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Name of Site: Play Now
URL: http://www.playnow.com.au/
Plug-Ins: Yes
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, Good Quality
Internal Links: 35+
Review: After four years of banging away at the HTML, not to mention the
staff members' more than occasional forays into virtual mayhem and mass
destruction, PlayNow has established itself as a knowledgeable and popular
gaming resource. They've packed all the links to the site within a compact
menu bar with pop-up options that lead to news, reviews, previews, cheats,
downloads and forums for consoles, PCs and multi-player games. The forum
is heavily populated with plenty of lively social intercourse and the
news covers all the hottest events, tournaments and get-togethers of the
various gaming clans. A fine selection of cheats and heaps of movie trailers
of the latest and greatest games are provided. If you have a few lives
to waste, you could spend some time in the feature article archives, reading
the rants and raves of the play-hungry contributors. The site has no major
corporate allegiances, so the opinions are generally unbiased, but being
well established means they still get to review all the best games and
hardware. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Game Spy
URL: http://www.gamespy.com/
Plug-Ins: Yes
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, High Quality
Internal Links: 80+
Review: A whole world of gaming opens up upon hitting this high-powered
portal of fun facilitation. Their fully-featured "GameSpy Arcade"
software allows searching and connecting to players of over 200 different
games, from the latest high-tech sensations right down to "Frogger".
All platforms are covered, from X-Box to Gameboy and the mindboggling
array of partner sites (The Spy Ring), plugs you into every resource imaginable.
They have cool giveaway comps, cheats, stats, cartoons, news, reviews,
previews, forums and thousands upon thousands of hard core gamers bashing
away 24/7. A big developer program is in place, as is an ongoing 'top
10' list, voting booth and up-to-date news on all the trade shows and
new releases. If you weren't hooked on gaming, you are now. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Total Games Net
URL: http://www.totalgames.net/
Plug-Ins: Yes
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, Good Quality
Internal Links: 60+
Review: At the time of review, there were a few coding bugs and some bits
missing from this site, but overall it's a comprehensive game-fest, with
each platform covered (PS1, PS2, X-Box, PC, Game Cube etc etc) in its
own subdomain of the main site. Temporary glitches aside, there are stacks
of downloads of movie clips, screen savers, wallpapers, a large archive
of tips and cheats, heaps of reviews, giveaways and links to the major
games creators. Unfortunately, with the faults, slow page loading and
only a low level of activity in the forums, it is not really the involving
communal gaming experience you may get from other sites. Perhaps they
are trying to be everything to everybody and struggling to acheive this.
Suggestion - bookmark it and see what happens over the next few months.
- SS
Rating: ***
Name of Site: Hyperactive
URL: http://www.hyperactive.com.au/
Plug-Ins: Yes
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, High Quality
Internal Links: 30+
Review: The on-line home for our sister publication, is absolutely fantastic,
of course :-) The strength in this site is the depth and extent of the
reviews, articles and previews. These guys are totally obsessed and get
into the nitty-gritty of all your favourite and soon-to-be favourite games,
from both a technical and user perspective. Screen shots are very clear
compared to most sites, and all the major gaming platforms are covered
in distinct sections. The layout of the site is clear and colourful, with
the latest news given prominence among the large selection of content
available. The cheat sections are a free-for-all where users submit their
favourite cheats and tips, to go into the database for all to see. Let
the interactivity turn to hyperactivity as you get stuck into the forum
and share your thoughts with the world. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: iPrimus Games Network
URL: http://www.ipgn.com.au/
Plug-Ins: Yes
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, Good Quality
Internal Links: 18
Review: When all is said and done, it's all about the action, and that's
what IPGN is all about - getting you hooked up and hammering away at you
keyboard as fast and furiously as possible with some networked PC gaming
action. They provide the servers, the software patches, if necessary,
and the bandwidth for all the blasting fun you can handle. A nice layout
provides links to a highly patronised message board, and an all-important
player statistics section, where your hours of dedication are rewarded
with chart-topping recognition. Some good links to useful sites, help
on how to get started, FAQs and downloads of patches and bug fixes complement
the service, which includes the GameSpy network and a fair selection of
supported games. Speed is of the essence in on-line gaming and IPGN claim
pretty fast ping times. Their network is "for gamers, by gamers"
and it looks like they're doing everything right. Be prepared to lose
lots of sleep. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Blues News
URL: http://www.bluesnews.com/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Medium
Graphics: Low, Good Quality
Internal Links: 100+
Review: News is definitely the order of the day here - and bucketloads
of it. A specialist site dedicated to collecting and collating the most
up-to-date and relevant information for gamers everywhere. Industry machinations,
creative personalities, movers and shakers, manufacturers press releases,
interviews with movie stars of game-based Hollywood blockbusters, state-of-the-tech,
hardware, software... you want more? It doesn't stop there - in fact the
only thing wrong with this site is there is too much info to wade through,
you have to either be totally obsessed or very patient to mine the info
for stuff relevant to you. The 'stories of note' is a start. Then check
the events for one near you, or read the innumerable letters and postings.
