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$3.95/$4.95 Canada/£2.25
November, 1993

80184^
< scorcher. Screamin' cars and
guitars make Rock N' Roll Racing a sizzlin' si
cess. One- or two-player action lets you go head-
to-head with a most gruesome field of lead-foot¬
ed crazies alone or with a friend. The futuristic
fun begins with five lean, mean racing machines
>»-l|iat will annihilate the competition — and
i leave a dust trail all the way to the
checkered flag. And, the totally
awesome rockin' soundtrack
will blow you away. So,
jf \ crank up the tunes and
i strap yourself in, 'cause
| 1 this is the wildest ride in
S l the universe!
“A hot racer that will knock “Graphics, music, sound control
your socks off plus great com¬ and fun...it doesn’t get any bet¬
mentary by Larry Huffman! ter than thisl.,.Interplay is
What more could you ask for?” known for producing quality
titles and Rook F Roll Racing is
now the best in their stable."
“This game is a blast, whether
you’re tapping your foot to the GameFan Magazine
Peter Gunn theme, sailing off
the track to a fiery demise, or “If you like hot, futuristic racing
taking out your competition action mixed with heavy-duty
with a rogue missile." firepower and topped off with a
kickin’ soundtrack, you're gonna
love this one.”
“Rock F Roll Racing gives you
seldom found in today’s flashy
16 Bit games...This is what a
SUES game should be.”
 INSIDE
EC
DEPARTMENTS FERTURES

Power On! 6 • Nintendo Game Train

Our editors take a ride on the
Feedback 8
Zelda Express, and bring the story
Hotline 10 back to our home station.24
Insert Coin Here 28
• Inside Info on 3DO
Game Doctor 32 This upcoming system has raised
Fandom Central 38 a lot of eyebrows and expecta¬
Scary games to chill your bones. tions. Will it live up to its billing or
Video Game Gallery 90 Page — 51 fall short of the hype?.40
Software Gallery 110
• Letting the Jaguar Loose
CD Gallery 118
Atari’s new video entertainment
Portable Playtime 120
system is yet another entrant in
The Kunkel Report 122 the quest for your gaming dollar.
Will the Jaguar have a roar or just
The Jury 124 a whimper?.44
Playing It Smart 125
Test Lab 126 • Stallone’s First Game Shoot
Sylvester Stallone is famous for
Lore 128
3D0-the latest on this great system. making action-packed movies. EG
Coming Soon/EG Poll 130 Page — 40 checks out his gaming debut
with Demolition Man.48

• Player’s Guide to
Scary Games
EG’s editors look at the best in
video, PC and multimedia horror
games.51

• EG Sports Special
We scout the best and brightest
EG previews the fall sports titles. stars of football, soccer and
Page — 67 boxing simulations.67

4 Electronic Games
 "Hey. maybe these Troddler dudes will
help us do the work." they thought.
Wrong! They Bail! Right through the tele¬
porter door - hundreds of 'em! Divinius will
park their butts in a sling if they're not back
pronto! 175 levels of fast, funny, frazzling
excitement! Round up those Troddler
dudes before they get ZOMBIFIED.
You'll work like a dog. but you'll love
every minute of it!

SEIKA
freakin'Xfee Rules’"

NINTENDO,® SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM,® e registered trademarks of Nintendo erica Inc. ©1991 Nintendo of America Inc. ©1993 Seiko Corp, USA
 POWER ■LBETRONIC

ON! NOVEMBER, 1993

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 2
A DECKER PUBLICATIONS, INC. PERIODICAL

PUBLISHER
Steve Harris
ASSISTANT PUBLISHER/EDITOR
Arnie Katz
EG: Year 2 EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Bill Kunkel
The extra heft of this issue of Electronic Games won't exactly strain your wrist, but it NEWS EDITOR
is one-third larger than last month. It's a great way to start our second year, because it Joyce Worley
shows that we're providing readers with the in-depth, insightful coverage they want— SENIOR EDITOR
but don't find anywhere else. Marc Camron
If you glance at the masthead, you'll see that the Powers That Be have added an MANAGING EDITOR
extra title, Assistant Publisher, to my portfolio. It doesn't pay more, but on the other Ross Chamberlain
hand, I get to work harder. It's Decker Publications' way of saying, "Good job! And did ASSOCIATE EDITORS
you know that Assistant Publishers do even more than Editors?" Russ Ceccola, Ed Dille, Tim OstermHIer
I accept the challenge. I can't think of a more exciting time to be editing a magazine CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
like this one. I'm looking forward to leading EG into the Golden Age of Electronic Jay Carter, Steve Honeywell, Al Giovetti,
Gaming that is unfolding with ever-increasing speed. Mike Stokes, Laurie Yates
Electronic gaming is changing every day. The popularity of platforms rises and falls ART DIRECTOR
like penny stocks, and interactive electronic entertainment is expanding in unpre¬ Juli McMeekin
dictable, surprising ways. In the next few issues, we'll be unveiling a few changes PRODUCTION
designed to keep EG in step with gaming in the 1990s. Colleen Bastien, Production Manager
Don’t worry, we aren't changing our concept or our commitment. EG is the only maga¬ Dean Hager, Production Assistant
zine that treats electronic gaming like the multi-faceted hobby it is, and that is not Jennifer Whitesides, Managing Copy Editor
going to change. Jo-El M. Damen, Gayle Schneider, Copy Editors
John Stockhausen, Ad Coordinator
I want to say a few words to our readers whose primary interest is video games. Sev¬ CUSTOMER SERVICE
eral of my recent editorials have focused on older readers and other aspects of gaming. (515) 280-3861
Don't worry, video games still top this magazine's priority list. True, we've giving ADVERTISING
space to multimedia, virtuality, and other forms of interactive electronic entertainment, Eisenberg Communications Group
but the cartridge coverage won't suffer. In fact, there's more video gaming than ever in (310) 824-5297
this EG! Those bigger issues I mentioned make it possible for us to expand our cover¬ Jeffrey Eisenberg, National Advertising Director
age of computer, coin-op, and multimedia games while adding video game pages, too. Heh-Kyu Lee, Account Executive
And don't forget, there's so much crossover of software among the various platforms Suzanne Farrell, Ad Coordination Manager
that today's computer game may be tomorrow’s cartridge hit.
DECKER PUBLICATIONS, INC.
Steve Harris, President
Thank you all for participating in the September reader poll. The adjustments we're Mike Riley, Vice President of Operations
making come directly from those ballots. (That's in addition, of course, to the tabula¬ Mark Mann, Financial Director
tions of questions about favorite games, which are the basis for our monthly “Top Cindy Polus, Financial Manager
Games” standings in “Hotline.”) Dave Marshall, Circulation Manager
I hope you'll make filling out the poll questionnaire a habit. It doesn’t take very long, Cindy Kerr, Director of Promotions
and they're eagerly studied here at the EG office. Harvey Wasserman, Newsstand Director
The reader poll is one of the best forms of feedback, and it sure makes me look Peter Walsh, Newsstand Manager
smart when I trot out all those fascinating statistics at the meetings. Are you interested John Stanford, Manufacturing Director
Debbie Maenner, Manufacturing Manager
in finding out more about our poll results? If I receive enough requests, I'll devote a Ken Williams, Systems Coordinator
future editorial to profile the EG reader. DISTRIBUTED BY:
WARNER PUBLISHING SERVICES, INC.
School is back in session, the weather has turned crisper, and soon everyone will be
eating turkey and watching the parades on TV. On behalf of everyone here at Electronic
Games. I want to give thanks for the many good things which have happened in the last
year, and for your loyal support. Let us hope that our third anniversary issue can look
back on a year in which all the violence, all the fighting, and all the evil is confined to
pixels scooting across the gaming screen.
And finally, the EG mob wishes you all a bountiful and satisfying Thanksgiving.
— Arnie Katz

6 Electronic Games
HIGH SPEED 3D AR

THREE COMPLETE GAMES IN ONE! - !

• INCREDJBLE PHOTOREALISTIC 3D GRAPHICS

• STEREO SOUND EFFECTS AND MIDI MUSIC
EVASION
'•OVER 30 LEVELS OF PLAY AND 5 DEGREES OF DIFFICULTY

NOW AVAILABLE AT SOFTWARE RESELLERS THROUGHOUT AMERICA

OR CALL 800-545-7677 or 310-793-0600 TO ORDER 3DI PRODUCTIONS INC.
 FEEDBACK
Letters From Our Readers

Vocal Minority? version, [and] stating the action is Beavis, Butt-Head and the Big N
I am 35 years old and female. Your presented in first-person perspective, Please, is there anyone out there who
editorial in issue 12 could have been not as a side scroller [as illustrated]. watches MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head,
written to me personally. I have long felt You then went on to say that Jurassic the fresh face duo that keeps the FCC
that the target group for most game pro¬ Park is the first game to use Dolby Sur¬ censorship board constantly on their
ducers is pre-teen and teenage boys. round Sound capability; it is not. Super toes? I don’t know how many times this
Note the proliferation of “street fighting” Turrican receives this honor, and should has happened, but get this: [One
games and the fact that, almost without get the credit. Anyway, thanks for evening], as Beavis and Butt-Head goes
exception, the main character in almost keeping me on my toes. to commercial, a voice says, “...brought
every game is male. Jason Lillebuen to you in part by Nintendo, makers of the
I will admit that there may be some Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada Super NES...” What in the world?
sour grapes on my part, because I play Good catches, Jason—We even noted I'm still in shock! Nintendo, the people
RPGs and fantasy adventures exclusive¬ that Seika's Super Turrican was among who pride themselves on helping society
ly, and not nearly enough of these are the first to use Dolby in our review of it rid the world of violence, sexual content,
released [as video games]. Sometimes last April. Who's keeping who on whose profanity... is now sponsoring a TV show
even finding reviews of this type of game toes? that, in that one episode, broke every
is a trial (hint, hint!). I am a great believ¬ rule in Nintendo's “high standards" code
er in reading every review possible Untimely Ads book except one (B&B are too stupid to
before making a purchase. When I page through your magazine make overt political statements). Isn't it
I had been considering switching to and look at the video game ads, I expect a bit ironic?
computer games, because the software them to be fairly current. Some compa¬
seems to be more to my taste than what nies do state that “some games may or
is available on my present systems, but I may not be available by the manufacturer It's our theory that Beavis and Butt-
think (after reading some of the articles at time of printing," but a lot of compa¬ Head represent every kid in every neigh¬
in EG) that I will wait to see what devel¬ nies don't tell us that. They make us borhood that other children's parents for¬
ops for the multimedia systems. In the think that they have the game in stock bid them to play with. All too frequently,
interim, I will continue to hope for SNES even though they don't, because the the explanations fail to satisfy the curios¬
adventures that push the envelope of game has not been finished yet. I know ity of those children, and MTV provides
16-Bit technology. that these companies have to send their
Jen Miller ads to you well in advance to get them in Sadly, all too many kids who do watch
Montgomery, PA the magazine, but their ads for games the series don't really pick up on that
The range of fantasy and other RPGs can still be off by months. I think compa¬ substantiation of their parent's edicts.
is indeed much wider in the computer nies should not be allowed to list a game No doubt Nintendo did, however, and
software area, and if you're anticipating in their ads when the game is not even thus their support and sponsorship.
looking into the multimedia area for your finished. Or maybe their upper echelons and
favorite genre, the computer-based Edward S. Mix those responsible for placing TV advertis¬
CD-ROM systems may also be where Great Bend, NY ing have no idea of the show's content
you'll find most of them. The occasional, Don't you believe in promotional adver¬ and simply meant to get their time on a
if still rare, games that offer the POV of a tising, Edward? Teaser ads appear show they know kids watch. Could be.
female protagonist occur there as well— months ahead for nearly every new prod¬
Alone in the Dark comes to mind. But uct under the sun, and certainly video Thanks for writing. Remember, we
keep reading those reviews, and write games are not alone. Advertisers want don't run game tips, we cannot respond
again! EG's female editors are especially their names before the public, and they directly to your inquiries, and, please,
happy to hear from other lady players. want the public to look for their products. don't enclose game reviews for The Jury
And to keep everyone happy, they want or Reader's Poll responses with letters
Oops. Twice. to make sure their games are put togeth¬ to Feedback. They can be delayed.
I am a new subscriber, and I was sur¬ er right, so sometimes there are delays Please keep your letters and comments
prised to find two fairly major errors in even beyond their anticipated release coming to:
the August issue. You reviewed Jurassic dates. Rest assured, the combination Feedback, c/o Electronic Games
Park for the Super NES [but illustrated it can be frustrating for them as well as for 330 S. Decatur, Suite 152
with] the radically different Genesis the anxious game buyer. Las Vegas, NV 89107

8 Electronic Games
 Over one hundred
play areas to test
your reflexes
and intelligence.

This punle game

will keep your sears
spinnins!

G£a'"V°»k$

ta*.v
m

HOLLYWARE ENTERTAINMENT P.O. Box 9148 Marina Del Rey, Ca. 90295 (310) 822-9200
I HOLLYWARE Entertainment. Copyright © 1993 HOLLYWARE Entertainment, I Sony Electronic Publishing.
 EG
HOTLINE
Superman to Die
In 1994 Cartridge
over against Cyborg.
This summer SunSoft flev
13-year-old John Johnspn, tl Kasparov Coaches
winner of its Superman swe
Pawn Pushers
Kasparov's Gambit (Elec¬
tronic Arts/MS-DOS) promise:
chessists improvement in the
ness appeared in Man of Steel
#27 as a witness to the newly
returned superhero.

Broderbund, Random

Nintendo, Silicon The product will roll-out House in Joint Venture

into arcades in 1994, then
Graphics Team Up should be available for
home use in late 1995.
Nintendo is teaming with The price is expected to be
Silicon Graphics, widely rec¬ under $250.
ognized as the world leader Although details of the
in visual computing tech¬ proposed machine are
nologies, to develop a sketchy, it will be based on
three-dimensional, 64-Bit the MIPS/Multimedia
Nintendo machine for home Engine, a chip-set consist¬
and arcade use. Dubbed ing of a 64-Bit MIPS RISC
microprocessor, graphics
chip, and Application Spe¬
cific Integrated Circuits. were originally released as
According to project Broderbund Living Books, and with the 500-volume library of
spokesmen, the machine the already announced The famous games. Garry Kasparov
will have greater than 100 New Kid On The Block and appears on screen to provide
MHz Microprocessor clock The Tortoise And The Hare. move-by-move evaluation and
speed, real-time 3-D graph¬ coaching.
ics, 24-Bit color, high reso¬
lution video, and CD Quality
Steven Seagal Shot[ The game even tips its cap
to role-playing traditions, by
audio. It will generate more For Video Game customizing the computer
than 100,000 polygons per opponent according to aggres-
second, and more than
100 MIPS (Millions of
“Project Reality,” it will fea¬ Instructions Per Second)
ture Reality Immersion and over 100 MFLOPS (Mil¬
Technology, a new system lions of Floating Point Oper¬
that Nintendo promises will ations Per Second). It will
“enable players to step also use anti-aliased 3-D
inside real-time, three- texture mapping in real-
dimensional worlds."
 The World's First Photorealistic Interactive CD Sci-Fi Adventure

IN VISION 1993 Multimedia Awards

Award of Excellence
plus
•Gold-Best Animation/Graphics
•Bronze -Best Production
Design
•Bronze -Adult Games

"...the world of interactive

gaming is never going to

mm
CMIBBAW5 SBMWt/MAMmiC HELP
be the same."
Mark Rhodes, MultimediaEditor,
MicropublishingNews

6 June 2318, 0651Z.

Attention Temporal Protectorate:

A rip has been detected in the fabric of time. Only moments remain until
all that mankind has accomplished is laid waste. Your objective-journey
through time...from prehistoric lands to the distant future, to prevent any j
compromise in the established continuum. But before the game is over, j
you must discover who...or what...is the source of this mayhem, and bring
it to a halt.

• Integrated arcade action and puzzli • No set order in which the goals must b<
challenge any player accomplished
• Intuitive interface featuring easy-to- • More than one solution to each prob¬
inventory and movement controls lem you encounter
• Original soundtrack • Also available on Macintosh CD

Take a ride through time on the CD Adventure

that will alter history.
Available at retailers throughout the continuum or by contacting:
Quadra Interactive, Inc., P.O. Box 188033, Carlsbad, CA 92009-9793
 TEST
S.^STATE
FTHE-AR
TECHNOL
A *x M

CAN
 Mariothon Raises Sega Opens
Flood Relief Funds | Vegas VirtuaLand

Mario All-Stars with a 24-hour ny,” said Strauss Zelnick, Crys¬

I Sega and Circus Circus
formed a three-level part¬
nership for entertainments
video game marathon, dubbed tal Dynamics’ president and in Las Vegas. As part of
the Mariothon, to raise money chief executive officer, referring | the alliance, Sega will open
for the American Red Cross to Home Box Office’s earlier an entertainment center in
Disaster Relief Fund for Mid¬ the new pyramid-styled
west flood victims. EG's Russ Luxor Las Vegas hotel. pete in individual motion-
Ceccola visited the location of Sega VirtuaLand is a based cars. Sega Virtua¬
the lead fundraisers, Cherry Grandmaster Chess CD I 20,000 square foot high- Land will also feature the
Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, NJ, to I tech entertainment com- R360, an aerial dog fight
witness the enthusiastic volun- Includes T-2 Chess | plex, which will feature the simulator with a gyro-
, an eight-person inter- moving spherical cockpit
e Motion Theater sim- system, as well as other
Yrrrrrrrr rrrri impionship continue to | ulator with Michael Jack- well-known Sega simulator
Yrrrrrrrr rrrri unt. The CD version of Cap- as host; and Virtua games.
Yrrrrrrrr rrrri ne's Grandmaster Chess | Formula, a racing game Sega will also develop
3t lets eight racers com¬ and manage a new canyon
arcade inside I
boards, styles of pieces and
backgrounds are concerned,
according to its developers at
IntraCorp. They say that the
possible combinations total
over 22,000.
Among them is the T-2
Chess set, already available
Volunteer participants separately in the PC version,
camped out for 24 hours from while the PC edition of Grand¬
noon on August 24th in four master Chess Deluxe has
malls around the country. Inter¬ eight different boards and
ested players made donations seven piece sets. The chess
of any amount during regular engine itself has also been
mall hours to play the Super
NES title for a few minutes. Hot Circuits
Nintendo donated $2,000 to
the volunteers’ charities in Games Hit Back With Light Up NYC
each city and added $10,000
to the total of funds raised. A CyberMan Controller
sum of $2,123.11 was raised
by the groups in the four malls.
Here is the breakdown: Cherry an opponent, and you’ll feel it. porated into ge
Hill, NJ—$750.00; Minneapo¬
lis, MN—$649.00; Orlando,
FL— $532.50, and Boston,
MA—$191.61.
tures classics from the 22 year
King World Buys Into history of electronic gaming
(such as Asteroids. Centipede,
Crystal Dynamics Pong, and many more) as well
as displays of cutting edge
equipment including Panasonic
3DO and Sega’s Activator (the
virtual reality device). The mu¬
seum will add Sierra's Imagin¬
ation Network in December,
and The Sega Channel (cable
TV channel) in Spring of 1994.
The American Museum of
the Moving Image features
material from motion pictures,

14 Ele lie Games

 VR Visor for and lots of hot keys. Sonar EG Readers' interested, but he believed in
sound effects are consistent it, and was instrumental in
Video Games from ship to ship, so a good Popularity Poll getting Sears to help Atari get
listener can identify types of started in business. (See The
ships, and distinguish them Sears Connection in EG Feb.
from the whale and dolphin 93.) Later he helped with the
cries. Graphics are super real¬ start-ups of Activision and
istic, even to the rolling of the Imagic, then became president
Favorite Video Games and cofounder of Suncom
The product will hit retailers’ 1. Street Fighter 2, Capcom Technologies.
shelves before Christmas, for 2. Shining Force, Sega
386 MS-DOS submariners. 3. Flashback, U.S. Gold Hunt Jurassic Park
Favorite Computer Games For Golden Eggs
Racing Game Packed 1. X-Wing, LucasArts
With 3D0 Player 2. Links, Access It's a $5,000 egg hunt, but
3. Ultima 7, Origin it may be over well before
Easter. Ocean of America’s
Crystal Dynamics' Crash ‘N Favorite Multimedia Games
Burn is bundled with Pana¬ 1. Seventh Guest, Virgin
sonic’s REAL 3DO Interactive 2. Night Trap, Sega
Multiplayer during the 3DO
unit’s fall introduction. The Favorite Coin-Op
video game, specifically 1. Mortal Kombat, Midway
designed for the 32-Bit sys¬ 2. Street Fghter 2, Capcom
tem, evokes a futuristic racing
competition through a hostile Tom Quinn Dies
The Stuntmaster visor lets 3-D environment in armed vehi¬
players use their heads to win. cles, and comes complete with
FMV, object scaling and rotat¬ Thomas F. Quinn, 63, who
ing with texture-mapped graph- played a pivotal role in estab¬
phones provide full stereo lishing video games as an
sound. The company also has industry, died in Glenview, IL, eggs throughout the SNES
a $369 unit, the CyberMaxx, on September 5, 1993. version of Jurassic Park. Each
that hooks to Genesis, SNES Nintendo Games Mr. Quinn was manager of contains a clue to a secret
or MS-DOS computers. Take Wing Sears Sporting Goods message, and Ocean is offer¬
Department when Nolan ing a $5,000 prize to the first
Flyers will soon play Nin¬ Bushnell presented the Pong gamer who deciphers it and
tendo in the sky. Nintendo of machine. No one else was
America made its first overt
step into interactive multime¬ Commodore Joins Graphics Architecture chip
Electronic Arts’ Sea Wolf, dia with the installation of its set, it displays and ani¬
Gateway System platform 32-Bit Race mates graphics in 256,000
on a Northwest Airlines colors out of a potential
747 jetliner. The Commodore Business palette of nearly 17 million.
Nintendo Gateway System Machines introduced the An optional MPEG module
uses a special version of Amiga CD32, a 32-Bit game brings in full-motion video
the SNES and LCD TV console with double-speed and movies. Display
monitors at every seat to CD-ROM drive and hand¬ options let it connect to a
provide video games, held 11-button controller. It TV set, composite monitor
movies, CD audio, also has connectors for a or SVHS video monitor, and
telephone, shopping and standard Amiga mouse, joy¬ it is said to have CD-quality
other sen/ices to travelers stick and keyboard. It’s
on airplanes. It will also CDTV compatible, so
be available in hotels and already has a base of exist¬
ing game and reference
Consumers choose from 10 titles, and several compa¬
will let compu-warriors go to different SNES games and four nies are introducing new
war via modem, in either head- to six movie selections or titles, among them: Ocean
to-head or cooperative play. It’s audio CD tracks. Informational (Jurassic Park, Inter¬
a futuristic (WWIII) submarine sen/ices may include baggage, national Golf), Acclaim
simulation with 360-degree transportation and weather (Mortal Kombat),
turns, and an auto-pilot that data at destination locations Psygnosis (Microcosm, .2
helps with the work. The sea for airline passengers, or shop¬ Lemmings) and Virgin
depth varies, there’s a selec¬ ping and recreational opportu¬ Games (Dune).
tion of torpedoes and missiles, nities for hotel guests. Based on the Advanced

16 Electronic Games
THEQLvLLV WAY TO PLAYTHE GAME!
GENESIS JKClaim
 amp qmebOY

rademarks ofNiritendo Inc. © 1993 fjlinlendp of America Ir

if Dolby UaboratonSsLii irporation. '
lg Corporation. '
 The end of August marks many things. from SOJ but it isn’t really
Children around the country go back to that special. The animations are nice
school. Summer winds down into the though, and could help redeem an other¬
cooler weather of autumn. Christmas wise mediocre title.
decorations start to appear at the malls. Sega of Japan also has a trio of racing
In Japan, the end of August marks two games coming out. Daytona AM2 is the
major trade shows: the Nintendo game best of the bunch, featuring unbelievable
show, and the Jamma arcade show. graphics and play. Definitely the racing
Both of these shows offer a preview of game of the year.
the next generation of games coming The sequel to Virtual Racing is coming
both to Japan and, soon after, the United with Virtual Formula. This is a nice fol¬
States. In this installment of A Look to low-up but isn't as good as
the East we are going to concentrate on Daytona AM2. And finally there is F-l
the Jamma show and the cool new coin¬ Super Lap. This is a more traditional
ops that will hopefully find their way to game for those who like the realistic rac¬
these shores soon. ing game feel. While not as innovative as
Sega of Japan made a particularly the other games, this one is still good.
strong showing, with several major There were other companies at
licensed titles that would be nice to see Jamma, showing some excellent games,
in the home market as well. though none made quite the overall
Star Wars by Sega of Japan, is an impression that Sega did.
all-new coin-muncher that looks amazing. Data East had Miracle Adventure to
Gone are the colorless, glowing raster play on the Neo»Geo. This Mario-type
lines, replaced with filled polygons which game boasts the Neo’s colorful palette
add new depth to this favorite theme. and allows for two-player simultaneous
Looney Tunes: By a Hare by Sega of
Japan, is a different kind of racing game. Also from Data East is the horror game
The characters race each other through Night Slashers. Tons of blood and guts
various levels of traps and hare-raising go into making this fighting game one of
situations. (Get it son, that was a joke.) the messiest on the block. The horror
Wonderful graphics and animations and gothic overtones combined with the
make this game a blast. gore might make this game a little too
Alien 3: The Gun by Sega of Japan. intense for younger players. Definitely
Maybe if they came out with games like one to watch, though.
this for the Menacer, the dying peripheral Namco of Japan was showing Cyber
would find some new life. This could be Sled, an action game with the new
the hottest gun game since Terminator 2 “virtual reality" look that is becoming
and fans of the movie series will not be so popular. Tool around in the futuristic
disappointed. Pay no attention to the tank and blast enemies into oblivion.
Alien 3 title. This game is much better Finally, there is Fatal Fury Special
than the movie. from SNK of Japan. In the “If they can do
Burning Rivals by Sega of Japan. Fight¬ it with Street Fighter II, we can do it
ing games seem to be crawling out of too” vein comes this updated version of
the woodwork right now, and far be it Fatal Fury. Play as the bosses and mas¬
from Sega to be left out. Burning Rivals ter the new moves. A very good update.

20 Electronic Games
The Secret Missions™ is the It includes a new flight interface to
futuristic space combat sequel to the allow novice players to begin immedi-
blockbuster Wing Commander ', ately and experience unparalleled
winner of five "Game of the Year" intensity and excitement,
awards. With all the action and .
, . f.. . • , ™ The Secret Missions is the amazing
adventure of the onginal, The „ , c
c„ .... . , . ., J-D space combat game for all ages
Secret Missions bnngs you 16 new , ^
. . ... f , ,, .
missions with a new look and feel.
and a must for Wing Commander fans,
&
 Looking for the best in sight and the best thing going. LaserActive." best current technology, but also gives
sound? Technically, there’s only one It not only lets you play over you the ability to upgrade the unit
way to go. LaserDisc. It combines the 7,500 LaserDisc movies and concerts when new technology is developed.
sharpest, most realistic picture avail¬ with the sharpest images you’ve ever And when you buy a LaserActive
able (60% sharper than videotape) seen on your TV, but also lets you play player and any one of the game
with crisp, digital sound. Add every music CD ever made. control packs now, you’ll get $400
CD-ROM interactivity, and you’ve got Just insert one of three ingenious
control packs into the main unit’s
special port, and you’re playing Sega"
games, DuoSoft™games, revolutionary
interactive LaserDiscs or even
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There’s a wide variety of titles you’ve come to expect from LaserDisc,
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OWE MACHINE. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.

