Coming soon to an Xbox 360 near you: Atari 2600 games. It appears that the former Infogrames, which has been using the Atari name since purchasing Hasbro Interactive in 2001, will be remodeling classic titles and packaging the old and new versions for Xbox Live.

Atari has had a rough few years and has sold off many of its newer properties. Just as the company was quick to abandon the name Infogrames and rely on brand recognition, this latest move is consistent with cashing in on Atari's heritage — but no maneuver can be as effective and memorable as the Atari of three decades ago. 1UP.com has a video gallery of the thirty "The Best, Worst Atari Commercials", which sure does bring back memories: I'd forgotten just how awful the home version of Pac-Man was. It wasn't all bad, though, as represented by this stylized montage:

I sometimes find myself longing for that era, despite the crude graphics — or perhaps because of them. In Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud outlined how the more generic an avatar's features are, the more conducive it is to player identification. That is, today's protagonists have clear personalities and representations: you're not playing as yourself, but as Master Chief, Tommy Vercetti, or Harry Mason. But, as Next Generation recently pointed out in an outline of the 50 greatest game design innovations, "The first adventure games, and most other computer games too, described the world as if you, the player, were actually in the game—not a representation of you, but you. Consequently, the games could make no assumptions about your age, sex, social position, or anything else". That blank slate made it easy to insert yourself into the Atari's nascent virtual worlds. As any fan of the Metal Gear Solid series will tell you, the proliferation of cutscenes means better storytelling, but less player interaction.

Are games and movies true melding? Or is one simply transforming into the other?

Title	:	The Terminator: Dawn of Fate
Platforms	:	PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox
Publisher	:	Infogrames
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	6.8
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Sequels seldom surpass the brilliance of the original work. However, there is a no more sterling example of an exception than Terminator 2. I have few hopes next year's T3 film will be its equal, and if Terminator: Dawn of Fate, an Xbox and PlayStation 2 game from Infogrames, is any indication, my fears are justified. [PS2 version reviewed here] 

Dawn of Fate is set in the bleak future of the year 2027, long after the nuclear holocaust known as Judgment Day. The war against Skynet and its armada of machines is coming to a head, leading up to the events of the first Terminator movie. Players begin as that film's hero, Kyle Reese, occasionally switching to other characters in leader John Connor's resistance group. 

The 3D action consists of battling various endos and fakies (bipedal robots), HKs (hunter/killers), and other machines. Schwarzenegger's T-800 model is rarely seen, and its lesser counterparts, though they can take a beating from even futuristic weaponry, are far more destructible. 

Regardless of the technology involved, Dawn of Fate dwindles down to little more than consecutive endurance matches. Each room, plaza, and area is teeming with Skynet's troops, requiring the humans to clear out the area. For every robot that falls, another takes its place, until that area's supply is exhausted. The door to the next room then opens, allowing players to repeat the process. Each level requires various tasks to be completed, but it's battling through the waves of cybernetics that's the challenge. 

As in the movies, pieces of Skynet technology can be collected and used to research new hardware. Though a neat device, this gameplay mechanism is no different from finding money to spend in a shop between levels, upgrading the player's offensive and defensive capabilities. 

Unlike the seamlessly integrated worlds of most video games, loading times disjoin the rooms of the shattered buildings players traverse, demanding they wait several seconds when passing through doors. Various cut scenes are dramatic and accurately depict the war-torn future, but sometimes these interruptions come too often. 

The gameplay graphics are appropriately dark for the game's grim setting. The camera, however, suddenly shifts perspectives as Reese runs along a corridor or down a flight of stairs, requiring players to reorient the direction of their movement. This annoyance is even more bothersome in the heat of combat, complicating the already imprecise targeting system. Reese takes an accurate bead on his assailant, but selecting a specific one from many can take several moments while caught in a crossfire. Fortunately, the difficulty setting can be adjusted to compensate for these unfair grievances. 

Dawn of Fate is akin to the terminators it depicts: cold, hard, and lifeless. It is not a game flawed beyond playability, but one that fails to engage the player in any emotion. You'd best leave this one on the assembly line.

