Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: November 28, 1997

If you think humans are afraid of catching a nasty venereal disease, just imagine how the inhabitants of the planet Scayra must feel. The failure of the main energy shield protecting the colony city of Scay-Hallwa has led to the escape of a sinister virus — Herpes Simplex. Sometimes fatal, always uncomfortable, Herpes has almost become something of a joke in our society. For the indigenous creatures of Scayra, the virus is no laughing matter. Instead of simply giving them an uncontrollable rash, Herpes mutates these beings, called Scay’Ger, into horrible, bloodthirsty monsters. They cannot be reasoned with, and want only to destroy every single human they come across…for they blame you for their unholy transformation. ( read more… )

Review by: Jordan Thomas
Published: November 28, 1997

If you took all the grainy, sped-up martial arts movies and mated them with a large quantity of cheese, and then spilled the product into a scintillating ninja suit, you’d have Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

Let’s be clear about something here: this is a console game. It is an overly simplistic fighter with poorly digitized actors and highly amusing sound effects. The buckets of blood only add to the general humor. Before this title hit consoles, it was in the arcades, where it wowed the coin-op crowds. The Trilogy is simply a refurbished compilation of the three preceding titles, and hence, it is difficult to compare it to much in the PC gaming universe.

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Review by: Pete Hines
Published: November 27, 1997

The Battle of Gettysburg was perhaps the most pivotal moment of the Civil War. In July 1863, Lee was marching his troops into the North for the first time. The Army of the Potomac scrambled to keep from being outflanked and was forced to fight a bloody battle in an effort to slow Lee’s progress. If the North were to lose, it would allow the South to march unopposed into Philadelphia, New York, and basically wherever else they wanted to go. While it was not a planned conflict, Gettysburg was the site of the largest battle ever waged in the Western Hemisphere and the bloodiest conflict of the war, with more than 51,000 soldiers being killed, wounded, or captured. ( read more… )

Review by: Shawn Quigley
Published: November 25, 1997

A few months back the Adrenaline Vault published a Feature on Accolade’s long awaited new installment in the Test Drive series, Test Drive 4. In its early stages, the game showed a lot of promise with some exciting features, including support for the 3Dfx chipset. The time has come for the official release of Test Drive 4 and we can now take a look back at that feature article, and see just how close the release version is to the expectations set by the development team and Accolade! ( read more… )

Review by: Jordan Thomas
Published: November 24, 1997

Enemy propellers wail a song of death from above. A silver-gray flash whizzes past your cockpit, and three smoking holes appear inches from your left leg. Muttering thanks to the gods of aviation, you rip the controls back and begin to climb at an alarming rate. Two pursuing Fokker Bandits rocket below you, inches from your dragging tail. Sweat drips from your brow as you continue to ascend, every passing moment increasing your fear of a critical stall. As the engine begins to sputter, you wrench the controls to the left, and bank away in a magnificent evasive maneuver. The two Bandits don’t even know what hit them. The very air seems to scream your victory as you lock on to your original assailant and fill his fuselage with fire. Two of your airborne compatriots move in from your flanks and fire rattling bursts of finishing fire on the enemy squadron. The Bandits explode, spiraling down into the cloud-cover, the liquid-black smoke tails signifying your triumph.

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Review by: Jim Brumbaugh
Published: November 24, 1997

As any member of Starfleet will tell you, it is difficult to rise to the position of sitting in the Captain’s Chair. If you prefer to live in the “real world,” most humans will tell you that it is nigh impossible. On occasion, certain “special” people are given the opportunity to park their derriere in the “Big Chair” (although Paramount might not want to admit that, I have heard stories…), but for the most part, that chair is reserved for only a handful of people. If you are the type of person that has always wanted to see how a starship bridge looks from the center seat, then Simon & Schuster’s Star Trek: Captain’s Chair is for you. ( read more… )

Review by: David Laprad
Published: November 23, 1997

For all his years traveling the deep waters that cover a majority of the earth, there were many things Cousteau never saw or discovered. Every day, mankind reveals new wonders about this wonderful, enigmatic planet. For that reason, it can be argued that the concept behind the new politically correct action-adventure game Sub Culture is not at all beyond the realm of possibility. Apparently, in the depths of the oceans exists a life form similar to man in nearly every respect except size — they are barely half an inch tall. They’ve got all the same bad habits, from trashy television to political turmoil, and, like us, they are very capable of complete and utter self-destruction. ( read more… )

