Dreamcast

Our favorite level is Windy Valley, which requires you to survive the stormy perils of a tremendous tornado. This tyrant of nature chases you relentlessly before ultimately sucking you into the air and up through its eye. During the chase, the tornado manages to tear up just about everything on the screen. This dizzying visual spectacle moves so fast that you will literally hold on to the game controller for dear life.

Assuming you survive the tornado, there are several more challenging areas to conquer, including a level that requires you to snowboard directly in the path of a fast-approaching avalanche. During the Emerald Coast level, you will race across a precarious dock as a killer whale attacks from below, destroying the wood planks underneath your feet while you attempt to outrun the crazed creature.

We also liked the numerous mini-games scattered throughout this title. When you least expect it, Sonic Adventure tosses in some old-fashioned arcade action, such as pinball or bumper car racing. In between, you can raise virtual pets, known in the game as "Chao." These characters, which are saved using the optional Visual Memory Unit (VMU), can be combined with other Chao characters exchanged between friends or downloaded via the Internet.

Gamers looking to show off the strong processing power of the 128-bit Dreamcast will definitely want to pick up this title. Simply put, Sonic Adventure's graphics surpass those of any other game currently available on any home video game system. Let the Sonic assault begin. --Brett Atwood

Pros:

• Strong replay value
• Stunning graphics
• Bonus virtual pet game
• Six different game characters

Cons:

• May be too fast-moving for some players
• Awkward camera angles can inhibit gameplay in some areas

• Explore the vast 3D world of Nosgoth
• Over 1000 cinematics

Quake III Arena is the first title to allow multiplayer, real-time networked gaming between Dreamcast and PC players. Hooking up through the SegaNet servers, players can go online and shoot it out with other people around the world for the first time in console history. (We played with a keyboard and a mouse--the only way Quake III should ever be played--and with them we exacted my punishment on more than just a few unsuspecting patrons.)

A full slate of 25 nasty warriors has been rolled out for the Dreamcast game. The weapons--which range from shotguns and rocket launchers to lightning guns and plasma guns--and effects also are packed in tighter than Charlie Tuna in his can. It also has all of the nifty springboards, quad damage, space-age dungeons, and everything that we loved about our favorite shooter on the PC.

The Dreamcast version has a large variety of gameplay options, including single player, free-for-all, tournament, team deathmatch, and capture the flag, most of which are open for play in two-to-four-player split-screen mode. The game's rendering engine achieves smooth and realistic texturing, and stunning environmental effects. The environments in particular are great, with dazzling sky textures leading the way. Also, the geometry and large, detailed textures of the character models make them the envy of the console world.

The character's movements in Quake III Arena didn't feel nearly as smooth as in the PC version, because of a rather slow framerate. Compared to the PC version, this one makes you feel like you're battling with one leg in concre

Amazon.com Product Description:
Quake 3 Arena is one of the heirs of Doom, the first-person shooter that defined the genre. This version is based on the PC sequel that evolved from the single-player adventures of its predecessors into a network-based gaming experience. And since it is compatible with that PC version, it marks the first time players of any console can compete with--or against--the thousands of PC competitors online (PC users must download special Dreamcast-compatible maps to play). This version features 26 levels of maps and 24 warriors to slaughter with shotguns, lightning and plasma guns, and rocket launchers.

You can play The New Nightmare as either Edward Carnby, a paranormal private investigator and poster boy for the series, or Aline Cedrac, a college professor and requisite video game babe. As in Resident Evil 2, the protagonists cross paths but have separate adventures within the main story, which, in this case, involves evil supernatural forces at work on the appropriately (but unimaginatively) named Shadow Island.

Although The New Nightmare uses the genre-standard, third-person, fixed-camera viewpoint, it adds a twist by bathing most of its detailed, predrawn 3-D backgrounds in darkness, and then equipping the player with a controllable flashlight. Not only does this create some rather impressive lighting effects, but it also heightens the sense of fear that is further fueled by the game's ominous music and sounds.

Unfortunately, the rest of The New Nightmare isn't very inspired. Its underdeveloped controls are on par with the first Resident Evil, which might not be so bad if not for that fact that this combat-light game has you tediously running around looking for keys to match its many nondescript locked doors, as well as trying to find solutions to vague puzzles that all too often leave you in the dark. --Joe Hon --The text of this review refers to the PlayStation version of the game.

Pros:

• Play as either of two protagonists, each in a separate adventure
• Impressive lighting effects
• Effectively ominous music and sounds

• Awkward viewpoints
• Clumsy, underdeveloped controls
• Gameplay is more often tedious than challenging