In flight battles were the staple of this game.

1998 was an epic year for RPGs. Final Fantasy VII, Tactics Ogre, Parasite Eve and Xenogears all wowed us on the PSX… but for a few faithful Saturn owners, 1998 was all about something rather special. Released in an extremely limited run on a dying console, Panzer Dragoon Saga let us explore the beautiful and deadly Panzer Dragoon universe and remains one of the great cult classic RPGs of all time.

The events of the game (and indeed the Panzer Dragoon series) take place in a bleak postapocalypic wasteland where humanity struggles for survival against genetically-engineered biological weapons that were created by a long-dead civilization. War never changes, however, and the remaining clans of humans continually fight each other over the spoils of the war that ravaged the planet in the first place. Players assume the role of Edge, a mercenary thrown into the middle of one of these disputes by his treacherous employers. Betrayed and left for dead, he unites with a powerful ancient weapon (the dragon, natch) and heads out to fulfill an ancient mission and learn the identity of a mysterious girl.

Spread over 4 discs, Edge’s journey of discovery and vengeance is a truly impressive tale- but Panzer Dragoon Saga stands out from the crowd by introducing a unique battle system. Using a radical adaptation of the popular ‘active time battle’ mechanic, you’ll engage airborne opponents with a range of direct attacks, spells and buffs. However, since battles take place in free flight, you’ve got the choice between charging up attacks and circling around your enemy to target specific weak points. Identifying, maneuvering into range and pouring the hurt onto your foe’s Achilles heel is as important as dodging their counterattacks. The enormous flying foes and camera angles evoke the rail shooting heritage of its predecessors- essentially providing the best of both worlds.

The game had action elements, but was more of an RPG with an engrossing storyline.

Traditional RPGs use multiple party members to fulfill different combat roles, but Panzer Dragoon Saga has to cope with a single (if incredibly powerful) character. Luckily, it has an ace up its sleeve. The dragon can be dynamically evolved into any combination of power, defense, speed or combat magic by sliding a pointer around a chart… and as the dragon’s stats change, its body visually alters to reflect your choices. The dragon can be evolved at any time or even in the middle of a fight, allowing for a range of combat tactics that belie its lone protagonist.

Panzer Dragoon Saga is now a collector’s item that frequently attracts three-digit prices when sold at auction. Considering that there’s almost no hope of a next-gen remake or downloadable release, it’s likely to be expensive and extremely difficult to lay hands on. The diehard, however, will find a hidden gem that fully justifies its near-mystical status… and revere the last remaining physical copies as things of utter beauty. I know I do.

There Were some bosses in the game, the chests with them had a lot better items than in other chests

Wizards & Warriors was an wonderful game to me  growing up as a tyke . It came out in 1987 and I recall playing it some time in 1988. The musical notes were very catchy and sunk in my head for days at a time.

I believe this game passed the test of father time, I have played it on an emulator recently and feel the same way about this title even 20 plus years later.  Each world has an exit that is barricaded  by a tough as nails knight, and he has a  taste for gems. Collect a specific number of gems through out the world  you are in, and you can move to the next world. You gain gems by slaughtering enemies,  finding them in open areas or inside treasure chests which are usually locked and can  be pried open by a key matching the same color as its chest counterpart.

The chests contain other items, not just gems. Inside  these chests you can find various items to aid you on your quest, such as the boots of levitation, and throwing daggers just to name a  couple. At the end of each level is a monster/guardian, holding a damsel in need of saving.  Use your earned skills and powers through out the various worlds in the  game to help defeat your evil foes, and save the many women you come into contact with.

The Crux of the game took place in the woods

I had to play  this game after supper every night,  or in the wee hours of the morning before school until completion. It offered a great  sense of accomplishment that to this day does not go unwarranted.

Rhys’ View: I owned this game somehow, have no idea how I got hold of it and something tells me I owned this for a long time before playing it. It’s a grower as far as I’m concerned, and I remember it being fairly tricky to die. I also remember that the random ways in which you got items, sometimes getting a strong item earlier in the game made the game a lot easier.

I can’t remember ever getting far or completing the game, but I do remember playing it for a good few hours at a time. Top fun & well worth hunting down.

Easily the most recognisable feature of this game were the insane dunks.

