• Tag Archives gaming

  • Computer Gaming World (March 1987)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer Gaming World – Issue Number 35 – March 1987

    While I didn’t really start reading it until the early 1990s, Computer Gaming World was by far my favorite computer gaming magazine. Eventually it would become a DOS and then DOS/Windows exclusive gaming magazine but it its earlier days it covered a variety of computer platforms. It had a very long life, eventually becoming Games for Windows before its death. The March 1987 issue includes:

    Features

    • The State of the Industry – An overview of the 1987 Winter Consumer Electronics Show. Highlights include PC compatibles announced by both Atari and Commodore. Commodore’s choices include the PC10-1 and PC10-2 with the primary difference being 512K RAM vs. 640K RAM. I’m not sure Atari ever actually released any DOS machines. EA introduces “Software Classics”, a budget line of games with the first release being Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future. Accolade released Desert Fox, Power and Spy vs. Spy. Activision released imports including The Rocky Horror Show, Spindizzy, Zoids and Titanic: The Recovery. Plus tons more games.
    • Gunship – Review of this combat helicopter flight sim for the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, Apple and IBM.
    • Gemstone Healer – An action adventure game sequel to Gemstone Warrior for the Apple II and Commodore 64.
    • Fifty Mission Crush – Combat flight sim from SSI featuring the B-24 Bomber.
    • Space M+A+X – Review of this space station construction simulator for DOS.
    • Star Trek: The Promethean Prophecy – Review of this text based adventure game for DOS, Apple II, and Commodore 64. This is the second game in the series.
    • Starflight – Review of this classic space flight/galaxy exploration/trading game.
    • Designer Profile – Interview with Doug Crockford, a game designer who has worked for Atari, National Semiconductor and at the time of this interview was working for Lucasfilm exploring the uses of CD-ROM technology.
    • Blue Powder, Grey Smoke – Review of this Civil War strategy war game for the Apple II (coming soon to the Commodore 64).

    Departments

    • Taking A Peek – A brief look at new games (with screen shots) including Killed Until Dead, Titanic, Aliens, Bard’s Tale II, Championship Baseball, MRCA Flight Sim., Fist, Hallucinations, Parallax, King’s Quest III, Uchi Mata, and Space Quest.
    • Sports Scoreboard – A look at some of the latest sports related games including World Games, Championship Baseball, Equestrian Showjumper, and Beach Blanket Volleyball.
    • Micro-Reviews – Reviews of Patton vs. Rommell and Strategic Conquest Plus, both for the Macintosh.
    • Reader Input Device – An opportunity for readers to rate various games and articles.
    • Game Ratings – Ratings for the top 50 games as determined by reader input.


    Back cover of the March 1987 issue of Computer Gaming World

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • GamePro (May 1997)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: GamePro – May 1997

    GamePro wasn’t a magazine I read a lot but it was probably the next most popular gaming magazine behind Electronic Gaming Monthly, at least in the U.S. The May 1997 issue includes:

    Cover Feature

    • The Lost World: Jurassic Park – This was about the time the move The Lost World came out and here is a preview of the game that goes along with it for the PlayStation.

    Special Features

    • Final Fantasy VII – Final Fantasy VII was probably the most anticipated Final Fantasy game and the most popular. Here’s an early preview of its release in Japan.
    • GameWorks: Ready for Gameplay – GameWorks was a new mega arcade that was a joint venture between Sega, Universal and Dreamworks. The first opened up in Seattle, Washington in 1997 and there were plans for 100 of them by 2002. I don’t know if that expansion ever happened but as far as I can tell the Seattle GameWorks still exists and there are no others.
    • Mortal Kombat Annihilation! – The Mortal Kombat movie sequel.

    SWATPro Strategy Section

    • Doom 64 Nintendo 64 ProStrategy Guide – A detailed guide for Doom on the Nintendo 64, including maps, secret exits and more.
    • The Fighter’s Edge Soul Blade (Part 2) – Part 2 of a comprehensive guide to Soul Blade on the PlayStation.
    • SWATPro – Hints, tips, tricks and cheats for Andretti Racing (Saturn), WWF: In Your House (PlayStation), The Legend of Oasis (Saturn), Dark Forces (PlayStation), NFL GameDay ’97 (PlayStation), NHL Faceoff ’97 (PlayStation), SlamScape (PlayStation), Vectorman 2 (Genesis), Bubble Bobble (PlayStation), Command & Conquer (Saturn), Crusader: No Remorse (PlayStation), Ten Pin Alley (PlayStation), Impact Racing (PlayStation/Saturn), Pandemonium (PlayStation), and Madden ’97 (Genesis). There’s also a list of the top game rentals and Blockbuster. Top of the list for each platform were Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64), Need for Speed II (PlayStation), Tomb Raider (Saturn), NBA Live ’98 (Genesis), Donkey Kong Country 3 (Super NES).
    • Samurai Showdown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge (Neo Geo) – Special moves for all of the characters and more.
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – A survival guide that includes maps, lists of locations, and more.

