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Winter CES Overall Report
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Marty Chinn
Jan 16, 1994, 2:45:15 AM1/16/94
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Las Vegas is a busy town with exotic hotels and casinos where ever you look. On January 6th to 9th, the town was filled with more people than ever for one reason. The 1994 Winter Consumer Electronics Show. This show is held twice a year, winter and summer, and displays new technology from personal calculators to full entertainment systems. Video gamers around the world await to hear the information and hands on experiences of the latest and hotest games. The video gaming industry has increased very much o
ver the last year with the introduction of the 32-bit multimedia 3DO, and 64-bit Atari Jaguar. 1994 looks to be a busy year with the dawn of the 32-bit and 64-bit machines showing the future. Is the 16-bit revolution over? Will the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis be able to compete? You decide from what was displayed here in Vegas at the 1994 CES.
Nintendo, one of the two powerhouses in the video game industry, split the largest of the four buildings with Sega to display what the early half of 1994 will be like. The top games shown for the Super Nintendo were NBA Jam by Acclaim, Sound Fantasy by Nintendo, and Super Metroid by Nintendo. Sound Fantasy is similar to Mario Paint but this time you create music instead of pictures. Using the capabilities of the Sony Digital Sound Processor chip inside of the Super Nintendo, you are able to play prewritte
n songs, create your own, or play games that will create a song as you play. The quality of the sound and music is of high quality thanks to Sony's DSP chip. Not only is the sound done well but the graphics they include to go along with this cart are as well, nicely done. This cart will be mouse compatible and highly recommended if you enjoyed Mario Paint. Super Metroid is a 24-meg wonder created by the genius programmers at Nintendo, that does what they did to Zelda, and Mario. They've translated the 8-bi
t version, and upgraded to its fullest potential on a 16-bit platform. Everything from the graphics to the control have been improved but in the end you still get the feel of the original Metroid. Stunt Racer FX is the second SFX game to be released for Nintendo. Although it uses the SFX chip to provide great graphics, the play control wasn't too great and it was very slow in comparison to Virtua Racing. The stand up shooter, T2: The Arcade Game, has finally made its way to the SNES. The excellent programm
ers at Acclaim have ported the arcade graphics just as well as they did with Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. The sound quality is great with samplings from Arnold himself. This game is two players simultaneous using either a control pad, mouse or Super Scope. For those of you who liked the arcade, its a must get. Imagine the Genesis version with better graphics and you have the SNES version. Lethal Enforcers as well brings the arcade graphics home to your SNES. This game made by Konami has been translated very
well and display very colorful backgrounds and targets. One color that is missing is the red pixels when you are hit. They are now colored white, but other than that, it has not been censored in any other way from what I know. Its strange that Nintendo believes in kiddy games and censorship but allowed this game to be put on the SNES when its obvious of the violence content and it was rated as an adult game, MA-17, on the Genesis. I guess that just confuses me more on Nintendo's standings and Sega's rating
s. Anyone else think they're messed up? Two great Japanese games by Konami are making their way to the SNES. Paradious and Twin Bee Rainbow. Paradious is like a parody to the Gradius series. Its a shooter with power ups but with cartoony graphics and backgrounds. Twin Bee Rainbow is a cartoony side scrolling action game with great graphics and is really fun to play. No need to dish out more money for imported titles, because these titles are coming in the near future. The two hottest baseball games for the
SNES at the show were Ken Griffy Jr. Baseball and Super Bases Loaded 2. Super Bases Loaded 2 has been completely redesigned. Instead of from the pitcher's view, its from the catcher's view for the batting sequences. This game uses mode 7 when you hit the ball as you see the screen scroll to follow the ball. Its a great effect and does not ruin the game play at all. Ken Griffy Jr. Baseball takes traditional style of video game baseball, and adds great graphics and speed to create one of the best baseball
games ever created. The speed of the ball is realistic when you throw it where the ball does not drop and rolls its way in. All the teams are in it including Florida and Colorado with each team having their own stadium. Real players however are lacking from the game. Star Trek: The Next Generation is an action adventure game in which you pick your own away team to solve certain missions. Then graphics are decent but nothing too great. Its basically a King's Quest style game with a bit more than role playin
g. Sengoku by Data East is a big let down. It looks nothing like the Neo Geo version and appears to be a whole new game in itself. Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage uses some of the best graphics seen on the SNES to bring the cartoon in your hands. As you play through the game you will see many scenes that will remind you of some of the classic cartoons you grew up with. A definite get if you enjoy side scrolling action games with a bit of cartoony humor. Play control is great, but needs some getting used to. The
only gripe I had was killing the guys but then again I really didn't exactly know how. From what I saw, you could either throw pies or kick them to death. I didn't know which one was more effective but I used the kick more often. Great sample of "What's up, Doc?" Superman died over a year ago and DC Comics were making a fortune off it. Now DC has licensed Sunsoft to make a game called, The Death and Return of Superman. In the first level you are the original Superman as you fight along in a side scrolling
action game like Batman Returns by Konami. What differs between the two is you have more moves and now special powers. Each character has great animation as in my opinion some of the best seen on the system. The graphics are great and each Superman differs from having different special abilities and smart bombs. The game follows the story line setup by DC very well as you relive the sequences that played a major role in the story. There are 12 levels in all and you do get a chance to fight Doomsday. While
talking to Sunsoft, they also mentioned that they will be doing a Justice League series, and the first one will be a one-on-one fighting game. Super Battletank 2 looks exactly like the first one so if you enjoyed it before, you might like this one. There doesn't seem to be anything new about it except for different missions. Turn and Burn however looked really interesting. Its like Super Battletank but from the cockpit of a jet fighter. It does for flying combat as what they did for tank combat. Space Ace
is not like the arcade but a side scrolling action game. From what I was able to play, it had great graphics, but the control is debatable. Citadel is the third game to use the SFX chip. Its a mech style game with a Star Fox planet background. This game seemed far from completion but makes you want to see more. I can't wait to see a completed version. Tony Meola's Soccer is a 3D scaling version of soccer that resembles NCAA in use of mode 7. Winter Extreme Skiing and Snowboarding was fast paced action of s
kiing using mode 7 as you fly down the hills. Graphics were great on this and seemed quite fun. Breath of Fire, the hot RPG from Japan, is making its way to the US but not by Capcom. It is being ported by the current king of RPG games, Square Soft. A Japanese version was shown but you can expect another great RPG that you'll want to get your hands on. Mac users are familiar with a game called Spectre VR. Well this is being ported to the SNES and it uses some of the best scaling and rotation I've seen so fa
r on the SNES. Project Reality was there on a development system called Onyx by SGI. I really wish they would get something more believable to show than just the development system. If Project Reality can do what they are showing on the development system, and keep the price low, this could be the systems of systems. Unfortunatly we'll have to wait until 1995 to find out.
