Do Tr oe So ty , a W g yo er f (2 + p 7 ; 4 w a 9f “J 2 AS BLOWOUT j9 Nintendo Feeds Your, Addiction ‘With Yellow, Silver, &Gold BREAKING NEWS FROM JAPAN In-Depth Coverage From Tokyo Game ` Show & Nintendo Space World ZELDA REBORN * Link's Adventures Continue On pu a E —_— i ` Nintendo 64 & Game Boy Color D TONY Li AWK’ S ~ ENEE] Ç = DRNA QUATER a A $3.95 Canada $4.95 UK £2.50 11> Ul oll 1480101864 Naeun #79 © Issue 11 EVERYONE logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. NAUGHTY: DOG CTR (Crash Team Racing) Game ©1999 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Devel It’s not driving Its amotorized beat-down. Leave skid marks on 25 different tracks. Reduce your fellow drivers to roadkill. And if youre man enough to survive the hair- pin turns, you'll score a TURBO boost. Unless, of course, you get 86'ed by a TNT crate. Plug in the Multi Tap adaptor and up to four players can race to the ugly fin- ish. With over 12 playable characters in all. Basically, it’s a full-blown war on wheels. www.playstation.com ale iy a 72% at, | d ro _GCPASIIMTIEAMIRACTIY ae Once he gets behind the wheel, things get ugly. GENERIC KNOCKOFFS ARE THIS STUFF IS WAY S Video Cable Color Memory Cards Link Cable Multi Tap ™ Settling for anything less than the real thing can be a bad idea. So get your hands on genuine PlayStation” branded accessories. The DUAL SHOCK analog controller's vibration feature brings every racing pileup and cranium-crushing blow to life. Dual thumb-sticks make for surgical precision. The Multi Tap lets you plug up to four players into one console. So you can strain your closest friendships with a trash-talking game of hoops or a golf PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks and DUAL SHOCK is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. ©1999 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. OKAY FOR MEDICATION. TOO IMPORTANT. PlayStation ® RFU Adaptors Color DUAL SHOCK™ Look for Official PlayStation Analog Controllers Branded Accessories. www. playstation.com foursome. Use your Memory Card to save a level or disemboweling fighting combo. For serious one-on-one arcade action, use a Link Cable to hook up two consoles and two TVs. And if your TV's missing a video input, our RFU Adaptors will end your woes. Let’s not forget S Video Cables. A must for high-resolution beat-downs. And unlike generic accessories, you'll never run the risk of damaging your console. Or living a life of mediocrity. < Or co™ Letter From the Editor Homie Don’t Play That Dear Game Informer GI readers from across the globe interact with Game Informer. Envelope Art You can’t win if you don’t enter Gl’s Monthly Envelope Art Contest. GI News Nintendo announces a new Game Boy and talks of new Pokémon, updates from the Tokyo Game Show, plus Name That Game!, Trivia, and GI’s Top Ten. Photophile Super mini-previews with a big taste! This month we crammed in the Dukes of Hazzard, Ridge Racer 64, Mega Man Legends 2, and Tomorrow Never Dies. Game Informer PC Oops. We broke the PC Jedi. Or no, one of his games is broken? Oh well, he babbled something about Mech Commander Gold, Starfleet Command, Septerra Core, and Sinistar Unleashed. Arcade Brigade Shortly after saving the world from a horde of zombie Pokémon collectors, The Arcade Assassin squeezed in just enough time to go off about Ferrari 355, San Francisco Rush 2049, and Outtrigger. Play to Perfection Skaters, poseurs, and people who never touch the stuff gather “round. We've provided you with guided tours of every area of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, including sweet spots and some of the highest scoring trick combos in the game. Secret Access Fabulous tips from readers and Game Shark codes that dazzle the eye! Enhance your gaming experience with codes for Ready 2 Rumble, NFL Blitz 2000, Mortal Kombat Gold, and Sled Storm. Classic GI Fond memories and old groans emanate from this page when we check out classic games on the SNES and Genesis systems, and throw in a few classic codes to boot. Pg 100 Game Informer Magazine" (ISSN 1067-6382) is published monthly at a subscription price of $19.98 per year, or five trial issues for $9.98 by Sunrise Publcations®, 10120 West 76th Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. (612) 946-7245 or FAX (612) 946-8155. For subscriptions, back issues, or customer service inquires (612) 946-7266, Periodicals postage paid at Hopkins, MN, and additional mailing offices. SUB- ‘SCRIBERS/POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Game Informer Magazine’, 10120 West 76th Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55344- 8728, Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars and must include $20/year additional postage. Game Informer does not claim any copyright in the screenshots herein. Copyright in all screenshots contained within this publication are owned by their respective companies. Entire contents copyright 1999, Game Informer Magazine". Al rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer” is a trademark of FUNCO, Inc. Products named in these pages are trade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies, Game Informer + November '99 =. Cover Story: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater A skating game this good? We had other plans for the cover this month, but Tony Hawk was just too good to be true. This game had everyone in the office sneaking away from their desk to get in a little extra playing time. Get the scoop and check out our interview with Tony Hawk. Feature: PlayStation 2 Extravaganza Is it a DVD player, a game system, or a radiator? Whatever it is, it’s got us walking around with big grins on our faces. Get all your facts straight with this trove of information on the PS-2, the ~ Dual Shock2, and of course, the amazing games themselves. \ Pg 12 Feature: Space World Cripes! It seems like all we have to do is mention the word Pokémon and another 50 subscribers magically appear. Senior Editor Paul Anderson brings back our first substantial info on Pokémon Silver and Gold, an announcement about the pending release of the 64DD in Japan, and more news on upcoming Nintendo games. Did we forget to mention the interview with the man behind Mario, Shigeru Miyamato? yO Reviews & Previews Nintendo 64 Battletanx 2: Global Assault, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, Destruction Derby 64, Donkey Kong 64, Earthbound 3: The Final Days of the Pig King, Excitebike 64, Legend of Zelda: The Continuing Saga, NBA Courtside 2 Featuring Kobe Bryant, Rayman 2, Resident Evil 2, Winback PlayStation Crash Team Racing, Dune 2000, Grand Theft Auto 2, Grandia, NASCAR 2000, NHL 2000, NHL Face Off 2000, Resident Evil 3:Nemesis, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, Thousand Arms, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Wipeout 3 Dreamcast Crazy Taxi, D2, Dynamite Cop, Ecco the Dolphin, Fighting Force 2, Freshtracks, Seaman, Shenmue, Soul Fighter, Toy Commander, Virtua Fighter 3tb Game Boy Color Pokémon Yellow, Pokémon Silver & Gold At a Glance Nintendo 64 Rocket, Starshot PlayStation Bass Rise, Gallop Racer, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing, Juggernaut, Metal Gear VR Missions, / Monkey Magic, Rat Attack, Re-Volt, Shadow Tower, Shadow Man, Tail Concerto, Test Drive: Off Road 3, Tiny Tank, WCW Mayhem, Xena: Warrior Princess Game Boy Color Game & Watch Gallery 3, Ghosts N Goblins, Legend of Zelda: Fruit of the Mysterious Tree, Mario Golf, Ms. Pac-Man, NBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant, Vegas Games Neo Geo Pocket Color Pac-Man T CROSS ° POLICE LINE + DO NOT € =» 4 o p SS - POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS - POLI ° NE + DO a] ža = Excessive Speeding 2:54 a.m. Jet Moto racing is back. With an all-new 3D racing engine that delivers sharper graphics, faster speed and more adrenaline. Jostle and fight for position on 19 killer tracks and 11 insanely fast hover L E [2] = [go] — ea) =~ piss joke bikes. It’s the wicked speed you've always wanted, without all the tickets. | The rush is back! www.989studios.com PlayStation Licensed for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc. Jet Moto is a registered trademark, and 989 Studios and the 989 Studios logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Published by 989 Studios. ©1999 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. November Issue 1999 Volume IX + Number 11 + Issue #79 Richard A. Cihak Publisher Andrew McNamara Editor Paul Anderson Andrew Reiner Senior Associate Editors Jay Fitzloff Erik Reppen Matt Helgeson. Associate Editors Beaux Hawkins Contributing Writer Thomas Blustin Art Director Curtis Fung Production Director Rachel Gilles Production Assistant Ryan MacDonald West Coast Correspondent Gabrielle Dane ‘Sarah Anderson Copy Editors Advertising Sales Kimberley Thompson-Benike National Advertsing Sales Director 10120 W. 76th Street Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3728 (612) 946-8159 Fax (612) 946-8155 Vicky Valley Circulation / Marketing Manager Customer Service Manager (612) 946-7274 Customer Service Department For change of address or subscription inquiry only: (612) 946-7266 Fax (612) 946-8155 or send correspondance to: 10120 W. 76th Street Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3728 Attn: CIS Dept Arthur Mascot Manufactured and printed’ im the United States of America Homie Don't Play That That’s right. I’m not too happy with Sony’s choice to go with broadband Internet connections to deliver games. First off, | don’t see broadband hitting any kind of market penetration in the timeframe that PS-2 will be in the limelight of next- generation gaming. Secondly, | hate cable modems. As of now, and this may change in the future, for each person in your neighborhood that gets a cable modem, your data transfer rate slows down. Which, in and of itself, makes the medium moronic. Then you add in the fact that my cable signal already stinks and this whole cable modem thing is heading for disaster. Back that up with the fact that Sony wants me to run out and buy a modem and pay an ISP 20 bucks every month just so | can download games from the comfort of my living room. Yeah...right. I think not. Certainly this plan could almost work if | was going to surf the web on my TV, but as Dreamcast owners already know, surfing the Internet on a standard TV just stinks. The only way surfing in the living room is somewhat bearable is if you have high definition TV (HDTV), and let me tell you first hand that there aren’t many people with those. Plus, to throw another wrench in the cogs, the realities of HDTV being in everyone’s living room is still at least four years off. If you can afford a HDTV, you can afford to buy a computer for all your Internet surfing Grassy Knoll Gamers (left to rigl Paul, Andy, Matt, Jay, Re BY ANDREW McNAMARA fun, so why would you want to surf in the living room? While | realize that broadband connections are the way to go (I have one at home), | don’t want to sit around and wait for Sony to figure out that things aren’t going to work out as planned while we miss out on years of multiplayer gaming that could have been. I want to play EverQuest on PlayStation Game Army Me Bass Rise ... Croc (Gl now, not at some unseen time in the future. Luckily, Sony hasn’t ruled out the possibility of another company selling a modem and making massive multiplayer games a reality, but I just don’t like the idea of the system manufacturer not supporting the medium. Then there is the last, and possibly worst, scenario regarding this whole e-distribution of gaming thing - the downloads could take forever. Destruct Donkey GAMESsIN DEX: fen. Bass Fishing . BattleTanx (GBC) Battletanx 2- ‘Bouncer, Ti Castleva Countdown Vampires Crash Team Racing . Crazy Taxi BC) Rob tion Derby 64 Kong 64 - Dukes of Hazzard Dune 2000 . Dynamite Ce Earthbound The Final Days of the Pig King Ecco The Dolphin Eternal Arcadia Eternal Right now | know game developers that send games over the Internet and it takes somewhere around 14 hours - and that’s for a CD-ROM. Imagine how long it will take with a DVD. There are also times when the game arrives at its destination missing sections of data. Yikes! Plus, storing games on hard drives? Isn’t that why I play console games - to avoid the hassle. | don’t know, this may work, but right now I think this whole thing sounds like a mess. And homie don’t play that. er. Inset: Lee Harvey Reppen (Erik). Ghosts Grandia Kessen Legend Fruit of Legend Mario Gi Gran Turismo 200( Grand Theft Auto 2 Ring Fear Effect Fighting Force 2 . Game & Watch N Goblins Hotwheels Juggernaut Kirby's Dreamland 64 .. Kobe Bryant 3 on Kyojin no Doshin of Zelda: f the Mysterious Tre of Zelda: The Contini Macross VF-X2 . olf . MechCommander Gold . Mega Man Legends 2 Metal Gear Soli _. Mini Racers Monkey Magic Ms. Pac-Man . VR NASCAR 2000 NBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant -NBA’Courtside 2 Featuring Kobe Bı ‘Need for Speed V-Rally New Ridge Racer NHL 2000... NHL Face Off 2000 .. Pac-Man... Paint Studio . Pokemon Silver Pokemon Yellow . Rat Attack Rayman 2 Resident Evil The Editor welcomes company product information for all video games. Such materials should be addressed to: Editor, Game Informer Magazine, 10120 Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. Editorial are noted above. Unsolicited urned or acknowledged. pyright 1999. Game Informer Magazine. All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer of FUNCO, Inc. ned in these pages are trade names, or of their respective companies. PUBLISHER LIABILITY FOR ERROR The publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors: that.do.not. lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher's liability for Other errors Of omissions»in*connection with an advertisement is limited to republication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser andior Advertising Agency agrees to detend and indemnity the publisher against any and all liability, loss, or expense arising from claims of libel, Unfair competition, unfair trade practices, infringement of trademarks, copyrights, trade names, patents, or proprietary rights or of rights of privacy, resulting from the pi of the Advertiser's Septerra Core Shadow Man . Shadow Towe Shenmue . Sim City 64 Sinistar Unleashed . Soul Fighter . Spider-M; Spyro 2: Starshot Star Trek: Star Fleet Command. Super Mario RPG 2 . Super Runabout . SuperCross Circuit . Tail Concerto Talent Studio. Tekken Tag Tournament Test Drive: Off Road 3. Thousand Arms . Time Loop Tiny Tank Tomb Raider: Tomorrow Never Dies . . Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Toy Commander statement Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Andy, The Game Hombre andy@gameinformer.com “I just got back from Tokyo Game Show, and to say that I'm pretty impressed with the PlayStation2 would be an understatement. At this point the games are good; nothing revolutionary yet (don't forget they still have six months of development time left), but | never would have guessed that it would be able to play DVD movies (with Dolby Digital and dts) without some kind of add-on. That's awesome. | already paid well over 300 bucks for a DVD player and for me to be able to get another one — that just happens to include a PlayStation2 — is incredible.” 6 Game Informer e November '99 Paul, The Game Professor paul@gameintormer.com “So there | am, at Nintendo's Space World, expecting to see some cool Dolphin footage or something. Nintendo had nothing, and | scoured the site looking to kick Mario's tail. Couldn't find that plumber boy, so | turned my aggression to Charmander. Unfortunately, some other Pokemon (I didn't get a good look at it) blind-sided me, and | awoke to find myself stuck under the new Zelda 64 display. Luckily, that game is cool. | just watched as | dressed my wounds. Other than Zelda and getting my butt wupped by a Pokémon, Space World was a fairly uneventful show.” Reiner, The Raging Gamer reiner@gameintormer.com “After some serious soul searching, I now know what the true meaning of life is, and oh boy, is it amazing! The meaning of life is...eh? (Reiner’s train of thought is derailed as Erik begins thrashing about his desk screaming nonsense about this month's grueling deadline.) Hold that thought, | need to calm one of my coworkers. (Like Jesus walking across water, Reiner gracefully glides to Erik's desk.) Fool, what's yo deal? (In a lighting fast motion, Erik's iron fist connects with Reiner’s jewels.) ARGH! You bruised my precious orbs! Damn you rat- monkey!!! |... will... get... revenge...” a Jay, The Gonzo Gamer jay@gameinformer.com “Things given up during this issue: soda (1 successful attempt, 2 failures). Sick things eaten this issue: Green Slime sauce. Innovations this issue: writing a half page article with a person writing one sentence, then passing it on until completed. Total staff hours put in on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater: 85. Highest single combo score: 24,400. Skateboard ridden for issue research: Payaso Longbow. Percentage of this magazine written in the last week: 70%. Ideas Gonzo had for a clever blurb: 0” WCW Mayhem . WCW Mayhem (GBC) Winback. . Wipeout 3 Xena: Warrior Princess Matt, The Original Gamer matt@gameinformer.com “I just spent the weekend in Vegas, and | have one piece of advice for every guy out there: Don't wear tank tops! (Especially if you're fat.) You don't look cool, you look like a tool. Also, someone at Nintendo needs to stop sniffin’ their BVD’s and get some good games out for the N64. Outside of Donkey Kong 64, this year's holiday lineup looks about as exciting as a Jim Belushi film festival. You can't expect kids to keep eating out of the Pokémon slop bucket forever. Fads like this have a notoriously short lifespan. Remember Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? Neither does anyone else.” ae Erik, The PC Jedi erik@gameintormer.com “The Dead Lion leapt. | did a full length split and delivered a mighty blow to its gonads as it flew over me gnashing and clawing at air where my head had just been. The wretched thing shrieked and tumbled to the ground groaning. It had been a long battle and | was already growing weary so | grabbed a hold of an Atari Jaguar and smashed it repeatedly into the Dead Lion's head hoping to knock it unconscious before it had a chance to recover from its injury. The Dead Lion faded away, leaving us in peace for a scant few days before the endless battle began again.” PRESENTS ° ZAKATZ ASD JZATR oY defy urban gravity CONTENT RATED BY ‘nose slide’ 12 2 PlayStation Snail Mail: Email: Game Informer Magazine deargi@gameinformer.com Attn: Dear GI 10120 W. 76th Street Eden Prairie, MN 55344 WWW www.gameinformer.com Soul Reaver: Director's Cut? | would like to direct your attention to something. Eidos, the company who issued the Soul Reaver game, has cheated gamers. They have released a cut-up version of the game so chock full of bugs, glitches, and errors that pure playing enjoyment is impossible. Further, it has come to my attention that nearly a third of the game has been cut. Why was this done? | have no idea, but | hope this letter makes it into your magazine so Eidos will know that they can’t cheat people out of a good gaming experience.We waited over a year for this game, and what do we get for our patience? A game that crashes constantly, has missing parts, and has the worst possible ending any company could give a gamer. | paid nearly $40 for this game. At the very least | expected some sort of good ending, but instead | get,“TO BE CONTINUED,” For further information on what this loser History Lesson l have been noticing a lot of hype around the Dreamcast. Even though it is an inferior system to the PS-2 and Dolphin, everyone is saying it still is going to do well because of the lead it has over all the other systems. | don’t think that is going to make a difference. Sega has always put out a superior system before everyone else puts out an even better system. It has been this way for years. First there was the NES.Then Sega came out with the Genesis which was superior to the NES. Then Nintendo came out with the Super Nintendo which was superior to the Genesis. While the Genesis did well, the Super Nintendo did much better. Then Sega came out with Saturn. That too was superior to the SNES.Then the PlayStation arrived, and that pretty much ground Saturn’s face into the dirt. Now there is Dreamcast. Superior to everything else out there, but not for long. I’m not saying that Dreamcast is bound to flop, and it does look sweet compared to anything on the home console market today, but is this just going to be another case of history repeating itself? | know that games make or break a system. It doesn’t matter how good the system is if it © Game Informer + November '99 Smells Like Team S$ game really had, direct your attention $ to www.thegia.com/news/n99083 l a.html. I’m sure you'll be as surprised and angry as | was when I read this. The worst part of it is that the § information for the cut parts are still on the game disk. This is not the way for a gaming company to garner support from its fans. This is a sad day indeed for gamers everywhere, especially when a gaming company can do things like this at the last minute. i Michael Gevins $ Bridgeport, PA } All of this information is true. We received confirmation from Crystal Dynamics that several pieces of the game were, in fact, chopped out of the final product.Why these pieces were left on the disc is a mystery. Maybe it was acry for help from the development team that spent years on this project, then a deadline came along and stripped away their dream. Who knows? Leaving this stuff on the disc was a bad idea, and Crystal had better have a cheap Director’s Cut in the works so that we can play the finished product. It’s a great game, but come on! Finish it before you release it! Believe it or not, Konami pulled a similar stunt with the Nintendo 64 game Castlevania. It was supposed to have four playable characters, but when it released it only had two. Later this year, Konami is releasing the finished game under the guise, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. © | Why do you guys always talk about | the Minnesota Vikings and Timberwolves? Í The Denver Broncos and Houston _ | Rockets are far superior. Get with it! i John McFaras Oakland, CA Elvis — The King of Highlighting When you guys review a game, there is always a comment (good or bad) highlighted in bold letters. Who decides to highlight these comments? | would also like to send congrats to Gl for not falling for the “norm” — which is mentioned in September's Letter From the Editor. Keep Shining Gl! NME FIST... Skool Be Cruel? I’m a junior in high school, and | was thinking | could either go to college in Boston and get a good education, which every aspiring college student needs. Or, | could go to another school and just get a regular education to get me by in life. Or, | could just screw the education and go to a college near Eden Prairie and try and get myself work doesn’t have enough good games to support it. How is Sega on this matter? With all the major console companies coming out with new systems, this will be one heck of a console war. I’m looking forward to it. David “What’s my age again?” Scarberry Juno.com It’s too early to tell. Both Sony and Nintendo can talk smack about how great the new machines will be, and how much they will squash Sega, but we won't believe it until we see it. Here's the pattern — almost every console is talked up to be the most powerful unit ever, then it hits the street and the machine can only handle half of what was suggested. It happens every time. As of now, Sega has an advantage and a good head start. The software looks great, and the Dreamcast is already collecting a library of games light-years better than that of the Saturn. However, there are still a ton of third-party developers who do not want to create software for Dreamcast, and this is a sore spot for Sega. The absence of Electronic Arts and Square Soft is a bad thing, and something from which Nintendo and Sony can greatly benefit. Fun Little Numbered Questions! 