7/11/2000
This game caused quite a stir when it was previewed in 1997. With its non-stop action and incredible explosions, many magazines were predicting this third-person shooter to be the game of the year. Control problems prevented this game from reaching its potential, but it's still a wild ride. You play John Cain, a Rambo-like hero in a 3D, Blade Runner-like world. As you run for your life, blasting everything in sight, you are pursued by planes, helicopters, and an army of men. Everywhere you go, from the building tops of a metropolis to the undersea lab, mayhem follows. There's some occasional slowdown, but let me tell you, the amazing explosions and utter devastation is a beautiful sight to behold. When a plane swoops in and destroys a bridge you just stepped off of, it's quite a rush. You can blow up just about everything, and even enemy soldiers explode when you shoot them! Talk about gratuitous! The graphics and scenery are terrific, and the sound, featuring the radio conversations of your pursuers, is interesting and fun. So what's the problem? There's simply too much platform jumping, and the touchy analog controls aren't up to the task. You'll blow your way through most of a level without losing a guy, and then miss five jumps in a row. Frustrating! Otherwise, this game is a blast.Rating: Teen
1 player
Check for One on Ebay, Amazon
This is a fitting tribute to Pac-Man on his 20th anniversary. It actually contains three Pac-Man games, including an arcade-perfect classic version, an update of the old game with fancy 3D graphics, and a modern 3D adventure game. The 3D updated version combines beautiful graphics with the classic gameplay, and its imaginative stages include a pirate ship, fun house, and haunted house. The main attraction however, is the 3D adventure mode. In some ways it's a typical 3D game like Crash Bandicoot and Donkey Kong 64, with the standard actions like jumping, collecting items, pushing buttons, and opening doors. But what's great is the fact that it's smaller in scale and less complicated than most 3D adventures, so you won't be overwhelmed by huge levels or move combinations. But you will have fun. The graphics are attractive and the music is outstanding. All-in-all, this is a very likeable game that should appeal to a large audience.
This poorly-titled game had some innovative graphics for its time. Although Pandemonium's gameplay is strictly 2D, the graphics are 3D rendered, allowing cameras to twist and turn around the action. The result is the best of both worlds - a game that's easy to play despite its sophisticated graphics. Like a Sonic game, you are trying to reach the end of each level while collecting coins and other goodies along the way. Traps and various adversaries cross your path, but simply jumping on them will make them disappear. Pandemonium is mostly a linear game, but there are occasional branches. The 18 large stages take you through dungeons, villages, forests, and caves, but these are wildly uneven in quality. The first stage is sensational, with a lush forest, running waterfalls, and a majestic palace. Unfortunately, the later stages don't meet the same standards, and tend to feature simple caverns and boring platforms. A password is issued between levels. The renaissance-style music is very well done, but I have an issue with the two playable characters - they're just not very cool. I can tolerate the girl, but the jester in sneakers looks like a complete dork, and watching him in that corny opening video is almost creepy. For Pandemonium 2, I heard the developers tried to rectify this problem by making the girl drop-dead gorgeous. Good try.
This unlikely but highly imaginative game is like a series of interactive music videos. In Japanese, Parappa means "paper thin", and the graphics reflect that with flat cartoon characters. Although the visuals are simple, the graphics look clean and a style all their own. The music is excellent, although some of the rhymes are rather corny. Each stage has a distinct kind of beat, from rock to raggae. The simple controls require you to hit correct combinations of buttons to the rhythm of the song, which makes Parappa rap, although his words do sound a bit disjointed. The characters and backgrounds transform depending on how well you do, and there's even some room for you to get creative. Parappa the Rapper is a triumph of originality, and younger gamers will definitely enjoy it.
