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:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: Volume 3, Issue 12 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 9 October 1994 :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: ATARI .............. News, reviews, & solutions ............ ATARI :: :: EXPLORER ............ for the online Atari .......... EXPLORER :: :: ONLINE ................. Community .............. ONLINE :: :: :: :: Published and Copyright (c) 1993-1994 by Subspace Publishers :: :: All Rights Reserved :: :: """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :: :: Publisher ........................... Michael Lindsay EXPLORER :: :: Editor .................................. Travis Guy AEO.MAG :: :: Assistant Editor GEnie................ Ron Robinson EXPLORER.1 :: :: Assistant Editor CompuServe.......... Albert Dayes AEO.1 :: :: Assistant Editor Delphi......... Andreas Barbiero AEO.2 :: :: Assistant Editor Internet........ Timothy Wilson AEO.8 :: :: Atari Asylum ... [Closed] ...... Gregg Anderson AEO.7 :: :: Unabashed Atariophile ..... Michael R. Burkley AEO.4 :: :: Atari Artist ................... Peter Donoso EXPLORER.2 :: :: User Group Coordinator ......... Ron Whittam EXPLORER.4 :: :: Jaguar Editor .......... Dimitri M. LaBarge AEO.6 :: :: UK Correspondent ............. Lea Anthony :: :: :: :: Contributors: :: :: """"""""""""" :: :: Stuart Denman, Matija Grabnar, David A. Wright :: :: :: :: Telecommunicated to you via: :: :: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" :: :: GEnie: ST/JAGUAR RT Library 38 :: :: CompuServe: ATARIGAMING Library 10 :: :: Delphi: ATARI ADVANTAGE & WORLD OF VIDEO GAMES Libraries :: :: Fnet: AEO Conference, Node 319 :: :: AtariNet: AEO Conference, Node 51:1/10 :: :: :: :: Internet mailing address: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com :: :: FTP recent AEO issues from: rahul.net:pub/wilsont/AEO :: :: Search gopherspace under "aeo" for back issues :: :: :: :: World Wide Web: http://bert.cs.byu.edu/~jaguar/ :: :: :: :: Internet subscription service: stzmagazine-request@virginia.edu :: :: (Internet subscription requests ONLY!) :: :: :: :: AEO is also in file format on the Jaguar Mailing List :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Table of Contents * From the Editors ..................................... Floods and floods. * Jaguar Tackboard .................... IAJD, Jag mailing list, FAQ info - Development list - KN move list - Aircars - Jag dustcovers. * Surfin' the Jagged Edge ............... AEO's new Jaguar Editor launches his column of Jaguar news. * Jaguar Review: Alien Vs. Predator ........ Tim Wilson takes the Edge off of the wait for AvP with this review of the golden version. * Shutdown ............................ Around the world and up your block. --==--==--==--==-- ||| From the Editors ....... Atari Explorer Online: The Next Generation ||| Travis Guy / | \ GEnie: AEO.MAG Delphi: AEO_MAG Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com ------------------------------------------------------------------- "Third time's the charm" or so the saying goes. Well, here at AEO Central, we've had three floods due to tropical weather systems this season. (We've just sloshed out from the third one last week.) It seems that we're getting the floods instead of Jaguar owners - who are still waiting for titles to appear. I'm happy to say that the end of the long Jaguar title drought appears to be in sight. AvP, which went into production several weeks ago is being promoted by a barrage of television ads proclaiming its arrival on October 21st. A solid date, at last. More titles are about to leave beta test Real Soon Now, and the oft-hoped for 30-50 games by Christmas looks to be attainable. If it's not, it won't be for a lack of trying, and it won't be missed by much. Welcome to the latest issue of Atari Explorer Online, your window on events in the World Atari. In this issue, the big item is a review of the final version of Alien Vs. Predator by our own Tim Wilson. Tim had the chance to spend a lot of time playing AvP last week, and his report on the game only scratches the surface of what I feel looks to be the system seller we've all been hearing about for a year now. As a matter of fact, the public's reaction to the dealer video that's only been out for a few weeks has been nothing less than totally positive. Former Jaguar bashers are taking a look at the low system price and the titles to come and (while not giving in totally) picking up a Jag of their own. In other Jaguar events, Sega's settlement with Atari boosted ATC prices up for several days, showing that the short sellers can't be right all of the time. With the $90 million cash influx, Atari is in the best position that it has been in for years: dynamite product, anxious customers, money to push the product with.... Even Veronica is starting to think that Atari will reemerge in strength. Before I let you go, a staff item of note. Tal Funke-Bilu has been moved into the testing department at Atari. Besides settling into his new realm, Tal has had to drop his AEO post of Jaguar Junkie. (Atari has this policy about members of the press having access to too many confidential items, you see.) So to take up the post of AEO Jaguar Editor, I'm happy to bring onboard Dimitri LaBarge, Net surfer. Dimitri's enthusiasm in locating, sifting and reporting items of Jaguarian interest should fit in quite well here. Look for his column, "Surfing the Jagged Edge" in this issue. Showers are still around, but hopefully y'all will be getting a share of the next flood that strikes these parts. A welcome share of titles indeed, that will make the "fourth time the charm." See you next time. --==--==--==--==-- ||| Digital Briefs - Industry News ||| By: Albert Dayes / | \ CIS: 70007,3615 GEnie: AEO.1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Atari News =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Atari & Williams Join Forces Contact: Ron Beltramo Marivi Lerdo Terry King Atari Edelman Williams Entertainment 408/745-8852 415/433-5381 903/874-2683 For Immediate Release ATARI AND WILLIAMS ENTERTAINMENT TO CREATE 64-BIT VERSIONS OF POPULAR ARCADE GAMES Innovative Deal Brings Hot Games To Both Jaguar Fans and PC Game Players SUNNYVALE, CA (September 26, 1994) -- Atari and Williams Entertainment have agreed to work together to bring vastly enhanced versions of Williams' popular, classic arcade games to the Atari 64-bit Jaguar system and high performance PCs. According to the licensing agreement, Atari will exploit the Jaguar system's 64-bit power to create new versions of such Williams' hits as Joust, Defender, and Robotron. These new games will offer features such as first-person perspectives in a realistic, three-dimensional environment. Atari then will market these games for its Jaguar system, while Williams will license the new versions to market them for high performance PCs. "64-bit power will make our best games even better by creating a compelling, immersive, experience for players," said Byron Cook, president of Williams Entertainment. "We are very excited about the Atari Jaguar 64-bit platform and are happy to support it with our finest titles." This is not the first cooperative venture between Williams and Atari. Williams and Atari have been promoting the Jaguar 64-bit system with Williams' Troy Aikman NFL Football through radio promotions in 25 top markets nationwide. Williams will make the game available in November on the Jaguar. Williams also is publishing a Jaguar version of its popular game Double Dragon Five, which also will be available in November. Williams Entertainment Inc. is the new home video subsidiary of WMS Industries, the company that created Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam video games. Since its release in November 93 Atari's Jaguar game system has been named the industry's Best New Game System (Video Games Magazine), Best New Hardware Systems (Game Informer) and 1993 Technical Achievement of the Year (Die Hard Game Fan). Jaguar, the world's first 64-bit video game system, retails for $249.00 and is the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Atari Corporation, based in Sunnyvale Calif., designs and markets 64-bit interactive multimedia entertainment systems and video games. ### Jaguar is a trademark for Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. //// Sega Follows Nintendo's Lead Contact: Sega Enterprises. Ltd. Atari Corporation Richard Brudvik-Lindner Sam Tramiel (415) 802-3657 (408) 745-8824 August Liguori (408) 745-2069 Manning, Selvage & Lee (for Sega) Brenda Lynch (818) 509-1840 SEGA AND ATARI ANNOUNCE LONG-TERM LICENSING AGREEMENTS, EQUITY INVESTMENT, AND RESOLUTlON OF DISPUTES SUNNYVALE, Calif. (September 28, 1994) -- Sega Enterprises, Ltd., and Atari Corporation (AMEX:ATC) announced today an affiliation that includes several agreements designed to serve as the basis of future working arrangements between the two video game manufacturers. Under the terms of the agreements: - Sega will receive worldwide, non-exclusive rights with certain exceptions to Atari's extensive library of patents, a number of which extend beyond the turn of the century. The agreement covers Sega, its subsidiaries, its licensees, and its customers for more than 70 