Tech Games

NBA SHOOTOUT 2000 By Josh Nason Maker: 989 Sports Rating: three stars System: Sony PlayStation Suggested price: $40 Number of players: Up to 2 NBA Shootout 2000 is a fair entry

Friday, April 14th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NBA SHOOTOUT 2000
By Josh Nason
Maker: 989 Sports
Rating: three stars
System: Sony PlayStation
Suggested price: $40
Number of players: Up to 2

NBA Shootout 2000 is a fair entry in the enormous pool of basketball games on the market. It has admirable graphics and offers fairly up-to-date rosters, stats and rankings.
The only problem with Shootout 2000 is that it seems so stripped down compared to other games and doesnâ€™t have many of those fun little add-ons such as three-point shootouts. It still maintains Season, Playoffs and Exhibition, but not a whole lot more.

Despite the lack of gaming options, all the roster options are there (Trading, Free Agency, Create-a-Player, etc.), plus two new features: Create a Dunk and Draft.

Create a Dunk really should have been called Edit Trivial Things on a Pre-made Dunk, because all the dunks are there and the moves canâ€™t be altered easily. No neat tricks with the basketball.

The Draft option is a neat add-on in which you can select whomever you want in a fantasy draft format. This can also be done in two-player modes so you can compete against friends. NBA Shootout is a fine game but still can only look up in jealousy at games such as NBA Live. Suitable for all ages.

Josh Nason is a student at St. Markâ€™s School of Texas in Dallas.

HYDRO THUNDER
By Sam Machkovech
Maker: Midway
Rating: 61/272 and a half
System: Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast
Suggested price: $49.95
Number of players: Up to 4 with expansion pak; 2 without

Midway, known for its bazillions of arcade-to-!home games, delivers Hydro Thunder to the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64 consoles in competent fashion. The Dreamcast version was introduced last fall.

Hydro Thunder is all about exaggerated powerboat racing through 12 worldwide courses, each with big shortcuts and bigger jumps. To earn new courses, players must win on the older courses, and this is a real pain in the neck if players canâ€™t find every single annoying shortcut as they compete against the computer opponents are frustrating.

Analog control is on target, and the courses are varied, but those arenâ€™t enough to overcome the gameâ€™s underlying flaw: Itâ€™s a true-to-heart arcade racer. The game emphasizes shortcuts and jumps, not skill, and will leave most players bored after a week or two of play.

Furthermore, both new versions disappoint graphically when compared to the beautiful Dreamcast version. The N64 incarnation has a surprising amount of detail, but thereâ€™s no sensation of speed. The PlayStation version does feel fast, but it looks pathetic on the inferior hardware.

Multiplayer modes redeem Hydro Thunder somewhat, as the two-player mode provides fun split-screen action without graphic slowdown. However, the N64â€™s three- and four-player modes are choppier than ocean waves, and players canâ€™t even change the camera angles.

Considering the limits of both systems, the home conversions are quite impressive. Itâ€™s unfortunate that this game is only good enough for a rental.

Suitable for ages 8 and up due to mild animated violence.

Sam Machkovech is a student at the University of Texas at Austin.

PLANESCAPE: TORMENT
By Chris Glassel
Maker: Interplay
Rating: four stars
System: PC CD-ROM
System requirements: Windows 95/98, Pentium 200 MMX or equivalent, 32MB RAM; 8X CD-ROM, SVGA with 4MB of video memory, 650MB hard drive space
Suggested price: $40
Number of players: 1

I finally found a game worthy of a perfect score. This role-playing game casts the player in the role of The Nameless One, an immortal amnesiac. You must find out who you are and how you became immortal. While the amnesiac angle isnâ€™t new, the gameâ€™s writing is clever enough that things never get stale or predictable. The plot is too good to spoil, so I wonâ€™t elaborate further.

There is a lot of text to read. Despite its pretty graphics and beautiful sound, Torment is an old-school role-playing game at heart. For the uninitiated, that means it focuses on character development, crisp dialogue and good storytelling. Torment is also a party-based game, so youâ€™ll have to recruit friends to complete it.

Along the way, youâ€™ll run into a sarcastic floating skull that may or may not be trustworthy, a female demon and an insane robot that is interested in the demon.

As weird as your companions may be, they donâ€™t hold a candle to your character. Youâ€™ve lived and died so many times that there isnâ€™t anything you havenâ€™t done or seen.

Consequently, your character doesnâ€™t learn new skills - he remembers them. In addition, all those deaths have left their scars on your body.

All this weirdness adds up to one stellar role-playing game. Interplayâ€™s Black Isle division has created a thoroughly engrossing game that darn near approaches the level of digital literature.

Rated for ages 17 and older.

Chris Glassel is a student at the University of Texas at Dallas.

â€™N SYNC PUZZLES IN MOTION
By Sarah Johnson
Maker: Ravensburger Interactive
Rating: three stars
System: PC, Macintosh CD-ROM
System requirements: For PC - Windows 3.11/95/98, 486 processor, 8MB RAM; For Macintosh - 68040 processor, OS 7.5 or higher, 8MB RAM, 40MB hard drive space
Suggested price: $24.95
Number of players: 1

If youâ€™re a fan of puzzles and â€™N Sync, youâ€™ll like this game. Each moving square and rectangle piece makes up an animated picture of the group that comes right from its music videos.