---

This article is copyright (c) 2002, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 22-Oct-02

Title	:	The Terminator: Dawn of Fate
Platforms	:	PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox
Publisher	:	Infogrames
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	6.8
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Sequels seldom surpass the brilliance of the original work. However, there is a no more sterling example of an exception than Terminator 2. I have few hopes next year's T3 film will be its equal, and if Terminator: Dawn of Fate, an Xbox and PlayStation 2 game from Infogrames, is any indication, my fears are justified. [PS2 version reviewed here] 

Dawn of Fate is set in the bleak future of the year 2027, long after the nuclear holocaust known as Judgment Day. The war against Skynet and its armada of machines is coming to a head, leading up to the events of the first Terminator movie. Players begin as that film's hero, Kyle Reese, occasionally switching to other characters in leader John Connor's resistance group. 

The 3D action consists of battling various endos and fakies (bipedal robots), HKs (hunter/killers), and other machines. Schwarzenegger's T-800 model is rarely seen, and its lesser counterparts, though they can take a beating from even futuristic weaponry, are far more destructible. 

Regardless of the technology involved, Dawn of Fate dwindles down to little more than consecutive endurance matches. Each room, plaza, and area is teeming with Skynet's troops, requiring the humans to clear out the area. For every robot that falls, another takes its place, until that area's supply is exhausted. The door to the next room then opens, allowing players to repeat the process. Each level requires various tasks to be completed, but it's battling through the waves of cybernetics that's the challenge. 

As in the movies, pieces of Skynet technology can be collected and used to research new hardware. Though a neat device, this gameplay mechanism is no different from finding money to spend in a shop between levels, upgrading the player's offensive and defensive capabilities. 

Unlike the seamlessly integrated worlds of most video games, loading times disjoin the rooms of the shattered buildings players traverse, demanding they wait several seconds when passing through doors. Various cut scenes are dramatic and accurately depict the war-torn future, but sometimes these interruptions come too often. 

The gameplay graphics are appropriately dark for the game's grim setting. The camera, however, suddenly shifts perspectives as Reese runs along a corridor or down a flight of stairs, requiring players to reorient the direction of their movement. This annoyance is even more bothersome in the heat of combat, complicating the already imprecise targeting system. Reese takes an accurate bead on his assailant, but selecting a specific one from many can take several moments while caught in a crossfire. Fortunately, the difficulty setting can be adjusted to compensate for these unfair grievances. 

Dawn of Fate is akin to the terminators it depicts: cold, hard, and lifeless. It is not a game flawed beyond playability, but one that fails to engage the player in any emotion. You'd best leave this one on the assembly line.

---

This article is copyright (c) 2002, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 22-Oct-02

Title	:	Stuntman
Platforms	:	Sony PlayStation 2
Publisher	:	Infogrames
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	7.8
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

One of my favorite movies is Terminator 2, with a favorite scene being when the T-1000 hijacks a big rig to chase young John Connor. The truck's former occupant is carelessly flung from the vehicle, tumbling onto the speeding pavement below. 

That's no easy stunt! I wanted to be that unfortunate trucker. And, in a sense, Infogrames' new PlayStation 2 game lets gamers take on the oft-overlooked movie role of the Stuntman. 

From the makers of Driver, Stuntman challenges players to drive vehicles through a variety of movie sets, being filmed for scenes in such fictional films as "Toothless in Wapping" and "A Whoopin' and A Hollerin'". These scenes range from London police chases to more rural, "Dukes of Hazzard"-style shenanigans. 

The movie director offers constant vocal direction throughout the level, indicating which turns to make, barrels to overturn, and jumps to take. Failing a minor stunt will reduce your score for the level, but most failures aren't minor, and will require the entire level to be restarted. Players cannot simply race through the entire level, practicing its entirety with each trial; they must perfect each individual stunt before gaining the mastery to proceed further in the stage. In other words: drive, crash, repeat. 

This repetition would be more bearable if Stuntman weren't so nostalgic about loading times, harkening back to the early days of PlayStation games. For every retry, gamers will wait ten seconds for the level to reset. The demanding stunts and lack of constant progression is a bad combination, frustrating gamers looking to engage in more regular activity. 

The controls are simple, but occasionally a bit squirrelly, dependent on the vehicle and terrain. Stunts that require precise driving, such as driving onto a train or between two trees, will require multiple attempts. 

The music is surprisingly appropriate not only for a video game, but for the genre of movie being filmed in each level. The director's commentary helpfully accompanies the on-screen icons that indicate each stunt. Each level's introductory cinematics, though, feature interviews with a virtual stuntman who lifelessly speaks, stutters, and stammers. Realistic, perhaps — he's a stuntman, not an actor — but thoroughly uninteresting. 

