Category Archives: Reviews

Pretzel Pete is hot console action for the PC

I admit, I’ve been a gamer for a long time. I go back to the days of Asteroids and Moon Cresta. A friend of mine has a Gorf game in their living room and I recently tried to buy an original Space Invaders game when I passed one on the interstate. That’s why I don’t get to write many reviews. It’s also why Pretzel Pete is the game for me. The folks at XSIV told me that they simply decided they liked those kind of games so much that they decided to create one for the new generation of players … Continue reading Pretzel Pete is hot console action for the PC

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete is a reality panic button

Back in 1993, a game was released on the Sega CD system that was the rage of all RPGers everywhere. It was hailed for its characters, story and gameplay. Unfortunately for myself, Nintendo had successfully indoctrinated me to despise all things Sega and I never got to play the game known as Lunar: The Silver Star. Now, thanks to the wonder that is PlayStation, I can see what was behind the hype oh so many years ago. The first thing you’ll notice about the game is obvious when you buy it. The packaging is the biggest I’ve ever seen. Four … Continue reading Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete is a reality panic button

Gruntz brings good goo to games

There has been a certain type of computer brain game that seems to get a small revival every couple of years. The biggest of these was Lemmings. Now, it’s almost the end of the 90’s and it’s time for a new brain-teasing obsession. Gruntz, a game full of protoplasmic goo and infantile humor, provides an entertaining mix of puzzles and action. Set in a cartoonish world not a thing like our own, we become involved in a race of creatures called Gruntz. Gruntz are native to the aptly named land of Groan. Chased into a wormhole by evil Disgruntled creatures, … Continue reading Gruntz brings good goo to games

Boss Rally should have never left the N64

I don’t understand why it seems that every N64 game is being translated over to the PC. While some I have seen some turn out to be pretty good [Turok 2 and Rogue Squadron] there are also those that turn out to be very bad. Two years ago, there was a little known racer for the Nintendo 64 called Top Gear Rally. Back then I considered it to be pretty average, and now in 1999, its PC sibling, now titled Boss Rally, is just as average. First of all, you will notice that the graphics are almost identical to that … Continue reading Boss Rally should have never left the N64

Superman is fun to play, but lacks needed details

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a steaming locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I used to love hearing that saying when I was a kid. Superman was my hero. So it’s no doubt I was anxious to try my hand at Titus’s new Superman for the N64. But was Superman 64 all I hoped it would be? Well, the best I can say is that it’s ok. The storyline basically goes like this: Superman’s arch nemesis, Lex Luther along with the help of Brainiac, … Continue reading Superman is fun to play, but lacks needed details

Driver brakes just short of a classic game

While Driver has a top notch concept, good gameplay/replay value and other intangibles going for it, its utter failure to deliver on several other fronts leads to only a moderately successful game. In the game your name is Tanner…you carry a badge. That is you do until the fuzz decides they could use your former race car driving skills (yeah, I know lots of former race car drivers that became cops) to infiltrate the feared Castaldi crime family as a driver. Any game where you’re an undercover cop posing as a mobster starts off with a few extra points in … Continue reading Driver brakes just short of a classic game

Army Men II brings nostalgia, strategy to backyard.

I can’t really recall my childhood really well, but I do remember playing with those little plastic soldiers. Now, while my method of play was pretty clean, some of my friends added a little bit of sadism to their soldiers: tying M-80s on their backs, frying them with a magnifying glass, you name it. Last year 3DO released a realtime strategy game called Army Men which incorporated these toy soldiers we all grew up with. While I never had the chance to play the original, I did get a chance to test out the sequel, Army Men II, which although … Continue reading Army Men II brings nostalgia, strategy to backyard.

Tonka Raceway takes the checkered flag

Hasbro Interactive has driven car racing games to a new level of fun and complexity for the younger crowd. And this game offers a variety of options entertaining enough to keep the attention of youngsters’ speeding minds. Not only does the player get to race, he or she gets to modify vehicles, change the race tracks included in the game, and even design their own race tracks. This game offers the player three different racing scenarios: racing alone in Time Trial, 2-Player Racing against a friend, and the opportunity to race against the game’s own personal racers. The player is … Continue reading Tonka Raceway takes the checkered flag

Deer Avenger pokes fun at hunting sims and the industry

Cendant Software and Simon and Schuster Interactive presents Deer Avenger, a hilarious new twist in a popular hunting game series where the hunter becomes the hunted. We are a little behind the curve in reviewing this one, but who knew this twist on hunting simulations would become so popular? According to Simon & Schuster Interactive, Deer Hunter 2 is in the works. Bambo the deer has had enough of being harassed by his oppressors and decides to take matters into his own hands. Armed with an M-16 rifle, bazooka, and a nifty slingshot, Bambo sets out on his vengeful hunting … Continue reading Deer Avenger pokes fun at hunting sims and the industry

Episode One Racer is a Force to be reckoned with

Speed. Competition. Thrills. A Jedi craves not these things. However, you might be of a different mind. For all of us Lucas Lunatics out there who just haven’t gotten our fill of The Phantom Menace, you can breath a little easier. LucasArts has your fix in the form of a very un-Jedi-like game called Star Wars Episode 1 Racer. If you haven’t seen the Phantom Menace yet, then turn off your computer and go buy yourself a movie ticket. Okay, now that they have left, it is only us true believers here. While I will leave a review of the … Continue reading Episode One Racer is a Force to be reckoned with