonably restrained and mainly serves to set up the next Boss encounter. Speaking of Bosses, the game has more giant tanks, robots and mechanical crab-like things than you can shake a stick at, each with its own weaknesses and strategies to be discovered. Despite being only 80 percent complete, Silent Bomber already looks surprisingly good; there's no texture warping, polygon tearing or pop-up to speak of, and the frame-rate remains rock-steady no matter how many enemies are on screen. Bandai has yet to add a promised two-player battle mode, which, if it's as good as the one-player missions, should really pump up the game's replay value. The sole disappointment about Silent Bomber is its release date; the game isn't due to be released until the first quarter of next year. ж => PREVIEW GALLERY 2 Alundra is back, brought into the third dimension by Japanese N developer Matrix Software. It still feels very much like the original, with plenty of puzzle-based dungeons, but there are now mini-games and extra obstacles which take advantage of the third dimension. It will hit Japan before the end of the year, but Activision has picked it up for release in the U.S. in March 2ooo. Ping Far a lan tanaman” “The best anime show us of all time.” | “Beautiful animation” ча - Animage ‘= < x Nergal Wants-You! Think Fast! Confronted with the automat- 2 In the-nof-so-distant future, In his new animated advegg ity of a mad boomer, в when human colonies-spraw! ture, Sonic races deep, across the surfaces of Nearby, the heart of Robotro = anets, a Save the planet ап те f verpowe face-to-face. with, Т evil h's Поре ve 4 4 | | robot version of Simself A lly ati 7 3 ШЕ; crafted by his diatoligijarch- tie AD Pope ША А 2 enemy, Dr, Robotnik: eed rapped 10 а. maze of Buddies, romance, ЇЇ. a ‘trigue carefully laid by con- reluctant pilot Akito, Ў high-tech and -cool-blue -Aii “ЙИП, foes, the- vigilante Nadesico heads for Mars tude combine; to form АЛ; heroines fight 10 sürvivez ` destiny! Films: Some UE КЕЛЕЙ, In Stores 11.23.99 od 1999 Sega Елер ...Sega Rally burst on the scene in '95? Its spunky graphics, realistic feel and great racing gameplay established it as the premier rally racer of its time. > PREVIEW GALLERY Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return SCEA and Whoopee Camp are bringin’ that pork-roastin’ bringer of platform goodness, Tomba!, back to the PlayStation in January. Tomba! 2 (known as Tomba: The Wild Adventures in Japan) takes things up a notch by going entirely 3D (the original had 2D characters on 3D backgrounds) and adding new weapons, new moves and more to Tomba's already packed arsenal. Look for a full preview next month. Exactly what the PlayStation needed! Another 3D update of a tired old concept dressed up in a near-future scenario with 'edgy' anime-looking graphics. Sing hosanna there is a God in heaven— this is exactly what we wanted. And...what’s this? Оһ my...it plays almost exactly like Fighting Force. Gracious! Does this fountain of goodness at Gremlin Interactive and Interplay never stop? Will we be able to wait until December to enjoy its Renegade and Double Dragon-influenced gameplay? Can we brace ourselves sufficiently to learn of the adventures of the "crack, covert team of combat hackers"? Only time will tell. V-Rally 2 Having had a chance to play V-Rally 2, we can assure you it's a lot nicer to drive than the original. Unlike the touchy first edition, clipping other cars, fences or trees is usually non-fatal. Its speed, good physics and gobs of power-sliding action make it mighty fun to race. A healthy amount of options and features are sure to keep strict rally as well as casual fans happy. Electronic Arts will ship V-R2 in the fall of ’99. 160 RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Soldier 3 The third of Telegames' Iron Soldier series will soon makes its debut on the PlayStation. Like its predecessors, 153 features mission-based, mech warrior play with a heavy emphasis on multiple weapons and explosive combat. Twenty-five single-player missions and several two-player battles should keep mech fans happy. In addition to regular in-game action, 18 minutes of rendered FMV bring the destruction home in full glory. This Eclipse Software-produced game is a winter ’99 release. This action-adventure title from Fox Interactive and Visiware Studios puts you in a world where ape has evolved from man. As Ulysses, the lone human survivor of a spaceship that has crashed on a planet 1,000 years into the future, you must figure out what in the hell happened, and find a way to get off of this crazy primate-filled world. So the action- packed and gripping story line begins. Look for it later next year. Ері Reg featuring IN STORES NOW Produced & Mixed by Brendan OBrien. ALL S OUNDS MADE BY GUITAR, BASS, DRUMS AND VOCALS, wwwratm.com Available at wwwepicrecords.com S, Pat. & Tm. Of isa trademark of Sony Music Entertai: - >» PREVIEW GALLERY 2000 Remember the button- pounding, carpal-tunnel-syndrome- inducing excitement of Konami’s '80s arcade favorite Track & Field? Here’s the second sequel for the PlayStation, complete with updated graphics and a bunch of new events, including cycling, kayaking, weightlifting and gymnastics. While many events, such as the 100M Dash, require the player to do little more than hammer on the buttons as fast as humanly possible, others, such as the women’s vault, require considerably more finesse. All, however, have superb motion-captured animations. Would-be Olympians can go for the gold December 1999. This one from Hasbro Interactive and Interactive Studios is based on the popular toy series of the same name. The game is split into two types of levels: Action and Vehicle. In the Action levels, as the name suggests, you control Action Man in a variety of 3D action-adventure- type locales. In the vehicle levels, you control a range of cars, planes and boats. Look for it sometime in the second half of 2000. The first-ever Action Man toys back in the '6os were essentially the old-school U.S.-issued С.І. Joe figures repackaged with the Action Man logo on them. These were available in the U.K. only. Hasbro Interactive continues to flog the retro-gaming horse with Missile Command, a graphically revamped retread of the Atari arcade classic. In addition to the obligatory Classic Mode, the game has a new Ultimate Mode that finally lets you turn the tables on your alien attackers by waging much- deserved counter-strikes. Be advised: The invasion begins November 1999. 162 T 9 aS S х АЦ а Ваше ог Reality. JP m YA - Twitch: Games © Noo EIS жә a = 5 registered trademarks of Sony complir Eiteriainment Me. JSIEHÓUETTE | MIRAGE" is a trademark Of-Treasure/ESP. Original Game @ 1998 Treasure/ESP. English Tr io @ SPA? 1998. This r e/ESP. ‘Working Designs'"xhd-'SPAZ"'are registered trademarks of Working Designs. Inc, All lights reserved. The-first game that goes ways! “Web Address: < — PREVIEW GALLERY As a completely new game, Psygnosis’ F1 99 is a mix of user-friendly gameplay and impressive sim-inspired features and options. In other words, it's easy to control the cars but the game is anything but arcade. A massive amount of depth and detail firmly establish this as a true F1 sim. The '99 season is represented in exacting detail, even the weather at certain events is mimicked. Look for Formula One 99 this November. Do not eat the brown acid — Q*Bert, that foul-mouthed, hose-nosed hopper from the 1980s, returns for his trippiest adventure yet, courtesy of Hasbro Interactive. Hop through all the color-changing cubes of the original plus scores of new levels in the Adventure Mode. Joining Q*Bert is a colorful cast of new friends as well as old foes Uggs, Wrong-Way, Slick and Sam апа of course — Coily the snake. The fun starts November. Ф NCAA What's up in FF2000? How about 300 Division 1 teams and their respective playbooks. The game also has new player models, create-a- player, fresh animation (including taunts) and a season play update feature called “Bubble Watch.” Beyond that, many features that made last year’s FF good are back—announcer Quin Buckner, the shot meter, icon passing and much more. 989 Sports will release this title in November. NCAA championships Bobby Knight has won while coaching at Indiana University. Several new moves make ball handling ultra-interactive in MM2000. Choose what hand to dribble with, shake-and-bake, cross-over and so on. More divisions (SWAC, MEAC, West Coast, IVY League) bring the team totals up to 151 including women's. Dick Vitale brings in the color commentary while Steve Francis acts as straight man. Electronic Arts will release this game in December of '99. 164 The Most talked-about 2000: On that day, sales to retail of LUNAR: Silver Star Story for the PlayStation® game е will cease. Forever. The end. Omega-time. Sales have far exceeded our expectations, and being the mentally-challenged поп-МВА gaminc ught it would be kind of cool to say "Enough! All the cool people that know what's up have already bought the game anyway. Had probably listening to the free soundtrack and fondling the other free stuff right now, laughing at the ignoramuses (or is that ignorami? er...) who still call anime ‘that freaky Speed Racer stuff.’ Why not keep this game at least a LITTLE bit of a secret and make the en't bought it yet end up paying too much on eBay™ when they realize what a terrible mistake they've made?" So, if you think that passing on the "Ghaleon Experience" has something to d | / ing Spanish doo-dads, you're definitely missing the boat. In that case, about all we can offer you by way of consolation is “Ignorance is Bliss. ) damned tainted burger-emporium-earned money, you freaking spaz. You're not worthy. And don't count on your momma savin’ your sorry me foresight, ‘cuz she already spent the family dough on wunder bread and kool-aide. Bon Appetit!” | mark of Game Arts/Working Designs. Licensed from ESP by Working Designs. Original Game © 1998. “Working Designs" is a registered trademark of Working Designs, Inc. All rights reserved. аг you, call (530) 243-3417. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Mes EAR STORY. COWIE ош yee US ШІ for RPGers! " — PSM "wonderful jii ei in a pure anime style.” po 74 hië epic quest..." өті ШШ must-play RPGs.“ — ЕСМ Х An Epic Adventure Includes: 2 Gamé ( and 1 Exclusive "M. ж 50+ Minutes of Апітайд Ж 100+ Page Cloth ¿bog unual'^ ТМ P PRETI ШЕР Р "LESER, ШЛ Па ip hop and football went head їо head during ІМРЕКІРГІ NOT IE ШЕБЕР ЕП АПАЕ the official Madden NFL ™ 2000 release party IHFIS WHEN OW END ИР TERING F LESS" thrown by ЕА SPORTS at Club Vivid іп Manhattan. - ДЕШ HE - БИА ШИП ENTERTAINED | "en though Modden wes the star of the night; B x NCAA @ Football 2000 action was to be found mau s 5 EVERYWHERE! This invite-only event was exactly like Guru of Gang а 4 = ; "n any other underground hip-hop party—expert DJs Starr brought . £ ) e > у spinning off-the-hook beats, exotic women in giis che | ‚ designer outfits—with one notable addition: EA Football 2000 " А SPORTS was іп da house. tourney. | The packed club had many PlayStations, where hip-hop DJs, MCs, dancers and even executives were running games of Madden NFL 2000 and NCAA Football 2000, oblivious to the party going on around them. Legendary MC Masta Ace was definitely there to get his game on and prove he's the best gamer in hip hop. Unfortunately for Ace, Buckshot, the MC of Black Moon, stepped up and handed him an early loss in NCAA Football 2000. Later on, Ace made the adjust- ment to Madden NFL 2000 and took Duck Down Entertainment's Dru Ha to school as Buckshot (still high off his victory) danced behind them. SON ЕЕН Buckshot (left) and Masta Ace get it on in a fury of button-mashin' , football action. FRET TAMER NY GIANTS БИЉКЕ BLACK MOON RECORDS “It's a fly game. | like to get “Defense, baby. Permanent lockdown some burn sometimes, but is the only way to win. But I'm most of the guys on the humble, I just do what I'm told. team play it too much.” It just so happens that somebody told me to win." ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY We Compete with the Best! ux RIMAN VEEN NY => k. ` С ~ З э. » ' = ` ` v F | ` m New York Giants Roman Oben 7 FUKFUSELZ ТЕКЕ F ЭК 2EUFE JUSI IJ LIVE MZ OPPONENT A SPIEL 173 FE FUN IF 1 МР ІШЕМ FRUM THE БЕК.” - ME MRIIR FEE => PREVIEW GALLERY Joining the ranks of instantly forgettable racing games is Renegade Racers from Interplay and developer Promethean Designs. ‘Wacky’ character design, cartoony visuals and Diddy Kong Racing-inspired gameplay will be hitting the PlayStation in November. You will also see it on the Dreamcast, Game Boy Color and PC if you’re really lucky. Some games are just destined to disappear the second they’re released. Bedrock Bowling File this one under “Huh?!” —SouthPeak Interactive's The Flintstones Bedrock Bowling is a Crash Bandicoot-style Z-axis scroller in which the player must pilot a hollowed-out half bowling ball through a number of Stone Age courses, attempting to knock over bowling pins. Scored like traditional bowling, the game stars Fred, Barney, Pebbles and Bam Bam and is slated (get it?) for a Q4 1999 release. The We can’t really explain the fascination with Smurfs these days, but whatever. This Smurfs kid’s game from Heliovisions and Infogrames is similar to Tarzan, with cartoon-style graphics and simple gameplay. Smurfs’ has a variety of level types, including skiing, snowboarding and mine cart romp. The object is to collect stuff—collect enough of one item and you get a date with Smurfette! Look for The Smurfs in November. ^ European Tour Infogrames does more than racing games, check out their golf sim featuring the best golfers and courses from the European Professional Golfer's Association. While you may only recognize some of the names, 60 current and past masters are featured. Play in Ireland, England, Spain and several other snobby countries. Create-a-golfer, night and hazard play are included as well. The title is due out February of 2000. GOLFER SET-UP —— 6 — NOBWORTH (Pleyer 4 Сәке d Ареа > The Smurfs was created by French cartoonist Pierre Culliford in 1958, and was first published in Le Journal de Spirou. Check www.smurf.com for more info. Gameplay-wise, this PlayStation version of Mission: Impossible from Infogrames and X-ample is exactly like the N64 one that came out last year. The game's similar to Syphon Filter, except with more espionage bits and not quite as much action. Differences from the N64 include new CG cinemas and a quick-save/load feature. Of course, this PS version also has full voice. Look for it sometime in November. 110 ШІ i> Б Y - PRI eu ENTER ШЕ IU HIN Ё КЕК E TRIP TU MADDEN EUH B 4 TA ч > ЕШІСІТ HR | 4 — 4 ES Er š шаны ‚ SPORTS ҮШІНГІ % НЕЕ? GIVER AS * КҮ 7, "Ж » Om г) x / kk (е»! | H . 200 о `e Q 6 e | €» © sa РАШИ) ийи) “ive E> 22 ira) (2) AmericanAirlines = ә PREVIEW GALLERY Sony’s epic four-disc RPG is shaping up to be one of our most anticipated imports this December. At the recent TGS, we got our hands on a promo disc of Dragoon’s beautiful FMV sequences. Aside from the incredible production values, the game's sense of design and detail will make Legend of Dragoon a landmark PlayStation RPG. We'll learn more about Dragoon's gameplay in the coming months. Showtime Treasure's latest PlayStation title is a unique concoction of Poiter's Point, avant-minimalist design, and anime satire. It's Treasure so you know what to expect: graphical chaos, twitch gameplay that rewards you with deep techniques, and in the case of Rakugaki, a sense of humor that gives the game its charm but almost threatens to undermine everything it represents. This arena "fighting" title is out now in Japan. 112 АМЕР MARELLI " | = ; ж PlayStationit | ES — c FORMULA 1 r PlayStation = WORLD Z= | PSYGNOSIS loped by, Studio.33 Ltd. Psygnosis and the Psygnosis logo'areTMior@an0'@1990-9 Psygnosis; Ltd: мене product of the FIA’ mplonship. Licensed by — One minetan Limited. 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. ©1999 Psygnosis LI PREVIEW GALLERY Considered a classic in animedom, Hideuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D is now scheduled for a winter release. Vampire Hunter D will be a gothic action adventure with prerendered backgrounds. All you Yoshitaka Amano fans out there take heed; Amano did the character designs for the original Vampire Hunter D manga back in 1985. Victor Interactive Software will release Vampire Hunter D on Dec. 9. Tokimeki Memorial 2 The sequel to Konami's popular dating sim will be released in November. In it, you play a high school student just trying to get Jumping Flash was one of the first games on the PlayStation, and four years later, it's still going. Robbit Mon Dieu is actually the fourth Jumping Flash game, and it's a bit more mission-based than previous installments. You pilot your ship over an overworld map, and land at areas where there's a call for help, and solve whatever problem has come up. For instance, maybe you have to carry an animal back up to its home, or rescue a group of innocent creatures from tyrannical robots. Each time you finish a level, you're greeted with a newspaper account of the events just passed. Robbit Mon Dieu, developed by SCEI second-party team Sugar & Rockets (great name for a game developer), is slated for release in October in Japan. Planet Dob is another little discovery we made while perusing by...and get a little “action” in the process. You'll have to play through various mini-games to win over the hearts of the 10 girls in the game (it pays to be nice to them, too). TokiMemo 2 also has an "Emotional Voice System" (E.V.S.), where you input your name and each girl will say it. the show floors of the Tokyo Game Show. This little-hyped game from Hudson must be heard to be believed. We entered the world of Dob and were treated to some of the best IDM (intelligent dance music) we've heard in a long while. The story of Planet Dob centers around the eccentric Dob (the name is literally written on his face) and his adventures inside his own mind. Dob World itself is colorfully prerendered with polygonal objects and characters to interact with. As Dob, you've got to recapture all 144 "bits" in order to unlock mini-games galore, virtual turntable mix sessions and much more. From what we've seen of Planet Dob, there's no denying the game's mantra: Design is king. Developed by Micro Vision, Planet Dob will be out this winter. 30977 ———— 11 SAN oN ERE’S 3 NEW WAYS TO SCREW AROUND AND ACCOMPLISH NOTHING! 64 T m | m 4 | | ® L SANNA мэм 3AISOTdX3 Жы XE NI GOO ИШ ў INOZ 2171 NI — Ü OUT OF 9 DO IT THROUGH CROSSHAIRS. =] you're мот Just A SUAVE, SOPHISTICATED JET-SETTER ano LADY’S MAN, уогвел MOVING TARGET. navigating GUNPOWDER-COVERED stores, DODGING SNIPER FIRE ano inrictrating TERRORIST STRONGHOLDS wn нег мајетуг MOST DEMANDING MISSION ver WIELDING YOUR stanoano-issue, SILENCER-SHOD 9MM, severa KILLER Q-GADGETS anoa LICENSE ТО USE THEM FOR EXACTLY THAT. IT's vour TRIAL-BY-ENEMY-FIRE. so PACK THE TUX ano LASER CUFF LINKS. YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU. t 4 “> MGM INTERACTIVE шатын | Мк GAME BOY Т 7 also available on (< OLER and other consoles soon ac reath - air 30 dream convertibles with multiple engine configurations and modifiable parts— four different game styles plus instant replay 10 different tracks with changing weather conditions blowing road racing wide open == PREVIEW GALLERY Tekken Tag Tournament Namco's first PlayStation? title, due out on launch day in Japan (March 4, 2000), is none other than Tekken Tag Tournament. But this is no ordinary arcade port. If you thought Soul Calibur got a nice upgrade when it made the jump from arcade to DC, then get a load of this baby. The in-game graphics look nearly as good as the CG intros from the arcade TTT, and the backgrounds have all been completely redone. Needless to say, everything looks absolutely incredible and it all moves effortlessly at a brisk 60 fps. No word yet on any new modes or options, but we've got plenty of screens to keep you satisfied while we wait for new info to surface. (And for those of you who are doubting—yes, these pics are all real-time direct from the game.) 182 Street Fighter EX3 It hasn’t even hit arcades yet, but Arika/Capcom’s latest 3D Street Fighter title is scheduled for the PlayStation2. It features а tag system similar to Tekken Tag or Dead or Alive 2, but you actually see your teammates more often in this game. There are also team attacks where all four characters can be on screen performing attacks at once in a blinding fury of fists ‘n’ fireballs. A firm release date has not been set yet. 183 PREVIEW GALLERY Polyphony Digital’s flagship racing game is set to launch with the PlayStation2 in March 2000. This is the PS2’s showcase title, along with Tekken Tag. Based on Gran Turismo 2, GT2000 will feature additional cars and tracks (the GT team will be spending all its time on GT2000 once GT2’s wrapped up). One of the very cool graphical touches that you can see in a few of the screens here is heat waves coming up from the pavement during daytime replay shots. The game moves at 60 frames per second with no visible slowdown or graphical glitches— pop-up is a thing of the past. It also takes advantage of the new Dual Shock 2—analog buttons for gas and brake add a whole new dimension to the overall realism. 184 TURK ® | ||| Au | as you solve devious pu: ~ while avoiding traps and o pooky objects. 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! Non-surfers and surfers alike can ride the waves and get airborne on the only surfing simulation for the Game Boy? Color! Purchase Interplay titles by February 29, 2000 and we’ll reward you with hardware, accessories, and other cool stuff. е Labtec For more details see specially marked Interplay packages or visit us at: www.interplay.com/mostwanted CAESARS PALACE Il: ©1999 Interplay Productions. All Rights Reserved. Caesars Palace and Caesars Palace ІІ are trademarks of Caesars World, Inc. and use e from Caesars World Merchandising, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This product is for entertainment purposes only. Any use of this product for gambling or wagering is prohibited. CARMAGEDDON: ©1997-1999 SCI (Sales С Ltd. All rights reserved. Carmageddon, SCI and the SCI logo are trademarks of SCI (Sales Curve Interactive) Ltd. CASPER: ©1995 Universal City Studios,Inc., and Amblin Entertainment Inc. Casper and the related characte of and copyrighted by Harvey Comics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. WICKED SURFING: ©1999 by RUNANDGUN' inc. All Rights Reserved. Wicked Surfing, Interplay, the Interplay logo, and "By Gamers. For Gamers." are trademarks of Interplay Productions. АП Rights Reserved. LICENSED BY NINTENDO. GAME BOY AND GAME GOY COLOR ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO OF AMERICA INC. ©1989, 1998 NINTENDO OF AMERICA INC. a 8 ee PREVIEW GALLERY Shin Ridge Racer When the PlayStation first came out, Ridge Racer was the killer app. Namco brings the series to Sony’s next-generation machine in style. The demo Namco was showing at TGS included everything that makes Ridge Racer what it is: tunnels filled with the glow of fluorescent yellow lights, quick turns and jumps which make sparks fly from beneath the cars. The new (or “Shin”) Ridge Racer is scheduled for March 2000. Electronic Arts Square hops on the PlayStation2 bandwagon with this third-person corridor shooter (pronounced “Crossfire”). It’s still early, and a final release date has yet to be announced. ==, 3 caution The Bouncer Dream Factory, known for its Tobal games and Ehrgeiz, has forged a new path in the fighting game genre. The Bouncer is a cinematic fighter, using what the company calls a “Seamless Action Battle System” (S.A.B.S.). You can fully interact with the environment, pushing enemies up against walls, using chairs as weapons, etc. Square will release The Bouncer in March 2000 for the launch of PlayStation2. [-MICoE nos GREAT Goemon's Great Adventure is a trademark of Konami Co., Ltd. Nintendo 64 and the 3D 'N are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. © 1996 Nintendo of America Inc. The ratings KONAMI icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Konami is a registered trademark of Konami Co.. Ltd. © 1999 Konami of America. Inc. All rights reserved. For an interview with Lorne Lanning, president of Oddworld — | = Inhabitants (developer of Munch’s Oddysee), click on to: http://videogames.gamespot.com/ps2/pltfrm/munch/index.html PREVIEW GALLERY Armored Core 2 7 From Software brings mechanized combat to the PlayStation2 in style with Armored Core 2. AC2 is scheduled for a spring 2000 release in Japan. Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee As Q-Mann first reported in EGM #117, the next chapter in the Oddworld series will be called Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee. This is the true sequel to Abe’s Oddysee (Exoddus was a spin-off), and it stars our buddy Abe and newcomer Munch (both of whom you'll get to play). As you can tell from the screens, the game will take place in beautiful, fully 3D worlds. This Oddworld also takes the gameplay in new directions. “Munch’s Oddysee will be far more focused on world simulation and the behaviors of characters and eco-systems to achieve much more living impressions,” says Lorne Lanning, president of the developer, Oddworld Inhabitants. “We are truly going for a World simulation approach rather than gauntlet types of puzzles.” GT Interactive will be publishing this DVD (complete with digital surround sound for awesome Gamespeak). 188 The first blast wiped out your Space Center, Injust 3 hours, the high-tech weapons satellite will strikeagain...It's your job to make sure that it doesn't. > Intense 3rd Person | Action/Shooter <> Precsion laser- sighting amıng + ud DEN ve mechanism 64 <> Immense 3D «Nintendo Power =——— adventure" B: Wy SS ee <> Battle heavily- armed Boss Chracters and "smart" enemies 4 - Player Deathmatch, along with Lethal Tag; <> Rumble Рак Саре Hunt; And Quick ' Draw: Support www.koeigames.com коет, red. Nintendo 64 and the 3-0 “N” logo are trademarks of NipteBdƏ @f America Inc. The ratings ico йол ond KOEI Со, Ltd. All rights r des d (0 кг 2 к ad Head о head.to he | HEART-POUNDING DEATHMATCHES 36 multi-player levels designed for maximum combat intensity! 8 SAVAGEIGAME/MODES Cooneratigewission-Based Play, TeafflpiDUMlust, Frag Tag! * 2 ТБ LETHAL WEAPONS, n DEADLY POWERS > Emaciator, Chest Büreter, War-plub! СС visiit Stone Skin Force Empathy! Since time began, the Light Burden has contained the power of creati The power of good. And evil. Now, fierce war rages for control of power. Step into the fight of your life. Battle in the ultimate primeva i layer | bloodmatch. And prove yourself worthy to wield the Light Е lav. Only one can win. Will | you survive the Rage Wars? Dom | — m ate t join ЇЧ, action! PREVIEW GALLERY Not even the PlayStation2 is safe from Konami’s Bemani series. The company is bringing its latest arcade music game to the PS2 in March 2000. Just hit the correct drum pad as the bars fall to the bottom of the screen. A special drum pad controller will be released simultaneously with the game for a yet-to-be-determined price. No idea why Konami decided to put this on PS2 instead of PS1. It’s not King’s Field, but From Software hasn't strayed too far from that game’s territory. This RPG is more exploratory than action. Scheduled for release in Japan in spring 2000. Imagine a role-playing game where you create the world you're going to explore. In SCEI’s Dark Cloud, you create the landscape of a floating island, placing buildings, trees, houses, paths, etc. Sony calls it a “беогата RPG.” Some of the graphical effects are amazing. In the bottom series of screens, you see how the camera zooms in on you (with no pause in between) from the creation mode to you actually traversing the landscape you just placed. Trust us, it looks awesome in motion. 192 Б> PlayStation P + 07:008 Rie 3 00:00:00 THOM 4: 18 m К "ехо: & ШІ CRAVE: veers <> iia Crave Entertainment and its respective trademarks are the property of ave Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Crave Entertainment з a registered trademark іп the U.S. ©1999 Crave Entertainment, Inc. Killer Loop and the Killer Loop logo are trademarks of Benetton Inc PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Entertainment America Corporation Inc. гы = PREVIEW GALLERY Now here’s a strange concept for a game— you're a girl whose main method of transportation is sliding on power lines using a coat hanger. That’s exactly what you do in Densen, developed by SCEI. The game Starts on the streets of your local town (shown below), and you follow color tracks which lead to power lines. Jump up and grab the power lines with your coat hanger and you're off, swinging on the lines which lead just about every place imaginable. Kids, don't try this at home. Tecmo's entry into the music and dance genre comes to PlayStation2. You control the destiny of the ultimate female pop band as they rise to stardom. Set for a Spring 2000 release. Popolocrois Story isn't only a series of PlayStation games in Japan, but also an animé TV series that began running in 1998. Popolocrois Story Ill This is the fourth game in SCEI’s RPG series Popolocrois (none of which have shown up in the U.S.). The first thing you notice when looking at this game is that while the characters are 3D, they’re actually made to look 2D. The look is quite disconcerting as the characters (at least at this point) look very washed-out, and the environments don’t seem nearly as lush or detailed as the two previous Popolocrois games. SCEI describes the game as a romantic animé RPG, and the character designs are similar to those used in the animé TV series Sony has been airing on Japanese TV. Popolocrois Story Ill is developed by Sugar & Rockets, the same team who worked on the Jumping Flash games. It is currently slated for release next year in Japan. 900 GP Namco's newest arcade motorcycle racing game comes home on the PlayStation2 next year. It's expected to be nothing Short of a perfect arcade conversion. 194 GEA A, 7/2 YAA A / c > RALLYSPORT Қы ТАР) andom Track Generation System Provides Endless Possibilities. With Point To Point Racing, You Won’t Be Going In Circles. ə Learn Rally Techniques And Earn Racing Class Qualifications At The ARSG Driver School e Cool Racing Effects With Realistic Weather And Windshield Conditions... Where Every Bug, Rock And Mud Splat Impairs Your Vision e Command 14 Cars, Upgrading As You Gain Sponsors And Prize Money - PLUS 3 BONUS CARS After You Win In Champ Mode e Every Bump, Knock And Crunch Does Real Damage To Your Car And Could Send You Scurrying Back To Your Support Van For Repairs e Customize Your Paint Job And Decals For The Coolest Looking Car AV loped by marks of Nintendo of America Inc. Ай names and logos contained herein are the registered trademarks of their respective companies. ет » p SOJO DUI12129] VANS ‘MO f'uosse»eu бибор JO 10U 'YÖ!Y ur 2»uopinó лоџадпс бицапја) oN opoeg ?»UOJoQ Quo-onp pe»uo^og uoisnj pi6uJ piooq-uO BINOD yi роо јаблој оорду Ӧәәцѕ sso} ue^3 6une6101 puo биџац џограло бициод о) papag JOJO) ||nj ш! soap 20) eu ад UOISIA Qç vonnjose-p speíqo ор puo ош ysn puo azaay 550) '6ums ‘016 — шога jouomunj АПУ $12]S002/2||O1 sepu puo ѕибіѕәр уәлә | Ay 24 UO SeWos Ue|golg sdi sono гбојол yy 'sepispoi MUONISOD zuo $ | "олој 'SUOISOjdxa — spiozou puo MÀ spaads uiu юу 1086 INAO JOU) DUO ‘opuayuin Aq рәзигог | еоџашу jo ори; шу јо ориәшм. шерәшз yos ап eui pue yos п 'O = WO» 1ЭЯ2О®ЛЕЛӘ ‘MMM ЕШ ЖЕЛЕ OGN31NIN әј INOA JO epu eu 29 ouuo6 sj 51124 1025 INOA 2450 imo! -loUjo] 0200 15пш esieNun ay) U! yod 15210016 oui puo 'бищіѓџәлә бидоошѕ1р S| U00201] о 'euo6 sı snujom eu 'uƏ|o1s 210 512901 eu о moy “SOWIO ‘jam `GuIunñuo 10) Apoa s әң ‘грош 12۸2 10901 Dd JUBWASNWO разџолро ISOW 2U SI 799208) P Ton temporary relief of Dragons breath, Monster pains, or Battle fatigue: "p r % Take 2 as often as needed Sul hie жуа! Ру ae E Dv Y А: 255, - 6^ te A ü Ж > Here, powerful spells can save your life. Of course. thats not to say you wont need the dozen or so weapons and armor available to you. p Or that the 108 friends willing to fight for you wont come in handy. Pad Its just, when it comes to slaying mythical beasts and whole armies, => having the odd rune up your sleeve is just what the doctor ordered. KONAMI Suikoden |І and Konami are registered trademarks d Konami Co. 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. © 1999 Konami of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Get yourself this cool reproduction toy—The Evel Knievel Stunt Action Motorcycle. Ф o $ Available from Evel's own site— PREVIEW EvelKnievel.com GALLERY When you think about, if there was a system out there truly suited to the graphical style of DMA's GTA—then the Game Boy is definitely it. This latest incarnation set for release in October by Rockstar has been developed by Tarantula Studios (also doing Evel Knievel) and mimics the PS original remarkably. Infogrames and Rebellion’s Mission: Impossible is one of the coolest things around. This sucker turns your GBC into an almost full-blown PDA (or at least a nifty spy gadget). Besides having a calculator and phone/address organizer, this thing will let you send messages via the infrared port. It can even turn your GBC into a programmable remote control (televisions, VCRs, keyless entry...you name it)! Oh, and there’s a mission-based spy-adventure game somewhere in here as well. E iff’ š 5: Lord Bamiff's Deceit Telegames and JV Games are releasing what they call an “American-style, full-featured RPG” sometime 5 —-- i BO с in November. Players choose one of four characters, орав * 5 p ° М песне and then do battle with hundreds of monsters using spells, items and weapons in the game's 15 levels. The game also has a two-player co-operative link mode. In a nutshell, paddle out, turn, get some momentum and catch a wave. At the apex you can perform tricks or just ride it home. Five characters each capable of four tricks plus one signature move are available. | Head-to-head may be played in Co-op or Competition 1 Mode. Watch for this Interplay game in December. WICKED? SCORE Many of us remember watching Evel Knievel do amazing things with a motorcycle. His game, looking like a cross between Motocross Maniacs and the original ExciteBike, offers a number of trick-laden tracks. You may jump canyons, cars, boxes and more. Rockstar Games will release EK this November. Old Mac gamers may recognize this bad-boy from the mid-'8os. As Shamus, the robot detective, you must seek out and destroy “The Shadow.” Battle henchmen, hunt for keys and explore the Shadow's 128-room lair. Telegames will release this graphically updated, action/adventure game in November. 200 | PRESENTS | . ZAKATZ => VEETROP defy urban gravity Y ollie fs 50:50 grind. select to E boardslide 50 50 grind start гап iff PlayStation | R. PlayStation — b Ome In addition to the Game Boy Color version, Boarder Zone is coming to the Dreamcast and PC. Rumor has it the GBC version actually looks better than the other two. Well...OK, not really. PREVIEW — T — GALLERY Boarder Zone Believe it or not, this title is very impressive visually...for a Game Boy title. Other than this, Boarder Zone from Infogrames and Housemarque is a scaled- down version of a snowboarding game you'd find on the regular consoles. Unfortunately, there is no two- player link mode. Look for it sometime early in 2000. Jeff Gordon XS Racing - It's NASCAR racing in the future featuring cars that can go 350+ mph and even fly. Jeff's the star of the show along with four commercially endorsed vehicles. Play by yourself or link up for head-to-head racing on seven different tracks. Compatible with GBC and standard GB, coming from ASC this November. Thrasher: | Skate & Destroy Rockstar's Thrasher ollies onto GBC in full 2D glory. Loosely based on the PlayStation game of the same name, Thrasher is a street-based skate game that scores you on style and audacity. Comes out in November. Several years ago, Enix took the original two Dragon Quest games (Dragon Warrior in the U.S.), gave 'em a serious graphical upgrade, tweaked and updated the gameplay and then threw 'em both on one Super Famicom cartridge and called it Dragon Quest 1.11. On Sept. 23, а Game Boy Color version of this compilation was released in Japan. Both DQ and DQII are pretty much exactly the same as the original NES games, though the graphics and sounds have been updated to more closely match the SNES versions, and the gameplay has been enhanced as well. For example, in both games you can now collect special seeds that were originally introduced in DQIV (Strength Seeds, Lifeforce Nuts, Mystic Acorns, etc.) to boost your stats. There are now vaults to hold items and gold. In РОН, if a monster dies before your attack hits him, it'll default to a different monster rather than being wasted, etc., etc. Best of all, there's now an Interrupt Save feature that lets you stop and continue from any point in the game (though once you resume, the save disappears). Very cool indeed. Why the 16-Bit version of this was never released in the U.S. is beyond us, but if this version doesn't make it over, something is definitely wrong. Hopefully someone will wake up (Eidos? Nintendo?) and bring these classics back before they disappear forever. 10% 10% 202 COLOR f COLOR ) p^ Тақ ITS CALLED; "ARROCORE HEAT” BECAUSE. “MUD SLINGING, AIR CATCHING, JAW ` BREAKING, STOMACH TURNING, ROCK — JPULVERITING, SQUIRREL FLATTENING, — АИТ SMASHING; FOREST CREATURE © ‘TERRORIZING, OUT OF MY WAY-OR ШЕ, у ‚И DUST, STR. IT N ХОЏА БА, — NIS ВОДО AIN'T BIG. ENOUGH FOR THE. BOTH dEUS, ALTERRAIN, OFF-ROAD,’ — “© JUMPING, BIG: BAD, ASS M · E аР WINTER W ІШ Wi, ~ Ж P e POSITIO [5-4 ng ACTUAL SCREEN SHOT ÄRDCORE HER’ RSPO -H TOTAL TIME | 2 POSITION 4 ГАР TIME} ТО ТАШ ТИМЕ E A 025851452 >. O OLK WAS 0221231138] Ast "nd. Ж ал. A LAP TIME |] TE d L Ви — yt» == тзг гә 30 4 22 = Ë intense se play oe В extreme world-class locales. 8 renegade aon Complete ra car reustomizatian. : — Advanced artificial intelligence. Gan replay mode. — —— HO PLE um ranas Corporation, © 1999 American Softworks Corporation. TWN” and the ТАН" logos are registered service marks and у, ‘TWN Motorsports is a servicemark of Network Enterprises, Inc. country.cam™ is a trademark of country.com, Inc. . ens ТЕНГЕ НАННАН и ese RP جر‎ Dréamcast €> : Er ; ова ва trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. MI rights reserved, MATING soans Ў CEN OC ЕГ, чылар | | Mhe DEVIL IS AMONG US АМ” YOUR DOOM AWAITS 4 M ш ACTUAL SCREEN SHOT * tap RECORIT Socom “къу” E RE @oo 55:76, 5 E. a cis tt НЕ ____ үүтү чс, eS. ©1999 Ubi Soft, Inc. Speed Devils and Ubi Soft Entertain narks ft Entertainment lego are теді егес trademarks of Ubi Soft, Inc. Sega, Dreamcast, anc ogo are either registe or trademarks of Sega Enterprises. Ltd. 4 ` PREVIEW GALLERY Kicks ШШШ, World Kicks, Namco’s latest Naomi soccer game, allays some of the fears we had about their rumored boycott of Sega and Dreamcast. As an arcade soccer title, the game is catered toward the more casual fans of the sport. Movement is handled via a joystick while a life-sized soccer ball button located underneath the machine handles the direction and velocity, depending on how you kick the “ball.” No word yet on a Dreamcast release, but the unofficial word from Namco is...probably not. There's just no stopping Naomi. After months of testing in Japan, Sega is getting ready to release their multiplayer, first-person shooter, Outtriggers. Gameplay is a direct tribute to PC games like Quake and its ilk; it even employs a trackball to emulate “mouselook.” Each of the levels is fairly small so players never lose sight of others to frag. Outtriggers is out in Japanese arcades now. NO REASON TO BE AD OF THE DARK Sure, they SAY that if you just close your eyes and go to sleep, nothing s gonna get you. But when those lights go out—that's when the nightmares come out. | But hey- you've got 40 WINKS": And you've got ће power-the power to go wherever your dreams take you. The power to beat whatever nightmares you find once you're there. So close your eyes. nis Your йлем and ише Your Dreams! 40winks.gtgames.com E 4 Av. Battle as a Ninja! Get the magic and become a wizard! 