“The Gods Must Be Angry”
-the tagline for Divine Wrath, which appeared in TV and magazine advertisements for the game
“There are some great RPGs coming out this month, but if you don't like any of them, you can always make your own!”
-Ted Crosley, from the intro to the May 2, 2000 episode of GameTV, referring to the game RPG Maker
“Legacy of Kain looks gorgeous on the Ultra Nintendo, far better than it did on the Sega Saturn even with both games crammed onto a single disc. This could be the biggest Saturn port yet.”
-from a Gamespot.com article breaking the official news about the Ultra Nintendo Legacy of Kain port, posted on May 1, 2000
“Dragon Quest VII looks to be the last gasp for the Sega Saturn in Japan, just seven months out from the release of the Katana.”
-from the “Japan Update” segment of the June 2000 issue of Game Informer magazine
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Ultra Nintendo:
All Star Tennis 2000
EGM: 7.0 (quote: “A solid tennis title with really pretty graphics.”)
Gamespot: 6.1 (quote: “The graphical detail is nice, but the bland selection of gameplay modes limits the replay value.”)
Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn
EGM: 3.0 (quote: “A miserably flawed stealth title that you should stay away from.”)
Gamespot: 5.4 (quote: “The gameplay could really use a lot more polish.”)
FIFA 2001 (also released for the Saturn)
EGM: 8.7 (quote: “The latest installment of the world's favorite soccer title is a real winner.”)
Gamespot: 8.4 (quote: “The field looks almost real and this game features an amazing selection of teams.”)
Mark Of The Wolves
EGM: 9.0 (quote: “The best SNK fighting game since Samurai Showdown.”)
Gamespot: 8.4 (quote: “Not only does this game feature great fighting and plenty of characters, it's also got a superb storyline.”)
RPG Maker
EGM: 7.0 (quote: “It's time consuming to make an RPG with this tool, but with plenty of patience, you can definitely make a great one.”)
Gamespot: 6.5 (quote: “Primitive graphics and clunky menus keep this from being as fun as it should be, even for a hardcore RPG fan.”)
SaGa Frontier 2
EGM: 8.0 (quote: “Squaresoft's sequel hits all the right notes and ties up all the previous game's loose ends.”)
Gamespot: 8.6 (quote: “An instant RPG classic.”)
Seventh Cross: Evolution
EGM: N/A
Gamespot: 5.6 (quote: “This game is just way too weird for an average player to get into. It's complex, but to a fault.”)
Ultra Excitebike
EGM: 9.0 (quote: “Nintendo brings back a classic with modern bikes and amazingly fun controls.”)
Gamespot: 9.4 (quote: “One of the best motorcycle games ever made, it gave me hours of fun.”)
Ultra Indy Racing (also released for the Saturn as Indy 500: Start Your Engines)
EGM: 7.3 (quote: “An exciting and very fast Indycar racer.”)
Gamespot: 7.6 (quote: “It's realistic, sure, but it's as fun as a great arcade racer.”)
Ultra Road Rash 2
EGM: 6.0 (quote: “Just falls flat compared to previous games in the series.”)
Gamespot: 4.8 (quote: “A real disappointment, painfully short on tracks and with very dull graphics.”)
Divine Wrath
EGM: 9.5 (quote: “This game features one of the best selections of characters of any fighting game ever made.”)
Gamespot: 9.4 (quote: “It plays so perfectly, the characters are incredibly well balanced.”)
Fluid Fighters
EGM: 5.0 (quote: “For a game called Fluid Fighters, the fighting isn't very fluid.”)
Gamespot: 5.9 (quote: “The graphics were all right, but the fighting itself is fairly generic stuff.”)
Stone: Slayers Of Rugal
EGM: 6.8 (quote: “It's certainly not the worst fighting game, and some of the character designs are quite creative.”)
Gamespot: 7.0 (quote: “One of the cheesiest fighting games ever...and yet, I had some fun with this one.”)
The Gemini Project
EGM: 5.5 (quote: “The combat reticle barely helps, leading to firefights that turn into guessing games.”)
Gamespot: 6.1 (quote: “I wanted to like this a lot more for its fascinating storyline, but the gameplay was quite disappointing.”)
Bad Noon Rising
EGM: 7.2 (quote: “As far as Western games go, it's definitely one of the better ones I've played.”)
Gamespot: 6.0 (quote: “The levels could've used a lot more variety. The music score is a strong point, it definitely reminded me of old Ennio Morricone.”)
Escape From Laser City
EGM: 6.7 (quote: “Beautiful neon-style graphics and a compelling plot kept me playing. It's just a shame the combat was so repetitive.”)
Gamespot: 7.5 (quote: “You'll never play a more brutal brawler this year...and it's one of the best brawlers I've played in a while.”)