This carnival-style, whimsical light gun shooter offers over 70(!) random stages. Each stage is only a few second long, and challenges you to shoot a series of targets, often with limited ammo. A split screen allows two players to go head-to-head, which is the best aspect of the game. Targets include birds, ninjas, skeletons jumping out of their graves, and an apple on a man's head. Point Blank utilizes Namco's Guncon, which is by far the most accurate light gun on the market. The sheer variety and easy gameplay make this the premiere light gun shooter for the Playstation.
These Point Blank games offer basic but fun light gun shooting action, with over 70 random stages. The graphics and sound effects are not particularly impressive. There are no digitized images or polygon bosses, just cartoon sprites. Four separate modes let you and up to seven(!) friends compete, although only two players can play at a time. As with the first Point Blank game, most stages are only a few seconds long, and require shooting a certain number of targets in a limited amount of time. Many stages are similar to those in the last edition, but there are a few new surprises. In one stage, a car is falling down towards you and you have to shoot it 76 times before it lands! In another, you must shoot off all the pieces of a knight's armor. One single-shot stage requires you to shoot a stopwatch after it reaches a fraction of a second. The two-player game is really where it's at. The one-player variations are mildly amusing, but with unlimited continues, they're not much of a challenge. One major flaw with both Point Blank games is the ridiculous number of set-up screens required to start a game. I can't even imagine organizing an eight player game! As with all Namco shooters, this requires a Guncon controller.
Point Blank was the premiere light gun series for the Playstation, and if you haven't played one of these, you're missing out. Like its predecessors, Point Blank 3 provides a whole slew of mini shooting games (over 80!) which are designed to be played against a friend. Yeah, you can play them by yourself but they aren't nearly as fun that way. Although the stages here are all new, they are highly derivative of those in the previous Point Blank games. Typical challenges include protecting something from projectiles, shooting the matching shapes, or hitting a target with a single shot. The cartoonish 2D graphics are smoothly animated and easy on the eyes, but the wacky music is somewhat irritating. How this game earned a "Teen" rating I have no idea, because it's very childish. One interesting new feature is how you get rated on brainpower, dexterity, judgment, and rhythm at the end of each contest. High scores are saved for each stage, but like other Point Blank games, the scores seem to have little correlation to successfully clearing each stage. As a result, the losing player can score more points, which doesn't make any sense. The "party modes" are not as great as you might expect - how are you supposed to coordinate an eight-player game when you can only use two guns at a time? Another annoyance is the excessive number of set-up screens before the game and between stages - I wish they had consolidated these. Point Blank 3 delivers plenty of arcade shooting action, but the novelty is wearing thin. This game requires a Guncon-compatible light gun.
Well, it's 1999 and guess what - we're STILL playing Pong! Who would have thought it? To all you cynical people out there who think this game is a big joke, I've got news for you: Pong is fun! This version preserves the original classic gameplay and has state-of-the-art 3D graphics, excellent music, and a load of power-ups that really spice up the action. There are dozens of stages, each with their own distinct look and feel. After completing each stage, a new one becomes available. The first stage is a flat iceberg with some penguins. When you hit a penguin, another ball is put into play. Power-ups include seals that handle missed balls, and a polar bear who tilts the iceberg. It's pretty wild. The second stage is a soccer field that lets you control two sets of "paddles" at once. Later levels get more complicated, allowing you to catch and aim the balls. I like the variety, but I found the later stages to be less fun than the simpler ones. Control is fair, but could have been much better. The analog-controlled paddles tend to gain momentum, making it impossible to reverse direction immediately. As a result, you tend to "overrun" and miss balls. Pong is an addictive one-player game, and the 2-player and 4-player modes will make believers out of your friends. I have to commend Hasbro for doing a fine job on this one.
