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  • Advanced Computer Entertainment (January 1990)

    Source: Advanced Computer Entertainment (ACE) – Issue Number 28 – January 1990

    ACE (short for Advanced Computer Entertainment) is a computer gaming magazine that was published in the U.K. Or at least it was primarily a computer gaming magazine. It did have some console coverage as well. In 1990 it was covering the Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Spectrum, PC (DOS), as well as Nintendo and Sega game systems.

    Specials

    • ACE Flashback! – A look at computer gaming throughout the years: In 1980, the Sinclair ZX80 and Acorn Atom were introduced and the Atari 400/800 started being imported to the U.K.; In 1981 the VIC-20 was launched as well as the ZX-81; In 1982 the Sinclair ZX Spectrum was introduced along with the Commodore 64; In 1983 the Acorn Electron, Memotech MTX, IBM PC Jr., and Coleco Adam were all launched; and lots more.
    • Death Chamber – A look into a BattleTech Center which was an immersive experience in which you were able to pilot giant robots, at least in simulation.
    • Out of the Sun – A detailed review of Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain, the World War II combat flight simulator for the Atari ST, Amiga and PC (DOS).
    • The Big Chill – A detailed look at Midwinter, an action/strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic winter caused by a meteor strike and volcanic eruptions.
    • Goldcut Games – A look at upcoming releases from US Gold, including Loom, Battle of Britain, Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts, Black Tiger, Crackdown, Dynasty Wars, and more.
    • Beyond Words – Reader submitted computer artwork.

    Gameplay

    • Screen Test – Reviews of:
      • Hard Drivin’ – Polygonal racing sim for the Atari ST, Amiga, Spectrum, Amstrad, Commodore 64, DOS, and Archimedes.
      • Bruce Lee Lives! – Beat-em-up for the Atari ST, DOS, and Amiga), Wonder Boy III (side-scrolling platformer for the Sega Master System.
      • Ghostbusters – One of the few great movie based games reviewed here for the Sega Master System.
      • Switchblade – Cyberpunk themed adventure game played from an overhead perspective for the Atari ST and Amiga.
      • Onslaught – An action/strategy game for the Amiga ST and Amiga.
      • Future Wars – A sci-fi graphic adventure game for the Atari ST, Amiga, and DOS.
      • Battle Squadron – An overhead shooter for the Amiga.
      • The Third Courier – A Cold War adventure/RPG from Accolade for DOS.
      • Leisure Suit Larry III – The latest in the classic adult themed adventure series from Sierra for DOS.
      • Myth – A side-scrolling adventure game for the Commodore 64 and Spectrum.
      • Turbo Outrun – Classic racing game for the Atari ST, Amiga, Spectrum, Amstrad, and Commodore 64…in this case, the Commodore 64 version may very well have been the best.
      • Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts – The sequel to Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins for the Atari ST, Amiga, Spectrum, Amstrad, and Commodore 64.
      • Moonwalker – The Michael Jackson game for the Amiga, Atari ST, Spectrum, Amstrad, and Commodore 64.
      • Toobin’ – Conversion of the Atari arcade game for the Atari ST, Amiga, Spectrum, Amstrad, Commodore 64, and DOS.
      • Dragon Spirit – Overhead shooter featuring a dragon for the Atari ST, Amiga, Spectrum, Amstrad, Commodore 64, and DOS.
      • Roller Coaster Rumble – A roller coaster simulator for the Atari ST, Amiga, and Commodore 64.
      • Twinworld – A side-scrolling platform game for the Atari ST and Amiga.
      • Bushido – An excellent beat-em-up for the Commodore 64.
      • Rally Cross Challenge – A Super Sprint clone for the Atari ST, Amiga, Spectrum, Amstrad, Commodore 64, and DOS.
      • Interdictor – A combat flight simulator for the Archimedes.
      • It Came From The Desert! – Classic Cinemaware adventure game for the Atari ST, Amiga and DOS.
      • Ghostbusters II – Based on the movie of the same name for the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Spectrum, Amstrad, and Commodore 64. Sadly, it was nowhere near as good as the original.
      • Galaxy Force – Conversion of the arcade 3D shooter for the Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64, Spectrum, and Amstrad.
      • Quartz – An overhead shooter for the Amiga and Atari ST.
      • Drakkhen – A fantasy RPG for the Atari ST and Amiga.
      • The Cycles – Motorcycle racing game from Accolade for the Atari ST, Amiga, and DOS.
      • Snare – A fun puzzle game for the Commodore 64.
      • Clown-O-Mania – An arcade style game that looks like a more complex version of Q*Bert for the Amiga and Atari ST.
    • In Arcadia – A look at some of the latest arcade games including Block Hole (Konami), Special Criminal Investigations (Taito), and Exterminator (Gottlieb).
    • Big Bang! – A stock market like look at various game companies based on the average reviews of their games.
    • Tricks ‘N’ Tactics – Tips and tricks for various games including TV Sports Football, Dark Side, XIS, Leonardo, Gemini Wing, Mr. Heli, King of the Beach, Rick Dangerous, First Strike, Road Runner, The Shadow of the Beast, After Burner, Operation Wolf, Forgotten Worlds, and more.

