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  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (September 1999)

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 122 – September 1999

    Electronic Gaming Monthly was near the top of my list when it came to video game magazines. By 1999, the industry had consolidated somewhat compared to what it was a few years ago. Sega, Sony and Nintendo were the only real players. The September 1999 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Dreamcast is Here – A look at the Sega Dreamcast, initial round of games and Sega’s plan for the future. The Sega Dreamcast would have been released days after this issue hit the stands.
    • No Longer Fantasy – A look at the upcoming Final Fantasy movie.
    • Turok: Rage Wars – A preview of Turok: Rage Wars by Acclaim for the Nintendo 64. This was a first person shooter with an emphasis on multiplayer.
    • Final Fantasy VIII – A preview of Final Fantasy VIII for the PlayStation which was due out the same month this issue hit the stands. While I played FFVII, I never did play FFVIII.

    Departments

    • Editorial – The Dreamcast is set to hit the streets with 24 solid games available on day one. Is this the biggest game launch ever?
    • Letters – Readers write in about the Dreamcast, Perfect Dark, survival horror games, megabits vs. megabytes, and more.
    • News – Final Fantasy movie coming to theaters; limited edition Pokemon game coming for the Game boy; Resident Evil 3 demo included on some copies of Dino Crisis for the PlayStation; Mario 64 sequel not anticipated until Dolphin (GameCube) release; bleem! PlayStation emulator hits stores (requires a Pentium 166MMX); Pac-Man Fever album re-released on CD; Nintendo reveals 64DD plans for Japan; and much more.
    • Gossip – Various rumors, including a possible Dreamcast version of Driver, a possible Dreamcast version of Soul Reaver, Michael Jordan returning to video games, PlayStation 2 to be used as a “set top box”, Dreamcast could emulate PlayStation, and more.
    • Previews – Previews of upcoming games including for the Dreamcast: NBA Showtime, Vigilante 8, Street Fighter Alpha 3, The King of Fighter: Dream Match 1999, Shenmue, Fighting Force 2, Ecco the Dolphin, South Park: Chef’s Luv Shack, Seven Mansions, Virtua Striker 2, Espion-Age-Nts, virtual On, Giant Gram All Japan Pro Wrestling 2, and Super Producer; for the Nintendo 64: Pokemon Snap, Mario Golf, WCW Mayhem, Rainbow Six, StarCraft, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing, Turok: Rage Wars, Resident Evil 2, Hercules, Winback, and Kyojin No Sohin; for the PlayStation: Final Fantasy VIII, Crash Team Racing, Suikoden II, WipeOut 3, Madden NFL 2000, NFL GameDay 2000, Spyro 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Medal of Honor, Dune 2000, Wu-Tang, You Don’t Know Jack, Metal Gear Solid: Integral, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, WCW Mayhem, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue, Silhouette Mirage, Thrasher, Sheep, Urban Chaos, Detonator Gauntlet, NBA ShootOut 2000, NBA Basketball 2000, Mag 3, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Test Drive Cycles, SuperCross Circuit, Knights of Carnage, Major League Soccer 2000, NHL Championship 2000, NHL FaceOff 2000, Vegas Games 2000, Romance of the Three Kingdoms VI, Konami Rally, Monkey Magic, Rugrats, Bass Landing, NCAA Final Four 2000, Vagrant Story, Rival Schools 2, Geppy-X, Assault Suits Valken 2, Oreshika, Roneco’s Great Adventure 2, Ichi Geki: Hagane No Hito; and more.
    • Power Tools – A brief look at various video gaming peripherals including the Tilt Force 2 PlayStation controller, Tilt Pak (N64), Data Deck (PlayStation), Boomerang 64 (N64), CH Products Gamestick (PlayStation), GameShark Pro (PlayStation), Xplorer FX (PlayStation), and more.
    • Review Crew – Reviews of some of the latest games including:
      • Nintendo 64 – NFL Blitz 2000, Command & Conquer, Duke Nukem: Zero Hour, Mario Golf, Monster Truck Madness 64, Pokemon Snap, The New Tetris, Tonic Trouble, and In-Fisherman Bass Hunter 64.
      • PlayStation – Chesmaster II, NFL Blitz 2000, Driver, Evil Zone, Jade Cocoon, Konami Arcade Classics, NFL Xtreme 2, Rising Zan, Sled Storm, Soul of the Samurai, Tarzan, and Tiny Tank.
      • Game Boy/GBC – Conker’s Pocket Tales, Looney Tunes, Motocross Maniacs 2, Pokemon Pinball, Spawn, Pac-Man Special Color Edition, R-Type DX, and Tarzan.
    • Review Archive – A brief overview of EGM’s last 100 reviews from issues 115-121.
    • Tricks of the Trade – Tips, tricks and codes for Vigilante 8 (N64), A Bug’s Life (N64), Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest (N64), Fighting Force 64 (N64), Quake II (N64), Rush 2 (N64), Ape Escape (PlayStation), Big Air (PlayStation), Pokemon Blue (GB), Driver (PlayStation), Lunar: Silver Star (PlayStation), Hello Kitty’s Cube Frenzy (PlayStation), R-Type Delta (PlayStation), Syphon Filter (PlayStation), Bust-A-Move 4 (GBC), and many more.
    • Get Some – A look at some of the latest gadgets, including Creative’s Nomad MP3 player, Sennheiser HD490 Live headphones, the Psyc Style Discman, the MD-MT821 MiniDisc Player from Sharp, and more.
    • The Final Word – An editorial on game development and innovation.

    …and more!


