Gaming Sites
* * * THE LABYRINTH * * *
As Web mazes go, this one is well-constructed and fairly nice to look at. If capitalism gives you a rash, the prevalence of advertising might become an annoyance, but if you complete the maze in the least amount of moves, you could win a prize! Also, there is usually a choice of mazes to enter, and new mazes come online frequently.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
A Video Games Homepage
This video games "homepage" is as generic as the name sounds. The idea behind it is to feature one new game every month, but when I looked at it the feature consisted of a one-page walk-through of the Beavis and Butthead game. Not only do you waste time downloading the page, you also lose the oppurtunity to explore the game on your own.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Addventure
The site's creators encourage you to consider Addventure not a Multi-User Dungeon or Role-Playing Game, but instead a "shared story." And, as a shared story, content is only as compelling as the contributions of those involved. Personally, I appreciate entries like, "You hear a disembodied voice from the heavens say, 'I am such a moron. Maybe one day I'll learn to proofread.'" Overall, Addventure could offer newbies more helpful instructions. And, as a text adventure, the site is devoid of graphics.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Jon Phillips
Aftershock: Arcade Alley
Up for some classic video arcade action like Space Invaders and Frogger? If you're one of those people with fond memories of your Atari 2600 or who pumped quarters into games like Q*Bert and Centipede down at the mall, then you'll overwhelmed by nostalgia for the good old days at Arcade Alley. Aftershock's programming is impeccable. Their games look and sound just like the originals, and you won't waste any quarters playing them (although you probably have a lot more quarters to spend now). Aftershock is dedicated to bringing more replicas of classic games to the Web, so watch this space; it's going to turn into a full arcade, just like they had at the mall.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
American Gaming Network
Very much a site "under construction," this site is maintained by a company that runs high stakes mega-bingo games at Indian Reservations across the country. Like the idea of quasi-legal gambling over the web? Watch this space.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
B.J. Zanzibar's World of Darkness
Don't let the name fool you. The World of Darkness isn't the online interpretation of some angst-ridden existentialist's world view. Likewise, B.J. Zanzibar is simply a pseudonym, or, in this case, a keyboard name. I'm sure some of you old-timers are saying "duh" at this point, but it must be made clear that World of Darkness is actually a role-playing game (RPG), as well as an �ber-game system for a collection of individual games titled Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Wraith, and Changeling. B.J. Zanzibar is Abe Dashiell, an avid gamer, computer consultant and recent graduate of Indiana University. As with many RPGs, Dashiell's game provides a fluid system in which players at home can create and manipulate characters, settings, and courses of action. Armchair Machiavellis can also implement rules variations. Dashiell gathered together as many RPG resources as he could find, and placed them in this single, huge site. Most of the material has been gleaned from the Internet, where it was originally posted on the newsgroups alt.games.whitewolf and rec.games.frp.storyteller. Dashiell emphasizes that World of Darkness is vastly different in comparison to the fantasy RPGs that follow the Dungeons and Dragons model, in which players spend their time killing monsters and finding treasures. He calls World of Darkness a "sociopathic vision of our own world. Everything seems normal on the surface, but you don't have to dig very deep to run into something rotten." The person in charge of a World of Darkness game is called a "storyteller," and players' characters are supernatural creatures such as vampires and werewolves. Players also tend to be older than most RPGers, and more interested in character interaction and development. On this site, there are three to six sections for each game, with a multitude of articles in each section. Anyone involved in creating a World of Darkness game will find tons of valuable material here. It is all organized extremely well. Dashiell took the trouble to learn how to build HTML Frames, and incorporated them into the structure of the site. His Frames facilitate an index that resides on the left side of the page, so now you can jump from one section of the site to another. Subtopics are displayed along the bottom for easier navigation within a game section.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Bill Burcham's Champions Gallery
The wacky world of role-playing games that began with Dungeons and Dragons has expanded to include many different genres, including, now, superhero comix. The game Champions lets players design custom superheroes and other peripheral material. Bill Burcham has created a Web archive where players can share such creations. The site's design and concept are solid, but the lack of contributions suggests the page is unknown - or the game just doesn't have that much popularity.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Bingo Zone
The beloved game of churches and Indian reservations, Bingo has found its way onto the Web, and the Bingo Zone not only offers different varieties of the game, but also cash prizes. There are probably plenty of Bingo experts out there that would recognize the different kinds of Bingo games here and appreciate the diversity. The games they run are fully interactive, including players from all over the world. On weekends, the games start every 30 minutes, and run 24 hours, but on weekdays, they are only from 10 AM to 4 AM Eastern Standard Time, which should be enough for most players.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Bitmap Brothers
The Bitmap Brothers site promotes more than just games, it personalizes the creation of the games. Sports fans have their Dennis Rodmans, movie buffs have their Martin Scorseses, rock and rollers have their Mick Jaggers, so why should it be any different for computer gamers? Instead of "the next big game" from Sony or Nintendo, with the Bitmap Brothers you know who created it. The site includes a "softography," that shows a consistent design aesthetic in all the games, and probably helps sell old titles as well. Games include Speedball, The Chaos Engine, and Xenon.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Bridge on the Web
Hmmm, Bridge, played around the world, by, well, by a lot of people, even if you and I don't know any. And this is their site. Many of the documents here are in PostScript, so you'll need a reader (they provide a link to a PC one, but no Mac), but aside from that, this appears to be a very complete accomplishment, with lots of links to PC bridge game sites, info about tournaments, etc. It's pretty plain looking, but has plenty of information that will no doubt be of interest to Bridge players worldwide.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
CJS's Unofficial Descent WWW Page
It's good that CJS calls this an "unofficial" page, because the creators and distributors of Descent would have good reason to be peeved if this single page of links was misidentified as "official" material. Granted, the links send you to useful content like the Descent Cheat Utility - anybody who's gone careening around the mining tunnels of Descent will appreciate the extra help that the Cheat Utility provides. But, overall, this site offers no intrinsic content, just pathways to richer territory.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Casady & Greene
Casady & Greene are among the last of "Mac-only" developers. Their stuff is known for high quality, great value and excellent functionality, and their web-site features this same quality. It's well organized, looks great, has a perfect mix of art to content, and features the fascinating home page of John Calhoun, one of the best Mac programmers around. Even if you have a PC and can't download one of the fully operative demos of Casady & Greene's software, you should check this out to see the way a corporate web page should be done. Awesome. ***blue light
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
Casino Card Games
This is a weird one. It's called Casinos of the South Pacific, and on it you can play 5 games - 5 dice slots, "J" slots, 3 x 3 slots, Poker and BlackJack. It's just for fun, of course - no real cash or anything - and the page stores the high scores. The games are pretty fun. Some require JAVA, some don't. For me, the question is why? Why are these games here at all? There's no answer or explanation given on the site. So never mind, I guess. Just check `em out. They're fun.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Joseph
CleverMedia Shockwave Arcade
