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: 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: 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: Jordan Thomas
Published: November 6, 1997

Brian Fargo, creator of Wasteland, and the team at Interplay set the scene:

With a single blinding flash and a billowing mushroom cloud, modern civilization as we know it ceases to be.

Cities are incinerated, transformed from once-powerful metropolitan centers of commerce to desiccated husks. Millions of people perish instantly, utterly destroyed by the fires of nuclear war. The earth’s once-rich ecosystem is now an endless sun-blasted badland, and human life has been scattered. The few surviving settlements are brutal and desperate. Life will never be the same. Everyone on Earth feels the planet’s scars. ( read more… )

Review by: David Laprad
Published: February 8, 1997

As computer technology grows increasingly powerful, games are becoming more and more realistic. Of course, Apogee Software, once a small shareware developer that released charming, unassuming titles like Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure and the Commander Keen series, has been keeping pace with the rest of the industry. The abstract designs of yesterday, such as the garish colors and bowling alley-precise hallways of Wolfenstein 3D, and the rustic, two-dimensional crudity of the original Duke Nukem side-scroller, have been discarded in favor of unbridled authenticity. Their focus on developing quality games in each respective genre, and their refusal to release a title that was not cutting-edge in some respect, has led the company to cancel more games than they have released, much to the chagrin of enthusiastic fans. ( read more… )