unzip it and then run it. The Game Review has a simple concept, to inform
you of what is what in the gaming world, what works, what doesn't work, how
to fix things, and an occasional game hint. The idea is simple, making it
easier for you the reader to get a hold of it, and view it. No need for
unnecesary color viewers. It's released on a consistent basis every Sunday,
and even has the latest game on Sunday in the review. Sometimes you have to
wait weeks just to get ONE game review from another group. This review/
magazine allows you to evaluate the weeks games and then decided what to
download after having heard everything you need to know. Other groups put
information that you never could possibly dream of needing to know and they
seem to think that EVERY game is a 8 or 9 out of 10. What was the point of
me writing this? Absolutely none, but it was something to do. And that's
another thing, The Game Review is honest, and is not bias to any group
whatsoever. What the game got or criticism a group got, is what they
deserved. I also try to add a touch of humor to it, because we could all use
some of it during our day.
("Where and when can I get The Game Review?" The Game Review (c) Ionizer,)
(will be released every SUNDAY, in IRC, in #warez5 and other channels and)
(can be obtained by /m iondcc xdcc list or /m ionizer xdcc list on Sunday)
(This magazine is also released in the magazine Inquisition)
-Do you live for games? Do you want to play games every second of your life?
Do you find yourself picturing me playing these games and reviewing them?, If
so I'm calling the police and filing a suit against you for stalking, but
that's besides the point...
- * - * - * - * - * -
* - * - * - * - * - *
GAME REVIEWS, RATINGS, UN-BIASED OPINIONS, HELP/TIPS FOR INSTALLING GAMES!
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
-Rating scale:
(0-19)/100 = In a nutshell, it sucked!
(20-39)/100 = Still crap but slightly better.
(40-49)/100 = Possibly worth downloading.
(50-69)/100 = Pretty decent game. Might want to check it out.
(70-79)/100 = Worth the download if you like that type.
(80-89)/100 = Very good, 9 outta 10 its worth the download.
(90-99)/100 = Excellent game, a MUST download.
100/100 = HOLY SHIT I'VE NEVER SEEN A BETTER GAME!
-It's time for the reviews. The format is like this:
Name of game, group, # of disks, review, rating.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-<*><*> THE GAME REVIEW <*><*>-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=The Last Eicchof=
Uhhhhh. Who are the wackos that come up with these ideas? It's an
asteroids game, but with beer. Your not a ship, your a beer bottle and you
shoot beer, you buy beer weapons and you shoot more beer. Strange.
RATING: 42/100
=Powerslave Playable Demo=
Another doom type. It's a little different then others, but still
the same 'ole thing. Might keep you occupied for like 5 minutes.
RATING: 38/100
=Descent 2 (Nonplayable Preview)=
Looks like descent all over again. Sure it may appear to have cooler
graphics and all, but when it comes down to it, there can't possible be too
much difference b/t this one and the first one.
=Virtual Karts=
RazorCD, 22 disks. Tisk Tisk Tisk! Poor packaging = a game that orig
does not work = an addon thats really a 28 disk fix. First off, the nfo says
to run "VKARTS.EXE" when there is only a VKART.EXE, secondly when you do run
it, it says the sound config file is missing. So you NEED the 28 disk addon
which somewhere in it has the file it was looking for before. So now you got
a 230 meg
you want to play it, well you better hope you have a pretty fast computer, &
a steering wheel type joystick. The game runs extremely slow and unplayable
on a 486/33 and the mouse method of controlling it is impossible, and you can
not use your keyboard for the actual game playing. The game is racing, but
in go-karts, lots of different tracks, and options, including network. If
you really like it I would suggest the need to buy it, unless you have 230m
to spare.
RATING: 68/100
=Front Page Sports Football '96=
Hybrid, 27 disks. If you ask me this one's gone a bit over the edge.
Too much sophisticated options, and not enough hard core tackling. Plus I
don't think I was even playing the game because even though I set the control
for the k/b, all I could do was yell "BLUE 32, BLUE 32" and a bunch of other
shit. It woulda been nice if they put a keyboard config in the game, but no
they had to waste all the time making little detail shit like "humidity at
the start of game" and a million other weather factors. All in all, it's
just another brick in the wa.. er I mean football game on the shelf. Some
docs would be nice.
RATING: 63/100
=Torin's Passage=
Legacy, 38 disks. Doesn't work, what did you expect.
RATING: NA/100
=Lion CD=
Hybrid, 20 disks. YES! I love typing the lion.exe and getting shit
that says "hr_hires.c #1.-1" and locking up my computer. Thats the kind of
fucking shit that just makes my day! Damn, If only all games could do that.
I even edited the stupid lions.cfg to my dir, and it still did that shit.
BTW: Unless you feel like having the taipan whisper virus, get the fix, which
is simply the hybrid install.exe w/o a fucking virus, unless of course you
don't believe me that it does not work.
RATING: NA/100
=Extreme Pinball REG=
COL, 5 disks. Why is it some no-name group can manage to put togeth-
er a game to work, damn it's about time too. It's the full version of the
pinball game, it's got 4 tables, all nicely done, except for the fact that
they all have too many ways for your ball to go straight down the center of
the pinball machine and lose your ball. Otherwise it's the same as all the
rest, pretty much. The usual `dot-light animations' in the game.
RATING: 72/100
=Radix, Beyond the Void=
Since it's still the same game, here's the quote from review2.txt
of the shareware version.