Surfing with Shockwave? Check out the arcade (formerly Gary's gallery), especially the Space Pirate game: it's a great demonstration of the capabilities of Director in the hands of a good programmer. Space Pirate is a neat little game which basically follows the model of the venerable Galactic Trader, except in Space Pirate you get to steal and plunder. You navigate around the galaxy, picking up crew members, buying, stealing, and selling goods, trying to avoid getting arrested or having your crew mutiny. It's fun and best of all just a mere 200K Shockwave file. This kind of economy in programming hasn't been seen since the days of 20 megabyte hard drives. That's not the only incredible feat of programming at the site: have a look at the 60K game called Pretty Good Golf which actually has 3 different courses.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Conquest of the New World
Advertising has reached new levels with the World Wide Web, putting the same amount of material in front of the consumer as a television infomercial. Interplay has set up the Conquest of the New World site as a way of showing off all the aspects of the game. Using a lot of Shockwave files, it illustrates all the strategy points of the game, such as exploring, trading, lying, and stealing. Each screen covers some aspect of our politically incorrect forefathers' takeover of North America. Beautifully designed, the site is one elegant commercial, that even includes a little Shockwave game that really makes you want to play Conquest.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
CyberMUD
CyberMUD is one of the first Web-based games (i.e., it's been up for more than a year). While it was certainly innovative and entertaining when it first appeared, the game has had no recent updating. It uses links to implement a choose-your-own adventure, whose plot centers around a real MUD gone mad. EEK! Scary stuff. You should skip this game unless it's really, really late at night, or your diet consists of Jolt and Twinkies.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Kathy Tafel
DOR-Cino The Doronomo in Hartford Casino
The Doronomo Casino has BlackJack, Craps, Roulette, a Slot Machine, and Video Poker, and you get $500 to play. It's all a pretty ingenious diversion, without all the noise and crowds of the Vegas casinos. The money is completely virtual, which is good, because the odds on the video poker game were really lousy. I ended up losing all my money at the roulette wheel. For those with high online time payments, I should point out that versions of these games are available as stand-alone software.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Diplomacy home page
For those unfamiliar with the game Diplomacy, it's an ongoing game played over the Internet (primarily via e-mail), in which a network of players ally themselves with each other and attempt to take over the world. If you don't know more than that, expect to be a bit confused at the Diplomacy Home Page. Of course, if you're willing to endure the tedious text and insider's lingo, you may just be able to work your way into this mysterious society of players. If you're already a player, you owe it to yourself to visit this information-heavy site.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Patrick Baggatta
DoomGate
This site is essentially a love letter to id, the makers of DOOM and the many DOOM-like games that have followed. The page is clean and easy to follow, much like the game, and if you're a fan, then it's a great place to visit with like-minded folks. If your not a fan of the game, you simply have no place here.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta
ElendorMush
Ah, Tolkein! Elendor is one of the most active MUSHes in Middle Earth. It is obvious from looking at the graphics on the site, however, that the Web master spends most of his time in a black-and-white, text-only universe. When I Telnetted into the MUSH for the first time, I was almost immediately paged by a friendly person -well, it could have been an orc- who offered assistance should I need it. There is plenty of online help, and new users are encouraged to read newbie news. The Elendor MUSH seems like a great place to hang out, although it could be detrimental to grades or marriages.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Kathy Tafel
File Factory
Essentially a file archive for the Total Entertainment Network http://www.ten.net, the File Factory is an aesthetically appealing, solid batch of Web pages set up for the sole purpose of making PC gaming files available on the Web. There are, of course, demo versions of the games that can be played on the TEN network. But TEN didn't stop there. These avid gamers put just about every decent game they could find, along with a quick rating, up on the site. There are quite a few different categories of downloads, including the "Home Brew" section, with levels and patches designed by individuals.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Frame[zero]
This fledgling game company is currently developing a CD-Rom called "Neurosis," which "brings the player on a discovery of characters still trapped in an endless string of bizarre scientific research from the Vietnam era." Frame[zero]'s dark vision is illustrated by a string of screen shots which you can click through. "Enemy of Evil" is another game Frame[zero] has developed for the Web. I couldn't get very far with it, but the idea is that the player wakes up underneath a bed in a hospital room, and tries to figure out how they got there. Clicking on various points of the image on the page takes you further into the adventure.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
GamePen
GamePen is one of those ultimate computer gaming sites that can provide all the resources any gamer needs. People with slow Internet connections that can't really spend the time aimlessly surfing from site to site might as well just go here. The latest games are pretty well covered, along with news about upcoming releases. Another excellent time-saver is the "Therapy" section, a sort of running report covering the dialogue in the various newsgroups that relate to gaming. The top of the home page is a little confusing as far as what's available here; scroll down a bit for an easy-access site map.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
GameSpot
GameSpot is all about reviews of games for for PCs, with some news thrown in. It sounds like a narrow topic, but it isn't. Just ask anybody that plays PC games. For one thing, there are all sorts of gamers, from the kids who grew up with Doom to the older military experts who appreciate the exquisite detail of a good flight simulator. GameSpot covers all the categories, with reviews of interactive movies, action games, role-playing, and more. The reviewing criteria is professional and consistent, and reviews include information about what kind of machine the game was played on.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Gamer's Zone
Part of the World Village, "a virtual community focused on the home computing experience," it has game reviews, features, a site-of-the-day page, live chat and downloads. You can also play non-Java games, including a 3-D maze game and the old "dots" game we used to waste time on in high school. Although the site of the day is up-to-date, not much else is. That's unfortunate, as the infrastructure here looks solid. Most of the reviews are old, with only a few features. Similarly, the downloads are not the hottest commercial demos, but straight shareware. In a sense, you know, that's kind of refreshing. Ultimately, however, while the games are nice technology demos, even on a T1 connection they're too slow to be playable.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
Games Domain
I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the ultimate PC gaming site on the Web, but it's pretty close. Content is divided into 6 categories, and is a mixture between local and remote resources. The usual section headings are in place, like "What's New" and "Downloads," but one whole section, the "Games Domain Review" is an online magazine in and of itself, with game reviews and industry news. That said, another section called "Games Information" is considered the real core. There are games FAQs and tons of links to other game sites in this area. The most ingenious part , to my mind, is the "Universal Hint System," a hint database that can help gamers past the sticking point.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Games Galore
Did you ever see a site so outdated, you wondered if the person who created it died or something? That's this. If you're looking for a sparse amount of info on console systems (like the PlayStation) that's only just over a year out of date, combined with a paltry collection of links and some horrible fawning reviews, look here. Oh yeah, there are also huge graphics to download of exciting images like floppy disks and Sony battery changers. I'm convinced whoever did this site did it just to try and leech some software from big companies, "uh, yeah, I got a Web zine, send me some games, OK?" Stay away, this blows. ** RED LIGHT! THIS SUCKS!
