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DISPLAY UNTIL JANUARY 8
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Today’s temperatures and forecasts across the nation.
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What are we going to do with all this snow?
A better question is, what aren’t you going to do? Grab your snowboard and fly down the slopes. Get ozone-high air out
Ask the Weatherman
Send your questions to: Weather Editor Doug Mukai, doug @weather-trib.com. Or write to: Ask the Weatherman/
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Deus Ex” lon Storm LLP 2001, Published by Eidos Interactive, Inc. Deus.Ex and lon Storm are trademarks of lon Storm. Eidos, Eidos Interactive, and the Eidos logo are all registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. ° 2001 Eidos Interactive, Inc, "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.
T0 REALITY
Use STEALTH, STRATEGY, OR SHEER FIREPOWER. THE CHOICES ARE YOURS AND SO ARE THE CONSEQUENCES.
MOEEELLELIIEEEE EE———E—O
WILL YOU BE THE CHARISMATIC MASTER MANIPULATOR, THE SHREWD AND STEALTHY TACTICIAN, OR THE DEADLY AVENGING ANGEL?
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Deus Ex HAS BEEN VOTED GAME OF THE YEAR BY OVER 20 MAGAZINES, WEBSITES, AND READER SURVEYS.
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CONTENTS
Airforce Delta Storm
Akira Psychoball
All-Star Baseball 2002
Amped
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance Brute Force
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Burnout
Dark Summit
Dead or Alive 3
Doom
Dynasty Warriors 3
Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves Final Fantasy X
Frequency
Fuzion Frenzy
Golden Sun
Grand Theft Auto III
Gun Valkyrie
Halo
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy James Bond in Agent Under Fire Jedi Power Battles
Jet Set Radio Future
Kabuki Warriors
Legends of Wrestling
Mad Dash Racing
Maximum Chase
Max Payne
Medal of Honor: Frontline Metal Gear Solid 2
MotoGP
NBA 2K2
NBA Live 2002
NCAA Final Four 2002
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 NFL 2K2
NFL Fever 2002
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee Phantasy Star Online
Pikmin
Pinball of the Dead, The Project Ego
Project Gotham Racing
Puyo Pop
Resident Evil
Rez
Sega GT 2002
Shaun Palmer’s Pro Snowboarder
Shining Soul
Shrek
Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams Simpsons: Road Rage, The Sky Gunner
Sled Storm 2
Smuggler’s Run 2
Soldier of Fortune
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
Soul Calibur 2
Soul Reaver 2
Space Channel 5 Part 2 Splashdown
SSX Tricky
Star Wars: Obi-Wan
Star Wars: Starfighter Special Ed. Tekken
Tennis 2K2
Thunderstrike: Operation Phoenix TimeSplitters 2
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
Top Gun: Combat Zones Transworld Surf
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl UFC Throwdown
Universal Studios Theme Park Virtua Fighter 4
Wario Land Advance
Weakest Link, The
Wreckless: The Yakuza Mission
_ WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It ' XenoSaga
January 2002 Issue 150
We fought, we cried, and we nearly came to blows. But after hours of sweaty deliberation and banter, EGM’s editors were able to decide on the 100 Best Games of all time. This isn’t about prestige or innovation. It’s about sheer, raw fun. Find out where your favorite games landed on page 124 and see if you agree.
You’ve seen the best, now smell the worst. We’ve scoured our endless game vault to find the cream of the crap. Thank your lucky stars that you didn’t waste your money on the 20 Worst Games of all time (you didn’t, right?). Page 154.
ie) HM
ese SS
Our jam-packed Y2K2 Previews
section couldn’t be kicked off by a
more deserving game. Flip over to our three-page Final Fantasy X blowout on page 86. We promise that the game is better than the
recent “should have been straight-
to-video” movie.
What in the heck do you get for your buddy who can’t get away from the ol’ ball-and-chain? We answer that tricky question and more with our handy Holiday Buyer’s Guide on page 168.
ili, ll
f met LUST ,
Let the battle of the titans begin. Sony hopes to woo you to PlayStation 2 with Metal Gear Solid 2, and Microsoft is placing their Xbox bets on Halo. Can the mullet truly triumph over the marines? Find the answer on
page 198.
Sega’s Reborn and we’ve sorted through the afterbirth to bring you a full report on the impressive and diverse next wave
of post-Dreamcast games headed to the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube on page 184.
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16 24 Press Start 36
Our worldly editors journeyed to Japan to eat fresh fish, drink saki, and bring you the skinny on the games of tomorrow. Also, find out why it’s hip to be Square when it comes to the PS2’s first big online RPG.
Gossip 69
a Previews 83
Fight an old war in Medal of Honor: Frontline (PS2) or in a galaxy far, far away with Star-Wars: Obi-Wan (Xbox). Or maybe Soul Calibur 2’s mano-a-mano is more your style.
Review Crew 198
We became insomniacs to deliver this record-breaking 27-page section. Find out why Grand Theft Auto Ill is criminally addicting, and whether Solid Snake’s return is everything we hoped it would be. And just wait until you see our Game of the Month. You might say it runs rings around the competition.
Tricks
234
@ The Final Word 241
With all of the GameCube and Xbox hub-bub, let’s not forget the current front-runner, the PS2. Come eavesdrop on what we think of this amazing three-way war.
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Reserye Your Copy Now! www.capcom.maximo.com
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©CAPCOM CO., LTD. 2001 @CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 2001. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM logo are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. MAXIMO is a trademark of CAPCOM CO., LTD. Character by ©2001 Susumu Matsushita Company/Master Licensor Dream Ranch Inc. “PlayStation” and the "PS* Family 10g6 are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entefainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
— ELECTRONIC Number 15.1 By Dan "Shoe" Hsu GAMING January 2002 shoe @ziffdavis.com —— MONTHLY Www.egmmag.com Editor in Chief | Dan oe, Hsu ® shoe@ziffdavis.com Managing Ecitor
Dean Hager ¢ dean_hager@ziffdavis.com Executive Editor Mark MacDonald ¢ mark_macdonald@ziffdavis.com | Features tditor : Crispin Boyer ¢ crispin_boyer@ziffdavis.com News Eaitor Foc : : Chris “Cj” johnston ¢ chris_johnston@ziffdavis.com Reviews/Previews Editor ; ; Greg Sewart ¢ “greg. Ssewart@ziffdavis.com Senior Associate Editor : : Krai Kulawa e kraig_kujawa@ziffdavis.com Associate Editor : ; : jonathan Du lak ejonathan_dudlak@ziffdavis.com Associate Editor/Art Director ~ _ Jeanne Kim ¢ jeanne_kim@ziffdavis.com Tricks Editor | Terry Minnich West Coast Editors - : : James Mielke ¢ james_mielke@ziffdavis.com Che Chou ¢ che_chou@ziffdavis.com Contributors: Christian Nutt, Scott es Shane Bettenhausen, Dan Leahy. Joe Rybicki, Ethan Einhorn, Gary Steinman, lo n Ricciardi, Ravi Hiranand, Seanbaby, Shawn Smith, Gary Mollohan, Andrew Burwell
EDITORIAL
ERROR RODD MDO NOMA IN NAPPI N NII NAH OPED IADB IRIN PIII ODIO RRA DO ERORRROOR IDOI IRR OI IOI I RI
SOP PERSDO PERO PERRIDD PROPS IRE DOI DT PTOI RINDI PIII ARORA IIIA AIRED II
your game systems. Then for our anniversary, we put together a list of the top 100 games of all time. Why 100? Because 150 would’ve taken us too long, and we have lots of Halo-playing to do. Just like our last top 100 feature (EGM #100), this updated list was a blast to put together and will Surely cause a lot of controversy.
While I’m being all sentimental, I’d like to thank the great editors-in-chief from Christmases past that helped EGM get to where it’s at today: Ed Semrad, Joe Funk and my mentor and friend, John Davison (now on Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine). But more important than those has- beens (just kidding, guys) is you, the reader. Thanks for sticking with us all these years. Shoe
SS a ac co
-eRaCRNHRRRNENRNIUURTONIIIN iy
Shane Bettenhausen
Shane tackled Final Fantasy X to offer the ultimate preview this month. Even after beating both the Japanese and English FFX, he still can’t get enough.
John Ricciardi
When he’s not collecting stag beetles
reat. We’re on our monumental 150th
issue, and does anyone care besides us?
Not really. When you’re reading this in
December, you’re probably busy either playing with your new GameCube and/or Xbox, or you’re tackling the new wave of PlayStation 2 titles, or you’re busy searching around the house to see if you’ll be getting any of these as a sur- prise Christmas present.
So how do we celebrate #150 AND give you what you want? We start by slapping the shackles on the entire staff. We worked them over-overtime to squeeze an unhealthy amount of reviews and previews into this issue, to help you figure out what you should (and shouldn’t) be playing on
LORIN IMI ODN HIRANO ODI AOANI COMI SOIIOIE ORMONDE INR OOIO HIRI IIIONIN IAHR RRMA AANA DIRH IOI DOI MAMAN ODII AION
Japanese Correspondents Yutaka Ohbuchi, John Ricciardi European Correspondent Axel Strohm
Senior Art Director Se
Cyril Wochok ¢ cyril_wochok@ziffdavis.com Art Director : : :
Mike Reisel ¢ mike_reisel@ziffdavis.com
necgonossnoosnsncet
sononsosscossssnneete
sectenecnonencennenoness
Managing Copy Editor jennifer hitesides
Manufacturing Director Carlos Lugo
Senior Production Manager Anne Marie Miguel
Pre Media Manager Dave McCracken
Pre Media fechnician Mike Valles :
Assistant Production Manager Teresa Newson
Christian Nutt
Christian’s time at Gamers.com with Che and Shoe has sharpened his reviewing skills to lethal levels. Read his take on Shrek, Golden Sun and others.
Ethan’s glad to get back to his EGM roots
Project Leader : : Mark LeFebvre ¢ mark_lefebvre@ziffdavis.com
Vice President/Game Group Dale Stran Business Director : Cathy Bendoff Circulation Director _ Joan Mcinerney | Circulation Director
SOLARA ODI IIL NE OLDER MMOD ADEE DOGOSIOONOLAIAEU GHEE NASE ADORE AGGIE LENE INCOR IORROORECUL AROUND COON
with the local 5-year-olds, EGM’s man in with some freelance work, since it’s been ? Sent Nem ctand Sales Manager Japan enjoys micromanaging his multi- nothing but frat-boy hazing since he start- Don Galen
ed as GameNOW’s Previews Editor.
Joe Ryhicki
Joe dashed in from the offices of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine to help us out with our Top Gun review. He’s also been helping out with our extensive Halo, ah, “playtesting.”
Gary Steinman
OPM’s Managing Editor has a thing for live- stock, so EGM asked him to review Harvest Moon (PS2) this month. Boy, was he crushed to find out there are no sheep in the game!
colored hordes of Pikmin warriors. Freak.
Gary Moliohan
Now that Gary’s got a new job at the Sears Corporate Center, EGM and GameNOW both plan on milking him not only for his gaming expertise, but also for some powertools.
seanbaby
The writer of our crap-games article, Seanbaby runs humor site seanbaby.com, which we list alongside | the bikini carwash and candy-flavored breast implants as one of science’s greatest inventions.
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Eat My Shorts!
Look around this issue for quotes on The Simpsons or a famous movie. Find one, e-mail it and your mailing address to us at EGM@ziffdavis.com (subject: Eat My
eoonasconsneennnee
vS 2, PLUS a bunch of games for all three!
see page XXX to enter.
Shorts —EGM #150), and you may be one of five lucky winners (chosen at random) who will win a copy of this month’s Game of the Month (as determined by the Review Crew).
Some quotes from the issue #149:
e “...contemporize, man!” (Simpsons, pg. 26)
e “first rule of...fight club...” (Fight Club, pg. 156) e “...two [consoles] enter, one [console] leaves...” (Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome starring Mini-Me and Corky as Master Blaster, pg. 176)
e “...chew bubble gum and kick ass.” (They Live, pg. 172)
e “just when | thought | was out, [he] pulls me
Mary oo ‘ : 415-547- 782 © mary_gray@ziffdavis.com Regional Sales Manager/Southwest Territory Karen Landon : : 760-942-6277 ® karen_landon@ziffdavis.com Senior Account Executive /Southwest Territory Linda pee ; cca : $5547.87 1 © linda_philapil@ziffdavis.com Regional Sales Manager/ Texas, Washington, San Francisco Territory Marci Yamaguchi se : 415-357-4944 © marciy@ziffdavis.com Account Executive /Texas, Washington, San Francisco Territory
SATOSHI Nea eet DA SRR é re S ust v Meigh an O’Rourke 285 back in...” (Godfather I!/, pg. 260) 415-357-4920 ® meighan_orourke@ziffdavis.com f : SEE Issue #148’s winners of Ico for PS2: Senior Marketing Manager & Creative Director We use EarthLink for our ce ¢ Chris Shuler - Monmouth, IL Rey pecida ase a . . aa e Mike Honeck - Uniontown, OH 415-547-5775 ® rey_ledada@zilfdavis.com online gaming needs. 25 5 * Scott Elder - Bay City, MI Marketing Codidinator
EarthLink’
e Julian Holm - Seattle, WA e Michael Golden - Houston, TX
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and EGM are trademarks of Ziff Davis Media Inc. TM and © for all other products and the characters contained therein are owned by the respective trademark and copyright owners. All materials listed in this magazine are subject to manufacturers’ change and the publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. The Canadian GST Registration number is 140496720 RT. In my dreams | can hear the sound of thunder, | can see the causeway by the big hotels. That happy day we'll find each other on that Florida shore, you'll open your umbrella, and we'll walk between the raindrops back to your door...
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¢ Number of e-mail invitations from porn sites: 14
¢ Number of accepted e-mail invitations from porn sites: 14
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Congratulations Will Herring. You win an InterAct GameShark for PlayStation 2, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 or Game Boy Color.
> =<,
Techno Files
| am planning on buying a PS2 in the near future and wanted to know if there would be any difficulty running it on a hi-definition TV. Can the PS2 put out a resolution high enough for my TV? Since the HDTV is widescreen, will that have any adverse effects on the PS2? Will the PS2 image fill the entire screen despite the aspect ratio?
We asked Ryan Bowling, public- relations manager at Sony Computer Entertainment America, about your concerns. Here’s what he said: “The PS2 shouldn’t have any trouble holding its resolution on a wide- screen or HDTV monitor. | would
| keep my mouth shut most of the time. | don’t complain about the names of Star Wars movies, or that Solid Snake has a mullet. But some things you just can’t overlook. | have to dish out several hundred dollars every time a new system comes out just because of this natural urge that | have. Am | biased
bat? You might end up buying them someday. By the time launch day hits for Xbox and GameCube, it won’t be about tech specs or loyalty to a particular brand. It'll be about lots of killer hardware and software becoming available for gamers everywhere. Will Herring j_koei@hotmail.com
“Everyone knows that if they had the money, they'd get all three of the big systems on the market.”
toward any next-gen system in parti- cular? Nope. Can | afford any of them? HELL, no. But | know I’m going to end up Sleeping outside of Electronics Boutique to get them on their launch days.
Some people spout opinions on message boards or to one another: “GameCube’s gonna roxor!!!” or “Xbox isn’t getting enough recognition!”
It doesn’t matter how biased they act. Everyone knows that if they had the money, they’d get all three of the big systems on the market. Folks spend all of their time putting down one new system in favor of another, but | think most gamers would be happy with whatever they can get their grubby gaming hands on. So why bash the ones you can’t afford to get right off the
recommend using a component or S-video signal for maximum clarity,
Right on, brother. Solidarity! We need to ban together as gamers if we’re going to make it through this console war. OK, so it’s not quite that dramatic. But it’s good to hear that at least one guy isn’t trying to disem- bowel all who dissent with his console preference. We should all feel fortunate to be a part of this pivotal point in gaming history.
Ain’t nothing wrong with loving Nintendo’s first-party software or getting wowed by Microsoft’s techni- cal prowess, but we find it hard to believe anyone would refuse either console if they had a shot at one for free. We wouldn’t advise waiting for that to happen, though. Santa’s making cutbacks this year.
though.” We also called the product- have Séen support number listed in the PS2 eye Perry manual about potential projection- a TV issues. The rep told us, “as long shooting as you don’t leave the game paused beams Hy | for an extended period of time, . you’\l be fine. fom have to pause light out of the game for a while, just turn the his micro- TV off until you come back to it.”
Mark Pawlak We have used a PS2 with a hi- phone al
Mentor, OH definition TV and had no issues, but rotating
don’t expect the PS2’s image to be
hi-def. Games like GT3 are starting to incorporate the 16:9 aspect ratio that you’re talking about, but for now, you’ll have to play most games with bars on the sides. It’s a little annoying, but you can always pop in a wide-screen DVD afterward.
Sticks, | would have spent at least $20 in quarters...”
Pause For Alarm
| just bought a third-party controller for my PS2 that has a “slow” button on it. | was playing a game from a demo disc to try it out, and the screen started going crazy on me. It kept flashing back and forth between the pause screen and the regular game. | pressed Start and it went back to normal. Will the “slow” button work with any game, or should | go to Wal-Mart and get my money back? Lindsay Jordan Simpsonville, SC
Holy cow, sounds like you found
a gateway into some parallel, potentially seizure-inducing dimension. Leave that junk on pause and we'll be right over. No, actually, you’ve just discovered the secret behind the magic “slow-motion” button. Since the days of the NES Advantage joystick, all slow-mo buttons ever did was rapidly pause and unpause the game. It worked well for games with clear pause screens in simpler times, but nowadays some games build different features into the Start button besides just freezing the action, so results definitely vary. If you want to return the pad, maybe invest in a few pounds of coffee to speed up your reaction time.
I’m sure some of you remember Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker game (in arcades and on the Genesis), which was almost the craziest game ever, but what about Journey? Yeah, Journey, the crap band of the ‘80s! They apparently had an arcade game, as well. So | got an emulator and tried the game out. Let me tell you, if | could have seen Steve Perry shooting beams of light out of his microphone at rotating sticks, | would have spent at least $20 in quarters when it was out. This is the most whacked thing to ever be considered a video game. austin_abrams@hotmail.com
| think we speak for the population of Earth when we say that’s one game we’d all like to see stricken from the record. You gotta give Midway credit for trying, though. It was 1983,
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and the kids liked their Journey, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. After some nasty backlash from our Axl Rose, um, “analysis,” we’ve decided not to comment on the musical merits or widespread societal impact of Steve and the gang. We’re just going to put
this totally unbiased and uneditorialized picture of the
band here for your perusal.
Desperately Seeking Hentai
| was looking through my EGM during history class and came across a letter someone sent you about a movie called Evolver. There was a picture that went along with it of my favorite hentai, the La Blue Girl issue. It’s very hard to find, except on eBay, and | don’t have an account with them. Do you know | would be able to get a copy and how much does it cost? It would really help me out because the videos are So hard to find around here. Thanks! Nick Hall Culleoka, TN
Oh, THAT picture...well, it was actually taken in the master bedroom of Greg Sewart’s private estate, which houses North America’s largest library of “stimulating literature.” The mag was on loan from Crispin Boyer’s personal collection, which is currently out with the Raunchy Mag European Tour, so you’ll have to check it out when it comes through the States in the spring. Both editors were most impressed with your knowledge of the subject, though, and tip their hats in your general direction.
pre eroocometon seonon noone shosonarparnauoN REDS SENIeNEDENSUONIe
Control Yourself
Is it me or has the whole gaming world gone insane? | am so Sick of all this Xbox controller bashing. I’ve held it in my hands and | think it’s pretty close to perfect. | almost fell over when | Saw that picture of Mark holding the GC controller in his hands; it looked like Godzilla taking over Tokyo! You see, |am a 28-year-old female and | have ADULT hands. Does your whole Staff have tiny little freak hands? | found your Xbox vs. GameCube article to be very good and informative, but the design and features section was a joke! Come on, GameCube the winner? Your only real reason for picking the GC there seemed to be the controller. | just feel that in terms of design and features, we have to be realistic and give the Xbox its due. Jennifer Preston darktower979@aol.com
As you can see by our final verdict, Jen, we have nothing against the Xbox. That controller has way too much plastic on it, though, and the layout is atrocious. Nintendo’s pad is so much easier to hang on to, and we’re not going to move on that issue. Do us a favor and really put that Xbox pad through its paces like we did. You’ ll find out how hard it is to find the melee and grenade-swap buttons in Halo without looking down at the Xbox controller. That’s bad news, mi amiga; we don’t mess around when it comes to Halo. We’re going to hold out for the Japanese version of the Xbox controller, which is smaller and rumored to come out in the good old US of A in the next few months.
Worth 1,000 Words
Box art on video games has changed dramatically throughout the years. | first started thinking about this when my dad, a huge Atari fan, and | were at Babbage’s looking at video games. | was looking in the PS2 section while my dad checked out the old Atari and NES games in cheap plastic wrapping. Eventually, my dad came looking for me and decided to look at some of the PS2 games himself, but said none of
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May the Shorts be :
with you.
| found that | do not recognize anybody who writes for EGM anymore except for Crispin, the Q and Shoe. Why the © turnover? Also, can you track down Sushi-X when a new Capcom or SNK 2D fighting game comes out and have him review it? pioneersi1@ home.com
Truth is, we just can’t find anyone who wants to work for a video game magazine. You know anybody? Actually, most of the staff has been here for at least a year or two, some a lotlonger.1f games like MGS2 andHalokeep
coming out, we all
may never leave!
Ryo Hazuki of Shenmue walks, talks and fights, but how come he doesn’t ever bathe or change clothes!? Devin Norris, Aurora, IN
‘Tis a question for the ages, to be sure. Shenmue is supposed to be ultra-realistic, but we’re not sure if watching Ryo take a steamy shower would be all that appealing. Maybe if it were its own quick-time event...
If you put in Osama bin Laden as a name at the MGS2 codename Web site,
(www.buzzsite.com/
goodies/MGSname
gen/) it comes up _
EatGreenCrayons@ aol.com
Heh, good old MGSz2. it can reduce even the most ominous worldwide threat to a solitary jackass.
What is your one must- have game for Xbox or
Xbox: Halo. GameCube: definitely Super Smash Bros. Melee. BigDawg50295@aol.com
Super Smash Bros. Melee, of course. What’s
better than taking the pointy star rod to
Pikachu’s candy ass? thomasbuipk@hotmail.com
Pssh....l’m going to have Metal Gear Solid 2. Why do | need Xbox or GameCube??? easyed_69@yahoo.com
HALO! HALO! HALO! HALO! HALO! HALO! ryohazuki128@hotmail.com
Star Wars: Rogue Leader...it’s only reason I’m buying a GameCube. I’ll stick with my PS2 otherwise.
Mr-GT3@webtv.net
| must have Pikmin for the GameCube. It is just too weird for me to pass up. GeneStarwind4487@aol.com
Both Microsoft and Nintendo have ignored
my requests for a Shaq-Fu sequel, so |’m not
looking forward to much of anything. l[AmAMitten@aol.com
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee. The movies and screens | have seen of it are amazing, the gameplay still looks intact, and it’s got more flatulent aliens! What more can you ask for? tennisdude2005@yahoo.com
Definitely Rogue Leader for GameCube. | remember the Hoth battle in Shadows of the Empire for the N64. If this game is anywhere near that much fun, it’s the GC’s best. mranger22@excite.com
I’m a Resident Evil junkie, so | want all the new GameCube RE games. NMEchmpin@aol.com
Next Month’s Question of the Moment:
Were you able to buy your console of choice, and are you satisfied with it so far?
Send your short but sweet responses to: EGM@ziffdavis.com with the subject heading:
Sold
1728019981
a 7 THe G@t-WHat- =: YOU-WaNt carp
For the location near you, call 1.888.606.3342 or visit us online. :
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Product availability and selection varies by store and online.
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them really interested him, because the box art wasn’t very enticing. When we got home, my dad showed me what older game box art looked like. Now those artists used some creative thinking! | guess gamers back then wanted to know what the little dots on the TV screen were supposed to represent. Maybe games are too involved today for the box art to do them any justice.
M2XL@aol.com
Dude, you obviously haven’t seen the sweet box art on Super Bust-a-Move and Ico. Nothing like baby spittle and a horned, timber-wielding Jake Lloyd to paint a picture of the game within. Yeah, box art has definitely gone from making a game look deceptively good to being just plain weird at times. But some older boxes are still good for a laugh. Feast
your eyes on this box art from the original Mega Man on the NES. If the awkward-looking, middle-aged man in the homemade yellow armor doesn’t make you want to play that game, box art may as well not exist at all.
Box art from Ico and Super Bust-a-Move continues to leave gamers wondering: “What the %#$@?”
Jutige Not Lest Ye Judge For Nintendo
| was reading through your monstrous 34-page Xbox vs. GameCube article, enamored by the attention to detail and the fact that you left absolutely NOTHING out. It actually taught this old Nintendo fanboy a thing or two about Xbox. What | hate is the last page.
You can write EGIV at:
EGM Letters
P.O. Box 3338
Oak Brook, IL
60522-3338
e-mail: EGM@ziffdavis.com
SHORTS
ls there a place | can find good video game music? I'd love to have all the Sonic The Hedgehog BGM clips; they were the best. (Ice Cap zone from Sonic 3 is my fave!) Do you know where | would be able to find or get myself a copy of these songs? Is there an Internet site or an import shop somewhere? angel_dust674@ hotmail.com
We usually visit _ gamemusic.com or soundtrackcentral. com for our game music needs, but older and more obscure stuff might take some more digging online. Your best bet is to hit the streets of Tokyo, but that may get a tad expensive...
Letter Art of the Month WINNER
Jesse Martinez ¢ Austin, TX
EG FPO Box 33
Thirty-four well thought-out pages and you still felt the need to declare a “winner.” We both know lots of kids will Skim through your magazine, see the big “And the Winner is: Xbox!”, and follow your lead with open wallets. I’ve worked at Wal-Mart during Christmas and have seen happy kids with their parents picking out systems on the fly, so don’t think you won’t have that kind of impact. You should be challenging your readers to make a decision based on your information, not giving them a definite answer. It’s not that simple. Adam Tierney salstadtx@hotmail.com
We can appreciate your view, Adam, but we have received tons of inquiries over the past few months asking us which system we recommend. Rather than sit on the fence for the sake of playing it safe, we felt obligated to give our readers an educated opinion —it’s nothing more than that. We wouldn’t expect anyone to just take our verdict at face value, especially not “old Nintendo fanboys.” (Would you even
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!
be writing us had Nintendo “won”?) If more of the staff prefers Xbox, why should we lie to you and call it a draw? We know both systems will kick ass this holiday. Hopefully our feature will help parents, kids, and hardcore and mainstream gamers make an educated purchase at the end of the day.
In issue 149, as a result of our mass preoccupation with MGS2, we Slipped Kojima’s name into the Resident Evil article on page 31.
It should have said “Mikami,” in reference to Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series.
The build of Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex we received was released by Universal as a review- able version, but at the last minute, the publisher removed the loading- screen minigame that we referenced in our reviews. We believe this change to be negligible, and our scores remain unaffected.
Not quite Sharkworthy...
Close, but no cigar. Better luck next time.
Congratulations, Jesse Martinez! Your prize is on the way-an InterAct GameShark for PlayStation 2, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 or Game Boy Color.
SE SSD DTS SIERRA NSS NNN NOESSARBSEN?
Put your creative skills to the test by decking out a #10 envelope (the long, business type) with your own unique touch. Send your letter art to:
EGM Letter Art, P.O. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 (or 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. All entries become the property of Ziff Davis Media Inc. and will not be returned!
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Ryan Genovese Ventura, CA
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Jose Lebron, Jr. Buffalo, NY
For Letter of the Month and Letter Art of the Month contests, no purchase is necessary. If you're really bored and want to read the complete contest legal rules, please visit www.egmmag.com or write us at: EGM Contests-Legal Rules Request, P.0. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338. After reading the rules, please get a life. Don’t forget to tell us what system you'd like your prize for, and don't forget to give us your physical mailing address as well...or else, no prize for you!
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_ “The best crashes ever in a video game” - IGN
The most spectacular real-time. crashes. Ever.
The more reckless you drive, the more power you score.
Force your friends into oncoming vehicles.
Drive like a madman through everyday traffic.
WIN A RACING SCHOOL GIFT CERTIFICATE AT ACCLAIM.COM
EVERYONE
MILD VIOLENCE
CONTENT RATED BY Es
www.acclaim.com
Burnout"™ © 1998-2001. Criterion Software Limited. All Rights Reserved. Burnot hts Re PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trac
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“FINAL SCORE 10/10.”
“THIS GAME IS THE
REASON YOU BOUGHT A PLAYSTATION 2.”
ents
“T KNOW EVERYONE IS
EXPECTING THIS GAME TO BE
GOOD, BUT | HAVE TO TELL YOU TWAS SHOGKED AT JUST
HOW GREAT IT IS.” OFFIGIAL U.S. PLAYSTATION MAGAZINE*
“MGS2 HAS ONGE AGAIN STUNNED US, AND WE ARE ONGE AGAIN ON OUR KNEES
TO KOJIMA-SAN AND HIS HEROIC TEAM.” IeN.COM
“AS OF NOW, WE'VE SEEN NOTHING ~~ -ABSOLUTELY NOTHING- TO SUGGEST THERE L BE A BETTER GAME ON ANY SYSTEM THIS YEAR.
PERIOD.” NENTGENERATION
“Heprinted from Official 0.8. PlayStation Magazine, December 2001, with permission. Copyright © 2001 Lift Davis Media Ine. All rights reserved.
A HIDEO KOJIMA GAME
METAL GEAR SOLID 2
SONS OF LIBERTY’
Animated Violence
Animated Blood
PlayStation.c
METAL GEAR @, METAL GEAR SOLIO® and SONS OF LIBERTY are either registered trademarks or trademarks of KOWAME COMPUTER EXTERTAINMERT JAPAN, UME.
© 1907 2001 KONAME COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN. “PlayStation® and the "PS" Family loge are registered trademarks af Sany Computer Entertainment tac. The ratings iten is a trademark af the Interactive Digital Saflware Association.
HALF-LIFE IS THE MOST
FRIGHTENING, INTENSE ACTION EXPERIENCE AVAILABLE AND ALSO
INCLUDES HALF-LIFE: DECAY
AN EXCLUSIVE NEW SPLIT-SCREEN
COOPERATIVE GAME.
Violence Blood and Gore
“The ‘best action game ever made’ gets even better on the PS2°” — Electronic Gaming Monthly
INCREDIBLE ACTION.
VANCED
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> Now! ~
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CONTENT RATED BY ESRB Loe
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By Chris Johnston chris johnston@ziffdavis.com & Jonathan Dudlak jonathan dudlak@ziffdavis.com
Press Start The Hottest Gaming-News on the Planet
Sega's lineup and KXbox’s Japanese debut make the loudest splashes at Tokyo Game Show
ake a walk through Tokyo Game Show, Japan’s Uber gaming festival, and you’ll wonder why we don’t have anything like it in America. What a concept—a gaming convention where the public’s invited and the trinkets are free and plentiful.
Between exhibit halls, diehard gaming otaku (that’s Japanese for super-geek) gather, dressed up as their favorite game characters. Other fans, who we suspect may have left their costumes at home, line up like paparazzi to take their pictures for posterity. And as you stroll the aisles, ultra-cute booth babes hand you the same flier you’ve been given at least 10 times already for yet another ultra-cute dating simulator. That’s when you enter stage two—playing the games.
Two things made the Fall 2001 Tokyo Game Show, held Oct. 12-14, exciting: First, it marked Sega’s return to the hallowed halls of the Makuhari Messe convention center after & iF: Sitting out the last two shows. And second, it ByS m ft. was the first chance the Japanese public had this unlucky Sega nm J for hands-on play with the Xbox.
Our TGS coverage just wouldn’t be complete without showing you a few pictures of the booth babes. From left to right: Atlus, Genki, Square and
TOKYO DAME SHOW
Microsoft.
Sega’s airport-themed TGS booth
Evidence of the GameCube launch a few weeks before was nonexistent, its presence more or less limited to two games in Sega’s booth (Phantasy Star Online and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle). And while PlayStation 2 was Clearly the dominant platform of the show, Sony’s small lineup of niche games left a lot to be desired. But more on that later.
Everyone Gets A Piece of Sega
The biggest shocker of TGS was just how many games Sega’s bringing to every conceivable system in 2002. That includes ports of Dreamcast hits like Skies of Arcadia and Space Channel 5, sequels to Dreamcast games like Jet Set Radio Future, and originals like Gun Valkyrie (see complete list to the right). Sega COO Tetsu Kayama explained at a special conference held during the show that this is just the beginning. In the near future, Sega’ll dust off even more of its catalog of older games for next-generation updates. Too bad the one sequel everyone wanted to hear about, Panzer Dragoon (announced last spring for Xbox), was barely acknowledged. The only mention of it was a 20-second teaser that had no game footage—just ancient writing on weathered stone that crumbled away to reveal a plain, typewritten logo. It left those who witnessed it wondering why Sega bothered if they weren’t going to show anything of substance.
The news wasn’t all focused on home consoles though. On the coin-op side of
things, Sega’s got an arcade board based on Xbox hardware in the works for a 2002 debut. And the company plans to bring even more content to cell phones and PDAs in Japan.
Sega also pushed more of its support behind Xbox. Sonic Team’s Phantasy Star Online will be one of the first network titles for Xbox when it goes online in 2002. And Shenmue Il, well, that’s another story entirely. The U.S. Dreamcast version, originally scheduled for this holiday season, has been cancelled. Instead, Microsoft is bringing it exclusively to Xbox, but only in the U.S. “Microsoft loves the original, and they want to make sure that it lives on through the next generation of platforms, so that was the deal that we made,” Peter Moore, Sega of America CEO told EGM. “It’s a short-term bitter pill for some Shenmue fans to swallow, and I’ve had my share of death threats and angry consumers, but | think that in the long term everyone will understand that it was the best decision for Sega and it was the best solution for AM2, [creator] Yu Suzuki and Shenmue.” If you’re still craving Shenmue |! on Dreamcast in English, there’s still some good news. It’s still being released in Europe, and it’ll work on a U.S. system as long as you have a converter that lets you play import games.
One thing is clear: Sega fans have a lot to look forward to in 2002, assuming they own a PS2, GameCube or Xbox.
cont. on page 38
" Now That's A Controller
f you thought the six-button version of the Atari Jaguar controller was big, check
this out. It’s Ascii’s GameCube keyboard
) | controller, specially designed for Sega’s
| Phantasy Star Online. It’s big, but the keyboard portion itself is only slightly | | wider than the front of the GC itself. :
Sega Games Coming in 2002
Here’s a list of the new games announced at the show. For more on these and other Sega games (including
Jet Set Radio Future and Gun Valkyrie),
check out our Sega Reborn feature, starting on page 184.
Aero Dancing 4, PS2 - Perform aerial acrobatics in this latest installment of Sega’s stunt-flying simulator.
The House of the Dead 3, Xbox - Rid the world of an onslaught of the angry undead in the latest version of this gun game. Hundred Swords, PS2 - A medieval online real-time strategy game for 1-4 players. Phantasy Star Online, Xbox and GameCube - Conversions of Sonic Team’s addictive online RPG.
The Pinball of the Dead, GBA - Classic pinball gameplay with a horror theme from Sega’s House of the Dead series.
Sakura Taisen 4, DC (March) - Fourth installment in this RPG starring a motley crew of female mech pilots and you.
New Sakura Taisen game, PS2 - Sega’s popular series makes the jump to PS2. Sega GT 2002 Append Disc and Sega GT Online, Xbox - Update discs with new cars/tracks for Sega GT 2002.
Shakatto Tamborine, PS - Music game similar to Samba de Amigo, where you shake a tamborine to the on-screen commands.
Shenmue I! (USA only), Xbox - The sequel to Yu Suzuki’s epic Dreamcast adventure game, coming exclusively to Microsoft’s console in the U.S. in 2002.
Shining Soul, GBA - An action-oriented portable take on the famous Shining Force RPG Series.
Skies of Arcadia, GameCube and Ps2 - Port of the critically acclaimed Dreamcast RPG. Where’s the sequel?
Space Channel 5 Part 2, DC and PS2 - Ulala returns to save the universe through music once again.
Switch, PS2 - Remake of an obscure, Slapstick-filled Sega CD game (called Panic in the U.S.) where you activate humorous events by pulling switches.
Virtua Fighter 4, PS2 - The latest installment of AM2’s awesome arcade fighting series comes home.
Tokyo Game Show continued
Xhox Struts ts Stuff
If the booth babes didn’t already guarantee that you’d spend a lot of time wandering the Microsoft booth, the amount of Xbox games inside did. With Nintendo absent as always and Sony showing a rather dismal lineup of games, Xbox was sittin’ pretty in Tokyo.
Because their booth was located in a prime spot next to the show’s entrance, it was many gamers’ first stop. On show for the first time were Microsoft’s first-party Japan titles, awaiting finishing touches before the system’s Feb. 22 launch there. These included the rodent turf-war game Nezumix (with its cheezy sub- title, “Have a Mice Day”) and a looping video of Dream Factory’s first fighting game since The Bouncer for PS2, Kakuto Chojin (which tran- Slates to the so-bad-it’s-good title of “Fighting Superman” in English). Some previously announced titles, like Sega’s House of the Dead 3 and Panzer Dragoon were absent, but nobody seemed to miss them. Well, nobody except for us, of course. We want a new Panzer Dragoon!
Microsoft confirmed that a few of their Japanese first-party-developed games will come to the U.S., but which ones hasn’t been decided yet. We’re guessing the horse-racing game and dating sims won’t be among them. th
_.Neztimix: Have.a Mice Day
Sony, The Quiet Giant
Sony’s slogan for its booth was simple: “You Need New Game,” but most of the PS2 excitement was generated elsewhere— Capcom’s Maximo, Square’s Final Fantasy XI and a new demo of Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 2. With the exception of Japanese versions of Ico and Jak and Daxter, Sony’s lineup of niche games was less than impressive, like the do-it- yourself voice-acting/karaoke game Yaoke no Mariko (with character designs by Re ’n Stimpy’s Spumco) and the mediocre classical music game Bravo Music. Maybe they could interest you in a colored PS2 unit instead?
They’re available for the low, low price of $500.
ag --- 55 | Only 666 of each color Limited Edition PS2 will be made available for the U.S. market.
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38
Here’s just a sampling of the titles debuting in 2002 for the ‘box in the land of the rising sun:
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Chronicles of Chaos (Koei) - A real-time strategy sim featuring feuding warlords against the backdrop of feudal China.
Murakumo (From Software) - An impressive prerendered movie was all that was shown of this mech-combat game from the makers of Armored Core.
Gaia Blade (From Software) - This medieval real-time strategy title lets you monitor each battle up-close in up to 16 Separate split-screens. Sixteen?!
Myst Ill: Exile (Mipic) - One of the best- selling series of all time (on the PC) that none of us ever gave two craps about. Can a new sequel change that?
Phantom Crush (Genki) - Genki throws their hat into the Xbox ring with this city- based mech action/battle title.
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“PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trad@marks Of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox Logos are either registered trademarks ordtrademarks
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Rayne, star of Terminal Reality’s PS2 actioner Bloodrayne, strikes a pose.
Terminal Reality
Year Founded: 1994
Location: Lewisville, TX
Web Site: www.terminalreality.com
# of People: 50
Previous work: On console: 4x4 Evo 1 (PS2 and DC) and 2 (Xbox). On PC: Monster Truck Madness 1 & 2, Nocturne, Blair Witch Volume One: Rustin Parr, Fly!, Fly!2k, Fly! ll, CART Precision Racing, Terminal Velocity, Hellbender, Fury 3 and Fl-Zone.
Current Projects: Bloodrayne, a monster- hunting action game on PS2 that will be released by Majesco, and co-development with Khameleon Entertainment Inc. on Guardian City: The Forgotten.
Will you ever do another Monster Truck Madness?: We had a blast doing the series and would love to attack it again with newer ideas and technology, but Microsoft owns the rights to Monster Truck Madness.
You’ve created games for the PS2, DC and Xbox; which one did you enjoy developing for the most?: The PS2 is
the most enjoyable right now because
it is a very low-level system and that forces us to be more creative with our programming ideas.
Which system in this generation do you think will be the most successful?: All of the systems are great and offer something for everyone, but in our honest opinion the PS2 has the biggest installed base and will probably do very well with the mainstream market.
What kind of music do you listen to at the office? Right now the office favorite is from Tenacious D, but we can’t repeat the name of the song here.
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Sony Gets Sumare Deal
54
_ Mission modes, plus Bomb Bliss, Marathon Battle and _ Marathon Leisure ie neyo contests. Give it a uaeiial i
Sc ARERR TD
In early October, Sony CEI invested $124 million
into Square, making them the second-biggest shareholder and making the RPG maker’s multiple-platform future hazy. What does this mean to you and me? Let’s answer a few of the more pressing questions you might have:
Does this mean that if | want to play Square’s
new games, | need a PlayStation 2?
Square President Hisashi Suzuki said, “We are not necessarily obligated to Sony because of this deal. But we can gauge the situation in the future and offer software to the best-selling hardware maker, and at this time there is no doubt that Sony is the best.”
is it too much to hope that Square will ever develop for Xbox?
Ed Fries, vice president of Microsoft’s Games division told us, post-Sony/Square announce- ment, that “They’ve been very interested in
developing for the ‘box, and they’re still interest-
ed. The deal with Sony did not include online properties they’re creating.” Does that mean that bringing an original game to Xbox is out of the question? “I'd hate to say out of the ques- tion. Online is what we’re exploring,” says Fries.
seine SPRSNOLOSORNN
ere’s how you can, , while enjoying a cool puzzle game | at the same time: Download a copy of the new PC title | Puzzle Patriot at http://www.puzzlepatriot.com. For the meager price of S10 (all proceeds go to the Red
_ Cross of America), you get single-player Campaign and
Will they ever get back with Nintendo or develop for Game Boy Advance?
“Portable systems have different demographics from consoles,” Suzuki points out. “Unless Sony is going to release a portable system, we are willing to provide games for WonderSwan Color and Game Boy Advance.” GBA announce- ments have yet to be made, but that last statement sure sounds like a confirmation, doesn’t it?
Square Goes Online in 2002 with Final Fantasy Xi.
Updates from Sony, Sega and Microsoft on their plans for online gaming
Era of Free SegaNet Gaming Over Free Internet gaming on SegaNet, Sega’s Internet gaming service, is officially over. Since Nov. 1, if you want to play Sega’s new games online, you have to cough up $9.95 a month. This affects both new and old releases on Dreamcast, with the exception of some older Visual Concepts-developed games and the original Phantasy Star Online. PSO Ver. 2 players will still have to pay the Hunter’s License fee on top of the $9.95 a month. Future online titles on PS2 and GC are expected to follow the same model. To entice players to sign up, Sega has added some goodies. For full details, drop by sega.com.
Microsoft Makes Intangible Plans J Allard, platform general manager for Microsoft’s Xbox, spoke briefly with EGM about the company’s plans to take their console online. “We want to create an Xbox world where you sign up once and it works
across all games,” Allard said, “and we’re going to buy a lot of servers and online acreage to create this world.” Allard also assured us that people will be able to use their existing broadband connections with Xbox servers and store personal information on them to create an online persona. Microsoft plans to have five or six games up and running by the summer of 2002, and 20 online titles (including a new Halo if we’re lucky) by year’s end.
Sony Plans Off To Shaky Start Originally slated for a November release, Sony’s network adapter has hit some delays. “We haven’t announced a new date for it yet,” Sony PR Manager Charlotte Panther said of the adapter’s release. Until then, Tony Hawk 3 players can use a USB modem, but games like the forthcoming Twisted Metal Black Online and SOCOM: US Navy SEALs may need the adapter to get online.
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“Just when | thought NASCARs Heat” _ couldn't get any better, the Xbox” comes out and takes it to a whole new level!”
— Rusty Wallace
1989 NASCAR: Winston Cup Champion
1st NASCARo racing gam Xbox with a 43-car field!
e DVD quality photo- “realistic graphics!
e Supports Xbox system | up to 32 players! game system) ——
¢ Booming Dolby Digital 5.1. Surround Sound!
e Intense 4-player split-screen
ee Designed by NASCAf= Drivers, EXCLUSIVE! Raced by their Fans!
Challenges and track descriptions given by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin
Harvick and other top drivers!
EVERYONE © 2001 infogrames interactive, inc. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., New ce | Visit Wwww.esrd.0rg York, NY. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the | or call 1-800-771-3772 National Ass: cg iation for Stock Car Auto Racing, inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered f f trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under INFOGRAMES CONTENT RATED BY OF More INO. license from NN Wacrécutt ©1999-2001 Dolby Labs. Ail rights reserved. Dolby is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. Bs ete _} =ESR
Ea ad
the FUTU RE of China
a | — — a
The Force Of One Maan...
"Part Final Fight, part Jedi Knight, and part Unreal, New Legends is all Chinese stick-wielding, ass-kicking loveliness."
Official Xbox Magazine
| Blood and Gore Violence
| Nintendo ran a month-long contest to find out, offering whoever came up with the most interesting answer (read: humiliated themselves the worst) a Game Boy
| Advance, a handful of games, $5000 cash, and of course, a U.S. GameCube system ; before its official launch here Nov. 18. Texan Corey Olcsvary (19, left) earned the
| top prize and no one’s respect by shaving his head, stripping down to soccer
| shorts and painting himself blue, all while munching on “Pikmin food” consisting | of live worms and crickets. ee euans Corey, you’re king of the freaks!
eS RR POTTER AA TA A AFT TFET POR YA A PERS TEATS PAE PCS a CAEP TEATS TE Wa SSS PESTS EEE eA aR a SPR SATA STASIS
55 Jason Biggs, star of American | Tara Reid, from The Big Lebowski and a bunch Pie and...uh...American Pie 2. _ of crappy teen movies not worth mentioning.
| Two of Playboy’s Dahn triplets with Backstreet Boy | or ‘N Syncer (does it really —) joey Fat One. Er, Fatone.
That ’70s Show’s idiot Ashton Kutcher. Dude, where’s my (insert object here)?
Mad TV's | Debra Wilson.
» Singer | Mandy | ‘Moore.
As the first center established outside of Japan, the “Pokéemon-hattan” store (note: Nintendo’s pun, not ours), located at Rockefeller Center, allows gamers the chance to play new Pokégames, buy exclusive Pokégoods, and do other assorted crap that involves a “Poke” prefix. Also promised are life-sized, robotic Pokémon characters, sure to fuel the nightmares of children for years to come.
Still alive: i+ : i | Jason Biggs?! Charles in PlayStation. , Again?! Can’t a guy Charge’s 7 3 throw a video game Nicole Eggert. . ‘ party without him
showing up?
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Hmm, Roswell’s Majandra Delfino, eh? Seems nice enough, plays video games.... Tell us, is that cell phone set to “vibratezy
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Dude, where’s Tara Reid my Sean William Gresser ap Scott?! He’s j
ight there, from SSX. bass!
45
Yo, McFly, we thought we told you never to come in here! Crispin Glover can still get the ladies, apparently.
w that gamers have had a chance to warm
‘ir afterburners on Ace Combat 04, EGM
yked to Namco Producer Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi
r some thoughts on fights, flights and the fine t of piloting a Mir2000.
: Tell us about your trip to the Defense Force (Japan’s equivalent of the Air Force)
ase to,record sound effects and other data the game. What all was involved in that ess? Any, harrowing moments?
royuki Ichiyanagi: In order to apply realistic nd effects to the.game, we recorded actual zine sounds from jetfighters. We visited a mber of air bases and were given permission o record a parked F-15 fighter with one afterburner on. While we were recording, we asked them to hit the second engine as well, so t would sound as though the plane were actually flying. They told us they couldn’t or else the plane would start moving, e) sn though all the wheels:were locked in place! After that, we really came to respect the fighter’s engine power.
EGM: What other kinds of things did you do to give the game a realistic feel? Have you had any feedback from Defense Force pilots?
HI: We had a lot of cooperation from the Defense Force. To collect data for the game, we observed the Fuji Synthesis fire-power exercise for explosion sounds, U.S. forces at Atsugi Base for performance and aesthetic properties of the fighters, and visited several other Self Defense forces at bases throughout Japan. Also, the radio chatter heard during the game was created with the advice of actual United States Air Force pilots. ACo4 is not a simulator, but more of a 3D flight/ shooting game,so our top priority was to make it easy to play.
EGM: What are some of your personal favorite aircraft and weapons to use in the
game? Do you have a favorite mission?
HI: My favorite fighter is the R-Mo1. The bodylines seem organic and its appearance is Sleek and speedy. The way the canard wings [Ed. note: Canard wings are stabilizers mounted directly behind the cockpit] move is awesome. For weapons, | like the rocket launcher, which you can only use on the F-5, Mig-29 and the F-2. Though it is a little more difficult to use than
other weapons t allows skilled pilots to perform citi xplosive attack that is very
effective. As far'as missions, | like Mission 9:
Operation Bunker Shot. You can actually hear the intensity of the ground troops through your radio. We were able to illustrate atmospheric conditions very accurately in that scenario.
EGM: The game has a ton of planes and missions, but are there any more unlockable aircraft or secrets you can share with us?
HI: | don’t want to give away too much at this time. What | can say is that after you finish the game, yOu Can open up missions that we’ve included to help you hone your skills as a pilot.
EGM: Is there anything you wanted to put in the game but didn’t have the time or resources for? HI: We pretty much included everything we wanted to at this time. However, we intentionally did not include any “crazy” controls or outland- ish functions since that would detract from the realism and 3D-shooting-game concept.
“We were given permission to record a parked F-15 with one afterburner on. We asked them to hit the second engine, but they told us they couldn’t or the plane would start moving, even though all the wheels were locked in place!”
—Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi, Producer, Ace Combat o4
ice Combat 04
EGM: You can definitely feel the arcade roots in Ace Combat o4. Are you going to make any more Ace Combat coin-op games?
HI: We made this game so that the player can take his time and enjoy playing it at home. Since we just finished developing the Japanese and U.S. versions, we haven’t thought about our future plans. However, | feel that it would be quite fun to play this game in a cockpit-style arcade machine.
EGM: Do you see the Xbox or GameCube as potential platforms for a port of ACo4g
or future Ace Combat titles?
HI: We have not made any plans for taking Ace 04 to other platforms right now. Personally, if we do develop Ace Combat on other consoles, | would like to create an entirely new title which would utilize the performance specs of the new hardware. I’m not sure there’s a controller out there with enough buttons for my liking, though... th
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— 2 obiwan.lucasarts.com ~—_
Be Obi-Wan Kenobi. Experience full control of the force and your lightsaber as you uncaver dark plots and new enemies, hone your skills in two-player combat, and take on the worst scum and villainy the galaxy has to offer.
official Star Wars website: starwars.com
© 2001 LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC. ©2001 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM or ® as indicated. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. LucasArts and the LucasArts logo are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. 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.
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© 2001 Electronic Arts Inc. EA GAMES and the EA GAMES logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved. ©2001 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Fox Interactive, The Simpsons, The Simpsons Road Rage and their respective logos are trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. "PlayStation® and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. Nintendo GameCube is a trademark of Nintendo. TM, ® and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. ©2001 Nintendo.The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
CONTENT RATED BY ESRS
OH, MARGE, ROADS ARE JUST A SUGGESTION.
LIKE PANTS!
Mild Language : —
Suggestive Themes Violence
he anise 4
Ho 3
PlayStation.
Mr. Burns’ nuclear-powered fleet of critical mass transit is making Springfieldians catch “ride-share fever”! Help buy the bus system back by driving fares through rush- hour traffic, suicide shortcuts and unsuspecting buildings. Take the fastest possible route. Or just use the roads.
fe. NI © GAMECUBE.
FEN OS
“We wanted to stay as close as possible to the official storyline. Our inspiration was derived from the three classic Star Wars movies and from the radio dramas.”
—Brett Tosti, producer, Star Wars Rogue Squadron I/: Rogue Leader
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One of the GameCube’s most impressive and sought- after titles is also one of the trickiest games on the little purple giant this year. LucasArts Producer Brett Tosti takes us inside Rogue Leader for some development insights and tips on winning those elusive gold medals.
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EGM: We hear a lot of lines from the movie in the game. Han Solo and Ackbar's lines sound like the real deal, but Lando comes across as a sound-alike. Which voices are the real deal and which ones did you rerecord?
We used the original voices from the movie whenever appropriate, but the majority of the characters had hundreds of new lines not featured in the movies. We had to be careful which old lines we used because mixing new lines with old would have caused an unacceptable inconsistency. We did use a
number of lines from the movies for Han Solo, trying to maintain decent performance. An favorite ships. | just love bombing those Darth Vader, Biggs, the Echo Base commander enemy’s intelligence is directly related to how Imperial bases! My favorite mission, without a and a variety of other incidental characters. We much CPU power you dedicate to the Al. We doubt, is the Endor Battle. Make no mistake, also used Denis Lawson for the voice of Wedge. made a huge commitment to Al by assigning it’s a tough level. Once you actually complete a single programmer to work exclusively on the mission, however, you feel like you’re an
EGM: Enemy TIEs can get pretty tenacious in the enemy and friendly behavior. elite member of Rogue Squadron. The level this game. How did you make them so smart? contains two Star Destroyers, five capital ships,
It certainly helps to be developing ona EGM: What ships and missions are your about 50 Tie Fighters, dozens of Tie Bombers, more powerful machine. In the past there was personal favorites? and over 16 Rebel ships. It’s an incredibly epic always a trade-off between good Al and sT: The X-wing & Y-wing are probably my Space battle.
Cont. on page 54
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Frogger’s hopping into stores this fall in two new magical adventures! Experience full 3D platform action on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment _ System and classic Frogger gameplay on W Boy® Advance. Everybody’s
-. favorite amphibian is back and better than ever!
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EGM: What’s the best way to take down a Star Destroyer (should we attack from above, below, the rear)? Which is the best Ship for the job?
My personal preference is to use an X-wing for the job because it is quick and maneuverable. Additionally, it’s great to have that R2 unit repairing your ship. | prefer to approach the star destroyer from the rear and then take out the shield generators with my proton torpedoes.
EGM: Any hidden Episode | ships in this game? If so, can you give us a hint on how to get to them?
BT: Absolutely. Doing well on the various missions and earning medals is the key to unlocking most of the bonus ships and all of the secret missions.
EGM: How about some advice on surviving the final Death Star mission with the Millennium Falcon? That thing doesn’t
fit in the new Death Star’s tunnel/vent/shaft very well...
It takes a great pilot to navigate that thing, especially in the Millennium Falcon. Try using the Z button (roll) to rotate your ship; that should help some.
EGM: What does George Lucas think of the game?
Apparently he is quite pleased with the final product. That isn’t surprising since our core premise was to stay true to the movies. All the gameplay and missions are based around the events seen in the original movies (Episodes 4-6).
EGM: So where’s the mission that lets you blast apart the Ewok village, or haven’t we found that one yet?
The Ewoks are allies with the Rebel Alliance. Why would you want to blast apart an Ewok village? Don’t answer that. ah
It’s always fun to see movie characters you respect and revere exploited for a buck. Teras Kasi forced awkward punch-and-kick fighting moves onto everyone from Chewy to Boba Fett for some epically uninspired and demeaning gameplay. It gets slapped with our
LucasArts is churning out another space-combat humdinger in the form of Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter on the PS2. The spring 2002 release is the follow-up to 2000’s Starfighter on the PS2. Fifteen missions based on the upcoming Episode I! movie will accommodate one or two players cooperatively, and for the first time introduce Force powers to aerial combat.
=
It was basic, but ESB was pretty damn fun at the time. All you had to do was shoot down the AT-ATs that advanced on your base. You could repair your speeder and use The Force for a power boost if you got on an Imperial-bashing roll, which is strikingly advanced for an Atari game. This pixely ancient wins the
No drop-kicking Wookies or cheesy acting here. Its killer visuals and classic gameplay make RL the most stylish, most addictive Star Wars title by about 10 parsecs. Let’s hope things only continue to get better from here. The decided cream of the crop, Rogue Leader gets the coveted
. Aw yeah. q
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— STARFIGHTER
SPECIAL EDITION
Some questions are better left unanswered — that’s what we tell people when they ask about the funky stain on our office couch. But when it comes to game-related mysteries, we’re all about digging deep and seeking the answers you crave. Here’s a hot batch of solved
mysteries to get you all excited this holiday.
