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  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (January 1997)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    electronic_gaming_monthly_090_-_1997_jan_001

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue number 90 – January 1997

    Electronic Gaming Monthly was probably the best video games magazine of the late 1990s. It covered all the available systems in the U.S. and was also covered imports and rumors about upcoming systems and games. Some of the systems covered in 1997 include the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, Neo Geo, and 3DO.

    The January 1997 issue includes:

    Departments

    • Insert Coin – A look back 20 years to the introduction of Pong and Star Wars to today when a new wave of Star Wars games is coming along, including Shadows of the Empire for the N64.
    • Press Start – News this month includes the introduction of the Dual-Analog pad for the PlayStation, more M2 cancellations and doubts about its future, a new PlayStation model, possible future networked N64 games, Sega expands its online presence, Super Mario Kart R will become first four player N64 game, Arcade Shark N64 joystick introduced, and much more.
    • Gaming Gossip – News and rumors including: Midway making Quake for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation and Joust 3D for the N64; Mortal Kombat 4 coming soon; San Francisco Rush coming to the Nintendo 64; Lode Runner coming for the Nintendo 64; Sega develops arcade games with M2 board including Jurassic Park: The Lost World; and much more.
    • Next Wave Protos – A sneak peek at games in early development, including Spider (PlayStation), Command & Conquer (PlayStation), Oddworld (PlayStation), Carmageddon (PlayStation), HED (Nintendo 64), Sentient (PlayStation), Dynasty Warriors (PlayStation), Mission Impossible (Nintendo 64), Rocket Jockey (PlayStation), ID4 (PlayStation), WCW (PlayStation), XS (PlayStation), SWIV (PlayStation), Brahma Force: Assault on Beltlogger 9 (PlayStation), Rush Hour (PlayStation), Ark of Time (PlayStation), and more.

    • Review Crew
      • Dragon Force (Saturn) – A fantasy based military sim.
      • Sonic 3D Blast (Saturn) – A port of the Genesis version with improved graphics.
      • Bug Too! (Saturn) – A pseudo-3D side-scrolling platform game; Virtual On (Saturn), Sega’s fighting mech game ported from the arcade to the Saturn
      • Toshinden Ura (Saturn) – One of the worst versions of Toshinden.
      • Virtua Cop 2 (Saturn) – A good port of the arcade light gun shooter.
      • Batman Forever (Saturn) – A mediocre game based on a mediocre Batman movie.
      • Adventures of Lomax (PlayStation) – A 2D side-scroller featuring Lemmings.
      • Robotron X (PlayStation) – Basically, the classic Robotron unnecessarily “upgraded” to 3D.
      • Suikoden (PlayStation) – A large and pretty solid fantasy RPG.
      • Tunnel B1 (PlayStation) – An action game in which you must race against the clock. Looks and game play are somewhat reminiscent of Wipeout.
      • King’s Field 2 (PlayStation) – First person RPG.
      • Project X2 (PlayStation) – A difficult 2D horizontal shooter.
      • Tempest X (PlayStation) – A nice update of Tempest and it includes the original.
      • Tobal No. 1 (PlayStation) – A somewhat underrated (for the time) 3D fighter.
      • Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation) – A pretty good sequel to the original and the game to have at the time if you like vehicular combat games.
      • Dragonheart (PlayStation) – A 3D hack and slash game based on the movie that garners comparisons to Skeleton Warrior. Average at best.
      • Samurai Showdown 4 (Neo Geo) – Another 2D fighting game classic on the Neo Geo.
      • Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Super NES) – The newst street fighter game on the SNES seems to have the worst game play and control.
      • Maui Mallard (Super NES) – A pretty good 2D side-scroller for the SNES.
    • Tricks of the Trade – The trick of the month is for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and gives you access to a secret menu that provides a variety of options (including enabling playable bosses). There are also tons of other tips and tricks for Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation), Project Overkill (PlayStation), Die Hard Trilogy (PlayStation), Namco Museum Vol 2 (PlayStation), Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Super NES), Tobal No. 1 (PlayStation), Waverace 64 (Nintendo 64), NHL Powerplay ’96 (Saturn), Tomb Raider (PlayStation), Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Saturn), Motor Toon Grand Prix (PlayStation), Star Gladiator (PlayStation), Triple Play ’97 (PlayStation), Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64), Time Commando (PlayStation), Battle Arena Toshinden Ura (Saturn), Wipeout XL (PlayStation), Pilotwings 64 (Nintendo 64), Gun Griffon (Saturn), Gunship (PlayStation), Machine Head (PlayStation), Loaded (Saturn), and more.
    • Special Features
      • Cover Story: Mechwarrior 2 – A detailed overview of Activision’s classic mech combat sim game. I played the PC version but never tried the console versions.
      • PlayStation Expo ’96-’97 – A semi-annual event held in Chiba, Japan. The highlights of this show were the five new arcade conversions released by Namco including Soul Blade, Time Crisis, Ace Combat 2, Namco Museum Vol 5, and Rage Racer.
      • Retrogaming – It’s a little disconcerting to read a retrogaming article from a magazine that is itself now retro. This article takes a look at some of the many compilations available at the time including Namco Museum Volumes 1-4, IREM Arcade Classics, Thunder Force Gold Pack, Gradius Deluxe Pack, Arcade’s Greatest Hits as well as some standalone re-releases like Outrun, Asteroids, Afterburner II, Paperboy, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man as well as some modern updates to classic games. The article also asks “Will the PlayStation become a dinosaur in the years to come?…will the Super NES one day become an archaic system?”
      • MDK – A sneak peek at this third-person, 3D shooter that was attracting a lot of attention at the time.
    • Team EGM – Previews and reviews of sports games. Previews: FIFA ’97, Big Bass World Championship, Open Ice, Space Jam, and Grand Slam Baseball. Reviews: Hardcore 4×4, Jet Moto, 2 Extreme, In The Zone 2, Street Racer, NBA Hang Time, NBA Jam Extreme, and Motor Toon Grand Prix. Plus an interview with Cedric Ceballos whom I think was playing for the Phoenix Suns at the time.
    • Interface – The letter of the month deals with Nintendo’s botched launch of the Nintendo 64. Basically, there weren’t enough units produced to match pre-orders and on top of that they prioritized bigger outlets like Wal-Mart over smaller specialty gaming stores so that they got them earlier. Also, letters about PC vs. console gaming, the cost of “modern” consoles vs. the Atari 2600 when it was new, upcoming Saturn releases, complaints about the review format in the magazine, and more.