Soldier Of Misfortune
EGM: 7.7 (quote: “It's a callback to old school platformers with some really silly visuals, and ultimately, it works.”)
Gamespot: 7.3 (quote: “You'll love this game's playful protagonist, though the gameplay itself isn't as creative as its visuals.”)
Saturn:
Windborn II
EGM: 8.7 (quote: “A gorgeous RPG, one of the Saturn's prettiest games.”)
Gamespot: 9.0 (quote: “While it lacks the poignancy of the original game, it makes up for it with stellar gameplay and an amazing cast.”)
Pachi Pachi Panic!!
EGM: 8.5 (quote: “This is one of the most insane shooters you'll ever play.”)
Gamespot: 5.7 (quote: “There's too much going on, and ultimately, this is a shooter that relies on luck more than skill, a fatal flaw.”)
Wonder Project
EGM: N/A
Gamespot: 6.5 (quote: “A strange sim that will either pull you in or push you far, far away.”)
Game Boy Nova:
Little Andrekah
EGM: 8.2 (quote: “It's cute, I'll give it that much!”)
Gamespot: 7.3 (quote: “While Little Andrekah is a bit too small in scale to capture the original game's charm, it's still a really fun and cute action title.”)
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Roger Ebert: And, I think I speak for everybody when I say, welcome back. This show hasn't been the same without you.
Gene Siskel: Well, it was touch and go for a while, but, you know, I couldn't let you have the theater to yourself.
Ebert: Couldn't let me win, huh?
Siskel: Could not let you win.
Ebert: Really good to have you back. And the first film we're gonna talk about after more than a year apart, it's a good one, it's Gladiator.
Siskel: Well, you might've thought it was a good one, but I've gotta disagree and I think you know why.
Ebert: So am I gonna be the one to defend the casting in this film?
Siskel: I thought the casting was great. Joaquin Phoenix is a fantastic Commodus. But the elephant in the room, the one thing that really dragged this film down was the casting of Maximus, and I will never for the life of me understand how Adam Sandler got this part. He was terrible.
Ebert: You know, he definitely wasn't the best actor in this movie.
Siskel: That is a tremendous understatement.
(…)
Siskel: This could've been a really good movie, but for me it all comes back to that lead role and I just can't accept Adam Sandler as Maximus.
Ebert: But he's-
Siskel: I know, I know, he's been doing some good work. He was good in Saving Private Ryan and I thought he was great in last year's A Streetcar Named Desire. I saw that movie right after my third brain surgery and it picked me right back up, he was a great Stanley. But he just cannot carry an epic film like this and it crashed and burned the whole thing. I wish they could've gotten Russell Crowe to do this movie because I know he wanted to do it.
Ebert: Right, right, and he and Ridley Scott just couldn't get along.
Siskel: Couldn't they have gotten anybody else but Adam Sandler? I think you could've made a better Maximus than Adam Sandler.
Ebert: *laughs* I highly doubt that. You know, for my money, this is a beautiful film, the visuals are stunning and it tells a fantastic story of revenge and honor, and Adam Sandler, while not amazing, is still competent in the role. I give Gladiator a thumbs up, I think it's one of the best films of the year so far.
Siskel: I just can't give it a thumbs up. When you're the lead, you have to carry the film. Adam Sandler drove this movie into the ground, his acting was painful at times. I'm giving Gladiator a thumbs down.
Ebert: One guy, one guy ruined the movie for you?
Siskel: He's three years removed from singing the Hanukkah Song!
Ebert: I think this movie showed off his range.
Siskel: I think he was terrible.
-from Siskel and Ebert At The Movies, April 30, 2000
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(Authors' Note: The idea for Divine Wrath came from our reader HonestAbe1809! While we filled out most of the details, it was his idea to make Loki the villain of the game and to feature Medusa.)
Not only is Divine Wrath one of the best looking fighting games to date, with beautiful backgrounds and tremendously detailed character models, it's also jam-packed with characters, 26 in all. You only get 14 at the start, and must unlock the remaining 12 through completing the game's story mode and various other objectives. The fighters span the gamut of myths and legends, including gods from many pantheons across history.
They include:
Thor- Wields a hammer and powerful lightning attacks.
Odin- Also wields a hammer, attacks with divine energy and earth-based attacks.
Loki- Uses ice attacks and a variety of weapons.
Heimdall- Blasts enemies with sonic-based attacks from his horn.
Freyja- Attacks with swift strikes and a mighty spear.
Zeus- Utilizes lightning bolts and powerful strikes.
Hercules- A strictly melee fighter who specializes in grapples and throws.
Hades- Uses the spirits of the dead to strike foes.