U.S. patents and applications, for a fully prepaid royalty to Atari covering the remaining 7 years of certain patents, amortized at approximately $7 million per year. Atari will therefore receive a total of $50 million, less Atari's contingent attorney fees and costs. - Sega will purchase approximately 4.7 million shares of Atari common stock for a total price of $40 million. - Both companies will enter into software license agreements for a specified number of games that would be made available on each company's present and future platforms. - Atari will dismiss its legal proceedings against Sega, and each company will release all claims against the other. The agreements are subject to approval by the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission under Hart-Scott-Rodino and to certain other conditions. "We are extremely pleased with this relationship that has potential long-term benefits for both companies," said David Rosen, Co-Chairman of Sega of America. "We at Atari are very pleased with this new affiliation. The increased cash position will be used among other things to enhance our marketing position this fall," said Sam Tramiel, President, CEO of Atari Corp. Atari designs and markets interactive multimedia entertainment systems and is located in Sunnyvale, California. Sega Enterprises, Ltd., Tokyo, is a nearly $4 billion company, recognized as a leader in interactive digital entertainment media with operations on five continents. //// AvP Announced for Jaguar Contact: Laura Paden/Patrick Toland Edelman Public Relations (415) 433-5381 ALIEN VS. PREDATOR COMES ALIVE ON 64-BIT ATARI JAGUAR Video Game Magazine Reviewers Raving about Jaguar's "Best Game to Date" SUNNYVALE, Calif. (October 3, 1994) -- Move over Mortal Kombat II, on October 21 the most sought-after video game will arrive in stores across the country. The advanced first-person perspective version of Alien Vs. Predator, available only on the award-winning 64-bit Jaguar system by Atari, is already being considered one of the best game titles in video game history by people "in the know" -- the video game reviewers. "Alien Vs. Predator is the best 3-D action game that I have ever played -- the graphics and game play are second to none," claimed Editor-in-Chief Dave Halverson of Die Hard Game Fan. "If you own a Jaguar, you must own this game, and if you don't own a Jag, well, it's time to get one. More games are on the way!" Roaring into stores on October 21 at a suggested retail price of $69.99, Alien Vs. Predator for the 64-bit Jaguar blows away prior versions of the game with the most realistic graphics available, amazing digitized sound effects and increased play variety. Alien Vs. Predator is a Twentieth Century Fox licensed property based on the films of the same names. Gamers can choose the Predator, Alien or the Colonial Marine as they battle through different theaters of combat including the Predator Ship, the Marine Training Base and the Alien Ship, enjoying hours of different types of play. "I was overwhelmed by the cutting-edge graphics and the innovative game play of Alien Vs. Predator -- no question, it's the best Jaguar game to date," said Paul Anderson of Game Informer. "The sheer size of Alien Vs. Predator is amazing -- I've already spent 40-plus hours playing as the Marine and haven't even tried the Alien or Predator assignments. Alien Vs. Predator will keep the attention of even the most seasoned game players." "The sophisticated technology of the Jaguar platform allows for the best in stop-motion animation, giving each character smooth, realistic movements, and digitized sound effects that provide a dynamic audio environment," said software developer Purple Hampton. "Alien Vs. Predator is the best demonstration to date of what 64-bit technology can provide in terms of sophisticated graphics, sound quality and game play." Atari's Jaguar game system has approximately 30 software titles planned for release before the holiday season. Popular titles in the works include Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story, Doom, Rayman, Troy Aikman Football, and Kasumi Ninja. "We believe that Alien Vs. Predator has true mega-hit potential," said Atari Corporation President Sam Tramiel. "This is a great example of Atari developing new games that use the full technological capacity of the 64-bit Jaguar and taking home video games above and beyond where they've been to date." In support of this landmark game and the Jaguar system, Atari has launched an aggressive, multi-million dollar advertising campaign that includes a specific television ad for Alien Vs. Predator. The advertising schedule includes national cable advertising in addition to programming in 19 of the top spot markets that will deliver more than 300 million targeted media impressions. Since its release in November 1993, Atari's Jaguar game system has been named the industry's "Best New Game System" (Video Games Magazine), "Best New Hardware System" (Game Informer) and "1993 Technical Achievement of the Year" (DieHard GameFan). The Jaguar is the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's only 64-bit system, and the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Atari is headquartered at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089. # # # Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. ALIEN(tm) and PREDATOR(tm) are trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and used under sublicense from Activision. ||| Jaguar Tackboard ||| Confirmed information about Atari's Jaguar / | \ Compiled from online and official sources ----------------------------------------------------------------- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Independent Association of Jaguar Developers =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The IAJD (Independent Association of Jaguar Developers) has started accepting members on GEnie. The IAJD is a private group where confidential discussions can be freely held. (Category 64 of the ST RoundTable is the IAJD meeting place.) Consequently, membership in the IAJD is limited to Jaguar developers who are registered with Atari Corp. To apply for membership, send EMail to ENTRY$ on GEnie (or <entry$@genie.geis.com> if you're not on GEnie). Regular EMail correspondence with the IAJD should be sent to IAJD$ (again, or <iajd$@genie.geis.com> if you're not on GEnie). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Internet Jaguar Mailing List =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Anyone with Internet EMail access can join the discussions on the Jaguar mailing list. To "subscribe" to the list, send an EMail to the following address: <listserv@ctrc.fs.saci.org> Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the EMail, include this line: subscribe jaguar-l FirstName LastName (Where "FirstName" is your first name and "LastName" is your last name.) To send mail to be read on the Jaguar list, address your letter to: <jaguar-l@ctrc.fs.saci.org>. It will go to the list server and be sent to the over 250 readers of the list. IMPORTANT: If your mail server charges you by the character or by the letter, please be aware that the Jaguar list can generate dozens, and up to a hundred EMails in a day. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Jaguar FAQ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Robert Jung <rjung@netcom.com> maintains the Jaguar FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file, an updated list of Jaguar specs and facts. The Jaguar FAQ is posted to rec.games.video.atari on Usenet around the first of every month, and can also be found via FTP, address: ftp.netcom.com, in Andy Eddy's /pub/vidgames/faqs directory. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Developer / Game List 1.16 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Editor: The following developers, licensees and game titles have been confirmed to the best of AEO's ability as of October 7, 1994. Entries in the "S"tatus column reflects any "e"rrors, "u"pdates, "n"ew titles, new "d"evelopers, or "?"uestionable listings since the last AEO list. Titles in brackets (e.g. [Cybermorph]) have been completed and are available in the US. Expected dates are dates that have been provided by the developer. Expected Date or Titles S Developer/Licensee Rating under development " """""""""""""""""" """""" """"""""""""""""" 20th Centrury Fox Interactive 21st Century Software Q4/94 Pinball Dreams 3D Games - Rainbow Warrior - MORE 4Play - StarBattle Accent Media Productions - Varuna's Forces CD-ROM Accolade - Al Michaels Announces Hardball - Brett Hull Hockey - Charles Barkley's Shut Up and Jam Acid Software Activision - Return to Zork CD-ROM Alfaro Corporation Limited All Systems Go Q1/95 Hosenose and Booger CD-ROM Q1/95 Video Jukebox (cart multiplexer) - BIOS Fear CD-ROM - (IR controller station) American Laser Games - Mad Dog McCree Anco Software Ltd. - Kick Off 3 (for Imagineer) - World Cup Anthill Industries Argonaut Software - Creature Shock CD-ROM (For Virgin) Atari Corp. - Battlezone 2000 - Chaos Agenda CD-ROM - Club Drive *5* [Crescent Galaxy] - Highlander - MPEG 1 and 2 carts - Space War (was Star Raiders 2000) - Tiny Toons Adventures - VR Helmet MORE Atari Games Corp. - Arcade Games Using Jaguar Attention to Detail - Battlemorph: Cybermorph 2 