MEGA DRiVE PLAYSTATION ISSN 1320-7458 9 771320 745001 tel O N TV fr ON Y MAC ARCADE INTERNET Cool Spot in Hollywood i Aahh!! Real Monsters Dungeon Master II 3D Lemmings 1944: Across the Rhine Jumping Flash Air Combat Photo: Archive Photos/Korth Would you let this type of man control the AIV Group? THE 3RD LARGEST GROUP IN THE WORLD IS LOOKING FOR ITS PRESIDENT. Will you succeed? The billionare Dwight Owen Barnes, President of the AIV Group, the 3rd largest group in the world, mysteriously disappeared. In order to replace the businessman, the AIV Group created an extremely realistic simulation programme of his activities, in order to select the true successor of Dwight Owen Barnes within the best managers in the world. In order to control the group, you will have to face the best in an economic simulation without mercy. You will have to demonstrate that you have the management and financial skills in Paris, London, Tokyo, Berlin, STRONG POINTS: Amsterdam or Moscow, in managing an empire of real estate, stockmarket values and freight companies. AIV Networks is the first on-line economic simulation you will be able to load a series of new challenges and to draw up a ranking order for the best captains of industry from the Infogrames BBS Outline. But attention! The control of such a group brings jealousy. You will have to fight and prove that you are in fact the true successor of Dwight Owen Barnes. FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 1-902-240-527 (50 cents per minute) % A WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF LEPROGRES • THE FIRST ON-LINE COMPETITION FOR THE BEST MANAGER • A REAL ECONOMIC SIMULATION • SPECIAL SEQUENCES IN VIDEO • SCREEN REWARDS • 3D ISOMETRIC • NEW CHALLENGES TO LOAD ON BBS • ORIGINAL QUALITY SOUNDTRACK J\RTON< EXLUSIVELY DISTRIBUTED BY 0O0O0 “The 3D environments are simply breathtaking...the graphics engine creates worlds that are like nothing seen before in computer games.” ■ ■ — Computer Player I* detest new action game...fast and addictive.” , OK. * / |nr Call the Games Line ~ now for game reviews ^ and the location of your nearest participating games store 005512685 H * u-r EALM3 7641 t Gt ay Hd Scotltdalc, AZ. 85260 Dir.tnbuled m Australia and Now Zealand by Manaccom Pfy lid (ACN 010 397 823) lol: (07) 3368 2366 (02) 484 9277 (03) 9569 6377 N7 (09) 360 0800 Fax (07) 3369 7589 (02) 484 9313 (03) 9569 9641 NZ (09) 360 1231 *Just 25 cents for 21.4 secs. from anywhere in Australia . k CHILDREN PLEASE ASK A PARENT'S PERMISSION. JZk I REALITY IS OUR GAME. TM Copyright© 1995 3D-Realms Terminal Velocity has been classified General (8 years & over) - Low Level Animated Violence. ##V° Publisher: Phillip Keir Editor: Stuart Clarke Art Director: Mark Gowing Deputy Editor: Ben Mansill Cover Illustration: Mattew Hatton Advertising Manager: Mellissa Opie National Sales Director: Steve Watson Office Manager: Roberta Meenahan Accounts: Martine Sue Receptionists: Wendy McEwan, Margaret Puletua Contributors: Julian Schoffel. Eliot Fish, Stretch Armstrong, Roger Bolton. George Soropos. Matthew Daniel. David Wildgoose, Mattew Dowdell, Gabriel Wilder. Mark Lingane. Max Autohead. Andy Hodgson. Printed by: Hannan Print Separations by: Pica Overseas Distribution by: NDD Ph. 353 9911 Ail copyrights reserved by Otter Publications Pty Ltd WRITE TO HYPER! PO Box 634, Strawberry Hills. NSW 2012 Fax: (02)310 1315 Advertising: (02) 310 1425 E-mail: freakscene@next.com.au 6 16 18 20 22 News Phantasmagoria banned, Doom level editor, Clan Analogue get Cogged. Sony hooks up with the Gladiators, Windows 95 & games. Freak of the Month returns and lots more... Anime Reviews Net Trawlin’ WIN WIN WIN We've got Donkey Kong Land and a Colour Game Boy, Pee Wee Ferris mix CDs and a Flightstick Pro joystick to throw to lucky readers this month. Ultimate Playstation Comp Here’s your chance to walk away with one of two Sony Playstations, plus a 51cm TV, plus 5 top Playstation games, plus lots of Playstation peripherals. This competition rocks!!! ENTER NOW! Features The Lamer’s Guide to the internet You want to ride the information superhighway but are scared of making a wrong turn? Well, after reading this guide every thing should be crystal clear and you'ill be IRCing, World Wide Webbing and FTPing with the best of them... A League of Their Own Electronic Arts are making a Rugby League game...finally! We talk to Michael de Plater of Dreamtime Interactive, the Australian company making this dream a reality. Previews 30 Mortal Kombat 3 mega drive 32 Jetfighter 3 pc CD ROM 33 Apache Longbow pc CD ROM Werewolf vs Comanche pc CD ROM 34 Top Gun: Fire At Will PC/MAC/SNES/MD/3D0 TFX: EF2000 PC CD ROM 36 Sabotage pc Shadow Warrior PC 37 Quake pc CD ROM 38 Witchhaven PC Shell Shock PC/SATURN/PLAYSTATION/3DO/32X 39 Duke Nukem 3D pc CD ROM 40 Batman Forever snes/mega drive 41 Virtual Karts PC/PC CD ROM Arcade Arcane’s out of here so this month we have a small taste of two upcoming fight fests - Mortal Kombat 3 Special Edition and Tekken 2. Reviews 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 Jumping Flash! PLAYSTATION Killer instinct SNES Air Combat playstation Cool Spot Goes to Hollywood mega drive Aaahh! Real Monsters mega drive Lords of Midnight pc CD ROM Gadget pc CD ROM 1944: Across the Rhine PC CD ROM Prisoner of ice PC CD ROM 3D Lemmings pc CD ROM Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time pc/mac CD ROM Dungeon Master ii PC CD ROM 68 Byte Size Toughman Boxing 32X Donkey Kong Land GAME BOY Kirby’s Ghost Trap SNES Arc of Doom PC CD ROM Microsoft Flight Sim v5.1 PC CD ROM Networks AlV PC CD ROM Bloodwings PC CD ROM Combat Air Patrol PC CD ROM Kingdom At War PC CD ROM Jewels of the Oracle PC MAC CD ROM Mirage PC/MAC CD ROM Welcome to the Future MAC CD ROM Play 72 74 78 Guide Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time Cheat Mode Letters/Hypermart »HYPER o Games, Games, Games. You can never have too many games... No, I fake that back... You can never have too many good games. Luckily we’ve sifted a few CldSSICS out of the piles of mediocrity and put them where you can see them KilleFInSti nCt k obviously one of the best (that's why we have the very butch Fulgore staring out at you from the cover) and Nintendo are on another winner with this amazing arcade conversion. The SNES is gathering speed after an amazingly quiet year and looks set to blitz this Christmas, with Killer Instinct leading the charge. Fighting fans will tjeaJly be reioicing with the news that Mortal Kombaf 3 is also an amazing conversion and even the Mega Drive has a winner on its hands (and that was the machine that was going to struggle). Check out our preview for all the details. In PC land. Doom is still kicking it and the first person perspective action games will be coming at you in droves this Christmas. Check out our previews of the new games in the “Doom aMire”, especially the much hyped and awaited \£ild K0 which we finally got shots of. And the boys at iD haven't let us down either as it looks absolutely sensational and could do to Doom what Doom did to Wolfenstein 3D. I can't wait!!! Now if you're in Melbourne (or can get to Melbourne) don't forget the IMAGE 95 games expo which is taking place from the 6th to the 8th of October at the Caulfield Raceway. It's shaping up to be Australia's first proper electronic games and interactive entertainment show with most of the big names showing up and showing off their new toys. There's also going to be some not bands, Internet and multimedia displays, computer art, virtual reality and lots more. Just think all those game freaks in one place!! And HYPER will be there, of course, and we might even be running a hot competition where you can show off your joypad skills to the rest of the world. If the Image ‘95 is a success then you can be assured that the expo will move around to other capital cities in 1996, so let's make it a b00ITI6r so everyone can have fun. See you there! Stuart Disney get into Gaming We’ll excuse you if you’re currently turning up your nose and saying “Faahh, these HYPER guys are full of it. Disney have been making great games for years. Look at Aladdin and the Lion King.” Well yes, they're both great games and yes, they are both Disney movies, but until very recently Disney licensed out the rights to these multi-million dollar characters to third party game developers, like Virgin. But not any more. Disney Interactive is here, they’re out on their own and they’re aiming to be just as big in the game world as they are in the movie industry. As Disney is a very "mainstream’’ type of company, initially they’ll only be producing games for the mass market machines ie the Mega Drive, the SNES and the PC. Development for the Saturn, Playstation and other formats will wait until the machines have a large installed base of users. But don't think just because they’re sticking to 16bit that the games will be second rate. Oh Lordy no, this is Disney we re talking about. Their first big title looks like being Toy Story which will be out before Christmas on SNES and Mega Drive. The 24 Meg cart boasts rendered graphics and super smooth animation, and Disney claims it will give Donkey Kong 2 a run for its money in terms of both graphics and gameplay. It actually looks extremely similar to Clockwork Knight, which is no mean feat, considering that was a 32bit game for the Saturn. And the fact that its launch co-incides with an animated movie of the same name, featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, can’t hurt a bit. Apart from Toy Story, Disney have a game of Pocahontas ready to go, and this will take the form of an action/adventure with the target audience being girls, as well as Gargoyles, which is based on a US TV show. So they’ve already got the rest of 1995 tied up with some very tasty looking titles and Disney Interactive look like being in the video game world to stay. IF THESE AREN’T THE COOLEST GRAPHICS, MY NAME ISN’T YAWIGA KANAWI Nintendo game boy. I m \\ YRM NINSN0598D »HYPER S R Phantasmagoria Banned 1 I I I w ■ mm.y :>*■ ?t mtfjp? m -m ■■ ^r? ti ' » v 'mm,** £ ^ *mu mm *»m*~ * M - **£ wv-* >■ • iP^'tfcL. j w* Turning 18 used to be something to look forward to. It was the gateway to adulthood, the dawning of the age of freedom of choice. In the years leading up to your 18th birthday your tastes will inevitably change and mature, and you will no doubt come into contact (however peripherally) with all aspects of life, including sex, drugs and violence. At 18 you can vote, drink, smoke, be conscripted into the army in the event of war, have sex (both straight and gay) and also watch whatever movie you choose. If however, you want no part of it, then as an adult we can simply decide not to drink, not to smoke, not to have sex or not to watch movies that are likely to shock or scare us. You know our own taste and can make appropriate decisions; see a movie without sex and violence, one without the tell-tale "R” sticker on the front. It’s a good system because it works. Over 18's whose sensibilities are easily offended can avoid the video, book, magazine or TV show that bears the "R" rating. It's also a handy reference for parents, so they know what parts of their own collection to stash in the “out of bounds” hiding place. Material suitable only for adults is not banned outright in Australia, it's merely restricted to those mature enough to deal with it (extreme examples are of course banned, but the defining guidelines are sensible and fair). The glaring exception is the video game. With recently passed Federal legislation, the Restricted category no longer exists for games. This decision is narrow-minded, draconian and condescending. It clearly assumes that people cease playing video games the moment they turn 18 - either that or their maturing tastes halt at age 18, stagnating forevermore regardless of the individual’s cultural growth in other areas. Adult gamers have been left out in the cold by ignorant politicians bowing to pressure from the same ill-informed minorities that want the Internet banned because they think it’s a festering hive of child pornography. Now the theory has become practice. Sierras’ Phantasmagoria is Australia’s very first nationally banned computer game. Evil Forces What we have with Phantasmagoria, is an extravagantly produced multi-million dollar piece of entertainment. It comes from the traditionally family oriented company Sierra, but is geared specifically to adult tastes. It is basically a horror movie on CD ROM HERE ARE SOME OF THE OFFENDING SCENES. WE HAVEN'T SHOWED THE REALLY GROSS BITS BECAUSE IT IS A GAME THAT SHOULD BE RESTRICTED. HOWEVER. BANNING IT OUTRIGHT IS CENSORSHIP. pure and simple. » with adventure game interactivity. The player assumes the role of a young woman, Adrienne, who together with her husband, has moved into a stereotypical haunted house. Over the ensuing days, he begins to succumb to the evil forces in the house, committing dark deeds while she (you) tries to figure it all out and put a stop to it. There are several contentious scenes but the one that led to the game being banned, was a (clothed) sex scene between Adrienne and her husband where sexual violence is intimated. Having seen the scene, there is absolutely no doubt that the content exceeds the current maximum rating of MA15. However, it is certainly no more extreme than anything an R rated movie has to offer. The hypocrisy is absurd. An adult today can purchase and enjoy any form of restricted material that takes their fancy - except video games. No sensible argument exists for the imposition of this outrageous condition. Are Australian adults too naive and emotionally delicate to make their own decisions? Who gave the pollies in Canberra the right to wave their wand of disapproval over video games? It certainly wasn’t a prominent issue at the last election. Sure, the material that caused Phantasmagoria's banning may be offensive to some, but it comprises only a brief few seconds and is by no means gratuitous as it’s critical to the plot. Compare this to the horror movies that are both start to finish carnage, and attract vast hordes of barely 18's. If Phantasmagoria was a movie (which it almost is) and not a game, it’s likely it would be rated MA, not R. The censor’s main concern is that because games are “interactive”, the player is more likely to feel they are committing these atrocious acts themselves, instead of being merely a passive observer, as is the case with films. This is complete crap. Phantasmagoria’s contentious scenes are streaming video that the player has no control over - the player is a passive observer. Even if the scene were interactive, the context is emminently justifiable. The player is the victim, not the aggressor. The player represents good, while the husband has been possessed by evil. And if you know that you're shocked by sex or violence then the game comes with a built-in censor feature which cuts the high level scenes out entirely. But because the classification guidelines are so tignt, none of these mitigating circumstances can be taken into consideration by the censors. The ignorance of the policy makers is astounding, and it’s clear that those responsible for making these decisions are those least qualified to do so. With the games industry now comparable with the movie business, isn’t it time it was treated with the same consideration? The Office of Film and Literature Classification readily admits that their knowledge of video games is not comprehensive enough to let them make accurate and informed decisions about the medium. They are a fair and intelligent organisation, but their learning process has been stopped in its tracks by the passing whims of vote seeking politicians who felt the need to express outrage, because conservative community groups have deluded themselves that games are corrupting our society and breeding rapists and murderers. While games like Phantasmagoria may be shocking to kids, so are R rated movies. However, we have the R rating to ensure the well being of our kids sanity and to allow access for the adults the products were intended for. Adults Play Games Around one third of HYPER readers are over 18. While tastes differ and over-18’s don’t necessarily want to play R rated games, they should be available to those that want to play them, just as R rated movies are there for people who wish to view them. The banning of Phantasmagoria is a shock, but it’s just the beginning, as games are only starting to cover "adult" themes. Our freedom of choice has been torn away by bureaucrats who have neither the right or the informed judgement to make such decisions. Don’t take this lying down! If the gaming community apathetically accepts the current situation, the politicians will have won and Australia will miss out on the rich gaming experiences the rest of the world are able to enjoy. What can you do? Make your opinions known! Write to your local member, write to us and write to the Office of Film and Literature Classification. We’ll be giving Phantasmagoria a full review next issue, so you’ll get the facts, not the hype. *»‘SKP's rjftisa 30°o OFF ALL 3.5" TITLES. HUGE RANGE OF PC GAMES. CALL FOR TITLES... STORE NEED FOR SPEED.99.95 HIGH OCTANE .99.95 STAR TREK NEXT GEN 99 95 HUGE RANGE CALL FOR MORE. JOYSTICKS/ACCESSORIES JOYSTICKS FROM.29.95 CHJETSTICK. 