1) When will the PlayStation 2 console be released? 2) How much will the adaptor to connect the old console to the new one cost? 3) How will | be able to wait that long? 4) How come NES and SNES games become more difficult to turn on over time? 5) What can I do to fix this problem? 6) Why does Reiner get blasted so much in a magazine he works for? Sewer Lobster We love numbered questions, but this time we're going to answer them out » | of order. Revolution! 3) Wait for what? We’re confused! 2) What adaptor? What console? 5) What are you talking about?! These crazy out-of-order questions make no sense! Game Informer headquarters is located in Minnesota — the armpit of the nation. It’s always damp and stinky here.Always.To get our minds off the Minnesota misery that crushes our spirits and makes us whine like a beaver with its leg caught in a bear trap, we root-root-root for the Minnesota ball clubs. Both Paul and Andy are huge T-Wolves and Vikings fans. Matt, the gamer from the ghetto, has Vikings season tickets. Life must be rough, huh? As for Jay, he doesn’t think much of either team, and hopes that both will have horrible seasons this year. Reiner dislikes anything that reminds him of his co-workers; and Erik believes that the Vikings were brave warriors with great table manners, yet he has a sneaking $ suspicion that they weren’t very $ nice people. That’s an interesting question. When we proofread pages for grammatical errors, a highlighting marker is used to choose the review quotes that should be in bold. Ironically, we have no idea who actually highlights these quotes. Matt claims that he saw Elvis doing it. Then again, Matt has also been caught sniffing glue and drinking out of the toilet. with GI. | pretty much don’t care what kind of job | get, just as long as | work there. Thanks, Logan Holmes Beach, FL Donut werry aboot skool. Edukaten iz ovoratid. All u needz iz a gud dicktonaire and a gud pursonalate. It wurkt fur us. 6) Ahh... finally, a question we can answer. Andy’s big quote is, “Readers think that mentioning Reiner will get them onto the letters page.” Honestly though, this is complete nonsense. Reiner gets belittled in Dear GI because the rest of the review crew is jealous of his success. They are jealous of his gaming wisdom and power. They are jealous of his good looks. They are jealous of his legion of fans. For years, Paul has manned Dear Gl and has insulted Reiner in almost every issue. For what?! Just to raise his own ratings. Jealousy — it’s a killer. 4) Because they are old. 6) Oh wait...we answered this one already. 1) March 4, 2000 in Japan, autumn 2000 in the States. Whew! These out-of-order questions were grueling! Env Art November Winner m:i avOreero E Dreaming of Online . I was wondering if you could tell me how well the modem works in the Sega Dreamcast. Have you tried surfing the Internet? How well does Sega Rally 2 work over the Internet? It’s been out for awhile in Japan.Are there any reports, good or bad, about how Sega Rally 2 works there? Internet multiplayer is one of the reasons I’m buying this system, and | would just like to know how well it works. Just imagine racing a Gran Turismo type game, playing against 2 to 20 other people. It almost makes you soil yourself doesn’t it? DJ Wonderbread — Master of the Bumpasaurus and the Humpty Dance The Highest Compliment Ever lve read GI and its competitors for seven years, and Gl is easily the leanest, meanest, electronic recreational periodical on the market. It seems many of the other mags have donned the kneepads to make Nintendo and Sega happy, but I’ve never observed this magazine do it. That’s journalism in the truest sense. I’m sick of everyone whining about this and that — I hate this and that — you need to throw that crap in the hamper for ya mama to clean. It’s hard to make everyone happy, impossible — like trying to look cool pumping gas. What Makes a Game | was talking with my cousin about video games one day and how they have changed. He says graphics are everything, and lots of people agree with him. He bases all games on FFVII’s graphics and will not play anything with worse graphics. |, on the other hand, say gameplay is everything and don’t care about graphics. What do you guys think? Unknown via aol.com The Dating Game There’s this girl in school who loves to play Final Fantasy VIII. She’s not the prettiest thing in the world, yet I’ve fallen in love with her simply because she is obsessed with my favorite game. | really want to ask her out, but I still haven’t talked to her. She probably doesn’t know | exist. | dream about her as my lovely RPG- playing wife. I’m obsessed. Think of it, GI guys — me and my lovely lady | playing Final Fantasy VIII for an | eternity! My heart aches! Help me | GI! You are my only hope! | John Johnson San Rafael,CA | First of all, you gotta change your name. You won't score with the ladies with the name John Johnson. It may be difficult, but you gotta pull yourself together and actually The dream of every hardcore gamer. We hate to burst your bubble DJ, but Sega still hasn’t finalized the online gaming aspect of its Internet service quite yet. Right now, you can download stupid little additions to Sonic Adventure, and ] that’s about it. The web browser $ | l works quite well and actually moves $f tA f Š k out at a nice speed. However, just like Web TV, most of the web pages out there | don’t fit onto the screen correctly. In i addition to this, the text is washed out. Many of the images on the Internet also look rather strange. Really, this $ service is about gaming, and we've yet f to see how it works. Benny Ross Kick...punch...it’s all in the mind. GI has saved me countless $$$ because of its reviews — so | thank them and you should too. John Stefan via aol.com Never have we received such high praise, and we're delighted that you | trust our reviewers.All of the hard work is finally paying off! Thanks a billion! But we gotta tell ya, we'd sell out in a heartbeat. Seven years of deadlines will cripple any soul.Any company that would like a perfect 10 rating on its next game should send twenty thousand dollars (small bills please!) Z| Hernandez f to the Dear GI address listed above. ‘| Los Angeles, CA | Grrrl, you be fine! This is an age-old dispute that will never end. It’s been a thorn in our side since Pong was conceived. Both graphics and gameplay make the experience better. Which is more important is just personal taste. What you need to do is change your angle and argue that sound and packaging make a game, not graphics or gameplay. He won’t bring the topic up again. Megan Taylor Columbia, MD Spider sense going crazy! Danger...down...there!!! confront this broad. Ask her if she’d like to come over and check out your collection of Triple Triad cards. From what we suspect, she'd love to see your hand. You really do sound like the perfect match for one another. Word of advice — clucking like Chocobos is fine and dandy, but junctioning her now and then will, in turn, keep your GunBlade finely polished. Josh Gilbert, Glendale, WI Snap into a Slim Jim! Anthony Zanfardino Patchogue, NY And you thought Chicago’s highways were bad? e4] Game Informer + November '99 Eo AMERiIcA's FAVORITE EARTHWORM SUPER-HERO ts pack. 40 of Earthworm Jim’s allies and enemies! 13 weapons including the Groovy Gun, the Chicken Gun, Banana-Myte, and the good old Hair Flamer! 5 evil bosses to battle including: Professor Monkey for a Head, : oe Psy-Crow, Bob the Goldfish, and ; aes Ss es ee Fatty Roswell om 2 Pe ee www.earthworm-jim.com Ci Ps a BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS. © 1999 interplay Productions. All rights reserved. Game developed by and Software Engine © VIS Interactive pic. All rights reserved. Earthworm Jim and all related characters © Shiny Entertainment, Inc. Earthworm Jim and related marks are trademarks of Shiny Entertainment, Inc. Interplay, the Interplay logo and “By Gamers. For Gamers.” are trademarks of Interplay Productions. VIS and the VIS logo are trademarks of VIS interactive plc. All rights reserved. All other copyrights and trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Nintendo, the Official Seal, Nintendo 64 and the 3-D “N” logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc. © 1999 Nintendo of America, Inc. Rockstar Games, the Rockstar Games logo, Jack of All Games and the Jack of All Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.. © 1999 All rights reserved. Ithough it could be argued indefinitely who was the first to attach wheels toa board and roll down a driveway, it i ud was in the 1960s that the i | * manufactured skateboard was born. Toy A, J i companies, surf shops, and department stores alike a began making and selling hard rubber wheels attached to heavy wooden boards, advertising them as the street version of suffing. For a brief time, skateboarding captured _ jhe media’s'attention and the public eye. By 1967, however, skateboarding’s popularity dwindled, and it looked to be no more than another passing fad. # Skateboarding as we know it might not exist if not for Frank Nasworthy’s s- invention of the Cadillac Urethane skate wheel in the early 70s. This wheel allowed skateboards to go outside the roller rink, giving a smooth and fast ride on télatively rough streets. Skateboarding had become accessible to the masses, and before 5 16hg, every kid on the block had a board, and skateparks were opening everywhere. y j The urethane wheel and changes in board design truly brought skateboarding into its own. Unlike the 60s, Where what few tricks there were borrowed heavily from surfing, the hordes of new street boarders were creating ainew Style with new moves and tricks to go with it. Born was the ollie, the fakie, the grinder, and the aerial. The craze lasted until the late 70s when, inexplicably, skating’s popularity waned once more. Lack of public interest forced almost all of the skateparks to close. Those that clung to the sport weren't welcome on the street (hence the catchprase “Skating Is Not a Crime” was coined), and had nowhere to go. Skaters had no choice but to build their own backyard vert ramps and halfpipes, starting a sort of skateboarding underground. As these ramps gained prevalence, and with the move towards narrower and lighter wheels, the vertical skater became the norm. By the mid-80s, the spectacular stunts that vert skaters were pulling off would once again put skateboarding imthig; limelight. Since then, boarding’s acceptance has continued to fluctuate, but it’s never almost died as it did in the 70s. Today, skateboarding’s back in the saddle thanks to exposure from MTV, Vans Warped Tour, and especially ESPN'S X-Games. Hopefully, this time it’s here to stay. y 12 Game Informer + November '99 PlayStation Cover Story - suffered a more drastic slump than fs 7 skateboarding is skateboarding video games. arcade hit. The game had it all, street skating, equipment upgrades, tournaments, and that funky angled joystick. = ae, 720° was ported over to the NES to much acclaim, but even’ ©“ better was Skate or Die and Skate or Die Il. ee From this fantastic beginning, it would seems that things could only get better, but the 16-bit gaming era came and went with nary a memorable boarding game. At best, a multi-sport game might have a Fe boarder cruising down the sidewalk dodging dogs and spilled ice cream i A puddles. By the time the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 hit the North 2) _» American market, it seemed that no developer even wanted to consider a 7 skateboarding game. Titles featuring snowboards and hoverboards grew like weeds, but skateboards could only be found lumped together with rollerblades and bikes, apparently not sufficiently viable in the market to : stand alone. — z Not until a few months ago was the first skateboard-only game, Street i Sk8ter, released for PlayStation. Unfortunately, the developers seemed more caught up in decade-old skating culture than the actual sport itself. With an annoying announcer constantly shouting, “Radical!” and “Loser!” the game was, to put it kindly, a poseur. Thankfully, the tides have turned. Games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and the upcoming Thrasher: Skate and Destroy have ay dispensed with the old clichés and the “extreme” attitude. Lig Instead, they’re bringing skateboarder games back to their roots. dái pot about being “totally awesome,” it’s simply about busting tricks and developing a style of your own. Like skateboarding elf, the true skateboarding video game is here to stay. fs Game Informer * November 99 13 “The new standard has been set. Pro Skater has succeeded in areas where all other skating games have failed. The environments are huge, there's plenty of challenge, and well pulled-off tricks are worth saving on your memory card to watch later. | think for the first time the phrase, “easy to learn, yet hard to master,” truly applies to a video game. The control is so simple, I've found myself trying to use it while playing other games. When you biff it, you know it's your fault for trying to do too much. Best of all, Pro Skater makes me want to grab my board and hit the streets. The only disadvantage of this game is that It’s too addictive. At my request, Matt hid it from me so | could get some work done. Not only will skaters love this game, anyone will.” “Ever since 720° appeared in the arcades, I've been craving a skateboarding game that could live up to that finger-blistering experience. This game is it. It has been a long while since a game has actually made my fingers hurt. After many hours and late nights, | am still hooked. Sure, some of the environments (Phoenix, The Mall) are a little contrived, but it still doesn’t change the fact that everything is set up for tricks. The bread and butter is busting huge tricks and this game does it to perfection. Linking flip tricks to grinds to grabs is tough, but oh so satisfying. Furthermore, the two player events are fantastic - especially a game of Horse. Heck, even just handing off the controller in the one-player game is enjoyable for a crowd. | can’t say enough good things about this excellent game. Check it out.” “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is the ultimate skateboarding experience and one of the most exhilarating games the PlayStation has to offer. Never before have | seen a game that pushes the player to call upon so many skills and techniques. It’s just like the real deal. If you don’t have the dexterity to pull off tricks, then you don’t have what it takes to compete in this game. It also grades you down for performing the same trick over and over again. So you have to be inventive with both your trick list and what obstacles you grind. To score big, you'll need to set up routines and make perfect runs. This is also a flashy looking game. The polygonal environments are lush with detail, the animation is great, and the camera is never a nuisance. Even the multiplayer modes are killer. Don’t pass this one up. It belongs in every library.” 337K N h S F h MES Game Informer + November '99 aptured trick looks smooth. THE GONZO GAMER Concept 9.5 Graphics 9 Sound 9 Playability Entertainment Swirek YANSRAB 96 THE GAME PROFESSOR Concept 9.5 Graphics 9 Sound 9 Playability 9.75 Enterta 9.75 REINER THE RAGING GAMER Concept 9.75 Graphics 9.25 Sound 9.25 Playability 10 Entertainment SWITEH 350 SHOVE IT A clue about this game's engine. ` S hirteen years after its arcade release, 720° is still the definitive skateboarding game according to many. So how does a developer go about toppling 720s reign? By bringing in the man e Size: 1 CD-ROM who's 180 degrees better: Tony Hawk. The è Style: 1 or 2-Player Sports/Action only person to ever a 900 it competition, — e Special Features: 10 Pro Skaters With Signature Styles, Tricks, & Equipment; Career Mode; 9 Courses; 10 Song Soundtrack; Replay Save; Combo Any Trick; Blood; Dual Shock & Analog Compatible e Replay Value: High e Created by: Neversoft for Activision e Available: Now for PlayStation Campbell, , Andrew Reynolds, Jamie Thomas, | Geoff Rowley, and Elissa Steamer) to give their advice and lend their images. The result is “a Tony Hawks Pro Skater; quite possibly Bottom li ne: the new champion of the genre. { = For the most part, Pro Skater is all about points, which are earned by performing tri lies and air are achieved by pressing X. While airborne, tapping anote button and a direction will perform one of the 27 kicks, flips, and grinds. In addition, each pro has three icks unique to them. Every successfully landed move earns points, and these points add to your Special meter. As this bar increases, ‘$0 does your skater’s speed and air. When the bar is filled and flashing yellow, such insane tricks as the 900 Method are possible ) score real y high, combos must be mastered. Two tricks performed together will add ‘Scores and multiply the total by two, three tricks by-three, and so on. Don'tthink that an one combo over and videos available finding a hidden tape in objects. As you progress, competi hich you have one minute to impress the judges with your routine and earn a bronze, The gameplay makes Pro the music helps it rock. Wisely choosing not to have a surf reject spout long-dead skating terminolog üghout the game, Activision assembled a 10 song score of thrashing songs. Tunes from Primus, Unsane, Suicidal Tendencies, The Dead Kennedys, Suicide Machines, and others play while you rip it up on the halfpipe. If you search around the courses, you'll probably find a video screen with the group's video playing. Two-player Tony Hawk has plenty to explore as well. Trick Attack puts two skaters in the same area and lets them tear it up to see who can score the most points in two minutes. Graffiti colors ramps, ledges, and rails in the shade of the player who's scored the most points on it. The one with the most obstacles tagged after two minutes wins. In Horse, one player | gets 10 seconds to do a trick, then the next person has'to one-up him or | her, or receive a letter. The first to get all the letters is the loser. For much too long the video game world has suffered without a great skateboarding game. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater not only brings this long- neglected sport back to the forefront, it does so with perfectly captured i skaters, beautiful environments, ad- dicting control, and a perfect camera sys- tem. Let the words ring out across the video = game industry — skate- boarding is back and it's here to stay. Game Informer * November '99 Game Informer: Who are some of your skating idols? Tony Hawk: Eddie Elguera, Dave Andrecht, and Steve Caballero. Gl: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever sustained in the name of boarding? TH: A broken elbow on Friday March 13, 1998 while shooting a Gap commercial. GI: You've performed the first 900 in competition and firmly cemented yourself in skateboarding history. Is there anything else on your boarding agenda? Ollie the Grand Canyon perhaps? TH: Actually, | am supposed to jump between buildings in downtown L.A. for the Guinness Book of World Records TV show. It is not confirmed yet... GI: You've definitely got the crown for skating longevity. For how many more years are you going to be schooling the youngters? Is there such a thing as too old to be skateboarding? TH: Probably. l'Il be the first to tell you when l find out. GI: Obviously you don’t become a world- known skateboarder by sitting on your all day playing vids, but do you play games now? Do you have any favorite james from today or from yesteryear? : | bought an Amiga just so | could play le Madness. | also played Skate or Die ommodore 64. Today | play Banjo (N64), Um Jammer Lammy (PS- use of the Dead 2 (Dreamcast). GI: We always considered 720° to be the back in the day? TH: Of course! | tried to buy one, but they wouldn't cut me a deal (they wanted about $7000 for one at the time). GI: It seems to us that you would have been sought after for years to do a skateboarding game. Why Activision? TH: Actually no, interested parties. | had a meeting with another publisher a few years ago, but Alley | G just didn’t get it. Gi: How much work. did. you put + into | tn Pro Skater? TH: | played it every step of the way and gave he suggestions. | also spent an entire day | doing motion-capture. GI: How satisfied are you with the finished product? TH: It is better than | could have imagined. It has given me faith in the PlayStation platform (I didn’t own one before | got involved with this project). GI: Do you think Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater will inspire people to get off the couch and hit the streets? TH: | can only hope it will. Gi: Did you have to biff and bleed for the development team? TH: | did take a few slams during the motion- Capture shoot, which were not intentional. Gi: Did you have any input on Pro Skater’s soundtrack or the track selection and design? If not, what songs and/or places would you have liked to included? TH: | was hoping to get a Rammstein or Propellerheads track in there, but they got too huge. The Primus and Dead Kennedys ith 16 years of professional skateboarding under his belt, even those with but a passing knowledge of the sport recognize the name Tony Hawk. To list everything he’s contributed to and accomplished in the skateboarding world could easily fill this entire magazine. The living legend himself took some time off from the halfpipe to answer some of our questions regarding the Activision game bearing his name, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. t tracks are my fav definitive skateboarding game until Pro. ts are Skater came along. Were you a fan of 720° | | but when Activision — approached me there were two other | tes. All of the skate ‘other editors are saying no way. Who and who’s wrong? TH: Unless you can snap the tail, an ollie would be prey useless. new fi ingerboarding eeing homemade old Bones Brigade e skater that invented ing in on it? Are we going to eeing fingerboarding on the X-Games anytime : soon? i TH: 1 doubt it, but it’s definitely huge. A company called X-Concepis came up with the Tech Deck series, and that’s when it took off. | Gl: What kind of differences do you see in skateboading and skateboarders from when you first began and now? 2 Gi: What do you think of this nev TH: People are into it now because of the £: genuine skills that it requires. During the 80s, there were more people involved simply for the fashion statement. Gl: Any thoughts on where skateboarding i is going in the future? — TH: It's going to get crazier as far as maneuvers, and general public. 3 _ label skateboarding has. acquired? - anyone out there who actually goes around” slamming Mountain Dews, screaming, — _ incessantly, themselves extreme? TH: If there is, skateboarding. Gl: Is there still enmity between skateboarders, bikers, and rollerbladers, or has X-Games and Warp Tour bridged th gap? TH: | don’t think there is the animosity among the pros that there is among kids. We all and calling © you don’t see the pretty much do our own things without worrying about everyone else. The only drag is that we have to share a “street” course half of the time. GI: In the 90s, MTV and ESPN 2’s X-Games have brought a new respectability to boarding. So is skateboarding still a crime? TH: In some areas it is, but cities are finally figuring out that they need skateparks. Gl: Gleaming the Cube vs. Thrashin’. Which is the more definitive boarding movie. TH: I'm a little biased towards Gleaming the Cube, but there is THE most classic line in Thrashin’ — “What do you thrash?” Answer: “What do you got?” rials vertical competition, — on, San Diego, CA (Skate Park of Tampa) , Tampa, FL; les competition and 3rd al competition, X-Trials Virginia 1996 * 1st place, Hard Rock Triple Crown of Skateboarding, Las Vegas, NV t place Airwalk Monster Mash, San Diego, CA t place, vertical competition e 2nd place street competition, Destination Extreme, South Padre Island, TX 1995 e 1st place, vertical competition + 2nd place street competition, Extreme Games, Newport, RI e 1st place, Hard Rock World Championships of Skateboarding, Newport Beach, CA 1981 - 1993 * 1st place overall, NSA (National Skateboarding Association) series joarding” & Music Festival 1996 + Pepsi television commercial * Traveled for skateboarding exhibitions to: Taiwan, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and extensive five-week U.S. tour. 1993 - 1995 + AT&T television commercial * Coca-Cola television commercial e Levi's television commercial + Campbell's soup television commercial * Traveled for skateboarding exhibitions to: Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and extensive U.S. tour. Game Informer e November '99 t s The new 8 Megabyte memory Í card has a data transfer rate 250X faster than that of the 128K | memory card. The Dual Shock2 is identical to the first, except that the buttons, excluding Start and Select, are pressure sensitive. Game Informer + November '99 The PlayStation2’s blue stand represents the Earth, while the black console symbolizes the vast expanse 4 -i f of space. In keeping with this theme, PS-2 CD-ROMs i will be blue, though the DVD-ROMs will be silver (per i . industry regulations). linveiled At Last On September 13, 1999 Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated finally unveiled to the world concrete details on its highly anticipated next-generation platform, PlayStation2. Sony’s new proliferation of the PlayStation will be available in Japan on March 4, 2000 with the American and European launches to follow in the fall. Priced at 39,800 Yen (compared to Dreamcast’s launch price of 29,800 Yen), Sony plans to sell 1,000,000 units on the weekend of its release, eclipsing Dreamcast’s biggest day in entertainment history by a healthy margin. The PlayStation2 marks more than the biggest product launch of all time, it is the first step in Sony's plans to take over your living room. It was already known that PS-2 would be backward compatible with PS-X games, but few would have guessed that PS-2 would also support DVD-video right out of the box. Once you own it, PlayStation2 becomes your game station, CD player, and movie player. Quite an amazing feat that makes it a shoe-in to become the backbone of your home entertainment system. That is not the end to Sony’s plans for world domination. Sony hopes to introduce broad- band networking for PS-2 in 2001 that will enable it to provide e-distrioution (buying and downloading games through the Internet) through a cable modem. Sony will also introduce a mass storage device at that time, High Capacity HDD, so that games from the Internet can be saved. Obviously, encryption and delivery of the games will be a huge obstacle, but Sony seems confident in its ability to deliver it come 2001, though only to a small percentage of gamers. Once the Internet portion of the PS-2 is in place, other uses for it may include Internet games, video conferencing through digital cameras, e-broadcasting, digital TV delivery, and it may even let you use the PS-2 as a home server. Of course, all these things are in the future for PS-2, but it is easy to see that Sony is eyeing more than gaming when it comes to PlayStation2, though that will be its major use. As everyone knows, game systems are nothing without games — and PlayStation plans to deliver those in spades. With an impressive list of developers including Square, Namco, and Electronic Arts on board, Sony seems well on its way to insuring that gamers own a PS-2. There is little doubt that the PlayStation2 has some impressive technical data (for more tech information see Game Informer May 1999), but the big question is, will gamers let Sony enter their homes and take control of their entertainment centers? That is to be decided, but gamers will definitely be intrigued by PlayStation2 when it launches in 2000. i Blasting high-resolution graphics with gorgeous lighting and particle effects, the PlayStation2 is an impressive game machine in its own right. Its backwards compatibility with PS-X games and its ability to play DVD-video complete with Dolby Digital and dts, makes it a force to be reckoned with. Its success in Japan is almost certain, but industry pundits are quick to point out that success in the States isn’t guaranteed. Sega’s Dreamcast has had a significant jump on its competitors (namely Sony) and it plans to have Internet gaming available on or near the PlayStation2’s launch in the U.S. this fall. While some may fault Sony for not having the Internet available right out of the box, that is more than likely the least of its worries. Sony’s first test will be bringing in the PlayStation2 at a market savy price point, which Game Informer believes will not be more than $299. This hurdle should be easy, Game Informer would go as far as to say Sony , May even come in as low as $249. But perhaps Sony’s biggest obstacle will be itself. With the system being backward compatible, and many of the games (sans Bouncer) not offering anything new over the previous system except better graphics (albeit incredibly better graphics), it may have problems convincing people of its value. While it sounds silly, there will be people that will shy away from the PlayStation2 at first just for this fact. But in time, PlayStation2 will quickly become an irrefutable force that few will be able to stop. As for who will play alongside Sony in the next- generation gaming market, it is tough to tell. We have always thought that Nintendo would be a player no matter what, but with Sega having a good head start and Sony taking the second spot they may just find themselves on the outside looking in if they don’t have a system ready in the fall of 2000 (which Game Informer would be willing to bet the farm that Nintendo won’t). So are we impressed? A resounding yes. A DVD play- er alone costs 300 bucks, and the PlayStation2 will have that and the all the gaming power you could want for the same price. Sega’s Dreamcast launch was impressive, but nothing short of stupidity will stop Sony from taking a strong hold on the next generation of gaming. The only fault in Sony’s plan is that it showed its hand too early concerning its plans for taking control of your living room. PlayStation2 is no Trojan Horse, this is a real attempt by Sony to be the center of your home entertainment universe. While we seriously doubt Sony’s plan for broadband networking to function with- in the time frame it is forecasting (especially since cable modem isn’t nearly as impressive as DSL at the moment), it may come to fruition. With that, we may see the advent of the ever-feared, always talked about but never delivered set-top box. We just want to play games. Let’s hope that Sony doesn’t forget that. The PlayStation2’s extra stand will allow you to mount the system vertically like a PC workstation. The motorized disc drawer is equipped with a special lip that prevents discs from falling out. You can even adjust the PS-2 logo so it can be read while the unit is in an upright position. a Jelopmen PlayStation2. connection, machine, process. Piaystation? Sonware tools lools With the original PlayStation, tools were supplied through a PC extension board that required a PC or some form of workstation. This created further complexity in the already diffi- cult development process. PlayStation2, the tools combine two modes into one easy-to-use unit: regu- lar PlayStation programming/debug- ging and a new workstation mode. In this new mode, tools can be used as a Linux-based station that allows developers to create graphics in the These employed with an Ethernet network resulting in a slick development environment. In the next couple of years, Sony will continue to update the PS-2 tools, creating a much more powerful and an easier development \ Playstation QUICK stats: With are ] | e Price: 39,800 Yen | (Approximately $398) | Average Game Price: 5,800 Yen (Approximately $58) e Release Date: March 4, 2000 e CD-ROM Speed: 24x | © DVD-ROM Speed: 4x | + Accessories Included: Dual Shock2 Analog Controller | Retail Price: 3,500 Yen (Approximately $35) | e 8 MB Memory Card (Retail Price: 3,500 (Approximately $35) e PlayStation2 Demo Disc e A/V Multicable e AC Power Cord e Dimensions: 12” (W) X 7” (D) X 3” (D) e Weight: 4 Ibs 10 oz © Media: PlayStation2 CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, PlayStation CD-ROM i © Formats Supported: Audio CD, DVD-Video, Dolby Di e Interfaces: e 2 Controller Ports + 2 Memory Card Slots e Audio Video Multicable Out © Optical Digital Out © 2 USB Ports : e i.Link (IEEE1394 or Firewire) Port e Type Ill PCMCIA Card Slot In the blue field below controller port 1, there are two USB ports and an i-Link port to enable the PlayStation2 to connect to a number of different devices including digital cameras and keyboards. New Ridge Racer Developer: Namco ARR {FOTOMIX Tekken Tag Tournament Developer: Namco Based on the arcade game of the same name, Tekken Tag Tournament for the PS-2 will feature the same addicting game- play but presented in an all-new graphics package. The back- grounds are now all 3D and the playfield is much improved. While there’s nothing new gameplay-wise, triple T’s graphics will blow you away. © Game Informer * November '99 Namco isn’t showing much on this one, but we do know the game will feature real techno artists as well as many graphical improvements including sparks flying from the cars, impressive lighting effects, and awe-inspiring car models that include the brake rotors — caliper’s and all. Featured GOMES Kessen | Developer: Koei This war strategy game is basically Romance of the Three Kingdoms 5, except Kessen is backed by the power of PS-2 so the whole package will look really nice. Don’t expect the gameplay to be too terribly different, so action fans need not apply. From the makers of Tobal and Ehrgeiz comes Bouncer, Square’s first PS-2 title. Featuring seamless action (no loading here, folks), Bouncer will deliver cinematic fighting action complete with explosive cutscenes and character interaction. Featuring real- time 3D combat and seamless gameplay, Bouncer is easily the most exciting of the PS-2 games in development. If Bouncer deliv- ers the action it promises, this will be the game to watch on PS-2. Based off of GT2, Gran Turismo 2000 offers all the realistic driving action in a new and improved graphics environment. Unfortunately, this racer may be a little rushed, as the reflection technology is way overused on the vehicles (to the point that it becomes PlayStation.e =. Eel |) annoying) and the back- grounds tend to suffer from a lot of shimmer. PlayStation2 games will be packaged Just like DVD's. From Software, known for its work on Armored Core and King’s Field, will hit the PlayStation2 with a first-person RPG named Eternal Ring. This adventure game is frighteningly close to King’s Field, expect that the graphics are much improved (duh!) and the player moves at a faster pace. However, we did see a cool dragon scene that made the hum-drum dungeon crawling worthwhile. í Cloud lop 0 ter Entertain: This interesting RPG will enable the player to build and explore new worlds. While little is known about the story at the moment, it does make great use of the PS-2’s graphic prowess by enabling characters to change the terrain in real-time. 7 Studios Activision Acclaim Entertainment American Softworks Arc Systems Works Argonaut Artdink Aruze ASCII (Agetec) Ask Company Asmik Ace Entertainment Astroll Athena Atlus Bandai Banpresto Bullet-Proof Software Bungi Software Capcom Cerny Games Chun Soft Codemasters Compile Corporation Core Design Crave Entertainment Data East DaZZ Digital Anvil Disney Interactive Dreamworks Interactive Ecseco Development Eden Studios Eidos Interactive Electronic Arts Square Enix Corporation Entertainment Software Publishing Escot Eurocom Developments Fox Interactive From Software Fujimic Gaga Communications Genki GT Interactive Gti Software Gust Hakuhodo Hands On Entertainment Hasbro Interactive Heartbeat Hect Hudson Soft Humongous Entertainment 14 Corporation Idea Factory Imagineer Incredible Technologies Infogrames Insomniac Games Interplay IREM Software Engineering Jaleco Jorudan Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Kaga Tech Kalisto Kodansha Koei Konami (22) Game Informer * November '99 No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced A-Train 6 No Games Announced Flower Sun and Rain Panic Surfing Billiards Master 2 Sidewinder Max American Arcade Pro Mahjong Kiwame Next No Games Announced Mobile Suit Gundam No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced Oni Musha Street Fighter EX3 No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced Lakemasters EX Free Lancer No Games Announced No Games Announced Battle of the Ghat No Games Announced No Games Announced Xfire BBD 2000 Bust-A-Move 3 Exotica Fighting Qts Sonnette Star Ocean 3 No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced Armored Core 2 Eternal Ring Bakuryu 2 No Games Announced Jade Cocoon 2 No Games Announced No Games Announced Fly High No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced Bloody Roar 3 Bomberman 2001 No Games Announced Al Igo 2001 Al Mahjong 2001 Al Shogi 2001 Sky Surfer Wild Wild Racing No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced 1 on 1 Government No Games Announced Tetsuman Menkyokaiden No Games Announced No Games Announced Kessen Mahjong Taikai III Shin Sangokumusou Soldners Child 2 Drum Mania Gradius Ill & IV Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu 7 Jikkyou World Soccer 2000 Mahjong Yarouze! Strategy Action Adventure Sports Sports Shooter Pinball Board Action Action/Adventure Fighting Sports Action/Strategy Racing Shooter Simulation Dancing Action/RPG Puzzle Adventure Role-Playing Game Action Role-Playing Game Sports Role-Playing Game Racing Fighting Action/Puzzle Board Board Board Sports Racing Action Board Strategy Board Action Role-Playing Game Action Shooter Sports Sports Board Oni Musha Go By Train ; Roadster" 's Trophy 2000 Drum Mania Other Games in Development 500 GP Armored Core 2 Billiards Master 2 LQ. Remix Gradius Ilitn Splash Dive SS Sky Surfer A-Train 6 Baki the Grappler Jikkyou World Soccer Lego Lionheart Locus LucasArts M270 Magical Company Mainichi Communications Media Factory Media Works Midway Home Entertainment Mindscape Mitsui & Co Namco Naughty Dog Neversoft Entertainment Nihon Syscom Nippon Ichi Software Oddworld Inhabitants OPeNBooK 9003 Pioneer LDC Rage Software Redstorm Entertainment Reflections Revolution Software SNK Corporation Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment Spike Corporation Square Soft Starfish Stormfront Studios Success Corporation Sun Corporation Riverhillsoft Sammy Corporation Seta Corporation Shiny Entertainment Shoeisa Shogakukan Production Sierra Sunrise Interactive Sunsoft Surreal Software T&E Soft Taito Takara Take 2 Interactive Tecmo TerraGlyph Interactive Studios The 3D0 Company THQ Titus Tokuma Shoten Tomy Company Tonkinhouse Traveler's Tales TYO Productions Ubi Soft UEP Systems. Universal Interactive Studios Victor Interactive Software Video System Virgin Interactive VR-1 Japan Warashi Whoopee Camp Winky Soft Working Designs Xing Yuki-Enterprise No Games Announced No Games Announced FX Pilot No Games Announced Tuning Car Race Magical Sports Catch Bass Ciub Magical Sports Koshien 2000 Magical Sports Pro Golfer Todai Shogi Shikenbisha Dojyo No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced 500 GP New Ridge Racer Tekken Tag Tournament No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced Boku To Maoh (The King and |) Dark Cloud Den-Sen Fantavision Gran Turismo 2000 IQ Remix Popolocrois III Splash Dive L'Arc~en~Ciel Tenchu 2 WRC The Bouncer No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced World Neverland 3 No Games Announced Ide Yohsuke No Majan Kazoku 2 Perfect Golf No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No anghai 5 Street Mahjong Trance Majin 2 Panzer Century G Breaker No Games Announced No Games Announced 3D Golf Go By Train! Choro Q HG No Games Announced Ninja Gaiden (Kunai) UNISON