1998 Game Reviews

Considering the hype we'd heard about Jurassic Park: Trespasser, and the fabulous screen shots we'd previously seen, we were relatively disappointed with the gameplay, audio (or lack thereof, at some points), and particularly the unrealistic way that distant trees change shape abruptly as you get closer to them. You are a female character (really - just look down) in what is essentially a first-person shooter game format, roaming the Jurassic Park island trying to avoid velociraptors, T-Rex, and other beasties. However, there is much to be enthusiastic about, too. When you fire your gun or throw an item, the objects it hits react authentically -- that's real-time physical modeling at work. However, it seems like gameplay might be a bit lacking, and certainly, the physics simulation has some rough spots -- like the goofy hoppity-hop motion your arm makes when you walk, or the impossible way the first-person display depicts a crate being lifted. A Next-Gen review agrees, but you can decide for yourself, if you don't mind waiting for a 30MB demo to download.

There are other limitations, too: no multiplayer option and no carrying inventory from one level to another. Fortunately, there are some nifty cheat codes.
Press Control+F11 and try typing one of the following keywords:

• TNEXT (transports you to important locations on the current level)
• BONES (turns on diagrammatic display of interactive items)
• BIONICWOMAN (slow motion, jumps farther)
• GORE 2 (more gore)
• LOC (show location coordinates)

Press ESC to return to the game after entering one or more of these codes (all of which work in the demo, by the way).

From our discussions with the developers of this long-overdue game, which finally went "gold" in time for a Nov. '98 release, it is no wonder that so-called "minor" cosmetic unpleasantries didn't get the polish they deserved, in the rush to meet the all-important Xmas buying season. While we are impressed with the incredible challenges that the game developers have met with a product such as this one that simulates actual physics, the visual representations of far-off objects that change clumsily and unrealistically as you approach them and the simplistic "pick up the object -- oh, it's another gun!" gameplay suggests that it may be one of those "great potential" games that lost some of its polish -- and perhaps some of its best features -- during the inevitable paring process that occurs between development and merchandising. At the very least, we predict that it will take a few bug-patches and revisions -- and a much faster computer than most of us have today -- to achieve some of its more grandiose aspirations. Check it out, but be cautious. This might be another Unreal - a good game...eventually.

However, if hunting dinosaurs is your thing, you might want to check out Carnivores from a company called Action Forms. A playable (Glide-accelerated) demo shows off gorgeous animated skies and well-rendered landscapes, with clouds and flying reptiles casting moving shadows and of course, plenty of dinosaurs roaming around. It's well worth a look -- actually, we enjoyed it more than Trespasser.

Demo (17.6MB): ftp://ftp.avault.com/demos/CarnivoresDemo.exe

Probably the most impressive title for the PC we tested in 1998 was Electronic Arts' Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. This game, even in its freely downloadable demo form, was simply the best looking racing sim of its day, particularly on a PC with a supported 3D accelerator, such as the Voodoo2 we used on our test system. We'll also gave a general "thumbs up" rating to just about any other game from EA that year -- and almost everything we've seen from the company recently since is red hot, too. More info on NFSIII is available at www.needforspeed.com. And, for those of you who enjoy the program, check out the custom cars at http://pages.hotbot.com/games/earroyo/ -- including a great (movie-era) Batmobile.