SW: "Anothe....heart pound...zzzz..OH sorry, um right, another heart
pounding Epic Megagames. Doom atmosphere in a ship, wow something new
Annoying soundtrack, and crappy sound effects. Maybe the other two missions
in the reg. version will really kick ass! Pff right, and maybe dragon will
release something in english (j/k guys ya know i love ya). Not much else to
say about this one.
RATING: 41/100"
REG: The registered version has two other missions and the game still is
the true quality Epic that we know (it sucks). Unless you drool over games
like descent, then you'll probably fall asleep over this one.
RATING: 41+2 more missions = 43/100
=Rayman (Non Playable Demo)=
The demo takes you through parts of the game, in actuality showing
you how to beat it. It's a nice 3D Scrolling Jump and run type game, similar
in my opinion to Earthworm Jim. Looks like a pretty fun game if you like
those Super Mario type games.
=The Dig (FLW)=
FLW, 38 disks. It's nice to know that when a group fucks up on a
release, that their is another group right behind them to fuck up too! I
mean how long would it take for these geniuses to realize that their subst
method does not work? The moron who packaged it probably substituted the
drive WITH the cd rom in it and went "Er, gee Mr. Wilson, it works!" Come on
wake the fuck up.
RATING: NA/100
=Pool Champion=
Tdujam, 24 disks. A good windows based pool game, similar to virtual
pool, but a little less virtual, and more role playing. You play against
certain characters with different artificial inteligence. The game play good
and the graphics are not as dull as virtual pool. However tdujam fucked this
one up, because after you play your first game, it's missing the animation of
the characters reaction, and so the game closes. Other than this minor fault
the game is what you would expect a pool game to be.
RATING: 74/100
=Pro Pinball: The Web=
DOM, 19 disks. Damn, seems like everything is too big this week. 19
disks for a single table. Although the nfo criticizes it much more than it
should. The gameplay seems normal, and it has the now standard `dot-light
animations'. However the abstination of music may make you think the game is
duller than it actually is. It's got the usual ramps and multi balls and all
that shit.
RATING: 62/100
=Ecco The Dolphin=
Tdujam, 10 disks. Far too many problems to name, plus the fact that
it woulda been best run under a pentium/60 as the nfo states, makes this one
unreviewable.
RATING: NA/100
=Pro Team Soccer=
RoR, 400k. Oh come on guys, I mean don't take me wrong, but WTF IS
THIS SHIT?! Did you find this lying around on an old 5 1/4 floppy? Ugly ass
soccer game (must i describe to you what 400k of crap looks like). The shit
is programmed pretty bad to, like waiting around an hour before kick off.
Don't waste your time on this.
RATING: 9/100
=Fist Light Action Fighting Game=
RoR, 14 disks and Hybrid dupe, 6 disks (Both exactly the same, how I
have no idea) I don't know why the nfo (BOTH) refers to this as a "mortal
kombat and sf" type game b/c it's neither. It's a Double Dragon type game,
but of that `foreign-chinese' type. Pretty shitty movement, graphics, and
gameplay. Nothing to get all excited about.
RATING: 39/100
=Jigsaw Power=
Tdujam, 16 disks. It takes pictures (BMP/AVI/PZL, etc) and it cuts
it into pieces that you fit to make a puzzle. Why people enjoy doing this, I
don't know, but I know they do, b/c losers in my school sit their playing
some shit just like this on the leet Macs for hours. The only thing is, I
have a program just like this, except its a minor 39k and this is like 30 or
so megs.
RATING: 57/100
=Cog Hill Golf Course=
Razor, 4 disks. It's a golf course for links386, must I really try
to install this to disk, just so I can tell you "It's a golf game." I mean
we all know or should know what links386 is like, this is just yet another of
the million courses available for it. It's not like it's going to turn the
golf course into some MK type game or make the people in the background nude,
so I don't think there's a need to rate/review it.
=Worms CD=
ACC, 48 disks. It's not even really the entire cd, since it doesn't
have the music files. This one just had the 80+ megs of .avi's that are in
a way fun to watch, but then who the hell wants to see them again after once.
Anyway that's the only difference, and of course the game doesn't just subst.
like the nfo's always say to do, so here's some install help.
-Install nfo: (1) Unarj
(2) Run setup.exe and install it to any dir other than where
it is unarjed to.
(3) In the dir you unarjed the shit, type:
"xcopy *.* /e
(4) Then change all the directories in the `install.bat' and
`batch' files to whatever dir you told setup.
(5) After that is done, make sure you have mscdex running,
then subst your cd-rom drive or one past it for the dir
you told setup to install to.
(6) Run "WRMS.EXE"
your mouse loaded, and note it takes a while to load up.
RATING: 94/100
=Beyond The Wall Of Stars=
TUB, 26 disks. This thing runs like a storybook. You remember those
stories that there'd come a point where you had to make a decision and then
you would turn to a certain page? That's exactly what this is, but for win.
It's got plenty of pics and moving animations, its not of top quality gfx, &
neither is the sound, but it is a brilliant idea and done extremely well. I
only got a chance to go through one game of choices, but I was drawn to it &
couldn't stop playing. If you have some time, and you don't mind reading a
little, check this one out, it's not your usual game.