May 24^th 2010 A Playstation 3 arrives with 3 top games ready to be placed under my 50” plasma.  May 25^th I’m sat up in my office with NBA Jam TE for the Mega Drive running on a 32” TV from the late 90’s.  The Playstation didn’t even get a look in.

I originally put NBA on a few days before my PS3 arrival and was first shocked about how old the title is now… 1994!! 16 years!  Then the second shock came; NBA Jam Tournament Edition is even more playable today than it ever has been.

Today’s games lack the sheer playability that a simple 2 on 2 arcade style Basket ball game can bring about.  With a nice and simple 3 button controller (no 6 axis here thank you very much) I was able to find my steal, shoot and turbo buttons in no time.

NBA Jam takes a bare bones approach to the action packed world of b-ball which will bring out the competitive streak in even the most placid players.  Along with the simple arcade playability there is also the arcade showman ship, score 3 hoops in a row and your “on fire” that’s when the gravity defying slam dunks and ludicrous 3 pointers take place until the opposition score a basket or you hit four in a row.   With a total of 27 teams to pit your skills against and no fouls, free throws or violations (goaltending excluded) you’re in for some fast paced uninterrupted gaming nirvana.  Playing alone is fine but to really appreciate this beauty, get your mates round!

Luckily the game has aged well and still looks pretty good, the sound effects fit well with the arcade style but the commentary can at time be pretty repetitive especially if it’s the old catch phrase “ugly shot” keeps getting aimed at you.

The matchup screen introduced the players, but Tournament Edition allowed substitues

There is also a lack of Michael Jordan and other stars from Basketballs’ better era but not being blunt, who cares?  I don’t think a lack of certain players takes away anything from a game that allows you to literally smash the backboard into tiny pieces.  Track stats just by entering your initials/name or perform crazy ass high in the sky slam dunk causing the other teams players to hit the deck.  If some how you get bored of standard playing there is also the infamous Easter eggs to hunt down.

With different versions and different platforms available this title can be picked up for next to nothing on auction sites and must be owed even if you’re not a fan of Basketball or even sport games.  It’s a cracking game which when played will lead to some of the most tense and fun moments you can get on a Mega Drive or a SNES regardless of your walk of life or what you normally enjoy playing.

Apart from NHL hitz and NFL blitz there isn’t really anything within the last few years that have come close to the arcade sports fun you can have on Jam. With a wii version in the pipeline that looks like it will stay true to the original, this Jam fan will be charging his controllers in anticipation.

I can only add one more thing…

Boom-shaka-laka!

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You can attack enemies with a punch throughout the game.

You’ve got to feel sorry for poor old Alex Kidd – once, a flagship mascot for Sega during the glory days of the Master System, the world was his oyster. Then, along came a certain Mr Hedgehog to grab the media attention and plaudits and young Alex was left by the wayside – neglected and forgotten, with only his bowl of rice and huge sideburns for company. Bless.

Quite why I’m feeling bad for the pint-sized scamp is something of a mystery. Very few games had me pulling my hair (not Alex-style sideburns, thankfully) out as much as his particularly colourful romps – the very worst culprit being the Miracle World instalment. Equipped with fists of steel and ears of Spock, Alex must toddle along (or swim in some segments) sixteen levels of platform style tomfoolery – deciphering puzzles, smashing through walls and destroying weird-looking folk along the way. Ah, yes, it’s a traditional fare platformer alright, but Sega know the genre like the back of its hand and a super little game hides underneath it all.

The Ogre crippled me a few times over the years.

But now, to the hair pulling – boss battles are won not by judgement, skill and finely-tuned reflexes but by sheer luck via the form of a rock/paper/scissors game. Win two out of the three contests and it’s a victorious move onto the next stage, lose and you’re shoved back to the start of the level. Now call me a nit-picker, but isn’t that a little unfair? This game alone improved my swearing vocabulary by some 500% (and I was only ten when it came out) – it’s amazing how creative one can be with the English language when forced to swim through another level of vein-popping trickiness because some weirdo has pointed a pair of animated scissors at you. C’mon Sega, what did we do to you?

But, despite this, you keep on coming back for more due to the irresistible charm of it all. Yes, Alex may look like he’s just ‘dropped an E’, be wearing those dungarees with a little too much enjoyment, and annoy you with his dinner eating after each successful level (eating rice with chopsticks? smug little git) but he’s running around a little Miracle World that’s so adorable you can’t help but have another go. And another. And another.

