Freespace: a welcome alternative to cramped tunnel fighting

To anyone who has read my past reviews, it can easily be found that I am a die hard Wing Commander addict. I just feel that no other game series provided me with such excitement (and yes, many wrist injuries from breaking in so many flightsticks), and always gave me that urge to do "just one more mission." And other the other hand, I’ve never truly been a big fan of the Descent series. I don’t know why it is, but just the claustrophobic feeling of flying through those tight corridors just didn’t please me much. And when I heard … Continue reading Freespace: a welcome alternative to cramped tunnel fighting

Carmen Sandiego grows up, adds new educational features

Broderbund’s "Carmen Sandiego: World Detective" is quite a package. It not only involves the player in detective work trying to track down Carmen Sandiego and her criminal pals through 50 countries all over the globe, but it also can lead the player to more scholastically-oriented treasures by using the package’s multimedia library, direct Internet access to a Web site with links to geographical information, a talking foreign language glossary and guided tours of the lands that you as a detective are visiting. Carmen Sandiego and her globe trotting criminal ilk known as V.I.L.E. (Villains International League of Evil) commit crimes … Continue reading Carmen Sandiego grows up, adds new educational features

Detailed military strategy skills to war game of pure fun

Talon Soft’s Tribal Rage (http://www.talonsoft.com) is the next new real time strategy game. This one takes place in post-apocalyptic 2030, where 6 tribes fight for control. They are the Enforcers, Bikers, Amazons, Cyborgs, Death Cultists and Trailer Trash. Each tribe has their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The characteristics of each tribe are what contribute to the game’s overall charm. To wit: Enforcer tribes are the only law enforcement in post-apocalyptic America. They are really just mercenaries for hire who wield some very sophisticated weapons including Laser pistols and disintegrator rifles. Some of their advantages are an almost invincible, short … Continue reading Detailed military strategy skills to war game of pure fun

Jam device offers gamers high-resolution fun

Gran Turismo is now available for the PC! Well, not exactly. Sure it would be nice to see Sony’s racing masterpiece released for the PC, but I’m afraid that won’t be happening for a while. Fortunately, I have found an alternative. If it’s not available for the PC, then how about patching your Sony PlayStation to a PC monitor? It can happen now, thanks to Aims’ new Jam! device, recently debuted at E3. The Jam device connects your PlayStation or Nintendo 64 from the A/V port (a special cable is provided for both systems), and is outputted into the VGA … Continue reading Jam device offers gamers high-resolution fun

Moto Racer delivers the dirt, but not the details

Well, there are some great Electronic Arts releases, and then there are just some okay ones. MotoRacer is one of those mediocre releases that doesn’t deliver too much in the way of details. It is a down and dirty, bare bones, get-on-your-bike-and-go kind of game. It is our observation that not much went into the development of this game. It almost seems that it was released to hold gamers over until Road Rash 3-D is released. But that’s not to say that it doesn’t have it’s good points. There is a thrill to this game, and if you’re looking for … Continue reading Moto Racer delivers the dirt, but not the details

Just when you thought it was safe…

Safecracker is an intriguing collection of puzzles and clue searches, all intertwined together and layered prettier than a Dorothy Hammil haircut. In this first-person solve-em-up, you are left without any intro or other preparation and, in the spirit of games like ‘Hacker’, you are thrown into the game running (actually, in this case, standing in a phone booth with the phone ringing, but you get the idea). After you answer the phone (I never dared to not answer the phone), you are given your instructions (which you had better pay attention to) and off you go. This is a good … Continue reading Just when you thought it was safe…

Run and Gun with Electronic Art’s Need For Speed III

We can usually expect a good game from Electronic Arts, and Need for Speed III is on the right track. Compared to other racing games-Need for Speed 1,2, and Ridge Racer, this is by far the best example of a really fun car racing package. The graphics and flexibility in this game are what make it so entertaining and it delivers heart racing action. In our test kitchens, we examined the handling, excitement and options of this game, and it came up a winner. The handling of the cars is great, much improved over the sluggish handling of earlier versions. … Continue reading Run and Gun with Electronic Art’s Need For Speed III

Need for Speed 3 is hotly perusing the number one race spot

Last week I reviewed Sony’s racing masterpiece Gran Turismo and considered it to be the finest racing game ever made. This week, I took a glimpse at GT’s closest PlayStation competition, Electronic Art’s Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit. At first, I thought that it would be a disappointing sequel just like Need for Speed 2 was, and fortunately for me, I was dead wrong. This might not be as deep a racing experience that Gran Turismo was, but it sure is a lot of fun to play. Once again, Need for Speed 3 provides a wide assortment of supercars … Continue reading Need for Speed 3 is hotly perusing the number one race spot

If this is the end of the Millennium, I want to stay home

"Of Light and Darkness – the prophecy takes its inspiration from the "end time" stories concerning the coming Millennium. Awakening in a village somewhere between Heaven and Hell, you are the "Chosen One," thrust into a climatic battle between the forces of light and darkness. The Clock of Judgement is counting down to the end. Apparitions guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins, herald the coming of the Anti-Christ, Armageddon and the end of Paradise. As the chosen one, you are challenged to discover the secrets of the Millennium prophecies, while Gar Hob – The Dark Lord of the Seventh Millennium … Continue reading If this is the end of the Millennium, I want to stay home

Deer Hunter woos non-traditional gamers, but not mainstream

For the last few months all I have been hearing about is this new Deer Hunter program which GT Interactive released under their WizardWorks budget lineup. I remember WizardWorks being responsible for some pretty decent add on products, such as their amazing D!Zone extension for DOOM a few years back. I used to spend plenty of time fooling around with the new levels, there were over 900, and it was found by me to be more than worth the 20-odd dollars I paid for it. But now, there’s this new budgetware product which is meant to simulate a true deer … Continue reading Deer Hunter woos non-traditional gamers, but not mainstream