RATING: 78/100
=Tie Fighter Enhanced=
Hybrid. Has the tai-pan virus AGAIN. Their packager obviously
either hasn't realized it or is not bright enough to get rid of it.
=Darkseed 2=
Hybrid, 21 disks. Another adventure click and play, murder solving
game. Your some dude, who doesn't remember what happened on the night of
your high school reunion where some lady got killed. So now your a suspect,
and you must figure out who really did it to protect yourself. The game has
nice digitized animation of the characters, and gorgeous backdrops. The avis
were cut to make this game downloadable, and they would probably make the
game a lot better. I didn't seem to want to play this game very long as it
got dull and boring.
RATING: 58/100
=Fifa 96 (TFR)=
TFR, 8 disks. Let's just say, stick with your other copy if you
managed to get it installed, b/c this one is just as much of a pain if you
have two different hard drives.
=Shannara= (Courtesy of Woody)
RazorCD, 27 disks. Better be asking for a new hd for Christmas,
because this game takes up a whopping 101 megs! This game is a very good
rpg game based on the Shannara book series. Unfortunately, the game suffers
because the fight scene animations have been ripped out. The music is very
cool, but the sound fx and voice have been ripped. The SVGA graphics look
great in this game. The storyline is good, too. You have to use your items
to solve various puzzles, travel to different cities, and fight monsters.
And like all good rpg games, this takes place in medieval times.
-NOTE: While playing the game, be sure not to read your journal, if you have
written anything in it, the game will freeze.
RATING: 78/100
=The 11th Hour : The sequel to The 7th Guest= (Courtesy of Woody)
4 CDs. Of course this game won't be ripped, but it needs to be
reviewed since it's so cool. This game is absolutely amazing. Probably the
best graphics I've seen on any game ever. Incredibly detailed SVGA graphics
and video that looks better than tv. Has an awesome soundtrack too.
Requires a 486dx2/66, and I'd recommend at least a p60. I'm running it on a
p90 with a 2x cdrom, and I have to run the video in quarter screen because
the double speed makes full screen video choppy. If you have a 4x or better,
full screen video is no problem. The game takes place 70 years after the 7th
Guest. You're a guy that needs to go after your girlfriend who's a reporter
that went into the Stauf mansion and never came out. The puzzles and games
are even harder than in the 7th Guest, but still very fun. Buy this one.
RATING: 95/100
=EarthWorm Jim= (Review Courtesy of HellRaiser aka _HR_)
Razor, 5 disks. This win95 game is a translation from a very popular
SNES console game. This is one of the few console translations that do the
original justice. Only sound ripped was music, all voices etc are here. The
game play is extremely smooth. Not the slightest bit choppy, in any size
window. And jaggies are only the tiniest bit noticable in full screen mode,
in a smaller window they are totaly invisable. This game is a standard side
scroller, where you beast big boss #1 to get to level 2 etc. The handling is
pretty much ok with a joystick, though the keyboard makes it a little
difficult. I have yet to see a dos action game run as smoothly with as much
detail. Here is a perfect example of win95's capabilites when used right. One
notice, the game dir MIGHT need to be in your path depending on your win95
setup.
RATING: 95/100
=Hooves of Thunder=
Tdujam , 15 disks. Unless you've got a knack for horses and betting
or something like that, you're not going to have fun with this. You place
bets, or manage a horse, watch the race, and try to become rich. And just
like in real life, you'll end up losing all your money and becoming a bum.
RATING: 60/100
=Bermuda Syndrome=
?, 18 disks. It's a combo of adventure (click + play) and the game
"Out of this World". This is however only a demo/preview. Looks kinda neat,
especially the amazon chick in the beginning who's got one tit showing. Bleh
wtf am I talking about, it's just a drawing. Anyhow, the game's got nice
music, but the actions are a little slow, and don't work as soon as you press
the button. Overall the CD is probably going to be somewhat good.
RATING: 62/100
=Rings of Magi=
Tyranny, 1 disk. Cute little puzzle game. One of those brainteaser
types where you really do have to think. It's a new idea, not some tetris
wannabe or anything. Nothing special about the graphics or music.
RATING: 57/100
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<*>GAME OF THE WEEK<*>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Nothing overall impressive this week, but the award would have to go to TUB
for their release of Beyond The Stars. It's a game that we haven't seen the
likes of much, if at all. It sure as hell ain't the best game in the past
month, but for this week it was the only thing that was a fun thing to play.
