 |
BURNING RANGERS (Saturn) Even Sega admits 1998 will be the Saturn's last year as its flagship machine. Whether any new Saturn games will appear in 1999 is doubtful - most of the firm's internal development is focusing on its next generation machine, currently codenamed Dural or Katana, depending upon which keyhole you have your ear pressed up against. That isn't to say Sega is letting the Saturn die an ungraceful death. Last year offered truly original fare, such as Enemy Zero, and while this year's line-up may not be exactly prolific, the titles thus far announced have been saucy enough to warrant envious glances from the PlayStation-owning neighbours. One such sugary pie is Burning Rangers, which is being developed by the team responsible for the original Sonic The Hedgehog, and the grossly underrated Nights Into Dream. Though Saturn owners may have wept into their beards at the loss of the Tomb Raider franchise - which lifted both its console legs onto the PlayStation - the third-person perspective in Burning Rangers should more than compensate. That's not to say this is some uninspired clone; Burning Rangers is something quite new. You see, you assume the role of a Manga battlesuited "space fireman", who must enter a number of burning buildings, put out the fires and rescue the people trapped therein. Of course, it wouldn't be a videogame without violence, and here it comes in the form of malfunctioning robot security systems. Graphically it's shaping up to be the best-looking Saturn game of all time, with transparency and lighting effects ahoy, as well as perhaps the most convincing flames ever seen in a videogame. However, the real trick is the gameplay. You see, Sega has wisely upped the replay value by ensuring Burning Rangers is different every time you play it. Each time you start a new game, the fires and hapless victims will be randomly distributed around the level. It's too late to label this "The Game That'll Save The Saturn", but it could well prove to be "The Game That Gave Saturn Owners A Good Final Year". Or something. BANJO-KAZOOIE (Nintendo 64)
Only Doctor Idiot would deny that Nintendo's UK-based development house Rare
had produced anything less than some of the finest games of all time; just
look at Blast Corps, Donkey Kong Starring a banjo-playing bear, Banjo, and a kazoo-playing bird, oddly enough called Kazooie, the game is an atypical quest to rescue Banjo's piccolo- playing girlfriend (her name isn't Guitar). Looking initially like Mario 64 with Donkey Kong Country's graphical richness, Banjo-Kazooie should prove subtly different. For starters, you can switch between the two characters, employing Kazooie's flying skills or Banjo's inherent toughness. Also, various voodoo curses transform the heroes into other creatures. But it's not all bad when Banjo gets transformed into a termite - it allows him to infiltrate a termite mound to find an essential item. Whether the game will have the same impact as Mario 64 is unlikely, but going on Rare's track record, we should expect something a little special. Check out our features archive   |
Country and the unquestionable brilliance of
GoldenEye if you think we're lying. A 3D platformer from the firm is long
overdue, but like some bizarre videogaming/bus stop analogy, you wait for ages
and then two come along at once. Conker's Quest is in the latter half of the
year, but before then we'll be treated to the bizarrely-titled Banjo-Kazooie.