THE MASTERS: AN INTERACTIVE JOURNEY THROUGH ITS
SIXTY-YEAR HISTORY
Creative Multimedia
CD-ROM, windows
I’ve been stupendously underwhelmed by the CD-ROM craze. The
Masters, An Interactive Journey Through Its Sixty-Year History, does
nothing to change this opinion. This is, basically, an electronic encyclopedia
of the Masters golf tournament. Once you get it loaded up, which is easy, it
begins with some promise: Birds chirp, golfers golf, brigades of mowers sweep
across the fairway in military precision, and greenskeepers water the famous
Augusta course. These images, all done in a soft, sleepy focus, move languidly
across the screen. Unfortunately, this is the high point.
Once at the main menu there are five icons: the Players, the Course, Legacy
of the Masters, Anecdotes, and the Tournament. When you click (this is the fun,
interactive part), there’s the sound of, I guess, a golf ball, although it
sounds more like the ping of the first video game, Pong, and you’re off.
Exploring the Tournament takes you decade-by-decade and year-by-year through
Augusta’s history. If you want to see who played in the 1936 Masters it’s only
a click or two away. The Players tour consists of little autobiographies
of the famous people who have competed at Augusta National. Click on the Course
to get aerial video and a hole-by-hole description of the layout, along with
shaky computer animation of the each hole. Only half of the animation worked.
The Legacy of the Masters section includes some letters written – is this
multi-media or what? – by bigwigs of the past, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, et
al., praising the wonderful tournament. In addition, there’s some hazy
video of big moments at Augusta. The Anecdotes icon, my favorite, answers
questions on the tip of every golfer’s tongue: What are the four most famous
first names of Masters champions? Can you stand the suspense? It’s Jack, Ben,
Craig, and Tom.
I’m running this on a Dell 486 PC with a 12-inch monitor. Not state of the
art, but the minimum needed. Maybe it would run better on a Pentagon
computer. All the moving images are hazy, almost invisible in some cases. The
sound is choppy, stuttering in some places. Maybe it’s my CD-ROM. I’m sorry,
sports fans, it’s most unimpressive. Until the makers of this stuff can give
you television-quality picture and sound, what’s the point? Better to spend
your money on a new sleeve of Titleist Balatas. – Andy Cotton
SONY PLAYSTATION
Sony Computer Entertainment
videogame system
Every few years the videogaming industry transforms itself, and like a
snake shedding its skin, sloughs off the old to begin again. This year marks
just such a transitional phase, with both Sega and newcomer Sony introducing
highly touted 32-bit consoles. Indicative of its 800-pound gorilla status in
the industry, Nintendo is confidently waiting until next year to join the fray
with the release of its Ultra 64. Sega’s console is the Saturn, which hit the
shelves in May, but has been slowed by a lack of new games. Sony has now
entered the videogaming arena with the launch of the Playstation and early
indications are that this may be the machine to beat, at least until the Ultra
64 or 3DO’s proposed M2 become available.
The Playstation, like the Saturn and 3DO, is CD-based and offers a level of
graphic and sound quality that is far beyond that of the 16-bit Sega Genesis or
Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Playstation’s internal architecture gives
it an edge over any of its competition in the presentation of a 3-D
environment, as is demonstrated in the groundbreaking game Battle Arena
Toshinden. Its side-scrolling capabilities are likely not quite up to
Saturn’s standards, but with the current emphasis on 3-D games that may not be
a particularly crippling limitation.
So what do you get for your $300? The package includes the Playstation unit,
one controller, power cord, and A/V connection cable. If your older television
(or VCR) doesn’t have A/V inputs, a different connection cable can be
purchased. Also included is a promo disc with demos (many of them playable) of
games that are either on the shelves now or are slated for release in the next
few months. Memory cartridges can be purchased to save games in progress. It’s
the software, though, that is the lifeblood of any system, and the Playstation
looks to be strong in that area. Games currently available for the Playstation
include:
Battle Arena Toshinden (SCEA) – A fighting game with eight different
playable characters, each of whom has his or her own unique weapon, locale, and
special moves. A 3-D blockbuster sure to be one of the Playstation’s hottest
launch titles.
Ridge Racer (Namco) – Every system needs a good driving contest, and
Ridge Racer is one of the best. It was initially speculated this outstanding
arcade title would be the Playstation pack-in game. It would have been a great
choice.
Raiden Project (SCEA) – An overhead shoot-em-up that has more
explosions than an entire summer full of movies. Anyone who fears repetitive
strain injury should stay far away from this game.
ESPN Extreme Games (SCEA) – A rock ’em sock ’em racing game somewhat
reminiscent of the Road Rash series. Players can choose to compete on a
bicycle, skateboard, street luge, or in-line skates. The game offers a variety
of colorful locales and playing rough is encouraged.
NBA Jam Tournament Edition (Acclaim) – This two-on-two hoops
extravaganza featuring current NBA stars has appeared on virtually every
existing system, so the gameplay itself is likely to be very familiar. The
graphics and sound for the Playstation version are the best yet.
Total Eclipse Turbo (Crystal Dynamics) – A successful 3DO futuristic
shooter that has been spruced up and ported over to the Playstation.
Kileak – The DNA Imperative (SCEA) – A first-person corridor game in the Doom mold,
with less emphasis on shooting and more on problem solving.
Street Fighter: The Movie (Acclaim/Capcom) – Another entry in the
highly popular Street Fighter series of side-view martial arts beat’em-ups.
For those looking for a lame rationalization to buy a Playstation, the machine
also plays audio CDs. In any case, Christmas ’95 should be an exciting one in
the videogaming industry, with so many systems competing for gamers’ attention
and dollars. And although it’s too soon to make bold predictions about who will
be the ultimate winner, the Playstation is off to an auspicious start. – Bud Simons
This article appears in September 29 • 1995 and September 29 • 1995 (Cover).