The Coop

Question six could have used a fourth option... "I'd rather not pay". That whole downloadable content, or "pay us more and you'll get these extra things" deal that some companies are trying to push forward, is a very lame money making scheme. Things that used to be free with patches, earned with a lot of play time, and/or included with the game upon its release, are now being held back and charged for by some companies. Considering you have to pay for the game, and pay to play it on-line every month, I see no reasonable explanation for having to pay for a new weapon, section of land, or spell.

When you went to get this update, were you actually browsing in IE, or were you using FireFox? I just gave it a whirl in FireFox, and got the same page. However, with IE, I went right to the MS update page. Try going there and getting it using IE. Edit: http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/xpsp2.html You can try there as well. Just be patient, as it takes a bit for the server to connect and ready the DL. Make sure you at least temporarily allow the site in No Script if you have that program.

If you drop the Saturn category sephfire, I'll hunt you down and make you play through the entire game of Soul Fighter in one sitting. Einhander (PS1)- Back when Square was into making games, and not simply milking the Final Fantasy tit like it was hentai starring Tifa, they were trying out different genres. One of those genres, was shmups. The end result, was a fantastic game that pushed the PS1, and offered gamers a great experience. Wonderful graphics, cool music, wild ship designs, stages that flowed into each other, great bosses, a solid challenge, an interesting weapon system... it was a well made game from beginning to end. If you own a PS1 or a PS2, and you even kind of like the genre, you owe it to yourself to play this polygonal horizontal shmup. YES. RayStorm (PS1)- Another shmup, only this time it comes from Taito. Working Designs brought this to The States, and it's a good thing they did. This sequel to Galactic Attack sports some nice graphics, good tunes, an angled "into the screen" perspective with the ability to launch homing lasers at objects below you (and there will be many of those), tough bosses, and a choice of ships with different weaponry. It didn't set the shmup world on fire, but it is a solid game that delivers. YES. Dungeons & Dragons Collection (import Saturn)- Back when Capcom had the D&D license, they made a couple arcade games that were much like Golden Axe... lots and hack 'n slash action, but mixed with magic spells that anyone somewhat familiar with the D&D world will recognize. The end result, was a pare of games that had smooth animation, big and tough bosses, good tunes, a vicious challenge, cool character designs, and multiplayer support. This compilation has both of these games together. The first one, Tower of Doom, doesn't require the 4MB expansion cart, and as a result, the animation isn't as smooth as the arcade's (though it is still good). The second one, Shadow Over Mystara, does require the cart, and the animation is quite improved thanks to it. However, what hurts this game, is how often it loads... a lot. Every scene switch requires a loading pause that ranges from 3-4 seconds, to about 10-plus. Why? Beats the hell out of me, but considering how long this game sat in development limbo before it was finally released, I get the feeling it never got the optimization that other Capcom games using the 4MB expansion cart received. Despite this, the games within are great playing ones. Just have something to sip nearby for those extended breaks in the action. Borderline YES. Final Doom (PC)- Developed by Team TNT, this game is much more like an expansion pack for Doom II than a sequel... but what an expansion pack it is. Two new episodes at a hefty 30-plus levels each, new music for one of the episodes, well designed levels, and a good challenge make for some fun blasting action. It adds no new monsters, no new weapons, and it lacks some of the spark that made UD and DII so memorable. But, considering how well this "expansion" was made, and how intense even the very first levels can get (let alone the later ones), it's great play for anyone who's still a fan of the first two games. Borderline YES.

