16 Reasons Why It's a Great Time to
Be a Video Gamer
Hey all. We've taken it upon ourselves to let
you know what we think are going to be the biggest and the best things in the year to
come. A couple of systems and a whole lotta games for all systems. what a
great time to be alive!!!
Playstation 2
The finest looking game system around is nearly out here in the U.S.
Not only do you get a system capable of producing jaw dropping graphics, but you also get
a full featured DVD player as well. Just thinking of Gran Turismo 2000 makes us start to
drool. Sony looks to be in position to win the next round of the system wars, but you can
be sure Nintendo will give them a run for their money.
Nintendo
Gamecube
Speaking of the big "N", they finally unveiled Project
Dolphin to the press. A new name, and a controversial look surprised everyone, but
the graphics capabilities and beautiful screens were a surprise to no one. This system
looks pretty damn fugly at first glance, but every time you look at it, you'll like it
more and more. But what gets nearly everyone excited are the screens of the beautiful
games. Zelda, a new Metroid game, Rogue Squadron 2. . . how can Nintendo mess this
up? No DVD movie support, however, so Nintendo will lose fans because of that. Oh well.
Ogre Battle 64 (N64)
This game will kick ass. Plain and simple. It just has so much good
stuff going for it. It will be the only GOOD RPG on the N64 (Zelda is action/adventure,
not RPG), it has a large following of die hard fans who loved the SNES game, loved the PSX
game, and want more. It has very nice looking visuals. And it has excellent gameplay to
top it off. The Japanese import has recieved rave reviews from anyone and everyone who has
played it. Barring any translation problems, we should expect a great game when it
launches here in the 'states'. Oh, and did we mention it's the only GOOD RPG on the N64???
Half-Life (DC)
Half-Life on the PC won game of the year from so many game magazines,
it's hard to keep track. Expect the same gameplay in the DC version. The same great
multiplayer modes. The same great graphics (in some cases BETTER on the DC). Plus, when
Sega's SegaNet network launches, gamers will be able to play Half-Life via the DC modem
for some frantic online deathmatching. However, other than being able to use the superior
(in my mind) joystick controller to control it, and a couple of new levels, this is
basically a direct port of the PC version. That IS a good thing though.
NFL 2k1
(DC)
NFL 2k is the greatest football game ever made. And, come September,
NFL 2k1 will take it's place. It has the realistic look, the great "easy to learn,
but hard to master" gameplay, and everything else that made the original so good. It
also offers online playability, a feature which no other console game has to offer. The
first one was good, this one will be better. 'Nuff said.
Metropolis Street Racer (DC)
This game will sell like hotcakes. The graphics are super realistic.
The controls are spot-on. And the cars are well within the price range of the common man.
Everything is modeled so exactly, the developers took over 35,000 photos to assure
everything in the game is identical to it's real life counterpart. Do DC fans finally
have a game to rival Gran Turismo? Maybe.
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
What can we say, we really love the Zelda games. The puzzles, the
story, the characters are all top notch. The dungeons are all very well designed. The
bosses are all fairly challenging (well, not Ocarina of Time). Everything is so well put
together in these games, and Majora's Mask is no exception. Better yet, unlike Ocarina of
Time, EVERY cartridge will be gold. . . but those gamers who pre-order the game will
recieve a special cart with a hologram on the front. Nice. Also nice is the return of the
original Zelda theme music that was absent from Ocarina of Time. Wow, what a package.
Madden 2001 (PS2)
This game will sell as a benchmark game for PS2 graphics. It looks oh
so sweet. Everything looks so realistic, even moreso than in NFL 2k1 for DC. It's amazing.
But, does the gameplay back up the sweet graphics? Based upon the N64 and PSX versions,
the answer is yes. The gameplay should be able to keep up with the visuals. Oh thank you
EA, and thank you John Madden (ya fat football loving bastard).
Time Splitters (PS2)
The first words on nearly every preview, and even the advertisements
for this game are "made by the team that created GoldenEye". Team members from
Rare have defected and created a company named Free Radical determined to bring Rare magic
to new systems. It's a FPS that plays much like GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, but looks MUCH
better thanks to the PS2. With the team's track record, this could be a very good game.
Their past with the greatest developer on the planet is their greatest asset, but if this
game is only sub-par, it will be their downfall. We'll have to wait and see.
Jet Grind Radio (DC)
This game has us excited. How can roller blading around a huge city and
spray painting grafitti not be fun? Better still, creating your own grafitti with the
simple editor so you can tag the whole city with your kick ass name. The music is top
notch (real bands, yay). Don't be fooled by funky looking screens of this game, it's all
business, and all good. We can't wait to play this.
Tekken Tag Tournament (PS2)
Tekken 3 is a benchmark game. The animation, the combos, the uniqe
styles of each character. Then Soul Calibur came along and completely raised the bar. Now,
Namco is taking the next step in the Tekken/Soul series, and is releasing Tekken Tag
Tournament. It features all of the characters from the Tekken games crammed into one game.
The graphics are just as good as Soul Calibur's, if not better (depending on who you talk
to). And best yet, we can witness the beauty and flluidity that is Eddy with the power of
the PS2. No slowdown, no missing animations, just pure Eddy. Wow.
Gran Turismo 2000 (PS2)
Gran Turismo 2 ranks as one of my all time favorite games. Everything
was so perfect. And now, Gran Turismo 2000 is nearing completion, but is it just GT2 with
better graphics??? Heck naw! It features even more cars, new tracks, and amazing new
special effects in addition to the excellent graphics. Hot diggity damn!
Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)
Riddle me this: how can a game where you blow up cute little critters
not be fun? Finally, Nintendo is making an "adult" game, complete with
profanity, sexual content, and graphic violence with cute little animals. Developed by
Rare, you can rest assured the game play will match the rest of the oddball antics. This
game WILL be good, but it certainly won't be politically correct.
Paper Mario (N64)
The unofficial sequel to Mario RPG is finally coming. But it isn't by
Square (they jumped ship a while ago, y'know), but by Nintendo. Also, the game introduces
a unique graphics style, 3-D characters in a 2-D world. It looks odd and really cool at
the same time. This game features old school RPG gameplay (like the original), with a cool
story and the neat graphics. And because Mario is in it, you can rest assured that
Nintendo won't f**k this one up.
Seaman (DC)
Seaman takes the virtual pet games a step further. Now the damn things
can talk back, but that is a good thing. You raise your Seaman from it's
"birth", through several mutations based on how well you take care of it, to
it's "death". You control everything: water temp, light, food, etc. You are also
in charge of playing with Seaman, keeping him entertained, and talking to him. The more
you love him, and the better you take care of him, the longer he will live. And, depending
on how you take care of him, he'll mutate into different forms. You also have to talk to
him, and he'll talk back. Good graphics, interesting game design. This game should sell
well.
The Bouncer (PS2)
The Bouncer looks good. Not entirely a game, and not entirely an
interactive movie, but a mixture of both. You play a bouncer at a club (oh, that's what
the title means), and you have to kick people out. Of course, sometimes they need to be
helped out, so you fight with them. That's the meat of the game play: fighting. Done with
lighting, slow motion, and special camera angles, it looks and plays like an interactive
version of the Matrix. It
looks amazing, and if it plays half as good as it looks, we're in for some fun.
