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 IT'S ALL GO: Make your wildest driving fantasies come true with the action-packed Road Rage that turns ordinary drivers into speed demons or blast the socks off the enemy in the strategy-shoot-'em-up combo, War Games
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Zap the enemy and speed like a demonOur game reviewer, JULIAN VON PLATO, gets behind his joystick to try out some of the hottest new titles
COMMANDOS
Requirements: Pentium 166
processor with 32Mb RAM
Price: R299
What's hot: Get to be a WW2 hero
What's not: Keep getting killed
Gameplay: Non-stop action
Graphics: Good
Sound: Realistic
Installation: Easy
Our rating: 8,5/10 Commandos features a revolutionary artificial intelligence system and the ability to control six commandos, each with a unique set of abilities and skills which are crucial to completing missions and bringing the squad back alive. Perilous missions will take the player from the parched desert of North Africa to the banks of the Rhine, the mountainous fjords of Norway and the beaches of Normandy. The player will study the enemy's movements, strategise, synchronise troop movements and then launch forces in a swift and fierce attack that requires intelligence and resourcefulness.
Installation is pretty simple. Direct X drivers are required. The graphics are pretty standard for a wartime strategy game, and playability takes a little getting used to. But once you've got the hang of it you'll be gunning down German soldiers left, right and centre.
TRIPLE PLAY 99
Requirements: Pentium 166 MMX
with 32Mb RAM, 3DFX video
cards recommended
Price: R299
What's hot: Cricket 99 will be built
using the same engine
What's not: Baseball is not big in SA
Gameplay: Not bad, considering we
don't play the game much here
Graphics: Superb
Sound: Awesome
Our rating: 8/10
I WAS Graphically, the game is a lot better than all the other baseball games I've played and, when using the 3DFX, it gets really good. You can put the ball cursor option on, which makes the ball look like a meteor on fire. The only problem I encountered with the 3DFX was that the sound was gone the first time I loaded it up with 3DFX. I'm not sure why. There appears to be a problem running the Voodoo 2 card with the audio as I can't seem to get audio in the 3DFX. It's got all the usual US commentators, who proceed to tell you all those boring stories about which no-one gives a damn. Still, they make it sound interesting. The game's playability is pretty simple. If you start in easy mode, the game tells you what keys to hit for pitching and batting to give you a better chance of winning. You also have the option of setting how many innings you want to play, as nine innings can take a little too long. You have the usual option of playing a full league season or just the playoffs, and, if tournaments are what you are after, then play ball. The full histories of all the players are there, but hey, who cares? I just want to hit home runs and hear the crowds roar. I know baseball is not what you would call a national pastime here, but this game is really good. Once you get to know what's going on you get engrossed.
NEED FOR SPEED III
Requirements: Sony PlayStation
Price: R299
What's hot: Non-stop racing action
What's not: Always getting caught
Gameplay: Easy
Graphics: Great
Sound: Superb
Our rating: 8/10 The eight new supercars, which boast price tags as high as $1-million (about R6-million), include Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Lamborghini. There is a slide presentation related to each car that contains pictures of their genuine counterparts as well as all the facts and figures about the cars. Players can choose to play in simulation or arcade mode for any of Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit's real-world theme tracks. By winning the first four tracks, players earn the right to advance and are then rewarded when the game reveals the remaining tracks of Atlantica, Country Woods, The Summit and Lost Canyons. Other game options include mirror mode and racing backwards. Other excitement is provided by the police lights that realistically reflect off the road during a chase, night driving, water spray from the tyres during rain and many other randomised weather conditions where the player selects thunder and lightning effects, etc. But speedsters be warned - in hot pursuit mode you will meet with numerous levels of police aggression, from high-speed chases and road blocks to tyre spikes. The cops in this game stop at nothing to bring you to justice for overstepping the law. Hardened felons who repeatedly try to escape the police do so at their own risk and could find their tyres spiked by strategically placed police barricades. And just when you thought this could become boring, be prepared for opponents with attitude. Artificial intelligence endows each of the challengers with his own personality, which is revealed in his name. Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit puts the terror back into road racing.
MADDEN NFL 99
Requirements: Sony PlayStation
Price: R299
What's hot: Great stats for NFL fans
What's not: Still don't understand
the game
Gameplay: New one-button mode
makes it a lot simpler to play
Graphics: Great
Sound: Typically American
Our rating: 7/10
THERE EA Sports enlisted the help of All-Pro running back Barry Sanders to design player moves. Perhaps the biggest feature in the game is the new one-button mode that literally opens the game up to millions of potential users. The one-button mode enables beginners to concentrate on enjoying Madden NFL 99 without experiencing any frustration due to a lack of game-playing experience or in-depth football knowledge. Thanks to the one-button mode, the user can now hike the ball, hand off to a running back, throw it to the open receiver, make a big tackle, spin the ball carrier and throw a stiff-arm or hurdle to avoid a tackle by simply hitting the "X" or "action" button. The Madden NFL 99 artificial intelligence is so sophisticated that it automatically reads what is happening in the game and will make the appropriate choice for the user when he presses the action button. Then, as beginner game players hone their skills, they'll be able to graduate to higher levels of gameplay. The game is full of statistics regarding your favourite NFL team, providing you with the latest up-to-date information on your favourite players. Graphically, the game has improved to give a more three-dimensional view of the players and the game. The moves have been improved, making the gameplay a lot more exciting to watch. Madden NFL 99 is a lot of fun, although it is difficult to understand what is going on. It is scheduled for release next month.
WARGAMES
Requirements: Sony PlayStation
Price: R299
What's hot: Great action
What's not: Nothing springs to mind
Gameplay: Great
Graphics: Very good
Sound: Not bad
Our rating: 9/10
IF YOU'RE The game is a lot better than the movie, and a lot more fun because it is interactive. You get 32 assault vehicles and an innovative split-screen option, which delivers pulse-pounding excitement. WarGames is set 20 years after the movie, when the military's secret super-computer, the WOPR, has found a way to end all war - by exterminating humanity. Players command conventional forces from the North American Aerospace Defence Centre or futuristic forces from the WOPR in challenging missions created with the help of the feature film's original director, John Badham. Battles take place in graphically stunning alpine, countryside, desert, lowland, Pacific and urban environments where players command a force of 32 different air, sea and land units for the ultimate in combat firepower. Players can control up to eight units at one time to ambush the enemy, utilising an arsenal of weapons from conventional tanks and helicopters to a futuristic weapon known as the "MK4 walker", a two-legged armoured attack vehicle. In addition to blowing away enemy troops, WarGames players can direct units to hack into enemy command centres to earn "repair damage" and "secondary weapon reload" power-ups. This is not just any typical war strategy game - it is exciting and fun to play.
ROAD RASH 3D
Requirements: Sony PlayStation
Price: R299
What's hot: Non-stop action
What's not: Gets a little boring
after a couple of hours
Gameplay: Easy
Graphics: Good
Sound: Awesome
Our rating: 8/10
YOU'VE Road Rash 3D captures the sensation of fast and furious combat racing with new motion-captured animations and superb physics models. Four nasty gangs, 12 hopped-up bikes and dozens of twisted bikers turn miles of pavement into a gauntlet of combat racing. Road Rash 3D provides nail-biting combat racing. It also comes with a music CD to bring you the best of the music provided with Road Rash.
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