89.95 THRUSTMASTER 169.95 SOUND CARDS & CD ROMS ULTRASOUND MAX CARD 399.00 CD ROM DRIVE. 249.00 ★ Hundreds more titles available on all formats ★ Best prices ★ Huge range of import titles from U.S.A. & Asia ★ We trade & sell used Sega and Nintendo, 3DO & IBM CD.,cV ^ ★ New titles arrive daily, all at great prices ★ Hardware and Accessories ★ Friendly service & expert advice / ★ Free call orders line ★ Orders from New Zealand, Asia & the Pacific are welcome. Free members card on purchase of a control deck, hand held unit or once you have spent $300. Members entitled to an extra 10% off software prices. (Sale items & specials not incl.). 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STOCKS LIMITED ★Only 27 leftA TRIPLE PLAY 99 95 WATER WORLD. 99 95 WOLVERINE . 109 95 Y.MPM 9 eQ qc CALL FOR ANY TITLE NOT LISTED SEGA 32X_ 329.00 36 GREAT HOLES 99.95 CHAOTIX. 99.95 CORPSE KILLER (CD). 99 95 COSMIC CARNAGE. 89.95 DOOM. 99 95 FARENHEIT (CD) . 99.95 METAL HEAD . 99 95 MIDNIGHT RAIDERS. 99.95 MORTAL KOMBAT II 99.95 MOTHERBASE . 89.95 NBA TOURNAMENT 109.95 REVOLUTION X. 99.95 SLAM CITY (CD). 99.95 STAR WARS ARCADE. 109.95 STELLAR ASSAULT. 99.95 SUPER MOTORCROSS. 89.95 SUPER SPACE HARRIER 89 95 SUPREME WARRIOR. 99 95 VIRTUA RACING DELUXE 99 95 WWF RAW.. 99.95 GEX. 99.95 HELL. 99.95 HORDE. 99.95 LOST FILES SHERLOCK HOLMES 99.95 NEED FOR SPEED. 99.95 OFF WORLD INTERCEPTOR 99 95 OPERATION JUMPGATE 59 95 PANZER GENERAL. 109.95 PATAANK. 99 95 POWER KINGDOM. POA ROAD RASH . 99.95 SAMURAI SHOWDOWN 99 95 SHOCKWAVE . 99.95 SLAM N JAM . 99.95 SPACE ACE. 99.95 SPACE HULK. 99.95 STAR CONTROL 2 . 99 95 SUPER WING COMMANDER 99 95 SYNDICATE. 99 95 THEME PARK. 99.95 WING COMMANDER 3. 99.95 ZHADNOST 2 S FREE CONTROL PAD 129.95 NBA JAM . .... 49.95 STREETRACER . 99.95 NBA TOURNAMENT . .... 99.95 SUPER STREETFIGHTER 2 99 95 NEW HORIZON (RPG) 119.95 SYNDICATE. 69 95 NHL HOCKEY 96 . .... 99.95 THE TICK. 99 95 NOBUNAGA AMBITION .... 99.95 TOUGHMAN BOXING . 99 95 TO TRADE SEGA/NINTENDO CARTRIDGES, 3DO OR IBM CD SOFTWARE 1. Call (09 227 9991) for trade value of your games. 2. Use this value towards purchase of any thing we sell 4. Pack your software, with your name, address, phone number and software selection and mail to us 5. Upon receipt of your games Your order will be despatched TO BUY SOFTWARE 1. Call ORDERS (ONLY PLEASE (Toll Free 1800 801 047) Please don't ring toll free if you're not ordering. 2. Credit card payments despatched same day. 3. Payment by cheque/money order must include your name, address, phone num6er and your order, (Allow 7 days for cheque clearance). MEGA CD WITH GAME. 199 95 CD PLUS ADAPTER. 69.95 BC RACERS. 99.95 BLOODSHOT. 99.95 CORPSE KILLER. 10995 DUNE. 79.95 EARTHWORM JIM . 99 95 ECCO 2.69.95 EYE OF BEHOLDER. 109.95 MIDNIGHT RAIDERS 99.95 ROAD RASH. 99.95 SNATCHER. 89 95 SUPER STRIKE TRILOGY ... 99 95 SYNDICATE. 99 95 THEME PARK. 99.95 HUGE RANGE CALL FOR MORE. SONY PLAYSTATION SHOCKWAVE. 99.95 PGA TOUR GOLF 96 . 99.95 THEME PARK. 99.95 WING COMMANDER 3. TBA TITLES ARRIVE DAti Y CALL FOR MORE G ATliN DELIVERY CHARGES Under $50 ($5) $50 to $100 ($2.50) Over $100 (free) Delivery usually 2 days by courier or registered mail. HARDWARE::Standard delivery charge will apply). 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IBM $ CYBERWAR (CO) _69.95 SYSTEM SHOCK (CD)...69 95 DONKEY KONG LAND .59.95 No. I IN AUSTRALIA TWO GREAT LOCATIONS; NORTHBRIDGE 94A ROE ST, NORTHBRIDGE,W.A. 6003 PHONE 09 227 9991 MIDLAND U2/186 GT EASTERN HWY, MIDLAND, WA PHONE 09 274 7690 HOURS OF BUSINESS (WA times) Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday 10am-4pm Sunday 12-4 pm BRETT HULL HOCKEY_56 OO BUBSY--55 OO CAL RIPKIN BASEBALL ...49 95 CHAOS ENGINE . 55 00 GHOULS A GHOST ...56 OO GODS.... 49 95 JURASSIC PARK .... 59 95 MYSTIC OUEST LEGENO .55 OO NIGEL MANSELLS C SHIP-56 OO PAC ATTACK ---- 55 OO PILOTWINGS_ 49 95 PLOK ...56 OO SUPER PINBALL . 55 00 SUPER TETRISrtJR MARIO.56 OO VEGAS STAKES . 55 OO WING COMMANDER .49 95 WORLD CUP SOCCER 94 ..59 95 YOUNG MERLIN__ 49 95 Ml QADfMVf ALISIA DRAGOON __ 39 95 ANDRETTI RACING___ 69-95 BALLZ __T9.95 CHAOS ENGINE.... 49 95 DESERT STRIKE. 39 95 FIFA SOCCER. 49.95 JUNGLE STRIKE--- 49 95 LOTUS TURBO CHALL. II ..49 95 MADDEN 94 .. 49 95 MLBPA BASEBALL 94 .. 59 95 NBA SHOWDOWN 94 ...... 49 95 PEBBLE BEACH GOLF . 69 95 PGA EUROPEAN GOLF .4* 95 PRO MOVES SOCCER .49.95 ROAD RASH .. 3* 95 ROAD RASH 2... 49.95 SHAQFU ____9* 95 SUBTERRANIA.. 4* 95 URBAN STRIKE .... 49 95 ZERO TOLERANCE ...6* 95 MCCA CD BLACKHOLE ASSAULT_49 95 NOVASTORM -- 69 95 SOUL STAR_ 79.95 Some items may not be available or be out of stock at date of pnntmg. No rainchecks on sale items. All soft¬ ware. new & used carries a 30 DAY WARRANTY Dealer & Video Store enquiries wetcome.We reserve the right to refuse any sale or trade. Pnces subject to change without notice A PlayStation Joins Gladiators Forget MK3. Forget Phantasmagoria. The real big news this month is that Sony have announced a sponsorship/competition deal with the Gladiators! The winners and runners-up during the recent "Ashes'' series all got Playstations and other Sony goodies and lucky gym-heads in the current local series later will each receive a PlayStation and a selection of games as well. Now before you start going green with envy, and complaining about these undeserving morons stealing YOUR dream console, just consider this. "Gladiators’’ is one of the country's top rating TV shows, and its unique blend of highly articulate social commentary, scathing political satire, elegant almost sublimely brutal violence, and men and women in very tight, shiny clothes is exactly the sort of medium through which Sony can best present the PlayStation in all its glory and loveliness. On a more serious note, games-playing desperately needs to break through into the mainstream. We should applaud anything that makes an effort to do this, no matter how embarrassing it might seem...just like that photo. Q£ ill CL How Windows 95 will affect PC games The following scenario has been acted out by countless unfortunate gamers for what seems like forever now: You buy the latest and greatest PC game you've been reading about in all the magazines, you’ve carefully studied the minimum system requirements spec list on the back of the box and your PC passes with flying colours so you take it home and load it up. Instead of getting into the game your machine hangs with the dreaded "not enough free conventional memory" message or "device conflict" or "system error". The rest of the evening is then spent trying to fine tune your config.sys or autoexec.bat files and often to no avail. Windows 95 promises to end these nightmarish compatibility issues with its Plug and Play feature. In theory Plug and Play allows you to install a hardware device ie. a soundcard or CD ROM drive and will then automatically configure itself so you don’t have to muck around with jumpers or IRQ settings. Windows 95 also includes an Autoplay feature which will automatically configure, install and then run any games software as soon as you place the CD in the drive. Recently Microsoft have been distributing a game software developers kit (SDK) to all of the big games publishers. Using this kit, game developers can program their software to a universal set of applications programming interfaces. This means that any hardware you have already installed under Windows 95 will have guaranteed support from any Windows 95 game you buy. Another positive side- effect of Microsoft's SDK involves Windows only accelerator cards; if you’ve bought an accelerator card that runs Windows incredibly fast but has very poor DOS performance don’t despair, as games developed for the Windows 95 operating system will also be able to take full advantage of the current 2D Windows accelerator cards along with the next generation 3D accelerator cards. Windows 95 will also allow you to play all your old DOS based games in a window or in full-screen mode. Just create an icon for the game and then run it. If you have suitably powerful hardware you can even run your favourite game (within reason, of course, ie not Wing Commander 3) in a window next to your word processing application or spreadsheet. One of the most popular features of the latest games is the multiplayer option. Windows 95 will automatically set up the modem for you. making it easier than ever before to slug it out with a friend via a phone line. Microsoft are also developing a new feature for Windows 95 called VoiceView. VoiceView will allow two players to talk to each other in a multiplayer session and will then switch back to the game and all this is on one phone line, without having to hang up or redial! In conclusion Windows 95 looks like putting an end to all of the problems associated with the dreaded autoexec.bat and config.sys files. Finally the process of installing and configuring a game could be as easy as inserting a CD in the drive and then clicking on an icon. Here’s hoping! Julian Schoffel The complete megahit game - and more! ml levels of awesome, explosive excitemer Proudly distributed by NEVER SEEN BEFORE! id W Nir lew levels so tough, the original episodes Software ROADSHOW NEW MEDIA will seem' like a W; Ail, in the park! GT Interactive *7 Software Now available from Myer, Harvey Norman, Blockbuster Music, World 4 Kids, Grace Bros, Dymocks, Virgin Megastore. The Games Wizards, The Gamesmen, David Jones and Dick Smith Electronics. 12 »HYPER New Aussie Internet M ■ net I Hyper Winners Phantom Joystick /Super SF? Turbo Comp The winners are: Vincent Lim (Vk). Kevin Wolfe (NSW), James Machin (WA). John Wmdschutile (NSW) & Tim Jeffries (SA) Glowing Simpsons Comp Jack Lio (Papua New Guinea). Robert Walsh (Vic), Luke Sullivan (NSW). Andrew Marshall (QLD) g Karen O'Sullivan (QLD) won the Glow in the Dark Simpsons jigsaw. The answer, of course, was the Kwik E Mart. Mechwarrior 2 Everyone wants their own Mech that's for sure. We were flooded with entries and the lucky people drawn were: John Montgomerie (SA). Will Bennett (NSW). Ben Gilles (SA).Sam Good (NSW) and Brett Jones (Vic). The House of HYPER is a busy place. Besides pumping out The World’s Finest Australasian Games Mag, our offices are also home to Australian Rolling Stone and Simply Living. With this healthy little media empire we serve the needs of game freaks, music freaks, and nature freaks. Well, here’s some big news! We’re ever so proud to announce the launch of a brand new sister mag - lnternet.au. As the very clever name implies, it’s a mag dedicated to bringing you all the latest on cyberspace, but with the same uniquely Australian flavour that compels you to buy HYPER every month. Whether you're a die hard net-head or just want to find out what all the fuss is about, this is the mag for you. Sure, there are other net mags out there, but lnternet.au is 100% free of the bullshit that the others are full of. Did we mention hard hitting? This isn't about the “information superhighway’’ - because there's no such thing, lnternet.au will tell you only what you need to know, and if you don't know what you need, read it and find out! The real reason you’re going to want to read (nay subscribe!), is because we take the hard work out of surfing. Yes, our carefully compiled directory section lists all the latest, funnest and least useful sites out there. The first issue will be on sale in October, so march on in to your newsagent and shout “AU”, then quickly explain what you really want before you get kicked out. Internet.au, it’s what you really want. Freak Of The Month Are you utterly and irredeemably SAD? Do people laugh in your face when you walk down the street? Do you write to game mags trying to prove that you have a life? Well, if the answer is yes, yes, yes. then you could be our ‘Freak Of The Month’. This month we continue our irregular series that probes the life of our freakier readers: “Pictured is my alter-ego, SEEDMAN, seen here on sports day at my school...his hair is stuck like that with Aquadhere. He had to stick his head into boiling water to get it out, which would have been a bit of an inconvenience’’, writes the very brave Aladar Apponyi. Aladar? ALADAR? What sort of stupid girly name is that? You should have left your head in that boiling water, you miserable little fffrreeeaak! Ahhh, that feels better. Well done Aladar, you’re a legend and we treasure your freakiness. If you think you can cut the freak mustard then send in a photo and a short story to: Freak of the Month Hyper PO Box 634 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 lits we couldn't fit anywhere else... All consoles are not created equal. Just because we live in the wrong hemisphere we have to live with the marginally inferior PAL system. For TV it doesn’t make much difference, but the PAL Saturn we saw overcame the letterbox effect in a pretty sucky way. The screen has been stretched to fit the screen but small black bands are still there and the proportions look very different to the NTSC version. You wouldn’t know it if you haven’t seen both versions, but take it from us, you're not getting the game that the designers intended. Other new consoles are expected to suffer the same fate. Intel’s new CPU, the P6 (or 686) is due right about now. Expect a speed increase of about one third over equivalent Mhz Pentiums. The woeful Saturn Doom clone Deadalus (reviewed HYPER #20 - Overall score 30%) is coming to our shores as Robotica. This is a consumer alert readers, whatever the game is called, it still sucks. Sonic for the PC? Don't laugh, it could really happen thanks to a deal struck between Microsoft and Softbank. The new joint venture is to be known as Gamebank, with their purpose in life to convert successful console games to the Win 95 operating system. So, if it’s old and fun, it could well find it’s way onto a PC near you. Word from the inside is that Westwood's Lands of Lore II is being reworked as an adventure game, instead of the RPG it was meant to be all along. The why is that they apparently had problems implementing the advanced graphics in the manner they had originally planned. A readable/writable minidisc may be under development for the fabled Ultra 64. It’ll probably be based on Magneto Optical technology, and will be used for stand alone games as well as add-on’s to existing releases. The discs will have a storage capacity of around 130 megabytes, which is a lot less than a CD ROM, but access times should be close to eight times quicker than CD. Namco is working on a Ridge Racer sequel. The new game is provisionally known as Rave Racer, and will include varying terrain and weather, as well as more radical track layouts - like monster jump ramps. By the end of the year arcade MK3 machines should have received a major chip transplant. The upgrade will add four new fighters - all of which are from MK2. Scorpion, Kitana, Jade and Reptile are the lucky fighters who made the grade. They'll get new outfits and a few new moves, with the upgrade featuring new backgrounds too. The hot Saturn 3D racing game Gran Chaser has been renamed Cyber Speedway for its Australian release. We wonder why. Winning PC strategy game Panzer General is being ported to the 3DO. The age of consoles being scorned by "serious” PC gamers is dead and buried. Cult super hero Spawn is coming to SNES. The ice coo! dude has been given respectable treatment by developers Acclaim, with the game world as dark and sinister as the comic. Will Golden Axe ever die a quiet death? Well, no. Golden Axe: The Duel is on it’s way to Saturn. We love everything about Golden Axe - except that it led to a thousand hopeless clones. Seaa*Ozisoft Contact Shockwave BBS for Screenshots and Demos on (02) 669 6041 or phone (02) 317 0044 for your closest retailer 14 »HYPER ^1_ Original Level:MAP01 ENTRYWAY|DOOM 2] _ M»1 File Display Mode loots Help inisssnin 1 « W U @01 BUffitniEDIDID 1 .. ] Designer Doom You’re a Doom fan (we’re pretty sure of this). You’ve beaten both Dooms, gotten hold of a few WADs and beaten them too. Now it’s time to take the next big step. Yes kids, today we re going to learn how to design our very own Doom levels. Third party Doom editors appeared on BBS’s soon after the release of the original shareware Doom. The game’s coding allows it and developers iD don't mind a bit. The original editors were clumsy in effect and downright ugly to use. Times have changed though, and now professional-quality Windows editors are available free as shareware, with proud level designers uploading