No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced Roadsters Trophy 2000 Robocop No Games Announced Baki The Grappler No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced New Cool Boarders No Games Announced Let's Become A Pilot F-1 No Games Announced 3D Real Drive Soul Surfing No Games Announced No Games Announced No Games Announced Fighting Illusion K-1 Grand Prix Morita Shougi Strategy Racing Sports Sports Sports Board Racing Racing Fighting Action/Platform Role-Playing Game Role-Playing Game Action Action Racing Puzzle Role-Playing Game Action Strategy Action Racing Action Strategy Table Sports Puzzle Table Strategy Sports Strategy Racing Action Action Racing Action Action Racing Strategy Racing Racing Racing Racing Table World ’99 — a Nintendo-only gaming event that showcased most of the Nintendo games Japanese players can expect to see through next spring. Held at the often-used Japan Convention Center just outside Tokyo, Nintendo players from all around the city flocked to see the latest games. There were a number of games that had their first pub- lic display at Space World, which spawned long lines of eager gamers waiting for the chance to try them out. Nintendo unveiled a sequel to Zelda 64, re-introduced the long awaited 64DD, and let gamers have their first try at Pokémon Gold and Silver. Game Informer wasn’t going to miss a chance to take a look at the newest stuff from Nintendo, nor were we going to pass on the opportunity to speak with Mario creator,Shigeru Miyamoto. We packed our bags and headed to the Land of the Rising Sun. Here’s some highlights from Space World ’99. Tie past August, Nintendo presented Space To DD or not to DD? That is the question. Nintendo announced that the 64DD, a Nintendo 64 add-on disk drive, will arrive in Japan on December 1. The 64DD promises to add expandability to current games and offer new game experiences via the writeability of DD disks. Nintendo also introduced Internet capabilities for the 64DD, which will allow users to down- load new game data, communicate via bulletin boards, and even get information for use with the Game Boy. Eight titles for the 64DD were introduced. It has been over three years since Nintendo first announced the 64DD, and since then Nintendo has changed and re-changed its release date many times. Although the 64DD looks promising for Japanese gamers, Nintendo of America canceled its plans to bring the 64DD to the U.S. long ago. Mario Artist Series — Paint Studio, Talent Studio - 64DD Kyojin no Doshin - 64DD Remember Mario Paint for the Super NES? These two titles Players take the role of a giant whose goal is to get even big- for the 64DD are the next step in the evolution. They, like ger. To do so, you can help the inhabitants of your world, or Mario Paint, will introduce a new mouse controller. Create destroy them and everything they build. wacky characters, import your face via the Game Boy Camera, or just compose art using the many brushes and colors. aT Talent Studio F-Zero X Expansion Kit - 64DD This was the only game introduced for the 64DD that offers new updates for an existing game. With the original F-Zero X cart and the 64DD disk, players will be able to design new tracks and vehicles. Other 64DD Titles Shown Sim City 64 Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 Ultimate War Mah-Jongg School biy > a j : Sim City 64 paan VD kan (2) Game Informer + November ‘99 $ Game Informer Custom Robo - N64 The Legend of Zelda: i If you imagined a game like Pokémon, except with robots, you’d The Continuing Saga - \ probably come pretty close to visualizing what this game is all about. It N64 i is an action/adventure game where you and your robot battle others Played for the first time any- HIA, à from across the land. Instead of collecting more robots, you collect where, this follow-up to the various weapons and parts to change the robo’s ability. The battles are original was clearly the best FANY strictly arcade action, so you j N64 game at the show. For ; aN must also be quick with the more information, turn to i A | controls to do well in this game. page 42. Earthbound 3: The Final Days of the Pig King - N64 Whoo-hoo! It looks like a tra- ditional RPG is coming. Flip to page 44 for the lowdown. Super Mario RPG 2 - N64 Like its predecessor on the Super NES, this game is designed with the casual RPG player in mind. Mario and a cast of familiar charac- ters mix it up in a strange graphical world of 2- and 3D settings. The battles provide plenty of action, while still retaining an RPG feel. You can even call for assistance from some of Mario’s friends. FP ve q BER meN Kirby’s Dreamland 64 - N64 Kirby was supposed to be on the N64 ages ago. This game recreates the stellar game found on the NES. Look in this issue’s PhotoPhile section. Poké-Mania! Nearly half of the exhibition floor was devoted to Pokémon Gold and Silver. Nintendo had a total of 288 stations set up for this game alone. For more infor- mation on the game, be sure to look at page 75. a lanat HUBS LAS Bass Fishing - N64 > Smash Your Brother Even though this game has been out in Japan for quite some time, Japanese gamers flocked to the Smash Bros. corner. Nintendo hosted a smash-mouth competition and people waited in line for nearly four hours to give it their best. ei S Mini Racers — N64 Dolphin-Free Space World | Just like the most politically correct cans of tuna, Nintendo was the chicken of the sea by offering nothing | regarding its next system. The Legend of Zelda: Fruit of the Mysterious Tree — GBC Game Informer * November ‘99 Game Informer: Is the Legend of Zelda: The Continuing Saga the version that was originally planned for the N64 DD? Shigeru Miyamoto: No, actually it is a bit different. For DD, we are planning to make something different based on the original Ocarina of Time. In the case of Continuing Saga, we just had to make the scenario. Continuing Saga uses the original Ocarina of Time game system. Gl: We understand that after making Ocarina of Time, the team split into two groups, with one working on Continuing Saga and another making another title using the Zelda engine. Can you comment on this “other” game? SM: The team did split into two. One is using the Zelda system to make Continuing Saga, which is on display here at Space World. Another team is working on several 64 game titles, as well as Dolphin titles. GI: Concerning the DD: There are a number of titles (Earthbound 3, Pokémon Stadium) that were origi- nally planned for DD and are now coming out on car- tridge. Without some of these high profile titles, what is the incentive for Japanese gamers to get the DD? SM: Originally, we were thinking that eventually all the cartridge games would become DD games when we disclosed that we were making the 64DD; but as you know, the 64DD was an accessory or peripheral, not like the CD system which all other consoles have installed with the system. Also, at the same time we have seen the significant decrease in the price of the ROM memory chips themselves. So we though it bet- ter to concentrate on the DD software which needs the larger back-up memory and network systems. In other words, the games that would receive data from the network or require writeable data would be very unique to the DD; and any other games without these two features would be suitable for ROM [cartridge]. We are making these two categories different. GI: Yet, Mario Artist in the U.S. will be on cartridge. Can you explain the differences or limitations of the cartridge version over the DD version? SM: Actually, it is up to Nintendo America if they make it available for cartridge or not, but actually Mario Paint should be more fun if you can make an original character and hook it up with the network system. At least, that is what | can say, but again the decision is up to Nintendo America. However, | can say that we are working on some system so that, if they [Nintendo America] like, a 64DD game can be put into a car- tridge. Gl: You have talked about a virtual life simulator called Cabbage for a long time, and now the DD game called Kyonin no Doshin has appeared. Is this game similar to Cabbage? Are you still working on this game? SM: Kyoin no Doshin is pretty much different from what we are doing with Cabbage. As for Cabbage, | am Game Informer e November ‘99 _ progress on a pet simulator called Cabbage. very, very sorry about that. Quite recently, the game's main producers and | had kind of a reflection meet- ing. We all agreed that we still believe it is a very interesting and unique project, but on the other hand, the actual creators and developers involved with the Cabbage project have been rather busy with other projects such as Pokémon Snap, Earthbound 3, and others. Somehow they have had to spend more time on these other projects. We wish we could make some big announcement about Cabbage at this show, like we are going to launch it pretty soon, but unfortunately we haven't decided if it is going to be DD software or cartridge software. We are thinking both right now. At this point in time, | can’t tell if it is going to be DD, cartridge, or even a Dolphin game. That is what we are reviewing right now. As you may know, there is a title called Seaman avail- able for the Dreamcast right now. Actually, | have been working with Mr. Saito, the creator of this game, in hopes that we could make Seaman for N64. Now | have regrets. We should have put more emphasis on a N64 version of Seaman with Cabbage being delayed for so long and there already being a version of Seaman available for Dreamcast. Gl: How many titles are you currently overseeing? SM: Once, | made it a point of saying that | am always looking at seven titles or so; and when N64 was launched, my involvement with games became deep- er and | looked at more. So then | would say that | was looking at 10 or more titles. | don’t think it is a good policy for me to take care of so many things, so what | am doing right now is decreasing the number of titles | am going to take care of or participate in. | am making the effort to contain the number of titles | am overseeing to less than five. “We should have put more emphasis on a N64 version of Seaman with Cabbage being delayed for so long...” Gl: Now that the Dolphin development is underway, is it hard to concentrate on DD or N64 titles because there is this new technology and new things to try? Can you look back at the old stuff or are you just con- centrating on the Dolphin? SM: First of all, it's not much different working on Dolphin than it is working on the N64. It’s just a matter of how you go about learning the technology and how you experiment with that technology, that's all. What we are doing is all the same, no matter which platform we are making games for. On the contrary, what is dif- ficult is if | am going to be involved deeply with many projects at the same time. That is very difficult, and that is why | want to concentrate my work on the Dolphin project. | want other N64 projects to be han- dled by other producers. Gi: At the Game Developers Conference, you stated that you had no plan to make a Zelda game for the Dolphin. Does this still hold true? TWH Wires eee ee If you don't know this man, you should. He's the most legendary game developer in the world. Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto is responsible for creating the classic Donkey Kong and inventing Nintendo's mascot plumber, Mario. Miyamoto spent some talking with us about some of his current work, including his SM: [Laughs] | am now considering making Zelda for Dolphin because there have been so many requests for a Dolphin version of the game. But | won't really comment on that because | am the kind of person who doesn't have some type of core plan for specific game titles. | just don’t know whether or not what | am working on will result in Mario or Zelda. | am really not in a position to tell you right now. Gl: Well if you are taking requests, may we suggest Metroid? SM: [Laughs] Gl: You've been answering questions about that for many years. SM: Yes, that's right, many times. | have had constant questions about Metroid for N64. Next time, | hope | won't have to answer that question. [Laughs] Gl: Other than Rare and Hal Labs, which have worked very closely with Nintendo in the past, who in the N64 development community has impressed you? SM: Hmmm...That is a very difficult question to answer. Left Field, who is currently working on Excitebike — | believe they are close to Japanese craftsmen when it comes to completing the final phase of development concerning gameplay. | am giving a lot of attention to this American company. As for the actual N64 licensees, I'd say Konami. It has very good develop- ment teams with its sports series. They are full of knowledge, and experienced in making good games. Gl: You were quoted in the Japanese press saying that you believed that there was a bad atmosphere at Nintendo because there were limitations around doing something new. You said you wanted to recharge the development teams to do something new. Yet, there are still games like Zelda and others that are merely sequels or updates to existing games. What did you mean by recharging the teams and doing something new? SM: | think when you look at the games here at the show, you will agree that the quality of the games has improved to some extent; but at the same time you will be seeing less and less Nintendo original first- party titles - | mean there are more collaborations with other companies. What Nintendo is doing inside is this: our own team is working with these other com- panies as well as working on new Dolphin titles. So | hope that starting next year we can show something very new from Nintendo. For that matter, | hope we can also work on Cabbage more seriously. | believe that in the next five years, you will see the results of our efforts now. Gl: Mario will be the first title for Dolphin, will it not? SM: [Laughs] You can choose. Mario, Zelda, or Metroid. Gl: OK, Mario. It must be Mario. SM: | will tell our members that it must be Mario. [Laughs] (Se “9 Prizes: a ° I” (1) Grand Prize Be ORIGINAL FRAMED SKETCHES SIGNED ~“ je gy JWISTED METAL 4 ARTISTS we - PLAYSTATIONS GAME CONSOLE fee - COPY_OF Twisted. METAL 4 ie TWISTED METAL 4 FUZZY. DICE n T5) First Prize COPY OF Tw rizes d AWI TED noa ig LWiSTeD METAL 4 Ea (10) Second Prize s - LWISTeED METAL 4 FUZZY DICE => PlayStation WHAT'S HOT + TECH TALK » MUTATION NASHUN + COMIC WATCH g x P amen temporarily titled the Game Boy Advance. The unit’s 32-bit CPU is being developed by the ARM Corporation, which has specialized in cellular phone CPUs in the past. This is proba- bly due to the fact that the GB Advance will provide Internet access through cellular phones. Users will be able to download software, play multiplayer games, chat, and email through their cell phones. There will also be a digital camera peripheral for the system, which will allow you to see the face of the person you're playing. Mobile 21, Nintendo and Konami's joint venture, will be pro- ducing software for both the digital camera and the cell phone uplink, as well as software that will link the Game Boy Advance to Nintendo’s upcoming Dolphin home console sys- tem. The Game Boy e CPU: Memory embedded 32-bit RISC CPU (CPU core _ design by ARM) e LCD: Reflective TFT Color LCD Advance is slated for e Display Size: 40.8mm x an August 2000 Ses SEI 61.2mm 5 release in Japan, and should be out in e Resolution: 240 x 160 pix- els Maximum Colors To Be Displayed Simultaneously: 65,000 e Size (Approximate): Height 80mm/Width 135mm / Depth 25mm © Weight: 140g © Power Supply: 2 AA Alkaline batteries Battery Life: 20 hours of continuous play (28) Game Informer * November '99 North America by the end of 2000. The | system will run Game Boy and Game Boy | Color software, although games devel- oped exclusively for the Game Boy + TOP TE N + . l e WHAT'S HOT + BB x] = vi MUUIDIaYe! Gag Unfortunately, Sega will not be making online multiplayer games a reality on the Dreameast until the second half of next year in this country. Multiplayer gaming was originally announced for the spring of next year. This delay could cost dearly, as the PlayStation2 will no doubt already have everyone’s atten- tion before Sega can establish itself as multiplayer king, which will most likely be the only thing that will make its machine stand out from the amazing titles Sony revealed to the world at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. Sega will be receiving some support in the form of Interplay, which instead of creating much needed unique titles for the Dreamcast will be doing direct PC ports of the forthcoming Star Trek: New Worlds real-time strategy game and Sierra’s immensely popular first-person shooter, Half-Life, which has already been out on PC for some time and is a dominating force on the PC online multiplayer scene. AAs i a F" on wn j \ Microsort [0 Go Col ISOGIE 7 ) It appears Microsoft may try to take on Sega, Sony, and Nintendo with a console system of its own. Although Microsoft is denying its existence, news leaked that the company is teaming with Intel, nVidia, Dell, and Gateway to offer a PC-based console with a 500 Mhz processor and built-in modem. The machine, that has been codenamed the X-Box, is rumored to TECH TALK + all be released in Fall 2000 for around $300 and use a Microsoft Windows CE operating system. The X-Box was reportedly shown behind closed doors to industry analysts at the recent European Computer Trade Show (ECTS). Advance will not be backwards compati- ble. Check out the tale of the tape. Informer to its Tokyo headquarters and here’s what we found out. On its way to arcades in November, Dead or Alive 2 will hit the Japanese Dreamcast in late January or early February. This fighting game features impressive CG sequences between each match in the Story mode and is further enhanced with a Tag Battle mode. The Dreamcast version will be further enhanced with new lighting and special effects. Ninja Gaiden (known as Kunai in Japan) will make its way to the PlayStation2 late next year. This new rendition of the Tecmo classic is said to be inspired by games like Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, and Zelda 64. Taking the role of the infamous ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, the game is 3D action mixed with magic use and other tricks. For example, Ninja Gaiden will re-introduce the attacks and maneuvering using poles and climbing spots. In one section, Hayabusa grabs onto a hawk and, as the bird flies, the crafty ninja attacks enemies. An interesting note about Ninja Gaiden is that since Hayabusa is a character in DOA2, Tecmo may utilize some of the DOA2 character models in Ninja Gaiden. Microsoft MUT ON NASHUN - Phantasy Star Online - Sega Dreamcast Sega only had a few screens to show of the first Phantasy Star game since the late days of the Genesis. While it probably won't stand as a true Phantasy Star sequel, exploring a vast fantasy world with other people via the Internet has proven to be an addictive concept. f WN Legend of Dragoon - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PlayStation This gorgeous Action/RPG is chock-full of FMV and beautiful art rivaling Square Soft’s. -Unfortunately our man on the Tokyo Game Show just * TOP TEN + TRIVIA + NAME THAT GAME! + Pav. ees ae ae my CO WHAT'S HOT + TECH TALK + got back a couple days after our valiant struggle + COMIC WATCH + T MUTATION NASHUN eae E with the Dead Lion, so we couldn’t give you everything we wanted to this month. We decided to prioritize by throwing in some screenshots and brief blurbs of the stronger looking titles that we expect to hit the [Scotland Course Hole No.1 Sas Golf Yarooze - Sega Dreamcast What can we say? It’s Hot Shots Golf on the Dreamcast. Not very original, but an excel- lent title to add to the Dreamcast complement. Channel 5 - Sega Dreamcast This unusual game features a female character in a “groovy” science fiction setting in which dancing (think Austin Powers intro scene) appears to be the method of defeating aliens. Parasite Eve 2 - Square Soft PlayStation People either love or hate the first installment of this unusual game from Square Soft. It still looks good to us, but we hope the action is a little more agreeable. States. Expect much more in December. Virtual On: Cyber Troopers - Sega Dreamcast Virtual On with a face lift. The gameplay looks practically identical. Jet Set Radio - Sega Dreamcast We're not even sure how this roller-blading game is played, but it looks pretty darn cool. Style appears to be more important than tricks and regu- lar gameplay. Dance Dance on roller-blades? Dragon Valor - Namco PlayStation In this unusual adventure game, players are locked in a battle with dragons. The interesting twist is that characters eventually pass away and the task of clearing out Dragonkind is inherited by the character’s next of kin. Berserk - ASCII Dreamcast In this third-person action/adventure game, players take on the role of a seriously bad-ass looking character who fights mutant zombies with fists, special attacks (magic?), and a rather large sword. Valkyrie Profile - Enix PlayStation This beautiful RPG features an intriguing battle system that blends action elements into traditional RPG combat. Resident Evil: Gun Survivor = Capcom PlayStation When we first heard about this Resident Evil gun game we didn’t have very high expecta- tions. Capcom may have proven us wrong as it turned