anniversary f issue! ■Mil P " n July 1996 $4.99 Canada $6.50 J'j'JijJ-j VJ-ij 'J v ill /ainjiuji 4470 65945 Overkill Tekken 2 Pilotwings 64 lion Man/X-0 Manowar Project Overkill Nintendo 64 1 l V — n.' ' S v j~/t r .''"'IH'.V ✓7 yV 1 — W — 7 // - Be^Ker wear gloves for this one Junior's back with K^n Griffey Jr.'s Winning Ru n"* ba s e blH There's bone-crunching wall crashes, super-human slides, turf -eating (without those unsightly grass stains). Plus, there's a trading feature and new 3-D rendered ACM graphics. All served up with Ken ' s swing (digitized for your protection). It's as close as you can get to being Ken ' — - without having to deal with The Mariner Moose. Real stadiums , real uniforms and the real Ken Griffey Jr. (hope that shortstop's wearing the proper protective equipment ). So put those other weak baseball games on the permanent disabled list. 'Cause this time, Ken's I m [ m A I k m 1 r sure a » *© Nintendo/ Rare. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission ot Major League Baseball Properties, Inc.© 1 996 MLB. ™ and ® are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. © 1 996 Nintendo of America Inc. -MXLE-AN-HOUR HEATER, HE GAVE AN EFFORTLESS' HOME RUN SWING, AND HE GAVE YOU, WELL, HE. GAVE YOU SO YOU GOT ROBBED IN THE G 0 D - G I V EN - T A L E N T DEPARTMENT. BUT DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU. YOU HAVE PLAYSTATION’S 3D REALISM THAT DELIVERS ALL THE PRESSURE AND INTENSITY OF PLAYING IN THE BIG SHOW. YOU CAN TAKE THE FIELD IN ALL 28 STADIUMS. IN ARCADE OR SIMULATION MODE. AND EXPERIENCE EVERY ANGLE OF THE GAME FROM THE MOST DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVES. YOU'RE UP AGAINST 700 BIG LEAGUERS PLAYING TO THEIR REAL ABILITIES BASED ON THEIR ACTUAL STATS. SO YOU GET TO WHIFF ON JACK MCDOWELL'S SLIDERS. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks ol Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. U R NOT E is a trademark ot Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. The Major League Club insignias depicted on this product are trademarks which are the exclusive property ol the respective Major League Clubs and may not be reproduced with- out their written consent. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Official Licensee - Major Corkscrew yourself into the ground on TIM WAKEFIELD'S knucklers. And hit pathetic nubbers off DAVID CONE'S split-fingered fast- PiayStation balls. Then you take the hill against sticks like ALBERT BELLE. MO VAUGHN and CECIL FIELDER, who’ll send you packing on the first bus back to Pawtucket. You can even track your embarrassing STATS OVER THE ENTIRE SEASON. BUT NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU TAKE A CALLED THIRD STRIKE, NO MATTER HOW MANY OF YOUR HANGING CURV'ES ARE JACKED INTO THE NEXT ZIP CODE, ALWAYS REMEMBER: YOU'RE STILL LOVED. AND THAT'S ALL THAT'S IMPORTANT. League Baseball Player Association. Logo© MLBPA MSA. Developed by Sony Interactive Studios America. © 1996 Sony Interactive Enterlainmenl Inc. Call 1-800- 771-3772 lor information on Game Ratings. For game hints call 1 -900-933-SONY (7669). The charge is $.95 per minule (avg. length ol call 4 min.). Callers under the age ot 1 8 must get parental permission to call. Touch-tone phone is required. Available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. U.S. only, http://www.sony.com. Advertisement jgjL. ■ r ...HAVE ARRIVED WiMcamS® www.williamsentertainmfintr.nm MIDWAY Editorial Intern Manager, Online Services Editorial Assistant, GamePro Online Online Interns Senior Designer Designer Art Intern Production Coordinator Vice President, Human Resources Kathy Skaggs Chris Strodder Lawrence Neves Mike Weigand Chris Nicolella Tom Russo Paul Curthoys Jon Robinson John Fisher Kimberly Baldwin Matthew Green Kenneth Li Carey Perez Charmaine Conui Joaquin Siopack Susanna E. Hoffert Shelly Reimer Cathie Burgyan Finance Manager Brian F. Sours Accounting Manager Laura Rosenga Senior Financial Analyst Leona Ching Accounting Coordinator Terry Gering Accounting Intern Laura Baza IS Manager Nancy Durlester Network Administrator Rob Rubright Operations Manager Jeannine C. Harvey Office Services Supervisor Lesieli Friesen er Vbpa more realistic WRESTLING ACTION IAN EVER-REVERSALS, P1LEDRIVERS AND BODVSLAMS! ,7T rnT 1 ]n "TT In JU 1 itAv 3?n ft , EjSgfTB JBraffai' i" » i * i t ir ~TT^p-| | - ft Super Mario RPG, Part 3 Super NES ProStrategy Guide Here's how to find that elusive third Star! Page 99 Game Enhancers Game Genie codes for Genesis and SNES games! NBA Shoot Out PlayStation ProStrategy Guide , Championship offensive sets and plays, 1 and a hidden All-Star game! Page 82. SWATPro » Secret codes and tips! Resident Evil's rocket launcher, Street Fighter Alpha 2's secret stages, and more! Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge (Saturn) All the moves for the Night Warriors! 28 A Shooter's Dr for the Ninten botech GameTek is readying Robotech, a true 3D shooter. 30 www.gamepro.com! GamePro launches its Web site at the Electronic Entertainment Expo! 76 16-Bit Gamer's Survival Guide 16-bit ProReviews, Hall of Fame sports games, tips and tricks, and the Game Watch cart calendar I And for the few who aren't impressed, let's not forget Shadow's black belt in Ninjicsu. Ph.D. in computer I science, and the two other I X-PERTS fighting along- I side who can do just I as much damage. And ill three o f ^ government specialists are just waiting for you to control them., pounding terrorists, torturing the ones who won't cooperate, hacking Aqua's computer system. All for the sake of National Security, And while you wield your X-PERTS against the bad guys, you'll be doing so with motion captured SGI rendered graphics, which means saving the free world will look better than ever... after all, just look how she turned out at http://wwyj.sega : GO SEGA. 12 Letter from the GamePros 12 The Mail: Head 2 Head 13 Art Attack 14 Buyers Beware The consumers' hotline! 16 ProNews How much will that Nintendo 64 really cost? 20 GamePro Online Game info from AOL and the Internet 22 The Cutting Edge The Pippin online game machine 24 GamePro Labs Interact s PlayStation and Saturn Memory Card Plus and Mad Catz's multisystem RF Converter 34 Overseas ProSpects The Sony PSX Expo! 38 Sneak Previews Crash Bandicoot, Iron Man, Clayfighter III, and more! 50 MDK, Dark Forces II, and more! 54 Hot at the Arcades Virlua Fighter 3 and Gun Blade! Ks?* 35 V* _ ■ Extreme Dreams 49 Extreme Pinball 78 Fade to Black 48 Formula 1 World Championship 94 Frank Thomas "Big Hurt" Baseball. . . 90 Pilolwings 64 42 Pin High 94 PO'ed 64 Primal Rage .72 Project Overkill 42 Psychic Detective 78 Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal 52 Wipeout 68 World Cup Golf 86 X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter .51 Cno rntOB 80. PlayStation 58 Saturn 66 Genesis SNES 76 76 3 DO Games: Decathlon ABC's Monday Night Football 96 AD&D: Ironblood 40 Aeon Flux 49 Afterlife 51 Alone in the Dark: One-Eyed Jack's Revenge 74 BallBlazer 44 Bass Masters Classic Pro Edition 76 Battle Arena Toshinden 2 60 Beyond the Beyond 98 Blast Chamber 49 Blazing Dragons 96 Braindead 13 78 Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble 40 Camoge Heart 98 Clayfighter III 48 College Slam (PlayStation) 87 College Slam (Saturn) 87 Crash Bandicoot 39 Creature Shock 72 Crime Wave 41 Criticom 78 Deadly Skies 46 Discworld 2 97 Disruptor 49 Golden Axe: The Duel 74 Guardian Heroes 70 Gun Blade NY 56 Hyper 3D Pinball 44 Impact Racing 46 In the Hunt 74 International Track & Field 94 Iron Man/X-0 Manawar in Heavy Metal 40 Iron Storm 95 Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II 51 Legend of Oasis 98 MagZone 49 MDK 50 MLB Pennant Race 89 NBA Action 96 NR Quarterback Club '96 87 NFL Quarterback dub '97 91 Nights 44 Olympic Soccer 92 Olympic Summer Games (Genesis) 86 Olympic Summer Games (PlayStation, Solum) 92 Olympic Summer Games (SNES) ... 86 , , / ^ Quick Sports JJ'-J Hits Pages 78 82 Role-Player's Realm 95 Tekken 2! See page 58. Previows) Rama 52 Red Asphalt 39 RoboPit 62 Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV 78 Shellshock 64 Shining Sword 41 Shining Wisdom 90 Shockwave Assojlt 47 Sirens 44 Skeleton Worriors 62 Slom Dragon 47 J Snowjob 78 i StarBlade Alpha 78 I Striker 87 I Swagman 49 I Tekken 2 58 I Three Dirty Dwarves 46 [ Time Commando 47 | Time Killers 76 I Triple Play '97 88 I Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (3DO) ... 47 I Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Saturn) 66 I Virtue Rghter 3 54 I VR Baseball '96 91 1 Tp!& cy r ' 6 ~Vjd. <%§ \ Are ya ivf£ eiwffi ts Help the TJ.S. % a « fo ^" S< V P(5 3Wg^ H'dcs,^ Tfiis time §&ccer gseg y/erld-clagg at t fie (Olympic Svmmer Games. Blast ^ aC0§ aMe§z I*. All tfie great natienal teams . including tfie U.SA. DVt i§mv can t heat tfe best in tfie mrld. ^ tnebegt intneweria... r - ^ ^ e cf* &n tine sidelines Official Licensed Predvcs if Tfie Atlanta CtmniUee fercHe Olympic Games. Inc. U.S. CM Spans is a trMemm* aj VSSM. lac @13 96 VSCald. PfajfSeasiM aid (Be PiaySlalm laja are trademarks af SeegCampvter Eitenaiameat lac. SD@ a rd ike SD6 laga are trademarks aJTSe SUeCampaag. Super Ihete’da Eatertaimett Systemaad tStiSfioal Seal are re jittered trademarks loiiimui 4. Had GENESIS Step M Siel J± ■ jAM E? Mtfie ^sek mps?t? jjr^J^f ® 6 ® 85 " 156 bfitemts including tfe 100 M sprint, javelin, discus, weigftlfeing, arc fiery, fencing, p6le vavlt, swimming.., and much, mvcfi mere. A giant step forward in fon witf) 3D SGI graphics- A trve , ^ Qj6h ^ be§i. metm-captvre actien brings each at filet e ts li£e. Md'sfakti'l fer tfne biggest games ®cf z^sarv UlS § n.6lS S<5 me inUgL dream- It 1 stf\e Olympic Summer Games- IPWMTUl Gsming tfis summer te Atlanta and a videe game stere neary&u. S P O R T SI Head 2 Head I Letter from the GamePros GamePro risers Speak Out I GamePro Readers Speak Out N obody’s happy about Nintendo’s springtime announce- ment that the Nintendo 64 (formerly the Ultra 64, for- merly Project Reality) is going to be delayed until the fall. Gamers such as those whose letters appear on this page don't want to wait another three minutes, much less another three months, after be- ing promised that the system would be ready by the end of 1995, then by April 1996, and now by September 30. This should've been the summer of the N64. Instead, it’s three more months of waiting. Gamers aren’t the only ones frustrated. Editors have been fasci- nated for two years with sneak peeks of the N64 and its games. We’re just as ready to review those games as you are to play ’em. Nintendo itself isn’t happy, either. Following two earlier de- lays, this postponement worsens Nintendo's reputation as the company that can’t meet The Nintendo 64 Delay Playing Nintendo’s Waiting Game a deadline. And Nintendo can’t be pleased that many potential N64 buyers, like ‘TLy767282 1 ” and "The Upset Gamer” at right, ■ can’t believe what Nintendo I did - another delay! By the time it comes out, either Sega or Sony will dominate the video game market. I’m really sorry, £ Nintendo, but after waiting for such a long time, I think that I ; will finally buy one of the other next-generation systems. ‘TLy 7672821” Internet aren’t waiting any- more. What