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DC: RIP
No, this isn’t about the demise of GR book man DC Gates, but Sega’s cracking Dreamcast console. Games takes a look at the last bunch of games for the premature death of a truly great machine FREESTYLE SCOOTER (DC/ PS1) Ubisoft
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HE KIDS love scooters, and now they're so fashionable that even grown businessmen can enjoy riding them on the way to work (scooters, I mean, not the kids). But what to do on those rainy days when your Mum won't let you out of the house? Why, a scooter-based stunt game, of course! If Freestyle Scooter could be summarised in a sentence, it would be 'like Tony Hawks with scooters', y'know, for kids. Perform stunts for points, and unlock arenas including (joy of joys) a school playground, where you can jump n' grind without Mrs Hawney ever telling you off. All
arenas can be explored and include a range of grind rails, ramps and platforms for you to hang loose on. The graphics are decent, if unspectacular, and the soundtrack pure obscure nu-punk and skate metal- well, what else did you expect? Hip-hoppera? Brazilian drum n’ bass? Fischerspooner? At least an effort has been made to vary the objectives. on every level you'll have to gain a certain amount of points, gain a high combo score, grind a certain distance, collect icons scattered around the course and rack up an impressive 'extreme' score. All entail different skills and emphasise different controls, giving a spat of longevity. Tony Hawks is still the daddy, but Freestyle Scooter is one that it's easy to like – especially for the kids. Chris Faires
Grind, boy, grind!
CONFLICT ZONE (DC, PC, PS2) Ubisoft
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The Gulf war happened on CNN
AR JUST isn’t what it used to be anymore. Gone are the days of the ‘over the top, chaps’ attitude to conflict, as the world embraces sanitised skirmishes borne out on CNN. The game feels a lot like the classic Command and Conquer series in may ways. Not for the first time in computer game land is an evil tyranny threatening the free world, or something, and it is your job to play as either the International Corp for Peace or indeed the bad guy Ghost. The main gameplay takes place on a large 3D mapped landscape, where you control your forces using a slightly tricky cursor icon. As the good guys the name of the game is not only wipe out the enemy, but also to do it with minimal collateral damage, meaning harming as few civilians as possible. During
each of the 32 missions you are constantly updated as to what the media and public opinion is concerning your operations, and this has a large bearing on how you perform in future campaigns. Keep the media sweet and you find yourself with more funds and resources to progress though the game. Get yourself a bad name and you end up with a nothing more that a joke militia. Although the controls are tricky to pick up initially, once you have a handle on them it becomes a lot easier to deal with the frantic pace of the action. In no time you find yourself marshalling your troops and forces over the beautiful 3D landscape like Monty himself. With around 50 hours of action to be had this game is not easy to put down and keeps you coming back for more. All in all this is one of the better strategy games going at the moment, apart from looking great, it plays like a dream. No doubt this will be a real hit with strategy buffs as it offers a slightly refreshing angle to a genre which is at risk of being done to death. Well done Ubisoft. James Bladon
HEAVY METAL GEOMATRIX (DC) Capcom
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eavy Metal, aside from being a musical genre is the name of America's oldest fantasy comic, currently being edited by Kevin Eastman, inventor of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and illustrated by former Judge Dredd illustrator Simon Bisley, both of whom had creative input into this game. Aside from a successful movie, Heavy Metal is most famed for influencing the vision of Los Angeles in Blade Runner. Enough of the history, how's the present? HMG is a 3D shooting game with beat 'em up rules and structure. Select your character from a range of 12, and engage enemies of ascending difficulty, beat them and win. The arenas allow for hide and seek then destroy tactics, with obstacles and multi-level features like ramps and platforms. Oh, they spoil you, they really do. There’s a decent range of weapons, from the wimpy handgun to the devastating s-
bomb (which is viewed from above to target your fire upon your target). The other weapons
vary in quality and effectiveness, some will kick ass up close, while others are heat seeking.
What really lets the game down is the lack of camera control, and the unwillingness for the camera to give you the best view. You're in these environments, but haven’t got the freedom to see all around you, thus destroying a Metal Gear Solid style tactical element. The game's longevity is aided by a two-player versus mode and a 'chaosmatrix' mode (which looks like the MGS VR missions add-on), where you'll have to navigate mazes in variants on the 'get key, go through door' scenario. It's mildly diverting, in a time attack way. Heavy Metal Geomatrix is an uncomfortable shoot ‘em up in beat ‘em up shoes. There's nothing drastically wrong with it, it's not merely a tired beat em up, but despite the gameplay being quite challenging, isn’t as compelling or as good as either a straight forward beat ‘em up like Soul Calibur, or a shoot ‘em up like Halo. Even the presence of Megadeth and Halford on the soundtrack can’t stop this unspectacular game from the lower reaches of the Dreamcast's back catalogue. Chris Faires
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CANNON SPIKE (DC) Capcom
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S A parting shot to the Dreamcast, Capcom have released a 3D shooter which frankly could be summed up using the same words as could be applied to the console as a whole. Could have been brilliant but falls somewhat short of the mark. In Cannon Spike you play one of seven characters resurrected from the golden era of gaming. Fans of the classic Ghosts and Goblins series will recognise the knight Arthur who wreaks havoc along side the likes of Cammy from the Street Fighter, the irrepressible Megaman, and slightly disturbingly little red riding hood. Any smart wolf would stay well clear of this tough little cookie who races around the screen on scooter fitted with a sizeable machine gun. The object of the exercise in Cannon Spike is to rid the world of a group of terrorist robots who have taken over the world. Moving though nine levels of frantic action the name of the game is quite simple, waste everything in sight. Original it isn’t. Fun it is. But the repetitive nature of the gameplay soon leaves you hankering for a new challenge. Although the two player mode is somewhat more enjoyable, the repetitiveness of game play is the games most significant fault. More often than not you find yourself holding the fire button lacing anything that gets in your way. Its fair to say this isn’t one for those who like a bit of strategy in their gaming. The game does have its strong points though. For starters, as you might expect it looks spot on. The graphics are clean and smooth with a good Streets of Rage style camera angle which keeps you on top of the action at all times. Another nice touch to the game is picture gallery unlocked as the game is completed on each of the 10 difficulty settings. This gives the players access to some beautifully rendered stills of the game, although not reason enough to buy the game. Really this is one for the kids, because there is no real learning curve. The sense of satisfaction in finishing the game just isn’t there because you don’t have to work at it. Sadly this game was a bit of a let down, fitting somehow that as one of the last games made for the Dreamcast it be spectacularly unspectacular. James Bladon
Top Ten DC Games: 1.
Virtua Tennis
Pure gameplay, multiplayer heaven
2.
Soul Calibur
Which can dick Tekken anyday
3.
Crazy Taxi
Brilliant, pick-up and play arcade game
4.
Rez
Looks and feels like nothing else
5. Phantasy Star Online Incredible online 3D RPG 6. Samba de Amigo Maracas based rhythm mayhem
7.
Shenmue (1+2)
Live as Ryu, search for vengance
8.
Chu Chu Rocket
Manic puzzle cat & mouser
9. Jet Set Radio Beautiful graffitti game
10. MSR
Eclipsed by PGR, but a cracking driver