The Times from Munster, Indiana • 14

C-2 TUESDAY. MARCH 3, 1998 INK The Times Best Console INK VIDEO GAME REVIEW SPECIAL With so many picks in each game meets side scroller. Crash II was still a good play, it just wasn't as innovative as Abe and more of a repeat of Crash One. Isn't that the trouble with sequels? They never match up to the original. category, could it It's a hit Still hands down the most popular game genre is the fighting game.

My favorite, CapCom will still be close to the heart with their Street Fighter series. And, Street Fighter Alpha 2 for PSX was a treasure of a fight game. The be anything but the PSX? Some will argue that BEST of the 64 has twice the capabili ...2 'vir7. ifh 7. ties and none of that long downloading time, it still doesn't matter.

Sony's CD-ROM format is still the best on the console market. With far more titles being Colony Wars Psygnosis Spaced out Well, another game of epic proportions was Colony Wars from Psygnosis. My second favorite pick of 1997 but at the top of the space shooter category. Again strong cinema scenes and a grand story fueled an outstanding action game. ,7 E.

,) yt 'ill 1997 go down as Carmageddon Interplay it seems that it may take a David and Goliath effort to knock them from the No. 1 spot. Special mention A PC title that really was a great 1997 title was Mind-scapes Creatures. This deserves some kind of recogni the finest year in video game history? tion, like the most innovative game of 1997. This is virtual pet come to Golden Eye Nintendo Gunning for more The corridor, 3-D shooter game.

What can be more fun than lock and load and blow your opponent's away. But, here is Nintendo's first appearance for the Best of 1997. Golden Eye became a quick fan favorite and a candidate for the best N64 title of 1997. Great action, great cinema and the chance to be 007. While that is doubtful with such promising futures for home, arcade and PC markets, 1997 was certainly a year of resurgence for the game industry.

With a full year behind all the major platforms, the Playstation seems to be carrying the success of 1997 in On the road again Forget the NASCAR games or Formula One games, give me those wickedly deviant games like Twisted Metal. While Felony 11-79 for the PSX, started with high hopes, it fell short. My favorite driving game wasn't a console offering but a PC title called Carmageddon. Hey, any game that is kicked off with a blood drive at Interplay's corporate HQ has got to be something special. life.

Those adorable Noms will at Sony's heels. What was that other game system? So, what was the best and worst of 1997? Squaresoft stole the show after jumping ship from Nintendo to the PSX CD-ROM format with the hot selling Final Fantasy VII title. In fact, dare I say that FFVII was the best release of 1997 in my opinion. A video game epic that was a heart racing, pulse-pounding, rip-roaring game from the first intro. How did other titles place for the year? Madden '98 EA Sports warm your heart.

With by far the most advanced Al on the shelf, this was a game that made me feel guilty every time I shut my Macintosh down. Somehow I felt like all my Norns would be all alone in the dark until the next time I fired the game up. to 1998 while tha Nintendo 64 is still nipping 1 So there was nothing to kill, it didn't matter. Just hatching iV ft Give me the ball EA Sports again sat at the top of the heap for sport titles. The PSX Madden "98 the best in the Madden line so far.

While it was practically a coin toss between that and NFL Gameday '98, again for the PSX, the Maddenisms and the return of the ambulance picking up injured players gave it a slight edge. my first Norns and seeing them grow and learn was an incredible experience. Good news, Mindscape is planning a 1998 release of Creatures 2. rk FFVII Squaresoft Command Conquer Westwood "SinTple life. An even smaller genre of titles for con The hero MM.

mmm. m.i i.um Cloud from the epic On a role The wonderful world of RPG. Well FFVII. While this is still a much-ignored format, the offerings have been very strong in quality over quantity of titles. JF Final Fantasy VII soles at least is the simulation category.

Still, PSX offered gamers a great PC conversion of Command and V. A my Pick for the best IV I RPG and No. 1 game FINUFIWSltl of the year. Abe's Oddysee GT Games On the Side Crash Bandicoot II should be the obvious choice for sldescrollerpuzzle title, I have to favor Abe's Oddysee from GT Games for PSX. Okay, it isn't a true side-scroller, more of a puzzle Those adorable Norns from Mindscape' Creatures.

t.jj.iinii- Street Fighter Alpha 2 CapCom INK VIDEO GAME REVIEW EA Sports $49.95 I I UIIIM Ml 1 l.llll I 111 nil Kiiwm 1 Advantage EA breaks new ground. MM '98 is the first interactive game title to include women's teams as well as men's teams. Disadvantage The home field advantage can be discouraging when you are a visitor. The opposing team really steps it up when they have the home crowd behind them. What the readers thought.

The winners of the 1997 Survey and recipients of some cool stuff from the gamer's vault: James Chenauct of Merrillville. His best NHL '98 (PSX), NASCAR '98 (PSX), Final Fantasy Fantasy VII (PSX), Mr. Bones (Saturn), Duke Nuke 'em, (PSX), Virtual Fighter 2,1 (Saturn) and Colony Wars (PSX). Dale Skalba of Merrillville, His -fav's are WCW vs. NWO World Tour (N64), Ogre Battle (PSX), and Final Fantasy VII (PSX).

Kurt Shimala of Schererville: His best of 1997 include Madden 64 -(N64), Mariocart (N64), Golden Eye 007 (N64), WCW vs. NWO (N64), and Shadows of the Empire (N64). And the big winner is Dino Velllos of Schererville. His favorite titles are NFL Game Day '98 (PSX), Mario Kart 64 (N64), Carnage Heart (PSX), Final Fantasy VII (PSX), Crash Bandicoot II (PSX), Golden Eye 007 (N64), Soul Blade (PSX), and Colony Wars (PSX). 3 V.

PBSJ Otter m- CHANNEL Bug Juice Bad Disney's That Darn Cat Good Excellent 3 I The Sweet Sixteen, the Final Four and pep bands this is the time of year when college hoop fans turn rabid. Net returns Lace 'em up for some hoop action with this EA Sports title. MM '98 combines 3-D stadiums with some superb motion capture of former NCAA greats Tim Duncan, Yolanda Griffith and Kate Star-bird for realistic basketball action. This is a game where being the visitor actually means something. Home team momentum builds up through the game as the fans cheer their home team on.

MM '98 features 108 mens teams and nine women's teams. INK game meter Review: Fill in your brackets and start your own tournament. Good b'ball action on the court with animated crowds and pep bands. Loved the "Mission Impossible" theme. Of course, plenty of stats are used throughout the game-including weekly top-25 rankings.

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