The other gameplay modes are equally lackluster. A series of arena games allows the opportunity to hone driving and precision skills, but with little direction in how to do so. A stunt construction mode lets players decorate the arena with their own machinations, with success in the movie filming mode providing access to a wider variety of toys and props. Anyone frustrated by the constant refilming of scenes in the game's prebuilt levels is unlikely to have the patience to design their own, however. 

Stuntman is an innovative take on the hackneyed driving genre. The stunts players can pull off and the practice necessary to achieve them are both insane, with various niceties making gamers feel that they really are shooting a movie. Sadly, the realism extends to the truth that being a stuntman is often all work and no play.

---

This article is copyright (c) 2002, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 08-Jul-02

Title	:	Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare
Platforms	:	Sony PlayStation, Dreamcast
Publisher	:	Infogrames
ESRB Rating	:	Mature
Game Rating	:	8.4
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Genetic memories. They're the fears we inherit from our ancestors, the instinctual imprints that tell us to be afraid of the dark. Infogrames capitalizes on that blueprint with the PlayStation and Dreamcast release of Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare. [PSX version reviewed here] 

When a friend of paranormal investigator Edward Carnby is found murdered on Shadow Island, the detective hitches a ride with anthropologist Aline Cedrac to the scene of the crime. A freak storm brings down the plane, separating the two heroes. As each investigates the island manor, they uncover strange happenings involving an ancient Indian civilization, a mad scientist, and a world of darkness. 

Alone in the Dark is a game in the survival horror genre pioneered by Resident Evil, though the Dark games far predate that series. Unlike Resident Evil, Alone has a more horrific motif, with zombies and strange creatures springing not from a corporation's genetic manipulations, but a paranormal source beyond human comprehension — a theme more closely related to Silent Hill. 

Gamers can choose to play as either Carnby or Aline, who will explore the mansion and encounter other characters in their own way. Radios keep the two explorers in touch regardless of which storyline a player pursues. As the two heroes weave in and out of each other's journey, the details of each storyline don't exactly match up, but the overall plot is identical. 

Like Resident Evil and unlike Silent Hill, Alone uses stationary camera angles to give a predefined perspective on each room Carnby and Aline examine. To give the players uniform control of the protagonists through these immutable camera changes, 'Up' moves the hero forward, 'Left' results in rotation to the hero's left, and so on. Players familiar with the Resident Evil controls will pick these up effortlessly, immediately feeling themselves in the main character's role. One unique control feature is moving the flashlight or gun with the left analog stick, while the digital pad moves the player. The right analog stick is neglected, which leaves no option for analog control of player movement. 

The gameplay is typical for a survival horror game. The manor holds many locked doors, and just as many hidden keys to find. An automap feature helps, but does not delineate locked doors beyond the room in which the player currently resides, nor does it denote the player's exact location in a room. Unclear floor and key labels make it more difficult to determine where to go next. There's plenty of literature to read in the form of wills, diaries, and journals, all of which tell an interesting tale for the player patient enough to wade through them. Game progress can be saved at anytime with a single-use Save Charm, which are in finite but sufficient supply. 

Contrary to the game's title, the dark is the place Carnby and Aline are least likely to be alone. The poorly-lit estate hosts many shadow creatures that flee at the switch of light. These monsters take many blows to defeat, and they tend to regenerate. The plentiful ammunition does you no good without a chance to use it: it's common for a beast to leap from a newly-formed rift, take a cheap shot, and then disappear into the shadows. 

Alone does not always try to be subtle about its scares. Music increases in volume even when nothing's amiss, leading players to always be on their toes. Screams and distant gunshots may never be explained, as will whatever unknown struggle just caused the entire room to quake. The voice acting is of only decent quality. Aline's casting is weaker than Carnby's; she speaks in a firm, strong tone of how scared she is. 

The monsters vary in appearance, but the recurring characters are better attired. Carnby has the appearance of Christopher Walken, if not the demeanor (thank Infogrames for small favors; otherwise this game would be much too scary for anyone to play), while Aline looks less snooty than one might expect from an anthropologist. She and other characters have a slightly angular appearance that fits the dark environment. 

A flashlight illuminates the details of the surroundings with some of the best lighting effects in any PlayStation game. The appearance of whatever the flashlight hits changes drastically, with shadows and reflections being perfectly cast. It's wise to use the flashlight even in well-lit areas, as important items will reflect it. 

Alone in the Dark is not innovative in its gameplay, but it does offer some thrilling scares and superb lighting effects. Turn off your own lighting and let this new nightmare work its dark magic.