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Chris Charla
Geisen
Ostensibly a site for all those " I-love-games, I-love-to-chat kind of people," it seems a little short on participants. Can't blame it on a new launch, because message archives go back to April, not that there's a whole lot of messages there. Geisen is like a big, super-deluxe office building that nobody has rented space in yet. The only content is video game news and a section about a big costume players convention. Judging from the graphics, Costume Players are all the rage in Japan, where girls dress up as their favorite anime and manga characters. This will probably be a hit for all the teenage male video gamers out there, but don't expect any information about actual games.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Grendel's Gaming Lair Main
If you're specifically interested in PC gaming, enter Grendel's Lair - or, more precisely, labyrinth - but do so with caution. As of press time, The Lair was rife with "404 File Not Found" errors and areas under construction. Content (*available* content, that is) includes downloadable game demos; tips, tricks and cheats; and links to slick corporate sites from the likes of id, Interplay and ActiVision. Overall, The Lair is a middling resource for the PC-centric, and wields an amateurish, slightly juvenile, Dungeons-and Dragonsy aesthetic. This may be a turn-off for Mech-heads looking for a more post-modern approach.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Jon Phillips
Happy Puppy Game Downloads
It may be ugly, but if you're looking for a jam-packed site filled with forums, cheats, downloads, reviews, and the latest info on games, this is, as they themselves say, the number one spot for PC games on the Web. Run by a group of old-school gamers, this is a site for people who remember the way PC gaming used to be -- not a lot of hipster flash, but plenty of meaty content. Plus, it's called Happy Puppy. What more do you want?
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
History of Home Video Games
Here's a stellar example of a site that triumphs by sheer force of its written content. From the droll Pong FAQ - "Q: What's the little white thing on the left side of the screen? A: That is the "paddle." It is used to bounce the "ball." - to information on Sony's state-of-the-art PlayStation, this historical timeline is a good read for all gamers. The Bally Astrocade. The Milton Bradley Microvision. The Mattel Aquarius. Learn about all the ill-fated systems that waxed and waned before Nintendo and Sega developed their market strangleholds in the late 80s.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Jon Phillips
Hyper Trivia Challenge
Is it any wonder that one of the hottest Web games is based on one of the hottest TV game shows? Except with Hyper-Trivia Challenge, a Web version of "Jeopardy," everyone's a contestant, no one's a spectator. Actually, Hyper-Trivia Challenge has no affiliation with the TV show: You don't have to stress over time limits and having other contestants beat you to the button, you don't have to worry about looking like a fool to a nationwide TV audience, and you don't get to win a lot of real money. Well, maybe the TV show has an advantage on that last part. It's a pretty simple set-up. The first screen asks you to register, which merely means you enter a name that can be put in the hall of fame if you're smart enough. The next screen allows you to bet from $100 to $1,000 in each of 10 categories. From there, you're presented with the answers to which you have to figure out the questions. Most of these answers come from popular culture and aren't quite as intense as the stuff on the TV show. Once the results come in, you go to a final jeopardy kind of challenge, where you can bet everything you've previously won on a single question. Hyper-Trivia Challenge's origins are typical of a lot of the Web. According to co-creator Greg Rubidge, the creators of the site originally had set up "a modest E-publication with local (Toronto) information and some other quirky stuff..." This Toronto Web site grew until they had to break it down into smaller parts, with the arts and entertainment section renamed "Hype!" The people at Hype! developed the game for a large brewery (this is Canada we're talking about) as a promotion to get people onto their site. The brewery decided to go for something a little bit more corporate, which was probably a big mistake. According to Greg, they had "47,000 accesses (not hits) for the last 10 days of August (1995)." This is definitely enough traffic to call the site a success, by anybody's standards. The maximum score possible on the game -20,000 - is achieved by betting the maximum on each question, getting all of them right, and betting everything on the final jeopardy challenge. Unfortunately, the game has found my Achilles heel and I will never get a perfect score, because it always seems to put in two sports questions.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Hyper@ctive
Online incantation of an Australian gaming mag, this site is sharply designed, and full of well written on-target reviews and previews, as well as some news and plenty of downloadable demos. On the downside, the previews section was pretty spotty and the news was fairly out-of-date. I get the idea that Hyper@ctive is expanding rapidly (the site has want ads for writers and Web people), so maybe by the time you read this, it will have staffed up and hit its stride. Hope so, �cause this could be a great site.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Bremser
Internet Chess Library
The best way to learn chess is by example, and what better examples are there than Fischer, Smyslov, Karpov, etc.? While not the prettiest site to look at, but the ICL is one helluvan archive. A lot of it isn't optimized for HTML. In fact, the majority of the material here is text documents and applications, which can be accessed via the FTP server. (You can, at least, view the file directories with your browser.) Slick graphics shouldn't matter much to the serious chess afficionado, though, who's used to reading chess notation and knows where "e3" is on the board. You will need to learn standard chess notation if you want to recreate any of the tournament and masters games stored here.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Jackpot
Sure, nobody reads instructions, but they are helpful to have around to skim and find out generally what you should be doing. This "Jackpot" site opens up with an ugly picture of a slot machine that says "Play & Win U.S. $100.00." Clicking on the picture spins the reels, but there is no indication of what you need to win. Repeated clicking spins the reels again, so presumably you could click it all night and win that $100.00; that is, if there really is any money to be won.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Killer Instinct 2 by ICE
Addicted to Ninetndo/Rare's 2D arcade fighting game? Think Killer Instinct is the ultimate quarter snatcher? Then you'll do well checking out this page, which has all the fighting moves, combos, fatalities, humiliations, etc. for every character in the game, as well as general info about the game. So in-depth, it's a little frightening.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
King Link & Games
This site is wicked confusing, slow, and hard to navigate. That said, it does have an extensive mirrored library of easily searchable games (with descriptions) for many systems as well as links to just about every search engine on the Internet. So, I guess its worth checking out, just be prepared for a little confusion at the outset. What ever happened to "about [this site]" pages??