But not too excited—don’t you go ruining your couch, too.
Damn Skippy
Q: Why do games played on my old PlayStation get all skippy and choppy, and why does the problem go away when | turn my system upside down? A: Gamers hoping for a long and happy life with their original PlayStations were stymied by several hardware hardships that led to ch-ch- choppy gameplay. For starters, some batches of the very first PlayStation unit that debuted in ‘95 (model 1001) suffered from overheating problems, and the CD-ROM drives inside all PSs are really low-cost items not built for the rigors of a four-hour-a-day gaming habit. These factors eventually lead to the CD drive—particularly the plastic track on which the CD lens glides back and forth—just plain ol’ wearing out, a glitch that manifests itself in the form of skipping game audio and movie clips or extra- long load times. “The more wear the CD mech gets, the more instances you get of the signal data degrading,” says Dan Kramer, an independent contractor for NYKO peripherals who repairs PlayStations in his spare time. One short-term solution is to turn your PlayStation upside down. “That makes it so the CD mechanism is riding on the opposite side of the track that’s not worn out yet,” Kramer says. Of course, this Side of the track will eventually wear out, too, leaving you with a system that skips no matter which way it sits. Getting the thing fixed will run you at least $50, So if you’re stuck with a bum system you're best off just buying a new PS one or just springing for the backward-compatible PS2.
Look familiar? Sony’s shoddy craftsmanship created the need for this home remedy for the PS1’s skipping problems.
Cable Confusion Q: What the heck’s the difference between all the console video cables? A: Game-to-TV connections have come a long way since the A/V stone age of the TV/game switchbox (you know, that little thingie that hooked to your Atari 2600 or Intellivision and let you switch between “game” or “TV”). Nowadays, fancier TVs and video inputs require fancier cabling. Tune into our rundown to find out what’s what... e Composite cables— These standard connectors come tucked in the boxes of all new systems, and they pump the color and brightness signals separately from the sound signal (hence the video, left-channel and right- channel “RCA” jacks). The composite signal is far from perfect, however: colored objects on the screen suffer from dull edges, making for an overall lack of sharpness in a game’s graphics. ¢ S-video cables—The next step up in visual pizazz, S-video carries the color and luminance sources separately, reducing signal degradation and saving game graphics from nasty artifacts and soft edges. Most TVs larger than 27 inches offer an S-video input. ¢ Component cables— By far the most preferred means of connecting a console to your TV, component cables break the video signal down to its basic bits, which gives you a better image than S-video. The difference here is not as great as going from composite to S-video, though—unless both your game console and TV support progressive scan. In a nutshell, this stunningly clear video mode is twice as Sharp as a normal non- interlaced TV signal. The Xbox Supports progressive scan, while only certain GameCube games are compatible with the feature. A component cable is also the only way you can hook your console to dazzling HDTV, a digital television format that’s becoming more affordable everyday.
— Crispin Boyer Got a gaming mystery? E-mail it to EGM@ziffdavis.com with the subject header “Ever wondered?” and we'll solve it for you.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 36 - www.egmmag.com.
On Oct. 29, after 23 years of kickin’ out memorable games for both the arcades and consoles, SNK of japan finally closed their doors and called it quits. Best known for their long-running Neo*Geo arcade and home titles, SNK was the darling of the hardcore gaming crowd with trademark series like Metal Slug, Fatal Fury and Samurai Shodown. The King of | Fighters 2001, their last Neo*Geo game, will be completed with help from Korean developer Eolith. So long SNK, and thanks for the memories! |
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TIDBITS
Deluxe GameCube Not Coming to America
Panasonic has announced that the “Q,” a special GameCube capable of playing DVD movies, will not be coming to America, much to the chagrin of collectors and others with way too much money on their hands. The Q will go on sale in Japan on Dec. 14 as planned, for about $330.
THE MANIA IS ABOUT TO BEGIN ALL OVER AGAIN.
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Legends of Wrestling™ and Acclaim® & © 2001 Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City. All Rights Reserved.
“PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
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CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
Tetris is back.
If you loved it then, you'll love it even more now.
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or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info.
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jet s®: © Elorg 1987. Tetris Worlds™; © Elorg 2001. Cover Painting and Tetris Worlds Logo by Roger Dean: Gover Painting © Roger Dean 2001. Tetris Worlds Logo © The Tetris Company 2001. Ail Rights Reserve and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All rights reserved. TM, ® and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family fagas are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Enterta
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you with 6 variations of Tetris in.
_ Story Mode and Arcade Mode, - ‘including the all new Hot-Line ta Cascade Tetris and Fusion Tetris. —
¢ Lush 3D worlds evolve and animate as a reward for clearing lines and reaching goals. See what each world is meant to look like.
¢ Enjoy Tetris Worlds together t. when up to four people play to see who is the best.
(Two players only on Game Boy" Advance)
Deceptively simple, completely addictive.
POD isn’t the only car that has feelings. Enter the genuine article, Herbie the Love Bug, star of 1967’s live-action Disney feature, The Love Bug. The plot follows the growing relationship between Jim Douglas, a hapless race-car driver (played by Dean Jones) and Herbie, the rust-bucket Volkswagen with a mind of its own. It spawned three sequels, a TV series and a 1997 TV movie.
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hanks to Polphony Digital’s new
installment of Gran Turismo, now you
can get behind the wheel of all those cool, futuristic concept cars you see at auto shows. GT Concept Tokyo 2001 is a scaled- down version of GT3, featuring only the Arcade mode (sorry sim fans) and a collection of 20 concept cars from Japanese manufacturers. Because of the lack of Simulation mode and the smaller number of tracks (five) and cars, Sony will offer it for a lower price: 3200 yen (about $26) when it’s released in Japan on Jan. 1, 2002. A U.S. release has not been announced as of press time. This may not be the last mini-GT we see—designer Kazunori Yamauchi commented at the game’s unveiling that he’d like to make more manufacturer- specific or historical installments in the future.
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and while away you
days destroying Devil
boats, forts and shore
bloodwake.com batteries. Paradise
awaits in the Dragon Sea.
M1 LucasArts Entertainment Gompany LLC, © 2001 Lucasfilm Ltd, & @ or TM as indicated. All rights ras AAT registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Lid. 7M, @ and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Ni ESRB www.fintendogamecube.com
CONTENT RATED BY
Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings, Q- fans. It’s your jolly host, the one-quarter man, diving down your chimney with a sack fully loaded with juicy gossip. Here we go!
... SNK has closed up shop, but The Q hears whispers that all their franchises may soon find a new home at another publisher. Double and triple cross your fingers, Q-buds...
...Good news on the Treasure front, game fans. The Q can confirm that the highly regarded developer is working on a top-secret title for GameCube. No, it’s not a port of their new arcade shooter Ikaruga, I’m afraid a home version of that beauty may not be in the cards after all. Because it was tailor-made for Sega’s Naomi arcade hardware, bringing it to any system other than Dreamcast might prove too costly. One other bright spot of Treasure
news: Seems that publishers all over the world
have been beating down their door trying to
secure the publishing rights to a Game Boy
Again! Just as modified versions of Doom and the arcade tank game Battlezone have previously been used by the military for training purposes, a new video game funded by the Army will help train new recruits. Called C-Force, the game is under development for an unnamed next-generation console (damn those Army secrets!) by PC developer Pandemic Studios (Dark Reign) and Sony Pictures Imageworks. Set ina third-person, over-the- shoulder viewpoint, C- Force puts you in command of a light infantry squad in urban environments like those seen in war-torn areas of Somalia and the Middle East. But it’s not just training for modern situations the army is
game that not only represented the soldier of
2001,” says Matt Norton, Pandemic’s producer
on C-Force, “but also the soldier of 2020.”
Nope, it’s not Unreal Tournament. This after. “The Army wanted a _ concept art is what the Army imagines
their soldiers might look like come 2020.
Advance rendition of their classic shoot-‘em- up Gunstar Heroes (see this month’s Top 100 feature for more on that gem). At the moment, it’s not happening, but if it does become a reality, expect more than just a Straight port. Joy!
...While we’re on the subject of reviving old franchises, one of The Q’s favorite PC games from the days of old is getting a console revival in the near future. Sam & Max, LucasArts’ sneaky team of detectives, will hit the road for their first console-based adventure in 2002. Yours truly can’t wait...oh how that dynamic duo makes me laugh... Lemme squeeze one last bit in—those old- schoolers clamoring for a new Kid Icarus just might get their wish in the new year...and just to keep up with this month’s theme of sequels — Miyamoto and his team are already brainstorming ieas for Pikmin 2. You heard it here first, kiddies...
Time for me to skedaddle! If you’re so inclined, drop me an e-mail at
Thus the game will feature logical evolutions of existing technology, like new weaponry and remote-piloted surveillance vehicles. Whether or not that would include plasma rifles, BFG- gooos and railguns, Norton wouldn’t say.
He did tell us weather conditions, time of day, plus troop fatigue and experience will all be taken into account in each of the game’s scenarios. The idea is to provide new recruits with decision-making training for real-life Situations. “It’s not all about fighting,” Norton
e) best way to win in the scenarios we're developing is to use
@ non-lethal means or m withdrawing.”
A slightly retooled consumer version of C- Force for us armchair warriors (hopefully
withdrawing from
combat) will be released sometime after the Army’s game is finished in early 2002.
told us. “Sometimes the
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For the second straight month, the PS2 version of Madden 2002 is at the top ' of the charts. In fact, five football titles grace the top 20, including two of the 11 Tony Hawk's Pro kater 2 final Dreamcast releases. Speaking of final releases, the lone Nintendo 64 Activision
game that made the cut this month, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, is also the last game for the dead system. The big surprise, though, is how quickly and completely Gran Turismo 3 fell out of the top 10 this month. With all the major releases in November and beyond, who knows what kind of staying power it’ll
have going into 2002? 13 NHI mT 1 Madten NFL 2002 ht cate cates Electronic Arts
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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.
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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
Mad Dash Racing, the Mad Dash Racing logo and related characters are all trademarks of Eidos Interactive. Published by Eidos Interactive. Developed by Crystal Dynamics. Crystal Dynamics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eidos Interactive, Inc. Crystal Dynamics and the Crystal Dynamics logo are registered trademarks of Crystal Dynamics, Inc. Eidos, Eidos Interactive, and the Eidos Interactive logo are all registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. ©2001 Eidos Interactive, Inc. 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. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved.
Compiled By Jonathan Dudiak jonathan_dudlak@ziffdavis.com and Kraig Kujawa kraig kujawa@ziffdavis.com
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Coming Soon December rer tl ae PP
Final Fantasy X—Square EA RPG
ESPN NFL PrimeTime 2002— Konami Sports Eve of Extinction—Eidos Action Giants: Citizen Kabuto— Interplay Action Gitaroo Man— Koei Misc. GoDai: Elemental Force—3DO Action Hot Shots Golf 3—Sony CEA Sports Grandia Il—Ubi Soft RPG Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX 2—Activision Sports Hidden Invasion—Conspiracy Action Maximo: Ghosts to Glory—Capcom Action Jade Cocoon 2—Ubi Soft RPG Monsters Inc.—Sony CEA Action Jak and Daxter—Sony CEA Adventure NBA 2K2—Sega Sports Jonny Moseley Mad Trix—3DO Sports NBA ShootOut 2002—Sony CEA Sports Legend of Alon D’ar—Ubi Soft RPG Rez—Sega Action Namco Museum— Namco Misc. Salt Lake 2002— Eidos Sports NFL Blitz 20-02— Midway Sports Star Wars Racer II: Revenge — LucasArts Racing NFL GameDay 2002—Sony CEA Sports The Lost—Crave Adventure NHL FaceOff 2002—Sony CEA Sports World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars—Infogrames Racing Rayman Arena—Ubl Sof Action aT rth TT Tetris Worlds—THQ Puzzle 18 Wheeler American Pro Trucker— Acclaim Racing Import Pick of the Month: It’s old-school
Wizardry: Forsaken Land—Atlus RPG Dark Summit—THQ Sports Legends of Wrestling—Acclaim Action
2D Bomberman and the last Nintendo 64 release in Japan. How could we not pick
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12/20 Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Sega
All-Star Baseball 2002—Acclaim Sports NBA Courtside 2002—Nintendo Sports it? Importers/collectors, get on this one. Crazy Taxi—Acclaim Racing Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2—Acclaim Sports Genma Onimusha—Capcom Action PlayStation Extreme G-3—Acclaim Racing SHIN GBI SEE Eidos Action : , NFL Blitz 20-02— Midway a Ganehayanvence 12/20 einai Generation, NFL Quarterback Club 2002—Acclaim Sports Street Fighter Alpha 3- Capcom Fighting Belicia gee NHL Hitz 20-02— Midway Sports Tekken —Namco Fighting PlayStation 2 Pikmin—Nintendo Strategy 12/6 Yoake no Mariko, Sony CEI SSX Tricky— Electronic Arts Sports Februar (Karaoke Voice Acting) Super Smash Bros. Melee— Nintendo Fighting V 12/20 Bomberman Kart, Hudson Tetris Worlds —THQ Puzzle (Kart Racing) The Simpsons: Road Rage—Electronic Arts Racing Aliens: Colonial Marines— Electronic Arts Action : 12/20 Tokimeki Memorial 3, Konami Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3—Activision Sports Caesar’s Palace—Take 2 Gambling | (Dating Sim) —— Commandos 2—Eidos Strategy | 1/1 Gran Turismo Concept Tokyo 2001, Azurik: Rise of Perathia— Microsoft Adventure Conflict Zone—Ubi Soft Strategy Sony CEI (Driving) Batman Vengeance— Ubi Soft Action Dune—Dreamcatcher Strategy | 1/31 Grandia Il, Enix (RPG) Bloodwake— Microsoft Action Herdy Gerdy—Eidos Interactive Puzzle | 1/31 Grandia Extreme, Enix (RPG) Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2—Acclaim Sports Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2—Eidos Adventure | 1/31 Virtua Fighter 4, Sega (Fighting) NBA Live 2002— Electronic Arts Sports Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front—Bandai Action NFL Blitz 20-02— Midway Sports No One Lives Forever— Sierra Action Dreamcast NFL 2K2—Sega Sports Pac-Man World 2—Namco Action | 12/20 Sakura Taisen Online, Sega NHL 2002—Electronic Arts Sports Pirates of Skull Cove—Electronic Arts | Adventure (Action/Dating RPG) Nightcaster— Microsoft Action RLH: Run Like Hell—Interplay Action | 12/20 Shiren’s Mysterious Dungeon: Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams—Konami Adventure Shifters—3DO Action | Asuka’s Quest, Sega (RPG) SSX Tricky— Electronic Arts Sports SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals—Sony CEA Action Star Wars: Obi-Wan— LucasArts Action Star Trek: Shattered Universe —Interplay Action | Game Boy Advance UFC Tapout —Crave Fighting GameCube _ 12/7 Magical Vacation, Nintendo (RPG) WWF Raw Is War—THQ Action Eternal Darkness—Nintendo Adventure | Dec. Super Mario Advance 2, Nintendo Phantasy Star Online—Sega RPG (Action) Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth—Atlus RPG WWF Wrestlemania 2002—THQ Action | Dec. rit sue alec EXE 2, he Man 1 X6— Capcom Action Xbox apcom \ACtION Soy Advance SCsESSPN NBA Tonight 2002—Konami Sports | Dec. The King of Fighters Advance, — Ainesiean Bass Challenge— Ubi Soft Sports | Gun Valkyrie—Sega Action Marvelous Entertainment (Fighting) Breath of Fire—Capcom RPG Jet Set Radio Future—Sega Action | 12/20 Sonic Advance, Sega (Action) Columns— Sega Puzzle Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2—Eidos Adventure 12/21 Breath of Fire Il, Capcom (RPG) Crazy Chase—Kemco Action New Legends—THQ Action GameCube Kao the Kangaroo—Titus Action Transworld Snowboarding — Infogrames Sports : : Shaun Palmer’s Pro Snowboarder—Activision Sports | 12/14 Animal Forest Plus, Nintendo (RPG) Sonic Advance— Sega Action NHL 2K2—Sega Sports | ; Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles — LucasArts Action Ge Cc. (Action)
Duke Nukem—Take 2 Action | Nintendo 64 January is eae ave “om | 12/20 Bomberman 64, Hudson (Action) Super Mario Advance 2—Nintendo Action | *Schedule subject to change without notice. Consult Deus Ex—Eidos Action Top Gun—Titus Action your local import game store for the latest release info.
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nightvision rifle,
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MATURE Blood
Violence
CONTENT RATED BY
=
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\'M HSU TANAKA, THATS MY THE GiFT-GIVING SEASON 15 BROTHER CHAN, AND iF YOU'VE ESPECIALLY STRESSFUL ON BEEN OUTSIDE RECENTLY -- THE GAMING POPULATION -- WHICH, ADMITTEDLY, GIVEN YouR IN ADDITION TH THE STANDARD GAMER STATUS, STANDS ONLY SHOPPING WOES, THERE'S
AT A 4O% LIKELYROOD-- You ALSO THE Se ae itm KNOW THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DANGER 2 Bie — x be
AN THE BUSIEST PART OF THE OF
tiga Al on ‘i MEANING RELATIVES FOUND MINUTE PANIC WHERE YOU aa HAVE, To DO Au THE GAN a SHOPPING YOUVE md PUTTING OFF, AND THO ; T PRo END UP GETTING Your ae gem LOVED ONES Att MA a ion va Aviat OF RIDICULOUS AND SPEAKING, GOING USELESS JUNK JUST > To ANY EXTRA- To HAVE THE HASSLE z ORDINARY LENGTHS DONE WITH! .- oe = To HALT THE Flow . You KNOW, STUFF } OF SUNK, 50 LIKE NOVELTY CON- MATTERS MUST BE TRoi.LERS, GooFY HOU TAKEN INTO YouR HAND- WOVEN MEMORY CARDS. Quins HANDS You WHATEVER “Toms RN THE
TERS! . ANC GEREN. SWEATER RAIDER" IT \S THAT “ sia tie i
PERFECT FoR THEY'RE UP To GRAMMA | : RIGHT NOW...
OTTER DAW JoST Because WELL-
THE PURPOSE OF DROPPING LANTS DROPPING 15, OF COURSE, To STEER YOUR
FOR A START, THERE 1S WHAT IS a You KNow, THe < DMEFICULT? . ’ Nice PLACE You SPLENDID AND LISTENER'S THINKING TOWARD
KNOWN AS THE STRAIGHTFORWARP | , WORLD Wourp BE Got HERE!
HMiniy -- THiS Co TS OF PLACE HIGHLY DESIRED OUTCOMES WITHOUT ACTUALLY ah eae close oe eee Sic A. cY TELLING SOomMeE- 1F MoRE PL : SURE WourLDd BE ee a Corts Raat oat es ees BODY WHAT YoU WANT IN AS SETTLED OUT OF A SHAME 'tF SOME- QUESTION, MY? WHAT iT 15 YOU DESIRE. i test COURT... BROTHER ! Nivip DETAN S THIN” WAS To HAPPEN WE DON'T KNow WITHOUT MAKING A DIRECTED To \T BEFORE Some- i AM GLAD WHS? TRS 1S STATEMENT OF IT. GouLy, THE BODY WAS ALL PAID
ONS eo ASKED Sagoo, Exner’ ; SOME EXAMPLES: REMOTE -CONTROL UP ON THER
MODEL ZERO-5 “INSURANCE ! ; MAYBE \T d - RoBeT WITH WINK ao ae ANGER 5 THE a Sere ala REALISTIC & ase! ‘ i -FU ~~ = . pecRAmed. Goos, KUNG -F
INNO, fz; TION SURE HINT-DROPPING = : okO MAKE
POSES MANY - A GREAT DANGERS! i . & said <i — —, ; \ SORE ALLOW ME AT ANY RATE, a , i: WOULD ENVY TO FETCH , THERE ARE A - } Tue KI WHO THE CHaRts ! NUMBER OF ee - oe GETS THAT! TECHNIQUES 3 : ONE Can EMPLOY IN THE HINT- DROPPING FievD...
OUR SHOPPING Guide ELIMINATES ALL THE GUESS-
WORK BY TELLING YOU IN
PLAIN ENGLISH WHICH
PRODUCTS You HAVE To Buy, AND DOESN'T TAKE ANY GULFF FOR iT!
FOR MANY ITEMS, ONE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT ONE DESIRES THROUGH SOME SimMPLe RESEARCH AND INFORMED
DECISION-MAKING. THIS WORKS FoR AUTOMOBILES, REAL ESTATE AGENTS, COOKWARE, ETc..
SORE, THERE ARE OTHER SHOPPING GuIPES OUT THERE, AND IF YOU'RE A TREASONOULS RAT You MAY EVEN PicK ONE UP
BUT WE ASSURE YOU, WIDEO GAMERS, COURS iS BETTER!
AND THAT'S JUST THE Te oF THE ICEBERG!
THERE'S THE SIDELONG HINT:
THE SUBLIMINAL HINT!
THE HINT OF ONE - THOUSAND POST-IT NOTES PLASTERED To THE INTERIOR
OF ONE'S CAR!
Bot WAIT, HSU" WHAT GOOD DOES DROPPING HINTS Do IF You, YoUR- SELF, DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT 15 YOO WANT ?
ALL You HAvE To DO Fork oveR THE CASH WHEN WORRIES ARE OVER!
HOWEVER, FOR THE THINGS IN LIFE THAT REALLY MATTER, LIKE, OH, SAY, VIDEO GAMES, YOU MAY WANT To
CONSIDER THIS COMPETITOR'S SHOPPING GUIDE
CONSULT THE RATINGS FOR Avice OF SOME- QUALITY, ONE MORE VALUE, SAGACI(OU S THAN LONGE WIT -: YOUR OWN Ait Fine AND PITIFUL SELF... DANDY, BUT IN THe ENO , THE SHOPPING
DECISIONS ARE
Stiri LEFT uP? To You: Even MORE STRESS !
ANOTHER Good rom
QUESTION, Ae) PNAILAB who weeDs VA BROTHER CHAN: Novo! IT? You'RE ON 4 A ROLL! ¥
THANK You, HSU. WE STARTED WITH THE
OW, WELL, THAT ANSWER, VIDEO GAMERS 15 THE XBOX WAS
TELL ME, CHAN --
\ SPENT A ARE GOING HEAD-To-HEA A RESOUNDING “No, OF COURSE NID DOOR- NOT SOON To BE WHICH Two GAME COUPLE gy epee Not.” IF ANYONE KNEW A fie poncgea ap THE DEFEATED HOWEVER, hones _ ALL Se aK THIS YEAR ~ SQOsTEM WAS GOING TO GAMECUBE EMERGED THE AND PULLED FAR beri RIGHT gt yi COUNTLESS COMPLETELY BOMB, THEY'O UNLIKELY VICTOR, DESPITE AHEAD AFTER THE ATARI REEN PUBLISHED IN THE FIRST PLACE. PROYING MORE MANEUVER- CONVERSION INTO HOOKED COMPARING AND THUS, we DECIDED TO Base ABLE THAN THE UNWIELDLY TINY-YeT- EXPENSIVE | vf... Oe too, But OUR DECISIONS ON HOW XBOX. CHARCOAL GRILLS. in THE VID THE XBOX AND GAMECUBE N DEO SPEAKING OF GAME RACE, STACKED UP AGAINST ONE WHICH, LEMME NEITHER 15 YET ANOTHER IN VENUES GO CHE ON EMERGING AS OUTSIDE OF GAMING! ae
THE CLEAR-CUT THE FRANKS...
WINNER | CHAN? SomE WOvLp ASK,"IS IT EVEN Poss BLE, XBOx AND tine CARLY \N GAMECUBE Ti cA? HE GAME , TO You SAY? DETERMINE OV'RE Qu! WHICH WILL yo Re THe BETTER . OVERALL CONSOLE ?
WWW.ape-law.com/evilmonkey : , 15 Cont. on page 76
COM, [fOM! Page 75
JUST ADDING A LITTLE PEPPER, HSL. CALM DOWN,
WERE REPRESENTATIVES OF THOSE CONSOLES
1 C\ON'T YOU'RE COMPARING |!
SAY THAT!
WwHo's THERE?
WE HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED To ENSURE THAT THE COMPETITION
EMAINS FAIR AND
UNBIASED!
DID You KNOW WE WERE DOING THIS TODAY ?
VM A PLACEHOLDER
MASCOT, UNTIL THEY
CAN Come UP WITH A REAL ONE,
BEAR Wits ME,
WHY DIDNT THEY Just USE ABE OR MUNCH?
THS COULD BE TROUBLE, BROTHER | \ DON'T THINK THEN RE LIGHTING GOING ON THE To LET PRODUCT vs BE! HERE ?
GE RIGHT! WE NEED
(a) OORSEWES OF THEM,
AND FAST !
WELL, | ASSURE
Yoo, WE HAVE
NOTHING TO HIDE, MR... UM...
VINNY, DISTANT COUSIN OF
OH, PLEASE, t WORK FoR MicRosorr! |
INTROODLCTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, MAY WE RETURN To OUR DEMON: STRATION 2?
WERE RONNING OUT OF PANELS.
WAX Too POLITICAL,
BESIDES, IN REAL LIFE, Munch 15 A CHRONIC LITTER BUG.
HONEST
WELL, ALL RIGHT, HOW THaT
\'O HAVE NENER GVESSED.
SO, YOU'RE A PLUMBER?
OK, GETTING BACK To WHERE WE WERE, You MAY NOTE THAT THE »Bor, WITH ITS WIDER SURFACE, PRonIDES A FAR BETTER GRILLING
ENVIRON:
\ SAY THERE, SHORT CONSOLE , REPRESENTATIVES |
RHAPS CQuLP Weve 58 eo uk DEMONSTRATION HERE!
WE NEED YouoR Mascort ING
WHAT WE NEED You To
DO, BASICALLY 15 SUst STAND HERE AND REPRESENT YooR RESPECTIVE Companies WITH GRACE AND DIGNITQ _
- WHILE BEATING THE TAR OUT OF ONE ANOTHER WITH WHIFFLE BATS.
GREAT Scott How tT WIS 1D BROUGHT THE CAMCORDER!
LOOKING FOR A GREAT Gurr IDEA? READY To SPEND CasH ON WHATEVER, JUST To WAVE IT DONE WITH?
Visit The Aficial SU ~» GAN)
7 <r ONLINE §Sri0P!
WELL, VIDEO GAMERS, IN THE MATTER OF XBox VERSUS GAMECUBE, THE CLEAR: CUT WINNER (5 QUITE OBWIOUELY -- HEN, WHADDYA KNOW, WE'RE OUT oF TIME! GVESS You'LL JWST HAVE TO BUY OUR SHOPPING GUIDE, AVAILABLE NOW AT FINER Book STORES
AND FILLING STATIONS! — % OFFERS Suirts / You CANT | fy HATS! REFUSE! UNMENTIONABLES/s
more!
f/ cafepress. com/ » hsvandchan ws,
PROUD:
“Tle NEXT TIME, NiDEO GAMERS
SEASON'S GREETINGS AND BUY OUR CRAP, ‘ THE END!
http
WWW.ape-law.com/evilmonkey
PlayStation.e
G-STrinG mee S C--orRceE
Kinetica is a trademark of Sony Computer ntertainment America Inc. © 2001 Mild Violence Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc
Suggestive Themes PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony
Its what they re wearing in the fast lane. Slip into a Kinetic Suit and feel the intense competition. Scale walls. Cling to ceilings. Pull off ground and aerial stunts on 12 futuristic tracks. Man and machine are united. Pure speed never looked so good. www.scea.com
Computer Entertainment Inc
TRIPLE H
ADMINISTERS PAIN
WITH HIS SIGNATURE PEDIGREE MOVE.
it dt ad 5 i J A A A KL Kl tll Ll lL \A RA RRR ARR RRR RRR RAR AR AR A
| Where Anything’s Possible
World Wrestling Federation, its logos and all character likenesses are trademarks of World Wiastling Federation Entertainment, inc © 2001 World Wiestling b Federation Entertainment, inc. All Rights Reserved. Game and Software © 2001 Les KS ee exclusive license by THO/JAKKS Pacific, LLC. JAKKS Pacific and the JAKKS Pacific to WO afe ladernar af JAKKS macilic. inc. THO and the THQ loge ate Tas and/or registered trademarks of THO Inc. All Rights Reserved, || Layali ion ie and ae Pe ramily (og0 are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc,
Mild Language
Violence
CONTENT RATED BY
2 IEW LISELI LES ALLELE RITE. SE ELLE ILS
The Rock settles the score with
Stone Cold.
ZVAGE MAICH ANCL AELL INTHE CELL.
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3
PlayStation.e eae re, > gestae Fans brought to 4 their feet as Titantron” entrance video rumbles through the arena.
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ODDWORLD: MUNCH’S ODDYSEE XBOX MICROSOFT XBOX #209486-0.
MEST
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GAME BOY ADVANCE CONSOLE NINTENDO FUSCHIA = #204856-9 INDIGO #201794-5 GLACIER —-#201798-6 ARCTIC #201796-0
SUPER SMASH $49.99 ROS. MELEE :
GAMECUBE EACH bens LUIGI’S MANSION
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GAMECUBE INDIGO CONSOLE SYSTEM GAMECUBE
NINTENDO #212447-7
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EAL 25 super-sized tracks: exclusive saja racing, sreestyle mode featuring 24 tricks: nac- innovative ‘stunt advantage system’ and seremy micarath and freestyle phenom Travis indoor supercross, ereestyle and outdoor nacs, supermans, fender grabs, 360s and head-to-head split-screen mode , ois motocross venues barrel rolls
THERE ARE MANY RIDERS. BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE KING.
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Jeremy McGrath Supercross’ World 2001 and Acclaim® & © 2001 Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City. All Rights Reserved. PlayStation’ and the "PS Family logo are registered trademarks if Sony Computer Entertainment inc EM, @ and the Nintenda GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. Screens shown were taken from the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version of the video game.
ee _— r MAX SPORTS Acclaim nexsports. com
PlayStation.e
=
Previews
Playstation 2 86-90 Final Fantasy X
94 Medal of Honor: Frontline 96 ~=Akira Psychoball
100
XenoSaga
coe
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Sled Storm 2 UFC Throwdown TimeSplitters 2 Sky Gunner
101
Resident Evil 108 Legends of Wrestling
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All-Star Baseball 2002 Universal Studios Theme Park Max Payne
111 Star Wars: Obi-Wan
112. Wreckless: The Yakuza Mission Maximum Chase Buffy The Vampire Slayer
114 + Brute Force
Project Ego
PlayStation
118 Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth
Tekken Jedi Power Battles MotoGP
120
marked with international symbols may or may not be released in the U.S. They are designed to run on Japanese or European PAL systems. import at your own risk.
TOP 5
e need to clarify something right off the bat. We’re pre- viewing two GameCube games this month—All-Star Baseball 2002 and Universal Studios — that we should actually be reviewing instead. The reason for this is that Nintendo refuses to help us out by providing us with any way to play said reviewable games. That would explain the severe lack of GameCube coverage in our Reviews section as well. Hope-
fully the problem will be resolved soon,
but until then please bear with us.
Anyway, enough of that. Now that the holiday season is upon us, most of you should be just about finishing up your Xbox or GameCube launch games, or Metal Gear Solid 2 and other hot titles on the PlayStation 2. So what now? Well, start saving your pennies (we’re Sure you have so many left) for some major games to come.
First and foremost: Final Fantasy X. Square’s finally taking this venerable Series to the next generation of consoles, and we think you’ll agree
1. Final Fantasy X 2. Soul Calibur 2 3. XenoSaga
4. Max Payne
5. Hoshigami
This Month in Previews
crema enRr
The long wait for Final Fantasy X is almost at an end. Use the preview, starting on page 86, to get familiar with the brand-new cast of characters.
that it’s looking absolutely gorgeous.
Or if FFX is a little too tame for you, check out Max Payne on the Xbox (also for PS2). It continues Rockstar’s legacy of love-and-cuddles gameplay that we’ve come to feel so good about.
The system wars are about to heat up. Will the PS2 stay strong? Will the GameCube bring Nintendo back to glory? Will people throw their backs out lifting Xboxes? We can’t wait to see what happens. th
PlayStation 2, January Various, TBD PlayStation 2, TBD Various, November PlayStation, December
Which System Are You Buying this Christmas?
== Bly,
~ Source: Gamers.com poll, 10/26/01
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“A SHADOWY FIGURE NAMED DANTE FINDS..CLUES THAT THE DEVIL WILL RISE UP AGAIN. -GOMEWHERE BETWEEN A MAN AND’A DEMON LIES OUR ONLY HOPE FOR SALVATION.
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Square
Role-Playing Game | 70%
January 2002 Grandia Il
www.squaresoft.com
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Gripping storyline,
one incredibly linear game.
Ae
na MS Fe at mT P Pee
ee |
Square just couldn't
hustle and have this done by Xmas?
Instead of having a con-
fusing, dorky card game as
| its main diversion, Final
Fantasy X offers something a
bit sportier. Blitzball is an
aquatic mix of soccer, foot-
ball and, well, other stuff
that doesn’t resemble any
sport we’re aware of, but it is
really easy to get into. All of
the action is controlled via
| turn-based, menu-driven
| commands, so non-sporting
novices will do just fine. Once you’ve competed in
(and probably lost) the first
| big Blitz tournament, you'll
be able to play at nearly
| every save point. It’s not
| mandatory, but by succeed-
| ing at the game, you will
unlock special attacks and
hidden items that you cannot
| get any other way. Jocks and
| nerds unite! It’s like the
| Breakfast Club, only without
Molly Ringwald’s whining.
Final Fantasy
PS REDDOT POI PIII OOS I RIOT BRO O OOSOS
PG aficionados must contend with a bitter- sweet holiday season this year. Even though there are a few quality quests emerging late in 2001, the holy grail of console RPG-dom
simply will not make the last sled from the North Pole. That’s right—Final Fantasy X arrives in America in (gasp!) January. Not all gamers received this
cay
symbolic coal in the gaming stocking. Nearly 2.5 million Japanese PS2 fans have enjoyed Square’s latest blockbuster since its July release in the Land of the Rising Sun, effortlessly making it the best- selling title on the console. Will domestic dwellers meet this series-redefining game with an equally warm reception? American gamers have definitely been warming up to the RPG genre in recent years, but FFX purposefully rocks the Final Fantasy formula
Name: Tidus |
| Name: Yuna | Voted: Biggest Flirt i
Voted: Most Likely to Defeat Sin Friends say: “She's so nice, but too serious. Let loose, girl!”
Friends say: “He's the best
Interesting
of both FFVII and VIII, returns to the series with a Startlingly different storyline. No moping, disen- chanted heroes like Cloud and Squall here—Tidus bursts with enthusiasm, energy and emotion. He’s the star Blitzball player of his home team, spirited away to Spira, a mysterious realm suffering under the eternal curse of a monster called Sin. You view this magical world through his innocent eyes, as he struggles to understand the connections between
PO RPP POITIER AID RZ DP A I OTOP OUD UP NINA OOIOOITIOOT
The graphics will immerse your soul in joy, but be warned-not all of the impressive backgrounds are fully 3D. In fact, several of the backdrops are rendered scenes with full-motion video touches (above), much like those seen in last year’s FFIX. Still pretty, though.
with a smattering of untested gameplay elements. The game’s director, Yoshinori Kitase, compares the venerable yet ever-changing FF series to a strand of DNA, interconnected and infinitely twisting. Don’t be scared. Change is good.
The massive renovations begin in the plot department. Kazushige Nojima, the scenario writer
99
Bae
-Yoshinori Kitase, director
Name: Kimahri Voted: Scariest
Friends say: “He growls a lot, but he’s a loyal friend, too.”
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Special “uP i A reni _ AUFON oe:
Commuenaia 8 this world and his own. His cheery outlook lends
the game a positive vibe that helps soften the weighty themes of love, death and religion central to the narrative. The plot unfolds through a complex series of twists and revelations, and an older, wiser Tidus frequently chimes in with nostalgic commentary about what’s going on during his massive adventure.
A fresh storyline may provide the heart of the adventure, but the battles flesh out the game, making it a true role-playing experience. Once again, Shocking changes await seasoned Fantasy fans. Toshiro Tsuchida brings years of strategic experience
PLAYING FINAL FANTASY DRESS-UP
in Japan, Square offers realistic renditions of the jewelry worn by
Tidus and Yuna in FFX. This swanky silver necklace will only set you back about $140. Blitzball sold separately. (Seriously. It’s $20.)
fidun Be deseo we 172 Hate Sy Tg emer os aR od SUP OTT oeemlibededddditenterieemndnitieie
from Square’s Front Mission series to shake up the stagnant battle system. Don’t worry though—this robot-loving mathlete hasn’t turned Final Fantasy into a confusing strategy title. The new fights ditch the Active Time Battle system that graced every FF since IV, meaning that now enemies will not strike until after you have taken your turn. A nifty meter in the upper-right corner (See screenshot to the left) Shows the exact order of actions, and you can substitute party members on the fly with no penalty. Each of your fighters has a special type of enemy he or she is best suited for, and the game does an excellent job of holding your hand for the first few hours as it explains these nuances.
As in the previous few titles, summoned monsters (aka Aeons) strut their stuff on the battlefield with obscenely beautiful magical attacks. Instead of mere- ly doing an eye-candy flyby, however, these beasts now fight like regular warriors after being called from the heavens. You can even raise their attributes and teach them new Spells and skills. Thankfully, a quick visit to the option menu can also curtail their elaborate animations once and for all after you’ve seen the pyrotechnics a few too many times.
Perhaps the most radically altered aspect of FFX is its presentation. The mixture of 3D characters and flat backdrops shared by the last three games has been discarded in favor of a fully 3D world. Exploring
Cont. on page 90
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The winds of change just keep blowin’ with FFX. Remember experience points? Well, this game doesn’t have any. In place of the traditional experience/level-up structure of most RPGs,
FFX has the Sphere Grid. Characters who contribute to the battle get Ability Points that can be spent on a gargantuan table that links spells, skills and attribute enhancements. Each of your characters moves across this symbolic grid, gathering new abilities and becoming stronger as the game progresses. Everyone starts in different sections of the grid, but you can customize their skills in whatever way you see fit if you spend enough time and AP. You want Wakka to be your main healer? Go for it. Want Rikku to be a two- fisted fighting powerhouse? Sure thing. It’s all up to you in Final Fantasy X.
Name: Rikku Voted: Best Eyes
Friends say: “She's the wackiest foreign-exchange student ever.”
Name: Auron
Voted: Most Mysterious
Friends say: “Anyone who has a flask of liquor is instantly cool.”
Name: Lulu Voted: Best Dressed
Friends say: “Some call her prissy, but they’re just jealous.”
Name: Wakk
Voted: Most Athletic
Friends say: “He can be a bit dense, but he’s really a softie.”
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A full featured RPG set in 4 beautiful and Battle with up to 8 monsters at a time Capture and cross breed over 200 deep elemental forests. using the innovative combat system. species of monsters and create over a billion combinations.
© 2001 Genki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Ubi Soft Entertainment under license from Genki Co., Ltd. Jade Cocoon is a trademark of Genki Co., Ltd. and is used under license. Ubi Soft and the Ubi Soft Entertainment logo are registered trademarks of Ubi Soft, Inc. “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 other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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PREVIEW
Cont. from page 87
How do recent Final Fantasy heroes stack up against one another? Will your dream hero be Tidus from FFX, Cloud from FFVII, or Aki from the box-office flop, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within?
Fashion Sense Would you want to be seen with them in public?
Attitude Life of the party or a total downer?
Square Street Cred How important are they to the franchise?
massive plains, creepy forests and crumbling ruins that look convincingly real draws you into the game in ways that walking atop static backgrounds never could. Although most of the game is presented with the PS2’s 3D muscle, the occasional CG movie cutscene pops up during exceptionally cinematic moments. Speaking of the game’s cinematic tone, diehard series fans have been waiting with fear and anticipation to hear FFX, the first game in the Series to feature voice acting. Square’s previous forays into the realm of English dialog
ISN’T IT COOL?
Just as FFVII and IX had vocal themes, FFX takes aim at the
Japanese Top 4o with “Suteki da ne,” a folky ballad sung by Rikki, an Okinawan songstress chosen by FFX composer Nobuo Uematsu.
BATTLE OF THE FINAL FANTASY STARS
Which Final Fantasy Hero is Right For You?
Asymmetrical pants and a beach-bum hairstyle give Tidus a stunning look that chicks notice.
Feisty, fun-loving and loud, he’s the guy who dares to drink the whole keg at the party.
He’s the new kid on the
block, but he’s Square’s current star. Look for his Kingdom Hearts cameo.
(Xenogears, Brave Fencer Musashi) were enough to make you smash the volume button on your TV, but we can happily report that FFX does not suffer such a fate. Both the casting and the acting are topnotch. Gamers may initially be off-put by Tidus’ slightly whiny tone or Wakka’s wacky Caribbean drawl, but overall, it’s great stuff. Prepare to ring in the New Year with the latest evolution of Final
Fantasy. i
— Shane Bettenhausen
Used to wear form-fitting bodysuits and barely there bikinis. Recently seen at Goodwill.
Nice clothes, massive sword and spiky hair make a statement. Sadly, so does cross-dressing.
Dark, moody and bipolar, Cloud is the creepy guy in the corner whom everyone avoids.
She’s really sweet, but her terminal illness and recent money troubles are a major downer.
Aki who? Oh yeah, didn’t she have a movie last year? No, that was Lara Croft, wasn’t it?
Once cool, he now looks kinda squatty and simplistic. His career peaked in 1998.
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BUILD AND RACE
YOUR OWN COLLECTION OF CUSTOM CARS WITH THOUSANDS ONLINE
Anytime Online
acim
WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE WEB
Enter a place dedicated to online racing and classic American car culture. Earn your rep by forming clubs, fighting for turf, customizing your ride and hanging with your buddies. Buy, sell, trade and auction cars, parts or your services. Whether youre a racer, mechanic, seller or tycoon, there are many ways to make it big in Motor City.
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OVER GO LICENSED AMERICAN CLASSICS: The ‘57 Chevrolet’ Bel-Air* ‘63 Corvette™ Stingray’ ‘66 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C$ “70 Plymouth’ 440 Cuda" “70 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and many more.
CUSTOMIZE THE DETAILS:
More than 2,000 authentic styling and performance parts.
From blowers to wheelie bars, slanted sixes to big-block terrorizors, or nitrous to chop tops —MCO delivers performance in style.
24 TRACKS IN 4 RACING NODES. (DRAG, STREET, TIME TRIAL AND CIRCUIT)
Wager your salary, reputation, or pink slips on the streets. Or race for fun and see your name light up the leader board.
DRIVING REALISM True-to-life four-point physics deliver behind-the-wheel realism. Trick these cars out and feel the difference on the blacktop!
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America Online Keyqword: Motor City Online due to interactive exchange
PREVIEW
| Electronic Arts a af DreamWorks Players: ff Ce Action a a 50% Cer a Spring 2002 | Xbox (diff. version)
ee) www.mohak.ea.com The € | Genuine Nazi-killin’ by the dozens. ee Throwing a grenade, only to have it thrown back at you.
Crreita ae Yelling “Dance, bitch!” while shooting at soldiers’ feet to make them hop around.
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When you sign up for war lessons from Capt. Dale Dye, | bring your first-aid box.
The long-time Hollywood military advisor has been known for his rough and realistic training camps since he worked on Platoon. Most recently, he put the cast of
ringer, with Friends star David Schwimmer badly banging up his knee during urban-combat training. After being treated, he was sent to climb a 60-foot tower. “I’m 57 and am still that white- haired old fart who outruns
| them,” says Dye of the cast
| that he is a part of. (He plays | Colonel Sink.) And that holds | true for the MOH team who
| learned (painfully) during
| Dye’s paintball field practice that you should stand sideways to present less of a target. That'll leave a mark.
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Band of Brothers through the |
If you've seen the classic movie A Bridge Too Far, then you might recognize Nijmegen Bridge (above).
Interestingly enough, the Xbox version of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was
announced earlier than the PS2 game, but the latter was the first to arrive on | our desks. Our sources say that EA would rather focus on sure-fire sellers for | the PS2 and PC, and play the wait-and-see game with Microsoft’s console.
World War II wasn’t won in the halls of hotel rooms, but you'll get up close and personal with a few Nazis who will give
you a rude wake-up call (right).
hen you’re at allied HQ, the last thing you expect to hear is that your mission is to Steal a ho. That’s nothing new to many soldiers, but the woman you’re after is no ordinary gal. It’s the HO-IX, a flying wing that could change the course of the war.
To grab the bird, you slip into the combat boots of Lt. Jimmy Patterson, who is charged with the task of finding this experimental beauty. On your quest for the fabled aircraft, you’ll fight 15 missions that require you to disarm explosives on the Nijmegen Bridge, storm Omaha Beach Private Ryan-style, and wreak havoc on a U-Boat.
A great deal of work is being put into making the missions immersive. One such example is an ambitious bar scene that Scott Langteau, producer at DreamWorks, seemed particularly proud of. “You have to secretly meet with a contact in a bar, so when you walk inside, some guys are at a bar, some
at tables, some standing. To distract them, you can cue a piano player to play a German folk song so they all gather and sing. Or, in another area of the pub, you can incite a bar fight.” While these covert missions offer a change of pace, the bulk of gameplay will involve shooting Nazis whose tactics have been honed by Capt. Dale Dye. This professional war guru recently supervised combat in Band of Brothers, including a fiery Operation Market Garden episode that is also a setting for one of the game’s levels. Langteau promises that the result will create “the smartest enemies you’ve encountered.” After all, if Dye’s planning is smart enough for HBO, then hopefully it’s smart enough for your PlayStation 2. sR —Kraig Kujawa
Made by the Horton _ brothers, a German | aircraft design | team, the HO-IX was | comprised of wood | (metal was too | heavy and scarce) | and coated with | radar-absorbing paint. This precursor to the | Stealth Bomber flew faster and farther than similar aircraft and was nearly completed when | it was captured during WWII. It is currently | being restored in the Air and Space Museum at
Of course, no WWII game would be complete without a beach invasion. Here, you take on bloody Omaha Beach on D-Day.
Dangerous.
RATING PENDING
Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772
for Rating Information.
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
Defiant.
Test Drive® ©2001 Infogrames, Inc. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., New York, NY.
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PREVIEW
www.aiagotgames.com
tity, ae Pinball rocks and so does aie SO combining the two can't be bad...
| Isn't pinball dead?
Crh a The strung-out, 10- a bunny rabbit that pops up in the video sequences.
ARCANE GAMES —
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| If you’re
| not very
| familiar with | pinball, it’s
| probably
| because the | games
| haven’t
| been an integral part of arcades for over a | | decade now. So what
| happened to this distinctly
American treasure? According to pinball guru
| Roger Sharpe, “The biggest problem is a new breed of location owners and
| managers who don’t know how to take care of a
| mechanical pinball game. | Pinball machines require basic maintenance, just like
| acar, which takes a certain amount of time, skill and effort that arcades aren’t
| willing to put forth
| anymore.” So where does
| one go for a good game of
| pinball? Try the University of Illinois at Champaign- Urbana, where Sharpe’s son
| runs a league of 40 members | who play and maintain a
| battery of pinball games at the student union.
If you're wizard enough, you'll launch the ball in all the right ramps and alleys to open up paths to other tables. Akira Psychoball controls and operates just like a real pinball game, only on crack.
xactly two years ago, Chicago-based Williams
Amusement Co. closed down their pinball
assembly line for good, ending several decades
of production on some of the most innovative games ever made. Pinball has since given way to the Top Skaters and other buck-a-game novelties that now define American arcades. But Williams’ spirit pushed AIA and Japanese developer Kaze to produce a PS2 version of what would have made one hell of a mechanical pinball title.
Akira Psychoball is the brainchild of pinball godfather Roger Sharpe, who lent his design and production talents to roughly 150 Williams and Midway games during his 12-year stay with the company. “What we tried to do [with Psychoball] were the same things we did with mechanical pinball,” Sharpe explains. “You take a set playing field and try to convey a compelling storyline with audio and video cues. Akira [the animated movie upon which the game is based] lends itself to that model really well; it’s a great story.” Watching film footage run on twin plasma displays or tracking a giant teddy bear as it lumbers slowly across the playing field may not be your top priority during a frenzied multiball session, but visual goodies like these give Psychoball its
Devil’s Crush for the TurboGrafx-16 was and still is one of the best video pinball games around. It even made EGM’s Top 100. Want to know where it ranks? See the feature on aude 124.
signature style.
Akira aficionados will recognize table scenarios like Neo Tokyo and Olympic Stadium from the anime, but pinball junkies will also appreciate the continuously | evolving playing field, atic peat complex event triggers and side rooms made possible by the video medium. “We’re changing the playing field the same way you would in any action/adventure game,” Sharpe continues. “Your environment, tools and skills evolve as you progress through the game. We’ve also put in a lot of Easter eggs to reward more accomplished players for advancing.”
The untimely demise of pinball left a great many gamers unexposed to one of gaming’s finest arts. And while Psychoball can’t match the awesome feeling of a 300-lb. cabinet in its sheer mechanical rawness, its spot-on physics, geometry and realistic table design are as close as you can get.
—Jonathan Dudlak
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imply put, Gitaroo Man is one of the most | e
entertaining titles yet in the rhythne “action genre." - Next Gen
ee a Oper aos ea zy — as s the legendary Gitaroo Man The Gitaroo is the vane Heep and save the planet from the clutches with the rhythm as you shoot, duck, of the evil Grabaren family! 0007183 . ae! and dodge your way to victory! 10 colorfully unique sr ahaiie: each Musical Deathmatches and EVERYONE with its own music including reggae, Harmonizing Co-op play for up
rock, hip-hop, techno, and more! to 4-players! [>] a) y5 [ cl [ O N ® ?
Gitaroo Man is a trademark of KOEI Corporation and KOEI Co., Ltd. © 2001 KOEI Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. "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.
Mild Language
CONTENT RATED BY
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PREVIEW GALLERY
Newcomer Monolith Soft is hard at work on what is shaping up to become one of the major RPG events of 2002: Namco’s XenoSaga. Subtitled “Der Wille zur Macht” (The Will to Power), XenoSaga is a space-based fantasy RPG featuring massive mechs, anime-styled character designs and lots of cinematics. If it looks and sounds familiar, it should—it’s actually directly related to Square’s PS1 classic, Xenogears. But despite sharing characters and storylines (XenoSaga takes place many years before the events in Xenogears), the game is not an official prequel. Instead, the developers
at Monolith, who left Square shortly after completing Xenogears, are starting the six- chapter story over from the very beginning. XenoSaga is due out in Japan in February, with a U.S. release to likely follow.
Sled Storm 2
You might wanna slip on the ol’ nut cup when you play SS2. The guys at EA Sports Big claim driving these sleds is like taking a ride on a mechanical bull (hang on tight). We haven’t hit Gilley’s lately, but we get the idea. It’s all about racing Souped-up snowmobiles across rough-and-tumble, snowpacked terrain. Smash stuff, smack the guy next to you, and win races—that’s the gist of it. Don’t expect a clone of SSX, however; SS2 is a completely different animal. Look for it this spring.
EBAY FODDER
Japanese gamers can blow their cash on a swanky
limited-edition version of XenoSaga. The massive white box houses a special keychain, a figurine of robotic hottie KOS-MOS, and the two game discs with special labels.
UFC Throwdown
If the thought of watching grown men kick the bullstuff out of each other appeals to you, then Crave’s newest no-holds-barred, tooth- loosening grapple-fest, UFC Throwdown, should sort you out. Throwdown puts over 25 hammy slabs of man-meat (with names like “Tino”) onto the roster to see who can bareknuckle their way to the world’s most brutal title belt. Customize your character with special moves and techniques (learned at a variety of gyms), and jiu-jitsu that ass this spring.
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THIRTEEN DAYS - INFINIFILM
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
15 MINUTES- INFINIFILM
PROOF OF LIFE THE BROTHERS
DOGMA - SPECIAL EDITION
THE FUGITIVE- SPECIAL EDITION
| THE GOONIES
JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS
THE PLEDGE
POKEMON 3: THE MOVIE
SAVING SILVERMAN | (R-RATED) | SEE SPOT RUN SUGAR & SPICE
| SWEET NOVEMBER (2001)
VALENTINE
| WILLY WONKA & THE / CHOCOLATE FACTORY
MORE TO CHOOSE FROM ON OTHER SIDE. —
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GONE WITHTHE WIND 2258309 VERTICAL LIMIT- SPECIAL EDITION 2605806 ROAD TRIP (UNRATED) 2544807 THE ROCK 2018406 THE USUAL SUSPECTS 1479401 CASINO 1922707 LOVE & BASKETBALL- PLATINUM SERIES 2518009 THE FIFTH ELEMENT 2145506 PRETTY WOMAN - 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION 2436608 BLADE 2294809 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION 1345503 ROMEO MUST DIE 2495406 HAPPY GILMORE 1937507 ENEMY OFTHESTATE 2345304 PINK FLOYD - THE WALL- DELUXE EDITION 2425205 AMERICAN HISTORY X 2320604 MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL 0192005 THE WATERBOY 2321404 ALMOST FAMOUS 2562304 NEXT FRIDAY- PLATINUM SERIES 2469203 CHICKEN RUN - SPECIAL EDITION 2520708 SHANGHAI NOON 2537306 CON AIR (WIDESCREEN) 2167302 RESERVOIR DOGS 1106905 LITTLE NICKY- PLATINUM SERIES 2583102 PITCH BLACK UNRATED- DIRECTOR’S CUT 2521805 HEAT 2005809 THE CELL- PLATINUM SERIES 2545002 102 DALMATIANS 2587400
THE PATRIOT (2000) AMERICAN PIE age COLLECTOR'S EDITION] | SPECIAL EDITION ean COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2577906 2520302 2424307 DEUCE BIGALOW: 10 THINGS | HATE YOU'VE GOT MAIL 2331205 MALE GIGOLO 2490704 ABOUT YOU 2413706 THE WEDDING SINGER 2234300 DISNEY’S THE KID 2557700 AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL ASGOODASITGETS 2206605 THE BEST MAN (1999) 2438208 MAN OF MYSTERY 2144509 STEEL MAGNOLIAS - HOLLOW MAN - AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SPECIAL EDITION 2499606 SPECIAL EDITION 2541001 SHAGGED ME- LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL - PLATINUM SERIES cata UNCUT INTERNATIONAL JERRY MAGUIRE 2071207 VERSION 2497303 GLORY SPECIAL EDITION 2448900 ee THE 6TH DAY 2566701 =‘ INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE - cant ; FINAL DESTINATION 2503407 SPECIALEDITION 2469906. ERTORSEDITION 2921004 THE LEGEND OF BAD BOYS (1995) - SPECIAL EDITION 2470003 & DRUNKEN MASTER 2587509 SPECIAL EDITION 2478907 00D WILL HUNTING - : THE BONE COLLECTOR 2449700 BOUNCE (2000) 2587608 COLLECTOR’S SERIES 2515104 & THE ROAD TO EL DORADO - BEN-HUR 1510205 DIRTY DANCING - é SPECIAL EDITION 2553204 —«wBIG DADDY 2409803 COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2420206 ANY GIVEN SUNDAY - HIGH FIDELITY 2512507 THE LOST WORLD: | SPECIAL EDITION WHEN HARRY MET SALLY - JURASSIC PARK - : (a NATIONAL LAMPOON'S | THEREPLACEMENTS 2540300 GETTYSBURG 1213305 ANIMAL HOUSE - é BLADE RUNNER - 12 MONKEYS - COLLECTOR’S EDITION 2253904 & DIRECTOR'S CUT 1097906 § SIGNATURE COLLECTION 2035509 NUTTY PROFESSOR II: DUMB AND DUMBER 1374107 __ BILLY MADISON 1389402 THE KLUMPS - FREQUENCY - MEN IN BLACK - COLLECTOR’S EDITION 2550705 PLATINUM SERIES 2521201 COLLECTOR’SSERIES 2509107 CLERKS- CADDYSHACK - 20TH REAR WINDOW - COLLECTOR'S tie Peake aay lOuy : 7 1954 ; ‘ ANNIVERSARY EDITION 2469708 — EDITION (1954) 2561702 COLLECTOR'S EDITION 1937200 A FEW GOOD MEN - THE PRINCE OFEGYPT 2381705 NOTTING HILL: SPEC. EDITION 2520005 —_RED PLANET 2585305 COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2412104 PAY IT FORWARD 2596708 LETHAL WEAPON - THE HURRICANE (1999)- ACLOCKWORK ORANGE 2637106 DIRECTOR'S CUT 2473601 COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2480408 FULL METALJACKET 2637205 ~—s LETHAL WEAPON4- MALLRATS- THE PRINCESS BRIDE 0125005 § PREMIERECOLLECTION 2273803 COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2355006 BOOGIE NIGHTS - DAZED AND CONFUSED 1188606 JAWS- ANNIVERSARY PLATINUM SERIES 2469302 LEGENDS OF THE FALL - COLLECTOR’S EDITION 2489706 SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE - SPECIAL EDITION 2519403 FAST TIMES AT COLLECTOR'S SERIES 2434801 | RIDGEMONT HIGH- THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2424406 THE LEGEND OF SPECIAL COLLECTION — 2399400 THE BLUES BROTHERS: BAGGER VANCE 2582906 CRUEL INTENTIONS 2363703 COLLECTOR’S EDITION 2233203 THE 13TH WARRIOR 2435907 ~~ FINDINGFORRESTER 2594703 SWINGERS 2081107 | THE WATCHER 2556405
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CONAN THE BARBARIAN - SMOKING BARRELS 2383503 BILLY ELLIOT 9573103 SPECIAL EDITION 2177400 COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2223808 COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2462406 MY BEST FRIEND'S NATIONAL LAMPOON’S - JFK - SPECIAL EDITION THE GAME 2176709 CARLITO’S WAY 1229301 WEDDING 2146207 CHRISTMAS VACATION 0952507 DIRECTOR'S CUT 2540102 THE CROW 1374206 THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE 2179802 MENACE II SOCIETY 1200609 AIR FORCE ONE 2160000 EYES WIDE SHUT 2429603 THEMASK OF ZORRO 2281509
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a a ea ae eae ee ee ee ee ee THE BEST DIGITAL. AUDIO Columbia House DVD Club, Dept.9QC
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HEIR APPARENT
The guys behind TimeSplitters aren’t a bunch of nobodies— these | _l- —
guys helped make GoldenEye 007 for the N64, one of the best- selling games of the last decade. Free Radical Design formed when
a group of Rare’s best and brightest jumped ship a few years back. PREVIEW
GALLERY
DORRIT OPER TITLE O TIO TI a a a See ae
TimeSnlitters 2
The first TimeSplitters sported some nifty multiplayer action, but its sorely lacking single-player mode left all of us disappointed. With TimeSplitters 2, Free Radical Design aims to bring both style and substance to this promising fast-paced title. That means more mission goals tied together with a story, and characters we'll actually give a damn about this time. Eidos is planning a spring 2002 release for TS2.
