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STRIKE HARDIN

Navigate through 10 different landscapes, destroy everything in your path,

and race to save the world from ecological Armageddon. Play Strike Point - the ultimate

3D fighter simulation game available for PlayStation.

TECHNOS

AMERICAN TECHNOS INC.

oint ©1996 Elite Systems Ltd served. PlayStatic

2010 N. First Street San Jose, CA 95131

Gover Story: | Nintendo has Mario and Sega has Sonic, but you wont find Crash on

e ther one. Heralded as Sony's newest mascot, Crash Bandicoot comes to the

8 Station with a mighty big order to fill. Can he do it? Turn to page 8 and find out!

,

52 Play to Perfection: Super Mario 34 Mario 64 is coming and Game | Informer has it all.

48 PlayStation Tokyo Highway Battle, Machinehead, VR Golf,

22 PlayStation 37 7 True Pinball Wi Adidas Power Soccer, Gunship, Bottom of the Sth, 21 $ 3 ‘THT mg Robo Pit, Blood Omen: Legacy Decathlete, Fighting a a 3 o of Kain, Andretti Racing, Ridge Vipers, NiGHTS, Move 2 Racer Revolution, NCAA >- p Baseball, NHL a - ova GameBreaker, Black Dawn, Powerplay S6 saturn Beyond the Beyond, Die Hard ~ a : Dream Team 7 a Basketball

34 | kak Alien Trilogy Madden NFL Football 97 ساےہ‎ Gold, Street هې د‎ College Football USA ‘97

Super NES Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems

DEPARTMENTS 4

Back Issues Complete your í Informer issues.

Want Y You 1 Be o My Neighbor a collection of Came

Dear Game Informer GI readers from across the globe interact 45 Classic Gl "

with Game Informer. Invasion of the Super Heroes. 7 Envelopa Art ہے‎ a ` Game Informer PC You Can't Win If You Dont Enter GI's GI reviews Quake and Afterlife as well Monthly Envelope Art Contest. as PC news from te Matrix. 14 GiNews 47 4 New Management at Sega and Sony, Video Ryan reviews Virtual On "a ma Seng Games go to the Basketball Hall of Fame, 60. Nintendo 64 gets a new controller, and Tips from our readers and the infamia tons-o-fun with Name That Game! Trivia, / 1 Comics, and GI's Top Ten. Game : Game Shark Swap Shop.

Game Informer Maika (ISSN 1057- 6392) is ساد‎ ‘monthly at a subscription price of $19.98 per year, or five trial issues for $9.98 by Sunrise Publications, 10120 West 76th Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. (612) 946-7245 or FAX (612) 946-8155. For subscriptions only (612) 946-8105. Second-class postage paid at Hopkins, MN, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIBERS/POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Game Informer Maggging 10120 West a et, Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3728. Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars and must include $20/year additional postage. ۹ے‎ :

Entire contents copyright 1996. Game Informer Magazine. All rights reserved reproduction in whale or in pari woul permission is prohibited. Game Informer is a trademark CO, Inc.

of FUN i Products named in these pages are trade names, or ئ‎ of ther رین‎ companies. Game Anformer u (September “96 e

و

ef d f

September Issue 1996 Volume VI * Number 9 * Issue #41

Richard A. Cihak Publisher

Andrew McNamara Editor

Paul Anderson Senior Associate Editor

Andrew “Drew” Reiner Erik Reppen Jon Storm Associate Editors

Thomas Blustin Art Director Graphic Design

Timothy J. Laurie Production Director Graphic Design

ha Curtis Fung 111 Production Assistant 7 Graphic Design

Ryan MacDonald West Coast Correspondent

Sarah Anderson

٩ NAG Be My Neighbor? K ہت‎ m A Copy Editors

Terrie Maley Circulation / Marketing Manager (612) 946-7274

Advertising Sales

Kimberley Thompson-Benike National Advertising Sales Director 10120 W. 76th Street Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3728

pe ۱ cali

iy‏ ای

Won't You

By Paul Anderson f your editor left you with the * responsibility of writing this small section of the magazine while he was in a far off

land, what would you write? I could take this

opportunity to ridicule him or maybe make a

comment about all his work that was left for r ۷۱ ٧

| ca's team (yes, the Bills are

us. That might be funny to a few people around (612) 946-8159

the office, but the humor would not have any m) are going to win the Super Fax (612) 946-8155 meaning to you. Instead of taking some shots at * ar, In closing, the new Madden Tani a the Hombre or even touting how he might be ut will it beat GameDay? Only - Suit سد‎ 7

the hardest working man in the business, 1 write briefly on the industry, specifically on gaming magazines and how we all interact in

this competitive field. First off, we'd be lying if we said that w never look at any of the other gaming publications. You have to keep up with the