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
LucasArts Entertainment Company
The LucasArts web pages are a lot like the games the George Lucas multimedia empire produces - exceptionally well done technically, but lacking, sometimes, in any kind of spirit. Anyway, what you've got here is about exactly what you'd expect: screen shots; downloadable demos; a catalog of available merchandise; a tech support section with trouble shooting guides and an online recruitment section. I don't know, maybe I'm just tired of licensed Star Wars games, but I found this web site profoundly unmoving. If you want to know everything about the latest LucasArts games, come here. If you're looking for something soul-enhancing, something like THE FORCE, maybe, look elsewhere.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
Mac Flight Simulators
Tom Morrison has collected an extensive collection of links to every Mac Flight simulator site on the Internet (as far as we can tell), from Graphic Simulatons to someone who has a Mercury space mission simulator. He also has news and gossip (current and archived) about Mac flight sims and links to several FTP sites and the Flight Simulator FAQ. A great one-stop directory for anyone who wants to play pilot on the Mac. Not super deep, not super ornate, but very complete - you'll get what you want quick.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
MacDOOM Park
When Doom II arrived for the Mac, friends of the *other* platform finally got a chance to contribute to id Software's cultural phenomenon. Now Mac-oriented Doomheads can surf an excellent site that properly represents the Doom gestalt. MacDOOM Park excels with brevity, and offers wild background textures, cool button icons, and concise, valuable content items, including cheats, downloadable files and links to other cool Web pages (check out Ah, Hell, a commentary on Doom from a feminine perspective). Just one gripe: Since the site *looks* so cool, one would expect more technical bells and whistles.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Jon Phillips
Metacrostics
If you're familiar with acrostics, and enjoy solving the little brain-twisters, then Metacrostics is sure to turn you off of them forever. If you've never cared much for Word games, skip to the next section. This site contains a selection of the most out-of-control acrostic-type puzzles I've ever seen. Oh sure, the first page tries to make it sound easy by supplying instructions, but that's just to suck people in. Pretty soon you'll be scratching your head, trying to figure out which 5 letter word some weird limerick is defining. The site is well designed with a magazine-like quality, and you'll end up hating it.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
MindSports
I don't really know sports trivia, so I was pretty lost playing these games. Nevertheless, I was able to win one baseball game on "Bullpen Ace," and score a field goal on "2 Minute Warning." Beyond just being baseball and football trivia, however, each game is set in the proper context. I liked the football field graphics on "2 Minute Warning" the best. Answering a question correctly makes the little players on the field move closer to the opposing team's goal. Kind of reminds me of those vibrating toy football games with the magnetic players. Remember?
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Mr DooM's Web Page
Mr. DOOM is exactly what you might expect - a DOOM fan through and through, making himself known via the Internet. The idea behind his site is to essentially bring together other fan(atics) to talk about, read about, and dream about DOOM. There is also a personal challenge from Mr. DOOM to all players in what can only be described as a Death Match. If you think you're DOOMy enough, perhaps you'd like to give it a try.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta
Multiplayer Game Connection
The popularity of 3D shoot-em-up games like Doom isn't based so much on the gameplay, as it is the possibility of multiple players; the thrill factor goes up a notch or two (or three) when you're playing against human opponents. The Multiplayer Game Connection attempts to bring this kind of fun to slower, strategy oriented contests, games that allow you to do such things as play turn-of-the-century robber baron (Empire Builder). The advantage of board model games, of course, is that they can be played well on slower connections. Specialized software is, however, needed to play on MGC, and there's a $9.95 a month charge for unlimited play time.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
NannyMUD
NannyMUD's home page is more extensive than Elendor's. This may be more indicative of long Swedish winters than any real necessity for such depth of content. That, and it's been around for almost six years. NannyMUD is medieval in theme, with magic thrown in for kicks. The home page explains the environment, some of the quests, and the technology used to create the MUD. There are also pictures of most of the wizards and even some mere mortals. The MUD itself seems much more goal-oriented than Elendor.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Kathy Tafel
Oh No The Lemmings Games Web Page
Lemmings. Kids, parents, twentysomething hipsters - everybody loves lemmings. These little green-haired cuties dressed in Dr. Denton jammies frolic across all software platforms, just waiting to be rescued by smitten gamers. While this site does in fact provide the down-low on Lemmings minutiae, it's poorly constructed. Children - shoot, even adults - may have trouble navigating the confusing barrage of text links. The graphic underplay? That's OK. All gaming sites would do well to minimize the artwork, and instead focus on quickly accessed information.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Jon Phillips
PC Multimedia & Entertainment
This is really a fan site masquerading as an online magazine. Game reviews dominate the project, which seems to have a single editor, judging by the solitary byline. And while there's a lot of good information about a wide variety of games, the editor seems to be enamored of all of them. Ratings were pretty generous across the board. Also working against it, the home page is not very well designed, being too long and unorganized for easy access to the site's areas.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Paintball Field
A really superior amount of information on paintball games, tournaments, and equipment make this a great site for the novice to get hyped about playing. The site has a list of just about every paintball gun made, with more detailed information on a selection of them. The site is solidly constructed, but there's not much organization to it. The nicely done home page graphic is it for looks.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Paintball Field List
Did you know there are six paintball fields in Portugal? For the paintball fanatic on the move, this field list is an invaluable resource. Starting off with an image map of the U.S., it lets you click to listings of paintball fields by state. Or, the international set can look at what Europe and Oceania has to offer. Unfortunately, ease of navigability ends on the first page; everything below is just text listings.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Paintball West Home Page
This online paintball magazine includes product reviews, "expert" articles on such topics as how to anodize your gun, information for new players, and U.S. and international field listings. While there is a lot of useful, local text, there isn't much in the way of graphics or good design. The misspellings in the text also suggest the creator of the site is a little too busy playing paintball to bother with editing.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Paolo Marcucci's Shadowrun Archive
Here's *yet another* role-playing game archive on the Web. But this one has pages and pages of information and resources for the game Shadowrun, which is set in a cyberpunk future. Paolo Marcucci has used the new HTML Frames function to organize his site, and it works very well; I highly reccommend visiting the archive with a browser that supports Frames. The site is based in Italy, but I didn't notice any lag in connection time. Wow, are RPGers really all sitting around their basements with laptops these days?