out to be a pretty good shoot- | ing experience at the show. | a -ma ~ ~. ite a ene s Viti ` WHAT'S HOT + TECH TALK + MUTATION NASHUN + COMIC WATCH + TOP TEN + TRIVIA + NAME THAT GAME! + WHAT'S HOT + TECH TALK P i- ae ae aa —— aaa @ Toy Commander- DC © Soul Calibur - DC © Monster Rancher 2 - PS-X © Duke Nukem: Zero Hour - N64 © Suikoden Il - PS-X © Sega NFL 2K - DC ) Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - PS-X ) Crash Team Racing - PS-X Tony Hawk's Pro Skater - PS-X D Final Fantasy VIII- PS-X © Syphon Filter - PS-X @ Tarzan - PS-X Need for Speed: High Stakes - PS-X Lunar: The Silver Star Story - PS-X © Super Smash Brothers - N64 Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer - N64 Ð Driver - PS-X ) Pokémon Pinball - GBC Ə Pokémon Snap - N64 ) Final Fantasy VIII - PS-X top ten benefits of using a dreamcast controller © Never feel left out when your grandparents start talking about their arthritis Makes guitar lessons seem simple in comparison VMU always reminds the absent- minded of what game they're playing Using Analog and Left Shoulder Button enhances your pinching skills Ð Special cord cozy snap-in cavity alternates as a pencil holder D Doubles as a weird alien spaceship for your toy collection No relationship will ever seem as awkward D Perform a finger puppet show in the empty VMU cavity while you play Ð One-size-fits-nobody feature prevents unfair advantages | _ Game Informer is looking for your ] | Top Ten favorite games. Please send | your Top Tens to: | | Game Informer Magazine | Attn: Top Ten | 10120 West 76th Street | | Eden Prairie, MN 55344 | Everyone that enters every month will be | entered in a drawing to win a GI Secret | | Access T-Shirt! So get writing! | © Game Informer + November '99 From underwear to weenies, Michael Jordan will endorse just about anything (for a price). Now he’s making another foray into the land of video games. EA Sports has signed Jordan to act as a spokesperson for EA Sports’ games, including NBA Live 2000. Although many of us at Game Informer are still holding a grudge against MJ for being indirectly responsible for that “I Think | Can Fly” song, we do applaud his return - to the arena of television commercials. Jordan, along with 60 other NBA greats, appears in Live 2000 as a part of the Legends of the Game feature. Jordan may also appear in other EA Sports games in the future. Here’s a look at Jordan in NBA Live 2000. NBA Live 2000 - PS-X In last month’s issue of Game Informer, we reported that | there was a good chance that Rare’s much anticipated futur- istic pseudo-sequel to GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, would be | delayed until April. This was confirmed by Nintendo at a recent press conference. How did we know? It’s Rare. All of its games | get delayed. While we don’t expect Donkey Kong 64 to get delayed (Nintendo will have the development teams’ heads if it does), we do have reason to | believe that Rare’s next game (which we don’t know anything relevant about) will most likely be delayed about six months to a year after its as-yet-unan- nounced release date. mM p u Saas SS em SS Square’s ES , Chrono Trigger, is being ported to the PlayStation in Japan. The game, coming to Japan late this year, is packed with new animated cutscenes as well as a few other surprises. This raised our hopes that Chrono Trigger might make its way over to our side of the pond. Unfortunately, our hopes were soon scattered like dust in the wind - all we are is dust in the wind. All we do crumbles to the ground, though we y refuse to see. A source at Square confirmed that it has no plans to bring Chrono Trigger to = the U.S. However, the company did not rule & out the chance that Chrono Trigger might release if there is enough consumer demand. In other words, head over to http://www.squaresoft.com/ and drop them 54. a line via the customer service section. Game In former’s Site O’ The Month ON NASHUN » COMIC WATCH + TOP TEN + A + NAME THAT GAME! » . ican £ : New Pokémon Game Nintendo has announced a new Pokémon Game Boy Color title, Pokémon Card. Set to be released in February of 2000, the game will be based on the popular Wizards of the Coast trading card game. Before that, expect Pokéfever to reach new heights with the November 22 release of the theatrical Pokémon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back. Nintendo also announced that it has cut a deal for a 22 million dollar Pokémon promotion at Burger King. (Let’s hope that it’s more successful than Teletubbie custard!) ; Being a magazine focused on reviews, we have vent our occasional irritation and contempt for the industry on the ri the Dreamcast Launch Plagued by Defective Games Defective games are becoming a black eye on the hugely successful Dreamcast launch. Apparently, a number of titles had a significant number of defective GD-ROMs due to problems in pressing. Sega has attributed the problems to a single defective GD-ROM duplicating machine in a California-based Sanyo pressing plant, in which the GDs weren't fitting into the molds properly, resulting in missing data. Sega has informed retailers that as many as Wace i 10% of Sonic Adventure discs may be defective, and is rushing new stock to the stores to handle returns. Many have experienced problems with the web browser @ Why did Core choose a female character for its first Tomb Raider game? (2) What year was 720° released in arcades? © What company has dominated the top ten selling games for the last year and a half? @ What company has dominated the top one hundred best selling games for the last year and a half? (5) How many new Metroid games have come out since the last Metroid on the SNES, Super Metroid? disc that was included with the Dreamcast. Blue Stinger is the title perhaps most plagued with trouble; one retailer informed us that over 40% of the Blue Stinger titles sold have been returned. To deal with the problem, Activision has set up a toll-free line for exchanges. Just call 1-888-402-8951 and Activision will overnight you a new copy of the game with a pre-paid envelope to send back your defective product. Midway titles Ready 2 Rumble and Hydro Thunder have also experienced some defects. Sega says they have addressed the pressing problem, and has instituted a more liberal returns policy. If you have problems returning a disc to your local retailer, call 1-800-USA-SEGA to get a replacement game. More information can be found at www.sega.com. 9D [Answers on the bottom of page 33] The forthcoming LucasArts PlayStation title, Indiana Jones: The Infernal Machine, has been pushed out of its holiday release frame and will now make its debut next spring. Fortunately, the PC version is still right on track and should hit retailers this November. martial arts megastar who has been featured in several recent Kung-Fu flicks on the big sereen. Unlike the movies, the goal was simply to save the girl and hurt the bad guys (er... forget we said that), What game is Ht? a [Answer on the bottom of page 33] Game Informer © November 799 S HOT « TECH TALK - Data File: 4 Sih a move that must have the On crowd shaking in their knee-high lace-up boots, toy giant Hasbro announced that it is buying Wizards of the Coast, which virtu- ally has a lock on the trading card game business with Magic: The Gathering and will open up for Hasbro the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Internet wrestling sites have reported that Justin Credible and Lance Storm have been working with Acclaim lately, getting ready to launch ECW’s first video game sometime next year. With the suc- cess of the TNN ECW show (Friday at 7 pm CST, by the way), this is the obvious step for Acclaim, and it’s about time ECW had a video game. > Sales of the Game Boy Color, fueled by the Pokémon craze, have propelled Nintendo to the top of the video game market in 1999. Since the first of the year, Nintendo has accounted for 51% of all video game revenues. Sales of the Game Boy increased a mind- boggling 249% over last year. » Sega expected to sell more than 400,000 Dreamcast units in the first 30 days, but surpassed this goal in only seven days. Sega stat- ed it had sold 410,000 units from September 9-16. Sega hopes to sell one million units by December 31, and 1.5 million by March 31, 2000. » Midway has signed an exclusive four-year deal with the Arena Football League to develop AFL- licensed game titles. » Sir Dan will come back to PlayStation. Medieval 2 is in development at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. » LucasArts has signed on to develop for the Dreamcast and that means one thing - a Star Wars game for the new Sega platform. Sega is also reportedly working on a new Episode 1 Racer for the arcades. (32) Game Informer * November '99 (w)\(B wil Ges / Sony Recrt \For H at S hots | to the list of golfers. Just like Nintendo’s Mario Golf, Sony is | Crash Bandicoot are the obvious choices, but don’t be Cj G 7 IS AS F WIZ TS HOT œ n Turismo 2 Release Date Set ) Dispelling the rumor that Gran Turismo 2 has been delayed until next year (or would only come out on the PlayStation2), Sony Computer Entertainment America announced that Gran Turismo 2 will release on the PlayStation on December 7. With over 400 cars, more than 10 racing courses, and 40 track combinations, Gran Turismo 2 will more than likely be a must buy for racing panes enthusiasts. As of July, Sony has shipped over seven million units of Gran Turismo a worldwide: 2.4 million in the States; 2.4 million in Japan; and surpris- ingly, 2.4 million in Europe as well. Game Informer predicts that Gran Turismo 2’s success will double that of the original. Lower system prices bring about more gamers, and there is no better racer than GT. GRAN TURISMO | THE REAL DRIVING SIMULATOR 2 Kali n Morphs 1 To The » Dreamcast Spectr um F Eidos and | Crystal Dynamics have Foaie plans to bring Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver to the Sega Dreamcast. Already available for PlayStation, the DC game will obviously receive a number of graphical improvements. At this point, it is not certain whether the game will undergo any other changes (like getting a decent ending). However, the DC version of Soul Reaver may just simply be a port of the PC game that is due to hit shelves very soon. The DC version of Soul Reaver should be available early next year. uiting g Popular Golfers A Hot Shots Golf 2 may have a few surprises when it hits the PlayStation next spring. Game Informer has learned that Sony is planning to add some familiar video game characters hoping to put popular faces into its next golf game. Gex and surprised if you see the likes of Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal or possibly Lara Croft. Well, maybe not Lara as her guns might get in the way of her golf swing. THINK ABOUT THIS! Ers by Erik, the PC Jedi We can feel it coming. The classic video game slump that seems to occur at the dawn of a new series of systems seems almost unavoidable. With all of the top-notch developers ei rushing in to throw themselves at the next big thing, our current consoles are beginning to suffer from a lack of new and innovative titles. The chief offenders on this front are Konami for even thinking they could get away with putting out Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions as a separate game (it was an extra disk included in a Japanese special edition); Nintendo for jipping Pokémon fans who are too mind-numbed from the whole Pokémon craze to realize having Pikachu follow you around and making crappy printouts of all your Pokémon is not worth $40 (not to mention the cost of the printer itself); and Core for barely changing basic essentials of Tomb Raider over the course of 4 sequels. Are these slumps necessary? | don’t think so. It’s great that Sony has such an amazing complement of companies working on its first generation of titles for PS-2, but did they have to let everybody in on it? The only people we can hope to rely on to keep the industry alive and vital in the States until next Christmas | season is Sega. With the online gaming delay and all the PC ports showing up for its machine, that’s not a | very optimistic thought. TECH TALK + M Release Title Publisher/ System Date Distributor OCTOBER 10/19/99 Marvel vs Capcom Capcom 10/19/99 Ghosts & Goblins Capcom 10/19/99 Ms. Pacman Namco 10/19/99 _NFL Blitz 2000 Midway 10/19/99 Alien Resurrection Fox Interactive 10/25/99 StarCraft 64 Nintendo 10/26/99 _ Vigilante 8 2nd Offense Activision DC 10/26/99 _ NBA Live 2000 Electronic Arts N64 10/26/99 Paperboy Midway N64 10/26/99 Army Men Air Attack 3DO PS 10/26/99 _ FIFA 2000 Electronic Arts PS 10/26/99 Juggernaut Jaleco PS 10/26/99 _ NBA Live 2000 Electronic Arts PS 10/26/99 __ NBA Shoot Out 2000 989 Studios PS 10/26/99 Supercross 2000 Electronic Arts PS 10/26/99 __V Rally 2: Need for Speed Electronic Arts PS 10/26/99 Vigilante 8 2nd Offense Activision PS 10/27/99 _ Earthworm Jim 3D Take 2 N64 10/28/99 _ Carmageddon Interplay GB 10/28/99 Wicked Surfing Interplay GB 10/28/99 Carmageddon Interplay N64 10/30/99 __ Paint Ball w/rumble Majesco GB 10/30/99 Pong Majesco GB 10/30/99 Carnivale 64 Vatical N64 10/30/99 Carnivale Vatical PS 10/31/99 Clock Tower 2 Agetec PS Release Title Date 11/9/99 Rainbow 6 11/10/99 Spec Ops 11/11/99 Battle Tanx 2 Global Assault 11/12/99 Q*Bert 11/15/99 _ Dynamite Coj 11/15/99 Cage 11/15/99 _ Dracula Returns 11/15/99 _ Hot Wheels Stunt Track 11/15/99 _ International Track & Field 11/15/99 _ Junk Bots 1 11/15/99 _ Junk Bots 2 Publisher/ System Distributor South Peak Take 2 3DO Hasbro Sega Metro 3D TOMMO Mattel Konami ElectroBrain ElectroBrain 11/15/99 _ Mask of Zorro Classified 11/15/99 Ninja Metro 3D 11/15/99 Polaris SnoCross 2000 Vatical N64 11/15/99 _ 40 Winks GT Interactive PS. 11/15/99 __ Barbie Race & Ride Mattel 11/15/99 _ Duke Nukem: Time To Kill 2 GT Interactive 11/15/99 __ Polaris SnoCross 2000 Vatical 11/15/99 Reel Fishing 2 Crave 11/15/99 Return of Ninja TOMMO 11/15/99 _ CyberTiger Electronic Arts PS 11/16/99 Street Fighter Alpha 3 p 11/16/99 Godzilla 11/16/99 _ Golf King 11/1/99 Draconus:Cult of the Wyrm Crave DC 11/1/99 Armada:Secret Weapon Metro 3D GB 11/1/99 NBA 3 on 3 w/Kobe Bryant Nintendo GB 11/1/99 Polaris SnoCross 2000 Vatical GB 11/1/99 NBA Courtside 2 Nintendo N64 11/1/99 Road Rash Unchained Electronic Arts PS 11/2/99 NBA Showtime Midway DC 11/2/99 _ Rampage Univ Tour Midway GB 11/2/99 Knockout Kings 2000 Electronic Arts _ N64 11/2/99 _ NBA Showtime Midway N64 11/2/99 _ Cool Boarders 4 989 Studios PS 11/2/99 __ Formula 1 99 Activision PS 11/2/99 Knockout Kings 2000 Electronic Arts PS 11/2/99 Metal Gear Greatest Hits Konami. 11/9/99 Battle Tanx 3DO 11/9/99 Grand Theft Auto Take 2 11/9/99 Oddworld Adv 2 GT Interactive GB 11/9/99 Rainbow 6 South Peak GB 11/9/99 Rampart Midway GB 11/9/99 Space Invaders Activision GB 11/9/99 Vegas Games 3DO GB 11/9/99 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Midway N64 11/9/99 Rainbow 6 South Peak N64 11/16/99 _ NBA Showtime 11/16/99 CyberTiger Electronic Arts N64 11/16/99 __ Resident Evil 2 Capcom N64 11/16/99 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Activision N64 11/16/99 __ Toy Story 2 Activision N64 11/16/99 Die Hard Trilogy 2 Fox Interactive PS 11/16/99 _ Fear Factor Eidos PS 11/16/99 Hot Wheels 3D StuntTrack Mattel 11/16/99 Konami Rall Konami 11/16/99 _ Medal of Honor 11/16/99 __ Missile Command 11/16/99 _ Supercross Circuit 11/16/99 Tomorrow Never Dies 11/16/99 Toy Story 2 11/19/99 Dukes of Hazzard 11/19/99 _ Wild Wild West 11/22/99 _ Alice in Wonderland 11/22/99 _ Mickey Racin 11/22/99 _ Donkey Kong 64 11/22/99 Monopol: 11/22/99 _ DarkStone 11/22/99 Glover 11/22/99 Railroad Tycoon 2 Electronic Arts Hasbro 989 Studios EA/MGM Activision South Peak South Peak Nintendo Nintendo Nintendo Hasbro Take 2 Hasbro Take 2 11/22/99 Tomb Raider: Last Revelation Eidos 11/23/99 NCAA Final Four 2000 989 Studios 11/30/99 _ Knockout Kings Electronic Arts GB 11/30/99 _WCW Mayhem Electronic Arts GB 11/30/99 __ Flintstones Bowling South Peak PS TITLE BL DATE TITLE BL DATE TITLE _ BL DATE TITLE BL DATE TITLE BL DATE Jersey Devil 6 Jul-98 SCARS 8 Nov-98 Fighting Force 64 6.75 May-99 King of Fighters Dream Match 1999 8 Oct-99 PLAYSTATION « detmotoz 85 Dec-97 Shadow Madness 6 Ap-99 Forsaken 64 8 Aug-98 Marvel Vs. Capcom 75 Oct-99 3Xtreme 5.75 Jun-99 Jet Moto 3 7 Oct-99 Shadow Master 7 Apr-98 = Gex 64 7.75 Nov-98 Monaco Grand Prix 7 Oct-99 A Bug's Life 7.5 Jan-99 Judge Dredd 8.25 May-98 Shipwreckers 6.5 Feb-98 Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko 7.75 Sep-99 Mortal Kombat Gold 7.25 Oct-99 Activision Classics 5 Oct-98 — K-1 Revenge 6.5 Apr-99 Silent Hill 7.25 Apr-99 Goeman’s Great Adventure 7.25 Sep-99 NFL Blitz 2000 9 Oct-99 Adidas Power Soccer ‘98 2 Sep-98 Kagero: Deception II 7 Nov-98 — SkullMonkeys 8.75 Mar-98 Gretzky 3D Hockey 98 7.75 Jan-98 Pen Pen Trilcelon 4 Oct-99 Akuji the Heartless 6.75 Mar-99 Kartia: The World of Fate 8.5 Aug-98 Sled Storm 8.75 Sep-99 Hot Wheels Turbo Racing 7 Oct-99 Power Stone 8 Oct-99 Alexi Lalas Int'l Soccer 2.25 Jun-99 Kensei: Sacred Fist 5.25 Jun-99 Small Soldiers 7.25 Dec-98 Hybrid Heaven 7 Jun-99 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing 7.25 Oct-99 Alundra 85 Jan-98 Klonoa 8 Apr-98 Soul of the Samurai 4.25 Aug-99 —_Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls 8.75 Sep-98 Sega Bass Fishing 8 Sep-99 ‘Ape Escape 8.75 Jul-99 Knockout Kings 6 Jan-99 Spawn: The Eternal 4.75 Jan-98 In-Fisherman's Bass Hunter 64 7.75 Sep-89 Sega Sports NFL 2K 9.25 Oct-99 Apocalypse 7.5 Jan-99 Konami Arcade Classics 6.75 Aug-99 Speed Racer 6.75 Jun-98 international Superstar Soccer ‘98 9 Aug-98 Sonic Adventure 7.75 Sep-99 Armored Core: Project Phantasma___ 8.75, Nov-98 Kula World 7.5, Sep-98 __ Spice World 3 Oct-98 International Superstar Soccer 64.. 9. ul-97. Soul Calibur 9.25 Oct-99 Assault 7.25 Dec-98 Legacy of Ki 8.5 Sep-99 Sports Car GT 6 Jun-99 Jeopardy! 6 May-98 Speed Devils 7.25 Oct-99 Assault Rigs 8 Feb-99 Legend of Legaia 8.25 Apr-99 Spyro the Dragon 9.5 Sep-98 Jet Force Gemini 7.75 Oct-99 TNN Hardcore Heat 5.75 Oct-99 Asteroids 7 Jan-99 Lemmings & Oh No! 7 Oct-98 Star Ocean 7.5 Jun-99 Ken Griffey Jr's Slugfest 8.5 Jul-99 Tokyo Xtreme Racer 5.75 Oct-99 Atari Collection Vol. 2 7.5 Jun-98 Life 5 Jan-99 Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi 6.75 Jan-98 Knife Edge 3 Nov-98 — TrickStyle 7.75 Oct-99 Auto Destruct 7 Feb-98 Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete 7.75 Jul-99 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 7.25 Oct-99 Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside 9 May-98 Azure Dreams 8 Ju-98 Madden NFL 99 9.25 Oct-98 Streak 8.25 Dec-98 Lode Runner 3-D es my9 GAME BOY Backstreet Billards 7.5 Dec-98 Madden NFL 2000 8.75 Oct-99 Street Fighter Alpha 3 8 Jun-99 Lucky Luke 6.5 Nov-98 720 7 ~~ Jun-99 Bass Landing 7 Oct-99 March Maddness 98 7.75 Apr-98 Street Fighter Col. 8 Oct-98 Mace: The Dark Age 9 Dec-97 ABug's Life 5.75 Dec-98 Batman and Robin 5 Jun-98 Marvel Super Heroes vs. X-Men 8 Jan-99 Street Ftr. 2 Collection 7 Feb-99 Madden 64 9 Oct-97 All-Star Baseball ‘99 7 Oct-98 _Big Air 4 _Jun:99 Masters of Monsters. 3.5 Sep-98 Street SkBer 45 Apr-99 Madden NFL99 8.75 Oct-98 _ All-Star Baseball 2000 725 Jul99 Bio FREAKS. 3.5 Jul98 MediEvil 8.75 Nov-98 Suikoden II Oct-99 ~ Magical Tetris Challang Tetris Challange 8 Jan-99 Asteroids/Missile Command 7.25 Aug-95 Blast Radius 7 Mar-99 Mega Man Legends 8.5 Sep-98 Syphon Filter $ Mar-99 Major League Baseball f. Ken Griffey Jr. 7.5 Jun-98 Battle Arena Toshinden 8 Jan-97 Blasto 8.25 May-98 Metal Gear Solid 9.25 Nov-98 Tai Fu 6.5 Apr-99 Mario Golf 9 Aug-99 Bust-A-Move 4 8 Aug-99 Bloody Roar 8.5 Apr-98 Micro Machines 8 Feb-98 TRAG. 7.5 May-99 Mario Kart 64 9.25 Feb-97 Carrot Crazy 3.5 Apr-99 Bloody Roar II 7 May-99 MLB ‘99 8.75 May-98 Tactics Ogre 8 Apr-38 Mario Party 3.5 Mar99 — Centipede/Millipede 7.75 Aug-95 Bomberman Fantasy Race 7.25 Mar-99 MLB 2000 8.5 May-99 Tales of Destiny 6.75 Oct-98 Micro Machines 64 Turbo 7 May-99 Conker's Pocket Tales 45 Sep-99 Bomberman World 6.5 Oct-98 Monaco Gran Prix 2 5 Jun-99 Tarzan 7.75 Sep-99 Mike Piazza's Strikezone 4.25 Jul-98 Contra: The Alien Wars 8.75 Oct-99 Bottom of the 9th 99 8 Aug-98 Monkey Hero 5.5 Feb-99 Team Losi RC Racer 7 Oct-98 Mission: Impossible 8 Jul98 Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions 6 Jan-95 Brave Fencer Mushashi 7,75 Dec-98 Monster Rancher 9 Feb-98 Tekken 3 9.5 May-98 Monaco Gran Prix 2 5 Jun-99 Donkey Kong Land 75 Jul95 it a „May-98____ Monster Rancher 2 _ „Ten Pin Alley Jan-99 Monster Truck Madness 55 _Sep-99 Donkey Kong Land 2 8.5 Dec-96__ Brigandine 7 Dec-98 Monster Seed Tenchu 9 Nov-98 Mortal Kombat 4 g5 Jul-98 Dr. Franken Il 6 Apr-98 Broken Sword 7.25 Feb-98 Mortal Kombat 4 Tennis Arena 7.5 Feb-98 Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon 8 Mar-98 FIFA Soccer 97 7.5 Nov-96 Brunswick Circuit 7.25 Nov-98 Moto Racer 2 Test Drive 5 8.25 Jan-99 Nagano Olympics 98 5.5 Mar-98 Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball 6.5 Feb-96 Bugs Bunny Lost In Time 5.25 Aug-99 MotorHead Test Drive Off Road 2 6.5 Jan-99 NASCAR 99 7.25 Oct-98 Galaga/Galaxian 6.75 Aug-95 Bushido Blade 2 7.5 Nov-98 N20: Nitrous Oxide Theme Hospital 8 Jun-98 — NBAIn The Zone ‘98 4.75 Apr-98 Game & Watch Gallery 5.5 Jul97 Bust A Groove 6.5 Jan-99 Nagano Winter Olyp. 5 Feb-98 Thunder Force V 6.5 Sep-98 NBA Jam 99 7 Feb-99 GB Camera 7 Sep-98 Bust-A-Move ‘99 Namco Museum Vol. 5 7.25 Jan-98 Tiger Woods 99 2 Jan99 NBA Live 99 7.25 Dec-98 Gex: Enter the Gecko 8 Mar-99 Bust-A-Move 4 NASCAR 99 8.25 Nov-98 — Timeshock! Pinball 7.25 Nov-98 NFL Blitz 9 Oct-98 — GriffeyJr. Pres. MLB 8.75 Dec-97 C: The Contra Adventure NBA FastBreak 98 8 Jan-98 Tiny Tank: Up Your Arsenal 5.5 Jan-99 NFLQB Club ‘98 5 Dec-97 anes Moon Cardinal $) 7 st NBAInTheZone98 8 Feb 98 Tiny To 5. ___.NEL QB Club 99 2 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 9.5 Oct-97 NBA In the Zone ‘89 6 May-99 Tomb Raider I! 9.25 Dec-97 NFL QB Club 2000 5 Oct-99 ates Bond 007 Castrol Honda Superbike Racing 6.25 Jun-99 NBA Live 98 8.25 Dec-97 Tomb Raider Ill 9 Jan-99 NHL99 8.25 Nov-98 — Joust/Defender j. Centipede 7 Ju-99 NBA Live 99 7.75 Jan-99 Tomba! 