GunGriffon (Saturn)- Back when the Saturn still had that new system smell, Game Arts released this arcadey Mech game. It's gameplay is kept very straight forward, but what it lacks in depth, it makes up for with its graphics, very nice music, diverse missions, and its challenge level. Tack on a great opening cinema, and you've got a somewhat shallow, but quite enjoyable Mech game. Borderline YES. Mega Man Zero 3 (GBA)- The third game in the series, and it's still a strong entry. The graphics, music, story, gameplay and challenge level are all still very good, and like the first two, it's a solid game from start to finish. YES. Legend of Oasis (Saturn)- The Genesis got the first game, but the Saturn got the prequel. Gorgeous hand drawn graphics, nice tunes, a lengthy and challenging quest, deeper gameplay than the Genesis sequel (that sounds weird to say), more spirits to use, and a simple but good story make this a wonderful action RPG that should be played by anyone fond of the genre. YES. Taito Legends 2 (PC)- The PS2 version had some issues, but the PC version suffers from none of them. As before, this compilations ranges from the popular (Darius Gaiden, Elevator Action Returns), to the odd but fun (Space Invaders 95, Puchi Carat), to the downright obscure (Frontline, Liquid Kids). But where the PS2 version had G-Darius, Syvalion, Balloon Bomber and Ray Storm, the PC version has Cadash, Bubble Symphony, Rayforce and Pop 'n Pop. All the games run very well (and seemingly glitch free), and like the first TL game on PC, this game also installs ROMs that can be run in MAME (dip switches and all). This is a great compilation with something for everyone, and the PC version is basically bug free to boot. YES. Note: This is a comment on the European PC version. Metal Gear Solid (PS1)- What is there to say about this game? Great story, tough and challenging gameplay, great music, very good graphics for the day... it's a game that PS1 owners should play even if they're not big on the stealth gameplay. It's put together so well from start to finish, that it's a must have for sure. YES. Shinobi Legions (Saturn)- Take the familiar gameplay of Revenge of Shinobi, dress it up with digitized graphics, beef up the music's sound quality, add in some super cheesy FMV cinemas, and here's what you get. It looks so strange, but it plays every bit as good as the 16bit Shinobi games. The bosses are a bit of a let down though, which hurts the game a bit. But the challenge level is pretty consistent, and there's a nice diversity in the level types you'll be running and jumping through. This game just makes it's way into the Borderline YES range. Unreal Tournament 2003 (PC)- Wow. Where to start. Yes, the graphics are good. But this game is done and over with in a flash. The levels are small in both size and numbers, and they aren't very interesting. I can't help but feel this was simply a stop over until UT2k4 was finished, as it feels like a cheap mod more than a finished product by the folks who did UT99 and UT2k4. NO. Wolfenstein 3D (PC)- The one that got the FPS ball rolling. The graphics were quite something back when it was released, and the sound effects and voices helped pull you into its simple visual world of Nazi warfare. The weapons were minimal (there's only 4), and the ammo was scarce at times, but levels were big, winding, and filled with just enough enemies to keep you tense as you ran through the halls looking for that ammo you left behind earlier. It's rough looking by today's standards, but it's a classic in the PC gaming world because of how well it was programmed