November,1997 $4.99/$6.50 Canada о 70992 37371 || |" 72 рео | “ап insurmountable level of exellence” – GamePro Magazine “the most amazing RPG we've ever seen” - Game Informer “NeW graphics and 3D appearance lift this into the stratosphere: - Ultra Game Players “might be the greatest game ever made? - Game Fan 0 à human what | ЈЕ eadlights аге to а deer. PlayStation پا‎ тм NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PLAYSTATION™ $27 2, orf. \ DEPENDING ON YOUR ARM. iA A uj UWE US ein dülag uos jo ssuetuepen aie 960) пові feld SUL B әзе әлпделәи] ѕорі pue ‘вәә наш pue HOUPUBYON FUE rere eeu NU НД 500 1061 ld 59018 ТЕТІГІ dospe iussus ue uosuLWIMEH 'e5103 uO: | BECAUSE POST-MILLENNIUM MAYHEM HAS STRUCI а AND IT’S GONNA ТАКЕ МОВЕ THAN A SEMI-AUTOMATIC TO SURVIVE THESE 3p MEAN STREETS, SUBWAYS AND SCUM-FILLED CITY PARKS, WHERE FIGHTING THE CROWDS H4 SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MEANING. JUST KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED, BECAUSE ONE GOOD THROW AND! | YOU'RE OUT. Соб, = RS Editorial Ву Joe Funk * joe funk&zd.com ne hundred issues is a lot of work, but we've never lost sight of the fact that when you're writ- ing about video games, churning out 100 issues is a lot of fun. EGM has changed so much in the last eight years, and yet remains deeply rooted in the ideals it was borne out of: passion and integrity. Steve Harris grew this magazine out of a little-or-no- profit fanzine that he published out of a labor of love. During EGM's rise to the top, we've retained those simple ideals and never let ourselves get caught up in the pressures or criticisms that come with publishing a category-leading magazine. When the magazine launched in 1989, EGM quickly established itself as being the first to publish screen shots and information on the newest games. It was the tenacity of Steve and Ed Semrad that made it happen, and enthusiasts quickly recognized EGM as the premier source for breaking information and honest reviews by gaming enthusiasts. In the last eight years, we've taken shots from several major game compa- nies as well as competitors accusing us of whatever, when the only thing we have ever done is tell it like it is. The evolution continued when Ziff-Davis bought us last year. The cornerstone of their publishing model is “Content is King,” and we could- n't agree more—it’s been a perfect fit. Today we proudly stand and present to you a magazine that has always truly been by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts. EGM has been blessed with quality people throughout its existence, which is one BIG reason for our success. There's people like Ken Williams, John Stockhausen, Mike Vallas, Terry Minnich and Ed Semrad; you can trace their names in EGM back to the first dozen-or- so issues (Ed goes back to #11). And then there's Dan Hsu (Michigan), Cy Wochok (Illinois), Andrew Burwell (Texas), Crispin Boyer (Florida), Kraig Kujawa (Texas), John Ricciardi (New York), Kelly Rickards (California), Jason Hinman (Michigan), Shawn Smith and Scott Parus (Illinois) who have joined us from all different parts of the country because, first and foremost, they loved gaming and wanted to share their talent and articulate their passion with readers just like them. Finally there's our Publisher Jon Lane, Associate Publisher Jennie Parker and Circ. Director Joan Mclnerney, who have helped further refine the magazine in so many dynamic ways. While EGM is in as good of hands as it Printed inthe USA. has ever been, we've always been hum- ble enough to listen to our readers. As we approached milestone 100, we consid- ered your comments, and then too step back and examined what was good about EGM, and what was not so good. No doubt EGM has always been a little rough around the edges. But then, so has the video game industry. When EGM launched in the aftermath of late the 19805 video game crash, the industry was something akin to comic books in both its budget and public perception. Since then, the industry has grown into a multibillion- dollar beast, and has stepped up into the ranks of motion pictures as a mainstream form of entertainment. If you look back, you can really trace how EGM's design and editorial package has reflected the maturation of the industry throughout the last eight years. That's why this major redesign of issue 100 is our tribute to you, the readers. You've stuck with us, and now we present to you a publication we feel encompasses the state of the art in video game coverage. We think you'll like the changes, but as always, are anxious to hear your feedback. So what's in store for the future? Well, who the hell really knows for sure, but in our proud tradition of not being afraid to go out on a limb, here's a few predictions. When issue #200 comes around, the edit team can dust this off, laugh at our igno- rance and cast aspersions upon us: * While AI will improve, the best game programmers will recognize there will never be a substitute for a human friend or foe on screen, and more games will take advantage of multiplayer setups. Games will become more flexible in their Create-a-Player Mode so gamers can better personalize their characters (especially RPGs). The time is not too far off when gamers will be able to scan their own photos and put them- selves in games. Cartridge-based consoles will die off— although there will still be some Atari 2600 E.T. cartridges lying around. LBEs will replace the traditional arcade and will rival the popularity of movie theaters in many communities. We'll finally see the triple threat of a great license, followed by a great movie, followed by a great game (мете hoping it’s the Star Wars prequels). Capitalizing on their reputation and the Walkman name, Sony will roll out a Sony PlayMan—a portable device that can run PlayStation games. GUL OG с” Number 10.1 ПЕТЕ GANG F November 199 www.videogames.cot Jonathan Lane Joe Funk • joe funkGzd.com Ken Williams * ken_williams@zd.com Crispin Boyer Shawn Smith, Dan Hsu, John Ricciardi, Dean Hager, Kraig Kujawa, Sushi-X Michael Stassus • m_stassus@zd.com Cyril Wochok • cyril wochokGzd.com Andrew Burwell, Jason Hinman, Scott Parus, Tom DeMay John Stockhausen • john_stockhausen@zd.com Todd Mowatt Kelly Rickards Terry Minnich Mark Hain Chris Johnston, Helen Lee Ed Semrad • ed_semrad@zd.com Stuart Levy, David Rider Jennifer Whitesides Јо-Е! Damen, Dan Peluso Marc Camron Dave McCracken Paul Ojeda Pamela Schneider Mark LeFebvre Joan McInerney Don Galen Ann-Marie Mrozynski Subscription Service Number: 303-665-8930 Cathy Bendoff Ziff-Davis Inc., 1920 Highland Ave., Lombard, IL 60148 Telephone: 630-916-7222 FAX: 630-916-9254 Jennie Parker Suzanne Farrell Anthony George John Yoffie, 135 Main Street, 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105 Telephone: 415-357-5322 FAX: 415-357-5201 E-mail: jon_yoffie@zd.c Karen Landon, 135 Main Street, 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105 Telephone: 415-357-5460 FAX: 415-357-5201 E-mail: karen_landon@zd.com Amy Dellos. € Jessica Prentice Mike Darling inus М кт OGNALNIN „мимумузна | THN злабшм Apaads 0} uauiasuajap щошшеш шолу 58719 лаћеја зјдемећ S 1209 ЛИМУ Z6-9661 жузео циәў sıaKe|d aseaja pue ubis ‘dojanap ‘ape. ‘342319 шәшәВрирДІ шеәј |еј0ј sAasıaf рд} Sea} pue «әвәл UO зашеи ‘saaaajs uo 5180ШП|| 5214819 ge jeuofÁ[og sag-H ynyoey) Hay Aq 510081 Bunnoos шедј ‘TV paseg-yoogKe|g THN [enjoy 58145 Aejd ayloads ларџејјеоб pue бшҳаәцо резед-штившоуј sa!ydeıg ande] uono Кејаџдола Ш02:811005шІР|20287:МММ Gy sAasıaf pue 5000| wea} JHN 2104514 5пја " MIVIIIV 5лаћеја 009 1340 pue sweat THN 92 11/ KONAMI. 1-900-896-HINT (4468) WWW.KONAMI.COM *$0.85 per minute charge •51.15 per minute support from а game counselor *Touch-tone phone required «Minors must have parental permission before dialing. Hints are available 24 hours.a day. Live support Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST only. Prices and availability subject to change. U.S. accessibility only. Castlevania - Symphony of the Night is a trademark of Konami Co., Ltd. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. PlayStation™ and the PlayStation™ THIS IS WHERE FEAR LIVES. THIS IS CASTLEVANIA- - SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT". THE LATEST N€FARIOUS INCARNATION OF KONAMI’s CLASSIC ADVENTURE. WHERE THE UNDEAD COVET YOUR SOUL AND THE FLOORS ARE PAVED WITH SKULLS. WHERE YOU BATTLE YOUR WAY THROUGH 1,000 ROOMS (AND MAYBE MORE — NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE) TEEMING WITH _ POWERFUL NEW MAGIC, WEAPONS, POWER-UPS AND UNIMAGINABLY GRUESOME CREATURES, TO KILL YOUR FATHER, DRACULA, ENDING YOUR CURSED OODLINE ONCE AND FOR L. BUT JUST WHEN you IT'S OVER, THE ENDINGS WILL LIFE AFTER DEATH. come PAY A VISIT тайы logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertain a service mark of Konami of America, Inc. All Rig trademark of Konami Co., Ltd. ©1997 Konami Contents Electronic Gaming Monthly, November 1997, Issue 100 Features If the EGM staff was abducted by unfriendly Go behind the scenes of a typical day at E.T.s, these are the games they would have the EGM office—where, believe it or not, to bring! it ain’t always fun and games! In a Chicago 'burb far, far away, there's a group The Review Crew picks five of the most of guys whose mission is to play as many under-hyped games that should be stuffed games as possible and review them...fairly. into your stocking this holiday season. Departments What a long, strange trip... ; ; : OV Ке у Letters 4 57 Моге than а decade's + H Sony’s keeping quiet about its PlayStation 2 development г у worth of game charac- з. Pac-Man ters—some famous, alan { зүү some not—have . tara Croft _ Sega’s Dural system could put the company back on top 1 QR stormed this month’s É a cover. Here’s a key to . Mario / | ||| 3 help you recognize ў Q-Mann has the scoop on а super-secret Nintendo system these guys. . Enterprise NCC-1701D . Mega Man . Yoshi H $ t 36 - Previews г Galaxian . Lost World T-Rex 36 – San Francisco Rush, N64 н 68 – Mega Мап Neo, PlayStation { ЕДЫ 38 – Diddy Kong Racing, N64 1 70 - Cool Boarders 2, PlayStation . Tetris 39 – Yoshi’s Story, N64 E 73 - Critical Depth, PlayStation . Donkey Kong 42 – Mace: The Dark Age, N64 X ( | j 76 - Jet Moto 2, PlayStation à Бел. Tooth 50 – Sega Touring Car, Saturn - а ў 77 – FIFA 98, PlayStation . Ed Semrad 51 – NBA Action ’98, Saturn ~ р 3 78 – MK Mythologies, PlayStation . Batman 58 - Thunder Force V, Saturn "x i 4 79 – C&C: Red Alert, PlayStation | E 62 - Resident Evil 2, PlayStation 90 - Mortal Kombat 4, Arcade . Ecco : 64 – Rampage, PlayStation 91 - ЅЕШ: 2nd Impact, Arcade . Шр Lombardi . Doom Demon . Peppy Hare . Fox McCloud = | . Link ӨТЕ i SEE d ; . Raiden The new Crew just might drive a stake through Castlevania: SotN | Slippy Toad n . Stormtrooper 18 \ С > . Kirby PKS | ] у ~ 2 | A . Samus { EKS OF ME Та А ; PaRanba Trickman shares his 100 Top Tricks of All Time % SS у БОШАП ж . Q-Bert / 4; . Bonk RT 5 k . Chocobo Don’t miss out a second time; get the new-and-improved АТ-АТ 5 . Doom Lost Soul . Sushi-X . Daytona Stock Car . Death Star . Asteroids Cover Art By: Allan Ditzig Game Directory 84 Batman & Robin 222 Battle Monsters Blitz Bomberman 64 Bug Riders Carnage Heart Castlevania: SotN C&C: Red Alert ol Boarders 2 Critical Depth Crow, Th Diddy K Duke Ми Excalibu Extreme-G FIFA 98 Fighting Force F-Zero 64 Ganbare Goemon GoldenEye 007 G-Police Gunbullet Herc's Adventures Intelligent Qube Jet Moto 2 JJ VR Football he Arena Fighters e: TDA Machine Hunter Madden 64 Madden 98 Marvel Super Heroes Maximum Force Mega Man Neo Mega Man X4 Mischief Makers MK Mythologies Monster Rancher Mortal Kombat 4 Mortal Kombat Trilogy NASCAR 98 NBA Action NBA Hangtime NBA in the Zone '98 NBA Live 98 NCAA Football 98 Pandemonium! Pitfall 3D Pocket Fighter Power League 64 Powerboat Racing Rampage Resident Evil Resident Evil 2 Riven San Francisco Rush Sega Touring Car Steel Reign SFIII: 2nd Impact SF Ex« Alpha Tactic Ogre Battle Tecmo Stackers Test Drive 4 Tetrisphere Theme Hospital Thunder Force Time Crisis Treasures of the Deep WarCraft Il: DS Yoshi's Story Youngblood Zelda 64 ге ЖА EGM's Top 100 From the Atari 2600 to the NES to the Saturn to the N64, the consoles have spawned too many games to count. Call us crazy, but we pick our 100 favorites. And no, SFII is not numero uno. Proumie PususWW, I. SILENT SOFTWARE, INC. RETURN FIRE II a MG Maloe Enterlairiment, 1102500 Broadway Street, Santa Monica, CA 0040 НА! Ао ВЕ гид, Software, Inc. Distr It’s. the sequel to the 1996 Strategy Game of the Year. And it’s got more firepower than ever. Use your head. 8 Don t leave any- thing standing. And don't take anyone alive. eom letters Letter of the Month Intelligent Gamers | would just like to extend a big fat thumbs down to all those in recent years who have ruthlessly attacked the video game industry over the issue of violence. Yes, it is true that many of today’s games depict graphic violence and brutal death. But it is also true that 99.99 percent of all gamers are able to realize that what we are playing is a game. Most gamers are very intelligent people, who enjoy using their minds and reflexes to solve challenges. Violence is merely a tool to make the challenge seem all the more real and com- plex for an overall rewarding experience. The only problem | can see is the false assumption that the gaming community is composed of children. The rating system has been a simple, yet effective solution. This allows older (and wiser) gamers to play games that would appeal to their level of maturity. It is important, howev- er, for parents and store personnel to pay attention to the rat- ing system, much in the same way we enforce movie ratings. As a final note, | would like you all to remember one impor- tant thing: Gamers are people. We make mistakes and some- times find inspiration in the wrong places. But if you are one of those people, then your problem lies much deeper than а controller and television set, and help lies more along the lines of education rather than blind censorship. Andrew Kaiser rkaiser@ix.netcom.com Well, we're really not sure what your last paragraph is trying to say, but you do a good job putting this violence in video games subject in perspective. The Mortal Kombats and Loadeds are just games. Blood and gore are just red pixels. And we all know that, kids and adults alike. We’ve yet to see a news headline: “KID INFLUENCED BY VIOLENT VIDEO GAME, KILLS 14.” And it’s real hard to believe video games can cause such a stir when shows like E.R., The X-Files and C.O.P.S are on prime-time TV. If we all treat the gaming rating system like movie ог TV ratings, then ме? have no problems. If you need to Бе of legal age to watch ап NC-17 movie, then maybe you should have to be of legal age to play a Mature 17+ game. Then the conservative senator/parent wouldn’t have anything to worry (or complain) about anymore, right? Congratulations. 