Sega had to be the company of the show, with Acclaim, Atari, and 3DO behind them. Not only did they have the latest games, but they also had their hottest arcades and newest technology on display. Sega claims to own 54% of the video gaming industry and blew away Super Nintendo during the Christmas season. I don't know if this is true or not, but as for their future in 1994, it looks better than ever. The hottest items Sega displayed were the AS-1 simulator, Virtua Racing for the Genesis, Virtua Racing mul
ti linked arcade, Virtua Fighters, Vay by Working Designs, NBA Jam by Acclaim, Sonic 3, Tomcat Alley for Sega CD and Sega CDX. One of the first things you could see for the Genesis was the AT&T Edge unit. This is a small console that fits on top of your Genesis and allows you to play games over the phone line. Not only can you play over the phone line, you can also talk to them at the same time as well. They had a demo of this between two buildings showing a fighting game and a few others. If every game us
ed this technology from now on, this will really be a great thing to get. So far its quite impressive but what it needs is the compatibility of all the other games in order for it to succeed. Mortal Kombat CD was finally shown but very hard to find. It looks exactly like the cartridge version with a few very minor changes. The only changes I noticed was the names were inside the energy bars, although the energy bars are still the same size, and Sub-Zero has his correct pose. What has changed in the game is
the FMV sequences are there for each character, there is a two minute cinema introduction screen, music straight from the arcade, sampled sounds from the arcade, and more animation to each of the characters. Hardly worth the seven month wait in my opinion. I guess what I was looking for was completely new graphics for the game that were closer to the arcade. This is just another example of a cartridge game on CD. Castlevania Bloodlines stands as a good game on its own for the Genesis but when compared to
the SNES and PC Engine, it just doesn't stand a chance. The music in both versions are better, especially the PC Engine CD soundtrack, which is one of the best I've ever heard, and the graphics on the SNES just beat out the Genesis version. Again, on its own, its a great Genesis translation of Castlevania. Double Dribble looked like a great game with huge characters and lots of animation to each character. This will be one of the better basketball games on the SNES but hopefully it will be released very so
on or it will have too much competition with NBA Jam. In my opinion a great hit and a get if you love basketball. Barkley: Shut Up and Jam looked like a street version of NBA Jam with graphics that were so-so but faster in speed. Stick with NBA Jam. Pele Soccer was quick action that will probably keep soccer fans interested for a long time. Not as realistic as FIFA is, but quick in action and fun. The FMV scenes are worth noting too since this is only a cartridge. Battletech had to be one of the best games
I saw at the show from a third party company. Its screen is like Jungle Strike but in this game you control mech robots destroying things. The animation in the mech was pretty good and the overall game looked great. Electronic Arts had a lot to show for the Genesis. Games such as Mutant League Hockey and MLPBA Baseball look to be the next hits by EA to keep the tradtion of great sports games for the Genesis. The Incredible Hulk by US Gold had very impressive graphics. So impressive that I thought it was f
or the SNES at first. The game was still in the working stages so there isn't much more I can say about this title. When I talk about Time Killers, all I can say is one thing, STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME! The game is absolutly horrible on its own and as a translation of the arcade. Sylvester and Tweety are causing chaos as you play Sylvester trying to capture that bird for the ultimate snack. This game had great graphics with some nice sound effects to the game. I'm surprised it wasn't Sunsoft who made this g
ame since they bring the cartoon in the game so well. The Genesis is finally getting a version of Mario Paint. Its called My Paint for the Sega CD. It will be mouse compatable. If you like Time Gal, and Road Avenger then watch out for the next aniamtion game called Revenge of the Ninja. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 looks just as good as the second one if not better. The multi-player mode has been fixed so that the graphics are not squished together and that they look normal. There is also a third character in the
game. Sonic has all new moves including a snowboarding part. Sonic fans all over will be pleased with this game which is to be released on February 2nd and will be using the largest advertising campagn for a game ever, 20 million dollars. A lot of people seemed disappointed in Virtua Racing using the new SFX chip. They say the graphics weren't as good as the arcade. Well what do they expect? What game on the Genesis looks exactly like the arcade with the hardware limitations the programmers have to deal wi
th. In my opinion the game is great. The graphics aren't as good as the arcade, but they are pretty good for a translation. The game is fast paced with excellent play control. I played it several times and found it addicting. There is a high price on the game however, $99.99. This is because of their new chip. In the future they will have a single adaptor with the chip inside and you will only need to buy it once and then attach the cart that requires the adaptor to use the SFX chip. This will cut the cost
s of these types of games in the future. The adaptor is expected to run for around $49.99. Tomcat Alley seemed to be one of the few good Sega CD titles at the show. This game uses full screen FMV and is completely interactive where whatever you do, the cinema will change to react to your movements. The FMV is pretty good for Genesis and it was quite fun to play and realistic. RPG fans, look for Vay coming April of this year. This game, designed by Working Designs, follows the quality of Lunar and brings yo
u another and even better quality RPG with great cinema and music. Saturn was shown on a small video clip. This system is CD and cartridge based and is scheduled for release in fall of 1994 in Japan. Games shown were Daytona, Virtua Fighters, a soccer game, a behind the view shooter, and a side scrolling action game. Looks to be better than 3DO.
NBA Jam had to be the hottest game of the show as everyone looks forward to this arcade translation to hit home. Due out on March fourth, Acclaim will try to beat the record sales that their Mortal Kombat set only a few months ago. NBA Jam is a two on two basketball game that takes two of the hottest players from each of the 27 teams in the NBA. While some changes have taken place, the minor changes are hardly noticeable since the game is ported so well from the arcade. All the monster jams are left in th
e game and about 75 percent of the speech has been ported as well. Approximately ten players have been changed from the arcade. One of them is Shaq. Reasons for character changes are licensing agreements, players being traded, retirements and even some that had passed away. The graphics are great on both versions and each one plays fast. No, the SNES version does not slow down, even with four people playing at once as some said it would. What is missing from both versions is the scaling of the character as
it got closer to the screen and as he ran away from it. A new addition to the game though is the tag team mode which automatically switches your control to the character that has the ball for your team. This way you are always on offense. The FMV at half time have amazingly remained in both versions. Now what is the difference you guys must be wondering. Well the graphics for both versions are damn close with the SNES being slightly more sharp and colorful but that is if you really look for it. From a dis
tance you couldn't tell the two apart. The speech samples are a bit fuzzy in the Genesis version compared to the SNES but is sampled pretty well for the Genesis. The SNES version unfortunately uses passwords where as the Genesis uses a chip, not a battery, that will allow you to save 15 games to it. There are secret characters and secret powerups but Acclaim would not confirm which ones were programmed in. I can imagine it now, Shaq codes start popping up everywhere, and people claiming to have them. I'm w
illing to bet that there won't be a Shaq code and we all know why, licensing agreements. The same reason Jordan is not in the game. One last thing I have to compare the two with is the controller. I personally like the SNES set up for a pad where you are able to hit three buttons easily where on the Genesis pad you can hit two without having to change how you handle your pad. Most people use their left thumb to control the directional pad while they use their right thumb to hit buttons. On the SNES you can
hit Y and B with your thumb and R with your index finger and still keep your hand in the same position. On the Genesis you can only hit two of the three buttons on the controller with your thumb so you are forced to hold it in a different way so you have access to all three buttons at any time. This is my only gripe but this has nothing to do with the game itself more of the hardware setup. Other than these minor changes and comparisons, both are really close to the arcade, and both are equal to themselve
s. Either version will be good but if you were to pick between the two, I would pick the SNES because of the sharper graphics with more colors, and the better quality of sound. Three Acclaim representatives that I spoke to preferred the SNES version over the Genesis for these reasons.