When was the last time a good volleyball video game was made? I'm guessing Kings of the Beach for the NES, and that was way back in 1988! Power Spike is no classic, but it will satisfy some gamers with a craving for volleyball action. As a volleyball player myself, I was pretty psyched up about Power Spike Pro, especially with mega-babe Gabrielle Reese featured on the front cover. The game gets off to a good start with a short video montage featuring some good-looking women players in action. When setting up a game, there is a long list of men and women pros to choose from, but once the action gets under way, the first thing you notice is the lousy graphics. My friend Scott even asked "Is it possible to give the graphics an F-?". The rough, poorly rendered players do look pretty sorry. There are several beach locations, but they all look the same, with huge crowd stands blocking what could have been some attractive scenery. But the #1 problem by FAR is the camera. No matter what angle you choose, you are always TOO FAR AWAY! It's like watching the game from the nosebleed section! Forget about the four-player action; the two-player mode is hard enough to watch. The sound effects are abysmal, with uneven, disjointed crowd noise. The players yell unintelligible phrases like "Nobody!" for some unknown reason. Control is a mixed bag. Players move nervously, but the simple button scheme makes targeting the ball easy, and I love the way you can aim your shots. If you can look past the poor graphics and sound, Power Spike does provides some decent one or two-player volleyball action.
Powerboat Racing suffers from the same problems that plague so many other Playstation water-racing games, namely narrow tracks and poor controls. The nine courses are scattered throughout different countries around the world including Japan, Monaco, Norway, and England, but I would have preferred more exotic locations. The scenery isn't bad, but the pop-up is outrageous, even in the one-player mode. The courses sometimes change their path dynamically, which is supposed to add variety but instead confuses the hell out of the racers! And why in the world are these tracks so *$&# narrow?! You'll be spending most of your time trying not to hit the walls. It doesn't help that the digital control is so oversensitive you'll be oversteering all over the place. Powerboat Racing offers a split screen mode, and the game does provide a certain level of amusement if you can accept its flaws.
Do the words "best multiplayer game ever MADE" mean anything to you? If so, you should check out Poy Poy, which also gets my vote for most underrated game of all time! Don't let the silly name and goofy graphics fool you - this game is an absolute riot with four players! Each player controls a small cartoon character on a selectable 3D play field. Rocks and bombs litter the course which can be thrown at your opponents. It's even possible to grab another player and throw him! Now THAT'S disrespectful! Add to this mayhem obstacles, special weapons, monsters, and mystery crates, and you get total chaos. Rivalries and alliances are formed to keep one player from scoring too high. Poy Poy is one for the ages.
Empire knows their pinball, and their Pro Pinball series of pinball games certainly deserves its "simulation" label. The tables are photo-realistic and the physics is remarkably accurate. This particular four-flipper table has a racing theme. Although the table is meticulously detailed, you can't really appreciate it during the actual game. The far part of the table is not only difficult to make out, but it's blocked by a semi-transparent scoreboard! That doesn't mean you won't have a good time with this. Despite the fact I can't tell what's going on most of the time, I always have fun trying to top my high score. For a paltry $10, pinball fans should give this one a try.
Wow, this has got to be the most realistic video pinball game I've ever seen. Fantastic Journey only has a single table, but it contains an amazing number of lights, rails, and contraptions. The theme is "inventions", featuring blimps, planes, and submarines as envisioned in the early 1900s. The basic gameplay is simple - you control the flippers and nudge the table, which are both quite responsive. It sounds simplistic, but the gameplay gets quite a bit deeper once you learn how to activate certain gizmos, access different areas, and perform combos. I'm no pinball expert, and I didn't understand much of what was going on, but I still got hooked. The table is viewed as you would see a real pinball table. Unfortunately, although the table is finely crafted, the far reaches are difficult to see, and you can't truly appreciate the level of graphic detail unless you use the "examine table" option on the title screen. It's truly remarkable how much work went into the graphics, and it's a shame that most of it is lost during the actual game. Options include audio, graphics, memory card, and vibration settings. Empire really covered all the bases with this one - even the background music is excellent. 
