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October 1996

Vol. VI Issue 10 * #42

AOL@keyword: NOA www.nintendo.com

THE > MOVES

YOUBET 2 DOUBLE- a

THU

Introducing Super Mario" 64. A total revolution in more ways than one.

AY 4 'HE Р X NOW,

TER HAVE Ж JOINTED . айы Р

NINTENDO

LL.

Kirby Siper Star Genesis

NHL Hockey ‘97, Sonic Blast 3D 44

Final Fantasy VII, Carnage Heart,

Breath of Fire III, Final Doom, Wipeout XL, Andretti Racing, Project Overkill, Samurai Shodown III, King of Fighters ‘95, Street Fighter Alpha 2,

Motor Toon Grand Prix, Contra:

Legacy of War

D 4

7

14

8 Cover Story: Таһа! Ма Just six months ago the world was shocked to hear that Square's first game for the PlayStation was going to be a fighting game, but it is now a reality. Tobal No.1, the first fight- ing game to feature a quest mode, is coming this November to your PlayStation and Game Informer has got the goods.

Special Preview of Final Fantasy УП

GI takes a special look at the next installment of ! Square's epic Final Fantasy series. While no official release date has been set for the

states, the game is definitely coming and

it's going to change everything you

ever thought about RPGs.

<

40 PlayStation 2. Saturn Soviet Strike, SESCH ai Madden NFL ‘97 AT A GLANCE

56 PlayStation PGA Tour ‘97, Mega Man 8, Rattlesnake Red, Spot Goes To Hollywood, Bushido Blade, Final Fantasy Tactics, Saga Frontier

Башт.

Three Dirty Dwarves, World Series Baseball II, Virtua Fighter Kids, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Crimewave, Tomb Raider, Tetris Plus,

5

Alien Tril с 1 E M Major Damage, Pandemonium, Super Bomberman Game Boy Ҹ | Battlezone/Super Breakout, ty Tetris Attack

EPARTMENTS

г 1 53 Gaming Like We've Never Gamed Before.

Game Informer РС GI reviews Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares and Robert E. Lee: Civil War General

Deir оде Еш as well as PC news from the Matrix.

GI readers from across the globe interact

with Game Informer. 54 Envelope Art New pictures and info on Virtua Fighter 3. You Can't Win If You Don't Enter 615 50

Monthly Envelope Art Contest.

GINews

Tips frorn our readers and the infamous Game Genie/Game Shark Swap Shop.

Updates on the Nintendo 64, Sega delays 64 Classic БІ Sonic Extreme, Spacetec announces БІ is visted by ghosts and codes of New SpaceOrb 3D controller for arcades past.

PlayStation, and tons-o-fun with Name That Game!, Trivia, Comics, and GI's Top Ten.

але Informer Magazine (ISSN 1057-5392) s published monthly at a subscription price of $19.98 per year, or five trial issus for 6998 by Званый Publications, 10120 West ТВ See en Prairie MN 55344. (612) 946-7245 or FAX (612) 946-8155, For subscriptions only (612) 945-8105. Second dass postage paid a! Hopkins, MN, and additonal maling ofices. SUBSCRIBERS /POSTMASTER: Send address Game rer Magazine, 10120 Wes 766 Sree, Bien Pane MN 5534-5728 Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars and mus postage.

Sate contents copyright 1906 Game отта Magan A ls eere төгіс in wine or ta part иаа permission is probit Бата reris a Кайдай,

Products named in these pages are trade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies,

Game Informer = October ‘96

^ ENERO Time

RATING PENDING

the highe tandarüis»o! SEGA.

лм

А

Ses

SATURN ARE TRADEMARKS ӨЕ SEGA ENTERPRI ). ALL RIG GA 'GA Enterprises, LTD. 1996. English Translation © Working Designs 1896. Schwing! Fora deal