would’ve been Nintendo dol- lars now belong to Sega or Sony. Nintendo has two compelling defenses when gamers express frustration about the delay. First, the sys- tem’s never wavered in price. The S250 figure is so tantalizing that everybody's willing to wait a little longer, even though Sega’s gunning for that advantage with the new $250 Saturn price tag. In addition, by delaying the launch, Nintendo will have more games available when the system finally does come out (up to a dozen titles by Christmas). Everybody’s willing to wait for great games, right? If you build it, they will come, won't they? That’s what Nintendo’s counting on. The company has already gotten encouragement from retailers, who expect the N64 to be the biggest-selling system in years. Boosted by this vote of con- fidence, Nintendo expects to ship more than a million N64s in the United States in 1 996 (a number that dwarfs the Saturn and PlayStation launches). Remember also that September is a bigger month for sales than April because of its proximity to the holi- days. Nobody likes to play the waiting game, but Nintendo figures it’s a game it’ll still win. The GamePros comments.gamepro@iftw.com San Mateo, CA The Unknown Gamer replies: Nobody's happy about the de- lay, but so far no other com- pany has stepped in to domi- nate the market as you suggest. Read our adjacent editorial for more discussion about the wait. I’m upset that Nintendo de- layed the Nintendo 64 again. I can no longer wait until Sep- tember 30. My money is now going to Sony. "The Upset Gamer” Seattle, WA I will still wait for the N64 no matter when it comes out. Given Nintendo’s track record, you simply must believe that the games will be excellent, and it won’t let any low-quality games slip through. So every- one who is going out now and wasting money on a PlayStation, Saturn, or Jaguar should wait. Just give Nintendo a chance! Dallas Reeves Internet delay? I’m afraid impatient gamers will go ahead and shell out the money on a Sat- urn or PSX. I myself am trying to be faithful, but I'm starting to believe the N64 isn't what it’s cracked up to be. “MadVega” Internet Games ’n' Gear I n your March issue, the “Letter from the GamePro I “Letter from the GamePros” suggested that Doom and Mortal Kombat were the two biggest forces in video games today. I believe that the pop- ularity of MK games is an anomaly, like when bell-bot- toms were popular in the 1970s. In the future, people will look back at the MK phe- nomenon with bewilderment. The games are just plain rub- bish. Doom is the best game ever made. Its superiority is not even debatable. S.K. Lister Montreal, Quebec, Canada About your “King Doom" edi- torial in March, I think games like Doom are much better than fighting games like MK 3. I mean, would you rather have an environment in which you are limited to jumping and at- tacking, or an environment like Doom’s where you can ex- plore a virtual universe? I’ll go for a virtual universe anytime! Geoffrey Johnson Internet The Super NES and Game Boy came out basically on time, even with some hardware flaws, but they sold great, and were (and still are) very popu- lar. So why the Nintendo 64 I really liked the James Bond movie Goldeneye, and I was wondering if there would be any games based on it. Jareem Abou-ali Brooklyn, NY GAMEPRO O Air Hendrix replies: Rare, the company that devel- oped Donkey Kong Country, is working on three Nintendo 64 games, including ColdenEye (the other two are Killer Instinct and Donkey Kong Country 3). The Magazine Biz I can’t understand why peo- ple get so upset over the advertisements you listed in your April "Letter from the GamePros." These ads are merely trying to get your at- tention. If the ads don’t catch your eye, they didn’t do their job. Companies that make gross ads are only trying to get you to talk about them. Speaking of the latest systems, here’s a new portable, the Virtual “Here, Boy!" as it gets a workout from Nigel, the canine companion of Doug Rager in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Ryan Sirianni John Torres of Pater- v son, New Jersey, is just one of V the fans trying to reach Christina Rkci. Write to the star of Casper and The Addams Family at this address: Christina Rka c/o Mara Buxbum PMK 1776 Broodway, 8th floor New York, NY 10019 iP- \ Have you tried selling back v \ your old equipment to stores V'- V( that deal in used merchandise? I -- l’ 0 '' 6, * wa ^ed in, ° Funcoland with my - -V ' Sega CD and 32X, including manuals and pack- aging, plus 1 7 games, adding up to a grand total of about $900's worth. But Funcoland refused to buy back my 32X and offered me only $30 for my Sega CD! The store then set ridiculous prices for my games ($4 for Doom?). They offered me $63 for everything with the explanation, "Well, these systems are outta style, kid. We're actually doing you a favor by buying this stuff." I'm tired of being ripped off! A related com- plaint: When I bought the PlayStation for $300, 1 then had to buy a memory card ($25), a second controller ($25), and a game ($70), bringing the grand total to $445.20 with tax. Old systems or new, I feel taken advantage of. Something must be done. "MadMrFreze" Internet Reader Report In April we asked readers to tell us the most they'd spend on a great new game for their current system. The votes break down like this: 80 percent set $90 as their limit, and 20 percent say they'd spend $100 or more! Here's how your votes were spread out: $150: 5% $90: 20% $120: 5% $80: 30% $100: 10% $70: 30% Pick of the Month Anonymous Macon, GA Jocelyn Kiersted, Kerhonkson, NY Whaddava Think? 7 his is your magazine, so tell us what you'd like to see in it. Send your suggestions to: GamePro Magazine Dear Editor P.O. Box 5828 San Mateo, CA 94402 E-mail us your comments through America Online or at this Internet address: comments.gamepro@iftw.com We cannot publish all letters and e-mail mes- sages, and we cannot send personal repies to your letters or e-mail. KAMEPRO (l?) July 1996 npi By The Watch Dog July already? The dog days of summer are almost real here! It makes my fleas jump to think of all the work I gotta do around here during the next couple of months. Enough of my barking - let’s see what we got in the kennel to- day from Interact and Sony. Q When I play a sea- son in NBA Shoot ® Out, I follow the directions to save the season to my memory card, but when I go back to continue, the sea- son is never saved. I’ve already returned the game three times, and none of them will save sea- ln deep Sh00t son games. What should I do? How could Sony bring out a game if they know a bug like this exists? Wallace Hale, Columbus, OH Ron at Sony’s Customer Support states: There seems to be a problem with the way the game NBA Shoot Out loads the previously saved seasons. As with NFL GameDay, you must start the game with- out the memory card in the the Player One slot, then go to the Season option, and select Load Season. Then insert the memory card above the Player One slot, and load the season (this is the opposite of what you’re supposed to do for NHL Faceoff). The Watch Dog states: Sony never answered the question of why these things happen. It should print a disclaimer on the box that says special handling is needed. Q l recently bought ; ' a Game Shark for a my PlayStation and it stopped working after I used it only three times! After that I couldn't get past the intro screen. Does my Game Shark have a defect, or did I do some- thing wrong? DeathEternal via Internet A A representative from Interact’s Customer Service responds: ■ Whenever a company makes a large quantity of any item, it’s bound to have a few defective units. There haven’t been an abnormal amount of complaints regarding the Game Shark, but if it does arise that you have a defective Game Shark, please return it (with a letter explaining the problem) to: Customer Service Interact Accesories, Inc. 1 0945 McCormick Road Hunt Valley, MD 21031 We will research the problem and replace any defective Sharks. Q ln your awesome April is- sue, you featured a re- view of Resident Evil. I got the game the first week it came out and it was everything I ex- pected it to be, but when I read your review many ProTips and strategies that per- tained to the beginning of the game were wrong. What’s the deal? Did Capcom change the game, or did you do this to sabotage all us gamers looking for hints to teach us all lessons? Oust kiddin'.) XZInca via Internet A The Watch Dog says: We got a lot of questions about this review, probably because of our impec- cable record for giving informa- tive ProTips. We reviewed the copy of the game Capcom sent to us for review, which was a beta version, and the tips did change in the final boxed copy. Other magazines, however, did strategy pieces on the game which were wrong because they also used the beta version. We did a 1 4-page strategy guide in June using the final boxed version of the game, and it’s 100 percent accurate. A t CamePro, listening is what we do best. When you have a problem with a product or feel you’ve been ripped off, we want to know. If you have a complaint about a product, write to: GamePro’s Buyers Beware RO. Box 5828 San Mateo, CA 94402 E-mail us your product complaints through America Online or at this Internet address: buyers_beware.gamepro@iftw.com CAMEPRO (IT) July 19 9 6 Q Last year I bought a Saturn, and en- - closed was an of- fer for a Panzer Dragoon and music sampler CD. It’s been five months since I mailed the card and I never received anything. What’s going on? What can I do? BibbD — via Internet Sega’s Customer Service spokesperson says: The sampler CDs were delayed last August, but all should have been sent by Christmas at the latest. Call 1 -800-SEE SATURN (1-800-7S3-7288) to verify. Q A week after I bought my 3DO, the PlayStation came out. The 3 DO has no good games. The Play- lj: station and Saturn have better ones. Even the Gen- esis and the SNES are coming out with better games than the 3DO! Did I get ripped off? BGhandi via Internet Dragoon their feet 3DO-no! A The Watch Dog barks: Did you get ripped off? My question to you is: Why did you buy the 3DO if you knew there were no good games for it? In our opinion, there are some great games for the 3 DO, like Return Fire and Captain Quasar, but even if those aren’t your style, why buy the system? Readers: You need to research a system and its software be- fore spending money on it. Go to the stores and play the avail- able games. Play a friend’s games. Don't make purchases until you're sure about what you’re getting, especially with systems costing up to $300. Be sure to check “ProNews" in this issue for a story on Studio 3DO’s decision to not support the 3DO platform with more titles. Q You listed the mu- sic test code for Donkey Kong Country 2 (see “SWATPro," April). If you keep pressing Down when the music test op- tion appears, you also get a menu of cheat codes. My com- plaint is that while you can get into the music test screen, you can’t get into the cheats screen. Did Nintendo throw in that menu just to annoy gamers? Patrick Nance via Internet Plan it with the apes. The Watch Dog states: Nintendo doesn't go out of its way to annoy gamers (unless you count the delays with the Nintendo 64). Two