    Regulars

    • News – Announcement of the color version of the Game Boy, Sega systems and games to become available in video rental stores, Computer City Supercentre opens; game compilations released on CD for the Commodore 64, CPC and Spectrum, Budokan for DOS coming soon, The Wizard to be released in movie theaters in November, Pipe Dream coming soon from Lucasfilm for various platforms, and more.
    • Letter Bombs – Letters from readers about Rainbow Islands, playing games with a keyboard and mouse, Barbarian on the Atari ST, the PC Engine, F-16 Combat Pilot for the Amiga, and more.
    • Next Month – Coming next month, a feature on computer wargaming, a profile of John Lasseter, and more.

    …and more!


  • VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (September 1992)

    Source: VideoGames & Computer Entertainment – September 1992

    VideoGames & Computer Entertainment was my favorite gaming magazine during most of its life. It went through a couple of transitions later on, eventually giving birth to Tips & Tricks but I never really cared for that one. The September 1992 issue of VG&CE includes:

    Features

    • Tokyo Toy Show Report – Some highlights of items shown at this show include a RAM backup card for the Turbo Duo, the Wondermega Genesis/Sega CD combo unit, the Teradrive which is a combo 286-based PC and Sega Genesis, Street Fighter II for the Super NES, Afterburner III for the Mega Drive/Mega CD, Lunar: The Silver Star for the Sega Mega CD, Soldier Blade for the PC Engine, Dodge Ball for the PC Engine, Musashi for the Mega Drive, Snatcher for the PC-Engine CD-ROM, Cosmic Fantasy 3 for the PC-Engine CD-ROM, and lots more.
    • Searching for the Dark World: A Player’s Guide to Zelda III, Part I – The first part of a detailed guide for A Link to the Past.
    • The 1992 Summer Consumer Electronics Show Recap – Highlights of the show include Super Star Wars (Super NES), Street Fighter II (Super NES), Dracula (Atari Lynx), Bart’s Nightmare (Super NES), Shadowrun (Super NES), TTI’s Turbo Duo, Centipede (Game Boy), Betrayal at Krondor (PC), Maximum Overkill (PC), Battletank 2000 (PC), Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (PC), and lots more.
    • Getting Into the Game: An Exclusive Look at Nick Arcade – Nick Arcade was a game show in Nickelodeon that featured virtual reality by putting players inside arcade games.

    Reviews & Previews

    • Video-Game Reviews
      • Dungeon Master – The classic 3D adventure game for the Super NES.
      • Taz-Mania – A platform game for the Genesis featuring the classic Warner Bros. character.
      • Danny Sullivan’s Indy Heat – A racing game for the NES featuring nine courses across the U.S.
      • Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu – Side scrolling beat-em-up featuring Jackie Chan before he became a household name.
      • King Salmon – Another fishing game, this one for the Genesis. I don’t like fishing games anyway and this isn’t one of the best.
      • DinoCity – A platform game for the Super NES in which you team up with a dinosaur to defeat some evil Neanderthals.
      • Andro Dunos – A side-scrolling shooter for the Neo Geo.
      • Side Pocket – Classic pool game for the Genesis.
      • WWF Wrestelmania Steel Cage – The last WWF wrestling game for the NES.
      • Ka-Blooey – A puzzle game for the Super NES in which you must set off all the bombs on a level without blowing yourself up.
      • The Terminator – An action adventure game based on the movie of the same name for the Genesis.
      • Adventure Island III – The latest iteration of this platform game for the NES.
      • Splash Lake – A puzzle game for the TurboGrafx-CD that bears more than a passing resemblance to a classic board game called Don’t Break the Ice.
      • King of the Monsters 2 – Fighting game featuring various monsters for the Neo Geo.
    • Gaming on the Go
      • Roger Clemens MVP Baseball – A reasonably fun baseball game for the Game Boy.
      • R.C. Grand Prix – A fun R.C. racing game. I never played this one but have fond memories of R.C. Pro Am on the NES and Re-Volt on the Dreamcast.
      • Tom & Jerry – A platform featuring the famous cartoon duo on the Game Boy.
      • Marble Madness – Conversion of the arcade classic for the Game Gear.
      • Steel Talons – Conversion of the helicopter coin-op game for the Atari Lynx.
    • Seven’s The Charm: A VG&CE Exclusive Preview of Wizardry VII – Eleven years after the original Wizardry was released, the seventh game in this classic RPG series, Crusaders of the Dark Savant, makes its debut.
    • Computer Game Reviews
      • Darkseed – An H.P. Lovecraft/H.R. Geiger inspired adventure game for the PC.
      • Mutant Beach – A puzzle/adventure game for the Macintosh.
      • Pinball Dreams – A pinball game featuring four different tables for the PC and Amiga.
      • Global Effect – A world building sim for the Amiga and PC featuring 14 different scenarios.
      • Aquaventure – An action game that plays like a 3D version of Defender for the Amiga.
      • Crisis in the Kremlin – A strategy game for the PC based on the Tom Clancy book of the same name.
      • Road & Track Presents Grand Prix Unlimited – A Formula One racing sim for the PC.
      • Gateway – A sci-fi game based on the Frederik Pohl book of the same name.
      • Gods – A run and shoot platform game. Think Contra.
      • Hong Kong Mahjong Pro – An actual Mahjong game for the PC, not the tile matching game that is usually associated with that name.
      • Wolfenstein 3-D – The granddaddy of all first person shooters. Welcome Id software to the scene…

