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“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

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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.

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Mike Darling

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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 > <q . Bald Bull

ü

à эзи. у vus . Earthworm Jim Learn the moves early for Tomb Raider II in our new strategy briefings ў 3) к, . Sonic ! Уы 1 Я > . 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

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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.”

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©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.

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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

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

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əanemu] хорд jo

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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.

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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 |

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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.

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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

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.

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/ graphics resistant screen | || | 13" color ТУ with | 181-channel tuning |

extreme ев with ali 5 | | | |

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| power | | | | || | | | тип рје|дате system \ | ІШІ ы. чв | | | \ | | | | | | қ

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(өшу :одоча GOI TE 5jou/^o олуоедвој ләц} jo Auedoud ou) ere зурешерел Jeujo | "ош 'eoueury зошодооја битот;

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Capcom U.S.A., Inc. 1 10 February Capcom Co. Ltd. Action 1998 WWW.capcom.com

Mega Man Neo

|

рат уш== j

Realtime cinemas keep the flow of the game fluid.

EGM 68

apcom’s world-famous blue bomber is currently en route to making yet another appearance on the home gaming scene—this time exclusively on the PlayStation. With Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4 both out in stores now (X4 should be out by the time you read this, anyway), Capcom can finally concentrate on putting the finishing touches on the latest in the long-standing series of Mega Man games. But be warned —this ain't your father's Mega Man. In Mega Man Neo, the action takes place in an entirely 3-D world with lush environ- ments, amazingly smooth polygonal graphics and— get this — RPG (yes, RPG) elements galore.

The basic story behind Mega Man Neo involves Mega Man going on a quest to save the Hidden Legacy treasure (whatever that is). Right now it's uncertain as to whether or not the Mega Man in MM Neo is the orig- inal Blue Bomber or an all-new metal warrior. For one, he doesn't wear his helmet (not during the early stages of the game anyway), and his good friend Roll (Dr. Light's female assistant) doesn't look anything like she used to. Could it be an all-new cast? Who knows, but either way the game characters still convey an alarming amount of charm through their onscreen actions and animations. In fact, all animation is motion-captured (well, the human-like characters any- way), and the result is near-lifelike movement. The entire game world is made up of polygons, and while it retains the rough look that PlayStation gamers have grown used to, there is virtually NO clipping at all, and the movement is silky smooth.

Fortunately for us (and Japanese gamers), there's a fully playable demo of Mega Man Neo on the Resident Evil 2 Interactive Demo Disc that comes with the Japanese version of Resident Evil: Director's Cut (that's BioHazard for you purists out there). Unfortunately, the demo won't be available in the U.S., but we got our hands on the Japanese one before it hit stores, and we were able to play through the entire thing.

Even though the game is still early, the demo, over- all, looked very promising and was—and this is key, considering it's a 3-D game we're talking about here— a LOT of fun to play. It only lasted about 45 minutes or so, but still—in that time we stole a large treasure, crashed an airship, talked to a monkey, had a run-in with the cops, rescued a man from deadly serpents in a cave, defeated several mini-Bosses and then went face-to-face with one of the main villains of the game (and whooped her butt, | might add). If this is any sign of what's to come, I’m already sold, and | think most of you will be too. Hopefully we'll have a more in-depth

preview copy soon. Until then, feast on these screens. e

The 3-D Bosses are quite impressive but deadly, especially the big, red ones.

Mega Мап” long- time favorite gal (Roll) is back, makeover and all. She's hot!

was) slowly;

ITA PENDING

PlayStation —

Соо! Воагдег5 2

Catch massive air in the “bowl” portion of the competition.

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre — 9o Done

GT Interactive Тог2 Aardvark 50

en years ago snowboarders were about as welcome on the slopes as ОЈ). is... well, anywhere. Today they’re consid- ered the new denizens of the extreme sports movement.

Sony’s Cool Boarders 2 has come into its own as well. Their second edition explores all things snowboarding has to offer, including half pipe compe- titions, two-player racing and 31 new tricks to perform. In addition, five different snowboarding afficionados shred the courses with their own specialties and strength points. You can dress them as tacky as you want—it doesn’t matter, they’re rad in any outfit. A unique new feature allows you to design your own snowboard, otherwise there is a selection of 18 Burton- brand snowboards to choose from. Hands down the most important improvement made is the addition of Two-player Competition Mode. And while a lot of work was done to make the variety of tricks extensive and entertaining, it can’t hold a candle to a good old-fash- ion head-to-head race with a human competitor.

Polygonal characters and tracks are back as is the whole “rad” atmosphere complete with eight pumping tunes and smart-ass commentary provided by an anonymous dude. Put all that together with the dron- ing crowd noise and all the elements are_in place for the complete snowboarding experience.

Release

November

First-person shooter 1997

Web Address: www.gtgames.com

tal Meltdown

The first-person shooter with attitude (and strippers) comes to the PlayStation. Total Meltdown, like the other Duke Nukem games on competing systems, has exclusive features. The six PlayStation-only levels are perhaps the best additions to this version. Each of them has a theme, like Womb Trader (enemies are outfitted with Lara outfits

and large breasts), President Weevil (based on Resident Evil, of course) or Wipe ’Em Out (imagine pig cops flying

around in WipeOut ships). The PlayStation Duke Nukem will also introduce a new меароп, пем епе- mies, | Two-player Link Mode, a Bot Mode (where you face off against up to eight CPU-controlled dukes for death- matching) апа support for Sony’s analog pad.

racing makes its

EA-Origin 1 Bullfrog Simulation М А 1997

SCEA 1or2 60 November UEP Systems Extreme Sport 1997 www.playstation.com Two-player

split-screen

debut in Cool Boarders 2.

Style is everything. The Board Park is where mondo tricks are performed.

November

It’s one thing to take a bullet like a man but how does one take 3-foot long, razor sharp scissors? How will you avert decapitation and keep your entrails from spilling out over the kitchen floor? This will surely be your fate unless you can outwit Norway's most lethal killer-Scissorman. You'll have to become a master of stealth and deception to avoid being cut to ribbons in this blood-soaked horror adventure.

W Five playable characters and ten different endings for super-extended replay value.

W Amazingly detailed, horrific graphics and special effects.

