ESS METROID PRIME AND FUSION PREVIEWED, INSIDE
У Тре са ларо Соте Мад for PS2exbox. SKF $$
THE GAME THEWO КО > ВЕЕМ WAITING FOR...
“EXCLUSIVE INFO AND SCREENS!
ш ЗЕ PLAY: AE №. ‘COVENANT С BNEW WEAPONS, VEHICLES AND ALIENS
ш "pec ОРАМУ GAME...EVER Ў ECRETS Тор STILL DON’T _ K UT HAL
n isons YOU'LL LOV;
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= = HE $200 XBOX GAME
SEE WHY STEEL BATTALION WILL R THAN YOU CAN ІМ ВЕ WORTH THE CASH vember 2002 $4.99/$6.50 Canada
11> . . "
¥ SY Cooper (PS2)
| PREVIEWED:
= 007: NightFire (all)
Star Fox Adventures (GC) Ar m WWE SmackDown! (PS2) = Terminator (Xbox) "АШ Contra (PS2) 0" 14024 "06960 в Mario Party 4 (GC) ЕСМ.САМЕЮ$.СОМ ®
m Neeti РОГ Speed (ор ieee / ; 52 2 a d j
LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PLAY IN DURS
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EYE OF RAJAH m di NER pede rte гл ние „ы diamond comes ا م اس مت بی ا ae d etr
THE
27 ete
TUA. “-. EVERYONE Mild Violence www.playstation.com PlayStation” and the ily logo are register CONTENT RATED BY Computer Entertair Ат Inc, Sly Соо ESRB
Punch Productions LLC. ©2002 Sony Солт
Опе сиппта аеуіоив thievius raccoonus.
Stealing is never condoned, unless you're Sly Cooper. A notorious raccoon thief on a mission to steal back his family's most prized possession. Using a repertoire of sneaky moves, you'll go from one impossible jab to the next using cunning skills and maneuvers to infiltrate the most secure places in the world. Spotlights, alarms, infrared lasers and tripwires are no match for this raccoon. Because when you're as good as he is, grabbing priceless jewels and emptying casinos is like taking candy from a baby
NP uS Raccoons Se
PlayStation.
y Infogrames, Inc., New York, МҮ. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft,
© 2002 Infogrames Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured and marketed b;
FEM a "Y'S
Holly
THE HOLLYWOOD Е Wenn
EYEWITNESS Pic
www.looneytunes-games.com Hills Estate.
Mild Violence Violence
Bugs seeks anger management!
INFOGRAMES
LOONEY TUNES, characters, names and all related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. WBIE LOGO: TM & © Warner Bros. (s02)
TO MAKE IT TO THE ТОР ALL YOU NEED IS TALENT, FAITH AND AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF TNT.
Legendary director, Yosemite Sam, is casting the lead for his new feature film. Whoever lands the role is sure to become an instant Hollywood icon. But there can be only one. Who will it be? Daffy Duck? Bugs Bunny? Taz? Sylvester? Praised for "great graphics, a wacky sense of humor and some frantic multiplayer fun," by ХВМ, Loons is
a no-holds-barred, no-rules, anything-goes, free-for-all struggle for stardom. Welcome to the dark side of Hollywood.
vA
LOONT
THE FIGHT FOR FAME
ion, X Рс 3 PlayStations — 7. e cux
EVERYONE
Violence CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
©2002 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. Electronic Arts, EA GAMES, and the EA GAMES logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electroni Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. "PlayStation" and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox Logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/ or other countrie and are used under license from Microsoft. TM, ®, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendc © 2001 Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. EA GAMES™ is an Electronic Arts™ brand.
HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K. Rowling.
WBIE LOGO: ™ & © Warner Bros.
Anglia is a trademark owned and licensed by Ford Motor Company.
(502) E t
` Plipendo from Defense Against Dark "M
Evil from The Chamber of Secrets D
Have you got what it takes to be Harry Potter in the Chamber of Secrets?
Available November 15th. , ) |
йы от Mrsrit Arts. | A : LÀ n" x 4 N
TURN BASED RPG GAMING OLD-SCHOOL STYLE...ENJOY! =). FRESH
— is ge y $ ^. 7. ' AN Baki Master то
7
у Lp
CONTENTS
Game Directory
306 158 182-184 122 194 116 306
164 186
102-103 123 204 128 160 125 162
283
283 138-140 204
164 144-146 202 134-135 283, 300, 306
164
284, 300, 306
298
300
300
127 108-110 283, 302 286-288
308-310 126 150-152 192
172-177 298 127 298 124
164
304
290
187
204
292 294, 306 283 114-115
4x4 Evo 2
Batman: Dark Tomorrow Blinx: The Time Sweeper BMX XXX
Brute Force
Contra: Shattered Soldier Crash Bandicoot:
The Wrath of Cortex Cubivore
Dead or Alive
Xtreme Beach Volleyball Devil May Cry 2
Disaster Report
Doom И
Dr. Muto
Evolution Worlds
Fighter Maker 2
Godzilla: Destroy АЦ Monsters Melee
Grandia Xtreme
Gundam: Federation Vs. Zeon James Bond 007: NightFire Kirby
Legend of Zelda, The Mario Party
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Prime
NASCAR Thunder 2003
NBA 2K3 Need For Speed:
Hot Pursuit 2
NFL Blitz 20-03
Phantom Crash
Prisoner of War
Ratchet & Clank
Red Faction И
Robotech: Battlecry
Sly Cooper and
the Thievius Raccoonus Star Fox Adventures
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Star Wars: The Clone Wars Star Wars: Jedi Knight 11: Jedi Outcast
Steel Battalion
Sub Rebellion
Suikoden III
Summoner 2
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips
Swingerz Golf Terminator: Dawn of Fate Thing, The
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Tomb Raider
Tribes: Aerial Assault Turok: Evolution
Wild Arms 3
WWE Smackdown!
Shut Your Mouth
Novemher 2002 Issue 160
Departments
(9 Editorial Letters 22 Press Start
34 Swoon over the first shots of Square's Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle for GameCube. Also, check out the Ultimate TV Setups for maximum gaming enjoyment. All that, plus Doom ЇЇ! on Xbox!
Gossip 18
=г= 6 X pis Previews 100
This month, down a double dose of Samus with Metroid Fusion (GBA) and Metroid Prime (GC). Then, get all shaken and stirred by the lovely girls of James Bond 007: NightFire and the burly brawlers of WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth. Stick around, because Devil May Cry 25 Dante fills your soul with light on the PS2.
Review Crew 282
Judgment Day has arrived, as holiday heavy hitters like Star Fox Adventures, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 compete to win gamers’ hearts.
@ Tricks 312
Go on...use our Turok: Evolution cheats. You know you want to. Follow up that cheating with some relaxing Animal Crossing strats.
Ө The Final Word 328
SYSTEM COLOR KEY
ле СК ЕЗ
4
The next Halo? Yep, if anyone can hope to follow in Master Chief’s groundbreaking footsteps, it’s the ol’ Chief himself. Discover what the wizards at Bungie are preparing for next year’s amazing sequel to the best Xbox game. Exclusive info and images await on page 214.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City More vehicles, more guns, more fun...revisit the pastel-colored excess of the 1980s on page 264
Wax nostalgic as EGM chooses the 20 Greatest Moments in Gaming on page 248.
Can any game be worth $200? Find out why Steel Battalion costs a mint on page 172.
Bo
10016. Periodicals Class Postage Paid at New York, NY 10016 and additional mailing offic
East 26th Street,
ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY (SSN #1058-918Х) в published monthly by f Davis issue rates: $4.99. The one year (12 issue) subscription rate is $24.97 in the U.S, and $4 changes to Electronic Gaming Monthly, P.O, Box 55721,
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cited materials. Without limiting the rights under сору лба, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the the prior written notice of Zi Ds а form faxed or mailed to you by calling (425)430-1663. Copyright
luction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. For permission to reuse m ion (or on this Web site) orto use our logo, contact Ziff Davis Media contact Reprint Services at 800-217 7874. Olga Gonopolsky, Ziff Davis Media Inc. 28 E. 28th St., New York, NY 10016, Tel: 212503:5438. Fax: 212503 5420. Оа. опо; trademarks of Ziff Davis Media Inc. TM and © forall other products and the characters contained therein are owned by the respective trademark and copyright owners. All mi ‘change and the publisher assumes no responsibilty for such changes. The Canadian GST Registration number is 140496720 RT. Thanks for the shots, Rob Fox!
Printed in the U.S.A.
Aur Breas Окно
DC ЅНОЕСХ JUSA
INTRODUCING DAVE MIRRA'S NEW SIGNATURE SHOE, THE RATIO. TAKING BMX FOOTWEAR TO
DONTRODUCES THE FIRST SOCKLINER THE NEXT LE VEL. EVER BUILT IN A BMX Е. Ж.
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SHO! Designed for supreme stability and foot sup-
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Mild Lyrics Mild Violence
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ACTIVISIONO2.COM
EDITORIAL
Size Matters
old the jokes and set aside your insecuri-
ties for one moment. Now, feel and caress
this magazine. Can you respect our girth? You’re holding in your hands what is quite possi- bly the best Electronic Gaming Monthly ever. It’s the biggest issue in years, with double the amount of editorial pages than normal. Did you lift with your feet?
You'll notice a huge chunk of the real estate is dedicated to our cover story, Halo 2. Hey, it’s only the game every Xbox owner is looking forward to, and the only Xbox-exclusive title that PlayStation 2 and GameCube gamers are jealous of.
By Dan "Shoe" Hsu
other systems want: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It's next month's cover story, but we've got the goods now. Check out our *25 Reasons Why You'll Love Vice City" feature on pg. 264.
But maybe it's the GameCube crowd that has the most to boast? | mean, c'mon...how can you beat a console that is home to Samus, the hero- ine of the fan-favorite Metroid series? We've already done a cover story on her (see issue #157), but now that she's preparing to be released into the wild, we're paying her another visit with a Metroid Prime preview. Check out her little sister, too, with the Metroid Fusion story in
Not that the PS2 doesn't have something the the Game Boy Advance section. Shoe Contributors David Kushner Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine
We sent David, a writer for Spin and Entertainment Weekly, undercover to experi- ence the rough life of a game tester for our Press Start section.
Peter Suciu
This NY-based freelance writer has covered trends in home theater and video games for the past several years. He currently writes for FHM and Newsweek.
Darren Gladstone
Originally hailing from New York, Darren has contributed to the likes of CNET, Wired, Playboy, and some graffiti near his apart- ment. Now, it's EGM's turn.
Christian's back with some hands-on pre- views for us. You can also see his work in Wizard's Anime Invasion and Animejump.com. He gets around!
Jeanne Kim
Ah, ha! Despite her tearful good-byes in last month's issue, Jeanne “Token Girl Gamer" Kim has weaseled her way back in. Look for citings of her work in the Reviews section.
Dan Leahy
No longer at GameNow, Dan's concentrating on the *moving and shaking" required to get freelance gigs. And by that we mean spend-
ing 14 hours a day playing Madden online.
Eat My Shorts!
Look around this issue for quotes from The Simpsons or a famous movie. Find one, e-mail it (and where you found it and your non- РО. Box mailing address) to us at
Shorts —EGM #160), and you тау be one of five lucky winners (chosen at random) who will win a copy of this month's Game of the Month.
No purchase necessary.
EGM@ziffdavis.com (subject: Eat My
This month, EGM's sister mag came to the res- cue by sacrificing four editors —Joe Rybicki, Chris Baker, Todd Zuniga and ol' John D.—to the EGM God of Workload Toil and Torture.
Scott Steinberg
Scott's our very own Jules Asner, running around the world, interviewing every celebrity in sight and asking them ditzy questions. Only Scott doesn't look so hot in a bikini.
Miguel Lopez
This former GameSpot editor continues to strongarm EGM for work every month. It's a good thing we're hooking him up, otherwise he'd have to peddle medicine door-to-door.
Dean Hager
Our former managing editor was a trooper and stuck around for another month to help wrap things up—and to make sure people didn't jack all of EGM's stuff back in Illinois.
* Jonathan Dudlak
After leaving EGM to stay rooted in the Chicago soils, not much has changed: Jon's still got his damn fingers in Reviews, Press Start апа...
David Hodgson (Prima Games) For this month's Tricks section, Dave went back and "old-schooled" Mario 64, grabbing all 120 stars. During this time, we learned many new (and British) swear words.
Just a few of the quotes from issue #159:
* "Will someone please think of the children?"
(The Simpsons, pg. 22)
* "That armor's too strong for blasters. Use your har- poons and tow cables!" (Empire Strikes Back, pg. 138) * "Wipe them out—all of them." (The Phantom Menace, pg. 186)
Issue #158’s winners of Madden NFL 2003 (PS2): * Alain Patenaude— Las Vegas, NV
* Steven Noonan — Whitman, MA
* Daniel Klingspor— Austin, TX
* David Huynh— Riverside, СА
* Christopher Bhatti—Brooklyn, NY
We use EarthLink EarthLink’ for our online gaming needs.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 14 - egm.gamers.com
Number 15.11 | November 2002 |
ELECTRONIC
GAMING
MONTHLY egm.gamers.com |
ДЕН 0 Chief B x m an nn E Hsu е shoe@ziffdavis.com E ive Editoi Mark шен e mark_macdonald@ziffdavis.com м Jennil er 1520 • jennifer_tsao@ziffdavis.com Features Editor N Cent Boyer e crispin boyerGziffdavis.com lews Editor Chris "CJ" jjohioston e chris johnstonGziffdavis.com Previews: Editor ев Sewart * greg_sewart@ziffdavis.com Reviews Editor Monkey Man е E boyer@ziffdavis.com Web Content Edito James Mielke « . "lames | mielke@ziffdavis.com Associate Editors gne Chou е che_chou@ziffdavis.com ine Bettenhausen e shane_bettenhausen@ziffdavis.com
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Senior. ГИ? ШІ rector ril Wochok • cyril_wochok@ziffdavis.com Art Direct or
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Copy Editor Preg Ford ® greg_ford@ziffdavis.com
Contributors Chris Baker, John Davison, Jonathan Dudlak, Barren PCR TE Dean Hager, ; leanne Kim, Dan Leahy, Miguel el Lopez, Christian Nutt, loe Rybi icH, Jeremy) Scott, Scott Steinberg, ter Suciu, Jennil ter Whitesides, Todd Zuniga
International ІШ John Ricciardi Japanes Correspondent
Manufacturing Director Carlos Lugo Senior Production Manager ‘Anne Marie Miguel Graphics Manager Michele Kellogg Pre Media Manager Dave McCracken Assistant Production Manager Р Meurs nd roject Leader. Mark Lek ме e mark lefebvreGaiffdavis.com
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Founder Steve Harris.
“^^ NINTENDO
9!