Atari brought out the 64-bit Atari Jaguar out this last Thanksgiving weekend as the fourth system in the video game wars among Sega, Nintendo, and 3DO. Their booth wasn't as big as some of the other companies but they had plenty to show including the most anticipated game for the system, Alien Vs Predator. Unlike the rest of the games on display, they had a special setup for this one. This game was displayed on a 50" screen with a life size alien standing next to it. It was defiantly what attracted the cr
owd to Atari's booth. Alien Vs Predator is a game from a first person perspective, similar to the famous Wolfenstein 3D and Doom for the PC. You take part as either a soldier, an Alien or a Predator as you hunt down the other two in order to survive. Each character has special characteristics that are unique to each their own. The soldier can access computers and has night vision. The Alien has speed and is able to climb on the walls. The predator has his hunting skills, a wide assortment of weapons and hi
s heat vision. Game play takes place in three areas, in the colony corridors, inside the Alien ship, or inside the Predator ship. All walls have been beautifully textured mapped with hardly any pixalation when close to the wall as compared to Doom. The scaling, as you fly down the halls, is smooth and fast without a flaw. On the screen that they were displaying the game on, it made you feel like you were actually in the game. Each character has been digitized straight from the movie, and all the graphics l
ook as if they have been digitized. This game however is only halfway to completion but is expected to be released around the early part of the second quarter. Programmers and developers are debating on if it should be the first multi-player game using either the comm link or the use of the modem. If this becomes a reality, it will defiantly make this the best Jaguar game for a long time. It is a must get so look for it as it is being released in the near future. Tempest 2000 had great 3D visuals with a so
und track that rocks. The music in this game makes up for the lack of music in Cybermorph and Crescent Galaxy. Game play is flawless but would be better with a ball like in the original arcade. The Atari logo looks spectacular with using all 16.7 million colors according to Atari. What it is, is the logo with a selection screen, and millions of colors, arranged like a rainbow, waving back and forth. This game has about another week for testing before its being mass manufactured. This will be the next game
that will be released for the Jaguar system. Checkered Flag is a racing game which resembles Virtua Racing made by Sega. The backgrounds and car is made up of polygons and the game takes place from a first person perspective. From my playing experience on the game, I felt the game had poor play mechanics and poor play control. Hopefully this will be fixed before its release where as its at the most, half completed. My bet right now is on Virtua Racing on the Genesis and maybe even Saturn over Checkered Fla
g. The expected release date is late in the second quarter of 94. The last three games they had on display were very early versions of the game. Double Dragon by Telegames was only four weeks into development but at the moment had one character programmed in that was controllable, and had a background done. This game is designed as a one on one fighting game like Street Fighter 2 and has no expected release date. Another game on display was Brutal Football which is also made by Telegames and as well only f
our weeks into development. Its a side view prospective, kind of like Tecmo Super Bowl, and is a free for all, no holds barred Football game kind of like Mutant League Football for the Genesis. The last game on display was Kasumi Ninja which I hope gets a lot better than what I saw. The background that was programmed in looked nothing spectacular and kind of dull. There were no characters programmed in yet and all they had were dummy characters representing what would later be digitized characters. There w
ill be 10 characters to choose from and they will be digitized like in Mortal Kombat. Although there wasn't much in the playing, there was however blood in the game. IBM will have manufactured enough Jaguar consoles by early February for a national status level of distribution. Currently however if you have access to a national chain store, you can specially request them to have Jaguar units transferred in. Atari never restricted any store from keeping the sales of the units to the test market sites. They
only recommended it. Atari says to go to your local chain store and tell them there is a market for the system here and that you want them to have some units transferred if possible. In early February, units will be distributed nationally and to London and Paris as well. In the near future, Canada, Germany, Australia, and other countries will also receive their share of shipments of the systems. There is however no plan to release the system in Japan due to the difficult market that Japan runs. The Jaguar
CD-ROM is expected to be released somewhere in the middle of 1994. The current retail price is expected to be $199.99. It is unknown if there will be a pack-in game or not but Atari claims that the third party companies right now, work with CD-ROM software and will easily be able to adapt to the Jaguar's format. CD-ROM development systems will be sent out within the next few weeks. The CD-ROM is expected to be a double speed drive with an access time of 300 milliseconds. Games in progress are:
Return to Zork by Activision. The next generation of classic Zork adventures makes its triumphant 64-bit debut! The closest an interactive computer game has ever come to cinematic quality production, Return to Zork fully showcases Jaguar's powerful graphic capabilities by combining a mix of full-motion video live action scenes, and photo realistic animation. This amazing 64-bit adventure is filled with danger, intrigue and low cunning. It's loaded with fascinating puzzles, and a revolutionary interface, an
original cast of real Hollywood actors, more than an hour of spoken dialogue and 200 CD-quality musical themes. Doom by Id Software. Doom is an ultra-fast virtual reality showcase that plunges you deep into a brutal 3D world filled with enough graphic violence to earn this monster its very own warning label. As a renegade space marine, you must utilize state-of-the-art weaponry and technological artifacts to fend off legions of gruesome fiends, and use your wits to solve hundreds of lethal puzzles. Dramat
ic, high-speed animation and Jaguar's uncompromising multimedia realism bring this fantastic and grisly adventure to life.
Tiny Toon Adventures by Atari. Leap inside a real cartoon! Based on the popular Warner Bros. characters, this zany platform scroller is a true showcase of Jaguar's rich animation capabilities. Bad boy Montana Max has a new toy: an Acme TiToonium Converter. But the only place he can get TiToonium is on a planet Aurica, and the removal of Titoonium is causing grave ecological damage to the Toon-filled universe. Armed with an Acme Crazy Net, follow Buster Bunny, Babs Bunny and Plucky Duck as they embark on a
mission to shut down the Acme TiToonium-Gold Converter--and save planet Aurica.
European Soccer Challenge by Telegames. Goooaaaal! The Atari Lynx sports favorite comes to the Jaguar. This proven soccer program delivers an expanded season and playoff format, 170 teams and complete team/individual stats. In addition, each player possesses his own personality and performance capabilities. You even have the option to make trades. For Sport fanatics, European Soccer Challenge is a 64-bit kick! Ultimate Brain Games by Telegames. The popular Lynx mind bender comes to the 64-bit format. Test
your moves against the only system qualified to accommodate all the CPU horsepower required for a real chess challenge. Work your way to master status on a full-scale battlefield with classic chess--and checkers, and backgammon. There's a challenge here for every skill level and member of the family. Extended features--such as specific game set-up for the computer solution and digitized graphics--make this product a must for your video game library. Hosenose and Booger by ASG Technologies, Inc. Here's one
for the sick and twisted. Hosenose has a cold and as fate would have it, he's managed to sneeze and suck his girlfriend Hotsnot deep into his brain. In a unique gaming experience that fully showcases Jaguar's monster graphic capabilities, you'll take a nose-dive into Hosenose's sinuous nasal passages in search of the lovely yet cerebral Hotsnot. Through every organ and orifice you'll meet a wild cast of disgusting characters, including Mickki Mewkus, Logjam Sam, Vicki Virus, and the Evil Dr. Bile. An off-b
eat animated adventure only the 64-bit power of Jaguar can deliver. Club Drive by Atari. You've never experienced racing like this! Designed especially for the Jaguar, Club Drive pulls you into a fully rendered 3D environment. There are no rails here--just 70 square miles of San Francisco to race through and explore. Go anywhere as you chase down your opponent in a fast-paced game of tag through the craggy canyons and frontier towns of the Old West. Crash and score as you test your wheels in a futuristic s
kateboard park--for cars! Experience what it's like to be a toy car and race through your neighbor's house, around coffee tables and under the television. It's your chance to do things with a car Henry Ford would've never dreamed of. Commando by Microids. Take an in-depth, first-person perspective into the trenches of 64-bit warfare. As the Officer in Charge of a team of crack commandos, you'll experience all the rigors of gritty jungle combat through the eyes of a real soldier as you patrol, set ambushes,
destroy key structures, rescue personnel...and ultimately win one for your Commando team. Jaguar's sophisticated animation and audio processors bring you front-line combat so real, extended play may cause flashbacks! Dungeon Depths by Midnite Software, Inc. Long ago in an ancient, uncivilized world, man built great castles to close himself off from the grunts of the earth. And beneath these castles he built miles of dungeons to imprison you and your repressed minions. Get ready for a medieval multiple-pla
yer role-playing arcade adventure as you battle "surface dwellers" in an effort to rise up from the clutches of the aristocracy. With rich, vibrant graphics, this 3D textured underworld epic makes full use of Jaguar's real-time rendering, advanced 3D texturing and high-speed animation capabilities. Ultra Vortex by Beyond Games. Ultra Vortex is street fighting to the 64th power! History has seen the rise and fall of many warriors. All fell to the power of the Vortex Guardian, who has dominated mankind for t
housands of years. It's 2045--time again for the Testing. You and nine other able warriors have been chosen from America's top underground gangs to fight for the right to take on the Guardian. Drawing on the mesmerizing powers of the Vortex, you must master deadly street fighting and martial arts skills--including the lethal "Vortex Annihilator"...destroy a field of formidable champions...and ultimately crush the Guardian! Battlewheels by Beyond Games. Buckle up for 64 bits of metal-mashing arcade action.
