MacFormat España 19/macformat_19.iso/Shareware/Info/Inside Games Update/Inside Games Update.rsrc/TEXT_136.txt

Text File | 1996-06-30 | 14KB | 260 lines

already connected, 69 percent are male, and 31 percent female; 57 percent
are aged between 31-50.



VF Corp: SITE IS FULLY CLOTHED
If you enjoy sites that are somewhat different but offer unique information
for a specific industry, we recommend you take a peek at VF Corporation's
Threads site at http://www.threads/vfc.com. This company is the nation's
top jeansmaker and is one of the worldwide leaders in apparel
manufacturing. Threads offers a chronicle of five 20somethings whose lives
intersect. You'll find multimedia goodies, facts, and (of course) product
information for six of the company's major brands: Lee, Wrangler, Girbaud,
Vanity Fair, Vassarette and Jansen. There are also tips for fit, TV ads,
fabric swatches and tour schedules of brand-sponsored events.



Warner Bros: COSTNER'S TIG IS EXTENDED
Apparantly Waterworld, which has earned nearly $300 million worldwide,
wasn't such a rotten tomatoe! Evidence to this fact is that a production
agreement between Warner Brothers and Kevin Costner's company, TIG, has
been extended for three years, retroactive to January 1, 1996. Costner, the
producer, director and star of Dances with Wolves, which earned seven
Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director), continues to
defy categorization. Costner is noted for blending his career choices with
equal parts comedy, as in his next movie, Tin Cup, and action and drama
such as his other project, The Postman, which is scheduled to begin
production in January, 1997. The Postman is a futuristic thriller written
by Eric Roth and Brian Helgeland, based on the novel by David Brin.
Costner, his production partner, Jim Wilson, and Steve Tisch will produce
the film; a director has not yet been announced.



OATMEAL IS EASIER TO SELL
Wilfred Brimley was ordered by a judge Thursday to pay back the bulk of a
$150,000 advance he got to do a movie about the family of a Wyoming
rancher. Brimley is out $125,000 and a friend. Brimley was supposed to star
in and direct the film, as well as find investors and deliver a screenplay.
However, rancher Otto F. Jones, who bankrolled the project, said it never
got off
the ground. The judge agreed, but ruled Brimley earned $25,000 by working
briefly with a Hollywood screenwriter and making calls to several actors.
Brimley's lawyer countered and said the actor will appeal, claiming Brimley
earned all the money just by lending his name to the project. The sad part
is that Jones said his movie-making days are over, as is his 30-year
friendship with Brimley.



Xatrix: FREE THE MASTER HACKER
Coinciding with the company's release of new product, there's a new WWW
site up and running that will appeal to gamers. The new product happens to
be Cyberia2: Resurrection from Xatrix Entertainment. The WWW site, located
at http://www.xatrix.com, was developed by Xatrix and Advanced Media
Marketing and uses animation and interactive gameplay to entertain
visitors. There are also numerous communications, threats and clues from
characters on both sides of the battle to free master cyber hacker Zak
Kingston. If you'll recall, the original Cyberia game (published by
Interplay) found Zak captured by the Free World Alliance (FWA). In the
sequel, Zak has been revived by a band of Rebels who want to employ him for
covert missions that will bring down the FWA. There's a new combat engine
called the Advanced Transfighter Engine Technology(TM) which brings to your
screen an almost unlimited number of nasties with which to deal.  This site
has you trying to find and free Zak and bridges the original game with this
upcoming sequel. You'll be immersed in the culture of the year 2027, where
you may read the daily paper or visit the bank and local government
offices. You can also obtain tech support, download game files, and become
eligible to win Cyberia2 goodies. The game will be published and
distributed by Virgin Interactive Entertainment and is for PC CD-ROM
machines.



PERSPECTIVES: rational investigations of products

Arcade America from 7th Level for PC CD-ROM

Bulging eyeballs, protruding jaw lines and rotund pot-bellies run amok in
Arcade America (7th Level), a new animated game that takes players on a
"wacky" (did I really just use that word?) adventure across the country.