          Features

          • Shoshinkai – A look at Nintendo’s annual trade show. Some highlights include a look at upcoming games for the Nintendo 64 such as Blast Corps, Star Fox 64, Golden Eye, Mission Impossible, Yoshi’s Island 2, and Mario Kart 64 among others. There was also a look at the 64 DD disk drive for the Nintendo 64 but that was never released outside of Japan.
          • Mortal Kombat Trilogy – Which version is better, the PlayStation version of the Nintendo 64 version? There are trade-offs of course. The PlayStation version has 7 more characters and CD quality sound but also more loading time. The Nintendo 64 version on the other hand offers a 3 on 3 game mode that the PlayStation version doesn’t have. Three out of four EGM staff picked the PlayStation version as the best.
          • Final Fantasy VII Update – An update on the continued development of the much anticipated 7th installment of the Final Fantasy series. This was actually the only Final Fantasy I ever spent significant time playing.

          Next Wave

          • Saturn – Previews of recent or soon to be released Saturn games including Scud (80% complete), Virtual On (100% complete), Spot Goes to Hollywood (100% complete), and Heir of Zendor (95% Complete).
          • PlayStation – Previews of recent and soon to be released PlayStation games including Batman Forever, Psychic Force (85% complete), Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat (95% complete), Persona (100% complete), Final Fantasy VII (25% complete), Discworld 2 (60% complete), League of Pain (90% complete), Project X2 (95% complete), Re-Loaded (90% complete), K-1 (75% complete), and Allied General (100% complete).
          • Neo Geo – Previews of recent or soon to be released Neo Geo games. The only one this month is Samurai Showdown (100% complete).

          …and more!


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        • GamePro (April 1996)

          Posted on by Azrael Comment

          gamepro-_issue081_april_1996-001

          Source: GamePro – Issue Number 81 – April 1996

          GamePro was one of the two most popular video game magazines of the 1990s (the other being Electronic Gaming Monthly). GamePro wasn’t my personal favorite but it did have a long life and some good content along the way. In 1996 the transition from 16-bit to 32-bit consoles was in full swing so a lot of systems were being covered.

          The April 1996 issue includes the following:

          Features

          • Nintendo 64 Is Coming! – Nintendo sets the release date for the newly renamed Nintendo 64 to September 30, 1996. Specs include a MIPS 64-bit RISC R4000 CPU, SGI Reality Immersion 64-bit RISC processor (for graphics and sound), and 4.5 MB of RAM. Initial release games are supposed to be Super Mario 64, Killer Instinct, Pilotwings 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Cruis’n USA, and Doom 64.
          • LamePro – GamePro parodies itself.
          • Creating Evil Incarnate: The Making of Resident Evil – An interview with Shinji Mikami, leader of the team that created Resident Evil for the PlayStation
          • Resident Evil ProReview – GamePro gives top marks to Resident Evil for the PlayStation.
          • Where Are All the 16-bit Games? – The number of Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis releases are shrinking but the quality, overall, is better than ever. Intriguing upcoming releases include Lufia 2, Killer Instinct 2, Ultimate MK 3, Super Mario RPG, Super Road Rash, Marvel Super Heroes, and more. Of course, there are a number of sequels too. There are also some cancelled games listed including Akira, Comanche FX, Star Fox 2, Time Killers, Super Turrican 2 and Virtual Hamster among others.