I first played this game six years ago with my friends Steve and Brendan, who had rented it from Blockbuster. I didn't fully appreciate Horned Owl at the time; probably because I had to watch those guys play all the way through it, which seemed to take forever. But in retrospect I realize it's one of the best light gun games available for the Playstation. In Project Horned Owl, one or two players fly around in mech-like suits, destroying armies of robots that have been inflicted on a city by an evil power. Your shots travel like missiles, so you can effectively "lead" them into targets. In addition, you have an arsenal of grenades that blow up everything on the screen. The gun accuracy is excellent considering that this game does NOT support Namco's Guncon, and you get about 15 bullets per round, allowing you to shoot fast without having to reload constantly. The background story is presented using a series of high quality anime cut scenes, and voices accompany the on-screen action, keeping you posted on your ever-changing mission. While the enemies are rendered in sprites only, they still look great. When shot, the metal beasts explode convincingly and crumble into burning heaps of scrap metal. The 3D scenery isn't spectacular, but the city levels look pretty good. If the game has a flaw, it's that it's a bit too easy on the normal level. If you use your three continues, you can beat the game in one sitting, which takes about an hour. But overall, there's not many light gun games that provide this level of shooting action.
Hasbro has been very inconsistent in updating classic games, but I think they got it right with this arcade legend. Considering how they butchered Frogger, this is a pleasant surprise. Q*Bert has three modes: Classic, head-To-head, and adventure. Classic is the original arcade game, and you can choose between the original graphics and updated graphics (good call). Anybody who has played the original Q*Bert knows how simple yet addicting this silly game is. If you're not familiar with it, Q*Bert is a funny looking character who jumps around a pyramid attempting to turn all its blocks the same color. He needs to avoid a gang of enemies, including Coily the snake. Q*Bert's gameplay stands the test of time, and the head-to-head mode provides some cool two-player simultaneous action. The adventure mode challenges you to finish some really wild, non-pyramid layouts, and lets you save your place between levels. This game is configurable in every way, including the control scheme.
Where in the heck did this come from? Most of the late-arriving Playstation One games proved to be duds, but Qix Neo rocks my world. As a huge fan of the original arcade game (Qix, 1981), I'm extremely pleased with this brilliantly conceived update. The classic gameplay has been wisely retained, but naturally the graphics and sound have been upgraded dramatically. The original Qix didn't really have much of a theme; you just tried to cordon off 75% (or more) of the playfield while avoiding wandering hazards. Qix Neo has a decidedly intergalactic flavor, with planet surfaces serving as backdrops for each innovative stage. Instead of avoiding a roving set of twisted lines, each screen features a distincitve "boss" along with a number of smaller creatures on patrol. You're constantly being hounded, but you can trap the individual creatures for bonus points. Qix Neo is far more forgiving than the original Qix. The bosses assume interesting forms, including a centipede and a giant mechanical hand. Power-ups are awarded for cordoning off strategic "boxes", including "micro" (decrease boss size!), laser (shoot your enemies), and speed boosts. Easily, the most desirable power-up is "time", which freezes your enemies momentarily. Despite all of the new wrinkles, the same basic strategy still applies. You'll want to thoughtfully section off the screen, creating alcoves to "trap" wandering adversaries. An "arranged" playing mode is also included, offering a complete second set of stages. Qix Neo is immensely fun and addicting, and it even saves your high scores (for both modes). The game even adjusts your bonuses based on whether you use continues or not - very nice. Qix Neo's otherworldly sound effects are amazing - unlike anything I've heard before. I only have two minor complaints. There is no two-player mode, and I'm not sure why. Also, some of the scoring bonuses seem a bit excessive. Still, this is easily the best version of Qix I've ever played - even better than the original.