So grab your copy of Clock Tower™,

» turn out the lights, and "АЯ К

Tower and the Clock: tarks of ASCH Enter the ademark of the Шет ed trademarks of their respective holders.

tainment Inc

Playstation

inside out. Explore a whacked-out psychedelic landscape with Nikki's insane double јитр— еп dominate with Fargus’ maniacal attacks by hurling his viper-tongued side-kick Sid for skull crushing go Navigate the undulating 3D hyper-kinetic backgrounds ‘till it turns your brain to puddin! H 5 a twisted new world of furious gameplay that'll

"A Tm

Game Rating Information Crystal Dynamics, the Crystal Dynamics logo, Pandemonium 2, and the GEX character are trademarks of Crystal Dynamics. ©1997 Crystal Dynamics. M rights reserved. PlayStation and the PlayStation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc,

GT Interactive 102 75 November l | В | DIO) SingleTrac Action 1997

Critical Depth

hey say the Earth is made up of 75 per- cent water, so it’s no surprise that SingleTrac put all that wasted wet stuff to good use. They’ve surfaced to give us a look at a nearly complete version of their first title for publisher GT Interactive, Critical Depth.

Collect the pods to open

the slipgate. The game puts players in the cockpit of one of more

than 10 subs. Each of them has its own driver and per- sonality (i.e., Captain Cutlass rides around in a pirate ship-esque sub). Sound a little like Twisted Metal? It should, considering SingleTrac describes their new game as a cross between Twisted Metal and Warhawk with plenty of surprises and additions to boot.

SUCKER

Critical Depth has a crazy amount of weapons to pick eae ЛП up, most of them having a heavy nautical theme.

It’s amazing what water

can do to Twisted Metal.

It’s like a new game...uh. In the game, players need to recover four pods per

level to open a slipgate that sends them to the next

stage. Within each level (besides the power-ups, pods

and obstacles) are three other enemy subs that try to

stop you from getting the pods. The arsenal on your

sub is just as powerful as the enemies, and at times

more powerful depending on what sub you’ve chosen

(like how powerful Mr. Grimm was in Twisted Metal)

since each of the subs has their own attributes.

The levels are scattered in far-flung locales, including the Red Sea, around a sunken city and other oceanic places. Critical Depth also offers a Two-player Split- screen Mode. @

| May СТЕК ВР АУС ЛЕТА

San Francisco-based _Ziff-Davis Publishing Company buys Electronic Gaming Monthly, EGM and several other publications that were part of Steve Harris’ Sendai Media Group. New group publisher Jon Lane promises not to tinker with the mag's content or style, while Ziff-Davis itself begins pumping its vast resources into EGM. Soon, readers begin to notice that the magazine is printed on better paper and screen shots are brighter and clearer.

All staff concerns over the new owners are erased several weeks later when-as Chicago's summer temps shift from simmer to boil-Lane lifts Sendai's year-old ban on wearing shorts. EGM's staff is once again free from their pants.

(Note: You don’t even wanna know why shorts were banned in the first place. Сап you sing the jingle, “We wear short shorts?)

“The only NFL game good enough to put my name on it.”

— Jimmy Johnson, Miami Dolphins

Ask Jimmy.

Motivation, game tips, personnel assessment and post-game analysis from Jimmy Johnson.

Coach’s Clipboard.”

Create your own custom plays and save them on memory card.

One-Step” Play Calling.

Choosing your play is as simple as pressing a button.

3-D Passing Interface.

Ап innovative interface provides precise control of passes and kicks.

Fully Licensed.

Real NFL teams, iogos and players with authentic play books and formations.

Plus Customize Players and Teams, General Manager Mode, and Adjustable Real-Time Camera Movement Before the Snap.

“There is so much more in my game...so get a move-on and chech it out for yourself!"

– Jimmy Johnson

developed by

© 1997 Interplay Productions, All rights reserved. VR Sports, VR Football and The Difference Is Real are trademarks of Interplay Productions. All rights reserved. Exclusively licensed and distributed by Interplay Productions Developed by Padded Cell Studios, a subdivision of Game Tek, Inc. Jimmy Johnson is a trademark of Golden Cane Enterprises. The NFL shield design is a registered trademark of the National Football League. TM/© 1997 NF

Back-to-Back Super Bowl Championships Four-Time NFL “Coach of the Year” 36 Consecutive NCAA Victories

$СЕА Тог2 50 November SingleTrac Racing 1997 www.playstation.com

Jet Moto 2

s the year of the sequel marches on, Jet Moto 2 makes its first playable appearance. And it’s delivering a new physics engine, beefed-up bikes and 10 new obstacle-laden tracks.

While some may consider Jet Moto 2 to be a poor man’s WaveRace, it really isn’t. For starters, WaveRace never let you ride sleek, half hover- craft, half Jet-Ski vehicles over quake-shaken Los Angeles. But that's all in a day's work in Jet Moto 2, as is careening through several other tracks containing caverns, rapids, canyons and even roller coasters. The all-new tracks pack more obstacles as well as much improved graphics. Corkscrew roads, steeper water- falls, incredible launch-pad ramps and even lava fields spice up the racing quite a bit. At one point on the Los Angeles race (earthquake terrain), sections of upturned highway provide a means to launch yourself so far and high it seems like you'll never land. Still other tracks make you navigate skinny passageways at high speeds, while narrowly missing cement pillars and ledges.

One of the faster tracks, The Canyon, is an all-out speed fest—or a death fest depending on how you play it.

At this point it looks as if Jet Moto 2 has kept most of the elements that worked in the original, while improv- ing the graphics engine and adding miles of brand-new courses to conquer. @

The roller-coaster corkscrew will leave you silly in the head, if you're lucky.

Other technical improvements, such as sharper col- ors, shifting lights and new animations, have all found a place in Jet Moto 2. More importantly, improvement in the “TruePhysics” design have made the bikes’ han- dling abilities better than the original Moto.

% Done Release

N/A

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre

SCEA Sony Interactive

1-8 Sports

November 1997

Web Address: www.playstation.com

sidelines to avoid going out of bounds, stutter-stepping an opponent and one-handed spinning catches are all very

impressive to see in a polygonal

Last year Sony's GameBreaker sported small, sprite-basetl players that moved about the field so fast it seemed more like a flea circus than a football game. GameBreaker 98 does away with the mini-mites andin format. Game speed/frame rate their place are fully polygonal 3-D is the same as GameDay football brutes. 98, which has proven to be quite sufficient.