The number of squares in a scene can vary from an easy nine to a challenging 30. You choose how many pieces to work. The buttons and icons are easy to figure out, so you can start solving puzzles right away. As you work a puzzle, hear many of the bandâ€™s songs, including Here We Go, I Want You Back, U Drive Me Crazy, Tearinâ€™ Up My Heart and more. When the puzzle is completed, players are treated to the entire video.

Each video-clip puzzle has three levels of difficulty. On the first level, the pieces are jumbled. On the second level, theyâ€™re jumbled and rotating. On the third level, theyâ€™re jumbled, rotating and they flip.

Once youâ€™ve completed the 12 puzzles on a level, you get a challenge puzzle. The bonus puzzle is especially tricky, so get ready for a real test. You have to be quick with your eyes and able to focus on one image among many others similar to it.

In the first level, for example, the mixed-up pieces change position constantly and you have to stop the pieces at the right moment with your mouse.

After a few friends have played, you can compare the best times or you can go to www.puzzles-in-motion.com and see the scores of the worldâ€™s best players.

This game is addicting and will keep you playing until you win. The music is refreshing and hip, but what else would you expect from â€™N Sync?

Sarah Johnson is a student at Rainwater Elementary in Carrollton, Texas.

ROAD RASH JAILBREAK
By Brenden Bixler
Maker: Electronic Arts
System: Sony PlayStation
Rating: three stars
Suggested price: $40
Number of players: Up to 5 with multitap adapter

The latest installment of this popular motorcycle series features enhanced game play in scenario-based levels. Players may choose to free biker buddy Spaz from jail or to side with the cops and bust up one of many roaming motorcycle gangs in the area. Either way, players are presented with challenges and road obstacles that keep the game fresh.

If you play in Jailbreak mode, you spend the majority of your time running from and fighting the police. Road Rash Jailbreak introduces the idea of fighting combos and superattacks, though the number of moves a player can execute is limited. In addition, players can team up in a sidecar and battle the police together. Five-0 mode, or playing as the cops, offers players the opportunity to bust other players but rarely differs in game play from Jailbreak mode.

Graphically, Road Rash Jailbreak is disappointing. Excessive pixelation and choppy animation hinder the sense of speed. However, the rock â€™nâ€™roll music from the independent bands is surprisingly good. The control is fairly straightforward, and controller response is comfortably accurate.

This game wonâ€™t appeal to most racing fans, but the resident bad boy will love it.

Rated for ages 13 and older due to animated violence and mild language.

Brenden Bixler is a student at Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas.

ODIUM
By Harold E. Scull Jr.
Maker: Monolith
Rating: four stars
System: PC CD-ROM
System requirements: Pentium 200 MHz, 32MB RAM, 250MB hard disk space, 4X CD-ROM drive (8X recommended), 2MB RAM video (3-D accelerator recommended), DirectX 6.0 Media or higher
Suggested price: $39.95
Number of players: 1

Odium - a noun defined as hatred coupled with disgust - can be best described as an adventure/strategy/role-playing game that follows a horror theme similar to Resident Evil.

You control a NATO team consisting of American, French and Polish commandos as they explore a decrepit Old World town to locate members of the first exploratory force. Immediately upon your arrival on shore, a mutant monster attacks you. Your team becomes compelled to find out who made these monsters, what became of the cityâ€™s residents and who the real enemy is.

Every battle is like a chess match because the artificial intelligence anticipates each characterâ€™s potential path of attack as well as the range of their weapons. If your strategy is weak, monsters will focus on one particular team member, whose decapitation will end your game.

After a few simple battles, you will realize that because medical packs and ammo are so limited, this game has a difficulty factor like none youâ€™ve ever played before. Just as you think youâ€™ve cleared out the enemy and need time to heal, three or four fresh recruits step in to help their scaly friends.

Besides fantastic blood-and-gore battle graphics, the game focuses on exploration and story development rather than just going from point A to point B. Sound effects match well with snarls, screams, realistic gunshots and flamethrower sounds.

This dark, gory game is extremely frustrating. But if youâ€™re a gamer willing to battle it out with a steep curve of difficulty, then this game is for you.

Rates for ages 17 and older due to mature content.

Harold E. Scull Jr. is a free-lance writer in Fort Worth, Texas.

FEAR EFFECT
By Harold E. Scull Jr.
Maker: Eidos Interactive
Rating: 61/27three and a half stars
System: Sony PlayStation
Suggested price: $39.95
Number of players: 1

You control three anti-hero mercenaries who join a bounty hunt that takes them through a futuristic city, a creepy village on stilts set deep in the rainforests, Madam Chanâ€™s house of vices and finally to a Chinese version of hades.

Fear Effect is a four-disk game targeted strictly for the mature audience. There is cursing and brief nudity. Almost an entire disk consists of a female mercenary blowing away the enemy while running through a bordello in her underwear, but it fits well into the suspenseful story.

Instead of monitoring a health meter, your welfare is controlled by a Fear Meter that has two main purposes. First, it acts as a proximity warning for the player. When the Fear Meter comes on, it usually means there is danger nearby. Second, it tells you how calm or afraid your character is.

When the player is calm, it is easier to aim and track multiple opponents. The more afraid you are, the worse you will do. When you are at maximum fear, one hit and you are dead.
The more confidence you gain through â€œclean kills,â€ the stronger you get. You also have include the ability to clutch a weapon in each hand and simultaneously fire at separate targets. Also, for all puzzles (mostly difficult), there are clues in rooms previously visited so you donâ€™t get frustrated into quitting.

This is a great game for the adult role-playing adventurer. It carries a mature rating for ages 17 and up because of blood, violence, language and sexual content.