 ALL ABOARD...
the Nintendo Came Train
The Nintendo Zelda Whistle-Stop Tour
by Russ Ceccola I held my own against Hansen and After leaving the train, we had a minor
The prospect of a cross-country train desperately wanted to finish the game emergency when we assembled for our
trip sounded like quite the adventure to before him just for the satisfaction of nose-count. One of the group was miss¬
the participants in the first-ever cross¬ beating a player with such a title, but he ing! Thinking the worst, the train was
country video game contest. The event pulled ahead and beat the game on the combed, but Matt Williamson, a video
was sponsored by Nintendo to promote last day. game columnist from Colorado, was
its newest Game Boy title and Zelda We left Penn Station at 2:42 PM and nowhere to be found. Eventually, some¬
game, The Legend of Zelda: Link's the hosts and hostesses distributed the one thought to check his sleeper car
Awakening. Game Boys and carts. Once everyone and, after the conductor broke down the
We all met in a well-hidden Amtrak was ready, we had an official countdown door, discovered Matt fast asleep . Now
conference room in the bowels of Penn and the group started in earnest on the Matt is affectionately known as “Sleep-
Station in New York City, after individual complex and intricate game. It should
and group quests to find the secluded also be noted that the trip started on Fri¬ In Chicago, some opted for a trip to
meeting place. After this first task the BattleTech Center, but we all
was completed, we were briefed met back at Union Station to
by members of Nintendo’s PR firm board our home for the next two
(Golin/Harris), an editor from Nin¬ days. At 3:39 PM, we left Chicago
tendo Power, and a member of with another countdown and didn't
Team Nintendo. reach Seattle until 10:25 AM on
There were 18 official partici¬ Monday, August 16th, with only a
pants, divided into professional few stops along the way.
and amateur categories. In addi¬ From New York to Seattle, we
tion, Jeff Hansen, Nintendo World played the Zelda game, had fun,
Champion, came along for the got harassed by rude Amtrak
ride (but not as a contest partici¬ personnel and generally stuck
pant) to try the game and give us together as a group bonded by
a run for the money. Participants such an unusual experience.
came from magazines as varied I didn't beat Hansen, but I did
as Thrasher, Entertainment Week¬ manage to come in first in the
ly, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and professional category, with Mike
Popular Science. Forassiepi of Electronic Gaming
After our meeting, we all had Monthly a close second. Chip
the rules down and couldn't wait Carter took the lead in the
to start playing. This enthusiasm would day, August 13, perhaps the real source amateur category. My donation went to
dwindle after Hansen finished the game of later mishaps. Leukemia research and Carter’s went to
on Sunday afternoon, but until then It feels weird to be essentially stuck a local charity. My advantage was the
everyone gave the game their best shot. on a train for almost three days, but ability to function on very few hours of
The goal was simple: the first to finish most survived the trip. Some wimped out sleep. Most game writers/reviewers have
the game in each category or the person because of the sleeping
furthest along by the trip’s end would win accommodations, but those of us who Everyone on the Whistle-Stop Tour
$1000 to be donated by Nintendo to the stuck it out felt tike we were on a accumulated anecdotes, learned more
charity of their choice. camping trip. about each other, and had a great time
Each player also had five rupees We were free to wander around the playing games and seeing the fields,
(Mambo candy substituted for the trains during the trip. Most of us visited abandoned cars, people, and mountains
obscure currency) that they could use to the dining/bar cars, read, or talked to through 12 states across the Northern
get a game hint. Players could obtain others in the group. Our only real break half of America.
additional rupees if they correctly came in Chicago on Saturday, August When f tell people about the trip, they
answered state trivia as we passed 14. We detrained in the morning and had look at me like I’m crazy that I actually
through the states. lunch at an Italian restaurant. went along voluntarily, but overall it was
a positive, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
24 Electronic Games
 r t rub yuur £>riyu
Ll-'iVliV Qmmilal™ 1’
;irri I Hi fa
ilniti, yuu'd Lziizr
jbrluy yuur frituitfal

The title that defined

video-game adventure is
now the first to utilize
Sega's new 4-Player "TAP."

Just like the arcade classic.

Gauntlet™ IV lets you team
up with up to three of your
buddies as Thor, Thyra,
Merlin and Questor—and
blast more Grunts, Ghosts,
Demons and Lobbers than ever
before. There's even a special
4-Player head-to-head mode so
you can turn against
your friends in a winner-take-all
battle royal!

Gauntlet™ IV has arrived. Tap

into the 4-player quest...and
bring your friends!
Kiss Conventional
Logic Goodbye
No. it. Now you don’t. The land of Kyrandia is disappearing piece by piece

and all the evidence points jp* toward one perilous con¬

clusion: a curse. \y Thus begins The Hand of Fate

second in the Fables & Fiends" series, where you are

the offbeat, young mystic who must voyage to the center of the world to break fl

the spell. Out of sync and out on foot, your aberrant journey reveals nothing f

seems. Everything is what it

you can count your friends on

:ed edge of c
Literally. Conspiring to push

magraphic :ntertainment, Westwood Studios has

R
iigned more puzzles and gameplay in the first few chapters oi

The Hand of Fate

The Legend of Kyrandia’. “Sir

advanced graphi

on the market are first pencil tested, then painted

on-screen to surrealistic perfection. Breakthrough

Trulight technology illuminates each scene more cinemat-

ically for a fuller, fourth 1Wi> ^ dimensional picture. $ The new

State of Mind System, along with superior intuitive interfacing, enables you and

over 50 characters to change your mind, mood and

mayhem based on preceding events. Don’t just

play with your mind. Change the way your mind plays.

Grasp The Hand of Fate and kiss conventional logic goodbye.

Westwood
 mm insert
EJ COIN HERE
A Triple Play
by Jay Carter

Across the board, coin-operated

amusement game entertainment contin¬
ues to offer an interesting diversity of
attractions whether you’re looking for a
realistic shoot ’em up, some all-new flip¬
per fun or a novel basketball challenge.
Over the past years, American Laser
Games has managed to can/e out a
special niche for itself with some very
appealing disc-based efforts that have
taken players to the Wild West of Mad
Dog McCree, the comedic world of Gal¬
lagher or an intergalactic universe of
Space Pirates. Now, the company has
turned its creative energies to a more
contemporary theme with the release of
its two-player, live-action Crime Patrol.
You begin the action in this multi-level
game as a rookie trying to stop a gang
fight, subdue a warehouse heist and a
store robbery. Your only weapon is a gun
and, hopefully, an eagle eye as your goal
is to advance from this first stage to
become a detective on up to a SWAT
team member and, ultimately, part of the
Delta Force combatting terrorism.
There are 16 different crime chal¬
lenges and, similar to Lethal Enforcers,
when you run out of ammunition, you
need to only fire off-screen to reload and
get back into the action. And, as with the
other American Laser games, the produc¬
tion values keep getting better for a visu¬
al treat that makes you feel as if you're

Pinball playing just gets better and

better in an era that will be remembered
for the introduction of mode-based game
design. Originally launched with The
Addams Family and its mansion values,
Williams Electronics has now brought to
life the Indiana Jones trilogy in a real
pinball adventure.
The company's first Superpin, which
features a bigger playfield, Indiana Jones
presents many of the signature elements
of Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of
Doom and The Last Crusade with 12

28 Electronic Games
 in 194! and the U.S. and Japan are preparing to clash.
The goal is to control the Pacific! The game schedule is exhausting:
Pearl Harbor, Midway and the Philippines for starters. Both teams
have great captains, fantastic rosters and the best equipment around.
The Americans can depend on the Yorktown, Hornet and Nevada to
run successful battle plays that will amaze their opponents. But don't
count out the other team quite yet. The Japanese carrier force can
quickly make up lost ground by running secret plays or handing
off tough missions to their top-notch kamikazes. The starting
gun is about to fire. It's time to pick your team
colors and hit the battlefield. Good luck!

KOEI
AVAILABLE FOR SNES & SEGA.
KOEI Games are available for all systems in
retail outlets nationwide! If you can't find the
KOEI product you are looking for, call us at
KOEI Corporation, 1350 Bayshore Highway, Suite 540
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(415) 348-0500 (9am to 5pm PSD. smwmo GENESIS
capacit

betwee^M
sumptifw
highly! J

unusual^B
begun tcM
a most adV
interactive

While at Ibis writing . _ ..Jr

elusive data, a number of sources have e“ 'iSpeWTound Jersey. 7wterrepe9ffiBI^^^^|| -.
propensity to discuss international politics, ami a bizarre lyst, actual hair wassaiotoHave sprouretnHJI
compulsion to sit up straight in their chairs, speak in clear, connections between papaya consumption '^
 AAore powerful, more colorful, more respon¬
sive than ordinary systems. 3D0 technology is
so real it hurts. And Panasonic makes the only
system that has it.
Put on your protective gear; what we’ve got here
is no sissy video game.
You’re barreling downfield toward the end zone, eating up yardage
when suddenly you see him. 240 towering pounds—and talk about
muscles—there isn’t a flat surface on this guy! Or anywhere on your
screen, for that matter. We’re talking near 3-D graphics here.
You fake to the left, the right—the program gives you total freedom. But
he crushes you just the same.
First and goal, the crowd
goes ballistic, and you watch
an instant replay that actually
comes up instantly. Before
you know it, you’re in for¬
mation again. Breath short,
knuckles white, heart
pounding—this is a video
game that makes you break Quarterback perspective with
a sweat. This is R-E-A-L. EA'S 3D0”John Madden Footbalr
Introducing the Panasonic R-E-A-L 3DO Interactive Multiplayer,
the most highly-evolved integration of audio, video and interactive
technology available. It plays audio and photo CDs, and soon, with an
optional adapter, video CDs. It will introduce you to a stunning new gen¬
eration of interactive education, information and entertainment software.
And it makes video gaming come to life.
With 50 times more power than ordinary video game systems and
PCs. Up to 16 million displayable colors for photorealistic picture
quality. Digital CD sound (with right and left outputs for stereo
hookup). And a 32-bit RISC chip architecture that makes inter¬
action fast and furious.
All of which means less lag time, better visuals and
more play options as you lead your team downfield.
In other words, it’s real. ♦■◦I
To speak to the dealer nearest you, call

Panasonic*
just slightly ahead of our time.®
 C~^\o44444*
DOCTOR
the manufacturer and 3D0 have to make lost interest, and balked at ordering the
When, Where, Why
money off each transaction. Atari, new hardware.
and Other Questions meanwhile, doesn't have to pay a fee to Then there was the lack of original
by The Game Doctor anyone. It simply contracted with IBM to titles; almost everything originally
produce its machines. available for the 5200 were the same
Well, troops, we’re rewing up our sec¬ Atari has shown over the years that it games Atari had been pushing since
ond year here at EG and if it's anything can cut production costs to the bone 1978. The machine itself was not
like the first, I can't wait to get started. when it has to, and the Jaguar is yet enough of a technological leap forward—
So let's dive right into that bag of mail, another example. In fact, some critics it still relied largely on games with bright¬
Game Nurse, and answer some ques- fear its shortage of RAM may create ly colored sprites moving against black
problems down the road. Additionally, backgrounds—and its non-centering,
Atari designed its system to be modular. dead fish joystick controllers were
Q: I have heard that 3D0 is the [best] Whereas a CD drive is part of the basic universally loathed by the gaming public.
system for the future of video games and 3D0 configuration, for example, the Finally, Atari itself torpedoed the system
I have also heard that the Atari Jaguar Jaguar is a cartridge-based machine with by announcing the 7800.
was the better machine. Which is better? a peripheral CD drive available to users Also, Eric, bear in mind that the 5200
And, if it's the Jaguar, how could that be who want one. Eliminating the cost of came on the scene several years before
[since] it is only $200 [whereas] the 3D0 that drive alone takes quite a few dollars Nintendo revitalized the American video
is $700? off the price. game market. And, despite the efforts of
John Gay those who would rewrite history, the NES
Gays Creek, KY Q: My question concerns the old Atari wasn't exactly an overnight sensation in
5200. I was wondering what bit the the U.S., either. It took a couple of years
A: You raise several points, each of machine was? Why didn't such a great before retailers were convinced that
them deserving some discussion, John. system take off like the Nintendo? I've video games, like rock and roll, are here
First off, hardware alone has never played [the 5200] version of Pac-Man
determined the success of an electronic and Centipede and they’re exact copies As for Figuring out that mystery game
entertainment system. Also, terms like [of the coin-ops]. system, please remember that almost a
"better" and "best" are too subjective for Also, here's something of a historic hundred different dedicated or hard-wired
this office: that's like asking whether nature that you may be able to help me (i.e., non-programmable) pong-style
chocolate ice cream is "better" than with: I was born in 1973. When I was systems were released in the '70s, and
vanilla. It's simply a matter of taste. between the ages of six and eight, my at least half of them fit your description.
Then there's the question of software. family had a game system that played However, it sounds as if you might have
Traditionally, the platform with the most three games, one [of which] was Pong. actually had an Atari machine, since no
popular games gets the lion's share of The others were very similar. The system other company was allowed to use the
the business, and we don't even know had no cartridge or other interface and
yet which publishers will be supporting the controls were 360 degree type
the Jaguar. rotation. Do you think you could find out Q: I don't know exactly what your
For a detailed look at the two systems what the name of the system was? column is geared toward. Is it technical
in question, however, you’ve come to the Eric L. Morgan help, information, or advice? Do you
right issue. Elsewhere in this EG you’ll San Bernardino, CA cater to questions about game hints?
find articles covering both systems. [Also] was a coin-op called Cadash
The issue of price, however, we can A: The 5200 was an 8-Bit system, ever translated into MS-DOS format?
address. There are several reasons why based closely on the Atari 400/800 Robert Duff
the Jaguar is so much less expensive computer architecture. There were Memphis, TN
than the 3D0. For one thing, 3D0 itself several reasons why this system died.
doesn't actually manufacture anything; it For one thing, when it was released, it A: We try to answer any questions
licenses its technology to companies was perceived as Atari abandoning the thrown at us, Robert, with two excep¬
such as Matsushita (Panasonic), which 2600 market—which was already glutted tions: we try to avoid extremely technical
then construct machines which use the with inferior software. Retailers, who stuff which would be of interest to only a
3D0 standard. As a result, there's an viewed the whole video game scene as a small percentage of our readers; and we
additional player in the 3D0 game—both fad, were convinced that customers had don't do hints. In my experience,

32 Electronic Games
 A: While there have been no official the various barcodes on different UPCs
announcements as of this writing regard¬ and uses them to assign point values to
ing satellite availability of cable-based standard role-playing characteristics:
game transmission systems, I think you strength, charisma, dexterity, etc. It's
can rest assured that you will eventually apparently been very successful in Japan
be able to get in on the action. and there’s hope that it may catch on
If you think about it, the game data here in the States ...Jarred Thayer of
itself is being transmitted by satellite. Roswell, NM, was wondering why the
The difference is that only cable controller inputs on the Sega Master
operators will be enabled to receive System and the Genesis look the same.
these transmissions, which they will then Easy answer, Jarred: When Sega pro¬
send to our homes via cable. Sooner or duced its Power Base Converter—the
CRME DOCTOR later, we'll almost certainly see a proto¬ SMS adapter for the Genesis—it was
col established similar to that now used designed to slot in through the cartridge
providing game hints is a full-time job, with Pay Per View movies and events, port on the Genesis. That way, players
and one that is handled extensively whereby individual Earth Station could plug the SMS controllers) directly
elsewhere. Receivers (i.e., home satellite dish into the Genesis control ports... Ed
/4s for an MS-DOS version of Cadash, I owners) will be able to phone in and get Haggard of Honolulu, HI, has a busted
don't recall one. And, to be totally frank, an access code, making them part of the controller and wants to open it up and fix
if one did exist I doubt you'd be very it. Forget it, Ed. Take it back to the
happy with it. Back in the days when You may even be better off since only store—you don't want to void the warran¬
Cadash was making the arcade scene, the successful operations will convert to ty... Finally, Jason Quant of Butler, NJ, is
MS-DOS coin-op translations were pretty satellite distribution! confused by the fact that in some of the
weak stuff, with awful animation and screen shots he's seen of Acclaim's
miserable play action the rule rather than Q: What's the latest on Virtual Reality Mortal Kombat for the Genesis "the
the exception. for home systems and arcades? Will the background looks gray and plain. Howev¬
Jaguar and 3D0 offer VR? What about er, on other pictures I see the Warrior
Q: My friends and I had an argument: I Sega's system? I’m extremely excited Shrine background. Does this vary
say Mario's first game was Donkey about it! between one and two players, or what?"
Kong. One of my friend's says it was Dennis Quant No, Jason, the difference is directly
Mario Bros., and my other friend says Staten Island, NY related to when the screens were photo¬
Mario's Cement Factory. Could you graphed. When MK was shown at this
settle this? A: Lots happening on the VR front. year's Summer CES, there were no
Also, I was wondering if Mario had a Sega's system should be out this backgrounds on the Genesis version, so
nose job because his nose has gotten a Christmas, but based on what was any screen shots obtained up until that
lot rounder and fatter since Donkey shown at Summer CES, it probably won't point would reflect this. What happened
Kong. knock you out. 3D0 has yet to commit to was that the background graphics were
Mikey Hembree the idea in public, though the feature in the last thing the developers (Probe)
Gardena, CA this issue may have more recent informa¬ entered. If you buy the finished game,
tion on that subject. Also, Atari promises it'll have the background graphics on all
A: You win, Mikey; Mario first a "true" VR system for its Jaguar. modes... We've also gotten several
appeared in Donkey Kong, and the The arcades are also moving toward letters from computer gamers who are
brothers first appeared in Mario Bros. the VR bandwagon. Sega, Konami, and unable to play MS-DOS games which
As for that nose job, well, he wouldn't several other major manufacturers are require VESA drivers. These players went
be the first big star to go under the already heavily involved in developing to computer stores and were told their
plastic surgeon's knife. But I ask you: this new technology for arcade use (but VGA and even SVGA graphics boards
when was the last time you heard of Sega, what ever happened to the Time can't run VESA drivers. Sad but true; in
someone getting a nose job to make Traveller sequel?). Visions of Reality many cases, there is simply no compati¬
their beak bigger? (VOR), a San Francisco-based coin-op bility. Fortunately, some game publishers
developer, is scheduled to go into pro¬ have taken matters into their own hands.
Q: As I write this letter, rumors are duction later this year with the idea being Access, for example, which uses VESA
circulating about no fewer than five (!) to eventually open up VOR Centers drivers to runs Links 386, has a policy
video game channels (Sega Channel, around the world. And Kyle Hodgetts, the where they will sell anyone who contacts
Games Channel, Nintendo's Satellite youthful president of VR8, Inc. was them a VESA-compatible graphics board
System, a cable-based Nintendo scheduled to ship the first units of Virtu¬ for under $100. Obviously, Access isn't
channel, and 3D0, if the system sells). al Combat—a standard upright with a doing this to make money, it simply
Problem is, I make my home on top of a connecting viewscope—this summer. wants to expand the number of
mountain where cable TV is unavailable. computers able to run its software. But
Will Nintendo bring its satellite decoder Q&A Quickies: Chris Kirwan of Yard- it's still a great deal...
unit to the U.S. or do any of the other ley, PA, wants to know about the Bar¬
channels plan to sign up with a satellite code Battler. Here's the deal, Chris: you Send any comments, questions, cor¬
broadcaster so those of us with our own know those UPC codes which appear on rections, and complements to:
satellite dishes can join in? everything from frozen dinners to the The Game Doctor (EG)
J. Jason McKendricks magazine you're holding in your hot little 330 S. Decatur, Suite 152
Chico, CA hands? Well, the Barcode Battler scans Las Vegas NV 89107

34 Electronic Games
 p
OLLECT THE TOKENS
■Jump inside for a Crack at the
the Genie’s Lamp Bonus Rounds!
for a Pinballing,
Ping-Ponging trip!

ooning Guards!
Dirt-wad-spitting Camels!
Nice Neighborhood!

nimation so
Smooth - you’ll
swear you were
in the Movie.
 urvive the Cave,
Rescue the Babe.
Gentlemen, start
ycur carpets!

ore villains! More Swords!

Shish-Kabob, Anyone?

I ou’ve never seen anything like it!

The one and only videogame with
genuine animation created by the
artists of DISNEY - combined with
the action of SEGA™ GENESIS "

Fly with ALADDIN in the most

awesome sword-slashing, side-splitting
adventure ever! It’s totally loaded
with new villains, non-stop laughs
and the fastest action this side of the
Sahara! So hit the “start” button -
and hang on!

Welcome m tip mm Le'/e

 B FANDOM
CENTRAL
The Season of the ‘Zines Fanarchy may be this year's cleverest IntelliVision Lines #8
fanzine title, and the contents crackle Edited by Ralph Linne
by Arnie Katz
with boisterous humor. Ben can be a 8385 Findley Dr.,
In the fall the electronic gamer's fancy little contentious, and some of his Mentor, OH 44060-3811
turns to thoughts of ‘zines. You'd think critiques seem overly negative, but this Quarterly, $1.50 per issue; 10 pages
the warm-weather months, free of school fanzine is going to be a biggie if he Anyone interested in the Mattel Intelli¬
and similar distractions, would be the comes close to the announced schedule. Vision, popular in the early 1980s, can't
personal publishing primetime. Video games get the review space, but afford to miss this data-packed half-legal-
Not so. The period from October to there's also commentary on controver¬ size fanzine. Ralph puts together such
April probably sees three-fourths of the sies like video game censorship and interesting articles, checklists, and news
year’s fanzines. There's usually more plenty of personal musings by the editor notes that IntelliVision Lines is practical¬
happening in gaming, hence more about and his small staff. Despite the rough ly indispensable to fans of this system.
which to write, and those early sunsets spots, this gets a full recommendation. Collectors and game historians will
and rainy weekends are perfect for bat¬ appreciate the special insert, a checklist
ting out fiery editorials and shoot-from- The Guru #2 of IntelliVision cartridges. Other strong-
the-keyboard reviews. Edited by Brian Goss points are the latest chapter of Linne's
P.O. Box 5442, history of the IntelliVision, a review of the
Digital Press #13 Pasadena, TX 77508-5442 classic Sewer Sam, and a survey of
Edited by Joe Santulli Bi-monthly, $2.00 per issue; 10 pages role-playing adventure carts.
44 Hunter PI., Patrick Wilson’s full-color cover starts IntelliVision Lines is a model for
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442-2037 the second issue of this spiral-bound anyone who wants to produce a specialty
Bi-monthly, $1.50 per issue; 24 pages fanzine in suitably high style. Although fanzine.
One of the best just got a lot better. the interior isn't quite that fancy, Brian's
Drab, newsletter graphics are about the fanzine has an attractive layout, clean The Prowler #3/4
only possible complaint with previous is¬ headlines and fairly attractive spot Edited by Tim Stoner
sues of this intelligent and amusing fan¬ illustrations. 6303 Pemwoods,
zine. A cover-to-cover facelift makes the Articles, like the ones about 3D0 and San Antonio, TX 78240
strong content even more engrossing. Japanese Anime, are authoritative and Frequent, $1.25 per issue; 18 pages
Kevin Oleniacz's article on video game insightful. They balance the lengthy This is the fanzine of the Prodigy Lynx
trading cards is the highlight of a strong review section, and think pieces on Users Group, but it's worth a look even if
issue that also has several excellent subjects like the possibility of another you don't belong to that network. Tim
columns and a sophisticated review video game depression similar to the and friends are still learning the essen¬
section. Each game gets a whole page, Great Crash of 1984. Some of the stuff tials of fanzine publishing, but they are
which also includes ratings by several would benefit from another run through genial and, as importantly, are well-
gamers, capsule comments, and infor¬ the word processor, but the overall effect informed about Atari's portable game
mation boxes. Digital Press critiques is very good. machine.
classic games and new ones for virtually I doubt that The Guru will continue Reviews of new and old cartridges,
expensive covers and costly binding for newsnotes, a popularity poll, and a page
Congratulations to Joe Santulli for the long. Both are hideously expensive, of ramblings by the editor are the most
leap forward. If you haven’t tried this especially for a not-for-profit venture like interesting items here. The fanzine is
one, do so without delay. a fanzine. fairly plain-looking, but it is very neat and
Fortunately, these are frills rather than readable. I hope future issues will draw
Fanarchy #1 necessities. The Guru would still be more heavily on discussions held about
Edited by Ben Leatherman worthwhile with a black and white cover the Lynx on Prodigy, so that those of us
10 Palo Verde Lane, Globe, AZ 85501 and a staple stuck through the corner. who weren't logged on to participate can
Bi-monthly, 501 per issue; 10 pages Brian’s fanzine has progressed enjoy them.
Ben's editorial shows he has learned a admirably from a stellar first issue to a
valuable lesson: never is a longtime. He slick second one. Now he vows to work Attention fanzine editors: If you'd like
said he wasn’t going to publish a fanzine doubly hard to upgrade the writing and your fanzine reviewed in a future issue,
after folding Video Games Monthly, but typography. He seems to have the send it to: Arnie Katz, 339 S. Decatur,
here he is with a hot new bimonthly. formula for success. Get a sample. Las Vegas, NV 89107.