and designed despite the PC limitations at the time. Good DOS stuff. YES. Iridion II (GBA)- The first game was like a Galaxy Force II knock off. The sequel, takes a whole new perspective... literally. You're now behind and above your ship as it flies forward into and towards the top of the screen (think RayStorm or RayCrisis). The graphics are very good, as is the music. There are plenty of levels to make your way through, and there's a bigger selection of weapons. It didn't set the shmupping world afire, but bested it's prequel on pretty much all fronts. YES. Viewpoint (PS1)- On the Neo-Geo, this game was a beast. The graphics were good, the music was funky, and the challenge level poking holes in the roof. When it came to the PS1, they redid the graphics completely, updated the music, and blasted a hole in the ceiling with the difficulty. It's a graphically gorgeous game, and it plays basically just as well as the Neo-Geo original. It's isometric playing field makes for a nice change from the usual horizontal or vertical shmups, and the music is still pretty good. But holy shit is this game hard. So hard, that some may never see the finish without the cheats. It's well done, but prepare to have your ego pummeled. Borderline YES. Hyper Duel (import Saturn)- From the masters of shmups comes this great horizontal shmup. Technosoft made another fine shmup with this game, from it's great graphics, to the rockin' soundtrack, to the very nice ship designs, to the challenge that grows at a steady pace, it's a fine piece of alien blasting goodness. You also get the added bonus of being able to transform from ship to Mech, which also changes your weaponry. Add in the fact that Technosoft gave Saturn owners two modes to play in ("Arcade" and "Saturn"), and it's must have for the Saturn shmuppers out there. YES. Half-Life 2 (PC)- So what do you get when you make a follow up to one of the more popular FPS games on PC? Well, you get much prettier graphics, better voice acting, a fun gravity gun, and some nice tunes. Unfortunately, you also get a less interesting story, less interesting enemies, and surprisingly, a lessened settings atmosphere. Sure, Ravenholm is quite cool, but the rest of the game just feels uninspired... especially that absolutely horrid, anticlimactic ending. It just doesn't stack up to the prequel like the hype would lead you to believe. It's not a bad game, but it's not a must have either. As such, Borderline NO. The Pinball of the Dead (GBA)- I'm probably going to be alone on this one, but TPotD is a great portable pinball game. As the name suggests, it uses Sega's light gun-based The House of the Dead games as a source, and builds a pinball game around it. The game's graphics are well done, and the music is similarly handled. You'll hear tunes and voice samples from the original games, and you'll encounter monsters from the original games too as you play one of the three available boards. The challenge level's pretty high, but thankfully there's a password feature to help you out (which isn't as helpful as it could have been, since the passwords are a bit long). It's a strange pinball game, but it's fun. Borderline YES. Shining Soul II (GBA)- The first game was a good start is combining the strategy RPG nature of the Shining Force series and more Zelda-like gameplay. But this sequel did a better job of polishing it up. Better graphics, better music, a bigger and tougher quest, more characters to use, expanded gameplay, and a better story, bring this game to step into the golden zone. Borderline YES. Damn... I feel like I just wrote an essay.