8.25 Jul-98 NHL Blades of Steel ‘99 6 Apr-99 Ken Griffey Jr. Slugfest 5.25 Sep-99 Championship Motocross 6.75 Oct-99 NBA ShootOut 98 8.75 Apr-98 Treasures of the Deep 9 Sep-97 NFL Blitz 2000 7.75 Sep-99 Killer Instinct 7.25 Jan-96 Chocobo Racing 6.25 Aug-99 NCAA Final Four ‘99 5.5 Mar-99 Trick'N Snowboarders 4.25 Oct-99 NHL Breakaway ‘98 8.25 Mar-98 Kirby's Block Ball 8.25 Jul-96 Civilization II ` 7.75 Mar-99 NCAA Football 7.75 Sep-98 Triple Play 98 9 Jun-97 NHL Breakaway 99 6 Feb-99 Klax 7.75 Jun-99 Clock Tower 2 6 Feb-99 NCAA Football 2000 8 Oct-99 Triple Play 99 8.5 Apr-98 Nightmare Creatures 8 Jan99 Klustar 5 Oct-99 Colony Wars: Vengeance 8.5 Nov-98 NCAA Gamebreaker 98 9 Jan-98 Triple Play 2000 6.5 May-99 Off Road Challange 5 Sep-98 Kwik 9 Jun-99 Contender 6.75 Feb-99 NCAA GameBreaker 99 8 Jan-99 Turbo Prop Racing 8.5 Aug-98 Olymplic Hockey 98 4 Feb-98 Legend of the River King 7 Aug-98 Cool Boarders 3. 7.75 __Nov-98 NCAA Gamebreaker 2000. 5 enny Racers. E „Logi 9 Nov-97 NCAA March Madness 99 ilotWings 64 9 5 Aug-96 Lucky Luke 7.25 Oct-99 Crash Bandicoot 2 9 Nov-97 Need For Speed III UmJammer Lammy 8.25 Sep-99 Pokemon Snap 7 Aug-99 Madden NFL 97 7.25 Nov-96 Crash Bandicoot: Warped 9.25 Dec-98 Need For Speed: High Stakes 8.75 May-99 Unholy War, The 7.25 Nov-98 Quake 64 7.5 Mar-98 Men In Black: The Series 4.75 Mar-99 Crime Killers 7.75 Sep-98 Need For Speed:VRally 7.5 Dec-97 Uprising X 4.75 Feb-99 Quake Il 7.75 Jul-99 Moon Patrol/Spy Hunter 6.75 Jul-99 Critical Depth 8.75 Dec-97 | Newman/Hass Racing 7.75 Apr-98 Vigilante 8 7.5 Jul98 Quest 64 6.5 Jul-98 Mortal Kombat 4 5 Apr-99 Croc 2 7.5 Jul99 Next Tetris, The VR Baseball ‘99 7 Jul-98 Rampage 2: Universal Tour 5 Apr-99 Motorcross Maniacs 8.5 Sep-99 Darkstalkers Ill 7 Jan-99 NFL Blitz VR Powerboat Racing 6 Apr-98 Re-Volt 475 Oct-99 Mulan 4.75 Dec-98 Dead in the Water 7.25 Feb-99 NFL Blitz 2000 Vs. 6.25 Dec-97 Road Rash 64 8 Oct-99 NBA In The Zone '99 4 Jun-99 Dead or Alive 7.75 May-98 NFL GameDay ‘99 Wargames Defcon 1 7.25 Sep-98 — Robotron 64 5.5 Feb-98 NBA Jam 99 7.5 May-99 _Deathtrap Dungeon _ . Jun:98 NFLGame Day 2000 Warhammerll: Dark Omen 7.75, Jun-98 Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA 8.75 Dec-98 NFL Bliz 6 Apr-99 NFL XTreme Warzone 2100 l l-99 SCARS R NHL Blades of Steel ‘99 5 Apr-99 NFL Xtreme 2 WOW Nitro 6.75 Feb-98 Shadowgate 64 4 Aug-99 Oddworld Adventures 7 Feb-99 NHL 99 WCW/NWO Thunder 4.75 Feb-99 Shadow Man 7.75 Sep-99 Pac-Man 7.75 Sep-99 Dino Crisis NHL FaceOff 99 Wheel of Fortune 7 Jan-99 Snowboard Kids 6.75 Apr-98 Pitfall: Beyond the Jungle 6.5 Mar-99 Dragonseeds Ninja Wild 9 6.25 Dec-98 Snowboard Kids 2 6.25 May-99 Pokémon 9 Oct-98 Driver 8.25 Sep-99 No One Can Stop Mr. Domino 7.75 Jan-99 WWF Attitude 9 Aug-99 South Park 7 Jan-99 Pokémon Pinball 8 Sep-99 Duke Nukem: Time To Kill 8.5 Nov-98 Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus 9.25 Dec-98 | WWF War Zone 8.5 Oct-98 Space Station: Silicon Valley 6.5 Dec-98 Primal Rage 7 Aug-95 Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown 7.5 Jan-98 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee X-Games: Pro Boarder 6.5 Dec-98 StarCraft 8 Oct-99 Prince of Persia 6 Jul-99 Dynasty Warriors 9 May-97 ODT X-Men Vs. Street Fighter 7.5 Jul98 Star Wars: Episode | Racer 9 Jun-99 Quest for Camelot 5 Mar-99 Echo Night 6.75 Aug-99 Omega Boost X-Men: Children of the Atom 4.5 Mar-98 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 8.75 Feb-99 _R-Type OX 7.5 Sep-99 Eggs of Steel 25 Jan-99 One Xenogears 9 Nov-98 Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire 9.25 Jan-97 Rampage: World Tour 6.5 Apr-99 Einhander 8 May-98 Pac-Man World Starfox 64 9 Jun-97 Rugrats Movie 2.5 Feb-99 Elemental Gearbolt 8.25 Aug-98 Pandemonium NINTENDO 64 Superman 1.25 Aug-99 Skate of Die 2: Tour de Thrash 9 Aug-97 Ehrgeiz 6.75 Jun-99 Parasite Eve 1080 Snowboarding 9.25 Apr-98 Super Mario 64 9.75 Aug-96 Small Soldiers 7.75 Dec-98 Evil Zone 5 Oct-99 Pitfall 3D: Bynd. Jngl. Aerofighters Assault 6 Mar-98 Super Smash Brothers 8.5 Apr-99 Smurfs Nightmare 6.5 Jan-99 FIFA 99 7 Jan-99 Pocket Fighter AeroGauge 5 Feb-98 The New Tetris 7 Sep-99 Spawn 6.25 Sep-99 FIFA: World Cup 98 8.75 Feb-98 Point Blank Airboardin’ USA 55 Oct-99 Tonic Trouble 7 Aug-99 Spy Vs. Spy 7.5 Aug-99 Fifth Element 7 Dec-98 Point Blank 2 All-Star Baseball 99 8.5 Jul-98 Top Gear Overdrive 7.25 Jan-99 Super Black Bass 8 Jan-99 Fighter Maker 8 Jun-99 Pool Hustler All-Star Baseball 2000 8 May-99 Top Gear Rally 8 Dec-97 Super Breakout/Battlezone 8.25 Oct-96 Fighting Force 6.5 _Dec-97 __ Populc nis ‘99. 5.5 Aug-99 Triple Play 2000 Seem 5.75 Apr-99 Super Mario Bros. Dix. x 5 Aug-99 Final Fantasy Tactics 8.75 Feb-98 Pro 18 World Golf Automobili Lamborghini 5.75 Jan-98 Turok 2: Seeds of Evil 9 Jan-99 Survival Kids 5 Sep-99 Final Fantasy VIII 9.5 Sep-99 Psybadek 3.75 Feb-99 Banjo Kazooie 9.25 Jun-98 Turok: Dinosaur Hunter 9.5 Mar-97 Tamagotchi g Apr-98 Final Fantasy VII 9.75 Sep-97 Punky Skunk 7 Jun-98 BattleTanx 6.75 Feb-99 Twisted Edge 3.25 Nov-98 Tarzan 6.5 Aug-99 Final Fantasy Anthology 8.75 Oct-99 Rally Cross 9 Apr-97 Beetle Adventure Racing 8 Apr-99 Vigilante 8 8.5 Apr-99 Tetris Attack 8.5 Oct-96 Fisherman's Bait 6 May-99 Rally Cross 2 8.25 Jan-99 Bio FREAKS 45 Jul-98 Virtual Chess 3 Oct-98 Tetris Blast 8.75 Mar-96 Forsaken 8 Aug-98 Rampage 2: Universal Tour 5.5 Jun-99 Body Harvest 7.75 Nov-98 VR Pool 64 7.75 Dec-98 Tetris DX 8.5 Dec-98 Fox Sports Golf 99 45 Aug-98 Rascal 6 May-98 Bomberman 64 7.25 Dec-97 Waialae Country Club 3.5 Sep-98 The Fidgetts 7.5 Apr-98 Fox Sports Soccer '99 7.25 Aug-98 Ray Tracers 7.5 Feb-98 Buck Bumble 8 Oct-98 WaveRace 64 9 Nov-96 TheLegend of Zelda: Link's Awakening 9. ri Mar-99 Freestyle Boardin' ‘99 6 Mar-99 R/C Stunt Copter 7 Oct-99 Bug's Life, A WCW/NWO Revenge 8.75 Nov-98 Top Gear Pocket May-99 -RE2: Dual Sh 85 Bust A Move 2 98 WCWINWO World Tour 85 Dec97 _ Twouble 85 Apr99 IS RE: Director's 7 Bust-A-Move ‘99 Wetrix 8.25 Jul-98 —V-Rally Ed. ‘99 5.5 Aug-99 G Police: Weapons of Justice 4.75 Oct-99 ReBoot Eg California Speed ‘Wheel Of Fortune 8 Feb-98 Vegas Stakes 8.25 Oct-97 Gex: Enter the Gecko 9.25 Mar-98 Red Asphalt Castlevania 64 WipeOut 64 7.5 Dec-98 Wario Land II 8.75 Apr-98 Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko 8 May-99 Reel Fishing Chameleon Twist World Cup 98 8 Jun-98 World Cup 98 3 Oct-98 Gran Turismo 9.5 Jun-98 Resident Evil 2 Chameleon Twist 2 World Driver Championship 6.25 Jun-99 WWF Attitude 6.5 Jul99 am Theft Auto 7.75 Sep-98 Ridge Racer Type 4 Charlie Blast's Territory WCW Nitro 4.25 May-99 rand Theft Auto: London 1969 7 Jul-99 Rising Zan Sep-99 Chopper Attack WWF Attitude 9.25 Aug-99 Granstream Saga 65 Jul98 Risk College Hoops 99 WCW Mayhem 75 ois NEO GEO POCKET ci OLOR Guardian's Crusade 8 Apr-99 Rival Schools: United by Fate Command & Conquer WWF War Zone Baseball ad Aug-99 „Guilty Gear a825 _Dec-98 Riven M: „Cruis'n the World re Hardball 99 2 Jan-99 Road Rash 3D Pocket Heart of Darkness 8.25 Aug-98 Rogue Tri Diddy Kong Racing Crush Roller Hello Kitty: Cube Frenzy 65 M99 Rolcage Duke Nukem 64 D R EAMCAS T Fatal Fury: 1st Contact High Heat Baseball 2000 3.5 Jun-99 Rosco McQueen Duke Nukem: Zero Hour AeroWings Oct-89 King of Fighters Hot Shots Golf 9 Apr-98 R-Type Delta Extreme G 2 Airforce Delta a Oct-99 Metal Slug: 1st Mission International Superstar Soccer ‘98 8.5 Aug-98 Rugrats F-Zero X Blue Stinger 5.25 Oct-99 Neo Geo Cup ‘98 Interplay Sports Baseball 2000 5 Jun-99 Running Wild F1 World Gran Prix 4 Expendable: Millennium 4 Oct-99 Neo Turf Masters Invasion From Beyond 6.75 Apr-99 Rushdown FIFA 98 8 Feb-98 Flag to Flag 4.5 Oct-99 Pocket Tennis Color Jade Cocoon 8 Aug-99 SaGa Frontier FIFA 99 8.25 Jan-99 House of the Dead 2 8 Oct-99 Puyo Pop Jeopardy ee 8 _Jan-99 San Fran Rush:X Racing Jun-98 Fighter's Destiny a8 _Feb-98 Hydro Thunder aa „Samurai Shodown 2 + COMIC WATCH - WHAT'S al Bandai Introduces FF Vill Trading Cards The FFVIII Triple Triad trading card game is quite addictive and will no doubt add 10-20 hours to your game that you never devoted to actually playing through the plot. In fact, it’s so simple yet cool that you will find yourself wanting to play it against human opponents. Fortunately for you, Bandai will be importing the “actual reality” version from Japan to the States. These collectable cards will feature all 110 cards found in the game, plus a number of cards devoted to character art, puzzles, and screenshots of stunning views from the game. The Character and GF cards will be consider- ably harder to find than the rest. Also, Bandai has released Final Fantasy VIII half-action figures to the States. We call them half-action figures because they can only move their arms, and their acces- sories don’t fit very well into their hands (Squall’s Gunblade in particular). Still, they’re pretty cool to look at. TOP TEN + TRIVIA » NAME THAT GAME! + De aes _ ” me HOT + Sony Computer Entertainment Japan is hard at work on a sequel to its popular action/adventure, Alundra. Aptly titled Alundra 2, the game features hack n’ slash gameplay loaded with puzzles, minigames, and rich 3D graphics. If you remember, the first Alundra game was brought to the U.S. by the fine folks at Working Designs. While if Working Designs will bring this game to the States is uncertain, this company or any other publisher would be moronic not to do so. Alundra 2 is slated for release on the Japanese PlayStation in November. Video Game Trivia Answers: In a perfect world, there wouldn't be 1. A developer got tired of staring at a male's backside all day long. 2. 1986 any need for 3. Nintendo customer service, 4. Sony because we would all 5.0 get what we wanted. But Name That Game Answer: you can't always get what you want, and even worse, sometimes you can't get your Game Informers. If you are having subscription woes or your dog ate your favorite issue, contact our customer service department at the address to the right or, for even quicker service, give us a call. Jackie Chan's Action Kung-Fu For Change of Address, New Subscriptions or Inquiries please send correspondence to: Game Informer Magazine Attn: Customer Service 10120 West 76th Street Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Customer service hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 am — 4:00 pm (Central Time). (612) 946-7266 Outside Minnesota make sure to dial area code (this is a toll call). Or email us at: customerservice@gameinformer.com l ITATION NASHI ea: THE GOOD, MLC reis © COMIC Game Informer * November '99 se Nintendo 64 Review © Size: 128 Megabit ¢ Style: 1-Player Action/Platform e Special Features: 45 Levels Spread Across 13 Worlds; Helpful Allies; Side Quests; Helicopter Hair & Energy Ball mW her r 5 is È Tossing; Controller & Expansion Pak Compatible ¢ Replay Value: Moderate e Created by: Ubi Soft e Available: October for Nintendo 64 Bottom Line: 7 7H 4 a A Behold! The Limbless One Lives! THE GAME HOMBRE “There is little doubt that Rayman 2 is a gorgeous N64 game. It’s easy to see that Rayman pays homage to Banjo-Kazooie i | Concept with its large, intricate levels filled with | | 7.75 tons of texture maps and great realtime i j —- cutscenes. Rayman also owes a lot of its X | A § Graphics gameplay elements to Mario. If imitation \ 9.25 is the sincerest form of flattery, Rayman | f Sound must want to hump Mario’s.leg, because ERN e E e i 8 this game is filled with Mario slides and '} S iene oe SS | —_—_—_——___—_ jumps. Rayman doesn’t limit itself to just E- f Playability N64 either, as it has shell and animal With the resurrection of Sega, most developers are abandoning Nintendo and jumping headfirst into Dreamcast gaming. Because of this, the Nintendo 64 holiday lineup is practically transparent. Nonetheless, slim numbers don’t necessarily constitute complete and utter doom. Nintendo is projecting big numbers for the return of Donkey Kong, and Ubi Soft’s long delayed action/platform title, Rayman 2, is finally complete and raring to give Rare’s big ape a run for the money. The long development cycle for Rayman 2 actually paid off, and after years of construction, Ubi Soft’s platform star can finally hold his own against the likes of Mario and Banjo-Kazooie. Just like the PlayStation precursor, this 64-bit sequel is loaded with breathtaking imagery and Disney-like animation. In Rayman 2, the story plays a much larger role than it did before, and every now and then a real-time cutscene will be triggered, and the player will be briefed on the conflict at hand. Some of the characters in these gameplay intermissions are actually allies of Rayman, and if you help them out at a given time, they'll return the favor and lead you to secret areas or even open new levels for you. All of the environments in this platformer are gigantic and Entertainment 8 (8.25. JAY THE GONZO GAMER Concept 8 Graphics 8 Sound 7 Playability 7 Entertainment 7 riding much like PlayStation’s orange rat. But in the end, Rayman 2 is a fun platformer that actually deserves notice. Even though you have infinite lives and the camera and play are a little quirky, Rayman serves up a lot of challenge and secrets to discover, which makes Rayman the best N64 game I’ve seen in months.” “Personally, Rayman 2 is not my type of game. | like the story and the characters, but the jiggling camera and loose controls eventually drove me nuts. There are times when the game comes together brilliantly, like while helicoptering down a long chute or skiing behind a sea monster. But when it doesn’t work, as when you're trying to execute a simple platform-to- platform jump for example, you quickly forget the good times. Despite having said all this, | know there are plenty of people out there who will thoroughly enjoy Rayman 2. It’s got interesting puzzles, a good level of challenge, and if you like it, plenty of things to keep you playing through its long adventure. All I’m saying is, rent it before you rush out to buy it.” “Rayman 2 came incredibly close to being appear as though they were taken straight from a wild dream. REINER arockiw ie, but the gameplay just i f i i THE RAGING GAMER doesn’t have the pizzazz it needs to keep With an arsenal of moves, like the helicopter hair and energy concept on thorouehiy eosed andthe Oeral grapple, Rayman can work his way along every inch of these 7 experience lacks the polish of Nintendo's worlds. In the same vein as Mario 64, enemies play second fiddle an Impressive ploome stork Ben though E ` EWA | i i i it’s not a blockbuster, fans of this genre x. es! SRD to both the platforming and exploration. For the action that is 8.25 should definitely invest some time in this T s 5 there, Ubi Soft did a commendable job mixing up the play; and — sound title. Ubi Soft did a commendable job ` & ; 7% R | with each new environment, you never really know what to 7.25 eerie Hae ls le A ù s A leki i. with it, and altogether, the gameplay a s% ` ieee expect. Rayman may jump on a pair of water Skis, then a second Playability features a nice balance between gr A later he may jump on a rocket bull and ride across a lava pit. i exploration and action. Its platforming is ` * its initi i EEE f different "e | man has come a long way tom its initan PlayStation tas a ae ma nn -. | attempt, and the inclusion of 3D only strengthens this obscure same feat be performed twice. As such, Ren ee ¿7 | character’s future. The Nintendo 64 has always been mighty in the play is always unique. While ce | the ways of platforming, and Rayman fits the high class bill. Rayman 2's look can get a little muddy, the Gane Informer + November ‘99 [ 34 y overall design of both the environments and characters is very stylish.” QUEENLORDS OF THE MECHANICAL REVOLUTION “No matter how you cut it, there is always something vaguely satisfying in just blowing stuff up. This base instinct is exactly where the thrill of BattleTanx: Global Assault derives from. There are missions, weapons, tanks, and targets aplenty, but after an hour or so it all blends together into one large festival of destruction. For some, this is just the type of thing they look for in a game. |, however, need a bit more to keep me playing than go here, kill tanks, go here, kill tanks, go here, kill tanks, ad infinitum. People went nuts for the first BattleTanx, and | don’t doubt that this title will be a success as well, but | highly recommend a rental before a purchase.” “The concept behind this game is really nothing new. Tank battle games are almost as old as video games themselves. | personally didn’t care for the first installment of BattleTanx, but this one surprised me a little. The graphics are ‘drastically improved and aren’t hampered when there is a lot of destruction on the screen. Equally impressive are the number of gameplay modes. Not only do you have the standard one-player campaign, but the selection of games that can be played with one to four players is impressive. The multiplayer aspects are probably this game’s strength because everyone, no matter how little they know about video games, can grasp this game fairly easily.” “Hardcore carnage and non-stop . pandemonium await all who decide to saddle up and man the me hanical war Just like the first installment, this sequel is not the most complex game ever constructed. Rather than assembling a sophisticated tank sim, 3D0 opted to go the other way and create an intense arcade experience that is lightning fast and as destructive as it could be. As expected, the look of the game hasn't changed too terribly much. The effects are a tad better, but the environments are still blocky and plagued by haze and fog. It may look rather crude, but it’s actually a riot to play in both the single and multiplayer modes. Blowing crap up for hours on end is nothing short of a good time. What else can | say? Chaos = fun.” ee ene THE GONZO GAMER Concept 7 Playability 7 Entertainment PAUL THE GAME PROFESSOR Concept 8 Graphics Wee CR See Sound 7 Playability 8. OVERALL REINER THE RAGING GAMER Concept 7 Graphics 6.5 Sou 6.5 Playability 7 Entertainm You'll even pilot hovertanks. Little was: expected of the first BattleTanx release for | Nintendo 64, but never underestimate a game loaded with more firepower than a third world nation. 