their efforts for all to enjoy. Still, getting these complicated software tools up and running without decent documentation is a big ask, which is where the Doom Game Editor comes in. The book includes a CD ROM containing just about the sharpest Doom editor we've ever seen, as well as over 1000 new WADs (the file containing the new level/s). Author and editor designer Joe Pantuso seems to be having his first stab at manual writing, novice users will struggle to make sense of the highly technical method he uses. Worse, the layout of the chapters and their contents owe little to common sense or logic. Still, those motivated enough to churn through it will learn all they need to. The world is not a perfect place though, as the level editor included is only the unregistered sample program. This means you can only create twenty sectors before a nasty message appears suggesting you send a cheque off to the U S for the full version. Twenty sectors isn’t much; a stair is a sector, as is a door, an object and of course, a room. This all sucks a bit, the product presents itself as everything you need to create Doom levels - when in reality all you can do is a couple of very basic rooms. We won’t write this off completely because the software is so good, but unwary consumers are likely to be disappointed, as they probably (and rightfully) expect the complete software. The Doom Game Editor is published by Jacaranda Wiley and the recommended retail price is $42.95. Clan Analogue There was a time when the Do It Yourself ethic involved nothing more than a bit of innocent glue sniffing at the local Selleys Handyman bar or squeezing last month’s phone bill under the wobbly leg of the kitchen table. Then along came the wonder of budget priced technology, which is putting greater and greater power into the hands of anyone with the inclination to use it. A huge hole of potential was created for bold, enterprising types to take on the stagnant corporate behemoths of the music industry who are weighed down by massive capital investments and structures, which forces them to appeal to the lowest common denominators of taste. It was into this hole that Clan Analogue stepped, about three and a half years ago. Formed through an ad in the Trading Post, initially to attract analogue synthesiser freaks (hence the name) , the collective quickly expanded its outlook to include all forms of electronic expression; video, sound art, computer graphics and phreaking. The Clan’s membership base expanded just as quickly with branches popping up in Canberra. Wollongong, Brisbane and Melbourne spurred along by appearances at the last two Sydney Big Days Out, numerous successful club nights in all the above mentioned cities and four popular vinyl releases. All of the Clan’s activities and releases are entirely self funded which is both a liberation and a limitation. Members (membership is open to anyone) are free to do whatever they want but are obviously constrained in the dissemination of their work through normal means because of the costs of manufacture. Happily MDS, a Melbourne based distribution company, decided to throw their weight behind the Clansters and offered a production deal which has resulted in the release of Cog, the Clan's first CD title. The name comes from the Cog like image which has been the Clan’s unofficial logo almost from inception. A double CD with twenty tracks, it has far more variety than your average compilation and really shows that you don’t need to lick the hairy ass of a record company executive to be able to produce and distribute your ideas around the world. The two CDs are roughly divided in terms of mood. The red CD seduces you with luscious, laid back textures with crusty heroes Krang, Size’s "Tuna Helper Radio Glove" and Area 51’s ‘They’re Human" being my faves on the way to Infusion’s tasty "Smokescreen". The blue CD cranks up the pace beginning with the lush trance orchestration of Now Zero, taking in the frenetic energy of Nanotech's "Navaho" and S M.E.R.S.H’s "Booster" before arriving at Brisbane boy Ande and his atmospheric "Spring" and "Jasm". Space limits me from discussing all the tracks in detail but I can honestly say there isn’t a dud track on the whole compilation. If you want to contact the Clan for any reason (revenge, heavy breathing etc.) here’s the info. Phone; Sydney-015 957 414 (Scot) Brisbane-07 3870 5460 (Ande and Sue) Melbourne-9527 5927 (Mathew) Canberra-295 3759 (Ob) Snail Mail: P.O. Box A2384 Sydney South 2000 Email: clan@sysx.apana.org.au URL: http://sysx.apana.org.au/clan/clan.html George Soropos SEGA SATURN HARDWARE/GAME s SEGA SATURN CONSOLE $785.00 * DAYTONA USA $75.00 CLOCKWORK NIGHT $75.00 PANZER DRAGOON $75.00 VICTORY GOAL $75.00 VIRTUA FIGHTER $75.00 CO ACES OF THE DEEP COLLECTION $74.00 CD ACES OVER EUROPE $90.00 CD AD&D RAVENIOFT $60.00 CD ADVANCED SPELLING $65.00 CD AEGIS $73.00 CD ALIEN OLYMPICS $35.00 CD ALPHABET BLOCKS $65.00 CD ARMORED FIST $89.00 CD AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS $74.00 CD BARBIE'S MAGICAL HOUSE $75.00 CD BASIC SPELLING $65.00 CD BEGINNING READING $65.00 CD BENEATH THE STEEL SKY $99.00 CD BIOFORGE $89.00 CD BLACKTHORNE $74.00 CD BURRIED IN TIME $75.00 CD CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE $79.00 CD CHESSMASTER 4000 TURBO $35.00 CD COMMANCHE MAXIMUM OVERKILL MAX PACK $80.00 CD COMMAND AND CONQUER $80.00 CD CREATURE SHOCK $55.00 CD CRITICS CHOICE 5 CD PACK_ $35.00 CD CYBERIA $80.00 CD CYBERWAR 4 CD PACK $80.00 CD CYCLEMANIA $80.00 CD SPACE ACE $72.00 CD SPACE QUEST 6 $75.00 CD SPACE QUEST ANTHOLOGY $89.00 CD SPEED $69.00 CD STAR CONTROL 1 AND 2 $37.00 CD STAR CRUSADER $79.00 CD STAR TREK NEXT GENERATION FINAL UNITY $90.00 CD STAR TREK OMNIPEDIA * $79.00 CD STAR TREK TNG TECH MANUAL $79.00 CD STAR TREK 25TH ANNIVERSARY $79.00 CD STRIKE COMMANDER IBM $89.00 CD SUPER STREET FIGHTER 2 $69.00 CD SUPERKARTS $59.00 CD SYSTEM SHOCK $80.00 CD TETRIS GOLD $79.00 CD TFX $80.00 CD THE 7TH GUEST $79.00 CD THE DIG • $89.00 CD VOYEUR CD WING COMMANDER 3 CD WING COMMANDER ARMADA CD WOOOSTOCK PLEASE NOTE WE STOCK A WIDE RANGE FROM THE DEEP $95.00 CD MAGIC CARPET $90.00 CD X WING ALL MISSIONS CD MARIO TEACHERS TYPING $69.00 ENHANCED $84.00 CD MAVIS BEACON TYPING CD ZEPPUN $85.00 FOR WIN $79.00 AIR WARRIOR $69.00 CD MECH WARRIOR 2* $89.00 ALIEN LEGACY 3.5' $79.00 CD MICROSOFT ENCARTA 95 ALONE IN THE DARK 3 IBM $90.00 FULL VER $139.00 BATTLE BUGS IBM 3.5' $61.00 CD MICROSOFT SCHUBERT $89.00 BATTLEDROME 3.5' $69.00 CD MINDSCAPE SPORTS PACK $59.00 CD IBM AUSTRALIA THROUGH CD MINDSCAPE'S BIG 10 CD PACK $59.00 TIME $159.00 CD MS ANCIENT LANDS $99.00 CHALLENGE OF 5 REALMS $19.00 CD MS ART GALLERY $99.00 COMMANCHE MAXIMUM CD MS BEETHOVEN $99.00 OVERKILL $79.00 CD MS COMPLETE BASEBALL $99.00 CONNON FODDER II 3.5' $54.00 CD MS DANGEROUS CREATURES $99.00 DOOM 2 3.5' $89.00 CD MS DINOSAURS $99.00 EARTHSIEGE IBM 3.5' $69.00 CD MS MOZART $99.00 GARY GRIGSBY'S WAR IN RUSSIA IBM $49.00 CD MS STRAUSS $99.00 HEXX HERESTY OF THE WIZARD $59.00 CD MS STRVINSKY $99.00 HOKUM 3.5' HELECOPTER SIM $79.00 CD MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS $95.00 INDI CAR 3.5' $39.00 CD MYST $109.00 INDI CAR TRACK PACK 3.5" $35.00 CD NASCAR $89.00 INDI CAR TRACK PACK II 3.5" $35.00 CD NBA LIVE 95 $89.00 KINGS QUEST 6 3.5' IBM $79.00 CD NHL HOCKEY '95' $69.95 LEGIONS MULTIPLAYER $69.00 CD NOCTROPOUS $84.00 LEMMINGS 3 CD NOVA STORM IBM CD $89.00 WORLD OF LEMMINGS $69.00 CD ORION CONSPIRACY $64.00 LINKS 386 PRO 3.5' $69.00 CD OUT POST $99.00 MICROPROSE GRAND PRIX 3.5' $44.00 CD PANZER GENERAL $84.00 NASCAR 3.5' $89.00 CD POLICE QUEST COLLECTION CD $80.00 PACIFIC STRIKE 3.5' $94.00 CD PRIVATEER $59.00 PING & KOOKY'S CUCKOO ZOO $69.00 CD PSYCHO PINBALL $35.00 PRINCE OF PERSIA 2 $69.00 CD QUARANTINE $29.00 SIM CITY 2000 $89.00 CD REBEL ASSAULT 2* $84.00 PRICES GUARANTEED IF YOU DON'T SEE IT ON THIS LIST PLEASE CALL AND WE WILL ORDER IT FOR YOU. •ALLOW $5.00 FOR METRO DELIVERY AND $10.00 OVERNIGHT AUSTRALIA WIDE •PLEASE CHECK STOCK BEFORE ORDERING CD DRAGONS LORE (3 CD PACK)_ CD DRUG WARS $80.00 $79.00 CD EA KIDS ARTS CENTRE FOR WIN $69.00 CD ECSTATICA $90.00 CD EZ LANGUAGE LEARN FRENCH/ GERMAN/SPANISH $129.00 CD FI9 HITS FOR SIX $30.00 CD FALCON GOLD IBM CD $99.00 CD FIFA SOCCER $84.00 CD FLASH TRAFFIC CD $89.00 CD FLEET DEFENDER GOLD $85.00 CD FUGHT OF THE AMAZON QUEEN $84.00 CD FUGHT UNUMITED $89.00 CD FULL THROTTLE $89.00 CD GAZZILIONAIRE $85.00 CD GREAT NAVAL BATTLES VOL III $35.00 CD HELL CYBERPUNK THRILLER $84.00 CD HI-OCTAINE $95.00 CD HISTORY LINE 1914-1918 $70.00 CD HUMANS 1 & 2 $49.00 CD INCA II $89.00 CD INDIANA JONES & FATE $59.00 CD INFERNO $85.00 CD INTERPLAY ANTHOLOGY 10 YEARS CD IRON ASSAULT CD JUNGLE BOOK CD KIDS ZOO CD KINGS QUEST ANTHOLOGY 1-6 $89.00 CD LANDS OF LORE THRONE OF CHAOS $90.00 CD LEGEND OF KYRANDIA $85.00 CD LESURE SUIT LARRY ANTHOLOGY $89.00 CD LITTLE ENGINE $29.00 CD LOST EDEN $80.00 COMPUTERS AND ENTERTAINMENT UNIT 8, 8 MIDAS ROAD. MALAGA, WA 6062 PH: 249 4599 PLEASE NOTE OUR FREECALL PHONE NUMBER FOR ORDERS ONLY 1800-655-099 PLEASE SEND ME . _ $ - 1 NAME ADDRESS_ $ TOTAL $ . POSTCODE PHONE 3 Bankcard -J Mastercard J Visa Expiry Dote Card Number ||||| I I I I I I 1 .]_ SIGNATURE_ I I I I I 16 »HYPER Reviews by Max Autohead LEGEND OF THE 4 KINGS Legend of the 4 Kings Episodes 3, WHY? WHY? WHY? Why, when there’s so much good stuff out there is anyone bringing crap like this to our shores? If you think I'm pissed about sitting through three hours of this drivel, then you're absolutely right! Sigh The basic premise of LEGEND is that hundreds of years ago dragons assumed the form of humans to blend in with humanity. Crash cut to today, where the powers of the dragons start to re- emerge through the four Ryudo brothers. In moves the bad guy, Gozen, a disgusting old man who controls Japan. He strives to capture the four brothers, who will provide him with the power he needs to continue ruling his mighty empire The brothers become pariahs of the establishment, and as they try to piece together what is happening to them, they must dodge the forces SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA after trying to tell them about his dreams, but wonders if there is anything more to his dreams than the wild imaginings of a Japanese school boy. By chance Ko-ichi stumbles across a group of Psychics that are organising world domination. The psychics, headed by Yomi, reveal Ko-ichi’s hidden psychic powers, and after a brief tussle and an offer of joining the group, Ko-ichi is revealed as Babel the Second...the chosen one! With his supernatural guardians Rohdem, Poseidon and Robross, Ko-ichi battles the good fight to stop Yomi and his insidious group from world domination. If this sounds like your cup of tea then be assured that the tech¬ nical considerations of the animation appear to be competent. Those of you that like the Guyver and 8 Man After might enjoy this series...though I worry about you. Boring as batshit. r / I A Rated MA 15 +. Distributed by Kiseki. J / 1 U When international terrorist activity in Tokyo switches to over¬ drive at the close of the century (ie any time now), the city demands justice. It’s a violent time and to compensate the gov¬ ernment institutes violent measures by forming the SSF; the Special Security Force. The SSF patrols cruise the city of Tokyo blowing away terror¬ ists in an orgy of gore and violence. To deal with the violent nature of their foes the SSF employ even more violent methods. They perform acts of torture and cruelty (some may even say criminal), as they patrol the streets employing the techniques used by death squads in certain South American dictatorships. Enter Angel, the newest member of the SSF. Her entrance is marked by a double tap to the head by a high powered handgun, emptying the victim’s brain pan onto the nearest wall. That, and certain other scenes like the SSF trying to blow away a little girl at point blank (mutant or not) were enough to make even me cringe, and I started to wonder if the rating on the cover was at all what it should read. Technically, the animation in this anime is superb. They’ve really got all their shit together in this department, and this is certainly a beautiful looking series. However, the story’s a bit bland, as well as somewhat predictable, and if you're one of those freaks that get animes for full on violent action, then you’re pretty much going to have you’re finger on the fast for¬ ward button for a long time A disturbing and morally suspect series. “j / I A Rated MA 15 -h. Distributed by Siren Entertainment. / / I U Back in the Eighties I remember reading the Viz comics trans¬ ANGEL COP of the government; be it military, police or corporation. The animation is slow and clunky, which I guess suits the pac¬ ing of the narrative (ie enough to put the Sandman to sleep), and I couldn’t help but feel that this was a completely uninspired piece of work. I was hoping beyond hope that episodes 3-6 would have some redeeming quality that surpassed the efforts of the first two instalments of the series. What I didn’t expect was for it to get worse The only good thing about the series is the opening and the closing soundtracks, which I found sorta cool. If you saw the first two episodes you’ll know what I’m talking about A Rated M 15 +. Distributed by Siren Entertainment. 4/10 Hands up those of you who love generic Japanese Manga Animes? C'mon, there must be some of you who don't get tired of the good old formula animations? No? Damn. Well, if there are any universities out there that want to study classic generic Animes, then Babel 2 is your baby. It’s as generic as they come. From the moment I pressed play on the VCR I started to yawn ...from the introduction of the lead character Ko-ichi, to witnessing the plot unravel I felt Mr Sandman creep¬ ing across the carpet.. The basic premise is this. Ko-ichi is a generic school boy who is troubled by dreams of prophesy. He’s alienated from his friends lations of Cobra. It quickly became one of my favourite titles, and I was disappointed when the translated series ended (along with Mai the Psychic Girl and Lone Wolf and Cub). Never heard of Cobra? Well he's the galaxy’s most feared pirate; a notorious outlaw want¬ ed by the Galactic Pirate Guild and every woman under the stars. With the suave of James Bond, the humour of Jackie Chan and the devastating "Psycho-Gun”, Cobra Fights and charms his way out of impossible situations that would leave Indiana Jones standing still. So how does the anime adaptation fare? Weeeeelll. As far as keeping true to the original characters it rates pretty well. Cobra is as funny and zany as ever, with the alien environ¬ ments as weird and wonderful as Terasawa's original comic ver¬ sion. The cheesiness is still there, highlighted by cheap looking screen wipes and special effects. It’s as sexist as they come (the video cover says it all), full of exploitative naked shots of women with star shaped nipples. But what have they done to the story? After the first entertain¬ ing half hour the entire anime seems to take a nose dive into the realms of blandness. Cobra seems to lose his humour and the envi¬ ronment becomes sparse, and it’s goodnight Gracie from there on Weirdly enough I’m glad I saw this anime, although I wouldn't bend over backwards to see it again Oh, I forgot to mention, the soundtrack is by YELLO. Rated M15 -f. Distributed by Siren Entertainment 7.5/10 HYPER’s charts are supplied by The Gamesmen Mega Drive 1. Brian Lara Cricket 2. Theme Park 3. Rugby World Cup 4 PGA European Tour 5. Triple Play Baseball 96 6. Jurassic Park 7. Batman & Robin 8. Soleil 9. FiFA Soccer ‘95 10. Boogerman SNES 1 Super International Cricket 2. Super Empire Strikes Back 3. Mortal Kombat 4. Claymates 6. Mortral Kombat 2 7. NBA JamTE 8. Donkey Kong Country 9. Mighty Max 10. Soccer Shootout Mega CD 1. Earthworm Jim 2. Supreme Warrior 3. Bloodshot 4. Slam City 5. Corpse Killer PC CD ROM 1. Mechwarrior 2 2. Star Trek Next Gen: A Final Unity 3. Full Throttle 4. PGA Tour Golf 486 5. Space Quest VI 6. Nascar Racing 7. Rise of the Triads 8. SimCity 2000 Collectors Pack 9. Dark Forces 10. Doom 2 PC 1. Warcraft 2. Descent 3. TIE Fighter 4. Super Karts 5. XCom2: Terror From the Deep 1. Wing Commander 3 2. Zhadnost (Twisted 2) 3. Syndicate 4. Return Fire 5. Space Pirates 7. Gex 8. Need For Speed 9. Space Ace 10. Kingdom - The Far Reaches 3DO Charts supplied by Sprint Electronics 3D0 MULTIPLAYER SEGA SATURN SONY PLAYSTATION ATARI JAGUAR NEO-GEO CD THOUSANDS OF PROGRAMS FOR YOUR PC CD-ROM ONLY $19.95 WINDOWS COMPANION: Contains over 3000 programs for Windows including all the latesi applications, games and more. GAMES AND ENTERTAINMENT: Contains over 1500 latest Games m all areas (Arcade. Adventure etc) This CD is a must for all Game Lovers. SOS: VOLUME ONE: Over 4000 programs covering all catergones. This CD Rom is a must for all those starting with PC CD ROM’s You must mention HYPER when ordenng SOUND, MUSIC & MIDI. Contains over 2500 programs for beginners to advanced musicians Into music? ThJS is the Cd Rom for you! GAMES COMPANION: Contains all the hints, cheats, trainers and solutions for almost every game Including over 3000* Doom levels EDUCATION: Over 3000 educational programs for pre¬ schoolers to university students Fun Learning for all the family We stock all the latesi m video game entortainmonl WowiH always give you helpful expert advice and onsuro prompt delivery anywhere around Australia We have now secured the distribution rights to our very own NTSC to R\L TV System convertor and the Super Nintendo Turbo Switch (Yes we speed up your SNES by 17 u <,i WouWyou Uko to receivo information on an the latest systems? If so, call us and ask to be part of our special Sprint List! Call for a FREE Catalogue mUEStE)(33iZ}(!Q,m RHONEISRRINTINOWI To Order: Simply phone our sales representatives and give them all your details. You can even pre-order items before they are released. Payment: We take cash, money order, cheque, c/c or COD (Cash on Delivery). Finance is available to approved purchases who visit our showroom. Australia Wide Mail Order Service Available PH: (03) 9427*9996 FAX: (03) 9427 0705 22 GREEN ST. RICHMOND. VICTORIA 3121 Dealer Enquiries are Welcome We Can Supply your Video Game Store with all the latest. Call us and see how we can save you money, ask for extension 100! All trademarks, Indica and logo's sra registered trademarks of their respective owners All prices are subject to change without notice. 