ARCADE FIGHTING 4 FL 9¥ NINTENDO GAMECUBE" | /С
Tene ums ir c RR riot iai. FROM TV/O*OF YOUR FAVORITE WORLDS:
CAPCOM. SNK P
OVER 44 CHALLENGERS - 6 GAME MODES EXTREME OFFENSE DELIVERS INSTANT DEVASTATION!
Two monster corporations are at war!
Choose from 44 of your all-time favorite fighters. It's Capcom vs. SNK2 Е.О. with custom fighting Grooves and the most radical features of any fighter on the NINTENDO GAMECUBE™ system - including exclusive Extreme Offense control! Deliver furious combos and devastating super moves at the touch of a single button! This plus, control the level of your fighter’s strength with the new “Free Ratio System.”
Let the battle begin in this system defining arcade fighter.
@CAPCOM CO., LTD. 2001, 2002 GCAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 2001, 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CAPCOM and the CAPCOM logo are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. OPLAYMORE e T Corporation. CAPCOM VS. SNK 2 EO is manufactured and distributed by CAPCOM CO., LTD. under Suggestive Themes the license from PLAYMORE Corporation. SNK is a trademark of PLAYMORE Corporation. Nintendo
E and Nintendo GameCube are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trade. Violence mark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. capcom.com
can't fight ES what you can't see.
2
E О OVERWORKS?,
SEGA Б a registered trademark of SEGA CORPORATION. SEGA and Shinobi are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Corporation and its affiliates. ©2002 SEGA CORPORATION. Original Game @OVERWORKS/SEGA, 2002. All Rights Reserved. www.sega.com
Blood and Gore Violence
“Rayman Ағепа is impossible to put down, | especially multi-player.” -PLAY magazine 2 |
“Ubi. Soft’s limbless hero will soon strong-arm = __ the competition..." -Nintendo Power al 2
| LIbi Soft
wow wu b dete $
54 EVERYONE Mild Violence
хаох в Ww
2002 Ubi Soft, Ine pit nte a trademark of Ubi Soft, Inc. Rayman, Ubi Soft and the Ubi Soft Entertainment logo are atlemarts of Ubi
ІШ
ОН BET SMOKEN
nibus multipla / Rayman تت رمل دازلل لیل دل دارو 1.5 spe filled racecourses and 15) ря . You wanna represent) in) НЕ
rus fini and the othér оп your backeand| у just might Prk’ em all.
уумим/.гаутапагепа. сот
"Du e. ET d j
ou ARE BRUTU
.brutef j қ " Р ЗЕ устите отсяда: сот The year is 2340 and more than fifly star systems are populated with colonies. But when an alien invasion threatens to put every living
MATURE мя organism on the endangered species list, the Confederation of worlds must dispatch its elite special forces unit, code-named Brute iolence Blood Ж Force. That's you. As Brute Force, you command four separate intergalactic mercenaries. The trigger-happy assault trooper, cyborg ттт digital/ lil ESRB
sniper, stealthy assassin and feral alien are all played by you. As you guide these shooters through 201 missions and 6 exotic worlds.
2002 Microsoft Corporation, AIT rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Bruto Force: and the Xbox logos are registered tademarks of the Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countsios, The
Ка 5 ^
NI по ARE BRUTE ж > EY ed
your knowledge of squad based combat will be severely tested. Depending on the danger at hand. you'll need to utilize the right Brute Force member for the job. Whether you play alone or in co-op mode, the battles escalate. the plot thickens and the violence gets addictive. It's an
experience of such epic proportion that it could only exist on Xbox. Good luck. To all four of you. DANGEROUS ALONE DEADLY TOGETHER
Letters to the Editors
WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?
MISSING AN ISSUE? SUBSCRIPTION DELAYED? Then don’t bug us! Мете all huddled together in an igloo on the North Pole making this mag every month. Talk to the subscription
folks who get paid to deal with people like you!
Phone toll-free: (800) 779-1174 Web site: http://service.egmmag.com Snail mail: P.O. Box 55722; Boulder, CO 80322-5722
Congratulations, Kevin Wada! You win an InterAct GameShark for PlayStation 2, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Color. Hopefully, you'll put your GameShark to good use. Try entering the "fun" code!
exp
азшылық
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Tekken It Too Far
| ат deeply disturbed by the Tekken 4 reviews in the October issue of EGM. When | read the individual reviews scoring Tekken 4, | was agitated by the disorderly research done by the reviewers. Now | realize that the reviewers probably had very little time to work with the game, and fitting their reviews into the limited space affected the in-depth quality of their reviews— but, regardless, the October reviews were inconsistent and crudely done.
| understand that these reviews are opinions and personal feelings, but to add facts that aren’t even correct (only two new characters?) makes me question the validity of ANY of the points in these reviews.
The reviews are in no way completely wrong, but they leave a bad taste in my mouth. I’m not attacking the integrity of the magazine or the reviewers. | only wish to bring my point across. Virtua Fighter 4 is a great game; Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore is a great game. But 74 is also a great game.
Kevin Wada Wadaboi12@aol.com
Thanks for your brutal honesty, Kevin. We got bags of mail from tearful Tekken fans crying foul, but we've had our hands on this game since the debut of its identical import version earlier this year. And please remember: With a 7, 6.5 and 7.5, 74 still earned decent scores. (On EGM’s scale, 5 is average.)
That said, we knew what we were getting into when we laid down the numerics. We calls ’em like we sees "ет, and as polished as Tekken 4 is, there just isn’t enough meat on the bones to keep us coming back. As to your “two character” comment, we only consider Steve and Craig the true newbies. Christie is basically a rehashed Eddy, and Combot is 7475 Mokujin. Big whoop! In stark comparison to Virtua Fighter's stunning reinvention this year, 74 is little more than a mild tweaking of a stale and aging franchise. Imagine if the leap between 73 and 74 were as substantial as that from Soul Blade to Soul Calibur. The mind boggles at what could have been.
I'll get straight to the point: Your SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs review in the October issue was a direct affront to anyone (including myself) who truly trusts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Since you used the term nine times during the course of your review, please let me remind you that “God” and “damn” when put together are highly offensive to a lot of people— believe it or not—including Some gamers!
Aaron Marshall
Erwin, TN
Aaron, of course we care, and of course we meant absolutely no disrespect to anyone who has belonged to any kind of organized religion anywhere, at any time in the course of human history. We're sorry you took offense, but let's face
facts—if we never printed anything that we thought might piss off some nutjob somewhere (not that you're a nutjob), you'd be holding a bunch of empty pages right now. And then we'd get letters from people complaining that they just spent five bucks on a bunch of empty pages.
As for the SOCOM review in particular, we had a tough call to make: Do we piss off a few extra- sensitive types with a mild expletive, or do we piss off a bunch of big, brawny army drill sergeants with an unrealistic portrayal of their manner of speech? Put yourself in our shoes, and hopefully you can understand why we chose to piss you off instead.
Mascot Infidelity
Over the past few months, | have seen a few of my favorite series—like Crash
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 22 - egr
I'm refusing to eat. until | get word that Blast Corps 2 is being made for GameCube.
realwinner1og@ hotmail.com
Well, it looks. like someone’s gonna be a little hungry come supper time! With all the talk of Rare-buyouts (first Activision, now Microsoft), no one has stopped to give the long-lost 1997 hit much consideration, The developer probably has bigger things to worry about.
gamers.com
Bandicoot and Sonic—ported to other systems. Crash [appeared on] all three of the next-gen consoles and Sonic [went] to the GC. After | finished Crash Bandicoot on the Xbox, | realized it was just plain boring to play. | noticed that bringing the same game series to three different consoles could do a lot of damage to the game itself—even kill the entire series.
There aren’t that many series left out there that haven’t been going down in popularity since coming to the next- gen systems. That’s why | think we need more franchises, and developers need to keep series exclusive to one system. [Old faves] like Mario and new rising stars like Halo should stick to one system only.
Christopher Rivers quaken2002Qyahoo.com
First of all, we're shocked that you had to finish Crash for Xbox before realizing that it was boring. Secondly, with regard to Sonic, he had to go to another platform, since the Dreamcast is no longer a viable
Et = ыы
Sonic contemplates jumping to another system, then thinks better of it.
console. We don’t necessarily agree that a franchise should stay platform-specific, but we are aware that flooding every system with a port of every game rarely allows titles to take advantage of any single console’s strengths. For the time being, though, you needn’t worry about Mario and the Master Chief switching sides.
Ever since the announcement that Square would be making games for Nintendo, I’ve been hopeful that a Final Fantasy title would come to
— Enter Champs Sports All-Star Game Sweepstakes. Visit your local Champs Sports store or log on to champssports.com
his is NBA Starting Five-the game that moves so fast you'll be hitting the showers after you play.
the pros. Execute real NBA team tactics that'll keep your offense putting up numbers and your D
g fs cesarved, Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos ‘The тийпуө con ty a trademark ot on 10/30/02, Is open only 10 lega! US, resi le number al etes received. Vols не or
LETTERS
„onli ng _ | games? And has | Capcom given up.
гоп fighting games . (such as the Street Fighter sei
_ gundamwingio@ hotmail.com
GameCube. Finally Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle is announced on your website, and | hear it can only be played with the GBA game? Come on! | want a classic Final Fantasy for GameCube. My suggestion is a U.S. release of FFX International for GameCube. Any plans for that? BlueJacket57@hotmail.com
Details on the GameCube and GBA FF games remain scarce (check page 42 to see what we know). For the record, though, we’re betting you won’t need the GBA game to enjoy Crystal Chronicle on your GC. The handheld title is likely a pint-sized version of its big brother, and they'll probably link up in some substantial way, but Square and Nintendo wouldn’t make you buy them both just to play. Here's the bad news though — FF:CC doesn't look like a “classic Final Fantasy." It might be more of a multiplayer action-RPG —not the standard, turn-based role-playing you know and love. You'll have to make do with it, though, since there are no plans for FFX on the 'Cube.
| have been playing Super Mario Sunshine for the last 15 hours. The time right now is 6 a.m., but | can't stop playing. | am 18 years old. | have no shame admitting that I’m devoting my life to the superior quality of SMS. But...l hate it. Why does Nintendo make me love them, when | really want to hate them? They give us nothing for
months and then unleash this monster on us. Why?! Do they want to give me a heart attack with the sudden shift from gaming miss to gaming bliss? I can only imagine what will happen to me when Metroid and Zelda hit. Oh well, here's to our love-hate relationship, Nintendo.
Simon Arestov
Paris, TX
Yep, you've figured out Nintendo's diabolical plan to toy with the fragile emotions of millions of gamers. If they really wanted to, they could just release tons of incredibly mediocre games all year long. Instead, they've cruelly decided to spend lots of time crafting thrilling blockbusters that everyone loves! What nerve! Maybe your life would be more stable if you investigated the gaming offerings by 3DO.
“Mu ha ha ha! If you think sleep is the only thing | will take from you, fear also for your HEAD! The world will be mine, I tell you. Mine, all mine!!!"
So you've just finished reading the magazine from cover to cover, but you want more EGM? May we suggest the EGM message boards, viewed daily by literally thousands of other gamers just like you? Hit egm.gamers.com and strike up a conversation today!
“Hell yeah. Mario’s the dopest, stupidest, most ninjaist plumber this side of the Mushroom Kingdom.” —MrGlubGlub
“You actually get to ride Yoshi in this one! But we have not seen Luigi! How come Luigi didn’t want to go on vacation?”
—Ajmks
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 24 - egm.gamers.com
Which fighting game 1$ hetter: Virtua Fighter 4 or Tekken 42 Why?
Virtua Fighter was first. It's better—always has
been. Tekken started life as a “me-too” game
and a mediocre one at that. dmcdream@hotmail.com
| think Tekken 4 is better. In my opinion, the controls for Virtua Fighter 4 are a little hard. Tekken 4 is a lot easier to control and a little more fun.
xsaiyax2002@yahoo.com
| like VF4 more. One word: Kumite. jc5891529@mail1.ellijay.com
Virtual Fighter 4? Tekken 4? Who cares?! Give me Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance! hurt_like_me@yahoo.com
Tekken 4. Deeper, more satisfying gameplay. Plus—a fighting bear! Arty Wadd, e-mail address withheld
Virtua Fighter 4 is best. Tekken 4 is slow and sluggish. It’s dung. slosberg@stonerrock.net
Neither. I'll wait for Dead or Alive 4. Why? Large, jiggly breasts. sacrosanct@mail.com
I've always felt that Virtua Fighter was the better series overall, except when VF kinda dropped the ball with part 3. But VF came back tenfold, while Tekken hasn't changed a lick in five years. StealthMantis14Gaol.com
In a close fight, I'd say that VF4 gets the К.О.
over Tekken because of the Kumite mode and
the countless ways to customize your fighter. supernamek 17Ghotmail.com
Virtua Fighter 4! Why? Simpler user interface, faster fights, more realistic fighting styles, and a drunken geezer.
Sinamanstic@aol.com
Next Month’s Question of the Moment:
We've told you our favorite gaming moments. Now tell us yours.
Send your brief, coherent responses to: EGM@ziffdavis.com with the subject heading:
My favorite gaming moment!
| “Я brilliant game" - Nintendo Power | “Looks like one of the best FPS yet. We can't wait." - PSM | | “the best-looking first-person shooter currently in development for PS2." - Gamespot. com | a
..8 true heir іп GoldenEye ..sn polished it shines." - НВОН Nation | | “TimeSplitters 2 is going to be awesome." - IGN.com |
THET | ШЕШ ACCLAIMED GAME OF 2002
LETTERS
You can write EGM at:
Please note: We reserve the right to edit any correspondence for clarity or space purposes. If you don’t want your name, city/state or e-mail address printed, tell us so (but please include your mailing address and system preference for Letter of the Month prize consideration).
EGM Letters 50 Beale Street, 12th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105
E-mail: EGM@ziffdavis.com
Also note: We just can’t write back to everyone, but make your comments constructive—or at least humorous—and you might get sumpin’ back!
Don’t Hate the Animals Because They're Ugly
| was reading my ЕСМ, and suddenly | hit the review section. | headed over to the Animal Crossing review since | had mocked the game for its inferior graphics. Shame on me for being jaded by next-gen visuals. | overlooked a game simply because of its looks. | have to say, though, that after reading such a well-thought-out review of AC, | will definitely be buying it. I'm just saying, keep up the eloquent writing. Because of your reviews and games like AC, you really made me see the
Since the SOCOM headset is a one- size-fits-all dealio, we're surprised you can't get it to fit your big, fat head. And despite your assumptions
SILLY QUESTIONS! ANSWERS!
1 was just looking through
Гат writing in for
some kind of regarding Greg’s cranium, he’s gone my old EGMs, spiritual advice. on record to say: “It fits quite nicely, and I havea Music de thank you very much." So there. question: Why русо ` is Maximo's leg Our advice to , 2%“ green in all the you is to chant MO COM Problems ads? Иа | was wondering if it’s possible to play David Fluke Rea have SOCOM even if your PS2 doesn’t have INSTITCHES34@ no regret! Rasta an Internet connection. email.msn.com a forever! Rasta alexg1@cox.net is 1 guide. Rasta Uh...Maximo was borrowing Peter is all t'ings."