Well, it's the other way around. The PS1 version came first, and the Saturn version came along afterwards. But Konami didn't try very hard on the Saturn port, and what wound up happening was that the Saturn version had longer load times, noticeably more slowdown, and about a third to half of the special effects the PS1 version had (lots of transparency stuff that I guess Konami didn't want to bother working out on the Saturn hardware). That's why I said they likely used the PS1 version, and then programmed in the extras that were originally Saturn-only. I can't see them using the lower quality version from a non-Sony system.

Actually, I believe it uses the PS1 version of SotN as a base, and then had the Saturn extras added to it. I doubt they used the Saturn version, seeing as it suffers from noticeably fewer special effects.

Resident Evil (PS1)- RE didn't start the survival horror genre, but it certainly has become the star of it. Yes, this game has some of the worst voice acting out there, with the corniest lines imaginable. The controls were very stiff, the knife was almost useless, and the constant backtracking got old rather quickly. It wasn't without it's good points though. A strange tale of the biological gone wrong, zombies that fly apart, bosses that were huge and tough to kill, a few cheap scares, and rather nice graphics for that era in the PS1's lifespan. But in the end, while it is a game that's fun to play, it's shortcomings nudge it just outside of the "must have" range. Borderline NO. Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus (import Saturn)- Some of you might not know this name, but anyone with an NES will likely remember the American name of Salamander... Life Force. This package contains virtually arcade perfect renditions of Salamander, Life Force and the rarely seen Salamander 2. Sal and LF play pretty differently, and have very different graphics. So having the Japanese and US versions isn't as redundant as it initially sounds. Both games have catchy tunes, nice graphics for their time, Gradius-like gameplay, and a good challenge. Sal 2 still plays like its predecessors, but now there are different types of options (the helpers from the Gradius series) and attacks with them, the graphics are punched way up, the music is still good, and difficulty is upped a bit. It's a shorter game than its prequels, but it's a great game. If you're a shmup fan, it's a compilation worth owning. YES. Diablo II (PC)- The first game was fun. This sequel, is a blast. A much more fleshed out story, great cinemas, very nice music, more detailed graphics, a tough campaign to play through, more weapons/armor/enemy types, more bosses, and it still has the great on-line multiplayer that the first game featured. Basically, it took what worked in the first game, and made it all even better. YES. Grand Theft Auto III (PC)- Well, Sir_NutS covered a decent amount of the game's higher points. A big world to explore, a good story, good tunes, and a "go anywhere" style of gameplay that made the game fun to just tool around in. It does get old after awhile, but not before you've gotten to have a lot of fun. YES Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)- Back when the GBA was still pretty new, the first of three Castlevania games made their debut. The animation was pretty stiff, and the graphics were pretty damn dark. But those issues didn't keep this game from being a quality title. The music is very good, the castle is still big, the graphics themselves are drawn well and detailed, the bosses are fun, some extra depth thanks to the DSS card system, and an overall enjoyable game that any Castlevania fan would be stupid to miss out on. YES. Gradius Galaxies (GBA)- What? Another GBA game? Yep, and this time, it's from another famous Konami franchise... Gradius. Like CotM, it's a rather dark game, but under that darkness resides well drawn graphics that are both new and old (you'll see familiar stage references along the way), the music is good, it's a bit easier than you're average Gradius game, but all told, "Galaxies" is a good game for the GBA that both fans of the series, and shmupers in general, will likely enjoy (sans BardicKnowledge ). Borderline YES. Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn)- One of the last Shining games to really stand out. Like Shining in the Darkness, this game is a so-called "Dungeon crawler". The graphics are nice looking CGI sprites, the music is good, the challenge level is just about right, the dungeons get huge as the game progresses, there are eight characters to level up, an interesting pixie system that adds a bit more strategy to the battles, and a good assortment of locales. It's a great game that came out as the Saturn got closer to the end of its run. YES. Quake II (PC)- You know, a part of me was never all that fond of this game. After the thick and dark atmosphere of the first game, being thrust into a typical "space marine" set up seemed like a turn for the generic. It took a while, but the game grew on me a bit. Very nice graphics, good weapons, fast gameplay, and a great multiplayer setup. The music was good, and the bosses were fun. I still miss the space/demonic mythos that made up the first game, but the quality behind QII can't be denied. YES. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC)- So many people hate this game. But you know, I liked it. The new use of heroes and smaller teams gave the game a good twist, the music was very nice, the new art style allowed for more personality to show through with the characters, using all four races at different points was fun, the powers heroes can wield and develop added a nice new angle to the usual "click and attack" gameplay, the story was more fleshed out, the challenge level was good, and the cinemas were absolutely gorgeous. It may not be as grandiose in terms of the sheer number of troops you command at one time, but it's more focused group attacks do nothing to lessen the game's enjoyment. YES. Sonic Advance 2 (GBA)- Shit, another one? A decent number of people consider this entry to the best of the "Advance" games. It's understandable, as the graphics are quite good, the music is catchy, the levels are bigger and designed better than those in SA1, there's expanded gameplay for all the characters, and the overall game feels more polished than the first one. Definitely worth getting if you were a fan of the Genesis Sonics, and still have your GBA (or a DS handy). YES.

Eternal Champions: Challenge From the Dark Side let's you play as a pirate versus a chicken or a hoop snake. Beat that

Stupid? I don't think so. Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have had their franchises on their own systems for years (and Sega once upon a time). They could make a lot more money going multi-system with their popular franchises, but for whatever reasons, they're one system only.

That was a fun era, yes? Sure, Nintendo was ruling the roost in the 8bit era, but the Genesis gave the SNES a real run for the money up until the 32bit era started. Some great ideas and games came from the two of them trying to one-up each other in their battle for first. Of course, NEC was in the background for a while, but they didn't really pose much of a thread to either Sega or Nintendo.

If they marketed it right, all the football nuts would indeed by a new system for Madden... especially with that NFL exclusivity thing.

