The Road Rash series recalls a time when motorcycle riders were the outlaws of society. Of course, now most bikers are sissy-neck yuppies who ride their Hondas wearing tennies and J Crew shorts.

Weekend warriors should beware of Road Rash 64’s bone-crushing action. The developers haven’t toyed with Road Rash’s successful formula, just added a few new weapons and a great 4-player mode, a first for the Road Rash series. They also got the physics and control right, a complaint some had with the last PS-X Road Rash.

Even as you’re duking it out at well over 100 mph, your bike sticks to turns like thighs to a hot vinyl car seat. While some might say that this franchise is played out, the four-player mode adds a whole new dimension to the game, making it a good buy even if you’ve played the others to death. Even after all these years, Road Rash still delivers over-the-top motorcycle mayhem in spades.

Nintendo 64 owners who, except for Vigilante 8, have suffered from a lack of auto combat games should definitely pick up this solid title.

With the resurrection of Sega, most developers are abandoning Nintendo and jumping headfirst into Dreamcast gaming. Because of this, the Nintendo 64 holiday lineup is practically transparent.

Nonetheless, slim numbers don’t necessarily constitute complete and utter doom. Nintendo is projecting big numbers for the return of Donkey Kong, and Ubi Soft’s long delayed action/platform title, Rayman 2, is finally complete and raring to give Rare’s big ape a run for the money.

The long development cycle for Rayman 2 actually paid off, and after years of construction, Ubi Soft’s platform star can finally hold his own against the likes of Mario and Banjo-Kazooie. Just like the PlayStation precursor, this 64-bit sequel is loaded with breathtaking imagery and Disney-like animation.

In Rayman 2, the story plays a much larger role than it did before, and every now and then a real-time cutscene will be triggered, and the player will be briefed on the conflict at hand.

Some of the characters in these gameplay intermissions are actually allies of Rayman, and if you help them out at a given time, they’ll return the favor and lead you to secret areas or even open new levels for you. All of the environments in this platformer are gigantic and appear as though they were taken straight from a wild dream.

With an arsenal of moves, like the helicopter hair and energy grapple, Rayman can work his way along every inch of these worlds. In the same vein as Mario 64, enemies play second fiddle to both the platforming and exploration.

For the action that is there, Ubi Soft did a commendable job mixing up the play; and with each new environment, you never really know what to expect. Rayman may jump on a pair of water-skis, then a second later he may jump on a rocket bull and ride across a lava pit. Rayman has come a long way from its initial PlayStation attempt, and the inclusion of 3D only strengthens this obscure character’s future. The Nintendo 64 has always been mighty in the ways of platforming, and Rayman fits the high class bill.

Nearly three years ago at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Nintendo unveiled an arcade racer that was a joint effort between themselves and Williams/Midway. This event wasn’t exactly earth-shattering because racing games come and go like pop-rock bands, but the introduction of Cruis’n USA stirred the imaginations of gamers across the country as Nintendo announced that the game was using the “same technology” as the upcoming Nintendo 64 and would be one of the first titles released for the 64-bit home system. The future unfolded and we saw the N64 delayed, discovered that the home system wasn’t quite capable of what was at the arcade, and realized that Nintendo kept its promise on releasing Cruis’n USA as one of the first titles for the N64.

This arcade racer that put Nintendo 64 on the minds of players is now at home and is a fairly faithful translation. Although you won’t see some of your favorite wildlife as roadkill, you will get the choice of the same seven gas guzzlin’ machines as you race on 14 stages from San Francisco to Washington, DC. Cruis’n allows the driver to choose from three racing views and works with either the analog stick or digital pad. The controller configurations are fully adjustable and are defaulted for the player to drive with one hand (most of the time), a thumb on the stick and finger on the Z button. A selection of ten audio tracks can be changed on the fly to meet a driver’s racing mood.

Cruis’n USA has a very straightforward play style that will allow a wide variety of players to easily pick it up and drive. The appeal is further enhanced by the incorporation of notable United Stated locations such as Mt. Rushmore, the Golden Gate Bridge and the White House. Plus, it requires the player to weave in and out of unsuspecting traffic, many times causing cars to careen into spectacular wrecks. It may not be for the driver looking for the ultimate racing simulation, but in what other game can you cause havoc behind the wheel of a bus or police car?

