GAMES ZONE 1 - May 1993
| LIONHEART (Thalion, Amiga) It's not a big licence, it's not been hyped endlessly for months, it's hardly ever been on the telly, but this is still one of the best Amiga games of recent months. It's a simple enough axe-wielding platform game at heart, but the graphics are nothing short of astonishing - lush forests and swamps, dramatic sweeping skyscapes, and multi-level supersmooth parallax scrolling all go to make up one of the most original and stunning-looking Amiga titles of all time. It's a great game too, mixing all the usual platform-game formula features together to superb effect in a game that's constantly entertaining and challenging. 9/10 DESERT STRIKE (Electronic Arts, Amiga) Just about everybody in the world except Amiga owners has already has the chance to play this superb Gulf War-type shoot-'em-up, but although the Amiga's got the last version to be released, it's got the last laugh as well, because Amiga Desert Strike is the best version of the lot. It's got more colours, better graphics and better sound, with some truly scorching explosions when you blow baddies up. And let's face it, if ever a game needed some really scorching explosions, it's this one. Everyone who's ever even thought of owning an Amiga should buy this immediately. 9/10 THE LOST VIKINGS (Interplay, SNES) Although at first glance it looks like just another platform game, The Lost Vikings is actually the kind of thing you almost never see on the SNES Ð a thoughtful arcadey puzzler full of original ideas and testing gameplay. You control three Viking characters with varying powers, and you have to make careful co-operative use of all their abilities to get them out of lots of different scrapes on a planet they've been taken to by some time-travelling alien kidnappers. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of, but once you're into it it's a really engrossing affair, and it'll take you a lot longer to finish than most SNES games these days, which at £45 a time can't be a bad thing. 8/10 WORLD CLASS RUGBY (Imagineer, SNES) Rugby isn't a sport which has seen a lot of exposure on console machines. In fact, despite the game's huge popularity in Britain, Europe and much of the Southern Hemisphere, this is one of only two console versions of it that I know of. (The other one being Domark's imminent International Rugby Challenge on the Mega Drive, which at the moment looks, er, not brilliant.) World Class Rugby isn't likely to change the situation, because it's such a good effort that nobody's likely to think they can improve on it for quite some time to come. Making full use of the SNES' Mode 7 to produce a smooth-scrolling 3D pitch (in the same style as John Madden Football), WCR manages a surprisingly good simulation of the mechanics of the oval-ball game, as well as being a great straightforward arcade sports sim. This is lots of fun to play, and there's practically no chance of getting your ear bitten off either. 8/10 COOL SPOT (Virgin, Mega Drive) The Mega Drive's been in danger recently of being completely left behind by the SNES, Amiga and PC when it comes to good-looking games, but the balance is well and truly redressed in this strikingly beautiful title from Virgin Games. Starring the little red tiddlywink character used to promote 7-UP in the USA (although the UK version of the game isn't actually a 7-UP licence), Cool Spot boasts arguably the Mega Drive's best background graphics ever (making, say, Sonic 2 look a little sad by comparison), and the character animation is nothing short of amazing. There's never been a video game that moves this well before, and although the game itself is a pretty normal platformer quite a lot like Global Gladiators in style, it's so well done that it's an absolute dream to play. 9/10 X-MEN (Sega?, Mega Drive) Another platformer, I'm afraid, but this one stands out from the crowd with some really nice ideas giving it a feel all of its own. It features no less than nine of the comic-book heroes, four under your direct control and others providing a sort of supporting role, coming in to save the day with their special powers at moments of crisis. The teamwork aspect of X-Men is what really gives the game some character, and that's an attribute that's sadly lacking in so many Mega Drive games right now. Again, it's really pretty straightforward running-and-jumping- and-hacking-and-slashing fare, but it's rarely been done better than this. 8/10 STRIKE COMMANDER (Origin, PC) After the likes of Comanche: Maximum Overkill and Ultima Underworlds, PC owners are getting used to seriously stunning graphics on their machine, but even so, Strike Commander is a real eye-opener. Visually it's completely wonderful, but the gameplay's the real star here. It's a fairly typical flight simulation in design, but superb attention to detail and a brilliant balance between strategy and all-out high-speed action lifts it well away from the run-of-the-mill and into the realms of the genuinely special. 9/10 LEMMINGS 2 - THE TRIBES (Psygnosis, PC) Already available on the Amiga (and coming to all your other favourite machines soon), Lemmings 2 is the sequel to what's undoubtedly the most successful British-programmed video game ever. Dundee-based DMA Design's little furry creatures with green hair and suicidal tendencies really run riot in this game, with over 50 different kinds of lem to help and hinder the player in their attempt to save the little Norwegian mammals from themselves. There's 120 levels, a cohesive plot, lots of imagination, but mostly just more of what made Lemmings so popular the first time round - those mind-wrenching, brain-blending, hair-pulling puzzles. This'll keep you going for weeks Ð mind you, at £40, it'd have to. 9/10 |
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