38 Electronic Games
Break all kinds of laws in one of four European Racers. Integrated video clips
give tips on equipment and weather conditions while you try to outrun the cops
and race on four different tracks. 3-D animated instructions help you build a
model of your car so you can remember what it looks like after you wrap it
around a guard rail. Available for IBM on CD-ROM and Sega CD.
The model makes the game better. The game makes the model better.®
 • Super System
wlr • or Super Hype?
the promotion of the VHS video standard the CD + Graphics standard, Kodak's
EG Finds the and the Audio CD. The success of these Photo CD format and video CDs up to 60
standards is widely known, thus it is not minutes in length.
Truth About 3DO surprising that 3DO seeks to be viewed It's worthy to note that many of these
by Ed Dille in a similar context. A question remains, features are nice-to-have bonuses, but
however, as to how well they will be able are not in and of themselves specific
3D0 has received more media atten¬
tion and industry interest than any other selling points to justify 3D0’s $700
The first opportunity to empirically eval¬ asking price. Before focusing on the 3D0
product under development in the history
uate their ambitious projections was pro¬ architecture exclusively, however, let's
of gaming. Despite this unprecedented
vided via Panasonic's introduction of the highlight a couple of salient points about
exposure, rumors and misconceptions
FZ-l REAL 3DO Interactive Multi¬ the added features.
abound regarding what 3D0 is, and what
player. First, the Kodak Photo CD package is
the first units to ship will provide.
Here, EG explodes some of very well wrought. Images may be pulled
the common myths and from the disk and viewed from l/16th
provides prospective players their original display
with the first assessment of This allows the user to
the technology, based on dx a portion of the photo,
hands-on experience. call it up to full screen

process again and

The Vision again. Surprisingly, the
3DO is attempting to posi¬ I 3D0 unit continues to
tion itself as a major player in refine the
the coming information super¬ clarity of magnified
highway marketplace. Recent images the longer they
deregulation has allowed the are displayed. During
communications industry to
redefine itself toward that goal, nique was used to focus
but the infrastructure for the digital on the eye of one subject in a
fiber optic highway is just beginning photograph and the detail was suffi-
to be established. se the reflection of the photog¬
One of the first steps in this rapher on the subject’s cornea. The reso-
process is selection of produced was truly astounding.
standard for delivery of the As to video CDs, the 3D0 player is
3DO hopes to achieve enough market currently limited to a full motion video
penetration during these early, formative (FMV) compression routine known as
stages to be accepted as that broad Cinepak. This standard impressively
based standard. Contrary to sc reproduces full screen animation, such
Given that goal, it becomes easier to popular misconceptions, the firs as segments of Batman, the Animated
understand why 3DO opted to control units will not be capable of the 500-
and license the technology, and not the channel Megaplex of Interactive Televi¬
hardware as Sega and Nintendo did. The sion that many users are waiting for.
latter created monopolies based on Also, they will not allow connectivity out¬
control of proprietary hardware, acting as side the home for databases, interactive
sole source for manufacture, services, multi-player gaming or many of
distribution and all other factors of a the other features currently enjoyed by
product life cycle. computer BBS subscribers. In essence,
The 3DO Company, on the other hand, the Panasonic 3DO unit is a stand-alone
does not produce the hardware or deal unit very similar to its Sega Mega-CD
with the average consumer directly in any cousin, offering similar features but
fashion. Rather, 3DO sells its technology much more polished applications.
to other businesses who, in turn, use it Strictly examining the types of media
for whatever applications they desire. which may be enjoyed, Panasonic’s 3D0
The closest analogies to this market¬ machine supports game CDs developed
ing strategy would be those utilized in for the 3D0 format, audio CDs including
Series, at 30 frames per second, but it hardware ever entered production. At the not only enhances the complexity of
is less refined than VHS for conventional time of this writing, there were over 360 displays available for new games, it also
video. On the side of the 3DO player is licensed developers and 110 projects allows programmers to incorporate a lot
an FMV expansion slot which will allow underway. of built-in special effects without having
MPEG-1 video decompression via a Some of these companies are new to design cumbersome software
separately sold module, available in the ventures as well, developing only for the routines.
first quarter of 1994. Since MPEG video 3DO standard. This bandwagon approach The 3DO architecture permits fluid
is supported by custom, dedicated hard¬ is an unprecedented demonstration of incorporation of warping, transparency,
ware, the technology produces imagery faith by the software publishers and a light sourcing, texture mapping and
that is comparable to VHS, as well as CD strong indicator of expected success. anti-aliasing effects as base functions of
quality sound. Further, since the multi¬ There was an outpouring of developer the architecture. Because these func¬
player has a double speed CD drive, support when Commodore first tions are integral to the hardware, addi¬
capable of 300 kb/sec access, greater introduced the Amiga computer. tional code may be devoted to the meat
fidelity is attained. However, the cast lined up in the 3DO of games or other applications without
corner surpasses even that. any corresponding loss of presentation
power. Realizing this, one begins to
That Magic Moment appreciate why there is such tremendous
support from software developers.
After turning on the 3D0 player, it
rapidly becomes apparent that one has
stepped into new, but familiar territory. The Question Remains...
The Panasonic unit will remind players of 3DO is certainly light years beyond
other video game machines, in terms of what gamers have experienced thus far,
console and controller design. The but their acceptance or rejection of the
latter’s housing is like a SNES pad while new system will likely be based upon
the button layout is exactly like the economic considerations. At the time of
original Sega controller. The display,
however, is better than anything short of
Fore! PGA Tour Golf, by Electronic Arts, a professional animation station.
lets rainy-day duffers hit the links. 3DO achieves the high level of
performance by avoiding the traditional
Expect the first video CDs to be 30 or architecture of video games and comput¬
60 minute programs, but feature film ers, which place the burden of all pro¬
releases for 3D0 CD are possible in the gramming functions on a single multi¬
next year or two. purpose CPU chip. Instead, 3D0
If test marketing of independent cable provides two custom designed graphics
company 3D0 units is successful, 1995 animation engines supplemented by
could also see widespread introduction specialized circuits for video processing,
of cable boxes based on an MPEG-2 digital sound and data flow management.
standard and 3DO architecture. Current¬ A separate memory management unit
ly, systems allow one channel per 6Mhz and 24 DMA channels integrate this Can't find a zoo nearby? The San Diego
stream, and digital compression will architecture with a 32-Bit RISC CPU so Zoo’s animals are yours to see on 3D0!
allow eight for the same bandwidth. that images of up to 16 million colors
AT&T is also interested in developing and animations of 64 million pixels per its inception, the Neo»Geo also offered
phone applications for 3D0, as one second are possible. state of the art video, but its price tag
might gather from their television market¬ By way of contrast, current 16-Bit kept it from being a factor in the home
ing campaign, but it is unclear whether machines handle roughly one million pix¬ market, though it remains successful in
their units will be stand-alone or modem els per second, while 32-Bit computers commercial applications. 3DO executives
type add-on modules for existing players. are capable of three million per second. are quick to point out that, though their
What is important to understand at This unprecedented graphics power hardware is expensive in comparison to
this juncture, however, is that one must other video game systems, they are
consider the purchase of the Panasonic introducing it well below the $1000 price
unit solely on its own merit, independent point which acted as a barrier for
of possible future applications. widespread acceptance of VCRs and
One of the most positive indicators of audio CD players.
3DO’s potential long-term viability is the Further, the software companies EG
number of companies developing for a has contacted indicate that each 3D0
standard which as yet has no sales title has an eight month to one year
figures. Software availability has always development time and players should
been a major factor in the success or expect equivalent pricing to computer
failure of new hardware systems. Certain¬ CD-ROM titles ($60 and up).
ly, sales of Sega’s Mega-CD have Therefore, hardware and software
suffered from a lack of notable software. developers alike are looking to the
3D0, however, lined up a very impressive Christmas buying season for vindication
list of affiliates and developers before Crystal Dynamic’s Total Eclipse will of their substantial investment.
challenge gamers with sci-fi fun. The ball, as they say, is in your court.
 PUT A NEW SPIN

STRAP ON YOUR
POWER SNEAKERS
FOR SPINSATIONAL
NEW SONIC MOVES!
Lever-launch through eight fresh worlds
Vault into the Volcano Veg-O-Fortress of pinball-pumping mutant mayhem as Neither sleet, nor snow, nor a slime
and kick some ’Bot! slurping Scorpius can stop him!
Mobius’ most heroic hedgehog rolls
into action against the demented
Dr. Robotnik! Thousands of Sonic’s friends
are about to become vegged-out robots...
So why are you just sitting there? Get your
flippers-flapping - and start spinnin’l

Cop the Chaos Emeralds to bust Pull the plug on the Lava Powerhouse
Robotnik's family jewels! for a real global warm-up!
*
 By Bill Kunkel with us,” one Atari
The Lynx may be spokesman pointed
more pussycat than
wildcat in the competi¬
tive hand-held market,
and the Panther-
The Jaguar: out, referring to the
3D0’s seeming
inability to get devel¬
opment tools such
Atari’s 16-Bit game as sound drivers into
machine—went on the
endangered species
list before the public
ever laid eyes on it.
But the Jaguar, Atari's
Hands On
Atari Prepares to Show Its Claws
the hands of game
makers.
Atari’s name once
conjured magical
images among
amazing new 64-Bit, gamers. The
modular-style entertain¬ Tramiels are now
ment system, could be the cat that with Sega and Nintendo, given quality that the Jaguar is just
makes the cut. software. Users can then add on periph¬ roar again.
At a press event held in Atari’s erals such as a double speed CD-ROM
Sunnyvale offices this past August, drive, which connects through the sys¬
company president Sam Tramiel finally tem’s cartridge game slot and features a Jaguar
took the wraps off the fruits of almost cartridge input of its own, allowing
half a decade of R&D. The press confer¬ Jaguaristas to run CD audio, with special Factoids
ence was originally intended exclusively cartridges available to interface with
for the gaming press, but Tramiel Kodak’s Photo CDs, CD+G (for Karaoke) • Atari believes a success with the
and even movies and videos, through the Jaguar could revitalize the Lynx. Porta¬
the Associated Press to use of an MPEG 2 cart. Atari is using the bles are not big money makers, after all,
the Wall St. Journal once he got wind of Cinepak compression technology for its but Nintendo and Sega make money with
remarks made by 3D0 honcho, Trip FMV which permits over an hour of video them by taking Genesis and SNES prop¬
Hawkins, regarding the Jaguar. on a single CD. erties and producing small screen ver¬
Tramiel also promised a Virtual Reality sions, thereby amortizing the cost of
peripheral which, he boasted: “will be development on the portable system.
true Virtual Reality—not just a pair of TV • Atari is in discussion with two
screens," taking a potshot at Sega’s unnamed coin-op companies to use the
forthcoming VR headset. The Jaguar is Jaguar as the engine for an arcade
also fitted with expansion ports to han¬ machine.
dle a modem, a TV interface, cable, and • The Jaguar will contain a lock-out
telephone delivery. chip.
Tramiel was forthcoming when asked • The Jaguar is being built by... IBM!
about Atari's recent run of misfortune “We sent out the bids to Hong Kong and
and lackluster sales, but assured the all the usual places,” Sam Tramiel
journalists that the company is more explained, “and we were surprised when
than solvent. “We have $35-40 million in the best bid came back from IBM in
the bank and approximately $14 million Charlotte.”
in bond debt. We have more than enough • Atari is contemplating a rating sys¬
money to roll this product out.” tem similar to Sega's. “We’d like to get
Impressive though the system may be, together with the rest of the industry and
however, it won’t fly without strong soft¬ settle on a standard,” Tramiel said.
Claiming that Hawkins had been ware support. Atari acknowledged this • Cartridge prices will probably range
spreading inaccurate information through and promised a press conference in New from $39-$69.
the press and gaming industry, Tramiel York in mid-Septem¬
decided to strut his stuff and let the ber to announce
journalists judge for themselves. which publishers will
“Trip Hawkins has said that the Jaguar support the Jaguar.
is really just two 32-Bit processors run¬ Though Tramiel
ning in parallel,” he contended. "By that refused to be
logic, the Jaguar is actually a 240-Bit pinned down on
machine!" numbers, he did say
The technological specs [see chart] re will b<
are certainly impressive. The Jaguar than t€ ” develop¬
does, in fact, use five processors: ers announced.
RISC-based GPU and DSP processors, an “A lot of compa-
Object Processor, BUTTER, and perhaps
for purposes of nostalgia, a 68000. great deal of time
But the best thing about the Jaguar is and money develop
its price and modularity. The basic unit, ing for the 3D0
without CD, will sell in the $200 range. platform, and they
At that price point, Atari can compete

44 Electronic Games
riv*u Raiden (Atari)
The classic shooter should adapt
nicely to the Jaguar, which handles
multiple objects moving at variable
speeds very slickly.
real-time polygon animation is really
quite impressive.
Overall, while some of the games
contained visually impressive elements,
it is obvious that third-party publishers
will have to carry the ball in terms of
establishing the Jaguar as the hottest
game playing machine in town.

Tiny Toons (Atari) The Specs

Some very cute animation and use of
color in this cartoon adaptation.
Aliens vs. Predator (Atari) • As opposed to a 16-Bit machine,
Could be one of the lead products. which has a bus band width that can
Gamers play as a Predator, Alien, or carry less than 2 megabytes per second,
human Colonial Marine. The game uses or a 32-Bit system which runs 50
• Tempest 2000, the updating of the Megabytes per second, the Jaguar’s
classic ‘80s Atari coin-op, and the most a first-person point-of-view reminiscent of
vith elements of Space 64-Bit architecture runs more than 100
anticipated Jaguar title, was not shown, Megabytes per second (actually 106.4).
but everyone was buzzing about it. It’s • The Jaguar boasts 27 MIPs DSP
sure to be a winner! Unfortunately, the object graphics have
a disappointingly flat, unrealistic look to (Digital Signal Processor) with 8K Bytes
• Remember: Time-Warner is still a I of zero wait-state internal SRAM for CD '
major financial partici- them. The hallways looks like mediocre
quality stereo
result of the buy-out. • The system
Atari also claimed it offers 32-Bit color
was in discussion with on NTSC or PAL TV
“a Bell company”
about game transmis¬ 16 million
sion over telephone
• ROM cart
• There are two capacity holds up
development systems to 48 Megabits.
for the Jaguar, Atari’s • 16 Megabits
own system and a PC- of fast page-mode
based unit. It costs DRAM.
“less than $10,000 to • The controller
become a Jaguar is structured simi¬
developer.” lar to the Genesis
• Production began control pad, with
in Charlotte the addition of a
30. The Jaguar will be 12-key keypad with
launched this year in game-specific
New York, San Francis¬ mylar overlays,
co, Paris, and London, reminiscent of the
with the rest of the old Mattel
U.S. and Europe to fol¬ Intellivision.
low in ‘94. Atari intends to have IBM ship paintings of hallways, rather than actual • Special effects include Texture
50,000 systems in ‘93, half of them in corridors. Developed by both U.S. and Mapping, Morphing, Warping of images,
the States. U.K. development teams in tandem. lighting effects, and Transparency, for
• Most software will be in the 4-16 creating smoke, shadow, and other light
Meg range, with extensive use of com- Club Drive (Atari) permeable visual objects.
The obligatory driving game was not • According to Tramiel, the system
available for demo. only has 2 Meg of RAM, and this could
The Games, the Games! be a problem down the road.
Cybermorph (Atari) • The heart of the Jaguar is a pair of
Trevor McFur Saves the Crescent Developed by Atari's U.K. team, this custom chips, dubbed "Tom” and
Galaxy (Atari) action-oriented SF title combines two of "Jerry.” Tom comprises the DRAM Memo¬
Several levels of this game were today's hottest buzzwords. The game ry Controller, Object Processor (for video
playable at the press conference. It’s a itself looks like a slicker version of output), GPU (with 4K of Static RAM) and
side-scrolling SF shooter notable primari¬ Starglider, with the player’s ship able to the BLITTER (a Bit Block Transfer mecha¬
ly for its incredible rotating polygon "morph” itself into a variety of strategi¬ nism). Jerry handles the sound, including
images. This won't set the world on fire, cally desirable shapes. Object: rescue the DSP (with 8K of Static RAM), and the
but it does begin to show what the stranded members of a doomed expedi¬ game controller input, as well as timers,
Jaguar can actually do, and does so with tion who escaped in pods which are and clock control. Only time will tell if the
alarming speed and fluidity. scattered among 15 planetoids. The hardware will keep up with the software.

Electronic Games 45
 SUMO HEAD BUTTS,
SONIC BOOMS,
WHIRLWIND KICKS,
DRAGON PUNCHES,
BUTT CRUSHES,
FIREBALLS,
SPINNING PILEDRIVERS
WILL YOUR PC SURVIVE? WILL YOU?

FOR THE PC

CAPCOM
Distributed by Hi Tech Expressions
Available at your local software retailer
or call 1 - 800 - 447- 6543 to order by
MC/VISA/AMEX
 Stil-TS ui iJjid JjjAriBtiVB Su/HDii
/jrsl
ong before The Man arrived, the computer.” He then ran a quick demo
soundstage at Mansfield Studios showing several eye-popping scenes Demolition Man:
—J being used by Virgin Games to shoot from the game, including the Cryoprison The Movie
the live action sequences for the 3D0 [see sidebar] and an amazing action
version of Demolition Man was alive with sequence, taken from the film, in which
activity. A fine spread of fruit and break¬ the player, as Spartan, clings to the roof Spartan (Stallone) is on the trail of
fast munchies was laid out on long of a speeding auto, firing at targets as psychopath Simon Phoenix (Snipes),
tables, and the refrigerators were they race along. who is holding a group of innocent
stocked with Snapple. The prop woman On the first day of shooting, Sly had hostages at gunpoint in an isolated
readied a variety of nasty-looking been apprehensive. He was apparently building. Something goes wrong,
weapons, all used in the movie, laid out somewhat unhappy with the game ver¬ however, and the hostages are all
like medical instruments against a white sion of his previous film, Ciiffhanger, and killed. Phoenix is arrested, along
tablecloth. expected to end up looking like a tiny, with Spartan, who is unjustly blamed
Computer wizards and film production Mario-like sprite when all was said and for the deaths.
people mingled in apparent harmony, the done. One look at the astonishing Ulti¬ Both men are sentenced to
cameramen and directors setting up the matte technology, however, and he was suspended animation in a
stage while the techies hovered over the clearly impressed. “I wish I’d had some¬ Cryoprison, a bleak-looking piece
incredible Ultimatte system which thing like this when I was making Rocky," of architecture that houses the
merges video images with computer he’d remarked. sleeping forms of the planet’s
graphics. By the time he arrived on Day Two, most dangerous criminals.
everything was in readiness. Time passes.“Society evolves into
“Let’s rock and roll,” someone called a state of virtual non-violence, where
out. “The Man's here.” there are no guns, serial killers or
Stallone was genial and good natured, even war toys. But something goes
heading immediately upstairs to change wrong at the Cryoprison and Phoenix
into his art deco police uniform. Mean¬ wakes up. He immediately raids an
while, the initial shots were being arsenal and goes on a killing spree
blocked out using Stallone’s long-time which the wimped-out law enforce¬
stunt double. Everything was being shot ment officials of this happy face
against a green backdrop, which the
computer can remove more easily than
the traditional cobalt blue used in film- That’s right, they revive Spartan
making. and send him after the bloodthirsty
Sly’s game is as action-packed and Sly was on the set within minutes and Phoenix, who is like a fox in a hen
the prop woman handed him the day’s house in this pacified utopia.
first weapon. For the next half dozen The rest of the film involves
hours, Stallone endured take after take Spartan’s pursuit of Phoenix. Will he
Upstairs, lavish quarters were readied on a cramped, increasingly warm sound catch him? Will Phoenix once again
for the star to change wardrobe, with a stage. Watching him on the monitor, the take hostages and force Spartan to
back room containing a spa for relaxing quality of the images looked striking. face a crisis of confidence before
between scenes. A collection of Stallone's famous face looked right at ultimately triumphing over his
costumes hung on a rack, including home on a computer screen, interacting ancient enemy? Will it rake in big
Stallone’s police officer's uniform. with objects which exist only as data in a bucks at the box office?
It was the second day of shooting for computer’s memory banks.
Sylvester Stallone, who stars as future Between takes and costume changes,
cop John Spartan in the Joel Silver he would step behind the scenes to
produced sci-fi film, Demolition Man, on observe the footage being generated and
which the game is based. Co-stars marvel at the computer’s wizardry. lighting on the sprites. "It's'actually easi¬
Wesley Snipes and Jesse “The Body" “Can it produce special effects?” he er to darken a scene than lighten it,” a
Ventura had already filmed their parts, wanted to know. “Can you do steam and technician said, “so we actually shoot
and everyone agreed that the end results strobes and things like that?” the scenes with lots of light. But we can
simply got exponentially better as Assured that the system could gener¬ re-light sprites, to create a muzzle flash
shooting progressed. ate such effects in addition to lighting after a gun is fired, for example.”
“Joel Silver has just been incredibly modifications, he simply shook his head The movie is due in theaters this fall,
cooperative,” remarked Virgin sound guru in amazement. In fact, while the 3D0 but the game won’t be available until
Tommy Tallarico. “He furnished us with was billed as having the hardware capa¬ next year, due to the delay in obtaining a
the specs and blueprints for all the sets, bility to reposition the lighting on any complete set of 3D0 development tools.
image, it actually can only modify the — Bill Kunkel
48 Electronic Games
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 T here-are few things Americans love
more than'agood scare. Electronic
-games couldn't put on much of a
■' erSepy Show Until' recent years. The
• UourW.and graphics just weren't good
enough ta overcome players' sense of
i .iljfebe;lfeT."Without extremely strong,
M
- -visceral"images, you just can't do
'.Hntei'active horror, .
, .Now it seems like game-makers have
' the. cponstbr. factory running on overtime
vtdjrtdke up for the previous lack. There
^aegnft.quite asjnany new shuddery carts
;'eis rrigdd. their, debut a year ago, but this
^-■year's shock parade is higher in quality.
Spine-tingling Software
Legacy: Realm of Terror (MicroProse/ challenging and, at times, shocking. This
PC) is a first-person perspective horror is a smoothly implemented and
adventure that features incredible 3-D engrossing game that offers those
unfamiliar with the original the chance to

r
graphics. The player is the heir to a
dubious bequest, a house with a history enjoy the same interactive experience in
of supernatural occurrences. a slickly implemented package.
Uninvited is also coming in a version
The haunted mansion is as big as an
apartment building! There are up to 40 for MS-DOS Windows.
rooms on each of its 10 levels. The VGA
graphics, which run acceptably on a 386 Monsters of Multimedia
Return of the Phantom (MicroProse/
'• A r with 2MB of RAM, feature lots of bit
mapped detail and clickable objects to CD-ROM) adds fully digitized speech and
investigate. slightly upgrades other elements of this
Back in circulation in a vastly upgraded gripping story loosely connected to the
form is Uninvited (Icom Simulations/ Phantom of the Opera story. As Raoul
Macintosh). The point-and-click haunted Montand, the player voyages into the
house adventure has improved sound world of 1891 to rescue his girlfriend
and graphics, though the absence of and confront the masked fiend.
color is unexpected in a 1993 Macintosh The visuals blend an unusually wide
adventure. A tour of the house is variety of techniques, including drawn.

The Chill if the Thrill

A Meaneful of Scary (famei fcr Mallcvueen
 Scares on the be accessed, along with pertinent play
information. The graphics are excellent
Small Screen for a Game Boy entry and the music is
so diverting that it can even prove dis¬
It’s tough to frighten people when tracting. Passwords are awarded for
I you’re small. Audiences today are used extended play in this whimsical
I to seeing extravagant special effects on creepshow.
I the wide screen, and incredibly detailed There is not even a hint of whimsy in
graphics in computer and video games. Aliens vs. Predator, a grim mano a mano
I But once a game is shrunk down to between two of filmdom's most bankable
I portable size, its power to paralyze a monsters. Based on the Dark Horse
gamer with terror is similarly scaled Comics mini-series, the game’s back¬
ground sets up an interesting play situa¬
I Of course, this obviously hasn’t tion: an Earth mining colony was visited
I stopped publishers from trying. Activision by members of the Predator race years
I is one of the leaders in the small-size before the point at which the game
1 scare department, with Game Boy begins. The Predators brought with them
■ editions of The Real Ghostbusters and a dangerous cargo: several eggs bearing
Aliens vs. Predator. the almost-unstoppable Aliens which the
The Real Ghostbusters is based on a Predators planned to return and hunt.
I cartoon which is, in turn, based on the The Aliens eventually hatched and, of
I Ghostbusters films. The reason for the course, wiped out the human population,
I “Real’’ in the title? The name but when a party of Predators came back
“Ghostbusters" had already been to stalk them, they were overwhelmed
[ licensed to an animation company which and destroyed by an unexpectedly large
I produced a totally original series using number of Aliens.
I that name. Therefore, when the actual Theory: one of the eggs must have
I movies made the transition to cartoon- contained a Queen.
I erville, they became “The Real The player is cast as a Predator, the
I Ghostbusters.” last survivor of the Clan which was wiped
I The Game Boy program casts the out in the abortive Alien hunt. It is
I gamer as ‘buster Peter Venkman, who therefore up to them to regain the honor
I becomes separated from his cohorts of the entire clan. But momma, are there
I while de-spooking the hidden ever a lot of Aliens!
I passageways of a haunted castle. This The game itself is a side-scroller with
I scrolling contest sees Peter climbing some overly detailed backgrounds which
ladders, zapping bricks, fighting tend to make the player-character diffi¬
I specters, and making intelligent use of cult to track. But it features excellent
the power-ups he acquires along the way. music, some grizzly graphics, and a hot
| As objects are accumulated, they are
added to the player’s inventory, which And what more could a scary game of
! brought on-screen by hitting the any size really need?
Start button. The bonus object can then — Bill Kunkel

Zombies offers humorous game play. Merry Monster Mama

sword or toss a golf
(Snap, Snap) Energy, measured
The control system, which can be Gomez must save the day—or is that determines how mai
customized prior to the start of play, the night?—in The Addams Family take before losing o
uses the D button to guide movement (Flying Edge/Genesis). Developed by Killing major monste
and the three buttons to manipulate Ocean Software, the multi-level side
weapons and special items. And some of scroller concerns a plot by Abigail Craven
them are pretty special, too. They include to kidnap members of the family and
helpful household items such as ice steal the treasure hidden somewhere in
pops, silverware, footballs, plates, the mansion. Abigail has subverted
tomatoes, and the dreaded Martian Uncle Fester and, with his assistance,
bubblegun. •
It would'be quite a stretch to ca.lt this,
action-packed, and tongueii'vcheeklromp'
realty-scary.. However,;the use.of • fipd hj$ beloved wife and earn: victory..
fabulous a'ntf famous irfonsfers ’ : ' -The co’ntr.ol system’for this solkmre
tljrbuihdu WhCgapTe ‘StioUkT-rfidke ft' . t game, employ? the -D 'BtrRoS). ioCwqUcng.
quita ifapuiarwttb ToDefe' pt'tfe-serico,•' * ciimi*i'g.pt chK;ljifig..f3qtten R.ttjggfers1 a.
 he was a bifonlucky fh his-cruSacle'
against the Vampires. Now he’s the
Playvn Cpuibv to reignihg-king!
Scat tf ft me* So that he might use the character's
skills to support His plot to rule the world
via Cyberspace, Van Helsing puts the
bite on our hapless alter-ego. Control is
not immediate, because Ransom’s
Neural implant appears to be able to

c||f% stave off the intruding virus for a few

days. In that period, the player will have
to cruise cyberspace and the streets to
discover a method of foiling the
Vampire’s plans, as well as a cure for
his immediate affliction.
Players may elect to have the stats of
the character randomly generated. They
that point. Right clicking on objects on
screen picks them up. Double right
may opt for a manual generation routine.
clicking on the character inspects stats.
It’s reminiscent of the gypsy wagon that
Other standard RPG commands, such
premiered in Ultima IV. A series of 12
as search, examine, etc., are hidden
situational based questions are posed,
from view until needed.