Several U.S. publishers are interested in Sony’s flashy, eye-catching shooter, and it’s easy to see why. Sky Gunner offers high-flying action, aerial dogfights, massive boss battles, and some truly amazing airship designs. If it does make the trip stateside, let’s hope they take out the massive slowdown that’s so bad it’s almost comical. If the wait is just too much for you to handle, Sky Gunner is available as an import now.
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All’s fair in love and evasive pursuit. So says Electronic Arts, who'll happily revisit the world of high-speed chases in spring 2002. Over 20 licensed exotic cars such as the Corvette C5R and Lamborghini Diablo are up for grabs. Hi-res, open-ended outdoor environments provide realistic playgrounds while PlayStation 2-powered code brings the simulated velocity. Enhanced audio-visual quality isn’t the biggest change, though; bank on a branching mission structure that offers a more discernable path to victory. Meanwhile, the boys in blue, commuter traffic and Sunday drivers aren’t exactly keen on seeing grease monkeys realize their oil-soaked dreams (at least, we hope those are oil stains...ahern). You'll just have to deal with them, or forego hidden cars, tracks, vehicle upgrades and a spotless criminal record. Seriously, have fun winging it in Express, Challenge, Ultimate Driver or Hot Pursuit modes...short of a drunken visit to finer, um, gentleman’s clubs, you won’t find more playful hardbodies around.
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PREVIEW GALLERY
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Namco’s highly anticipated fighting game continues to whet our collective appetites with the release of these new screens. SC2 takes place four years after the last game...and guess what? Nightmare (the armored freak you see in the screenshot below) is up to his evil shenanigans once again, and the only way to set things right is to beat him down. We now know the name of three new characters: Tarim, a youngster from southeast Asia who uses dual blades; Phan Yung Tsung, the likely replacement for Hwang from SC1 (right down to the same weapon and style); and Cassandra Alexandra, the perky blonde from Athens who wields a short sword and shield. We’ve still not seen how the fighters will interact with walls and barriers, but we’ll certainly find out between now and May 2002.
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Resident Evil
If the phrases “you, the master of unlocking” or outside the midwestern town of Raccoon City. “hope it’s not Chris’ blood” still bring a smile to When they wind up in an old mansion chock-full 0’ your face, you already know why we’re so damn rotting zombies, gun ammo and locked doors, the excited about Capcom’s GameCube remake of stuff, so to speak, hits the fan. So how will the
Resident Evil. (The PlayStation original made our controls work on the GC’s unique pad? Actually, 100 Best Games Ever list this month, after all.) But not even Capcom has an answer for that one just
for those of you who don’t know your Barry yet. Apparently the team doesn’t like the feel of
Burtons from your Plant 42s, a quick intro: You using a Single analog stick to move around (a la PlayStation.c : play as Chris Redfield (he’s the guy sporting the Devil May Cry), but the placement of the D-pad
nifty green vest below) or Jill Valentine. Both are makes it awkward as well. They did mention the
members of a special-forces team, sent in to second analog may be used somehow. Better
investigate a series of bizarre murders and the decide quick—it’s due March 22 in Japan, with a
disappearance of their comrades in a forest U.S. release date pending.
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Producer Shinji Mikami promises many more unique zombie types this time around, and now even their eyes and mouths move...creepy.
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...has been canned! No, not the | big-screen film starring Milla
| Jovovich due next year—we’re
| talking about the hilarious, B- | actor-filled full-motion video clip | | that started off the original
} | PlayStation RE. It’s being
“PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trade- mark of the Interactive Digital Software Association, Grandia is a trademark of Game Arts Co., Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Sony Computer Entertainment America takes no responsibility for this offer
replaced with a fully computer- generated sequence for the remake. Hopefully this time | around it won’t have to be censored for U.S. audiences. |
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ic Gaming Monthly - 107 - www.egmmag.com
The Universal Studios theme park in Japan has been so popular since it opened earlier this year that the park officials had to restrict admission during May and June due to overcrowding.
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egends 0! Wrestling
Since we last showed you this game (now a spring 2002 release) in issue #148, Acclaim has signed Hulk Hogan—the definition of a wrestling legend—as the spokesperson for the game. While it might not sport the massive recognition of the SmackDown! series, LoW is sure to find a place in the game collections of many an old-timer weaned on the exploits of guys like Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and the Million Dollar Man.
ar Baseball 2002
A smokin’-fast slider comes shooting down the pike, only to dive hard as it passes over the plate. You swing...and you miss. ASB 2002 (PS2) has the nastiest pitching interface we’ve seen. Acclaim brings that same interface, along with two new stadiums, broken bats (hey, that’s kinda cool), and enhanced user control to the GameCube version, which should be out by the time you’re reading this.
Woody Woodpecker pops up in the darndest places, and his latest appearance Is in Kemco’s Universal Studios as your virtual tour guide. You have one day to make the most of your visit and play through all the attractions at US. If you do well enough, you'll get access to hidden areas, find secret items, and earn the respect of Woody Woodpecker, which in itself makes it all worthwhile. Universal should be out now.
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PREVIEW
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| rockstargames.com Max welcomes Vinny to the major
“yee Cinematic gun battles leagues.
in stylish slow motion.
wha he
The Bat Complete lack of multiplayer modes.
Max Payne rewards the gamer who likes to shoot the crap out of everything in the room with lots of nice explosive debris.
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hen it comes down to the all-time, most bad-ass shoot-outs ever put to film, scenes from John Woo’s The Killer or the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix are probably on many an action buff’s top 10 list. These movies featured intense firefights shot in exquisite Slow motion, so that the combatants seem locked in some dramatic dance of death. Now take that visual technique and apply it to an action-shooter and you’ve got Max Payne, a third-person romp through a gritty hardboiled wonderland. | It’s present day in the Big Apple. You play as the | game’s namesake, Max Payne, an undercover cop framed for a series of crimes he didn’t commit. But
they’ve sold the wrong guy down the Hudson this
Rather than render a bunch of fancy computer-generated movies for the in-between story bits of Max Payne, Remedy (developer of the PC version) chose to go with a comic-book approach to storytelling. The graphics for these cutscenes are a
_ combination of digitized
_ photographs and hand- drawn backgrounds for a
_ dark, “noir” aesthetic.
Add to that the Raymond
| Chandler-esque writing and — | dry wit of Max Payne, and you’ve got a game hailing from the school of Quentin Tarantino. As for the baby- faced actor behind the Max Payne persona—that’s Sam Lake, the game’s writer and designer over at Remedy. Hmm, not a bad way to immortalize yourself, eh?
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time. You see, Mr. Payne isn’t just another Scapegoat for the mafia or the crooked DEA. After his wife and child were brutally slain by homicidal junkies, Max has been hellbent on getting payback from the drug underworld. He’s got his own agenda and a cache of firearms, and he’s about to go vigilante on the city of New York. OK, so as a screenplay, this is a straight-to-video flick starring Lorenzo Lamas minus the kinky locks; but hey, as the backdrop for a 3D shooter, we’re not going to get too picky about the particulars.
After a few encounters, you quickly realize that the true focus of the game isn’t Max, or his desperate plight for absolution. The real star here is the “bullet-time,” a feature that slows the action to a crawl while Max is free to target his enemies in real time. If you trigger bullet-time together with a movement direction, Max goes into a graceful “shootdodge,” an acrobatic leap where he twists and fires his guns through the air, while dodging the visible trajectories of enemy bullets. The slow- motion tactics are as much a stylish gimmick as they are an intrinsic part of Max Payne’s gameplay.
If you’ve already played the PC version, you’ll find nothing new here. The Xbox version runs just as fast, and looks just as good. But if you’re a console gamer who just can’t get enough Chow Yun-Fat, Max Payne will give your Xbox plenty of ammo to tide you over during winter break. i
” —Che Chou
Enough people named “Jedi Knight” as their religion in a recent U.K. census for it to be added to | census processors’ official list of faiths, alongside Church of England, Roman Catholic, Muslim, aude nist ane Hindu. sisesbdie on ripe ste Snureh of Free tore Wiccan and —— e Lightmission. |
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“Original gameplay, a good story, new characters...gamers crave not these things.”
Having awesome
Must be a wardrobe problem on Curuscant. Everyone dresses the same.
verybody’s favorite Jedi-in-training will soon be starring in his first solo adventure.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan, an Xbox exclusive, takes place shortly before the events of Episode |: The Phantom Menace. In the game, the young Padawan is tasked with investigating a criminal organization operating deep within
the bowels of the planet Coruscant. As Kenobi journeys to such far-flung locations as Tatooine and the city of Theed, he will uncover an assassin droid project and meet a brand-new enemy, the Jin’ha. He might even run into a familiar foe with lots of horns and tattoos.
analog stick is used to move Obi-Wan, while the right is used to swing his lightsaber. When timed properly, pulling back on the right stick lets you parry blows or deflect laser blasts back at enemies. Pressing down on the right stick lets you hurl your saber like a lethal boomerang.
Obi-Wan can also fight scum and villainy with his burgeoning Force powers. For instance, you can use Force Pull to snatch a blaster from an enemy’s hands or Push to shove him off a high ledge. Force Throw can be used to hurl environmental objects at enemies, while Jump can be used to soar across
The Dark Side
Who says Obi-Wan has to be a good guy? This game gives you free reign over the character, so go ahead — take out innocent civilians, Grand Theft Auto III-style. Here, we learn that wookie kicks are no match fora
lightsaber. The game is a mix of traditional platform action
peppered with lots of lightsaber swingin.’ The left
wide gaps.
As if Obi-Wan didn’t have enough to contend with, he must also face a series of challenges from members of the Jedi Council, including Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn. These challenges act as in-game tutorials and are designed to help you sharpen your Force skills.
Finally, Obi-Wan includes a two-player battle mode that lets you and a friend face off as your favorite Jedi or Sith Lord. The arenas, which include a Theed palace and the interior of a Trade Federation ship, are large and multi-tiered, allowing for plenty of Strategy. Force powers are also active during this mode, so you’ve got to stay on your toes.
So, what’s it gonna be, Star Wars fans? GameCube and Rogue Squadron II or Xbox and Star Wars: Obi- Wan? Choose wisely, Padawan.
—Gary Mollohan
Buffy will be Sarah Michelle Gellar’s first game appearance, but
ueisserpsaabaasnbsndssiesinerrnesseenid
4 . we doubt it will be her last. A multi-platform assault is likely in PREVIEW the works for games based on next summer’s Scooby-Doo GALLERY movie, in which Gellar plays Daphne. Consider yourself warned. —
The Yakuza Mission
Developer Bunkasha is responsible for one of the Xbox’s prettiest and most flavorful titles yet. Through two unique storylines that deal with battling the mafia in Hong Kong, Wreckless’ gameplay lies somewhere between Grand Theft Auto III and Crazy Taxi. You and your car together serve as transport, rescuer and instrument of mass destruction through 20 unconventional missions. Activision sets it loose in February 2002.
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Maximum chase
Whatever happened to the good ‘ol chase movie? You know, early ’80s classics like Smokey and the Bandit 1-3 and Cannonball Run 1 and 2? Well, at least this winter we get Maximum Chase from Genki. Race to avoid the bad guys trying to ram you off the road, then turn around, aim the crosshairs at them, and shoot to get ‘em off your tail. Add Burt Reynolds and a chimpanzee in a diaper, and you got yourself a movie!
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Like the TV show, EA’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer is packed with loads of fighting, humor and teen angst, in addition to hefty doses of exploration and puzzle solving. Buffy will have to rely on her slayer powers as she explores her favorite haunts, including Sunnyvale High, the cemetery and The Bronze nightclub. She’s sure to bump into plenty of characters from the show, voiced by the real actors. Look for it in early 2002.
112 -
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 get ready to unleash extreme attitude at every altitude!
VIOLENCE
www.konami.com
AirForce Delta Storm™ is a 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.
PREVIEW GALLERY
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Force
While using the words Brute Force alongside Bill Gates sounds less kosher than billionaire virgin, they fit. Xbox owners will soon enjoy a third-person, tactical squad-based shooter (from developer Digital Anvil and due out late next year) that challenges you to eliminate foes with enough prejudice to do Alabama lawmakers proud. Traveling the cosmos on clandestine gigs, your team (which includes assault troops, snipers, and scouts) visits four worlds. From volcanic Shadoon to swampy Ferix, you rock-’n’-sock nasty critters minigun-, Sonic canon-, flamethrower-, or psychic blast- style. Commanding allies remotely or switching troops on the fly, do- gooders actually grow in power as the game progresses. Expect a gorgeous, detailed adventure that brings the pain like Method Man, only with fewer catchy puns.
Project
Screw the name—this isn’t some sort of supermodel (or game journalist) simulation. Instead, think more intellectually stimulating, if less ambitious. Imagine an RPG where your alter- ego lives, grows, ages and occasionally bashes monsters before your very eyes. Such would be the brainchild of Peter Molyneux’s (best known for PC god-games Populous and Black & White) protégé BigBlueBox Studios, who’ve created a virtual world like no other. Choices have permanent, marked effects, so avoid siding with good or evil unless absolutely necessary (like when one of those uppity trolls gets all up in your face or something). As for gameplay, nothing has been written in stone, though you can Safely bet the title will push frontiers. Look for this innovative game in late 2002.
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Strategy-RPG 85%
December 2001
Final Fantasy Tactics
www.hoshigami.net
Great character designs, complex and rewarding gameplay, and good translation.
Haven't we seen this
game before? No, wait, that was Final Fantasy Tactics.
Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth? Say that five times fast.
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In July, Sony reprinted Square’s classic Final
Fantasy Tactics, a game that
was Clearly an inspiration for Hoshigami. FFT first came out in 1998, and a
small print run ensured that
it was a premium game available only for high prices on eBay until this summer. Fans of the game will remember its “classic” translation. (“Master of all swords, cut energy! Night Sword!’)
FFT’s director, Yasumi Matsuno, went on to create Vagrant Story (PS1) and is now working on FFXII. Fans of Hoshigami should definitely check out Tactics and vice-versa. Either game will give you your fix of strategy, although only FFT provides total incoherence.
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oshigami is a strategy-RPG in the tradition of Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics. It’s so much in this tradition that persistent rumors on the Internet arose, suggesting that disgruntled staff from FFT had left Square to create this game. While these rumors turned out to be false, they’re not hard to believe. The game takes many of its visual and gameplay cues from Square’s giant of the genre. These references are balanced out with a number of new, innovative systems and a much more cohesive, coherent presentation. This allows for a much less murky story. As in FFT, you’ll move a force of soldiers across a battlefield and participate in turn-based battles against a myriad of enemy characters. Strategy and tactical planning are key to succeeding in these battles.
The gameplay innovations set this one apart from other games in the genre. The first is the Ready for Action Points (or “RAP”) system. RAP governs everything your character does during battle; walking across the battlefield, casting spells (“Coinfeigm” —spells enchanted in special
What RPG would be complete without the smoldering wreckage of
the hero's hometown? (left)
Like Final Fantasy Tactics, the battlefields in Hoshigami are kinda small. (left)
coins in the Hoshigami world) or physically attacking foes expends RAP. If you have extra RAP left over after an attack, you can even choose to attack again. Hoshigami offers a new level of Strategy using the “Session” system. If you correctly position your forces throughout the battlefield,
an attacking character can “shoot” an enemy backward with a blow of his sword. The enemy will ricochet into another member of your group, who can also strike the foe and send him toward yet another of your characters. Properly executed Session attacks net you bonuses in gold and items at the end of a battle.
Strategy fans who’ve dispatched the rest of the slim pickings on PlayStation should pay attention to this one. With a familiar look and feel that emulate the top names in the genre and enough innovation to set itself apart, Hoshigami is at the top of its game. The fact that the presentation is good, the translation is solid, and the character designs absolutely rock don’t hurt either. Atlus’ probable final PlayStation 1 title appears to be a worthy final chapter to their history of providing some of the most compelling RPGs on the system.
— Christian Nutt
Clash of the Tacticians
FF TACTICS VS.
The blond-haired star of the The blond-haired star of the game is Ramza, a young knight who’s swept up into a burgeoning war.
Ramza’s best friend is Delita, a short-haired fellow knight who mysteriously disappears.
The gameplay experience most accurately simulates calculus.
game is Fazz, a young mercenary who’s swept up into a burgeoning war.
Fazz’s best friend is Leimrey, a long-haired fellow mercenary who mysteriously disappears.
The gameplay experience | most accurately simulates an anime club.
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Good for $5 off the purchase of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, ICO, NFL ees] 2002, Kinetica, OKGE: Shadow King, and Gran TUrismo 3 A-spec.at Sears electronics department. Off regular purchase price. Valid 11/12/01 - 2/15/02 only. Offer not good on layaway balances, gift certificates or credit card payments. Not valid with other coupons or offers. Not valid with any other coupons or offers. Limit one coupon per transaction. One per cus- tomer. Void if copied or transferred and where prohibited by law. Cash value 1/20c. 2001 Sears Roebuck and company. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Jar Jar Binks fans will be delighted to see the bumbling Gungan’s debut on the Game Boy Advance as a helpful guide on level 2.
| Of course, most other people will be unhappy to discover that
_ your lightsaber is totally ineffective at cleaving him in two.
PREVIEW
i i 3 2 $ i Fi
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GALLERY
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Namco’s portable fighter landed in our office this month, and
it looks damn good on the GBA hardware. It’s pretty much what we’ve seen in Tekken 3 with no frills or bonus modes beyond Time Attack and Survival. But the mock- 3D perspective is Surprisingly easy to see nu'og" 134 and play with, and the — — ‘eee two-player link mode will certainly make Tekken GBA earn its keep. It even features little cutscenes to call out especially potent attacks (lower-left screen) and make you feel extra stupid for falling into them. Tekken is out this November.
THQ continues their aggressive GBA support with a two-wheeled speed demon of a game based on Namco’s cool PS2 title of the same name. MotoGP features all three professional 125cc, 250cc and 5o0occ classes. Twenty real-world tracks, varying weather conditions, and a dozen bikes “supplied” by Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha flesh out the options. But the best part is the four-player support, which will stoke your competitive fires via link-cable action. While the game looks unnervingly simple, it may provide gamers with a high-speed fix when it ships this November.
eal Power
This December, we suggest you pack extra batteries for your lightsaber...er, Game Boy Advance, while fighting the Dark Side as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn or Mace Windu. Other Star Wars characters from Episode | make an appearance, along with 10 levels of droid-bashing, Sith Lord-ass kicking, and Trade Federation-busting fun.
THQ’s handheld Star Wars adventure, which is a remake of an older Dreamcast title, will arrive just in time to coincide with the theatrical debut of Episode !/’s trailer. Now at least you'll have something to play while you wait in a cold, cold line to see it.
BLAST
YOUR
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FREELDONI
David A. Sale
Ail other fradareerks - trade. names are ae of their ate ve owners.
ID’S #1 SHOOTER
OF ALL TIME
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THE PALM
OF YOUR HAND!
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" chain guns DOOM i in Cooperative mode or Tink 2to4 - and rocket launchers! players together for the ultimate ~—._ Deathmatch!
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Waiting for your teeth to fall out isn’t the quickest way to get rich. If you really want to make mega moola, the tooth fairy is gonna have to work overtime. In Wario Land 4, Wario will do ANYTHING for money; even if it means getting scorched, flattened or frozen.
It’s just the price you have to pay to
be this greedy.
COIN COLLECTING, ADVANCED.
4 Sugai ian US RAS EERE aS RSI Raven aMe Aaa
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www.gameboy.co ——~ , _ React )2001 Nintendo. ™ and Game Boy Advance are tradematks of Nintendo. )2001 Nintendo. Game and GameBoy ® Advance sdid separately.
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By the BGM staFF
hen someone told us this 150th issue LU was Our sesquicentennial anniversary
(and after we looked in the dictionary to make sure we weren’t being dissed), we fig- ured, “Hey, let’s celebrate!” And we focused our fiesta on the games that got us here.
So, after weeks of bitter feuding, ego bruis- ing and even some fisticuffing, the EGM staff unabashedly presents its picks for the 100 best console games of all time. What do we mean by “best”? Simple: These are the games that we still wanna play today. In other words, if we were forced to pack only 100 console titles for a lifelong exile on some deserted island— preferably an island with cable TV and the Hawaiian Tropic Bikini Team to multiplay with—these are the games we'd crate out to sea. Oh, we had a few rules, too: We could only pick titles released in the U.S., and we couldn’t count game compilations (although we could consider individual games within compilations if they were the best version).
Now, we know you’re going to have issues with our picks, so we figure we’d head off your angry feedback at the pass with this FAQ...
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 124 - www.egmmag.com
Hey, why aren’t Halo, Tony Hawk 3, Metal Gear Solid 2 and all the other games you guys have been yakking about lately on this list?
Confucius say, “Fool who rank game
with fresh shrink-wrap smell make smelly fool of himself.” Er, or some- thing like that. Anyway, the point here is we’re so hyped up on this holiday’s roster of brilliant new games that we're itching to put a few in the top 100 list. But we need some perspec- tive—some time to sit back and con- sider the merits of fresh-outta-the-box hits like Halo and MGS2 long after we beat them—before we go declaring this or that one of the best games ever. Consequently, we only consid- ered games that hit store shelves before Oct. 31, 2001.
Where the heck are Pong, Space invaders, Doom, and all the other classic and revolutionary stuff? Sorry, but this list ain’t about the 100
most influential games of all time (although you'll find those titles in a sidebar within the feature). You want nostalgia? Go play Pong. You want a kick-ass game? Go play Virtua Tennis.
| remember some of the games on this list getting ho-hum scores back when you reviewed ‘em. What’s the big idea?
No conspiracy here. Remember, games are reviewed by only three (and in the old days, four) members of the staff, who are picked to provide a well-rounded trio of opinions of each title. But we have a lot more than three reviewers on Staff, and they all have lots of opinions. In the democra- tic process of putting together this list, every good game got its due.
Are you ever going to get on with it? All right, all right. We get the mes- Sage. Just turn the page, you sesqui- centennial party pooper.
aming Monthly - 125 - wv
Games EUEF
OBCATHLET?
Saturn Sega, I996
Gamers
often dis-
miss them as
“button mashers,” but track-and-field- style titles still hold a place in our hearts for their simplicity and multiplayer show- downs. DecAthlete represents the best of this breed. The wide variety of events here demand real skill and timing in addi- tion to quick-fingered endurance.
scion GOLF
Game Boy Colon Bae aeeeeeee =
Nibende! 1300 SEE 2
Take Mario
Golf to the
can and you’re
in danger of putting your : ass to sleep permanently— it’s that good. While most GBC titles only mimic the big boys, Mario Golf is even better than its N64 brother. Highly addictive gameplay and challeng- ing RPG elements come together nicely in this ultra-fun on-the-go golf sim.
BASBBALL STARS
NOS
SNA, 1989 aK on
Next-gener- ation base- ball games have been so lackluster that it makes us appreciate this old-but-addicting title which emphasizes the basics of the sport rather than the fluff. But it also has fea- tures that rival current games. The most notable: Creating and developing players into...well, baseball stars over time.
WIPROUT XL
PlayStation acveancas Psugnosis, 1996 a) 6
ot? &£
Throbbing
techno
beats, future-
chic visuals and corkscrewing, suspended tracks are commonplace in its genre today, but no imitators top this crown jewel of the WipeOut series. The courses are extremely challenging to navigate. But factor in the well-balanced arsenal and you have one addicting racer.
PHANTASY STAR
Master System jmermecmenmeme pe peer te: Sega, 198% 2 we
This mile- stone RPG’s 3D dungeon effects— which dropped jaws back in ‘88— may look positively prehistoric today, but there’s no denying that the planet-span- ning quest has withstood the test of time. Just when you think you’re at the end, it throws you a new twist. The cart cost $70, but you got your money’s worth.
SUPER SMASH BROS.
Nintendo By Nintendo, 1999
Classic
Nintendo
characters
kicking the crap out of each other? Hell | yeah! We like the fact that the Big N can let their hair down and allow their most treasured franchises to punch, kick, shoot and throw their asses out of the ring in the ultimate multiplayer melee. The GameCube sequel will be even better.
QUAKP Til ARBNA
Dreamcast
Sega, CU00
Maybe it doesn’t have the involving single-player experience or deep multiplayer options of Perfect Dark (#65), but Quake Ill has its own ace in the hole: online play. The thrill of killing strangers all over the world, plus great weapons and level design, make up for the four-player limit.
ZPLOA Hi: THe ADVENTURE OF LIN
4 aT Tes PCD. aartth »
NBS Nintendo, 198% |
Although Ms. He quite a departure
| from the original Zelda, this sequel holds its own as an action-RPG, with great side- scrolling combat, awesome dungeons and a long, hard quest. Despite being the oddball of the series (but not nearly as odd as the awful CD-i Zeldas—see page
166), Zelda Il is a must-play for fans.
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IPB HOCKEY
Ob One. 1 Oe ted On 4 eb ten tnd tk Bk Bt Bk 4
Who needs real teams Koto or players
when you get to run the skinny guy into the boards with the fat guy? Topnotch simulation it ain’t, but this is the most timeless hockey video game out there. Grab an NES, a friend and two controllers to see what we mean. Just remember, the fat guy hits hardest.
Any big battle is going to have its casualties, and in the case of our weeks-long skirmish to put this feature together, those casu- alties are the editors’ personal faves that nearly made the list but got shot down in the final vote. So in memorial of those classic games gone MIA, we’ve listed along the bottom of our top 100 each EGM editor’s picks that didn’t quite make the final cut...
- 126
FINAL FANTASY VIE
Revolution-
ary for its
previously
unmatched CG cinematics that seamless- ly blended with amazing prerendered backgrounds, FFVII marked a new gener- ation of RPGs (and spikey-haired dudes) that not only put Square at the top of its game but also upped the bar on what gamers expect from an RPG these days.
VIRTUA TENNIS
Qreameast
Sega, £000
If you think ‘ a forehand ont Se and a back-
hand stroke are types of spankings, then this is the tennis game for you. It plays more like Pong than anything else, but has enough smashes and lobs to keep fans of the sport happy. And if not, the zany yet ingenious minigames will win them over. Tennis Bowling, anyone?
ACTRAISEA
Take side-
scrolling,
sword-swinging
action and mix it with some light strategy and you’ve got ActRaiser, which creates an almost hypnotic atmosphere thanks to its lush graphics and beautiful soundtrack. Besides, how many games let you fly
around as a naked cherub, bossing around
mortals and blowing stuff up?
RUSIDENT BVIL
PlayStation Capeom, 1896
They’ve
improved on
the graphics
and certainly the dialogue (see Worst Game Lines Ever sidebar) in later editions of the series, but for pure story and gen- uinely creepy atmosphere, nothing can touch the original RE. Never played it? just wait for the GameCube remake for an even creepier experience.
SUGA RALLY 2
The original
Saturn Sega
Rally is still
awesome in our book, but this visually stunning sequel edges it out by retaining the arcade flash while tuning the power- slide-rich physics. The four-fold increase in cars and tracks doesn’t hurt, either. And if you’re up to the challenge, SR2’s 10-year championship will keep you busy for days.
BEHIND THE MUSIC
lf anyone pushed the Super NES’s powerful sound chip to the max, it was Yuzo Koshiro, the maestro behind ActRaiser’s orchestral score, as well as the music in Revenge of Shinobi (#73), Shenmue and Streets of Rage. “When | was in grade school, | was hooked on Space Invaders,” says Koshiro, the son of a pianist. “And while in high school, | played games from Namco, Sega and Konami. They inspired me to compose music for video games.” Koshiro remains an avid gamer who prefers 2D visuals to polygonal graphics— although he has a soft spot for first-person shooters. “i most- ly play Team Fortress these days,” he says. “Before that, though, | played through every game in the Street Fighter Il series.”
DRAGON WARRIOR IV
N&S Bnix, 1992
TRAE RSS SES aa 7
3 2» ~ : ‘3
This 8-bit =
epic, with its
multi-chapter
setup and heavy emphasis on story and character development, was years ahead of its time. Finding out what all the fuss was about is tricky— DWIV is one of the rarest games around, and its two 16-bit follow-ups were never released here. But don’t go blowing $100 on eBay just yet. Enix is readying a PlayStation remake of DWIV for early 2002. And this version will be more than a straight port. Enix has reworked the game from the ground up and given it a 3D facelift, using the game engine of the recently released DWVII. Designer and scenario writer Yuji Horii says Enix originally planned to redo part IV for the Super NES. But by the time they got around to it, the 16-bit era was already over. Can you say, “D’oh!”
Nintendo 64 [Blew == Nintendo, 1898 fi nats 26), me 00°25°18
nixes the
flat-as-a-
sheet-of-paper courses of the Super NES original and adds stomach-lurching hills, loops and—most importantly—loads of opponents to race against. Plus, you can turn your racer into a weapon by spinning it while in a crowd of other cars. It’s fast. It’s furious. It’s a helluva lot of fun.
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SAMURAI SHODOWN II
Neo-Geo SN, 1994
SamSho’s
spin on 2D
fighting was
simple: Give everyone weapons and ran- domly toss out bombs and health. But it did this with style, damnit, peaking with part 2. You get characters with personali- ty to spare, atmospheric backgrounds and music, and fantastic gameplay (even if Ukyo is a cheap bastard).
APE BSCAPL
PlayStation Sony CRA, 1899
More than
just a great
3D platform
game, Ape Escape uses the Dual Shock controller in clever ways that’ll drive you bananas. Twiddle those little sticks to paddle a rowboat, drive an RC car, cruise around in a tank—the control scheme changes all the time. And its chimps out- monkey Monkey Ball in pure personality.
STAR FOX ef
Super NBG Nintendo, 1993
Star Fox
introduced
3D polygonal
graphics in a time when 2D was king. Today, these visuals look like they’re made from half-melted Lego blocks, but the game itself is still fun, with a grand, Star Wars-like feel and creative stages that remind you that not all space shoot- ers have to be serious to be enjoyable.
AGOMIC ROBOKAD CurbcCrars-16), MAGIA LOPD (NeoGeo), EINHANDEP (PlayStation,
DAYTONA USA
Oreamcast Sega, 200)
“Try to go easy on the car!” If that line doesn’t ring a bell, you don’t know what you’re missing. Daytona USA takes the best of the coin-op’s finely tuned rac- ing and pumps it up with several cool new tracks, cars and four-player online play. And it’s the hard-driving competition here that makes Daytona a must-have.
SKivs OF ARCADIA
Oreameast Sega, 2000
Who would
have expect-
ed a barely
hyped RPG called Skies of Arcadia to come out and kick Grandia Il’s ass with its massive quest, high-flying air battles, beautiful ship designs and awesome sense of exploration? Now that the game is heading to the PS2 and GameCube, you have no excuse to miss out on this one.
METAL GPAR —
Game Boy Color
Konami, 2000 #. mn
As a side- story to the Metal Gear mythos, MGS on the GBC is a surprisingly faithful rendition of tactical espionage action—even hardier than old NES installments. What’s more amazing is all the extras Konami’s thrown into the pack- age: tons (150 plus) of VR Missions and two-player link mode action!
TaP GEG EaPGH (Ceresis) and CHBEPRAGOE (Super NS)
KIRBY'S AVALANCHE/ MOAN BOAN MACHINE
Super NUS, Genesis Ninbendo/Sega, “95/"93
Gamers love
these two
puzzle titles
for their simplicity (just match up blobs of the same color). Sadists love them because they allow you to set up massive combos that can choke out an opponent in one fell swoop. The formula works well and is still fun today — watch for a Game Boy Advance edition (Puyo Pop) in March.
MARIO HART 64
Nintendo 64 Nintendo, 1997
Despite bet-
ter graphics,
four-player
splitscreen play and a reworked power-up system, the N64 version of Mario Kart just doesn’t duplicate the ingenious level design of the original, but it’s still great. It added more technique to the power- Slide (do it right and you can get a mini turbo boost), not to mention rolling hills.
0. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
U. Street Fighter Il
3. Dragon Warrior
©. Super Mario 64
1. Super Mario Bros. =~ =
THE BATTLE. LOSE THE CORD.
i
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Logitech
www.logitech.com/controller
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SONIG THY HROGEHOG 2
Genesis SCORE 13400 fips * 5eg2, 1992 » EN
Gamers ite ee
wearyof = Nas
Mario’s plod-
ding pace flocked to Sonic’s speedy ways in a flash. This sequel adds sidekick Tails, nicer graphics, a two-player mode, speedier gameplay and even a faux-3D halfpipe. And to think, it eventually became a Genesis pack-in. Still, the level design doesn’t top the original’s.
THU ABVENGE OF SHINOGI
Genesis Sega, 1989
While 3 the word 2. “classic” rarely pops into your head when you think of early Genesis games, Revenge of Shinobi definitely falls into that category. This is top- notch side-scrolling ninja action, complete with magic attacks, showers of shurikens and even a little swordplay. Joe Musashi’s second adventure remains the best one in the series.
BATMAN ROBBIN’
One of the bosses in Revenge of Shinobi is none other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. What’s even more surprising, though, is that upon defeating ol’ Webs, he morphs into Batman and continues the fight — but only if you own the very first U.S. version of the game. Since Sega refused to pay DC Comics for the rights to the caped crusader, later versions of Shinobi have Spidey trans- forming into a more nonde- script bat- __,.§ creature for “I the remainder § of the battle. Of course, you can pretend it’s Batman.
Consider yourself tucky if you see Bats in your Shinobi cart.
LUNAR: SILVER STAR STORY COMPLETE
PlayStation Working Designs, 1999
Classic, hand-drawn animation and wonderful voice acting combine with a great story to make Lunar one of the best RPGs without the words “Final” or “Fantasy” in the title. Guide young Alex as he fulfills his dream of becoming a Dragonmaster and learns how important his girlfriend is to Lunar’s future.
AOVANC? WARS
Game Boy Adv. Nintendo, 200)
Topping
even the
TurboGrafx-
16’s seminal Military Madness, Advance Wars takes classic turn-based strategy and soups it up with a killer four-player mode that can make two hours whiz by in a heartbeat. Even the single-player game got us weepy, though it was probably just from staring at the tiny GBA screen.
NINJA GAIDEN II: THE oAaK SwORD OF GHADS
NS FIgeEb :2 Teemo, 1990 a
sacs 56 ce Ses Bag 2B a3! ae <
a
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= =
This ninja- riffic side- scroller out- dices the other two games in the Ninja Gaiden series —and that’s saying a lot. Gaiden || features blazing-fast sword- slashing action and some totally cool bosses, not to mention a great story told through nifty cutscenes, which were still a novelty back when this game hit.
| of this sci-fi-
SHINING FORCE III
: Sohuen
Sega, 99%
Strategy-
RPG fanatics
were in tacti-
cal heaven when Sega released the first part of SFIII (which actually hit Japan in three parts). Fans subsequently cried bloody murder when Sega failed to bring parts 2 and 3 here, but that doesn’t detract from its fast-paced plot, classic Shining Force gameplay and slick visuals.
PHANTASY STAR II
Genesis Sega, 1929
PSII is the crown jewel
meets-sword-and-sorcery series (unless you count PSO). It has a huge quest, one of the best final bosses ever, and a main character who dies halfway through the game. What more could you want from an RPG? And the neatest part: That awe- some final boss isn’t really the final boss.
METRO
NBS Nintendo, 1987
be Bite
1 ¥ RY +
ASA eer (1) ethos
ae eS S lis Reh
Snatching the presti- gious 69 slot
114 emma (h)
Cail
from its occupant (Snatcher for Sega CD) on the top-100 list we ran four years ago,
the 15-year-old Metroid still rocks our VW van. The spooky space score hooks up seamlessly with the dark alien setting to spawn an adventure game way ahead of its acid-washed time.
Lesennary AHE (TurboGrar:-16), 5. pars PlayStation DEUiL nite (PlayStation),
CONGrda: HAPO COPPS (Genesis) and BONS ABUENAGUPE CurboGrars-|6)
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COMIC MISCHIEF VIOLENCE
CONTENT RATED BY
ESRB hited States and/or other countries. ©2001
United States and/or other countries.
arks of Microsoft Corporation in the Ur
registered trademarks or tradem marks of Oddworld Inhabitants in the
ft. Xbox, and the XbDox logos are either are either registered trademarks or trade
go, and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
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32001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights re aserved. Micro Oddworld lo
Oadvior id Inhabitants, Inc- All Rights Reser ved. The
SUPPR GHOULS ‘N GHOSTS
200
Super NOS Pht Capcom, 1991 =”
Go back and [im play Super “Qi Ghouls ‘N Ghosts today and you'll probably agree that it’s still one of the toughest run-and- jump platform games ever made. But Capcom has sugarcoated this bitter pill with sweet graphics and special effects. Some would argue the Genesis G’NG is better. To that we say: No, it’s just easier.
PURFRCT DARK
Nintendo BY Aare, 2000
Rare’s
GoldenEye
was good.
This follow-up first-person shooter is bet- ter. It comes locked and loaded with more multiplayer options than any game in his- tory, “simulant” ‘bots, co-op play —every- thing but the Jimmy Bond license. If it weren’t for its chopperiffic framerate, you can bet PD would’ve placed higher.
5. Reaching the castle roof in Mario 64 with- out collecting all 120 stars—wall-jump your heart out and it can be done.
4. See Samus without armor in Super Metroid— Beat the game in under three hours and our favorite interstellar heroin shows some skin.
3. Street Fighter II's same-characber Fights— Tapping a few buttons in the original Super NES SFil let you pit the same characters against each other. It’s almost like Champion Edition!
ce. The Super Mario Bros. Minus Worlds— Bust through a special wall in world 1-2 and you can access this super secret Mario world.
1. The Konami Code—up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A and Start always led to the good life—and loads of extra lives—in old Konami games.
STREPT FIGHTER
P§/O0 Capcom, 1989
Topping SF Alpha 2 was tough, but the complexity and style added by SFA3’s “isms” make it the preferred game of many casual fans and tournament players alike. Frequent players here at EGM and gamers around the world continue to dis- cover new combos and tactics for this fighter. We’re ready to take you on.
Geant eta SPA CA ii)
MBGA MAN I
Capcom, 1929
Jumping
from box art
disaster to
Capcom poster boy, Mega Man can thank this top-seller for making him a house- hold name. Never mind its endearing bosses and crafty power-ups; the genius musical score alone could get Mega Man ll ranked. Even today, platform junkies swoon at the mere mention of this guy.
ABSIDENT BVIL 2
PlayStation Capcom, 199%
This return
to Raccoon
City doesn’t
pack the scare tactics of the original, but what it lacks in frights it more than makes up for in raw action and its nifty two-character dynamic. You need to beat RE2 at least twice—once as rookie cop Leon, once as Chris’ sis Claire Redfield — to squeeze out every last drop of horror.
DPAGON WAPPIOP WE (Game Boy Color), Hi IEAPUS (N05), FINAL FANGASY HE (Super NOS),
DONKBY KONG
Here’s the
good news:
This handheld
hit faithfully reproduces all three levels of the 1981 coin-op. Now here’s the really good news: From level four on, Donkey Kong becomes a clever action-puzzle game that'll keep you hooked right up to the last level. It’s the perfect ape escape from a long car trip or lame-o class.
ATYPD (RTUPRS VERSION)
PlaySbabion rat Ascii, 1992
| mpd 4
: a | ote’ , It’s the side- Pigye scrolling
shooter,
whose awesome bosses (one so huge it Spans several screens), methodical pace and unique power-up system changed the genre forever. Most of us have fond mem- ories of the impressive TurboGrafx-16 ver- sion, but there’s no denying the PS rere- lease comes closer to the arcade.
NIGHTS...iNTO OREAMS
Sega, 1996
Sonic grabs
all the head-
lines, but
many folks figure that Nights is the true zenith of Sonic Team’s gameography. More of a flying time attack than a tradi- tional platformer, the game’s rave-y world packs so much solid gameplay that find- ing the best path to the highest score takes tons of practice. Awesome.
WAVE RACE GH (Nintendo 54) and LUP ie Hi: ASE OF GHE SiliSGPALS (Super NUS)
ly - 134 -
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s**t fe & 2 ae in
Your pulse quickens. Your stomach drops. You feel it in super-charged, gravity-defying combat motorcycle-facing th
SUN Co a = sea S SG. as ™ ad 12 different super-charged bikes packing -Yincredible racing circuits with ~ Futuristic serious firepower gut-wrenching loops, twists, spirals & drops city, de a — EVERYONE es In-game music by
Mild Violence , PlayStationoe
CONTENT RATED BY
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. TM, ® and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. Screens shown were taken from the PlayStation®2 version of the video game.
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Games EVEr
SUPER MARIO RPG
Super NQ@S Nibende, 1855
The result of
a dream col-
laboration
between Nintendo and Square, Super Mario RPG is one of the finest RPGs to grace the Super NES. Its clever story and hilarious in-jokes will have you giggling like a schoolgirl, while the involving gameplay and excellent battle system
will keep you entertained to the very end.
FINAL FANTASY IX
PlaySbabion Square QA, 2000
| With its
more light-
hearted story
and cuter characters — including super- loveable Black Mage Vivi—part IX feels like the throwback to the pre-PlayStation era of Final Fantasy most of us were wait- ing for. We like our Square RPGs chock- full of things like airships, black mages and moogles, and FFIX’s got ‘em.
THE LEGEND OF ZBLOR: LINA'S AWAKENING On
Game Bou Color eee Nintendo, 1998
Link’s a ea Awakening ‘Gl i ae " took the best
| elements of two classic Zeldas (the first
one and A Link to the Past, both of which are in this top 100) and combined them to make one of the most incredible portable adventures of all time. DX brings the game into the 20th century by adding some color to the pale GB original.
VIRTUA FIGHTBR 2
Saburn Sega, 1995
: espe
VF2 packs such deep and complex fighting mechanics that, at the height of its popularity, kids were signing up for
dope from certified VF masters. The Saturn version looks sharp, plays time-
nents that learn from your techniques.
LANOSTALKBR
Sega, 1993
Landstalker
* ne 09; pe re
is about as id ee
close to Zelda
as Sega ever got. It features loads of hack-’n’-slash action along with some complex puzzles. In fact, they’re a little
too complex sometimes thanks to the iso-
metric perspective that makes jumping a true nightmare in some scenes. Nevertheless, Landstalker’s a classic.
ORVIL'S CAUSH
TurboGrafx-16 | ESS Nee, 1990 :
Satan-ized with march- ing demons and spinning pentagrams, Devil’s Crush crunches pinball and shooter gameplay
ing gamer will love. It ain’t your typical silver-ball sim—your goal is to bean
tables — but that’s exactly why we like it.
iceman ree == a ~ 7, GE. ae 2 ae:
VF2 classes in Tokyo, getting the straight
lessly well, and features computer oppo-
into a hell-spawned hybrid any God-fear-
demonic baddies and open tons of bonus
SONIC THe HeOGPHOG
Genesis Sega, 199)
This classic
is known for Seeie
its bitchin’
graphics, imaginative levels and nauseat- ing sense of speed. (Remember Sega’s “Blast Processing” marketing campaign?) It’s also the title that propelled Sega into the mainstream, and gave the Genesis a fighting chance against the Super NES. We still have dreams about that fancy Star Light Zone level.
STRAINED MOMENTS iN SONIC HISTORY
¢ Sonic’s Three Dads: In 1990, Sega gave character designer Haoto Oshima, level designer Hirokazu Yashuhara and pro- grammer Yuji Naka 11 months to craft a game and character to rival Nintendo’s Mario. Sonic debuted 14 months later.
¢ Seniority Rules: Sonic designer Yuji Naka then quit Sega because he didn’t like their seniority-based pay scale.
e Need For Speed: Naka was persuaded to come back. Word has it that a Porsche was involved in the negotiations.
¢ Made in the U.S.A.: Sonic 2 was devel- oped by the U.S.-based Sega Technical Institute. Naka became discontent and left before it was completed.
e Family Ties: It wasn’t long before Naka rejoined Sega and went on to head up top-listers Nights (#61) and PSO (#45).
SUPER PUNCH-OUT!!
Super NYS Nintendo, 1994
1902 PtH} t
a
=e
Nintendo’s
follow-up to
Punch-Out!!
(#34), this brawler has nearly identical gameplay but adds a super-attack meter for added “punch.” And old faces return with some new tricks alongside new box- ers. Unless you’re looking for realism, the only boxing game with more heavyweight fun than this sequel is the original.
SNAGCHEP (Seqa C0), SHENMUE (reamcast]), RANGEP-H (Ceresis), SEPEEGS OF RAGE 2 (Genesis) and SHEADOUWEFUN (Genesis)
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 138 - www.egmmag.com
ACTIVISIONO2.COM
esrb.org
800-771-3772
it Www
is or call 1
V
RATING PENDING CONTENT RATED BY
e trademarks of Activision, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tony Hawk is a trademark of Tony Hawk. All Marvel character names and distinctive like- ft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.A. and/or other countries and are spective owners.
© 1999-2000 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Published and Distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark and Activision O02, Tony Hawk's Pro nesses thereof: Trademark and © 2000 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Treyarch LLC. Licensed by Microsoft Corporation for the use of the Xbox
used under license from Microsoft. All Rights Reserved. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names ¥
| Genesis | Sega, 1990
This first-of-
| its-breed
| real-time-strat
_ classic puts you behind the stick of a transformable robot that must take over bases by building drones and ordering them to attack. Don’t toss out your battle plan if things go awry. Just grab a gun, fly in, and take matters into your own hands.
HBRZOG Lives
It may have slipped under gamers’ radars back in ‘go, but HZ has a hardcore follow- ing online today. Amidst the FAQs and fan sites, the most touching show of affection comes from Arizona gamer Martin Actor, who's resurrecting HZ on PC using the Unreal Tournament engine. “Later games in the genre ignored what made HZ so great—the arcade style, simplicity of unit selection and focus on actual strategy rather than micro-management,” Actor tells us. “So | always wanted to see a sequel, and | figured | could do the original game justice via the UT engine.”
See Herzog in 3D at http:// mep.beyondunreal.com/hz
PANZBR DRAGOON II
Sabuen
Sega, 1996
If the first Panzer
_ Dragoon intrigued the minds of gamers every- where, Zwei captured them lock, stock and barrel. Featuring branching paths, the ability to affect the growth of your dragon, one of the most beautifully designed game worlds ever, and a box full of secrets, PDZ is a landmark shooter.
CASTLEVANIA IIT: ORACULA’S CURSE
oY FINE SSS2 BLK t-~-oO2 perenne ae CG
Nes Konami, 1990
Released in
NES’ twi-
light days,
Castlevania Ill dishes out some of the best visuals on the system, but it’s the gameplay that put the game on this list. True to the original (without the RPG bits of part 2), this classic packs solid plat- form fun, with alternate routes and multi- ple characters —including SotN’s Alucard.
CONTRA ae 1988 eas BS
fy rae
Kids who ee “em wanted to aay be astronauts suddenly wanted to be commandos in ‘88. Blame it on this side-scroller’s never- ending intensity and wicked power-ups (our fave: the spreadgun). More teens knew the cheat code than knew the capi- tal of lowa, but it’s the elite few who can conquer the aliens with three lives.
POKEMON GOLO/SILVBR/CRUSTAL
Game Boy Colon “OFF ING, .
Nintendo, 2000 {===—~
Look past the Poke- hype and you're left with a fun and engrossing adventure game that taps a direct line to your inner child. Capturing and battling those cute lil’ bastards is just the begin- ning. The internal clock, wide array of gadgets and a hundred new monsters make this newest Poké-quest the best.
CHRIS SOK @ BALL.
usec
the
GUARDIAN HEROBS
Sabuen Sega, 1996
Throw Final
Fight, a big
golden zom-
bie, Street Fighter and all the insane 2D effects you can find into a blender and hit puree. Whip until creamy smooth and you'll get Guardian Heroes. And if the multiple characters and branching story- lines aren’t enough, the six-player Versus mode puts this game over the top.
PAPUA MARIO
Nintendo 64 ‘lg Nintendo, 2001
vee my
it may look like Mario Babies and
lack the pedigree of Square-developed Super NES prequel Mario RPG (see #60), but Paper Mario offers more depth, side quests and charm before 10 a.m. than most RPGs dish out all day. And unlike most battle systems, the game’s combo- crazy combat is actually fun.
PUANTASY STAR DNLING VOR, £
Oreameast es Sega, 200) eo
PSO does for consoles what PCs have been doing for years: bring people together, online. The unwashed gaming masses gather in PSO’s lobbies, creating a console watering hole devoid of linguis- tic barriers. Sure, dungeon exploration gets old after a while, but the quest for rare items keeps you going.
MAGICIAN LOPO (NeoGeo, MAM 1975 Neotel, SEEPEG OF MANA Goper NOS), SOME IS OVEPPaGeD (You know its treve], BUSHIDO BLADE (PlayStation) and EaMHAaANGBEP (PlayStation)
200 Miles Per Hour. 1000 |
> me ae
fons Per Second. »>
syesndegiea aeamabemeiidty eh RSA NRE,
22 Catching air in SF. Looks good, earns style points and offers tasty view. But you lose lap time and possibly your bet. What do you do, pallyP
22” Powersliding. It earns points, but increases risks. A.K.A. crashing. And crashing equals dents. Equals less kudos. Equals loser. Better think fast, chief.
#2” Welcome to NYC, circuit #178. Virgin run and you're off pace. You can learn the line. Or just go for style points. Again, your call, tough guy.
With over 25 cars, 4 cities and 200+ circuits, what will you do? it all depends:
Wwnet's Griving YOU? oo tetera microsoft.com/games/projectgotham R A C / N G EVERYONE
— ine
| a Bi
SUPER MARIO KART
Super NS Nintendo, 1992
If you think
we're krazy
for listing this
old-timer higher than Mario Kart 64 or Kart: Super Circuit, then we figure you never spent enough quality time with this originator of the kart-game species. The shortcut-crammed course design here is the best in the series, and we really miss the Feather-hop power-up in later games.
mS. PAC-MAN
Multiplatform Midway, 192)
Ms. Pac-
Manisa
timeless clas-
sic we EGM editors still find ourselves playing today. And did you know two MIT students/hackers in the early ‘80s reverse-engineered (Mr.) Pac-Man to cre- ate the girly version, which Midway bought and distributed? We always knew higher education had a point.
A-TYP2 OPLTA
PlayStation Ascii, 1999
if any game
can be for-
given for
slowdown during play, it’s R-Type Delta. Wave after wave of enemies and bullets pack the screen so tight that when things bog down, it’s actually a relief. Three playable ships, a great power-up system and epic boss fights—a shooter that taxes your brains as well as your thumbs.
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS
PlayStation , a Sony CUA, 1993 jie
Onip ii
It has one of the most convoluted, poorly written/translated storylines in the history of video games—we still don’t know what the plot is about. But FF Tactics took FFV’s incredible Job system and turned it into a full-fledged strategy game, with amazing depth of play that can steal hours and hours from your life.
THY LEGEND OF ZELDA: ORACLE OF Bilas
More action-
oriented
than Oracle of
Ages, Seasons is a phenomenal adven- ture made even better by its ability to link up with Ages. You take control of the four seasons (no, not them) to solve Zelda- style puzzles and save the land of Holodrum, not to mention the Oracle of Seasons herself.
RUSIDENT BVIL COOP: VERONICA H
PlayStation 2 Capcom, 200)
Code: Veronica proved that a demented, cross-dressing villain, assort- ed twisted bosses and enemies, and dis- turbing locales on two separate conti- nents make for a damn tasty survival-hor- ror stew. Thanks to its assorted extras, this PS2 port beats out the equally gor- geous Dreamcast version.
CONTRA Ill: THO ALIEN WARS
Super NUS Honami, 1992
Back when
the Contra
series was
still good, Contra Ill was the series’ great- est installment. it overloads our senses with big bosses, incredible backgrounds and scaling and rotation effects, back when “scaling” and “rotation” were a big deal. And the two-player mode lets you share all the intensity with a bud.
THY LEGEND OF ZBLOA: ORACLE Ld AGES
Game Boy Color Gil Nintendo, 200)
With more
puzzles than
GBC sibling
Oracle of Seasons, Ages is a thinking-dude’s action-RPG. The game has you fiddling with the flow of time, jumping back and forth between the past and the present, which totally factors into most of the head-scratch- ing puzzles. Can’t figure out what to do in the present? Zip back to the past and look for the answer. And true to the series, the _ dungeon design and bosses here are cun- ningly designed.
TH@ THIRD ONO'S NO CHARM
Nintendo and developer Capcom original- ly slated the Oracle games to be a three- part series, so where’s the missing Link? “The third Zelda game is unfinished, but it exists,” says Yoshiki Okamoto, execu- tive producer (and president of Capcom- offshoot Flagship). “It probably won’t be released because it’s extremely difficult to link between three games. The debug- ging process takes forever, and it’s hard to figure out which game the problems originated from.” But don’t blame Okamoto —it wasn’t his idea to can the third title. “[Mario creator Shigeru] Miyamoto-san told us, ‘Let’s make the games two instead of three.’ We were helped by his suggestion.”