274 You win an INTERACT Control Pad for the Saturn, PlayStation or Nintendo 64 (your choice). EGM Letters gives you the chance to praise, gripe, ask, speculate or simply reflect. EGM will discuss some of today's top issues in the video game industry. If you have a subscription inquiry or problem, please contact our subscription department at (303) 665-8930 or by going to: http://www.zdnet.com/zdsubs/egm/service/ on the Web. Writing the editorial staff about your subscription concerns is futile! Note: EGM cannot and will not personally respond to any letters. We reserve the right to edit any correspondence for space purposes. You can reach EGM by writing to: EGM Letters 1920 Highland Avenue, #222 (ЕсМ\ Lombard, IL 60148 e-mail: EGM_Mail@zd.com Sony in Denial You talk about a PlayStation 2 and claim that this new system is a 64-Bit console. Well | was wondering about this “mystery machine,” so | e-mailed Sony and asked them about the PS2 and what the due date was. | received this response: Sony has made no announcements about anything called PlayStation 2 nor have we announced any anticipated dates for a new model. This is sheer rumor and some- thing that will continue to be a focus of rumor as long as Sony continues to invest in research and development. But what company wouldn't? It would be foolish for us to rest on our laurels and not attempt to look way into the future for new opportunities. Any company that wants to continue on a leadership path must constantly invest in the future. That said, the PlayStation is an extremely powerful game system. We haven't even begun to see the kind of games that are possible through the technology that exists in that system. There is a very long life ahead for the PlayStation. Henry Quan Online Services Lead Sony Computer Entertainment America So what is the deal? Is Sony jerking my chain and making a PlayStation 2 or are you guys going wacko? Zuup@aol.com Whether мете going wacko or not is beside the point. Do you think Sony is going to fess up to a new system at the height of its current system’s popularity? Of course not, why would they? The people hold- ing out on buying a system would just have more reason to hold out. Plus, you can tell by Sony’s letter what they want you to do: Don’t wait—buy a PlayStation now. Sony won’t tell you about any new sys- tems until they are good and ready. After all, Ken Kutaragi, SCEA's chairman and CEO, thinks the PlayStation hasn't even lived out half its lifespan yet. But don't worry, that's what we're here for. We'll dig through all the red tape, hype and propaganda to tell you what's real- ly going on in the secretive video game industry. In the meantime, enjoy your PlayStation! Don't miss out just because you're holding out for a system that may not be available for a couple of years. Virgin Interactive Responds | am writing to express my dismay at your decision to identify S&M as the "Worst Game of the Show" in the September issue of EGM. A full year or more before the product is released, you have chosen to publi- cize your irrational conclusion that S&M is a poor game because you believe that in its current form, it displays excessive levels of gore and violence. To say that a product is “clearly the worst game at ЕЗ” surely implies that you are critiquing it, rather than presenting a moral opin- ion. | pray that this dangerous lapse in your otherwise impeccable ethics does not set a new journalistic precedent. | dread the day that Siskel and Ebert give two thumbs down to a movie because they felt the advance trailer had too much sex in it. Virgin is committed to building a killer new multiplayer fighting game, with a great engine, unique game- play and a novel approach to the genre. We know that "doing gore for gore's sake" doesn't hold a gamer's attention beyond a quick look, but S&M is designed to integrate the characters and theme with the game- play to accentuate the experience. | had an additional comment about the article's content. With specific reference to S&M, you quote “...the line has to be drawn somewhere. Doing gore without purpose is not appropriate." A mere 58 pages later you rightly identify the letter from James Prescott as "Letter of the Month." You title the piece "It's our money, it's our choice" and you conclude: “...5оте games have mature themes for mature audiences. If people don't like these themes, then they shouldn't support the game with their dollars. But let the mature CONTROL YOUR POWER is licensed by FOCA to Fuji PlayStation Available NOW at: Toys R Us, КауВее, Babbages, Hills, Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., Musicland and other fine retailers. (% S PlayStation Experience the #1 Driving Controller for PlayStation, Nintendo64, Saturn and PCs CHECK OUT THESE FEATURES: e Analog Steering Wheel, Accelerator and Brake * Proprietary Digital Pulse Mode for Compatibility with ALL Games • Digital Action Buttons and D-Pad for Easy Game Set-up • Full 270° Steering Wheel Rotation © Stick Shift Ж +: е www.madcatz.com e-mail: sales@madcatz.com ~ RALLY CROSS - FORMULA 1 © WIPEOUT XL NASCAR SIERRA ONLINE INC. SONY INTERACTIVE ENT. INC PSYGNOSIS LTD. PSYGNOSIS LTD. DESTRUCTION DERBY 2 ANDRETTI RACING PSYGNOSIS LTD. ELECTRONIC ARTS consumers decide...” I'd like to request from your readers what they think about gore in games. Do they agree that a line should be drawn, or that they should have the freedom to decide for themselves what they spend their money on? Simon Jeffery Vice President Marketing, Virgin Interactive We did not say that S&M is the worst game on the market; we said that it was the worst game at E3 (a show that is 99 percent comprised of incomplete games). We were not comparing S&M to finished store-shelf products, we were comparing it to the other demos at E3. To use Mr. Jeffery's analogy, yes, Siskel and Ebert can't say a movie is bad based опа preview trailer, but they can easily say a trailer is the worst trailer they've seen. We even qualified our comments by stating that the game was in early development, and things could change in the future. As we stated in the E3 article, we will be monitoring the progress of S&M and will get back to it in a future issue of EGM. Wolfenstein 30 Clones Why are first-person shooters called Doom-style games when Wolfenstein 3D came out before Doom? Daniel Martel—address withheld by request Because “Doom-clone” is much easier on the ears than "Wolfenstein 3D-clone." Also, the first-person shooter genre didn't become a big, mainstream craze until Doom got in players' hands (on the PC). Yes, Wolfenstein was first, but Doom created the gold rush. Вапјо No Mario I'm tired of you and the rest of the gaming press giving Nintendo such a hard time about Banjo-Kazooie's similarities with Mario. Since when is Mario the only 3-D adventure allowed on the N64? Why, all of a sudden, do we need a break from a game that you gave a near-perfect score to? So what if the gameplay is similar, is that such a bad thing? Plus, it's © The way Sega has treated Aww...who cares about Wolfenstein 3D? Doom’s the one that got us all hooked on the first-person shooter. been over a year since Mario’s release, but | guess that’s not enough for you guys. Furthermore, | don’t see you guys complaining about Tomb Raider 2. It’s still a great game, but offers the exact same graph- ics and gameplay as the original. Overall, change is much more evident when you look at Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie vs. Tomb Raider 1 and 2. Dee Brown — address withheld by request You make a good point, Dee, except you forget one important detail: Tomb Raider 2 is a sequel to Tomb Raider—it's allowed to have similar graphics and/or gameplay. Banjo-Kazooie is not a sequel to Super Mario 64. It's a brand-new game altogether, therefore we are allowed to make fun of the similar- ities between the two (actually, we're allowed to make fun of whatever we want, but the Banjo- Kazooie/Super Mario 64 thing is actually justifi- able). Besides, we're not saying Banjo-Kazooie is a bad game. We're just saying it reminds us an awful lot of Super Mario 64, that's all. Desperate Reader | have been reading EGM for two years now, and ever since, | have been dreaming of writing a letter to your magazine and seeing my name in print. | was just wondering, in which month do you receive the least amount of letters, so | can get a head start on my letter of the year? Brian Plourde—Gilford, NH During the 13th month of each year, we usually see a slowdown in the amount of letters we receive. Try writing us then, if you want to avoid competition. Cloud 9 You always have these very revealing pictures of females in your mag- azine (Lara Croft, Pai Chan, etc.). Not all EGM subscribers are male, ya know? How about a picture of Final Fantasy VII's Cloud in his underwear next issue? Pleeeeeease? “Terra” —Springfield, MA EGM’s 100 Best Games: The list broken down by system Before | even consider What are your thoughts on Working Designs’ announcement that they will stop publishing games for the Saturn? Next Month’s Question of the Moment: What did you think of our 100 Best Games of All Time list? Send your short, but sweet, responses to: EGM_Mail@zd.com with the subject heading: (EGM\ Q of the Moment: List. 16 Working Designs is dis- gusting, with the last straw being placed way back at ЕЗ. Sega needs Working Designs more than the other way around. Working Designs should’ve left a long time ago. rpgfanb1@wi.net If Working Designs doesn't like the way Sega does business, then they can keep making games for the PlayStation. Sega doesn’t need Working Designs to keep the Saturn going strong. | mean, look at how many delays have plagued WD’s Saturn releases! badger4042@aol.com buying Sega’s 64-Bit machine, they must make a public apology to Working Designs. It’s probably too late to save the Sega/WD relationship, but hopefully, if Sega takes the appropri- ate actions, something can be salvaged out of this. cALLENg@concentric.net І own а Sega CD, and the Lunar games are my favorite RPGs. | bought a PlayStation instead of a Saturn, so | was deprived of Working Designs’ hits like Dragon Force and Albert Odyssey. Now, | hope Working Designs starts working for Sony so that | can continue to enjoy their great gaming library. PingWizz@aol.com 17.5% 12.6% 233% | Super МЕ5 1.776 E TurboGrafx-16 | RS Nintendo 64 Е Saturn PlayStation | Genesis __|МЕ5 ў | OTHER See the complete story starting on page 100. “ULTIMATE тез TF www.pepsi.com (Go ahead. Hit it. You know you really want to.) PEPSI, PEPSI-COLA and the Pepsi Globe design are registered trademarks of PepsiCo, Inc. The Sony Computer Entertainment logo чә Рауза. is a trademark of Sony Corporation. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. We would love to make your fantasy come true “Terra,” but because of all the controversy sur- rounding us publishing the Nude Raider Web address, the best we can do is offer you a half-a- butt shot of Cloud, fully clothed of course. PlayStation X-Men May Come Qut After All | was wondering why X-Men: Children of the Atom never came out for the PlayStation. A guy at Electronics Boutique told me that it would be out at the end of September (1996). I’m no brain surgeon, but | think it's running a little late, don't you? After all, it came out for the Saturn a long time ago. Nick Colletti&mailbox.nvnet.k12.nj.us Just a little late. The problem is, Capcom ran into a big snag with the PlayStation's lack of RAM. They turned the project over to Probe Entertainment, who did the PC conversion of CotA. Now, Probe is working out the technical aspects of bringing the sprite- heavy fighting game to the RAM-shy PlayStation, which might mean we'll see smaller characters, fewer frames of ani- mation or both, for the final product. Barring any unfore- Seen circumstances, expect to see X-Men: CotA for the PS under the Acclaim label some- time this winter. WINNER Dennis Gregory Hurricane, WV Congratulations, your prize is on the A Different Kind of Bias way—an ASCII | don’t know if you’ve noticed Specialized Control В Pad for the but your magazine discriminates against sports games. First off, they only get two editors while other games receive four. Sports games also do not get rated on the factors like sound, ingenuity and so on. And what if we want to know the best and worst fea- tures of a sports game? | think you should change things to make the magazine more fair. PlayStation. It features rapid-fire controls for all buttons and slow motion for those intense moments. Letter Art egm letters Greedy #23 | just don’t get it! | was won- dering for the last century why Michael Jordan wasn’t in any NBA Jam or Hangtime or Live game. Does the gaming busi- ness hate Mike or does Mike hate the gaming business? Barry Lenski—Peru, IL Mr. Jordan is not part of the NBA Players’ Association (he can make more money licens- ing his prestigious name out independently). Therefore, any basketball video game that has an NBA players’ license doesn’t automatically get Jordan in the lineup. Right now, the price tag for getting М)5 name and likeness іп a video game is about $15 mil- lion a year, so you can see why he’s not too prominent a figure in the gaming world. For a while, Electronic Arts was pay- ing for an МЈ license. They used it in the side-scroller Michael Jordan—Chaos in the Windy City. But the reason you didn’t see #23 in any of EA Sports’ basketball games is because Jordan didn’t want to be in any games in which he isn’t a stand-out star. Guess he didn’t want to be dunked on in a game of NBA Live. Being based in Chicago, a lot of us like М) as much as anybody, but c’mon Mike, when is enough, enough? Where creativity, your favorite video game and a stamp can make you immortal!