ISSUE: 26Content
PRIMARY SYSTEMS COVERAGE THIS ISSUE
-
Sega Saturn
-
Nintendo 64
-
M2 (never released)
-
PC - PC CD-ROM
-
Macintosh
-
Sony Playstation
-
arcade
---
(The following is loosely based on this issue's table of contents, with select issue excerpts included. Magazine accurate text formatting (lower case headers, etc) purposefully retained. (Notes) and bullet lists are added for clarity.)
(Beginning this issue, Next Generation began including a 'Next Generation Disc Contents' page listing the content included with the Disc Edition's included media disc. This page would be included in both the the disc and non-disc editions.)
(standard edition: $4.99 USA, $5.99 Canada; CD edition: $7.99 USA?, $8.99 Canada?)
talking
What's next for Shigeru Miyamoto?
So what would you do after creating the greatest videogame of all time? As Nintendo's chief game wizard and the creator of Super Mario 64, Mr. Miyamoto has big plans - and he shares some of them in this exclusive interview with Next Generation. (nine page interview)
breaking
News
(Original news articles along with regular, recurring news features; one page each unless noted. While original news stories regularly included related sidebars, unrelated sidebars would often be used to fill space as well - these are noted.)
World exclusive: M2 specs revealed
It's impressive - on paper. But can Matsushita really take on PlayStation and Nintendo 64? The world awaits... (two pages)
Shoshinkai '97: Nintendo gets in the games
Waving or drowning? Nintendo refuses to highlight Zelda or 64DD - insisting that carts are alright. (three pages)
2D or not 2D? Capcom answers with SFIII
Capcom's long-anticipated sequel shuns polygons for state-of-the-art 2D gameplay. But will U.S. gamers get it?
(Recurring news features; one page each unless noted:)
Stop Press (sidebar; short news stories)
-
Sony Prepares White PlayStation
-
We say Yarouze, Sony says Yaroze
-
Paradigm gets serious
Joyriding
Gaming on the Internet. ('The death cult strikes online gaming!;' online gaming news by Bernard Yee)
Arcadia
All the latest arcade and coin-op news. (misc. arcade news by Marcus Webb)
In the studio (1/2 page; games in development; from Yu Suzuki (AM2), Gumpei Yoki (Koto), Tom Clancy (Red Storm Entertainment & Virtus Studios), Crystal Dynamics, Epic MegaGames, Enix)
movers & shakers
The business news that affects the games you play. (misc. business news by Christian Svensson)
Datebook (1/2 page; calendar of events)
ng special
Videogame Myths
Some videogame legends are laughable, but some are stranger than fiction. Find out which is which in Next Generation's peek inside gaming's mythology. (ten pages; collection of short articles (ranging in length from 1/4th - 1 full page) discussing the following topics:)
-
Did a Magnavox prototype "inspire" an Atari employee to invent Pong?
-
The story about how the landmark Russian puzzler Tetris came in from the cold is as fraught with twists and turns as the best spy novel.
-
Were there more E.T. cartridges manufactured for the Atari 2600 VCS than there were systems in existence? Did the unsold cartridges end up getting buried in a landfill in the New Mexico desert?
-
Did Williams steam-roll (literally) a bunch of Marble Madness 2 boards to destroy inventory?
-
Did Sony help design NES, Super NES, and Nintendo 64?
-
Was Microprose started on a bet?
-
OK, so we know there's a chance that Atari may have copied the Magnavox Odyssey, but who did the actual copying?
-
Is Spacewar really the first videogame, or were there predecessors?
-
Is it possible to buy illegal CDs and cartridges that contain hundreds of pirated games on them?
-
Did Shigeru Miyamoto really base the character of Mario on a New York landlord?
-
Did Sen. Lieberman say, " I really wish that we could ban [videogames] constitutionally." Is he still trying?
-
Is there a way to see Orchid's breasts in KI?
-
Did Nintendo have a hand in naming - and designing - PlayStation? Was the PlayStation name kept, after the Super NES CD-ROM deal fell through as a slap to the president of Nintendo?
-
Did Atari turn down Pac-Man, thinking it would never sell?
-
Has anyone actually died from playing vieo-games? What's all that stuff about epilepsy?
-
Do our tax dollars pay U.S. Marines to play Doom?
-
Did the military really pay Atari to produce a version of Battle Zone to train soldiers?
-
Pac-Man: Is it an assumed name?
-
Did Apple founder Steve Jobs screw Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak out of thousands of dollars while designing a game at Atari?