3D0 surprised the gaming world and turned BattleTanx into an addictive single and multiplayer game. Its arcade-like tank controls and destructive nature combined to create irresistible gameplay, -and the inclusion of super sexy. QueenLords made the game ~-all:the better. While gamers slaughtered innocents and blew one another through the stratosphere, 3DO launched ‘another surprise attack and announced the development of the sequel, BattleTanx: Global Assault. This new installment came out of nowhere. As you might ~ guess, Global Assault is running on the same engine as the- original, and the look of the game hasn’t changed too much. - However, 3DO has incorporated.a ton of new vehicles.and multiplayer modes. The story is brand-spanking new.as well, and many of the missions feature new objectives. Nintendo 64 e Size: 128 Megabit e Style: 1 to 4-Player Action ¢ Special Features: Several Single & Multiplayer Modes; Multiple Tanks; Tons of Power-Ups Including Cloaks, Teleports, Nukes, & Guided Missiles; Rumble & Controller Pak Compatible e Replay Value: Moderate e Created by: 3D0 ¢ Available: November 9 for Nintendo 64 Bottom Line: J 25 (Global Assault is loaded to the hilt witht multiplayer modes. | With firepower like this, entire cities Ẹ can be leveled. | The physics are once again far fetched, truer to a dune buggy than a tank. The arsenal is as powerful as _- ever and a real treat to unload on the scum who want to score points with your QueenLords. Joining the always vigilant nuke and slick guided missile are the bouncing betty hopping mine and The Edge, a powerful- - electrical bolt that stuns enemies with a radial blast. With the multiplayer modes, 3D0 created'a cornucopia ; of different gameplay scenarios that range from collecting QueenLords to capturing the flag. : The first BattleTanx sold well above what anyone predicted, and this improved. sequel has more than ~ enough firepower to shatter its predecessor’s mark and climb to the top of the charts. f Nintendo 64 | Review í : a ae Bai EY f: T b e Size: 128 Megabit e Style: 1 to 4-Player Action e Special Features: Stealthful Movements; Intuitive Targeting System; Headshots; Tons of Weapons; 3 Difficulty Settings; Rumble & Controller Pak Compatible e Replay Value: Moderate e Created by: Omega Force for Koei Y i ne ss f pi (AA A) COVERTHOPERATIONS >” 2 Of i ae e Available: Now for Nintendo 64 A bullet to the brain neutralizes most adversaries. Xn a: __. Hide behind the wooden crates, then jump out and blast the opposition before they get a whiff of you. Use the rocket launcher to clean up the streets. zi Wa D They're lined up like Coke cans on : f 36 "Game informer * November ‘99 Koei is best known for its comprehensive turn-based strategy games. Whether it be Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Uncharted Waters, or PTO, Koei will always be known as the king of war. However, the arrival of high-end gaming has ignited a new flame in this powerful development house, and through the last few years, Koei has abandoned its roots and has experimented with several different genres. On the PlayStation, Koei cut loose and unleashed the beautiful fighting game Dynasty Warriors, and as you read this, Koei is distributing its first Nintendo 64 action title, Winback. Ever since Metal Gear Solid exploded on the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 gamers have been on their knees pleading for a sophisticated action game of their own. Koei was the only developer willing to give it a shot, and to much industry surprise, this inexperienced developer has crafted one of the most complex console action games. Just like GoldenEye, Tenchu, and Metal Gear, Winback’s gameplay chemistry is a perfect mix of stealth and balls-to-the-wall carnage. In the shoes of Jean-Luc Couger, a well trained S.C.A.T. member and pretty boy weenie, players scamper behind enemy lines, imbedding little metal surprises into the brains of all who Oppose. With autolock targeting and the ability to duck and hide behind almost every object, Winback makes terrorist negotiations a real breeze. The goal of the game is to stop the criminal organization, Crying Lions, from seizing control of a high-tech weapons satellite. With a SWAT team that doesn’t crave martinis or lovely ladies, this feat could be achieved. Just don't ask any of these guys to cover your back. Boink! Winback also brings to the plate a finely crafted multiplayer mode that allows four players to blow each other to smithereens, While the purpose of multiplayer is to kill, kill, kill, the single player game comes equipped with a ton of cutscenes that deliver a story so intense, and so covertly scary, you may find yourself hiding under your bed and sucking your thumb like a big fat baby after each energetic gaming session. Silent THE GONZO GAMER Concept Graphics Sound 7.5 Playability 7 Entertainment OVERALL UL THE GAME PROFESSOR Concept 9 Graphics 8.75 Sound 7 Playability 8 Entertainment 8 OVERALL REINER THE RAGING GAMER Concept 8 Graphics 7.25 Sound 7.25 Playability 8.75 Entertainment 7.25 8 Deadly “Winback's most interesting feature also turns out to be its biggest drawback - the targeting. I'd be so proud of myself for running past two gunmen at my side, battle rolling behind a box, putting my back > to it, and be ready to strike. Then my pride changed to anger when | swung my gun around the corner and my laser sight wouldn’t point at a guy right in front of me. Other than this ever-present annoyance, Winback provides plenty of tense action. The game is pretty large with a good level of challenge (sometimes due to the targeting). Yeah, it sucks having to do 100 missions in the same building, but hey, there just aren’t enough games like this for Nintendo 64. Winback should get a lot of play simply for being something different.” “This is the type of game you can’t just jump into and start blasting. You can, but chances are you'll get your butt blown off in minutes and end up a little ticked off at the control. Luckily, there is a Training mode that will show you the ropes of Winback’s ingenious control. However, the playcontrol is not without its faults. | found myself fumbling with the camera control over and over, but again, it's a matter of training. With that, the challenge of the missions are heavy and | really enjoyed the gunplay. The multiplayer mode is reasonably fun as well. Winback is a solid action tile, which are in short supply on N64. | just have to warn you again that the control may be a stumbling block for many a gamer.” “This action game is loaded with potential. Its control schematics and targeting system are simply amazing and a sight to behold, yet the level designs and conflict don’t embody the same level of detail. If the story doesn’t bore you to death, the blocky level designs will. Winback is also mediocre in the graphics category. The animation of Jean-Luc is pretty slick, but the texture quality and effects are average at best. It seems as though Koei spent most of the development time perfecting the complex gameplay, and then at the last minute hacked together the rest of the game. | thoroughly enjoy the play and bow down to the stealthy tactics, but | couldn't pull myself to play this game all of the way through. The multiplayer is good, but the overall package will probably scare off most gamers.” A FuncoLand Bring Home The Fun’ Expected to be available November 23 1999 C sone T 7 EAT MORE G L bananas ATEN Ead Pre-order your games @ wwy-funcoland.com , Limijione pereustomer Quantities are limited: Prigakeemgiorets expire November 28, 1999. Manufacturer reserves of to delay-game title at their i “N” logo, Nintendo, Donkey rg s aie 64 alle air characlels ale registered trademaimayanNintendo of America. Game by Rare. .© 1999.Fuj Inc. FuncoLand is a registered trademark g@uinco, Inc. All rights reserved. f K ‘ 7 P y A ur "~ 3 aia Nintendo 64 e Size: 512 Megabit e Style: 1-Player Action/Adventure e Special Features: 2 Characters With Slightly Altered Quests; CG Cutscenes; 2 Different Sets of Weapons for Both Leon & Claire; Zombies Lose Limbs, Heads, Etc.; 3 Violence Level & Blood Coloration Options e Replay Value: Moderately High e Created by: Angel Studios for Capcom e Available: Now for Nintendo 64 mahe N64 has suffered without E Capcom’s Resident Evil series on it, Bottom Line: E but the reason for the game’s . e absence seemed pretty obvious. A Resident Evil game just couldn’t be done on a cartridge-based system. The rendered environments and cutscenes simply take up too much memory to be feasible on anything short of a CD. Or so | we thought. Capcom enlisted Angel Studios to mash, cram, and stuff Resident Evil 2 into a car- tridge for the N64, and they’ve done a remarkable job of it. The CG cutscenes might be a little fuzzy, but it’s a miracle that they’re even there. The overall graphics during gameplay itself suffer to a very minor degree, but certainly not enough to seriously damage the enter- tainment value of the game. You'll still drop your controller and soil yourself when something large and nasty smashes through a window, and you'll be just as disgusted and horrified when you come across a whole pack of zombies making a snack of some unfortu- = f nate individual. » f In Resident Evil 2, you get the option of == Choosing two characters, Claire or Leon. Depending on which character you choose, you will encounter different sit- uations and pick up different sets of weapons. As hard as the game is, and as frightened and weary you are after you beat a Resident Evil game, you always end up wanting to play through it with the other character just to see the different scenes. dinner, but | didn’t mean me! | = Geez, | invited you guys to | Even on the N64 Claire looks just as stylin’. This job has great perks, but the commute will kill ya. y And stay down! Y THE GONZO GAMER Concept 8.5 Graphics 9 So 9 Playability 8.7 OVERALL THE GAME PROFESSOR Concept 6 Graphics 9.5 Sound 9.5 7.15 Entertainment 9 OVERALL REINER THE RAGING GAMER Concept 8.75 Graphics OVERALL “RE 2 on N64 is an amazing accomplish- ment. The translation has been handled so well, you forget it's not on the PlayStation. It isn’t a letter-perfect trans- lation, but the only very noticeable differ- ence is the slightly dampened sound of the gunfire. Despite all this praise, however, one thing constantly bothered me while | was playing - this game’s almost two years old. It seems to me that almost anyone that wants to check RE2 out would have by now. | wouldn’t classify being able to change the blood color and violence level as must-see features. Now if Capcom had brought Resident Evil 3 to N64, that would have been huge! Still, for those two dozen people that refuse to look at anything PS-X and haven’t checked out Resident Evil 2, crawl out from under your rock and get this game.” “For a game that originally appeared on two CDs, Angel Studios should be commended for fitting this masterpiece on a single cartridge. The FMV, audio, and real-time cutscenes are probably some of the best ever seen on the N64. It is almost an identical port of the PS-X game, but there have been changes made to some of the puzzles. Angel even redesigned the special costumes found in the police station. What else has been changed? You may want to find out, but | can't see myself playing through this again. Even if you don’t have a PlayStation and never experienced this game, you may have to think hard about the fact that you could practically buy a PlayStation for the price of this game. In the end, | advise you to take a look at this game at your local rental store.” “Even though it’s an entire year and a half later, RE 2’s gameplay is still an intense fright-fest that shows no signs of aging whatsoever. This was a great game to port to the Nintendo 64, and to be quite frank, | didn’t think it was possible to deliver so many textures and FMV sequences on a cartridge format. Then again, that’s what the whopping 512 meg cart is for. While the FMV quality is a tad on the fuzzy side, the story and suspense haven't lost their bite. Along with the most frightening tale to ever grace a Nintendo console, Resident Evil 2 delivers a puzzle-heavy gameplay experience coupled with breath- $ taking cinematography. If you can handle horror movies and enjoy sweating bullets suspense for hours on end, RE2 should- n't be missed.” e Size: 128 Megabit e Style: 1-Player Action/Adventure e Special Features: 2 Characters (One Unlockable) That Were Supposed To Be In Previous Game; Old Monsters; Old Bosses; Some New Monsters & Bosses; Levels Have Been Rearranged; Controller Pak Compatible e Created by: Konami e Available: October for Nintendo 64 90% Complete So Good It Had to be Finished Twice The Castlevania series has featured some of the greatest titles in the history of gaming, dating all the way back to Nintendo's first console, the NES. The best Castlevania games have all featured the same classic gothic feel, challenging gameplay, and an interesting storyline featuring the ongoing battle between the forces of darkness and the cursed Belmont family. The first PlayStation Castlevania game was Symphony of the Night and featured old-school 2D sidescrolling gameplay. To this day it remains one of our favorites on the PlayStation. Even though it abandoned the classic whip action and Belmont family line, it stayed true to the Castlevania series with its rigid adherence to challenge, style, and lengthy quest. The next Castlevania installment, on the N64, simply named Castlevania, was the first in the series to A feature a 3D free-roaming environment, and it was TE n o wn a a bitter disappointment. It boasted some cool enemies “^ = strong case of deja vu. but the characters were lame, the level designs were uninspired, and it just didn’t have that same creepy gothic feeling, certainly not with skeletons cruising around on motorcycles in what appeared to be a Renaissance time period. Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness returns to the exact same gameplay, with slightly altered levels and two additional characters. Cornell is an extremely powerful character who can shift at will into wolf form for the price of red gems, which will slowly count down until he runs out of them and STATUS GOOD GOLD azn a Om ig ; -Cornell's ranged attack returns to human form. The game will also feature 4 makes quick work of enemies a hidden character who uses a revolver and must „— and bosses alike. — = ayy blast his way through Drac’s castle in seven days in order to save six children that are being held Captive there. Make no mistake. Despite these new characters, rearranged levels, and tweaked gameplay, this latest Castlevania installment is exactly the same game. The new characters make things a little bit more interesting than before but as Marge Simpson would say, “Mmmmmmmm!” i T Carrie is supposed to be = _ eight years younger. Start sleeping with your eyes open...evil’s moving in, on N64°. The most intense survival game in history is here! Fear. Horror. Terror. And, of course, evil. It's everywhere. Enter the most terrifying game experience ever crafted. Fight through hordes of flesh-starved zombies, blood-thirsty beasts and other mutant creatures. Welcome to the nightmare... = ; Resident Evil 2. _ If the suspense doesn't kill you, : something else will. www.capcom.com © CAPCOM CO.. LTD. 1999 © CAPCOM U.S.A.. INC. 1999 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are renictarad trademarke of CAPCOM CO ITD RESIDENT EVIL > AND CAPCOM ENCE are trademarke ni Nintendo 64 Preview e Size: 256 Megabit e Style: 1-Player Action/Adventure e Special Features: Link Transforms To New Characters; Minigames; Limited Time To Finish Adventure; Built-In Save; Expansion Pak Required; Rumble Pak Compatible e Created by: Nintendo e Available: March 2000 for Japanese Nintendo 64 (U.S. Release Undetermined) Nintendo 64 for another challenge. In this sequel to the smash 50% Complete show, fans of the Zelda series should be in for a treat when it comes to the U.S. sometime next year. The exhaustless tale of Link takes place just a short time after he ie restored peace to the land of Hyrule. Young Link is deep in the z forest, relaxing with his trusty steed, Epona. Suddenly, Link encounters a Skull Kid wearing the most unusual of masks. Whatever power the mask holds, it is great because the Skull Kid opens a dimensional warp and rides off with Link’s beloved pony. Like anyone with a cherished pet, Link makes chase through this dimensional doorway. What Link finds on the other side is strange, yet still very familiar. Soon enough Link discovers what is so strange — the gigantic moon is growing larger and larger. In time it will consume this world, and it’s up to Link to save this mystic realm. The Skull Kid may hold the answer. Most of the playcontrol and gameplay is identical to the previous version. There are unusual masks this time as well, and they play a crucial role and add new gameplay dynamics. Wearing various masks will transform Link into different characters such as a Goron, a Deku Shrub, and even a Zora. As you may remember from Link’s past adventure, these characters have unique powers and you will have to utilize them all to conquer this new adventure. ‘Game Informer * November '99 Link, the hero of many an adventure, returns to a hit, Link will be joined by many familiar faces from his last adventure. Unveiled at Nintendo’s recent SpaceWorld game — 5 Link's Next) With the giant moon looming closer and closer, __ time won't be on your side in this game. In this adventure, Link must act quickly or the world will end. There is no time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Time is of the essence, and an enormous clock in this world counts down as a reminder to you and Link. orogeny @ E. CL Aad 4 y 1) get W 3585, Adventure Is; 4 Close At Hand d Nintendo 64 Preview e Size: 256 Megabit e Style: 1 to 4-Player Action/Platform e Special Features: 5 Playable Characters (Donkey, Diddy, Tiny, Chunky, & Lanky Kong); 8 Worlds; Expansion Pak Required; Unlock the Original DK Games; Each Character Has Special Abilities & Tasks e Created by: Rareware for Nintendo ¢ Available: November 22 for Nintendo 64 IN=DONKEY-KONG COUNTRY = 95% Complete he long awaited sequel to Donkey Kong Country takes Chunky is constantly hampered by elements from previous games Mario 64 and Banjo that nasty growth on his aly Kazooie, expanding them to a new level. The game $B es features five playable characters and a wealth of abilities, minigames, and special tasks that can only be completed by certain characters. "Donkey and Diddy Kong have returned from the popular > Donkey Kong Country series on the SNES and have been joined ~~. by three new friends: Tiny, Chunky, and Lanky. Each character ~~ takes advantage of a number of unique abilities to achieve ~~ Special tasks that only he or she can accomplish. Donkey Kong, = for instance, can do a barrel blast in certain areas, which will ~ == propel him to new heights and areas of the game that couldnt === have been reached through other means. geen In addition to special abilities, all of the characters get special items that allow them to open up new areas of the game. > Jungle-style weapons that launch various types of fruits and nuts must be used to unlock certain types of gates by shooting - at symbols with the proper type of ammunition. Peanut gates, === for instance, can't be opened until Diddy Kong unloads on the == locking mechanism with his dual peanut guns. Characters also = receive musical instruments that enhance their abilities and ex allow them to cause N things to happen. DK is always on the prow! for a luscious set of coconuts. That's Diddy “gating” a Smurf sco Beaver with peanuts. sa J peonon eee eee ee eee irae] {rv ot manao a anarap eb I es RES aa SUD rn scans a tvntnirn oR E ERAT BSRSRSHRSERESTERRET 4-402 Yank the lever Lanky! With only one character, the beginning adventure seems restricted to a narrow set of tasks. Fortunately, as the game \ opens up and more characters ave unlocked, the world gets | much more diverse, and players will be able pick and choose from a wide variety of quests. If all goes well and Rare continues its tradition of doing games with hideous camera control that it fixes at the last second, the spastic Donkey Kong 64 should be a more than worthy addition to the DK series. For those hardcore vidiots out there who still think the original Donkey Kong games are the best, you'll enjoy the fact that the very first Donkey Kong games will be unlockable Easter eggs. S | CN that vine a little e X too closely. f wa Lanky runs on his arms. 434 : : ae ee i E ET] e Size: Unknown e Style: 1-Player Role-Playing Game e Special Features: Different Main Character for Each Chapter of the Game; Magic Powered by Combat Environments; Enthralling ¥ First-Person Combat View; 4 Playable Characters Including a Dog; Pig King e Created by: HAL Labs for Nintendo e Available: May 2000 for Japanese Nintendo 64 (U.S. Release Undetermined) 55% Complete rhod Bit i 41M PxXm By Final Days of the Dien King We know as much about this game as the 1 French know about diplomacy, but as it is only " the second RPG to come out for the Nintendo 64 in its four year history (Four years! Good job Nintendo!), we had to give it the proper | loving care and affection we have for all N64 games attempting to plug a genre vacuum hole the size of Kansas. Earthbound 3 was ; | actually meant to be Nintendo’s first RPG and was slated for release on the N64 DD drive which got delayed for a couple of years in Japan and will never hit our shores. Fortunately, for RPG deprived N64 owners in the States, the game was changed back over to a cartridge format and will probably show up in the U.S. next year. For the sake of all who were left with a foul taste in their ' mouths from Quest, we hope this game is good. It’s only a matter of time before those who get no enjoyment out of Pokémon or racing games come crashing Nintendo’s gates with torches and a large battering ram. The combat system of the game sounds | unusual. It has returned to the old school first-person perspective, but magic use is provided for by directing the energy of whatever combat environment you happen to be in. The game also features four playable characters, who each become main charac- ters for every chapter of the game. ing insane NBA Jam style play. e Size: 128 Megabit e Style: 1 to 4-Player Sports e Special Features: New Fast-Paced Arcade Mode; Expansive Create-A-Player & Career Players; Three Point Contest; Improved Al; Hi-Res Graphics; Rumble & Controller Pak Compatible e Created by: Left Field Productions for Nintendo e Available: November 1 for Nintendo 64 90% Complete With Shaq out of the spotlight and checked into Jenny Craig, and Michael Jordan | pushing AA batteries for an easy 40 million, Kobe Bryant has stepped up to fill the shoes of the next athletic juggernaut. As we speak, this young spark has his good looks plastered across billboards, his phenomenal acting is demonstrated in a handful of shoe commer- cials, and his golden voice can even be heard bringing joy to eight year olds everywhere in Kobe’s very own rap album. If anyone can stand tall and yell, “I am...1 am...1 am Superman!” It’s Kobe. All of Kobe’s success started with Nintendo’s premier. basketball sim, NBA Courtside. When Kobe was just a tadpole sitting on the bench as a sixth man, Nintendo signed him to the game and the rest is histo- ry. With every good game comes a sequel, and as large as his contract may be, Nintendo R, signed Kobe to host NBA Courtside 2. Courtside 2’s improvements include an amazing Create-A-Player with attributes up the yang, and gameplay so smooth it will often be confused with silk. Courtside also breathes innovation into sports with its Career Player. Through gameplay, users raise a player just like a Tamagotchi. Play well and he’ll become a superstar! Just as exciting, Nintendo has added an Arcade mode featur- ee mA a Goma TENET Nintendo 64 Preview e Size: 128 Megabit e Style: 1 to 4-Player Racing