Good news, Alex. SOCOM does have Pan's satin tap-pants for the day? an offline mode, where you go
through 12 dangerous missions with
7 Got a stupid game-related question? Send it to EGM@ziffdavis.com with
computer-controlled buddies, so you’re in luck. Have at it, our Internet-challenged friend.
error of my ways. ZekeKravn@aol.com
the subject heading “No one is more stupider than me!” Your letter might appear in this very blue box!
Congrats on seeing past Animal Crossing’s ugly duckling looks. Ме’ге sure that anyone who really gives this oddball title a chance will find it to be more innovative, fun and addictive than Pop Rocks! It’s so open-ended and easy to play that even your mom will be hooked. We’re still jabbering on about captured bugs, attractive end tables and Feng Shui furniture placement.
SOCOM Problems
Do any of you find the headset that comes with SOCOM a little small? | have a big head, but it’s not huge like [Previews Editor] Greg Sewart’s. PsYcHoMaNtls7625@aol.com
Our tester scowls at the pinching power of the SOCOM headset. "It hurts!"
Letter Art of the Month WINNER
Leo Hussey * Baltimore, MD
=
) y а
ай
BT
It's too bad you can't really see the sick amount of detail in this Rapidograph'ed video-game homage to Diego Velasquez's The Surrender at Breda (circa 1635). Congratulations, Leo. It seems staying awake during your art history class has finally paid off since you're now the proud owner of a shiny new GameShark (with which you can rewrite the history of gaming, much in the same way you defiled Velasquez's original vision). Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your InterAct GameShark for PlayStation 2, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance or GB Color. Some assembly required.
| Almost Sharkworthy...
Get creative with your postal supplies. Slather your "art" over a standard #10 envelope (the long, business type) and then send it to this art-loving mailing address real quick. (Don't forget the stamp!)
| EGM Letter Art, 50 Beale St., 12th Floor | |
| Old-school Spidey-versus-the-Green-Goblin action...
San Francisco, CA 94105 (or e-mail EGM@ziffdavis.com)
Make sure you send us your address and which console you'd like your GameShark prize for in the event that you win. By "win" we mean “pass.” See, all entries are subjected to a battery of tests to determine durability and flavor. Those entries able to withstand being fed to a family of singing raccoons will be entered to win our Letter Art of the Month award. From there on out, it's all based on flights of fancy, menstrual cycles and falling stars. Make a wish!
The ice thing about Letter of the Month and Letter Art of the Month contests is that no purchase is necessary. Did you know you can get EGM without actually having to pay for it by knitting your own copy with realy fine yarn? Or by spinning an ше using fresh, earthen clay? How about crafting a copy with a sandwich, a tin can and your nipple? That's the booze talking. What we're really saying is that you can find official contest rules on our official web site: wwrw.egm. gamers сот,
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 26 - egm.gamers.com
SO BRUTAL. 50 EVIL. 50 DEADLY.
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featring ADEMI As immorale mute dide. WUU.MORTALRKOMBAT.MIDUAY.COM ad
, А NEW LEVEL OF INTENSE COMPETITION HAS ARISEN AS ТШО POWERFUL SORCERERS HAVE ШЕ IN YOUR BLOOD. FORGED A DEADLY ALLIANCE THAT NOU REPRESENTS EARTH'S GREATEST THREAT. Coming... FATALITY FRIDAY AN ALL-NEU, LETHAL FIGHTING SYSTEM. THREE UNIQUE FIGHTING STYLES PER WARRIOR, ЖА INCLUDING HAND-TO-HAND AND DEADLY WEAPON COMBAT. OVER 20 NEU AND CLASSIC November аа WARRIORS. EXTREMELY REALISTIC EFFECTS AND BRUTAL NEW FATALITIES.
Cj DMIDWAY
Blood and Gore (GAME BOY ADVANCE х
Violence
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x "^ IS E 5 RENE э; RAVAGE EARTH AS А DRAGON, SWOOPING FROM ABOVE TO HURL FIREBALLS D NATURAL
NAPALM WITH ЕМІ Y BREATH.
UNLEASH FAST-PACED FIREPOWER AS A DRAGONFIGHTER IN 16 MISSIONS LOADED WITH CHAOTIC ACTION, DESTRUCTION AND EXPLOSIONS.
BATTLE DRAGONS IN THE SKY AND BEASTS ON THE GROUND 3 ^ WITH HIGH-TECH WEAPONRY ; AND MILITARY-STYLE VEHICLES. zi сеа
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Trust us, this gameplay is way too strong for print. You must see the game in action to fully ĉomprehend the power harnessed within. Check out www.twsnowboardgame:com.
peter line | tina basich | andrew crawford | barrett christy | daniel franck | kevin jones | jussi oksanen | todd richards | wille yli-luoma “| Aiola thost
Sa housemarque;
the world. Jib and grind off of anything and everything, You‘ll be
put through the ringer so much you'll be happy you're potty trained.
um PENDING Visit www.esrb.org or li call 1-800-771-3772 TransWorld SNOWBOARDING ©2002, Infogrames, Inc., a subsidiary of Infogrames Entertainment, S.A. All rights r ед. Developed by Housemarque. телен id for Rating Information. SNOWBOARDING is a registered trademark of Time4Media, Inc., used by Infogrames under license. All righ ft. Xbox, and the Xbox logi er
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. The ratings icon nteractive Digital Software Association.
All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
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PlayStation.2
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March 2002, Kain returns to video gaming's
high-throne of bloodthirsty bad-asses.
When batthe-ax and sword edges dull, Kain turns to Dark Gilts such as rupture and possession.
Whether in pursuit of power or just for the thrill of the kill, Kain's lust for blood is inspiring.
БІЛІНГЕН
A 4 : m доор ey HE'S BACK ^ ке
www.LegacyofKain.com
The on the Planet
П box Live officially launches on Nov. 15, hets on broadband with the launch delivering the promise of fast, dependable = = x = online gaming to the broadband-enabled
of their online gaming service, masses. Or, at least it'll let thousands of gamers call each other dorks (and—ahem—probably worse) 'til they're blue in the face. Here's a quick rundown of what you'll need to know to dip your toe into Xbox Live.
This is what your $49.99 Xbox Live Starter Kit gets you: Installs the Live software on your Xbox's hard drive. Lets you
talk to and hear other players. Beta testers got Acclaim's RC racer Re-Volt. The Starter Kit's game is TBD.
Install Live and voila! You'll have a new option in your system's main menu to configure your account.
Your name in the online world. (Make sure it's catchy—like AnubisMaximus.)
By the time your subscription's up, you'll have a week or so of Halo 2 under your belt.
What you'll need on your end to play on Xbox Live: A They ain’t free, ya know.
We're talkin’ DSL, cable modem, T1 or other fat-pipe connection to the 'Net. Note: Your ISP service is a separate cost from your Live subscription.
Change player options. © Ready $ Select players б Friends
Each game has its own look and feel, like this setup screen in NFL Fever 2003.
To prepare members of the press for Sony’s PS2 online launch, Microsoft sent out a “PS2 Online Starter Kit" with items including an online voice communicator (phone card), a short-range voice communication system (two cups connected by a string) and a 56k Download Assistant (ball and paddle). The sarcasm was overwhelming.
Microsoft Here's a quick rundown of the first seven online-enabled titles you'll be October 2002 able to play on or around the Nov. 15 launch of Xbox Live: 2-4 No No
Need a break from all those serious, strategic online escapades? Turn off your brain and mash away with Whacked, a bizarre party title in which four contestants bludgeon one another in six frenzied mini-games, like Dodgeball, King of the Hill and Fragfest.
Ubi Soft November 2002 2-16 (Deathmatch) Yes Yes
The Xbox “counter-strikes” against Sony’s SOCOM offensive with Ghost Recon, a realistic squad-based FPS. Play through a campaign Xbox Live. An online first- in six-player co-op (with 10 spectators, no less), or engage in 16- Atari person shooter crammed full of player skirmishes with your favorite real-world weapons. Nov. 15 gorgeous graphics, creative 2-16 weapons, addictive gameplay and some tasty Nali Fruit. Up to Yes, to be determined. 16 players can frag it out in Sega Yes Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, October 2002 Survival, Double Domination 2-8 This is it—the killer app for and Bombing Run matches. Yes
Clans, no. Rankings, yes.
Back on the Dreamcast, the NBA 2K series was the first online b-ball game for consoles, and we dug it. For its Xbox Live debut, NBA 2K3 features quick match and optimatch (enter in search criteria and it'll find a game that fits those parameters), plus you can download stats and see how you rank against players across the country. %
What's better than fast-paced
Microsoft urban destruction in the cockpit Nov. 15, of an 800-ton war machine simultaneous with Xbox Live. against waves of computer- 2-8 controlled enemies? Why, getting Yes, up to eight giant mechs to go at it available on day one. in Assault's various online No modes, of course.
^rs.com
RIGHT TURN
LEFT TURN RESTART
AFFIX OWN JETPACK BEFORE ASSISTING OTHERS
© 2002 Sierra Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Sierra, the Sierra logo, Tribes, and the Tribes logo are trademarks of Sierra Entertainment, Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc
PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THIS FOLDER FROM JETPACK
FALLING TO YOUR DEATH
ES
FUTILE FLAPPING CANNONBALL PRAYER
IN CASE OF MISSILE LOCK THROW:
ENTERING TRANSPORT
FLARE GRENADE
DO NOT THROW:
SPITBALL
(% “>
(1) READY (2) LEAN (8) BEND
ھک kiss ass _| )4( GOODBYE
„ IF YOU CANNOT PERFORM THESE FUNCTIONS, PROCEED DIRECTLY ATTENTION: TO TRIBES.SIERRA.COM FOR A TRIBES VIDEO FEATURING “DOWNFALL.”
* DON'T FLY ALONE. PLAY WITH UP TO 16 PEOPLE OVER MODEM OR BROADBAND USING SONY'S NETWORK ADAPTER. SHARE THE PAIN.
* JETPACKS LET YOU TAKE THE CARNAGE AIRBORNE. THE FORECAST CALLS FOR RAIN—OF BLOOD.
* CATCH BIG AIR—AND CATCH THEM UNAWARE—
WITH EXTREME SKIING, JETPACK-STYLE.
* CAN'T GET IT UP WITH YOUR JETPACK? JUMP IN A FIGHTER, BOMBER, ARMED TRANSPORT OR GRAVBIKE.
TEEN + Violence CONTENT RATED BY
ESRB Exclusively for the PlayStation*2
PlayStation.e computer entertainment system.
It's Substance over Style for the Xbox version of Metal Gear Solid 2
Even one year later, there are moments in MGS2 you never forget: Raiden battling three giant REX robots at once; Solid Snake jumping into the sea to chase after his nemesis, Revolver Ocelot; you tapping a button over and over trying to skip through endless, confusing dialogue.... OK, they aren’t all necessarily happy memories. But the new version of the game, MGS2: Substance, heading to the Xbox this fall and the PS2 early next year, adds more action and pure gameplay to balance out the story-heavy main game (which is also included in Substance—check out the next page). Here's the new-stuff you can play as either Raiden or Snake, with slight differences depending on whom you pick:
These five levels might be the best part about Substance for those of us who
have already played М652. Each is its own self-contained story, starring Solid Snake and using the same environments and characters from MGSz. Think of Snake Tales as slices from the game in some alternate Twilight Zone dimension. For example, in
NO FOOLIN’
For their most recent April Fools' trick, our baby-brother mag GameNOW doctored up some really convincing shots of an Xbox game they called Metal Gear Solid X. X, they claimed, would finally let fans play throughout MGS2 from Solid Snake's point of view (like the pic here looking down on the infamous harrier battle from a helicopter above). The funny part is, since Substance does let you play through the game as Snake, in a way, the joke came true. Maybe next time, GameNOW should show something totally ridiculous like a Metal Gear skateboarding game. Oh wait, Substance has that, too....
"This looked a lot easier from up in the ‘copter.
VR MISSIONS
get almost 200 of these training-style mini-games, in four flavors: Sneaking (use stealth to get to the goal), Weapon (shoot targets with various guns), First- person (complete missions entirely from a first-person perspective) and Variety (a smorgasbord combining elements from all of the above). Because all of these missions are set on a sort of virtual-reality “holodeck,” backgrounds are very simple, but the game does change the look of the levels to morning, evening, or night after checking your Xbox's internal clock. You're also scored on all your missions; do well, and you may unlock some secrets.
one mission, Solid Snake—not Raiden—is called in to defeat the terrorists and rescue the president from Big Shell. He meets Secret Service agent Ames—but ina different location this time. And in the hostage room, he must listen for a woman dialing a cell phone, not a man’s heartbeat. Snake Tales use the same framework, levels, and people as М652, mix them all up, and pad ’em out with new story sequences (all told through text).
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 38 - egm.gamers.com
y ALTERNATE MISSIONS Like the VR missions — but set in environments from the actual game (the Big Shell oil rig and tanker boat) — the Alternate Missions explore some of the more quirky bits of MGS2's gameplay: Bomb Disposal (locate and disarm hidden explosives), Eliminate (kill everything that moves), Hold Up (sneak up and draw your weapon on all guards without being seen or firing a shot —see pic above), and Photo (match a picture of an object hidden somewhere in the level with your own snapshot).
Cont. on page 40
Death is my business and business is good.
|
OUT NOW
MATURE
Blood Strong Sexual Content Violence
L
10 Interactive logo are trademarks of IO Interactive. “PlayStat nd are used under license from Microsoft. The ratings ic
PlayStation.e
e hitman2.com
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
NEVER PLAYED METAL GEAR SOLID 22
You’re in luck. The full standard version of Sons of Liberty is included in Substance as well, with an added perk: now you can play through the whole thing as Solid Snake or Raiden. (In the original, you start as Snake and switch to Raiden a couple hours in.) All the dialogue, item locations and story elements are still exactly the same as in the original PS2 version—but hey, you’ve
What did М652 look like when Konami first started development? On what date did MGS mastermind Hideo Kojima make his controversial decision to scrap series mainstay Solid Snake for the PS2 sequel,
much earlier than you probably think.) How does the enemy A.I. figure out which staircase to go down once they spot you? All of these questions and many more you would have never, ever had the slightest inkling of thinking to even consider about
Document of Metal Gear Solid 2,a $20 making-of DVD—on sale Sept. 24.
WHAT YOU GET: More than one dozen categories of extras are stuffed into the Document Disc. Here’s just a sampling:
Backgrounds:
Check out 3D models of all the game’s environments, including a few that didn’t make it into the final game.
