Nintendo 64

Yet the thing that singly bugged me the most was the graphics or, rather, the overall art direction that Rare took. Yes, like Dale mentioned, the graphics are technically amazing and push the N64 to likes of which the system has never seen. But stylistically, the game is a mess.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood, Animated Violence

What impressed me the most about Legends was that it has an old car comfort, but with a new car smell. Legends has all the "old-school" button-mashing, destroying-everything-on-the-screen gameplay but now it comes with flashy 64-bit graphics, loud sounds, huge bosses, and over-the-top spells and special effects.

Game Description: The essential action—team up with others, find keys, magic, runes and other items, and beat the stuffing out of anyone in your way—remains unchanged from the arcade hit. While Gauntlet Legends for the N64 will retain the same stages at the arcade game, Midway promises a far meatier storyline, including cinema cut-scenes at the successful conclusion of a stage.

It can if Midway effectively recreates the arcade experience while adding immersive home console peculiarities. And, apparently with Legends, they have. The original premise of having four human controlled adventurers of different character classes cooperatively questing (a refreshingly rare feature today) through maze-like stages hasn't changed, so the gameplay is still very arcade-like.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence

I'd give anything to find out the motivations behind some of these major business deals I read about everyday. Are these deals and maneuverings done to provide a better service (or product) or are they just the result of long held grudges and enviousness? For example, when Ted Turner bought National Wrestling Organization (NWO) and turned it into World Championship Wrestling (WCW), it was no secret that Turner and WWF president Vince McMahon were not fond of each other. Wrestling industry insiders saw this move as purely personal.

Game Description: Virtual wrestlers are grappling with reality in WCW Mayhem, a true-to-life wrestling game featuring a roster of 60 World Championship Wrestling celebrities, over 600 motion-captured moves, and re-creations of the arenas from the WCW television events, including a dozen pay-per-view super events. In his signature, over-the-top style, each wrestler enters one of 15 different arenas featured in the WCW series. But unlike other wrestling games, fighting in the ring is just a formality. WCW Mayhem wrestlers are free to take the action ringside or backstage, where a variety of tools of the trade--folding chairs, tables, and other smashable objects--are within reach. In career mode, players slam their way toward the championship. Other game options include single match, tag team, triangle, four-way dance, and battle royal.

Just as unlikely as it is for Stone Cold fans to embrace Goldberg, Mayhem isn't going to make converts out of WWF fans. Attitude will still remain their swan song as well as the overall genre leader. But for rabid WCW fans looking for fresh pixels to pummel with a steel chair, Mayhem should more than suffice.

Hybrid Heaven doesn't have terrific graphics (which Dale described as 'bland') and it doesn't have a great control scheme either. But it does have an excellent storyline (unfolded through some of the best cut-scenes to grace the N64), emotionally complex characters and some interesting ideas towards gameplay.