GameSlice: Behind the Scenes of the Computer and Video Game Industry

GameSlice Daily Editorial

The Week Ending October 4, 1999

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on trends in the gaming
industry and
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continued...

Omega Boost
Although I seldom cover Playstation games in this column, I can't help but mention a guilty pleasure of mine: Omega Boost.   This PlayStation game, from the creators of Gran Turismo, is one of the most exhilarating 3D shooters I've ever played – fast, furious, and just a lot of fun to play. Sure, the gameplay is nothing more than flying around in space and launching missiles, but somehow the whole package works. While a lot of developers have tried to make big 3D action games for the PlayStation – even when the hardware clearly can't support such titles – Omega Boost is a solid action game that really delivers on its promise of mindless shoot-em-up gameplay. If you have a PlayStation, definitely rent this game and check it out…I was pleasantly surprised.
Unreal Tournament Demo: 3DFX Only?
Last week I highlighted Unreal Tournament as one of the Eight Hot Games based on the 3DFX-only demo that was released. Although a version of the demo for other 3D cards will be released this week, I can't help but jeer by the idea of doing a 3DFX-only demo of a major game like Unreal Tournament, especially when 3DFX's current 3D technology is behind the curve, not even offering 32-bit color. Unreal Tournament has been long delayed, and it's not fair that gamers who have been loyal fans of the Unreal brand but don't own a 3DFX card are left out in the cold. What's even more troublesome are the 3DFX-branded billboards inside of the game levels, clearly marking this demo as a big cross-marketing deal between Epic and 3DFX. Although Epic has every right to release demos in any form they see fit, I think it was irresponsible of them to release a 3DFX-only demo…especially considering the Unreal shareware version never materialized for the online community!
3DFX's Woes
Speaking of 3DFX, last week news materialized that the company's still-unannounced Voodoo 4 product (codenamed Napalm) will likely miss the important holiday season. This isn't good news for 3DFX, which has already lost significant ground in the PC gaming space because their current Voodoo lineup doesn't support 32-bit color.   Although it's impossible to count out 3DFX until we get the full details on their next generation card, there's no question that the company has fallen from its glory days when the Voodoo 2 was the card for 3D acceleration on the PC. Mind you, in the cutthroat world of 3D accelerator chips today's lemon can be tomorrow's lemonade, but there's no question 3DFX is quickly losing the gaming mindshare without a 32-bit card for the holidays.
Behind the Games: Trilobyte
Finally, take a minute to check out my latest Behind the Games feature at GameSpot, Haunted Glory: The Rise and Fall of Trilobyte.   It's an extensive look at what happened to the company that made The 7^th Guest. If you have a chance to read it, I'd love to hear your comments! Read It Here

Your Comments?
Agree or disagree? I'd love to hear your opinions.
Thanks for reading! That's the Gist of It.

Geoff Keighley
Editor-in-Chief
GameSlice