__ Just Outta Beta __
__ A Rock and a Hard Place __
Release: December
Despite the initial ballooning of hype and the fallout when the bubble burst, Rocket Science Games Inc. has persevered, displacing its Siliwood connection for more traditional concerns - notably, quality gameplay. In conjunction with distributor SegaSoft, Rocket Science is releasing four promising titles - including The Space Bar, Rocket Jockey, and Obsidian - this Christmas season.
Its centerpiece title, *Obsidian *(pictured top row), is a Myst offshoot in which the character, an environmental scientist named Lilah, must search through five worlds for her missing partner, Max. The pure qualities of this game type - exploring and solving puzzles - transcend its lack of novelty.
More than 25 puzzles have been integrated into the roving story line that promises 40-plus hours of gameplay, complemented by an original score from Thomas Dolby. It's this attention to detail - beyond the lushly rendered environments - that we always expected from Rocket Science.
UK-based Core Design is pushing gameplay by integrating features usually found in separate titles. The buzz over Tomb Raider (pictured bottom row) is loud, in anticipation of a radically new experience blending traditional genres.
Tomb Raider eliminates the first-person, *Doom *perspective, placing the character onscreen. As the gun-toting Lara Croft, you track the evil Jaqueline Natla through multiple zones in four different worlds. Every level is modeled on the fly, allowing Lara to roam where she pleases through the 3-D environment while running, jumping, climbing, and generally blasting everything in sight.
Porting past lessons to new, faster hardware systems, developers like Core are creating new gaming territory. Hopefully, the masses will snatch up Tomb Raider, solidifying the opportunity for others to push this gaming convergence further and offer a wider range of entertainment experiences to the world.
- Tim Barkow *
__ Obsidian: Rocket Science: +1 (415) 442 5000, www.rocketsci.com/. Tomb Raiders: Winter. Eidos Interactive: +1 (415) 616 2022, www.eidosinteractive.com/. __
__ No Shortwave __
Release: Winter
AT&T's new Theater Deployable Multimedia Communications Service allows commanders to provide switched multimedia and LAN access in the battlefield. The system is based on ISDN running over ATM and includes support for multiple wireless technologies through its 2.4-meter VSAT dish.
AT&T: +1 (202) 776 6852.
__ Insectica __
Release: Winter
Noted artist Toshio Iwai has ported his interactive music software, SimTunes, to CD-ROM with the help of Maxis Inc. Tiny bugs, programmed to play particular instruments, wander onscreen, playing the note "blocks" you place in their paths. It's a fascinating and complex game that is - dare I say - fun for kids and adults alike.
Maxis: +1 (510) 933 5630, www.maxis.com/.
__ What Means Art? __
Release: Winter
The man who changed the meaning of art and the mode of artistry is revealed in the pages of Duchamp: A Biography, by New Yorker columnist Calvin Tomkins. Tomkins credits Marcel Duchamp as the inspiration for conceptualism, pop - even video and multimedia art. While the mysteries and paradoxes of life and living abound, it's good to know Marcel - as well as you can.
Holt/ Macrae: (800) 488 5233.
__ Grunge __
Release: Winter
So you wanna be a rock star? Well, Garage Band may be able to help. This CD-ROM grills you on the basics and not-so-basics of the music biz and may even help you to fame.
L3 Interactive: +1 (310) 264 4188, www.learningcube.com/.
__ Shaken, Not Stirred __
Release: Winter
Shaken, Not Stirred Those yearning for a digital Bond fix can slake their thirsts with The Ultimate James Bond: An Interactive Dossier. The CD-ROM covers all the Bond flicks with plenty of multimedia minutiae thrown in to satisfy your appetite.
MGM Interactive: (800) 646 4800, www.mgmua.com/.
__ �Hola, Mundo! __
Release: December
Softbank Comdex Inc. hits the streets of Miami this month, wrapped in the cloth of Comdex/HispanoAm�rica '96. Designed to cater to the needs of the burgeoning Latin American market for things digital, this conference expects 25,000 attendees in its first go-round.
Softbank Comdex: +1 (617) 433 1500, www .comdex.com/.