11531 197th Southeast Snohomish, WA 98290 (360) 668-7978 Fax: (360) 668-9350 Manufactured and printed in the United States of America

Game Informer Magazine (ISSN 1057-6392) is published monthly at a subscription price of 519.98 per year,

~Andy, 72 1 s9 5 ag five trial issues for $9.98 by Sunrise Publications, 10120 1 Joneses” in this dog-eat-dog world. It often West 76th Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55344, (612) 946-7245 The Game Hombre 8 8 1 or FAX (612) 946-8155. Periodicals postage paid at

spawns ideas on how or how not to do things in 4 Game Informer and frequently inspires * numerous jokes (as we always like to poke

Hopkins, MN, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIBERS/POSTMASTER: Send address changes to _ Game informer Magazine, 10120 West 76th Street, Eden Prairle, MN 55344-3728. Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S, dollars and must include $20/year

friendly fun at our competitors). a additional postage. O ae ا 0ت‎ The Editor welcomes company product information for all Friendly fun is what it is because the ANG dende. Sue ato should bo اہ‎

numerous ss events we attend bring us i “Editor, Game Informer Magazine, 10120 W. 76th Street, umerous press ev e attend bring us into a ese ae دد‎

frequent contact with editors from every -are noted above. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be publication. Believe it or not, we even consider * ne cores cope ٢ Game Informer Magazine. some of these “competitors” to be good friends. ووو سر د وت لهو‎ Although there are always a few gaming guys f with the proverbial stick in their backsides, — trademaña, of ah TePe e companies. some of them have even invited me to their ٤ cae ey offices, company parties, or even to hang out at their house. Most leave the competition on the written page, where it should be. However, I don’t think that specifically means slamming دون یوین وہہ نصمسع‎

another publication, no matter how funny the The Raging Gamer ypograptieal enor trat do not Iessen و همهو‎ ٨ : : : advertisement. The publisher's liability for other errors or comment Is. omissions in connection with an advertisement is limited to

Products named in these pages are trade names, or

10120 West 76th Street Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Attn: Customer Service

ye work in an exciting vet contentious field. republication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue ٦ n» kd 2 idi 1 Therés no room for pompous, back-stabbing o 0 at Gall ٩ ا‎ A 4 j : : INDEMNIFICATION 6 journalists who think their last article should ‘The سامنه‎ andlor Advertising Agency antes lo سه‎ ` a ra vie’ i a it; a 7 < 1 and indemnify the publisher against any and all oS اس‎ nd p 1 wS (the big have qe the Pulitzer (except for that article 1 liability, loss, or expense arising from claims of libel, unfair C and names connected to wrote in this month’s GI NEWS). Later, friends. competition, unfair trade practices, infringement of and random things that other people trademarks, copyrights, trade names, patents, or proprietary x 5 rights or violation of rights of privacy, resulting from the

e time or desire to do. For a while | feared ame would be “Miscellaneous Boy,” but Jedi. For a more detailed and obnoxious

publication of the Advertiser's statement.

k the barrage of quality games, sort of daze where | am just happy

nyself you can check out GI's web page. m happy to report | am fine. Now د‎ round for another twenty-five producers would produce new, good ۱ ABC | the one that we cover in this month's ma Audit Bureau of Circulation

g y see if | can get a date with some Membership Applied For 12/95

ve 8 good one!” a “Erik. The PC Jedi

-bad new camera that will take screen shots that'll ! remember the next time you step up to play ame and you feel nervous just think of your happy

