XBOX: Ride the Wave! by Frazzlefry
Pepsi's continuing domination of the video game market has reached
new heights in the fever pitch of hype surrounding its new XBOX system,
released through the Coleco-X company and distributed exclusively through
Taco Bell. XBOX features a host of exciting features brand new to the gaming
world, and promises to deliver the most impressive graphics yet seen. Some
are worried that the games will betray too much of Pepsi's marketing
efforts, and that is a valid complaint, but if you just dive into the games
without focussing too much on the product placements, you are in for the
ride of your life.
The first wave of XBOX games raises the bar pretty high, setting
bold new standards for display, sound, interactivity, and concepts. Pepsi
Wave is a hilarious surf game which finds you astride a gigantic Pepsi
bottle, negotiating the most wicked waves in the world. Choose from any of
30 potential surf beaches, from Waikiki to Long Beach and on to Sri
Jayawardenpura, Sri Lanka, and adjust the intensity of the waves to suit
your playing level. As the game progresses you encounter increasingly
difficult challenges, such as a terrifying sea-monster version of Pizza
Hut's Bad Andy suddenly emerging from the watery depths, and a hailstorm of
Cinnamon Twists beating down on you as you try to hit the perfect 10-7. It's
a thriller.
Wild Mexican Pizza Party is a great Parappa-style fun game, great
for kids or kids-at-heart. In this game you play a character named T-Bell,
and your job is to make as many Mexican Pizzas as you can before the Chalupa
Dog can eat them all. As you fend off the dog, frantically creating more
pizzas, the gameplay accelerates and additional challenges are set before
you, like the drive-through window backing up with demanding customers, and
a glowing space alien descending upon you to douse you with laser sauce.
Tony Hawk's Slice Pounder takes the frenetic action of the old
Tony Hawk skate games and applies the concept to a new situation where you
are running around the city slamming cans of Slice. Hidden vending machines
get harder to find, and as you progress to the later levels, you will find
extreme new Slice flavors such as Ice Melt, Dogcherry Double, Red Five, and
Ginger Melt. Extra points are given for finding the rarest flavors, and as a
super-hint: there are easter eggs a'plenty in this game which will allow you
to discover even more fictional Slice flavors, including the elusive Gold
Gargle.
45 Kentucky Ln. brings you to a raucous haunted house, with action
similar to the surprise Japanese hit Ghost Motel School or Fancymanga
Scarer (as that game came to be translated). The ghost of Col. Harlan
Sanders has a wide array of supernatural surprises in store for you as you
navigate the house and try to ascend to the attic room for a final
confrontation with the Colonel. This game features perhaps the funniest idea
ever put into a video game, where a trio of playful ghosts sling mashed
potatoes at you as you try to ascend stairs that keep turning into a slide.
Other levels are darker and more ominous, such as an encounter with a voodoo
zombie who turns your head into a Ham Carver.
Coming in December is the next wave of announced XBOX games: All
Sport Refreshing Football, Sierra Mist Dragoncatcher, Aquafina Realm
IV, and Lay's Mesquite BBQ Urban Riot Squad. See you then! |