• Tag Archives N64

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (September 1998)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – September 1998

    Electronic Gaming Monthly was one of the most successful gaming magazines and one of my favorites. I never subscribed but did buy issues frequently and bought pretty much every issue in a span between 1990 and 1993. By 1998 I was rarely buying an issue. I’m not sure why really but I guess like everybody else, I was starting to get more content online. Contents from the September 1998 issue (the 110th issue!) include:

    Features

    • Metal Gear Solid – Nothing had been seen from the Metal Gear franchise for the better part of a decade. In fact, it couldn’t really be called a franchise at that point. But it was back in a big way on the PlayStation in 3D glory so of course EGM had a story on it.
    • Hurry Up and Die So I Can Play – This is an article on female game designers and sound engineers. Why sound engineers specifically vs. graphic artists or other game designers? I have no idea. Anyway, this article goes into how female game designers and sound engineers feel about current (at the time) female characters in gaming.
    • Pocket Cameron – This is an article about the Game Boy Camera and making your own ‘blockbuster’ (Pocket Cameron, James Cameron, get it? Hahaha…heh.) Though the article goes over how to use the camera it is a bit tongue-in-cheek. After all, it can’t even really record video, just black and white images. Though you can make some simple animations by using a series of photos. As a side note, at the time the Game Boy Camera was in the Guiness Book of World Record as the world’s smallest digital camera.

    Departments

    • Editorial – This editorial is about making gaming a little more grown-up instead of something targeted at adolescent males.
    • Letters – The Letter of the Month talks about how Sony made the PlayStation a success with their marketing despite it being technically inferior to the Nintendo 64. It foreshadows the failure of the Dreamcast with a warning to heed the lessons of the PlayStation vs. the Saturn.
    • Press Start – EGM’s news section. The feature story was about violence in video games and Florida’s latest attempt at censorship (which fortunately failed).
    • Gaming Gossip – A regular column featuring rumors and gossip in the gaming industry. This month the Dreamcast, Game Boy Color games, and Saturn’s Virtua Fighter 3 were the topics.
    • Review Crew – EGM’s regular reviews section. Pocket Fighter, Banjo Kazooie and Shining Force III were the featured games though there were many other reviews.
    • Previews – EGM’s regular previews section. It is similar to the reviews section except it looks at unfinished games with an uncritical eye. For the Nintendo 64, Twisted Edge SnowBoarding, Bomberman Hero, Madden NFL 99 and Wipeout 64 were looked at among others. For the PlayStation Bust-a-Groove, Parasite Eve, Tenchu, Duke Nukem: Time to Kill, and Colony Wars: Vengeance were featured. For the Saturn, Castlevania was the featured preview. There were arcade previews too (big name arcade game were still being made in 1998) including Street Fighter Alpha III, Daytona 2, Soul Calibur and Gauntlet Legends.
    • Jump Start – This is what EGM was calling their strategy section. This month’s featured strategy was on Vigilante 8.
    • Trick of the Trade – EGM’s tips and tricks column featuring X-Men vs. Street Fighter on the PlayStation.
    • Get Some! – This was a column dedicated to new gadgets and media. This month it looked at The Buz video capture device by Iomega, a book of Photomosaics, Space Ghost: The Musical, and Sony’s new TRV64 Hi-8 camcorder.
    • The Final Word – A sort of second editorial to wrap up the magazine. This one is a rant about the deficiencies of modern controllers, focusing on the Dreamcast and Nintendo 64.

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  • Jet Force Gemini (Nintendo 64)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    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.


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  • Expert Gamer (April 1999)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Expert Gamer – Issue Number 58 – April 1999

    The video game magazine Expert Gamer was the successor to EGM2 (or EGM^2 or EGM squared or however you want to say it) and continued the same numbering scheme. The first issue of Expert Gamer was numbered issue 50 and it was published from August 1998 to October 2001 for a total of 39 issues. The April 1999 issue includes:

    Expert’s Choice

    • Mario Party – Everything you wanted to know and more on Mario Party is covered in this 16-page strategy guide – from tips on all the games and puzzles to stats, maps and items prizes.

    Tricks of the Trade

    • 16 New Games This Month – Buck Bumble, BattleTanx, Body Harvest, Fox Sports College Hoops ’99, Legend of Zelda, Magical Tetris, NBA Jam 99, Bust-A-Move 4, Contender, Knockout Kings, Moto Racer 2, Abe’s Exodus, Rogue Trip and many more!

    Feature Strategies

    • Vigilante 8 – Pinpoints the differences in the N64 version, plus shows the exclusive level.
    • Legacy of Legaia – A complete walkthrough and a list of all the game’s spells and secret seru.
    • Guardian’s Crusade – Provides a town map, a shop list and stats on how each monster can be defeated.
    • Shadow Madness – A complete character breakdown, all items revealed and a detailed dungeon map.
    • Pokemon – All the Pokemon locations plus which TMs and HMs each one can learn.

    Quick Hits

    • Shadowgate – Detailed walkthrough, answers to the Sphinx’s riddles and instant deaths.
    • T’ai Fu – Boss techniques, world map, enemy stats and T’ai Fu’s many cool fighting styles.
    • In the Zone ’99 – Coaching and goalie tips, plus everybody’s favorite: cheap tricks to help you win.
    • Blades of Steel – Describes new modes of play, and how to manage a championship team.

    Departments

    • Editorial – Four RPGs dominate this issue. Plus, why Mario party can be competitive.
    • Gamers’ Forum – Subbing or dubbing: Which is the lesser of two evils in games today?
    • Game Over – How to beat the Elite Four and your archnemesis Gary to be the best in Pokemon.
    • Coming Soon – Discover what will be in the May issue of Expert Gamer, EGM and OPM.

    …and more!


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