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
PlayStation Nation
From its introduction in September till the end of 1995, Sony's PlayStation sold an estimated 500,000 units, proving itself a wildly successful gaming platform. Given half a million people and an estimated 1.73 friends per PlayStation owner, that makes,...let's see,...1,365,000 people who are regularly playing PlayStation games! By contrast, Belize only has a population of 214,058. By that calculation PlayStation devotees -- the PlayStation Nation, if you will -- could easily take over that sunny Central American country; PlayStation Nation, after all, comprises mostly young people with honed reflexes, while the citizenry of Belize is handicapped by all those infants and elderly. Think of it: A whole country full of PlayStation gamers, it would be the biggest test market in the world. Well, the PlayStation Nation Web site is not advocating anything like that; the site's creator and contributors -- Toenail, Shroom, and Scarecrow -- are too busy playing and reviewing PlayStation games to plan any large-scale invasions. The core of this site is devoted to very qualitative game reviews based on the simple criterion of whether a game is worth buying. The content is kept focused, with an area for hints and a news section covering the latest games and developments regarding PlayStation. While some gaming purists refuse to ever look at hints or cheats, the majority of players will find this section useful. The news section is worthwhile for more than just the latest video games, as it also covers business topics in the industry. Toenail, the Web master, has designed two versions of the site to accommodate both Navigator and Internet Explorer users. The Navigator version takes advantage of VRML plug-ins with a 3D logo, while The Internet Explorer rendition employs Microsoft specialties like marquees and embedded wave files, giving each page an audio introduction. The different versions of the site make it a great way for discerning surfers to compare browsers.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Playing Chess On The Internet
Maybe you have a yen to play chess with someone hundreds or thousands of miles away, in real time. This site has the information you need, covering all the basics of getting onto one of the many specialized chess servers out there. Even for the computer and Internet savvy among us, this is an excellent resource, if merely for the list of chess servers. The site itself is an example of nice Web page design, employing frames properly (no small feat), and having its information well-organized.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Poker Variants
When I used to play poker in college, I thought it was a pretty complex game, capable of confusing newbies as each dealer called a different game from a repertoire of about 10. Looking at this site and seeing the many games I'd never heard of has just made me feel like a newbie. Peter Sarrett, who maintains the site, has the games divided up by type, such as "draw" or "stud." The programming is about as basic HTML as you can get, and there are no pictures at all, except for some ASCII diagrams of card layouts.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Pop Rocket
Pop Rocket, known for their CD game, Total Distortion, has hit the Web with a vengeance. Featured is info on their game, as well as several Shockwave-based arcade-style games that come from -- or are at least inspired by -- Total Distortion. These guys know Director better than almost anyone on the planet, and this site is largely a technology demonstration for their new business, building Shockwave games and interactive ads for web sites. Anyway, it's kind of fun. 3,2,3
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Chris Charla
President `96
President �96 is an online game simulating the current, real-world presidential campaign. In the President �96 world, however, there is no incumbent president, just 4 Democrat, 4 Republican, and 2 Independent candidates. Players join the campaign staff of a candidate and advise them where to stand on the issues (only 8 issues in the Pres �96 world), and how to react to news stories that appear on the Web site. It's a fascinating interactive experience where staff cooperation is essential to have your candidate win. The time frame is concurrent with the real elections, so join a campaign soon.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Ravi's Paintball Page
Ravi is a paintball fanatic. Ravi knows how to write a Web page. The two together make up for one intense paintball Web site. And, as opposed to a lot of other Web sites, the graphics are very nice. Ravi has a lot of equipment information on his page, which will probably have more appeal to experienced paintball gamers, and he also has a section for selling used equipment. Don't shoot me, Ravi, but I've got to say that your first page is too long.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Reinventing America Introduction
Loosely fitting the description of a game, Reinventing America is closer to a social experiment. The idea is to create a virtual America wherein anyone willing to play the game (free of charge) will be able to answer surveys and generally voice opinions on real issues facing America. In the end, the "game" results will be tallied and presented to Congress in the form of a proposed reform act. Undoubtedly an exciting new way to play on the WWW, Reinventing America is an important site for all those interested in saving the United States from certain doom.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta
Rolling Good Times OnLine
RTG is a gambler's dream. The site has a plethora of articles on all aspects of gambling, from betting on horses to casino games. You can vote on your top 10 gambling sites on the net, read reviews of various casinos, find out about laws governing gambling on the Internet, and follow along with the "Great Video Poker ADVENTURE." The article, "Poker Gets in Touch with its Feminine Side," was especially amusing, with suggestions for alternate names for the game like "Pokthem" and "Prod Them All." If you play too much, though, you may want to check out Gambler's Anonymous (http://www.social.com/health/nhic/data/hr0900/hr0916.htm).