3DO SUPER SPECIALS FIGHTING 3DO SWORD w/Slow Motion & Turbo now $29.99 (Save $20) THE INTERCEPTOR Arcade Style Joystick now $99.99 (Save $30) DRAGONS LAIR Arcade FMV Game now $49.99 (Save $50) You must mention this advert to receive this discount. This offer ends 15/10/95 (Happy Birthday Anna!). Or why not purchase the entire set for $170 (Save over $105 of the R.R.P). Stocks are limited so be quick. Call us NOW AND SAVE!!. *YEsipieasesendmeanoobligationFREEcatalog. Name: _ Age: _ Phone:( _ l _ Address: _ City/State: _ p/code: ^Systems ownedj FINAL FANTASY 6 InterVista WorldView VRML Browser for Windows: http://www.webmaster.com/vrml/ Paperlnc’s WebFX VRML Browser for Windows: http://www.paperinc.com/ SquareSoft, the makers of the "Final Fantasy" series and "The Secret of Mana" now have an official web site. This site has some behind the scenes looks at the making of Final Fantasy VI and for some strange and no-doubt typically Japanese reason includes info on how many days a year holiday the Square employees get. Also sneak previews of a new game called Siekhan Six (or something like that). SquareSoft of Japan: http://www.spin.ad.jp/square/ websites. Some cool, some just useful, so look around «.here's sure.. be something in the list below worth jacking into webspace for. ROGER BOLTON is your guide... Yes, Nintendo has just announced that the long delayed Ultra 64 is the world’s first gaming machine to be entirely virtual. Rather than being a 64 bit cartridge based console as widely thought, the U64 will actually be composed entirely of parallel bitstreams and use the Internet as a distributed processor. "This solves our storage problem, and meeting the US$250 price point, now the only problem is the access speed” said a Nintendo representative. Seriously, if you want to keep up on the latest gossip about the U64, then check out these two pages that both have more gossip , speculation and blatant falsehoods than the official Nintendo page. Captain Scot’s Ultra 64 Page: http://www.pitt.edu/~szm/nu64-cap.htm The Official Unofficial Ultra 64 Page: http: //www4.ncsu.edu/eos/users/s/sgbooth/www/u64page.html Take your pick of this month's rash of • A few issues back we did a quick feature on the future of the net and talked about VRML (Virtual Reality Mod¬ elling Language). Basically, this is a pro¬ ject to bring 3D virtu¬ al worlds to the inter¬ net. All you can do still in a VRML world so far is walk around and link to other worlds or web pages but already people are developing the capa¬ bility to add multiple user interaction, ani¬ mations and behaviours (l.e. gravity, manipulating objects etc). While still crude progress is being made and two companies have now released VRML browsers for Windows so those unlucky sods who don’t have a Silicon Graphics Indy or two lying around can now o check out what the hype is about. VR SOMA Creative Labs: http://www.creaf.com/ PC freaks can download the latest drivers for their Sound¬ Blaster cards from here. Virtual Soma: http://www.hyperion.com/planet9/vrsoma.htm A huge VRML model of part of the San Francisco area, wander around and into shops and other buildings, you’ll need a VRML browser for this one. Virgin Interactive Entertainment: http://www.vie.com/ Finally get their act together after being under construction for months. Some good info on new games like "The Eleventh Hour” and "Toonstruck” . Namco: http://www.namco.com/ Not much here yet, but I’m sure it’s coming. Watch for info on their new Playstation titles. leir send your websites to trawlin@hyper.com.au and for the on line version of web trawling, com plete with more hyperlinks than you can poke a virtual stick at try http://hyperactive.com/games/over flow/trawling/. mpP?IP 19 9 5 TRIPLE M ^ V"'v”':_ : '., , - .;a#i||: ^e biggest expo oF computer games, interactive multi media, music and imaging yet seen in Australia. Three eye opening days oF Fun, games, music & activities!!!!!!!!! For more info contact Tony Pool at High Profile Exhibitions Pty Ltd 365 Swan Street Rich Vic 3121 Aust Ph: (03T9428 0415 Fax: (03) 9428 9508 Mobile: 015 354 180 20 »HYPER PeeWee Vol. 1 CD PeeWee Ferris is one of the most respected and popular DJsin Australia. He has been responsible for remixing everyone and anyone from Vision Four-5 to...Kate Ceberano (!) and now the very groovy Reach'n Records has just released his very own remix CD (which is distributed through Shock). It contains the best and latest of pumping techno from around the world and HYPER highly recommends it. To win yourself one of 5 copies, send us the answer to this question: “Which Australian dance music store has released this CD?" Send to: PeeWee CD HYPER PO Box 634 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Donkey Kong Land & Game Boy If you can’t play GameBoy games in colour, then what’s the next best thing? Of course! Playing GameBoy games on a colour GameBoy! Well, anyway that’s what Nintendo believe...and to prove it they given us a spunky banana yellow one to give away. A spunky banana yellow GameBoy, that is. Plus a copy of Donkey Kong Country’s little monochrome brother, Donkey Kong Land. To enter, simply answer the question below: Which British developers made the original Donkey Kong Country? Send to: Donkey Kong Game Boy Comp Hyper PO Box 634 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 FlightStick Pro Something special for all you flight sim buffs. We’re giving away a very nice-looking FlightStick Pro joystick - the “ultimate combat stick for computer pilots” it says here. You will feel just like a real pilot, except there’s no danger of hurtling groundwards several thousand feet to your death. A good deal if you ask us. Just tell us one game you would like to play using the FlightStick Pro and send to Send to: I Wanna Be A Pilot HYPER PO Box 634 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Lords Of Midnight - Win $ Days In Venice! A quick reminder about this comp that you may have seen advertised in HYPER (and only HYPER) last month. Simply call the number below and answer the question: In Lords of Midnight, what kind of beast can you ride? There's a SoundBlaster Card and 8 copies of Lords of Midnight itself as runners- up prizes. But the winner is off to Venice for a week plus a bit more! Call 0055 36763. If under 18 get parents OK before calling. Comp closes 1st December 1995. Winners notified in the January edition of HYPER. And did we mention Venice? Killer Instinct?., on the Super Nintendo? OH YES. j| ie Bjggest. Sexiest, Most Gorgeous ing Game on the Planet is coming home. And to your home in particular, if you subscribe to HYPER this month, because we have a very cool SNES Killer Instinct Action Pack to give away to one very fortunate reader. A SNES. a copy of Killer Instinct, and Australasia's greatest gaming mag is there anything else worth living for? JUST DO IT OUT OF LOVE, OK? Fill out this coupon and mail it to HYPER, Reply Paid 634, PO Box 634, Strawberry Hills, NSW. 2012 Name _System _ Address _ 0024 . Postcode Suburb/Town_ Enclosed is my cheque/money order, or debit my credit card for $44.95 □ Bankcard Q Mastercard □ Visa Card No 1 | | | | 111 Mill | | | | | Expiry Date _ Signature 2 CY and EROTIC! the words used to describe the Sony Playstatl< Not convin ? Well, discover for yourself when you win one of two (that !) Playstation Ultimate Enteratinment Systems from Sony _ The Twin First Prizes: • The Playstation itself ® A 51cm Sony remote control TV • An additional Playstation Joypad • A Negcon Joypad for getting the most out of your games, which will be... • Ridge Racer! • Plus Toshinden! • Plus Mortal Kombat 3! • Plus Jumping Rash! ® Plus Air Combat! • And we’re also throwing in 3 Memory Cards for saving stuff. All these fabulous game-playing (and envy-inducing) goodies are valued at nearly $5000!!! So we’re saving your Mum a lot of r >ney... Twenty Runner’s-up will each receive a highly desirable Playstation ba: ?b« II cap! To win you must prove to us your incredible game-related knowledge by answering the following devilishly-hard question. Then cut out the form and send it to us: ULTIMATE PLAYSTATION COMP, Hyper, PO BOX 634, Strawberry Hills, NSW. 2012 Q: The Playstation is made by which international entertainment mega-corporation? A: Name Address Suburb/Town Postcode SOn read , % f/ 0ge sr, even. ft,. * Yourself: i»h Pe °l>'‘‘dorn^*' are *lhh 0it deem *‘>k (0m ' he > *H ,rr^ .„ i" “ p Href ty i fha} touch betvy t tog to >ur ie 6 e ] ’(ii - Tin olSHV !"***« andsT^^t ^Pened a /; 6 K * *»« 0 f 0Vyni " *n d ° ^ So one ^nhters ,, *. ° ne 6 ««fr ^not^^RCHY, ' j «of PVfl '"•tfir of th "»inio n "* sin e'* Ih, l Sers **» have or *1?" «<*£?** " et °'"of7„:7 i »*> ° 701/1. THE DOORWAY TO THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET UU AHEAD: VRML TOd® [pastis where it came from and how it evolved In July 1968 someone at ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency - US Department of Defence) requested that four remote sites be linked together. In 1969 ARPA chose BBN (Bolt. Beranek & Newman) to install the first Wide Area Network. The network became known as ARPANET and was a custom job. Special software was written for the Defence Department mini-corn puters and was. in a very crude form, the basis of the FTP (File Transfer Protocol) that we have today. By the early ‘80s ( 300 computers attached) ARPANET had grown to such an extent that the mili¬ tary research part of it was moved to another net. In 1984 the NFS (National Science Foundation) linked together various super computer sites around America. It was a step above the ARPANET because everyone who linked into it had a direct link with a super computer. NFSNET was highly popular. Other organisations (Government departments. Universities) who had their own super computers started to join. It went ballistic. By 1990 the Internet as we know it had started. yd)OH UD@@(J]o equipment. Obviously you need a computer, a telephone line and a modem. The modem is the only aspect you’ll probably need to worry about. Several brands at several speeds are available all begging for your money and its about the only purchase where you can make a mistake. The brand is up to you. Choose one that you like the look of or the name. Do not and I mean DO NOT buy one that is slower than 14400 bps unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands. The 14400 bps modems are the recommended minimum requirement for using the Internet properly. Anything below that speed makes using the Net intolerable. If it is possible get one that is 28800 bps. but a good rule is to buy the best you can afford. All you get when you buy cheap is trouble. Some of the budget models offer a lower price but have a lack of reliability that will make itself apparent at the most crucial time. Otow TTd) (£®ti (Dm' Getting on the Net is fairly straight forward. First of all you need to find a supplier. Just check at your local computer store they should have a list of those nearest you.. There are four kinds of connections available. 1) Mail only - the most basic of all (and the cheapest). Many servers and suppliers offer Internet e-mail as part of their services (often for no extra charge) and some also offer Usenet News support. E mail can provide many features avail¬ able on the Net with two drawbacks. Generally it is more difficult to use and some of the more useful aspects of the Net are unavailable. 2 ) Dial Up/Terminal This is currently the most popular choice amongst the little people i.e. you and me. This is where a big company links directly into the Net and then charges you a small fee - usually an hourly rate for its use through them. Al Ucillto Vtttt'f N U^J Ijy ® i o« j | a I & 1 Prm 1 fnt \ //vv« o«ntr*nr«/*iM#95/ ' | Vtulf Cool’ | HmAmIi 1 MH Store* | art car odor* 1 NrvHroM 1 presents: However, it is slow due to the fact that it is a two- stage process. You communicate with the big com¬ pany computer which then communicates with the server on your behalf. Another down side is that you can t use a graphical World Wide Web brows¬ er. Instead you use a character based one. This is not as bad as it sounds because it is generally faster than a WWW browser and fairly easy to come to terms with. It’s a great way to start. 3 ) Dial-In or SUP/PPP This is rapidly becoming the most popular service provider. Simply put. you subscribe to another company that has a direct link with the Net. The advantages are quite numer¬ ous. Firstly, you get your own user name, can upload and download directly from your computer and use the graphical WWW browser. Often the services are provided for a monthly fee with anoth¬ er amount associated with the amount of information you download (some¬ times no fee but the service charge is higher). Ideal for those who want to live on the Net. 4 ) Dedicated connection - Very Expensive! This is because it is a perma¬ nent and direct connection. Fast, efficient and you get to call yourself whatever you want. Only afforded by Government organisation, corporations, universities and very, very wealthy people. N®W Y(DD0 /km ®od WWW Netscape: At the centre of the WWW is a program called Netscape. It is what they call a browser. A browser gives the user a graphical magazine style inter¬ face for the Internet. They act as clients, that is they convert your requests into a form that can be recognised by multiple Internet services including Usenet. Gopher. WAIS. and FTP. Instead of having to load each of these applications the browser navigates through them and retrieves the information for you. This greatly enhances ease of use and the qual¬ ity of the Internet experience. The user is freed from the actual mechanics of using the Net and can be totally oblivious to the actual processes that are going on at the other end of the line. It works by a function called “Hypertext Links" which enables the user to jump from one piece of information to another by simply clicking a mouse button on some highlighted text. The text can be in a sentence or a title or a picture and what it can retrieve can also be any of these plus video and audio. It is the application that makes the Net dead easy to use. Information is presented in a uni¬ form and consistent way though the virtual world and presents it in an attractive way. Netscape is usually available free from the people who sold you your con¬ nection or you can download a copy from the Net. Dfl®w T® (&@ti Sticoiffc the secrets to down loading This is the most important section. The Internet is meant to be full of game demos, pictures, sounds, videos, hints, cheats and heaps of other tantalising stuff. Now. how do we get it? If you spend any time at all on the Net you will FUSE eventually come across information that you want to download. It could take the form of game patches. MIDI files, shareware programs or simple text documents. Transfer of files on the Net is han¬ dled by something called the FTP (File Transfer Protocol). An FTP site contains the information which can be downloaded by people with authori¬ sation. But. thankfully, there are many thousand of FTP sites that are free (called anonymous sites). Downloading files is as simple as moving folders around on the screen. You click on the one you want and click where you want it to go and the computer does the rest. So there are three million computers connected to the Net each with at least 20Mb of information - thats quite a lot of information. How can you pos¬ sibly find anything?! Archie is here to the rescue. Archie (derived from archive) is yet another use¬ ful application. You type in the name (or part thereof) and Archie goes away and searches through all the anonymous FTP sites. Once it's fin¬ ished searching it returns a list of all the files that fit the description. You simply click on the ones you want to look at and Archie goes away and retrieves them for you. And there are quite a few search programs so if you're unlucky with one you can > to 1 & 1 S 1 im a I a I Baca 1 1 1 Open Print \ find \ 1 Netitape: Twin Veto thelto VhU't Vtft'»Cool’| Hwtwx* I IWStrcfc ( MU CXractory| M»v»yovp« | tum*yeto P/giVerse Whoa and behofcl 1 If 3 (he quantum peorulauag ponton commons’? oflaervoe knovn as the TUM TETO DIGrVERSE < and ytuff Thought K n»'(, biarh 7 You nmy begin vwh das stupendous, mad-altering INI>EX0UlPFTHlNGAMAGfG Achoo • U yon think ve'se joking dank again, ox better yet don't think ad all Let w do* fox you Noer mow torvaxd into oux galaciit expanse of < 7-28-95 Digi verse Highlights! j&L always try another. All these applications are avail¬ able from the Internet Window the software sets us. Just click on the appropriate one and go (and you thought it was hard to cruise the Net!). jr«'c VW«W»v?