F R E E P L A Y ! (Part One of Two) Multiplayer Internet Gaming Newsletter Vol 1.10 - Nov 18, 1996 Home Page - http://freeplay.home.ml.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Murphy's Law of Lag: You will always freeze as soon as you need to avoid something. Murphy's Second Law of Lag: No matter how lagged you are, you can always be lagged more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor - Mark Shnayer Associate Editor - Scott Grattan Reporter - Andy Hartwell Webmaster - Orog Ork or Sections ----------- Announcement - The FreePlay Newsletter WWW being redesigned. Editorial - FreePlay Newsletter generates traffic on WWW sites. Ramblings - By Scott Grattan. Gaming News - All the multiplayer news you can use. Hot Links - Bookmark these now! Updates - Game patches, updated beta tests,etc... Previews - The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Review. Resources - To make multiplayer gaming a heck of lot easier PBEM Games - No Play By Email Games this issue :( Online Games - Multiplayer Internet Games you can play NOW Humor - Something to make you laugh while you are gaming Details - How to subscribe, back issues, legal junk ************************************************************************ Announcement - The FreePlay Newsletter WWW being redesigned. ------------ Orog Ork or has been recruited to redesign and maintain our WWW page. In the last issue of FreePlay(#9) I asked for help on the FreePlay WWW page. Orog volunteered to do the redesign of the web page which will be uploaded in a few days. He has come up with some neat stuff I haven't seen on ANY other WWW page. He is also doing the HTML conversion of the newsletter for viewing online and has created online WWW indexes of past issues. There will also be a countdown counter to the time of the next distribution of the newsletter. That's cool. I work best under pressure! Deron Staffen Deron has created the new graphic logo for the FreePlay WWW page. I am keeping his email address handy for future graphics design :) ************************************************************************* Editorial - FreePlay Newsletter generates traffic on WWW sites. --------- This is the first time I realized the FreePlay newsletter is really starting to make a real impact on the internet in general and WWW gaming sites and software in specific. I guess we are getting to that 'critical mass' number of subscribers to make a difference in the internet gaming world! In the PREVIEW section I reported on two games that I wasn't sure of the current status. They were Gladiator - http://www.io.org/~liquid/gldtr.htm and War of Conquest - http://www.io.org/~liquid/wrfcnqst.htm Here's the mail what I received from the President of Liquid Software: ---------------- "Unfortunately, both of those games have had trouble getting publishing deals due to the current glut of games being produced. They are currently on hold but we hope to start work on them in the future. If you find them interesting, send a suggestion to a publisher. Maybe they might take another look at them. Thanks for your interest, Pedro Serrador P.S. "A quick question. Where did you find out about our web site? We've had a lot of traffic recently and are curious as to where we've be getting publicity." -------------------- It sure is nice to know my subscribers are actually paying attention to my scribbling! And that we are making an IMPACT on the WWW sites we report on! Forgot to mention some things in our last issue. We broke our record again in Issue #9. Nineteen games in the online section reported, and the newsletter was over 55k in size. Only two bounces generated because of email size limits for certain subscribers. This Issue is 62.9k and split in two mailings. And in the announcement I sent yesterday, I mentioned 23 new online games for this issue. Well.....Not exactly. Turns out a LOT of the URL's I collected thru email were Previews of things in the works. Of course, they are in the Preview or Gaming News section. ************************************************************************* Ramblings - by Scott Grattan --------- Once again, I'm banging on my keyboard, trying to make a deadline that I've known about for two weeks. You'd think that all I do is play games or something. Actually, I've been checking out some GREAT services on the 'net, all for the sole purpose of reviewing of course. First, I'd like to tell you about a free service, that isn't necessarily about games, but it is very useful. It's called Mercury Mail, and it's found at: http://www.merc.com You can customize your own news delivery, including delivery times, and have your personalized news delivered via email. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, this only worked for me for the first day. The second day I received a double delivery of a section, and the third day I only received the weather. It may be that I configured it wrong, but I haven't had time to get back to the site to check. Anyway, the concept is great, and the format is very useful. If these guys keep it up, the printed word will have some competition in the near future. Another place I've been found hanging around lately is the Internet Gaming Zone. Quite an original title, huh? I hate to say anything good about a Microsoft product, but this is a fun place to go to kill lots of time. In my real life, I have a computer business, and we build and repair all kinds of machines. I got a friend of mine into a very cheap entry level machine, and his first question about the internet was "where can I play hearts?". I told him that his machine would basically be under- powered to play anything like that, but that was before I found IGZ. Now he's happy, and everything is again good with the world. Amazing what a little thing like that can do, ain't it? Not only can you play most your favorite board games, the server is also setup to play Hellbender, Close Combat, and Monster Truck Madness! The online versions of the popular card and board games are very playable, and well done. This site is going to get busy in the next few months, I hope Microsoft is more ready for it then they were when they decided to invade our TV's. Time will tell... SubSpace Subspace at http://www.vie.com/subspace is of course always improving! Current version is v1.18, and here's what the latest news.txt has to say about it: Version 118. Maintenance rev. More anti-lag code. If you get "warning no data from server" message just exit the game and it will save your ship provided you dont exit the subspace program. Enemy message bug fixed. Player accidental lock out bug addressed. Set banner bug fixed. (it no longer deletes your arena.lst) Save map function implemented. in the game type ?savemap saves it to a BMP file. ?savemap XXXXXX saves it to whatever name you specify (XXXX is your name) ***note to ed. above seems familiar.. have I already reported it?*** (FreePlay: Yea, Scott, but I can't stop playing SubSpace either!) And last but not least, my travels on the WWWW (Wonderful World Wide Web) have brought me to You Don't know Jack - The NetShow. Here's what the home page has to say about it: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOU DON'T KNOW JACK the netshow is the online version of the award-winning, irreverent pop-culture quiz show party game now showing on beZerk. The netshow is no webpage! Complete with real studio audio sound effects, seamless game play and wisecracking humor just like the CD-ROM game, now with new episodes available weekly. The questions are hilarious combinations of pop-culture with classic trivia all as challenging as they are entertaining. It's time to put your knowledge to the test and your ego on the line, online that is. To qualify for the monthly grand prize you must play every week and achieve a cumulative score above $75,000 for the November game period. Play each week's game and score an average of $25,000 and you'll be eligible for the Grand Prize Drawing! NOTE: The first time you play and complete this week's YOU DON'T KNOW JACK the netshow 21 question game, your score is recorded and stored in our database registered via your user name and email address. YOU DON'T KNOW JACK the netshow is open for play 11am PST to 12am PST YOU DON'T KNOW JACK the netshow currently runs in Windows 95 only. This show is currently in Beta. You may experience some difficulties. Thank you for your patience --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This thing is REALLY neat. When you fire up their software, you really get the feeling that you're participating in a game show. There's all the back- ground chatter of people getting ready to air a TV show, great sound and hysterical comments. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get into any actual games, but even the "PLEASE STAND BY" was enough to keep me waiting around for awhile. This site is definitely worth a look: You Don't know Jack - The NetShow http://www.bezerk.com/htmls/tuner1.html Well that's all I've got this week gaming guys and gals! I'm STILL trying to get MercNet (MW2: Mercenaries) to work. Why Activision designed something that is so hard to get working in Win95 is beyond me. Hope they get their act together real soon, because Diablo (Blizzard) is slated for release in just a couple of weeks, and I have a feeling that it's going to make a lot of people happy, and quite a few unhappy... more on that next ish! Good Gaming! ************************************************************************* Gaming News - All the multiplayer news you can use. ----------- In the last issue I told you EMAIL was the killer App of the Internet! I have PROOF. Don't believe me? Then go argue with the Lord above or go to http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/961111/tech/stories/plugged_1.html for full text of this article. Plugged In: Pesky E-Mail Robots And Reaching God Monday November 11 10:08 AM EST (parts snipped for brevity) By Russell Blinch TORONTO - E-mail has become so powerful you can now even reach God. No, God has not yet disclosed his e-mail address. But Virtual Jerusalem Ltd. (www.virtual.co.il) is offering believers a chance to e-mail a message to the deity, which they promise to leave in the Western Wall for Him to read. "Placing a note in the Kotel (the Western Wall) lends a permanence to your prayer; even after you leave, your prayer remains at one of the world's holiest sites," according to a blurb at the Virtual Jerusalem site. Battle.Net (Diablo and Starcraft) http://www.battle.net ---------------------- I guess Blizzard had problems with their registered domain (DNS) for