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Kathy Tafel
Small World Software Web Sports Game
There are many different kinds of sports fan; there are those that dream of being the quarterback, the defensive kind that identify with the shortstop or goalie, and then there are the control freaks who would be the true kings of the sports world: the owners. Small World has six games on their Web site where players can own basketball, baseball, football, and hockey teams. Throughout a "season," players pit their team against others. The strategy comes in picking and trading team members. And for the high-brow types, Small World has a golf game. The bad news is that it costs a whole $40 to own a team for a season.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Snakeyes Warcraft II
Oh, the concerns of youth. Thoughts of car payments and health insurance never enter the minds of children; they're interests are otherworldly. The world Snakeyes spends his time in, according to his Web pages, is WarCraft II, where human armies fight a never-ending war against orc armies. The Kali gaming network supports multi-player WarCraft II games, where Snakeyes can be found with either the Vipers Fang or Dragons Fire clans, both of which have a home on his Web site. There isn't too much in the way of content on this site, just a young man's enthusiasm for war.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Streams and Brian Present Piercing Mildred
The beginning paragraph of the FAQ gives the most concise answer to why and what this little online game is all about: "Borne of the 90s' two favorite pastimes - Body Modification and the Internet." Piercing Mildred is the perfect game for those of us who are entertained by the pierced multitudes walking the streets of America's cities. And you can win real prizes for the best piercing and scarification. Because of the continuing nature of the game, this can be a great once-a-week diversion.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
TV Land Rock'em Sock'em Robots
Although there isn't a whole lot to this fully interactive online game, the subject matter makes it an easy winner among the Generation X set. I mean, Rock �em Sock �em robots! Who didn't see the commercials and play the game at a friend's house? Or -- speaking to the particularly privileged -- own a game themselves? The Web version is a little slower, and players must take turns choosing which kind of punch to throw, but for nostalgia's sake, you can't help feeling good when you've "knocked his block off."
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Terminal Velocity Paintball Team
A paintball team site, these pages list results from many paintball tournaments. These listings might be a little cryptic if you're not the betting type. Besides the team member profiles, which are a little spare, there is a decent selection of action photographs, which should give the paintball virgin some idea of what it's like, and reignite the passion of the initiated.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The BTech Hangout
While this BattleTech (a futuristic role-playing game much like Dungeons and Dragons in space) site is less than thorough and even less than exciting in many ways, it's a reasonably good place for BattleTech fans to gather and discuss their BattleTech ways. If you're not yet familiar with the game, then prepare to be immersed in a futuristic world full of imaginative scenarios and in-depth fantasy game play. If you're already a participant, then say hello to some new friends.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta
The Braintainment Center
When I discovered that this site hawks a game called THINKfast, I initially concluded that The Braintainment Center is a mere software promotion venture. Further exploration, however, revealed much more material. Most of the content describes new concepts on how the brain works, and justification on how THINKfast can improve cranial operations. Interesting stuff; certain to raise some skeptical eyebrows. An online intelligence test may make visitors feel inferior. It certainly had this effect on me.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Cheater's Guild
A nifty little fan-page, it gives you a list of hundreds of PC titles, with detailed codes for each one. One purpose, simple layout, well-executed. There are also some postings from readers, a game-of-the-month, book-of-the-month, cheat-of-the-month and dirty trick-of-the-month, as well as a couple of downloadable PC utilities of the naughty fun variety. The layout leaves a little to be desired, but hey, the editor just got married, so I guess we can cut him some slack.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Chris Charla
The Cheats Page
This is a very small site with lists of cheats for about eight different PC games. Not bad, but not much that couldn't be found elsewhere. There are also some links to other sites. From Chris's homepage there are more links, including one to Games Domain, which is cool. I don't know why, but for the Doom cheats, he thought white text on a light gray background was a good idea. To be fair, the page is under construction, so it may be worth another look by the time you read this.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
The Chess Connection
The Chess Connection is the site of sites for chess fans, as it publishes chess columns from various British publications, such as *The Spectator*, *The Independent*, and *The New Statesman*. While it's a great repository for game stratagem, it would be nice if the Connection included an online archive. The Chess Connection Shop has the one of the more interesting uses of Frames I have seen.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Diplomatic Pouch
Diplomacy, a game like Risk only more complex, was easily adapted to a play-by-mail version years ago, and almost any game that can be played by mail can be played by e-mail. This site has instructions and resources for e-mail Diplomacy, as well as a regularly published �zine with various articles about strategy and rules in the game. The Showcase section features some games currently being played, so visitors can follow their progress. A well-designed site, with lots of content but skimpy on interactivity.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Duke Nukem 3D Arsenal
FAQ's, codes, links and maps for the hottest new Doom-esque multi-player game. There's a chat room too. Cool.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
The Electric Playground
This online magazine features news and reviews on console games (like the PlayStation and Saturn) as well as PC info. The site is well laid out, but not updated as frequently as some others, like Happy Puppy, Next Generation Online, or Game Spot, to name a few. Still, for an enthusiastic view of the industry, as well as the occasional hot preview (they jump on some things that a lot of people miss), this is a worthy addition to your bookmark list.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
The Essential BTech3056 Resource
This is the real deal. If you're into BattleTech, then you absolutely must visit this site. From individual faction news to lists of multiple BattleTech FTP and WWW links, this site pretty much has it all for BattleTech players. If you're not already familiar with BattleTech, then you'll want to find out a little about the game before visiting this site, as it's definitely not for beginners. If you're already into the game, however, you're sure to find what you're looking for on this nicely organized and thorough page.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta
The Game Cabinet
The Game Cabinet is a bare-bones zine devoted to board games. Each issue contains rules for various new games, reviews of games, and gaming sites - ones in the real world, you know, smoky cafcs where old people sit around playing chess, and a few links to online games. The site could use a bit more organization. I had to scroll quite a bit to get where I wanted to go. Hard-core board game aficionados should definitely check out The Game Cabinet.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Kathy Tafel
The Gamer's Ledge
Although there is some info here on cheats for games, and a little bit of news, and some nice links, the real emphasis here is on reviews, and, more importantly, demos. There is almost a CD-full (over 500 MB) of PC downloads available at this site, and that alone makes it a good one-stop shopping spot for gamers with a fast connection and a desire to play the latest games.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
The Gonzo Games Page
Ah...a breath of fresh air. With all the emphasis these days on getting a multiplayer gaming network running over the Internet for twitch and shoot games like Doom and Quake, it was a real treat to see a bunch of links to original Web interactive games. Hunt the Wumpus, Battleship, Ferret Frenzy, and Dig Zone are all there. These are games from the early days of the Web, when killing time meant a Minesweeper site. No hourly charges, either, just a lot of page reloads. And for you video fanatics, there are links to sites dealing with Sega games as well.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The McCannical Pinball Page