Although not the actual focus of the game, there are powerups, such as this flying cap.

Sometime in late 1996 I stepped into a local independent games shop and approached the counter, just when I was about to enquire about some Mega Drive game or other the shop owner (my future boss) directed me towards one of the three TV’s he had to the left of the counter.

I was then passed a controller, a controller I had only seen in gaming magazines and in day dreams during some English or Maths class.  Nothing could have prepared me for when on that fateful day he hit the switch.

I had read a little bit about Nintendo’s new 64 bit power house, but mainly about the specs of this cutting edge console and controller combination.

I had yet to see anything in the way of gaming.  I felt how Charlie must have felt when he first saw the wonders of Willy Wonker’s chocolate factory.  The game was in Japanese and I could only just about work out how to get started, but what I could see straightaway was that my faithful friend Mario was about to grab my undivided attention once again.

The Bowser Giant Swing was one of the moments of the game, and utilised the 64's unique controller.

I’d played on the Sega Saturn and the Sony Playstation. I’d seen FMV (Full Motion Video) before and as the letter from peach came to an end,  I had to say I was pretty disappointed by the attempt at FMV before me. I was also getting bored waiting for the game to start.  Mario just stood there breathing, after a little while I leant forward on the Analogue stick and to my absolute shock Mario began to walk!  It’s hard to imagine now with today’s High Definition graphics but at that particular moment in time I was absolutely blown away with the sheer power I held in my hands and for once the advertisement I would soon see everywhere “The most powerful console on earth” was right.

The gameplay starts with what is best described as a free-roaming training area with lush colours all around and an almost calm feel to the courtyard, moat and castle.  I’d played for a long old time on the classic Mario games but this was something else.   I could actually see the world’s favourite plumber in all his glory and with loads of moves and a camera that for once in a 3D game was actually pretty good.

Getting to grips with Mario didn’t take long and I soon found the entrance to main game… through the entrance to the castle!  Little did I know at the time there was a little more to do outside the castle once the game progressed.

I’d then spent a little too long roaming around the castle being told in Japanese that I need more stars so I asked my helpful future boss.  He told me to jump into a painting… jump into a painting?? What a crazy idea, but a crazy idea that worked!  I was whisked away into my first level and with that whisked out of the shop by my mother.

I had to wait a long time before I could bless my eyes and ears with the wonderful world of Mario in full blown 3D again, but a wait well worth it.

The game consisted of multiple levels each with its own bit of Nintendo magic, anyone up for racing a penguin? Being shot from cannon? Flying around beautiful 3D environments? Catching an elusive golden bunny? It pretty much had it all.  The game had an excellent ability to make you keep coming back for more until you had all 120 stars and taken that cannon trip to see Yoshi.

Level design was key to the success of this gamimg goodness .With a good difficulty curve and a great variety of levels which saw you jumping around on top of a mountain, flying around the desert, skidding on ice or trying not to end up with toasted backside from lava.

Never before had there been such a perfect mix of platform and puzzle, few games even now a days can even come close to that blend.

One of my favourite parts of the game was being let into a door with fewer stars than was needed only to find a never ending stairway that would only let you to the top once you had enough stars.

Another nice touch of the game was the boss levels, these involved running circles around Bowser until you were able to get hold of his tail and spin him round using the analogue stick until he was airborne.  Once he was flying around and around in circles it was up to you to time when to let go of his tail and hopefully sending him crashing off the edge or onto one of the bombs surrounding the arena.

There aren’t that many games that age well and especially not ones in 3D.  2D has an ability to be almost timeless if done right, 3D is a totally different beast.  Mario 64 to me looks as fresh today as it ever did and it might not be the flashiest title out there but it’s filled with good old Ninty magic and as most people know Ninty magic is timeless!

A specially constructed maze in Swindon town centre’s Wharf Green will be the venue for a unique ‘Human Pac-man’ event. Members of the public will be able to control a real-life Pac-man, trying to avoid the giant ghosts while collecting dots.    Participants and onlookers will be able get a bird’s eye view of the action thanks to a video camera feeding Swindon’s twenty-five square metre ‘Big Screen’.

Interesting isn’t it? The museum will also have about a gazillion versions of pac-man across a multitude of consoles. Further details are available at www.museumofcomputing.org.uk

Similarities with Double Dragon are huge, including the main character's name & the story.