P eriodically, a game appears that

■falls outside the mold of the
the answers to which determine the
personality and starting skill levels of the
There’s a decidedly non-standard
command here as well...Bite! Remem¬
ber, our hero needs to eat to stay alive.
_nprmaf conventions Bloodnet is The degree of bloodlust is displayed on
jusrsUch a genre-bender, in that it an indicator bar, as is the humanity rat¬
derives equal inspiration from gothic
horror novels and the popular sci-fi
sub-genre of cyberpunk.
Sound convoluted? It should be, but
.surprisingly; MicroProse has blended
•these two disparate entities into a
a m
ing. When humanity
disappears, time has run out and the
player irrevocably comes under the
Master’s power. Players access the
commands and displays by moving the
mouse pointer to the top of the screen.
■ cohesive whole. Bloodnet lures players By hiding these icons until needed, the
■ into.the grimy underworld of Manhattan main display remains the center of atten-
in,the year 2094. Faithful to many other
■ -nfhilisticportrayals of man’s future, NPC interaction is given via pop-up
Bloodnet's city is a dystopian necropolis windows displaying the characters’ faces
.'in which a high-tech elite thrives on the and accompanying dialogue boxes.
\ suffering of the masses. Cyberspace Periodically, these segments are further
' has become the focus of human illustrated by high quality cut-screens
’ecdhomte and leisure activity, leaving Answers to the first four questions depicting a particularly significant event.
the physical realm to deteriorate even determine which career type Events may occur in any order based
, further. City services are non-existent, (mercenary, scrounger, or cyberpunk) solely on the player's action or inaction.
one’s disposed toward. The remaining Time’s working against the player and
eight determine skill levels within that
grouping. The statistics system is broad
and all encompassing, incorporating Bloodnet’s graphics and sound
RPG standards like strength and routines contribute to the mood of the
endurance, with more esoteric abilities game considerably. Exteriors are almost
like fast talking, jury-rigging, and even devoid of color. The interior of
faith and innocence. Skills increase as cyberspace comes off as grisly and hell¬
the player completes actions related to ish in sort of a technological nightmare.
dilemma. Accepting an assignment f them throughout the game. Bloodnet's plot is as dark as a
an odd-looking young woman knowr Bloodnet’s interface is like a late
Melissa Van Helsing, Ransom is lure generation Sierra designs.The player
tidr penthouse. He meets her father.
. Only the good doctor is no longer as
.. go6d'as one. might think. It seems th

Tracking Onto Uus SI cob not

A Vtteview of JHicfcPtcuti C\)bvtpunk-(fcUiU Opus
 . bottom of jjii
of the beatniks
replaced by the r hippies.
cyniGisrrrcoolecf, w everyone
hopes to find the written in

ing crystal.
having ■
The 1-Chi
House of Fortunes (MS-DOS), a program reading let;

lightful disk of divination. I

: from Crystal Ball to Tarot,
ever been such a curious c
• computerist fortune-hunte

changing

tory of all readings given,

tunes in the Astrology and
srology rooms are coupled

nd l-Ching rooms give mo

birthdate. Rosemary eadings. The Crystal Ball
cryptic message to makf
the supplicant to enter.
The Astrology room holds a kindly Rosemary-
astrologer who offers a reading. First
The SVGA graphic competent for

PfWfff nrrTf lilli

The keyboard

i-screen prompts lead the user through

e process. There's no lengthy discours
on the subject of fortunfe telling,'so'r:
ers can jump right into the program
id begin testing their own theories

predict you'll find entertainment in' rj.

s delightful program.
numerology to predict the future. — Joyce.Wferieyl

Contacting the Unknown

/l Look lntidit tic ternary UJetit Mcuu: of fottunm
Electronic Gar, 57
 the Might mate Tape
A lock at the videotape game
appearances of 1

Brett Clements, exactly 60 minut

game and don’t
company, confront
itriguing

i supple- instructions
ments it. The : VCR game, general enough that
Nightmare, wi situation. Players m
multimedia pl< doing immediately y
Nightmare, appears and follow
The hosts appear w frequency
as the game progre:
game (which

America Clements decided

: game research.
each time people play Nightmare, >f many popular I
play session is completely differer
pr.erecorc because of the number of players
infinite possibilities of events betv ner commer

Firestone Troon Bountiful Dorado Beach Barton Creek Bayhill

Akron, Ohio Scottsdale, AZ Bountiful, UT Puerto Rico Austin, Texas Orlando, FL
 Beam Softvva’re pjfrAustraiia'witl
develop the SNES game. Instead of a
' gort or version' of the VGR tape and
board game rules) this Video game'ver-.;'
sion will involve the seven, characters 1:
from the video tapes.and perhaps ah'::'
exploration of each of their worlds set'Up
as game levels. The history behind the ;'.' :
Gatekeeper, Mummy, Vampire, WitqFl, ' ,
Zombie, Werewolf, and Poltergeist-
should provide a fun arcade adventure:-. ■
England's Epic will produce multimedia'. '
versions of Nightmare for CD/.I and 1S/IPC
platforms. These versions will ut-iiize :T';
footage from the video tapes, plus addi¬
tional scenes shot specifically for the
game. The mechanics of game play have
not been worked out. Tanner assured me
that "it will duplicate the sensations you
get from the board game, but Will be far
more interactive and far more random.”.-
Clements related that “moving to rricHii- T, .
media is like opening Pandora's Box.”
No one really knows what nightman's.- :
and scary dreams mean or how-they
occur, but now we can at least visualize.
them in a less-stressful game format, j
Until Nightmare reacheshomegeme
themed dance party attracted over based electronic games. It’s too early to systems, give the unique VCR game a try
30,000 guests. In America, Nightmare get into details, but players should and see why the experience'has cSught'.^
ranked in the top five in sales of board expect both multimedia CD games and a
games during the ‘92 Halloween season. SNES game based on the characters. — Russ Cegcofa

are brings you

UR EVERY MOOD!
sy f Ejcnk.s

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 by Ed Dille

The New Face of War Wargaming has always

been a niche market in
this industry, but even
within this niche special¬
ization has evolved. In
the heyday of paper-
based wargames,
players tended to play
many different types of
products, appreciating
the essence of compli¬
cated strategy and tac¬
tics without constraint to
particular time periods.
As the hobby
progressed, however,
many focused their limit¬
ed playing time to specif¬
ic historical periods,
even to specific battles
in some instances.
Among these specialists,
two groups prevail: Civil
War and WWII enthusi¬
asts. The former will be Commander, the long awaited sequel to Tactically oriented players will have the
happy to note that at Action Stations, has been delayed option of directly controlling each battle,
least five new products indefinitely at the time of this writing. while those who prefer to concentrate on
are currently under Although QQP’s announcement of grand strategy may allow the computer to
development for home World War II: Battles of the South fight for them. Finally, the game will fully
computers; EG will Pacific (BOSP) has been rather low key, support two-player modem play.
it is in keeping with their marketing style. Three Sixty will be offering players a
This month, we For readers unfamiliar with their product more grand strategic look at the Pacific
address the latter line, it includes The Lost Admiral (winner War with their upcoming Victory at Sea
gathering of grognards, of numerous awards), the Perfect (VAS) title. The brainchild of strategic
who would rather drive a General, Conquered Kingdoms and sev¬ expert and military commentator Jim
Panzer through a blizzard eral other venerable strategy classics. As Dunnigan, VAS encompasses the entire
than kick back with a such, they don’t require a major media theater of operations from Alaska to
cold one. Whether one's blitz because virtually any new title they Australia and India to South America.
interest in this field of produce will generate sufficient interest Play begins immediately after Pearl
gaming runs toward Harbor and continues until one side
simulations, grand BOSP will allow players to participate forces the other to sue for peace. It is
strategic planning or grit¬ in historical battles or campaigns, as possible for Japanese forces to invade
ty in-the-mud tactics, the well as hypothetical “what if” scenarios, the U.S. mainland, as was feared during
coming software season always popular. The campaigns repre¬ the war, and the U.S. player may also
will have something to sented by the game are Solomons, Coral opt to invade the Japanese homeland in
Sea and Ya Ming; there is no option to lieu of using atomic munitions.
play the entire war from start to finish as As the strategic commander, the play¬
other games offer. Within a campaign, er is more concerned with overseeing the
The Admiral’s Aide every ship that participated historically, island-hopping strategy employed by both
Aspiring video game including all the support ships, is pre¬
irnmmisl
Admirals may ply their sent. By including all of these peripheral
trade with Koei’s P.T.O., units, the player gains an appreciation
which stands for Pacific for the tremendous logistic puzzle that
Theater of Operations, surrounds an operation of constant rein¬
but computer players forcement, like the Solomons Campaign.
have the greatest selec¬ Further, the game system uses limited
tion of new titles. One intelligence routines which constrain the
can look forward to player to visual contact reports only,
QQP’s Battles of the which enhances the fog of war. The
South Pacific, Three system uses hourly turns but resolves
Sixty’s Victory at Sea, combat in real time.
Novalogic’s Wolf Pack The player is able to control land-
and Dynamix’s Aces of based air assets and must strike enemy
the Deep (formerly titled bases and airfields in addition to con¬ Command the naval forces In order to
Graue Wolves). Fleet ducting normal surface ship combat. obtain a resounding Victory at Sea.
combatants than delving into tactical distant fires of ships sinking on the hori¬ installments, also represents the final
details. For example, the game will not zon. One hears the reassuring rumble of stage of code for the engine.
allow the player to act as a single ship the diesels, and the disconcerting thump V for Victory is a battalion level
Captain in formation on night patrol in and ripple of distant depth charges and simulation played out on a detailed SVGA
Ironbottom Sound. Sufficient other prod¬ hedgehogs falling on your brethren. Does map with a one kilometer hex size (the
ucts have addressed that level of detail the new model generate player empathy grid can be toggled off). Turns are
and VAS seeks to avoid the pitfalls that and intensity for the struggle portrayed? logically divided into planning phases,
plague hybrid action/strategy games. Absolutely! actual execution and after-action
Thus the player will evaluate intelligence The chief competitor for Wolfpack will
reports (remembering that the human be Dynamix’s upcoming Aces of the

rur
eye was the most reliable sensor of the Deep, also seen at CES. Aces is another
time), plot unit and group movement, genre-busting product in that Dynamix’s
supervise repair and new construction graphic engine has risen to even greater
and manage the complex logistical web heights. The wave modeling sequences
necessary to project power abroad. alone are enough to make players want
VAS uses daily turn resolution and to buy the game but fortunately the
combats occur automatically when product is a lot more than a fancy screen
enemy forces are encountered. The saver. Built around the highly successful
combat sequences are spiced up with interface used in Aces over Europe, the
digitized footage of actual battle from the player will have the option of command¬
Naval Archives and sound support has ing single missions or embarking on a
been added where possible. The game campaign that spans the entire war
also features an online historical refer¬ (provided one can survive that long). The The V for Victory series contains
ence which is lavishly illustrated and may "Dogfight Famous Ace” option has been enhanced features for serious players.
be called up at any point during play. matched by a "Famous Captain” option
Novalogic set the gaming world on its that allows the player to stalk convoys
ear several months ago with their protected by historically successful sequences. During planning, the player r
graphics engine for Comanche: destroyer skippers. may specify the degree of intensity with |
Maximum Overkill. They appear to be Aces is the first Dynamix product to be which a particular unit pursues its
capitalizing on their new found expertise done completely in 32-Bit assembly orders. When defending, for example,
by releasing an upgraded version of language, which makes it entirely 386 the options range from “retreat if
WolfPack, a title originally marketed by specific. By opting for this approach, attacked" to “hold at all costs.” On the
Broderbund. It includes 12 predesigned Dynamix is able to pack a lot more into offensive, the program is the only one on
scenarios covering the Battle of the their graphic routines without fear of the market to offer probing attacks, vital i
North Atlantic as well as a fully functional frame rate problems. when one is uncertain of actual enemy
scenario editor that allows the creation Aces features four different sub-types, strength and composition. Alternately,
of original battles. over twenty historically correct ship the player can specify three other levels I
Missions can be day or night, and the models and 17 aircraft types. Aircraft of assault, each of which requires a
period of the war, which affects what were critical in the locating and destruc¬ certain degree of morale to be executed.
technology is available, may be speci¬ tion of U-boats during the War, and Aces Where the V4V series really succeeds l|
fied. Hence U-boats possess a distinct is the only simulation other than Das is in putting players right down in the
advantage early on, but that diminishes Boot (which was not worthy as a game) mud. Players will feel the pang of loss i
as Allied radar and sonar improvements to model them. Aces also features a lot when they see a favorite subordinate
occur. Missions include multiple sub¬ of digitized voice and sound effects. battalion, who had carried them through I
marines and destroyers and the player German characters speak in their native some tough times in the past, shatter in J
may move between them at will. tongue and sub-titles will be provided for the face of an enemy counteroffensive. j
During a mission, each unit's players who are not bilingual. Given the vast number of untapped bat- |
Commanding Officer possesses a dis¬ ties that would shine under V4V’s micro- j
tinct personality, ranging from conserva¬ scope, one can reasonably expect this
tive to aggressive, which impacts on the The General’s Adjutant series to remain around for a long time.
unit’s tactics. One can sit on the bridge Stepping ashore, ground pounders will Tacticians will also note that any game
and simply observe the Captain in be happy to note that their special area from Gary Grigsby is of interest. The pre¬
action, if desired. Wolfpack has proven of interest is also being well catered to. mier wargame designer for Strategic >
such an enduring title because it offers Three Sixty is providing two or three Simulations Inc., his latest effort, War in j
complexity and depth of play without new releases to its V for Victory series Russia, is a major rework of the classic I
forcing players to master volumes of per year. Of note, the pricing for this and title, Second Front. The earlier work was J
rules or a cumbersome interface. subsequent releases of V4V has been definitive in scope, but its supporters' j
Further, the new graphic engine dem¬ reduced from $59.95 to $39.95. The chief complaint was that units retained j
onstrated at CES lends a cinematic reduction does not indicate a drop in too much mobility. War in Russia cor¬
intensity to the game. A U-boat glides quality, rather it reflects the evolution of rects this problem, updates the model to
silently through the water with rippling the gaming system. Until now, each new a VGA standard, introduces mouse sup¬
light and shadow on its hull from the title had enhancements in response to port and adds a lot more depth of play.
wave motion above. Operating at night user feedback. The latest title, Gold/ It also has several new scenarios, like
under a cloud canopy with a few stars Juno/Sword, covering beachheads of the the Russian counter-attacks on Kiev and
peeking through, the player sees the Normandy landings not treated in earlier Stalingrad, as well as a scenario editor.
 Second Front’s method of plotting interceptions and target damage are aircraft from that flight to directly influ¬
movement is retained, but a restriction determined automatically. The player ence the outcome of the engagement.
has been imposed on the logistics model need only select a group and a target. Further, these efforts are not limited to a
in the form of Operations Points. The Naval combat is also easy to master. single aircraft. Players can jump between
number available to the player is a factor One assigns fleet units to one of seven cockpits for up to four British or eight
of the heavy industry, resource sites and different sea zones and then places German aircraft at any given time.
oil under the player’s control. Each turn, them in either an operational fleet, a Players' efforts have a direct impact
operation points are distributed to all transport group or a raiding party. The on the morale of the squadrons they fly
headquarters units, then allocated to latter function independently to interdict with, which is rated based on an average
subordinate combat units, who need the flow of supplies to the Allies from off of all the members of the squadron.
them to perform every action, from map sources. Every turn a random num¬ Naturally, kills improve morale while
movement to assault. Points thus need ber of resource points is subtracted from damaged aircraft, pilot losses and the
to be stockpiled to prepare for an offen¬ the route’s maximum up to the rating of arrival of green recruits lower morale.
sive, which the system allows—provided the platform conducting the interdiction. Damaged aircraft may be repaired, and
the HQ unit does not have to move. When opposing naval groups meet a replacement aircraft from the industrial
round of combat is conducted with each pool are available, provided the factories
ship getting one opportunity to fire. Two haven’t been bombed too severely, at an
hits on any ship sinks it, regardless of average rate of one Hurricane or Spitfire
a day for the British player. Reach for
player will have an opportunity to with¬ the Skies offers players a good blend of
draw damaged ships to port for repair. strategy and action surrounding one of
COS allows players to dabble in the most intense periods of aerial con¬
politics, spending diplomatic points flict in the entire war.
gained through victories to sway other
nations to join their cause. Also, players Parting Shots
will need to control the vast economic This niche of wargaming is generating
machine behind their war efforts. As in more interest than ever, despite the fact
the rest of the design, this feature is that many of the actual veterans of the
Clash of Steel is a solid game, offering easy to understand from the first sitting. war are passing from our ranks. As one
new twists on the military sim format. Production points are allocated to the waits to play them, some classics of the
player at the beginning of every turn. genre are listed in the accompanying
These points may be spent purchasing sidebar. Play them and one will
In addition to supporting movement units from a buy list or invested in appreciate the personality behind
and combat, the player may spend oper¬ research and development efforts for the new face of war.
ation points to boost a specific unit's everything from anti-tank gun technology
readiness for battle, over the level of to jet propulsion. Obviously, the balance
automatic resupply set by the program. of power can shift quickly if one side Classic Wargames
SSI’s other land combat title, Clash of gets too far ahead technologically, but
Steel (COS), adopts a theater level players cannot strip too much of their At Sea
strategic approach to operations, along effort away from the front line units or Action Stations RAW Entertainment
they risk being overrun. Carriers at War SSG
the line of Three-Sixty’s High Command Carrier Strike SSI
(reviewed elsewhere in this issue). COS Great Naval Battles SSI
has the look and feel of one of the grand Squadron Commander’s Briefing Silent Service II MicroProse
overview board games of the European Task Force 1942 MicroProse
Virgin’s Reach for the Skies (RFTS)
theater. To give one a feel for the map War in the Pacific SSI
was originally announced at the same
scale, the entire 200-mile Maginot line is
time as LucasArt’s Battle of Britain title.
six hexsides. Players may appreciate the In the Dirt
Due to unforeseen and unfortunate
sweep of the war, as nations fall within Blitzkrieg Ardennes RAW Entertainment
circumstances surrounding the division
days or struggle endlessly against over¬ Battle Tank Series Simulations Canada
of Mirror Corporation when Robert
whelming opposition, without becoming Kamfgruppe SSI
Maxwell passed on, the game remained
bogged down in the details. Panzer Battles SSG
in limbo until recently.
Assaults are handled a little different¬ Patton Strikes Back Broderbund
RFTS focuses exclusively on the Battle Rommel SSG
ly. Units conducting an assault do not try
of Britain, but divides that conflict into Second Front SSI
to enter the hex they attack; rather,
four mini-campaigns. The first chronicles V for Victory Series Three-Sixty
several units may assault in concert to
the Luftwaffe’s attempt to draw out the Western Front SSI
soften up an enemy unit for a subse¬
RAF and destroy them piecemeal over White Death RAW Entertainment
quent overrun attack. This is preferable
the Channel. The second involves opera¬
to continuous mobile frontal attacks, as
tions against the British Radar installa¬ In the Air
it reduces one’s losses. Each encounter
tions. The third is the massing of airpow- Aces of the Pacific Dynamix
calls one of many sound bite files, which
er against the RAF airfields themselves, Aces over Europe Dynamix
include the whine of dive bombers, static
and the last is the Blitz of London. BattleHawks 1943 LucasArts
machine gun fire, thumping artillery bom¬
Players use their intelligence about Battle of Britain LucasArts
bardments and other equally inspiring
which air raids are expected on any given B-17 Flying Fortress MicroProse
noises to get the blood pumping. Secret Weapons of
day to scramble fighters to intercept
Air combat is fairly simplistic, as the Luftwaffe LucasArts
them. Subsequently, the player can enter

Electronic Games
 Ho-Ho and
Barrel of Grog,

WANTED: ^
Bloodthirsty swashbuckler-wannabee for the ultimate in high
seas adventure. Must be willing to lie, cheat, steal, swill Grog.
and get shot from a cannon. Sense of humor a must!

To reach Monbey Island, you’ll

have to swindle peg-legged
pirates and blotto buccaneers -
and gather clues to unlock the
puzzles that await you.
 Secrets of Aladdin
A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THE
CREATION OF ALADDIN FROM SEGA

work directly with the anir

were absolutely great to v
they were fresh enough in
of special projects
animators in the Florida studios,
who are responsible for such things
^ as commercials and promotional
animation.
Deitz imposed many strict specifica¬
tions upon the animators so that their introduce funny elements into the
drawings could be effectively used with games,” according to Deitz.
Virgin’s new DigiCel process that Aladdin’s animation stands out among
preserves the look and feel of feature video games. Ellen Beth Van Buskirk,
film animation. For example, different Sega’s Marketing Director, remarked that
“Virgin’s process captured the Disney
animation well for the video game.” She
through the Cave of Wonders. This same expects sales of the Genesis game to
type of colorful animation plays a major surpass the 1 million mark. Gamers may
role in Aladdin for the Genesis, a joint even find the video game sold in Disney
production of Sega, Walt Disney stores as an experiment. Disney will use
Software and Virgin Games. Aladdin is its leverage in the promotion of the video
truly a unique project because it involved game in videocassette boxes, and Sega
people at all levels of the three will reciprocate with tie-ins to the video.
companies, and it came about because Van Buskirk explained that this special
Sega had the license to the film’s setup works because “the natural appeal
characters for video games, Virgin had a of the movie spreads over to the video
. new technology that fit the game and game.” She expects that sales will show
Disney could provide animators and that "16-Bit entertainment is still alive
narrative direction and suggestions. and well and capable of new tricks, as
Patrick Gilmore of Disney Software players will see in Aladdin."
oversaw the project from the beginning
and played a major role in its design.
Kirk Green, Walt Disney Software Preview of Capcom’s
Communications Director, indicated that SNES Aladdin
it was "the right product at the right time Before Christmas, Capcom will also
with the right technology. The timing was provide SNES owners with an
perfect for Aladdin.” frames of animation, apple throws in five
Aladdin game that will certainly con¬
Mike Deitz of Virgin Games acted as frames and other unusual requirements
tinue their tradition of fine games
the Animation Director for the project. He challenged the Florida artists.
based on licensed Disney charac¬
In ail, Aladdin’s animation
ters. Although the SNES game does
- took close to eight weeks
not involve Disney animators,
and consists of over 1500
Capcom has produced a game that
equally captures the look and feel of |
crammed onto a 16-Meg
the feature film. Capcom’s Aladdin
cartridge. The design
features seven levels and a bonus
process was sped up to
game that follows the story line, as
such an extent that Virgin
players guide Aladdin to defeat Jafar
artists used pencil sketches
and save Princess Jasmine.
Cinematic scenes develop the plot
animation while the Disney
and introduce most of the film’s
animators perfected their
characters. Aladdin will also feature
part of the project. Deitz
the songs “A Whole New World” and
was happy that he was able
“Friend Like Me” to accompany the
on-screen adventures of Aladdin and
his pet monkey Abu.

Electronic Gar
 creaming out of the skies over Panama . . .
Strafing pirate gunboats on the South China Sea . .
Punishing ruthless extremists in Eastern Europe.
As you take her into 10 battle missions around
the world, your top-secret AH-3 ThunderStrike
attack chopper won't be a secret much longer.
With full-function radar and tracking systems, and
intuitive flight and weapons controls, you'd fly
this chopper down the throat of the devil himself.
If that's what it takes. And it will.
Will 11 1
 Touchdown: Video Games
The gridiron action comes alive on video consoles
by Bill Kunkel for the first time, EA Sports offers a
The gridiron is the clearest representa¬ slight modification of the classic Madden
tion of a battlefield in the world of POV (point of view), bringing the camera
sports. Two armies, each clad in its own closer to the field and enlarging the
uniform, meet quite literally head-to- sprites in the process.
head, following the preordained strate¬ Sega itself, meanwhile, has hardly
gies of its coach, or commanding officer; surrendered pigskin dominance to the
territory is attained through bitter folks at EA Sports. While its original
skirmishes with progress sometimes Joe Montana Football is basically a tepid
marked in inches. And the casualties reworking of John Madden Football,
left in the wake of battle are trundled NFL Football ‘94 Starring Joe Montana
off the field with alarming regularity. is an attempt to make the Montana fran¬
But if the football field is a symbolic chise more meaningful and unique.
war zone, the competition among Montana ‘94 is the latest iteration of
publishers of pigskin video games looks NFL ‘93, Sega’s best selling sports game
even more like the real thing. Football receivers. These windows, labeled A, B, in 1992.
simulations are being thrown into the and C, corresponded to the three action Montana ‘94 uses multiple POVs,
marketplace so fast even a radar gun buttons on the standard Genesis con¬ including a hot-looking behind-the-QB per¬
couldn’t track them. troller, permitting the gamer to instantly spective and auto-zoom, to tell its visual
In an effort to expedite the confusing attempt a pass to any of the three story. The game also has both NFL and
consumer selection process, let’s take a players by simply pressing their button. NFL Players’ Association sanction, which
system-by-system look at what’s up and The original Madden is the best-selling not only allows Sega to use team names
coming: sports video game in 16-Bit history, hav¬ and logos, but player names and stats as
ing moved over two million units so far. well. A battery backup even allows stats
Kicking Off EA Sports has since transferred develop¬ and standings to be maintained over an
ment of the series primarily to High entire season. Montana ‘94 is scheduled
On the Genesis Score, while also striking a deal with the for a November release.
The 16-Bit gridiron wars started on the NFL to use team names and logos. Sega also has gridiron action available
Genesis with the arrival of John Madden EA has faithfully—some would say for the Sega CD in the form of Joe
Football (EA Sports). Though not the first doggedly—released new versions of Montana’s NFL Football. This version,
pigskin sim to appear on the system, it Madden Football, for both the Genesis which is already available, is a graphic
was clearly the best, and its revolution¬ and SNES, at the end of each season. spindizzy featuring multiple POVs,
ary visual presentation took the video The latest edition, Madden NFL ‘94, will scaling, and auto-zoom effects.
game world by storm. be released simultaneous¬
A game bearing the Madden title had ly on both the Genesis and
appeared earlier as an Electronic Arts SNES on November 19.
computer product, but its emphasis was Madden NFL ‘94
on play design and strategy rather than features 80 NFL teams,
visual presentation. When Electronic Arts including 38 Super Bowl
contracted with Park Place [see sidebar] squads, a dozen dream
to produce the Genesis edition, the team collections, and a
developers started from scratch, creating pair of All-Madden squads.
a game that eschewed both the tradition¬ Teams can compete in a
al two-thirds side perspective and the full season and post¬
vertical scrolling techniques seen in season structure, while
earlier gridiron translations. the Genesis version even
Instead, the camera was taken onto includes a battery backup
the field, elevated slightly, and posi¬ which allows users to draft
tioned behind the offensive team. The a team, customize a
schedule, and play an
than vertically or horizontally, with three entire season while wear¬
pop-up windows at the top of the screen ing the uniforms of any of
containing close-ups of the potential the 28 NFL squads.
68 Electronic Games
Sometimes, an overindulgence in fancy There are those video game football from the other(s), and a 360-degree
camera angles can render a sports fans, however, who couldn’t care less instant replay camera which allows
simulation confusing and unplayable, but about real players, stats, and NFL logos. replays to be viewed from anywhere on
Montana's NFL Football avoids this What these gamers enjoy is the kinetic the field. This 8-Meg game, like its Gene¬
pitfall by keeping the player interface and impact, the force protuberance—the sis cousin, can be played by more than
primary play screen clean and simple. hitting! For those arcade-oriented foot¬ two gamers simultaneously, using multi¬
Even the Game Gear is getting in on ballers, Arena/Acclaim offers Super High controller adapters. The SNES version
the act, with its own version of NFL Impact, a first-team reproduction of the can involve up to five players at any time.
Football Starring Joe Montana. The origi¬ Williams/Bally coin-op hit. This highly Acclaim is also bringing both NFL
nal Joe Montana Football is still the top¬ intense, action-filled arcader uses an Quarterback Club and Super High
selling Game Gear sports title, and with offbeat, diagonally-scrolling presentation Impact to the SNES, with QB Club also
NFL and NFLPA licenses, improved graph¬ that accentuates the game’s simulated
ics, and Gear-to-Gear play option, Sega is contact.
expecting lightning to strike twice. Accolade continues to stake out
sports territory with Unnecessary Rough¬
ness, coming to the Genesis this Novem¬
ber, following the release of a PC version
in October. The game features actual
NFL players and stats, thanks to a deal
with the NFLPA, as well as large, roto-
scoped characters, extensive use of
scaling, all set within a rotating stadium
constructed of 3-D polygons. The use of
polygons in creating the stadium will per¬
mit users to position the camera any¬ Acclaim’s NFL Quarterback Club will
where on the field or in the stands. The feature your favorite pro passers.
game also features play-by-play courtesy
of Al Michaels, some great viewing fea-
Joe Montana joined the Sega team and making the transition to the Game Boy.
his game featured actual commentary. title suggests, brutal on-the-field action. Original SNES titles include Konami’s
NFL Football, which makes extensive
use of Mode 7 technology, rotating
Pigskin SNES camera angles and producing automatic
Another football project which has
While the Genesis is already estab¬ zooms on in-close plays. The game,
been discussed by Sega is NFL's
lished as a superb sports gaming developed by Park Place, features
Greatest: 'Niners vs. Cowboys, a video
system, SNES developers are rapidly variable field conditions ranging from the
game variation on Konami’s computer
honing their skills in order to create antiseptic purity of a domed stadium to
game, NFL Video Football. Both projects
football games as fast-moving and the mud and snow generated on a
were developed by Park Place, are strate¬
visually impressive as those on its standard gridiron. Some critics claimed
gy-based, rather than action-oriented,
prime competitor. that the rotation effects were overused,
and feature extensive FMV (full-motion
Madden NFL ‘94 features souped-up creating a sense of disorientation in
video) of actual NFL game play.
frame rate, extensive color commentary gamers, while others hailed its technical
One of the most interesting of the new
by John Madden, a “bluff mode” which innovation and use of variable POVs.
breed of 16-Bit football video games is
allows one gamer to hide his selection Speaking of unusual visual perspec¬
NFL Quarterback Club from Flying
Edge/Acclaim. This game, developed by tives, T»HQ Software's combo sports
Park Place, features all 28 NFL teams cartridge Sports Illustrated Football/
and ten of the hottest QBs including: Baseball features the infrequently-seen
Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, John Elway, and diagonal scrolling POV, similar to that
Boomer Esiason. The game features the used in Super High Impact. And, while
suddenly very popular behind-the-quarter- neither game represents a state-of-the-
back perspective, with the camera down art simulation, this 16-Meg program is
close to the field. hardly off-the-shelf, either.
In addition to the team football game,
Quarterback Club features a delightful The Line Score
extra: a simulation of the annual NFL QB
As sports titles continue to dominate
competition. This mini-game highlights a
the video game marketplace, football
variety of quarterback skills, from hitting
may be destined to lead the pack, and
pop-up targets to throwing for pure dis¬
Madden’s ‘94 release features enhanced developers have the tools to make this a
tance, and makes a splendid addition to
graphics and numerous plays to utilize. winning game plan.
an already-loaded football game.
Electronic Games 69
 YOU’RE IN FOR A STOP JUGGERNAUT’S BUST MASTER MOLD
SHOCK, WEBSLINGER! RAMPAGE WITH OPTIC BEAMS!
 K ACT YOUR REVENGE!
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III
 Park Place: Pigskin Central
THE MASTER PROGRAMMERS OF THE GRIDIRON
by Bill Kunkel sports titles produced by Park Place project as a totally fresh enterprise. It
Since the first electronic coin-toss, no separate but equal must be a consider¬ isn’t locked in to what a specific engine
game developer or development group able challenge, but don’t look for Chris can or cannot do.
has had a greater impact on football to take the easy way out. “I don’t think As a result, Park Place is actually able
simulation than Park Place. Co-founded you’ll ever see us settling into a single to produce football games intended for
by Gamestar sports veteran Troy Lyndon engine [for producing football games],’ the same platform (SNES, Genesis, PC,
and software visionary Michael Knox, he affirmed. “That’s what happened with etc.) for competing publishers. And, so
Park Place has been the leading creator Madden Football. It’s still the same long as the games look and play differ¬
of electronic sports simulations for ently, and hit their target audience, the
several years with no end in sight. A visit to company headquarters in publishers do not seem to mind.
Carlsbad, California, confirms that while “With Quarterback Club,” Whaley
Bring Me the Head Park Place may have many irons in the explains, "we had access to the best
football fire, no two are even superficially quarterbacks in the NFL, so it made
of John Madden sense to bring the camera down closer
The company made its bones with the to the field, and present the game from
legendary Genesis version of John Who’s the Leader the QB's point of view.” The resulting
Madden Football and has subsequently game is so realistic and detailed that the
widened its focus to include everything of the Club? various quarterbacks’ actual numbers
from the computer version of Batman “Our big project right now,” Chris appear on their jerseys.
Returns (Konami) to Body Illustrated explains, "is NFL Quarterback Club. The developers also had a delightful
(Spirit of Discovery), an anatomical look Acclaim is going to give this game a bit of lagniappe in the QB competition
at the human machine. Knox and Lyndon major push, including a ‘Touchdown which the NFL stages every year and
have even started their own computer Tuesday' promotion which will be similar which Acclaim had the rights to
software publishing imprint, Spirit of to the ‘Mortal Monday’ event [during reproduce. “That’s a great extra,” Chris
Discovery. which both Genesis and SNES versions acknowledged. "Here at the office, we
of Mortal Kombat were released after constantly have to chase guys off that
extensive hoopla].” At press time, it was game who are supposed to be working
uncertain whether Touchdown Tuesday on other projects.”
would be scheduled for the last or Ah, the pitfalls of success!
second-to-last Tuesday in November.
Chris’ approach to Quarterback Club
is representative of the company's Marino Power & the
determination to approach each project
individually, based on any license the Technology of the Hour
product may have and/or the system(s) Meanwhile, Park Place is simultane¬
it’s intended for. “When we did NFL ously developing another Genesis
Football for Konami, we looked at it and gridiron sim for Virgin Games: Dan
said: ‘This is going to be a SNES game.’ Marino Power Play Football. Marino
The John Madden Football series will So we looked at the SNES and decided reverts to a POV that has almost disap¬
continue to lead the pack for awhile. to make use of its special hardware peared since Park Place rewrote the rule-
features, especially the rotation.” He book with Madden Football: side per¬
admits that maxxing out the Mode 7 spective. The game uses a TV-style pre¬
But the name Park Place remains effects earned the game some bad sentation, with the largest sprites ever
synonymous with sports, and especially reviews when gamers got dizzy tracking seen in a football video game.
with gridiron activity, having developed the constantly rotating screen. “We took “The characters are absolutely huge,”
everything from Madden on the Genesis some criticism on that game and some says Whaley. “They are literally as large
to NFL VideoPro Football, a strategy- of it was justified." as we could get them. This game runs at
based computer simulation using actual Still, the basic philosophy seems to 20 frames-per-second and it was filmed
NFL-generated FMV. have paid dividends. While other develop¬ at 20 frames-per-second, so it’s just
And if Park Place is Pigskin Central, its ers frequently expend extensive R&D unbelievably smooth.”
director is Chris Whaley, the man in resources constructing a single engine To complete the Sega scene, Park
charge of the company’s many and var¬ which must be endlessly recycled, Park Place is also working with Sega on a
ied football projects. Keeping the many Place has successfully approached each football game for the Sega CD.