Like NFL GameDay 98, nothing less than a total overhaul has taken place. Sony’s new, 3-D game engine has beefed up the graphics to new levels. Contributing to the realism equation

There are 111 Division 1-A teams included along with some greats from the past: USC *72, Notre Dame "88 to name а

are multiple player sizes, fluid move- ments and some impressive motion- capture animations. Tight-roping the

few. Stat tracking and the real rosters for the 1997/98 season are in there. Create-a-player

and tons of Easter eggs are also in the mix.

If anything, Sony’s GameBreaker 98—as well as GameDay 98—have proven that fast polygonal graphics and gameplay in a football game can be done on a 32-Bit system.

Running the option is one of the more popular plays in GameBreaker.

Hey Frost, wrap that ball up! Give the Huskers a fighting chance this year.

76

wEWRW Lay

PLAYSTATION FIFA: 98

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre %Done Release

November

Electronic Arts 1-8 40 1997

EA Canada Sports

Web Address: www.easports.com

IFA: RWC 98 could go down in history as the most meticu- lously detailed sport sim ever. With 172 nations represented and 17 actual stadiums, there is no shortage of teams or venues.

Last year FIFA 97 had some problems with a sluggish frame rate and less-than- exciting play. This year things have been tightened up—especially in the gameplay and control departments. Other improve- ments include enhanced Al, new weather effects and highly detailed players. This year the boys will be sportin’ their own facial features and hair styles.

Looking more like a wounded bear than a defender, this guy chokes.

As the name suggests, the road to the World Cup will include many tournaments and qualifying rounds to play through. The sheer number of teams you’ll need to beat is staggering. One thing is for sure: It will no doubt take lots of time. Hopefully with the new improvements to FIFA: RWC 98, it will be time well spent. @

Lots of attention to detail is evident in FIFA’s new players.

A Little

The

Finally there’s an instant way to get the latest gaming information and interact with the game editors at EGM 5 EGM? without using snail mail or the Internet!

Listen to the Q-Mann for the hottest news in the industry!

EGM’s Review Crew cuts loose with their trademark no-holds-barred reviews!

Tell us Ires reviews or strategies, then read 'em online— or maybe even in the next EGM and ЕСМ!

Be first to unearth the next big thing in EGM and EGM’!

E б М? ELECTRONIC

Be sure to get your parents’ permission to use EGMs Talkline if you are under 18 years

MONTHLY of age. Make sure you have a touch-tone phone. Messages subject to change without notice. A service of EGM апа EGM..

Midway 1 5 0 September Midway Action 1997

www.midway.com

MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero

The action and adventure are broken up with cheesy, but fun, full-motion MK video.

This Month

in EGM History...

Sept. Ir

Acclaim-toying with the idea of entering the pub- lishing industry- offers to buy EGM from Steve Harris for $50,000. The deal eventually falls through, but imag- ine how different the world would have been if Batman and Sushi-X teamed up in a video game.

(кєм

78

ouldn’t it be cool if the makers of Mortal Kombat took all the things they're famous for (like the fighting elements, characters and fatalities) and mixed them into a side-scroller with some adven- ture elements, such as experience points and useable items?

Well, it’s no secret that Midway has been working on MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero for some time now, and the game is exactly what was described—more or less an MK side-scroller. So how does Midway translate the game that defined digitized fighters and introduced gore like never before into something other than a fighting game?

First, Midway came up with a story line for the game. In it, Sub-Zero is presented with a series of tasks. Even from the get-go, the sorcerer seems to have ulte- rior motives, and Sub-Zero can sense it. Problem is, Sub- Zero’s mentor, the grandmaster, only sees the rewards for working with the sorcerer. But since he’s working for his leader, Sub-Zero can’t refuse to do what he asks.

The graphics have the same style as the older MK games, except now everything is set up in levels. Some elements are similar to Pandemonium! in that although the game is 2-D, the level will rotate giving a 3-D appearance.

As the title suggests, Sub-Zero is the main character and as players control him through the various levels, he gains more and more of his special moves (i.e., ice blasts and such) through earning experience points. These are gained by performing combos and other special attacks. For example, by dishing out a four-hit combo, players will receive somewhere around 10 points of experience. Then after a certain amount, Sub-Zero will be able to freeze his enemies and give them the classic Sub-Zero uppercut.

Some new moves have been introduced as well. Sub- Zero can now double freeze an enemy (without becom- ing frozen himself) and then give him/her an uppercut, shattering him/her into dozens of pieces of ice-cold flesh. Note that it only works on weaker enemies. Besides fighting-type moves, Sub-Zero will also be able to hang from ledges and pull himself up (see upper-right picture).

The levels take players all over the place ranging from Shaolin temples to strange fortresses high in the Himalayas. Wherever the game takes them, lots of traps, enemies and other hazards await.

It’s a strange new world (the action side- scrolling genre) that Mortal Kombat is entering, where there’s a whole slew of new competitors. It should be interest- ing to see how the kings of Kombat fare in this new arena. e

See...there’s still plenty of Kombat to deal with in MK Mythologies.

Tecmo 102 15 November Tecmo Simulation 1997 www.tecmo.co.jp

Monster Rancher

aking its cue from the highly successful of items you can buy or sell and use in disciplining or Game Boy game Pocket Monsters rewarding your monster. Keeping tabs on the money is (available in Japan for the last two another key element of the game as well.

years) and its cheaper cousin the

Tamagotchi pet, Tecmo’s Monster Monster Rancher combines 2-D RPG-type menus and Rancher prepares to bring a similar story windows with 3-D polygonal battle sequences and style of breeder game to America. monster animations, thus creating a cool mixture of

game genres. No doubt, saving your best monsters for In Monster Rancher, you raise the monster of your battle with a

Doing battle at а tourna- choice (most of them resemble dinosaurs) over along friend's will be ment. The fights are the period of time, building them through work, training опе of the key highlight As game. and general care in several categories: power, skill, selling points

intelligence, speed, etc. In addition, loyalty, will and of Monster popularity come in handy later on in the tournament Rancher. e portion of the game. Giving it even more depth are tons

You raise them,

love them,

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done | Release then send your monsters off to

battle. Sad, no?

