With the plethora of racing car games on the market, to gain any respect in the field all potential challengers must have something special to offer gameplayers. Rally Cross from Sony is the latest offering for PlayStation owners and while its title isn't the most awe-inspiring, it delivers the goods.
There are six course locations and the terrains don't vary much from the standard snow, desert and forest etc. There are six tracks with which to test your skills, and three variations on each of these.
You have the option of racing in either direction on all of them, giving you a total of 36 different courses to master. If you're still not satisfied, there are shortcuts on them, which you'll need to find and use if you want to be in contention. Not all of these courses are revealed at the start of the game.
It's only when you start winning some races in Season mode that they become available. The same is true of the vehicles - of which there are 20 (16 cars, four trucks), as initially only eight are available for selection.
Revealing these courses and other cars is no mean feat, as even at rookie level Rally Cross is an extremely difficult game to master and only experienced racers should accept the challenge.
It takes a lot of practice before you progress from finishing last - and it can be infuriating when your car overturns and ends up with its wheels in the air after every bend. When this happens you can rock your car from side to side using the L1/L2 buttons to get your wheels back on the road. The cars do reflect damage, but this is purely for aesthetic purposes, as no amount of tumbling will affect your car's performance.
Rally Cross also gives you the option of racing against other opponents in the opposite direction and the split screen multi-player option allows two players to race head to head.
It seems Rally Cross has everything: even the graphics are special, you can even see dust clouds in the deserts and splashes from streams in the forests. One word of warning, however, if you're planning to buy your first racing car sim, Rally Cross is not recommended. It's far too difficult from the outset. If, on the other hand, you are a real fan of this genre and have the patience to persevere with all the initial setbacks, it's well worth a spin.
Graphics: 90% Sound: 80% Gameplay: 86%
SentientPlayStation
As medical technician Garrit Sherova you are sent to the Icarus Space Station to investigate an outbreak of radiation sickness - but that is the least of your problems. The captain of the ship has been murdered and the station has developed severe engine failure and is hurtling toward a far off sun. In addition, there is a myriad of mysteries and conspiracies to be unravelled.
Sentient, as you may have gathered, is a role-playing game (RPG). In the greatest traditions of such games, it offers multiple possible endings. Several solutions are available for each problem and your fate can hinge on chance meetings with computer characters. You can interact with more than 60 people on the station and while you do so they even interact among themselves.
Communication is accomplished by choosing from standard statements and questions, and your character can also express emotions. Controlling Garrit's functions can be a cumbersome affair, however.
Indeed, one suspects your average gameplayer will end up completely frustrated with Sentient. It can be confusing at first and it demands a lot of effort to get into, before you get hooked. So much effort that it's not much fun - and unless your are an RPG specialist it is probably best avoided. If, however, you do fancy yourself as an authority on such matters then Sentient offers plenty of scope for your skills.
Graphics: 80% Sound: 70% Gameplay: 70%
Game cheatsRally Cross Sony PlayStation Enter the following codes when starting a new season:
Stone - Heavier Vehicles Feather - Lighter Vehicles Float - Low Gravity Spinner - Reduced tyre friction No Wheels - Cars have no wheels Vet Me - Opens up veteran tracks Im A Pro - Opens up pro tracks
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Virgin Top Ten
This week's 10 top-selling PC CD- ROM games at Virgin Megastore are: 1) Dungeon Keeper - £29.99 2) Carmageddon - £29.99 3) CIV 2/CIV 2 Scenario - £29.99 4) FIFA Soccer Manager - £29.99 5) X-Wing V Tie Fighter - £29.99 6) EA Cricket - £24.99 7) C&C-Red Alert/ Counter Strike £29.99 8) Tomb Raider - £29.99 9) Theme Hospital - £29.99 10) Imperium Galactica - £34.99