* Мау zz This Month in EGM History Close, but no controller Steve Наггі5-а world-record-holding video game whiz and manager of an lowa arcade-accepts $100,000 from the Kay-Bee toy store chain as payment for 60,000 copies of а magazine called Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the very first video game mags of the post indus- try-crash era. It isn't exactly the first issue of EGM (Harris pub- lished a newsletter prior to the Kay-Bee deal), but it was still the start of something big for both Harris and game enthusiasts. Steve pours the money back into the magazine and-100 issues later-it's still growing just as fast as the billion-dollar indus- try it covers. streda@spec.net Thomas Philp Arlington, VA (OK, so this isn’t exactly envelope Name and address art, but who cares? It’s awesome!) withheld by request Too late. We're already one step ahead of you. (EGM) 18 “Or at least get your name and work in the нү. and win yourself a great prize (FIRST PLACE ONLY!) Blasto'* Armored Core" Fighting Force Final Fantasy. VII" Crash. у релй Eck d. Abe's Oddysee одон Ан of the Deep". NFL Gameday 98 Tomb Raider гт ША Armored Core™ Blasto™ Crash Bandicoot™ 2: Cortex Strikes Bach™ Fighting Force™ Final Fantasy® Ull NFL GameDay™ “94 Oddworld: Abe's Odyssee™ Tomb Raider™ 2 Treasures of the Deep" Also included is an extra-special үч of PlayStation / Vui ipa ihe Rapper” ГР) 4 ЭЭМ \/ Special Bonus: Video Profile home video Aa of the preromana! Lara Croft of Tomb Raider 2™ Sntertainment 2 mam: какиш (БІ поетски ШІ ето [Й кокыс cona NM imeem dd emma ie mobs Vl fee) киы pre cmo V mee PE ETA еселе Пита D reme n M peores КАЕ БЕЙ кши | рил |Ң cam Ud ЕСЕЛІГІ РІ vnus ЈЕ рер фе ыы adema ac пако! БРОК s NINHL logos and marks and NHL fem ров and marks dipl ren are по prop ‘rly of the NHL nd may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. ©1997 NHL. Officially 1 product of ihe National Hockey League. NHLPA National Hockey League Players’ Association, NHLPA and the NHLPA logo аге trademarks of the NHLPA and are used, under license, Bee |, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. Officially Licensed Product of the National Hockey LeagugP! iation. Designed and developed by Killer Game. ESRB ©1997 Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the IntéFactive Digital Software Association. www.playstation.com => | PlayStation IVEN THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT IT TAKES TO SCORE, IT SEEMS ONLY FITTING THAT IT’S CALLED A GOAL. Хм ~ FACEOFF 88 PROPERTY OF PLAYSTATION ATHLETIC DEPT. World Video Game News Exclusive The hottest gaming news on the planet Sega’s Comeback The most powerful system ever created? he comeback kids of the video game | world might not want to са it a come- back. But after a couple of misses, their next system — code-named Dural—looks more and more like the hit Sega needs. Sega began developing multiple hardware designs, one using a 3Dfx-based Voodoo chipset (code-named Blackbelt), the other allegedly utilizing NEC's Power VR ARC technol- ogy (Dural). The design Sega chose was NEC's, and 3Dfx has filed a $3 million lawsuit against Sega saying the company reneged on their deal. Sources say the decision to go with the Dural over the Blackbelt has caused a rift between the U.S.-based Blackbelt team and Sega of America, and that the entire team has resigned. In early September, Japanese business news- paper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Sega and Microsoft are teaming up for a new, under $300, 128-bit system for which Microsoft would provide the operating system. According to the paper, a deal allegedly will be signed in October, and the system will be released in 1999. The report also says that Dural software would then be playable on the PC, a first for any video game console. While it seems this news only cements rumors about a hardware relationship between Sega and Bill Gates' powerhouse, the power ofthe system is still in question. Considering that even the most pow- erful graphics work- stations don't use 128-bit chips calls into question the validity of the report. Neither Sega or Microsoft would officially comment on the story, other than confirm they are talk- ing about a partnership. Other than those few facts, Sega has been quiet about the Dural or any new hardware they might be working on. EGM has learned from sources within Sega that the new Shiny's Messiah and Sega's Virtua Fighter 3 are strong candidates as launch titles for Sega's Dura system when it's released around Christmas '98. А dering and anisotropic filtering. | Тһе Dural is expected to be released in time for the 1998 holiday season. The first four games that will be available for the system next Christmas include a new Sonic game, World Series Baseball, Messiah from Shiny Entertainment, Super GT, a Star Fox- like shooter and Virtua Fighter 3. The new machine is said to include four controller ports. Each controller will reportedly have a an LCD screen (to hide moves in multiplayer strategy or sports games) and a detachable memory card module on the top. We've been told that data will be able to be system is being worked on by Sega, NEC, Video Logic, Yamaha and Microsoft. Microsoft provide a Windows' CE-based operating system and the system's architecture is a derivative of NEC's Power VR ARC technology. The new system is being referred to in Japan as the CLX chipset. The Dural's advanced features include bump mapping, nurbs-based ren- d> PlayStation “Мау ЕД EGM owner and Editor in Chief Steve Harris lobs a rotten watermelon off the roof of the Sendai offices to celebrate the magazine's meteoric rise to success. Fortunately, since he tosses the melon at 5 a.m., no one's in the normally packed parking lot below. Only the cars of transferred between cards directly. The specs for the system currently include: A total of eight in-texture SDRAM. The system will have eight Megabytes of general RAM with the possibility of the final system having an additional eight megabytes of RAM for a total of 16. Also included in the system will be four megabytes of sound RAM and This Month in EGM Histo sources tell us a very advanced Yamaha sound Sources say the Dural has a default diligent EGM staffers-who board will be used. The CD-ROM will Бе asix-to resolution of 640 X 480, but it will be 3 are working on deadline- 12-speed variable drive. The Saturn and the able to handle a resolution of 1028 X 704. are damaged by the foul- PlayStation have two-speed CD drives. There’s also a mode where it samples the smelling debris. The pixel fill rate is expected to be around 1.5 1028 X 704 and reduces the pixels down to giga pixels, faster than the fastest 3Dfx Voodoo television resolution and anti-aliases the chip, which has a pixel fill rate of 50 mil- entire screen. For more information visit our lion pixels. web site at www.videogamespot.com. Tidbits... Sega’s secret Saturn game Sega recently held their annual Gamer's Day at their HQ in Redwood City, Calif. Many of us hoped for some official news of Sources say the system can display 6 million left off. This new system is expected to have a А polygons, although the average game will only modem and an RGB out so that you can hook Sega’s new home system. No utilize 1.5 million polygons. That is the maximum ир a monitor. Several developers are slated to news: n ШЕ record was provided. number of polygons that the Sega Model 3 make games for the system including Konami, Шу ЗА E T zo iun 112 arcade board technology can handle. This new Capcom, Electronic Arts, Acclaim, Interplay and НЕ ae У ae W BS y B Wis) system from Sega begins at 1.5 million polygons GT Interactive. The ones that aren't currently пету его ара акс) and takes over from where the Sega Model 3 developing for the system will be soon! Saga and Sega Touring Car Champions were among them. The biggest surprise came when Sega unveiled Yuji Naka’s next big game entitled Burning Rangers. This game runs on an advanced version of the NiGHTS engine and utilizes a new Voice Navigation System that allows you to track trapped people throughout a massive energy plant. The game was 10 percent complete, but looked good. N64 Games Delayed Again Nintendo throws a monkey wrench into their holiday lineup Konami signs Glen Rice D iddy Kong Racing will be leading the way for In other news, Glen Rice and Konami will be rocking the rim on the N64 and the PlayStation this fall. Konami signed an agreement with the Charlotte Hornets star. Rice will be featured on all NBA In the Zone 98 packaging. “These simulations are so realistic you feel like you are on Nintendo this holiday season. A monkey wrench has been thrown into their holiday release schedule and not just because their quick- thinking chimp will be starring in his own game, but because Nintendo wants to give their development teams a little extra time to work on their games. Among the games being delayed are Banjo Kazooie (will now be released March of 1998), as well as Ken Megs with 25 levels and 20 courses and will utilize Griffey Jr. Baseball and the newly renamed Yoshi's both the Rumble Pak and Nintendo 64 Memory Pak. И Story will be released in February. Zelda 64 апа The game will feature Diddy Kong along with seven Rx pane PE R ee Conker’s Quest are two other games that may be other characters including some new ones. Banjo re Bes Es prayers: delayed according to EGM sources. the Bear, Conker the Squirrel and Karsh the Veale | 8 In the meantime, Diddy Kong Racing will be 128 Kremling will make appearances along with Tip Tup КЕЗ ТІ the turtle, Pipsy the mouse and арру to be a Bumper the badger. Racers will member of the Konami race in one of three vehicles, including a go-cart, a hovercraft and a plane. The game also fea- tures a Versus Mode that allows two to four players to compete [^^ against each other. According to Nintendo the game will not only focus on high-speed rac- ing action, but it will include adventure and Nintendo made some changes to their fall release schedule and added exploration elements in a Mario (EGM) Diddy Kong Racing to their Nintendo 64 mix. Kart-meets-Mario 64 scenario. 24 team.” SAVE THE WORLD SAVE $10 ЯУ р кс Bas! 2 J A Stop the war betore it goes nuclear in ~ > the sequel to Soviet Strike. Once again you are in zm and it's a гасе against time as you (асе nuclear terrorism that could trigger WWIII. Follow the trail of a madman from the tropical islands of the South Sem «е forbidden valleys of interior Asia. The countdown begins. Get ready to STRIKE. COMMAND 15 VEHICLES 2 \ ^ М << $ = % Ie S FUN TEENS го << 2 пе € 2 t аа Good off regular price of Nuclear Strike, Valid 9/1/97 - 12/24/97 only. ^ о g өз Offer not good оп layaway balances, gift certificates or credit card ғ payments. Not redeemable for cash. Not valid with any other A Coupons or offers. Limit one coupon per transaction; one per = с. i^ @ customer. Void where prohibited by law. Cash value 1/20¢. ©1997 Te Sears, Roebuck and Со. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. ©1997 Electronic Arts. Nuclear Strike, Soviet Strike, Electronic Arts and the Electronic Arts logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved. Made in the USA. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. R57?77012289s1000 ELECTRONIC ARTS” London Calling fall’s European Computer Trade Show (ECTS) held Sept. 7-9 in London. The major publishers attending showed off the latest versions of their upcoming games, alongside small developers hoping to get their game to the mass market. Nintendo showed up with their next few European N64 titles— which have been out in the U.S. for a while— Lylat Wars (Star Fox 64 in the U.S.) and GoldenEye 007. Sony showed attendees their latest, including Rapid Racer, Blasto, Armored Core, Steel Reign, NHL Face Off 98, Broken Sword 2, Everybody’s Golf (a Japanese manga- style golf game), Kula Quest and Medieval. Other publishers showed titles in Sony’s area, European developers show their stuff at ECTS evelopers in Europe looking for publish- D ers showed up with guns ready at this violent eight-player sports game for the PlayStation, and a helicopter combat title that’s headed to the PC and the N64. Cryo Interactive had Hard Boiled on the PS, a Tomb Raider-style adventure game called Pax Corpus, and Dreams to Reality. On to the bigger publishers, Ubi Soft showed several new games, including Tennis Arena (Saturn and PlayStation), Kick Off 98, Tonic Trouble Starring Ed the Extraterrestrial and F1 Pole Position 64. Ocean showed off their N64 puzzle game Wetrix, the cartoony multiplayer driving game Motor Mash and Total Drivin'. Eidos was showcasing Lara Croft and Tomb Raider || at their booth. Their other titles include Deathtrap Dungeon, Fighting Force, Ninja, World League Soccer and Lunatik. Gamers in the U.S. can expect to see some of these titles picked up by publishers in 1998. including Psygnosis, MGM Interactive and Capcom. Smaller developers also showed their stuff at ECTS. Dutch developer Project 2 Interactive brought two new PlayStation titles. Dodgem Arena, a futuristic racing game, was А looking good with realtime Gouraud-shaded graphics and multiplayer action. Their other title was Sign of the Sun, an adventure title set in 2012. SCi’s cartoony air combat game Freaky Flyers was early but looked promising. You fly combat missions taking out targets such as a Giant Sausage Factory to Godzilla! They also had Carmageddon for the PC, which attracted plenty of media attention. Rage Games Ltd. had Dead Ball Zone, a Fans of Namco’s Tekken series will want to check out Knightstone Comics’ limited-edition comic set. Comic Zone Tekken comics on sale