OR

Gaming Like We've ПЕТЕР Gamed Before

irst off, I'd like to thank Paul and the irest of the iton-based Versiai ізӯа „fantastic game; staff for finishing up the last issue without а bil Of however, it will onl jard-core gaming geeks complaint. 1, as you heard, had to run off to Jal (myself included)--Two years ago, we would have never

to check out the latest software coming from the land of seen this game On our shores, and that is awesome. the rising sun. 27 Not only does а game like Carnage Heart open up The trip, sponsored by Sony, had us running aro! the console market to gamers who would have thought it Tokyo checking out the latest in PlayStation softw: ;childish and:silly before, but it makes it possible for from Sony to Square to Namco. The highlight of the trip, gamers ta grow with their system. Yeah, little Johnny of course, was Final Fantasy VII which could quite’ may likey MK3 as a\teenager, but when little Johnny. possibly be the greatest game I’ve ever seen. The becomes Jahn he wants to put a little more thought into graphics are amazing and the spell, animations Gaming. Has Sony. found the secret that will take st impossil le gaming to the next level, or are they just the first that's b lize the power of their machine and use it fing in new markets? Who knows... either way, it's

or Gaming and gamers everywhere.

Uess that's about all.I have to say for now; but check out the preview of Carnage Heart in to remind everybody to keep. in

are they woi Г are also bringin “big sellers,” but example, Carnage.

Wait you Бе my aiios e my alien? Wit j 1 think Nel | Wilh the

“I've been overwhelm isin ara al

these great looking p that's one of the. best looking RPGs (FFVII), racers XL), fighters (Star Gladiator and Tobal) I've ever seen. | hate to pick a Side but it looks like the PlayStation is going to win the holiday season if Nintendo and Sega don't start cranking ош some killer titles fast. Carnage Heart and Master of Orion II have made this a great month for brain Sas well. Remember, geeks are cool. That article in last month's issue proves it"

through with Sonic X-treme. | was so looking forw.

three-way mascot battle this fall (Mario cud kick EE s the other-two are just. animals). My Continuing quest for baseball games is almost over just as the season begins to close. I'm going to have to declare Triple Play the winner poty о, as Шарап! лай has ee materialize. Some

games on their way to ‘some Star Wars action next month" ы A

“Undoubtedly, I'm a little bummed that Sega didn't come

Erik, The PC Jedi

- ЕСТІ Ge) The Game Professor lowdown on from Japan ang v

i es E

games wil play CSN games. ps ШП with the "| kick butt! At the Sega Gamers Day |

Shark, and the US Satums with member, Japanese ed to beat t Bowl

techni 15. PlayStatio with the Satu managed to beat everyone at Bowling, ие. Don't be атай} of. Dies on use the dr. Game Q-Zar, and my table even solved the murder ^ a гоо Grand Prix, To oba) panes les and Bt mystery. Now I've got a Saturn and all | do

d lomberman," * Bushido Blade, Final Fantasy is ers pnd Virtua Cop. Also, if you E get a chance, make sure you go out and

X play. Ce? new. shooter Gunblade. It's The Great, TOR, awesome!”

te Greedy Gamer E The Arcade Alchemist

4 г Game Informer

October Issue 1996 ‘Volume Vi: Number 10 * Issue #42

Richard A. Cihak Publisher ‘Andrew McNamara Editor

Paul Anderson. Senior Associate Editor Anden “Drew” Reiner Erik Reppen Jon Storm ‘Associate Editors Thomas Blustin Art Director Graphic Design Timothy J. Laurie Production Director Graphic Design Curtis Fung Production Assistant

Graphic Design Ryan MacDonald West Coast Corespondent:

Sarah Anderson Gia Garbinsky Copy Editors

Terrie Maley Circulation / Marketing (612) 946-7274

Advertising Sales Kimberley Thompson-Benike National Advertising Sales Director 10120 W. 7éth Street Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3728 (612) 946-8159 Fax (612) 946-8155

Tony Sureau West Coast Advertsing Sales 11531 197th Southeast Snohomish, WA 98290 (560) 668-7978 7 Fax (360) 668-9350 / Manufactured and printed Яя the United States of America сай бта Magazine (554 167442 6. blond meni aa обес рот price o! $12.8 ри уе. e vit omes Kt $9.98 by Sunrise Publeations, 10120 West төй Sreet, Eden rae MN S8344 (12 $46 7206 or FAX (B12) ESSE. sek postage pad at Papi, MN, rd orl ing fies. SUBSCHIBERSPOSTMASTER: Sen к cans lo nome Magazine, 10120 Wes 76 Se, Een Par, MN S504 3728 Frog о Canin der met te pays o US dt and mat поме Sor