EaPGHEOUNnD (Super N@S), Panappa GHE Rapper ® (PlayStatior|, SUPEP BaSEBaLL
2020 (NeoGeo), MOLE Walid (Game Boy Color) and SGPeEGS OF RAGE (Ceresis)
Riactranic fQarmpac AAnnthiy - ~\ANANAR OOMmMmMmna com ‘ BEGTC AAT Ebibie, IVIQGTELETLY ~ “~WYVYYLC eK Hibiak LOT
PlaySbation Bs Square BA, 2000 ©
Chrono Cross blew RPG fans and Chrono Trigger devotees away by nailing all the elements that make an RPG great. You get a memorable story, endearing cast, traditional turn-based gameplay with some innovative twists, and top- notch soundtrack and visuals. It’s enough to give this sucker instant-classic status.
SATURN BOMBERMAN
Saburn Se fs@ 17500) Bis
Sega, 1997
We've seen
several
episodes in
this popular and always-fun series, but none (not even Dreamcast’s Bomberman Online) can out-blast this one, an old- fashioned 2D party game that supports up to 10 players (yes, 10!). Once you’ve tried this, you'll never look at four-player (yawn) Bomberman the same way again.
STROGT FIGHTER Il: 9A0 STAID
Dreamcast ae Tey:
Capcom, 2000
While most people con- sider Street Fighter Il Turbo as their favorite Capcom fighter, SFIII: 3rd Strike is where many pros go to brawl. This amazingly animat- ed, super-technical fighter rewards skilled players with the deepest 2D fight- ing action around. Forget about the 3D SF EX series. This is where it’s at.
NO). in —any
. nindd SPIPiGS CTurboGraP- 18) FiGHGING UiPErs Benes UECEOrman F< [Beneste),
CASTLEVANIA: CIRCLE OF THB MOON
Game Boy Adv. Konami, 200)
Just ‘cause
it’s stuck on
a handheld
doesn’t keep Circle of the Moon from being one of the best Castlevania games ever made. It combines classic zombie-spank action with a clever “card” system that lets you mix elements for different power-ups and weapons— it’s everything you need for a great action-adventure.
NCAA FOOTBALL 2002
PlayStation 2 BA, 200)
We never realized how addicting it could be to try to make your favorite col- lege team climb through the rankings to a bowl game until we picked up this fast- paced baller. Whatever it lacks in realism, it makes up for in fun—a fact well demonstrated by the number of work deadlines it caused EGM staffers to miss.
SUPHR MARIO BROS. 2 [ALL-STARS BOITION)
N2S/Super NBS, Nintendo ‘88 (originall/"93 (All-Stars Bd.)
Based ona
non-Mario
Japanese
game, SMBz2 is the freak of the series: You pick up enemies instead of bashing them, and this is the first and last time many of these enemies—including boss Wart—were seen. The version in GBA Super Mario Advance may be flashier, but we’d rather play SMB2 on the big screen.
mi4@ TYSON'S PUNCH-OUT!!
Nes Er Aner a
Nintendo, 1987
Body blow, body blow... knockout! Ah, the sweet sounds of victory. With only a few punches in its arsenal and limited defensive moves, Punch-Out!! still tops modern boxing games in heavyweight fun. It took real skill to topple final boss Tyson. We're just glad he didn’t come at us with his ear-nibbling finishing move.
MADDEN NFL 2002
PlayStation 2 @A, 2001
Football
| series have
come and
gone, but the latest in this bellweather franchise continues to impress. A decade of refined computer intelligence makes this the most realistic game on the field. Its graphics are stunning enough to make you overlook Madden and Summerall’s zombie-like commentary.
5. “Why aren’t | drinking today? Why don't you shut up before | get so angry | need a drink?”
U. “Run, coward!” 3. “PIF needs Food badly!”
©. | am going deeper into your mind...inbo your soul. You like Castlevania, dont you?”
1. “Thank you, Mario. But our princess is in another castle.”
SILENG BOMBEF (PlayStation ad BEBGLE ABDUBNGUPrE RAGING (Nintendo 64)
144
2 ie ote Feene
Ss Sacre a , 4 F #
; MATURE Lo : ae a et | : ae ee : ' eee Ses 1, Violence 2 : ae eC = | | 7
SILENT HILL@ is a a registered trademark of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO, Inc. £0 1999°2001 KONAMICO MPUTER ENTERTAINMENT -<TOKYO. inc. KONAMI®@ is @ registered:trademiark of KONAMI CORPORATION. All Rights Reserved. “PlayStation” and the “PS" Family logo ate registered trademarks of Sony Com
puter Entertainment-Inc Xbox and Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries. ‘The fatings icon is a-trademark of the-Interactive Digital Software Association.
HOT SHOTS GOLF 2
| PlayStation | Sony CRA, 2000
oe
ant!
The perfect game to bust out ona laid-back Sunday afternoon (along with a six-pack), Hot Shots 2 takes all the fun parts of golf—the skill, the gear, the crusty dudes with bad toupees— and leaves out the country clubs, real-life courses and golf celebs that most gamers don’t give a gopher’s ass about.
TH LEGEND OF ZeLOA
wit EMO B34 e+ ie xO i$ axe
Bae AT R7A) 874702830 Pvainiarataintal
A classic in
every sense
of the word,
the original Zelda is a masterpiece of game design, not to mention the very first game of its kind. Even today, Zelda’s perfect mix of action and exploration— complete with two huge quests and loads of secrets—will keep armchair adventur- ers glued to their TV sets for weeks.
GUNSTAR HEROUS
Genesis Sega, 1993
No game shows off the
_ Genesis’ power like Treasure’s rookie effort. It’s frantic, with combinable power-ups, unique levels and more things to shoot at than you can, well, shoot at. It’s a blast as a two-player game—you can actually use your partner as a weapon by throwing him at enemies. Talk about teamwork!
SONIC CD
SCORE», Moog) . ee ih
C0 Some, 100
Those new-
fangled 3D
Sonic games
with all their polygons and extra charac- ters still don’t beat out Sonic CD as the best game in the series. SCD boasts good level design, a great soundtrack and a super-cool time-travel aspect that directly affects the game’s ending. Sonic Team should mine this old gal for some ideas.
SUPPR CASTLEVANIA IV
Super NZS Konami, 199)
Back before
the Super
NES was con-
sidered super-duper, this sucker put the new system through its paces with big sprites, rotating backgrounds and other nifty effects. Of course, the classic Drac gameplay that’s made this series a hard- core fave was as Solid as ever. And who can forget Simon’s limp whip?
HRY, HOW “BOUT A SPQUBL?
Sorry gang, but a Gunstar update ain’t in the gameplan for Treasure, a company with a rep for not making follow-ups. “I! want to do it,” says Treasure Prez Masato Maegawa. “It’s just that if we make a sequel, | think it should be done by the guys who made the [first game]. They’re all separated and working on different titles now. We're not going to make a sequel just because it would sell. That would be a dis- aster.” So why not a consolation prize, such as a Gunstar port for Game Boy Advance? “Every time | meet overseas pub- lishers, they say, ‘Please develop Gunstar Heroes GBA for us,’” he says. “I think mak- ing a new one would be better than just porting the title over to GBA.”
BLASLEP MASE (N09), SHLEMG HELL (PouStation, RAMMAMN Z (Orcamcast),
CHRONO TRIGGER
Super NBS ‘ae? Square, 1995 :
Time-trip- ping quest? Check. Unique battle system? Check. Soaring musical score? Check. Sounds like an RPG trifecta to us. And Chrono Trigger — which combos the best aspects of Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana—does deliver nearly everything we want in an RPG (except FF- caliber character development).
5. Spy Hunter
UW. Tron
g. Ikari Warriors ©. Daytona USA
1. Robotron 2084
SUPRA MARIO BAOS.
(ALL-STARS BDITION)
NOS/Super NOS, Ninbendo opti Sak ‘85 (original)/"G3 (All-Stars Gd.)
It’s 16 years col? on
old and es ee
nearly all of
its sequels are better games, but the fact that the original Mario is so high on our list should show you how great this series truly is. If you've never experienced it, track down Mario All-Stars for the Super NES or SMB Deluxe for Game Boy Color. Then thank us by sending cash.
ELEMBNGal GEAPBOLG (PlayStation and BLAZING LACEPS (CurboGrars-|6)
A Story BEYonp Time. An AvdDVENTURE BEYonop BELIEF.
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MATURE
®
Blood and Gore
idike Witu Cacnasiiee PlayS ta tion.c ere Violence
SRB C) 2001 Cr | amics. Crystal Dynamics, Legacy of Kain. Soul Reaver, and the related characters are trademarks of trademarks EDL hes eo Inc at 7 1
i rystal Dynamics. Crystal Dynamics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eidos Interactive. Eidos. Eidgs Interactive, and the Eidos I rights reserve layStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony tee ntertainment Inc. The rat 4 * feted fihe inter. Bi f sh Ee
Interactive jogo are registered S ICON IS a regis trademark o' active Digita tware Association.
f Saturn, Werking | Designs, 1996
Dragon Force defined epic _ strategy gaming with Braveheart-caliber wars (with hundred-man armies!), battle- field-clearing magical attacks and nine different playable generals, each with his or her own storyline. Not even the almighty FF Tactics (#43) can top this one as our favorite strategy-RPG of all time.
POKOMON PUZZLE LEACLE
Nintendo 64 Nintendo, 2000
Some poo-
pooed the
Big N’s deci-
sion to add Pukémons to this souped-up version of Super NES Tetris Attack, but we appreciate the removal of the slowdown that plagued the 16-bit game. This amaz- ingly addictive puzzle title won over casu- al and hardcore gamers alike with its simple yet deep combo-crazy gameplay.
GRAN TURISMO 3
PlayStation 2 = Sony GA, 200) “=
iat cbapee hey SRL
Gran Turismo has shifted gears from a mere racing game series to more of an interactive car museum. But that doesn’t keep this latest installment from being loads of fun for gearheads and mainstream gamers alike. And in this third game we even get to drive Fi cars! Now if they’d just add the AMC Gremlin...
Fl
GALAGA
HIGH SCORE S9LO7O
MulbiplatForm Namen, 19%)
S7HO
Galaga rais-
es the big
question:
Should you blow away the blue bugs for big points or let ‘em capture your craft and then double your firepower? No mat- ter your decision, this ultimate twitch shooter is a prime example of ‘80s game design at its purest. How many bonus Challenging Stages can you reach?
TONY HAWK'S PAO SKATER 2
PlayStation Activision, 2000
eT
Store shelves NNT ELTLiP TATE Ligh , creak under 185842 | the weight of
_ wannabes (Tony Hawk-style snowboard-
_ ing, Tony Hawk-style surfing, Tony Hawk-
_ style lumberjack log tossing, etc.), but don’t hold that against this master of the Mountain Dew-sponsored genre. Its easy- to-learn free-form gameplay drops you into a Zen zone the second you pick it up.
NO PAIN, NO GAME... You think something like THPS2 happens by accident? Well, it does—lots of acci- dents. “I dislocated my shoulder,” says Neversoft Prez Joel Jewett, listing the injuries his team suffered while boning up to make the world’s sickest skate series. “But that doesn’t really stand up to asso- ciate producer Jeremy Anderson’s broken humerus he got trying to air out of a vert ramp. And designer Junki Saita blew out o his posterior cruciate liga- ment from skating too agro at our Christmas party.” Let’s hope they ail Survive to make THPS4.
Jewett takes one for the team on his backyard ramp.
_shadows, ferret through ventilation
PANZ@R DRAGOON SAGA
Sabuen Sega, 108
Whether or
not you
agree that
PDS is the greatest Saturn game ever, anyone who’s played it knows it’s one of the most engaging and unique RPGs to hit any console. Saga brings the Panzer Dragoon series to a surprising, climactic end, which always left us wanting more. Now how about that Xbox version...
SUPA MARIO WORLD 2: YDSHI'S ISLAND
Super NBS Nintendo, 1995
Never mind the crappy N64 sequel;
| the original Yoshi’s Island is where it’s at,
man. Beneath the trippy, pastel visuals lies one of the deepest, most enjoyable platform games we've ever played. It’s a shame it came out so late in the system’s life cycle, but if you missed it the first time, a GBA remake is on the way.
MBTAL GPAR SOLID
PlayStation Konami, 199s
You're pack- [ager Ml a ing heat, but Wy) mT the slightest , noise will give you away. So what’s a Solid Snake to do? Why, cling to the
ducts, toss chaff grenades, liberate key- cards, beat the snot out of bad-ass boss- es, avoid getting Metal Gear’s footprint stamped on your face and save the world!
ICO (PlayStation 2), PARAPPA GHE RAPPEP (PlayStation), CaSGLeuania (NBS), MBA 2H (Dreamcast) and BUSG-3@-MBUE = (PlayStation)
Ciaetrarmic flarminea hAaAntialy 148 LARARAS QOOMMmaccram clectronic Gam is AAOTILETLY ~ ~ WW YY. OSTTid&s COM
Wrestle for no reason at al
Light poo on fire, then run
Shave monkeys
Play sports
Dump salt in friend's milk
Waich scrambled TV
Light their farts
Swear
Tie fishing line to door knockers
Road trip
Call the ex and hang up
© 2001 Best Buy
Best Buy /
We ‘asked men ages
16 to 25 what they like to do for fun.
Here's what they said:
were all over this one.
$5 OFF any ay i PlayStation’2 :
EA Sports titles | turnOntheFun i
Good only at Best Buy stores. Not good in combination with other coupons or offers. Limit one per coupon per title per customer. Not valid on prior purchases. Valid on in-stock items only; no rainchecks. No dealers. Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. No copies. Coupon value 6
is 1/100 of one cent. Good through 2/28/02. | i 043 59465" "6 i & 2001 Best Buy
Cashier Instructions: Verify product qualifies. Scan coupon bar code. Scan product bar code. Highlight qualified | 00043 — et ih a et a oa es ae ome
item. Press “Item Modity.” Press “Item Discount.” Press “Tab.” Enter “500” and press “Enter.” Write “VOID”
on coupon and place in register media file. ?
BestBuy.com
BES Games ever
SUPEA MARIO BANS. 3 “(ALL-STAAS QDITION)
N@S/Super NOS, Nintendo ‘QO (originall/93 (All-Stars 8d.)
PINAL PANTASY V (FP ANTHOLOGY GOITION!
PlayStation wii a Square A, 1988 =’ a
_STAOOT FIGHTR II TURAN: HYPOR FIGHTING
| Super N@S e | Capcom, 1993 lag
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‘usacmameenemmenanamenmarnn *
This is tradi- tional old- w school Street Fighter at its best. Sure, you'll find tech- nically superior sequels on the market, but SF2 Turbo’s simplistic charm makes it _very playable, even by today’s standards. | No super meters, no 13-hit Super Arts, no parrying —just one-on-one competition. Ultimately, that’s what counts.
THO ART OF FIGHTING We cornered Street Fighter Il designer Akira Nishitani to wax nostalgic about... * Blanka’s design: “He had _ more natural-colored skin at first. Then someone said, _‘Let’s make him more _ butt-kicking! and he ended up becoming green.” e When he knew he had a hit: “Even | | during development stages, SFIl was so fun that we could play it all night long.” * The invention of special moves: “Some people can’t | do [button | combos] right, sol came up with the idea of _ charging and tapping.”
Although the FF series now dresses in fancy 3D graphics and beautifully ren- dered cutscenes, serious RPG fans still
| consider the older, simpler-looking games to be the best. FFV may be old- school and ugly, but it introduced the wonderfully addicting Job system that is | still innovative by today’s standards.
The first
time you
saw Mario
nab that leaf and sprout a raccoon tail, you knew his series just got a lot more interesting. And the visually dated Mushroom Kingdom got a facelift thanks to the cart’s MMC3 chip. Thank God Princess Toadstool can’t stop getting kid- © napped, ‘cuz saving her is so much fun.
sapianpianpan stayin
FINAL FANTASY IIL
Super NBS Square, 1994
ee
SUPER MARIO WORLD
The last | 2D Final Fantasy is also the series’ best. Our personal favorite moments: Celes’ tear-inducing opera-house performance, Kefka poison- | ing Doma Castle’s water, Gau’s backstory and the amazing 20-minute ending. This is Final Fantasy at its most cinematic without relying on actual video cinemas.
The biggest
and best 2D
Mario of them
all, this sequel kicked off the Super NES era with a bang. It features more than 70 inventive stages and that legendary Mario gameplay, as well the debut of dino-mighty sidekick Yoshi. Be sure to nab it when it’s rereleased as Super Mario Advance 2 for the GBA in February.
TH@ LEGEND OF ZeLDA: OCARINA OF Time
TH@ LEGEND OF ZBLOA: MAJORA'S MASK
Nintendo 6&4 Nintendo, 2000 ==
SOUL CALIBUR
Dreamcast Nameo, 1999
_ Like Mario
| . Choosing To this day, (64 before it, between noother3D Negi Ocarina is liv- this and fighting game
| ing proof that even the finest 2D games can be as captivating in 3D. Its remark- able gameplay is complemented by a massive overworld, exquisitely designed dungeons and some of the best boss bat- tles ever. And the “Z-targeting” feature made it way easier to fight in 3D space.
Ocarina of Time wasn’t easy, but in the end it was Majora’s masks that put the second N64 Zelda on top. The awesome
devious, puzzle-packed dungeons kept this cart in our N64s for weeks.
abilities they give our hero Link, plus the completely reworked concept of time, and
marries graphics and gameplay the way
- Soul Calibur does. By adding tech-rolls, -8-way run, air control and guard impact,
SC rewrote how 3D fighting games are played. The mission mode, plus all the awesome extras, make it worth owninga © Dreamcast for this game alone.
REGUPA Fi (PlayStation), BUPGEPTIME (mutiplatform, CSABEPNAGOE (Super Nes), EnmnHanDer (PlayStation and ASGEPOSMAGH Lintellivision
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 130
™
OFFICIALLY LICENSED FOR Xbox
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THE UNFaik SOVeNTSaGE
IN YOUR GRASP
| REAL GOOD FOR Xbox:
|
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VORTEX" IS READY T0
> NICE CURVES. KILLER GRIP
IT'S ONE
THE VORTEX™ CONTROLLER
000.
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| Nintendo BY BRG Nintendo, 1995
It may be five years old, but Mario 64 is guru Shigeru Miyamoto’s most recent “real” Mario title (until Mario Sunshine hits GameCube next year) —and it’s still the best 3D game around, despite many imitators. The levels pack clever puzzles and give you so much to do, you'll be stuck playing for quite some time.
TRTRIS
Multiplatform 1988
Developed in Moscow and then dumped onto every machine with a display screen, this puzzle-game grandpapa nabbed the - numero-uno spot the last time we picked | our 100 favorite games 50 issues ago. And if a few more EGM staffers had their way this _ time around, we’d be raising the Ruskie flag at the top of our list once again. The seven falling blocks here deliver a pure gaming _ experience that will last forever. _ IN THR BRGINNING... | The blocks from prototype Tetris, created | by Alexey Pajitnov in 1986 on his Russian _ Electronika-60 computer, were made from simple text brackets and looked like this: oe {] 00) (0000) (If) nn oa a op UO “| remember very well when the falling shapes appeared for the first time on my — screen,” Pajitnov, who now works at Microsoft, tells us. “I had no score...no [block] accelerations, but | couldn’t go and finish _ these parts of the [game] because | just sat and played with my half- working program. That was great!"
CASTLEVANIA: Salil uF THO NIGHT
PlayStation Konami, 1997
family takes
a backseat in
this decidedly un-Castlevania-like Castlevania game. You explore Dracula’s castle Super Metroid-style as Alucard, the evil one’s estranged son, armed with a sword instead of a whip. It still draws us in like few other games can. Please, Konami, release another one like this.
THU LEGEND OF ZBLOA: A LINK TO THe PAST
Niekende, yog2
Link’s finest hour? We think so, It’s tough to pick a best Zelda when they’re all so darn good, but on the whole, A Link to the Past offers the best overall pack- age. Two overworlds, fantastic dungeons, incredible gameplay—this baby has it all. Heck, even the music is wonderful. This one’s got “GBA port” written all over it.
SUPUR METROID
Super NBS SEON mo Ont Ningendo, EH a Sr =
We knew the
game that
grabbed our
top slot would have to be...well, more than just a video game. To edge out all the other masterpieces on our list, it would have to be something that left an indelible mark on our memories and transcended the medi- um to deliver a timeless, totally immersive experience. That something is, without a doubt, Super Metroid. It’s sucha
satisfying game that only gets better with age—a trick that few others can pull off.
its expanding map inspired Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’s elegant layout, but Super Metroid has its own brilliant fla- vor that no one could duplicate. Cleverly hidden false floors drop rookies into planet
Nasty Norfair miniboss pre-Samus...
Zebes’s baddest neighborhoods. Ominous yet beatable bosses are almost too pretty to pummel. Persistent aliens reward a well- earned kill with just what you’re lacking,
be it missiles, energy or a power bomb that’ll break down a nearby door. A grap- pling hook and an ice beam that turns ene- mies into
stepping ieeein stones give
you access to formerly off-
limits areas.
Factor a
haunting
score Into this flawless design equation, and you’ve got the greatest game ever. But it’s numero uno in our book not just ‘cause it reminds us of getting lost in Zebes, playing through dinner, and falling asleep at the controls eight years ago. It’s that we’d gladly wake | up face-down on the A button again today.
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AH | Tamseane (1 ml \ candor (EQUA lm
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Perey Pee | ) OF PT Re ae eae
...and post-Samus. Don’t mess with this chick.
TESG BRPIVE LE MANS (reancast], EHOIGEBIKE GH (Nintendo 64), ROAD RASH (300) NEED FOF SPEED: HOG PUPSUGG (PlayStation), and BiH (Game Bou)
WHAT HAUE WE LEARNED TOORY? LET'S CRUNCH THE NUMBERS AND SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND OUT...
THE TOP 5 PUBLISHEFS
THE TOP FIVE GAMES FOR EACH SYSTEM
PLaS Sian hMiGEnne GY coguyeey 1. Castlevania: Symphony of 1. Super Mario 64 — the Night 2. The Legend of Zelda: _ TWO-Wad Ge: 2. Final Fantasy V (Final Fantasy Majora’s Mask Konami anon CaPpcom Anthology edition) 3. The Legend of Zelda: —_ | 3. Metal Gear Solid Ocarina of Time SOs CEA 4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 4. Pokémon Puzzle League 5. Hot Shots Golf 2 5. Paper Mario ———————~ 00are EA fe) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
is hoe & =i Feiiiy
: is a: eB Number of Games on List i. Sra: laine 3 ne -Spec 1, Genus iebes
2. Madden NFL 2002 2. Herzog Zwei 3. NCAA Football 2002 3. Landstalker TOP-1I00 BreAHDOUN 4. Resident Evil cage: Veronica X 4. Sonic The Hedgehog %, BY SYSLEPM *Oniy four PS2 titles made ourtopice —«55. Phantasy Star Il %e nn Se er e
1 ‘Sie Mario Bros. 3 1. Panzer Bregnon Saga
2. Super Mario Bros. 2. Dragon Force 3. The Legend of Zelda 3. Saturn Bomberman 4. Super Mario Bros. 2 4. Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
5. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! 5. Guardian Heroes
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me oO OL oP ea
1. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle 1. Soul Calibur of Ages 2. Street Fighter Ill: 3rd Strike 2. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle 3. Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 of Seasons 4. Street Fighter Alpha 3
3. Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal 5. Skies of Arcadia
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX
5. Donkey Kong
cue Gee Sy 1. Super Metroid
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
3. Final Fantasy III
THE GOP 5 FRANCHISES
WHIGH GENeracion Hal GHE BESG Games? = —
40
Peat iT |
35 — Fila. FanGasy
4. Super Mario World = 30 ——- : i | Turbo: ‘od cmeetnn’ ee :
5 Fiver Hehe urbo F in : ane CASbLeUania ” “2 Wiad Gil: PHANGASY Shar. = ors RESiIDENG EVIL. ano 5 SGEPeEG FiGHGeEr
° 20 US. 30: ew 0 2 4 6 8 0
WHICH SEYLE 4 Number of Games on List ~ 3 > DOMNaGeo? 5 0
You can do one of two things if you don’t like the lay of our 100 best-games-ever list: Buy yourself some poster board, snip out the write-up for each game, and paste the list back together in the order you prefer. Or, if
you’re not an arts-and-crafts-kinda guy, just e-mail us
at egm@ziffdavis.com with the subject header “Best CoIrPGriDGe game ever!” and tell us what you think is the best darn US. CD game that ever was, along with a really brief descrip- GAaAmes tion of why it was so darn special. We'll run a select
few of your responses in next month’s letters section. &
Number of Games on List
es | am ‘ oh eee a ee) , Se ee riecrTronic Gaming VIONTNIV - 153 ~ DAWA ePOmma Ruths SoC SEA EA MOS PIU LEItLy VV VV VV¥.C ao tic
sie)
“proper” way—i.e., front to back, in your sitting parlor, snug in your
you’ve just gone through our picks for the 100 best games of, like, ever. The nostalgia’s got you real warm and fuzzy,
huh? Welcome to the flipside, Clyde: 20
; titles so bad they’re good. And by “good” we mean “so bad that playing them more
than once’ll make your face explode.”
To pick this cream of the crap, we played every stinkeroo title we could think of, got violently ill, then submitted significant
workman’s comp claims that'll choke our HR
department for years. In the end, we got lazy and decided to share the dirty work with _ freelance writer Seanbaby, a fully licensed and accredited humorist who pokes fun at __ everything from games to testicular injuries at _ his Web site, www.seanbaby.com. You're holding _ the result of our collaboration in your hands. (And we pray all you’re holding is this magazine.) _ Before you begin, a warning: This article runneth over with lowbrow humor. If you’re insulted by the fart jokes, the dirty sex talk or anything else you read here, blame Seanbaby. If you’re insulted that we picked so many Atari Jaguar games, blame Atari—we didn’t make that piece- o’-turd system. And. if you’re so insulted that you can’t bring yourself to ever touch a joypad again, contact your employer’s HR department. Hey, it worked for us.
BORN IN A MARKETING MEETING
- Want to enjoy our article but don’t know how to read? Watch for these cons to get an at-a- ance gander at what
s each game so yery not special.
OTION VIDEO AHEAD se LICENSED SCHLOCK
5) tem: Game Boy Color uilty party: Ed Magnin and
Z vis Sucker packs four events — sledding, kayaking, biking and __ Skateboarding—and all of them contain the same level of what the developers labeled “extreme,” but _ what we call “a teddy bear slowly moving past rocks in a race to humiliate whoever gets caught playing it.” And the only thing that changes between the four events is the background and the terrible visual of what your bear is riding. Otherwise, all four are the same ~___ damn terrible thing. We reckon the
If nothing else, this game delivers the warm satisfaction of ramming the little girl bear’s head into trees and screaming, “I’m an extreme teddy beAAARRRGGGHHH!”
game was designed for blind children—they’re the only ones who won’t notice that someone
just painted the ground blue and called it kayaking.
Before you race, you can choose to be either Brother or Sister Bear, although there’s no difference between them. It’s just an option SO you can go back and beat the
game again in adress. Of course, if
you’re the kind of person who would play Extreme Sports with the Berenstein Bears twice, you’d probably have just as much fun playing in an abandoned refrigerator.
GREPHICS: 1 (OUT OF 10)
Since the developers thought we were dumb, the artist only made
graphics for one fourth of a game. The box should include a note from the artist’s doctor giving a medical excuse for that kind of failure. FUN: 0 (OUT OF 10)
Controlling your bear is almost impossible, the game gets tedious into the third second, and the basic concept behind it would get you shot in most countries. EXTREMENESS: 0 (OUT OF 10)
An ugly teddy bear sliding into rocks on an uncontrollable something that looks like a toaster is actually less extreme than most real-life non-extreme sports, such as shuffleboard or lawn darts.
| 19 Bible Adventures & ah
System: NES
Guilty party: Wisdom Tree if there’s a God, why does He let ad things happen? Or more to point, why did He let these idiots involve Him in this video ime? You get three adventures choose from: Noah’s Ark, Baby oses, and David & Goliath. All combine the fun of learning about e Bible with the excitement of monotonous wandering. In Noah’s Ark, for instance, you hunt down and subdue unwilling animals, usually by smashing vegetables over their heads. We bet that after an hour of trying to chase down that second pony, you'll kick your
_ System: Sega CD — Guilty party: Digital Pictures When we first saw these two kids with their pants on backward rapping about missing their school bus, we knew they were five minutes away from never working again. It seems the guys who made Kris Kross: Make My Video knew that too, and they had to make a game about them fast, even if they didn’t know how. Your.job is to listen to radio callers and construct a Kris Kross video according to their exacting specifications. They want things like “No shots of cars, lots of horizontal wipes, a goat, and please put me out of my misery
NES off the TV and shout at the Sky, “You’re just going to have to make some more ponies after the flood, God!”
In Baby Moses, your job is to haul Baby Moses through a desert filled with spiders who want to eat Baby Moses. And it doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes for the game to degenerate into you just throwing Baby Moses into a river and watching him sink, then pretending it was an accident. If you make it to the end of a level without Baby Moses, your only reprimand is, “Good Work! But you forgot Baby Moses!” So even if you kill Baby Moses, you still
18 is Kris Kross: Make My Video > Go
because | clearly shouldn’t be allowed to live.” When you’re making your video, you can switch between three sets of streaming footage. One is the original Kris Kross video; the other two are whatever non-copyrighted crap Digital Pictures could get their hands on. Some of it is old cartoons, some of it is tourism videos, but most of it is of such bad quality you can’t figure out what it’s supposed to be. We’re glad they included it because, as great as the original MTV Kris Kross videos were, vintage footage of can-can dancers and old women in front of laundry machines really makes us want to jump, jump.
After you toss Moses in the river, try to look innocent by patting down your pockets and saying, “Now where did | put Baby Moses?” Otherwise, you will be struck by lightning.
feel good about yourself. And isn’t that exactly what would be important to Baby Moses while he’s sitting on the bottom of the river being eaten by spiders?
GRAPHICS: 6
Since all your time’s spent tossing Baby Moses into the water and laughing, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the game looks like. FUN: 1
Bible Adventures’ll come in handy if you can’t juggle the hard life of praying and playing games at Separate times, and you can use it to swear Someone into the witness Stand. “Place your left hand on Bible Adventures, Mr. Tommy Lee.” JESUS POWER: 8
This cart can do miracles, such as multiplying fish, parting the sea, and giving us an excuse to write “Baby Moses” 12 times. However, it should not be subjected to extreme temperatures and should be stored ina clean, dry place.
ccc
GRAPHICS: 1
If you normally watch MTV through a sandstorm on a TV with no vertical hold while huffing nitrous retard, this grainy game will only be a slight step down in quality. FUN: 0
We didn’t think you could ruin something that was already just two kids with backward clothes. We figure these developers could’ve made a game about ass cancer worse than the real disease. EVIL INCANTATIONS: 8 Something like Kriss Kross doesn’t happen without the help of evil wizards. So we reckon the [miggidymiggidymiggidy] Mack Daddy and the [diggidydiggidy-
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 195 - www.egmmag.com
Ever wish you could replace footage of Kris Kross with a shot of someone’s knee and then make the whole thing green? Then do we have the game for you, Mr. Stupidest Person Ever!
diggidy] Daddy Mack must be time- travelling magicians from the future who used their advanced knowledge of how to wear things backward to infiltrate the music biz. Which means by the time you read this, we’ll probably be toads.
4
System: PlayStation
Guilty party: Accolade
Bubsy 3D handles like a runaway train. Once you get the furball Star going, he can’t stop until well after you’ve hit the creature you were trying to avoid or are 20 feet deep into the pool of lava you wanted to stop in front of. You’ll constantly be sliding out of control past hallways you wanted, and since all of the walls are the same flat, unchanging color, you may never be able to find your way back. You should also know that the whole time this torture is going on, your bobcat is screaming obnoxious catchphrases at you. If that sounds like something you’d like, then you might also like chewing on a piece of tin foil that a fat person was using as underwear, fella.
The game is fully 3D, but Bubsy can’t really move in any direction other than straight. Getting to an item across the room can take up to 10 minutes of walking in a line, slowly rotating, then walking in a line and slowly rotating. So unless it’s an item that makes 1 million cheerleaders appear in your living room and start washing their cars, it’s probably not worth the pain and suffering it takes to get to it. GRAPHICS: 2 Bubsy’s world looks like it was built out of old milk cartons by a group of first graders from a
T Total Recall system, es il BY
Guilty party: Acclaim
It’s true, Some movies don’t
i _ translate into Nintendo. For
nce, you'd have to venture far from the plot of, say, The English Patient to turn it into a video game. Total Recall is not one of those movies. In the flick, Arnold went from gunfight to gunfight
_ surrounded by horrible mutants
and explosives. That’s more than enough stuff to make a cool game.
But instead, it looks like this game’s developers decided to come up with their own “better” Total Recall plot. Funny, but we
| J WORST GAMES EVER
17 Bubsy 3D By & se
country that has never seen milk cartons before. And did we mention that they didn’t have scissors, glue or hands, and had to put them together while they were covered in bees? We should have. FUN: 0
Any mean bastard can make a boring and unplayable game, but it takes a special kind of sadist to have Bubsy come on and scream obnoxious things at you every two seconds. You can almost taste how much the Bubsy 3D makers hated the children of America.
“TUDE: OFF THE CHARTS!
Bubsy was a mascot manufactured by a team of marketeers and outrageousness specialists to be as zany and full of ‘tude as scientifically possible. And boy, is he ever! Sometimes he’s so sassy, we're like, “You go raise the roof, Bubsy!” And then we’re all “Woomp! There he is!” because it’s So true.
an ig —
a
Revolutionary graphics? We’ve seen hobos clean better-looking things out of their belly buttons.
don’t remember the part of the movie where kids in purple top
_ hats pop out of garbage cans with
water-balloon launchers, and we definitely don’t remember the part where midgets in pink jumpsuits pulled Arnold into an alley to play leapfrog. But to be honest, all we really do remember in Jotal Recall is that alien chick with the three knockers.
GRAPHICS: 1
Remember those melty-faced mutants from the movie? Those guy’s stool was prettier than this icky-looking game.
FUN: 1
Your character here, like the real Arnold, has an incredible arsenal of moves at his disposal: both a jump
an iy
Galaxy on Jaguar)
System: NES Guilty party: Beam Software
Life on the Bad Street: A half-naked midget swings a purse. And, yes, that’s our player cowering with his head in his own diaper. (Inset: We see an alternate reality where we somehow overcome our fear and kick the midget in his shins.)
Bad Street Brawler was designed to be played with the Nintendo Power Glove, and the two go well together since neither is worth a crap. In the game, you control— or if you use the Glove, try to control—“Duke Davis, former punk rocker and the world’s coolest martial-arts vigilante!” It’s up to you to fight your way through the streets, killing whatever puppies and circus
and a sad thing he does with his wrist that sort of resembles a punch. You should be fine, though, since most of your enemies are midgets, and most of their attacks consist of harmlessly leaping over your head again and again. PUBLIC SWINDLING: 10 Whatever sadistic child torturers released Total Recall had to have known they were selling garbage, and were hoping you liked the movie enough to buy the game without ever checking with your own brain to see if you were in fact buying digital dog dookie. They might as well have made a bad game about fresh breath (for example, Fresh Breath: The Game) and prayed the public’s
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 156 - www.egmmag.com
The 5 Worst Game Characters Ever 1. Boogerman (from Boogerman on the Genesis)’ - 2. General Plastro (from the Army Men Series) -\" seseoes 3. Trevor McFur (from Trevor McFur in the Crescent
Seem mewn seers eeeeeeeeee
16 Bad Street Brawler He
wee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee reer ree errr rrr)
4. That 7 UP Spot thing (from the Cool Spot games)’; (* J. Bubsy (star of the Bubsy series)
Bee eee eee ee eeeeeeereeseeeee
strongmen you run into. And right down to the banana-throwing gorillas, it’s a perfect re-creation of real-life bad streets.
Now that we look at it, it kinda seems that the woefully un-bad, un-street and un-brawling Duke Davis didn’t receive proper karate-action training during his days as a punk rocker. There are Girl Scouts born with flippers who can punch better than Duke Davis. He has other attacks, including falling over in a move that looks like it was trying to be a kick, and a final ultimate move we call “cowering in fear.” GRAPHICS: 0 This game will actually make you less attractive for having played it. FUN: 1 BSB still wouldn’t be fun if you controlled it with the Nintendo Power Codpiece and it vibrated every time the game sucked. USEFUL ADVICE: 2 The game opens with the proverb “Never Trouble Trouble Til Trouble Troubles You.” Of course, that’s pretty hypocritical, since dressing in a diaper and kicking puppies is just blatantly Troubling Trouble.
If we were a midget in a pink jumpsuit, we would never ever kick someone who looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the penis.
unconditional love of fresh breath would makeitahit.Andwecan ss guarantee you, there is no way a |
game based on fresh breath could
be worse than this game based on
Total Recall.
In the mystical land of Mardias, the Valaimian Empire threatens to upset the balance of power of the continent... Our hero, Fazz and his band of mercenaries are hired to protect one of the Ruins of Ixia from the Valaimian forces. Little do they know, that a more sinister power is rising... Will you be able to stop it before the world of HOSHIGAMI is engulfed in eternal darkness?
EVERYONE
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
MILD VIOLENCE
_...its place in the strategy hall of fame is assured." me - Silicon Magazine
...one of the most promising PlayStation® game console titles of the year." - EGM
38 in Hi
Over 40 missions to test Create your own combination — Unleash magical fury by your tactical prowess! attacks using the innovative channeling energy through
Session System! customizable Coinfeigms!
© 2001 ATLUS USA. © 2001 MAXFIVE All rights reserved. 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. Illustrated by Takamichi.
WWwW.ATLUS.COM
1% Gir Cars & 4
System: Jaguar Guilty Party: Midnite Entertainment
Smoke trail, boulder or enemy turd bomb? You make the call.
To keep an evil organization from taking over the world, your spies have stolen the secret plans for an AIR CAR, a high-tech tank that packs a nuclear punch. We hate to break it to you, spies, but we think that instead of stealing the plans from a top-secret file cabinet, it looks like you accidentally stole them from a top-secret Dumpster behind Chuck E. Cheese.
Your AIR CAR turns slower than a group of Amish people steering a barn, so you usually don’t even get a chance to see an enemy tank before its laser guns have
had their way with your ass. And AIR CARS don’t have brakes, so a typical game has you careening out of control through trees until you randomly catch up with an evil AIR CAR. And once you find one, your only chance of survival is putting in a different game. GRAPHICS: 0
Amazingly enough for a game this finely tuned and complex, the graphics are quite bad. It’s possible the developers spent most of the seven or eight hours it took to make AIR CARS thinking up that plot about stealing the tank plans.
FUN: 1
Not only is AIR CARS not fun, it also gives you the option to not have fun with seven other pals if you have a network adapter such as the ill-fated Cat Box peripheral. STATE-OF-THE-ART 3D REALISM: 0
A lot of 3D games have been called “breathtaking” or “a virtual wonderland.” If you went back in time and kept every single one of those games from ever existing, AIR CARS would still look like crap.
2 Night Trap ah BS
This title was a criminal attempt at making an interactive movie featuring Dana Plato (star of Diff'rent Strokes and several Los
Angeles correctional facilities). The
: gameplay tests your blind luck— you randomly switch between eight cameras in a house, hoping there’s something to watch. Rooms ~ have either teenage girls reciting
bad dialogue or shuffling vampires _ wearing pantyhose on their heads.
But if you’re lucky, you’ll se of luggage or some other |
inanimate Bbiaee not ining to act. The girls live in a house full of traps, and your only job—as part of the Special Control Attack Team, or S.C.A.T. (go ahead and giggle) — is to watch pillow fights and push a button when a vampire gets near a trap in the next room. Most traps
are a smoke machine and a hole
opening in a wall. For them to work, the victim has to actually decide to walk into them. That means the traps are only effective on people looking to get caught in traps, which is probably the case since the girls have started lip
oe For years, gamers demanded that games
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(iB Rap Jam: Volume 1
System: Super NES Guilty party: Mandingo
Finally, the dream team of two Coolios and one Queen Latifah.
Here’s a game Starring real-life rap stars not doing the things that made them famous. There’s no rapping, no dancing, and not even any murder. It’s a basketball game. That’s right, in some sort of game joke that went too far, you get to fantasize about being a rapper who is fantasizing about being a basketball player. To put it in simpler terms, it’s like when you pretend to be your neighbor having sex with a cantaloupe that he pretends is Lynda Carter while she’s pretending to be Scuba Wonder Woman.
Rap Jam plays as bad as the idea behind it. In fact, we think Kris Kross: Make Your Own Video feels more like basketball. But here’s the most tragic thing: They
synching the Night Trap theme in the next room. This tune is the musical equivalent of raking a car alarm down a chalkboard, then jamming the entire thing into the butt of a screaming cat. We don’t know who was supposed to enjoy this “movie,” but we guarantee that the best part is when you switch to the driveway cam and watch the parked cars. GRAPHICS: 2
The graphics are grainy videos of overacted scenes. No one starring in this game could get a job as an extra on a Haitian soap opera. Maybe late into her monologues, Plato would’ve won our hearts with a moving performance. But if it
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put “Volume 1” in the title, as if anyone wants an entire series of sports games starring people who don’t play sports. Needless to say, Rap Jam: Volume 2: Laker Girls Frisbee-Golf Explosion was never released, and the spinoff series, Fat-Free Cooking with History’s Greatest Submarine Commanders: Volume 11S a distant dream.
GRAPHICS: 2
How hard is it to make a graphic look like Coolio? You draw a guy, then draw an octopus on his head. FUN: 1
If Bob Hope released a rap video from the device that keeps him from becoming a mummy, rappers would consider it an insult. That’s the same sense of outrage anyone who’s ever played basketball, a video game or music should feel about Rap Jam: Volume 1.
OUR INADEQUACY: 8
We already live in a world where Coolio has a bigger pool, a faster car and knows 22 more words that rhyme with “dead policeman” than we do. Now we have to imagine he can do a front 360-flip dunk over Queen Latifah? How inadequate does Coolio want us to feel?
didn’t look like one of her ta-tas was gonna pop out of her nightie, we'd have already gone back to check on the parked cars again. FON: 0
This game captures. the excitement of switching between eight TV channels—only seven of them are shots of empty rooms and one is. the worst show you’ve ever seen. CONTROVERSY: 9
When media watchdogs listed video games that corrupted our youth in the mid-’gos, they always named Night Trap as exhibit A.
It was even taken off the shelf because of its graphic violence. Listen, parents need to look at the bigger problem: If your kids were dumb enough to buy Night Trap,
you have way more to worry about than this game showing them what panties look like. Don’t get us wrong, there are many reasons this piece of trash should be against the law, but four or five blood- soaked sorority girl T-shirts ain't one of them.
- offer more bad actresses lip synching lyrics
~ such as “You can’t escape the Night Trap! Your love is like a Night Trap!” into broomsticks (left). And whoever those gamers were, we hate you. But we do appreciate whoever told the makers of Night Trap that games needed more sluts in nighties (right).
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 158 - www.egmmag.com
Play as Ippo or any one of 4% other boxers. Fight your way to the top of the rank- ings. With 1U locations and 7 matches in 4 weight classes, you ll create your own awesome 1-2 combination.
ictorious Boxers © 2000/2001 Jyoji Morikawa/Kodansha. © 2000/2001 ESP/Kodansha. : E. : Translation © 2001 Empire Interactive Europe Ltd. Developed by New Corporation. trot f 2 d Ics = eae Published by Empire Interactive Inc. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered ' NTE RBACTIVE | “Jeena \o) BY . trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. www.empireinteractive.com KODANSHA
worst canes EVER
1) @dvanced Dungeons &
Dragons: Her
System: NES vi a Guilty party: Fel * = <4 You guide eight renaissance-fair rejects on a quest they'll never finish—mainly because you'll outgrow your D&D phase before their slow asses get across the screen. And also because they’re so clumsy they'll likely kill themselves with their own swords _ before they meet a monster.
The main reason you need all eight of these guys is ‘cause they _ don’t listen when you tell them to _do stuff. While you’re busy getting _ beaten to death by creatures half
your size, you can only hammer
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the buttons and speculate on why your guy isn’t doing anything. If you actually play past the first few rooms, you'll come to a point where you must cross a pit. Most, if not all, of your party will run directly into it while ignoring the button that’s supposed to make them jump. You won’t miss them. GRAPHICS: 0
All of history’s greatest morons working with history’s greatest untreated sewage couldn’t come up with uglier graphics.
FUN: 0
Remember when you were playing D&D during lunch in middle school and those eighth-grade jocks dumped you head-first into a trash can? This game is less fun. TEAMWORK: 0
While you control your chosen character, the other seven vanish, leaving you to get savagely kicked in the shins. We’re not sure where they go, but judging by how hard it is for you to move, we figure they’re strapped to your body.
9 custer’s Revenge Re ak
System: Atari 2600
Guilty party: Mystique
Atari 2600 owners had games about blowing up tanks, brushing their teeth, and Kool-Aid, but where were all the games about General Custer rising from the dead to sexually assault Native Americans? The company Mystique heeded the call and developed Custer’s Revenge, in which you lead Custer through a hail of arrows to hump an Indian girl tied to a cactus on the other side of the screen. That’s it. That’s the whole game.
And although we’d like to meet the pervert lunatics who made the game so we could run away from them and call the police, we figure we'd rather have been on the planning committee the day General Custer came up with this brilliant plan...
Custer: “Gentlemen, today’s operation will be a unique one. We will go deep into Indian territory
with a full entourage of cavalry, establish a tight perimeter, have the infantry remove my pants and underpants, and then | will attempt to have sex with an Indian girl under heavy enemy fire. Are there any objections?”
Custer’s military advisor: “Yes, general. Several.” GRAPHICS: 3 With the stone-age graphics of the 2600, there was really no point in trying to make erotic games. The “action” in Custer’s Revenge looks less like sex and more like an old couple slow dancing at a fundraiser for birth-defected Sea horses. FUN: 1 Since the graphics are so bad, you can’t even tell you’re playing a porno. Those two humping blobs could be anything. For all we know, our kid brother changed the cartridge labels and we spent our childhood being aroused by Chuck Norris Superkicks.
Electronic Gaming Monthly -
10 Revolution X >" &
System: PlayStation Guilty party: Rage Software
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We don’t need them to break down crying or nothin’, but is it too much to ask that enemies at least notice when we blast a pumpkin-size hole in their ‘nads?
You’re overthrowing an oppressive world order. With the help of Aerosmith. And music is your weapon. That scream of terror you just heard was probably you.
You fight a massive army of soldiers sent by the government to keep you from rockin’, but this army is made up entirely of aman in a yellow jacket and his several thousand identical twins who are only animated to fire their guns and die. That means they don’t flinch when you hit ‘em. We’ve never taken three explosive
We’ve seen sexier Legos.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY: 9 Although General Custer didn’t sexually assault any of them—and in fact was instead killed by Native Americans—the rest of this game’s premise is factually correct. Besides adding true-to-history details like Custer’s magnificent pink scarf and blue cowboy hat, the creators did exhaustive research on cowboys having sex. Hence, the game uses the time- honored historical Old West-style of scoring, which is one point for each successful pelvic thrust, 100 points for lasting more than five minutes, and you’re immediately declared sheriff if you perform a full backflip.
160 - www.egmmag.com
rounds to the crotch, but we don’t think we’re being unmanly when we say we'd at least fall down and scream like a bitch.
Revolution X has unlimited continues and it’s still the most challenging game in the world. Continuing is like electing to keep your hand on the stove. Maybe you’re numb to the pain after a while, but you’re still pretty sure you're doing permanent damage. GRAPHICS: 2 There are only three visuals: yellow guy, yellow guy not caring when you destroy his genitals, and yellow guy finally falling down. FUN: 0 You'll be in some rooms shooting unflinching identical men for 10 minutes while the same four seconds of an Aerosmith tune loop indefinitely. That’s not a game—that’s a Nazi experiment to see how much it takes for a human head to pop. Good luck topping Revolution X, Satan. BASIC CONCEPT: 0 If you’re going to send a commando to kill the government with a CD- launching machine gun, make sure he’s got qualifications other than “big Aerosmith fan.”
The 5 Worst Game Concepts Ever
1. Shag Fu (Super NES) —A basketball player in a fighting game? Sounds like a third-degree blackbelt in crap.
2. Taboo: The Sixth Sense (NES) — It’s a Tarot-card game that predicts your future, but who wants to learn the exact time of their death from their NES?
3. Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (Genesis) — Before surgically disfiguring his face to the point where he could stunt-double Skeletor, Jack-o “rescued” children by forcing gangsters and zombies to dance. The Scariest part: It actually wasn’t that bad a game.
4. Shelley Duvall’s It’s A Bird’s Life (3D0)—The name says it all. 5. Portal Runner (PlayStation 2) — So you're a toy-soldier girl with regular human skin and you date a green toy soldier and battle aliens in a normal-size world. And your sidekick’s a lion named Leo.
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© White Men Can‘t Jump & ra
System: Jaguar Guilty party: High Voltage For the game version of White Men Can’t Jump, we were expecting to fight our way through the kingdom of the swamp people with a fire- basketball-throwing atomic Wesley Snipes. It’s amazing that they actually made the game about basketball. It’s even more amazing that the game is so bad, some electricity might refuse to power it. The camera zooms in and out constantly to keep all four players on the screen, but the game looks best when you zoom all the way out to somebody else’s house far
7 Superman Pi System: Nintendo 64
Guilty party: Titus , y
The game starts with Superman trapped in Lex Luthor’s virtual world. And you can tell Lex Luthor made it because only a genius super villain could design a world So expertly horrible and boring. And this game might as well be called “Superman Obedience School,” because Superman doesn’t get to do anything heroic. You spend almost the entire game performing whatever tricks Lex Luthor demands. It’s the classic villain plot: “Make Superman fly through 75 hoops in one minute or die!” Followed by “Make Superman fly through 75 more hoops in one minute
6 Gilligan's Island
System: NES CG Guitty party: Bandai <> ill We’re not making this up: Somebody made a game based on Gilligan’s Island. \t amazes us enough that the idea of seven idiots stranded on an island sounded good enough to become the plot of a TV show, but then the fact that someone made a game based on that show makes us downright angry.
You control the Skipper while Gilligan follows him around. As anyone who has wasted 30
away from the Atari Jaguar you got suckered into buying. Thanks to sloppy graphics and insane camera work, the hoop looks like a distant chunk of Grape Nuts, and you can never tell when you make a basket. Thankfully, basketball phrases appear on screen when anything happens. You'd think this would help you figure out if you made the shot, but the game’s developers must have hired 50-year-old golfers at a French country club to write their street slang. Sink a shot and it screams nonsense like “BANGIN’ UP HIGH THE HANDLE, HOMEY BEEF!” Maybe that means you
or...er, die again!” We don’t want to spoil the game for you, but Level 3 is “Retrieving Your Slippers” and Level 4 is “Learning to Crap on the Paper.” GRAPHICS: 1
Superman looks like a flying log in panties, and the entire world is covered in green fog. The game calls this “Kryptonite fog,” but it looks suspiciously like something they put there so they didn’t have to worry about crazy technical stuff like “draw distance” or “the Z Buffer” or “making a game that doesn’t look like a fart.”
FUN: 0
Superman has 300 super powers and can lift Mount Everest, but the only trick the developers thought to include was his ability to fly through hoops. It would
minutes of his or her life watching the show knows, Gilligan is legally Stupid. He’s the same way in this game. Birds and baboons hate him and are constantly attacking him. And if you leave Gilligan behind while he’s busy getting his ass kicked, you lose him. Then you must go back to the start of the level and find him again—and sit through his gameplay hints to prevent future Gilligan-losing mishaps. Needless to Say, it’s embarrassing getting hints from a mentally handicapped man ina droopy sailor hat.
The skipper can punch, but he loses the ability when he’s moving
scored, or maybe it means, “There is a tornado approaching the court, my friends. We should escape and your mother is a whore.” We'll never know; the manual doesn’t have a translation guide. So if you're not from whatever hip- hoppin’ planet speaks this alien tongue, you'll just have to decode “DOWN STREET ON THE FLIPFLOP, TIMEPANTS!” on your own. GRAPHICS: 2
The players in this game look like four cardboard cutouts glued to the top of remote-control cars. And then someone peed on them. FUN: 0
This game is so not fun it would make you bored if you were somehow playing it while bungee jumping into an alligator’s mouth ina room full of nude ninja girls fighting the Predator.
yo
You might be able to fly through rings, Supes, but we can just as easily do a somersault and land on the N64 power switch.
have been more fun if they made a game about Superman eating breakfast, or talking on the phone with Aquaman. REALISM: 9
This game exactly re-creates the pain you'd feel if you really were Superman being tortured ina virtual world filled with radioactive poisonous gas.
or jumping—or in the middle of any other situation where the punch might be helpful. So the game consists mostly of him tripping over rocks, waiting for Gilligan, and you shaking your head in disbelief at how amazingly dumb you are for playing it.
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We know how you feel, Gilligan.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 162 - www.egmmag.com
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LEAST-LUCRATIVE-MOVIE- LICENSE RATING: $
We’re surprised we didn’t see other equally non-lucrative movie- licensed games from publisher Trimark Interactive, the folks behind this title. Where’s the game based on What’s Eating Gilbert Grape or Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead? You really missed the boat there, Trimark.
The 5 Worst Game Lines Ever
1. “Here’s a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the master of un- locking, take it with you.”
—Barry in Resident Evil
2. “People won’t like you, Steve, if you’re too sting-ee [supposed to be pronounced ‘stingy’].” — Guy Kazama to Chairman Steve in Last Alert for the TurboDuo
3. “What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk, have at you!” — Dracula in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
4. “His coconut gun can fire in spurts. If he shoots ya, it’s gonna hurt!”
—DK rap from Donkey Kong 64
5. “A Winner Is You.” —Pro Wrestling for the NES
GRAPHICS: 1 | Gilligan looks like Waldo, but we think that’s because they go shopping together after their Magic: The Gathering tournaments. FUN: 0
Even if an entire level was devoted to Gilligan simultaneously nailing both Ginger and Mary Ann, you still wouldn’t want to play this crap. CRAFTSMANSHIP: 1
It’s amazing how durable this cartridge is considering the professor made it out of coconuts, the Skipper’s Speedo, and Mrs. Howell’s denture cream. It took three solid whacks from a shovel to shatter our copy.
NEL Blitz 20-02 has evolved. “Real teams, real players, real attitude, but totally
re-invented for maximum impact. With an all-new. engine powering 8-on-8 action, a new running game dimension, and the revolutionary Impact Player customization feature, NFL Blitz 20-O2 delivers "No Refs. No Rules. No Mercy." football for the next millennium.
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NFL® BLITZE ea, eat Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All oo — the 4 ary lage y Amusement Games, LLC: Used by permission. © 2001 NFLP. Team names and fo s indicated. Al arks) are trademarks of the National Footb. SINC og is a registered trademark.of the NFL Players. waw.nfiplayers.com ©2001 PLAY n Distr ibut ted under eEnetainment nc. IM, ®, Gan me ns arks 0 of Nint eK. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox jogos are either register ed trademarks or trademarks of poration in the U.S. and/or other
der license from Microsoft. “PI y Pio are re dideerol i trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Screen image captures shown taken from the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.
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Virtuoso
Guilty party: Motivetime Ltd.
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Hahaha...look, it’s the future’s greatest rocker! How was the Everquest convention, rock star?