| Netscape: iKRTfBORRD.tom a | ft <>.«<« Mw. ) JWSwrcliJ «ctlue: Buzz :-) It means you have just made a sarcastic or joking comment. Other smilies are: ( sad smiley you didn’t like the last statement I bored smiley S put your money where your mouth is ;-) winky smiley - flirtatious or ironic comment was just made user just made devilish remark :-7 wry smile. There are hundreds more of them. Make them up as you go along. They're great fun and a whole lot cooler than those acronyms. A (Lfisfl ®{F HmtomilnoDg [Pksss to Vitentf You must be kidding. Do you realise how many places there are? Literally millions of which all have something to say. Catch Net Trawlin’ each month here in HYPER for the best game related or otherwise groovy sites around, otherwise just do a search for the subjects that interest you. ft WQi a ft 1 Back Horn* Reload images Open Print Find 1 Vhat's h**-> I Vhst's Cool? | Handbook 1 Not Search | Net &iroctorg| | E323 111 TH| NtWS THAT DPI - ES3EH3 © Earthvorm Jim Goes PC 8kiay tk* crttiort of Ewtkwora Jim, k*v» ttgati u «xrl\um, ioag-ttrm vnk Amvut os vWl will «v*ryoa» t favour** worm skootlaf jUssim on PC tkrouyk tit uv Vuiovr 95 op*r*»uf ryrttm Skuy t*i Aclivwioa kavt *ko ajr**4 to jointly 4*v*k>p a j(M*-cf-»k*-wt, »» actios wkiek will k« for Btgt 6 am, So ay Playst* toa tad HlUtado USr* 64 txki Skinv't mw «agiM u a}pn*tly a two aal thrM-fcat&sioaal kykril uti will 4»ttv»r k»jk-«n4 (uaftioaalvy uei flenktlity Sklay Eit*rtm»«m, k*4*4 ky fwau* fvo David Ptrry, will retain ovunklf of tit atw ufin* tad tit riyk* to vs* tkt ttcknoloyy Tku IS a vary good daal (or Art m* ion wko kavt&t Lad too aaay kit till** la ntotai ytan Tkty may alio k« oato a good ikiag wvL tkair ccaairmtar to proviit tka k«*t («ahty aetkoa gusts for tit mw Vladowt optratiag systaa if ft as good at Microsoft tn ttUlag v Sis Pitfall Tka Mayas Adwst.ua will lauack timaltaaowly wltk Vladows 95 Actordia? to David Parry, Eartkwora Jus for Viadowr 95 will faaiwa rakaaetd graykict aad avdio, kw will ratals tka tvfvi gaiaiylay tkat mad* it tuck a kit os Maga Drtw aad 8\i»*r Ntattkfc Aad Mwr ftar. Jus fast, tkt Bkiay taaa an also kard at work oa tka s*(«al aad a preliminary remon sWould premkre at tkt E3 skew la Los Aagtlas ia May _ Jbal Document Done started to learn what all these acronyms meant. So in another effort to get ahead the techies have come up with a series of new acronyms relating to the Internet. I implore you not to learn them as you will be mistaken for someone who wanders around with a calculator and pendip in your top pocket and wears coke bottle glasses. Some of the more common acronyms used while chatting on the Net are: IMO/IMHO - in my (humble) opinion TTFN - ta ta for now (if you ever use this I will personally come round and cut your fingers off) RTFM read the freakin' manual (except it’s a bit ruder than that) ROTF(L) - rolling on the floor (laughing). But in all coolness forget acronyms. Smilies are much better. A smiley is a weird combination of characters that looks like someone is swearing in comic strip style. They follow at the end of a sen¬ tence to relay a particular thought. Your basic smi¬ ley is comprised of a colon and right bracket -" or Tib® FoDtoip® Even though the Internet is currently flavour of the month I doubt it will be long serving. The truth is it is based on old technology standard telephone lines which have limited bandwidth and com¬ munication rates. The Internet is more of a prototype for the Information Super Highway which should be here within the next decade. The ISH is built for the future. Fibre optic cables are being laid around the world and can communicate faster and more efficient¬ ly than any telephone wire could. Downloading of video images can happen in real time with fibre optics but not on standard phone lines. So what will be on offer then? The Internet gives us a hint at what the future can hold. You can down¬ load songs, movies, photographs and pro¬ grams. This will still be the core of the information system of the future but it will be faster and of higher quality. You can currently order products (e-mail order) from around the world ranging from pizzas to clothes. More and more external communications will be replaced by the opportunity to do it from the comfort of your home computer. You won’t have to leave home to live. Those of us who like to go out might find this a bit shocking but the external services will always exist. It will always be more fun to go shopping in real life. In short, the one thing the Internet is. is stored digi¬ tal information. Information can be anything from video to music to games to general text. Those four items cover many of our indoor activities these days. But at the heart that's all it is. It can’t save the world - yet. Yes. you can talk to other people around the world just as easily as you can talk to your neigh¬ bour and sometimes it is worth the effort. Overall, it is a new world full of so much that it can chew up your personal time like no-one's busi¬ ness. It’s worth a look but not a life. Be careful: it's a jungle in there. %bar do you think of when you think of Rugby League? Thirteen boofy blokes goin' the grope and trying to get a ball over their oppo^ nent s line? An American grandmother in a leather jumpsuir singing “Simply the Best ’? A Mega Drive video game from Electronic Arts? All three responses get the thumbs up. or at least they will in November when EA Sports release their first locally produced game. The game was the brainchild of Michael de Plater and his local production company. Dreamtime, who have been working on it for several years now. Michael sat down with HYPER Ed Stuart Clarke and talked about the Australian League game that will hopefully score big points, both here and overseas... How did you get involved in rhe video game world? It was probably three and a half years ago now when I first got my Mega Drive and had a huge revelation about the potential in video games and where they were going. From that I decided that this is what I want to do with my life and set about trying to work out how to do that, and how to get into the industry. I saw the potential for a Rugby League game and that was the first project I set out to do, because there was a market for it and it had the potential to be an excel¬ lent game in terms of the gameplay. From that stage I got a number of other investors together, one of them was my father, and went off to Taiwan to contract the programmers because we wanted to do it as cost effec¬ tive as possible. I worked on that for ages and finally got it finished around the end of 1993, but the game wasn't on the level that we would have liked it to be. What I had in my head and what actually came out in the game were two different things. At that stage we had people prepared to publish it, but as it was the first game and the basis for our whole reputation, it was really important that it was awesome, given that we would be judged on it. In it being a sports game, the obvious choice of pub¬ lisher to go to then was EA Sports. I don’t think too many people would argue that they do THE best sports games in the world and they could also perceive the potential of the game and the design and what we had achieved, even though we hadn’t gotten it to the level we wanted to. We built a partnership with them, to utilise their technology and their resources (studios, program¬ ming libraries etc), to actually take what we envisioned the game being and make that happen. Since that time, we (Dreamtime) have been acting in the production role, working with the development teams in EA UK to make sure the Rugby League game is awesome. What are the special features? The main emphasis is on gameplay. I suppose we’ve really used the EA philosophy though - “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game", in that the more accurately it is a Rugby League game, then the better the game's going to be. That’s the core of what we’ve done. Because there’s a couple of less players on each team as compared to the Union game, there’s more processor time so it can actually run smoother, faster and better and allows us to put a few more features in there as well. ICsgoL.4 player capability, and we've got international teams. There are 12 European teams in there so if peo¬ ple want to play Wigan versus Canberra they can. Of course we’ve got the State of Origin in there as well What are the other differences with the EA Rugby Union game? The EA Union game because of the license was fairly clin¬ ical. This one is going to be a lot more physical, so it will have injuries and the sound effects in the tackles will be a lot harder. With the license we didn’t want to be seen to be endorsing the biffo aspect too much, but we want to put a cheat code in there so that if you want to do it you can have the fights a la the NHL, which should be good fun. We've totally changed the gameplay for the kicks from the Union engine. In this one you’ll actually have the spe¬ cialised skills for the players a lot more defined. Whereas in the Union game it was pretty generic, a player was just a player, in League the backs will be clearly faster. There will be specialist ball skills like handling and kicking, and player numbers will be denoted so that you know who’s got the ball. We’re still sort of tossing up whether to have set plays off the scrum or not, because we want to keep it really free flowing and keep the level of the action up. The game will get an international release, even though its got ARL branding? Yeah, absolutely. If anything we’re looking at selling at least as many overseas as we do locally. In the UK in partic¬ ular, there's a market for a League game but because of the quality of the game we think we're going to be able to tar¬ get the core gamer market in the US as well and we’ll take an active role in the promotions at the time of the release.. . So you’re hoping that it will be like the Madden games in Australia. Nobody really plays Gridiron over here yet the games sell well because they're so bloody good... Yeah, although having said that, we’re under no illu¬ sions that it's going to sell as many as Madden in the US but we’re just going to make the game to a standard so that anyone who does rent it or plays it or hears about it. is going to want it. Initially it’s only for the Mega Drive. What about the SNES? For the 16bit it's just going to be Mega Drive and after that launch we’re going to assess which other formats to take it to. It’s not just a one off game though, it's building a franchise. You know, what Madden is and what FIFA is. This is the first title to launch that fran¬ chise which is why it’s so imperative that it’s good. It’s an officially ARL licensed game. How does the whole Super League/ARL drama affect you? r Vi* $ ' Vr 4 £ yf* ff I ■ SI ^ | ■ i ' » m* * "LV : \ % Well we want to have the game 100% accurate to what the competition is and at the moment there's a lot of potential for Super League but it's still in the future and the competition that is here and now and the teams that everyone is following are still in the ARL competi¬ tion. That's how we kept approaching it What did you think of ET's Rugby League which is probably the only other League game out there? It wasn’t to the level of what I had a vision of achieving, but what it did do is showed the potential for a Rugby League game because in spite of itself it was still really successful. It sparked me off thinking that a League would do so much better if it had awesome gameplay... Alan Border’s Cricket has done very well too and that’s not the best cricket game around... In the past they (Australian game producers) have tended to make it a whole self-fulfilling prophecy of thinking "Oh, we’re only making it for Australia, so we’re only going to make this much money, so we re only going to make it this good.” And that’s totally self- fulfilling because if you only make it so good then you’re not going to be able to sell it to the rest of the world. We want to make something really world class and we real¬ ly haven't got any choice other than to make it world class because its got to have that EA Sports logo on it. So what happens when your game is finally on the shelves in November? What are your plans after that? We re sort of in the process of analysing lots of differ¬ ent options, because we’re still focused on the goal, in the longterm, of having an in-house development studio and having a number of really successful ongoing fran¬ chises, so we're not just approaching it game by game. Will you be hiring local talent? Absolutely. What we want to do though is use Australian talent and the resources of EA international because it really does give you an edge in terms of mak¬ ing product that you can sell around the world. Having access to the EA studios and their talent around the world enables us to build up people locally. Finally, what are your favourite games of all time? It'd have to be Doom and at the moment Virtua Fighter 2 at the arcades is really cool. Sega Rally as well. There’s more of a ”WOW’ factor at the arcades at the moment. Obviously though I’ve played most of the EA Sports game, especially Madden and FIFA Soccer, to death. I spend too much of my life playing games, I should be doing more work!! 30 »HYPER Mortal Kombat 3 Good news gamers! The Mega Drive ver¬ sion of Mortal Kombat 3 fell into our small black Sega box this week, and the control pads have been complaining bitterly about their harsh pummelling ever since. The conversion is everything we had hoped for. The gameplay is virtually indistinguishable from the arcade version and the graphics aren’t far behind. The only really noticeable weakness are the backgrounds and the sound, but we were testing a Beta copy so these teensy problems may well disappear in the shrinkwrapped version. Most of the effort seems to have been geared towards knocking up great looking sprites that move fluidly. This is priority number one as far as we are concerned and Acclaim hasn't let us down. The gameplay is way faster than MK 1 and 2 by a huge margin. Together with the new "run" fea¬ ture, MK3 is one hyperactive little game. All the moves - whether stock standard, special or fatality, have survived the port intact. The arcade specials use exactly the same button combos, although we couldn’t get Sonya to do her whole range of attacks, but this may just be a Beta thing. The fighting style of MK3 has evolved perfectly from the straightforward fight¬ ing of MK 1 & 2. The wild acrobatics some characters pull seem more closely related to the SF series, spending most of a fight airborne and upside down isn’t uncommon and we love it. Fighting against the computer is now less intimidating for beginners, as there are three difficulty choices for the battle- plan (the tree of progressively harder opponents). The basic difference is the number of opponents you’ll come up against, experts should be able to cruise through the easiest in just a few min¬ utes. with the toughest option a serious threat to the most skilled kombatants. You’ll have problems if you don’t own a six button pad, you can still do the moves, but it’s a borderline case between fun and work. Ye old faithful uppercut is now done (on a three button pad) by hit¬ ting A and B simultaneously. Hitting just A results in a dicky low punch, while you need to hold B and C together for a high kick. Still, if you're a Kombater that takes their craft seriously, you probably have the full-on arcade stick. This is a serious game for hard core fight¬ ers. Besides being the greatest