Review by: Pete Hines
Published: May 25, 1997

Theme Hospital is the latest venture from Bullfrog and EA. Similar to Theme Park, where players managed the activities in an amusement park, you will be responsible for managing all operations and decisions in a hospital. The game has a light, humorous feel to it and there certainly is not much “blood and guts” (for you who may be squeamish). About the only thing that is predetermined is the size of the buildings. Other than that, you will have to manage every other facet of the game: hiring, firing, building rooms, performing research, and generally ensuring that your patients are happy. ( read more… )

Review by: Shawn Quigley
Published: May 23, 1997

M …other’s ?

D …ay ?

K …isses ?

It all starts in the year 1999. The world as we know it today has ceased to exist. The universe is now made of streams. These streams, giant electrical tubes, span across the universe. The people that are left on earth have been forced into slavery by evil beings known as “Stream Riders.” ( read more… )

Review by: Shawn Quigley

Published: May 22, 1997

It all began before our time, at the 12-hole Prestwick Links on the west coast of  Scotland in 1860. The British Open, the oldest and longest running tournament in  professional golf. Never before has a golfing simulation taken on the task or re-creating a “live” tournament until Looking Glass Technologies British Open  Championship Golf.

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Review by: Pete Hines
Published: May 21, 1997

Struggle for control of the galaxy and attempt to ascend to the throne of Emperor in this turn-based strategy game from SegaSoft. You assume the role of one of the five Noble House leaders, each of whom is jockeying for position in this galactic nightmare. In addition to the four other Houses, you will have to contend with other important groups like the Universal Church, the Merchant League, and rebel groups like the Vau and the dangerous Symbiots. Each plays a role in the battle for supreme power. When you begin the game, you’ll have no real enemies, other than the various rebels that are out to cause trouble for everyone. Forge alliances, start wars, trade, and do whatever else you think it takes to seize control of the galaxy and rise to the throne of Emperor.

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Review by: Pete Hines
Published: May 21, 1997

“Goodness reflects the light; and evil, bears the seed of all darkness. These are mirrors of the soul, reflections of the mind. Choose well.”

– Unknown

Realms of the Haunting (ROTH) is a thrilling, challenging, and somewhat disturbing look at the ultimate battle between good and evil. Adam Randall receives a mysterious package and returns to the site of the mysterious death of his father, a clergyman in a remote Cornish country village in England. As he attempts to uncover what happened to his father, he is drawn deeper and deeper into the midst of the ultimate battle between good and evil. ( read more… )

Review by: Jim Brumbaugh
Published: May 18, 1997

The depths of outer space can be a cold, dark, and lonely place. Of course, that is until a half-dozen enemy fighters appear in your craft’s sensors. At that point, it is your mission to either destroy or be destroyed in LucasArts’ latest Star Wars combat simulation, X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. ( read more… )

Review by: Pete Hines
Published: May 15, 1997

In Fragile Allegiance, a real-time galactic strategy game from Interplay, you represent the TetraCorp in its effort to colonize the galaxy and mine the valuable resources that are found on asteroids. In the process, you will meet and compete with different alien races who are looking out for their own interests. You decide with whom you wish to trade, who you want attack, and how you want to spend your hard-earned money. All the while, you are also attempting to avoid total financial and political ruin or annihilation. This is big business at its worst (or best) and the fate of TetraCorp is in your hands. ( read more… )

Review by: Pete Hines
Published: May 15, 1997

Shivers II: Harvest of Souls, is the sequel to the highly acclaimed adventure game from Sierra On-Line, called Shivers. The story takes place in a small, distant town, named Cyclone, where your friends have disappeared. Members of a rock band, they were in town writing music and making rock videos when they vanished without a trace. What happened to them, and who is this Darkcloud character that keeps taunting you? It is up to you to solve the puzzles, piece together the clues, and find out where your friends have disappeared to. ( read more… )

Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: may 12, 1997

They say the best things in life are free. If you play Duke Nukem 3D, you’re about to find out just how true this is. BDP, a group of hardcore gamers and Duke 3D fanatics, has just completed a project so cool, it will make your holoduke’s head spin. It’s called The Gate, and it’s now available at the best price imaginable — absolutely free of charge. ( read more… )

Review by: Jim Brumbaugh
Published: May 12, 1997

. . . for conflict is the great teacher, and pain, the perfect educator.
              - NagaRom

The fate of the distant world of Yavaun is no longer in NagaRom’s hands. Now, his children are fighting for control of this mystical jewel in the galactic firmament. Each of the four races which populate Yavaun has its own distinct strengths and weaknesses; strengths must be realized and weaknesses must be exploited in order for any one race to exert its will upon the others. ( read more… )

Review by: Shawn Quigley
Published: May 11, 1997

It all dates back many years ago, when man was looking for a way to move around. The idea of riding around in a car is something that many of us take for granted. Electronic Arts has taken something that many of us have only dreamed about doing, and put it right on our PC’s for us to enjoy whenever we feel the urge to. That dream is to get behind the wheel of just one of the most exotic, fastest, and for the most part, out of reach cars. Need For Speed II gives you the chance to drive one of eight of these supercars. ( read more… )

Review by: Brian Pipa
Published: May 6, 1997

Activision brings us the first of their two add-on packs — Scourge of Armagon. You’ve just defeated Shub-Niggurath and you find yourself back at your HQ. One problem — Quake has infiltrated the complex and it has been sealed to prevent Quake and company from marauding the outside world. Now you’re stuck with no way out. Time to kick some more Quake butt. ( read more… )

Review by: Brian Pipa
Published: May 5, 1997

Quiver is a unique game in this day and age of 200 MHZ Pentiums and 3D accelerated graphics cards. Quiver is a 3D action game for those with low-end systems — the minimum CPU required is a 486DX/33! Quiver is the only 3D first-person shooter in recent memory aimed at this virtually untapped market . If you are able to play Duke or Quake on your system, Quiver is not even worth a look for you, but if you’re stuck in the stone ages when it comes to your system specs, read on. ( read more… )

Review by: Jim Brumbaugh
Published: May 4, 1997

The Universal Remnant. That is all that is left of the Universe, which once consisted of a multitude of interconnected bubbles of space/time. In days long ago, a crustacean race called the Sznip and a race of nuclear plasmatoids known as the Fermis decided that nearly infinite space was not big enough for both of them. In the explosions that followed the declaration of war between these two races, not only were both annihilated, but all the bubbles were demolished as well — that is, all except one. Now, a multitude of sentient species are vying for control of the one, remaining Remnant. ( read more… )

Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: May 2, 1997

Note: This is a review of the patched, version 1.05 Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries. Without the patch installed, the game suffers from several bugs, and as such would definitely have resulted in a lower rating.

Overall, you’ve had a pretty satisfying day’s work. Your Thug only lost one arm, you single-handedly took out three enemy ‘Mechs, and you’re still alive to prove it. Okay, so you didn’t accomplish the secondary objective, and you won’t get that bonus. But hey, you get paid to fight, not to die. Besides, tomorrow’s another working day . . . ( read more… )