There are some games that are hard, like Castlevania IV. There are some games that are difficult  due to the massive amount of button-combinations you must memorize, like Street Fighter II. There are some games that are just bullshit, like E.T. The Video Game. Then, there is Bayou Billy.

The Adventures of Bayou Billy is less of a game and more of a test of your mental stability if you intend of beating said game. This is because you do not win. The challenges of this game are not strategic or smart but just insane. Bayou Billy features many stages, some in which you brawl it out with gators and swamp ninjas in a Double Dragon fashion, some in which you must make it trough a country road while avoiding suicide jeeps and attack helicopters, and some you go along with your zapper. This game is easily the hardest game I’ve ever played and very well could be the hardest retro game of all time. Ninja Gaiden got nothing on this. To explain how I came to this conclusion, two friends and I sat around an old NES console swapping the controller from one to the other for three hours. And you know how far we got? To the third stage. Which is as far as any of us could get.

We’ll get back to the gameplay of Bayou Billy in a little bit. Lets look at the other aspects of this game, such as the graphics. The graphics of Bayou Billy are actually very good for an NES title. By no means the best but do surpass many others. The game does a good job of making the characters stand out as there is a lot of dirt colors going around. The soundtrack of Bayou Billy is actually very good. Not ground breaking but catchy and easy to get stuck in your head. The controls, while confusing at first, aren’t that bad once you got them memorized. And tip to any of you, this will help you A LOT: To jump in Bayou Billy, you must press the punch and kick button at the same time!

Be wary, this game gets tougher from here on in

Now that I got the serious reviewing stuff, lets get back to the hellish difficulty and brain-breaking challenge that is The Adventures of Bayou Billy. Lets do this like a story. For, any way of breaking this down will not do it justice. You must understand the first impression. My two friends and I bought Bayou Billy for three dollars because the cover caught our eye. It has muscular hill-billy wielding a massive knife, jungle stuff all around, a jeep, a gator, it was just eye-catching. Then, after reading the title, we knew we had to get it. So, the night came and we popped in the cartridge which is in very good condition. We start playing, menu, a cut scene, and the game begins. We move forward with Billy in a double dragon fashion. When two ninjas come at us. We start punching and kicking and it was taking forever. At one point, we kick a chicken leg out of the ninja but the other picked it before we could and healed himself. These two ninjas did kill us but the second, after an overly long time, we killed them and moved on. The game began throwing all sorts of stuff at us. Red ninjas, blue ninjas, gators, vultures, black scuba men, white scuba men. It was insane. You only get three re-spawns and no save points. That’s right, no only is this massacre the hardest thing you ever play but if by some luck you get to the final stage, you very well could loose it all and start from the beginning due to a single kill.

(NOTE: I did do some research on this and you might be able to get extra lives but my friends and I never noticed it if we did so the internet could be lying). After three grueling hours, in the third stage which is a driving level, we were almost at the end when an attack helicopter blew us to bits, out last life. Forcing us to start from stage one. This got my friend into a frenzy of anger, throwing the NES controller to the ground and walking away into the hallway to calm down. People say Battletoads destroyed friend ships. It’s got nothing on Bayou Billy. After that, I turned off the NES and removed the cartridge.

That was my first impression of Bayou Billy or rather my first experience. The Adventures of Bayou Billy is a horrific, brain breaking, friendship destroying, mental stability testing, challenge. You know what the worst part is though? Its a fun game. After all that, Bayou Billy is a fun game. Its like playing Street Fighter IV, yes you may be getting you ass kick over and over again and you’re getting pissed but you can’t deny that you had fun while you were getting pissed. The Adventures of Bayou Billy is a game that, while fun, is not for the weak minded or even good gamers but should be reserved for the hardcore retrogamers who beat Ninja Gaiden.

Each character has a weapon of the stick variety that increases in size with power ups.

Legend of the Mystical Ninja is something of a significant title in the history of video game culture, despite it falling into the ‘obscure Japanese oddity’ category. You see, upon its release in Japan in 1991 (under the moniker Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyuushutsu Emaki, no less), it was raved about endlessly by magazines like Super Play, who were enticed by its character, charm and sheer playability – but it was SO Japanese it would surely remain an expensive import. Well it took three years, but eventually Konami saw sense and it finally got its UK release – it went on to acquire a loyal fanbase and we’ve never looked back. Confidence from such games selling relatively well, meant companies were more open to releasing those obscure titles they originally thought too localised to see the light of day outside Japan – think Secret of Mana and Breath of Fire II on the SNES, and titles like Beautiful Katamri and Rhythm Paradise today.