72 Electronic Games
NFL’s Greatest Teams: ‘Niners vs. The 3D0 Football game was shown to getting out its promised development
Cowboys is a full color, full-screen adap¬ the industry at this summer’s CES. But, tools. But Chris has a somewhat differ¬
tation of Park Place’s earlier PC release, as with many 3D0 projects, its release ent take: “Here's what I think happened.
NFL VideoPro Football. First, the 3D0 is a very easy system to
While not totally satisfied with Sega’s get up and running, and developers got
CD technology (“The colors aren't great. into the system very quickly. Then, we all
Sega should’ve upgraded with the CD.”), showed this great-looking stuff at CES
the resulting game should be worth the and I think we scared ourselves. Every¬
sweat. Player-coaches will have access body thought they had the most fantastic
to the great San Francisco and Dallas stuff, and when they saw that there was
players dating back to the ‘70s, with the plenty of other fantastic stuff, we kind of
flexibility to mix players from different all went back to the drawing board to
time periods (does the notion of Troy make sure the stuff was as good as it
Aikman passing to Tony Dorsett tickle possibly could be.”
your brain cells?).
The game boasts CD-quality play-by- Football on the Jaguar
play and rock music backgrounds, along Park Place’s self-appointed mission to
with FMV visuals taken from the film Park Place continues to roll out the bring football to every existing electronic
banks of the NFL and sorted on-the-fly. gridiron hits with Quarterback Club. medium continues with missionary zeal.
“The game has CD play-by-play, and The sports kingpins are already at work
some great rock music in the back¬ on a “32-Bit, 3-D football game for Atari,
ground. What we were basically able to date has been delayed. The game was on the Jaguar,” Whaley reports.
do here was accomplish video splicing in originally set to launch in October, along Details, including the actual release
real-time.” with Panasonic’s promised rollout of its date, are sketchy, but Jaguar owners
version of the 3D0 hardware, but should be able to pick up the game
probably won’t show up until early ‘94. sometime next year.
3D0: A Place to Go Opinions vary on the reasons for the Remaining at the top of your game in
Never content to rest on its laurels— delay—as well as the postponement of a field as competitive as interactive
or admit that the ultimate electronic many other 3D0 titles—but various electronic entertainment is a major
football game will ever exist—Park Place non-disclosure agreements keep most challenge. Park Place took the lead in
is involved in a couple of next-generation developers off-the-record on the subject. electronic football through innovation
pigskin sims for 3D0 and the Atari It has been pointed out elsewhere, for rather than imitation, and has done
example, that 3D0 has been tardy in nothing to contradict that philosophy.

Electronic Games 73
 You won’t find ♦

m any

We needed a gun to bring this treat home.

Lethal Enforcers™ comes to Sega CD™ and
Sega™ Genesis™ packed with a powerful surprise
inside. The Chicago P.D. needs you to go up against a slew
of terrorists like you’ve never seen. Every deadly move is
digitized from actual human movement. It’s so lethal we
needed to load your side iron, The Justified,“ into every
package, for a total arcade experience unlike anything you’ve
played at home before.
Just like at the arcades, you’ve got to time your quick
reload feature exactly right so you don’t run out of ammo.
Upgrade your firepower along the way to magnum, 12-round
assault rifle or grenade gun. Six levels, including target training, will put
your skill to the test in the parts of the Windy City the tourists never see.
a toy like this
Cracker Jack box.

Mi

lookout for a bank job in

progress, high speed chase, ninjas
in Chinatown, helicopter pursuit and
volatile Heat of the Night Vision during a chemical
plant sabotage. See and hear it all in intense digitized
graphics, realistic settings and painful sound effects.
But watch out for the innocent bystanders or you may lose more than your badge.
For one or two top cops.
(2nd player can use controller or mail in for another “Justifier.” See details inside package.)
A Super NES® game may be released. Please check with Konami for availability.

KONAMF
 Grandstand Manager
Statistical Simulations Create Real Sports Action
by Arnie Katz APBA Baseball, introduced in the early
Dreams come in all shapes and sizes. 1950s, was the first modern stat simula¬
Sometimes we imagine ourselves spiking tion. Still popular today, this non¬
electronic game uses dice to generate
bucket at the buzzer. Many sports fans random numbers. These are applied to
fantasize about how they'd run their player rating cards, which yield a code
favorite team, or even start a new that is explained on the game's eight
franchise dynasty. result boards.
Players of statistical sports simula¬ Electronic stat games also add sound
tions have found a way to bring this and graphics. At first, the audiovisual
daydream into sharper focus. The effects were so crude that they added
mathematical formulas that underlie little to the play-experience. That has
such games create a model of player, changed with the arrival of more powerful
Statistics freaks will enjoy the in-depth
team, and season performance. Grand¬ platforms. Today’s stat simulations
feel of MicroLeague Baseball 4.
stand managers run teams composed of deliver images as good as those in most
replicas of actual players and make the arcade-style sports titles. Full-screen shares many features, including digitized
same strategic decisions as their real-life animation and digitized game-sounds sound, video clips, and emphasis on
counterparts. have become standard. high quality depiction of the outcomes of
The Pro Pak (MicroLeague Interactive plays. The angled side perspective
Stat Simulations vs. Software/PC), offers new stat gamers a playfield and animated players make
Fantasy Sports way to see if stat simulations are for this game fun to watch as well as play.
them at a reasonable price. This bundle MicroLeague Interactive Software
of MicroLeague Baseball 4 and makes additional player disks for both
The popularity of rotisserie and MicroLeague Football 2 is the ideal
fantasy sports contests has created games, offering even more challenge.
introduction, because these games are
understandable confusion among
virtually synonymous with pure statistical
potential players. Both have strong computer sports simulations. The Future:
points, but they are radically MicroLeague Baseball 4 comes with
different. 20 teams of the past, and utilities that
Wait Till Next Year!
Rotisserie and fantasy sports
create customized squads, set up
reduce a sport to an abstract formu¬ Stat sports simulations are memo¬
leagues, and accumulate statistics.
la with data derived from the actual ry hogs. In the past, this meant a lot
Players can be traded, assigned to
current season. The games award of compromises between statistical
different positions, and utilized in game
victory to the manager whose players accuracy and play-value.
situations the same way as in major
accumulated the best stats in the league baseball. Multimedia renders this irrelevant.
previous week’s games. If a player is A CD disk holds so much data that
The interface lets would-be Dusty
injured in real-life, then he is injured Bakers and Cito Gastons make all the designers and developers are look¬
on the rotisserie or fantasy team, ing to push stat simulations to the
managerial moves, but it could hardly be
simpler to learn and use. The program limit of the new technology. That
Statistical simulations derive their includes a robot manager, with user- means much more varied play-
statistics from specific seasons. So results, extensive digitized speech
configured parameters, that provides
if a player hit .300 in major league and full-motion video, and larger
creditable solitaire opposition.
baseball in 1993, his stat game banks of players served by sophisti¬
The MicroLeague trademark is that the
replica has a 30 percent chance to cated utilities.
game, not the numbers, is always in the
spotlight. Call-outs on the main display Stat games already in develop¬
ulation game. ment, planned to appear in mid-
give vital data, but a magnificent view of
Instead of deciding wins and 1994, will bring the genre to new
the diamond, as seen from the stands
losses with a formula, stat simula¬ heights. The marked improvement in
behind home plate, fill the screen 90
tion manages to play every inning of audiovisual effects may finally win
percent of the time. Short digitized video
every game. This takes a lot longer, for electronic statistical sports
sequences periodically recall the Nation¬
but many find it much more involv¬ simulations the same tremendous
al Pastime’s greatest stars.
ing—and a tougher test of baseball acceptance board games have
MicroLeague Football 2 is the gridiron
knowledge. enjoyed for 40 years.
equivalent of the baseball simulation. It

76 Electronic Games
A Stunning Soccer Simulation
An Advance Look at Tony Media Sidekicks Soccer
by Arnie Katz point isn't quite at field level, which
Can Americans make a realistic soccer helps achieve the believable illusion of
simulation? That question has inspired 3-D movement.
as much debate among game creators The field scrolls in all directions, but
as "Can a White Man sing the Blues?” most of the movement is vertical, with
has among musicians. Although Tony rival goals positioned at the top and
Meola Sidekicks Soccer (Electro bottom. This looks more authentic than
Brain/SNES) isn’t quite ready for the soccer cartridges with an East-West
reviewer's microscope, the preliminary orientation. On the downside, the images
answer is a resounding, “Yes!” Forget may clump together a bit due to scaling
those generic soccer cartridges. when an attack rushes up the field to
Sculptured Software, the Salt Lake challenge the keeper at the top of the
City, UT, development house that also
Various defenses are also shown, giving
created Electro Brain’s Legends of the
the novice player vital information.
Ring boxing cartridge, proves that it’s a
rising power in sports video gaming with to orchestrate team offense and defense
this eye-popper. They’ve applied their won’t be mastered in a single session.
mastery of state-of-the-art design and Watching a few minutes of a computer
programming to soccer, a game topic vs. computer match can enlighten
that took a beating in earlier attempts to novices, and the documentation also
simulate the sport. provides rudimentary hints.
The graphics are exceptional. Participants can play an exhibition, a
Sculptured continues its exploration of season, or a tournament. There’s a
Mode 7 rotation. The striped green-on- choice of World or City competition, with
green field wheels around to reflect the 25 clubs in each bank. Competition is
on-field events, but it doesn’t spin like a more fierce at the international level, so
top as in some misguided attempts to start with City and switch over when the
incorporate this video trick into real-time Specific styles of kicks are displayed, robot coach's artificial intelligence no
sports action. As in Bethesda’s forth¬ showing the ideal arc of the shot. longer provides a challenging contest.
coming NCAA II (MS-DOS), the flash After picking a city or country to repre¬
enhances the player’s involvement Tony Meola Sidekicks Soccer is more sent, the player determines the match
without disorienting gamers. than just a pretty face. This is an in- length, speed, and difficulty on the
The close-to-the-pitch perspective depth action-simulation of the world’s Match Parameters Screen. Then the
works beautifully with the Mode 7 to most popular team sport. Even if the Coaching Screen lets gamers pick a
create a soccer cartridge that almost players aren't fully conversant with the starting line-up, determine field formation
explodes off the screen. The vantage strategic possibilities, clear diagrams and decide what type of corner and
show how each formation and direct kicks the booters will employ. A
play looks on the field. Anyone roster screen permits the coach to quick¬
who is familiar with an ly check the abilities of each of his men.
American football chalkboard The season mode generates a seven-
play-diagram will have no team league with a 14-game schedule.
trouble grasping the essence The top two teams play each other at the
of each play possibility. end of the season for the League Cham¬
One or two coaches select pionship. The League Titlist advances to
options through a system of three rounds against other teams in a
icon-driven screens. The pic- quest to win the Club Championship. The
tograms are somewhat small cartridge stages three levels of tourna¬
and ambiguous, but the illus¬ ment: World (Gold), Club Championship
trated rulebook explains them (Silver), or City Club (Bronze).
in sufficient detail. Tony Tony Meola Sidekicks Soccer could
Meola Sidekicks Soccer become a new standard for soccer sims.
doesn’t appear difficult to It has the kind of fireworks and play-
learn or play, though learning value that stamp it as a future champ.
inn nilim win
L;JrU
— __j
LL

NAME YOUR SYSTEM AND... STEP INTO THE RING!

Get ready for the 16-MEG mayhem of Royal Rumble® on Super NES® and Genesis™!!
Check out the all-new, pulse-pounding action of King of the Ring™ for NES® and
Game Boy®! Tournament showdowns... special moves...Steel Cage matchups...
Royal Rumbles®... and more! If you’ve got the guts... we’ve got the game!
Kicking Up a Storm
EG Previews World Soccer 94
deluxe replay like this is a welcome fea¬
ture. Since players move so fast, it's
exciting to see your most recent score
unfold when there's nothing you have to
do but admire your own handiwork.

The action is fast and furious, so be

ready to kick those penalty shots!

World Soccer ‘94 was originally devel¬

oped for Europe under the name Striker.
Playing with all available options may
produce a version that is beyond the
average U.S. soccer fan, but the action
never lags no matter how many options
are selected.

A number of editing features are ready

to be used, from uniforms to names.

Sports gamers who have given soccer

a pass until now will kick themselves if
they don’t try World Soccer ‘94. Even
though the graphics aren’t exactly cutting
edge, this is shaping up as another
outstanding entry in the vast sports
video game category.
 Pel! Hakes His Hove!
Soccer Great Inspires Cartridge
by Arnie Katz
Soccer isn’t exactly baseball or foot¬
ball when it comes to fan allegiance in
the United States. There’s no major
professional league, and the collegiate
variety doesn’t get much media atten¬
tion. Next Spring's World Cup series
has boosted interest, but few Americans
could name enough soccer players to fill
out a single team.

The game opens with a short cinema

showing Pele lining up a tough shot.

One name is synonymous with U.S.

soccer: Pele. The acrobatic booter
graced American arenas in the twilight of
his remarkable career, so we may never
have seen him at the amazing peak. Yet
his flair, skill, and personality left an
indelible impression on sports lovers.
Pele Soccer (Accolade/Genesis)
embodies a lot of the style and excite¬
ment that Pele brought to the actual

The goalie jumps for a fingertip save!

Pele’s game features smooth graphics.

Electronic Games 81
a MATCH M
 Knock-Out Software
Video boxing heavyweights continue to hit hard
by Bill Kunkel
Boxing simulations, like the ebb and
flow of boxing itself, seem to come in
waves. Whole years will pass without any
significant new entries in this genre and
then, suddenly, half a dozen or so boxing
games appear almost overnight.
Since the dawn of the Nintendo era,
wrestling, race car driving, tennis, and
golf have each been simulated far more
often than professional pugilism.
Nintendo had pretty good success with
Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, a weak NES
translation of its superb coin-op, Punch
Out. Sega produced James “Buster”
Douglas Knockout Boxing and Evander
Holyfield “Real Deal” Boxing for the
Genesis, continuing its amazing streak of
bad sports licenses (Knockout Boxing Tuning Up
was hardly on the shelves before Buster
himself lay on the canvas, staring up into
the lights). TG-16/Duo owners actually
got the long end of the boxing stick with
NEC’s own Champions Forever Boxing, a
strong simulation based on the popular
' video tape that brought together Muham¬
mad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and
Larry Holmes—along with several generic
tomato cans—into a single program.
Computer gamers, meanwhile, have
hardly seen even a bone tossed their
way in the past five years. With the Who’s the Greatest?
exception of 4-D Boxing (Electronic Arts), Licenses have always been crucial in
a commercially unsuccessful simulation the success, or lack thereof, of boxing
from Distinctive Software which used video games. The greatest fighter of the
polygon-based graphics to produce modern era, four-time heavyweight
matches which users could view from kingpin Muhammed Ali, appears not

Punch Out was a big hit on the 8-Bit

Nintendo, and is now a classic game.

84 Electronic Games
only in Champions Forever Boxing, but thoughtfully designed, offering both an against one another or opt for the intrigu¬
in his own game, The Greatest: Boxing in-close view of the action, as well as a ing Career alternative, which allows the
with Muhammed AM (Virgin Games) for separate, 3-D display of the entire ring, player to create their own boxer and
the Genesis. Developed by Park Place, with each fighter’s position indicated assign power points to each of seven
The Greatest bucks the trend toward within the squared circle. This dual types of punch: Left Jab, Left Hook Body,
huge sprites and instead concentrates display, buttressed by a combination Left Hook Head, Left Uppercut, Right
on a realistic-looking simulation with an Cross Body, Right Cross Head, and Right
emphasis on movement within the ring. fighter’s head and torso, provides Uppercut. Thereafter, the player chooses
The screen includes the entire ring, as gamers with both the brute power and among three available Super Punches—
well as ringside spectators and photogra¬ the sweet science of the professional knockout blows which must be delivered
phers, so that, for the first time, the boxing world.
gamer’s ability to make use of the at tacVfilhtlHs^helfassigned an origin;
squared circle was taken into account. The Legends Take Over
Ali tackles over two dozen contenders
If having one license can help a video
and pretenders and in the SNES edition,
game sell, why not go for several and
scheduled for release this fall, the
system’s Mode 7 capabilities are put to
That seems to have been the thinking
use by having the entire ring rotate,
behind Electro Brain’s Boxing Legends
thereby enhancing the gamer’s need to
be a ring general. of the Ring, available on both the SNES
and Genesis. Legends is unique in
several ways. It is the first fight game to
use a license based on Ring Magazine,
the leading boxing magazine for many
decades, and the first game to explore
the possibilities of non-heavyweights.
Just as a preoccupation with the big guys Legends of the Ring lets players choose
has always existed in the boxing world, from their all-time favorite fighters.
the heavyweights have also dominated
the electronic arena. they can hail from the Military (a great
The Legends available on this game chin and plenty of stamina as a result of
are Marvelous Marvin Hagler, “Hit Man” those 26 mile hikes with full pack), the
Hearns, Rocky Graziano, James “Lights Olympics (a well-rounded boxer), or the
Out” Toney, Jake "The Raging Bull” Street (no finesse, just brawling). The
LaMotta, Roberto “Hands of Stone” player-created battler is then ranked
Duran, and both Sugars: Ray Robinson tenth on the Ring Magazine ratings, and,
and Ray Leonard. Not a bad collection after viewing the attributes of his
of scrappers, eh? competitors, starts to work his way up
Big Daddy Steps The visual presentation is a large
sprite, in-your-face punch fest. The Player-created fighters who complete
Into the Ring boxers, viewed from the belt up, are pre¬ the Career mode can then enter the
Today's heavyweight champion, sented in tight close-ups, with the play¬ Battle of the Legends through the use of
Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe—the man who er’s fighter either facing the screen or a password. This single elimination tour¬
beat Evander Holyfield—also won the battling with their back against it (deter¬ nament pits up to eight Legends (legit or
right to star in his own SNES game, mined by pre-game control settings). The player-created) against one another.
Riddick Bowe Boxing from the Extreme over-the-shoulder POV is unique among While this presentation is a somewhat
Entertainment Group (formerly BigNet). boxing simulations, offering a high simplistic interpretation of the statistical
One of the most sophisticated simula¬ degree of realism without eliminating ring underpinnings of boxing, Legends of the
tions in the sports video game category, position. Facial close-ups of each fighter Ring offers far more content than the
Bowe Boxing provides players with 25 appear at the top of the screen along punch-and-duck arcade-style games that
prefabricated pugs, or allows them to roll with Health and Stamina meters, time have traditionally dominated this genre.
their own, using the Career Mode clock, round indicator, and number of The sense of the long and storied history
feature. This excellent option allows Super Punches available (see below). of boxing comes through like a steadfast
players to simulate a fighter’s entire Special features include a Blackout heavyweight refusing to go down.
career, from young tyro to wily veteran. effect, in which a fighter who's just had So, fans of the manly art, boxing is
After each fight, boxers can hit the gym his bell rung will perceive the action back, and video game fans can now pick
to polish up their ring skills. A battery through a darkened haze; difficulty set¬ and choose among several excellent
backup allows users to save up to seven tings for both Exhibition bouts and Battle simulations. Now, if only computerists
such contenders simultaneously. of the Legends; and instant replays. could pick a fight with someone...
The game’s visual presentation is Couch pugs can pit the Legends

Electronic Games 85
 Give Me Some Sugar!
An Interview with Sugar Ray Leonard
by Bill Kunkel advancement of technology, they could as great a following as the heavyweights.
“This is my life!” Sugar Ray Leonard put on the screen and people could The only heavyweights who have really
informed me with great gusto. relate to. Whether it’s Hagler, or Hearns, dominated boxing [in recent history] are
You might assume, therefore, that the or myself, there’s something, whether Muhammed AN and Mike Tyson. It’s like
subject under discussion was boxing, a it's a bolo punch or whatever, that they Buster Douglas, [there are situations]
sport that Ray dominated for over a remember. Some visual hook.” where before the games even got on the
decade. Does this sound a little like a budding shelves, they’d lost the title.”
In fact, we were talking about video game designer talking? “I really believe I
will,” he says when asked if he hopes to
"Back in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, I become more intimately involved with
played Berzerk, Ms. Pac-Man, interactive boxing. "This has always been
Asteroids, all the games that were my life, and now I have two boys who live
around then. I’ll tell you what, and this [for] video games and computers.
was a prerequisite before I’d check into “But playing video games was a kind
a hotel: my games would be there. of therapy, especially for me. It was a
[Even] before my equipment. I could way of relaxing before a fight. [A good
always get more equipment,” he game] has to be challenging, but not too
recalled, laughing fondly. "But I might no complicated. Challenging enough to
be able to find the games.” make you think [in addition to] the
Which makes it all the more amazing hand-eye coordination [factor].”
that Electro Brain’s Boxing Legends of While acknowledging that it’s been
the Ring, for the SNES and Genesis, is tough for non-heavyweights to win
the first electronic game he’s ever been starring roles in boxing video games, Ray
connected with, except for a Tiger definitely feels there’s a place for small¬
hand-held from the ‘80s. er fighters in the electronic arena. “I Ray also feels that elements of boxing,
Unfortunately, the program and Sugar think it's commendable and somewhat such as the ability to use the ring, have
got together too late to make much use daring of Electro Brain to highlight the mostly been lost in the simulations
of his expertise in both boxing and little guys, the Middleweights, because because of the obsession with “that one
gaming. "Electro Brain had created the these guys are far more exciting, they big punch. Sometimes they didn't even
software and the concept and went to a throw far more punches, and have just [factor in] stamina, as long as they had
third party, Ring Magazine, that super punch.”
to get the eight middleweight He believes that
fighters. This was before I Legends offers an alterna-
got wind of it. When they
contacted me I was very ety of things you can do.
excited because I’d always Whether a guy has speed
wanted to be involved in a or power or stamina.”
video game. Once they "I’ve used video games
showed me [the game], I throughout my career, but
wanted to be involved with'it. today the graphics are just
Unfortunately, it was pretty so much more [impres¬
sive]. It’s incredibje; the
realism is just outright
But I expressed some ideas amazing. The audio, from
I had that could be incorpo¬ the sound qf the crowd to
rated into the video game at the grunting [of the fight¬
some point in the future, ers], and the graphics,
whether it was sounds or with the expressions on
expressions or whatever. [the fighters’] faces as
Being a former professional they’re being pummeled,
fighter, ‘I know the idiosyn¬ all these things that
crasies, the things we do they’re able to bring to the
which, due to the screen, it’s just amazing.”

86 Electronic Games
 Now if you screw up,
at least you got teammates to blame

Our new 4 Way Play™ adapter for Sega™ Genesis™ changes everything.
Instead of 1 on 1 or 2 against the computer, now you can also play 2 on 1.
2 on 2. 3 on 1. Or 4 against the computer. Which makes the ea Sports™
Tournament Series games 4 times better than anything you've ever played.

SPORTS
IP IT'S IN THE GAME, IT'S IN THE GAME™

4 Way Play,™ EA Sports,™ Bill Walsh College Football™ and If it's in the game, it's in the game™ are trademarks of Electronic Arts.
Sega™ and Genesis™ are trademarks of Sega Enterprises Ltd. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players'Association and the logo
 Basketball, Barkley Style
Charles Barkley and Accolade create a dream team
“I love to play basketball, I love to over backwards to make it
have fun and I love to win.”
“I'm a tough guy. I go out and compete “It's gonna be different
every night, and if you want to test my in one respect; it’s gonna
be more action-packed and
“I'm not your role model." sweaty than anything out
That’s Charles Barkley speaking—he there now. We’ve got a
of the shaven head and intimidating slightly different approach
public image. So how does an electronic to viewing the court, and
basketball game reflect this unique per¬ graphically, we have very
sonality? Accolade did it by sitting down large sprites which are
with Barkley for four intense hours, going to look great.”
getting input on everything from graphics The game's POV seems
to sound samples. to be one of its major
“We spent [four] hours with him,” innovations. “You’re look¬
said project supervisor Dan Pisano of ing at the game, essential¬
Accolade. “We had a couple of our ly, from an isometric angle.
competitors’ products there as well as It will scroll, but it's going
the current version of our game to show to differentially scroll. The
him the direction we were taking. Then perspective you see, as a
we got a lot of input from him about it. result, gives you a much
“His first reaction was surprise that more three-dimensional
his name was in a lot of the games. He impression.” The basically
looked at his agent a couple of times horizontal display does not
and asked: ‘Did we give permission for use 3-D polygons for its
that?”’ Pisano and the agent then special effects, but relies
explained that his name had been instead on the differential
licensed through the NBA Players' scrolling to create the
Association. “I won’t tell you what he sense of being up close to
said about that,” Dan laughed. the action. Some elements of the game the stats, they will not be connected with
But Barkley liked Accolade's product. are being kept under wraps, including the actual NBA players since no deal was
“He got excited about the game, and I number of on-court players involved. The struck between Accolade and the NBAPA.
think he was surprised that he got game is primarily action-oriented but, “We recorded Charles’ voice to sample
excited about it.” according to Pisano, “we want to put later and put some Barkleyisms into the
Barkley was also surprised by the logical attributes to the players, so that game,” Dan added. The list included
technology. “He'd played Tetris before,” when stats are determined, they're sen¬ such bon mots as: “Hurts, don’t it?”
Accolade spokesperson Nicole Noland sible and realistic.” However, whatever and, of course, “I am not your role-
told us. “And I think that’s been the model.” But a strange thing occurred
extent of his video gaming, so I think he during the sampling session. “He started
was impressed by the sophistication, to improvise,” Dan recalled, “and it was
and how realistic things looked.” weird, he kind of put on a game face. He
Aimed at the Sega, SNES, and PC goes: ‘You're better than the guy last
platforms, the game’s working title is night!’ which is the kind of thing he says
Charles Barkley Basketball, and it aims on the court that most people don’t get
to simulate the same type of physical, to hear. “You’re definitely looking at a
in-your-face game that Barkley has come rough, in-the-paint game," was Dan’s
to represent. ultimate assessment. As for Mr.
“The design and game play will be Barkley? “Mostly,” he says, “you want
more or less the same on all platforms. the game to be legitimate, you want it to
Right now, they’re being developed be fun, and you want it to be realistic.
simultaneously, and the perspective I’m sure that my enthusiasm for basket¬
we’ve taken with the game, we’re really Sir Charles takes time off from the ball will be reflected in [the game].”
stretching the Genesis, we’re bending it court to help design a new game. — Bill Kunkel
HE’S HERE, ON CD-ROM
If you don’t find him, he’ll find you!