battle.net or they were messing with it. It works now that I checked again. But if you have any problem reaching http://www.battle.net in the future use http://206.79.254.170/index.htm Here is some news from Blizzard Entertainment. (November 9) Blizzard today released the Battle.net beta CD to operations. They will be working over the weekend to manufacture CD's, and will start shipping them early next week to our 1000 registered beta testers. We'd like to thank all of our beta testers in advance for their help in making Diablo the best game of the year. And here's unconfirmed news from their WWW site forum: Electronics Boutique has received its shipping notice yesterday and this is what it said; Diablo arrives Nov. 22, Red Alert Nov. 19 and Privateer Nov. 19. The guy I know that works there says that when a game makes it to this particular list, it means its in manufacturing and always comes in with 24 hours of that day. I know your first inclination is to dismiss this as yet another false hope. Take it or leave it, but this guy is not a flake, but far from it. He knows his stuff and has had lots of experience with this process. We all know that getting battle.net up and running is certainly not a pre-requesite to shipping Diablo and now that we know the beta of battle.net is also shipping next week, the story seems more and more accurate. Like I said, take it or leave it, but for me, my calendar has those two days circled in RED. :) And to balance it out heres the official news from the "Unofficial Diablo FAQ" which is on the "Official" Blizzard site. Now I'm really confused :) When is Diablo expected to be released? The incorporation of several new features, especially battle.net, has pushed back the release of Diablo. Sound effects, music, AI, and bug fixes are amongst those added, but see http://www.mcb.net/parsec/p_diablo.html for a complete listing. Originally planned for the second quarter of this year, the PC version of Diablo is now headed for a Fall 1996 release date, with a Macintosh version planned for the summer of 1997. Look for the game to retail at about $50 in stores. Let's hope that Blizzard makes up for the delay in following through with an excellent game. Wilbur Hangs Up Nail Gun ------------------------ Jay Wilbur, one of the original members of the Id team, has stepped down as CEO. Wilbur, who has decided to become " a full time dad", will be replaced by Todd Hollenshead who will run the company alongside Id's director of marketing and distribution Mike Wilson. Hollenshead had previously been working with Id via his position at consultancy giant Arthur Anderson. Wilbur had been instrumental in the success of such as videogame icons as Doom and Quake Sega Entertainment's "Virtua Squad" delivers gaming justice on the PC ------------------ REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1996--Sega Entertainment Inc. provides PC gamers with equal opportunity to experience unparalleled arcade "shoot-em-up" action with "Virtua Squad", now available for the PC with two-player network gameplay. "Virtua Squad" is Sega Entertainment's third arcade title to ship this year, preceded by all-time arcade phenomena "Daytona USA" and "Virtua Fighter PC". "Virtua Squad" is based on the arcade hit "Virtua Cop", which continues to rank among the top 10 arcade games since its release in July 1994. "Virtua Squad" brings its heated fast action to the PC with enhanced features that include two-player, single-screen play, and two-player network gameplay. Customized graphics and control in the game takes optimal advantage of the technical power of the PC. To support the launch of "Virtua Squad", Sega Entertainment will conduct two contests; one for the trade and one for consumers. The first will be an in-store contest, running from October-December 1996, in which gamers compete at one of the 2,000 stores carrying demos of "Virtua Squad". The players with the best average score wins a police ride-along and camcorder. Imagination Network ------------------- BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1996-- ImagiNation Network, a leader in multiplayer games and immersive social environments, today announced an easy to use, downloadable online platform for eight of its most popular interactive games and entertainment titles. The new platform is code-named GameXpress. Due to be launched later this year, ImagiNation's GameXpress for Windows 95 is a user-friendly platform designed to be downloaded from Internet service providers. Consumers will play live multi-user games as they enjoy the interactive, community-building features that define the ImagiNation experience. Once connected to GameXpress, players enter special lobbies where they can locate opponents and team-mates, launch games, and chat with fellow gamesters. Players can sign-up in advance for commercially-sponsored tournaments and online community-supported events. Special charter sponsorship packages are available for advertisers interested in aligning their brand or logo with compelling online content. Initial GameXpress content features games with classic appeal, including ImagiNation Poker, ImagiNation Spades, ImagiNation Hearts, ImagiNation Gin, The Incredible Machine 3 (TIM3), ImagiNation Bridge, ImagiNation Backgammon and ImagiNation Cribbage. Exciting new games are now in development for introduction throughout 1997. Additional multiplayer content will be added regularly. In addition to GameXpress, ImagiNation plans to debut its 3-D Internet-based games and entertainment platform called CyberPark later this year. In CyberPark, players will be able to create a full-body avatar, move in and around more than 40 sites and buildings, interact with other players online, and participate in interactive games and entertainment. EPIC MEGAGAMES AND DMA DESIGN LTD. ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE -------------------------------------------------------------- The two companies are to share technology and development resources for the creation of leading-edge games for PC, Internet and home console systems. Rockville, Maryland - November 8, 1996 -- Epic MegaGames and Scotland-based DMA Design have signed an agreement that calls for the two companies to share their extensive resources and technology to create leading-edge games for PC, Internet and home console systems. In addition, an undisclosed number of shares have been exchanged. The two companies have complimentary skills and resources. Epic brings its highly touted Unreal engine and considerable experience in shareware marketing and direct sales to the relationship, while DMA brings extensive design and artistic resources, broad experience with home console systems, and a slate of technology offerings of its own. The companies plan to work together on product development, technology exchanges and sales and marketing efforts. Epic is currently working on several Windows 95 games for release within the next 6-12 months: Unreal, an eagerly anticipated first-person Internet-playable 3-D game for GT Interactive; 7th Legion, a real-time strategy game; Jazz 2, a sequel to PC Format's Arcade Game of the Year 1994; Age of Wonders, a turn-based fantasy role-playing game with Internet play; and an adventure game tentatively titled Curly's Adventure. Unreal, 7th Legion and Jazz 2 will all supports Intel's Pentium® Processor with MMX technology. DMA has a very strong 1997 line-up of products for several platforms: Body Harvest, for Nintendo on the Nintendo 64; Grand Theft Auto on PC and Sony Playstation for BMG Interactive; Space Station Silicon Valley on Nintendo 64 for BMG; and Tanktics on PC and Sony Playstation for BMG. In addition to the above titles, DMA has titles in development for GT Interactive and has already begun efforts to port Epic's Unreal engine to home console systems. The two companies' combined resources include over 170 employees, two audio studios, a digital video suite, a motion capture facility, and the computing power of over 80 SGI workstations. Combined, the companies have 19 products in development for various platforms. Epic and DMA plan to use their combined efforts to make games for the following platforms: Windows 95, Apple Macintosh, Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation. These games will capitalize on new technologies, such as Intel's Pentium Processor with MMX and Microsoft's DirectX. Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II First Star Wars Title to Incorporate Network Play, Lightsabers and the Force http://www.lucasarts.com ------------------------- Driven by the phenomenal success of the award winning Star Wars title Dark Forces, one of the best selling computer game titles of 1995, LucasArts Entertainment Company will release the long awaited sequel, Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, a 3D, first-person, action adventure for the Windows 95 and Macintosh CD-ROM platforms. In a series of firsts for LucasArts, this original epic will incorporate highly anticipated network play, and will enable players to battle the evil Empire with lightsabers and gain strength through use of the Force. Jedi Knight requires players to navigate through more than a dozen complex and incredibly detailed multilevel mazes and environments as they face powerful enemies and once-again fight for the Rebel cause. Cinematic full motion video sequences punctuate the action and weave a compelling new tale in the Star Wars universe. Jedi Knight will be available in early 1997. "The multiplayer features in Jedi Knight are exactly what Dark Forces fans demanded the most in a sequel," said co-Project Leader Justin Chin. "In addition, we've incorporated cinematic live-action cut-scenes and the ability for players to use lightsabers and the Force, making this a truly exceptional Star Wars experience." While Jedi Knight is an exceptional single-player game, the new network mode offers an amazing multiplayer/multisystem experience. Players can battle it out in real-time with up to eight opponents in three different modes: Total Combat, Team Combat and Territory Combat. Total Combat pits individual players against each other in an all-out battle. Team Combat allows players to choose sides, playing for either the Gold or Red teams. Territory Combat can be played in either single or team mode as players battle in a quasi "capture the flag" challenge to seize territory belonging to their opponents. X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter Battle Head-To-Head In X-Wings and TIE Fighters For First Time -------------------------------------------------------------- San