company

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Eidos Interactive and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. Fighting Force 2, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Core and the Core logo are all 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 COMPLEX 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 Koriami Со: Ltd. PlayStation arid 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 esed

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3 Unique ALIEN SPECIES Whether you command the , ad nomadic Terrans, mysterious

T [ ARCRATT y. арау) ,e8 "%- Protoss, or voracious Zerg, you must devise totally unique

EJ ENTERTAINMENT і specialized units, abilities LJ 4 ж . .

T [sur] strategies to master the ©1999 Nintendo/Blizzard Entertainment. Starcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks of Davidson & Associates, Inc. ™, & and the “М” Logo аге trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc. ©1999 Nintendo. - and technologies ofeach. .

€&xcLusive 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

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2 Games іп 1 - includes Starcraft and Brood War missions, using N64 Expansion Pak"

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Over 100 hours of expifsive game play

TEEN ANIMATED VIOLENCE MILD LANG

www.wwf.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 davisonGzd.com

ELECTRONIC Number 12.12

GAMING pecemher 1999

Www.videogames.com | EDITORIAL Group Publisher | Editorial Director ||

. Funk e joe funkGzd.com

Editor In Chief John Davison • john_davison@zd.com Managing Editor Dean agere dean_hager@zd.com Features Edil Crispin Boyer * crispin_boyer@zd.com Previews Editor Dan Hsu • dan_hsu@zd.com Consumer Hardware Editor Shawn Smith • shawn_smith@zd.com Reviews Editor Che Chou * che chouGzd.com Ninja from the 69th Dimension | Sushi-X е sushi, xGzd.com Contributions to this month's EGM were made by: Gary Mollohan • Andrew Pfister • john Ricca ohn, ricciardi@zd.com • [odd Zuniga ° tod 0 zunigaQad. Com d Sam Kennedy s. 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 pci * 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 can 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 crewGzd.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 Stran; 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 are 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 in | in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, to you by calling (429439463.

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

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ALL YOUR FAVORITE SOUTH PARK CHARACTERS 34 |

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"

РАК.

„ CHEF < LUV sui АСК,

g*essesosssesososen = Suppose the Bull, or "Того," = 2 were replaced by a Japanese 2 5 "Того." What would tte =

s ù Matador be fighting?

e ass, md ana em OO S о 2 = c й eo I єз а ЖА [TTE 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 Ai А<ісіт |, об та пан b ES

www.acclaim.com

PlayStation

www.playstation.com

DONAC

UNIVERSAL VL

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, Ing” 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 PS2, 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 Alundra 2

286 Antz

188 Armored Core 2

26] Ату Men: Sarge's Heroes E. R.

г) 210,286 Ballistic

136 Bangaio

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 ee d shape. Learn how to avoid game-

271 GyberTiger injuri

23 амын related injuries, too.

194 Пепзеп

202 Dragon Quest | & Il

13] Dragon Sword

16 Dreamcast Sequencer

192 Drum Mania

288 Duke Nukem

154 Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home, Тһе

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:

"n БӘД a ss 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 (00), Resident Evil 2 (N64) and a load of PS games.

Review Archive 292

Jet Set Radio ? 106 Roadsters Jojo's Bizarre Adventure - TM Robbit Mon Dieu Puer есімі 269 Rocket: Robot On Wheels Reader Reviews 294 Б nnd ot pragosa 284 Shadow Tower” te 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 eee Veronica Dreamcast © Get Some 304 baa Ж Special Ва кемемен Soccer, Hockey Preview pg 100 југо. Шан ETE Ө The Fina! Word 308 1 Pro 3 Ё im н as € Liu š 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? = јој 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: ТОСА 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, THAT'S 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 Árena.

OHAOLIN STYLE

Featuring Three Original Wu-Tang Music Tracks.

PARENTAL

ADVISORY

EXPLICIT LYRICS

MATURE

www.activision.com

ACTIVISION.

PARADOX

L

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 ` NANI WANG e “mms —

fea turing = Set it off К against up to three opponents 1n ultra-violent, № = , :na-based METHOD MAN AA ym СЫН;

brawls.

RZA

С?А | Wi | i il 1 and special

ЖЕУ АЈА HEREDES ofthe, Wu-Tang Glan.

OL DIRTY BASTARD

RAEKWON

Add insult to

injury with

over-the-top

MASTA KILLA

character.

U-GOD

aT | Tu Unleash the INSPECTAH DECK | ОЕ 00....:.:... ја 4 Staten Island streets. Chinatown

warehouses and

GHOSTFACE KILLAH иии eet

PS Extreme - GOLD, EDITORS CHOICE, 93%

E £ = š Е [4 8 5 E & 5 5 Ë £ Š Š E E à 5 © = š 5 8 Б H g 2 ° £ E = а (8 = Е = g 5 5 H Е Е 8 š £ t š Е 2 > 2 £ < g E 2 š g 9 » a 5 E 5 Е 5 i E 2 Ы 5 2 s E 3 ЕЗ т = ° 8 2 ° 8 4 ш i £ H 5 8 2 5 E 5 š E 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.

PIN 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 baba ваја

©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, 5390937, 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

+

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

LESS 4111111]

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

І have become very upset by a recent article in EGM entitled “Рокё- 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 d 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. F.A. 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

Sepu з Аш

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 Мг sinisterGplexi.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

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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, a gooti/ 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

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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!