s INSIDE: 24 REVIEWS, 88 PIREVIEWS, 205 TRICKS PS2 PSone Dreamcast GameCube ХЕ The Legend of Zelda Mario Sunshine Metroid Prime IMA EXCLUSIVE SCREENS AND INFO! e WRESTLING-MANIA! м МУММЕ SmackDown! (PS2) r^ 16 vs. WWF Raw Is War (Xbox) J ) D vs. Legends of Wrestling (PS2) “4 FIRST-PERSON SHOOTERS FROM 007 (PS2) TO HALF-LIFE (PS2) WE BLOW OUT THE GENRE POLITICIANS LOVE TO HATE DISPLAY UNTIL OCTOBER 30 ALSO INSIDE: November 2001 $4.99/$6.50 Canada eDevil M ay Cry (PS2) ІІ 11» | • Tony Hawk 3 (GameCube) 06960 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Xbox) ubiseg sieysnd ежа Аа uonensnlll e Star Wars: Rogue Leader (GameCube) e Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 (Dreamcast) о 14024 8 Ж» CK Kk kK kK KKK kK EL AD NEWS, SOLDIER, IS ^ \ This is no place for subtlety. This is по place for pity. This is a place where aliens want to turn humans into а bad memory. This is a place where strategy matters indoors and out, where your weapons and vehicles are TEEN VIOLENCE т BLOOD АМО GORE BUNGIE Microsoft both human and alien. This is a place for carnage. This is HALO" £ А. CORNERED, | ED, AND OUTNUMBERED. 7 WS IS; GOOD NEWS. IIIS III IA % microsoft.com/games/halo > ONLY ON Ж > : | R № SSS О ` ВАЙ Глаузганоп-2 JX » \ 2 AC ADDICT Ultimate Surf Action. Drop into 20 of the world’s sweetest breaks with 13 of the world’s hottest surfers. From Teahupoo to Pipeline to Huntington, use the moves that made guys like Taj Burrow, Andy Irons and Shane Dorian famous to pull off massive airs, blazing tailslides and hundreds of other mind-numbing tricks. Immerse yourself in an endless set of waves that look and feel like the real thing. Keep an eye on your karma meter. Hitch a ride with the Reef Girls. Watch out for hungry sharks. And remember to save your best stuff for the photographers who might put you on the cover of TransWorld SURF www.transworldgames.com Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info. TransWorld SURF* © 2001 Infogrames, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed by Angel Studios. Infogrames under license. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks By Dan "Shoe" Hsu • shoe@ziffdavis.com EDITORIAL ear Nintendo, І know you, as arguably the world's best game developer, like to try new and innov- ative things. Hey, that's terrific. | wish everyone (cough...Tomb Raider...cough) would be So ambitious. But lemme tell you something as a gamer who's a big fan of just about every one of your franchises (and | know this is going [0 sound hypocritical coming from me, a game jour- nalist/critic): Some things you just shouldn't mess with too much. I'm talking about Link's new look for the new Legend of Zelda for GameCube (see page 24). Besides our news editor, whose mental stability is a bit questionable anyway, | don't know any- one who's actually happy to see Link with his older subject, | don't know a single gamer who's looking forward to playing Metroid as a Doom clone without the platform gameplay we've grown up with during the days of the Nintendo and Super Nintendo. Save the new direction and complete makeovers for spin-off games, new franchises or Ricki Lake. (For example, no one seems to mind Star Fox Adventures is an action-adventure game, because you're not billing it as a space-combat sequel to Star Fox 64.) But for those pillars of the Nintendo camp like Zelda, Metroid, Mario and others, you'll have to drizzle the innovation on; don't drown these classics. Of course, I'll probably be eating my words later, when | discover that the Acme edition of new Looney Tunes-style antics. (The best reaction Zelda is the best one yet, so l'Il just save final l've seen so far is a tepid and optimistic, "Let's judgement for when the games are done.... see how the gameplay turns out.") And on an Shoe Contributing Writers Christian Nutt ELECTRONIC Number 14.11 GAMING November 2001 WWW.egmmag.com Editor in chief ў an “Shoe! ШЕП * sHoe@ziffdavis.com Merge Eaton Executive Editor Mark MacDonald е mark <_macdonald@ziffdavis.com Features Editoi М Ал Вораг • crispin. | boyer@ziffdavis.com ews Edito “re Johnston енгіз _johnston@ziffdavis.com ewart@ziffdavis.com er • dean. \_hager@ziffdavis. сот сеп Ssociate Et itor Kraig Kujawa е kraig_kujawa@ziffdavis.com Associate Editor Jonathan Dudlak айтап. dudlak@ziffdavis.com Associate Fditor/Art Dick Gen jeanne Kim • jeanne kimQziffdavis.com піс Я o пу Minch » • tricks@ziffdavis.com Cont Or Vn Mark Saltzman, Bryan БЫЧ» і, Ethan Einhorn, Christian Nutt, Shane Bettenhausen, Gary Мойоһап, ris Baker, David Hodgson Japanese Corres nde} КЕ цаад buch, Jo! | Johr Ricciardi A ‘Axel борт Senn Art Director. АЛ S ril iss ок е cyril_wochok@ziffdavis.com rt Directo) Mike Reisel е mike_reisel@ziffdavis.com Managing Copy Editor Jenner Whitesides Ше ЕП Director Senior Production Manager ‘Anne Marie Miguel Pre Media Manager е Assistant Production Manager егеза Newson Project Leader Mark LeFebvre е mark. lefebvreGziffdavis.com Customer Support Analys Peter Felonk e peter i "felonkGziffdavis. сот Ex-Gamers.com editors (who all used to work with Shoe) are in the house. Shane, Мг. Hardcore himself, is here to help out Marc Saltzman Industry freelancer Marc Saltzman went underground to get the dirt on the sub- ject no one in our industry really wants to talk about: video game emulation. with the Xbox and Devil May Cry coverage. Mr. Nutt (no relation to Mr. Nutz, the video game squirrel) is another ex- Gamers.com editor. This month, he did our great Shenmue || preview. Bryan Stratton No one knows wrestling better than Bryan “Тһе Pebble" Stratton. That's why we got this ex-/ncite, ex-Gamers.com-er to pen our wrasslin' feature this month. Ethan Einhorn Can you believe Ethan gave up earning inconsistent pay as an EGM freelancer to get a steady job at our new sister mag, GameNOW? Bitch. Fresh off his stint at Video Game Review and Pojo, Gary is now back on the team as a contributor. He's also taken to read- ing the socio-conscious comic-strip Pogo. Eat My Shorts! Look around this issue for quotes from The Simpsons or a famous movie. Find one, e-mail it to us at EGM@ziffdavis.com 22, ject: Eat Му 5һогі5-- November Issue), and you may be one of five lucky ЕРЕ (chosen at random) who will win АМО ‚ РЦЈ5 а bunch of games for all three! see page 236 to enter. р We use EarthLink for our online gaming needs. EarthLink’ асо) this month's Review Crew Game ofi te, lonth. Some quotes from the issue #147: ће ol ultra-violence..." (A Clockwork е, pg. 14) he hunter becomes the hunted.” (Lots o’ rent movies, pg. 94) * "We're no scienticians..." (Simpsons, pg.142) * “From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good..." (Simpsons, pg. 146) Winners from the issue #146: lob Baiata — Baltimore, MD аш Fuerstenau — Portland, OR justin Reese— White Oak, PA ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY (ISSN 41058918) is published monthly by Ziff Davis Media nc, 28 East 28th Street, New York, МУ 10016. Periodicals Class Postage Paid at New York, NY 10016 and additional тайт offices. Single issue rates: $499. The опе year (12 issue) subscription rate is $24.97 in the US. and $407 outside the US, Checks must be made payable in US. currency only to Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Electronic Gaming Monthly, P.O. Bax 55722, Boulder, CO 80322-5722. For subscription service questions, address changes, or to order, please con tact us at: Web: http://service.egmmag.com (for customer service) or ht scribe-egmmag.com (to order); Phone: U.S. and Canada (800) 779-174 ог (850) 682-7624, elsewhere (303) 604-744 Mail: Electronic Gaming Monthly, Р.О, Box 55722, Boulder, CO 803: (please include your mailing label with апу correspondence as it contains information that will expedite. processi Fax: US, and Canada (850) 683-4094, elsewhere (303) 604-0518; E-mail (pl our full name and the address at which you subscribe; do not send attachments): egm@neadata.com. The editors and publisher are not responsible for unsolicited materials. Without limiting the rights under copyrights reserved herein, по part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, ог transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the the prior written notice of Ziff Davis Media Inc. To reuse any material in this publication, obtain a permission request form at wwwicopyrightcom/ziffdavis/, or have а form faxed or mailed to you by calling (425)430-1663. Copyright © 200: Ziff Davis Media . Al Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part with out permission is prohibited. For permission to reuse materialin this publication (or on this Web site) or to use our logo, contact Ziff Davis Media's Rights and Permissions Manager. For reprints, contact Reprint Services at 800-217- 7874. Olga Gonopolsky, Ziff Davis Media Inc. 28 E. 28th St, New York, NY 10016. Tel: 212-503-5438. fax 212-503-5420, olga_gonopolsky@ziffdavis.com. Electronic Gaming Monthly and EGM are trademarks of Ziff Davis Media Inc. TM and © for all other products and the characters contain in are owned by the respective trademark and copyright owners. All materials listed in this magazine ate subject to manufacturers" change and the publisher assumes no responsibilty for such changes. The Canadian GST Registration number is 140496720 RT. Reading this far down the page means you either have too much time on your hands, or your vision is really incredible. So how are you doing? Are you free for dinner Friday night? Wow, that’s too bad. The Ponderosa calls my name. Printed in the USA. Audi Bureau oF Crcuations Vice President/Game Group Dale Strani Business Director. а hy Bendoff Circulation Director - Joan Mcinerney Circulation Director irley Ме Senior Newsstand Sales Manager Don Galen SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE NUMBER: WEB SITI т PLEASE SEND ALL SUBSCRIPTION | QUESTIONS TO: DO NOT CONTACT THE EDITORS RE: SUB. 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РА АМО .com Regiona ales Manager] Техас, Washington, San Francisco ОШ Mori Yamaguchi 5:357- 4914 4 * marciy@ziffdavis.com Account Xecutive/ Texas, Washington, San Francisco Territory Meighan O'Rourke 15:25 (ар 920% meighan_orourke@ziffdavis.com белігі ЕНШІ Manager & Creative Director 2 егеу leddaGziffdavis.com Е (oF Annie Lipscomb. 4159478 248% anne »_lipscomb@ziffdavis.com Adver КШ (0011 357: 1930 LI 2M ubbelohde@ziffdavis.com Sales] 5515141 ет laut Qu. 8 2708 • kristeen lautGziffdavis.com Sal еле! 415- АЕ 5783 e cheryl_farrell@ziffdavis.com Founder Steve Harris MIDWAY www.midway.com ме KNOW HITZ. Heads Up. The first adrenaline-style hockey game is here. Only NHL Hitz 20-02 delivers intense action from the NHL's experts of impact. Feel the crushing checks and super-sonic slapshots as eye-popping next-generation graphics bring teams, super-charged players and fantasy arenas to unparalled brilliance. With hits this hard. you won't need a ref to get ejected from the ice. Violence NINTENDO GAMECUBE. PlayStation-2 HL? Hitz" © 2001 Midway Home Entertainment Inc. HIT jepicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respect e used, under license, by Midway Home Entertainment In tademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries an and marks ИРА and registered Me Microsoft, Xbox, а 2001 Nintendo. "PlaySta е tom Мелово, Тс ч КЕ АЙП ЕПУ МОЛ + Aeauing sew Sour ENHANCEMENTS, ruvsi AND RELICS. + ENHANCED серен YE + Devoun THE SOULS OF ПЕШ Enemies Blood and Gore Violence WUW.LEGACYOFKAi А STORY BEYOND TIME. AN ADVENTURE BEYOND BELIEF. Ж. омот ШАШ Е: Games WITH CHARACTER Б пе Я VM ‘OP зні 804 NYIN змо ATNO SI ЗУЗНІ аму 83H V $033N 1140М 3H1 у DAo2'squvov321MM МОЭ УЗ 200 MMM мв MN рсе a ludas хдо р por eps eg позу а asa] spa ps а] оре sy ряд Su надае ве Sa 3 О адо нура ада О орд аю об SAMY Y3 Эй P SAIYA ҮЗ SUY meaa YT $ egt) ss рий pee т ено зони pole ptg sawar zapo е pue S0601 su pue ung ри sump Pung sawer оде у олу pap pt or leg О) eundo ето weve) seg aues зац зари) aby y PAASA SHU ру 24 S rag 400) (ice ssundooo ету opt yao pe susndao ау аде po ал [n зваў o TALLOWIINT WOW "ралше sey (11409 jo uonereuefi хаш ayy ‘uone N3342S-LI1dS HIAVTd-HNO4 ¥! #0083 1п0/ fiery “aqol6 ay 550122 Па ваш 91014001 ILOKA O Aunor ТЫ ONOG SNINNRLS HN "АНМОЧУЗАА HO3I-IH PAIN "5199009 зао“ ај Jar 97 о pue 110S c ING “980 «МІНУ NOLSY ap Виртон ‘sieasyots novo м THA НП билеуін ‘NOLL NOSHBd- HH sm 'SNOISSIH ЭШП04-3$1П4 ZL Ч Хести аслаш «лордов ай 104 Afegoots ралдар 3n |N3AQY CANOVE-NOLIY "ele оу wd ЗІП INDY "! 2200 puog sawer g'uoneisÁAeld іса эц шаша} oun los j0 speuapen pua ал bn ш ga oe Z ван, DY MNA I LL зуға рај pog уй ago ү: pue soe] sy pae ung pag sause ‘L0) QNOB SRNY iy за sog г-нда jo yewapen e siu pa y 30 suy 9802201002 Ф. злавалі ЗАЦЭЎНЗІМІ WIN PY SIWY УЗ "ABojouua293 эбра-бицзпэ Bungsiuo3sy CONTENTS Game Directory 80 89 104 116 206 76 134 120 91 216 80 134,206 112 68-69 134 128 206 220 222 89 130 222 208 134 89 120 136 216 128 210 122 October 2001 Issue 147 Features Ace Combat 4 Akira Psychoball All-Star Baseball 2002 Amped Arctic Thunder Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Batman: Vengeance Buffy the Vampire Slayer Burnout Castlevania Chronicles Commandos 2 Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 Dead or Alive 3 Devil May Cry Dokapon Dragon Warrior IV Extreme-G 3 Final Fight One Fortress Frequency Nintendo's Brave New World What's this? A new look for Link? The first in-game Metroid screens? And what the heck's that thing Golden Sun on Mario's back? We're back from Nintendo's Spaceworld show in High Heat MLB 2002 Japan with the full scoop on the new Mario, Zelda and Metroid games Ico bound for GameCube and Game Boy Advance. See Nintendo's pole Mad Trix gameplan revealed on page 140. Kabuki Warriors MagiNation: Keeper's Quest Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX Mega Man X6 Monster Rancher 3 MX2002 feat. Ricky Carmichael MxXrider NASCAR Heat 2002 NASCAR Thunder 2002 NBA Live 2002 NBA ShootOut 2002 NCAA Final Four 2002 It just wouldn't be a Nintendo NCAA Football 2K2 console without a Star Wars нен QA It’s Wrestling-Mania We dive into game, now would it? — NFL Fever the ring with this fall's big LucasArts has brushed aside NFL GameDay 2002 brawlers—WWF SmackDown! Just all of that Episode I crap to give us an old-school Imperial romp that kicks ass. Come see why Rogue Leader is the Star Wars game we've dreamt of on page 96. Bring It (Р52), WWF Raw Is War (Xbox) and Legends of Wrestling (PS2)—to find out which game takes the title. Page 166. Nightcaster Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee Okage: Shadow King One Piece Mansion Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 Police 911 Portal Runner Project Eden Project Gotham Shenmue II Silent Hill 2 Spider-Man 2 Enter: Electro Splashdown Spy Hunter SSX Tricky Star Wars: Rogue Leader Stuntman Sunny Garcia Surfing Super Monkey Ball PRONZE 10008. Bold new boarders are flying high in the sequel to EA's extreme cash cow. Is SSX Super street Fighter Turbo Blow Your Mind No less than Tricky going to kick up the Tekken eight first-person shooters аге same amount of powder as Thing, The gunning for consoles this fall. We the original? The answer's Thunderstrike: Operation Phoenix Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Tsugunai UFC: Tapout Unreal Championship Wario Land Advance Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land World of Outlaws Sprint Cars 2002 X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse Yu-Gi-Oh! Zone of the Enders 2173: Testament round up the action genre politi- cians love to hate on page 176. on page 74. Keys to the Kingdom Video game emulators— programs that let you play nearly any game, anywhere, anytime —are a touchy topic in this biz. Are they harmless fun or software piracy? We look at both sides of the issue on gai page 194. Elect nmag.com Jr p Editorial 6 @ Letters 18 (ёд Press Start 24 Lara Croft's creator may have parted ways with his vixen, but we'll show you why he's ready to set sail with a whole new adventure. And speaking of old favorites, read about the next Ridge Racer and Soul Calibur! @ Gossip =ге Xo. Previews 64 It's time to get an early idea of what you want under the tree this holiday season, and we have a sleigh full of blockbusters to show you. Devil May Cry, Baldur's Gate and SSX Tricky are looking spectacular for the PS2. If you're thinking about buying an Xbox, then look at the 13 games we have lined up for you, including Oddworld and Dead or Alive 3. Review Crew 204 Silent Hill 2 has gotten a lot of buzz, but is it really king of the mountain? Also, check out our Ico review, and find out why we're all humming a particular Peter Gunn theme around the office. @ Tricks 224 @ The Final Word 240 Zelda is looking less like a serious adventure and more like a Sat- urday-morning cartoon. Get our take on Link’s wacky, new high jinks. № = PlayStation 2 GameCube Xbox Dreamcast PlayStation Game Boy Advance Game Boy Color р У PlayStation.) B! 7 x ~ TIME, CRASH IS GOING TO М | THE HELP НЕ CAN ЕЙ RATING PENDING Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info. Features Shaun Palmer and 9 other top pro riders. GAMEBOY E [GAME BOY ADVANCE | a | COLOR BOY, ANCE w Патѕите | Activision 02, Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder and Pro Snowboarder are trademarks of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Shaun veloped by LT.. and Game Boy Advance version developed by Natsume, Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for ent inc. Licensed by Nintendo. Game Bay Color and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. © 1989, 1998, and 2001 егу of their respective owners. ДР з r ай j ias > m «a, mots. SHAUN PALMERS IPRO/SnOLUBOARDER You'll need everything you've got to keep up. І own 6 Winter X-Games gold medals and I’m not slowing down anytime soon. Session with me and some of the best pro riders including Tara Dakides, Shaun White, Ross Powers, and others as you Na IVISIO jrop into 8 levels based on real world-class resorts. With an insane trick style game-play, this video game is the ultimate snowboarding challenge. Pull the sickest tricks off anything in sight, defy gravity using hundreds of realistic moves, 1 4 ind link combos to access еріс new terrain. Still think you can ride like me? Well step up or step off. Soundtrack includes songs by Static-X, Papa Roach and Alien Ant Farm. ў ACTIVISIONO2.CON ACTUAL 5CREEN 5НОТ REALISM TO THE МАХ—ТНЕ FIST РС GAME WITH PHOTO-DIGITIZED “ТЕХЗІМЕЕ5РАООБІТУ LIGHTING AN. н OWARE, тш col М Я еј Asst ING” у= АТТА РАО ВЕКЕ ғо 7 ug WA ао зите DIFFICULTY, КЕЕ: N GAMNG. SELF-AU I or GAMEPLAY BLISS. LEST, АМО INCREDIBLY SIGNIFICANT sir ITS THE STORY THE STORVAS ALWAYS dh p = о " ки hel, < ==; у ға % + 4 * £ а d e T v. т га \ "> p 1 Ea > ind у, “ыш EVERYTHING RIPPED APART. IN А НЕМ га | THEWIOLENT, COLD URBAN NIGHT. A FU UNDE | | ВУ COPS AND THE МОВ. MAX IS А MAN imi HIS BAC FIGHTING А ru HOPE ТО WIN. PREPARE FOR А NEW BREED OF D GAME. PREPARE FOR | PAIN REMEDY ENTERTAINMENT AND PRODUCED BY 3D REAL | | BOUT А МАН ON THE EDGE, FIGHTING FOR HIS JU THE GRITTY BOWELS OF NEW YORK DURING THE | Letters to the Editors LETTER FACTS • Number of letters written from correctional facilities: 2 • Most number of letters written by the same person in one month: 8 • Number of letters from people thinking they STILL won a GameShark for doing absolutely nothing: 34 Congratulations, Kris Randazzo, you win an InterAct GameShark for PlayStation 2, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 or Game Boy Color. LETTER OF THE MONTH The Weakest Link? "ve been an avid reader of your mag- azine for quite some time now, and I just don't feel like | have anywhere else to turn during this troubled time. | have been a Nintendo fan for as far back as can remember. But lately, it's been pretty hard to be a fan of them at all, et alone video games in general. What I’m pointing to in particular is this new look for Zelda. | guess I’m not so much disappointed as | am insulted. "m 20 years old, so while | got my start on the Atari 2600, my first real video game experiences took place on the Nintendo Entertainment System. To me, the best of those were the Mario, Zelda and Metroid games. The Super NES came along and made those games ^| can't get over how much І want to play а heautiful new Zelda game with adult Link." spectacular by giving them an updated look while keeping the same familiar gameplay. And, of course, | can’t forget the wonderful Game Boy games. In those days, | was in gaming bliss. But now Nintendo has taken an amazing new Zelda video for Game- Cube (the Gannon fight) and turned it into a cartoon! Most of us older gamers are willing to give the new Metroid a try, but killing Zelda like that is unforgivable. By all rights, | should be leaping for joy that Soul Calibur 2 is coming to the Cube, but | can’t get over how much | want to play a beautiful new Zelda game with adult Link. So, | turn to you for support. My Dreamcast has been killed. The PS2 has bored me so much | haven't even felt the urge to think about buying one for any reason outside of Monkey Island, and my GameCube dreams are being smashed one by one. Gaming is my #1 hobby, but I'm having a hard time finding things to be thankful for. Kris Randazzo themaxx423@yahoo.com Whoa, whoa! Nintendo killed Zelda? That sounds a little harsh, don’t you think? It may not have been what you were expecting, and yeah, Link was a little too comical in the demo, but try to keep an open mind until we see some in-depth gameplay. The original Zelda is a graphical nightmare compared to any game on the market today, but it still feels and plays better than 75 percent of the stuff out there, right? Think of all your favorite franchises that have since been tainted by technology. Castlevania got butchered in 3D, Blaster Master and Contra dried up when designers tried to make them d “realistic,” and arcade faves like Centipede and Pac-Man have become standard guinea pigs for lame idea testing. How much would it suck to see Zelda go down the same road? The point is, you can only do two things to preserve a killer game franchise: Let it die at its peak, or keep new installments fresh without burning the series out. Nintendo's never had a bad Zelda game on one of their consoles, and whether you're into the graphical style or not, we doubt they're going to let this one drag Link down. If it does, we owe you a Coke. | have a subscription to your magazine, and Руе really enjoyed it until now. It seems that you guys are really starting to make a mockery of the Dreamcast while pushing the PS2. For example, in the latest issue, 4147, Madden was the game of the month with ratings of 9.0, 9.5 and 9.5, while WSB 2К2 got ratings of 6.0, 6.0 and 4.5. Come on guys, stop trying to phase out the DC with bad reviews. kraken712@peoplepc.com A50-foot leprechaun wearing a horseshoe necklace couldn’t luck the DC out of its downward spiral, and we object to the insinuation that the DC’s demise is our fault. Ooga Booga, Sonic Adventure 2, Daytona, Unreal Tournament and Phantasy Star Online are just some of the DC games in recent times that scored at least a 6 across the board (with 5 as average, that means it’s good). The measure of a game isn’t in the console it plays on or who publishes it. You’ll see PS2 games get bad reviews from us all the time (check out how many PS2 games scored under 5.0 last issue). Now, if you came up with more than one example to back up your “trend,” we’d go on, but it seems you’re out of ammo. | just want to say that your magazine is off the hook, meaning it’s the best | ever read. Some of my co-workers and also people | know outside of work tease me about the fact | play video games and watch cartoons. | don't really care; I'll probably die laughing from watching an old episode of Tom & Jerry. | have been reading EGM for three years now and you guys gave me a backbone and the strength to say: | am a proud 27-year-old father of 8-year-old twins who loves to play video games and read EGM. Here in NYC, you have to keep it real, meaning you have to stay true to yourself no В б 4 matter what you like or do, so peace out (Upper Right Evolution: Link, From Elven NES Sprite to GameCube Boy Wonder and keep it real. Hector Cabrera Jr. Manhattan, NY Electronic Gaming Monthly - 18 - www.egmmag.com "8 PlayStation2 li К PlayStation.2 (M) Mature Audience ©2001 Target Stores: The Bulls trademark of Target Brand: || PlayStation. 'PROJSKATER: 2 54 PlayStation. METAL GEAR SOLID” п is a registered served. LETTERS Eat ours. Kids come to me to beat games for them. They even gave me the nickname "Video Game Master." Should | charge for help? David Milford Giardino, CT Of course! Roll your eyes and make fun of them a lot when they get stuck, especially the girls. Chicks dig that. | was wondering what the qualifi- cations are to become a gaming editor or tester? Bung78@aol.com In the immortal words of sassy art director Cyril Wochok: “General knowledge of plugs and outlets, familiarity with operation of on/off switches, and the ability to grasp cartridge/disc. But you can have my job when they pry it out of my cold, dead hands." In issue #145, І saw a picture from E3 of what looked to be. an Xbox and the box the unit comes in. Were they selling it and did you guys forget to tell us? William Blackledge Chalmette, LA — Man, we wish! We would have eBayed that junk faster than you can say, “$10,000 reserve.” No, unfortunately, Microsoft just mocked up a store display to give people a feel for the packaging. We're glad our mag has inspired you to take a stand, Hector. You’ve proven that even 27-year-old Tom & Jerry fans can live a full, happy life. You should come hang out with us sometime in Chicago...meaning please stay in New York and enjoy EGM from a safe distance. of Fame | was recently rummaging through my old sci-fi movies and | came across one called Evolver. | popped it in, and within the first hour | see half an EGM cover sticking out of a kid’s drawer. You might want to look into this and start calling some people at Trimark. P.S. What are the chances that Soul Reaver 2 will still come out on DC? Tim tim942@home.com That’s funny; we keep copies of EGM in our dresser drawers, too. To answer your last question first: zero. Sorry. The good news is, we called some people at Trimark, and it turns out we're entitled to royalties on every single copy of Evolver ever sold. After we pay the postage due on our royalty check, we'll just about break even. Thanks for the heads-up. Games, Right, | think people forget about their old systems too easily and how much fun classic games can be. For example, І just got done with a stimulating round of Mario Kart for Super NES. My opponent was chasing me down with a red shell and all | had was a measly green. He was approaching from behind when I had a great idea. I waited until he fired, and right before I was hit, | shot my green shell directly behind me and in the path of the red E-mail us your thoughts, your wishes, your gripes, your innermost weirtiness...or your pictures, crazy screenshots or photos of bizarre game- related moments. By the way, “daring” us to print your letter is the quickest way to get it thrown in а те trash. Question of the Moment One word: grandparents! Rogue356@aol.com | sure am! І might not be able to play games like Dead or Alive 3 and Soul Calibur 2! Where would | be if | never played Half-Life? This makes me sick! supermarioi988@msn.com Not really, ‘cause most retailers are just looking for a quick, easy sale and don’t care how old you are. jehuty53085@yahoo.com Yeah, we are going to be missing out. Americans are too uptight about everything! If parents are inconsiderate enough to let their children play M-rated games, well that’s their bad. Stonefox1782@aol.com I've already missed so much, and now with Metal Gear Solid 2 and Silent Hill 2 coming out, what am | gonna play other than Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3? KlownH8er@aol.com Not really, because my mom wants to see the blood and gore and hear the cursing almost as much as | do! Emaniooo@hotmail.com Only if my wife pays attention to the ratings. scott_c_singer@yahoo.com | feel like | am missing out on a lot of games this year because almost 75 percent of games that are any good are rated M. You have the Resident Evil Series, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid 2, Grand Theft Auto III... mean, can’t they cut out some language and gore so us younger kids can play them? solid_snake87X@hotmail.com Next Month’s Question of the Moment: Send your short but sweet responses to: EGM@ziffdavis.com with the subject heading: ©2001 Target Stores. The Bullseye Design is a registered tradémark of Target Brands, Inc. All rights reserved. LETTERS You can write ЕСМ at: EGM Letters P.O. Box 3338 Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 e-mail: EGM@ziffdavis.com Please note: We reserve the right to edit any correspondence for space purposes. If you don't want your name, city/state or e-mail address printed, tell us so (but please include your phone number, mailing address and system preference for Letter of the Month prize consideration). Also note: Although we can't respond to every letter, as far as you know, we do read them all. Also, everything you send us is ours to keep! shell. It struck the red and | lived to see another day! This threw my opponent into a fit of rage and we pummeled each other until we were both grounded for a week. That's how much we got into a nearly 10-year-old game, so don’t forget the Nintendos and Segas that got us here today. Max Keyser Green Bay, WI An interesting story Max, interesting indeed. But there is one slight technical FLAW that leaves a gaping hole in your logic. You see, in the SNES version of Mario Kart, you didn't have the ability to shoot the shells backward. That feature didn't come in until Mario Kart 64. So, who are you really, Max? (pulling back mask) Aha! It's old Mr. Pennystock from the video arcade! Thought you could scare away all the kids and keep the games to yourself, did you? In last month's issue, | was looking at the games that were reviewed and saw that the scores for Resident Evil Code: Veronica on the PS2 were 8, 6, 2 and 5. | was sort of disappointed because it got a gold award when it didn't deserve one. No disrespect, but Sonic Adventure 2 got better scores: 8, 5, 6 and 7, and it didn't get any award whatsoever. | just think all the games should be graded fairly. Arthur Gonzalez Hot Springs, AZ Apparently someone hasn't been reading his intro page to the Review Crew! Do our homely faces offend you that much? The Platinum, Gold and Silver Awards are given out based on the average of the three overall review scores. The four scores you listed for each game pertain to graphics, sound, ingenuity and replay. While those small scores go into determining the overall marks for each review, the final score displayed behind the review text is the one that really indicates how we feel about a game, and the one that'll score it an award if it is so deserving. And Code: Veronica is soo deserving. MORE SHORTS Has anyone ever thought about developing a game about the movies Silence of the Lambs or Hannibal? l20ckBotm@aol.com Yes, as well as this bite-sensitive controller for the action scenes. OK, we're lying. What does SNK stand for? Brandon Collins New Orleans, LA As reported in EGM #134'5 Press Start, it stands for Shin Nihon Kikau, which we think is Japanese for “Тһе People's Elbow." Aren't you glad you asked? or Game Boy Color. letter art to: Letter Art of the Month WINNER | Kenneth LaChapelle 11% San Diego, СА Congratulations, Kenneth LaChapelle 11! Your prize is on the way-an InterAct GameShark for PlayStation 2, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 Put your creative skills to the test by decking out a #10 envelope (the long, business type) with your own unique touch. Send your EGM Letter Art, РО. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 (ог e-mail EGM@ziffdavis.com) Be sure to include a mailing address, and tell us what system you'd like your prize for, in case you win. АП entries become the property of Ziff Davis Media Inc. and will not be returned! Toadally Good Idea Is it just me, or has everyone forgotten about the frogs? That's right, Battletoads! Whatever happened to them? Is there any word about Battletoads coming out for GameCube or Nintendo 64? Angel Diaz San Jose, CA PUES SEM LKE TEND д Wow, we haven't heard from the Toads since the days of the Genesis and Super NES. Well, by our best estimation, Midway should own that license about now (they bought out Tradewest, who did the original Battletoads game on the NES). Whether they know it or care is another story. Why dontcha drop them a line and remind them? N64 is probably out of the question, but there is a petition in progress on the Net for Rare to do a GBA version. 22) GAMESHARK | | | Ultra Confusing | came across an old Nintendo game ad that features both Metal Gear and Snake's Revenge for the NES, but...it Says they were both made by Ultra. Did Konami not have a piece of this great pie from the start? Did it go from Ultra to Konami along the way? Tim Lammers Milwaukee, WI Actually, Tim, Ultra is a division of Konami. Back in the late “805, when most of those games were made, Nintendo imposed a limit on the number of games any one company could publish as a quality-control measure. For some top-tier publish- ers, like Konami, Nintendo made an exception and allowed them to submit more titles under a different name. So, Konami set up Ultra and churned out a lot of really cool games like Metal Gear, Ninja Turtles and Skate or Die. These days, it's all just Konami, but if the MGS2 demo is any indication, the quality over there hasn't slipped any. Not quite Sharkworthy... Bad luck to these guys.... Better luck next time. Leslie Smith Portland, OR D. Phillips Mt. Vernon, IN For Letter of the Month and Letter Art of the Month contests, по purchase is necessary. If you're really bored and want to read the complete contest legal rules, please visit onregmmag com or write us at: EGM Contests-Legal Rules Request, .0. Box 3338, бәк Brook, IL 60522-3338. Alter reading the rules, please get a life. Don't forget to tell us what system you'd ке your prize for, and don't forget to give us your physical mailing address as wel. or else, no prize for you! Electronic Gaming Monthly - 22 - www.egmmag.com HOW FAST зо YOU LICE YOUR WOMEN? By Chris Johnston chris_johnston@ziffdavis.com & Jonathan Dudlak jonathan_dudlak@ziffdavis.com Press Start Spaceworld Reveals Missing Links Zelda pulls a Paper Mario, GBA gets wired to console as Nintendo heads into Cubist period The Hottest Gaming News on the Planet Between the huge eyes, oversized shield and wispy hair, Link’s a lot more like the spritely young elf we remember from the Nintendo and Super Nintendo days. Wonder what princess Zelda will think.... For screenshots and an in-depth look at everything else shown at the Spaceworli he mantra of Nintendo execs at this past Tess Electronic Entertainment Expo was “Wait until Spaceworld." Where's Mario for GameCube? Wait until Spaceworld. What about the Game Boy Advance hookup to the GC? Wait until Spaceworld. Is GameCube going to go online? Wait until Spaceworld. Well, Nintendo's oft-mentioned Japanese convention has come and gone, and they technically made good on most of their promises. Showing staggeringly brief yet brand- new clips of Mario Sunshine and Metroid Prime on the Cube, and Animal Forest and Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble for GBA (all detailed in our feature on page 140), Nintendo made it clear that they have most of their junk together. Oh, and there was one other game... The only title to get a round of applause (the Japanese equivalent of storming the field and tearing down the goalpost) at Nintendo's press conference was The Legend of Zelda for GameCube. If you've seen any of the movies online, you already know it's taken a radical new artistic direction compared to the intense graphical detail displayed in the Link/Gannon showdown that's been circulating for over a year now. The altered visual style has been likened to everything from early Warner Bros. cartoons to PaRappa the Rapper, and has a lighter, much simpler look. The demo reel shows a cartoony Link smirking mischievously and besting bad guys in trite comical manners. Nintendo just for Illustration by Mike Reisel kids? Nah...according to designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the team wanted to get away from the realistic-looking Link on the Nintendo 64 in order to give him his own new GameCube style. While Zelda is riding high with a new look, Metroid Prime is still walking on eggshells with the gaming public. Nintendo showed another 10 seconds of footage, all in-game this time, with the Miyamoto-mandated first-person perspective in place. Without the proper introduction, you might think you're looking at a Half-Life port to GameCube, but Nintendo is showing far too little of this game to indicate whether it’s going to sink or swim. On a more positive note, Miyamoto unveiled the closest thing to Mario 64 we've yet seen for the Cube. Dubbed Mario Sunshine and shown in a brief video at the conference, the game looks like it could tip at any time toward becoming either a 3D Mario adventure or a more Electronic Gaming Monthly - 24 - www.egmmag.com show, see page 140. experimental Mario side project a la Luigi's Mansion. If there's a theme for first-party GameCube development, though, it's to keep the options open. Much like Zelda and Metroid, we may see Mario Sunshine take a new direction while under the knife. Nintendo originally scheduled the GameCube to hit retail Nov. 5. The bad news: GameCube has been pushed back almost two weeks to a new release date of Nov. 18. The good news: Nintendo's upping the quantity to 700,000 to help avoid shortages at retail. Nintendo's director of corporate planning, Satoru Iwata, explains: “For us, it was really a decision in terms of how we can best meet peoples’ expectations after E3. We decided to come to market with a larger quantity of units. The actual volume of units мете going to have on the initial day is increased by about 23 percent.” Nintendo pushing their console back gives Microsoft a 10-day jump on hardware and software sales if the Xbox holds its Nov. 8 date. Iwata, however, feels that each system attracts a different kind of customer: “We just don’t think that people who were going to buy GameCube are going to go out and buy Microsoft’s product, be satisfied with that, and not buy GameCube.” Metroid Prime QUALITY VIEWING Looking for something to watch on Friday nights? Check out Electric Playground, shown at 7:30 p.m. EST in the U.S. on Discovery Science (different from the Crocodile Hunter-infested Discovery Channel) and in Canada on Space Channel at 12:30 p.m. EST. There you'll find plenty of good gaming info and reviews with hosts Tommy Tallarico and Victor Lucas. Topics on the show in October include Gundam games, NFL 2K2 Vs. Madden 2002 and a look at Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox). UNCHING THE CUBE “We just don't think that people who were going to buy GameCube are going 10 go out and buy Microsoft's product, пе satisfied with | NeW GameCube that, and not buy GameCube.” -Nintendo director of corporate planning, Satoru Iwata Release Stats (U 5) Ботис Adventure 2 Phantasy Star Online: Along with the release date, Nintendo ў has amended some of their figures for hardware and peripherals for the Nov. 18 launch of the GameCube. Here's a quick rundown of what you can expect to see and pay on day one if you're looking to score a Cube. Ld қ к Launch Date: Nov. 18, 2001 Portable Plans 2 and the next Ridge Racer title to the Cube, North American Allocation: While GameCube dominated the show, neither of those games are exclusive to GC. 700,000 units, with plans to ship an Nintendo revealed a lot of plans for the Game Iwata is still optimistic. “It’s going to be easier additional 400,000 units by year-end Boy Advance, many of which involved its for third parties to develop for the GameCube MSRP: $199.95 (Three system colors connectivity to the GC. A new version of Kirby now that мете no longer on a cartridge available: Purple, Orange and Black) Tilt ‘n’ Tumble, due out in Japan by May 2002, format,” he reassures, citing Sega, Electronic Memory Card Price: $14.95 makes use of the same physics model as the Arts, THQ, Activision and Acclaim as current Controller Price: $34.95 Game Boy Color game. It can also be patched developers on board with the Cube. (raised from original quote of through the GameCube with the GBA as a Then there’s the issue of older gamers $19.95) controller via a special link cable. The GBA being put off by Nintendo’s “just for kids” version of Animal Forest will also use the GC image. While the PS2 and Xbox are definitely First-Party Titles link, allowing users to draw backgrounds and skewed toward more mature players, утв textures on the GBA, then upload them into the Nintendo considers themselves part of the Luigi's Mansion GameCube game. teen/adult audience, as well. *Most of the (Nov. 18) Nintendo also expanded on the GBA Card E time, the people saying that we make games Wave Race: Blue Storm (Nov. 18) Reader's functionality. The unit attaches to the only for kids have been our competitors," Pikmin (ships Nov. 19) back of the GBA and reads information from Iwata explains. "We don't want the public to Super Smash Bros. Melee (ships Dec. 3) encoded data cards. It will launch for use with have that impression. We can create games Eternal Darkness (ships Dec. 3) specialized Pokémon trading cards that hold that make younger children happy, but those tactical and tutorial info, minigames and short same games are still going to be popular with First-Party Titles for First Quarter 2002: Pokémon movies, but the Card E Reader will be older players." МВД COU E со expanded to work with other games once it is The last big question mark follows CEO E DBI established. Nintendo also showed several GameCube’s online connectivity. “Nintendo has third-party GBA titles including Tekken, King of a different attitude regarding online,” says Fighters, Gradius Galaxies and — — - Iwata. “It’s just one portion of Super Mario Advance 2 VOS NE М”. (essentially a port ofthe Super 7 a NS Nintendo's Super Mario World). " 1 What Ahout...? Nobody doubts the strength of Nintendo's first-party titles; it's the third-party support that has people concerned. While Namco is bringing Soul Calibur a larger ideal for what could happen with gaming in the future, but right now there are a lot of questions around а sustainable business model." For lwata’s comments on a plan for Phantasy Star Online and a complete breakdown of the Spaceworld show, turn to the feature on page 140. E Nintendo will release a cable that enables you to connect your Game Boy 1 = ы б Advance to the GameCube, but a street Super Smash à E ба BE у date and pricing are not yet available. In Bros. Melee |, 4 и Japan, the cable sells for $1,400 yen, ог Құй | approximately 512. InterAct will һауе their CubeLink Advanced Cable available for $9.99 at launch. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 25 - www.egmmag.com uo 4 T Kombat Kontinued It's been a long time since the word “Fatality” was uttered in a fighting game. Midway aims to correct that in 2002 with a new installment of its popular mid-'9os fighter, Mortal Kombat. Ed Boon, co- creator of the series, and his team are hard at work on the fifth installment, but whatever you do —dor't call it MKs. The title is simply (drum roll please) Mortal Kombat. Fans won't find any Friendships or Babalities here. It's being pitched as a complete reworking of the game, bringing it back to its more violent roots. New characters will join familiar faces like Scorpion, Liu Kang and Kano. And yes, there will be lots of blood. At a recent Midway event, we saw a short (but promising) clip of Scorpion doin' some warm-up moves within a real-time 3D environment. Since Midway has exited the arcade business, the new MK will debut on console (specific platforms are to be determined). Also on the slate: a Game Boy Advance MK. Prepare yourself! МК concept art RAIDER AND FANTA WE Missed this summer's Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy flicks? Both movies are coming to DVD (and home video) with enough bonus features to make up for their subpar plots. Final Fantasy hits first, on Oct. 23, in a lavish two-disc set with commentary by just about everybody (except director | Hironobu Sakaguchi), a virtual tour of Square Pictures, and even a bonus | | | “Thriller” video starring the CG cast. Tomb Raider hits DVD on Nov. 13 with deleted scenes, featurettes on the Lara Croft phenomenon, three | А | levels from the PC games (if you play it in a DVD-ROM drive) and more. | Xbox Japan Date, Nabs Soul Calibur 2 Microsoft sets a Japanese launch date and publishers show off new titles istorically speaking, the U.S. always has H to wait a few months for the latest video game hardware to sail across the Pacific. So maybe it's only fair that Japanese gamers will have to wait for Xbox (arguably the most promising American console in years). Microsoft broke the news during a press conference in Tokyo, held just one day after Nintendo's Spaceworld closed shop. The new Japanese launch date is Feb. 22, 2002. While keeping quiet on the system's Japanese price tag, the company did say that software would retail for 6800 yen ($56), the same MSRP as new PlayStation 2 and GameCube titles. To soften the blow of the delay news, several key publishers were on hand to make new game announcements. Namco revealed that they will release Xbox versions of Soul Calibur 2 and the latest Ridge Racer title (expected to feature online racing). GameCube and Р52 versions of both titles are also planned. In addition, they are working on two exclusive titles: Dead to Rights (coming to PS2, too) and an unnamed action-adventure title to be shown later. Sega had three titles to show, all scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2002: Sega GT 2002 from Wow Entertainment, and Gun Valkyrie and Jet Set Radio Future from Smilebit. Record label Grand Royal's Latch Brothers production team will provide the remixed tunes for JSRF, including hits by bands Q-Tip, BS2000 and Bran Van 3000. JSRF will hit the U.S. on Feb. 12, 2002. Tecmo brought a brand-new Dead or Alive 3 trailer to the party. They confirmed that the Japanese version of Dead or Alive 3 will be enhanced from the U.S. version, and Aerosmith will provide the game's title track. Capcom's Keiji Inafune demonstrated Genma Onimusha, a remix of the PS2 game that's also scheduled for launch. This time enemies can Suck souls just like the hero, and the team has added new areas, cinemas and a secret outfit. After completing the PS2 version, Konami is hard at work on Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams for the February launch, with a few changes and improvements. The film grain look is gone, supposedly because the game looks great without it. The team assured the crowd that this will be the ultimate version of Silent Hill 2. It remains to be seen whether or not Xbox can succeed in Japan, especially after the headstarts the PS2 and GC will have by the time it launches. But with titles like the ones announced and displayed at the conference (shown below), it's sure going to be off to a great start in February. Seed 51/2002: It's different down here. Down here, introductions are rarely in the form of a handshake. EN SPORTS It's in the дате" > Down here, rims аге not the only thing that can be easily rattled. It's in the game Down here, 2nd and 3rd are not places, they're gears. EN SPORTS: It's in the дате” EA SPORTS" 2002. THE ULTIMATE ALL-ACCESS SPORTS PASS. Down here, momentum swings on a pendulum. Pain is part of the uniform. And sweat is a form of currency. EA SPORTS"2002 presents unprecedented access to the wide,wide,wide-eyed world of sports. This is opportunity knocking. On your forehead. With a skillet. 69001 Electronic Arts Inc. EA SPORTS, the EA SPORTS logo, "It's in the game" and John Madden Football are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved. ©2001 NFLP. Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. All other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks of the National Football League. Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC logo is registered trademark of the NFL players. wwwnfiplayers сот (62001 PLAYERS INC. Game Boy Color is а trademark of Nintendo. Nintendo GameCube is a trademark of Nintendo. ©2001 Nintendo. NASCAR is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. Jeff Gordon" name, signature and like- ness; "DuPont trademark, and likeness of #24 Hendrick Motorsports car used under license granted from J. б. Motorsports, Inc. #21: The ‘Motorcraft’ trademarks, Wood Brothers Racing and Elliott Sadler's name and/or likeness used by authority of Roush Racing, Livonia, MI #36: ©2001 MB? Motorsports/KSR, Inc. G M&M's', “М” and the "M&M's" Characters are the trademarks of Mars, Inc. and its affiliates. Mars, Inc. 2001. #8: The name, signature and likeness of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are licensed under the administration of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. #97: The Papermate, Rubbermaid, and Sharpie trademarks are trademarks of Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. or its subsidiaries and are used by permission. Roush Racing and Kurt Busch's name and/or likeness used by authority of Roush Racing, Livonia, Michigan. ©2001 license for driver, helmet, car and uniform granted by J. G. Motorsports, Inc. Chevrolet, Monte Carlo, Pontiac, Grand Prix, the Chevrolet "Bow Те" emblem, the Pontiac "Arrowhead" emblem, and vehicle model body designs are General Motors trademarks used under license to Electronic Arts, Inc.All other car, team, and driver images, track names, trademarks, and other intellectual property are used under license from their respective owners. The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. ©2001 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. ‘PlayStation’ and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. EA SPORTS” is an Electronic Arts™ brand. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. easports.com ао! keyword: easports EVERYONE PlayStation.e E GEE Er PC ® ШІ NASCAR | PLAYERSE FGM Travels to Classic Gaming Expo 2001 for a Blast Thru the Past to video games, you probably can't imagine a time when controllers had a joystick and one button, and an American company dominated the hardware market. | can just barely remember browsing the aisles of the local Toys ‘R’ Us filled with Atari 2600 games. It may be hard to believe, but 20-odd years after the first Atari 26005 took over homes across America, some would still rather jam on old- school systems than the latest PS2 or Dreamcast shoot-'em-ups. Are they crazy? Yes, and for one 'eekend they all got together to celebrate the ames of old at Classic Gaming Expo 2001, held E f PlayStation was your first exposure as Those at CGE looking to complete their game collections found plenty, spread between pre-Nintendo hardware including Atari, Colecovision, Intellivision and Vectrex. Anything post-1984 without the Atari name on it was neglected, including a large selection of Мео•бео carts on sale from NGS-USA. Deals got gobbled up quickly by Saturday morning, leaving some prices that were enough to cause heart failure— $50 for a Miner 2049er Atari 2600 cart!? Insane! The other big draw was the panel discussions. On the second day, | decided to check one out on programming homebrewed games for the Atari 2600. | learned that it’s so easy to make one of MUSEUM OF THE RARE The Museum at CGE 2001 featured plenty of rare items, ranging from early Atari products to the Japanese version of the NES (Nintendo's Famicom). Two of the items of | note were the Intellivision III (far left) and the His & Her Atari Lynx handhelds (left). We were allowed to look, but not touch— many items were from private collections. > ugust 12-13 at Jackie Gaughan’s Plaza Hotel in as Vegas. A little older, a little wiser, this time ey had more than saved lunch money to spend. Inside the modestly sized hall, fans filled their glasses with a double shot of nostalgia. The place was buzzing with gamers relearning the patterns from mid-'8os laserdisc arcade games and browsing a museum of rare and unreleased systems, peripherals and promo items. Tournaments officiated by the Twin Galaxies score keepers (www.twingalaxies.com) were held throughout the show on i the 2600 classics Kaboom! A store display for the all-in-one and Space Duel. vector graphics Vectrex system. them that a baby could do it (which started the ideas flowing through my noggin), as long as that 5 baby's familiar with assembly language (cue my aspirations being dashed). Also great were the Dragon's Lair panel (see story below) and a highly entertaining Activision talk with three of the company's early star programmers. It's great that a show like this exists to recognize the pioneers and history of our now old industry and for fans to get together and reminisce about the classics. If you're interested in attending next year's show, go to www.cgexpo.com for info. See ya there! —Chris Johnston == Dragon's Lair Movie in Production Don Bluth Animation is going back to the past for its next project, a feature film based on the early “805 laserdisc game Dragon's Lair. At a panel discussion both about the old game and Dragonstone's new Dragon's Lair 3D (coming to Xbox, GameCube and PS2 next year), Bluth divulged a few details about the movie's production, based on his original script: A botched heist leaves two baby boys (one a prince, the other a ringer) in the care of Sebastian, an aging thief. Unable to tell the two apart, he ends up raising them both. One will grow up to be Dirk (check out his new look on the right), and we'll see his relationship blossom with Daphne. We'll also meet some new and old faces. The movie will include the same brand of humor and swordplay that made the original game such a hit. It's slated for a 2003 release. gmmag.com Animator Don Bluth signs a poster for the laserdisc game Space Ace. ~ т Two New for 2600 Combat Two (1982, below) and Elevator Action (1983), previously unreleased Atari prototypes, were for sale on carts exclusively at the show (by Retrodesign and CGE Services, respectively). HIE Combat Two™ SAUE 55! | оп апу” EA SPORTS" 2002 game for the PlayStation*2 computer ntertainment system or PC. TO ORDER: go online to www.eastore.ea.com and keyword "CORNNUTS. If you prefer to order by phone, call 1-877-EA GAMES (1-877-324-2637). Please mention savings code "CORNNUTS" to qualify for this exclusive savings offer. opkcabie on games for tho PlayStation®? computor entertainment system and PC oniy exclusive fo EA com and cannot be combined wih anyother спее Subject о change wine ‘his ofer valid in tno US and Canada слу and expres on 3/31/02. Shipping and applicable a addtional Оне void whore романов or өнсө. а qnn of. Goober Nata mouth — it's time’ for £GM's Halloween ‘roundup of | s: We Went богі S. residents. б 15, 2001 and ef ce printed inside а specialy marked package, you win the prize indicated thereon, subject t verification, Non-wiming specially marked packages will not contain a game piece/message. АПШ METHOD OF ТОРА, 10 аі ии дадан 0 son odds o winning, handprint your name, complete add and mal to; ботам Get In The Gam independent judging organizat phone number, then тай the 335 ca Game’ Prize Claims, PO. Box 27172, Gol уз certified тай 0 Чай game piece to: Cor MN 55427-0172. Gr original gar 6606, Retain а photocopy of X р | You rang? | Nothing Says Жі . The scariest part of this Um : | Halloween like the Ма: 9 *8ов-һогтог | “seminal classic is how. ' - 1. flicks droün i ‘tou ugh it isto beat. Still, 2% wie паіў by mal. Second Prize Winners: Redeem coupon at store, astricti ‘thereon. Coupons may not be mailed by redemption. PRIZES/APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUE (ARV)/ODDS OF WINNING. Grand: (1 trip for winner and one guest to an Electronic Arts Studio and the opportunity for the winne ЕА SPORTS™ video game in January 2002, the actual video gam Trip consists of: round-t | mimicked the movie plot ， \ iliosts їп Goblins wilt ccommodations (c and thee da ic Ats and is contingent on Studio айд шагу 2002 as specified 0150. onde o pacage Yat winning a second prize, 134. including, wil be awarded by тай Тебе В verifedas wil attempt to scan his ellos of Sponsor and game, and (0) f нг likeness IS scanned into an EA SPORTS (or their respective agencies) may or modify ser likeness as Spon in the sole discretion of either party and stil identi the scanned image as of the Grand Pre winner, without further notice 10 (or approval of) reason, fier likeness 15 NOT scanned into the EA SPORTS™ video 6 components of the Grand Prize as set forth bove shall constitute Sponsors sok Prize vinnes, and И Grand Prize winner is a minor; the parents or ера gu an Aidat of Езу, бабу Release, and a Publicity Release (where ays Of receipt of prie т Grand Prize win accompany minor on the trip. Winners guest m (uere legal) prior to issuance of travel documents. In tements, pra may be aed. I rae notifications re бап? ing the Grand Prae winner: (a) leness into the EA SPORIS and б (c) that if, for any jame, the various other nid pa ood prize of equal or greater valve, due to прайду of pre for any re responsible for any state, local andor federal taxes on prize. VERIFICATION. Al to verification. Game pieces are void and wil be rejected if not obtained through Фалев or if any part is у г materials contain printing, co any other errors duction errors or for any ін reason, more game pieces or winning game i Ofcial Rules are If only.you were longer, 2271 You playa dead blues З ; ‚ Arguably, the best t game in anie ізінен ns (fon nog а de more difficult and ported -` gi itarist resurrected; to join. "the series; Drac X infused . or the jd J qur ч КГ edi i et rv etj a үлі fom thi arcade to а: а console . ag army of skel tn ruled , ‘tiaditionak Castlevania f. Subt al fal and stale lus and regulations. Th lov X f | РР cares ot persons ап га go fer wn пу ны ne, e айелди ad ПАЗ РОКИ И AS rap. y with pints Sof; йл agencies, Gage Marketing Group, Mrs their es 15, subsidiaries, sales representatives and distributors, and chien siblings, spouse) and those ing in the same household as по), CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION. Game is subject to al әрісі regulations. By participating, participants are to abide by and be bound by he Oficial Rules and all dtrack, ts are not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, damaged, ilegible, delayed, incomplete or postage due mal, requests or prize cams. Al game materials submited become the sole property of the Sponsor and wil not be returned, Game pieces andlor prizes may not be assigned or transfered, Unclaimed prizes wil not be awarded. RELEASES. By participating, participants agree to release and hold harmless Nabisco, Ine. (Sponsor), Gage Marketing Group, “Electronic Ай, Вей rn paren conan, alilales and аний, and ће etn, ofthe above enti minn nis. ТА SPORTS" a Бай МУ" und. AI ahe feats ar he opa of Cl ONES. 5 2001 KF Holdings the хх DLGLVLLED INTO АМ EA SPORTS VIDEO 24727 GRANDIPRIZE: Fly to an Electronic Arts" studio and have your image appear in the дате. 1,000 FIRST PRIZES: An EA SPORTS™ 2002 Supercross video game. Look for specially-marked packages for your chance to win! www.cornnuts.com www.easports.com ©2001 KF Holdings EA SPORTS™ and the EA SPORTS™ logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. FIT EINK: SHOOT. IVE: ACTION EXPERIENCE AVAILABLE AND ALSO INCLUDES HALF-LIFE: SPLITSCREEN COOPERATIVE GAME. "The 'best action game ever made' gets even better on the Р52%" — Electronic Gaming Monthly. INCREDIBLE ACTION. ТУРДЕ œ Available @ > Now! ніх ЕР 1 | PlayStation.e TURE VALVE] gearbox NT RATED B Li DON'T PANIC! SEAMAN ON PS2 the Dreamcast in 1999, has teamed up with Ascii to bring him to the PlayStation 2 in Japan this November. In case you missed it, the game stars a crotchety, talking man-fish with a penchant for vulgarities and insults. Since you “talk” to him, the PS2 version will come packed with a microphone controller for a hefty 8,800 yen ($73). Currently, Vivarium has no suitors for a stateside PS2 release. You got questions? We got answers. Behold, our monthly stab at solving the great mysteries of gaming... No Business like Show Business О: 15 the video game industry really as big as the film industry? A: “No, but мете catching up,” says Kristen Burke, spokesperson for the Interactive Digital Software Association, the organization that keeps track of this stuff. According to the IDSA, total sales of console and PC games hit $6 billion last year—well below the $7.5 billion in box-office revenue claimed by the Motion Picture Association of America. But if you add in hardware sales, Burke says, the game biz actually rakes in more money by a smidgen. Of course, we're only comparing game revenues to movie-ticket sales. Factor in theater concession profits (bought a tub of popcorn lately? Yikes!) and revenues from video and DVDs, and the film industry becomes a Daddy Warbucks colossus that the game biz just can't touch. Games are growing much faster than the movie industry, “but in overall clout, they аге unlikely to enjoy the same kind of impact as movies,"says Steven Kent, author of The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games. Flicks, for example, can be powerful lobbying tools: Hollywood actors help favored politicians raise millions of dollars for their campaigns and lend prestige to them through association. “Talented as Shigeru Miyamoto and Yu Suzuki may be,” Kent says, “they do not have the same kind of visibility as George Clooney.” The Bit Question О: PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast have 128-bit processors, Nintendo 64 is 64- bit, the PlayStation is 32-bit, Sega Genesis was 16-bit, and the Nintendo Entertainment System was 8-bit. So does that mean old consoles like 1978’s Atari 2600 were 4-bit and ancient systems like the Odyssey were 2-bit? A: The trend in system bit rates may seem to hold that each new generation of hardware has twice the bit power of the last. But it wasn't always that way says Ralph Baer, who created the first gaming console—the Magnavox Odyssey —and can safely be called the Father of Video Games. "Early *Talented as Shigeru Miyamoto and Yu Suzuki may be, they do not have the same kind of visibility as George Clooney." Electronic Gaming Monthly - 32 - www.egmmag.com — Steven Kent, author of The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games 1972's Odyssey: A whopping zero bits of power. microprocessor-controlled video games, such as the Fairchild F-8 and the RCA Spectra, had 8-bit processors,” he tells us. “So did the Atari 2600 and my Odyssey 2.” But that doesn’t mean there's no such thing as a 4-bit processor. "Every one of the handheld games I [invented] іп the late “705- Simon, Maniac, etc.—had a Texas Instruments TMS-1000 4-bit micro in them. However, the original Odyssey game released in 1972 had no processor. It was all built of discrete transistor circuitry." Blow Hard Q: Is blowing into my old cartridges when they don't work a bad idea? A: This is something that everyone seems to do instinctively whenever their carts act up, yet no official instruction manual has ever condoned the practice. Why all the hot air? Almost everyone agrees that blowing on a bum cartridge's dusty contacts will make it work again. But Russ Perry Jr., editor of the 2600 Connection, a newsletter for classic game fans and collectors, cautions that "cart contacts can and do rust. A person's breath has moisture in it, so there is the possibility that blowing into a cartridge may lead to the contacts corroding, especially with bad breath. If you want to be totally safe, using something non-abrasive like a Q-tip to gently rub away dust and whatnot should do the trick." Perry also recommends using a pencil eraser to clear away the gunk. “Just be sure to blow or dump out the rubbings it leaves," he says, "or they'll end up inside your game machine. That probably won't hurt anything either, but why risk it?" — Chris Baker Got a gaming mystery? E-mail it to EGM@ziffdavis.com with the subject header “Ever wondered?” and we'll solve it for you. journey to Hogwarts" in magical adventure filled WIE h wizardry, fun, and danger. ere begins No ember 10 We ayait your оу. аўца SORCERER'S STONE. GAMEBOY CD GAME BOY ADVANCE Playstation ROM www.eagames,com /www.HarryPotter.com EVERYONE EVERYONE © 2001 Electronic Arts Ine. Electronic Arts, EA GAMES and the EA GAMES logo are trademarks or registered trademarks COMIC MISCHIEF Of Electronic Arts inc. in the U.S, and/or other countries, All rights reserved, EA GAMES’ js an Electronic Arts™ brand, COM Я ТИ, ©, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo, PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, The rating icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks are the property of thelr respective owners, HARRY POTTER, characters, names, and related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros, © 2001 (601) ~ „ован maie. це verte el стана © EM € n EE ны аы iS AMA Mint d теа аа layStation.e йш чац poH сва абса. паа нічаў E TES N Hs (ЙЫ art e о о ОУ нада ы QUA HUP GTP ДАНИЦУ ALIS IES, ЗАЛ» уа, абавя >: eee Se ant eos EN is rear РА нанач яга ases A мара Det ADR ААВ ELAM вё SHY а BE аня М о т eo EY as n ке ANA HMM abes а ntm ede prot ntes c Spe За e e ot er testi ee ries робе ба Sade etes: rut tp ро ct rio Dentes o tovt retten Cea ty Piper ee te apre oM i, em аць 2 а linde a A n E I P m ~ ex је ig e i жеге wana лкы ШОЛТАШ \р © 200 Dep Sors по “yt іе PS © 7“ MILES ABOVE ANTARCTICA, A WEATHER SATELLITE SENDS BACK AN IMAGE, ~. Your special forces reconnaissance unit is ordered to investigate а distress.signal. You arrive-and discover a virus has violently mutated — every living and non-living thing in.its path. The mission objectives are clear: rescue survivors, secure the area and destroy the virus. If you can... YOU SHOOT, YOU SCORE! Space Invaders was the first game to register a high score, which savvy players often achieved by shooting the “invader” alien that zips across the screen after you fire 22 shots, and then after each 14th subsequent shot—a strategy that earns you 300 bonus points. This feature was actually “planned in the game,” says Nishikado, “but I didn't think anyone would find it out!” Never underestimate the hardcore. Where Are They Now? m Toshihiro "Space Invaders” Nishikado Gamefather of the Shoot-’em-up When an arcade game spawns such a frenzy in Japan that it causes a coin shortage, you know we're talking about an epoch-making piece of interactive entertainment. That coin-op was 1978's first-of-its-kind shooter Space Invaders. We tracked down its creator to talk seafood and learn how those little marching aliens landed his mom a new TV. ack in July 1977 in Japan, В Toshihiro Nishikado, а young developer at Taito, was given a briefing. Atari had recently stormed Japanese arcades with a coin-op called Break Out, which involved bouncing a ball into a brick wall. Gamers, Nishikado included, couldn't get enough of it. Taito wanted in on the action, and the sales department saw mountains of yen in their near future. They told Nishikado "to develop [a game like Break Out]," he recalls, “so І decided to make a more complicated game, and | adopted the idea of advancing [to new levels] from Break Out." With a couple of simple games already under his belt, Nishikado began to ponder just what in-game obstacle could one- up Break Out's brick wall. First, he thought about advancing waves of tanks, but "they weren't too good when you moved them because of the limitation of hardware at that time," he says. The enemy was then changed to humans. "But the | president of the company didn't like the idea of shooting people, even if they were bad guys." Creatively blank, Nishikado took a break to see a movie about a galaxy far, far away. Staggered at the popularity of Star Wars and an avid fan of science fiction, Nishikado decided to go with aliens for his game's enemies—although he still had concerns. Taito's previous sci-fi-themed | didn't show it to the sales people before it took shape." Nishikado sought inspiration for the look of Space Invaders' insectile enemies from sci-fi, and the fish market, finalizing stylized aliens based on a variety of aquatic life-forms. “Originally, [the design] came from the octopus- like Martians found in novels by ажа дж Н. 6. Wells," Nishikado tells us. "Adding to that, | came up with a squid and a crab." And so began the birth of Space Invaders, which actually wasn't even called Space Invaders at first. “| called it 'Space Monsters" originally" Nishikado says, "but at the last moment high-ups E forced me to change it. | didn't like that. The word ‘invader’ wasn't familiar to Japanese ears and it was tricky to pronounce. I still don't like the name." After working on Space Invaders for six months, during which Nishikado was responsible for its planning, graphics and program- ming, he presented it to Taito's suits and arcade operators. “Тћеу weren't happy about it," he says. “They thought another game called Blue Shark [a shooter featuring a shark] was better. Those people were relatively old and thought Space Invaders was too hard because the enemies attack you, unlike other games in the past." The nation's younger players had no such qualms. Soon after the game's release, Japanese arcades were crammed with kids clamoring for titles had all tanked. "|t was a jinx for us," he says. "That's why Electronic Gaming Monthly - 36 - www.egmmag.com % would get further {һап level т 6 or 7." Nishikado realized more Invader action—and creating their own strategies to defeat the scuttling menace descending from the skies. The most well-known strategy, of course, is to shoot a hole through one of your shields and then blast aliens from cover. "| always use this strategy, too," says Nishikado, who admits that the best he can do is get past the third level. Then gamers came up with more cunning ways to stretch their coinage. They found, for example, that the aliens are unable to fire and thus easy to kill when they descend to the row just above your base. This strategy is known as the "Nagoya Uchi" technique, or б Nagoya-style shooting. (Legend has it that an inhabitant of the Japanese town Nagoya discovered this strategy.) "This was actually a program bug," Nishikado says. “І think if there wasn't this bug, no one too late that players were figuring out how to make their game last much longer than he originally expected. “But we couldn't do anything about it," he Says. "We already shipped too many boards." Bally Midway licensed Space Invaders and unleashed it stateside. It was a mega-hit here, although it never reached the level of treasury-draining success achieved in its homeland. Still, you'd expect Nishikado to be justly rewarded for creating this global hit, right? "Well, І got promoted, and my bonus that year was a little heavier than usual," he says, “and | got a special bonus from the president of the company. It was 200,000 yen [or about $950 at the time]. | bought my mother a decent TV set and that's it.” Where is he now? Once Invaders took off, Nishikado replaced the ROMs in the original boards to make Space Invaders conversions like Balloon Bomber, Space Chaser and Lunar Rescue. After making Space Invaders Part 2, he trained Taito’s younger staff, then “left video games to them and moved on to the amusement business,” he says. Nishikado developed a guitar-playing robot, karaoke machines, and even a prototype game console well before Nintendo unleashed theirs, but it never materialized because of Taito's arcade-oriented sales. His karaoke system was later turned into a large-scale network, and now he heads a Japanese game company called Dreams. "We don't have a big budget," he Says, adding that he's researching a mechanical prize game. ж — David S.J. Hodgson Gamester Rap: What makes this creative mind tick? Favorite Movies? “1 like action and sci-fi movies, because you don’t need to think too much or be sentimental—stuff like the Star Wars series or Arnold Schwarzenegger movies.” Favorite Game? “Puzzle games like Tetris and Puyo Puyo or Shanghai. | also like Pac-Man. He’s cute.” What is your motto? “If you want to know what’s to come, look into the past.” Gameography: Space Invaders, Balloon Bomber, Space Chaser, Lunar Rescue, Space Invaders Part 2, Amusement Robot, karaoke and amusement machines. PRRARHRHA HHH S "Photography by Shuji Kondo photography by Richard Bradbury Electronic ing а new, cha КИЕ а Sabrier 一 n Oby Gard is famous for two things ir this biz: He created Lara Croft (and `. helped craft Tomb Raider), then flew developer Core Design's coop; taking about $75,000 in royalties.but kissing away the fortune that the TR franchise eventually Кей in. Is he a mad genius or just mad? We ered Gard at a harbor near his new pany, U.K.-based Confounding Factor, for ‘disclosure on life after Lara and his first me since, the third-person adventure leon: Islands of Mystery. It hits GameCube 5 winter and Xbox shortly afterward. EGM: So are you sick of talking about the whole Lara Croft/Tomb Raider thing? Toby Gard: No, | suppose I'm not really sick of it. | mean, I'm still pretty pleased with having “made [Tomb Raider] in the first place, so | don't mind really. | think | prefer that to people...thinking all the credit goes to Core. EGM: Sum up for us why you left Core. TG: The basic thing is that once Tomb Raider was finished and...beginning to grow, Eidos was beginning to move Lara out from the game and into the public eye by putting her in lifestyle magazines, etc., and there were a couple of things | wasn’t too happy with... | wasn’t actually in control of the character— everything about Tomb Raider and Lara and all the designs | made entirely belong to Core. | was іп a difficult position, because either | could stay and continue getting money and have at least some control over Lara, but | would be working on something else, and whatever else | made would also belong to Core. Or І could leave and trust that | could do better, and then actually own what 1 made next. | didn’t find that a very hard decision. M: Any regrets about leaving? о, don’t think so. It’s been good setting onfounding Factor to be honest with you. Monthly - 38 - www.egmmag.com ага Croft 15 ~ faracter — Captain Gam Cube and Xbox. NS QN EGM: Do you think the reputation of the Tomb Raider franchise has gone downhill in the hands of Core and Eidos? TG: No. | mean, the film is well done, isn’t it? _ EGM: Did you see it? TG: I've seen it, yeah. ~ EGM: What do you think of it? TG: To be honest with you, І was expecting it to be even worse... [Laughs] No, no, | mean, for what it is, considering it's from a game and considering it's not trying to be clever, | thought it was one action set piece after another and it worked pretty well for that mindless-idiocy type of film watching. І didn't really have a problem with it. But | suppose I'd be biased [laughs]. EGM: Are we going to see Galleon marketed as "From the creator of Tomb Raider," or will Core and Eidos stand in the way of that? TG: | wouldn't know what the score is, to be honest. | would be amazed if Core or Eidos were that bothered really [laughs]. They actually own the Tomb Raider license. It's not like Гуе made any money off of it. І don't think Interplay [Galleon's publisher] would market it like that. They have pretty much chosen the marketing tactics, so... Sidekick gals Faith (left) and Mihoko add more than just a woman's touch to Galleon. “They follow you,” Gard says, “and you can command them to do extra stuff.” Using a menu, you might have them hit a switch or join a battle, for example. “They are just there to help, like tools that come along.” EGM: You left Core Design not long after finishing up the first Tomb Raider. What’s taking you so long with this new game, Galleon? TG: It takes a long time to get yourself together and learn what you must do to create a company. And negotiating the contract with Interplay took nearly six months. We didn’t have any cash until after that, and it was still more time before we could get offices and start paying people. And keep in mind that we started from absolutely nothing, because we obviously didn’t take the technology and game engine—that belonged to Core Design. The programmers had to start from phase one, even for something small like putting a polygon on screen or reading the hard disk. They had no libraries at all. It was hardcore. And we were a small team in the beginning, just four of us. EGM: Galleon is hitting GameCube, Xbox and PC. Why are you avoiding the PlayStation 2? TG: [Laughs] Well, it's not true that we are avoiding it as such. As far as I’m concerned, a PS2 version will be in the cards—I’m hoping anyway. But the truth is we started developing Galleon some considerable time ago and were building it on the basis that the PC would be a reasonable example of where the consoles would be in the next round of systems. We were spot-on with Dreamcast, Xbox and GameCube. But PS2 is just nothing like a PC and the conversion to it is just a humongous job. It's frightening. It's not that it's bad; it's just that it does things its own way and it's hard to reverse and go back from where we are. We're doing so much stuff that's not supported and would require all this low-level programming to make work on the PS2. We're putting it on the consoles that it goes onto easily first...and we're hoping to come back to PS2 when we've got the time to sit and hardcode everything on the graphics processors. Rendezvous ЯН Rhama: ‘Galleon packs more character interaction » ‘than Tomb: S| Raider: ARS EGM: When you were designing Rhama, did you keep asking yourself, “Is he as good as Lara?” TG: I'm not sure, really. | think you get into a character as you make it, as you bring it to life, give it story, make it move around, etc. That's what makes characters good in the first place. The thing with Lara is, to a large extent she is a contemporary character in a setting which is not miles away from reality. That helps people identify with her. And her being a girl obviously helps with the male audience, doesn't it? It would be pretty hard to re-create a character who will be that successful, and that's not really what ме been trying to do. For me, it's about making a really good game that people want to play, and I think Tomb Raider was about the same. EGM: Why a male lead character this time? TG: We wanted to do the opposite of what we did last time. That was the whole point of Tomb Raider, as well—to do the opposite of what people were expecting—so now we're doing the opposite again. | also wanted to do something more stylized and exaggerated, because | found animating Lara a bit boring toward the end of Tomb Raider. | was always having to keep reasonably realistic movement in mind. She could jump higher than normal Cont. on page 42 Galleon's content 8 sensitive.controls means you won't need to fuss with a lot of buttons:. p Walk against a wall, fo: instance, and yov'll start _ climbing it automatically. “а. “After playing баЦеоп, you just can't play Tomb Raider. It's just not acceptable. Playing Galleon pretty much spoils playing a lot of those third- person games." These shots are from a PC-based dev tool and lack many of the effects that'll be in the finished GameCube and Xbox versions of Galleon. World Wrestling Federation, its logos an and Software © 2001 THO/JAKKS Pacific, logo are trademarks of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. THO and the THO logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THO Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. RATING PENDING World Wrestling Federation® for more info. AK 5. www.thq.com “Galleon is so much better and more advanced in every way than Tomb Raider, and the character is so much better, the way he moves and interacts with people and everything." Cont. from page 39 people, of course, but generally she wasn't bending the laws of physics in any large way. | wanted to do something that is much more extreme this time. That's what Rhama is like, since he can lift up giant boulders and do all sorts of crazy things, which is a lot more fun. EGM: Are you dreading the inevitable comparisons between Rhama and Lara? TG: Well, I’m not that worried. Without wanting to sound too boastful [laughs], we're doing so much more and Galleon is so much better and more advanced in every way than Tomb Raider, and the character is so much better, the way he moves and interacts with people and everything. | mean, when you disassociate the Lara Croft phenomenon from the game, in terms of the characters | think Rhama and Galleon are much better. But in terms of the phenomenon, | can't imagine Rhama will measure up. Everyone has gone mad about Lara, so what can you do? EGM: Make a better game, we suppose. So how is Galleon an improvement over Tomb Raider? TG: It's hard for me not to go through a massive list here, but in general ГА say Galleon has a more coherent and integrated story. It's got a lot more personality in the characters, because there are several of them and not just one person running around empty places.... We've gone for a completely analog control system that is context- sensitive and extremely easy to control, but at the same time has loads of stuff you can do once you get your head around it. It's not the frustrating kind of God-why-isn't-it-doing-what-l- want type of thing, if you know what | mean. We've opened up the environment in such a way that you can just kind of play, like you're mucking around in them. It's a different way of building the usual platform game, where it's just like “this platform is placed here so you can just jump to the other platform." It's not at all like that. It's like, “What if | jump up there and run up that wall? Then what's gonna happen?" And we have the secondary-character stuff going on where he can order around these two other characters. There's more than two actually, and they have different abilities. EGM: And what about the camera? TG: The problem with the Tomb Raider camera is...you've got a decent idea of what's going on, but the lag on the camera meant that you often found yourself turning and then not knowing what way you're turning, and then you'd hit a wall because you had overturned. And that was its main flaw, | thought. That and also probably the backing-against-the-wall stuff... EGM:...where the camera would get all screwy? TG: Yeah, exactly—where it would pop up and look down and you couldn’t see where Lara was facing. Now that was a bit of a pain as well, you know [laughs]... So what we've done is we've reversed the way the camera works. The lag is on the character...well, he’s not really lagging, but you're controlling the camera. So you can take the camera around and he heads in the direction it’s facing, which means you can run really fast down a corridor and turn the camera really quickly and jump, and he jumps off exactly in the direction you would expect—unless the floor is slippery because we've got the physics system [affecting] our control system, as well. ~ Locking the camera will make combat easier to wrangle. Rhama starts out barehanded, but he'll wield a variety of bladed weapons and even a few superpowers by game's end. EGM: So if the floor is slick you might keep sliding instead of jumping the way you want? TG: Right, and then you'd jump in a slightly odd, skewed direction if Rhama didn't get a full grip. It probably makes people who watch and don't play seasick [laughs], because the camera can whip around as fast as you like since we really wanted to make it responsive. So | guess you can compare it to a first-person-style speed of camera movement. It just means that you don't have any lag problems; it's very precise control. Then we also opted for this lock-on mode that pervades the rest of the game.... By locking onto an object—which can include just about anything, like а wall or ceiling or bit of floor—the camera will just stay at that point and the character then runs [in the direction you push]. So if you think it would make things easier, you could basically lock onto the end of the room and then jump that way across it. But to be honest, the other camera method works so well that 1 don’t think anyone actually will bother. But you will need to lock on if you want to get into more strategic fighting and for using objects. EGM: Do you think your work on Tomb Raider hinders or helps Galleon’s chances for success? TG: | think at least it helps get people interested enough to look this way. Galleon kind of suffers from the fact that it doesn’t come across that good in screenshots, so I’m glad that [my] name is making people look at it instead of dismissing it at first glance. Oh, yeah—and whether it will bias reviews, well, | don’t know... [laughs] EGM: You don’t have to worry about that with us, but we imagine some gamers will be critical of Galleon because they know it’s from the guy who made Tomb Raider. Don’t you? TG: I’m not too worried about that. People аге still buying the original Tomb Raider, just that it's now Tomb Raider 6 or 5 or whatever. And if they still like that, then they'll like Galleon a hell of a lot better. ж —Axel Strohm Set sail for www.egmmag.com to read our complete, unedited interview with Toby Gard. | | DAVE ваз Freestyle bmx. FREESTYLE TRICH MAN //GAME UERS. 2.0 SUPERMAN’CAN-CANZBACHFLIAYTAIL тария пх U PEG GRAB/MANUAL /ппвв ПА пиар х4 | нвіант LBUBL ПИ - ПЕР LBU+EU LEU+95 + + Te {ше зак. trick system with the state-of-the-art park editor lets you take 141 ро riders: englebert, corda, Harkin, Laird, 8 massive levels - 4x bigger than before - пеш gind wall ride, manual and lip trick your smx experience to an all new level O ujons, maay, mamurray, p. мита, с. мита, Гог the very best in vert, dirt, street and modifiers, lets you pull off over 1,500 tricks I molitemo, nyquist, Ramsdell, show ond wirch i park riding and all of camp woodward™ O у 10 мов CHAMPIONSHIPS. Yl х-сагає mepats. ONLY ONE GAME BOASTS THAT KIND OF HARDWARE. developed by ‘Dave Mirra Freestyle ВМ“ 2 and Acclaim® & © 2001 Acclaim Entertainment, inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Z-Axis. All Rights Reserved. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logo аге ether registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries. Game Boy and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo, © 2001 Nintendo. NINTENDO GAMECUBE AND THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. © 2001 NINTENDO. Screens shown were taken from the Xbox version of the video game. Photo courtesy of DC $һов5/Сап Hyndman um ES PlayStation.2 ^ бАМЕВОУАСМАМСЕ — БАМЕБЊВЕ. In each installment of Afterthoughts, EGM takes a game that's already on store shelves and asks the developers for their thoughts, post-release. This month, we chose EA's NCAA Football 2002, since it has a stranglehold on the sports nuts in the office. We launched a bullet pass of questions at Jeff Luhr, assistant producer of NCAA Football at EA's Tiburon Studio, and here's what he had to say. EGM: This is definitely a more wide-open game than Madden. Why is that? Jeff Luhr: That's what college football is all about! With so many different teams, formations and playing styles, every game offers a new challenge. Plus, in college football the all-star players really stand out more than in the NFL. If you look at Michael Vick when he was at Virginia Tech, he could single- handedly destroy an opposing defense. But in the pros you won't see this happen because the all-around talent of everyone else is so much better. This is exactly how it feels when playing NCAA. EGM: Why is the punt return defense weak? JL: Just like blocking field goals and punts, this is one of the toughest areas of gameplay tuning. However, | don't think the punt return defense is all that bad. If you're having difficulty getting your coverage downfield, try calling a Max Cover Punt. Plus, adjust your punt trajectory so that you don't out-kick your coverage. because it is simply the *We view Madden as our #1 competitor been for a long time." —Jeff Luhr, assistant producer of NCAA Football at Tiburon/Electronic Arts best and has EGM: Is the ranking formula derived straight from the Bowl Championship Series System? Or is it an EA spin loosely based on the BCS? JL: It's pretty close to the real thing. We take into account the Media & Coaches Polls, Computer Average, Schedule Rank and Losses. The big difference with ours is that we don't use the real logic from the eight different computer polls like the Billingsley and Sagarin ratings. As far as | know, their logic is kept secret. EGM: Are certain scenarios predetermined? Does the computer randomly generate them? JL: Nothing is predetermined. Every time you play you're going to have different results. EGM: What was the most challenging thing to develop in the game? \ JL: There were so many, but if | had to pick one ld have to say TV commentary because it was brand-new. This is the first year that the NCAA franchise has ever had TV commentary and we took on the | additional challenge of having a three-man booth with Nessler, Corso and Herbstreit. Definitely a challenge, but it was well worth it in the end. 4 EGM: What kind of сотре оп is there ГИ between you guys and the Madden NFL WE 2002 team? Do you share ideas frequently? JL: Without a doubt, it's very competitive. We (the NCAA team) view Madden as our #1 competitor because it is simply the best and has been for a long time. Any time we can be compared to a product like Madden, we know we're on the right track. Of course, it helps that we are all under the same roof here at Tiburon, because we share some of our ideas and base technology. But at the same time, we have always made it a goal to offer very unique products with Madden and NCAA Football. EGM: Do you think you will ever be allowed to license real NCAA names for the players? JL: This is a complicated issue and we'd welcome the opportunity, but we want to work with the NCAA to uphold their standards for student athletes. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 44 - www.egmmag.com EGM: Will next year's game include deeper stats on potential recruits? JL: Yeah, we're investigating additional stats and comments to display for our prospects. EGM: Are you looking at giving the player more control of how his/her team improves in the next game? Like setting offseason training priorities, such as speed, power...etc.? JL: You know, it's funny that you ask that because we were just talking today about ways to add more user control to Dynasty Mode. I’ve always been keen on the idea of setting your training priorities in the off season. It gives you total control in determining how your players will progress over the course of their college career. So yes, we're definitely looking into it. EGM: Is online play a viable option for next year's game? JL: We're looking into this, but | can't really comment on it yet. Jeff Luhr's Playbook Can't win to save your life? Try taking a page out of Jeff's book. After all, who would know how to win better than the game's creator? OFFENSE Ace Spread - PA Fake Toss "This is my favorite play-action pass. When the defender controls the safety, he will surely bite on the fake." Shotgun Split - Double Flats "This is a good one to use against a heavy blitz. Keep an eye on the backs out of the backfield." Wishbone Normal - Tr Option Cntr “Му favorite triple option play." Double Wing - WR Around "Excellent misdirection play that can fool someone." Wishbone Tight - HB Over "Nice fake pitch and give up the middle." DEFENSE 4-4 ОВ Contain "Puts those pesky QBs who like to roll out on their ass." 5-2 Cheat Strong “If you guess the side they're running too, you'll pancake the RB." Nickel Man Under 2 "A great, base pass defense. Shouldn't give the big play often." "ча — 5 " ~ Ubi Soft www.ubisoft.com. PlayStation.e A © = ч = ч ы S = я Я >. S ы Теат EGM locks horns in a crazy Season of NCAA Football i ~ я ж 5 Two of Dean's biggest fans were ecstatic— and aroused —when he brought the National Championship trophy back to Nebraska. Rarely does a game take our office hostage like this one did. We lined up five editors (two EGM, two Official 0.5. PlayStation Magazine and one GameNOW) who each took a team and steered it through the highs and lows of a full season. Despite work piling up and pleas from mana- gerial types, the tourney went on. We've got alumni and cheerleaders to please, you know. Kansas State - 10-2, Fiesta Bowl winner, finished with а #3 ranking Dan Leahy, Editor in Chief, GameNOW: | wanted a decent team to compete with Dean and Kraig in the Big 12, and K-State seemed to fit the bill. A lack of big-play WRs cost me in а late-season showdown with Dean, but my team featured a balanced attack and a bend- but-don't-break defense. If | had to do it over again, | would have gone for two instead of going to overtime against those nasty Huskers. Also had a barnburner in an evenly matched contest against A&M, but Kraig's coma- inducing offense proved too much in a 21-17 win. Oh well, there's always next season. Nope, this isn't a group of pals enjoying a rerun of Mama's Family —it's Team EGM living the drama of an interoffice, NCAA Football tournament. І ran the power option until І wore out my cleats. After routinely slashing for big yards with my freaky-fast QB and HB combo, coaches breathed a sigh of relief when | dropped back to pass. My runs were pretty tough to stop, but I'll admit Kraig did the best job of snuffing it out. If | didn't go World War || on him, he might have won the Championship. My "bombs away" attack just proved to be too potent. So much for the beloved underdog. To add icing to the cake, my QB, Eric "crazy legs" Crouch won the Heismann. | knew it was going to be a long season for my beloved alma mater by the end of game two. My sure-footed kicker was ready to break the tie against the Razorbacks and send the Vols to victory in the final seconds. Only he shanked a 45-yard attempt and Arkansas won in overtime. The rest of the season was a defensive struggle. | was up on Todd by 16, only to have him shut me down and blow me out by three TDs. | might as well have had my mascot start at QB. At least he would look more amusing while he got sacked. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 46 - www.egmmag.com «ат E , Texas A&M - 10-3 Lost to Dean in the Big 12 Championship Game and ended #7 Kraig Kujawa, Senior. Assc. Ed.: Being the underdog сап be a fun role to have, but | didn't realize that it could be such a pain in the ass, too. І had no choice but to use a plodding run offense whose only big plays came when I bored defenses just long enough to lob a 40-yard pass when they got groggy. To beef up my runs, | used motion to stuff an extra blocker at the point-of-attack. | beat old man Leahy with it, but Dean..his crazy ОВ was too much. | often took four minutes to score, only to have his lob-and- pray offense respond in зо seconds. Oy. Notre Dame - 7-6, Gator Bowl loser, finished out of the Top 25 Todd Zuniga, Assc. Editor, OPM: I'd like to ramble on with a series of sports clichés about how we played hard and we did our best. But, as a long-time college football hater, | didn't even know the rules. Then, as if lit up by lightning, 1 was inspired by the discovery of what the collegiate faithful lovingly refer to as “Тһе Option" in my third game of the season. Mix my option idiocy with a devastating loss in OT to Dean and an auspicious o-4 start and you're feasting on quite a Fighting French-Irish stew. My biggest joy? Stomping C-Bake by three TDs. Drink Milk. | Win Cyber Loot! Win EA video games. Or get EA video game discounts. and follow the instructions. It's so simple! For details, go to: е... www.cyberloot.com or America Online Keyword: cyberloot. Жы БА nint- SPORTS GAME tn Дуе eit а; NT и КЕ зін тақа e CAT tc Kt ADAM EST EA SHUT ER M HMM ИК T AMA HA паца Electronic Arts Ic. in the LLS. and/or oder countries. lack & White is trademark ol Lionhead Studios indvidual NBA Team Мета сво used on orin this product are кабилае copyrighted desig and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, oc. and the respective Teams and may not е used, in whale а part, without he priar written consent ol е NBA Propertie, lac. © 2001 NGA Properties, c M rights reserved. EA GAMES". EASPORTS” and EA SPORTS BIG” are Electronic Arts brands. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo аге Ebrei een (рден ine. 1. N0 PURCHASE BST tk a 80 ul p Ви Ak pne ec t ип bt ple і к es а ИЕ, Дінім Бан focs Ны let 7 PO. Box 47890, Ракић, MN 55447, (VT residents may бай retar postage) Requests must- DT ue domi r r roe cp ees cate po esi i misdirected, ерде, postage eve wi e/a ass Be н UE көшу and wil mt be ial Rules also av LN: LOW TO PLA сре еура dL A а те win/receive the діл or discount indicted, ‘PRIZES AND DISCOUMTS: И ШЗ ПЧ of Computer Game. Type of reet among designate selections al ww cyberia com (Appi a i Rei Value РЕТ purchase ol any ака TE LTE yanê $10 Discount Coupon (ARV: $0) Discount valid towards the oa ine of select БА video or computer games available at www Убе con, fer between $30 and $5 (shipping and applicable жи ee ee Sirene information. Discount coupons and prizes cannot be substuted for other goods, services or cash, except at Sponsors sale discretion or as otherwise provided herein. pru eee be а s pcm velo pee ee advertised rize/dseaun! becomes unavailable, wii n Cea mail he опро up me recu oie ната реГ ШП. ins mast аба ікібе rame and address паара id tm түүнү Б-сы лыг re Arm ci pcd MY ташы. ара led T piece lor your records. Following verification о Second Fie wnat "n 00 12/3 o terms and ў Mer cue Бети che ae ve eve М аа GM aes аў ly Ме ава eer а Ea і е іі p pct eoe ИП ра (EST) on 12/31/01. Additional Redemption Details: Redemption of Disceun/Firs Prize subject t teras м ЕЕ тосот: EXCITE DELL CHE а a ткн аа ааа гал Біле талага вая М cine Hino nese сс PEE ACE rre rr T паран ea erie ws et ete pe B Y Sponsors discretion. Participants assume al risk o! loss, damage, destruction, delay or misdirection ا و ا‎ pari тайы uomine vec ei а on i і iom Ше 8 елі Er Аја іа hel sole discretion, to cancel, to terminate or suspend the (лете redemption ESL M Dem causes beyond the contol of Sponsors супу or is 0 АЕ their affiliated companies ошкош = ИЕН aut, of У Е ИТР га sire ишш пай ад ана Цана FT shal be resolved exclusively by e and ali claims, ju incurred, including costs associated with entering this ИРЕН ИТ ГІН ИН ИШТ To receive a list ol First Prize winners, send a ЁЎ а г " та) to: Cyber oa Wan list fea PO. Bor ШІ md AN 55447. DO NOT: ET Я OTHER CORRESPONDENCE OR PRIZE CLAIMS TO THIS BOX. ТИВ ШАР? 1250 H Sweet, Suite 950, Washington,DC 20005 and Dairy Management, Ic, 10253 West Higgins Road, Suite 900, Rosemont, IL 60018 Relax, || handle this. Comic Mischief Violence These gas-powered gladiators are ready for battle. Kou Mtelohi-and-aquiAL engine makes Cel Damage part demolition derby, part whacked-out cartoon. Crash into /2 rleraclive envinonments and smash your friends in fove-alayer 4000 screen mode. So buckle up, the ‘toons rule the road. Hop into the suped-up rides of the toughest ‘toons around. Grab a chainsaw, giant axe or one of 34 other wild and wacky weapons. 12 5 Smack your opponents silly in deathmatch, capture-the-flag and racing modes. АР м SN d Year Founded: 1995 Location: Cambridge, MA Web Site: www.harmonixmusic.com # of people: 27 Previous work: Harmonix previously just produced music education software for PC. Frequency is our first video game, and so we brought a team together to work on it whose credits include Thief: The Dark Project and System Shock for PC; Supercross 2000 and NHL 99 on console. Story behind our name: “Harmonics” is a word used by musicians and audio-heads, and we just liked the way it sounded. Why did you start your company? Playing music feels so damned good, and most people never get to experience [it], because learning to play music the old- fashioned way is so hard. We started this company to create software that lets non-musicians experience the thrill of playing music. Why create a music game? We noticed what was happening in Japan with PaRappa, Beatmania and other rhythm- action games. The core gameplay was so addictive and playing them really evoked the buzz of playing music, so we became determined to bring music games to the U.S. We're convinced that music gaming is poised to explode here. How did you come up with the idea for Frequency? As good as the Japanese music games are, they're still lacking: The music and graphics are cheesy; there is no interesting multiplayer interaction; there is no musical creativity involved. Frequency pushes the music gaming experience much further: deeper gameplay, kick-ass music from top artists, hypnotic graphics, cool multiplayer features, and a lot of DJ-style creative freedom woven into the game. VIDEO GAMES...ANIMATED Kirby and Final Fantasy are two new 'toons debuting on TV this fall in Japan. FF is still shrouded in mystery. Will it be CG, or based on one of the games? No one knows for sure, although we've gotta admit that FFIX is the best candidate for toonification. Kirby, on the other hand, is targeted to a younger audience and definitely uses hand-drawn animation. Quartermann - Game Gossip & Speculation Get out your secret decoder rings, Quarterfriends. The Q-Mann is back again, ready to light the fires under a rumor stew that's bound to whet your appetite. And it's a mighty delicious soup this month if І do say so myself. OK; enough talk— have at you! ...Big rumblings insidé Capcom. The.Qrhas learned that the Resident Evil series is coming - to GameCube in a big way. Starting with 6 Resident Evil a/the GC will become the “home” platform for the series. That's three RE games already Cube-bound: Resident Evil Zéro (aka, Bio-Hazard Zero) is still in development, ( Resident Evil 4 Remix (with completely real- time graphics—nothing prerendered) and Resident Evil 4. These beauties aren't going to hit all at once. Expect a prettystaggered schedule for ‘em beginning as the movie release— approaches i in spring.2002. After that news, the Q-Mann\thinks it's pretty clear the GCisn’t going to be your kid brother’s system. Expect to see some RE goodness at the Tokyo Game Shom? Б in October... Ја „...If you were planning to buyan Xbox just for | the new Medal of Honor game, it’s time-fora | new plan. Electronic Arts has put the title on | indefinite hold due to the Xbox’s uncertain future. Yours truly has unearthed info that other companies are also moving their X projects into a similar abyss, to be awakened only as the system gains street cred.... Also оп the EA front, look for the company to announce а big new ___ racing series in the coming months.... Speaking -next game іп the of Xbox, Microsoft's gone on record to deny it a buncha times, but. The О still hears mumbles that the system is going.to be pushed back a few weeks in the U.S. If it does get pushed back, the furthest it'll go is to Thanksgiving weekend, right nextta GameCube's new date ~(well, lookie here...Nintendo thought they could get away, huh? Not so fast)... Whatever the case, we'll all be broke this November. The Q —will have to gaip into his savings! \ From the file of “Things The Q Has Heard But _Doubts Will Actually Happen": Square's Chrono series will be... (wait fot it) „ой Xbox. Here, have a grain of. salt on ol’ QA would indeed be a huge coup if Microsoft® Was able to entice Square to their system. But even if Chrono does show up on the box, like Ridge Racer and Soul Calibur, it might be one of those multiplatform deals. And [её face ‘it, that weakens the impact of such news. In ay Gase, you heard it here first... Lastly, kiddies, The Q wants to give a hearty and much deserved shout-out to EGM mainstay Trickman Terry, who is leaving the pages of the mag. You shall be missed, friend. _Got somethin’ ta say? E-mail me at a quartermann@ziffdavis.com. 一 TheQ Chrono Goes Greatest Hits If you missed it last year, Square's highly acclaimed non-Final Fantasy PS1 RPG Chrono Cross is now a $19.99 Greatest Hits title. To make it even more special, Square's added the never-before-published English lyrics to “Radical Dreamers," the game's ending theme. All-Region DVD Player for PS2 Datel Ltd. has released a product called DVD Region X, which allows you to play DVDs from any region on your PS2. It works like a GameShark and requires no internal modification, though we only Electronic Gaming Monthly - 80 - www.egmmag.com got it to work on an older PS2 with version 1.20U DVD player software. Load it up, swap it out with your favorite DVD (probably from Region 2, Japan, since they get all the cool releases!), and enjoy. Currently it's only available from importers such as NCS (www.ncsx.com) or Tronix (www.tronixweb.com) for about $30. Check www.dvdregionx.com for details. "m Midway Updates \ Defender Seven Studios is doing the honors on a new version of Defender for Midway. We're not so sure the "real-time strategy elements" they're adding are gonna work with the classic gameplay of Eugene Jarvis' arcade original. 7 Hundreds of miles of incredibly Y realistic ground enuironments. Just because you can fly doesn't mean you сап shoot. Rnd Just because you can shoot doesn't mean you can hit a bandit going Mach 2. So if you want all 18 of your missions to end with а frosty cold one rather than a fiery crash, you need to master the ueapons and the uings. You got that, flyboy? From Migs to Е165—18 frontline fighters to battle uith. агегатвато= REE те селе те MILD LANGUAGE VIOLENCE Play5 ation.e WWW.NAMCO.COM F-22 Raptor and Е-16 Fighting Falcon are Trademarks of Lockheed Martin Corporation used under license to Namco. ЯСЕСОМВАТЕОЧ shatteredskies в © 200! Namco Ltd., RII Rights Res PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Soft Hit the mean streets of ће Big Apple as one of 4 new "cabbies" in low-rider / taxis that can now leap over traffic. | Pick up multiple fares а! опе time while driving to the slammin sounds of The Offspring and Methods of Mayhem. Я Беда is registered іп the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Sega, Oreameast. and Sega of America Dreamcast, Inc., 2000. All Rights Reserved. Ае idarfiark: marks of SEGA Cültporation or Sega of America Dreamcast, Inc. © SEGA Corporation 12.04.2001 be : JE 9 Dreamcast. Gambling SEGA-AM? 1989, 2001 http 4 Imue.com/ 5 (s or trademarks of Sega Corporation. © SEGA-AM2 Co., LTD./SEGA CORPORATION, 2001. www.sega.com. Use of Tobacco and Alcohol Violence » SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA, DREAMCAST, the DREAMCAST logo, and SHENMUE are registered trad PRESS START The Тор 20 Best-Selling Games of July 2001 In a shocking turn of events, Sonic Adventure 2 actually moved up the chart Е from its debut last month at number seven. Dreamcast fans, take note: This 11 legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages @ COLOR e could be the last time you see a non-sports DC game in the Top 20. GT3 Nintendo may've edged out Pokémon for the top spot this time, but you can bet Pikachu В and his pals will have their revenge. Pokémon Gold and Silver stayed strong 12 Gran Turismo 2 this month, but can they hold onto a chart position much longer? Will a day Sony CEA come when there will be no Pokémon in the Top 20? Horror of horrors! Oh, and 9 Я whoever bought that copy of Frogger...we know where you live. 13 Pokémon Silver ы Nintendo 1 Gran Turismo 3 A-spec Я Sony СЕД 14 Pokémon Gold i €— Nintendo 0 = а 5 i лаға == 15 Mario Party3 2 Pokémon Crystal MIS наю | 16 МХ2002 Featuring Ricky Carmichael — -— 15 COLOR | * Jeanne ТІ Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Nintendo 18 Frogger Infogrames 19 NASCAR Heat 2007 Infogrames 20 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon ae о Konami Foothall 2002 ic Arts Д Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games Service. Call Kristin Barnett-von Korff at і (516) 625-2481 for questions regarding this list. Chart description written by EGM staff. Psst, the secret code is 007 373 5963. That will lead you to the champ, Little Mac. JAPAN TOP 10 6 Sonic Adventure 2 н i The N64 hasn't had Minna по Golf 3 ES е №64 hasn't had a 1 Sony CEI Г = game on the Japanese 2 Mario Kart Ad Ге? charts in months. All it HUNE [САМЕ BOR needed was a version Ме of Derby Stallion, the Golden Sun Gran Turismo of horse 9 0 à 3 Nintendo ІЗІ racing that has hit just ДМ 9. EGI x қ about every system іп ҸӘ Crispin = ШЕ Piece 2. {һе last three years == (including the Sega 8 Twisted Metal: Black Final Fantasy X 一 Saturn). Took long Sony CEA Ta Square enough! The game's been on the schedule 6 Bekuten Shoot Beublade әсе. Е ТӨЛЕНЕ. vcri - Who would've known Gran Turismo З A-spec == га» моц be the №45 Final Fantasy Chronicles 1 Sony СЕ! last big game? Square Electronic Arts Derby Stallion 64 erby Stallion 9 | 0 ай м Milkman | 9 Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters 5 EXPERT GTI? | Konami. ADVANCE 10 Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Nintendo ' | 10: Mario Advance a 10 Derby Stallion 64 Chris Source: Weekly Famitsu, week ending 8/19/2001 Nintendo. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 54 - www.egmmag.com Nintendo GameCube’ Born to Play. ind the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. www.nintendogamecube.com October 18-Wheeler— Acclaim Racing Ace Combat 4— Namco Action/Sim Batman: Vengeance —Ubi Soft Action Conflict Zone — Ubi Soft Strategy Crash Bandicoot — Universal Action Devil May Cry— Capcom Action Evil Twin — Ubi Soft Adventure Giants: Citizen Kabuto—Interplay Adventure Grand Theft Auto III — Rockstar Action Guilty Gear X— Majesco Fighting Guitaroo Мап — Кое! Music Half-Life—Sierra Action Herdy Gerdy — Eidos Adventure Kinetica —Sony CEA Racing NFL 2K2—Sega Sports No One Lives Forever—Sierra Action Okage: Shadow King—Sony CEA RPG Shaun Palmer Snowboarder—Activision Sports SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs—Sony CEA Action Smuggler’s Run 2—Rockstar Racing Supercar Street Chlng.— Activision Racing Time Crisis:Project Titan — Namco Action Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3—Activision Sports WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It—THQ Action Dreamcast Bomberman Online —Sega Misc. NBA 2K2—Sega Sports NFL 2K2— Sega Sports Tennis 2K2—Sega Sports PlayStation Castlevania Chronicles — Konami Action Hoshigami —Atlus RPG/Strategy Breath of Fire— Capcom RPG Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX—Activision Sports Mega Man Battle Network— Capcom RPG Shaun Palmer Snowboard —Activision Sports November Baldur’s Gate—Interplay Adventure/RPG Blood Omen 2—Eidos Adventure Capcom vs. SNK 2—Capcom Fighting Deus Ex—Eidos Action Dynasty Warriors 3—Koei Action Eve of Extinction—Eidos Action Frequency—Sony CEA Music Max Payne—Rockstar Action Metal Gear Solid 2—Konami Action Namco Museum—Namco Misc. NBA 2K2—Sega Sports NBA Live 2002—Electronic Arts Sports Police 911—Konami Action Resident Evil Survivor 2—Capcom Action Compiled By Jonathan Dudlak jonathan_dudlak@ziffdavis.com Simpsons Road Rage—Electronic Arts Action SSX Tricky—Electronic Arts Sports Tetris Worlds—THQ Puzzle Luigi’s Mansion—Nintendo Adventure Madden NFL 2002—Electronic Arts | Sports Pikmin — Nintendo Misc. Star Wars: Rogue Leader—LucasArts Action Wave Race: Blue Storm — Nintendo Racing Xbox _ te Е Amped — Microsoft Sports Azurik: Rise of Perathia — Microsoft Adv. Dead or Alive 3 — Tecmo Fighting Halo— Microsoft Action Mad Dash Racing —Eidos Racing Madden NFL 2002—Electronic Arts Sports NFL Fever 2002 — Microsoft Sports Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee — Microsoft Adv. Project Gotham — Microsoft Racing WWF: Raw Is War 一 THQ Evil Twin — Ubi Soft Dragon Warrior VII — Enix RPG Harry Potter— Electronic Arts Mega Man X6— Capcom Action Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3—Activision Sports Twisted Metal Sml. Brawl—Sony CEA Action Game Boy Advance Harry Potter— Electronic Arts Klonoa: Empire of Dreams — Namco Action Sonic the Hedgehog —Sega Action Spyro the Dragon —Universal Adventure December Jak and Daxter—Sony CEA Galleon—Interplay Grandia 2—Ubi Soft RPG Rayman Arena — Ubi Soft The Lost— Crave Eternal Darkness — Nintendo SSX Tricky — Electronic Arts Sports Sup. Smash Bros. Melee—Nintendo Fighting Star Wars: Obi-Wan—LucasArts Adventure Dreamcast Shenmue ll —Sega PlayStation Cubix—3DO Game Boy Advance Columns —Sega Puzzle Doom —Activision Action МХ 2002 Ricky Carmichael — THQ Racing Tetris Worlds — THQ Puzzle X-Men —Activision Action Electronic Gaming Monthly - 86 - www.egmmag.com |. wearin' booty will be kicked to the curb in Import Pick of the Month: Ever wish you could produce your very own Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers knock-off? You can with the help of Sony CEI's wacky new PS2 game ега! по Mikata (“Friend of Justice" in English). You design your own hero and do battle with mutated, other- worldly vegetables in an MMPR-style show. Keep the action flowing and you'll stay on the air. Fail and your tights- no time flat. PlayStation 2 9/27 Silent Hill 2, Konami (Survival Horror) 9/27 Shake It Bravoes!, Sony СЕ! (Music) Sept. Sky Gunner, Sony CEI (Shooter) 10/4 King's Field IV, From Software (RPG) Oct. Seigi no Mikata, Sony CEI (Misc.) Nov. Busin: Wizardry Alternative, Atlus (RPG) GameCube 10/26 Pikmin, Nintendo (Misc.) 11/21 Dairantou Smash Brothers DX, Nintendo (Fighting) Dreamcast 9/27 Garou: Mark of the Wolves, SNK (Fighting) 10/10 Eldorado Gate Vol. 7, Capcom (RPG) PlayStation 9/20 Dance Dance Revolution 5th Mix, Konami (Dance) Oct. Gamera 2000 (re-release), Four Winds (Action) Nov. Zanac X Zanac, Compile (Shooter) Game Boy Advance 9/27 2.0.Е. 2173 Testament, Konami (Strategy) 10/18 Puyo Puyo, Sega (Puzzle) *Schedule subject to change without notice. Consult your local import game store for the latest release info. Yes that's a big, walkin’ and talkin’ red pepper. The Dispatch leather / marc eckó footwear eckó red eckó function eckó unitd. Finally, buy gear online at wwW.ecko.com ИТЦ { @MARCECKOFOOTWEAR |... MAYBE WE COULD TURN YT ТО А RACING HYBRID … ADD FATALITIES OR бусы-- AH, HELLO, VIDEO GAMERS! Y^ HSU TANAKA, THIS 1S MY BROTHER] SHAN, AND WE'RE COMING ТО You Live AND RINGSIDE AT THE WORLD ORDER OF FIGHTERS "woRLD- O'- HURT" PAY-PER-VIEW EVENT, HERE IN EXOTIC TOLEDO! NESSIREE, WERE GONNA Be SEEING UNGODLY AMOUNTS OF BODY HAIR TONIGHT! THE REASON WERE АТ THIS DEN OF UNHOLY SMELLS THIS EVENING 15 OUR RECENT ACQUISITION OF THE WooF LICENSE боя USE IN PRODUC- ANG AN EXCLUSIVE LINE OF W.0.0.F, VIDEO GAMES! WERE VERS асе ums SUBJECT MATTER " | ` AS VERSATILE NS THIS, WE CANT LOSE! Ме... WE. WHO ARE WE KIDDING?! WS A DEAD, HORSE! WERE GOING Yo HANE TO WATT ANOTHER FIFTY YEARS UNTIL WRESTLING BECOMES} POPULAR AGAIN! 259 SMILES, THAN! COMING! Now | INTRODUCE You TO OTHER WRESTLERS, THIS 15 MYSTERIO PERTE XL, LERCE WARRIo! FRIEND OF Қ CHILDREN You SEEM TO HAVE SKIPPED OVER ME, MY FRIEND. ea AND ROGER Living ¥ REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER LANDINGS IN oor" HIGH-RISK MANEUVERS! NOT THAT ANY INTRODUCTIONS ARE NECESSARY .. IVE MET THESE FELLOWS MANY TIMES BEFORE. BUT IN CASE “THEY Do мот REMEMBER... МҸ МАМЕ 15 LUCIFER, FATHER ОР DARKNESS, | eurer THERE. Чоо Have BEEN MARKED, | LITTLE FRIEND! THIS 16 NOT Good! Your SOUL 15 IN JEOPARDY! WHAT?! WHATS GOING ON? | THOUGHT THIS STUFF WAS Аш. FAKED! THER JUST say у соме FROM А TRIBE OF HOLY MEN LIVING HIGH IN THE CARPATHIANS, OUR MEN ARE GREAT FIGHTERS AS WELL AND, DUE To SOME ANCIENT AGREEMENT IWHICH WE ASSUME INVOLVED МОКА ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION ON OUR PART, THE TASK FELL UPON A CHOSEN ONE OF OUR PEOPLE TO FIGHT SATAN HIMSELF ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS FOR THE FATE OF дал MANKIND! WHEN 1 CAME OF AGE, 1 WAS ALREADY DEEPLY INTO THE LOCAL AWRESTL- ING CIRCUIT, SO THINGS SORT OF SPIRALLED FROM THERE. ou MEAN-- Чоо BUILT А PAR- THAT ТО CLEAR THE CENSORS. HMM... PERHAPS соме BACK- STORY WOULD HELP! reR-vEw EVENT AROUND A BATTLE FoR Tue SUBTUGATIAN OF ALL HUMANITY THE Devit?! 1F WE ARE To SANE Зам ME IN THE RNG! BUT FoR NOW, YOUR IMMORTAL Sour, ou MUST| TREMBLE! THIS 1$ IT, LITTLE FRIEND! HAVE COURAGE! THIS WILL BE EPIC BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, WHICH WORLD WILL NOT SOON FoRGeET ! ACTUALLY, WERE RUNNING Low ON. PANELS -- МА! CHAN OR SOMETHING y www.ape-law.com/evilmonkey HALLO! TOL ARE САМЕ MAKERS ARE You мот? VAM THE GREAT Е. SAK, HERE то SHOW Чоо AROUND THE MAZE OF WONDERS THAT 15 W.O.0.F.! WHAT WOULD You LIKE To SEE FIRST, LOCKER Room OR INFIRMARY? WE WOULO LIKE TO SEE ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT HEAVILY INVOLVE opi) FUNGUS, МЕ. AGAINST SATAN 71 1 DON'T THINK I'M UP To THE TASK! \ CAN'T- We Give Чод SNAPPY Rie Music! HERE 16 WHERE WARRIORS OF THE SQUARED CIRCLE BATTLE FOR CRUEL AMUSEMENT OF MANY FANS! GATEYPON THE GLORY! SOME DANGER 19 ANVOLVED, ВОТ MANY PRECAUTIONS ARE TAKEN TO ENSURE cı SAFETY OF PERFORMERS: Y CANT FEEL MY LEGS!) FOUL THING! YOU'LL ро мо MORE EVIL HERE TONIGHT! | чат выл ee DETERMINED YOUNG. HSU HERE... AT LAST, MY Two CHALLENGERS ARRIVE! FOUND SOME COURAGE, HAVE. You, 8047 SPLENDID- 1 HATE A SHORT FIGHT. Глам TRUE Ж DEMONIC “ЖОРЫ... UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN THE BRAVEST OF MEN TREMBLE ONCE 1 HAVE. REVEALED... "TL NEXT TIME, ViDEO GAMERS, THIS 15 CHAN TANAKA REMINDING YOU To BEAT PEOPLE UP ONLY UNDER CLOSE ADULT SUPERVISION, AND ALSO To SNAP INTO А вым SIM тае DEVILIS BEATEN, MY HAND'S BACK ‘To NORMAL, AND ALL THE WORLD 15 SAFE! MAY WRESTLING ANO WRESTLING PROGRAMS BE BLESSED! LET'S бо BEAT SOMEBODY oF! GOOD NIGHT, AND GOD BLESS. BLOOD AND GORE | + | і VIOLENCE Visio www.majescosales.com Fa җа ү. " ACTIVISION. Soldier of Fortune® ©1999-2001 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights reserved. Published and distributed under license from Activision Inc. and its affiliates. Developed by Ra (esislered vademark of Omega Group, Ls, Activision а a registerad trademark of Activision, lnc, and its alliats., This product contains software technology licensed from а Soft id Software, Inc. Licensed by Sony Compuler Entertainment America for use with the Playstation 2 computer entertainment system. АЙ other trademarks and trade names are the pr Rights Reserved."PlayStation" and tho "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Software Corporation. Soldier of Fortune® is à ne. (14 Technology’). d Technology © 1997:2001 erties of their respective owners. 2001 Majesco Sales, Inc. АН "XBOX SYSTEM е ИЫН AMPED б LIMES SNOWBOARDIN BASIE MICROSOFT ЕС #102718 1 PROJECT GOTHAM RACING XBOX MICROSOFT и #209485-2 =~ HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED’ | T N MAO ч 104120. Ж — TONS YES 5 — RLD: MUNCH S OI b T ODDWORLD: Pros MICROSOFT BUNGIE | y / > у щй 129 Prices valid in U.S. only. Typographical errors are not the responsibility of Electronics Boutique. Not all item Р moy appear af our outlet locations. Prices may vary by location. At fime of printing, all products are expected f ә available. Some packaging, pricing, and special offers may differ in Canada. Prices and availability are subje Ce. —ÓÀ А ds МНЕКЕ ТНЕ WORLD 5НОР5 FOR INTERACTIVE.GAMES. Л st је pax UTION ONE SEU THE WL NEW LEGENDS - их m ха EVOLUTION? | А TH (АШ oe #09966 #099687 АНЕ ROCKSTAR Gaes 0-3 || NASCAR HEA 2002 NFOGRAMES Л \ TONY HAWK'S 1 PRO SKATER Ру TONY HAWK'S MAD DASH Lm PRO SKATER 2X XBOX ELECTRONIC ARTS КІН 55 сш #209936-4 X ранак R. WARS Ls STABFIERHTEY еч SPE Ұялы EDITION ў т. STARFIGHTER ny ATS ЖХХХХХХ-Х NAL HITZ SHREK DEAD OR ALIVE 3 XBOX XBOX XBOX ! MIDWAY ТОК TECMO. ts | сас i #209975-2 #209978-6 #209971-1 7% qm 0.80 (mm: .003 25 А p THE DEUIL DOESNT HOU IT YET, — cuf THERE SA BULLET И sS | PlayStation.2 ists 5 OCAPCOM cai «ОСАРСОІ ^ АРСОМ logo are registered trademarks ої CAPCOM CO., LTD. DEVIL MAY CRY is a trademark of CAPCOM CO., L T A E Ў T \ е Са AGO, IN THE DARKEST REACHES OF HELL, A DEMON SWORDSMAN NAMED SPARDA ie ЕТГІ A ONE- MAN WAR TO SAVE THE HUMAN WORLD FROM DAMNATION. 2000 YEARS LATER, сездер а A SHADOWY FIGURE NAMED DANTE FINDS.CLUES THAT THE DEVIL WILL RISE UP AGAIN. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A MAN яло я DEMON LIES OUR ONLY HOPE FOR SALVATION. 4 me фы. ы К у $ A 73 RESIDENT EVIL” L gm M | ДИ THE CREATORS ЈЕ ШИШ com. i rks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association, ayStation” and the "PS" Family 4 зам зга 6 Ж © su м Previews 68-69 Devil May Cry 74 SSX Tricky 75 Okage: Shadow King 76 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 80 Ace Combat 4 This Month in Previews t’s hard to believe that this time next month most of us will be broke thanks to GameCube and Xbox purchases. All except EGM editor in chief Dan Hsu, who can afford Commandos 2 both (he’s the only one who doesn’t get 81 Тће HUS paid in chocolate bars and nylon NFL 2K ki d here) > stockings around here). 84 NFL GameDay 2002 А Апа while а lot of people seem to be NASCAR Thunder 2002 is poo-pooing the Xbox before it's even MXrider reviews | had a chance to prove itself (especially Need a reason to buy a GameCube? 86 Project Eden marked with since that ho-hum showing at the 2001 OK...need another reason to buy а a 2002 pant Electronic Entertainment Expo), GameCube? Check out Rogue Leader on AMET ET 3 96 5 88 МВА Live 2002 асаў Net he anticipation for it in our o fices has page 96 and drool a lot. World of Outlaws released in the started growing dramatically. After we Sprint Cars 2002 US. They are got to see the latest versions of games normally enough to make an EGM Tsugunai designed to ike Dead or Alive 3, Munch’s Oddysee editor wet his pants with glee), but Wizardry: Tale of the run on and NFL Fever in motion, even one of because it looks so damn good! The Forsaken Land Japanese or our more jaded editors—let’s call him game really makes you wonder if you're 90 Sunny Garcia Surfing | European PAL Chris J. No wait, that's too obvious...C. watching the old movies sometimes. Johnny Moseley Mad Trix Frequency Systems. ohnston— begrudgingly admitted all No matter how you cut it, this Akira Psychoball import S your hope is not lost for Microsoft. Christmas is gonna rock. Nintendo’s 92 Stuntman eem But let's be honest. Rogue Leader on primed to return to glory, Sony's firing 93 Burnout | the GameCube (page 96) could easily on all cylinders, and Microsoft looks Thunderstrike: , steal the thunder away from those stronger than ever. And hey, we'll тет, аа Phoenix Xbox games come November. Not only get Sega games on every console. 96-102 Star Wars: Rogue Leader because it's a Star Wars game (which is 104 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Super Monkey Ball All-Star Baseball 2002 Life is good! ж 1. Star Wars: Rogue Leader 2. Devil May Cry GameCube, November PlayStation 2, November 110-111 Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee 112-113 Dead or Alive 3 16 ^ Nightcaster Amped 120 Project Gotham 3. Shenmue ІІ Dreamcast, December Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4. Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee Xbox, November Kabuki Warriors 122 UFC Tapout New Legends MX2002 feat. Ricky Carmichael 123 Unreal Championship 5. Golden Sun Game Boy Advance, October How are you 1 raising money for an Xbox and NASER Heat 2002 a GameCube? Dreamcast Playing the lottery, ‘cause odds are 124126 Shenmue Il better than a Sasquatch encounter, PlayStation 128 Mega Man X6 Dragon Warrior IV 130 Golden Sun 132 Tekken Zone of the Enders 2173: Testament Wario Land Advance Waiting a a month and buying significantly cheaper “Ninetedo” from Hong Kong Buying console and returning a box of rocks to the store pa Dave Mirta Freestyle — کڪ‎ Holding breath until mommy buys it for us Jackie Chan Adventures Adding console of choice to teacher- ed school supply list Taking out second mortgage _оп houseboat Dokapon Batman: Vengeance 136 Yu-Gi-Oh! MagiNation: Keeper's Quest Will pawn wedang ring right before systems hit Stores, but for sure will buy it right back after next paycheck ч == о "According to poll taken Бу 100 of our x 4% imaginary friends. Electronic Gami % A нов“ Тек, ON dH A EJ MATURE INC: www.scea.com Twisted Metal: Black is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. € 2001 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Mild Language Mild Violence Suggestive Themes EL lx T. tt. у? а от "cw 31 the world, only this island is... [= о = fJ d un > ЈЕ с. Е _ Devil May Cry PREVIEW Publisher: Capcom Capcom Players: 1 [Gene. Action % Done: 95% Release: October 17, 2001 ГЇ Onimusha ЛЛ | www.capcom.com All the horror fun of Resident Evil without the stilted gameplay. The dorky dialog and cheeseball acting drain the drama. Is Trish supposed to be hot? She looks like a homely Silent Hill reject. D ©з | Ме меге pleasantly | surprised when Devil Мау | Cry briefly transformed into | anunderwater first-person | shooter about halfway | through the game. While it's | no competition for full- | fledged shooters, it's a cool | addition that offers a | refreshingly aquatic change | of pace. | The genre-blending | experimentation doesn't end | there. You'll also be treated | to two brief vehicle shooter | | | | | | | || | sequences late in the game. This shocking excursion into variety is initially jarring, but proves that these guys can make more than zombie- filled horror games. Who knows, maybe DMC2 will feature a toe-tapping dancing level. Dante first meets Trish when she busts into his crib and impales him with a sword. After that they become fast friends. Apparently, they were all out of scythes at the local bad-guy supply shop. Dante punishes the ghoul for running. esident Evil fans don’t have much to be thankful for these days. Code: Veronica X has very little new content, RE Zero for the GameCube was a no-show at Spaceworld, and a true PS2 RE sequel is starting to seem less likely by the day. However, all is not lost. RE Creator Shinji Mikami's first PS2 project, Devil May Cry, combines the macabre mood of survival horror with some of the deepest and most fulfilling action gameplay this side of Konami's recent Castlevania titles. In fact, DMC is so swell that you may not mourn the lack of Resident Evil at all after playing it. answers from this vile temptress with the foreboding name of Trish. She warns Dante that the ancient demon Mundus has returned, and that he may be responsible for the death of Dante's family. Trish vanishes and our hero sets out on his journey with his father's mighty sword. Unlike Resident Evil, this game is broken up into individual levels, 24 in all. The levels themselves are fully interconnected, however, so you will become intimately familiar with the layout of DMC's castle during your journey. Dante is equipped with a massive blade and a pair of pistols loaded with con- "*[DMC's] in-game engine is more beautiful than the CG movies in the original Resident Evil." The game's stunning opening introduces Dante, a fair-haired, half-demon badass who hires out his services as a private investigator of the paranormal. "Devil May Cry" is the grammatically challenged name of his agency. The narrative explodes when a mysterious hottie crashes into Dante's office and thrusts a sword through his heart. After casually removing the blade from his sternum, Dante demands Dante wields two pistols at once in classic John Woo style. (Minus the slow-motion Shots of flying doves, that is.) Electro — Shinji Mikami veniently unlimited ammo. A deadly arsenal of sword moves are earned throughout the game, so it’s not just a button-mashing hack-a-thon. Plus the game rates your attacks based on creativity and style — comboing slashes with gunfire yields higher marks. And luckily, whether you adored or abhorred Resident Evil's control scheme, you'll likely be enamored with DMC's amazingly tight gameplay. Nothing's messier than shotgunning a giant roach at point-blank range. Well, except maybe blasting 20 bugs. The clunky, tank-like walking controls of RE are history; Dante simply runs in the direction that you press on the control stick. Double-jumps and a quick side-roll add to your impressive maneuverability. While the game is fairly combat-heavy, there are also puzzles sprinkled throughout the levels. Most of these brain-teasers involve finding a rusty key or placing a gem in a hole, so the game never degrades into confusing drudgery of equation solving. While some stages only require puzzle Solving to clear, others are a bit more climactic. The boss encounters are dramatic, impressive and most importantly, difficult. These vile behemoths are also tenacious, so you've rarely seen the last of them even after several victories. Devil May Cry presents a formidable challenge by not exactly allowing infinite continues. You begin the game with a limited number of tries represented by Yellow Orbs. When these run out it’s Game Over. You can also save your game at the start of each level, but if you meet an untimely fate with no orbs left, it's VARIOUS GATTS AND GLOCKS AT D The grenade launcher might not have the finesse of your father's sacred sword, but it sure blows up real pretty-like. back to the start of that stage. Complementing the deep gameplay and old- school challenge are some of the most jaw-dropping visuals yet seen on the PS2. From both an aesthetic and a technical standpoint, the graphics in Devil May Cry are among the best on the system, providing ample competition for Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy X and Ico. Dimly lit castle corridors, crumbling courtyards and dank caverns have all been created with an eye for subtlety and detail that no previous game can match. Later levels include an awesome moored ghost ship and a gooey internal- organ extravaganza —these are the kinds of kick-butt graphics you bought a PS2 for. DMC is due out next month, but if you just can't wait for a taste —and you shouldn't — check out the playable demo that comes with Resident Evil Code: Veronica X. You won't be sorry. ж —Shane Bettenhausen DIALOG MAY One of the only negative aspects in DMC is the somewhat laughable dialog. Despite the serious nature of the narrative, much of the acting fails to convey the gravity of the situation. When Dante squeals: “1 wanted to be the one who filled your dark soul with LIGHT!” you'll likely be doubled over laughing instead of engrossed in the narrative. Bear in mind, this is from the people responsible for the “master of unlocking” debacle in Resident Evil (PS1), so we were not too shocked by the less than natural-sounding script. E'S DISPOSAL The final gun Dante finds is the high-tech Nightmare Beta, a crazy laser that turns corridors into a disco of death. | A devil who's seen the light from the skies, or a dashing, dapper devil | in disguise? DMC’s main meanie Sparda versus Batman: Both are | called “Dark Knight” by those who know them, but who would win in a fistfight? One’s a black warrior written about in epic prose, the | other’s a disturbed vigilante dressed in pantyhose. Sparda does have demonic powers on his side, while Bruce Wayne has a utility belt and a rubber suit with nipples. Hmm...we'll have to go with Sparda. | | | | | In Devil May Cry, а mysteri- of the Underworld on a quest to rid the world of an insidious evil. Ever wonder where he got his cool name? His moniker is a nod to 13th- century Italian poet Dante | | ous hero braves the depths | | Alighieri. His most famous work is The Divine Comedy, in which he travels through hell and purgatory to reach paradise (also the basis for Crave's upcoming The Lost for PS2). The plot of Devil May Cry echoes many of the classic themes presented in Dante's yarn. | Another famous Dante is Dante Hicks, the main char- acter in the cinematic classic Clerks. He may not travel through hell or anything, but watching Clerks is way more fun than reading Paradise Lost. DMC's Dante doesn't really have much to do with Clerks, but both have some real laugh-inducing dialog. RATING PENDING Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 Play5 tation.e for more info. CONTENT RATED BY ESRB Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance © 2001 Interplay Entertainment Corp. All rights reserved. Baldur's Gate, Dark Alliance, Forgotten Realms, the Forgotten Realms logo, Dungeons and Dragons, the D&D logo, and the Wizards of the Coasts logo are Black Isle Studios and the Black Isle Studios logo are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. All rights reserved. Snowblind Studios and the Snowblind Studios logo are trademarks of Snowblind Studios. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" ENCOUNTER EXPLORE FANTASTIC MYSTICAL BEASTS ENVIRONMENTS OPPOSITION BLOWS AWAY ANY PS2 GAME ON THE MARKET...” —cloudchaser.com snow by novwbhn nd, 105 marks owned by Wizards of the Coast Inc., û ssa of Hi lasbro, Inc., ub used by Interplay under еве М ia ne d erri o ie Interplay logo, "By Gamers. For Gamers", к "PS Foi ily logo are registered trademarks of Sony Солт трыа Entertain ent In c All other trademarks аге property of pleas БЕБА ја јер је 35.2 адетак Office. Se orts, Dreamcast, a TENNIS 3= PREVIEW SNOW JOB Average score given to the original SSX by the EGM Review Crew. [TM Electronic Arts Developer: EA Canada m 1-2 С Extreme Sports 15% Release: Winter 2001 ГС Я Gamecube, Xbox www.ea.com The Good: New “Uber” tricks. In Tricky, your rider has the ability to throw off the shackles of boardly oppression (uh, the bindings) and flip that junk around six ways from Aspen. Not a full sequel. A character voice provided by “Mr. Courtney Cox" (aka David Arquette). irst, Spy Kids: Special Edition, and now а “director’s cut” of one of the best PlayStation 2 games to date?! Life is good. The original SSX more than held its own against other PS2 launch titles like Madden 2001 and Tekken Tag Tournament, blowing away gamers with its mix of over-the-top snowboarding action, phat beats and visual pyrotechnics. SSX Tricky, а “half- sequel” of sorts, delivers more of the same. The game includes redesigned versions of all the original courses, chock-full of new paths and shortcuts, in addition to two new World Circuit stops, Garibaldi and Alaska. Garibaldi, located in British Columbia, Canada, begins with a gut-renching 200- foot base јитр — ће perfect opportunity to charge up your trick meter early. Set in the wilds of Alaska, the other new course features a rapid-fire succession of cliffs that resemble giant roofing shingles. Six new riders —including Zen master Brodi, the Celebrity | Voices SSX Tricky's international cast of characters is voiced by a number of well-known actors and musicians, including: ultra-buff Psymon and the knit Reggae cap-wearing David Arquette Eddie 一 join six returning favorites, inc uding Moby, (Eddie Wachowski) Zoe and the curvaceous Elise (Jurgen and Hiro Oliver Platt apparently failed to make the cut). For the "Director's (Luther-Dwayne Gaady) Cut," all of the characters have expanded facial KP Precise animations and are voiced by a number of different (Mac Fraser) celebrities (see sidebar). Nick Malaperiman The package also includes new DVD material, such EDU as behind-the-scenes and “making of" footage, and another killer Tes PES Soundtrack, Jim Rose featuring 280 (Psymon Stark) Run DMC, Macy Gray Mix Master (Seeiah Owens) Mike, Billy Zane Aphrodite (Brodi Case) and more. Patricia Valesquez The already (Marisol Diez Delagado) uncorked Ж асііоп has pn 7:04.07 been pumped up with the addition of new “Uber” tricks. During these less-than-serious stunts, riders detach themselves from their boards and perform headstands, karate moves and other impossible feats. When your trick meter is completely full, listen for Run ОМС “Tricky” to start playing...that means you'll have 20 seconds to pull off an Uber move. Land the move, and the “Т” in “tricky” will light up. Spell the entire word, and you can perform unlimited Uber moves for the rest of the run to rack up a sick score. Graphically, the game is everything you'd expect from а second-generation Р52 title; all full-screen modes run at a crisp and smooth 60 frames per second. The game also includes Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and wide-screen support, making it a great home-theater showpiece. Non-PS2 owners don't have to worry about being left out in the cold, either; although the series was born on Р52, SSX Tricky will also be landing on GameCube and Xbox this winter. фи -Gary Mollohan Nail all your jumps and try not to screw up too often in order to max out the "tricky" meter. Then it's time for some serious signature stunts. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 14 - www.egmmag.com 11.08.01 Е ge» Microsoft | MICROSOFT.COM/GRMES/ODDWORLD Ж хеох This is. your ‘day: You Get up; you go to work, som you hear trade rumors, you go home. This: 5 2 graphics, the camera angles, е intensity, t : See you tomorrow. nflfever2002.com Microsoft. | The tortured mind of the racer: every corner, a thousand split- Second decisions. Open it up or back it off. Win with style points ог lap times. Brake early or back it in. The blonde or the brunette. And with 4 cities, 200+ circuits and 25+ cars to choose from, it’s all your call. It just depends: What's driving you? ProJECTGOTHAM MILD LYRICS ae | E oM я RACING EVERYONE Microsoft microsoft.com/games/projectgotham |. ONLY ON х XOOX WWW.XBOX.COM Xbox front Four Controller Ports DVD Tray £ject Button Nope, these ain't USB ports, but they're The Xbox will play DVD movies, but not Microsoft made this button bigger because a little bigger in size and every bit as without a special remote you'll need to it's the one gamers will tap most often. speedy. The console's four game ports buy separately. The drive itself has a The clear ring around it glows green when have 12 megabits of bandwidth back to standard motorized slide-out tray. Early the system's running. It can also glow the box, so they're ready-made for data- prototypes called for a slot-loading drive yellow and red. One thing's for sure: The jamming peripherals like the headset that would suck in the disc, but a lack of light won't glow in sync with hard-drive microphone Microsoft's planning as a і and concerns over X | activity. Microsoft wants no visual controller-slot plug-in. к е s cramming peanut | indicators that the drive is in the box. to | Power/Reset Button Hit this button to turn Xbox on. Tap it to reset it. Hold it to switch off the lep, it works just like the 2's reset button. -一 一 Xbox back | || | : Power Plug | Digital Connector > Ethernet Port Xbox comes with a special “power cord” Here's where you'll hook your Xbox to the Here’s your bridge to broadband, whether that you plug into a “wall socket” where boob tube. Microsoft will sell a range of you have a cable modem, DSL, T3 or something called “electricity” brings the cables, from S-video all the way up to whatever. You gamers still stuck with unit to life. HDTV connections. Games will auto-detect dial-up are out of luck, however, since your connection and kick in the the Xbox won’t have a 56K modem. But System Fan appropriate screen resolution. You'll also you will be able to link two systems via In a word, it’s huge. Microsoft devoted an Бе able to buy cables with a digital-out this port with a standard ethernet cross entire team to work on overheating issues, (optical) connector, so you can link to an cable. Spring for an ethernet hub and you since the system’s got a lot of wattage A/V receiver with digital audio. can link several systems for a bona-fide going on in its powerful guts. LAN party. Xbox controller Dual Accessory Slots Like the Dreamcast pad, the Xbox controller has two slots on top to hold memory cards and other accessories, including microphone/headphone sets, tilt packs, and, as Microsoft's Xbox techni- cal officer Seamus Blackley is quick to add, “stuff we haven't even thought of yet.” Rumble Capacity The built-in rumble feature is powered by two motors, one high pitch and one low, so it can vibrate at levels from "bee buzzing by" to "meteor landing in your lap." X-tra-long Cords The controller cord measures just over 9.5 feet long (the DC cord comes in at about 6.5 feet, the Dual Shock 2 close to 8). The designers are hoping this will keep gamers from having to move their Xbox to the floor every time they want to play. Analog-stick Buttons Both analog sticks can be "pushed їп” like a button, similar to L and R3 on Sony's Dual Shock controller. Analog Buttons Every button on the pad (except for Start, Back and the D-pad) is analog just like the Dual Shock 2. In other words, they sense different amounts of pressure to control, say, how hard you kick in a fighting game. Did you say "Back" button? yep. Instead of the traditional Select button next to Start, Xbox has a Back button that’ll backtrack you through menus and options. Microsoft toyed with calling the Start button "Forward" but in the end opted to be conventional. POCKET PHRASE | TRANSLATOR “THAT WAS A NICE ^ TRICK.* \ FREESTYLE: | "DAG!* ж-е THE RODEO FLIP: Also known аз the "Don't Try This At Home." The nice part of this trick is that once you're insane enough to try it, you're probably ready for a magazine cover. EA жаа ENGLISH: PANTS." FREESTYLE: “DAG.” | ENGLISH: " “1 THINK I'VE FRACTURED MY і PELVIS." ; FREESTYLE; “БАС.” ғ р ' ' р р ! ! i ! | ! П Н “І LIKE YOUR ! р ! | | i ' ' ' ' ! ! ! ь & -- «> ч» ч» «в =» «в «е «в «> ш» ч» «> «о «ә өз «в ч» «ы «ы =» =» чә єз «ы === ------------- ampedt reestyle .com ћу; у! QE к, ЕМЕВУОМЕ ИГупаиотљи snoweoanbino SME ы Corporation, All rights reserved. Micó ред, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries, Other products and company ned herein may be trademarks of their. Hè owners. РА у 20: Weak. Tired. Fought ей aff day ју mixing fre and earth efemer Snell Ме crap. Need ©2001 Microsoft Microsoft Cor S Had run-in with gfeetf. ИЯ А Pets дитей, Damh. DAY ж: Digcevered “fire” realm talaja et. Seated ouf Г рой Still haven't shattered, 55 ` e AS х e 1 XY 60 FLFMFN AL 2% E ў За Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education: That's what OKAGE means in the United States. It's an organization devoted to providing a better standard of living for children who have had their shadows stolen by giant, smiling demons. Or maybe not. р заа нее PREVIEW СТОИ sony СЕА Sony CEI LIEN 1 (селе, erc 80% Fall 2001 Also Try: Dark Cloud www.scea.com KOE А whimsical, totally unique set of characters. Battle system may feel a bit too familiar. Watching the king of all evil get his feelings hurt... There's Weird, and Then There’s Okage | “Weird” doesn’t even begin | to describe Okage’s loony- bin story. All is well in young Ari’s medieval community | until his sister is suddenly | stricken with a debilitating | illness—one that forces her to speak exclusively | in pig latin. No conventional | cure exists for this ailment, 50 Ari's parents take а "holistic" route: They revive an evil demon and exchange Ari's soul for their daughter's voice. The ritual works but comes | with an odd side effect. | Ari's sister, upon waking, finds that her shadow has been tinted neon pink. The family is horrified by this, but is indifferent to the sight of a demon forcing their son to embark on a journey leading to almost certain death. Ari, the game's hero, harbors an evil spirit in his shadow. At inopportune times, the demon pops up to speak of his plans for world domination. The battle system does not match the level of innovation reached by the game's character designs, but it does the job. ime to go down the RPG checklist. Does Okage feature a young male hero on a sprawling quest? Yup. Does it have a cute, flirtatious love interest? Of course. What about a menu-driven battle system, towns populated by smack-talking locals and medieval-style backdrops? Yes, yes and yes. So, what makes it stand apart from every other RPG ever made? A demon named Stan. As the game begins, this sinister spirit—the self- proclaimed "king of all evil" —has just been woken from a century-long nap. He dreams of world conquest (naturally), but his slumber has weakened him, and he's lost his physical form. In order to begin regaining his powers, Stan requires a human host to Monthly - 78 - www.e Electronic Gaming Arl Rosary. 95 possess and control, so he latches onto а lanky, socially awkward 15-year-old boy named Ari. Upon contact with Stan, the boy's shadow contorts into the shape of a demon; when the spirit wishes to speak, the shadow's pointed arms thrash up and down wildly, and its *eyes" blink with frustration and disbelief. Nearly every comment uttered by this malevolent spirit is a side-splitter. If monsters had their own stand-up comedy circuit, Stan could hold his own against Freddy Krueger any day. And he's given good reason to be snippy; as he slept, a handful of lower-level deities started laying claim to his unprotected throne. His mission (and, by default, Ari's): to eliminate those goons, absorb their powers, and return to greatness. Gameplay is fairly linear. The worlds are expansive, but there's never any question as to where you need to go next. Battles, while frequent, are not random; like the Game Arts titles (Lunar, Grandia), you can always see enemy groupings on the horizon (which gives you the option to either jump into a fight or seek a safer route). The scuffles themselves are turn-based and feature all of the standard RPG elements (spells, special moves, etc.), but don't seem to offer much in terms of innovation. A shame, but the game's witty dialog and glossy, cartoon-like visuals more than make up for this deficiency. All said, Okage is one of 2001's coolest surprises. ж —Ethan Етћот е Ын PREVIEW Interplay/Black Isle Snowblind Studios e 12 [селе Action-RPG 的 Done: 75% ГОЛ November 2001 [TT Pc (four other games) LET LESSE www.interplay.com The боой: Dungeon water never looked so good. You'll need to take a week off of work to finish this. Dungeons after a huge battle. The splattered blood turns the room into abstract art. | 9 Check out this handy guide to the sticky stuff you'll find roaming the local dungeons. ИЕ ты, Gelatinous Cube: Afive-ton puddin' pop. Unabsorbed parts are stuck in their bodies. | Green Slimes: Not to be | mistaken with paranormal goo in Ghostbusters. Jell-O: For cripes sakes, run, and don’t look back. “Those were lovingly animated and detailed, and took quite some time.” -Darren Monahan, producer, Black Isle Studios, commenting on the barkeep’s distracting breasts Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance This barkeep (right) looks innocent, but all she does is send you on deadly breas... ahem... quests. acking and slashing zombies into Gordita meat is fun with a keyboard and a mouse, but Black Isle Studios and Snowblind Studios are wagering that it’s more amusing with a Dual Shock. If you’re familiar with PC games, then chances are you’ve heard of Baldur’s Gate. It’s a popular action-RPG franchise that managed to do what few others could: Put a chink in Diablo’s armor. That success makes it surprising that the Dark Alliance has so little in common with its PC predecessor. Granted, both have lots of butchering, fireball hurling and weapon accessorizing, but that’s where the similarities end. Before “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind, remember that console ports of PC games rarely shine—especially complex ones. Black Isle came to the same conclusion and moved the series іп a new direction. "We've been forthcoming that DA isn’t just a port of the PC game,” said Darren Monahan, producer at Black Isle. “It has its own story and focuses on action, not hardcore D&D role- playing. Its setting is within the Forgotten Realms world, but that’s about all the two have in common.” Translated: Get your trigger finger ready. To hell with lengthy introductions; this adventure starts off with a bang. To your head, that is. After selecting your character, you're let loose on the city of Baldur's Gate, only to get clubbed in the noggin during the medieval equivalent of a New York mugging. Your character (a human ranger, a dwarven fighter or an elfin sorceress) awakens with Joan Rivers: like you have two helmets on! Pampers? Elect jean Rivers: can we (gagging noise) talk? І think the Ron Honey, that bulge Jeremy thing is hip. makes you look But do you think we can lose the a bump on his or her head and gets the wise idea of exacting some revenge. That quest leads to others, and before long you'll find that there's much more trouble in town than just a gaggle of thieves. Cleaning up Baldur's Gate (the city) is more intense than your usual action-RPG. You can block, slash and use magic to progress through more than 50 levels, and when the going gets rough, you can resort to jumping over monsters. (When's the last time an RPG let you do that?) Sometimes you can even back them into a corner and barricade them in with crates. If you're not too nimble, don't worry; buying the right equipment can make up for your reflexes. So in theory, wearing the right pair of pants could save your life. A familiar isometric bird's-eye camera presents the action, but the visuals are anything but ordinary. “Руе been working on RPGs and games for a while," said Monahan, "and | think the great thing here is its presentation...the visuals are just stunning." We're inclined to agree. Most games in this genre combine 2D graphics and 3D environments, but DA is fully 3D from top to bottom. This looks great and is useful when you're slicing enemies to bits. If skeletons are dicing you from different sides, you can use the shoulder buttons to rotate the view and get a bead on your attackers. Unlike the PC versions, you can't add warriors to your party to cover your back unless you play cooperatively with a second player. And it's probably a good idea to have some company, since it'll take about 25 hours to beat. Hm -Kraig Kujawa m Rivers: Oh honey, which weapons do you with? Please, put on | a sweatah! c Gaming Monthly - 26 - www.egmmag.com к= > — M > A WA аў, ig Blood Violence AMES WITH CHARACTER d Coco Design, 18 Lco габ, Би, "Вара? td o "PS" Fami Бо ro гофре офа of Sum Compete Бепо lac Tho reis on Б a дый Спр be (из kp ed ned бнз өз оф of (өз Dc, ІН. © (ore Dei, Ч, eS ак a a PlayStation.e truction. Ж 9.2 EF سے NE xX”‏ ИЕ PREVIEW GALLERY Ace Combat 4 Hold it right there, Mr. I’m-not- interested-in-flight-sims. Not all flying games have to be heady and boring—Ace Combat 4 is the most approachable mission-based flight game yet. It’s being developed and published by Namco, so it’s no surprise that AC4 has a very arcadey feel. Dozens of planes and an equal number of missions “take you right into the danger zone,” as Kenny Loggins might say, but the combat exercises don’t drag on for ages like most games of this genre. You'll be in and out of most missions, whether you like it or not, inside of a few minutes. Some of the stages are worth completing just so you can watch the Gran Turismo 3-style replays of your craft skimming over mountaintops and waterways. While the fall is fairly crowded with PS2 releases, leave some time space on your plate for AC4 this November. Commandos 2 If you don’t dabble in the world of PC games, chances are, you never knew there was a Commandos 1. For the sequel on the PS2, developers Pyro Studios ditch the PC-mouse-click gameplay and opt for an action experience with the Dual Shock controller. Commandos 2—which is set in WWII— puts you in charge of a ragtag crew of soldiers, each an expert of his craft. Since the missions themselves are open- ended, it's entirely up to you how you use each of your men to accomplish the task at hand. If you think, with all the graphical detail, that the environments here are 2D, better take a closer look. These are entirely 3D levels in which you can rotate, zoom and even peer into windows of buildings. Publisher Eidos will fight the good fight this September. Shooting down bogies on your PS2 not real enough for you? Then take the Aviation Challenge. This one-, two-, or three-day camp, located in Huntsville, Ala., lets would-be top guns live the life of a fighter pilot. The camp includes simulator training, centrifuge rides and ground survival training. The camp culminates in an aerial-combat competition that puts campers at the controls of a real T-34 equipped with laser guns. Count us in! ЁЎ. WHERE THE STARS PLAY Cooperstown Hall Of Fame® Team Featuring Mike Schmidt, Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson & Many Other Greats Over 1,500 Motion Captured Animations With Photographic Player Likeness For Superb Graphic Detail уде «ali THE BASEBALL GAME AVAILABLE ”, | "Тит Васк Тһе Clock”With Classic AT THE LAUNCH OF NINTENDO GAMECUBE " ~ шне гоп раст ream ТИ N €. Mic C = ШЕ EXE -% ` GAMECUBE. ` (шеті) ue Baseball an A> SOME THING SIMILAR Wait, didn't The Thing already come out for Dreamcast? Oh, wait, that was Warp's D2, a survival-horror RPG that featured a surprisingly similar premise to the movie. Kenji Eno, president of Warp, has stated in interviews that John Carpenter's 1982 classic The Thing was a definite influence. Check your local bargain bin for D2. жесі == PREVIEW GALLERY The Thing Those of you old enough to have seen John Carpenter's The Thing back in the glorious “805 never saw extra-terrestrials in quite the same way again. As an unofficial sequel to the Carpenter film, the game begins where the movie left off. You're a member of the special-force unit sent in to investigate a distress beacon at a deserted outpost in the Antarc- tic. Since you're dealing with aliens that assume the form of their human hosts, paranoia is the name of the game. Sending your men off on errands might save you some time, but also leaves them open to catching a nasty case of...y'know, the Thing. Lose the confidence of your squad and they won't hesitate to bust a cap in you either. Nobody is above suspicion, not even you. Of course, this is an ambitious project. If developer Computer Art- works can mess with your head and still provide you with fast, seamless action, then Universal Interactive may finally deliver survival horror from the clutches of Resident Evil. We hope they do the right thing in Q2 2002. When a player gets cut from a team, the first thing that is taken away is his playbook. To some of us they're chicken scratch, but to others, they're golden diagrams. Maybe that's why Visual Concepts decided to focus so much on their plays that they've scrapped NFL 2K's entire playbook and playcall system and hired Coach's Edge, a football think tank, to make people rethink the way they call plays. "You can run any play out of any formation," said a VC rep, "different timings, different strengths — there's more unique plays than ever before." The playbook isn't the only thing getting a facelift. NFL 2K2 on the PS2 promises to have grittier- looking players, improved animations (“ош quarterback won't be as stiff-looking anymore") and new moves that take advantage of the Dual Shock. See the difference on the gridiron this October. - - ES ННВ ж NFL GameDay 2002 Once regarded as the best PlayStation football franchise, GameDay has stumbled and bumbled, only to fumble that crown back to Madden. If the game is to regain its lost luster, 989 Sports has a lot of ground to cover. They’ve been shy about letting us have an early peek at their pigskin, and its release date has mysteri- ously slipped to October (late by their standards). Maybe it’ll be worth the wait. 989 promises improved computer intelligence and upgraded graphics, but they’ve said that before (and not delivered), so we'll have to wait and see. If they fix the buggy gameplay in last year's edition that made us pull our hair out, that alone will put this title on the road to wellville. If not, we'll just have to keep some Rogaine handy. 82 When magic was finally harnessed, it іў. created an Lb But when Gears eive ree vill, д created an uprising. ome to the 2200 century- -Whene the attle line емей human and Gear has rawn. 1 " epic me ane that шу tests the skills a also the will * of those hold enough to ein only one Anyone hankerin' to see NASCAR Thunder 2002 in motion Should tune into one of NBC/TNT's NASCAR broadcasts on‏ 1 | لے any given Sunday. You'll notice on the prerace show that the‏ announcers use Thunder to analyze each track for the viewers. PREVIEW GALLERY Police 911 Strangely, Konami's arcade-to-PS2-port of Police 911 has more in common with Namco's Time Crisis franchise than their own Silent Scope games. Using either the dual analog sticks on the PS2 controller or a USB mouse, your job is to mow down the bad guys using a duck and reload interface veterans of Time Crisis will find familiar. Police 911 will ship this November. NASCAR Thunder 2002 EA is finally going to treat NASCAR like a real sport in October. Not only does the game feature every NASCAR track and a 43-car field (finally!), but offers a full career mode in which you have to buy upgrades for your car and can even win rides away from competitors. New drivers include Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Green. We can already hear the cheering south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Ever feel like flying 40 feet through the air with 200 pounds of motorcycle between your legs? MXrider can fulfill that fantasy and more. Seriously, Paradigm's October motocross game is already showing signs of Success: It's fast, realistic and the Al riders know how to keep a race competitive. On a unique note, the game has many useful cameras. Just for kicks, we put it through the paces in the first-person view. To our surprise, it works well. Normally that perspective is about as practical as the blimp cam in Madden Football. Other standout features include a freestyle mode, licensed bikes, and both front and rear brake control. jos ча w "у „еу Jor ually tWeaks а ў "Amateur rider Trent covers huge Blinding speeds and endless Todd Richards gets ° Switch 1440 slalefish over a-70 distance with this late 180 tail combinations are Tara Dakides points with this inv Ў foot eliff-band: - gfab in Canada, key to boardercross. 180 in the Highland Half Pipe. ae. www.scea.com Genesis, 2:8 “Апа (ће Lord бод planted а гагдеп eastward in Eden; and there ће put the man whom he had formed." Hmm. So God made Adam and Eve and gave them a nice | happy garden to play in. Eidos makes Eden and gives you a bunch of guns and lots of things to kill. Disturbing. істі жс PREVIEW GALLERY Project Eden Control a group of four characters in this team-based first- (or third-) person shooter set in Blade Runner-y locales. Switch between any of the four on the fly and issue commands for the other three CPU/AI drones to follow, a la X-Squad. As Urban Protection Agents, you must survive the mysteries of Project Eden using a diverse array of weaponry and gadgets. Eidos's cyberpunk shooter should be out as you read this. NCAA Final Four 2002 We usually live vicariously through the players when we play college-sports games. But what about the coaches? They may not woo the cheerleaders, but they do rake in the bucks. If you've ever wondered why they're so highly paid, NCAA Final Four's unique Dynasty mode might give you some insight and a swift kick in the junk. Unlike other sports games that hand over the keys to a team because you hit a button, Final Four lets you pay your dues by working as a lowly assistant before you get to be the overlord of a college program. In short: You have to make the cut before you get to cut players. Coaching is only as fun as the action on the court, and we're optimistic that 989 Sports will deliver. Last year's Final Four made a great PS2 debut, and there's no reason to think that this won't do the same in November. Look at that purdy water! No doubt about it, this jet-ski game has the most realistic H20 effects since Wave Race on the N64. Rainbow Studios did a fine job with the always-tricky water physics. You get a good sense of the shifting waves and how they affect your craft, especially when cornering and accelerating from a standstill. As far as gameplay is concerned, think Rainbow Studios’ other racer, ATV Offroad, on the open seas: Long jumps, loads of mid-air tricks and cool maneuvers (like the submarine dive). Eighteen courses, two-player support and a bounty of real SEA-DOOs round out the highlights in this November release title. РУ771Е & ONE HUNDRED PUZZLES THAT SENSE LIGHT, MOTION AND WEAKNESS. | NEMESISFACTOR.COM € 2001 Hasbro, Inc. Batteries not included. a Qe PREVIEW GALLERY NBA Live 2002 Just about every NBA franchise nowadays has a trade in the works that will make or break their team for years to come, and now it’s your chance to get a piece of the action. Due in October, EA Sports’ NBA Live will have the same signature gameplay but will finally get its very own Franchise mode that lets you slip into the shoes of a general manager and make horrible trades, cut players for kicks, and ruin rookies’ dreams. All the improvements aren’t off the court: When you put your team together, you'll get to see the fruits of your labor, not only by playing with them, but by seeing the whiney hoopsters argue with refs, other players and even the coach. You see, EA upgraded the graphics to make the players use their faces and mouths as much as their skills. That alone should make it one of the most realistic pro sims ever. Tsugunai This winter, Atlus will release Sony's Tsugunai, an RPG where your character, a soul in search of redemption, possesses the bodies of others to help them solve their problems (Quantum Leap, anyone?). This collection of unique quests keeps the game fresh and interesting at every turn. To round out the package, Yasunori Mitsuda—of Chrono Cross fame—is supplying the score for the game. World of Outlaws If NASCAR racing doesn’t make your mullet tingle, perhaps you’re a dirt fan. You'll be pleased to know that Infogrames and Ratbag (known for their dirt-track racers on the PC) will bring World of Outlaws to the PS2 in October. Sprint jockeys will get 12 real- world tracks to compete on, as well as a Career mode that lets you upgrade your ride and sign new car sponsors based on your success or failure. Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land The classic PC RPG series Wizardry—which is still really popular in Japan—will be making a comeback on PS2 this winter from Atlus. Tale of the Forsaken Land features 3D dungeon-style questing like the past games, but with much improved graphics and special group attacks that vary depending on the characters relationships with one another. ote LI rug абе г pee PREVIEW GALLERY Picture this: You're flying through rush-hour traffic at 120 mph, swerving in and out of congestion, driving on the wrong side, swiping everything in your path. Then suddenly that narrow lane between the bus and the 18-wheeler closes up. BAM! The camera pulls back to display—from multiple angles—the horrendous crash you just experienced. That's the gist of Acclaim's Burnout. You race from point A to point B as quickly as possible. And the riskier you drive, the more points you get. The premise isn't super original; games like к p Vanishing Point have already dabbled in this genre, but developer Criterion is refining it with smarter computer traffic. They've given the game "fully reactive АІ.” This means computer cars respond to your actions and don't just travel a predetermined path. Their actions are also randomized every time you play (very cool feature). Race modes in this November release include Duel (you vs. a computer foe), Single race, Survival (no wrecking) and two-player split-screen. Thunderstrike: Operati eo, Thunderstri e: Operation ee In Core's pre-Lara period, those wacky Brits were best known for Я Thunderstrike, an impressive helicopter sim for the ill-fated Sega CD. Basically a helicopter (or *gunship") combat game, the series has risen from the ashes (get it?) for 2001 with seven campaigns, 20-plus missions, and both ground and air-based battles. Whether you play in Arcade or Campaign modes, you can upgrade your arsenal by stealing technology and weapons from the enemy. 73 Operation Phoenix, which Eidos is shipping this September, also “ features deformable environments, inclement weather effects, апа day-to-night-time changes. Try blowing your friends out of the sky by putting a sidewinder on their six in a variety of deathmatch modes, or play against the computer. Ka-boom! HOLY MOSELEY Johnny Moseley won the Gold Medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics in the freestyle mogul event. He is known for his “extreme” style and *360-mute grab.” | | | | PREVIEW | GALLERY Sunny Garcia Johnny Moseley Surfing | а Can а chessmaster put his pawns Pulling off amazing feats in away long enough to make a great ж extreme sports is all well and good, surfing game? Terry Coleman, but let's face it: Fame, fortune and producer of Garcia Surfing (due especially the women are why we this fall), cut his teeth on the = dream of pulling off the perfect Chessmaster franchise and ollie. Few games focus on that “looked forward to trying more {һап 3DO's new testosterone something different." So Ubi Soft pumper. “Chicks will either pay you teamed him up with the world's no mind or fawn all over you, top-ranked surfer, Sunny Garcia. Я № depending оп how you are doing," It's an odd couple, even for this said Kudo Tsunoda, executive industry, but they managed to whip ltr Bus. director at 3DO. As you win free- style competitions or make better extreme ski videos on Big Moun- up a realistic game with an edge. You can surf 10 fantasy beaches, each sporting its own unique tain, you earn fame by wooing the weather, waves and breaks. One press and sponsors. This isn't just doozy is even topped off with about photo-ops and snowbunnies, mines. Coleman hoped to throw in е though. "You can do а lot cooler а few sharks to liven things up to tricks and get more variety," ex- the extreme, but Sony did what plained Tsunoda, “Бу having two Florida beachgoers couldn't. “Тћеу Я Skis instead of just one board." killed them," says Coleman, B Find out if that equates to a great “because it's a family game." i game when it arrives this October. med “а Frequency Akira Though it may look like a psychedelic Wipeout game, Frequency is really Psychoball Sony CEA’s trippy music generator. It’s their first project with developer Harmonix, and it's due in November. As you glide down the funky rhythm Right on the heels of the re- tube, lay down tracks from the ‘lectronic likes of Orbital and Dub Pistols released movie and manga by building individual parts. Set a track, spin the wall to cut another, then collections, AIA is spinning Akira in scratch freestyle with the analog stick once the music’s flowing. a whole new direction. Pinball guru Roger Sharpe (the wizard behind Williams’ popular Addams Family pin) is lending Japanese developer Kaze a hand in designing the tables for this cyberpunk flipper- fest. The unique layout provides for several different tables interchanging as you send the ball down different paths. To top it all off, video screens display familiar Akira movie scenes as you trigger events on the table, which should help make Psychoball the most distracting pinball game to date. Barring any more unforeseen outbursts from Tetsuo, AIA is planning to ship this one in time for the holidays this December. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 90 - www.egmmag.com 11.01 PREVIEW GALLERY ж Infogrames strikes back with а vehicle-based action game set in the world of professional stuntmen. Barrel roll through dozens of death- defying stunts and see replays mixed in with CG cinemas for the ultimate director's cut. Infogrames is planning a Q2 2002 release. METAL GEAR SOLID 2 SONS OF LIBERTY’ Animated Violence p Animated Blood b : - PlayStation.2 Иш GEAR, METAL GEAR SOLD aud SONS АТАНДЫ trademarks trademarks ol KONAMI ДИНИН їшї JAPAN, INC. co 1987 2001 KONAMI ИМИН їйї JAPAN. = "АБН шїн Family ly are registered trademarks at Sony Computer tre Hz Пе ratis ва Їйї a de tractive Digital ваге Азис. --- Burn rubber п 9 elite vehicles from the world's premier car manufacturers or design, build, and race а supercar ot your own столћо Go for victory in full-throttle, single-player and two-player, head-to-head racing, featuring in-car and multiple-angle chase perspectives. »--- Race the streets in 23 interactive courses. а! with alternate routes and shortcuts, in 7 cities, from London to Los Angeles and Rome. CUSTOMIZE YOUR OWN SUPERCAR м Styling Studio, choosing its features and morphing its style for maximum performance. STREET CHALLENGE Saleen” а талый те Callaway" Fiaravanti" Vision Industries" Bertone" Hinspeed" Pantiac" once ERICI 3 57" aon У ба” Figo” СТЕК К/2" Pickster" E-Go Rocket” | Concept GTO eva BB [m] piaystation.2 ROM ACTIVISION. © 2001 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark and Supercar Street Challenge is a trademark of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights activision.com reserved. Approved and Licensed Product of Group Lotus plc. Pontiac and GTO Emblems and Body Design are Trademarks of General Motors Design Center used under license to Activision, Inc. The Saleen S7 and the Saleen logos are trademarks of Saleen Inc. Licensed for play on the PlayStation" computer entertainment systems with the NTSC U/C designation only. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. АП other trademarks and trade names аге the property of their respective owners. АШ = о = fJ ы л > w ex Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772. for more info. RATING PENDING Re ROCKSTAR PRESENTS A DMA GAME "ONE OF PLAYSTATION? Z'5 MUST HAVE GAMES OF THIS YEAR" - PSEZ "FRANKLY THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER TITLES LIKE IT DUT THERE. EVEN IF THERE WERE, | HAVE A FEELING THEY COULDNT EVEN BEGIN ТО COMPETE - PSM "GRAND THEFT AUTD 3 EXPANDS THE VERY IDEA OF WHAT A GAME HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN ~ IGN.COM COMING OCTOBER 2001 WWW.ROGKSTARGAMES.COM/GRANDTHEFTALITO 3 ~ PREVIEW LucasArts Factor 5/LucasArts 10% Мометђег 2001 www.lucasarts.com It's classic Star Wars, which means no kid Anakin, no attacks from clones and no Jar Jar! ШІГ ЕЕЕ You can't put а proton torpedo up Jar Jar's keister. Ordering the Rebel troops to charge into certain death because it's, like, funny. You Da Boss Your wingmen may have been mindless boneheads in the original Rogue Squadron and Battle for Naboo, but in Rogue Leader they're yours to command. Tapping the digital pad will order your two wingmates to flee the battle, form on your wing, or take out particular types of targets (later in the game you'll find an advanced targeting computer that lets you sick wingmen on individual enemies and ship parts). “Үои can complete missions sooner if you send wingmen to complete dangerous objectives," says producer Brett Tosti, *but they may die and you won't get as good a medal." Even ground troops heed your call: Fly overhead and you can make them charge into battle or run like wussies. Rogue Leader's first confirmed secret ship just happens to be the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. The Millennium Falcon's flight through the asteroid field- as seen in The Empire Strikes Back-is a bonus mission that ends when you latch on to the derriere of a Star Destroyer. am hard on the throttle in Star Wars Rogue Squadron Il: Rogue Leader and your X-wing folds its wings for an extra boost of high-octane zing. But the guys making this killer-looking GameCube launch title say there’s really no need for all this speed. "You'll miss cool little graphical details if you fly too fast,” says Brett Tosti, the game’s producer at LucasArts. “Like on the Bespin level— you can actually see little stormtroopers working the turret lasers.” Chances are you've already heard lots of other nifty nuggets about Rogue Leader's stellar visuals by now (if not, here are four pages of exclusive screens so you can see for yourself), but like Tosti says, the game is crammed with easy-to-miss details. The sun in the Hoth mission's sky, for instance, serves as the level's light source, causing everything beneath it— including troops, hills and the scattered clouds—to cast realistic shadows. Asteroids in the Falcon bonus mission whirl and collide with each other. The starfighters themselves were created using texture Electronic Gaming М Rogue Leader data provided by Industrial Light and Magic, who got their data from high-resolution close-up photography of the actual plastic movie models now mothballed in Lucasfilm's archives. Long story short: Rogue Leader's fighters look nearly as good as the computer-generated ships in the special edition Star Wars flicks. Other in-game effects have even stronger ties to the films. The artists at Rogue Leader co-developer Factor 5—the same team behind the original Rogue Squadron and Battle for Naboo—are in the process of lifting video clips from the Star Wars trilogy and integrating them into the game's real-time graphics engine. So, for instance, when you blow up the Death Star in Rogue Leader's first level, you'll see the actual movie explosion erupt behind the fleeing Rebel starfighters—which are rendered in real time and overlayed atop the film clip— during the post-mission cutscene. "Everyone remembers that classic explosion so well that to re-create it in real time is practically impossible," says Factor 5 president Julian Rogue Leader is the perfect showpiece for the GameCube's texturing prowess. Every building in Cloud City (above), for instance, boasts six layers of textures, including metallic highlights and environmental reflection. The end result: It looks right outta the flick. Eggebrecht, adding that they're using the “shockwave-enhanced” Death Star explosion from the special edition of Star Wars rather than the untouched big bang from the original version. Another example of this film-integration effect: You’ll see a clip of a capital ship blowing up—taken from Return of the Jedi’s space battle finale—seamlessly integrated into the background during one of the later missions. It all adds up to a game best described as the ultimate “greatest hits” collection of the classic trilogy’s most bitchin’ space battles. Rogue Leader packs 11 planetside and space-based combat missions in all (as well as bonus levels—see the “Hidden Stuff” sidebar on page 100) that are divided FORM р | Fiet into multiple objectives. The game starts with the assault on the first Death Star, where you'll need to take out the surface turret towers first, then shoot down waves of TIE fighters, then scoot up the trench to deliver that fatal proton torpedo (oh, and don't forget to turn off your targeting computer at the proper time to get a better ranking). Other straight- from-the-flicks missions include the battle over Hoth and the climactic attack on the second Death Star. “This game is a mix of the best of what you saw in the movies and then what logically should have happened between the big scenes," Tosti tells us. Take the second mission (seen above), for example, which is set right after Rebels destroy the first Death Star and are fleeing Yavin before the Cont. on page 100 Listen Up Now that they’re working with the GC’s much roomier mini-DVD format, Factor 5 is making Rogue Leader their most dialog-rich title yet. “Where we could take lines from the movies, we did,” says Factor 5’s Julian Eggebrecht, adding that they could sample movie lines from every Star Wars actor except James Earl Jones (Darth Vader) and Alec Guiness (Obi-Wan Kenobi), who own the rights to their voices. That means you’ll hear Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and the rest of the gang barking famous quips (“Great shot, kid!”) at the right times. New Luke dialog was recorded by a Hamill- sound-alike, while Dennis “Wedge” Lawson provided his own voice. MARIO KART. SUPER. CIRCUIT GAME BOY ADVANCE NINTENDO #103475 ADVANCE WARS GAME BOY ADVANCE NINTENDO. 32048544 GAME BOY ADVANCE SYSTEMS) md 2019 -6 ARTIC - 201796-0 9 INDIGO - 7 5 GAME BOY. D NIBUS A PTT MS | | #201839-8 х | А у SUPER MARIO Эй й ADVI NK CABLE MAX sun uc ЕШ H0 ТТ 0 um ACCESSORIES 5 GAME BOY Mc #201096-5 NINTENDO ® NINTENDO ү ) Э #201101-3 Prices valid in U.S. only. Typographical errors are not the responsibility of Electronics Boutique. afl dl is moy appear at our outlet locations. Prices may vary by location. ў mo printing, gll products are expected to be available. Some packaging, pricing, n special offers may differ in Canada. Prices and EL ше subject fo change. Manufactures’ delays are nof the responsibil of Electronics Boutique. ©2001 Electronics Boutique. D L 4 Е i WHERE THE WORLD SHOPS FOR iT EAS E GAM [< 1 "P vito > “ТЫШЫ 15 А” WANNA BEAT THE GAME? 民 长 4 尼 民 口 VIDEO GAME ENHANCER Preloaded with the hottest game codes! Auso Create your m codes User friendly • Menu driven CAMEBoy 7 Includes: * Щ The ломе рохётпот. Guidebook \ ЕА -Mastor All Pokèmon! % «Маск Your Own GameShark: Codes! ит GAME BOY: ADVANCE for the store nearest you! or to place your order now! Instead of offering different difficulty levels, Rogue Leader keeps the same medal-ranking system of Rogue Squadron and Battle for Naboo. Put simply, you earn either a bronze, silver or gold medal after each mission depending on your performance. In some missions, for instance, you'll get the gold for finishing in record time or knocking out hidden secondary targets. In any case, accuracy counts, and you'll always be penalized if any friendlies— including your wingmen —go boom in battle, so call back your buds if they start taking a beating. The good news is you no longer have to wait until you've earned medals in every level before you can access juicy extras. “If you acquire enough medals, you can actually unlock bonus missions before completing the game," producer Brett Tosti says. It's simple: Via a special menu, you “spend” the medals you've accumulated to buy secret missions and their nifty bonus ships, such as the Falcon above. And if you fear we've spoiled too much of the game already with this tidbit, “don’t worry,” Tosti says. “We have a lot more hidden stuff.” Cont. from page 97 Empire drops the hammer on their whole operation. You're charged with escorting the Rebel fleet through space to their new base on Hoth. Turns out the first wave of fleeing Rebels ran into a Star Destroyer, a massive battle ensued, and youve stumbled upon the aftermath, which is why you see drifting bits of destroyed Rebel and Imperial ships floating through the nebula gases seen in the screens below. You need to defend the rest of the fleet from incoming Imperials before the Rebels suffer more losses. “This is the only protection mission in the game,” Eggebrecht says. "We wanted to do it right away, because everybody severely hates these kinds of missions." Halfway through the battle, you'll have the option of switching to an A-wing fighter, which at this point in the Star Wars chronology is still a prototype craft. You switch ships by pulling up to the Rebel symbol-shaped icon (seen in the screen below). Once you figure out what you're doing, it'll take you about 15 minutes to meet all the objectives in most missions. A small portion of Rogue Leader has you filling the flightsuit of Luke Skywalker, but for the most part you take the role of Wedge Antilles, the unsung Rebel pilot hero who popped up in all three installments of the Star Wars trilogy but never got his medal (and only recently got an action figure). Outside the cockpit is a different story: Unlike in the original Rogue Squadron, you now have computer-controlled wingmates to whom you issue orders with the D-pad (see sidebar on page 102). In fact, the developers made it a top priority to ramp up the tenacity of all the game's computer-controlled characters, both friends and foes. "Factor 5 hired a programmer whose number-one job was making some really good Cont. on page 102 100 Enemies have a lock on your tail, you barrel roll at mach 2 and let 'ега have it... | a" NA Violence p PlayStation.? www.topgun-combatzones.com Play ТОР GUN on your Internet enabled mobile phone this Fall, brought to you Бу nGame. For more information on where to play go to http://topgun.ngame.com/ pyy ©2001-TITUS. TOP GUN - ™,® & © 2001 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. All — Software®2001 TITUS SOFTWARE CORPORATION. Titus and the Titus Licensed by SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA for use Y rights reserved. INTENTED SOLELY FOR PRIVATE HOME USE, PUBLIC одо are trademarks of TITUS Software Corporation. Developed by DIGITAL PlayStation®2 computer entertainment s; PlayStation’ and the "PS PERFORMANCE OR OTHER USE IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. INTEGRATION. Family logo are registered trademarks: а LITTLE BIG MEN Think Rogue Leader's flocks of ground troops (left) are impressive? Get this: Any one member of this swarming grunt army is built from twice as many polygons as a single enemy (right) in Shadows of the Empire for Nintendo 64. Cont. from page 100 artificial intelligence," Tosti says. Now, clusters of TIE fighters—and even ground forces like snowtroopers and AT-STs —follow a “flocking” mentality. In other words, each group has a leader who reacts intelligently and guides the cluster until he's killed and control passes to a new leader. At any given time, individual TIE fighters will break out of their clusters to engage you in dogfights. "If one of these TIES survive,” Tosti says, "you'll even see him rejoin his squadron after his attack run.” It makes for much more convincing enemies than the seemingly “on- rails” bogies of N64 Rogue Squadron. Despite having only about eight months to put the project together, Rogue Leader’s developers have crammed the game with plenty of features, thanks to Factor 5’s extensive experience with the GameCube system (they helped design the console and have had dev kits as long as any of Nintendo’s own teams). So far, the game fills ooo megabytes of the GameCube’s proprietary 1.5-gigabyte disc, and Factor 5 plans to stuff the remaining 600 megs with movie clips for the game’s DVD-like opening menu and option screens. Rogue Leader supports HDTV and is even the first game to work with Dolby’s new Pro Logic || 5.1 surround sound (as long as you have a Pro Logic Il-compatible receiver). Seems like the ultimate Star Wars package, right? “Not quite,” jokes Eggebrecht. "If it really had everything, you'd be able to crash on Hoth, climb out of your snowspeeder, and use your grappling hook to zip under an AT-AT and blow it up like Luke did in Empire Strikes Back. Maybe a future game will let you do that, but it'll take some convincing to get LucasArts to do another game with a Hoth level [laughs].” gf — Crispin Boyer “This game is a mix of the hest of what you saw in the movies and then what logically should have happened hetween the big scenes." —Producer Brett Tosti LET’S TAKE THE GAMECUBE CONTROLLER FOR A TEST FLIGHT... Our concerns about the GameCube controller were L obliterated after extensive hands-on time with Rogue Leader. The game uses every button on the funky pad, yet we never fumbled about or felt the need to keep looking at the button layout. Here’s how Rogue Leader puts the pad through its paces... Press a direction on the digital pad to issue orders to your wingmates and ground troops. The cross-shaped icon at the screen's top left shows you which commands correspond to D-pad directions. Use these top- mounted analog buttons to vary your speed. Press R all the way in until you feel it click and your X-wing will close its wings for super- fast flight. Depress L until it clicks for braking speeds that allow tighter turns. у The analog stick controls flight. м, БАМЕСЦВЕ Fires зесопдагу weapons such as proton torpedoes or your snowspeeder's tow hook, which works like it did in Shadows of the Empire: Just get close to the AT- AT's legs and fire! R Activates your targeting computer, which swings in front of your face like in Star Wars. Мене T AE D roll your ship with the Toggles between the virtual X cockpit and behind-the-ship viewpoints. Hold this button and you analog stick. Z is awkward to reach, so we didn't use it much. Wiggle the camera stick to peer around your virtual cockpit or eyeball your ship's exterior. Press up and down to vary your view distance from your fighter. е: button, апа fiddling with it This big ol' boy is your primary will soup up your shot pattern. Hold A in the X-wing, for instance, and each of your four laser cannons will fire in a rotational pattern. Rapidly tap the button and two of your guns fire with each button press. Or you can lay off A until the lasers charge, then fire all four in one go. 102 nmag.com ~ PREVIEW GALLERY Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 seems destined to land on every system under the sun, including GameCube. Judging from these screens, Activision's crown jewel looks like a carbon copy of the ultra-snazzy PS2 version. It will have all of the huge, highly interactive levels and gameplay mechanics found in its PS2 cousin, including the “геуегі” and balance- oriented flatland tricks. Look for it this holiday season. Score 564. Eo Utt BEANPLANT + FS DOVERCROOK + VARIAL HEELFL!P s 1453 X 3 All-Star Baseball 2002 You probably noticed that there aren’t any players on these fields. Nope, it’s not an experimental ballpark builder—it’s the first pics (however sparse) of ASB 2002 for the GC. Acclaim tells us it’s virtually identical to the PS2 version, both visually and in the gameplay department. If they can duplicate the killer batting interface, while avoiding the nasty fielding bugs, it’ll be an awesome game. Violence Blood and Gore E 2 _ E z 22, | = ы PlayStation. SILENT HILLO a registered irademark o KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO, Inc. 0/1999 2001 KONAMLCOMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO: rno--KONAMIO is'à'registéred trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ‘All Rights Reserved. "PlayStation® and the "PS Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment по, The.ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. I XBOX N PLAYSTATION 2 Ы GAMECUBE ЫРС GAMES Ы DREAMCAST (те. _WE'VE GOT THE CAMES E (якае Boge TROPICO'^ BROADBAND PC GAMES ON DEMAND VISIT WWW.EB1.COM TODAY FOR MORE DETAILS *Fish are tactical thinkers. You gotta outsmart “ет. You can't just toss in a lure and expect them to bite." “Hey, Phil. There's a shiny thing over there. Let's go eat it." www.thq.com Compete in 8 tournament rounds to qualify for the most prestigious event in sports fishing - The BASS Masters Classic.? 027.7! 13:25 1н 002.41 Redwood River Follow the action above and below the water with dynamic camera movements. Experience “Hawg” heaven in your quest for legendary lunkers and trophy bass. Select from more than 35 lures, each with their own unique characteristics. PlayStation. PREVIEW Microsoft Oddworld Inhabitants 1 Action/Adventure 95% November 2001 Abe's Oddysee (PS1) www.oddworld.com Innovative gameplay ideas and splendid graphics abound. The preachy storyline and gross-out humor are a bit much. Munch looks more like the bastard offspring of a fish and a chipmunk than a platform hero. Munch's Oddysee was originally announced for the PS2. In fact, the game was shown in playable form at E3 in 2000. Why did Oddworld choose to ditch Sony and jump in bed with | MicroSoft? Oddworld co- | founder Lorne Lanning tells | itstraight: *It was apparent | only the Xbox offered us | thefuture-generation | technology and streamlined | architecture we needed to | bring our full vision of | Munch's Oddysee to life.” Consequently, the PS2 | version was scrapped and | Oddworld pledged to | produce the next three games for the Xbox. Munch's Oddysee VV RES LABS Not all of Abe's enemies are multinational corporations. Here we see rampaging wildlife seeking a Mudokon snack. Munch may not be much of a looker, but his devilish charisma influences these Fuzzies to kill (not unlike Charles Manson). oming some four years after a Mudokon named Abe first farted his way into players’ hearts, this Xbox launch title is actually the second chapter of the ambitious Oddworld Quintology. That’s right, the second Oddworld game, Abe’s Exoddus, was merely a supplementary story to the overall epic. Don’t let the daunting history spook you, though. Experience with the first games isn’t a prerequisite, and newcomers will feel right at home in this creepy yet charming world. Say hello to Oddworld’s newest star: Munch, the world’s last living Gabbit. As an aquatic creature, he’s not too hot on foot, but with the aid of a rickety wheelchair he becomes a handi-capable hero. Although he is the titular character, Munch shares the spotlight with Abe, the lovable abolitionist with the laced-up mouth from the Oddworlds of yore. Together, these two characters must traverse 110 Oddworld on a mission to liberate Mudokon slaves, fight environmental abuse, and rescue Abe’s mom. Munch isn’t the first platformer to feature duo- based play, but it does take the concept to new heights of complexity. Abe and Munch each have a slew of unique abilities: Abe can possess enemies and regenerate Spooce (a type of um, psychic currency...trust us) while Munch can operate machinery and unleash his cybernetic sonar. Each hero can also use GameSpeak to communicate with certain races: Abe can befriend his Mudokon brethren while Munch can charm the Tribble-like Fuzzles. Chatting up these pals becomes an integral facet of the gameplay, as you can lead small armies of friends into battle or put them to work in order to solve puzzles. The level design is incredibly varied, as each new area presents unique challenges and mind-slamming puzzles. The Figuring out how to use both Abe and Munch to successfully Solve each section is engaging, Abe's psychic possession and Munch's mechanical manipulation are your main tools for outwitting your foes. developers also sought to eliminate frustration by offering quick saving and limitless extra lives so that you'll never toss your Xbox out the window after playing the same stage 53 times. Graphically, Munch struts down the Xbox catwalk as a prime example of glorious visual excess. The outlandish artistic style of the developers has blossomed in full 3D, as smog- shrouded rivers, majestic mountain peaks and grimy factories are all realized in stunningly realistic polygonal form. Whiz-bang Xbox special effects like bump mapping add a final gloss of eye candy that will make you pause and scream, “Oh my god, look at that water...it looks like actual water!" Oddworld Inhabitants also brings its unique skills to the audio portion of Munch's Oddysee. Specifically, company co-founder Lorne Lanning brings his shocking vocal talents to nearly every denizen of Oddworld. The hilarious dialog and innovative GameSpeak are nearly 100 percent Lorne, and it's darn funny stuff. Will the public embrace these unlikely heroes as makeshift Xbox mascots? It's difficult to tell, but Abe managed to attain a great deal of (Above) Munch is hella lame on land, but in the water he's a graceful being of speed and elegance. (Left) Oddworld meets Command and Conquer as Abe leads his fellow Mudokons into battle against an army of nasty Sligs. popularity on the Р51 by just being himself. While this latest Oddworld adventure may be a high- profile Microsoft production, it still has the independent spirit, toilet humor and unique gameplay that made the original such a hit. —Shane Bettenhausen In the previous Oddworld game, Abe fought against evil, money-grubbing corporations that ground his ancestors" remains into a frothy soft drink. In Munch, you regain health by using SoBe vending machines. A dash of postmodern irony? Perhaps. A low-down case of corporate sponsorship? Yep. PlayStation.? SMUGGLCR'S RUN e HOSTILE TERRITORY The ultimate off-road driving adventure returns ta the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system this fall. Work for an elite band of smugglers delivering contraband, escaping the authorities and attacking rivals in the most volatile warzones on earth. Make the drop, hit the nitro boost and get across the border before all hell breaks loose! RELEASE DATE FALL 2001 www.rockstargames.com/smugglersrun2 PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings, icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Angel Studios and the Angel Studios logo are trademarks of Angel Studios. Rockstar Games and the Rockstar Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. ©2001 All rights reserved. Buggy image @Jim Sugar Photography/Corbis KA A^ PREVIEW GALLERY Dead or Alive, the fighting series known for its silicone implants and abusive reversal techniques, is expected to do great things for the Xbox come launch day. This month, Seamus Blackley, Xbox's technology director, swung by EGM to showcase an early playable version of DOA3; he's brimming with confidence, and probably for good reason. The game will have at least three new characters: Christie, a feisty silver-haired British assassin with a weakness for fast cars and crumpets; Brad Wong, a hunky, square-jawed drunken boxing master who looks neither drunk nor Chinese; and Hitomi, the cute tomboy in your high school aikido club whom you were afraid to date. For each character, Tecmo plans to implement visual details like sculpting actual muscles and animating their movements. Admittedly, we saw none of these features in our hands-on test, but both Blackley and Tecmo assure us that by the time we get down with the final DOA3, the upgrades and additional content will be anything but subtle. We'll see. So what else is new? How about (at least) four spankin' new stages. Developer Team Ninja continues to lead the way in fighting-game real estate—these muthas are huge. Go for romantic fisticuffs on sandy beaches, kick up dead leaves in dense autumn forests, and catfight in Japanese palaces. The fighting arenas themselves are so big, you'll actually be able to kick ass both indoors and out. (In fact, we think some of the screens here actually show off different parts of the same stage.) Team Ninja is still being tight-lipped about DOA3's gameplay and its new story mode details, but we expect them to punch us in the neck with all sorts of information soon. In the meantime, we'll dream of Hitomi. Cont. on page 114 # |а |м | (|у ТИКЕ WRESTLING. T LIKE WRESTLING. T THINK CARTOONS ARE FOR KIDS. T THINK CARTOONS ARE FOR KIDS. T GRIND HANDRAILS. T GRIND HANDRAILS. T DON'T SMOKE WEED. IT'S NOT MY THING. I DON'T SMOKE WEED. IT'S МОТ MY THING. He's your little brother. Don't do anything you wouldn't want him doing. MY ANTI-DRUG. Office of National Drug Control Policy/Partnership for a Drug-Free America® | | | The питђег of silicone | | breast-implant procedures | | y performed last year. | | са Нона | PREVIEW GALLERY Dead or Alive 3, cont. " Scenic levels were a mainstay in Dead or Alive 2, but they don't even approach what's going on іп DOA3. A pan of the tropical beach level (below left), for instance, lets your eyes travel out to the horizon, rest momentarily on distant palisades, then follow the swirl of a dozen seagulls, each flapping about on their own. It's downright inspira- tional, Jack Handy style. The gallery of screenshots here also gives you a good sense of what's new for DOA3. Check out the subtle swells of sand or the mounds of snow that give the à characters uneven footing on terrain, or the structural complexity Й ofthe glass house (far left) behind Jann Lee and Lei-Fang just begging to be shattered. Gaming Montl 114 - www.egm If you need to escape the daily grind, come to Best Buy. You'll find tons of games and you can play all you want. Which beats working through lunch. — BestBuy.com SNOWBOARD COMMANDOS What does Microsoft's new snowboarding game have to do with sniper rifles? Surprisingly, the program manager for Amped is Carl Schnurr, the creator of Rainbow Six. Although you won't find any squad-based combat on the slopes, the same attention to detail and dedication to realism are shared by both games. PREVIEW GALLERY Nightcaster Due out this winter, Microsoft's action-RPG will attempt to fill the role- playing niche in the system's embryonic library. Arran, the lead character, uses over 40 spells derived from four schools of magic: light, dark, fire and water. Strategic use of these spells can make life much easier for the player. Age also factors in the game, with Arran gaining magic prowess as he grows older, at the expense of his physical abilities. In late November, Microsoft will be breathing some life into the snowboarding genre with this serious shredding sim that focuses on freestyle trickery rather than traditional racing. Media super- stardom is your ultimate goal, and while pulling off mad tricks might land you on the cover of Snowboarder magazine, wiping out on a tree will only get you a story on the back page of your grandma's family newsletter. Real-life boarders will appreciate the nearly photo-realistic renditions of Utah's Brighton, Vermont's Stratton and California's Snow Summit peaks. You can also challenge one of the insane fantasy courses to achieve maximum vert. More than 150 wildly varied songs provide a massive soundtrack, but you can also rip your favorite tunes to the hard drive for customized jamming. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 116 - www.egmmag.com THE ARGADE SMASH THUNDEDE | — | Вита р ИТУЕ & 5 different ' drivers, each Wi WETE t ШЕШ қы аа Rough ‘n ЙЕЛІ) Ari twisted ШОШ tons of ты “playstation o — в = 7 RATING PENDING 2, ТТ Л Ho TE WHEELER" Crested by and Produce by SEGA. SEBA converted, Publi shed and Distributed by t -800-771- raceways Acclaim. Original Game © SEGA, 1999. © SEGA / CRI, 2000. Acclaim? & © 2001 Acclaim or call 1-800 т 3772 Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "Play vision" and the "PS" Family is are registered trademarks ШИ for more info. Of Sony Computer Епіегізіпаіёлі Inc. ESRB MINE кй Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info. ka y 4 nd The fastest ang E EN == == s 5% дец PUE s, | os под € 100% GAMES D , 2001, Тестови 2 registered tra ЧАШ ШИБЕ WS. and/or in other co = а < The most technologically advanced fighting game ever made. > reener @ www.deadoralive3game.com | Done 1 Uu ЖЛ i | DE T: 2 E | The soundtrack of MSR for the DC was generally reviled, with | its craptacular fake bands and obnoxious DJs. Luckily, | Gotham's soundtrack does everything right: Legitimate DJs | spin hit tunes by artists like Chemical Brothers and Stereo MCs. Or you can always rip your own CD collection to the | Xbox hard drive while drifting across those bends. AN PREVIEW GALLERY Project Racing Bizarre Creations unleashed MSR on the Dreamcast earlier this year, but it hit a nasty speedbump with its mind-destroying difficulty. Luckily, their pseudo-sequel has been fully retooled. Like MSR, it has four incredible cities, flashy cars and razor-sharp controls. However, the easier difficulty curve, improved Kudos system, and new music options may make Gotham the Xbox's answer to GT3. Look for it in November. Being a modern-day high school chick is such a hoot! As 17-year-old Buffy Summers, your goal is to prevent the Old Ones and their demonic army from taking over the Earth. And you thought your homework was lame! EA's newest licensed franchise features your favorite characters from the TV show as well as their most popular hangouts. Use your "slayer powers" to kick undead ass when Buffy ships in Q1 2002. Crave and developer Lightweight (Kengo, Bushido Blade) team up once again for yet another swords- swingin', arterial sprayin' fighter which pits your troupe of actors-turned samurai against competitors from other clans. Combine sword technique with intimidating dancing (like the lambada, the macarena and the hustle. Just kidding.) to overwhelm your opponents, then enlist your defeated rivals to fight alongside you. It's looking pretty plain so far (just look at those stairs in the background —blah!), so hopefully KW will shape up quick before its November release. Electronic Gami y TENCE Аз Rick you'll have а соо! arsenal of swords, shotguns and'revolvers. [сагалалалалагалагагалагадэ галаса пага relre A3 As төр, you'll use brute strength and have the awesome power во cast Spells: > HA Mes iet л [cy relrefrelrelreTrelreTrerrelrelrefrelrelreIrelrelreTrelrelreTrelrelrelrel Your quest to defeat the Scorpion Кіп takes you to London, Cairo, and the Hamunaptra ruins. Wanna be bad? Good. In the Mummy Retums video game, you can be heroic Rick O’ Connell or evil Imhotep. But either way you'll be facin м ү йш Т baboons, bringing allthe soul-sucking fun of the movie to life in eye-popping next-gen graphics. Survive all that, and you get to battle the Scorpion King, Pray there’s an afterlife. UNIVERSAL ЕКСЕ NS INTERACTIVE STUDIOS wwwuniversalinteractive com www.mummyreturnsgame.com The Mummy Returns” interactive game © 2001 Universal Interactive Studios, Universal Studios. Licensed by Univ Studios Licensing. Inc. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. © 2001 The Blitz Games logo is a registered trademark of Blitz Games Ltd. Game Boy” Color and the Game Boy Color logo are trademarks of Nintendo. EGM previews editor Greg Sewart's ugly mug can be found in the Create-a-Fighter mode in Ultimate Fighting Championship for the PlayStation. Ж ^ Ultimate Fighting Championship: Crave continues their successful line of Ultimate Fighting Championship games with UFC: Tapout, which is slated to arrive this winter. Developed by Dream Factory (The Bouncer, Tobal No.D, Tapout maintains the control scheme of the Dreamcast prequel, while boasting a roster of 25 head-banging fighters, each rendered with over 10,000 polygons for a high level of detail. Sweat, blood and sometimes tears are painfully visible, thanks to the Xbox's advanced graphics chip. Cornermen, dual referees, an expanded create-a-player mode and the game's tournaments —which support between eight and 16 players—round out the brain-bashing fun. THQ and developer Infinite Machine are delivering Hong Kong action- flick chop suey to the Xbox this November. Think Soul Calibur with its exaggerated weapon-based combat, but in an action game/beat-’em-up environment. ^We actually referenced Soul Calibur for some of the moves, because [Soul Calibur] is so good," Gregg Nakawatase, the game's producer, told us. To take on the onslaught of enemies, you get two weapons at a time, which should get your testosterone pumpin'. They range from simple wooden staffs to guns. The melee stuff looks pretty cool in motion, too. “Тһе developers got this guy who helped with the fight scenes in The Matrix, and filmed him wielding different weapons," says Nakawatase. “Не was swinging around a 6o-lb. sword like it was nothing! The developers then hand-animated the action from the film." Combine this with super moves and a futuristic/mystical Chinese setting, and you have an action game that shows what yellow power is all about. Ricky Carmichael While the PlayStation 2 version of MX2002 has great rider physics and control—you can preload your shocks to nail triple jumps (a la ATV Offroad Fury) and pop the clutch after landing for a speed burst— it's a bit lacking in depth. (OK, you can choose between an O'Neal or a Fox helmet, but that's not the kind of tweaking most MX fans are looking for.) THQ hopes to remedy this with the *new-and-improved" Xbox edition. In other words, this is like an MX2002 Director's Cut. he game will contain a sorely needed Career mode, with bike upgrades and tuning not found in the previous version. It will also have two exclusive freestyle tracks — Washington, D.C. and Tacoma— and a new H.O.R.S.E. minigame, in which players try matching each other's stunts. But that's the extent of the planned upgrades. he starting gate drops this fall. бе 6155 Interceptor з Таре engmethorsepauer classified]. «бін n 2 З seconds ‘ Morphing Speedboat, jet watercraft. motorcycle v 15mm Machine било: М0 rds / mm 25mm Cannon: А00 rds /min Single launch guided missiles Multiple launch guided mssies{Swarmers) Magnetic Proximity Custer Пи Smale sereen ДЕТ Available September 200l at a vıdeogame dealer near you. РТУ И ИМ TER. PREPARE ТО BE HUNTED PlayStation.e Spy Hunter © 2001 Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All rights reserved. SPY HUNTER, MIDWAY and the Midway logos are trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used by permission. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. "PlayStation" and the “Рб” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. WO2'13NVATYVS'MMM апо хазна 'vAnvs мо NOLLVIAHOANI заман мол маз ума ызіманаа млл змзілама VINS "IAN иті Ас ызампнлав "WALSAS LN3IANIVLH3LN3 БЕ А ЕТ] Z4NOILVLGAV'Id зна ыпа 1005 ззавизлаз5 s18vivAv —JARINOHAJS “озаіл 43W3H.L амалмпнаа5 зні» мам зні зо зызич -зыа зні аму «ззвузвіа ыпод» ‘озал эпи UH SMAITUS ззаплэмі osiv ала anvg Ж б ‘AWVSORGIA | зна. «нанда ноз азачозза хламоплохза Р 4 " а a зна NNN 4 зна мо aasva) 43W3H.L ,M31NnHAdS зні» зимозыза WAITS 22v эмаысозы алпа) амул51 Ж 19 SISAN абррцџоћ шод os fasor 48 souk ЛЛУ ру А О И uer јао puersi БЕТТЕДІ, Shortly after Peyton Manning was spotted wearing an Xbox cap, Microsoft made it official: The most important Colt will be throwing neon passes for NFL Fever. Manning has had a bad eye infection for a while, so we wonder if he's even seen the game yet. PREVIEW GALLERY == IE эз л шы сне == Е Ф Unreal “It’s your choice: Live or die,” pretty much sums up this exclusive Xbox title developed by Digital Extremes. Although UC is set for a Q1 2002 release, clear signs on the blood-stained horizon show it's ready to pounce on all other first-person shooters to date with its drop-dead gorgeous graphics and up to 32-player online frag fests. Kill a lot, but kill in style. That's the UC way. Infogrames intends to win over the good ol' boys during Xbox launch week with this game. Featuring all the stuff that made it cool on PS2— Race the Pro, Beat the Heat and Season modes—the Xbox version of Heat will come complete with a 43-car field in each race and a link mode that'll allow up to 16 players to compete. Or for those of us who don't have 16 friends with Xboxes, a four-player split-screen option. creator of the legendary Front Page Sports Football series on the PC, so the game has some strong heritage behind it. Those brains and the system's brawn (you can see players' muscles flex and faces cringe when they exert effort) could give Madden a run for its money this November. Electronic Gaming Monthly PREVIEW FREE (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment...or "Adventure" if you hate AM2's pretensions) 8596 December 2001 Plane fare to Hong Kong www.shenmue.com Lots more action. Shenmue ІІ offers a handy little 3D map that will help you get from place to place. You can also talk to the cheerful palmist (above), who will guide you for $20. It's still hard to steer Ryo around town. Aside from the lovely Joy, the thuggy inhabitants of Hong Kong. ast fall gamers got a chance to visit Japan thanks to Sega's AM2 development team and 2 | {һе vision of Yu Suzuki, Shenmue's сгеаїог. | | It was an adventure that brought you into Cash Money | the life of Ryo Hazuki, a young martial-arts student whose father was slain by a mysterious man. Unraveling this mystery leads Ryo to Hong Kong, and that's where Shenmue I! picks up. Unfortunately, slow pacing kept action fans from enjoying Ryo's first adventure. If you couldn't get excited about the first Shenmue—if you just wanted to beat up fools, but started yawning while quizzing strangers about the mysterious black car— Shenmue Il should be right up your alley. From the moment the game starts, as Ryo steps off the boat in HK, you realize things are much different than in his sleepy native Yokosuka, Japan. It's a whole new attitude in Hong Kong, a city that doesn't take kindly to strangers. The first kid you meet in the city sets you up for a mugging instead of asking you to care for a cute little kitty. And gone is the original's bookish, soft-spoken Nozomi; the female lead of Shenmue II is a fiery-haired vixen named Joy who insults and cajoles Ryo incessantly as she tools around on her motorcycle. If you hated driving a forklift in the first game, there are better ways to make money this time around. You can sell your cute little Sega toys for money at the pawnshops throughout Hong Kong. Surprisingly, a store that only seems to carry old vases and a couple of microwaves is run by a guy who's thrilled at the idea of buying Ryo's Virtua Fighter | figures. You can also find | odd jobs if you hook up with | the foxy Joy or gamble your | pocket money at Pachinko, a Japanese-style combination of slot machines and pinball | that can be pretty lucrative. | Best of all, you сап take part | | in illegal street fighting | | matches and make serious | bank beating up all comers. | Finally, Ryo’s years of | training really pay off. | 124 It’s not just the atmosphere that’s changed for this sequel. In the original, you had to go searching for people and places with no idea how to find them. Other times, you were forced to kill time waiting for a shop to open or someone to get home from work. Shenmue || fixes that. The mixture of much better pacing and the ability to skip dead periods allows for a much more involving adventure. Of course, it's Ryo's investigation into the secrets stemming from his father's demise that forms the core of Shenmue's gameplay. Thankfully, he's armed with the knowledge and belongings he gained in the first game. In fact, if you have an old save file, you can start with your stuff from the end of Shenmue. Don't worry if you never touched the original. It's just a prelude to the series' main story and you won't find yourself too lost. AM2 has also included a quick recap of the original game's events if you need to learn what Ryo was up to before he left Japan. Shenmue | features small innovations that assure you won't be on the wrong track. On every street, Cont. on page 126 The Quick Time Events from the first game are back. Shenmue Il also has "Combo QTEs," which involve multiple button presses to mimic in a row. Ga S s v. * ipungs | => E чий оу dn s № ой гыля гэБецэва човеэвл q»j3eul эБргиБ zewn $143 Ul 3523 29) О} suns ІРЛІЛІП5 ay 3rid'ue» sıaKe|d лпој Н "гицио ло эшо ‘s20 no имор мош рие год рум ешо doy ло уезде эшодле ие узипеј pue рла е дел5 45д2МОц5 10212 чошшпо чедушпо jo эрзеа эпоменч-рие 3sej ‘uny e 10j вәшш pue sden эорешоз 'зед2 у 'speau uaxunius Чим у лазлол ццё лок 人 e5oog 2500 552рроБ уо’злеэц аці цім о} SUA sloop u2il [equi по; Jo 2џ0 sv ~ а ` > реа = £ dE. == жа а = ач деме иҳоја рие 12 У 27-4 Se 2AO МПІ. jm 21,04 2 LEE 7pueisi aur Но рәзол. Зои ал По | EAS 22 21177 eu up | Why does Hong Kong looks so much like England? | | № 1997, England returned Hong Kong to China after | ruling it for more than a hundred years. The British | won the territory in the Opium Wars of the 18405. | Moral of ће story? Don't smoke opium, kids. | Cont. from page 124 you'll find a stand that sells maps. Often times, a 3D map will appear on the bottom left of the screen, with your destination marked by an X. Sometimes, people will even draw detailed maps for you. If all else fails or you have a bent for the occult, there's a helpful palmist who will tell your fortune, giving you a hint. Once you know where you need to go, just try asking a passer-by. More often than not, they'll lead you there, although it's awfully curious to find a city full of people who have nothing better to do than play tour guide to a stoic foreigner. Gameplay enhancements are not limited to mapping features and speeding up time. AM2 improved the fighting, and a new first-person mode is often available; sometimes, you'll see the action through a ghosted-out Ryo. Of course, if this leads 1. Scenic Hong Kong, China. It's a combination of Stately vistas and... 2. ...seedy alleyways. 3, The locals, including our mohawked friend Cool Z, don't give Ryo the warm welcome he might have been hoping for. 4. That's all right, though, because he's perfectly prepared to take care of business. Years of training have prepared him for this adventure. to some kid wandering his high school beating the snot out of everyone with Kung Fu, Yu Suzuki could be facing a tedious senate hearing about video game violence. From the first glimpse of Hong Kong across the rolling waves, you'll be immersed. This is Asia, and it's teeming with life. With the constant sound of the sea, people and traffic fading in and out, not only does the experience seem more real than your average game, the original’s low-key ambience is seriously outclassed. Taking a cue from gamers' wishes and offering up more action without casting off the realism that makes the series so remarkable, Shenmue || begins the next generation of adventure and is AM2's DC swan song. — Christian Nutt If you've played the first game you know that it was tops in graphical detail and intricacy. The new one packs the same level of architectural advancement, in a new Hong Kong setting. The layout of HK calls for open plazas and crowded streets lined with brickwork, a great change from the claustrophobic Yokosuka streets. That doesn't mean the quality is lessened at all. Among the market stalls and storefronts you'll find many more people milling around than in the first game. Whatever anyone else says about Shenmue, you can’t fault its graphical realism. 126 Unlike the original game, Shenmue II won’t be the home to a load of some- times questionable English voice acting. That’s right— fanboys can commence dancing in the streets, | because Sega isn’t planning | to dub the game’s dialogue | into English. | _ When asked, Sega repre- sentatives cited a number of | reasons for this move. Top | onthe list: wanting to get | thetext translation as accurate as possible without having to concentrate on | rewriting the verbiage to fit | theconstraints of spoken | dialogue. Another reason: Fans of the first game were pretty vocal about the low quality of some of the English acting. Finally, Shenmue II has more than 1,000 speaking parts, more than twice as many as the original — it's a pretty insurmountable task to dub them all into English. | Nohint of budget con- | straints was mentioned as a reason for the dubbing/sub- bing decision, but we know that this will significantly cheapen the cost of bringing Shenmue II to the U.S. ОҒ course, if your eyes get tired from too much reading, this is small comfort. Still, it’s a game about Japanese people! It makes sense the voices stay in Japanese, doesn’t it? Well, no, since | the vast majority of charac- | ters іп Shenmue ІІ should be | speaking Cantonese... | | 0110001 1000101 pem гем, LOLOT dC Are you receiving oow 22 : 01000» а А 5 ў 11000в1 Т до по ead you... send...) 501601 : 0111190 not те Pecos, 81705722221 : 4 10010dt .. [have] епсо ьа 01600 С сауу resistance | | 10617у1 пева 4 n 905000 х Olpliuc Contact..at HO and аў es. 01.00ж( | ooo сз сы: the frequency 1071187 in this message 01111е1 34. QOnilct you must décode 01t10u == = | пег О Г 00:00е( А | Хы! 00£00 € OloiliGat O0rl0ct особе“ Меобте(с JUTTRIEGER International Counter Terrorism Special Force | CUSTOMIZE YOUR CHARACTER WITH INSANE FIREPOWER AND TACKLE OVER 40 MISSIONS BATTLE ONLINE - IN TEAMS OR ON YOUR OWN! Here's Enix's three-step Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) remake policy in Japan: Step 1 - Release a new Dragon Quest game. Step 2 - Remake an older Dragon Quest game using that same engine. Step 3 - A year or two later, remake it again, only this time for a handheld. We can now predict that a Game Boy Advance version of Dragon Quest IV will turn up sometime in 2003. Remember, you heard it here first! 5 "> PREVIEW GALLERY The original Mega Man series may have hit a dry spell, but the X games are still going strong. If this keeps up, Capcom is going to have to invent new species of animals to model robotic bosses after. Evergreen evildoer Sigma is back, threatening the planet's well-being just shortly after his antics in X5. But to give X6 a fresher feel than its recent predecessor, Capcom has made the game more responsive to the player's performance. Enemies, traps and paths in later levels will change depending on how you perform on the front end. One thing you will notice is the marked lack of Zero's presence in these screens. Well, Mr. Zero, he dead. After sacrificing himself at the end of X5 (whoops, did we just give that away?), it's doubtful his flowing blond mane will ever grace this series again. We'll have to wait ‘til November to find out for sure. Hot on the heels of Dragon Warrior 111% Game Boy Color release, Enix is Тһе entire game world is now fully rotatable, and many of the other new back with yet another old-school remake, only this time it's not for a features from DWVII will be included as well (animated monsters, the handheld system. Dragon Warrior IV, the last (and arguably best) 8-Bit ability to talk to your partners during battles, etc.). No word yet on Dragon Warrior game, is getting the full makeover treatment, and will whether or not movie cutscenes will be incorporated. return in full 3D on the PlayStation. The original Dragon Warrior IV only saw a limited release in the U.S., Utilizing the 3D game engine of Dragon Warrior VII, Enix has rebuilt but it was still met with critical acclaim. It features a unique system that Dragon Warrior ІУ from the ground up with a host of enhancements. breaks the game up into five separate chapters, each starring one or more of the game's supporting characters. It all culminates in a final chapter where the different plotlines collide. It's also the chapter where you meet the main character for the first time. And yes, Enix has confirmed that Dragon Warrior IV will see a domestic release on the PS1 sometime in the near future. Besides the fact that Enix plans to translate and release the game rather quickly, that's about all we know. No release date has been set. піс Gaming Monthly - 128 - К SURF LIKE ' THE PROS Suit up as World Champion Sunny Garcia or 7 other World-Class Surfers such as Cory Lopez, Shea Lopez, Shane Beschen and more, INSANELY REALISTIC WAVES & MOVES Harness the power of the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system as you surf with exclusive WTS 3.0 Simulation (Wave Technology System) and pull off each surfers signature moves with sick style through proprietary УМС Technology (Video Motion Capturing). PADDLE OUT SOLO OR WITH FRIENDS 7 modes of gameplay offer up endless hours of single and multi-player action. 1 H e $ Т ОР AGAINST. WORLD СНАМРТ х Northwest Swell...6 to 8 Foot... Off-Shore Winds... Barreling! Its time to grab your stick and get ready to go off! Sunny Garcia Surfing A< captures the true essence of surfing as you travel the world in search of ve the perfect wave. Drop in on a gnarly KI Fiddlesticks 30-footer or have crazy THINK YOU CAN HANG 4 уыз tci Peck whee WITH THE #1 SURFER? us realistic moves, you'll be stoked as you link together all of todays <<- Compete in championship career mode to snake sickest surfing tricks including the title from the ultimate champ - Sunny Garcia. round-house cutbacks, lippers, 22 floaters, barrel rides and unreal airs. N "b / SO GRAB YOUR 677” SQUASH TAIL < AND RUSH IT! UA SUNNY GARCIA SURFING IS THE = ULTIMATE SURFER'S DESTINATION. Ubi Soft PlayStation. ^ www.ubisott.con SHANE BESCHEN ATRWALK AIR AT SANDY BEACH PREVIEW E Nintendo 777 Camelot | 1-2 шта (GBC) www.nintendo.com Яй cousin to the terribly lame RPG, Beyond the Beyond (PS). Shin History Camelot, formerly known as Sonic Software Planning (no relation to Sonic Team), is responsible for a ton of great | games. Sure, they let slip a | Shini couple of duds (Beyond the Beyond and Shining Wisdom), | but most of their products have been topnotch. Behold, This game is a distant | | the complete Camelotography | (U.S. releases only): Shining in the Darkness (Genesis, 1991) | Shining Force (Genesis, 1992) Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya (Game Gear, 1993) Shining Force ІІ (Genesis, 1993) Force CD (Sega CD, 1994) Shining Wisdom (Satum, 1996) | Beyond the Beyond (PS1, 1996) | Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn, 1997) | Shining Force III (Saturn, 1998) | Hot Shots Golf (PS1, 1998) | Mario Golf (N64, 1999) Mario Golf (GBC, 1999) | Mario Tennis (N64, 2000) | Mario Tennis (GBC, 2001) | Golden Sun (GBA, 2001) Make some stormy weather for your foes with powerful "Energy" spells that really dish out the pain. See kids? This is what happens if you eat too much broccoli. Actually, о!" tree head 15 one of the cool battle summons in GS. hen Nintendo fans think of Camelot, they probably think of last year’s excellent N64 and Game Boy Color sports titles, Mario Golf and Mario Tennis. But Camelot’s career didn't begin with Nintendo. Long ago, on a little 16-Bit system known as Sega Genesis, Camelot (then known as Sonic Software Planning) created the first in a trilogy of strategy-RPGs that have gone on to become one of the most treasured role-playing franchises of all time: Shining Force. This association should have role-playing fans paying close attention to Camelot's next title, Golden Sun. Golden Sun is a traditional turn-based RPG with an overhead view and an impressive pseudo-3D battle system that emphasizes magic over hand-to- hand combat. The main characters of the game are known as "Energists," gifted types who wield a special power known as—surprise— Energy, a cross between psychic power and magic. Each character learns several different Energy spells, which can be used both in battle and in the field. It's here that Golden Sun really gains its appeal, because the use of Energy outside of battle opens up lots of interesting action and puzzle elements. You can “Move” objects, “Grow” vines, “Read” minds, and so on. Complementing over nine different energy types are “Jins,” cute but vicious little monsters that you collect during your travels. Each Jin has an elemental attribute and can either be “Set” to your character to alter stats and abilities, or put on “Standby” to be summoned during battle. Each character can utilize up to four Jins at once for gorgeous summon attacks that vary depending on how many Jins you have on Standby at any one time. Carrying Jins also allows you to change classes, which in turn affects which Energy spells you learn as you level up. With an engaging plot, tons of well-designed dun- geons, fantastic music and a two-player mode, this is one RPG that really shouldn’t be missed. Plus, Golden Sun is just one side of a larger story. A sequel, which will focus on the exploits of different characters, is due out next year. dh John Ricciardi SHE LIVES FOR ADVENTURE SHE FIGHTS TO Save HER KINGDOM ва i — Sue Меер You то Warcu HER Каск аса” = ЕМЕВУОМЕ РВЕМТЕМ GALLERY Apparently the Japanese cell-phone version of Tekken got Namco thinking that portable fighters are a good idea. With at least 10 fighters and the traditional semi- 3D perspective, the GBA version (due out in November) will most closely resemble Tekken 3 in terms of gameplay and characters. And yes, it’s fully linkable if you have two copies of the game. Zone of the Enders Before you get too excited, know that ZOE for the GBA has little or nothing to do with its MGS2 demo-packin’ brother of the same name. Rather than (inadequately) re-create the same game on the GBA, Konami has opted to go the more cerebral route. In Testament, you control an army of huge mechs, tanks and support units and engage in all manner of turn-based strategy mayhem ona grid-like map. In between missions, you have the option of accessorizing your mechs, leveling up your characters, and taking dates out for joyrides in your giant cockpit. No, scratch that. What with taking on evil military forces and pondering the morality of war, Testament’s protagonist, Cage, has no time for chicks. The good news? You won't be subjected to the horrors of ZOE’s voice-acting. The bad news? Testament won't be out ‘til Q1 2002. Advance = ^ Баш Leave it to Nintendo to turn а relatively lame concept (we can see the brainstorming session now: "Get this, he's Mario, but eeeeevil") into one of portable gaming's most popular characters. The fourth installment of the Wario Land series is the first GBA title featuring Wario's treasure-hunting action/platform antics. The action takes place inside a golden pyramid that supposedly holds a wealth of untold treasures, which Wario is attempting to track down like any villain should. Gameplay is similar to past Wario games (which is good), but the moustached marauder is no longer invincible, meaning you'll have to be a bit more careful as you search for riches untold. The bright, colorful graphics show up boldly on the GBA's screen, and players can take a break from the normal game for a chance to pick up some extra coins in one of several minigames. It’s out in Japan now, but Wario Advance Should be translated for American audiences by November. r im Vionthly - 182 KUNG FOOL Jackie Chan sustained a brain hemorrhage, the most serious injury of his career, after falling and hitting his head on a rock during the filming of 1986’s Armour of God. PREVIEW GALLERY ї Adventures Global chop-socky star Jackie Chan will bring his trademark blend of action and comedy to the Game Boy Advance, courtesy of Activision, this November. The game is based on Jackie’s Saturday-morning animated adventures, currently airing on Kids’ WB. On the show, Jackie and his 11- year-old niece, Jade (no word on whether or not she’s able to play Game Gear without a cartridge like Jackie’s Rumble in the Bronx sidekick), try to prevent 12 magic talismans from falling into the hands of a shadowy crime organization. Hope it's better than that PS1 Jackie game.... Freestyle ВМХ 2 Where Activision’s Tony Hawk games goeth, so too doth Acclaim’s Dave Mirra franchise, and now the BMX king grinds onto the GBA. This November, X-gamers (or “action sports" gamers, if you wanna get picky about it) can bunnyhop to their hearts' content on vert, dirt, street and park courses, with more than 8oo tricks to perform and Proquest, Freeride, Session and Training modes to master. Twelve riders, 13 environments and 30 mission objectives flesh out the BMX package. Tony Hawk 2 set huge standards on the GBA, but Acclaim's positive Mirra's up to the challenge. ғ The Dark Knight's latest adventure finds Gotham in a state of turmoil. The Joker's recently expired (we'll believe that when we see it), and supervillains Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze are attempting to gain control of the city's criminal element. That means you'll need to guide the caped crusader through a dozen standard-fare, side-scrolling levels in Batman: Vengeance on the GBA. Kicks, punches and a plethora of those wonderful toys will be at your disposal in order to teach Gotham's lawbreakers some respect in this November release from Ubi Soft. The quirky, pastel-palleted adventures of a smiley young hero are the focus of Asmik Ace's first RPG for the GBA. Dokapon's premise is consistent with the flavor of the day: Collect and train monsters to fight for you during enemy encounters. But it also puts your main character in control of more than 100 different weapons for use in battle against as many different monsters. Players' offensive and defensive battle prowess is determined by a rock/ paper/scissors-style showdown during each skirmish, so countering your [$RockMash | enemy's selection will require [@cueteoue | a spot of luck, as well. AIA ~ is still tweaking the game, but they plan to bring Dokapon *Eauipped shield to the U.S. this October. iSuffers enemy attack ~ jaming Monthly Electr ( ECTRIFYING | EWE: “GAME OF id New Attacks and Combos Spidey's got a brand new bag of tricks, including Ice and EN ТЕН 2 ЕЁ ЕС тн O E: Taser-Webbing! " “+ д ^ ~ Ak) NUS m 2 й ci ү Super-Villains Galore іт зу 4 Electro has been joined by Sandman м B қ У and others їп а nefarious scheme % 2 y to bring the city to its knees. You Are What You Wear is -A-Spider І i Сеше А spider ee you eae YOU DON'T JUST PLAY ІТ... YOU LIVE IT. right job by mixing and matching suits and powers. . Із & Violence m = mE са 1308 activision.com MARVEL, SPIDER-MAN and ELECTRO: TM and © 2001 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. © 2001 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Developed by Vicarious Visions. АП rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console, PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trade- mark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. АП rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. GAME BOY Co PREVIEW GALLERY Dark Duel Stories [К Digimon who? In November, Konami's Yu-Gi-Oh! lands stateside, enticing those | addicted to the cartoon to buy boatloads of licensed merchandise (sound familiar?). Work your way through card battles against uppity rivals and their freakish beasties using monster-summoning cards. You can also take on a friend via a link cable. Forget Pikachu —! choose you, Frankenstein! You have to beat each one 3 times. Katsuyas the That’ how youl || зсһоот’ х 2na best MagiNation: Keeper’s Quest The original MagiNation game for Game Boy Color was recognized as one of the better Pokémon clones out there, but that didn't stop Interactive Imagi- nation from going back to the drawing board for its follow-up, coming in November. MagiNation: Keeper's Quest ditches its predecessor's monster breeding in favor of Monster Rancher Explorer-style action and puzzles. Something's creepy in the cube. Armed with a flashlight and а vacuum, ne night to find Mario. got to find your spine. only for EVERYONE Nintendo. ба Nintendo CELTI Gamecube sold separately. www.nintendogamecube.com | ворана ўша Trissimc fim ХАЛО СОЗШОАСС. СОШ ЛОТ, СОЗШОСАШЕ$, СОШ ШШ Ву Mark MacDonald and John Ricciardi Illustrations by Pixel Pushers Design mn5Pnnms ер. Braue пеш Dc ЮГЕ. У = “Sunshine PP ар, шын US Тапп а FEW OLD ЕЧЕШЕ] as ше Баке d LOO ab `— шнаьэ instore Für --БИЕ- Бапмесиве низ ` чрагп-апв-вечопо._. O TBA (U.S.) биттег 2002 (Јарап) Nintendo ameCube may be the first Nintendo home System to launch without a Mario game, but Nintendo top-dog designer Shigeru Miyamoto reassured everyone that a new title starring the famous plumber was in the pipeline. He showed a short clip of Mario Sunshine, due next summer. Most of the footage showed Mario frolicking and bounding around the buildings, streets and rooftops of a small seaside village. But aside from these new urban surroundings and some fresh friends and enemies, we couldn't shake the feel- ing that it all looked so...familiar, especially for a series well known for changing radically from one game to the next. Miyamoto explained that the shades of Mario 64 we saw in the demo weren't indicative of how Sunshine will play. "Since it won't hit the market anytime soon," he said, "| deliberately chose to show images that wouldn't tell a lot so you could not see the secrets, and competitors wouldn't be able to imitate it." Well, mission accomplished. Actually, come to The world wonders. Our best guesses: * Refillable watertank, with nozzle on top and hoses off the sides, that he uses with *sunshine" to make things grow. * Bigger, better vacuum than that damn launch-game-limelight-stealing bastard Luigi's dumb, clunky contraption. * Some kind of water-powered jetpack-and- weapon-in-one. * A magical happiness dispenser that sucks the sadness out of all the world's weeping children. * Two words: colostomy bag * An industrial-strength Starbucks Espresso Cross-Marketing WonderTank. [WOPHKHiNE bi5LE] Why do these shots look so grainy? Sunshine is still top-secret, so we had to grab pics from our tape of the video. Forget those plain old gold coins and check out the new, improved, super sunshine coins above! Also note the sun-shaped icon in the upper-right cor- ner; it changes from night to day. Hmm. think of it, there was one big difference: Mario has a huge gizmo strapped to his back. Miyamoto implied that this item was key, although he gave no clues as to how it would work. “Of course it contains some secret," he told us, "but | can't say what at this time. All | can say is we are progress- ing fine on this game and hope you will look for- ward to it.” Still not convinced? How ‘bout this guarantee, from the man himself: “It will be the properly evolved version of Mario 64.” ІП ШБНЕГ marin ПЕШ, Miyamoto confirmed that he is working on another project starring the plumber, currently called 100 Marios. But he also confirmed that mystery game Marionette is not an online Mario game as some guessed (Mario- net, get it?). In fact, it actually has to do with marionettes—as in the Stick-and-string pup- pets. Duh. marius ӘШРЕГ ПЕШ WALL dUmp Of course any Mario game's going to have loads of leap- ing, but the little guy was like an Italian jumping bean in the Sunshine demo. He bounced all over the place, often double- and even triple- jumping back and forth off objects like these two buildings. хеожх ГЕ. 8. 8 4199 252 4 т. |suüseapeu-nan 7 НИ шоо -бито COMIC MISCHIEF MILD LANGUAGE MILD LYRICS eios m S. 4 Q'T 1 V = GAMES WITH CHARACTER $n Haul ass in ruthless, multi- player combat racing. Race a motley crew of characters through treacherous, obstacle- filled terrains. Thwart opponents with traps, trickery and explosive attacks. An original game design created exclusively for the Xbox" video game system. Voted "Best Xbox Racing Game" at E3 2001. —ign.com www.MadDashRacing.com by биттег 2002 (0.5. апа Јарап) | Retro Studios Nintendo teases us with a small taste of the one ninsenoo'Ss зРасешогі. 2001 game they know we are all dying to see... ith all the hub-bub over Zelda's new look (turn the page if you somehow haven't heard already), the first ever in-game screens and 10 seconds of Metroid footage leaked out of Nintendo without much fanfare. This wasn't entirely by accident, as Miyamoto jokingly explained, "We were going to show more footage of Metroid—actually І have it right here in my bag—but (public relations manager Yasuhiro Minagawa) said if we showed it, this entire inter- view would be you all asking about Metroid.” According to Miyamoto, Metroid’s development is going quite well (“We are already at the stage of fine-tuning and putting on the finishing touch- es,” he said), and the game was almost going to be shown playable at Spaceworld, but a lack of sound effects and some remaining issues with the controls made him decide to wait. Miyamoto also went out of his way to ease our concern over untested developer Retro Studios being handed such a beloved Nintendo franchise. He let everyone know the big N is definitely taking an active role in the game’s development. “We give suggestions all the time,” he said. “At least every other week we have a teleconference (with Retro), and once every month or two we have a face-to-face meeting.” Ok, fair enough, so when can we try it out? ин еа РГЕПЕП BUG поь гваоч LU 50 We were as shocked as the next guy when we heard Prime would be a first- person game, but we must say so far it looks pretty good. The levels are incredibly detailed, even in outdoor areas, and it all ran very smoothly. Well, for the few seconds we got to see it in motion, anyway. We want more! Sum 'Я' US Most everything in Metroid Prime is seen as if you really are Samus— - right down to the meters and stuff that show. up on the inside of her helmet. Here's what we can make sense of so far: нна 1. Currently selected weapon Samus' arm can transform on the fly into sev- eral-different guns. 72. Number of missiles Іп past Metroids, these are important both as powerful weapons and as Keys to open doors. 3. Health gauge We're guessing, but it seems likely since it goes to 99 like the older games. 4. Map This 3D level map spins as you do. It displays all doors in and out of the room in blue. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 144 - www.egmmag.com Driving Force" with e feedback. POWER STEERING FOR PLAYSTATION: 2. Feel realistic G forces n the turns. Feel the grip of the tires on the road. Feel it in your fingers. Your arms. And your gut. a (с: “ Logitech www.logitech.com/drive Release Developer: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA D versus 3D. Columbine. Mature games sold to kids. And now Zelda. Take a gander at these screens and prepare to choose a side in the biggest controversy in gaming since we heard Metroid Prime would be a first-person shooter. Just minutes after a radically redesigned Zelda was shown—only on video (hence the crappy screen quality seen on these pages)—at the pre- Spaceworld press conference, the gathered press in Tokyo and indeed the entire Internet was aflame with anxious fans and critics dissecting the car- toony cel-shaded new look of “Cel-da” with a pas- sion that makes abortion protesters seem positive- ly laid back. Some notable comments: “Anyone over 17 should be ashamed to play a game that looks like that!”; “It may look cool, but it’s just not Zelda!"; and “What the hell is Nintendo think- ing?!?” Well, in a later interview Miyamoto answered the last question at least. “As we were trying to make an even more adult-looking and even better proportioned, real, human-like Link than [the one from Ocarina of Time], | started to feel a little strange,” he said. “Instead, [| thought] we should challenge ourselves to make a new expression of Link, something really Nintendo-like, [that would also make] use of GameCube's abilities.” It's ironic that, from the short video clip shown (less than a minute from start to finish), the game- play in this new GameCube Zelda actually appeared almost identical to the last two N64 games: Link locks on to enemies with the same screen-shrinking Z-targeting system from Ocarina The evil boar-like guards run in place in the air, Wile E. Coyote-style. Could these enemies be the new incarnation of Link’s old buddies, the Molblins? of Time and Majora’s Mask. He uses his shield to block attacks, and can still set his bow, bombs and other items to three shortcut buttons displayed at the top of the screen. Familiar key, Rupee (money) and health hearts round out the display. Even the music was quintessential Zelda—an awesome new version of the classic overworld theme. While reactions to the footage were decidedly mixed, at least one heavyweight voiced his sup- port. “The thing | like most is that it has a very warm-hearted look,” Sonic Team’s Yuji Naka told us the next day during our interview. “And the ani- mation is superb. | didn’t much care for the fact that they changed Link’s face, but overall, | think it's great. It's very provocative.” PEEH-#-800 Someone’s been training with Solid Snake in the off season: Link leans out from behind a column to spy on an unsuspecting guard. What we wouldn't give to see the cute Ш’ guy sneak over and snap his neck. РТ ПІПБЕПШІГЕ SPaCEUUPLD 2001 “л ай аа аб м ө = “UP AND mr THEM!” Link јитр5 over the swooshing зреаг and tags the bad guy's ass т mid-air Йб 2 “For people veni еч ене јаје LAN seeing [this Zelda] for the first time, its a big shock. But after that first shock, if people stop and think about it, they think Мом, this А А Mur actually. might Our hero avoids detection by tip-toeing (above) past the guards, and a pic from the old GameCube Zelda EE on work out.’” footage (right) from last year's Spaceworld. "АЗЕ -Satoru Iwata general manager, Nintendo THE ИШЕТ Lamm Where exactly did the inspiration for Zelda's makeover come from? Some might say Disneyworld. Others claim it was heavy, heavy drugs. But after literally hundreds of seconds of serious study, we think we have it figured out. Take a look: 5 Start with the „ада а dash of Hermey, «multiply with Looney The new style Don't like it? Could be earliest draw- the elf who dreams of Tunes' animated quality for Link and worse: May we present Link ings of Link being a dentist in Rudolf, and “маску” disregard company on from the rare CD-i version from Zelda 1... the Red-Nosed Reindeer... for physics and you get... the GameCube! of Zelda? Augh! Look away! It burns, IT BURN: Electronic Gaming Monthly - 147 - www.egmmag.com DETHILS. DETAICS. NUMBER OF BOARD SET-UP COMBINATIONS AVAILABLE. NUMBER OF RAMPS ON THE Х GAMES STREET COURSE. | POINT VALUE FOR GRINDING NUMBER OF [| ACROSS A SUBWAY STATION. KICKFLIP ; | NUMBER OF LOCATIONS TO | SKATE AND COMPETE IN. ESPN X Games Skateboarding is the first skateboarding action sports event in the world. Ride as one of 8 incredible game for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment pro riders and choose all of their sponsored gear and system that puts you right in the middle of the largest boards. Progress through nine mind-blowing action/arcade г. PlayStation. GAME BOY ADVANCE @ я Г | МОМВЕВ OF POLYGONS NUMBER OF PRO'S YOU CAN PLAY AS. : || RICK MCCRANK, LINCOLN UEDA, KERRY GETZ, COLIN MCKAY, Eco то MODEL CHRIS SENN, CHAD FERNANDEZ, CARLOS DE ANDRADE, BOB BURNQUIST | В BOB BURNGUIST. | NUMBER OF ATTENDEES | AT THE 2000 X GAMES IN SAN FRANCISCO. BRYCE KANIGHTS levels from the X Games to the decks of a passenger liner with hidden challenges and secret areas. With ESPN X Games Games Skateboarding, it’s the details that count. - ” Skateboarding i se EM Mild Lyrics, |—— 7 и | | ГА Mild Violence the games LUIGTS mansion | ith Mario Sunshine not due until next summer, the weight of carrying GameCube's must-own launch game falls on Luigi's overall-supporting shoulders. And after the fun but fairly straightforward demo we played last May, we wondered if Mario's little brother's ghost- Spaceworld gave us a better peek into the deeper levels inside Luigi's Mansion. You still travel room to room in an old haunted house, sucking up ghosts with a vacuum and col- lecting cash (in the form of coins, bills and gold bars). Now you can also search parts of the busting adventure would be up to the task. Fortunately, the version we tried out at rooms, walk up to just about anything (vases, drawers, wardrobes) and tap a button to pop 'em open. Maybe you'll find an item or ghost inside. Your vacuum can be used for more than just capturing ghosts, too. Try sucking up a big ball and letting go to fire it at enemies, or use its draw to pull down keys from shelves high out of reach. It also factors into puzzles, like one where you use it to open the drapes and use the wind to make a ghost appear, or another that has you blowing out some lit candles to proceed. More uses were revealed for Luigi's ever-pre- sent Game Boy Color as well (actually, it's labeled Game Boy Horror in the game—see right). Not only does your GBH keep track of money and other items, but it also contains a 3D map to help navigate the mansion's five levels, and a first-per- son viewing mode where you can analyze objects, getting hints for how to solve certain puzzles. Luigi's Mansion will be out in Japan by the time you read this, so check back next issue for more. Developer: A few other recognizable faces show up in Luigi's Mansion: Every once in awhile you'll stumble into Toad, who will help you save your game. And of course eventually you'll run into Mario, whom you've come to rescue. Finally, a GameCube game that's not suitable for ELBEPndL DdrHngess omparisons to Silicon Knights' GC adven- ture and a certain Capcom survival-horror game are inevitable, so let's get it out of the way first: Eternal Darkness isn't much like Resident Evil. Yes, there are shotguns, and yes, there are undead creatures, but from there the two games diverge. For one, there's at least three different characters in ED to play, each in his or her own unique time period (from Roman times to the 19th century). You can also target enemies' specific body parts—arms, legs, the head or torso—to try to find their weak spots. Other stuff includes tons of traps (pits, swinging blades, etc.) and the very good chance that your character might go insane. all ages... Yikes. Look for it this fall—in case you have trou- ble, it'll be the GC box with the “М” rating on it. | Silicon Knights - апа Јарап) Yes, these screens are from the same game. When you change characters you change time шо аме * Over 75 real-life Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and 4x4s put you in control of a massive mud-eating machine, with such a realistic physics and control system, the terrain is no longer beautiful scenery, it is the enemy. * Professional drivers get paid by winning races and so do you. In career mode, you must win races to acquire 'fast cash' to buy the enhancements and upgrades available for your base truck, taking you to the next level of racing respect. * Plow through snow-packed roads, bust out from a wall of fog and be blinded by oncoming rain. There is no off-season for a true off-road race champion. * Catch ALL the rip-roaring action from film-quality multiple camera angles: cockpit, chase close, chase far, dash, television camera, sides, front, ground,.sliding, and even skycam views. * Unbelievable, photo-realistic graphics, trucks look and feel exactly as they do in real life. The 4x4 Evo logo, 4x4 Evolution, Terminal Reality and the Terminal Reality logo are trademarks of Terminal Reality, Inc. Gathering of Developers and godgames are trademarks of Gathering of Developers, Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. qm Allother trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. © 2001 Gathering of Developers, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Release Developer: TBA Namco ПЕН S Nintendo's own press release admits, Pikmin is a difficult game to categorize. Their best attempt is Action/Sim; we'd put it clos- er to real-time strategy games like Starcraft, but admittedly that's a stretch as well. You control a wee little button-nosed astronaut stranded on an alien planet, gathering parts of your crashed spaceship so you can return home. Problem is you can't do it alone. Enter the Pikmin, a race of tiny ant-like creatures who blossom out of the ground like plants. Starting with just a few of these cute little helpers, you begin to clear the area around you, grabbing stray coins from plants and defeated bugs. The coins are then redeemed to create more Pikmin. Slowly your army of these servants builds until you can marshal several dif- ferent groups of them to do tasks simultaneously: One group could be knocking down a wall, while another builds a bridge, while yet another attacks a rampaging insect. Miyamoto stresses that the Pikmin grow to love you like a parent, but with all We saw a few larger enemies this time, including one that *sneezes" away Pikmin, and this guy above (an Octorok from Zelda? He even shoots rocks!). the little guys we set to hard labor and sent flying off into the grinning, razor-sharp jaws of almost certain death, they seemed more like adorable lit- tle soldiers or slaves to us. Yes, cute little slaves...bowing to our every whim...obeying our every order, without question or hesitation... ...Ahem. Anyway, the Spaceworld version of Pikmin was just as fun as the earlier build we played last May. The controls are ridiculously sim- ple (almost everything is done with just two but- tons) and the gameplay is so refreshing and intu- itive it was hard not to giggle with glee. Again our play time was limited, so the only question that remains is how deep do these Pikmin grow? The soul still burns... SOUL EdLiBUP 2 8% ік Seconds. That was the length of Soul Calibur 2's video footage at Spaceworld, but it was enough to remind us that the once and future king of fighters is about to jump back into the ring again. Since our world-exclusive report on SC2 for GC last month, Namco has officially announced versions of the game for both PS2 and Xbox, all due hopefully sometime in the next year. Where will the definitive Soul Cali 2 reside? Hey, at this point, your guess is as good as ours. But what we do know is that SC2 will retain its 8-Way Run system, incorporate "Avoid!" and “Break!!” techniques (although we still aren't sure exactly how these will work), and feature at least four new characters. And beyond having a bunch of new levels, each of them will also be bigger and more complex. Frankly, we couldn't be more excited to enter the next stage of history. What do you see in this screenshot? 1) Hwang vs. Astaroth? 2) A new back- ground with both wall-interaction and ring-out possibilities? 3) Hwang wear- ing a halter top? 192 A DARKER JUSTICE MusT BE SERVED а (tos) * * #52109 0 Q pue jo оџешаред are шәшәјә pue siopereup patera! (е pue NVWIVS гориади тоогу `ориә Jo орешарел 8a) ae 080) Іше; „Sd, a1} pue ,uoneisfeid, тарип pasn are pue saununo IALO ul зо/рие "cn ә ur БЕЛТІСЕ 5Әй01210621 40100 Jo 5ңіешәреді aie Joguk џоћезов о) 1050214 |059 es А ш; ي‎ 2 Next Gen Action with over 500 animated Batman moves Next Gen Gear including 10 devices like remote charges Next Gen Combat with intense martial arts combos аа] For more info visit www.ubisoft. | EH Ф. Р!аубаНоп.2 | САМЕВОҮломлысЕ! ES din ©) 4» Ea UbiSoft www.ubisoft.com. ТВА Sonic Теат Release Developer PHANGASY Star ONLINE he exciting part about the new version of Sonic Team’s online RPG at Spaceworld wasn't the four-player splitscreen mode (yeah, it's cool, but we'd already seen that). It was the kiosk with four GameCubes playing PSO together online. Lag and gameplay felt nearly identical to the game’s Dreamcast counterpart, with the GameCube’s four main buttons and two shoulder pads making the control transplant a painless affair. Two new characters were on display, as well—a female android Hunter and a male human Force. We’re sure new quests, items, mags and other goodies will be included too, but so far Sega's been mum on the subject. The more important question is how will the game work online? Nintendo went out of their way at Spaceworld to stress they have no solid online plans as of yet, so will the GC modem even be available by the time PSO hits? Or might it Й | Although they dropped the ‘Ver. 2’ moniker from the title, the GameCube PSO looks like it will include everything from the second Dreamcast version (like the Ice Dragon boss above), plus a few of its own exclusive goodies. even be packed in with PSO itself? "It's up to Nintendo," Sonic Team president Yuji Naka told us. “We have talked about (bundling the modem with Р50), but there are a lot of issues involved." Hmm, all right, so what does Nintendo have to say about it? “(5еда) believes in the online business and they want to engage in the online business, 50 we are not going to stand in their way," Nintendo general manager Satoru Iwata told us, adding that we should expect an announcement on the subject very soon. “There are ways we can cooperate with them and make it happen.” The only other big question that still remains 15 HP40/40 ІР onic Теат 5 next GameCube title is a mys- tery no longer: The latest Dreamcast Sonic game will be spinning on Nintendo's machine soon. Like PSO, the GC version of Sonic at the show was a dead-ringer for its DC brother—no better, no worse. Sonic papa Yuji Naka told us improvements for the final version will include a smoother two-player mode (including multiplayer versions of some levels that couldn't be done properly on the DC) and other surprises he wasn't ready to spill the beans on just yet. Might one new feature include a link-up game with the upcoming Game Boy Advance Sonic title? “Maybe if we have time,” Naka told us with a smile. Naka didn’t address the wishful thinking that he and Miyamoto would work on a game together, but he did mention he would love to see the Sonic char- acters in a Smash Brothers game someday. Tails versus Pikachu? Sounds like a fair fight to us. How did Sega’s Yuji Naka feel about exhibiting at ex-archrival Nintendo’s Spaceworld expo? “It’s not really sad- ness, just...it’s the 21st century, and the industry has changed," he said. 154 will GameCube PSO characters be able to play online together with their Dreamcast counter- parts? "The current GC version is compatible, but | have a lot of concerns if it should be," Мака said, "because the DC users have had so much more time to play. Sometime soon I will have to decide." Allow us to toss in our two cents: MAKE THEM COMPATIBLE, FOR CRYIN OUT LOUD! ы 33 à А АЯ Io id дине trodemarks of Ub Soh, * * * Ei The addictive hit puzzle game is back — bustin’ loose on Game Boy’ Advance. Shoot through walls of bubbles by matching up the colors in threes. Sound simple? Think again. You'll need tight aim and mad skillz to bust moves through Normal, Classic, and 2 player Battle Modes! GAME BOY ADVANCE Visit www.esrb.org е қ p ог сай 00713721 TAITO | Ubi Soft {ог тоге info. www.ubisoft.com Release Developer: Nov. 18 (U.S.) Sept. 14 (Japan) 0 5 с © 5 Е 2 SUPEP SMASH ЕГІЗ. MELEE hey may be the world’s most beloved video game characters, but everyone sure seems to like kicking the stuffing out of Nintendo’s cadre of cartoony superstars. Super Smash Bros. Melee was clearly the highlight at Spaceworld: Lines formed to try the four-player fighting sequel the instant the doors opened to the public, often forcing people to wait for up to two hours just to get some hands-on play time. Why all the aggression? The Spaceworld version of SSBM featured 13 of the initial 14 playable char- acters, аз well as a small sampling of the game's many extra play modes. Creator Masahiro Sakurai told us there would be plenty more extras in the final game, which is impressive since we've already seen at least four one-player modes, three multiplayer modes, and several other bonus options and goodies. Our favorites so far include the Adventure mode, where you run through spe- cial-themed environments based on classic Nintendo games to get to each fight, and the Figure mode, in which you can buy and view 3D уши“. | 4 > T = ү M: » Shopping spree: You can spend coins earned during battle on collectible action figures in the Figure mode. Speedvision meets the Weather Channel in this wet-and-wild remake... action figures of famous Nintendo characters (plus a few obscure ones, like the ducks from Duck Hunt) using coins earned in battle. Also worth mentioning is the Super Mushroom, the new item that allows you to grow about five times normal size. Hey you, Pikachu! Time to die! m. Some moves are pressure-sensitive, meaning the harder you press the but- ton, the stronger the attack will be. шапе RACE: BLUE ог he GameCube's “other” first-party launch title, Wave Race was 100 percent complete at the show and will already be out in Japan by the time you read this. So how is it? Blue Storm plays a lot like a souped-up version of the N64 original: a huge boost in visual quality (especially those crazy-wave water effects), but most of the actual gameplay enhancements are minor—more characters, some nifty new courses, four-player play, etc. The two biggest improvements are a turbo boost that'll help you find shortcuts and new weather effects that greatly affect play. Depending оп the forecast for any day’s race, water levels and wave height can vary, sometimes making dif- Skimming past icebergs...in a tanktop? At least put on a wetsuit fer crissakes. 156 ferent paths through the same levels available. And wait until you see the effects on an all-out downpour—this game can whip up some serious storms, including a blurring effect where the rain hits the screen itself! While it may not have the originality the first game had going for it, our time with Blue Storm left us with the impression of a solid racer with incredible physics and tight, bal- anced play. | Am “дая а |/ 8.8.9.9.9. GameCube Wave Race includes smooth, four-player splitscreen play. COMMAND THE EXPLOSIVE 0-6І55 INTERCEPTOR TO E Ano EVADE THE RELENTLESS ONSLAUGHT OF ENEMY FIRE. ALL-NEW INTENSE ARSENALOF COMBAT WEAPONRY. ON-THE-FLY MORPHING TRANSFORMS THE INTERCEPTOR FROM LETHAL STREET MACHINE TO DEADLY, JET-POWERED MARINE VEHICLE: MIDWAY www.midway.com | E PlayStation. Violence са PREPARE TO BE HUNTED. Preview at www-spyhunter-midway-com PlayStation. Developer: Release Release: Developer SUPER MONKEY BALL ven more so than Pikmin, this port of a Sega arcade game features a back-to- basics sense of design: Simply move the analog stick to tilt the level, and guide your alter ego (a cute little monkey in a ball) toward as many bananas as possible on your way to the goal. It sounds easy—and it is—but the levels quickly get complicated, with moving platforms, huge hills, loops and more. But, not content with the over 100 levels of the arcade game, Amusement Vision added some impressive extras for the home audience as well: a four-player splitscreen version of the standard game, a new battle mode, plus simple racing, golf, bowling and billiards con- tests—all featuring monkey balls, of course. Best of all it'll be one of the few games available at launch in both Japan and the U.S. We had a chance to try SMB in the arcade (complete with banana-shaped controller), and It was actually a lot more fun than we expected. The added multiplayer modes on the GC should make it an awesome party game. 5 Ч ро ажир», POWER Stal РОН ADUENGUPES: ШППЗЕШГ PLANE eum he Japanese version of Rare's first GameCube effort was on hand at Spaceworld, and in better shape than the unstable and glitchy early version we saw at last May's Electronic Entertainment Expo. And yes, to answer your burning question right off the bat, Star Fox Adventures is still much more of a 3D exploration title than a traditional space shooter. In fact, the gameplay here is remarkably similar to the two N64 Zelda games, right down to Z-targeting dur- ing fights. The game's graphics are shaping up, 74 ك with vast environments, massive bosses and á 4 detailed animation. As Тог the character designs— don't ask. But to us ol’ Star Fox softies, the main draw of the Spaceworld demo was that we could play the Arwing flight missions. The look is very similar to Star Fox 64, but with the massively improved visuals and intense lighting effects you'd expect from the GameCube. Also shown on video was a new speederbike-esque racing sequence in a dark cave. It looks like Rare's trying to pack something for everybody in this game. 152 pammad enm permission. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation АЕ Ша ава char coupes and ave аа пае Rom Маа Arctic Thunder © 2001 Midway Amusement Games, LLC. AN Rights Reserved. ARCTIC THUNDER, MIDWAY and the Midway logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used Throttle the competition with hard- core hand-to-hand combat. ч Hyper-realistic racing velocity and major air give new meaning to “breakneck speed.” IDWAY .midway;com E AT ome Make 'em feel you with combat weapons like snow bombs, mis- siles, and The Atomic Snowball. MIDWAY Sneak Preview @ www.arcticthunder.midway.com - | PlayStation.2 LX. eS ЕА Sports Winter 2001 (U.S. апа Јарап) orget about the GBA? Of course we didn't! What do you think we played on the plane the whole way to and from Tokyo? Nintendo didn't forget about it either, showing off a couple of cool new peripherals coming for their best-selling handheld. First came a demonstration of different uses for their GameCube/GBA link cable (due this fall in Japan; по U.S. date yet). Remember Kirby Tilt ‘N’ Tumble, the Game Boy game that had you tilt your System to move in the game? It's coming back as a GameCube game you can play using your GBA. Allow us to explain: You buy the Kirby game for the GameCube, plus a blank GBA cartridge that also includes a tilt sensor. When you connect your GBA (with the tilt cart) to a GC (with Kirby) via the new link cable, a version of the game will down- load into your handheld. Then you can use your GBA to control the GC game. (Sometimes Kirby The game chosen to show off the Card E Reader was (surprise!) a Pokémon title. A spe- cial compatible Celebi card was even given out at the show. The super-simple demo didn't gets us too excited, but the possibilities for sports—or even RPGs—definitely could be cool. Hopefully Nintendo will use it for more than just kids’ games. ПЕІПБЕПШІГЕ SPACEWOrLD 2001 will even "fall" out of the GC game and appear on your GBA screen!) You can also disconnect and play it just as a GBA game if you like. Other games can use that same blank GBA cart/tilt sen- sor for similar uses—it's kind of like a GC/GBA memory card that stores games instead of saves! Another use shown for the new link cable was with Animal Forest (both GC and GBA versions of the game are on the way). You can design tex- tures on-the-go with the GBA cart using its simple paint program, then upload them to the GameCube title to plaster on signs and such. Finally, we got more on the Card E Reader: Take any specially marked playing card and run it through the slot on this GBA peripheral to add characters or other information to specially designed games (see the Pokémon game preview below for more information). We end with a peek at just a few of the titles marin ADVANCE 2 Nintendo has apparently skipped the third NES platformer (it's still on the way) and jumped right into part 4, Super Mario World, for their second GBA Mario game. What we played at the show looked, sounded and felt exactly like the Super Nintendo classic—fine and dandy with us. The four-player GBA battle mode returns as well. The new Kirby Tilt ‘N’ Tumble running on GC (top) and GBA at the same. that were on display at the show; check back next month for much more on other Advance games we got to play, including Guilty Gear X, Magical Vacation and Street Fighter Alpha 3. Take any of the Genesis Sonic games, add bet- ter animation, crisper graphics and new levels (most of which look definitely inspired by the earlier games) and you get GBA Sonic. The cool news is each of the four character you can choose from plays differently: Sonic can spin, Tails can fly, Knuckles has his punches, and Amy has her big mallet. Getting smooth graphics? It's Tricky... SSH ЕГ ЫН A Sports' follow-up to their hit extreme (as in Mountain Dew extreme) sports title looks great in screenshots and on the PS2 (check out our preview on pg. 74), so why was the GC ver- sion bogging down every now and then on the playable version at Spaceworld? ‘Cause it's not finished yet, stupid! We aren't worried—we saw almost the exact same slowdown the first time we saw SSX running on the PS2, and that turned out just fine. Besides, even basic effects like the powder coming up off the board weren't in yet. Expect all the big air, speed and smoothness of the PS2 version by the time it's ready to ship. Electronic Ga Monthly - 160 - www Obligatory game characters: “805: ninjas; “905: zombies; today: The Guy With The Big Afro™. ACTIVISIONO2.COM -771-3772 for more info. 2 5 8 5 8 5 8 z= = < 452 55 == 5 RATING PENDING т trademarks of Activision, Inc. Маге! Characters, . Li , Xbox and the Xbox logos are Rights Reserved. The th ppective owners. Hudson Release: Developer: HUImHEP"mun BEEPdbinmns T he pyromaniac spaceman is back.You play either the stan- dard multiplayer battle game or a single-player adventure. It's not announced for the U.S., but we're sure it will be soon. (70007) First һе went into 3D, and now he's jumped оп the cel-shaded bandwagon as well. We hope Generations is better than the so-so N64 B-man games. Bm. FüUPESL: ike Doshin, Animal Forest+ is a remake of an extremely orig- inal N64 game that never made it to America. AF Plus lets you do just about anything you want in your little village, from fish- ing and catching bugs to working part-time jobs or playing classic NES games. (Sounds like the good life to us.) The GameCube ver- sion features enhanced graphics, new items and events, new NES games (like Punch-Out!!), the ability to design your own clothes and wallpaper, and—best of all—Game Boy Advance connectivity. By linking to your GBA, you design textures on the go and find a special "island" that you can't otherwise access. Animal Forest« is definitely not your standard video game; we can't wait to finally see a U.S. version. The party-game favorite explodes on to GameCube... Release Developer Left Field Studios ormerly released for Nintendo's ill-fated 64DD N64 add-on in Japan, Doshin the Giant is making a return appearance on GameCube. Unfortunately, Nintendo released no details on the GC version, so we figure it's just like the critically acclaimed origi- nal, where you control a giant who is the "god" of the land. Doing good deeds makes him bigger, while evil activity makes him small- er. Of course, it sure is fun to throw them wee villagers around... Nintendo finally returns to the slopes... 1080" SHOW BüdP"mnbs 2 Т he sequel to the N64 shredder was shown in video form for the first time at Spaceworld, and all we can say is screen- shots don't do the game justice—you really need to see it in motion. Movement is quick and fluid, and the boarders are highly detailed, with smooth animation and outfits that actually flutter in the wind. 1080? eschews the over-the-top antics of games like SSX in favor of a more realistic approach. ж / | / 24 4 7n {24 Куу жуш тм __--__--:: / 1111, . / BATTLEFIELD ACTION with over 20 intense Stages and ү * Y 40 playable Warriors! ІК TR // Brand new 2-PLAYER Versus and, Cooperative Modes! // Even more bone-crushing moves; afid-iniproved MUSOU Attacks! <- Control your bodyguards with.Squad-level commands! // First in the series -- massive ELEPHANT TROOPS! Visit www.esrb.org n or call 1-800-771-3772 EMI ү" 5 А DERS for more info. sty Wa a кадовкик of KOEI Corporation and KOEI Со, Ld. Ф 2001 KOEI Co.,Ltd. Al rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the с "PS* Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. www.koeigames.com 1 SIX-MAN TAG TEAM „ , WHIPS CROWD INTO TAZZ AND MICHAEL COLE CALL streets! ; THO unleashes two WWF games this fall, while Acclaim is looking to make a “legendary” comeback. Let's limber up for the next generation of wrestling games... by Bryan Stratton Ld ver since it snatched the ; WWF license out from r under Acclaim’s nose 2 almost two years ago, THQ has delivered chairshot-size hit after hit to wrestling fans. This fall, the company hopes to capitalize on the next-gen revolution with two big titles that'll probably top every kid's wish list: WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It, due for PlayStation 2 in late October, and WWF Raw Is War, which hits Xbox at launch. SmackDown! Just Bring It is the third title in the acclaimed SmackDown! series for the original PlayStation. Yukes, the developer responsible for the first зе two SmackDowns, is on board for the third, which is essentially a faster, prettier version of its previous incarnations, with the same control scheme and deeper gameplay options. Raw Is War uses a completely new engine crafted by Japanese developer Anchor. And although it's still early in development, the game looks gorgeous. THQ hopes to make it an Xbox launch title, and the crisp detail on the wrestlers and environments speak highly of the console's potential to be a graphics powerhouse. THQ's WWF titles, however, Gaming Monthly - 167 - www.egmmag.com ain't the only games in town. Acclaim, which raised the hackles of wrestling fans by reusing the same hard-to-master gameplay engine for its WWF products year after year, is back with Legends of Wrestling, a completely new take on the genre due in November for Р52. Instead of representing а single federation, Legends offers a grab-bag of more than 40 legendary wrestlers, including heavyweights like Jerry "The King" Lawler and King Kong Bundy. Will THQ's WWF titles remain the most electrifying games in sports entertainment? Does Legends of Wrestling have what it takes to wipe years of bad karma off of Acclaim's mat? Let's dive into the ring and find ou The Rosters... The closest THQ ever came to dropping the WWF ball was with Royal Rumble for the Dreamcast, which featured only 20 wrestlers even though its main selling point 4 ! was the 30-тап Royal Rumble tournament. But have no fear: Raw Is War does not repeat that mistake. Of all three games, it boasts the biggest roster: 50 WWF grapplers, according to THQ executive producer Tim Flaharty. SmackDown! isn't far behind, with a projected 45-man roster. The incredibly detailed create-a- wrestler feature is back, with an even more ridiculous amount of customization options. There's even a rumor floating around that Limp Bizkit's main mook, Fred Durst, is an unlockable character: good news for those of us who have long dreamed of beating Mr. Break Stuff into a quivering lump. Due to licensing restrictions, neither WWF game will feature WCW wrestlers, nor will they include any ECW wrestlers added The wrestling world has been in chaos ever since the WWF bought ECW last March, but no worlds collide in Raw Is War or SmackDown! Both pack WWF wrestlers only. Expect the InVasion to begin in a future title. Living in the '805: Legends of Wrestling's stylized visuals portray old-school stars in their glory days. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 188 - www.egmmag.com • {0у5 - toyworks Your Video Game Headquarters! Exploding i ri fe NINTENDO Р ginto stores 77 GAMECUBE. November 18, 2001 Nintendo GameCube System Features amazing ATI graphics, 4 controller ports, a remodeled controller with built-in rumble, 7 buttons and 2 analog sticks. GAME BOY ADVANCE ваз» GameBoy ) Advance Available in four hot colors: Glacier, Indigo, Arctic or Fuschia. KBtoys.com: Glacier #109127, Indigo #109128, Arctic #109129, Fuchsia #110747 м KBtoys.com #109130 м KBtoys.com #111362 м KBtoys.com #111363 • “оў ° toyworks Bring this coupon to any KeB Toys or KeB Toy Works store and save. KBtoys.com Shop 24 Hours A Day! - ADVANCE KB eye $ OFF САМЕ BOY Call toll-free, 1-877-5KB-TOYS (1-877-552-8697) Only void toward бое Boy Мае Gomes. бөле Boy ond бопе Boy Gk games not оды, Coupon cannot be combined wth on othar coupon o f. One coupon per dme. Coupons moy ol be exchanged for cosh Coupon i not val at Eloy com. ші where probed by lv. Associates: Pose tse "icf koy to pes 55 soles to locate the store Valid now through December 31, 2001. Coupon Code: 1000496 nearest you. ИВ vey works any Game Boy Advance Game Raw Is War can show up to six wrestlers in the ring. Legends of Wrestling (top two shots to the right) can handle four. SmackDown! (bottom right) supports eight. after this summer's “InVasion” storyline, such as Rob Van Dam or Tommy Dreamer. Spike Dudley and Tajiri are fair game, however. Ironically, Van Dam does show up in Legends of Wrestling, as does ECW's Sabu. The rest of the 43-man roster reads like a who's who of wrestling's 1980s heyday, with unforgettable names as The Iron Sheik, Nicolai Volkoff, Hawk and Animal, Captain Lou Albano, “lye become addicted to Ms. Pac-Man for some reason. 15 that the lamest Jerry “The King” Lawler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, George “The Animal” Steele, Jimmy “The Mouth of the South” Hart, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, and a whole slew of other guys with nicknames in quotation marks. Legends of Wrestling doesn’t pack any female brawlers (sorry, Moolah fans), but the game’s impressive create-a-wrestler feature does let you make girl grapplers. And contrary to what you might have heard in earlier reports, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Andre the Giant are not in Legends of Wrestling. Without a doubt, Raw Is War is the most visually stunning wrestling game ever. For those diehard gamers who have a hard time even looking at PlayStation or Nintendo 64 graphics anymore, Raw Is War is a godsend. The visual realism that THQ strives for in every WWF title hits a new high point here. SmackDown! isn’t too far behind its Xbox cousin. Screenshots of the game don’t do justice to its fluid animations and its crisp detail. Some critics have already commented that this first PS2 WWF title didn’t take the graphical leap they expected from a next-gen system, but SmackDown!'s wrestlers are comparable to the smooth character models of Royal Rumble for Dreamcast. For a first- generation title for PS2, SmackDown! holds its own just fine—especially considering that it can handle eight on-screen wrestlers, plus a referee. thing ever? I'm in the Luxor Hotel in Vegas the other night, with all these casinos and everything, and I'm upstairs playing Ms. Pac-Man." —WWF Light Heavyweight Champ Scotty 2 Hotty History repeats itself: Legends lets you relive the Cold War days in so many ways. Why not pound Koloff in the junk for the good ol’ US of A? Electronic Gaming Monthly - 110 - www.egmmag.com As а contrast to ТНО 5 attempts at creating ultra-realistic character models, Legends of Wrestling takes a more stylized approach. Acclaim's designers went with a slightly exaggerated, almost cartoony style that gives the wrestlers a timeless quality (and that's a good thing, if you've seen the shape the Iron Sheik is in these days). As a result, you get old-time wrestlers who still look like they're in their prime, or even better. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, who stopped by Acclaim's Salt Lake City studio before going off to wrestle at a local speedway, commented that he wished he still looked as good as he does in Legends of Wrestling. The Gameplay... “If there's one thing that | want you to mention in your article," Legends of Wrestling producer Mike Engberg says to us, "it's that we completely scrapped the old WWF/ECW engine and started from scratch." Taking a cue from THQ's pick-up-and-play style, the Legends crew came up with a deep control scheme that only requires pressing one or two buttons to execute a move. When you perform a maneuver, your opponents have a chance to counter it if they press the counter button with good timing, and you can execute a follow-up move in exactly the same manner, stringing together a long chain of 2922 ХІхіхіх ж Long Live the King A former WWF announcer, wrestler and partner in crime with the late goofball comedian Andy Kauffman, Jerry “Тһе King" Lawler was already widely considered a “legend” of wrestling long before Acclaim approached him to be in their game. We corner this 20-year veteran of the ring— who got his start in wrestling by drawing caricatures of wrestlers in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn.—to find out just how good it is to be king. Jerry Lawler: Naturally, it's nice to be spoken of in the same breath as some of the other people who are considered legends in this business, but by the same token, І still consider that І have а long time left in my wrestling career. 1 feel as if I’m probably in the best shape Руе been in my entire career. JL: Well, certainly ! think one of the things is time in the business. I’ve been in the business for more than 20 years, and І try to think of how many guys have been around that long and still to this day remain a viable commodity. I try to change with the times and stay current with things that are going on and happening. JL: І have not. I’ve only just heard about it so far, and everything I’ve heard is great. | can't wait to actually get it in my hands, see it and play it myself. Hopefully, І can be able to kick some serious butt as my character. JL: І know this is an interview for a video game magazine, but to be perfectly honest, | have some video games but I'm not addicted to them. | got to where all of a sudden I'd sit down on the computer and, three hours later, I’m saying, “What the heck? I’ve gotta get out of here, І gotta do something else!” JL: I'm excited about it. | think that there's definitely a market out there for product other than the WWF, and | think that competition is good for everybody. It’s even good for the WWF. 1 don’t think that they want to be the absolute only game in town. Not that it’s being monopolistic, but it’s good for people to have a choice, and then they decide for themselves which thing they like better. JL: Right now, | haven’t talked with anybody in the WWF for a couple of months. A couple of months ago, they Electronic Gaming Monthly - 171 - www.egmmag.com What SmackDown!’s models lack in detail, they more than make up for in character animation. Gameplay is extremely fast and fluid, as well. | jyüuusA ВАХ DUDLEY /сом called and made те the offer to come back, and at that time, | wouldn't come back without my wife, Stacy, and so the offer was pulled off the table. Since that time, Stacy and I have separated and are going through a divorce, so she would no longer be a part of that equation. I’m assuming that if there was interest two months ago, there might still be interest now. 1 realize in retrospect that they were in the right and | was in the wrong, and I'll admit that. But now І think it's one of those situations where I'm waiting for them to call me one more time, but they may be thinking, "We've called him enough; if he wants to come back, he's gonna have to call us." So that may be where we are. | may have to break down and make the call [laughs]. Legend's roster of wrestling favorites still isn't complete. Expect announcements of additional big-name wrestlers soon. maneuvers and/or reversals (although executing follow-up attacks becomes increasingly difficult). The end result is that anyone can pick up a controller, pull off impressive-looking moves, and even win matches, but those who spend time with the game and master the timing are rewarded with enough combo momentum to grapple their opponents into submission. And with an exhaustive career mode that sends you to auditoriums and gymnasiums across different regional federations, collecting (and unifying) championship belts along the way, you'll definitely want momentum on your side. SmackDown! does not have a new control scheme, but then again, it didn't really need one. THQ and Yukes got it right the first time, and they certainly weren't looking to mess with success. SmackDown! contains the same storyline elements in its career mode as SmackDown! 2 had, but with more than 70 match types, 20 game modes, double- and triple-team moves, in-game commentary by Tazz and Michael Cole, and almost no load times whatsoever, Just Bring It is the ultimate version of the ultimate y а Даа сом, л or wrestling game franchise. Raw 15 Wars gameplay is still up in the air at the moment, primarily because of the rapidly shifting Xbox technology. “Obviously, the Xbox is very impressive,” says executive producer Flaharty. “What we can depict on screen is very cool. The challenging piece has been managing the development process in the face of emerging technology. The period of time between final hardware and launch hardware is the shortest yet seen in our industry.” Anchor is shooting for a more simulated wrestling experience using a grapple and counter system—an ambitious goal for a title that’s supposed to ship with the release of the Xbox in November. Still, with team members who can claim Tekken 1, 2 and Ultimate Fighting Championship on their résumés, Anchor could very well pleasantly surprise critics when Raw is War hits. Of all the wrestling titles coming out this fall, SmackDown! Just Bring It is the one gamers should worry least about. Yukes has added all the right features, Like SmackDown! 2, the new Р52 installment packs game modes and options out the wazoo, including the return of Hell in a Cell and | Quit. Electronic Gaming Monthly -:172- Raw Is War's wrestlers are built from beefier character models than Just Bring It, so they look smoother and more lifelike. They bleed, too. corrected all the right glitches, and left everything else alone. Gamers are going to lose weeks to this game if everything goes according to plan. Raw Is War is a little more iffy, because it’s a first- generation title on a completely new console with a short development cycle. If nothing else, however, Raw Is War is going to be a big bag of mind-blowing eye candy, with strong potential for sequels. Legends of Wrestling is a harder one to call, but Acclaim has made all the right decisions “The WWF always will so far. They've come up with an original premise, they have a truly original look and feel for the game, and they're working with a completely original game engine and leaving their sordid past behind them. Legends could well develop into a genuine Sleeper hit that will appeal to wrestling marks and nostalgic gamers alike. At any rate, the next generation of wrestling games is about to arrive, and it's definitely worth the price of admission. And that's the bottom line, ‘cause EGM said so. й number-one brand in sports entertainment, when it comes to T-shirts, when it comes to video games, when it comes to anything." —WCW/ECW Alliance member Tommy Dreamer КУРИР РИТУ іі Surround Yourself with Pulse Pounding Sound. Start Your Engines. Call The Plays. Slice Through The Skies. е to take game playing to a "New Dimension." The KINYO 4.1 GAME ZONE brings the roar of combat and the thunder of formula racers into a unique reality. If you are ‘looking for an incredibly affordable, REAL SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM and demand “LIVI р ‘gaming excitement, get this awesome Plug 'N Play package before the other guys do SEE IT! HEAR IT! B | | • PSone'" & PS2™ ө Xbox'" [M * Dream о t F 1 Е с 1 Е [3 N T S n E n 5 PRODUCT "МОТ ALL TITLES AVAILABLE ON ALL PLATFORMS Sega is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Sega, Dreamcast, the Dreameas Sega Sports are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Corporation. © SEGA CORPORATION, 2001. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox lagos are. either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. "PlayStation" and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, Some game concepts аге not yet approved by Sony Computer Entertainment America. NHL, National Hockey League, the NHL Shield, and the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, LP. © 2001 NHL. All Rights Reserved. Officially licensed product of the NHLPA. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players’ Association and the NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA and are used, under license, by SEGA. ©NHLPA. The World Series is a trademark owned by Major League Baseball and may not be reproduced without written consent. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. MLB.com. ©MLBPA - Official licensee, Major League Baseball Players Association, Visit the Players Choice on the web at www-bigleaguers.com © MLBP, 2001 / MLBPA, 2001. The “Officially Licensed Collegiate Products" label is the exclusive property of the Collegiate ТНЕ BIGGEST НЕВОЕ$. ТНЕ FIERCEST ACTION. . PlayStation.e ` Dreamcast. Licensing Company. The "Collegiate Licensed Product" label is the property of the Independent Labeling Group. АП names; logos, team icons, and mascots associated with the NCAA, universities, bowls, and conferences are the exclusive property of the respective institutions, Heisman Memorial Trophy and likeness of the actual trophy are registered service marks owned by the Downtown Athletic Club under registration numbers 996,853 and 935,852 respectively. Heisman and Heisman Trophy Award are service marks owned by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City, Inc. © 2001 МЕР. Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. All other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks of the National Football League and NFL Properties. Officially Licensed product of the PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC logo is a registered trademark of the NFL players. www-nfiplayers.com © 2001 PLAYERS INC. The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc, © 2001. NBA Properties, Inc. All Rights Reserved. EVERYONE first-person shooters unleash a full-scale assault on the consoles this fall, bul which game is right for you? Whether you wanna put on that thinking cap or just run and дип, our bulletproof quide helps you pick the perfect ПЦР а by [he (hou hen it comes to first-person shooters, they just don’t make ’em like they 1) used to. We here at ЕСМ see that as a good thing. Gone are the sophomoric, fire-and-forgettable exploits of pissed-off cooks in outer space or sadistic dino hunters; in their wake are a heap of cool shooters for just about every kind of first- person gamer. So you got your ass to Mars at the beginning of summer and sparked a revolution in Red Faction for the PS2, but you've still got an itch on that trigger finger? No problemo. The first-person shooter genre heats up this fall with no less than eight games all gunning for your almighty dollar. Do you fancy yourself a thinking man? Do you like to avoid confrontation, conserve ammo, and creep about like a pansy? Or perhaps you're the type of guy who sets his phasers on "phun" and daydreams about hotties like Seven of Nine? Whatever your type, we help you pick the perfect FPS by rounding up and breaking down the games that’ll blow you away this holiday season. But first, let's define the different kinds of first- person gaming aficionados... Agent Under Fire (P52) James Bond 887 in Мо One Lives Forever (P52) SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs (P52) Tribes Aerial Assault (P52) While playing 8-bit Contra on the Nintendo as a kid, your parents taught you to share the weapons and to always, a/ways wait for the other player before jumping up to advance the screen. Now you're the kind of FPS player who'll gladly take one for the team. March to page 190 for full disclosure on these nes for people who need people. 4 thoroid Deusplexus The Thinking Man You've seen Die Hard 328 times and relate to Chow Yun- Fat rather than Dolph Lundgren. And when it comes to first-person shooters, you like 'em the way you like your shepard’s pies: nice and meaty. You wanna play a shooter that drops you into a believable situation, puts the tools in your hands, and gives you the freedom to do your thing. Plus, the game has to pack a solid story with lots of twists, so you actually feel smarter when you figure things out in the end. All this talk of guns and pies got you droolin’? Turn to раде 180 and-et the feast begin... (254) 2311 ла йй ERR aD) (D {254} вэваіч5ц0д 841 xy snad Technophile You know who you are, and we know what gets you off: stuff like pointy ears, TekWar memorabilia, Tricorder schematics and fan- fiction that pits Darth Vader against Dr. Who. Your idea of a good time is a week's vacation on Babylon 5 surrounded by exotic foreheads. But hey, whatever charges your Dilithium crystals! Come this fall, show your true colors with these two kick-ass sci-fi shooters, energizing onto your Xbox and PS2. Beam me up to page 184, Scotty. Star Trek: Elite Force (P52) PlayStation. HALF-LIFE PLAYSTATION 2 SIERRA #200009-9 I MUMMY RETURN PLAYSTATION 2 қ UNIVERSAL INTERACTIVE/ STUDIOS #2000347 No One lives cone N MATURE S FOREVER j м 1 “ SIERRA #208649 А 4 48 PlayStation-c ет. the best-selling Japant R, таш $7497 EMPIRE INTERACTIVE, / 7 #09935 ~ BANDICOOT 5 pi RSAL One STUDIOS 3200037-0 Prices valid in U.S. only. Typographical errors are not the responsibilty of Electronics Boutique. Not all items may appear at our outlet locations. Prices may vary by location. At time of printing, all products are expected to be available. Some packaging, pricing, and special offers may differ iri Conada. Prices ond availability are subject to Manufacturers’ delays are not the responsibility of Electronics Boutique. ©2001 Electronics Boutique. ИНЕт ого АРАЛ JOR INTERACTIVE GAMES X PAYNE MASON 1 ROCKSTAR GAMES € HOSS » MATURE ә? [ a REMEDY PlayStation.2 SMUGGLER’S RUN 2: HOSTILE TERRITORY PLAYSTATION 2 ROCKSTAR GAMES #205956-6 | SAD ) GRAND THEFT AUTO IT 2 |. PLAYSTATION 2 ROCKSTAR GAMES #198102-6 BAM LS THE THINKING МАН System: Release PS2 Date: October 2001 You kill: Unwelcome alien visitors and special-op dudes Controversy Rating: і і і 8 B Publisher: Developer: Sierra Gearbox Software HBLF-LIFE Multiplayer: шың 1-4 player splitscreen Most of the bullet fodder in HL bleeds green, but you do mow down an entire squad of humans. This probably won't sit well with politicians. t's entirely possible you've missed all the hoopla over Half-Life when it singlehandedly redefined the FPS genre on PCs back in 1998. We understand. After all, life as a console gamer is consuming enough without having to worry about kicking your kid sister off her AOL account for a little game time. But now that HL will finally see the light of day on your PlayStation 2 (a moment of silence for the cancelled Dreamcast version, please), you're about to experience, first-hand, what all the fuss is about. Randy Pitchford, president of developer Gearbox, thinks HL’s engrossing experience represents the future of the FPS genre. “The characters and plots of first-person action games are beginning to rival Hollywood in terms of getting an emotional investment out of [the audience],” he tells us. “So, in terms of single-player gaming, we're putting people in the middle of situations that, up to this point, they've only seen larger-than-life actors deal with on the silver screen.” You slip into the lab coat of Dr. Gordon Freeman, an Area 51-esque researcher who's accidentally drawn into an inter-dimensional Opening the Valve: Half-Life put Valve on the map as one of PC gaming's top developers. We caught up with Gabe Newell, founder and managing director of Valve, to ask him about all the me-too Story-driven first-person shooters HL has spawned. “Га love to see more of them,” he says. "It would be absurd for us to ever complain about people copying HL given how much HL itself is rooted in the work of people like John Carmack [Doom], Doug Church [Ultima Underworld] and Warren Spector [System Shock].” But HL kicked off so many clones, we had to wonder if these guys had time to play them all. “People at Valve play pretty much everything that comes out on every platform—except for that Extreme Parachuting game, and that was simply because we couldn't find a retailer who stocked it." disaster that turns his workplace into a feeding grounds for aliens. Your task? Get topside and call for help. It's sort of like ; Die Hard—except Hans and Helmut are now mutants and tentacled beasts. Put your people skills to the test as you form a small party of eggheads and rent-a-cops who'll open locked doors and help cover your back. These AI friends of yours, however, probably won't last too long. Most of the time, you'll tackle H's many Situational puzzles alone. But we're not talking about obscure Resident Evil-style riddles here. You figure things out in HL based on what makes logical sense in your surroundings. Got a blue- skinned pest that just won't listen to your gun? Bait him toward an unstable generator, flip that Switch and watch him fry. We won't spoil all the соо! surprises, but just remember to use your head—you never know when it'll save your butt. 180 Two Heads are Better Than One Now that HL has blown the single-player experience wide open, what's next? How about transplanting that same intelligent, Story-driven gameplay to a multiplayer context? To that end, HL on the PS2 will feature Decay, an all-new episode built specifically for two-player co-op.You and a friend tackle both puzzle-oriented and combat-heavy missions. Should one player die mid-level, both of you will get the shaft and start over. Be excellent to each other. ЕХТНЕМЕ GAMING™ SCREEN LIGHT AND MAGNIFIER s = TERED SOUND AND BUILT-IN VIBRATION 7-HOUR BATTERY AND CHARGER ITIVE STORAGE CASE LINK 2-4 GBA'S SLIP COMFORT GRIPS WIN COOL STUFF AT NYKO.COM GAME Boy THE THINKING МАН 1 басу PS2 Eidos Winter 2001 Interactive lon Storm Anyone ог no опе. The choice 15 up to уоц, really. Not available It's а game about government conspiracies, big brother and maniacal despots plotting to rule the world. Politicians will hate it, but what’s not to like for us gamers? 0 first-person shooter lives up to the motto “think before you shoot" more than lon Storm's cyber-thriller Deus Ex (sound smart and say it "day-s-eks"). Set in a dystopian future where government forces, terrorist factions and secret societies clash for supremacy, the game stars J.C. Denton, a rookie with the U.N. Anti- Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO) charged with investigating an epidemic plaguing New York City. With all the men in black you keep running into, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that something’s rotten in the state of Denmark. The serpentine plot and the game’s four different endings will keep you on your toes. And just when you think you've got it all figured out, Deus Ex makes short work of your theory, and you're left with another red herring. Warren Spector, creator of Deus Ex and executive producer at lon Storm, is dogmatic about his definition of a good game. He even laid down a manifesto of rules before work began on Deus Ex. "Games are a new and unique medium," he says. "They're not movies, despite what some developers may want you to believe, nor are they novels. They're about player Electronic Gaming Monthly - 182 - www.egmmag.com experience. What [games] can do over these other mediums is let players make the decisions, drive the action, and tell their story. [Our] role is to provide a context for this to happen." In part, the cerebral qualities of Deus Ex are attributed to the staggering number of choices you make in the game. Basic stuff, like how you deck out your character's cybernetic skills and enhancements, factor in to make a huge dent in how you play the game. Want to be a badass sniper who picks off his victims from afar? Well, you can—except you'll be a sitting duck when the bad guys get in your face. Or how about a stealthy hacker type who stays out of harm's way but reprograms robots and turrets to do his dirty work? Again, no problem—except for the loss of life every time you’re nowhere near a keyboard. Of course, busting through the front entrance in a blaze of glory might actually be the better alternative. Look, you make the call. “You build an alter-ego and apply real-world common sense to situations and solve them the way you want to,” says Spector. “І don't think it's an exaggeration to say there has never been a game on any platform that’s allowed you to do that.” PC or Not PC? Easily the most impressive aspect about the game is its graphical prowess. — GameSpot ішу 2001 Shrek looks gorgeous and its attention to detail is astounding... -Expert Gamer september 2001 The production values are movie-like...They'll wonder if you are playing the game 'Shrek', or watching the movie Shrek. And people will get hooked. — cnn.com May 2001 www.shrekgame.com Shrek ™ & © 2001 DreamWorks L.L.C. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. System: Release Date: r: Multiplayer: | Xbox November 2001 Microsoft Bungie 1-4 player splitscreen | 1-16 players via link You kill: A vast assortment of alien freaks collectively known as the Covenant Controversy Rating: і і 4 4 B Since you're blasting xeno-things instead of innocent humans, the whole affair has a patriotic, Independence Day vibe that is A-OK for politicians. LJ alo's official subtitle is Combat. Evolved,” and it realy lives up to tat | | еріс сїаїт. You portray а таппе епдадед іп а massive interplanetary | war. Sci-fi junkies will surely dig its heroic cyborgs, sinister aliens, ancient | mysteries and even a sultry female А! voice that keeps you company when the sound of gunfire subsides. Graphically no other game offers such massive environments with seamless indoor/outdoor transitions. And those of | you worried by reports that early versions of Halo moved like molasses can now rest easy: The entire game runs at a rock-steady 30 frames per second Fá and stays smooth even in four-player split-screen mode. For all you audio buffs out there, Halo supports true Dolby 5.1 surround sound, so you'll „/ actually hear the screams of your squadmates in dizzying 3D space. Oh, and did you ever wonder how that Doom marine managed / | Sure, most Бате ен have mastered the агї of on- to stash all his weapons in that green spacesuit of his? So did Ж | foot combat, but Halo offers fully functional vehicles. Your Bungie. Hence, your alter ego in Halo can only carry two / | cyborg marine can leap into the driver's seat of jeeps, tanks, implements of destruction at one time. What, tired of your standard issue rifle? Walk over and pry your enemy's gun from his cold, dead, blue fingers. —Shane Bettenhausen aircrafts and even captured alien war machinery. Although it began as a third- person PC shooter, Microsoft's acquisition of Bungie quickly secured Halo as a flagship Xbox title. Being the kind benefactor | that he is, Bill Gates gave the studio lots of much-needed | love...and money. The end result: | Microsoft is pushing Halo as one of its premiere Xbox launch titles. System: Release Date: Publisher: Developer: Multiplayer: Р52 November Majesco Pipe Dream 1-4 player 2001 Interactive splitscreen You kill: Hordes of mindless Borg drones and Klingon scavengers Controversy Rating: [| B B B B The only Star Trek violence worth a damn took place in Wrath of Khan. E lite Force is an almost-identical port of the PC game, which has already lim been out for a year and uses the Quake ІІ Arena engine. But don't hold that against this shockingly playable PS2 version. You join a group of elite security officers led by Commander Tuvok on a series of brutal away-team missions in the Delta Quadrant. Unlike the dispensable red-shirt ensigns, you have access to nine different instruments of sci-fi death, each with a secondary attack. Excessive? Nah. You'll definitely need 'em as you say adios to the prime directive, cover your teammates' backs and slog through 40 levels of gritty space battles. Live long and prosper—and kick ass! Breast to Impress шоо; 0: Will Seven of Nine's model use 90,000 polygons so she can be made super curvy? A: No. Q: Will there be a nude Seven of Nine in the game? A: Not unless Voyager becomes a Showtime series. —Choice excerpts from the official Elite Force FAQ Electronic Gaming Monthly - 184 - www.egmmag.com *also available їп convenient travel size. Frogger’s hopping into stores this fall in two new magical adventures! Experience full 3D platform action on the PlayStation®2 comeuter entertainment system and.classic Frogger gameplay on . Game Boy Advance. Everybody's *:favorite amphibian is back and ІҢ Ж better than ever! Воу® Advance. Е GAME BOY ADVANCE PlayStation.e > Ра. Frogger®, Frogger's Adventures™, The Great Quest™, Temple of the Frog and Копаті are either registered trademarks or trademarks of KONAMI CORPORATION. © 1981 2001 KONAMI CORPORATION. Game Boy Advance is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved. 5% Blood and Gore VIL АЙ Violence Celebrate the 5th anniversary of the most terrifying game series ever as it mutates onto the PlayStation"2 computer enter- tainment system. Join Claire Redfield, as she searches for her missing brother, Chris, and dig deeper into the evil doings of Umbrella Corporation. Flesh eating zombies and bio-tech monstrosities haunt your every move. As an added bonus, this • special edition includes never-before-seen cut scenes and an interactive demo of the highly anticipated, Devil May Cry. • CAPCOM PlayStation.e ©САРСОМ CO., LTD. 2001 ©САРСОМ U.S.A., INC. 2001. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM GO., LTD. RESIDENT EVIL CODE: VERONICA X and DEVIL MAY CRY are trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are reüistered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Ай other marks are the property of their respective holders. UNDER Electronic Winter 2001 Arts Electronic Arts Malprave's evil minions: assault-rifle-totin’ salarymen by day, family men by night. гоў AARAA Like 007 himself, any game with the James Bond label automatically packs a license to kill. Politicians love James Bond because he used to take on evil communists. Besides, the Bond films have always felt more like video games than movies to us. e Prod f driving fast cars, schmoozing loose women, and saving the world from megalomaniacs is your idea of a good time, then nothing personifies your ideal superspy lifestyle better than James Bond. But what's this? You've never heard of a movie called Agent Under Fire? Well that's 'cause this is the first Bond game not based on a movie but rather developed as its own independent story. But what does this mean for the story behind AUF? Did a bunch of greasy programmers cough up a janky 007 storyline over some pizza and an N64 session of Perfect Dark? Not exactly. Working wit h the James Bond license has been a balancing act of pleasing both the fans and the suits. “As you might expect and can respect, MGM and Danjaq [the companies that own the 007 franchise] are careful about how Bond and video games come together,” says Jon Horsley, executive producer at Electronic Arts. "We collaborated with MGM and Danjaq on the story, and then worked with Industrial Light & Magic plus Pacific Data Images to animate and choreograph [it all]." In AUF, Bond has to stymie Malprave, an evil mastermind planning to control the world with an army of clones. (First Metal Gear Solid, then Star Wars Episode Il and now 007— 1-4 player splitscreen there’s just no escaping the clone thing, is there?) The missions themselves, which are spread over 10 exotic locales, vary in their gameplay styles. Some require you to sneak around unseen by using Bond’s collection of issued gadgets, while others require you to exercise that royal trigger finger. And what's a male fantasy without a fleet of exotic and heavily armed vehicles at your disposal? About a third of AUF takes place on the road, with you behind licensed Bond mobiles like the Aston Martin 085 and the BMW Z8. So does this mean the crappy 007 Racing franchise that debuted on the PS1 last year is cancelled? Well, yeah—but we’re not complaining. So does AUF’s multiplayer live up to standards established by GoldenEye on the N64? EA certainly hopes so. To rekindle the magic, the team is including spy gadgets in deathmatch, so the game is more than just Quake in a tuxedo. Better pick up a multi-tap for your PS2 if you want to experience AUF’s four-player action. ту - 188 > AUF features a familiar cast, including decrepit ol’ gadget man Q (as voiced by a John Cleese imitator). Touch base with Q from time to time to receive toys The Sharper Image only dreams about. The old coot is also something of a trickster. Early on in the game, you stumble into an apartment where a naked woman lathers in a steamy shower. Oh wait, that’s just Q and his wacky bombshell hologram! Gets us every time. е ео 0 Fight as 10 Х-МЕМ from the original roster Perform signature mutant moves-even бо solo or take on a friend as you fight to and 6 new X-MEN: Rogue, Nightcrawler, Havok, stunning aerial combat-in 10 of the dominate the arena. Enjoy 4 modes of play: Forge and 2 secret characters. original arenas, plus 6 new locations. Academy, Training, Arcade and Versus. PARADOX =). МЕ ® © Violence PlayStation ` www.marvel.com MUTANT ACADEMY АСМЧОН. MARVEL and X-MEN: TM and б 2001 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc, and its affiliates. © 2001 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Developed by Paradox. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. АЛ rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. activision.com МО LIVES FOREVER PS2 November Fox Monolith Not available ы 2001 Interactive Productions Entire clans of generic ћепсћтеп and other зру movie stereotypes Having a woman superspy running the show scores points for being progressive, even if you're still just shooting bad guys. f you've ever frowned at the lack of femme-fatale secret agents, chances are you'll enjoy this first-person shooter's hefty dose of female empowerment. No One Lives Forever drops you into the high heels of operative Cate Archer, a gun- — Wielding, cat-suited vixen who must diffuse crises and spew == cliches ripped from spy films. Don't expect gritty action or highbrow plots. N.O.L.F. is more Austin Powers than GoldenEye, | right down to the silly British accent, ‘60s-era clothing and | While your enemies in N.O.L.F. act like shameless sexual innuendo. The game opens with Archer goofballs sometimes, they do sport some having to save a bumbling Moroccan ambassador from being | cool artificial intelligence. If you leave bodies assassinated by the terrorist group named H.A.R.M., whose out in the open, they'll stoop down to henchmen attackers scream obscenities in the heat of battle, investigate. Creep up behind them and you'll while others comically yell and duck for cover. As Archer, you'll hear entire conversations. Once you're get to tour the world behind the crosshairs of your gun, meet discovered, keep an eye on the furniture. an assembly line of sub-bosses and well...put 'em out of They'll actually kick over tables and sofas to commission. N.O.L.F.'s look is unique, too: The entire game take cover, making your arrival an interior looks like it's drenched in coats of retro-mod technicolor. | decorator's worst nightmare come true. —kKraig Kujawa SOCOM? о “TRIBES AERIAL а ИТЕ SERLS 1 Winter 2001 у PS2 Winter Sierra Inevitable 1-32 players 2001 Entertainment online матовая Я у Dozens of other human players just like yourself 18888 і і 1 А Given Tribes' lack of gore and its cache of unrealistic weapons, та espite how rough this game was politicians will probably find another FPS to scapegoat. Multiplayer: whe last saw it, SOCOM 1-4 players rests us because it's the first PS2 E é ж д splitscreen game to deliver the online squad-based f you dig team-based shooters but can't. Stomach the über-realism of SOCOM, 1-16 players thrills previously only found on PC. When perhaps Tribes Aerial Assault is more your thing. Grab your death-ray pistol, online it hits late this year, you can take on all strap on that jetpack and—whoosh!—take to the skies over massive rolling 16 missions by yourself or play with and terrain and shower your enemies with retribution. Like SOCOM, Tribes is another You ki against others online. Just don’t go game that must be played online to be fully realized. Appropriately enough, the Terrorists and Navy Seals bouncing will-nilly around the killing game's motto is "team combat on an epic scale.” Once you're online, tango with alike, depending on the color fields and expect to last long in this yim n ids up to 31 other players on a single of your uniform realistic shooter. Medic! server in deathmatch, capture the flag працам ЕМЕ: or four other team-based variations. ћ Ё ћ Ё Ё SOCOM supports real-time voice With its true-to-life tactics and | communication ма a microphone, assault rifles, SOCOM is the although there's no word on the kind of *murder simulator" | mic's release date or price. We know politicians love to hate. So Sony's in talks with Logitech to make watch out for LieberMANG9 the peripheral. You can even issue while playing online. ‘simple orders to your Al squad buds. Don't want to play online? That's OK. Tribes allows you to customize your own matches with a handful of bots to cherish and abuse. You can also serve 'em up for practice before going online for the real thing. 4% Electronic Gaming Month А Хаганы Historical Fantasy Е є New “Agent Technology" allows for 500 PI Experience battles firsthand - control soldiers on screen - 5x more than the generals and give orders at the squad level! originai! W 30 new stages! Besiege castle walls, battle є Devastating new Elemental Attacks aboard moving ships, and stampede across including tornadoes, lightening strikes, and open plains! meteor showers! є New weapons, tactics, and troops including Elephant Cavalry! RATING PENDING | 2 Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 е к ПОГ more info. www.koeigames.com Kessen II is a trademark of KOEI Corporation and KOEI Co., Ltd. © 2001 KOEI Corporation. All rights reserved. "PlayStation"and the " Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association р Visit www.esrb.org EIDOS (оўн қ or cal 1-800-711-3772 Games WITH CHARACTER for more info. PlayStation.e UNLIAÁE GTHER RACING DARES, THERE 5 NO PADDED SERT FOR 500 THE KAWASAKI JET SKIS STAND YOU UP. JUST 50 OUR GZ WAVE GENERATOR CAN KNOCK YOU BACK DOWN. © 2001 Opus Corporation. Published by Eidos Interactive, Inc. Wave Rally is a trademark of Eidos Interactive, Eidos, Eidos Interactive, and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. АП rights reserved. Kawasaki and Jet Ski trademarks used under license from Kawasaki Motors (UK) Ltd. Jet Pilot and the Jet Pilot logo and design are registered trademarks of Extreme Sports, Inc. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is а registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. VIDEO GAME EMULATORS LET YOU PLAY ANY САМЕ, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. BUT ARE THEY A HARMLESS FORM OF SOFTWARE PRESERVATION OR OUTRIGHT PIRACY? NMYESTIGATES... ЕСМ BY MARC SALTZMAN magine you're at school, work oron an airplane when the guy next to you flips open his laptop, pulls out a game pad, and starts blasting away in a heated round of Robotron. “Wow, this shareware clone looks pretty authentic," you think, until you realize it isn't another knock-off created by an amateur copycat game designer—this is Robotron. “Нттт, Midway must have released another Williams compilation for the PC or something," you figure. When you glance back at the screen, the dude is now deep into a game of the Super Nintendo's Secret of Mana. Later he launches the Genesis classic Sonic The Hedgehog before jumping into a Pokémon Silver battle, a race in Gran Turismo 2, and a few minigames in the new Mario Party 3. What's going on here? A few years ago, savvy programmers found a way for PC users to play most video games from the good ol’ days, regardless ofthe platform these classics were originally developed for. This once-underground pastime for those in the know has grown into a somewhat mainstream phenomenon, and today it's even possible to play current console games on a PC, not to mention on Electronic Gaming Monthly - 194 - www.egmmag.com UltraHLE brings №64 to the PC. Palm and PocketPC devices, as well. The kicker? It's all absolutely free. Say what? Welcome to the wild, wired (and now wireless) world of video game emulation. So, what the heck is emulation, anyway? Let’s cover the basics: An emulator is any program that allows one device—be it a PocketPC, a game console or, most commonly, a PC—to run software written for a different machine. For gaming fanatics, this means that if you have the right emulator you can play almost any game, for any platform, on your PC, whether it was originally designed for а video game console (Atari 2600, Intellivision, PlayStation), a computer (Apple 11, Atari ST, etc.) or a coin-op arcade machine. To get a bit more technical, an emulator re-creates the hardware environment of the original machine on your PC and runs the original ROM (read-only memory) data of the emulated game. That means an emulator or ROM on its own won't do jack; you need to combine both ingredients to play. But when you do, you're not playing a remake of the original game— you're playing the real deal. In fact, the software doesn't know it's not being played on its target platform. Some emulators even let you play the ROMs' two- player games (such as Mortal Kombat 2's versus mode) with others online. Emulation fans typically download emulators and ROMs off the Web. The ROMs find their way online courtesy of tech heads who build or purchase ROM readers or EPROM (erasable- programmable read-only memory) readers for arcade games and console cartridges, then copy and upload that data to the Internet. Sounds 100 good to be true. These things can’t be legal, right? Quite simply, the emulators themselves are 100 percent legal to download and use, but downloading and playing a ROM is a clear-cut copyright violation. Unless you own the original arcade machine, cartridge or disc that the ROM came from, playing ROMs without the written consent of their respective developers or manufacturers is technically illegal. Think of this situation as similar to the MP3 issue the music industry is struggling with now: Downloading an MP3 player like WinAmp, MusicMatch or Sonique is completely legal, because it’s just a player and doesn’t distinguish what songs will be played on it. But MP3- swapping services like Napster and Web sites that have posted tunes without the consent of the music labels have all been hit hard by the recording industry for copyright infringement. Needless to say, the Internet will continue to threaten control over intellectual property, be it music, movies, books and, yes, games. Now you don’t have to worry about industry goon squads busting into your bedroom and handcuffing you for playing a Pac-Man ROM on your PC just yet. The biz hasn’t cracked down on individuals participating in video game emulation, just like Electronic Gaming Monthly - 195 - www.egmmag.com (680 [Gameboy Color — 7 Emulators play more than just ROMs of older games (like Game Boy Tetris, above). Some developers are coding new shareware emulator ROMs, such as Horrible Demon 11, below. Liberty БЕТИ music-label officials don't go after you for using Napster. Instead, it's those who make ROMs available online, and in large quantities, who run the risk of getting into trouble. The ownership and distribution of ROMs were overlooked by game companies for years until Nintendo began sending cease- and-desist letters to Webmasters carrying Game Boy ROMs and then Nintendo 64 ROMs after that. Sega followed suit when it sent out similar threats to Web sites that carried downloadable Genesis games. Suddenly, an anti-emulation crusade was under way in the industry. Billy Pidgeon, an analyst with Jupiter Media Metrix, a leading research and measurement company, confirms there is a distinct grey area when it comes to downloading ROMs. “If the copyright owners choose not to enforce their copyrights, [playing RK IS CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT: WE ARE TRYING TO PRESERVE ALL THESE GAMES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.” —M.A.M.E. CREATOR NICOLA SALMORIA ROMs] remains tacitly legal at their indulgence,” he tells us. “But technically, copying copyrighted software without permission is piracy, while using software...to mimic another platform is not. And game emulation is not piracy if it enables playing software bought by the user for use on another device, such as playing PlayStation games on а Dreamcast using bleemcast!" Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped Sony from unleashing a legal assault on bleem!, the Los Angeles- based company whose commercially sold emulator bleemcast! lets you play PS1 games on the Dreamcast (see sidebar on page 190 for their legal war stories). Faced with a similar thrashing in the courts, software company Connectix agreed to stop selling its Virtual Game Station, which emulates the PS1 on Macs and PCs. While it does little to protect them, Web sites have been posting disclaimers warning not to “download any files unless you are legally entitled to do so" and that their ROMs “must not be distributed with any emulators or provided to anyone for profit." Other precautionary messages insist the ROMs must only be used to "evaluate these games for 24 hours. After such time you must buy the machine or commercial package or delete the [ROMs]." Such disclaimers offer no legal protection, however; downloading ROMs is still a form of piracy. While the bleemcast! and its ability to play PlayStation titles on your Dreamcast dodges legal fire from Sony, underground developers are busy coding away in their garages and coming up with DC emulators that let you play the classics. Using a freely available programming library called LibDream, these hobbyists have built emulators for the Genesis, Мео•бео Pocket Color and more. Although getting these programs up and running is a bit complicated, in a nutshell all you do is burn the emulators to a CD, pop the disc into your Dreamcast and — pow! —you're playing the old stuff (you'll need to burn the ROMs, too, but we're not tellin' how to find those). Keep in mind these discs only work on DCs sold before January 2001; the newer models can't read CDs. Head to www.dcemulation.com for a round-up of all the homebrewed DC emulators. neopocort Electronic Gaming Monthly - 196 - www.egmmag.com Dig Dug (left) and Commando, emulated on PC via M.A.M.E. The most popular game emulator is undeniably M.A.M.E., which stands for the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. As the name suggests, this program emulates older coin-op arcade machines, supporting over 2,000 games ranging from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, including Donkey Kong, Paperboy and Street Fighter, just to name a few. M.A.M.E. was created by Italian programmer Nicola Salmoria, and it has been a work-in-progress since its inception more than five years ago, with multiple versions available for varied platforms and a core team of more than 20 unpaid gamers from around the world coding new titles (or updating older ones) or tweaking new versions of the emulator. For the love of the game, as they say. Not only does M.A.M.E. play the classics just as you remember them, it offers enhancements, too, such as the ability to save your game's progress, support for multiple inputs and much more. It's a nifty program, for sure, and of course M.A.M.E. creator Salmoria is one of its biggest defenders. "While using the ROM images if you are not entitled to them is technically llegal,” he tells us, “we are not really doing any harm by playing 10- or 20-year-old arcade games. They are no longer being sold, and the copyright owners have already earned all the money from them that they could. More importantly, our work is culturally significant: We are trying to preserve all these games for future generations. Emulation is а Ж | tud = Я. m Strap yourself into the cockpit, grab the controls, and let the g-forces warp your world! AirForce Delta Storm, the first and only Flight combat game engineered for Xbox, is about to launch you into the action! Choose from over 70 battle-ready, high-tech aircraft and 50+ furious, high-speed missions - then де? ready to unleash extreme attitude а? every altitude! VIOLENCE Ж SSL хеох www.konami.com ® AirForce Delta Storm?" is а trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ©1999 2001 KONAMI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. KONAMI® is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Xbox and Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries. "ANYBODY WHO IS USING М.А.М.Е. BECAUSE IT’S, ҮА KNOW, CHEAPER THAN BUYING МЕМ GAMES SHOULD SERIOUSLY LOOK INTO GETTING ALIFE.” the only viable option, because it’s too hard to keep the original boards in working order.” Orlando, Fla.’s Mike Balfour, who has worked on close to 25 Atari and Sega games for M.A.M.E., claims that the emulator does not facilitate piracy but rather is designed to play older games that would otherwise be forgotten. “There certainly seems to be a mentality among the emulation community that time makes a difference,” he says. “That is, there still seems to be an opinion that it’s important to only emulate machines for defunct markets.” Yet Balfour admits, along with Salmoria, that downloading ROMs is not truly legal, except for games released to the public domain (such as Midway’s Pac-Man-esque coin-op Robby Roto) or homemade shareware titles. In early 1999, some time after Nintendo had already made it clear they would not go easy on the growing Game Boy-emulation craze, the company’s worst fears surfaced in the form of a Nintendo 64 emulator dubbed UltraHLE (Ultra High-Level Emulation). Gamers could 15 THAT AN ARCADE | IN YOUR POCKET? M.A.M.E. (www.mameworld.net/mamece3/) is just one of many emulators available for Windows CE-based Personal Data Assistants. You'll find PDA emulators for nearly every platform, including Game Boy and Atari 2600. Sega is even readying ап official Game Gear emulator for Pocket PCs. download the tiny 170 kilobyte emulator and play N64 ROMs in resolutions up to 800 x 600— much sharper than the N64's standard 320 x 240 resolution. The ROMs themselves range in size from 8MB to доМВ. And let's face it: High-speed modems such as cable, DSL or T1 lines make it quite painless to download even the largest N64 ROMs, which are easy enough to find online if you poke around. "Emulation is a big issue for Nintendo because it represents a big threat to the intellectual property rights of video game developers," says Perrin Kaplan, vice president of corporate affairs at Nintendo of America. "And the Internet is a fast and pervasive way to spread illegal software, especially if offered for free to the user." Nintendo doesn't see a distinction between emulators for long-dead systems and those for the newest consoles; they're all bad, in Kaplan's opinion. “АЦ emulation activities are of concern to us, regardless of the age of the product," Kaplan says. “Our copyrights are valid for 75 years from the date of the first publication, which many people may not know. And emulation of any of these games crosses over EMULATORS OW THE WEB You say you'd like to try your hand at emulators, huh? Well, the following are some of the most widely used programs, listed per platform, that let you resurrect long-lost games on your PC. And if you’re looking for a one-stop spot to find most of these programs, head to www.classicgaming.com. When it comes to finding the game ROMs, though, you’re on your own, since they’re not exactly legal. And be sure to do searches for old computer emula- tors to revisit classic machines like the Apple Не, Vic-20, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST and Spectrum. Emulates System: Vectrex Atari 2600 Stella Intellivision ColecoVision Emulator Name: DOS Vectrex Emulator Intellivision Lives Virtual ColecoVision Web Site: www.arcadeathome.com/dve http://stella.atari.org www.intellivisionlives.com www.classicgaming.com/vcoleco http://bloodlust.zophar.net/NESticle/nes.html http://bloodlust.zophar.net/gen/genecyst.html http:/ /bloodlust.zophar.net/Callus/callus.html NES NESticle Master System Meka www.smspower.org/meka TurboGrafx-16 MagicEngine www.magicengine.com Genesis Genecyst Super NES ZSNES WWW.zsnes.com Arcade Games M.A.M.E. www.mame.net Arcade Games Raine WWW.rainemu.com Capcom Coin-ops Callus PlayStation bleem! www.bleem.com Electronic Gaming Monthly - 198 - www.egmmag.com Marvel at the detailed battlefield scenes and mobile suits with breathtaking digital graphics as seen in the movies! Experience firsthand the thrill of guiding your allies in their mission to conquer the enemy in mobile suit warfare. Relive scenes from the TU series or implement your own battle strategies to create whole neu story lines. © SOTSU AGENCY • SUNRISE. TM & € Cartoon Network. Program © 2000 Bandai Co., Ltd. Distributed by Bandai America Incorporated, 5551 Katella Avenue, Cypress, California 90630. All Rights Reserved. Used under license by Bandai America, Incorporated. Animated Violence Licensed for play on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems with the NTSC U/C designation only. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Manufactured and printed in the U.S.A. THIS SOFTWARE 15 COMPATIBLE WITH PLAYSTATION 2 CONSOLES WITH THE NTSC U/C DESIGNATION. U.S. AND FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING. {һе line of intellectual-property rights. The newer the game, though, the more immediate unforeseen sales we lose." To curb emulation —which Nintendo flat out views as software piracy —NOA has а special division that focuses heavily on tracking misuse of their products. “This group, with a legal background, also works closely with Congress and elected officials," Kaplan says, *as well as other companies in our field, to combat the epidemic. We don't hesitate to use our legal rights whenever possible. All of our systems [including the GameCube] are built with the best anti- counterfeiting technologies possible. Those who are in the field of counterfeiting and emulation are as strategic with their abilities too, so it is а constant challenge." But what about game- development companies such as Midway, Activision and Infogrames, which still make money from repackaging older games (which, ironically, are emulated) for today's systems? We approached Ed Logg, a well- known and highly respected game designer who helped create many of the classic '80s arcade games now available via M.A.M.E. Logg has been designing and programming games for more than 20 years and is best known for helping create coin-op classics Asteroids, Centipede, Millipede and Gauntlet, plus Nintendo 64 titles such as Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey, San Francisco Rush and San Francisco Rush 2 (see “Where Are They Now?" in EGM #143). He says he doesn't have a problem with the PlayStation emulators for the PC or Dreamcast because users need to buy the games for these programs to work. He does, however, make the ethical distinction between these emulators апа M.A.M.E. “If someone copied a CD or downloaded a game [ROM] off the Internet, then | have a problem with it," he says, adding that his beef with ROM-copying isn't financially motivated, since he doesn't own the rights to his old games. Mike Albaugh is another seasoned Atari employee (since March 26, 1976, to be precise). He has been a support, tools and pick-up programmer on a number of well-known and celebrated titles, such as Atari Football (which, by the way, pioneered the trackball) and Destroyer, and he worked on Tempest and Battlezone. Like Logg, he's not a fan of folks who download ROMs, either, but he admits game emulation has its place. “I like the way emulators allow a historical perspective, and | have to admit a perverse sort of pride,” he tells us, “but anybody who is using M.A.M.E. because it’s, ya know, cheaper than buying new games should look seriously into getting a life.” Albaugh also expressed his disgust with pirated software and agreed he can see why the console companies are upset with the recent PS1 and №64 emulators. Do the right thing... All parties interviewed for this story on both sides of the issue agreed emulation isn’t going to die out anytime soon. And don’t doubt for a moment that one day soon we'll see PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox emulators available for download. In fact, just recently we learned of three different Game Boy Advance emulators already available online: iGBA, Virtual Game Boy and Boycott Advance. So if you’re hellbent on fiddling with emulators, all we have to say is do it with the best intentions. Emulate the classics because it’s convenient (why drag out your Atari 2600 every time you want to play Pitfall?) or because you want to keep these old games alive. Downloading new games ‘cause you're too cheap to buy them is just plain ol’ piracy. Playing that game hurts the industry and—in the long run—all gamers. ж The bleem! Scene You can’t talk about emulation without talking about bleem!, whose PC- and Dreamcast-based PlayStation emulators have landed the company in a legal battle so brutal it’s pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy. The original bleem! emulator hit stores in May 1999 and allowed gamers to play hundreds of PlayStation games on their PCs (users needed the original PlayStation game CDs to play them on the emulator). The company’s premier product right now is bleemcast!, which is sold in individual packs that emulate a particular PlayStation game on the Dreamcast. The first bleemcast! installment, which hit last May, supports Gran Turismo 2, and a second bleemcast! version for Metal Gear Solid should be in stores now. Bleemcast!’s big lure is that it uses the DC’s 3D hardware to soup up the emulated game’s visuals. Sony, however, is not impressed. From the get-go, they’ve seen bleem! as an infringement on their intellectual-property rights and have engaged the company in a protracted legal battle that’s got bleem! against the ropes. “They’ve been getting away with murder for two years, costing us almost $2 million in legal fees and tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of taxpayers’ money for the courts,” says David Herpolsheimer, bleem!’s president and CEO. “They simply say, ‘We believe bleem! infringes on certain intellectual-property rights’ and leave it at that, and no one seems to have the guts to push them оп it.… We'll stand up and defend our position in court or on a street corner to anyone who has interest. Why won't Sony do the same?" Representatives from Sony had no comment on the matter. Meanwhile, bleem! is down to three people working out of their homes, with all testing done by volunteers. Head to www.bleem.com for updates. “While you can," Herpolsheimer adds. PlayStation | Dreamcast Tekken 3 is next up for bleemcast! treatment, followed by WWF SmackDown! 1&2, Driver 1&2 and the Final Fantasy series. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 200 - www.egmmag.com When Evil Ríses From The Ashes, Hunters Rush In Where Angels Fear To Tread. An Astonishing 6 CDs! Four Complete Games! 100+ Hours of Gameplay! Specíal Collector's Packagíng! тм Cur ganes go ta 141 PlayStation logos are regi ed trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ARC THE LAD’ 7 ed trademark. оп Inc. 995-2001. Published by Working Designs under license 200: 5: by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. English Translation © Wi lark ot Working Designs. ine All rights reserved. Hoven many Romalians does it take to screw in a light bulb? None. They ге too busy taking over the world. Web Address: http:/Avwv.v OD & СОВЕ VIOLENCE It's what you fear. 一 ie Ў] Annihilate your enemies with an arsenal of supernatural weaponry It's dark, it's dangerous, and your worst nightmare has come to life. Armed with only your wits, a flashlight, and a revolver, can you Diabolical forces will stop at nothing to 5 5 dest unravel a mysterious island's ыы untold secrets and survive one night of true terror? Infiltrate а teeming cesspool of evil as either Edward Carnby or Aline Cedrac www.aloneinthedark.com РО у eo Ф. Шыл. © Dreamcast. DAR PlayStation Screenshots are from Dreamcast game. ‘Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare" ©2001 Infogrames, Inc. АП rights reserved. Infogrames, the Infogrames logo, and Alone in the Dark are trademarks о! Infogrames Entertainment S.A. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Game Boy and Game Воу% Color are trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc. ©1989, 1998 Nintendo of America, inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactivo Digital Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Developed by Darkworks. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., New York, New York. Interactive Digital Software Association. Sega of America Dreamcast, Inc, PO. Box 7639, бап Francisco, СА 94120. Sega is registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office. Sega, Dreamcast and the Dreamcast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Corporation. All Rights Reserved, Made and printed in the USA. WARNING: Operates only with NTSC televisions and Sega Dreamcast systems purchased in North and South America (except Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay). Will not operate with any other televisions ог Sega Dreamcast systems. Product covered under one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 5480374; 5,525,770; 562795; 5588173; 4,442 46, 4,454,594; 146276; Re. 35839; Japanese Patent No 2870538, Patents pending in US. and other countries Canada Patent No. 1,183,278. The ratings icon isa trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Sega af America Dreamcast, Inc, PO. Box 7639, San Francisco, CA 94120. ЕСМ rates затез based оп how they сотраге with other titles on the same system. The highest score we'll give a game is a 10. When a game receives a 10, you can rest assured it's one of the best games ever made—a revolutionary title that truly stands above everything else in its genre for Platinum Awards go to games that get all 10's, the best and rarest review a game can get. ." Crispin Boyer Features Editor Since the IRS 5300 tax refund cov- ers the cost of an Xbox, Cris is pre- tending that Uncle Sam is handing out free game consoles. He hopes to return the favor by mailing in old == Jaguar carts in lieu of paying taxes. Action, Adventure Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Ico West Coast Editor With the launch of the GameCube and Xbox so close at hand, Che decided to have an early celebration in the office this month. Just don't tell Shoe all this partying went on during deadline. Bottoms-up! Fighting, Racing, RPG Devil May Cry, Half-Life Games Resale Technician After playing far too much Silent Hill 2, Jon couldn't eat without thinking about all the game's _ decaying flesh and bloody mon- sters...and how good they'd taste compared to strawberry Yoohoo. Adventure, Fighting Silent Hill 2, Castlevania Chron. EGM These are the sports nuts on the Crew, but that doesn't mean they're not into all types of games. It just means you Gold Awards go to games whose average Score equals 9.0 or higher. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 204 - wv its time. At the other end of the spectrum sits the lowest score a game can receive: a o.o. This is the kind of game you want to avoid at all costs. It's pure crap. In the middle lies the average grade, 5.0. We repeat: 5.0 IS AVERAGE. Simple, ain't it? Games that average at least an 8.0 (but lower than 9.0) receive шш Silver Awards. Editor in Chief Shoe tried entering this issue’s big contest (page 236), so we reminded the senile old geezer that he's an employee here and thus, ineligible. He started crying, but then he for- % got why he was sad and moved on. The video game genre Final Fantasy Tact., Murder Sims Chris Johnston News Editor With GameCube and Xbox so close, what's Chris been playing? Inspired by his trip to the Classic Gaming Expo, his time's been taken up by retro games like Kaboom!, Frogger and E.T. Now that's gameplay! Adventure, Puzzle, Music Pokémon Crystal, Combat Two 7 1 А Associate Editor/Art Director Designing the *murder simulator" feature got Jeanne double fisting Red Faction and Max Payne. But no worries. We don't think she's any E more violent now than before; ex- f | cept regarding Sewart, of course. RPG, Action, Adventure Red Faction, Max Payne (PC) gmmag.com | Mark MacDonald Executive Editor Mark disappointed scientists world- | wide this month when they discov- ered that most of his unprecedented 80 percent use of total human brain capacity is employed inventing expletives to yell at Castlevania. Action, Adventure, RPG Devil May Cry, Castlevania Chron. = West Coast Editor/Webmeister The Milkman has rediscovered the joys of reading, realizing that it is, in fact, fun-damental. Not as fun as wearing a pair of horns though (as seen here). Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? Anything that's good NBA Street, NHL Hitz, Spy Hunter Greg Sewart Previews Editor Sewart spent the better part of the month looking for an American girl to marry him. Applicants must be young, pretty and share the same unholy love for Gran Turismo 3 that he does. We wish him luck. Racing, RPG, Action GT3, Ico, Final Fantasy (NES) can be sure that sports reviews are being done by the sports enthusiasts and not by some schmucks. EVERYONE Violence “Casper, 15 logos, ай related characters, Был ПТ. Inc. Ай Rights Везет, Caspar Spirit ту Entertainment, Inc. Source code © 2001 TDK Medisctive, inc. All Rights Reserved “PlayStation and the PS Family 1090 аге registerad trademarks of [s Arctic Thunder 01109. 