-Rvan. Game Informer و‎ September ‘96

The Arcade Alchemist

RATING PENDING

CONTENT RATED BY

haaa 2 7 j

TM Oy: رخ انر‎ DILL HL

oe Force is a trademark of SEGA alee LTD. Original Game © SEGA ee‏ و"

ES

This official seal is your assurance that this product meets, the highest quality standardimaí SEGA." Buy games and accessories with this seal to%ge sure that they are compatible with the SEGA Saturn System.

he truth is ot bitten off a bi 110010030 0 Okay, here's the joytully bought a copy of To. hinden 2 and its intro glitched everywhere, _ including the character endings. “Hmmm... returned it for another : and the same thing happened again! AAARG!!! The store owner

told me that it was a common problem with his customers and he

had no idea what the problem was. Soooo...I called Playmates and the

rep. told me that it was a hardware

- problem, not the game itself!

_ What!? He explained that Sony had

` two or three models out and that would only work right newest one (that has a

trick! Wow. It was‏ سو entioned that newer games‏ are bhim made specifically for this‏ el because it lacks th‏ older 0065 FMV flaw (ever‏ wonder why the intro to Alien .‏

Trilogy glitches?.. :Bingo!) I called Sony... "Your PlayStation, sir, is no different from ones be: made today and there is no second or third m

traded mine in for the Jan. ‘96 model and boy 6 Toshinden 2 Aa, fine (the whole thing runs smoother). This Iso explain why my friend couldn't pla his brand new PS-X (he r t is going on? Angry? You

is The Mad Gamer” Chris Tawater Houston, TX

were aware that Sony had made new e upgrades to the PlayStation that ed the “disk swap” technique to play os. We have learned of a few

dea chip available that whe X will allow you to play impe trick, but we are uncertain tha

game n Me hove a by را‎

gamers play import titles. It looks as though again on itself,

Dominic Evola —

blah, blah, blah, yackidy-smakidy.” Funny, ۱ jus

ing skills, but the

5۳6۸۸۸۶۷ 8 backli system, which meant the Genesis 0 koi? of its games including “UMK3” and “NHL 97” will not bh produced by the end of this summer. Event 17 I have more'trust in your great mag, for some reason | can't لقا بس‎ about the horrible things they told me. Could you please set it all straight. You're a great mag, please don't let me down. Thanks.

Sterling Heights, MI

We're not sure what was meant by a backline system, but the Genesis and SNES are not getting as much support since the introduction of newer systems. Think about how long the NES lasted after the SNES was introduced. Game developers and publishers are now focusing on the increasing

number of 32-bit gamers 3 ہیں‎ 0 0:0: costs of CD-ROMS. 1 Na Regarding your question NG and NHL 7

both of these 5 are 0

Hang these titles.

have interest in a career in wri keeping those English sco. and reading about games. V journalists have among t 6 salaries of professi that. but it sure does | a tie to work everyday

Age is open if posa got do

lucation yo

| am the owner of a So PlayStation and | just found out something that made me extremely angry. PlayStations dont come with an adapter. Why? Sega a SNES come with one. | think you spend $300 on a machine it should come with everything you need to hook i

Why do hay do this? | Tiffani Taylo,

They do this for a number of reasons. The first is that they want to sell the unit for as little as possible. Adding the additional components would be reflected in the price lag. Secondly, many people don't use the RFhookups and they would be equally upset if they paid for something extra and didnt even need it Lastly, itis a sign of the times. Most of the TVs sold now have the video hookups already built in.

RFU adaptor

Lis year 1 was planning to buy a 32X. However, because of your reviews | didn't buy the 32X. I bought the Sega Saturn. | had a lot of fun If | had a 32X | probably would ! Or, it might have been already

Terrain Filmore Jersey City, NJ

To say the least, the 32X was a very short lived system. It did sell fairly

well for a period of time, but lack of support from Sega and third party developers sent it into

oblivion. Everyone knew that the Saturn was coming and many consumers lost interest in the 32X as well. Just think, the 32X was once almost the same price as the Saturn is now.

fal a proud Ang of a Sega Genesis ied Ima huge Mortal Kombat fan. In your July issue it covered the Electronic Entertainment Expo in LA. and the upcoming release of new games that included “UMK3" and “NHL 97.” A few days after I received the issue | went to my local gaming store and asked them about the release dates on both of

“those games and what I heard wasn't too uplifting.