-
Do videogame heroines star in X-rated comics and movies in Japan?
ng hardware
PC Goes 3D
In NG18, Bill Gates predicted that "all the PCs that ship in 1997" would have graphics power to rival consoles. Featured here are the 3D cards that may make his predication come true. (ten pages, including the following sub-sections:)
-
S3 ViRGE (one page)
-
3Dfx Voodoo (one page)
-
ATI 3D Rage II (1/2 page)
-
Matrox (1/2 page)
-
Rendition Verite (one page)
ng software
Alphas (game previews, sometimes presented as part of a themed overview or interview; one page each unless noted:)
(Next Generation's game previews often varied in scope and size. Smaller previews were usually traditional in presentation, while larger previews often incorporated developer commentary. The largest previews were typically presented as a themed article (focusing on a development studio, accessory, etc) previewing one or more titles and were often accompanied by an interview (noted).)
-
Unreal (PCCD; seven pages, including two-page 'An Interview with Epic MegaGames')
-
British Open Golf (PCCD)
-
Doom 64 (N64; two pages)
-
San Francisco Rush (arcade)
-
Gambare Goemon 5 (N64; two pages)
-
Mace: The Dark Age (arcade; two pages)
-
J-League Perfect Striker (N64)
-
Shadow Warrior (PCCD; two pages)
-
10th Planet (PCCD; three pages)
rating
Finals
(While all video game magazines make the occasional slip, NEXT Generation's game review section was especially notorious and/or exceptional for reviewing games never formally released in North America, or were instead eventually released under a different title. In some cases an import title would be reviewed with the domestic release also reviewed in a later issue. Japanese import reviews are noted when known. Reviews were usually 1/8th to 1/4th page in length, though this varied wildly and length was never pre-determined - one page reviews would see print on rare occasions. Higher rated and/or spotlighted games would usually receive more page real estate than lower rated.)
Nintendo 64
-
Cruisin' USA
-
Killer Instinct Gold
-
Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire)
PlayStation
-
The Adventures of Lomax
-
Bubsy 3D
-
Dark Forces (Star Wars: Dark Forces)
-
King's Field II
-
Motor Toon Grand Prix
-
Power Move Wrestling
-
Pro Pinball
-
Rebel Assault 2 (Star Wars: Rebel Assault 2)
-
Slam Scape
-
FIFA '97
-
In the Zone 2
-
TNN Hardcore 4x4
Saturn
-
Machinehead
-
Virtual On
-
Blazing Dragons
PC
-
Toonstruck
-
Bedlam
-
Monster Truck Madness
-
NBA Full Court Press
-
Terminator: SkyNET
-
RAMA
-
Shattered Steel
-
Virtua Squad
Macintosh
-
Mummy, Tomb of the Pharaoh
-
Blackthorne
Next Generation gamer's guide (collected review score summation; two pages)
corresponding
Letters
Yet more words of wisdom from our dedicated, argumentative, and - yes - smart readers. (reader mail; two pages)
---
Next Generation Disc Contents
Mac demos
-
Over the Reich (Big Time)
-
Derrat Sorcerum (Mixed Metaphor)
PC demos
-
A Fork in the Tale (Any River)
-
CyberGladiators (Sierra)
-
MechWarrior II: Mercenaries (Activision)
-
NeoHunter (Virgin)
-
Over The Reich (Big Time)
-
Screamer II (Virgin)
-
Tomb Raider (Eidos)
-
IMIA2 Abrams battle Tank (Interactive Magic
Cover feature - Unreal
This looks set to be the best looking PC game we've seen - and we've seen a lot of PC games. Check out this demo, and see for yourself.
Disc-only special - Shoshinkai report
-
Blast Corps
-
Imagineer Pro Baseball
-
Wonder Project J2
-
King 64
-
J-League Perfect Striker
-
Super Mario Kart 64
-
Star Fox 64
-
St. Andrew's Golf
Internet software
-
America Online 3.0
-
Mplayer
-
The Palace Chat
-
TEN: Entertainment Network
Nintendo 64 movies
-
Crusin' USA
-
Killer Instinct Gold
-
Shadows of the Empire (3 Movies)
-
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Sony PlayStation movies
-
2Xtreme
-
Area 51
-
Carnage Heart
-
Contra: Legacy of War
-
MotorToon Grand Prix
-
NHL FaceOff '97
-
Puzzle Fighter
-
Tecmo's Deception
-
League of Pain
-
RobotronX
-
Sentient
-
Space Jam
Sega Saturn movies
-
3D Baseball
-
Amok
-
Daytona USA CCE
-
Sonic 3D Blast
-
Virtual On
PRIMARY SYSTEMS COVERAGE THIS ISSUE
- Sega Saturn
- Nintendo 64
- M2 (never released)
- PC - PC CD-ROM
- Macintosh
- Sony Playstation
- arcade
---
(The following is loosely based on this issue's table of contents, with select issue excerpts included. Magazine accurate text formatting (lower case headers, etc) purposefully retained. (Notes) and bullet lists are added for clarity.)