MK so far. it also leaves the SF series way behind. Even the new digitised SF: The Movie game can't compete. The slight stop/start feel of previous MK’s has gone, these fighters move so fluidly and with such instant responsiveness that timing is even more critical. Finding and mastering spe¬ cial moves is very important if you plan to do most of your fighting against the com¬ puter, as even on the easiest settings that CPU happily opens up with a dazzling array of specials and combos. You can still fight a clean fight, that is. not bothering too much about special moves, it’s just that your prospects for survival are way smaller than was the case previously. But you don't buy a game like this without expecting to nail everything it has to offer, and MK3 is chokka with cheats, moves and secrets that’ll keep you at it for ages. At this stage we’ve only seen the Mega Drive version, but the SNES game is also looking very special indeed and the Playstation conversion looks arcade perfectWe’ll be giving this gem the full treatment next month. That is, if our control pads survive the ordeal. HYPER» 31 32 »HYPER UP, UP & It's been a bleak time of late for flight sini fans. But now the horizon is dotted with incoming titles. They should satisfy PC pilots regardless of how seriously they take their combat. From up and at ‘em games like Top Gun, to the extreme realism of Falcon 4.0, there’s something for all ranks. Unfortunately Falcon 4.0 (which is what we’re most excit¬ ed about) probably won’t appear until around February or March next year, and the sum total of our information on it appeared in HYPER #18 . Not to worry though, there are titles here hot enough to attract a sidewinder. So strap in and pre¬ pare for the year of the flight sim. Jetfighter 3 AWAY new flightsims go ballistic Thrustmaster F 16 FLCS Limited Edition We’ve always said that a game is just a game without the right periph¬ erals. Flight sims in particular require the right gear to both maximise functionality and realism. Simmers who take their flying seriously choose Thrustmaster. As Oscar Wilde said “moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess”. Bearing this in mind. Thrustmaster have produced the F-16 FLCS Limited Edition. While the standard FLCS took hands-on realism to new heights, the Limited Edition pushes the envelope to beautifully ridiculous new extremes. Only 5000 will be made, and they’ll sell for US$499.95. All-metal construction and brass plates give it the look and feel serious sim¬ mers would die for. We don’t expect anyone to actually buy one of these, but it’s so pretty we couldn't help but print the picture. Mmmmmmm... Thrustmaster. * * Jetfighter II was the premier PC combat flight-sim of its day. The flight model was plausible, the missions tough yet achiev¬ able and the graphics were a quantum leap ahead of anything else. Spectrum Holobyte’s Falcon (well before 3.0) was around at the time, but its impressive flight model was dragged down by the smallest war zone ever and dull mission design. Jetfighter II ruled, although it did have a problem with close-in dogfighting which was due to a combination of poor enemy A.I and a flight model not designed to cope with the twisty stuff. Fans of JF2 have been hankering for a sequel for yonks, and JF3 was due for release almost two years ago. Now it looks like it’ll hit the tarmac in time for Christmas. The new game puts you in the cockpit of the new F-22 air superiority fighter. It's America's replacement for the F-15 and is capable of extreme performance in almost any situation - whether it be high-G dogfights or high altitude recon dashes. The F-16 and F-18 are also mod¬ elled, but why you would fly them when the F-22 is available is beyond us. The scenarios cover almost every hot¬ spot in this unstable old world of ours, with the old faithful United Nations Rapid Deployment Force excuse used to justify your presence in so many varied and dissimilar countries. While the new game makes the usual claims about flight model realism and accurate mapping of real-world terrain, it's the graphics that grabbed our atten¬ tion. Little details make all the difference in a flight-sim. JF3 features goodies like advanced mist effects which allow grad¬ ual visibility through clouds and missile plumes that actually look real. In addi¬ tion. improved treatment of polygons means more solid looking objects and no more warping at close range. While JF3 won’t have the complete attention to detail that’s expected from Falcon 4.0, it looks to be a hot fly any¬ way. Aimed at PC pilots who can't be bothered with a 300 page manual, JF3 should still appeal to more serious com¬ bat aces, as well as training-wheels pilots. HISTORY PILOT NOTES COMBAT VARIANTS The F-22 is a capable, albeit expensive tighter which should begin replacing the F-15C in 2004 The USAF started to work on a new long-range air-superiority tighter in the early 1980s Their goal was to build an aircraft which could beat the new MiG-29 and Su-27 whilesurviving the Soviets's dense surface-to-air missile (SAM) defense systems in CentralEurope. Lockheed/Boeing YF-22 Apache Longbow V Apart from Comanche, there have been no recent chopper sims worth playing. The release of Apache Longbow will give vertically inclined combatants just what they’ve been waiting for. The sim s number 1 credential is that it's from Digital Integration, the English team that gave us Tornado. Complete technical realism will be Apache's forte, with outstanding SVGA 3D graphics a nice little bonus. Originally due for release mid ‘95. the game (like Falcon 4.0) has been held back for redevelopment as a Windows 95 game. Now it’s expected to appear early in the new year. Apache is virtually guaranteed success. Dead serious PC pilots will find it impos¬ sible to stay away from, mastering com¬ plex systems and having dozens of things to worry about at a time are what they like best, and Apache is set to deliver. PC CD ROM Available: JAN-FEB ’96 Category: FLIGHT SIM Players: 1-2 Werewolf vs. Comanche Many avid flight simmers consider Nova Logic's Comanche to be just a pretty action game. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the flight model may not be perfectly accurate, the game conveys a sense of immersion almost no other sim can match. The superb 3D world allows full terrain masking in a manner far more convincing than the over-rated Gunship 2000. With a CH or Thrustmaster HOTAS setup, the feeling that you're really in a combat zone has never been more real. Pop-up strike attacks, dogfighting, night missions, the whole combat shebang is recreated per¬ fectly with this masterpiece of design. Now the sequel is just around the cor¬ ner, and will be a lot more than we have any right to expect. Werewolf vs. Comanche is two games for the price of one box. Depending on your mood or preference, you can either slide the new Comanche CD in the tray and fly the American RAH-66 attack chopper, or instead insert the second CD and pilot the Russian equivalent - the KA-50 Werewolf Or. better still, lend one of the CD s to a modem equipped chum and fly head-to-head! And if you're lucky enough to have more than one friend, as well as access to an IPX compatible net¬ work. then up to eight of you can go wild trying to kill each other (or co-operating to take out the enemy). Naturally the deservedly famous Voxel Space 3D engine has been tweaked for improved graphics and speed Translucent smoke effects, realistic explosions and debris modelling for example. Other improvements include more accurate modelling of the helicopters flight characteristics and refuelling and rearming mid-mission. Werewolf vs. Comanche should hit the shelves before the end of the year, and may well turn out to be one of the years truly hot titles. HYPER» 33 34 »HYPER Top Gun: Fire at Will Purist flight simmers will avoid Top Gun the game as enthusiastically as purist movie-goers avoided Top Gun the movie. But occupying the lowest com¬ mon denominator niche of the flight sim world will probably just mean more sales, for this is more accurately described as a flight game, rather than a sim. This is mostly a good thing. Many well- intentioned gamers are daunted by the depth and complexity of most sims, and Top Gun will offer painless access to the rewards a good sim can bestow. Players will find themselves in the fly¬ ing boots of a Tom Cruise type jock (whether they like it or not). Loads of interactive FMV is incorporated to make the player feel that they're a part of the Top Gun world. The game loosely fol¬ lows the movie's plot. Initially you’ll be sent off to prove your worth at flight school, eventually ending up in carrier defence dogfights. As an indication of the mass market appeal Spectrum Holobyte are hoping for, Top Gun is planned to appear on: PC, Mac, Amiga, SNES, Mega Drive, 3DO and CD-I. Combat in Top Gun is likely to bear lit¬ tle resemblance with reality. The game is based on the F-14, which is designed to kill its targets at ranges of up to 100 miles by way of the Phoenix missile. If an F-14 ever gets to actually see it’s target, odds are it failed its mission. These long- range intercepts will almost certainly be compromised in the interests of good action gameplay, with plenty of close-in combat to keep players adrenalin up. Knowing Spectrum Holobyte’s reputa¬ tion for realism, this trade-off is likely to be compensated by excellent flight-mod¬ elling and accurate landing procedures. The game looks very pretty too. Normally this is an indication of where the developers priorities lie, but Top Gun looks to offer gamers a well-balanced flight combat experience. PC/MAC/SNES MEGA DRIVE/3DO Available: NOVEMBER ’95 Category: FLIGHT SIM Players: 1-2 Publisher: SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE iS - i varf r r ' am^ QQj$3 fm: t5lt5l44 mii PAHS spti *Q2$5 iwntot-.gff Minim: gg-gg-ff TFX: EF2000 TFX: EF2000 is without doubt the best looking combat sim we’ve ever seen. But will it rise above the sub-standard flight dynamics and flawed gameplay which plagued it’s predecessor - TFX? Designers D I D say so, and with the bad experience of TFX to motivate them - we believe what they say. The sim is based on the new Euro Fighter 2000. A fine choice too, the air¬ craft is fast, stealthy and manoeuvrable, and has a massive payload capability which includes provision for air-to- ground missions. D.I.D excel in creating fantastic 3D worlds, but have yet to prove their mettle in the dynamically accurate department. If EF2000 turns out to be a winner in both areas, then the game will be truly classic. PC CD ROM Available: JANUARY ’96 Category: FLIGHT SIM Players: 1-2 Publisher: D.I.D Hair by Perry Farrell, Eyes by Kurt Cobain, Lips by Courtney Love, Jacket by Bono, Nose b y Smashing Pumpkins, Boots by Juliana Hatfield, Hand used to hold Janet Jackson’s left breast THE e m b o d y m e n t of Rock. 36 »HYPER In Your Face For our parents, the defining moment of their generation was either the assas¬ sination of JFK or John Lennon (depending on how old they are). They remember where they were and what they were doing. For us, it is the moment we first set eyes upon Doom. In an instant everything else in our lives became secondary. All that mat¬ tered was getting a copy of this unbe¬ lievable game and playing it until the effects of severe sleep deprivation took hold, then playing it some more. Sure. Wolfenstein3D was cool and 3 D First person Perspective Games Come Out to Play Ultima Underworld was interesting, but this was real. Full-screen, ultra-violent and pure fun. It was nothing less than a new genre in a world crowded with tiresome variations of the same boring theme. Clearly, the first-person perspective action game is a favourite of both developers and gamers alike. The suc¬ cess of Dark Forces. Heretic and Descent prove that the genre is here to stay and creative boffins around the world are just beginning to explore the possibilities. Here are previews of just some of the new titles expected soon . Sabotage Romero & Co. at iD have some serious competition in the form of Sabotage, because this game features some innovative features that blew us away when first we heard of them. Foremost must be the sup¬ port for multiple players on one computer. Get this - each player dons a special pair of “shutter glasses", these enable full-screen views for each player on the one screen! Each player sees only their own viewpoint while they huddle around the shared key¬ board. System speed suffers if too many players are hooked in, but for two player action we reckon this is sheer magic. Not content to leave their miracle- working at merely this little wonder, Epic have built an action game that has players flying around interiors Descent- style, then outdoors for some Terminal Velocity type flying combat. Still not impressed? OK, how about some serious 3D real world modelling. The game starts with the player in a helicopter circling a base, you jump out whenever you feel like it and wait for a transport plane to drop supplies. Maybe the gunboat offshore is bother¬ ing you? No worries, just wade into the water and swim under it, a vertical firing of your missile launcher should solve that little problem. All 3D objects will be treated as real as you want. Pick up a box and use it as a shield, or you may prefer to use it as a weapon to throw, or hit someone over the head with it. Too much! The final graphics should look pretty fantastic. These shots are actual levels - but with Doom textures as it's still in the Beta stage of development. Sabotage looks set to take the genre to new levels which were previously merely fantasy. Expect to be playing it within six months. Shadow Warrior V The 3-D Realms crew are part of the Apogee family, and gave us the game we love most right now - Terminal Velocity. Their latest project is Shadow Warrior, but little is known about what to expect at this stage. Doesn’t matter much though, as we're pretty sure to be playing it no matter what the plot/premise/sce¬ nario is. So far it looks like just another unbelievable first-person shooter with loads of weapons, violent situations in which to use them and evil baddies to use them on - sigh... ain’t life tough. A Quake For gamers, there is no single word more likely to induce fits of salivating excitement than Quake. The gurus at iD Software have been working solidly on the game ever since they conquered the world with Doom. But until now, almost no genuine Quake news has been available. The dam of secrecy has finally broken, iD have released screenshots of the 3D architec¬ ture we can expect, as well as a few Quake facts. The Quake news is scant, but for the community of gamers that live for this stuff (us, you, everyone else), it’s gold. While iD are keeping many of Quake's features secret, here is what we do know: • Quake will run a smoothly as Doom does on the same PC. • Nine Inch Nails will be doing the spe¬ cial effects sound, however there will be no music in the game. • Sound will be 16-bit at 22 Khz. 3D sound will be built-in All digital sound cards are supported. • Deathmatch at modem speeds of 14400 will be supported. • 8 Mb RAM will be the minimum, with screen resolutions up to “whatever you can handle”. 