InQuest 20 - 20 - X-Files: Mention
ELECTRONIC IQ news
VIDEO GAMES, CD-ROMS, JUNK LIKE THAT
ACCLAIM MAGIC ACTION GAME DEBUTS
Acclaim's Magic: The Gathering - BattleMage action game
($60; see "Magic CD-ROM Loses Programmer, Gains Rival,"
"IQ News," InQuest #17) ships November for Windows 95,
Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Players
take the role of one of six planeswalkers
and use creatures, artifacts and
enchantments to slug it out against
other wizards. This happens in real-
time action combat with up to three
other online players or the computer.
Battles take place on 3-D terrain that
players must exploit to win.
Players can build a customized
deck (duel mode) or search a ran-
domized world for spells for their deck
(campaign mode). The game is based on
Fourth Edition and Mirage cards, and has
six newly playable legendary characters.
Expansion packs, to be released in 1997,
will include additional "cards" to keep
pace with Magic expansions. This
game's quick development time may
not indicate a high-quality job, by
the way...
VIDEO GAMES, CD-ROMS, JUNK LIKE THAT
ACCLAIM MAGIC ACTION GAME DEBUTS
Acclaim's Magic: The Gathering - BattleMage action game
($60; see "Magic CD-ROM Loses Programmer, Gains Rival,"
"IQ News," InQuest #17) ships November for Windows 95,
Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Players
take the role of one of six planeswalkers
and use creatures, artifacts and
enchantments to slug it out against
other wizards. This happens in real-
time action combat with up to three
other online players or the computer.
Battles take place on 3-D terrain that
players must exploit to win.
Players can build a customized
deck (duel mode) or search a ran-
domized world for spells for their deck
(campaign mode). The game is based on
Fourth Edition and Mirage cards, and has
six newly playable legendary characters.
Expansion packs, to be released in 1997,
will include additional "cards" to keep
pace with Magic expansions. This
game's quick development time may
not indicate a high-quality job, by
the way...
MicroProse isn't sure when its Magic
game (which also has duel and cam-
paign modes) will debut, but it has two
others on tap. Hellbender, a 3-D sci-fi
action story, has the mandatory multi-
player modem capability and voice-overs
by "X-Files" star Gillian Anderson. Deadly
Tide will be a cinematic action shooting
game (how many of those have you seen?)
in which players fight to save humanity
from aliens intent on drowning the
world. As in the Wing Commander series,
various paths open up depending on
how well the missions are completed.
Speaking of Wing Commander,
Malcolm McDowell of Wing Com-
mander IV will also appear in Inter-
play's Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh
(November, $60). This adventure
game takes the player on a hazardous
journey through Egyptian tombs, where
he will solve over 50 puzzles and watch
almost an hour of live-action video. Just
in case McDowell's smirking mug isn't enough to spark
interest in the game, Interplay will simultaneously feature
an online Mummy contest - check out www.interplay.com
for details.
Bethesda Softworks has finally released The Elder Scrolls:
game (which also has duel and cam-
paign modes) will debut, but it has two
others on tap. Hellbender, a 3-D sci-fi
action story, has the mandatory multi-
player modem capability and voice-overs
by "X-Files" star Gillian Anderson. Deadly
Tide will be a cinematic action shooting
game (how many of those have you seen?)
in which players fight to save humanity
from aliens intent on drowning the
world. As in the Wing Commander series,
various paths open up depending on
how well the missions are completed.
Speaking of Wing Commander,
Malcolm McDowell of Wing Com-
mander IV will also appear in Inter-
play's Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh
(November, $60). This adventure
game takes the player on a hazardous
journey through Egyptian tombs, where
he will solve over 50 puzzles and watch
almost an hour of live-action video. Just
in case McDowell's smirking mug isn't enough to spark
interest in the game, Interplay will simultaneously feature
an online Mummy contest - check out www.interplay.com
for details.
Bethesda Softworks has finally released The Elder Scrolls:
Daggerfall ($60) - more than eight months late. Dagger-
fall, like The Elder Scrolls: Arena, is a massive, open-ended role-
playing game wherein players take the role of a character
in the huge world of Tamriel. Six thou-
sand towns and 750,000 characters
give this game incredible depth.
Arena was a way of life for many
computer roleplayers; Bethesda
expects Daggerfall to be the best-
selling computer game of all time.
The oddest new feature in the
sequel is the "Childgard," which dis-
abies potentially offensive events,
letting children "safely play Dag-
gerfall with the family."
Sierra is going to flood the market
shortly. Expected sequels include Lords
of the Realm 2 (an overhaul of the orig-
inal, with less castle-building and more
everything else), Phantasmagoria 2:
A Puzzle of Flesh (psychological
adventure with emphasis on gore)
and The Time Warp of Dr. Brain
(puzzle solving). The company will
also release "original" games like
Cybergladiators. Sierra is expanding
beyond games thanks in part to a
recent merger with a large
retail/travel/auto/shopping service
club; expect golf-, cooking- and art-
oriented releases soon.
fall, like The Elder Scrolls: Arena, is a massive, open-ended role-
playing game wherein players take the role of a character
in the huge world of Tamriel. Six thou-
sand towns and 750,000 characters
give this game incredible depth.
Arena was a way of life for many
computer roleplayers; Bethesda
expects Daggerfall to be the best-
selling computer game of all time.
The oddest new feature in the
sequel is the "Childgard," which dis-
abies potentially offensive events,
letting children "safely play Dag-
gerfall with the family."
Sierra is going to flood the market
shortly. Expected sequels include Lords
of the Realm 2 (an overhaul of the orig-
inal, with less castle-building and more
everything else), Phantasmagoria 2:
A Puzzle of Flesh (psychological
adventure with emphasis on gore)
and The Time Warp of Dr. Brain
(puzzle solving). The company will
also release "original" games like
Cybergladiators. Sierra is expanding
beyond games thanks in part to a
recent merger with a large
retail/travel/auto/shopping service
club; expect golf-, cooking- and art-
oriented releases soon.
In online news, id Software is offer-
ing QUAKEWORLD, an Internet action
gaming environment optimized for
multiplayer Quake matches.
QUAKEWORLD tracks a player's
total kills, kills per minute, and cru-
elty to newbies. There's no cost -
id is offering this service to boost
gaming on the Internet. Anyone
can download the QUAKEWORLD
freeware from id's Web site at
www.idsoftware.com.
For a mere $199.99, one can own
the Sega Saturn Net Link. With this, a
Sega Saturn, a mouse and a keyboard-
adapter, you can turn your television into
an Internet surfboard. The product is compatible with most
Internet service providers and boasts Net Link City, an online
3-D city with more than 225 sites, including the Smithsonian
Institution and Disney Online.
- Rick Moscatello