%e fltfabe
flit itf
Shooting Game

MOTION
PICTORE

JK ad Dog McCree is known worldwide as one of the highest rated arcade games and is the first interactive shooting game with real live motion picture
tion. Mad Dog and his men have kidnapped the town’s mayor and his daughter. To save the town, you will be challenged by a saloon full
of outlaws, a hair-raising bank robbery, gunfighters, a slew of Old West ambushes, and Mad Dog himself.

Call 1-800-758-HOME or visit your local retailer

 mm VIDEO CRIME
S3 GRLLERY
Aladdin is a very simple jump-and- with as many chances to play as
shoot side-scroller, but the graphics and gathered Genies contains such prizes as
animation take the game beyond its com¬ gems, apples and lives. However, if
monplace format. Aladdin moves through players select Jafar, they lose all their
the various levels with only a sword and chances.
thrown apples to protect him from The special graphics and animation
enemies and obstacles. A lamp's smoke developed for Aladdin really make a dif¬
marks his life level at the top left of the ference. Disney animators from the Flori¬
screen, while counts for lives, apples da offices, including some who worked
and gems line the bottom of the screen. on the film, contributed all of the anima¬
Aladdin can throw apples at many of tion for the game's characters. Virgin
the basic enemies (guards, bats and Games developed a special process to
other creatures) or use the sword if close display the animation in its original col¬
enough. The apples give him a distance ors and fluidity. The process works per¬
advantage, but then he must also replen¬ fectly and gives Aladdin a unique look
ish his supply by picking up more apples and feel among cartoon-based games.
throughout the level. A final battle with a The gorgeous backgrounds match the
more difficult enemy takes place at the animation's color palette and serve as
end of each level; many of these ene¬ good backdrops for the levels. From the
mies can only be eliminated with apples. dunes in the desert to the flowing lava
Bonus levels with chances for extra and boulders in the Cave of Wonders
lives, apples, and gems after each level escape scene, Aladdin will spark
keep the game play flexible. In certain memories in those who saw the film in
levels, players who collect the head of theaters. Also, much of the game’s
Abu, Aladdin’s pet monkey, will be able humor occurs through sight gags.
to play a challenging bonus level. The music combines themes and
songs from the film’s soundtrack with
original pieces that fit into the musical
spirit of the game. Players can hear “One
New games for old with a Jump Ahead,” “Prince Ali,” “Friend Like
rub of the magic lamp... Me," and "Arabian Nights” in four of the
A joint production from Sega, Virgin game's levels and “A Whole New World”
Games and Walt Disney Software, on the title screen. Lots of cartoonish
Aladdin takes some of the elements that sound effects and snippets of speech
made the movie a success and complement the music. Sample the
combines them with exciting game play sounds from the Options screen!
that will appeal to fans everywhere. The three companies joined together
The game levels take the player to produce the best product they could
through most of the plot of the film. It based on each of their unique skills and
starts off in the Agrabah Market and processes. The experiment worked, as
progresses through other Agrabah The movie’s humor is brought to the fans will discover when they turn on their
locations, the Cave of Wonders, the game screen in several places. game machines and see the Genie, in
Sultan's Palace and even the zany world referee stripes, fire a gun to signal the
inside the Genie's lamp. Here, Abu must avoid falling rocks or start of the festivities.
The game takes place from Aladdin's pots and collect the gems. Gems Fans of the movie will enjoy their
perspective; the player guides his collected in bonus levels and in other return to Agrabah and a glimpse into the
actions. Noticeably absent are Princess places throughout the game are used to Genie’s lamp, while fans of the game will
Jasmine (who only appears in the final buy more lives or continues from a mer¬ probably want to go and rent the movie.
scene) and the Genie himself (whose chant who automatically pops up. Help the poor "street rat” defeat Jafar
image is frequent, but his role as an Additionally, if players collect Genie and rescue the princess!
active character is quite limited). heads in a level, a slot machine game — Russ Ceccota

90 Electronic Games
 ed that the best way to model its CPU
was to base it on the only successful

mmf combination of man and machine—

RoboCop. In the future, the rebels realize
that the only way they can end their war
with Skynet is to go back in time and

iERillATOR destroy RoboCop. They fail in their

attempt. Instead, as RoboCop, the player
must travel forward in time and destroy
the Skynet CPU, thus altering the course
of future history and saving mankind.
RoboCop vs. The Terminator RVT is a typical side-scrolling shoot-
’em-up in that the player moves RoboCop
PUBLISHER Virgin Games RoboCop's work never ends. He must
up ladders and over platforms and must
SYSTEM Genesis stop the evil, mechanical Skynet forces.
eliminate all the obstacles and enemies
THEME Action with weapons. In the early stages of the when the player starts the next life.
MEGABITS 16 game, there are hoodlums, guards and Although the graphics and background
PLAYERS 1 art are quite good and effective from
LEVELS 10 + place in the future, there are level to level, the sound effects and
Terminators, automatic robotic weaponry music really define RVT. Virgin managed
COMPLEXITY Average and many more places to reduce the Life to get some sound bites of RoboCop’s
GRAPHICS 85% bar. RVT is very flexible in game play sayings into the game, as well as other
because there are many optional targets recorded screams and voices. The explo¬
SOUND 85%
and, on some levels, optional goals like sions and weapon fire also establish an
PLAYABILITY 85% hostage rescue and specific targets. action- heavy atmosphere. RVT's music
Additionally, there are a few secret levels
OVERALL 85% where players can find more lives and
suggests an urgency that will infect
players with a desire to keep on playing
to the end of the game.
A boss waits at the end of each of the RVT is a very basic game type, but it’s
It's the clash of heavy metal
10 main levels. These bosses get made exciting by the characters, progres¬
in a doomsday world. progressively tougher until the final sive plot and emphasis on action.
A neat new twist in the entertainment battle with the CPU core that takes the Players will try again and again before
industry is the teaming up of two or more shape of a Terminator head. they finish the game because it takes
licensed characters in the same product. The secret to successful play in RVT is many lives and the most powerful
RoboCop vs. The Terminator (RVT) using the right weapon(s) on each level. weapons to beat the final boss. Although
follows this trend and puts the popular The player may have two weapons at much of RVT is mindless action, the
mechanized police officer into a story once and switch back and forth between game remains challenging because of
that takes place in the world of The them. The choice of weapon is impor¬ the variety of weapons, clever enemies,
Terminator. tant. Some enemies may be eliminated sub-goals and hidden levels.
more easily with the plasma rifle (most RVT is the kind of game you might
powerful of the game’s weapons), while want to pop in the console to pass some
others on a higher platform might be time while you have fun and rack up
better suited for the grenade launcher. points. Do you think you have what it
People can play RVT in different ways takes to face the future of technology?
and still have fun. Although players can — Russ Ceccola

pistol, more powerful

weapons require
fewer shots for the
same effect. The

An eerie setting shows gamers that

RoboCop has a big job ahead of him.
minutes or more to
destroy. Because the
Based on the Dark Horse comic book current weapon is
series of the same name, Virgin made lost when RoboCop
RVT an action-packed shoot-’em-up with loses a life in RVT, if
a great deal of flexibility, challenging lev¬ the player switches
els and lots of explosive sound effects. to the other weapon
In RVT, RoboCop has inadvertently right before the Life
become the instrument of mankind’s bar disappears, a
future destruction. Scientists hired to particular weapon
develop the Skynet supercomputer decid¬ may be preserved

Electronic Games 91
 the Jurassic man him¬
self, Steven Spielberg.
We’re Back! depicts
dinosaurs as friendly
creatures. The game's
star, T. Rex (or Rex for
short), must save Louie
and Cecilia, two humans
captured by the evil
Professor ScrewEyes.
ScrewEyes’s brother
NewEyes brought
dinosaurs to modern
times and fed them
Brain Grain to make
them mellower and
smarter. ScrewEyes
wants to feed the
dinosaurs Brain Drai or a special stomp attack to defeat
his own invention, s< they wi enemies. Rex increases this power
able as dumb, sluggish 10 animals. meter when he picks up Brain Grain
Players must guide Rex through New power-ups and reduces it if he stumbles
York’s streets, subways and shops to upon Brain Drain items instead.
defeat the evil ScrewEyes and release Symbols for four of Rex's friends are
Louie and Cecilia. also somewhere in each level. Woog,
Hi-Tech Expressions produces many Dweeb, Elsa and Vorb will help Rex with
games at a skill level suitable for young their special powers if the player decides
children. We’re Back! is such a game. to use them. For example, Woog knocks
Adults will find it too simple, although down blocks, but there are other ways
perhaps a nice diversion between more around blocks. The player can find them
difficult games when the kids are away and get extra points for the unused
from the SNES machine. friend. The friends make the game even
easier for young players and
ensure that most of them will
be able to finish the game.
The graphics in We’re Back!
are quite colorful and appeal¬
ing. Rex is a particularly large
character. Players will have no
problem guiding him around
the screen. Although colorful,
many of the backgrounds and

that it is easy to recognize the

Rescue the dinosaurs from
power-ups, special items and
the bad guys for a change. paths through the levels.
The popularity of dinosaurs with We’re Backi’s sound effects
children and adults increased dramatical¬ are minimal, although car-
ly this year because of the success of toony, but the music is quite
Jurassic Park. Everywhere you go there catchy and fun.
are not only Jurassic Park licensed prod¬ Players move Rex over and under We’re Back! is a nice way for young
ucts, but also a lot of other dinosaur- platforms and buildings in the game’s gamers to experience the joys of the film
related merchandise revived or created side-scrolling levels and try to find they will inevitably see in the comfort of
to take advantage of the craze. various power-up items. Enemies and their own homes. The characters are fun
We’re Back!: A Dinosaur’s Story obstacles are few and easily defeated and goofy and the game is entertaining.
appeals mainly to children. It’s the story with a boulder throw (Rex's weapon) or if In an industry that most often produces
of a group of dinosaur pals brought to Rex lands on them. Rex can climb games for older audiences, it’s a nice
New York City to save their human building sides and other structures, gesture to have a new game with the
friends. Hi-Tech based their game on the but most of his progress through the younger, more inexperienced player in
story book of the same name by award¬ game comes from well-timed jumps. mind; especially in toning down the
winning author Hudson Talbott. The lov¬ A life bar on the screen shrinks as Rex violence factor. We’re Back! will appeal
able dinosaurs will also make the big takes damage from enemies, but players to dinosaur fans and arcade lovers alike
screen in an adaptation of the book by can replenish life points with food scat¬ as they guide Rex through New York’s
the same person who brought the sum¬ tered throughout the screens. A separate many landmarks.
mer’s menacing dinosaurs to cinemas: power meter enables Rex to use his tail — Russ Ceccola

92 Electronic Games
HAVE YOU SEE

To order The Lost Vikings, call l-800'969-4263, or see your local retailer.
 points. One of the
main weapons for
the ship is the
G.A.M. weapon (they

G.A.M. stands for,

but they do say the

bullets and holding

down the fire button,
the player must also
control G.A.M. This
takes the proper
manipulation of no
fewer than three buttons, depending on
cool new science-fiction movie or novel, what function you want the G.A.M. to per¬
it's not. This is the story behind Activi¬ form. It is just too much work for the
sion’s newest shooter for the SNES, reward. Aside from the living weapon,
Bio-Metal; and while the plot may sound there are the standard collection of
cool, underneath there is a very average
video game.
Bio-Metal It’s not that there is anything wrong
PUBLISHER Act v on with the game itself. The programmers
SYSTEM SNES did an ample job in creating a game that
THEME Shooter is fast-moving and full of thumb-numbing
MEGABITS 8 action. Still, there is really nothing new
PLAYERS
The graphics are standard side¬
LEVELS scrolling shooter fare. Included are the
multiple layers of scrolling and waving
COMPLEXITY Average scenery which induce nausea and make
GRAPHICS 82% games like this so much fun to play. It
SOUND 79% does add to the suspension of disbelief
PLAYABILITY 76% when the player's stomach is doing The alien landscapes are very well
loop-de-loops in time with the on-screen painted and add to the feel of the game.
OVERALL 77%
The backgrounds are particularly well power-up items to make your ship diffi¬
done and some of the enemies are cool, cult to defeat.
You must protect the world but overall players are asked to battle As stated earlier, Bio-Metal isn't a bad
against a cybernetic enemy. generic beasties for the good of the game, it’s just a little bit too much like
galaxy. the shooters already available.
After many years of space war, the The sound is another strange point. In — Marc Camron
galaxy has settled into a time of peace.
Still, the wars took their toll and deplet¬ game more appealing
ed the world of much of their critical nat¬ to the younger crowd,
ural resources. The Galactic Council have the American version
sent fleets of ships to find resources so of this game includes
that the Milky Way may survive. Instead, a soundtrack from
what these ships find are a race of half¬ the group 2 Unlimit¬
animal/half-machine beings with the ed. While these tech¬
capability of conquering the Milky Way no-funk sounds are
and keeping it for themselves. interesting, they do
The Wasp fleet (the only ones with the not really enhance
G.A.M. prototype weapon) have been the game, and most
deployed to destroy the home planet of people who have had
the creatures, code named Bio-Metal. the opportunity to
Because of the alarming rate in which play the Japanese
the Bio-Metals are reproducing, the fleet version of the game
only has 32 hours to destroy the agree that the origi¬
Bio-Metal’s planet. If they fail, the Milky nal soundtrack was
Way is surely lost.

94 Electronic Games
 12 FIGHTING
LEGENDS!
12 MEGS
OF POWER!

UKKYO PANTYHOSE PANTYHOSE

KUONJI TARO TARO
TRANSFORMED

RYOCA USES HIS LION'S

ROAR ATTACK ON RANMA

For more information on the

videotape and comic series
write or phone:

VIZ Comics
PO Box 77010
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415)546-7073
 A Hero

Can You Defeat The Evil Red Skull? All The Action of The #1 Arcade Game! You Choose Your Avenger Partner!
Get The Hot New Game For Home
From The Software Toolworks
Captain America and the Avengers, the hit arcade game and best-selling
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and his super-evil mind control device. Game features include:
Normal or extremely radical "Arcade Mode” with special challenges.
Six levels of play and action sounds just like the arcade game.
Captain America and the Avengers plays just like
Amazing power-ups and action in the air, undersea or in outer space! the arcade game and sounds just like the arcade
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Mail to: Captain America Sweepstakes, c/o The Software Toolworks,
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 Obelix, liberating Gaul, conquering Rome, difficult to determine where a character
and thumping the legions of Julius can or cannot safely walk as a result.
Caesar. All in a day's work. There are also difficulties with the
This side-scroller, unlike Gaul, is tolerance and register levels. Occasional¬
divided into five parts, called Acts. Each ly, when Asterix jumps onto a Celtic
Act contains a variety of scenes (47 in block, for example, he hangs in mid-air to
all). At the completion of each Act, a the right or left of the actual platform. In
character from Asterix' village appears to several situations, Asterix made no phys¬
provide supplemental advice or news. ical contact with the enemy, yet points
were deducted from the health meter.
The music and sound effects are
disappointingly generic. The soundtrack
VIDEO GRME CRLLERY has nothing that makes it unique to
Asterix, and sounds like nothing more
than a drab rehash of musical themes
already explored extensively in the 8-Bit
Mario games. More annoying still, it
can't even be toggled off.
In fact, a lack of user selectability
hurts the whole game. While Asterix
allows the gamer to choose among four
languages (English, French, German, and
The hand is mightier than the sword Spanish) for the textual announcements,
when Asterix swings into the action. as well as providing options for choosing
either a solitaire or two-player alternating
game and determining level difficulty,
There are a plethora of bonuses. once play begins, the options disappear.
Sesterces, Roman coins, are the prime
medium of exchange. After collecting -
100, the gamer earns an extra life.
Golden sickles have the point value of
25 sesterces. Celtic blocks, while provid¬
ing a platform to jump on, also contain
prizes that range from coins to power-
ups. Laurels provide an extra life. The
lyre introduces Cacofonix, the village
bard, and while he plays, all on-screen
enemies are frozen. The last bonuses
are two cauldrons. The red cauldron
makes Asterix temporarily invincible and
provides an extra life point; the green Players will be treated to some rather
grants the power of flight. funny game scenes. His bite is louder!
The five acts are set in the forests of
If you have the Gaul,
Gaul; the mountains of Helvetia; the
ElectroBrain has the game deserts of Egypt; the Hellenistic East; The player has a meager five contin¬
Asterix fans, rejoice! One of the most and the city of Rome. Each of these acts ues, which are supplemented every
popular European comic characters has hold their own pitfalls and obstacles 100,000 points, and no passcodes are
been brought to the U.S. by ElectroBrain. including Roman soldiers and spearmen, awarded at the completion of an Act.
Working in conjunction with the comic both in the open and hiding in tree Unfortunately, the entire game must be
creators, Asterix the Gaul is now running trunks; the barbarians of Goth; played in one sitting.
wild on the SNES. Egyptians; pirates; gladiators; Roman Overall, ElectroBrain seems to hope
In 50 B.C., Gaul was almost complete¬ citizens; and a variety of wild animals that Asterix the Gaul might become a
ly occupied by the Romans under Gaius and natural obstacles. success story on the level of Mario. In
Julius Caesar. The only holdout was a The graphics are, for the most part, fact, the play mechanics shamelessly
village of indomitable and indefatigable impressive. The foreground characters mimic the content of Nintendo’s Super
Gauls. Asterix, while not the leader of are smoothly animated, well-drawn, and Mario World, without any of that game's
the village, is a shrewd and cunning beautifully colored. The animations are scope or rewards. Finally, while Asterix is
hero. When word arrives that the frequently humorous, as when a mainstream comics figure in Europe,
Romans have captured Obelix, Asterix' Dogmatrix, Obelix’s diminutive dog, he only has a cult following among spe¬
best friend, he springs into action with appears out of nowhere and chomps an ciality comics readers in the United
all the grit of Conan the Barbarian, but enemy on the posterior. States. The support of these fans may
with a demeanor a lot closer to that of That said, however, the background not be enough to transform this appeal¬
Hagar the Horrible. graphics are somewhat disappointing. ing but hopelessly derivative game into a
Asterix sets the player-character the The flat imagery doesn't pop or enhance solid gold success story.
supremely ambitious tasks of saving the game's illusion of depth. It is often -Laurie Yates

98 Electronic Games
 table they interact and
roll naturally.
Perhaps as a result
of this concentration of
effort, however, some
other elements have
been given short shaft.
As already mentioned,
no player (or cue)
appears on the main
playscreen, and adjust¬
ments to the power and
english must be made
offscreen. There are

options—one from
straight overhead, and
one from an angle
(which may be altered
using the L and R but¬
tons), but no attack angle adjustments Ball, Basic Pocket Billiards, Equal
can be made while in these screens. Offense, Cut Throat and Speed Pool),
together with its four modes of play:
Most prior electronic pool games used
a line across the table to indicate the Freestyle (in which the player can do
anything, including special setups and
attack angle. Sometimes they also
trick shots), Party (in which up to eight
indicated the deflection angles (which
way the object ball as well as the cue players may compete in the above
ball will go after the strike). The latter games according to Billiard Congress of
America rules), Challenge (essentially
was generally an option, and while not
There’s no trouble in River single-player practice in any of the above
necessarily considered cheating, exactly,
City this time around... games), and Tournament.
it could mean losing score points.
The latter is for a single player, and
Rack'em up! Nine in the side pocket... In Championship Pool, a “phantom
the object is to get through a sequence
Scratch! It’s all happening on the green ball'' is used as a cursor. Placed near
of 8-ball or 9-ball games against an imag¬
felt-top table with the leather-lined the object ball, the A button activates it,
inary player. There is no actual computer¬
pockets, the fifteen numbered balls meaning that an animated circle repeat¬
and the cue sticks straight and true... edly streaks from the cue ball to and generated play, however. When it's the
opposite player’s turn, a screen titled
through the phantom ball location. If it
“Simulated Time Warp” appears, with
contacts the object ball (or any other on
text “he plays for a while, now it's your
the table), it then follows that ball’s pro¬
turn”—and when the table comes back
jected path for a limited distance. Adjust¬
on screen, a random number of balls are
ing the phantom ball’s position changes
gone. One could have wished for a real
that path, so the player may keep moving
sense of play against an opponent.
it until the ball looks like it will go into
the desired pocket. On pressing the A In Tournament and Party modes, still
screens appear depicting stereotypical
button again, the phantom ball disap¬
images of a pool hall and its denizens.
pears and the cue ball is launched (at
There are four musical soundtrack
least there is the sound of a cue stick
scores selectable on the jukebox: “8-Ball
striking it).
Blues" (the default, and the best of the
This approach is certainly effective,
lot), “9-Ball Rock” (not bad for synthetic
There are a variety of classic pool though it doesn't quite recreate the
bubble gum), “Country Cue” (painful, not
games to choose from before playing. sense of actual play, where the final path
of the object ball can only be anticipated because it’s country but because the
attempt to recreate a slide guitar sound
by experience and a good sense of the
turns sour) and “Call It Out” (a kind of
Well, really the only time anybody sees geometry of the table. A certain spon¬
'90s big band sound). Or, one may play
the cue sticks is as a cursor in menus; taneity is lost, especially with the need
to blessed silence save for the excellent
as a power gauge, and in the spin to make fine adjustments offscreen, and
sound effects. They evoke the real thing
selection screen. While actually playing, the game moves away from an accent on
no sticks, or even players, are seen. very well, from the roll of the ball across
accuracy to table placement; i.e., where
Pool has been a favored game for felt-covered slate to the thwack of the
the cue ball ends up after the shot—
programmers for some time, though it certainly a factor in the game, but not balls meeting each other.
Championship Pool is excellent for the
took more power to handle the physics usually the primary factor.
solitary player who desires no sense of
than early video game systems could The strengths of Championship Pool
real competition, or for the player with a
handle. Bitmasters and Mindscape have are in the wide selection of games
friend or friends over for an evening.
done well with this version on the SNES, (Three Ball, Eight Ball, Nine Ball, Ten
so that even with all the balls on the Ball, 14.1 Continuous, Rotation, Fifteen — Ross Chamberlain

Electronic Games 99
•• Guys like Bruce E

Smith, Junior Seau, I

Reggie White and I

Cortez Kennedy. In I;,

Madden *94 all you UiBiMfelittUiiittMUliUliilUyfaiiiilU

GET IS THEIR NUMBERS. My GAME'S GOT COOL STUFF LIKE DIGITIZED

PLAYER MOVEMENTS, SIX PLAYABLE VIEWS, SPEED BURSTS, A ZOOM

VIEW AND A COMPLETELY REVAMPED PASSING GAME. GET

Sega's NFL Football ‘94 starring, me, Joe Montana.

Hear the play by play commen¬

tary. Watch from the new Behind the

Quarterback view. And learn from the

TRUE PLAY CALLING PHILOSOPHY OF EACH

NFL team. Just go easy on me, Okay?**

WE SWEAT THE DETAILS.'

 and abilities of each superhero. Players floor and ceiling on his way to con¬
select a superhero to guide through two fronting the Black Queen, a 1,500-year-
old evil sorceress.
Spider-Man’s events take place in a Wolverine’s events are in a fatal
construction site full of exploding cement funhouse, filled with killer clowns, toy
bags, laser firing welding droids, and soldiers and machine gun firing jacks-in-
electrically charged'steel re-bars. Spidey the-box. Wolverine's claws serve him
has web-bolts to dispatch enemies, web- well to slash through walls and an end¬
strands to swing over obstacles, and wall less supply of enemies. His energy level
crawling abilities. First, Spider-Man must boosts when his claws are retracted
defeat the supervillain Shocker; battle but this only works a few times.
the demon N’astirah; then he goes head Wolverine faces Apocalypse at the top
VIDEO CRME CRLLERY to head with Carnage and Rhino. of the funhouse, and in the next event he
Cyclops rides runaway mine carts opposes Juggernaut. Wolverine must
while avoiding electrified rails, land drop enough anvils and weights on the
mines, bomb dropping droids, gun totin' bad guy to slow him down to where he
Genoshan Magistrates and Sentinel can be whipped in hand-to-hand combat.
robots. Cyclops’ optic blasts can destroy After all heroes complete their events,
opponents off-screen, but sometimes are Spider-Man battles a succession of
no match for traditional hand-to-hand duplicate Arcades and finally meets the
combat. Next Cyclops meets the 50 foot real McCoy.
tall Master Mold who employs missiles, None of this is as easy as it sounds.
energy bolts and plasma grenades. The five superheroes begin with four
lives between them, which don’t last
long. A superhero always returns to the
very beginning of the event in which he
died, and it's frustrating to play an entire
event over and over only to die at the
end. A good game isn’t too easy, but

is in this game, a continuation here or

there would be a blessing.
The graphics are colorful and bright.
Onscreen characters aren’t very large but
are clearly visible and sharply outlined.
There was a problem with registration. In
one instance, laser bolts clearly pass
over Spider-Man’s head, but he reacts as
if hit. Superheroes can stand almost in
mid-air on the edge of platforms, and
Storms’ events are in an underwater Wolverine destroys opponents who never
labyrinth that negates her flying abilities,
so she must use her lightning bolts to Good sound effects are everywhere in
This Ain’t No Party; blast water control valves and doors to the game, and each character has
This Ain’t No Fooling Around raise the water level in the maze so that unique theme music which never
Super Assassin Arcade returns to she may reach the ceiling exit. Storm intrudes or annoys.
exact his vengeance upon the X-Men. fights squid, piranha, and harpoon firing Spider-Man/X-Men is a notable entry
Wolverine, Cyclops, and Storm have scuba divers while trying to maintain her that upholds the tradition and excitement
been kidnapped and unless Spider-Man critical air supply. When Storm's air sup¬ of the original Marvel Comics.
can find him, Gambit will suffer the same ply indicator runs low, she must find — John Hardin
fate. Spider-Man arrives too late to pre¬ more air or face a watery doom'.
vent this, but pursues the kidnappers In her second event, Storm
back to Arcade’s lair. In the first part of swims through Arcade’s hydro¬
this side-scroller, players guide Spidey electric plant, finding and
through a vertical maze to deactivate smashing its vital glass spheres.
security eyes to gain entrance to the Gambits’ event is a surreal,
complex, while avoiding laser bolt firing fast-paced, platform jumping
guard robots. game. Chased by a giant doom-
After deactivating the last security eye, ball and armed only with his
Spider-Man rushes through a secret door kinetically charged deck of
to find the four kidnapped X-Men mana¬ cards, Gambit faces armed
cled to a wall, as Arcade gloats above chess pieces out to show the
them on a TV screen. Cajun a quick end-game. In the
The next five screens detail the real second event, Gambit must
names, occupations, group affiliations avoid being crushed between