10120 West 76h Stet Eden Paro, MN 55344

Tüpubscalon ol he adortsement п any subsequent sue

ABC

Audit Bureau of Circulation Membership Applied For 12/95

October'96

1 el г). res ®) Wisden vill E

And BAVE ИУ

‘or the last five years have owned а Seg: Genesis. І enjoy some spi and racing games, but wl

difficult to find because it the only game with Sprint

Show on Dirt.” With all th media coverage, I'm sure they would be behind a video game programmer 100%! For the sake of Sprint Car fans everywhere, let these programmers hear your voice. We T want a video game. If it were along the lines of Nascar on PC then it would certainly у" n sell, especially if it were on the Sega Saturn or »

upgradeable CPU's and RAM? I know

Sony PlayStation. If | were a programmer, I would be rich. that if it was as good as the other units, | would

Lester Meissner һауе a tendency to také a closer look at the "AWorld of Outlaws Fan" upgradeable one as opposed to the others. Columbia Heights, ММ | Question #2 - How did Game Informer come about? How did it start? How would someone like myself.

get started in creating my own magazine? I'm sixteen years old and I have access to the web, as well as PC resources at home and at school. ` ^ Steve "The Great American Headbanging Vid Wiz" Sposato Barnegat, NJ Question #1 - Steve, the idea of upgradeable console machines has been running around the minds of video game companies since the days of Intellivision and Coleco. Both these companies actually created computer upgrades for their console machines, but they both failed miserably. The first problem withthe theory is that, like поте > computers, you run | problem -of compatibility. There's nothing worst than buying a new game that doesn't work because this driver or | that monitor isn't compatible with your software. Secondly, consumers get confused because this Intellivision game will work оп, eir machine while this one will not. Finally, when an upgrade is added to a unit, outside of its original design, the

Sorry Lester, but you're going to be disappointed once again. The new Andretti Racing for PlayStation has arrived and there are no sprint cars. at all! We found ourselves asking the same question. Perhaps Sprint Cars are not as popular as you would think, or maybe they are too limited since they race strictly on ovals. In any event, they would have been a nice touch. Here's an idea - make Sprint Cars a hidden bonus game!!! We took these questions to EA, and they informed us that the reason there are no Sprint Cars in Andretti, Racing is because their project is ambitious enough for now. In the interest of time, they couldn't include Sprint Cars, but they are considering them for next year.

Indeed, racing is the fastest growing sport in America, and Andretti racing is an awesome game. With this loyal following, there must be a considerable market for a Sprint Car game.

í magazine that will bring

truth, justice, and codes to |

video gamers across the

i there folks! Its me again, Steve оо тш ries

Sposato, “The Great American Headbanging Vid Wi

iz." Question #1 - Why aren't video game _ Informer was made. Since then, we have been ` consoles as upgradeable as computers? Wouldn't ` faithfully following the enlightened path to bette! it be more convenient if a company like Sega, gaming. So watch the skies and someday that

Sony ra Nintendo made their units with | ^ 4

mighty being may come de

magazine too.

Fs of all, | just want to say your magazine rules!!! | was reading Video Game Trivia for August ‘96, and on question #2 you

б asked, “What is the name friend?” Your answer was “Tails name is Miles. Tails is his. Ten peaking Sonic, what is it with games and nosepicking these days? I'm talking about the nosepicking Sonic does in Sonic 3 while he’s standing around. And in NBA Live it looks like there's. ag E on the bench picking his nose. Thei nosepicking ending to Street Fighter ІІ. In ending of Flashback, the main character ni picks his nose, but picks all of his friends’ ni too. The nosepicking scenes in today’s gai really disgust me. Jacob "Your Biggest Fan" Patterson

If Reiner would stop picking his nose all day, maybe he'd know the real name of Sonic's sidekick. And you're right, we have always expressed disdain for “lowbrow” humor (unless

avis and Butthead are behind it!).

у Rut hard to imagine that you

Д е nose pickings without

by Interplay. That game's

is lowbrow as it gets! Look at it this way, king to flatulence or butt

‘scratching?