_ Virtuoso is the story of the 21st ~ century’s greatest rock-‘n’-roll megastar, who decides he can’t take the lifestyle so he escapes into the virtual world of Virtuoso. But we have to say that, unless his rock-’n’-roll lifestyle involved getting his face slammed in a car door all day, his life had to have _been better than Virtuoso. _ The game itself is a 3D shooter with the camera located behind your guy. That means anything you could possibly want to shoot is hidden from sight by the rocker’s ‘mop-top. Meanwhile, all enemies are the same one creature repeated throughout the virtual world. The game does sometimes try to trick you by slightly _ changing the spiders to look like crabs, or the bats to look like half- bat/half-seagull things, but unless you’re having your government-
3 Fight for Life
System: Jaguar Tah
Guilty party: Atari Amidst mega hype, Fight For Life spent forever in development and was supposed to debut as a killer app for the Jaguar. Instead, it turned out to be the tired story of eight dead people fighting in hell, where the winner gets to face the devil’s son for a chance to come back to life. And judging by how well they fight, these guys are trying to rise from the dead to get back to their old jobs as Special Olympics equipment managers. Most of your time in Fight for Life is spent waiting for your dead karate man to hobble
; vstem: 300 Pahh
| J WORST GAMES EVER
appointed handler read this to you, you'll notice the difference. You might even be able to put up with the game for a few minutes, although you'll draw the line after you battle through 300 spiders just to get to the level boss, who ends up being the same spider as all the others, just enlarged eight times in size. And when you kill it, the spider explodes into smaller spiders, forcing us to ask, “Is the 3D0 trying to get us to burn it?” GRAPHICS: 0
Much of the screen is taken up by the doughy main character, and you can tell he ain’t no real rock star. There’s a subtle difference between |’m-a-rocker long hair and |-play-too-much-Everquest long hair. This rocker looks more like one of the game’s programmers at a costume party. A costume party where he got his ass kicked. FUN: 0
It’s a bad game about a bad imaginary rock star playing a really bad video game. You’d be better off playing Donkey Kong and hoping David Lee Roth might also be playing it at the same time. REGLISTIC PORTRAYAL OF €@ MEGASTAR LIFESTYLE: 0 Unless the star’s roadies give his comatose body “massages” and heroin while he’s in virtual reality, we find it hard to believe this guy would ever leave panty-throwing groupies to play bad VR games. We also find it hard to believe that
a janitor would leave an exploded
toilet to play Virtuoso. -
You can tell the game’s set in hell ‘cause you can’t buy outfits like these anywhere else...
across the screen to throw a clumsy punch at the other dead karate man. And you better hope your enemy doesn’t jump over you when you finally make it to him, because it takes 27 minutes for the camera to reposition
i Captain Novolin &
System: Super NES Guilty party: Sculptured Software
This game is just a dirty trick to teach children about diabetes: It’s the story of aliens coming to Earth and taking the form of sugary diabetes-promoting snacks who can only be stopped by Captain Novolin, a diabetic crusader. But since diabetic scientists haven’t developed a raygun capable of defeating snacks, Captain Novalin only has one ability: hopping. Er, well, we guess he has three skills if you also count how he can 1) hop in a speedboat and 2) suck. Keep in mind, though, that since the control is so bad, he can’t do any of these things very easily. You have the same chance of getting Captain Novolin to jump if you try to control your Super Nintendo with a banana.
Your main enemy is a bouncing donut, which will randomly jump up and hit you with its deadly donut flesh while you’re trying to hop over it. So even on the rare occasion when Captain Novolin jumps when you tell him to, it’s completely up to fate whether you actually make it safely over the donut. If you can’t find Captain Novolin at your local game store, you can re-create this exciting experience exactly by flipping a coin while you’re having a Seizure.
In between levels is a bonus game where you must inject yourself with the right amount of insulin. To do so, you have to
=—
..and you can tell it’s Fight For Life ‘cause the game doesn’t register when you kick enemies in the chest.
itself. You can also tap the numbers on the Jaguar controller’s keypad to sidestep. We had more fun typing our ATM PINs and luggage combinations, just to see if they unleash some kind of super suck-ass combo.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 164 - www.egmmag.com
This game is so bad, you’ll start to root for diabetes.
match the color on your needle with the color of your blood sugar. Don’t worry, however — getting it wrong doesn’t do anything except make a funny noise and, of course, leave you with the crushing realization that you can’t even match two colors in a game about diabetes. GRAPHICS: 1
It looks like all the game’s graphics are scanned directly from some kid’s notebook doodles after someone he knew thought his notebook doodles were toilet paper.
FUN: 0
We want to know where the artist drawing superheroes fighting donuts met the programmer who wanted to make a game about diabetes. Was it at some kind of Dumbest- Ass-ldeas-Ever convention? ABILITY TO @CTCALLY SAVE LIVES: 0
We figure the total number of lives saved by Captain Novolin comes out to be zero—or even less if you count young Timmy Cracker, a boy who received Captain Novolin as a Christmas present and died of sadness.
GRAPHICS: 1
If the Jaguar’s supposed to have 64 bits, then this game’s makers used 60 of them for crap and four for someone to step in that crap and spread it around with their shoe. FUN: 0
Stepping on anail during a seminar about hydraulic-pump insurance is more fun than this electronic wasteland. CONTRIBCTION TO FAILURE: 9
Consoles fail for subtle reasons, like bad marketing or sunspots. But it was bad games that killed the Jaguar, which really didn’t fail hard enough. If any of the people responsible for the Jaguar still have their homes, there is no justice in the world.
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System: Philips CD-i Guilty parties: Animation Magic Inc. and Viridis Corporation
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they’re crap. We hate them because they’re an insult to just an insult—they give the
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. for this travesty: the games’
out the Zelda license to these morons. It’s a safe bet these
3} y WORST GAMES EVER
We hate these three equally bad CD-i games and not just ‘cause
Nintendo’s beloved Legend of Zelda series. Heck, they’re not series a wedgie, pour Sugar in its
pool with all its clothes on. And we’re not sure who to blame more
~ makers or Nintendo, who whored games were part of the reason
Nintendo veered away from the CD format when it came time to
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Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon “8S and Zelda’s @dventure
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design the N64. After all, if CD- based titles turn out this bad.... Both Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon are side-scrolling crud featuring badly animated cartoon clips of your favorite characters from the series, such as...er, King Harkinian. In Wand of Gamelon, this dude’s gone missing ona quest to save Gamelon (apparently one of Hyrule’s really bad neighborhoods). Now Link must battle classic enemies such as Dodongos, Stalfos and more— all of which look like hogs and dinosaurs. Eventually, he gets captured and it’s Zelda’s turn to fight the hogs and dinosaurs. The control is so bad you’ll spend half the game being eaten by the first hog on the first level. Ultimately, both Faces of Evil and Wand of
Gamelon are just dismal experiences for everyone involved. Except the hog.
Zelda’s Adventure also has you controlling Zelda, this time in the Hyrule suburb of Tolemac, where she'll journey into the Seven Shrines of the Underworld. It’s played from a top-down perspective, with gameplay similar to the Nintendo games’ action-RPG style. In fact, the only big departure here is the liberal use of low-budget video clips featuring actors in cheesy costumes, horrendously unresponsive control and dull landscapes. But aside from those minor gripes, Zelda’s Adventure is really just a great heap of turd. GRAPHICS: 0 Here’s a picture of Link from the Zelda: Wand of Gamelon. That’s all we have to say about that.
i E.T. The Extra Terrestrial oh & a
system: Atari 2600 Guilty party: Atari
You’ve done it—you’ve nearly made it out of the pit! Now just 2000 more to go. Here’s the bad news, though: If you're still playing by this point, the government’s on its way to your house to put you in a special camp for dangerous stupids.
This game, which was
programmed in five weeks and released in 1983, was so bad it actually marked the beginning of the end of Atari’s dominance over
the early-’80s game scene.
Remember: The Atari 2600 had a
game where General Custer
sexually assaulted Indians tied to cactuses, and that couldn’t kill
the system.
Most of the actual gameplay here has you trying to escape
from scientists and jumping into pits to find parts of your telephone. If there’s no chunk of telephone in the pit—and that’s the case 97 percent of the time— you can only leave by stretching out E.T.’s neck until he slowly, s-l- o-w-l-y floats up. This is the most Satisfying part of the game, since it looks like an invisible monster is trying to tear E.T.’s head off. When you make it to the top of the pit, which if you started in 1983 should be about now, you have a fraction of a second to immediately stop making E.T.’s head stretch. This is important. If you miss it, he’ll fall right back in and you have to start the floating process all over. Don’t worry: Practice and timing can make you a master of exiting pits, and then you’ll only fall back into the Same one seven or eight times. Of course, that just means seven or eight more times the fun! GRAPHICS: 0 E.T. has never looked worse, which is a pretty amazing accomplishment since he started
out looking like a slimy little Space penis.
FUN: 0
This is a true story: Atari paid more than $20 million for the film’s license and manufactured 5 million E.T. cartridges, and according to one Atari CEO, “Nearly all of them came back.” It got to a point where the world’s children refused to take them for free. To put that into perspective, we’ve seen kids buy dead spiders from each other for a nickel. And calling this game a piece of trash is actually scientifically accurate because Atari eventually took their massive backstock of useless E.T. cartridges and buried them in a New Mexico landfill. So if you ever lose your mind and want a copy of E.T., or maybe 5 million, grab a shovel and drive out to the desert. They’re free. € LITTLE BOY’S LOVE: 10 E.T. can show you the power button to his game, but the power button to his heart...you have to find that for yourself.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 166 - www.egmmag.com
This wizard from Zelda’s Adventure might look sweet painted on our van, but there’s no way we wanna See crap like this in a Zelda game.
FUN: 0
The gameplay here is as engaging as flipping between options ona DVD menu. Say for instance one guy was playing Wand of Gamelon, and another guy was telling Terminator 2 to be played in French, then English, then French again. They’d both be having the same amount of fun. However, once the second person started watching Terminator 2 in French, he’d be having 927,087 times more fun.
PRINCESS’ RIGHTS: 1
Two of the three games have you playing Princess Zelda, who—let’s be honest—really has no right being the hero here. She should just stick to rubbing Link’s feet after a hard day’s adventurin’.
Share the hate...
There’s no accounting for bad taste—you might think bottom- of-the-barrel stuff like Shaq Fu, Atari 2600 Pac-Man, Friday the 13th or anything with the words “Army” and “Men” in the title are way worse than the 20 games featured here. But bear in mind our goal was to dig up the cream of the crap: games so bad they rise above the rest of the worst for more than just generic reasons like lame graphics or bad movie licenses.
But we don’t want our list to be the final word here. That’s where you come in. E-mail us at egm@ziffdavis.com with the subject header “Worst game ever!” and tell us what you think is the absolute most God- awful game ever made, along with a very brief description of why you love to hate it. We’Il print a selection of your responses in next issue’s letters section. So get playing your own worst games ever and get picking. Just don’t blame us for the emotional scars. th
DMA
DMA DESIGN LIMITED
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"A MAFIOSO MASTERPIECE’ - Maxim
"GRAND THEFT AUTO 3 EXPANDS THE VERY IDEA OF WHAT A GAME HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN’ — I1GN.COM
OUT NOW!
WWW.ROCKSTARGAMES.COM/GRANDTHEFTAUTOS
PlayStation.c
“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. DMA design and the DMA Design logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. B | 0 od Rockstar Games and the Rockstar Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. © 2001. All rights reserved.
Vj 0 | ence Note: Rockstar will be following IDSA guidelines for M rated games in the marketing of this game.
This game contains violent language and behavior and may not be appropriate for persons under the age of 17. tis a comic interpretation Stro ng La n g ua g e of gangster activity and the story, names and incidents portrayed herein are fictitious. No identification or similarity to actual persons,
living or dead, or to actual events is intended or should be inferred. ay resemblance is coincidental. The makers and publishers of this videogame do not in any way endorse, condone or encourage this kind of behavior.
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Fctronic Gaming Monthly - 168 - www.eg!
ILLUSTRATIONS BY RICK SEALOCK
169
Ah, the holidays—that sacred time of year
when friends and family come together to
celebrate the one thing which unites us all:
capitalism. So in the spirit of the jolly,
bearded, pipe-smoking fattie from the
North Pole—and your patriotic desire to
blow wads of cash on those around you—
EGM has put together a definitive list of
must-buy games to make your late holiday
buying spree a snap. We flex our finely
honed stereotyping talents and tap into
the common psyche of gamers to help you
find the perfect gift for that hard-to-shop-
for sibling, husband, girlfriend, colleague
or frat buddy on your holiday-shopping list.
So sit back, spike another cup of egg nog,
take notes, and get ready to play Santa.
EGM'S HOLIDAY BUYER'S GUIDE
System: PlayStation 2
Publisher: Natsume
Score: 8.0 {out of 10) A favorite among the girlfriends and wives of EGM editors, Harvest Moon lets you sow your seeds, reap your crops, milk your cows, and generally live out those pas- _ toral farm-hand fantasies youhad as a child. Forget about all this talk __ of a recession in the economy; you gotta raise mad cash to save the family farm!
System: Nintendo64 _
Publisher: Nintendo :
Scores: 9.0, 9.5, 9.0 One of the most addicting two- player puzzle games ever made, PPL is the perfect equalizer for those pesky lovers’ quarrels. It's also an easy-to-pick-up, lifetime-to- master sort of game. Definitely gives plenty of bang for the buck.
System: Dreamcast
Publisher: Sega
Scores: 8.0, 9.0, 7.5 Not only is Tennis 2K2 fun, its lack of Anna Kournikova bending over to pick up balls means it’s also a game all couples can enjoy.
System: GameCube Publisher: Sega Scores: 9.0, 7.0, 8.5 Everybody knows that when you have monkeys, the romantic possibilities
For G-Rated Gamers:
When your little brother asks Santa for games like : are limitiess. In SMB, you stick that cuddly beast in a ball and roll him Teletubbies and Miss Spider's Storybook, do the tyke a : through a sky-high funka-delic obstacle course. Strange? Sure, but it’s all favor and get him these topnotch, kid-friendly titles instead. : very simple: Scoot your monkey ball across the finish line and step right : up to the next mind-bending M.C. Escher-inspired level. And SMB's catalog Luigi's Mansion of multiplayer goods’ll let you cozy up with that special someone to tackle
minigames like bowling, billiards or miniature golf (all with the theme of monkeys and balls, of course). She'll iove it for the cute little monkeys, and he'll love it for all the naughty innuendos.
, System: GameCube Scores: 8.0, 9.0, 5.5 - Publisher: Nintendo . Mario's skinnier brother ditches platform -t4 action for some ghostbusting, Hoover style. It won't give the young’uns any nightmares, but the game's so fun, it's downright scary.
~ Jak and Daxter
' System: PS2 ~~ Scores: 8.5, 8.5, 7.5
- Publisher: Sony CEA
This massive scavenger hunt melds the bitchin’ ‘tude of Crash Bandicoot with the gameplay of Super Mario 64. Its huge quest’ll keep your kid brother off your back for weeks.
= Super Mario Advance _ System: GBA Scores: 9.0, 8.0, 8.0 2 ~ Publisher: Nintendo , Uncle Mario's back and his worlds are more psy- _ chedelic than ever before. But the kids won't care about that. They'll dig the colorful graphics and classic gameplay of this NES remake.
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habia
110
Affordable. Recordable. And Very, Very Portable.
= “Memorex ' ‘Memorex ~
Introducing the Memorex Pocket CD-R.” With 185 MB, it holds hours of MP3 music, 140
high-res photos or tons of data. At about three inches, it fits any pocket. At pennies a meg, it fits any wallet. With both writeable and rewriteable formats, it's big enough to do almost any job, yet small enough to go almost anywhere. For a closer look, go to memorex.com.
Because this little CD will be one of the biggest things in recordable media.
Meroorey
“Memorex:
ls it live or is it Memorex?™
©2002 Memorex Products, Inc.
EGM'S HOLIDAY BUYER'S GUIDE
For The Virtual Tuff Guy:
He couldn't fight his way out of a Tupperware party in real life, but in the game world he’s a regular Sonny Chiba. Put your foot where his mouth is with these kick-ass fisticuff simulators.
TT ceene tee eens sey
' Dead or Alive 3
_ System: Xbox Scores: 8.5, 8.0, 7.5 | Publisher: Tecmo ss We reaily don't need to go into the obvious : a appeal of this title. But look beyond the ladies, m and you'll discover a great fighting game filled with cunning stunts. Oh, the mammaries!
| Capcom vs. SNK2
Dy ~ System: PS2 ~~ Scores: 7.5, 8.0, 9.0
~ Publisher: Capcom
Now that SNK is no more, you owe it to your- ™ self to grab this epic meeting of the martial
arts. Where else can you pit kung-fu hotties
Chun-Li and Mai Shiranui against each other?
— Fatal Fury: : Mark of the Wolves
_ | System: Dreamcast = Score: 8.0 :
| Publisher: Agetec It's mighty men and sexy women, pummeling : each other to meaty bits with furious hits. This is the last great Dreamcast fighting garne.
System: DC, GC, PS2, Xbox
Publisher: Sega
DC Scores: 9.0, 9.0, 8.5 Paimin’ balls is great fun, especial- ly when you have to shoot them through a hole. That’s why we like Sega's b-ball game. it looks and plays great, and if you own a Dreamcast, it’s “nothing but net!” The Internet, that is.
System: PlayStation 2
Publisher: THQ
Scores: 8.0, 8.0,7.0 | . Nothing brings a pile of grown men together quite like spandex tights __ and the WWF. So when it comes to” the best game for both male bond- ing and folding-chair bashing, we - look to the SmackDown! series. _ You get sweet graphics, all the showboating and absolutely none of the real-man stench.
System: GC, PS2, Xbox
Publisher: Midway
Scores: Not yet reviewed We can’t make ball jokes with a hockey game, but stick jokes abound. If you like over-the-top, puck-slapping hockey action with an arcade twist, NHL Hitz is the
game you've been wait- Inofor
System: GC, PS2, Xbox
Publisher: Electronic Arts
PS2 Scores: 9.5, 9.5, 9.0 What red-blooded all- American male does- n't like to take his snaps? Well, maybe the kind who plays Ico ali day, but that’s besides the point. With over a decade of refinement to its credit, modern- day Madden blitzes every other football game around. In the 2002 edition, the gameplay is still classic Madden-style simulation ballin’, but the thing that puts this pigskin platter over the top is its ency- clopedic list of options. Salary caps, custom teams, Super- deep create-a-player, and even a great tutorial by Madden himself are just a part of the package. Then there’s the roar of the crowd, the Super Bowl and the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders! it’s Miller time, baby.
HUMILIATION
LEARN How To Do SOMETHING WELL AND THEN USE IT AGAINST AN OPPONENT. REPEATEDLY!
Only Losers Don't Win. EVERYONE
www.fuzionfrenzy.com
VIOLENCE
CONTENT RATED BY
©2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Fuzion Frenzy, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
System: PlayStation 2
Publisher: Konami
Scores: 9.5, 9.5, 9.5 MGS82’s labyrinthine story makes other so-called “interactive- movies” look like Interactive stu- dent-driving films. The plot sprouts new twists and burning questions by the bushel, and you can't wait to reach the finale to see how the whole thing fits together. Even if a few of its loose ends never get resolved, MGS2 lures compulsive gamers back for a replay with bonus items, or to track down dog tags, or to just do their own thing. (You get a lot of freedom here to see what kind of trouble you can
get into.) And you thought the demo was hard to put down...
System: Xbox
Publisher: Microsoft
Scores: 10, 10, 10 This Aliens-meets-Haif-Life-meets- Band of Brothers masterpiece drags you headiong into sci-fi adventure so atmospheric that you have no choice but to sit back and ignore all bodily functions.
System: PlayStation 2
Publisher: Capcom
Scores: 9.0, 8.5, 9.0 DMC’s story won't win a Pulitzer (we doubt it’d even win the Willy Shakespeare Award from our fifth- grade English teacher), but its over-the-top action will keep you giued til you have to double jump to the bathroom.
System: GameCube
Publisher: LucasArts
Scores: 9.0, 9.0, 9.0 This game screams “15-hour-play marathon.’ The urge to reach that next level is more powerful than
the dark side of the...well, you KNOW.
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For the Old-Schooler:
Some people remember when Contra was good, think 3D graphics are a fad, and keep their Dracula X import in a can- dlelit shrine. Behold: Stuff that'll make old-schoolers go ga-ga.
14
“| System: PlayStation Scores: 7.5, 7.0, 7.0 ~~ Publisher: Konami
‘®= The Castlevania series is the equivalent of fine
aged wine among the hardcore crowd, and this blood-sucker is just as thrilling as the old Nintendo games. Better still, it's only $20!
* Final Fight One “> ~~ System: GBA — Scores: 8.5, 6.0, 7.0 ~~ Publisher: Capcom ~ Old-school gamers know better than anyone “we that sometimes punk rockers get the itch to kidnap mayors’ daughters, and sometimes you have to kick those punk rockers’ asses.
Spy Hunter
“ System: PS2 ~~ Scores: 8.5, 8.0, 8.0
~ Publisher: Midway
We know this is a 3D update of the arcade classic and not a bona-fide oldie-but-goodie. Look past the slick graphics, and you'll find gameplay that’s faithful to the original.
FAILURE
SECOND PLACE IS REALLY JUST THE First Loser!
Only Losers Dont Win. EVERYONE
www.fuzionfrenzy.com
VIOLENCE
©2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Fuzion Frenzy, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Wee x DOX.COM
EGM'S HOLIDAY BUYER'S GUIDE
For the Gamer on a Quest for Fun:
Know a gamer who can recite the ending to every Final Fantasy title? Don’t tell him to get a life-get him these RPGs instead...
Dragon Warrior VII
_ System: PlayStation Scores: 9.0, 7.5, 9.0 ~ Publisher: Enix
Enix kicks it old school with this engrossing : RPG. Giving somebody this game is kinda like throwing them into a dungeon for 100 hours- ‘cause that's how long it takes to finish DWVII.
ERE
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: Jade Cocoon 2 ' System: PS2_— Scores: Not yet reviewed
._ Publisher: Ubi Soft Pokémon fans will love it for its cuddly, collec- table monsters. Anime fans will gush over the cool character designs. And you'll just be happy because you listened to our advice.
ie Golden Sun
_ System: GBA Score: 9.0
_ Publisher: Nintendo
Who needs photorealistic backgrounds and
-~~ fancy-schmancy 3D graphics in an RPG any- ways? Not Golden Sun, with its classic good looks and long (think 40 hours) epic quest.
LAER EE EERE EEE ER ERE RANE E ENERO RERE EEE REE AUR RETOUR OR OOOH
1%.
System: Game Boy Advance
Publisher: Nintendo
Scores: 8.0, 9.0. 8.5 No, this ain't Mario Andretti on your GBA; it’s Nintendo’s fat plumber of love powersliding his way into your heart. With just one cartridge, up to four players can go head-to-head on four linked GBAs. Perfect for those family road trips.
System: Dreamcast
Publisher: Sega
Scores: 8.5, 8.5, 8.0 The classic multiplayer series gets a fresh makeover, but it’s the new Hyper Bomberman mode that’s got party gamers bDiasting the nights away. Perfect for two-on-twos!
System: GameCube |
Publisher: Nintendo
Scores: Not yet reviewed What's better than beating up a _ friend in a fighting game? Getting to beat up three friends in a fight- _ing game. And what's even better than that? Doing so with the other- wise wholesome cast from the Nintendo universe. Yoshi kicking the snot out of Pikachu? Right on.
System: Xbox
Publisher: Microsoft
Scores: 10, 10, 10 Remember the guy who always — hosted those killer GoldenEye 007 sessions with his Nintendo 64? Get him Halo for Xbox. He willbe in your # eternal debt. After | all, nothing brings friends together (or blows them apart) like a good deathmatch, Boasting an array of 26 various coop- erative, competitive and team-based matches, Halo provides nearly endless party- gaming potential. lf youre real anal, Halo even lets you customize your own multiplayer modes. One Xbox can support four players at once, but go balls out and round up four TVs and Xboxes, 15 of your best friends (and worst enemies) and watch the party take on a life of its own. Make your next soiree a BYOX (Bring Your Own Xbox) party.
Sort 7
he games.
www.espnthegames.com
AT ESPN, WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THERE IS A TIME AND PLACE FOR FOOTBALL.
IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE ANYTIME AND ANYPLACE.
With Chris Berman and Tom Jackson calling every down, you're right in the middle of a live ESPN telecast. With the ability to make trades, draft rookies and sign free agents, you control the action on and off the field. And with the power to create entirely new players, you're a veritable pro football Frankenstein. So check out ESPN NFL PrimeTime in its convenient new time slot: 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
EVERYONE
PlayStation.c ra
xB0xX<
PLAYERSS
©2001 NFL. The NFL Shield logo and all other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks of the National Football Leaque. Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC logo is a registered trademark of the soi payers. www. ain dciaas com ©2001 —— INC. ©2001 Disney. ESPN and ESPN the games are trademarks of ESPN, Inc. KONAMI® is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ©2001 KONAMI. All bang reserved. The re aia icon is a trademark of the Interactive
“po
®
EGM'S HOLIDAY BUYER'S GUIDE
System: PlayStation 2
Publisher: Crave __
Scores: 8.0, 8.0. 8.5 Of the four titles suggested here, TXRZ comes closest to delivering the rice-burnin’ antics of Vin Diesel’s hit film. Beef up your Japanese sports cars, slap some stickers on that thing, and drag ‘em against rival Tokyo punk asses.
System: Xbox
Publisher: Microsoft
Scores: 8.0, 8.5, 9.0 Can't afford to buy your buddy a new roadster? Project Gotham Racing isn’t a bad alternative. Take your sexy convertible onto dozens of tracks based on real-world city locations, and smell the rubber as you burn up the asphalt. Delicious.
System: GameCube
Publisher: Nintendo
Scores: 8.0, 6.0, 5.5 lf the racing fan on your list wants some high-speed thrills for his spankin’ new GameCube this year, WR is really his best option. But if watersports ain't his thing, there's always Extreme-G3.
For Gamers oo : System: PlayStation 2 Publisher: Sony CEA Scores: 10, 10, 10
extreme-sports game is a
Who “Do lot like sifting through the ruins ; For half a million gamers out there, Gran Turismo 3 was the reason to
of nu-metal for decent music. shell out the greenbacks for Sony's black monolith of entertainment. The
Th D . 7, Give that extreme gamer only game gives the player access to 181 autos, each faithful in design and han- e ew i the best in action sports.
dling to the real four-wheeled deal. For the gearheads out there, GI3 is a limitless garage of tweaking possibilities. But if adjusting every aspect of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 ~ Systems: GameCube, PlayStation 2
your car sounds as fun as changing a spare tire, novice drivers can jump a P52 Scores: 9.5, . 5s oe" e Publisher: Activision
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+
right into the Arcade mode for some fast-lane thrills. lf you're feeling real- ly generous, pack in the Logitech Driving Force steering wheel/pedals for the ultimate Christmas-morning combo.
CREAMER OR OV OO
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TREE ANRER ETA OR OW
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™ Systems: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox ne — on we
A ee W
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Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX2 _ ~~ System: GameCube, PlayStation 2 = PS2 Scores: — 8.5, 8.0 a ee ——
ly -118-
WHERE THE STARS PLAY
Exclusive Challenge Mode, Featuring
TV Style Presentation 4 Head To Head Events
And Play-By-Play From Unlock Retired Greats Like John be Elway, Dan Marino And Steve Y Kevin Harlan And Bill Maas | el, RE re ee eee eaeeg
PLAYERS
CONTENT RATED BY ESRS
1 NFLP. 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 trademark of the NFL players. www.nflplayers.com © 2001 PLAYERS INC
tered
The NFL Quarterback Club is a trademark of the Nationa! Football League Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC logo is a regis Acclaim® & © 2001 Acclaim Entertainment, Inc Studios Austin. All Rights Reserved. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family lo
c. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Acclaim n go 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
pO APs 6 OF 00 6c tte.
Nesieenitinoremienet : a ae Se
System: PlayStation 2 Publisher: Rockstar Scores: 10, 9.0, 9.0 The GTA series has always encour- aged a little of that breakin’-the-
For the Plus-Size Gamer:
There's nothing quite as gratifying as seeing a husky gamer drenched in full sweat. Oh, but with what to inspire such perspiration? We recommend...
ere er erence te Se eee se
System: PlayStation 2, Xbox Publisher: Rockstar
Scores: Not yet reviewed
_ Got a disciple of Quentin
Tarantino's school of violence on
your list, but don’t wanna buy ‘em yet another DVD they may already own? Check out Max Payne, a cine- matic festival of guns and the men who use them. They'll play as Max, an undercover wiseguy who shoots off his mouth about as much as he does his firearms. Players’ll take to the dirty streets, pop many caps in many asses, and do it all in John Woo-tastic siow motion. Give that special someone a chance to live out their hardboiled fantasies, because inside every mature gamer is a tiny Chow Yun-Fat, yearning to bust out.
law stuff, but never as much as episode three. This open-ended adventure has you shootin’, lootin’ and stealin’ your way to superstar- dom. It’s like doing errands for Tony Soprano, only you don't gotta hang out at the pork shop.
System: PS2, Xbox
Publisher: Konami
PS2 Scores: 7.5, 9.0, 8.5 Filled with some of the most dis- turbing moments in gaming, this. twisted, flashlight-driven psy-
_chodrama Is best played alone.
in the dark. Sober.
System: PS2
Publisher: Capcom
Scores: 8.5, 9.0, 9.0 DMC is a jot like Mario 64. That's if you consider Mario the son of the devil, and the environments in which he roams. Hell.”
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Dance Dance Revolution
| System: PlayStation
' Scores: 8.0, 8.0, 7.0
' Publisher: Konami
Know somebody who could use a real workout? Are you concerned about that person who spends so much time sitting on a couch that you can no longer tell where their back ends and their ass begins? No worries. Give ‘em Dance Dance Revolution, a Simon-sez game that’s as physically intense as any ses- sion with our ol’ buddy Rich Simmons. EGM's Previews Editor Greg Sewart (left) actually lost 30 Ibs. by playing DDR four times a week in 20-minute stints. It ain't rocket science. Just step on the arrows (on the mat controller) that correspond with what's scrolling up the screen. It’s easy, it's fun and best of all, it’s a subtle way of dropping that chubster a much-needed hint.
HERE THE STARS DLAY
2-on-2 arcade action with 6 modes of gameplay including the classic
, 'r A ; game of H-0-R-5-E! “THE ASS
AVATLABLE FoR THE GAME Boy? ABVANEE
RATING PENDING
Vist www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications ‘used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs
ns and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Suey S, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. De
r Scly U
veloped by Digital Creations, inc. All Rights Reserved vance are trademarks of Nintendo. © 200] NINTENDO Th @ ratings icon is a registered trademark of the
whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. © 2001 NBA Properties, Inc. All Rights Reserva d. Acclaim ® & © 200) Marketed by Acclaim. Distributed by Acclaim D : 542- Ad
surg Inc. One Acclaim Plaza, Glen Cove, NY 11 2777. Game Boy and Game Boy Interactive Digital Software Association
EGM'S HOLIDAY BUYER'S GUIDE
For the Gadget Gamer: ; a | Sometimes, a nice piece of hardware says a whole lot more than . GAMECUBE
just another game. We assemble only the cream-of-the-crop gam- ing accessories for your stocking-stuffing needs this Christmas.
> ae | System: GBA, GameCube
| AUDIO SHUFFLE = i : a EB Made by: Nintendc
2
@ Costs around: $15 ue Oe sass Hooking up your GBA to a . SUBTITLE REPEAT ee ee. | GameCube sounds good in theory, 7 * _ but how many games will support
uh one RENE - TIME cs this linkability in the near future? | Reems | :
ANGLE PROGRAM |
ee a ee atl _ According to the Big N, a lot. Like eg? Seas. ha S i _ the Transfer Pak for the N64, the ORLA (PAUSE STOP tink will allow you to move data 2
nd from your GameCube and GBA. In addition, certain sports games will allow ee ~€=—=—sOVOU to pick plays via your * gue te handheld (ort of like a
| . O fe giant Visual Memory Unit — + iene 9 > | on the Dreamcast). This — wees __ is a perfect gift for that.
acquaintance you don’t - wanna blow too much money on.
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DISPLAY: TITLE > DVD MENU RETURN.
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SONY
DVD/ PLAYSTATION
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PS2Z DVD Remote > [i System: PlayStation 2 i Made by: Sony — @ Costs around: $20 : One could participate for hours | in a purist debate about whether ~ game consoles should be ableto ~ play DVDs. But screw that; why not | __ just kick back, open a cold one and enjoy Jar-Jar Binks on ahaa a shiny, new, Sony- branded. PS2 DVD remote. The package comes 3 with a controller, an IRreceiver, Vern Controle r. and the all important DVD Dupgrade ill System: Xbox L bios disc. This disc copies the | newest DVD drivers onto a PS2
: aes on) your list sade . oo . thing al long those lines, buy t jen
memory card so they can watch - Let's face it. The standard oe them movies without worrying —controller is large. Massive. about ee ane issues Grotesquely huge. Hell, i
you could exhibit the thing da in a . travel ling carnival eas and charge
damned time, we say.
and a es avira ee those four. as Hal io Petes whi ch to
ae sieek Vortex she ve or the - MadCatz p pad for its vee out, full-circle buttons. _
G3 Arcade Stick . S.
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® System: GameCube
@ Made by: Pelican _
® Costs around: $25 _
lf you know a fighting-game addict, chances are you've heard them bitch about having to eventually play Soul Calibur 2 on the GameCube's default controller. Lucky for them, Pelican has a very — affordable and nicely designed stick available. For a measly $25,
you can kick out the jams, arcade- __ style. Of course, the G3 can also be >
used with any number of action games on Nintendo's ‘Cube too.
Docking Station
System: GBA
Made by: Mad Catz
Costs around: $20
Nobody likes to buy more batteries, so a recharger is the perfect solution for pocket-gaming junkies. This docking station turns the GBA into one of those fancy Handspring Visors. Make ‘em feel just like a corporate big shot.
Mobile 1 Monitor
@ System: GameCube ©
@ Made by: InterAct
®@ Costs around: $150
When it comes to lookin’ sleek, the - GameCube rivals even that of the
redesigned PS one. And like they
did for the PS one, interAct is
DVD Playback Kit
lB System: Xbox
® Made by: Microsoft @ Costs around: $30
Your friend is laying down some
serious money for his Xbox and feels another $30 for DVD capabili- ties will break his bank. Naturally,
you buy him this controller and win his favor. Simply plug the inated » .
unit into a controller port and-
bami-it’ S movie time. No memory
cards or cables to mess with here.
bringing a Mobile Monitor to the
GC. If you know someone who trav-
els and has a hankering for some gaming on the go, this could be the
perfect gift. Sure, it’s not the cheapest present, but why be a
Scrooge when you can get ‘ema
sweet, mini- -LCD monitor to com-
plement their brand-new ‘Cube?
manufacturers of PC per aherals oe and are now trying their hand a
try. A perfect gift for the driving fanatic who's also getting Gran —
Driving Force @ System: PlayStation 2 @ Made by: Logitech @ Costs around: $100 | oS You read right-this ba boy comes in at 100 smackeroos. But remem:
ber: Christmas is the season for
giving, so splurge a little a that special someone thi ble force- -feedback steering wheel . and pedal setup from Logitech. They've long been one o ;
console gear. Not bad for
eben 3 from Santa.
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by the EGM: staff
KEGORITT
t’s like a head-spinning trip into some alternate universe the first time you see it happen: that famous Sega logo popping up in a PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube game. But you better get used to the feeling —and-quick. Now that Sega’s fully reborn as a software publisher, we're finally seeing their first wave of major games for every system. How'd we wind up here? Sega’s hardware history is-a bloody one. After the failure of the company’s first console, the Master System, and the initial-wild success of the Genesis, came the Saturn, whose fate was sealed by a botched early taunch, unfriendly hardware, poor developer support and surprisingly strong competition-from- newcomer Sony. And Sony’s success ultimately doomed Sega’s swan- song console, the Dreamcast, despite Sega-appearing to finally make all the right moves: powerful-hardware that was easy to develop for, a tow price and a great lineup of games. A year ago, Sega looked finished. Dreamcast had failed. The company was pulling out of the hardware business for good, and many wondered if Sega could survive in-its new role-as:a software publisher. Fast forward to today: “It’s Sonic and Sega Sports-and-Crazy Taxi, Shining Force, Altered: Beast-and Nights=that’s:where the real love is. It’s the content,” says Peter Moore, President of Sega of America. “If we felt that we had to-do hardware til-the grave, then we'd be Atari. Hardware’s great...but not if you're going through years of financial struggle and are unable to pult = out of a cycle to make the company profitable.” You’ve no doubt peeked at the next few pages to see the titles and developers driving Sega toward the future—and it is an THE ABU OFFSPRING awesome lineup by any publishers’ standards. And although Sega looks set to become a dominant force in the software: community, one question still remains: Will-we ever see another Sega system? “Not in my lifetime,” states Moore, “but as James Bond said, ‘Never Say never again.”
186 VIRTUR FIGHTER 4
REALL SELLER SER ER SSR RRS SERRE REESE RENE RENE RER OEE N EU E UCU NUNS RSER OSES EMER O USNR OS TESS LD CER Sg SESS SSE SE SS OSES SESS S ESSEC ESSE SESS SESS SESE ES EST ESET ESSE SEES TESS STEHT SUSE TEED eee cece eee ee eee seer eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseun Seite iether lteter eats
PAAAAAS AAS AS ASAE SARS DE DENSE AE ADODE TER ALE SSSR SASA SSE SESESE EERE RESESEDEES EER EEOREEEEEEEEER ESET ES ESSE ESSE EEEEESEESSESEEH RHE H OES E HEHE OO SEES
194 SEGA GT 2002
SOS SSS ESE SESS SS SSE S HOTS ES SNSS ET TEESE TESST S SSS SEES E EEE S SSS SESE SEESESC SSS SESS ESSE ESTSTE ESSE SEES HEHE HEE SEE ses eee eee eeeeeeeseseseeebeseesesuss
Puyo PoP
veryone who loved Virtua
Fighter 2, raise your hand. OK,
hands down. Now everyone who loved VF3? No, we didn’t say played VF3, or even bought VF3— we said loved VF3. Yeah, that’s what we thought. Don’t feel bad; you’re not alone. While it wasn’t a horrible game by any means, most fighting fans spent far fewer hours and quarters on VF3 than they did on the incredible VF2.
But let’s not dwell on the past, because the future is looking pretty damn good. If the crowds at Japanese arcades are any indication, AM2 has redeemed themselves with VF4, bringing the original 3D fighting franchise back to prominence. (Sega’s machines are consistently busy in Tokyo,
The cast from VF3 returns,
one played anyway. Filling in the giant, sweaty void he left
(right), and Vanessa Lewis, a white-haired black lady who looks like Storm from X-Men after a few years in lock-up.
Delaer et weatre CSWETPALSVesTOcIOVSETSEENCSTOSTPCRETICE
BLOOD
minus only that fat-ass guy ina diaper (sumo Taka-Arashi) no
behind are Shaolin monk Lei-Fei
while neighboring Tekken 4 cabinets gather dust.) How’d they do it? By sticking to the foundation they know works well: VF2. Everything about VF4 feels like that old favorite, including most of the characters, the attacks, and thankfully the three-button layout (punch, kick and guard—VF3’s Evade button is gone). But if you’re worried about it being the same
It’s no longer just “Sega” making the games anymore; each development group within the company now has its own
brand name. But with 11 teams, keeping track of them all can be a headache. Enter our handy who’s-who guide to the company’s elite development squads:
SYSTEM: PLAYSTATION 2 DEVELOPER: AM2
Besides slightly rougher edges on the graphics, the PS2 version of VF4 comes darn close to the arcatle game shown here. Plus you get a whole buncha extra modes.
old game in a prettier package (albeit a much prettier package), don’t. Two new fighters and eight- way movement, plus plenty of added or tweaked moves and combos, mean that even ninth- degree VF blackbelts have plenty to learn. And the home version comes with even more extras (check out the sidebars). Get ready to love Virtua Fighter again.
| VIRTUAL VIRTUA
i ia Pah:
FIGHTING
Ever try Akira’s VF2 “Stun Palm of Doom”? (Punch
guard and kick, back, down/
forward, punch and kick, then down, back and punch...all in literally one second.) Obviously mastering VF can be quite difficult— you need practice, young grasshopper. That’s where VF4’s expanded
| Training mode comes in:
Learn all the moves, combos and reversals, right down to
specific timing and distances.
Even better, another mode lets you custom train an Al
fighter; teach it those
annoying moves your buddy
_ always uses, practice
reversing them, and toss Billy on his ass the next time
| you meet.
| AM2’s reputation (especially in the arcade) is legendary.
Flamboyant leader Yu Suzuki’s pocketbook took a hit from
— ————
ween Virtua Fighter 3 and the expensive Shenmue, but Shenmue I and VF4 could put AM2 back in the black.
NOTABLE HITS: Outrun, Virtua Racing, Virtua Cop series, Virtua Fighter series,
Afterburner, F355 Challenge, Shenmue
WHAT’S NEXT? Shenmue I! (Xbox), Virtua Fighter 4 (PS2)
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 186 - www.egmmag.com
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ORO ENRON NON siti NN RN RE aE Ee a ONIN, th 4 5 . SRE AN SOM
40 single player missions. The first Star Trek © game
4-player head-to-head action. on PlayStation® 2.
VIOLENCE
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
Published and distributed under license from Activision inc. and its affiliates TM, ®, & © 2001
ACTIVISION. Saescss™ escosae: P INTERACTIVE www.majescosales.com
Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager and related marks are trademarks of Paramount Pictures. This product contains software technology licensed trom td Software, Inc. id Technology © 1999-2001 Id Software, inc. All Rights Reserved. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, inc. and its affiliates © 2001 Activision, inc. and its affiliates. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of
their respective owners. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. "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. © 2001 Majesco Sales, inc.
SYSTEM: PLAYSTATION 2 DEVELOPER: UNITED GAME ARTISTS RELEASE: JANUARY 2002
=" rying to explain Rez with trying to tell a blind person what
Y words and pictures ain’t easy, red looks like. Take the epilepsy- Since even seeing the game in inducing psychedelic graphics. “We motion doesn’t tell the whole story. wanted these fantastically trippy As you might expect from a game backgrounds going nuts all over inspired by Tron, African street the place,” says artist Jake Kazdal, music and all-night European who got exactly what he wanted raves, Rez is something you must and then some. And despite the experience (rumbling joypad in criminally insane visuals, it’s the hand, headphones on ears) to truly music that makes Rez what it is | understand. (this is the team behind Space DISCO BALL: Just a simple pulsing ball. Be
The short explanation: It’s five Channel 5, after all—see below for careful—one n more hit and you'r re toast Stages of on-rails shooting, details). But will it catch on, unlike Ss 7: , : complete with bosses. One button past oddball Sega titles? “If we fires, another is a super bomb, Stay inside the envelope, like other and... that’s it. Simple, eh? But companies, it would be easy for outside the bare-bones controls, Sega to Stay alive,” says Sega’s trying to put Rez’s all-out assault Peter Moore. “But it’s our job to on the senses into words is like push the limits.”
BLOCKY JOE: You start here, made completely | | Of delicious Arby's roast-heef slices. :
GOTTA HEAR IT TO BELIEVE IT bong). All these sound samples change depending MAS PR: * te —
on which stage you’re playing and how many Let’s break down the audio from five typical targets you lock on to, plus they’re all designed to seconds in Rez: First, three enemies appear. You fit in with the fantastic driving-techno background press and hold the fire button (clap), pass the music (boove doofboo-boo-boo boove do...ah hell, crosshair over the bad guys (bahn, bahn...bahn) see why you gotta hear it yourself?). Even the and lock on to all three, let go, and release three controller, your character and the neon backgrounds
. : ; in ti Te er ‘ | | ROCKETMAN: A, now you have the shots (dahn-deeng-dong) that all hit (bon bin pulse in time to the music—you just gotta hear it. BE makings of a sicieton and some solid
| pieces. Keep going...
THE HELL 1S GOING OP 225-017-150 It's hard to get across everything thats ooing on in Rez rom stl images, both because
of the wild “nsychedelic vector” graphic style and because the screen is usually Soing completely gonzo with activity. Maybe a breakdown would help...
_ Shoot these weird satellite thingies eight _ times to jump to the next section of the level.
These are the hati Guys—shoot “em! Wait too long and they fire
missiles or lasers you'll also need to blast before you get hit.
Your targeting crosshair displays how many lock-ons (up to eight) you have. Just let off the attack button to fire.
~ Some defeated enemies drop power-ups like ~ health (this blue blob) or super-bombs. Lock | on with your weapon to pick it up.
CESARE SR OR RRMETI TTR MTENTITTTITE THAT MINIT) Ain)
"Fill this health bar to evolve and withstand more damage (see sitlebar).
oa -_ al THe Mien, leivenaiail Vewrveneel aniston
Despite head honcho Tetsuya | United Game Artists; ae ee
Mizuguchi’s arcade racing roots (he worked on Sega Rally 2 and Manx TT), United Game Artists has developed a reputation for innovative music a passion for frequent clubber Mizuguchi. eS
NOTABLE HITS; Space Channel 5 ‘WHAT’S NEXT? Rez (PS2), Space | Channel 5 Part 2 20053) =
Led by Toshihiro Nagoshi, Amusement Vision is another
Sega team with strong roots in the arcade, though most _ of their titles eventually made it home. They recently
scored a hit with the ‘surprisingly playable Monkey Ball.
H i FIFetitt! 4
_ NOTABLE HITS: Daytona USA, Spikeout series, Planet
, Harriers, ‘Super Monkey Balt — whar’s NEXT ? 5? Spikers Battle (Arcade), Virtua Striker 3 aie —— = =
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 188 - www.egmmag.com
interactive
www.Cosmodcc.com
www.Cosmogames.com sales@cosmoacc.com
Distributed by Game Technology Systems Inc.
SYSTEM: KBOK DEVELOPER: SMILEBIT RELEASE: FEB. 12, 2002
JET SET RADIO FUTURE
BOOST'N
The last Jet game allowed you a quick burst of speed
Spraying graffiti (or “tagging”) in the original Jet Grind had two problems: The button to activate it also controlled the camera, and the accompanying controlier motions slowed the game down. Future
T. great thing about video games is sometimes they let you do stuff that’s either illegal, immoral or otherwise physically impossible in the real world. Some of the best games, like Jet Set Radio Future here, let you do all of the above.
Set in the same city of Tokyo- to, Future expands on many aspects that made the Dreamcast
Street traffic, both people and moving cars, a
Smilebit is an eclectic bunch who worked on everything from
atidresses button that does everything all by itself.
prequel such a critical success.
You play as the same members of
the GG gang (plus a few new ones, of course), protecting their turf from rival gangs through the power of graffiti. You still skate your way through wide-open urban environments, now even bigger and teeming with traffic thanks to the power of the Xbox. And once again your magnetized
Jet Grind Radio, to Japan-only sports titles, to the long- | awaited Panzer Dragoon follow-up.
NOTABLE HITS: jet Grind Radio, The Typing of the Dead,
- Hundred Swords
WHAT'S NEXT? Gun Vatkyrie (Xbox), Jet Set Radio Future
‘ca Panzex Dragoon (Xbox)
Skates can grind over everything in sight, from light posts to roller- coaster pipelines. Only this time there are expanded tricks (like a button for quick 180s) and a two- player racing mode to keep you busy. As for the series’ calling card (its stylish cel-shaded cartoon look), it’s back and better than ever. Anew motion blur and other effects for grinding and boosting (see sidebar) make JSRF one of the most gorgeous Xbox games yet. February can’t come soon enough.
anytime you liked, but it’s a bit more complicated in Future. Now boosting eats up the same paint cans you use to tag, but can last as long as you have fuel. Plus, your skates ignite and the whole screen blurs with an awesome heat wave effect.
| THE FACES OF JSRF ©
Dj Professor K, Beat, Grum and Syung (left to right) grew up a bit for JSRF (it is the future, after all). Our only question is who’s the funky dude on the far right? Some sort of skatin’ man-beast?
BABIN days nbe RNs foee ahr RTI RRL CCR AC Orb NTN
@ Hitmaker The Hitmaker team (formerly AM3) has definitely lived == up to its name. The Crazy Taxi series alone is one of
Sega’ $ most = aS and with a new Xbox game and feature film on the way (yeah, it’s a dumb idea for 2 movie, we know) it looks like it’tl only get bigger.
NOTABLE HITS: Crazy Taxi series, Virtua Tennis series, Virtual On series,
Confidential Mission, SegaGaGa
WHAT'S NEXT? Virtual On Force (Arcade), Crazy Taxi Next (Xbox)
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 190 - www.egmmag.com
FEEL WITHOUT T
~~» Pro-rider
Winter X Games Snowboarding 2002 keeps you riding with over 20 multi-level courses filled with pipes, jibs, and insane terrain. You select from |3 real pro-riders and compete against the best. Create your own rider with a specific appearance, physical attributes and equipment. Then take your skills to locations around the world for filming, heli-boarding and X Games competitions in your own professional pursuit.
Penouhoarting 2002
Peter Line, todd richards, kevin sones, sjorn veines, sp walker, bevun walsh, panny Kass, Rio Tahara, Travis Parker, Tina Basich, Barrett christy, victoria sealouse, s shannon punn
Visit www.esrb.org
or call 1-800-771-3772 GAME BOY ADVANCE. | a. PlayStation.e
for more Info.
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
©2001 Disney. ESPN, ESPN the Garnes and X Games are trademarks of ESPN, inc. KONAMI® is a registered trademark of Konami Corporation. 200! KONAMI. All Rights Reserved. "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. Game Boy Advance is a trademark of Nintendo. ©2001 Nintendo. Xbox and Xbox logos are either recistered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Cornoration in the LS and/nr in arher cauntrinc
DEVELOPER: SMILEBIT RELEASE: SPRING 2002
ake all the cool bits of
Nintendo’s old Metroid games— moody, labyrinthine environments, inventive weapons and power-ups, that chilling, claustrophobic feeling of being all alone in an alien world—and combine them with an expansive, beautiful 3D landscape and absolutely stunning graphics, and what do you get? We figure the result would be something akin to Smilebit’s new Xbox action- shooter, Gun Valkyrie.
Originally in development for the ill-fated Dreamcast (as a combination controller/light-gun game, no less), Gun Valkyrie made the switch over to Xbox early last year, ditching the light- gun scheme in the process. (See sidebar for the lowdown on the new controls.) Don’t worry, though; there’s still plenty of blasting action. In fact, from the looks of the early version we tried, the foundation of Gun Valkyrie’s gameplay consists of mowing down the hordes of insect-like aliens that come at you from all sides, picking up the different orbs they leave behind to earn new moves and Special powers.
That’s not to say Gun Valkyrie plays like a mindless run-‘n’-gun shooter, though. While most of
r% One of Sega’s oldest teams (some members worked on the Vy | original oe Star aad ne Master ose Noriyoshi
| @VERWORKS" &
the gameplay we’ve seen So far has been heavily action-oriented, Smilebit is promising a good deal of balance between combat and
exploration for the finished game.
We’ve already seen a Sprawling, Grand Canyon-like outdoor area that included platform-style jumping, as well as a maze-like indoor level with rudimentary
puzzles, locked doors that require special items to open, and lots of long, twisting corridors.
It’s too early to peg this one as a clear winner, but so far, Gun Valkyrie seems to be headed in the right direction—and just look at those graphics. Freaking amazing. More soon.
| ma
oneal - “ENEMIES Bea)
4
©)
Sega’s only U.S.-based studio became a household name (well, in our houses anyway) after VC’s excellent
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© 2001 Infogrames Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., New York, NY. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
| PlayStation
LOONEY TUNES, characters, names and all related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. WBIE LOGO: TM & © Warner Bros.
Comic Mischief (s01)
PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
DEVELOPER: WOW ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE: MARCH 2002
ou don’t ask Michael Jackson to babysit the kids, you don’t
challenge Sally Struthers to a pie-eating contest, and for god’s sake, you do not take on Sony’s million-selling Gran Turismo franchise for the crown of top GT game worldwide. Well, apparently someone forgot to tell Sega about that last one. At a press conference in Tokyo last month they announced their goal for Sega GT is to surpass Sony’s GT racing series in both quality and sales.
So does David have a chance against Goliath? Judging from the early version we played, GT 2002 has potential, but it’s still far from meeting Sega’s ambitious ideal. The graphics are already clean and smooth. But the single track we drove lacked the detail, not to mention the speed, of GT3. It doesn’t help that acceleration and braking are on the front of the pad instead of the shoulder triggers as you’d expect. Plans for add-ons discs (see below), and Sega’s racing pedigree are good reasons to be optimistic though. Keep your fingers crossed.
SPACE CHANMEL S PART 2 cist
Space Channel 5 reporter’s work is never done. Right after Ulala
defeated the Morolian invaders in the Dreamcast game, a new threat rears its ugly head: The Odorians, or “dancing squad.” Armed with booty-shakin’ power and a phaser pistol, you must help Ulala outdance the Odorians to increase your network’s ratings in this “simon sez” music game. In addition to besting them with fancy footwork, you'll also have the power of various musical instruments to recruit Odorians, which will help you reach number one in the Space Nielsens.
at) One of the most prolific developers at Sega, — under , Kenji Sasaki’s crew at includes former the command of Rikiya Nakagawa— specializes in arcade eifiememen’ members of Namco’s Ridge Racer team, so it’s not ames like The House of the Dead games, but lately hi rprisi at t! i arcade r
uM
WOW ENTERTAINMENT
A WARRIOR DAMNED PAIN HIS ONLY SALVATION
ceitsiaiiiaiiiaiiemen
CG movies develop the engrossing story line!
Tsugunai is the story of Reise, a warrior who has inadvertently angered the Goddess of Light by stealing the mystical Treasure Orb. As punishment, the Goddess of Light forever separates his soul from his body unless he atones for his sins by helping the people of Walondia. Without a physical body of his own, the only way to change the fates of the people is to possess them. Will he find redemption in time or will his soul be lost forever?
es,
Spell-binding graphics and J eye-popping magic spells!
Intense Combat system immerses you in every battle!
‘Summon powertul beasts with your magical Runes
Possess over 12. ditlerent fs characters in the game!
Violence
WWW.ATLUS.COM
001 Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. “Tsugunai” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are reg-
SONIC ADVENTURE 2 BATTLE
THE PIfIBALL OF THE DEAD
|: GAME BOY ADVANCE PER: WOW RELEASE: MARCH 2002
The amned House of the Dead series is about to get the spin-off treatment again. Hot off the heels of last year’s oddball Dreamcast typing sim, The Typing of the Dead, Sega is back with an all-new kind of zombie-busting weirdness: The Pinball of the Dead.
The name of the game pretty much says it all: It’s a pinball game set in the HotD world, with horror-themed tables (we’ve seen at least three so far) and...well, zombies. And like the other games, you'll get to save plenty of helpless citizens, too. Despite the corny premise, Wow is promising rock-solid gameplay and realistic pinball physics.
5 <ece
PHAN TASH Ss THR OFILINE
|: GAMECUBE/KBOK | 1: SONIC TEAM
Offline with four players (via ee: online (with as-of-yet undetermined Net plans from Nintendo and Microsoft), or all by your lonesome—however you want to nerd out with Sega’s action-RPG series, the upcoming GameCube and Xbox versions will allow.
We know the GameCube edition of this hack-and-slash dungeon- crawler features a new swamp stage and two more character classes (a female android Hunter and a male human Force). And although we haven’t seen hide or Hildebear of the Xbox version, we hear it could be released first, possibly with Microsoft’s gaming network this summer.
‘STEM: GAMECUBE 0 SONIC TEAM RELEASE: Q1 2002
For the first time in history, Sonic makes his way to another company’s home console. (He’s been on a few different handhelds.) The GC version of Sonic Adventure 2 will be largely the same as the Dreamcast game, but the little blue blur does have a few new tricks up his sleeve. The most notable is the ability to download your Chaos—the little creatures you can raise in Sonic’s world—to your Game Boy Advance for on-the- go nurturing. Otherwise you'll find a few new multiplayer modes in SA2 Battle, including even more racing levels for Sonic and Shadow, and even smoother-running gameplay. ity
Arguably Sega’s most prominent studio, Yuji Naka’s Eneees little introduction. Their recent Dreamcast
FEBRUARY 2002 (JAPAN) Shining Soul may not be the Shining Force sequel that fans of the strategy-RPG series were hoping for (this one’s an action-RPG),
sets it apart: four-player co-op play. By linking up to four GBAs, each with its own cart, gamers can team up to fight together. And as anyone who’s played Secret of Mana
(Super Nintendo) or Phantasy Star Online can
tell you, that can be enough to make a good game great. Shining Soul is currently only
scheduled for release in Japan, but we’re sure some U.S. publisher will come to their senses
and pick this one up soon.
The odd team out of the Sega studios, mainly produces music for other Sega games. They ald make one bizarre Dreamcast game, roommate.