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (PS1)- You know, as much as I enjoyed this game, I can't help but feel a little gypped. In Japan, AC3 had a rather in-depth story to tell... so much so that it came on two discs. But when it was brought to the US, that story got chopped all to hell. It was dumbed down, and the cinemas telling it were all removed. The gameplay is still there though. The Very good graphics, the multitude of planes and missions, responsive controls, decent tunes... that's still the same. But knowing that the tale to be told was basically left behind hurts the game. Even so, it's still a game that any PS1 owner would enjoy. Borderline YES. Gran Turismo (PS1)- You know, this game was big shit when it first came out. Lots of cars, a good amount of tracks, a licensed soundtrack with some decent tunes here and there, good graphics for it's time, and all that. But it had a number of problems. Inconstant polygons, some odd physics, a really cheap AI system that heavily favored the CPU cars should contact be made, CPU cars that rarely ever spun out like you did (even if you rammed them)... it was just irritating to play after a while. Too many choices made to fuck the player over at every turn... literally. NO. Galactic Attack (Saturn)- With this vertical shmup, you get great graphics (for the time), good tunes, a great challenge that ramps up at a nice steady pace, loads of effects that give the game more visual depth than your typical vertical shmup, responsive controls, a simple but addictive scoring system, and even the ability to play the game in TATE mode (you'd have to rotate your TV 90º counter clock-wise so it's screen is taller than it is wide). It's an early Saturn shmup, but it's a quality port of a very good Taito arcade game. YES. Mega Man Zero 2 (GBA)- As has been said... good music, nice story, great challenge. etc. It surpasses the already well done first game on basically all levels, and should be at least tried out by anyone who's still hanging on to their GBA. YES. Colony Wars: Vengeance (PS1)- Where the first game began, this sequel picks up. Once again, a good story underlies the action, the graphics have been considerably improved over their already good quality, the missions are a bit more varied, there's a much better sense of speed, more weapon and ship choices, better AI, and the music was nice. The game's also harder, so you've got a good challenge before you if you choose to take it. In the end, a great 3D space sim that anyone even remotely fond of the genre should play. YES. Mega Man X5 (PS1)- As others have said... take MMX4, remix it a bit, and you've got MMX5. Of course, considering how good MMX4 was, that's not entirely a bad thing. As such, it has good graphics and decent tunes, but the levels aren't as good as they could have been due to recycling a good percentage of the previous game. Still, it's not nearly as bad as MMX7, and it retains enough of what made MMX4 great to make it a Borderline YES. Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (Saturn)- The first game was big hit. As a result, the sequel had a lot to live up to... and live up it did. Better graphics, branching paths, a dragon that evolves based on your performance, new weapons, a deeper story, and an overall polish that helps this game surpass the original in every way but one... musically. The first game had an astoundingly good musical score. And while this sequel sports a good soundtrack, it's not quite an epic as the first game's. Otherwise, PDIIZ is a game every Saturn owner should have. YES. X-Men vs Street Fighter (import Saturn)- The game that started the franchise. As its name implies, you get various X-Men characters to fight against various Street Fighter characters. The graphics are quite good, the gameplay is chaotic, you can switch between two characters at any time (a staple of the "vs" series), the music is good, and there's all kinds of flashy effects as you fight. The controls are also spot on, and the roster, while not massive, is respectable. They even managed to get the voice actors who played characters like Rogue and Wolverine to do the voices of their respective characters in the game. The Saturn port, like Vampire Savior and Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter, is virtually arcade perfect. The load times are basically gone, and all the animation is intact. Yet another high quality port of a very good fighter from Capcom. YES. Tyrian (PC)- A vertical shmup with a serious amount of levels, nice graphics (for the time), good music, lots of upgrades to be gotten, a good challenge level, and some fun hidden goodies. It's also free now in the form of Tyrian 2000, so there's no reason for people to at least not give this fun game a try. YES. Metal Slug Advance (GBA)- The Metal Slug series has been around for over a decade now. It's garnered a lot of attention and respect as a franchise for its graphical impressiveness, and for it's brutally tough gameplay. It should be noted though, that last part has also been used as a complaint about the series. Well, here's the answer. MSA looks like an MS game, sounds like an MS game, and even plays like one. But there's a significant difference... a life bar. Yes, now you can take four hits before your character bites the bullet (literally). This makes the game easier for those who aren't accustomed to the series one-hit kills. There's also hidden goodies around in the form of cards that can offer various extras for when you're playing. This is a first for the series, and give the GBA incarnation a bit of extra replayability as you try to find them all. It may not be in the league of Metal Slug 3, but the GBA game is a fine introduction to this stand out series. It's full of MS goodness, but it's also a bit easier for the new folks to digest. YES.