          SWATPro Strategy Section

          • The Fighter’s Edge Presents Soul Edge ProStrategy Guide (Arcade) – All you need to know to beat your opponents (the the machine) in Soul Edge.
          • Loaded ProStrategy Guide (PlayStation) – The second part of a strategy guide for Loaded for the PlayStation. This part covers levels 5 through 8.
          • Breath of Fire II ProStrategy Guide, Part 3 (SNES) – The third and last part of a strategy guide for this Super Nintendo RPG, including the three endings.
          • SWATPro – Codes and passwords for tons of games including Loaded (PS1), Vectorman (Genesis), Earthworm Jim 2 (Genesis), Solar Eclipse (Saturn), Eternal Champions (Sega CD), Spawn (SNES), Earthworm Jim 2 (SNES), Sega Rally Championship (Saturn), Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES), Izzy’s Quest for the Olympic Rings (SNES), Doom (PS1), Blackthorne (32X), Pitfall (Jaguar), Killer Instinct (Game Boy), Toy Story (Genesis), Rayman (Jaguar), The Adventures of Batman and Robin (Sega CD), and Samurai Showdown III (Arcade).
          • Open Ice Codes (Arcade) – Various codes for this arcade hockey game.

          ProReviews

          • PlayStation
            • Resident Evil – The classic survival horror game.
            • Darkstalkers – One of my favorite Capcom fighters. One of the first games I owned for the PS1.
            • Descent – Like Doom only flying a ship through tunnels.
            • Return Fire – Overhead combat mayhem with tanks and jeeps and helicopters and…
            • The Hive – A poor PC conversion of a 3D shooter on rails.
            • Assault Rigs – A futuristic tank combat game that may remind you a bit of Tron. I had this game too but just remember it being fairly average.
            • Road Rash – The classic motorcycle racing game.
            • Revolution X – Arcade conversion featuring Aerosmith.
            • Philosoma – A not so great 2D/3D shooter.
            • In the Hunt – An ok side-scrolling shooter.
            • Space Griffon – A combat/exploration game featuring mechs.
            • A Train – A railroad sim.
            • X-Com – An outstanding strategy classic but better on the PC.
            • Geom Cube – Like Tetris but played from an overhead perspective.
          • Saturn
            • Street Fighter Alpha – Arcade conversion of the latest and greatest in the Street Fighter series.
            • Clockwork Knight 2 – An interesting platformer with outstanding graphics…but not really as fun as it should be. But if you liked the original you’ll like this one.
            • Mortal Kombat II – It seems like there were an infinite number of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter games…
            • Hi-Octane – I had this futuristic racer for the PC and it was a disappointment. Sounds like the Saturn version is no better.
            • D – A sort of horror themed Myst.
            • Skeleton Warriors – Basically an update to games like Golden Axe.
            • Darius Gaiden – Classic 2D side-scrolling shooter.
            • The Horde – This basically plays as a simple real-time strategy game in which you must build up your land then defend it from Hordes.
            • Defcon 5 – A Doom-like FPS in which you are supposed to avoid combat.
            • Revolution X – Arcade conversion featuring Aerosmith.
            • Sim City 2000 – An update to the classic city sim.
          • 3DO
            • Star Fighter – A sort of open areana 3D shooter.
            • Johnny Bazookatone – A humorous platform game that ends up being pretty average.
            • Cyberdillo – Doom but with an Armadillo. Unfortunately, its not a great game.
            • Iron Angel of the Apocalypse: The Return – A second rate sequel to a second rate mech game.
            • Battlesport – A futuristic soccer game with tanks.
          • Neo Geo
            • Real Bout Fatal Fury – One of many great 2D fighting games on the Neo Geo.
            • Puzzle De Pon – Basically Bust-A-Move.
          • Jaguar
            • Defender 2000 – An updated version of the classic arcade game.
            • Atari Karts – Atari’s version of Mario Kart…but without the weapons.
            • Super Cross 3D – A pretty terrible motorcycle racing game.
            • Zoop – The Jaguar version of this fairly simple but addictive puzzle game.
          • Jaguar CD
            • Primal Rage – A fighting game…but with dinosaurs!
            • Myst – The classic atmospheric adventure/puzzle game originally released for the PC.
            • Baldies – A God sim game for the Jaguar.
          • Super NES
            • Frantic Flea – An underwhelming platform game that seems like an odd release this late in the life of the SNES.
          • 32X
            • Spider-Man: Web of Fire – Side-scrolling action game featuring Spider-Man that, while not spectacular, does offer solid game play and better graphics than the Genesis alone could offer.
          • Role-Player’s Realm
            • Death Keep (3DO) – A sort of upgraded Eye of the Beholder style official Dungeons & Dragons games. One of the relative few good games for the 3DO.
            • King’s Field 2 (PlayStation) – Conceptually not all that different from Death Keep above but not as good.
            • Lucienne’s Quest (3DO) – Ultimately, a rather boring RPG for the 3DO.
            • Future Fantasies – Short sneak peeks at upcoming RPG games including Shining Wisdom, Kingomd II: Shadoan and Iron Storm.