They told me the Genesis was on the verge of

Û aque! | is pr inthe like Konami have RPG:

that we gamers are really never

pa fake a look at the July 96 Dear GI. Jonathan

Saal is a Satum owner with the same complaint.

reetings Earth People, | am Fulgor, king of the ulgarians and ruler of the planet Fulgatron. on me and cower! Ha-Ha! Answer my questions, fools, or you will die!

4 Val my “Fulgor” Reynolds

Killer Instinct can lead you to believe you are Fulgor.

september WINNER!

Chicago, IL

Gurnee, IL

Anthony Zajczenko

all summer will turn To answer your question about Reiner, he’s pulled all of his hair out trying to find all the gems in Crash

Bandicoot ث‎

recently bought a Sony PlayStation with expectations of cool RPG's and/or action RPG's. But so far, the Saturn has the upper hand in those categories with games like Shining Wisdom,

Legend of Oasis, and upcoming games like Ray Earth and one of those Lunars from Sega CD. Yeah, | know that Sony has rights FVII, but that won't be in the

US for another 6 ore. When are any other cool RPG's coming out for the PlayStation?

David “No Cool ie > ” Jennings

Final عم‎ VII will makal to December with the US release

gt as Fulmer, hi ais dee PA

Femme Fatale

| think I'm blind!!!

Hollywood. Final Fantasy VII |

features oversized swords and funky parachute pants.

2 sarne ہوں‎

2101@ بر- عغوټب 392138 |

ÞESS NK

Smells like your deodorant isn't working overtime.

This guy should be in

ly whe big teeth | you have. |

reliable source (my best friend) that they put that stuff on as a protective coating to help \ prevent the CD from \ scratching. If this is true, ` then why isnt thi mysterious bla coating o other than the o pr the PS-X,

ive coating. It is. | was implemented by egal duplication of PS-X games. Games without the black side are easy to pick out in a crowd and with piracy a common problem within the industry, Sony figures that this will give them a jump on the pirates.

F irst off, your mag rules, so keep up the good job. I recently saw a commercial that Sony is selling for $199.00. That same day my mother offered me a job over the summer to help her clean houses for $3.00 an hour. Should | take this job to get Sony or

fighters in vids | Is this Tekken

or the cover of GQ?

“For starters | wouldn't have called a character supporting a CD-ROM unit ‘Crash’. Maybe Loading or Laser Boy ` would have been more appropriate. Nonetheless, this game is right up my alley, pure action/platform mayhem. The further you proceed the tougher it gets. This title will attract old school gamers along with the new generation of astro . kids. The graphics are very comparable to the N64. The 3D realism is balanced SING perfectly with the gameplay. | actually ٢ La felt like | was jumping along lily pads up e gay.” a jungle river. This is a game that all action/platform gamers must experi- ence. It's not completely original, but the overall feeling after playing is truly

unique.”

“For a game that has only three 1 islands, Crash is complex enough (and KA, frustrating enough) ٥ present a NG

serious, serious challenge. Instead ات"‎

of creating more islands, | like the idea E

of backtracking through previous 5 W

levels after obtaining gems. However, this is where the frustration sets in. Its hard enough going forward, let alone backward. The graphics are intense, Ma especially the light shading. However, . ‘ don't be fooled by the all the 3D hype. Crash is most definitely a 203

* sie ا‎ :

اف

action/platform with only minor NG ۷ inklings of the 3D experience.” li mie 2

7 twin š په‎

C NG

“Crash is a 3D tribute to the classi action/platformer. It takes simplistic “Wa jumps and enemies to create a hair- % = raising, seat-of-your-pants adventure. ٠۰ Graphically, this is definitely the most impressive game on the PlayStation. It's like watching a cartoon. Tons of details with lots of colors. The only drawback to Crash is that it’s not quite as long as it could be, but it really doesn't make a difference in the end. Crash is an excellent game that will push your platform skills to the limit.”