CD-ROM - Blue Lightning CD-ROM *7* [Cybermorph] (For Atari) Audio-Visual Magic B.S.A. Bando Svenska AB Beris Bethesda Softworks u Beyond Games Inc. 1995 Battlewheels Q4/94 Ultra Vortex BitMotion Software Bizzare Computing Black Scorpion Software Borta & Associates Brainstorm - [x86 Jaguar Development System] Brandlewood Computers Ltd. Bullfrog Productions Ltd. Q4/94 Syndicate (For Ocean) Q4/94 Theme Park (For Ocean) Cannonball Software Celebrity Systems Inc. Clearwater Software Computer Music Consulting Condor Software Cross Products Ltd. - [Jaguar Development System] Cybervision CyberWare DAP Data Design Delta Music Systems Inc. - Nanoterror - Droppings Denton Designs Ltd. Dimension Technologies Diskimage Domark Group Ltd. - F1 Racer DTMC - Lester the Unlikely - Mountain Sports - (Miniature Golf) u Eclipse Q4/94 Iron Soldier (For Atari) Electro Brain Corp. Electrom Elite E-On Eurosoft Extreme EZ Score Software Inc. Factor 5 Flair Software Ltd. Frankenstein Software Funcom Productions a/s GameTek Inc. u Genus Microprogramming Inc. Gremlin Graphics Ltd. Q4/94 Zool 2 - UNKNOWN TITLE (racing) - MORE? H2O Design Corp. u Hand Made Software Q4/94 Kasumi Ninja (For Atari) Q4/94 Jack Nicholas Cyber Golf CD-ROM (For Atari through Accolade) High Voltage Software - White Men Can't Jump (for Trimark) - Ruiner (pinball) Hisoft Human Soft Ltd. ICD Inc. - Cat Box (AV & comm expansion box) u id Software Q4/94 Doom: Evil Unleashed *8* [Wolfenstein 3D] i-Space iThink - (3D simulation) Imagineer Company Ltd. Imagitec Design Inc. *6* [Evolution Dino-Dudes] *6* [Raiden] - Freelancer 2120 CD-ROM u Q4/94 Bubsy in Clawed Encounters of the Furried Kind (For Accolade) - Dino Dudes 2 Interplay - BattleChess CD-ROM - MORE? Jaleco - Cisco Heat - Bases Loaded - MORE CD-ROM JVC Musical Industries - Valus Force Krisalis Software Ltd. - Soccer Kid Kungariket Multimedia Limelight Media Inc. LlamaSoft *10* [Tempest 2000] (For Atari) u 1Q/96 Defender 2000 (!!!!! :-) (For Atari) - MORE MINTER! Loricel S.A. Lost in Time Software Malibu Interactive Manley & Associates Inc. Maxis Software Media Technology Scandinavia Merit Industries Inc. Michton Inc. Microids 1995 Evidence 12/94 Commando Microprose - Gunship 2000 - MORE SIMULATIONS u MidNite Entertainment Q4/94 Aircars u Q4/94 Dungeon Depths Q1/95 Assault Millenium/Teque *7* [Brutal Sports Football] (For Telegames) Miracle Designs Nebulous Games Neon-Buttner Network 23 Software NMS Software Ltd. Ocean Software Ltd. 12/94 Apeshi- (working title) 1995 Lobo CD-ROM Odyssey Software Inc. -unnamed- - -unnamed- Photosurrealism - Galactic Gladiators Phobyx Pixel Satori PIXIS Interactive - Neurodancer CD-ROM Rage Software Ltd. - Rally Rainmaker Software Inc. - Nerves of Steel - Virtual Warriors ReadySoft Incorporated - Dragon's Lair CD-ROM - Dragon's Lair II CD-ROM - Space Ace CD-ROM u Rebellion Software Ltd. *9* Alien vs. Predator (For Atari) (October 21, US - October 23, UK) u Q4/94 Checkered Flag II (For Atari) - Legions of the Undead (For Atari) - Hammerhead Rest Energy Riedel Software Prod. Scangames Interactive Sculptured Software Inc. Selgus Limited Shadowsoft Inc. Sigma Designs Q4/94 "Jaguar on a PC" PC card Silmarils Q4/94 Robinson's Requiem CD-ROM Sinister Developments Soft Enterprises Softgold Gmbh Software 2000 Software Creations Software Development Systems Spaceball Technologies Inc. Steinberg Soft-und- Hardware Gmbh Tantalus Entertainment Tantalus Incorporated Team Infinity Team 17 Software Ltd. Tecnation Digital World Techtonics Telegames - Casino Royale - European Soccer Challenge Q4/94 Ultimate Brain Games - Super Off-Road - World Class Cricket Teque London Ltd. Thrustmaster Tiertex Ltd. - Flashback (for U.S. Gold) Time-Warner Interactive - Rise of the Robots Titus Trimark Interactive Twlight U.S. Gold Ltd. u UBI Soft International Q4/94 RayMan - MORE (American Football) V-Reel Productions - Arena Football - Horrorscope Virgin Interactive Entertainment Ltd. - Cannon Fodder - Dragon - Demolition Man Virtual Artistry, Inc. Virtual Xperience - Indiana Jags - Zzyorxx II - Burn Out Visual Concepts n Visual Impact - Hyper Force Wave Quest Inc. Williams Brothers Williams Entertainment 11/94 Troy Aikman NFL Football Q4/94 Double Dragon 5: The Shadow Falls WMS Industries Zeppelin Games - Center Court Tennis Pts Stars AEO Ratings """ """"" """"""""""" 10 ***** GAMING NIRVANA!!! - You have left reality behind... for good. 9 ****+ Unbelieveable GAME!! - Your family notices you're often absent. 8 **** Fantastic Game!! - You can't get enough playtime in on this. 7 ***+ Great Game! - Something to show off to friends or 3DOers. 6 *** Good game - You find yourself playing this from time to time. 5 **+ Ho-hum - If there's nothing else to do, you play this. 4 ** Waste of time - Better to play this than play in traffic. 3 *+ Sucks - Playing in traffic sounds like more fun. 2 * Sucks Badly - You'd rather face an IRS audit than play this. 1 + Forget it - ... but you can't; it's so badly done, it haunts you. 0 - Burn it - Disallow programmer from ever writing games again. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Kasumi Ninja Moves List =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// The Orange Ninja: Habaki Special Moves: Ninja Fireball, Whirlwind Kick, Ninja Teleport Death Move: Power Head Smash //// Chagi: The Kickboxer Special Moves: Knee to the Crotch, Hammer Kick, Fireball, Flying Eagle Kick Death Move: Slams knee into crotch, buckling opponent over, then shoves foot through the opponent's chest. //// Alaric, King of the Goths Special moves: The Goth Hammer, The Power Slide, Exploding Bamboo Stick, Lunging punch Death Move: Exploding Bamboo In opponents mouth //// Thundra, The Amazon Queen Special Moves: Flying lunge, Thunder Uppercut, Teleport, Bite opponent Death Move: Fly through opponents upper body. //// Danja, The Urban Gang Leader Special Moves: Exploding Bolas, Side Teleport, Crotch Grab, Throat spike Death Move Exploding Bolas //// Pakawa: The Comanche Indian Warrior Special Moves: Buffalo Punch, Throw Knife, Head Butt, Buffalo Jump Death Move: Scalp opponent //// The Green Ninja: Senzo Special Moves: Ninja Fireball, Whirlwind Kick, Ninja Teleport. Death Move: Lift Opponent, and punch through Stomach //// Angus McGreggor: The Scottish Brawler Special Moves: Fireball, Caber Toss, Head Butt Death Move: The head Pummel //// Gyaku: No Information =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Aircars PR =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= MidNite Entertainment Group proudly presents: AIRCARS CATEGORY: 3D Science Fiction/Simulator SYSTEM: Atari Jaguar 64-bit Interactive Multimedia System NO.OF PLAYERS: 1 to 8 DESCRIPTION: You are in a Post-holocaust era. A highly technical organization has emerged to re-organize society as they see fit, E.vil B.ureaucratic N.uclear E.codestructious R.ebellion S.ociety. You have been given the responsibility to defend this new threat to a decimated Earth. The only weapon that can do the job is a prototype AIRCAR. Capable of traveling over all terrain in any conditions, this is more than an off-road toy. Sophisticated electronic systems allow this vehicle to install improved weaponry and armour. Now you must go and kick some E.B.N.E.R.S. butts! HIGHLIGHTS: Fast paced action through a variety of terrain and climates. Upgrade your AIRCAR with weapons and armour by scavenging wrecks, destroyed buildings, and finding ancient treasures. Battle various enemies to include tanks, turrets, and other AIRCARS. Up to eight players can play together on separate Jaguars, through serial port connection. (Possibly with the use of the Catbox.) For a realistic feel, AIRCARS uses 3D, stereo 16-bit sound, Gouraud shading with light source and atmospheric effects to all objects and terrain. Suggested retail price at this time $54.99 Street date end of November - 1st week December Any and all of the above subject to change. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Jag Dustcover Proposal =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= [Editor: This message was recently posted in the GEnie ST/Jaguar RoundTable, and is copyright GEnie. Please note that the author, Rod Martin of Network 23, is asking for EMails of INTENT. Anyone desiring more information from Rod through the Internet should direct their EMails to <r.martin22@genie.geis.com>.] I'm now gathering information in the form of advanced orders, to see what interest there is here. The JagCover is sleek black nylon. Designed specifically for the Jaguar, the JagCover hugs the contours of your cat and allows space in the back for cables to remain connected. The edges are stitched and bound for a high-quality feel that all your friends will envy! The JagCover also sports the blood-red Jaguar logo. I'm proposing a special GEnie early-bird price of $7.00+S/H until an as-of-yet-undetermied date. After that date, the price will go up to $10.99+S/H. DO NOT SEND MONEY NOW! I'm basically wanting to collect intents right now. If you have been desiring a cool dustcover for the world's most powerful game system, please e-mail Network 23 at R.MARTIN22, stating your name, address, phone number, and your intent to purchase this fine piece of Jaguar merchandise. Once I see there is sufficient interest, the JagCover will go into production. I'm also looking into producing