R-Type Delta is a cool side-scrolling shooter with old-school gameplay and eye-popping 3D graphics. Like all R-Type games, you are armed with a "force module", an extra weapon you can remotely deploy to another part of the screen. You can even attach it to creatures to inflict some serious damage! This really adds a lot of strategy to an otherwise typical shooting experience. The graphics are truly impressive, with huge bosses that approach menacingly from the background. The post-apocalyptic backgrounds look okay, but they're not particularly imaginative. Objects on the screen are large and detailed, but this sometimes results in your ship running out of real estate on the screen, which is frustrating. Fortunately, the game moves slow enough so you can keep up with the action even when things get hectic.
This compilation features arcade-perfect versions of R-Type 1 and 2, along with a few minor bonus features. The original R-Type is a classic side scrolling space shooter that was popular in the early 90's. It features cool bio-monsters, weapons that can detach from your ship, and insanely hard gameplay. It seems like you constantly lose ships even if you know where the enemies are coming from. The graphics and sound are still quite good, even by today's standards, but the lame bonus material is just some technical background screens about the ships and enemies. I was disappointed that they didn't put more versions of R-Type on this disk, since several other versions were released.
This late-arriving Playstation One game is aimed squarely at those who enjoy remote-controlled (RC) cars. Judging from the video intro, there is apparently a large contingent of people out there who take this hobby very seriously, custom building their vehicles and entering them in big tournaments. My interest in remote controlled cars doesn't run too deep, but I did enjoy racing them around my neighborhood when I was a kid, and RC de Go does a pretty good job of capturing what it feels to operate one of these cars. The main thing that separates RC from conventional racers is its unique viewpoint. Your view is always from one edge of a miniature track, as if you were sitting with a remote control off the edge of the course. As a result, it can be hard to judge some of the curves on the far end of the course. The touchy controls effectively convey the feeling of operating a real remote-controlled car. A championship mode challenges you to fourteen races, and you can buy parts and upgrade your car along the way. Actually, you won't get too far without making some dramatic improvements. From the detailed car designs and variety of parts, you can tell that some RC experts must have had a hand in this game. The miniature tracks look pretty realistic, almost photographic at times. Although they are supposed to be set in different locations (including the roof of a building), they all look pretty much the same to me, and there's not much to see in the background. The music is fair, but the mindless announcer says the exact same things every race. During the first lap you always hear, "It's still early in the race - you've still got time to turn things around", even if you're winning! But a bigger flaw is the lack a two-player split-screen mode, which could have been a lot of fun. As it is, only RC die-hards will find much to like here.
This game is Ridge Racer 3 in all but name, and it's a big step up in both realism and gameplay. Unlike the first two editions, you can now purchase cars, soup them up, and race on different tracks. Although the courses seem less colorful and more realistic, they are still fantastic in design and great fun to race on. There are a nice variety of cars available, each with its own distinctive look and feel. Moving from its arcade roots to simulation, Rage Racer takes Ridge Racer to the next level.
It took me ten years to discover this phenomenal shooter, but I'm just thankful I didn't miss out completely. I stumbled across Raiden Project at my friend Dave's house, and it totally rocked my world. This old-fashioned 2D vertical shooter is easily one of the best I've played. As one of the earliest Playstation titles, Raiden Project was largely overshadowed by fancy 3D games like Ridge Racer and Battle Arena Toshinden. Ironically, this game has aged better than either of those titles. It plays similar to the previous Raiden games for systems like the NES and Turbografx, but this one is arcade perfect. Not only that, but you can completely configure the controls, display, difficulty, and even save your high scores. Playing this game is pure joy. As you weave across the screen spraying missiles at tanks and helicopters, you can see cows grazing in the pastures below. Huge airships catch on fire as they incur damage, and the explosions are supremely satisfying. Holding down a button engages rapid-fire, power-ups are plentiful, and the earth-shattering bombs act as shields in addition to unleashing widespread destruction. Each stage culminates with a giant mechanical boss, but these don't monopolize the game as they do in so many lesser shooters. Two players can blast away at once, and the pulsating soundtrack helps you get into the zone. This disk actually includes both Raiden I and II, although the second is more like a remake of the first. The graphics are slightly more detailed and there are some new weapons, but the exciting twitch gameplay is exactly the same. There aren't many games like this for the Playstation, so shooter fans would be well-advised to track this one down.