GAME BOY ADVANGE DEVELOPER: SEGA
but it does have one gameplay mechanic that
Ang 188g 100Z ©
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.
o aay
TurnOnthe Fun’
EGM rates games based on how they compare 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
After watching astronaut Steve Austin pummel Sasquatch in an old <a episode of Six Million Dollar Man, | & Cris got the bright idea to have tiny _§# bionic hands implanted on his fin- ' © 4 gertips to improve his Halo skills.
Action, Adventure Grand Theft Auto III, Halo, MGS2
West Coast Editor
This month, Che has the weight of _ an Xbox on his shoulders. Microsoft has exercised their strong-arm tac- | tics yet again to monopolize all of
= Che’s waking hours with Halo. And | Sadly, R.I.P. SNK (14978-2001).
Action, Driving, Fighting
Halo, MGS2, Burnout, GTA3
Associate Editor
Jon decided to celebrate with a fine cigar after winning a bet with CJ that Splashdown would be better
» than Wave Race: Blue Storm. Next E. up: Convincing Xbox fanboys that DOA3 is hardly the cat’s pajamas.
Fighting, Action, Adventure Halo, Metal Gear Solid 2
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.
its time. At the other end of the spectrum sits the lowest score a game can receive: a 0.0. 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?
@ EDITORS CHOICE AWARD @
Games that average at least an 8.0 (but lower than 9.0) receive Silver Awards.
_ Editor in Chief
' Shoe’s been yelling at the staff with his new bullhorn because no one’s getting jack done, due to Halo mul- tiplayer matches. On another note, the staff has recently discovered the benefits and joys of earplugs.
Not the sports sims! Halo, Munch’s Oddysee, Pikmin
News Editor
After deadline, Chris is planning to lock himself in his apartment and catch up on anime DVDs. With plenty of El-Hazard, Oh! My Goddess and " Nadia to watch, maybe he’ll emerge
| fluent in Nihongo. But probably not.
'$: Action, Adventure, Puzzle Jak and Daxter, Halo
Associate Editor/Art Director
The penultimate highlight this month for Jeanne was patenting a Scorpion tank flanking maneuver with Kraig Kujawa in a heated Halo capture-the-flag session. Hey, Red Team, come get some!
8S: RPG, Action, Adventure Halo, Munch’s Oddysee
> Mark MacDonald
Executive Editor
After finishing MGS2, Mark realized he no longer had a purpose in life.
7 f Why is he here? What is he doing
with his life? Is there really a god? And if so, why...wait, something opens up if you get all the dogtags? Action, Adventure, Halo
Halo, MGS2...more Halo
West Coast Editor /Webmeister Playing GTA3 all month has put Milky in a peculiar state. Here we
® find our felonious friend moving at —, the speed of 150 mph...at his desk.
Cornering in a cubicle is tough, so the skid marks are something else.
Fighting, RPG, Adventure DOA3, Halo, Pikmin, GTA3
| Greg Sewart
Reviews/Previews Editor In order to afford four Xboxes, four
@ televisions and four copies of Halo,
Sewart sold this space to Mountain Dew: Code Red. The refreshing taste
F of Mountain Dew with a blast of _ Cherry flavor! Do the Dew!
Racing, RPG, Action Halo, Grand Theft Auto III
can be sure that sports reviews are being done by the sports enthusiasts and not by some schmucks.
www.playonline.com Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C.
© 2001, 2002 Square Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. FINAL FANTASY and the SQUARESOFT logos are registered trademarks of Square Co., Ltd. Character design: Tetsuya Nomura. “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.
SQUARESOFT
Blood and Violence
Publisher: Nintendo |
Developer: Nintendo a Featured In: EGM #149 | : Players: 1
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Also try: Web Site:
Novel gameplay concept Ends too early
Pushing down on the D-pad www.pikmin.com
S you might expect of the latest game
from Shigeru Miyamoto (of Mario and
Zelda fame), the game design in Pikmin is unique and elegant. As the leader of a race of ant-like creatures called Pikmin, you have exactly as much control over your miniature army as you need. You can manipulate them right down to a single man (or plant, or what- ever they are), if you like, without ever getting swamped in the details. Toss the Pikmin at an enemy and they attack. Direct them to a bomb
and they pick it up. Move the bomb-carrier to a wall or a bad guy, and he knows what to do next. Amass up to 100 troops at once, sepa- rate them into groups of different sizes and colors, and maneuver them all with ease.
And that’s important, because the balanc- ing act that is the heart of this game always requires your attention. How many of each color Pikmin should you create? Should you Spend your time growing your ranks, or pow- ering up the troops you already have? How many should you leave in the ground to mature, and how many should you take along with you? Pikmin is all about how you allocate your resources, with no one right way to do it.
The main goal is supposed to be locating the parts of your broken spaceship within 30 days, but ultimately Pikmin becomes a chal-
ERS OF THE PIKMIN
Find your ship's radar to get a detailed map (below) showing the location of your ship, any lost parts, and all your Pikmin.
lenge to beat yourself (no, not down there). Most people will complete the game the first time through (there are 30 pieces to find for the best ending, and you only need 18 to fin- ish), but you can always try to top your best score by finishing in fewer days, or with more Pikmin. In a nutshell, those who enjoy the game enough to play a second or third time will find plenty to keep them occupied. Challenge mode versions of all five levels, where you try to grow as many Pikmin as you can in one day’s time, add to the replay value. The one problem we had with Pikmin con- cerns where and how it ends. Check the indi- vidual reviews on the next page for details.
Three colors of Pikmin are available in the game: yellow, red and blue. The longer you keep them planted before pulling them out of the ground (you can tell which are more mature by the bud or flower on top), the faster they can move. And speed is crucial, since you're always working under a time limit. Anyway, each color of Pikmin has its own unique abilities; here’s what they can do.
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Other Pikmin drown when they touch the water, except for the blue guys.
Yellow can carry bombs (inset) and fly higher to get to hard-to-reach areas.
TEST YOUR PIKMIN 1.0.
Half the fun of Pikmin is just figuring out how you're going to tackle the puzzle chal- lenges built in to each level. Here's a quick example of one of our favorites:
Your Pikmin need to get from Start to Goal, and you can’t just lead them through the water (it doesn’t show up on this screen, but the darker area in the middle is the clear water) because only your blue guys can swim. Sticks for bridges are on the island at points A and B, a solid wall blocks the path at C, and bombs litter area D. How would you do it?
MARE ESISE:
...they can reach those bombs up at point
C. Now toss ‘em back to the mainland...
First, swim some blue Pikmin over to start building bridges at A and B, then...
Sea
...throw your yellow Pikmin across these small islands, one by one, until...
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...SO they can cross the now-finished bridge and destroy the wall. Voila!
Whatever color most of the Pikmin carrying a defeated enemy or coin back to base are, you get more Pikmin of that color. Return any colored coin with the same color troops and you get double the amount of Pikmin.
“Charming” is probably the best word to describe Pikmin, and not just because of the doe-eyed title critters. The gameplay, a puzzle-based real-time strategy hybrid of sorts, is as unique as it is capti- vating with great controls (outside of a small prob- lem with bomb-carrying Pikmin) making it all possi- ble. Anyone can pick up Pikmin right away, but with time you realize just how many different ways you could play through it. It’s one of those games | often paused and just sat with, considering my next move. You really want to be careful because cute little details like the Pikmin’s “heave-ho” chant as they lift items, or the tiny trumpet that sounds as they march, quickly trick you into loving the lil’ bastards. So much so that watching your babies swarm an enemy, viciously tearing it apart from all sides like a pack of crazed hyena, becomes a strangely proud moment. And even combat has some strategy to it—each of the nice variety of bad guys has a weakness to dis- cover and exploit. Really the only disappointment is that, like Luigi’s Mansion, Pikmin ends right as it’s hitting its stride. It’s not too short (about 13 hours to find all 30 pieces, plus there are tons of reasons for replay). But just as the complexity of the puzzles is reaching that sweet spot, where you see all the pos- sibilities and the true beauty of this game, it’s over. A few more areas like the last level could have made this great game much better. Mark It’s hard to write about a new Miyamoto title without throwing out tons of overused clichés, so instead ll just say this: You definitely need to play this game. Amidst a load of sequels and rehashes, Pikmin is like a breath of fresh air with its charming, unique style and addictive gameplay, It’s surprising- ly accessible for a strategy game, and the.action and puzzle elements will keep even non-fans of the genre (like me) hooked to the end. Sadly, though, that end comes way too quickly. Just as the challenge Starts to kick in (the fifth and final area), that’s it, the game’s over. It left me wanting more—lots more. Great, but short.
RDO OOOTIO
tle skeptical about how good it was at first, Pikmin Started to grow on me by the time | discovered the first blue-colored little buggers. It probably has a lot to do with how well the game is paced, Pikmin eases you into the action so perfectly that this decidedly unorthodox game feels comfortable in no time. The only thing | have a bit of a problem with is how pre- cisely you need to do everything. For instance, you can’t just run across a bridge; most of your Pikmin will drown. Instead, you have to march them across in small groups, or throw them across one by one. But other than that, Pikmin’s solid. Greg
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
AS veal
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
EVERYONE
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Neversoft
Featured In: EGM #149
Players: 1-2
Requires: A new controller to enjoy Best Feature: Excellent gameplay
No online mode www.activisiono2.com
Worst Feature: Web Site:
The third title in the Tony Hawk series is unquestion- ably the best action sports game I’ve ever played. THPS3 takes what’s great about the last two games—easy, responsive controls and a flexible combo system—and fine tunes the overall experi- ence into an excellent package. So is the GameCube version of THPS3 better than its PS2 counterpart? Well, technically (and | mean that in the strictest sense of the word), the GC version has better graph- ics. But the improvements here are so marginal that you’re pretty much splitting hairs just to find differ- ences. The only changes you'll notice from the PS2 to the GC version is the latter’s lack of online multiplay- er support and having to use the GC controller. Is it a shame you can’t get online with THPS3 on the GC? Sure, but | get the feeling you didn’t buy a GameCube for Nintendo’s online plans anyway. Otherwise, THPS3 GC still features a very playable two-player split-screen mode that’s long been a staple of the seriesy’But | had a.horrible time getting used to the controller. The problem with the GC pad is that its D- pad is way too small, making it difficult to pull off even the simplest manual combos. And don’t even get me started on those huge analog shoulder but- tons/\f you don’t mind the lack of online support and think you can deal with the crappy D-pad on the GC controller, THPS3 is definitely one of the very best games yet can gets for bia ico GC this winter. Che maine. As sed 4 as -THPS2 © was, 3 euidnes its predecessor in every way. Everything you like about the THPS games is now super-sized to satisfy even the most insatiable skateboarding appetites..Larger, more imaginative levels, faster gameplay, a vastly improved create-a-skater and better level objectives highlight the improvements made to this game. Sadly, the GameCube version of THPS3 suffers from a lack of online play, and most problematically, the GameCube controller itself. A few minutes with the-flaecid analog stick, or the tiny D-pad, show just how made for the Dual Shock 2 aka Hawk 3 ae is.
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Neversoftts steel cow pulls a wicked hata slant a1 on the GameCube with this surprise launch title, porting the spectacular PS2 game with ease. All the mad tricks, zany goals and cavernous customization carry over perfectly.,.ln fact, the only real. differences are the omission of the online mode.and the slightly dif- ferent feel of playing with the GC controller. The tiny D-pad means you'll have to get used to the analog — or die trying. Visually, it’s a dead heat between the GameCube and PS2 versions, but both look fan- tastic, so who cares? if you’ve been avoiding the Tony Hawk bandwagon for the last few years, this is an excellent chance to hop aboard. Shane
VISUALS REPLAY
AAR
SOUND
INGENUITY
MATURE
Publisher: Interplay
Ps ee Developer: Snowblind Studios Featured In: EGM #148 Players: 1-2 Also Try: Diablo (PS)
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
Two-player cooperative play Hard to tell the players apart www.interplay.com
Much like Diablo, this is a great alternative for those (like me) who don’t like traditional RPGs. Simply swing and slay, and that’s all it takes. You don’t get bogged down in complex battle systems or replay dungeons endlessly to build up your character. Once enemies are dead, they’re permanent floor decora- tions. To earn new weapons and abilities, you have to keep progressing, and that’s why you’ll never want to put the controller down. In fact, our inability to pull ourselves away from the controller for hours prompted my girlfriend and I to nickname this “Bladder’s Gate.” But that isn’t the only reason you'll wet yourself. The dark and gloomy dungeons hold plenty of surprises to make you jump. And slic- ing them to bits is a bloody sight to see. Who knew that a zombie can still attack after you slice his body in half? These thrills are best experienced with two players playing cooperatively. Using different classes (fighter, sorceress or archer) to complement each other’s weaknesses is fun in an “I’ve got your back” sort of way, and it makes it easier to beat the game too. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish the two char- acters apart, despite the sharp graphics. In the mid-
dle of fights you can get lost in the carnage, and blocked sight lines (caused.by dungeon decor) add to the confusion. Those slight problems might mix you up, but be clear on one thing—this action RPG is the one to get. Just don’t hacia the Pampers. Kraig With sublime enuirantienie harboring hordes of old-
school Dungeons & Dragons monsters, an expertly animated supporting cast brought to life by excellent voice-overs, and nonstop hackin’-and-slashin’, BG’Ul suck you in.faster than an arrow into a gelatinous cube, By taking the guesswork out of D&D role-play-
ing, but still requiring you to effectively build your character to’survive, BG succeeds in striking a bal-
ance ‘between an immersive story-driven quest, and pure action. The only burps include an out-of-place platforming level and aisave system that constantly takes you in and out of the game. But we’re talking nitpick pile here. BG’s a gem. Seek it out. Jeanne At first glance, this appears to be nothing more than a gussied-up Gauntlet lift, but don’t judge the game ‘til you’ve played it for a few hours. My run with Baldur’s Gate left me feeling lukewarm at the start, but near.the,end, my interest in beating. it.bordered on obsession. With the possible exception of Halo, | have not played a game this year that has been so difficult to put down. As a one-player experience, it’s incredibly tight; leveling up has never been more fun. As a two-player co-op adventure, it’s absolutely sub- lime. Add to all of this outrageously beautiful visuals and the revered D&D license, and you have one of the very best games of 2001. A must-have. Ethan
INGENUITY REPLAY
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VISUALS SOUND
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Burnout
Publisher: Acclaim
J oo Developer: Criterion Featured In: EGM #148 Players: 1-2 Also Try: Crazy Taxi Best Feature: Whiplash-inducing crashes Worst Feature: Not enough play modes Web Site: www.acclaim.com
Burnout is every frustrated commuter’s dream: a game that lets you haul ass down congested high- ways with absolutely no regard for life or limb. This arcade-like driving game pits you and three other daredevils in a race against the clock. What sets Burnout apart from other racing games is that it actu- ally rewards you for reckless driving; every near-miss and high-speed powerslide fills an “aggressive dri- ving” meter in a corner of the screen. Fill it com- pletely, and you can boost your top speed from “whoa!” to “holy s***!” Aside from this feature, the coolest thing about Burnout is the hyper-realistic crashes. Cut it too close, and you can easily cause a four- or five-car chain-reaction collision, complete with shattering glass and bending steel. Instant replays show all of the glorious destruction in loving detail from a variety of different angles. The game even calculates the dollar amount of the devastation you’ve caused, giving you a whole new Way of keep- ing score. Burnout’s biggest short |
is its paltry number of play modes pionship, timevattack and hea would have greatly benefitte police pursuit or some othe PS2 owner needs something th play while Waiting for friends to ar game to start, and, in this respect, Burnout fits the
bill rather nicely. Gary M.
Whoa, where the heck did this game come from? Burnout has to be one of my favorite surprises this year. As a straightforward arcade racer, Burnout gets a lot of things right. Whether you’re using the analog stick or.the D-pad, the contro ell-tem- pered. It’s just one of those inc up-and- -start-powersliding ty Burnout is also the only race snake through a river of cars during rus as close aS l’ve ever come to feelin Skarsgard from the movie;Roni ving against traffic in the. middle -rowded free- way. This is harrowing, edge-of-your-seat fun. Ghe Zooming in from obscurity and straight into my heart, Burnout is a modern take on classic, arcade-style racing. With white-knuckle driving from checkpoint to checkpoint through dense traffic a la Sega's clas-
sic Outrun,. this. game’s franti alternative to Gran Turismo 3 plexity. The courses and cars lo
renner
Al for your opponents, a whacked: out track, and a neat turbo boos
might be too intense for many players.
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scene
Deliver the goods through mine fields, avalanches and enemy crossfire!
Fully integrated plot increases the adrenaline and ups the stakes
Race anywhere across the world's most dangerous territories
All new mission types including helicopter drop-offs!
Outrun and outwit your enemies head-to-head in split screen multiplayer mode!
Publisher:
Rockstar Developer: DMA Design —T Featured In: EGM #149 Players: 1 Menace: To society
Best Feature: Millions of things to do Worst Feature: Guns can be hard to aim Web Site: www.grandtheftauto3.com
t’s amazing that this series, born of
modest 2D origins, has finally mutated
into a monster so Godzilla-esque that it stomps all over the conventions of what we call the “adventure game.” For a while, as recently as GTA2 on the Dreamcast last year, it looked as if Grand Theft Auto had grown complacent in its comfy niche as a gimmicky 2D, overhead anomaly in a predominantly 3D world. Well, those days are history, baby, because the third time’s a charm. Doesn’t Mean Anything Design has rallied the troops and finagled a masterpiece out of the PlayStation 2 hardware that most definitely means something.
The Edinburgh-based developers have designed a “go anywhere, any time” game that reaches new heights in immersiveness. Liberty City is packed full of scumbags, gangsters, murderers, pimps, prostitutes,
S150227268 7
Grand Theft Auto Ill
junkies, drunks, cops, robbers, firemen, old ladies, drug-smugglin’ dirtbags and more.
What other game offers such gritty realism? To say that Liberty City (which is inspired by
OS = os EF
ers (not that we’d know what drug dealers talk like...). When traveling in pairs, characters will use additional vocabulary specific to the Situation. It’s this uncanny attention to detail
",.Amagine...the criminal side of life. A virtual pulp fiction played out in 128 bits.”
New York City and its accompanying bor- oughs) is teeming with life is the understate- ment of the year.
Everywhere you go, not only do people blanket the sidewalks, they react. They react to anything under the sun if it’s appro- priate. For example, punch a civilian and he’ll punch you back. Shoot that civilian and an ambulance comes to the rescue. Blow up the ambulance and the fire department will come to douse the flames. Mess with the fire- fighters and you'll have so many smokies on your case, that escape will be an extremely unlikely option. Another nifty element in GTA3 is that each citizen speaks with dialogue unique to their character type. Cops sound like cops, and drug dealers talk like drug deal-
ly - 204 - www.
that energizes the entire game.
All the little touches in the world, however, don’t mean jack if the game is no fun. So, over the course of a hundred-plus missions, how
Cont. on page 206
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BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS.™
DIGITAL MAYHEM.
Giants: Citizen Kabuto: Copyright 2001 by Planet Moon Studios. All Rights Reserved. Planet Moon and the Planet Moon logo are trademarks of Planet Moon Studios. Giants, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, interplay, the Interplay logo, “By Gamers. For Gamers.”,
Digital Mayhem and the Digital Mayhem logo are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. All Rights Reserved. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Exclusively licensed and distributed by Interplay Entertainment Corp.
Cont. from page 204 does GIA3 manage to keep things interest- ing? By giving you a huge variety of jobs and mission objectives, along with strong story- line elements to back them up. Throughout the game, you’ll find yourself in the employ of Liberty City’s biggest crime bosses. Other times you might work for a former nemesis, or maybe you'll be hunting down an employer who betrayed you. Whatever the case, you'll never lack motivation for your actions, and this is the game’s greatest strength: It’s always a compelling experience. A digital playground for criminal masterminds, GTA3 lets you live out your felonious fantasies without a trip to the pokey waiting on the other side.
And what would Grand Theft Auto III be without the theft of autos? Almost all of the missions will keep you jimmying the locks on the dozens of cars Liberty City has
Grand Thett Auto iii (cont.)
to offer. Whether you’re looking for a simple Blista minivan or a speedy Yakuza Stinger,
a ride is always within reach. And each car handles differently, so don’t expect to outrun the fuzz in your garbage truck. It’s a little too easy to flip your vehicle, and none of the cars would pass a Consumer Reports crash test, but when the game offers so many wheels to steal, who cares?
Despite the dazzling array of game styles available, GTA3 hasn’t lost an ounce of what made this series interesting in the first place: It’s still fun being bad. As an outlet for all your criminal ambitions, GTA3 delivers. Just imagine a life lived on the wrong side of the railroad tracks...a virtual Pulp Fiction played out in 128 bits. Whatever your sins and vices, GTA3 gives you a harmless way to express yourself. Consider this the guiltiest of pleasures.
FOUR THINGS ABOUT GRAND THEFT AUTO Iii YOUR MOTHER WILL HATE
The ultimate irony: Steal the ambu- lance that arrives to treat your victims and run over more helpless innocents.
If you see a robbery, stick up the stick-up kid and take his stolen loot.
Various ladies of the night will “restore your health” while siphoning your funds.
Grab bottles of booze from the bums, and use them as Molotov cocktails.
- 206
The quality of the rides you can steal
gradually improves, from station wagons to sports cars. Become notorious enough (we're talkin’ public enemy numero uno), and you'll have the chance to jack a tank.
Of all the incredible things that GTA3 does, what amazes me the most is how much stuff is crammed in there. It’s rare when a game limited to one genre man- ages to get everything right. For GTA3 to assume mul- tiple guises and pull it off with such panache and style is practically unheard of. Whether it’s a third- person adventure, a first-person shooter or a driving game, you’re never in the position of having nothing to do. Not in Liberty City. Shoot bad guys, drive fast cars, pick up hot women, and make big money. You can do it all, baby. Wanna drive a police boat like Crockett and Tubbs? You can do that too. The level of detail in the game is so great, you could spend weeks trying to discover everything. All the familiar GTA staples are back too. The shady payphones, the pagers and the radio stations are all there, but this time in three lovely dimensions. A game like this could have gotten too big and too ambitious for its own good, but no matter how you choose to spend your time (doing.odd jobs, t | getting back to your primary object easy process. If only life were that sir np
flawless? Of course not. The game runs a little slow, lacks some polish, and the targeting system is noth- ing special. But that’s nitpicking considering its accomplishments. No matter how you slice it, GTA3 is an instant classic that deserves a place on every
grown-up gamer’s shelf. Mikman
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What’s SO cool abot this ; game is 5 that, even when you’re not taking on new missions and advancing the story, you'll discover loads of extra stuff to pass the time. Everything you can do in GTA3 is so compelling that you’lLfind yourself puttering around.the city for hours’ on of just to see what kind d of trouble you can
are feel like you’te in a Scorsese movie when one of your benefactors sends you out on a hit ora job. Plus the story’ 's one of the best, and most adult, I’ve seen in a video game. If you haven’t done it already, buy this ania Greg
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This 4 game is set in a Spreng mekonelte called
Liberty City, and | can’t think of a better name for the place. GTA3 gives you the freedom to do enough stuff to fill 10 games. | wasted hours picking up fares in avtaxi,,.chasing crooks in a.cop.car, hitting ramps'for stunt bonuses, and exploring the different parts of town. That’s not counting the more than 100 story: based missions and sidesi tory
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Dynasty Warriors 3
Publisher: Koei — fT Developer: Koei
Featured In: EGM #149
Players: 1-2
Also Try: Dynasty Warriors 2
Intense battles Loads of fog and pop-up www.koeigames.com
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
The Japanese have been crazy about this game since its release (it held on to the #1 sales position out east for four weeks, selling over half a million copies), and for good reason; it’s the best action-oriented war game on the planet, flaws and all. While just a hack- ‘n’-slash combo-fest at heart, Dynasty Warriors 3 dis- tinguishes itself by providing players with incredibly detailed and totally immersive environments. As you navigate through the game’s war-torn fields, you'll really feel as if you’re fighting for your life, struggling desperately against never-ending hordes of enemy soldiers. The countless bad guys are as detailed and well-animated as your central character, and they crowd the entire screen during combat, Braveheart- style. The cool battles are all well and good for those who are new to the series, but fans should note that part 3 offers little that wasn’t present in last year’s offering. The new two-player split-screen mode is almost too om to dae and while it Ss easier to save
over ‘40 playable characters, each chadee the fray with a unique fighting style and personalized weapon- ry, ’ll be playing DW3 ‘till my fingers bleed. Ethan
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on a battlefield than anything else. Forget strategy games; Koei’s usual stuff (like Kessen) makes my eyes glaze over. This game is entirely action. In one battle glone@y.|.felled over 750 soldiers. myself.
at Lik &§ gets your juices eine.
fighter like DOA2: Panlcoe “Christian
After playing this game, Custer must have felt at Little Big Horn. You'll be severely outnumbered the minute you press Start, as hundreds of enemies pour from every direction. My biggest problem. with the game i
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iny e ‘nicl the screen. Still, if you like long Me ane lots of action, you'll probably like this game. Gary M.
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
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DW3 comes closer to capturing the feeling of being
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Sony CEA
Publisher: a or Developer: Harmonix
Featured In: EGM #148
Players: 1-4
Supports: Multi-tap, Expansion Disks
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
The feeling of performing music Controls when things get fast www.scea.com
If previous music games outta Japan (Beatmania, Guitar Freaks, Samba de Amigo) didn’t use special controllers that looked like musical instruments, they wouldn’t be nearly as fun. Unfortunately, Frequency “only” uses a Dual Shock 2 controller, but even then, the pad isn’t made for the kind of super- fast button-tapping and moving you need in Frequency’s harder difficulties. The gameplay here is a lot deeper and more satisfying than typical games in the genre. Songs are divided into parts (drum, vocal, guitar, etc.), each a separate track in a large tunnel. You move from track to track, clearing each and heading to the next without pausing to keep your combo going and the points multiplying. Because of all this interaction, Frequency has a level of challenge and technique not found in other music games, making it feel like you’re really “per- forming” the tunes. But the thing that hampered my enjoyment is the music selection. I’m just not a big fan ofvelub-style music, nor of most of the featured bands, like Powerman 5000, Crystal Method and Orbital. That-hurts.the whole game even though! like the gameplay. On the other hand, Remix mode lets you construct levels and remix-the-musi¢ any way you want. And Frequency’s.visually more impressive than any of the music games from Japan. It’s a strong entry for the musical genre, but unless you really dig the music, it’s not going to last very long. @lhris
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Unlike posers who think wearing a freshjive visor’ll
magically endow them with turn-table talent, smart girls and boys can get their groove on with Frequency instead. Requiring more motor coordination than musical talent, Frequency goes beyond.just “catch- ing” tracks (as in Dance Dance Revolution with dance steps). Its remix and freestyle. options offer creative opportunities for musically inclined players, while an innovative worm-hole track interface makes for easy pick-up and play. Keep in mind, though, that you really have to dig Frequency a lot to keep playing since its repetitive gameplay gets old. But dig it, and dig it a lot, and the DJ sky’s the limit. Jeanne Frequency might be the first step toward making music games a little more mainstream in the U.S. It’s got a slick, easy-to-use interface and very pretty graphics. And since it features real tracks from artists
content. | just wish the game wae ihe ft that’s Greg
what expansion discs are for. VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
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Publisher: Electronic Arts
ji aS Developer: Electronic Arts
Featured In: EGM #148
Players: 1-4
Supports: Multi-tap
Best Feature: Car chase sequences
Worst Feature: Force-fed Bond cheesiness
Web Site: WWW.007.ea.com
EA focused on making this feel like a Bond movie, and they tried too hard. The innuendo and cut- scenes are So force-fed that the action plays second fiddle. Instead of letting enemies ambush you, short cutscenes show you what’s around the bend. Can’t find the grate you need to get through the level? Don’t worry, the “idiot cam” will zoom to show you where it is. And if you need a keycard, a half-naked girl will hand it right over—after you spew a pickup line, of course. The gadgets also get too much face time. You’ll often spend more time cycling through an endless menu of gizmos than firing your gun. Many levels feel like they were designed entirely around the gadget-of-the-week. Just wait ‘til you use the Q- claw cell phone that turns you into a British Spider- Man and the Q-Jet that makes you look like a suit- wearing Rocketeer. Inspector Gadget, anyone? To make matters worse, being “Bond-like” causes the first notes of his theme to blare. Shoot a barrel that : Da-da-da-daaaa. Melt a padlock with the | da -daaa! si the them times, and
a NASCAR Kraig
la lo tled “agent Ander Fire.” That’s like na game “Racer Drives Fast.”
I’m not sure anyone has really cared much about
this series since GoldenEye. But for the remaining followers of the James Bond game legacy, Agent Under Fire is about what you’d expect from a 007 title, just with more driving,levels. It’s a solid game from a technical stand |
Bond the fime “of cat iarativie
SAARINEN REMERON NCO ENCORE DDE DRCRREY
Hot Bond babes in tight clothes are the only thing
going for 007. Escort that booty out, and you’re left with a flat arcadey shooter, starring a down-right per- verted James. AUF’s grossly contrived Bond plot cobweb-strings together one insipid,.uninspired mission pe ther. And considering you haven’t
and blows. Usd ike eof in a lose-lose situation, and this time, he’s screwed. Jeanne
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
I = 3 4
= al e Four single-player game modes: and MARATHON mode e Three multiplayer game modes: _ ATTACK, SCORE and RESCUE mode _ ¢ Up to 200 levels of challenging
puzzles
Pu Egle ® ArtaGr
PUZZLE, RESCUE
MMitdiwn y's
GREATEST
_ @ Defend the planet from ravenous space aliens in Defender _¢ Take to the air on your winged bird of preyin Joust =— > = _ © Destroy hordes of marauding mutant robots 2 ee
_ in Robotron: 2084 ae e Prevent evil from being unleashed f in Sinistar spose ee |
e Liab : ‘ial
a. ; aul as f : Fa G/ ” e Race 10 different speed machines through 14 tracks . a / i TF
e Three gameplay modes - Cruis'n Cup, Championship a —_ and Freestyle mode oo 2 1s a A | — 3=
¢ Game Link® Cable support lets you challenge up to four of
your friends
GAME BOY ADVANCE [Nintendo] C/DMIDWAY
© 1994 Nintendo Co., Ltd. © 1999, 2000, 2001 Midway/Nintendo. Alt rights reserved. Used under license. CRUIS’N VELOCITY and the NINTENDO RACETRACK LOGO are trademarks of Nintendo. MIDWAY and the MINA CIRCLE DESIGN are trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used by permission. Distributed by Midway Home Entertainment inc. Compilation © 2001 Midway Home Entertainment Inc. ROBOTRON 2084 © 1982: JOUST © 1982: SINISTAR © 1982: DEFENDER © 1980 Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All rights reserved. MIDWAY, the Midway logos and all game titles are trademarks or registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used by permission. Converted by Pocket Studios, Ltd. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment inc. Rampage Puzzie Attack © 2001 Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All rights reserved. RAMPAGE, MIDWAY, the Midway logos and all character names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used by permission. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. TM, @ and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo
EDITORS CHOICE AWARD @
© EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARD @ © GuUMY 3010H9,sHOLIOa
ws sa stl i mat cs Publisher: Sony CEA — > Developer: Naughty Dog Featured In: EGM #149 Players: 1 Better than: Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex Best Feature: No loading Worst Feature: Low boss count Web Site: www.scea.com
rash Bandicoot’s well-publicized split
with his creators turned out to be a bad
move for the maniacal marsupial. While his new game is woefully average (See EGM #149), Naughty Dog’s new effort, Jak and Daxter, takes its place as the premiere PS2 plat- former. Rather than just rehashing Crash, Naughty Dog wisely borrowed a few pages from Miyamoto’s “How to Make Mario 64” book. (The same pages that Rare swiped for the Banjo-Kazooie games, it would seem.) The result is a true 3D platformer that offers perfect control, beautiful levels and ample challenge.
Just as Mario 64 had stars, J&D places you on
a quest for 100 well-concealed Power Cells. The tasks that must be completed to gain these precious orbs are wonderfully diverse, so the action stays fresh and funky. Bartering with townspeople, piloting a hovercraft across a fiery lake and protecting a precious mushroom
“~~ Tah me >)))}
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Frequent driving minigames keep the traditional run-and-jump action from get- ting too stale.
patch from invading rodents are examples of the zany goals you’ll accomplish to gain Cells.
Do Jak and Daxter have the goods to be real mascots? Well, Jak’s a total wallflower, but Daxter really hams it up with wry jokes and witty quips that are both funny and well acted. When Crash is begging for change alongside Bubsy and Gex in a few years, don’t be sur- prised to see J&D living the high life as the true mascots of the PlayStation 2.
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While Jak and Daxter is a remarkably solid title, it does succumb to just about every clichéd convention of the genre. Here we see our heroes in a chilly ice level. Not pictured: the thrilling minecart sequence.
Crash Bandi-who? Seriously, Naughty Dog’s Jak and Daxter handily bests the Crash games in every way. With responsive control and quest design blatantly lifted from Super Mario 64, J&D won’t win the “Most Original” award, but if you’re gonna yoink from someone, take from the best. The game does break some new ground in the realm of disc loading times, specifically, the lack thereof. All of the game’s many stages flow smoothly together with no breaks. You can even stand on high vistas and look out to see several areas far in the distance—impressive stuff. Those views sure are pretty, thanks to lush, attractive graphics that rival the system’s best. Subtle touches, like a contin- uous, gradual day-to-night cycle and realistic-look- ing snow flurries add to the game’s visual charm. Aural pleasures take the backseat to graphics. Music is sparse and forgettable, but the bountiful dialog will keep you away from the mute Buicon Also, inlike some. modern action h over in a flash, J&D is a colossal adventure that you won’t beat-in a weekend. As J&D is“So obvi
inspired by Mario 64, | do feel obliged to dock it a few points for creativity. In factysone=of its biggest flaws, a serious shortage..of bosses, is a direct holdover from Nintendo's classic. But overall, it’s an impressive effort. No other PS2 platformer comes close this dic season. Shane
OIRO MM RNR IR OID
One lasik at lak’ S spin attack and the aanloding boxes,
and you know the Crash Bandicoot people are behind this. If it weren’t for the excellent characters, story and animation, }&D would be just another hunt-and-gath- er game like.so.many other 3D platformers, The game- play is still packed with old stand-bys: vehicles to ride or race, sliding down hills peppered with.power-ups and deadly obstacles, hitting switches to reveal time- limited platforms, etc. The difference is that the game is so incredibly polished and well-crafted, it doesn’t
before—it’s still fun. And any game. zero load time deserves props.
J&D is is one sof ‘ha hast looking g games sive ever seen (sweet graphics, great special effects, etc.) and Jak handles like a bandicoot that’s learned some new moves. But therein lies the rub. While the great con- trol and flashy, visuals ensure that. someone will enjoy this, these tricks are strictly for kids. Only young’uns (or Shane and C)) Ser oy upaxter's Jar Jar-esque “zaniness,” and only kids p patience required to complete this n quest. There must be a manudliforiigame says collecting is fun, butdn actuality, it’s real ly not. Younger gamers will cotton to this very quick-
ly and older gamers will yawn. Milkman VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY
SOUND
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WelCOmMe 10 He eA? TIT APRVLAG WORLD OF HARVES 1 MOON!
our goal is to successfully Save your family’s farm and the surrounding village from being turned into a resort. Do you have what it takes to SAVE YOUR HOMELAND!
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Make friends with over twenty characters, all with changing attitudes and opinions!
Explore an innovative non- linear game system with a bushel of subplots and entertaining storylines!
EVERYONE
USE OF ALCOHOL
Victor
Interactive
Serious Fun™
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Nine different endings and plenty of events make every day on the farm anything but routine!
www.natsume.com
Harvest Moon and Natsume are registered trademarks of Natsume inc. Serious Fun is a trademark of Natsume Inc. © 2001 Natsume Inc. © 2001 Victor Interactive Software All rights reserved. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Famtily.logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
Publisher: , Developer: Konami CE] Featured In: EGM #147
Players: 1
Warning: Spoilers ahead
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
Sneak-’em-up gameplay Disappointing overall plot www.konami.com
irst things first: Don’t read this review if
you’re worried about it ruining any part of
MGS2’s story—it will. We do have some complaints, but you still must play this game, and you should do that knowing as little as pos- sible for maximum enjoyment. Just skip ahead to the spoiler-free reviews on page 214, then go play the game. You can always come back later to read how right-on we were about everything.
All right, now that we got that out of the way,
let’s get right to it: How does one of the most hyped, most anticipated video games of all time stack up? The short answer is great. Awesome. Fantastic. But not without some disappointment.
Metal Gear Solid 2
Konami cee Goes i sem
THE GOOD
The best part about MGS2 is that it’s got more of what makes Metal Gear Metal Gear—sneak- ing around, distracting guards, taking them out one by one...the stuff that has really defined the series from day one. Now, with more rooms you need to cross several times, the added first-per- son mode (more on that later), and other con- siderations like guards who check in at regular intervals and bodies you have to hide, the game has an even more desperate and thrilling “I’m being hunted” edge.
But it’s not just more of the same. It’s true MGSz2 is an improvement on the last game and not an entirely new take, but Konami managed to include enough original touches to make it a proper sequel. The aforementioned first-person mode, for example, has become essential; pre- cise aiming is now important against the boss- es, in the more numerous Sniping sections, and even against the regular guards (nail ‘em in the head for your stun darts to work their magic
CHIT CHAT
Meet strange and interesting new people, then kill several of them! Like the last game, much of MGS2's story takes place between two talking heads using your Codec radio. Try pushing in both shoulder buttons while someone's talking for fun.
The only way to get a guard’s dogtags is to sneak up and scare him with a gun pointed right in his face. Collect all the tags to open up other secrets.
746 COPEROURORRRERS
Obviton = Ci X bution * CAMCEeL.
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Preserve those special moments by taking plenty of pictures. Later you can name your photos, adjust the color bal- ance, and save them to a memory card.
quickly). Other new or expanded game mechan- ics (see sidebar) —some you only see for an hour or less—likewise make MGS2 feel like a fresh experience.
None of this would be possible without MGS2’s brilliant and pliable control scheme. We say brilliant because, when you look at all the different things you can do, wrestling with the controller could have easily dragged the entire game down. Check it out: You’ve got instant access to all your items and weapons; you can drag dead bodies, and open and close lockers
Hide under a box and jump on this shipping belt to instantly “warp” to a different part of the game. Each of the five boxes you can find will take you to a different location.
to hide them or yourself, hang off ledges to avoid guards, punch, kick, strangle, swim (com- plete with a stunningly real blurry underwater effect), climb smaller objects, peek around cor- ners, plus still duck and crawl. You can even Stand on your tippy-toes and do pull-ups to increase your grip strength. Remarkably, with all this you’ll still have the hang of everything after about 20 minutes. And the mechanics are deep enough that the warm feeling of finally master- ing the subtleties of the controls comes only after hours of play, the mark of any great-play- ing game.
Finally, MGS2’s graphics make good on every promise the original trailer made when we first Saw it over a year ago—crisp, detailed and very smooth. We don’t need to waste much time here, just look at these screens. It’s arguably the best-looking game on the PS2 yet.
As anyone who has played the demo could tell you, MGS2 looks and plays a lot like the last game. What they couldn't tell you is there are also a whole slew of kick-ass new elements in the final game that the demo doesn't so much as hint at. Some of them only last a few minutes, while others are woven into the entire game. Here are a few:
RAL: PENTAZEMIN
#9 /G} Seugeuceegececesecs
Sniping was in the last game, but this time it plays a much bigger role, han- dling everything from disarming bombs to providing cover fire.
New swimming sections, alone and escorting another character, have their own controls and cool graphical effects.
THE BAD
You may have noticed we haven’t mentioned the plot, which seems to have become the cru- cial aspect of this series above all else. After all, creator Hideo Kojima and Konami have gone to Cold-War Russia lengths to keep the press and public in the dark, going so far as to disappear for months leading up to MGS2’s release. We’ve had fun here at EGM playing along, obsessing over every leaked detail and screenshot, guess- ing what was going to happen, even creating a monthly column for it all. Unfortunately, like the Star Wars: Episode | movie, all the secrecy can’t hide the fact that now that we know everything we’ve been anticipating for so long, the overall plot just isn’t that good. It starts off strong with the whole tanker episode, but eventually it’s just good, then average, and finally at the very end, plain bad. Ridiculous twists that go
SO WHAT’S NEW FOR MGS22
nowhere (Otacon’s revelation that he was
shtuping his stepmother while his dad commit-
ted suicide), double, triple and quadruple cross-
es, bizarro plot threads about evolution and the
nature of reality—at some point it just gets
Silly. The moment-to-moment dialogue is still Cont. on page 214
How cool would MGS be multiplayer? This section hints at the possibilities: You and a friendly computer-controlled “new friend” tackle a hallway of bad guys together.
Look familiar, Ico lovers? At one point you need to grab this young lady by the hand and lead her where you want to go.
213
Use this powerful microphone to locate a particular pacemaker-equipped hostage and to overhear conversations.
Metal Gear Solid 2 (cont.)
The two of us can handle it, don't worry.
One of these men is a take-no-prisoners super stud. The other is a whiny little rook- ie farthead. Can you guess which is which?
quite good, as is the voice acting (if not quite up to the high bar set by the last MGS), but the melodrama near the end almost over- whelms it all.
AND THE UGLY
That would be Raiden, MGS2’s Jar Jar Binks. (OK, he’s not that bad.) If you don’t know by now— this is your last chance to look away— Raiden is—this time we’re serious, this is your last warning —the real star of MGSz2, the only playable character after the first couple hours of the game. It’s a gutsy gamble from Kojima, surprising everyone with a replacement for beloved series mainstay Solid Snake, but it
SOLID SNAKE'S
We watched "King Kong” in your apartment a bunch of times that night.
ZZZ...huh? Oh, sorry. During this painful little interlude, soft, romantic piano music actually plays in the background. Ugh.
doesn’t pay off. Raiden spends most of the game as a clueless bleach-blond wussy boy, who, despite his training, acts like he belongs more in high school than on a mission to save the president and avert nuclear crisis. Thank god Solid Snake is still around to lend the game a little action-hero gusto, but then rub- bing shoulders with Snake, in full bad-ass glory, only makes the new kid look even lamer by comparison.
So that’s it—MGS2 lives up to or surpasses the hype in every aspect except for the story, where it falls flat on its face. Luckily, even with its shortcomings, MGS2 is still an incredible game and well worth your time.
FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS
Now our studio audience will vote on which of the following scenes, sent to us by people just like you and me, they'd like to see win our $10,000 prize. Will it be:
“Naked man in tunnel” sent in by Scott Dolph of Treeport, Maryland. (clapping)
Or how about “Bird craps on Super Agent's Face” from D. Snake. (awwwww)
“Why is this rain yellow?” sent in by Terrorist #72 from unknown. (hahaha)
[This scene only available on MGS2: Hot for TV: Snake Gone Wild]. (ewwww)
The guards aren’t much smarter this time around, but it's tougher to take them out. A search party comes looking if they don’t radio to check in regularly (sometimes necessitating scenes like the one below).
1S/46 |) PRRASHERERT
Despite what you might assume, this is not an easy game to review. The overall quality is unquestionably high—some of the best graphics on a home game yet, ridiculously detailed environments packed with secrets, tiny jokes and optional extras, replay bol- stered by collectibles and harder difficulties, and controls that you can truly master...but the story... how can | put this...sucks ass. | kept assuming it would get better, that the end would hold some incredible explanation that would cause everything to make perfect sense in retrospect, but it never hap- pened. In fact, the plot just got worse and worse, pil- ing twist onto twist until, near the end, | was literally laughing at how ridiculous it had all become. For that reason and that reason only, | still feel a tinge of dis- appointment with MGS2. But when | step back from my expectations of what a Metal Gear storyline should be and look at MGS2 on its own merits, this is one of the best games I’ve ever played. It’s infinite- ly more polished, more playable, m: e replayable, better-looking, and just plain fun to r and play than most anything else, or didn’t hesitate for one second when | finished it the first time, starting Up another gamedmmediately, to hunt forthe ton of stuff.l.know | missed. Even as | write this | Can’t wait to play it more, and I’m guess- ing that, despite the gaping hole where the cool plot should be, aan feel the same way. Mark
Can ts give eihis: a mt 8? 1 had two days with MGS2, and | absolutely adored it, so let me start by advising you to go buy this game with all speed. | guarantee no two people will play it the exact same way, and that kind.of.gameplay freedom counts for.a.lot.in my bookThe weapons variety isn’t fantastic, but | can ive wi it’s the overcooked story that kept MGS2 All the double-crosses and heady political foe ee 's momentum Vand leave your
like the Saesoper. just i he mi over-tweaked the final peas “Jonathan
tag a ext need 8 to ino s your jaw off aie easy because from a gameplay perspective, MGS2 exceeded my wildest demands. The sheer number of things you can do from moment to moment made this not poly an, incredible and.memorable_adven-
previous a the story isn’t nm
with a bang, bu a whimper.” Bring on "MGS3! Che
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Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and the Official Seal are trademarks
Gradius Galaxies™ is a trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. © 1985 2001 KONAMI & Mobile21 Co., Ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Licensed by Nintendo. Nintendo* of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved.
NBA Live 2002
Publisher: Electronic Arts —/— Developer: EA Canada
Featured In: EGM #148
Players: 1-4
Supports: Multi-tap
Best Feature: Old-school players
Worst Feature: Unrealistic play
Web Site: www.easports.com
Many hoops fans seem weary of Michael Jordan’s comeback. They say he’s too old, too slow, and the Wizards are too bad of a team. Eager to see for myself how Air might fare, | played with the Wizards against the Lakers and won by 4o in my first game. Then | ratcheted up the difficulty and still won by 30. Finally, | turned it all the way up to the “Superstar” level. You know, that’s where the computer steals the ball by just looking at you. The margin: Wizards over Lakers by 10, despite one of the ugliest displays of computer cheating I’ve seen since NFL Blitz made me fumble away a 21-point lead. Now, if | could beat the game when using a bad team on the hardest difficul- ty level, then Jordan can make a glorious come- back...in NBA Live’s world, at least, where zone defenses are as sturdy as warm butter, rebounds are handled like wet soap, and a pin-point alley-oop pass from scrub Marcus Fizer is thrown down by dinosaur Charles Oakley. Five times. In one game. It surprised me that this plays so unrealistically after seeing how great the players look onthe court, espe- t show emotion while driving the lane f. Even Dr J’s ‘fro is sweetly 3D-ren- ¢ All-Star teamsuylt feels like EA ‘up the fancy graphics and fea-
tures and hoped we would overlook the rest. That might be enough to drive an arcadey ‘slam-fest, but NBA Street fits that bill so much better. Kraig
ROOD RETRO OPP ATOANAN ORINDA BONDI OT IO ARN ERO POI
Remember that ol’ history book illustration depicting the evolution of man? The first couple ape-men were hairy and hunched over. The next few, more upright and less hairy, and so on. Whelp, in the evolution of basketball sims, Live 2002 is “Se
this Ducamber, you should rent first.
eS RRR OER ER PI RET
| dare people to enjoy NBA ve, It’s. heawy on cutscenes and commercial-friendly highlights, but light on fun. | expect my sports games to let me take control and DO something, but Live seems to prevent that, especially..in the areas of rebounding and defense. Most rebounds fall to the floor, Most defense is useless. The jump animations take so long that | can’t block shots or even contest jumpers effectively. Offense is fun enough, | guess, but the acks aes sashes i kind o saunter
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NCAA Final Four 2002
Publisher: Sony CEA —/f
Developer: Killer Game
Featured In: EGM #148
Players: 1-8
Supports: Multi-tap
Best Feature: Post-game highlights Worst Feature: Hilarious animations Web Site: www.g989gsports.com
Life’s not fair. | mean, where was | when people were getting hired to make this game? | could have used the year off, with pay, to watch a team of chimps cob- ble together some code and label it NCAA Final Four 2002. Sometimes | feel sorry for the developers behind a poor product, because it seems like they tried. That’s obviously not the case here. NCAA 2002 is so imperfect in every sense of the word that it defies, stretches and confounds the imagination. It might be cliché to say for a 989 Sports game, but the only redeeming feature is its ability to make you laugh. | watched passes seemingly headed out of bounds by 20 feet suddenly warp to a guy under the basket (minor chuckle). | saw guys running out of bounds get magically sucked into a dunk animation (hearty laugh). | saw players doing 360-degree spins, standing in place, while waiting to inbound the ball (guffaw). Basically what | saw, and what you’ll see if you dare buy or rent this game, is gross gameplay mismanagement of the highest degree. Two ele- ments saved me from giving this game a score of zero. Touch-control shooting, while not realistic, is like a minigame and can lead to some funny contests against friends. | also enjoyed the highlig lation‘on the player of the.game. Of cours help if that highlight reel was the icing on the cake and not a small glimmer among the ruins. Do not try
and do not buy. Dan L.
Rd
It’s a bad sign when the high point of a game is its video introduction, and we’re not talking Oscar-win- ning material. This year, 989 Sports’ game has gotten faster with all the fluidity of a broken transmis- sion. The players spin and pirouette. like ballerinas hopped up on speed, but when it comes time to bust out a Special move or sink a jump shot, they. slow to a crawl. | practically got whiplash from the frequent speed changes. The new view gives it an NBA 2K2 look, but too bad it didn’t get its brains too. Guys stand around.on,the courtand don’ t bother to chase a rebound or motion to get open. It’s like they don’t care to play the game. So why should you? Kraig
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Back in the PS1 days, the problem with Final Four was the flat-footed Al players. You could turbo through the swiss cheese defense and jam almost nonstop. It was loads of fun, but not very realistic. In this edition, however,.the.computer defense is almost. too good. It’s like Fort Knox around the hoop. And unfortunate- ly, your best weapons for driving the lane—the spe- cial MoveS¢-don’t always work. (It’s mighty frustrat- ing.) On a positive note, | like the selection of teams, as well as the new down- court camera ae but
“ean INGENUITY REPLAY
have to wait annther year.
VISUALS SOUND
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@ EDITORS CHOICE AWARD
NFL 2K2
ae
Publisher:
Sega ro ee Developer: Visual Concepts Featured In: EGM #148 Players: 1-8 Supports: Multi-tap
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
Super-fast and smooth gameplay Weak Franchise mode www.segasports.com
Most action-packed football games are high-scoring because they’re saddled with a computer opponent with the |.Q. of a jock strap. You know, wide-open receivers, stupid defenders, bad play calls...that’s just bull. NFL 2K2 is proof that you don’t need to play dumb to play fun. If you get a huge gain, it’s usually because of a great play, not a glitch. Rarely will you find a player so lost that it makes your head explode. Those moments come when you try to stop running backs. You may have the best run defense on Earth, but power runners unrealistically flatten huge defen- sive linemen in their way. Plodding Mike Alstott lit me up for 150 yards; more than half of them were gained after the first hit. Just think of what nimble backs like Marshall Faulk can do. They can be contained, but you have to sell the farm (and hope the offense doesn’t go up top) to stop them. Of course, it’s fun to do the damage on offense. Overall, the gameplay is lightning-quick and superbly animated — 2K is daring to be innovative here. The rush ofy| | tackler or squeezing sideways throt crease for a big gain can’t be beat. M Mos s
gesty | ee! “The own Sports is it” on my Ered again, I'll vomit. Pd like to see deeper features and more balance on defense before they start that insecure trash talk. Kraig
in cha Ps2, 2K2isa Ranta more narnaieliie expe- rience than it was on the DC. My first game against the computer was a total blowout: Two interceptions for touchdowns, an 85-yard run, etc. The big plays flowed like wine, or something. Onto ae and All-Pro
swan ee menus fac g | them, your pal knows what you’re calling.
RnR
Dean Finally somebody is nicking up the slack. ihere 9 “ Sports failed to ever seriously push EA Sports, Sega and Visual Concepts might succeed. NFL 2K2 is a great, but not perfect, alternative to Madden. There’s a distinct feel.to,2K2. It has that big-play,feel, like any- thing could happen. Wide-open off nse, vey D,
interface, menus sand options are limited.
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Cancelled On: Dreamcast
Best Feature: Enticing storyline Worst Feature: BOR-ing battles Web Site: www.eidos.com
ou can get off those pins and needles;
Soul Reaver 2 is finally finished. For bet-
ter or for worse, it’s everything we ex- pected and nothing we hoped. Fans longing for a reasonable conclusion to the first game’s abrupt ending will certainly get it, compliments of extensive cinema breaks. Every major human and vampire player in Nosgothian his- tory gets drawn in for a socio-political battle royale, and watching it unfold is admittedly intriguing. We were expecting that. What every- one was hoping for was a fine-tooth-comb job on the tiresome combat that weighed down the first game, and it didn’t happen.
Instead, Crystal Dynamics gave their ‘83
Fiero of a combat system a hundred-dollar paint job and rolled it onto the PS2. It’s a
Not even the unquestionable appeal of fire- chucking bald chicks could drag SR2’s weak combat out of the sewer, unfortunately.
Imbuing the Soul Reaver with four different elements gives Raziel the key to unlocking new areas and solving puzzles.
shame, because the idea of powering-up
the Reaver with elemental effects is great for solving the game’s creative new puzzles. But
it doesn’t even get factored in during combat, where it could have been especially cool.
It’s that lack of innovation that’s tough to stom- ach. So sit back and enjoy the story, but
you may want to hire a neighborhood kid to do all the fighting and wandering around for you in between.
It’s amazing what'll grow up around the pil- lars of Nosgoth if you leave them untended for a couple hundred years. You'll witness a monsoon of story elements in almost every cinema, so try to stay awake through ‘em.
Crystal Dynamics must have read their message boards a little too closely when designing SR2. All the hardcore fans were so pissed about the story and ending of Soul Reaver, CD apparently over-compen- sated and put nothing but plot in the sequel. Tons and tons of elegant cutscenes and story elements are brought out through amazing voice talent, and each one reveals something cool about the series’ history. Everything in between, however, just felt like filler made of essentially the same crappy combat as the first game. | thought we weren’t going to be able to just jump over bad guys anymore. Seemed to work 80 percent of the time for me.... You’ve got no incentive to fight unless you’re severely wounded and need to regain energy by feeding, so why both- er? Instead, you will spend countless hours just run- ning from place to place trying to spot the one ledge or cavern that will allow you access to the next area. The only thing that will motivate you to send Raziel loping across Nosgoth is seeing this epic tale come to some kind of conclusion. The first game’s tedious block puzzles-have been mercifully replaced by:more creative mind benders, which helps to offset the uninspired combat. The final battle-is the only one that could even be considered a “boss fight,” though, and Raziel is invincible throughout the whole thing, which would be cool if | was a danger-
ously uncoordinated 4-year-old. Jonathan
eS OR ER DORI RO RIPON PNM NII AT PION CRRA PR DN RDO PANIIT
To paraphrase a comment from one of the voice actors in the outtakes section of Soul Reaver 2: Fora video game, this sure has a lot of talking. After a while my eyes just glazed over every time a cinema began. Watching two characters stand there and talk for two minutes with no action over and over isn’t my idea of a good,time. So much attention was paid to the complex story that the repetitive puzzles feel like an afterthought. And its brooding visuals are both a blessing and a curse. They look great and the environments are hugej:but: missing one tiny detail could mean a half hour of aimless wandering. Decent, but Raziel’s showin’ his age. Chris | enjoyed the first Soul Reaver’s gothic trappings and ambitious level design, but never really liked the vague level objectives and box pushing “puzzles.” Two years have passed and aside from larger, more breathtaking, architecture, plus a mildly,streamlined (but utterly lackluster) battle engine, | fail to see what all the fuss and constant delays were for. The graphics are very nice, when they're not submerged in darkness, and the voice acting is incredible, which is a good thing because there are so many damn cut- scenes. As an aesthetic showcase, SR2 triumphs, but the mediocre gameplay will only appeal to
fans of the first game. Milkman INGENUITY REPLAY
ORTH ANNIE
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©ATLUS CO., LTD 2001 Sublicensed by Four Winds Inc. All rights reserved. Wizardry® is a registered trademark, all rights reserved. “PlayStation” and the 'PS" Family logo are gistered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a Sone of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved. The PlayStation@2
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Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowhoarder
Mg: EVERYONE
Publisher:
Activision TS Developer: Dear Soft Featured In: EGM #143 Players: 1-2 Also Try: SSX Tricky Best Feature: Tony Hawk-style level objectives Worst Feature: Obscene difficulty Web Site: www.activisiono2.com
Take the downhill courses from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, replace the skateboards with snowboards, and you’ve got yourself a damn fine snowboarding game, right? Wrong. Although Shaun Palmer’s Pro Snowboarder borrows heavily from Tony, it’s not nearly as good. Not by a long shot. Maybe it’s the way your character occasionally lands tricks that look impossible while falling inexplicably at other times. Maybe it’s the way he tries to go uphill when you don’t want him to. Maybe it’s the developers’ strange fascination with grinds, which seldom occur in real snowboarding but have to be performed ad nauseum to advance in the game. Or maybe it’s the game’s obscene difficulty level—Greg and | had to tag-team the game for hours to reach the third level. Shaun Palmer’s does have a few things going for it. The control scheme, level objectives and stat-build- ing process have been lifted straight from THPS, meaning fans of the series will instant feel at home.