    ProReviews

    • PC GamePro – Reviews of Ecstatica II and Star Command Revolution, plus previews of Hexen II, Meat Puppet, Redneck Rampage, Comanche 3, X-Com: Apocalypse, Quake Mission Pack #1: Scourge of Armagon, Riven, and Extreme Assault.
    • Nintendo 64 – Review of Blast Corps.
    • PlayStation – Reviews of MechWarrior 2, WCW vs. The World, BattleStations, K-1 The Arena Fighters, Wing Commander IV, Sentient, The Incredible Hulk, Virtual Pool, and League of Pain.
    • Saturn – Reviews of Herc’s Adventures, The Lost Vikings, Lunacy, Contra Legacy of War, Tunnel B1, Dragon Heart, Super Puzzle Fighter II, Hardcore 4×4, and Heir of Zendor.
    • Sports Pages – Reviews of NBA Shootout ’97 (PlayStation), NBA Live ’97 (Saturn), FIFA Soccer 64 (Nintendo 64), VR Baseball ’97 (PlayStation), Rally Cross (PlayStation), and Perfect Striker (Nintendo 64 Japan) plus previews of Triple Play ’98 (PlayStation), All-Star Baseball ’97 (Saturn, PlayStation), NHL Breakaway ’98 (PlayStation, Saturn), NFL Quarterback Club ’98 (PlayStation, Saturn, DOS), HardBall 6 (PlayStation, Win95), and NBA Jam ’98 (Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Win95).
    • Role-Player’s Realm – A review of Vandal Hearts for the PlayStation.

    Departments

    • Head-2-Head: Letter from the GamePros – The evolution of the gaming industry.
    • The Mail – Readers write in about the CD-i, Resident Evil, Twisted Metal 2, and Final Fantasy VII.
    • Art Attack – Envelope art and other reader submitted gaming art.
    • Buyers Beware – Customer complaints about a free XBand modem offer, Tomb Raider ads, fighting in NHL ’97, and more.
    • ProNews – PlayStation price drops to $149, Sega plans merge with Bandai, upcoming games, Final Fantasy VII release plans, and more.
    • NetPro – Internet search tips, using various earch engines (Google didn’t exist yet), using Usenet, and more.
    • Overseas Prospects – A look at recent and upcoming overseas releases including Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation) and Gambare Goemon 5 (Nintendo 64).
    • Sneak Previews – An early look at The Lost World (PlayStation), Duke Nukem 3D (Saturn), Castlevania X (PlayStation), Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64), Yoshi’s Island 64 (Nintendo 64), Hexen (Nintendo 64), Clayfighter 63 1/3 (Nintendo 64), MDK (PlayStation), Battle Arena Toshinden (PlayStation), Darklight Conflict (PlayStation, Saturn, DOS, Win 95), VMX Racing (PlayStation, Saturn, Win 95), and Motor Mash (PlayStation).
    • Hot at the Arcades – A review of Tekken 3 plus previews of Darkstalkers: Jedah’s Damnation, Sega Super GT, and Rampage World Tour.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (August 2002)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – August 2002

    Electronic Gaming Monthly was perhaps the most popular and certain one of the longest lasting video game magazines in the U.S. The first issue came out in the late 1980s and it continued publication into the 2000s. The August 2002 issue includes:

    Features

    • Miyamoto’s Angels – Referring to Nintendo’s popular franchises Metroid, Mario and Zelda. This article previews the new games coming soon in those franchises to the GameCube and Game Boy Advance including Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube), Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (GBA), Metroid Prime (GameCube), Metroid Fusion (Game Boy Advance), Legend of Zelda (GameCube), and Zelda GBA.
    • The First GameCube and Xbox RPGs – Morrowind for the Xbox (but honestly, your better off playing it on a PC) and Lost Kingdoms for the GameCube are a couple of the first major RPGs for those platforms.
    • Grand Theft Auto Copycats – A look at some games that are, shall we say, influenced significantly by Grand Theft Auto, including The Getaway and True Crime: Streets of L.A., both for the PS2.