Apollo- Plays his lyre and sometimes hits enemies with it.
Athena- Uses a sword to strike powerfully at her foes.
Medusa- Uses her snakes, can temporarily petrify enemies and ensorcell them.
Shiva- Can switch forms in battle to strike in a variety of ways.
Vishnu- Fights with his four limbs and a variety of weapons.
Brahma- Another melee-based fighter with powerful strikes.
Lakshmi- Also has four limbs, but instead of weapons, uses melee and energy-based strikes.
Ra- Fire-based attacks that utilize the power of the sun.
Set- Strikes with a powerful rod, surprisingly dextrous.
Horus- Very speedy, can take flight over short distances to strike from above.
Anubis- Utilizes dark energy, can also teleport.
Sekhmet- Utilizes projectile weapons but can also strike with quick melee blows.
Lucifer- Can transform from a quick striking human to a powerful demon.
Gabriel- Wields a pair of swords and can float somewhat like Horus.
Lilith- Specializes in lower body strikes to undermine her enemies.
Amaterasu- Incredibly quick, maybe the fastest character in the game, utilizing powerful energy attacks.
Izanagi- Utilizes a very long spear to strike foes but is vulnerable close up.
Hachiman- Another powerful melee attacker who utilizes fire.
In story mode, Loki is the primary villain. He seeks to bring about Ragnarok, and finds a way to access all dimensions, bringing the war to all the sacred realms. Gods must unite from across many pantheons to stop Loki's plans and save their worlds. While Loki is the final boss in every story mode (except his own, where he battles Odin), the penultimate boss depends on who you select as your character (Gabriel and Lucifer battle each other, Ra and Anubis battle each other, etc.).
-excerpted from an article about Divine Wrath on a game review website which awarded the game 4.5/5
Divine Wrath was lauded as one of the best 2-D fighting games of 2000, and probably the best fighting game to be released since Soul Calibur. It wasn't without controversy, of course. The game included many gods from a number of religions both past and present, including beings from Shinto, Hindu, and Judeo-Christian tradition, and this led to criticism from a number of religious figures, particularly Christians who were none-too-happy to see players able to control the devil in a fighting game. The game's violence also courted controversy, rivaling some of Midway's other games, particularly the Mortal Kombat series. Ultimately though, most players loved Divine Wrath, seeing it as an enormous improvement on Midway's previous attempt to create a game involving religious deities (War Gods). The first half of 2000 was fairly sparse in terms of major games, with only Disavowed and Velvet Dark really moving the needle significantly in terms of sales. Divine Wrath took advantage of the sparse landscape and sold a ton of copies throughout the year, becoming one of the year's biggest sellers.
-from an article on Gamesovermatter.com
*Loki is standing at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a massive sphere of glowing black energy.*
Loki: It's time...it's time for the ultimate battle to bring all dimensions under my control!
Medusa: *looking very visually pleasing in this game, somewhat like Medusa from OTL's Kid Icarus: Uprising* Well well, someone's counting their chickens before they hatch...
Loki: Is that you, Medusa? I'm tempted to look at you but I know of your power.... *he smirks and turns, looking her right in the eye* But as a god, I am immune!
Medusa: You're not immune to being ripped limb from limb... *she strokes one of her hair snakes and smiles*
Loki: Do you not welcome Ragnarok as well? Do you not desire to see Olympus crumble? I know you've been dying for your revenge after being Athena's prisoner for so long...
Medusa: Athena is dead. *referring to how she defeated Athena in her sub-boss fight* And you soon will be...
Loki: If your wish is to die, I will grant it!
-from Medusa's pre-final boss cutscene in Divine Wrath
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Eidos Update: Unlucky Hexx, Lucky Nintendo
In Eidos' Soldier Of Misfortune, you're a strange, jester-like character named Hexx with the power to cause bad luck wherever you go. Hexx can make enemies trip, make things fall on their heads, make the ground open up beneath them, or cause any number of bad luck-related mishaps toward his foes. The game is a fully 3-D platformer, where your goal is to collect pieces of a broken mirror in each world, in the hopes of restoring Hexx's good luck so that he can reunite with his friends. His only companion on his journey is Nightshade, a black cat that can transform into a human being. She too is affected by Hexx's bad luck (she gets into various mishaps over the course of the story), but sticks with him anyway, and keeps him encouraged as he goes from world to world. The game happens to be the curious product of the dispute between Eidos and Silicon Knights over the Legacy of Kain franchise, where Silicon Knights agreed to let Eidos have the full rights to the series in return for publishing and promoting Soldier of Misfortune. It's a quality game, though only time will tell whether or not it'll have the same legacy that Kain has had.