This off-road racing game has logged a tremendous number of hours on my Playstation, thanks to its highly competitive split-screen modes. You choose from a number of funny-looking cars, pick-up trucks, and wild muddy tracks. The graphics, especially the vehicles, look exceptionally detailed. The control is fair, but the tracks are bumpy and your vehicle tends to roll over too easily. You have to rock back and forth to upright it, and this is time consuming. As I mentioned before, Rally Cross features excellent two and four(!) player split screen action. These have degraded graphics and framerate, but the races are still quite exciting.
This long-overdue sequel to Ray Storm does quite live up to the legacy of the original. The gameplay is nearly identical, with rapid-fire shooting, lock-on missiles that target multiple enemies, and transforming bosses that are maddeningly hard to defeat. Excellent overhead 3D visuals feature cool new angles and special effects. Unlike the first game, you can choose the order of the stages, and you have four ships to choose from. But Ray Crisis has some glaring problems. First of all, the two-player mode has been dropped, which is a major disappointment. And unlike the magnificent stages in Ray Storm, the levels in this game look more generic and less interesting (lava stage, desert stage, etc). Finally, you'll have to deal with some extra-long loading times that you didn't have to put up with in the first game. Ray Crisis provides more of the same for fans for Ray Storm, but it won't appeal to casual gamers.
Ray Storm is one of the most spectacular shooters you'll see on the Playstation, thanks to its incredible overhead 3D graphics. You soar over skyscraper-filled cities, ruins sticking out of the ocean, and huge galactic star cruisers. Your ship comes equipped with rapid-fire shots, lock-on missiles, and bombs that devastate everything on the screen. You'll battle enemies of all sizes from both the ground and air, and your lock-on missiles can target multiple enemies to maximize damage. Two people can play simultaneously, creating tremendous mayhem! While Ray Storm is an amazing technical achievement, there are a few flaws with the gameplay. First of all, the bosses take way too long to kill. It seems like I spent half the game just pounding away at these mechanical beasts! And although the early planet stages are outstanding, the space stages that come later are far less interesting. Still, shooter fans will definitely find Ray Storm appealing.
With apologies to Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil (RE) is the grandfather of survival horror games. Brilliantly conceived, this third-person adventure stands the test of time as one of the scariest games ever. Its dark storyline is a tale of biological experimentation gone wrong. RE places you in a mysterious mansion crawling with terrifying creatures that can jump out at any time. Odd camera angles are used for dramatic effect, and the beautifully illustrated graphics boast amazing detail. Giant spiders scuttle convincingly and zombies stagger with amazing, motion-captured realism. The game is violent and gory by nature, with gratuitous blood and body parts that get blown off with shotguns. But what really makes RE great is how it effectively builds atmosphere and tension. The scene with dogs busting through the windows has got to rank up there as one of the greatest scares in video game history. Despite the high quality presentation however, the dialogue is outrageously poor and the stilted voice acting is equally bad. Perhaps it simply reflects the B-movie style that inspired the game. The gameplay is terrific, but turning around is slow, and your limited item capacity is also aggravating. I should also mention something about the "live action" video intro. Largely a relic of 90s video gaming, it doesn't match the game's polygon graphics and looks completely out of place. Interestingly, this footage was censored to omit a shot of a severed arm (included in the Japanese version), much to the consternation of US game players. Resident Evil is a landmark game, and horror fans owe it to themselves to play through this at least once.
