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O.D.T. vs. Heretic 2: A First Person Shootout
Review by Sandford Wragg
Recently, I had the opportunity to compare two new first person shooter
releases: Heretic 2, by Activision, and O.D.T. (Or Die Trying) from Psygnosis.
Since I had them at the same time, I decided to play them simultaneously and
compare them head to head. They both had strong and weak points, but in the
end, I found I strongly favored O.D.T.
This came as a bit of a surprise, since from the packaging, Heretic 2 sounded
so much better. It has a much better story line, and its accompanying manual is
written far more skillfully. However, a slick package only counts until the
disk is in the drive.
The two games share many similar concepts. Both games allow the use of weapons
and magic, both have manna and life gauges on the display screen, and use both
offensive and defensive spells. Consequently, at first glance, they may seem
more alike than they truly are.
The major technical difference between the two games is in the required system
support. For Heretic 2, you need a gamer's system complete with 64 MB of RAM
and an advanced 3D graphics card. Trust me! Ignore the list's minimum
requirements, save yourself a headache, and only play this game if you have the
optimum system. Even with a good setup, be prepared for graphics glitches at
inopportune moments. (Save frequently.)
These advanced requirements might be acceptable if there were as great a
difference in the game's presentations. However, the difference was not great
at all. Heretic 2 was not a good enough game to make me wish I had a better
system even when I played it on a more advanced computer. On the other hand,
O.D.T. ran fine on my system and challenged Heretic 2's graphics constantly.
The big question then is what did Activision achieve with their huge,
cumbersome program?
As far as playing the game itself is concerned, Heretic 2 has some nice
environments and a decent story line that makes sense throughout the game. It
is accompanied by a good soundtrack, even if still lingering in the eighties,
and a surprising sense of humor. (For a laugh, I recommend playing the
tutorial.) However, Heretic 2's shining moment is during combat. If you have a
good setup and the action runs smoothly, you are in for a very explosive screen
display. At times the combat can be so vibrant that it is hard to see anything
through all the spells and fireworks.
Figure 1 (click to enlarge). Strange happenings in Silverspring, in Heretic 2.
The real drawbacks to Heretic 2 are in the game mechanics. This is a game, like
Doom, that does not allow for a real inventory. If you do not need something,
you cannot pick it up and store it for later use: you are just out of luck.
Further, the game does not require a lot of strategy, though there is the
occasional challenging puzzle. You just walk on through, stomping all before
you. Consequently, I do not recommend playing the easy, or adventure, level.
Adventure for whom? Martha Stewart? In addition, if one plays this game, stick
with it for a while. It gets much better after a few levels.
O.D.T., on the other hand, requires quite a bit of skill and ingenuity. This
game has a usable inventory and four different characters from which to choose.
The character templates are different enough to create different challenges and
thus keep the game interesting if you want to solve it a second time. Further,
O.D.T. has a character experience feature. This is a fine idea, for it lets the
player customize their character as the game progresses and gives a sense of
development. Finally, I was surprised at the graphics of the game. The
characters are amazingly smooth in both shape and movement, and the game runs
well on a minimum amount of RAM.
The drawbacks to O.D.T. were not enough to get in the way. For one, the combat
is not very easy at first. Players must be willing to spend a little time
getting used to the aim feature, which I did not really like. The soundtrack,
though great in places, can get annoying. The story line is also a bit weak,
and the progression of environments makes absolutely no sense. However, the big
drawback to this game is the limited save feature. The game requires the player
to reach checkpoints before the player can save his game. I know you may want
to create a tough game for buyers, but we are buyers! If I pay $60 for a game,
I had better be able to save when I want to. I have a life. After working on a
level for an hour, if I have to, say, go to work, school, out on a date; I do
not want to have to start all over when I get back! My suggestion is to
implement the restricted save feature only on the difficult setting. In this
way, people dedicated to the game can get the sense of accomplishment after a
level that the game designers intended.
