New From Japan...
Nintendo is ready to fight back against PlayStation's dominance with Pokémon for Game Boy. The animated Pokémon television show, which is the highest-rated children's animated show in Japan, is moving overseas with steamer trunks packed with licensing products, and more than 150 unique little "pocket monsters" (the translation of Pokémon) for Game Boy players to collect, train, swap and capture during this role-playing adventure. Pokémon is coming to the States in September.

Sailor Moon has been one of Japan's most successful animated television programs and has enjoyed a cult following in the U.S. The 3D Adventures of Sailor Moon by 3VR, Inc. can now be found on retailers shelves. The action and adventure includes a 3D Magical Puzzle Room, Fashion Salon and Fitting Room, Galactic Moon Library, Crystal Fighting Area and Moon Castle TV Show enhanced by the Sailor Moon Theme Song. The 3D Adventures of Sailor Moon provides girls with a sophisticated heroine and immersive environment that will have their male counterparts begging for a chance to play.

UBI's New Offerings
UBI Soft Entertainment provides animated family entertainment with Rayman 2, the sequel to the action-adventure classic that debuted in 1995. Rayman 2 blends humor and suspense in a 30-images-per-second 3-D environment. This release has Rayman escaping an intergalactic zoo to release his caged friends and find the source to the Great Power. Find it on the shelves for Nintendo 64 and PC in time for Christmas. Rayman 2 for PlayStation will be released the first quarter of 1999.

Expanding their animated character library, UBI Soft also announced Buck Bumble is scheduled to buzz in during the late summer and might be one of the year's most popular games. Buck Bumble is a Cyborg Bee who battles mutant insectoids that are enslaving the Earth's native insect population. The bug eye view of a 3-D world encompasses over 20 eerie environments to walk through or fly over during full arcade action and driving gameplay. Buck Bumble will be a multi-player game released for Nintendo 64.

Joseph Szadkowski writes on various aspects of popular culture and is a columnist for The Washington Times.