PS2 OWNERS DON'T DESPAIR—MORE METAL GEAR SOLID 2 IS ON SALE NOW!
in favor of newcomer Raiden? (Hint: It was
possibly asking will be answered with The
never played it before, right? You also get another difficulty level—even harder than the super-uber-tough Extreme—for a little added replay value. And remember, when you start to hear Rose drone on and on about when she and Raiden first met (you'll know what we're talking about soon enough), you've got all those extra VR missions to play instead.
Characters:
Play Barbie with every single character model in the entire game (even all the New York business people who only appear at the end). Dress them up in different outfits (or buck naked, in Raiden's case), try on new hairdos, weapons —you know, that sort of thing.
Mechanics: Again, play dress-up, but with vehicles and machines this time—and no wigs.
Program:
Read about the tricks and techniques that Kojima's team used to push the PS2 and to achieve the level of quality found in MGS2.
Music:
Switch between different versions of MGS2's music tracks on the fly to see how the game's dynamic sound system works.
Polygon Demos:
Watch any cutscene from the game, pause it, adjust the camera, or check out the original storyboards.
An unobscured view of Raiden's crotch. Hmm...explains a lot.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 40 - egm.gamers.com
À $ ee illi
HF.BLADE
VR Training:
Five playable VR-training mini-games from MGS2: Substance, ranging from super simple to frustratingly tough.
BUT IS IT WORTH BUYING? Die-hard Gear heads will marvel at the wealth of sketches, 3D models, and trivia sprinkled throughout Document, while everyone—including more casual fans—will appreciate the sampling of VR missions. The interface is clunky, and unfortunately, some of the best bits remain in Japanese (including storyboards and the original design documents). But if you loved MGS2, or you're interested in detailed info оп how а modern blockbuster console game is put together, the $20 price tag is worth it. Фф —Mark MacDonald
Military expert and MGS2 consultant Mr. Mori takes talking during
class personally.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE ПОТ ELI COMMANDO UNIT ON THE PLANET.
You're looking forward to the release of Yu Suzuki and
| Sega's modern-day adventure game Shenmue Il, but you never played the first one (because it was on Dreamcast, and you didn’t buy that, now did you? No. Curse you!). Fear not, because Microsoft just announced that Shenmue: The Movie, a DVD of all the cinemas and story bits from the first game, will be included with the sequel for free.
Now that the six-year- long Cold War between Square and Nintendo is finally over, both companies can get back to doing what they do best: making gobs of money off each other. Square recently announced their first trio of games for Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance, as well as the first details on the mysterious GameCube/Game Boy Advance link-up title, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle. Here’s a brief rundown of what we know so far about these soon- to-be hotly anticipated titles, none of which has been confirmed for a U.S. release (yet):
Square Square Winter 2002 4/5 Originally planned as an “enhanced port" of the PS1 Final Fantasy Tactics, FFT Advance has taken on a life of its own as an entirely new game under the direction of the original game's creator, Yasumi Matsuno (who's also heading up FFXII for PS2). According to Square, the game will feature an all-new scenario and "improved gameplay," as well as link-cable support for multiplayer battles.
Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1)
Square Brownie Brown Summer 2003 3/5 Densetsu is neither a port nora remake of the 1991 Game Boy game of the same name (known
as Final Fantasy Adventure in
the U.S.), though it will а са а а be “largely " on th TI yet i Final Fantasy > Adventure (GB) classic.
Interestingly, Square has commissioned Brownie Brown, the Nintendo second-party made up of ex-Square staff who worked on the original Seiken trilogy, to develop the game.
3»42J]b IPL IS — ZURNALI
OGame Designer's Studio
Square Square Late 2002 1/5 The first Square GBA game scheduled to go on sale is none other than Dice de Chocobo, a multiplayer board game featuring everyone’s favorite lil birdy and other characters from the Chocobo series of games (Chocobo’s Dungeon, Chocobo Racing, etc.). This underwhelming title was originally released as part of the Chocobo Collection anthology on PS1 in Japan.
(Р51)
Attention: Your Xbox Is Doomed
When Doom Ill for the PC was first revealed at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, people were amazed by its stunning, starkly lit Resident Evil-meets-first-person-shooter visuals. It was thought, however, that the graphical quality (as ever, enabled by coding wiz-meister, John Carmack) could only be
EQOA BETA-TEST ALERT
Free-game alert! Sony Online Entertainment is seeking some helpful gamers to beta test its upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, EverQuest Online Adventures. If you have a PS2, а Network Adaptor and a memory card, surf over to http://everquestonlineadventures.station.sony.com /beta/ and apply for the open public beta.
produced on the most powerful PCs. Not so! During his keynote speech at the Quakecon event held last month, Carmack commented that he is “completely committed” to releasing Doom III on the Xbox. He also noted that the Xbox version of the game would have the “full graphics fidelity” of the PC version.
All the pants-wetting visuals of Doom III on PC (shown here) should be intact when the game's baddies hop to Xbox.
No Online Play For PS2 TimeSplitters 2
We've got some bad news for those of you expecting to blast it up online in Eidos' TimeSplitters 2 when it's released. Online play has been excised from the PS2 version of this first-person shooter. “We had always hoped to include an Internet component in the PlayStation 2 version of TimeSplitters 2," Eidos tells us. *However, the infrastructure is not yet in place that will enable us to incorporate an online element and still make the game’s
proposed release date. We don’t want to delay the release and disappoint the many fans who are awaiting the game.” How many people out there who are waiting for 752 wouldn’t be able to wait a little longer for a release with online
play? Raise your hands! Thought so.
If it’s any consolation, you can still hook-up 16-player matches using i.Link (up to six PS2s) or over Ethernet LAN (up to eight PS2s with the Network Adapter). So if you’re in Boston and were planning on fragging your friend from
Albuquerque, it’s time to invest in a plane ticket.
Үш can’t see them, of course. After all, they're SEALs, a commando unit legendary for its ability to penetrate enemy territory undetected. And then strike with surgical precision. Enter the world of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, where stealth, intel- ligence and teamwork are the ultimate weapons. ams P
ыз 2
Developed in association with the U.S. Navy SEALs, SOCOM is unconventional warfare the way it’s really fought. That means hostage rescues, reconnaissance, ambushes and demolitions. Hoo-yah.
Whether you're in single-player mode or playing online with and against up to 16 total players, your SOCOM headset is critical. It'll help you communicate and strategize with your unit, so everyone returns in one piece. Remember: “No SEAL left behind.”
TEES
ТЕ”
Combat terror in extreme environments like Turkmenistan, Alaska, Thailand and the gnat- infested Congo. Should be a walk in the park. Next to Hell Week, that is.
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Game and Software © 2002 THQ Inc. © 2002 BattleBots® Inc. All rights reserved. BattleBots and related logos, characters, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are the exclusive Licensed Property of BattleBots Inc. and used under exclusive license. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Warthog. Warthog and its logo are trademarks of Warthog. THQ and its logo
are registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.™, ® and the Nintendo
GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo.
POWER STEERING. PRECISION HANDLING. GRIPPING, CIRCULAR
DISC OF DEATH.
Ji 20 BattleBox" Arenas of Destruction | 3 Modes of Gameplay — Tournament Mode, 4 Arcade Mode and Multiplayer (1-4 players)
Choose From a Variety of BattleBotse Seen on the Show |“ Build Your Own BattleBot
© BATTLEBOTS
© ©
Kick Bot!
www. batt lebots.com www.thq.com
—Nintendo Director Yoshiaki Koizumi on the origin of Super Mario Sunshine’s water tank
Aftertheughts: €
Soon after the release of Super Mario Sunshine, Nintendo held a press conference in Japan with key members of the development team —and didn't invite us. Hmpf. No, that's cool, Nintendo; we didn't want to go to your stupid press conference, anyway. Besides, we'd rather just get our hands on the transcript, cut it up and rearrange it, then pretend we were there for the interview. On hand were Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Sunshine's Director Yoshiaki Koizumi. (For more of this interview, minus our pithy comments, head to the developer section of the Mario Sunshine page on nintendo.com).
Thank you for coming.
EGM: Well, when you invited us personally, Mr. Miyamoto, we had to accept.
Mr. Koizumi worked on Super Mario 64, too, and he played a major role. | also worked with him on The Legend of Zelda—
“I'm a-gettin' £ -— too old for f
EGM: OK, OK, enough with the p.i tisse
introductions — let's get to it. What were
you hoping to accomplish with Sunshine? the game so that Sunshine is more like Super previously known as 100 Marios], which is Whenever we create a new Mario game, Mario 64 —a kind of conservative move. headed in a different direction. But Sunshine
even though it's a sequel in a series, we took this direction—it is an authentic sequel
always try to offer some new challenge. We EGM: Conservative in what sense? to Mario 64. | regret this somewhat— not
want to incorporate everything that the We're working on many projects. We have because of the quality of Sunshine, but
existing technology makes possible. We shown the idea for Mario 128 before [Ed. note: because this Mario may not attract players
want to be able to say, "We have used the We're guessing he's referring to the game returning to gaming after some time.
full functionality of the hardware so we Cont. on page 50
cannot do better on the current console." When a new game was to be developed for GameCube, we approached the project with very high aspirations.
EGM: What did you think of the early
reports that said Sunshine looked just like
Mario 64? е]! About а year ago — when we showed the series. TI ег
first video of Sunshine—even though we seel
offered a glimpse of something really unique, wad
we did not show Mario using the water pack.
We didn’t want that idea to be stolen at such
an early stage. As a result, I’m afraid that you
might not have found the video footage very
exciting when you saw it. Around that time,
the basic game system was complete, and
new characters were moving around in it. Over
the past year, we've changed the direction of |
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 48 - egm.gamers.com
Eck6 Function.
^.
[7 PTT
THEIR POWER IS UNLIMITED.
THEIR
DETERMINATION IS UNMATCHED.
Nintendo Gamecube" video game system and Playstation"? computer entertainment system screenshots shown "|
| BARRIERS. MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION, FULL CONTACT, BATTLE ROYALE!
PERHERO SHOWDOWNS, SMASHING YOUR WAY ACROSS HUGE 3-D LEVELS, TAHING ON | = X-MEN CHARACTERS. THERE ARE NO BOUNDARIES TO YOUR BATTLES—NO BAR
. IT'S MASSIVE SUPERHERO WARFARE. AND VOU WON'T BELIEVE THE POWER YOU HAL
AVAILABLE LATE OCTOBER 2002
PlayStation? | ><
MARVEL, X-Men, and ай Marvel characters: TM and © 2002 Marvel Characters, Inc. AN rights reserved. wwnicmarvelcom. Game собе © 2001-2002 Activision, Inc distributed by Activision Publishing, Ine trademark of Activision Inc, and its affitates. АП rights reserved. Licensed for play on the PlayStation computer ente бел ater qe mur: и D
Entertainment ne. Mrs Xbox, and the Koo logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation n fhe US ander other countries and re used under ens rom Microsoft. ТН, @ and te Nintendo trademarks of Nintendo, © 2001 Nintendo. АИ rights reserved. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Al other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners:
ACTIVISION.
activision.com
—— i
AN ALL-OUT, NC
FIGHT ІП ЕРІС SU OF YOUR FAVORIT
TO HOLD OU BACH
Cont. from раде 48
MARIO SECRETS!
Where can you find this mysterious door? What does it lead to? What happens
when you get all 120 Shines? Find the answers to all your Mario questions in our Sunshine extravaganza in the tricks section at the back of this issue.
“Get accustomed to the GameCube controller because, 10 years from now, it will be the standard.”
EGM: You want Sunshine to bring a lot of people back to gaming? SM: | want people who have not played any video games for the past 10 years to try Sunshine. The video-game industry has changed a lot, and people who try a video game for the first time in 10 years won't have a clue about what's happened in the interim. People who have been away from gaming may have trouble understanding Sunshine the first day they play it; however, on the second day, they will start to understand its charm. Even though you might feel like stopping on day one, please don't. If you play Sunshine for three days, you'll make the reentry into video-game culture. [Laughs] | am not saying that it’s an easy game, but that most people will understand its charm instantaneously.
EGM: Back to Mario 64, we noticed the player needs to adjust the camera more often in Sunshine, while in 64 it was usually automatic. Why the change?
SM: That question isn’t very easy to answer. Some say that Mario games should be very easy to play, so the camera angle should be fully automatic. We have tried many different camera systems, including semi-automatic ones, but they did not appeal to everyone. Some liked it and some didn’t. As far as the camera system is concerned, now we tend to leave greater autonomy to players—but not to the extent that it prevents smooth gameplay.
Yoshiaki Koizumi: You don’t have to change the camera angle all the time in Sunshine, but, at some points, you can see cool graphics by changing the angle yourself. |
Many of Sunshine's character models will be reused in future games like Mario Party 4.
hope people will get accustomed to it.
SM: In many games, we are now incorporating the notion that, if you press [L], the camera will show a 180-degree view. As long as that kind of system is in place, it may be better to leave the camera angle
LITTLE SQUIRT
Mario's backpack-mounted FLUDD water tank is the biggest innovation in Sunshine, affecting just about every area of gameplay. Here, our hosts explain how the idea evolved —from its initial squirt-gun inspiration to the final form you see here.
УК: What | really wanted to reproduce with this new game were the feelings we had in our childhoods when we were playing. | wanted players to engage in mischief, such as watering other characters. or playing with mud. | wanted to simulate child's play. That was the first priority. The water-pistol idea came from this effort. When | was pushing the [R] button, the Stiffness reminded me of the trigger of the water pistol that | used to play with. I thought, *What would Mario look like if he sprayed water around with it?"
EGM: So washing away graffiti and mud grew out of that?
УК: When | submitted the basic proposal for the game to Mr. Miyamoto, | had already come up with the water-pistol idea. [But] letting Mario have a water pistol alone wouldn't make the game fun. | liked the basic play-control style of Mario 64 and thought that it should be applied to the new game. Then, | imagined why Mario might have a water pistol; what should [he] aim [it] at? Opponents? A wall? Around that time, we decided to include the wall jump move, so we wanted to create a number of tall buildings that Mario could jump around. So why would Mario have to move around a
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 50 - egm.gamers.com
to the discretion of players. If we like, we can incorporate both the automatic and manual modes so that players can chose whichever one they like.
YK: Right, but | tried both and found the free- camera-angle style easier to play.
town with many walls? Maybe he had
to clean up the town with the water pistol. | thought up the idea of painting mud all over the town. The idea of
Mario leaving dirty footprints followed. In the end, | thought we could reproduce the feeling of childhood play.
SM: We experimented with watering and graffiti drawing and erasing, among other things. In video games, it is not a simple task to draw graffiti and have it remain there.
It's not as easy as it seems. Painting and maintaining a screen full of graffiti is very difficult in a video game. It can be accomplished only with the GameCube.
EGM: So why did it go from a water pistol to the water tank?
YK: Well, | thought it was like a child's dream come true—flying in the air by using the equipment on your back.
SM: Although we called it a water pistol, we tried to design it so that no associations could ever be made between it and actual weapons. So we were trying to design the weirdest and funniest gadget, which turned out to be a tank you wear on your back.
