Multiplaying the Game Page 2
Other promising racing games include the likes of Kirby Air Ride and 1080 Avalanche. Both of which will contain modes where players can compete via split screen competition as well as LAN compatibility for up to eight players, much like Mario Kart. Oh and regarding 1080, at E3 the game looked much better and prettier than ever before. If all goes well the game may very well be a tough competitor to Electronic Arts SSX 3.
Not into Kirby much these days? Well how about customizable robots that fight to the death? If you answered yes, then buckle your seat belt because Nintendo has finally decided to bring the frantic Custom Robo series to North America, in GameCube form. Since the series has never before left the comfy shores of Japan (where it has had great success), it is likely few gamers are familiar with the upcoming title. The new game will pretty much revolve around two to four-player 3D fighting mayhem. Much in the vein of the Dreamcast title Powerstone, multiplayer matches in Custom Robo take place on a single screen. The game will feature four-player battle royale, two-on-two versus, and tag-team death matches. Players will be able to customize and build their own robots by choosing from around 200 different parts and then battle one another with their creations.
Not a whole lot unlike Nintendos Custom Robo is Capcoms Gotcha Force. A third person action shooter, the game is very focused on multiplayer gaming. Up to four-players will face one another by each controlling armies of fighting toys. Doesnt sound too appealing? Well it should. Gotcha Force will put players in control of more than 100 different customizable units called gotcha borgs, each having its own strengths and weaknesses. Each character has its own unique weapons and abilities. Some shoot missiles, some use martial arts, and some are just plain weird; every toy is different. Players will be able to trade toys within the game or with a friend by swapping them between memory cards.
However, the real draw of Gotcha Force is the team-based battles. The game will feature a story mode with two-on-two battles, where either a second player or the computer is controlling your teammate. Not a very good team player? Well its time to sharpen those skills because Gotcha Force is very team oriented. Both players will share a single health meter, so if your teammate is taking a bashing he wont be the only one hurting. Players can even link their mech-like toys together to form a giant mech-like toy, transformers style. Up to four players will be able to face one another in free-for-alls and two-on-two battles come November 3rd, when Gotcha Force hits shelves.
Team based play will also play a large role in Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike. For starters the game is actually two games. Every single one of the missions (even bonus ones) from the GCN launch title Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is included with Rebel Strike, but only in cooperative multiplayer mode. Two players will play each level together (splitscreen) and divvy up the tasks as they see fit. To be more precise, two players can now complete multi-goal missions that had to be done in a set order in the original simultaneously.
Sound pretty cool? Theres more. Rebel Strike itself will feature versus, coop endurance, and capture the base multiplayer splitscreen modes for two to four players. Everything from the legendary X-Wing to the ATST ground walker will be available for use in multiplayer battles. In another nod to team-based fighting, Factor 5 is designing the game so that players will be able to command many different kinds of support units (similar to Rogue Leader where a tap of the D-pad would order a squad to either go after tie fighters or enter attack formation). Start saving up now because those who preorder the game will receive a special bonus disc with a playable demo of Rebel Strikes Hoth level, the classic Atari 1982 Star Wars game, and other cool stuff. September 23rd is the day a galaxy wont seem quite so far away.
For those not into the whole fighting with a team thing and would rather just beat the crap out of everyone, fear not. There are a number of games just itching to satisfy. Soul Calibur II, WWE Wrestlemania XIX, and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg will allow players to pummel, slice, dice, and even roll over opponents to achieve a victory.
In Soul Calibur II, the sequel to one of the best fighting games of all time, up to two players can face off at a time in a number of different battle modes. GameCube owners will even get the added bonus of having Link (from The Legend of Zelda series) as a playable character. What more could you ask for? WellWWE fans have been asking for quite a bit more. The news that Aki, known for its N64 WCW and WWF wrestling titles, dropped the WWE license combined with the disappointing release of Wrestlemania X8 last year (developed by Yukes) has left an aura of discouragement among many fans. There is no guarantee that the upcoming Wrestlemania XIX will be any better than its predecessor, but it is known that the new game will be much more grapple centric with both light and heavy grapples, a very important feature to fans of N64 games like WWF Wrestlemania 2000 and WWF No Mercy. What is known is that the game will have all of the four-player action a fan could ask for. Lets just hope the action has some substance.
Speaking of substance, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is shaping up to have just that. Segas first original platformer in years, the game appears to be a solid and original game revolving around the hatching of eggs and the creatures that come out of them. Players basically utilize oversize eggs as weapons. Walking up to an egg and pushing the control stick toward it allows the player to grab and roll the egg wherever and over whatever desired. Once the control stick is back in resting position the egg is let go of. In order to hatch an egg, players must roll it over a number of fruit and food items, which gradually increases its size until it is ready to be hatched. The creature that comes out of an egg usually has a simple power such as an ice attack that can be performed a finite amount of times. Once this limit is reached the creature disappears. (Observations based on E3 and Preview disc demos.)
Billy also has another egg up his sleeve. The game will include time, stock, and hatch modes for up to four players. So those wishing to roll all over their friends will finally have an outlet to do so. In time battle, the player who takes out the most opponents within a set time limit is the winner. Stock battle is pretty much a last-man-standing mode where whoever survives to be the last player alive wins. Oh, and hatch battle challenges gamers to hatch eggs for points within a set time. Also, dont forget that players will be able to steal each others eggs if left unattended. The multiplayer modes in Billy Hatcher are shaping up to be both fun and frantic and will no doubt aid the title in carving out its own niche in gamers hearts come late September when Billy Hatches his way to a store shelve near you.
Sothink we have covered all the multiplayer goodness there is to cover this year? Think again. There are many great titles I didnt include, both single and multiplayer, coming out on the GameCube in the next year or so. Many of which are from Nintendo itself. Notable multiplayer games that appear to be shaping up nicely include the likes of Pikmin 2, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Star Fox 2, Mario Party 5, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Geist, The Legend of Zelda: The Four Swords (GCN), and yes even Pokmon Colosseum.
With notable enhancements in the quality and quantity of its advertising efforts, a detectable increase in the number of first-rate exclusive titles for GameCube, and a renewed emphasis on the replay value a good multiplayer mode can offer things are definitely looking up. Nintendo, it seems, may finally be doing things right for a change.
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