Dolphin Development
Made Easier
Nintendo today announced
strategic relationships with three U.S.-based software and
hardware tools companies for its upcoming next-generation
system, A.K.A. the Dolphin. Applied Microsystems, Corp.,
Metrowerks, and Factor 5 have all signed agreements to
develop tools that will make developing for the Dolphin
easier and faster.
"These tools will allow our developers and third-party
licensees to make the most of the tremendous power of the
Dolphin system," says Jim Merrick, Director of
Technical Support at Nintendo of America. "Providing
developers quality tools from top companies at this early
stage means better quality games, faster game creation, and
faster time-to-market, which is great for everyone,
especially the consumer."
Details about the Dolphin are coming in slowly but surely
now, and who knows... Is it possible that Nintendo may just
meet their year 2000 goal for a US launch?
Nintendo
64... More Than Meets the Eye?
Takara, creators of the
infamous Battle Arena Toshiden fighters for the
Playstation, are currently developing a three-dimensional
N64 fighting title based on the Transformers: Beast Wars
franchise. Although details are still sketchy on this one,
the game will reportedly include a option to import robots
from the Game Boy version of the title, through the use of
the 64 GB Pack.
No word on a US release, but considering the popularity of
the CG cartoon, a domestic release is almost guaranteed.
Tarzan
"Tarzan"
is a breathtaking film, breaking the Disney-ordained
storybook boundaries of previous outings like
"Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Mulan."
While it does have a touchingly well-told love story at its
heart, "Tarzan" is one for the boys, an action
movie with enough spills and thrills to rope in older
viewers.
Tarzan for the PlayStation follows this
breaking-of-the-mold formula in it's own way, too. It holds
fast to old school 2D gameplay, but eschews the confines of
left-and-right platforming by adding an almost 3rd dimension
to your path. If you've played Wild 9, you already
know what I'm referring to. If not, imagine staying on a 2D
plane and having the entire environment around you twist and
turn as you tiptoe across gnarled branches and scoot under
tumbled logs. The effect works well when done correctly, and
Eurocom employed this style with skill in Tarzan. The
plane-shifting is seamless; rarely will you become
disoriented when the jungle shifts to your new
point-of-view.
In addition to the 2 ½ D side-scrolling levels, Tarzan
includes stages where you'll find yourself running directly
out of the screen ala Crash Bandicoot. This is also
well-done in Tarzan, in fact it's even better than Crash.
The camera is placed appropriately to guarantee a solid view
of the action. There are no cheap blows during these
sprinting levels. Top-down swimming levels leave a little to
be desired, as the control sags--especially if you're using
the digital pad. The branch-surfing stages are exciting. The
camera angle is somewhat stifling considering Tarzan's speed
as he rockets through the jungle canopy, pushing it slightly
back and above would have make for a more satisfying
experience.
Tarzan's basic controls are too loose for it's own
good. While overly tight control can be discouraging and
annoying when timing is critical, Tarzan feels a
little too relaxed, especially when you are trying to swing
from vines. It's hard to get a rhythm going, as the vines
falls slack unless you maintain constant movement. Tossing
fruit to whack jungle offenders is easy to grasp but
difficult to master. Tarzan can lob underhand or chuck them
overhand. Deciding which is the best to use at what time
takes an extra moment of thought, and by the time you've
figured out which way to hurl the mango, you've been tagged
by a lemur or warthog. Before long, you'll just be getting
in close and hoping you tag the animal with enough vitamin C
before they run into you.
Speaking of the animal kingdom, some of the enemies in
Tarzan are cheap. Poison frogs no bigger than Tarzan's fist
are nearly impossible to hit with fruit. At first it is
difficult to distinguish which animals are pro-Tarzan and
which are out to rough up the "hairless wonder."
It would make sense that you should avoid rhinos at all
costs, but you are actually supposed to bounce off their
backs to nab out-of-reach jungle goodies.
"Tarzan" the film touts brand new animation
techniques (affectionately called "Deep Canvas")
to deliver stunning visuals that we have never seen in
animation before. The game itself is also beautiful, even in
an age where Dreamcast-quality graphics make the majority of
PS games look hopelessly dated. The backgrounds look
hand-painted, with 3D environments for Tarzan to lumber
through. It works well, adding depth to the scenes in a way
that make previous offerings like Hercules look,
well, bad.
There's no other word to describe the environments besides
"organic." The lush colors are eye-popping, and
straight from the film. The entire jungle feels alive, and
Tarzan is the heartbeat. His animations are smooth and
gorgeous, mirroring his celluloid counterpart.