e Special Features: 20 Indoor & Outdoor Tracks; Tournament & Stunt Mode; Track Editor; Painful Crashes; Expansion, Controller, & Rumble Pak Compatible ¢ Created by: Left Field Studios for Nintendo e Available: 2000 for Nintendo 64 70% Complete That Ain’t No Crotch Rocket! Excitebike was one of the first big games on the NES and we still hear that game’s high- pitched, whiny engine noise ringing in our ears to this day. The concept was simple enough. You had to race along a straight course that went from left to right and take the best advantage of jumps and your turbo button to stay ahead of the pack. The only limiting factor in your turbo usage was your heat meter. If your bike overheated, you would have to stop to let it cool off before you could get back up to speed again. The original also featured. a remarkably innovative feature (back when Nintendo was into innovative games) - It had a track Ì designer. It’s safe to say that this game was one of the very first to actually feature a level designer packed onto the cartridge. Few games bother with such things to this day. The new Excitebike takes all of the same features from the original and throws them into a 3D environment. What, you want more? Okay, it also has a Stunt mode, a variety of indoor stadiums and outdoor tracks, and a replay designer that allows you to pick your own camera angles to present that killer race you had to your buddies. It all sounds good to us, but we’re just looking forward to getting our hands on the track editor to create some seriously messed up courses. Nintendo 64 Preview ssri TON DERBY G4 e Size: 128 Megabit e Style: 1 to 4-Player Racing e Special Features: 24 Vehicles; 12 Areas; Tons of Multiplayer Modes Including Bomb Tag & Capture the Flag; Cosmetic Damage; Rumble & Controller Pak Compatible ¢ Created by: Looking Glass Studios for THQ e Available: December for Nintendo 64 85% Complete EVERYBODY LOWES DOUBLE D When God created the Earth, he did some pretty slick things. But we gotta say that all te) of his (or her) life-giving work pales in s| comparison to THQ’s magnificent production, Destruction Derby 64. This smash ‘em up, crash ‘em up, glass-shattering driver brings {two things to the table that few other N64 drivers do: sheer brutality and finesse. Buckle up, buttercup, this ain’t no game for Sunday drivers. It has been many moons since this game first appeared on the PlayStation and then spawned a yawner of a sequel, but a new and more refined version will greet N64 4 car smashers. What an impact this racer Ii have. Using the patented Deforming Ì Geometry system, this remarkable N64 racer & is all about crashing and burning. There are 24 vehicles to choose from and 12 different areas filled with bumper-busting action. In. addition, there are many shortcuts, idden vehicles, and secret tracks to discov- | er. However, THQ has told us that the com- = puter racers will be some bad brothers, so these punks may bust your car before you get z the chance to wreck their rides. THQ is also striving to capitalize on multiplayer, and has _{ incorporated a ton of deathmatch arenas and multiplayer modes into this bump da bumper action/racer. Game Informer * November'99 | 45 Review e Size: 2 CD-ROMs e Style: 1-Player Role-Playing Game e Special Features: Anime Cutscenes; 12 Hours of Spoken Dialogue; Minigames Aplenty; Dating Raises Intimacy; High Intimacy Makes Better Weapons; Elemental Summons; Dual Shock Compatible e Replay Value: Moderately Low e Created by: Red Company for Atlus e Available: Now for PlayStation Bottom Line: 7 75 e ANDY Atlus has built itself by translating Japanese RPGs and bringing ee them to North America. It has done some amazing work, but Thousand concept Arms is its boldest project yet. Not only was it necessary to translate — two discs worth of text, but also 12 hours of spoken dialogue. Atlus is Graphics doubly daring for choosing to put so much work into a new and 6.5 untested kind of product — an RPG/dating simulator. Sound The main character, Meis Triumph, is descended from a long line 6.5 of lecherous Spirit Blacksmiths who can forge magic weapons, but only Playability with a beautiful lady at their sides. Different women bring out varying 6.75 abilities in the weapons, but Meis can’t just love ‘em and leave ‘em. The Entertainment higher his intimacy level with the ladies-in-waiting, the greater the 6.75 powers he can imbue. So how does one come to a deeper understanding with those of Gil the feminine persuasion? The first step in Thousand Arms is going to a VERT Goddess Statue. There Meis chooses which girl to court, and then decides if he wants to give her a gift, play a minigame with her, or take her on a date. When the decision is made to go on a date, Meis first To forge great weapons... has to find a suitably romantic location, then try to schmooz his way THE GONZO GAMER through a series of questions. Most questions are easy (“Do you think Concept I'm pretty?”), but some will leave you clueless how to answer (“What 9 are you thinking?”). < Graphics On the role-playing side of things, Thousand Arms doesn't exactly x 8.5 break new ground. The plot involves fighting monsters, following the a Sound story path, and going on small quests that eventually reveal an evil 8.75 plan. You'll often talk to locals to gather clues, but interestingly, ~Playability conversations will sometimes shift to anime cutscenes where you get a 7 much closer look at what's transpiring. SS Combat is also a bit different. No matter how many characters you ute ce have in your party, only the person in front gets into the nitty-gritty. Everyone else in the party can only use items, cast healing magic, or stand by. Choosing to stand by will usually evoke a cheer or taunt from those stuck behind you. Cheers power-up the person in front, while taunts lower the defenses of the front monster. OVERALL .. you must play minigames... REINER THE RAGING GAMER Concept 8 i Back € STANDEY Una Graphics Sound 7.75 7.25 OVERALL SHOWS DIG SLACMITAS Playability Entertainment 7 “The concept of picking up women and using them to make swords is quite hilarious, but even that is not enough to save this game. The RPG portion, especially the combat, is just uninteresting. The date sequences and the chases that follow are easily the best part of this game, but | just couldn't get into the whole dating game thing. | do like all the anime stuff in here, and the story is pretty entertaining (though at times the hot chick and polishing sword jokes get a little old). I'm impressed that Atlus went out and brought this unusual game here to the States, but there is only so much of this game that | can take. If you are really into Japanese culture or can’t get a date in the real world, this game is worth the time, but otherwise there are a lot better RPGs to fil your days with” “There are a lot of things | don’t like abou Thousand Arms. You often have no idea where to go, the overland map is practically unnavigable, and it really bugs me that the people in back can’t cast offensive spells in combat. In spite of all this, | can’t stop playing this game. The charm of Thousand Arms is undeniable. Having to go on dates to upgrade weapons may sound strange on paper, but believe i or not, it’s the most nerve-wracking part of the game. If you slip up, you're compelled to go buy the girl a gift to make amends for the fouled up date, or else you won't be able to get new spells. | also like that it's (eventually) the player's decision if he’s faithful to one girl or a dog. Add to all this an unprecedented level of phallic innuendo, and it’s easy to see why this is my kind of game!” “I've played some obscure games in my time, and | can honestly say that Thousand Arms is as bizarre as video games can get. Its goal? To date women. Successful dating rewards the player with a sharper, harder sword. The look of this oddball RPG is very Japanese and heavy on the manga artwork. Anime cutscenes and conversations are also sewn into the quest, as is a ton of humor delivered through phallic innuendo. It’s actually a fun game to play, but it does have a few drawbacks. For one, the overworld map is difficult to navigate and the camera is terrible. Secondly, the combat, while different, is very basic and lacking in strategy. l'Il probably play it all the way through; but if | had to choose, I’d pick Suikoden II and FF VIII before | bought this game.” e Size: 2 CD-ROMs e Style: 1-Player Role-Playing Game e Special Features: Intuitive Combat Scenarios; Complete Camera Controls; Sega Saturn Graphics; Wacky Dialogue, Skywalker Sound; Dual Shock & Analog Compatible e Replay Value: Low ¢ Created by: Game Arts/ESP for Sony Through the years, Game Arts has pieced together a Computer Entertainment America handful of wonderful role-playing games. While many of these i ikatan OMAN pode PLANET PLAYSTATION titles have garnered the highest accolades in Japan, most of reas these RPGs have hidden in the shadows or have not been . released in the North American market. The Lunar series was “Grandia went from being a game Iwas. ANDY widely overlooked on the Sega CD, and Game Arts’ excited about to being the bane of my tHe came nomere masterpiece, Grandia, didn’t make it to the States before the existence, From the instant you start vOut’ Sercancept Sega Saturn crashed and burned. With the PlayStation, Game Arts quest, the lead character, Justin, grates on 7 is playing catch up; and now, good things are coming to those who you like Judy Tenuda at a funeral. Then you —___" i Pea Phe f 3 throw in the fact that the first quest is one Graphics have waited. The Lunar series is finally getting the respect it of the most mundane I’ve ever seen, and 8.75 deserves, and for the first time ever, Grandia is heading to the things aren't looking too good for Grandia. Somn a States. Lucky me game doss anam open up 55 Working Designs has handled most of Game Arts’ translations in and offer some interesting adventures, —___~"~_ the past. However, this time around, Sony Computer Entertainment but moving the camera E ataya anoying, Elayabiliy Aera holds the porting rights. It si He been nice to see For its battle sequences and beautiful 7 porting rights. = Working Designs back in the saddle, jazzing this game up with a but this story has got to go. If you can put pe as chromium cover, leather-bound manual, and cloth map; but really, all up with Grandia’s problems, you will get that matters is a good translation, and Sony did a commendable job quite a quest; but | quickly got tired of its Bes localizing this RPG. Grandia’s expansive story arc is written well and irritating Characters, story; andicamera. comes across quite nicely. The only portion of this port that could OVERALL have been better is the spoken dialogue. The voice actors chosen to fill the shoes of Justin and Sue, the heroes of this adventure, are rather annoying and a little too high-strung for our liking. Thankfully though, the voices are only used in certain plot points, and most of the game is straight text. As for the gameplay, expect great things. From its experience with the Lunar series, Game Arts has come out swinging, and has forged a fascinating game that comes to life with beautiful three- | dimensional environments and phenomenal character animations. | ile. S graphics, | will give Grandia some points, A EN ka x paz F 7 Grandia’s combat chemistry is unique and often chaotic. “Unlike other recent role-playing retreads JAY like Final Fantasy Anthology and Lunar, tHe gonzo camer Grandia feels outdated. Despite having ~ Concet better graphics than the aforementioned 7 p titles, Grandia’s story and scope of —___"___ adventure feels minuscule. | just couldn’t Graphics get drawn into what was happening, mostly 7.5 due to the fact that the game goes out of Sound its way to remind you that your characters are kids. | don’t mind playing young SRB ARN characters, but let me fight rather than Playability going on hide-and-seek treasure hunts 7 around the city. After the adventure finally -zza got underway, I found the battle interface Entertainment to be only adequate. Grandia would have 7 amazed me in the Saturn days, but it’s only an average RPG on PlayStation.” OVERALL Grandia also tosses out a wicked gameplay experience that thrives |x = is through a host of gameplay innovations and thrilling action spread across dungeon exploration and monster battles. Grandia’s combat iier reei : sequences are uniquely sculpted, making good use of both ; oo range-based and timed attacks. These sequences allow the player eae. to use strategies and perform maneuvers like surrounding enemies, | i applying double teams, and keeping a character with long range capabilities in the backfield. For a Saturn game that came out years ago, Grandia still looks and plays quite well, delivering an RPG experience that will keep gamers playing for weeks on end. “Grandia compares favorably to the best the PlayStation has to offer, dishing out REINER impressive three-dimensional envi- THE RAGING GAMER ronments and phenomenal combat Concept sequences. However, Grandia’s story 6.25 lacks serious conflict, and while the — characters designs are cool, | can’t stand Graphics any of the personalities. Every character in 8.5 the game is dreadfully annoying, and get this, their mission is to live out the Sound adventure of a lifetime. Boring! To be quite mie (ice frank, I'd much rather see this annoying Playability brat squad swallowed whole by a dragon 8.25 and have the rest of the game dedicated to ————_—__— watching them scream in horror as the Entertainment digestive system tears them apart. If you 7 do manage to sink to the level of these ‘ - 2 - sai childish heroes, this game offer a lengthy Go d i ce 7 quest with beautiful imagery and z ] S> was iN interesting gameplay scenarios.” OVERALL 5 = a ; Wheeeee!!! Sosy Re sre ; 4 : -g RQ x ie kah, : ž _ PlayStation 7 Review e Size: 1 CD-ROM ¢ Style: 1 or 2-Player Racing e Special Features: Hi-Res Graphics; 8 Racing Teams; New Vehicles; 8 New Tracks; 7 Weapons; New Tournament, Challenge, & Deathmatch Modes; Dual Shock & Analog Compatible e Replay Value: Moderately High e Created by: Psygnosis Leeds Studio Lip * Available: Now for PlayStation ith over 1.5 million units sold in North MAM America and Europe, the Wipeout series is Bottom Line: & the most suc | franchise in Psygnosis’ s massive video game lineup. Colony Wars, Destruction Derby, ° G-Police, Lemmings, and even Shipwreckers play second to this anti-gravity combat racing phenomenon. It’s a difficult challenge to churn out sequels faster than rabbits breed, yet | Psygnosis does it in mid-stride; and amazingly, another high caliber | Wipeout release is just around the corner. : With the first sequel, Wipeout XL, Psygnosis modified the | gameplay and perfected the art gravy physics engine, which in | | törn created a killer ride that electrified the PlayStation console and | made gamers jump for joy. Yip-yip-yippie a hoo! In the new update, | Wipeout 3, the: pae and physics are one and the same; but | now, the graphics have received a facelift and the difficulty level has | been tweaked to accommodate a much wider audience. The play will still make you want to break your controller, but now, it's not so | tedious from the get go. The first few races are cchelly a breeze. As with Wipeout XL, there’s a good chance that you may see a music , video made out of one of the songs in Wipeout 3. DJ Sasha has laid down five exclusive tracks, and joining in on the techno fun are songs | from the Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Propellerheads, Orbital, | and Paul Van Dyk. The music is so good that it may make you drop your controller, jump to your feet, and dance like you've never danced before. As if any were needed, Wipeout 3 features a slew of enhancements. The entire game makes use of hi-resolution graphics, presenting a crisp, posh, and trendy look. There are now eight different teams (five of which are from Wipeout XL), all loaded with new vehicle designs. Wipeout 3 also features seven new weapons joining five of the best from Wipeout XL. If you thought the shockwave was cool, wait until you see the reflector wall. It's impressive! It’s deadly! I's super ultra cool!!! To keep fans of the series guessing with every turn and spitting at the screen on every terrain elevation, Psygnosis has created eight | brand spanking new tracks, all of which feature booster pads, incredibly difficult blind turns, and narrow straightaways. Just like in | the last game, these courses are as frustrating as a pimple in high | school; and as always, the competition is a serious pain in th { thrusters. If you're not eating a wall, then they're shooting you up from the rear, and there’s nothing mad phat ee that! Wipeout 3 is also the first Wipeout fo include two-player split-screen on the PlayStation. Word. “Wipeout 3 has all the ingredients for a J great racing game: it’s incredibly fast, the _THE GONZO GAMER tracks are just the right length, and the Concept difficulty eventually becomes atrocious. 7 There is, however, one key factor that | felt “Graphics was missing while | played - a sense of 5 urgency. After doing my best, only to lose by : a nose in the final stretch, | had a kind of Sound ‘eh’ attitude. The first-person view 8 alleviated this somewhat, but not enough — 5an, — to press me into playing ever onward. It aoe could be that Psygnosis has created such 2 a foreign environment that | can’t feel a Entertainment part of it, or it could be that I'm a total loser who can’t understand the club culture that the game seems to be built around. | definitely liked it, but didn’t love it. Or in Wipeout 3 terms, | find it neither phat nor wack, but somewhere in-between.” “It's hard to believe that it has been over | THE GAME proressor four years since this series debuted. | still Concept consider Wipeout XL to be one of the best § 5 racing games for the PS-X, but it is hard to ——— © _____ rank this one any better than that. Nothing Graphics has really changed. Sure, there are some 9 graphical improvements and new course Sound designs, but it is otherwise dull. 9 Psygnosis had (I mean that in that past tense) a great franchise here, and they Playability have done nothing but run it into the 8.5 ground. Don’t get me wrong, it is better -Eanan than many racing games. However, | would Entertainment suggest just dusting off a copy of XL for a better experience.” PAUL “This latest addition to the Wipeout legacy clings tightly to the adrenaline-heavy formula that has worked oh so well in the past, and incorporates just enough upgrades and new features to keep this anti-gravity racing experience fresh and entertaining. As with the other Wipeout 8.25 releases, this one is an incredibly difficult Sound racer that not only dishes out tough CPU 8 opponents, but also forces the player to fj —__________ master a complicated control/physics Playability system. While it can be frustrating, the 8.75 leporo pay E actually what makes this -a game so irresistible. After coming in a close Entertainment second for fifteen to twenty consecutive races, achieving victory is the greatest feeling in the world. Wipeout 3 features REINER THE RAGING GAMER Concept 7.25 Graphics eight new tracks, a slew of new weapons and vehicles, and a great new look that is outshone only by its fantastic play.” d i tt C Bring Home The Puw Praystation | Lytse u/c} lon. PlayStat PlayStation Bring Home The Fun’ ne per customer per game title. Quantities are limited. Prices and offers expire November 19, 1999. Manufacturer reserves the right to delay game title at their discretion. Spyro Riptor’s Rage ™ and © 1999 Universal Studios, Inc. Developed by Insomniac Games, Inc. Crash Team Racing ™ and © 1999 Universal Studios, Inc. Developed by Naughty Dog, Inc. PlayStation and PlayStation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. © 1999 Funco, Inc. FuncoLand is a registered trademark of Funco, Inc. All rights reserved. PlayStation | Review e Size: 1 CD-ROM ¢ Style: 1 to 4-Player Racing e Special Features: 8 Characters (Plus More Hidden); 16 Tracks; 4 Ways To Turbo; Adventure & Battle Modes; Analog & Dual Shock Compatible e Replay Value: Moderately High e Created by: Naughty Dog for Sony Computer Entertainment America he PlayStation has succeeded in covering every e Available: October 19 for PlayStation genre from head to toe. If you want an RPG, take ig & your pick. If you want a sports game, they're all stickin = Bottom Line: here. If you want racing, hundreds of titles await. In The Backseat However, if you get really specific and crave a charac- ter based racer, then get a Nintendo 64. It’s hard to - a believe, but the PlayStation has not landed a decent | Crash Team Racing has something that character based racing game yet. On the Nintendo 64, a lot of games have been missing lately, | i é à come : and that’s longevity. Its many characters, | Mario Kart sold incredibly well, as did Diddy Kong Racing, yet tracks, and more than ample difficulty | developers didn’t jump at the chance to make a game like this level will keep you busy for quite a while by for the even larger PlayStation market. — : f —— SA9 Your lonesome. It’s the multiplayer On October 19, Naughty Dog is dropping a piece of gold into games, however, that will constantly keep this overlooked genre. With three straight action/platform ; CTR out of its jewel case and spinning on | releases, Naughty Dog has succeeded in turning Crash ~