special covers for the Jag+CD-ROM and a carrying case. --==--==--==--==-- ||| Surfing the Jagged Edge ||| By: Dimitri Mark LaBarge / | \ GEnie: AEO.6 CIS: 71501,3353 AOL: dimitril ----------------------------------------------------------------- What's new in the Jaguar world? Well, for starters... I am! My name is Dimitri LaBarge, and I'm the new Jaguar editor here at AEO. Before we start summing up a couple of weeks of interesting, and even stunning, virtual commentary and news flashes, let me take a moment to get you aquainted with who I am. I'm a 25-year old screenwriter, a recent transplant to Nashville from sunny Central California. When I'm not writing scripts (SF and various dramatic film projects - for those wondering, no, I've not been produced yet), I also run a little desktop publishing operation on the side. I live with my wonderful girlfriend Katie, nine cats who are affectionate in the most startling ways, a big hunk of a dog named Zack (part pit-bull and part Jack Russell Terrier), and of course, a Lynx and a Jaguar. Don't worry, they're all tamed.... How does Atari connect with me? Well, they've been part of my life for about as long as I can remember. Oddly enough, I never had a 2600 or any of the early game machines; my experience began with an adoration of my best friend's Atari 800 (and to be frank, endless hours of Star Raiders, Rescue on Fractalus and numerous Infocom games). But my association with Atari didn't really begin until I brought my first 520 ST into the house - and oh, what a machine it was! On it, I did all my first graphics, I typed my first spec scripts on that machine (for Star Trek: The Next Generation; alas, I never made my name there) - I even used it to put together a high school news program for cable television, using nothing more than WP 4.2 and Degas Elite). It was a wonderful time, and it sealed my loyalty to Atari. Not long after, I found myself spending hours on my Lynx, and now my Jaguar. I have a fondness for the Fuji that I hope will continue for a long time. But enough of this one-time-only swooning interlude... you're here for Jag stuff! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// JAGDoooom =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Let's start with a post that originated with Id's John Carmack and found its way all across the 'net - a first-hand report on Doom, as well as his impressions of the Jag. DOOM is allllmost done. Music and modem code is about all that's left. Its good. To address the two main topics of discussion: Is the Jaguar doomed?: This christmas will tell. If atari sells close to their estimates, they will be a serious market target for next year. I really don't think 3DO will bury the jag. Its too expensive, and it doesn't have a technical edge to make up for it. The sega 32x is a nice machine, and they are shipping good numbers for christmas. It is less powerfull than the jaguar is when really pushed, but it is easier to get things going at a decent speed. The sony psx and the sega saturn will both cost $100 to $200 more than the jaguar (CD machines). They are both more powerfull (to a greater or lesser degree), but neither one will have a wealth of games when they debut. The ultra-64 is over a year away. It will probably be damn good, but a year is a long time. 3D engines: For 24 bit parallax scrolling graphics, the jag will outperform a pentium, but it is only about as powerful as a low end 486 for texture mapped games. Its not really an apples to apples comparison because of the parallel nature of the jag, but that is a fair aproximation. The jaguar CANNOT make a fully textured, full screen, full resolution game that runs at 30 fps. The bus will simply not take that many accesses. The 64 bit bus will let you do really fast shaded polygons, but texture mapping is done a single pixel at a time. DOOM had to be significantly reworked to get good performance, but it wasn't designed from the ground up to take advantage of the Jaguar. If I was designing a game from scratch for the Jag (I'm not), I would target 20 fps with a 256*180 view window in 16 bit color as a reachable goal. Doom runs 15 fps at 160*180 because the basic design is non-optimal for the jag's characteristics. I wrote it for the pc. There are a lot of tradeoffs you can choose. AVP made very different choices than I did. They have a lot more pixels on the screen, but it runs slower (about 12 fps) and the engine is a lot more limited. The engine is essentially the level of Shadowcaster on the pc (90 degree walls, transparent segments, floor/ceiling texture mapping, strictly diminishing lighting and a rear clipping plane). They chose to use higher resolution bitmaps, so they have less variety. So what does all this mean? Let's take it apart piecemeal. First, we have a real perspective on what Doom's going to be like on the Jag. Because of the nature of the game - NOT Jag-specific - we're probably not going to wind up with, speedwise, a version of a game comparable with one running on a 33MHz 486 - albeit with vastly improved 64K color and light banding (take a close look at the 256-color light-banding on your PC version when you're up close to the walls, real close. It ain't purty, pardner). Advantages to the Jag version, then? Well, Id's taking this opportunity to revise a lot of the levels that they didn't like, so we're not getting a clone of the PC version, but a sort of Doom Plus. Yes, there will be Jag-specific mazes, and supposedly, a few surprises. There's no word on whether that this is another one of the games that was upped to 4 megs, but it sounds like that's what happened. Carmack then talks about the prospects of the Jag, a Christmas scenario that a lot of us agreed with. But in a great example of the law of Funny How Things Can Change, I think Jag advocates and naysayers will be doing some serious positive rethinking based on recent events. But more on that, later. As we speak, Id is now completing the connectibility portion of JagDoom and is in final testing. Shawn Green reports that it's running at about 20 fps now, the voicemodem option has been shelved, and Doom may go to the masters soon. Now for the most controversial portion of John Carmack's message - the capabilities of the Jag. Are his facts accurate? Well, I don't think it's that simple. As he speaks right now, yes, he probably is on target. But the nature of the Jag is that we don't know what the machine is capable of producing with hotshot coders. Many developers have already described the internals of the Jag of having the kind of open-ended expandability that the 2600 had (for those of you late to that game, developers were able to find ways to tweak and spin around the supposed capabilities of that machine for some amazing technical results. For the time, of course). Even Jeff Minter has expressed astonishment at the coding of a game like Iron Soldier, which came out of nowhere and blew people away at SCES. All it took was one hot programmer and a lot of enthusiasm. From this columnist's perspective, that's where we stand on the debate about what the Jag can do. (Incidentally, while of lot of the tech specs on AvP are probably accurate, there's been no verification if John Carmack had gotten into the final version of AvP. So his comments should be respected, but with a question mark.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// The Gamesmaster/EDGE Debate =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Well, we were waiting for some kind of word from reviewers on AvP; last week we got it, and it wasn't good. A UK television show, Gamesmaster, gave Alien vs. Predator a middling 83% rating. Two UK magazines, Games World (75%) and EDGE (4/10) have also panned AvP, while UK magazine Gamesmaster (95%) loved it. Many Jaguarians were stunned. "What's going on?" they've asked. Sadly, it seems that some British reviewers have either gone off half-cocked with a half-finished version of AvP, or never bothered playing enough of the game to get a feel for it. Here's an excerpt from a post by Rebellion Software: Gamesmaster [the television program] is produced about three months ahead of time - so the version they were reviewing then was three months old. What they had at that time was a pre-alpha version of the game. We told them what else was going to be put into the game, but the reviewers were, for some reason, not given this information by the people who run Gamesmaster. In fact, large areas of the map were not populated at that time; the game was only two meg rather than four, so the majority of the samples were absent. Worth bearing in mind that the testers at Atari US kept on playing the game even when it'd been released as they enjoyed it that much. The review in Gamesmaster the magazine is, basically, completely independant of the TV review; the magazine review was only about a month ago, and so bears far more resemblance to the final game. (though that was only two meg). We are, as a company, not particularly happy with Gamesmaster. Atari UK elaborated on this. Generally speaking, reviewers must obtain permission to assume that the version of a game that they had was the final version. Gamesmaster was NOT authorized to make that assumption, but trumpeted it as the complete game. Unfortunately, there's not a lot to protect any company from