2021 AD. Humankind has turned to an increasingly dangerous spectator sports for its entertainment. Welcome to Battlewheels! Drive solo or team up with as many as eight of your buddies for a futuristic demolition derby to the death. Custom equip your suicide vehicle from the ground up with machine guns, missiles, flame-throwers...and compete for "kills," cash and glory against a vicious band of road warriors-- through treacherous deserts and ghost cities of a bygone era. Yeeehaw! Evidence by Microids. The m
agic of the movies meets the power of Jaguar. This 3D interactive feature combines unbridled 64-bit technology with incredible motion picture effects. As a young reporter wrongly charged with murder, you must find a way to escape from prison and expose the party responsible for putting you behind bars. Full-motion video and digital sound effects are Evidence of a gaming experience only Jaguar can deliver. Car Wars by Midnite Software, Inc. Earth, 2094. Advances in technology eliminated tires, refueling and
, in general, made the roads a safer place--at least within the city limits. Outside the clean cityscapes--in the Arena, where bloodthirsty drivers clash in massive road beasts to battle for what is yours, and what you think should be yours--is where you do your driving. It's a futuristic off-road carnage bonanza that takes full adventure of Jaguar's stock graphic processor.
3DO had one of the best setups there. They were however not located in the video game section but the multi-media section on the other side of the convention. There were plenty of games on display but for every game they had, there was either a 3DO title that was all video or was edutainment so it was basically a 1:1 ratio. 3DO claims to have over 500 third party companies currently but still only a handful of software. They may have 500 companies signed on, but how many that are actually currently develo
ping titles? Many peripherals were shown such as a mouse and keyboard attachments. The most impressive peripheral however, was the MPEG1 attachment. While there is no price set on it yet, it will be out sometime in the late second quarter of 94. All it is, is a box that attaches to the right side of the unit. This will not be compatible with the Sanyo or AT&T versions of the unit due to physical appearances. The Sanyo and AT&T are scheduled for release unlike the rumors that magazines have been putting ou
t about it not being released due to costs and other reasons. AT&T is due out in the fall of this year, and Sanyo somewhere in the summer.
Air Warrior is the first flight simulator for the 3DO which looked good so far but then again there wasn't much to look at since it was on video tape. MCA Video showed a cartoon demo which is nothing new since ever 3DO owner has seen the Batman demo. Pro Motion had a music video on display which at the time was Shoop by Salt-N-Pepa, again showing the video capabilities of the 3DO. It was using the MPEG adapter. Total Eclipse by now you've heard, absolutely amazing. It lives to what people were expecting,
however the video isn't as great as some of the other video clips I've seen but nothing to complain about at all. Now what I have to see is what other magazines rate this because Cybermorph was rating really high in other magazines, especially Game Fan, and this game blows it away. Look for a level select code and a weapons power up code. I saw an employee from Crystal Dynamics input it in, but he asked me to turn my head so I wouldn't see it, and sure enough he did it. Night Trap is an interactive movie w
here you try to save the girls from being captured and killed by the blood thirst Augs. The full motion video screen is a lot bigger than the Sega CD version and obviously the quality of the video is better as well. Putt Putt Goes to the Moon is an educational title with cartoony graphics and speech. John Madden looks complete as far as I'm concern. The players are all digitize and has gone through a lot of graphic changes but still remains the look and feel of the original Madden. Now the referees are dig
itized and have a small cinema display when they make a call. The crowd is also in full motion video when you do a great play or when they boo at you. Each team also has stats and while looking at each team, you can also play several video clips of each team. This is EA at its finest and will greatly please Madden fans when released. Twisted is an interactive game show where you play several games and the characters are digitized and use FMV to animate them. Jurassic Park is an interactive movie that I sti
ll don't have a clue to what the overall concept is, but to me it was a disappointment. Star Trek: The Next Generation was also a disappointment. To me all it did was show off graphics and lacked a good game. Gridders looked like a great concept. What you do is try to collect objects on this plane while boxes move around all over the screen. The object seemed to be try to collect the objects without getting crushed. I played it once and it grew quite addicting. Pataank looked like F-Zero on the SNES as you
are a futuristic ship that moves around fast and uses scaling and rotation. Super Wing Commander looked like the PC version except its an all new adventure with sharper graphics. I wish I could have seen some cinema scenes though. This looks to be another hit on the 3DO. Road Rash has great graphics and beautiful cinema, but after that, there isn't much to it. I don't know how far along it is to completion but it looked like the same old thing shown at the Summer CES. Dennis Miller was a video display of
information combined with his wit. Theme Park is a Sim City style game where you build your own amusement park and try to keep your profits up. Toon Time was another video display where you could watch a cartoon and also manipulate it in any way you want. Such as stretching or twisting the screen around. ESPN put out a series of sports instruction titles. The ones on display were golf and baseball. What they basically do is teach you how to play the game and show you how to execute the correct playing styl
e. Way of the Warrior is a Mortal Kombat style game where all the characters and backgrounds are digitized. Each character has a special move and fatalities. There is blood in the game and even the stages resemble Mortal Kombat. This game was still in the early stages but looked great from what was done. If MK never makes it way to the 3DO, this will replace it nicely. Off-Road is similar to Off-Road Baja for the SNES. Who Shot Johnny Rock looks even worse than Mad Dog McCree. The video had bit pixels and
some of the worst FMV I've seen on the 3DO. Star Control 2 looks like the first one like on the computer, with sharper graphics. The Horde is based on the PC game, which will be soon released, and is an action fighting game.
Pioneer Laser Active had a couple of titles on display but from what was show they were impressive. I didn't catch what the titles were but one was a driving game with the best use of background graphics I have ever seen, along with great cinema that beats 3DO easily. Another game was all digitized backgrounds as you flew a helecopter shooting down enemies in a digitized world. After seeing this, I do want a Laser Active of my own, too bad its too expensive. The future of the Laser Active is unlimited bec
ause you can upgrade it to any system, including 3DO. All they need to do is make a small box for it like they did with the Genesis and Turbo Grafx and you could have 3DO working on it. Future games will use the 3D technology in which they are working on using 3D glasses.