In the meantime, Legacy Of Kain is set to make its debut on the Ultra Nintendo, as a two-game bundle containing the original game as well as the sequel, Soul Reaver. The two games are package under one title and contained on one disc, with small graphical improvements made. While Soul Reaver is nearly identical to last year's Saturn hit, there's definitely a noticeable difference in the graphics between the Saturn Blood Omen and the game on the Ultra Nintendo, which features more detailed environments and smoother looking characters. Legacy of Kain releases on the Ultra Nintendo this summer, and judging from the stellar reception and sales the games received on the Saturn, the two-game compilation could be one of the Ultra Nintendo's biggest hits of the year.
-from an article in the June 2000 issue of GamePro magazine
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May 2000 is known as a pivotal month in gaming history, both for the events that took place behind the scenes and for a number of popular franchises that got their start (Divine Wrath, Soldier Of Misfortune, Gemini). Also during the month of May 2000 came two RPG sequels: Windborn II, the sequel to one of the best RPGs in the history of the Sega Saturn, and SaGa Frontier 2, the latest game in Square's SaGa series and the sequel to a somewhat obscure late-gen SNES-CD RPG. The two games had markedly different approaches to the classic turn-based RPG genre, and in comparing and contrasting them, we get a pretty good idea of where the genre was at the time.
Windborn II had a tough act to follow, but for the most part, it succeeded. Though it had very little do to with the previous game (it doesn't even take place in the same world, though Hane makes a cameo appearance, indicating that perhaps the games take place in the same universe), it shared the excellent battle system from the previous title and also featured the superb animation and music that's been a series hallmark. In Windborn II, you play as Fritz, a young tinkerer who stumbles upon an ancient music box. The music box seems to guide him to a temple outside the village, and in the temple, Fritz meets Loria, a beautiful but shy girl who can sing the songs that the music box plays. Loria tells Fritz he must follow the music box's songs to a number of locations throughout the world, which becomes the key to stopping an impending apocalypse. Along the way, Fritz and Loria befriend more adventurers, but also run afoul of Trevain, the leader of a dangerous and sadistic gang of thieves who seek the music box's secrets for themselves. The plot eventually grows into something far more complex, where characters aren't what they seem and the music box's true secrets are something the player never sees coming. Windborn II came on three Saturn discs, and got a stellar reception from critics. The plot itself was ultimately more light-hearted than the original game, though there are certainly some dark moments for Fritz as he travels on his journey. Ultimately, fans embraced the game, which lived up to its hype.
SaGa Frontier 2 actually continued its story from where the original game left off, introducing the characters of Asellus, who is taken in as a concubine by an evil mystic lord named Orlouge after being struck by his carriage, and Lute, a young lad seeking adventure who eventually attempts to avenge his father's death at the hands of the gangster Mondo (who appeared as an ally in the original game, though he did seem to take on a darker role in the game's sixth quest). Though Mondo ends up being the game's primary villain, the game's plot eventually takes a deeper turn as characters discover relics left behind by ancient heroes of the past who once battled a powerful evil force known as the Egg. Mondo is only the latest would-be tyrant to seek the Egg's power, and Asellus, Lute, a multitude of heroes from the previous game, and a number of new heroes from both past and present must join forces to prevent Mondo from harnessing the power of the Egg before it's too late. SaGa Frontier 2 follows a somewhat more linear storyline than the previous game, and instead of choosing from between five different shorter separate quests, the game has only one quest as the heroes struggle together to stop Mondo. It retains the familiar battle system of the previous game, with characters able to learn new skills in the midst of battle and utilize powerful (and spontaneous) combination attacks. While Asellus and Lute are introduced as the game's primary heroes, players could use whichever team they liked once they obtained enough party members (of which only ten were required and 18 were optional). SaGa Frontier 2 was much more positively received by critics than its predecessor, for its advanced graphics and long, epic quest.
Generally, Windborn II scored better amongst critics, averaging in the high 8s/low 9s from reviewers, while SaGa Frontier 2 mostly scored in the mid-8s. However, SaGa Frontier 2 sold better, both in North America and Japan. It was close, but Squaresoft's game came out on top likely due to company recognition and a higher install base for the Ultra Nintendo. Neither game did especially well in sales, with SaGa Frontier 2 barely managing 150,000 sales in North America, and Windborn II around 125,000. Some fans preferred to make their own RPGs: Agetec's RPG Maker also came out that month, though it didn't sell very well at all. The biggest RPGs of 2000 were yet to come: Legend Of Mana, Tale Illumina, and of course, Pokemon Gold and Silver. Ultimately, May's big sequels were merely the RPG undercard, the main event was about to begin...