cheats go along with the cheat codes option that you mention, and we printed them (see “SWATPro," May). The cheats give you 50 lives and no DK barrels. According to Jen Pierce at Nintendo, these are the only cheats in DKC 2. Q I just bought NHL '96 for the Gene- * sis. The back of the box says there’s a special ceremony if you win the Stanley Cup. Well, I won the Cup and all I saw was just a picture of the trophy, and it tells you who won. Is this the special ceremony they were bragging about? Jason Palmer, Pales Heights, IL A Rich Rodgers, EA Sports’ associate producer on NHL ’96, says: ■ If you start the game in the standard playoff mode, you won’t see the special ending. You must play a com- plete season, and then play through the playoffs to see the “special ceremony” (which involves the red carpet rolling out, and the players skating around with the cup). The Watch Dog replies: Adding the words “you must play through an en- ■ tire season" to the information on the box would have cleared up any questions here. Also, on EAs help line, counselors have been telling callers that the trophy screen is the ending ceremony, so this information should also help out the counselors! Thanks to Tommy Glide for researching this ques- tion through his "special" contacts. GAMEPRO (Jf) July 1996 Mil 1336 3D0's Downhill Slide Begins Now that 3DO sales have been sur- passed by the PlayStation and Sat- urn, concrete signs of the 3DO’s demise are emerging. Studio 3DO, the in-house software division of The 3DO Company, announced that it would no longer make games for the 3DO. “We’ve gone through a cycle of titles for the platform,” said a 3DO spokesperson, “and given the size of the market, it doesn’t make sense to continue to make 3DO games right now.” Continuing this trend, other long-time supporters of the 3DO, in- cluding Crystal Dynamics, Electronic Arts, and Interplay, also indi- cated that they currently had no plans to produce 3DO games. “After we release Casper for the 3DO in May, we don’t have any plans at pre- sent for further 3DO products,” said Genevieve Ostergard, communica- tions manager for Interplay. Only Panasonic Interactive Media, which is owned by Mat- sushita, the company that purchased 3DO’s 64-bit M2 technology (see “ProNews,” February), still has 3DO titles in the works. The company has five games due out over the summer, including Ultimate MK 3 and three Olympic sports titles. In addition to the lack of software support, there’s another omi- nous sign regarding the 3DO’s future. In April, Panasonic dropped the price of its 3DO console to $199, a remarkable cut considering the sys- tem was originally offered for $799. The move comes after Goldstar made a similar price reduction on its 3DO and announced that it was abandoning the 3DO market (see “ProNews," June). This new hard- ware-pricing strategy uncomfortably resembles the rock-bottom prices that Atari announced for the Jaguar in a last-ditch attempt to clear in- ventory (see “ProNews,” May). Next-Gen Systems Sales Comparison (April 1996 in North America) Jaguar | 150.000 With plummeting hardware prices and rapidly fading developer support, the 3DO seems headed the way of the Jaguar and the NES. Diehard 3DO gamers do have a light at the end of the tunnel, however: an M2 upgrade that would essentially make the 3DO a 64-bit machine. Although Panasonic had no news at press time on when or even if an M2 add-on or standalone game console would become available, its spokesperson said, “We’re hoping to know before the Electronic Enter- tainment Expo in May.” As for Studio 3DO, Snowjob and 3DO Games: Decathlon will be GAMEPRO (JB) July 1898 its last releases for the 3DO before it turns its attention to other endeav- ors, including the development of M2, PC, and Internet games. The company’s currently preparing ten M2 games for a possible fall release and is focusing on porting over its top 3DO titles, such as Starfighter, to the PC. Although it’s working on other original PC titles, they aren’t slated for release until fall '97. Finally, if one of the next-gen systems becomes the clear market leader, Studio 3DO plans to begin producing games for that system as well. Stinkers like Cutthroat Island spurred Acclaim’s decline in Acclaim Abandons Cartridge Games The 18-month slump in the video game industry has claimed one of its biggest victims. Acclaim Entertainment, famous for the X-Men, Mortal Kombat, and NBA Jam games, has quit the cartridge business. The sur- prise announcement means that Acclaim will turn its back on new games for the SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, 32X, and Game Gear, five systems that had generated more than $1 bil- lion in gross revenues for Acclaim in the ’90s. Robert Holmes, president of Acclaim, attributed the decision to recent losses that totaled almost $56 million for the fiscal quarter ending last February. “We had anticipated that the 16-bit and portable-games markets would show greater re- silience during Christmas and the first calendar quarter. That has simply turned out not to be the case,” said Holmes, who might’ve been thinking about recent Acclaim deba- cles like Cutthroat Island, Judge Dredd, and the Itchy and Scratchy games. "Full-priced software sales have declined nearly 40 percent in the first few months of 1996. We see that deterioration accelerating through 1996 as more advanced CD-based systems gain momentum, Nintendo’s N64 is introduced, and the PC market continues to grow.” Acclaim is not abandoning game making altogether. The company will now focus its efforts on next-gen systems, PC games, and its coin- op division. Upcoming titles include Frank Thomas “Big Hurt” Base- ball for the PlayStation, Saturn, and PC; Turok Dinosaur Hunter for the Nintendo 64; and Batman Forever and NBA Extreme for the arcades. But these new titles will be small consolation for fans of Alien 3, True Lies, Stargate, Wolverine, Bart’s Nightmare, MK II, NBA Jam T.E., and other Acclaim cartridge games. Like it or not, 16-bit games have just taken one more big step toward extinction. Prizes Announced for Blockbuster Video Games of Summer Sweepstakes After announcing the Blockbuster Video Games of Summer Sweep- stakes last month. Blockbuster’s now announcing the prizes it's offer- ing for the biggest video game sweepstakes ever. The sweepstakes is part of Blockbuster Video’s new rental program that runs June 17 through August 18 in participating Blockbuster Video stores. Cus- tomers who rent four video games will get an additional video game Hot News from GamePro Online America Online users can now get daily game news updates. Use the keyword “GAMEPRO” to access GamePro Online, then head straight to the Hot News section to get the latest video game news. • The hottest game rumor of the month centers around Capcom. According to industry insiders, a deal is supposedly being hammered out with Nintendo to bring a 40-meg arcade-true version of either Street Fighter Alpha or SF Alpha 2 to the SNES next year. Stay tuned. • Once it purchased Atari Games Corp. in the spring (see “ProNews, June), WMS Industries quickly sold the license for many of its newly acquired Atari tides. GT Interactive will publish a variety of PC, 32- and 64-bit versions of Atari games, in addidon to home versions of several WMS arcade tides. First up will be new home versions of Area SI, T-Mek and Return Fire, all due later this year. GT Interactive is also planning new PC versions of Atari classics. • Software newcomer MGM Interactive is working with the English company Eurocom Developments Ltd. on H.O.S.T., a futuristic ac- tion shooter for Windows 95 PCs (due in November) and the Sony PlayStation (early 1997). FI.O.S.T. is an arcade-style shooter that en- ables multiple players to blast each other via a computer LAN (local area network) or the Internet. • Boldly going where his Star Trek cohorts have already gone, William Shatner has signed on for a 1997 Windows 95 CD-ROM game to be based on the hit film Star Trek Generations. Patrick Stewart and Malcolm McDowell will reprise their roles as Picard and Soran, respectively, alongside Shatner's Captain Kirk. Jonathan Frakes (Riker), Brent Spiner (Data), and Michael Dom (Worf) will provide voiceover support • Among the many features in the new Saturn game Iron Storm is one you may not know about Working Designs, the software company behind the World War II strategy game, is donating 50 cents from every copy of Iron Storm sold to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. According to a company statement, “Working De- signs felt a responsibility to donate to an organization that highlights the horrible atrocities of this war, so that we may never forget” • On the Sega front, the company is Hying to lower its suggested retail prices on Saturn software for the rest of the year. Rather than last year’s $49-$69 price range for new games, Sega’s aiming more for a $39-$59 spectrum. Expect Baku Baku to ship at $39, Fighting Vipers at $49, and Legend of Oasis and other RPGs at $59. The upcoming Sonic games will be priced toward the high end, unfortunately. rental free, plus automatic entry in the sweepstakes. Although the entire prize pool hadn't been finalized at press time. Blockbuster will be awarding these prizes listed below: • Ten Ultimate Game Rooms, including a big-screen Sony TV, Saturn, PlayStation, VCR, gaming chair, soda vending machine, ice chest, lava lamp, and GamePro gaming attire • Trips for two to GamePro magazine, including an editorial tour, game testing, gaming apparel, and a free subscription • Sega Saturn; Sony PlayStation • Acclaim video games; GamePro Paks (subscriptions/T-shirts/watches); free Blockbuster Video Game rentals for one year (each prize equals 24 free rentals) Check any participating Blockbuster Video store for more details. □ ~ IRON MAN AND X-0 MANOWAR J " >v Tl J - ' *' - _ -n. C j J5i ViC M. MAKING METAL Over a year in the making and nearing its final stages, Marvel Comics' IRON MAN and Valiant Comic's X-0 MANOWAR appear in HEAVY METAL, one of Acclaim’s most ambitious video game endeavors to date. By utilizing the full capabilities of their Motion Capture Studio (the same studio used in the making of the Batman Forever video game, and other games such as Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball and Alien Trilogy), Acclaim is bringing IRON MAN and X-0 MANOWAR’s comic book universes to revolutionary digital life and bringing the metal titans together for the first time. the digital framework of the fighting movements. The end result is movement so lifelike, so fluid, you’ll be running M | for cover. The same treatment was applied to YELLOW JACKET, BLACKOUT, ABSORBING MAN, GLADIATOR, • the SPIDER ALIENS and a galaxy of other villains. Through the use of completely rendered CGI and SGI computer graphics, both the characters and backgrounds have a highly-detailed, 3-dimensional appearance. HEAVY METAL takes this revolutionary technology to previously unreachable levels of realism. You'll never look at video games the same way again. Located in their Glen Cove, NY headquarters, the Motion Capture Studio is the jewel in the crown of Acclaim’s technological empire. The black rubber stage with its four high-resolution, black-and-white cameras