The last thing I would like to say about O.D.T. is that the voice over was
wonderful. Coming from someone in the business, I would say that this is the
first non-cheesy, non-overly dramatic voice over I have heard. Unlike Heretic 2
or War Craft 2, this genuinely good work was believable. Huzzah!
Figure 2 (click to enlarge). Wandering the dangerous hallways of
O.D.T.
In the end, O.D.T. wins the shootout, though they both have their place. If you
want slick pictures and effects and an easy game, go get Heretic 2. If you want
a challenge and something a bit different, try O.D.T. For you grade lovers, I
give Heretic 2 a C+ or B-, and O.D.T. a B+ or A-.
Microsoft Baseball 3D
Review by Frank Keeley
Now that Microsoft Baseball 2000 is due out, we thought we'd review Microsoft
Baseball 3D, 1998 Edition. This is the kind of
up-to-the-moment journalism that
has made us famous. I sincerely hope that MS Baseball 2000 is better than its
predecessor, and not just a "graphics upgrade" posing as improved playability.
If the mechanics of the game are not improved, I'd rather sit at home and play
tee-ball from my recliner and watch the dog shag flyballs, and I've got a lazy
dog.
Figure 3 (click to enlarge). Griffey gets a hit at Fenway, in Microsoft Baseball 3D.
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The interface is very simple, which is a bonus. The two most important game
operations, pitching and batting, can be performed using the same key set. On
offense, the player controls the batter and the runners on base. Hitting is
easy, and once you get the hang of it, very fun. You pre-program the type of
hit you wish to make (regular, power, contact, bunt), and then hit the action
key to swing. On defense, the player takes the position of catcher, and signals
the type of pitch (fastball, slider, curve, changeup), while moving the glove
as a target for the pitcher to hit.
The graphics of the game are nice, but are nothing terribly spectacular. You
can play at the various parks, play night or day games, and dimly see the faces
of some of the players. Just like being there. You can even simulate an entire
season and make a run at the pennant.
However. The instructions are very minimal, and while I usually like to explore
a game for myself, I appreciate having a manual to turn to when I can't figure
out a logical way to do what I want to do. For example, the opposing team
retired their pitcher as his fastball speed began to wane. As my pitcher
succumbed to fatigue, I thought I'd yank him in favor of a pitcher that could
protect my lead. There was no logical way to do this within the game, and the
documentation didn't even mention the possibility.
Frustration mounted even further as the computer controlled Yankee outfield
committed error after error in what can only be called the worst fielding
debacle in all of baseball history, or poor programming on behalf of Microsoft.
Personally, I blame Bill. Mediocre graphics, poor documentation, and spotty
programming all add up to an average game (grade: C), which translates to a
waste of space on my hard drive. Better luck next year!
To play Microsoft Baseball 3D, your system needs to meet these minimum
requirements: Direct3D-compliant 3D graphics accelerator card with at least 2
MB of VRAM, multimedia PC with a 133-MHz or faster CPU, Windows 95, 16 MB of
RAM (32 MB recommended), 45 MB of available hard drive space, quad-speed (4X)
CD-ROM drive, Microsoft-compatible mouse, and a Windows 95-compatible sound
board.
Lighter Blue: Mini-Reviews
A Brief Look at Chessmaster 6000
Mindscape has updated its 12-year-old "Chessmaster" franchise with Chessmaster
6000, featuring a stronger engine, a much larger database of games, a slew of
rated AI opponents, rated gameplay, and some new audio annotated games with
narration by International Master Josh Waitzkin. Previous versions of
Chessmaster were already loaded with features, so by the time you crack open
the Chessmaster 6000 CD, someone new to the series (like myself) could get a
little dizzy at all the options, menus, bells, and whistles. Well, things
appear a little more confusing than they really are. I was able to dive into a
few speedy games of chess within a few minutes. It's a shame the default
opponent is the most powerful: The Chessmaster. My second game, after that
realization & choosing a suitable opponent, was much more enjoyable than the
first.