now! ekken fans will be fighting to get their | hands on Knightstone and Namco’s Tekken comic book series. The eight-issue limited-edition set will follow the story line of the arcade and video game versions of Tekken, Tekken 2 and Tekken 3. Knightstone has followed the Tekken story line very closely and fans of the games will not be disappointed. The first and eighth comic book will be 48 pages and will cost $3.95 each, the other six will cost $2.95 and will be 32 pages, full color. The series has been on sale since the middle of September. If you are interested in getting the comics you can e-mail them: knightstone@worldnet.att.net or write to them at Tekken Comics at Knightstone Comics, PO Box 1745 NY, NY 10027. (ЕМ 26 а. 7 0j Burnin' Rubber ASC Games signs Jeff Gordon ff Gordon is not only the NASCAR Winston Cup racing’s brightest star, he’s one of the biggest video game enthusiasts in professional sports today. To that end, Gordon wouldn't be content with just lending his name to a game, he would want to be more involved in the nuts and bolts of making it. That's why ASC Games has teamed up and entered into a licensing agreement with him. The agreement allows ASC to publish racing games across a variety of platforms that Gordon will help design. The first racing game will be released in the fourth quarter of 1998. *This project is much more than a racing game with a celebrity endorsement. When you combine Jeff's racing expertise with his passion for video games, especially racing games, he becomes more than just a great name, he becomes an asset to the development team," said David Klein, president and COO of ASC. “Jeff’s hands-on involvement and personal touch will help us capture a level of excitement that will make this racing series something special for fans of racing video games.” Gordon has played more than his share of video games, but this will be the first time he has taken the helm as crew chief in the development of a game. “Being in a video game is a great opportunity and a lot of fun, but to actually work directly with ASC to co-produce my own game А is a whole new experience Fı j that | am really looking d 5А forward to. | have always been a gamer and | have always wanted to do a project like this for a long time," Gordon said. THE PART OF EGM THAT IS A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA FOR YOU LONG-TIME AND SHORT-TIME SUBSCRIBERS. THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED LOYALTY TO EGM...ENJOY! ЕСІЛ REVISITED!!! That's right, baby! This month we һауе a dish of some old-school EGM to serve you. It's а little spicy, but nothing you can't handle. First up is some editor in chief chatter featuring our former publisher Steve Harris. Steve talks about the booming gaming industry back then. It’s quite amazing to sit back and think about how much things have changed. On the backside is our one and only Quartermann, a la some interesting information from back in the day (EGM 1989). Some of it is rumor, but what out of it actually ended up coming true? Hmmm...interesting. As always, keep interesting ideas coming through —we may include them in upcoming Sushi-X Files. Read on... was a pivotal year for video and computer gaming. The Nintendo 1 988 Entertainment System cemented its presence in the hearts and minds of the game-playing public. Entertainment software for the IBM and compatible computers exploded at a ferocious rate. Arcades became even more exciting, with simulators that could reproduce all the excitement of real-life situations while stimulating all the senses with machines that would roll and spin at the command of a joystick! Even though the year proved to be positive in most respects, nothing could have prepared us for the unrealistic delays in game products, the short supply of hit games like Double Dragon, or the sheer number of game companies that seemingly sprouted overnight. With all the growth and excitement being generated you might be thinking that electronic gaming has reached the upper limits, in terms of both technology and imagination. While many are looking down at the roads they've charted in the past few years, others have been fortunately looking ahead to the future, beyond the IBM compatibles and the Nintendo Entertainment System. If all indications are correct, 1989 will be the year that the dream of these visionaries comes true. Three new game systems have been announced, and with industry leader Nintendo pushing back a planned March unveiling of their new Super Famicom game system in Japan, all eyes are turned toward Sega's 16-Bit Mega Drive that debuted last November and the recently announced European *Slipstream" 16-Bit machine from Konix. A high level of interest remains in the PC Engine as well. The advanced game system that is currently taking Japan by storm has unfortunately failed to court any strong interest from American game makers. The year 1989 will also see new emphasis on handheld games. Rumors indicate that Nintendo may be leading the way with a mid-range cartridge system that will play a variety of games on a specially designed 2-inch LCD screen. Other high-profile names like Konami are also promising to enter this equally lucrative area of electronic gaming. Through it all you can count on Electronic Gaming Monthly to bring you the hottest new develop- ments, reviews of all the latest game titles (both good and bad), and a keen insight on what will be happening in the months to come. Because no matter what the future holds for video and computer gaming, as long as there are people reaching out for that ultimate play experience there will be pages between these covers and grins on the face of this editor and you! Have fun with your games, this mag and remember, don't take life too seriously! — Steve Harris GAMING GOSSIP! t’s nice to be back! New name and new format, but the change is very becoming...the recent Tengen law- suit against Nintendo will undoubtedly go down on record as the hottest gaming development of the year! In a move that will have far-reaching repercussions, Tengen, the home software arm of Atari Games Corp. (the people who make Atari arcade games, NOT Atari home games) filed a $30 million anti-trust suit that, among other things, claims that Nintendo has unfairly monopolized the NES game market. Nintendo, as you may know, maintains strict control over all of the compatible game carts that are made to work on their Nintendo Entertainment System....In another move associated with the Tengen lawsuit, the company has released their own line of game packs that will work on the NES. They have busted the security chip that allows the Nintendo games to work with the Nintendo game system and can now make games independent of Nintendo. This may very well mean that more Tengen games will become readily available....Microprose, the home computer software company with a forte for flight and battle simulations, has announced the pending introduction of a new arcade piece that is supposedly powered by a new technology that can paint realistic characters that are so detailed, the planes you may be fighting in future coin-op contests will streak by with such clarity that you’ll see the rivets on the wings!...Atari Games may get a jump on the Microprose flight sim- ulator, however, with a new car game called “Hard Driver” that uses similar technology. It has two tracks; a conventional oval and a “crazy” track that loops and shoots in the air... Ultima, the great new role-playing game from FCI (based on the famous series of computer games by Lord British) has the distinction of being the third Nintendo cart, right behind blockbusters The Legend of Zelda and its sequel Adventures of Link, and it contains a battery memory back-up that can save a game in progress for up to five years!...Speaking of Ultima, Sega has reportedly captured the license to Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny. It’s supposedly a 4-Meg cart with complexity equal to Phantasy Star....Look out for the Abyss! The new James Cameron movie (he’s the guy behind Aliens and The Terminator) depicts a battle between aliens in a crashed star ship and the U.S. Navy. Look for plenty of bullets to be flying when the movie hits the screens next summer... Hasbro's NEMO game system has been officially cancelled. The unit was to combine generated computer characters with motion-picture backgrounds and settings....In other new console news, the 16-Bit Sega Mega Drive (*EGM #1) debuted in Japan during the last month of 1988 to rave reviews. While the graphics on the first couple of releases are not that extraordinary, the unit as a whole is extremely playable, with 10-voice sound that is absolutely unbelievable!...The Nintendo 16-Bit Super Famicom is rumored to be finished, but strong NES sales and a painful lack of software are postponing official release dates. Look for a September, 1989 introduction in Japan....Konix, a European company famous for joysticks, has announced the completion of the "Slipstream" game system. The 16-Bit unit uses an 8088 processor as opposed to the more conventional 68000 in the Sega Mega and Amiga computers. A high price tag may be prohibitive, but the $250 machine will come with optional disk drive and hydraulic chair. Yeah right, I'll believe it when | see it!...In a related develop- ment, the Slipstream has planned Stateside release in the fall of '89. The American distributor of the Konix line, Epyx, will be the likely marketing force. Epyx, along with Microprose, Ocean and U.S. Gold have already expressed interest in developing for the system. Judging the quality of many of these computer developers' arcade-style titles, I'd say Slipstream has a very ho-hum future... Mattel has officially stated that they will NOT be bringing the Japanese PC Engine game system Stateside.... Mattel has acknowledged that they may be introducing a new type of game peripheral. Instead of using joy- sticks and pads, the creative forces at Mattel have cooked up a glove that causes on-screen characters to react according to how the glove is manipulated. Should make Michael Jackson happy....Latest licensing coups: Those shriveled-up singers who plagiarized Marvin Gaye to gain fame and fortune, the California Raisins, will soon be the stars of a new Capcom video game. Sunsoft, meanwhile, has nabbed the rights to the upcoming Michael Keaton/Jack Nicholson movie Batman....Hope you all had a very merry holiday season and got those games Santa promised. Don't blame old St. Nick if you didn't however, even he can't control Nintendo's allot- ment program....Chow for now! — Quartermann Remember, this stuff is from old EGMs so it doesn't say a darned thing about stuff that’s happening these days. It's for nostalgia. Hope you enjoyed this commemorative installment of Sushi-X Files. Although older Sushi-X Files were more or less silliness, this issue is NO JOKE! ONE MAN. ONE SOLUTION. ONE STATE OF MIND. €^ EN 2. NOVEMBER 1997 enam emm AGS, ONE™ and ASC Games?" are trademarks of American Softworks Corporation. ONE? is co-developed by Visual Concepts. ©1997 American Softworks Corporation. ©1995 PEG Limited Partnership. PlayStation" and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved. | n te r n a t i 0 n a [ М ews By John Ricciardi john_ricciardi@zd.com AV I-FLATNFAaF-RIIRS Okamoto Leaves Capcom Former Street Fighter ЇЇ creator departs to start his own company oshiki Okamoto, executive director and head of Capcom Co., Ltd.’s R&D division, not to mention one of the Ү two leading men behind the creation of Street Fighter ІІ (the other being Akira Nishitani), has left Capcom to form his own company. The new startup, called Flagship, is fueled by support from such industry giants as Capcom, Sega and Nintendo, and will concentrate game development on the Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 and possibly the PC as well. The company's first planned titles are a series of RPGs for the Sega Saturn that are completely unique in nature; instead of one massive quest, there will be several smaller episodes released on a monthly basis (similar to a manga or miniseries), and each one will last anywhere from two to four hours. Current plans are to have four episodes per disc, and the first ones are slated to go on sale sometime in 1998. Sega Readies Shining Force III Hit Simulation-RPG set to hit Saturn in three parts A fter releasing two completely non-related Shining games for the Saturn (Wisdom and Holy Ark), Sonic Software Planning is finally at work on a new Shining Force game for the Saturn. Recently announced in Japan, Shining Force III features fully polygonal graphics, CG-rendered scenes and will come on three separate scenario discs—the first of which is set to hit Japan this December. Scenarios 2 and 3 are slated for release sometime in the first half of 1998, and will continue the story started in Scenario 1. Sega has no plans for a U.S. release yet, but it seems more than likely considering how popular the Shining Force series is. New Square RPGs Two new RPGs planned, Chocobo to become a star 6 quare recently announced plans for two new PlayStation RPGs іп The Ten Best-Selling Games As of Aug. 10 Japan. The first, Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon, stars the famous yellow bird in an action-RPG developed by Chun Soft. The game, which is a pseudo-sequel to three previous Mysterious Dungeon games (two for the Super Famicom and IF Lv 4 HP 48/ 51 43% one for the Game Boy), is being produced by Koichi Nakamura, one of the main men behind the Dragon Quest series. The other game, Xenogears, is a two-CD RPG with amazing graph- ics and a polygonal world that can be viewed from nearly any angle via full 360-degree rota- tion. We'll have more on both games next month. Nintendo Goes Large Key titles gain significant cart size upgrades N intendo recently announced plans to bolster the ROM sizes of two of its Derby Stallion (ASCII) - PS Everybody's Golf (Sony CE) - PS Gun Bullet (Namco) - PS Pocket Monsters (Nintendo) - GB Game de Hakken!! Tamagotchi (Bandai) - GB marquee titles for the fourth quarter in Japan. The first game, Yoshi's Story (formerly Yoshi's Island 64), which is due for release in November in Japan and on Feb. 9 in the U.S., has been increased from 96 Megabits to 128 Megabits. The other title, The Legend of Zelda 64, due out in December in Japan and in the first half of "98 in the U.S., has doubled in size and will now weigh in at a hefty 256 Megabits (half the size of a 6400 game). Nintendo would not specify what all the extra memory would be used for, but hey, we only hope for one thing: The games continue to get better. SaGa Frontier (Square) - PS Doukyousei 2 (Banpresto) - PS Ganbare Goemon: (Konami) – N64 Neo Momoyama Bakufu No Odori Monster Farm (Tecmo) - PS 0000000000 eurzeBew пвушь- Арөө o Kseunoo opu The Literary Fragment (OZ Club) – SS d PlayStation This game rips asphalt. little split-screen action White-knuckle the wheel i so you can taunt your and feel those raw ; 1 ! _ friends. Formula 1 has nerves pulse. 