I'm not recomending this game as a must get, because to be honest there were
no MUST gets this week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<*>TOP 5 BEST SELLERS<*>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*UPDATED TOP 5 IS UNAVAILABLE, SO HERE IS LAST WEEKS*
ENTERTAINMENT
1. Hexen - Heretic 2 CD-ROM
2. Stonekeep Demo CD-ROM
3. Command and Conquer CD-ROM
4. Ascendancy CD-ROM
5. Rise of the Robots
EDUTAINMENT
1. Winnie the Pooh storybook CD-ROM
2. Dr. Seuss Windows CD-ROM
3. Orgeon Trail II CD-ROM
4. Puut Putt Saves the Zoo CD-ROM
5. SAT version2 MPC CD-ROM
PRODUCTIVITY
1. SoftRAM for Windows 95
2. Windows 95 CD-ROM
3. Microsoft Encarta 1996 - Windows 95 CD-ROM
4. Win 95 & SimCity 2000 CD-ROM bundle
5. MS-PLUS for Win 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<*>UPCOMING RELEASE DATES<*>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
WINDOWS CD
Bttlgrnd:Gettysbrg 12/05/95
Chessmates 01/01/96
Congo 12/04/95
Dinotopia 12/11/95
Dragon Dice 01/01/96
Empire II 02/01/96
Gabriel Knight 2 12/18/95
Load Runner Ntwrk 12/04/95
Police Quest 5 SWAT 12/04/95
Romance IV 12/12/95
Space Bucks 01/10/96
Spr Bubsy/WIN95 02/01/96
T-Mek 01/09/96
This Means War 12/07/95
Tommy 03/04/96
WINDOWS 95 CD
Allied General 12/11/95
Civilization 2000 03/01/96
Commodore64 15pk 12/11/95
Cyberspeed 12/05/95
Daedalus Encounter 12/12/95
Doom II 12/15/95
Shockwave 12/07/95
Solitaire DLX 12/13/95
St Trk Generations 03/01/96
Ult Doom: Flesh 12/15/95
Warhmmr:Horned Rat 02/01/96
WINDOWS 95 3.5
Ult Doom: Flesh 12/15/95
WINDOWS 3.5
Spaceward Ho! 12/06/95
MACINTOSH CD
Aikman Football 02/01/96
Allied General 12/10/95
Atmofear 01/10/96
Chessmates 01/01/96
Conquest/New World 04/24/96
Daggerfall 01/01/96
Empire II 02/01/96
Heroes M&M 02/01/96
Mad Dog II 12/15/95
Outpost 12/18/95
Phantasmagoria 12/11/95
Rebel Assault 2 12/13/95
Ripper 02/01/96
Skins/Bighorn 02/01/96
Star Trek:tNG 12/07/95
Ult Doom 12/04/95
X-Wing Collector 12/13/95
MACINTOSH 3.5
Ult Doom 12/03/95
MACINTOSH & WINDOWS CD
Wizardry Gold 01/15/96
DOS CD
3D Action Pack 12/15/95
Adams Pinball 02/01/96
AH-64D Longbow 01/01/96
Arcade Classics 12/04/95
Atmosfear 01/10/96
Battlcrsr 3000 12/08/95
Bioforge + 01/01/96
BRAIN DEAD 13 11/30/95
Braindead 13 11/30/95
Chronomaster 02/07/96
Clayfighter 2 01/01/96
Colonization Gold 04/01/96
Conquest/New World 04/24/96
Corporate Colonies 01/01/96
Crystal Skull 03/18/96
Cyberia 2 01/15/96
Cyberjudas 12/11/95
Cybermage 12/29/95
Daggerfall 01/01/96
Dawn Patrol 12/12/95
Descent 2 03/13/96
Descent II SHWR 02/01/96
Destruction Derby 11/29/95
Dragon's Lair II 03/01/96
Escalation 01/01/96
Extreme Pinball 12/08/95
Ganster Bundle 12/04/95
Grand Prix 2 01/15/96
Grand Prix Mgr 12/13/95
Gretzky NHLPA 12/12/95
H! Zone 12/15/95
HARVESTER 12/10/95
Hyper 3-D Pinball 12/12/95
Jack The Ripper 11/30/95
Jagged H2H 03/01/96
JET FIGHTER III 01/01/96
Jetfighter III 01/01/96
Klingon 04/01/96
Konquest 03/01/96
Kyrandia Trilogy 12/12/95
Lost Admiral II 12/01/95
Madden NFL 96 12/10/95
MAGIC/GATHERING 03/01/96
Master of Antares 03/01/96
Mastr Lvls Doom 12/08/95
Maximum Roadkill 02/15/96
MetalLords 02/01/96
Might & Magic Trilogy 12/04/95
Mile High Club II 01/01/96
Mortimer 01/10/96
DOS CD
Mortimer 01/10/96
Navy Strike 12/01/95
NBA Live 96 01/01/96
Nemesis 03/01/96
Net Mech 12/11/95
NFL Football/Aikman 01/10/96
NFL Qback Club 12/08/95
Nicklaus@Muirfield 02/06/96
Northlands 03/01/96
Pax Imperia 01/15/96
Pinball Classics 02/01/96
Pro Pinball:Web 12/08/95
Promised Land 02/01/96
Psychc Detcv 12/18/95
RBI '96 03/05/96
Red Ghost 12/12/95
Ripper 02/01/96
Screamer 12/12/95
Sensible Soccer 01/10/96
Sensory Overload 02/01/96
Shadows Over Riva 02/01/96
Silent Hunter 12/15/95
Space Hulk 2 01/10/96
Sport Hits 2 12/12/95
Spr Strt Fighter 11/30/95
St Trk Judement Rites 01/01/96
Star Control 3 02/06/96
Starship 02/01/96
Term:Future Shock 12/11/95
Third Reich 05/01/96
Top Gun 12/11/95
Toy Story 01/01/96
Unnecsry Rghns 96 12/06/95
Vision of Glory 01/01/96
Visions/Glory 03/01/96 -------------------
Warcraft II 12/04/95 <---- THAT'S TOMMOROW!!!|
Warhammer:Dark Crs 12/11/95 -------------------
Whiplash 02/21/96
Wing Commander 4 12/19/95
Wipe Out 11/29/95
Wolfenstein 3D 12/12/95
Wooden Ships&Iron Men 01/01/96
Zone Raiders 12/01/95
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<*>CORRECTIONS<*>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-None, I'm so damn perfect sometimes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<*>LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO<*>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS MAGAZINE IN NO WAY WHATSOEVER, CONDOLES THE PIRATING, STEALING, OR ANY
OTHER ILLEGAL MEANS OF OBTAINING SOFTWARE. I AM IN NO WAY RESPONSIBILE FOR
YOUR ACTIONS AS A RESULT OF READING THIS MAGAZINE, NOR HAVE I DONE ANYTHING
ILLEGAL TO OBTAIN THE REVIEWED GAMES. IF YOU LIKE THE REVIEW OF A GAME THEN
BY ALL MEANS PURCHASE IT LEGALLY AND SUPPORT THE SOFTWARE COMPANY.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<*>CLOSING<*>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Sorry for the late timing of the day, but I like to have the review as up to
date as possible, and this is when time allowed it to be released.