In a sense, EA making their own console would work. Why? Because EA has quite a few smaller companies under its belt, so it has the means to create a steady stream of "exclusive" titles... much like Sega used to, and Microsoft/Nintendo/Sony currently do. The question would be, could they get other third parties like Sega, Konami, Capcom and them to make games for their system as well? That could be problem, as there are already three, four or more versions of various games being made now. But, as for their desire to have a single system to play everything, were already have that. It's called a PC. A little tweaking, and you can play games all the way up to the GBA, PS1 and N64 on it, with the DS, XBox and PS2 likely being worked on ... Okay, bad joke. But in all seriousness, that idea wouldn't work. One system means that everyone currently making consoles would have to agree on the hardware, and that's no going to happen. Even if this single unit had the best technology available in it, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft would look at it, see something they could do better, and run off to make their own version of it so they could get that extra profit. And even if they did agree on the console, each company would start making their own add-ons for it as well, which would result in a very similar set up to what we have now ("Want to play our games? Buy our add-on!"). Not to mention, the idea of Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft having their first party titles on the same system as one of their competitor's first party titles probably sends chills down the spines of their respective CEOs.

Hello company line. How are you today?

Well, it seems Game Giveaway of the Day is on a repeat kick, and today, that repeat is Jets 'N Guns. So if you missed it last time, here's your chance again. http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/guns-n-jets/ REMEMBER: INSTALL IT AND ACTIVATE IT BEFORE THE DEADLINE ENDS 23½ HOURS FROM THIS POST.

Welcome to Sporkland

Star Fox 64 (N64)- Take Star Fox, gussy it up a bit with a higher polygon count, add some free roaming areas to fight in, implement a setup where accomplishing or missing various tasks decides your route, throw is the Landmaster tank and a soundtrack that's not quite as good as the SNES game's, and you've got this sequel. It's a fine game that offers some split screen multiplayer fun, as well as an entertaining single player game. The downsides are the music (which really could have been better), and the lack of a higher color setting (it looks sub-16bit color, which hurts the game visually). But if you can get past those areas, it's a fun game. Borderline YES. Sega Ages (Saturn)- Remember the Sega arcade classics OutRun, AfterBurner II and Space Harrier? Wanna play some basically arcade perfect versions of them? Here ya go. All three games are here and they run spectacularly. I say "basically arcade perfect" because I'm sure nit pickers will find some pixel out of place or some other minor difference, but for all intents and purposes, these three games came to the Saturn in perfect form. Hell, there's even a 60fps mode of OutRun, which is twice the fps of the arcade original. If you own a Saturn, and loved these games back in the day, then this is a game to get. If you didn't love them, then something's wrong with you. YES. Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC)- Take Doom and it's great (for the time) graphics engine, create 30 entirely new levels set on Earth, throw in a slew of new monsters, keep the same great multiplayer that made Doom so popular, and what you end up with is a sequel that matches the original in nearly every way. I say "nearly" because I preferred the first game's soundtrack, but the music for this game is quite good as well. Basically, if you liked Doom and the challenge it offered, you will like this fine sequel to the FPS defining game. YES. Shadow Warrior (PC)- "WHOOOOOOOOO want-a some Wang?" I figured I was in for an odd game when I first heard that opening line. This game uses the Build engine (Duke Nukem 3D, Blood), but it tweaks it a bit to allow room over room levels. The graphics are good (though a bit dated even for its time), the music is quite nice, the tongue-in-cheek humor is everywhere, there's a wide variety of enemies (including one that comes back as a ghost after you kill it), the levels vary quite a bit (and are pretty big), and the weapons are fun to play with. It's not the defining moment is FPS history for its era, but it is a game proves to be a fine entry into the genre. Borderline YES. Astro Boy: Omega Factor (GBA)- A mix of shmup and Gunstar Heroes-like platforming action, this game outshines it's PS2 big brother in basically every area. Graphics, music, gameplay, level design (for the most part)... it all shines in this great old school-influenced title. You can also tweak your character as you go, allowing you to play the game as you see fit. It's not a perfect game, as there are bouts of slow down, and a few levels are a bit odd. But in the end, it's a GBA game that's worth getting. YES.

Is this the patch (or version of it) you used?

I question whether it'll be 3D. Street Fighter already has a 3D series with the "EX" branch of the SF tree, so I'm thinking they'll do higher res 2D characters on either 2D or 3D backgrounds. Now if we could just get Darkstalkers 4...