-from “The RPGs Of 2000”, an article on GamesUltima.com, posted on November 14, 2011
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“Ultra Excitebike smokes the competition with some of the best play controls ever featured in a sports game! The Ultra Nintendo's controller is perfect for controlling your bike, both for winning close races and pulling off amazing stunts. Nintendo continues its run of fantastic extreme sports games, first with the Wave Race series and now with this resurrection of an NES classic. Forget everything you've read about motorcycle games, Nintendo's Ultra Excitebike redeems the genre in an instant.”
-excerpted from IGN.com's 9.5/10 review of Ultra Excitebike
Divine Wrath is easily the most notable game of the month, but with its bloody violence and gratuitous use of contemporary religious deities, parents are likely to stay away from this excellent but controversial game. And what game stands to benefit? The equally excellent, yet far less controversial Ultra Excitebike. Nintendo's spring slate, with the exceptions of Divine Wrath and Velvet Dark, has been a bit of a dead zone, and Ultra Excitebike is a family-friendly game that Nintendo's been pushing more than any other over the past month. It's already #2 on the rental charts at Blockbuster, behind only Divine Wrath, and it's likely to maintain that position for weeks to come.
-from an article on Gamespot.com, May 20, 2000
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Remember Princess Maker on the Super Nintendo CD? Enix's Wonder Project for the Sega Saturn is like that, but perhaps a bit less weird. It's a virtual “parent sim” of sorts, where you interact with a young robot girl named Josie as she experiences daily life, but eventually stumbles onto something extraordinary. It doesn't play like a “normal” sim game, but more like an interactive storybook (which is somewhat appropriate, considering that part of the game's inspiration is the classic story Pinocchio). Wonder Project won't win many awards, but if you're looking for something different and maybe just a little bit heartwarming, give it a try (it's not like there are many other games on the Saturn these days).
-from the June 2000 issue of Animerica
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*Ted is on stage with Alex, in a big muscle suit.*
Alex Stansfield: I'm Alex...
Ted Crosley: And I'm the mighty Tedcules! *flexes his arms*
Alex: Just what do you think you're doing?
Ted: I'm getting ready to review Divine Wrath! The mighty Tedcules will do battle with the gods, and only one can come out as champion!
Alex: Ted, I think that's Hercules who's going to do battle with the gods, not you.
Ted: Who is this Ted you speak of? You should address the mighty Tedcules with a bit more respect!
Alex: All right, lunkhead, whatever you say. This week on GameTV, of course we'll be reviewing Divine Wrath...which I can see Ted's already ready for...
Ted: That's the mighty Tedcules!
Alex: We'll also be giving you lots of tips on which gods you should be using if you want to rise to the top of the pantheon. With 26 gods to choose from, it could take a LOT of holy punching to choose a favorite, we'll try to simplify things for you. We'll also be reviewing the “manic shooter” Pachi Pachi Panic, the brand new soccer game FIFA 2001, and we'll be reviewing a game that I've been waiting for a long time, RPG Maker. Unfortunately, Brittany and Lyssa are the ones who get to review that one, but they did make a couple of games for Ted...cules and me to try out, so we'll be reviewing those after they review Agetec's sweet new creator tool.
Ted: Don't forget “mighty”!
Alex: You're being a mighty pain in the ass right now.
Brittany Saldita: Since when has he ever not been one? *waving in front of a screen* Hey folks, it's Brittany here. We're heading to E3 in a couple of weeks, but why wait? We'll give you a scoop on all the sweet stuff we'll be showing you at the big event, including some info on a couple exclusives you'll only see here on GameTV!
Ted: It's going to be an hour full of power, courtesy of the mighty Tedcules! *flexes again*
Alex: We've got previews, reviews, and news you can use to help you choose...this is GameTV!
(…)
Ted: *still in his Tedcules costume but acting much more normally now* Divine Wrath's just a lot of fun.
Alex: The combat's about halfway between Soul Calibur and Mortal Kombat, it just strikes that perfect balance between being really strategic and really cool to look at, and I had a real blast playing it.
Ted: Pretty much every god you can imagine is in this game. You've got Vishnu with his four arms, you've got Anubis with his big dog head, even the freaking devil is in this game!
Alex: Yeah, this is the only game where you can have Zeus kicking the crap outta the devil.
Ted: And every character has their own finishing move, or in some cases two! Have you seen them all yet?
Alex: I'm really partial to Hercules'.
*Hercules is shown walking up to a stunned Ra, ripping off his arms and beating him to a bloody pulp with them before choking him until his head explodes.*
Ted: Hey kids, we're gonna ruin the movie Hercules for you forever...that is how Hercules killed Megara in the real myth.
Alex: I...I don't think he ripped her arms off in the real myths.
Ted: Look it up!
Alex: GameTV, ruining childhoods since 1995! So anyway, what's your score for this game?