Cool Nea 2001, for me to want to aati too
much time with this one.
_ Gary M.
serene
Ify you're e thinking Tony Hawk « On snow, you’re essen-
tially right. Unfortunately the combination doesn’t work quite as well as I’m sure Activision had hoped for. Don’t get me wrong; SPPS isn’t a bad game per se. But let’s face it, it has quite a lotto live uP to.
ly turn some LEVEE off. Pro Snowboarder seems grind- haDpy 2 at fist, but once you start linking tricks, it makes perfect sense. The more crap there is to grind (and believe me, there’s a ton) the longer you can chain tricks. Without the copious i
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VISUALS SOUND. INGENUITY - REPLAY
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Smuggler’s Run 2: Hostile T
CO SS5.19
Rockstar
Publisher: —/ Developer: Angel Studios
Featured In: EGM #147
Players: 1-2
Wildest ride: The ATV
Best Feature: Bomb Tag mode
Worst Feature: Cheesy video cutscenes
Web Site: www.smugglersrun2.com
| always associate smuggling with the poor sap who gets caught at the airport with a bag of dope lodged up his ass. | assure you, nothing like that happens in this game. Instead, Smuggler’s Run offers a fun and frantic racing game that has you moving con- traband across huge and beautiful levels. I’ll run down the game’s most important improvements: First, it’s noticeably faster. What’s worse than a dri- ving/racing game that doesn’t feel fast? And the higher speeds are especially impressive when you consider how detailed the new environments are. Second, the cops and gangs are tenacious in their pursuit, but not to the point of absurdity. Thank- fully, the developers toned down the mad ram- ming which was a big frustration with the original SR. Third, Bomb Tag! Single-player Bomb Tag is a blast (pardon the pun). It’s nothing more than a sim- ple game of Capture the Flag with an explosive thrown in, but boy, is it fun. And finally, let’s not for- get a little something called countermeasures. (That’s a fancy word for stuff you can do to the dudes chasing ne Drop bombs, smoke and oil out the
sity dae strategy to the game Qverall, SR2 — with. the new features) is still just ¢ a Ww game of
great oan are op amnenes eu, as well as new- bies, ee aig Ons Os, Dean
The original Smugglers Run 3 was famous for its sprawling, go-anywhere environments; however, a second-generation PS2 game needs more than that to earn a thumbs-up. Fortunately, Rockstar added just enough to Smuggler’s Run 2 to hold my inter- est. Nitro boosts and offensive weapons (Gil slicks, smokescreens and explosive canisters) make it a lit- tle easier to shake the game’s pitbull-like enemies. The environments, filled with landmines, rockslides and the like, are more interactive than before and as dangerous as your actual)enemies. Lastly, the new head-to-head turf wars and checkpoint races greatly
enhance the game’s replay value. Gary M.
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| was pretty happy with the first Smuggler’s Run, but still excited to see what fixes would be made for the sequel. Thankfully, they sped this mofo up to where you actually feel like you’re breaking the speed limit once or twice. In addition. to the ae fix,
all the right Jonathan
INGENUITY REPLAY
sistent pe ‘Music aside. SR2 tweaks to the original formula.
VISUALS SOUND
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EVERYONE
aes hi? Publisher: Infogrames — To Developer: Rainbow Studios Featured In: EGM #148 Players: 1-2 Also Try: Wave Race: Blue Storm (GC) Best Feature: Realistic wave effects | Worst Feature: No vehicle upgrades Web Site: www.infogrames.com
Splashdown is one of those gorgeous, technically superb games that just bores you to tears. OK, that may be overstating things a bit, but the game isn’t nearly as adrenaline-soaked as developer Rainbow Studios’ previous PS2 offering, ATV Offroad Fury. Maybe it’s the lack of double and triple jumps, hills, berms, and other structures commonly found in racing games set on dry land. Instead, you get a bunch of essentially flat tracks chock-full of twists and turns. The game definitely would have benefit- ted from some Jet Moto-style plunges down towering waterfalls, trips through subterranean caverns or other flights of fancy. What Splashdown does have is a really cool soundtrack which includes bands like Blink 182 and Smashmouth. It also has incredibly realistic water effects, complete with course-altering tides, but this isn’t the novelty it once was. And you never see the big waves found in other water- like Wave Race. The psn to ghee
ately, you can't. ( tributes to yo
Tar’ org that'll ae you itchin’ for more once e you've raced all
of the tracks. Gary M.
AS a ‘big ‘fan. of. ATV ‘Offroad ‘Fury, | expected
Splashdown to be equally exciting. What | got was a very fast and competitive jet-ski racing game, but not the same grab-you-by-the-yayas experience of Offroad Fury, Unfortunately, there’s only.so,much you can do pn Watel track. OK, so it Ss
ATV, but it’s s
races
citing. I'd still rather play ATV, but Splashdown is a blast as well. Dean
nnn nnnoanraannnn.
Sunesitnn shone racing on nadite — my juices —
ing, and Splashdown does the trick. It strikes a per- fect balance between racing and aerial trickery so one doesn’t overshadow the other—they’re equally ally dig the track designs,.They’re not y, have plenty of variety and short- e exploited. Although the water it feels like you're racing over still h. Where are the big a Once Ky.
courses, , the { control, you F Nintendo’s GameCube Wave Race.
itclasses even
Chris INGENUITY REPLAY
6 L
VISUALS SOUND
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es We’re still
PC gaming geeks. Now, we just look a lot cooler. 9.
JEFF GREEN, EDITOR IN CHIEF COMPUTER GAMING WORLD
DELIVERING MORE CORE GAMERS ON EVERY KEY PLATFORM = 2iFF paws viens
LOADING...
- You can change f | player accessories | like wristbands, = | | elbow pads, and jal ' even taped fingers
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Bryant Young | probably wouldn't be | pleased that his model looks so tubby.
Eighteen player attributes are Ee modeled, including F. things like awareness and potential. °
we
ike to decide if they should buy it. Loading gives them three
'and show off the best art that PC gaming has to offer.
A COMPUTER-GAMING OUTSIDER'S ATTEMPTS TO UNDERSTAND GAMING.
But I've also known for years that I was a potential addict as well.
A¢ Analyzing computer games, gameplay and the larger social issues that they engender
is not for the casual gamer. World- famous comic-book creator Scott McCloudy delves into the larger issues around gaming in that is pure delight to hard core gamers.
Vv TECH: Optimizing your gaming rig can be the most expensive and time- consuming part of the hobby. Tech is the hard core, hardware testing sec- tion for PC’s, 3D accelerators and the like. Only Ziff Davis Media has the multi- million dollar testing facilities to really give active computer gamers the skin- ny on what to buy and what to pass on.
Tech
Gadgets and gewgaws for game geeks Felttod by William O'Newl
ack time, we've got the skinny on which of these seven racing Cup By Raphael Liberatore and Wade “Sensei” Hermes
= +", ans ae Ye SES, 2 NT ee’ , Ae hit cea katt) 3 a : _— nen oe pine. doe eta aa at SB TEVE: ‘A oeeiae ‘acme — Left: Stone Cold demonstrates to Kurt Angle “ACOM.. . sh cial aetna tit suey. 7 : VPA Sree why gold medals mean nothing. Meanwhile, The | Fen OR SB LP A OL si REET ET PREP. f Rock and The Undertaker stare lovingly at each KURT ANGLE wie aN Lik = other. Below: Some of the women-especially : fa CRON a a5 : debian.) S000 xpatinaee Trish Stratus-look kinda ridiculous.
) 5 7? : Let’s not dwell on the fact that Just Bring It plays fA ea PN : e 4 tL, ae ae tt : ~ exactly the same as the past two SmackDown! / LINDERTARERIG! Aa Pa 1 Be ~ PQHRiS JERICHO [TOUS installments. Those games rocked anyway, and still wor Mey ‘COM = : n> Stand as the best wrestling games to hit home con-
2 at m ae Ped soles in the history of the industry. What | will bitch
about, however, is the way Yuke’s totally broke the Story mode in this year’s version. SmackDown! 2’s Story mode was nigh-endless, which was a problem. But I’ve yet to have Story mode last longer than four
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke’s matches in Just Bring It—that’s just ridiculous. If you Featured In: EGM #149 lose a match, win a title, or defend a title, it’s game Players: 1-4 over. That’s not nearly enough time to play out any of
Supports: Multi-tap
Best Feature: Good collection of superstars Worst Feature: Story mode is too short
Web Site: www.thq.com
the convoluted storylines the WWF is famous for. It’s extremely annoying if you’re playing this as a one- player game, especially since Story mode unlocks all the cool create-a-wrestler bonuses. Once you get past that, though, SmackDown! is awesome. Get a Multi-tap and a few friends together, and the beauty of Just Bring It comes to light pretty quickly. It plays great, looks just as good, and features mostof the wrestlers you've come to love or hate from watching Raw and SmackDown! every week. (Come on, we know you do.) Plus it’s so fulfilling, almost therapeu- tic, to layeth the smacketh down on a few of your buddies. With almost any..match you can think of included in the game—everything from Last Man Standing to Hell in a Cell—you won’t get bored of
an you smell what The Rock is cookin’? Is it true? Damn true? Are you an American Bad Ass or a Canadian Crippler? Do you like pie? If you understood and/or answered yes to any of that, you should probably buy this game right now. This series was great on the PlayStation, and while the first PS2 version doesn’t
Triple H feels the business end of the most electrifying move in sports entertainment, this one fora long time to come. Greg The People’s Elbow. Sacer tat aren
take any great strides forward, it’s still a Ifyou like hulking men ‘thrashing about i in aring, then lot of fun to play. With all the different and Rhyno, who were already in the WWF you'll love this hoedown. Smackdown has all the : before the proverbial hit the fan). cheesy drama outside the ring you need to get into
gnc DSS He chogae tam, tie create pelegeds poop , y character. The elaborate intros and quirky Story a-wrestler option and the Story mode, Still, the stable of brawlers is vast, with a mode tila wie care about what Tha. Bock was you’re bound to find something you like decent amount of characters to unlock. cooking. If only the stars were aS impressive in the in this game. It could be a little more ambitious, yes, but ee nest ee sar -_ i , . : y. The is all about big guys beating the crap ou
Unfortunately, none of the wew/ECW that doesn’t keep Just Bring It from being an of théflanie-ehee But here the Gall avait ge they Invasion Superstars are included in excellent party game for wrestling fans every- have are fancier moves. If the action weren’t so fun SmackDown! (outside of guys like Tazz where. You’re welcome. and easy to learn, this would have annoyed me. But ll happily take out any frustration | have with anoth-
- er People’s Elbow. _ Kraig
f Stumck Denn : 3 : certainly touts. he: a “hed gen & wrestling game, but it doesn’t play like one. They’ve
‘mn, For those of you not in the know, The managed to cram up to nine wrestlers on screen at | , Undertaker’s entrance music features the the same time, but the collision detection hasn’t got- | song “Rollin’” by the band Limp Bizkit. In ten any better; you still can’t interrupt.a move in | a move we can only call bizarre, THQ progress to Save a partner. It’s also too difficult to ; decided that one of the unlockable char- target a desired foe; the game really needs a
“face the closest opponent” button. The long-
j 1 acters in SmackDown! should be none overdue commentary sounds canned and lags
other than Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred behind the action. And how does Tazz manage to Durst. The mind wobbles. wrestle and call the=action at the same time?!
We can’t wait until the next Hardcore WWF fans will love the game, but | was SmackDown! sequel, where we hope to hoping for more. Gary M.
see Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears as playable characters!
VISUALS SOUND
INGENUITY REPLAY
hly - 221 - www.egmmag.com
SSK Tricky
Publisher: Electronic Arts —f Developer: EA Canada
Featured In: EGM #148
Players: 1-2
#1 cliché: Eddie (the afro man)
Best Feature: The tricks
Worst Feature: Needs a few more new tracks
Web Site: www.easportsbig.com
Just a short month ago | was trying to decide if Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2X was a sequel, or just a fancy director’s cut. This time it’s the same story with SSX Tricky. The game throws up a few new courses, new characters and additional modifications, but fails to deliver a stable of new tracks. It raises the obvious question: Is Tricky worth the cash if you already own SSX? Whelp, consider this, even though Tricky isn’t completely fresh, it’s substantial enough to squash any challengers out there. For starters, the returning venues sport enough new shortcuts and cool doohick- eys, you'll hardly recognize them. The Tokyo Megaplex, for example, is laden with so many suspended half- pipes, it looks like a freakin’ hamster aquarium (you know, the kind with all the tubes). Other tracks are done up with long sections of cable and other items ready made for monster grinds. It’s all creative stuff and really fun to ride on. If that’s not enough to con- vince you, the new tricks should win you over. Mastering the huge library of moves is guaranteed to hook you hard. Speaking of that, the crazy Uber tricks may be completely unrealistic, but when you finally pull one off, it’s like riding a bike for the first time with- out training wheels—very satisfying. When all is said and done, it’d be nice if.tricky were completely new, but for a director's cut, complete with informative DVD extras on the making of the game, it’s darn good. At the very least, rent it for a few ila Dean It’s been 46 long since | tore up he giepas crazy Canuck-style with my girl Elise. But it was worth the wait. While Tricky isn’t a sequel in the true sense of the word, EA has changed enough to make this game more than.just a director’s cut. The old tracks feel different thanks to a few tweaks here and there, and the new tracks and characters are downright cool. If the gameplay were exactly the same as last year’s ver- sion, Tricky would still rock. Nonetheless, EA saw fit to adjust that a little, too. The new Uber tricks give you a real sense of accomplishment should you pull off a few during a run, and they add a whole new dimen-
sion to the ecm lected is a Sweet package. Greg
Sco ron pO REPOS RR IpEERDR RODEN IODET ORI R ERI SD aU RDIR HST TR TTDI Da PORT TOTO T ERI EAR IIR
Calle me crazy, a ii a anata fn new wcheavathers aii two new tracks do not a sequel make. As for the much-bal- lyhooed Uber tricks, they’re not all that spectacular and mainly result in wipeouts. One new feature | do like is the,ability to earn friends and.foes as you play-+PO’d riders come after you with a vengeance. The “making-of” footage is a nice bonus but becomes stale after you’ve seen it once or twice. Don’t get me wrong—SSX remains one of the greatest snowboarding games ever, but there’s really no reason to buy Tricky if you already own the original game. GameCube and Xbox owners, however, should jump on it when it hits those systems. Gary M.
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
3 2 8
ORONO RRO R NNR ONIN
a cuniee — e
Harvest Moon: a save the Homeland
7 Publisher: Natsume 3 Developer: } Victor Featured In:
EGM #145 Players: 1
Replay Value? Yep. It’s got nine different endings! Web Site: www.natsume.com
: — MM 1310K9 8404103
Ps
EVERYONE |;
Best Feature: Open-ended, nonlinear, unique gameplay Worst Feature: Having to water your crops every day
Both longtime fans and those less enthusiastic about the Harvest Moon series have always pointed to one key point when justifying their feelings: They’re, well, farming sims. Sure, the games are about so much more, but at its heart the series has always revolved around the often wearisome tasks of raising livestock and rotating crops. With this PS2 installment, though, that focus has changed for the better. Yes, you still build your daily routine around agricultural toils, but this time the farming portions have been streamlined, giving you more free time to pursue the other more satisfying aspects of the game, like building relation-
ships, playing.minigames, and fulfilling.a_range of tasks, allin an attempt to save your village from being turned into a resort. Indeed, you can think of the farm-
ing almost like the random battles in an RPG: It gives you the experience and cash necessary to move ahead in this unique, nonlinear game. As such, Homeland finally succeeds at being more than a farming game — it’s truly become a delightful whole-life simulator. This is easily the best Harvest Moon yet. Gary S.
REPLAY
VISUALS
SOUND
INGENUITY
Soldier of Fortune
Publisher: Majesco Developer: Pipe Dream Interactive Featured In:
EGM #146
7 Supports:
Multi-tap
Web Site: www.majescogames. com
para
MATURE
Best Feature: Levels incor- porate stealthy action with bloody bum-rushing
Worst Feature: Lag hell
With levels balancing stealthy sniping with chest- thumping bum-rushing, missions based in an array of modern-day hot zones, and bloody human body-part fireworks, SOF successfully injects that morbid juice first-person shooter gamers crave, but unfor- tunately packages that rush with some nasty side effects. Although SOF looks brighter, more colorful and more detailed on PS2, its major gameplay barbi- turates may prematurely burn gamers out. Framerate lag (stuttering graphics) cuts into some of the more action-packed bullet storms, potentially ruining key game moments. Also, long load times (as in the DC.version),..effectively water down.any. adrenal- buzz you may have started the game with. And SOF’s new Deathmatch, feature, which initially scintillates the senses, also disappoints. Again due to lag, levels look and play like they’re being chopped up by an invisible cleaver tossing chunks of gameplay at you in its real-time wake. In theend, SOF’s gory straight- up shooting’s fun, but riddled with problems too big
to blow away. Jeanne SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
o L
VISUALS
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Thunder Strike: Operation Phoenix
.| Publisher: Eidos Developer: | Core Featured In: EGM #148 Players:
1
Also try:
Ace Combat 04 Web Site: www.eidos.com
saa omer
Best Feature: The nifty TV- guided missile
Worst Feature: Some mis- sions are way too frustrating
My gripe with this PS2 update of a series that start- ed on Sega CD isn’t with its gameplay. Your chopper handles nimbly with the Dual Shock 2, and | like how you’re forced to hunker down low to the ground and fly all “nap-of-the-earth,” as the real-life Army ‘copter jocks call it. (High-flying here is plain suicide.) It’s the missions that had me screaming, “C’mon, gimme a break!” at my TV screen at least five times an hour. Later sorties throw so much annoying crap at you—too many enemies who pop out of nowhere, too many mission objectives —that | ended up repeating ‘em over and over until | essentially had to memorize..the.position of every,.pbaddie
idea ofa great time. Fortunately campaigns set..in real-world Europe, the Middle East, Africa a one particular mission proves ul always Start one of the differe how far you can go. Youget a d My favorite weapon: the TV-guid via remote-control right into enemies.
Crispin REPLAY
4
VISUALS
SOUND
INGENUITY
Top Gun: Combat Zones
: Publisher:
aTrS
| Titus
j Developer:
Digital Integration ‘aia | Featured In: | EGM #146 peng | Players: 1
ne —— ee ee Also T, ry: Best Feature: Graphics, Ace Combat 04 especially the ground detail | Web Site: Worst Feature: Sluggish, www.titusgames.com
unresponsive control
There’s one thing about Top Gun that really jumps out at you: the ground. No, that’s not some weak pun; the ground detail is really quite spectacular. Complex, detailed structures are rendered realisti- cally amidst scenery with a lot of variety and detail. In fact, you can tell they spent a great deal of time on rendering all that eye candy, because the rest of the game seems to suffer from the lack of atten- tion. The controls feel sluggish and unresponsive, the difficulty balance is ridiculous (Il must have spent three hours on one of the first training missions. A TRAINING MISSION!) and actual air-to-air combat (which you’d.imagine would be pretty, key, in.. game with the Jop Gun license) is tedi r
This is in part because the game indication of the enemy’s location showing whether he’s to the righ a whole lot of sky in which to miss $¢ it’s the closest thing to a true fli with realistic locations and veh likely only the biggest flight fans will appreciate that-Jge
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY
REPLAY
4
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Tecmo a’
Publisher: . Developer: Team Ninja hi Featured In: EGM #149
Players: 1-4
You spinme: Round like a record, baby
Awesome new environments Cheapest boss in the universe www.tecmoinc.com
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
he DOA Series is not as deep as the
Virtua Fighters that inspired it. It’s not as
popular as Tekken or as freaking awe- some as Soul Calibur. And yet, Dead or Alive still manages to capture the attention of the fighting-game cognoscenti. Why? Is it because Kasumi looks like a Real Doll? Or is it because each successive installment makes graphical advancements that outpace the other guys’ best efforts? Whatever the case may be, DOA is here to stay, and now, for its third proper incar- nation, the familiar cast of ninjas, wrestlers and assassins are back.
Gorgeous graphics, hi-octane gameplay and
even those geriatric rockers, Aerosmith, com- bine forces to forge a fantastic A/V showcase
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Environments are now officially Off The Hook. Here Lei-Fang changes a sign’s lightbulbs with her face, with festive results. Yowch!
that both casual and hardcore fighting-game fans will want to investigate.
Still, DOA3 is really just DOA2: Hardcore 2 and not the revolution in fighting games we were hoping for. Too bad, because VF4 and Soul Calibur 2 are on the horizon....
l’'ve been defending the DOA series for years. Detractors scoff, calling it a Virtua Fighter ripoff, or moaning that it ain’t no Soul Calibur. That’s missing the point. Love it or hate it, DOA3 is the fastest, most bru- tal 3D fighter around. To accuse it of being a reversal- fest is to turn a blind eye to the high, medium and low reversal strategy introduced in DOA2. Sure it’s a bit rock, paper, scissors, but in DOA3’s case, it works. And it works because the novice-friendly controls guaran- tee that even newbies can pick up the game and expe- rience a modicum of success, while dyed-in-the-wool veterans will feast on subtle improvements to the fighting engine. These additions revolve around a more diverse palette of hold and throw moves, includ- ing tag-team attacks by any combination of characters. However, despite proclamations from up high that DOA3 would be the greatest thing since sliced bread, it is not. The Story mode suffers from a ludicrously uneven difficulty level that only masochists will enjoy. If you doubt my words, wait until you meet Omega, the final boss. He made me scream. Well, him and the damn Xbox controller. This is a shame, since a good portion of the game’s secrets are unlocked through repeated plays of this mode. Thankfully the multiplay- er action, whether it be single character or tag battle, is extremely fun. Factor in the newly expanded, inter- active environments, and what you end up with is a great-looking game that’s a lot of fun to play, but not
particularly groundbreaking. Milkman
AA RAR ROAR AOA ARTES
What started off as one of the most-anticipated Xbox launch titles has finished as just a prettier version of the last game, DOA2: Hardcore. I’m sure you’ve heard this countless times by now, but for good rea- son. It’s going to take a pretty hardcore (no pun intended) DOA player to find the subtle differences between this game and the previous PlayStation 2 edition. A more suitable title for this would’ve been DOA2: Slightly More Hardcore This Time. But DOA3 is still a solid game, with the juiciest eye candy of any of the Xbox titles so far. It’s clear whom this game is made for: diehard series fans or those who haven’t played the PS2 version. Shoe DOA3 is one of the best-looking games I’ve ever seen. Not that you’ll have time to admire all the beautiful scenery; grab a fighting buddy and the two of you can spend hours trading blows while learning the subtleties of DOA3’s deep fighting system. Still, it’s disappointing that DOA’s latest installment here feels, at best, like what DOA2: Hardcore should’ve been, and at worst, a ripoff of Virtua Fighter 2. It’s still got the same quirks from its previous incarna- tions, like easy reversals that do way too much dam- age, or the pesky, inescapable command throws. For fans of the series, however, this is a definite must- buy on the Xbox. Che
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
To the untrained eye, DOA3 might seem like DOA2 with bigger...um...environments, but it’s really a bit more than that. We put Dead or Alive 3 under the damn microscope to provide five examples of what separates this game from its predecessor.
Nee en : banana
1) There’s a wider variety of throw moves in both single- player and tag-team flavors. Hint: Bayman is the throw masta!
2) DOA3’s diverse level designs offer untold strategic possibilities and enable a wealth of special moves. Now even more ways to bust heads!
STAGE }
3) Lighting effects, whether on sandy beaches, in a Buddhist temple, or in the Octagon, showcase the Xbox’s graphic hutzpah.
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4) Super-high environments, over three levels deep, will keep acrophobics at bay. The difference now is that a big fall can result in a K.O.
5) CG endings for each char- acter. Now the flaky storyline is “fleshed out” with fancy cinemas that still make little to no sense!
SHOLIG
Publisher: Microsoft ww” Developer: Bungie , 4 Featured In: EGM #149
Players: 1-4 (1-16 Network)
Supports: Network play
Best Feature: Excellent enemy Al
Worst Feature: Web Site:
No network support for co-op mode www.xbox.com
elieve us when we Say that to play Halo
is to love Halo. Just ask anyone on EGM
who casually kicked off a session, if only to get a feel for the game, but found them- selves glued to the tube hours later, sweaty palms wrapped around the burly black Xbox controller. If you write this game off simply because you think it’s just a prettied-up GoldenEye on the Xbox, you will miss out on one of the best games in recent times, on any console, bar none. So just how good is Halo, and why should you give a damn about a first- person shooter? Sit back, read on, and let us count the ways.
Halo is as cinematic as it is interactive. If you’re familiar with sci-fi movies like Aliens or Starship Troopers, you’ll probably notice a lot of the same borrowed clichés. Divided into 10 different episodes, with each episode further split into sub-chapters, Halo’s narrative struc-
ry
ture is reminiscent of other story-heavy action shooters like Half-Life or Red Faction (both on PS2). Where Halo differs, and ultimately kicks the competition to the curb, is its focus on action over puzzles. This is a combat simula- tor. If you want to push some crates or gota hankerin’ to hunt for some keys, Halo will dis- appoint. But for the rest of us tired of the same-old-same-old, Halo is like a much-need- ed blast of fresh air for the genre.
How does Halo keep the action lively and unpredictable? Two letters: Al—and we’re not talking about that Spielberg movie disaster either. This is true artificial intelligence like you’ve never seen in a video game. Over and over again, Halo throws you into scenarios
lectronic Gaming Monthly - 224 - www.egmmag.com
In this series of screens, we throw and stick a plasma grenade onto a rushing Covenant shock trooper. The explosion rocks him back but also catches one of our poor marines off guard.
where you’re laying siege to the enemy along- side fellow marines, each of whom move and fight as if their lives depended on it. They throw grenades, provide covering fire, man the turret in your jeep, and basically work together like a unit to lay down the smack on their enemies, the Covenant. In a single-player game, you'll actually grow attached to your squad of trash-talking leathernecks, and to lose even one of them to a Stray grenade is an unacceptable casualty.
But what’s even more amazing than the convincing behavior of your friendlies is the devious complexity of the enemies’ Al. These guys aren’t afraid to play rough. Even on nor- mal difficulty, the Covenant use effective com-
bat techniques like firing from behind cover, splitting up into smaller groups to flank your careless ass, or just plain bum-rushing you as you're reloading your weapon. If you’re up for a challenge, take on Halo’s Legendary difficul- ty and experience five- to 10-minute cat-and- mouse firefights with a single group of ene- mies. No joke—it’s that intense.
The best part of Halo isn’t even how amaz- ing the game looks. What makes it truly magi- cal is the combination of a prescripted story with real-time simulation gameplay. It gives you a dynamic world with persistent physics. So even while the story takes you down a lin-
If you have a marine sitting in the turret of your jeep, try jumping out to lure the enemy from cover so your gunner can mow them down.
ear path, no two combat encounters ever play out the same. The Al is constantly reacting to your every move, keeping you on your toes, while every creature, object and vehicle plays by aconsistent set of rules. Toss a grenade into a crowd of aliens and watch them and just about anything lying nearby hurl into the air, plaster a nearby wall with blood, and skid to a dead stop on the pavement.
Halo gives you the keys to its reality, drops you headlong into the battlefield, and leaves the rest up to you. First-person shooters have finally hit the next major milestone, and it just happens to be the killer app for the Xbox.
cont. on page 226
See the marines storming the beach in front of you? That's your squad. They'll give you lots of covering fire and flanking opportunities.
Halo’s huge outdoor environments make vehicles a practical necessity to motor around town. Here’s a quick rundown.
The Warthog
The mainstay assault jeep of the Marines Seats three comfort- ably, including a gun- ner in the back.
The Scorpion sam This armored tank may be slow, but its main canon and machine gun make up for it. Up to four friends can hitch a ride on its sides too.
The Ghost
This single-seater hovercraft is fast and agile. Be careful though, it can’t take very much damage.
The Banshee You only fly this ship for short while, but it’s quite a ride. Too bad it has the top speed of a kite.
In Halo’s Rally Racing mode, up to 16 players can team up as driver and gunner to cross the finish line first, or blow the competition away.
Cooperation is Mandatory
You haven’t truly experienced Halo until you invite one special friend over to take on the Cooperative mode. That’s where the screen is split in half so you can take on all the sin- gle-player levels with a second player.
The genius behind it is that, unlike the plasma-fodder space marines, you can real- ly strategize with your buddy: One of you could go out into the open and get the ene- mies’ attention, drawing them back around the bend; suddenly they’re staring down the business end of your partner’s giant tank turret. Or each of you sets up on opposite sides of the valley above the enemy camp, throwing it into chaos as they take cover from one sniper only to be shot in the back by another. If it’s a plan that would work in the real world, chances are, it’ll probably work in Halo too—that’s the beauty of it all. It’s got all the high-fiving, friends-for-life bonding action of 10 paintball weekends all rolled into one, and it won’t stain your clothes. Well, your shirt, anyway. A pal watching your back also makes the incredi- ble (but incredibly tough) Legendary diffi- culty almost possible.
Multiplayer Smorgasbord If you’ve got friends, Halo’s got a ton of splitscreen and network options for a frag- ging good time. The 26 default modes you start with range from your typical every- body-for-themselves deathmatch and cap- ture-the-flag games, to more exotic goals like jeep racing and a “kill the man with the ball” type contest (it’s actually a skull that you carry). Before you drop a load on how many multiplayer modes there are in Halo, know that most of these are variations on the main eight themes.
But if you can’t get into what’s already there, Halo lets you create and save your own game types. Want to play CTF with vehicles? Go for it. There’s a ton of possibili- ties. In four-player splitscreen (the mode the majority of you will be playing the most), the game manages to keep the action reasonably fluid. Of course the ideal way to play is by linking up to four Xboxes together with ethernet cables (and a hub). If you have access to a local area network (say, in your dorm or office), just plug in your Xbox, and it’ll automatically find other machines to link up with.
“Holy &*#$%!" Executive Editor Mark MacDonald hasn't been able to close his mouth since he tried a 16-player capture- the-flag game between four linked Xboxes.
Halo has staged something of a coup for the first-per- son shooter genre. Wait, scratch that—it’s single- handedly raised the bar of graphical and gameplay excellence for all games in the forthcoming system wars. This game has me totally mesmerized. When I’m not awestruck, standing high atop the rolling hills of Halo, overlooking its shimmering vistas, I’m deep in the thick of combat, strategizing against unpre- dictable foes. | had a hard time picking through all the screenshots | took for this review because Halo is like one never-ending Kodak moment after another. This game really sweats the details, Get'right up to an object and it’ll look just as good 10 inches away as it did at 10 feet. Plus, every bullet, plasma shot, rocket and grenade has some sort of effect on the environ- ment. More importantly, we finally have a game that engages your intellect on a whole different level. Instead of pushing crates or performing those nasty jumping puzzles over and over again, Halo has you thinking on the spot, outsmarting and outgunning your way through every area. Does all this combat get old? No freaking way. The dynamics of the game are constantly changing; literally, no two battles are alike. This mutability is the very heart of Halo: It’s a combat simulator, pure and simple. Frankly, | wouldn’t have it any other way. And once you finish the game on normal, you must play it on Legendary.
siastically repeating this like a religious mantra when engaged in the experience that is Halo. And Halo is an experience. With the ability to commandeer almost anything (enemy or friendly). that flies, drives or shoots, Marines under your command who act and fight like Marines, and breath-quickening sci-fi thrills, Halo explains what “next-generation” actually means. Two seconds into it, you’ll know. And that’s just single-player. Multiplayer takes on a whole new meaning when you’ve hooked up four TVs, four Xboxes, and 16 controllers for a Halo frag-fest. Make
its dark twist made me crap my pants almost as much as the secret in The Crying Game did. Halo’s atmosphere keeps you on edge with a perfect com- bination of wonder,.and suspense reminiscent of Aliens. And you'll even recognize one-liners by sol- diers whose wit is sharper than their aim, But despite their poor marksmanship, the gun play is topnotch. The massive showers of lasers and explosions make you feel like you’re in the s***. But you’re not alone. Whether it’s 15 of your friends or a CPU comrade, you'll have someone in the foxhole by you. And that alone sets this apart from everything else. Kraig
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
Publisher: Microsoft/Infogrames 4 Developer: Oddworld Inhabitants y Featured In: EGM #149
Players: 1
Also Try: Abe’s Oddysee & Exoddus (PS1)
Best Feature: Absolutely hilarious voice acting Worst Feature: A couple tedious levels Web Site: www.oddworld.com
ay hello to Munch, the latest addition to
the Oddworld universe. As the last of
the Gabbits, a race of aquatic creatures that have been fished to the point of extinc- tion, Munch has a destiny to fulfill. He’s to team up with Abe—Mudokan savior and star of the first two Oddworld games—in an incredibly convoluted plot to steal money from the tyrannical Glukkons and buy back the last can of “Gabbiar” Gabbit eggs, thus restoring his race...got all that?
Together, Abe and Munch can overcome any obstacle, and they do so with spot-on control, excellent level design and one of the funniest Scripts ever recorded for a video game. Even the enemies in Oddworld are hilarious, from the cowardly Sligs to the money-grubbing Glukkons.
What’s really cool is that the other creatures
“I’m gonna need me an ass the size of a truck to fit this wallet!” Your main goal is relieving Glukkons of their wealth.
Abe and Munch collect can be commanded to do a wider variety of tasks than the enslaved Mudokans Abe could control in earlier games. This expansion of the old Oddworld gameplay is a welcome change; it’s nice not to be com- pletely helpless all the time.
Munch’s Oddysee fills the action/platform niche on the Xbox with style. This is definitely a keeper.
Swapping between Abe and Munch on each level of Oddworld is a necessity. Munch is slow on land (until he finds a wheelchair), but can swim really fast, com- mand armies of the cute little Fuzzle crea- tures, and zap bad guys with his head- mounted sonar thingy. Abe, on the other hand, can’t swim, but can run faster and jump higher than Munch. Plus he can com- mand groups of Mudokans and force Sligs and Glukkons to do his bidding.
se
Ss
Left: The Mudokans have finally learned to stand up for themselves-command armies of them to battle the Sligs. Below: Munch can control various vehicles using his sonar, like this hulking mechanical death machine.
OK, so maybe Munch isn’t the high-profile system seller Microsoft wanted it to be. Nor is this little amphibious fellow the mascot the Xbox needs. What this game is, though, is loads of fun. Abe and Munch, while ugly and awkward, are two of the most charming characters in video gamedom. Giving both of them very specific strengths and weaknesses— Munch is made for water, Abe is fast and nimble on land—and forcing the player to use both of them in every level works extremely well. And now that the Mudokans can actually fight back against their oppressors (unlike the first two titles), the game is that much more fun to play. The gameplay might be a little overwhelming at first for those of us weaned on Abe’s first two PlayStation adventures, but after the introductory levels of Munch’s, | found myself totally comfortable with both protagonists’ abilities. The real draw to Oddworld, however, is the genuinely interesting and hilarious story about corporate greed raping the land of its natural resources and causing the extinction of its native inhabitants. | found play- ing as these two unlikely heroes compelling; | always wanted to see where the story would go next. If | have any complaints it’s that some of the mid-game levels got a bit tedious. | found myself running back and forth through certain areas over and over again. Nonetheless, it didn’t really detract much from the overall enjoyment of the game.
because it’s easily one of this winter’s best. From the intro movie, through each stage and to the end, Munch’s is so wholesomely original, so finely pol- ished, so expertly crafted, that you can’t help but fall in love with it. Yes, it’s that good. The develop- ers did practically everything right, even down to the small details like the camera (no frustrating, messy 3D angles here), although Abe’s controls aren’t ideal for platform-jumping activities. Munch’s gets extra kudos because the game design allows you to try dif- ferent methods and techniques for your romps
over it, but did you know another reason exists to justify excremental activity? Here are some hints: 3D environments and creatures moisturized with details you can almost touch, taste and smell; gameplay that lets you control two unique characters who play off each other’s personalities and intelligence to solve innovative puzzles; a story wrought with con- temporary social criticism executed with fart-in-your- face humor; and an overall experience dripping with fresh originality juice. Still cloudy? OK, last clue. This is the “other” reason to buy an XBox, pronto. Bah! You're hopeless. Go find out for yourself. Jeanne
VISUALS SOUND INGENUI
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\ 4) EVERYONE
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Microsoft Featured In: EGM #149 Players: 1-2
Supports: Custom soundtrack
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
Wide-open terrain Lack of play modes www.xbox.com
Snowboarding games seem to come in two distinct flavors: gonzo and over-the-top like SSX, and hyper- realistic like ESPN Winter X-Games. Amped definite- ly falls into the latter category. The game’s primary claim to fame is that, instead of following a narrow, predetermined course down each mountain, you’re free to blaze your own trail, looking for trick oppor- tunities as you go. Another novel twist: sports pho- tographers are positioned at various points along each run. Pulling off killer tricks while you’re in their crosshairs earns you notoriety—and the choice sponsorships that inevitably follow. The game is eas- ily one of the nicest-looking snowboarding titles to date; its detailed, wide-open vistas look real enough to give you windburn. Its riders also animate fluidly as they perform dozens of realistic tricks. On the down side, the game’s controls are very unforgiving. Release the jump button a fraction of a second too early a or to late, and ta wind up pel snow. The
you'll find yourself yearning for a little more adrena-
line and variety Gary M.
fou shoul knows a 1 eur ditows before ne write this game off as just another SSX wannabe. At its core, Amped feels like a spiritual successor to more realis- tic snowboarding games like 1080° on the N64 (sans
Arnall ‘dlesante ‘eenaly a vente ite ‘grecwheenclting genre, but its purdy levels and addictive incentive system are enough to make it more than “just anoth- er ce es eo game. ” Trying to peg its personality
*t wait for
Dean SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
ZIS we
Tricky, arma ll tide you over. VISUALS
ooORCEODOOIOIOONIONNTONHOIII
0 CHOROID COONAN
OIRO UDO ROO
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Radical
Featured In: EGM #149 Players: 1-2
Also Try: Amped, SSX Tricky
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
It’s a new twist on the genre It’s a short-lived experience www.darksummit.net
It’s not easy liking this game. The premise sounds like the mother of all that’s ill-conceived: Use your dope Gen-Y snowboarding skills/attitude to uncover secret government projects run by the anti-cool authorities. If | puked in a fountain pen and mailed it to the monkey house, I’d get a better storyline. But after some snow time with Dark Summit, | decided the game’s actually fun to play. It’s not that the snow- boarding gameplay is brilliant—you can find better thrills with Amped or SSX Tricky. Dark Summit is enthralling because it actually does something dif- ferent than the same ol’, same old. Yes, the story- line holds the power of cheese, but it did keep me wondering what would happen next. The mission objectives, although not terribly innovative, spiced up the gameplay. Also, the level designs are creative and outlandish enough, that they give SSX Tricky a run for its money. Overall, | enjoyed Dark Summit’s new approach to a stale genre. | could easily have
player game is majorly disappointing as well with its bare-bones modes and stages. shoe
OR RRR ORO ANTI RTO TID OR NA RE PTI IIT
OO PRT HOON
Misstor based stiowboarding isn't exactly the inte of thing you play everyday, which is what | really appreciated about Dark Summit. OK, forget that the story entails the thwarting of an evil ski hill irough assorted misc lel... nd
attitude. n deal wit and sub-pa ing physi you have rform to c going down lot more fu and tail g S a great alt for sno ing fans:
‘70S- Penaiet afros.
_ SR RO
Dark Summit mixes snendvourdine cliche characters and a, uh, unique storyline into one surreal stew. On one hand, it’s a technically sound, action sports game. The Tony Hawk control scheme makes it easy to jump in and trick out like an old pro. llt’s decent fun.) The story
a bad sci- fi
non
might put a: ‘al our open mind and you might just dig it.
VISUALS
SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
6 6 5
science SOO NOOO CASON ICHIN HAO ROOOORRROOSSOONRIOOOSOOASEOOESHARHONEOSERENDODEOOMODIONIONIOODIEHDRKADSNODIS ODEO AOREENIEODNHOD ONION NANOOONIOOOROSCONIOOAIEOSAEOEONGSY
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Fuzion Frenzy
EVERYONE
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Blitz Games Players: 1-4
Supports: Custom soundtrack
Best Feature: Worst Feature:
Easy to play
If you’ve played one game, you’ve played ‘em all
Web Site: www.xbox.com
FF’s one big party-pooper. Actually, let’s rephrase that. FF’s one big pile of party-poop. First of all, for- get about getting any single or even two-play value, because the parade of minigames, 90 percent of the time, actually ends up annoying rather than energiz- ing you. In fact, even playing with three other peo- ple doesn’t increase the fun factor much more than playing by your lonesome. Why? Because almost every minigame’s just a different version of the same game. It’s like a bunch of suits with their gaggle of marketing pimps got together and said, “Those kids won’t know the difference. We’ll just make each level look different, and they’ll think it’s a different game!” But yo, Mr. Suit, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out when the use-an-object-of-your- color-and-take-it-to-a-goal formula applies to way too many of the contests, no matter how different the packaging; not to mention the fact that Frenzy is een so at the end of each tournament section
tle of Corvoisier and shiatsu massage from Natasha?
Uh- hilt Tioga So. Jeanne
een R TIT OHR IRI RIPON HHH APN TRO ORTHO RIT RRR P OS RO IR RIDRPO I DTIDIOI DORIAN IHD OIRO OOPDRI
Fuzion Frenzy i isone aetihe least excitne nary games I’ve ever played. It walks that fine line of not bad, but not good, never staying on either side long enough to assign it a clear label. Some of the minigames are fun, but most are ogestla | to the colored-bi ting game, cal UZIOF
ekend ri friends play between rounds of Hi bad skipping this.
seoeenevenmseneunaty a UID LORIENT ENE REESE PLD SELECTED RORIRE TT IS DEP TEEDIOEETE:
Guna 1: “Hey, ahise ain 7 tall that bad. It’s Sa fur 2 group game, like Mario Party. Too bad it doesn’t have any cohesiveness to it—no master board game or any-
thing. It’s still fun, though. Not bad fora rip- -off of the Nintendo 64.stuff. My score at.
Game 2: ning to annoy the stage. one else ne very ~ and steal-
their-goods’ thing ting old. do we have to olay this again?”
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
J 3 3 a
Publisher: Eidos Developer: Crystal Dynamics >< Featured In: EGM #149 Players: 1-4
Try Instead: Cel Damage
Best Feature: Super-long levels
Worst Feature: Web Site:
Multiplayer action is too confusing www.eidos.com
| can only imagine the design meeting where they cooked this game up. It must have resembled cook- ing soup. “Add a little kart-like racing here, some platform jumping there. Climbing is good, put it in, then let’s top it off with power-ups. Oh yeah, how about that Tony Hawk? The kids like that, let’s put in some crap to grind on!” All right, maybe not. The real meeting was probably less organized. Putting so many different things into the gameplay is ambitious, but few of them work well. The weapons are boring, grinding rails often felt like a hassle instead of a help, the joystick thrashing (required to climb) made my
fingers throb, and the multiple paths soured the mul- |
tiplayer game because the small field of view made them difficult to see. If those don’t annoy you, the scores of cheap obstacles littered in the impressively long (and often gorgeous) tracks will. Ironically, you must endure these marathons, only to find that the winner is almost always decided at the very end.
Once, | stalled in the middle of the race to rest my ail-
ing fingers (after climbing) and fell back to fourth
place. But when | rounded a corner toward the end of | the chase, | still won the contest. Who the hell needs | the course shortcuts, then? Kart-racing game veter- | ans know that these games often cheat to keepraces | close, but at least it’s done subtly. The cheating in —
this game is so obvious, it might as well hit you over the head with a eee ifkee going edit a “How to Make a Video ganie Hit” checklist, MDR’s got flashy visuals, a hip soundtrack, an anti-cutesy cartoon cast and a story complete with a vertically challenged evil boss. But unless you're a racing addict or were born after 1993, MDR loses steam quickly despite what seems like a win- ing formula of platform-style gameplay, racing and a pinch of extreme-sports trickstyling. Granted, having different characters with their own sets of power-ups and secret level shortcuts can lead to dramatic fin- ishes, but when four-play fails to offer much more than single, replay’s too much of a toss-up. Keep MDR in mind for yout little bro instead. Jeanne
Every donwale leunety nage a ew ates that are foie
to get excited about, and Mad Dash is to Xbox what —
Wild Wild Racing was to PS2. It’s not a bad game, but the only thing special about it is that it’s available at the system’s launch. The biggest problem | had was
all the clutter in multiplayer; the graphics are crisp © and smooth, but it’s tough to monitor your busy sur- | roundings on a quarter screen. Plus, so much ran- dom crap gets in your way during each two-minute | race, it really doesn’t matter whether you’re first or |
fourth until the final few hundred feet of the course. Mad Dash is OK for kids, but more sophisticated players will get bored quickly.
VISUALS — SOUND
Jonathan | INGENUITY REPLAY ff
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Microsoft >< Featured In: EGM #149 ' Players: 1-4
Also Try: Madden NFL 2002
Best Feature: Detailed graphics
Worst Feature: Weak computer intelligence
Web Site: www.xbox.com
First and 10, Brett Favre throws to Bubba Franks who catches the ball, then fumbles it. If he can get it, nothing but the end zone is ahead of him. He scoops up the ball and the whistle blows. Uh...what? A play- er is allowed to advance a fumble, except in the wan- ing minutes. Welcome to NFL Fever, the first-year football game that plays, well..like a first-year foot- ball game. Its edges are rougher than a sawed-off two-by-four. Receivers routinely get wide open because of blown pass coverages. A few times, sev- eral defenders stuck to each other in a horrible man- wich at the middle of the field because they got so crossed up. | can’t blame them. The plays are impos- sible to decipher because their diagrams look like a doctor scribbled them down. And even worse, their cutesy names rarely make sense. What in the hell is a “KC Nickel” anyway? If you throw the X’s and O’s out and wing it, you’ll have more fun. The gameplay is quick and responsive, making running the ball a blast. The smooth jukes and spins by ballcarriers look great and make this feel realistic, even if it isn’t. In fact, this is the first footballer whose looks could kick Madden in the ass. These detailed graphics are welcome, but they make me wonder how the flawed gameplay was overlooked. For cripes’ sake, 1 could have cooked a ham in the time it took a bomb to hit my receiver downfield. | suggest that you wait much Hang before va think about buying Fever. ‘ Kraig
Fact Elis generation console footballs games suffer
their share of problems. Fever is a perfect example. Having said that, I’m excited to see where this fran- chise goes. Graphics-wise, Fever is dressed to kill. You’ve never seen football look this good. The game’s mechanics are passable, if a bit on the basic side. Running the ball requires a nice blend of special moves and quick cuts. The passing game is slick and will present no real problems for first-timers looking to air it out. What don’t | like? Shoddy defensive Al and playcalling screens (for the D mostly) that give no clue as to where guys are going. Overall, Fever is a decent first effort. Hoenialbe ice presrect af playinea anew wFootball rea chise is about as appealing as spending the day at the dentist—both can be miserable experiences. Surprisingly, NFL Fever isn’t nearly as bad as a root canal. I’m not saying it’s better than Madden or NFL 2K2, but it certainly beats out Quarterback Club and GameDay. To be a serious threat, however, it needs some retooling—mainly better defensive Al. (The computer players tend to blow coverage in the sec- ondary.) Other parts of the game are good, though. The players move and react like they have some weight to them (you know, inertia), and the graphics and animation are nicely done as well. Dean
VISUALS — SOUND REPLAY
INGENUITY
- 2289 -
Dan Le.
z i ' | | i | | | | | |
VISUALS
Ponsition
4th Target 3rd Best eler «<= Current S7.6
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Bizarre Creations >< Featured In: EGM #149 , Players: 1-4
Supports: Custom soundtrack
Best Feature: Solid gameplay
Worst Feature: Steep learning curve
Web Site: www.xbox.com
Don’t let the terrible name fool you; Gotham’s actu- ally a good racing game. As an unofficial sequel to Metropolis Street Racer, Gotham feels like a retooled, refined and remixed version of that Dreamcast game. Like MSR, Gotham still forces you to drive with lots of flash and finesse. Exceptional driving techniques earn you Kudos points, which you then put toward unlocking cars and tracks. If you’re one of those players who thought MSR took too long to get off the ground, you’ll be happy to know that Gotham’s a lot more forgiving and generally more open-ended. Still, as | sit here playing this unique, often beautiful game, | have a feeling that most rac- ing fans just won’t get the concept. Yeah, you'll get to compete against a pack of cars, but the real race isn’t with them, but rather against your own skill limita- tions. And since the best parts of the game require unlocking (with Kudos), those of you looking for a quick fix will find Gotham very bland, very quickly. But don’t poo-poo the Kudos system just yet. It’s cleverly designed to mentor you through the ways of skillful driving. If you’ve got the patience to stick with it, youll discover a game with subtle yet intuitive controls that reward you as you improve. Gotham lacks some of the visual polish we expect to see from a Gran Turismo 3 challenger, but dig deeper to its core and you'll see that it’s a whole different breed of racer—for better or for worse. Che
eae ARCO PRE OOTIOOITN Ar RON AN,
If Gran Titers too: serious 5 for you, and Rush i iS too
arcadey, Project Gotham’s your game. Since it fea- tures licensed cars (including the Porsches and Ferraris that elude GT) and super-realistic city cours- es, Simheads.will have a blast. But in order to unlock cars and new courses, you need to master the art of the powerslide (in order to earn Kudos points), so arcade junkies are covered. The combination works very well, especially when you throw near-perfect control into the mix, Bizarre Creations has taken the best of MSR on the Dreamcast and left the bad stuff behind (i.e., penalties). Best racing game on the Xbox? You bet. Greg
nae. pom UN SPORE AEROS POORER TET
fl dant t —— achat’ S ‘illfex: the: sti? trewer buttons on
the Xbox controller or the fact that | can’t stop playing Gotham even though my cramped fingers are curled up like fish hooks. Seriously, for a car nut like myself, Gotham is up there with GT3 and Le Mans 24 Hours. It’s deep as hell (tons of cars, courses and challenges) but still accessible for casual fans. In other words, you don’t have to invest a bazillion hours to unlock the sweet rides. And, since Bizarre Creations dumped the stupid penalty system (deductions for Sloppy stuff), PGR is even better than its predecessor, Metropolis Street Racer. If you love a good power- Slide, Gotham is your game. Dean
- SOUND
INGENUITY REPLAY
Publisher: TDK Mediactive Developer: Dice Canada
Featured In: EGM #149
Players: 1
Try Instead: Toy Story 2 (PlayStation) Best Feature: Lighting your farts
Worst Feature: Web Site:
Controlling the camera www.tdk-mediactive.com
Take away the big green ogre, and Shrek the game has very little to do with Shrek the movie: no witty sound clips (not even from a Mike Myers sounda- like), no cutscenes, no Farquaad, and—worst of all— no Donkey. Why bother to get the Shrek license if you're not going to use it? The result is a bland, for- gettable game that not even fans of the flick will be able to squeeze much enjoyment out of. Completing the requisite mundane tasks in each level barely gives you enough sense of accomplish- ment to encourage you to continue. None of the objectives are fun, and they almost always involve hitting switches or carrying something and dropping it in a specific location, or both. And the simplest tasks turn unbelievably difficult because of tena- cious enemies constantly on your ass. Your only recourse (since you can’t kill them) is to fart on or hit them enough times to make ‘em dizzy for a few sec- t cases, that isn’t much ie This rou-
ret cat le camera a ei ' l 2 pad to stop en after oe
short time ait on a level’s obj rain Shrek
fans, avoid this. Chris
Despite 2 a : cool eens ‘and some nifty use of the Xbox’s graphical power, Shrek is ruined by a horrible camera, jerky animation (Shrek moves like he’s in a 19205 baseball film) and mindless missions where the gameplay should be. Fans vie. will be disappointed that the i
acters you'd ex
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This: game sha feaudful sranhics, ‘teh and respon- sive controls, and some cool levels. So what’s wrong? The fact is, just about every task the game asks you to complete is simply no fun. Most of the game is spent carrying things from point A to point B r hidden trinkets. If you’re going to -of the book of Me read it first;
some lousy ideas drag it all down.
Christian INGENUITY REPLAY
2 3
VISUALS SOUND
I 3
@ EDITORS CHOICE AWARD @
Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
Publisher: Konami j Developer: Konami CET >.< Featured In: EGM #147
Players: 1
What’s New: Maria’s subquest
The bonus side-mission is nice... ...but it’s got some nasty slowdown www.konami.com
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
The Xbox may be over a year younger than the PS2, but we haven’t seen any major graphical leaps onthe new console just yet. So it’s no surprise that Silent Hill 2 doesn’t annihilate the PS2 version graphically, but the slightly retooled visuals, real-time audio encoding and bonus side-quest make it a mildly better version if you have the hardware. The main game is identical, save for some cool lighting effects made possible by the hulkier new console. | flinched several times when a black object rose up behind me in dimly lit hallways, but settled after | realized it was just my shadow under the influence of slick spot- lighting techniques. Otherwise, SH2 is the same dis- turbing yet stylish trip through what feels more like an interactive horror film than a video game. Konami did add a second mini-adventure starring the game’s female lead, Maria. Although it’s a nice touch, the whole darn thing lasts only a couple of hours at most. aie pave thing gets cho nytime the
ly Wg sub Te handles similar material does story, either. controller and drop in the sid S)
minuses in Restless Dreams. You won rt miss much if
SHo: RD isa nally nevchalagteally tants game any adventure gamer should experience. The nightmar- ish ambience of Silent Hill and the cadaver-esque character designs add up to make this, hands down, artistic
you isa Play the PS2 version.
the aed di turbing video same. ever. It's a
decipher against a
and prayayell Stir’ t runinte E ancthed one zles in the next room.
Edeine © out t tts = PlayStation : 2 » trots itt: enteneed
graphics and a new mini-scenario, SH2:RD is the definitive version of Konami’s foggy frightfest. The game itself is basically a success; it pushes the envelope of survival-horror gaming with photo- real-
saddled wit! tions. Still, « active experience out there.
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
10 1 6
The Simpsons: Road Rage
Nala Yuose any) ED)
Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Radical Featured In: EGM #148 Players: 1-2
Plays Like: Crazy Taxi
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
Voice acting from the cast Not much replay value www.simpsonsroadrage.com
Playing Road Rage is like watching a new episode of The Simpsons. All the pieces are there, but in the end, it just doesn’t come together. If you’re a Simpsons fan, you’ll enjoy the huge ensemble of voice actors from the show. But strip away the franchise license and what are you left with? A straight ripoff of Sega’s Crazy Taxi, and a pretty bland one at that. And even while Road Rage managed to ape all the major ele- ments of Sega’s hit, it completely misses the point. We love Crazy Taxi not because you could pick up and drop off passengers; we love it for all the cool stuff you could do in between. Unfortunately, Road Rage lacks depth in the gameplay department. Everything moves at a fair clip and gives you a good sense of speed, but it doesn’t reward you for near-misses, drifts, jumps or stunts. Where’s the gameplay, man? Once in a while you get some bonus money for avoid- ing traffic or destroying property, but it all seems SO random. What's worse, certain cars pO Bart’s
Chalk it up as another Bre in the running game curse. che
OREN ORONO ORO DIRONR ORHAN R IRD OT RA RIOD NRO OO IIHS OINTMENT IT TT IAN IT a TI
Crazy Taxi and The Sthanaatas both ‘yula, ‘but this shameless ripoff is a rental at best. The throwaway storyline, endless loading times, small environments and barely Dreamcast- quality graphics are instant turn-offs. With ut rewards for Cras Drifts, ns
Theres | a + eee ‘beetatine “aniithe ‘the ‘Teter Pp ‘that
describes SRR, and it’s not “phat,” it’s “plagiarism.”
