68 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext
68 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext
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SKATE WARS
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SKATE WARS is a futuristic sports simulation written and published by Ubi Soft
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and distributed by Electronic Arts. A combination of soccer and hockey, SKATE
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offers fine graphics and animation, 50 levels, two-player mode, joystick or
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keyboard control, save option, and copy protection. The Commodore 64/128 version
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is the basis of this review.
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Ubi Soft has taken the less-is-more approach to SKATE WARS by using only the
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most basic elements of soccer and hockey: an ice rink and a soccer ball (you
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can't get more basic than that). The rules of SKATE take the less-is-more maxim
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and rip it to pieces by using an approach that can only be described as
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few-are-way-too-many. This sounds primitive, and indeed it is, but this
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simplicity makes SKATE a speedy and exciting game that's fun to play.
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SKATE is played on a hockey rink. Each team has four players: a goaltender, a
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striker, and two substitutes. The striker is the player who handles the ball,
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and he's under your control; when he's killed, one of the two substitutes will
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replace him. When all substitutes are dead and gone -- both teams earn an
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additional substitute after every fifth level -- the game ends.
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The object of a one-player game is to reach and finish level 50. When either
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team scores five goals, the match is over and both teams move to the next level.
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If you destroy the computer team, you'll get a point bonus. A new
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computer-controlled team will take the ice, and the game will then continue.
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In a two-player, you'll select a level (1-10), on which you'll remain until one
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team or the other is destroyed. The object is to score as many goals as possible
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and make sure you're the last player on the ice.
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The C64 screen display consists of the Controller Menu, where you select a one-
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or two-player game, keyboard or joystick control, and which player will use
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which control device. The Main Menu follows, and from it you can select the
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players on your team, study their vital statistics, toggle sound and music,
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toggle the scoreboard (it appears after each goal), and change team names.
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The game screen consists of a hockey rink that scrolls horizontally according
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to player movements. You must guide your striker around the ice and put the ball
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in the goal, as well as use whatever tactic necessary to prevent your opponent
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from putting the ball in your goal. Level 1 is just the rink and the players,
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but subsequent levels add hazards, such as crevasses, holes, disintegrators,
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pillars, spiked balls, ramps, and bumpers: These are the only things that kill
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strikers.
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SKATE is controlled with a joystick or the keyboard. The stick moves the
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striker in all directions; the button will, depending on what you're doing at
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the time, kick the ball or jump the striker over obstacles. Keystrokes Z, X, K,
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and M substitute for stick actions; keystroke C replaces the button. In a
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two-player game, at least one player must use a joystick.
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The SKATE WARS package comes with one copy-protected disk and an instruction
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manual. The Commodore key pauses the action, at which point the F1 function key
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will bring up the Save and Load function, for which you'll need a
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previously-formatted disk.
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SKATE WARS is a nifty game, well-suited to the C64 (although it would be
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equally well-suited to an ST or Amiga). The graphics are very good, animation is
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smooth and glitch-free, and both controllers worked fine. Since only the
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obstacles can kill a striker, you're more or less free to kick, trip, and
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otherwise lambaste your opponent: Whatever you have to do to get the ball is
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legal. SKATE WARS is a neat C64 game, easy to learn and easy to play.
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SKATE WARS is published by Ubi Soft and distributed by Electronic Arts.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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