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Technology Stocks : ACCLAIM Entertainment -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Marc Newman who wrote (2686)	10/6/1999 11:57:00 AM
From: Richard Spitzer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4149

Here are some reviews from November Next Generation. No surprises. Rich TRICKSTYLE - 2 out of 5 stars Oh, what a disappointment this game has turned out to be. With smooth character modeling, exceptional physics and stunningly detailed environments, it seemed that TrickStyle was destined to be a stand-out launch title. But the proof is in the playability, and this game has two serious flaws: excruciatingly difficult track design and relentless AI racers. Any minor miscalculation, and you'll go from first to last without a glimmer of hope of regaining the lead, while trying to navigate the brutally designed tracks, which seem designed for maximum visual appeal without much regard for how difficult they are to play. In order to unlock later tracks, you must finish first in every race, and even when you accomplish this feat, you aren't left with the sense that you could confidently repeat that performance. Want help? Too bad. There's an NPC who leads you through four training missions, but sadly these will not prepare you for a day at the races, and documentation is sorely lacking when it comes to acquiring and pulling-off tricks beyond the basic maneuvers Bottom Line: TtickStyle is an impressive game to watch, and an infuriating game to play. Track design is sadistic, and AI players are inhumanly adept. Good mostly for increasing your stress level. WWF ATTITUDE - 2 out of 5 stars The increasing popularity of professional wrestling has brought welcome competition to the games based on the sport. Acclaim's last game before it loses the WWF license, Attitude is the sequel to last year's Warzone. This year's rehash offers a deeper create-a-wrestler mode, 40 different superstars to choose from, and the best wrestler intros to ever grace a home console, including authentic music, lighting, and special effects. The wrestlers look good, the announcers are passable, and the lighting is well done. The problem? Just like Warzone, the wrestlers don't seem to interact with the environment in any believable manner, walking and wrestling like broken robots. Worst of all, the game's control scheme is still closer to that of a badly designed fighting game - up to five button pushes to perform a move just doesn't result in the right pacing for a wrestling match. Add to that the fact that wrestlers don't sell the moves, the voice samples are randomly placed and nonsensical, and the collision detection is still horrible, and you get a game that's very pretty but not much fun. Bottom Line: Worth a rental for WWF fans, but everyone else should just wait for THQ and EA to take their shots. SHADOW MAN - 2 out of 5 stars Shadow Man is the tale of Michael LeRoi, an English graduate/dropout (the manual isn't sure which) turned mystical assassin who must prevent a coming apocalypse. A hybrid of Tomb Raider and Quake, Shadow Man leans more towards the dexterous maneuvering of Lara Croft than blatant rampaging, though a fair bit of shooting is required. Many of Mike's/Shadow Man's weapons have substantial homing capabilities when fired blindly, which, oddly, removes any need for the included, trendy sniper mode. The control is loose to the point of frustration, with constantly missed jumps (and untimely deaths) while navigating the large 3D space. The garneplay is standard platform/shooter fare with a Caribbean folklore twist: players explore the real world and the supernatural Deadside retrieving Dark Souls, killing zombies, solving puzzles, avoiding traps, and gaining strength in both guns and voodoo weapons. The developers were clearly enamored of the game's mythological roots and non-linear gameplay, and the complex storyline and environment could have earned Shadow Man a cult of its own. Unfortunately, though, the title feels rushed; additional time spent ironing out kinks would have earned it another star. Bottom Line. Sadly, this is just a well-intentioned misfire.