Dreamcast, Games for a Desert Island Top Year’s Adventures

Despite being a proud member of the media mob, I know that next Saturday marks the passing of just another year, not the true beginning of a new millennium. Besides, trying to list the best video and computer games of the millennium would be a little silly, considering the era stretches back only to the 1970s with the birth of “Pong.”

But this being the twilight of 1999, it’s appropriate to look back at the last 12 months and sift the winners from the losers. Overall, this was a very good year to play video and computer games. As technology improves at an ever faster clip, games are more realistic, more technical, more imaginative and often more fun to play.

The nine games and one system discussed below--not in order of ranking because they are so different from one another--represent the best the gaming world had to offer in 1999. They are what I consider “desert island” games--diversions that make being a castaway seem downright enjoyable.

But there’s a good chance that 2000 will be even better--with Sega Dreamcast planning to become a true multiplayer platform over the Internet, Sony launching PlayStation 2, Nintendo gearing up for release of its Dolphin system and PC manufacturers delivering machines that can handle more-complex titles.

Yes, next year will be a blast. But 1999 was not at all shabby. Consider:

Sega Dreamcast: The hype turned out to be true. Sega’s 128-bit machine landed in September with a $100-million marketing blitz. And what a sizzling autumn it’s been since. Dreamcast allows hard-core enthusiasts to mainline digital adrenaline with an unprecedented initial game lineup.

Although Dreamcast games tend to be more action-oriented than some PlayStation or PC titles, they deliver the goods. The controller fits nicely in the hands, and the console spits out sharp graphics and crystalline sound. Until PlayStation 2 hits the shelves next year, Dreamcast is the system to beat. (Sega, $200)

NFL 2K: This is the most realistic football game ever to grace a screen or monitor. And it’s not just the graphics or the incredibly realistic play-by-play commentary--although it is cool to watch players’ uniforms get dirty as the game progresses.

What makes the game such an addictive pastime is that it learns. Sega’s new tagline for Dreamcast is that “It’s Thinking.” “NFL 2K” is all the explanation most players need. The more “NFL 2K” is played, the more it learns about the people playing it. For instance, run a blitz a couple times in a row and the game gets wise.

So players actually have to be good to win. (Sega, $40)

Soul Calibur: Fighting games are a decidedly brutal genre. But “Soul Calibur” for Dreamcast provides an elegant twist. Players use all manner of blades to fight, but without all the gore that marks--and mars--so many fighters.

This is a game about honor, and players clash swords in beautiful arenas. Part of the joy of this game is watching the way fabrics--all rendered in real time--move with characters. Anyone who doubts what Dreamcast can do should check it out. (Namco, $40)

Age of Empires II--The Age of Kings: It’s all about control. This sequel for the PC allows players to control a civilization blossoming in the 1,000 years after the fall of Rome. No detail is too small--from ensuring that crops are picked to investing in development of new technology.

Enemies lie beyond every hilltop, and players must use diplomacy and trade as well as brute force to keep their societies flourishing. Think of it as medieval “Sim City” with better weapons. (Microsoft, $40)

Everquest: A friend of mine is so into this online PC adventure that he paid real money for digital currency so that his character in the game could buy better armor and weapons. That’s how absorbing the game is, luring players into an online realm that seems real because most of the other characters encountered in the game are controlled by real people across the country.

“Everquest” demonstrates the potential of online gaming. Thousands of players inhabit its worlds--and some like them better than the real world. Players can team up with people they’ve never met in person to vanquish electronic enemies and seek out silicon treasure. (989 Studios, $40)

Descent 3: I love this game. The third in the series that took first-person PC gaming to vomit-inducing new levels, “Descent 3” still spins players through tunnels and caves as well as allowing them to speed across the surface in true three-dimensional play.

But it’s not just the Fusion game engine that makes “Descent 3” cool. The artificial intelligence built into its robots is fiendish. They duck, dive and hide--not to mention call for backup--and punish players not ready to think a little. (Interplay, $40)

Wipeout 3: Games that drip with attitude often end up not being too much fun to play. “Wipeout 3” for Sony PlayStation never lets players forget that it is cooler than they will ever be. But instead of being off-putting, it’s kind of inspirational.

Players pilot anti-gravity ships around funky speedways to the accompaniment of some wild techno tunes. This is the kind of game players play wearing all black--and a soul patch doesn’t hurt. (Psygnosis, $40)

Resident Evil 3--Nemesis: This one scores just for its creep-out value. The “Resident Evil” series never seems to get old, and this third installment is easily the best. Players guide a cop through a zombie-infested metropolis.

But it’s not all shooting and running. The games tie a story together that makes playing the game multiple times compulsory. One trip through may reveal a single line of the story; the full treatment can be had only with multiple trips. (Capcom, $40)

R4: A straightforward racer, “R4” is the fourth in the “Ridge Racer” series, the first racer on Sony PlayStation. Although “Gran Turismo” trumped “Ridge Racer” in 1998, “R4” was easily the best traditional racer of 1999.

The tracks are amazing and the cars are cool. Driving these electronic racers is as close to auto racing as most of us will ever get. (Namco, $40)

Jet Force Gemini: Somehow, Nintendo can make even a bloody game that focuses on blasting apart giant ant people seem sort of cute and cuddly. “Jet Force Gemini” for Nintendo 64 stays true to Nintendo’s family-values reputation but delivers some hard-core game play that shoot-em-up fans should not overlook.

Action is third person, and players have to switch characters to complete the game, giving “Jet Force Gemini” three times the play value of some action titles. Enemies are ferocious, and the graphics are not at all bad. (Nintendo, $60)

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Next Week: “Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation,” “Dynamite Cop” and “Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage”

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Aaron Curtiss, formerly a Times editorial writer, is participating in a management training program, in which he currently is serving as assistant to the senior vice president of advertising. He has no financial dealings with the companies he covers. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.