230 mph. been reborn. Grab hold, Crashes so realistic, Pierre. The back of your you'll beg for salve. Add a neck is going for a ride. LL НУ 9 утла 1 and Formula 1 Championship Edition are trademarks or regi red trademarks and ©1990-7 Е osis Ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Licensed by Formula One А ЖЗ aR... NI mii Figure 7-2 س‎ First aid for fainting • Act quickly to prevent the victim from falling. • If possible, have them put their head down ог lie on the floor. • Loosen the victim’s clothing and wipe their head with cool water. • Do not try to revive the victim by throwing water on their face, shaking or slapping. • If the victim vomits, quickly put them in the recovery position. 2104 Волујац ‘uoo 5 ранима = FORE =z ғ 1 pue уолу тет 5: ssouoqil pen am əanoemu] əanemu] хорд jo sop 16619 As the victim revives, offer reassurance. Remind them that even the best gamers end up sucking face with the cement sooner or later. So whether it’s Deathtrap Dungeon, Tomb Raider 2 or Fighting Force, be prepared for the inevitable. And never administer any first-aid to the victim without first saving their game. ee You’ve been warned. www.eidosinteractive.com Video Game Gossip & Speculation * Sega's New System Revealed • EA Sports takes to the Ring • New Nintendo system info * N64 seen for $169 * Namco delays Pac-Man * Gamemaker goes Hollywood Quartermann `@ = e made it! It’s been a long time coming, but we finally hit the big one-zero-zero. Over the past 100 issues, the Q-crew and | have crisscrossed the globe more times than we care to remember; all in the name of video game gossip. Over the years we've strived to improve Quartermann to make it easier to read and more informative for our readers, not just giving you the hottest gossip but also giv- ing you insight into how the industry works. Just like the industry, we have evolved and the way we cover the industry has evolved. With the arrival of the 100th issue of EGM, you'll notice a host of changes and Q-mann is no exception. We will continue to bring you the juiciest, most life-, wife- and limb-threatening gaming gossip we can provide. Enough nostalgia, it’s time to get on with the show... Sega's 64-Bit Dural gets ready to rock your house! {Tokyo} Our ace Japanese correspondent, Terry-Aki has extracted a mother lode of information on Sega’s new 64-Bit Dural/CLX mega-console (for even more details, turn to page 22 for the full scoop). According to Terry, each of the Dural’s controllers (up to four can be plugged into the new system) will have its own detachable memory module. More than just your everyday game-data saver, the memory module also features: a rechargeable battery, an 8-Bit processor (thought to be a version of the Motorola 6502) and a monochrome LCD display that’s twice the resolution of a Tamagotchi unit. Here's the deal: Players will theoretically be able to download data off of the World Wide Web (a new customized football play- er with new attributes or a new fighting game character with updated movements). This will allow gamers to utilize the Dural's modem capabili- ties. Some other uses are said to include downloading or transferring a character's attributes during the game, transferring those abilities and attributes to an attached memory card module, and building up those attributes Tamagotchi-style. After the player is through with his/her per- sonal virtual training camp, he/she can insert the module back into its docking bay in the controller, import those attributes back into the game and then trade the data with his/her friends if they wish...wild stuff, huh? We really had to dig to get this stuff and keep in mind all of it is still being finalized. Sega is bending over backward to ensure that the Dural is a success (indeed, we hear that if this console isn't a smash hit, it's game over for Sega in the hardware market). Judging by their actions, Sega must reckon that tapping into the PC market is their ace in the hole. Although traditionally console-friendly developers like Capcom and Konami are chomping at the bit to work on Sega's new toy, other big-name (and previ- ously PC-only) publishers are being courted by Sega. They include: id Software (makers of Doom, Quake, Quake |! and the upcoming Trinity), Blizzard Entertainment (of Warcraft Il, Diablo and Starcraft fame), Westwood Studios (Command & Conquer, Blade Runner), 3D Realms (Prey, Duke Nukem Forever) and Epic Megagames (Unreal). Word on the street has it that Sega feels if they could snatch up a fraction of the developers previously mentioned all-star lineup of PC developers (as well as rounding up the usual suspects of the console world), Sega's future as a big-time hardware developer is in the bag...To tell you the truth, the Q would have no quibbles about playing VF3, SFIII, Castlevania IV and Quake II all on the same gaming rig... The Dural/CLX specs have just been finalized and Super GT is already up and running on the hardware. Sega is now said to be showing off the Dural (along with the aforementioned Super GT as well as VF3 and Jurassic Park) at the spring Tokyo game show...the clock is ticking... Get ready to rumble! {San Mateo, CA} EA Sports has a top-secret 3-D boxing game in the works. Due out next year for the PlayStation and PC, the new game will highlight top-name boxers such as: Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammed Ali, Oscar de la Hoya and Julio Caesar Chavez just to mention a few. The game's 3-D engine is based on Muhammed Ali Boxing, a game that debuted on the 3DO...stay tuned...The Spelling group has allegedly found a potential buyer for their shares of Virgin Interactive. The buyer in question is thought to be the software behemoth, EA...In other sports news, an unnamed Silicon Valley developer is working on a basketball game for the N64. Originally the game was to have the very expensive Michael Jordan license on it. The license alone was to cost upward of $15 million. The game is reportedly hotter than hot, and is nearly complete but there's only one problem. You see, the game was planned to be published by BMG Interactive and now that the group is no longer around, the developer is shopping the game around in a major way. This game is awesome and could be ready for this Christmas. To that end, many gaming companies have also been courting Tiger Woods to put his name and likeness on a golf game. So many have been interested in the young golfing sensation that Nike got a broker and now to get a Tiger Woods license it will cost upward of $10 million for three years. Super Secret Nintendo System Info! (Kyoto, Japan) Disguised as an off-duty geshia girl, Terry-Aki picked the lock of one of Nintendo of Japan's software laboratories. While hiding in the closet, he snapped a nifty telephoto shot of a design document of a project called LiDo-239. While Nintendo's white shirt goombas were on a restroom break, Terry flipped through the pages and found out that LiDo- 239 is the code name of a new hardware project at NCL. Unfortunately Terry was busy out-sprinting Nintendo's dobermans before he could zero in on any more details but we do know two things. One, LiDo-239 is not the Successor to the Nintendo 64 (that console is being designed in Mountain View, Calif., by Silicon Graphics/MIPS) and two, that LiDo-239 will mark a whole new direction for the video game giant...stay tuned... Gamemaker has sights set on Hollywood! (Hollywood) Douglas Tannapel, the creator of Earthworm Jim, President of *The Neverhood," producer of Skullmonkeys for the PlayStation and cool tall dude extraordinaire is getting involved in live- action motion pictures. He has written the screenplay and is directing the movie which is best described as a "sci-fi/romance film." Although Tennapel still plans on creating games in the future, he is gearing up to work on the film which should begin preproduction in February...Moving from the big screen down to the boob tube, look for an MTV series starring Lara Croft (of Tomb Raider fame) sometime next year... Quickies Shiny Entertainment's MDK team led by the charismatic Nick Bruty made big news at E? when they announced they would be branching off and forming their own software group. The Q has discovered that the name of Nick Bruty's new company is Giant Moon which is also the name of his first game. Giant Moon (the game and the company) is being funded by Interplay. GM, а 3-D action game will hit the PC and PS late іп '98... Namco's 3-D Pac-Man title for the PlayStation has been pushed back until fall 1998. Acclaim Entertainment has cancelled the PlayStation version of Quarterback Club 98 as well as the PS version of Turok. Often referred to as the Elvis of video games, Tommy Tallarico is branching out. Tommy T., best known for his video game music, is making his maiden voyage as a developer. The details are sketchy, but rumor has it that Tommy Tallarico Studio's first game will be a sports game. He has signed up several high-profile programmers and artists to help him with the game. Playmates and Sony are showing interest in the title. In the fall JC Penney Christmas catalog gamers can get their hands on the Nintendo 64 with two controllers for $169. The extra controller is a big plus and no word yet on whether the price drop will go public. That wraps it up for this episode of Q-mann. On behalf of the entire Q-crew, | want to thank you for your support. Tune in next month when we take you on an all-expense paid trip to the latest in gaming gossip. IMPRESS ve WOKING GANES ex Tue Hag! M N Meet your new co-workers. | Welcome to Section 9 — а crack team of high-tech covert operatives. This is no ordinary desk job, rookie. Your new superiors aren’t entirely human, and they expect you to learn fast. Don’t forget the donuts... «fi Plug into a wired world based on the hit feature film and comic book. «f Pilot а *Fuchikoma" tank through 18 huge 3-D search & destroy missions. | WfUse its unique “go anywhere" capabilities to navigate floors, walls & ceilings. A Brief yourself with over 10 minutes of original, theater-quality animation. 1 retailer or call 0 for orders only. q.com © Shirow Masamune/Kodansha Ltd. © 1997 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc /Kodansha. Lia. поо reserved. Ghost in the Shel is a registered trademark of Kodansha, ud. PlayStation end the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "The ratings icon i a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Ghost in the Shell; Special Edition | С уде, now available on DVD! за Presenting Masters of Teras Kasi, an all-out fighting frenzy featuring 9 Star Wars characters and introducing a new villain masterfully trained in the ancient martial art of terás kasi. Battle through 9 action-packed arenas. Engage іп weapon-to- weapon or hand-to-hand combat. Wield lightsabers, blasters, flame throwers and battle axes to engage in the ultimate conflict. Heck, even the PL Empire never struck back this hard. www.lucasarts.com зе @,™ & 1897 Lucasfim Lt, and LucasArts Entertainment Company. AI Rights Reserved. Star Wars and the LucasArts logo are registered trademarks, and Masters f Teräs Kêsi Б a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. used under authorization. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. пас pemp PRINCESS LEA LORE. SKYWALKER. Es. g omm — ڪڪ‎ A0 LORE SEYWALEER гарон LYE 1064 San Francisco Rush Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release Midway Entertainment — tor2 65 November Atari Games Racing 1997 Web Address: www.midway.com There were very few surprises for the N64 at this year's Tokyo Game Show, held Sept. 5-7. Atlus showcased Snobo Kids, a funky, polygon-kid-looking game (like VF kids) that features snow- boarding characters. Imagineer had SimCity 2000, a remake of the popular sim game in total 3-D. It's scheduled for a winter '97 release in Japan. They » also had Snow B Speeder, a ski rac- ing game that packs beautiful | display. This is a nine-character BE fighting game that's scheduled for a fall release in Japan. Konami unveiled NBA in the Zone, which is fully licensed by the NBA and the NBA Players’ Association and is in the early stages of development. Konami also had NEXTream, an interest- ing-looking fighting game that's also in the early stages. Hyper Olympics in Nagano 64 was also on display, and this one features several Winter Olympics events. Puyo Puyo, the popular puzzle game, is headed to the N64 from COMPILE. And Bandai show- cased Tamagotchi. The infamous virtual pet is coming to the N64 in time for Christmas. The number of games that 100 exhibitors showcased at the Tokyo Game Show Autumn '97. 