Web Address:

Red Alert, the follow-up to Command & Conquer, is actually a prequel which explains the background of the aforementioned C&C.

Red Alert's plot involves the Allies and Soviets, and although it begins in the 19405 and ends in the 1980s, the complexity of the game easily eclipses Command & Conquer. There are many more units consisting of land, sea and air weapons in addition to indoor commando mis- sions. Experimental weapons such as the Chronosphere and Iron Curtain can be used (some with consequences), while some old favorites such as the Mammoth Tank and Grenadiers will still remain in the repertoire.

Red Alert plays just like the original, except 2 dq with more units and a better story line. E

$СЕА t8 October Sony Interactive Sports Му А 1997 www. playstation.com

NHL Face Off 98

ony’s sports division is definitely on a big roll right now. It’s been proven that they can do the 32-Bit polygonal format quite nicely, and they haven’t hesitated to use it in all their new sports games, the latest of which is NHL Face Off 98.

Building on last year’s strong points—mainly responsive gameplay, icon passing and applied team strategy—this year the emphasis was obviously put on the new polygonal look. Much the same as GameDay 98, the new Face Off makes the transformation to polygonal players. Keeping the competent gameplay, Al and frame rate while incorporating the new 3-D engine and polygonal graphics isn’t easy, but at this point it looks (and plays) like they've done a very thorough job.

We expect all 26 official logos, stadiums, teams and players from the '97 season to be used. Statistical tracking is as extensive as ever with several categories for teams, players and users, including points, assists, penalty minutes, wins, shutouts, etc.

Blood thirsty hockey fans will be happy, as Face Off 98 includes all the fighting they crave.

ЫШ ~ ЧО Face Off's 3-D Cool new additions include 3-D fighting with uppercuts, Mf “Î graphics are plus pushing and pulling (no ear biting, though). Actual in- impressive

in the preview-

game moves such as hip checks, backward skating, drop zz] ~ | able version we

passes and poke checks, to name a few, have benefitted

greatly from the polygonal treatment. A lot of new sound uy м M played. effects have been added in many areas of the game, from ER > fighting to the rippin’ organ tunes. 2%) к

It's premature to say that NHL Face Off 98 is the new king of the hockey sims, but at this point it looks good

д AS enough to shut down the current competition. @ Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done | Release BONO Cur а F ГС „у Web Address: БАЙ

° A Fighting Force

It seems Fighting Force is right on track for an October release. Eidos’ fighting game (spotlight- ed in the July ’97 issue of EGM) will feature 3-D fighting similar to Streets of Rage, complete with 40-50 moves per character and a bizzaro mad- man who plans to feed the world large doses of LSD in hopes of global genocide. With Core Design (Tomb Raider) doing the programming honors, expectations are high.

HS Not only can you kick the enemies’ Each of the three characters has № heads, you can also blow them off. his/her own style and techniques.

80

NBA Live 98

Electronic Arts 1-8 40 November EA Canada Basketball 1997 www.easports.com

Here's one of the many in- your-face dunks you can expect in NBA Live.

Oct. ЕД

In what is probably the most famous case of a company pulling ads from EGM, Capcom stops advertising after Super Street Fighter ІІ is criticized for being more Street

Fighter rehash.

Publisher Steve Harris responds in an editorial, explain- ing how Capcom's reaction is nothing new to the mag. More than anything ever written in EGM, these comments from his October 1994 editorial sum up our philosophy:

his next installment in the Live series benefits from EA having another year of 3-D experience. The textured players are impressive, sporting more detail than last year's version. Many of the popular players' faces are recognizable, and there are also new motion-captured ani- mations, such as new dunks, fadeaway shots, spin moves and crossover dribbles.

Gameplay packs a variety of new additions. There is now a Direct Passing command that's activated by the Shoulder button, an improved post-up system and a Direct Dunking button that commands the player to force a dunk (if he can't he will revert to a lay-up). Also new are leaning drives, which are executed by hitting the L2 button. While hitting this button, leaning drives, spins and crossovers can be used to get to the hoop.

Live has always captured the “showtime” spirit of basketball, but this year they hope to take it to the next level by emphasizing the *NBA on TNT" license introduced last year. The TNT broadcast team of Vern Lundquist and Ernie Johnson engages in radio-style play-by-play during the oncourt action. Needless to say, you'll find plenty of TNT broadcast banners and graphics speckled through the game. Also in the spirit of showtime is Live's new, fast-paced, three-point com- petition that is played at the NBA All-Star Weekend. e

The new player models are detailed as you can see

in this glob

of players.

Here, you can see NBA Live 985 “Direct Passing” Option which allows you to easily pick which player to pass the ball to. The feature first appeared in NBA Shoot Out 97.

This Month in EGM Histor

This type of stance has cost EGM more than $500,000 in revenue, but no amount of money can buy back lost integrity. The guiding principle of this publication is that it is written for

the reader, and it is this principle that has made EGM the

biggest, most widely read, and most respected magazine in the video game industry.

Yeah, what he said!

Laugh while you frag, from Hollywood to outerspace!

4

Bag some aliens with over a dozen hi-tech weapons!

An all-out overload of non-stop carnage!

Duke’ s in town. And there's nothing he hates arene їй army of alien punks crowding his расе ВШ levels of freak-smashing 30 mayhem should see if it. AR. ‘guns! Gruesome enemies! Total interaction! ~

(and all-out devastation! Иш, ШЕЕ with The Man! ” 52 Ou E

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take поте an exclusive Duke Nukem poster/strategy guide."

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Foursplayer, Split-screen Dukematch action.

P DUKE NUKEM 64

| From КА to the moon — 32 towering levels of (00% interactive carnage! Оп film sets, in bars, оп moving subways...no butt-ugly alien is safe from ће Aet ai Duke! Grenade Launchers. Shrink Rays.

И Нагусоге 3D action. And graphics to kill for! ІШКЕ coming to take uut ће garbage!

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[ub үре are the properly of M UR YS les, v ы ЖА

Known for its great graphics and arcade gameplay, the latest incarnation of the NBA In the Zone series is being readied for the PlayStation.