Ted: The mighty Tedcules bestows a 5 on this game, may it live forever in Valhalla!
Alex: Yeah, I'm gonna give it a 5 too. Great graphics, amazing gameplay, and the best character selection of any fighting game ever made.
*The Hall of Fame siren goes off*
Ted: Valhalla, here we come!
*Ted and Alex take a framed copy of Divine Wrath up to the wall and hangs it up, Brittany is glaring hard at Ted.*
Ted: What? Normally you're happy to put a game up on the wall.
Brittany: That is NOT what happens to Megara, you jerk! Hercules loves her!
Ted: It's in the myth!
Brittany: Well...screw the myth, I prefer the happy Disney story!
Lyssa Fielding: Yeah, me too!
Alex: Guess you two don't want to find out what happens in the real Little Mermaid...
Brittany and Lyssa: *covering up their ears and screaming the lyrics to “Part Of Your World” at the top of their lungs*
Gary Westhouse: You know, it's called a 'myth' because it didn't really happen...
Alex: Shhh, this is fun.
(...)
Brittany: Pachi Pachi Panic! is a normal shooter game on speed.
Gary: Have you played the original Donpachi?
Brittany: Yes, and this makes even THAT game look sluggish by comparison. There is stuff EVERYWHERE in Pachi Pachi Panic! Hence the “Panic”, hence the exclamation point.
Gary: It's one of those shooter games that's just...
Brittany: It's an acquired taste.
Gary: I liked it. I mean, I loved the original Donpachi, so this game's just that taken to its logical conclusion.
Brittany: I had too much trouble...I mean, I tried to master it and I beat it after a LOT of trial and error, but shooters like this, they're not very fun. The REALLY good bullet hell shooters, there's patterns to learn. This, it just seemed completely random.
Gary: It never puts you in a situation where you can't survive with enough skill. If it had done that, sure, but I felt like...
Brittany: I could never get the patterns down. It plays so much differently from other shooter games. And the graphics were too bright and cheerful, it seemed like they tried to make a really anime-ish Donpachi game but I liked the somewhat down-to-earth look of the originals as well. I don't think most players, even most shooter fans, will enjoy it and that's why I've gotta give it a 2.
Gary: It's a shame you didn't like it, but I can see where you're coming from. But me, I had plenty of fun and while it's not the best shooter, it stays true to the Donpachi formula. It's NOT for everyone, but if you've never played a game like this before, maybe give it a chance with a demo or rental. I give it a 3.5.
(…)
Brittany: RPG Maker is a really useful tool for creating great RPGs, and if you're willing to put in the time and effort, you can do great things with it. I give it a 4.
Lyssa: While it could've delivered more in terms of graphics, it still has everything you need to make a really great RPG and I give it a 4 also.
Brittany: Now, Lyssa and I didn't have enough time to create really HUGE RPGs with it, we only had about 20 hours to mess around with the game and make something as best we could.
Lyssa: But we did each make our own little RPGs, and we let Ted and Alex try them out!
Brittany: They've played both and now they're going to give their reviews of what we made!
*Ted and Alex take the stage*
Ted: Well, let's start with your RPG, Brittany. You made The Skull Trials, and....I gotta say, it lived up to its name.
Alex: Yeah, it was a trial and at times it made me want to bash out my skull.
Brittany: *glares at him*
*Scenes from Brittany's RPG play out on screen, it's a rather gloomy little game taking place in a graveyard maze, with unforgivingly difficult enemies*
Ted: This game was tough as hell!
Brittany: It's supposed to be!
Alex: Brittany said it'd only take about an hour to beat but with all the grinding I had to do it was more like three. That said though, I thought the dialogue was really great and it was appropriately creepy, with a real Outer Limits-style twist at the end.
Ted: It was an ordeal, I barely made it to the finish and by the time I beat it I was so exhausted I didn't even get to appreciate the ending. Sorry, Britt, I gotta give your game a 2.
Brittany: What? Oh, come on!
Alex: Well, I liked the creativity of the storyline, and it was a well made game, it was just way too hard. I give it a 3. Now Lyssa's game, on the other hand...
*Lyssa's game takes place in a high school, with a group of young people who get lost and have to go on an adventure to get back home.*
Ted: Lyssa's game, Saturday Story, was really a lot of fun.
Alex: Yeah, it not only had great characters and witty dialogue, but was actually fun to play, enemies weren't too tough and there were even a couple neat little puzzles in there.
*A scene of dialogue from Lyssa's game is shown, with the main character, a girl named Ashley, chiding one of her friends for not being able to solve the puzzle on his own.*
Alex: And at the end there was a kind of cliffhanger that left us really wanting more, in a good way.