Rafael, Calif. -- The ultimate battle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance will be fought this winter with the release of the first Star Wars network game, X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, a Star Wars multiplayer space combat simulation, from LucasArts Entertainment Company. The PC CD ROM game can be configured in single player mode or multiplayer, which will allow up to eight players to team up as a squadron or compete against each other via modem or a local area network. "Technology has finally reached a point where we can offer networked games without compromising gameplay," said Mary Bihr, director of sales and marketing for LucasArts. "X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter will offer the same compelling gameplay experience that single-player games have always offered, with the additional thrill of real-time head-to-head combat against other Star Wars pilots," reassures Lawrence Holland, head of Totally Games, a development studio working in conjunction with LucasArts in the development of Star Wars space combat simulations. Star General Release Date From Bill Fawcett on Usenet Date: 1996/11/12 If all goes as planned (sigh) then we lock Star General Code Thursday and the game will be in stores just after Thanksgiving. We're revving up the AI to the last, the only other concern is a smooth running multiplayer code for all the multiplayer options offered. Today several of the testers lost to the AI, which may be a good sign or just an indication of how tired they are. They've done a great job. One promise: We didn't adjust the game to give the AI lots of extra points each turn to balance the AI out. That always frustrates me. Ace SF is rereleasing The Fleet books, edited by David Drake and myself, which the game is loosely based upon. Bill Fawcett ************************************************************************* Hot Links - Bookmark these now! --------- Doom II - Raven Levels http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m206/chasa001/raven/raven.html ----------------------------------------------------------- The Raven Levels have been voted one of the best add-on level series for Doom 2. You can view the list of nominees, the latest winners, or check out the best doom resource available at - The DoomGate Web Site. Now Available: A single wad file containing all eleven Raven Levels is now available for download - raven.zip. The German Quake Home Page http://www.cs.tu-berlin.de/~orogork ------------------------------------ Our Webmaster's own home page. Lots of great Quake stuff here. Check it out. ~Souls of Chaos~ Alpha/Beta Testers http://www.icomnet.com/~skuleton/souls.html ------------------------------------------- Some of the best game players from around the world have united and we are happy to bring you ~Souls of Chaos~ the greatest online game playing experience on the planet. What is Souls? Well ~Souls of Chaos~ is an organization of people from around the world who play and test online games together and have a great time doing it. Currently, we have 75 members They also distribute a newsletter to members. The Unreal Site Ring http://people.wiesbaden.netsurf.de/~morn/uring/ ----------------------------------------------- The Unreal Site Ring is a ring of web pages devoted to Epic Megagames' Unreal. If you don't know what a web ring is: A web ring enables you to browse through a ring of web pages devoted to the same topic (here it's Unreal) via a small control panel which you can find on all the ring sites. The Unreal Site Ring serves several purposes. It creates a community of Unreal sites, enables users to see what other Unreal pages are available and increases traffic on member sites. (FreePlay: See description of Unreal in the Preview Section.) ************************************************************************* Updates -------- Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition & Plutonium Pak http://www.3drealms.com/catalog/duke3d/plutonium.html#getpak ----------------------------------------------------- I reported this in Issue #6 but they didn't have a release date. Since then, 3D Realms has made some changes and additions. Here's the official promo: 3D Realms is now taking pre-orders for the Plutonium PAK! 3D Realms has created an all new mission for Duke Nukem 3D, called The Birth. You can get this new mission through the Plutonium PAK. The Plutonium PAK contains the following... Eleven all new levels by 3D Realms (with TONS of new art for the specific level themes). Look for cool places to visit and DukeMatch in like "Duke Burger", "Area-51" and "Babe World". New Weapon. You can add a new ammo type and hardware upgrade to the good old Shrink Ray and turn it into the "Microwave Gun". When activated, this weapon will superheat a player or bad guy until they expand and pop like an over-cooked egg in a microwave. Don't be too close to them when they go, or you'll take some damage too. The Plutonium PAK also includes some extra items like the following: TWO Duke Nukem 3D Windows95 desktop themes complete with lots of new exclusive DukeTalk (specific to the themes). In addition, you get the Duke Nukem 3D Screen Saver & Entertainment Pack. Links LS Patch http://www.accesssoftware.com/patch.html ---------------------------------------- Links