games@list.co.uk
PS" Péo EVOLUTION soccen 2
iKonami Sittitléli
lhe sequel to the snoh's; choice. ISS Pro I. vo has been a long time coming. l ootie proles; may have been content p; ssing that time with the I)ll//le'(l of FIFA titles. but your soccer-sim saddo has counted every painful second. So now it is; here and. well. how to put this? It is a\.'erage. It looks; like the first one. It plays like the first one. It is. err‘. pointless.
Sure the graphics; are neater and the pitches look better. what ‘.'.’|lIl hare patches arsd all. out nothing nas; really changed. Scoring is; still difficult. tackling reguires precision. throughhalls are a gamble and every ‘.'.’lll is; a glorious victory. On the had side. the prayer Al is still rubbish. p; ssing can be a ioke. the ()[)l)()Slll()l‘: nexer. ever commits a foul and Colin llfflttlf“, still plays for Scotland. This; may delight the snobs; but paying again to.r an oid gair‘e will p/SS off many. many were.
“82‘ TERMINATOR ilrif<)g;rzirr‘t>s; S‘IiE).S)E)i O.
Remen‘her those nits in the lerniinator riiovies where we see into the future? A tsiture gainere lltélfilllflfi is; killing man. metal heels grind grinning skulls into dust and one rrtan narried Connor holds; the tale of hurrianity? Well. that is; .‘1here Iermrrrator the garrte is; set. and it is your let; to protect that saxiour. And .‘.’Ill|(: that task rr‘a',’ initially seerr‘
daunting. a few moments' play makes; you realise that it is also frustrating. confusing and ultimately unappealing.
Played in the third person. TOI'IIH/ldfOf is one small pu//le broken up by small bouts of corrsbat in one small space that leads to another small t)!i//le broken up wrth . . . well you get the idea. The bu// of the oh--s;o familiar setting and adversary soon wears away. ultimately leavrng something cold and hard. Much like Arnie in the movie. then.
is; TIMESPLITTERS 2
tE-idos 5‘83).E)E)i .0...
PC
FIFA 2003 (Electronic Arts €24.99) 0...
Surely everyone in the world has played a F/FA title at some point in their gaming lives. And because they have never really changed over their urripteen-year life span. when you have played one you've really played them all. Therefore. if truth be told. reading a revrew of the latest title
would be a waste of time. Well here's a wacky idea. You write the revrew!
Imagine the incremental changes that have happened in the few weeks since the last release. Imagine the minor visual changes. the small tweaks in gameplay. the few more teams to play. Imagine that trademark slickness and smooth animation. Imagine how easy it is; to play. how simple it is to master and how it always; ends up being the party game of choice among young males. OK, can you see all that? Good. That is exactly what F/FA 2003 is; like. (lain Davidsoni
The ever changing environments evoke
fear, laughter and joy
The opening level of TimeSpIitfers 2 is a beautifully knowing nod to the gods of gaming, an acknowledgement of the game’s heritage and a promise of what is to come. The first location in your search through time for the salvation of the human race is a dam. Why a dam? Well, that is where the N64 title Goldeneye started. This postmodern wink demonstrates exactly how much thought has gone into a spectacularly
good game.
Fans of the series will be delighted with this, the second temporal- surfing FPS. The graphics have continued down the colourful road to cartoon, yet retain a pleasing meatiness. There may be no blood and gore but every shot, from minor glance to fatal headshot, produces a variety of animations depending on location and enemy type. Combined with some of the best weapon sounds ever to appear on a console, this precision and depth in the combat experience makes for something special.
Then there are the constantly changing environments as you travel back and forward in time. Each look great, evoke differing emotions from fear to laughter, and are a joy to explore. During solo play they are understandably linear but truly shine during multi-play. Those with big televisions are in for a rare treat.
As are those with flexible fingered friends. That self-same multi-play option lends you another gam and a whole new world of gaming joy to
indulge in.
But above all this, something else raises TimeSpIitters 2 above the norm. It is a style, a feeling, an aesthetic that pervades every aspect of the game. This feels like a new thing. An exciting thing. Something that is worth your money, worth your time and worthy of the new console it is running on. Like Goldeneye before it, TimeSpIitters 2 is a rare thing indeed.
(Iain Davidson)
Internet
internet@list.co.uk
CASINO FUN
www.galagames.co.uk
Do you want to never do anything constructive again? Then go here and bring a hunch of arcade games straight to your desktop. such as; Tuppenny Falls. Back of the Net and Fruit Salad. Some are free to play. others are very low stake. On the day we went in. the delightful Jennita had won herself 5‘250. It could he you.
EVIL CHRISTMAS jplatt.homestead.com/ cards.html
_ ‘1 \\\\ mm" ./,~ \ (c ~~ t. .l .2
To many. the month of December is about as welcome as reindeer rash. so if you want to pass on unseasonal greetings this year, the selection of cards here should give you some nasty ideas. Ungrateful Santas. elf debris and. for some reason. Sigourney Weaver all feature.
DURAN DEBATE www.greenspun.com/b board/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl’?msg id: OOBshV
Ever kept yourself tossing all night wrth hopefully a hit of turning thrown Ill, trying to decipher the lyrics of
Duran Duran? Me. too. Well. this won't help yOu Out a great deal. but it is a fascinating and amusing (llSCUSSlOfl abetit the lunacy at work when “The Reflex' and Seven and the Flagged Tiger were dreamed up.
FUTURE SPINSTERDOM www.bunkmag.com/sp inster/quizframe.html
Single ladies: are you destined to be forever alone until the day you die in misery and isolation? Check out this test and see what the future holds. Do you subscribe to Cosmo. Women's; Day or Cat Fancier? What is your attitude to being sent flowers? Who is your favourite Greek goddess?
KURT LIVES
www.geocities.com/ nrkalien/ChapterZ/ kurt.html
In 1994. Kurt Cobain blew his brains Out in his garage. right? Or is he alive and fairly well in the Caribbean? The latter actually. according to this page which claims he couldn't take the celeb lifestyle. faked his own death and moved to Puerto Rico. There. he cunningly changed his; name to Donald Cobain and is now studying botany. Well. why not?
(Brian Donaldson)
L‘b‘ No. .";\‘.‘ THE LIST 109