(Beginning this issue, Next Generation began including a 'Next Generation Disc Contents' page listing the content included with the Disc Edition's included media disc. This page would be included in both the the disc and non-disc editions.)
(standard edition: $4.99 USA, $5.99 Canada; CD edition: $7.99 USA?, $8.99 Canada?)
talking
What's next for Shigeru Miyamoto?
So what would you do after creating the greatest videogame of all time? As Nintendo's chief game wizard and the creator of Super Mario 64, Mr. Miyamoto has big plans - and he shares some of them in this exclusive interview with Next Generation. (nine page interview)
breaking
News
(Original news articles along with regular, recurring news features; one page each unless noted. While original news stories regularly included related sidebars, unrelated sidebars would often be used to fill space as well - these are noted.)
World exclusive: M2 specs revealed
It's impressive - on paper. But can Matsushita really take on PlayStation and Nintendo 64? The world awaits... (two pages)
Shoshinkai '97: Nintendo gets in the games
Waving or drowning? Nintendo refuses to highlight Zelda or 64DD - insisting that carts are alright. (three pages)
2D or not 2D? Capcom answers with SFIII
Capcom's long-anticipated sequel shuns polygons for state-of-the-art 2D gameplay. But will U.S. gamers get it?
(Recurring news features; one page each unless noted:)
Stop Press (sidebar; short news stories)
- Sony Prepares White PlayStation
- We say Yarouze, Sony says Yaroze
- Paradigm gets serious
Joyriding
Gaming on the Internet. ('The death cult strikes online gaming!;' online gaming news by Bernard Yee)
Arcadia
All the latest arcade and coin-op news. (misc. arcade news by Marcus Webb)
In the studio (1/2 page; games in development; from Yu Suzuki (AM2), Gumpei Yoki (Koto), Tom Clancy (Red Storm Entertainment & Virtus Studios), Crystal Dynamics, Epic MegaGames, Enix)
movers & shakers
The business news that affects the games you play. (misc. business news by Christian Svensson)
Datebook (1/2 page; calendar of events)
ng special
Videogame Myths
Some videogame legends are laughable, but some are stranger than fiction. Find out which is which in Next Generation's peek inside gaming's mythology. (ten pages; collection of short articles (ranging in length from 1/4th - 1 full page) discussing the following topics:)
- Did a Magnavox prototype "inspire" an Atari employee to invent Pong?
- The story about how the landmark Russian puzzler Tetris came in from the cold is as fraught with twists and turns as the best spy novel.
- Were there more E.T. cartridges manufactured for the Atari 2600 VCS than there were systems in existence? Did the unsold cartridges end up getting buried in a landfill in the New Mexico desert?
- Did Williams steam-roll (literally) a bunch of Marble Madness 2 boards to destroy inventory?
- Did Sony help design NES, Super NES, and Nintendo 64?
- Was Microprose started on a bet?
- OK, so we know there's a chance that Atari may have copied the Magnavox Odyssey, but who did the actual copying?
- Is Spacewar really the first videogame, or were there predecessors?
- Is it possible to buy illegal CDs and cartridges that contain hundreds of pirated games on them?
- Did Shigeru Miyamoto really base the character of Mario on a New York landlord?
- Did Sen. Lieberman say, " I really wish that we could ban [videogames] constitutionally." Is he still trying?
- Is there a way to see Orchid's breasts in KI?
- Did Nintendo have a hand in naming - and designing - PlayStation? Was the PlayStation name kept, after the Super NES CD-ROM deal fell through as a slap to the president of Nintendo?
- Did Atari turn down Pac-Man, thinking it would never sell?
- Has anyone actually died from playing vieo-games? What's all that stuff about epilepsy?
- Do our tax dollars pay U.S. Marines to play Doom?
- Did the military really pay Atari to produce a version of Battle Zone to train soldiers?
- Pac-Man: Is it an assumed name?