    Departments

    • Editor’s Letter – A preview of this issue as well as a little about the upcoming October issue.
    • Reader Mail – Readers write in about game incompatibility with the new version of the Genesis, rumors of a new Super NES pack-in, controllers and Street Fighter 2, Neo Geo coverage, and more.
    • Tip Sheet – Game tips for Terminator 2 (arcade), Mission: Impossible (NES), and The Immortal (Genesis).
    • News Bits – Atari drops price of Lynx software, Galoob wins legal battle to keep making Game Genie, Nintendo and Sega lower 16-bit system prices, Sunsoft to release Road Runner’s Death Valley Rally and Tazmania for the Super NES, TTI lowers hardware prices, and lots more.
    • Easter Egg Hunt – Hidden secrets revealed in Street Fighter II (Super NES), Mike Ditka Power Football (Genesis), Awesome Golf (Lynx), The Guardian Legend (NES), Q*Bert (Game Boy), Sengoku (Neo Geo), MLBPA Sports Talk Baseball (Genesis), It Came From the Desert (TurboGrafx-16), OutRun (Genesis), and Steel Empire (Genesis).
    • Inside Gaming – A look at the near future of multiplayer gaming.
    • Q & A – Questions answered about unlicensed NES carts, software for the Apple IIgs, technical details of the Atari Lynx, the maximum number of Genesis controllers, the ext. port on the Genesis, the future of Sega CD, and more.

    …and more!


  • NBA Jam Extreme (1996)

    Source: GamePro – January 1997

    NBA Jam Extreme was first an arcade game that was released in December 1996 with home versions for the PlayStation, Saturn and Windows 95 coming about a year later. As you can probably tell from the name, this is a basketball game and it is based on the 1996-97 NBA season. This was not the first game in the NBA Jam series but it was the first created by Acclaim. Previous NBA Jam games had been developed by Midway and then ported to home systems by Acclaim. I guess this was because of legal wrangling with the name because Midway also continued releasing basketball games with NBA Hangtime. Graphically, NBA Hangtime resembled previous NBA Jam games than NBA Jam Extreme did.

    The last basketball game I spent significant time playing was One-on-One on the Commodore 64. That game featured Larry Bird and Dr. J. playing half court basketball. While the graphics were simplistic and game play a bit slow, it still managed a lot of depth and subtlety and was a blast to play. As far as the NBA Jam series, to me it seemed to peak with NBA Jam: Tournament Edition which was also an arcade game and was ported to a whole bunch of home systems.

    However, NBA Jam Extreme did add a variety of new things. The most obvious was that it was the first game in the series to feature 3D graphics. Meanwhile, NBA hangtime maintained the 2D graphics of its NBA Jam predecessor. Other changes included an expanded roster featuring a total of more than 160 NBA players, an “extreme” button which was essentially an enhanced turbo button that was found in previous iterations of the game, and other game play changes.

    NBA Jam Extreme received mixed reviews. The graphics were solid and there were a lot of new features but as an early 3D game, it had early 3D game problems. Most notably with the camera angle being something less than desirable. The game also had a slower pace and the home versions suffered from long load times. NBA Hangtime was generally considered to have better game play. However, if you are an NBA fan and someone who like video game basketball, this wasn’t a game you would want to miss. The game is of similar quality on whichever platform you choose, however the PlayStation version probably edges out the other versions as the best home conversion.

    This isn’t a game you will find a re-release for and because of licensing concerns it’s extremely unlikely you ever would. That leaves tracking down an original or using emulation if you want to give this game a try. There have been a number of sequels including NBA Jam 99 (Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color), NBA Jam 2000 (Nintendo 64), NBA Jam 2001 (Game Boy Color), NBA Jam (2003 for the PS2 and Xbox), NBA Jam (2010 for Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360) and finally NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (PS3, Xbox 360) in 2011. After that, the series seems to have died out.