“1 feel it's necessary to make the interval between
sequels as short as possible... [Nintendo has) to improve the situation for our fans.”
EGM: So are we going to have to wait another six years for the next Mario?
SM: Whenever we are working on so-called “series” games, | really feel it’s necessary to make the interval between a game and its sequel as short as possible, and we have to do something to improve the situation for our fans. Accordingly, people who used to work together on the Mario series have been split into several teams in order to introduce Mario games with less lag time between them. We are taking a similar approach to the Zelda series. However, all the games shall be developed so that they retain the high quality that people expect from Nintendo.
EGM: So then we can start expecting more sequels to the big-name series (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) in the future than what we've seen over the last few years?
SM: There are many characters in Sunshine: Mario, Peach and many others. We will make use of the same character models in future games such as Mario Party. Before, we had to create each character for each game. Standard character models are being created by one team at Nintendo, which will be shared by other game-creation groups. Of course, that system won't work 100 percent of the time. However, when we make a completely new Mario game, the development time will be significantly reduced. This is one way to
тег take a tropical vacation to doa li earch for Sunshine? Actually, yes-but on their own dime.
Shorten the development time: by improving the R&D circumstances.
EGM: Right, right...wait, you didn’t really answer our que—
YK: The idea of letting Mario use
some tool initially faced opposition. Now that he is using a water tank, he may also use other tools. In that sense, Sunshine may have paved a new way for Mario's future adventures.
SM: We have had rather serious discussions over the question, “Can Mario use tools?" It may be okay for Luigi. [Laughs] The water pistol was created by the same designer who armed Luigi. If that's the case, Mario can use one, too. [Laughs]
EGM: Huh? What are you laughing ab— SM: Га like to add one more thing. Not
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 81- egm.gamers.com
everyone has used the GameCube controller. So, those who play GC for the first time may feel a bit uneasy initially. Of course, we, the developers, have been playing exclusively with the GC controller so we can't play [games] with any other controller. | had some confidence with the N64 controller, too. However, when | compare the two, | can tell that the GC controller is better designed for gameplay. What | really want to say is: Get accustomed to the GC controller because, 10 years from now, this controller will be the standard.
EGM: Oh SNAP! You go girl! But wait a sec; a few years back weren't you saying the N64 add-on 64DD disk drive was the future of gaming? And before that, the Virtual B— YK: Security! ж
— Mark MacDonald
PRINCESS CORTANA
What does Mario have in common with Halo, besides both being great games and ending in “o”? Actress Jen Taylor—she voices both Princess Peach and Cortana.
“Sora is actually а combination of all of the male lead characters | have designed, from Cloud (FFVIN) to Tidus (FFX) ."
—Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura on his inspiration behind Sora, when asked if his latest hero was designed to resemble Nomura himself.
With no Final Fantasy-related action on the schedule for the remainder of the year, RPG-starved eyes instead turn to Square’s other magnum opus, Kingdom Hearts. Now that the game is finally here, we sat down with director and character designer Tetsuya Nomura to see what he had to say about his first project as lead designer.
EGM: What help did you get replicating the movements of the Disney characters?
Disney provided us with tons of assets—mostly stills [and some] video material. We modeled each and every character based on the assets we received. Some traditional Disney characters were given new outfits for Kingdom Hearts. The models for those were then given to Disney for review and eventually, after a round of edits, were approved. As for the animation, we handled all of that at Square, too, and had Disney review and approve it. During the first six months, our animators’ “research” involved watching Disney movies.
EGM: What do you think of Haley Joel Osment’s performance?
His performance...well, compared to us he's still a little kid—a little boy. So during breaks in recording, Haley’s like a little kid. But when he gets to the job, he gets it done right. If they have to do retakes, Haley gets it in [only] a couple of takes. He’s done the job very maturely.
EGM: We hear that Haley’s voice was changing during voice recording [Editor’s note: Ahh, puberty!]. Would you keep Haley, with his deeper voice, for the sequel?
(во t
Magic
itom Fes
"72d V
If there is a sequel, and if the story is set two years later, there wouldn't be a huge difference in the character, so we would keep Haley. But if the sequel's story takes place 10 years after, we would have to make adjustments.
EGM: In Japan, KH sold more than anyone expected. Why do you think this is?
KH had conservative projections in Japan where Square was hoping to sell 5ook, but ended up selling close to a million— so, clearly, KH is very successful. Final Fantasy sells 2 million copies, but that's in the first three days. KH [was] on the charts for months. Why is it such a sustained success? Is it because of the Disney thing? Final Fantasy fans want to buy it the instant it comes out, but is this for a broader audience—for people who might want to try it out later? I think it is.
EGM: So U.S. gamers get the improved version of KH. What changes, obvious and not-so-obvious, did you make for the U.S. version?
[We didn't do any] big camera work, like
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 82 - egm.gamers.com
change the camera angles [Editor sobs at this point]. In [Japanese gaming magazine] Famitsu's review scores, one of the reviewers mentioned that. But if we changed any of that stuff, it would've created some bugs. So that's why we didn't change any of it. But for one of the events in the game (a conversation between Sora and Squall), we didn't have enough time to do voice recording for it during the Japanese version, so we included it for the U.S. version. ж
Hearts Part Deux
Despite the fact that the special ending of Kingdom Hearts (for those hardcore gamers who get everything) shows a clip that sets up a sequel, Nomura will not confirm that he’s involved with a
Kingdom Hearts 2. He mentioned to us that he’s working on “more realistic” character designs for a secret project. “Рт working on another title now,” explains Nomura. “It hasn’t been announced in Japan yet, so | cannot go into details.”
BEW A RE !
А NEW BAD BOY. GIVING THE FINGER. TO LAME GAMES.
it's A FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. АПР an ADVENTURE FOR REVENGE! FEATURING 6 DANGEROUSLY INTERACTIVE WORLDS WITH OBjECTIVES VIEWABLE FROM ANYWHERE іп tHe УЕхх № UNİVERSE! SCALE SHEER CLIFFS АПР UNCOVER DEADLY attack COMBOS AND SPECIAL ABiLiTiES! BUT BEWARE OF NIGHTFALL - F YOVRENEMIES MORPH İNTO MORE EVIL FORMS AS THE LIGHT OF
DAY WATES! VEXXtTHEGAME,com
Violence ж
XGOx
TEEN
PlayStation e NIN
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WAR GAMES
A girl in every port? Who needs “ет! Now the U.S. Navy promises a game in every sub. Thanks to a generous gift from the Interactive Digital Software Association, all 72 submarines in the U.S. fleet have been outfitted with a PS2, GameCube or Xbox, plus a smattering of games.
CELEBRITY GAMER: BRUCE CAMPBELL
Kicking Ash And Taking Names With Bruce Camphell
Celebrities are normal people, too —just incredibly rich ones. You like games; they like games. Each issue we'll talk to a different celebrity who plays 'em, is involved in their creation, or is lucky enough to be in one. This month we caught up with B-movie mainstay Bruce Campbell, who stars in THQ's Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick (pictured below), coming in early 2003 for PS2 and Xbox.
EGM: Fans have been clamoring for an Evil Dead movie sequel. Why another game instead?
Bruce Campbell: Because it doesn't take as much of (ED director) Sam Raimi's time. There's a harsh reality of availability. However, games are also a way to keep the franchise going. Fans like the character—and if they can't have a movie, give 'em a game. The quality's getting better and better. It'll just become like a movie eventually anyway.
EGM: Why does ED stand out even today? BC: The films are irreverent. They don't play by the rules. The average viewer can
sympathize. College kids love flipping off the world, saying, “I’m out of high schoo
ә . of
now; don’t tell me what to do.” That’s what Ash personifies.
EGM: The Deadites: Can they ever be defeated, or will marketing prevail?
BC: To some degree. In the game, it'll depend how good you are. You can win. They just won't make it easy. The Deadites, that is— not the marketers.
EGM: You tend to appear in B-level games and movies. Is that due to a talent deficiency, ог...?
BC: | dunno. I’ve done a whole range of stuff, 50 | don't really have one particular notion of myself. | think you just wind up where you're perceived. That's nine-tenths of the law.
EGM: Working on horror titles, you've gotta have some pretty freaky stuff sent your way. Anything that stands out?
BC: Руе seen a lot of Evil Dead tattoos. l've seen Ash on shoulders and butts and breasts. | met a kid named Ash, who was 16, named after the [character]. Lots of piercings, too. The Evil Dead crowd is a pierced crowd.
EGM: Think the Ash-man will ever get smart
Ecks Vs. Sever: Game to Movie to Game
This fall, if you wander into your local mega-cineplex, you might see what you think is "n % another game-gone-movie. And you’re half-right— Ecks vs. Sever was released as а Game d 3 Boy Advance game а year ago. But the movie, starring Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas, isn’t
Campbell with a statue <, of Ash-the.character
he made infamous in
the Evil Dead movies. Can you, guess whichis
enough to stop going back to the cabin? BC: No. He's just too stupid. He's the salmon that has to return to spawn.
EGM: Very perceptive. You seem quite sensible. Want to sacrifice a virgin with us this Tuesday?
BC: No. | don't believe in the occult. That's the beauty of movies. Schwarzenegger may own a Humvee, but | don't think he rolls around with Mso machine guns blasting through the backyard. Although, in his
case, maybe. — Scott Steinberg
449
2
4 based on И. It’s the other way around. Here’s the scoop: Bam Entertainment developed Sever 3 (the game) for release when the movie was originally supposed to hit theaters...last year.
| — ےا
Ecks: “Let's settle this once and for all. Got yer GBA, Ms. Sever?”
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 54 - egm.gamers.com
But when it was done, the film was a year away from opening day. Instead of holding the game 'til the film was ready, Bam released it (minus mention of the flick) last November. And now that the movie’s out, Sever has returned to GBA once again (and PSz this time, too). The new game is still called Ecks vs. Sever, but it isn’t a re-packaging of last year’s release it's a sequel. Now you know the rest of the story.
اا اک
a ©
The recent Japanese Dreamcast launch of /karuga, the spiritual follow-up to Treasure’s Radiant Silvergun for the Sega Saturn, re-ignited interest in the classic and rare import among the hardest of the hardcore. Mint- condition copies of RS have been selling on eBay for over $220. See what all the fuss is about when /karuga hits the U.S. on GameCube next year.
варам есим
Still not sure what to don оп Halloween this year? Here are a few quick-and-dirty game-related costume suggestions from us here at EGM:
super Mario Sunshine Why it’s easy: You can either grow a moustache or paste on a fake one (that includes you, too, girls). A pair of overalls and a garden hose later, and you're all set. Potential snags: Wealthier households might think you’re there to do some landscaping. Sidekick possibilities: Some construction paper and a helium balloon can make a half-assed Shine in a pinch. Presentation: Aim water cannon innocently at face/crotch of homeowner, pets or antiques visible from doorway, and bargain for a larger candy take. lalo/Hale Why it’s easy: Just a few simple mods to your Doom Space Marine costume from '94, and you're ready to rock. Potential snags: Some out-of-touch yokel's bound to think you're Robocop. Sidekick possibilities: Hot girlfriend? Cortana. Ugly best friend? Covenant Elite. Presentation: Recruit your younger siblings to dress up as The Flood and cling to your limbs. People may not get the reference, but it'll be the most interactive costume they see, guaranteed.
BuT, мом
SAK me!
Illustration by Jeremy “Norm” Scott
fant ПОПЕ AUTO Ш
Why it’s easy: There’s а good chance you look
like him already, so just throw on a black jacket and some cargo pants. Later, you can dig out your '8os threads and revisit the same houses as the guy from СТА: Vice City. Potential snags: (1) You'll get about three houses in before the cops confiscate your Molotov Cocktail. (2) People may think you've just come to rob 'em.
Sidekick possibilities: (1) Friends in fed suits and black Town Car constantly following you around. (2) Baseball bat.
Presentation: You're on your own here, folks. Keep it clean.
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THE CLONE WARS ARE FAR FROM OVER
Pilot over five land and air combat units.
^.
| ШТП
Where Episode Il ends, your battle begins. Defend the Republic on the ground and in the air across the battlefields of six different worlds. Battle through four multiplayer modes, including team-based strategy, deathmatch, king-of-the-hill and co-op endurance. Or lead your clone troopers to victory in an epic single-player campaign as Mace Windu, Anakin
Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Your directive: crush the Separatist armies!
adr | (2 GAMECUBE. 3| PlayStation.e
THE
CLONE WARS
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РАМЕ, YOU: MUST INTO A WARRIOR.
EOS CHANGE
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TEEN
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Cut your console ~/
free from that rinky- dink TV with our guide to the ultimate gaming televisions
and the UHF knob busted off in the
“Tekken incident of '96," but otherwise your trusty 19-inch TV is still fine for gaming, right? Sorry, Jack. If you're playing on a dinky, outdated set, you're just not getting the big picture. Many PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox games pack visuals souped-up for today's super-duper boob tubes. And the great news: A surge in demand for the home-theater experience has pushed down the prices of cutting-edge sets that would have required a second mortgage two years ago.
But if you've been livin' in the A/V stone age for a while, a trip to the TV aisle of your local mondo electronics store might give you the techno-jeebies. So tag along for our crash course on modern couch- potato technology.
9 ure, its faux-wood finish faded years ago,
Digital TV: crystal-clear gaming High-definition television, or HDTV, has been a big-buzz display technology for years, promising high-resolution imagery so crisp you'd swear you were peering out a window. Reality, however, hasn't caught up with the hype—at least when it comes to watching TV shows. HDTV is supposed to be the broadcast standard by 2006, but that's taking longer than anticipated. Right now, HD programming is only available in a few dozen cities.
But who cares about watching Hee Haw in high definition anyway? You just want better- looking games. And the great thing about HDTV is that it makes games look spectacular. High-definition sets come in two flavors. The
on progressive scan in PS2 games like SOCOM. Most GameCube and Xbox games do it automatically.
You must turn .
cheaper kind—in the $800-to-$2,000
range —fits in the “HD-
ready" category, also often called “digital TVs.” They pump the same high-res visuals as true HDTVs but lack a receiver (sold separately for around $500) to pick up HDTV broadcasts. True HDTVs have a built-in receiver and a wider, 16:9-ratio screen, as opposed to the 4:3 screen of analog TVs and many digital sets. But true HDTVs start at around $4,000. It’s an unwise investment, since HDTV programming is so limited and games will look just as good on the less expensive HD-ready sets.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 60 - egm.gamers.com
Illustrations by Pixel Pushers Design
16:9? 4:3? Whazzat? Simply put, 16:9 and 4:3 refer to a television screen’s dimensions. The current screen ratio of a standard analog TV is 4:3, meaning four units wide for every three units high. That was the actual dimension of movies until the 1950s. When TV began to catch on, film studios countered by offering a “bigger” experience and produced movies presented in widescreen. As a result, most flicks today are closer to 16 units wide by nine units high, or what we call 16:9. Obviously, you can't fit a 16:9 image іп a 4:3 space unless you crop the sides or use black bars above and below the image, а trick called “letterboxing.” More and more 4:3 TVs are offering a 16:9
Shape Changers
If you enable the 16:9 mode in a widescreen-ready game like Eternal Darkness (GameCube) and play it on a 4:3 TV, you can only view it in letterbox format (note the black bars above and below the image). On the other hand, if you play non-widescreen games on a 16:9 television, your set will either center the image or stretch it to fit the screen.
screen mode, which ups the horizontal resolution to make widescreen movies and games look extra sharp in letterbox format. The screens of some pricier digital sets and all true HDTVs come in the extra-wide 16:9 shape, so you don’t see those black bars above and below the image at all.