Yowza. This is the most complete pinball site I have ever seen, with plenty of FAQs, tip sheets, rule cards for various games, links to other sites and a bunch more. If you like pinball, you'll dig this site. That noted, if you're looking for hip, hi-tech web sites, this isn't one of them. It has only a modicum of graphics and is mostly text. Some scans of promo sell sheets, etc., would have been cool. Oh well. This is rad just for the info.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
The Myst Hint Guide
It's one of the biggest selling CD-ROM titles of all time, and for those of you who still have not experienced MYST, there is now a handy-dandy hint guide as close as the Web. Carefully handled so as to not give away too much of the game, the hints offer no more than they need to, and are definitely not as thorough as a walk-through. There is also a handy FAQ included on site, which answers questions about Broderbund (the game's publisher) and MYST 2, and contains other general MYST news.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta
The Pinball Archive
Closely related to the newsgroup rec.games.pinball, this Web site stores the collective wisdom of people serious enough about pinball to discuss their passion on the Internet. I spent a few hours going through the rule sheets posted here, finding the ins and outs of my favorite machines. Besides just offering rules, the site also lists the easter eggs hidden throughout various games. For some wacky reason, the site includes a search utility - I guess so you can get back to the tables as soon as possible.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Planet's Empire Archives
No fancy graphics, no easy interface, this is a working site set up to support Internet play of the war game Empire. Players rule a country and try to expand its resources by grabbing territory, building up the military, and supporting the civilian population. It's for hard-core gamers only, though, as the FAQ casually states "blitz" games last about 24 hours, and long-term games run two to six months. The client software to play the game is available from this site.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Queue
Queue has a lot to offer in the way of enthusiasm and garish Web page design. Queue has even taken the time to implement a Java applet that puts an LED marquee display on the home page. Really,...whoever initially programmed that applet should be shot for aesthetic crimes. For content, Queue has reviews of computer role-play games, but judging by the plethora of stars in the ratings, Queue is too easily impressed. Still, if you want to get some idea of what games are available, this is an informed source. And on the flip side of the game site is some very interesting information on multi-user VR worlds.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Riddler
No fanzine style here - this is a 100% corporate sponsored trivia and word gaming site. You watch ads, win virtual "caps" which you can later trade for prizes - everything from Snapple stuff and Riddler mouse-pads to a Toyota 4X4. The puzzles are pretty fun (some Java, some not), and the site is slickly designed, (and the games are pretty fun), but I found that the service ran a little too slow, and I got sick of all the ads. Still, it's fun to collect and trade the caps, even though you know you'll never beat the geeks who live on this site, winning everything.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
The Sprawl Homepage
Cyber-pundits have long evangelized the virtues of virtual communities. You know the spiel: sharing, bonding, nurturing a sense of togetherness in a post-modern hell. It's just one big sticky group hug. But some Intermaniacs just want to have fun. Enter The Sprawl, a comfortable intersection between gaming and community building. Within The Sprawl, players can navigate RPG-like environs, help expand the environs, and chat with other residents. Compared to similar areas, this site boasts superior imagery and well-conceived organization, which fosters smoother navigation.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Jon Phillips
The Tankers Homepage Strategic Simulation Gaming and Military History
War games are probably a guy thing. Moving cardboard counters that represent tanks, squads, airplanes, or ships around a board with the intention of outmaneuvering an opponent (commonly referred to as "the enemy"), all the while imagining the smoke and fire of battle, sounds pretty ridiculous on the surface, but it taps into some subconscious death struggle motif. The four or six hours it takes to play a game get swallowed by the intense concentration, the seriousness with which you contemplate moving the right elements of your forces to make a breach in the enemy lines that can be exploited. Paul J. Calvi Jr. has been war-gaming for more than a decade. He's also a graduate of the U.S. Army Armor School and the Armor Officer Basic Course at Ft. Knox. More recently, he's been working as a Web master. His HTML programming skills and his interest in military strategy have led to the Tanker's Homepage, which is probably the most complete source of war game information on the Web. There are game reviews, club listings, game release information, and articles on strategy and game design. Surprisingly enough, most traditional board war games haven't been converted into computer format. "The conventional wisdom has been that a computer game couldn't simulate the complexity of a board game," says Paul, "but I think that is a bunch of nonsense." Because war games take a lot longer to learn than most games, computer game companies "seem to believe that a realistic war game will not appeal to the masses." But a few recent arrivals on the computer war game scene have given Paul hope that the next two years will see a big expansion in the market. The Tanker's Homepage has more than just games, however. A substantial portion of it is taken up by military history. Included are book excerpts and papers discussing wars from the Civil to the Gulf. One of the most fascinating areas are the veterans' stories - accounts from soldiers, sailors, and airmen about their combat and non-combat experiences. Rounding it all out is a section with reviews of war-related movies. Following the open discussion nature of the Internet, Paul publishes submissions, and runs two boards where users can post and reply on the site.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Track
If this is the future of online games, we're in trouble, As a fun element of the Boston Globe's online boston.com domain, you get to pick a horse (they've got cool names like C++ Biscuit and Man-O-WAIS), bet some money, and see if it wins in an animated race. As a technology demo, it's cool (the animation was pretty smooth, even at 28.8); as a diversion it's fun a couple of times, mainly because of the horse names. As a game it's perfectly dismal, but enough fun to check out once.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Chris Charla
The Ultimate MultiPlayer Game Page
Very much under construction when I visited, this page has links to popular online game services as well as pages about popular multi-player games, like War Craft II, Command and Conquer, Descent II, Duke Nukem 3D, etc. The pages themselves have a skitch of info and plenty of links to more. Looks promising, but it has a long way to go.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
The Virtual Multimedia Interactive Mystery Theater
Rule Number One: When constructing a voluminous interactive story with image maps, use a *very* fast server. Rule Number Two: Provide players with clear-cut objectives. Rule Number Three: Make sure *all* your links work. Rule Number Four: If you include sound files, make sure they're worth their download time. And finally, Rule Number Five: Don't link to pages with big graphics that don't advance plotlines. This site broke every rule.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Wacky Hexen Page
Hexen, like Doom, has garnered great popularity among the net set, and Web sites filled with helpful Hexen information abound. The Wacky Hexen Page is indeed wacky, but also provides a very nicely formatted set of cheat codes that helps you overcome any obstacles you may encounter in the game. There's also a set of recipes that were somehow extracted from the game, and a very fast search utility for help on specific topics.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The Web Maze
Brilliant programming, but what's the point? Well, there's advertising. This little Web game has something like 147 rooms, and you choose which door you want to go through. I found myself just going in circles, but it would have been pretty easy to map. The creator of the maze, Stew, is offering advertising space on the wall of the maze, so if you get lost, you can always take a link out to an advertiser's site.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
The home of Virtua Fighter
Whether you're already a Virtua Fighter expert or just getting into the game (phenomenon?), you will want to check out the Home of Virtua Fighter. Complete with move lists, FAQs, background info, and character art, this site's got it covered. Created by true Virtua Fighter fanatics, this is the quintessential VF and VF 2 site. Treated with the utmost respect, the Virtua Fighter legacy lives on in grand fashion at this site.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta
This is X Band!