The action, sound-effects and animation are very cool and pretty darned
hysterical as the main character, Joey, travels from California to
Woodstock in a frantic search for his band, The Monsters (they're supposed
to play a gig at Woodstock). Of course, it's one crazy obstacle after
another--mud fields, shark-infested water, bouncing checks, cute girls in
need of plastic surgery.

Ok, this game has a lot of familiar elements with some quirky twists.
First, players are in a car race, dodging road kill, low-flying birds and
big, fast trucks to collect coins and turbo packs for points and power.
These races take players to a bunch of different places across the country
that eventually lead to Woodstock.  In these and other places, players
climb around multi-level platforms, charge through mazes and take other
funky challenges to find each of The Monsters in Joey's band. Pressure's on
because players have only ten minutes to help Joey belly bump, burp and
bounce his way up and down each of the different scenes--and only four
hours to get from sea to shining sea!  Word of caution: it is possible to
leave a scene without getting one of the Monsters, but it's a big bummer
later in the game--you can't play Woodstock if you're light on the
Monsters.

The best way to tackle this game is to select the Mondo Weenie (easy) level
first and gradually work up to Tough Guy then Mondo Tough Guy (for the very
brave), and to be as conservative as possible with Joey's sling shot (save
ammo for later in the game when you really need it). Also, touch and pull
everything during each of the scenes to find secret rooms and earn more
points.  You may not think you're getting any farther along in the game by
pulling on cords that spew out cheap jokes, but you never know!

You can save a game after completing a site.  Remember the password to
access the game later (try not to play after just eating a big lunch).
Each time you re-start a game, you're given five lives and ten rounds of
ammunition. See how far that takes you!

This is basically your fun, laugh-a-minute game that will cause a bit of
frustration as it becomes more and more addicting. So, have a blast and
enjoy the very impressive animation and very annoying music.--Kirstin
Ahearn, Associate Editor

Minimum PC system requirements:  486 33MHz, 8 MB RAM, 256-color display
monitor, mouse, double-speed CD-ROM drive, MPC-compatible sound card,
amplified speakers, DOS 3.3 with Windows 95 or 3.1.



Resident Evil from Capcom for Sony Playstation

Okay, so it's late at night:  everyone is out and you decide to turn in.
You go about your business preparing to hit the sack and then you hear some
weird noises in the house.  No problem, probably the old foundation doing a
little creaking to flex it's tired old frame.  Then memories of old horror
movies creep through your mind and you can't help but give nervous glances
over your shoulder...just to make sure.  You laugh it off, nervously of
course, and quickly jump into bed, hoping the warmth will make the
goosebumps go away.

Everyone remembers that one horror flick that created chills up and down
your spine everytime it was recalled. Yes, Hollywood has done an excellent
job of scaring the life out of movie-goers.  Now, with the advent of
multimedia, game designers have been attempting to transport the experience
into digital form.  But few software titles have matched, or indeed even
approached, the big screen "chill factor".  Enter Resident Evil for the
Sony Playstation.

Set in the confines of an eery mansion, Resident Evil's gameplay and player
perspective is reminiscent of Alone in the Dark, featuring a full range of
unique camera angles with which to view the action.  The storyline involves
a series of mutilations on a number of dead hikers near the mountains.
Bravo Team, a special rescue squad, is sent to investigate but the team's
helicopter transport goes down in the mountains, along with all
communication links.  The player has the option to take on the role of Jill
Valentine or Chris Redfield of  the Alpha Team sent to rescue the Bravo
Team.  The investigation leads to a large hidden mansion where the game,
and the horror, begins.

Resplendent with fully texturized graphics and killer camera angles,
Resident Evil does admirably in exercising its graphic prowess.  But even
more impressive is the game's uncanny ability to spook the heck out of the
player.  Some inexplicable evil resides in the mansion as an early
encounter with an undead creature will quickly reveal.  While the physical
appearances of the horrors might not cause any untimely hair-raising
chills, the game's uncanny sense of timing will--those people at Capcom
sure know how to spook.  Imagine walking down a hallway in the mansion,
alone, with no game music or sounds save your own footsteps.  Then all of a
sudden, a loud crash breaking the eery silence is heard as a something
leaps out of nowhere and goes for your throat.  All hell breaks loose as
you fumble the gamepad's controls to draw out any number of fire arms
you'll find within the game.  It's reported that one customer trying out
Resident Evil at a local electronics store got so immersed that he freaked
out resulting in a fatal casualty, and this was in the daytime!  Imagine if
he was playing alone at night!  Enough said.