BI

Concept: 9 ۹ a ` زود‎ Graphics: 9.25 . ٦ 5 : i 1 a Sound: 8.75 NO TTOM INE $ r 1€ 1 7 ili 5 کا‎ 1 i Playability: 9 | N a! tatay 5 or ss Twenty-Six Hidden Gems, Two Hidden Levels : 8 | a > vels, Extensive Platform Jumping; Password or Memory. Entertainment: 3 | ٢ 1 a ard e ا‎ ii: Beautiful Polygon Graphics: i y 7 ¡Created by: Naughty Dog and Universal NG Studios f A a a Available: Now for Song ap bag Interactive Studios for Son OVERALL | $ for an entire year now, gamers have affiliated the | peat paaa ed e affiliated th ا 2 ان‎ EAS identity with either a logo or the int سا‎ ای کا‎ le marketing run of trying to introduce a spiky indust polygon character.as a PlayStation mascot left the sarin bak 7 crying for a familiar face to paste onto the PS-X. As histo : — Pe cond Paa Aar اع‎ without a mascot are pretty MUGA SB gp cordoned to immediate decay, The Atar Jaguar the Philips CO... [Yo > ا‎ GATA ۱ ir heads o choppi د‎ Studi at ul some time. Thanks to Naughty Dog e i ا‎ | Concent: 8.5 pali > ony has no intention of going there. oes e Sony PlayStation has finally been baptized into the world of mascot N Graphics: ۹5 9

gaming. This furry little fellow comes f | i Aa. TAGONG NAN ADORA he S و "افو‎ “So a a A (a vegetarian marsupi I): Like Playability; 8 i 7 a affiliates have given their special li | Entertainment: 8.25

Crash'has all the right features for a gaming د‎ E While he's notas fatas a plumber o NG lue as a hedgehog, Crash features one thing a at the other mascots don't have - raw attitude: “Being born and raised in a jungle can scar yo | personality a tad. This is apparent both in Cras na first action/plattorm game. Developers Naughty Dog and Uni ا ا ا‎ Studios original intended. 40 _ make Crash Bandicoot a completely revolutionary

PEPE

3D adventure title, While devi

| elopment move Concept: 85

: اا‎ day, Naughty Dog decided that th ics:

adventure They made the اتو ا‎ Mace a سوا سی‎ venture. e right move. Super.Mario Sound: 9.25

64 turned out to be what Naughty Dog originally. : PARE Y

desired, and Crash Bandi

: TY : 111016001 b

E ROR لا‎ Us opened thel با سوا رہ شود اہ‎

“Take Donkey Kong Country’ PA OVERALL

mustipy it by ten, then add a Dome لن‎ 2 to the fray. Crash Bandicoot que 3D quali styles of gameplay — 2

- 3D third person. The::

Entertainment: 8.75

11:10 only point in the game where saves or passwords are available: To find! a Bonus Level you'll have to find three strange clown= like icons hidden within -a level. Once the third o | iS picked up, you'll instantly'be teleported to the: hidden area where certain obstacles must.bé* overcome before a.save can be managed.

There are also Boss Bonus Icons and Super Bonus: World Icons. Collécting three Boss Icons brings to aBonus Level.that doesn’t allow you to save, tho it does offer many free lives: The Super Bonus Icon act the same manner, but it holds á:great surprise for those. who fin its three icons. These i icons are spread 9ئ‎ the land; Thre icons, three islands. Fit: Hi 1 Me

BOXES - These are ‘what you’ re’ looking for. Seek and destroy! The boxes come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are damaging to your health; others, are bonuses that will put a smile on. Your? e Here's a breakdown of what to: look Or

AKU AKU = Smash one of these “and. Crash will gain a hit point. Smash three and you'll, recieve temporary invincibility,

1-08 5 box has a picture of Crash oniit. Open it and add th td your arsenal.

po

heights. QUESTION MARK = What's hatag ls mystery...

mango.

UNLABELED WITH STRIPES = These boxes always

contain ten mangos. Must be

jumped on or bumped from the

Paitan to access this delicious fruit

DYNAMITE = Ouch. These, hurt Crash. Nonetheless, they come in handy for destroying ` multiple boxes while on the run:

be surprised if a sequel, action figures, comics, and a Cartoon series

When it comes down to graphics and special effects, Crash :

it has depth. Every object in the game is like this,

..df that's not impressive enough, thë lighting effects add.