3D video accelerators will be supported. • Network play will support as many players as the system can handle Support for all network types will be implemented. Network play will be faster than a single player/machine vs. CPU opponents. • All control keys can be customised. • Looking up and down is done automat¬ ically, with a manual override possible • VR headsets will be supported. • Quake will feature “lots of magic”. There is no comparison between Quake and Heretic (or anything else). • The objects in Quake will be true 3D. • The first versions will be DOS and Win95, ports to other platforms will fol¬ low soon after. • Quake will be an action RPG MUD type of game. • Quake should be out by Christmas! < H i $ HYPER» 37 38 »HYPER Witch Haven Capstone aren’t generally known for quali¬ ty games, so when the Which Haven demo turned up we were pleasantly surprised. The playable demo has been released as shareware (you can download it from Hyperactive!), with the full game available shortly. Witch Haven puts you in a D & D fantasy world. Weapons are the knives, crossbows and sword variety and the beasties the gar¬ goyle and mutant sewer beast breed. Playing Witch Haven requires a slightly dif¬ ferent approach, racing around on a joyful killing spree means a short life and not much fun. This is a game that wants you to think a bit and sneak around carefully until you've got a big enough stick to start mak¬ ing a nuisance of yourself. Close-in slashing early on in the piece usually results in more baddies left alive than dead, and (curious¬ ly) a broken dagger. A SVGA option is there if you’re pack¬ ing Pentium power (or a fast DX4), it looks real enough to scare us and runs surprisingly smoothly. Still, as good a play as it is, we await the full version in the hope that Capstone have finally learnt what it takes to knock up a decent game. Shellshock It had to had to happen! It's almost here! Pump it up ’cause it’s homeboy Doom and it’s cornin’ atcha from da boyz at Core. We knew it all along, the real protectors of todays crumbling society are the badass boys on the street. It’s true now and in 1997 it’ll be even truer - that's what Core Design say and we believe every word. With the world infected by the ugly dis¬ eases of terrorism, injustice and corruption, societies only hope rests with Da Wardenz. Deyz packin' da power of da M-13 Predator Battletank, da meanest mutha on da streetz. Your job is to cruise da trou- blespots of da world, taking out any dumb mutha that tries to get in your way. What this all really means, is that Core Design have come up with Doom in a tank, with a crew packing serious atti¬ tude there to keep things running the way they should. We like the sound of it. The graphics have been done entirely on SGI machines and look pretty damn cool, the battletank’s weapons can be upgraded as the game progresses and the missions are storyline based, covering many different international situations. So why the cast of homeboy extras? Call 911 and find out. 911 is the homie that'll deliver an airstrike whenever you need it. Props will outfit your tank with new weaponry and Earshot keeps tabs on elec¬ tronics and communications. There’s more homies to help you out, but if you ain't got what it takes then maybe you don’t belong with Da Wardenz in the first place. Naturally the soundtrack pumps with some awesome rap and hip-hop courtesy of Martin Iveson and Bar None. We re looking forward to having a play with this one, so when we do - we'll tell you all about it! PC CD ROM SATURN PLAYSTATION 32X/3DO Available: OCTOBER Category: HOMEBOY DOOM Players: 1 (PC supports network play) Publisher: COREDESIGN Duke Nukem 3 D Forget all your pre-conceived opinions about the early Duke Nukem games, loose the anti-Apogee attitude and get set for one of the hottest 3D action games ever. Check out the screenies, the game combines all the elements we really love about this genre. The cool sci-fi setting looks spiffo, the baddies are comical but still threatening and the use of gadgets and devices is over the top. Duke Nukem 3D embraces all that is good and right about pointless violence. In your quest to save the world, baddies must be dealt with that have bothersome capabilities like flight. Novel weaponry is the solution to this and other problems. From an absurdly powerful array of point and shoot weapons, to good old fash¬ ioned putting the boot in. Apogee are hoping to have the game fin¬ ished by the end of the year. We want it now though! Watch for more info on Duke Nukem 3-D as it breaks, we’re hanging. Prepare 'or Take ofl DUE SEPTEMB Also distributed by E.A. 40 »HYPER Batman Forever Holy digitised graphics. Batman! We're in for some serious action in the old spandex tonight! When it comes to the caped crusader, the movie-to-game con¬ version side of things has been pretty darn good. Remember what good value Batman Returns was? Well, it looks like we can all be prepared for some steamin’ hot gaming when Batman Forever gets its official release. Take a look at these screen shots! It looks like a miniature Mortal Kombat, gone platformer — and gee, it sorta plays like it too. But the real icing on the cake is that you get to kick Jim Carrey’s butt! You're outta here you pink-haired loser! From the un-finished version we received here at HYPER, Batman Forever looks set to be quite tasty indeed. Choosing either to battle the evil forces as the Dark Knight himself or the boy-wonder, Robin, this is a tough as nails scrolling beat 'em up. There's noth¬ ing terribly original packed away in this here cart (at least not yet), but the whole platforming beat 'em up concept has been given a good shake-up with the introduction of a Mortal Kombat-style approach to the fighting. Batman has a host of very cool moves to execute (including a sexy roundhouse back kick) that feel very Kombat-like — I counted about 12 moves (there could be more, and let’s not forget the ability to use “items” either). But that doesn't mean you can simply waltz your way through the hordes of thugs with your superhero prowess... all the enemies seem to fight intelligently. Now this is where the Kombat parallels come in... the enemies know when to block your moves and counterattack. And if you're surrounded on both sides... well life can get tough. The fighting in this here cart actually takes strategy! No more constant pounding on the punch button like in most other scrolling beat 'em ups, Batman Forever looks like being a game for the skilled fighter. Now although these digitised graphics and hot fighting gameplay look like set¬ ting Batman Forever up as a bit of a classic... the levels did seem very repeti¬ tive. The game seems to be quite content with just the fighting aspect and frankly it gets a bit dull. Batman has some cool toys, like battarangs and grappling hooks, and there are platforms and levers etc. — but when it came down to it, it was still just a scrolling beat 'em up that never steers from it’s highly linear fight¬ ing course. But we were only playing a test version and we'll only know the final result when the final version arrives, so hold on tight and read HYPER SNES/MD Available: OCTOBER Category: PLATFORM BEAT ’EM UP Players: 1-2 Publisher: ACCLAIM ABOVE: SNES BELOW: MEGA DRIVE Virtual Karts We reckon HVPER readers are the sort of funsters who turn to their local indoor Go-Kart center for an occasional adrena¬ lin rush. If that’s you, then may we com¬ pliment you on your excellent taste in fun. If you haven’t yet. then do it now because it's an unbelievable experience. Getting a taste of that excitement on a PC has so far been impossible. There was Super Karts a while back, but it was sadly lacking in the all-important realism dept Then there was Wacky Races - but it’s best not to think about that one. Luckily (and as always) Microprose has come to the rescue. Virtual Karts is their latest driving sim and boy does it honk. While Karts may be the baby brother of the motor racing world, they are demand¬ ing and a win is usually 100% due to dri¬ ver skill, and not which team has the rich¬ est sponsor. That said, the game caters for customised racing by way of the upgradeable tires, chassis and engine. Just like we knew they would. Microprose have captured the feel of Karting perfectly. Massive power-slides are the way most karts find their way around corners, and Virtual Karts lets you do just that with per¬ fect control. Karts don’t accelerate too well, the game reflects that and the need to keep your speed high through corners by taking them sideways. The view from behind the wheel imparts the most amazing sensation of speed, that plus the aggressive attitude of the CPU drivers equals a seri¬ ously exciting racing game. Helping the realism along are the gorgeous SVGA graphics you’re now feasting your eyes on This means a fast 486+. but nobody ever said motor racing was a cheap hobby. Modem and Network play are there too, but we expected this because Virtual Karts sounds like a near-perfect multi¬ player game. Together with Grand Prix 2 - also from Microprose, PC racing fans are set for one of the best Xmas’s ever. Commente Countdown DUE OCTOBEP issue :tfighter i fuRi • Donkey Kong I..I tiff Sup^flLS Country MORTAL KOMBAT 2 STUNT RACE FX "riSSiS^S HYPER »„ 1 HYPER » Address: __ Enclosed is my cheque/money order for HYPER issue/s □#i m#2 m#3 n#4 m#6 m#7 n#9 m#io n#i3 n#i5 n#i8 □#« n#2o n#2i n#22 at S7.50 each (including postage and handling) Send to HYPER Back Issues, PO Box 634, Strawberry Hills, 2012. No home is complete without the complete collection of HYPER. But don’t despair. For a mere S7.50 an issue (including postage and handling!) you can regain your street credibility. Be warned, there are only limited stocks of issues #1 and #3. New Zealand readers please pay AUDS7.50 per issue. Issue #1 SF2 Turbo and SCE, Aladdin, Jungle Strike Play Guide Issue #2 Sonic Spinball and CD, Super Empire Strikes Back, Pocky and Rocky Play Guide. Issue #3 NBA Jam, Rebel Assault, Aladdin Play Guide and VR founder Jaron Lanier. Issue #4 Virtua Racing, Doom, Sonic 3, Clay Fighter, NBA Jam Play Guide. Issue #5 Sold Out Issue #6 Mechwarrior, Mega Man X, Ultima 8, Sonic 3 Play Guide plus Music Video in the 90s. Issue #7 Streets of Rage 3, Turn and Burn, PC Sub Sim Special. Issue #8 Sold Out Issue #9 Mortal Kombat 2 Preview, Stunt Race FX, Theme Park, Clayfighter Play Guide, Issue #10 Super SF2, Mortal Kombat 2, TIE Fighter, Harpoon 2, Subterrania Play Guide Issue #11 Sold Out Issue #12 Sold Out Issue #13 Donkey Kong Country, 32X Preview, System Shock, Doom 2 & Urban Strike PlayGuides Issue #14 Sold Out Issue #15 Top 100, Wing Commander 3, Ecstatica, Super Punch Out, Magic Carpet, Issue #16 Sold Out Issue #17 Sold Out I per i Issue #18 Virtua Fighter vs Tohshinden, Dark Forces, Super Punch Out & Ecstatica Play Guides, Ridge Racer, Issue #19 Mortal Kombat 3 arcade, Dark Forces & Wing Commander 3 Play Guide, Chris Roberts. Bioforge, Decent. Issue #20 Daytona USA, Ed Boon & John Tobias. Dark Forces Play Guide, Gex, Panzer Dragoon, Issue #21 Rebel Assault 2, Mechwarrior 2, Slam ’n Jam 95, Full Throttle & Bioforge Play Guides. Issue #22 Playstation, Primal Rage, Star Trek - Final Unity Play Guide. HYPER » ^ HYPER » Averting* * ft MAftCM 94 VIRTUA RACING _ INTO THE FUTURE .. _ —“—« J Li— MECHWARRIOR ^"<1 Cl HYPER Mi HYPER » IHYBERiSli! HYPER » HYPER» ^Soga:s32'X * * * As we reported in our July interview with Mortal Kombat creators Ed Boon and John Tobias there will definitely be a new arcade version of MK3. No MKIV yet, just an upgrade to coincide with the new home conversions. It will be released in late October. What is for certain is that there will be twenty characters included (with the expected couple of hidden ones also). Original MK3 characters will all make the trip across safely. But also coming on board will be a few stragglers still arriving from MK2. And they are: Jade. Kitana, Reptile and Scorpion. For those who real¬ ly have to know these things, some purely cosmetic changes have been made to these four. Yes! You can play Scorpion in a different colour! You can be Kitana with some frilly bits across her chest! We are also promised four new backdrops as well. And a new twist to the storyline. Don't get too excited, people. Of more interest to us is the possible addition of a tag-team tournament mode. Plus each original MK3 character is capable of performing an additional move, while the MK2 characters will each have a new set of moves and fatali¬ ties and stuff. As for secret bits, there will be three Ultimate Kombat Kodes for you to play around with (including a secret character), some possible "transformations", and a new IK) They’re obviously not ones to rest on their laurels at Namco. Tekken has only just made it successfully to the Playstation and now we hear that a sequel is already on its way. The imagi¬ natively-titled Tekken 2 will hopefully be in the arcades by March next year. Responding to criticism (ours, no doubt) Namco have made several alterations, most of them graphical ones. Firstly, the backdrops have been improved, with the parallax scrolling looking more realistic. Secondly, each fighter has been given a visual tweak or two, making for smoother animation and better looks all round. They have also added a couple of new characters. Jun sports some snazzy tight knee-length black pants, while Lei is very much the dapper figure in his brown trousers and braces. And of course, some of the moves have been "adjusted” to make for a fairer fight. Although I won't tell you exactly which so the element of surprise remains (actually, I really have no idea what they have changed...). $ c \ Going off on PC CD Rom'.l distributed by E hidden game (after Pong and Galaxians, it But most importantly of all. the dinky must be time for Gyruss, please). game of Galaga you could play while More rumours? Well, we only know Tekken loaded on the Playstation will be about eighteen of the twenty characters succeeded by Gaplus. There’s one for all so far...There have been various vague you early 80s arcade-trainspotters... reports, unconfirmed sightings, spurious - lir - :jrmi - misinformation, and outright lies regard- I ing just who will be the Other ■ Two...Smoke? Mileena? Noob Saibot? Or possibly some as-yet-unseen...? Only HYPER will deliver you the Truth 'SpfegJ so, er, we’ll keep you posted. L A I 3 I A I 1UI> Available: NOW ° Category: 3D PLATFORM ° Players: ONE ° Publisher: SONY ° Price: $89.95 » Rating: TBA Visuals 82% - Simple polygons do the job perfectly. The sensation getting up high, then falling all the way down again is conveyed with gut- wrenching realism. Sotlfld 65% - Japanese game music - you know it, you hate it, you've just got to accept it. The candy-cute monster noises are actually as funny as the designers must have intended. Gameplay 89% - Once you get a handle on the unusual controls, you'll be springing around happily on mile-high platforms not much bigger than your shoe size. Longterm 78% - Six worlds, three levels in each, the last of which is always a boss in an arena. Short bonus stages bulk it out a bit, and the knock-out gameplay makes for top replay value. Overall 83% Simple enough for kids to get a grip on, deep enough for grown-ups to have a hoot with. A top game which brings all it’s elements together beautifully. 44 »HYPER REVIEW Hooray for the Playstation! Now that the people have the power, games like this are possible and we're so happy we don't think we'll ever come down. BEN MANSILL can jump puddles, so the rocket robot rabbit was a natural transition... A 3D platform game, what a concept. To do one is blindingly obvious, but until now, there simply hasn't been a console with power to handle the intensive 3D action. Now that the era of the super console is with us, so are games like Jumping Flash. The first beneficiary of this brilliant new genre is the Playstation. Clones for all consoles will undoubtedly follow, but it's clear from the first few minutes of playing Jumping Flash that Sony got it right first time. Jumping Jack Robbit In the world of Jumping Flash you pilot a Robbit. It's a robot rabbit you see, so it’s a Robbit. Obvious really. Everyone should have a Robbit of their own, the stuff they can do is impressive - to say the least. Your showroom fresh Robbit can zoom around at ground level in a Doomy sort of way, but it's special talent is jumping high, real high. Three stages of jump can be used, press a button and up you go. press it again just at the apex and your ballistic trajectory continues, hit it again at the second apex and there ain't nothing you can't reach. This is a fairly convenient ability, because the platforms you have to get to can reach miles into the clouds. The game levels are designed with wit and flair. Getting around takes some forethought and a hefty dose of bravery. The point of it all is pretty basic, just collect the four Jet Pods on each level and you’re on your way. It sounds deceptively easy and looks it too. Usually all four pods are within sight as each new level starts, but more often than not the seemingly abundant time limit will be ticking down the final sec¬ onds when you finally make it to the exit. The levels are comparatively small too. it’s perfectly possible to see the entire game world from a high vantage point. But being small geographically means little, there are so many platforms it's unlikely you'll visit even half of them. So why are they all there? Because the puzzle element means there is usually more than one way to get to a particular spot. Jet Pods are predictably located on impossibly high and far platforms. Tiny ones too, usually. Mis-time your leap and the long plummet back to ground level means you have to do it all over again - that is, unless you happen to miss the ground floor entirely, then it’s game over as Robbit sails past the mid-air suspended game world and onto the hard earth far below. Deceptively Cute So far so good, but there’s a whole lot more to Jumping Flash than basic item collecting. A minor distraction is the presence of some deceivingly cute Japanised animals. One second you’ll be admiring the first Giraffe you see - big, friendly and cute, the next you’ll be either fleeing or returning fire as Mr Friendly opens up with a lethal barrage of laser fire. Evil is present in other forms too, there are crabs which push bombs around, they relentlessly follow you and detonate their cargo if you get too close. Huge cannons fire guided missiles, penguins bounce around shooting madly... you get the idea any¬ thing cute is probably fatal. Wasting nasties rewards you with