The big question, then, is which screen type should you buy? It all depends on how much time you spend watching DVD movies in addition to playing games. Most flicks play in а 16:9 mode, making your widescreen TV the perfect home theater. Widescreen games, on the other hand, are still a rarity—most games are only available in 4:3. Play them ona 16:9 TV and you'll either have to stretch the image to fill the screen or deal with vertical black bars on each side of the image. Think of it as the opposite of letterboxing (it's actually sometimes called “window”-boxing).
The power of progressive scan
We haven't really explained why digital TVs look way better than analog TVs, so here's the poop: Digital sets use a screen technology more along the lines of PC monitors. But the real key to their clarity is a screen enhancement called progressive scan.
To understand what progressive scan is, you gotta learn what it ain't. Standard analog TVs feature interlaced displays, meaning the picture you see is divided into two parts: an even and an odd set of scan lines, which are the horizontal image lines your TV tube displays on the screen. These two sets are actually not displayed at the same time but instead alternate at a rate of 60 frames per Second. Progressive scan, on the other hand takes the whole image—all the scan lines— and displays it at зо frames per second. You get a much sharper picture without any of the flickering common to interlaced displays.
Digital TVs also offer higher-resolution modes labeled 480p, 720p and 108oi. The 480p mode is similar to the resolution of most standard TV broadcasts, except that it's progressive scan and not interlaced (which is called 480i), so it's much sharper. It is not considered a true HDTV format. 720p mode may or may not be true HDTV, depending on whom you talk to, but it's still vastly better than 480p. Even though it's interlaced, 10801 is considered true HDTV.
OK, we can sense your eyes glazing over from all the tech-speak, so let's get to the point: What can all this do for my games? If you own an Xbox, plenty. Nearly every Xbox game supports 480p progressive-scan mode,
although developers have been slow to support 720p and 10801. About half of GameCube games — all first-party stuff and a few third-party titles—support 480p. PS2 developers, meanwhile, are just now catching on to progressive scan; so far, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs and Tekken 4 are the only games to support the mode, although many future titles will be 480p compatible. Note that you will need to use component cables (and your respective system's component-video adapter, sold separately) to take advantage of progressive scan.
Can you live without digital TV? Regular analog TVs are still a safe bet for gamers on a budget. Features like flat screens, digital-comb filters and high horizontal resolution add a lot of visual pizazz to analog sets. And you can find these features on 27- inch analog TVs for under $500 and on whopping 36-inch tubes for less than a grand. Flip the page for our recommendations.
Nerd's Eye View
Smash your face against a conventional analog TV screen, and you'll see the horizontal scan lines that make up the image. These lines are nearly invisible on an HD display with progressive scan activated, making your games look unbelievably crisp.
Plug 'n' Play
Pick the right cable to punch up your console's graphics
71142122770 1 7.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 61 - egm.gamers.com
Even the best TV ain’t worth crud if you jack in with a crap connection, so avoid stone-age RF hook-ups and, at the very least, use the composite cables that came with your console. Better still, go with S-video, which makes for more vibrant colors and less blurring. Component signals look slightly better on conventional TVs, but they are the required connection for HD sets with progressive scan.
Composite videa
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Booh-Tube Buyer's Guide
Now that you're ready to upgrade your gaming experience, here's a selection of super-sharp sets of every size and budget
[$3 TVs on the cheap
If you're paying for college or just buying too many games, you probably don't want to drop a small fortune on a TV. Good news: These conventional (and one HD-ready) sets will make your games look awesome and you won't even have to sell much blood to get them.
JVC AV32320 32-inch TV е $450 в» Just а couple of years ago, the idea of a 32-inch TV for under $500 was unheard of, yet JVC has delivered with a set that offers 700 lines of resolution and even high-end component video inputs. Designed as an ideal TV for DVD playback, this set will also make games look great—and at 32 inches they'll be larger than life.
[SS The junior- executive systems
Why not spend a little more dough and step up to these HD-ready sets, which a few years ago would have cost more than $5,000. You'll need to buy a hardier TV stand for the bigger sets, which can weigh up to 300 pounds.
t Samsung TXM-3296HF DynaFlat 32-inch HDTV Monitor • $1,300
This beauty is essentially the same TV as the 27-inch HD Samsung in the cheapie section except, well, it's a little bigger. One of our editors liked this model so much, he bought one for himself.
You got home-theater questions? Mega-site www.avsforum.com has answers. Head here for in-depth FAQs, classified ads for used gear and forums frequented by like- minded home-theater buffs. Friendly advice is just a click away.
ASK THE INTERNET
t Sony KV-27FS13 FD 27-inch Trinitron WEGA ТУ • $550
This model is a wee smaller in screen and a wee larger in price than the JVC, but you'll appreciate the difference a Trinitron tube makes. The ultra-sharp flat screen increases the viewing angle so more people can crowd around for multiplayer Halo. And not only does this set feature a 16:9 enhanced mode to improve DVD movies and widescreen games, but it also has S-video and component video inputs.
Toshiba 36HF72 36-inch Digital TV ° $1,800 >
We're getting bigger. This righteous 4:3-ratio HD- ready TV (sometimes called the 36HFX72) comes with all the features of the smaller Samsung, including 10801 maximum resolution and а 16:9 mode. Plus, you get two component inputs—handy for when you want to hook up more than one game system at a time.
Hitachi 43UWX10B
43-inch Rear-projection HDTV * $2,200 каф If you crave а mega-big HD-ready screen (like, so big you can park your car in the box it comes in) for under three grand, you'll have to settle for a rear- projection set. Unlike the direct-view models we've shown you so far, rear-projection TVs beam the image onto the screen with little ray guns hidden behind it. The picture isn’t quite as crisp as a direct- view set—especially when viewed from any angle but head-on—but this Hitachi model is stunning nevertheless. Widescreen games on Xbox are particularly rich and vivid. It will be hard to go back to anything else after playing Madden on the 43UWX10B. Beware, though: Rear-projection screens are more susceptible to burn-in from static images, such as TV-channel logos or health bars in your games, than direct-view sets.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 62 - egm.gamers.com
1. Tantus TXM2796HF 27-inch HDTV Monitor • 5800
Here's your ground-floor opportunity to dive into digital TV. Samsung's HD-ready monitor packs all the features of the big boys— progressive scan, 10801 resolution, a 16:9 mode—at a budget price. And at 27 inches, it's the perfect size for a dorm room or small apartment.
аге either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
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FROGGER'S ADVENTURES 2 THE LOST WAND" BRINGS ARCADE-STYLE INTENSITY ON GAME ВОҮ” ADVANCE, AND MULTI-PLAYER MINI GAMES WITH UP TO 3 FRIENDS. BUT WATCH OUT- ONCE YOU HOP, YOU JUST CAN'T STOP!
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If you want to hook up more than one console to the component input of your new TV, then the JVC JX-S111 A/V selector (sold online for under $100)
Quick tips for happy viewing
The prime seating location in a home- theater room is called “the sweet spot,” and when it comes to setting up a TV, all adjustments (color, brightness, etc.) should be done from this location. But the best technique for finding this elusive spot is hotly debated, and numerous online viewing-distance calculators complicate matters. We'll keep it simple: You want to sit where you can see and appreciate the finer details, read sub- titles and basically view the picture without seeing actual pixels on the screen. If you start to see too many artifacts, either you have really bad source material or you're just too close. The basic rule has it that you should sit at least 4 to 6 feet away from sets bigger than 19 inches. And be sure to play in a darkened room to avoid glare.
Most flat-screen direct-view TVs offer the largest off-axis viewing angle, meaning you don't have to be directly in front of the set to appreciate the picture.
Serious about seeing the perfect picture? Get the AVIA Guide to Home Theater (www.ovationsw.com). This $50 cinch-to- use DVD walks you through your TV's calibration, letting you tweak color, brightness, etc., with scientific precision.
With rear-projection, LCD and plasma, on the other hand, it is much more important for your view to be centered on the Screen, so don't place your comfiest gaming chair too far off to the side. When you're picking out your set at the store, keep in mind that bigger doesn't always mean better. A 63-inch widescreen TV is not going to be ideal in a 10-by-10-foot room no matter what you may think. And don't necessarily take the sales-person's advice, especially as bigger sets cost more! For a medium- to small-size room, a 27-inch set will do the trick.
is a must-buy gizmo. It lets you connect and switch between three
additional component signals with no picture degradation, plus you get two S-video inputs.
Sets for the filthy rich
So you sold your Internet stock when it was high, eh? Then why not splurge on these fantasy displays which —believe it or not—are actually much cheaper than they used to be.
№
Samsung HLM507W E> DLP 50-inch Monitor $4,500
Buckle the heck up: You're entering the future of display technology when you game
on one of these. The heart of this set’s digital light- processing technology is a micro-mirror optical semiconductor chip with an array of more than a million microscopic mirrors that are used to create especially high-resolution images. In English: Your games will be crystal-clear (although eagle-eyed viewers may notice occasional rainbow effects). The Samsung isn’t as slim as plasma or LCD displays, but the 50-inch screen still has a front-to-back footprint of only 18 inches, which isn’t too bad considering its versatility. The unit can be used as a computer monitor as well as your primary TV.
Electronic Gam nthly - 64 - egm.gamers.com
Sony Cineza VPL-HS1 Home-entertainment Projector • $3,000 Hitachi's 43-incher still not big enough for you? If you demand a truly titanic gaming experience, Sony's Cineza is among the new and highly affordable projectors. It'll turn any room into a home theater, and since it accepts both 16:9 and 4:3 signals, you don't even have to worry about aspect ratios. Just sit back and watch movies or play games that will truly immerse you into the experience. You can even buy a screen that retracts, but we doubt you'd ever want to turn this thing off. Just be warned that the projector has a bulb that will eventually dim, burn out and require replacement. Typical bulbs last about 2,000 hours and cost between $205 and $250.
Sound Advice
Great visuals are only part of the equation when you assemble the ultimate gaming rig. So meet us back here next month for round two of our A/V assault: how to soup up your
sound system. Ме”! run down everything from the different types of surround sound to how louder isn’t always better. Your ears will thank
us in 30 days. а
— Peter Suciu
£92002 Misrosoft Corporation, All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live and the Xbox logos are registere: : d mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Xbox Live subscription ок! separately.
www.xbox.com/live
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LIFT YOUR THUMBS WITH PRIDE, FOR THEY SEPARATE MAN FROM BEAST.
Keep your thumbs happy. Play video games.
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ALIVE BEFORE THE SEAT Of THE DARK LORD.
Blood Violence
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is the one video-game job nearly anybody can land (and it'll get your foot in the game-hiz door). But with all the mind-numbing hours spent chained to the same title for months on end, is it a dream job or just a nightmare?
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 70 - egm.gamers.com
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hen уои play video games for a living, Ш your dreams get weird. Just ask any of the professional game testers at Rockstar, the New York City-based publisher of the mega-hit Grand Theft Auto franchise. These 10 guys (and one woman) spend all day, sometimes seven days a week, playing the same game over and over and over again to make sure it doesn’t suck, crash or bug out when you slip it into your console at home. It’s not easy. And, after all that time, it doesn’t take long for their neurochemistry to freak. Rich Huie, a 23-year-old tester for the GTA series, dreamed he was working a storefront in the game with Goodfellas’ Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci. Joe Green, a 35-year-old veteran, once dreamed he was inside Ms. Pac-Man, so to speak, running around and gobbling down dots. “| woke up thinking, ‘Um, this isn't supposed to be happening," he recalls. Sometimes the dreams don't wait for sleep. Lance Williams, a Rockstar tester who worked on the riot game State of Emergency, found himself passing a cop on the streets of Manhattan and thinking, “ОН yeah, | can take that guy." Bad dreams are a small price to pay for what many would consider the coolest job in
the world. Game testers—or, as they tell their parents, “quality-assurance analysts” —are in the enviable position of getting paid to play. They sit on their cans in front of television sets all day doing exactly what you do every night for nada, nachos included. But, as they eventually learn, a gig like this is hardly all fun and games.
As the gatekeepers of the $8-billion video- game industry, these elite players are the front line of any successful company. The stakes couldn't be higher. With a typical game requiring up to $5 million and two years to produce, the last thing a publisher wants is to release a game with bugs that will infuriate if not alienate persnickety buyers. The only way to make sure a title is clean is to hire gamers who can play it for thousands of hours without breaking their thumbs or losing their minds.
The professionals
Video games weren't always run through the ringer. Back in the golden age of 1980s gaming, many developers chose to do their own testing. But as the industry began to rival the movie business, demand for quality—not to mention the rise of competition — required more hardcore testing. Nintendo of America
Just another day at the office: The decor of most game-tester work zones is about as plush and sexy as a telemarketer call center. But then telemarketers don't get paid to play games all day, they don't have game posters all over their office walls, and they don't have break rooms filled with classic arcade machines.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 11
was one of the first heavy hitters in the U.S. to devote an entire department to quality assurance back in 1988 when, as part of its Treehouse (named for Donkey Kong’s abode) development office, it hired full-time testers.
The very first of these lucky players was Michael Kelbaugh, who has since worked his way up to being the director of product testing for the company. “Back when | started, the company only needed two of us,” Kelbaugh says, “but now as games have gotten incredibly complex, we have 350.”
Nintendo isn’t alone. Microsoft, Sony and Electronic Arts each employs similar numbers of full-time testers. These larger publishers test about 30 to 70 different titles per year, with at least a few solid months of scrutiny applied to each and every game. Many titles land on the testers’ machines a full year before their official release. Each game will go through about 30,000 hours of tests. "We're trying to open up the games to testers earlier and earlier," says Jamie King, Rockstar's director of development, *because no one wants to have to spend a bunch of 12- hour days playing the product at the very end—it can be quite the miserable experience." As the tumultuous holiday season approaches, game companies even need to supplement their tester troops with civilian volunteers and freelancers.
