Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: July 9, 2001

After Rage’s success with Incoming a few years ago, the British company was not immediately sure as to how to follow up its blockbuster hit. Now, almost three long years later, Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising is finally seeing the light, published by Interplay. While still an action game, this title differs from its predecessor because of the inclusion of significant strategy elements. The release resembles most closely the old classic Carrier Command, but has the action-strategy mix of the more modern Battlezone. In may ways violating all of the established patterns of both the action and real-time strategy genres, Hostile Waters has the potential to make a large and refreshing splash in the computer gaming world. ( read more… )

Review by: Josh Horowitz
Published: July 5, 2001

Anyone who’s seen the film “Stand By Me” or heard the expression “More powerful than a locomotive” knows about the respect trains deserve. If you think about it, the phrase used to describe the comic-book hero, Superman, stands as a testament to the strength and formidability of the fabled steel and iron beasts that helped modernize the world. When not being compared to superheroes, trains are also a hobby with a large following, and have captivated generations of model-builders and trainspotting enthusiasts worldwide. Now, for the first time, the publishing company known for its realistic flight simulations caters to these fans with the release of Microsoft Train Simulator, a game with the detail and complexity for which many train devotees have been waiting. Train Simulator, developed by the U.K. based Kuju Entertainment, gives anyone with even the smallest interest in iron horses the ability to drive one of nine powerful locomotives; ride as a passenger along six detailed, real-world locations, and design custom-built tracks, routes, and driving scenarios.

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Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: July 3, 2001

Perhaps it was inevitable that after it played such a prominent role in American Pie, someone would put together a video game based on lacrosse. While certainly not the most widely viewed sport in North America, lacrosse does enjoy a certain frantic energy and wholesale violence that makes it a phenomenal spectator sport. Better still, it’s more accessible than hockey, since it doesn’t require an iced surface, and with the heavy padding the players can dish out punishment on par with a football linebacker. Of course, the real selling point for violence-loving fans is that these gladiators come armed with sticks, allowing them to perform some amazing passes, deliver massive checks and accelerate a small ball to dangerous speeds. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: July 2, 2001

As with so many other virtual racing genres, off road racing on the computer has been broken down into several categories: There’s truck and automobile off road racing, closed dirt track and open road off road racing, and now stunt-oriented stadium and non-stadium off road racing. The appeal of all of these is to be able to drive with a higher level of freedom than on narrowly constrained asphalt tracks. Following up Powerslide (1998), Dirt Track Racing (1999), and Dirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars (2000), Australian developer Ratbag has released Leadfoot — Stadium Off Road Racing through Infogrames’ budget label, WizardWorks. What we have in this latest offering is tight and frenzied racing in pickup trucks and buggies around stadium-based dirt tracks. ( 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 27, 2001

Amidst the fervor of reality TV that’s swept the entire North American continent, a favorite subject has long been that of the thin blue line of police officers that protect society from absolute chaos. With Cops as the pioneer of these mini docudramas, there have been countless imitators, but none have managed to capture the imagination in quite the same way. Perhaps recognizing that people wanted more of the same theme, but not the same execution, Fox’s executives set to brainstorming another way to present police action. Given the continent’s rapt fascination with OJ Simpson’s white Bronco as it tore down the highway, it seems perfectly understandable that a show like World’s Scariest Police Chases would come into being. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: June 25, 2001

Within any game genre, there is a question about whether a new release can be outstanding if it is simply derivative — taking effective elements from previous titles rather than introducing novel innovations itself. Working through new publisher Fishtank Interactive, Russian developer Nival Interactive (the creators of Rage of Mages) has recently issued an offering, Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul that raises this exact issue. Incorporating standard role-playing elements of monsters and magic while mixing in a little real-time strategy, it makes no claim about revolutionizing computer gaming as we know it today. But does it offer enough to make its purchase worthwhile? ( 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 20, 2001

Try as you might, no one can ignore the devastating effect Tetris had upon the world’s office productivity. With hundreds of clones available, the Russian export has become as much a driving force in popularizing computer gaming as the ubiquitous Solitaire, Myst or even Deer Hunter. For all its charm, however, Tetris was a bit sterile and definitely catered to a mature audience, so the developers at Nintendo sat down to figure out how to make the game more appealing for the younger players who made up their target demographic. The decision to include Mario was a bit of a no-brainer; Nintendo knows that their charming plumber is the envy of every Bandicoot and Hedgehog on the planet. ( read more… )

Review by: Rick Weindel
Published: June 14, 2001

If you’re like me, you feel the same way about the flood of RTS games on the market as I do about politicians. There are a lot of them already out there, a lot more trying to get your vote, and they rarely, if ever, live up to their hype and promises. So, when I heard about Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns, and took a look at some of its screenshots, I pretty much wrote it off. I guessed it was another clone, trying to ride the coattails of all the other RTS titles before it. Soon after it came out, message forums all over the net began to fill with hundreds of messages about Kohan. I wondered, could it be that someone had breathed new life into a stagnant genre? ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: June 13, 2001

In the world of video gaming, there are very few dynasties. In a fast-paced and constantly evolving landscape of technology, most consumers recognize that references to the past are best interpreted as indications that a title is dated before it even hits the stores. There are a few exceptions to this generalization; the Resident Evil and Final Fantasy series are clear indicators to gamers the world over that the next installment will be a well designed and fleshed-out game that leads its particular genre. This reputation doesn’t come easily and can be removed with a single poor release, but once acquired it can mean substantial rewards for the publisher. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: June 11, 2001

Combat racing has a long and checkered history on the personal computer. Many a title has attempted to combine the joy of fast driving with the excitement of blowing up competitors along the way, but few have actually succeeded in making this combination work. The reigning champion in this sub-genre is Dethkarz from Melbourne House/Beam Software, having set a standard in 1998 that has never been equaled. Now Phenom Productions has developed a promising-sounding new release, Road Wars, published by Warcry Corporation (originally scheduled for publication by Intense Entertainment) in its attempt to clamber its way to the top of this heap — but does it make the grade? ( read more… )

Review by: Josh Horowitz
Published: June 7, 2001

There’s something about combat flight sims that keeps me coming back time and again. Maybe it’s the great graphics and engrossing storyline of Origin’s Wing Commander series; perhaps it’s the ability to play out your “Star Wars” pilot fantasies in LucasArts’ X-Wing and Tie Fighter games. Or maybe it’s the sneaky strike planning of Microprose’s F117A Stealth Fighter or the dogfighting madness of Dynamix’s Red Baron. Keeping these elements in mind, Bethesda Softworks present the newest entry in a genre rich in history and tradition: Echelon. ( 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: Bob Mandel
Published: June 4, 2001

Ever since its release in the early 1990s, game companies have been attempting to recreate the incredible success of Cyan’s MYST. Unfortunately, most of the adventure-puzzle titles which have followed this landmark release have been far less than blockbusters in the sometimes fickle marketplace. Despite this pattern, Karma Labs has spent over two years developing as its first release, Adventure at the Chateau d’Or, exactly situated in this genre. This new offering takes a rather different tack from other MYST-clones in having a fairy tale motif incorporating magic, a wondrous palace, and secret treasure. ( read more… )