398 Eurocom Developm ed. Developed by Euroco idemark and the GT i a k of Eurocom Developments, Ltd. PlaySt Computor Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are n logos a property ol their respect PlayStation 4 PREVIEW GALLERY Capcom continues their exploration of other genres by making their first arena-style shooter on Sega’s Naomi hardware. Spawn employs four action buttons: attack, jump, item, and view. (The view button allows you to slide into first-person view for a look around, but you must remain stationary). The most impressive aspect of Spawn is the wide variety of characters and weapons you may choose from: 14 characters and hundreds of weapons in all. While the single- player game is fun, the real strength of Spawn comes from its linked modes which allow up to four machines simultaneously. A Dreamcast version will happen sometime next year, followed by a PlayStation 2 release sometime in 2001. Capcom will release Spawn to arcades this fall. Jambo Sega’s latest Naomi title in their “occupation series” has you driving an offroad jeep capturing animals in order to “protect” them. Chase down animals in your vehicle, and when you get close enough, fire a lasso from your jeep and reel in these wild untamed beasts. When you’re — =, Б being pulled, the game's perspective switches to first-person view. Тһе speed and type of animals will also progressively get faster as you go through each area. Jambo Safari will hit arcades in October. INTELLIGENT GANG WARFARE GRAND THEFT AUTO IS BACK Earn Respect Get Work Fight inaGang Betray your Bosses Join your Enemies Start Turf Wars Faster Cars. Busler Streets. Nastier Bad Guys. More Aggressive Police And now, the FBI and the Army are getting involved. GET THE DEMO AT: WWW.GTAZ2.COM PlayStation ОМА Design Lid. idemark o! the Interactive Digital Software Association. DMA and the DMA fogo are trademarks of DMA Design Ltd. ° and the PlayStation Io: тав and Ine Rocks PREVIEW GALLERY Sonic Team tries its hand at music games in Sega’s latest arcade title. You (and a friend, if he/she so chooses) grab maracas and shake ’em to the beat. You’re given signals which burst out from the center of each side of the screen toward one of six circled areas. This is your cue to shake your maraca in that area (it’s got infrared sensors to make sure you're doing it correctly). Samba de Amigo is out in Japan now. Фа Я + есеге ІРІ 0002400 ~ 0007100, ІЗ Mr. Driller is Namco’s latest System 12 “action puzzle” game. The object of the game is to drill your way into the colorful depths. As you descend, уои"! constantly need to replenish your air supply with air capsules. By drilling strategically, you let the falling pieces create combos; but make a wrong move and the world could topple down on top of you. Mr. Driller will hit arcades this fall. Perfect for a PS release? Sports Simulation, Inc. has been pushing hard to market their latest line of amusement machines called...yes, Sports Simulation. One machine can house any of the four sports variations: soccer, hockey, baseball and football. Gameplay is barebones simple, but 100 percent physical. You kick, wack, pitch, throw the ball or puck into a screen that will track its location via infrared sensors. The LCD video will react to where your p ball impacts and clock the speed of your pitch. Extra play time is given to players who can score goals, strike out batters or complete a certain number of passes in a set amount of time. The entire system runs on a 500 MHz Pentium III PC and costs $1-3 per game. эхашит The Typing Of The Dead: The Typing of The Dead takes you once again through a hellish journey, except this time you're armed with a keyboard. Each zombie you encounter will come with words that you'll need to type in order to cut them down. We got hands-on with this offbeat “action” title at both TGS and AMOA and we just couldn’t get enough. The playable demo only had the first level from HoTD2. When asked about a stateside ToTD release, Sega officials were skeptical. And we don’t blame them. Just imagine an arcade cabinet with a built-in keyboard! On the other hand, this is by far the best “educational” game we've ever played. 212 1 Stop scrounging for quarters, the classics are here. ROAD FIGHTERG | | ҮІЕ АН KUNG-FUG ROC “М НОРЕФ POOYAN™ SUPER COBRAG SHAO-LIN'S ROAD" | BECOME A MARTIAL ARTIST. GLIFF HANGIN: ACTION: | BATTLE OF THE BEASTS PILOT TRAINING 101 | Í | | SCRAMBLE® | CIRCUS CHARLIE™ | GYRUSS® | TIME PILOT® | Playstation | FIRE AT WILL кы NOW HIRING RENGMASTERS TOUR THE SOLAR SYSTEM ° TIME TO TRAVEL Konami of America, Inf: * wwwkonami.conj Kanartk®, Konas Arcade Classics™, Fooyan™| Shao-Lin's Road"; Yiq 2z Zung-Fu@, Roc x Charlie", Time|Pilot®, Фуп Cà )Ltd. PlayStation фла the PlayStation logo} are registered |гасегћен of Sony Computer Enteftainmeh iic. Tha ratings icon is a Tegisseréd trademark df the Interactive Dişèzl Software| Associalion. “‘Bulysis 06 01 240s som 11 %3ибпоцз пок изум snf "рољзовог siuBu Шу "о "гоџошу jo ішецоу 6661 © ‘PIT “oO ILUO jo эшешәред ројојабој е I Ф ішешоу `uoneloossv әлемцо$ IBY! ewnoeienu| әш jo эшешәред е SI иод! sues eu ‘OUI 1uəujuleluəlu3 ;einduioo fuos jo өзиешәред рәләзїбә› әле ѕобој uonelSÁeld eui pue uonieig/eld “PIT “oO Ішешоу jo энешәред e sI sseg 10 68 @ uolne1sÁeld 3NOAH3A3 HO4 SI 3INV9 ІНІ AN poy gy a peee G ES | шш] Dojguy Y | ШШШ MAN - 3 ШШЕ ш | ml TU NIRE ION D ү | [їн ШІ ә 2 пея S uemiagsri — —À— реа зә orien a. йи ha. "мина йрке, эз уге se = vd aa THIS PRICEY CART DELIVER? NF o gamer from the days of yore can erase the memory of Mario | || leaping, tiny legs stretched like an ы t| Olympic hurdler, over barrels rolled => i» down teetered iron slopes by probably the most loveable primate in American history. These snapshots of the original Donkey Kong are not only memories of a bygone youth, but a bygone era. After all, the generous use of 3D graphics has all but devoured the simplicity of two-dimensional games, so even Donkey Kong can't expect to avoid such a fate. Yes, friends and countrymen, on Nov. 22 Donkey Kong will be back on store shelves with a vengeance, and this time he's brought some of his closest (and downright comical) relatives from the wide expanse of his family tree to share in the adventure. But DK64’s launch on a fading Nintendo 64 system —fading in the eyes of gamers distracted by Sega's visually crisp Dreamcast and the deafening buzz over PlayStation2 —has not ~ come without a little spite from gamers waiting for Rare’s other certain blockbuster, Perfect Dark. The sequel to top-selling GoldenEye and one of the most eagerly anticipated games to hit the N64, Perfect Dark will be delayed until April 2000. Rare said the DK64 team consists of 16 people and a support team of eight others were then drafted to help finish the project, but Rare dodged our specific questions about where the eight people came from. Were any moved from the Perfect Dark project? Who knows. We do know Nintendo needed DK64 done this Christmas. After all, when asked what the most difficult part of making DK64 was, they said, “Completing it on time." But why not finish them both for a holiday release? PD has been playable since 1997's E3 and DK64 has been in production for more than two years. Our answer: It all comes down to money. Nintendo probably thinks releasing PD at the same time as DK64 will steal their main primate's thunder. As unfortunate as that is for I ] DK64's Kongs come in all shapes and sizes. And you'll wanna replay levels with different apes, since some Kongs can reach areas others can't. Meet the team: 2 / Tiny Kong Chunky Kong Lanky Kong Бағын indi ША She's the fastest of all the Kong Chunky is DK64's square-jawed heavy- Here's one aptly named orangutan. ra д hitter—not to mention one heck of a Lanky’s arms stretch to ridiculous characters —which is good, since she's puzzle solver. Whatever he doesn’t lengths, letting him bonk baddies from not particularly strong. understand, he smashes. Who can across the room while unleashing a argue with logic like that? bizarre form of simian kung-fu. \ Donkey Kong If you don’t know who this guy [ is, you're reading the wrong magazine (try Cat Fancy). Nintendo's main ape is the jack-of-all-trades central character in DK64. But you won't get far without unlocking Donkey Kong's four playable relatives. Diddy Kong Little Diddy's been hanging with DK since the original Donkey Kong Country hit the Super NES. But despite his role as a half-pint sidekick, Diddy's still not small enough to squeeze into the tightest nooks. That's Tiny Kong's territory. PD anticipators, Nintendo is doing all they can to make DK64 the top-selling game of all time. To give an idea of how adamant Nintendo is about making DK64 number one, consider their zealous spending on the game's advertising campaign. This holiday season, moviegoers in 10,000 theaters nationwide will be privy to a 60- second DK commercial displaying the different aspects of the game. There will be a Dr. Pepper/Donkey Kong sweepstakes that'll bring video game advertising to supermarkets. The game’s launch will be supported by $12.5 million. Donkey Kong will be on your television, your radio, in print and even on billboards. When it’s all said and done, Donkey Kong promotions will total a whopping $22 million, which is about $10 million more than is typical for a Nintendo game’s launch. Nintendo has one goal in mind: To sell 4 million copies You want mini-games? You got ‘em. Rare packed this cart to near bursting with hidden challenges and bonus stages. before the sun goes down on New Year's Eve. That’s 1.5 million more than N64’s Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. They also expect to sell nearly a million green see-through М645 bundled with DK64 for $129.95 (the combo will hit stores the same day as the game). Try to keep all those numbers straight when you’re participating in the gorilla call or hairiest body contests that will be promoted alongside the game’s release by top U.S. radio markets. 221 So with all this fuss, all this advertising, what about the game itself? Well, think of it as Super Banjo-Kazooie. For starters, DK64 is huge. There are eight vast levels and over 200 objectives. Within the enormous levels are eight boss keys (one for each boss), 40 blueprints you'll need to locate, 10 battle crowns, 40 banana medals and a measly 200 golden bananas spread throughout the game. It’s all just numbers, but after about 10 hours of gameplay we had only one crown, a few blueprints, three boss keys and only 16 golden bananas. So how long will it take to beat DK64? “This largely depends on the individual,” a Rare spokesman said. “A good player should be able to get to the end within 30 hours or so with an adventure score of 50 percent. But the DK team can guarantee they won't have seen everything the game has to offer in that time. To beat the game properly you'll have to score the maximum adventure score. DK64 comes down to this simple rule: The more you look, the more you'll find.” Within the eight levels you'll find a series of mini-games ranging from a mine cart race to the original Donkey Kong arcade game. The big gameplay twist here is that the different Kongs (you'll open five, profiles for which are on page 220) will lead you to the promised land of beating the game. The other lure of the game is that after beating certain levels with certain Kongs you'll need to go back with other Kongs to fully unlock the different mysteries of each level. Along with the old recognizable 222 Donkey and Diddy, there are three new characters to monkey around with. Lanky Kong is an orangutan who brings us back to the days of the Clint Eastwood classic Any Which Way But Loose. Lanky’s long- arm attacks and ability to walk on his hands make for plenty of personality. There's also the pig-tailed Tiny Kong, who is the quickest of the clan. She scoots around with a hurried gallop. DK64 also introduces Chunky, a musclebound gorilla, who strolls around in a lumbering gait. All are equipped with special moves and all can play instruments, a skill they'll need to advance hurriedly through the game. All these characters appear in a deathmatch multiplayer mode where Lanky uses his grape-blasting blow gun and Donkey Kong goes ballistic with his coconut shooter. These same weapons (along with many others) will be integral in the game to foil K. Rool's cunning attempts to destroy DK Island. Thin You already knew Donkey Kong was a star. But did you know he’s one of Nintendo's hardest-working primates? Тһе big ape has appeared in nearly 20 games. And although Rare refused to comment on whether we'll see big K on the Dolphin, it's a safe bet Kong’s reign will continue. After all, check out his legacy: Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Jr. Donkey Kong 3 Donkey Kong (NES) Donkey Kong Jr. (NES) Donkey Kong Jr. Math (NES) Donkey Kong Classics (SNES) Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, 3 (SNES) Donkey Kong Land 1, 2, 3 Super Mario Kart (SNES) Mario Kart 64 (N64) Mario Party (N64) Super Smash Bros. (N64) Mario Golf (N64) You'll find at least one classic Nintendo arcade game emulated within DK64. Just track down the hidden coin-ops and play 'em. 223 on plot and thick on fun, the comical aspects of the game will grab your attention and the sheer size and vast quantity of secrets will keep it. “People’s expectations of DK's first outing on the N64 have always been high,” said a Rare spokesman. “Tying together something this big is never an easy job but we feel that the end result will give game players of all ages and abilities something worthy of their attention.” DK64 is the first game to require the Expansion Pak. In fact, the banana-yellow cartridge comes packed with it for $69.95. "We wanted [DK64] to look better and be bigger than anything that had gone before it and so the use of the Expansion Pak was essential in achieving our goal," Rare told us. "Vibrant lighting effects and huge levels just wouldn't be possible without it. When you get to play the game for yourselves you'll begin to appreciate that these are some of the While $70 for DK64 seems like a crap deal-at least to gamers who already own an Expansion Pak-Nintendo's limited-edition cart-hardware bundle actually looks darn good to us. After all, you get the game, an Expansion Pak and a Jolly Rancher-style Nintendo 64-а!! for $129.95. If you waited 'til now for an N64, you could do worse than to nab this combo on Nov. 22. biggest and most colorful levels the N64 has ever seen. The lighting effects are used to promote new types of game styles as well as enhancing the visual mood of the game." Of course, that raises the obvious question: What if you already bought an Expansion Pak? Won't you be stuck with one Pak too many if you buy DK64? Rare dodged that question, too. Nintendo has not announced plans to release DK64 without the Pak (a Pak-free release seems highly unlikely, since two versions of the same game would confuse parents). So it looks like you Expansion Pak owners out there will have to grin and bear the extra $20 or so the inclusion of the Pak adds to DK64’s cost. And that hardly seems fair, considering that $70 is pretty pricey for a first-party N64 cartridge. We asked Rare if they thought it was unfair to charge gamers for an Expansion Pak they may already 224 have bought; the DK64 team refused to answer that question, too. So now for the ultimate question: Is DK64 and its bells, whistles and golden bananas all it's cracked up to be? The answer is a definite yes. But, is it necessarily worthy of a Perfect Dark delay? We don't think so. The final judgment will be for gamers to decide after they clamp their mitts on Donkey Kong, after Nintendo has saturated the holiday market with DK64 advertising, Expansion Paks, banana-colored cartridges and a cast of new Kongs all in an effort to prove the Nintendo 64 still has legs. Or is there a much larger, hidden picture we may be overlooking and DK64 is the pre-millennium equivalent of Donkey Kong Country, which released just as the Super NES neared the end of its lifespan? Perhaps history is repeating itself. Ёк Lagwagon Ten Foot Pole Joi SNOWBOARDING Available At шоқ Super- www.thg.com < SUZUKI > До ТАРЕ] EXTLCITIC) HCITIOI ON WICKED FAST SUZUKI ALSTARE SUPERBIKES, lE THE PROS DONT BEAT YOU THE BIKES WILL FACTORY SQUAD VALLEVS, BEACHES, AND MORE WITH TEAM SUZUKI ALSTARE, EXTREME POWER AND SPEED QU ~ Ubi Soft RACING SUPERBIKES IN THE GREAT 0/7000807 Ж 4 ғ ў BE ONE NEC WITH THE BIKE - Беда о Dreamcast Sega(9) Dreamcast respec! ~ > ` "E PO LX 1 VON нанеси ға» Fat motnolog:iea! worlds. DecatGse every sword-swins eq соната e * Pi ышым ie t. = % ` j^ a y қ % к ` we CZ ege odi FM semen. A" жетеле тесу va) Ж COS ZA UEM EUER IR | АФ ed ———((^Ó——————————————Á EANNA a ee aha Sep eona ce - i sme петао lp tein, а нове ao ni ea tret менее Ever seep а S TOWID К» Barbarian wet his loinctoth? SS ? | (4, ІС fon ^ 44 МА - 0 = % "а. Va e. 4 ‘Watch We агёри P starting September 13th. WARRIOR PR I ONG дну ром Ue gr nmm. PY EES PP fl ax page Nok (~ TREY 274 INCESS те 1 TEEN AN YN * T esas nrogsn ine sie rpam, w ы W, xed gam €,c OM 1 L ES Busted game gear got you down? Fret not. Here's everything you need to know to keep your consoles-and yourself-in tip-top health. Photography By Raphael Fuchs 230 ШЕТІ Customer Service: 1-800-345-7669 Warranty Period: 90 days Diagnosis: Now entering its fourth year of service, Sony’s PlayStation is the golden oldie among the systems in this feature. And, as you'd expect, the console’s old age is its leading cause of some unhealthy hang-ups. If you own one of the ancient 1001- series PlayStations that launched in '95 or a slightly newer model, you may be living with these major malfunctions... Critical conditions: Ch-ch-choppy cinemas. Sk-sk-skipping music. Familiar? We've gone through enough PlayStations to know that the older the system gets, the more it skips. So what's the d-d- d-deal? “The physical assembly that allows the CD-ROM eye to focus and glide back and forth on its track wears out,” said Dan Kramer, an independent contractor for NYKO peripherals (he also repairs PlayStations and has worked on everything from radar systems to juke boxes). “There are some issues of heat reaching the CD mechanism, as well, but mostly it’s just a matter of the track wearing out. And the more wear the CD mech gets, the more instances you get of the signal degrading as you lose data.” Kramer said Sony has made several improvements to the PlayStation since the original 1001 model, which was notorious for skipping. But just because you bought a more recent unit doesn’t mean your shiny new console will be problem-free forever. “Most of this stuff is disposable technology,” he said. “The CD mech is really a low-cost item. Sony clearly wanted a drive that wouldn’t cost much but would give decent performance for the price.” Unfortunately, you don’t have many options if your PlayStation’s suffering a wicked case of the skips or ceases to load games. The wear and tear is already there. One short-term solution is to stand the unit on its side or even turn it upside down. “That makes it so the CD mechanism is running on the opposite side of the track that’s not worn out,” Kramer said. Of course, leaving your PlayStation inverted will eventually wear out the other side of the track, leaving you with a system that skips no matter which way it sits. That leaves you with the last-straw options of buying a new system or sending the unit off to Sony or someone like Kramer for repair. You’ll end up spending about $50 for the fix, unless you're still within the 90-day warranty period. Some mail-order outfits sell kits that help you fix the PlayStation on your own, but Kramer warns against any do-it- yourself deals. “You can replace the mech yourself,” he said, “but the CD-ROM's output won't be adjusted electronically, so you'll have varied results." Aside from worn-out CD drives, Kramer also sees plenty of blown controller-port fuses come across his workshop table. The culprit here: poorly made PlayStation controllers that draw too much current from the joypad port for vibration. "A lot of third-party peripheral manufacturers don't make licensed controllers and don't follow Sony's electrical specifications," he said. "Sure, you'll save a little money if you buy these controllers, but it may cost you more in the long run if you blow a fuse in your system." Preventive medicine: We hit up Kramer and the tech-heads at Sony for the following list of PlayStation dos and don'ts: Sony insists that you can play your PlayStation as long as you wish and never worry about it overheating. We figure you're better off playing it safe and giving the thing a cool-down break every few hours. Don't leave your system lying on the floor. Carpet will clog the vents and cook it. Neighbors will step on it. Friends will spill booze on it. Turn your PlayStation off when you're done with it (a lot of people forget to do this). Better still, unplug the unit. The power supply inside stays warm as long as it's plugged in, so you'd might as well keep your system cool when you're not using it. You won't risk lightning damage, either. Never clean the CD drive's laser lens. You might scratch it. In fact, keep the PlayStation door closed as often as possible to keep dust out of the system's sensitive parts. You should, however, clean your CDs if they're dusty. Use a clean, soft cloth and wipe the CD from its middle to its outer edge in one straight motion. If you use third-party peripherals, make sure they're licensed by Sony (look for the official Sony logo on the box). Finally-and pay attention here-never yank out your memory card when the PlayStation's busy saving a game. At best, you'll just erase a save. At worst, you'll corrupt the card and lose hours Playst, and hours of progress J tation in all your games. MEMORY CARD That's certainly no way to impress our nurse. 233 E TNintendo 64 ` Customer Service: 1-800-255-3700 Warranty Period: 1 year Diagnosis: We're willing to bet good money that Nintendo’s + Now here’s the fun part: You can actually knock your controller 64-Bit toy is the sturdiest system you can buy. After all, since out of calibration by leaning the stick off-center while holding it’s a simple, cart-based machine—with no moving parts or the shoulders and pressing Start. Try this on pals in multiplayer motorized mechanisms —it has fewer bits that can break down. games when they're not looking. Then check the looks on their Nevertheless, some problems may arise, and believe it or not faces when they find their on-screen characters mysteriously you’re more likely to bring about these glitches yourself. out of control. Of course, you can recalibrate the joypad to perfect working order by holding the shoulder buttons and Critical conditions: To clean or not to clean—that’s the pressing Start. (Yes, we know this trick in no way constitutes question clerks at used-game stores across the country have maintenance for your N64, but it sure is a great prank. Just been popping into customers’ noggins. Seems that employees at don't let your friends bust your joypad in frustration.) chains such as Funcoland are giving the hard sell for cleaning kits for cartridge-based systems. One clerk told us we need to clean our system at least once a month to keep it in tip-top shape. But is all this console scrubbing really necessary? "On the one hand, having a clean system can't hurt," repair guru Kramer told us, “but the more you touch the cartridge slot, the more pressure you put on it, the more you can change the spring tension of the contacts and fatigue the metal." Poke around in the cartridge slot too much and you may weaken the contacts to such an extent that you have an even bigger problem on your hands than just a dirty system: Your Nintendo 64 may break down altogether because it can't read data from the cartridge. Our advice is simple—unless your Nintendo 64 has been sitting in grandma's dusty attic for a year, don't bother prodding it with a cleaning kit. You'll only subject the cartridge slot to needless wear and tear, and the system's own dust cover will keep its innards clean enough. Preventative medicine: You'll see a few of the same handy tips here that we listed in the PlayStation section, but hey— great advice works for all systems... ** We never had an N64 overheat, so feel free to leave yours on all day. Running it for days at a time, however, ain't the best idea. + Don't leave your system lying on the floor. Cats will chew on it. Kid brothers will spew on it. Relatives will trip over it. + If you turn on your N64 and find that the joypad is out of calibration, don't bother turning the unit off and on to reset it. Instead, try this trick: Hold the left and right shoulder buttons simultaneously and tap Start, while making sure the stick is resting in its centered position. As if by magic, your joypad will be calibrated. $ Ё 234 can unleash over 400 monsters from your common household CD's. That's right, you can actually use this game software to spawn unique monsters from any CD you own- music CD’s, PC software CD's, or even other game CD's. Fully interact with your new creature and explore secret expeditions, levels and hundreds of new monsters. You can even release monsters from Monster Rancher 1 into the world of Monster Rancher 2. So, begin the breeding frenzy today! Don't miss the animated series on the BKN Kid's Network. i | PlayStation rx] Monster Капо ® and foreign patent ts а trademark of Tecmo, Inc BEN is a registered CONTENT her 2™ 199 ng ESRB Playstation and he Pay tered trademarks of S р Же. айтеп Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the www.tecmoinc.com “Dreamcast Customer Support: 1-800-872-7342 Warranty Period: 90 days Diagnosis: Sega’s system is the scrappy new kid on the block, so we don’t have much info on its reliability yet. Still, we’re optimistic. Our Japanese Dreamcasts, now nearly a year old, have yet to give us maintenance headaches. The system packs the most advanced cooling system of the next-generation consoles. And Sega's previous console, the Saturn, had a better track record for working 'round the clock than the PlayStation. Right, so the hardware is healthy. Dreamcast launch software, on the other hand, is a different story... Critical conditions: || wasn't long after Dreamcast hit the streets that we all knew something nasty was going down— games weren't working. Blue Stinger wouldn't boot. Dreamcast browsers couldn't connect. Ready 2 Rumble was glitchy. EGM editor Dan Hsu went through four Sonic Adventures until he found one that worked. Launch-day chaos erupted as angry gamers lined up to return busted software. The main culprit: Sega claims one of its production plants churned out faulty GD-ROMS. And Midway games, reportedly, shipped with faulty drivers. Fortunately, all these glitches were quickly fixed. If you're still stuck with a Dreamcast game that doesn't work, return it to the store for a new one. The words *Hot New" adorn box covers of the most recent versions of all Midway games, which should work fine now. Still haven't found a working Blue Stinger? Call 1-888- 402-8951 for a replacement from Activision. And call Sega's customer service for a replacement Web browser or to report problems with any of your games. The only problem now lies with the third-party lightguns. They calibrate just fine on some TVs; we can't hit the broad side of a zombie's behind on others. As of press time, neither Mad Catz nor Interact have figured out the problem with their guns, so we're still in the dark about what to do. If your lightgun isn't calibrating properly, try it on every TV in the house and hope for the best. Preventive medicine: You know the drill. Heed these tips to make your Dreamcast happy: + Feel that breeze blowing out the side of your Dreamcast? That's the cooling fan. Never block these vents, and be sure to give the system a few inches of open space on that side to blow off heat. + Don't leave your Dreamcast lying on the floor. Roaches will infest it. Raccoons will build nests in it. Just put the dang thing on top of a table or in an entertainment center, for crying out loud. + Remember all those rules we listed for the PlayStation? Well, they apply here, too: Never touch or clean the GD-ROM lens; turn the system off when you're done using it; clean your GDs when they're dusty, blah, blah, blah (these tips should be burned in your noggin by now). =- wme- This 1s WHY you bought the Sega Dreamcast. F... player action is now available on the Sega Dreamcast.” Save the universe from the Armada, a single-minded biomechanical entity living in the data banks of hoards of self-replicating ships. GAME FEATURES: Join forces as four „players . compete simultaneously = E Ontinually replay each of the = many regions with new and “+= unique enemies and challenges Use the VMU to store your character's increasing inventory and skills: “апа i players ж де N y < ШИІШШІ ШШ ҮҮ Ш Action M Adventure W Mystery Ё Horror YÁ Sword big enough to send hideous mutant COMING SOON | = monsters back to hell in tiny pieces A A wicked disease is transforming your people into horrible mutants. Battle the warped forces of evil magic with the power of science (and an enchanted blade). You are the last chance for humanity's survival before the Vampire Lord conquers .— all in this Gothic Action/RPG. . Watch the game world change as your character gains experience ING EL. Utilize the VMU to store inventory and skills: and swap stuff with other players - Deep engaging story line with real-time combat + Replay modules over and over, with inhabitants who remember your past deeds VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE ШІ Se eres Sega and Sega Dreamcast are trademarks of SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Metro3D, Inc. 5242579 Metro3D, Inc. + 12S. First Street, 10th Floor • San Jose, CA 95113 59 (61999. Metro3D, Inc.” ‘www.metro3d.com Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse ©1999. Metro3D, Inc” "Gan Video Games Kill You? Top Docs Talk About the Health Hazards of Gaming - - All іп the Wrist Human hands are nifty little things. Without ’em, after all, we'd never have slapped together tools, harnessed electricity and invented video games. But how’s this for irony—playing video games can be hard on the very paws that invented them. “Stiffness, any numbing or tingling in the hands, things of that nature are the usual warning signs of repetitive strain injuries or muscular strain injuries,” Dr. James Luck Jr., president of Orthopedic Hospital in Los Angeles, told us. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) —a thickening of the hand and wrist ligaments commonly associated with pounding on the office keyboard all day—is a painful possible outcome of playing games too hard for too long. But dodging this condition isn't too tricky. *The best way is to have task variation," he said. "You should move from one style or type of game to another periodically. Most of the studies would indicate that for these types of intense tasks, about 30 minutes at a time is right, and then you should do something else." You should give games a break if you begin to feel CTS' numbing symptoms, and go see your family doc if the condition persists. Maximus Gluteus No, the act of playing video games won't make you flabby. But playing games morning, noon, night—and never lifting a finger otherwise except to flip Pringles into your pie hole— will turn you into a tub of lard faster than you can say John Popper. And don't think you're burning any more calories just 'cause you're bustin' out superhuman combos in Soul Calibur. "Sitting in front of a TV playing a video game isn't much different from sitting in a chair watching TV," said Dr. Charles Wibbelsman, author of The Teenage Body Book. In fact, Wibbelsman suggests you don't spend more than an hour a day playing games. At the very least, make sure you get outside and break a sweat once in a while—or you may wind up with worse problems than a titanic ass. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that someone who weighs 300 pounds and is just playing video games is certainly at risk for heart attacks, stroke, all of that,” Wibbelsman said. “Maybe they won't have a heart attack or stroke when they're 18, but you can be sure when they’re 4o or 45, they’ll weigh the same amount. If they're obese as adolescents, they usually don’t lose it when they’re adults.” 238 Achy Eyes Any game manual will warn you that the flash and flicker of fancy graphics can kick off seizures in a small percentage of gamers. But what about the myth that staring at video games for hours at a time will kill your eyesight? “That’s not necessarily true,” Dr. Ashish Mehta, a pediatric opthamologist, said. “What will happen if you’re constantly focusing on the same thing is you'll just begin to feel uncomfortable. Your eyes may feel tired. You may feel it’s more difficult to keep the object you're concentrating on in focus. But you’re not damaging the eye. There’s no good study that shows that sitting close to a television or playing games constantly will cause you to need glasses.” Avoid sore peepers by taking a 10-minute break from the game every 30 minutes or so. “You'll be changing your focus, and that’s the key,” Mehta said. 239 = Drain Bramage Every doc we talked to agreed games can do more than just hurt wrists and tire eyes. This stuff, they say, can rot your brain. "We're really talking about an activity that’s addicting,” Dr. Wibblesman said, “and not only do you get out of shape physically—you get out of shape socially. These kids are building a wall around themselves.” We're not so sure about that (four-player GoldenEye, we figure, brings folks together just as fast as team sports). But if we learned anything from the M.D.s it’s that maybe putting the joypad down once in a while ain't a bad idea. “Games are wonderful. They're a great tool," Dr. Mehta said. "I think they certainly give kids confidence in their hand-eye coordination and things like that. But like everything else in life, moderation is a good thing." ж от жетсек лел иланы 50 = LA RIS & FIELO PlayStation and the Pla re registered trademarks of ker Entertai Digital F дра a registered trademark gH Ltd. © ENGAGE THE ENEMY! Deathmatches! Co-op! King of the НІН? And Bomb Tag Mode! Ovér 30 hideously realistic, soft-skinned insect invaders! š nnd ; -. SEMPER FI! | Mission-based Co-op play - Battle the bugs with a comrade in arms! = П ., Blaze away with weapon-loaded PT. armor - or from your vehicle! HUMAN DOMINATION OR BUG INFESTATION? The choice is yours. Equipped with the latest in futuristic battle-armor and armed with a devastating arsenal of state-of-the-art weaponry, you have the power to stop the insect invaders dead in their tracks. To annihilate. Eradicate. And exterminate all bugs, no matter their size. No matter their speed. No matter their relentless savagery. Remember, this is a war of survival. To the victors will go planetary dominance. To the losers, agonizing death. You decide. EG ul www.armorines.net Present OK, everyone—settle down, find a seat and clam up. Break out your number-two pencils. It’s time to take the Video Game Aptitude Test. It’s time to show just how much you know about your favorite hobby. Here’s where we separate the console- history Einsteins from the gamer wannabes who don’t know Street Fighter from shinola. The editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly and www.videogames.com have donned their smart-guy caps and compiled this list of 160 questions, which cover everything from the Atari 2600 to the Atari Lynx, from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the Nintendo 64, from the developer of the very first video game to the developers of today’s state-of- the-art blockbusters. Each question is crafted to test more than just your knowledge of games; you'll need to figure out relationships between the systems, games and designers who made them. But before you dive in, heed these simple rules and guidelines: 1. Don’t cheat. Sure, you could scan through old issues of EGM or dig on the Net to answer the trickier problems, but where's the fun in that? The point here is to see how you stack up on our very first standardized game test. If you're ashamed of your score at the end, just lie about it to your friends. Take your time. Unlike an SAT or other boring real-life exam, you can take as long as you need with the VGAT and even For office use only. stop for Soul Calibur breaks. Just don't bug your buddies for answers on the way to bathroom pit-stops (see rule #1). . Write your answers clearly in the space provided at the left of each question. If you're worried about marking up your EGM, Xerox the VGAT and scribble your answers on the copied version. Or you could just buy a second copy of this magazine and write in it (or not—we just figure that'd make our sales people happy). Finally, when you're finished with the test, close the magazine and lay your head on the table. Or better yet, turn to the final page of this feature and check your answers against the answer key. Here you'll also find a guide to the scoring system, which rates your gaming wisdom using the conventional 1,600-point SAT scale. So just what will a great score get you? Well, this isn't a contest. There's no grand prize or entry forms. We won't even send you a lousy T-shirt. Put simply, the VGAT is a test of your video-game IQ. Score well and you'll earn bragging rights as the biggest gaming know-it-all on your block. Score low and you'd better study up...we might just subject you to another VGAT next year. Good luck. Test Number: 0157932 244 Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 1 Pick the best answer from the four options provided and write its letter in the space provided. The number-one selling video game in 1998 was: Metal Gear Solid GoldenEye 007 The Legend of Zelda Gran Turismo Which company hasn’t produced a handheld system? NEC Sega Sony SNK Who recorded sound effects for the original Quake? John Romero Tommy Talarico Trent Reznor Rikki Rocket A 256 Megabit cart is how much in Megabytes? 256k 8Mb 32Mb 128Mb Core Design’s “mascot” game for the Wondermega starred what? A Wonderswan A Wondermonkey A Wonderdog А Wonderboy Which 8-Bit Famicom game was the inspiration for the Resident Evil series? Sweet House Sweet Horror Sweet Jesus Sweet Home On which Japanese game was the U.S. Super Mario Bros. 2 based? Paca Paca Passion Doki Doki Panic Bishi Bashi Special Doki Doki Pretty League Which one of the following was the first fully polygonal football game? Madden NFL 97 NFL GameDay ’97 NFL Blitz VR Football 245 Which one of these games was not developed by Treasure? Light Crusader McDonald’s Treasureland Adventure Alien Soldier Gunner’s Heaven Which one of these real Atari 2600 games featured nudity and adult themes? Fast Eddie Dark Cavern Squeeze Box Custer’s Revenge Which of the following was the first system to be backward compatible with a previous game system? Game Boy Color Super NES Atari 7800 PlayStation What year did Madden Football not come out for the PlayStation? 1999 1996 1997 1998 What does JAMMA stand for? Japanese Arcade Machine Manufacturing Association Japanese America Machine Manufacturing Alliance Japanese Amusement Music Manufacturing Association Japanese Amusement Machine Manufacturer's Association Which of the following is not a real Pokémon? CookiePuss Dewgong Екап5 Snorlax Who invented the first home video-game console? Ralph Baer Nolan Bushnell Steve Russell Willy Higinbotham Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 2 Section Il: Identification күлүш Examine the image and choose the answer that identifies it. 16. Name this peripheral: a A) Atari 2600 B) Atari 5200 C) Atari 7800 D) Atari XE A) TheSensor 21. Identify this game: B) UForce C) The Force Detector D) The Activator 17. Name this game: A) Final Fantasy B) Final Fantasy II C) Final Fantasy III D) Final Fantasy Anthology A) Contra: Legacy of War — —— 22. Identify this game: B) Contra: Hard Corps Ba C) Contra Ill: The Alien Wars D) C:The Contra Adventure — 18. Identify this character: Li A) Crystal Castles B) Donkey Kong C) Kangaroo D) Congo Bongo — 23. Identify this peripheral: A) Ryu from Street Fighter EX B) Jann-Lee from Dead or Alive C) Hanzou from World Heroes D) Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter 19. This game is from which compilation: A) Menacer B) Super Scope 6 C) TheGuncon D) The Devastator £ A) Namco Museum Vol. 4 B) Konami Arcade Classics и C) Arcade’s Greatest Hits: The Midway Collection 2 D) Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2 246 Killer soundtrack including music performed by Blink 182, Ministry, Fear Fact ry, ЊО, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Joi, Lagwagon, Ten Foot Pole, Pulley, Face to Face Featuring Music By: Blink 182 Ministry Foar Factory но Face to Face Voodoo Glow Skulls Pulley Lagwagon lon Ten Foot Pole Joi PlayStat X MUSIC TELEVISION * www.thq.com PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are ragistered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. MTV Sports: Snowboarding - Game and Software © 1998 Radical Entertainment, Ltd. MTV Sports’ names, EC e ‘and logos. and all related titles and logos are trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc, МТУ: Music Television" name, апа logc. "MTV: Music Television” and all related titles and logos are trademarks of МТУ. Networks, а division of Viacom international Inc. Snowboarding is a trademark of THO inc. Game and Software PlayStati exclusively leaned and pblened by THO Ine. MTV Sports exclusively Kore to THO Ine. Te TRO igo and THO are layStation trademarks of THO Inc. All other trademarks and logos are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 3 24. What’s the full name of this peripheral? 28. Name this game: A) Star Master A) Robotic Operating Buddy B) Star Raiders B) Nintendo ’Bot CO) Star Trek C) Robotic Operating Blaster D) Star Voyager D) Robot of Unusual Size 29. Name this console: 25. Name this game: ғ i x A) Odyssey A) Gradius B) Odyssey2 B) Gradius Ill C) Arcadia 2001 C) Life Force D) Astrocade D) Parodius ..30. Who's this guy? 26. Who's this guy? ti A) Andy Gavin A) Shigeru Miyamoto B) David Perry B) Hideo Kojima C) Jason Rubin C) Akira Nishitani D) Кеп Lobb D) Yoshitaka Amano 27. Name this system: Section Ш: Analogies Read each sentence then pick the appropriate word or phrase | that best completes the sentence from the four options - m ШЕ ER provided. 349 = ele MEL M Sa pene 31. Mario is to the NES as Bonk is to the... A) ..Genesis B) ..TurboGrafx-16 C) ..Atari 2600 A) Intellivision D) ..CD-i B) Intellivision | C) Intellivision 111 32. Tommy Tallarico is to Aladdin as Koji Kondo is to... D) Intellivision IV A) ..Super Mario Bros. B) ..Final Fantasy VII C) ..Streets of Rage D) ..Spyro the Dragon 248 Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 4 33) George Plimpton is to the Intellivision as Ice Cube is . Gravity . Ne . Al Tis ..the PlayStation ..the Saturn ..the Virtual Boy ..the Atari 7800 . NCAA Football is to Madden NFL Football as NCAA GameBreaker is to... ..NFL GameDay . Quarterback С ...NFL Blitz «NFL 2 ub . The Super Famicom's Final Fantasy IV is to the Super NES’ Final Fantasy ІІ as Super Famicom's Final Fantasy VI is to... ...Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (Super NES) ...Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation) ...Final Fantasy VIII (PlayStation) ...Final Fantasy III (Super NES) Kills is to Test Drive 5 as Sugar Ray is to... ... Revolution X ...Road Rash 3D ...WipeOut ..N20 . Chun.Li is to Breath of Fire as Sonic is to... ...Crusader of Сету ...Driver ...Breath of Fire || .. Looping | McAndrew is to Lara Croft as Rhona Mitra is to... ...Nina Williams „Гага Croft ..Chun-Li ...Red Lotus ered Beast is to Genesis as Minestorm is to... ..Atari 5200 ...Vectrex „Intellivision ..Colecovision . Pac-Man is to the Atari 2600 as K.C. Munchkin is to... „the Intellivision ..the Colecovision „the Vectrex ..the Odyssey 2 . "Genesis Does What Nintendon't" is to Sega as *Now You're Playing with Power" is to... ..Sega ...бопу ...Nintendo ...Atari 249 . Mega Drive is to Genesis as PC Engine is to... ..Atari Jaguar ...Coleco Adam ..Nintendo Entertainment System ... Turbo Grafx-16 . Coily is to Q-Bert as Evil Otto is to ...Crystal Castles ...Berzerk ...Gunstar Heroes ...Gorf . Cool Spot is to 7-Up as Mick and Mack: Global Gladiators are to... ..Hardees ...Burger King ..McDonald’s ...Boston Market . Eternal Champions is to Street Fighter ІІ as Freeway is to... ..Frogger ...Pole Position ... Tempest ...Donkey Kong Choose the option from the left that matches the item on the right. Write the letters in the space provided. Use answers in each group once only unless otherwise noted. Which old-school shooter is which? 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. Galaga Gyruss Gaplus Gorf Galaxian Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 5 Match the game creator with the game he made: Which Castlevania game is which? 51. Yu Suzuki A) Policenauts 76. Castlevania: Bloodlines 52. Steve Jobs B) Marble Madness 77. Castlevania: Symphony 53. Hideo Kojima C) Gauntlet of the Night 54. Ed Rotberg D) Populous 78. Super Castlevania IV 55. Shinji Mikami E) Dragon Warrior 79. Dracula X: The Rondo 56. Hironobu Sakaguchi Р) Space Harrier of Blood 57. Yuji Horii G) Battlezone 80. Castlevania lll: 58. Mark Cerny H) Breakout Dracula’s Curse 59. Ed Logg I) Resident Evil B 60. Peter Molyneux J) Final Fantasy Which button goes with which system’s first- PI controller? 61. Atari 2600 62. Atari 5200 63. 3DO 64. Super NES 65. TurboDuo [ттлт t mime ссе ертекте ет t" nnt tm Section V: Pot Luck Here's a little bit of everything—including some real oddball questions. Follow the directions for each. 81. Fill in the missing parts of the infamous “Konami Code" sequence: Up, Up, Down, Down, __„ —, Left, Right, B, A, and Start A) Up, Up Match the silhouette to the game character: B) Left, Right 66. Nina Williams 74. Kenny CO Right, Right 67. Abe 75. Tails D) Right, Left 68. Bomberman 69. Blanka Which game uses a different display technology? 70. Lara Croft 71. Bonk 72. Pikachu 73. Megaman X | | 9 | s | | * | 2 we % H I À | 250 ——— 83 A) B) Q D) 84. Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 6 . One way to open the second quest in The Legend o Zelda for the NES is to enter as your character's name. Link Mario Navie Zelda Do the math: Take the number of points you get when you eat a cherry in Pac-Man, and multiply it by the most number of fireworks you can get at the end of a level in Super Mario Bros. Take that result, and divide it by the number of bubbles required to make a "match" in Bust-A-Move. What do you get? 150 200 250 300 . Which game quote doesn't belong? "Come get some!" "Groovy." "Here we go!" "Shake it, baby." . Which one of these is not a secret character from the Mortal Kombat series? Smoke Ninjor Noob Saibot Jade . Each shot below is the actual screen size of one of the incarnations of the Game Boy. Which is the correct size of the Game Boy Color's screen? 20115 а2 аг BEENS 1197 ЖЕ) 123% f 251 — $8; A) B) © D) - 89. A) B) 0 D) EE ОУ A [d How many copies of a game need to sell to make it a Nintendo "Player's Choice" title? 10,000,000 1,000,000 500,000 100,000 Do the math: Take the total number of playable warriors in the original Street Fighter Il and add it to the number of punch buttons used in that game. Now take that result and add it to the number of different characters you can play as in Golden Axe. 10 12 14 18 Which character doesn't belong? i A K à Which one of these games did Rare not develop? A) Mario Kart 64 B) RCProAm C) Donkey Kong Country 3 D) Battletoads . What was to be the original name of Pac-Man? A) Puck-Man B) Disc-Man О Pack-Rat D) Man-Eater . John Madden is to EA's NFL Football series as Brett Favre is to? A) Midway's Blitz B) 989 Sports' NFL Xtreme C) 989 Sports’ GameDay D) Acclaim's Quarterback Club O D) - 95. A) B) © D) - 96. A) B) [9] D) = 97 A) B) 9 D) 4199; A) B) 9 D) — 99. A) B) Q D) 100. A) B) О 0) = 101; А) B) О 0) Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 7 . Which of these peripherals was never designed? Le Stick: A one-handed Atari 2600 controller that you operated by leaning it in the desired direction. Mindlink: Worn as a headband, this prototype Atari VCS controller read electrical impulses in a player’s noggin and turned them into game commands. Intellivest: Players wore this rare Intellivision peripheral and moved their arms to control on- screen characters. Power Pad: You stomped on colored circles on this mat that plugged into your NES. Famicom stands for: Fantastic Microcomputer Famous Micro Machine Family Computer Something Japanese not meant for English translation Which was the first console system to offer licensed sports games? Atari 2600 Intellivision NES Sega Genesis What was the name of the first interactive computer game? Pong Space Invaders Spacewar Gunfight Spider-Man didn’t appear in which of the following games? Marvel Super Heroes (Saturn, PlayStation) Punisher (Game Boy) Marvel vs. Capcom (Arcade) X-Men vs. Street Fighter (PlayStation) Which of these characters is not an end-game Boss? M. Bison Mike Tyson Sniper Wolf Mother Brain In which NeoeGeo game did a villain utter the infamous phrase, “1 am destined just to die."? Crossed Swords Cyber Lip Samurai Shodown Magician Lord At the end of Soul Edge (Soul Blade on the U.S. PlayStation), who walks away with the Soul Edge? Mitsurugi Cervantes Siegfried Li Long — LOZ; - 103. A) B) 0 D) A) B) (8) D) 104. A) B) [9] D) 105. A) B) © D) Which home system had a version of R-Type first? Nintendo Famicom Sega Master System Super Nintendo PC Engine How many games total were released exclusively for NEC’s Supergrafx system? Five Eleven Thirteen None Of The Above Which Famicom game in the '8os housed every major and minor Konami character in one cartridge? Parodious Konami World Easter Island Panic Konami Wild Scramble Who is Golgo 13? Dutch Torgo An elite agent from Japan A cop who always gets his man A freelance assassin with a custom M-16 — 106. Name this peripheral: 252 A) B) 9 D) 107. The VR Hoop Activator Slam Man The Body Sensor This cartridge is for what system? A) B) С) D) Atari 2600 Мео•бео Master System Genesis Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 8 108. Who's this guy? A) B) 9 D) к Bernie Stolar Leonard Herman Dave Perry Nolan Bushnell 109. Identify this game: A) B) 0 D) Adventure Haunted House Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Quest 64 110. Identify this character: A) B) 0 D) Tifa Rinoa Selphie Aeris - 111. Identify this peripheral: A) B) 0 D) Starpath Supercharger Я Colecovision Expansion Module #1 ` Intellivoice PDP-1 Computer — 112. Name this system: 113. 3D0 CDTV Neo*Geo CD CD-i Name this game: A) B) © D) 114. Who's this guy? Centipede Millipede Slither War of the Bugs Shigeru Miyamoto Yu Suzuki Ken Kutaragi Hajime Nakatani Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 9 Match the designer with the character he created: Section Vill: Matching _ 135. Shigeru Miyamoto ___ 136. Moru Iwatani 137. Kenji Eno Match the silhouette to the handheld: __ 138. Toby Gard 115. Original Game Boy A _ 139. Yuji Naka A 116. Original Atari Lynx _____ 140. David Crane _ 117. Milton Bradley _____ 141. Akira Toriyama Microvision 142. Tetsuya Nomura 118. TurboExpress 143. Doug TenNapel 119. Nomad 144. David Siller | | В | Е | B Match the character to the collectible/pick-up: 12o. Bonk A) Lunch Box 121. Sonic B) Green Herb Match the feat with the score below: 122. Gex C) Musical Note 145. Eating the fourth ghost in a row in Pac-Man 123. Crash Bandicoot D) Cookies 146. Reaching the tippy top of the flag pole in Super 124. Popeye E) Remote Control Mario Bros. _ 125. Pitfall Harry F) Wumpa Fruit ___ 147. Beating Dr. Wily at the end of Mega Мап _———— 126. Ape Escape's Spike G) Gold Bar – 148. Destroying the large flying saucer in Asteroids 127. Tomba H) Meat — 149. Jumping a barrel in Donkey Kong 128. Chris Redfield |) Strawberry 129. Pac-Man J) Gold Ring A) 5,000 points B) 200,000 points Match the Street Fighter joystick motion to the move 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. (note some answers may be repeated): Ryu's Fireball A) WS» +P Sakura's Hadoken B) "ек Akuma's Gou Hadoken 0»Фтчғр Sagat’s Tiger Punch D) * (hold) #+K Ken’s Fireball E «£u» +P % 254 ©) 100 points E) 1,600 points D) 200 points 50. A) 8) О D) 151. A). B) 9) E) What was the name of the kidnapped girl in Vigilante? Marion Jane Madonna Selene From what storage medium did the Starpath Supercharger load games into the Atari 2600? Video Cassettes Compact Discs Audio Cassettes 5.25-іпсһ Floppy Disks Video Game Aptitude Test — Pg. 10 152. Which one of these games was a pack-in cart for 156. On what date did Resident Evil 2 take place? the Super NES? A) July 5, 1998 A) Killer Instinct B) July 17, 1998 B) Yoshi's Island C) Sept. 29, 1998 C) Neither of them D) Sept. 17, 1998 D) Both of them 157. A character named Cid appears in which Final —— 153. Hey —who farted?! Fantasy game? A) Abe from Abe's Oddyssey A) Final Fantasy II B) Boogerman B) Final Fantasy III C) Toshinden's Fo Fai C) Final Fantasy Tactics D) Allofthe above D) Allofthe above — T 154. What is Mega Man called in Japan? — —— — 158. Which of these games never used a rollerball? A) Ultraman A) Millipede B) Blueman B) Rampart C) Rockman C) Rollerball D) Wonderman D) Marble Madness ______155. This Star Wars game is running on what system: — 159. Which one of these is not a real gaming magazine from the 1980s: A) VideoGames and Computer Entertainment B) Videogaming Illustrated C) Electronic Gaming Fun D) Electronic Games ———— 160. Which one of the following baseball games doesn't have an MLB license? A) Baseball 2000 A) Nintendo 64 B) Triple Play 98 B) 32X C) High Heat Baseball 2000 C) PlayStation D) Bottom of the oth D) Super NES You've completed the Video Game Aptitude Test Please close your answer booklet and lay your head on your desk. "2u| sp1028y `soig Јәшом 66619 Ски иі Judy Kid A Ñ. 4 4 H у cm ae The new album. Featuring 17 new skits and songs including “The Chanukah Song Part II," “The Peeper,” “She Comes Home To Me” and “7 Foot Man.” Log on to Adam’s new website www.wbr.com/sandler Video Game Aptitude Test — Answer Key Congratulations—you finished the test. Now it’s time to see how well you've done. We figure the easiest way to do that is for you to tear out this page and compare its answer key side-by-side with the answers you've written on the test. Tally up all the answers you got wrong and multiply that number by 10. Then subtract that number from 1,600 to get your final score and see where you fall in the rating scale below: (For example, if you got 43 answers wrong, multiply that by 10 to get 430. Then subtract that number from 1,600 to get your VGAT score of 1170.) 0-490: A score within this range indicates that you have successfully completed the Video Game Aptitude Test, but that’s about it. Since you've only succeeded in answering a small percentage of the questions correctly, you must either have a casual attitude toward games or lack experience. You demonstrate a noteworthy knowledge of gaming history if you scored within this range. Because you answered about half the questions on the test correctly, your experience with gaming is presumably limited to a particular genre or time period. 900-1090: By answering more than half the questions on the VGAT correctly, you have demonstrated a fundamental knowledge of games, including the past and present state of the industry and its personalities. You are an experienced gamer, but not necessarily a compulsive one. 1100-1290: This score means you correctly answered the majority of questions on the VGAT and hold a thorough knowledge of video gaming. The fact that you missed a small quantity of answers suggest that you are particularly familiar with several genres. Well done. 1300-1490: Your acute familiarity with the entire scope of the video gaming industry is evident if you scored within this range. A handful of errors merely indicates that your expertise does not necessarily border on obsession. Outstanding. 1500-1600: This superlative score demonstrates your overwhelming experience with games—as well as your immovable resolve to remain perfectly in tune with the industry at all times. Although you may have missed the occasional question, in answering the vast majority correctly, you have indicated that any margin of error on your behalf is purely coincidental. Amazing. Ever think about working for EGM? Still in a test-taking mood? Click on over to www.videogames.com, where you'll find an online version of the VGAT in the Features Section. Here you'll find 160 new questions and the option to print out a certificate of merit to show off your score. ~ C: СО cg: СО (C Oc О? о OO сул + Q N = ~ NO ON DAWN SW P> ~ ~ ~ ~ N N N охо>оо>о>Ссохоо>о>>>>о>оооооо>>оосо N N N ою ON Сл BW N N N м w rs о О о ON OU B UN Ww м Ww Ww WW Ww + + + ІЗ ою ON оу RU ج + "m іл лал OY OY Ps a ДУ Os сло іл \л m — —= буз» О 00g m 09 GO v p 58. B Oo ЕА DAO оо OND ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ic ` NON N оо бо ON SESS J» EH C3 (3. pi: CS GE Saa OPR HS = со ~ со ғ со ~ со оо OR U СУ OH]! P 39 Су ry 09 2> UJ C) wow ӨЗ со со со со со ts о NO о XO XO NO NO NO NO xO [2 ° [9] о 121.) 122./E 123, F 124. С 125; G 126. D 127. А 128. B 129. | 130. А 131.А "132. А 133. А 134. А 135. 0 136. С 137. А 138. | 139. В 140. E 141. G 142. F 143. J 144. H 145.E 146.A 147.B 148. D 149. C 150. C 151. C 152. D 153. D 154. С 155.B 156. С | 157. D 158. С 159. С 160. D Power Tools Peripheral Reviews well, tt Che rumbles, X. P good a 4 FighterPad L Company | System | Price | InterAct DC $29.99 k: Although we like the fighting game-styled layout of the but- tons on the front, we have no choice but to take issue with the quality-of-the plastic=especially TremorPak = = = ` @ [Company | System | Price | InterAct DC $9.99 around the openings for the VMU and Jump Pack. In addition, the D-pad feels loose and the shoul- def buttons feel awkward. It's a Well, the thing rumbles.so that's at least a few points. Seriously though, the TremorPak works quite well with all of the games that are compatible with it. And obviously this is a good thing. www.interact-acc.com decent pad, but nothing amazing. www.interact-acc.com LightBlaster [ Company | system | Price | — a InterAct DC $29.99 By now, many of you probably own one of the two light guns available: either the LightBlaster, or the Dream Blaster from Mad Catz. There’s also a chance you've had some trouble getting the gun you own calibrated properly in House of the Dead 2. Or there's also the chance you’ve had no trouble whatsoever. In tests, the LightBlaster worked fine on some of our TVs, not so well on other TVs and not at all on still others. It really seems to depend on your particular setup. When it worked, the LightBlaster was extremely accurate. We also like the extra trigger for reloading. Overall, it’s kind of bulky and the D-pad is я awkwardly placed, but it’s defi- extra + jaa er nitely one to consider. (5 very C t www.interact-acc.com START this lights up < when firing O Dream Force Pack [ Company | System | Price | Mad Catz DC $9.99 It does.the.same thing.as the Tremor Pak, except it has a red LED on'the end of it that lights up | | | | | when it’s working. Was this пес- | «5 essary? We don’t think so. It | | | | Dream Blaster makes the thing look cheap. 2% [company | System | Price | www guillemot.com Mad Catz DC $29.99 Since we covered the general stuff in the LightBlaster review, we won't go into it here. Just note: The Dream Blaster suffers from the same calibration prob- lems on certain TVs. Funny, since the product has the official Dreamcast license. Whatever the case, when the Dream Blaster calibration was on par with our TV, the thing was pretty accu- rate—although not as accurate as thestñterAct gun in most cases. Still, we like the design of the Dream. Blaster much more than the LightBlaster. It’s smaller, nice- ly balanced andithe placement of | Dream Pad | „Company | System | Price | Mad Catz oc $24.99 We liked this fighting pad much better than the InterAct one. The rubberized coating on the D-pad, analog knob and buttons really works well and the shoulder but- tonssdon’tifeel one bitvawkward. In fact, the whole pad just has a more “finished, higher-quality look and feel to it—although the cord underneath didn't want to stay locked into the little divot. www.madcatz.com the D-pad makes sense. www.madcatz.com Mega Mem Card [ Company | System | Price | InterAct GBC, GB 524.99 Viper Pro Grip Now this is a great idea. All too ETA EET оре. 24.99 often, Game Boy games just Blaze don't have any sort of save sys- The quality of this pad is a little tem, or if they do it has two save shoddy, but it’s nothing we can’t slots. Wouldn't it be nice to have get over. It’s also on the bulky a memory card for the Game Boy Side a bit, but the rubberized with virtually unlimited space? Of grips make it feel pretty nice in course it would. The Mega your hand. The main featüre that Memory Card worked ме in our wins us over is the D-pad—it tests—although. the interface feels alot like the Neo*Geo pock- was clunky to use at first. et D-pad, and is perfect for fight- www.interact-acc.com ing games andvold-school action MG a titles. This pad is one to consider. www.blaze-gear.com зы Start sleeping with your eyes open...evil's moving in, on N64*. The most intense survival game in history is here! Fear. Horror. Terror. And, of course, evil. It's everywhere. Enter the most terrifying game experience ever crafted. Fight through hordes of flesh-starved zombies, blood-thirsty beasts and other mutant creatures. Welcome to the nightmare... Resident Evil 2. If the suspense doesn't kill you, | something else will. www.capcom.com © CAPCOM CO., LTD. 1999 © CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 1999 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. RESIDENT EVIL 2 AND CAPCOM EDGE are trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the "N' logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. © 1996 Nintendo of America Inc. Licensed by Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE ONE OF THESE GUYS HAD A RUN-IN WITH THE LAW... TM $ “TRILERERK: The leader of the pack is back with riot-inciting motorcycle madness! The cops have your buddy, so all bets are off — It's up to you to bust him out of the joint. Join a biker gang, carry out malicious missions, and rise through the ranks to prove you've got what it takes to free that jailbird. All-new features include combo | fighting moves, cop and multiplayer modes, a sidecar and wicked new weapons. See you on the pavement! WWW.ROADRASH.COM ELECTRONIC ARTS" PlayStation ® © 1999 Electronic Arts. Electronic Arts, Road Rash and Jailbreak are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the U. S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. © ма + B Cris spent a lot of time lost this month. He got lost in Rainbow Six’s bigger stages. He went around and around in circles halfway through Quake II. And even with the help of the in-game map, Cris got stuck in Raccoon City’s worst neigh- borhood. Maybe he should have asked one of the interns for directions. Current Favorites Grandia, N64 Rainbow Six Favorite Genres Action, Adventure Guess who got his butt kicked by Che in the open- ing round of the ZD Soul Calibur tourney? But that’s OK, because Shoe went on to win the Loser's bracket. He then got to play Che for the grand championship. This time, he did better, but still couldn’t win. Second place isn’t that bad, Shoe... Current Favorites Soul Calibur, FF Anthology, УОКЈ, Grandia, Chao Adv. Favorite Genres Strategy, Puzzle Somewhat deterred by the fact that not many people ‘got’ last month's mullets and mustaches gag, Johnny England instigates a return to normality this month. This month, the humor is in the games...with ҮРК) per- forming surprisingly well in the old scores department. Chou Sou Calibur Soul Calibur, Toy Che spent most of the Commander, YOK} month enjoying the breezy Favorite Genres Chicago autumn and...play- ing Grandia, toying with his new kitten, singing karaoke, winning the office Soul Calibur tournament, watch- ing movies at the Chicago International Film Festival, and drinking whiskey. Current Favorites Grandia, RE 3, Bangaio, Biomotor Unitron, NGPC Action, Racing Favorite Genres Fighting, Racing, RPG 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. Ever since Chris came back from Japan, all he’s ever been able to talk about is how cool Drum Mania is. When he found out it wasn’t coming to U.S. arcades, he nearly threw arcade editor Che Chou out the window with his brute-like strength. He'll just have to wait until the PS2 version. Current Favorites CTR, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, Drum Mania Favorite Genres Adventure, Puzzle Having advanced to the next round of the office Madden tournament, Dean feels confident in his show- ing so far. If his Jets can hold out to the end, it'll be a joyous victory indeed. In the meantime he's kept busy by reviewing about a bazillion sports titles. Current Favorites TOCA 2, NASCAR 2000, NBA Live 2000, Knockout Kings 2000 Favorite Genres Sports, Racing All of the quality titles this month have renewed Shawn's love for video games. For a while there, all of the crap being released was a real downer. At one point, he even talked of get- ting his old job back as a butcher at the local meat "falls off of the bone" mar- ket. He's OK now though. Current Favorites. Toy Commander, You Don't Know Jack, Quake 2, CTR Favorite Genres Action, Adventure ?s.com Team EGM eam EGM has had their hands full with the current wave of fall release games. Controversy erupted when Dean overheard Dan L. and Todd discussing the possibility that Fox's NBA Basketball 2000 could be better than EA's NBA Live 2000-wrong! When the smoke cleared all was right (check their reviews). On a more peaceful note, everyone agreed FIFA 2000 is incredi- ble. Even football-guy Dan Leahy succumbed to the soccer hysteria. ж Пап Leahy Current Favorites FIFA 2000, Blitz 2000, NFL 2K, Soul Calibur, R2R Every time Dan turned around he was get- ting smacked down in an office tourna- ment. That runs his record to 0-3, with one finals appearance. On a brighter note, Dan’s hearing rumors about EA develop- ment on the Dreamcast. Madden’s game- play + NFL 2K visuals? Tasty. John Ricciardi Current Favorites NHL 2000, FIFA 2000, Resident Evil 2, Final Fantasy VIII When he wasn't playing NHL Championship 2000, RE3, FFVIII or Dino Crisis this month, John was locked in front of his TV watching his Yankees tear through the playoffs. As he writes this, he’s warming up for Game 1 of the ALCS. Will his boys repeat? By the time you read this, we should all know... Todd Zuniga Current Favorites FIFA 2000, NHL 2000, Wrestlemania 2000, Soul Calibur Never one to turn down friendly competi- tion, Todd took great pride in becoming “the fifth best Soul Calibur player” in the office. Todd also tasted the life of a high roller, as he took in Las Vegas for a couple days. When it was all over, all he could say was, “Gimme a dime on Big Red, damnit!” ШИИНИН... an you believe the sheer num- ber of games that came in this month? Count them, 58 games in all...and this is just the calm before the holiday storm. A couple of highlights this month: a most unlike- ly Game Of The Month goes to Sierra’s You Don’t Know Jack; and since we like our one-page review format so much, we’ve decided to include five of them. So let us know, do you like these one-pagers? What about mini-reviews? Drop us a line. Again, thanks to Team EGM for lend- ing us their expertise on all things jock. Coming up next month— Dreamcast's first RPG Evolution, as well as Medal of Honor, Earthworm Jim 3D, GTA 2 and another one of them darned Army Men games. m Dg EGM 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: a o.o. 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 AN 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.o or higher. Games that average at least an 8.0 receive Silver Awards. Rippin’ Riders a ton 4 Д) ESD 0 00060 j saan № авбаабав ғы ЖЕ Publisher: Sega Developer: UEP Systems Featured In: EGM #124 Players: 1-2 Supports: Jump Раск Best Feature: Multiplayer modes, frame-rate Worst Feature: Track designs, clipping Web Site: www.sega.com Even while threatening to be just another me-too mediocrity, Rippin’ Boarders redeems itself by excelling in graphics, audio and two-player options. Visually, Rippin’ Riders is absolutely delec- table; each of the downhill tracks is huge in size and stacked with architecture. You'll find yourself carving down white plume mountains, translucent ice caves, emerald forests, military bases...in fact, | had to won- der why they even bothered with snowboards when half the time we were grinding dirt and asphalt. Even in two-player split-screen, Rippin’ Riders never stut- ters a frame—everything glides along at 60 fps. Despite the “extreme” monicker this game begs to be associated with, Rippin’ Riders actually has a decent soundtrack that oscillates effortlessly between deep house and dub. So how's the game underneath all the packaging? Well, gameplay is a mixed bag. The controls are more responsive than previous Cool Boarder games, but pulling off tricks Still feels unintuitive and clunky. However, some practice in the half-pipe should help you pin it down. Shawn "Urban Stylings” Smith and | especially enjoyed the two-player modes in Rippin’ Riders. Our favorite was the Line Versus battle where pulling off successful tricks gave you a bigger split-screen than your opponent. Gather round all ye Gen-X'ers! Che Rippin’ Riders looks really sharp. It controls fairly well, too, But do we really need another snowboard- ing game with the same Gen-x characters and the same in-your-face announcer? Granted, this game is by the same team behind the original Cool Boarders on the PlayStation so it gets props for that. And it’s the first snowboarding game on the Dreamcast. But overall, there just isn’t enough to this game. Plus you can’t turn off the annoying announcer. Shawn This one has the same problem as Suzuki Alstare. The characters don’t blend with the environments very well. Yet, consider that relatively minor com- pared to the uninspired, ho-hum, seen-it-before gameplay. Snowboard games are so common now, it takes something truly innovative to get noticed. Aside from fluid speeds and decent graphics there isn’t anything too noteworthy. At the very least DC owners can finally get a snowboarding fix. Dean My favorite snowboarding title is still Steep Slope Sliders for the Saturn. Snowboarding games have reached a point where a few are really good, and there are a lot that are just average. Rippin’ Riders is above average on visuals, but still very average as far as gameplay. Multiplayer is a lot of fun, but the one-player game (as most are) lacks much in the way of excitement or innovation. A mediocre first snow- boarding entry on Dreamcast. Chris VISUALS SOUND REPLAY INGENUITY 8 1 9 6 265 Suzuki Alstare-Ext. Racing CHECK 20 Publisher: Ubi Soft Developer: Criterion Studios Featured In: EGM #124 Players: 1-2 Supports: N/A Best Feature: Smooth and fast Worst Feature: Rigid handling Web Site: www.ubisoft.com To me this feels more like a fantasy racer than an ordinary sim-like Moto Racer or Castrol Honda Superbike. The motorcycles look tron-like and don’t handle like the real thing. On top of that, several of the courses are on dirt and sand? The game has an identity complex of sorts. On the other hand, if you accept it as an arcade offering — allis forgiven. On the road the bikes handle OK if not a little too rigid, espe- cially on the twisty stuff. Luckily touching other bikes or walls doesn’t knock you over. One bad thing, the cycles look foreign to the environment. In other words, they appear to float in the foreground just above the track. This effect is more evident on the dirt courses where it doesn’t make sense for super- bikes to race anyway. Graphically the game looks great in almost every regard—the shading, lighting effects, vivid colors, etc. It moves fast and smooth as well. It may not do the claimed 60 frames per second but it's more than adequate. Overall, I'm not super excited about Alstare. Two-player contests are decent, as are some of the single-player on-road courses, But, in light of the stiff handling and unreal- istic bikes | can’t recommend this to hardcore racing fans. For a simple arcade romp it’s not bad. The for- giving gameplay and easy controls make it a natural for casual fans. Dean This doesn’t really work. Even if you didn’t know that this was a license that had been hastily grafted onto a completely inappropriate game, it wouldn’t take you long to work it out. The mix of ‘real’ and fantasy stuff doesn't work, and the environments aren't suit- ed to the kinds of bikes that you're supposed to be racing. Graphically it's OK, but nothing special, and the controls feel really awkward and badly imple- mented. Wait for a better racer on DC. John Like most Dreamcast games, Suzuki Alstare looks great, but the gameplay's a little lacking. The physics model doesn't seem quite up to par with previous motorcycling games. Especially in two-player, the game looks very plain, with scenery streaming in and popping up as if it's being built up in front of you by tiny construction crews. Tunnels you'll see the end of will get longer, etc. Straightforward cycle racing, 1551 m * bur missing something. | ] Chris Suzuki Alstare could have been a really excellent game. It's not bad...no, but it's just a little dry. The game's engine is fantastic and solid. Be prepared for breathtaking scenery force-fed to you at a relentless 60 fps. And you certainly can't fault the game for its controls either—they're hyper-responsive to the point of being somewhat sensitive. | just wish the game had more depth than just a point-your-bike-in-the- right direction-and-gas-it mentality. Rental! Che VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 6 5 5 Publisher: Sega Developer: Sega Featured In: ЕСМ #120 Players: 1-2 Supports: Light gun, Jump pack Best Feature: Graphics, extra modes Worst Feature: Cheesy dialogue, gun calibrating Web Site: www.sega.com inally...our reviews of The House of the Dead 2 are here...you know, that game that’s been out in stores since 9/9/99? We wanted to make sure we test drove HOTD2 with the two light guns (the InterAct Starfire and the Mad Catz Dream Blaster—both were unavailable until this ish) before making any sort of judgement. After all, a light gun game isn’t the same without a light gun, is it? Some of us had a lot of hassles calibrating either gun with HOTD2. We tried it on several TVs, including a 32" Magnavox, a 19" Sony Trinitron, a 13" Samsung gx TV, a 32" Sony Trinitron XBR Flatscreen and more. Most of the gaming sessions had problems, from the occasional shot wandering an inch away from where you're aiming to not recognizing the gun at all (this usually happened when aiming for the lower-right corner of the calibration screen). Some reviewers only got the guns to work properly if they sat just right (just right meaning perfectly lined up with the TV screen being only three feet away, something we've clearly learned as children will cause near- sightedness, premature baldness and impo- tency...so don't try it at home). Other review- ers had no troubles at all. There's no rhyme or reason to any of it. No one (including the companies) could pinpoint where the problems lie, so we came up with one conclusion: If your light gun/HOTD2 combo works well, consider yourself lucky. MATURE We asked InterAct, Mad Catz and Sega what was up with the HOTD2 and light gun calibration difficulties. Naturally, none of the official statements were ter- ribly useful. No one was able to say where the problems came from, and no one was willing to blame anybody else for the problems. That’s good PR for ya. АБЕ УРЧУ ғ. says, “We are looking into this issue and, unfortunately, right now cannot confirm whether it is a software, hardware or external issue. If you are experiencing any difficulties, make sure you are not using a projection TV and try using it with minimal external light in the room.” A says, “We have no idea what the problem is...we’re working on it right now. Turning off the room lights or adjusting the con- trast of the TV may help.” SEGA says, “It’s something InterAct and Mad Catz will have to comment on—Sega can- not comment on third-party peripherals. The problem, however, does not appear to be software-related.” 266 Sega was kind enough to include plenty of extras, like mini-game training levels and a Boss Mode where you get to see how fast you can gun down all the monsters who are apparently the employers of zombie land. Here are two versions of my review, one for my office TV (on which | was able to calibrate the light guns properly), and another from my home TV (on which | was not). Shoe review #1 (without calibration problems): Boy does this game rock. HOTD2 is an exciting, fast-paced shoot-'em-up. The combination of surprise attacks, quick and slow monsters and larger-than-life bosses keep you on your toes at all times. Sure the dialogue, story line and voice acting have more cheese than Wisconsin and a season of Global Groove combined. The game in between the cutscenes, however, is pretty damn good. The graph- ics are topnotch, the gore is overflowing, and the replay value is sky high due to the branching levels and all the new stuff (Boss Mode, Training Mode and Original Mode, where you can find and combine all sorts of extra goodies not found in the arcade origi- nal). Shoe review #2 (with problems): Boy does this game suck. Оп my home TV, HOTD2 won't recognize either gun at all, no matter how close | sit or whether | use s-video or RCA...and playing with the standard controller is nothing to write home about (although there are some nice control options). Final score: 7-5. Add 1.0 if the gun works fine with your gaming setup. If not, subtract 1.5 points. HOTD2 just isn't as fun without proper light gun support. Shoe I've heard a dozen stories about why the third-party guns don't work right with this game, and I’ve tried the guns on several TVs with mixed results. Some of you will have gun-calibration problems. And while The House of the Dead is a fantastic light-gun game with lots of nifty play modes, it loses a lot when you have to play it with the joypad. My advice: Buy the game and a gun and hope for the best. You can always return ‘em if you have problems. @rignin As a casual fan of light-gun shooters, this is the best Гуе ever played. It's quite an intense game on a number of levels: The 3D graphics, the gore, the suspense...at the same time, a few things aren't so great. Gun calibration is tough, on top of that the trigger on the Mad Katz gun is too stiff (blister time). The InterAct gun is nice though. Overall, getting through using standard single-fire is very hard. It takes a lot of dead-eye accuracy. Dean You shoot stuff and it explodes really messily. You shoot the right stuff and you can open up cool fea- tures. The acting may be appalling and the plot pret- ty dubious, but HOTD2 is a classic gun game. Try not to spoil it for yourself by being tempted by the crazy features on the guns though...playing through with the shotgun with everything switched to auto will get you through it quick, but make it boring Savor the experience as it was intended. John VISUALS SOUND INGEN REPLAY Toy Commander Publisher: Sega Developer: No Cliché Featured Іп: ЕСМ #124 Players: 1-4 Supports: Jump Pack Best Feature: Beautifully implemented idea Worst Feature: Some control issues Web Site: www.sega.com Of all of the ‘toys’ games I’ve seen in the last year or so, | have to say that Toy Commander is my absolute favorite. The combination of different vehicles, mixed with some wonderfully rendered environments (the rooms are huge) and frankly ‘charming’ gameplay ideas is something that you have to check out. Sure, it has some problems from time to time with the con- trol system (planes and copters work just fine, but ‘ground-based’ vehicles all suffer from hyper-sensi- tive analog) but you can forgive that. The concept of a kid playing ‘war’ with his toys has, to my mind, never been more convincingly portrayed in an action game. Just look at some of the missions...Find a deodorant can and move it to a point in the room where it can get rid of the toxic stench from a pair of sneakers. Wipe out a huge inflatable, Godzilla-like bunny with some thumb tacks. Or my absolute favorite—the Return of the Jedi-like plunge into the toilet bowl, through the drains to a chamber deep beneath the house where you have to take out a cockroach ‘queen’. It’s all dramatic, it looks wonder- ful and is carried off with a deep understanding of what kids do to make pretend environments. If only the multiplayer experience matched the one-player game. It seems to be ‘tacked on’ as an afterthought. This aside though, | loved it. John I think we have the Dreamcast's first sleeper hit. Sure, Toy Commander is rough around the edges, but you'd have to be mighty jaded not to like its wild environments and imaginative mission goals. You get a huge assortment of vehicles to command, but control never gets complicated. Missions are chal- lenging but rarely frustrating. Best of all, the massive fog-free environments really give you the РБ of divne a tiny toy in a ibig world. Toy Commander manages to succeed where a lot m other you're-a-tiny-thing-in-a-real-life-environment games don't. Why? It's all about great game design: the realistic, yet cartoony environments, the atten- tion to details (like poop in the cat's litter box) and the well thought-out missions. Toy Commander will make you feel like you're starring in a Disney CG animated feature...way more than the Bug's Life or Army Men games ever did. Shoe Other than it being a tad rough around the edges, Toy Commander is my favorite game on the DC at this point. You can tell the development team had a good time making this game. TC has tons of stuff to do in each of the funny and entertaining missions and a variety of vehicles to choose from in each. Plus the graphics and sound are incredible. There have been a lot of these toys-in-the-real-world games as of late, but this is the best of the bunch. Shawn VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 9 9 9 1 Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes Publisher: 3D0 Developer: 3D0 Featured In: ЕСМ #120 Players: 1-4 Supports: Rumble Pak, Exp Pak, Mem Pak Best Feature: Cool story Worst Feature: Terrible controls and camera Web Site: www.3D0.com If Toy Commander is the ‘right’ way to do a toy game, then it has to be said that Sarge’s Heroes is off the mark somewhat. | really love the story and the premise...the idea of toy soldiers moving between the ‘real world’ and their own and using every day objects as weapons of mass destruction is better than your average trash. Unfortunately though, the game is let down by a bunch of stupid little problems that make it a real joypad-hurler. Worst of the nig- gles is the fact that the control/camera combo is quite spectacularly crap. It seems to take your input as more of a hint as to what you want to do rather than an actual command and then refuses to keep the camera focused properly on the action. The crappy frame-rate doesn’t help things either—even with the expansion pak. As far as gameplay goes, the enemy Al seems unnervingly erratic. While the enemy soldiers seem to be pretty dumb for the majority of the time, as soon as they know you're near they lock on to you with superhuman accuracy. The Al in the escort missions sucks too...there’s noth- ing worse than running along, dodging bullets think- ing your charge is in tow, only to turn around and realize that he’s miles behind you stuck on the corner of some object. Argh...just thinking about it makes me ӘНЕУ; lg ѕ а nice се tiy, but ita ain iint geal John Why do games ФЕ good TE tend to have one or two fatal flaws that could've been avoided? The control and camera are my gripes for Sarge’s Heroes. The graphics are darned good—so is the animation in most instances — but the touchy control and flaky camera will annoy you more often than not. Sad to say, even with a great concept and a number of well-designed, fun-to-play missions, it’s best to ude buying this one. Give it a rent Моца Shawn This game looks "E Gum a Es story and oozes authentic battlefield conditions (big explosions, chaotic troops, etc.). And then the whole thing's spoiled by one of the worst game cameras ever. The damn camera is just too slow to pan in the direction you need. Zooming way out helps, but then the game gets choppy. If you can deal with all that frustration, you'll be rewarded with some decent missions. Too bad multiplayer isn't more extima ispin Sarge's Heroes has a few fatal flaws which kill what would otherwise be a hit. Control is horrible. | turn the corner, see some tan soldier, turn...and while turning | try to shoot them. Oops, can’t do that. If you're ever surrounded, you're screwed because there's no easy way to turn around. Almost everything about this game is sluggish. The story and characters are cool, and | have no complaint with the graphics, but it could’ve used better control! Chris VISUALS SOUND. INGENUITY REPLAY 1 6 6 4 261 NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC 18 224713 EVERYONE. ies Publisher: Midway Developer: Eurocom Featured In: N/A Players: 1-4 Supports: Controller Pak Best Feature: Fun NBA Jam gameplay Worst Feature: Web Site: Glitchy animation www.midway.com The NBA Jam-style of play has come a long way...and it hasn't. The arcade version wowed us all with an awesome polygonal engine that had nice, high-res graphics and a kick-ass frame-rate. The gameplay, however, is the same two-on-two business we've been playing for years (so yes, in this case with the arcade machine, graphics won us over and have revi- talized the genre). Unfortunately, the N64 doesn't have the horsepower to run NBA Showtime the way it's supposed to. In a direct, unfair comparison, the N64 game looks fairly ugly...defeating the pur- pose of NBA Showtime (since you can get the same gameplay from any of the older games of this type). The frame-rate is inconsistent, running fine one moment then going chop-chop the next. Some frames of animation disappear here and there— it's especially noticeable during dunks. But if you can forget about the arcade version for a bit (or if you've never played/seen it in the first place), you can still have a good time with Showtime N64. | did, even though the arcade machine is sitting right down the hall from me. Naturally, four-player is where it’s at, so if you're a lone gamer, you probably won't like this cart too much. As usual, Midway didn’t put any enhancements/extra modes in this home conver- sion, which is disappointing. Shoe This console version of Showtime is a little rough around the edges, but it retains the insanely fun gameplay of the arcade—which is the most impor- tant part of the game. In no time flat, | got used to the feel and control style of this console version and got my game back. The player creation stuff and all of the speech retained from the arcade really adds a lot to the title. Showtime's not quite as impressive as the port of NFL Blitz, but it’s a Jag Shawn Thisi is just like the arcade game. All the same moves, teams (updated) and frustrating-beat-you-at-the- last-moment Al. Actually, it works in your favor as well. :) | shouldn't complain, that's what makes the game so exciting in the first place. If you're con- cerned about speed, don't be, it moves along just fine. Graphically, it’s decent but not spectacular. If they made it any sharper it probably wouldn't be as fast. Overall NBA Showtime is very good. Dean Like Shoe tells it, we've had the NBA Showtime machine in the office for quite a while. The only way to review a game in a situation like this is to wipe the slate clean, and pretend like it's the only true 3D sequel to NBA Jam on the SNES. In such a case, Showtime on the N64 is a great arcade basketball jam. A couple graphical glitches aside, the only weird difference is the free-throw meter which makes it nigh impossible to score. Really glaring bug. Che VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 1 6 8 Publisher: Capcom Developer: Angel Studios/Capcom Featured In: EGM #121 Players: 1. Supports: Expansion Pak, Rumble Pak Best Feature: Two CDs jammed on to one cart Worst Feature: No Extreme Battle mode Web Site: www.capcom.com series (Biohazard in Japan), chances are you’ve been living in a cave for the last five years. Capcom’s frighteningly popular “Survival Horror” series has sold more copies worldwide than any other PlayStation fran- chise aside from Final Fantasy, and now, thanks to some amazing programming by the folks at Angel Studios, the second game in the series is coming home to the Nintendo 64. The N64 version of Resident Evil 2 is pretty much identical to the PlayStation Dual Shock edition, minus the Extreme Battle mode that was exclusive to that version of the game. Everything from the original game's two CDs— including ALL the FMV sequences and the bonus "4th Survivor" and "Tofu Survivor" mis- sions—is intact, and now the game can be played in hi-res with an Expansion Pak. Never mind the fact that the game itself is excel- | f you haven’t heard of the Resident Evil The most fearsome enemy in RE2 doesn't even show up until the second quest. That's when things get really intense. lent—it's also a technological miracle. Needless to say, the folks at Angel Studios deserve much praise for this astonishing feat. Additionally, RE2 for the N64 offers some minor tweaks and additions to the game that make it worth playing through again if you're a fan of the original. The game's creators have gone in and added 16 new "EX Files" (eight for each quest) which explain some of the more intricate details of the overall Resident Evil story. There are even some bits that tie in with RE3 and Code: Veronica, which is very cool. Also, users can adjust the game's vio- lence levels, and after finishing the game once, a randomizer will shuffle around certain items to alter the experience a bit. One thing we didn't mention in the main review—it would've been nice if Capcom added a 180? turn feature like the ones in RE3 and Dino Crisis. Once you've used it, it's hard to go back to the old way of turning around. Oh well. An amazing game nonetheless. 