ч. Т the best ever

ШЫ» mighty being м

from the heavens and give you a |

X

iends who have many different № consoles and each of them believes theirs is

KS E

made. | mean, how arrogant can these people get? One of them has a Saturn and he is always saying that the PlayStation is going down and all its games will be ported to the Saturn. My other friend who owns a PlayStation is always talking about how the Saturn has lame graphics. Personally, | see no difference between the two. My final complaint is that I have a friend who claims the Sega CD is better than both. Oh yeah, he also runs around ina lion skin and does cave paintings. E

Corey Martin Boonville, IN This sounds like the. old commercial, "Saturn..No, PS-X...Saturn...No, PS-X." Quite frankly, we're also tired of the old in your face, “my console rocks” competitions, As far as

Wanted: Envelope Art

Enter the Game Informer Envelope Art Contest. All you need to do is draw, paint, scratch, spit or carve the best darn envelope art you can think of and send it to us. Please include your name, phone number, and return address on the back of the envelope. If you're the monthly winner, we'll feature your work in Gl and you'll receive a video game prize from the Game Informer vault.

Jim's а rootin’, tootin’, rocket scootin’, gun

shootin’ worm.

I think she means business.

Look at me; I'm made out of metal and | have this cool

Game Informer - О

4 ANYONE ELSE A

™

we're concerned, both systems have their. E With so many games coming out for both. 15, its impossible to say which port is better. Maybe we'll more after this holiday season. As for

who wears lion skins, he probably finds.

your. himself hunting prehistoric Jaguars all day.

Ғ

you know where І сап get опе?

or a long time | have wanted to buy an Atari

Alec Phoenix, AZ

Yes...dress in а lion skin; take a class in cave

Painting, and talk to Tim (our production director).

He'll sell ya‘ his! .

Whether it's Nintendo, Sega, or Sony, Game Informer Magazine is no phony.

3D0, Arcade, even PC,

GI's got everything for you and те. | From Mario to =, Rayman to Crash, GI's got the late: reviews ina flash.

So if other magazines are leaving you flat, Game Informer Magazine's where it's at!

Chris "Da Brain" Hodges Metropolitan School of Fine Arts Chicago, IL

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Don't let a Black Cat

cross your path.

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THINK 5о. Ж ОЛ

E ЕТТЕН

Ж өті ЕДЫ

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This is the time in Mortal Kombat when we dance.

SS

x Eden Prarie, MN

a 55344

She takes our Breath of Fire 2 away.

2 Ea, Who says the arts are dead? Its always a Pleasure to discover a talented troubadour amidst the droves of slack driven slang speakers. But beware, Chris, the path of the arts is always precarious, You'll find yourself starving in a small | apartment, wearing all black clothing, and worshipping а rose. But the great part is that girls _ love poets! HAD go Chris.

Jaguar, but now I can't find it in the stores. Do

october WINNER! Carlton Selby, New York

Sakura's a lot like Cyndi Lauper — she just wants to

D

I don't know what he's shooting at, but think it's dead.

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090460 CHUJI

1 CD-ROM 1 or 2-Player Head-To-Head Tournament Fighter (1-Player Quest Mode) Fe Motion Capture Animation, 1-Player Quest Mode,

640.x 480 Hi-Resolution Graphics, 60 Frames Per Second (FPS) Animation, Practice Mode, Survival Mode, Character Designs By Akira Toriyama, Three Difficulty Levels

fed by: Dream Factory for Square Soft/Sony Computer Entertainment

le: November for Sony PlayStation

The announcement last year that Square's first game for the PlayStation was going to be a fighting game rocked the video game world. And if you're going to do а fighting game you £ might as well do it right. In Square's usual fashion, they came back with the best. Square created the company Dream Factory. This band of fighting junkies is headed by Seiichi Ishii, who has had a hand in creating such games as Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing (Arcade), Tekken, and Tekken 2. While this may read like a who's who of fighting games, this is Ishii-san’s first game for Square and he had to do it right.

And we think you'll agree with us when we say that this game is truly revolutionary. It is the world's first fighting game to incorporate a 3D Quest mode, and if that's not enough, it's also the first console game to maneuver (not roll) in 3D space. So in actuality, this game is like two games in one — the standard fighting game, and the quest mode.

Й x 480, while pumping out polys at 60 frames per second. This creates ultra smooth (

ў well аз а huge cash prize). Like any fighting game, you must work your way Ў through each of the fighters (and your double) before you can face Тоба! three boss ER characters: Mufu, Nork the Mysterious, and Emperor Udan.

