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review
DREAMCAST Quake III Arena (iD) £39.99 * k t * it
It has taken a year but finally the Dreamcast has launched into true multiplayer internet action. Although Chu Chu Rocket allowed us to play against others throughout Europe, guiding mice away from holes is hardly the cutting edge of human-to-human combat. Quake III Arena however is exactly what everyone imagines when they think of network play and is precisely what the Dreamcast has been crying out for.
For those who don't know, Quake IIIArena is a first-person shooter. A weapon protrudes from the bottom of the screen, a combat arena consisting of walkways, tunnels, towers, battlements, stairs and platforms lies before you, and a
number of opponents await to kill or be killed. There is no start and end to each level, no damsel to rescue or boss to vanquish. Each game consists of running around the fantastically created arenas and trying to kill more often than your opponents. Die and you are respawned elsewhere. That's it! Nothing fancy, nothing difficult and nothing that can get in the way of the all- encompassing desire to launch a rocket down another
player's throat.
Although Quake III Arena can be played on your own, with the computer controlling the other combatants, it
One of the finest pieces of console software ever produced
really explodes when played with human adversaries. This can be done over the net or crowded around a split screen telly. Either style is handled beautifully by the Dreamcast but only those with a large television should try the split screen version. The internet version suffers from a small amount of lag, but when the brain gets used to this, it plays like a dream.
Quake III Arena is one of the finest pieces of console
software ever produced. And for a first stab at fast,
visually impressive internet play it deserves endless praise. (lain Davidson)
PLAYSTATION 2 FIFA 2001 (Electronic Arts) £44.99 at r it
Although there’s no such thing as a ’sure thing’, no bookmaker in the land who would have taken money on FIFA 2007 appearing on the P52. HOW nice it would have been if EA had held off for a bit and explored Sony’s new machine more. Released at the P52 launch, FIFA 2007 is the same old same old, presented With nothing more than a next generation polish. The usual teams featuring the usual players competing in the usual competitions are qUicker, smarter and look more like footballers than ever before. And, as ever, it is enjoyable to play. Yet, perhaps due to inflamed expectations of such a powerful new console, it is all disappOintingly dull. It is as much fun, as engaging and as challenging as any other FIFA title but no more. Surely this isn't what Sony built its new baby for?
Theme Park World (Bullfrog) £44.99 * it at
Some games cry out to be played on a console rather than a dull, grey, unfriendly PC, RaCing games spring to mind, platform adventures too. However, if there was ever a software genre that demanded PC-play it would be strategy/management. Take Theme Park World. On the PC it sucked you into a world of loop-the-loops, rubbish
104 THE “ST S Jan—l8 Jan 2001
bins, balloons, hook-a-ducks and smelly t0ilets as you built and managed your very own theme park. It was simple to use, difficult to master and the constant promise of that bigger, better ride kept you playing. However, on the P52 it feels a little slow and a little clumsy. It still looks great and the initial fight to get punters into your park is a lot of fun but an understandable lack of action and exotement soon dulls the experience. If Simulations are yOur thing then you Will probably own this already while frenzy fans should steer well clear.
TimeSplitters (Eidos) £44.99 * it it ‘k
Due to the mind-bIOWing power of the P52 we can expect a slew of first- person shooters in the near future. They are among the most popular games but, until now, have been prohibitiver processor-heavy for the consoles. However TimeSplitters shows the beginnings of what is p055lble on the next gen machines. It is pure action, spread across a variety of time zones and though there is a story and some fantastically unique characters, the game Will exote adrenaline Junkies only. Imagine the multiplayer experience of Go/deneye With better graphics, bigger levels, more weapons and a Wicked sense of humour and you Will be some way to understanding TimeSplitters. Get a
multipack, some mates and a couple of bags of nibbles and have one of the most Violently enjoyable QUiet-nights-in available. Sad Billy-no-mates can have fun too, With the P52 taking charge of your rivals. First person fun for everyone.
SSX
(Electronic Arts) £44.99 *****
Every new console needs a game that truly shows off What it is capable of. For the P52, 55X is it. On first play it seems like a run-of—the-mill snowboarding title, With single events and a championship, a variety of
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boards, boarders and outfits, With more available when unlocked On the tenth play however, your lips are pulled tight across grinning teeth, your eyes water and the neigthurs have moved in to watch you tWist, flip, cane and bail your way down the most ridiculous Snowboarding slopes ever seen. Fireworks shoot skyward, glass ramps squeal as you skate up them, traffic roars across a Jumpable motorway bridge and palm trees sway in the Sun. This may not be normal but it is a cracking good laugh, The graphics are stunning, the sound impressive and a tiered system of challenges Will keep you playing for a While.
PC No One Lives Forever (EA/Fox) £29.99 * ‘k t *
Take a slice of James Bond, a chunk of Charlie’s Angels, a smidgen of The Persuaders and add some Austin Powers and, taa-daa-raa, No One Lives Forever is ready. Agent Cate Archer works for secret organisation UNITY as it battles the eVil wrong-domgs of HARM, a battle that covers the four corners of the globe. Through Cate's eyes the action unravels during some varied and impresswe levels, utilising a variety of weapons and vehicles, Alth0ugh there are a number of fast and furious lead—heavy Situations, No One Lives Forever is most fun When subterfuge and stealth get the best results. Then again, the snowmobiles are a not. Not to mention a deathmatch mode that Will keep
internet players more than happy.
Psychedelic and kitsch, yet clever and engaging, No One Lives Forever may confuse those who like things bBSIC. Everyone else Will enjoy their time With Cate. (lain DaVidson)
ii i ‘k t * Unmissable
* t it it Very 00d
* it * Wort a shot
it t Below average it You've been warned ;
FIFA 2001 is the same old same old with a next generation polish
mms-TTA'fiiAf-I'NEST " W " Ti.