| DC
Confidential Mission |
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It's always a time for gunners to rejoice whenever a new
shooting game plops onto the Dreamcast. Well, maybe some
reservation was observed when Death Crimson 2 muddied the
waters a couple of years ago. Confidential Mission JPN costs
150% more than the American version which shipped to market a
couple of weeks ago. We don't have an explanation but we do
have a little tale to tell.
Howard Gibson and Jean Clifford are secret agents
assigned to tackling the Agares Group which has
appropriated control of a spy satellite. Their plans to blast
your outfit's headquarters don't jibe too well either, so it's
up to you to take a trip and wreck their schemes. In addition
to the standard gun blasting action, entertaining mini-games
pepper the levels to test your eagle-eye shooting skills and
accuracy. The import version of Confidential Mission works
perfectly with the official Japanese light gun, which
naturally is the best choice for shooting games. The
difficulty level of CM ramps fairly high, which makes it a
challenging game which might last more than a couple of hours
as you seek to test your best shots. |
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Confidential
Mission US$49 |
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| DC
Gaia Master |
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Every one hundred years, a gnome known as Gaia Master and his
floating kingdom appear in the sky. This entity regards man as
mere pawns to be used in a board game akin to Parker Bros'
Monopoly. Apparently, medieval monopoly machinations make for much mirth.
As a willing participant in the game, a player chooses a hero from
eight different characters including Jiggar the Treasure
Hunter, who hunts for gems or Princess Tiara, she of the
privileged class whose luck factor in the game awards her with
bonus parcels of land. There's also a witch avatar named
Agathe who bears a passing resemblance to Morrigan of Vampire
fame. Upon the throw of the dice, a player moves the allotted
spaces on an expansive board broken up into squares. Landing
on a property square opens up the option of purchasing it.
Essentially, you're joining the landlord class and may
eventually build stores on your plots of land which doubles
the rent other players have to pay you if they land on it.
Hoarding adjacent properties eventually helps to build up a
mini fiefdom which exacts payment from hapless opponents to
build up your treasury. Battles and events are also triggered
when players land on certain squares or when cards are thrown
to ignite a fight. Capcom's monetary denomination is called
the zenny, and it's present in games from Forgotten Worlds
(circa 1988) to Megaman Legends (1998). It also pays the rent
in Gaia Master. At the end of the day, the player with the
most zenny wins. |
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Gaia
Master US$49 |
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The
Dreamcast version of Gaiaplays identically to the PS original.
The visual agility of the DC however lords over the PS version
with improved world and character graphics. |
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| DC
Gundam Battle Online |
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The Gundam universe captures the imagination with the best of
them. Powerful battle suits driven by puny humans blow out all
odds when newtype handlers man the helms. The latest Gundam
excursion takes the tactical route to inspire players in
strategically hinged battles which span outer space down to
the dirt of Earth. Take command of a razor sharp cadre of
mobile suits and battle cruisers in your strikes against
opposing forces and teams. Unit formations play an important
part during encounters and careful spacing of cruisers and
mobile suits can repulse larger forces or at least keep them
at bay. A galactic map grid outlines movement options and an
active battle sequence shows off thrilling action cinemas once
you've chosen to attack an adversary. During battles, Gundam warriors go raging across the
ether, jets blazing, sabers rattling, and guns blasting, while a
zooming camera tries in vain to keep up with the
action. These fire fights are completely non-interactive and
you are merely an icon-clicker; i.e, you choose an action from
a row of choices and watch your mobile suit act out your whim.
The beauty of Gundam Battle Online is found in the net
capability where up to four players can join in tactical
campaigns online although off-line games are involving as
well. First print edition includes a nifty sheet of stickers
to affix onto your Gundam gear. |
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Gundam
B.O. US$53 |
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| DC
Net Gimmick Capcom & Psikyo All Stars |
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When the last battle flickers off and strained muscles stop in
mid flex, the mightiest warriors the planet has seen take a
well deserved break. They might sit in a sauna with flutes of cabernet in hand
but that wouldn't fit the mold of fighters. Nah, they need
something with more challenge, more ardor, and something
requiring extreme tactile
skill. Mahjong fits the bill...
to a tee. World warriors such as Chun-Li, Cody, Cammy,
Ryu, Sakura, Bison, and Guile, et al flock to the clarion call
from the Street Fighter franchise. Gunbird shooting aces who
chance upon the action include Yuan Nang, the sexy elfin
redhead whose garb barely covers her body and Marion, resident
blonde witch who rides a broom in her home game. Tetsu and
Valnus, also from Gunbird, and the heavily bosomed samurai
woman Koyori from Sengoku Ace round out the cast of this
mahjong game that we can discern this morning. A motley
assortment of others are present. Spot animations, instantly
recognizable marquee heroes, and the draw of mahjong make this
a worthy purchase for those who "get" it. For all
others, staying aloof and away might be the best tactical
maneuver. |
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Net
Gimmick US$49 |
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Yushun Rhapsody |
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The sport of kings attracts proponents and purveyors from all
levels of society. Join those lovers of all things equine by
becoming a virtual horseman who owns a ranch on a tranquil
hillock. As master of your domain, you raise horses, breed
them, and soothe their harried spirits when occasion calls.
Search out strong bloodlines and mate your brood with them to
birth forth champions. Your reward for giving all this love
sits in the specious world of horse racing where victory is
never assured and dreams run in fleeting slivers of seconds.
Horse racing games satisfy a very small niche in America,
marking their turf firmly in Japan but there is an audience of
sorts for this type of game. Yushun Rhapsody supports the
Mobile Adaptor for linking with ethereal players to race
steeds over the wireless spectrum. |
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Yushun
Rhapsody US$49 |
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