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PROS
HISTORY
Maniac Sports
The Software Toolworks
Macintosh and IBM CD-Rom
Maniac Sports is different
from the usual computer game.
As an interactive multimedia
game, it combines graphics,
speech and video footage to
create a narrated exploration of
different aspects of skateboard-
ing, surfing, snowboarding and
other sports. Topics covered are
the history of the sport, its
risks, the pros, and equipment.
Static
While Maniac Sports is basically an alterna-
tive sports encyclopedia, it also attempts to be
a game. A mini-adventure is created and you
have to answer questions triggering video
sequences that show either success or disas
trous failure depending on the appropriate-
ness of your response.
Maniac Sports' strong points are excellent
graphics and killer video sequences. The skat-
ing section of the game features scenes from
the Thrasher videos with some burly
slams from The Truth Hurts. The down-
side to Maniac Sports is that the narra
tor is a "Yo Bro" type Barney who
would get the crap beaten out of him
if he ever showed his face at Love Park
or the EMB. Another downside is that
the makers of this game could have
researched their subjects better. The
skate section has a lot of mistakes such
as calling tricks by the wrong name
and generally not getting what skating
is about. They did try to represent
skating positively though, which is def-
initely rare, so props for the effort.
In general, Maniac Sports is fun to browse
through and offers terrific video footage from
some of the best videographers in the sports
represented. As a game it is weak and con-
fused, but as a video introduction to a variety
of sports that get very little or no television
coverage, it is somewhat interesting.
-Dom Callan
Zero Tolerance
Accolade
Sega
You're creeping through a hallway, night
vision goggles on, strapped with a 12-gauge
and a .45 semi-auto. You move forward, care-
fully but confidently. Then some sucker pops
out from around a corner and you let fly with
some buckshot. He never even saw you. You
pause to consider which vital organs you have
just projected onto the wall. As the bloody
mess slides to the floor, you think, "This is the
best damn game I've played in a long time!"
TUCSON
ZT scores high on the adrenaline factor,
playability and overall reality: Grenades go far-
ther when you get a running start, and shot-
guns don't shoot far, but then you only have to
point and shoot them. The color choices are
truly striking and the sound effects of multiple
gunmen being engulfed by your flamethrower
is sickeningly hilarious. -Denny Leonard
forties
alive