archive

N

 

6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temperature
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A - Long Term Shelf Life
B - Deserves Another Play
C - Once Should Suffice

 

NAMCO MUSEUM Vol. 4

This Namco series is a damn good idea. Having created so many arcade games over the last few decades or so, many people actually long to at least see the primitive, yet addictive games they used to frequent before home entertainment boomed. But what's cool about the Namco Museum is the playability of the games as well as background history, release details, promotional items and internal dissection. On NamMus 4 you'll find games like yet another Pacman version and Valkerie. They are accessed by travelling through the interactive environment of the museum where you can stroll about and check out the whole place, accessing the game of your choice. Good ol' memories will be accessed just as quickly. Strictly for retro game fans.

3 / A
- PB

 

TOTAL NBA 98

The speed of this game could confuse the non-sports fan as the points get racked up in this fairly realistic basketball game featuring your favourite NBA stars (not like you can see them, anyway. Slam dunk it, biatch!

3 / B
- PB

 

NIGHTMARE CREATURES

Take a liberal dose of
Doom, gently stir in a few cups of Tomb Raider, add a splash of horror/zombie movie in an 1800's London setting, shake vigourously and hey presto(!), you've got a rich cocktail better known as Nightmare Creatures ! This truly cool, atmospheric play draws upon the best elements of these games and still throws in a lot of originality and addictive gameplay, all in the shape of a traditional tale of good & evil and the graphic ways & means of fighting it. But here the bad guys are ultra wicked and you're their mean, blessed competition. Doctor Crowley is the twisted maniac behind the whole plot and you can play either the devoted Ignatius Blackwood or the curvy Nadia, who are out to stop Crowley from overrunning London with his zombie/monster creations. My favourite character is Nadia as she is quicker & better looking - I think Miss Croft has some competition in this lass, clad in tight riding pants, suede knee-high boots & long gloves, string-tied top and black pony tail - yummy. She wields her sword with gusto and kicks high, low and hard. The Blackwood character wields a spiked & bladed stick, which will get you through certain stages much easier than our sexy counterpart whose power runs out quicker. You'll go up against no less than 24 creatures which, to name but a few, include moaning zombies, giant growling beasts and multi-headed or tentacled water monsters & batfreaks. You'll have your hands full dismembering, slashing and shooting these braindead freaks of the undead, who try their utmost to prevent you from catching up to their evil master, Doctor Crowley. With not an overwhelming amount of horror themed games available, Nightmare Creatures will satisfy many a happy gamer. The dark, tense music matches the dingy, damp, misty settings which lead you through old London streets, churches, dungeons, cemeteries, the London Zoo, the harbour and other eerie locations. Collecting life-force and special weapons like single shot guns, dynamite, spells, potions etc. will prove essential as these fuckers will beat you to a pulp without even so much as a blink or a "please, sir". Blood flies when you whack these grisly ghouls through the many grueling levels which (thank god) has a password to launch you into your last accomplished stage - a function which will make the memory card deprived smile. Skipping to a later level will, regrettably lead to sacrificing a life or two for this privilege. Some of the extra details include rats which squeak when you step on them, spooky mist effects, rain & snow, ambient soundFX and a super smoothe, almost immaculate opening animation sequence of Crowley hacking away at one of his undead creature creations. A map is also at your disposal if you get a little lost. The camera swoops along cinematically, adding to the atmospheric feeling. Loading time doesn't take too long and the levels continue for as long as you can stand up - that is if your life clock doesn't run out; this is overcome when you encounter a beasty and dispatch him before you're his breakfast. While the faint of heart will scream with delight, gore-hounds will revel in this great visually interactive experience. With not an overwhelming amount of horror themed games available, Nightmare Creatures will satisfy many a happy gamer with its great new angle on an old recipe.

4 / B
- PB


...the 2nd Opinion...

NIGHTMARE CREATURES
In stead of being taken on a racy, spacey futuristic trip, the creators of
Nightmare Creatures decided to fling us a couple of centuries into the past to battle the evil Dr Crowley and his monsters in the damp, misty streets of London. You don't have a wide choice of characters, though, the pick limited to Ignatius the righteous fighter of all evil or his sexy sidekick, the curvaceous Nadia. Obviously the two have different weapons, abilities and strength, but most of you perverts will more than likely pick Nadia to see her butt wiggle when she runs down the cobblestone, rat infested streets or hear her sighing as she expends energy beating up, decapitating and annihilating zombies and beasts. That's why I picked her! Each stage takes you through a different part of old London, hot on the elusive Crowley's trail who wants to take over the city with his mutated freaky creatures. The superb soundtrack sets the mood while the variety of monsters seems to be inexhaustible. A bunch of hidden goodies all over the show will assist you in dispatching the adamant undead. Your weapon (sword for Nadia, double bladed stick for Ignatius) can be upgraded to dismember the toughest beast with one swish. You can collect a snowflake, which freezes your opponents, and have you shatter them to bits. There's fire, extra energy, dynamite, single firing pistols and extra lives to name but a few. Hidden passages can be accessed by means of levers and a map of the area can be checked out if you're stuck (something that will happen more than once). Your time does run out so you have to move your ass. What makes this game stand out is its mood and originality. Sure, each level boils down to the same thing, but there's no way in hell they'll let you catch up to Crowley without putting you through your paces, proving your worth. Buckets of blood and tubs of gore. You'll love it.

5 / B
- PP

 

NIGHTMARE CREATURES II

Remember the original with the evil Crowley and his monstrous experiments? Well, the bugger's back and this time round you're one of his experiments: a cowering, tattered trench coat wearing freaked out, pale and bandaged padded room mental patient with patchy streaky black hair.
Marilyn Manson fans will love him. His favourite friend is an axe and along the way there are many ghouls and zombies to hack to gory bits. The atmosphere is amazing, the mood music like a horror soundtrack and the blood-o-meter clocking in many pints per level. Besides climbing up ladders and kicking in doors throughout the dungeon-like, damp and eerie areas, you can also swim through flooded areas. You can collect power-ups, special weapons and abilities along the way as your psychotic instinct leads you to your destiny. I witnessed some visual glitches, but it's nothing too serious.

4 / B
- PB

 

NO FEAR DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKING

The only other mountain biking game I've experienced was part of Rushdown. This game is quite an improvement (but without added kayak & snowboarding like the aforementioned). There are six characters to choose from (equal gender split), the ladies' warm-up routines while you decide to pick them, far more sexy than the males'. But, it all depends on whether you want to pick someone with more stamina, but less, power, equal parts or more recovery attributes than stability. You progress through Amateur, Pro and Elite leagues, the courses including everything from town & country tracks in Yorkshire, UK, a dry river valley in Morocco and San Francisco hills to New Zealand riversides and German & Canadian tracks. The bikes handle well and the character response is realistic (especially when you go flying over the handlebars when slamming full speed into a barrier! Quite a laugh). You replays of your races where a study can be made of your mistakes. Besides the intro, you can also access clips of the developers showreel of other games and a Giant bicycle promo - they're not forced on you, so you can check 'em out without it being shoved in your face. Single races, Time Trials & Championships can be had. Dual and Tournament need to be unlocked first. Maps of the courses are shown while your bike configuration is given while the game loads. The game comes complete with whirring sprockets & spokes and the cyclist grunting as pedalling gets tough. The soundtrack is also lively, like any extreme sorts game should.

4 / B
- PB