Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: October 29, 2001

It’s hard to find any gamer who can’t, on some level, relate to Saturday morning cartoons. Most of us probably developed our thirst for humor, adventure and mayhem sitting in front of the family TV, and as we grew up discovered that we could become a part of those stories through the games we play. Is Unreal Tournament all that different from a particularly action packed episode of GI Joe? How clearly can we draw a line between the success of the Pokemon TV show and its electronic incarnations? ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: September 19, 2001

As the old saying goes, rumors of the adventure genre’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. While it’s true that there has been a decided slowdown in production of these classic titles, every so often a developer returns to their roots and sets forth an epic tale that demands careful thought, logical deduction, and a dedication to defeating the crafty puzzles. At least, that was the original style of these offerings, but later they became one of the key sources of gaming humor. The latest of these new adventures for the console world, which follows in a trend of the Diskworld series and many LucasArts releases, features the misadventures of five aliens who suffer from a chronic case of absolute stupidity. Unleashed on the Dreamcast as the appropriately titled Stupid Invaders, these xenomorphs need your help to return to their home and avoid the evils of human science. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: August 27, 2001

To the best of this author’s knowledge, there has only ever been one hedgehog whose fame extended across most of the globe. First introduced to the gamers of the world in 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog has been the key character in Sega’s roster of personalities, appearing in titles on every system released by the famed developer. Hip, blue, and cool, Sonic’s trademark speed and attitude made him a favorite with kids and adults alike, eventually paving the way for an animated show, fan conventions and eventually the founding of Sonic Team, Sega’s elite group of developers responsible for hits like the original Sonic Adventure and Phantasy Star Online. Having conquered the surface of Ragol with the latter installment, the team turned their attention back to their raison d’etre, and the end result was a new adventure for our spikey-haired buddy, known appropriately enough as Sonic Adventure 2. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: August 16, 2001

The Worms franchise is one of those mysteriously successful series that always leaves the uninitiated shaking their heads with wonder. On its surface, the concept of bazooka toting invertebrates is ludicrous, and spectators usually voice their criticisms vocally and with little reserve. Then, every so often, one of these critics sits down and tries their hand at a little bit of “worming,” and a sudden glow comes over them. Suddenly phrases like, “Oh really, well then, watch this my little friend,” start to float around the room and before you know it, there’s another addict out there analyzing angles, trajectories and munitions in the hopes of wiping out a team — of all things — of worms. One of those phenomenons better experienced than understood, the worms are back, and having survived Armageddon, they’re ready for a Worms World Party, taking place across the Internet and on your Dreamcast this summer. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: August 10, 2001

Like most young lads, I had a favorite super hero. While some kids loved Superman, he was just too perfect for my tastes. The various members of the Uncanny X-Men were too heavily enmeshed in their own personal politics, and while Batman’s dark morbidity ranked very, very high on the cool scale, even he couldn’t hold a torch to Spider-Man. I’m not exactly sure what it was that made the wall crawler my personal hero. Perhaps his dedication to his family, or it might have been that even though he always tried to do well by others, the city still viewed him with an air of strong suspicion. Upon reflection, I think it was just the fact that almost nothing ever went Spidey’s way, and that made him somehow more human than the others. Of course, flinging webs and climbing walls doesn’t hurt either, and now players are given the chance to explore both sides of the wallcrawler’s personality with the Dreamcast release of Spider-Man. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: July 25, 2001

Let’s imagine for a moment that Steven King had millions of dollars at his disposal. Okay, bad example, let’s try millions of dollars and a viciously twisted sense of the macabre. Alright, let’s try it this way: imagine Steven King turning his attentions and considerable acumen to the world of theme parks. While the king of modern horror might not run with the same name, the end result would be Illbleed, a terrifying collection of attractions that recently manifested on your Dreamcast in an AIA published release of the same name. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: July 14, 2001

The arcade port is a special brand of game, and it always receives special attention from the gaming press. Unlike console-specific titles, we reviewers don’t have to work from scratch when tackling these releases, and since most of us have crippling gaming addictions, chances are that we were out there dropping quarters and tokens long before the developers shipped it to our living room. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: June 29, 2001