Someone should check their pockets cuz EA has ripped off Sega/Crazy Taxi big time. |t’ s one thing to model.a.game arter a proven formula, ii another
add a fe pect people to-tl nis on’t
riding arou
VISUALS
3
SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
6 L J
Publisher: | Konami Developer: Konami Studio
Featured In: EGM #149
Players: 1
Also Try:
PX
~ Ses EVERYONE =
Best Feature: Detailed
fighter jets Ace Combat 04 (PS2) Worst Feature: Web Site: Unspectacular gameplay www.konami.com
ADS focuses on all the little details that make aerial combat so visually gripping: moving flaps, airbrakes, puffs of smoke from your Vulcan cannon, contrails on the tips of your wings, and the exhaust of your mis- siles. For all you fighter-jet buffs out there, so far so good. But like most flight sim-type games, what looks great soaring above the clouds doesn’t look so hot once you get down near the surface. At close range, everything on ground level looks like one huge Jackson Pollock painting. If ADS were anything more than a graphical showcase, however, none of this would matter. But as it is, the game lacks fun. Most_of the dogfights have you flying in circles against the enemy, getting that missile lock and mov- ing onto the next target. In fact, getting that missile lock, seeing your Serpentine trail of smoke, and fly- ing in circles is all you end up doing. Later on, ADS loosens up on the reins a bit and gets wacky with all sorts of sci-fi planes you can buy. But a little more fantasy throughout the game might have given ADS the personality it desperately needs. Che
INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS SOUND
Ps GA
Pam Publisher: Crave Developer: Lightweight m= Featured In: ~ EGM #149 Players: 1-2
Best Feature: Really great | Try Instead:
make-up | Dead or Alive 3 Worst Feature: Super-long | Web Site: load times. What the hell? | cravegames.com
If you were a fan of Square’s Bushido Blade series, you’d never realize that the developers responsible for those innovative, experimental, and thoroughly enjoy- able games are the very same people who have creat- ed the mind-boggling travesty that is Kabuki Warriors. Slogging my way through 4o-plus monotonous levels, fighting endless waves of faceless kabuki clones, using the ONE available attack button, quickly became a chore. So | indulged myself. Instead of actually trying to do a masterful job of dis- secting my foes using the sluggish, unresponsive con- trols, | instead whaled on the attack button with one finger, while. my, other hand (and my eyes) surfed the Web. Forty-five dreary minutes later | looked at the TV and found that | had reached the boss level. There the difficulty spiked enough so that | actually had to grip the controller with both hands. What did | get for my inconsiderable efforts? A staff credits roll, identifying the people responsible for putting me through this ordeal. | have suffered so you don’t have to. If you
want to fight, buy DOA3 instead. Milkman
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
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LucasArts
| Developer: Secret Level 2 = Featured In: ‘fas EGM #149 oy" pee | Players: . . | 1-2 Best Feature: The John Also Try: Williams soundtrack Rogue Leader (GC) Worst Feature: Special fea- Web Site: tures aren’t special at all www.lucasarts.com
When this game first came out on the PS2, | was wowed by Starfighter’s graphics. What a difference a year makes. Now the bar has been raised, and this “Special Edition” can’t quite clear it. It’s not that it’s ugly, but compared to most Xbox games, it looks like the boring girl next door and makes the GameCube’s Rogue Leader seem like Pamela Anderson. Starfighter needed a new, gorgeous coat of paint for me to forget | was blowing up slow tanks on Naboo and not flying a gut-wrenching Death Star trench run. Yeah, it has the requisite hordes of space- craft going boom, laser blasts by the millions and a Superb soundtrack, but that’s not enough to make me overlook missions that were often tedious and repetitive. Special Edition tries vainly to liven things up with a handful of new multiplayer missions. Unfortunately, they aren’t, um, “special” enough to make it worth dragging a friend into a dogfight. LucasArts should have spent their time improving a game that was never great to begin with instead of Slapping on shallow upgrades. Kraig
INGENUITY REPLAY
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_ | Publisher: » | Infogrames Developer: | Angel Studios | Featured In: ni vied en
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layer
2uUDpOris: Best Fez »: Those mega- | peels soundtrack centtctiow waves iy Worst Feature: Annoying | savant mission objectives _ games.com
They roil, tumble and rumble—and no two are alike. Yep, the waves in TransWorld Surf are absolutely realistic and downright beautiful (even if the rest of the game ain’t so pretty). And they deliver more wet- and-wild thrills than what you’ll find in the few other surfing games floating around. It’s clear the devel- opers were trying to make Tony Hawk on a tidal wave. The control layout’s nearly the same, and as in Hawk, you build up momentum and your trick meter by performing combos. But all is not totally tubular in TransWorld. Many level objectives—namely, the ones that have you leaping obstacles like boats and sea life —are annoying, because it’s hard to get situ- ated on the wave and you don’t get enough camera options to see where you’re headed. The game’s not as pick-up-and-play as Tony Hawk, either. It took me a while to get the hang of crucial combo-building tricks such as the 180-degree turn, and | ended up relying on simpler stuff like barrel riding to build up my score. Still, the lure of later levels, and their larg- er waves, kept me shooting the pipes. Crispin SOUND REPLAY
VISUALS INGENUITY
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Publisher:
Sega
Developer: Visual Concepts Featured In: EGM #146
Players: 1-4 (1-8 online) Supports: SegaNet, Jump Pack Best Feature: Online play
Worst Feature: Web Site:
Single-player mode www.segasports.com
What do the Bulls of the mid-’90s, the Lakers of today and the NBA 2K series have in common? D-Y-N-A-S-T-Y. This game has left its competition in the Ice Age of video game basketball. NBA 2K2 is the best-looking (you heard me, Live), best-play- ing game of basketball you'll find. |t also has prob- ably been the most consistent of the 2K franchises, incrementally improving each year. There are no major gameplay tweaks here, but the style of ball is decidedly different. In last year’s title, espe- cially online, it was dunk or lose. If your opponent let the CPU play tight defense on your man, outside shooting was a Serious chore. Now the game allows jump-shooters to join in on the fun while the defense helps shut down those dunkamaniacs. It all adds up to better balance and a much more realistic flow to the game. NBA 2K2 has everything you could ask for in terms of modes, including Street Ball which can be played online or off. Speaking of online play, it’s the same as last year, but the lag and control both feel a bit better. Offline, the game rocks for multiplayer fun. Get three buddies over and go two-on-two Lakers vs. Sixers for some big-time fun. Single-player offline games are the only sore spot. Even on the hardest level, the CPU mounts a lukewarm challenge at best. But hey, most players want to succeed anyway, right? Winning is good, and
so is NBA 2K2. Dan i.
Callin me crazy, z but NBA se doesn t ‘oaks or r play tual
different than last year’s game. Everyone thought the zone defense would be a big, messy deal, but shoot, it’s hardly even noticeable. If anything, it’s a testa- ment to Visual Concepts’ skills to implement the trick- ier defense when no other basketball sim even tried. Other than that, | like the new automatic alley-oops passes. No more fumbling with button combos; just wait until your high-flyer gets close to the hoop and lob it over. He knows what to do next—ka-BOOM! Slight animation changes, as well as a smarter Al are noticeable but again, not over-powering. It’s a no- brainer; 2K2 is still the laid of the hill. Dean
In m nick af basketballs games “teat onle onus on flacty
Style and being able to contort yourself into a pretzel while dunking. Sure, the NBA is a rock-‘n’-roll, fast- break league, but thankless things such as aggres- sive rebounding, attacking passing lanes, and nudg- ing for position in the post are just as important. They are also tasks that NBA 2K2 seamlessly inte- grates into its realistic gameplay. I’m not saying that this is all go and no show. To the contrary, it has all of the fancy moves, lavish introductions and facial expressions that a hoops fan could ask for. And the beauty is that it doesn’t rely on them to barely pass muster, unlike its braindead rivals. Kraig
VISUALS sional INGENUITY REPLAY
4
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Publisher:
Sega _ Developer: — Hitmaker om \ Featured In: EGM #149 C)}- Players: 1-4 a Also Try: Mario Tennis (N64)
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
Ladies are in the hizzy Create-A-Player www.segasports.com
Tennis ranks right up there with golf for me. Which is to say it’s on my list of “watch only as a last resort” sports, somewhere between drag racing and bowl- ing, if you must know. Rarely are games So good that they can break down negative ideas about the real sport they’re based on. Tennis 2K2 is one of those games. It is not boring, stuffy, or for the country-club dullards who typically flock to the sport. Tennis 2K2 is pure gaming bliss, offering precise and simple control over every action on the court. Hitting shots and working the ball around the court is intrinsically fun. You run your ass off to every shot, hit it back, and repeat. It’s a simple concept with brilliant execu- tion. Timing and anticipation are keys to success, and you’ll gain both as you progress along the learn- ing curve. World Circuit mode is back and offers a slew of fun, sometimes maddening, minigames to help hone your skills. A new Create-A-Player feature exists, but routine choices keep created players looking vanilla. | want my albino with an afro damnit! As for the pros, the range of selectable players has doubled and now includes a healthy list of female players. Top names include Venus and Serena Williams, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis. Mixed doubles, anyone? Tennis 2K2 has it all, except online, which got left in the lurch with the current confusion at SegaNet. Sucky. Still, very few offline games offer this much fun. Dan L. | slaved the first Virtua “Tens: to death ‘his eanmibitias tion of awesome graphics and fast-paced arcade gaming made it one of the best sports games in years. Happily, the sequel maintains the qualities that made the first so good, while adding impor- tant new additions. Now the single-player mode is a stiffer challenge, due to the wider array of volleys, lobs, backhands and cross-court smashes, as well as smarter computer opponents. The new level of depth in the World Tour mode is another great addition. It lets you create a player, improve his skills via 2K2’s awesome minigames, and then take him on the cir- cuit. A must- ad for DC owners.
4 aed 4 to en a lot rt Tania, ve (ers ten it, it’s @ a
boring sport if you’re not on the court. Although 2K2 doesn’t put you at the Wimbledon finals, it does a damn good job of making you feel like you’re burning calories out there on the lawn. | was most disap- pointed with 2K2 featuring the same number of Kournikovas as the first game: zero. Since they’ve expanded the roster significantly with other male and female players, however, | can let it slide. I’m with Dan on the create-A-Player; all those dudes just come out looking like child molesters. | guess if ten- nis was about bein’ pretty, we’d have players doing camera ads and stuff. Oh wait... Jonathan
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INGENUITY
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g Publisher: » Agetec
©
Developer: SNK Featured In : we EGM #126 =e ¥ ek :e; = = SF: pee A") 7 iY ‘ Plave Ss fs = Pt ESRB : 4 : wm 1-2 Best Fe . meson | Support contol animation 1 arcade ick VGA Worst Feature: Crazy hilari- | Web Site: ous Shed dislosue | www.agetec.com
With the Dreamcast just about dead and buried, it’s a wonder Agetec decided to bring MOTW to the U.S., but fighting fans should be happy they did. Regarded by some as SNK’s finest fighter, Fatal Fury is as lav- ishly animated as Street Fighter III, plays as well as any title in its class, and boasts some of the slickest super moves ever. Combined with the razor-sharp controls, this is one of the fastest, most respon- sive fighting games I’ve ever played. It’s easy to pick up and play, but features enough offensive and defensive options for more dedicated gamers to sink their teeth into. While the roster of available charac- ters isn’t huge, each combatant is unique. (without being overly goofy looking) and well balanced. Beyond that, there isn’t much to preoccupy players, as MOTW is basically a no-frills affair. Still, if all you're looking for is a straight-up no-holds-barred hardcore 2D fighting game that plays great in both single-player and versus modes (and at a meager $30 too), then this should cure what ails ya. Don’t
pass this one up. Milkman _ VISUALS
S _—
Publisher: Activision Developer: Traveller’s Tales
Also Try:
You Don’t Know Jack Players:
1-7
Supports:
Multi-tap
Web Site: www.activision.com
Best Feature: Very true to the show
Worst Feature: Anne repeats herself too much
| normally couldn’t care less about game-show games, but | really like The Weakest Link. And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with some sick fetish for old English broads with attitude. This game simply represents the show faithfully, and it’s fun to play. The people who make the Millionaire games should take notice. TWL can be played single-player, but obviously the multiplayer mode is where this game shines. Get a group of people together, then have fun screaming answers at each other and stabbing your fellow contestants in the back, not to mention listen- ing to Anne Robinson’s steady barrage of insults. Even though all the questions in the video game are multiple choice (instead of open-ended like the TV show), on the highest difficulty setting you only get to see the first letter or two of every choice. It’s about as close as the developers could get to authenticity, and it works surprisingly well since the game doesn’t completely give away the answers for you. This is the best game-show game to hit a home console since You Don’t Know Jack. Greg
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Twisted Metal: Small Brawl
Publisher: Sony CEA
Developer: Incog Inc.
Featured In: EGM #149
Players: 1-2
Also Try: Twisted Metal 2
Best Feature: Plumber's ass in the kitchen level Worst Feature: Slow game speed
Web Site: www.scea.com
You would think that after five Twisted Metal games, Sony would’ve decided that they’ve cashed in enough on this franchise. Evidently not. After reinvigorating the series with Twisted Metal: Black on the PlayStation 2, they’ve dragged it back into crapdom with this half-assed spinoff only a few months later. To say that this is regurgitated gameplay would be a gross understatement. Nothing here is remotely orig- inal or innovative. Instead of the usual complement of missiles, you have bottle rockets. Pint-sized explo- sions replace big ones. And the vehicles are almost identical to those in Twisted Metal, except get this: They’re smaller. Wow! Even the environments have been shrunk. Levels consist of oh-so-exciting places like claustrophobic minigolf courses and kitchens, but those close quarters don’t incite intense fire- fights. A lame combination of slow cars and non-exis- tent enemy intelligence saps the intensity away like a sponge because the bad guys seem to be aa content with standing pat and getting wailed on. easily beat the game with powerful, short- ee weapons because my prey rarely took cover. It was pretty sadj but the pathetic text-based sav
screen took the cake—it lookswlikes as li ripped out of an ancient Commodore God for the plumber’s ass that stick underneath the sink in the kitchen level. weren’t for that, this would be a total loss.
If it Kraig
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Sang? S eanitiend falls on the Hasale TM series sould
please tykes looking for some car combat, but series veterans won’t be impressed. Cutesy cars, kiddie characters and firework weapons work within the game’s playground premise, but_most TM fans will likely miss the old kick-ass vehicles and nasty psy- chopaths. The chunky, ugly visu music don’t help much either. L is fairly tight, and some of the | such as the miniature golf course and the kitchen. Others, however, are too:small or too boring to affect the action. This woefully average retread will only keep yOUnSTEIE entertained. shane
OSS OD CAT
CIERRA
Twisted Metal retires te 5 ite. PS1 ater fis auerasattl
sojourn to the PS2. This TM, though, works to undo my renewed faith in the series. Small Brawl is a slapdash, sloppy and unimaginative retrofit. The idea of.a, elle challenge el Ea remote con-
ics sour the theme. Your arsenal. itive ae different types of in
ind. With so me excellent bargains on ioe PS, look elsewhere. Ohhristian
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
3 a L a
Publisher: Activision ‘GAM
Developer: David A. Palmer IADVANC Productions/id Software
Players: 1 (1-2 Co-op, 1-4 Deathmatch)
Supports: Link Cable
Best Feature: Frantic action
Worst Feature: Eye-strainingly small enemies
Best Settings: Brightness 6, Static Lighting, Autorun on, Music off
Web Site: www.activision.com
I’ve been playing this game for the last eight years on One system or another, and I’m still not bored with it. Granted, on the evolutionary ladder of first-person shooters, Doom is a caveman. You can’t look up or down, can’t jump, and progress always involves flip- ping switches or finding keys. But most of the time you're too busy, say, dodging through a field of fire- ball-tossing imps, or backing off a rampaging Cacodemon, to care. Like tossing watermelons off a tall building, Doom is straight, dumb, violent fun, regardless of how many times you’ve seen it before. The GBA port is faithful, including the great sound effects and horrible music, plus all the levels and enemies we know and love. Multiplayer is in there (everyone needs their own cart), even if it’s with some slowdown. Too bad the huge levels suck for deathmatch, but co-op still plays great. They even included the option to adjust the brightness and turn the dynamic lighting on and off (GBA developers, please take note). But the conversion to a handheld did add a few problems. Because of the 3D effect and the nature of Doom, you often end up squinting at, and exchanging fire with, enemies that are literally just dots on the horizon. Either play in small doses or keep the eye drops and aspirin close by. Controls are about the best they could be given the GBA’s setup, but they still get you killed now and then. Otherwise
a great, portable shot of classic action. Mark
Cn ere ea ee SR NAIR AAPOR RD APOE PAP IDOI POOL
It seems like | was just playing this bugger on the PC last week. Turns out it’s really been almost 10 years since Doom was conceived, but even now I’m impressed that we’ve got such a faithful handheld translation. From the sounds to the enemies to the level layouts, it’s a near-perfect port. You can even switch between dynamic and static lighting, but almost always need to use the latter in order to see what’s going on. | also sorely miss the save-any- where feature the PC game had; Doom GBA only saves at the end of each level. Still, playing a four- player deathmatch on the GBA is pretty rad if you can handle the wear on your eyes. Jonathan
I’m not sure what’s more impressive, that Doom is playable on a portable or that the game is still enjoy- able today (though that may be the nostalgia talk- ing). Everything technically works, from the smooth 3D action to the four-player deathmatching. Too bad the system is too small for this big-time game. The eyestrain | got from just a half hour of playtime was incredible. The screen is just too small for this first- person action, so be warned: Play in small time chunks or risk blindness. Besides that, this is the same game we played years ago. For mindless one- player action, it’s fine. Just don’t expect anything new or revolutionary at all. Shoe
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY _ REPLAY
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aren Publisher: "abba Developer: Nintendo Featured in: EGM #148 Players: 1 Also Try: Wario Land 3 (GBC) Best Feature: Great graphics, gameplay Worst Feature: Too short Web Site: www.nintendo.com Minigames: — Wario’s Home Run Derby, The Wario
Hop, Wario Roulette
Ever since Nintendo took Mario into the wide world of 3D a few years back, bad boy Wario has taken center stage as the company’s side-scrolling platform star of choice. His games have gotten pro- gressively better with each new sequel, so it should come as no surprise that Wario Land 4 is in many ways the best-playing Wario game yet. The game- play has changed a bit from Wario 3 in that Wario is no longer invincible (he has a life meter), and that he has all of his abilities from the get-go (you had to unlock them in Wario 3), but otherwise, this is pretty much what you’d expect from a Wario sequel on a new platform. The levels are huge and well- designed, the graphics, animation and sounds are among the best the GBA has yet seen, and overall, the game is just plain fun to play. | do have one prob- lem that I’ve been having with quite a few Nintendo games lately: It’s too short. With only 18 stages (not counting boss fights and minigames), you can prob- ably finish Wario Land 4 in the better part of a rainy day, which is just not enough. Sure, it’s worth replay- ing to get the extra stuff (each stage has a bonus for scoring Over 10,000 points as well as a hidden Music CD), but it’s hardly a substitute for more stages. Aside from the length, however, it truly is an excel- lent game that shouldn’t be missed. And it’ll hold you over nicely ‘til the much larger Super Mario Advance
2 lands early next year. John R.
PRIOR PR MEAP IO
Personally, | like a lil’ puzzle-solving in my action
game, so the Wario series is one of my faves. The fourth installment is fun, but sadly isn’t much different from the last one, including some surpris- ingly similar-looking levels. It does have a couple new gameplay elements, like a life meter (a first for the series), a timer you set off to start a race back to the beginning of each level, and three new minigames. And as dark as the GBA screen is, the graphics look bright n’ crisp. The audio’s not too shabby either—some of the tunes even have lyrics. Great fun, but doesn’t stray far from the series’ tried-
and-true formula. Chris
Even the instruction manual to Wario Land 4 admits that this is pretty much the same game as its pre- decessors. |f you haven’t sampled Warios 1-3 on the Game Boy, the idea is basic 2D platform gameplay with a lot of block-breaking and the occasional puz- zle. It’s not that far removed from the GBA’s Klonoa. The most entertaining part is utilizing the different abilities Wario gains from interacting with certain enemies to get through barriers or find new areas; it’s a very cool gameplay element. Despite its patent- ed formula, the main game gets pretty repetitive after a while, so you'll definitely want to break off
and try the novel minigames. Jonathan VISUALS INGENUITY REPLAY
SOUND
4 Q ‘sated
nmag.com
Me Publisher: Ge ~- Nintendo
(4 Developer: Camelot
B Featured In: — EGM #144 Players:
1 (4-2 Link)
| Also Try:
| Breath of Fire Web Site: www.nintendo.com
an navemmnmne
- Fun-filled puzzletacular dungeons Worst Feature: Classic-style | RPG = classic complexity |
Best Feature:
There is so much to Golden Sun that | can’t help but fall head over heels for it. Every aspect of the game is soaked through with quality. The developer, Camelot, has been at the genre for years and has now, for perhaps the first time, gotten it completely right. From smooth graphics and beautiful music to great character designs and refined battles, they know RPGs up and down. The game’s interlocking gameplay systems are what elevate it above so many others. Magic in GS is known as “Psynergy” and you'll not only use it in battle but also to solve puz- zles in the game’s dungeons—which are actually fun, if you can believe it. The battle system is speedy and looks great. You also get to collect Djinn, creatures that boost your stats and unlock new Psynergy and attacks. The story’s not too shabby either; while Camelot plays it by the book, the characterization is spot-on thanks to great writing and translation. If you have the faintest glimmer of love for a classic- style RPG in your heart, you owe it to yourself to
check out Golden Sun. Christian INGENUITY REPLAY
eo
SOUND
EDITORS CHOICE AWARD
Harry Potter and the Co liohead S Stone
Publisher: COLOR
Electronic Arts
Developer: Amaze
Featured In:
EGM #149 Players:
1 (1-2 Link) Supports:
Link Cable, Infrared
Web Site: www.hpgames.ea.com
@ LOITORS CHOICE AWARD @ © OUUME 19/0K9 SuOLIOI @
Best Feature: Follows the book so closely
Worst Feature: Harry’s slug- gish walking control
| really have to give EA props for doing justice to the Potter license. It’s easy to churn out a quick cash-in platformer for a hot property (just ask THQ), but the guys at Amaze instead created a complex, impressive RPG. Regardless of whether or not you’ve read the book, you'll easily become engrossed in Harry’s world. In fact, playing this game is like being sucked into the novel via LeVar Burton’s Reading Rainbow. Characters, locations and plot events all mirror J.K. Rowling’s text perfectly. Fun, albeit familiar, game- play complements the well-known story. | say familiar because the dungeons mimic those in the first Lunar for PS1, and the. battles strongly recall Classic Final
young ae Even with Diese mi of the very best RPGs on GBC.
VISUALS SOUND
INGENUITY REPLAY
L 3
By Trickman Terry
TRICK OF THE MONTH
NHL 2002 ==
PLAY AS THE BARENAKED LADIES
On the main screen, enter Options. Choose the Create Player/Rosters option, and then choose Create Player. Press START to advance to the next screen. Put in the first name and last name as one of these band mem- bers: Jim Creeggan, Tyler Stewart, Steven Page,
Ed Robertson, Kevin Hearn. Once you do this, the game will ask you to create a player like the one in the database. Choose “Yes” for your answer and the game will make a clone of your BNL member of choice in hockey gear.
Create Player (rs Her Name
{ 1) heat Maine 1 ‘
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| Facial nef
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Create Piayer ob 2 a
[etna] PLAYSTATION 2
Grand Theft Auto 3
AWESOME CHEATS
Enter these codes while playing your game.
Clear Weather
La, LB, Ri, ey Pe, ede bad, Triangle
Foggy Weather
La, Lo. Bt, Ra, Re, kd, LA Cloudy Weather
Lt, La, Ri, Re, Ro, Bi, La, Square Rainy Weather
4, Lo, Ra, Ra, Ro, Ri, La, Circle Faster Clock
Circle, Circle, Circle, Square, Square, Square, Square, Square, L1, Triangle, Circle, Triangle Tank Unlocked
Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle, R1, L2, L1, Triangle, Circle, Triangle
Lower Wanted Level
R2, R2, L1, R2, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down
Higher Wanted Level
R2, R2, L1, R2, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right
Great Handling Car
R1, L1, R2, L1, Left, R1, R1, Triangle
Pedestrians Fight Each Other Down, Up, Left, Up, X, R1, R2, L2, Kei
Pedestrians All Hate You
Down, Up, Left, Up, X, R1, R2, L1, LZ
Crazy Pedestrians
R2, R1, Triangle, X, L2, L1, Up, Down
Wear Different Outfits
Right, Down, Left, Up, L1, L2, Up, Left, Down, Right
jr ititite s
Guilty Gear X
ke] HIDDEN CHARACTERS
On the title screen, press Down, Right, Right, Up, START. You will hear a woman talking to confirm correct code entry. Now choose any mode. At the character select screen, the two hidden characters, Dizzy and Testament, will be at the bottom left and right of the screen.
NHL Hitz 20-02
SUPER CODES On the VS. screen, use the Square, Triangle and Circle but-
Rain Mode 1,4,1 Left
71 Tennis Ball
1,3,2 Down
Hitz Time
1,0,4 Right
First to 7 Wins 3,2,3 Left
No Puck Out of Play 1,1,1 Down Pinball Boards 4,2,3 Right Domino Effect 0,1,2 Right
No Fake Shots 4,2,4 Down
Big Head Player 2,0,0 Right
tons to switch the icons beneath [2] Big Puck
the teams on screen. The list below indicates the number of times each button should be pressed. After the icons have been switched, press the D-Pad in the indicated direction to enable the code. You will see the name of the code and hear a sound. More than one code may be activated per game; just make sure you enter them quick enough. For example, to enter 4, 2, 3, Right, press Square four times, Triangle two times, Circle three times and then press Right on the D-pad.
Show Shot Speed
1,0,1 Up
13.4 Up
[=] Huge Head Team
3,3,0 Left
Big Head Team 2,2,0 Left Huge Puck 3,2,1 Up
bt
ye
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TURD
Huge Head Player 3,0,0 Right
No Crowd
2,1,0 Right
Input More Codes 3,3,3 Right
Show Team's Hot Spot 2,0,1 Up
Late Hits
3,2,1 Down
Turbo Boost
0,0,2 Up
Ignore Last Code 0,1,0 Down Bulldozer Puck 2,1,2 Left
Win Fights for Goals 2,0,2 Left
No One Times 2,1,3 Left
Infinite Turbo 4,1,3 Right
Snow Mode
1.2.4 Lett
Always Big Hits 2,3,4 Down
Silent Hill 2
EI EXTRA OPTIONS SCREEN
On the title screen, access
Options. On the Options screen,
press L1+R1 simultaneously. An Extra Options screen will appear where you can change
the zoom of your map, weapon control, blood color, view control
and more.
CREDIT
EXTRA OPTIONS
Weapon Control Switch Map. Zoom in Blood Color qGreen ) Walk/ Run Control Norma! View Control Switch
Set blood color
Silent Scope 2: Dark Silhouette
TIME AND LIFE CODES
2 Extra Five Seconds
In the middle of the game, press START to pause. Then press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, X, Circle. Once you have entered the code, the clock will gain five seconds, but one of your lives will go down by half. Extra Half Life
In the middle of the game, press START to pause. Press Circle, X, Right, Left, Right, Left, Down, Down, Up, Up. Once you enter the code, one of your lives will increase by half, but your time will go down by five seconds.
TONS OF TRICKS
On he main menu screen, access the Options. On the Options screen, highlight and enter the Codes option. Enter the passwords shown to access the characters and spells below. Unlock Pirate Kahuna warezwrong
Unlock Disco Dude Kahuna dothehustle
Unlock Abe Kahuna
ahousedivided
Unlock Superguy Kahuna secretidentity
Unlock Dwarf Kahuna heightchallenged
Unlock Death Kahuna Salmonmouse
Unlock Leprechaun Kahuna blarneystone
Get Mine Spell
kaboom
Get Homing Spell dodgethis
Get Lightning Bolt Spell kilowatts
Get Fireball Spell strikematch
=<) Get Tornado Spell
blowhard Get Lightning Cloud Spell stormyweather
BY Playstation
Castlevania: Chronicles
1 EXTRA OPTION
On the title screen (with Original and Arrange Mode), press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Circle, X. This will bring you to the Extra Option Screen where you will be able to choose a Trim or Normal screen. The Trim option will put your life
EXTRA OPTTON 4 DATE POOL OS, 24 O04 OO
NORMAL EXIT
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as Madden NEL 2002 ©
Create a Maxed-Out Player On the main screen, choose
TOP oe ;
The top 5 games of the last month given the full. on Trickman treatment:
eS
a Normal game. Go to the Options and then choose
the Rosters. Create a player for the game and then save him to a memory card.
Then go into the Rosters
and choose the Edit Player option. Find your created player and choose him.
Now move over to the Speed category and press X. On
the Edit screen, move down to the attributes category and press X again. You can now boost up your player’s attrib- utes to 99 in each category, giving you the abilityto create a super player!
2. Gran Turismo 3: A-spec are 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 purchased 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 after you put upgrades on the car! Do this trick when you have a lot of money and you will save your- self thousands of dollars in upgrades!
3. Super Mario Advance -_
Easy 99 Lives On Stage 3-3, choose Toad and go through the door that
| leads outside at the beginning he of the level. Travel ba
entering the door, you will notice three plants to the left, 1 one to the right. The first a bomb, the second is a
Bee ulererouine nee | n, the third is a red shell,
_ Move to the left, dig up the Shell, and throw it at the two purple enemies. Now run to right and dig up the POW block. While carrying the POW
| block, run to the left until you | See two spark enemies circling around two square blocks. __ When you see them, throw the atl block, hold the B button, une t as you can to” the left By doing this, the —
POW block will hit all the ene- mies in your way and give you
_ up to five lives. Do this multi- ye times to get up to 99 lives!
- 4. NGAA Football. 2002
f | | | | Create ; a Super Player |
i
On the main screen, enter the ae ; screen. Choose the Rost rs option. Create a play- er for the game and then save him to a memory card. Then scroll to the right and choose | the Edit Player option. Find
| created player and choose him. Now move over to the Speed category and —
| press X. On the Edit screen,
_ move down to the Ratings cat- | egory and press X again. You can now boost up your play-
| _er’s ratings to gg in each cate-
create a super player!
- Super Circuit
Unlock Tracks For each normal cup, there is
_ an Extra Cup that contains the _ tracks from that cup in the original Mario Kart on SNES.
_ To access the Extra Cups, you must play through the entire
| | | GP mode and acquire gold on |
eneerrrenremcarnrn ean
_ each cup. Then, replay any _ cup and get at least 100 coins : Li a oe Once
access ibe ete tee by | | pressing L-Shift or R-Shift on the Cup screen. To open the
and the fourth is a POW block.
LS |
| | - gory, giving you the abilityto
bar, score, etc. in a black bar on the top of the screen instead of overlaying it into the back- ground.
K-Men: Mutant Academy 2
a UNLOCK EVERYTHING
On the title screen, press SELECT, Down, R2, Lt, R41, 2. You will hear a sound when the code is entered correctly. This trick will unlock everything in the game. From the main menu, choose the Cerebro option and highlight each character to see what you’ve unlocked. From here you can watch the outro FMV movies, see movie sketch- es, learn how to unlock the secret costumes and more. In Versus mode, you can choose the Pool Party stage to fight with the X-Men in their bathing suits. To play as Spider-Man, go to the character select screen in Arcade or Versus mode, and highlight Cyclops. Press and hold L1 and you will see Spider-Man appear. Keep holding L1 and press X to choose him. To play as Xavier (Professor X), go to the character select screen in Arcade or Versus mode, and highlight Magneto. Press and hold L1 and you will see Xavier appear. Keep holding L1 and press X to choose him.
Advance \ Wars
INC Oe PAD IE
On the select nade screen, choose VS. Mode and pick a New game. Press and hold the SELECT button while choosing a map to play, and you will be faced with a much more difficult game. If you win a mission in this mode, you will gain extra coins.
ee nities Mode Sata screen, highlight and access the Options screen. Move down, highlight “Exit,” and press A. You will be on the Battle Point screen, which gives you goals to unlock secrets in the game. You must defeat the number of enemies shown to unlock each secret. Here is a list of the number of opponents to be defeated and what it opens.
50: Alpha Guy
200: 9 Lives
=. 500: Alpha Cody
800: Stage Select
1300: Color Change
2000: Rapid Punch
After unlocking these secrets, you must go to the correct screens to initiate them. To find Alpha Guy and Cody, go to the Player Select screen and either highlight Guy and press Left, or highlight Haggar and press Right. To initiate 9 Lives, Stage Select, etc., you must go to the Options screen, highlight “Next,” and press A to go to the Extra Option screen. This screen will allow you to change many of the new options you’ve unlocked in the game.
Men in Black: The Series
On the title screen, chats the Start Game option. On the Enter Password screen, put in any of these codes to advance further in the game.
Episode 4: Rocket Silo MXNMSNNG
Episode 5: MIB Safe House THXBXSCK
Episode 6: Halloween in Manhattan
NNTNDWNY
NFL Blitz 20-02
uy ED TURBO
i the main menu screen, choose Exhibition. Pick your team and choose the opposing team as well. After you do this, press L-Shift, L-Shift, L-Shift, L- Shift, B, B, B, A, A, R-Shift. You will hear a sound to confirm cor- rect code entry. Now your play- ers will have infinite turbo throughout the game.
Pac-Man Collection
APPENDIX PUZZLE MODE First, you must choose the Pac- Attack game. Then highlight Puzzle Mode and hold Right on the D-pad. While holding it, press A. The word, “Appendix” will appear in the upper-left cor- ner of the screen. Start a new game and you will see that the falling pieces will stay the same from level to level, making the game a little easier to play.
Power Rangers: Time Force
LAST BO SS
On the Password screen, enter the following code to automati- cally be transported to the final Stage of the game: 8QSD.
Rugrats: Castle Capers
LAST STAGES On the main menu, access the Password option. Put in JSJRJK- SLXCF) on the password screen to get to the final stages of the game.
Mystert
Spider-Man: 0S Menace
On the main menu, choose the Password option. Enter any of these codes as your password to start with a bunch of items, levels and upgrades.
Monster Rancher 3
Inf. Money 1CA24054144F25CC Inf. HP P41 4CA2CCC81456E404 4CA2CCCE1456E404 No HP Pi 4CA2CCC81456E7D7 4CA2CCCE1456E7A5 Inf. HP P2 4CA2D1A01456E404 4CA2D1A61456E404 No HP P2 4CA2D1A01456E7D7 4CA2D1A61456E7A5 Max Pow P1 4CA2CCC61456E404 Max Int P1 4CA2CCCC1456E404 Max Spd P1 4CA2CCCA1456E404 Max Def P1 4CA2CCD01456E404 Max Pow P2 4CA2D19E1456E404 Max Int P2 4CA2D1A41456E404 Max Spd P2 4CA2D1A21456E404 Max Def P2 4CA2D1A81456E404 Low Pow P2 4CA2D19E1456E7A6 Low Int P2 4CA2D1A41456E7A6 Low Spd P2 4CA2D1A21456E7A6 Low Def P2 4CA2D1A81456E7A6
Spy Hunter Objective Pts Agent 1 4CDE4D041456E766 Objective Pts Agent 2 4CDE51A41456E766 Objective Pts Agent 3 4CDE55441456E766
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NFL 2K2 Must Be First Code 9C5D88F8
Away Team Scores 100 AAEDA6F800000064
Away Team Scores o AAEDA6F800000000
Away Team Infinite Timeouts D74ADCB100000003
Away Team No Timeouts D74ADCB100000000
Home Team Scores 100 B37F8B9Bo0000064
Home Team Score o B37F8B9Boo000000
Home Team Infinite Timeouts E1082FD800000003
Home Team No Timeouts E1082FD800000000
PLAYSTATION Matiden 2002
Always ist Down Madden Classic
300103500001
1 Down Per Pos. Madden Classic
doo1d3400100 800103400400
2 Downs Per Pos Madden Classic
d001d3400100 800103400300
3 Downs Per Pos Madden Classic
doo1d3400100 800103400200
2nd Quarter Madden Classic doo1eofoo000 8001e0f00100
3rd Quarter Madden Classic doo1eofoo000 8001e0f00200
4th Quarter Madden Classic doo1eofoo000
8001e0f00300
Inf. TOs Home Madden Classic
300103690003 300103680003
Home Score 50 Madden Classic
8001e0f70032
Home Score o Madden Classic
8001e0f70000
Away Score 50 Madden Classic
8001€1070032
Away Score o Madden Classic
8001€1070000
L2&R2=More Time Madden
Classic 801ef6826cff 80010346012C
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Advance Wars
Must Be On F81EA499C8DE272D 5—E7259C697CS500BE Always Day 1 202FC6FD228BADF8 Infinite G 8925F1DBBE106F77 8918135A034F83DB Power Up 4B27C76FoDD7EB87 366631895EDF529F No Enemy Power 51E07A1F31A118A3 B962B0074226EDFF
Street Fighter: Turbo Revival
Must Be On 76B2AA4500CAS50A2 98E186966FE7C82C Inf. Time 82E1617EBCC17703 Inf. Energy P1 6C9C3138F81D5F55 No Energy P2 70EF7Bo94DE958A0
Real World Education
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©2001 Full Sail, Inc. All 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.
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From the same people who bring you EGM, GameNOW and OPM, these special magazines can be found only on the newsstands or through back order. Look for Pocket Games and EGM’s Holiday 2002 Game Guide. on stands now, and Xbox Nation on December 11. You.can find these magazines at Borders, Waldenbooks, Barnes and Noble, B. Dalton, Babbages, GameStop, Funcoland, Walmart, Best Buy, Kmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger and Safeway. |
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Simply check off which magazines you want and send in the order form (photocopies accepted) along with a check made payable to: Ziff Davis Media for the amount indicated for each magazine plus shipping and handling—add $3 for U.S., $3 for Canada and $5 for foreign orders—in U.S. funds only for each magazine! Orders should be mailed to: Back Issues, P.O. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338. Price and availability subject to change without notice.
ZS
Hints, codes, reviews, screen shots, release dates, movies, updated everyday.
Don't hit start until you hit gamespot.com
GAMESPOT
Where gamers go to know.
)1 CNET NETWORKS INC. © 1998 ARTDINK
And a Crapload of Games or all Three Systems)
Six (6) Grand-Prize Winners will win the ULTIMATE CONSOLE PACKAGE:
e Nintendo GameCube console e Microsoft Xbox console e Sony PlayStation 2 console
A Nintendo GameCube
A Sony PlayStation 2
A Microsoft
ee may iffer from what’s shown here)
e Three (3) GameCube games (our choice)
e Three (3) Xbox games (our choice)
e Three (3) PlayStation 2 games (our choice) (that’s right...the Ultimate Console Package includes ALL of the above)
Winnings
Five (5) First-Place Winners will win the GAMECUBE PACKAGE:
e Nintendo GameCube console
e Three (3) GameCube games (our choice) Another five (5) First-Place Winners will win the XBOX PACKAGE:
e Microsoft Xbox console e Three (3) Xbox games (our choice)
Five (5) more First-Place Winners will win the PLAYSTATION 2 PACKAGE:
e Sony PlayStation 2 console
e Three (3) PlayStation 2 games (our choice)
Which pees did NOT oe it into our 20 Worst Games feature (but easily could
a. Night Trap | | _ b. Bubsy 3D . 007 Racing
character in Final Fantasy X is:
. What ae can you perform in Bible
Adventures or the NES?
“e Prrensteln Bears to mate, and then e offspring with your friends.
Noi h’s Ark animals breeding. ( ow Baby Moses into the river.
ir full-motion video clips of
5. Which music band’s canbe are secre characters in NHL 2002?
a. Backstreet O’ ihe b. Barenaked Ladies — c. The Housemartins
6. What’s the maximum number of people a a,
game of Halo can support for network- © based multiplayer?
a.5 b. 16 c.128
7. Where are all the extra E.T. Atari 2600 car- tridges buried? a. New Mexico b. Old Mexico c. Gilligan’s Island
8. What game is on every Review crew mem- ber’s “favorite” list in this suet
a. Final Fantasy X b. Halo c. Connect Four
#
Advertiser Index
Acclaim Entertainment .......... 29, 57, 82, 135, 179, 181 www.acclaim.com
ACUIVISION coon cc cc ccc eases cine eces 18-19, 121, 139 www.activision.com
PRIBIIG TRRLONUS vk ccc on o'e e esses ck: 17 www.atlantic-records.com
PERUSE oe b i bes ccc ce eee cee 157,195, 219 www.atlus.com
con |,” err re ee 27 www.samgoody.com ee 149, 197 www.bestbuy.com
eo eee ere rrr 15, 84-85 www,capcom.com
CORI iis hoe as ee in ie es vee 20s 189 www.cosmoacc.com
Ecko Untionted «5. ccesecddsevrecedincccinvnss . 20-21 www.eckounlimited.com
Eidos Interactive ..... be 12-13, 70-71, 147, 244-245 www.eidos.com
Electronic Arts . . isk icccds ies 6-7, 48-49, 91, 92-93 www.ea.com
Electronics Boutique ..... 52-53, 80-81, 102-103, 136-137 www.ebgames.com
Electronics Boutique/EBWorld ...... Seek e ees 102-103 www.ebgames.com
Full Sail Real World Education ...............0e0000- 237 www.fullsail.com
GameSpot . oon ccc cece kee e eee net cess 239 www.gamespot.com
NIORTAI 8c cin6 bcc cise cies ieeees 41, 95, 193 www.infogrames.net
interplay occ ccesccscse neces sees ennherescee sees 205 www.interplay.com
Meme USA, Wile cds vc ka wb caii 0 v0 50 csi e > 68-69 www.top-gear.com
RINYO csi cccceccc sie, sete b ib eeeens or 207
www.kinyo.com
CC ee er re ee eae 97, 217 www. koeigames.com Konami of America. . www.konami.com
30-31, 51, 113, 143, 145, 177, 191, 215
LOGTEOON iis ove cobs ce vabsvcccesessetsccscessvics 131
www.logitech.com
LucasArts Entertainment Company ....... -» 47, 55, 64, 65
www.lucasarts.com
WMiareSC6 Sales ING. oo ne cccrsveccecesscecescctcas. 187
www.majescosales.com
PRR oo in is en oa wo We weees 171
www.memorex.com
Microsoft Corporation ...... 10-11, 25, 34-35, 63, 115, 133,
www.Xbox.com 141, 173, 175 _ Midway Home Entertainment ...............06 161, 209
www.midway.com
hi) Mee ee 163
www.midway.com
QESUING aie hc kc bcc cds cur cc inne dceeeusicccs 211
www.natsume.com
Nintendo of America Inc. ......... Ceaseceus 8-9, 122-123
www.nintendo.com
RN oo aii wns cece bv wci inves 151
www.radicagames.com
SOSR OTAMGTICA ocsecccessesvccisicsassies deeeee . 246
www.sega.com
Sony Computer Entertainment of America . 10-11, 25, 34-35, www.scea.com 63, 115, 133, 141, 173, 175 gS rr er 199 www.squaresoft.com
Take Two interactive 2.06 cccccecccvccccnces 167, 203
LC ee re ee ee 128-129
www.thg.com
Titus Software Corporation .........550-00e0ce8 243 www.titusgames.com
TOMS 8 US vio 5 ca ON see ee iew shes eeaee en 109 www.toysrus.com
Ubi Soft Entertainment ...... see 6 22°23, 39, 88-89, 107 www.ubisoft.com
Vivendi Universal - Sierra On-Line............. 32-33, 159 www.sierra.com
Working Designs ....... ae 165 www.workingdesigns.com
FINAL WORD
Mark MacDonald Executive Editor
Jeanne Kim Associate Editor
x
Dean Hager Managing Editor
i a Kraig Kujawa Sr. Associate Editor
Chris Johnston Pom Activist
ba Bias
Jonathan Dudiak Associate Editor
Shoe: This PS2 vs. GameCube vs. Xbox console war better turn into something as cool as what we had during the Super Nintendo vs. Genesis days. Looking at our Top 100 list reminds me of all the great games that came out because of tight competition. This market will be unbelievable if that happens again. Mark: Honestly, | think it is already paying off. Just look at the release calendar for this Christmas. | don’t think there have ever been so many great, must-play games in such a short time. And next Christmas, when the second- and third-generation Stuff is hitting all the systems and online is blowin’ up? Ho, lordy.
Jeanne: Once the Xbox and GameCube have made their marks after launch, and the PS2 keeps growing in numbers, what do you think these big heads are going to fight over? Games! And who better to collect on the carnage? Gamers.
Dean: As for the early results, | totally underestimated the Xbox. No way did
| think it would come charging out of
the gate with topnotch stuff like Halo, Project Gotham and Munch’s Oddysee. Comparably, the Cube’s opening lineup is fumbling and stumbling. Wave Race and Pikmin are a bit disappointing. The PS2, however, stands as turgid as ever. Let the
[Game begins]
Shoe (Blue Team): OK, I’m taking the jeep, who’s coming?
Greg Sewart: Me. I’m in back.
Crispin Boyer: Wait up!
Shoe: Cool, we can storm them with three guys at once. Cy, hold the fort. Crispin: %$*@...what the *@#@? God #*@Sing...someone’s...damnit someone’s #@S%ing sniping me! [Elapsed game time: 30 seconds] Crispin: Arhghgh! $*@#, I’m dead. @S%@!!! #$%% this @#S%!!!
Greg: Get the flag, I’ll stay in the jeep. Shoe: ...| got the flag—| got their flag! I’m headed out! Meet me out front! [Elapsed game time: 60 seconds] Greg: I’m here, I’m HERE—HURRY UP! Crispin: All right, | just respawned. Shoe: We’re on our way back with their flag, is everything cool?
Crispin: Yeah, there’s...S#%%...#S%ing kakayas sniper...@#@$!!!
Overheart: Actual dialogue from an FGM multiplayer CTF Halo match:
Canture-the-flag match was played 408-4, on four networked Khoxes, two players per system, Blootl Guich level, 10-second respawn time, Warthog vehicles ami radar disatied. Ant for god's sake, don’t curse ike Crispin at home. The guy is ke a drunken sailor.
Dan “Shoe” Hsu ¢ shoe@ziffdavis.com
Mark MacDonald ¢ mark macdonald@ziffdavis.com Jeanne Kim ¢ jeanne kim@ziffdavis.com
Dean Hager ¢ dean Hager@ziffdavis.com
Kraig Kujawa ¢ kraig_kujawa@ziffdavis.com
Chris Johnston ¢ chris johnston@ziffdavis.com James Mielke ¢ james mielke@ziffdavis.com Jonathan Dudlak ¢ jonathan dudlak@ziffdavis.com
Ready, Fight!
bitch-slappin’ begin.
Kraig: The suits at Nintendo must have short-term memory, because they’re making some of the same mistakes as before. Not enough games, ignoring the older audience completely, and this time they don’t even have a killer-app. It’s like they love playing catch-up. A year from now, I’m sure they’ll look great, but it’s leaving the door wide open for Xbox, and | can’t wait to see how they take advantage of the opportunity. Now, back to Halo. Chris: | think you’re putting way too much importance on the launch. What really matters is the follow-through. A year ago the PS2 launch was great, but then we Suffered a six-month software drought. Jon: The Xbox is so the PS2 of this year. It’s got a ton of crap games at launch, so | hope things improve with time like they did for Sony’s machine, because it’s got a lot of promise as a console. Nintendo’s got enough fanboys and diehard followers to keep it afloat until 2010, so I’m not worried about it surviving. | hope to reap the benefits of its staying power in the form of Resident Evils and Soul Calibur 2 ona decent control pad. It’ll be interesting to see where the Street Fighter series goes, as I’ll probably be following it onto whatever console that is.
[Game begins]
Mark (Red Team): OK, you guys got D? Chris: Yup.
Mark: OK, so let us know if you guys get into any trouble all right?
Art Director Mike Reisel: Yes.
Mark: Cool, Jon let’s cruise [Mark and Jon move to the middle of the level] jon: Hey! We got a...three of themina jeep on the way into base. I’m sniping... [Elapsed game time: 30 seconds]
jon: | got one. $#%*ing nailed his ass. Mark: Is everything cool at base? Mike/Chris: ...
Mark: ...do they have our flag? Mike/Chris: ......
[Elapsed game time: 60 seconds] Mark: GUYS?! DO THEY HAVE OUR FLAG? HEL-LO?!?
Chris: ...yeah, they got it.
Mark: What?! %“*&! Where the hell were you guys?
Mike: ...we were dead.
241
ye _» ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA
ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA INC.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer .......... Robert F. Callahan
Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Vice President ............... Tom McGrade Executive Vice President and Publishing Director ...... Peter Longo
(Business Media)
Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing ...Stephen D. Moylan
Executive Vice President and Editorial Director ....Michael J. Miller (Editor-in-Chief, PC Magazine)
Senior Vice President (Circulation) ................. Charles Mast Vice President (Corporate Sales) .................... Ken Beach MIDS PPCIENS Gnauiersavanecaks oes John Dodge RB yes ctuhannarevanaceeenun G. Barry Golson (Editor-in-Chief, Yahoo! Internet Life)
Vice President (Chief Information Officer) ............ Kim Hoover WE PIOSIONE cesar nensuce wdemccewemams ene Charles Lee
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Vice President (Editor-in-Chief, eWEEK) ............ Eric Lundquist Vice President (Technology) .............eceeeees Bill Machrone Vice President (Controller) ............sccececeees David Mullen MER TPOONG cocvcnn rewepenvionamemmuated Michael Perkowski
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Chief Technical Officer (Internet Operations) ........ Alan Bourassa Director, Business (Business Media) ............... John Dennehy Director, Communications ..................... Elizabeth Estroff Director, Manufacturing ..................c0c ca ee. Carlos Lugo EEE SRI OED en esa nxn ee vermes: Christin Lawson
FINAL FANTASY XK!
You’ve read this issue’s FFX preview spectacular. Be sure to come back next month to read our blowout review of the first big game of 2002.
If your console glows green, then you’ll also want to check out our big previews of Sega’s hip inline skater, Jet Set Radio Future, Capcom’s swashbuckling Genma Onimusha and THQ’s beat-’em-up, New Legends.
SEGRE RL OSLO RON ALCAN CONC LALOTR ELLE OLE LLL EOLA A
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e / \ Valefor @ 2661 MP 84 r 4
Final Fantasy X
New Legends
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E
NEXT MONTH
February 2002 (issue #151)
LENE LOCO RANU ELLE CERE RE CEME REALE LE EE DE ADD tt ADORE Dee
Reviewed Next Month: e Super Smash Bros. Melee (G0) e Harry Potter (GBA and PS1)
e /Viax Payne (Xbox)
e Arc the Lad Collection (P$1) e NHL Hitz 20-02 (Xbox)
e Forever Kingdom (P$2)
e Supercross World (P$2)
Previewed Next Month: e Jet Set Radio Future (Xbow) e Genma Onimusha (Xhox)
e New Legends (Xbox)
e Siar Wars Racer Il: Racer
Revenge (PS$2)
“All 6Gitonal Content is subject to change.
PlayStation
Jan. 2002 Jak ani
On sale Dec. 11 Daxter Demo Disc Naughty Dog may . have kicked Crash to PS2 Videos the curb, but fear not. e Jak and Daxter: The company’s Jak The Precursor Legacy and Daxter will make you forget all about " Batman Vengeance the bandicoot. PS one Videos Also Featured: e Harry Potter and Grand Theft Auto III and Baldur’s Gate: the Sorcerer's Stone Dark Alliance e Twisted Metal: Small Brawl e NBA ShootOut 2002 PS one Playahbles e ManyXate and Ashley Gush Course e Hot Wheels Extreme Racing e Sesame St. Sports e Disney’s/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. e Sheep Raider
Jan. 2002
On sale Dec. 18
e Harry Potter review
(GBC)
e NFL Fever review
(Xbox) e Final Fantasy X 4-page preview
January’s issue of
_ GameNOW has some of
4 the most anticipated titles § of 2001. Go behind enemy | lines for a massive Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty review. Plus, a great reviews section
includes SSX Tricky, Baldur’s Gate: Dark
1 Alliance, Smuggler’s Run
2, Wave Race, Halo and
} more. Toss In an array
of codes, news and
“4 dedicated hand-held coverage, and you're Set!
COMPUTER
WORLD
Jan. 2002
On sale Dec. 4
RTE Wolfenstein
Reviews e Civilization Ill
e Red Alert 2: Yuri'’s Revenge
e Commandos 2 e Monopoly Tycoon
e Independence War 2
Previews e Master of Orion Ill
e Return To Castile Wolfenstein
2K1 Holiday Gift Guide CGW has played the year’s best games, so don’t go shoppin without this issue. At long last, the nex entry in one of the best PC strategy series of all time is coming, and CGW has an exclusive hands-on look at Master Of Orion III. See what all the fus is about.
You know you want it. You know you can’t afford it. But you know you want to read about it anyway. It’s time for CGWs annual look at the best PC gaming rig that money can buy.
WELCOME TO THE SWEEPSTAKES ZONE!
ONE TRIP TO AIR COMBAT SCHOOL IN SAN DIEGO FOR ONE FULL DAY OF REAL AIRPLANE DOG FIGHTING.
The Fighter Lead In Program includes 2 flights of approximately one hour each.
AIR es it is scheduled with a flight in the morning after a one hour brief on tactics and COMR AT maneuvers and a flight debriefing afterwards. The guest pilot will return to the : f i A briefing room in the afternoon to prepare for the second mission. At the end of the day,
the guest pilot is awarded a leather flight jacket and nametag with wings and his/her call sign on it. (Trip, training, and accommodations for one night are included.)
SECOND PRIZES
TOP GUN—Combat Zones pee ea TOP GUN—Combat Zones Leather Flight Jackets Pee Game for the PlayStation’®2 (Jacket prize may vary from illustration) os i: ae coun A Computer Entertainment System
A ONLY ENTRANTS WHO ARE 8 YEARS AND OLDER WILL BE ELIGIBLE saps GRAND PRIZE. 5 Swi persons ep in the same household and families of each are not eligible. Void where prohibited by law. By partic =NEF All federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. No purc delivery of same. Noncompliance within this time period will result in disqualification and fo transfer of prize permitted, unless prize is generally unavailable at sweepstakes’ end, in which case a
Em of Software Corporation, Zit bie ya eb these Official Rules and
prize of | comparat ate | sole | advertising/trade purposes without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. All entries must be received no lat Jani “ 3ist, 2002, with the winners 7 bee announced aad Fel decisions are final. By entering this contest, you agree that Electronic Gaming Monthly, Comp Gaming World, Official US. Dinigeesclym re f awarded and no minimum number of entries is required. Prizes won by minors will be awarded to their ( :
damages or expenses that the winne i t¢
other cause beyond the control of Spon bela — or estes the sweeps
3 EVERYONE | i ® ‘ >i Violence
srorensenyvomerernearevnyans
Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info.
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PlayStati ona | esni BY
abe t the “ps Family oes are Svea adele mises Gustine Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Thera fa Digital Software Association. All other bademuts and trade names are the sedis of their be sileia owner
Violence ie <¢ >) © = he : a a , GAMES WITH CHARACTER PlayStation. |
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF DEATH
www.eoegame.com
of Extinction is a trademark of Eidos Interactive. Developed by Yukes Co., Ltd. Yukes and the Yukes Company logo are trademarks of Yukes Co., Ltd. Eidos, Eidos Interactive, and the Eidos Interactive logo are all registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, ©2001 Eidos Interactive, Inc. "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. All rights
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