- UNLABELED = These boxes always contain one

Before you find these colored Gems you may see a glimpse -

Without dying and destroy every box on the level. Most boxes. `

pu've missed one.or'more). This Screen will show you how:

“ext, Crash Will als Rave |

11101109 background. The

s ir place Crash is

22 and find the ish will have to take track towards-

jumping? and لے‎ hs Most of the levels demand the gamer to ‘solve puzzles, take risky jumps, and find new: areas. Several bosses also await Crash Bandicoot. Each boss acts differently and Crash will have to figure out how to take each one down. Each . `. of the twenty-six levels presenta unique chall engg: in ۷ا آ0ا‎ 8 ‘that will drive gamers bonkers. |

: Crash Bandicoot is here, and there's no stoppin hi Hom taking ‘over the minds of children and hard-core gamers everywhere. Don't

¢ are inthe works. This is the guy Sony is betting on to sell units. E Crash has a large reputation to live up to:

KG CRASH TALK

‘Bandicoot shines high above any other 32-bit action/ platform .- title. All the backgrounds, foregrounds, and environments are -rendered in 3D. Example: When you walk past a shrub, you'll . Notice that it doesn't look flat when approaching the front of “ the Screen - each contains an original formand likeness.

leven more realism. There's no doubt about itythe PS-X can ‘simulate killer lighting effects. In Crash Bandicoot \ you'll.notice fferent shades and moving shadow angles. Naughty 7 ; even went so far as to program a level that specifically relates . “cto the lighting program. All the 3D objects and lighting effects abt as is they should — with realist;

rh دی‎ “The Gems are the most sought after ae in Crash Bandicoot. -Ifyou find one, you can consider yourself an avid gamer. However,

“sdf you happen to find them all; you will be praised by whoever

"witnesses this feat, and be hailed among the ranks of Zeus

wak H ang Odin as the ultimate gaming God.

-There are two different kinds of Gems, the white and the

Ea ری‎

: ‘evel: ¿as Cortex Edd where it forms a sage across a slime pit.

of a placement piece which is the same color as the Gem. This +: means you need that colored Gem to pass a certain feat on "the level. Now, begin-your hunt.

To find:one Gem is a task in itself. You must pass a level

“are easy to-reach, although-maybe one or two are hidden. If du beat a level without dying, youll be greeted with either a-Gem Screen (if you find all the boxes), or a Box Screen (meaning

any boxes you missed 67 on Crash's Nadia Do big level 27 Gab you set! it poteci

“collecting. Learn how to move and pick up the. accessible Gems before you proceeds fear 4

- WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT IS HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL, AND IF IN THE WRONG HANDS, A NIGHTMAR

| TO THE WORLD. BELOW IS A SPECIFIC

۷ GUIDE WHICH WILL NOT ALL THE LEVEL 7

GUIDE WILL ALLO BETWEEN 95% AND 100% OF THE 6 (IF YOU'RE GOOD ENOUGH). GOOD LUCK AN MAY THE MANGO BE WITH YOU! |

GEMS COLOR KEY

KG

one و سه مو سم‎ - - 0 = EET! و‎ هد‎ 7 0000 1117 Takot بل سر ا‎

قسف تع وس KA‏

4

MVY AA ۷ Wi

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Nintendo 64 Joins the Family On September 30 the Nintendo 64 will hit store shelves across the country and join the Nintendo family as the fifth gaming system the company has launched, starting with the NES in 1985. Nintendo has announced that three first-party games - Super Mario 64, PilotWings 64, and CruisN'USA will accompany the N64 launch. Ocean's Mission: Impossible and Acclaim's Turok: Dinosaur Hunter are also likely to appear on September 30. However, sources close to Game Informer suggest that the only third-party game at launch will be Turok. Noticeably absent from the launch are LucasArts' Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and WaveRace 64 from Nintendo.

Titles Avallabi 5 bor 30 At May's E3, Nintendo claimed that seven titles Ps ANGHANG AN oes! should be available at launch and it is quite obvious that e Super Mario 64 ; 1 , : 1

they won't quite hit their mark. Here's

e PilotWings 64 A e Cruis ee an updated list of the N64 games’

٥ Turok: Dinosaur Hunter release schedule

October ٥ Mortal Kombat Trilogy

November

٥ WaveRace 4

٥ Killer Instinct 64

e TertisPhear

٥ Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey

As you can see, the N64 cartridges € unit are surprisingly smaller than the older fare.

