Spyro the Dragon 2

Source: http://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2017/05/05/spyro-the-dragon-2/

The Spyro series were sort of sleeper hits. They don’t jump out as being likely to be great games but they were really excellent examples of 3D platformers on the PlayStation.

Spyro the Dragon 2, officially titled Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!, did not change a great deal from the original Spyro the Dragon. There are some new characters and of course new worlds to explore and some other minor enhancements but the gameplay is essentially the same. In this case, that is a good thing.

This game was originally released for the PlayStation in 1999. After an abortive attempt to release it on the European PlayStation Network in 2007 (it was pulled due to some fatal bugs) it was finally released on the North American PlayStation store in 2009 (and re-released in Europe in 2012). There were a total of three Spyro games released on the PlayStation an all were excellent games. Afterwards, the series went multi-platform and also went downhill. There have been several Spyro games since, some better than others, but nothing beats the original trilogy.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (August 1997)

Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 97 – August 1997

In August 1997 the Saturn, PS1 and Nintendo 64 were the newest consoles. EGM was still also covering the Super Nintendo and the Genesis which were nearing their last days. Contents of this issue includes:

Departments

Insert Coin – A look back at the last 9 years of EGM as well as upcoming changes.

Press Start – The latest news in the video game world. This month, Sega and Bandai cancel plans for a merger; Sega announces price cuts for the Saturn (as low as $149); Ghost in the Shell comes to DVD; rumors of an upcoming Nintendo 64 game featuring characters Banjo and Kazooie; Singletrac, a formerly PlayStation only developer, announces an agreement to develop games for the Nintendo 64; launch of the 64DD disk drive add-on for the Nintendo 64 is delayed until March 1998 (not that it would ever make it to the U.S.); Tobal 2 U.S. release cancelled; Earthworm Jim 3 announced for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and PC; Interact debuts The V3 Racing Wheel; rumors of Resident Evil for the Nintendo 64; and much more.

Top 10 – Takin the number one spots this months according to EGM editors… Overall: Air Combat 2; PlayStation: Air Combat 2; Nintendo 64: Star Fox 64; Saturn: Shining The Holy Ark

Gaming Gossip – Rumors this month include information about Dural, Sega’s new 64-bit console; Sony’s new dual analog controller coming soon; new games for the PlayStation including Exodus, Messiah, a James Bond game and a new music game; Namco’s new System 33 arcade board which will host a new Ridge Racer game and a new fighting game among other; a new 3D based arcade board from Capcom which will host Street Fighter IV; Rampage for the Nintendo 64; and more.

Protos – A look at upcoming but as yet unfinished games including:
- - Aerofighter Assault (Nintendo 64)
  - MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero (PlayStation, Nintendo 64)
  - Resident Evil (Sega Saturn, PlayStation)
  - Dragonball GT (PlayStation<)
  - Youngblood (PlayStation)
  - Reboot (PlayStation)
  - Clock Tower (PlayStation)
  - Felony 11-79 (PlayStation)
  - Beast Wars (PlayStation)
  - Deathtrap Dungeon (PlayStation)
  - Violent Seed (PlayStation)
  - Freakin’ Fast (PlayStation)
  - Ghost in the Shell (PlayStation)
  - Bravo Air Race (PlayStation)

Review Crew – Reviews of the following games:
- Air Combat 2 – This air combat game for the PlayStation gets EGM’s Game of the Month.
- Shining The Holy Ark – A must have Saturn owners that are RPG fans.
- Machine Hunter – A scrolling shooter for the PlayStation that fans of Loaded would probably enjoy.
- Lethal Enforcers 1 & 2 – An arcade accurate translation of an older light gun shooter for the PlayStation. Graphics have not been updated though and it gets old fast.
- Xevious 3D – A nifty 3D update of an arcade classic for the PlayStation. I prefer the original though.
- Raystorm – A solid vertical shooter for the PlayStation.
- Poy Poy – A simply but fun multiplayer action game for the PlayStation.