  • Nintendo Power (November 1996)

    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – Nintendo Power – Issue Number 90 – November 1996


    By 1996, the Nintendo 64 was Nintendo’s newest system but more games were probably still being released for the Super Nintendo and of course the Game Boy was still being supported. The November 1996 issue includes:

    Strategy

    • Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64) – This Jet Ski racing game was a follow-up to Wave Race on the Game Boy which had been released four years earlier.
    • Blast Corps (Nintendo 64) – A rather odd concept of a game in which you must destroy all obstacles in the path of an out of control carrier which is carrying an unstable nuclear payload. If it hits anything, nuclear winter will commence.
    • DKC 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble (Super Nintendo) – Donkey Kong Country really raised the bar on graphics and animation for the SNES and became quite popular. So much so that there were two sequels.
    • Super Star Wars (Super Nintendo) – This game was pretty old by this point but it was hard and no doubt tips and strategies were much appreciated.
    • Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (Super Nintendo) – I guess the fact that this is a Disney game explains why the duck artwork looks so Donald Duck like. I don’t remember this one at all though. However, it garners comparisons to Earthworm Jim for its humor.
    • Arcade’s Greatest Hits (Super Nintendo) – Hints for this classic arcade compilation that includes Defender, Defender II, Joust, Robotron and Sinistar.
    • Whizz (Super Nintendo) – Strategies for a game aimed at a younger crowd in which you are a hot-air balloon flying bunny.
    • Battle Arena Toshinden – Strategies for both story mode and PvP.

    Special Features

    • Shadows of the Empire Comic part 2 – An excerpt from the Dark Horse comic.
    • Critical Info: Super Mario 64 Charts – A couple of charts that tell you how to obtain 15 100-coin stars with info like a list of enemies that give up the coins. Plus, a complete inventory of the Areas.
    • Killer Instinct: The Card Game – A collectible card game with a Killer instinct theme. I think I would rather play the video game…or Magic the Gathering.

    Epic Center

    • Epic News – A couple of new Super Famicom games from Japan, including Marvelous: Another Adventure Island and Wonder Project J2. Also, upcoming KOEI games for the Nintendo 64.
    • Sim City 2000 – A detailed look at Sim City 2000 for the Super Nintendo.
    • Epic Strategies – A strategy guide for Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals for the Super Nintendo.

    Every Issue

    • Player’s Pulse – Now that the Nintendo 64 is out, readers seemed to be worried about whether or not the Super Nintendo will still be supported. Also, complaints with tacking on ’64’ to every game title.
    • Power Charts – At the top of the charts is Super Mario RPG for the Super Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for the Game Boy, and Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64.
    • Arena – Some specific game challenges for Pilotwings 64, Tettris Attack for the Game Boy and Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run.
    • Classified Information – Secret codes and tips for Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run, Tetris Attack, Madden ’96, Scooby-Doo, Frantic Flea, DragonHeart, Separation Anxiety, NHL ’96, Mega Man VII, Mega Man X3 and The Brainies.
    • Counselor’s Corner – Readers ask for help in Pilotwings 64, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy III, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
    • Now Playing – Brief overviews of the latest releases including Arcade’s Greatest Hits (Super NES), Battle Arena: Toshinden (Game Boy), Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble (Super NES), Magic Boy (Super NES), Kirby’s Pinball Land (Game Boy), Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (Super NES), Super Star Wars (Super NES), Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64), Simcity 2000 (Super NES) and Whizz (Super NES).
    • Pak Watch – Previews of upcoming games including Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey (Nintendo 64), Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. (Nintendo 64), NBA Hangtime (Nintendo 64), Madden ’97 (Super NES), NBA Live ’97 (Super NES), and Taz-Mania 2 (Game Boy).
    • Player’s Poll Contest – Fill out a poll for your chance to win an NBA Hangtime arcade game, NBA Hangtime for the Nintendo 64 or Super Nintendo, a basketball or Nintendo Power shirt.
    • Next Issue – Killer Instict Gold, Shadows of the Empire, NBA Hangtime, Wane Gretzky’s 3D Hockey and DKC 3 (part 2 of an in-depth review) will all be covered in the next issue.

    …and more!


  • Jet Force Gemini (Nintendo 64)

    Source: Girls of Gaming – Volume 1



    While I had a PlayStation at the time, there can be no doubt that Rare and the Nintendo 64 made a great combination. Jet Force Gemini is one of Rare’s games for the N64 and it’s a good demonstration of what they could do. Jet Force Gemini, released in 1999, is a combination third-person shooter/action adventure game in which you play the role of a member of a galactic law enforcement team.

    While this isn’t a game in which the story is too terribly important, it involves saving a race (Tribals) that have been enslaved by a large insect named Mizar and his drones. At least that is the story in the 1-player game. In a 2-4 player match, you can compete in a typical deathmatch style game.

    Featuring tons of enemies and lots of shooting, influences include everything from 80’s arcade games to Aliens to Super Mario 64 and more. The control system is somewhat unique. While wandering around, this game plays like other action platformers of the time. However, when enemies appear you have the option for manual, precise aiming in which case your character becomes translucent and a crosshair appears for aiming. With 15 worlds to explore, each with various stages, there is plenty to do. Fortunately, you have unlimited ammo..you are going to need it.

    Jet Force Gemini received generally good reviews and also seems to be a fan favorite (as are many Rare games). The criticism that exists is mostly directed towards the complicated control scheme. It was re-released as part of the Rare Replay compilation for the Xbox One otherwise you’ll have to track down an original cartridge or play it via emulation. Fortunately, unlike some Rare games, this one is fairly common and a cartridge will only set you back $10 or so on eBay.