War Gods Review

Have you ever come across a game that you really wanted to like, but for some strange reason you just couldn't? That's how I felt about War Gods. Let me put it this way: I'm a huge fan of the Mortal Kombat series, and War Gods possesses enough similarities to make it seem like an old friend at times. It also includes enough changes to give the Mortal Kombat fighting experience a "new" feel. Sounds good, right? Well...let's just say that, ultimately, the new feel I got was one of irritation and disappointment.

The story behind War Gods goes something like this: A really, really long time ago, a spaceship carrying crazy, life-giving ore crashed into the Earth, spreading small chunks of the magic rocks across the planet's surface. Throughout time, various humans have found the rocks and instantly evolved in War Gods. Now they're fighting each other to gather all the stones in the quest to become the ultimate super-warrior. Indeed. It's a dubious mission worthy of this so-so MK clone.

If you've played any of the Mortal Kombat games, adjusting to War Gods should be pretty easy, should you decide to bother. All of the basic moves, like uppercuts, sweeps, and roundhouse kicks, are exactly the same as MK. Moreover, many of the special moves are done in a very similar fashion. The only real difference War Gods can claim is its 3-D environment, which mainly allows the characters to sidestep out of the way of projectiles. War Gods also sports MK-inspired combos, the only appreciable difference being that the combos are longer here. Perfecting these ten-hit combos is just a matter of simple memorization, and they ensure that experienced players will take up to a third of their opponent's life every time they land a successful attack. The game also has fatalities, which range from completely pathetic (Anubis' sarcophagus drop) to completely insane (CY-5's UFO Abduction). These fatalities are extremely hard to do on the N64 controller, as many of them involve simultaneously hitting three buttons and other finger-twisting feats.

On the upside, War Gods' graphics are pretty good. The 3-D arena looks sharp, the characters are fairly detailed, and the backgrounds look good as well. This is probably the first N64 fighting game to hit the market that actually shows off some of the power of this system. The only graphical element that falls short is the blood, which flies out of the character's bodies in huge dollops and manages to look pretty ridiculous in the process. The sound in War Gods is some of the best to come from an N64 game. The distorted, low-quality sound that plagued Midway's Mortal Kombat Trilogy has been replaced with crisp, clean speech and sound effects.

If you're a fan of Mortal Kombat, War Gods is an interesting (albeit unrelated) footnote to the MK legacy. It's a very strange mix, which may leave some feeling unfulfilled. While it has just enough of the MK feel to give it familiarity, the differences will drive purists crazy. However, it is a solid fighter, and probably the best that the N64 has to offer in the fighting arena.

Tekken 2 Review

Wickedly sick action, amazingly fast gameplay, mother of all.... What more is there to say? Tekken 2 rules! The undeniable king of fighting games is here, and it's time to break bones and necks - not to mention the controller after Angel Kazuya toasts you alive with her eye laser.

This sequel features a variety of new moves, characters, backgrounds, and other improvements. Characters are more detailed, and Namco has imbued them with new features, like head movement. In addition to having twice as many moves, combos, and throws, most characters also now have at least three different ten-string combos. In addition to the original selection of moves, "counter throws" have been added, allowing a few of the characters to grab an inbound punch or kick and perform a defensive throw. The most noticeable enhancement however, is the light sourcing - the Playstation can seemingly make light appear from anywhere during the battle. The game has 25 playable fighters who ALL have endings (when you first begin the game only ten playable fighters are available, but for every time you beat the game you receive a new playable character).

If you like fighting games at all, you will love Tekken 2. The graphics and fluid character movement will astound and amaze. The simple control format allows inexperienced players to begin play immediately with minimal effort, and will keep the interest of expert players for months - thanks to the game's complex system of moves and combos. Tekken 2 gives you more than your money's worth.