36 Leapin’ Lamborghinis! t makes sense to port the arcade hit San Francisco Rush to the Nintendo 64 for two reasons. First, the N64’s SGI- supercharged graphics engine can mimic most of the effects pumped out by the coin-op’s 3Dfx-based hardware. And second, San Francisco’s a foggy place; as most N64 owners will agree, if there’s one thing their system can do well, it’s fog. My 2 Cents SF Rush's drive-any- where gameplay is both cool and a curse. | real- ly like being able to charge across country, down hillsides and over buildings, but it does seem a little too easy to roll your car on all the crazy hills and ramps. Still, I'm not gonna bitch too much about a game that tries something most racers don’t. The early version | played handles pretty well. | do hope power- slides are easier in the final game (Midway's still tweaking the con- trol and promises they will be, though). With tighter control, this game should fare well come review time. That said, SF Rush looks pretty close to arcade perfect. Sure, they had to take out some of the tiny details, such as a few trees, yet never for a minute do you think уоште racing any- where but the City by the Bay. You get all the landmarks (i.e., the Golden Gate Bridge), all the soupy weather (although you can change the level of fog at the Options Screen) and, most importantly, all the car-flingin’ hills. And with the hills comes the same go-anywhere gameplay that makes the coin-op so freakin’ fun. There are very few places you can’t take your car in this game, and shortcuts—most of which cut across fields and down side streets—are everywhere for the adventurous driver. Even rooftops and sewers are fair game if you have the right car and an inclination to leave the beaten path. Speaking of cars, SF Rush give you more than eight to choose from. They all follow the same physics models used in the ate-'8os arcade classic Hard Drivin’, except now you сап power- slide by using the handbrake or dropping into reverse (don't try that at home). The game packs six tracks in all, three of which aren't rom the arcade version. Other console-exclusive features include a new view of the action, split-screen for two layers and the optional Death Mode. With this mode activated, all autos that crash and burn during a race will stay wrecked, forcing you to dodge their flaming usks each time you round the course. And while you may not get the force-feedback steering wheel of the coin-op, SF Rush is Rumble Pak-compatible. Your joypad not only rumbles with each fender-bending impact, it also vibrates when you take tight turns. The arder your turn, the more it rumbles. -Crispin Boyer The meat and potatoes of SF Rush is its Circuit Mode, which is made up of 24 tracks that you progress through by acquiring points. This mode takes the game’s six basic tracks and reverses them, mirrors them, then reverses and mirrors them into 24 variations. It randomizes these courses each time you restart the circuit, so you're never quite sure what you're getting into. Of course, in a game where every hill or ramp can launch you into an impromptu shortcut, not much is predictable. e The new Death Mode means burning wrecks litter the road till race's end. San Fran's major landmarks are intact, from the Golden Gate to the hilly streets. NOW, WAYNE GRETZKY CAN FACE WHAT OVER 600 NHL’ PLAYERS FEAR MOST. He holds more career records than any player in NHL history. And we took his speed, | b. moves and cunning and put them right into Gretzky's 98 3D Hockey. It's not just a рате, Its an ~ NHL war zone, with active trading, player stat cards and a new, advanced simulation mode that even the real Gretzky could have a hard time beating. Wanna piece of it? Get in line. It's hittin’ the ice in November. ЕН THE NHL & NHLPA PRESENT WAYNE GRETZKYS 3D HOCKEY '96:61997 Atari Games Corporation All rights reserved THE NHL 8 NHLPA PRESENT WAYNE GRETZKY'S 3D НОСКЕҮ98: is a trademark of Wayne D. Gretzky and the National Hockey League Payers’ Association, excluding the word NHL NHL is a registered trademark of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior, written consent of NHL Enterprises, LP ©1997 NHL AI rights reserved. Used under license by Atari Games Corporation. Officially licensed by the National Hockey League National Hockey League Payers Association, NHLPA and NHLPA logo are trademarks o the NHLPA and are used, under case y Atari Games Corporation © NHLPA Ole en product of the National Hockey League Players Association. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the 3-D "N" logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. ©1996 Nintendo of America Inc, Licensed by Nintendo. PlayStation and the PlayStation Logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. MIDWAY® is a registered trademark of Midway Games Inc. Used by permission Distributed by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. NINTENDO 64 _ Publisher/Developer Nintendo Rare Players/Genre % Done Release 1-4 N ЈА November Racing Web Address: www.nintendo.com Nintendo is betting the farm with Diddy Kong Racing. Due out Nov. 24 (in lieu of Banjo-Kazooie, which has been pushed back to March), and designed by Rare, Diddy Kong Racing is an adven- ture/racing game. Players can race in various craft including: go-karts, hovercrafts and airplanes. Much of DKR's gameplay is based on Mario Kart power-ups) but certain levels in the game are based on other N64 games. The Hovercraft levels are very reminiscent of WaveRace 64 and the flying levels are a PilotWings 64/Star Fox 64 combo. With more than 20 different levels, fully polyg- onal graphics (complete with environ- ment mapping) and four-player action, Diddy Kong Racing has the potential to 00.672 ГА 64 (powerslides, projectile weapons, Беа hit. Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release Nintendo 14 December Hudson Action N/ A 1997 Web Address: www.nintendo.com Bomberman 64 Bg » т = There’s no mistaking the old ones. In Bomberman 64 2: 1583-000 un 07: Es Dein Bomberman when you see him. the arena can be on different lev- n e He's the little guy with a helmet els. Players can throw bombs up on his head and a bomb in his ог down stairs, over ledges hand. He's made the rounds (ona — and plenty of other places. whole slew of systems) and now Plus, instead of the bombs just he's coming to the Nintendo 64. being laid down and then explod- ing outward in a straight line, they The Story Mode is similar (in explode with a 3-D blast area (kind a sense) to the old games, but оға sphere like in Роу Роу for the now with 3-D graphics and other рс), This simplifies what the game surprises. The big differences |5 about, but as more info comes come in the multiplayer game—it іп, we'll pass it along. has a whole new feel compared to Nintendo Treasure Called Yuke Yuke Troublemakers in Japan, Mischief Makers was developed by Treasure, the group of Konami ex-patriots behind the oddball Genesis classics Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy. Treasure’s creative touch means three things for Mischief Makers: It packs awesome 2-D gameplay, unique charac- ters and the most lethally incredible Bosses in the biz. This side-scrolling platformer features tendered characters in levels that pack a sur- prising amount of puzzle elements. You'll love this game for its incredible special effects and super-tight control and gameplay. пода One thing’s for sure: Мо one does smoke effects like the anti-aliasing Nintendo 64. Konami Konami As always, NBA In the Zone’s players are looking mighty fancy. Plenty of excitement is promised by Zone's arcade gameplay and feel. NINTENDO 64 f your local arcade had this machine in, then you probably took a close look at it at one point or another. After all, Mace: The Dark Age is hard to miss. It is clearly one of the most visually impres- sive fighting games around, boasting smooth animations and large, colorful characters. N Mace is coming home to the Nintendo 64. And if you saw what the N64 did for the home translation of Midway's War Gods, then you should have a good idea how great the N64 Mace will look. Mace deviates from the tap-tap moves so prevalent in 3-D polygonal fighters today. Most attacks are performed with Street Fighter- style joystick movements. Each of the 10 char- acters (and seven secret ones) has a selection of special moves and a fatality. The environments are what separate Mace from its competition. Some playfields are mul- titiered with ledges, steps and ramps, while others are surrounded by dangerous ele- ments, such as lava, quicksand and fire. Mace may not have a whole lot going for it other than its appearance. The home transla- tion looks excellent so far, which is quite an accomplishment considering how good the arcade version looks. But in an age where Tekkens and Virtua Fighters rule the 3-D fighting game circuit, December 1997 www.konami.com Slowly but surely the holes in the Nintendo 64’s sports lineup are being filled. Providing the first basketball game (it is the first N64 basketball game we've seen) is Konami, who has decided to bring their arcade-style basket- ball game to the Nintendo 64. NBA in the Zone has always been a graphically pleasing game, and as you can see, they are well on the road to accomplishing this on the N64. Obviously, the N64 should have better 3-D graphics due to its 3-D hardware, but it will have some other advantages such as Rumble Pak support, which should add some pizzazz to those rim-rocking, controller-buzzing dunks. % Done lor2 Fighting Midway Entertainment Atari Games pretty graphics alone won't cut it. Mace may still sell well on the N64 considering the current drought of decent fighting games on the system, but watch for an upcoming review to see if it's worth the bucks. @ Grendal is one of the deadliest-looking fighting game characters around. One of these fighters is a secret, hidden character. Guess which one it is? Nintendo Co. Ltd 1-4 2nd Quarter Nintendo - ~ Japan Racing М А 1998. www. nintendo. со.) jp Miyamoto's 60-frames- per-second update to the Super NES classic F-Zero is coming along nicely. New info from NCL has it that the game features four hovercraft from the original, plus eight new ones. You get almost 20 courses that pack loops, corkscrews, half-pipes and other wild track sections you never dreamed you'd see in the first game's ultra-flat Mode 7 landscape. Best of all, F-Zero 64 will feature Two- to Four-player Modes and Rumble Pak compatibility. 1 | REEI elephant t D i 7 RARE. Game by ВА! and the “N” logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. © Nintendo, of А icicle projectile pterodactyl droppings У ТАМ; YR = аар ДЕНЯ airplane propeller No SES dinosaur saliva - Ж у ' i ; hit н 5 5 9 Н It’s а гасе. It’s ап Over 20 different courses. 8 different speed demons. Land, air, water and all kinds of wrong turns in between. With Diddy Kong Racing only for N64; the world is your crash site. And with Rumble Рак, ) you'll really feel the pain. | NINTENDO NINTENDO 64 Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release November Acclaim Interactive 14 85 1997 Probe Entertainment Racing Web Addr ww.acclaimnation.com n Extreme-G, 12 amazing roller coaster-like tracks have you racing through eery environ- ments of ancient ruins, decrepit cities, mine- shafts and dusty desert regions. Eight different bullet-shaped, "tron" bikes use their magnetic wheels to hug the track in any situation be it giant loops or the dizzying helix portions of the terrain. Game speeds: Fast and Faster give you a chance to learn the courses at a sane pace before you experience the blazingly fast Extreme Mode. As a group game, the Multiplayer Option can support up to four competitors and offers several games beyond straight racing including Flag Capture and Battle Mode. Advanced weaponry plays a big part in the Extreme- G experience. Apart from the onboard lasers, heavy weapons can be picked up along the way. Some of the more interesting ones include an electromagnetic pulse which emanates out each side of the bike, cre- ating a high-voltage barrier. Still other missile-type weapons swoop out of the sky and attach themselves to your bike fully locked and loaded and ready for use on your opponents. Extreme-G appears to be the fastest racing game for the N64 yet. At 60 frames per second you may have a hard time getting used to backgrounds flying by at speeds unequalled by any 32- or 64-Bit racer to date, even its protege WipeOut XL. At this stage of completion, it looks as though Acclaim is nicely positioned to capture the hearts of N64 racing fanatics everywhere. e Warning: This game could induce motion sickness 88:58:15 The checkerboard roadways and ominous jumps аге WipeOut-like. Try getting past that! A cool special weapon emits electric barriers. Two- and even Four-player Mode should make for a good battle. Nintendo Co. Ltd 1 Nintendo - Japan Action February 1998 www.nintendo.co.jp Yoshi's Story ә mu. “Nintendo Co. Ltd 1 N/A — dn Quarter Nintendo - Japan ‘Adventure 1998 Zelda 64 O This—the most highly anticipated Zelda ever—is actually set centuries before the other games, in ancient Hyrule. | Players guide Link through a totally 3-D realm in a quest to once again retrieve the Triforce for Princess Zelda before Gannon can sink his claws into the pow- erful artifact. Link is joined by Navie, a Formerly Yoshi’s Island 64, Yoshi’s Story (also tentatively titled) is the next big platform game to hit the Nintendo 64. What's different about Yoshi’s Story compared to other N64 platformers is that it’s a good old-fashioned two-dimensional side-scroller. The simple story line involves our favorite dinosaur in an adventure to get out of a magically transformed “picture book” world and into the др. real world (well, real to Yoshi's anyway). Besides “% fairy companion who offers hints throughout the adventure. The hero will be able to push, pull, climb and perform other moves, all of which will be modeled after real human movement. our familiar green Yoshi, 42 * = you can play as one of |. five other different-col- ored Yoshis. Expect to see i the same awesome, tradi- tional gameplay that put Nintendo on the map of success. Windows® 95 тми (а | SS... ee MM Mass Destruction” is a trademark of BMG Interactive International, a unit of BMG Entertainment. ©1997 NMS Software, Ltd. ASC Games" is a trademark of American Softworks Corporation. ©1997 American Softworks Corporation, Mass Destructi developed by NMS Software, Ltd. The NMS logo is used under license from BMG. BMG is а trademark of BMG Music. Play Station” and the Playstation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. Windows® 