video BLITZ
Reality gets more unreal every day and
video games become more realistic. Sports
titles are leading the
charge and could
soon replace televi-
sion as the anti-
boredom weapon of
couch warriors
everywhere.
If shooting the rock
is your bag, check out this year's models of bas-
ketball games. At the front of the pack is
Electronic Arts Bulls vs. Blazers (GEN). Last
year's version of EA b-ball was called Bulls vs.
Lakers, and the year before that it was Lakers vs.
Celtics. Get the pattern? Purists love this game
for its accurate depiction of on-court action and
strategy. While suffering from slowdown and
funky graphics, the
stars' signature moves
make this game a win-
ner: Jordan and the air
reverse, Drexler's tom
ahawk slam, Barkley,
Ewing and the Bird,
they're all in there.
With superior game-
play and graphics, Sega's Supreme Court (GEN)
is a great play. The Admiral, David Robinson, is
your host and, unfortunately, the only real NBA
player you'll encounter on this floor. The draft fea-
ture attempts to compensate for the lack of
endorsement and after awhile the players
(named after the game's programmers and their
company) begin to
take on distinct charac-
ter. More than four
teams would be a big
plus in this cart
The shining future of
home basketball can
be played today with
NCAA basketball
(SNES) by Nintendo. The realistic rotation of the
court from the player's perspective may take a lit-
the getting used to, but there's no going back. EA
knows this and they've got Michael Jordan's In
Flight ready for the PC and en route to home sys-
tems. In Flight takes you where the name says,
with the man who knows how to get air. Digitized
images of the real Air Jordan, his own personal
strategies and obser-
Az
vations, along with a
unique perspective
40 make this one of the
most talked about
events in sports game
history.
Like basketball,
many gridiron games
are now updated annually. Football is the sport
most successfully translated to the home screen.
ESPN isn't the only place
to catch ripping sports
action on the boob
tube... Check it out!
With so many versions available, at $50+ a pop,
it's always best to look before you leap into the
end zone.
Sega and Electronic Arts go head to head in
this category also. While admittedly it all comes
down to a simple matter of preference, I like this
year's Joe Montana Sportstalk Football '93
(GEN) better. The running play-by-play commen
tary spoils you, making other games feel empty.
Major improvements over the last version include
real NFL teams and better graphics. The anima
tion seems a bit sacrificed, but the new body lan-
guage of a 300 lb. linebacker meeting up with a
230 lb. fullback at full sprint makes the compro-
mise worth it.
John Madden '93 (SNES), by EA, continues the
tradition set by it's predecessor. This version
focuses more on the sideline strategy aspects of
the game and less on the on-field action, making
it feel less responsive than Sega's bid. The
Madden game makes up for this with added rou-
tines such as fully-animated injuries.
Taking this idea even further is Acclaim's Super
High Impact Football. Based on the arcade game
of the same title, this version focuses on bench-
clearing brawls and plays more like Streetfighter
than football. Every solid hit results in the victim
bursting into shrapnel and colossal hits are mea-
sured on a whack-o-meter. The teams sound
more like the World League and less like the
NFL. The plays were definitely not lifted from any
pro football playbook. These plays look more like
modern dance choreography.
Despite football's success, baseball has really
never really been successfully captured on video
game cartridges.
Sega's Sportstalk Baseball (GEN) has all the
major league baseball players and teams. It has
the exclusive play-by-play audio. But it plays
more like soccer than baseball. One of the
aspects of baseball that video games fail to cap-
ture is the pacing. Baseball is not a speedfest.
While nine innings should not require 3 hours on
screen, it should take more than five minutes.
Sega's version is too damn fast.
Baseball Simulator 2000 (SNES) by Culture
Brain is a good play. On BS 2000, you start with
a group of anonymous teams, then the fun
begins for you stat freaks out there. You can edit
in all the specs on your teams and recreate your
favorite pro teams of past or present (you've got
to see the '74 A's face the '61 Yankees), or put
your own posse on the diamond. This cart isn't
perfect. On a line drive up the middle, the word
"FAIR" in three-inch letters obscures any attempt
to field the ball. Also, the difficulty of fielding a
simple pop fly is unreasonable. But no more than
any other cart. All in all, the graphics and
response make this a most playable adaptation.
When it comes time to strap on the blades and
hit the ice, look no further than EA's NHLPA
Hockey (GEN). With all the players, moves and
features of real big league hockey, this cart is
your only real choice for a sport that works
remarkably well on video.
HAPPY HAPPY JOYSTICK
There is a lot of action on the home video
game hardware front as of late. If you want to get
in on the CD-based game action anytime this
year, then you are
going to have to go
Sega. Nintendo, fol-
lowing suit with it's 16-
bit system develop-
ment, is holding off on
its CD system. When
this vaporous system
solidifies, it should be
a 32-bit monster that will take a significant bite
out of your budget. Also coming out of the
Nintendo R&D labs is an ultimate new chip that
makes video reality a little more virtual. The
Super FX chip uses the same RISC-based tech-
nology that professional computer animation
workstations utilize and promises to bring shaded
polygon animation into focus. To get a sneak
peek at this science in
action, check out
Sega's Virtual Racing
arcade unit. There's
also a processor-
speeding DSP (digital
signal processor) chip
heading our way.
These enhancements
will come on the game carts themselves. Expect
to pay the price for power.
Sega's latest revelation for the home systems
is evident in the new Sonic II cart. The split
screen views showcase the systems new ability
to alter screen resolution. This opens up a lot of
creative avenues to Genesis developers.
Atari's new home
Jaguar system is now
rumored to be leap
frogging the 32-bit bar-
rier and heading
straight for 64-bit bliss.
If they can pull this off
without a NEO-GEO
price tag, they may
have a winner.
HACK OF THE MONTH
Create a contender with real panache in
Evander Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing. When you
go to the create new fighter screen, simply name
your creation "THE BEAST" and hit end. Your
new character will be lean, mean and very green
(as in the color, not
inexperienced). With
nearly full supplies of
power, speed, stamina
and defense, you'll be
able to fight your way
to the top in minutes.
Check it out and send
your best hacks to
Video Blitz. The best ones will receive a game
cart (and be famous).
-Brad Dosland
SKATE ALL DAY AND LOOK LIKE YOU HAVE A JOB.
Self
Sinding
2
SALVAGE
CLOTHING COMPANY
vpsional+
pronball
S
C
Store Info/Mail Order 805-969-3812 Fax Hotlines 805-969-7422
For Sticker Send 50¢ to: SALVAGE, 969 Hilgard Ave. #910, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Нэг
76 THASHIK