Almost as much action on this site as an all-out virtual war. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: On Line Gamers Association
URL: http://www.theoga.com/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Medium, Good Quality
Internal Links: 50
Review: First there was the Cricket Board, the AFL, the ARL, now its the
OGA. Gamers of the world unite. We'll burn those Bowling Clubs down and
erect massive LAN clubs, with PC pokies, bars and a ladies' auxilliary.
Seriously, the number of Gamers world-wide is staggering, and these guys
have the right idea. There is strength in numbers and with end users gathering
together in a political body, the chances of affecting the future of gaming
is certainly increased. There are only 4,000 members and 700 teams so
far, but you have to start somewhere. Perhaps the whole idea of getting
together like this is contrary to the very nature of those who like to
sit at home and kill one another. While the numbers grow, OGA offers a
few facilities on their site, such as a player/team look-up, press releases,
chat, parties, tournaments, links and forums, along with the stirrings
of a potentially strong political force - so long as they don't all blow
each other to bits in factional skirmishes. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: ZDNet Gamespot
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/gamespot/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Medium, Good Quality
Internal Links: 20
Review: ZDNet are trendsetters in the technology information delivery
stakes, so it stands to reason they should have a gaming site of a suitably
high standard. Their e-Zine style layout and content delivers a respectable
range of info for all platforms and include all the features you would
expect from an experienced operator - plenty of partner links, latest
news releases, playguides, tips and tricks, giveaways and promos, release
dates and tournament dates. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter and
take advantage of the "email this article to a friend" feature
to keep your team mates as clued in as yourself. This is one site you
can afford to spend time at inbetween battles. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: AusGamers
URL: http://www.ausgamers.com/
Plug-Ins: Yes
Navigability: Medium
Graphics: Medium, Good Quality
Internal Links: 40
Review: Its very refreshing to see a bunch of local guys put something
together that rivals, even beats what the Yanks are doing in the portal
department. A consortium of various gaming leagues, organisers and individuals
has created a powerful presence to see gaming raised to new heights through
organisation, technology resourcing and community involvement. The design
is slick and bold, and the subdomains, sections, archives and other zones
are well thought out and organised to make accessing the right information
very easy. Telstra and Web Central are supporting the venture, and with
partners that big, the hosting and connectivity is well handled. The ausXXXX.com
suite of sites open up a world of enthusiasts and support networks to
ensure you evolve with your gaming knowledge and experience as rapidly
as they do with their site, event and community development. The game
is on. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: WirePlay
URL: http://www.wireplay.com.au/
Plug-Ins: Yes
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, Good Quality
Internal Links: 30
Review: Wireplay is Telstra's launch pad into the world of multi-player
on line gaming. After downloading the WirePlay client, you have access
to the wide range of games serviced. A simple console navigates the site,
leading to the four main sections - geting started, community, game stuff
and support. Within each section is a good range of services and information,
including discussions, complete listings of supported games, reviews,
files library and the all important server listings. Log in to create
a profile which allows more usability of the site's features. Check out
the latest screen shots, previews and demos, then do as the site says
and "stop playing with yourself". Get in there and kick some
butt! - SS
Rating: ****
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