Document text
A bugs life, Superbike Racing, All-Star Baseball 2000 By Chip and Jonathan Carter Tribune Media Services CASTROL HONDA SUPERBIKE RACING, FOR PLAYSTATION -- Once you get over the fact that you're having not one, but two major corporate sponsors shoved down your throat every time you turn this game on, you'll discover that you're in for a real treat. This is one of the best, most realistic racers we've ever played, regardless of the vehicles involved. You're a member of the Famous Brand Oil Maker and Famous Motorcycle racing team. You race a sleek and powerful Honda RC45, built and tuned to team specifications. With an acceleration of zero to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, it is among the fastest motorcycles ever made (well, that's what the box says, anyway.) Take on 14 real-world circuit tracks that crisscross the U.S., Asia and Europe for all the biking challenges you'll ever need. You can set up your bike for different tracks by changing gear and brake settings. For example, a bike tuned for more torque will race more successfully on a hilly course than one tuned for flat-out speed. You can also decide just how tough you want to make this one. If you're super lazy, you can set the CPU to control your braking and gear shifting -- all you have to do is hit the gas and try to stay on the bike (easier said than done). If you want a real challenge, you can turn off all help from the computer and go it alone. That's when things get tough, and that's when you'll really notice just how realistic Superbike Racing is. JONATHAN SAYS : The racing action is very good, and so are the graphics, but this one started wearing thin after a while. There's just not enough diversity to hold my attention for more than a few rounds. C+. CHIP SAYS : Graphically, this one's real eye candy. The bikes are picture-perfect, and the backgrounds are startlingly realistic. The bike sounds are fantastic as well -- as close to the real thing as I've ever heard in any racer. But the coolest thing of all about this one is that you can now do that entirely cool trick where you lean a bike around a turn and drag your knee on the pavement. We always figured that would hurt like hell. Surprisingly -- given the realistic nature of this game -- I didn't feel a thing! B+. OVERALL RATING : B- -- RENT IT FOR AGES 12 AND UP. ALL-STAR BASEBALL 2000, FOR GAME BOY COLOR -- Don't come to this one expecting it to be anything at all like the N64 version. It's not the same game -- not even close. You can't expect it to be at eight-bits, when its N64 big brother is at least eight times the size. So comparing this game to the N64 version is like comparing apples to ... um, well baseballs, or helicopters or something. Probably, Acclaim would have been better off sticking a different name on this cart, because ASB fans can't help but be disappointed. The name's not fair to the series -- and especially not to the gamers who'll pick this one up expecting an experience similar to ASB for the N64. Should they be? Not really. There never has been a great eight-bit baseball game. The game itself is simply too complex to squeeze into such small constraints. That said, given what they had to work with, the programmers have done a fair job here. The batting style's entirely old school. Your player moves back and forth in the box, but there's no batting target to let you lock on to a pitch. On the mound, you choose one of three pitches, then set your prepitch location -- how high, inside, outside, right down the middle -- with a pair of sliding levers. Then you select a speed and let fly. Whatever happens, happens. In the field, it's hard to track the ball. On flies and pop-ups, you'll find yourself watching the ball, not the players. By the time you realize where it's going to come down, you simply have to hope you have enough time to recover and make the play. Now, none of those complaints is anything new for an eight-bit baseball game. And for an eight-bitter, this is as good as we've ever seen. However, it's not the kind of game you're going to want to sit around at home and play for days. If you're a baseball fan on the road, though, it could be a pleasant diversion for a few hours in a car or airplane. JONATHAN SAYS : This one's OK for baseball, but I couldn't get past the eight-bit graphics. If I'm going to play baseball, I want bells and whistles and fireworks ... and I also want to create my own characters, not be stuck with whoever's on the roster. B-. CHIP SAYS : Of course I'd rather play ASB on the big screen. But if I'm stuck in an airport for a few hours, I can see myself getting wrapped up in this one. A. OVERALL RATING : B -- BUY IT FOR AGES 8 AND UP. A BUG'S LIFE, FOR N64 -- Gamers who pass this one up as "kid stuff" are going to miss a treat. Sure "A Bug's Life" is fun for tots -- it better be -- but there's a lot here for even experienced gamers who aren't too cool for Disney. This one's basically a chance to get inside the movie. You play as Flik, the adventurous, inventive ant who gets his colony in trouble and then has to find a way to save it. This one follows the movie to a tee, from the opening where Flik loses the bounty the ants have worked so hard to provide to keep the evil Hopper and his minions from destroying the colony, to the appearance of the Flea Circus and the gorgeously detailed Bug City. Even the final showdown, where the bugs fly an artificial bird in an attempt to scare off the bad guys, is here. The plot's not the only thing that comes from the movie. The digital backgrounds and graphics are the same as you saw on the big screen, and even some of the character voices -- most notably "NewsRadio's" David Foley as Flik -- are the same, with lines recorded specifically for the game. A Bug's Life is a light-hearted romp through a fantastical world that's more fun to explore than watch. Anyone who had the slightest interest in the movie will have a lot of fun with this one. JONATHAN SAYS : This one reminds me of Donkey Kong. Unfortunately, it doesn't do Donkey Kong as well as Donkey Kong does Donkey Kong. I didn't care for it, and I don't think other teen-agers will either. D. CHIP SAYS : Teens may indeed be too jaded for this one, but for kids and grown-up gamers who aren't too cool for Disney, this is a graphic treat that could add a much-needed shot of adventure to the summer doldrums. B+. OVERALL RATING : B- -- RENT IT FOR AGES 6 AND UP. Chip & Jonathan Carter are a father/son gaming team who've been twiddling their thumbs professionally since 1990. For more tips, tricks, reviews and news, check us out on-line at http://vgames.webpoint.com/vid/ecol/mainpage . Or e-mail us at [email protected] . Got a question? An inside tip you'd like to share? Write to Chip and Jonathan Carter in care of this newspaper. While they cannot respond individually, they will answer questions of general interest in their column. (C) 1999 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC. Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA