Just played about an hour of Pandemonium (Crystal Dynamics). I usually
don't have the energy on a weekday to spread the word about a good game
- but I must say, we have another winner. The recent surge of
PlayStation titles have been generally quite hot, and Pandemonium simply
sets the temperature even higher.
 You control one of two heroes: A jester-looking, puppet-like character
and this young female sorcerer-like being) - each who have their own
special attack and are capable of executing powerful fireballs (which
have to be earned by finding special icons). Characters can be switched
between each level as the jester-like dude can attack enemies with his
deadly cartwheel maneuver, while the female counterpart can pull off a
double jump which is great for accessing higher elevations or bouncing
on characters to their death. 
The entire world is superbly-rendered in 3-D, as the perspective rotates
AND scales in every which way imaginable (in reaction to where your
character is on each landscape).
Platforms rise, rotate, crumble, split, drop, etc..etc.. The levles are
like high-tech construction sites from another world, yet look like
something out of a Disney movie. With all the chaos going on, you're
never disoriented - which for this kind of game is a blessing. As you
run, jump and blast enemies, there are keys to be found and other types
of defensive magic. From playing the first two worlds, I can see how
much thought was put into this game. 
This could very well be one of the top PlayStation titles of the year,
and as a matter of fact *one* of the best platform games for a 32-bit
console (there are others we won't get into right now). For those with
rail-o-phobia,  who are always concerned about moving around in a real
3-D world (are these the same folks who watch for any sign of
clipping?)...well..I'm afraid you can't go off the set-path, but there
are multiple paths/platforms (sort of like Sonic or the Donkey Kong
Country series in that respect). 
There's tons more to talk about this game, but you must see it in
action. It's kind of a mixture of Nights, Mario-World & Crash. OK - one
possible set back (you knew this was coming): Pandemonium does not save
to a Sony Memory card (I didn't see it on the menu, or the little symbol
on the back of the jewel case). Yep, it uses passwords - but thankfully,
they're not too long. Overall - this is Crystal's *best* game to date,
that is  - until Legacy of Kain comes out which is right around the
corner. If you're fond of platform games (and clever programming), check
it out - this one's a gem and a half!
- - Joe
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