Tarzan's production values are slick, from the
quality soundtrack (in spite of Phil Collins' warbling) to
the great cinema cut-scenes that bookend levels. While we've
all played games like this before, Tarzan just seems
to do it all better. Originality may not be its strong suit,
but the leaps and bounds it makes in game play make it worth
a serious look from platformer fans everywhere.
ctsy Game Fan
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TONS OF NEW JAPANESE RPGs
There's all kinds of new
information on upcoming Japanese RPG's leaking out today! First
off, it looks like the Saturn game Baroque is heading to
the PlayStation, with new features not found in the Saturn
version, such as hidden characters, new dungeons, new items, and
new mesaage screens!
It looks like the team that did Evolution for the
Dreamcast is already working on the sequel for it - Evolution
2! Might help to get the first game out first, guys...
Anyway, it seems that you'll be able to continue the game with
your main character from the first, and will include features
such as new dungeons and a new battle system. I'm hearing the
game is to be released sometime 1999, but don't hold your
breath...
And finally, continuing the trend of RPG's with polygonal
backdrops with 2-D sprite characters, Capcom has announced that Breath
of Fire 4 will make it's way to the PS! A few details about
the character development system have been released, and it
sounds like the game will allow you to create up to 3,000
different combinations of party members! Unbelievable...
Metal Gear Solid Integral
VOOT fiend, Samurai Shodown master, Street
Fighter veteran, Super Robot Wars tactician, and
overall super ninja gamer
you would think these honorary
titles would be enough for everyone's favorite dango. Then came
my favorite game of 1998, better known as Metal Gear Solid.
Yes, I was one of those freaks who got a Metal Gear Solid
Premium Package. Yes, I bought both Japanese and US versions of
the game. Yes, I beat Psycho Mantis the "hard" way. And
if all that weren't enough, I achieved the ultimate state of MGS
sickness when, after several attempts, I finally achieved
"Big Boss" ranking. Thus, I am officially a Metal
Gear Solid sausage, so rest assured that after seeing the Metal
Gear Solid Integral video footage on tape at E3, I was
counting down the days until I could finally get a copy of this
game. Sure, MGS Integral didn't have anything new except
an extra disc filled VR (virtual reality) training missions, but
being the MGS junkie that I am, I just had to get it. And
after three exhaustive days and two hundred or so missions later,
I will offer you but one warning: If you did not absolutely love Metal
Gear Solid, then avoid this game. Metal Gear Solid
Integral is made for the "Top Gun" players of MGS,
the cream of the crop, the best of the best
and if you put as
much time as I have into this game, MGS Integral will make
you even better.
For starters, Metal Gear Solid Integral is composed of
three discs. The original Metal Gear Solid is contained on
the first two, while the third contains all the extra VR
missions. I won't go into detail about Metal Gear Solid,
if you want to know more about it you can go to our Metal Gear
Solid review by clicking here.
If you don't want to read through all my ranting and raving, just
trust me when I say it's one of the best darn PlayStation
games ever made. Essentially, the MGS portion of MGS
Integral is the US version of the game with Japanese
subtitles. There are a few cosmetic changes to the game, but
overall it remains unchanged. The real reason hardcore MGS
fans will get this game is for the third, VR Missions disc.
The third disc comes packed with over three hundred VR training
missions. Some of the original VR missions from Metal Gear
Solid are in there, but the large majority are brand spanking
new. There are four training modes, not all of which are readily
available for you to plya. You start off on Sneaking Mode, and
when you clear all 60 VR levels in Sneaking Mode, you can then
access the Weapon Mode training missions. Weapon Mode goes
through all the weapons you'll use in Metal Gear Solid and
some of these training missions are pretty tough. After clearing
the Weapon Mode, you'll move on to the Advanced Mode. This is
where the game gets even harder, especially when using the Nikita
and Claymore mines. If you somehow make it through the Advanced
Mode, you'll finally open up Special Mode that has all sorts of
zany VR missions, and will also let you play as the Cyber Ninja!
Visually, the VR training missions share the same graphics,
animation, and style of MGS. There are no gameplay changes
either; Solid Snake can execute his standard punch, punch, and
kick combo, judo toss, and his infamous choke-hold with neck
snap. The game still suffers from the few control flaws that MGS
had, namely the lack of a walking animation and the annoying
auto-aiming of the handgun. So, veterans of the MGS series
should feel right at home with the controls and gameplay. The
sound effects and music are all top notch, which was to be
expected. Newer, high-tech sounding music tracks accompany the
newer training levels and they all sound wonderful to this dango.
While I can recommend Metal Gear Solid to everyone, I
cannot do the same for MGS Integral. If you've played Metal
Gear Solid and enjoyed it thoroughly, then I don't think
getting this game will increase your appreciation of Metal
Gear Solid. However, if you're a diehard MGS sausage
like me who can't seem to get enough of the tactical, espionage
action that only Metal Gear Solid can deliver, then you'll
definitely enjoy the insane amount of training levels, zany
enemies, and even a few inside jokes. And when you finally unlock
everything and say to yourself, "I want more!"
then
welcome to the club.
ctsy Game Fan
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