THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 3

X Box Pal | 2003

One of Sega’s best franchises gets another installment this time on the X Box. Take another trip through zombie infested laboratories and underground passageways to defeat the ultimate evil.

Armed this time with a - shotgun blow away those decaying bodies that come lurching at you wanting a bit.

The game also comes with a feature detailing the House of the Dead movie which does not look as if it’s ever going to see the light of day. The best bonus is the entire House of the Dead 2 can be unlocked when the game is completed.

Naturally a gun for your system makes the game better but control with a pad is no problem at all.

MARS MATRIX: HYPER SOLID SHOOTING

Dreamcast US | 2000

Mars Matrix simply put is a 2D vertical scrolling shooter with an insane difficulty level. The game appeals to the hardcore shoot em up fans like myself who love these types of games.

You choose from 3 combat craft each with their own pros and cons and shoot down everything in site. Each ship has a different default weapon and big bomb which all have the ability to deflect enemy fire back onto enemies for a short time.

For the most part all you’re going to see is the Continue Yes/No screen until you develop your reflexes enough

The game is successfully emulated with the later versions of Nebula and Final Burn Alpha. The a home version has been released on Dreamcast in US and JAP territories.

DUKE NUKEM 3D: ATOMIC EDITION

PC DOS | 1996

The brilliant update to the hugely popular Duke Nukem 3D. This game has all the 3 episodes of the original Duke Nukem 3D; L.A Meltdown, Lunar Apocalypse, Shrapnel City plus a new one The Birth which has new levels and enemies. Another extra in this version is the new microwave gun which makes your enemies expand until they explode.

This version of Duke Nukem is exclusive to PC as far as I know. A pretty close and highly rated port appeared on the Saturn in 1997. A demo of the original version 1.3D containing the first episode can be found just about anywhere on the net.

Duke Nukem is best played under real DOS mode and a VESA 2.0 compliant video card

The follow-up title Duke Nukem: Forever, had been delayed and delayed and delayed but is allegedly being released sometime in 2004.

SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE

Game Cube Pal | 2002

Mario returns for a new and highly anticipated 3D adventure in his first true starring role for the new Nintendo platform.

For the story; Mario and his crew are escaping the Mushroom Kingdom for the paradise Island of Isle Delfino. The party is cut short at the airstrip. The island has been covered with graffiti and pollution. A Mario imposter is spotted doing the damage and thus Mario is charged and sentenced to clean up.

The game is very similar to the previous Mario 64 with a few tweaks to the game play which mostly come from the addition of the water jet pack which allows Mario to squirt, hover and rocket. You will use these powers to find the Shine Sprites to the island.

The game features some excellent graphical effects and the environments of Delfino are quite large. Squirty squirty.