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PLAYSTATION
Duke Nukem: A Time To Kill
(GT Interactive) £39.99
Duke Nukem: gun totin' machismo
As you "iay hate surmised iron the name, this little package of third- person .30 gan totin' zirachisnio Isn't ai'ned at introducing the joys of gaining to tne female popu'atioi‘. In ‘ac i, =t's nar‘ci land I could end the sentence "ight there" to ir'iagi'te cill‘,’il‘ill(; 'ess :E'KOIV to ‘~.'.ide.'1 deo garnes' aopea? beyond i'lt‘ stereotypical audience of stile" teenage boys ‘.‘.l‘:() fist their i‘ooires as masturbation and sizoot~r‘g l)(‘()l)!("
fort;."ateay, A linie fo Kr/lal'ox‘s is target market to enjoy l)()I.". of their ‘ax'oia'ite pursaits as Duke s‘.'.'aggers through tarnous scenarios, ino:sing no assorted strippers, hookers and don‘inatrzxes, sinok ng 'pig-cops' and grunting redneck phrases like ‘Suc k or: my boo'nstK k'
ll‘n’s is fantastic fun if you've the stomach for it Wh Ie the \‘vxeapons' caoaoil,’.ies are a gun freak's dreair, sheer ‘ii'epo\.'.er isn't enough to progress through the levels It's not i‘o‘.'. II‘Ii( h dynamite you have, but tat you do math .1 that counts
One S’Yld'; but significant type is that you can't save segments of a «exel, only ‘.'.'v‘.ole Eevels, ‘i.‘\.'l‘|( It can be a bind you only l‘ave iiniited time to play Inc identally, for a character who is supposed to be 1000:; red-blooded and vinie, it's a little strange to see Duke as a \.’i||age People clone iii the cowboy level iJIi
122 THE LIST 3 ‘/ Lit-z 7998
PC Half-Life (Sierra) £39.99
Where would the gaming world be without the crazy, kooky scientist? Without the scheming that goes on within their great, domed heads there would be no experiments going wrong, no genetic mutation, no alternative dimensions and fewer monsters crawling the free world. A big thank you goes out to white-coated maniacs everywhere.
However, being a zany professor is no picnic as you soon discover after playing Half-Life for five minutes. During your first day on the job at a secret research facility, things go terribly Pete Tong when an overload in the test chamber releases all kinds of skittering and shambling horrors. As the only
member of the research team wearing a hazard suit, you are swiftly volunteered to go for help and the
game begins.
Half~Life is a first-person shoot 'em up adventure utilising the Quake II engine and following most of the genre's routines. You must find weapons, ammo, switches for doors etc, while avoiding decapitation, mutilation and death at the hands of the monstrous
legion of creatures.
What makes Half-Life different is the thought with which the developers have created their world. The environment is believable and interactive and the use of light and dark really cranks the tension up. Your
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fellow employees also play a large part in the action. As a new recruit at the facility you have poor security
clearance so colleagues must be persuaded to open
doors; plus, if you are quick on the trigger, saving the life of a security guard will gain you bonus goodies. The creatures are also eerily intelligent and will hide, ambush, creep or run away depending on their situation. Half-Life is a game that feels right. Total
immersion in the world is inescapable and frights and
(Iain Davidson)
surprises are around every corner. A perfect blend of teasing puzzles and rip-roaring action, Half-Life is a joy which will keep you busy till Quake III arrives.
Colony Wars -
Vengeance
(Psygnosis) £39.99
Ine ongieai colon; '/‘./ars ‘.'.as a good,
sol.d :inssion-based ill) space blaster,
but it oniy ever scraped the sky, falling
slort of true steliar brilliance llopes
are ll!(l" for the seguel and (fo/ony
l/Va/s
to them In the first ganue, you played a
starfightei pilot at the league of Free
\‘uforlds, a Luke Sscyzzalker type fighting
‘flvrgearice more than lives up
L.,..m.w_-.__..,...--.._- .-.-..... .a
: revenge is sweet
against the tyranny of the Empire In Vengeanc e, the Empire is striking back and you play another talented rookie, Mertens, using your skill for the imperial cause
You must fly in a series of cruc ial missions Success in each takes the Empire a step closer to vengeance, but failure forces you into harder and harder missions until the League triumph
Colony Wars Vengeance is great for three reasons First, it is graphically superb the space battles are sumptuous showcases of bright explosions, speeding enemy craft and looming planets. Secondly, the star'fighter handling is smooth and easy, crucially adding to the realism finally, the mission-based structure, ciit scenes and frequent intercom messages lend Vengeance a fantastic immersive guality that will have you switching on your PlayStation and reaching for the stars more often than your social life can probably stand. Revenge, as they say, is sweet (PR)
Michael Owen 5 World League Soccer (Eidos) £39.99 Do not underestimate the power of celebrity endorsement. English football's World Cup \t'underkind, Michael Owen, stares 'II()()(iI|y from the box and gabbles, with what you’re
sure to agree is genuine OIIIhUSIdSIII, 'Havrng played most football games on the market, WLS was the game. I most enjoyed I'm delighted to now be associated with it'
Cue a dramatic intro scene of Owen hitting the back of the net and playing keepy-uppy. Sadly, this is about as exciting and innovative as things get It's not that this is a bad game In fact, like yocing Michael himself, it's perfectly decent What's annoying is that it will sell more c0pies than it deserves purely on the strength of one man's autograph Not that you can blame Eidos A if the DUDIIC are happy to spend the cash, then they'd be foolish not to take it. Just be aware that there are better football games out there (PR)
Lemmings Compilation (Psygnosis) £19.99 The original cult Video puzzle game, Lemmings is hardly a not of exhilarating action and characterisation But what it lacks in adventure, it makes up for in sheer compulsive ’got to have one more go'- ness, and now it’s out on PlayStation The whole concept is surely familiar by now A troupe of Lemmings iyou know, the little green haired (I'IllOl'S‘ need to find their way home and it's your Job to gtiide them over obstacles to safety by assigning them skills