LS update version 1.20 now available! Changes and fixes in Links LS Version 1.20 from version 1.10 -Allows you to play courses from hard drive as needed -Fixes score verification problem on junior/ladies tees Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries 1.05 Patch Download Page ftp://205.214.45.10/activision/mercs/merc105p.htm ------------------------------------------------- This patch will upgrade your copy of Mercenaries 1.00 to version 1.05. Version 1.05 includes the following improvements: -The 'Mech Lab now functions properly -Extra weapons or weight no longer appear on your 'Mech after battle -CD-ROM changers and multiple CD-ROM drives now supported -Input device configuration screen improved -The "Prince Luthor" and "Clan Wolf Escape" missions are easier to complete -Connecting to the Internet server in DOS MercNet should go faster -'Mechs in DOS MercNet now checked for conformance to weight and equipment rules *********************************************************************** Previews - The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Review. -------- Dark Reign http://www.activision.com/darkreign/ ------------------------------------ Dark Reign: The Future of War is a multiplayer, real-time action/strategy game that plays like a 3D combat simulation. Combining the best features of current best-selling strategy games with never-before-seen options and player-controllable artificial intelligence, Dark Reign delivers an unprecedented gaming experience. Wage war against up to eight players over a LAN, head-to-head over a modem, or against up to four players over the Internet! Create true alliances by sharing resources and intelligence with other players. Also includes gigantic playing maps, never-before-seen units, and dozens of other features. The battle for freedom begins this Winter. (FreePlay: The graphic previews on the WWW page show this to be a Command and Conquer clone.) Descent to Undermountain http://www.interplay.com/games/dtum.html ---------------------------------------- Just released - DTUAVI.ZIP (8.7MB) Descent to Undermountain non-interactive Windows AVI movie! Forgotten Realms: Descent To Undermountain is a fast-paced and compelling 360° 3D environment adventure that tests the player’s stamina against Lloth, the Drow Elf Queen.. It is set in one of TSR’s most popular "worlds," Forgotten Realms. The player’s task at hand is to destroy all enemies he or she confronts, while trying to discover the powerful flamesword of Lloth. It is a classic game of kill or be killed. Featuring state-of-the-art graphics, this game utilizes a greatly expanded enhanced 3D engine from Parallax Software that made Interplay’s Descent such a large success. It is one of the first games of its kind to use 3D polygon enemies, not the usual flat 2D sprites. Also, a key element is that the AD&D characters are present with similar traits and characteristics of traditional role-playing characters. Features: With this powerful 3D engine, a player can literally view 360 degrees of the dangerous caverns where the game is set. Descent To Undermountain has been described as an AD&D game so real, the player can see drool on an Orc’s chin. Multiplayer support is a key feature of this game, as well as an option to play simultaneously with the screen map adjacent to the play screen. This way, the player can keep track of where he or she has traveled without having to interrupt game play. Descent To Undermountain will be available on-line and for MS-DOS based PC’s in the fourth quarter of 1996. Magic: The Game http://www.acclaimnation.com/acclaimnation/twitch/interactive/magic/MAGICinter.html ---------------------------- Magic: The Gathering-Battlemage. In this ultimate war of the wizards, players face off on one of 30 richly detailed battlefields. Choose from a mystic armory of 220 artifacts, enchantments and creatures, enhanced with stunning graphics cs. Every spell is unique and reacts differently to every other spell, giving rise to more scenarios than you've ever seen. Acclaim's Magic: The Gathering - Battlemage offers real-time, networkable, strategic sorcery and a rich environment that will immerse players in the vortex of magical warfare. Strategies such as using the terrain to protect a weak flank from a sneak a ttack, or luring enemy forces into a deadly trap, adds time and spatial dimensions to the game that don't exist anywhere else. Duel against the computer or against up to 3 other players over a local area network, modem, or the Internet. Two PlayStation or Sega Saturn based gamers can take advantage of the game's split-screen feature to battle head-to-head. Powerslave http://www.playmatestoys.com/pages/pie/pwrslave.htm --------------------------------------------------- As an armed forces specialist, you have trained for all forms of enemy contact. Nothing, however, can prepare you for the modern-day nightmare you are about to enter. The ancient Egyptian city of Karnak has been sealed off by enemy forces. No military action has yet been successful in penetrating the perimeter. The enemy possess firepower of unknown origin. There is a high probability of ultra-human involvement. Your mission is to infiltrate Karnak, discover the nature of the enemy forces, and respond with maximum efficiency. Let