Lyssa: Well, I'd like to make it into a full game if I ever get the time...
Brittany: Okay, I'll admit that Lyssa's game was a LOT of fun.
Ted: I'm giving Lyssa's game a 4.
Alex: Yeah, same here, 4 outta 5 from me.
Lyssa: Yay! *jumps up and down and claps her hands* Brittany, my game's better than yours!
Brittany: Don't rub it in...
Ted: With two 4s, we recommend Lyssa's game, and if you have RPG Maker and want to try Lyssa's game, or Brittany's game out for yourselves, you can head to Blockbuster in a couple of weeks for their latest Blockbuster Ultra Nintendo Showcase disc, which is as always free with any Ultra Nintendo game rental. It has demos, it has a couple of GameTV reviews, and, on the next disc, it's got both The Skull Trials and Saturday Story, you can save those to your memory card and actually play them in RPG Maker!
(…)
*The hosts of GameTV are sitting on couches as they discuss E3.*
Ted: So next week, we'll be reporting from the floor of E3. We're sure there are lots of surprises in store but we can take some good guesses at what we'll probably be seeing. First up, we're sure that we'll be seeing a lot of Sega's upcoming system the Katana, and frankly, I can't wait for all the news on that front.
Lyssa: And we're pretty sure Microsoft will be there in some capacity to tell us more about their new game console, the Xbox.
Alex: So far, we've liked what we've seen from Microsoft, and those of you who don't play PC games, it looks like Microsoft will be bringing a few of those to home consoles, so you can finally see what you've been missing.
Steve Horton: As for the games, Nintendo's DEFINITELY gonna be showing off plenty of their new Legend of Zelda game, Majora's Mask. And I've got a pretty good feeling that the PC hit Unreal Tournament will be shown off for the Ultra Nintendo too.
Gary: Definitely excited for that one.
Brittany: I'm excited to see more of Tales of the Seven Seas: The Victorian Legacy, which is looking more and more beautiful with every bit of preview footage I've seen of it. And there's also a fun little game called Blackheart that I'm eager to see.
Alex: It's another stealth game, but with a heavy focus on character development and storyline that make it very reminiscent of last year's incredible smash hit Metal Gear Solid.
Ted: Hey, don't forget Sega! The new Commander Keen is looking great and we're definitely gonna see what the Katana can really do when we see it in action. And I'd bet my house on seeing some Sonic 6 footage as well.
Alex: Well, I'll take that bet, because if you can remember, Sega did NOT show off Sonic 4 when the Saturn was first shown off.
Brittany: Doesn't Ted just live in the dumpster out behind the studio anyway?
Ted: Ha ha.
Alex: Well, Saturn's upcoming schedule is looking pretty good, I can't wait to check out some new Extremis footage, and Skies Of Arcadia which is looking like it might just be the RPG of the year. I've also heard some good things about a little game called Onimusha, we'll see if it can send the Saturn out on a really good note.
Lyssa: Everybody knows the RPG of the year is gonna be Pokemon Sun and Moon, E3 is no doubt going to be pushing this game REALLY heavily and will probably have a completed English version playable at E3, so we'll be able to give you the full scoop on all the new little critters you can catch on your Game Boy Nova!
Alex: The RPG of the year is heavily favored to be coming from Squaresoft, they've got Legend of Mana, Mystic Creature, AND Super Mario RPG 2, and they'll be showing all of them off at E3! And, for the first time, we can reveal that GameTV will be getting an EXCLUSIVE peek at.... wait for it...Final Fantasy IX! That's right, GameTV has been chosen as the only place in North America that you can get your news on Final Fantasy IX out of E3. We'll be allowed into a very small room with a very small amount of people and shown the very first footage of the game. It's going to be incredible.
Brittany: So be sure to be here, for our live E3 coverage, starting May 11, here on GameTV!
-excerpted from the May 2, 2000 episode of GameTV
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Ultra Nintendo Power Charts: May 2000
1. Final Fantasy VIII
2. Squad Four: Rebellion
3. Disavowed
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
5. World Of Color: Millennium
6. Ultra Donkey Kong Country
7. Super Smash Bros.
8. Final Fantasy VII
9. Ultra Frederico
10. Wipeout 2
The Official Saturn Magazine Buzz Chart: May 2000
1. Soul Calibur
2. Sonic The Hedgehog 5
3. Phantasy Star VI
4. Resident Evil: Code Veronica
5. Klonoa 2: The Wind Rider
6. Windborn II
7. Turok III: Generation War
8. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
9. Ultima: The Resurrection Stone
10. The Savateur
-
May 5, 2000
Retirement was nice.
“I could get used to this.”