---

This article is copyright (c) 2001, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 16-Jul-01

Title	:	Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare
Platforms	:	Sony PlayStation, Dreamcast
Publisher	:	Infogrames
ESRB Rating	:	Mature
Game Rating	:	8.4
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Genetic memories. They're the fears we inherit from our ancestors, the instinctual imprints that tell us to be afraid of the dark. Infogrames capitalizes on that blueprint with the PlayStation and Dreamcast release of Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare. [PSX version reviewed here] 

When a friend of paranormal investigator Edward Carnby is found murdered on Shadow Island, the detective hitches a ride with anthropologist Aline Cedrac to the scene of the crime. A freak storm brings down the plane, separating the two heroes. As each investigates the island manor, they uncover strange happenings involving an ancient Indian civilization, a mad scientist, and a world of darkness. 

Alone in the Dark is a game in the survival horror genre pioneered by Resident Evil, though the Dark games far predate that series. Unlike Resident Evil, Alone has a more horrific motif, with zombies and strange creatures springing not from a corporation's genetic manipulations, but a paranormal source beyond human comprehension — a theme more closely related to Silent Hill. 

Gamers can choose to play as either Carnby or Aline, who will explore the mansion and encounter other characters in their own way. Radios keep the two explorers in touch regardless of which storyline a player pursues. As the two heroes weave in and out of each other's journey, the details of each storyline don't exactly match up, but the overall plot is identical. 

Like Resident Evil and unlike Silent Hill, Alone uses stationary camera angles to give a predefined perspective on each room Carnby and Aline examine. To give the players uniform control of the protagonists through these immutable camera changes, 'Up' moves the hero forward, 'Left' results in rotation to the hero's left, and so on. Players familiar with the Resident Evil controls will pick these up effortlessly, immediately feeling themselves in the main character's role. One unique control feature is moving the flashlight or gun with the left analog stick, while the digital pad moves the player. The right analog stick is neglected, which leaves no option for analog control of player movement. 

The gameplay is typical for a survival horror game. The manor holds many locked doors, and just as many hidden keys to find. An automap feature helps, but does not delineate locked doors beyond the room in which the player currently resides, nor does it denote the player's exact location in a room. Unclear floor and key labels make it more difficult to determine where to go next. There's plenty of literature to read in the form of wills, diaries, and journals, all of which tell an interesting tale for the player patient enough to wade through them. Game progress can be saved at anytime with a single-use Save Charm, which are in finite but sufficient supply. 

Contrary to the game's title, the dark is the place Carnby and Aline are least likely to be alone. The poorly-lit estate hosts many shadow creatures that flee at the switch of light. These monsters take many blows to defeat, and they tend to regenerate. The plentiful ammunition does you no good without a chance to use it: it's common for a beast to leap from a newly-formed rift, take a cheap shot, and then disappear into the shadows. 

Alone does not always try to be subtle about its scares. Music increases in volume even when nothing's amiss, leading players to always be on their toes. Screams and distant gunshots may never be explained, as will whatever unknown struggle just caused the entire room to quake. The voice acting is of only decent quality. Aline's casting is weaker than Carnby's; she speaks in a firm, strong tone of how scared she is. 

The monsters vary in appearance, but the recurring characters are better attired. Carnby has the appearance of Christopher Walken, if not the demeanor (thank Infogrames for small favors; otherwise this game would be much too scary for anyone to play), while Aline looks less snooty than one might expect from an anthropologist. She and other characters have a slightly angular appearance that fits the dark environment. 

A flashlight illuminates the details of the surroundings with some of the best lighting effects in any PlayStation game. The appearance of whatever the flashlight hits changes drastically, with shadows and reflections being perfectly cast. It's wise to use the flashlight even in well-lit areas, as important items will reflect it. 

Alone in the Dark is not innovative in its gameplay, but it does offer some thrilling scares and superb lighting effects. Turn off your own lighting and let this new nightmare work its dark magic.

---

This article is copyright (c) 2001, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 16-Jul-01

Title	:	Looney Tunes Space Race
Platforms	:	Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation 2
Publisher	:	Infogrames
ESRB Rating	:	Everyone
Game Rating	:	5.9
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

It seems we are just now realizing the boringly-repetitive effects of Nintendo's 1992 smash hit, Super Mario Kart. 

Mario Kart featured cute characters racing obstacle-laden courses and battling each other with turtle shells and banana peels. The wackiness and variety was a welcome change from more realistic racing games. 