was mM the scene for the human modeling of HEAVY \ METAL'S punching, kicking, running, flying, and jumping movements. Captured on film via reflective sensors on ^ V actors’ black rubber suits, hand- s P H drawn comic art, by veteran ' artists Bart Sears and Dave ) Johnson, was wrapped around MANOWAR SPARKS WILL FLY Out of all this technology comes the meat of any self-respecting video game — the gameplay! From the small but riveting demo that I played, I can tell you that IRON MAN / X-0 MANOWAR: HEAVY METAL delivers. You’ll get to rampage your way through seven levels ranging from the R&D lab of Stark Industries to the South American rain forest and the New York subway (not to mention Arnim Zola's living Advertisement By Edward Marcus The game is going to hit PlayStation Saturn Windows 95 Game Boy and Game Gear ' later this summer. E* castle) — each with its own different environmental effects. But you’ll need more than just a quick trigger | pjrp finger and a hard right cross to make headway in . j — . HEAVY METAL. Only by using strategy to complete your missions will you be able to reach the secret J V \ » ^ ina l bonus level: an apocalyptic, one-on-one battle ‘ * a between IRON MAN and X-0 MANOWAR! It's a given that heavy weaponry is a crucial element of IRON MAN / X-0 MANOWAR: HEAVY METAL. J 1 IRON MAN’S arsenal includes Laser and Proton Blasts, Visible Light Beams, Repulsor Blasts, and Force Fields, while X-0 MANOWAR relies on his Ion Cannon, Cellular Disrupters, Iron Sword, Armadillo Mode and Illumination Omni beam. And on top of this fearsome firepower, each metal warrior will be able to punch, jump, speed-run and soar through the danger-laced skies! DATA FILE: Theme Action Available Late Summer Player 1 or 2 % Complete 20 % Developer Realtime Publisher Acclaim BOTTOM LINE This game may well set a new standard in Super Hero action video games. Until then, you’ll just have to be content to know that IRON MAN / X-0 MANOWAR: HEAVY METAL will be simply the most thrilling, immersive and techno- logically astonishing game of the year. Think you can handle that? FORGING AHEAD IRON MAN has completely new armor exclusive to this game (also featured in the crossover comic book from Marvel and Acclaim). , HEAVY METAL also features full-motion computer anima- V ^ tion, similar to the ground- vi * .'T.'.T? 1 - • breaking technology featured - I ~ . ' , ' " in the movie, Toy Story, and a .-v %. hard-driving rock music soundtrack. NefPro The biggest news on the Web this month is the debut of GamePro’s new Web site, GamePro Online. Here are some other cool Web sites worth a look: • DigiPen: http://204.174.42.103/. Remember the big story we wrote about DigiPen, the video game programming school, in our December '95 issue? Here’s the Web site. It in- cludes application information and students’ home pages. • The FBI: http : / /www. fbi . gov/ . OK, so technically it’s not game related, but this site’s still pretty cool. Check out the status of current investigations and the famous Ten Most Wanted list • Game Shark Codes: http://www.gameshark.com. Surfing with the Sharks is a new Web site for PlayStation and Saturn codes that can be used with the Game Shark. Codes are up- dated weekly. Acclaim has launched 0: The Awak- ening, the company’s first interactive online adventure, at http : / /www . acclaimnation.com. A comple- ment to the game 0, this Web site enables you to fully explore the minds of Laura Harris and her father, the lunatic Or. Richter Harris. ABTLR: Is there an all-star team? WBM: Yes, there are several types of all-star teams. Buzzard: What significant changes have you made to the gameplay? WBM: We’ve incorporated alley-oops (finally), spin moves, fade- away jumpers, lean-in jumpers, and double dunks, which is where two teammates go up for a dunk simultaneously and the player in front passes off the backboard to the player behind him! Reeche: Are Shaq, MJ, and Barkley in the game? WBM: Not officially, but with the create-a-player feature you can create whoever you want! Buz: How soon before NBA Hangtime appears in a 32-bit format? WBM: Christmas! N The NBA Hangtime conference also explained how the game's trivia contest works and what kind of exciting prizes await those who answer correctly. The Best of GamePro Online By The Net Nut GamePro Online races along on America Online every minute of every day. For anyone who’s yet to boldly go into cyber- space, here’s a sample of what’s happening in our cyberworld. Online Options Some areas you can explore in GamePro Online: • Chat rooms (live conversation with other gamers) • Talk with a GamePro editor (weekday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. PST in the chat room) • Message boards (posted com- ments and tips) • File Vault (game-related info, Battle Arena Toshinden is one of including FAQs) the latest PC demos to make its . Archives (current and back is- ^eHo Online’s File , ' r , , Vault for download. sues of GamePro ) • Guest conferences (talk with experts like MK 3’s Ed Boon) • Hot News (posted daily, this is industry news as it happens) Online Conferences GamePro Online held sev- eral exclusive conferences during the spring. One of the most popular was with Mark Turmell, Sal DiVita, and the rest of Williams/Bally/Midway’s NBA Jam design team as they prepared to unleash their new NBA Hangtime for the arcades. Here’s how they answered ques- tions from the audience: ICS Sparky: How is NBA Hangtime different from NBA Jam? Williams/Bally/Midway: We’ve increased the scale of the court and players about 50 percent. The animation is much smoother, moves are much cooler, and there are lots of new features, such as create-a-player. Plus we have a secret code to allow gameplay on top of a skyscraper! DanAmrich: How many secret characters can we expect this time around? WBM: Not determined just yet, but over 50. GAMEPRO O July 1936 Against a dark and shifting 3-D landscape, the warriors of the twisted underworld known as BATTLE ARENA TOSHINDEN 2™ await your return. How do they know you’ll be back? Let’s just say it’s a gut feeling. As in the first 360° go-round, the moves are lethal, the stages visceral and the characters, wicked. And this time, the original avengers are joined by a new crew of fighters. Like Tracy, the sexy cop gone bad; Gaia, merciless madman; and Chaos, a friendly fella who happens to swing a sickle. All of ’em real keen to get to know you better. On every level. rEEN i So welcome back. And plan to stay awhile. Because here in Battle Arena Toshinden 2, these forsaken foes aren’t just out to take you down.They’re down to take you out. HSS ^ 5^ http://www.playmatestoys.com PlayStation. 16200 Trojan Way Tempted by the heavy action online and in console-game systems and computers, Bandai and Apple byte a little one. By The Whizz I n development for nearly two years, the Pippin Atmark has finally surfaced in Japan. Formerly called the Bandai Power Player, the Pippin is basically a Macintosh computer customized to function as a network computer, a game system, and a home-productivity machine. PowerMac. As with video The Pippin Atmark: part console game system, part home-productivity system, part network computer Bandai (yes, the Power Rangers people) has created a new division, Bandai Digital Entertainment (BDE), to pro- mote the Pippin Atmark, which is built and designed by Apple Computer. (The “Atmark” refers to the symbol, made fa- mous by the Internet.) The system went on sale in Japan in March, but according to Bandai Digital Entertain- ment, it’s destined for the U.S. in September and Europe in '97. The Japanese version cost 64,800 yen (about $648), which includes a 14.4-baud modem and four software ti- tles. BDE hopes to bring it home here at around $500. Mac-in-the-Box At Pippin’s core is a PowerPC game cartridges, each Pippin CD will pack the complete sys- tem software to run an appli- cation or a game. No drawn- out start-up sequences for this streamlined computer. Additionally, the unit packs a quad-speed CD-ROM drive and 6 megabytes of RAM that can be expanded to 13 mega- bytes. Since the Pippin sports neither a built-in floppy drive nor a hard drive, on-board memory will wheel and deal all software functions. The back panel reveals Pip- pin's mission. For display, the A/V, S-Video, and VGA ports connect to either a standard TV or a computer monitor. According to Bandai, graphics design in software will be opti- mized for display via televi- sion. For online connectivity, there’s a standard-issue Mac- style serial port and a GeoPort. That Familiar Feeling Using the controls should be a breeze because the interface is so simple - it’s practically spartan. A handful of buttons handle basic system functions: stop, start, power, volume, open CD tray, and skip track. A video game-style controller is the input device, but there’s also an optional keyboard. A mouse can't be far behind. Two controller ports are located on the front of the unit. The Pippin's boomerang- shaped controller will present a familiar layout to gamers: nine action buttons and a cir- cular directional pad like the SNES controller’s. Mounted between these, however, is a mini trackball. Games, Anyone? Gamers should note that the Pippin isn’t a straight-ahead games machine, but a com- puter that will play games via software or online sources. It has no dedicated graphics or sound processors. The Pippin’s Position Although the Pippin Atmark may not have the hardware muscle to stay with dedicated 32-bit game machines, for the uninitiated it serves as a pain- less entry to the online world. In the evolutionary scale from computers to video game sys- tems, Pippin is looking like the missing link. □ The Pippin measures 3.2 inches high, 10.4 inches wide, and 10.6 inches long. Slightly larger than a Saturn, it weighs 8 pounds. GAMEPRO (22) July 1996 By The Lab Rat Ahhh... summer. No better time to lounge in the lab and forget about school. Now if I could only pry myself away from these new periph- erals long enough to catch some Baywatch reruns. Memory... Not Memories Are you a save junkie who doesn’t want to erase any saved level of Magic Carpet on your Saturn or PlayStation? Well, now you can score more mem- ory with InterAct’s new Mem- ory Card Plus, available for either the Saturn or PlayStation. InterAct’s Memory Card Plus for the Saturn has double the normal memory of Sega’s Back-up RAM Cartridge (see '‘GamePro Labs,” October 1 995), providing eight times the storage space of the Sat- urn’s internal memory. With two memory banks that you can toggle between, this cart does all the Sega cart does and more for twenty dollars less. The PlayStation Memory Card Plus offers quite a bit more for your money than standard memory cards, with eight times the memory for • only double the price. The Card Plus works like a regular memory card, but it utilizes an LED display and a toggle but- ton to switch between eight pages of memory, with each page storing the standard 1 5 blocks. Players, however, must pay close attention to which page they save their game on, as most software looks only for games stored on the current page. Toggling between pages can be a hassle and takes a few seconds. InterAct recommends writing down the page loca- tion of your saved games and, with a total of 120 storage blocks on this card, we do too. All-in-One RF If your TV doesn't have the composite-cable compati- bility necessary to connect to the 32-bit systems, or you’re looking to make quick switches between game systems, look no further than the Auto- matic Advanced RF Con- verter from Mad Catz. This RF converter works like a normal RF, but gives you three cable adapters: one for the Saturn, one for the PlayStation, and one that works with the Genesis (Model II only), Sega CD, and 32X. This converter enables you to quickly switch sys- tems by unplug- ging one cable and plugging in anoth- er. You also get a three-foot coaxial cable to run to your TV. At $30, the converter's not cheap, but it’s a better deal than buying sin- gular RF adapters for each system you own. □ remures: of Sega’s Back-up BAM Catridge. Available: Now Price: $39.95 Contact: Toy and electronic- gaming stores GAMEPRO ( 24 ) July 1806 rapid OZONE depletion BLOOD-SUCKING INSECTS pour MOTHER’S new bathing suit sand m your weenie thi SliiCH of burning flesh and thi BEST reason §® stay Sb3§$§ this SUMMER CANES of mHHSB SWEEPST A* 5 “®“' M n „rM5e * e ”’”" = M MideO 95"'" Just look what YOU can win: tevet " T«#- «* #«■*■ earns V»“ ■ in fte Bto* busW ask for a qam e cavd Sweepstake! . 