It doesn’t seem fair to compare this game to previous Destruction Derbys on the PlayStation, but I will anyway. The best way to look at this game is as Destruction Derby Arcade. While cars do take visible damage, this doesn’t hinder their performance in any way until they explode. The coolest thing about the previous Destruction Derbys was just barely crossing the finish line with two wheels and half the engine in your passenger seat. While Destruction Derby 64 does do a good job of emulating the total chaos of its precursors, it just doesn’t push your skills to the same levels of insanity. I could see younger racers having a great time smashing into each other on multiplayer, but more experienced racers and big fans of the franchise would probably be disappointed by a purchase as the game is somewhat lacking in challenge. It was fun, but I wouldn’t buy it

The entire goal of this offbeat RPG is to perform farming activities like clearing land, growing crops, and raising livestock. After eight hours of tilling soil, smashing rocks, and collecting chicken eggs, I found myself exhausted and in awe of how difficult farming really is. Harvest Moon will keep you on your toes, and demand that you push yourself to the limit each and every day, with each and every harvest. For someone who loves to slay dragons, I was surprised by how truly engrossed I was in this virtual farming sim. The play is a tad slow, but it really needs to be for it to be accurate. While strange graphical flickers occur, the look is also quite pleasant and appropriate for this type of game. Natsume has been quiet for years, but I think this title will put it on the map, and N64 owners seeking a new challenge will appreciate what this developer has dished out. Harvest Moon is by no means the saving RPG grace for the N64, but it is diverse and challenging in a fun way

You expect some strange things from a guy that uses a pipe as his main weapon. Is he really fighting flying lamps, or does Goemon just think he is? His newest N64 title, Goemon’s Great Adventure, borrows a lot more from his SNES adventure, Legend of the Mystical Ninja, than his last N64 game, but the bizarro factor of his games continues to break new ground.

This time around, Goemon is trying to help Wiseman recover his Ultra Gorgeous Electro Ghost Return Machine which was stolen by Sister Bismaru. She intends to summon a demon lover with it if Goemon and his three pals (Ebisumaru, Sasuke, and Yae) can’t stop her. Goemon and Ebisumaru just want the machine back so they can talk to their ancestors, James Dean, and maybe Marilyn Monroe.

For the most part, Goemon’s Great Adventure is a side-scrolling platformer. All of the characters having an attack, jump, and coin throw maneuver, and there are various power-ups to discover in the levels. Characters can be switched (once found) in any tea house, which are accessible mostly through interdimensional platforms. Traveling outside at night is twice as dangerous since twice as many monsters are about. Night travel can be avoided by staying at the inn, but it can be a rewarding experience since killed creatures dump out twice the coins. Goemon can also be made twice as fun by playing it with two players simultaneously. The levels are exactly the same, but the powerful piggyback maneuver can be used by one player jumping on the other’s back.

When Goemon isn’t a platformer, it’s an adventure. While traveling through towns, you’ll need to talk to its denizens to gain clues and mini-quests to earn Entry Passes that will allow you to move on. It’s also a good idea to use the coins you’ve earned to buy food, armor, and other necessary power-ups like the chain pipe.

Great Adventure is hard to classify. It’s part platformer, borderline RPG – it even has a mecha combat stage. Call it what you will, but don’t call it predictable.

Little was expected of the first BattleTanx release for Nintendo 64, but never underestimate a game loaded with more firepower than a third world nation. 3DO surprised the gaming world and turned BattleTanx into an addictive single and multiplayer game.

Its arcade-like tank controls and destructive nature combined to create irresistible gameplay, and the inclusion of super sexy QueenLords made the game all the better.

While gamers slaughtered innocents and blew one another through the stratosphere, 3DO launched another surprise attack and announced the development of the sequel, BattleTanx: Global Assault. This new installment came out of nowhere.

As you might guess, Global Assault is running on the same engine as the original, and the look of the game hasn’t changed too much. However, 3DO has incorporated a ton of new vehicles and multiplayer modes. The story is brand-spanking new as well, and many of the missions feature new objectives. The physics are once again far fetched, truer to a dune buggy than a tank.

The arsenal is as powerful as ever and a real treat to unload on the scum who want to score points with your QueenLords. Joining the always vigilant nuke and slick guided missile are the bouncing betty hopping mine and The Edge, a powerful electrical bolt that stuns enemies with a radial blast.

With the multiplayer modes, 3DO created a cornucopia of different gameplay scenarios that range from collecting QueenLords to capturing the flag. The first BattleTanx sold well above what anyone predicted, and this improved sequel has more than enough firepower to shatter its predecessor’s mark and climb to the top of the charts.