268 The quality of the FMV isn't quite up to par with the PlayStation version, but even still, for a cartridge, it looks amazing. And somehow, Angel Studios managed to pack all two CDs' worth of FMV onto the cart. Before | begin, let me make something clear to own- ers of the PS version of Resident Evil 2: Unless you're an RE superfreak (like me), you probably don't need to bother with this one. The differences are too sub- tle for anyone but hardcore RE fans to notice. However, if you ARE an RE nut, | highly recommend this baby, not only for the gooey nostalgic feeling it'll bring upon you, but because a) now you can play it in hi-res, and more importantly b) it's got a set of 16 new "EXFiles" that reveal some interesting plot points that RE fans will die for. And if you're just a regular ol’ N64 owner who's never played RE2 before, go buy this right now. It's one of the best adventure games (or "Survival Horror," if you will) of all time, and it'll scare the living crap out of you more times than any low-budget “witch” movie could ever hope to. It’s got a great story as well, and it's got lots of replay value since there are two quests (Leon and Claire), which each differ depending on whose quest you take up first. The fact that Angel Studios pulled this off just amazes me. They managed to pack two CDs' worth of game (FMVs and all) onto one tiny 64- Meg cart. And the FMV quality isn't half bad! (The voices are a little tinny, though.) All that's missing is the Extreme Battle mode from RE2: DS, but oh well. How can anyone complain with all this? John R The N64 library needs a game like RE2, and you couldn't ask for a better port of the PlayStation mega-seller. Characters and backgrounds are ultra sharp. The sound effects are incredible. And even if the FMV is a little grainy, who cares—I’m just happy to see it all crammed into this М64 cart. The scattered extra documents are nothing special, but the game- play is as classic as ever. It's about time N64 own- ers got a taste of survival horror. Crispin Reviewing this strictly as an М64 title (I'm assuming you don't have RE2 for the PS already), І have to say, this is а must-buy. Nothing on the N64 is like it—it’s a refreshingly unique and chillingly scary game that N64 owners will probably embrace (seeing as how the system has too many cute and colorful “kiddie” games). This is an excellent translation of one of the PS’ best games. If you want to experience engross- ing survival horror, here’s your chance. Shoe If you're an N64 owner and never got to experience RE2, then this is the perfect time to. There’s nothing missing here from the PlayStation version, including the full-motion video (albeit grainy). In- game graphics are especially nice-looking in hi-res— better than the PS. There's a hint of slowdown when a lot of zombies are swarming around you, but noth- ing that detracts from gameplay. Too bad it couldn’t have come out a little earlier. Chris VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 9 8 9 1 FORCEO- FEEDBACK SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR LOYAL SUBSCRIBERS Comments? FORCED FEEDBACK • P.O. Box 3338 + OAK BROOK, WIN WIN WIN! Cool Stuff Take a look at what we're passing on to you this month * WWF Attitude for the N64 * A comfy Destruction Derby seat cushion * A Tiny Tank tank top * A pair of funky, cool Shadowman sunglasses * A hard case for the aforementioned sunglasses * A GTA2 bumper sticker * A Jet Moto 3 shirt * A Pokémon Trading Card Game Theme Pack * A gripping novel * Packing material * And more From Us To You 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. EGM’s Box o” Stuff Sweepstakes #125 c/o Electronic Gaming Monthly P.O. Box 3338 Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 Congrats to EGM #123 Winner: Leo Klausmann of Chapel Hill, NC All of this and more can be yours by simply sending in a little card with your name, address and telephone number on chaser payment ol an household per month. A Fig [asada oid it. See above and below for further details. ple, postage du, IL 60522-3338 + E-MAIL: EGM 125 ONLY! SHAWN SMITHOZD.COM Staff Profile Cyril Wochok Real Name: Cyril Wochok Alias: Cy, Bill Withers, Dad Occupation: Senior Art Director Hobbies: All of them, especially video games, playing guitar and anything to do with racing miniature cars. Favorite video games of all time: Tetris, All Zeldas post NES, Metroid SNES, GoldenEye, Banjo, Gran Turismo, NFS: High Stakes, Sonic Adventure How | got this job: | had been a long-time reader of EGM and thought you probably had to know some- body to get a job here. | was right. Luckily, my cousin Burl was the managing editor at the time and hooked me up with a sweet high-payin’ gig. Sure there were more qualified candidates, but Burl thought he could trust me because | had just completed three months of arson and alcohol rehab. | eventually learned to like video games and the rest is history. But seriously, | was in one of my “I hate my job” moods that seemed to be happening with more frequency when | cracked open the paper and saw that EGM was hiring. | sent in some samples and got an interview. The first inter- view convinced me that this was the best job in the world and that | would do anything to have it. After being told | got the job, | hung up the phone and liter- ally jumped around the room for five minutes. Boy were my calves sore the next day. Favorite key: G I like the Spice Girls because: I've been in bands before and | understand how frustrating it can be to be on top one day, and pregnant and washed up the next. When I'm not at work | am: Getting yelled at by my wife for being more like one of the kids than o father and for buying another video game system. Most awful job ever held: Construction laborer, “Move this huge pile of wood here, now move it over there, move it back over here again.” ІНІ wasn't working for EGM, I'd be: Mr. Mom with a mullet. How many of the DC Launch games did you purchase? DID YOU KNOW... 12+ games 2h 10-11 games The creator of the comic featured 9 last month in our Press Start sec- tion has his own Web site. Take a Look at www.ape-law.com/users/ evilmonkey/toon.htm No matter what, you should always let the Wookie win. It is widely known PlayStations tend to overheat. To help cool the system down, many people turn the system on its side. Isn't it ironic the PS2 already sits on its side? E ———- wideogames.com poll 9/15/99 Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn't play Pokemon while dri- ving a vehicle. HOT & NOT шынын ee mH mmmmm û) ЕСМ The editors on EGM must use blue PlayStations (called debug units) so the preproduction games work š Тһе ЕСМ Hot & Not list—a place where you can get an inside look at properly. Why are the systems blue? what the staff of EGM likes and dislikes. The list contains general and specific items, concepts, games, people and other such things. Once in We really don't know. 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 cheese. As usual, here's all kinds of sites: Weird, gaming-related, zany, funny, cool, stupid and so on and so forth. An extra-special thanks goes out to Colin Sherrell this month. * www.goblertoys.com e www.proptronics.com ° www.antennadesign.com ° www.zapbikes.com ° www.amaze.co.uk/noodlebox/ ° www.xs4all.nl/~leegte/ ° www.kalx.com ° www.nightmarefactory.com/hats.html ° www.whatwouldelvisdo.com ° www.westerns.com ° www.drbrucegoldberg.com ° members.tripod.com/gthyb/ ° www.feethurt.com * 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. Live long and prosper. awhile we even throw in an inside joke. We're movin’ on up. е PS2 games * X-Box * Tekken Tag Tournament * Koei and Kessen * McFarlane's Yellow Submarine figures * Working at Babbage's * Treasure developing for DC * Treasure's Rakugaki Showtime * Treasure in general * Neo*Geo Pocket Color gaining popularity * Che's new kitten * The DC VMU * George Foreman Grill (the meat just falls off the bone) * Meatless bacon * Fat Hinman * The chick in our feature this month * PS2 design looking like CD-i * The price of the PS2 * No true Tekken sequel yet * The water effect in Dark Cloud for PS2 * The price of Disney animated DVDs * Defective Dreamcast GD-ROMs * Rare pushing Perfect Dark back until April * Sega's Internet strategy * N64 choking on Treasure's Bangaio * Sony world domination * Sprite anti-jingle jingles * Too many new gaming sys- tems, not enough money * Cars being broken into * Namco ditching the DC EGM's Random Quote of the Month "In a word...vulgar." Che Chou, in response to Someone asking him what if's like to work at ЕСМ. We're all very proud of this fact of course Rainbow Six E 1) Publisher: Red Storm Entertainment Developer: Saffire Featured In: EGM #122 Players: 12 Supports: Rumble Pak, Expansion Pak Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site: Two-player cooperative mode Blah visuals www.redstorm.com Rainbow Six delivers the most gripping two-player experience you'll find on the N64. Nothing beats the thrill of playing the campaign cooperatively with a second player, barking orders at each other, calling for help, covering each other's backs and planning strategies. The game was made for this kind of two- player teamwork. Even if you play solo, Rainbow Six packs a style of shoot-'em-up you won't find in any other first-person blaster. This ain't GoldenEye. Your character won't survive more than two or three bullet wounds. You'll attempt missions over and over until you find an attack plan that works. The mission plan- ner itself is a little daunting at first (in fact, all the game’s menus are clumsy), but you'll get the hang of it. Heck, it’s just fun to program your squadmates’ attack, then follow them around and watch ‘em take care of the dirty work. Rainbow Six is not without its faults. Graphics are ho-hum. Control takes getting used to. Analog is touchy (using Auto Aim helps). You'll need to contort your fingers to shoot, magnify your view and strafe at the same time. Terrorist Al ain't too bright, and your own team will often walk stupidly into walls unless you micro-manage their waypoints —especially near ladders—in the planning stage. But don't let any of these gripes scare you away from this unique play experience. Crispin This is one of those games that can make you jump a lot more than you'd like to admit. Creeping around trying to take out the very last bad guy can be quite stressful, and the game manages to build tension and suspense in a very convincing manner. As Crispin says though, it really comes into its own when you play it in two-player mode. If you've not sampled the delights of co-op play before, you should check this out. Jonn Nintendo 64: $99. Rainbow Six cartridge: $60. The look on Crispin's face when | capped him: priceless. But even when you're not screwing around and shooting your human teammate, this is an AWE- SOME cooperative two-player game. Sure it has rough graphics. It also has horrible, horrible AI (often, you can shoot at an enemy, but if he can't physically see you, he won't know you're there). It's no GoldenEye-killer, but it's still fun. Shoe In a fantastical daydream, | fancy myself as a Rainbow Six expert because | played the hell out of it on the PC back in the summer of '98, That said, the N64 version is surprisingly faithful. It took me awhile to get used to the mission planner interface with the N64 controller, but hey, at least it's included. Unfortunately, some of the PC glitches, useless Al and clippy graphics have made their way to the N64. GoldenEye fans, check this out. Che VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 6 8 8 1 Rocket: Robot on Wheels Publisher: Infogrames Developer: Sucker Punch Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1 Supports: Rumble Pak Best Feature: Grabby thing Worst Feature: Shifty camera Web Site: www.infogrames.com If there's a system that doesn't need another mediocre 3D action/adventure, it's the N64. No, Rocket isn't terrible, but it lacks the stuff great games are made of— like an enjoyable main charac- ter/story, interesting level design, great music, etc. Don't get me wrong—the game has some innovation. For example, the character Rocket has a cool grabby ray thing which allows you to pick up objects and move or throw them around (sounds simple, but it ends up being a major part of the gameplay) and a number of vehicles you can control in some of the levels (like this wacky hot dog car in the first level and a paintball-firing chariot in another, among many others). In addition, Rocket's filled with a slew of mini-games. Some are ho-hum, but others are quite interesting. For example, in one instance you have to build a roller coaster in a particular way to hit five checkpoints. Once it's built, you can hop on and go for a ride. And there are many more examples of this sort of thing. But all of these good things just aren't enough—the game just doesn't grab you. Besides, the camera and control aren't very solid either. The camera often isn't smart enough to move around Rocket for a better view of the action...and you don't have much control over it. And control can be quite tedious around platforms/objects. Rocket has got to be the weirdest and coolest con- cept for a game I've seen on the N64. It's straight- up action/puzzle with a lot of variety and truly brain- twisting levels. The camera is what's holding this game back—it forces its will on you, and there are no options for a camera that follows you. This leads to situations where you're fighting with the camera for control. It's rare that a game like this comes along that challenges and makes you think. Chris It's fairly cute, reasonably well thought-out, has more than adequate graphics, nicely thought-out puzzles and a sprinkling of humor (I like the smack-talking chicken)—but at the end of the day, what does it offer? The N64 really doesn't need another game with the above list of attributes. Sure, this has some nice little mini-games and some interesting ideas— but it's such an 'also-ran' game. For my money I'd go with Rayman 2 or wait ШЕ) DK instead. John | | could see Een some gamers could get into Rocket, not me however. It reminds me of another “wacky” puzzle/adventure game called Glover. The differ- ence being, Rocket tries to be funny via strange char- acters and bizarre mini-games while Glover is just weird. Solving puzzles in Rocket is a mixed bag of tricks—some are interesting and some are, uhh... just plain ‘ol stupid. If you’re a puzzle fan and not turned off by the cute stuff—give it a rent. Dean VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 1 8 6 269 WWF Wrestlemania 2000 THQ Developer: Asmik/AKI Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1-4 Supports: Controller Pak, Rumble Pak Best Feature: Previewing moves in Edit Mode Worst Feature: Not a big step over Revenge Web Site: www.thg.com If having to pull up the moves list for Attitude over and over got tiring, then Wrestlemania 2000 may be for you. It’s just so easy to get into, making it the bet- ter wrestling party game. The controls are simple— without having to memorize too many commands, you can jump right into this game and have fun immediately. Even your non-video game playing friends can enjoy this title. The improvements over WCW/nWo Revenge, however, are too few, which may make this disappointing to owners of that cart. The cage match is a nice addition, as well as First Blood rules. Otherwise, this plays pretty much exact- ly like Revenge (of course, this has the WWF license, so it almost feels like an entirely different game). Not affecting gameplay but a significant improvement nonetheless is the Edit Mode. This create-a-wrestler feature still pales in comparison to Attitude’s, but is way better than it was in Revenge. The best part about it though, is the ability to preview each wrestling move before you assign it. Don’t know what a Triple Reverse German Powerbomb Inverted Nutsack Smasher is? Now, you can watch a training dummy execute the move first. It’s pretty cool, and makes customization all the more fun. Other than that, the animations are nice, but the character mod- els look like they! re made of marshmallows. - Shoe While Wrestlemania mem t have as deep a Create-a- wrestler option as WWF Attitude, it holds its own in every other department. | really like the user-friendly gameplay. It’s not necessary to memorize combos for each wrestler, instead a universal set of moves works for several brawlers. The reaction time is real speedy as well. Four-player games are great fun, especially if you use the ladies. I'm still partial to WWF E BUG this isa close second. Dean This has got to be thein most и fun Ive. had playing a wrestling game in a long time (probably since Pro Wrestling on the NES). Up against Shoe, | thought | didn’t have a chance, but was able to hold my own during a free-for-all. Moves are easy to pull off, and it's got a very arcade feel and you never feel like you're fighting the game's control— it's all very natur- al. The graphics are simplistic but look great. Plenty of fuc! even for the оа Wrestlemaniac. Chris For me, КЕНЕ games аге all about going nuts on your opponent. Sure, there’s a bit of technique involved but too much ruins the fun. This is why | like Wrestlemania 2000. You can pick it up, learn how the buttons work in about two minutes and start having a good time. Admittedly, | didn’t find the one- player stuff very exciting—the multiplayer mode is where it’s at. Overall, it’s a solid title that will satisfy hardcore and casual wrestling fans alike. Shawn VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 6 8 8 Ready 2 Rumble Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Black Ops Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1-2 Supports: Rumble Pak, Memory Pak Best Feature: Graphic detail Worst Feature: Very tough Web Site: www.ea.com EA has really improved this title. Compared to last year's PlayStation version the boxers are twice as fast and look much more lifelike. The sensation of connecting with a punch is better as well. Shawn thinks half the fun is watching your foe stagger after a good hit. The career mode allows you to create a boxer and build him into a real bruiser. It's not as easy as it looks though, you must practice a lot. KK2000 doesn't provide quite the same rush as Ready 2 Rumble, but for people who are into the real deal with classic fighters, this is decent. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 8 6 6 1 NBA Live 2000 a | was O 157 SA о 1251 Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: NuFx Featured Іп: ЕСМ #124 Players: 1-4 Supports: Rumble Pak, Controller Pak Best Feature: Michael Jordan : The New Nork Knicks www.ea.com Aside from fewer classic players, this N64 Live 2000 is largely the same as its PS cousin. A few things are actually better—a smoother frame-rate and prettier graphics. Gameplay is good, yet strangely a little frustrating. The computer defense is so potent it shuts down fast-break attempts at will. Special moves help a little but not as much as we'd like. There's more emphasis on team play than ball-hog heroics. Two- player is a lot more like old-school Live however—lots of turbo runs straight to the hoop for an easy jam. Minor stuff aside, this is a very good game. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 9 1 8 8 Publisher: Midway Developer: Point of View, Inc. Featured In: М/А Players: 1-2 Supports: Rumble Pak Best Feature: All of the boxers Worst Feature: Repetitive gameplay Web Site: www.midway.com Gameplay-wise, the N64 version of Ready 2 Rumble is very similar to both other console versions of the game—though not as graphically impressive as the DC version. This means it's a lot of fun to play most of the time. And thankfully, the Al in this version of the game is smarter than in the PlayStation one—the computer opponents didn't allow us to throw too many cheap moves over and over again. Still, even with a variety of interesting boxers to choose from and a championship mode that's fairly deep, we found the game gets old rather quickly. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 6 1 6 WCW Mayhem К SCOTT NORTON Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Kodiak Featured In: EGM #122 Players: 1-4 Supports: Controller Pak, Rumble Pak Best Feature: It looks nice Worst Feature: Too few modes of play Web Site: www.ea.com What you basically have here is a first-generation wrestling game that, unfortunately for EA, is sur- rounded by second- and third-generation competi- tion. No one here really had more fun playing Mayhem than Wrestlemania or Attitude, but that’s not to say this game doesn’t have its good points. The game animations аге fast..giving this а nice, realistic feel. Also, fighting in the backstage areas adds а nice twist. Іп the end, however, too few modes of play and bland presentation make this a very so-so title. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 1 9 9 210 Publisher: Infogrames Developer: Mitchell Corporation Featured In: EGM #124 A Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Simple, novel gameplay Worst Feature: Not enough modes of play Web Site: www.infogrames.net The basic concept in Ballistic isn't terribly original. Hmm...where else have we heard this before: Take different colored balls and throw them at other balls to make matches of three or more? Bust-A-Move, perhaps? The overall package isn't much to speak of either. The only modes are Panic (a.k.a. *endless," where you see how long you can last against a faster and faster game), Stage (where you clear out a limit- ed number of balls on one level before moving on to the next, more challenging stage) and Vs. (where two players compete, and chain combos throw extra balls to your opponent's side). What's the problem? Stage Mode is fun, but it's just Panic Mode with power-ups and more interesting levels (it would have been more challenging if Ballistic gave you a certain number of moves to clear each stage, like in the GBC version or typical Puzzle Modes in games like Devil Dice). Vs. Mode is cool, but you have to have a friend to play against (no vs. cpu mode), and it's just the same bor- ing stage over and over (why aren't some of the cool level designs or power-ups from Stage Mode includ- ed in 2P play?). Still, this is a fairly fun and very easy to jump into puzzle game. It won't tickle the fancies of puzzle game veterans, but Ballistic will appeal to more casual gamers, especially because big com- bos are pretty easy to pull off. Shoe When it comes to puzzle games, I'm not one for strat- egy. | want to lay down some blocks, make some lines and keep doing that for three or four hours as the blocks fall faster (like Tetris). With Ballistic how- ever, there's all sorts of things to think about, and this ruins the intensity for me. | don’t want to learn combos and what not. Besides, I don't like the spi- rally ball thing very much. It's not a poorly made game, it's just not my kind of puzzle game. Shawn Ballistic isn't very original, nor is it deep with detail. At the very least it's easy to learn. Gals will probably like it for its Tetris-inspired, ordering-element which they're so strangely attracted to. Still, І couldn't see paying more than 620 for this game. That's not an insultto the developer either, it just doesn't have the originality or replay value to warrant much more. In some regard it's like Irritating Stick—amusing for a while but too shallow for the long haul. Dean Ballistic gets points for being one of the more origi- nal new puzzle games out there. It's almost com- pletely combo-based if you're good, so you have to strategize where you're going to lay your next ball. Despite having no aesthetic features to make you want to continue—kinda bland music, no rewards graphically for clearing levels — it can be a fun way to pack a few hours away. A decent puzzle game, but could've used some more spice. Chris VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Crash Team Racing EVERYONE ie Publisher: SCEA Developer: Naughty Dog Featured In: EGM #122 Players: 14 Supports: Dual Analog, Dual Shock BestFeature: Incredibly fun to play Worst Feature: Major Mario Kart influences Web Site: www.playstation.com It's obvious CTR was inspired by the Super NES Mario Kart. But how could a game developer not be inspired by that game? And if CTR was crap, it'd be easy to laugh at Naughty Dog for making an inferior product. Of course, CTR isn’t crap. It’s an incredible game-— better than Mario Kart in some respects. The adventure portion of the game plays out like Diddy Kong Racing on the N6q...except better. There are a variety of impeccably designed courses within a number of hub areas. As you win races and beat bosses, you're awarded stuff and access to new races. And true to past Crash games, you have to col- lect a bunch of extra goodies to truly finish the game (like CTR coins, relics and gems). It'll take you a long time to beat the game— even longer if you don't mas- ter the game's complex turbo system. Powersliding, jumping and using the layout of each track to your advantage is a must (the control and car physics are amazing by the way). And as if we needed any extra features, CTR has a kick-ass multiplayer mode. This mode is where the game gets its high replayability, with a good number of multiplayer courses and options. Then of course, there are the other things: Graphics, sound, etc. CTR is one of the best-looking and best feeling games on the PlayStation ever. You'd be foolish not to get this game. Shawn CyherTiger Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: EA Sports Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1-4 Supports: Dual Shock, Multi-tap Best Feature: Graphics Worst Feature: Choppy frame-rate Web Site: www.ea.com Now here’s a game that can’t easily be defined. On one hand it’s a cute game for kids, on the other it's a regular golf sim (sorta). Its personality is puzzling, especially since Hot Shots and Mario Golf have that hybrid niche filled nicely. On its own, CyberTiger combines elements from his last golf game (namely the spin control) with a few innovative features. The traditional metered swing is optional. In its place you can use the analog stick in a pull- back-and-push-forward motion. It's an interesting way to swing the club but not very accurate. As you hold back on the stick a power meter engages, if the number goes above 100, the shot hooks or slices. Or, if you don't return the stick to the top center it misdi- rects the shot. Don't worry, the spin control is so potent you can steer the ball in flight. A feature that's good for kids but too cheap for real golf afi- cionados. So essentially folks looking for a real chal- lenge will get bored with the simple gameplay while young kids will probably dig the quick and easy pace. Overall the title has a simple charm and more than a few redeemable qualities. The option to use your character as a child, teenager or adult is interesting. The analog swing, while not perfect is innovative as well. It's no Mario Golf (or Hot Shots) but it should give younger gamers a thrill. Dean Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Canada Featured Іп: ЕСМ #123 Players: 18 Supports: Dual Shock, Multi-tap Best Feature: Intuitive control Worst Feature: No women’s teams Web Site: www.easports.com Let me say EA has simply outdone themselves with their latest soccer effort. The most impressive part of FIFA 2000 is that it will appeal to both sim-freaks and arcade-heads. The control is masterful and the vari- ety of special moves at your disposal are easy to learn and exciting to use. I absolutely love the abil- ity to break off a збо spin after a double stepover. The three different game modes (amateur, profes- sional and world class) offer plenty of challenge and serious replay value. But of all the moves with the ball, some of the coolest are things you have control of without the ball. You'll have the option to pull your defense up to initiate an offside trap with the press of a button, and you'll have icon-style passing off throw-ins and free kicks. The penalty shoot-outs offer the same excitement as the real thing, though no one rips their shirts off after a monster goal. As far as flaws in the game, there aren't many. A few inter- national teams are missing (what have you done with the Ivory Coast?) and in post-goal celebrations the players faces look as if they've been constructed from hunks of volcanic rock. But a huge disappoint- ment is the lack of women’s teams. It would have been nice to make a cup run with Mia and the gals. FIFA 2000 wins my choice (yes, even over Madden 2000) for sports title of the year. Todd As far as mascot-Mario-Kart-knockoff racing games go, CTR is the best I’ve played on the PlayStation. Strong words yes, but considering the amazing amount of depth, the competent control and the bet- ter-than-average graphics, it’s not out of place. What really does it for me is the extensive multiplayer capabilities. Heck, it even has four-player (dust off the "о multi-tap). The music is tolerable, although just barely. Fans of this genre її? buy CTR. Dean When it comes to CyberTiger, | have to ask the ques- tion “WHO CARES?” | guess the Tigermaniacs do, but | care about fun. Hot Shots Golf still delivers the most fun by a long shot. | don’t like any of the swing meter options, camera control while setting up your shot is painfully slow, and the characters just aren't that exciting. "Wow, you mean | can play with Kid Tiger, Teen Tiger and CyberTiger?" Awesomely dull. This game is perfectly average. Dan L There is one problem with FIFA 2000. | don't have enough space to applaud all that's right with this game. Game speed is perfect (and adjustable), the animation is fluid, and advanced moves are relatively easy to learn and intuitive. The computer Al also makes for a worthy match. But FIFA really shines in multiplayer, whether it's head-to-head or cooperative play. Try FIFA, and ! promise you'll be surprised by the intensity and realism of this great title. DanL Is Crash Team Racing an unabashed Mario Kart copy- cat? Yes. Is that a bad thing? Heck no. Actually, CTR swipes the best tricks of the original Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing. Where else are you gonna find that kind of fun on the PlayStation? Control is perfect, allowing lots of finesse. Most tracks are superbly designed (good luck finding every shortcut). You'll get the best CTR has to offer if you gather three pals and a multi-tap. Crispin І honestly didn't think anyone could top the stan- dards set by Mario Kart, but Naughty Dog has. Levels are challenging and have surprises around every cor- ner, but aren't too hard to navigate. There's a lot of variety in the courses and technique that go into nav- igating them successfully. At the same time, a novice can pick up and play and have a lot of fun just the same. If you spent hours with friends playin’ Mario Kart, this is your new addiction. Chris VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 9 1 8 9 CyberTiger is definitely a step in the right direction for EA after last year's miserable Tiger Woods 99, but it's still got a long way to go before it can compete with the likes of Hot Shots. Gameplay-wise it's moderately fun this year, with more intuitive controls and an arcade-like feel. The analog swing is interest- ing, but | still prefer the d-pad. The physics seem a bit weird at times and the frame-rate is cruddy, which definitely hurts the game for me. A rental. John R FIFA 2000 is all the best bits from FIFA 99 plus the full MLS license. That alone is great for U.S. audi- ences, but the addition of the new ‘In Game Management’ system is especially welcome. Switching formation with a single button press is a simple yet ingenious feature. As ever the player Al and presentation is topnotch (even if the MLS com- mentary gets a bit dumb) and for once I think FIFA Я has the edge over Konami’s ISS. John The coolest part of CyberTiger are the power-up balls. Before tournaments you'll go to the driving range where you can try to hit targets (ranging from bull's eyes to men in boats) to earn the power-ups such as the Superball which will bounce on any terrain as if it were concrete, or the Gumball which will stick to whatever surface it hits. Overall, the game is fun, but way too kiddy. Stick with Hot Shots if you're look- ing for arcade-style golf action. Todd VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Even though I’m not much of a soccer buff in “real life,” [уе always loved EA's FIFA series. This year's game is easily the best yet. The controls are super- smooth, the gameplay is tight (the Al seems to get better every year) and it’s just plain fun to play. Even though it’s just a tiny thing, | really like the dead ball Icon Attack feature they added. It makes corner kicks and throw-ins much more exciting. The game’s got a rockin’ soundtrack, too. Good stuff. John R VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY RAPP 249/ 243 в CHB. Publisher: SCEA Developer: GameArts Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1 e > Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Combat and character growth Worst Feature: Bad voice acting, slowdown Web Site: www.playstation.com hen was the last time you played an RPG and craved more combat? Grandia is one of the rare instances for us at EGM where we didn’t mind fighting random encounters 45 hours into the game. Why? It’s all about Grandia’s combat and char- acter growth system. First off, you can always see monsters off in the distance before com- bat ensues; this means you can actually avoid combat when you want to. Also, the condi- tions of combat will depend upon how you end up making contact with a group of mon- sters. For instance, if you run into them from behind, you'll have the initiative for a preemp- tive strike—and vice versa. During combat, an advancing IP Gauge (with character and mon- ster icons) dictates the order of action. To keep things pseudo-turn based, the IP Gauge will temporarily freeze when you're choosing an action. Otherwise, combat moves along in EVERYONE Like Miyazaki's Castle In The Sky Laputa, Grandia's story centers around a boy, a girl and an ancient magical stone. real time. Since you can see (and anticipate) your opponent's window of action, you can time your attacks for cancelling and counter hit techniques. Related to the importance of the IP Gauge is the strategic location of your characters. If you want to hit an enemy on the other side of the map, you'll use valuable IP time moving there; time which the enemy is also recouping for his chance to strike. Land your attack at the right time and you can actu- ally knock somebody back on the IP Gauge and cancel his/her move! Spells and custom moves also play a huge role in Grandia. There are four elemental categories for spells: fire, air, water and earth. Using a spell in each of these categories not only levels up that ele- ment, but also makes you more proficient in that particular attack. New spells are learned when you level up and combine your levels in each of the elements. This all makes for one of the deepest combat and character growth systems since Final Fantasy V. Whew! 212 Even with its somewhat traditional sprite- based look, Grandia pulls out the stops when it comes to spell effects. Below, Justin tears Baal a new one with his most powerful move, The Heaven & Earth Cut. GameArts (and Sony) has done us all a service in bringing over what is easily their best RPG effort. Grandia's story is at once epic and anecdotal, light- hearted and emotional. Much of the tale is told through episodic encounters with inhabitants throughout each of the towns. All of them have a story to tell or a quest to solve. Grandia's ability to sustain my interest, during the most random of con- versations, is a real testament to the characterization of the game. It was easy to play through one of the "scenarios," then savor the experience with a timely save. Speaking of saves, the game is freaking HUGE. At the end of disc one, | clocked in at around 32 hours of play. The entire game takes close to 65 hours. Other aspects | loved about Grandia include the deep (and addictively fun) combat system that combines the best aspects of Active Time Battles and core elements of a tactics strategy game. Unfortunately, Grandia is sporadically plagued with unbearable voice acting, dodgy translation and even a little censorship. Visually, Grandia is warm and vibrant; there are hand-drawn details everywhere you look. The 3D engine suffers from occasional slowdown, but also gives Grandia's world much wel- comed depth. This fall, you have no choice but to play both FF8 and Grandia. It's worth it. Che A legendary Saturn RPG, Grandia had a lot to live up to when | sat down to play it. This thing didn't let me down. Sure, characters are too cutesy for my taste. The voice acting is lame and the music is so-so. But the epic story and—better still—awesome dungeons make up for all shortcomings. Although | didn't like the combat system as much as Che, battles never really got boring or intolerable. At least you'll final- ly see what all the fuss was about. Crispin It’s still amazing to me that with as big a company SCEA is that when it comes to translating a Japanese RPG, something feels like it’s missing. The voice act- ing in Grandia is so unnatural and forced. | never got a chance to play the game on the Saturn, though, and am grateful to finally have it in English. A capti- vating story, excellent music and characters that you really care about all wrapped into one game. | just 14241 it doesn’t get енор? Chris While it’s отав the U.S. Saturn didn’t grab bragging rights to this title, I’m happy Grandia is out here at all. The game is swweeet. It has great graph- ics, an epic storyline, tons of characters to interact with and a kick-ass combat system that won’t have you dreading that next, repetitive RPG battle. Don’t accidentally miss out on one of the best RPGs of the year, just because it doesn't have the FFVIII level of hype surrounding it. Shoe SOUND REPLAY VISUALS INGENUITY Publisher: Konami Developer: KCE Tokyo Featured In: ЕСМ #125 E Players: 14 > Supports: Multi-tap, Dual Shock Best Feature: Motion-captured graphics Worst Feature: Boring button-mashin’ gameplay Web Site: www.konami.com By now, we've pretty much seen everything develop- ers can do with this genre, whether it's the original Track & Field for the arcade, or DecAthlete for the Saturn or even now, International Track & Field 2000 for the PS. After all, there are only so many variations of the classic button-mashing formula. Admittedly, IT&F2000 is one of the better-looking games of this type. The motion capture looks realistic and spot-on. The character models are nice as well (wait until you see the female diver for the U.S. team...talk about a bronze goddess!)