-ANY AND ALL MAGAZINE GROUPS HAVE PERMISSION TO USE THIS IN THEIR
MAGAZINE, AS LONG AS IT HAS NOT BEEN EDITED IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM
-I was, for a day, w/o an account so I missed a few things AGAIN, but I
got someone to help me out in reviewing them.
-Federal Law prohibits editing and dispensing or something. You may not edit
this file and spread it w/o the expressed written consent of The New York
Yank.. oh snap, anyway the point is: Feel free to spread this wherever as
long as I don't get in trouble for it, and as long as it has not been edited.
-Please note, due to my refusal to install that crap you know as Win95, I am
of course not able to review any win95 games.
-That's it for this week, hope it was of help and thanx to Woody, and HR.
-Ionizer (Game Reviewer/MALiCE Courier)
Comments/Complaints send to ionizer@ns2.clever.net (NO QUESTIONS OR REQUESTS)
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---=[ 4. Reviews ]------------------------------------------------------------
PBA Bowling Reviewed by Avalon Blue
This is a very nice bowling simulator for Windows From Bethesda Softworks.
I had downloaded the demo quite some time ago was eagerly awaiting the full
release, since I'm a bowling fan and there's so few bowling games available
for the PC.
The graphics in the game are perfect. The main window shows the bowler and
lane from behind, exactly as you would see if you were sitting behind him
keeping score. This is where the animation takes place, and it too is
top-notch, with a little window popping up showing the bowler's reaction to a
strike or gutter ball. An automatic scorecard occupies another window, and
two more windows show the bowler's lane markings and a close up of the pins.
The entire effect is much like Links386 Pro even down to the way the ball is
thrown, with the familiar power/spin wheel. The sound effects are entirely
appropriate, with an audible difference between knocking down a pin or two and
nearly getting a strike. The amount of power also has an effect on the sound,
as gently rolling the ball down the lane produces a more muted sound than
whipping the ball at full power. I really found this to be particularly
well-done and it's a perfect compliment to the great visuals.
After a painless, hassle-free installation, you get to choose and name your
bowler, his or her clothing color, ball weight and color, and the level of
difficulty. The difficulty levels are beginner, intermediate, and pro. I
always choose beginner level for games like this until I get the hang of
things but I quickly found that on this one, beginner is much too easy. I
could literally stand in one spot and bowl strike after strike, so I bumped it
up to pro. I soon found this setting to be a bit too hard because in addition
to the power I was putting on the ball, I also had to quickly set a spin
level. Most of my balls were going into the gutter. I backed off to
intermediate level and, like Goldilocks and The Three Bears, this proved to be
just right. There's a little bit more time to adjust the power and spin
before release, and controlling the ball was not nearly as difficult. It was
exactly the right combination of challenge and ease of play to make the game
enjoyable.
I highly recommend PBA Bowling to anyone who, like me, has been waiting for a
good bowling game for their computer. I can't think of anything about it that
I dislike and the great thing about bowling is that everyone knows how to
play, so this is an especially good game for parties and get-togethers.
Destruction Derby Reviewed by The Black Knight
This latest Psygnosis title brings rock'em-sock'em fun to a scene filled with
too many racing clones. Players can choose from three general modes of play:
Stock Car Racing, Wreckin' Racing, and Destruction Derby.
Stock Car Racing and Wreckin' Racing provide a selection of up to six
different tracks, ranging from the city streets to the ocean. Each track
provides its own quirky twists and turns, along with appropriately designed
scenery (look out for Lemmings standing on the side of the road!). The visual
presentation of the game rivals the style of Sega's "Rally Championship,"
complete with a camera which whirls around to give different perspectives of
the track. Play was smooth on a P75, however, an option menu allowed items
such as trees and smoke to be toggled off to salvage processing speed at the
expense of esthetics.
I found driving in Stock Car mode to be somewhat constricting, and downright
frustrating at times. It seemed as though the cars weren't designed for doing
much besides going straight, so drifting into the barriers at every turn
became frustrating. The real racing enthusiast won't find much solace in this
mode. There's no tweaking of RPMs, the cars are provided as-is.
Wreckin' Racing is where the fun begins. It looks just like normal stock car
racing, expect this time you better plan on creating a few fender benders if
you plan on winning! An icon of your car appears in the lower right hand
corner of the screen along with six different sensitive points. As you
continually get smashed, the icon turns from green to red - indicating you're
close to biting the dust. Interestingly, you can drive around the track
backwards if you like - but the head on collisions are killer!
