Hyper Trivia
Challenge
Is it any wonder that one of the hottest Web games is based on one of the
hottest TV game shows? Except with Hyper-Trivia Challenge, a Web version
of "Jeopardy," everyone's a contestant, no one's a spectator.
Actually, Hyper-Trivia Challenge has no affiliation with the TV show: You
don't have to stress over time limits and having other contestants beat
you to the button, you don't have to worry about looking like a fool to
a nationwide TV audience, and you don't get to win a lot of real money.
Well, maybe the TV show has an advantage on that last part.
It's a pretty simple set-up. The first screen asks you to register, which
merely means you enter a name that can be put in the hall of fame if you're
smart enough. The next screen allows you to bet from $100 to $1,000 in each
of 10 categories. From there, you're presented with the answers to which
you have to figure out the questions. Most of these answers come from popular
culture and aren't quite as intense as the stuff on the TV show. Once the
results come in, you go to a final jeopardy kind of challenge, where you
can bet everything you've previously won on a single question.
Hyper-Trivia Challenge's origins are typical of a lot of the Web. According
to co-creator Greg Rubidge, the creators of the site originally had set
up "a modest E-publication with local (Toronto) information and some
other quirky stuff..." This Toronto Web site grew until they had to
break it down into smaller parts, with the arts and entertainment section
renamed "Hype!" The people at Hype! developed the game for a large
brewery (this is Canada we're talking about) as a promotion to get people
onto their site. The brewery decided to go for something a little bit more
corporate, which was probably a big mistake. According to Greg, they had
"47,000 accesses (not hits) for the last 10 days of August (1995)."This is definitely enough traffic to call the site a success, by anybody's
standards.
The maximum score possible on the game -20,000 - is achieved by betting
the maximum on each question, getting all of them right, and betting everything
on the final jeopardy challenge. Unfortunately, the game has found my Achilles
heel and I will never get a perfect score, because it always seems to put
in two sports questions.
-WKC
A
Diplomacy
home page
For those unfamiliar with the game Diplomacy, it's an ongoing game played
over the Internet (primarily via e-mail), in which a network of players
ally themselves with each other and attempt to take over the world. If you
don't know more than that, expect to be a bit confused at the Diplomacy
Home Page. Of course, if you're willing to endure the tedious text and insider's
lingo, you may just be able to work your way into this mysterious society
of players. If you're already a player, you owe it to yourself to visit
this information-heavy site.-PB
C
DoomGate
This site is essentially a love letter to id, the makers of DOOM and the
many DOOM-like games that have followed. The page is clean and easy to follow,
much like the game, and if you're a fan, then it's a great place to visit
with like-minded folks. If your not a fan of the game, you simply have no
place here.-PB
B
DOR-Cino
The Doronomo in Hartford Casino
The Doronomo Casino has BlackJack, Craps, Roulette, a Slot Machine, and
Video Poker, and you get $500 to play. It's all a pretty ingenious diversion,
without all the noise and crowds of the Vegas casinos. The money is completely
virtual, which is good, because the odds on the video poker game were really
lousy. I ended up losing all my money at the roulette wheel. For those with
high online time payments, I should point out that versions of these games
are available as stand-alone software.-WKC
A
Mr DooM's Web
Page
Mr. DOOM is exactly what you might expect - a DOOM fan through and through,
making himself known via the Internet. The idea behind his site is to essentially
bring together other fan(atics) to talk about, read about, and dream about
DOOM. There is also a personal challenge from Mr. DOOM to all players in
what can only be described as a Death Match. If you think you're DOOMy enough,
perhaps you'd like to give it a try.-PB
B-
Paintball
Field
A really superior amount of information on paintball games, tournaments,
and equipment make this a great site for the novice to get hyped about playing.
The site has a list of just about every paintball gun made, with more detailed
information on a selection of them. The site is solidly constructed, but
there's not much organization to it. The nicely done home page graphic is
it for looks.-WKC
B+
Paintball
Field List
Did you know there are six paintball fields in Portugal? For the paintball
fanatic on the move, this field list is an invaluable resource. Starting
off with an image map of the U.S., it lets you click to listings of paintball
fields by state. Or, the international set can look at what Europe and Oceania
has to offer. Unfortunately, ease of navigability ends on the first page;
everything below is just text listings.-WKC
B+
Paintball
West Home Page
This online paintball magazine includes product reviews, "expert"articles on such topics as how to anodize your gun, information for new
players, and U.S. and international field listings. While there is a lot
of useful, local text, there isn't much in the way of graphics or good design.