3ust ’ w** ' 6am« teas'd \ •sfffiJ"'"--'"' 5 ”"”- \ cat first ™ WSTl MORTAL KOMBAT ?■ T " L THE ANIMATED VIDEO ' $5 Mail-in Rebate! When you purchase Mortal Kombat The When you purchase Mortal Kombat The Animated Video and Mortal Kombat The Movie. (Offer Inside coupon booklet. ■ EM, SOCK'EM, ACTION FLICK Rated PG-13 / 101 Minutes / p NOTHING IN THIS WOI HAS FRfPARfD YOU FORTHl! in Get ready for the most explosive, super-charged action-adventure video you've ever seen! It's the ultimate battle of good versus evil, energized by mega-movie stars? awesome morphing Sequences and TO Its summertime ...Dare you jump into SCARY LARRY'S HAUNTED SUMMER CAMP? Most summer camps are full of fun and adventures, but not at Scary Larry's Haunted Summer Campl Watch out for all kinds of creepy crawlies, hidden traps, sudden perils, and other nasty surprises! Escape from camp in the shortest amount of time and you're eligible to get your name and winning time printed in the pages of GAMEPRO magazine! JEFF CHRISTOPHER GREENWOOD, SC (49) SECONDS e q) HOaotaple Ka/Tiirrfs PAUL DJOKIC DETROIT, Ml (81) SECONDS PAUL RAMIREZ MADISON, TN (6.9) MINUTES CHRIS CORVA MAN H ASSET, NY (7) MINUTES TODD SEN ECAL ANN ARBOR, Ml (7.21) MINUTES CREC PROELL FAIRFIELD, CA (7.95)MINUTES /■V» PLUS: The Grand Prize Winner gets top-billing and a FREE Official GamePro T-shirt! 1 * 900 * 454*6600 Call today to test your skill P.allc mctc ‘Rl 9Q a minnto anrl rallc ax/orano civ Calls costs $1 .29 a minute and calls average six minutes in length. Available to touch tone and rotary phones. Be sure to get your parent’s permission to call Scary Larry's Adventures if you are under 18 years of age. Messages subject to change without notice. A service of GamePro Publishing, Inc. in San Mateo, CA. An International View on Video Games The titles continue to toll out foi the PlayStation. Out man in Japan recently got the inside scoop on what's coming up for the 32-bit system. By Nob Ogasawara and Major Mike A t the end of March in Tokyo, three PlayStation magazines and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) hosted a major exhibition of games .by virtually all the PlayStation licensees. The Sony PlayStation Expo ’96 showcased 78 publishers, excluding Square who had just an- nounced Final Fantasy VII for the PSX (and, as of this writing, Tobal #1 , a new PSX fighting game featuring characters designed by manga and anime artist Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball and Chrono Trigger fame). Even without Square, however, the show proved to be a good indicator of what’s in store for the PlayStation. More than 250 titles were shown, though most were very early versions. And the two-year- old show occupied nearly double the exhibit hall space of last year's debut expo. With system sales estimated to have reached 2.5 million units in Japan, and given the support from licensees, the PlayStation looks ready to pull ahead of the competition. Let's see what games are going to help it get there. A Surprise from Warp Warp occupied the largest and most prominent booth, an elaborate mini theater that promoted its latest epic, En- emy Zero (E0). The game sees the return of Laura Harris from D in another virtuoso in- teractive movie performance about invisible aliens infiltrat- ing a space transport ship. The impressive CC sequences are linked by Doom-like corri- dors in which the player has to rely on a sonar system to determine the whereabouts of the deadly invisible foes. With music and sound effects by topnotch Hollywood artists The game the PlayStation may never see: Enemy Zero, starring Laura Harris of D, will hit the Saturn first! joining breath-taking CC clips, this game weighs in as a four- disc set. Warp’s President lino con- ducted press conferences throughout the day promoting the game, but with a dual pur- pose in mind: He never men- tioned the system E0 would be available on, except during the first press conference. There, lino blasted SCE's soft- ware distribution and censor- ship policies, and announced to the stunned media that the PlayStation version had been postponed indefinitely. E0 will debut this autumn as a Saturn game! More Polygonal Fighting Games Polygonal 3D fighting games were out in force, the most no- table being the just-released Tekken 2, which is vastly sup- erior to the arcade ver- sion. Another great-look- ing fighting game was Zoom’s Zero Divide 2, which featured com- pletely enhanced graph- ics and play response over the original. Taito announced the home ver- sion of Psvrhir Forrp. its new arcade fighting game. Shogakukan Production was showing a demo of Ranma 1 /2 Battle Renaissance with the popular anime characters. An- gel had its Sailor Moon Supers fighting game with weird polygonal representations of the leggy anime characters, who resembled mannequins. Zero Divide 2, the sequel to last year’s game (above), and SunSoft’s Galaxy Fight (left) On the topic of ani- mes, Bandai offered up Cundam Ver. 2.0 which is identical to the first version but with added stages, CC and anime 6AMEPR0 (34) July 1896 construction set" Instantly puts i under the sun at your fingertips, •torn stats displays for the lllng simulation of 1 Popular Neo*Geo fighting games Samurai Shodown III and The King of Fighters '95 made a strong showing. dips, and other goodies that should appeal to the game’s fans. Bandai also exhibited SD Gundam Crossover Galaxian, and Bandai Visual had a rough Another popular anime series gets the PlayStation treatment - Ranma 1/2 Battle Renaissance. version of its Macross Digital Mission VF-X, a 3D shooter. Full transformation scenes and CG sequences beefed up this game. Capcom had X-IZIen: Children of the Atom ready for the PlayStation. The game will be released by Acclaim later this year in the states. Games from puzzles and simulations to imported Psyg- nosis titles were on hand to whet the appetites of the grow- ing legion of game-hungry PlayStation owners. Now that PlayStation’s weakness in the RPG department has been erased by Square’s support, the wide va- riety of upcoming games paints a rosy future for Sony’s 32- bit system. □ Takara’s Super Deformed racing game, Choro Q The multiplayer Galaxian will be coming to PlayStation. ment), discussed Beltlogger 9, a polygonal robot shooter, while Takara announced Vo- toms, a 3D action/shooter featuring characters and mechs from the dark anime series. Takara also had a some- what playable version of Co- bra the Psychogun, a Doom- style shooter starring the anime space pirate. The com- pany showed off a very good 3D racing game called Choro Q with Super Deformed race cars. The game has a good number of machines with up- grade options and over half a dozen courses, giving it pretty good bang for the buck, relative to better-known rac- ing games. Other notable rac- ing games at the show were Mach Go Go Go (Speed Racer) from Tomy, BPS’s Shuto Expressway Battle, and Taito’s Ray Tracer, which is based loosely on Chase HQ. SNK Joins The Fray SNK had a partially complete version of King of Fighters ’95 running together with the Neo version of Samurai Shodown III. Capcom showed working versions of X-Men: Children of the Atom and Rockman X3 as well. Other standard fight- ers include SunSoft's Galaxy Fight, the port of the Neo*Geo game. Adventure games were also strongly evident (EO not withstanding), such as SME’s Kowloon’s Gate, Riverhill Soft’s OverBlood, and Banpresto's Fist of the North Star. Namco’s Galaxian 3 Namco showed Galaxian 3, a point-and-shoot movie like Star Blade for up to four play- ers. Taito announced it will be porting its new arcade Ray Storm, the sequel to the vertical scroller Ray Force with the lock-on laser system. Genki, the team re- sponsible for the Kileak series (Sony Music Entertain- GAMEPRO (3ff) July 1896 I NOW STARRING. on PlayStation" Game Console -GOLD AWARD, PS EXTREME — & ‘‘A super voyage into the bizarre. More colorful and enjoyable than Doom." VIDEOGAMES “PO'ed is indeed an interesting first-person shooter. Weapons range from humorous to creative.” -FUSION ANY f rr rrfj toe CHANNEL Call 1-800-245-7744 to order, or for more information on Accolade products. Check out our web sites: http://www.accolade.com http://www.anychannel. "PO’ed should not be missed." --EGM “One of the fastest-paced battles yet in first-person view. Features 25 diverse levels with unseen vertical height mapping techniques.” --EGM “If you love Doom style games, then you’re in for a real treat.” -GAME PLAYERS Accolade. Inc., 5300 Stevens Creek Blvd.. Suite 500, San Jose, CA 95129 PO’ed is a trademark ol Any Channel. Inc. Used under license by Accolade, Inc ©1996 Any Channel. Inc. Distributed by WEA (Warner/ Elektra/Atlanlic Corp ) a Warner Music Group Company. All rights reserved. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America tor use with the PlayStation game console PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks ot Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark ol the Interactive Digital Soltware Association. Manufactured and printed in U SA. THIS SOFTWARE IS COMPATIBLE WITH PLAYSTATION GAME CONSOLES WITH THE NTSC U/C DESIGNATION. U.S. AND FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING hmi mini rn.i L Eoi IE. El :o m itl ie El a e! U An advance sneak peek at what we saw on the very first j> if he reports firsthand on the Ele gfy III.,. ; Developed and published By Konami Available Now Like Loaded, Konami’s foray into splatterfest action unloads mu- cho carnage on the 32-bit systems. Project Overkill's 50 levels of vicious sci-fi action enlist you as a member of a death squad as- signed to covertly slaughter enemy forces. Players choose from four lethal soldiers, each equipped with a slightly different ma- chine gun, laser, grenade, and homing missile. The intense com- bat blends in just enough strategy (finding keys and such) to yield an enjoyable, gripping %-overhead shooter. Despite the entertain- ingly goopy gore, the graphics in this unfinished version hearken back to 16-bit days, and the controls for aiming felt skittish. Still, if Konami resolves these problems before the game ships, Project Overkill could equal or outshine loaded— Air Hendrix GAMEPRO O July 1 9 9 G jOiw* H ■ i.