Rainbow Six is red hot sniper action

I’ve always liked the suspense of sneaking through an installation, catching terrorist forces off-guard, sniping them without warning, rescuing hostages and disarming explosives. But still, even with all that Metal Gear has done, I’ve always wondered how it would be done in a first person perspective, borrowing elements from Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64, plus adding the ability to plan out my operation among fellow teammates before sending them out in combat. Thanks to Red Storm Entertainment, my thoughts have become reality as their release, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, takes these elements and executes them in the right way. Rainbow … Continue reading Rainbow Six is red hot sniper action

Heart of Darkness has soul of adventures past

Wow. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Interplay’s Heart of Darkness. One of the best things Interplay ever did was to divide its development houses into different areas of expertise. Heart comes from Tantrum, the action game side of the family. With low system requirements making it accessible to nearly anyone who bought a computer sometime in the past four years (66 MHz required), simple controls and a story line that appeals to both adults and children, Heart is destined for greatness. In early GiN industry awards voting (see our Web page if you have … Continue reading Heart of Darkness has soul of adventures past

Metal Gear Solid packs awesome punch

Who said that all action games had to involve a lead character running through corridors, shooting everyone in sight? Fortunately, a young man named Hideo Kojima changed this idea back in 1987 when he released a simple game to Konami entitled Metal Gear. The concept was unlike any other, as it required smarts and stealth, rather than brute force to complete your objective. MG was released for both the MSX computer in Japan, and on the Nintendo Entertainment System (under Konami’s Ultra Games label) with high success. Then, in 1990, two versions of Metal Gear 2 were released. The MSX … Continue reading Metal Gear Solid packs awesome punch

N2O: Nitrous Oxide will give gamers a real high!

I’ll admit, I’ve always been a big fan of classic arcade shooters. I don’t know why, maybe it was because of the sheer adrenaline rush that was obtained when trying to survive an endless onslaught of aliens. Two classic shooters that come to mind as the most engrossing, the most intense, and the most challenging are Tempest and Gyruss. They both had the same structure: rotating around in a 360 degree plane (well, almost, Tempest had a couple open-ended courses). Updates to these such classics, including Nanotek Warrior and (the only great Jaguar game) Tempest 2000, carried on the tradition … Continue reading N2O: Nitrous Oxide will give gamers a real high!

It’s kickoff for this year’s football wars

This month was the start of the 79th year of the National Football League, and as any other red-blooded sports lover, I am ready for it. But these days, not only do I watch the televised games, but I also simulate them on my PC or my Sony PlayStation. And just in time for the start of the real NFL season, it’s also time for the start of the PlayStation NFL war, with two main competitors going at it. On one side we have the 1999 update of the long-running Madden Series by EA Sports, and on the other end … Continue reading It’s kickoff for this year’s football wars

X-Files Fans: stop drooling and buy it!

I am a major X-Files fan, so when I found out that Fox Interactive was putting out an X-Files Game, I knew I had to have it. After a heated bidding war with the other GiN reviewers, I managed to convince the editor in chief that I was the best man for the job. Now I just have to wash his car once a week for the rest of the month. Fortunately for me, this game is worth it. Once I finally laid my hands on the box, I was a little horrified to find seven CD’s inside. I had … Continue reading X-Files Fans: stop drooling and buy it!

WWF Warzone is a kick in the pants for other wrestling games

As I am writing this review, I am currently watching an ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) pay-per-view, and with watching this, I can see how professional wrestling has become more hardcore, more aggressive, and best of all, more entertaining. Likewise, wrestling video games have been definitely getting better over the course of the last few years. I still remember playing the original Pro Wrestling on my Nintendo Entertainment System, and remembered how enjoyable it was. Unfortunately, with the later pro wrestling releases, they have averaged from pretty good (as in WCW vs. nWo: World Tour) to average (WWF Wrestlemania) to just … Continue reading WWF Warzone is a kick in the pants for other wrestling games

Gran Turismo takes the checkered flag for racing games

I used to always think that racing games were pretty shallow. Sometimes they had too few tracks; sometimes they don’t have enough cars to choose from. Some are too hard, some are just too easy. But still, racing games are very popular in the States and in Japan. You can’t go into an arcade without seeing at least one, or two these days, racing sims in operation. Consoles also have their share of racing sims. There are the shallow arcade style racers such as Ridge Racer, and the realistic sims such as NASCAR Racing. But until now, no racer was … Continue reading Gran Turismo takes the checkered flag for racing games

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

ReBoot

Reboot is a very enjoyable game, whether you’re a fan of the television series or not. For those who have not seen the show, it’s about a group of people who live inside a computer and have to protect the mainframe from intrusions like viruses and people playing games. The main character is the guardian of the mainframe, Bob. In the PlayStation version of the game, Bob moves effortlessly aboard his Zipboard, trying to rid the mainframe of tears that sap it of its energy. Control is accurate as you get the hang of the physics of the zipboard, sort … Continue reading ReBoot