102 Electronic Games

 with each successful enemy hit. If the
meter reaches 0 percent, the game is
over. Unlike the arcade game, Captain
America and the Avengers only allows
up to five game continues, so it is very
difficult to make it through the game for
one player. A few power-up dots that
increase health pop up, but not often
enough. Other Avengers do show up.
Quicksilver speeds by and drops a health
booster, and Wasp helps out with some
enemies. The assemblage of criminals
runs the gamut of Avengers enemies,
Iron Man’s suit must be well built to from Klaw and Mandarin to Whirlwind
take the beating that these guys give. and Juggernaut. The final level features
criminals and other enemies of the peo¬ the confrontation with Red Skull himself.
ple. Captain America and the Avengers The graphics in Captain America and
features four members of that famed the Avengers look like a direct port from
team: Captain America, Hawkeye, Vision the arcade game. The colorful, large-
and Iron Man. Captain America’s archen¬ character story screens look particularly
emy, Red Skull, has decided to take over familiar. This game is no work of art, but
the world and use a giant cannon on the the comic book/cartoonish graphics suit
moon to achieve that end. He has also it just fine. Sound effects consist of
enlisted a group of other powerful crimi- grunts and explosions, as well as spoken
introductions to each level from some¬
wash them to make them do his will. one with an "announcer” voice. The
Players must choose an Avenger and speech is lifted right from the arcade
defeat all the criminals plus robots to game, as are most of the sound effects.
thwart Red Skull and stop his plan for The music is a challenging theme that
Join the Avengers team and will surely compel players to beat Red
world domination.
save the world from Red Skull. Captain America and the Avengers is Skull.
There have been a number of success¬ really a series of battles spread out over Players who fed quarters to the arcade
ful video games and arcade games over five levels and connected by side¬ version of this game will be satisfied with
the years that rely on the popularity of scrolling screens between battlegrounds. this home version, despite the lack of
comic book characters. One of the more Each of the five levels takes place in a four-player simultaneous play. Others
recent arcade game winners is Captain different setting and some feature flying unfamiliar with this game should leave it
America and the Avengers. This or swimming shoot-em-up action. alone unless they have a playing partner
machine has four sets of controls for It doesn’t really matter which Avenger in mind. Even the best of players will
each of the game’s heroes, but any num¬ players decide to use. They all have make mistakes easily and have to use
ber of players from one to four can play. similar moves and powers that differ only up a precious continue from the limited
in their graphic representation. For exam¬ supply in order to go further. This game
ple, Hawkeye fires arrows, while Captain is fun for two friends, but frustrating for a
America throws his shield. Both weapons single player.
have the same effect—they reduce the Captain America and the Avengers is
life power of an enemy robot or criminal a decent game for fans of this genre of
by a notch. side-scrollers, but some forethought
Other moves allow players to attack could have made it that much better.
from the air or ram ene¬ —Russ Ceccola
mies on the ground. If
gamers want to punch the
enemies, they can do that
too, but it is much easier
for enemies to hurt an
Players can choose to play The Vision, Avenger when he gets
iron Man, Captain America or Hawkeye. close. The best strategy
is to stay far away from
enemies and fire a
The Software Toolworks have made a weapon at them from the
fair translation of the hit coin-op for the sky or ground and imme¬
SNES. It’s very difficult as a single-player diately jump out of the
game, but easier and much more enjoy¬ way after firing.
able as a two-player cooperative game. Game play is very
The Avengers is one of the earlier quick. Each Avenger has
associations of superheroes formed to a health meter that starts
combat the world's most corrupt at 100 percent and drops

Electronic Games 103

Ecco needs you to help
him find his family
and restore peace and
tranquility to the ocean.
Navigate through 17
mysterious levels. Fight
sharks, octopi, and other
treacherous creatures.
Travel through time
and enlist the help of an
airborne dinosaur. Find
the secrets that lay
deep beneath the sea.
 he can sail to higher platforms. and tumbleweeds, then moves into a
The Pink One initiates his Hollywood goldmine maze, complete with rail cars.
tour with Honey, I Shrunk the Pink, an Pink leaves the West after stopping at
obvious parody of the two Disney flicks in the Sarsaparilla Saloon to see the belch¬
which Rick Moranis' scientific experi¬ ing buffalo heads (not to be missed).
ments have devastating effects on his Science fiction is not forgotten, either.
offspring. This initial sequence turns the Pinkenstein sends the player through a
traditional cat-and-mouse tables by pit¬ vertical maze full of bubbling cauldrons
ting a tiny Pink Panther against giant and Frankenstein-type monsters. The
mice, as the diminutive feline seeks out Polter Pink is the last official level. This
tokens and access points to reach other haunted house would just as soon keep
sets. Scene Two guides the Pink into the the Pink, and dispatches ghosts and
VIDEO COME GALLERY refrigerator, to face flying olives and bot- trees to stop his flight to freedom.
tlecaps. He next moves into a turkey cav¬
ity populated with stuffing balls and cut¬
lery; before stumbling into a seemingly
benign pitcher of pink lemonade, com¬
plete with fish, leaping lemons, and even
submarines. The last refrigerated sce¬
nario takes the player into a freezer
equipped with a ski-lift, eskimos (who
bear an uncanny resemblance to a
certain bumbling Inspector), and armed
snowmen. If the Pink can escape, he's
well on his way to warmer environs.
Pinkin Hood places the Pink in a
Sherwood Forest setting, occupied by
enemy archers and acorn-throwing
squirrels. Cat on a Not Pink Roof, sends on enemies heads and use many items.
the gamer to a city skyline with twinkling
stars and blinking window lights. Trampo¬ Pink Panther Goes To Hollywood also
lines allow our hero to leap from roof to has secret levels. These safe rooms,
roof without being struck by lightning containing power-ups and other goodies,
bolts or spitting cats. are accessible through special icons and
previous successes.
Regrettably, the graphics don’t meet
the challenge of quality that the scope of
the game demands. The non-interactive
sequences and foreground graphics are
stiff and clunky, while the backgrounds
are neither impressive nor memorable.
The sound is better. Each level has its
own distinctive theme music, and the
non-interactive opening utilizes the origi¬
Big Pink Takes Tinseltown, nal Henry Mancini themes. There is also
But Will It Play in Gametown? the option to toggle the music off, and
The Pink Panther is on the prowl in just have the sound effects of the Pink.
TecMagik's Pink Panther Goes To Holly¬ Playability is adversely affected by
Cartoon-like graphics and humor take
wood, a side-scroller that embraces unnecessary complications. The icons on
center stage in this action game.
movie mythology and lays on the puns both the toll and weapon tokens are not
intuitive, forcing the gamer to experi¬
Pink Panther exchanges the usual The sea and jungle are both represent¬ ment, and perhaps die, while pursuing
level-by-level progression for a less linear ed by the Pink Beard and Jungle Pink knowledge.
approach which allows the gamer to scenarios respectively. To survive Pink Finally, there is the fundamental prob¬
move freely from the first level, or set, to Beard, the player must emerge from lem of the Panther's essential lack of
other sets in any order they desire. dangerous waters, fight pirates, and personality. While recognizable to most
Another unique game component is battle bats for survival. Jungle Pink people as an advertising shill, the Pink,
the tokens. During the game, the combines waterfalls, chimps, alligators, unlike his cartoon or game counterparts,
Panther can grab gold-colored coins and and dinosaurs, as well as critical map (Sylvester, Taz, Sonic, or Bubsy), has no
retain them for later use. They permit memorization skills, into a safari survival real identity. The Pink Panther is a silent,
passage to other levels and invoke challenge. generic cartoon character without any
power-ups. They can produce bridges, The Pink’s trip to the Old West is a endearing or visually compelling quali¬
stairs, and hooks (all of which are neces¬ three-fold adventure with the star cast as ties—a problem this game unfortunately
sary to complete levels) or simply provide the Pink Ranger. First, Pink cleans the
a Mary Poppins-like umbrella with which streets of cowboy boots, dancing chairs, — Laurie Yates

106 Electronic Games

 six different landscapes, everything looks there are three display screens. The first
pretty much the same. There is none of is a miniature map of the F-15’s immedi¬
the finely detailed topography, and spec¬ ate vicinity. The second is a grid-style
tacular close-ups of the SNES F-15. radar map which indicates the presence
That said, F-15 Strike Eagle II on the of any other aircraft, and the third dis¬
Genesis is not without its virtues. For plays a graphic of any object currently
one thing, it is the best combat flight sim being tracked by the aircraft's sensors.
available on the system, edging out
Domark's MIG-29, the previous Top Gun
on the Genesis, if only by default.
F-15 II begins by having the gamer
create a character, who begins play at
any of four skill levels. This player-char¬
acter can then choose to begin flying
missions in any of six simulated worlds:
Libya, the Gulf, Vietnam, the Mideast,
Nordkapp and Europe. Within these war
zones there are an unlimited number of
possible missions, with just enough ran¬
domization to keep any two missions
from exactly duplicating one another.
After flying 100 missions within any of Feel the Gs against your body as
these worlds, however, the player must your plane banks to avoid enemy fire!
retire that particular p-c and create a new
cockpit surrogate. From a gaming point of view, however,
The various missions stress the diver¬ F-15 II suffers from the lack of inputs
sity of air combat, from the sands of available on the Genesis. Unlike a com¬
Libya, and the sea war in the Gulf to an puter, which has a keyboard full of com¬
Eagles vs. MIGs confrontation in the mand keys, and even the SNES with its
Everyone's Favorite Combat Mideast and a foray in Russia's backyard six available action buttons, the Genesis
Flight Sim Stalks the Genesis in the Scandinavian-based Nordkapp sce¬ has only three primary command keys.
F-15 Strike Eagle was among the first narios. (For purposes of this simulation, This results in the gamer being forced to
air combat simulators ever produced. the designers have chosen to ignore frequently pause the game in order to
Since its inception a decade or so ago, it Glasnost in favor of the Cold War access the program's wide array of
has been reinterpreted on virtually every mindset.) options, from alternate viewpoints to
medium short of weapon selection.
touch-tone tele¬ Unfortunately, once the pause key is
phone. It has invoked, the game shuts down, destroy¬
appeared on flop¬ ing the real-time authenticity so vital to a
py computer disk combat-based flight simulator. It certainly
for every system is easier—and there's no doubt that real
from the Atari combat pilots would love to be able to
400 to 486- toggle off the war while they decide
based PCs; con¬ which window provides the best view or
siderable R&D which missile to engage next—but it
was spent trans¬ isn't very realistic.
forming it into an One of the game's strongest features
arcade coin-op; is the artificial intelligence possessed by
and recently F-15 the enemy pilots. These folks don't just
Strike Eagle II lay in the player's sights, like overweight
garnered rave ducks waiting to be blown to bits; they
reviews on the react situationally, forcing the gamer to
SNES. not only outgun them, but out-think them
Now it has as well.
touched down on All in all, F-15 Strike Eagle II is both a
the deck of the blessing and a disappointment. Given
aircraft carrier Genesis, but the landing The primary display screen is divided the paltry selection of air combat action
has not been everything the pilots might in standard air combat fashion, with the available on the Genesis, it's difficult not
have hoped. Clearly, the development top half of the screen devoted to the to be cheered by its emergence on the
team simply failed to plumb the depths exterior view from the cockpit while the
of the Genesis as surely as they exploit¬ bottom portion of the playfield is occu¬ On the other hand, anyone who has
ed the SNES' special hardware. There is pied by the HUD (Heads-Up Display). seen what MicroProse did with the same
simply nothing on this version to match The HUD here is unique in its presen¬ source material on the SNES has to be
the incredible graphics and Mode-7 spe¬ tation, however. Instead of the usual more than a little disappointed.
cial effects of the SNES edition. Despite gaggle of meaningless instrumentation, — Bill Kunkel

Electronic Games 107

"BOWSER’S THE SOFTWARE TOOLWORKS PRESENTS
A GEOGRAPHY LEARNING ADVENTURE
THAT'S WAY COOL!!!

(Nintendo)
 GOT ME!!" Deep within Antarctica,
■ the evil Bowser has kid¬
napped Mario and plans to
flood the planet by melting all
snow. Bowser has the
latest in high tech - the
■ Passcode Operated Remote
Transportation And Larceny
System (PORTALS). Using
j the PORTALS, Bowser's
lizardly henchmen steal off to
famous cities where they commit dastardly deeds.
MARIO IS MISSING! has great 2-D and 3-D graphics,
It's up to you and the a new Mario music soundtrack, lots of help screens and a
"ever-true-to-his-bro" Luigi fold-out map to help you keep track of facts,
to travel around the world, clues, photos and data.
rescue national treasures and
find the missing clues to save Best of all, it's
the world from destruction Mario's greatest
by Bowser. You'll explore adventure yet.
“through portaIT^ exotic locations, chat with Around every shad¬
owy comer, in every
friendly (and not-so- exotic city — there's
friendly) natives, collect always something new!
valuables, outsmart the
thieving Koopas, master
the Globulator, and then MARIO NEEDS
rescue Mario in a
surprise ending.
YOU NOW!
Mario has been your tree-blue friend for years. Now, he
ForNES®, Super NES®
needs your help. The evil Bowser has your favorite plumber
Macintosh®, IBM® PC
in his grasp and it's up to you and Luigi to rescue Mario and
& Compatibles and
save the planet from destruction.
Multimedia CD ROM
And it's time for you to be a Mario hero!

MARIO IS FPl
1-800-234-3088 missing!'" iliaaa
™ and ©Nintendo of America Inc. © 1993 The Software Toolworks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mario Is Missing, Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Super Nintendo Entertainment System,
Super NES and NES are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
 ■ 50FTWRRE
CRLLERY
music, sound effects and surprises on a When players click on an inventory
strong story and interests the player in item from the list at the bottom of the
the resolution of the plot. screen, a picture of the item pops up
Return’s forte is the plot behind the next to the list and any special
game. Many of the events in the story commands (On/Off for the Lantern,
may seem familiar to anyone who has Lock/Unlock for a key, etc.) appear to
watched any of the movies, read the the right of the item’s picture. This
book, or attended Webber's musical, but system eliminates a large list of game
MicroProse wove an original plot around commands and only offers special ones
common elements of Phantom lore. The when players really need them.
player controls Raoul Montand, a Paris Conversations with various characters
detective called to the scene at the Paris comprise a large part of the adventure.
Opera House when a chandelier crashes Players can click on responses from a
into the audience. He must investigate list when they “Talk" to a character.
the cause of the disaster (rumored to be Although Return boasts two difficulty
the Phantom) and find the culprit. In a modes (“Novice” and "Challenging”),
Twilight Zone twist, Raoul finds himself there are very few differences between
back in the time of the original Phantom the two. Notably, the maze of catacombs
is far more complex and confusing in the
Challenging mode. There aren't too many
actual puzzles to solve or objects to use.
Return relies heavily on conversations to
advance the story and point players in
the right direction. Return is very linear,
but players will be able to wander
through the Opera House until they per¬
form the task that moves things along,
so the game feels bigger than it is.
Graphically, Return is quite nice. Each
Travel through time to track scene is detailed and realistic, although
down the eerie Phantom! the overall layout of rooms in the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera commands House is incomplete. The artists incorpo¬
such a presence in entertainment and allowing players complete control. rated dark colors and shading in Return
literary circles that it's almost as if to give it a spooky atmosphere. The
Gaston Leroux’s famous misfit haunts techniques work well because the
the world even now. The Phantom has game’s scenery fits the plot and reflects
been resurrected in a number of feature hopes to return to the present time. The the spirit of the Opera House and the
films and telemovies. There are count¬ duality of the characters and the ability diabolical deeds of the Phantom. The
less references to the Phantom in books to explore the Opera House in two time music and sound effects are simply
and magazines. The recent revival of the periods keep Return interesting. excellent. A variety of themes play
legend of the Phantom (Andrew Lloyd Return uses MicroProse’s Animated throughout the game, but don’t get
Webber’s brilliantly staged musical) Graphic Adventure interface, which they boring because they fit the events as
brings the emotion of the Phantom’s introduced in Rex Nebular. Players click they transpire. Sound effects are a mix¬
story to life in front of audiences’ eyes on typical adventure commands from a ture of actual recorded sounds like foot¬
and surprises them with special effects list in the bottom left-hand corner of the steps and screams and original sounds
and the Phantom's devious tricks. screen. In the picture window, which from the sound department’s personnel.
Now MicroProse has revived the Paris makes up the main part of the screen, Return is also available on CD-ROM; that
Opera House's denizen for an appear¬ players can click on objects or charac¬ version will surely highlight the creative
ance on computers in Return of the ters directly to perform commands, or efforts of the music and sound people.
Phantom. Like the Webber stage show, click on an area of the room for Raoul Return is both horrific and captivating!
Return layers atmospheric graphics, — Russ Ceccola

110 Electronic Games

ii iiiiHniinniiiH it? i n rr

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 prospector was lucky enough to find
such an artifact, and was thus able to
retire while he was ahead, but not before
discovering the fantastically evil race
called the Assassins, the reason the
Heechee abandoned its bases and
disappeared from trie known galaxy.
Based on Frederick Pohl’s Hugo and
Nebula award-winning novels, Gateway 2
has the successful space prospector
fleeing Earth, pursued by a fanatic terror¬
ist cult who wish to bring the Assassins
SOFTWARE GHLLERY to purify Earth in a cleansing fire bath.
Homeworld picks up where Gateway left
Our prospector becomes an unwilling
ambassador when he takes a pre¬ off, and offers exciting new adventures.
programmed space ship to a Heechee graphics. The artwork is highly detailed
zoo planet to escape the fanatics, who and well done. Especially delightful is a
then attack the space port. The prospec¬ sequence where an air car whisks our
tor must first defeat "the oldest one,” an hero from his apartment to the Corporate
old and malevolent digitized intelligence space ship launching platform.
in the zoo, only to be found by the fanat¬ Type to use Legend’s highly
ic cult. The prospector eludes the cult developed, logical text parser, or click
when he hides in an escape pod, which upon icons and the list of action and
he mistakenly thinks is a cryogenic object words in the control panel on the
suspension chamber. left side of the screen. Puzzles are of the
The pod takes our hero to a planet of treasure hunt variety, where the player
crystalline beings who live on electricity, must find and correctly use the
which is also home to another appropriate items at the right time and
abandoned Heechee base. Eventually, he place in the game. Characters have an
must outsmart the Heechee themselves infinite inventory, and are usually
and the fanatic cult to save Earth from prevented from dropping essential items
the Assassins. Gateway 2 does not or picking up unnecessary ones.
contain the ultimate confrontation with Foul, illogical, or irreverent language is
the Assassins, leaving the series open rewarded with witty comments worthy of
for a sequel. Bob Bates, whose humor is present in
The interface used for Gateway 2, the subtle gags more appropriate to
invented for the first Legend game, award-winning science fiction.
Spellcasting 101, is a combination of The game contains an only slightly
the old text and graphic adventure for¬ flawed automapping system, which would
mat. The game can be played in pure benefit from the ability to view more than
text mode with no graphics for those who the immediate area and notes. Hot-keys
love to type, mouse-activated graphic can be used to replace mouse com¬
adventure icon mode for the point-and- mands, and abbreviations supplement
Intergalactic treasure-hunting click crowd, or a hybrid of the two, for the fully keyboard controlled interface
does have its hazards... those who like both. Legend has option, which complements, and is
The Gateway is an abandoned upgraded the interface with digitized simultaneously active with, the excellent¬
Heechee space station, complete with music and sound effects and more ly functional full mouse input mode.
functional, faster-than-light ships. The detailed still and animated cut scene The novelizations which fill up the long
Heechee are an advanced and and detailed story show
benevolent civilization who mysteriously us how interactive fic-
disappeared from the known galaxy and
abandoned the Gateway. and attention are not
Legend’s game Gateway is based on lacking. If you like graph¬
the Heechee science fiction saga, where ic adventures or text
the discovery of the Gateway, with its adventures, and are a
incredible technology and the promise of Frederick Pohl, Gate¬
discovery of fantastic artifacts, is the way, or science fiction
central theme. Adventurers, called fan who has finally
prospectors, are given the incredibly decided to get around to
small chance to venture to an unknown the Heechee Saga, this
destination in a Heechee light drive ship, product just may be the
to face death, abandonment or another one that you are looking
Heechee artifact which can bring the for in an excellent
prospector incredible wealth. graphic adventure.
In the first Gateway game, our — Alfred C. Giovetii

112 Electronic Games

 -Ci, 'VcZ'fi
:y>r>
3r
"BRILLIANT DEALS Tf^
FROM MEDIA VISION! " P©f
J ^ /
 allows the player to pursue
longer career, and wit
charm come into play when
introduced to the various female
NPCs in the game.
The objective of the game is
to amass enough fame and for¬
tune to live comfortably in retire¬
ment. Land is granted by per¬
forming services for the various
governors, such as raiding ships
and ports of opposing nations,
SOFTWARE CRLLERY and is conferred in conjunction
with a naval title. One’s stand¬
ing with each of the four nations
is determined by deeds. Thus it
is possible to be an English Admiral, a
French Captain and a notorious pirate to navigation screen, or swordplay, which
the Spanish and Dutch, for example. occurs if the two ships come (or crash)
While in port, the player may visit the
governor, the merchant, the shipwright, When fencing against opponents (the
the local tavern or the bank. In hostile same display is used to fight the garri¬
ports, one or more of these facilities may son of a town), the characters are shown
be unavailable. The governor's function at the top of the screen. Underneath are
has already been discussed, and the the numbers of men for each side and
merchant's and shipwright’s are self flags which rise and fall to represent
explanatory. At the tavern, the player morale. The captains are the focus of
may catch up on recent events, purchase combat, as good swordplay by players
maps or information from travellers, or can inspire even a grossly inferior force
hire on a group of unemployed sailors to to victory. Fencing commands are
fill out the crew. handled via the numeric keypad.
The bank is used to divide the booty When the enemy is defeated, the play¬
from the current voyage and disband the er has the option of sending a prize crew
crew. The party disbands and a portion to man the ship or simply plundering and
of the wealth equivalent to the skill level sinking her. Goods are transferred using
played (from Journeyman to Swashbuck¬ a point-and-click arrow bar and the player
ler) is put in the player’s retirement fund, may sell them and the captured ship
but the player may continue with a new upon return to port.
expedition in a few months, if health Plundering a city is the same, but the
permits. If the crew was happy with their approach to a city is different. Prior to
the sword fight on the battlements, the
portions of the loot, news of the player's
skill as a captain will spread and it will player must attack the city’s defenses.
be easier to find crew members in the From the sea, the player conducts a
Swash your buckle to fame cannon battle with the fort and sails the
On leaving port, the player sails across ship until it beaches just below the
and fortune—or the yardarm!
a map of the Caribbean from an over¬ tower, where the men may storm the
Pirates Gold (PG) puts players in battlements. Optionally, one may beach
command of a sailing ship in the head view. If sails are spotted on the
horizon the player has the option of hail¬ the ship and approach the town over¬
Caribbean during the periods between land. This brings up a new map, where
1560 and 1700. Early in this era, the ing for news or closing for battle. Ships
are defeated either by broadsides, from the objective is to move unit icons onto
Spanish are the dominant presence, but the tower to start the sword fight.
their power wanes as other European PG offers a few more ports than the
nations colonize the Caribbean. original Pirates, but it is essentially a
Pirates exploited the shifting power graphics/sound upgrade. This was
structure by obtaining Letters of Marque needed, however, as newer machines
from all the nations and playing both are too fast to play the older game.
sides against the middle. Players may MicroProse is offering PG to registered
pursue a similar approach, or opt to Pirates at a reduced price and hopes the
follow the political agenda of one nation. new version will also attract many new
The player assumes a character of raiders to the Spanish Main.
English, French, Spanish or Dutch extrac¬ Opening Pirates Gold, players will
tion, who also possess one special skill: unearth a classic design which has been
fencing, gunnery, navigation, medicine or hidden for entirely too long, which makes
wit and charm. Each acts as a handicap it just as good as finding buried treasure.
for certain areas of the game. The first The captain’s quarters are full of items
three have obvious effects. Medicine — Ed Dille
won from previous encounters at sea.

114 Electronic Games

 from the moment it boots up. really cut out to dogfight with other air¬
Two variants of the airframe may be craft. Its primary survivability comes from
piloted. The first is the Panavia Tornado its high speed at low altitudes, which
GR.4 Interdictor, which is an upgraded reduces the amount of time it must
version of the IDS currently in service remain within the enemy weapons enve¬
with the RAF, as well as in the German, lope. Some players may wish that the
Italian and Saudi Arabian Air Forces. simulation had focused primarily on the
These aircraft were popularized during IDS variant, but Spectrum's reasoning to
the Gulf conflict for their all-weather include the ADV was to appeal to the
capability to conduct deep unescorted widest audience possible.
low level bombing attacks with pinpoint When one is forced to deal with enemy
accuracy. The second type is the F.3 Air interceptors, the best tactic is to wait as
Defense Variant (ADV) which is primarily long as possible before going active with
an interceptor in lieu of a power the radar. As soon as a lock on the
projection fighter. enemy is achieved he will fire, even if
Tornado offers a lot of play options. he is still 20-25 miles out. Wait at least
Newcomers can familiarize themselves in
the simulator or on live flight training
missions. The latter can prove fatal
through in-flight mishaps, but the player
doesn’t have to worry about being shot
at. Individual missions may be played
and, though the outcome of one has no
effect on the others, the player who
completes all of the included missions
will be promoted to the rank of Flight
Lieutenant (if not held already).
The Campaign selection allows the
player to choose a sequence of
This baby can do more
missions, the outcome of each affecting
than you’d expect. subsequent efforts. Two levels of Your foes consist of armored units from
When it comes to authenticity among campaign exist. In Level One, the player the land as well as bandits in the sky.
the flight simulation crowd, Spectrum is only responsible for plotting the flight
Holobyte has long been recognized as plan of one aircraft. In Level Two, a 20 seconds before returning fire and the
the premiere publisher. The basis of that formation of up to six aircraft may be chances of the SkyFlash connecting are
reputation has been the Falcon line, but plotted. Completing the first yields a increased, and 10 seconds or so still
this latest release will do nothing to promotion to Squadron Leader, the remain to take evasive measures on his
detract from their already lofty position. second to Wing Commander.
Tornado places players in the cockpit Several items are noteworthy Ground detail is excellent though some
of the British Aerospace multi-role fighter concerning the mission types and flight of it may have to be sacrificed to get an
of the same name. Digital Integration modeling. First, the training program is acceptable frame rate if running with
designed the game in conjunction with well integrated with the manual (which is less than a 486/33. Tornado has no
the manufacturer and a number of very detailed but could have benefitted digitized sound, so virtually any current
combat veteran RAF Tornado pilots to from more liberal use of illustrations). generation card will provide acceptable
ensure accuracy. The result of their New players will be able to follow the reproduction of the engine whine, rumble
efforts is a nap-of-the-earth, seat-of-the- course of instruction and gain acceptable of explosions and other effects.
pants flight simulation that grabs players mastery of front and back seat functions The nicest new feature is the degree
in a reasonable of detail kept in the pilot logs, and
amount of time. players will appreciate the recognition
Sequential they receive every time they step into the
missions are paced cockpit. Finally, Falcon 3.0 veterans may
properly and the balk at the time delays they experience
learning curve isn’t in switching air to ground weapons, or
so steep as to turn the sluggish responsiveness of the
players away. Tornado in certain aerodynamic maneu¬
Also, the player is vers, but these are realistic constraints
not forced to be of the airframe being modeled. Further
constantly dodging play will teach these veterans to capital¬
surface to air ize on the strengths of the Tornado.
missiles (SAMs), as Tornado is a tough combat simulation
was the case in that has been designed to draw new
Falcon 3.0, but players into the fray while piquing and
fighters are still a maintaining the interest of hardened
viable threat.
The Tornado isn’t

Electronic Games 115

 Players select a tour of duty and area, fire at a specific target, fire at will
attempt to guide their squad through 80 or cease fire.
historical missions based on actual Tapping the space bar will bring up the
combat reports. Mission types include same overhead map used in the briefing,
reconnaissance, ambush, rescue, only now the player will see the squad
demolition and combinations thereof. and any detected enemies moving on the
Every mission is a real time tactical map. This screen doubles as the method
experience; the player cannot escape the of contacting the support craft to perform
tension through pause buttons or other their functions.
unrealistic trappings.
Missions begin with a
briefing and a review of
the patrol orders. The
player may alter the
weapons load of the four
man squad, but has little
other input until the
mission begins - and then

Typically, the SEAL

squad is escorted by an
Assault Boat and Sea
Wolf helicopters, which
perform insertion and
extraction, as well as fire
support if called upon.
SEAL Team The player cannot station these units as Mission accomplishment is vital, but
PUBLISHER Electronic Arts one would in a wargame, rather they per¬ it should not be given greater importance
DESIGNER Gagnon, Hays-Ebert, Grace than getting the squad out alive again.
PLATFORM MS-DOS missions independently when radioed Purple Hearts are badges of shame to
THEME Action (provided the radio hasn’t been true warriors, not badges of honor. As
REQ. HD SPACE 4 Meg damaged, of course). such, if things heat up unexpectedly,
Once inserted, the player moves the don't hold ground. Call in the choppers
PLAYERS 1 to dust off and get the squad out of
squad using the arrow keys or the
mouse. One increment forward moves Dodge—fast.
COMPLEXITY Hard them slowly, two puts them in a full run, Upon return, a debriefing is given and
GRAPHICS 92% which is very noisy. Additionally, the the player has the opportunity to
SOUND 94% squad may crouch or go prone to compare results with the historical after
PLAYABILITY 97% decrease their detectability. SEAL teams action report. Veterans may show skill
are not designed to conduct frontal increases, KIAs will be replaced by
OVERALL 95% assaults on alerted and well prepared SEALs fresh from training and WlAs may
enemies. As such, the player will spend take some time out of the ops cycle to
most effort attempting to maintain recover in the hospital. Medals and
Join the elite corps of Navy stealth and surprise, starting the firefight promotions are also possible.
commandos in Vietnam. only when the tactical advantage has SEAL Team has several difficulty
SEAL Team is a unique simulation of been gained. settings, but the realistic ones reflect
unconventional warfare, with the empha¬ The squad is controlled exclusively proper lack of accuracy for automatic
sis on the word simulation. Other games through hand signals, which is very weapons fire, as well as appropriate
have depicted operations in Vietnam realistic, and may be deployed in several damage for wounds. SEALs, though they
using conventional wargame designs. different formations to suit the tactical fancy themselves invulnerable, bleed like
Such an approach is incapable of approach. Players adopt either a third everyone else.
capturing the flavor of guerrilla warfare. person view, slightly above the squad, or The only hedges to the combat model
SEAL Team places the player on point a first-person view through the eyes of are greater visibility than one would
for a four man squad operating deep in the point man. The latter is necessary to normally encounter and the simplification
enemy territory, which provides a much spot and avoid deadly booby traps, but of differentiating the bad guys. Civilians
more intense personal experience. peripheral vision is non-existent. wear blue, the Vietcong black. Despite
Developed in conjunction with the To alleviate this shortfall, the other these points, SEAL Team sets new
UDT-SEAL Museum, SEAL Team depicts squad members are constantly scanning standards for this type of game, far
Navy SEAL combat operations from their fields of fire and will alert the player exceeding Accolade’s Gunboat, which is
1966-69. Unlike their conventional force to enemies which appear outside the its closest kin thus far.
counterparts, the SEALs were highly field of vision. The player must turn to Hunting other men is man’s deadliest
effective against the North Vietnamese. face the enemy to return fire, but other art form. SEALs are masters of the art
Using the guerrilla’s strengths of speed, squad members employ weapons in and this game respects their skills, pays
stealth and surprise, Navy SEALs engage accordance with their orders. They may homage to their history and honors their
the enemy on his turf, and on his terms. be directed to fire within their covered
— Ed Dille

116 Electronic Games

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TO BE CHALLENGING.