Konami is beefing up their polygonal basketball game in a number of ways,

Publisher/Developer Release

Players/Genre % Done

Web Address:

starting with Charlotte Hornets forward, Glen Rice providing an endorsement for the product. More importantly, Zone’s already impressive 3-D graphics are being improved with the addition of some new moves and motion-captured animations such as no-looking passing and behind- the-back dribbling. As always, the game will be heavy on action, but a few, new features might attract simulation fans to the game.

Interplay lor2 November Promethean Design Racing Ni А 1997 www.interplay.com

VR Sports' upcoming Powerboat Racing has an interesting premise anda sparse amount of competing games to worry about. After all, there just aren't that many boat- racing games out there.

Powerboat Racing looks like it'll offer more than pure racing action. The producers promise it'll pack precise physics and handling characteristics, which will simu- late the way in which a speedboat

you say WaveRace 64?), while still retaining some arcade elements to pump up the action. In addition, a lot of work has been put into the backgrounds surrounding each course. Animated trains, planes and automobiles will liven up the scenery of the nine courses. This could turn out to be an origi- nal and entertain- ing racing title, one gamers have been craving.

reacts to the shifting waves (can

% Done Release

December Му А 1997

Publisher/Developer РІауегѕ/бепге

Acclaim Ц Probe Action

Web Address: www.acclaimnation.com

We all know what the old Batman side- scrollers were like —a little like Final Fight, but not quite as fun—and then a new one came to the PlayStation and the Saturn and it was enhanced a bit, but it was still in 2-D (not a bad thing, but like the oldies). This time Batman is still on a 32-Bit console, but now he’s in 3-D and stars in something other than a side-scroller!

Acclaim is still the makers of the game and they tried something differ- ent than their standard side- scrollers. This time you can go all over the place ina truly 3-D environment, kind of like Tomb Raider, but a lot differ- ent. In Batman and Robin,

you can jump in the Batmobile and explore Gotham City, going from various building to building trying to put down Freeze.

Even though there’s more exploration going on, the game still has plenty of action. After all, Batman wouldn’t be Batman if he wasn’t kicking somebody's booty. And the same goes for the *Boy Wonder."

The game more or less follows the movie and has the same dark mood, but it doesn't have the real stars in it—only 3-D models that look like them (instead of sprite versions like other Acclaim games).

нерест тр

=>

==

PlayStation

а "Warking Designs js a d trademark of Working Designs, Inc. All rights reserved. "SPAZ" is a trademark of Working Designs, Inc. All rights reserved. ray light my fire!? For a dealer near уоилса! (916) 243-8417. 800-771-3772 for Game Rating Information. 3: E ox

$СЕА SCEI

Тог2 Puzzle

www.playstation.com

November 1997

85

Publisher/Developer

Accolade

Pitbull Syndicate

Intelligent Qube

ntelligent Qube—Sony’s new block-rocking puz- zle game—isn’t much to look at. With its empty, black backgrounds and rows of marching blocks, the game looks like a no-frills version of Atari's Klax. But then, it isn’t IQ's graphics that boosted the game into the top-o’-the-chart stratosphere in Japan, where it has sold more than 600,000 copies. This game is as addicting as it is simple.

105 goal—to clear waves of blocks—is nothing revolutionary, but it’s the simplistic gameplay that hooks you. You start each round as a little guy stand- ing in the path of rows of marching cubes, which come in three types: Normal Cubes, black Forbidden Cubes and green Advantage Cubes. The blocks march in unison toward you and the edge of the level, where they'll slip into the abyss if you don’t clear them in time. Your job is to get rid of the Normal and Advantage cubes, while leaving the Forbidden Cubes untouched (oh, and take care not to get crushed by the blocks as they march toward youl).

To eliminate a cube, mark a floor panel in its path by tapping the Circle Button, then jab the button again when the cube rolls onto the panel. Normal Cubes will disappear, but if you clear one of the spe- cial Advantage Cubes, you can tap the Triangle Button

Players/Genre 142 7 Racing

% Done

50

Release

November 1997

Web Address: www.accolade.com

rive 4

Test Drive 4 takes the best of the classic cars-the '69 Camaro, '70 Chevelle, '67 Shelby Cobra and a '71 Plymouth Baracuda-and matches 'ет against modern day heaters, including the '97 Corvette and '98 Dodge Viper. Providing the testing grounds are six extremely long road courses located in San Francisco, the Italian Alps and the German Autobahn, to name a few.

Reminiscent of Need for Speed, the courses are littered with police cars and motorists travelling in the oppo-

site direction. You have to avoid them as well as the racing competitors. The power-sliding

rest of the time, through corners and keeping your car on the road will provide the brunt of the challenge.

Most of the older cars will sway and fish-tail around the corners just as they would in actual life. Conversely, the modern cars stick to the road like glue and offer a totally different dri- ving experience.

Trigger the green Advantage Cubes and you'll clear every nearby block—but don’t clear the black ones!

to clear as many as nine nearby blocks. The trick is to clear all the blocks—except the black Forbidden ones, which must be allowed to fall off the edge—in as few turns as possible (each forward roll of the cubes counts as a turn). Clear a Forbidden Cube and a por- tion of the level will crumble away, leaving you less room to maneuver.

And that’s pretty much how the game progresses, level after level. No fancy power-ups. No gee-whiz special effects. Still, IQ does pack a potent incentive to keep you going. When you screw up, it displays your IQ rating, and if you play like an idiot, you'll earn the appropriate score. And getting a high IQ takes more than just making it to higher levels; you'll have to clear each wave of cubes quickly, making every turn count.

IQ's simple graphics and gameplay carry over into other parts of the package, too. Besides some brief tutorials and five different texture sets, IQ offers few options. And the Two-player Mode has players taking turns rather than competing head-to-head, so don't expect any heat-of-the-moment shouting matches like those spawned by multiplayer Tetris Attack. e

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24 £2 lh 7 а t 22 714, SEGA AND SEGA SATURN ARE TRADEMAR 6 n Е lb PEST uf trade! GUN Corporal y Working Оез ут Game © Sunsoft 1996. English Translation ©. A b М е: Fe ў (; E 47 Call 1-800-Zz1- 2 tion on Game Ratirig

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release

Web Address:

Tactics Ogre Battle

The cult favorite Tactics Ogre Battle is returning to the PlayStation in a different form. This time, the strategy game is taking on a three-fourth per- spective, turnbased format. Like Final Fantasy Tactics and Vandal Hearts, Ogre Tactics will play like an advanced chess game, complete with special attacks, magical spells and a multi- tude of different units. Tactics Ogre Battle will contain deep gameplay and a few RPG elements that make the genre so popular among strategy fans.

