Best Head-to-Head Games |
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Computerized competition has been a hallmark of the gaming scene since the ancient age of Pong: Duking it out electronic style as Nolan Bushnell intended. Technology may have advanced with fancy graphics upping the sophistication factor, but one motto remains a constant in living rooms: "No fair, one more go!" Competitive multi-player has only gotten better as tech allows for more realism, expansive modes, and options up the wazoo. With social gaming now a major focus for console manufacturers, we are fortunate to have a plethora of games designed with multi-player front-and-center. So, grab the snacks and be sure to have those spare controllers plugged-in, it's time to count down our favorite picks for settling modern squabbles. (No fighters, though, we shall save that for a separate list!) Let's take a look at PPM Top Ten: Head-to-Head Games of the 32 and 64-Bit era. |
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Poy Poy by Konami Pick up and toss various rocks, logs, bombs, and other players in this lighthearted title in the tradition of Bomberman. |
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Twisted Metal 2 by Sony IS Square off in a one-on-one demolition match using your vehicle and its onboard weapons to blow up the competition. |
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Star Fox 64 by Nintendo Soar through the skies as Fox and Co., and engage in some high-flying dogfighting with this title's multi-player mode. |
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Worms 2 by Team17 Strategize carefully to rid the map of your opponent's invertebrate army in this tactics game available on Windows PC. |
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Pocket Monsters by Game Freak Collect, train, and battle legions of monsters in this phenomenally popular Japan-exclusive Game Boy RPG. |
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NBA Jam: TE by Midway Take command of the basketball court in this superb Saturn conversion of the classic arcade juggernaut. Boom shakalaka! |
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Mario Kart 64 by Nintendo Compete in chaotic circuit races all throughout the Mushroom Kingdom in this blood-pumping 3-D racer for N64. |
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Saturn Bomberman by Hudson Soft With the ability to play with up to 10 players via multitap, SB is a glorious, explosive experience with friends. |
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Diddy Kong Racing by Rare Surpassing even MK64, Diddy and his gang triumph with a purely fun racer. The best competitive karter on any system. |
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Totally reshaping the competitive gaming scene, Goldeneye 007 thundered into living rooms everywhere and shows no sign of leaving anytime soon. As if the 18 stages in Story Mode were not enough to win us over, this cart contains a legendary four-player, split-screen deathmatch mode that simply begs to be played at every function. It deserves plenty of credit for (finally) freeing us from the droves of mindless corridor shooters plaguing our screens over the last few years, but more than that, it all but perfected the execution of head-to-head shooters. Once familiarized with the controls and the attributes of the various weapons, Goldeneye can quickly turn into an Olympian match of skill and agility as players spar off to prove themselves the better spy. If PC shooters played over the internet ever get as seamless as this, you'll be hard pressed to drag the nation's youth from their computer desks. | |||
 [Article from the January-February 1998 Issue of PPM] | |||