Tom Kalinske was seated at a table with his family at one of the best pizza places in Los Angeles, enjoying his “retirement” as a waiter sprinkled parmesan on one of the two big pizzas sitting on the table. One of the televisions up by the bar was on, playing CNN's coverage of the presidential primaries, but Kalinske's mind was elsewhere...on his family, and on this delicious pizza.
“So, who do you think's gonna win the election, dad?” asked Ashley, putting a slice of pizza on her plate.
“Uh...probably Gore, I guess?” Tom replied, glancing up at the screen. “He's pretty popular right now, isn't he?”
“He's kinda boring though,” said Kalinske's youngest daughter. “But then again, all politicians are boring!”
“You know, politics affects your life in a lot of ways, you won't think it's boring when you're older,” said Tom, before taking a bite from the slice of pizza. “Don't they do something at your school where they have you kids vote, just to kind of try it out?”
“Nope,” said Kalinske's youngest daughter, shaking her head. “Don't give them any ideas either, school's boring enough as it is!”
“My school does it,” said Ashley. “I think Gore's probably gonna win. I still remember what he said about Secret of Mana.”
“Yeah, me too...” thought Tom, eating another bite of his pizza. “If we had more games like Secret of Mana, and less games like Mortal Kombat, maybe there wouldn't be so much controversy...”
And he couldn't help but think that if Sega had more games like Secret of Mana, they might've beaten Nintendo. It was the only game he'd ever remembered directly trying to imitate on the Saturn...and he'd pretty much failed miserably in that regard. Secret Of Mana, Mortal Kombat... the two games that had put the nail in the Sega CD's coffin.. already the memories were flooding back.
“I don't think I'll be able to hear somebody mention a game anymore without thinking about everything that's happened. ...retirement is nice, but damn, it would've been nice to win.”
He had a bit of an epiphany, as he finished off that first slice of pizza. It wasn't that Nintendo made better systems than Sega... it wasn't that they did a better job marketing their games. It wasn't Tom Kalinske's fault that Sega was losing in the console wars.
“Shigeru Miyamoto. We didn't have anyone like Shigeru Miyamoto. We could match them genius for genius, but as great as Yuji was, even he couldn't hold a candle to that guy.”
Tom Kalinske smiled.
“I wonder what he's up to right now?”
May 6, 2000
Across the world in Kyoto, Japan, Shigeru Miyamoto was riding home on his bicycle, a basket in front of him holding a copy of Dragon Quest VII. It was the one Sega Saturn game he had any desire to play, besides NiGHTS, which he'd loved.
The day of a Dragon Quest release was always a huge event in Japan. Miyamoto had tried to duck in and out of the game store unnoticed, but the huge line had made it impossible, and many people had spotted him inside the store...a few even asking for his autograph, something which rattled the deeply humble man.
“I've not seen such a large crowd for a game, not even for Temple of Time...” thought Miyamoto. “Of course, it is only appropriate...without Dragon Quest, I never would have thought of anything like The Legend of Zelda.”
His bicycle approached the crosswalk, and the light quickly turned green. He pedaled across the intersection.
“That reminds me, I need to review the final beta for the new Super Mario RPG-”
Miyamoto never saw the car as it slammed into him at 45 miles an hour. He was thrown from the bicycle, which shattered into pieces from the impact.
-
“McCain's nomination for the presidency is now all but assured, and many expect George W. Bush to suspend his campaign sometime this week. It was a close race that saw fierce attacks on both sides, and now people are wondering if McCain will tap Bush for the vice presidency, despite the bitter feud they've had over the past few months. It's yet to be seen if Bush would even accept being McCain's running mate, or if he plans on preparing for a potential run in 2004 if McCain were to lose to Gore in the general election. Al Gore spoke to a group of supporters in Florida today, a state that's seen as a key battleground state this November. Gore discussed the need for further action to address global warming in the wake of last year's devastating hurricane, and has made the environment a key plank of his presidential platform. With the match-up now set, Gore vs. McCain, both candidates will look to fine-tune their strategies with the general election now just six months away.
…and we have a bit of breaking news, some tragic news out of the world of video games today. Shigeru Miyamoto, known the world over as the creator of Super Mario, perhaps the most well-known video game character ever, has died as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident earlier today. He's known as the brains behind Nintendo, the world's leading video game company, not only responsible for the Super Mario games, but The Legend Of Zelda and many others. Miyamoto was 47 years old.”
-Bernard Shaw, from a news report on CNN, May 5, 2000 (North American time)
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Tom Kalinske stared up at the screen in complete and utter shock. He looked down at his pizza, having just picked up a second slice. He placed the slice back down on the pan and leaned back in his chair, a sick feeling in his stomach.
“Dad...?” asked Ashley, leaning over in concern.
“I'm...I'm not hungry anymore.”