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % ропе Release

= = You ngblood

Originating from the pages of the Rob Liefield comic book, Youngblood is coming to the PlayStation. This isometric game fea- tures all of the characters from the book includ- ing Badrock, Vogue and others, taking them to a slew of locations in an effort to stop Dr. Leviticus (as shown in the comic book-style cin- emas done especially for the game).

Although it seems like the game is a shoot- 'em-now-and-ask-questions-later type, it's far from that. Oh, it does have action, but the focus of Youngblood is on strategy (sort of like X-Com in a sense). After all, it'd be easy to make another straight action game based on a comic book.

Activision 1 40 Februar) Activision Act/Adv 1998

www.activision.com

e Bug Riders Pitfall 3D

We've just nabbed some new The newly added Bosses in Pitfall 3D are so

screen shots of Bug Riders, one of cool, we felt we had the more unusual games to come to show one to you. along for the PlayStation. Set in the This Boss, called fantasy world of Entymion, the the gladiator, is a game has you racing atop giant huge baddie who insects in a bid to become the new sits in the middle of king. Your insects are armed, thus a frozen field of ice. adding some combat elements to You must guide the game, too. Bug Riders is being Harry across the developed by n-Space, the team slick surface to acti-

of mostly ex-military-sim coders vate several switch- who brought you Tigershark. es—all while dodg- The game also features a Split- ing the Boss’

screen Two-player Mode. attacks and moving laser beams. It's tough, sure, but so is much of this game, which has Harry facing a lot more challenges than he did in his 8- and 16-Bit adventures.

d

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release p AYSTATIO a

Namco lor2 Now Namco Shooter 100 Japan

nBullet (9)

ЅМӘІЛӘЈ

Web Address: www.namco.co.jp

n an age of technologically advanced shooting Take out the

Going Back games, Namco has decided to take a step back- gangsters in

ward. Not to say that’s bad, however. GunBullet ample time to

• (known as the arcade game Point Blank in make it to the To Basics America) takes the gun game concept back to its next stage. roots. You won't find any fancy graphics here. All you'll find is good old-fashioned gameplay.

GunBullet is basically made up of a series of very sim- ple one- and two-player minigames. Some games involve Skill shots with limited ammo, like the skeet shooting level or the stage where you have to kill three bouncing balls with one shot. Other games have you shooting as many targets as possible within the given time limit, like beer bottles. You might also find yourself trying to destroy a car, preventing meteors from falling to Earth and even typing (via bullets, of course). It's all very fran- tic and fun, even more so if you're competing against a second player.

What better thing to have in a game than ninjas? It's just one of many perks.

The home version (which only supports Namco's own Guncon) also has many never-before-seen stages. It also has several new modes of play like Team/Tournament Modes and an RPG Mode, where you can explore a coun- tryside, meet people and éarn experience points and gold by beating the minigames. If GunBullet sounds like a blast, it is. But don't fret —Namco is planning оп bring- ing out a U.S. version (Point Blank) early in 1998.

"TD

WE T кі m | тү - = ya jai NN

ШКМ Шы ЈАШИ іші

БЫ ИШ

My 2 Cents

lar. Look around your local

arcade, and what do you see? Driving, fighting, shooting-that's

it. Remember the ol' days

Gyruss, Mario Bros., Cadash, etc.? Let's look to the smaller companies to help us out of

this "rut."

-Магк Hain

With both the game industry and his magazine burst- ing at the seams, Steve Harris decides to launch ЕСМ2, a sister publication to EGM that will focus more on arcade and international cover- age. The magazine ships two weeks after each issue of EGM, so that readers can get their gaming fix twice a month. Now surpassing its 40th issue, ЕСМ25 focus has gradually shifted from pre- views to strategy.

This Month in EGM History.

5

It seems all anyone in this industry has on their minds anymore is Mortal Kombat 4. When's it coming out? Is it any good? Yada, yada, yada. Well, it should be out right now, and all

I сап say is, "I'm sick of fighting game sequels. Period." This

is not against Midway in particu-

'94

MK4 is going through a lot of changes. Who gets what weapon has not been fully decided, and all of the moves have not been programmed. One thing has been decided: Noob is out, Clooney is in! A character bearing an un-canny resemblance to the Batman actor named Jarek has taken his place. He has some of Kano's moves, plus a new move where he falls backward and shakes the screen. Tanya is another new char- acter who is basi- cally a Sindel who can't fly. Reptile's moves have been

NFL Blitz is an NFL equivalent to NBA

from the prerelease version (some of it change when the final is released). emphasizes straight out action as oppos

of

down, and there are going to be wild

passes. All of the players, as well as thei forms,

curren ros (even

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release

Web Address: www.midway.com

being fun as hell). Well, their new off-road game | reminiscent of the Cruis’n series. Designed with history, this game features eight diverse trucks in

you can customize your truck. You can upgrade

head to head play.

NFL Blitz “2

The following is information we've gathered — Broncos uniform

realism. It's 7 on 7—you do call plays but of course be there's no player substitutions or punting. It secret plays and will take more than just 10 yards for a first tons of secret

tackles and plays. You will also be able to tip game utilizes

Midway has had a lot of success in the driving arena considering they don’t have a System 22 or Model 3 to render perfect cars and tracks. Perhaps it’s because their games don’t cost $1.50 a shot (maybe that’s why Cruis’n USA and World had such an appeal besides just

Stewart, one of the most winningest drivers in off-road

ing 4x4s, hummers and more’ as well as six tracks and tons of power-ups. There is also a speed shop where

tires, shocks and engine for better performance. Up to four Off-Road Challenge machines can be linked for

lor2 October Fighting 85

1997

www.midway.com

programmed. He has his invisibility (although it is now worthless — since you can still see a Sub-Zero-like mist around him) as well as a strange move where he scurries up to you and elbows you for a sin- gle hit. There is also one stage fatality where a large fan is in the background; you, of course, can get thrown right into it. There are still characters up in the air (Goro?), but Ermac has also been sighted.