\ yM Pfr > \ WwMm ' £\oh*k r £ fiR~*w BE^5 i^52SZg3&S^9 1 Jpwbdii..! ^iiipgaagiym' & I B^^vyiii .1 Developed and published by Developed by NMS Software Published by Virgin Interactive Available June ^COMPLETE Looking for a moody, third- person action game with some 3D elements? Sirens drops you into a futuristic Los Ange- les, and unfortunately the city hasn't gotten any safer. As Rieve Larson, you must resolve the conflict between good and evil forces on battlegrounds stretching from wastelands to underwater locales. From these early screens, Sirens looks like a souped-up Blackthorne for the PlayStation . — Tommy Glide Return to that futuristic sports arena in BallBlazer, based on one of LucasArts’ classic games. Now in real time with 3D and multi- player enhancements, BallBlazer puts you in control of a pod from which you must shoot the ball into your opponent’s goal. The graphics look really hot, so let’s hope the classic gameplay can keep up . — Tommy Glide Call 1-800-771-3772 for Game Rating Information. V-Tennis 01996 Tokyo Shoseki Co., Lid. Virtual Open Tennis 01996 Ims ol Sony Computer Enlonalnmoni. Inc. Acclaim Is a division and registerer j4«laim V-Tennis is “the best playing tennis game of all time" according to GameFan magazine. V-Tennis has all the power, speed and realism of clay, grass, carpet and hard court tennis... captured in incredible texture-mapped polygon graphics! 16 unique players! 10 camera views! Instant replay! In-depth stats from aces to net points! This supreme court comes to PlayStation! Virtual Open Tennis brings total tennis to adrenaline-pumping, baseline-clipping, virtual-volleying, tiebreaking life on Sega Saturn! 10 unique players! 8 camera views! Instant replay! In-depth stats from service speed to slices! One to four players! Three modes of play! Pump up your polygons for the net generation! V-Tennis and Virtual Open Tennis. Two intense tennis challenges. Two high-powered sports games. Saturn ics, Deadly Skies presents a Devil’s Spin. Fortunately, Fun- unique twist on aircraft shoot- corn’s tuning up the flaccid ers: head-to-head dogfights gameplay that dragged down with special moves. Players fly this preview version, so this in- planes like an F-1 4 Tomcat or triguing prospect might just MiG-29 and fight with moves shape up .— Air Hendrix Hordes of ores have invaded the city of Neau Yorkus, and it's up to you to fend off them and their diabolical general. One gamer can alternate be- tween the three scruffy dwarves, or three players can each control one as they slash through the j ore armies. Bonus areas and more than 20 levels iff of action/adventure game- J play keep you busy in this off-kilter, cartoonish . A hackfest . — Air Hendrix Developed Published Quarter RflO/n PJIMPI FTP ^SneakPreyiew^ impact Racing Impact Racing’s drive-n-shoot gameplay will bring a wide grin to the face of anyone hooked on that classic arcade shooter, Road Blasters. In one of six armored cars souped up with lasers, mines, and other cool weapons, you take four laps around fairly easy tracks, gunning down opponents as you go. The action focuses on combat far more than on driving, which fosters a rowdy, arcade-style gameplay that’s truly a blast. In this preview version, though, the thrills faded too quickly, raising questions about the game’s replay value. At this point, Impact’s graphics are pretty vanilla, but Funcom’s reportedly touching them up for the final version . — Air Hendrix Developed by Funcom Published by JVC Available Third Quarter '96 30% COMPLETE Three Dirty Dwarves JRm Deadly Skies Drawn with respectable graph- like the Multi-Missile and Theyyy’re baack! This time the ultimate kombateers take to the 3DO with all 19 characters, two bosses, and four brand- spankin’ new backgrounds to complement the game's origi- nal nine. From a graphics stand- point, these early screens make the conversion look pretty im- pressive. However, we’ve yet to see how well it plays, and we’re left to wonder if there’ll be any of those loading-time problems fc July 1 9 9 G with fatalities and morphs that plagued MK 3 for the PlayStation. — Tommy Glide Become a computer repairman from the future in this third- person action/adventure. A powerful computer virus has thrown you back in time, and, of course, you have to battle more than 80 historical enemies to get back to the present. Each of the 18 levels requires mas- tering a weapon of that time period as you club your way from the pre- 1 historic age to 20th- century shootouts and beyond . — Tommy Glide Originally previewed in the May issue as “Shokendo,” Slam Dragon doesn’t give you any- thing new with the name change. With a somehow compelling yet jerky series of moves, you fight as one of eight warriors. While the fighters have an orig- inal flair to them, Slam Dragon’s late in development to be sport- ing such “white belt” graphics and sounds. It’s unlikely this Dragon will pose much of a threat to even lukewarm fighters. —Tommy Glide * m IS Hi'l .1 Developed itmlished Developed by Adeline Software Published by Activision Available June LETE Developed Level Panasonic Ava liable September 10% COMPLETE I !□ Great grunting globs of clay! The third installment of one weird fighting series is about to make a smashing 32-bit de- but. These early contenders look promising, with big-game veterans Boogerman and Earthworm Jim entering the clay fray. There are also many other new wacky characters like the Voodoo Hounddog, a giant severed hand, the not- so-ladylike Lady Liberty, and a new boss, Dr. Kiln. And with new characters come plenty of new back- grounds, including a pool hall, the North Pole (complete with frozen Santa), a strange lab, and a disgusting barge that must be the blob’s stage! —Tommy Glide Whoa! What an these two guys doing here? Developed and published By Inteiplay Available October 40% COMPLETE Fade To Black Conrad’s back! The hero from the 16-bit hit Flashback returns in this 3D sequel, which has a feel a la Resident Evil. No more amnesia - now you’ve been imprisoned by the lizard-like Morphs, and must blast your way out of six huge levels. Those who remember the original game will recog- nize the combination action/ puzzle gameplay. The graphics in this nearly completed ver- sion are good with well-bal- anced sound effects and mu- sic. However, the camera is jumpier than you’d expect, and the controls aren't as intuitive as they should be. Although it packs some cool elements, this PC port may not be the next PlayStation sensation Flashback fans are hoping for . — Tommy Glide ■J'™ k 1 - J J * * •Si" vA | V ~ / ■ Developed by Delphine Software Published by Electronic Arts Studios This sci-fi Doom-style shooter sends you out to defend the New Solar Government from rebel forces through 14 levels. Along with ten traditional weapons, you pack up to five psionic attacks, such as an energy drain. A strategic element to the gameplay rounds out the heavy combat .— Air Hendrix By Universal Interactive Studios Available Fourth Quarter '96 Swagman PlayStation j Saturn | PC CD I This futuristic take on skateboarding straps you, a slacker named Dim, onto a rocket board for speedy racing action. A humorous flair complements the rendered graphics and the morph-on-the-fly land- scapes .— Air Hendrix By Caps Software Available Fall ’96 The evil Swagman kidnapped the fairies who prevent nightmares, and it’s up to a pair of twins to head off the crisis. Moving through the bizarre, magical, rendered 3D worlds of this action/puzzle adventure, gamers alternate between the twins, who have unique abilities .— Air Hendrix By U.S. Gold Available Fall '96 , MngZone I PlayStation ] Antigravity racing goes 3D in MagZone. Gamers whip around in magnetic cars in- side enormous 3D shapes. As teams struggle to control a magnetic ball and launch it into the opposing goal, they must maneuver through complex terrain that poses challenges like tunnels, ramps, jumps, and vertical walls .— Air Hendrix By Trimark Interactive Available 0 GAMEPRO O June 1996 Only the gang at Shiny knows what the game’s alphabet-soup name means, but graphically, MDK is a slick piece of work as these early pictures show. With its double-barreled action and strategy gameplay, MDK opens new territory for PC players drowning in Doom clones. You play as Kurt Hectic, mankind’s last salvation in a future where Earth is enslaved by a man named Glut. With your dog, Bones, you undertake to destroy Glut’s eight heavily protected mining enclaves. MDK takes you on a wild ride through four stages, including a faceoff against Glut and a freefall through outer space. You’re armed - literally - with a machine gun attached to your right ap- pendage. Snap the machine gun onto your face, and it becomes a sniper gun that gives you a through-the-barrel view of the body parts as they fly off enemies. The gameplay will vary depending on your strategy, but switching between weapons and using strange inventions like the World’s Smallest Nuclear Explosion and cata- pults will be critical. By Shiny Entertainment Available Christmas '96 GAMEPRO O July 1996 Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 1 1 [ PC CD | | Mac CD | ers of a secret Jedi burial ground. And you can share the Force with friends; Dark Forces II is a multiplayer game. — Black Widow By LucasArts Entertainment Available First Quarter '97 LucasArts unveils a trio of games that should rise to the top of the PC game slush pile and excite Star Wars followers. In Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, Kyle Katarn’s Star Wars saga continues in true Jedi fashion with classic conflicts between good and evil, and the past and the future. In this first-person action/adventure game, you strive to become a worthy Jedi by foiling seven Dark Jedi who are trying to unleash the pow- | PC CD | 1 Mac CD | X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter sets up the ultimate combat experience for the trilogy’s fans and for gamers seeking challenging multiplayer dogfights in outer space. Blasting across the Star Wars galaxy in this outer- space shooter, you can fight for the Rebel Alliance or take a walk on the Dark Side with the Em- pire .— -Black Widow By LucasArts Entertainment Available Fourth Quarter '96 j/ In Afterlife, the Pearly Gates can be made of whatever you want them to be. And Hell doesn’t need to be a hellhole if you imagine it otherwise. After- life casts a celestial and hu- morous light on strategy simu- lation games by letting you play God in the big guy’s house - and in his neighbor’s. You’re in charge of creating GAMEPRO O July 1396 •a and maintaining the upkeep of both Heaven and Hell, monitor- ing the number of lost souls, and establishing enticements to grow your population in this amusing, unorthodox take on man’s most orthodox other- worldly beliefs .