by Tuncer Deniz

NOTE: Screen shots and information presented in this article are based on pre-release versions or recently released games. This article is not a review.

Odyssey - The Legend of Nemesis
Odyssey - The Legend of Nemesis is the new fantasy role playing game for the Mac developed by Paranoid Productions and published by MacSoft. One of the game’s primary strengths is putting the player in a rich, non-linear storyline, where there are no specific actions he or she must perform in order to complete the game. Recalling the epic, story-centered role playing games of yore, Odyssey features a top-down view with rich, detailed graphics and a beautiful musical score of classical piano music. The game emphasizes exploring the world and interacting with its intelligent inhabitants over combat, though there’s plenty of the latter for those who want it. A quality piece of work, role playing game fans will not want to miss this one.

Odyssey takes place on an uncharted archipelago. The player is a victorious adventurer returning to his homeland when his boat is caught in a bizarre typhoon that leaves him shipwrecked on a strange island. As the player explores the islands in search of his mystical staff, he comes to realize that there is something else wrong in this fascinating world. Fighting off the bizarre varieties of monsters which assault him on all sides while mastering countless unique psionic abilities, the player will constantly find his strength and intellect challenged by the enigmatic Nemesis. Each of the nine islands in the game features its own unique storyline, all of which fit into the bigger picture. And to top it all off, the box features amazing artwork by Iron Maiden cover artist Derek Riggs. Odyssey - The Legend of Nemesis should be in stores and mail-order catalogs by March, or you can order it directly from MacSoft at 800-229-2714 or 612-559-5301.

Cyclone II
High Risk Ventures (415/359-4176), the folks who brought us the popular game Pegleg, recently released Cyclone II, the long-awaited sequel to the first game in this popular series. Cyclone II is modeled after the classic video game Star Castle but features new weapons, shields, bonus points, and challenge levels. 

In Cyclone, an evil enemy base sits in the middle of the screen, surrounded by three rotating shield rings. The rings are segmented, and the individual segments can be destroyed, allowing weapons to pass through to or from the enemy base when holes in the three rings line up. The base also protects itself with a never-ending supply of you-seeking guided mines. Your task is to use your trusty FireHawk 6000 spaceship to blast through the enemy’s defenses and blow the base to smithereens. You have an impressive arsenal at your command, but beware the enemy’s plasma cannon! If you have a shot at the enemy base through the shield rings, the base has a shot at you in the other direction, and his shots are much bigger than yours!

The sequel adds some cool new stuff to the original including more powerups, a new bonus level, as well as three difficulty level to make gameplay easier or harder (depending on what kind of challenge you like). The game also features full color background starfield pictures, four channel digital sound as is Power Mac native. So what are you waiting for? Check out the demo below!