The colours & background imagery really add to this game

So, on the face of it, Goemon is a regular if quirky little platformer, but dig deep and you realise we have a lot to thank this little gem for. But even without its heroic status in my eyes, it would still stand up as an absolute classic. Here’s a challenge for you out there, download it on the Wii Virtual Console, start playing it and don’t smile. Go on, I dare you. If you manage it, I regret to inform you that your heart is made of pure stone. As from the very first scene to the last, Goemon is packed to the rafters with cute grin-inducing moments – you just want to pick it up and give it a big hug. Goemon himself is animated superbly, with a portly frame and a mess of blue hair, and your pals, enemies and locations are all equally likeable.

The gameplay itself is part platform, part RPG, part beat-em-up if there is such a thing. Waddling around the levels, smacking your enemies into oblivion is the main order of the day, but there are adventure-style elements to work out, and many a shop to enter and indulge in – one such shop has the whole first level of that other Konami classic Gradius to play! (I hate using the exclamation mark but seriously, if this doesn’t deserve one you may as well ban exclamation marks altogether). Japan-themed tunes bounce along merrily in the background, and the graphics are extremely vibrant – full of life and oriental charm. This game couldn’t be any more Japanese if it came doused in wasabi sauce and the cart came scented with cherry blossom.

The Goemon series is still ticking over nicely. Based on a long-running anime series – it saw releases on the NES prior to Mystical Ninja and has spawned nearly 20 different games on various formats since. Yet none quite match the charm of this amazing little game (shown by the fact only one other title subsequently got a UK release – Mystical Ninja on the N64). Spend a few quid and track it down or download it – you won’t be disappointed. Oh, and if you failed the smile test earlier – play it two-player, climb on Goemon’s back and let him carry you round the level, whacking people carrying big fish. There you go, I knew you had a smile in you.

This was a simple turn based RPG in nature, made famous later by Final Fantasy

As a gamer you probably have a few select games that have defined your gaming. Sometimes they have defined a period in your life. Occasionally your whole life. But everybody has at least one game that has defined a whole genre. Phantasy Star is such a game for me and it opened my eyes to Japanese rpg’s.

Before PS I had already acquired a fleeting interest in role-playing games. I liked fantasy rpg’s like Dungeons & Dragons but the computer versions I had tried lacked a lot of atmosphere and life. So when Phantasy Star came along it was a real eye opener. It wasn’t just beautiful, it was big and seemed to be alive too.

The story is centered around the young girl Alis whose brother is killed by the troops of the corrupt leader Lassic. Eventually she’ll enlist the aid of a warrior, a wizard and a talking cat named Myau. At this period in time it wasn’t exactly common to have a girl as the main protagonist in a role playing game (or any other type of game for that matter) and the success of PS helped pave the way for large female roles in other games.

Even being the largest cartridge for the Master System, some areas of the game are a little sparse

When PS was released in 1988 it was the most expensive game ever released for any console. Furthermore it was one of the biggest games for the Master System console. The early games for Sega’s machine was no more than 32KB in size. In the PS cartridge they managed to squeeze in 16 times as much data and even though the game might be viewed as small by today’s standards, for a long time it was one of the biggest games I had ever played.

The graphics are simply superb. Colourful and detailed they represent some of the best that the 8-bit era can offer. PS was one of those games you could show to your Nintendo friends to once and for all prove that the Master System was technically superior. And speaking of graphics, that leads us to the game’s real talking point which are the labyrinthine 3D caves we’ve seen earlier in games such as Wizardry and Dungeon Master. I even remember the Nes title Fester’s Quest trying to do something similar but failed in trying to achieve the same smooth animation that made the jaw drop on anyone who saw Phantasy Star.

This 3D perspective made the labyrinths in the game easier to navigate and immersed the player on a whole other level than the isometric perspective ever could. One drawback however was the sheer size of some of the caves and the difficulty level that came with each one. For instance, it took me six months to finally navigate through the last big labyrinth in the game.

