Electronic Arts makes some smoking sports games. So Nintendo 64 owners smiled to hear that NHL 99 was being ported to their system. After all, NHL 98 is one of the highest rated PC games. Their hopes are distinctly UNdashed. With the release of NHL 99 the N64 finally has quality hockey title.
      So what does this game do right? The graphics are great, smoothly rendered in hi-res mode. Motion captured animated players glide in authentic uniforms while casting shadows on realistic looking ice (on which skate tracks accumulate as the periods progress!) The sound is also superb, featuring play by play commentary, a stadium announcer, organ music, play fx, and appropriate crowd noise (the fans react to the game in progress, and are much happier when the home team does something special.) NHL 99 plays as easily as an arcade game, yet purists will appreciate how it observes the rules of hockey and rewards authentic strategy. A class act all around.
      The only question many gamers will be asking themselves is should they pick up the Nintendo cartridge, or the PC CD-ROM? The computer version features videos and additional color commentary that just wouldn't fit on a cartridge. The N64 graphics are smoother and spiffier than those of a normal computer, but would be blown away by those of a computer equipped with a 3D graphics accelerator. On the other hand, a state of the art 3D motherboard alone costs no little more than a Nintendo system and the cartridge bought together. Perhaps the best bet would be to get the cartridge now, and pick up the CD-ROM next summer on the bargain bin. I think you'll still want to play this game months after Lord Stanley's Cup has been awarded!

In the last few years, film buffs in the States have discovered the vitality, artistry and fun of Hong Kong cinema. So it's not surprising that Hollywood would try it's hand at the archetypal Hong Kong flick, the stylized action picture. Replacement Killers is one such attempt. Sadly it falls short of the very high mark Hong Kong has set.
      They did some things right. Casting Chow Yun-Fat, the stylish and cool asian star, for example. But neither he nor Mira Sorvino can overcome the films central flaw--there isn't a plot. A few plot-like cliches are stuck in between the fight scenes. But the characters aren't living creations who engage our imagination, nor do they change or grow. The "plot" is just there to give us a chance to calm down between action sequences.
      The action sequences *are* good. The gun battle in the carwash, for example, is memorable. So if you enjoy choreography, pretty explosions and state of the art mayhem, Replacement Killers might be worth catching. But don't expect anything more.