The misspellings in the text also suggest the creator of the site is a little
too busy playing paintball to bother with editing.-WKC
B
Ravi's
Paintball Page
Ravi is a paintball fanatic. Ravi knows how to write a Web page. The two
together make up for one intense paintball Web site. And, as opposed to
a lot of other Web sites, the graphics are very nice. Ravi has a lot of
equipment information on his page, which will probably have more appeal
to experienced paintball gamers, and he also has a section for selling used
equipment. Don't shoot me, Ravi, but I've got to say that your first page
is too long.-WKC
A-
Reinventing
America Introduction
Loosely fitting the description of a game, Reinventing America is closer
to a social experiment. The idea is to create a virtual America wherein
anyone willing to play the game (free of charge) will be able to answer
surveys and generally voice opinions on real issues facing America. In the
end, the "game" results will be tallied and presented to Congress
in the form of a proposed reform act. Undoubtedly an exciting new way to
play on the WWW, Reinventing America is an important site for all those
interested in saving the United States from certain doom.-PB
A
Streams and Brian
Present Piercing Mildred
The beginning paragraph of the FAQ gives the most concise answer to why
and what this little online game is all about: "Borne of the 90s' two
favorite pastimes - Body Modification and the Internet." Piercing Mildred
is the perfect game for those of us who are entertained by the pierced multitudes
walking the streets of America's cities. And you can win real prizes for
the best piercing and scarification. Because of the continuing nature of
the game, this can be a great once-a-week diversion.-WKC
A-
Terminal
Velocity Paintball Team
A paintball team site, these pages list results from many paintball tournaments.
These listings might be a little cryptic if you're not the betting type.
Besides the team member profiles, which are a little spare, there is a decent
selection of action photographs, which should give the paintball virgin
some idea of what it's like, and reignite the passion of the initiated.-WKC
B+
The
BTech Hangout
While this BattleTech (a futuristic role-playing game much like Dungeons
and Dragons in space) site is less than thorough and even less than exciting
in many ways, it's a reasonably good place for BattleTech fans to gather
and discuss their BattleTech ways. If you're not yet familiar with the game,
then prepare to be immersed in a futuristic world full of imaginative scenarios
and in-depth fantasy game play. If you're already a participant, then say
hello to some new friends.-PB
B
The Essential BTech3056
Resource
This is the real deal. If you're into BattleTech, then you absolutely must
visit this site. From individual faction news to lists of multiple BattleTech
FTP and WWW links, this site pretty much has it all for BattleTech players.
If you're not already familiar with BattleTech, then you'll want to find
out a little about the game before visiting this site, as it's definitely
not for beginners. If you're already into the game, however, you're sure
to find what you're looking for on this nicely organized and thorough page.-PB
A
The
home of Virtua Fighter
Whether you're already a Virtua Fighter expert or just getting into the
game (phenomenon?), you will want to check out the Home of Virtua Fighter.
Complete with move lists, FAQs, background info, and character art, this
site's got it covered. Created by true Virtua Fighter fanatics, this is
the quintessential VF and VF 2 site. Treated with the utmost respect, the
Virtua Fighter legacy lives on in grand fashion at this site.-PB
A
* * * THE LABYRINTH
* * *
As Web mazes go, this one is well-constructed and fairly nice to look at.
If capitalism gives you a rash, the prevalence of advertising might become
an annoyance, but if you complete the maze in the least amount of moves,
you could win a prize! Also, there is usually a choice of mazes to enter,
and new mazes come online frequently.-WKC
B+
The
Myst Hint Guide
It's one of the biggest selling CD-ROM titles of all time, and for those
of you who still have not experienced MYST, there is now a handy-dandy hint
guide as close as the Web. Carefully handled so as to not give away too
much of the game, the hints offer no more than they need to, and are definitely
not as thorough as a walk-through. There is also a handy FAQ included on
site, which answers questions about Broderbund (the game's publisher) and
MYST 2, and contains other general MYST news.-PB
B+
The
Web Maze
Brilliant programming, but what's the point? Well, there's advertising.
This little Web game has something like 147 rooms, and you choose which
door you want to go through. I found myself just going in circles, but it
would have been pretty easy to map. The creator of the maze, Stew, is offering
advertising space on the wall of the maze, so if you get lost, you can always
take a link out to an advertiser's site.-WKC
C+
Virtua
Fighter II Page
There are certainly more thorough VF2 pages, but this one isn't bad, and
if you don't find the information you seek at this particular site, the
list of links will surely lead you to the answers elsewhere. The most useful
aspect of this page are the individual character FAQs and move lists. Overall,
you're not likely to be blown away from this effort, but if VF2 info and
news is what you crave, it's not a bad place to start.-PB
B
Welcome
to Eddy's Video Game Home Page
This page is exactly what you might expect it to be. The host is a video
game fanatic who's ready, willing, and eager to share his video game info
with the rest of the world. With everything from gaming gossip to screen
shots from today's hottest games, Eddy's Video Game Home Page is a small
but significant addition to the long list of video game sites on the Web.-PB
B-