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If you think you’re good at games, then let’s have some people are terrific, and even the prices are competitive. So
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 Q cd
CHLLERY
can link up Justifiers through a tele- While Lethal Enforcers isn't a total
phone-style wire. clone of its arcade counterpart, Konami
Konami's Justifier is a virtual duplicate has kept it astonishingly close. Most of
of the coin-op edition, a big baby-blue the differences are pretty small pota¬
monster that packs the imaginary wallop toes. Some alterations, however, are
of a .357 Magnum—with special bullets curious: no female killers appear during
available as power-ups. This gun looks the opening scenario, despite the fact
and works as well as any light weapon that they feature prominently in the coin¬
ever produced for a home video game op version. Yet feminine targets do show
and may well become the standard for up during the Chinatown bloodbath.
target-style Genesis software. The interface mostly mimics the coin¬
The on-screen backgrounds and char¬ op, with target range-style bonus rounds
acters are superbly digitized, and react and automatic reload by firing at the bot¬
to hits with immediate and viscerally sat¬ tom of the screen at an icon represent¬
isfying choreography. The bad guys are ing the chamber of a revolver. As the
the usual collection of modern generic player fires the gun, the chamber
villains, complete with black masked rotates, depicting the remaining rounds.
minions in ninja bodystockings, and cold¬ Periodically, a weapon icon appears on¬
blooded button men in their Armani suits screen. If the player hits it, their Justifier
and Ray Bans. is transformed into a new weapon. The
The game itself consists of a string of gamer maintains access to the special
shootouts, including a side-scrolling ballistics until they take a hit, at which
Hijack scenario in which the player must point the revolver icon reappears.
fire at hard targets riding in a string of Did we forget to mention that the bad
bulletproof vehicles. There is also a bank guys fire back?
A hit is indicated by a simulated,
blood-rimmed bullet hole in the TV
screen. A single shot isn't enough to
cost the player a life, but as mentioned
Seriously—don't try to take this above, it does neutralize any power-ups.
game with you on the plane. Obviously, Lethal Enforcers is a violent
Finally, some serious arcade action on game, and parents who don’t want their
the Sega CD! children firing at on-screen images repre¬
With the release, in subsequent senting human beings are advised to
months, of Tengen's Robo Aleste and give it a pass. As of press time, Konami
Konami's killer translation of its coin-op had not yet decided what the game's rat¬
hit Lethal Enforcers, gamers can stop ing would be, but a parental advisory of
glaring accusingly at that multimedia some sort seems likely.
peripheral sitting underneath their The bosses here don't slow down or fool Older gamers, who appreciate a little
Genesis. around. Your aim better be really good! ultraviolent fantasy, will find Lethal
Lethal Enforcers is a top-of-the-line tar¬ Enforcers an absolute thrash, one of the
get shooter, a sort of Mad Dog McCree most exciting experiences available in
with a modern police theme. Once play robbery, a drug bust scene, and a climac¬
begins, the player's sole device is a tic shootout at a chemical plant. The only downside? Even a plastic gun
large, plastic light gun, dubbed "The Jus- Periodically, the gamer comes up gets heavy when held at arm's length
tifier," which plugs into the second con¬ against an enemy in body armor who and fired repeatedly for nearly an hour.
troller slot. This weapon, which comes hurls projectiles of various types at the We recommend gamers keep play ses¬
packaged with the game, is fired directly screen. The player must destroy these sions relatively short and employ the
at the screen. objects in the air while still launching standard two-handed firing procedure
Lethal Enforcers can also be played enough light-gun lead to terminate their used by police in TV and movies.
using the controller pad, and two players — Bill Kunkel

118 Electronic Games

 Licensed by Sega Enterprises Limited for play on the Sega Genesis

tables and
breakfast mats!
It may sound ill) Hilt
weird but it’s
hellish addictive! siluni”
Dodge orange
juice stains, jump
over playing cards
into snooker
pockets - simply
brilliant"
N-FORCE cartridge

“Arguably

^3
 PORTABLE
PLAYTIME
Everything that has gone into making Of course, there are plenty of nasties
the Zelda series so popular is included to get in Link’s way, ail trying to stop him
in this game. There are tons of different from waking the Wind Fish. They are
items to find and several mini-adventures afraid that when the Wind Fish awakens,
to undertake in the overworld, and of the island of Koholint will cease to exist.
course, there are wonderful dungeons to Nintendo has gone to great lengths to
explore in the underworld. insure that this game will be a hit this
holiday season. A lot of care was put into
the development of the story and in
making sure that the excellent game play
of the previous Zelda games found its
way onto this smaller format.
The graphics are as good as any done
for the Game Boy, and all of the charac¬
ters are instantly recognizable. Link still
looks like Link, even shrunk down with
no color. It’s kind of strange having a
Zelda game where Zelda doesn’t really
have any significance in the game itself.
The only real graphic flaw is in the
Pressing select will show an overworld
map, but only visited areas will appear.

The game itself plays more like the

Super Nintendo version of Zelda than the
old 8-Bit version; though it still has a
personality all its own.
Link's Awakening is a longer, and
wholly more difficult, game than the
Help Link find his way off of SNES Zelda game. While still not being
this uncharted desert isle. overly advanced or frustrating for younger
or novice gamers, the game seems to be
I am not a fan of the Game Boy, nor of more well rounded and not quite so easy
to walk through. The Game Boy Zelda plays as well
very many specific Game Boy games.
Taken from the second 8-Bit Zelda as its cousin on the Super Nintendo.
The screen is small, colorless, and hard
on my already over-strained eyes. While I game (and from Nintendo's other stand¬
can certainly recognize quality in a Game by property—Mario) is the addition of dungeons where there are multiple levels
Boy game, it takes an extra effort for one some side-scrolling scenes. These in a room. It is occasionally difficult to
of these games to draw me in so deeply scenes pop up when Link goes down a tell whether you are climbing up to a
that I am willing to sit down hour upon set of stairs in a dungeon. Two of the ledge or down to a pit, and that can
hour, squinting at the tiny green screen main dungeon bosses (Nightmares) are affect the strategy employed in the given
to play a game all the way through. even fought this way. room. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen
Link’s Awakening, the latest Legend The story is simple. Link gets in a often and really doesn’t affect the game.
of Zelda game from Nintendo is exactly shipwreck and ends up on a remote The music is very good, and the old
that sort of game. island. A girl named Marin (who he Zelda theme sounds great even out of
Players who have adventured with Link initially thinks is Zelda) finds him and the tiny Game Boy speaker.
through his various Nintendo and Super helps convince him that his quest is to In short, Link’s Awakening is a must-
Nintendo incarnations will be pleased to go around the island and collect eight have for Game Boy owners. This could be
know that the only sacrifice made for this magical instruments to play and awaken the perfect Game Boy game.
version is color. the sleeping Wind Fish. — Marc Camron

120 Electronic Games

 A rift in what you humanoids
call the time continuum will allow
Tirmat to savor your untimely death. You
see, our disruptors will enter your temporal
space and destroy your ancestors. You and
your offspring will disappear as if sucked
into a void. Of course, I love a challenge,
so if you would care to slip through the
temporal vortex and follow me to an
^ earth of bygone days...But where
* Hk, wilf I be? One thing is certain;
your time has come.
 ■ KUNKEL
REPORT
Priorities re discussion space than described as sophomoric, if not
by Bill Kunkel I could ever supply in any one—or any sophomoronic.
dozen—installments of Kunkel Report. In a recent issue of an industry trade
Each month, as I sit down to write thi: But to judge by the gaming magazines sheet, David Herschman, founder of
column, one problem I never face is a and fanzines I’ve seen in the past Interotica, wrote: “As the leading publish¬
lack of subject matter. This is certainly month, there is one subject which dwarfs er of interactive erotic material on
the most intellectually invigorating era ir my proposed topics. Its significance is CD-ROM, we are particularly irked by the
the history of interactive entertainment. so great, to hear video gamers tell it, recent decision of every American
The technology has finally reached the that no other issue should even be CD-ROM pressing plant to not press our
point where non-programmer artists of a addressed until we have come to grips adult material. This censorship has been
types can express themselves through with the question of why Sub-Zero turns equalled and sometimes surpassed by
extremely sophisticated computer tools. his defeated opponents into ice frag¬ industry magazines... We are not even
As a result, the industry has to face up ments rather than pulping their skulls allowed to use the word ‘erotic’ in any of
to some tough issues. and removing their spinal columns on the our marketing, or even on the disc itself.
Here is a brief shopping list of SNES version of Mortal Kombat. In magazine ads, we are not allowed to
subjects which I considered writing show any pictures of women’s
about in this issue: bare shoulders, let alone the
• What’s Wrong with 3D0? Devel¬ upper body.”
oper after developer is beginning to Pretty scary stuff, eh folks?
sound the same anxiety-producing This is not to say that video
sentiments: the 3D0 development games should be “sanitized" of
system just sits in their office while violence. There is nothing that irks
they wait to see how the various this writer quite so much as the
platforms settle out—and wonder old video game tradition of “disap¬
when 3D0 will turn out the long- pearing dead people,” in which
awaited development tools neces¬ bodies conveniently fade from
sary to create top-notch software. view once they’ve been dis¬
• Ground Rules for Advertisers. patched, rather than cluttering up
We've seen some questionable and the landscape.
even downright deceptive video What I am saying is that we
game advertisements on TV in must pick our spots. This macho
recent months. Let’s set down posturing about games being
fair play consumer guidelines before “ruined” by the deletion of some
things get really sticky. To be fair, there is a much larger issue non-interactive scene of grotesque
• Why Can’t Johnny Interact? The at stake here. Censorship is one of violence is both silly and counterproduc¬
American educational system is doing a those words that instinctively turns any tive. We need to be more concerned with
disgraceful job of preparing students for creator’s guts cold with equal parts fear game content than meaningless frills for
the high-tech future. Big business has and fury. And obviously, there is a great the splatter set. And the adults out there
the factories stoked and ready to turn deal of censorship—self-generated and need to raise their voices and start
out the gas guzzlers which will tool along otherwise—in this field. There is almost demanding entertainment that is not
the Digital Superhighway—but where are no truly adult material generated in the aimed exclusively at 12-year-old males.
the schools to produce the workers? If electronic gaming universe. Most of what A quick look at the early tallies in the
you want to be anything from a truck passes for "adulfis actually better EG Reader Poll tells me that many of our
driver to a movie maker, there are readers are female. Many are also in the
schools out there to show how it’s done. age 40-and-over demographic bracket.
But if you want to learn to design, Most of what passes for How about games directed at this group
produce, program, or create sound and “adult” in modern electronic of buyers? How about games that have
graphics for the interactive entertainment more on their mind than endless side¬
gaming is actually better
industry, you're probably better off scrolling or street fighters creatively
learning to drive a truck. described as sophomoric, if disemboweling one another?
Each of the above subjects is not sophomoronic. It's really just a question of priorities.

122 Electronic Games

 •• ■

Lester's not a bad kid, he just seems

to end up in a lot of awkward
situations. This time he's been stranded
on a jungle island being taken over by
pirates. With your help he should be
able to make it back home.

The only problem is Lester's

personality. His survival instincts are a
little weak. Plus, he always panics the
first time he meets a new challenge.
aooah,
Just don't panic along with him.

FEATURES

20+ LEVELS

Who wouldn't panic at the sight

of a mutant seagull?

Nintendoj
 THE
JURY
Selecting the top two reviews of face into the pavement, slinging him On the minus side, the scrolling
Batman Returns was nearly as tough as through a window, or grabbing two of fighting sequences become somewhat
getting through Gotham unscathed, and them and grinding their skulls together. repetitive simply going from one level to
indeed some fine entries had to step The only problem with Batman Returns the next. Also, the Mode 7 Batmobile
aside at last, in order for us to bring you is the scene in every level where driving stage, while very good, ends
the following finalists: Batman’s only weapon is the Batarang. abruptly and leaves you wanting more. A
These scenes aren’t bad, but they pale Bat Ski-boat level would have been very
Batman Returns in comparison to the main levels. welcome.
Despite that one drawback, Batman On the whole, Konami’s version of
Konami
Returns deserves the title of Batman Returns is the definitive
SNES adaptation of the hit movie.
1 Player
“You don’t really think you'll win, do
Winning Review
by Scott Gaskell
Because of its outstanding graphics,
sound and brutal violence, Batman
Returns is one of the best side-scrolling
slugfests released all year,
In Batman Returns, bleakly detailed
backgrounds and the emotional impact
of Danny Elfman's film score capture the
dark atmosphere for which Batman is
famous. More intense than the back¬
grounds are the digitized cut scenes of
the movie between levels. It's almost
worth buying the game for these alone. The scenery in the game reflects the
With the scene set by the graphics and eerie feel of the actual motion picture.
soundtrack, Batman can get to what his
game is really about: Maiming mimes Runner-Up Review
and crushing clowns. He accomplishes by Alfonso & Tony De Pasquale
this noble pursuit with a bone-crunching Holy Catnip! Gotham City has fallen into
combo of punches and kicks and his the clutches of that feline temptress Cat-
arsenal of Bat-gadgets and jump kicks, woman and the bird-brained, sewer
but his most satisfying moves are his dwelling Penguin. As the Bat-signal lights
throws. No other fighting game captures up the gloomy Gotham night, you must
the satisfaction of mashing a mime’s don the cape and cowl and bring some
serious pest control to a ravaged city.
Batman has truly returned in style.
The straight-forward action cart closely
follows the major events of the film. The
Dark Knight is armed to the teeth with
more “wonderful toys” like batarangs, a
spear gun with grappling hook, explosive
vials, and cool attack moves like the
cape sweep, flying attack, and noggin-
knocker. The game also boasts colorful,
well-drawn graphics, large sprites and
neat CD-quality music straight from
Danny Elfman's film score. Cinematic
digitized screens between levels
The Dark Knight lights up SNES screens advance the plot.
as he battles the sly Catwoman.

124 Electronic Games

■ PLAYING
IT SMART
Mario Goes to School sequence, as Mario steers a
surf board to gather bonuses
by Joyce Worley and eventually cross through a
Software Toolworks licensed the most time portal to the destination
famous video game star of all to be the year and place. Before he can
signature character for its new line of actually return the object, he
educational games. The Mario Learning has to fill in the blanks in a
Series uses the famous brothers to report about the owner; he
plumb the course through learning gets the information by talking
programs that provide reward and steady to people and gathering facts.
reassurance with the lessons. There are fourteen locations
built in, with historical data on
each, and historical people
I 2 3 H S 6 7 8 90 from sports, arts, science, pol¬
itics and culture.
The game does require
reading, so it’s best for kids 7
and up. There are lots of
action segments to keep video game concepts like "less than,” "more than,"
lovers interested, and delightful graphics "later" and "first,” along with number
that make the program fun to use. identification.
Remarkable attention was paid to All of the programs have just for fun
detail while completing the program. sections designed to hone motor skills
Each location visited is historically cor¬ and social development. Sing-along
Mario’s Early Math helps youngsters rect, and even the personalities of the segments encourage active participation,
with many skills, including counting. people were carefully created to match and suggest the child mimic the dancing
the originals. and exercises seen on screen. Children
Mario's Pre-School World is an all¬ learn to name objects, count, rhyme,
The design teams at Software Tool¬ discipline pre-reader program that pro¬ name body parts, repeat patterns, tell
works aren't strangers to educational vides fun and education for very young time, and listen to stories read to them.
materials; the company has a solid his¬ computerists. The program is divided Educational authorities tell us children
tory of well-conceived learning programs. into "worlds": Shape World teaches aged three aren't too young to begin
Some of the highlights are the fantastic shape recognition with some fun games home education. A three-year-old will
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing!, The building objects from basic geometries. understand the relationship between
Miracle Keyboard, outstanding reference Colors, counting, patterns and numbers mouse movement and the on-screen
works, World and US Atlases, encyclope¬ are also the subjects of learning worlds. cursor, though may have trouble coordi¬
dias, and first-person experience pro¬ Kids explore differences, match, catego¬ nating the action. By age four, children
grams (such as Space Shuttle). But the rize and sort things through amusing develop much better hand-eye coordina¬
company invested even greater research activities, and even sing-along to pre¬ tion, and are able to handle on-screen
and effort to determine the best teaching school songs in Rhythm World. movement much easier. Software
methods for youngsters. The first prod¬ Mario's Early Reading World is a Toolworks is working to make that critical
uct, Mario is Missing, is already a hit. definite head-start program. It requires period rewarding to young learners, with
Mario's Time Machine (MS-DOS, no reading skills at all, and gives only highly pleasurable computing experi¬
SNES, NES, Macintosh) is being complet¬ positive feedback as the child experi¬ ences that are so well designed they are
ed by Radical Entertainment, the same ments with sounds and shapes of let¬ more than just edutainment; they are
development group that did Mario Is ters. Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Bowser involving activities that help the child's
Missing. Mario picks objects from a provide on-screen companionship as kids development. Fortunately, they also have
museum to return to their rightful owners find objects whose names start with such depth of experiences that they'll
in the past, then travels through time to certain sounds, and eventually work up continue educating and amusing the
the proper location. The time machine to creating words. Mario's Early Math is child through several years of play and
sequence provides a short action similarly easy for youngsters. It teaches discovery.

Electronic Games 125

Six Buttons, No Waiting
by Ed Dille

Video game design is a dynamic,

interactive process between the producer
and consumer. Players demonstrate
increased sophistication over time and
manufacturers scramble to develop the kinds of games
greater challenges to meet the demand. they play most often.
The latest chapter in this evolving The first step for gift
saga concerns the advent of games purchasers is to
specifically designed for six-button determine the target¬
control. Because of the expanded inter¬ ed player's prefer-
face, programmers can now incorporate
more complex button combinations and ceed according to the following guide. Quickshot Technology’s entries into
greater depth of play. Some of the first The logical starting point for this evalu the six-button market are the Starfighter
titles to appear in this category are: ation is Sega’s 6-Button Arcade Pad. 3 + 3 pad, priced at $19.99, and the
Afterburner 3. Ranger-X, Eternal Maverick 3 + 3 joystick. The Starfighter
The new unit is smaller, lighter, and
Champions. Street Fighter 2, Davis Cup pad is essentially faithful to the SEGA
more rounded than the original. The
Tennis and AWS Pro Moves Soccer. directional pad is also slightly smaller design, but also offers turbo fire. Both
In order to take advantage of these and the start button has been moved to units were unavailable for testing at the
new games, players must first purchase the center of the casing. Retaining the time of this writing.
a six-button pad or stick. As expected, same angle of attack, the button array STD Entertainment is offering the SG
virtually every major peripheral manufac¬ now consists of two rows of three, one ProPad2 for $19.95. Their design is sim-
turer is offering one or more of these above the other. The lower row is the ilar to Sega’s with regard to the two rows
types of controller. Herein, Test Lab com- ABC block, but while the buttons retain of three, but they also offer SNES-type
familiar functions, they are smaller than left and right fire buttons on the forward
edge. These buttons are only active if
the player selects them in lieu of the AB
buttons on the standard array. The SG
ProPad2 also offers selectable auto-fire
and slow motion functions, which are dis¬
played on an LCD readout located
between the directional pad and button
controls when enabled.
Closer to Christmas, players can also
expect a slightly more expensive six-but¬
ton version which doubles as a program
pad. This unit is expected to have con¬
siderably more pre-programming than
their prior release for the SNES,

To take advantage of these new games, players must first

purchase a six-button pad or stick. As expected, virtually every
major peripheral manufacturer is offering one or more.
 LORE
Compute's Conquering books, there are occasional spot illustra¬ counterparts. Empire Deluxe: The Official
tions that usually clarify or highlight Strategy Guide recognizes the many
Super NES Games some point about a game. forms in which this venerable strategy
Jason R. Rich, Compute Books, 275 In general, this is a highly up-to-date game is played and caters to the needs
pages (softbound, $9.95) compilation of game tips, perhaps aimed of all players equally.
This collection contains 33 review/ less at the long-time gamer than at a Because the game supports random
descriptions of what Rich says are the newcomer to the SNES. worlds, each providing fresh tactical
best titles currently available for the — Ross Chamberlain problems to consider, the authors chose
SNES, leading off with StarFox, Street to illustrate their points via multiple
Fighter II and SF2 Turbo, Super Mario scenario walk-throughs in the first half of
Kart, Bubsy: CEFK and Mortal Kombat. the text. The reader is caught up in the
All but the Mario title got across-the- action of the game and treated to
board 5 ratings, meaning “Breathtaking” multiple approaches to problems. Each
(as opposed to Pathetic, Passable, Aver¬ scenario explores progressively more
age and Good), in terms of graphics, advanced concepts, reinforcing earlier
sound, difficulty and originality, as did a lessons, avoiding the need to absorb too
number of the other titles. As might be much subject matter all at once.
guessed, few of the games included get The book cannot be considered a
an overall rating (the average of the four serious study of military tactics—the
classifications) much under five, though game is not of that ilk—but the authors
two—American Gladiators and Harley's do respect the axioms of warfare. They
Humongous Adventure—are actually can even incorporate a relevant historical
rated under four. Perhaps they were quote without being heavy handed.
included for balance, though nothing Chapter Eight distills the broad and fine
especially negative about either appears points of strategic planning to their es¬
in their reviews. sentials, in terms laymen will appreciate.
Other titles are NHLPA Hockey '93 The latter half of the book contains
(plus a quick glance at NHL Hockey ’94), dedicated chapters on modem and play
John Madden Football '93, Madden NFL by mail techniques, as well as a
'94, Yoshi's Cookie, WWF Royal wonderfully written essay on multi-player
Rumble, Taz-Mania, Cool Spot, Batman Get the inside tips on Empire Deluxe diplomacy and communication skills.
Returns, TMNTIV: Turtles in Time, Final with this book by Emrich and Carrol. Another chapter guides would-be world
Fight II, Super Mario All-Stars, Super builders through the intricacies of sce¬
Strike Eagle, Goof Troop, Super Widget, Empire Deluxe: The nario design, including some succinct
Alien 3, Sim Ant, Sim Earth, Legend of tips on how to achieve play balance.
Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super High Official Strategy Guide A chapter on Artificial Intelligence is
Impact, Super Star Wars, Super Empire Alan Emrich with Mark Carrol, Prima Pub¬ worthy of study: it reveals the computer
Strikes Back, NCAA Basketball, Aero lishing, 345 pages (softbound, $19.95) opponent's initial build strategies,
the Acro-Bat, and Out of this World. Empire Deluxe is an abstract wargame production concepts, and methods of
The coverage of each game is clear, of world conquest involving up to six exploration and conquest. Appendices
concise and frequently witty. Strategies players. There is no victory short of total disclose the developmental history of the
and play tips abound, plus special, high¬ victory, yet the game evokes Parker system, including all the generations of
lighted Gamer's Tips that usually deal Bros.' Risk and Avalon Hill’s Diplomacy, the Al opponent, and a number of
with some special element in the game, in that players use temporary alliance as reference tables for quick access. A
such as the not-so-funny “joke” on SF2 a means of choosing the time and place special section on designing specifically
players programmed into SF2 Turbo. of the eventual conflict. The dynamics of for modem play is also included.
There is also a chapter on accessories the original Empire, like this sequel, are Prospective despots would be wise to
for the SNES, and one offering answers such that tremendous followings have employ this tome as their portable
to questions frequently asked of developed on the online and play by mail military advisor, ever ready for the
Nintendo Game Counselors. While not circuits. Lacking human opponents, play¬ conquest of new worlds.
illustrated as profusely as some tip ers are still challenged by their silicon — Ed Dille

128 Electronic Games

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 Coming Attractions...
In the December Edition of Electronic Games

Censored! Is There
Freedom of Play?
3DO: Scoping out
the Software Should electronic game content be
regulated? It’s this year’s hottest
Now that EG has taken apart the debate! We go where other gaming
hardware, it’s time to get down magazines fear to tread to cover all
to the real meat - the first gener¬ aspects of this vital gaming issue.
ation of games! Are they a gam¬ Read the facts, hear the arguments,
ing feast or field ration? and make up your mind.

R The Players’ Guide to

__ Electronic Gaming Systems
And Be Sure to Look For the Very Latest in
High-End Gaming, Including:

1 Power On!
1 Feedback
Video Game Gallery
Software Gallery
CD Gallery
A Look to the East
1 Insert Coin Portable Playtime
jpai Our editors survey the gaming plat-
The Game Doctor The Jury
£8 forms, from portables to multimedia Fandom Central Playing It Smart
I and virtual reality. Find out which are Kunkel Report Gaming On-Line
2g worth a try, and which you should Test Lab Lore
tmm just pass on by.
and don’t forget all the latest news
and previews in EG’s Hotline!

w-ForflH-T+iiS7ancHWuch-Mpre-flt-NewBstands-NoVfimber23H993!

K antJoJtnOWjyhm^pui.ejIaying, and_tp_re!ce!yeyoi
it your choirs below, thenrsend your poll sheet (o
Electronic Garres Reader Poll, 330 S. Decatur/ Ste. 152,

1 My favorite video games are: My favorite computer games are:

1 1- 1.
1 2. 2. !
1 3. 3.

My favorite multimedia game is: My favorite coin-op game is:

1 1. 1. i
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