Nowadays, everyone is getting in on the kart-racing action, from South Park to the Muppets, with little to distinguish themselves from other racing games. But I thought I'd give my old friend Bugs Bunny a chance to stand apart from the crowd in Looney Tunes Space Race, a Sega Dreamcast game from Infogrames. Bugs, Sylvester, Daffy, and other cartoon favorites invite up to four players to join in a racing game that lacks some essential qualities. (This game is also available as Space Race for PlayStation 2) 

Such as the need for skill. Video kart racing is normally a highly competitive sport, with victory going to whoever has mastery over the available weaponry. In Space Race, mastery isn't possible, as skill isn't necessary. The gags are appropriately loony, from portable holes to falling pianos, yet require only a button press to use effectively. Attacks are automatically aimed, and either hit or miss. 

This version of kart racing lacks another important ingredient: interesting courses. The seven tracks may have loony backgrounds, but there's nothing to challenge the player. Not only are the simple twists and jumps too generic for what's supposed to be a space race, they're too boring for any speedway. 

But at least the tracks look good, with animation that is incredibly smooth and cartoon-like. The vistas that scroll by could have been lifted right from the imagination of Chuck Jones. 

The audio is also true to its source, if somewhat repetitious. Foghorn Leghorn offers the occasional wisecrack on the race's progress, while each racer throws unique taunts and jeers at his fellow 'toons. Their limited repertoire quickly makes you feel as though you've heard them as often as you've seen their fifty-year-old cartoons — except Space Race isn't as funny. 

If the mere seven tracks don't have you coming back for more, maybe the added features will. Victories earn ACME Tokens, which can be spent unlocking ACME Events — racing events with added pitfalls. Success in these events adds items to the Gallery, such as gag blueprints and cartoon stills. Despite these other game modes, there is no battle mode for players to duke it out — often the best part of a good racing game. 

Looney Tunes Space Race is an appropriate game for younger players, who will find little to worry and plenty to laugh about. Gamers looking for a more enthralling title will find plenty wrong with this one. Is there a doctor in the house? 

---

This article is copyright (c) 2001, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 01-Jan-01

Title	:	Looney Tunes Space Race
Platforms	:	Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation 2
Publisher	:	Infogrames
ESRB Rating	:	Everyone
Game Rating	:	5.9
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

It seems we are just now realizing the boringly-repetitive effects of Nintendo's 1992 smash hit, Super Mario Kart. 

Mario Kart featured cute characters racing obstacle-laden courses and battling each other with turtle shells and banana peels. The wackiness and variety was a welcome change from more realistic racing games. 

Nowadays, everyone is getting in on the kart-racing action, from South Park to the Muppets, with little to distinguish themselves from other racing games. But I thought I'd give my old friend Bugs Bunny a chance to stand apart from the crowd in Looney Tunes Space Race, a Sega Dreamcast game from Infogrames. Bugs, Sylvester, Daffy, and other cartoon favorites invite up to four players to join in a racing game that lacks some essential qualities. (This game is also available as Space Race for PlayStation 2) 

Such as the need for skill. Video kart racing is normally a highly competitive sport, with victory going to whoever has mastery over the available weaponry. In Space Race, mastery isn't possible, as skill isn't necessary. The gags are appropriately loony, from portable holes to falling pianos, yet require only a button press to use effectively. Attacks are automatically aimed, and either hit or miss. 

This version of kart racing lacks another important ingredient: interesting courses. The seven tracks may have loony backgrounds, but there's nothing to challenge the player. Not only are the simple twists and jumps too generic for what's supposed to be a space race, they're too boring for any speedway. 

But at least the tracks look good, with animation that is incredibly smooth and cartoon-like. The vistas that scroll by could have been lifted right from the imagination of Chuck Jones. 

The audio is also true to its source, if somewhat repetitious. Foghorn Leghorn offers the occasional wisecrack on the race's progress, while each racer throws unique taunts and jeers at his fellow 'toons. Their limited repertoire quickly makes you feel as though you've heard them as often as you've seen their fifty-year-old cartoons — except Space Race isn't as funny. 

If the mere seven tracks don't have you coming back for more, maybe the added features will. Victories earn ACME Tokens, which can be spent unlocking ACME Events — racing events with added pitfalls. Success in these events adds items to the Gallery, such as gag blueprints and cartoon stills. Despite these other game modes, there is no battle mode for players to duke it out — often the best part of a good racing game. 

Looney Tunes Space Race is an appropriate game for younger players, who will find little to worry and plenty to laugh about. Gamers looking for a more enthralling title will find plenty wrong with this one. Is there a doctor in the house? 

---

This article is copyright (c) 2001, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 01-Jan-01