 |
Paul Rose 29/11/96 Imagine you had a really big shopping basket. It might be whicker, it might be made of iron - we just don't know. Now imagine you had free reign to waltz into a games shop and pick up any five games for your machine - what should those games be? In the second part of an occasional series, we look at the major formats and tell you which games you simply MUST own. This week: the PlayStation. Bing Bong!
CRASH BANDICOOT Until Mario 64 arrives in the UK, Crash Bandicoot is the finest example of a next generation platformer you're likely to see. In many ways a very traditional style of game, with riffs lifted straight out of Mario and Sonic's pockets, it's all carried off so slickly that you don't notice. Levels can scroll from left to right, into the screen, out of the screen, up the screen - or a mixture of all. Throughout the graphics will blow you away. Unbelievably textured, subtly animated, and completely glitch-free, Crash could well be the best-looking game on the PlayStation. RESIDENT EVIL Creepy, violent and totally playable - Resident Evil is the ultimate next gen adventure game. Though blatantly ripped-off from Infogrames' Alone in the Dark series, Evil drags the third-person action-adventure into the 32-bit age. The storyline (uncover bizarre experiments in a seemingly abandoned mansion) moves along well, but the real star is the atmosphere. Running along an empty hallway only for a skinned dog to burst through the window is guaranteed to make your trousers fall off with fear BUST-A-MOVE 2 It's a puzzle game, and uncomplicated enough that a Mega Drive or Super NES could've handled it. That doesn't stop it being one of the most addictive games you'll ever play. The screen is half-filled with coloured balls. You control a small crossbow at the bottom of the screen, and must fire more balls at balls of the same colour. If two or more touch - they disappear. If you hit a ball of the wrong colour, the screen will slowly begin to fill. It sounds weird, and it probably is. But you'll be hooked.
NEXT WEEK: MORE OF THE BEST GAMES Check out our features archive   |
TEKKEN 2 The best beat 'em up ever - it simply has to be played. More characters, more moves, more everything - it's the most complete fighting game ever devised.
The game is completely user-friendly, right down to the ingenious training
mode, which helps you with your special moves by flashing your button presses
on screen. The graphics too, are superlative. The subtle light-sourcing, and
the sheer realism of the fighters is second-to-none. 
WIPEOUT 2097 The PlayStation is a haven for fans of driving games, but few titles offer seat-of-your-pants anywhere near Wipeout 2097. The original Wipeout was far too difficult, but 2097 is infinitely more playable. You race a sleek
hovercar around a series of gob-smacking, roller-coaster-style tracks,
knocking your opponents out of the way with the collectable weapon power-ups.
The graphics are amazing, and at times it's difficult to comprehend just how
they managed a game that good-looking on a home console.