By: surfing calvin Reporter
use to be a member, but now is busy

NHL Blades of Steel '99 Ease-of-play highlights Konami's first hockey game for the N64. By: surfan kalvin "reporter" Konami's Blades of Steel has been on a Nintendo hiatus since the eight-bit days of '88. Although reviving the name a decade later would seem as much a gamble as a 60-foot slap shot, the Pak's pick-up-and-playability peg it as a promising late-season entry. Blades' jam-packed option menu allows players to select from: Six Controller configurations Seven camera angles Five difficulty levels Five game speeds Automatic or manual goalie control Auto/semi-auto/manual player control Auto/manual/no line changes Four, five or six-man teams Penalties on/off Fighting on/off Icing on/off Two-line passes on/off Puck streak on/off ISS on Ice? Konami's trump card here is its Osaka development team, which has done such a bang-up job with its two International Superstar Soccer games. Like those critically lauded Paks, Blades offers intuitive controls that get you right into the game. Pressing the A Button while on offense will typically pass the puck to the nearest player, even if he is behind the puck-handler. As you get a feel for the game, you can take advantage of some cool puck-handling options, including wrist flips, drop passes and through passes. Excitable gamers will need to learn to chill out: Pressing B launches a shot, but quickly pressing B again cancels the attempt. Blades of Steel's sports first-rate animated strategy diagrams With Midway sidelining its Gretzky series for the '98-'99 season -- although it has tentatively announced plans for Gretzky 2000 -- Blades' ease-of-play wins it this year's arcade honors in the hockey genre. Dim-witted enemy AI on the easier difficulty settings certainly makes for some stratospheric scores. Nevertheless, you shouldn't expect the over-the-top action and comic animations -- nets bursting into flames, ambulances with sirens blaring -- found in The Great One's games. Part Sim, Part Arcade Instead, the designers opted for a realistic momentum-based physics model, which means it takes a while for a skater to build up a head of steam. It's a cool innovation not found in other hockey Paks, but it definitely slows down the action. Even on the Fastest setting, athletes take a while to get going, while the Slowest setting has all the vim of Perry Como's Greatest Hits. Anyone who got a gander at the great job Konami did with the curling venue in Nagano Winter Olympics '98 shouldn't be surprised at the excellent reflection-mapping on Blades' rinks. The athletes themselves look good, but lack the level of detail found in other sports games. Jaggies on moving players can be quite noticeable. The Sound of Fury Typical of Konami games, Blades of Steel sports a fine audio track. Randy Hahn, the voice of the San Jose Sharks, offers well-timed and surprisingly detailed commentary ("He circles in the neutral zone") that includes many players' names.The PA announcer's voice echoes throughout the arena and the crowd sounds include distinct hollers from leather-lunged fans. The Players Full NHL and NHLPA licenses means that all your favorite teams, players and uniforms are here, as well as the NHL North American and World All-Stars. The arenas are authentic, too, and are even rated on the condition of their ice. Players are graded on six traits (skating, shooting, stick-handling, spirit, fighting and stamina) comprising 12 subtraits (for example, skate speed, agility and acceleration). You can play a season or playoff schedule of varying lengths or a one-time exhibition. Your general manager options include trades and free agents, but there is no player-create option. The CPU won't squelch one-sided deals. The Cold Facts While Blades doesn't offer much that's new to owners of EA Sports' NHL and Acclaim's NHL Breakaway, its ease-of-play mark it as a good choice for the casual or younger fan. NHL Blades of Steel is also available for Game Boy Color. IN 2000 BIG MOUNTAIN 2000 Just in time to get you stoked for another season in the snow, SouthPeak Interactive covers the entire mountain with its latest release. Big Mountain 2000 is an unprejudiced Pak, giving equal representation to both skiers and snowboarders. Back Scratchers to Stale Fishes Three secret characters are waiting for players who earn every possible medal: a robot, a disco dancer and a bear Despite the freakish cartoon characters which appear on the box art and the character-select screen, Big Mountain 2000 is much more of a simulation game than an arcade racer. Players can choose between six different ski bums, who can each either ski or snowboard down the game's four courses. In Slalom and Giant Slalom modes, portions of the courses are off-limits We were hoping to have more runs to choose from, but the four courses in Big Mountain 2000 are very long and each contains multiple routes. There are three different modes of play to choose from: Championship Two-Player Battle Time Attack Custom boards and threads are provided by Solomon, Vans and Bonfire Players are pitted against three computer opponents in Championship Mode, which can be completed on a snowboard or skis. Championship Mode is divided into three sub-stages: Free Ride, Slalom and Giant Slalom. Your athlete's attributes increase as you complete races, and success in this mode of play is the only way to unlock the fourth course. Frost Bite If you lean too hard into a turn, visual cues like these pop up to let you know that you're about to crash and burn If you approach Big Mountain 2K expecting to experience the same great play control and realistic physics which were found in 1080° Snowboarding three years ago, then you're in store for a massive wipe-out. Imagineer did a respectable job in producing a distinct difference between skiing and snowboarding control, but unfortunately neither one reproduces the smooth flow of cruising down the mountain. Whether skiing or snowboarding, it often feels like your character is being pushed down the mountain by a tread mill rather than gravity. When you crash, for example, the terrain continues to pass under your body at a smooth, even pace. Different tricks are available depending on whether you're a boarder or a skier On the other hand, there are a few things which Big Mountain pulls off much better than its competition. A super-slick framerate produces an incredible sense of speed, and the ability to race against three other riders rather than just one is major improvement. A more realistic race is produced by a flashing meter which lets you know when you're cruising too fast. If you don't brake when the meter flashes red, you'll get a face full of frost. Lift Ticket? By far, the most appealing aspect of Big Mountain 2000 is the length of its courses. Even though there are only four hills to conquer, it takes quite a while to make it from top to bottom. The most unappealing aspect of this Pak? There's no halfpipe! Skiers are pulling some crazy tricks on halfpipes these days, and the replay value of this Pak would skyrocket if there were a frozen playground for players to show off their skills. Make sure you line up your skis before landing If you're a skier, buy a lift ticket and head up the Big Mountain. Since your only other option for virtual thrills on N64 has been Nagano Winter Olympics 98, you can't go wrong. If you're a boarder, you may want to take a test ride before forking over your dough. Big Mountain has some cool new courses to explore, but no matter how hard you look you won't find a halfpipe.