Guardian Heroes (Saturn)- Well drawn 2D art, massive amounts of enemies to pow through, beat'em up-style gameplay with special moves thrown in, good tunes, and a vs mode with an astounding number of characters that can be unlocked (basically damn near every character in the game... if not every one). The controls are responsive, the action is constant, and this is a fine example of how good brawlers can be. YES. Taito Legends (PC)- Take 25 game from Taito's past that range from legendary (Space Invaders, Phoenix, etc.), to classic (Rastan, Bubble Bobble, etc.), to down right obscure (Tokio, Plotting, etc.), and put them together. What you end up with, is a stable of great arcade games from yesteryear. The game itself does a great job of emulating these games, but there's a special aspect about the PC version that the PS2 and XBox versions don't have... the ability to play the games in MAME as well. Yes, you can take the ROMs that TL1 installs, and drop them into an older version of MAME (v.66 is good) to get non-fuzzy graphics at proper aspect ratios, and even the arcade dipswitches. This is a great compilation on it's own. But tack on the MAME compatibility, and all the possible portability that implies, and it's even better. YES. Philosoma (PS1)- You know, when this game came out, it was pretty damn different. It's a shmup to be sure, but it's a bit odd. It uses quite a few different viewpoints. Top view, side view, into the screen behind the ship, out of the screen in front of the ship, and even below the ship. It's a strange beast to be sure, but it's also fun. It plays like a shmup regardless of which angle you're currently in, with good music, a decent challenge (mostly on hardest), and plenty of action. It's not the pinnacle of PS1 shmuping, but it's different, fun, and well made. Borderline YES. WipeOut (PS1)- Some folks consider Ridge Racer to be the best of the PS1's early racers. In my opinion, this game beats it by a mile. The downsides to this game are as follows... lots of pop up, and touching the side of the track brings you to an abrupt stop. The upsides? Great graphics, great music, seven wild and twisting tracks, a serious dose of speed when you unlock the higher class races, cool ship designs, and being able to shoot the bastards that come flying by you thanks to a fun array of weapons you can pick up. This game has few short comings, but a lot of pluses. YES. Radiant Silvergun (import Saturn)- There are shmups, and there are SHMUPS. This game, is in the latter category. Great graphics, effects the Saturn wasn't supposed to be able to do, cool music, many bosses that have multiple attacks and can be picked apart, a unique powering up system, fast action, lots of unlockable stuff, two modes (arcade and Saturn), a challenging scoring system and a tough challenge in general... this thing's got so much packed into it, that there's a reason some folks consider it the best shmup made to date. If you own a Saturn, you need to own this game. YES. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC)- C&C gave the RTS genre it's gameplay format, but this entry in the WarCraft series gave it a nice twist. The sprite work is quite nice for the time, the music is great, the gameplay is well done, the challenge level is certainly there. But in this game, there's a greater sense of personality to the troops you control (especially the low ranking ones), and some nice extra touches (like decaying bodies). The cinemas are pretty ugly looking (even for the time), but that's pretty much the low point in this game. The rest is quality stuff. YES. Unreal Tournament (PC)- You know, I'm probably one of the few people who wasn't all that excited about a FPS series that was focused more on single player, suddenly ditching the single player aspect damn near altogether. It happened when the Quake series jumped to III and tacked on a cheap single player game, and it happened again when the Unreal franchise did the same. Doom was a great balance between multi and single player gaming, but the lesson it taught wasn't paid attention to. Yes, the graphics are good for the time, there are several different modes to play in, the tunes are good, and there are plenty of weapons to grab and use. The bot AI is questionable at times, but it can do a decent job for your teammates in single player. But I can't lie here... the lack of a good single player game hurts UT 99. Multiplayer? Sure, UT 99 has it covered. Single player? Sorely lacking. Despite how disappointed I was with this game's not offering something for those of us who, at the time, didn't have an on-line option that would allow us to play it against others, I can still recognize what it offered. Borderline YES.

That's hard to do. We're rarer than a photograph of Paris Hilton not looking like she's stoned and mildly retarded.