Most testers do it more for love than money. Professionals make between $20,000 and
- egm.gamers.com
$50,000. Civilians get around $10 per hour and/or—what else? —free games! Often, testers do it simply to get a foot into an increasingly competitive industry. “It’s definitely one of the better ways to get into this business," says Kelbaugh. He's far from the only one who's worked his way up the ranks after starting as a tester. But one thing's for sure: If you want to play games for a living, you need to know how to hack it. And if you want to know how to hack it, the first thing you've got to learn is not how to play a game, but how to break it.
Game busters
The offices of Rockstar Games are three floors above a busy strip of Broadway in New York City. Three floors is roughly 30 feet. Thirty feet is about how far the PlayStation 2 console fell when the Rockstar testers chucked it out the window.
OK, that's an extreme and rare example of just how far some testers go—to the point of seeing if blatant console abuse will affect a game—to make sure your playing experience doesn't blow. Sometimes they'll plug a hair dryer into the wall and leave it blasting overnight on a console that's running their title, just to see what happens. Other times, they'll give the machine a subzero dose of arctic suffering by cramming it into a freezer for the weekend.
Believe it or not, such lengths are necessary given the increased demands — and creativity —of players who will chuck, freeze, and bash a game, deliberately or not. *The gamers today are highly intelligent and are absolutely going to take your game apart,"
Cont. on page 74
www.onewickedcricket.com
Cont. from раде 71
Rockstar’s King says wearily, “and they will savage you. That makes our job harder.”
So today’s testers are expected to bust a game by any means necessary. That means playing a game precisely how it’s not supposed to be played: running where you're not supposed to run, jumping where you’re not supposed to jump, blowing up stuff that you’re not supposed to blow up. Since a gamer is capable of doing anything at any moment, the game has to be prepared to do something sensible in response—something besides crashing.
Unplaying the game Lance Williams is an accomplished tester at Rockstar. He knows how to break stuff. And like the rest of the dozen testers, he works in an airy loft with the typical accouterments of a gaming company. A foosball machine and a vintage Asteroids Deluxe arcade game await play. Packages of Throat Coat and other cold and flu remedies—just what the doctor ordered for all the long hours—line the shelves. Bikini centerfolds leer seductively from the walls.
For Williams, however, there are по distractions beyond the game unfolding on the monitor before him: State of Emergency.
At the time of this writing, the PS2 urban-riot simulator is just weeks away from completion. hat means it’s been going through the testers’ brutal calisthenics for months. As we watch, Williams guides a character named Hector Saldaldo, a.k.a. Spanky, through the roadside melee. Williams is playing the game’s Revolution mode, which tests a player’s ability to complete various missions during the riot. The one he’s testing now centers on Spanky’s ability to protect a character named Marcus Washington from becoming road kill.
“You want to unplay the game,” Williams says as he maneuvers Spanky toward a city bench. Spanky lifts up the bench and hurls it at Washington, the person he’s supposed to protect. Washington survives the punishment. “That’s good,” Williams says with a nod. “He’s still alive. He’s not supposed to die.”
The ability to break a game, to push it beyond what it was meant to do, is high ona publisher's list of tester skills. But it’s a tough task—one that goes against all your gaming instincts. “To do this job right, someone really needs to break out of their linear train of thought and play a game backwards,” says Nintendo’s Kelbaugh. “Being first or best or getting a high score is irrelevant. If you’re directed to go somewhere, go out of order.”
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 14 - egm.gamers.com
Bug hunt Testers generally receive a detailed list of tasks to play out over the course of the day. In State of Emergency, for example, Williams had to spend a couple of days simply running around with a baseball bat and trying to break every storefront. If a bug is found, it’s logged in a company database, then passed along to the developers for a fix. A typical game can suffer nearly 15,000 bugs over the course of its development.
And sometimes it even takes a good accident to uncover a bug. That happened rather crucially while Nintendo was testing the Nintendo 64 destruction game Blast Corps. The company videotapes every hour of play testing, and this example shows why. Just three days before the game was to be approved, a game tester got up from his desk and went out for lunch. The car he was driving in the game was left plowing up against a wall. When the tester came back, he found that the car had somehow passed through the wall and was drifting out into the strange ether beyond the game’s environment. The presses were stopped. The game was recoded just in the nick of time.
Other companies use more scientific tools to get to the heart of the problem: psychologists. Bill Fulton, the user-tester lead for Microsoft Games Studios, employs full- time psychologists who prepare detailed questionnaires for people who play-test the games. The doctors observe professional and
Tester
volunteer testers for up to two hours at a time
while the players run through the games. In 2001, they tested 6,500 participants in 270
tests on 70 different titles. One such test used in Halo, for instance, showed that gamers had
varying assumptions about which way their character would look when they pushed the joypad stick up. “There’s nothing worse than
trying to shoot someone on the second floor,”
Fulton says, “and shooting your feet.” The game was then changed to accommodate a gamer’s viewing preference.
But while the testers themselves feel
accomplished at finding such crucial snafus in
a game, the developers don’t necessarily share in their revelry. “It’s probably more
frustrating for the developers who have to fix
it!” says Craig Hunter, a producer at game studio VIS. This creates a notoriously tense
relationship between the two groups. "There's
always going to be a conflict in delivering those messages," says Rich Rogers, a producer for Sony Computer Entertainment
America. Gary Rondez, lead tester for the PS2 motocross racer FreekStyle, admits that being
the frequent bearer of bad news affects how testers are perceived. “Everyone thinks we're the lower end of the spectrum," he says,
he grunts in the army. But we're just going
out and doing the job. That's what they hired us to do."
Back at Rockstar, Williams finishes his mission. The game passes muster. Soon he
will be on to the next one. And when it comes, he'll be ready to play it...and break it to bits. 9 — David Kushner
A guide to landing your first game gig
Now that you’re ready for the job, peruse these tools for finding game- testing opportunities in the industry...
(www.cooljobs.com) In addition to offering job listings for cool gigs like counter-terrorism and clowning, this site has a section devoted to “electronic- game design.” Recent listings include a position testing games for EA.
(www.qajobs.net) An exhaustive resource for “quality assurance” personnel, this site lists positions according to job, salary and location. You can also register as a candidate for prospective employers who come to troll the site for recruits.
(http://www.microsoft.com/playtest) Microsoft enlists play-test volunteers here. To qualify, gamers need to be at least 16 and willing to spend some time in the Seattle area, where the campus is located.
(http://entertainmentcareers.net/sbjo bs/) Check under the Multimedia/Video game category for listings of companies seeking game testers.
(http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stor ies/flat/0,11963,2636409,00.html) This address is a bitch to type in, but it leads to a great repository for companies seeking people to beta test new PC games from home.
One Wicked Cricket
Take a charming cricket, give him a serious chip on his shoulder, add to that a pair of high-voltage antennae and there’s only one thing that can happen. Someone's going to get hurt.
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1. Contra: Hard _ (Genesis)
6. UFC Publisher
11. Halo novel, Тре _ of Reach
12. Xbox driver Wreck_
14. Ms. Pac-Man, to Jr. Pac-Man
16. Halo's Needler, Pistol...
18. Shaq (Genesis)
19. Used to digitize full-motion video 21. Sends your console's signal to a TV 22. Capcom's Devil may do this
23. Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Epona
25. Lent voice to Activision's Spider-Man 27. Grants gamers' cheating wishes 28. of Thunder (TurboDuo)
29. Makes Quakes
30. Type of strategy game (abbrv.)
31. Mario's new, not-so-secret weapon 34. Dreamcast, to the hip-hop community?
36. Zelda: OOT's mountain city
38. Halo's Derelict is one, for multiplayer 39. Hunt _ Red October (SNES)
40. Kingdom Hearts venis-summ-on 42. Army Men: Attack (PS1)
44. Leon S. Kennedy’s employer, ВС _ _ 45. Rayman's benefactor
47. Madden NFL 2003 position (abbrv.) 48. PS1 shooter -osoma
49. NBA Street's B-Ball surface?
51. Uses weights in Olympic Summer Games (PS1)
52. Final Fantasy movie didn't win one
DOWN
2. Sony's The Mark _ Kri
3. Xbox WWF title
4. “Magic word” when asking for a game 5. Dreamcast’s Zero
6. Final Fantasy VII (PS1) hero
7. You usually get five days to finish one 8. Shrek's kart-racing donkey
9. Against, in fighting games
10. Low-level Doom (PS1) baddie
13. Final Fighter-turned-Street Fighter 15. Thumbs do it after many games
37. Shooter on 3DO system "ed
18. Goes Bedrock Bowling (PS1)
20. Halo tour guide, for a while
22. Palm-sized pal in Halo
24. Gallop Racer (PS2) jockey
26. Powers Jedi Starfighter (Xbox)
32. Overheard from the undefeated Mark MacDonald during Halo, “| ат !”
33. Jumping Flash’s (PS1) flashy jumper 34. Lets the car slide in Gran Turismo 3 35. Final Fantasy (NES) boat type
37. Ammo for Quake's (N64) nailgun 38. Double Dragon's big guy
39. Halo's genre, for short
да. Owns Halo-maker Bungie (abbrv.) 43. World Series Baseball (Xbox) stat 45. Wireless-cable-gaming frequency 46. Super Nintendo un-killer app TNN Bass: _ (abbrv.)
48. Part of Pac-Man’s waist size?
50. Pac-Man, to Jr. Pac-Man
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Now through Nov. 2, 2002, when you buy an Xbox and the DVD Player Kit, you'll be eligible for a $30 mail-in rebate, making the DVD kit (basically) free!
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Lunar Legend, the portable version of the first title in Game Arts' acclaimed Lunar RPG series (which has been seen previously on PlayStation and Sega CD in the U.S.), has finally been confirmed for a stateside release. But it's not by the company many role- playing fanatics would expect. Ubi Soft will do the honors this time around, and the good news is you won't have to wait long before getting a chance to play it— Legend will be out in November.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 16 - egm.gamers.com
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We'd bet there aren't many kids out there named Turok, but her might be a few more after Acclaim's “Turok: Evolution Baby- Naming Contest.” In perhaps the most shameless video-game | promotion ever, Acclaim ran а contest to give away $10,000in | | U.S. savings bonds to the first child born on Sept. 1, 2002 and | given the name Turok. (The catch? The kid has to keep the name for one full year.) Мете not sure whether to laugh or cry.
Quartermann - Game Gossip &
*Sup homies? It’s your streetwise rumor collector, The Q, here to rock your world with gnarly tidbits of gossipy goodness scrounged from the darkest depths of the game industry. This month yours truly has a huge amount of Square-related news to dump upon ya (in addition to a bunch of other schtuff). So lemme back up the truck and spill it:
Skip ХІ and Go Right to XII pee „Kicking off the Square a tumorpalooza this month is word that Final Fantasy ХІ, the online installment of the series that gamers. are currently enjoying in Japan, may not get a ò stateside release at all. E. - Why? With the servers to maintain and police, technical support to give, and games to monitor, the - е В RPG maker's U.S. operation can't do it alone. Only someone the size of EA / or Sony could lay the proper groundwork. Without that, the game\may һауе” to skip a U.S. release entirely. What does that mean to you, thes tawny Yi American gamer already in the midst of posting this tasty rumor on message boards across the Internet?\Three possibilities. One, Squar secures a partner to do the dirty work'and the game's released here next- year no problem. Or, the next Final Fantasy to be released on PS2 i in the U.S. could be ХИ, skipping over XI entirely. The fi final option i is that one or ofthe three Final Fantasy Gaidens based'on FFX scheduled for release in | the near future in Japan may be brought to America as ХГ. T
Final Fantasy І and ІІ To See U.S. ant ...Another tidbit of note The О picked up on recently is > the chance that the PS1 remakes of Final Fantasy І and II will see stateside releases. The story goes like this: When word of the upcoming Japanese releases of these classic quests hit the streets, gaming retailers began to knock on Square's
door wondering when they might come to the U.S. Up until retailers started asking, there was по plan to bring them here. But}! hear the
change, and if the rumors аге” to be believed, you might just be playing the earliest of FFs before too long at a value- conscious price...
= и ТЕС Мап jattle Network
` related.The transmissions are a bit fuzzy at this
Square GBA/GC Releases in the
More Zelda On The Way
„Ме don't even have our hands оп d GameCube Legend of Zelda, and already The Q's sources have reported in on another Hyrulian adventure: Nintendo's U.S. development house, Nintendo Software Technologies, is working on something Zelda-
point, but it may-be the long-rumored GameCube
Your Asses
Bungie Gets.Medieval On While we're all waiting | for Halo 2 2, we have one more game from the guys at Bungie to look forward tò, Previously known as Project Phoenix, Bungie's
— next title has been re-named (it'd be a breach of national security to tell you
— what that name is, though), ànd it's a bit of a departure from the likes of
Haló: Details are scant, but a recent dumpster-diving mission near the
developer's HQ revealed that the game has a medieval theme. Either that or | dugup discatded pictures from someone's trip to a Renaissance Faire....
U.S.?
quare’s still тит оп the topic of how their GBA and GC releases will come “out in America. But Тһе Q's sources hear that none other than Nintendo will publish their ’Cubé title, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle, in the U.S. in 2003 just às they are'in Japan). As ‘for the GBA games, it’s expected that Square will self- publish those in both territories (U.S. and Japan).
The Hot Q: Mother 3 On GBA
„Хои may remember a few issues back The Q told you about rumblings from the bowels of Nintendo of a Mother game for Game Boy Advance. (The only game in the Mother series released in the U.S. was the 16-bit Super NES cult fave Earthbound.) And indeed The Q was correct, but the upcoming title is not a port or remake of a previous game. Instead, The Q has heard recently that the original scenario from the cancelled Mother 3 (for N64) is being adapted to GBA by a second party, most likely Brownie Brown. Expect official news on this shortly—maybe even by the time you read these very words....
Time to call it a day, folks. Well this month’s section kicked ass Ecks vs. Sever-style if | do say so myself. If you want to write this ol”
“skipper on the good ship Gaming Gossip, get on yer computer and drop
m E-mail to ‘quartermann@ziffdavis.com with any comments or questions you might have. Until next time, “may the luck of the Seven Pillars of Booloo be with you at all times!” (And if you can tell me what movie that’s from, give yourself a cookie.)
—TheQ
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 78 - egm.gamers.com
Y4 INISION
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for more info. : EEE
EVERYONE j Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772
for Rating Information. CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
ca
a
EN
Uie
3
THE THREAT
[SIN YOUR HANDS. BOTH OF THEM.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT
TO EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT ANALOG. The right to freely express; yourself in 360 degrees. EA SPORTS” FREESTYLE CONTROL. The right to use both hands, to crossover, to stutter step, to spin. To confuse defenders with behind-the-back, through-the-legs, one-handed-palming, backing-down-in-the- paint, fade-away, ball-handling skills, Cuz ЕНГІ never make it in the МВА en with only one hand.