Í lots of tricky moves. Tobal utilizes a special grappling system that allows you to | push your opponent around while setting them up for different throws. You can grab

Dream Fact = was able to mau е these tw өзі game modes by creating the entire game in polygons. While there are a couple of textures on some of the characters and backgrounds, most of the graphics are displayed with standard gouraud-shaded polygons lots of them). While the graphics may look somewhat plain to the unskilled eye, they are quite the opposite. Tobal utilizes the PlayStation’s hi-res mode to display the game іп 640

animation that must be seen to be believed.

di amm A

ыу UOIZEISACId

X

ұлан The Tournament Mode pits eight of the greatest fighters in the galaxy in a | 00:28

showdown for both pride and greed. The king of Tobal holds this tournament every [iti year and gives the winner the honor of being the strongest fighter in the galaxy (as

FR

Each of the characters in Tobal No. 1 can do a number of combos, juggles, holds, reversals and throws. While there are no magical attacks like fireballs, there are

мәглә,

your opponent by the body, arm or head. Once they're in your grasp you can do а number of different throws and attacks, but there's a catch; any of the throws or holds can be reversed. While a reversal is difficult to do, it does make for some interesting fighting and some excellent animation. Characters slide out of holds, reverse grabs, and basically grapple to gain position. And you can throw a reversal оп a reversal. The game's producer, Darren Yager, stated that the office record at Sony is eight reversals in a row. So, as you can probably guess by now, grappling adds a whole new dimension to the fighting.

The combos and special attacks in Tobal No. 1 are a mix of Virtua Fighter and Tekken in that button sequences and certain combinations of buttons and the d-pad create each attack. Since the d-pad is primarily used to move your characters around in 3D space, block and jump have been moved to the top right and left button, respectively. Punches and kicks are translated through a three button system of a low, medium, and upper attack; however, since Tobal is 3D you can attack your opponent from any № direction.

To move in 3D space you simply push the control pad in the direction you wish the character to go. Tap the d-pad twice and the characters will hop in that direction; hold it and the character will run. This is especially useful when it comes to avoiding a ring cut, % and surprisingly, it doesn’t interrupt controller motions for special attacks (since the № d-pad is secondary to the execution of moves). Tobal also offers a couple of different play options in Tournament Mode, including a Survival mode (where you only get one life bar per continue), and a practice mode (for practicing, obviously).

PUSH START BUTTON

Ua жї CHUJ

BLOCK(B)

HIGH V саре | АТТАСК а (НА)

MIDDLE ATTACK (МА) ickwai

*all moves assume player's facing right

PlayStation Review |

Tobal's Quest Mode is truly unique. You can play this mode as any | 7 D character, and you can use any of their moves from the Tournament a? <

Mode. То make the Quest Made into an adventure, the Dream Factory | .` had to figure out how to combine all the classic elements of an | ` adventure game with a fighter. To do this, they give your character the ability to pick-up, drop, and throw items that you find throughout the levels. There are crystals (money), potions, food, 1-ups and power-ups placed throughout the game. You can eat the food, throw poison at the enemies, and even buy and sell items.

You move around in dungeons just as you would in the tournament mode, except this time from a view just behind the character, As you explore each level you'll come across enemies that you must fight. At this point, the game slides back into a classic fighter allowing you to use all your moves and combos, P:

Inside Tobal's four dungeons you'll encounter all kinds of new nasties. There are moles, mad rats and ghouls that you must defeat. Of course, a quest game is worthless unless you have a goal, but Tobal's got that covered too. Your prize for solving each dungeon's maze is a bonus character that you сап use in both the Quest and Tournament Modes. The first three dungeons

enable you to play as the boss characters, and the fourth enables...well, if we

een % 7 told you we'd have to КШ you. Actually, that's not true. At the time we went to E 4 741 press, we were unable to defeat the final dungeon. It’s tough. It features over thirty levels of random (yes, we said random) mazes that you must battle your

2) Way through. We know for a fact that it enables another character; however, a | we are uncertain of his identity. Presumably, you get to take control of 4 | Toriyama Robo, a character from Dragon Ball 2, 7

Es

YOU MUST DEFEAT TORIYAMA ROBO

fanatics. While it does suffer from a rather short list of playable characters, it more than makes 1 ] up for it with a Quest that not only entertains, but rewards. Watch for Tabal No.1 this November | from two great companies that taste great together, Square and Sony.

Y ое ЛЕ

мала.