a variety of extremely useful power-ups, special weapons, time extensions and time freeze are the most highly prized. Doing the dirty work isn’t the challenge it should be though, your weapons have the range to snipe across the whole playing field, so risk taking is virtually non-existent in combat. But but but, the lack of any serious challenge in the shooting dept, is more than compensated by the level design. The devices are ingenious, from the predictable moving platforms and trampoline bouncy launchers, to massive fans that let you hover and secret rooms hidden in the Doom-style corridor levels. Jumping Flash asks a lot of the player, you have to perform with agility and dexterity, as well as think carefully about what you’re doing and where you’re going. But the brilliance of the design makes it all compulsively addictive, instead of the tedious chore it could have been. If you've just bought a Playstation, then be a clever shopper and buy this too. LOOKING UP AT PLATFORM HEAVEN HYPER» 45 - SNES VlSUalS 95% Try and suck your eyeballs away from the screen when you see this baby. Sound 92% ' Great in game sounds, • although the Killer Cuts music CD whiffs a bit. GGfTieplay 95% ' My beloved copy of MKII has just met its match. Longterm 94% - Time for another bad case of joypad calluses, as this one will just keep on dragging you back and blissfully wasting your time. Overall 94% - This is the stuff of arcade ecstasy. If something is this addictive, and still legal you just gotta have it. 46 »HYPER REVIEW Mm :.rr-. _. f 4 No intro required here. This is the fighting game all SNES owners have been hanging out for. STEVE POLAK practices his HYPER combos... Ahh yes! Another addition to the healthy pantheon of console slugfests. Killer Instinct in the arcades was supposedly the first complete Project Reality inspired beat em up, and it certainly raised the bar when it came to standards for cranium cracking combat. Before long devotees of the tomato sauce slaughter of MKII, and the cartoon craziness of SFII were pumping quarters into Killer with the maniacal passion of those possessed. The reason? Simple this game offered a new feature previously unknown in fight fests. Serious combo action! Bugger the wimpy pathetic 2, 3, or 4 hit combination moves previously possible with SFII, and other beat em ups. Killer gave you the opportunity to go toe to toe with your favourite foe, administering a bone crunching avalanche of blows. Up 40 hits were possible using the conventional characters, and you could even land an 80 hit juggle' if you knew how to best use the monocular boss character cheekily called Eyedol. Name Says It All When I first laid eyes on* this game, I was doubtful as to whether Nintendo were going to be able to cram it all into their U64 console, let alone develop a version for the little ole SNES. Well I gotta say here and now Killer is nothing less than its namesake as the game destroys my preconceptions about the limits of 16bit technology. This game features all of the cool arcade moves, the combos, the fatalities, the combo breakers, and even the shadow moves and is the grandaddy of all fighting games for 16 bit systems - period. Each character has two fatalities to choose from as well as a humiliation which forces your vanquished foe to do a dance akin to the funky chicken - very embarrassing. "But enough of this unstructured hype!” I hear you cry. "Tell us about the game?” Well it goes something like this. Killer Instinct is one of those simple yet pleasurably cathartic experiences where you are required to slog it out with a vicious collection of like-minded foes until you get through all of them and come up against a moderately grumpy boss character or two. There are 11 rather miffed chappies to chose from (just like the arcade incarnation), and these vary widely from a stereotypically attractive cyberbabe (Orchid) to the bizarre chemical experiment gone wrong that is Cinder. The Killer crew also includes; a predictable Mike Tyson wannabe (TJ Combo) , a Predator clone (Fulgore), a giant Reptiloid, a mohican Warrior (Chief Thunder), a Werewolf (Sabrewulf), a Skeleton, an Ice creature (Glacius) , and even a Ryu type (Jago). This assortment of combatants may not look like the most original collection of killers on paper but things change radically once you see ‘em moving in the digital domain. Oozing Atmosphere Just like a gardener’s armpit on a sultry Sunday, Killer oozes atmosphere. The pre-combat rendered por¬ traits of the combatants have to be seen to be believed, and the backdrops are incredibly close to the arcade ver¬ sion. There are even a few parallax bits, such as the backdrop for the TJ Combo stage. About the only significant bit that Killer is missing is the ability to scale and rotate your fighter as he/she falls from the top of the building. Sure the SNES has a decent go at this but the effect is not quite as accurate as the arcade version. Killer is pretty simple in terms of mastering the basics, and those of you with SFII experience will feel right at home with the initial control requirements. You have six attack buttons to choose from (very SFII), and a decent number of special moves at your disposal. However the comparisons end once you start looking at the specials, as most of those which are similar to SFII in appearance, feel very different when you try to execute them for Killer. This is particularly the case for attacks which employ ‘back -forward’ charge combinations or Yoga Flame moves. These differences are not necessarily a bad thing, it just means you will have to sort out your timing a little before you have all of the moves properly sussed. When it comes to special moves Killer uses different styles of attacks borrowing from Samurai Shodown, and MKII as well as Streety, so there is lots of variety. There are the usual uppercuts, and fireballs from Streety, plus the tap tap forward’ class of special moves we have all come to know and love from MK. But Killer demands even more dexterity from your rigid digits, as you have to string together a selection of spe¬ cial moves, and attack sequences to formulate the all important combos. You can build your repertoire of destructive behaviour from the simple 3 and 4 hit attacks, to 8 hit and even 10 hit combos. But things don’t stop there. If you are near the end of a fight and you know all of the linking joypad movements you can pull off ultimate and ultra combos. These do a shit load of damage (up to 40 hits), and have a eyecandy factor which blows just about anything you have seen on your SNES out of the water. Better still. Killer Instinct features a lethal Al, as the computer is nothing less than devastating on some of the higher difficulty levels. The game also allows you to make the combo breakers easier to perform by a menu selection option. The endgame boss Eyedol is a brutal bastard. He has some devastating methods of dealing damage, as he can fire 3 simultaneous fireballs, use his club in a dash attack, and whip it out and go sick on you with a lethal combo. Worse than all of this is the fact that Eyedol has the ability to regain his energy, as he impa¬ tiently stamps his hoof, once he has slammed you into the floor. More Than We Expected _ _ . Killer Instinct uses a new graphic mode (according to Rare spokesperson) whereby the SNES is capable of much more light sourcing, and the game features the ACM (advanced computer modelling) technique Vlfc.or we have all come to know and love from Donkey Kong Country. This means the visuals are clear, ertsp and incredibly colourful. This stuff is well beyond what most people would have expected the SNES was capable of. The sound is also quite cool, as almost all of the sonic vibrations of the arcade version are here. There is even a passable attempt at producing the echoed shouts of “Supreme Victory” at the end of a bout. Killer Instinct also comes with a CD of game music recorded by Rare. This collection of carnage inspired 'techno jams’ is possibly the only disappointing part of the Killer package (although I do know a few people who just groove it to the Killer Cuts thing in a big way). Still considering the fact that you get the CD for naught it really isn't some¬ thing to complain about, just don’t expect any of the ‘choons’ to appear on the next Pantera LP as covers. HYPER» 47 PAlNTJOB COURTESY OF LOCAL DAY-CARE CENTRE Available: OCTOBER © Category: FLIGHT SiM © Players: 1-2 © Publisher: NAMCO © Price: $89.95 © Rating: TBA PLAYSTATION Visuals 88% - Everything looks mighty pretty until you get real close. Soilfld 84% - Some good sound effects but your wingman’s continual comments will frustrate before too long. GOftieptOy 88% ~ Lots of varied missions and options make for lots of fun. Avoid the two-player mode though. Loflgterm 80% ’ * t s not t0 ° tough but you can save your favourite mission on a Memory Card and play it over and over again. Overall 85% - A big fun action flight sim. 48 »HYPER REVIEW The Playstation reaches for the skies with this new arcade flight sim from Namco. ANDY HODGSON grabs his wingman and goes for a few loops... Strap yourself in and prepare for the ride of your life! Namco’s latest creation for the Playstation is fast and furious flyin’ fun. You are the elite top gun in the world, flying missions to deliver peace to trouble spots around the globe. With up to 16 fighter planes to choose from, and a wingman to assist, you are let loose in a world of 3D polygons. The visuals are stunning, and although it is unwise for your mission, its very tempting just to explore and test out your beast with wings. Speedy Dogfighting The terrains vary considerably, from night-time city skylines and desert oil-fields to bridges and oceans. The graphics are breath taking and indeed so effective, that it's not until you get close to the ground or a building, that you notice the blocky texture mapping and are jolted back into reality. The sound effects, such as jet thrusters and explosions sound awesome through a stereo system and there is a powerful guitar soundtrack as to accompany you; a different one for each mission. It is surprisingly easy to control, with more emphasis on sheer speed and dogfighting, rather than the overly complex flight skills needed in some traditional PC flight sims. There are no take offs or land¬ ings, unfortunately, but Ace Combat has an superb feel to it, with the right balance between a top class flight sim and an excellent shoot ‘em up. The frame rate is very fast and much like Ridge Racer, if you crash, the camera pans around your aircraft showing the best possible view of the explosion. Your primary targets are explained to you, and your on-screen radar alerts you to their presence when they are near. You must seek & destroy enemy Migs and ground targets, such as power plants, airports, pipelines and bridges. In one mission you escort a carrier jet into enemy territories. Some areas are heavily guarded with ground to air missiles, making it necessary to dive directly toward them, lock on, launch, and then attempt to pull up without getting hit! If the enemy doesn’t get you. the G-Forces will! You have a choice between two viewpoints, one from the cockpit and the other with your plane on screen, much the same as Ridge Racer. On screen information such as altitude, velocity and a radar map is available, with a broader map screen at your finger tips. You also have radio contact with your wingman, who alerts you of enemy aircraft on your tail, and generally lends a hand in tricky situations. Pay Your Dues There are three difficulty modes; easy, medium and hard, the latter allowing you to use your wing flaps giving even greater control. Upon completing a mission your game can be saved onto a Playstation memory card. This also means you can keep the cash built up, and therefore upgrade your aircraft next time, or even pay your wingman’s wages. There is also a two player mode where the screen is split down the middle and the object is to dog¬ fight and destroy your opponent. The player area is too small however and you’ll probably find it pret¬ ty tedious. I certainly did. Finishing the game isn’t too difficult, but there are several different routes to the finish. It’s definite¬ ly more fun to explore all possible avenues before facing the big bad mother ship at the final stage. Extremely impressive photo realistic visuals reward your efforts at the end. Ace Combat is another arcade perfect conversion for Namco, and if you’ve got a Playstation, don’t go past this game. With thumping guitar tracks and explosive graphics in huge 3D environments, this will give you hours of fun. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a shoot ’em up fan. and you’ve got a strong stomach check it out. Ridge Racer with wings! HYPER» 49 I SO YE WANTS A TASTE Of ME CUTLASS DOES YE? HOLY SHIP* IS THERE ANYWHERE THIS LITTLE GUY DOESN'T GO? PERFECT! A VACANT PHONE BOOTH FOR MY COSTUME CHANGE RIPPING OFF THE BEST BIT OF TRON AND WE LOVE IT INDY!INDY! THE BRAKES! DEMS DA BRAKES. AVAILABLE: NOVEMBER ° CATEGORY: ACTION ° PLAYERS: ONE ° PUBLISHER : VIRGIN ° PRICE: NA ° RATING: G Visuals 88% - Crisp and smooth with lots of appealing plagiarism.’Colourful and detailed and Spot’s animated well (for a spot). Sound 60% - Turn it down and crank up the stereo instead. GcifnepiGy 78% ~ Everything works nicely but its just a little too bland. Longterm 70% - I’m not sure whether anyone will be interested in going back for more. Overall 78% - Engaging and fun but it’s nothing to sell your sister for (but if she fetches a good price, why not!) REVIEW 0 hpilytvc Cool Spot must be one of the world's most unlikely video game icons. A corporate logo which happens to be a red spot with sunglasses. Weird...very weird. GEORGE S0R0P0S takes him on a tour of Tinseltown... Cool Spot, everyone’s favourite lemonade endorsing cartoon/logo thing, returns for its third console reincarnation, touring the backlots of Hollywood in an almost never ending search for highly suspicious looking little red pills. Quite a common pastime over there, I’ve been told. Studio tours can be tedious at times, with dull tour guide monologues and screaming brats, so Spot has come prepared with a mean right throwing arm, ready to deal a stony death to anything that moves in front of him. Spot's attitude to tourism may seem alarming to some, but hey, this is L.A. man. Corporate Ploy I haven’t played the first Mega Drive Cool Spot much, but I know that it was a lot of fun in the short time I had with it. This surprised me. Spot boy usually does his stuff advertising a certain brand of lemonade, and what a gem of a corporate ploy it is, to turn your mascot into an irresistibly cute bitmapped billboard, and it must have a reasonable following in order to make it into a sequel. The game looks very sharp with lots of nicely drawn locations and critters. The action is viewed from an overhead isometric perspective, like Landstalker, which is good for a change but can sometimes be a real annoyance (like when Cool disappears or you can’t get the angle control right). Cool himself is a very well animated little guy, the way he puts his hands out when he dives, and then does a tuck and roll when he lands is (God, what am I saying) really, really cute. Aargh! This cute thing really disturbs me. Why would anyone so cute want to go to a smelly, polluted and downright unfriendly place like Hollywood anyway ? To meet all of his favourite movie monsters and see the sets from his fave films of course. There are pirate ships, haunted castles, the rail car scene from Indiana Jones, the ‘bike scene from Tron and one that looks just like that old game Zaxxon. Famous aliens and robots can also be found swanning about looking for admiring fans; face huggers, Star Wars extras and other assorted Sci Fi luminaries, but unfortunately for them, Spots’ preferred method of social intercourse is death by stoning, which doesn't leave much time for pleasantries. Tumble Through the Air Controlling Cool Spot is easy, there’s not a lot of diagonal movement required of you, just left, right, up, down, jump, fire and run, all of which respond immediately. Hold your con¬ troller forward while jumping and watch Spot tumble through the air (alright, alright, I already know I have a dull life). Only a couple of the levels need real pinpoint precision driving to get Spot around, like the tunnels under the haunted castle, which are pretty tricky. The sound is, well, sound I guess. After a while most console game audio starts sounding like really dinky elevator music to me. and Cool Spot is no exception to that rule, I’m afraid. You'll be turning it down before too long as it does become extremely monotonous and annoying. Cool Spot certainly doesn’t go anywhere you haven't been before, and I wouldn't put it on top of my want list, but it does have a certain compulsive appeal with some good ideas thrown in too. HYPER» 51 h it>M f