95 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. Sega" and the Sega Saturn logo are trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved. М | N 1 | M D 0 64 Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release Konami of Japan 1 10 0 Now Konami CE Osaka Adventure Japan Web Address: www.konami.co.jp/kceo/ Ganbare Goemon ome of you might remember a sleeper hit The Legend for the Super NES called Legend of the Mystical Ninja back in 1992. The game, é which didn’t catch on too much in the Continues U.S., is extremely popular in Japan, and га has already spawned several sequels. The latest one, Ganbare Goemon: Neo Momoyama Bakufu No Одоп, has just hit Japan for the N64 and is slated to arrive in the U.S. as Mystical Ninja 64 sometime late this year or early next. Goemon 64 takes place in a fully 3-D world similar to Mario 64, but with more RPGish elements, several dif- ferent gameplay scenarios (including a first-person giant mech battle) and a lot of witty dialogue. The story is really wacky (the bad guy has gay dancers as his henchmen—really!), and has a lot of ancient Japanese cultural influences. The Japanese version is a lot of fun save for some minor annoyances with the 3-D engine (it’s not as smooth as Mario’s), but the humor, while bizarre at times, really adds to the play experi- ence. We'll have a more in-depth preview soon, as the U.S. ver- 15005025 sion is due for release shortly. Goemon’s intro is loaded with voice, as a song plays to the cinematics. Talking to characters will reveal some of Goemon's bizarre style of humor. “Hudson of Japan Hudson of Japan ГІТ В Hudson Soft’s first N64 game, Power League 64, was recently released in Japan. PL64 is the latest entry in Hudson's long-run- ning (and popular) baseball series which was a huge hit on the PC Engine and Super Famicom. Power League's main draw (especial- ly to potential importers) is the fact that it features realistic-look- ing players, instead of the short, super-deformed people in most Japanese ballgames (including the two already out on the N64). As you'd expect from the N64, all of the players and stadiums are 3-D modeled, and look great. The animation is a bit choppy at times, but it doesn't detract from play too much. Besides the Pennant Mode, you can participate in a Home Run Race (Home Run Derby), edit your players and save the data to a Controller Pak or play with a friend in Two-player Mode (unfortunately there's no sup- port for more than two players). Right now it's doubtful that Power League 64 will make it to the U.S., but if you're a big baseball fan and you can't wait until next March for Griffey, you may want to check this one out. Like any good baseball game, PL64 features a Home Run Derby Mode. можа | S6 „моршм ЕД| шпјес eBag 10) у 21005 / ІШІЛЕ ГӘ Јп0/ si Appng И 35ше8е џевл05-1105 10 (10005 39995 pue s19]9eJeuo uappiu јелозић 291 0} 5191 әә/8әр 096 (іп Ul ЕЕ ДЕД u3ea 'sesinoo GE Әл SNOJ апе] 152] al ш еј] 0} oy ÁLS 4 ашп Publisher/Developer Sega of America lor2 Racing Sega Enterprises, Ltd. Web Address: www.sega.com Sega Touring Car Championship The Saturn may be losing steam in North America, but it's thriving in Japan. That's evident from all the amazing Saturn games at the recent Tokyo Game Show. Atlus had Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, the next . installment in the b, highly popular RPG | series. ESP show- | cased the impres- | sive RPG Grandia as Mi well as Lunar 2: А Eternal Blue. | Capcom had X-Men | vs. Street Fighter (to | be released in Japan / this month). Konami * showed Dracula X but didn't announce a release date. Jaleco unveiled GT24, a port of the racing coin-op. Sega showed Shining Force III (set for a Christmas release in Japan) and Burning Rangers, a new game from the Sonic Team. Tecmo showed off Dead or Alive and Hudson showcased Super Bomberman 2. This Month in EGM History... Арг. ЈЕ] | onic ck ream г. ega’s latest arcade-to-home racing port isn’t even 80 per- cent complete yet, and already it’s looking much bet- ter than last year’s disap- pointing Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition. Touring Car Championship has come a long way since E3, and if it keeps moving at this pace, it may end up being the best Sega Saturn racer yet. Touring Car Championship, released in arcades in 1996, is sort of a mix between Sega Rally and Daytona USA, Sega’s two most popular racers. The look and feel of the cars are a bit more like Rally, but the overall sensation of speed surpasses even that of Daytona. In fact, that’s the first thing immediately recognizable about Touring Car—the speed. The game moves along at an insanely fast rate, and it never seems to experience breakup or slowdown. The control is defi- nitely a lot harder to get used to than previous Sega racers, but that’s the nature of Touring Car—it’s meant to be realistic. And with realism comes difficulty as well. The computer-controlled cars are no pushovers, and the timer isn’t very forgiving; mess up one too many times and you'll find yourself retiring early because you couldn't make the next checkpoint. There are two "Sides" of play in Touring Car: Arcade Side and Saturn Side. The Arcade Side is exactly like the arcade game, but you can choose your difficulty level and number of laps per race. The all-new Saturn Side adds two-player split-screen racing, the ability to turn off Damage and Boost Options, and an option called АЛ. DATA that wasn't yet functional in our preview copy. In addi- tion, you can customize any of the four available cars to your lik- ing; Gear Ratio, Handling, Tires, Front and Rear Suspension and Brakes can all be modified and then saved to the Saturn's backup memory for use during play (in Saturn Side only). Currently there are four playable tracks in the One- player Mode and two in Two- player Mode, but it's uncertain as to whether or not there will be more than that in the final version. Even if there isn't, Touring Car still has the poten- tial to be a big hit with racing fans when it hits store shelves in November, and those who were disappointed with Daytona CCE (like me) will most likely be very happy when they get their hands on it. e Players/Genre % Done Release December 60 1997 Before you begin you must first run a qualifying lap around the course. Touring Car's Two-player Split-screen Mode plays just as fast as One-player Mode. A first for Sega's arcade racing ports, Touring Car has a rear-view mirror. Game magazines come and go, but few have escaped being the butt of EGM's jokes over the past eight years. And one of our editors’ favorite ways to poke fun at the competition is by hiding secret messages in the text of previews. Maybe it's not all that mature a thing to do, we admit. (Exactly what is mature in an industry staffed mainly by 20-something punk kids?) Probably our most infamous jab at а compet- ing magazine is hidden in the April 1991 issue. Read it from cover to cover, examine every word in the issue, and you just might uncover it. Of course, the message is hidden so well that you're probably best off taking our word that it's in there. Still, despite the ire this message drew from one of our competitors, a similar insult is hidden a few issues later. Unfortunately, no one at the competition seemed to catch that one. (C'mon, диуѕ-уои gotta pay attention!) Kudos to those readers who did, though. So, are we sorry about any bruised feelings that resulted from our little insults? Yes. We'll never do it again. Starting now. Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release Sega 1-10 65 October Visual Concepts Sports 1997 Web Address: www.sega.com NBA Action '98 МВА Action's instant replays make ust in time for the basketball season for sorie is Sega’s NBA Action '98, a game views 8 that looks much improved over last year’s version. If you look closely, however, you might recognize that this game is nearly identical to Midway’s NBA Fast Break (formerly Ist known as Hardwood Heroes), which is the PlayStation version of this game. Last year’s NBA Action had a few too many graph- ical and gameplay flaws. Many of these problems are being corrected, and these fixes are paying divi- dends. For example, Action’s texture-mapped, 3-D players have been much improved by having a cleaner look and most importantly, more player sizes (allowing you to easily tell which player is which). The motion-captured players are impressive as they have some new fancy lay-ups and runners that haven’t been seen in other basketball games. Some of the more popular NBA players can also per- form special “signature moves.” The gameplay is being revamped, and one of Action’s new additions is the “icon passing” which HOU Plenty of rim-rocking dunks are available to juice up the action in NBA Action '98. action in lieu of last year’s beleaguered Marv Albert. With all of these improvements and changes, there is no doubt that Sega and Visual Concepts are putting forth the effort to make a better basketball game. When you consider the stiff competition, it’s obvious that they have а tall mountain to climb. @ is starting to appear in every basketball game. When you add this to the faster gameplay, a lot of NBA Action plays like a new game. As a side note, Chuck Hearn will be providing commentary on the If you look closely at Barkley you can see him posting up. % Done Release 60 Publisher/Developer Players/Genre Sega 1-6 Radical Ent. Sports November 1997 Web Address: www.sega.com Coming from the same development team that created Virgin’s Power Play Hockey, NHL All- Star Hockey '98 has the gift of good lineage as well as some impressive game features to launch it into the hockey arena this November. > Y Hockey games, like soccer games, have got- у Ir ten very complex in the last year or so. Look at ЙТ J the facts: It’s not enough to have 650 players od / represented Кот all 26 NHL teams along with A = '96/'97 season stats, and decent polygon The Saturn still has a lot to give sports fans, and this game could be one of the best. Game speed is not the fastest we've seen but still works well overall. graphics and gameplay. Now you must have advanced Al that allows forwards to execute 2- on-1 and 3-on-2 defending, multiple coaching strategies including power play and penalty- killing styles and of course “Create-a-Player.” If the developers are really ambitious, there will be lots of subtle attributes like left-handed play- ers and goalies to vary the strategies from game to game. To round out the package, the fights have to be up-close and personal with a 360- degree rotating camera catching every slap, jab and duck punch. As you've guessed, NHL All-Star Hockey '98 has a lot going for it. But more than that it has proven gameplay and a good development team (Radical Entertainment) behind it, proving more than anything else this one could be a good hockey sim. - + "s is) P Radical Entertainment made sure the play was much like Power Play's. сама loves a good ra. right? A selection of punches get thrown. ІСІ raise the hair оп the back of your neck. аасы arte P ANNA: e ; See Gothic London like never before ~in stunning 3-D graphics. Battle 21 marauding medieval monsters. Use 28 different mutilating moves to divide and conquer. Dont let something as minor as a severed limb stop you. lt won't stop them. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. Nightmare Creatures is a trademark of Kalisto Technologies. © 1997 Kalisto Technologies. Published and distributed by Activision, Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks ot Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. => | Playstation if you ave one still h That is, This six-armed spider-creature is just one of 21 bloodthirsty beasts who'd like to separate you from your assorted body parts. Go hand-to-hand against these creatures of darkness in the cobblestone streets — + _ A uu. ? of 19th-century Gothic London. E It's kill or be killed. Your job Battle as the fearless monk, Ignatius, or is to find the ultimate demon of the lethal femme fatale, Nadia, who seeks to darkness, Adam Crowley, before he overtakes the world. avenge the brutal murder of her father. Combat deranged demons, barbarous beasts and overzealous zombies who've been Explore Gothic London 4 while you battle а brigade unleashed by a clandestine group known of bloodthirsty beasts as the ever-faithful Ignatius. only as the Brotherhood of Hecate. Legend has it that the Brotherhood’s leader, the evil Adam Crowley, seeks to Solve puzzles and search for „lues for your inevitable overtake the world. But there’s dissension confrontation with the insidiously еа % crafty Mr. Crowley. within the Brotherhood and clues are a 8 left on each of the 16 increasingly morbid E " i levels to help you find him. Encounter everything from fire- breathing demon dogs, who can decapitate you with a flick of a razor-clawed paw, to Gargoyle statues, who come to life to try to As the nimble, sword-wield- h 1 1 ing Nadia, you'll have to slice Experience this macabre end yours. So beware, there'll be plenty and dice your way through maze of horror from multiple of creatures trying to separate you from Mr. treacherous London streets, points of view. sewers and alleyways. Crowley. Not to mention you from you. NIGHTMARE A bloody good time in jolly old London. The nightmare begins October 31. To prepare yourself, go to www.nightmare-creatures.com or www.kalisto.com Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release ATURN Technosoft Co., Ltd. 1 100 Now Technosoft Co., Ltd. Shooter Japan Web Address: www.tecnosoft.com Thunder Force V t’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a new Thunder Force game here in the States, but in Japan, Saturn owners have been getting their fill of Thunder Force nicely. Last year Technosoft released two compilation discs for the Saturn— called Thunder Force Gold Packs—which togeth- er encompassed the entire Thunder Force series in their original forms. Volume 1 included Thunder Force ІІ MD and Thunder Force Ill, and Volume 2 had Thunder Force IV and Thunder Force Arcade. Most recently, Technosoft released