The Destruction Derby is one of the most innovating features I've seen in PC
racing for years. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen any destruction
derbies for the PC. You and about twenty other cars begin on the outer
perimeter of a large bowl. As soon as the flag is dropped everyone pumps the
accelerator and sets their sights on the enemy. Terrific sound bites add to
the enjoyment of pulling off a particularly crushing collision. You'll hear
the announcer exclaim, "Whoa, what a hit!" on many occasions. You'll even
hear the opposing racers retort when you hit them: "I'll get my revenge!" You
race until your vehicle simply can't take any more punishment. The winner is
chosen based on a point system - the better the hit, the greater the point
value.
Each of the three modes (stock car, wreckin', and derby) allow you to compete
at difficulty settings ranging from rookie, amateur, and pro. In addition,
when you've completed a race, the game allows for a playback of the previous
match. You can save replays of your favorite struggles to the finish line, or
even save the smash which won you the derby. During the race the announcer
offers a hardy "That will make a good replay!"
If you're tired of the same boring racing simulators, grab a copy of
Psygnosis' "Destruction Derby" for a rush.
---=[ 5. Interview - Orion - PWA Founder ]------------------------------------
INQ : Why did you retire from PWA?
Orion: I retired because my work was done. With the help of the council and
many other people, we got PWA to the top and remained there for quit
some time. So they didn't need me to hang at the top anymore, they can
make and have made thier own desisions on the group and what is best
for the group for the last year. Let the council get the credit, not
me for the work in PWA now
INQ : Did the awareness of the crackdown on NTA members influence your
decision?
Orion: I decided a few weeks before the Mikeysoft incident. Just was
coincedence the day after Mikey gets popped - Oh I meant to say he was
in a coma, I retired. I spoke of the retirement with Rambone and
Blackie before hand and against their better judgement I retired. You
get tired of doing something day in and day out for 8 years, need a
break sometimes.
INQ : On the NTA subject, you mentioned that there was an internal narc in
NTA, where is the truth to this?
Orion: Rumors are floating, yes. I need not say who the rumors point to, it
has been all over the scene already. I meantioned it because of
coincedence of the chain of events, that's all. If asked to be in a
court of law and produce evidence, I can not. Only gut feelings, and
that is enough for me.
INQ : Back to PWA - Who runs PWA now?
Orion: The Council and the Sr Members do. The council has the final say but
its a democracy as it has been since its founding almost 4 years now.
I never ran it as a dictatorship. That's not my style.
INQ : On the SCuM merge, how did that affect PWA? Meaning - looking back
before SCuM and after the merge.
Orion: Effect is - it only made PWA more of a force in the scene. Before SCUM
PWA was on its full group hiatis. After Blackhawk's accident and bust
we decided to take a well needed vacation. Then the chance came to me
for a PWA/SCuM merger and I went with it to get new blood and good
people into PWA. I believe it worked out well.
INQ : Why does PWA allow people to idle in their group for a long time?
Orion: Laugh! Depending on the person. If a person has busted thier ass for
a long time and has done enough things to make the group a better one,
they are intitled for a vacation. This is only a hobby, not real life. The other ones are just passed over, we don't catch them from lack of communication which is a problem with a large group at times... But that is up to the Council and Sr's now
INQ : As a retired member of such a respected group, is there still a threat
to you although you do nothing but play Monopoly?
Orion: Threat as in Law - No not at all, and there never was. FBI has been to
my house many times, they come and have coffee and we talk, they get
frustrated and leave. Can't bust someone just for talking about
piracy. That's all I did. I just pointed people in the right
direction and offered my experience to those that wanted it, real
simple. And for the record, Monopoly lost its flare after two
weeks. :)
INQ : Do you still play a kingmaker in the scene although you are retired?
Orion: Kingmaker, no I wasn't when I was active why should I be now. I kept
to my group and only my group, didn't nor did I care what others were
doing. Played around with the other leaders of the groups telling them
takeovers and things like that, but me as a kingmaker, no. I get
respect from the people that know what I have done and accomplished
with PWA; that's all.
INQ : Do you think that an internal power struggle will bring down PWA? 5
Council people - there should be some conflict
Orion: No, I choose the people in Council because each one is good at a
certain thing and together they complete a whole. They are adults not
kids and all know this is a hobby.
INQ : PWA has been around for four years which has gone through it's worse
and better times, what lies ahead for PWA?
Orion: Hopefully just alot of fun, that is what is was formed for and that is
what it stands for. I would like to see it remain at the top, but if
they go down to releasing 10 megs a month it wouldn't matter, as long
as old pirates can have a place to call home and get away from the
blood thirsty competition then I will be happy.
This interview was conducted by Raptor on December 2, 1995.
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---=[ 6. Articles ]=----------------------------------------------------------
Pixar Corporation
Pixar was originally a small computer animation based company, it was later
bought from ex Apple Computer co-founder Steven Jobs. Jobs had originally
paid well over 10 million dollars for the company, which is now as of November
29th, traded publicly on the NASDAQ stock market. What does this mean? In a
nutshell, Pixar is making over a billion dollars in revenues' thanks to their
little wonder, "Toy Story." Many of you might realize that Pixar is the
computer software company that releases mega hits on the computer software
graphics market such as Pixar Typestry, versions 1 through 2, in current
release for Microsoft Windows.