As one of my co-writers once noted to me, there was a time when he was seriously “thinking of buying a Dreamcast just to play Crazy Taxi.” While perhaps not the ultimate killer app for Sega’s system, evidence suggests that the original insane taxi service inspired more than a few purchases. Why buyers gravitated to this game in both the arcade and at home was obvious: Crazy Taxi was 100 percent pure, uncut fun. Easy to learn, hard to master and backed by an amazing soundtrack, the allure of cabbydom was a siren call most players could not resist. With this popularity behind it, a sequel seemed sure to follow, though there were probably more than a few fans rendered nervous by notification of the Dreamcast’s impending demise. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: June 22, 2001

The gaming industry and media have been abuzz with discussions of violent content in games for quite some time now; and anecdotal evidence suggests that Sega refused to make a light gun for their Dreamcast system because of this explosive issue. Fortunately for the sharpshooters out there, Interact and Pelican were willing to fill the void and provide the public with products like their Stinger Light Blaster. Unfortunately, up until this point, these stylized weapons have been relegated to niche status, as only House of the Dead 2 and an extremely minor mode of Demolition Racer took advantage of their accurate and exhilarating capabilities. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: June 6, 2001

Anyone who’s spent any time in a major arcade over the past five years will probably recognize the name Daytona USA. A perennial favorite, this racing sim’s long lasting appeal can be tracked back to the sheer volume of frontage it possessed wherever it appeared. With up to eight units linked together, the racing pods of Daytona USA could easily occupy a whole section of your local coin-op, and in some cases the player’s races were displayed on large screens for the enjoyment of spectators. With such a lengthy history behind it, and Sega’s development stamp on the initial version, it was only a matter of time before this classic made its way onto the Dreamcast. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: May 5, 2001

With Survivor: The Australian Outback finally completed, we can look back on the lessons that were impressed upon us when the social dynamic started to run out of good footage. Instead of Rudy’s gruff comments or Richard’s scheming, this batch of Survivors seemed to spend hours waxing philosophic about their environment and about the families they were missing back home. No matter how rough things got, though, the Survivors always knew that modern amenities were only a tribal council away, and that after barely more than a month they’d be heading back to the comforts of their homes. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: April 26, 2001

Spend enough time hanging around artists and you’ll eventually hear about the “vanishing point.” An imaginary area of space that exists on the horizon, perspective drawings rely on this point to create the illusion of three-dimensional area. While the overall process is different, the basic technique is still used today to render first and third person shooters, sports games and, of course, driving titles. As such it’s wholly appropriate that Clockwork Games chose Vanishing Point as the title of their latest racing offering, which was designed around the concept of an arcade port that never existed in the arcades. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: April 17, 2001

Billiards is one of those activities that enjoys mass popularity in large part due to its accessibility. Like many sports, pool requires skill, practice and concentration, but unlike more athletic events there’s little need to train at high altitudes or stretch before each game. Mix in the appeal of the archetypal pool hall, complete with smoky air, free-flowing beverages and dimly lit ambiance, and you have a combination that’s hard to resist. Of course, financial concerns and time constraints often conspire to keep the billiards aficionado away from his favorite hang out, but Sierra Sports is hoping to help players through these tough times with Maximum Pool for the Dreamcast. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: April 2, 2001

Motorcycles are as much a part of the American mythology as baseball and mom’s apple pie. The image of the lone rider cruising down endless interstates haunts our television and movies, while novels like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance have become cult classics. The archetypical cruising cycle may be the Harley Davidson, but in the performance world there’s just as rich a history surrounding the Ducati name. An Italian manufacturer, Ducati has been improving on the basic performance cycle design since the ’40s, and countless models have rolled off the assembly lines and into the eager hands of speed enthusiasts. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: March 24, 2001

For many people, BMX biking dropped off the radar of public consciousness about the same time Corey Haim and Corey Feldman stopped packing the theatres with their boyish good looks and rebellious attitudes. Unlike those erstwhile heartthrobs, however, BMX riding spent many years quietly drawing a cult following. The explosion of the extreme sports scene in the early and mid-90s brought BMX back into the spotlight. With regular appearances at the X-Games and on various cable sports networks, a new generation of stunt riders has appeared to wow fans with their impressive and sometimes unbelievable skill at trick riding. ( read more… )