Next Generation Issue 4

Cover:

• pussycat?
  Atari faces the toughest fight of its 27 year history. Can Jaguar claw its way back to the top? Or is this the last of Atari's nine lives?
  

Opening (Cover Feature):

• the original and the best?
  Atari: from boom to bust -- and back again. Throughout the history of gaming, the flared red Atari badge has remained an enduring fixture. Formed in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell, Atari is the oldest videogame company in the world. Pong, the VCS 2600, the ST computers, the Lynx and now the Jaguar, all have emerged from Atari's Silicon Valley Headquarters -- to meet with varying degrees of success.
   
  Atari is a survivor. Often the underdog, but never beaten to submission, Atari's management has ridden the gamut of fortune from boom to bust -- and back again. The holder of more than 70 patents from the very dawn of videogaming, revenues from legal disputes have more than once been the last ditch defense against financial ruin.
   
  Atari is a risk-taker. Attempting to preempt the mainstream's migration from 16bit to 32bit gaming, Jaguar's window of opportunity was always going to be small. And now, as PlayStation, Saturn, and Ultra 64 loom closer, this window threatens to slam shut. But you won't here anyone at Atari HQ speak of defeat.
   
  It's a story irrevocably interwoven into the history of videogaming itself. And it begins on page 34...
  

Introducing:
Talking:

• What the hell has Nolan Bushnell started?
  Pong's inventor casts his eye over the last 23 years for a unique perspective on what gaming's achieved
  

Breaking:
News:
Gaming news from around the world, featuring:

• 25 - Joyriding (on-line gaming news)
• 27 - Movers & Shakers (business news)
• 29 - Arcadia (arcade updates)
• 31 - Generator (a look behind the scenes
  

NG Special:

• Atari: from boom to bust -- and back again
  Atari's history is an integral part of the history of videogaming itself. But what about its future?
  

NG Special:

• An audience with Gunpei Yokoi
  The inventor of Nintendo's Virtual Boy (and Game Boy) explains the thinking behind his latest creation
  

NG Hardware:

• What's wrong with the PC?
  Part tow. What has the PC in store for the future? Also, mini-interviews with prominent developers
  

NG Software:

• Alphas
  Games in development around the world. This month, the focus is on games for the PC
  

Rating:

• Finals
  53 games reviewed and rated. This month features: Ridge Racer (PlayStation), Toh Shin Den (PlayStation), Virtua Fighter (Saturn), Return Fire (3DO), Jammit (3DO), Syndicate (Jaguar), Metal Head (32X), NASCAR Racing (PC), Flashback (Sega CD), NBA Jam Tournament Edition (Genesis), Ogre Battle (SNES), Tattoo Assassins (Arcade), and X-Men: Children of the Atom (arcade)
  

Now Hiring:
Looking for that lucky break into the game industry? This could be the job ad you've been waiting for

Corresponding:

• Letters
  NEXT Generation is your magazine, so give us interaction. Plus Dispatches with Mr. Road Rash
  

Ending:

• Next Month
  NEXT Generation #5 is coming to a newsstand near you soon (April 18th, to be precise)
  

Features (Expanded Description):

• What the hell has Nolan Bushnell started?
  In 1972 Nolan Bushnell invented a game called Pong and founded Atari. NEXT Generation talks with the man who created videogames to find out how games have evolved during the last 23 years and for an insider's prediction of the Next Big Thing
• Atari: from boom to bust -- and back again
  From the heady 1970s when Atari's coin-ops ruled the world, to near bankruptcy in the 1980s, Atari's history is a roller-coaster ride of fantastic success and pitiful failure. So what's Atari's future? And what surprise aces does it hold? NEXT Generation reports
• Nintendo's Virtual Boy -- the inventor speaks
  One of the most criticized new products of 1995 is the Virtual Boy (and it hasn't even been released yet). So what is Nintendo's plan? There's only one way to find out, and that's talk to the inventor. Presenting An Audience With Gunpei Yokoi
  

Alphas:
This month's alphas gives you a first glance at the latest games in progress from around the world. In answer to the current buzz in PC development, we've taken a long look at some of the biggest names in production and some of the titles that are on the rise. You'll also want to check out our behind-the-scenes report on Sega's technical wizards and its latest projects for both arcade and home machines. Be sure to take a good look at our finals on page 86 for a copious number of reviews of finished games.

• Looking Glass (PC)
  One of this decade's hottest development teams finally steps out of the shadows
• Grand Chaser (PC)
  The PC's CyberRace gets a new look and a new name as it spins out to the Saturn
• Slipstream 5000 (PC)
  An all-out aerial race to the finish with the best of today's high-speed graphics
• AM2/VF (Saturn)
  A look behind the scenes with one of the most successful teams in the industry
• AM3/Sega Rally (Saturn)
  Sega's race for the future creates a new development team with a feel for speed
• Command & Conquer (PC)
  First look at the game destined to be the hottest PC strategy title of the year
• SimIsle (PC)
  Maxis puts you back in God's shoes in this ecologically friendly game of construction
• Tir na Nog (PC)
  Celtic lore meets PC technology in a strange new twist on the classic adventure
• Psychic Detective (PC/MAC/3DO)
  An interactive movie with a decidedly mystic point of view
• Metal Jacket (PC)
  Battling robots make the PlayStation debut in an intense tactical shoot-'em-up
  

Finals:
Your essential reviews guide to this month's game releases...

• PlayStation: A Train
• PlayStation: Ridge Racer
• PlayStation: Toh Shin Den
• PlayStation: Motor Toon Grand Prix
• Saturn: Clockwork Knight
• Saturn: Tama
• Saturn: Virtua Fighter
• 3DO: Return Fire
• 3DO: Crime Patrol
• 3DO: Jammit
• 3DO: Novastorm
• 3DO: Starblade
• Jaguar: Theme Park
• Jaguar: Syndicate
• 32X CD: Corpse Killer
• 32X: Metal Head
• PC: Blackthorne
• PC: Creature Shock
• PC: Front Page Sports Baseball '94
• PC: Gazillionare
• PC: Inferno
• PC: Space Ace CD-ROM
• PC: Star Crusader
• PC: Star Reach
• PC: NASCAR Racing
• PC: The Lemmings Chronicles
• PC: Transport Tycoon
• PC: Zeppelin
• Sega CD: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
• Sega CD: Flashback
• Sega CD: Shadow of the Beast II
• Sega CD: Space Ace
• Genesis: Beyond Oasis
• Genesis: Desert Demolition: Starring Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote
• Genesis: Ecco Jr.
• Genesis: NBA Action '95: Starring David Robinson
• Genesis: Road Rash 3
• Genesis: NBA Jam Tournament Edition
• Genesis: The Adventures of Batman and Robin
• Genesis: World Series Baseball '95
• Genesis: X-Men 2: Clone Wars
• SNES: Bassin's Black Bass
• SNES: The Flintstones
• SNES: Pieces
• SNES: Pinball Fantasies
• SNES: Power Instinct
• SNES: Tetris & Dr. Mario
• SNES: The Ignition Factor
• SNES: Ogre Battle
• SNES: The Ren and Stimpy Show: Time Warp
• SNES: Wario's Woods
• Arcade: X-Men: Children of the Atom
• Arcade: Tattoo Assassins