39. Publisher: Midway Developer: Inland Productions Jr em Featured Іп: EGM #146 Players: 1-2 Also Тгу: Hydro Thunder (DC/N64/PS:) Best Feature: New points/upgrade system Worst Feature: Choppy framerate Web Site: www.midway.com Two years ago, | was hopelessly addicted to Hydro Thunder. Since it was a hit, Midway capitalized on its success by creating a string of games using the Thunder moniker. Arctic is the worst of these knock- offs, and the PS2 version is just as much of a choppy, chaotic mess as its arcade cousin. It's as if the game was designed to match someone's checklist of buzzword-filled features: bucketloads of radical weapons, huge tracks with lots of eye candy, tons of alternate routes and mind-blowing tricks (“because we hear those extreme sports are all the rage”). That sounds good on paper, but in the process someone forgot to make a cohesive game. If the framerate was- n’t so poor and the weapon effects weren’t such a sen- sory overload, the tracks would’ve been fun. By far the biggest problem is the tacked-on and shoddy combat system. So many different yet similar-looking icons (11 total) are strewn around the track that its hard to remember what they stand for. Even after figuring them,out, the inability to switch between weapons in races makes it impossible to formulate any kind of attack strategy. | found myself just firing everything, hoping I'd eventually get to the right weapon. Тһе gameplay’s so flawed that none of the modes added to the home version can save AT from its identity crisis. Melt the snow, forget the combat and bring in the Hydro Thunder boats, and you'd have a decent game. Say, isn’t it about time fora Hydro seque? Chris Dave Mirra Freestyle ВМК 2 Publisher: Acclaim Г Developer: Z-Axis FRE Modify: Just about any trick Players: 1-2 Also Тгу: Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX (PS1) Best Feature: Huge levels Worst Feature: Wild camera may give you nausea Web Site: www.acclaim.com My biggest problem with the first Dave Mirra game (on the PS1) was the ugly-ass graphics. So even if it had an innovative trick system and some pretty sweet controls, | still had to look at blocky, warpy tex- tures and strangely sluggish gameplay, courtesy of Z- Axis' Thrasher engine. It's different this time around. Dave Mirra 2 on the PS2 keeps all the stuff that worked about the first game, and throws it all into a stunningly beautiful engine. Just check out the com- plexities within levels like the Galloon Water Park, where you get to ride down waterless slides and carve into dozens of empty swimming pools; or the view you get on a 30-foot vert trick at the cavernous Devil's Peak. The game even includes a level editor on par with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 in terms of size and functionality. These niceties aside, the real star of Dave Mirra 2 is the gameplay. With the modifier button you tack on little tweaks and variations to your standard assortment of tricks and spins, creat- ing а chain of custom combos limited only by your imagination. Like the manual method in Tony Hawk, the modifier here really keeps you coming back for more; It also doesn't hurt that Dave Mirra 2 sports one of the best soundtracks in recentextreme-sports memory, featuring acts like Gang Starr, Ozzy and A Tribe Called Quest. If you’re into Tony Hawk but haven't tried a BMX game before, do not hesitate to pick this up. Che Extreme-G 3 Publisher: Acclaim =P Developer: Acclaim Studios Cheltenham Featured In: EGM #146 Players: 12 Also Try: Extreme-G, Extreme-G 2 (N64) Best Feature: Tight control Worst Feature: Been there, played that Web Site: www.acclaim.com | don't know why, but l've been less and less enthralled by games of this type since the release of the original WipeOut. | guess racing on giant, sus- pended Hot Wheels tracks while trying to avoid bouncing off the walls just doesn't grab me by the short-’n-curlies like it once did. That's not to say that the developers didn't do an admirable job; Extreme- б 3 looks sharp and is loaded with the obligatory col- ored lighting and transparency effects all futuristic racing games are federally mandated to contain. Tracks are large and filled with plenty of vertigo- inducing loops, corkscrews and trackside eye candy. (The Egyptian level looks particularly cool.) Controls aren't too shabby either—once you customize them to your liking, that is. (The default configuration will have your hands cramping after about 20 minutes.) There are lots of little nuances to master, like *rock- et" starts and the ability to speed up on hills by adjusting your pitch. Too bad it's nothing we haven't seen a million times before. Everything about the game, from the weapon upgrades to the team logos and vehicle designs, seems strangely familiar. Another minor gripe: Crashing during a League race automatically ends your career. I’m sure plenty of casual gamers will like EG3, especially if they have never played WipeOut or its sequels, but the game will leave everyone else longing for more originality and replay value. Gary M. High-speed snowmobiles. Weapons. Tracks so wild they make Hydro Thunder's look like a backyard romp through the lawn sprinkler. What's missing? Oh, a lit- tle something called a framerate, a foreign term to Arctic Thunder. that describes how. smoothly the graphics run. As soon as the race starts, the game becomes unglued and falls apart. All the explo- Sions, fighting and chaos cause so much screen clut- ter and ch-cho-pi-nes-s, that it's impossible to use any "skill" here. Just fire your weapons blindly and don't let up on the accelerator—you'll do just fine. Split-screen battles are no better; again, you can just Яге haphazardly and do well in the game. Shoe Why doesn't Midway concentrate on making a sequel to the awesome Hydro Thunder instead of churning out these awful spin-offs? Arctic Thunder was a pret- ty weak arcade game to begin with, but this choppy PS2 port makes it that much worse. On a.system this powerful, nausea-inducing framerates should be a thing of the past. What's more, the big, ugly weapon effects that tend to cover most of the screen make it next to impossible to navigate some of the tracks. In a game like this, your biggest challenge should be your opponents, not dealing with shoddy program- ming. Just add Arctic Thunder to the do-not-buy list and play Rumble Racing instead. Greg VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 2 4 3 1 Electronic Gaming Monthly - 206 - www.egmmag.com I'm usually in favor of a really smooth running game and speedy gameplay, but this is nuts. DM2 has got to be the fastest-moving sports game on the plan- et, but it is so fast, and the camera just a bit too flam- boyant, that.|.can’t play this for more than five min- utes ata time without getting woozy. Beyond the ver- tigo-inducing spins, the game continues to provide the same well-balanced offerings as it did in previous incarnations. The trick-based fare, which is based around the almighty modifier button, makes DM2 as good as the person controlling it. The environments are huge, the soundtrack pumpin', the graphics solid, and the options plentiful. Milkman Man, playing G3 makes me wanna go to Six Flags and hit the roller coasters. The track designs are just nuts. Most of them are suspended way in the air, so you get an eerily realistic sense of how high you're climbing, or even better, how far you're falling (big- time stomach drops). The developers did a bang-up job on that part. The bikes handle better than they ever did on the №64. The amount of time spent scrap- ing the walls, compared to gliding down the center of the track, is minimal. Fans of the series will certainly be satisfied. Everyone jelse however, should rent first. 63 will grow tedious for those who aren't impressed by flashy lights and effects. Dean | don’t care if it’s completely unbelievable; І love that you can launch 30 feet off a vert ramp while linking a jaw-dropping assortment of maneuvers— it's freakin’ great. You could literally spend weeks mastering the catalog of tricks and modifiers packed in this game. It's by far the strongest part of Dave Mirra 2, with the level designs a close second. They're uh, big...really big. just when you think you've found everything in an environment, you'll come across some nook filled with creative new obstacles to ride. What other BMX game lets you disrupt а go-kart race by grinding off the racers’ helmets? There's a lot to like about Dave Мита 2. Mat Hoffman better pay attention. Dean VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Few racers come close to the intense visuals in this puppy, but you can only stop to admire the winding corkscrews for so long, especially when you're flying by at 500 mph. Sadly, even at those speeds, the heart-pounding moments are too few and far between. Close finishes are rare, and shootouts even less frequent. It’s almost like everyone keeps to them- selves like on the first day of school. A missile will fly by or a few rounds will spray, but the lame, unimagi- native weapons don’t encourage combat. With such an awesome canvas to play with, | don't know why this game holds back. The lukewarm action makes this pretty racer more of a spectator sport. Kraig VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 8 6 4 6 ‘and the Official Seal are trademarks of Nintendo, © 2001 Nintendo АП Rights Ri f Publisher: Sony CEA Developer: Sony CEI Featured In: EGM #146 Players: 1 Unlike: Anything you've ever played Best Feature: Stunning graphics Worst Feature: It’s over too soon Web Site: www.scea.com co is absolutely breathtaking. Yeah, we know you've heard that before about a dozen other games, but it’s true. It’s not just the level of detail in the textures or the excellent animation of the characters, but the overall aesthetic of the entire game. The archi- tecture in the huge castle that serves as a prison to both Ico (the hero) and Yorda (the girl he leads around by the hand) is simply beautiful. And when the sun glints over the castle walls just right, you'd swear you're looking at a photograph. But it's not all about graphics. The Prince of Persia-inspired puzzles that make up the bulk of Ico (plus a few battles with shadow mon- sters once in a while) are superbly implement- ed and always logical. If you take the time to think things through in every room, you'll never get truly stuck in the game (unless your name is James Mielke). Electronic Gaming Monthly - 208 - www.egmmag.com Yorda can't jump as far as Ico, but she can still make it over small gaps. Plus Ico can catch her if she doesn't quite make it. But you know there has to be a down side. It seems that in concentrating so much on the gorgeous presentation and tight gameplay, the developers of Ico blew their wad way too soon—the game is over in approximately seven hours. Since Ico so completely sucks you in, that's not nearly long enough to be satisfying. While that's the only problem in an otherwise excellent game, it might make you think twice about dropping $50 on it. Though none of the characters in Ico speak English, all of them (save Yorda) are translated through subtitles for the player. Sony originally planned to trans- late Yorda's speech after the player had finished the game once. Alas, this feature was dropped in the end, all but destroy- ing Ico's replay value and leaving Yorda's legions of fans forever confused. (Left) Throughout the game these shadow monsters will attempt to capture Yorda. If they succeed, it's Game Over. Use Ico's stick or sword to fend them off before they get their claws on her. Ico reminds me a lot of Snatcher on the Sega CD. It's an interesting, under-hyped game that not every- one knows about, but everyone should play. And like that classic Sega CD game, Ico is something you'll reminisce about years from now. You'll remem- ber where you were and how you felt the first time you ever played it. The question, though, is whether that’s enough to make Ico worth buying. Pd have to say yes, but I’m also the type who'll buy a game І know to be less than stellar simply to complete a col- lection or because | think it's an important title. That's not to downplay Ісо5 accomplishments. І don't think l've ever played another adventure game with control this good. It's responsive, intuitive and makes the game a downright pleasure to play. And the puzzles...oh baby. The one time | even got a little bit stuck in Ico was entirely my fault, not due to bad puzzle design. Simply standing back and taking a long, hard look at your surroundings always reveals where you have to go or what you need to do next. And the impressive graphics pull the whole thing together beautifully— even despite everything being so...brown. So why not a higher score from yours truly? Well, once the game's over, it's over. Sure, you might go back a year later and relive the adventures of Ico and Yorda, but about seven hours after you start Ico for the first time, you're done. And there's no real incentive to play again. Greg Imagine a dream in which you are awake. Ico is that waking dream. Less a game than an interactive fairytale, Ico, without a wisp of pretense, is one of few games that legitimizes video games as art. Simplicity іп form and function is key. Solve one vast, multidimensional puzzle in the form of a prison castle hiding vaporous dangers, with only a few different items and resources at your disposal. That's it. It may appear uninteresting at first, but that's what makes Ico so extraordinary. It draws those willing into a whis- per of a world that leaves one feeling as if he or she is part of something even after it ends. Don't let Ico fall through the cracks. It's worth it. Jeanne | adore Ico in much the same way | adore the Panzer Dragoon games. It is evocative and beautiful, but over far too soon. With its sumptuous visuals, intu- itive problem solving, and affectionately crafted sto- ryline, Ico. is like a favorite bedtime, story that bears listening to over and over again. Which is a good thing, since it will take savvy gamers no longer than six or seven hours to finish. While there is little beyond the beauty of the gameplay itself to inspire multiple replays, helping Ico to free himself and the princess from the evil queen's castle is among the most wonderful experiences in gaming. Rent or buy, but absolutely play this game. Milkman VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY What you lack in talent, you сап make ир for in volume. Looking for more opportunities to focus on perfection? Picture this: a single Memorex гено Flash Memory card lets you shoot, transfer and email millions of photos. Or, for pennies a meg, our Pocket CD" captures 140 high-res images and lets you transfer them directly to your PC. So, if you're looking for the capacity to capture the world, visit us at memorex.com. memorex ls it live or is it Memorex?" ©2001 Memorex Products, Inc. Monster Rancher 3 она ) ШИ 2313] el TENOS ап p x Publisher: Tecmo Aje Developer: Tecmo Featured In: EGM #143 Players: 1-2 Supports: Picture Paradise Camera Best Feature: Great combat system Worst Feature: Nothing much new Web Site: www.tecmoinc.com The Monster Rancher team must have the saying, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it” plastered all over their walls. Number three's more refined, but is basically the same monster-raising and battlin’ game as it was when it last appeared on PS1 two years ago. The only big differences are the cel-shaded, kid-friendly graphics and the ability to use DVDs to create monsters. Its similarity to its predecessors is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, the com- bat's more fun and involving than anything in Pokémon Stadium. But the rest of the game hasn't changed much. The cel-shaded monsters look so good in battles that | wish the whole game would have adopted the same style. Everything outside of training and battling takes place in menus and dialog boxes. How fun would it be to actually walk around with your monster, talk to people, see new places (besides the same damn ranch) —all in this cel-shad- ed style? C'mon, it'd be great! It'd be a lot more excit- ing than waiting for visitors to land on your doorstep with nothing interesting to say (though maybe that's more a function of the poor translation). And it'd be nice to have something else to do than the repetitive training. To their credit, Tecmo added more you can do to beef up your stats besides train, but it doesn't go far enough. Rancher stalwarts will appreciate the new look, but | was hoping the series would break out of its shell. Chris Portal Runner 058960 EVERYONE Publisher: 300 Т реті Developer: 3DO Also try: Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers Players: 1-2 Supports: None Best Feature: Some nice visuals Worst Feature: Shoddy control Web Site: www.3do.com Portal Runner features a spunky, barely dressed hot- tie heroine; a lion sidekick named—wait for it—Leo; dinosaur and martian baddies; and a boss shaped like a giant brain. Now if only we could add a brawny android with a Schwarzenegger accent and some painful one-liners like “That’s gotta hurt!” to this list, then Portal Runner would officially pack every cliché known to man. Er wait—the game does have that stuff. OK, it's clear that the plot and themes here аге tired and derivative, but then compelling storytelling has never been a hallmark of the Army Men series. And in their defense, 300 does say this game is geared toward kids (although main character Vikki sure shows a lot of skin—must be something the artists stuck in for dad). But while the kindergarten crowd might like their plotlines trite, | doubt they crave shoddy control and dull fetch-the-item puzzles. Vikki’s jumps are too jerky, and both she and Leo tend to slide forward slightly when turning. It makes for deep trouble when you need to hop between platforms, which are everywhere in this game. Portal Runner does a few things right. Its visuals are crisp and colorful. You get one intense level in which you guide Leo through some brutal traps. But everything else here is just uninspired collect-the-crystals, find- the-switches sorta stuff. The game will keep youn- gins busy, but if any gamer over 10 gets stuck play- ing this thing, well, that’s gotta hurt! Crispin Spy Hunter ES. Publisher: Midway [ c Developer: Paradigm Systems Featured In: ЕСМ #146 Players: T2 Also try: Rumble Racing Best Feature: Intense action around every corner Worst Feature: Wish the game was even longer Web Site: www.midway.com Like a lot of people, | assumed this game would be a typical, half-assed 3D incarnation of a former coin-op standout. Whoa nelly, was | wrong. Honestly (PI try not to gush like a schoolgirl), this is the best remake I've ever played. The Spy Hunter themes are present (black cars, weapons trucks, "Peter Gunn" music), but basically it's just a great action game, regardless of the nostalgia. OK, let's get scientific for a moment. If you break Spy Hunter down to its core elements, first and foremost you have a kick-ass rac- ing game. Paradigm must have some secret formula for speed because both this title and their former hit for the N64—Beetle Adventure Racing—are movin’ mothers. The second element is great level design. The environments are laden with twisty roads, wind- ing rivers, shortcuts and tons of objects to destroy. The third ingredient is a simple, yet engaging story- line. That's the meat of the title. But trust me, it's loaded with so many interesting nuances | couldn't possibly list them all. OK, I'll mention one: On a mis- sion in Europe, you suddenly find yourself among a pack of F1 cars racing on the famous Monte Carlo cir- cuit. If you're feeling evil, you can even unload your machine guns on ‘ет. That's awesome! As for two- player action, yup it's in there, and it's fast and fun. | only wish there were even more levels, but that's just me being greedy. It doesn't matter if you remember the old Spy Hunter or not, buy this one now. eam Don't ask me why, but І like the CD-spawning gim- mick that powers the Monster Rancher games. With a 3,000-plus CD collection at my disposal, plus more DVDs than you can shake a Suezo at, discovering what sort of monsters you can spawn is half the fun of MR3. The other half of the game is purely vanilla, and follows the template set by the prequels almost to a tee, so if you're looking for surprises, there aren't any. Most of the adjustments occur in the training modes where the more complex exercis- es, which raise multiple stats, aren't found until later in the game. The cel-shaded visuals are nice, but this is still the same ol’ Monster Rancher. Milkman PR begins with Barbie, adds a pinch of Lara Croft, and a dollop of Army Men. Blend them ‘til smooth and sexy, and voila! Vikki G.—the plastic eyeful who rides lions bareback and talks like a kindergarten teacher—is born! This hot plastic plaything’s the best thing іп PR, except to toddler gamers who'll love how easy it is to win. Still, to be fair, a well-paced story that kids will enjoy, few bosses (but enough to keep it interesting), and Vikki's platform-style kinetics keep the ego uppity enough to keep the tots playing. If you're a dad, get this game for your kids to show that you're.cool too.” Plus, you get to check out Vicki’s butt without getting into trouble. Otherwise, label as: “7 and under." Jeanne Fast, transformable cars with missiles, guns and oil slicks? Sign me up! I'm surprised it took Midway 50 long to remake this awesome arcade game, but it was worth the wait. The remixed "Peter Gunn" tunes are superb and the Mission: Impossible presentation put me in the mood to be a super-spy badass. More so than usual, anyway. The objective-filled missions make this more than just a steer-’n’-shoot game. To advance to later levels, you'll have to explore new paths, make tricky jumps, and as a bonus, run over roosters. І still wonder how.this would have looked with a bird's-eye view like the classics but | couldn't be happier with how well this tumed ош. Kraig In typical Monster Rancher fashion, MR3 doesn't have any major innovations, but it has enough small ones to make it well worth a look for fans of the genre. Fights remain simple and intuitive, and you can still let. your monster fight on its own if you've зона во to the can. The new mixed breeds, such as the tropical Suezo or cold-weather Suzurin, and the accessories you can collect not only look funny, but also add a lot of replay value. Probably the coolest addition, however, is a new encyclopedia which lets you regenerate a favorite monster without having to dig up the CD you originally used to create it. АЦ in all, MR3 is a great sequel. Gary M. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 5 3 1 One thing |ме noticed over the years is to be wary of games held together by warp gates. They often serve as a crutch to let designers string together lev- els that otherwise have nothing to do with one anoth- er. My theory couldn't have been more validated with this compendium of crap. Playing this reminded me of every bad game I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. An over- sized toy level, a prehistoric level, a futuristic level, a fire level. All tied together by portals, clichés, moron- ic characters and forgettable graphics. 1 mean what in the hell is up with a plastic human-looking girl fight- ing to save a green army man with a lion and a bow- and-arrow? You don't wanna know. Kraig VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 6 2 4 Electronic Gaming Monthly - 210 - www.egmmag.com When | think Midway, | generally think bad spinoffs of once-successful franchises (see Arctic Thunder). But Spy Hunter is different. It’s like the publisher wanted a game they could actually take pride in without the word "Blitz" in the title. And they got what they want- ed. Outside of the somewhat annoying need to replay missions over and over in order to move on in the game, Spy Hunter is totally solid. It’s fast and the action never lets up for even a second. | like the multi-objective mission setup, too. Without becom- ing overbearing, it requires you to pay attention to your weapons. Check this one out if you're into either racing or car-combat games. Greg VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 8 8 6 1 {102484 JONVY INOT ЯЗОЛ 007 ` ¥3840) ANOHINV WO) RHOAOQZ МММ ` VH ЗА ЈУНА ЗУЗН ` 335 ЗА ЈУНМ 335 7 1N39Y3DNYSSI SISSVW НІ 011104 MHA SIHL AVIZY OL NOISSIW YNO SILI GTHOM зні NI 3573 383HMANY ОЗЛУПОЗНП 3311 NO 3Л12345434 У STVIATY ALD 380A МЭМ 40 SNOANYO 3H1 30 110 ONY NI ЭМЦУЎ5 11087 зм ЈУНА GTHOM зні MOHS ` NOTTI383U 3901102-905 IAISYIA-ANS ALD ЯЗОА MIN %001 7 3DUMV ТУПОУ 3H1 ° ОА MIN ` ALD YOA MIN 9/61 031518153 ° MINI MAOA 007 50018150! IHL ЧЫГ rm иш | 1” “тор Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami CET Featured In: EGM #147 Players: 1 Also try: Silent Hill (PS1) Best Feature: It's darn freaky Worst Feature: The puzzle interface is trying. Web Site: www.konami.com alling Silent Hill 2 a game is like calling Jennifer Lopez an actress. Both techni- cally qualify, but anyone who's experi- enced either can probably think of far more accurate descriptions for each. One might bet- ter label SH2 as the most interactive top-tier horror film around, because it does so much more than just entertain. It is so engaging, so emotionally taxing, that it leaves you feeling both mentally and physically weary after just a couple of hours. To those who thought the creators would be hard-pressed to top the thrill factor of the first game: You have no idea what you're in for. Silent Hill 2 leads us through everyday edi- fices gone bad much the way SH: did, but the Make it through the game and some cool new options become available. One lets you turn the grainy filter off for a cleaner, more graphically defined look. See the kitty? Electronic Gaming Monthly - 212 - www.egmmag.com MATURE muscle behind the PS2 and further warping of the designers' minds have opened the flood gates for some strikingly surreal content. You're not just wandering through a dark school or chunkily fogged alleyway anymore. You're descending hundreds of feet into Silent Hill's historical society to stumble into an abandoned prison, where the names of mur- derers and psychopaths you've been hearing about along the way haunt empty cells in the form of paintings, newspaper clippings and freaky artifacts. Such a twisted atmosphere fuels the per- petual feeling that something might be wait- ing in the cramped room just ahead, or even worse, standing in the blackness just next to you. Your instincts are constantly at odds with the game's progression, trying to prevent you from getting into situations where you don't have complete control when that's exactly what the game forces you to do— act against instinct. Thanks to an ambient score and sound design that are nothing short of genius, you're completely immersed in pro- tagonist James Sunderland's world, and for 10 unforgettable hours, your life is his. Despite James's best efforts to entertain and excite the contestants with the comedic stylings of Louie Anderson, Family Feud somehow never worked out in the town of Silent Hill. | wish І could accurately put into words the way І felt after playing Silent Hill 2 for several hours. | walked away feeling like І had personally experienced half of the things that went on in the game, and | was total- ly drained until | woke up the next day. While | can't tell you how the game's creators induced this disori- enting state, | can say that SH2 does everything so well, it doesn't surprise me that it had an eerie impact on my own life. | felt so intensely immersed that, even though | might have been busting with ammo and first-aid kits, | didn't want to send James down another narrow passage because | couldn't emotionally deal with a surprise enemy encounter. Even when | knew an ambush was coming, it still freaked me out because the monsters move and attack so sporadically you never know how you're going to fare. If you want to get the complete experi- ence and really enjoy the game, play it with head- phones or crank the volume on your TV/sound sys- tem. The audio is a gigantic part of what makes the ambience so creepy and is simply too brilliant to miss, It’s hard to find fault with this stylish beauty, but | might take issue with some of the camera angles and all the menu navigating that's required for some puzzles. If that was the worst | could say about every game, though, we'd be out of a job over here, and there would be nothing but killer apps on the store shelves. Jonathan Silent Hill 2 is, hands down, the scariest game ever made. Just writing about it gives me the creeps. But does that chill factor translate into greatness, or is it just aesthetic fluff? To their credit, the developers have done a lot of control tweaks to make SH2 one of the more playable survival-horror titles. Plus, the story, with its surprises and multiple endings, is much more compelling and makes more sense than the prequel. But to experience all of that, you've got to wade through some incredibly tedious and arbi- trary puzzles and lots of fetch the key-style game- play. If you're patient enough, SH2 will cough up the goods. Otherwise, you may get frustrated. Che Partway into this game (it was late at night and the staff had already gone home), | had to make a deci- sion. Do І continue playing this, іп a lonely and quiet office? Or до І play it safe and stop for the night, before (ће game's fright factor really got to me? SH2 does.such a tremendous job of tapping into your most primal fears with its use of sound and visual effects. It puts most anything "horror" to shame, including the terror incumbent, Resident Evil. SH2's unnerving mood is so immersive, almost deafening, that it overshadows some of the technical faults. Resist the urge to turn on the lights or play this with company. This game will scare you. Shoe VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Р С START CRYIN шы: WHER THE BULLE А Г There there. Some іші can’t handle the pressures of | gun battles, machete-swinging maniacs and high-speed chases. And if you happen to he one of these types, We won't blame you... MUSS. But if you enjoy some serious gunplay, come on down, friend. And bring a buddy. There’re more than enough bad guys іп need of a good blasting. Play additional mini-games: Quick&Crash, Incredible two-gun, one-player mode: ші ve got Plays Ый ТЕ awesome new Guncon “2, DUALSHOCK"2 Shoot Away 2 & Agent Trainer. two hands, use them both at once. Oh yeah! analog controller or the original бипсоп“. The weapon of choice for Time Crisis 2 TIME СН1515% 2 & ©1995, 1997, 2001 Namco Ltd., All Rights Reserved. GUNCON™ & ©1996 Namco Ltd., All Rights Reserved. GUNCON™ 2 & ©2000 Namco Ltd., All Rights Reserved. "PlayStation" and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks and DUALSHOCK is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Г НР 1762/1762 / «Ф, ТРО Lv 200 /ghafashaska ба Shoe 3.0 қ boss is now ап Ice Dragon on | ће Ultimate setting. We are scared. Publisher: Sega Developer: Sonic Team Featured In: EGM #146 Players: 1 (1-4 online) Supports: Keyboard, SegaNet Best Feature: All the new stuff to find Worst Feature: Pay-to-play online? C'mon...we're too spoiled for that Web Site: WWW.Sega.com ack. Slash. Cast spells. Kill monsters. Build up your character. Find rare items. And do it all with up to three friends online. That's all Phantasy Star Online has to offer, really. Version 2 gives you all of that and a bit more, but it isn't a full sequel. This update offers a couple of minor new modes (see side- bar) and the Ultimate Difficulty setting, which contains old monsters dressed up in new out- fits and lots of new/rare weapons and items for you to find. PSO Ver. 2 also lets you grow your character to level 200. Good luck accomplish- ing that in this lifetime. Unlike in PSO ver. 1, you're going to have to pull out the credit card and give up its digits to play online. The cost? For three months of unlimited playtime over SegaNet: $15. Is it worth it? Look at what $15 can get you nowadays. It's a very tough call... months of SegaNet play for PSO v. 2 packages/meals of instant ramen minutes of calls on 10-10-220. payment (01 seven) toward a Flowbee Halrcutting System f din Battle Mode: Take a break from fighting monsters, and beat up on your online friends instead. Too bad PSO's game engine isn't meant for this sort of deathmatch-type gameplay. Challenge Mode: It's just like the nor- mal game, 'cept timed and a lot less fun. See how quickly you can finish a level without the use of your normal inventory or Techniques. Also see how pointless this is since you can't keep any experience points or items gained! hly - 214 gmmag.com If you're really bored, you can mess around in the new soccer lobbies. Only if you're really bored. Here you see a ChuChu Rocket!-themed match, with a giant stuffed cat for a ball, and mice to celebrate a goal. o НР 170271762 Ж 1P070 v 200 Бнагавнавка “ If you were to ask me why PSO and PSO Мег. 2 are so enthralling, Га have a tough time explaining it to the non-PSO player. The games are boring, repetitive and devoid of anything resembling an immersive story- line. So why have | spent more than 100 hours so far on the two games? It's an almost inexplicable addic- tion. It helps that the games are a marvel to look at 一 they're simply beautiful. But it's really that intangible "goodness" that sucks you in and keeps you there until you realize a chunk of your life has passed, never to return. I’m talking about playing online with friends and that never-ending quest to build the ultimate character and find the ultimate equipment. That's where Ver. 2 comes in. Ultimate Difficulty gives PSO addicts (that's me) a bit more of what we'd want: new items to find, with a fresh coat of paint for the levels and monsters. Sure | agree with the other critics: Ver. 2 is a major disappointment because it doesn't have enough new. (Oh, and the new modes are weak, and who wants to pay for online play that we've been get- ting free for months?) We want a true sequel with brand-new stages, monsters and character classes! But just knowing this game will have lots of new goodies for me to find brings me much joy. Sad, | know. If you haven't tried this series yet, you are really missing out on the nicotine/booze/sugar/ sex of video gaming. If you've gotten enough of Ver. 1, however, Ver. 2 won't do much for you. Shoe In case you missed my review of the original PSO, I was a huge fan. Sure, single-player sucked, but the character building and online social aspects were so addictive | thought every console gamer should give it a try. Ver.2 is basically the same game, so | feel the same way. But if you have played the first, it's a bit disappointing: Many minor annoyances remain, there's no new classes or true levels, battle mode is sloppy, lobby soccer is a joke, and the extra $15 fee sucks. The only cool additions are Challenge mode, (hopefully) no more cheating and some of the new items. Is that worth another purchase (since you can't rent it and play online)? For me, barely. Mark І was fanatical about PSO for about a month last February. It's a classic and addictive as hell. So when І heard about Ver. 2 and saw that picture (you know the one) of the Genesis Mag, | couldn't wait to get ту hands on it. But Ver. 2 just adds to my desire for a true sequel. As much as | love the old areas, it does- n't have staying power the second time through. Challenge mode and Ultimate Difficulty are the only new stuff worth a dime. Battle mode and Lobby Soccer are lame. If you're a PSO/DC newbie, it's a must-have (add 2.5 to my score). Otherwise, think before you upgrade. Forty bucks plus 15 more every three months is hefty for such minor upgrades. Chris VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY АТТАСК The Complete Motocross Experience. Race full throttle around 22 World Championship circuit tracks in 13 countries as you immerse yourself in the heart-pounding world of motocross. Ride into 6 Fantasy Freestyle Arenas where you can bust tricks even the pros won't try. If clenched teeth, big air and whiplash speed are your thing, then MX Rider is your game. www.mxrider-game.com EVERYONE Mild Language ( Bonn MX ; ERE Бајан PlayStation.e © 2001 Infogrames, Inc. © 2001 Dorna. All rights reserved. Infogrames and the Infogrames Jogo are the trademarks of Infogrames Entertainment. S.A. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., 417 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10016. FIM Motocross World Championship® is a registered trademark of Federation Internationale Motocycliste. Licensed by DORNA OFF-ROAD S.L. Licensed for play on the PlayStation"2 computer entertainment systems with the NTSC W/O designation only. "PlayStation" and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a trademark of ће Interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names аге the property oftheir respective owners. EVERYONE Sega Publisher: Developer: Visual Concepts Featured In: ЕСМ #146 Players: 1-4 (1-8 online) Supports: VMU, SegaNet Best Feature: Online play Worst Feature: Player models Web Site: www.sega.com Dreamcast fans should be happy in the fact that Visual Concepts—in the midst of transitioning to other consoles—is offering them an online college football game. The good news about NCAA 2К2 is that it plays almost exactly like NFL 2K. That's also my main gripe, as it's hard to believe I’m basi- cally playing NFL 2K1 12 months after it was released (with minor improvements). Still! NCAA has some worthwhile features. The mere inclusion of 117 Division I-A college teams, their uniforms, and their stadiums makes the game a solid purchase. Add a Legend Mode where you assume all recruiting/roster management and online play, and you've got a defi- nite winner. Gameplay is fast, especially compared to EA's college offering, and demands quick decision- making. Spins, jukes and the use of “money plays" (slants, outs, corners) can lead to a somewhat arcadish brand of football, but most tactics can be countered. The stadiums are cozy and definitely make you feel the college atmosphere, but that's the highlight of the visual appeal. The player models are roughly hewn together and range from tolerable to downright goofy. VC's superb animation talents are evident as always, and you'll look at more than your share of spectacular replays. And what's better than watching those replays at the expense of your online opponent? | know || be taking the Buckeyes online in coast-to-coast battles. Dan L. It's not surprising that NCAA 2K2 suffers from the same problem that most new college-sports games do: It fails to establish its own identity from its pro counter- part. If you're an NFL 2K1 player, you'll step right in and throw touchdowns in this game without blinking. Unfortunately, NCAA isn't nearly as polished as that series. The computer defense makes silly errors, the action slows down, and the awkward controls for pitch- ing the ball made me avoid using option plays alto- gether (sucks if you're a running team). If you love the 2K style of play, these flaws can be overlooked. The rest of us might wonder if it was worth the money just to get a coat of collegiate paint. Kraig I'm trying my hardest not to think of this as NFL 2K1 masquerading in college garb, but the thought keeps creeping back into my melon. But honestly, is that such a bad thing? Nope, it's not at all. Why mess with a great game engine when all it takes is some col- legiate aesthetics and an option play or two to please a nation of rabid fans? I'm sure it's a lot more complicated than that, but bottom line—we finally have Internet-ready college ball. 1, for one, can't wait to hit the wires with my Huskers and raise some hell. РИ be the guy who runsitup the gut so much his half- back begs for mercy. But that's the beauty of NCAA, it accommodates all styles of play. Dean SOUND REPLAY VISUALS INGENUITY Electro Activision | Runecraft X Dave Мита BMX 2 (PS2) 4 医 1-2 It's Tony Hawk on two wheels Soundtrack Feels a little sluggish overall www.activision.com DC owners shouldn’t see Mat Hoffman as sloppy sec- onds, even though it’s nearly identical to its PS brethren. Like other Tony Hawk transplants, Mat Hoffman DC offers cleaner textures, better looking player models, and real-time shadows. Sure, these things don’t change the game none, but when your controls are based on something as proven as Tony Hawk, better graphics can only help your cause. Despite the better visuals, however, the game feels strangely sluggish. You get used to it after a while, but considering that it’s running on the DC, a better sense of speed would’ve been nice. For better or worse, Hoffman feels a lot like its Pro Skater cousin. Although the gameplay differences are subtle, | would’ve liked something that felt more unique to the physics of freestyle BMX. On the other hand, it’s good to know that extreme sports doesn’t always spawn music from the Ozzfest. | love Hoffman’s superb soundtrack, and if you dig hip-hop, you will too. As support for the DC trickles out this year, it's great to see a title diehard fans can look forward to. Ghe SOUND REPLAY VISUALS INGENUITY Capcom а> Сарсот ЕСМ #143 ~ 1 Unique puz- zle-game mechanics Rent-control Steep learn- ing curve www.capcom.com The premise behind your role as Polpo, an apartment manager in One Piece Mansion, is deceptively sim- ple: Keep your tenants happy and make money doing it. While this may sound like a piece of cake, it is any- thing but. The maddening pace of the game (whether managing tenants, putting out apartment fires, or catching burglars) is enough to keep even the nim- blest superintendent at his wits end. Although the characters are well-designed, it can be hard to keep tabs on the masses (and their moods) when you build larger apartment complexes. This causes the camera to pan out, reducing the well-drawn sprites to really..small_well-drawn sprites, which іп turn makes it hard to identify your tenants, and knowing them and their idiosyncrasies is half the. battle. Considering the game's geared toward the typical softcore puzzle-game player, OPM, despite its cud- dly allure, is intimidating in its depth and requires considerable commitment to master. It's а good thing to see a change from the usual block- dropper, but this is tough stuff. Milkman SOUND REPLAY VISUALS INGENUITY Gaming Monthly - 216 - Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami CET Featured In: EGM #146 => Players: 1 Also try: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Best Feature: It's 2D Castlevania! Worst Feature: i4th-century graphics Web Site: www.konami.com Just when I started to think every quality game series | once loved had gone 3D without looking back, Konami swaps in a little English text, mocks up a weak Photoshop title screen, and stamps out a limit- ed (30,000) U.S. release for Castlevania Chronicles. | couldn't be happier. It's like Konami boiled down Castlevanias 1-4 on the Nintendo and Super Nintendo and skimmed off the fatty excess (comprised mainly of weirdness from 2 and inconsistencies from 4). The result is a 2D adventure that feels like a perfect fit between the early Castlevania games and their headlining act: Dracula X (for the Japanese PC Engine). It's cool to see all the influences from these games come into play, from the enemies to the level layouts to the remixed music. | found myself charging through it again and again to unearth every hidden gold crown and make it as far as | could without dying. Why? Because like most Castlevania games, Chronicles has a ton of moments where the develop- ers are just egging you on: "You wanna jump here? Fine. Deal with this Medusa head and spiked ceiling!" Something eternally satisfying comes from making it through those spots without getting annihilated. Konami did add an art gallery and video interview with the game's producer for the U.S. release, but the rest of the disc is pretty bare-bones. Nonetheless, it's worth the sub-$20 price tag (yep, that's right) and then some, so buy it without fail. Jonathan Consider this before you read my review: | am a Castlevania freak. Big time. All right, now take a quick look at the sub-scores below: As far as graphics and sound, CC is nothing special. In fact, younger gamers who only know Symphony of the Night will likely turn up their noses. But as another edition in one of my favorite series of all time, 1 couldn't help but love it. Mr. Belmont doesn't have the range of moves you'd expect from a modern-game hero (although he can whip down and on an angle, and change direction in mid-jump), but Chronicles has the classic formula I’ve come to know and love. Frustratingly good difficulty, cool extras—an oldie but a goodie. Mark While I'd much rather һауе a completely new Castlevania adventure on the PS, this'll do. Most fans of the series will find this game a whole new experience, as it was never released in the U.S. But first they'll have to see past the very. dated graphics and play mechanics. Those of us, however, who have fond memories of Simon Belmont's earliest exploits and are looking for all the controller-snappin', exple- tive-screaming difficulty of the old Nintendo games will feel right at home. The extra stuff— like the inter- view with CC's producer— rounds out this package rather nicely. Not as much as a Dracula X remake would, though...we can dream, right? Greg REPLAY VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY 4 an ч Unique skateboarding/adventure game that pits you against mysterious alien creatures! In addition to the 10-stage Street Mode, practice tricks and combos in the Challenge Mode! S~ Unlock different parts of the City using 8 wacky characters! ~ \ œ Lay music tracks in the Ramp Mode, ог x challenge a friend in the Versus Mode! Koel Д Е Mild Violence „коејда! 1 Yanya Caballista: City Skater is a trademark of КОЕ! Corporation and КОЕ! Co., Ltd. © 2001 КОЕ! Corporation. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the. WwWwWiKoeigames.com "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. ELI Activision Publisher: Developer: Vicarious Visions Featured In: EGM #146 Tuo Players: 1 Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Topnotch graphics Worst Feature: Web Site: Unfriendly controls and camera www.activision.com ctivision knew they had a good thing going with the original Spider-Man game, 50 you can't blame them for milking that model for Spidey 2. It plays almost identically to its recent predecessor (Spider-Man is barely a year old on the PS1). But the developers have worked in a couple of extra features to make sure "true believers and newcomers alike," as Stan Lee would say, enjoy it. The most obvious point played up for this sequel is Spidey's personality. With con- sistent wisecracks and scenario-specific obser- vations throughout the game, it's a little less serious than the first game. Moreover, the hero's lighthearted spirit makes SM2 feel even more like a page out of the comics, as the mocking commentary flows as fast as the web- bing from his wrists. Spider-Man 2's boss battles have been ramped up as well. For example, in order to take out the slippery Sandman, you've got to holster your attacks until dousing him with water from a nearby pipe, which requires turn- ing a valve that builds up the water pressure. We saw ideas like this in the first game, but the developers have obviously made an effort to make this type of depth the standard rather than the exception. Between that and a beefy variety of stage-clearing goals that range from solving puzzles to beating the clock on timed missions, the game does a lot to keep itself from falling into the standard punch-and-kick gameplay trap. Spidey has to use his webs and wits to solve | assorted puzzles, including halting planes, catching trains and saving automobiles. 218 Many wondered why Activision didn't hold Spider-Man 2 for the PS2, but check out how clean the graphics ended up on the PS1 hardware. Looks like that ol' gray box has some surprises in her yet. Because | enjoyed and respected the first Spider- Man a great deal with the exception of one major point, you can imagine my frustration when | found the same issue had gone virtually untouched іп SM2. It's a wonder Spider-Man didn't turn to the develop- ers halfway through production and say, *My Spider Sense is telling me that this camera bites!" Anytime you change direction when climbing or whirl around to face an enemy, things fall apart faster than the Firestones on your mom's Explorer. The control scheme changes on the directional pad, and the cam- era swings around so you have no indication what- soever of where you're at. At first it's just annoying, but by the time Hammerhead is picking you off the wall with a machine gun from god knows where (actually, if he had Spider-Man's view, he wouldn't know either), you're actually severely impaired by it. Aside from the camera and control issues, SM2 is a nicely touched-up expansion on the first game. Although the selection of villains is made up of most- ly second-string bad guys, they almost all require some creativity to conquer. Puzzles, stealth combat and old-fashioned pummeling are squarely balanced across all the stages, and whether these screens do it justice or not, the game looks great on the Р51. Definitely check it out, but be prepared for some lame artificial difficulty that stems from (you ssed it) the wank\ Jonathan The last Spider-Man game, developed by Neversoft, is one of the best superhero games around. It's a shame then that Spider-Man 2, developed by Vicarious Visions, is not. While the challenges in the first game were usually simple delights, in Spider- Man 2, the wallcrawler's duties are at best, utter- ly mundane. More often than not, level require- ments аге nothing more than swinging around and beating up underpowered thugs, while other stages are so short, they're almost insulting. Compounding the misery is horrible collision-detection, sluggish button response (especially while web swinging) and poor camera work. Disappointing. Milkman If there's ever a case for packing a bottle of Tylenol in with a game, this has gotta be it. No game's shoddy camera in recent memory has given me more headaches than this one, and it couldn't have hap- pened to a.better game. І know that it must be hard to keep an eye on Spidey crawling all over the place, but all of those of high nooks and crannys in the lev- els didn't make life any easier. Fighting the bosses was excruciating and half the time | never saw what hit me. Fortunately, what | did see made me want to play further. The story and graphics are inviting and let me tell you, slinging webs just doesn't get old. More Tylenol, please. Kra VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY > | KONAMI | 18 % = niper. You ro те Em Ра Silent Scope 2 Dark Silhouette brings heart-stopping, single and two player arcade action to ` the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. You'll he armed with the latest hi-tech sniping equipment like the X-Ray Scope in order to thwart terrorist attacks throughout Europe. With stunning graphics, multiple story lines and four modes of play, Silent Scope 2 delivers hours of sharp-shooting suspense. When there's no place to run all that's left to do is fight. Dark Ciihanette: Violence р. | PlayStation. www.konami.com SILENT SCOPE Dark Silhouette™ is a trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ©1999 2001 KONAMI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. KONAMIG is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. NBA ShootOut 2002 Publisher: Sony CEA Developer: Killer Game Also Try: NBA Live 2002 Players: 1-8 Supports: Multi-tap, Dual Shock Best Feature: You сап create your own dunk Worst Feature: No zone defense. Uh, hello? Web Site: www.989sports.com When | was sitting back in my captain's chair playing this game, my first impression was that 989 Sports finally got their act together and fixed this franchise after years of problems. But then | noticed something funny: All of my players were defending their players man-to-man. Hoops fans know that the recent con- troversy with the NBA revolves around the league allowing college “zone” defenses. It's a move that promises to substantially alter the game more than any other rule change before. Players who drive to the hoop (like Steve Francis) hate it because it allows big men to hover around the paint and swat down lay-ups, while pure shooters, such as Glen Rice, will relish at wide-open shots from the holes in the zone. Well, 1 guess the developer of this game didn't get the memo about the zone defense. That, or they didn't care enough to completely rework the game to comply. I'll let you decide which. If you don't mind this obvious omission, then maybe you'll like ShootOut. It's a fast hoops game with good graphics, decent computer intelligence, and some sweet dunks. The animations are a little choppy, but that has been the norm with PS basketball games, unfor- tunately. If you do care about realistic basketball and strategy, then throw the idea of getting this game right out the window. It’s a shame, because if it did- n't have that fatal flaw, NBA ShootOut would be much better than it has been in years. Kraig X-Men Mutant Academy 2 m=) чш Publisher: Activision Developer: Paradox Also Try: Marvel vs. Capcom Players: 1-2 Supports: Dual Shock Best Feature: Aerial combos Worst Feature: Recycled graphics Web Site: www.activision.com After the lukewarm reception of last year's Mutant Academy, | was a little surprised to see a sequel at all, much less so soon. | happened to enjoy the orig- inal, and now that Mutant Academy 2 has expanded the first game's air combos into all-out aerial raves (in the style of Marvel vs. Capcom), the gameplay is slightly more exciting. Now is the time when Га nor- mally expand on all the cool changes made since the first game, but there just aren't any more. Aside from the revised aerial combos and a roster expanded with some of the more obscure X-Men, you've seen all this in the first game—including some of the exact same backgrounds and dull graphics. To make matters worse, it's glitchy. Not even Toad could pick off all the bugs in this game before it was crammed out the door. Most of the ticks that couldn't get fixed in time are minor and infrequent, but the one that might be an issue for hardcore fighters places player 1 almost on top of player 2 at the start of the round, making for an awkward and potentially biased begin- ning. Balancing apparently got thrown to the way- side as well. For example, Beast is a veritable tank on offense and defense, and has far too much time in between moves to. string together an inescapable combo. І feel sorry for the developers who were forced to put their pencils down on this game mid- sentence. With a little more time, MA2 could have been a strong contender. Jonathan Capcom Developer: Capcom Featured In: ЕСМ #144 МАСЕ. Players: 1-2 Supports: Link Cable Best Feature: This is a great version of Final Fight if you don't mind... „that they replaced the risqué dominatrix with Billy the punk rocker WWW.Capcom.com Worst Feature: Web Site: Want proof that the GBA is more than just a handheld Super Nintendo? Just pop in Final Fight One and enjoy one of the finest 2D brawlers ever made. Whereas the old SNES version had flakey graphics and slow- down problems, FFO on the GBA cooks like it did the summer of 1990 when it was at the height of its popu- larity at the arcades. And while Capcom's stayed true to the look and feel of Final Fight (sorry, no crazy pseu- do 3D effects here), the game still looks damn good for being 11 years old. Best of all, cleaning up Metro City with a friend in two-player link-up mode is a lot of fun. Are they pushing GBA hardware to the hilt? Who knows, and to be honest, who cares. Not only is FFO technically sound, Capcom had the foresight to give the game a lot of replayability. As you pummel through the levels, every thug you lay out gives you “fighting points.” You use these points later on to unlock a list of goodies, including extra lives, stage select and Alpha costumes for both Guy and Cody. Since you will inevitably unlock everything (provided you keep playing), FFO gives you a sense of progress and rewards those persistent enough to keep trying. Playing FFO was also a nice reminder of how deep the fighting system is 一 at least fora 2D brawler. This game is the forefather of fighting mainstays like chain combos and 2-in-1 hits. If you work at it, you can per- fect your technique and master the game. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing. Che Why I’m looking at an NBA game in late August is beyond me, but | guess 989 figures if you can’t be the best (see NBA Live), then you may as well be the first. First doesn’t equal fun though, as proven by ShootOut 2002. The game is packed with lame trademarks, as Icon Screening™, Touch Shooting™, Advanced Dribbling Control™ and Auto Defend™ are old gameplay elements dis- guised as “revolutionary new features.” Too bad 989 doesn’t have the one trademark that matters...Fun Game™. Aside from the tired game- play, ShootOut lacks basics like NBA rule changes and the new zone defenses. Yuck. Dan L. Judged on appearances alone, Mutant Academy 2 looks pretty sweet. The graphics (especially when used with the PS2’s texture-smoothing) are excel- lent, showcasing detailed character models, a sur- plus of impressive special effects, and animated 3D backgrounds. What hasn’t gained any ground is the gameplay. It’s obvious that the developers re- searched many a fighting game while designing МА2, but despite being a touch more difficult than the first Mutant Academy, the Al is so completely non-existent that the old “whack one button and win” strategy still works wonders. Great stuff for X-Men fans, but utterly average. Milkman FFO feels kind of like hanging out with your high- school friends after a couple of years away at col- lege; sometimes things just aren’t as good as you remember them. FFO is a pretty straight port of the original and.looks great on the GBA, but its repetitive beat-'em-up gameplay had a definite time and place, and it’s just not here and now. You'll enjoy linking it up with your friends for cooperative games, and it's cool to see where ideas for modern Street Fighter characters came from (heroes and bad guys in the game inspired several SF characters). But after a few rounds, the fun factor decays exponentially, and it's just kinda uncomfortable. Jonathan Have | fallen into some parallel universe where МВА ShootOut is actually a decent basketball game? Seriously, I'm shocked to report this former under- achiever is not only improved, it's flirting with gasp, wince, being above-average! І know it's outlandish considering the track record of the series, but | like what they've done. The players move 10 times better than last year. Most notably, there's no more awk- ward hiccup when they attempt a special maneuver. The defensive Al is more adept as well. Don't get too excited though, it's far from perfect. But if you can overlook the lack of a zone defense and a few other snafus, it's easily the best ShootOut yet. Dean INGENUITY REPLAY VISUALS SOUND 6 5 4 5 Electronic Gaming Monthly - 220 - www.egmmag.com X-Men Mutant Academy 2, while a huge improve- ment on its predecessor, is, like its title suggests, sophomoric. At the risk of sounding like | actually own hundreds of X-Men comics, polybagged in mint condition somewhere, none of the characters here fight how they normally would in the funny books. Still, with a new, robust combo system, air blocks, counters, dynamic cameras (showcasing the new moves) and better controls, MA2 takes one step closer to fighting game legitimacy. Hardcore fans of the genre probably won't find it too engrossing, but the casual fighting fan will dig the low learning curve and high combo count. Che VISUALS REPLAY SOUND INGENUITY When | crammed this cart into my Game Boy Advance, | thought to myself, “Well, this should be fun for about two minutes." (Ya see, I’ve played Final Fight to death years back, and | was sure I’ve out- grown it and moved on to more sophisticated forms of entertainment.) Two hours later, Рт still playing the darn thing. It feels good knowing something so basic and mindless can still be fun today. | wish this were a better upgrade or a new sequel (extra moves or characters would've been nice), but what's in the cart is pretty coolasis. Final Fight One is repet- itive, primitive and even a bit tedious...and | dug every minute of it. Shoe VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 6 4 6 8 6 2 1 Hints, codes, reviews, screen shots, release dates, demos, updated everyday. Don't hit start until you hit gamespot.com GAMESPOT {С ) сом Where gamers go to know. “Saas € 2001 CNET NETWORKS INC. High Heat Major League Baseball 2002 Во. Publisher: | 300 Developer: Mobius GAME BOYI Featured In: EGM #144 Players: 1 Nastiest Curve: Randy Johnson Best Feature: Batting interface is very respectable, especially for a handheld game Worst Feature: No two-player mode Web Site: www.3do.com A big yahoo to Mobius for coming up with such a functional batting interface in a handheld baseball game. Even without the aid of a cursor, hitting feels downright natural. You'll be scattering line drives, bloopers, doubles and even triples all over the field. Even more impressive are the barely fair line-hug- gers. That's a lot of hit variety for a pint-size base- ball game. Pitching is equally meaty, thanks to the diversity of throws (sliders, fastballs, curve balls, etc.) and the ability to aim them with a fair amount of accuracy. The importance of the batter/pitcher duel was obviously a high priority to the developers and it shows. | like the camera angles as well. The all- important bat-to-ball contact is visible for a split sec- ond, followed by a decent, wide-panning view of the outfield. Seeing the ball jump off the bat as it rockets toward the outfield is oh-so satisfying. Overall, in spite ofthe constraints of a handheld game, HH 2002 plays almost as nicely as its PS2 brother. But unfor- tunately, it doesn't offer all the same features yet. So here's my wish list for next year's edition. 1. Please give us the ability to make fielders jump and dive. 2. Allow us to steal bases, or transversely, throw run- ners out who lead off too far. 3. Get the crowd more involved with the game (more cheering). And most importantly, include a multiplayer option so two humans can experience the great batting/pitching interface at the same time. Super Street Fighter ЇЇ Turho Revival Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom GAME BOYA Featured In: EGM #144 Players: 1-2 Supports: Link Cable Also Try: Final Fight One Best Feature: The graphics are mighty impressive Worst Feature: Street Fighter just ain't Street Fighter without all six buttons Web Site: www.capcom.com This version of Street Fighter || is incredible for a handheld game. The characters are larger than life, making them really easy to see on the small screen. The moves are a breeze to pull off with the diminu- tive control pad and buttons (except for 360-degree maneuvers like Zangief’s spinning piledriver, which are hard enough to pull off without a joystick, let alone the Game Boy Advance’s dinky D-pad). The ani- mation is as good as anything we’ve seen on the Super Nintendo. The new artwork gives the game that Street Fighter Alpha anime look. The cart is packed full of stuff to open up, which will keep you coming back for more and more. Everything screams, “This is a perfect portable Street Fighter II.” But man, you just can’t do it. You can't play SFII without six buttons (no, Select and Start don't count). It's not Capcom's fault, but the GBA just isn't equipped to play something that needs three punches and three kicks. It's too bad, because the game is just fine otherwise. Sure, some characters can get by with a four-button control scheme, but even that doesn't work very well since two of the buttons are the shoulders. Be prepared to do lots of control reconfiguring, especially if you're an SFII veteran. Want Honda's 100-Hand Slap? Then you may need to swap out the B button's hard punch for a lighter one. Want Ryu's fastest fireball? Then stick that hard punch right back in there. What a pain. Shoe After a year of general disappointment with the next- gen baseball titles, Гуе finally found one which makes me smile. Complete rosters and statistical tracking complement a simple, quick and fun game engine. Pitching is awesome, as the top hurlers in the game can deal some nasty stuff. Hitting is all timing based, and the different number of hits is impressive. In the field, you have complete control over snagging grounders and pop flies, but there are no extra moves like dive or leap. Modes include sea- son, playoffs and home-run derby, allowing for a quick fix or extended replay. Dan L. This proves what Baseball Stars fans have known for ages: Sports games don't need to be fancy to be fun. 3DO always touted High Heat's realism, but they've scaled down this edition's complexity (who wants to think while playing a game on the crap- per?). The simple pitcher-batter duel feels very Super Nintendo-like and has a wide variety of pitches that give it just enough sophistication. The only nuisance was getting used to the strike zone. The grapefruit- sized ball makes it easier to spot, but harder to judge strikes. If you don't mind whiffing while learning the calls, give this a try. Playing just one season should make a long shuttle to Mars fly right by. Kraig INGENUITY REPLAY 4 1 VISUALS SOUND 1 5 If the idea of playing a portable, roughly Super Nintendo-quality version of this classic fighting game sounds good, get SFIl Revival—you won't be sorry. Of course the rarity of friends with another cart and a link cable (couldn't even a couple of characters been available for one cart multiplayer?) means you'll have to settle for beating on the so-so comput- er more often. Also bothersome are the two levels of button presses (tap button for one strength attack, hold for another); you get used to it but it still bugged me now and then. When's my six- button GBA with a backlit screen coming? Still, a very solid fight- er in a typically weak genre for handhelds. Mark This is the first fighter 1 have ever felt truly com- fortable playing on a portable. SSF2R is far from perfect (it's missing a lot of the original's voices and sounds), but still an awesome game to play against a friend. Hardcore SF fans will be instantly annoyed having to use a light tap on the buttons to accommo- date two of their six striking moves— it's too hard to pull off reliably. If you can survive with four buttons and are just looking for a casual way to start fights with friends, you can't go wrong with this mostly faithful remake. A couple of mild graphical ticks popped up here and there, so a rental may be in order if that's a concern for you. Jonathan SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 1 5 2 1 VISUALS 222 JADUANEEÎ Publisher: Majesco Developer: Pipedream Interactive Featured In: EGM #144 Players: 1-2 Supports: Link Cable Web Site: www.majescosales.com Best Feature: The two- player mode Worst Feature: Gameplay lacks depth Fortress is an oddball title—not quite a puzzle game, not quite a strategy game—that has you building castles with Tetris-style blocks while trying to demol- ish your opponent's fortress. So the cool twist here is that you can play Fortress in different ways. Treat it like a Tetris clone and you'll focus on linking wall por- tions for combo points and skill bonuses. Or you can get more strategic and concentrate on placing the wizard towers and cannons used to pummel your enemy. That's the theory, anyway. Trouble is, the game never becomes as deep or addicting as the best puzzlers. For starters, the combo system lacks oomph. Тһе best you can do is earn score multipliers for building four walls in a row, which really ain’t all that hard. Апа since the goal of the game boils down to which side can achieve a high score first, all you really end up doing is trying to build four walls in a row, then another four, and so on. It’s fun, sure, but never reaches its potential. More one-player modes would’ve helped. Only the two-player linked mode held my interest after a few days of play. Crispin VISUALS 4 SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY 8 1 K-Men: Reign of Apocalypse = зка SÉ publisher: аа Activision Developer: Digital Eclipse Featured іп: EGM #144 5 ey = Players: Best Feature: Play as опе 12 of four X-Men Supports: Worst Feature: More monot- Link Cable onous than а сопуеуог-ђе ^ Wel Site: assembly line The best part about the X-Men comics, cartoons and movies is how pleasingly unrealistic the fighting is. If we had to watch Wolverine walk up and do the same five-hit combo on a dozen Sentinels in the new X- Men flick, the thing would tank worse than Waterworld. So | can’t get my head around why any- one would enjoy making him do it in a video game. The stages, each of which would be all of 100 feet long in reality, all play out the same: Take out the first wave of enemies, the screen scrolls literally one inch, and the next wave appears. No, wait, that’s not true. Some stages take place entirely on one backdrop. My bad. So why don't The Uncanny X-Men figure it out and just make a run for the end of the stage that's a whole 50 feet away? By the time | was fighting Magneto with my usual boring combo and the occa- sional air juggle, І would have killed for a puzzle, а kart racing level, an X-Men bake sale...anything to break the tedium. Plus, the in-game dialogue has all the creativity and wit of a Fred Basset cartoon. Too bad, the game looks excellent. Jonathan INGENUITY REPLAY 3 3 VISUALS SOUND WHERE THE STARS PLAY FEATURING THE EXCLUSIV 2-0 \ са Exclusive Challenge Моде, Featuring аря а а Unlock Retired Greats Like John 4 Head To Head Events TEE ВУ ВУ Fray КЫНЫ Elway Dan Marino Апа Steve Young Kevin Harlan And Bill Maas AlL othar (NFL-weated marks) are trademarks of the National Football League and NFL Properties * f © 2001 Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. AI Rights Reserved. Developed by Acclaim IBE AND THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. © 2001 Tricks 0f the Trade By Trickman Terry tricks @ziffdavis.com TRICK OF THE MONTH Super Mario Advance Saez EASY 99 LIVES ›ове Toad h the door that t the begin- |. Travel right through the e until you get to the с teft, and one to the right The first is а bomb, the sec tion, the third is | the fourth i k Move to the shell, and it at the two purple run to the right and dig up the POW e carrying the ock, run to the left ee two spark ene g around two and give you up to Do this multiple get up to 99 lives! AUSTIN paths BATS PWR CNT All-Star Baseball 2002 EJ AUSTIN DINGERS IN BATTING PRACTICE From the Main Menu screen, choose Batting Practice. Next, move down, highlight Derek Jeter, and press X. On the Player Select screen, press L1+R1+L2+R2 simultaneously. Once you do this, the Austin Dingers team will appear. You can choose any player from this team for batting practice. Derek Menefee Abington, PA Gran Turismo 3: A-spec Е] INEXPENSIVE UPGRADES You must have two memory cards to make this trick work. Make sure the memory cards are in the two slots in the PS2. From the Main Menu screen, choose Simulation Mode. On the Simulation Mode screen, choose Home. Next, pick the Save Game option and save your game onto both memory cards. Go back to the Simulation Mode screen and choose the Car Dealer. Buy a car and then go to the Tune Shop and upgrade it as much as you can. Go to the Home option again and save your game onto memory card 2 only. After you’ve done this, go back to the main menu and choose Load Game. Load the save-game data from memory card 1. This will be the original save before you pur- chased anything. Go back to Home in Simulation Mode and access the Trade option. Load the data from memory card 2. The name of the car you pur- chased will be flashing on the Trade screen. Choose this car and you will be able to buy it for the original purchase price, even lectronic Gaming 224 eme Дљин ty 1 © 18,000 ~ after you put upgrades on the car! Do this trick when you have a lot of money and you will save yourself thousands of dollars in upgrades! Time Crisis Il UNLOCKABLE TRICKS Arcade Mode Secrets Extra Credits Play through Story Mode and use all three of your credits to earn a fourth credit at the start of your next game. You can keep doing this until you get nine credits. Free Play If you’ve earned nine credits in Story Mode and still use up all your continues, you’ll activate Free Play, where you have infi- nite continues. Extra Life When you unlock Free Play, you can go to the “Game Options” screen and change the number of health boxes that you have during the game. Instead of the standard three lives, you can have up to nine. New One Stage Trial Stages Get to Stages 2 and 3 in Story Mode. Auto Bullets If you finish Story Mode twice, players 1 and 2 can select Auto Bullets. Auto Bullets act like the | САШПЇЇ egmmag.com game's machine gun (unfortu- nately, you will have to keep reloading when you use this feature). Infinite Bullets Finish Story Mode with Auto Bullets and both players can select Infinite Bullets, so they never have to reload. Wide Bullets Finish Story Mode with Infinite Bullets and both players can select Wide Bullets. These bullets are like a shotgun blast, giving the player a huge shot radius. El Mirror Mode Finish the Story Mode without continuing and you open up Mirror Mode, a flip-flopped ver- sion of the game. Crisis Mission Tricks To unlock the hidden Crisis Mission extra game, simply finish Story Mode. In this bonus game, you must clear missions, such as scoring so many points in a round or killing a certain number of enemies. The game consists of five "Days", with each Day containing five missions and one EX mission. Days 2-5 Complete most of the missions in the current Day to open up the next Day. EX Missions Complete all the missions in a day to open up the EX mission. Final Mission 2 Complete all of the hidden mis- sions and the lost mission to unlock the real final mission. Music Player Complete Crisis Mission and you'll unlock this sound test mode. Cont. on page 226 — ee пай е шла шз m то эт Ov шта а. = LL == з жш а өс „ч Your pulse quickens. Your stomach drops. You feel itin our toes, With an intense 60+ FPS fi Snes super Charged. gravity ing iD аш i 0) 12 different super-charged bikes packing serious firepower 9 incredihle racing circuits with Futuristic, interactive racing environments: gut-wrenching loops, twists, spirals & drops city, desert, arctic, ocean & canyon EVERYONE In-game music by Mild Violence палоо PlayStationee ora GAMECUBE. Extreme-G'™3 and Acclaim® & © 2001 Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Acclaim Studios Cheltenham. All Rights Reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. NINTENDO GAMECUBE AND THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO, © 2001 NINTENDO. Screens shown were taken from the PlayStation®2 version of the video game. Cont. from page 224 Quick & Crash Trick Extra Modes To unlock three new modes of play, earn a score in the top five: Chain Hit, One Shot and 10 Seconds. Shoot Away II Trick Extra Mode To unlock an updated version ofthe classic game, earn a high score in the retro mode. War Jetz TONS OF TRICKS From the Game Setup screen, access the Input Codes option and put in any of these pass- words for the results as shown. Level Select JMPTT Fast Planes ZPPY Top Gun DH Ghost Mode SNKY Show Boxes BXDRW Thick Armor MRRMR Dual Fire NDBMBS Valhalla WNRLFST Weapon Up at Lvl. 3 PYRS Rapid Fire FRHS ГА Bigger Guns HMMR Biggest Guns QD Switch Plane NDCSN Speed Shots NSTNT Invulnerable DNGDM Plane Wins SMSHNG Extra 10 Bux WNNNGS Double Bux TWFSTD Shields on Roll SCRW Spin Shots DZZY Waypoints WYPNT All FMV GRTD Overlords VRLRDS All Cheats TWLVCHTS DREAMCAST. Razor Freestyle Scooter SECRET CHARACTERS Press START to pause the game. Now you can enter any of the following tricks to automatically unlock these new characters. Daryl Left, Down, Left, Down, Right, Up, Right, Up Hector Left, Left, Left, Left, Left, Right, Left, Right Brittany Right, Left, Right, Right, Left, Right, Right, Right Tito Ortiz Down, Up, Right, Down, Up, Left, Down, Up Chippie Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Right, Right, Down El Tikiman Left, Down, Up, Left, Right, Up, Down, Left Norton Left, Right, Up, X, Y, X, Up, Right NINTENDO 64 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 SWEET CHEATS In the middle of the game, press START to pause. Press and hold the L button. While holding it, enter any of these codes. You will see the screen shake when they are entered correctly. [5] Infinite Special Meter C-Left, C-Down, C-Up, Right, C- Right, Right Skater's Stats at 10 Down, Up, C-Up, C-Left, Down, Up, C-Up Speed Increase C-Left, C-Down, C-Up, Down, Up, Right Ultimate Balance C-Down, Right, Down, C-Left, C-Down, C-Up, C-Right, C-Left Battle Hunter SECRET CHARACTERS From the main menu, choose the first “card” icon and then register a new hunter. Enter your name as either VIKEIF or SHUICHI to play as these hidden г - 226 - TOP 10 TRICKS The top 10 games of the last month given the full- on Trickman treatment: 1. Twisted Metal: Black == = Incredible Tricks In the middle of the game, press and hold Li+L2+R1+R2. Keep holding this button combination down and enter one of the following codes. Make sure you have the con- trol settings on “Classic” before entering these tricks. The trick you just entered will appear on the screen if done correctly. Invulnerability: Up, Down, Left, Right, Right, Left, Down, Up. God Mode: Up, X, Left, Circle. Killer Weapons: X, X, Up. Mega Guns: X, X, Triangle. Weapons for Health: Triangle, X, Square, Circle. New View for Weapons: In the game, press Right+SELECT to get a different look for your weapon icons, 2. Топу Hawk's | Pro Skater 2 — — Cool Codes Enter the following tricks from the Main Menu screen. You will hear a sound and the wheel will spin around when you enter these codes correctly. Cheats Opened Hold the R button and press B, A, Down, A, START, START, B, A, Right, B, Right, A, Up, Left. Now access the Options and the Cheats option will be available. Smiley Face Blood Hold the R button and press START, A, Down, B, A, Left, Left, A, Down. No Blood Hold the R button and press B, Left, Up, Down, Left, START, START. Constant Zoom In and Out Hold the R button and press Left, A, START, A, Right, START, Right, Up, START. Unlock Spider-Man Hold the R button and press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START (Spider-Man will be available from the Select Skater screen in Free Skate and Single Session modes). Level Select Hold the R button and press A, START, A, Right, Up, Up, Down, Down, Up, Up, Down. Level Select and Lotsa Money Hold the R button and press B, A, Left, Down B, Left, Up, B, Up, Left, Left. Easy to Play ~ а well-tuned and finely crafted musical instrument! Includes a Songbook and Tutorial with simple finger notation for many songs and fancy tricks, plus Lullabies, Serenades and Minuets! Made from high-fired Ceramic in 3 styles: • Sweet Potato (octave +1) • Extended Range Sweet Potato (octave +4) Includes Extended Range Songbook plus Regular Songbook | • Raku Pendant Ocarina (with necklace) You can also order: • Silk Carrying Case (padded, w/zipper, handle and embroidered dragons) • Songbook 11 (25 songs {гот Beethoven to the Веаце5) • Dragon Boy T-Shirt (100% cotton, youth M/L/XL) — Jd Hear them and order online at: «Г www.songbirdocarina. com A Vou found We. санае The Ocarina inspired by the Legend of Zel да“ is now available! Pendant Ocarina Pricing Info: Sweet Potato Ocarina. ...$39.95 Extended Range Sweet Potato...$49.95 Raku Pendant Ocarina.................. $24.95 Dragon Boy T-Shirt... Silk Carrying Сазе. Songbook || Shipping Info: Shipping & Handling.. (Please allow 2-3 weeks for del iver) Priority Shipping... $10.00 T (When available, allow 2-4 days for delivery.) ay Songbird Ocarinas i ji 410 Апасара St. л Santa Barbara, СА 93101 Toll Free! (866) OCARINA РА 622-746 215 Songbird Ocarinas із по! TRICKS TOP 10 TRICKS (CONTINUED) 3. NBA Street. — = Street Cheats On the “Enter Cheats" screen, change the four basketballs into other symbols by press- ing the buttons the number of times shown, and then press Down on the D-pad. For exam- ple, 4,1,3,2, Down would be Square four times, Triangle one time, Circle three times, X two times and then Down on the D-pad. Summertime Joe *The Show": 1,0,0,1, Down. Athletic Joe *The Show": 1,2,0,1, Down. Springtime Joe “Тһе Show": 1,1,0,1, Down. Player Names: 0,1,2,3, Down. Less Gamebreakers: 1,3,4,2, Down. More Gamebreakers: 1,4,3,2, Down. No Gamebreakers: 1,4,4,2, Down. No Dunks: 3,0,1,2, Down. Mega Dunking: 3,0,1,0, Down. Explosive Rims: 1,2,4,0, Down. No HUD Display: 1,4,1,2, Down. Casual Uniforms: 1,1,0,0, Down. Authentic Uniforms: 0,0,1,1, Down. Unlimited Turbo: 2,0,3,0, Down. Harder Distance Shots: 2,2,3,0, Down. No Juice: 1,4,4,3, Down. No Auto Replays: 1,2,1,1, Down. Captain Quicks: 3,0,2,1, Down. NuFX Ball: 0,1,3,0, Down. Beach Ball: 0,1,1,2, Down. Volleyball: 0,1,1,4, Down. EA Big Ball:0,1,4,0, Down. ABA Ball: 0,1,1,0, Down. Medicine Ball: 0,1,1,3, Down. WNBA Ball: 0,1,2,0, Down. Soccer Ball:o,2,1,0, Down. No Cheats: 1,1,1,1, Down. 4. The Legent of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Hidden GBA Area Using a Game Boy Advance to play this game will gain you access to a new area. In Horon Village, go to the house of the “Know-it-all birds” and the door to the right will be open. Go inside the door and you will enter the 100 Rupee Advance Shop. Everything characters. These hunters only have a level 1 status, but they have high statistics for level 1 hunters. Since their stats can’t be raised, you will want to use them in multiplayer games rather than missions in the Story Mode. The Bombing Islands These nifty passwords will get you through the toughest of the game's levels and the ending cinema as well. Stage 50 7 of Clubs, 5 of Clubs, 7 of Hearts, 2 of Hearts, 7 of Diamonds Stage 51 7 of Clubs, 7 of Clubs, 3 of Spades, 10 of Diamonds, 7 of Diamonds Stage 52 Jack of Clubs, Ace of Diamonds, 2 of Diamonds, 2 of Diamonds, 5, of Spades Stage 53 Jack of Clubs, 7 of Diamonds, 4 of Clubs, 7 of Clubs, 5 of Clubs Stage 54 6 of Clubs, King of Spades, 6 of Clubs, 4 of Clubs, 9 of Diamonds Stage 55 4 of Diamonds, 3 of Diamonds, о of Diamonds, 4 of Diamonds, 7 of Hearts Stage 56 Jack of Spades, 9 of Clubs, 8 of Diamonds, 9 of Spades, 6 of Diamonds Stage 57 Ace of Clubs, King of Clubs, 6 of Clubs, 5 of Spades, 6 of Hearts Stage 58 8 of Clubs, 9 of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, 4 of Clubs, 7 of Diamonds Stage 59 6 of Clubs, 7 of Clubs, 8 of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, 9 of Clubs Stage 60 10 of Spades, Queen of Diamonds, Queen of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, Ace of Clubs Ending Cinema 6 of Spades, 10 of Diamonds, 6 of Diamonds, 8 of Diamonds, 6 of Hearts Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX Press START to pause the game. Now press and hold L1. While holding it, press Left, Circle, Square, Triangle, Square, Circle, X. NFL GameDay 2002 From the Main Menu screen, go to the Options. On the Options Menu, choose the Code Entry option. On the Code Entry screen, put in any of these pass- words for the results shown. Huge Football BIG PIG Floating Team POP WARNER Huge Team TINY Tall and Thin Team PENCILS GameDay Stadium GRUDGE MATCH Great Defensive Line LINE BUSTER Heightened Endurance ENDURANCE NBA Players BASKETBALL See Credits CREDITS Cont. on page 230 228 ратно 22:22 Active J е island of the SMTSirals, Doom Islan еер into the sea after the Second Doom d War. It was believed to be in an eternal , but has once again begun silently beating, ng to make its appearance in the sky for the strals have again been resurrected and 1 unforeseen terror on the land. A force ed within you...a Spiritual Force that | to a conflict that will save the world! The axim's legendary bloodline lives in you... The thread of destiny guides you through an adven- urney looking ior an unknown destination! www.natsume.com Serious Fun is a trademark of Natsume Inc. Natsume is a registered trademark of Natsume Inc: Developed by Меў а baistered trademark of Taito Corp (620 isume Inc. All rights reserved, | LICENSED BY NINTENDO. NINTENDO, САМЕ BOY, GAME BOY COLOR, GAME BOY ADVANCE AND THE OFFICIAL ЅЕАЦ РЕ [INTENDO OF AMERICA INC. @ 19: 1998; 2001 NINTENDO OF AMERICA ft PASSWORD DEF GHI ЈК МАР cdefasahiiklmna TES) О.К. CANCEL Cont. from page 228 U.S. Presidents OVAL OFFICE Super Running Back SUPER FOOT Euro Stars EURO LEAGUE Less Fatigue FATIGUE Cheerleader Pics. After Game FASHION SHOW 989 Programmers 989 SPORTS All Bobo Team ALL BOBO Red Zone Programmers RED ZONE Fire Pro Wrestling ALL WRESTLERS AVAILABLE From the main menu, choose Edit. On the next screen, choose Edit Wrestler. On the Wrestler Edit menu, access the Name Entry screen. Now put in the word ALL for the nickname, the first name as STYLE, and the last name as CLEAR. Make sure you use all capital letters. Now press the START button. Press B con- tinuously to move backward through the screens until you reach the main menu once more. Choose Exhibition from the Main Menu screen and begin a single, one-player match. Now when you scroll through the list of wrestlers in each league, you will notice that more have been added to the list. Here is a list of the new wrestlers found in each league: APW OMEGA - The Lastman KLEEBO - The Runner Р MUSCI- Godfather AWG KILLA – Darkman MANN - Slim Jim OHHASHI - Dragon Soldier ECLIPSE SAEBA - The Fight King H-CLASS HIGAKI – The Clone DOCKEN - The Killer GRAPPLE NICK – Mr. Perfect ALEVIN - The Titan FAGG - The Stylist FREE NOGAWA - Judo Master KAGURA - Kabukiman DANGER - The Arab TIGER - The Untamed LEGEND RIKIOZAN — Zeus the Moose KLAUSER - Commandant FAZE - The Champ [2] KHAN - The Mongolian BULL - The Brain ROZHMOV - The Mountain ROCHE - The Lost Boy BRIGHT - The Inventor MAVERICK – Mad Dog McLand - Shamrock МР MUSASHI – The Legend RIKIMARU – The Patriot MASA – Dr. Voodoo YAMAMOTO - The Master WAKAMOTO - Drill Sgt. PANTHER - Fantastic Hero KID – Mad Bomber IGARASHI - Dark Hunter ОЈР SHIBA – Super Giant TOMMY - The A-Bomb YAJIMA – The 49er BOGGY - Dr. Nuke PEACE - The Peacemaker HARRY - The Lone Star Iw HAICHI – White Thunder KISHITA – Mad Bull YUKIGUNI CONDOR – The Condor EAGLE – The Eagle DRAGON AZTECA – Shining Dragon MACHINE DATA JET VERMILION MAX SPEED | NORMAL : 456 ит яо05т:Бпа 80057 TIME LSEC.1: 4.8 BODY STRENGTH (100): 100 TURN PERFORMANCE :Е BALANCE:H PICKUP GRAPH F-Zero: Maximum Velocity [2] EASY ACCESS TO JET VERMILLION (Note: At the time of this writing, the listed Web site URL is in service, but subject to change.) Now you can get the Jet Vermillion vehicle by just entering a password! First, you must have access to the Internet and a Web browser. In your browser, type in http://www.nintendo.co.jp/no8 /afzj/vermil/index.html to access the Japanese Web site. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see a keypad with numbers, letters and symbols on it. Enter the name of your game file by pressing the keys of the keypad with your mouse. You will see three buttons under- neath the keypad. When you are finished entering the file name, click the one on the far right. This will bring up another page with a password in large, white letters. This is the password that will give you access to Jet Vermillion. Now go to your game and choose Grand Prix Mode. At the Ship Selection screen, press 1, R, START, R, L, SELECT. A Password screen will appear. Enter the password you saw on the Web site and you will hear a sound. Go back to the Ship Selection screen and scroll up until you see Jet Vermillion. Now you can play as the hidden car! 230 mag TOP 10 TRICKS (CONTINUED) inside costs 100 rupees. The items include a Gasha Seed, an Advance Ring and a Magical Ring. Chicken Attack The old chicken attack method works with this game. Start slashing a chicken with your sword. Continue doing this and you will get a barrage of chickens attacking you! Remove yourself from the area to stop the chickens. и. © Chao's Pumpkin Head From the Stage Select screen, choose Rouge or Knuckles and go to the Chao Garden. Start digging into the ground until you find a pumpkin. If you give it to a newly hatched Chao, it will play with the pumpkin and then throw it. If you give it to a more advanced Chao, it will put the pumpkin on its head! 6. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GAME BOY Mode Codes From the main menu screen, choose "Data Select." Begin a new game, and, on the Name Entry screen, put in one of these names to access differ- ent modes for your character. You may have to complete the game the number of times shown in each mode before the tricks will work. Magician Mode Beat the game once. Put in FIREBALL for your name to give your character magician stats. During the game, press START to bring up your statis- tics. Choose DSS and you will see that you have all the cards. "Magician" will replace "Vampirekiller" in the upper. left-hand corner. Fighter Mode Beat the game twice. Put in GRADIUS for your name to give your character fighter stats. During the game, press START to bring up your statis- tics. “Fighter” will replace “Vampirekiller” in the upper left-hand corner. Shooter Mode Beat the game three times. Put in CROSSBOW for your name to give your character shooter stats. During the game, press START to bring up your statistics. “Shooter” will replace “Vampirekiller” in the upper left-hand corner. Thief Mode Beat the game four times. Put in DAGGER for your name to give your character thief stats. During the game, press START to bring up your statistics. МТ. ФАККІСІ MOUNTAIN 了 ТАШ E i ў Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info. 4 radical www.thq.com TRICKS TOP 10 TRICKS "Thief" will replace “Vampirekiller” іп the upper left-hand corner. | | 1. Mario Party 3 | Super Hard Difficulty | Complete Story Моде оп Нага | difficulty with any character. | Опсе you do this, you will be | able to choose the Super Hard difficulty setting in Party and Story Modes. | 8. Pokémon с: | Gold/Silver COLOR | Duplicate Pokémon and Items | WARNING: THIS TRICK AFFECTS YOUR SAVED First, you must decide on the Pokémon and item you want to clone. At any time during the game, press START and access the Pokémon option. Choose the Pokémon you want to clone and make it hold an item that you also want to clone (such as a Master Ball). | Next, go into a town and find a Pokémon Center. Move in front of the PC and press START. Move down the menu and access the Save option. After saving your game, press | theA button to turn on the | PC. Access Bill's PC and | deposit the Pokémon you | | want to clone into one of the | | boxes. Then choose “Change | Box” and move to an empty box. Press A and choose | “Switch.” When it asks ifyou — | | want to save the game, choose “Yes.” important and requires pre- | cise timing. The game will tell | you that there is already а save file, and it will ask you if it is OK to overwrite the file. Choose “Yes” and immediate- | ly turn off the Game Boy. Be | sure to turn it off before апу | | words other than "Saving" | appear оп the screen, or the trick will not work. Turn the Game Boy back on again. Check your party status and you should see the Pokémon you wanted to clone still in your party. Access Bill's PC and look at the box in which you deposited the Pokémon. The Pokémon and the itemit | was holding will be cloned | inside the box, and still in. Electronic Gaming ЕТ Ай Cars Available | GAMES. USE WITH CAUTION! | | | | Мом, this part is very | | GT Advance CARS, TRACKS AND UPGRADES On the Title screen (where Press Start Button is flash- ing), press and hold L+R +Up+Left. While holding these buttons, press B. All of the cars in Quick Race, Time Attack and Practice mode will be open. Every Track Open On the Title screen (where Press Start Button is flash- ing), press and hold L+R +Up+Right. While holding these buttons, press B. All of the tracks in Quick Race, Time Attack and Practice mode will be open. All Tune-Ups Available On the Title screen (where Press Start Button is flashing), press and hold L+R+Down+ Right. While holding these buttons, press B. All of the tune-ups in Quick Race, Time Attack and Practice mode will be open. Pac-Man Collection PAC-ATTACK PASSWORDS On the Pac-Attack main menu, choose Puzzle Mode. Move to the Password option and then enter any of the following codes to advance to that level in the game. Level 50 - WLC Level 51 - TMF Level 52 - QNS Level 53 - GWR Level 54 - PLT Level 55 - KRW Level 56 - HRC Level 57 - RPN Level 58 - CNT Level 59 - BTT Level Level 86 87- 88- 89 - 90- 91- 92- DISSI LST Level 93 - Level 94 Level 95 Level 96 - Level 97 Level 98 Level 99 KTT - FcS - RRC YLW -PNN - SPR - СНВ F Level 100 - LST Mike Ryan Chicago, IL Cont. on page 234 ШІН FREE STUFF? If you are given credit for submitting a trick, you will win a free game. If your trick is selected as Trick of the Month, you will also win a GameShark from InterAct, and a controller from Blaze. Note: Please include your real name, mailing address and what system you'd like your prizes for. No Purchase necessary. For complete contest legal rules, please visit www.egmmag.com or write us at: EGM Contests - Legal Rules Request, Р.О. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522- Send your best tricks, codes, and tips to: Tricks of the Trade Р.0. Box 3338 Oak Brook IL 60522-3338 or send e-mail to: tricks@ziffdavis.com PictureParadise lets you put your digital image | Monster Rancher 3* and Monster Räicher» 1997. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trade! E Final Fantasy Chronicles (Chrono Trigger) Crono: Infinite HP In Battle 8oo23E3003E7 Crono: Max HP In Battle 80023Е3203Е7 Стопо: Infinite МР In Ваше 80023Е340063 Crono: Мах МР In Ваше 80023Е360063 Сгопо: Мо Damage ТаКеп In Ваще 80028D9Coooo Merle: Infinite HP In Battle 80023EBoo3E7 Merle: Max HP In Battle 80023EB203E7 Merle: Infinite MP In Battle 80023EB403E7 Merle: Max MP In Battle 80023EB603E7 Merle: No Damage Taken In Battle 80028DA00000 Have All Items 5000FFo10001 300204000001 Infinite All Items 5000FFo10000 300205000063 PlayStation Greatest Hits Tricks Y DREAMCAST Outtrigger Infinite Strength DFD89B5A00000130 Infinite Ammo (All Weapons) 2F7F72DFo0000063 Max Combo Gauge 24FF7BCoooooo130 Max Score Ғ5Ғо70С905Ғ5ЕоҒҒ Infinite Тіте 0080860800000005 Gran Turismo 3: A-spec Code Must Be On EC87829C1437062C 10 Trillion Dollars 1C0411241456DEAD 1С041120026487А5 Max Series Points 0D6B32D81456E7A5 4D6B32D81456089C SIM-1 Lap=Finish oD6E6FBC1456E7A5 3D6E6FBC1456E7A7 3D6B3C7D1456E7A8 3D6DCoA41456E7A8 TOP 10 TRICKS SIM-Instant Win oD6E6FBC1456E7A5 3D6E6FBC1456E7A8 3D6B3C7D1456E7A8 3D6DCoA41456E7A8 of the Sword Infinite Health 91EA92C1 Infinite 02 91EA93C1 Have Unlimited L.Health Paks 9163B3C1 Have Unlimited S.Health Paks 9163B4C1 Have 99 Door Keys 9163B5C1 Have Sub Dock Key 9101B6C1 Have 99 Dynamite Sticks 9163B7C1 Have 99 Cannon Balls 9163B8C1 Have Fire Exit Key 9101B6C1 Have Generator Key 9102B6C1 Have Chemical Plant Key 9104B6C1 Electronic Gaming Monthly - 284 - www.egmmag.com Trevor Vines SOLEIL CRAIN UGH. 20/77 ting taurine, 4 гї үр. I-cariti 8.3 fl Аб тї] A Nintendo GameCube A Son PlayStation http://contest.egmmag.com . Metroid Prime for the Nintendo GameCube is what type of game? a. Real-time strategy b. Driving c. First-person shooter 2. Which game won this issue's Review Crew Game of the Month? а. Ico b. Mr. Nutz c. Bubsy 3D 3. Which horror-themed game is NOT fea- tured in this issue's "Old School"? a. Mr. Bones Nu „м. b. Fester's Quest Luigi's ~) c. Army Men: Sarge's Heroes ШР 4. What was Space Invader's original title, according to its creator? а. Squid Invaders b. Space Monsters c. Monster Invaders . What real-life product is featured in our review of Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2? a. Nads hair-removal system b. Flowbee haircutting system с. Ab-Doer make-you-not-fat system And a Cra load of Games 6. The developers of Project Gotham Racing for the Xbox also created what for al Three Systems other racing title? a. MSR for Dreamcast b. Speed Racer for PlayStation c. Top Gear Rally for Nintendo 64 7. What previously unreleased Atari 2600 cartridge was sold at the 2001 Classic Gaming Expo? a. Combat Two b. The Dreadnaught Factor c. AD&D: The Treasure of Tarmin 8. What real-life actor is pictured in our ~ want EO Win ALL THiS? A Microsoft Xbox ي (titles may differ from what's shown here) Six (6) Grand Prize Winners will win the ULTIMATE CONSOLE PACKAGE: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance preview? * Nintendo GameCube console a. Adam Rich * Microsoft Xbox console b. The kid who played Corky on * Sony PlayStation 2 console Life Goes On c. Bill Cosby * 3 GameCube games (our choice) * 3 Xbox games (our choice) * 3 PlayStation 2 games (our choice) (that's right...the Ultimate Console Package includes ALL of the above) Five (5) First-Place Winners will win the GAMECUBE PACKAGE: * Nintendo GameCube console * 3 GameCube games (our choice) Another five (5) First-Place Winners will win the XBOX PACKAGE: * Microsoft Xbox console * 3 Xbox games (our choice) Five (5) more First-Place Winners will win the PLAYSTATION 2 PACKAGE: * Sony PlayStation 2 console * 3 PlayStation 2 games (our choice) (so far) Electronic Gamir hly - 286 - www.egmmag.com NA. Е e к Play as Ippo ог апу one of 45 other boxers. Fight your way to the top of the rank- ings. With 10 locations and 7 matches in 4 weight classes, you'll create your own awesome 1-2 combination. 1 ictorious Boxers © 2000/2001 Jyoji Morikawa/Kodansha. © 2000/2001 p ESP/Kodansha. Violence || Translation © 2001 Empire Interactive Europe Ltd. Developed by New Corporation. e N m Е в ЧАС Ir IVE Published by Empire Interactive Inc. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are regis- www.empireinteractive.com KODANSHA ES Dan "Shoe" Hsu。dan_hsu@ziffdavis.com Chris “Candy Jam" Johnston • chris_johnston@ziffdavis.com Kraig “Kurupt” Kujawa • kraig_kujawa@ziffdavis.com Greg "Sensible" Sewart е greg_sewart@ziffdavis.com Mark "Yoda Plus One” MacDonald • mark_macdonald@ziffdavis.com FINAL WORD James “Milkman” Mielke • james_mielke@ziffdavis.com Che "Frownmaster" Chou • che_chou@ziffdavis.com John “Rickety” Ricciardi • tvgamex@hotmail.com Kid Stuff, A State of Nintendo Address Shoe: | cannot STAND Zelda’s new look for GameCube. What’s going on with the Tom & Jerry antics? This isn’t the Acme Hour. This is freakin’ Zelda, one of the coolest franchises in gaming history! This Looney Tunes business should’ve been saved for a new game, or even Mario. Not Zelda.... Chris: All you whiny babies who think Zelda's new look is poo-poo can go suck it. If you want the same kind of game year after year, system after system, go play Tomb Raider. This is all about reinventing a character that we've all grown up with. I'm excited the series is going in a different direction, one that'll hopefully be successful in capturing that = same kind of magic when we all played Zelda 64 for the first time. | agree that the Tom & Jerry antics in the demo don’t feel right for the series’ past. But the battling, character design and animation look great. Who knows, even with the physical comedy, it could be amazing. At least it’s not called Legend of Zelda: Attack of the Clones. Kraig: Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s good. Go take that reinvented crap and apply it to a different game. Leave my Zelda games alone! Greg: | still say it’s not right. Man, the darker atmosphere of Majora’s Mask and then that cool, older demo of Link fighting Ganon on the GameCube had me psyched for a grown-up Zelda game. | mean...the new game will likely be awesome, but now "|| always be wondering what could have been. And what the hell is up with the slapstick comedy? Mark: Look at Zelda: Link to the Past on the Super Nintendo. That game did not try to look realistic at all; it went for the cartoony style as well. Zelda’s new look may not be a continuation in the same direction as the last two games, but it’s not out of step with the series as a whole. As for the more slapstick elements, they may have been there just for the sake of the video clip at Spaceworld; who knows? Give it a chance and wait until you can play it before you decide if it works better Chris Johnston News Editor Kraig Kujawa Sr. Assistant Editor Mark MacDonald Executive Editor Che Chou West Coast Editor for this specific game than a more “realistic” style would have... Shoe: I'm not saying it won't play well. I'm just saying that video makes the new Zelda look dumb. Mark: I'm not saying you're saying it won't play well. I’m saying you should wait to see what the game plays like before deciding what kind of style would work better for it. Shoe: You are wrong. | am right. Mark: Your mama. Milk: You guys (except CJ and Mark) are all punks. So what if the "new" Zelda is whimsical? Since when is Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask the de-facto standard? | like what Nintendo has done with Zelda, and | find it hard to believe that you wouldn't play it because it's too cute. I’m always up for a new experience. While we're on the subject, | think Mario Sunshine kicks all inds of asses. | can hardly wait for my GameCube to get here. Greg: Hey, I'll play the darn game. And I’ve got nothing against “whimsical.” Hell, | work with the most whimsical staff on the planet (especially Chris *CJ" Johnston). | just think the style in the new Zelda looks stoopid. John: I'm torn on this one. On one hand, | thought the video Nintendo showed of Zelda was really beautiful—the animation was wonderful, and the bits of gameplay they showed looked exciting and fun. It's like they took the artwork out of the old Nintendo Zelda instruction manual and turned it into a game. On the other hand, I'm going to be really sorry if we never get to see a new Zelda game using the original Ocarina-style engine. Che: I’m with Shoe on this one. Giving Zelda that cartoony look is like when Superman got a mullet in the late ‘80$ in an attempt to make that old stick-in-the- mud hip again. Don't get me wrong, | think it's cool that we can now play a cartoon in real time, but it just doesn't feel right for Zelda. Speaking of weird, what's with Metroid Prime looking like some of its levels take place on Tatooine? That's wack. Electronic Gaming Monthly - 238 - www.egmmag.com РА —2) ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA ZIFF DAVIS PUBLISHING INC. Acting Chairman and CEO . Ау H. и гезе И Тот Мс President, Business Media ............................/ Al Pei Executive Vice President and Publishing Director ......... Peter | (Business Media) Executive Vice President and Editorial Director . -Michael J. (Editor-in-Chief, PC Magazine) Senior Vice President, Business Development .......... Beth-Ann | (Business Media) Senior Vice President (Circulation) ..................... Charles Senior Vice President and Publishing Director ............ Mitchel (Business Media) Vice President (Corporate Sales) Vice President (Editor, eWEEK) . 4 | 6. Вапу 6 Vice President (Editor-in-Chief, Yahoo! Internet Ше) Vice President (Chief Information Officer) ................ Kim H Vice President .......... ен Charle (Marketing, Integrated Solutions). Vice President (Editor-in-Chief, eWEEK) ............... 4 Eric Lunc Vice President (Technology) ......................... Bill Мас! Vice President (Controller) «David ћ Vice President (Ziff Davis Market Experts). Vice President (Marketing, Business Media) . Vice President (General Counsel) Vice Presidente ces eos Е (Publisher, Ziff Davis SMART BUSINESS) Vice Presidentg- SE оо Sloan Sey (Publishing Director, eWEEK) Vice President (Editorial Development). Vice President (Game Group) Лот Steinert-Thr. Mice President tases DE EE (Publisher, 00 Insight) Vice President (Events) . ZIFF DAVIS INTERNET President and Chief Internet Officer . . . . Wenda Harris M Ziff Davis Media Vice President, Marketing ......................... Aimee D. L Vice President, Operations and Product Management . . . . . | Paul S. M Vice President, Audience Development . Vice President, Advertising Sales Chief Technology Officer Managing Director, Business Development ............ Greg M. Sch ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA INC. Acting Chairman and CEO Chief Operating Officer ... and Senior Executive Vice President President, Business Media ............................. Al Pe Chief Internet Officer and President ............. Wenda Harris М Ziff Davis Internet Executive Vice President and General Manager ......... Mark Van | eTesting Labs Vice President and General Counsel .............. Vice President and Controller ......................... Vice President and Chief Information Officer Director, Communications . Director, International . Director, Creative Services ........................... КОР John Der Rhett Hall Carlos Director, Business (Business Media) ... Directors, Manufacturing (Business Media) Director, Design (Business Media) Publishing Strategist ................................. i THE XBODX"ERA BEGINS AT TACO BELL.,10.18.01 хеох WWW.XBOX.COM $ Open Late Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. At participating locations only. 92001 Taco Bell Corp. ELECTRONIC] GAMING MONTHLY НЕКТ MONTH December 2001 (Issue #149) On sale Oct. 30 Which System Should You Buy? It’s console armageddon this winter when supersystems Xbox and GameCube launch mere days apart. So which system should you buy? We go straight to the top brass at Microsoft and Nintendo and also chat with game developers to find out whose console packs the biggest punch, reveal each company's gameplan and— most important of all—tell you which system has the best games. From hands-on looks at the launch titles to a rundown of all the best peripherals, we're delivering the ultimate double-system launch feature, guaranteed to help you make the right buying decision. But that ain't all: We'll also give you an exclusive look at this fall's fantasy star—Harry Potter—who is hitting all the systems that matter, courtesy of Electronic Arts. "АП editorial content is subj PlayStation Nov. 2001 Grand Theft песне On sale Oct.9 uto Ш This month, take a SUPER GAl Demo Dise ее. Video Previews B $ Warrior Vl Grand Theft Auto ||. Dragon Warrior Мі Youtl find all of the • Syphon Filter 3 gritty little details Playahles behind Rockstar's е Spider-Man 2 surefire hit. In е X-Men: Mutant addition, you'll be Academy 2 able to get special „ваше tino vrevewsororase, МОМ. 2001 е Tekken 3 Kessen ІІ, Dave On sale Oct. 16 ji „ Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 ү РЕД 2 and a whole lot e Crash Bandicoot: 5 је Hter2 ® Wrath of Cortex • е е Ico, mega strategy * Twisted Metal 2 and review * Spyro: Year of the Dragon • SSX Tricky preview EN REE STOF! ! Эй GameNOW! What is GameNOW? It's a new magazine, featuring multi-console coverage, reviews, previews and all the great tricks and strate- gy you've come to expect from Expert Gamer. For starters, it'll have a huge preview on the PS2's newest RPG, Okage. On the Nintendo front, GameNow will explore the Game- Cube's software lineup as the American launch date nears. Plus, more codes and a walk-through of Ico. Reviewed Next Month: • Devil May Cry (PS2) • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (PS2) • WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It (Р52) • Super Monkey ван (60) • Dragon Warrior VII (PS) • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X (Xbox) Previewed Next Month: • PaRappa The Rapper 2 (PS2) е Luigi's Mansion (GC) • Jak and Daxter (PS2) • Wave Race: Blue Storm (GC) • Project Gotham (Kbox) COMPUTER WORLD World Of WarCraft Blizzard has finally announced their next game, and it’s huge! Going head- Nov. 2001 On sale Oct. 2 to-head with EverQuest and Ultima Online, Reviews World of WarCraft is a massive- • Max Payne multiplayer RPG set in their ever-popular WarCraft universe. CGW has an exclusive 10-page report, complete with interviews and never-before-seen screenshots. Don’t miss out on one of the year’s biggest stories in PC gaming! • Anarchy Online • Green Berets • Empire of the Ants • Legends of Might and Magic Previews • Ghost Recon • MechWarrior IV Expansion • 100 Tycoon Coming Soon! GameNOW _ on Newsstands Everywhere. нє FIRST READERS ТАН “ночак EAEE GAMECUBE GANES PLUS! GameBoy Advance Reviews, Previews... 2 NEL FEVER REVIEWED - SUPER BOWL CHANP Acclaim Entertainment .. 43, 81, 117, 223, 225 www.acclaim.com Activision 14715, 92-93, 135, 161, 189 Best Buy ... www.bestbuy.com Сар ан O 62-63, 186-187 www.capcom.com Cosmo Interactive...... а 138-139 www.cosmoacc.com Ecko Unlimited: а а 57, 211 www.eckounlimited.com Eidos Interactive. 8-9, 78-79 142-143, 192-193 www.eidos.com Electronic Arts . WWW.ea.com Electronics Boutique . . . 60-61, 98-99, 178-179 www.ebworld.com 10-11, 26a-26h, 33, 48-49 Electronics Boutique/EBWorld. . . . . . . 106-107 www.ebgames.com Electrosource .................... 242-245 www.pelicanacc.com Enix America Іпс.................... 66-67 www.enix.com КОЧМОН аЬ 47 www.gotmilk.com Full Sail Real World Education .......... 241 www.fullsail.com Hasbro батев........................ 87 Infogrames .............. 4-5, 202-203, 215 www.infogrames.net Interplay а икона ну а UA 70-71 www.interplay.com KB Consolidated Іпс................... 169 www.kbtoys.com KUAFOR SSR ERA cesses 173 www.kinyo.com Koei . 163, 191, 217 www.koeigames.com Konami of America , 89, 91, 103, 105, 148-149, 185, 197, 219 www.konami.com К 28, 29, 77 www.cornnuts.com Logitech ........ late үл ен Зена 145 www.logitech.com Мао Са SLES 221 www.madcatz.com | BE ЕТ messaae Us Ано vou. < 3 ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA Ё OR CHUMP? Majesco Sales Іпс.................. 59, 207 www.majescosales.com Метотех ры 209 www.memorex.com Microsoft Corporation www.xbox.com Midway Home Entertainment 7, 1222-1220, 157, 159, www.midway.com ‚ 2, га, 2b, 74a-74h МАСОК D E 51, 213 www.namco.com ЕТО ВОЛОС ана ына 229 www.natsume.com Nintendo of America Inc. ............... 137 www.nintendo.com Nintendo of America Inc. . www.nintendo.com Nintendo of America Inc. ........ 55, 136, 137 www.nintendo.com О ЕКА PT 181 www.nyko.com Office for National Drug Control Policy... . 113 www.whatsyourantidrug.com Sammy Entertainment ................. 83 www.sammy.com Sega of America 52-53, 72-73, 125, 127, 174-175, 244 www.sega.com SOBG о haw ыа S 235 www.sobeadrenalinerush.com Songbird ...... 227 Sony CEA ........... 24, 3, 23, 34°35, 65, 85 www.scea.com Take 2 Interactive ...... 16-17, 94-95, 114, 151 www.godgames.com Target Stores ............ M EAS ddr 20,21 www.target.com TDK Mediactive ........... 19, 131, 183, 205 www.tdk-mediactive.com ДЕПО аен аа 118-119, 233 www.tecmoinc.com THQ 552522 40-41, 108-109, 133, 164-165, 231 www.thq.com Titus Software Corporation ............. 101 www.titusgames.com Ubi Soft Entertainment ..... 45, 129, 153, 155 www.ubisoft.com Universal Interactive. ............... 13, 121 www.universalstudios.com Vivendi Universal - Sierra On-Line. . 30-31, 237 www.sierra.com Working Designs ..................... 201 www.workingdesigns.com Real World Education School of: Game Design Computer Animation Digital Media Film Audio Show Production 800.226.7625 www.fullsail.com 3300 University Boulevard Winter Park, FL 32792 * Financial aid available to those who qualify. * Job placement assistance. * Accredited by ACCSCT. ©2001 Full Sail, Inc. АН rights reserved. The terms "Full Sail" "Full Sail Real World Education," and the Full Sail logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Full Sail, Inc. rrow's Coni Tomorrow a . й . . ‘ у 5 . . . 4 % Ы қ sg арта . Ibis AN ACCESSORIES: 1840 East 2746 Street “ Vernon, CA 90058 USA «Phong: 800 331-3844 я www.pelicanact.com ahs . к Ши Pelican-and {һе Реіісап logo аге registered trademarks, 7.7 омеа X-Box is а Registered-Trademark of Microsóft Corporation. Nintendo батёОцьетм, ў is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America; Inc. This product is not tfésigned; .. . те sponsored, endorsed or manufactured by Nintend or MicroSoft Corporation. + ,* Rule 4 Section 3 Article 10 The amount of time between plays is notto exceed 40 seconds. e -When you're playng this game, it's hard not to get ` carried away. Pass, hand off or scramble withthe - ОВ of the future, destroy anythihg in your path _ with read and react D, and use the unprecedented | playbook depth and accuracy to dominate the gridiron. But please be mindful of the clock. Made with love’ Бу;