Ace Combat 3, Sony PlayStation, £34.99
The first Ace Combat wasn't brilliant, but Ace Combat 2 was an excellent game that looked like a flight sim and played like an arcade shoot 'em up. The latest Ace Combat 3 stays true to its roots in a genre that is surprisingly uncrowded on the PlayStation.
The graphics have been notably improved - visual effects for weapons, environmental artifacts and more detailed craft models make this the prettiest of the trilogy.
In the last game, flying skill was often secondary to the power of the weapons. That has been largely rectified and, combined with a new control system, the player's skill is now better rewarded.
The missions are plot-based, so how you do in one mission will have an effect on the next one. Flight Sim aficionados will look down their noses at this game, but they are not the ones that Namco is out to please. To fly over 20 different jets, with varied missions (dogfights, ground attacks, canyon chases, mid-air refuelling, high-altitude chases) and shoot down a few enemies is a blast.
Ehrgeiz, Sony PlayStation, £29.99
NOT a very inspiring name, but coming from the creators of Final Fantasy VIII this is bound to raise a few heads. It is essentially a beat 'em up and despite being fairly adept it is never going to compete with games such as Tekken or Soul Calibur. Eleven of the characters are from Final Fantasy, including Cloud, Tifa and Sephinroth, complete with their trademark weapons and special moves. Ehrgeiz is not just a fighting game; it also has a role-playing search for the secret of immortality. Although mildly engrossing, it isn't in the same league as Zelda or Final Fantasy. On top of this are four mini-games, ranging from an Othello-style strategy game to Battle Beach, where pushing the buttons as fast as possible wins various races.
This isn't a bad mix of games, but the phrase that comes to mind, begins with "Jack", ends in "none" and has "all trades" in the middle.
A GAME player going by the name "Overkill" won a Buick car worth $25,000 in the recent Play Against the Pros competition organised by the PGA tour and EA Sports. Three hundred US and Canadian players were randomly chosen from among registered owners of the Tiger Woods Collection and Tiger Woods 99 PGA Tour Golf .
In the Play Against the Pros competition, PC players compete against the real-world results from PGA events. Just after a PGA pro takes a shot in a real game, players at home watch the shot on their PCs and try to outdo it. Overkill lived up to his name by winning the competition with a 16 under par (56 shots) round that featured 15 consecutive birdies. The next event supporting Play Against the Pros will be the Players Championship on March 23rd.
SEGA has confirmed Lucas Arts as a new third-party publisher for the Dreamcast. Lucas Arts is one of the most respected game publishers, with titles such as Grim Fandango and the X-Wing series. Star Wars: Episode I Racer will be its first game on the Dreamcast.
The Dreamcast's Internet capabilities will allow players to post high scores to the Dreamcast Network, adding new competitiveness to gameplay. The only problem with this is that the Internet facility is still unavailable in Ireland.
ONE of the best games of any genre in recent years, Half Life, has returned to the shelves in Singapore. Sierra's first-person shooter had been banned because the Board of Singapore Film Censors deemed it too violent and destructive to children. The European Leisure and Software Publishers Association recommends it for players over 15.
CODEMASTERS is to release a Mike Tyson boxing game on PlayStation. The former heavyweight champion will be the main attraction of the game, but there are no plans to include ear biting as one of his special moves.
games@irish-times.ie