Besides being armed with a combat knife and a 9mm hand gun at the start,
more potent weapons can be found within the mansion, including a shotgun
and a bazooka.  With freedom to move in any direction, the game's
perspective challenges the player's reflexes as the gamer attempts to align
the weapon's line of fire with the denizens of the mansion.  And the player
will learn to keep his finger on the trigger as the various rooms, stairs,
and hallways within the mansion are traversed.  Music sparingly yet
effectively used, will keep the player on his toes, along with the constant
urge to watch your back--just in case.

Despite such praise, Resident Evil has one of the most embarrassing cast of
character voices of any game title.  Chock full of cheesy dialogue and
pitiful amateur acting, players can only hope that such a poor performance
was put in purposely to add some humor to the game, as this reviewer
actually found himself (no offense Capcom) laughing quite often at the
whole display.  Fortunately, the characters don't converse "too" much.

Resident Evil is definitely one game that will grab the attention of the
player. The graphics and eccentric camera angles place the player in the
mansion, while the effective use of sounds and dead silence add a perfect
chill factor to the overall feel of the game.  Besides, there's nothing
like a good spook, so go ahead and make a housecall, because Resident Evil
is in . . . and waiting!  ---Gary Le, Senior Editor



Another Editor's Look at E3

Although E3 lasted only three, quick days, exhibitors spent months
preparing their booths to be the hippest, coolest and most talked about
entertainment environments on the show floor. They have to do this to get
noticed in a crowded event where 1,700 titles are introduced and where the
Next Gen platforms dominate the news. So, these ultra-creative companies
frazzled their brains to plot out the sights, sounds and stunts that would
emanate from their booths and lure retailers, reporters, buyers and gamers
to their facades.
Nothing was held back. There were bag pipes, football stars, basketball
cheerleaders, the world's largest computer made entirely of Legos,
greater-than-life-sized costumed characters, and more. Give-aways included
cockroaches (plastic ones, of course!), hockey sticks, buttons, pins and
shot glasses. Inside each booth, there was lots of flashing lights, dry
ice, loudspeakers, stacks of looming monitors, celebrities and food to lure
people into the booths. The ironic twist to all of this (and to all trade
shows, in general) is that after just a few hours of walking through the
four humongous halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center, the booths begin
to blur--one company looks, very much, like the next.

For the few companies and CD-ROM titles that are talked about, even well
after the E3 extravaganza, I present the following notes of recognition:

"Worth Standing in Line" Award -- to Simon & Schuster, for bringing Joe
Delancie ("Q") to promote the new "Star Trek: Borg" CD-ROM. They also
hosted performances from the Klingon Opera ... say no more.

"Come Hang With Us" Award -- to Virgin Interactive, whose booth was
speckled with piles of scrap metal that lead to a giant magnet in the
middle of the booth. Very Blade Runner-esque, the perfect tough to enhance
the announcement of their upcoming "Blade Runner" CD.

"Wow! Can I Really Have One of These?" Award -- to Inscape, for handing out
authentic pieces of the Berlin Wall (for no apparent reason, however; they
just had some lying around).

"This is Not My Father's IBM" Award -- to IBM (duh) for having quite a
not-so-typically hip booth complete with surfboards, a jungle and a virtual
rock and roll pavilion.

"So, Where Is That Sequel Anyway?" Award -- to id Software's
much-anticipated "Quake."

"Endlessly Cute" Award -- to Philips Media's "A Story About Me" CD-ROM
which integrates digital photos of kids into animated stories.

"Wouldn't Expect Anything Less" Award -- to Disney Interactive's booth
which was encased in a shadow box of many of the Disney characters that'll
appear on their CD-ROM. Disney gets a special note for previewing the
upcoming feature film, "101 Dalmations" with Glenn Close as Cruella de
Ville (what could be more perfect?).

And, finally, the "Free Food!" Award goes to .... well, to everyone who was
handing out cookies, ice cream and yogurt bars, drinks and other tasty
treats to energize the panting gamers and get them through the show!