the first totally new Thunder Force game in years: Thunder Force V. While the Gold Packs never made it to the U.S. (and probably never will), there’s still a good chance that Sega of America will bring over Thunder Force V if interest stays high. Thunder Force V is a side-scrolling 2-D shooter with fully polygonal 3-D characters. The gameplay is essen- tially similar to past TF games, but your ship and its weaponry are completely new. This time there are five main weapons you can obtain, and you can hold onto each of them for as long as you’re alive. You can con- figure your control setup to switch between them with certain buttons, or you can set it so each button repre- sents a different weapon. In addition, your ship can collect up to three CRAW units at a time (Constituted Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release Midway Atari Games 102 October Gun Game 50 1997 Web Address: www.midway.com Remember 12 Monkeys where a radical terrorist group released a deadly virus that killed most of the human population, leaving the animals to roam freely around the Earth? Well, what if something similar happened (with nuclear bombs instead of a virus) except now it's not just in a movie...it’s in a video game. From the makers of Area 51 comes Maximum (ЕсМ\ Force, It’s a shooter with the feel of Area 51 but with enhanced graphics, a whole slew of new secrets and a different story line—in short, a whole new game (not a sequel). Players will go all over the place: From the jungles of South America to the Easter Islands (and another exotic location... New York City!). While roaming around in these various locales, players will jump on all-terrain vehicles, helicopters and more. I guess you're made of glass since every time уоште hit, you shatter. The photorealistic backgrounds in Thunder Force V are just gorgeous. Ray Art Weapon units) that revolve around your ship and can be used to temporarily power up your weapons into a “Berserk Mode” that does lots of damage. You can also change the speed of your ship at will. There are several stages in Thunder Force V, and you can choose your path through the first three at the Intro Screen. Overall, the graphics are well done and provide a nice atmosphere, and the music rocks. The only problem is that right now there are no plans to bring the game here. But as we said, there’s a chance Sega will bring it over if they see a high demand (so let Sega know!). e Behind the Screens Here are two perfectly The good excuses for impatient ә gamers who don’t want Special to wait for a U.S. release of Thunder Force V to go Pack ahead and purchase import copies: 1) The game is completely in English, so there's really no knowledge of Japanese necessary to play (except to read the manual). 2) For about $10 more than the normal price, you can get the Special Pack, which includes a CD full of b arranged music from past ‚ games in the Thunder Force series. Even if the game does come to the U.S., it's highly doubtful T that the music CD will be packed with it. NINTENDO: © 1997 Video System Co., Lid/Paradigm Entertainment, Inc. AeroFighters is a trademark of McO RIVER, Inc. (Video System U.S.A., Inc.) a 11155 Knott Ave., Suite F, Cypress, CA 90630 Tel: (714)894-3355. Licensed by Nintendo. Nintendo, the Oficial Seal, Nintendo 64, the 3-D "N" logo, and М the Rumble Pak are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. ©1996 Nintendo of America Inc. YOU WANT TO BE A HERO? DOGFIGHT BOGIES AND BOSSES OR GO HEAD-TO- HEAD IN TWO-PLAYER COM- BAT IN STUNNING GRAPHIC ENVIRONMENTS TO SAVE THE EARTH YET AGAIN. THERE’S 10 LEVELS OF FAST ACTION THAT DEMANDS FAST REACTION. JOIN THE BATTLE IN THE ONLY GAME THAT MATTERS. PICK A (HEY, IT'S CHRISTMAS. “Tekken 2 is the hest...no contest.” -Game Players August ‘96 г "Tekken 2 is THE can't-miss PlayStation game of the year!" - Game Players September ‘96 who owns a PlayStation (novices and "This game is a must buy 2 fanatics alike).” - PS Extreme September ‘96 Tekken 2™ © 1994 199719 6 Namco Ltd. SOULBLADE™ & © 1995 1996 Namco Ltd. All Rights Reserved. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PICK TWO.) “Soul Blade heads the early list for best fighting game of the year.” - GameFan February ‘97 "..no gamer should be without this: the most spectacular fighting game ever to grace a console." - GameFan March ‘97 -its simply the best 3D | | PlayStation.” Playstation www.n SE om 1 The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Capcom USA Inc. 1 5 January Capcom Comp. Ltd. Adventure 1998 www.capcom.com Resident Evil 2 Tokyo Game Show Lots of companies served up loads of games for the PlayStation at TGS this year. Artdink led the charge with A5 (an urban development sim qame) and Kaze no Nohtam (Nohtam's Wing) a hot-air Ба!- loon simulator. ASCII unveiled School 3 (an RPG creator), as well as Mars Story and Moon, both RPGs. Asmik unveiled Snow Break, a winter sports дате. Altron showed off Robo Pit 2, a follow-up to the cartoon y mech-style vs. game. Enix showed Egg of Steel, an action game with graphics done by a Hollywood special effects com- pany and Bust a Move, a new dance game where you control a dancer. Capcom showcased Rockman Dash and an RPG with an anime feel. Konami showed Metal Gear-it wasn't playable but the videos looked awesome. Square had Einhander, Xenogears (a sci-fi RPG), Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon (an RPG featuring the popular Final Fantasy character), Front Mission 2 and Parasyte Eve. The only game Sony showed was Gran Turismo, a game that fea- tures a variety of regular and sporty cars. Hudson showed Bomberman for the PlayStation, while Namco showed Namco Museum Encore. This one's the finale to the Namco Museum series. It includes Rolling Thunder, Sky Kid Dragon Saver and other classic games. (EGM) 62 m алай le his winter's most-anticipated PlayStation release is bigger, badder and even more fright- ening. Resident Evil 2 is Capcom's follow-up to their best-selling (2.5 million units worldwide) horror-adventure game, which was voted "Best PlayStation Game Ever" on the official PlayStation Web site (www.playstation.com) and "Readers' Top Pick of All Time" in EGM's readers’ poll (this issue). No one can argue the popularity of the first Resident Evil. And considering the sequel is a big improvement, Capcom could only be thinking, “cha-ching!” Resident Evil 2, first and foremost, looks great. The prerendered backgrounds look crisper and more detailed than those in part one. The animations even look improved. These are all impressive feats, considering how good RE looked. New camera angles and improved graphics give Resident Evil 2 that special cinematic feel. Part of RE2's beautiful aesthetics comes from the new-and- improved environments. The game now takes place throughout the heavily populated (by zombies, anyway) Raccoon City. The haunted streets are filled with decrepit buildings and burning cars. Everything is drawn so lifelike, you'd swear you're watching a scene out of Escape From New York. The streets of Raccoon City alone provide enough exploring material to keep you busy for a while. You can walk down dark alleyways or see haunted inner-city basketball courts. Everywhere you look, you'll find empty (and not so empty) buildings to check out. You may find an occasional living human, but chances are, you'll meet a hungry zombie waiting for fresh meat. In our Resident Evil 2 demo, we were tossed right into the mix. The demo starts you off downtown, surrounded by zombies on fire. After escaping (or killing) them, you can find a gun shop, still run by a frightened store owner. Here, you can pick up ammo, and after a little bit, the owner's shotgun. From that point on, the sus- pense and action never stop. e Want proof that Resident Evil is a big- HO name video game? Recently, Capcom licensed the rights to the game for development into a major motion picture. Screenwriter Alan McElroy (who wrote the screenplay for Spawn) has completed the story line for the Resident Evil movie. The film will be produced by Constatin Films, which currently has two other movies in production: The Silver Surfer and The Fantastic Four. Тћеге nothing like splattering zombie guts all over the wall... $ Finally, there’s violence on T.V. worth getting excited about. That's because NAKI’s new Red 5191 Laser Target System gives you total shooting control. Blow away enemies cowering Бейіпа obstacles, pick out terrorists without killing hostages — any time tie situation demands pinpoint accuracy, you've gotta power Up the Red Sigit Laser. There’s simply no alternative. Bea iad јаве Target hown with + Combine special features like Auto Fire, Auto ee Sony Reload, and Semi Auto Fire in any way you like. PlayStation (attaches to NAKI Lunar Guns are—> NAKI Lunar Gun). lightweight, durable, and + The Red Sight Laser Target System works with апу available Far all ESSE shooting games for PlayStation, N64, and Saturn. 1. 80 0 : 626 i 6 2 54 Wireless Pro Pro Fighter 8 Wireless PSR-2 Memory Cards RF Switch C кен, Controller Сац for your nearest retailer ши (IMB, 8MB) System Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release Web Address: Rampage: World Tour The days of retro gaming are in full swing, meaning that it was only a matter of time until Rampage finally got its chance to live again on 32- Bit systems. Rampage is a classic in which you become the evil monster that eats the good guys and destroys their cities. Three creatures participate in the carnage: George, a gorilla; Lizzie, a Godzilla wanna-be; and Ralph, a giant wolf. в Rampage: World Tour starts in Peoria and spans the globe іп the mon- ® sters’ quest to destroy 16 research facilities whose experiments have created them. The purpose of the more than 14o levels is about the same: Destroy as much as you can, as fast as you can. Using a variety of jumps, kicks, punches and secret moves, you're able to level whole blocks, while evading the well- armed police forces and military. They'll try to stop you with flame thrower-toting soldiers, helicopters, tanks and even rival creatures. Any of these threats can be neutralized with some brute muscle, and some make a tasty treat. Although only two are seen here, up to three players can reck havoc at the same time (provided you have a multiplayer tap, of course). Three players can play at the same time, making for some incredible carnage. At the end of each level, destruction totals are tallied, providing a à definitive answer as to who was the most destruc- Contrary to popular belief, monsters tive. Coincidentally, EGM will soon provide the defini- are susceptible to flame throwers. tive answer on whether this game is worth it or not. This Month in e EGM history... Acclaim 1 N ЈА November • | May Ri ve n Sunsoft Adventure 1997 Sushi-X joins the maga- WWW.riven.com zine as а reviewer and resident fighting game expert after defeating sev- The question everyone will be asking from Myst was eral staffers, including the very beginning is if the sequel to Myst will often called Advertising Director David be any more fun. It’s no surprise that onlyahand- “boring” and Siller, in hand-to-hand combat. He has been our most popular reviewer- and our defacto mascot- ful of console gamers enjoyed the version that — "too calm” for came over to us (opposed to the PC and Мас the average versions). Well, here's a quote from the Web site — action-craving for Riven (www.riven.com) that sounds kind gamer, appeal- ever since. In fact, it has of...er...delightful?: ing more long been company policy toward a mid- that all job applicants тера to “п ао] КЩ dle-aged com- must hold their own timeless, unresolved conflicts, a world о uter user. But Е Е i ii incomparable beauty, intrigue and betray- ine thing that a mn Қай scenes (П ААС ЕН M al. Prepare to go to Riven." can’t be denied Walt you "ets поре thats not all. or they're out the door. about Myst is that it certainly looks good, from a Меейев5/% say, getting rendered graphics standpoint, that is. а job at ЕСІ ain't easy. So what about Riven makes it better? It’s still early but there looks to be a more interesting story line, nearly three hours of animations and interaction with a bunch of different creatures and characters (something Myst lacked). So at least you're not by yourself. The game also features thousands of still images (or scenes) to interact with, a graphics engine that seems to be enhanced, and a full- length musical soundtrack. Of course, the envi- ronment is completely different, set in a whole new world. Riven will test your skills of observa- tion and button clicking as you wander around the mysterious land. e ВЕМЕОВОНИЕНКӘ © HWA: E vr WRRIVEE = COMMAND & CONQUER RED ALERT FOR THI PLAYSTATION™ GAME CONSOLE. „5 | 224 Over two dozen Allied and Soviet missions on two action-packed CDs. • Fight over land, sea and air with MiGs, spies, destroyers, submarines and more! • Take the ultimate challenge by fighting up to 3 Al opponents in SKIRMISH mode. • Battle maps are up to 2 times larger than those in Command & Conquer. * Three game difficulty settings. • Dozens of close-ups and action movies. • Specially-designed interface with completely “ reworked graphics for your PlayStation™ Game Console. 2. ck S. 5 т > E -- LOCK ‘N LOAD е € о D Ц [o] = www.westwood.com | PlayStation | stwood S: LL | RETAILERS Ж ) ћурег егер, батон sound — —— amplified өп 15 way Sub»woote қ » тв | | sound pjecisiGn-adjustAble бе Ж m | | | | | speaker doors, А 4 | | || | | | | | / / ў / A | | | | хідео game sound presets / | | | | | iS | |27 | | | | | | | | ІШ | | | | | | | | | | ЈЕ А] | | | һурег graphic апћаћсејте | | | pone ||| | || | amplified) | | ||| ||| | | | | low-emission, image burn-in / graphics resistant screen | || | 13" color ТУ with | 181-channel tuning | extreme ев with ali 5 | | | | дате syptems | power | | | | || | | | тип рје|дате system \ | ІШІ ы. чв | | | \ | | | | | | қ | | tilt/gwivel гтаћа | (азса (өшу :одоча GOI TE 5jou/^o олуоедвој ләц} jo Auedoud ou) ere зурешерел Jeujo | "ош 'eoueury зошодооја битот; Не! 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