This second chapter of the Resident Evil saga expands the scope of the original in a number of ways. This time the entire town of Raccoon City is a burning disaster area overrun by zombies. Spread across two disks, Resident Evil 2 offers multiple missions and two playable characters. The graphics have been refined, and new bosses include a hulking alligator in the sewers. While the premise might suggest a free-roaming game experience, in fact your movements through the streets are heavily constrained by cars and burning wreckage. Most of the action actually takes place inside of public buildings including a large Police station. There's one particularly startling sequence that occurs in that station that scared the living crap out of me! Despite being a bigger adventure, the gameplay follows the same winning formula as the original, with thoughtful puzzles and intense monster encounters. As a terrific sequel that remains true to the original, many fans consider Resident Evil 2 to be the best of the series.
The first Resident Evil (RE) set the standard for survivor horror, and RE2 expanded the scope from a single mansion to a whole town. In some ways, this third chapter feels like Resident Evil 2.5, in that it takes place in the same burning city and even reuses some locations (notably the police station). Despite a strong sense of deja vu, it's hard to beat the tried-and-true Resident Evil gameplay, with its awesome pre-rendered scenery, interesting puzzles, and jump-out-of-your-seat scares. The main character, Jill Valentine, looks seriously hot running around in boots and a short miniskirt. But the real star of the game is a hulking boss named "Nemesis" who keeps coming back much like Jason in the Friday the 13th movies. He can be pretty scary, especially when you're limping around with that ugly bastard hot on your heels. Since Nemesis loves to sneak up on you and can crash the party at any, the atmosphere is always intense. The new control scheme offers a quick turn-around move, a dodge move, and a nice auto-aim mechanism. Other new features include the ability to manufacture different types of ammo (about as fun as "mixing plants") and new "decision points" that can slightly alter the branch of the story (no big deal). Resident Evil 3 feels awfully familiar, but those who can't get enough of the series will appreciate this well-designed third chapter.
This "Director's Cut" is a slightly revamped version of the game that invented the "survival horror" genre. It's hard to find anything to fault with this, although its main purpose may have been as a marketing ploy to generate hype for Resident Evil 2. This reissue also allowed the game to be packaged in a standard CD case, as opposed to the phased-out "big box" format (remember that?). Resident Evil Director's Cut is a slightly modified version of the original game with shuffled puzzles, a few new camera angles, and multiple difficulty modes. Although a big deal was made out of its "uncensored" live footage, the only notable difference is the inclusion of a severed arm not shown in the original game - big deal! Also included are "easy" and "arranged" modes not previously available. What really caused a stir in 1997 was the second disk, which includes an "interactive demo" of Resident Evil 2. It really does give you a taste of the game by letting you play the first few minutes, where you'll fend off hordes of zombies on ravaged city streets. Resident Evil Director's Cut is not a critical upgrade for owners of the original version, but if you've never played Resident Evil, this is an ideal package.
Survivor is a monumental disappointment that doesn't even deserve the Resident Evil name. The highly acclaimed series had always been played from a third-person perspective, but over the years there had been rampant rumors about a first-person version. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but this piece of garbage looks more like a low-budget side project. The 3D-rendered graphics are extremely blocky and pixelated, and the scenery is full of seams and glitches. The audio is also completely recycled from past RE games, but it's the control that really drags Survivor down. You can't strafe, and turning is painfully slow. Shooting involves moving a clumsy crosshair around the screen, and although you can adjust your angle, you can't tilt down far enough to shoot creatures that are chomping on your legs! In terms of puzzles, the "quick search" button automatically zooms in on any useful objects, eliminating the need to explore. Objects in your possession are automatically used when needed. Survivor guides you through a linear path, full of simple "find the key, open the door" puzzles. All that's left is constant shooting at monsters, which is no fun at all. Adding insult to injury, the loading screens are frequent, and you can't even save your place! Clearly, Survivor was ill-advised, and should have never seen the light of day.