These are some of the highlights of the 1994 Winter CES. To go in depth and tell you every game shown would take days and tons of pages of reports. I figured this was most of the hot stuff there and would fill your needs of what you are interested in. Videos of the show can be purchased for twelve dollars plus three shipping. Make checks or money orders out to Linda Chinn and send it to:
Video Source
973 Foxglove Dr.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
I hope you enjoyed this report of the 1994 Winter CES, and find the information useful.
ver the last year with the introduction of the 32-bit multimedia 3DO, and 64-bit Atari Jaguar. 1994 looks to be a busy year with the dawn of the 32-bit and 64-bit machines showing the future. Is the 16-bit revolution over? Will the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis be able to compete? You decide from what was displayed here in Vegas at the 1994 CES.
Nintendo, one of the two powerhouses in the video game industry, split the largest of the four buildings with Sega to display what the early half of 1994 will be like. The top games shown for the Super Nintendo were NBA Jam by Acclaim, Sound Fantasy by Nintendo, and Super Metroid by Nintendo. Sound Fantasy is similar to Mario Paint but this time you create music instead of pictures. Using the capabilities of the Sony Digital Sound Processor chip inside of the Super Nintendo, you are able to play prewritte
n songs, create your own, or play games that will create a song as you play. The quality of the sound and music is of high quality thanks to Sony's DSP chip. Not only is the sound done well but the graphics they include to go along with this cart are as well, nicely done. This cart will be mouse compatible and highly recommended if you enjoyed Mario Paint. Super Metroid is a 24-meg wonder created by the genius programmers at Nintendo, that does what they did to Zelda, and Mario. They've translated the 8-bi
t version, and upgraded to its fullest potential on a 16-bit platform. Everything from the graphics to the control have been improved but in the end you still get the feel of the original Metroid. Stunt Racer FX is the second SFX game to be released for Nintendo. Although it uses the SFX chip to provide great graphics, the play control wasn't too great and it was very slow in comparison to Virtua Racing. The stand up shooter, T2: The Arcade Game, has finally made its way to the SNES. The excellent programm
ers at Acclaim have ported the arcade graphics just as well as they did with Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. The sound quality is great with samplings from Arnold himself. This game is two players simultaneous using either a control pad, mouse or Super Scope. For those of you who liked the arcade, its a must get. Imagine the Genesis version with better graphics and you have the SNES version. Lethal Enforcers as well brings the arcade graphics home to your SNES. This game made by Konami has been translated very
well and display very colorful backgrounds and targets. One color that is missing is the red pixels when you are hit. They are now colored white, but other than that, it has not been censored in any other way from what I know. Its strange that Nintendo believes in kiddy games and censorship but allowed this game to be put on the SNES when its obvious of the violence content and it was rated as an adult game, MA-17, on the Genesis. I guess that just confuses me more on Nintendo's standings and Sega's rating
s. Anyone else think they're messed up? Two great Japanese games by Konami are making their way to the SNES. Paradious and Twin Bee Rainbow. Paradious is like a parody to the Gradius series. Its a shooter with power ups but with cartoony graphics and backgrounds. Twin Bee Rainbow is a cartoony side scrolling action game with great graphics and is really fun to play. No need to dish out more money for imported titles, because these titles are coming in the near future. The two hottest baseball games for the
SNES at the show were Ken Griffy Jr. Baseball and Super Bases Loaded 2. Super Bases Loaded 2 has been completely redesigned. Instead of from the pitcher's view, its from the catcher's view for the batting sequences. This game uses mode 7 when you hit the ball as you see the screen scroll to follow the ball. Its a great effect and does not ruin the game play at all. Ken Griffy Jr. Baseball takes traditional style of video game baseball, and adds great graphics and speed to create one of the best baseball
games ever created. The speed of the ball is realistic when you throw it where the ball does not drop and rolls its way in. All the teams are in it including Florida and Colorado with each team having their own stadium. Real players however are lacking from the game. Star Trek: The Next Generation is an action adventure game in which you pick your own away team to solve certain missions. Then graphics are decent but nothing too great. Its basically a King's Quest style game with a bit more than role playin
g. Sengoku by Data East is a big let down. It looks nothing like the Neo Geo version and appears to be a whole new game in itself. Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage uses some of the best graphics seen on the SNES to bring the cartoon in your hands. As you play through the game you will see many scenes that will remind you of some of the classic cartoons you grew up with. A definite get if you enjoy side scrolling action games with a bit of cartoony humor. Play control is great, but needs some getting used to. The
only gripe I had was killing the guys but then again I really didn't exactly know how. From what I saw, you could either throw pies or kick them to death. I didn't know which one was more effective but I used the kick more often. Great sample of "What's up, Doc?" Superman died over a year ago and DC Comics were making a fortune off it. Now DC has licensed Sunsoft to make a game called, The Death and Return of Superman. In the first level you are the original Superman as you fight along in a side scrolling
action game like Batman Returns by Konami. What differs between the two is you have more moves and now special powers. Each character has great animation as in my opinion some of the best seen on the system. The graphics are great and each Superman differs from having different special abilities and smart bombs. The game follows the story line setup by DC very well as you relive the sequences that played a major role in the story. There are 12 levels in all and you do get a chance to fight Doomsday. While
talking to Sunsoft, they also mentioned that they will be doing a Justice League series, and the first one will be a one-on-one fighting game. Super Battletank 2 looks exactly like the first one so if you enjoyed it before, you might like this one. There doesn't seem to be anything new about it except for different missions. Turn and Burn however looked really interesting. Its like Super Battletank but from the cockpit of a jet fighter. It does for flying combat as what they did for tank combat. Space Ace
is not like the arcade but a side scrolling action game. From what I was able to play, it had great graphics, but the control is debatable. Citadel is the third game to use the SFX chip. Its a mech style game with a Star Fox planet background. This game seemed far from completion but makes you want to see more. I can't wait to see a completed version. Tony Meola's Soccer is a 3D scaling version of soccer that resembles NCAA in use of mode 7. Winter Extreme Skiing and Snowboarding was fast paced action of s
kiing using mode 7 as you fly down the hills. Graphics were great on this and seemed quite fun. Breath of Fire, the hot RPG from Japan, is making its way to the US but not by Capcom. It is being ported by the current king of RPG games, Square Soft. A Japanese version was shown but you can expect another great RPG that you'll want to get your hands on. Mac users are familiar with a game called Spectre VR. Well this is being ported to the SNES and it uses some of the best scaling and rotation I've seen so fa
r on the SNES. Project Reality was there on a development system called Onyx by SGI. I really wish they would get something more believable to show than just the development system. If Project Reality can do what they are showing on the development system, and keep the price low, this could be the systems of systems. Unfortunatly we'll have to wait until 1995 to find out.
