SCANNER
PLAYSTATION Dino Crisis (Capcom) £34.99 a + t i
The lizard king: Dino Crisis
It wasn’t so long ago that survival horror was hailed as the king of game genres. The fiercely addictive combination of sneaking and shooting, puzzles and panics seemed to push all the right fun buttons. Yet, strangely, no-one has been able to top it as an experience. Now we have Resident Evil's creator Shinji Kikami having a stab at reinventing the
genre. Now we have Dino Crisis.
Imagine a crack SWAT team attempting to rescue the characters in the movie Jurassic Park, and you will understand the opening plot to Dino Crisis. As part of this insertion squad, you must search the facility's main compound, then find and save the chief scientist. However, with eight- foot tall carnivores wandering the corridors, this soon proves harder than
anyone planned.
Anyone who has played, or even glanced at, a survival horror game
before will immediately feel at home. The 'changing camera, find the key, combine the items’ gameplay remains unchanged. The plot trundles along merrily, driven by a succession of memos, diaries and computer files, while bigger weapons and better medication make themselves available. What does separate Dino Crisis from the rest is the enemy. These beasties are vicious. They are fast. They are rarely outsmarted and even the solidity of a steel door may not provide sanctuary. Tackling them head-on can result in a swift death so, as well as some handy crawl spaces in the ceilings, there are laser grid barriers on most corridors. Play chicken with a Velociraptor, flick the switch and — hey presto! - a trapped Terrasaur. This means that, although combat is often unavoidable, evasion becomes a major part of the game and requires a small shift in thinking to master
it.
The facility is nicely rendered and the characters all look great, particularly when bleeding all over the floor. However, as beautifully animated as the dinosaurs are, they cannot prevent Dino Crisis from feeling all too familiar. Initially pleasing, there is never any sense of the extraordinary, and the generic gameplay and plot reduce it to yet another
survival game. (lain Davidson)
up and lS somewhat annOying because Of it.
There are a variety of challenges to attempt, a wealth of characters and some sna22y graphics, but the erratic gameplay spoils what c0u|d have been so good. For some, enough Just isn't enough.HDi
PLAYSTATION FIFA 2000 (EA Sports) £34.99 a A 7‘. a.
Of all the millions and sqquions of football games Out there, FIFA stands out as the undisputed champion. Why this shOuld be is not clear. It doesn't look the best, it doesn’t play the best, it lacks a mountain of options and challenging it is not, And yet there is something there that draws the crowds time and again.
Take FIFA 2000. It looks nice, if not breathtaking, and the player animation is clear, crisp and obVious. All the top
teams are there — although not the top players who have deals with other gaming companies — and there are a good few competitions to take part in, The football itself is easy to control, responswe and the scoring of goals is easier than in most titles. Nothing is less than adequate, yet nothing is Outstanding
Perhaps this is the strength of F/FA7 While other football games have huge bonuses but huge flaws, the F/FA titles are as solid as yOu c0uld Wish for. So, if you want to know exactly what yOU are buying, Without the possibility of surprise, then FIFA 2000 is for yOu.
REVIEWER THIS ISSUE: Iain Dawdson
STAR RATINGS
* r * a r- Unmissable
1' s ~ * Very ood
1: a it Wort a shot
* 1 Below average
* You've been warned
Totall wired
The weird wor d of the Web
Moon Landing Conspiracy http: xfxx'.lazangelfirecom ut aylett ethb9.r‘it'r
Not oe at; one ‘o' conso.rac1.itneoines, l don”. ta-ce :“ s serous; at "rs: Nor old a: SECO"O, out at third it started making a .0: 0‘ sense Supposedly
o“ c a NASA U"()‘.OS analysed, and the (o"c as o" s ("at oi‘ (".0 first moon landings, there as "‘ore than the sun operatng as a st"c)"g lg“: SOurce, thereby creating wilciy different shadox'x Cl‘TGCIIOHS Just a feet apart The lilagic Bu’iet Theory of the Space Race
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http:ili.=.i\.=.i\.'.i.britannicacoml
This is one of the th rigs tl‘e Web was waiting for The oldest and largest general reference book n the Englsh language has gone on-line Perhaps finally threatened by the Web, it now offers free access to its vast database Subsidised by adverts, this is ;ust a srhal' price to pay for such a wealth of knowledge
Genuine Family Fortunes Answers
httpz, "\.'i.ii.=.i\r-.i.geoclties.com’SouthBeach/Pointe/Z709/fortunes.html
Already knox'rr‘ to many, this page has somehox‘x justified the game show This is the 'Best Of' that we'll never see on T\/ 'Name something a blind man might use’ 'A sword 7' Our survey said ‘XX'
The Goatee Page httpz/i’iwiwi.v.bluecalabash.com.au/goatee/
Trace the popularity of the goatee from Elizabethan times, through Shaggy from Scooby Boo, to Brad Pitt and Satan. This traces its etymology back to goats (SUFDFISmgly/ and encourages y0u to ’start playing and learn the fun of the goatee'. Fine, as long as you're not talking about the real fOur-legged goatees.
The Alternate Dictionary http://wxiiw.notam.ulo.no/~hcholm/altlang/
Forget the official foreign phrasebook — this site tells you all you need to know about collociuialisms in as many languages as possible. Learn all about bampots and skitters, if you’re not au fan with the Scots parlance. Definitely a dictionary with a smile on its face.
The Gallery Of 'Misused' Quotation Marks http://vvwii'rjuvalamucom/qmarks/
We’ve all seen them on handwritten signs, or 'official' Signs hanging outside shops ‘For Sale' 'One Careful Owner'. 'Phone Cards’. 'On Sale'. 'Here.’ I know it SOunds grammatically anal' but, it’s like everyone’s talking like 'Ross’ Out of Friends.
The Chap Magazine http://wwwartflnk.demon.co.uk/chap/ Everything the aspiring chap needs to know. From the semiotics of hair to subverswe acts of common c0urte3y, With info on how to do in other people's mobile phones With a hammer. With a medical section detailing how to deal With ailments like Raconteur's Wrist or Picnicker’s Elbow, this site has the know-how to turn you into the perfect gent, regardless of sex.
(Steve Blair)
18 llov—Z Dec 1999 THE lIST123