that happening to them. 3DO owners faced the same affliction when EGM magazine reviewed an early version of Way of the Warrior and smashed it. Now, GamesWorld seems to be following the same sorry suit. To put things in perspective: the -final- version of AvP has only been available to reviewers for three, four weeks at most. Any magazine will, by its nature, have at least a month of lag time or so - usually closer to three. So these British magazines simply can't have a version anywhere close to the final product. Some of their comments - like complaints about an absence of enemies to kill - have to do with the fact that creature population was one of the last things put in. (Rebellion speaks of many enemies per level.) Knowing that Atari/Rebellion told them of the changes to come (a standard practice in shipping beta copies of games for review) makes this a sad situation, really. To strengthen their case, Atari UK distributed a list of quotes from some early European and US reviews: "The best action game ever issued on console......For the first time a console game recreates the tension and atmosphere of a movie" MEGA HIT 95% Console + Magazine (France) "The finished result is stunning, the combination of the fluidity of movement, eery sound samples and stunning visuals make AvP a completely engrossing experience" 5/5 Movies, Games & Videos Magazine. (UK) "This is one compelling and addictive in your face title. You'd have to be Rhino-scrubbingly mad not to enjoy this game" 95% Gamesmaster magazine. (UK) "Alien vs Predator is the best 3-D action game that I have ever played - the graphics and gameplay are second to none". Die Hard Game Fan magazine. (USA) "I was overwhelmed by the cutting edge graphics and the innovative gameplay" Game Informer Magazine. (USA) "Fantastic graphics that recreate the feel of the Aliens movie help make this one of the most addictive games ever" Sunday Mirror (UK) As this column was going to press, Rebellion added another statement on the AvP review situation, this time regarding The Edge. While they apparently did not have an unfinished version (or just barely unfinished), this report may speak to their review process: Firstly, we should point out to clear things up that the Edge did in fact see a final version of AvP; at least, final minus possibly a few days to a month. Gamesmaster, the TV programme, saw a version dated around SCES or so. Secondly, the guy who reviewed AvP apparently (and this, as with the below, is hearsay, ect, ect, ect) may not have been the ideal choice of reviewer; Jason, MD here at Rebellion, sez: "I recently heard that the guy who reviewed AvP for the Edge has now left the organisation to take up his chosen profession as a professional footballer. Apparently he gave AvP a 4 minute try out and didn't know that there was a strategic element to it at all. This is of course all heresay as I have no first-hand knowledge of this guy at all - so don't believe what you read unless you want to." Gossip over, AvP was also (this from Jason Brookes, editor of Edge) being reviewed immediately after Doom II (running on a 486DX2/66, which is apparently their yardstick for computing power; and the Jag is, basically, not as fast as that -- Doom-like games definitely benefit from throwing more raw CPU at them), and the reviewer is reputedly a fanatical Doom fan, so AvP could well have come off badly simply for not being Doom. My point of view, personally; some of the points he makes are fair -- for instance, the decompression does take a noticeable amount of time. On the other hand, some of the things that he seems to believe are disasterous are things that we put in there deliberately; no ingame music, for instance, to add to the tension so that when there /is/ a sound, it's that much more noticeable. If what you're looking for is Doom, then fair enough, AvP is not that. It's not meant to be, however, and that doesn't come across at all in the review. It's good to see a little logic come back in the face of ugly rumors and cheapshots. (BTW, UK television's "Bad Influence" is scheduled to take a look at several Jaguar games in a week or so. Watch for it!) What this all comes down to is this: if you're tired of this kind of hackwork, don't stand for it. Voice your displeasure to the editor. Write them a letter telling them to be honest when they're reviewing unfinished versions. If this really bothers you, don't buy their product and put change in their pockets, unless they support a reasonable standard of accuracy. We are not juveniles and we will not lap up whatever drivel they choose to shovel out to make a cheap buck. Okay, my soapbox ranting is done. You can stop grimacing now.... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// REAL AvP reviews! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= But not all was glum in the world of AvP reviews this week. Zach Meston, author of the upcoming Jaguar hints book and reviewer of AvP for VideoGames review, was the guest at an IRC recently. Here are some excerpts from the conversation, detailing his experience with the FINAL version of AvP, which he's finished. [Summation written by our own Travis Guy, who attended the IRC.] In an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) with Zach Meston (writer for VideoGames, etc.) Monday night, he said that VideoGames magazine will be giving AvP an overall rating of 9. (Nine.) Graphics were great, with the animation the major thing he found fault with. (Good, but not as smooth as he expected.) About the frame rate, "The frame rate in AvP depends on the character you're using. The Alien can move FAST, while the Marine kind of hobbles along. There's no slowdown even with large groups of aliens coming at you from every direction. :)" Zach said that the Alien & Predator games would more appeal to the Doom crowd (shoot-em-up), with the Marine game being more for the "deep thinkers." Gamers can be a fickle lot, and when asked if he thought there would be a post-release letdown in reaction to the hype that has surrounded AvP (there was somewhat of a letdown following the release of Way of the Warrior for 3DO), Zach replied that he didn't think so, and remarked on the quality of AvP in comparison. He was very pleased with the game. While he doesn't think that it has the undefinable "Oomph" to be a system seller, he said it was excellent. (In Zach's opinion, Iron Soldier qualifies more as a system seller for Jaguar, as blowing up buildings grabs peoples' attention easier.) Near to the end of the IRC, Zach was asked if AvP was "terrifying enough". His response, "Damn straight it was.... At least until I got the motion tracker and knew where the friggin' Aliens were coming from." Not much to add to that. However, we have another note from a writer for a German magazine called "Video Games". They have also gotten a near final copy of AvP, and here are their impressions: We had a 0.99 version of AvP her in our office for three days, and about the only thing that was missing was the battery back-up. The game is as fast as it needs to be. The graphics are incredible and the gameplay superb. Especially the sound keeps on your toes at all times, at least if you connect it to your Hifi-system. We couldnt stop playing mainly because the games keeps you in suspense with the scary sound effects. There is no non stop action in the game, its more like the first Alien movie, where you are afraid all the time of what might happen next. I think the reason for the bad review is that the market for mags in the Uk is very tough and everybody tries to be first with reviews and previews and so they will review anything they can get their hands on. I can assure you that AvP is a brilliant game and we will give it around 90% which is extremely high for German mags. If you have any more questions regarding the game, go right ahead. So as Dana Carvey's George Bush would put it, "Early, unfinished version - BAD. Final, finished version - GOOD." But you probably knew that. Oh by the way, to check out our review of the absolutely final version of Alien Vs. Predator, stay tuned - it follows this column! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Highlander - The Animated Series =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Though the upcoming Jag CD-ROM game based on this new USA animated series has generated some buzz, not much is known about it. So I took a few minutes one Sunday morning to watch one of the early episodes of this show as a preview to this upcoming series of CD-ROMs. I won't go into the central concepts of Highlander, since a lot of you are already familiar with them. This animated version is an extremely frustrating extension of the movie and TV versions, a strange amalgam of surprising sophistication and toned-down kidification. Death does exist in this universe (as exibited by a flashback from the lead character, carrot-topped teenager Quentin MacLeod, a sort of Highlander-in-training; and yes, they do use the line, "There can be only one"), and there is some swordplay, but other parts display signs of intensely corny compromise. In addition to Quentin's mentor Ramirez, they're accompanied by a little girl and a creature best described as a cuddly warthog. The voice acting is hopelessly broad and American, in the most Filmationesque Masters-of-the-Universe style, as are the thickly drawn character styles. The series ultimately grates not because of its shortcomings, but because of the real potential hidden within. If the producers had more of a respect for more adult-oriented forms of the art such as anime, undoubtedly they would have come much closer to the kernal of promise this show still holds. Now, how will this show tie-in with the JagCD game? First, we know the game is going to be a kind of spiced-up, smoother and more colorful Out of This World, with lots of swordplay. The backgrounds are taken directly from the animated series, and that's where we start to find some serious positives. Examining the backgrounds closely, we find gorgeous color palettes and a fine stylization that should give the game a fabulous, unique look. If they have based their character designs on those in the show, then it should also work fine. It's much easier to take the character designs in a broad action form, rather than any kind of character interaction. All in all, what has come across in my viewing of this show is the development of fine concepts fine for a video game; but as a work of drama, it has managed that dubious feat of undermining its own ambition. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Williams Makes Nice! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= One of the more encouraging developments of the last couple of weeks was a press release regarding a new agreement between Williams and Atari: Williams and Atari have agreed to bring classic new versions of games such as (but not limited to) Joust, Robotron and Defender to the Jaguar. These versions will be dramatic 64-bit enhancements to the original games, with such new goodies as first-person perspectives, dynamic CD-quality soundtracks and mind blowing graphic upgrades, while still maintaining the feel and spirit of the original game. So what's coming? Well, Jeff Minter has announced that he's going to start work on Defender 2000 this month. Not one to violate the original concept of Eugene Jarvis, Jeff will maintain the original side-scrolling concept, focusing on enhancements such as superior graphics and snazzy new creatures; there also may be a first-person bonus round added. (Incidentally, Jeff is moving to Sunnyvale in November to facilitate his work for Atari. An early welcome to you, Jeff!) Another game, 'Dactyl 2000, is due next spring from Atari - this one is slated to be an exciting first-person rethinking of the original Joust. A lot of enthusiasm has been expressed for this one, and we'll forward to you the latest information as soon as it becomes available. So to what does all this add up? Well, if Activision does bring its collection of classic 2600 games to the Jag as well as to the PC (and the Jag is very prominent in their future plans, it should be noted), adding to those being brought over from Williams, Atari will be in the shining position in having an impressive library fueled by both reinvigorated classics and exciting new concepts. In short, it has an ace up its sleeve that no other company can really call upon - a rich history. So what games would -you- like to see culled from the Williams archives? This columnist gives a somewhat impassioned plea for the unparalleled Sinistar... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Other Game News =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= First, a little bummer... Rise of the Robots, being programmed for the Jag by ArtData, will -not- be out this year, says Atari's Bill Rehbock. However, it's a go for early next year. In a similar vein, Beyond Games' Battlewheels is also scheduled for early next year. But as with all good howevers, the sunny side: Battlewheels is not going to be any cheap port, but a fully rethought, JagNetwork and modem compatible game to serve all cheap desires of demolition. Right now, Beyond Games is deciding between a number of approaches to take with the game, trying to find out which will best use the Jag's fantastic capabilities to the max. And for the other Beyond Games product, a little something called UltraVortex - toss what you've seen on your AEO SCES tapes, because it's been 110% changed and enhanced since then. You won't find many stronger Jag proponents than Beyond Games, which describe the Jag as their "machine of choice" which lets them best fulfill their game vision. Also in game news, a report has now surfaced that two Ocean games, Syndicate and Theme Park may now be in production! As always, we'll get you confirmation as soon as it's available.... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Sam Tramiel Speaks =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This next item is a press report that in any other week, would've been seen as a decidedly mixed report. During this week, though, it was almost significant. From a Reuter's story, September 29th: Atari Corp chief executive officer Sam Tramiel said in an interview that the company expects to sell more than 200,000 Jaguar video game units this year, compared with a current target of 300,000. The story went on to say that Mr. Tramiel thinks Atari and Sega have the best chances of survivng in the currently crowded video game marketplace. The report ends with Tramiel dismissing Nintendo's Ultra 64 system as "extremely far behind", Sony's Playstation as arriving too late, and a prediction that strong holiday sales would help boost Atari past 3DO. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Sega Knuckles Under? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= But all this has -not- been the real news this week - which was a bowshot that rocked the videogame industry and sent Atari stock soaring over 20% in a single day. Yes, I'm referring to the settlement Atari reached with rival Sega. You can find the press release elsewhere in this issue, so let me add a perspective reported in the San Jose Mercury News: "Sega gets something for its money and doesn't run the risk of losing a costly legal fight and emerging with nothing," said Andy Eddy, senior editor of GamePro Magazine in San Mateo, publisher of a magazine geared to video game players. The whole Mercury News piece was quite a glowing report. So, what does this mean in a practical sense? Sam Tramiel said that the $90 million will be used to help expand and speed up development, which we have all hoped would happen. A juiced-up advertising presence may also find its way forward with this spare change. The consumer will probably most notice the agreement's effects with the arrival of the Jag titles (which, Mr. Tramiel has said, will begin porting shortly and are due in the second half of '95). No Sonic (and I think we're all getting a little sick of the rodent, anyway), but a Jag Daytona USA? Star Wars Arcade? World Series Baseball? It's within grasp now. That's the dish for this ish! Stay tuned.... --==--==--==--==-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- --==--==-- GEnie Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- -- -- -- 1. Set your communications software for half duplex (local echo) -- -- at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud. -- -- -- -- 2. Dial toll free: 1-800-638-8369 (or in Canada, 1-800-387-8330). -- -- Upon connection, enter HHH. -- -- -- -- 3. At the U# prompt, enter XTX99436,GENIE then press <Return>. -- -- -- -- 4. Have a major credit card ready. In the U.S., you may also use -- -- your checking account number. -- -- -- -- For more information in the United States or Canada, call 1-800- -- -- 638-9636 or write: GEnie, c/o GE Information Services, P.O. Box -- -- 6403, Rockville, MD 20850-1785. -- -- -- -- --==--==-- Atari's Official Online Resource! --==--==-- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --==--==--==--==-- ||| Jaguar Review: Alien Vs. Predator ||| By: Timothy Wilson / | \ GEnie: AEO.8 Internet: wilsont@rahul.net ---------------------------------------------------------------- Here it is, a review of the release version of Alien vs Predator (AvP) for the Jaguar. The ROMs weren't in a case yet, but I did get a manual. (Lots thicker than the previous games.) First up, it was the release version, and I spent several hours playing it, everyone got that? Good. I'll let you know now that I'm an avid Doom fan, but I didn't like Wolfenstein 3D. I've played System Shock & Blake Stone too, all of the same genre: texturemapped rooms with beasties in them. Okay, that's a generalization but it's supposed to be, it's the same genre that Jaguar AvP is in. Don't expect this to be an "Oh Gosh!" nothing- but-praise review. If you haven't seen any of these games, I'll describe how they're played. Basically, you view the world through your character's eyes. The world is populated with objects residing in rooms made up of texturemapped floors and ceilings and walls - meaning that, instead of flat polygons or dull colors, the walls look more "real", since photographic quality "textures" or images are mapped into the 3rd dimension onto those surfaces. Also, your movements are not constricted to 90 degree turns and 10 foot lunges - in AvP, the view can be rotated smoothly around, and you move freely within the game. If done right, the end result is amazing - you actually feel that you're -in- the game. Things can come at you from any angle, so you have to constantly look around and check for beasties. Again, if done properly, this type of game can really pull you into the gaming drama. So by now, I hope you've figured out that this isn't like the other Alien vs. Predator games out there, namely Activision's SNES cartridge and Capcom's arcade game, both which are side scrolling beat-em-ups. Also, AvP is not a Doom wannabe, AvP is a slower paced game, so I suggest those people who want a Doom-like game... well... buy Doom when it comes for the Jag. I saw it the same day I played AvP - it's running very fast, and the sounds are great. Atari Jaguar Alien Vs. Predator is a total rush - the best ever adaptation of a movie concept to the video game world. As you get to play three different characters: the Marine, Predator, and Alien, you get to use all of their gizmos, weapons and tenacity however you see fit. I'll start with a run down of the characters, and why they're on ROM. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Species Roll-Call =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// The Alien (Xenomorph) This is a game of species survival. Your queen has been lost to the Predators, and it's up to the Xenomorph soliders to get her back. Your claw, tail, second mouth, and unearthly speed are your weapons. Unable to heal yourself like the other races on the station, you have to cocoon Marines to be impregnated with a Xenomorph egg. (This basically "buys" you a new life after you die.) You may have up to three gestating eggs at one time, but at least one must be full grown in order for them to be of use. If you die with a fully gestated egg at the ready, you'll start life again where you cocooned your victim. You have free reign of the airducts, so it's easy to hide and wait for your eggs to grow. This is probably the most challenging character to play. //// Predator His is a game of sport, Predator style. The Predator in question is a greenhorn, sent to prove himself in battle by eventually killing the Queen Xenomorph to claim her skull. The only weapon availible at first is the wrist claw. While the Predator does have the whole shebang - wrist claw, "Combi-stick" (telescoping spear), killer discs, shoulder- mounted plasma gun, medi-kit, and the cloak - the weapons are activated as you gain honor points. You gain use of the Combi-stick at 150,000, the disc at 350,000, while the plasma gun is up somewhere around 750,000. You get 5000 points killing a Marine with the stick or claw, and 10,000 for an Alien. The catch is that you must kill while uncloaked! Otherwise you -lose- honor points when you kill something. (Sometimes, you get in a situation where you feel you have to play it chicken and attack while cloaked. Don't get too caught up in playing it safe though - after all, you're a Predator aren't you?) With the cloak comes the Pred-o-vision, with 5 different filters availible to you. Some are useful, and some can be inhibiting, depending on your surroundings. The idea at the start of the game is to single out a Marine (they like to travel in packs, but you can catch one alone if you wait), uncloak near him (you can do so from behind), gut him with your claw, then immediately cloak again. The cloak is useless against Xenomorphs, and if you're not careful, Marines can get a good idea of your presence. //// Colonial Marine The Marine's game is one of personal survival. Being the only human alive on an infested space station (you've just been released from a 90-day brig sentence during which separate Alien & Predator invasions of your station happened), you must gather clues from the various computer consoles to figure out what occurred, and what you need to do to save yourself. Hints gleaned from the data logs guide you to new weapons and security cards. The cards are used to open certain doors, or access certain computers. The weapons you gain help keep you alive by allowing you do waste the aliens more effectively. They include: a pump shotgun, a pulse rifle, flame thrower, and the best of them all, the "smart gun". The motion tracker is around there too, but it has to be found just like the rest. The Marine's job is to get enough security level passes to set the base's self-destruct, and leave on the escape pod. No easy task, since that requires searching 5 levels (plus airducts) and 2 alien ships! Yes, you will have to travel through the Alien-infested airduct system, and retrieve items from both ships. Good luck, soldier. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Details, Glorious Details =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Each character has their own overlay for the keypad, and their own Heads Up Display (HUD), the HUD is a ghosty image that can be brightened or dimmed if need be. The Alien HUD shows the status of your eggs to the left, and your three attacks and their readiness to the right. Using a claw constantly will reduce its effectiveness. Waiting between blows allows for the "pull back" of a big swipe to happen. The Predator HUD has a sound oscilliscope and his medi-kit to the left, and weapons active on the right. (The oscilloscope reacts to nearby enemies, but I heard things better instead of watching this readout.) The Marine's motion tracker (if found) is on the left, weapons and ammo on the right. All scores are at the top of the HUD. Each weapon has a number or letter by it, as a reminder of which button is used to select it. All characters can bring up an automap that is overlayed in the middle of the screen. The map rotates as you do, so "up" is always the way you face. The map fills in as you move along, but it is lost as you move between levels - which brings up a good point, as you play, you are free to go anywhere you want, there isn't some lame-o "boss monster" guarding the elevators or guarding anything in fact. Zero boss monsters in this game, HOORAY! The controls are similar for each. For the Marine & Predator, "A" is use, "B" is fire, and "C" (in combination with Left and Right) is "strafe", or side step. The number keys select weapons, "8" is the map on/off, "7" and "9" are alternate "strafe left" and "strafe right" keys. Pause/Option brings up the HUD brightness control and Save game menu. "6" changes the vision filter for the Predator, and Option toggles the cloak. The Predator can use Marine food and medi-kits, but they are stored/ converted in the Predator kit, which is then activated by pressing "5". This lets you heal when needed, and as much as you need. The Marine will use up all of a medical kit, even if its not all needed. The Alien is a bit different though, "A" is claw/open door, "B" is mouth, and "C" is tail. In order to Cocoon a Marine for impregnation, you hit the Marine with a claw, a tail, and a claw. This brings up a message saying "Cocoon the enemy!" as you walk over the Marine, you hear a nice painful, gurgling sound, and the Marine is cocooned. Most sound in the game is straight from the movies. The one to listen out for is that characteristic Predator snarl if it's nearby (which is always un-nerving, as Predators are deadly). The Predator also laughs when a new weapon is aquired. (Billy's laugh from Predator 1.) The Aliens squeal when wounded, and doors open up with that unique winch sound. The Marine mainly just "ooofs" and "arrghs", but they added a bit of "cheese" to the Marine in that any time he gets a weapon or gadget, he says something inane. For instance, while grabbing the shotgun from the body outside his cell, you hear, "What on Earth got ahold of this guy?" Upon getting the pulse rifle, the Marine busts out with, "Alright! Bug soup!" Probably the cheesiest comment occurs when you get the motion tracker, "You can run but you can't hide". The voice is one of those Hell's Angels-whiskey-and-cigarettes gravely voices that doesn't really match the Marine's face on the HUD. Thankfully, these are few and far between, but they do peg the cornball meter. There is no music apart from the title sequence. (Which uses beautiful 24-bit rendered graphics.) During the game you hear the humming of the life support or the thrum of the Predator equipment. During a good fight (as the Predator), gun shots and flame thrower exaust were all around as I quickly found myself outnumbered by about ten Marines. It's a toss-up on whether music should have been in the game. I would have accepted some original Aliens or Predator music myself, but the lack of game music didn't annoy me though. =-=-=-=-=-=-= //// The Good =-=-=-=-=-=-= Jaguar AvP can be an intense game. The save game feature is a godsend, and there are 3 places to save your game at, so it's not like you have to play your way through the game in one setting. Rebellion did a great job on getting the atmosphere right: you have to wait for airlocks to pressurize; changing vision filters sounds just like it did in Predator 2; Aliens gather speed as they run; and their acid blood splashes on you (causing damage) at close range. Scampering facehuggers and Alien eggs that open when you near them are great touches. (Open eggs produce face huggers so beware.) The textures used are low contrast, so putting your face in the wall doesn't give that big chunky pixel effect. There are windows in walls to look through, and some doors as well. There's lots to explore, the levels are vast, and I think it'll be a while before they are all mapped out in your head. One other good thing is that unlike Wolfenstein 3D, when you -know- there's an officer or a guard waiting behind a certain door each time you play, Jaguar AvP randomizes a lot of its enemies and items in the station. This greatly enhances the game's replay value, as in each game, you'll never really know what's waiting for you.... The game was a challenge, I don't believe I'd tire of it quickly. A particularly heart-pounding moment occured once when I got a pulse rifle - suddenly a Predator decloaked right in front of me. I let loose on the trigger while the Predator cloaked again. Green blood was still visible as I unloaded a good 3 seconds of pulse rifle ammo into him. Finally, he decloaked and died. Whew! These Predators are tough fighters, and will often stalk a hapless Marine. (Just wait until you're playing the Marine and walking down an empty corridor only to hear a voice come out of nowhere and whisper, "Over here...". You'll learn to scoot pretty fast.