I would like to know just what is wrong with Konami these days. I remember how it used to be about ten years ago, when their name was synonymous with quality. After all, who can forget their innovative NES series such as Contra, Castlevania, and Gradius. This tradition of greatness went on during the era of SNES and Genesis, with 16-bit releases of their classic series. That, like many other legacies, are destined to change. When Konami started creating games for the PlayStation, they suddenly obtained this new desire to make nothing but sports games. Sure there were some good … Continue reading Konami’s NBA In The Zone ’98 fouls out→
While the Nintendo 64 might be a good system for racing games and remakes of classic NES and Super NES games, fighting games seem to have been left behind. Those that are made, however, went from relatively average to just plain awful. While the Saturn had quality fighters like Virtua Fighter 2 and Dead or Alive, and the PlayStation had is superior Tekken lineup, the Nintendo 64 was left with worthless junk such as Mortal Kombat Trilogy and War Gods. It’s been a year and a half since the N64 was released, and there hasn’t been one great fighting game … Continue reading Fighters Destiny helps catch up N64 as a fight game platform→
Hybrid games usually don’t work. A game company comes up with an idea in which two different genres are combined into one game. It might be an ambitious concept, but the execution almost always falls short. Cyclone Studios decided to take a shot at this trend. They thought "What if we took the first person action of Quake 2 and combined it with the strategic elements of Red Alert?" and came up with their latest release, Uprising. In turn, not only is it an innovative idea, but it’s also a pretty enjoyable combat simulator. Rather than showing the action in … Continue reading Cyclone Studios blows standard hybrid-game idea away→
EA Sports’ FIFA International Soccer (http://www.ea.com) series has had its share of ups and downs. Starting off as a fairly decent Genesis cart in 1993, the series reached its peak when it was released on the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. It was this game, in fact, that was responsible for the 3DO receiving a following as a mildly successful gaming system. The next year’s version for the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation also faired very well. But then came the ’97 lineup. It was this version that made gamers wonder what went wrong. The gameplay was very sloppy, and the … Continue reading FIFA 98: It’s a kick to play, but no goal scorer→
Finally someone has the guts to create a real-time combat game about, of all things, combat. Myth: The Fallen Lords is not a game for the diplomatic game players among us. In Myth, players are assigned a small cadre of troops for each mission, be it multiplayer against human foes online or undead computer armies. Armchair generals have to figure out how to direct their force’s strengths against opponent’s weaknesses. Sun Tzu would be proud. Farming, mining uber-minerals, diplomacy and constructing bases have all been delightfully left out of Myth. With all their energies directed at making realistic hand-to-hand combat, … Continue reading Myth: The Fallen Lords is a bar-raising medieval hackfest→
Ever wonder what it’s like to be one single cannon fodder-like unit in a game of Command and Conquer? Now you can find out. Westwood Studio’s Sole Survivor is the latest release to the Command and Conquer lineup. However, if you are expecting the usual "process ore, build base, build units, destroy the enemy" foray, you’re only have part of the equation right. The only thing listed above that would describe Sole Survivor is "destroy the enemy." Sole Survivor is an online-only game where you control ONE UNIT and attempt to destroy all those around you. Units range from foot … Continue reading Solo action puts new twist on Command and Conquer→
Imagine you are a journalist (in other words, a very curious person) and you receive a postcard from an old schoolmate and a friend in Turkey that basically says: come have fun and get a good story out of the trip. Chances are you would not turn him down. But no sooner have you arrived in Turkey’s waterfront city of Istanbul, where your friend Emre Bahis lives, than you start regretting your decision. Typical of Middle Eastern intrigues, the unsuspecting foreigner finds himself involved in a mischief not of his doing. That, in essence, is the storyline of Byzantine: The … Continue reading Byzantine won’t betray gamers looking for a realistic thrill→
It’s hard to believe that seven years have passed since Chris Roberts released his groundbreaking Wing Commander series. I still remember the first time I played this game, booting up my old 386 PC and staying up late just wanting to complete "just one more mission." It definitely was a turning point for PC gaming, and started the process for future Wing Commander games to improve on PC Technology. Its sequel, Wing Commander 2: Vengeance of the Kilrahi involved communication speech and was responble for the Sound Blaster card being the standard for computer sound. Wing Commander 3 incorporated SVGA … Continue reading Wing Commander Prophecy: space combat gets back to its roots→
Creatures can realistically claim what few other games can: that it’s fun to play from the cradle to the grave. Or more specifically, it’s fun from the incubation bin to the memorial headstone. Creatures is one of the most unique games to come out in years. Seamlessly combining genetics, the processing of brain chemicals and artificial intelligence is something I don’t think has ever been achieved before now. And it’s fun too. The Norns that players have to nurture from birth are highly intelligent, curious creatures that require a gentle hand and a watchful eye. Having too many "alive" at … Continue reading Creatures Is The Only Digital Pet You’ll Ever Need→
Imagine guiding a newborn baby through a deadly maze of lava pits, toxic clouds and spinning laser turrets. You can’t actually touch the child, but he has the capacity to learn from his mistakes. Such is the fun and often highly frustrating world of Anark Software’s Galapagos. Players are charged with guiding a newly born metal bug named Mendel in his attempts to escape the evil workshop that created him. (The plot is a little thin but that’s not where this game’s strength is at.) When Mendel is born his mind is as blank as a political candidate on the … Continue reading Galapagos makes a new(born) splash in industry→
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