- Did Apple founder Steve Jobs screw Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak out of thousands of dollars while designing a game at Atari?
- Do videogame heroines star in X-rated comics and movies in Japan?
ng hardware
PC Goes 3D
In NG18, Bill Gates predicted that "all the PCs that ship in 1997" would have graphics power to rival consoles. Featured here are the 3D cards that may make his predication come true. (ten pages, including the following sub-sections:)
- S3 ViRGE (one page)
- 3Dfx Voodoo (one page)
- ATI 3D Rage II (1/2 page)
- Matrox (1/2 page)
- Rendition Verite (one page)
ng software
Alphas (game previews, sometimes presented as part of a themed overview or interview; one page each unless noted:)
(Next Generation's game previews often varied in scope and size. Smaller previews were usually traditional in presentation, while larger previews often incorporated developer commentary. The largest previews were typically presented as a themed article (focusing on a development studio, accessory, etc) previewing one or more titles and were often accompanied by an interview (noted).)
- Unreal (PCCD; seven pages, including two-page 'An Interview with Epic MegaGames')
- British Open Golf (PCCD)
- Doom 64 (N64; two pages)
- San Francisco Rush (arcade)
- Gambare Goemon 5 (N64; two pages)
- Mace: The Dark Age (arcade; two pages)
- J-League Perfect Striker (N64)
- Shadow Warrior (PCCD; two pages)
- 10th Planet (PCCD; three pages)
rating
Finals
(While all video game magazines make the occasional slip, NEXT Generation's game review section was especially notorious and/or exceptional for reviewing games never formally released in North America, or were instead eventually released under a different title. In some cases an import title would be reviewed with the domestic release also reviewed in a later issue. Japanese import reviews are noted when known. Reviews were usually 1/8th to 1/4th page in length, though this varied wildly and length was never pre-determined - one page reviews would see print on rare occasions. Higher rated and/or spotlighted games would usually receive more page real estate than lower rated.)
Nintendo 64
- Cruisin' USA
- Killer Instinct Gold
- Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire)
PlayStation
- The Adventures of Lomax
- Bubsy 3D
- Dark Forces (Star Wars: Dark Forces)
- King's Field II
- Motor Toon Grand Prix
- Power Move Wrestling
- Pro Pinball
- Rebel Assault 2 (Star Wars: Rebel Assault 2)
- Slam Scape
- FIFA '97
- In the Zone 2
- TNN Hardcore 4x4
Saturn
- Machinehead
- Virtual On
- Blazing Dragons
PC
- Toonstruck
- Bedlam
- Monster Truck Madness
- NBA Full Court Press
- Terminator: SkyNET
- RAMA
- Shattered Steel
- Virtua Squad
Macintosh
- Mummy, Tomb of the Pharaoh
- Blackthorne
Next Generation gamer's guide (collected review score summation; two pages)
corresponding
Letters
Yet more words of wisdom from our dedicated, argumentative, and - yes - smart readers. (reader mail; two pages)
---
Next Generation Disc Contents
Mac demos
- Over the Reich (Big Time)
- Derrat Sorcerum (Mixed Metaphor)
PC demos
- A Fork in the Tale (Any River)
- CyberGladiators (Sierra)
- MechWarrior II: Mercenaries (Activision)
- NeoHunter (Virgin)
- Over The Reich (Big Time)
- Screamer II (Virgin)
- Tomb Raider (Eidos)
- IMIA2 Abrams battle Tank (Interactive Magic
Cover feature - Unreal
This looks set to be the best looking PC game we've seen - and we've seen a lot of PC games. Check out this demo, and see for yourself.
Disc-only special - Shoshinkai report
- Blast Corps
- Imagineer Pro Baseball
- Wonder Project J2
- King 64
- J-League Perfect Striker
- Super Mario Kart 64
- Star Fox 64
- St. Andrew's Golf
Internet software
- America Online 3.0
- Mplayer
- The Palace Chat
- TEN: Entertainment Network
Nintendo 64 movies
- Crusin' USA
- Killer Instinct Gold
- Shadows of the Empire (3 Movies)
- Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Sony PlayStation movies
- 2Xtreme
- Area 51
- Carnage Heart
- Contra: Legacy of War
- MotorToon Grand Prix
- NHL FaceOff '97
- Puzzle Fighter
- Tecmo's Deception
- League of Pain
- RobotronX
- Sentient
- Space Jam
Sega Saturn movies
- 3D Baseball
- Amok
- Daytona USA CCE
- Sonic 3D Blast
- Virtual On
-
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