02-00-03

SNORK

“At first glance the graphics in this game .5 (оок somewhat unexciting (due fo the lack of texture maps), but once you start playing you realize how fast and smooth D the graphics really are. Next thing you fron уш Ram how, 1o cont һе characters (which is somewhere раг Sieg Tekken and VF) in 20 space Entertainment: 8.75 and then, before you know it, youre 4 hooked and playing for hours on end. And thats only the half of i, because you OVERALL: stil have to master the quest mode (whe suprising ingenious). Overaly this game does suffer from a shortage of characters and weak endings, but it does have the most innovative play control Ive seen in a long time and а quest mode you can't find anywhere else. — — Check it out!”

= ER

ЎР Reiner, THE RAGING GAMER $e

дё 9.25 ‘Tobal №1 is a perfect blend of Virtua ү

ЖУ; Fighter and Tekken. It is in fact the first [e 8.75 true 3D PlayStation fighter, where you | have complete freedom to roam all about 8.5 the arena. Personally, | thought the. graphics could have been better, but ther 9.25 again, | agree with Square 5045 move to в make the game faster by dropping out most of the texture maps. It's fast bab; The animation is the best I've seen i OVERALL: алу fighter (Tekken beware), and the control... oh the controll Man, games 9 don't get much more exciting than this. You have a complete fighter with an. adventure game on the side! What else do you май?" ч ГЛ

Paut, THE GAME PROFESSOR

“Leave it up to Square to come through Concent: 85 vif an юл fighting title right out 5 of the chute, This game is definitely not Cores 8 much to look al, but it offers fast Sound: gameplay and a killer soundtrack. The moves are very intuitive and the grab Playability: 8 counter moves are very original indeed. As for the Quest Mode, | think it's a Entertainment: 8 great way to allow access to hidden characters. Again, its not that appealing OVERALL: Visually, but the challenge oft wil make * — you lay for a long time. Although

not have the flash of Tekken 2, its a.

solid and entertaining game."

Game Informer's

j

Editor's Top Ten Console Games for October

© Tetris Attack - SNES

©) Die Hard Trilogy - PSX,

E. Ridge Racer Revolution - PS-X Ө Triple Play ‘97 - PSX

O Tekken 2 - Р5-Х

© Crash Bandicoot - PS-X

@ Andretti Racing - PS-X

Ө. Tobal No. 1 - PS-X

© Madden NFL ‘97 - PS-X, SS © Super Mario 64 - №4

© Final Fantasy Ill - SNES

© Ken Griffey’s Winning Run =SNES {© Marvel Super Heroes - Arcade

@ Tekken 2-Р5-Х

(9) Resident Evil - Р5-Х

© Breath of Fire 2 - SNES

Ө Virtua Fighter 2- SS

© Super Mario 64 - №4

Ө Chrono Trigger SES

© Super Mario RPG - SNES

Top Ten Cross-overs You'll Never See

©) Virtua Cop and Lemmings - It'd be fun to shoot those little buggers. ч

O Tempest and Doom Analog controller

© required.

` © Beavis and Butthead and Final Fantasy - Hult

huh uh-huh. You said Esper, " #

@ NHL Hockey and Starfox - MegaMan Soccer watch out!

@ Tekken and Black Bass - Fight for a while, then wet a line. Competitive yet relaxing.

Ө Ballz and PGA Tour - Which ball is mine?

ER Super Punch-Out and Metroid - Bald Bull Vs. Mother Brain?

© Ridge Racer and Tetris - It's hard to keep your eyes on the road While playing a good game of Tetris.

© Mortal Kombat and Pilotwings = The Gyrocopter Fatality is awesome!

КФ. Resident Eviland Kirby Super Star - Must... ill... Kirby!!!

‘Game Informer is looking for Your Top Ten favorite games. Please send your Top Tens (0: "Game Informer Magazine. Attn: Top Ten 10120 West 76th Street + Eden Prairie, ММ 55344 Everyone that enters every month will be enterédhin а drawing. to win а бі Secret Access T-Shirt! So get writingl.

T

Nintendo 64 Launches at 199

Nintendo of America announced that the price of the Nintendo 64 will now be $199, a price drop of $50 from the originally announced $249.