The movie "Toy Story" was created on over hundreds of Sun Microstations
incorporating the latest SPARChip Technology in the time span of 3 years.
Many users of high-end graphics programs such as 3D Studio and Caligari
trueSpace will see that there are three axes to these images, which exist only
as mathematical formulae. They have width, height, sides and backs. The
animators have pinpoint control. The characters' lips are seamlessly matched
to the actors' dialogue.
As the best fully computer animated feature length film created by Pixar
studios, "Toy Story" fully exploits the power and potential of such computer
power only rarely seen at the cinema (however there is a Saturday morning
cartoon show that is also computer animated called "Reboot", it airs on ABC
at early Saturday mornings). It was ["Toy Story"] created by members of Pixar
corporation and with some creative help from Disney both teams were lead by
director John Lassater. Lets find out a little bit more of Pixar's billion
dollar gold pot, "Toy Story".
"I'm Buzz Lightyear, - Space Ranger.", was what Tim Allen said for his
character role "Buzz Lightyear" in the movie hit, "Toy Story". Besides Tim
Allen, the movie also employs the talents of Tom Hanks, multi-Academy Award
winner as the role of "Woody" the leader of a small pack of toys in a little
boys room. The movie scenario goes along as Buzz Lightyear is the new toy on
the block, who thinks he is really human and a "Space- Ranger that can fly.
Woody is greatly troubled by this as his position as leader might be usurped
by Buzz. Towards the end of the film, Woody and Buzz become pals and try to
end the evil ways of the neighborhood bully of toys - the average weird kid
next door.
Mercury
Also , look out for disney's web page on www.toystory.com for
some awesome screen shots of the film!
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Net vs. Boards - Write-In Reply
If I may I'd like to comment on the Net vs. Boards issue brought up in a
previous INQ. Now I may be incredibly nieve and certainly don't claim to be
an expert in all warez issues, but it seems to me that the scene (especially
the Net scene) needs some central body to deal with releases and eliminating
dupes.
Now I know you maybe thinking "Just what we need another guy spouting the
praises of centralizing/unifying the scene" but really that's not what I mean.
On the contrary I think competition is the driving force behind the scene and
I don't believe this body/commitee should have any real power other than
determining which group get's credit for a release. In reality this might
help to reduce dupes if all the groups were aware of their competitiors
releases. Perhaps this commitee could consist of the elders from all groups
wishing to participate. The commitee (assuming those egos could co-exist)
would keep each other apprasied of releases and hopefully create an official
if not friendly lines of communication between groups. This way a release to
the Net has equal status to a release to some WHQ board. I'm sure many of the
big races would still occur on major boards, but a Net release would carry
equal weight assuming it was reported to and verified by the commitee.
Well that's just my 2 cents! Of course if everyone feels like Raptor ("As far
as I am concerned, if I receive one groups' release before another then that
"other" is the dupe") and doesn't really care about dupes, then a committee
would be a waste of time.
Dazed
This possibly could work, but with all greta solutions that have been thrown
at the scene - it just would not work properly.
First, a committee of sorts would have to be outside leaders and group members
due to bias conditions. Jimmy Jamez, not to rag on him, is extremelt bias, so
he would not qualify as a judge but he is one of the top leaders of the scene.
Most games group now hardly get along. I like to see FanFan and The Renegade
Chemist on the same committee.
Second, if groups are doing "devious" tricks to each other to get a release,
what makes a person think that they could not fool a committee into believing
their release is out and workable. This committee is almost a 24/7 day job
along with much need to test software. Can't forget about the fakes and non-
workable releases.
Lastly, a good group will hardly ever dupe. Many groups have people who call
two or three different places to dupe check. Then there is the art of ripping
properly and cracking. All this is ran like clockwork and if a committee is
an obstacle, then it will definetly not work. Especially if you have to
report to them.
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---=[ 7. Internet ]=----------------------------------------------------------
INQUiSITION has a World Wide Web page site. Please come by and check it out.
You can grab the Previous issues of INQUiSITION there plus the WWN archives.
INQUiSITION - http://www.hooked.net/users/tails/inq
Here is list of other excellent pages:
DOD - http://spl.co.il/zino
Razor 1911 - http://ionet.net/~razor/razor1911.html
The Review Board Online - http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~wdaddino/trb.html
If your group has a WWW page, please leave us a note and we'll advertise here.
---=[ 8. Announcements - TDUJam and Company Retire ]=-------------------------
Hello there,
Just wanted to drop a line to announce that TDU-JAM! officially
retires from the Scene.
Why? Mainly because the leadership has to face up real life and
think about what the future holds for them outside this dreamworld.
But also because we hoped that everybody would follow the example and
mold their priorities on getting quality CD releases out there. All
there is besides us is a bunch of obnoxious and frustrated characters
who serve only their delusion of grandeur when ripping games.
Our personnal goals (to be the best, and shut-up the pretences of
our competition) were met years ago with the dominion of PENTAGRAM and
GENESIS, and TDU-JAM just follows in the line of outstanding
achievements. We have gone way beyond our wildest expectations.
We've worked hard for your benefit, and in fact, way beyond the call
of duty. We are sure that you have enjoyed our work. Good luck for
the future, but we have to move on to other things now.
The Digital Underground ceases to exist as such as of now.
Fanfan la Tulipe & TDU-J! bid the Scene farewell. The handle and
the Label are retired.