Sega had to be the company of the show, with Acclaim, Atari, and 3DO behind them. Not only did they have the latest games, but they also had their hottest arcades and newest technology on display. Sega claims to own 54% of the video gaming industry and blew away Super Nintendo during the Christmas season. I don't know if this is true or not, but as for their future in 1994, it looks better than ever. The hottest items Sega displayed were the AS-1 simulator, Virtua Racing for the Genesis, Virtua Racing mul
ti linked arcade, Virtua Fighters, Vay by Working Designs, NBA Jam by Acclaim, Sonic 3, Tomcat Alley for Sega CD and Sega CDX. One of the first things you could see for the Genesis was the AT&T Edge unit. This is a small console that fits on top of your Genesis and allows you to play games over the phone line. Not only can you play over the phone line, you can also talk to them at the same time as well. They had a demo of this between two buildings showing a fighting game and a few others. If every game us
ed this technology from now on, this will really be a great thing to get. So far its quite impressive but what it needs is the compatibility of all the other games in order for it to succeed. Mortal Kombat CD was finally shown but very hard to find. It looks exactly like the cartridge version with a few very minor changes. The only changes I noticed was the names were inside the energy bars, although the energy bars are still the same size, and Sub-Zero has his correct pose. What has changed in the game is
the FMV sequences are there for each character, there is a two minute cinema introduction screen, music straight from the arcade, sampled sounds from the arcade, and more animation to each of the characters. Hardly worth the seven month wait in my opinion. I guess what I was looking for was completely new graphics for the game that were closer to the arcade. This is just another example of a cartridge game on CD. Castlevania Bloodlines stands as a good game on its own for the Genesis but when compared to
the SNES and PC Engine, it just doesn't stand a chance. The music in both versions are better, especially the PC Engine CD soundtrack, which is one of the best I've ever heard, and the graphics on the SNES just beat out the Genesis version. Again, on its own, its a great Genesis translation of Castlevania. Double Dribble looked like a great game with huge characters and lots of animation to each character. This will be one of the better basketball games on the SNES but hopefully it will be released very so
on or it will have too much competition with NBA Jam. In my opinion a great hit and a get if you love basketball. Barkley: Shut Up and Jam looked like a street version of NBA Jam with graphics that were so-so but faster in speed. Stick with NBA Jam. Pele Soccer was quick action that will probably keep soccer fans interested for a long time. Not as realistic as FIFA is, but quick in action and fun. The FMV scenes are worth noting too since this is only a cartridge. Battletech had to be one of the best games
I saw at the show from a third party company. Its screen is like Jungle Strike but in this game you control mech robots destroying things. The animation in the mech was pretty good and the overall game looked great. Electronic Arts had a lot to show for the Genesis. Games such as Mutant League Hockey and MLPBA Baseball look to be the next hits by EA to keep the tradtion of great sports games for the Genesis. The Incredible Hulk by US Gold had very impressive graphics. So impressive that I thought it was f
or the SNES at first. The game was still in the working stages so there isn't much more I can say about this title. When I talk about Time Killers, all I can say is one thing, STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME! The game is absolutly horrible on its own and as a translation of the arcade. Sylvester and Tweety are causing chaos as you play Sylvester trying to capture that bird for the ultimate snack. This game had great graphics with some nice sound effects to the game. I'm surprised it wasn't Sunsoft who made this g
ame since they bring the cartoon in the game so well. The Genesis is finally getting a version of Mario Paint. Its called My Paint for the Sega CD. It will be mouse compatable. If you like Time Gal, and Road Avenger then watch out for the next aniamtion game called Revenge of the Ninja. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 looks just as good as the second one if not better. The multi-player mode has been fixed so that the graphics are not squished together and that they look normal. There is also a third character in the
game. Sonic has all new moves including a snowboarding part. Sonic fans all over will be pleased with this game which is to be released on February 2nd and will be using the largest advertising campagn for a game ever, 20 million dollars. A lot of people seemed disappointed in Virtua Racing using the new SFX chip. They say the graphics weren't as good as the arcade. Well what do they expect? What game on the Genesis looks exactly like the arcade with the hardware limitations the programmers have to deal wi
th. In my opinion the game is great. The graphics aren't as good as the arcade, but they are pretty good for a translation. The game is fast paced with excellent play control. I played it several times and found it addicting. There is a high price on the game however, $99.99. This is because of their new chip. In the future they will have a single adaptor with the chip inside and you will only need to buy it once and then attach the cart that requires the adaptor to use the SFX chip. This will cut the cost
s of these types of games in the future. The adaptor is expected to run for around $49.99. Tomcat Alley seemed to be one of the few good Sega CD titles at the show. This game uses full screen FMV and is completely interactive where whatever you do, the cinema will change to react to your movements. The FMV is pretty good for Genesis and it was quite fun to play and realistic. RPG fans, look for Vay coming April of this year. This game, designed by Working Designs, follows the quality of Lunar and brings yo
u another and even better quality RPG with great cinema and music. Saturn was shown on a small video clip. This system is CD and cartridge based and is scheduled for release in fall of 1994 in Japan. Games shown were Daytona, Virtua Fighters, a soccer game, a behind the view shooter, and a side scrolling action game. Looks to be better than 3DO.
NBA Jam had to be the hottest game of the show as everyone looks forward to this arcade translation to hit home. Due out on March fourth, Acclaim will try to beat the record sales that their Mortal Kombat set only a few months ago. NBA Jam is a two on two basketball game that takes two of the hottest players from each of the 27 teams in the NBA. While some changes have taken place, the minor changes are hardly noticeable since the game is ported so well from the arcade. All the monster jams are left in th
e game and about 75 percent of the speech has been ported as well. Approximately ten players have been changed from the arcade. One of them is Shaq. Reasons for character changes are licensing agreements, players being traded, retirements and even some that had passed away. The graphics are great on both versions and each one plays fast. No, the SNES version does not slow down, even with four people playing at once as some said it would. What is missing from both versions is the scaling of the character as
it got closer to the screen and as he ran away from it. A new addition to the game though is the tag team mode which automatically switches your control to the character that has the ball for your team. This way you are always on offense. The FMV at half time have amazingly remained in both versions. Now what is the difference you guys must be wondering. Well the graphics for both versions are damn close with the SNES being slightly more sharp and colorful but that is if you really look for it. From a dis
tance you couldn't tell the two apart. The speech samples are a bit fuzzy in the Genesis version compared to the SNES but is sampled pretty well for the Genesis. The SNES version unfortunately uses passwords where as the Genesis uses a chip, not a battery, that will allow you to save 15 games to it. There are secret characters and secret powerups but Acclaim would not confirm which ones were programmed in. I can imagine it now, Shaq codes start popping up everywhere, and people claiming to have them. I'm w
illing to bet that there won't be a Shaq code and we all know why, licensing agreements. The same reason Jordan is not in the game. One last thing I have to compare the two with is the controller. I personally like the SNES set up for a pad where you are able to hit three buttons easily where on the Genesis pad you can hit two without having to change how you handle your pad. Most people use their left thumb to control the directional pad while they use their right thumb to hit buttons. On the SNES you can
hit Y and B with your thumb and R with your index finger and still keep your hand in the same position. On the Genesis you can only hit two of the three buttons on the controller with your thumb so you are forced to hold it in a different way so you have access to all three buttons at any time. This is my only gripe but this has nothing to do with the game itself more of the hardware setup. Other than these minor changes and comparisons, both are really close to the arcade, and both are equal to themselve
s. Either version will be good but if you were to pick between the two, I would pick the SNES because of the sharper graphics with more colors, and the better quality of sound. Three Acclaim representatives that I spoke to preferred the SNES version over the Genesis for these reasons.
