Acclaim Day: Part Two

Acclaim and Iguana showed us three more games: Reckin' Balls, WWF, and All Star Baseball '99. Here's the scoop.

Reckin' BallsTargeting a younger audience, Iguana developed Reckin' Balls, an N64 game with graphics and gameplay that should appeal to the six-and-up crowd. As many as four people can choose their balls (balls have character - from Elvis to the evil grinning jack-o'-lantern Narlie) and begin to grapple their way up levels. It's a game to be played vertically; the 100 levels consist of tracks winding up and up to the sky, and while players can run up to the top, it's a heck of a lot faster to throw the grapple (controlled by the analog stick) and pull themselves up. Power-ups include things like trampolines to give jumps a little height, and other players and computer-controlled balls can slow a player down by knocking him in the head with the grapple or just standing in his way (he can do the same to them of course). Cooperative play is also available to those who prefer playing nicely to pushing friends down. "We wanted to make a racing game, but a different kind" of racing game, Iguana's Jay Moon said. Looks like Iguana's done it.

WWF (PS and N64)WWF is the latest wrestling game to head to the Sony and Nintendo rings. With ladder matches, create-a-wrestler functions, taunts, and grudge matches, WWF should do more than hold its own. And though THQ may have upped the stakes of late, Acclaim argues that the smooth skin on its wrestlers puts WWF way out front. Professional wrestlers like Goldust, Mankind, and Steve Austen were carefully re-created, and taunts were filmed for PlayStation video clips. The audience responds to its favorites with loud bursts of applause, by rising to its feet, and generally cheering on its man - and the wrestlers that are crowd-pleasers in real life are the ones this audience responds best to (Steve Austen comes to mind). Vince McMahon's voice also finds its way onto this game, due out in July.

All Star Baseball '99 (N64)All Star Baseball '99 has a brand-new sports engine, and the players are looking fine. Built for the Nintendo 64, ASB has 30 stadiums from Yankee Stadium to Camden Yard, 100+ batting styles (all based on real players' styles), and sim and arcade modes. We couldn't play the hi-res game yet, but we watched the computer pitch, hit, and chase the ball with amazingly lifelike animations. The engine will likely be used for Acclaim's next football title as well. Watch for ASB at the end of April/early May.