Well, the angle of the chess board could be more finely adjustable--or is it?
There are so many options. And for my second minor complaint, the Internet
multiplayer options were surprisingly limited to Mplayer. Beyond that, there's
very little to dislike about Chessmaster 6000 if you're a chess player or even
a wannabe. In fact, just about any level of chess enthusiast should find a
wealth of opportunity for challenging practice and learning within this game.
Tutorials and analyses abound. Or, yeah, you can just play a straight game of
chess. All told, it's the finest computer chess game I've ever seen. Grade: A-.
A Brief Look at Centipede
Using something like their approach to updating Frogger, Hasbro is hoping to
recreate some old arcade thrills with Centipede while also providing an all-new
3D-based experience that uses the original arcade title only as a distant
springboard. Mainly for its reasonable (though not adjustable) level of
difficulty, Centipede is more successful.
In arcade mode, a tilted-back rendering (done in 3D graphics) of the old
coin-op Centipede game is presented with a fair degree of faithfulness to its
gameplay and sound effects. Not bad. You play the familiar Blasting Thingie
confined to the lower 1/4 of the game board while sectioned centipede parts
slither toward you only to be blasted into mushrooms. There's just no
explaining that.
The all-new "Adventure" mode, nothing like an adventure game, puts you right in
the cockpit of a small floating craft, scooting between mushrooms, houses, and
rocks, eye to eye with the enemy. Centipede sections advance head-on, or
perhaps even from behind, with alarming speed. Small people inhabit these
landscapes, and getting to them before one of the centipedes lends some
emotional investment to the action. Graphics are on par with Frogger: not very
sophisticated, but a serviceable collection of big polygons. Especially in
split screen (multiplayer), Centipede ran a bit slower than I liked or would
have expected. All in all, Centipede is responsive enough and rich enough,
particularly in its adventure mode, to be worthwhile. Grade B.
A Brief Look at Pajama Sam's Lost & Found
In Pajama Sam's Lost and Found, the latest in a series of value-priced Junior
Arcade games from Humongous, the "world's youngest superhero" finds himself on
a jumping speedboat, picking up his scattered clothes and toys while avoiding
obstacles like rocks. The game's design doesn't seem to be lifted whole from a
classic arcade game as with some other Junior Arcade titles, but it is simple
enough to be perhaps inspired by any number of older side-scrolling point
grabfests.
Figure 4 (click to enlarge). Pajama Sam's Lost & Found starts in a boat...
Lost and Found is very easy to learn and lively to play. As you progress
through the levels, new power-ups, obstacles, and twists are revealed, staving
off arcade drudgery. If you pick up all the special bonus pieces in a level,
you're treated to your choice of 3 mini-games between levels: catch falling
toys in a bucket, play a small game of Concentration, etc. Eventually the
speedboat is replaced by a rolling mine car, a swooshing sled, etc. Grade A-
for little kids; curious adults may tire of it more quickly.
A Brief Look at Extreme Tennis
Oh, for heavens sake. Here's my experience with Extreme Tennis, which may or
may not be common; I don't know. At startup, there's an impressive-sounding
video clip that will not display for lack of some kind of code on my system. I
searched a little while for it, unsuccessfully. Then with one click I am in the
"pro shop," but all the subsequent paths get me nowhere, just more error
messages. And that's the extent of the game I was able to play.
Clearly the "minimum system requirements" statement on the box is missing some
software/drivers, or perhaps the CD is. The game-specific help at Head Games's
Web site consists of a single message to "update your DOS drivers." My e-mailed
query to their tech support got me another copy of that "update your DOS
drivers" message. I got my drivers as current as possible, but they're mostly
Windows drivers anyhow. No success. No tennis. No fun. Grade: F (although I
have seen other game reviews that indicate Extreme Tennis will at least run on
some other systems).
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