PointSOft Trilogy
TEnnis Elbow,
World Football 98 Cup Edition,
Time Warriors
Written by : ISKAN
Type of Game
A wide selection of games that are a little outdated but not too much, to attract customers.
release date on our machines
1998, 890,000 low-priced CDs sold: and one, and two, and three zeros! (Oh, wait, actually not).
Developer
A whole bunch of games that aren't good enough to sell for 15 buckss (15€), but are good enough to sell for 15 bucks (15 Fr).
Publisher
Pointsoft, a retailer specializing in low-priced CDs, ranging from 10 to 20 francs (1,5 to 3 euros).
None of these three games were ever released on more modern platforms. It’s as if Pointsoft, in trying to revive them shortly after their release, had buried them for good.
Well, I’m going to get a slap on the wrist from Nostalgic B. again, but now that I’m a “regular” contributor, I’m taking the opportunity to break the rules. I have to admit, I’m starting to have fewer and fewer memories of the video games from my childhood, and getting older has nothing to do with it (really, I swear). When I search online, I come across familiar titles and images, but that’s kind of the easy part of keeping these memories alive. Then you have to dig up the anecdotes, and that’s where it gets tricky! So it’s hard to write an entire article without lying or embellishing the truth a little, as they say. That’s why I’m not just introducing one game, but three titles from the same collection! At best, I remember everything; at worst, just the CD cover. It’s no big deal—we’ll make do!
The Pointsoft identity
Superdiscount
All these games have one thing in common: they’re part of the “Low Prices” line and cost between 10 and 20 francs! No, you’re not dreaming—a complete game at an unbeatable price, and these titles are far from bad! I remember that you could find them in supermarkets on displays just like the ones that hold postcards at the beach, and that you could rotate them to see all the available boxes. When I was little and went with my mom to do the grocery shopping at the local hypermarket, I’d often get a little treat: a small box of Lego or Playmobil, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Batman : The Animated Series action figure, and later on, video games for less than 3 euros.
Let’s start with the one I remember best: Tennis Elbow! A tennis simulation game (no kidding) developed by the French team Mana Games, where you guide your athlete from the bottom of the ATP rankings all the way to Grand Slam victories. It’s perfect for reenacting the feats of Andre Agassi or Gustavo Kuerten at Roland Garros. It’s a comprehensive game, then, where you start in a neighborhood tournament before traveling the world, testing out different court surfaces and managing your budget and sponsors. You could also play with a friend on the same PC for fun, fierce head-to-head matches. A great game that spawned several highly acclaimed sequels!
KinG Richard
Bend it Like Beckham !
After tennis, it’s time for soccer with World Football 98 Cup Edition. It’s thanks to this game’s cover that this article exists—the artwork has remained etched in my memory, unlike the game itself, which was quickly replaced by FIFA 98 and 99. Selling a game for less than 15 francs comes with some limitations, like this cover featuring a generic guy kicking a generic ball. But if you’d bought the game at full price when it came out, you would’ve been lucky enough to get a big box featuring a photo of none other than Zinedine Zidane himself (with a bit of extra hair) kicking a Puma ball, accompanied by the best tagline: “Exceptional gameplay speed starting with the Pentium 60.” Classy! Otherwise, the game itself is well-equipped: 390 teams, the real names of over 6,000 players, the three real European Cups, 1,100 commentator lines, and weather that actually affects match conditions. The only “flaw” is the lack of 3D graphics, which had already appeared in competitors’ games—a major selling point that tipped the scales when choosing your next soccer game! But we’re not going to quibble over 10 francs!
Last but not least, a place where yellow and red cards are useless—since here, problems are settled with a good kick to the face—I’m talking about Time Warriors! A 3D fighting game based on mythology. I remember the cover perfectly: a female protagonist—a cool mix of Xena: Warrior Princess and Sivir from League of Legends—stands tall, her arm acting as a lightning rod. Badass! I’ve never really been a versus gamer, but around the turn of the year 2000, I went through a Tekken 3 phase at my buddy José Pamplemousse’s house. And I think that purchase was my first and last experience with fighting games. Yet we’re promised a whole arsenal of extraordinary moves: weapon strikes, acrobatic kicks, special moves, magical attacks, as well as rolls, throws, and—let’s not forget—secret moves, as if mastering the previous 45 techniques wasn’t complicated enough already! Eight characters are available, hailing from diverse backgrounds and eras, each with their own weapon. We don’t know why they’re here, but they’re going to beat the crap out of each other—that’s for sure! Personally, I probably haven’t seen even a quarter of the possibilities the game offers, but it seems to have its fair share of nostalgic fans who will surely be more drawn to the sumptuous backgrounds and detailed characters than to the basic gameplay.
Clash of the Titans
Special mentions
There are a few titles in the same collection that I have to mention here. First, “Z,” a real-time strategy game featuring robots that Nostalgic B. has already discussed in an article—a game I would have loved to discover, but at the time I must have already been hooked on Age of Empires 1 and 2 or Total Annihilation. Next is Caesar II, a city-builder that lets you manage a city in ancient Rome—but since I only discovered the series with the third installment, going back to the earlier ones would have seemed pretty dull. Finally, POD—Planet of Death, a futuristic racing game where you have to win races to inherit the last ship capable of leaving your planet before it disappears—thrilling!
Best Buy
I don’t think we’ve ever gotten better value for our money than with this video game collection, especially when compared to the games offered in magazines like Joystick or Génération 4, many of which were extremely outdated and of poor quality. Back when buying video games was limited to Christmas and birthdays, this alternative felt like an oasis in the gaming desert—one we knew how to appreciate for what it was worth. And while Steam sales have now replaced those collections, the accumulation of games bought at low prices and the lack of time to play them represent the new mirage for today’s gamers.
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