— Black Widow By LucasArts Entertainment Available now Advertisement Rama OH] f^»1 Based on the popular series of sci-fi novels by Arthur C. Clarke, Rama’s dazzling Myst-style adventure gameplay may earn it a place among the top PC titles of the year. The story begins as you join a team of astronauts exploring a gigantic spaceship that suddenly en- tered our solar system. Once onboard, you encounter a bewildering array of exotic alien species - some friendly, some not - and you’re tasked with uncovering the ship’s mysteries. From a first-person perspective, you solve puzzles, collect items, interact with aliens, and delve into your surroundings as you attempt to unravel the enjoyably complex plot. Spectacular ren- dered graphics and seamlessly integrated video sequences put the finishing touches on this promising prospect .— Air Hendrix By Sierra On-Line Available October XXL IWE JOS! RAISED 3D-TEXTURED POLYGON GRAPHICS FOUR-PLAYER SIMULTANEOUS PLAY 1 W" WT 1 ~ vTl ES2S3 ^ *v fans vpraa . ■ ■■ • u ""player ii com? j com? lEsM® REAL-TIME MOTION CAPTURED ACTION ARCADE STYLE INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES KONAMI ‘INTERNATIONAL TRACK AND FIELD: EAMEPRO © July 1996 Advertisement v* V AIT If you’ve blazed through War- craft II: Tides of Darkness, this add-on CD sets you up with more orc-mashing mayhem. In Beyond the Dark Portal, the humans cross over to the ore world to subdue their rampag- ing hordes. Set in the orcish swamplands, Portal’s 24 new missions and 50 new maps will keep you immersed in combat .— Air Hendrix By Blizzard Entertainment Available Now - fl f. & r\ ‘1***1* s.W ;>>> Slots', •«.A su.- -gm &:*:« * xiinm hit* pcs* ■r its widespread success in the 1 6-bit console market, Cata- I pult Entertainment’s taking XBand to the PC market. With Win- I dows 95, a 9600-baud (or higher) modem, and Internet access, I a PC running XBand software will enable gamers to go head-to- I head in high-speed “twitch" I gaming that, according to Cata- I pult, should outperform the ex- I isting modem capabilities of I many PC games. At press time, | the XBand PC supported Doom, [ Doom n, MechWarrior 2, | Hexen, HardBall 5, I Super Street Fighter I II, and Locus. XBand I PC is due out this I summer; its pricing I scheme hadn’t been I determined at press I time . — Air Hendrix SPORTS SERIES THERE'S HO HOLBIHG BACK IN THE “THE FINAL ROUND” By Bruised Lee Even though Virtua Fighter 3 is still a few months down the road, it already has the look of a champion fighting game. These gorgeous pix of VF 3 should wet your fighting appetite until the game is released. Jacky’s improved spin kick is smooth \ 5 ’ \ fgP ana more pfimful. , aces w 3 ohM[s m more polygons than the entire bodies of VF 2’s fighters. Not only will VF 3 retain (|ie counterattack^ising the M uniqueness and excitemen^pf walls. AM2 may also in* W the Virtua Fighter series, p will elude foreign objects irr also (feature many new ele- ^ the stages that can either merits that will create an even be broken (a la Kl 2) or used more distinctive fighting game, as weapons during a fight. Ttife ; biggest changes will be in the fighting style. AM2. Sfega's < ace design team in Japarf* plans to make it as realistic as possible. Expect the high, float- ing jumps of previous versions to disappear. New attacks and counterattacks will be imple- mented. and the ability to fight after being knocked down is evln being tossed around. VF 3 might say good-bye to ring-outs, or stages may have walls, similar to Fighting The specs alone on VF 3's Model 3 • board. which makes VF 3’s dazzling graphics possible, are a programmer’! dream and a competitor’s nightmare. Host CPU Main CPfl: Power PC 603C Resolution: 496 X 384-640 X 480 Z-buffering Noninterlacing 'Graphics Performance Geometarizer: 1 million • polygons/seC Renderer: 60 million' polygons/sec Colors: 16 million colored texture mapping Anti-aliasing: Texture and edge multilayered Shading Gouraud shading Fixed & flat shading Anti-aliasing: Texture and edge multilayered Special Zoning fog 32 levels of transparency Lighting Effects Parallel light Four spotlights Pinpoint spotlights a female character and male character will be added, bring- w ing the total to an even ▼ -j dozen. Aoi Umenokouji, -:^sl the new female character, was born into a distinguished Kyoto familw and fights in a style that JposeTy resembles aikido. AM2 is considering a pudgy male character, but the final de- cision has not yet been made. Although the cast will have new costumes, they will retain the popular elements from the pre- vious versions of VF. m xokxtoq ?oon GamePro will cominue to bring you more coverage on.VF 3 as it becomes available. So start saving those quarters now- Vipers. Improving on the wall you're going to need them. ■ stages in FV, VF 3 characterwill 9 be able to perform moves and* •» Like a scene from the movie Ter- minator 2, Dural morphs from a liquid-metal puddle into her hu- CPU: 68 EC 000 Sampling rale: 44.1 kHz MIDI interlace 64 voice; 4 channels With her new counterattack, Pai throws Jacky to the ground and punches him in the face. O Lightstar Crystal. Not to mention his death squad of Skeleton Warriors!" T'" i ’f-. These guys don t have a forgiving bone in their bodies, so with over ao levels of irue-somei-D vantage, mu may lose your mind in a sleepless tell. But if you're defeated, it's a sure bet you'll Wo-l 4T GUNBLADE NY By Bruised Lee The city that never sleeps is under attack by terrorists. Now it’s up to you and your attack helicopter (GunBlade) to shoot, kill, and blow up anything that moves. It’s just another typical day in New York. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Hardcore armored androids have taken world leaders as hostages, but the solution is simple. Take one monster heli- copter, two machine guns, and an endless supply of ammo and head out to eradicate any terror- ists that stand in your way. In GunBlade NY, gamers chose from two missions, each one made up of four scenes. The goal is to clear out either the United Nations headquarters or the entire island of Manhattan. The Big Apple has never looked better (as a battlefield, that is). GB’s designers visited New York to re-create the city, so players will be able to rec- ognize locations such as Times Square and Fifth Avenue. Dy- namic cameras constantly change the angles of gameplay as the action heats up. You lit- erally zoom down and around Hold on tight as your chopper begins a steep climb. Your chopper flies in low to set you up for the next scene. Some enemies take more than one hit to kill. It’s best to keep on shooting them until they fall. Even the side streets have become a battleground! Downtown action heats up and androids run through the streets. GB is the first gun game to feature artificial intelligence. Enemies will dive, roll, and run around the screen to avoid being picked off. To ensure a direct hit, let your gun’s cross hair get a lock on its target before shooting. the building amidst 3D gunfire and explosions. GB’s controls are very simple. You’re equipped with a machine gun that comes with a ilifetime supply of bullets, and you don’t have to worry about reloading, which keeps the ac- tion fast. Unlike Virtua Cop, where the bad guys are prepro- grammed to do the same thing each time you play, GB's ene- mies have their own artificial in- telligence, which enables them to react to how they’re being at- tacked and then counterattack. Realistic sound effects as your gun eliminates even the toughest stains, along with ear-piercing explosions, com- pletely overshadow the faint music in the background. With all the fast-paced action that GB offers, music is the last thing you’ll pay attention to. GUNBLADE IS RAZOR SHARP GB is faster than a New York minute. If the superior 3D graphics don’t keep you on your toes, the enemies with minds of their own will. GB is a great spin-off on the Virtua Cop series. '□ 56 Some people just play their games. Some people PLAY TO WiM. Which type of player are you? Interacts GAME SHARK™ gives you ultimate power over all your favorite games! Even the most devastating blow has no effect with infinite Health codes for STREET' FIGHTER ALPHA™ and MK3™! Feel no pain! You'll have your foes outgunned in ALIEN TRILOGY™ and KRAZY IVAN™ with codes for Infinite Ammunition! Slaughter enemies by the thousands! Cash is no object with Unlimited Money codes in ROAD RASH™ and X~CQM UFO DEFENSE™! Buy a fully-loaded monster machine or build an empire and still have bucks to spare! COMING THIS SUMMER - PS INTERCEPTOR InterAct gives you more power to master your PlayStation with this ultimate control system, featuring FOUR incredible modes of play to conquer every game! Customized settings and auto-fire will keep your guns blazing as you dominate any flight game or shooter with smooth analog control. Tear your competition apart with up to fifteen programmable buttons for the most complex fighting moves! Built-in memory stores your programmed moves even when the system is turned off! Experience the most accurate turning sensation for driving games and enjoy hours of comfortable play with the ergonomic hand grip and stable base. No other stick can give you all these powerful options! The PS INTERCEPTOR is last controller you’ll ever have to buy for your PlayStation system! iNTCR/lC T Accessories is the ultimate source for peripherals that let you dominate your PlayStation! PS ARCADE _ Bring the arcade experience home with this sleek joystickl Eight giant fire buttons, four auto-fire speeds, three slow motion speeds and a sturdy metal base and shaft give you ultimate contrail PS PROPAD Dominate your favorite PlayStation titles with this eight-button upgrade pad offering four speeds of auto- fire, three slow motion speeds and extra-long cordl MEMORY CARD PLUS With the capacity to hold an incredible 1 20 game saves — , EIGHT times that of other cards — you can store all your highs scores, secret weapons, special pickups and morel INTEn/lCT A RECOTON® COMPANY InterAct Accessories, Inc. 1 0945 McCormick Road Hunt Valley, MD 21031 w w w . g a Tekken 2 (By Namco) By Scary Larry Price nol available Available 2 players ighting game fans the world over hailed the first Tekken as an original, enjoyable fighting game with A , ^ * 5 * ^ tons of moves, combos, and specials. But Virtua ! 