          Departments

          • Letter from the GamePros – Commentary about ads that get complaints.
          • The Mail – Readers complain/comment upon ads.
          • GamePro Gallery – Envelope art from reader.
          • Buyers Beware – False rumors of hidden characters in WWF Wrestlemania for the Genesis, reader asks about cross compatibility between 32X, Sega CD and Saturn (there is none), reader complains about Ultimate MK3 being released after he bought MK3, and Blockbuster’s $400 deposit for renting a PlayStation.
          • ProNews – Rumors of Atari’s demise; Psygnosis announces plans for Saturn games including Wipeout, Destruction Derby, 3D Lemmings and Discworld to start with; 16-bit sales for the holiday season (1995) far outpaced those of newer systems and games; Sega lays off people; Final Fantasy VII announced, and more.
          • GamePro Online – A summary of what is available on-line from GamePro, mostly on AOL. This includes game demos, conferences and more.
          • The Cutting Edge – “Network Computers” (computers that get all of their content online vs. via cartridge, CD or other media) predicted to take over electronic entertainment…and I guess that’s largely true though the prediction was a bit premature.
          • GamePro Labs – Two massive analog controllers are tested including “Analog Joystick” (what a creative name) for the PlayStation and “Mission Stick” (not much better) for the Saturn.
          • Overseas ProSpects – A preview of games released overseas including Battle Arena Toshinden 2 (PlayStation), Kirby Super Delux (Super Famicom), Bahamut Lagoon (Super Famicom), Guardian (Saturn), and Lone Soldier (PlayStation).
          • Short ProShots – Previews of upcoming domestic releases including X-Perts (Genesis), Crash Bandicoot (PlayStation), Super Mario RPG (SNES), Magic Carpet (PlayStation, Saturn), Congo the Movie: The Lost City of Zinj (Saturn), Mortal Kombat II (PlayStation), Casper (PlayStation, Saturn, 3DO), Chronicles of the Sword (PlayStation, PC CD), City of the Lost Children (PlayStation, PC CD), Deadly Skies (PlayStation, Saturn, 3DO, PC CD), Floating Runner (PlayStation), Maximum Surge (Saturn, PC CD), Mohawk (SNES), Phoenix 3 (3DO), Sentient (PlayStation, PC CD), Snowjob (3DO), Syndicate Wars (PlayStation, PC CD), The Need for Speed (PlayStation), and Top Gun: Fire at Will (PlayStation).
          • Hot at the Arcades – A look at Time Crisis, a light gun shooter from Namco, and Killer Instinct 2, Rare’s arcade fighter.
          • PC GamePro – A look at Diablo, the famous overhead dungeon crawler; Whiplash, a more modern take on Stunt Driver; Command & Conquer: Red Alert, one of the hottest real-time strategy games of the time; Strife, a game based on an upgraded Doom engine; Z, an overhead action/strategy game from Bitmap Brothers; EarthSiege 2, another mech combat game; Abuse, a side-scrolling action game featuring a unique control system; Wetlands, a first person adventure game; and a trio of sports game including NBA Live ’96, NCAA Championship Basketball, and Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf.

          …and more!


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        • Vagrant Story (PlayStation)

          Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

          Vagrant Story (PS1)

          http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/160026868967/tetyuzon-just-started-playing-this-and-it-is

          SquareSoft (now Square/Enix) has a well deserved reputation for developing high quality console-based role-playing games. Vagrant Story is another action RPG that validates this reputation. Released in 2000 to critical acclaim and glowing reviews, it sold 100,000 units plus during its first month of release and was later released as part of the PlayStation’s “Greatest Hits” line.

          Vagrant Story was developed by mostly the same team of developers that created Final Fantasy Tactics. Since its original release on the PS1 it has been made available on the PlayStation network for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP) though there have been no sequels.

          I like these Japanese style RPGs and there are a number of good ones in addition to this one (the Lunar Series, the Final Fantasy series, Chrono Trigger, etc.) but I don’t think I’ll ever like them as much as games like the old Gold Box D&D series, Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and others of that nature.





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