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Fighting Vipers from Sega
Virtua Fighters 3 it ain't but it is good to see Sega expanding their line
of 3-D fighters beyond their flagship fighting product. Fighting Vipers
features an interesting, somewhat odd assortment of fighting characters
who duke it out in a variety of locales, including matches that are held
in 'cages'. No wimpy ring outs here to finish off an opponent that you can't
beat otherwise... Fighting Vipers may not be widely available in arcades
in the USA but those of you who have seen the game can appreciate how well
it plays and how good it looks. The animation is smooth and the gameplay
is intuitive and flows smoothly as you go out and kick some ass. The name
Fighting Vipers may not have the same cachet as Virtua Fighter but this
is a good fighting game that should do well. Besides, the Saturn version
of Street Fighter Zero 2 is still 2 weeks away. You can fight Vipers until
then. Fighting Vipers and the rest of the import games on this sheet will be
available for shipping on August 28.
Retail Price: US$58
Wangan Deadheat 2 from JVC
I'm not too sure how many of you remember Wangan Deadheat from last summer...
I don't think too many of you bought this title but the basic premise of
the game is this: You are in a race with graphics out of Ridge Racer , the
car handling is not as sensitive as RRs but it is acceptable and the background
scenery is defined in good detail. The difference is when you win a race
and get to have a pretty Japanese woman come out to congratulate you on
your fine driving and your ability to beat out the other drivers to reach
the finish line first. This sequel features better graphics, a full lineup
of race drivin' women and hopefully the control has been tweaked to play
better than the Wangan Deadheat of '95. Even though the control suffered
a bit in that earlier version, the concept was interesting and added a wrinkle
to racing games that will probably not be seen anywhere else in video game
land.
Retail Price: US$59
Tetris Plus from Bullet Software
What would a year be without another ten or eleven Tetris variants? Yes,
that old dinosaur is back in another rehash of that classic puzzler. Even
though there have been many different variations of the Tetris concept,
the best version is still the original game, specifically the arcade version
which can still be seen in game parlors and video game amusement centers
around the country. It is true that mostly girls play Tetris in the arcades
but some guys will play it in the arcades as well, even with Tekken 2, Soul
Edge and Fighting Vipers just down the row of machines. Tetris Plus includes
an original version of Tetris where colored blocks fall from the sky which
you have to rotate and fit twith the blocks that have already fallen. Your
objective is to form complete rows of blocks which will then disappear and
the vicous cycle will repeat itself as more and more blocks fall from the
sky. A new version adds a little man to the screen who you can use to move
little blocks around to help you with the fitting and the whole scheme of
things. Good wholesome fun for everyone.
Retail Price: US$54
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Nights from Sega [USA]
True, Nights was released last week but this is the only place for NCS to
let our customers know that it is now available. Nights comes standard with
an analog control pad which is colored black unlike the Japanese Nights
box set which comes with a white control pad. The analog pad can be used
as a regular pad or as an analog controller, it is your choice with the
flick of a switch on the pad itself. Nights hardly needs any introduction
at this point; it is an excellent looking and playing 3-D action game in
which you control a 'jester-magician' or a red haired girl who can both
fly and swoop through the air with the greatest of ease. They are assigned
the enviable task of collecting rings ala Sonic and to go through levels
trying to reach the end bosses. Nights was our best seller for the Japanese
Saturn this past summer and everytime we received restock of this title,
we would consistently sell out. The USA version should do great numbers
and every Sega Saturn owner should take a look at Nights and see what it
is all about. The game is a bit short but well worth the trip.
Retail Price: US$58
World Series Baseball from Sega [USA]
One of the best baseball games gets even better. Known also as Greatest
Nine in Japan, WSBB sets new standards in baseball games with its fluid
control, outstanding camera angles and great gameplay. This new version
features all the stadiums in the major leagues, updated player stats, the
ability to call up players from your team's farm system and includes
every major league player in baseball today. The camera pans and gives
you great coverage of the field as plays are being made...I'll cliche a
bit here and say that it really is like being on the field. The World
Series is still a couple of months away but this great new baseball game
should tide you over until the real one comes around. The WSBB2 package
includes a voucher for a 3 month subscription to USA Today's Baseball
Weekly periodical. WSBB2 is available for shipping as of 08/26/96.
Retail Price: US$50
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![Nights from Sega [USA]](nights.jpg){kind=link}