Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: April 12, 1999

As games of all types get increasingly sophisticated, and as the buying public gets more and more discerning in what they purchase, the amount of time it takes to develop a title grows longer and longer. It is not that uncommon for offerings with large development teams to take years to design and produce. Whereas in prior years this long gestation time was reserved for groundbreaking major efforts or sure winners, in today’s market even lesser releases take a lot of time to finish, in part because they have to satisfy the potentially differing demands of the developers, publishers and distributors.

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Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: April 9, 1999

The idea of futuristic violent sports games has always intrigued me. I have seen several movies on this topic (Rollerball, anyone?), all involving sports with incredibly fast action, earth-shattering collisions and usually broader political or social intrigue reflected through the competition. Given how many of today’s contact sports, such as football and hockey, have involved devastating injuries as players become stronger and faster, these future scenarios do not seem all that farfetched. All one has to do is look backwards in history to the period of the Roman gladiators to realize spectators can allow their lust for intense competition to escalate into a bloodfest. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: March 31, 1999

With all the racing games released over the last several months, it is easy to have an “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all” attitude about any new offerings in this overcrowded genre. Many of these products really do not offer anything new, but instead simply add better graphics and sound to the same gameplay ideas that have been around for years. Indeed, within the specific niche of arcade combat racing games, there have been some super new releases (such as Beam Software’s Dethkarz and Ubi Soft’s S.C.A.R.S.), but innovative concepts have been few and far between; all in one way or another appear to be vastly improved versions of Psygnosis’ classic Wipeout XL.

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Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: March 29, 1999

The antics of major game companies always seem to attract a ton of attention, but when one of a couple of circumstances occur they really gain center stage. When a major game company attempts to enter a niche traditionally dominated by another major game company, it is big news; thus, when Epic Games released Unreal last year, with the hope of challenging the hegemony of id Software in the 3D first person shooter category, we all stood up and took notice. When a major game company releases a product that is universally considered a dud, such as Trespasser from DreamWorks Interactive last year, there is massive collective head-scratching wondering how the offering ever got past the quality control folk responsible for sound products in the past. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: March 22, 1999

It used to be that computer games involving tanks were always military simulations with lots of realism and complex tactical strategy. Since tanks are inherently slow-moving and hard to maneuver, you had to carefully plan points of attack and defensive hiding places, and coordinate assaults to wipe out enemy targets. The sluggishness actually helped the gameplay because it gave you time to figure out what to do next in the heat of battle. In sharp contrast to air combat games, where lightning-fast reflexes are a must, tank combat games have placed a premium on your mental rather than physical agility.

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Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: March 10, 1999

There are two completely different types of adventure games on the market today. One type, which I call action adventure, places emphasis on interacting with other entities to gain information and undertaking action with them to achieve your objectives. The second type, which I call puzzle adventure, has virtually no interaction with other entities and little action, and instead focuses on puzzle solving as a way of proceeding from place to place. LucasArts’ The Curse of Monkey Island and Grim Fandango are examples of the first kind of game, and Cyan’s MYST and Riven are examples of the second. Both kinds of entertainment are quite popular with the gaming public, but they appeal to two quite disparate audiences. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: March 3, 1999

It was almost two years ago in 1997 that I first became addicted to a gaming genre which I call 3D arcade combat games. It all began when I first excitedly laid my hands on Blue Byte’s Extreme Assault. This game, a landmark classic if every there was one, was among the first full-featured applications of 3Dfx technology and contained gorgeous graphics, exquisite music and truly fun shoot-em-up gameplay using a variety of vehicles in a fully immersive 3D environment. While since that time its graphics have been surpassed by Rage’s Incoming, and its music cannot quite match that in Digital Image Design’s Wargasm, no other game of this type has approached the blast I got from the frenzied combat action so perfectly crafted in each Extreme Assault scenario. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 26, 1999

I must admit I have never been a particular fan of computer games dealing with the police. When Sierra released its highly regarded Police Quest series, it left me cold. When Psygnosis developed its game G-Police, I loved the graphics but I just could not get into the mentality of futuristic police officers. I don’t really know what it is, but somehow I think games concerning the men (and women) in blue conjure up images for me of bureaucratic rules and regulations and rigidity in managing crises that do not let me use my creative imagination to restore peace and stability to the area. Although I fully respect the police in real-life, I feel somewhat straightjacketed in a gaming environment if I always have to do things by the book. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 24, 1999

If you love NASCAR racing, things can be pretty confusing on the PC game scene. Sierra Sports has generally dominated this racing domain, what with NASCAR Racing followed by NASCAR Racing 2 and now succeeded by NASCAR Racing 1999 Edition. But EA Sports, a powerhouse in its own right, is following up its console release NASCAR 1999 with a soon-to-be-released PC game named NASCAR Revolution that hopes to take the wind out of Sierra’s sails. You can go to the store and easily pick up the wrong product without even thinking. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 15, 1999

There is only one passion I have that competes with my love of gaming, and that’s international relations. Ever since I was a lad I have been fascinated with shifting patterns of conflict and peace, dominance and dependence, and wealth and poverty on the global level. The swirling controversy and complexity of foreign intrigue never ceases to capture my attention. Of course, it is said that those most attracted to the study of authority structures really want to dominate everything themselves…

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Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 13, 1999

Every now and then a new game developer comes along that really impresses you with the innovation, style, and addictive gameplay of its first offering. When that rare event happens, if you’re like me, you make a mental note to yourself to be ever vigilant to future releases from that company, hoping that the spark shown in the first product will continue in all the rest. Because so many companies are lemming-like in their steadfast unwillingness to deviate from the pack these days, a spunky firm such as the one I am describing really stands out.

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Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 9, 1999

Electronic Arts’ domination of sports games over the last year is in many ways comparable to Microsoft’s domination of computer operating systems. EA Sports has been cranking out a series of real winners, perhaps most notable of which have been FIFA 99, Madden NFL 99, and NHL Hockey 99, that drew rave reviews and left their competitors in the dust. In the specific area of racing games, the pattern is hardly different, as many game magazines (including The Adrenaline Vault) named Need for Speed III the top racing game of 1998. The combination of aggressive marketing and quality products makes Electronic Arts seem to many like an unstoppable juggernaut in the sports arena. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 4, 1999

It is interesting to note how foreign game companies attempt to pander to the American audience. One trend that has emerged lately is to try to include settings from the United States to make Americans feel at home when they play a game. A great example of this trend is what Ubi Soft, a French company, did recently with its product Speed Busters (produced by its Canadian branch): the company subtitled the game “American Highways” and included tracks mostly from the United States to entice American game consumers. It is almost as if the foreign game producers think the only thing that really interests us is ourselves. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 3, 1999

I may sound like a naive bumpkin, but in recent months I have become somewhat of a gaming optimist. It seems to me that there has been a slow but steady improvement in the quality of games I am reviewing. Although games continue to emerge that have major flaws, bugs, or limitations, most appear to have some redeeming features that save them from utter unplayability. Particularly when dealing with offerings from major publishers, many of us have developed a comfortable feeling that we can trust that their games will not be dismal duds.

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Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 2, 1999

Games that set as their goal to appeal to every kind of gamer are usually in for deep and serious trouble. While we are all used to the blurring of genres and the development of hybrid games, those that try to be all things to all people in the end often please nobody. It takes so much effort to develop a product that can keep pace with the competition in one gaming niche that it is virtually impossible to succeed in doing so in many niches at once. ( read more… )