Industry rumors had been circulating concerning the N64's pricing since both Sony and Sega announced their $199 price tag at May's Electronic Entertainment Expo. In what can almost be considered a last minute change, Nintendo informed retailers of the new pricing in the beginning of August. Nintendo, always one to keep secrets, did not officially announce the price drop to the public, but succumbed to the pressure as news of the pricing changes began to filter through the press.

The $199 N64 will definitely not be packaged with a game, but with N64 games priced around $60 to $70, we may see a N64 unit and game package introduced by some retailers for around $250. Nintendo. denied that this would be the case.

۸

Saturn Sonic Gets The Extreme Delay

The feisty blue mascot of Sega was scheduled to spin into the 32-bit world next month in Sonic X-Treme. However, Sega of America announced that the Saturn Sonic title will not show up until late next year.

Apparently, the game was receiving a last minute overhaul when Sega announced the delay. “From the reaction we received at Gamer's Day, we decided to move the title back,” stated Sega spokesperson Terry Tang. Ironically, the 3D worlds of Sonic X-Treme were barely present at the recent Sega event as it had only two semi-playable levels to "react" to.

To pacify those Saturn owners who need their Sonic fix is a game that wasn't even shown at Sega's press junket. Sonic 3D Blast (Saturn) is a translation of the new 16-bit Sonic title. It will appear on November 21 and offer enchanced graphics, better sound and a couple new zones.

October ‘96

N64’s Game Line-Up Gets Jumbled

There have been some happenings in the Nintendo 64 | game line-up since we reported it to you last month. It now looks like only two games, PilotWings 64 and Super Mario 64, may make it to the store on September 30th as CruisN’ USA has been pushed back to mid-November. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter looks as though it won't be made available until the middle of October. However, rumors have been circulating concerning WaveRace 64, which was originally announced for November release. This title has already been released in Japan and may make an early appearance for the N64, but our sources say the release will be November 4.

In other N64 gaming news, Nintendo announced that Killer Instinct 64 will now be called Killer Instinct Gold. The Gold game will feature all the characters from both КІ and КІ 2 and will hit the stores on November 25. Interplay confirmed that it will be developing ClayFighter 3 and Ultra Descent for release on the N64 next year. Kemco is publishing a racing game, developed by Boss Studios, entitled Top Gear Rally, and Vic Tokai will develop an exclusive fighting game called Dark Rift. The folks at GTE will release a crazy action/driving title called Ultra Combat. Finally, Philips Media has secured publishing rights to GameTek's Robotech: Crystal Dreams which will come to the N64 next year.

Studios’ Top Gear Rally. 4

Kemco 8 Boss

Resident Evil Goes Platinum

Capcom has deemed Resident Evil the “killer app" for the Sony PlayStation. In other words, Capcom says that Resident Evil is the application or software that is driving the public to buy the Р5-Х.

Capcom announced that it has now shipped more than a million units of the game worldwide and they hope to continue its sales dominance with a new marketing campaign for Resident Evil this fall. The hype surrounding Resident Evil will probably continue as information concerning its sequel has begun to leak from Japan.

The sequel to Resident Evil was introduced at the recent Tokyo Toy Show and sent the game to new extremes. More weapons, more enemies, and more of the gruesome carnage will once again have gamers on the edge of their seats. The game will replace Chris and Jill with two new members of the STARRS team and will be set in the familiar Raccoon City.

Resident Evil 2 (tentative title) is scheduled to appear in March of ‘97. Welcome back to the world of survival horror.

Is Saturn Linked to the Net? C sd

At Sega's recent "Gamer's Day" held in Redwood City, CA, it was announced that the Sega Saturn NetLink was about to go into production, but further investigation by Game Informer revealed that the NetLink has been delayed indefinitely.

The NetLink modem peripheral (See GI News, July '96) for the Saturn was scheduled to be released before the end of the year for $199. It was to be packaged with a CD-ROM that would

supposedly in the works as well.

However, it was announced that Sega held a developers’ conference for third parties interested in developing for the NetLink. At May's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sega announced a number of games including Baku Baku, Virtual On, and Virgin's Command & Conquer as NetLink games. However, there was no mention of them at the recent visit to Sega.

It looks as if Sega doesn't want another 32X on their hands, so it is probably a smart decision to delay the release of the NetLink until a healthy supply of games can be made available.