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// The Not so Good =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Alien bodies on the floor continue to hurt you when you walk over them. I recall from the movies that the acid ate through floors and stopped after about 3 minutes. Having just killed a bunch of Aliens, and then having to walk through the remains all kinda grated on my nerves, but you'd have to walk through a lot of acid to die. Restoring a game resurrects all of the bad guys, so don't save in a room where you just killed 10 Marines. (Like I did.) I would say a good place to save would be in the elevator. (Or in an airduct, if you're playing the Alien.) Restoring a game also resets the ammo and medi-kits too. Corellating the computer map with your map is difficult, since there isn't a "north" or "up" on your personal map. It took me a while to track down the various rooms I was supposed to go into. Once I was playing the Predator and came across a Marine and an Alien in the same room. This bothered me. Interestingly enough, I entered the room and side stepped while watching the Alien. Suddenly, a flame thrower burst came from behind me and wasted the Alien. Thanks, buddy. The Marines are trigger happy to the point of stupidity. I lined up about 5 Marines in a doorway and watched the guys in back torch the guys in front. Maybe it's supposed to represent panic, but it's a little too much. =-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Overall =-=-=-=-=-=-= "The Edge" magazine gave this game a 4/10, and said something about lack of anything to do. Well, that's bullshit. It's true that it isn't a shooter, but I got my butt kicked many-a-time playing each of the characters. I'd say if you want a real killing spree, play the Predator. Suspense? Play the Marine. And the real challenge of the game is being the Alien. The -game- here is great, I had an excellent sense of being the characters, and hey, the audio and graphics are good too. I'm gonna buy this one. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Final Ratings =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Title: Alien Vs Predator JagNet: No Design: Rebellion Players: One Published by: Atari Corp. Available: October 21 (US) Price: $69US October 23 (UK) Here's the summary ratings: "*" is a whole "+" is a half 5 stars maximum Control: **** Strafing is slow, but most moves are similar between characters. No way of customizing. Gameplay: ***** Lots of variety and freedom. I felt like I was playing a movie! Graphics: ***+ Better than Wolf3D and its clones, but it's still all orthagonal. Great textures and a lack of chunky pixelated walls. Sound: ****+ Clean samples, very atmospheric, with only title screen music. I miss the pulse rifle sound from the movie. Overall: ****+ It's gonna get a place in my library. We've gotten what we were promised. I really hope Atari makes this a pack-in. What they mean: ***** Oh wow! Forget work! This is AMAZING! **** Hey. Uh huhuhuh, this is cool. Uh-yeah! Cool! Hehheheh. *** Well, it's better than watching TV. ** My, that OJ Simpson thing sure is interesting. * Where's my sledge hammer!? --==--==--==--==-- ||| Delphi Atari Advantage News ||| Courtesy: Gordie Meyer / | \ Delphi: BIBLINSKI ---------------------------------------------------------------- For immediate release: In an attempt to make the Internet a little less daunting to access, DELPHI's Atari Advantage SIG is now offering two new Internet features to its members, both designed to make the task of maneuvering in and around the 'net less intimidating for novice Internet users. The first offering is called an Internet Gopher. First developed at the University of Minnesota, Gophers use a system of menus to access sites on the 'net. Simply choose an item number from the menu, and you are presented with the next menu, until you find the particular thing you want. The Gopher in DELPHI's Atari Advantage SIG Gopher currently has a few Atari-specific Gopher sites on its menus, including the HENSA site in the UK, and will be adding more as they are located. The second offering, just out of development by DELPHI, is a means to access the World Wide Web. WWW is another way to access sites around the world, and uses a form of hypertext instead of menus. Because of inherent delays due to using a packet-switching network for access, the WWW access for DELPHI is currently limited to an ASCII based interface. It displays pages in straight ASCII, using index numbers for branching to other pages and file areas. (Those index numbers appear within the text of the page inside square brackets, e.g. [1].) WWW pages are maintained by people all over the world, with all kinds of subject matter available. WWW pages with an Atari flavor have already been added to the WWW menu, and each of them have additional Atari-oriented pages that can be accessed easily and quickly. The ease of using WWW almost assures it will be the future of Internet access. Both of these offerings greatly decrease the effort needed to locate and obtain information from the Internet. Program files, data files, text files... all can be downloaded to your system with little or no problem. Both offerings require that members have Internet access on DELPHI, but at just $3 a month, the benefits certainly outweigh the expense. Combined with DELPHI's 20/20 plan, you can access the Internet for little more than $1.15 an hour. And, since DELPHI has no surcharge for high speed access (up to 14.4 in some areas), it is easily the most economical of all the major online services. To sign up for DELPHI, simply use your modem to dial up 1-800-365-4636. Press <RET> a couple times to sync up, then enter IP26 at the Password: prompt. Or for more information, call 1-800-695-4005 and talk with one of DELPHI's friendly Customer Service representatives. --==--==--==--==-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- --==--==-- CompuServe Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- -- -- -- To sign up for CompuServe service, call (voice call) (800) 848-8199. -- -- Ask for operator #198. You will be sent a $15.00 value CIS membership -- -- kit for free. -- -- -- -- --==--==-- CompuServe Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --==--==--==--==-- ||| ||| Shutdown ............................ Power off, EXIT, BYE, Logoff / | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------ We welcome feedback from all of our readers; feedback both positive and negative. Whatever you think of our efforts, we sincerely would like to know. Our EMail addresses are sprinkled throughout each issue - with the new Internet gateway into GEnie, you can reach us through the Internet also. Append "@genie.geis.com" to any of our GEnie addresses. Until the next issue of AEO, I remain, Your Editor Travis Guy Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com --==--==--==--==-- (This issue printed on recycled photons) --==--==--==--==-- DNFTEC --==--==--==--==-- #1 Wide_left > 2*(Wide_right) --==--==--==--==-- No Inflation Necessary --==--==--==--==-- Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a bi-weekly publication covering the entire Atari community. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted at the beginning of the article, to registered Atari user groups and not for profit publications under the following terms only: articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of each article reprinted. Other reprints granted upon approval of request. Send requests to <aeo.mag@genie.geis.com>. Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of the publishers. All material herein is believed accurate at the time of publishing. --==--==--==--==-- Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, ComLynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. All other trademarks and identifying marks mentioned in this issue belong to their respective owners. --==--==--==--==-- Atari Explorer Online Magazine "Your Source for Atari News" Copyright (c) 1993-1994, Subspace Publishers * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A E O ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: Volume 3 - Issue 12 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 9 October 1994 :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::