Atari brought out the 64-bit Atari Jaguar out this last Thanksgiving weekend as the fourth system in the video game wars among Sega, Nintendo, and 3DO. Their booth wasn't as big as some of the other companies but they had plenty to show including the most anticipated game for the system, Alien Vs Predator. Unlike the rest of the games on display, they had a special setup for this one. This game was displayed on a 50" screen with a life size alien standing next to it. It was defiantly what attracted the cr
owd to Atari's booth. Alien Vs Predator is a game from a first person perspective, similar to the famous Wolfenstein 3D and Doom for the PC. You take part as either a soldier, an Alien or a Predator as you hunt down the other two in order to survive. Each character has special characteristics that are unique to each their own. The soldier can access computers and has night vision. The Alien has speed and is able to climb on the walls. The predator has his hunting skills, a wide assortment of weapons and hi
s heat vision. Game play takes place in three areas, in the colony corridors, inside the Alien ship, or inside the Predator ship. All walls have been beautifully textured mapped with hardly any pixalation when close to the wall as compared to Doom. The scaling, as you fly down the halls, is smooth and fast without a flaw. On the screen that they were displaying the game on, it made you feel like you were actually in the game. Each character has been digitized straight from the movie, and all the graphics l
ook as if they have been digitized. This game however is only halfway to completion but is expected to be released around the early part of the second quarter. Programmers and developers are debating on if it should be the first multi-player game using either the comm link or the use of the modem. If this becomes a reality, it will defiantly make this the best Jaguar game for a long time. It is a must get so look for it as it is being released in the near future. Tempest 2000 had great 3D visuals with a so
und track that rocks. The music in this game makes up for the lack of music in Cybermorph and Crescent Galaxy. Game play is flawless but would be better with a ball like in the original arcade. The Atari logo looks spectacular with using all 16.7 million colors according to Atari. What it is, is the logo with a selection screen, and millions of colors, arranged like a rainbow, waving back and forth. This game has about another week for testing before its being mass manufactured. This will be the next game
that will be released for the Jaguar system. Checkered Flag is a racing game which resembles Virtua Racing made by Sega. The backgrounds and car is made up of polygons and the game takes place from a first person perspective. From my playing experience on the game, I felt the game had poor play mechanics and poor play control. Hopefully this will be fixed before its release where as its at the most, half completed. My bet right now is on Virtua Racing on the Genesis and maybe even Saturn over Checkered Fla
g. The expected release date is late in the second quarter of 94. The last three games they had on display were very early versions of the game. Double Dragon by Telegames was only four weeks into development but at the moment had one character programmed in that was controllable, and had a background done. This game is designed as a one on one fighting game like Street Fighter 2 and has no expected release date. Another game on display was Brutal Football which is also made by Telegames and as well only f
our weeks into development. Its a side view prospective, kind of like Tecmo Super Bowl, and is a free for all, no holds barred Football game kind of like Mutant League Football for the Genesis. The last game on display was Kasumi Ninja which I hope gets a lot better than what I saw. The background that was programmed in looked nothing spectacular and kind of dull. There were no characters programmed in yet and all they had were dummy characters representing what would later be digitized characters. There w
ill be 10 characters to choose from and they will be digitized like in Mortal Kombat. Although there wasn't much in the playing, there was however blood in the game. IBM will have manufactured enough Jaguar consoles by early February for a national status level of distribution. Currently however if you have access to a national chain store, you can specially request them to have Jaguar units transferred in. Atari never restricted any store from keeping the sales of the units to the test market sites. They
only recommended it. Atari says to go to your local chain store and tell them there is a market for the system here and that you want them to have some units transferred if possible. In early February, units will be distributed nationally and to London and Paris as well. In the near future, Canada, Germany, Australia, and other countries will also receive their share of shipments of the systems. There is however no plan to release the system in Japan due to the difficult market that Japan runs. The Jaguar
CD-ROM is expected to be released somewhere in the middle of 1994. The current retail price is expected to be $199.99. It is unknown if there will be a pack-in game or not but Atari claims that the third party companies right now, work with CD-ROM software and will easily be able to adapt to the Jaguar's format. CD-ROM development systems will be sent out within the next few weeks. The CD-ROM is expected to be a double speed drive with an access time of 300 milliseconds. Games in progress are:
Return to Zork by Activision. The next generation of classic Zork adventures makes its triumphant 64-bit debut! The closest an interactive computer game has ever come to cinematic quality production, Return to Zork fully showcases Jaguar's powerful graphic capabilities by combining a mix of full-motion video live action scenes, and photo realistic animation. This amazing 64-bit adventure is filled with danger, intrigue and low cunning. It's loaded with fascinating puzzles, and a revolutionary interface, an
original cast of real Hollywood actors, more than an hour of spoken dialogue and 200 CD-quality musical themes. Doom by Id Software. Doom is an ultra-fast virtual reality showcase that plunges you deep into a brutal 3D world filled with enough graphic violence to earn this monster its very own warning label. As a renegade space marine, you must utilize state-of-the-art weaponry and technological artifacts to fend off legions of gruesome fiends, and use your wits to solve hundreds of lethal puzzles. Dramat
ic, high-speed animation and Jaguar's uncompromising multimedia realism bring this fantastic and grisly adventure to life.
Tiny Toon Adventures by Atari. Leap inside a real cartoon! Based on the popular Warner Bros. characters, this zany platform scroller is a true showcase of Jaguar's rich animation capabilities. Bad boy Montana Max has a new toy: an Acme TiToonium Converter. But the only place he can get TiToonium is on a planet Aurica, and the removal of Titoonium is causing grave ecological damage to the Toon-filled universe. Armed with an Acme Crazy Net, follow Buster Bunny, Babs Bunny and Plucky Duck as they embark on a
mission to shut down the Acme TiToonium-Gold Converter--and save planet Aurica.
European Soccer Challenge by Telegames. Goooaaaal! The Atari Lynx sports favorite comes to the Jaguar. This proven soccer program delivers an expanded season and playoff format, 170 teams and complete team/individual stats. In addition, each player possesses his own personality and performance capabilities. You even have the option to make trades. For Sport fanatics, European Soccer Challenge is a 64-bit kick! Ultimate Brain Games by Telegames. The popular Lynx mind bender comes to the 64-bit format. Test
your moves against the only system qualified to accommodate all the CPU horsepower required for a real chess challenge. Work your way to master status on a full-scale battlefield with classic chess--and checkers, and backgammon. There's a challenge here for every skill level and member of the family. Extended features--such as specific game set-up for the computer solution and digitized graphics--make this product a must for your video game library. Hosenose and Booger by ASG Technologies, Inc. Here's one
for the sick and twisted. Hosenose has a cold and as fate would have it, he's managed to sneeze and suck his girlfriend Hotsnot deep into his brain. In a unique gaming experience that fully showcases Jaguar's monster graphic capabilities, you'll take a nose-dive into Hosenose's sinuous nasal passages in search of the lovely yet cerebral Hotsnot. Through every organ and orifice you'll meet a wild cast of disgusting characters, including Mickki Mewkus, Logjam Sam, Vicki Virus, and the Evil Dr. Bile. An off-b
eat animated adventure only the 64-bit power of Jaguar can deliver. Club Drive by Atari. You've never experienced racing like this! Designed especially for the Jaguar, Club Drive pulls you into a fully rendered 3D environment. There are no rails here--just 70 square miles of San Francisco to race through and explore. Go anywhere as you chase down your opponent in a fast-paced game of tag through the craggy canyons and frontier towns of the Old West. Crash and score as you test your wheels in a futuristic s
kateboard park--for cars! Experience what it's like to be a toy car and race through your neighbor's house, around coffee tables and under the television. It's your chance to do things with a car Henry Ford would've never dreamed of. Commando by Microids. Take an in-depth, first-person perspective into the trenches of 64-bit warfare. As the Officer in Charge of a team of crack commandos, you'll experience all the rigors of gritty jungle combat through the eyes of a real soldier as you patrol, set ambushes,
destroy key structures, rescue personnel...and ultimately win one for your Commando team. Jaguar's sophisticated animation and audio processors bring you front-line combat so real, extended play may cause flashbacks! Dungeon Depths by Midnite Software, Inc. Long ago in an ancient, uncivilized world, man built great castles to close himself off from the grunts of the earth. And beneath these castles he built miles of dungeons to imprison you and your repressed minions. Get ready for a medieval multiple-pla
yer role-playing arcade adventure as you battle "surface dwellers" in an effort to rise up from the clutches of the aristocracy. With rich, vibrant graphics, this 3D textured underworld epic makes full use of Jaguar's real-time rendering, advanced 3D texturing and high-speed animation capabilities. Ultra Vortex by Beyond Games. Ultra Vortex is street fighting to the 64th power! History has seen the rise and fall of many warriors. All fell to the power of the Vortex Guardian, who has dominated mankind for t
housands of years. It's 2045--time again for the Testing. You and nine other able warriors have been chosen from America's top underground gangs to fight for the right to take on the Guardian. Drawing on the mesmerizing powers of the Vortex, you must master deadly street fighting and martial arts skills--including the lethal "Vortex Annihilator"...destroy a field of formidable champions...and ultimately crush the Guardian! Battlewheels by Beyond Games. Buckle up for 64 bits of metal-mashing arcade action.