) E é Bie Inforiiter = October ‘96

have included software allowing access to the World Wide Web. A disk drive and keyboard attachment are

The question that lingered at the “Gamer's Day" was the availability of games that are compatible with the NetLink. There was not a single game spoken of or announced at the “Gamer's Day" event.

Psygnosis Signs оп the Dotted Line Psygnosis has signed a one year extension to their current development contract with Sony Computer Entertainment America. Psygnosis is Europe's, leading developer of

"PlayStation titles. Looking to leverage

their position, іп the US. market, Psygnosis will. keep bringing оп the hits. Riding high on the success ОҒ Destruction Derby, and Wipeout, titles under development, include the sequels - Wipeout XL and Destruction Derby 2, as well as Formula, 1, Thunder Truck Rally, Adidas Power Soccer, Codename Tenka, Discworld. 2, The City of Lost Children and the Island of Dr. Moreau.

Willlams Introducing Hangtime Update Williams will be introducing а new version of their МВА Hangtime-arcade machine in the form of Maximum Hangtime. This game. will feature, an expanded roster that'includes-numerous. rookies and will also introduce.trades to the game. The gameplay willbe tweaked | to offer new dunks and moves. If you" can't get enough of that. two-on-two action, look for this game coming to arcades soon. KR

Namen Museum Grows In Volumes Namco Hometek has announced some. of, the, games that will comprise the future. of the Namco Museum compila- tion CD's for the Sony PlayStation. Look for classic arcade ports such as Galaxian, Ms. Pac-man, Dig Dug, Pole Position Il, Pac-Land, Assault, and more (yet to бе determined) arcade relics to

j grace volumes 2-5.

Is Satum Doomed? The long wait is over for Sega Saturn owners as GT Interactive will be releasing id Software's Doom this month. It promises to include all the original Doom levels that have made this an instant classic. GTI will 2150 ре ^» bringing id's Hexen: Beyond Heretic to the Saturn. This game should hit in early October.

MechWarrior 2 for Saturn

Activision released some preliminary beta footage of an upcoming Saturn game MechWarrior 2. The game development is still very early, but the game promises to come with many of the features that made the - — PC version popular. It may even have NetLink capabilities for multi-player network play. Look for this game coming in the spring.

ge ——

DASSIES ASICS

HALL ОР FAME

Recall the games of yesterday with our monthly glance into the infancy of gamedom. To be sure, we won't list the obvious classics like the Super Mario series, Contra, or Zelda. We are delving deep into the void of obscure, yet entertaining games of the past. See how many of

these gems you can remember.

Electronic Quarterback - Coleco Handheld

Miner 2049er - Game Boy

Ristar - Game Gear

Top Gear - SNES

Ignition Factor - SNES

Zombies Ate My Neighbors -

NES

Castlevania - NES. Goal - NES

Ultima: Exodus - NES Tutenkham - Arcade Bonk -TG-16

‘Sword of Vermillion - SG Revenge of Shinobi - SG Kaboom! - Atari 2600 Electro Cop - Atari Lynx

Flux Those Muscles

Here's yet another title that is trying to capitalize on the fame of Resident Evil. MTV's Aeon Flux, whom you've probably seen on Liquid Television or in her own half hour show,

has entered the 3D video game world with guns ablazin’! Viacom is nearing completion on this title. All we can comment on, other than its cool looks, is that it has the appearance of a Resident Evil clone. Take a look at this new shot; make your own judgments, and be here for more info in the following months.

Scud Inertia

Sega Soft debuted Scud: The Disposable Assassin at the recent Sega “Gamer's Day” with a hearty thanks going out to the Game Informer staff for our role in making it happen.

Last January, Game Informer first reported on the possibilities of Fire Man Press’ comic book character making its way to video games. The article apparently got the attention of Scud's creator Rob Schrab and set the gaming wheels in motion. "It would be nice if we could work with other game magazines in the same way,” stated one Sega Soft official.

Scud: The Disposable Assassin is currently being developed for the Sega Saturn and PC. According to a press release, it is also making its way to the Sony PlayStation. Sega Soft played down the PS-X

(19) THE DISPOSABLE A88

version, but it sounds like Scud will be Sega Soft's first venture on the PlayStation.

Scud will be filled with tons of gaming options. Two game modes - side scrolling action and first person shooter - bring Rob Schrab's comic creation to life. Both modes support simultaneous two- player action, where player one commands Scud and player two controls Dry Wall (that zipper guy).