Review by: Brian Pipa
Published: November 21, 1997

Centuries ago, powerful magic locked an ancient evil safely away from humanity. Now the force that enslaved a continent lies hidden somewhere inside the famed Stevenson Museum. Here, among the Capricorn Collection — artifacts from the tomb of Temüjin, the great conqueror better known as Gengis Khan — its power grows. To fight it you must unravel its mystery and uncover its secret. The only thing you know for sure is that the Capricorn, a jeweled goat head, somehow holds the key. ( read more… )

Review by: Jordan Thomas
Published: November 20, 1997

I stood alone in the room, staring at the box in my hands. Emblazoned on the cover was a thoroughly ugly and vicious looking creature which seemed ready to explode forth, Alien-style, and devour me. I knew the game was advertised as a bold new action thriller, and I was looking forward to the chance to meet this demonic figurehead face-to-face. What I was to encounter, however, was far more daunting than the beast’s monstrous grin.

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Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: November 19, 1997

Ever since the first home computer was capable of drawing pixels on a screen, gamers have been completely captivated by space simulators. The cult-like appeal of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises are proof that science fiction, and humankind’s fascination with space and its mysteries, will only continue to grow. Space sims capitalize on that child-like wonder by allowing gamers to do the one thing our race has just recently been able to accomplish: soar among the stars. Of course, blowing away starfighters and interacting with alien races is definitely part of the attraction. Games like Elite and Wing Commander defined the entire genre, offering unparalleled playability, strong storylines, and the undeniable illusion of hurtling through the vastness of space. It’s no secret that video technology in those early years was less than spectacular, and as a result, gamers had to accept the galaxy and interstellar combat as represented by flat, 2D graphics and a limited color palette. ( read more… )

Review by: Shawn Quigley
Published: November 19, 1997

After having seen the light of day many months back in another country, SWIV 3D Assault is being brought to the United States with the help of Interplay. This title dates back many years in one form or another on such platforms as the Super NES, Commodore 64, Atari ST, and the Mega Drive system, with many of these releases dating back into the early 1990′s. ( read more… )

Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: November 18, 1997

There are game developers who make military simulators, and then there is Jane’s Combat Simulations. When they first appeared on the scene, some had to wonder if Jane’s was really going to pull it off. Sure, they had the name and the years of expertise in the field of civilian military intelligence, but the question remained as to whether or not the fledgling game company could produce a fun, believable combat sim. Well, several titles later, Jane’s has proven itself the undisputed king of virtual war. With such hits as 688I Hunter/Killer, AH-64D Longbow, and ATF, the company seems incapable of making a bad game. Now that Longbow 2 has finally arrived, other helicopter sim developers might as well just throw in the towel. Yes, it’s that good. ( read more… )

Review by: Shawn Quigley
Published: November 17, 1997

It is a cloudy, overcast night when lightning strikes the starboard engine of your plane, sending you and your comrades crashing somewhere deep in the heart of Africa. This unknown land, or “the lost continent” is the setting of Sierra’s latest 3D Pinball game, 3D Ultra Pinball: The Lost Continent. This is not your everyday pinball game, and in fact, has a storyline that takes players through the different tables included in the game. ( read more… )

Review by: Pete Hines
Published: November 16, 1997

Age of Empires (AoE) covers the period from 5000 B.C. to 800 A.D. and the 12 ancient cultures that ruled most of what was then the “known world.” For the first three thousand years, the Sumerians and Egyptians were the two predominant civilizations, but soon thereafter numerous cultures sprung up and the fight for survival and supremacy was on. In AoE, your job is to pick a culture and lead it from its fledgling beginnings to the top of the food chain and status as rulers extraordinaire in this age of empires. The game is really a kind of cross between Warcraft 2 and Civilization, and the influences of both can be seen throughout. ( read more… )

Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: November 14, 1997

“He’s going postal!” If you’re ever in a McDonald’s and someone starts screaming that, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye. “Postal” has become the ultimate catch phrase for the 90′s. Thanks to a rash of United States Postal employees going completely bananas and taking to their respective workplaces with shotguns and automatic weapons, the term has become a colorful euphemism for losing one’s mind and going on a homicidal rampage. In fact, the phrase is so popular it’s been popping up in just about every area of American pop culture: a recent episode of Seinfeld had Kramer “going postal” when the mail carrier insisted on jamming his mailbox full of Pottery Barn catalogs, and even LucasArts got into the groove a couple of years back in their game Dark Forces…the cheat code for full guns and ammo was “lapostal.” So maybe it was just a matter of time before some enterprising game developers took the idea and ran with it, turning psychotic rage into a fun gaming experience. Enter Ripcord Games’ Postal.

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