Midwa' lor2 October А 85 1997

Јат. neat-o-keen may revision will be

Blitz included in NFL edto Blitz). There will

sack characters. The

runi- 3DFX technolo- will gy, however the

ђе fromthe hardware is dra-

(797 matically different from that used in games ter like Wayne Gretzky, Mace and Rush. that

Midway lor2 Midway Racing 100

ooks lvan

clud-

your

Publisher/Developer Players/Genre % Done Release

Capcom of America 1ог2 80 Quarter 4 Capcom of Japan Fighting 1997

Web Address: (american) www.capcom.com (japanese) www.capcom.co.jp

Totally non-characteristic of Capcom (key in sarcasm here), they have updated their newest Street Fighter game and entitled it Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact. This new update features slightly enhanced graphics and a new super art graphic scene as well. Last of all, there are two new characters reminiscent of past Street Fighter characters. One is a carbon copy of the SFIII Boss, Gill. Named Urien, he wears nothing but a pair of Speedos and a bad attitude. He seems to have limited control over the elements, so his story is probably related to Gill in some way. The other character is Hugo from Capcom’s Final Fight series.

One of the best features about this revision is the changes in gameplay. Ken and Ryu can now d i

Hurricane Kick in Sean has been weak- ened, Yun and Yang have individual moves and a lot of the charac- ters have new moves. There are also throw

Capcom of America. 10г2 80 Quarter 4 Capcom of Japan Fighting 1997

Street Fighter IIl was a bit of a disappointment for some of us here at EGM. Gem Fighter, however, looks like a game that might be able to stand on humor alone! It copies the Virtua Fighter Kids concept (in other words, it's basically Street Fighter Kids). Returning

in this game are Ryu, Chun-Li,

Felicia, Sakura, Morrigan,

Donovan (after a non-appear-

ance in DarkStalkers 3) and for some reason Dan. It is unknown just how many new characters are going to appear, but one of them for sure is a witch named Sabasa. There are only three buttons in GF: Punch, Kick and Super Art.

escapes and taunts. 2nd Impact will also allow you to change your Super Art before every bout!

Remember these guys? They remember you. This game packs punch. 27 Street Fighters in 3 different games. Super Street Fighter ||, Super Street Fighter Il Turbo, and Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, all in their true arcade form. Own the Street Fighter legacy. At around $1.50 a fighter, that's a fair fight, dontcha think?

NN

© Capcom Со, id. 1997. © Copcom USA, Inc. 1997. All rights reserved. Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter Il, Super Street Fighter Il Turbo ‘ond Sire! Fighter Alpha 2 ore trademarks of Capcom Co., Ud. Capcom is o registered trademark of Copcom Co. id. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos oro trademarks of Sony Computer Enleroinment Inc. бода ond Sega Saturn are trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ud

www.capcom.com

soon

PLAYSTATION ENDO 64

Beast Wars Hasbro Interactive Nov. Fighting Diddy Kong Racing Rare Nov. Racing са С: Red Alert Westwood Studios Nov. Strategy Duke Nukem GT Interactive Nov, First-Person Caesar's Palace Interplay Nov. Simulation Extreme 6 Acclaim Nov, Racing CART World Series SCEA Nov. Racing Gretzky 98 Midway Nov. Sports Colony Wars. Psygnosis Nov. Action Jeopardy Gametek Nov. Simulation Cool Boarders 2 SCEA Nov. Racing Madden 64 EA Nov. Sports Courier Crises GT Interactive Nov. Action MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero Midway Nov. Action Crash Bandicoot 2 SCEA Nov. Action NFL QB Club '98 Acclaim Nov. Sports Critical Depth GT Interactive Nov. — Action San Francisco Rush Midway Nov. Racing Duke Nukem GT Interactive Nov. First-Person WCW vs. NWO World Tour THQ Nov. Sports Gretzky '98 Midway Nov. Sports Wheel of Fortune Gametek Nov. Simulation Intelligent Qube SCEA Nov. Puzzle Bomberman 64 Nintendo Dec. Puzzle Jet Moto 2 SCEA Nov. Racing Mission: Impossible Ocean Dec. Action Joe Blow Sir Tech Nov. Action NBA In the Zone '98 Konami Dec. Sports MDK Playmates Nov. Action Nogano Winter Sports Konami Jan. Sports Mega Metal Mindscape Nov. Action Midway Collection 2 Midway Nov. Compilation NBA Fast Break Midway Nov. Sports NBA Live 98 EA Nov. Sports NCAA FB Gamebreakers 98 SCEA Nov. Sports One ASC Games Nov. Action р Ray Tracers THQ Nov. Racing The world's most popu- Riven Acclaim Nov. Adventure lar multiplayer action San Francisco Rush Midway Nov. Racing nac Shipwreckers! Psygnosis Nov. RPG game is going to get a SSF 2 Collection Capcom Nov. Fighting full 3-D treatment. SW: Masters of Teras Kasi LucasArts Nov. Fighting iM lite Tanktics BMG Interactive Nov. Strategy Bomberman 64 will lit Test Drive 4 Accolade Nov. Sports erally take the game to Theme Hospital EA/Origin Nov. Strategy n TNN Motorsports Hardcore 2 ASC Games Nov. Sports new heights as players Tomb Raider II Eidos Nov. Adventure compete on multitiered po: EIQ Ноу. Fighting levels. This time, you WCW Nitro THQ Nov. Sports E с X-Men: Children of the Atom Acclaim Nov. Fighting won't need а multitap. Youngblood GT Interactive Nov. Action Я Aindra Working Designs Dec. RPG Guide three Japanese ‘Aqua Prophecy ASCII Dec. RPG schoolgirls through a Auto Destruct EA Dec. Racing tical reali in Magi Batman & Robin Acclaim Dec. Action mystical теат in Magic Dead or Alive Tecmo Dec. Fighting Knight RayEarth, an Grand Theft Auto BMG Interactive Dec. Racing Ы Major League Soccer BMG Interactive Dec. Sports action RPG that Р Меп Іп Віаск Design League Dec. Adventure Working Designs is NBA In the Zone 98 Konami Dec. Sports i NBA Shoot Out 98 SCEA Dec. Sports translating for the Spawn SCEA Dec. Action Saturn. Expect this one SpecOps BMG Interactive Dec. Strategy Tactics Ogre Battle Atlus Dec. Strategy to be ready by the end The Wild 9 Interplay Dec. Action of November. Agent Gex Crystal Dynamics Jan. Action Atari Collection 2 Midway Jan. Compilation Cardinal Syn SCEA Jan. Fighting Constructor Acclaim Jan. Simulation Deathtrap Dungeon Eidos Jan. Action Gran Turismo SCEA Jan. Racing Nogano Winter Sports Konami Jan. Sports Powerboat Interplay Jan. Racing ReBoot EA Jan. Action Courier Crises GT Interactive Nov. Action Resident Evil 2 Capcom Jan. Adventure Enemy Zero Sega Nov. Adventure Risk Hasbro Interactive Jan. Simulation FIFA: Road to the World Cup. EA Nov. Sports Shadow Master Psygnosis Jan. — Action Magic Knight Rayearth Working Designs Nov. RPG Skullmonkeys EA Jan. Action NBA Live 98 EA Nov. Sports 7 Ке, NHL 98 EA Nov. Sports The highly anticipated (and NHL Hockey '98 Sega Nov. Sports i i i Quake Sega Nov. First-Person highly hyped) Resident Evil Sonic R Sega Nov. Racing 2 is coming out this winter. SSF 2 Collection Capcom Nov. Fighting This sequel will have two Worldwide Soccer '98 Sega Nov. Sports Е Dead or Alive Tecmo Dec. Fighting new lead characters, special Sega Touring Car Championship Sega Dec. Racing