December e Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire e Blast Corps سوہ وف‎ Are There Enough 4+9 e Doom 64 ? The big question on the Late 96 - Early ۷ minds of retailers and con- NINTENDO 64 ~ cuper Maro Kart G4 sumers who have waited a long

e Kirby’s Air Ride : ٥ Ken Griffey Baseball time for the release of the

٥ Buggie Boogie Nintendo 64 is: will Nintendo

e Star Fox 64 of America be able to supply

٥ Freak Boy the demands of consumers?

The Japanese launch of the

N64 on June 23 was one of the most successful video game console

launches in the history of the industry with a reported 200,000 units selling in the first 24 hours. It is rumored that over 500,000 N64 units have been sold in Japan already.

US retailers are experiencing allocation problems that will limit their initial shipment of N64 units for the September 30 launch. As with a number of 16-bit SNES titles that were released late last year (such as Killer Instinct and Donkey Kong Country 2), Nintendo has set limits on the number of units it will provide to retailers. Big retail outlets like Wal-Mart and Toys’R’Us should receive the bulk of the N64 shipments, while other, smaller specialty shops will receive far less than their ordered number. It also looks like the European version of the N64 won't be available until next year.

Nintendo has long attributed the delay for the N64 coming to market to the fact that they wanted to assure consumers and the retailing community that they could meet their demands. They even went so far as to say they did not want to duplicate the initial problems that Sony had with getting the PlayStation to consumers (remember retail shortages of PS-X the first month it came out?).

Although the short supply of N64s may only affect a small number of gamers who want the system the moment it hits the shelves, if demand for Nintendo’s machine in the US is remotely close to what it was in Japan, you might be in for some N64 searching after September 30. Happy hunting.

HALL OF FAME

o delving deep into id of obscure, yet entertaining games of the past. See how many of

Game Informer n September 6

Psygnosis’ Sequels Near Completion The Liverpool, England company that brought you Destruction Derby and WipeOut are nearing the completion of killer sequels to last year’s huge successes. Game Informer had a chance to play preview copies of Destruction Derby 2 and WipeOut XL just to be sure these games are not mere updates with a couple more tracks and a few new cars. Psygnosis basically started from scratch to bring gamers something completely new while retaining the core of what سط‎ made the first installment so entertaining. °` bı WipeOut XL (WipeOut 2097 in Europe) features 8 tracks, 4 vehicles, and a host of new weapons. New graphics that include real-time light sourcing bring a darker, more futuristic feel to the game. WipeOut XL will also have hidden tracks and an extra vehicle for those who have the skills to master the challenging courses. Destruction Derby 2 (see Aug. 96, pg. 32) is looking phenomenal. Longer tracks, jumps, a ton of Ui new crash animations, and vastly improved car $ مگ‎ E 7 7 physics will amaze players who even ٧ ; 091/19 enjoyed the first game. DD 2 will also support an analog control that is essential for mastering the art of driving on two wheels and competing on DD2's seven courses and four bowls.. Look for these games coming to stores sometime in November, and stay tuned for full reviews in an upcoming issue of Game Informer.

s hope it doesn't go | ds. Wonder what it’ll 0 Do

SegaSoft Launches

“Edutainment” Brand

SegaSoft, an independent development house owned by Sega of America and CSK Corporation, has announced it will develop and publish educational software under a new brand, Trampoline. The formation of Trampoline will include a strategic alliance with Media Station, and the two companies will co-publish two PC titles this year. Puzzle Castle is based on Usborne Publishing's Young Puzzle Books, and Fractured Fairy Tales: The Frog Prince is a takeoff on the classic Rocky and Bullwinkle segment. It was also announced that sequels to these “edutainment”

titles will appear in late 97.