Interested in the X Band dedicated gaming service, for PC games, or the X Band multiplayer gaming service for 16-bit console games like the Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo? This site gives you the skinny. X Band PC isn't up and running yet, but it should be by the time you read this, at least in Beta. Plus, they have a spiffy graphic design sense. Worth a quick visit on that basis alone.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
Throttle
This is a web-mag for fans of traditional pen, paper and dice role-playing games, done by the proprietors of Black Gate Publishing, whose flagship product is a game that seems loosely based on the Immortals of the movie Highlander. Along with a dash of Libertarian philosophy for good measure (complete with link), there are also articles on the 36 types of plots for RPGs, the role of the woman adventurer, English titles in the 18th and 19th centuries, game reviews, links to company web-sites, and lots more stuff that will be of interest to the serious RPG fan.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
Video Game Yellowpages
A list of sites is a list of sites is a list of sites. If it's going to be of any real value, it should be comprehensive, or at least have some unique listings. Neither is the case with the Video Game Yellowpages. All of these links can be found on Yahoo!, albeit in different categories. And I missed the unofficial fan pages. There was a section for them, but it only listed 20 or 30 sites. Now I know there's a lot more than that devoted to just Doom. Sure it's a lot of stuff to catalog, but if your going to use a yellow background...
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Virgin Interactive
Virgin Airlines, Virgin Megastores, Virgin Records...will we ever stop seeing new Virgin enterprises? Virgin, Great Britain's answer to Microsoft, has put together some really cutting edge Web page design in its efforts to get into the hearts and minds of people all over the globe. The latest entrant is Virgin Interactive, the computer game division. Of course, with Virgin, computer games mean Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn, along with the old standards of PC and Mac. Virgin distributes a number of titles, including such award winners as The 7th Guest and Command & Conquer. And once Burst, the newly formed games development group, gets its titles out, Virgin Interactive will have some amazing exclusive content. The developers of the Web site are definitely keyed into the different levels of Internet user. The home page offers three alternatives for exploring the site; Normal mode is just text and graphics; Shocked, of course, gets you a few Shockwave elements; and Ultra-Shocked is where the site designers pulled out all the stops in music and animation. Unfortunately, the bandwidth required to run in Ultra-Shocked mode is impractical for anyone without a direct connection to the Internet via T1 or better. Nevertheless, the structure of the site is the same no matter which option is chosen, so people going the low-bandwidth route only miss out on the sound and action. The core of the site is, of course, the game titles. With over ten games featured, and even more for sale, Virgin does a pretty good job of pulling at the old purse strings/wallet chain. Each featured game has its own area of content, including a description, screen shots, movie files, and demos. The *In The Werks* section features games that are in production, a great resource for getting early notice on releases. The site looks great, with squeaky clean graphics and an overall aesthetic that I might, if pressed, describe as post-industrial/dental. The shocked versions make use of a wild menu bar of TV monitors flashing, scattered images interspersed with index headings for the site. At the same time, a techno soundtrack accompanies the shopper through the pages of games.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Virtua Fighter II Page
There are certainly more thorough VF2 pages, but this one isn't bad, and if you don't find the information you seek at this particular site, the list of links will surely lead you to the answers elsewhere. The most useful aspect of this page are the individual character FAQs and move lists. Overall, you're not likely to be blown away from this effort, but if VF2 info and news is what you crave, it's not a bad place to start.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta
Voyeur II
"Sex, Murder....and audience participation." Oooh...it's so provocative. Teasing us with Hollywood's time-tested lures, the Web site ad for the sequel to 1993's Voyeur CD-Rom presents images of barely-clad couples in compromising positions, people struggling for guns, and Dennis Weaver. The most promising part of the site was titled "Enter the world of the voyeur," and it had some good intro content to the story of Voyeur II, but not enough. The entire Web site felt like a movie trailer, one that doesn't give any indication what the movie's about. As far as Voyeur II goes, all I really know is that Dennis Weaver is in it.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Wacky WWW Adventure
Although the concept behind this site is simplistic, the site itself is brilliantly executed and boasts a ton of content. Here you'll find an interactive story that begins with a single paragraph ending with you, the protagonist, walking out your front door. Now you're afforded 170 choices as to what you want to do next. At least it was up to 170 when I last visited. Since multiple users can add their own choices, the whole affair is fluid - and some of the contributions are naturally infantile.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Wayne Cunningham
War and Strategy Games
This is the business. If you care at all about war games and strategy games, from a passing interest in Command & Conquer to a dedication to old-school strategy board games, you should already know about this site. The webmaster is obviously dedicated beyond all expectation, and this site includes daily updates and more content than you could possibly digest at one sitting. It's all done with a minimum of graphics to keep things fast, too. Overall, the keywords for this site are information and enthusiasm, both of which are in abundant quantities.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
Warlords II Players
As mentioned in the Warlords II FAQ, this is thee site on the Internet for Warlords II players, Mac and PC. Warlords II being, of course, the cult favorite strategy game from SSG. The site is basically a very long nap-on-the-scroll-bar page with a ton of links to places with more storage space for scenario archives and listings of people wanting to play Warlords II via e-mail. If you like the game, you'll like the site. It's well organized and complete.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Chris Charla
Welcome to Eddy's Video Game Home Page
This page is exactly what you might expect it to be. The host is a video game fanatic who's ready, willing, and eager to share his video game info with the rest of the world. With everything from gaming gossip to screen shots from today's hottest games, Eddy's Video Game Home Page is a small but significant addition to the long list of video game sites on the Web.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Patrick Baggatta