Trick of the Trade – A code that gives you everything you need in Turok: Dinosaur Hunter; how to enable stage select and expert mode in Buster Brothers Collection; hidden cars in Peak Performance; a variety of cheat for Triple Play 98 and Bug Too!; level select and “cheat kill” in Wing Commander IV; free play, invincibility and more in War Gods; easy mode for Brahma Force; a variety of cheat codes for Descent Maximum; a cheat menu for Independence Day; Invincibility in Doom; a cheat menu in Die Hard Trilogy; and much more!

Team EGM – Featuring various sports games including Madden NFL ’98 for the PlayStation, Multi Racing Championship for the Nintendo 64, NCAA Football ’98 for the PlayStation, NHL Powerplay ’98 for the PlayStation, Top Gear Rally for the Nintendo 64 and more.

Interface – Letters from readers about Nintendo’s Project Atlantis, rent to own PlayStations, Japanese Saturn games, The City of Lost Children, Final Fantasy VII, the 64DD, and more.

Win Big!

Star Fox 64 – All you had to do for this contest was send in a postcard. Prizes included a Nintendo 64, Star Fox 64, Rumble Paks, Nintendo 64 controllers, and more.

Special Features

Peacetime Programmers – The relationship between defense company simulators and the latest games.

Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi – A Star Wars fighting game for the PlayStation. It sounded like such a cool idea but the execution was lacking. As fighting games go, it turned out to be pretty lousy.

Psygnosis – Featuring the latest games from this developer: G-Police is a pretty good Blade Runner-esque 3D action game; Colony Wars is another solid game featuring Wing Commander like space combat; Formula 1 ’97 is a sequel to their previous Formula 1 game; Overboard is described here as a cross between Gauntlet and Micro Machines; Psybadek is a free roaming 3D adventure game; Rascal is another such game that falls roughly into the same category; finally we have Shadow Master, a first-person 3D shooter in which you pilot a ship through enclosed areas (reminds me at least in concept of Descent).

Polygonal Pinup – A biography of Laura Croft.

The Year of the Show – An overview of all the video game related shows around the world throughout the year.

Next Wave

Dungeons & Dragons Collection (Saturn) – Includes both Tower of Doom and Storm Over Mystaria. These were originally arcade games and play like a cross between Final Fight and Golden Axe.

Sky Target (Saturn) – Ported from Sega’s Model 2 arcade hardware, this game is a bit reminiscent of After Burner II.
MDK (PlayStation) – A goofy and violent 3D 3rd person shooter that was originally developed for the PC. MDK was long rumored to stand for “Murder, Death, Kill”.

Machine Hunter (PlayStation) – A one or two-player top down action shooter.

Poy Poy (PlayStation) – A sort of 3D Bomberman.

Resident Evil Director’s Cut – Because you can never have too much Resident Evil…

Street Fighter 2 Collection (PlayStation) – A nice collection for Street Fighter II fans including Super Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold.

Lethal Enforcers 1 & 2 (PlayStation) – These lightgun classics are reviewed elsewhere for the Saturn.

One (PlayStation) – This 3D action game explores what happens if you wake up full of rage with a metal gun where your arm used to be…

Jersey Devil (PlayStation) – A 3D cartoon adventure but the name reminds me of the X-Files episode.

Chef’s Luv Shack

Magazine ad for Chef’s Luv Shack, by Acclaim for the PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 and PC (DOS).

http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/158801277671/n64thstreet-magazine-ad-for-chefs-luv-shack-by

South Park: Chef’s Luv Shack is South Park’s version of a party game. It consists of nearly two dozen mini-games interspersed with triva. Unfortunately, the game is exclusively multi-player and there is no AI to play against. Of course, these types of games are better vs. other people but it’s nice to have the option to play against the computer.

One neat aspect is that many of the minigames are based on classic arcade games. For example, Asses in Space is based on Asteroids, Pizza Boy is based on Paperboy, etc.

However, at the end of the day the game just wasn’t all that good. The mini-games quickly grow boring and while many may be based on classic arcade games, they aren’t nearly as good. To make matters worse, the trivia portion of the game is generally too easy and doesn’t play well making the mini-games the best part.