Formula One for PlayStation Sees Last Minute Changes

Formula One World Championship, a racing simulation designed by Psygnosis and Bizarre Creations (see May ‘96, pg. 28), has hit last minute production snags

due to some of the product endorsements

found within the game. The US release has been delayed because certain alcohol and cigarette logos found on the vehicles and tracks had to be removed. Although this artwork will appear in the European version and is present in every televised auto race you'll ever see, Psygnosis is required to redo the game for the US release.

Formula One should be released some time u in late September or early October. - n9661 pa on ome Tin »

Game Informer و‎ September ‘96

080113 0090ا‎ | GTE Gets Hard Boiled ا وښو‎ SMS AAA | Frank Miller's twisted tale of oversensitive androids + Available: Now (if you can find it); originally | making its way towards video game fame. GTE

released in April 1991 | Entertainment plans to bring this action-packed and ts سے مس د‎ but its true. | prestigious Dark Horse comic to life for the Sony Game Boy actually had its own | PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC. Gamers take on the comic series. The plot in this series | role of Nixon, the star of Hard Boiled, as he revolved around the idea of humans seeks revenge on all of human kind. Hard Boiled ا‎ being coexisting with fictional pixel charac- | developed by Cryo Interactive Entertainment of France. ters. In issue #3 Mario teams up with | They've stated that the game is a hyper-paced the air force and goes on a bombing | flying/action title that places the player in seven سو اس‎ 7۳۴ ' completely different levels of speed racing. The objective ey Dp tough to Mu Naga جس‎ | is to race through the hordes of evil, beat the clock, and | get your revenge on the boss. Sounds a

but look for them in specialty stores. ا‎

Fox is Where It’s At Line-ups don’t get much better than | | this. Fox Interactive plans to release | | 32-bit PlayStation versions of The | Tick, Aliens Vs. Predator and | Independence Day (ID4) before | the end of the year. ID4 will more | than likely outshine the other | titles just because of what its | movie predecessor has done, but | the other games sound like they | could be winners too.

The Tick is the first video A | game spoof title which rips on | | gamers, basic programming, and the whole | concept of vids. Kill a ninja and you'll receive | a zillion points. Plus, it's rumored that The | Tick actually has intellectual conversations | with the 1-Up icon in the corner of the screen.

We haven't heard much on | | Aliens Vs. Predator and we're | guessing that it will be like either the SNES action title or the Atari Jaguar first-person shooter. | Once again, the game will be | if based on the Dark Horse | | Comics series and will feature | | user playability of both Alien and Predator. E Now the big one; Independence Day is | | going to be huge. Even if it turned out to be || | the worst game ever made, it will still sell | | well. We've actually gotten some hands-on play with this game, and it looks cool. So far | all we can Say is that some of the levels are | chase plane flight sims with the city below | | and the swirling saucer above. Hopefully | some ground combat will be added to the | | game; the aliens deserve more play than | | they had in the movie. ID4 should be | released sometime this holiday season.

Prepare for Interactive Madness

GTE Entertainment and WildStorm Productions have teamed up to bring PC gamers the first multiplayer adventure/strategy CD-ROM that will link gameplay elements and characters to the story line of a monthly comic series. GTE Entertainment is tentatively calling this on-line monster Siege. Both the comic by Jim Lee (Wi/dC.A.T.S, Team 7) and the game are scheduled for an early ‘97 release. From what we've been led to believe, Siege will introduce the concept of episode updates that directly relate to what occurs in the comic series on a monthly basis. Siege is one of the first products that will herald the launch of GTE Entertainment’s on-line network.

The Bird Returns

By now The Crow: City of Angles has probably flown | into your local theater. The original Crow is surely destined for cult classic status. Its sequel (City of | Angels) stars British actor Vincent Perez as the Crow and the aging musician Iggy Pop as one of the villains. This film has also embarked into the world of | merchandising. Look to see several Crow comic series | popping up, a new rockin’ soundtrack, and most | noteworthy - a Sony PlayStation title courtesy of | Acclaim Entertainment. The video game looks to be a 3D rock ‘em sock | “em action title (kind of like Double Dragon or Streets of Rage). The graphics are extremely detailed and very comparable to Resident Evil. You can actually see | the difference in skin tone and face paint. This game | is still in early development, and we imagine that it | will follow the movie fairly closely, but only time will tell. If you like the movie, then you might want to stick | around and see how the game turns out.