weapons and improved graphics. We predict that

RE 2 will become the #1 sell-

ing PS game of all time.

STREET FIGHTER’S IN

B CUN ay

Been missin’ Street Fighter game- play? The world’s premiere fighter goes kickin’ and screamin’ into 3-D. This beast pits the original 8 Street Fighter vets — Guile, Zangief, Ryu, Ken, Bison, Chun-Li, Dhalsim and Sakura in an amazing arcade hit. What else is the same? Signature Street Fighter gameplay. New? Lots! Crack your knuckles and welcome 12 all-new fighters in the biggest Street Fighter ever! Playable bosses, 7 different play modes, a total of 23 characters, this is the 3-D game worth fighting for...

PlayStation

Ryu got your number? New Training Mode adds moves, reduces bruises.

New Multi-Hit combos bring ‘em to their knees.

Slow Mo Replay makes victory even sweeter.

www.capcom.com

© АЁКА CO., LTD. 1997 © CAPCOM СО. LTD. 1997 © CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 1997 АШ RIGHTS RESERVED. STREET FIGHTER is a trademark of CAPCOM CO., LTD. CAPCOM is a registered trademark of CAPCOM СО, LTD. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

O =

[esc urf the Web in style on VideoGameSpot, the premier =e source of video game information on the Web. Nowhere Puta else will you find a complete archive of reviews for each Да = of the top systems-PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Saturn. At VideoGameSpot, you'll find previews of games that have yet to hit store shelves and daily news that is at the forefront of the - Lm industry. All this in one complete package, available now on the л шаш — und болы, World Wide Web at http://www.videogamespot.com! Неге аге just a 3 SB: Nie’ NEWS few of the things going live this month:

Features € s

Keep watching for continued updates to our massive History of — қо” Street Fighter series. From the original Street Fighter to the ene latest Street Fighter Ill: 2nd Impact, you'll find everything you duties,

need to know and more right hi

Strategy Guides =

The most complete library of strategy guides on the Web. If с HN 4

you're stuck in Final Fantasy VII, Star Fox 64, GoldenEye 007 саз, or Castlevania Symphony of the Night, you'll find your Иши | болыс кина ато T FOTO solutions here. New strategy guides are added regularly. J “Ассо

Designer Diaries

Ever wonder how a game goes from concept to reality? i КЛ VideoGameSpot takes you through the process with Designer aa sig Diaries from Pitfall 3-D, Critical Depth, Frogger and more!

VideoGameSpot's news is updated twice daily so you're always in touch with the latest from the industry. Available directly at http://headline.gamespot.com.

ADVENTURE ОИУ “Өстік “SPORTS | sramom, | PLATFORM бїт | ACcESsomes

f you just can't get enough of EGM in print, check us out online! Our regularly updated Web site includes all the reviews, previews, gossip and cool stuff you expect from the staff of Electronic Gaming Monthly. Hear from your favorite editors in columns available exclusively online, send comments to EGM's mailbox and participate in reader surveys! Every Monday, get your weekly dose of the best content that the number-one video game magazine in the world has to offer. It's more fun than a barrel of chimps.

The GameSpot Network features content from magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly, EGM? and Computer Gaming World, in addition to content created by SpotMedia Communications. Sites in the Network include VideoGameSpot, PC GameSpot, GameSpot News, EGM Online and Computer Gaming World Online.

Apre SERS Нилсон 405066 ШЕ,

мм Мдеодате5.сот

Big air, sick tricks, and ten

outrageous tracks, tracks, racks, including the Great Wall.

Т А,

Power wheelie on both motocross

апа superbikes. Turbo-steer on

one wheel.

hand, 1 2Plaver sor ve ra Ur Ж се for the Slt en ть Шан

а peinst тени Cup

4

% غ

Moto Racer. Fast, arcade-sfyle motorcycle rácin for your PlayStation."

тгасек тч хы ш ELECTRONIC ARTS" Pre m

© 1997 Delphine Software International. Moto Racer, Delphine Software International and the Delphine Software logo are trademarks of Delphine Software International. Нес logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the United States and/or other countries. The ratings icomis.a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Ass PlayStation logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment. Windows is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoftin the United States and/or other countries.

| zs | Ils ond the Вопіс Arts 4 PlayStation and the

~ 4

100

Best Games

The EGM Editors Pick Their 100 Favorite Console Games

OK, let’s get one thing straight from the get-go—THIS IS NOTA LIST OF THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL GAMES OF ALL TIME. Nor is it a list of the 100 games that generated the most nostalgia-driven fuzzy feelings. These are the best games of our lives.

So what do we mean by best? Simple. In the words of industry icon Trip Hawkins, “What gamers care most about is gameplay.” We couldn’t agree more. Stuffed in a cramped conference room and fueled by soda and junk food, the EGM staffers spent days scrawl- ing the names of their favorite games for every console. Then, to

make sure we were picking only the best games, we asked, “Which