Milkman Plays Chu-Chu Rocket

Come all ye faithful! Sonic Team's newest offering is not NiGHTS 2, Sonic Adventure 2, or Burning Rangers 2. Nor is it anything else resembling a sequel or a 3D platformer. What Sonic Team has unleashed on an unsuspecting public is a maniacal piece of Dreamcast software called Chu-Chu Rocket. A "puzzle game" in the loosest terms, Chu-Chu Rocket offers the fastest, most intense action this side of Quake III Arena. We kid you not. Despite the simple, overhead mix of 2D gameplay and 3D character models, Chu-Chu Rocket might just be the ultimate twitch party game for the newest Sega system.

Think of a top-down flat board-game layout and a number of portals where mice pour out. You have three directional tiles you can lay down to steer the mice in the right direction. Your goal is to point them in the direction of your rocket. The thing is, people playing with you can place directional arrows next to yours to redirect the mice. Occasionally a random-factor mouse will hit a rocket, triggering the game to randomly speed up, slow down, or release "necos" (cats). The game gets really hysterical when you direct the cats toward an opponent's rocket, causing his mice total to drop. Random cats walking around will also "kill" mice (watch as their mice-ghosts float away), decreasing the amount you might get in your rocket. The ultimate goal is to be the one with the most mice in your rocket when time runs out. The game then switches to a 3D scene of the rocket taking off. Wheeee! The first person to win three rounds wins the game.

While we were playing, there was nothing more satisfying than sending every neco to Ben Stahl's rocket, which quickly sent him from first to fourth place in a matter of seconds. Simply put, this game is incredibly fun. While it may not carry the same intrigue during single-player mode, the multiplayer mode (up to four twisted friends can play at one time) is absolutely incredible. Chu-Chu Rocket also supports Internet play and will most likely be part of Sega's online strategy for 2000 if and when it is released in the States. As far as picking up the import goes, if you have enough friends to live without the Internet play (dialing Japan may be costly), it is a great party game that will give you endless hours of replay on your quest to become the ultimate Chu-Chu Champion.