...although some of the American boys seem a bit chubby around the equator. The lim- ited gameplay, however, does hurt. After a couple of gos, | was bored. Pretty much all the events involve speed button mashing. How about some more vari- ety, like some spinning around the analog stick for instance? (That would've been perfect for Cycling.) Even playing IT&F2000 multiplayer, which you'd think would be a lot of fun for this type of game, was- n’t that exciting. My fellow editors and | had more fun playing Winter Heat because of the wider variety of gameplay found there. A couple of events are inter- esting (diving, horse vault), but a couple isn't quite enough to bring this game into any kind of spotlight. If you're into pretty visuals and shallow gameplay, check it out. Shoe I've always found Olympic-type games to be a blast if they're done right. Take Winter Heat and DecAthlete on the Saturn for instance. And while Track & Field is well-made and provides a good number of events to play, at times it's just too technical and boring for my liking. Sure, some of the tap-tap-tap-type of events are exciting, but overall there's just not enough to this title. It's better rented for a multiplay- er-filled night, than purchased outright. Shawn I've been a fan of track and field games since Microsoft's Decathlon back in 1983. This genre com- mands not only button mashing but also timing and dexterity— basically, it's the essential action game. IT&F 2000 looks fantastic, but the gameplay still hasn't advanced since Decathlon or Konami's own Track & Field for arcades (remember bustin' out your velcro wallet? Awww, yeah). | would have liked to see more innovation with the Dual Shock. Che How can | sum this game up? Take the ground-break- ing first edition, add canoeing, biking, diving, vault- ing and weightlifting, as well as sharper, more-realis- tic-than-ever graphics—and you have ITF 2000. The power-and-release gameplay is essentially the same but they've added a finish button. This option allows you to lunge forward in close races, and it works too. Granted I'm a big fan, but I think this is one of the best multiplayer games around. Dean VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Electronic Arts Featured In: М/А A Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock Speedy : Sloppy collision detection www.ea.com Web Site: Knockout Kings 2000 is nothing like the previous ver- sion. It’s about two and a half times faster and about that much more exciting. Gone are the lethargic swings and slow-as-molasses gameplay and in are decent speeds and good hard hitting. Is that enough to make it good? That depends—are you into sim or arcade gameplay? If you answered sim, you won't be disappointed. The format hasn’t changed much from last year. Take your pick of 50 classic fighters and square off against the computer or a friend. As a two- player game it’s not bad. You definitely need tech- nique to be successful. In other words, mindless but- ton smashing will only deplete your energy and leave you open for a knockout. Single-player is even hard- er. The computer knows how to box quite well. Taking a created boxer through the ranks involves accumu- lating training points and winning fights. Essentially beating the upper rung of fighters is impossible until you get enough attribute points under your belt. As a sim fan | like the meticulous training and building required to win at this game. It’s certainly not as flashy as some of the arcade-style fighters out there but overall it offers a good amount of replay value. One thing l don't like is the loose collision detection (hitting through an opponent’s body). Otherwise it’s a fun and challenging title. Dean | have a real problem getting any enjoyment out of something claiming to be a boxing ‘simulation’—it is, after all, just two guys thumping each other isn’t it? The training and ‘career’ stuff really didn’t hold my attention, and while | can see that this is a big improvement over the original, I still think EA is taking boxing way too seriously. It's probably just me, but | think the Ready 2 Rumble approach is much more appropriate. John Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of sim sports games like Knockout Kings. But in this case, | had a good time. Maybe it's something about beating people up that brought on my change of heart. More than likely it's the game's depth. This highly technical style of play is a nice change of pace from other mindless fighters out there. But then, I’m not a fan of boxing in real life so there’s probably a lot about the game | didn't appreciate. Shawn EA has addressed some of the issues which plagued last year's Knockout Kings: game speed and control. Tweaks to the game have made Knockout Kings 2000 one of the better boxing games I’ve played on а con- sole system (but can anything beat 4D Boxing??). While the character building aspect of the game is ultimately its biggest strength, fans of arcade box- ing should also give Knockout Kings a chance. Too bad the announcers are so repetitive. Che REPLAY VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY 213 Publisher: Tecmo Developer: Tecmo Featured In: EGM #123 A Players: 1-2 > Supports: N/A Best Feature: Improved combat system Worst Feature: A lil’ too repetitive Web Site: www.tecmo.com Set aside a few months if you want to play this to completion. As a fan of the first Monster Rancher, | was happy to see the improvements made to the game—but it’s what they didn’t improve that hurts it. So many different things happen each time you raise a monster that it’s never the same game twice. There’s more variety—and more monsters— this time around. Combat has been fine-tuned, cut- ting down on frustration. The translation is much like the first, with some very awkward English sentences. But where МЕ2 falls flat is in how repetitive it is. For instance, your assistant, Colt, says the same things over and over again until you're just rapid firing but- tons to advance the text. "He's stressed out," “I think we spoil him too much," "You should give him some rest," "You have maill"—all one sentence per dialogue box. | stopped caring what she was saying, and she lost her usefulness. They should have cut down on that and instead included some kind of option to just view one report that tells you the sta- tus of your monster. | also don't understand why PocketStation support from the Japanese version was removed. Despite aesthetic improvements, MR2 is too clunky, painfully slow-paced and not intuitive at all. | liked the first game...but it’s two years later, and hardly improved. Chris If you’re going to dedicate as much time as is required to get far in MR2, you'd think the rewards would be greater. Sure, there are a couple of neat parts further in the game (getting fan mail, gaining stronger monsters, going on tricky expeditions) but all in all the experience is rather dull— like the first one in that respect. If you're a fan of the original and don't expect much from a sequel, you'll probably be into this title. But | was expecting more. F-Tamagotchi...if virtual pet caring is your thing, then check out Monster Rancher 2. It’s got a deep monster creating/raising system that can keep you enthralled for weeks...that is, if you have the patience for it. This game is strictly for folks who can just sit there and go through repetitive actions over and over in order to build up a creature (feed, train, fight, repeat). MR1 fans might be disappointed— MR2 doesn't offer that muen ad "T Shoe You fans of the original Monster Rancher have noth- ing to worry about: This sequel delivers everything you liked about the first game, only better. You say you're new to MR2's super-Tamagotchi-style of gameplay? Give it a shot. It may look dull (and this certainly isn't the world's most exciting game), but MR2’s repetitive formula is fun and, yes, even addict- ing. Despite its blah graphics and crap dialog, this thing'll keep you busy for a long time. Crispin VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY SOUND MTV Sports: Snowboarding EVERYONE | Publisher: THQ Developer: Radical Entertainment Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1-2 Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Easy to pick up, smooth frame-rate Worst Feature: Polygon clipping Web Site: www.thq.com Living in our jaded post-grunge times, | winced at the combination of pop-cultural giant MTV, and the now hackneyed genre of the snowboarding game. To my surprise, Radical delivers a uniquely entertaining snowboarding title that’s somewhat reminiscent of a recent classic like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. The premise of the game, duh, is to snowboard around the world and qualify for the MTV Challenge. To do so, you’ve got to master the tricks. And in that respect, MTV Sports: Snowboarding does quite well. The controls are easy to pick up, and the tricks aren't too frustrating to pull off. In order to score big, you’ve got to combine each of the grabs (tail, mute, method, nose, indy, etc.) with spins and flips in the air; landing a monster aerial left me feeling super gratified. Aside from racing and tricking downhill, there's also the necessary half-pipe event that I've always enjoyed more than bulleting down a slope. Graphically, MTV Sports: Snowboarding is utilitarian. You're not going to stop and stare at the scenery, but the game has a great sense of speed and scale. Unfortunately, abundant polygon clipping will some- times slap you in the face and jerk you out of the zone. There’s also a “create-a-park” feature that lets you build your own snowboard mountain. It’s a fresh take оп а stale genre waiting for an overhaul. Che Ugh, another snowboarding game. Surprisingly, this one doesn’t suck. It's loaded with all the cliché hip characters, music and boards, but unlike others, it has decent gameplay to back it up. Don’t get too excited, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, with the exception of one thing—Create-a-Park. This option lets you modify a course with your favorite ramps, rails and logs—that’s a nice option. Two-player is acceptable as well. Give MTV S:S a rent. Dean NBA Baskethall 2000 ға” н Ф agr es 3 = Publisher: Fox Interactive Developer: Radical Entertainment Featured In: ЕСМ #122 Players: 1-8 Supports: Dual Shock, Multi-tap Best Feature: Rim physics Worst Feature: Free-throw meter Web Site: www.foxinteractive.com It's hard to put a finger on why I'm such a fan of Fox’s NBA Basketball 2000, but I'll try. Part of my fondness is based on the way the rim reacts to shots. Sometimes they clank around on the rim, some- times they drop right through, sometimes they roll off. It reminds me of watching real hoops. The game looks nice and the players move with great realism and smoothness. The announcers commentate with accuracy and purpose, noting if a team is on a run ог they'll poke fun at the inexcusable occurrence of a missed dunk. It's fun to block shots and rebounding is intuitive based on positioning and timing jumps. The instant replay is done with Fox attitude using the FoxScope and sometimes a blur method. As far as flaws, there are a few, and one is huge. The biggest problem is the nearly non-existent Al, which allows anyone to knife to the hoop without much effort. It's not just the superstars that can dribble down the court without threat of a steal. The other big flaw is the free-throw meter. After a near loss it was easy to blame my o-for-17 free-throw woes. The meter is still a mystery to me. A mild problem is that every shot hits the rim, even full court, last-second bombs. Also the camera, on a foul, doesn't follow the ball but closes in on the person fouled. Overall, a solid hoops effort but where's the “D”? Todd NHL Championship 2000 Publisher: Fox Interactive Developer: Radical Entertainment Featured In: ЕСМ #122 Players: 18 Supports: Dual Shock, Multi-tap Best Feature: Excellent Al, realism Worst Feature: Sluggish gameplay Web Site: www.foxinteractive.com Every year it seems as if the guys at Radical come so close to making "the" hockey game to own, but inevitably they fall short due to a sub-par game engine. This year is no different. NHL Championship 2000 is easily their best game yet, but it still suffers from one problem that unfortunately weighs heavily against all the other good stuff—the game is too sluggish. As usual, their Al is topnotch. This is the smartest hockey game I've played, and serious hockey fans will no doubt find much delight in the CPU's impressive intelligence. The graphics are very nicely done, with awesome player and goalie anima- tion (this too may be the best l've seen), and the ever-so-slick NHL on FOX TV-style presentation rules. Sadly, the sluggishness of it all makes the experience somewhat less satisfying. | can't wait 'til these guys get their hands on some better hardware, because they've really got a potentially awesome game on their hands. Another thing | don't like about NHL Championship is that when players fatigue, they REALLY fatigue. Yeah, it’s important to change lines, but nobody slows down THIS. much. On the upside, controls are tight (love being able to force deflec- tions), and the play-by-play is excellent. Don't get me wrong; on the whole this is a very good game-— it's just that it could've been great. John R At first glance, NBA Basketball 2000 seemed like it might be a contender this year, but after spending some quality time with the game, I’ve come to realize that this is not the case. The game's got some posi- tives (great play-by-play, solid game engine, etc.), but it's plagued by poor Al and iffy controls. The lethal combo of Speed Burst and Special Move will burn any D on any difficulty, and some of the physics are just bizarre. Maybe next year, Fox... John R Radical Entertainment does a much better job with hockey than basketball. :) Complaints first: NHL Championship is too slow, man is that annoying. The animation is too exaggerated and there aren't as many options as there are in NHL or FaceOff 2000. OK, now for things | like. The Al is much tighter than | expected. While the games are challenging, it's not impossible to score 3-4 goals on the computer per game. Two-player games are decent as well. Dean Well..it's faster than а lot of the recent crappy snow- boarding games we've had — but it's still ‘just anoth- er' one of those. When are we going to stop being inundated with this stuff? Graphically it's nothing special, and in terms of gameplay style it walks the line between button-mashing, vacuous rubbish and something that requires an iota of skill. It's still not interesting enough to be labeled ‘fun’ though. Just another ‘label’ game. Yuck. John Fox has packed this game full of TV-style do-dads and what-nots but sadly forgot to put in any Al defense. For example, It’s possible to walk up court pushing defenders away as you go. Get to the hoop, pause to gather your thoughts, then slam home the big jam—all this while in All-Star difficulty level no less! 105 a fatal flaw as far as Pm concerned. It's unfortunate, other things such as the animation and general gameplay are not bad at all... Dean This is a decent first effort for Fox Sports Interactive, but decent doesn't cut it for PlayStation sports titles. NHL Championship delivers enough good gameplay to deserve a look, but it fails to offer the many bells and whistles of EA and 989's hockey titles. Also, this game runs slooowww. Sometimes you just wanna freakin’ scream at your guys to get the lead out. Overall, presentation is decent and the camera angle is the best of any hockey title this year. Dan L MTV Sports: Snowboarding has its problems— namely terrible pop-up in some stages and a pretty mindless trick system. But to be totally honest, this is why like this game. No, I'm nota fan of pop-up but the graphics and frame-rate are pretty sweet oth- erwise. And the trick system allows you to pull off some amazing stuff without trying very hard. It gives the game a decidedly arcade feel. The two-player isn't very good though. Still, check it out. Shawn VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 1 6 6 If you feel woozy from the frenetic pace of NBA Live 2000, NBA Championship offers a nice alternative. It feels more like real basketball, with plenty of time to set up plays, look for guys in the passing lane, and run an offense. Visuals are well-done, including unique replay angles which help immerse you іп the game. One big negative was the free-throw meter, which seemed more difficult than the controls of some flight sims. рап 1 VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 1 6 6 The most important element in a hockey game is speed, and that’s the only place that NHL Championship 2000 falls short. Kudos to color com- mentator John Davidson for being the best part of the game. His comments are insightful and don’t seem repetitive or forced like most video game ana- lysts. Fox has made a solid game with great in-game presentation, but the need for speed in the world’s coolest game is paramount. Todd VISUALS SOUND REPLAY INGENUITY 1 1 6 6 Publisher: Activision Developer: Hammerhead Featured In: ЕСМ #123 A Players: 1-4 > Supports: Dual Shock, Multi-tap, Mouse Best Feature: Mouse support Worst Feature: Some tedious levels Web Site: www.activision.com “Wow.” That was my first reaction when | sat down to review Quake 2. Hammerhead has done an unbeliev- able job translating the PC game's visuals. The col- ored lighting's all there. The animation's all there. They even added lens-flare effects. The whole pack- age moves at a plenty-smooth 30 frames per second. Better still, the developers have gone beyond the call of duty to accommodate every control style you could want. You won't have a problem finding a Dual Shock config you like. But if you really want an edge, hook up a mouse and play this game the way it was intended (use the joypad to strafe and the mouse to aim). It makes for a flawless Quake II experience. Unfortunately, some of the tediousness of the PC game's levels is along for the ride, too. You're forced to backtrack through areas to hunt down keys, flip Switches, etc. It's a minor annoyance. And now for the best part: Four-player split screen is smooth and playable. If you haven't invested in a multi-tap yet, get it for this game (you can even use two multi-taps and let all four players use the joypad/mouse combo). You get three multiplayer modes—death- match, team play and a new versus mode. Extra mul- tiplayer options open once you beat the one-player game. You won't find four-player frag fests like this in any other PlayStation game. Crispin Hammerhead has done what can only be described as an incredible job of porting the PC game across. It's fast, smooth and looks better than you would expect. If you see a glitch, chances are it's a 'secret" to shoot— not a graphical problem. Throw in the fact that it supports just about every cool PS add-on out there (both mouse and multi-tap) and you have something that just oozes quality. | never thought PS fragging would be this good. John If you're somewhat familiar with Quake ||, you know the drill—it’s a boring one-player game (shoot, find switch, shoot, find next switch, yawn). But what Quake || for PS does manage to do is provide a great multiplayer first-person shooter deathmatch experi- ence (something that’s sorely missing on this con- sole) and impress everyone with its awesome 3D engine (boy is this thing smooth and purdy for a PS game). The mouse sa is a big plus. Shoe You'll scratch your head wondering how in the hell Hammerhead made Quake || on the PlayStation...not only that, they made a kick-ass version of Quake || on the PlayStation. From a technical standpoint, this gameis a masterpiece. The game's graphics are top- notch nearly all of the time, and the control is what dreams are made of with a PS mouse. Plus the multi- player stuff is always a blast—especially four-player. Overall, this game just feels right. Shawn REPLAY VISUALS. SOUND INGENUITY Publisher: Red Storm Entertainment Developer: Rebellion Featured In: ЕСМ #123 A Players: 1 > Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Very cool music Worst Feature: Disappointing in every respect Web Site: www.redstorm.com If the N64 version of Rainbow Six is a good example of how to convert a classic PC game to a console, then Rebellion’s PlayStation version is a textbook example of how not to. Fact..the ‘spirit’ of the Rainbow Six series is that you are part of a team that is working on each mission. You are simply one oper- ative among many—not a lone soldier. For some rea- son, this fact is ignored here. There are no teams involved, and there is no ‘good guy’ Al that lets them get on with their business while you get on with yours. Fact...part of the fun of R6 is planning your missions beforehand. Why then, does the PS version only allow you to choose your insertion point? Fact...R6 is the perfect co-op multiplayer game (as exemplified by the N64 version). You don't get any- thing here. On top of this the controls are overly sen- sitive and complex, and the frame-rate is so bad it actually interferes with the combat. Shockingly, the bad guy Al is also atrocious. They ignore you, they get stuck on doors and they seem unable to navigate the environments. This is a disturbingly disap- pointing game. The story line and the level structure is so brilliantly conceived, and the presentation (especially the music) is so good, I'm shocked that the gameplay is so bad. The N64 game shames this by some considerable degree. John Funny thing about Rainbow Six: It's packed with lots of little problems, but ! want to play it again and again. The graphics are rough around the edges, to say the least. Control is too touchy on the analog sticks, and don't even bother playing with the digital pad. It lacks multiplayer modes of any kind (a coop- erative mode would've been awesome). But the gameplay here is so gripping and challenging that I Cai tall а flaws—much. Crispin This has got to be one of the worst anythings I've played on the PlayStation in quite a while. I’m not sure what went wrong here, but this version of Rainbow Six went horribly awry. The graphics give you a worse headache than watching Blair Witch Project, and gameplay doesn't get much more annoying or shallow than this. To make things worse, they've raped Rainbow Six of its teamwork strate- gies, thus turning the game into...crap. Che If Rainbow Six PS could borrow Hammerhead's 3D engine for Quake || (PS), Red Storm would have а great game on their hands. But alas, Rainbow Six has a crappy and choppy engine running it, and it affects the gameplay. Control is a bitch, with aiming as pre- cise as a flopped NATO air strike. Plus, the big thing that everyone loves about R6, cooperative play, is not here. It’s a good concept, but the game could've used a lot more time and work. Shoe SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY VISUALS 215 Publisher: Activision Developer: Z-Axis Featured In: ЕСМ #119 A Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock, Analog Best Feature: Plays like the original, but better Worst Feature: Long load times, not enough variety Web Site: www.activision.com This update of the classic shooter Space Invaders plays just like the original, with enough new features to keep it fresh. Eighty stages may seem like a lot, but it’s over quick—my total game time was slight- ly over an hour. The difficulty progression seems a tad on the easy side until about halfway through when it begins to pump up. Load times are annoying, especially if you have to start over from saves— although while loading you can check out helpful information on new enemies added in each group of levels. There's slowdown in later levels, even though the backgrounds hardly have any animation. Maybe if enemy ships were less detailed there wouldn't be as much load time and the game could've been sped up a bit. Gameplay is the same as the original except now you can power up your weapons, making it a more strategic game if that's what you want it to be. One enhancement they didn't make that | really would've liked would be a short *dash" to either side by tapping L1/R1. Music is low-key ambient electron- ica, but isn’t at all memorable and doesn't seem to fit in right with the on-screen action. Two-player is a complete cakewalk, and there aren't any competitive modes to spice things up. A decent update of a clas- sic arcade game that will satisfy purists, but it could've been so much more. Chris Developers wanting to cash in on the bring-retro- games-into-the-'9os craze should pay attention to the Activision titles (Asteroids and now, Space Invaders). This is how to update a game...add fancy graphics and don't add that gameplay-killing third dimension just for the sake of making something 3D. Space Invaders is on the easy side and is too short. What it needs is an endless arcade mode, so you can keep playing it after you beat it. Shoe If Hasbro made retro remakes of games as good as this, we'd have lots of cool remakes floating around. Despite suffering from some really puzzlingly slow load times, Space Invaders is a great example of how a classic should be brought up to date. If there's anything wrong with the gameplay, it's the fact that you can ‘finish’ it now...and it's way too short. For one-player it's bad, but you can whiz through it in two-player mode in a matter of minutes. John I'm all for recognizing history, but I’m just not that thrilled about the new Space Invaders. This version has the same gameplay with added twists like a two- player mode, power-ups and big bosses...but I think Space Invaders loses some of its charm if it isn't primitive, minimal, monochrome, simplistic, etc., etc. As a piece of video game history, Space Invaders is vital. As a shooter, the new Space Invaders is nei- ther appealing nor advanced. Che REPLAY VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY Mont [en the ТЕТІ fal you! PlayStation 2 = = = го 5 т > = = © You’re about to get a lesson in Pain 101. Lea is evil and it’s your task to conquer her. Select one of nine characters and fight the others until the final battle. With amazing animated special maneuver sequences and state of the art graphics, you'll find Evil Zone to be the master of all fighting games. No butts about it. titusgames.com - YUKE'S CO. LTD. Published by TITUS SOFTWARE CORP Al rights reserved. istered trademarks of Titus Software Corporation. PlayStation and the PlayStation 5 of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TSC-05374-PRSP-0399-12.05 Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Featured In: ЕСМ #121 Pp. Players: 1 > Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Just as creepy as RE1 and 2 Worst Feature: The story’s kinda weak Web Site: WWW.capcom.com emesis may not pack innovations as impressive as RE2's two-character, two- CD "Zapping System," but the tweaks here are still pretty cool. Actually, this game's little extras encourage replay more than past RE titles ever did. For starters, you'll hit branching points throughout the game that force you to choose a course of action. Your decision can lead you to a better weapon or a roomful of zombies —or it can even alter the flow of the story. Characters you met in one part of the city may show up in another neigh- borhood the second time you play the game. But the real kicker comes at the finale. Each time you play through, you'll open one of eight epilogue screens. Although nothing spe- Cial to look at, these screens actually add more to the overall RE story line than the entire plot of Nemesis. Most of these epi- logues, in fact, serve as a bridge between this Like the cinemas in RE2? Good, because RE3's flicks are even better. Heck, they're nearly on par with the FMV in FFVIII. game and the upcoming Code Veronica. The mercenary mini-game you open when you beat Nemesis is the series’ best bonus game yet. Without giving too much away, we'll say it rewards you with weapons and abilities you can use in the regular game. Other gameplay tweaks are minimal but convenient. You already know about the sometimes-it-works, sometimes-it-don’t dodge feature. You can also perform a handy quick-turnaround move. The map screen is now much more detailed, as well. We were disappointed not to see any interaction with Leon and Claire from RE2. After all, Nemesis is set roughly during the same time period. We'd hoped to at least spy КЕ2 characters battling zombies in the back- ground, but it just never happened. Still, Nemesis scores big-time brownie points for one of its locations. Finally, we got to see just how creepy a Raccoon City graveyard can get. And let's just say there's more than zombies writhing beneath that rotten soil. 218 Monsters, monsters everywhere...but at least you can tap R1 to dodge ‘em. Good luck getting the timing right, though. Even when we thought we'd mastered the move, the dodge didn't work every time. If nothing else, Resident Evil 3 Nemesis shows just how well the ‘ol ‘survival horror’ formula works. The game's story isn't nearly as gripping and substantial this time around. When it comes to gameplay tweaks, Nemesis isn't as big a jump over RE2 as that game was over the original. It just feels more like a sidestory than a true sequel. Nevertheless, Nemesis is still a heck of a lot of fun to play, and it delivers more than enough thrills and chills. In fact, this is easily the most intense RE game yet. Set throughout sprawling Raccoon City instead of a cen- tral location, Nemesis has you sprinting through streets so crammed with zombies that frequent gang-munchings are unavoidable. Despite the addi- tion of a dodge feature (which is actually pretty tricky to use), RE newbies'll have a tough time with the game's default difficulty level. Fear not—the easier setting is a cakewalk. When | beat Nemesis (it took about 15 hours my first time through), | felt a little let down by the entire experience. The story—crafted by Capcom staff instead of Flagship, the company that created RE2’s scenario —didn't add enough to the RE mythos. Characters seemed underdeveloped. | craved bombshell revelations about Umbrella and its conspiracy; instead, | just got a lot more zombies and some nifty new critters to shoot. Crispin Capcom should've kept Nemesis as a side story. While RE3 is perhaps the most visually stunning entry in the series yet, | kept wishing there was more of it. Dino Crisis has also really spoiled me on real-time environments. It's strange to get attacked and knocked into the next "scene." Capcom has stretched the PlayStation to the limits, and playing RE3 just makes me wonder what they're going to be capable of on next-generation platforms. Chris On one hand Nemesis is a beautifully crafted example of its genre with excellent presentation and wonderful set-pieces that'll make you jump. On the other hand it's a collection of lost opportunities. There are no Back to the Future-style cross-over scenes with RE2, and the story line is pretty schlock- horror sci-fi at best. There's a bad guy after you, and, er...that’s it. Still, it has plenty of replay value and there's more action ШП їп previous games. John Resident Evil 3 was gripping from beginning to end. It has better balance than RE2 between action and puzzle, of which | always prefer the action side. There’s no shortage of zombies to mow down...and Capcom supplies you with plenty of heavy arms to get the job done. The wide variety of monsters and, of course, the omnipresent Nemesis makes this RE a truly frightening experience. Still, I'm waiting for Code Veronica and a true 3D environment. Che VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: SCEA Developer: Insomniac Featured In: EGM #122 Players: 3 Supports: Dual Analog, Dual Shock Best Feature: So much stuff to do and find Worst Feature: It’s a bit on the easy side Web Site: www.playstation.com Spyro 2 is definitely geared more toward the hard- core gamer compared to the first game—it gives you tons of stuff to do above and beyond the regular old stuff. Ah, but even with this, the game's still on the easy side at times. Luckily, the entire experience— even when the difficulty gauge is low—is extremely enjoyable. There are some 10,000 gems to find in the entire game, and dozens of orbs and a variety of tal- isman to collect (so don’t worry about beating the game in a couple of days). You get all of this stuff by completing tasks, some more challenging than oth- ers—all of which are really fun to play through. And the game is incredibly well-made. There are no parts of this game that will annoy you—no graphical glitch- ery to pound your fist about, no crap control to cry about and no crummy camera to curse about. Sure, you might get a little peeved at a particularly tricky jump or task, but that’s OK. It's really just a beauti- ful game. The level-design is incredible, the colors brilliant, character models—everything. All of this said, you're probably wondering if the game has a fatal flaw. Not really. | like the character, the concept and the feel of the game. The only questionable part is the convoluted story (like the in-game cinema explaining the story early on that seems tacked on). Like | said, it's a solid 3D action/adventure. Shawn Our Creative Director Mike summed this up best with two comments as he watched over my shoulder. “Is that Crash? Oh...no, it isn't" and "My little girl would love this.” Spyro 2 is charming, harmless, simple and even more like playing a Saturday morning cartoon than the first game. It looks great and has the most harmless story you'll ever find. It's enjoy- able, has a slow and gradual learning curve and will have kids everywhere loving i it. Harmless fun. John Spyro may be aimed at kids, but it's one of those games that older action-platform fans are going to find just as entertaining. Graphically, Spyro 2 is even more like а cartoon than the first game. Plenty of speech moves the game's story along and you feel like you're immersed in this whimsical world. But even as impressive as the visuals are, there's never any loading time to speak of. If you enjoyed the first ШЕШЕ | did, you're going to dig the seque _Chris The first mm game wasa technical masterpiece but it was a little on the easy side. Spyro 2 is full of the same tranquil aesthetic: a fantasy world, flourishing with pastoral shades of pastel and mauve, populated by rotund Disney look-alikes. It’s a beautiful game that’s got both charm and polish, no matter how you look at it. This time around, the game is a bit more challenging, but still a cakewalk for veteran 3D plat- form freaks. Still, a more than worthy sequel. Che VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Touring Car Challenge: TOCA 2 Publisher: Codemasters Developer: Codemasters Featured In: ЕСМ #124 Players: 1-2 Supports: Dual Shock, wheel, NeGcon, link Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site: It's a sim lover's delight Frame-rate when the action heats up www.toca2.com The problem with serious racing sims is that they'll forever be measured against the infallible Gran Turismo. Despite this tendency, ToCA 2 is a strong contender for one of the best driving simulators on the PlayStation. Because it's a touring car expe- rience, the races here are full contact, tooth-and-nail struggles on every straight-away, around every bend. The game is set up so that you'll have to win races and unlock modes in order to finally open other chal- lenges. In its uncompromising pursuit of realism, ToCA 2 never dummies down to arcade physics; how- ever, a large majority of racing fans out there will find this a tragic omission. Each of the modes you play will have the same realistic physics, and with the exception of the Sega Rally-like time trial mode, all the car damage you wished Gran Turismo had. While the official licenses (from cars and tracks to drivers and events) are authentic, | wish ТОСА 2 had a bigger selection of touring cars for the main challenge. It's basically the same roster of cars from the original ToCA with a handful of "special" cars you can unlock. Graphically, ТОСА 2 has a lot of surprising detail. Look carefully and you can see drivers through the windshield, or the colored reflections of headlights off the slick wet asphalt. OK, so it's not Gran The reason | love this so much isn't because s based in England, and is full of cars that | can remem- ber from English roads. Promise. Regardless of where you're from this is an exciting 'real' cars racing on tracks experience. It may be more of a sim than an arcade racer, but once you've mastered the sensitive controls (and it's nowhere near as bad as last year's game) it’s a joy. It also has the best ‘vroom-vroom’ Шен of any game, ever. John ‘Being partial to sims, | CH like TOCA 2: i the excellent motor sounds to the convincing weather effects, everything about it is realistic. What thrills me the most, however, is the racing gameplay. The excitement of chasing down the pack, slip-streaming and swapping paint with Al cars is.awesome. It's very entertaining that way. The reasons it's so fun? The cars handle like champs. Two-player is decent too, реч with Al vehicles sun aone Dean While l'm not "the mem racing sim E | can аррге- ciate how well this game delivers the realistic effect. Accelerating, cornering and braking feel like the real deal. But, unlike other hardcore racing games (mainly F1-style), TOCA 2 is still fun to play. No mat- ter how bad you screw up, there's still a chance to get back in the race; | like that. Still, | wish the sound was more complete. Even though the motors sound great, some of the other effects don't. Chris VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY You Don't Know jack Instead of candy, participants in your next Veterans Day parade throw G.I. Joe" action figures. Given this, what would you definitely NOT be able to brag about getting at the parade? each Head Publisher: Sierra Developer: Starsphere/Jellyvision/Berkeley Featured In: EGM #122 Players: 1-3 Supports: Dual Shock, Multi-tap Best Feature: The host, the sarcasm, the humor Worst Feature: Repeat questions Web Site: www.sierra.com Any game show video game that will yell out and call Cyril (our main.art dude).a "chicken. $h!t" for not buzzing in during the final round deserves a gold award in my book. You Don’t Know jack is simply awesome, Once you taste Jack, you will never want to go back to dry, humorless games like Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune. Heck, you won't even want to play Trivial Pursuit anymore. You Don’t Know Jack is THAT fun. Even if you’ve played the crap out of the PC/Mac versions like | have, this is still worth getting (unless you happened to have memorized all 800 questions taken from the original series...but even that’s OK because this version has 600 new 0%). PlayStation ҮРК) plays perfectly and is way more fun on а televi- sion, with controllers in hand and your human com- petition outside of your "personal space" (on the computer, three players have to share the same key- board and monitor...crowded, to say the least). And surprisingly, all the voices, insults and witty remarks come out instantly, without hesitation or load times. This is a fun single-player game and an even better group party game. If you have a sense of humor and can appreciate pop culture references and extreme sarcasm, get this game! And God willing, Sierra will be kind enough to bless us with more con- sole editions of You Don't Know Jak — Shoe If you've played any PC or Mac installment in this quirky quiz series, then you know what to expect here. This PlayStation version is just as wickedly fun, funny and irreverent. Go buy it and invite some friends over. Quick. If you've never played a Jack game, then you're really in for a treat. This is the ulti- mate party game. The jokes аге ripped right from рор culture and geared to us grownups. Heck, even your girlfriend will love this thing. Crispin | was in a real dilemma as to how | should score this...and maybe "| get some crap from people, but | don't care. "Why did you give it 10? It's just a trivia game [whine, whine, winge, winge.]" As far as this kind of thing goes, I’ve never played anything better. It's the perfect party game. It's fun, it's challenging, the presentation is incredible and you'll have more of a laugh with this than any other game in your collec- tion. If you're a ‘social’ gamer...buy it. _ John If your friends come over a lot for some multiplayer fun, then stop reading this and go buy You Don't Know Jack. Are you back? Then let me tell you what you just bought: The best four-player party game ever made. It's hilarious, witty and will provide hours upon hours of good times. What's more, this PS ver- sion feels right on the system— it's not a half-assed port. And if you don't have a multi-tap, go back to the store and buy one of those as well. Shawn VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 8 6 1 1 8 1 1 219 1 10 9 10 Sega© Dreamcast COLOR ГІ a e Му? <<; (45567 The NBA and individual МВА member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual property of МВА Properties, Inc., and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. ©1999 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. The NBC names, logos, emblems and other NBC identifications used on or In this product are trademarks and/or forms of intellectual property that are the exclusive property of the National Broadcasting Company, Inc., and may not be used, in whole or in part, with- out its prior written consent, ©1999 National Broadcasting Company, Inc. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved on all copyrights. All games distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. ©1999 Midway Home Entertainment, Inc, Sega, Sega Dreamcast and the Dreamcast logo are trademarks of SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Rumble Pak, Controller Pak and the "N" logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. ©1996 Nintendo ol America Inc. Licensed by Nintendo. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties ol their respective owners 105 over-the-top, two-on-two, leave-your-sorry-excuse-for-a-game-at-home basketball. It's NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC. From Midway, the ~ __ makers of NFL Blitz? With four-way, multiplayer action, more than 120 different players and 30 court options. It's basketball the way "the pros wish they could play. Bigger, bolder, faster. With graphics even stronger than a Shaq dunk. NBA Showtime: МВА on NBC. Light it up. ` LS i . ж d L.A.LAKERS ! NEW YORK 7,” Publisher: Agetec Developer: ASCII Corporation Featured In: EGM #122 = Players: 1 > Supports: Dual Shock, Analog, “Tsuri-Con” Best Feature: Like real fishing Worst Feature: Boring, like real fishing Web Site: www.agetec.com If you're looking for the best way to master the world of fishing without getting your trousers wet, search no more. Bass Landing is the most in- depth fishing game to appear on a console. Almost anything imaginable can be customized, from water temperature to time of the day (and even year). Be forewarned, this is not for-the casual type who wants a quick fishing fix—many hours will be spent learning how to fish properly. When used with the "Tsuri-Con" rod, Bass Landing is the ultimate fishing simulator. SOUND VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Bandai Developer: Bandai Featured In: М/А = => Players: 1-4 Supports: Dual Shock, Analog Best Feature: Easy to get into Worst Feature: Low variety of fish Web Site: www.bandai.com Bandai's Bass Rise is another game vying for the title of best PlayStatioin fishing game. The arcade-like gameplay is aimed more toward the casual gamer, as it is very easy to pick up and play, The environments are very nice—the surrounding scenery is reflected off the water's surface and the occasional family of ducks swims by. The background noise is also serene, the chirping birds and water splashes lend to the atmosphere. The underwater graphics, however, suffer some polygon clipping and draw-in. Good, but not great. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Konami Developer: KCE Nagoya Featured In: М/А A Players: 1 > Supports: Dual Shock, “Tsuri-Con” Best Feature: Graphics, controls Worst Feature; Absolutely needs Dual Shock Web Site: www.konami.com After sitting on our big ol’ asses with Big Ol’ Bass (Fisherman's Bait 2), we can say it's a terrific fishing game for the PlayStation. Sure, maybe it's a little less sim-like than Bass Landing, but it's FUN—doesn't that count for anything in a video game? The wide variety of fishing locales, baits and marine life is nice, but the best part about Big Ol’ Bass is the almost arcade-like pacing of the gameplay. One thing though, you may not have a fishing rod controller for this game, but you most definitely need a Dual Shock to feel the bite. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Westwood Studios Developer: Westwood Studios Featured Іп: EGM #122 кы >» Players: 1-2 (Link) Supports: Link cable, Mouse Best Feature: Three sides to play, link games Worst Feature: It's not that innovative Web Site: www.westwood.com If you're craving more real-time strategy action after beating the various Command & Conquers, Dune 2000 should take care of you. Westwood didn't take any shortcuts here, which is surprising since this isn't a high-profile title. The new 3D graphics are nice (although tall buildings tend to obscure things), and the redesigned interface keeps base building a smooth operation. Westwood even kept support for those peripherals no one seems to have. Shawn, Che and Shoe all took turns enjoying two-player link cable battles (and the occasional co-op game). SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY VISUALS 282 Publisher: Tecmo Developer: Tecmo Featured In: EGM #123 <= Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Pleasant graphics Worst Feature: Stupendously niche subject matter Web Site: www.tecmoinc.com Shawn says that he quite likes this. He's possibly alone on the team in that respect—but he does exemplify the nature of Gallop Racer quite effective ly. It's not for everyone...but it's very good at what it does. In terms of depth, this thing is like the Marianas Trench. At its heart it’s a management game, and the simple 'action' part of the game is less consequential than the.careful choice and breeding of your horses. As both John and Crispin immediate- ly commented, you have to be really into horses and horse racing to appreciate this. Very niche...but good. VISUALS REPLAY SOUND INGENUITY The sun in front of me looks as if it were a bag filled with blood. Ө — A Publisher: Jaleco Developer: Will/Tonkinhouse Featured In: EGM #121 A Players: 1 > Supports: Nothing : Atmosphere, story, puzzles : Moving around сап feel clunky www.jaleco.com Web Site: We've been waiting to play an English version of Juggernaut ever since Jaleco first demo'ed it at EGM. It's a massive three-CD excursion into the macabre depths of the supernatural. It's also an old-school adventure in the purist sense: every location is a beautifully prerendered scene that plays an impor- tant part of some overall twisted puzzle. Moving from one place to another will bring up more prerendered animation (more 7th Guest than Myst, basically). Juggernaut is a different kind of adventure that, hopefully, will get the attention it deserves. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY ; EVERYONE ms Electronic Arts Publisher: Developer: Stormfront Studios Featured In: EGM #119 Players: 12 ea ж» Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Create-a-Driver Worst Feature: Very tough at times Web Site: www.ea.com NASCAR 2000 features a load of new, crowd-pleasin’ features. Hi-res car models, reworked vehicle physics and tighter Al elevate the game to a three- year high in terms of playability and fun appeal. The vehicles react to speeds in very realistic ways— subtle body-sway in the corners, over- and under- steer, etc. It’s all very “sim-like.” Create-a-driver, fan- tasy road courses and more historic drivers pump up the title in all the right places. Keep in mind, howev- er, this is a meticulous racer aimed at hardcore NASCAR and simulation fans alike. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Codemasters Developer: UDS Featured In: EGM #124 == Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Upgradeable bikes Worst Feature: Sluggish control Web Site: www.codemasters.com Straight off the ESPN2 programming schedule comes No Fear Downhill Mountain Biking from Codemasters. Another extreme sports turned video game. But before you mountain bikers get all excited (and we can’t imagine there are many of you), the PlayStation’s first mountain bike title is a disap- pointment, marred by a low frame-rate in both 1P and 2P modes (the 2P mode even has significant letter- boxing) and sluggish control. No Fear has its good points, like upgrading your bike and a large number of tracks, but that can’t save it from mediocrity. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Hasbro Interactive Developer: Supersonic Featured In: ЕСМ #121 <= Players: 1-4 > Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Classic gameplay Worst Feature: Needless frills Web Site: www.hasbrointeractive.com Тһеге% a very good argument that begins with the word “why?” and then pretty much ends there. Sure, this captures the spirit and gameplay of the ancient classic, but do we really need it? “It’s the kind of game my mom and dad would buy,” confesses Johnny England. Crispin hit the nail on the head though, “why would you want to play anything other than multiplayer? The computer’s not worth play- ing.” The ‘new’ frills and gameplay elements don’t really add much to the experience and the whole ‘3D’ moving camera thing is totally unnecessary. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Mindscape Developer: Pure Entertainment Featured In: ЕСМ #111 <= Players: 1-і > Supports: Multi-tap, Dual Shock Best Feature: Old-school gameplay Worst Feature: Odd perspective and camera Web Site: www.mindscape.com Rat Attack has the old school gameplay, but the graphics (which move at 60 frames per second) get in the way of the action. Sometimes you can't tell exact- ly where you are in relation to the rats or other obsta- cles and if you hit them, you drop all those you trapped. And though it looks like it'd be more target- ed toward kids, this game is really difficult. If only there was a way to lock the camera in to place in a top-view instead of a 3/4 perspective, it would be a lot more enjoyable. As action puzzle games go, it’s very middle-of-the-road. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 284 ЈЕ Publisher: Midway Developer: Point of View, Inc. Featured In: ЕСМ #120 A Players: 1-2 = Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Cool cast of fighters Worst Feature: Crappy Al Web Site: www.midway.com We all agree Ready 2 Rumble is very easy to enjoy thanks to its arcade style and wacky cast of charac- ters (some new to this version by the way). But underneath this approachable exterior is a game with some problems. The main (and most unforgiv- able problem) is the Al. Even on the harder difficulty settings, most of us were able to beat character after character with the same combination—the Al just didn’t catch on. Sure, fights get trickier later on, but by then your stats will be built up enough it won't matter. This makes the game repetitive after time. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Agetec Publisher: Developer: From Software Featured In: EGM #119 < Players: 1-2 > Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Two-player deathmatch Worst Feature: Loading times...for menus? Web Site: www.agetec.com There aren’t many positive things to be said about Shadow Tower. There are lengthy loading times (even іп the menus) and several glitches when enter- ing different sections (the game will freeze momen- tarily). Your character is incapable of running or mov- ing quickly, and in order to attack an enemy, you must slowly angle your view, leaving yourself vulner- able to attack. Other problems include polygon tear- ing on the floors and the complete lack of music. Shadow Tower is a decent concept with awful execu- tion. We recommend you avoid this one. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY NINTENDOS^ PlayStation = [1 . Rainbow Six is as close as 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 down!" in your sleep for weeks- GAME BOY ы COLOR www-redstorm-co " - ~ RATING PENDING Publisher: 989 Sports Developer: Idol Minds Featured In: ЕСМ #122 Players: 1-2 A > Supports: Analog Best Feature: Two-player Worst Feature: Speed burst is weak Web Site: www.989sports.com SuperCross Circuit is the motocross equivalent of Rally Cross 2 (it's by the same guys—Idol Minds). The game is full of real riders, bikes and tracks— 989 scored big with the licenses. Gameplay and AI are the real stars of the show, however. Races tend to be close affairs with plenty of thrilling last-second passes and hardcore battling. Banging bikes and catching massive air are mainstays of the game. On the downside, the high speeds and squirrely bikes take a bit to get used to. Once you master that, it's fine. Oh yeah, two-player is also really good. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY TEXAS POT VALUE 51300 d HOLD 'EM Чал | t0 ^ ht 14 Publisher: 3D0 Developer: 3D0 Featured In: N/A - = Players: 1-4 Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Five types of poker Worst Feature: No kino?! Web Site: www.3do.com Vegas Games 2000 is a thoroughly average casino title with all the glitz and glamour of a trip to the local coin laundromat. Call us crazy, but gambling with imaginary money is about as exciting as playing strip poker all by yourself, particularly when there are no hidden high-stakes rooms or other secrets to discover. You do get 21 games, including five types of poker; however, we would gladly sacri- fice baccarat and all five slot machines for interactive tutorials that teach you the nuances of Texas Hold "Ет or Craps. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Infogrames/Dreamworks Ж Developer: CLCE & Planet Featured In: EGM #122 Players: 1 Supports: Built-in rumble Best Feature: Large levels Worst Feature: Loose control Web Site: www.infogrames.com Even if one can get past the somewhat floaty control of the main character, Antz is still a pretty average platformer, something the Game Boy has no shortage of. The levels are large, and each has a different task to complete so the gameplay doesn’t grow stale, but there’s not much that sets it apart from other platformers. The floaty control will lead to some cheap hits and frustration, especially since you're only allowed one continue. There are worse platformers available, but Antz is nothing spectacular. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY EVERYONE Publisher: Infogrames Developer: Mitchell Corporation Featured In: ЕСМ #124 Players: 1-2 Supports: Link cable Best Feature: It’s asimple little game Worst Feature: A little too simple, perhaps? Web Site: www.infogrames.net This is practically the same game as its PS counter- part, so read those reviews for more feedback. The biggest difference (besides the looks) is the Checkmate Mode. Shoe loves this way of doing a stage-by-stage puzzle game way more than the PS version's Stage Mode (because you have only so many moves to clear a level, which is more challeng- ing and fun in Shoe's eyes). Dean likes this version better too because Ballistic is such a no-frills pack- age that it's not worth paying an extra $10 for the PS CD—the GBC format is ideal for this simple game. SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY VISUALS 286 Publisher: Midway Developer: Saffire Featured In: М/А Players: 1 Supports: N/A Best Feature: The southern stereotypes Worst Feature: Very little skill required Web Site: www.midway.com With the recent bumper crop of fishing and hunting games, Midway has taken it upon themselves to par- ody this “hate "ет or love 'em" genre. Unfortunately, the novelty factor would be the only reason to pick up this game. There is little skill involved: Hunting is simply a matter of moving the D-pad quickly, and catching a fish requires little more than holding down the reel button. While we recognize that it may be fun to mock southern culture (even though some of are staff are from the good ol’ south), Billy Bob just isn't worth the effort. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Metro 3D m Developer: Taito/Gaga Communications 0 Featured In: ЕСМ #120 Players: 1-2 * Supports: Link cable i: Best Feature: Combines driving and shooting Worst Feature: Repetitive Web Site: www.metro3d.com Chase H.Q. is like a ghost, a video game imprint that just won't fade away. Taito's milked this game nearly 10 years now, and this latest version is the same as it ever was. As a superfuzz, you've got to run down criminals in your stylish sports car by either ramming them or shooting them. One cool feature that’s been added is a real-time “city map" that allows you to coordinate three different police characters to catch а multitude of bad guys. Unfortunately, both the driving game and the shooting game are extremely shallow and simplistic. Not much longevity here. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY INTRODUCING THE NEWEST WAY TO PLAY BASKETBALL Pee ЦЁ Camera angles that put you in the action ` ҚАЛ Addictive gameplay that's fast and fun SPORTS GAMES FOR SPORTS FANS. foxsports.com log on for more info, screenshots and downloads Also on Windows’ 95/98 CD-ROM INTERACTIVE |. ©1999 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. "Fon," "Рок Sports,” "Fox Sports Net," "Go-To-Guy “Fox Sports Interactive,” "Fox Interactive,” "Twentieth Century For" and their associated logos ore trademarks and the property of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The NBA ond individual NBA member teom identifications used on or in this produc ore registered trademarks and copyrighted designs, and/or other forms of intellectual property, that ore the exclusive property of NBA Properties, Inc and the respective member teams and may not be used, in whole or in prt, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. ©1999 NBA Properties, Inc. llrightsreserved. Windows and the Windows logo ore either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The ratings icon is o trademark ofthe Interactive Digital Sofware 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 ore 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. Publisher: GT Interactive "каш | Developer: 3D Realms CJ Featured In: М/А Players: 1 we Supports: N/A . Interesting level design A little too easy www.gtinteractive.com Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site: One of the more recognizable video game characters of the "905 makes his Game Boy debut with this sur- prisingly pleasant side-scrolling platformer. The premise is silly and heavily clichéd (Duke is abduct- ed by aliens who want to use his brain for, surprise, universal domination), but all in all, the game is easy to pick up and play. Its biggest downfall may be that it's not very difficult. Duke can withstand a large amount of damage and enemy Al is nothing to be feared. If it's at all possible to “dummy down" Duke Nukem, this GBC version has done it. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco [0 Featured In: N/A Players: 1-2 +. Supports: N/A . Best Feature: Acomplete bonus game... Worst Feature: ...(not-so) Super Pac-Man Web Site: www.namco.com It’s Ms. Pac-Man all right, but what’s so “special” about it, other than the fact that it’s in color and it’s portable? Visually, the game is accurate down to the bow on Ms. Pac-Man's (or is it Ms. Pac-Person's?) head; however, the control isn't as tight as it should be. At least you don't mysteriously pass through some blinking ghosts, as you occasionally did in Pac-Man Special Color Edition. On the plus side, the cartridge does include a bonus game, Super Pac- Man; however, as most gamers will recall, this prob- ably was the lamest game in the series. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Camelot Featured In: ЕСМ #120 Players: 1-2 (link) Supports: Transfer Pak (maybe) Best Feature: Golf physics Worst Feature: Tall grass Web Site: www.nintendo.com Even though the Transfer Pak won’t be out until next year (meaning you won't be able to put your Game Boy golfers into N64 Mario Golf until then), Mario Golf GBC is still a really good title. Besides rock- solid physics and topnotch gameplay (on par with its N64 cousin), the RPG elements are enough to push it into the “must-buy” category. Most of the adventur- ing involves golf challenges for points and info gath- ering for the big matches. Two-player link is a blast as are all the regular modes. Golf fan or not, go get this competent game. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Midway Publisher: Developer: Digital Eclipse Featured In: М/А Players: 1-2 Supports: Link cable Best Feature: 1015 of levels... Worst Feature: ...but it’s extremely repetitive Web Site: www.midway.com Another example of a franchise in desperate need of renovation. If you’ve ever played any version of Rampage, you know what to expect. The option of choosing three different characters is nice, especial- ly since each character has different attributes. But repetitive music and spotty hit detection plague this title. Adding to the overall monotony is the lack of varied buildings or backdrops. And let’s face it, the Rampage gameplay mechanic is dated. It was fun back in 1986, sure. Check it out only if you really need to have a portable version of Rampage. SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY VISUALS 288 РЕБРАКЕ EURCHfÉIE Publisher: Midway Developer: Digital Eclipse Featured In: N/A Players: 1-2 Supports: Link Cable Best Feature: Linkable warfare Worst Feature: Web Site: Somewhat plain www.midway.com For those of you who don’t know what Rampart is about, here’s a brief description: You must defend your castle from an advancing armada, strategically placing cannons inside your castle walls and rebuild- ing after every round. This is just a barebones ver- sion of Rampart, except that it supports the link cable. The GBC color palette is used nicely, and there’s even speech from an announcer after every round. Rampart GBC does justice to the arcade orig- inal and can be fun for a while, but there’s not much lasting power. VISUALS REPLAY SOUND INGENUITY Publisher: THQ Developer: Natsume Featured In: ЕСМ #123 Players: 1-2 Supports: Link Cable Best Feature: Does its best to capture TV feel Worst Feature: Control Web Site: www.thq.com The crew's opinions on this game are as scattered as Jesse Ventura's two front teeth. Shoe thinks it looks good (and, with its digitized pics and animated ring entrances, this is the best-looking Game Boy wrestling game). Shawn thinks you need two players to enjoy it. John Davison says control seems arbi trary; he couldn't figure out why a move sometimes worked, sometimes didn't. We all agree the game tries its best to compete with the big boys. It delivers plenty of options and play modes (including Gauntlet and cage match). It's simple—if forgettable—fun. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Put The Pedal To The Metal! WA RAN SECUR Professional Race Car Driving Instruction at Evernham/Hawley : E Racing School located at Irwindale Speedway TO ENTER FILL OUT THE CARD BELOW AND MAIL TO: q | VIGILANTE 8: SECOND OFFENSE SWEEPSTAKES, Р.О. ВОХ 670021 LOS ANGELES, CA 90067-9545 Roundtrip coach airfare for two | 5 First Name: Last Name: | Two nights accommodation | 1 | | | | f Age: (Must be at least 16 years) Country: Transfers from airport to hotel and speedway L Address: Apt #: ` ictions City: State: Zip: Home Phone: ( J E-ma SECOND PRIZE тм 25 copies of Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense NINTENDO: 3 Sega?Dreamcast жер | АСТМЧОН. Official Rules and Restrictions: No purchase necessary. Open to residents of the US and Canada. Contest participants must be at least 16 years of age and have written permission of a parent ог guardian if under 18. Void where prohibited. Grand prize travel dates are subject to availability, standard travel restrictions and blackout dates. Roundtrip airfare is from the winner's closest major metropolitan airport in the Continental United States to Burbank, Ca. Grano prize is non-transferable and non-refundable. Enter by completing the entry form above and mailing to Vigilante 8: Second Offense Sweepstakes, Р.О. Box 670021, Los Angeles, California 90067-9545. Entries must be postmarkec by January 31, 2000. One entry per household. For official rules send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Vigilante 8: Second Offense Sweepstakes, c/o Activision, 3100 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, СА 90405. Grand Prize winners must sign an affidavit of eligibility and a liability/publicity release which must be returned within 48 hours of verification of prize. In the event of noncompliance with this time period, an alternate winner will be selected. Activisior is a registered trademark and Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense is a trademark of Activision, Inc. © 1999 Activision, Inc. Luxoflux is a trademark of Luxoflux Corp. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Licensed by Nintendo. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the 'N' logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc. Licensed by Nintendo © 1996 Nintendo of America, Inc. Not sponsored by Nintendo. Sega Of America is not responsible for this promotion. Sega, Dreamcast and the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Enterprises Ltd. © 1999 SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD. This дате is licensed for use with the Sega Dreamcast system. Published and distributed by Activision, Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Al other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved. PlayStation mem ap pe а - Белес” ае Ва ае sour style Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Featured In: EGM #121 Players: ta Supports: Link cable, Game Boy Printer Best Feature: It's Pokémon Worst Feature: It's Pokémon...again Web Site: www.nintendo.com on the Game Boy a year ago, it's been a mega-hit for Nintendo. The concept is this: When kids are 10 years old, they're eligible to start on a career as a Pokémon trainer (breaking all kinds of child labor laws). You want to become the greatest trainer ever, so you scour the land, catching and training your own monsters, defeating gym leaders and foiling Team Rocket to get into the famed Pokémon league. So what's different in this new version of the game? Not much. The core game is still Pokémon this is not a sequel. If you've played through either the Red or Blue versions of Pokémon, you've been there, done that. What is new? Support for the Game Boy printer— you can print out data on your favorite monsters; Pikachu from the begin- ning— just like the TV show, you have Pikachu from the very beginning, even though it E ver since Pokémon debuted in the U.S. Excuse me, do uou Rave a ticket? (GARY wants Enemy MONKEY lused LEER* to Tight? OR Ж. Ж.Ж. Ж. ЖЗ. ЖЖ. Ж.Ж. Ж ar‏ 28 چ کے ACn A A а A A A A na а a a АҒ‏ AC n ACA а а А yE‏ Aa at м“ An a a aA a AE EE: Surrender now, or [Prepare to Fight? Prepare for trouble, and make it double! Jesse and James, the Team Rocket mem- bers in the show, show up during the game. doesn’t happen quite like it does in the show; Jesse and James from Team Rocket show up to taunt and attack you; you can pick up the three main Pokémon (Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur) easily along the way; there are two new Coliseums you can battle in against a friend; Pokémon are drawn slightly differently than in Red and Blue; and there’s a surfing Pikachu mini-game that opens up when you use Yellow with Pokémon Stadium. Pikachu also talks to you in a neat (if a bit dis- torted) voice in variations on “Pikachu!” 15 that worth the extra cash to play the same game over? For the hardcore Pokémon fan, the answer will likely be yes—and Nintendo will go on to make millions more off of the franchise. For those who have never set foot оп a Pokémon adventure of their own, Pokémon Yellow is definitely the way to do it. While Red and Blue are great games, Yellow's enhancements make the easy choice for the beginning Pokémon player. 290 w In Pokémon Yellow, like the TV series, Pikachu follows right behind you-outside of his Pokéball. You can turn to him and see how he's doing. Usually he'll be very happy and will give you a hearty, "Pika!!" mrm ur al 4 Never played Pokémon? Where have you been for the past year? The extra enhancements make this the best version of Pokémon on the market. Problem is, the game's a year old (four if you're counting from the original Japanese release) and while the enhance- ments play more into the TV/manga series, it’s still the same. There are a lot of things that could’ve been added to make this more of a “special edition.” The biggest disappointment for me was that Nintendo didn’t colorize the game completely to make use of the Game Boy Color. The addition of Pikachu from the beginning is nice, because every- body loves Pikachu and if you’re like me, you could- n't find him right away in Red and Blue. And the new coliseums are an added bonus for those who like to battle a lot with friends. Graphically, it's exactly the same as the versions released a year ago but with new illustrations for each Pokémon. Sound-wise, the tunes are still going to stick in your head, and they're no different (no Team Rocket theme?). One thing that still bothers me about Pokémon is that the transla- tion is a little unclear about certain things, such as when you can use certain abilities, etc. | do hope that this is the last version of the original game we see in the States, because anything more and it'll get ridiculous. Bring on Gold and Silver! Chris Don't get me wrong—I love Pokémon. | played the Blue version to death when it came out last year, and | still battle fellow Pokéfreaks regularly. But 1 never liked the game so much that | want to play it again. That's pretty much what Pokémon Yellow has you doing. The basic story is unchanged. | couldn't care less about Pikachu's expanded role or the new char- acters from the TV show. I already collected all these monsters. | want something new. Cris At first | thought, OK, I'll play Pokémon Yellow until I've caught a Mankey and evolved him into Primeape. But by that point, | was hopelessly addicted. Having never played Red or Blue, І found Yellow to be ап engaging, if somewhat random and bizarre little RPG. | mean, that is what Pokémon is in the end, right...an RPG. | know Yellow doesn’t have much new, other than some Pikachu mini-games; but if you're a newbie, make this your first. Che | know scores of you little obsessed Pokémaniacs are going to buy this game regardless, but just know that this has hardly anything new worth paying cash for. But if you haven't discovered Pokémon yet, this is the cart to get (over Red and Blue). Collecting the lil’ pocket monsters can get really addicting...even for this reviewer who refuses to get caught up in the hype. Just remember...this is for virgin trainers only. Veterans should wait for a true sequel. Sho VISUAI SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 1 4 Correctly Answer a Series of Video Game Questions &Win! GAME BOY ACTION PACK SNIPER FOR PS BOOMERANG 64 Gall Now ane YIN 1(900)773-8439 7-9NG-P R = = ЛЕ N, ONLY ONE WINNER PER HOUSEHOLD PER MONTH! ROTARY CALLS ACCEPTED PRIZES PROVIDED BY NUBY www.nubyonline.com RECENT WINNERS!!! ЇЙ Howard Olsen Wanaque,Nu, Ricky Howell, Milwaukee, WI, Jacob Miller, Grand Island, NE, Brandon Davison, { Mount Olive, МС, Tom Garbarini, Patchogue, NY, Eric Schicker, Highland, MI, Maria Woods, Marion, LA d Jason Simmons, Rome, OH, Ameen Belbarhn, San Francisco, CA, Michael Doffing, St Paul, MN, Gary Sabby, St. Paul, MN, Eugene Ochano, Farmington, MN, Curt Immerfall, Marshfield, WI, Will Butner, Chapel Hil, NC, Thomas Valdez, Midway Park, NC, Carl Cochran, Winston, GA, Timothy Curran, Philadelphia, PA, Edgar Figuero, Whittier, CA, Louis Reveles, Santa Fe Springs, CA, Daniel McDonald, Angier, NC, Daniel Step, Huntersville, NC, David Chan, Cypress, TX, Robert Jordan, Buffalo, NY, Naquan Rose, Brooklyn, NY Alex Cruz, Central Falls, Rl, ‘Shane Lewis, Kenmore, WA, Brian Looper, Cassel, CA, Harry Harris, Fort Pierce, FL, Erik Jensen, Torrance, CA, Erin Schiffler, Las Aye NV, Martin Gallagher, Chicago, IL, Crono Lee, New Orleans, LA, Kevin Lee, Garden Grove, CA, Andrew Jones, Northridge, CA, Carol Redman, Chicago, IL, Dale Schaaf, Orlando, FL, Jason Knight, Reicsville, NC, Gabriel Zaragoa, Chula Vista, CA, Bemard Ozarowski, Beach Haven, NJ, Betty Ruth, Fall River, MA. NOI1V3Od302 SONIGIOH ANN 10 5ңіешәред paJajsi8aJ ae saweu упроја YOUNGER THAN 18 YEARS OLD MUST HAVE PARENTS’ PERMISSION ntry. To enter, correctly answer six consecutive trivia questions and leave your name, address - and phone number as instructed.. Winners wil be determined by judges whose decisions are final One winner per household per month. Ziff-Davis assumes no responsibility for unintelligible, incom- plete, or misdirected responses. 2. Prizes Winners will receive one (1) of the following at Zif-Davis sole discretion: Boomerang 64 controller, PS Sniper Gun, or Game Boy Color Action Pack. Prizes have an approximate retail value of at least $25.00. 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 fea- tured prize(s) become unavailable. 3. Eligibility: Contest open to residents of United States and Canada. Void in Maryland. 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 return a signed affidavit of eligibilty/release of liability/prize acceptance within 5 days of receipt or forfeit prize. Ч Employees of ZD Inc., Nuby Interactive, and their respective affiliates аге not eligible. Neither ZD Inc., Nuby ° Listen to Quartermann Gossip Before It’s in EGM! | Interactive ror ther ерес afiiiates, әйел visions, еее companies are response lorany — ss damages, taxes, or expenses resulting from this contest. Winners acknowledge that ZD Inc. has neither made nor is in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied, ° Call and Test Your Knowledge of Video Game Trivia! hei OF DA Pens toh os CREE Pa eRe Re ET Pea eM DEM ———Á—————— ETO ness. Winners accepting prizes agree that all prizes are awarded on the condition that Ziff-Davis, its д У agents, representatives, and employees will have по liability whatsoever for апу injuries, losses, or 5 mah ° Get the Latest Expert Gamer Codes & Tricks § " damages ol any nd resuling Tom acceptance, possession, or use of the peer. d. Wines er COED ASAP елда ЖӨН UU 155252 МЕН List: For a list of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Preview Line Trivia 8 Contest, PO Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338. Please specify the month for which you ° Hear Review Crew Members’ Game Ratings! | ШЫЛ “сего те winners lt Alon 3-4 weeks lor delivery. э, Restnetons. Vold where A d prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state and local regulations apply. о mU. Review Archive _ Publisher Best Feature ЕСМ Last 100 Reviews From EGM #121 – 124. Worst Feature Scores Issue # AeroWings Airforce Delta Blue Stinger Dynamite Cop Expendable Flag to Flag Hydro Thunder Marvel vs. Capcom E Monaco Grand Prix Mortal Kombat Gold NFL 2K NFL Blitz 2000 Pen Pen Trilcelon Power Stone Ready 2 Rumble Sega Bass Fishing Sonic Adventure Soul Calibur Speed Devils TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat Tokyo Xtreme Racer TrickStyle Е virtua Fighter 3tb ntendo 64 All-Star Tennis '99 BattleTanx: Global Domination Command & Conquer Destruction Derby 64 Duke Nukem: Zero Hour Gauntlet Legends Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko Hot Wheels Turbo Racing In-Fisherman Bass Hunter 64 Jet Force Gemini Madden NFL 2000 Mario Golf Monster Truck Madness 64 NFL Blitz 2000 NFL Quarterback Club 2000 Pokémon Snap Rayman 2 The Great Escape Re-Volt Racing Road Rash 64 HB Shadow Man Starshot Space Circus Fever The New Tetris Tonic Trouble ШЕ Winback: Covert Operations WWF Attitude PlayStation Championship Motocross pe Crave Konami Activision Sega Infogrames Sega Midway Capcom Ubi Soft Midway Sega Midway Infogrames Capcom Midway Sega Sega Namco Ubi Soft ASC Crave Acclaim Sega Ubi Soft 300 Nintendo THO GT Interactive Midway Crave Electronic Arts Rockstar Nintendo Electronic Arts Nintendo Rockstar Midway Acclaim Nintendo Ubi Soft Acclaim THO Acclaim Infogrames Nintendo Ubi Soft Koei Acclaim THO Intense Realism Cool Replays Wicked-Looking Monsters Arcade Perfect Awesome Graphics Loads Of Real Tracks And Drivers As Close To The Arcade... The Four-Player Crossover Mode Awesome Control Crisp Visuals Realistic Graphics Incredibly Fun Great Graphics, Fun Multiplayer Simple, Arcadey Gameplay Facial Graphics and Animation Get Y'self Sum Fishin’ In Y'livin Room Great Graphics And Gameplay Graphics, Controls, Extras Gambling Good Graphics And Tracks Smooth-Ass Frame-Rate Graphics VF3 Gameplay Fully intact Short Skirts On Them Ladies Two-Player Co-Op For Main Game New Graphics. Four-Player Capture-The-Flag Huge Levels Being Able To Save Exclusive N64-Only Levels Selection Of Classic Hot Wheels It's Quite Relaxing Huge Levels, Fun To Play Great Gameplay Great Golf Physics Nice Graphics Gameplay Good Replays Watching Pokémon Reactions Lush Graphics, Tight Control Track Editor Cool Combat Horrifying Levels, Graphics 300+ Characters Swapping Out Pieces Solid Level Design and Gameplay Doing Covert Operations Customizable Everything! Realistic Physics 292 Frustrating Advanced Maneuvers Generic Gameplay Horrendous Camera Angles Short, Easy And Dull Can't See Your Guy Amidst The Chaos Too Easy Slowdown In Two-Player Mode Impossible To Play On Standard Pad No Real-World Drivers Or Teams Dated Gameplay Play Selection Menu AI Can Be Dumb Sometimes Not Enough Tracks Too Much Jumpy Jumpy Unbalanced Championship Mode It's Quickly Beaten Camera Problems, A Bit Glitchy No Rendered Intro Or Ending Gets REALLY Tough Bad Control, Slow Stop-Start Racing Is Annoying Short Courses Graphics Are Sub-Model 3 Quality. Tough To Aim The Ball Frustrating Escort Missions Old Gameplay For RTS Veterans Choppy Frame;Rate No Checkpoints Within Levels Repetitious Gameplay Awkward Camera Track Environments Can You Handle The Pace? Learning Curve On The Control Umm...Nothing Worth Mentioning Aiming System Is Confusing Bouncy Trucks Are Tough To Control Slowdown In Multiplayer Jerky Frame-Rate A Little Short, Not All 150 Are In Music Could Be Better Annoying Tracks, Obstacles Simple Graphics Confusing Level Design А Truly Heinous Camera Nothing Else Is Original Just A Lil’ Too Drab Camera Poor Collision Detection Gets A Little Boring 15 80 8.0 85 15 85 45 80 2.0 8.0 9.0 6.0 45 8.0 70 45 8.0 8.5 65 80 15 5.0 8.5 2.0 8.5 9.0 6.0 25 7.0 8.0 6.5 8.0 8.5 70 70 15 65 75 30 80 90 4.5 5.5 80 80 65 80 8.0 123 123 123 124 123 123 123 123 123 123 123 124 123 123 123 123 123 123 123 123 123 124 124 121 124 122 124 122 123 123 124 122 124 123 122 122 122 124 122 124 123 124 123 123 122 122 124 123 123 Game Chessmaster || Demolition Racer Dino Crisis Driver Evil Zone Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy Anthology G-Police: Weapons of Justice Hot Wheels Turbo Racing Jade Cocoon Jet Moto 3 Konami Arcade Classics Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Madden NFL 2000 Metal Gear Solid VR Missions NCAA Football 2000 NCAA GameBreaker 2000 NFL GameDay 2000 NFL Xtreme 2 E NFL Blitz 2000 Æ NHL 2000 E NHL FaceOff 2000 W Omega Boost Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary. RC Stunt Copter Re-Volt Racing Rising Zan ® Sled Storm Soul Of The Samurai mu EN Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace Suikoden || Tail Concerto Tarzan Test Drive Off-Road 3 Thousand Arms Tiny Tank W Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Trick'N Snowboarder Um Jammer Lammy WCW Mayhem WipeOut 3 т wr Attitude Xena: Warrior Princess Game Boy/Game Boy Color Conker's Pocket Tales Looney Tunes Motocross Maniacs 2 Pac-Man Special Color Edition E Pokémon Pinball R-Type DX Spawn ЗЯ Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Tarzan Publisher Mindscape Infogrames Capcom GT Interactive Titus Square Electronic Arts Square Electronic Arts Psygnosis Electronic Arts Crave 989 Studios Konami Eidos Electronic Arts Konami Electronic Arts 989 Sports 989 Sports 989 Sports Midway Electronic Arts 989 Sports SCEA Namco Titus Acclaim Agetec Electronic Arts Konami LucasArts Konami Atlus SCEA Infogrames Atlus SCEA Activision Capcom SCEA Electronic Arts Psygnosis Acclaim Electronic Arts Nintendo Sunsoft Konami Namco Nintendo Nintendo Konami CEA, Inc. Nintendo Activision Best Feature Extremely Customizable Speedy Frame-Rate Cool 3D Graphics Great "705 Cop Show Car Chases Anime-Style Fights, Great Art The Characters, FMV, Plot Finally...Final Fantasy V!!! Thankfully, It's Easier Cool Cars Character Designs, Story Speed (In Some Instances) Time Pilot It's Enormous The Running Game The Puzzle-Oriented Missions Great Replay Value Interceptions Arcade Gameplay Graphics Speedy Frame-Rate Bit Hit Button Fast Gameplay, Great Atmosphere Graphics, Frame-Rate Multiple Play Modes Cheaper Than A Real RC Copter... Track Editor Weird, Weird, Weird, Weird Fast, Smooth And Lots Of Options Interesting Story Fantastic Sound 108 Characters Imaginative Environments Incredible Graphics Licensed Vehicles Going On Dates A Few Interesting Levels The Flexible Combo System Link Cable Support Two-Player Modes Very Fast Game Engine Hi-Res Graphics. Lots To Customize Sword-Swingin' Women Inventive Quest Unlimited Continues Track Editor Two Games In One Worst Feature No Analog Support Shallow Gameplay Load Times Read Bad Slowdown Poor Translation Of A Great Game The Games Will Eventually End No Final Fantasy IV (U.S. 11) Still Has Horrible Draw-In Fantasy Environments Lacks Personality Overall Sloppiness Circus Charlie Sometimes A Bit Tomb Raider-y ^Maddenisms" A Lot Of Boring Shooting Missions A Few Quirks In The AI Cheap Back-Field Hits Players Appear To Be Sliding On Ice Awkward Animation The Cowboys Fighting Too Easy On Rookie And Veteran Too Short A Bit Repetitive „But Almost As Frustrating To Fly Poor Frame-Rate Obstructive Camera System Running Over Bunny Rabbits Controls Top-down View Is Obstructive Can't Move Diagonally Mindless Childish Gameplay Squishy Vehicle Control Combat Is Tedious And Plentiful Provides Nothing Interesting Level Design Is Hit-Or-Miss Unoriginal Gameplay This Game Is Like A Very Bad Trip. Very "Clippy" Game Engine Difficulty In Later Circuits Game Engine Not Precise Unforgiving, Loose Control 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 High Level Of Difficulty Being Able To Turn It On Vertical Scrolling Can Disorient You Too Much Banana Huntin’ Scores 15 60 65 15 80 85 85 55, 45 95 95 95. 