    Departments

    • Editorial – Looking at trends in video games, both good (adult themes in games) and bad (poor licensed games…but this has almost always been a trend).
    • Letters – Letters from readers about Tony Hawk 4, cel shading, Star Wars games, the Final Fantasy movie, and much more.
    • Press Start – The top news this month includes highlights from E3, and update on the PlayStation 2’s success, Microsoft pushes online gaming with the Xbox and new games like Unreal Championship, Nintendo pushing new games in major franchises but lacks online presence (Phantasy Star Online is the only online game at the time). For the GBA, more games are being released that make use of the GB/GBA link. Get extras in Animal Crossing and Phantasy Star Online.
    • Gossip – Quartermann speculates on rumors including Sonic retiring from Adventure games; Rare to start developing games for multiple systems; Doom III for the Xbox; and more.
    • Previews – A look at tons of upcoming games. For the PlayStation 2: Shinobi, The Two Towers, The Getaway, True Crime, WWE Smackdown!, Dark Cloud 2, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2, Zone of the Enders 2, Contra Shattered Soldier, The Sims, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Mega Man X7, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, James Bond 007 Nightfire, Silent Hill 3, Suikoden III, Wild Arms 3, Breath of Fire, Tenchu 3, Red Faction II, DDRMax Dance Dance Revolution, ATV Offroad Fury 2, War of the Monsters, RTX: Red Rock, DAve Mira BMX XXX, and NCAA Football 2003. For the GameCube: Resident Evil 0, Mario Party 4, Project BG&E, Wario World, Haven, F-Zero, Capcom Vs. SNK, Dungeons & Dragons Heroes, 1080 White Storm, and Aquaman. For the Xbox: Metal Gear Solid 2, Dead to Rights, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Blinx, Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, The Fellowship of the Ring, Duality, WWE Raw 2, Project Ego, Tao Feng, and Hitman 2. For the Game Boy Advance: Kirby, Contra Advance, Golden Sun The Lost Age, and R-Type III.
    • Review Crew
      • PlayStation 2
        • Aggressive Inline – Like Tony Hawk games but with inline skates.
        • Britney’s Dance Beat – A pretty terrible music based game.
        • Dropship: United Peace Force – A combat vehicle sim in which you not only pilot aircraft but drive ground vehicles as well.
        • Endgame – A light gun game that you probably don’t want.
        • Freekstyle – Kind of like SSX but with dirt bikes in instead of snowboards.
        • Legion: The Legend of Excalibur – A Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance like action/RPG that unfortunately does not live up to that comparison.
        • Fire Blade – A 3D combat helicopter arcade game.
        • The Mark of Kri – A 3D action adventure game that earns EGM’s ‘Game of the Month’.
        • MLB Slugfest 20-03 – A baseball game on steroids.
        • MX SuperFly Featuring Ricky Carmichael – A motocross sim with unrealistic physics…but fun to play.
        • Shifters – A not so great action/RPG.
        • Stuntman – A fun game that pits you as stunt car driver. Can be frustrating completing multipart stunts…
        • Sky Gunner – A fun 3D shooter but with some slowdown.
        • Stitch Experiment 626 – A 3D adventure featuring Stitch from Lilo and Stitch. Could have been a better game with better camera tracking.
        • The Way of the Samurai – A 3D fighting/adventure game.
      • Xbox
        • Test Drive – A continuation of the Test Drive series that I started playing on the Commodore 64. This one is comparable to Burnout.
        • Crazy Taxi 3 – A great sequel in a great series.
        • The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – An excellent RPG from the PC world. The Xbox version is excellent…it’s just that the PC version is better.
        • Totaled! – A demolition derby simulator that even has a career mode.
      • GameCube
        • Bomberman Generation – There have been a great many Bomberman games over the Years. This is one of the better ones.
        • Lost Kingdoms – A new and somewhat unique RPG for the GameCube.
        • WWE Wrestlemania X8 – Fans of WWE and wrestling in general should enjoy this one.
      • Game Boy Advance
        • Guilty Gear X: Advance Addition – A decent portable 2D fighter.
    • Tricks – Infinite grenades in Resident Evil, play as Laura Croft in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, several secrets for Jedi Starfighter, increase the size of your stolen-car collection in GTA3, Bonesaw in Spider-Man, strategies and clues for Eternal Darkness, unlock hidden wrestlers and arenas in Wrestlemania X8, plus tons of codes, GameShark codes, and questions answered by the Game Doctor.
    • The Final Word – A look at some of the under the radar games at E3 including Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Robotech: Battlecry, and Super Monkey Ball 2.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Retro Games 📎and tagged