2V7n Fighter 2 came along that same year, spurring a serious debate about which game was better. Now comes Tekken 2, and seasoned fighter, simply put, it blows away the Tekken 2’s Practice Mode competition. More moves, also establishes this game as more characters, and more a standout. Learn a combo, depth make this the king of pull off special moves, even fighting games. And with learn the counterattacks nothing more on the horizon against a computer "dummy." for home systems (even Nin- If you’ve never played a fight- tendo’s Kl 2 is no match for ing game before, you’ll still be Tekken 2), this king should able to learn this one. reign for some time. But if you’re a fighting Both the graphics and game fan who needs a chal- sound have been vastly im- lenge, Tekken 2 has it. Hidden proved. The moves are also characters and a plethora of more intricate, and now in- moves still lay undiscovered in dude counterattacks, linking the game. But only dedicated moves (a la Killer Instinct), practice and some serious ass- and multihit combos. This whuppin’ will reveal all that broad array of features makes Tekken 2 has to offer. Are you Tekken 2 a great experience up to it? We thought so. 1ft for the novice as well as the PROTIP: Tap then tap -» again when close to the oppo- nent. Immediately press the LP and RP buttons repeatedly to smack your opponent around. PROTIP: Keep running toward your opponent and you’ll bowl them over if you’re uncontested. PROTIP: Leaping on top of your downed opponent doesn’t work well against the computer. from behind showcases several types of throws. but showy, move. Tap RK, LK to thrust-kick your opponent into the air, then as they descend, do the Suicide by simultaneously tapping (l LP RK). Massive damage. ..minimum trouble. PROTIP: Jun is one of the best at countering. She usually adds an arm or leg break to nor- mal flip counters. Simultaneously hold (<- LP PROTIP: Nina has a wicked short-range move. Tap ■*, LP to execute it. LK) or (<- RP RK). GAMEPRO O July 1996 Graphics Control Sound Fun Factor MOSSB fll PROTIP: To execute Law’s super move, simul- taneously tap (X LP RP). PROTIP: To execute Jack 2’s small - but dam- aging - three-hit combo, simultaneously hold 4 and tap (LP RP), then tap (LP RP), (LP RP) as the opponent is descending. PROTIP: Simultaneously hold «- and tap (LP RK), then tap RK to do Lei’s super move, which can leave you wide open for a counter- attack. Initiate it when your opponent is on the ground. It has amazing reach. PROTIP: There’s a trick to getting down King’s Achilles’ Hold move. Motion then simultaneously tap (LK RP). PROTIP: Here’s an easy three-hit power combo. Tap l, it,*-, RP, <2 , RP, then do the super move by holding «- and simultaneously tapping (LPRP). PROTIP: To inflict damage with Michelle's su- per move, simultaneously hold -» and tap (LP RK). Follow this with a quick RP, LP uppercut, then a foot sweep for a damaging combo. PROTIP: To do Heihachi’s super move, hold 4, then simultaneously tap (LP RK). GAMEPRO © July 1996 T he inevitable sequel to one of last year’s biggest Play- Station sellers, Battle Arena Toshinden 2 offers more of the same. While this may please fans of the first Toshin- den, gamers who didn’t like the original won't be won over. Toshinden 2 adds three new fighters: Tracy, a tonfa-toting policewoman; Chaos, a giddy, sickle-carrying former execu- tive; and Gaia, one of the bosses from the previous game, now stripped of his armor. The best new characters are the bosses - especially the winged Uranus and the hidden boss, Vermilion. Fighting fanatics will find little technique in Toshinden 2. The combos are very restricted; fighting is limit® to an ex- change of blows or special moves, which will disappoint those looking for another Street Fighter Alpha orTekken 2. Definitely not a fair fighter, Vermilion attacks with a shotgun and a pistol. Eleven fighters, including three newcomers! PROTIP: To grab an opponent for a throw, get in close, hold Away, and press A or O. PROTIP: While running toward an opponent, press Attack to exe- cute a special dashing attack. "/I r wiib u jpwioi unonmy OIUMI. fcwe* IfeWei j PR0T1P: You can chain special PR0T1P: When fighting Uranus, moves to 9 ether so they’re exe- beware of her wings - they have cuted in ra P' d succession. For reach, and she won’t hesitate to example, do Fills’ Flying Ball bat you down with them. into a FI 'P GAME PRO ( 1 The fighters are cleaner KJBJB than in the previous game, and some elements, like Vermilion's graveyard and the dark-to-light effect in Duke’s lame live-action opener, though. I All the grunts, smacks, EDM and victory chants are discernible, though most are spoken in foreign tongues. With IT’S UN-BOWL-IEVABLE! SUPER REFINED POLYGON GRAPHICS + INSTANT REPLAY + LIVE COMMENTARY + 3 DIFFERENT PLAYING PERSPECTIVES + DIFFERENT WEATHER CONDITIONS + UNLIMITED PLAYER TRADES + NEW PLAY BOOK SYSTEM AND NEW PLAYS + JERSEY NUMBERS ON ALL PLAYERS + EXTRA CONTROL FOR JUMPS, SPINS AND INTERCEPTIONS + SUPER SMOOTH GAME PLAY + UPDATED PLAYERS AND STATS + NEW CROWD NOISES + CREATE YOUR OWN DREAM TEAM + 30 REAL NFL TEAMS + REAL NFL PLAYERS + NEW TOURNAMENT MODE FOR YOU AND YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS! COME SEPTEMBER, YOU WILL BOWL-IEVE! TECMO SUPER BOWL FOR SONY PLAYSTATION & SEGA SATURN 2 players :HOgSE YOUR ENEMY available P repare for sword-swinging action as Prince Lightstar in this game based on the ani- PROTIP: For versatile combat, arm your robot with a close- range weapon like Punch 3 and a projectile like the laser. PROTIP: Pick wea- pons you like and try to stick with them; your robot PROTIP: For maximum damage, use your spe- cial move when you’re in close. Avoid getting too close to your enemy when their meter is fully charged. it builds proficiency. I ^_j Effects like laser blasts ED and spring-loaded weapons are well done, even if they sound muted at times. Synthesizer tunes provide an upbeat back- ground for the action. The 3D environments are ■El hardly as intricate as Jumping Flash's, but the colorful, smoothly rendered robots show lots of character. The various robots all KE8 move and jump fluidly, making for solid controls. Even with numerous weapons and special at- tacks, the game is easily learned. mountamtop inflict heavy age and are hard to hit during hand-to-hand battle. Defeat them with lasers and the spe- cial red grenades. PROTIP: To avoid falling boul- ders in the mine, double tap and hold Forward to run by them unharmed. Control n ii a ii ma S ometimes all aspects of a game seem to fit so well together that you can’t help but like it. Robo Pit takes a 3D game en- vironment similar to Jumping Flash’s and turns it into a one-on- one fighting arena for cutesy robots. More environments and more simultaneous CPU enemies would have definitely made Robot Pit worth more than renting. Yet its addicting, lighthearted gameplay will sway some players to buy it nonetheless, g controls leave little to distract you. Your bike moves great in the flight levels, but it could have stood some tweaking. Fun Factor I The gameplay is simple UJl and slightly addicting. Players will enjoy the two-player Vs. mode and the option to create their own robots. mated television series. '-'wJ - ; Despite superb art- r- .. — | — work, Skeleton War- , (kV in riors’ gameplay is stan- k dard side-scrolling fare v " V? ' - : (scroll right, boss; ' ' scroll right, boss), and ' fit i you must wait at the -4 T '"I . $ ; edge of the screen be- 1 ^ fore the game allows v. ( f . . ' ^ ■ '-jj-'-.. you to move onward. ^ V' . 't * £ Even the basic 3D PROTIP: Jump over Ursa when she rushes. flight levels lack 32-bit Hit her a few times when she’s dizzy, then polish. PlayStation run to the opposite side of the screen to owners have come avoid the falling boulders. Repeat this to expect more, but method to beat Lightstar’s quest is still an enjoyable one. 15 The sharp, rendered EXfl graphics create the illu- sion of 3D in this 2D game. The char acters are large, which is a plus, but the bright explosions occasion- ally muddle the screen. SWIi SATURN 3D0 GENESIS Of TIM Atom S51 To Receive A Free Oatalog Call CRAVE At: (612) 942-9920 Fax Us At: (612) 942-5341 Or Email Us At: CRAVE2RB® AOL.COM CRAVE Will Meet Or Beat Any , fij Competitor’s Prices! It You Don't See It... " GAME BOY 28471 Batman Forever t 10300 College Slam I GAME GEAR CRAVE Now Buys And Sells Your Used Games & Systems! ss2 *CRAVE Now Offers Japanese Titles. Call For More Information. MAKE YOUR OWN FORM:INCLUDE:PRODUCT#, DESCRIPTION & S & H CHARGES •All U.S. Orders Add $6 *U.S. Game Systems Add $16 •All Foriegn Orders Add $8 -Foreign Game Systems Add $20 SEND ORDERS TO: CRAVE PO BOX 26370, DEPT 502 ST. LOUIS PARK, MN 55426 PHONE: (612) 942-9920 FAX: (612) 942-5341 EMAIL: CRAVE2RB@AOL.COM OPEN M-SAT. 9-9-SUN. 10-7-MOST ORDERS SHIPPED 2nd DAY AIR-Overnight-Call SNES VIRTUAL BOY P O'ed is a first-person shooter that doesn’t have the grit of Doom or Alien Tril- ogy, but an interesting array of innovative features make it worth a shootout. As the cook (and sole sur- vivor) in a space transport, you try to fry a horde of in- vading sci-fi uglies. The en- emy’s aggressive A.I. pumps Stage-select cheat: Simultane- ously press LI, L2, R1, R2, and Up at the main menu screen. Press O to start a new game. At the Difficulty screen, simultane- ously press LI, 12, R1, R2, and Down, then release them. Pick a up the Fun Factor as weird creatures constantly hunt you down. You’ll have a blast with ten wicked weapons, especially the low-tech frying pan and bloody meat cleavers, plus a jet pack that enables you to fly into aerial combat. PO’ed does a nice job of tip-toeing between fierce and funny. □ I The nicely detailed mon- 1 sters, such as the hil- arious-looking Buttheads and the musclebound Arnie army, show noteworthy imagination, but they aren't scary. PROTIP: The Waiter Gatling gun, the pulse gun, and the BFD90 are the best weapons when you're engaged in aerial combat. I The sounds feature sweet 1 ammo effects. But they’re nowhere near as effective at cre- ating atmosphere as the eerie, scary audio in Doom and Alien Trilogy. Enemy vehicles look great if you’re fool enough to get close. While the terrain is al- ways flat, the detailed surroundings make for a believable environment. Rotating your turret while driving is challeng- ing. Master it, and you’ll be lethal. Selecting weapons and general movement are straightforward. PROTIP: Target your enemies using your radar and cross hair before you can actually « them. You can deshoy them from long-range without ti any damage. BySloMo $59.95 Available now Action/adventure 1 player 25 levels PROTIP: Before you run into Ro- bot Maxes, be sure to have the missile cam. By Tommy Glide Price not available Available now Tank slm 1 player 25 levels mmii F ollowing a very formulaic tank-game design, Shell- shock has you battling enemy tanks, boats and helicopters from a first-person perspec- tive. Apart from its hip-hop “flava," Shellshock doesn’t add any surprises to this genre. Each of the 25 mis- sions puts you in a new environment, where good strat- egy and shooting are required. With solid 32-bit fea- tures, Shellshock will hook tread- heads. If you’re not crazy about tank games, you still might want to give it a roll. □ i PROTIP: protec- tion from moot PR0T1P: In piayhit-and- of the compound fence instead of charging straight in. I Crisp button responses I keep the action hot in the air and on the ground, but you take an above-average number of falls in the multilevel platform- style terrain. A light-hearted attitude dampens the intensity level, but at least the relentless A.I. keeps you on your toes. Hardcore Boomers may consider this a fun weekend rental. 6AMEPR0 In each mission, Shell- shock blends a different hip-hop track with roaring cannon fire and explosive effects, However, you’ll tire of the commentator, D-Tour, who often repeats himself. Shellshock embodies all the elements of a good tank game: It’s simple to learn, but tough to master. Fans of the rolling- cannon genre will get plenty of tar- gets for their money. (m) July 1996 Hi£ Us With your Best Tip Classic Clue favofite system, you gotta Get A Clue! Leave of pick up tips and cheats from Press 1 Sony Playstation some of the best gamers around! Press 2 Sega Saturn Press 1 Sony Playstation change without notice. Also available itv C aha