95 70 10 75 65 70 40 40 18. 15 90 90 95 85 70 80 85 8.0 70 80 15 85 40 25 85 80 90 90 90 85 90 90 5.0 10 80 40 70 80 90 80 65 45 60 55 70 60 65 6.5 60 7.0 70 75 45 35 90 90 40 80 80 55 55 80 60 80 45 40 1.0 45 15 55 80 10 20 95 7:85 15 10 80 80 10 95 9.5 5.0 55 6.0 7.0 9.0 8.0 T5 7.0 15 65 30 90 90 85 90 15 15 9.0 45 55 55 6.0 7.0 55 8.0 8.5 40 80 20 8.5 75 90 85 40 95 95 15 60 45 70 80 90 80 ү] 10 80 35 8.5 8.0 8.5 8.5 10 T0 90 65 55 65 60 65 65 15 10 6.0 15 40 85 122 122 121 © Ww + B 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 Blue Stinger о What we said: “Blue Stinger lacks polish...the animation’s bad...a disappointment... it’s almost like parts of it weren’t thought through enough...can you survive the horror of this game?” How we rated it: 45 40 4.0 What you said: | really enjoyed this game. The monsters, story and graphics are all terrific. The only gripe | have is the way your character runs. Yes, it is VERY annoying. But it also must be said that it is worth the 50 bucks just for the last boss encounter. Dante Biasatti via the Internet 4.5 Hydro Thunder © What we said: “Even if you’re good at the arcade, there’s plenty of challenge...one of the best arcade racing games around makes a rocky transition to the Dreamcast...this is a fun, fun game...” How we rated it: 15 80 15 10 What you said: To the console gamer, this would seem arcade perfect. Unless you are at the arcade every day and have each track memorized you won't notice any details missing. (Alligators swimming the wrong way? Gimme a break.) This is the best racing game available at launch. Dante Biasatti via the Internet NFL 2K © What we said: “NFL 2K is a must-buy game indeed... the animation is the biggest selling point here...it was easy to pick up... the controls make sense...” “These graphics have to be seen to he helieved.” How we rated it: 8.0 80 7.0 What you said: NFL2k without a doubt, is the best football game ever created. | read your review in the October issue and there is one thing that bothered me about the review. There was a comment made about running not being successful and it forces you to pass a lot. Which is totally false. In real football you don’t see a running back breaking 5+yards every run. Same true for NFL2k. Maybe bought, e-mail us your thoughts at review_crew@zd.com or write to us at the following address: EGM Reader Reviews, P.0. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 2-3 yards here and there, and then there’s a big yardage gain if you choose the right time and read defenses (just like the real deal!). You have to remember that this game is an exact replica of real football. The Al is wicked, way better than Madden’s or Game- Day's. So you're not going to be able to use a halfback sweep every time for a gain of 10 yards or more (sorry Madden lovers). Passing is not an easy chore either. There's no using the same fly pattern play after play. The defense adjusts and knows what your play tendencies are after awhile. It's amazing. Just like Sega says, “It’s thinking.” | give NFL2k a perfect 10. Nothing compares. EA and Sony have a lot of work ahead of them. Great job Sega! Larry Dellegrotto Jr. Berwick, PA This has got my vote for football game of the year. These graphics have to be Final Fantasy Anthology — > What we said: “These classics are every bit as enjoyable as the new stuff...you need to buy this game just to get FFV...both games have some load time and there's slight slowdown... ” How we rated it: 95 9.5 What you said: I've played it [Final Fantasy V], and | admit the job/ability system is cool and allows for some nice customizing. | must point out, however, building up job levels is even more boring than FFVIII magic drawing. Anyway, when | played through FFV, I found that while | liked the job system, the story line bored me to death. | didn't care at all about the characters, or what they were doing. When Galuf died, | didn't feel any emotion at all. The game just wouldn't let me like the characters. In comparison, when Aeris died in FFVII, | considered resetting because I couldn't 294 believe it'd happened (and | thought it was something | did wrong). Needless to say, FFV isn't my favorite of the series. Of course, I’m probably biased (geez, someone admits it instead of accusing you guys). | first got into the Final Fantasy games starting at VII. | now own V, VII and VIII now. Basically, I'm not an old- school FF gamer, so new graphics may be winning me over. While Anthology is a great package, and | realize FFV is new to most U.S. gamers, | wouldn’t be able to give it a 9.5. With FFIV in there too, probably, but without it it’s really only one “new” game. God bless Square for getting it here finally, though. Jason Whalls via the Internet ^ found that while l liked the job system, the story line bored me to death.” seen to be believed. When the play is over and it shows the players up close, | would swear | was watching TV! Yes, it looks that good. Another must-buy game for Dreamcast owners. Dante Biasatti via the Internet | have never seen such great graphics on a football game— it’s awesome. NFL 2K doesn’t look real, it is real. When players get tackled it’s “REAL” cool; it’s like it's “REAL.” Enough about the graphics, I’m now going to [tell] you how fun the game is. The game reacts just like football and if you’ve been waiting for a game like that it’s here. The control is very nice, it’s good if you're a real newbie or an expert. The game kinda reminds me of Blitz but it's more fun than that game and | love Blitz. | didn't care for football at all until | played this game. Frame-rate is great, the performance is great, all of it's great; highly recommended. Ivanaq@aol.com Shadow Man « What we said: *Shadow Man is definitely not for kids...reminds me of what a darker, more disturbing version of Tomb Raider would be like...the game starts off a little slow, but you've got to let the story gather some momentum..." How we rated it: 90 80 10 80 What you said: Shadow Man is a great game. From the dark and creepy graphics to the bad- ass characters. Of course there are some problems. Such as the some- times tricky controls and the “lock on” system doesn’t work as well as in Zelda. But if you don’t mind these small problems you have a great game that no N64 owner should be without. Fair warning though to the parents. This is not for young gamers. However, if you are old enough, get this game. You won't be disappointed. USSJOANN@aol.com Jet Moto 3 2 What we said: “It’s spoiled by being a little too ambitious on the speed front...it’s almost like so much speed is being milked from the rest of the game, the overall title suffers...” How we rated it: 40 40 60 45 What you said: I've just read your reviews of Jet Moto 3 and | don’t believe I’ve ever read a group of more narrow-minded reviews. You didn’t even mention that in essence this is Jet Moto 1 (it’s from a whole new company). You didn’t even give a nod to try to review too many games at once (especially this time of the year) and don't really give some games a fair shake. Isn't there even one Moto-Head on your staff? As for us turning to WipeOut3 instead...you guys just don't get it, do you? When you're playing a racing game and touch a wall you shouldn't come to a complete stop! It's called momentum! Jet Moto 3 should have gotten at least a 7. Will Smith via the Internet Pokémon Pinball в What we said: “As a pinball game, it’s filled with plenty of extra stages and bonus levels that'll keep you busy for hours...graphically, the boards are simple, but the strategy involved is as deep as portable pinball gets...” How we rated it: 8.0 What you said: Pokémon Pinball has got to be one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played. Not only can you have a great time shooting that crazy ball up and down, there’s nothing like the challenge of capturing and evolving Pokémon. When | first saw the game | thought it “You guys just don’t get it, do you?” Pacific Light and Power for creating a whole engine for the series. You didn’t comment on the fantastic opening, the slick music or the (thankfully) toning down of those pesky grappling poles. Chris even commented he'd never played any of the other Jet Moto games for more than five minutes! Way to go for giving the other games a chance! What did you play this new installment for, four minutes? | do agree that the over abundance of speed is a problem...at first. But when you really start to open up the game, [in] Lost City/Sky Park the speed is really cool, though it sounds like you guys didn't want to play the game too much from the beginning. It seems to me you guys was some stupid piece of crap they pulled out of their a** to make a couple of extra bucks. It turned out to be a great game. Jeffrey Montague via the Internet 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 By Trickman Terry • tricks@zd.com Immediately after he says “3,” A tance If your trick is selected as the Trick of the Month, you will win a free GameShark provided by the kind people at InterAct, and a Pro Shock controller or a hyper 64 controller or VIPER controller from Fire International. If you are given credit for submitting a hot trick in this section, you will win a free game. See page 315 for rules. NOTE: IF you send your trick by e-mail you must include your real name, address, city, state and zip code. Do You Use a Cheat Device? Only if I'm really stuck 15% Yes 1296 Sometimes 18% Never, cheat devices are Ше work Satan 56% 0 1000 2000 source: videogames.com 3000 4000 5000 Gr i Aerowings Fly as the Dolphin е A ERATI ЗЕН After successfully completing all Sky Mission Attack modes, you will be rewarded with the ability to fly as a dolphin. In Free Flight, you can even choose 1, 2, 3 or 4 dolphins in your formation! Hydro Thunder Two Cool Tricks Super Start To get a jump start ahead of the competition, wait until the announcer starts counting down. press and hold the R button, then immediately after “2,” let go of R and hold the L button. Immediately after “1,” let go of L and hold the R button. When he says, “Go, go, go!” you will get a nice boost and you'll hear “Super Start!” Boost Jump After picking up some boost power-ups, you can do a special jump without the help of a ramp! Hold the L button (brake) and then press A and you will be boosted into the air. This is great for getting those power-ups that are just out of reach. Mortal Kombat 55: Cheat Menu and More On the “Press Start Button” Screen, quickly press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Left, Right, Right. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a laugh and the word “Outstanding.” Then, enter the “Options” Screen, highlight the Exit option and hold the L+R buttons. While holding these, press the A but- ton. A Cheats Menu will appear with the options shown: Easy Endings Defeat just one opponent to see your character’s ending. Fatality 1 Finish your opponent with High Punch. This allows any character to perform their first fatality. Fatality 2 Finish your opponent with Low Punch. This allows any character to perform their second fatality. Pit Fatality Finish your opponent by press- ing Down and then press High Punch. This allows any character to perform their level fatality. Danger Both characters’ health bars will be extremely low, enabling one- hit deaths. Kombat Kode This allows 30 different Kombat Kodes to be activated. Play as Goro First, enable the “Cheat Menu” code. Then at the Character Select Screen, highlight the “Hidden” icon at the bottom of the screen, hold L+R but- tons and press Up, Left, A. Play as Noob Saibot First, enable the “Cheat Menu” code. Then at the Character Select Screen, highlight the “Hidden” icon at the bottom of the screen, hold L+R buttons and press Up, Up, Left, Left, Left, A. Play as Sektor First enable the “Cheat Menu” code. Then at the Character Select Screen, highlight the “Hidden” icon at the bottom of the screen, hold L+R and press Up, Up, Up, Up, Left, Left, Left, Left, A. Alternate costumes On the Character Select Screen, highlight a character, hold Start and press any button once to rotate their Select Screen picture and enable their second cos- tume, and twice for their third. This works with most of the fighters. You may have to press a button a third time to get some characters’ costumes. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Tons of Boxing Codes Bronze Class Boxers: Select “Championship Mode” from the Main Menu. Then, choose “New Game” and enter “RUMBLE POWER” as a gym name to unlock all class bronze boxers in cham- pionship mode. Note: This also unlocks Kemo Claw in arcade mode. Silver Class Boxers: Select “Championship Mode” 291 The ultimate online resource for strategy Also, read /272/7 smer every month for the latest tricks and strategy from the Main Menu. Then, choose “New Game” and enter “RUMBLE BUMBLE” as a gym name to unlock all class silver boxers in championship mode. Note: This also unlocks Bruce Blade in arcade mode. Gold Class Boxers: Select “Championship Mode” from the “Main “Menu. Then, choose “New Game” and enter “MOSMA!” as a gym name to unlock all class gold boxers in championship mode. Note: This also unlocks Nat Daddy in arcade mode. Champ Class Boxers: ГАС no Select “Championship Mode” from the main menu. Then, choose “New Game” and enter “POD 5!” as a gym name to unlock all class champ boxers in championship mode. Note: This also unlocks Damien Black in arcade mode. Alternate Costumes: At the Character Select Screen, press X+Y simultaneously. Alternate Cornerman: At the Character Select Screen, hold the X button and press Up, Right, Down, or Left. TOP 10 TRICKS The top 10 games of the last month given the full-on Trickman treatment: 1. Driver (PS) Invincibility At the Main Menu rapidly press L2, L2, R2, R2, L2, R2, La, La, R2, R1, L2, L1, L1. This option will now be unlocked in the Cheats Screen. Steer with Rear Wheels At the Main Menu rapidly press R1, R1, Ка, R2, L2, R1, R2, L2, La, R2, R1, L2, L1. This option will now be unlocked in the Cheats Screen. Get Rid Of Police At the Main Menu rapidly press L1, L2, R1, R1, R1, R1, L2, 12, R1, Ва, L1, L1, R2. This option will now be unlocked in the Cheats Screen. Tiny Cars At the Main Menu rapidly press R1, R2, R1, R2, L1, L2, R1, R2, L1, R1, L2, L2, L2. This option will now be unlocked in the Cheats Screen. Flip Screen Upside Down At the Main Menu rapidly press R2, R2, R1, L2, L1, R2, La, 11, R2, R2, L2, R2, L1. This option will now be unlocked in the Cheats Screen. Long Suspension At the Main Menu rapidly press R2, L2, R1, R2, L2, L1, R2, R2, L2, L2, L1, R2, R1. This option will now be unlocked in the Cheats Screen. Show Credits At the Main Menu rapidly press L1, L2, Ri, R2, L1, R1, R2, L2, R1, R2, L1, L2, R1. This option will now be unlocked in the Cheats Screen. 2. Pokémon Pinball (GB) Animate Un-evolved Pokémon If you want to animate the Pokémon you've caught, go to the Pokédex and highlight one of the regular, un-evolved Pokémon. Now press and hold the Start button to see the character move! cont. on pg. 298 TRICKS TOP 10 TRICKS 3. Pokemon (Blue) (68) 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 just left. This time though, you will be able to fight them and use the other Balls on them as well. 4. Pokémon (Red) (GB) Find Codes Find more tricks for this game and send them in! 5. Pokémon Snap (N64) Get Level 7 There is a special rainbow level that will send you to space and let you capture a picture of the infamous Mew! First you must get all of the Pokémon signs in each of the levels. Then Prof. Oak will open up a new level for you where you'll find Mew in a bubble. Stay in the middle and hit him with a pester ball three times as he passes. Then he will appear in the distance, so throw the pester cont, on pg. 300. High Voice Cornerman: On the Character Select Screen, hold X and press L«R buttons simultaneously. Taunts: During a match, hold X+A or Y+B to taunt your opponent (Note: Only X«A works for Damien Black). Fight in the Arena with a Balcony: Enter "Arcade Mode" from the Main Menu Screen and choose the two-player mode. On the Character Selection Screen, both players must hold the L button on their controllers while select- ing a boxer with the A button. Fight in the Championship Arena: Enter "Arcade Mode" from the Main Menu and choose the two- player mode. Then at the Character Selection Screen, both players must hold the R button on their controllers while select- ing a boxer with the A button. Fight in the Gym: ығ Enter “Arcade Mode” at the Main Menu and choose the two-player mode. Then at the Character Selection Screen, both players must hold L+R while selecting a boxer with the A button. Alternate Backgrounds Set the system date to October 31 for skeletons in the crowd. Set the system date to December 25 for Christmas trees in the prize fight arena. NFL Blitz 2000 Cheat Codes Hidden players: Select the “Enter Name For Record Keeping” option and enter one of the following player names and PIN numbers. You’ll hear, “Lights out, baby!” when the code is entered correctly: NAME / PIN ALIEN / 1111 BOXER / 2111 BRAIN / 1111 CURTIS / 1111 (Rat from Rampage) DANIEL / 0604 (Dan Thompson) DINO / 1111 (Triceratops) EDDIE / 3333 FORDEN / 1111 (Dan Forden) GENTIL / 1111 (Jim Gentile) GRINCH / 0222 GUIDO / 2222 GUMBY / 8698 JAPPLE / 6660 (eff Johnson) JASON / 3141 (Jason Skiles) JENIFR / 3333 Jennifer Hedrick LEX / 7777 LUIS / 3333 (Luis Mangubat) MOOSE / 1111 МХУ / 1014 PIRATE / 1111 PUNKB / 2112 PUNKR / 1221 RAIDEN / 3691 (Raiden from Mortal Kombat) RALPH / 1111 (Wolf from Rampage) ROOT / 6000 (John Root) SAD / 1111 SHINOK / 8337 (Shinnok from Mortal Kombat) SHRUNK / 6666 SKULL / 1111 SMILE / 1111 (Smiley Face) THUG / 1111 TREX / 1111 TURMEL / 0322 (Mark Turmell) Cheat Codes: On the Versus Screen, press Turbo, Jump and Pass to change the icons below the helmets on screen. The Illustration by James Silvani numbers in the list shown below indicate the number of times each button should be pressed. After the icons have been switched, press the D-pad or Analog-stick in the indicated direction to enable the code. If you entered the code correctly, you will see the name of the code and hear a sound. More than one code may be activated per game; just make sure you enter it fast enough: 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 1-5-1 Up Green Bay Packers playbook 1-2-2 Left Colts playbook 1-2-3 Up Allow stepping out of bounds 2-1-1 Left Fast passes 2-5-0 Left Late hits 0-1-0 Up Show field goal% 0-0-1 Down 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 big heads 2-0-3 Right 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 Tokyo Xtreme Racer Cool Codes Max Speed Press the Y button at the Assist Shifting Menu, then you will hear a tone. This will enable the max speed of the player and rival car after a win or lose bat- tle. Note: this code only works in Quest Mode. Mark Other Cars ED P 113.079 Мах Щр ED R 0.000 Press L or R button at the Assist Shifting Menu, you will hear a tone. This enables every rival pointer during a battle. Note: This code works only in Quest mode. TOP 5 BASEBALL CODES, SPARKY WHAT DOES IT D0? WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? All-Star Baseball 2000 (N64) Visual Codes 1-900-PRE VIEW $1.49 per minute. Musi years or older. Under 1 have parents’ permission. ТП 8439 The numher to call for the latest cheats & gaming info ТҮРЕ -RP'S1 vait = NOEF NINTENDO 64 қ Sarge’s Heroes Cheat Codes All Weapons Enter “NSRLS” as a password. Maximum ammunition Enter “MMLVSRM” as a pass- word. Test information Enter “THDTST” as a password. Mini mode Enter "DRVLLVSMM" as a pass- word. HOW 00 YOU 00 IT? Beach Ball Mode: On the Main Setup Screen go to the Enter Cheats option | 0000 and access it. On this screen, enter the following codes: Enter BCHBLKTPTY as a code at the Cheat Screen. Play as Tin Soldier Enter *TNSLDRS" as a password. Play as Vikki Enter "GRNGRLRX" as a password. Play as Plastro Enter "PLSTRLVSVG" as a password. Ken Griffey Weeble Wobble Go to the Create A Player option and type *CODE" for the ooo (PS) press Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Jr's Slugfest | Player first name and "WEEBLEMAN" for the last name. You will | (N64) hear a confirmation sound. | MLB 2000 Heavy Hitter | (PS) Go to Create Player Mode and make the player's name 99009 | Scott Murray. This player will hit a 606-foot home run every time. Triple Play Three Outs S | 2000 (N64) During the game, hold L+R+Z and press Down, Up on the | pad or Analog Stick. This is a quick way to end the | innings! | 8 Triple Play ЕА Dream Team Start an Exhibition game. At the Team Select Screen QU Right, Left, Right. You should hear a voice to confirm entry. TRICKS TOP 10 TRICKS (CONTINUED) ball ahead of him so he runs into it as he passes. Do this three times. After Mew is out of his bubble, he will be chas- ing it. Hit him one more time and he'll be stunned. Move in close for a great picture to get a huge amount of points! 6. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (GB) Five Extra Lives 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. 1. 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. 8. S.W. Enisode 1: Racer (N64) Podracer Codes 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. 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 these codes: RRJABBA - This code makes you invincible to damage and overheating. RRTHEBEAST - This code acti- vates Mirror Mode. Your left cont. on pg. 301 Level Passwords Spy Blue - TRGHTR Bathroom - TDBWL Riff Mission - MSTRMN Forest - TLLTRS Hoover Mission - SCRDCT Thick Mission - STPDMN Snow Mission - BLZZRD Shrap Mission - SRFPNK Fort Plastro - GNRLMN Scorch Mission - HTTTRT Showdown - ZBTSRL Sandbox - HTKTTN Kitchen - PTSPNS Living Room - HXMSTR The Way Home - VRCLN Refill Energy After destroying a fire hydrant, stand next to it and press the B button repeatedly. Each time you do this you will gain back points of energy. Madden NFL 2000 Cheat Codes Put in any one of these codes at the Code Entry Screen to initi- ate the cheat as shown. 20-yard first downs: FIRSTIS20 100-yard passes: PIGSKINSFLY More injuries PAINFUL More inter- ceptions PICKEDOFF Less sacks QBINTHECLUB Less penalties REFISBLIND Weird scoring rules DRBENWAY Dodge City stadium WILDWEST EA Sports stadium ITSINTHEGAME Tiburon stadium WEPUTITTHERE All-Madden team TEAMMADDEN TowJam Car Press C-Up, C-Down, Z, R, C-Left, C-Right, C-Up, C-Down. Infinite Turbos Press C-Right, Z, C-Up, C-Down, R, C-Left, Z, C-Right. Seethru Tracks Press C-Up, Z, C-Down, C-Left, C- Up, Z, C-Down, C-Left. Stealth Mode Press C-Left, Z, Z, C-Up, C-Left, R, EA Sports team C-Down, C-Up. WEARETHEGAME Race at Night Industrials team Press C-Up, C-Up, C-Down, C- INTHEFUTURE Down, C-Left, C-Right, C-Left, C- Marshalls team Right. COWBOYS Hot Wheels: Turbo Racing Cheat Codes On the Main Menu Screen, press the following button codes for the cheats as shown: Mirrored tracks Press Z, R, Z, Z, R; Z, Z. Illustration by James Silvani Is excellent...| һауе one THE DEX DRIVE: Isn’t something I’m interested in Is a great idea, but | have no real use for it WCW Mayhem CALEB / 0996 CURTIS / 1111 (Luis Mangubat) MOOSE / 1111 TOP 10 TRICKS (CONTINUE Cool Wrestling Codes DANIEL / 0604 МХУ / 1014 Put in these codes at the Pay Per (Dan Thompson) NATHAN / 0515 and right controls will be View Password Screen to unlock DAVID / 3333 NICO / 4440 switched during the game. the following cheats: All Backrooms Unlocked Put in “CBCKRMS” to unlock all backstage areas. In a two-player game, have you and your oppo- nent climb out of the ring and walk toward the entrance. Stay close to each other and you will find yourself in the back room fighting! Pick the area you fight in from the match options under the Match Setup. All Wrestlers Unlocked Enter "PLYHDNGYS" to unlock all bonus wrestlers. Play as the Same Wrestlers Enter “DPLGNGRS” to play as DINO / 1111 EDDIE / 3333 FORDEN / 1111 ( Dan Forden) FRANZ / 1010 GENTIL / 1111 im Gentile) PIRATE / 1111 PUNKB / 2112 PUNKR / 1221 RAIDEN / 3691 (Raiden from Mortal Kombat) RALPH / 1111 RANDU / 6666 (Note: This code and the above code need 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 Pause Menu. Access this option and you can now turn on any of the available cheats. 9. Tarzan (Ps) Find Codes Find tricks for this game and send them in! the same wrestler as your oppo- GRINCH / 0222 ROOT / 6000 nent in versus mode. GUIDO / 2222 John Root Bionic Wrestlers GUMBY / 8698 SAD / 1111 D at Enter *MKSPRCWS" to create JAPPLE / 6660 SHINOK / 8337 (N64) wrestlers with full attributes. (Jeff Johnson) (Shinnok from Mortal Kombat) Quest Cheat JASON / 3141 SHRUNK / 6666 Hidden Stage Enter “CHT4DBST” as a pass- ason Skiles) SKULL / 1111 On the Title Screen, press and word. Then in “Quest For The JEFF / 1111 (Skull) fos Wo m Best" mode, press Right to move JENIFR / 3333 SMILE / 1111 word Screen. On this screen, up in the rankings. This will ennifer Hedrick) (Smiley Face) press Z, A, A, B, R, Lto start allow you to unlock more charac- JOVE / 6644 THUG / 1111 the game on a hidden level in ters as you keep moving up the LEX / 7777 TREX / 1111 Angelica's Temple. ranks. LT / 7777 TURMEL / 0322 PLAY $ Т ТТ! ШІ5 / 3333 (Mark Turmell) : GameShark Codes NFL Blitz 2000 Cheat Codes Hidden players: Select the “Enter Name For Record Keeping” option and enter one of the following player names and PIN numbers. You'll hear, "Lights out, baby!" when the code is entered correctly: NAME / PIN ALEC / 1197 ALIEN / 1111 AOB / 1111 AUBREY / 7777 AZPOD / 4777 BOXER / 2111 BRAIN / 1111 (Brain) BRIAN / 2221 TRICKS WHODAT / 1844 Cheat Codes: On the Versus Screen, press Turbo, Jump and Pass to change the icons below the helmets. The numbers in the list shown below indicate the number of times each button should be pressed. After the icons have been More GameShark Codes 8014e3eboooa Max Speed 8014e3ea000a Max Strength 8014e3e8000a Max Toughness 8014e3e9000a PLAYSTATION Hot Wheels Turbo Racing Add Turbos 8003fd900001 Infinite Turbos 301298400009 Max Points 801295foffff 801295f2000f Max Tournament Points 801397c800ff Start on Lap 4 do1295acoooo 301295acooo3 Jet Moto 3 Infinite Turbo P1 800ccf1a0168 Madden NFL 2000 Away Team Score o 80074da20000 Away Team Score 99 80074da20063 Home Team Score o 80071fa20000 Home Team Score 99 80071fa20063 RC Stunt Copter Max Score 800CD468FFFF WWF Attitude Enable Everything 800CB33809FF 800CB33AFoo0o 800CB33CAF5C 800CB33EFFFF Switched, press the D-pad or Analog-stick in the indicated direction to enable the code. || entered correctly, you will see the name of the code and hear a Sound. Several codes may be activated per game; just make sure you enter it fast enough: 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 1-5-1 Up Green Bay Packers playbook 1-2-2 Left Allow stepping out of bounds 2-1-1 Left Fast passes 2-5-0 Left Late hits 0-1-0 Up Show field goal % 0-0-1 Down 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 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 Field: Muddy 5-2-5 Down Field: Wet 5-5-5 Right Sled Storm Play As Sergei Enter the Options Screen, select the load/save option, and dis- play the Password Screen. Then, enter Square, L1, Square, L2, Triangle, R2, X, Circle asa password. All Characters and Cheats From the Main Menu, choose the Enter Cheat option and enter the cheats as shown: All Cheats Unlocked Enter ZBOBBYBIRD at the Pass- word Screen. Now go back to the Main Menu and go into the “Cheats” Menu to find a level select and more! Unlock Characters in Head to Head Mode MSLAPUPMEAL - unlocks Starvin Marvin SRAFT - unlocks Terrance PPHAERT - unlocks Phillip 2 Monthly - 802 - wv game VDOROTHYSFRIEND - unlocks Mr. Garrison ACHEATINGSBAD - unlocks Mr. Mackey YLOVEMACHINE - unlocks Chef BCHECKATACO - unlocks Wendy EFISHNCHIPS - unlocks Pip HKICKME - unlocks Ike KALLWOMAN - unlocks Ms. Cartman NGOODSCIENCE - unlocks Mephisto QSTARINGFROG - unlocks Jimbo JHAWKING - unlocks Ned GOUTRANGE - unlocks Big Gay Al DELVISLIVES - unlocks Officer Barbrady TMAJESTIC - unlocks the Alien Multiple Codes Enter all of these codes from the Pay Per View Password Screen for the following results: All wrestlers Enter "PLYHDNGYS" as the pass- word to unlock all bonus wrestlers. ustration by James Silvani tricks@zd.com We want your tricks! Plus, next month, we want to feature as many DREAMCAST games as possible. Send us anything you have. Play as same wrestlers areas. Now you can fight in the flash on the screen if you have . backstage areas in a one-on-one entered the codes correctly: XPLORER CODES а d fight by running to the entrance. All Tracks IMPORTANT NOTE: standard Have both wrestlers move _ GameShark/Action Replay codes toward the back. You can choose terar ^ can also be used with the Xplorer! which area you want in the 5 Driver match options under Match T p mA No Damage Setup. a | š eee dm IE. ow Felony Meter Classic TNT Nitro к cum o 865DC620 ЕК Put їп “PLYNTRCLSC” as the Infinite Time t> password. One the Ring m е Бы ды Enter “DPLGNGRS” as the Selection Screen, choose the ultor Enemy Cars Are Dead password to play as the same "Nitro" ring to wrestle at the 865D25CC AgAA wrestler as your opponent in TNT Nitro stadium. Enter "WIZZPIG" as a default ا‎ i Up versus mode. Enable Quest Cheat name. Scare Meter Maxed Bionic Wrestlers Put in “CHT4DBST” as the pass- Phantom Class 8662С1Ғ8 57F6 word. In “Quest For The Best” Enter “JAZZNAZ” as a default оаа Mode, press Right to move ир іп name. Enable Low Rider Mode the rankings. This will also give Bonus Ships 8650одЕЕ 504F you the ability to unlock more у Моде hidden characters as you move TERE r... 8 == Enable Backward Mode up the ranks! 86502С08 5959 Enable All Tracks 865DBBF8 5956 Enable Credits 865EB634 5050 865EB632 504F Enable Vincibility Cheat 865ЕВВ6С 5050 865EBB6A 5o4F Enable Immunity Cheat D У јр тај 3 Multiple Codes Enter "MKSPRCWS" as the pass- From the Main Menu, go into the word to make wrestlers with full Options. Once you're at the attributes. Options Selection Menu, you 4 865ЕВВА 5050 АЦ Васкгоотѕ need to access the Game Setup. ave 515. Enter “CBCKRMS” as the pass- Then go to Default Names and Enter “AVINIT” as a default Enable Rear Wheel Cheat word to unlock all backstage enter one of the following codes name. 865ЕВВОС 5050 , А 865ЕВВРА 504F for Player One. You'll see а brief Enable Minis Cheat 865Е8814 5050 865EBB12 504F Enable Stilts Cheat 865EBB4C 5050 865ЕВВДА 504F Š Enable Antipodean Cheat Bust-A-Move 4 Super Mario Bros. Deluxe BésEBCBC 5050 > 865EBCBA 504F Extra Puzzles Max Out Lives Drive Through Walls ћ 3 865A1032 695A Car Park Test Codes No Damage 86748C10 595A Infinite Time Men In Black | mu atthe Hock ot 8749300595 š Spach Ы TER All Tests Completed Skip Stages 36748CF8 598E P. y turn Up 5 36748CF7 598E 36748CF6 598E 36748CF5 598E 36748CFC 598E Turok 2: Seeds of Evil 36748CF8 598E , " Montezuma's Return Weapons, Level Skip, Etc 2% и Cool Codes 36748Соо 598E GoldenEye 007 Tiny Floating Natalya Note: Be in Multiplayer Mode, Choose Bond as your character. 8002B19Fo04F, Аоо281900004 Bond will now be a mini-floating Natalya! 303 Get Some Cool stuff you could probably live without, but shouldn't وک و 82123 Smile, It's Cheap! Who says good-quality digital cam- eras have to cost an arm and a leg? The ePhoto Smile from AGFA is the perfect choice for those who can’t afford much, and don’t need the professional high-quality of more expensive cameras. Thing is, the unit only stores up to 16 640 x 480 images in its built-in memory at a time. Still, for the price, it’s definite- ly one to consider. Price: Around $130 www.agfa.com €———MÁÀ Shoot Your Canon and Dye Like many of the cameras featured this month, the PowerShot S10 Digital Camera uses CompactFlash memory cards to store its 1600 x 1200-pixel images. What makes this camera different though is its com- patibility with the IBM Microdrive —a 340 MB hard drive small enough to fit into a digital camera! When you're done, send it to the Canon CD-300 Digital Printer. This printer uses a dye-sub thermal transfer printing method, which means the finished print-outs look more or less like photos you'd have developed at the store. Price: Around $700 for the S10, $500 for the CD-300 www.canon.com Slammin’ Cam The pictures the WWF Slam Cam from Toymax takes are pretty grainy to say the least. But, the price point certainly works. And if you're a fan of the WWF, this easy-to-use digital camera may be up your alley. Plus, the robust software package included is easy and extremely fun to use. Price: Around $70 www.toymax.com iCandy Ë Sure, you've seen these colors before—but isn’t there something attractive about semi-transpar- ent, wildly colored electronics? We think so. It's easy to see the Kodak is supposed to be used with Apple's iMac. Of course it can be used with any USB-enabled computer. The DC240i is everything you'd want in a mid- to high-end digital camera and a little more. Price: Around $650 www.kodak.com Pixels If you have a little extra dough ü lying around, and want a higher- À end digital camera, the , from Epson will easily fit the bill. It can snap pics up to 1984 x 1488 pixels, and easily connects to your computer via the USB port. You can also add up to 10 seconds of voice per picture. Cool! Price: Around $700 www.epson.com Lots and Lots of % | Not The Same Old Memory Schtick By the time you read this, the 64 MB should be available. Perfect—since you can use it with the USB-com- patible and take all kinds of high-quality pictures. This camera is considered one of the best—if not the best—digital camera Sony has ever produced. It has a professional lens, tons of shoot modes and up to 10x zoom. You can even capture up to 42 minutes of MPEG movie with the thing. This is truly the best of the bunch. Price: Around $190 64MB Memory Stick, DSC-F505 $1100 www.sel.sony.com Order Lir ine (888) GAME-CAVE ine (626) 930- 1300 [ Jill is back in the AAG | town of Racoon City and something very strange is going on. 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InterAct RFU Adapter InterAct S-Video Cable InterAct AC Cable InterAct RFU Adapter Nyko AV Adapter Nyko Classic Trackball Nyko Extender Cable AC Cable Extension Cable 'emor Pack Nyko AC Cable $19.99 | Oddworld Adventures 2 $21.99 $23.99 | Pokemon (Yellow, $23.99 $16.99 | Pong $23.99 $24.99 | R2R Boxing $26.99 $23.99 | Rainbow Six $23.99 $23.99 | Rampage Universal Tour 52399 523.99 | Rampart 523.99 $23.99 | Resident Evil 524.39 523.99 | Rugrats: Time Travelers 524.99 $24.99 | San Francisco Rush 523.99 523.99 | Scrabble $22.99 $23.99 | Speedy Gonzales $23.99 $21.99 | Star Wars Episode 1 Racer $23.99 $21.99 | Street Fighter Alpha $21.99 $21.99 | Tazmaia $23.99 $23.99 $23.99 $24.99 $24.99 $21.99 $23.99 $24.99 00 $24.99 $23.99 $23.99 $23.99 | Top Gear Pocket 2 52499 523.99 | Toy Story 2 524.99 $24.99 | Turok: Rage Wars $24.99 $23.99 | Vegas Games $23.99 $23.99 | WCW Mayhem 525.99 525.99 | Wicked Surfing 523.99 $25.99 | Wings of Fury $22.99 $24.99 | Worms Armageddon $23.99 $23.99 | WWF Wrestlemania 2000 $24.99 $24.99 | Yoda Stories $24.99 $23.99 Dragonball Z #8 Dreamcast 55.99 521.99 $7.99 ter Pad $24.99 $9.99 $7.99 PlayStation $3.99 InterAct MultiPlayer Adpater $18.99 $7.99 $6.99 $29.99 $7.99 512.99 57.99 36.99 518.99 Nyko Extender Cable $7.99 Nyko Game Switch $5.99 nterAct Game Shark $21.99 Mega Memory Card $24.99 Nyko Pocket Vision $6.99 Nyko Power Grip Call Nyko Power Pak $14.99 Nyko PowerLink $5.99 Final Fantasy 8 #1 Nyko Game Switch Nyko RF Adapter Switch Nyko S-Video Cable Pelican Extension Cable Pelican RF Switch Pelican S-Video Cable Nyko Mult-Tap Adapter Nyko Super Cobra Light Pelican 72x Memory Card Pelican Light Gun Pelican S-Video Cable Pelican X-Wing Controller Nyko Hyper Alpha 64 Original Controller Original Controller Pak Pelican AV Pelican Memory Са! 