This slick-looking arcade racer helped put the Playstation on the map. It was the very first Playstation pack-in game, and its cutting-edge texture-mapped polygons generated plenty of industry buzz. Ridge Racer only has one track, but there are a few variations thanks to some well-placed detours. The graphics aren't as big a deal as they once were, but they are certainly colorful, clean, and attractive. The car decals feature several classic Namco titles including Pac-Man and Galaga. Ridge Racer only falters when it comes to control. Power-slides are difficult to execute, and lead to a lot of fishtailing. Ridge Racer also had two very unique features that were novel at the time but never caught on in the world of video games. First of all, you got to play a mini-game of Galaxian during the load screen, and earning a perfect score earns you a bonus. Next, once the game was loaded, you could take out the game CD and replace it with a music CD of your choice, which would play during the game! I always thought the original Foo Fighters CD worked very well. Overall, Ridge Racer was a big step in the evolution of racing games.
This sequel to the popular racer doesn't offer much more than a new track and a rear view mirror. The graphics are the same quality, and the track design isn't much different either. Instead of incorporating a much-needed two-player split-screen mode, the game instead features the "link cable" mode. You know, I've never met ONE PERSON who owned one of those things! Ridge Racer Revolution is still a fun game, but it was disappointment to Ridge Racer fans expecting much more.
Ridge Racer Type 4 is simply the best arcade-style Playstation racing game there is. Yes, it's more realistic than the first three RR games, but it's still very easy to play. Unfortunately, each race requires going through an endless series of set-up screens - how annoying! In my opinion, every game should have a "quick-start" option. The graphics are fantastic, maybe even better than Gran Turismo, and the tracks are certainly more interesting. The lighting effects in particular are phenomenal. Namco employed a new "blur" visual effect on the car lights, and it looks amazing. The sun sets during some of the stages, and these darkening red skies look breathtaking. There are 8 tracks, 45 unique car models, and several modes of play include a slick two-player split screen mode. But the real highlight of RRT4 is the phenomenal control - the best EVER for a Playstation racing game! The power slides are incredibly easy and fun to perform. The background music is tranquil and relaxing, and on top of everything, a bonus disk is included with a 60 frames-per-second (smooth) version of the original Ridge Racer game. No question about it, if you want the best in arcade racing and overall fun, Ridge Racer Type 4 is a must-have.
Midway attempted to give Robotron the 3D treatment here, but the result is a monumental disaster on par with Hasbro's Frogger (gasp!). It's a shame really, because the original Robotron was one of the most addicting, intense arcade games of all time. Placed in a center of an enclosed grid full of dangerous robots and helpless people, you control a little guy who can fire rapidly in eight directions. Unfortunately, this game was made before the dual-analog Playstation controllers came along, which is a shame because this game BEGS for dual joysticks. Instead, you are forced to use the four buttons on the right side to shoot in all directions (yuck!). But control is the least of your problems, because the gameplay is abysmal. The screen is so loaded with sloppy polygons that it's hard to tell what the heck's going on. Slowdown and choppy animation are the norm, and the collision detection is hideous. An out-of-control camera swings all over the place, and gratuitous flashy effects only add to the confusion. Unlike the original Robotron, robots are continually dropped onto the screen as you play, destroying any sense of progression or accomplishment. Then there are the agonizing load times. And just when you thought the nightmare was ending, the game keeps inflicting you with "bonus" men, making this game a never-ending hell. Even the "pumping techno soundtrack" fails to impress.
Here's yet another car combat game from the good people that brought you Twisted Metal I and II (989 Studios took over for the third installment). Rogue Trip may not have spectacular graphics, but it's definitely fun and has a terrific sense of humor. A new element is the "tourist", who is a person you can pick up and drive around to earn money. Sure it sounds dumb, and it probably is, but it does add a bit of strategy. Not only can you collect different weapons, but you can also power them up. The cars and the stages are all fun and imaginative, if not a bit sloppy. The soundtrack includes some fine tunes from popular artists you're sure to recognize, and there's a nifty split-screen mode. Overall I found Rogue Trip to be very amusing.