2021 AD. Humankind has turned to an increasingly dangerous spectator sports for its entertainment. Welcome to Battlewheels! Drive solo or team up with as many as eight of your buddies for a futuristic demolition derby to the death. Custom equip your suicide vehicle from the ground up with machine guns, missiles, flame-throwers...and compete for "kills," cash and glory against a vicious band of road warriors-- through treacherous deserts and ghost cities of a bygone era. Yeeehaw! Evidence by Microids. The m
agic of the movies meets the power of Jaguar. This 3D interactive feature combines unbridled 64-bit technology with incredible motion picture effects. As a young reporter wrongly charged with murder, you must find a way to escape from prison and expose the party responsible for putting you behind bars. Full-motion video and digital sound effects are Evidence of a gaming experience only Jaguar can deliver. Car Wars by Midnite Software, Inc. Earth, 2094. Advances in technology eliminated tires, refueling and
, in general, made the roads a safer place--at least within the city limits. Outside the clean cityscapes--in the Arena, where bloodthirsty drivers clash in massive road beasts to battle for what is yours, and what you think should be yours--is where you do your driving. It's a futuristic off-road carnage bonanza that takes full adventure of Jaguar's stock graphic processor.
3DO had one of the best setups there. They were however not located in the video game section but the multi-media section on the other side of the convention. There were plenty of games on display but for every game they had, there was either a 3DO title that was all video or was edutainment so it was basically a 1:1 ratio. 3DO claims to have over 500 third party companies currently but still only a handful of software. They may have 500 companies signed on, but how many that are actually currently develo
ping titles? Many peripherals were shown such as a mouse and keyboard attachments. The most impressive peripheral however, was the MPEG1 attachment. While there is no price set on it yet, it will be out sometime in the late second quarter of 94. All it is, is a box that attaches to the right side of the unit. This will not be compatible with the Sanyo or AT&T versions of the unit due to physical appearances. The Sanyo and AT&T are scheduled for release unlike the rumors that magazines have been putting ou
t about it not being released due to costs and other reasons. AT&T is due out in the fall of this year, and Sanyo somewhere in the summer.
Air Warrior is the first flight simulator for the 3DO which looked good so far but then again there wasn't much to look at since it was on video tape. MCA Video showed a cartoon demo which is nothing new since ever 3DO owner has seen the Batman demo. Pro Motion had a music video on display which at the time was Shoop by Salt-N-Pepa, again showing the video capabilities of the 3DO. It was using the MPEG adapter. Total Eclipse by now you've heard, absolutely amazing. It lives to what people were expecting,
however the video isn't as great as some of the other video clips I've seen but nothing to complain about at all. Now what I have to see is what other magazines rate this because Cybermorph was rating really high in other magazines, especially Game Fan, and this game blows it away. Look for a level select code and a weapons power up code. I saw an employee from Crystal Dynamics input it in, but he asked me to turn my head so I wouldn't see it, and sure enough he did it. Night Trap is an interactive movie w
here you try to save the girls from being captured and killed by the blood thirst Augs. The full motion video screen is a lot bigger than the Sega CD version and obviously the quality of the video is better as well. Putt Putt Goes to the Moon is an educational title with cartoony graphics and speech. John Madden looks complete as far as I'm concern. The players are all digitize and has gone through a lot of graphic changes but still remains the look and feel of the original Madden. Now the referees are dig
itized and have a small cinema display when they make a call. The crowd is also in full motion video when you do a great play or when they boo at you. Each team also has stats and while looking at each team, you can also play several video clips of each team. This is EA at its finest and will greatly please Madden fans when released. Twisted is an interactive game show where you play several games and the characters are digitized and use FMV to animate them. Jurassic Park is an interactive movie that I sti
ll don't have a clue to what the overall concept is, but to me it was a disappointment. Star Trek: The Next Generation was also a disappointment. To me all it did was show off graphics and lacked a good game. Gridders looked like a great concept. What you do is try to collect objects on this plane while boxes move around all over the screen. The object seemed to be try to collect the objects without getting crushed. I played it once and it grew quite addicting. Pataank looked like F-Zero on the SNES as you
are a futuristic ship that moves around fast and uses scaling and rotation. Super Wing Commander looked like the PC version except its an all new adventure with sharper graphics. I wish I could have seen some cinema scenes though. This looks to be another hit on the 3DO. Road Rash has great graphics and beautiful cinema, but after that, there isn't much to it. I don't know how far along it is to completion but it looked like the same old thing shown at the Summer CES. Dennis Miller was a video display of
information combined with his wit. Theme Park is a Sim City style game where you build your own amusement park and try to keep your profits up. Toon Time was another video display where you could watch a cartoon and also manipulate it in any way you want. Such as stretching or twisting the screen around. ESPN put out a series of sports instruction titles. The ones on display were golf and baseball. What they basically do is teach you how to play the game and show you how to execute the correct playing styl
e. Way of the Warrior is a Mortal Kombat style game where all the characters and backgrounds are digitized. Each character has a special move and fatalities. There is blood in the game and even the stages resemble Mortal Kombat. This game was still in the early stages but looked great from what was done. If MK never makes it way to the 3DO, this will replace it nicely. Off-Road is similar to Off-Road Baja for the SNES. Who Shot Johnny Rock looks even worse than Mad Dog McCree. The video had bit pixels and
some of the worst FMV I've seen on the 3DO. Star Control 2 looks like the first one like on the computer, with sharper graphics. The Horde is based on the PC game, which will be soon released, and is an action fighting game.
Pioneer Laser Active had a couple of titles on display but from what was show they were impressive. I didn't catch what the titles were but one was a driving game with the best use of background graphics I have ever seen, along with great cinema that beats 3DO easily. Another game was all digitized backgrounds as you flew a helecopter shooting down enemies in a digitized world. After seeing this, I do want a Laser Active of my own, too bad its too expensive. The future of the Laser Active is unlimited bec
ause you can upgrade it to any system, including 3DO. All they need to do is make a small box for it like they did with the Genesis and Turbo Grafx and you could have 3DO working on it. Future games will use the 3D technology in which they are working on using 3D glasses.
These are some of the highlights of the 1994 Winter CES. To go in depth and tell you every game shown would take days and tons of pages of reports. I figured this was most of the hot stuff there and would fill your needs of what you are interested in. Videos of the show can be purchased for twelve dollars plus three shipping. Make checks or money orders out to Linda Chinn and send it to:
Video Source
973 Foxglove Dr.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
I hope you enjoyed this report of the 1994 Winter CES, and find the information useful.
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drkn...@Garg.Campbell.CA.US (Marty Chinn)
The Land of Garg BBS -- +1 408 378-5108
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