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Odin 4, Siren Available Colors * Frozen Mint + Sherbert Melon * Skeleon Black * Skeleton Green * Soda Blue WonderSwan System | Squaresoft, Namco, Konami, Bandai. know if the big boys have sign Ghouls and Ghosts, Evangelio name a few... WEEEEE! Shenmue Orchestra Final Fanta: $19.99 Final Fantasy 2 Love Grow $19.99 ors $1 Final Fantasy 7 ШЕШІНІП * Irvine Kinneas • Laguna Loire 58.99 * Quistis Trepe $8.99 * Rinoa Heartilly $8.99 *SeiferAlmasy 58.99 $8.99 562. Metal Gear Solid Chrono Trigger Orig They're all here. You ед on that this baby rocks. n, Beatmania, Klonoa, just to sy 8 4CD 99 Silent Hill Original $19.99 ч Bio Hazard 2 Orig. 9.99 $23.99 пи иті p Final Fantasy 6 Orig Reunion $19.99 3cD $42.99 D $39.99 Blue Seed Vol $14.99 | Final Fantasy 4 Cetc Moon $19.99 Brave Fencer Ong 329.99 | Final Fantasy 6 Grand Finale $19.99 $23.99 Fi $19.99 $42.99 Anime Orig. $19.99 $17.99 the Shel PS Orig $19.99 $144.99 | Gran Turismo Rock Arranged 528,99 $48.99 | Panzer Dragoon Azael Complete $23.99 $16.99 | Pnncess Mononoki Orig $19.99 $28.99 | Sailormoon M 54299 $19.99 | Serial Expenm $19.99 Evangelion R $16.99 | Star Ocean Orginal 2CD $32.99 Evangelion S2 Wor $72.99 | Xenogears Orignal 200 $38.99 А Bug's Ше Deluxe Editon $34.99 Apocalypse Now 520.99 Asin Powers The Spy ho Shagese 517.49 Entrapment Gago 13 Assgyrert Комбол $17.47 Heavy Metal: Collectors Box $19.57 Inspector Gadget $20.99 Life is Beautiful $27.99 Pink Floyd: The Wall 520.99 PdemuVittTeGedRae 517.49 Pokemon Vol. 12: Pikachu Ралу517,49 Sakura Wars $20.99 Saving Private Ryan (DTS) $24.49 South Park Bigger, Longer $20.99 Stargate: Special Edition $20.99 Tench п Toyo#7 A New Career 520.99 The Haunting: Signature $20.99 Тһе Matrix Collectors Box 556.00 The Thin Red Line $24.49 Trekkies $20.99 2: Rattle and Hum $20.99 Wild, Wild West $17.49 * Selphie Tilmitt $8.99 ^ * Squall Leonhart $8.99 + Zell Dincht FINAL WORD John Davison Andrew Burwell Chris Johnston Imagine a bunch of guys sitting around arguing passionately about something timely in the world of video games. That's what Final Word is all about...this month it's: John: The weirdest thing about the next round of console wars is that the ante is being raised in so many different ways now. It used to just be that the next wave had graphics that would make you wet your pants or whatever...now everything’s different. We get games, DVD movies thrown in as a freebie, and obviously the graphics. With this though, stuff's getting more expensive and a lot of developers are saying that stumping up the $5 million to produce a PS2 game is difficult for them, especially when Sony takes their cut Box comes in... it’s got standardized hardware using Direct X APIs...suddenly, game testing just got a whole lot easier. What's this? You're worried about the X- Box flooding the market with mediocre crap? That's inevitable. Take a look at the console market; you EGM readers know how hard it is to finally score a gem in a mountain of crap. Dean: Initially | see the X-Box as an odd- ball system that'll only appeal to hardcore enthusiasts (if it even comes out). | think the vast majority of people will flock to “Таке a look at the console market; you GM readers know how hart it is to finally Score a gem in a mountain of crap." on every copy. Microsoft's thing could make a big difference because it will attract a lot of developers. They do games that look great, they can use their PC code without worrying about specs and they don't have to pay a bean to anyone. Shoe: A lot of folks are ruling Dreamcast out, now that they've seen what kind of support PlayStation 2 had at the Tokyo Game Show...but strangely enough, | think if the X-Box does really well, it can inadvertently help Sega out. What you said about the PC code...if a developer wants to “consolize” a PC game for Microsoft's toy, then why not just do it again for another Direct X system, the Dreamcast? If the code, and therefore, most of the work, is all ready, then why not just bring it out for ALL consoles that can easily run it? In an ideal scenario for Dreamcast to compete properly with PlayStation 2, a developer will make a game for the PC, then port it to the X-Box and Dreamcast, skipping PS2 altogether because it's too much work and too pricey. Che: As much as | chuckle at the association of Microsoft and gaming-as- we-know-it, the system will definitely give the big boys a run for their money. | want to address the issue of bugs. Anybody and everybody who plays PC games knows that it's a love and hate relationship. PC games often ship with bugs and compatibility problems due to the anarchic nature of the PC hardware market. You can't get every game to work with every configuration out there—that's just a given. However, this is where the X- the PlayStation 2 for a variety of reasons—they trust the name, it's backward-compatible and it's sure to offer decent games. Yet, having said that, | could see how $5 million could put off a lot of developers. Wat: My main concern is compatibility and bugs. The escalating PC spec wars are sure to pressure Microsoft (and whoever else is making a machine like Dell and Gateway) to upgrade X-Box before the accepted three to five year console cycle. Just imagine wanting to buy Quake 4 and discovering that your X-Box doesn't have enough RAM or the processor is outdated. Mark my words, this scenario will absolutely happen within two years, let alone three to five. Andrew: | have to disagree on several of your points. Being a PC game player for a long time, | have to say that all PC titles don't look the same. There are similarities specification developers will begin to innovate and create titles that are outstanding for that technology. So | think you will see some good games graphically on any system over time. As for having Quake 4 coming out and it not running on the X-Box two years from now, | don't think you're very close to the mark with that either. There are tons of developers using new scaleable technology now. They can make a game that is balls-out graphically, but with scaleable technology, it can be scaled back to run on slower hardware without any programming involved. If you load up the newest Quake on your X-box, the program will detect the hardware you have and scale down the number of polygons, size of textures, etc. to fit with the specs of your system. | think this is the future for game development. Wat: That's my point. The PC spec race won't sit still for the X-Box. OK, maybe I'll be able to run Quake 4 on my X-Box, but it won't look as good unless | add $100 plus dollars of crap into my X-Box. The whole "it's a standardized spec box" will be true for the first batch of games, but for how long? Games being scaleable is a cop out. It's an excuse for PC developers to rely on new graphics cards instead of pure programming skill. John: But if they can do scaleable stuff— we can see huge budget games on lots of systems, like Shoe mentioned. There's also the point that Microsoft wants to dominate the games development environment with Direct X, and X-Box is their way of assuring this. All of a sudden PC games will have console-potential sales (if the system takes off) as long as they run under Direct X. “Му main concern is compatibility and hugs. The escalating spec wars are sure to pressure Microsoft to upgrade the X-Box...” in titles within the same genre (as with any system's games), but there is still a huge variety of PC games, both 2D and 3D. Using your same analogy, if you look at PC games three years ago compared to now, there is an enormous difference in graphic quality, much more so than on the PlayStation, and I think that can be said for any console including the X-Box. While only being able to work with one technical Sony can't compete with that...even if they try to subsidize big products. What can they do? Start dishing out millions of dollars and stop taking their cut? | don't think so. Small developers...the ones who tend to be the innovators are going to develop for the systems they can afford to work on. If they already know PC code then the PC, X-Box, Dreamcast route may well become a reality. “The other pote control. Sony, | Chris: My problem with the X-Box is that the PC market is driven on hardware upgrades every couple months. This does not translate well to the console market. There's a reason PlayStation has sold 50 million units worldwide— people make games for the one and only configuration. Two or three hardware manufacturers aren't going to be able to get any kind of lion's share of the X-Box hardware market. Let's say a year after X-Box comes out, there's a newer version with Direct X 13 or bigger, faster graphics hardware, whatever...all the people with the old version are now screwed, unless you can somehow upgrade the older machines. John: No, because like with the Dreamcast, they can ship the new Direct X software in the games, like they do on PC. The hardware thing could settle down if the market's big enough. Chris: The other potential problem | see with X-Box is quality control. Sony, Nintendo and Sega have "standards" (though | think we can all agree they're pretty damn loose) which limit the amount and quality of software any one publisher can produce. Since X-Box doesn't have that safety net, the potential is there that we'll see a lot of titles very quickly that are crap, simply because companies want to make a quick buck. If there's one thing I’ve learned in this industry, companies never stop pumping out crap games. John: But the PC and X-Box stuff is going to blur. The technology will slow down as long as a standard is established. Sure, more powerful stuff will be developed— john davisonGzd.com dan пиез. сот Che chouGzd.com ean hagerGzd.com andrew burwellezd.com wataru_maruyama@zd.com chris johnstonGzd.com but at the moment there isn't an ‘industry standard' for PC gaming. That's what X- Box is all about. Right now, the PIII 500 is the equivalent of a super-computer, and the Nvidia graphics chip is scarily powerful...if you're going to settle for something as a PC games developer, this seems like a pretty good thing. Chris: | want to play games by Sega, Sony and Nintendo. X-Box isn't going to have Sonic, Zelda or Mario and I highly doubt that we'll see games from top Japanese developers. PC games are not twitch, they're not as easy to pick up and play as a console game— you need a keyboard/special controls to play many of them. If all | see on X-Box are rehashed PC games, am | going to be persuaded to buy one? No. Do console gamers trust the "Microsoft" name? itial problem | see with X-Box is quality ntentdo and Sega have standards...” John: Who cares whether gamers trust the Microsoft name? If they’ve got a Dreamcast, they’re already dealing with them. People just want good games. And | think you're a bit off with the “there's no twitch games' thing...some of the DC launch games were PC or arcade-PC ports. Plus, Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII & VIII have been easily ported to PC, and Sega has a PC brand. I'm not saying "X-Box is the future" — І just think we should look at it like anything else... it's a powerful system that stands a very good chance. It also has a lot of things that will benefit game developers, and we all know that whatever system the developers are happy with, is the one that we'll end up with as the market leader. That's why Sony beat Sega after all. Games like Quake III: Arena (below left) would be obvious first releases on Microsoft's X-Box, but popular oi RPGs like Asheron's Call (below right) would also be ripe for the taking. There'd be no waiting a whole year for multiplayer games like with Dreamcast. 309 | | | | | | | President, 70 Events | Senior Vice President, ......................... Daryl R. Otte Development and Planning | Senior Vice President, ...................... 1 Charlotte Rush Corporate Marketing | Vice President, Controller . President - Terri Holbrooke | Senior Vice President, + Charlotte Rush | | Corporate Marketing. | | Vice President, ‚............................. Glenn Farrell | Brand Management | dieser EE ONT CC, Barbara Lyon | Marketing Communications | ЧЕРГЕ: E eec IU cer al Elda Vale | ZD ZIFF-DAVIS aSOFTBANK company Chief Financial Officer President, ZD Market Intelligence 'imothy C. O'Brien Robert G. 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Robin Raskin | EIC, Family PC | Vice President/Publishing ..................... Sloan Seymour | Publisher, PC Week | Vice President/Publishing ..................... Paul Somerson | Editorial Director, PC Computing Vice President/Publishing, VGG Dale Strang | Vice President/Publishing ..................... Ј Paul Turcotte | Publisher, Yahoo! Internet Lit | Vice President/Publishing .................... Mark Van Name | General Manager of 2D Labs ZD Labs Chief Technology Officer, 20 Labs . Director, ZDBop .. Director, ZD Labs . | | | Bill Catchings | „Eric Hale | | | | | Lauren Black Tiff-Davis, A SOFTBANK Company Dreamcast Trade In Program Send in Video Games and/or Systems valued at $100 or more (see "We Buy" prices listed below or see http:/lwww.bresoftware.com/cashforgames htm). Include a money order (personal checks and credit cards not accepted on trade-in program) for the difference in price between the value of your games and the cost of a New Dreamcast System ($199.98, add $15 S/H to 48 States, $30 S/H to AK & HI, Сай residents add 7 875% sales tax). The following New Dreamcast Games may also be purchased for $49.98 each: AeroWings, Airforce Delta, Blue Stinger, CART Face to Face Racing, Expandible, House of the Dead 2, Hydro Thunder, Mortal Kombat Gold, NFL 2000, NFL Blitz 2000, Power Stone, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, Sonic Acventure, Soul Calibur, ТММ Hardcore Dre аппсабы, ттеу Calor аеннан ir r aora ttes ni pros. Dances Gane and crines may be purtase hot Dre amcast ™ trading in your old games/systems. f you have any questions, please send E-Mail to info@ bresoftware.com or call (559) 432-2684 before sending your package. w BRESoftware.Com 1000s of New & Used Dreamcast, PlayStation and Nintendo 64 Games, Hint Books & Accessories available Cheats, Codes, Reviews - FREE Newsletter & Catalog - Updated Daily - Online Specials - Secure Ordering - New Releases PROJECT PHANTASM 29951400 FORMULA 99 27951200 NICKELODEONCATDOG29991400 ТАД CONCERTO 29951400 DONKEY KONG SUPERMAN 21951000 All Used Games ARMORINES 981400 FORSAKEN 1788700 NO FEAR DOWN HILL TAL OF THE SUN 95800 WEXPANSION PAK SURVIVOR DAY ONE 39954180 Include Original ARMY ENO 27951200 FREESTYLE BOARDIN' 1995800 MOUNTAINIKING 29 TALESOFDESTINY 24081000 DUKE NUKEM TARZAN 4952400 Boxes, Original ARMY MEN 858702 NORSE BY NORSEWEST 18. TANKTICS 258419 DUKE NUKEM ZERO HR TETRSPHERE 279512 киле, Orgia AIR ATTACK 27981200 NUCLEAR STRIKE | 24951000 TARZAN EARTHBOUND 64 TIGERWOODSGOLF 44552400 Instructions anda SAAGESHEROES GALLOP RACER 27951200 ODD WORLD TECMOS DECEPTION EARTHWORM IM 30 TONCTROURLE зовоо ASTEROIDS GAME OF LFE 249510 ODDYSEE TEKKEN LETT T 90 Day Warranty. уара 27951200 GAME SHARK WITH EXODOUS EMOS NUMBER PAR, PROSKATER 449572200 Di t BACKSTREET BLLAROSZI ВОЖА INSTRUCTIONS 29951020 OGRE BATTLE 3 EXCITEBIKE 64 TOPGEARRALLY 24901000 reamcas BALUSTIC GAME SHARK PRO WITH OMEGA BOOST E EXTREMEG 51000 TOPGEAR OVERDANE 279 "BOX S INSTRUCTIONS 34981509 OMKAON: NOMAD SOU TENCHU GREEN LA Anu COME N A 7 BASS LAND INTLETLEGENDS 2951400 OVERBLOOD EST DANES > 67200 TRIPLE PLAY 2000 3495140 ew Accessories WICONTRO. COVER 27950200 PACMANWORLO 20851400 TESTORNES 5 4 BASS MASTERS. il 61400 PANDEMONIUM TESTORIVEOFFRD2 24951000 ~ Sega Controller $29.98 у тере yo: МУ TUROK RAGE WARS BATILEARENATOSHS 1098600 1 x Y TESTORVEORr ADS 30581500 AE Sega Fishing Controller $39.98 BEYOND TH 292% ы THEMEROSPTAL | дана 24851000 CONKERS Nyko Controller Ext Cable $7.98 Dreamcast. BIG AIR SNOWBOARD 1995800 AUTO? 2 THEME PARK ажал ты ri. 108 METEO ECOESROM. EE Bulk Controller Ext Cable. $4.98 пао, Ve Sel Used | We Buy D EM THOUSANGARMS 3488800 SOKA INSTAUCTIONS 27951200 VIGUANIES Sega Visual Memory Unit $24.98 A&owwos о 20852200 AD E MASH СТО лаш CAME SHARK PRO WITH VIGLANTE2ND OFF Third Party Visual Memory Card $9.98 AA EA Saget 5802 GRANSTREAM SAGA A TOUR GOLF 97 THUNDERFORG BOK INSTRUCTIONS 34991500 VIRTUAL CHESS Sega Jump Pack 519.98 29952400 @ ASAGA PGA TOUR GOLF 97 DERFORCEV _ GAUNTLET LEGENOS 38952000 VIRTUALPOOL 64 g P 30982400 BLOODY ROAR GUARDIANS CRUSADE PGA TOUR GOLF $8 TGERWOODSPGATR 27951200 GAUNTLETLEGENDS, 22958214. WANAE GOE Sega Keyboard $24.98 3495/1600 BLOODY ROAR 2 HERCS ADVENTURE TIGER WOODS 2000 5180 GEXIIDEEPCOVER 3952000 WAVE RACE 64 Sega RF Adapter $19.98 TME GAISS WGUN WOW MAYHEM Third Party RF Adapter $9.98 HOT WHEELS asn TBLA TNNMOTORSPORTS2 GOLDEN NUG 1490 WOWNWOREY Nyko S-Video Cable $14.98 239571200 INDIANA JONES TOMBRADERS 24951000 GFRACNO Co E co 2 BRAVEFENG MUSASHI 27991200 INFERNAL MACHINE 299 TOMB RAIDER S MG o BRAVOARRACE 27987200 INTELLVSSONCLASSC 27-987 LASTREYELATON 37957800 RARVEST MOON. DEEP FIGHTER BRAVOARRÁCEZ 1898/1400 JADECOCOON 2995/1400 PORSCHE CHALLENGE TOMBA БЕШ чита DRACONLS BREATHOF PRES FE GORDON RACING 29981400 POWER RANGERS ZEO TOUORROW 3 $0) WEINE ОЛАШТЕ COP BRIGANOI JEOPARDY 254% PRO WORLD GOL MEVERDES сона 2887400 KGGYSRECKNBALS 27981200 WWF WRESTLEMANIA 27550600 ECCO THE DOLPHIN BROKEN SWORD? JEREMY MCGRATH 96 1795700 PROPNBALL 2485/1000 TONY HAWKS SKATER 21881400 INTL SUPERSTA SOC 9827 98/1200 XENA WARRIOR EYOLUTON BRUNSWICKBONUNG 27881200 JEREMY MCGRATH 00032 951500 PSYBADEK 24881000 TOPGUN 2495/1000 JEFF GORDON RACING 20982000 PRINCES EXPENOBLE % BUBBLE BOLE 0 JERSEY DEV PSCHCDETECTVE 24981000 TOURING CARCHALL 2981200 JEOPARDY 34880 уон STORY GRANO THEFT AUTO2 38382400 8/89/20 КЕШ] 40 PSYCHCFORCE = BASSOW TOYSIORY2 — 30881600 LEREMVUCGRATH 3880000 HOUSE OF THE DEAD2 580200 BUGS BUNNY 23991400 JUGGERNAUT QUAKE? 2295/1400 TRICK SNOWBOARD. 29891400 ЗЕТ 9220 We Buya Solal. PlayStation” HYDROTHUNDER 37991800 BUSHIDO BUD JURASSIC PARK ОВЕ 27981200 TRRLEPUY2NO —— 2495110 399780 Nintendo 64 tes see ү ЖЕЯЕМҮ MCGRATH 200039982400 BUSTA MOVE 20 MARAT neng E EE ӘНШ RONDONE SS Io ROLL w puya yega am KING OF FIGHTERS 99 2850400 BUSTA MOVE ЗӨ AV ARENA FIGHTER RAGE RACER 24991000 ТАЈЕРМВАЦ 20081000 SLUGFEST жәе oreor tes тона А MARVEL ҮЗ CAPCOM 28582400 CAESARS PALACE 0 ENGE RALAOADTYCHOONI S8140 TWISTEDWETAL3 248951000 KLLERINSTINCT GOLD 3486/1400 New Accessories METROPOLIS." 399180 CAESARSPALACEZ 2998400 KAGERO CASTLE faul" GROSS ONAN пат явив ESS NeoG AGSLECOMMAND 38982200 CAAMEGEDCON 2898400 OF DECEPTION 25/1200 RALYCROSS2 2498000 ULTMATERBALL 27891200 LEGEND OF AVEAI KING 38 9800 MONO PAN S тет ® Gera за vaea ВЕЧЕ Waay fue em zen ~ N€COGEO Buk Memory Card (15 Block) $2.98 IORTAL KOMBAT GOLD 37.95/18.00 CASTROL HONDA KAWASAKI MOTOR. 27951200 VEGASGAMES2000 34951600 LODE RUI aiid 24951000 Sony Memory Card (15 Block) $12.98 NBA 2K Жы SUPERBIKE RACING 2798/1200 KENSEISACREDFST А М 27951200 LOON sam Pocket Pelican 24 Meg Memory Card (360 Block) $24.98 NBA LIVE 2000 38982400 CENTIPEDE 8 LOOP 8951400 Ё (DODGE gas Pelican 72 Meg Memory Card (1080 Block) $39.98 NBA SHOWTIME 3995/2500 CHAMPMOTORCROSS 299 KINGSLEY : ‘SPACE RACE 369516, Ме Sell Used / We Buy 9 У leone CHESSMASTER2O NDA р TAZENPRESS — 3995180 pasean СЫНЫ Ме BUY Bulk Link Cable 5498 А 807220 GHESSMASTERMLLEN 29951400 KNOCKOUT KINGS 99 2495 EV 24951000 MADDEN 1852020 BUSTAMOVE 000 Bulk RF Cable 39.98 LG BACKCLUB 2000 CHOCOBO RACING READY ZAUMBLE BOK. 2898/1500 MAGICAL TETRISCHALLZT 981200 CARCOM VS SNK. Bulk Control Pad 5798 N PEN TRILCELON 1400 CHRON. OF SWORD KONAMI ARCADE REBELASSAULTI — 2495000 MARIO GOLF 4557200 CHERRY MASTER POWER STONE 00 CIRCUIT BREAKERS CLASSIC t WARZONE 2100 27981200 MARIO KART 64 30951400 DRAGONS WLO Sony Control Pad $9.98 PSYCHIC FORCE 2012 3995 CITY LOST CHILDREN KULA WORLD | WOW MAYHEM 34551600 MARIO PARTY 44551800 FATAL FURY Sony Dual Shock Control Pad $22.98 RANBOX SIX 982400 CIVILIZATION ! 2 RESIDENT EVIL 2 WCWINWO THUNDER 1995800 MICRO MACHINES _ 34951400 GEO CUP 98 PLUS Sony Multit $29.98 ‘RAYMAN 2 CLOCK TOWER 2 п, 3 RESIDENT ЕУІ. 3. 28957400 MSSIONIMPOSSIBLE 27851200 KING OF FIGHTERS R2 опу калар "4 n 2 m RETURN FIRE 1 1400 MONACOGRANDPH 39992000 Game Shark Pro 54498 READY 2 RUMBLE BO COLONY M RETURN B 85100 MONACO GR aem Gane sas REDLINE RACER t: COLONY WARS VENC t 8 s OPOL! р 295240 и lexDrive ЛЧ Күү AGE ACER TYPE DED NES MONSTERTRUCKMAD. 2951800 Айа DROP БВ SEGA BASS FISHING RED ALERT : А MKMYTHOLOGIES 27951200 MYSTERY BONUS Ern Lug | uci usara bac To Buy Games EIE ME TEE М А Б ане MULTIRACNGOHAMP 7951200 SONE о осоне 1. Onaful sized piece of paper, Wite your name, complete address, phone SONIC ADVENTURE QOL BOARDERS 2 IARVEL SUPER HERO! WWF ARC MYSTICAL HINIA number and a list of all the items you would like to order. To speed processing SOULCALBUR VS STREET FIGHT WWE ATTITUDE of your order, ist an alternative for each tite you are ordering SOUL FIGHTER MASTERS MONSTERS WWF WARZONE 5 2. Calculate the total for the item you wish to order, including shipping 8. SPEED EVILS MWASTERSTERASKAS XFLES © handling charges ($8.00 for he first 1 or 2 items, $1.00 for each addtional STFIGTERALPHAS 29552200 X GAMES PROBOARDER24 95/1 i ОГ лаза Hawai, PR, Vi, Guam, APO, FPO, PO Boxes add $5.0) Сай SUPREME SNOWBOARDXS 9522 00 21901500 2 GRATS 0227951200 XMENCHLDR dents add 1 Nes = а SUBUNIEXTREMERAG. 395220 0 2951500 MEGA u 1500 XMENVSSTP ae residents add 7.875% sales tax TEST OANES 35520 27951200 MEGAMAN LEGENDS ANA WAAAOR PANC 28851400 222% systems 3. Allow an additional 21 days for personal checks to clear - send money TIN HARDOORE HEAT. 3481600 CROW сту OF ANGELS 27881200 MEGAMAN xe A нз 20991000. NODS, 9: 24950400 order for fastest processing. Allow 40 days to receive orders placed with TOKYO XTREME РАСЕЯ 8952000 CRUSADERS 0 ENN BLACK Suaa sooo 2 OUDOT HOW дек z 95120 XCLUB2000 44952400 ThefwpaebMtadpissny money orders and 60 days to receive orders placed with personal checks. ARDOR. RAAD DAS ON 91400 METALGEARSOUD SOREL playstaion ites, see М0 (> gg лиананын VETUAFOHERSTS ® AO DARK FORCES VA MISSIONS SENTINAL RETURNS. npfouybackbresftware com N ore t VRTUARGHIENSTR 0540440 DARE FOR Becr me SHADOW VA ed e thee end fac Ges Cat Pod To Sell Games WORMS ARMAGEDCON 39 9524 0 АЯКТА 398800 MSSON MOSS БОШУ ШЕГУ Я 00 Sape летаа EAT 390000 28357400 MSSLE COMMAND | SHADOW TOWER re зал 1. Onaful sized piece of paper, write your name, complete address, phone КЕЛІ T ce 24810 VONACOGRAN SHANGHAI OF ROA HALE Sony Pay Staton number and a is of al the games/systems (including We Buy” prices) you пронос bresoftware.com DESCENT MAXUM 24551200 MONKEY MAGIC SHIPWRECKERS PAPERBOY 1 ert buy are selling. (or use the form at: htt; www.resoftware.com/how2sell htm) са tor йөз not ite А пало MONOFOLY 5 i Modei SceH $50" 4 2. Ifyou would ike to purchase games with the money or credit received, ist CALL FOR NEW STRUCTION DERBY 1795600 MONSTER RA rE MIRAGE В! Dual Shock the tities you would like to order on the same piece of paper. TRUCTIONDERBY 2 1798700 MONSTER ANCHE б We Sell Used / We Buy ова 3. Pack your games, all paperwork and any coupons in a box, Send the box DREAMCAST OEXORNEWRBOK INSTRUCTIONS MONSTER SEED, „ 1080 SNOWBOARONG 3495140 10 the address below by UPS or registered mail. Be sure 10 include the GAMES z лоте а UF 5 ‘Systems must гои ‘Dept # on the outside of your package, Packages not addressed tothe MTV JAMS 3 Original Солға Pac. Dept # below or received after the date listed below will be issued our current ‘DIEHARD TRILOGY 2 MIVS 2 /(BOARI 5 Е не. sen catalog prices. Е МТУ SNOWBOARD! А - 7 0 Defective systems wil be retuned ~ DINO CRISIS MUSC 200 1800 RAMPA полио $1000 nmin) 4. You wil normally receive your check within 7-12 business days after we бояр? 7 E00 NANCO MUSEUM CE муар AMORES SP ma o década, "SOPO YoUr package. D таву обсте путне DRAGON SEEDS VOLUME 1 1 А м AC atapr or AVR саре DRAGON VOLUME 1 19958. ERO apt Send your Games/Systems/Orders to: йе: 7 2 х READY. š We bu те folowing games woa он несе Et u састы BRE Software IME TO KILL VOLUME 5 SPORTS BASEBAL 1 ns Nintendo 8 bé 5 Playstation" 2 zo NASCAR RACING че БАНУ А, ROADSTER бео 55 Бері. ЕМ12 ONE SPOT GOESHOLL цоо! RO биеш УШ 352 W. Bedford Ave, Suite 104 смен SPYRO THE DRAGON FATS cue aac кюбюр We Sell Used /We Buy 254682 n: THE ZO? 1 ‘SPYRO THE DRAGON ADV RACING Кенул ЖЛ „Fresno, СА 93711 bend 770 ELEMENTAL awe ТТЕП MAU PES Seno: E ME: B E-Mail: info @ bresoftware.com puc Er] BOSE E J КОШ ALS OF TOWERS Pons Credit Card Orders (559) 432-2684 iiec NOS NUMBER ADV 27 > ^ икин 9 d m Е. EVILZONE 24 9510 STREE BUSTA MOVE I ji Y Dreamcast 7 AS S129) FANTASTICFOUR 28120 NCAA GANESREAK Z000 88 А sem TWO 39 Ў BREGames.com ҒО! fastest processing of your ACTIVISIC с: Fl 2. Er NECTARI 9 95/1400 БАЯ 5 PALACE 3 " ти CLASS Ў ШТАТ! MADNESS к CALIFORNIA SPEED 40 SPACE RACE for 1000s of PlayStation, buyback transaction and/or to V RESURRECTION А99 © CARMEGEDDONGé — 3995/1800 STAR FOX 64 Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, AUEN TRILOGY CASTLEVANA 981400 WO RUMBLE PAK 8 bit Nintendo, Game Boy, sell games and accessories IED GENERAL FIGHTE 3 STREE! WRUMBLE PAK STAR WARS, зай eae Bey Ce ae not listed in this ad, use our кише NFL BUTZ 2000. s KODEN II EPISODE | POD ВАСА " Lr Some i T тн 4991000 NFLGAMEDAYION 29 UPER PUZZLE FIGHT. 1995700 ROGUE SQUADRON 34 95 lega CD, Game Gear, А ARCADE PARTY PA 2750 кіна? Secus ж 40 SHHOONSOF EUPAEZ 951200 Jaguar Games, Fint Books Online Buyback System HITS 12 PACK 1 37951600 NHL BLADES STE SYPHONFLTER 29851400 BEX DAVE WBOX INSTRUCTIONS ЗАЛАЛ ШЕНІ and Accessories, AREA SBAT 27991200 NAL CHAMP 2000 Мы l400 ANDSOFTWARE 29941200 алом saoo PC Gamesa HirtBooks — http://buyback.bresoftware.com ARMORED CORE TONE: 29581400 NHL FACEOFF 2000 TAIFU, 550% DDOYKONGRACNG 2795/1200 SUPER SASH BROS 99/00 DVD Movies and Anime too! CASH for your old games and systems Use our Online Buyback System http://buyback.bresoftware.com Receive a check or purchase other titles of your choice (also see Dreamcast Trade In Program) - Prices in this ad good thru December 31, 1999 Tiles in ITALICS are never and may or may not be avalabie, please cal for albi. Al Pla Staton games must поме bor, original брзу сазе дарау box, instructions, and any hint booksimaps at were nuded wih he game, we wil deduct $1.00 for roken ewe cases For Nb ames we мі deduct $4 00 for each missingldamaged box $4.0 or each missngidamage| хлуд book nd $200 fer each missing cardboard insert. Al Game Boy Color and Neo Geo Color games must include orginal bx 8 instructions. P'ayStaton, Game Boy Color and Neo Geo Color games without box 8 instructions wil be purchased at е No Box No Instructions ров above. Games not in eselti conditon or wih evidence of rental tore stars wil be tured al yout expense ($600 minimum). Al game include a 90) DAY WARRANTY and are subject to avalabíty We reserve the right to rese any sab or purchase and to im quantities low 4 dys тесем orders placed wih money orders and 6) days to receive orders placed wah personal checks. No relunds/exchanges on opened games. Add $800 SEA forthe frst ог 2 tems and $1.00 foreach additonal. asa aval PRGuam VI APOIPO Boxes ad $5 0. Сай Ве add 78795 tax We do not ship outside he US. Poss are for mal order oniy and based on 1 copy per ile, to buy or sel in uanthy contact our wholesale dept. Limi of game per Ме accepted witout proof of purchase we do not receve your package willbe paid from our curent catalog. To receive pcs in s ad you mus 2 your package. ! yo; are unclear about any of o poles, procedures or prices, please cal or E-Mail Deore sending your games or order 2 acer с Supe Мае Gane Boy Gane Boy Сос, Nido ar МБ zr wet Patent 4 Меза Ane c Wine canes www. McVans.com www.gexpress.com Phone: 219-493-3722 / IN cocum, A M би ао — Ë | » || CALL SOMEONE O Musie info@gexpress.com ' b A WHO CAN HELP ! || ШТНАТ WOULD سر «NL»‏ laystation‏ 2 x. ' Nintendo 64 Strategy Guides Posters/Wallscrolls £.) order@gexpress.com А Dragonball 2 үт | ) (ee) eje ӨӨӨ! ө [6 [6 өө! (е! ПОП? PESE g ЕЗІН АЦ АНБ 8 ¥ > a q (ISSEMEKAIRES m, 4 М| 2н. and sr. new vork, wr 10001 |p Й ү ыса РВИ ННВ z OLD SYSTEMS NEVER DIE, —— x | McVAN'S тн Ес AND "—— REE SHIPPING и — —— ===: Eum (630.00 MINIMUM CALL FOR DETAILS) ———— EE = E» REY DO Te O [ЛЗ ЇЇ @Ш 1 Ec = — — www. McVans.com Phone: 219-493-3722 \ ЕИ January 2000 On sale Dec. 7 The Future of Games We consider the future of console gaming. Will the Dreamcast survive the launch of Nintendo’s Dolphin? Will the PlayStation 2 ruin them both? Or, will the X-Box revolutionize the entire industry by blurring the lines between console and PC gaming? Look for our predictions as well as good info on the systems and their games. Official PlaySt Dec. 1999 On sale Nov. 16 ation Magazine. PlayStation 2 Demo Disc OPM's got everything you want to Playaliles: Gran Turismo 2 * Thrasher: Skate and Destroy * Cool Boarders 4 ° Test Drive: Off-Road 3 • Madden NFL 2000 Demolition Racer * NCAA GameBreaker 2000 ° NFL GameDay 2000 Non-Playables: * MTV Sports: Snowboarding * Twisted Metal 4 * NCAA Final Four 2000 know on the system that will revolutionize gaming—the PS2. But there's plenty of juice left in the current PlayStation, with games like Dune 2000, NBA Live 2000 (say hello to MJ) and Tomorrow Never Dies. Also, Gran Turismo 2 highlights ОРМ” playable demos! Armored Core 2 for the PlayStation 2. 312 EPECTRONICI GAMING к= MONTHLY, e The Slick 50 feature — 50 of the most influential people, games and gadgets of '99 ° Even more PlayStation 2 game previews e Reviews: Donkey Kong 64, NCAA March Madness 2000, V-Rally 2, Formula One '99 * The latest news on PS2, and Nintendo's Dolphin e Tricks for all the major systems e Another installment of “Hsu and Chan” e Power Tools — we put Dreamcast peripherals to the test (again) Dec. 1999 On sale Nov. 23 > аул ал 227v GAMER б е = A Е Е Resident Evil 3: Nemesis 2 5 Got the holiday stocking * See ugly Zombies and = ready? Good, 'cause Expert pretty maps in our 5 Gamer's gonna stuff it with Resident Evil 3 guide t the best strategies you can 1 = find. Next month, they e As got all Pokémon E absolutely blow the lid off of Yellow, all the time 5 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. You'll 5 be racking up Zombie carnage in ° Huge Grandia walk-through 5 no time with a little help from your friends at XG. Pokémania continues with an extensive, and we mean extensive, guide to Pokémon Yellow. Throw in a Grandia strat, some NFL Blitz 2000 and other Dreamcast quick hits, and you’ve got a must-have issue of XG. PLAYSTATION Tme RELEASE PRICE Tu Release Price Tm RELEASE Price ТЕ Release Расе Асе Combat 3 10/99 $46.99 Grandia 10/98 $44.99 NCAA Game Breaker 200008/99 $39.99 Spyro the Dragon2 11/99 $42.99 Ape Escape 08/99 $42.99 Hot Wheels 09/99 53999 NFL Blitz 2000 08/99 $42.99 Star Wars Phantm Mence 09/99 $44.99 Bass Landing w/Contrir 10/99 $59.99 Indy Jones/Infrni Mach 11/99 $46.99 NFL Game Day 2000 08/99 $39.99 Bloody Roar 2 05/99 $3999 Jade Cocoon 07/99 $44.99 NHL Face Off 2000 10/99 $39.99 Supercross 2000 11/99 $44.99 Broken Sword 2 1099 $4499 Је Moto 3 09/99 53999 NHL Hockey 2000 09/99 $39.99 Тай Concerto 10/99 $42.99 CTR:Crash Team Racing 10/99 $42.99 Juggernaut 10/99 $4499 Need Speed 5 Motor City 10/98 54499 Tenchu 2 10/99 $44.99 Carmageddon 2 10/99 $42.99 Jurassic ParkWarpath 10/99 $39.99 Need Speed V Rally 2 11/99 $39.99 Test Drive 6 10/99 $42.99 Championship Motocross 09/99 $44.99 King of Fighters 99 10/99 54699 РХ Dual Shock Asstd Cir 05/98 $29.99 Test Drive Cycles 10/99 $42.99 Chessmaster Millenium 10/99 $42.99 Knights of Carnage 10/99 $39.99 PSX Game Shark Pro 04/99 $39.99 Test Drive Off Road 3 10/99 $42.99 Knockout Kings 2000 11/99 53999 PSX Memory Card 09/95 $14.99 Thousand Arms 10/99 $48.99 Coo! Boarders 4 11/99 $4298 — LEGO Racers 10/99 $44.99 Thrasher:Skate & Destroy 11/99 $44.99 Crash Bandicoot Warped 11/98 $42.99 Last Defense Armada 10/99 $46.99 Pac Man 3D World 10/99 $44.99 Tiger Woods 2000 09/99 $39.99 Crusaders Might Magic 10/99 $42.99 Legacy Kain Soul Reavr 08/99 $42.99 Paper Boy 10/99 $4299 Tomb Raider Lst Revitn 10/99 $42.99 CyberTiger Golf 10/99 $42.99 Parasite Eve 2 12/99 $49.99 Dead or Alive 2 1299 $44.98 Lunar Silver Star Story 06/99 $48.99 Point Blank 2 05/99 $39.99 Топу Hawk's Pro Skater 10/99 $42.99 Demolition Racer 09/99 54699 MTV Sports Snowboard 10/99 $42.99 Quake 2 10/99 $44.99 Trick'n Snowboarding 10/99 54299 Detonator Gauntlet 10/99 $46.99 — Macross VFX 10/99 54299 А Type Delta 09/99 $3899 — Twisted Metal 4 11/99 539.99 Die Hard Trilogy 2 11/99 $42.98 Madden Football 2000 08/99 539.99 АС Stunt Copter 08/99 $39.99 Ultimate 8 Ball 06/99 $39.99 Dino Crisis 09/99 $49.99 March Madness 2000 12/99 54499 Vandal Hearts 2 01/00 $44.99 Driver 07/99 $39.99 Medal of Honor 11/99 53899 Road Rash Unchained 11/99 $39.99 Vegas Games 2000 10/99 $36.99 Dune 2000 1099 $39.99 Мела! Gear Solid 10/98 $48.99 Rugrats Studio Tour 10/99 $44.99 Vigilante 82 Offense 11/99 53999 FIFA Soccer 2000 10/99 $44.99 Shadow Tower 11/99 $4299 WCW Mayhem 09/90 $39.99 Fatal Fury Wid Ambtn 09/99 $39.99 — Missile Command 11/99 $42.99 Shao Lin 10/99 $44.99 — WWF Attitude 08/99 $39.99 Fighter Maker 06/99 $42.99 Mission Impossible 11/99 54299 Sledstorm 08/99 $39.99 Warzone 2100 06/99 $39.99 Fighting Force 2 11/99 $42.99 Monaco Grand Prix 07/99 54699 So. Prk Chefs ішу Shack 11/99 $44.99 Wipeout 3 09/99 $39.99 Monster Rancher 2 — 09/99 $39.99 Soul of the Samurai 09/99 $39.99 Wu Tang Killah 11/99 539.99 Final Fantasy Anthology 10/99 54499 — NASCAR 2000 09/99 $39.99 Space Invaders 10/99 $39.99 Frogger 2 11/99 542.99 NBA In Zone 2000 11/99 $4299 SpeedBall 2100 09/99 $42.99 Xenogears 10/98 $42.99 G Police 2 09/99 $42.99 NBA Live 2000 10/09 $39.99 Gallop Racer 09/99 $48.99 МВА Shootout 2000 11/99 $42.99 DREAMCAST | GAMEBOY COLOR NBA Showtime NBA/NBC 11/99 $44.99 Aero Wings 09/99 $48.99 Chase НО 10/99 528.99 Grand Theft Auto 2 10/99 $39.99 МСАА Final Four 2000 11/99 $42.99 Air Force Delta 09/99 $49.99 Duke Nukem 3D 09/99 52859 == NINTENDO 64 ] Carrier 10/99 $49.99 Game & Watch Gallery 3 12/99 $28.99 Castlevania Resurrectn 11/99 $49.99 — Gameboy Color Asstd Cir 05/99 $79.99 Army Men:Sarge's Heroes 10/99 $52.99 МВА Courtside 23003 11/99 $54.99 Dreamcast Controller 09/99 $29.99 Legend Zelda Link Awake 01/99 $28.99 Asteroids Hyper 64 — 10/99 $56.99 NBA Showtime NBA/NBC 11/99 $59.99 Madden Football 2000 10/99 529.99 Battle Tanx 2 1099 $54.99 — NFL Blitz 2000 08/99 $59.99 Dreamcast Visual Memory09/99 $29.99 МВА Live 2000 11/99 $29.99 Blades of Steel 2000 11/99 $56.99 Paper Boy 64 10/99 $56.99 House of the Dead 2 09/99 S4999 PacMan/PacAttack 08/99 $28.99 Quake 2 07/99 $49.99 Hydro Thunder 09/99 $49.99 Command & Conquer 07/99 $49.99 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing 11/99 $59.99 Incoming 10/99 $46.99 Revelation Demon Slayer 09/99 $36.99 Donkey Kong 64 11/99 $59.99 Resident Evil 64 10/99 $64.99 SF Alpha Warriors Dream 10/99 $28.99 Duke Nukem Zero Hour 09/99 $5499 Road Rash 64 09/99 $62.99 Monaco Grand Prix 09/99 $46.99 Space Invaders 10/99 $29.98 СЕХ 3:Deep Cover 10/99 $6299 Shadowgate 64 06/99 $59.99 Mortal Kombat Gold 09/99 $49.99 Towers Lord Валін 09/99 $32.99 Gauntlet Legends 09/99 $59.99 Smash Brothers 05/99 $49.99 NBA Showtime NBA/NBC 11/99 $48.99 WCW Mayhem 11/99 52899 боетоп'ѕ Great Adv. 09/99 $52.99 South Park Rally 10/09 $59.99 NFL Blitz 2000 09/99 $49.99 Golden Eye 007 09/97 $39.99 Space Invaders 11/99 $5299 Power Stone 0999 $49.99 BOARD GAMES Hot Wheels 09/99 $54.99 Star Wars Racer 05/99 $59.99 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing 09/99 $48.99 Axis & Allies 11/94 $49.99 Hybrid Heaven 09/99 $54.99 Sega Sports NBA 2K 09/99 $49.99 — Battle Mist 10/98 54299 Jet Force Gemini 10/99 $52.99 Super Mario Adventure 12/99 $59.99 Sega Sports NFL 2K 09/99 $49.99 Battletech 4th Ed 12/94 $21.99 Ken Griffey Jr BB 2 05/99 $49.99 Tiger Woods 2000 10/99 $54.99 Slave Zero 10/99 $46.99 Carnage 04/99 $58.99 Legend of Zelda 11/98 $39.99 Топу Hawks Pro Skater 11/99 $54.99 Sonic Adventure 09/99 $48.99 Castle of Magic 05/99 $2499 Madden Football 2000 09/99 $54.99 Тор Gear Rally 2 10/99 55999 Soul Calibur 09/89 $4899 — Deluxe Diplomacy 10/04 54999 Mort. Kombat Spec Force 11/99 $54.99 Vigilante 8 2 Offense 12/99 $5499 Soul Fighter 11/99 $46.99 N64 Controller Asst Cirs 10/96 $26.99 WCW Mayhem 09/99 $54.99 Tokyo Extreme Racer 09/99 $49.99 Lionheart 10/97 53499 N64 Rumble Pak 09/97 $19.99 WinBack 10/99 55999 Trickstyle Skatebrd 10/99 $49.99 Monopoly Marvel Comics 09/99 534.99 Worms Armageddon 11/99 $56.99 Virtua Fighter 3 10/99 $49.99 — Monsters Ravage America 08/98 $34.99 NASCAR 2000 09/99 554.99 Хепа Warrior Princess 10/99 55999 Wild Water Champion 11/99 $49.99 — Risk 03/96 $37.99 | COMPUTER GAMES 8 HARDWARE | кл Чыры 10th Planet 10/99 $4899 Gabriel Knight 3 11/99 $39.99 — Odium 11/99 $37.99 Settlers of Catan 11/96 $32.99 3Dfx Voodoo3 3500 — 08/99524899 Gms Email: NASCAR 11/99 $1899 Off Road GT 10/99 $39.99 Ultimate Stratego 08/99 $25.99 Abomination 10/99 $34.99 Guillemot Race Ldr FFWhi 10/99$129.99 Offcl Frmla 1 Reng 99 11/99 $2499 Warhammer Quest 05/95 $64.99 Asheron's Call 12/99 $48.99 Guillemot T Leader jypad 10/99 $28.99 Рго Pilot 2000 10/99 54499 Backyard Baseball 10/99 $34.99 Indy Jones Infrnl Mchne 11/99 $48.99 Quake 3 Arena 11/99 $47.99 HINT BOOKS Backyard Football 10/99 52459 Rage of Mages 2 10/99 $27.99 Army Men Sarge Heroes 11/99 $10.99 Backyard Soccer 10/99 $34.99 Legend of Blade Masters 11/99 $39.99 АС Stunt Copter 10/99 $37.99 — Battle Tanx 2 10/99 51099 BankHeist 12/99 53959 Links LS 2000 10/99 $48.99 Revenant 10/99 $34.99 CastlevanaiSpec.Edtn 10/99 517.99 Blaze & Blade 10/99 525.99 Mad Catz Panther 01/98 $25.99 Saboteur 11/99 $39.99 ClockTower 2 Off Srv Gde10/99 $11.99 Comanche 4 10/99 $38.99 Matrox Millnm 6400 МАХ 09/99 $239.99 Saitek R4 Fre Fdbk WI — 11/98$169.99 Crusaders Might & Magic12/99 $10.99 Conquest New World 2 11/99 $48.99 Matrx Marvel G400-TV 11/99 $289.99 — Saitek R4 Racing Whi 12/98 $92.99 — Dino Crisis 09/99 $10.99 Crssmn Ext Paint Brwi2 11/99 $19.99 Maxi Gamer Cougar TNT2 10/99 $129.99 — Scooby-Doo-MystFun Pk 10/99 $18.99 Donkey Kong 64 11/99 51299 Daikatana 12/99 $38.99 Maxi Gmr Coug, Video 10/995149.99 Star Trek Hidden Evil 11/99 $4499 Delta Force 2 10/99 $38.99 Maximum Overkill 10/99 54499 — Star Trk 058 Fallen 11/99 $44.99 Gauntlet Legends 0999 $1059 MOK 2 10/99 $44.99 Star Trk Kingon Acadmy 11/99 $48.99 Gran Turismo 2 11/99 $12.99 Diamond Monster MX300 01/99 $89.99 Midnight GT 10/99 $39.99 Supreme Snowboarding 11/99 $37.99 House of the Dead2 — 09/69 $10.99 Die Hard Trilogy 2 11/99 $4499 Mission Impossible 11/99 $26.89 Test Drive Off Road 3 10/99 $26.99 Jet Force Gemini 1099 51099 Diplomacy 11/99 $45.99 MS Intnl Fball 2000 11/99 $46.99 Thief Gold: Dark Projet 11/99 $24.99 Knockout Kings 2000 1099 $10.99 Dirt Track Racing 10/99 $19.99 Nations Fighter Command 10/99 $35.99 Tiger Woods 2000 11/99 $46.99 Metal Gear Solid VR 10/09 $10.99 Driver 10/99 $41.99 NBA Basketball 2000 10/99 $45.99 Pokemon Yellow 10/89 51099 Everest 11/99 $22.99 NBA Live 2000 10/99 $37.99 Tonic Trouble 10/99 $26.99 EverQuest:Ruins of Kunrk 10/99 $19.99 NHL Championship 2000 10/99 $45.99 Tour Car Challenge 10/99 52899 — Sonic Adventure 10/89 $1099 Extreme 4x4 11/99 $18.99 Мо Fear Dhill Mntn Bkng 11/99 $34.99 Vampire: The Masquerade 12/99 $45.99 Star Ocean Second Story 07/99 $11.99 Fading Suns Nbl Armda 10/99 $39.99 — No One Lives Forever 11/99 $46.99 Wheel of Time 10/99 $48.99 Suikoden 2 09/99 $12.99 FIFA Soccer 2000 11/99 $38.99 Мох 11/99 $47.99 Wild Wild West 11/99 $42.99 Tomorrow Never Dies 11/99 $10.99 Visa, MC & Discover accepted. Checks held 4 weeks. Money Orders under $200 same as cash. COD $8. Price, release, availability, 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 "per order" charge is charged once per order placed, the "рег item" charge is charged once for each item ordered and the "per shipment’ charge is | gau ТЕК БИРА ses p tj charged once for each shipment we make to you. For each US order $10.00 | per Order rao pas oie Š i] i N uw will be allocated to a 12 issue subscription to Computer Games Strategy Plus. | par Shipment — $125 сш 500 $1300 00 Per ltem $0.75 $100 6100 900 $200 ‘VIGILANTE 8: SECOND OFFENSE’ features destructible envi- ronments, morph- ing vehicles, spe- cial attack moves and multiplayer options. Blast your way through 12 arenas across the US. & hidden areas, powerups and weapons. Pilot your arsenal loaded ^ vehicle through curves, | high speed high- | ways & more. Activision (Simulation) | Release: 11/99 "RESIDENT EVIL 3: NEMESIS' Caught in a town crawling with flesh eating zombies, our hero- ine, Jill Valentine, must rely on brute force and cunning to find a way to escape alive. Features more zombies, more ter- ror & even more evil Capcom Adventura) Release: 11/9 PSX “MEDAL OF HONOR’ Prepare for your finest hour as you fight WWII. Land behind hostile lines as a Special Forces agent & execute cover operations, search & rescue missions and commando raids. Over 20 opponent types in 11 missions across 30 3D levels. Choose from 14 WWII efa Weapons as you fight alone or 2 player mode. EA (Strategy) Release: 11/99 PSX “KNOCKOUT KINGS 2000: Step U into the ring with the 50 greatest fighters ever! Ali, Frazier, Lewis, м Holyfield & others slug it out in È slugfest or simulation mode in authentic boxing arenas. Replay the greatest fights in history or refight them yourself & change sports his- tory. EA (Sports) Release: 11/99 PSX ‘CASTLEVANIA: RESUR- RECTION’ Summoning all the powers of Hell, the dark Countess of Castlevania has created a portal for Dracula to re-enter our world, along with a raft of foul suck-ups anxious to do his bidding. Step into this tangled-trap- filled castle, ready to whip and slash these suckers to Hell and back. Konami (Roleplaying) Release: 11/99 Dreamcast Reattrrection 85 (47,2, ‘DONKEY KONG’ He's big He's bad. He's back. Eight |worlds, over 30 mini- games & 3 new charac- ters. There are 109 special moves available, & you'll have to master them all before you reach the end of the adventure. Power- ups like peanut pistols, pineapple launchers & fruit grenades add a frantic shoot 'ет up quality to DK 64 Nintendo (астап) сан for details. 1999 CHIPS 8.81 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 ELECTRONIC July 98 Parasite Eve Xenogears Bushido Blade 2 Brave Fencer Musashinden Rayman 2 Gex 64 Spyro the Dragon Gran Turismo Tomba! Issue #108-$6.00 August '98 | Tomb Raider 3 Perfect Dark Final Fantasy VIII Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus Zelda 64 Rogue Squadron Elemental Gearbolt Conker 64 Game Boy Camera Issue #109-$6.00 September "98 Metal Gear Pocket Fighter Jet Force Gemini WipeOut 64 Madden NFL 99 ISS Pro 98 Parasite Eve MediEvil Wild 9 Issue #110-$6.00 October 98 Rogue Squadron Final Fantasy VIII Xenogears NFL Blitz 99 Metal Gear Solid Crash 3: WARPED F-Zero X Spyro the Dragon Rival Schools Issue #111-$6.00 November "98 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 Issue #112-$6.00 Issues Not Listed are Also Available! "ELECTRONI Issue #116-$6.00 Issue #116-$6.00 Issue #115-$6.00 Issue #114-$6.00 Issue #113-$6.00 Issue #118-$6.00 How to Order December '98 Zelda 64 Cruis'n World NBA Live 99 Rush 2: E.R. USA WipeOut 64 Bomberman World Bushido Blade 2 Metal Gear Solid Pokémon January "99 ‘South Park R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Extreme-G 2 Quarterback Club 99 | Asteroids Tetris DX Castlevania 64 Knockout Kings SF Alpha 3 February '99 Soul Reaver Silent Hill Mario Party R-Type Delta WCW Nitro Civilization || Carmageddon бех 3 Тигок 2 March '99 Mario Party Final Fantasy VIII Driver SF Alpha 3 Perfect Dark Need for Speed Ill High Stakes Sonic Adventure Smash Brothers April 99 Gran Turismo 2 G-Police W.O.J. Sega Rally 2 Marvel vs. Capcom Quake || UmJammer Lammy Fighter Maker Beetle Advnt. Racing Grandia || Star Wars Episode | PlayStation 2 FFVIII Power Stone WWF Attitude Dino Crisis Super Smash Bros. SFIII 3rd Strike Pokémon Pinball Order Back Issues of: June "99 Gran Turismo 2 Resident Evil: Nemesis Crash Team Racing Soul Calibur Spyro 2 Shao Lin Dino Crisis WWF Attitude Issue #119-$6.00 WWF Attitude Tekken Tag Tournament R-Type Delta Metal Gear Solid ntegral Pokémon Stadium Carrier Donkey Kong 64 Issue #120-$6.00 August "99 WWF Attitude RE 3 Nemesis Jet Force Gemini Perfect Dark NFL 2000 Hydro Thunder Dino Crisis Tarzan NCAA Football 2000 Issue #121-56.00 September "99 Dreamcast Final Fantasy VIII MGS Integral Soul Calibur Dune 2000 Pokémon Snap WCW Mayhem Tekken Tag Tournament Tomb Raider: Last Rev. MIN MONTE Issue #122-$6.00 October "99 Spider-Man WWF Wrestlemania 2k Twisted Metal 4 Strider 2 Seaman Zelda Gaiden Legend of Mana Chrono Cross Castlevania: Spec.Ed. Issue #123-$6.00 November '99 Pokémon Phenomenon Pokémon Gold/Slvr. Final Fantasy Anth. Star Wars Episode 1 Road Rash 64 Jet Force Gemini Mario Golf (GBC) Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Issue #124-$6.00 Tiff-Davis Inc., Back Issues, P.0. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 ELECTRONIC, GAMING; E бшш? Check or Money order only (in U.S. Funds) made out to: ZD Inc. $3 for each magazine ($3 Canada and Mexico, $5 foreign) Prices and availability subject to change without notice. Thanks :) Trick of the Month Advertiser Index 2-5, 30-31, 152-153 Бат Аы compensation, unless 0 winners list 6, Restrictions: Void where k No Purchase Nacestan To enter, send your 5. Oak кома com. Make sure to include your name, address and phone number. No available issue of EGM. Sponsors assume no for lost, mutilated, late, legible, incomplete, postage due, or misdirected entries, Contest open to residents of United States and Canada. Void in Quebec 2. 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Леледеб aua әлец aM 'зәәш од 3ueasuu aU ƏLƏM пол заашеб YIM оодеоопшшоо puy "peau oq queəuu Jarau әләм пол змем “әәз oq дигеш LAU әләм пол saiBeaeuas pue sepoo әшеб s»xoojun деца рмолмарип Əunoəs 'OndÁAuUo y ‘3USUWSNOU punouBuepun ue озш пол ѕҳооц pue uuəqsAs әшеб рад .opueauiwN| зчпол ogu! збпја 3| Laulu eui vw»xeus pəlieS sali ê “yOu OO mouy тоќ “Жүшгэрарйтс; T THEY WANT YOU TO KNOW? 3 WHAT DON SHARKWIRE ONLINE A] | STYLE STRATEGIES MUSIC NEWS SPORTS ШЕ ES E-MAIL GAME SAVES COD MATURE 2; Sone Becrats come r back to haunt you. Just days after surviving the grisly disaster at the mansion lab, Jill Valentine resigns from 8.T.A.R.8. and attempts to escape a nightmarish city in ruins. Trapped in a town crawling with hordes of flesh-eating zombies, hideous mutants, and a relentless new nemesis, she must rely on cunning and brute force to stay alive. What she soon discovers is that the evil created by Umbrella Corporation’s bio-tech terror is even more horrifying than she ever imagined... 4 | PlayStation www.capcom.com © CAPCOM CO., LTD. 1999 © CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 1999 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. RESIDENT EVIL 3 NEMESIS and CAPCOM EDGE are trademarks of CAPCOM CO.. 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. they are not lost permanently. People interested in helping out in any c please visit us at www.retromags.c No profit is made from these scans, nor do we Offer ar available from the publishers themselves. [f you come across anyone selling releases from this site, please do not support them and do let us know. Thank you!