Fanfan la Tulipe,
Wayward,
Werner & Tardy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We still like to announce that our good friend, Pieman needs support. Please
contact his business if you have any hardware needs.
High Speed Tech
718-833-4949
Located in The Bayridge Section of Brooklyn New York
---=[ 9. Weekly Releases ]=---------------------------------------------------
Well, Lurch here again with yet another warez list. This is is not as
complete, and done in a much shorter time. (Within 2 hours) So you can
understand why the holes are there, and why its all screwed up. INQ has
been having a few co-ordination problems lately, so unfortunately this
part is pretty low on the priority scale compared to some others. Sorry
about this, I can only promise you that we will improve.
Special thanks have to go to StudSter who provided us with the release
list on such a short notice. Though the list is not complete, I can
assure you that the major releases of the days are listed and accounted.
ХНННННННННННННННННННННННННННННННННННСННННННННННННННННННННННННННННННННННё
і GAMES і APPS і
ГД[ 2nd ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДЕД[ 2nd ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДґ
і Carmen Sandiego Deluxe Edition і і
і Romance Of The 3 Kingdoms Pt4 RCD і і
ГД[ 3d ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДЕД[ 3d ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДґ
і Hooves Of Thunder TDU і і
і Shannara RCD і і
і Riddles і і
і MW2 Ghostbear Legacy TDU і і
і Bermuda Syndrome і і
і Battles in time RZR і і
ГД[ 4th ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДЕД[ 4th ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДґ
і Flight Sim Toolkit Update і CDR Publisher v3.61 PWA і
і Civnet Update і Dr Solomons AntiVirus v7.54 і
і Pressure Drop for Win95 CD і HeapAgent for NT Cracked PWA і
і War Craft 2 HYBRID і Fund Manager v1.0 win95 і
і Hi OCtaNE CD uPdated New Tracks і Master VB4 2nd Edition і
і Planet Siege ROR і ORCAD PCB 386 CRACKED і
і і Ray Dream Studio Release і
і і VisualBasic 4.0 і
ГД[ 5th ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДЕД[ 5th ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДґ
і IceBreaker for Win RCD і Jump Kids Kindergarden і
і IceBreaker Full Resolution HBD і PagMaker v6.0 Full Rip 95 і
і 360 Points і Dec DCE WinNT і
і Intel Proshare 95 і Pmaker 6.0 Final Cd і
і Studio Audio Workshop v5.1 і Groupworks v1.0a і
і Agent v.99c PWA і Digital Dead SS і
і ACAD Library #2 і Family Online Guide 95 і
і і Hallmark Card Maker Win95 Win і
і і MS ODBC і
і і Tech Data Catalog December і
і і Tech Data Catalog November і
і і points і
ГД[ 6th ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДЕД[ 6th ]ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДґ
і Tel Aviv Scenery for FS 5.0 і Visual Voice 32bit TAPI Win PNT і
і Jack The Ripper HBD і Word Secuirity і
і Haifa Scenery for FS 5.0 і lotus word pro 96 RBS WORKING і
і Island Casino RCD і ACAD Library #2 і
і Virgin WorldOne Atlus Interactive і Asymetrix Web 3D v1.0 і
і Trophy Bass Outdoor Sportsmen Win і Caddy 11 і
і Hodji N Podji і Ray Dream Studio Textures і
і DiME CiTY CD DESiGN і Rhinocom for os2 і
і і Software Compatibility Test NT і
і і Ray Dream Studio Models EIRG і
і і Partition Magic for OS2 PNT і
і і Microsoft Backoffice SDK Final і
і і Nashville Build 999 і
і і December NAV 95 update і
і і Lan Workplace 5.0 DOD і
і і Lan Workplace 5 Floppy DOD і
і і Hodji N Podji і
АДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДБДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДЩ
---=[ 10. Top 5 Boards ]=-----------------------------------------------------
These Boards were rated by their peers. The number is comprised of LD traders
who frequent boards. If you believe this rating to be incorrect, send in your
ratings or give them to a trader that can get them to me. Please, do not
submit ratings in if you do not frequent boards.
Scores are based on percentile up to 120
Top 5 Boards
1. Park Central 109
2. Beyond Akira 59
3. The Wall 47
4. The Digital Underground 19
5. Street Spydrs 15
Others: 2112 (13), X-Factor (12), State Of Devolution (10), Southern Comfort
(9), Snake's Place (8), Last Rights (3), Warp Zone (1)
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/ \____( / ( _) ) \ \ | ( ( (___ /
( | | \ / ) ) | \ | | |
\__________|___________)_____(___________/______|____)_____|_________|
---=[ 11. Closing ]=-----------------------------------------------------------
Another issue is produced to the masses.
Hopefully you enjoyed this issue of INQUiSITION. We have plenty of
interviews to cover and other other topics to touch. If you wish
to join INQ - please send us your EMAIL address and a SAMPLE.
If you want a subscription to INQ, E-Mail: lurch1@intac.com
INQUiSITION will have weekly meetings on Wednesday's at 9p Central.
The Inquisition Staff:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raptor [Editor] Lester [Editor]
[Staff]
Avalon Blue ъ Cyberphreak ъ Darwin ъ GFK ъ Ionizer ъ Jimmy Jamez ъ Lotug
Lurch ъ Mercury ъ Mr.ZigZag ъ Operator ъ Riot