The sound effects in Phantasy Star are strong and a majority of the soundtrack is memorable to say the least. Not that it holds up exceptionally well on its own, but it certainly adds to the special atmosphere in the game. Speaking about sound one should also mention that Phantasy Star was one of few games to take advantage of the special FM-chip from Yamaha. Unfortunately that chip was removed from the Master System console to cut costs when it was released in Europe and North America. As a result the support for the FM sound was removed from the game outside of Japan.

Phantasy Star contains several classic role playing elements. There are several weapons and amours to buy. As you increase the level of your characters through combat you learn different spells and of course there are a lot of random fights when walking across the, for its time, huge world maps. These fights are turn based and relatively easy to get the hang of. You choose if your characters should attack, run away use magic spells or, in rare cases, try to talk your way out of the fight. Despite the fact that you can encounter up to eight enemies per fight (they are always the same type of monster in each fight) you don’t get to choose who you’re going to attack. That’s why you need some random luck in the really tough battles, something players used to different battle systems like in Final Fantasy could get annoyed at.

On the negative side there’s a lot of grinding to be done, both for xp and money. It starts right away when you need to level up a couple of times just to be able to walk to the next town or the first cave. As a seasoned veteran when it comes to playing Phantasy Star I have enough patience to put up with it. For the newcomer however, it could be tough to get used to.

But if you do I can promise that you are rewarded for your troubles. Because when you have enough money to buy the Landrover or the Hovercraft the game world opens up for real and in the end the exploration will take you across three huge planets. The same goes for the level grinding which makes you gain levels and become more powerful so that you can venture into tougher and bigger caves. So when later rpg’s put a bigger emphasis on story Phantasy Star gives you the freedom of exploring and that shouldn’t be underestimated.

If you arm yourself with patience you can get almost as much satisfaction from Phantasy Star as you can get from many of the modern Japanese rpg’s. The story may be a little on the thin side and there’s really no character development to speak about, but when it comes to exploring this game hold up well to its competitors.

Before each mission you get briefed on what to do

Once in a while a game comes along to blow away all your expectations, a game that steps forward and makes even the die-hard opposition fan boy question his/her loyalty and secretly hope that there chosen console may one day have an epic title of that magnitude on their books.  Ask most gamers about the N64 and I’m sure within their top 3 games Golden Eye will rank, and at that point their eyes will glaze over as they remember a long forgotten battle fought out over the railing on the stack level in multiplayer with the radar turned off and weapons set to pistols.

I’ll never forget the intro to that game, the first few minutes which mimicked a Hollywood blockbuster perfectly, seeing bond enter from the right of the screen only to turn on the spot and shoot the awaiting player head on just like the start of the movies.  At that point I’d played a lot of movie tie-ins but I had a feeling that this one was of a different breed and for once in my life I was right.

Right from the off the game boasted four internal save spots displayed as files and a target to select which file to use.  Ask any true Goldeneyer’ which file they used and there probably tell you they picked the second from the left as it meant you didn’t have to move the target to a location and therefore could access the levels quicker.  After picking your save slot levels would then be displayed in a filmstrip which would only display the level you were up to and the levels you’ve completed.

In total the game consisted of 18 levels with a further two un-lockable after completing the game on secret agent and 00 agent modes.  All the levels are memorable and the linear storyline and objectives really help this game along, the most memorable moments for me include;

• Starting in a ventilation shaft on the facility level and giving one to the head of an unsuspecting guy using the toilet.
• Wondering if the tank was drivable… which it was!
• And trying to complete objectives to unlock cheats whilst keeping a constant eye on a stop watch I had.

Enemies show up in the oddest places.

The un-lockable cheats didn’t really feel like cheats and never ruined the game, they had to be earned, some more easily than others but even after earning them they could only be used on levels in which you had already completed all objectives.

With a weapons and character list to die for, sound effects that where crystal clear and ‘real life’ looking faces this gem really did ooze greatness and amazing detail from start to finish.  But once all the levels where finished and the cheats unlocked was there anything left apart from an empty shell?

The multiplayer, this is where the game really cemented itself into gaming history, the options for multiplayer included an array of characters, different game styles and time lengths, a wide selection of guns and mines   and a choice of some fine levels.  Hours could be lost between you and a few mates crowded round the grey box arguing which levels were the best and who had the best shot.

If you were around when this game hit the shelves and you’ve played the multiplayer levels with a few close buds then you should feel the warmth still in your hearts for what can only be described as the ultimate fps for the n64.  As for today’s run and guns… they just don’t seem to have the charm.