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Atari Power Entertainment Online Issue 02
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Atari Power Entertainment Online- A Monthly On-Line supplement to the
A.P.E. Newsletter
JUNE 94 Issue 2
Patience
*********
This seems to be the operative word these days for Jag and Lynx enthusiasts
alike.(Heck, you even had to wait for this second issue of APE Online).
I've been hearing from many Lynx owners who want some new titles.
Atari hasn't dropped the system and there are a number of titles being
worked on. As the Jag gets into more stores the Lynx hopefully won't be
too far behind. One other thing to be hopeful about...most of the developers
who do Gameboy and Game Gear titles trickled down from Nintendo and Sega's
console units. With luck, some of the over 160 Jag developers will take
another look at it's little brother. The lower prices won't hurt it
either.
Now for the Jag owners. Waiting stinks doesn't it? Look at it this way,
you can use this time to save up some cash so when the next games do come
out, you'll be able to afford them. Seriously, Atari caught some flak
from some game mags and players over the first batch of Jag titles because
they didn't think they were flashy enough compared to 16-bit titles.
It's very important that the next games really start to show off what the
Jag can do(and also have solid gameplay) so naturally they're taking a
little longer to finish up than expected. From what I've seen, titles like
AvP, Kasumi Ninja, Doom, Club Drive, etc. will have been worth waiting
for.
There's a LOT of third-party stuff in the pipeline but it's going to take
some time to do them right. Fortunately, it looks like most of the companies
are making an effort to insure that their games take advantage of the Jag's
capabilites and they're not just doing quick unenhanced ports(Commodore's
CD32 took some heat over many of their early titles which were just
Amiga games with CD music and a FMV intro slapped on...and look where
they're at now!).
Farewell to Bob
****************
You've probably already heard that Bob Brodie has moved on from his
position as Director of Communications at Atari. Bob was always very
helpful to me and his presence will be missed. Good Luck on your future
endeavors Bob.
Magazine Watch
***************
It's been a veritable Jag bonanza lately in nearly all the major game
magazines.
The June 94 issue of Gamepro features an interview with Andrew Whittaker
of Rebellion about AvP and there's also a 1 page preview of the hotly
awaited title.
Not to be outdone, the June 94 VideoGames has AvP on the cover and an
interview with Atari's producer on the project, James 'Purple' Hampton.
The issue also has a 2 page strategy guide on Tempest 2000 and the
previews section shows shots from Kasumi Ninja, Doom, and Club Drive.
The June 94 EGM has nothing on AvP. Instead they show the games Double
Dragon 5, Brutal Sports Football, Flashback, and Blue Lightning in their
next wave section. Also, of a more esoteric interest, ASG has an ad for
the Jukebox and Hosenose and Booger while Imagineer has an ad for
Kick Off 3 where they show the logos for the Genesis, the SNES, and(trumpets
please) the Jaguar.
The must buy June 94 issue though is Diehard Gamefan(big suprise huh?).
84 screenshots of 9 Jag games. The Jag version of Wolf 3-D looks more
detailed than any previous version. Some absolutely stunning shots of
Club Drive. Also cool shots from Redline Racing(which may once again be
called Checkered Flag), Flashback, Double Dragon 5, Ultra Vortex, Doom,
and AvP. The Europa section has a shot of Blue Lightning which is looking
very promising.
If you don't already read it, I strongly suggest you make a habit of
checking out Atari Explorer Online. Every issue has a ton of Jag news
and info(some recent issues have had some must read stuff on Jeff Minter
(Tempest 2000's programmer)). It comes out every 2 weeks and is well worth
the time it takes to download.
Tempest 2000 Rules
*******************
Unless you live in a cave, you're aware of the fact that Tempest 2000
is now out. I'll spare you the agony of reading yet another "this game
is incredible" review. If you're a Tempest fan or you just love intense,
adrenaline pumping, blast'em ups, you must have this game. The psychadelic
melting graphics are wild(look for more of this kind of stuff in Jeff
Minter's Colorspace 2000 Light Synthesizer which is slated to be built-in
on the Jag CD). I'd have to say that the most striking thing about T2000
has to be the music. This is true CD quality music without a CD-Rom unit
needed. More importantly, it actually enhances the game. It gets your
heart and your blood pumping as you blast baddies into oblivion on the
webs. If you need something to pass the time as you patiently wait for
AvP, give this a shot.
(Editor's Note: T2000 also gives us a sneak peek as to what to expect
advertisingwise in the future. Atari has done game specific ads for T2000
in both magazines and on TV. We should see similar treatments for future
games like AvP.)
Lynx Classic
*************
One of the Lynx's strengths is it's ability to allow multi-player action
via ComLynx. Unfortunately, only a handful of titles really exploit this
capability to the fullest. One of the best though is Slime World.
This side-scrolling, running, jumping shoot'em up allows up to 8 players
to hook-up and go at each other in the bowels of a slimy alien world.
Slime World provides alot of fun for a single player with a number of huge
challenging levels that will you keep you busy for awhile(it thankfully
uses passwords to allow you to get back to specific spots in the monster
sized levels)but the game really comes into it's own with multiple players.
You can team up but the best option is the Combat level where it's every
player for themselves. Slime World was one of the early Lynx games so
you might have a good chance at picking up several copies for a song(this
is one of the main reasons why I have 3 Lynx systems).
Get a Free YEAR of APE
************************
In an attempt to get a larger subscriber base, I've decided to be a little
bold. Instead of just getting 1 issue to check out, you can now get a
free 1 year subscription to APE. To get your free subscription, all you
have to do is give me your mailing address. You can GE-Mail the info to
me at Genie via C.SMITH89 or through the Internet at c.smith89@genie.com
If you don't have access to Genie or Internet you can mail your free
issue request to:
APE Newsletter
2104 North Kostner
Chicago,IL 60639
You'll receive your subscription starting with issue 16(the Summer CES
issue due early July) and you'll get a back issue order form. Hopefully,
once your year of issues is done, you'll be interested in renewing.
Unfortunately, I can only extend this offer to people in the USA and
Canada(overseas mailing costs would kill me). Also, former subscribers
to APE can only take advantage of this if your subscription ran out over
a year ago.
The next issue of APE Online will be available June 24th with special
indepth coverage of the Summer Consumer Electronics show.
Please feel free to pass this around to any other information services or
bulletin boards where interested Jag and Lynx owners might be.
