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Resident Evil 2
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Welcome back to Raccoon City, where you won't necessarily have to worry about the local townsfolk knocking over your trash cans... though they might end up trying to eat you.
In this guide you'll find:
Solutions for RE2's many puzzles
Tips for avoiding being eaten
Maps for every area in the game (coming soon)
The original Resident Evil (called Biohazard in Japan) was the video game equivalent of the film The Shining in terms of pure suspense and genuine creepiness. Gamers played as one of two special police force members sent into a secluded area on the outskirts of Raccoon City, where several possible murders had been reported and bizarre creatures sighted. After being forced back into a seemingly deserted mansion by an attack of bloodthirsty beasts, players slowly learned that the building was actually a research laboratory where strange biological experiments had gone decidedly awry. Players then had to keep vicious bioengineered creatures and zombified scientists from escaping the facility, while escaping with their own lives intact.
The storyline for Capcom's Resident Evil 2 picks up immediately following the events at the end of the first game. Apparently, after the destruction of the mansion, the nearby populace starts suffering from a particularly virulent skin rash. This epidermal epidemic grows increasingly intense, eventually turning its victims into flesh-eating zombies much like the unlucky scientists from RE1, though in significantly greater numbers. At the same time, a new batch of kill-crazy mutants arrives on the scene from the nearby Umbrella bio-lab, the bio-lab initially responsible for creating the disease.
Our old friends Chris and Jill, heroes of the first game, are missing, so gamers now have two brand-new characters to choose from: Leon Kennedy, a rookie policeman, and Claire Redfield, Chris's younger sister. The two are united in a quest to stop Umbrella, find any survivors, and survive a town that wants to see them digested.
Spoiler warning: Since much of the fun of the game is the constant fear that something might pop out from behind any corner, window, or vent, be careful not to read too far ahead of where you're currently at. Doing this might ruin some of the game's surprises, though we promise not to reveal much about the title's plot inside. As such, conversations with other characters, memos, and CG sequences are not elaborated upon.
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Tomb Raider 2
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Jumping and Grabbing You might as well jump Each of Lara's jumps serves a purpose, and if you think about it, the Tomb Raider II environment was designed around her abilities, not the other way around. In fact, many of the puzzles can only be solved using one specific jump and/or grab combo. With that in mind, it's worth noting that the relative distance of each jump, from shortest to longest, is back flip, standing, side, and running. Moreover, sideways jumps can cut down the time it takes to solve certain timed puzzles - especially those involving a pair of buttons or switches, most notably in Diving Area, 40 Fathoms, and Living Quarters. You'll know them when you get to them.
Know the angles Lara's jumping skills are impressive, if not peculiar. While you can aim her while she's airborne, she can't jump at an angle. When, for example, you're jumping from a slide, she will always jump straight off the ledge, backward or forward. If she could modify this compulsive jumping disorder and jump at a 45-degree angle, then many of the puzzles in the game would be downright easy, or could be skipped altogether. However, such is not the case.
Go the distance Holding down the jump button while Lara's airborne will increase her distance, as will hitting the walk buttons (to make her dive). By contrast, hitting the grab button before it's time will pull her up short. A word about setting up a jump: Lara doesn't require a long run before she jumps. In fact, she only needs a full square. Simply place Lara's toes on the edge of a ledge, hop back, set up your angle, then go for it.
Lara's left foot Since Lara likes to push off with her left foot, many times you need to hit the jump button when she's actually past an edge. It will appear that she makes her leap while actually in the air. Stranger things have happened, right? As an aside, one notorious jump at the end of Living Quarters is best (and perhaps only) performed with a right foot push off. You'll see.
Play it backwards Oftentimes, the only way Lara will survive a slide down a ramp or a drop off a ledge is to turn around and hop off and grab as she falls. This trick can either save Lara from taking a tiny amount of damage or is the key to surviving the entire puzzle. When in doubt, turn around.
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Mortal Kombat 4
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Mortal Kombat 4 is currently ripping up arcades nationwide in its final incarnation, revision 3. And a home translation, complete with a few additional modes and at least one extra character, is scheduled for a third quarter home release on both the PlayStation and the Nintendo 64.
Although the graphics have been bumped up to a new level, the gameplay of Mortal Kombat 4 hasn't changed that much from what you already know and love. There are now two types of jumping punches and two types of jump kicks. You have the ability to sidestep projectiles and other attacks by tapping the run button twice. The MK3 combo system has been scrapped in favor of one that is a bit more skill-based. But the main change, at least visually, is the addition of weapons. Although the weapons didn't come into play too often in the earlier versions, they've been tweaked quite a bit in the 2.x revisions, making them much more interesting to play with. Each character can pull out a weapon (axe, sword, a crossbow) at any point in the match and wave it around in an attempt to separate his enemy's limbs from his body, or in the case of Fujin and his crossbow, shoot the opponent as many times as possible. When carrying a weapon, one good smack from the opponent will make the fighter drop his weapon, and once the weapon is on the ground, it can be picked up by either fighter. Since some weapons have special moves (Sub-Zero's ice wand can freeze people), grabbing an opponent's weapon can be highly advantageous to a fighter's cause. Weapons can also be thrown at your opponent, causing quite a bit of damage if left unblocked.
MK4 has a solid mix of old and new characters. Returning characters include Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya, Liu Kang, Raiden, Jax, Reptile, and Johnny Cage - and the home version is set to also have the four-armed sub-boss of the first Mortal Kombat, Goro, and Noob Saibot reportedly remains a possibility, as well. The new characters are Quan Chi, a sorcerer who first appeared in the MK animated series and who factors into the MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero storyline as well; Fujin, the god of wind, who uses his powers to levitate opponents and also has a knee thrust; Kai, a quick fighter with ties to Liu Kang; Jarek, the last surviving member of Kano's Black Dragon Clan, uses Kano's cannonball moves, as well as his MK1 fatality; Tanya, an Edenian woman with a boomerang; Reiko, the character who replaced Noob Saibot, stealing Noob's teleport along the way; and Shinnok, a rogue elder god who is also tied to the MK Mythologies storyline and is the game's boss.
Fatalities will be the only finishing moves available in MK4, and each character will have at least two fatalities. The fatalities are among the best in the series, partially because a good number of them are 3D versions of existing fatalities. Jax rips his opponent's arms off, Scorpion still torches his victims, Sub-Zero tears off heads, Liu Kang turns into a dragon, etc. The new fatalities are done very well. Reptile chews the face off of his victims, leaving behind nothing but muscle tissue and a skull. Quan Chi rips the opponent's leg off and beats him to death with it.
The home translation will reportedly have every fatality, stage, and feature of the coin-op, as well as carrying practice, single-player tag team, two-player tag team, and tournament modes. An early Nintendo 64 version of the game was brought by our offices recently and the game was looking good, though decidedly N64-ish, and running fast even though it was only 15 percent complete. Of course, placeholders were being used for some weapons and effects.
At first glance, Mortal Kombat 4 may seem like a rehash of MK3. But the more you play it, the more you'll realize that this is a pretty different game, and this is definitely one case where change is a good thing. Look for MK4 in arcades everywhere now, with the home versions to follow on June 23rd.
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