CRI’s Aerowings was one of the launch titles for the Sega Dreamcast. Featuring a very realistic flight model and graphics that could rival the high end PC flight sims, it was impressive. In fact, it could be considered the first true console flight sim. However, despite being a good title, the squad-based flying became more of a chore, and gamers were looking forward to a little combat. It is now a year since the monumental Dreamcast launch, and now we’re seeing sequels to these launch titles. Aerowings 2: Air Strike is one of those titles, and yes, it does provide … Continue reading Aerowings 2’s Friendly Skies Get More Deadly→
One thing you have to give Sega credit for: they seem to be the only game company to have grapefruits enough to come up with original stuff. Right out of E3 their impressive showing debuted several interesting titles. Space Channel 5, the dancing game, was released last June (when everyone else was playing the same old genres), and later this year Sega fans will be treated to even more original titles with the likes of Jet Grind Radio and Shenmue. In the meantime, another original title has been released. Seaman, which has been mentioned in many Sega publications, and showcased … Continue reading Seaman: New Pet or Potty-mouthed Tamagotchi?→
It’s a problem I have had with Star Trek games for years. Now you would think someone would solve it by now. I was asked to take a look at Star Trek: Klingon Academy this week. This six-CD game takes Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and justly moves it to the Klingon Empire. Wait, did the Klingons have an academy? Hmm”I’ll let that question hang in the balance. For all of the advances the software and hardware, why can’t Star Trek games be more simple? Why does the player have to do all the work? I was supposedly the captain of … Continue reading Unfaithful Klingon Academy makes you do all the work→
I don’t often do reviews. John says it’s like pulling teeth to get me to give him copy. I tell him that running a small publishing house is more like pulling teeth and that he should try it sometime. He then tells me that if I think I’m so smart I should review this new game, ‘Start Up 2000.’ Exit John, looking pleased with himself. Start Up 2000 is a simulation of the business world and the insanity that surrounds the world of high tech start ups. From the demands that your investors can place upon you, to the marketing, … Continue reading Start Up 2000 is tycoon training→
Sega’s Virtual On will always have a place in my heart as one of my all-time favorite Saturn titles. It also is a title responsible for me spending a lot of money at the local Dave & Buster’s a few years ago. It is such a simple game to get into, yet a challenge to master. True one-on-one mech combat against another human opponent is now possible, and as a result, long lines were common. It was just as much fun to watch a battle as it was to play. Pictures of Virtual On Oratorio Tangram (henceforth known as Virtual … Continue reading Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram is a stupendous sequel→
Have you ever imagined yourself in a VW Golf sliding at 90 miles per hour down a muddy slope in New Zealand"sideways!? Well, that is exactly what you will experience in Colin McRae Rally. This game shows you how rough racing really can get. We’re talking off-road racing in cars that you can find cruising around downtown! The idea behind Colin McRae Rally is that it will accurately recreate for you the excitement and feeling of actual rally racing. Rally racing is different from NASCAR racing or Formula One racing. It is much more off-road than a typical race track. … Continue reading Colin McRae Rally: How The Rest Of The World Races Cars→
Tuskegee Fighters is one of the new breed that blends intense gaming with intense realism. Most of us "cultured and seasoned" gamers (ha ha) are bored with shooting at everything on the screen and need more reward than seeing the villain destroyed at the end. So who were the Tuskegee Fighters, you ask? A highly-skilled group of African-American World War II fighter pilots from Alabama that set plenty of records in their day. The missions included in the game, which is an expansion to Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator are historically accurate re-creations of some of their actual missions. Most of … Continue reading Tuskegee Fighters brings honor to MS Combat Flight Simulator→
I know that I shall meet my fateSomewhere among the clouds aboveThose that I fight I do not hateThose that I guard I do not love.— Yeats Flying Heroes is a 3D combat game that mixes science and magic in arena-style combat scenarios. The game brings to mind the air-to-air duels found in games like Sierra’s Red Baron, only instead of a biplane, you ride to battle mounted on top a dragon or other fantastic creatures. Players start the game by joining one of four leagues that compete in various combat arenas dispersed throughout the known fantasy world. The plot … Continue reading Flying Heroes is a pleasant diversion→
Oh, Ain’t it Grand? After downloading megabyte upon megabyte of scenery from the Internet in the past, I was eager to see how the "professional" scenery compared. Everyone knows that the scenery which ships with Flight Simulator is pretty sparse and that there have been a lot of sims lately that boast their superior scenery as a major selling point. This would be my chance to see how good scenery could be with Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 98 by experimenting with Grand Canyon for Microsoft Flight Simulator & Combat Flight Simulator from Wilco Publishing. Grand Canyon covers about 12,000 square miles, … Continue reading Grand Canyon will leave you breathless→
Reality, anyone? Launch Hangsim. Ready to dive into the world of hang-gliding and ultralight aircraft? Hangsim, from Wilco Publishing, is a much cheaper and safer way to learn the fundamentals than heading for the airport or hillsides. The manual is short [34 pages], but it is densely packed with aircraft specifications and tutorials for first-timers. The tutorial on understanding air currents and gliding is very concise, yet written to be easily understood. As a simulation, Hangsim delivers realistic flight dynamics, thermals and a variety of aircraft to try. Seven different hang-gliders, paragliders, regular gliders, and ultralights are included. Keyboard and … Continue reading Hangsim soars on the PC→