Put together fiendish combinations of 100 new moves and exploit the D. If you cannot afford room for a jumper, room wi be provided for you with a little stutter-step fade-away action. Crowded lanes beg to be taken apart with your patented brand of hole-picking-3607- ЭШ crossover artistry. String ‘em out, spin ‘em ‘round, ea em crying and finish big.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT
TO DEFEND AGAINST ANY OFFENSIVE FREEDOMS. The right to form a well regulated-fast-moying-big-balling defensive force. The right to reach into personal space. To perform ` b-ball blocks like an eight-armed hoop obtopus. To borrow without consent, anywhere, any time. To turn hands into brick laying fly swatters. To pound the floor, y on glass, take the chaie and eat your FRONS breakfast, lunch and dinner.
ITS HARDWOOD MAGIC IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND: 2003 SET YOURSELF FREE. SEN hic
деу а УАТ peter ie Se ae
Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for Rating Information.)
Welcome to the 500-mile commute with only
one parking spot.
Relive great races. Leave tread marks in the record books.
ў.
8 fantasy courses. 23 authentic All hearts racing.
ba
ИАН oe
о UG (y z | A dco Г
Now оп РС easports.com
EVERYONE
Comic Mischief
Violence
© 2002 Electronic Arts Ino. Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, the EA SPORTS logo and "It's in the game.” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries, All rights reserved, NHL, National Hockey League, the NHL Shield and the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior writen consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © 2002 NHL. All Rights Reserved. Officially Licensed Product of the National Hockey League. National Hockey League Players Association, NHLPA and the NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA and are used under license by Electronic Arts Inc. © NHLPA: Officially licensed product of the NHLPA. The names and logos of all stadiums are trademarks of their respective owners and are used by permission, Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox Logos are ether 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 а trademark of Nintendo, “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of ther respective owners. ҒА SPORTS ™ is an Electronic Arts™ brand.
NHLPA
You got new moves. So do the goalies. It’s only fair.
a
Every great magician uses a magic wand. This one makes frozen rubber disappear.
РВЕ$ $ START
Charts - July 2002
TOP 20 BEST-SELLING GAMES TOP 10 RENTALS 1 NCAA Football 2003 ы 1 Stuntman — -— EA Sports = =
95 90 85 - ӘЖЕ 2 Medal of Honor: Frontine (фа EET EA Games == 3
2 Grand Theft Auto Ш ` 3 Test Drive ——
Atari Р 9.0 90 10 ; Б Crispin ^ Greg Milkman < 4 Spider-Man aes 3 Metal of Honor: Frontline m Б мави : EA Games = 9 Меп In Black Il: Alien Escape — -— 8.0 9.0 8.0 ег Infogrames
- Ш © Сгіѕріп Kraig Mark G а 6 Freekstyle — -— 4 Stuntman анн А EA Big GA M | Atari У j
5 Gran Turismo 3 A-spec A 1 Grand Theft Auto Ш — -— E B5
Sony CEA + Rockstar dd
6 MLB Slugfest 20-03 F 8 Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon „e Midway Universal Interactive
1 Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku слмево 9 All-Star Baseball 2003 — -—
Infogrames Acclaim
8 Super Mario Advance 2 GAME BOY 10 Way of the Samurai — —
„|9 Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories
Konami ТОР 10 BEST-SELLING GAMES IN JAPAN
Source: Blockbuster Video, July 2002
2 Super Robot WarsR --
Banpresto
4 Pachislot Aruze Kingdom 7
Japan Amusement Broadcasting ere
Activision j 5 Dragon Ball 2: Cho-Senshitachi Ёё 15 Digim on World 3 janpresto Ў: | Bandai 6 RPG School 5 € 2116 ATV Offroad Fury -- (Ен Enterbrain | soc | Т Powerful Pro Baseball 9 —._ |f] Resident Evil Code: Veronica X ton cancom . 8 My Summer Vacation 2 --
18 Super Smash Bros. Melee S Sony
| S 8 Ane Escape 2 "
NEC Interchannel Source: Weekly Famitsu, week ending 8/11/02
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 88 - egm.gamers.com
3 PlayStation P (€; | > о
? Мз е | ax y ў www.spyrothedragon.com
ge 4 TA X ЕМЕВУОМЕ
————_,
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Mild Violence Meee INTERACTIVE
چ
‘CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
There goes the neighborhood. Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly. With all new breath weapons: fire, ice, electricity and bubbles, somebody needs to slap a warning label on that dragon.
Driver 2 Advance—Atari Action Disney Sports Soccer—Konami Sports October Game & Watch Gallery 4—Nintendo Misc. Disney's PK: Out of the Shadows—Ubi Soft Action PlayStation 2 Godzilla: Domination—Atari Action Evolution Worlds —Ubi Soft RPG Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever—Bam Action Hamtaro (GBC)—Nintendo Misc. FIFA Soccer 2003—EA Sports Sports BloodRayne— Majesco Action Robotech: The Macross Saga—TDK Action Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets — EA Games Action Burnout 2: Point of Impact—Acclaim Racing Star Wars Episode ІІ: The New Droid Army—THQ Action James Bond 007: NightFire—EA Games Action Dragon’s Lair 3D— Encore Software Action WWE Road to Wrestlemania X8 — THQ Action Legends of Wrestling 2—Acclaim Action Evolution Skateboarding—Konami Sports Yu-Gi-Oh! Eternal Duelist Soul—Konami RPG Medal of Honor: Frontline—EA Games Action Fighter Maker 2—Agetec Fighting Metroid Prime—Nintendo Action Grand Theft Auto: Vice City — Rockstar Action Minority Report—Activision Action .hack— Bandai Š RPG November Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance— Midway Fighting Hot Wheels Velocity X—THQ Racing PlayStation МВА Live 2003—EA Sports Sports Jet X20—Sony CEA Racing Grand Theft Auto Compilation Rockstar Action Rocky — Ubi Soft Sports Legaia 2: Duel Saga — Fresh Games RPG PlayStation 2 Sonic the Hedgehog Mega Collection—Sega Action Legends of Wrestling 2—Acclaim Action ATV Offroad Fury 2—Sony CEA Racing Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly—Universal Action Lost, The—Crave Action Batman: Dark Tomorrow— Kemco Action Star Wars: The Clone Wars — LucasArts Action МВА 2K3 —Sega Sports Sports Battlebots C THQ Action Street Hoops —Activision Sports NBA Live 2003 —EA Sports Sports ВМХ XXX—Acclaim Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003—EA Sports Sports МНЕ 2003 —EA Sports Sports Contra: Shattered Soldier—Konami Shooter Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4—Activision o2 Sports МНЕ 2K3— Sega Sports Sports Dance Dance Revolution MAX— Konami Misc. Vexx —Acclaim Action Simpsons Skateboarding — EA Games Sports Defender— Midway Action Wario World — Nintendo Action Sub Rebellion — Metro3D Shooter Disney's PK: Out of the Shadows—Ubi Soft — Action Terminator: Dawn of Fate— Atari Action Dr. Muto— Midway Action Batman: Dark Tomorrow— Кетсо Action Tribes: Aerial Assault —Sierra Action FIFA Soccer 2003 — EA Sports Sports BMX XXX—Acclaim Sports Ty the Tasmanian Tiger —EA Games Action Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets — EA Games Action Brute Force— Microsoft Action X-Men: The Next Dimension—Activision Fighting Haven: Call of the King— Midway Action Crimson Sea— Koei Action GameCube James Bond 007: NightFire— EA Games Action Defender— Midway Action BloodRayne— Majesco Action Legends of Wrestling 2—Acclaim Action DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball — Tecmo Sports Broadband Adapter— Nintendo Hardware Lord of the Rings: Fellowship—Universal Action Dr. Muto — Midway Action Dragon's Lair 3D—Encore Software Action Lord of the Rings: Two Towers — EA Games Action Dragon's Lair 3D— Ubi Soft Action Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters —Infogrames Fighting Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter— Crave Action Fire Blade— Midway Action Legends of Wrestling 2—Acclaim Action Malice— Universal Action James Bond 007: NightFire— EA Games Action Mario Party 4— Nintendo Party Minority Report—Activision Action Kakuto Chojin — Microsoft Fighting Modem Adapter— Nintendo Hardware Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance—Midway Fighting Legends of Wrestling 2—Acclaim Action NASCAR Thunder 2003 —EA Sports Racing NASCAR Heat 2—Infogrames Racing Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter—Crave Action NBA 2K3 —Sega Sports Sports RAD: Robot Alchemic Drive—Enix Action Malice— Universal Action NCAA College Basketball 2K3—Sega Sports Sports Ratchet & Clank—Sony CEA Action MechAssault— Microsoft Action NHL 2003—EA Sports Sports Red Faction II—THQ Action Medal of Honor: Frontline—EA Games Action NHL 2K3—Sega Sports Sports Rocky—Ubi Soft Sports Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance—Konami Action Phantasy Star Online: Episodes I&II —Sega RPG Rygar: The Legendary Adventure — Tecmo Action Minority Report— Activision Action Resident Evil d — Capcom Adventure Shinobi—Sega Action Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance—Midway Fighting Swingerz Golf— Fresh Games Sports Sims, The —EA Games Misc. MX Superfly — THQ Sports Ty the Tasmanian Tiger — EA Games Action Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly — Universal Action Panzer Dragoon Orta—Sega Action Xbox Star Wars: Bounty Hunter— LucasArts Action Rocky — Ubi Soft Sports Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance— Interplay Action Star Wars: The Clone Wars— LucasArts Action Steel Battalion— Capcom Action Blinx: The Time Sweeper— Microsoft Action Suikoden III — Konami RPG Superman: The Man of Steel—Infogrames ^ Action BloodRayne— Majesco Action Super Bust-A-Move 2—Ubi Soft Puzzle Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon—Ubi Soft Action Crimson Skies — Microsoft Shooting Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 —EA Sports Sports Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell — Ubi Soft Action Fatal Frame— Тесто Action Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness—Eidos Adventure Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4—Activision O2 Sports Hitman 2: Silent Assassins— Eidos Action Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4—Activision O2 Sports Unreal Championship — Infogrames Action House of the Dead III, The—Sega Shooting Treasure Planet—Sony CEA Action Vexx—Acclaim Action Legends of Wrestling 2—Acclaim Action Vexx—Acclaim Action Xbox Live Starter Kit— Microsoft Hardware NBA Inside Drive— Microsoft Sports Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions—Activision Action NBA Live 2003 —EA Sports Sports WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth —THQ Action Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms —THQ Action NHL 2K3 —Sega Sports Sports Contra Advance— Konami Shooter Phantom Crash — Phantagram Action Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance— Interplay Action Dragon Ball Z (GBC)— Infogrames Action Star Wars: Knights of the Old Rep.— LucasArts RPG Batman: Dark Tomorrow— Kemco Action Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets— EA Games Action Terminator: Dawn of Fate—Atari Action Battlebots—THQ Action Justice League: Injustice for All— Midway Action Тое)ат & Earl Ill: All Funked Up—Sega Adventure BMX XXX—Acclaim Sports Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers—EA Games Action Toxic Grind—THQ Action Cubivore—Atlus Misc. Lunar Legend—Ubi Soft RPG Ty the Tasmanian Tiger—EA Games Action Defender— Midway Action Metroid Fusion—Nintendo Action Whacked! — Microsoft Misc. Disney Sports Basketball—Konami Sports Monster Rancher Advance 2—Tecmo Misc. Game Boy Advance Disney Sports Football—Konami Sports Phantasy Star Collection—THQ RPG Defender of the Crown—Cinemaware Action Disney Sports Skateboarding—Konami Sports Revenge of Shinobi—THQ Action
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 90 - egm.gamers.com
Want to know how realistic NFL Fever '03 is? Take a number.
1 - Dramatic camera angles take you all over the field 2 - Go from clipboard holder to MVP in Career Mode 3 - Someone should've used the bump-n-run
4 - Use Hot Routes to exploit the defense
5 - Player physiques from L to XXXXXL
6 - Tougher Al anticipates your moves
7 - Where you sweat — they sweat
8 - Helmets that reflect the playing environment
9 - Unique player faces
10 - NFL newbies, the Houston Texans
11 - Shirtless guy with a painted face being loud
12 - Take your game into the ultimate broadband arena by playing online with
13 - Create killer plays and use them to shock the nation on )
14- Opti-Match links up players of equal rank
15 - Trash-talk faceless foes with an communicator
16 - Download updated player rosters on
EVERYONE
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
www.nflfever2003.com
Е. ом_ІмЕ ЕМАВ_ЕП Ңӛ( —_
Еһ [50 н CHAN
HELLO, VIDEO GAMERS! I'M RSO
TANAKA, THAT'S MY BROTHER CHAN,
AND "м HOLDING A Вох оғ DRAMA- MINE AND AN INDUSTRIAL- SIZE VOMIT BAG, BECAUSE TODAY's TOPIC 15
КҮЛЕ NOR SIGIR! Vis FiRST- PERSON SHOOTERS! ^ [ ALREADY MO 1 s € RSON eo MACH LURES - ANTICIPATION!
НЕ SAD Чоо WALKED комм, j;
HSU HAS EXPRESSED 5546 APPREHENSION BOLT DOING THIS ONE, AS МЕ HAS PROVEN EXCEPTIONALLY SUSCEPTIBLE To THE EFFECTS OF MOTION SICKNESS, A PROBLEM THAT HAS PLAGUED MANY A GAMER OF THIS GENRE.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE
LAST FIRST- PERSON SHOOTER
HSU HAS MANAGED To LAST
More THAN THREE
MINUTES ON WITHOUT
KEELING OVER WAS
"DOCK HONT” FOR THE
NES, AND EVEN THAT
WAS A CLOSE CALL
THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS, m. UNWITTINGLY BREEDING A RACE OF
aoe BEEN QUICK To VOICE EER CONCERNS THAT EXTENDED EXPOSURE To
HESE TITLES МАЧ WELL ЗЕ TAINTING THE YOUTH OF TODAY,
ING PowER-UPS!
м мә THROUGH Ve REPORT.
THE POINT 1, THERE'S TROUBLE prot!
enter THE CHANCAM, FIRST IN А CUSTOM LINE OF RESEARCH EQUIP”
ALAS, IT WAS NOT To ВЕ. ALL THAT WAS DEFINITIVELY GATHERED FROM THIS RESEARCH WAS THAT WE LEAVE
THE HOUSE WOEFULLY FEW TIMES ON ANY GIVEN DAY, AND EVEN THEN, ALMOST NEVER FoR ANYTHING INTERESTING.
WE THOUGHT WE WERE ONTo SOMETHING WHEN A RUBBER-BAND FIGHT BROKE OUT, BUT THAT WAS сот SHORT WHEN ONE PARTY HIT ANOTHER IN THE ЕЕ, AND WHAT FOLLOWED ON THE TAPE WAS A STREAM OF CURSING 50 LOUD AND VILE AS Yo RENDER THE PLAYBACK FUNCTION INOPERABLE, TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DAMAGE TO THE
PLANTS AND WALLPAPER,
BORING PEOPLE.
OTHER THAN THAT, THE FOOTAGE WE GATHERED TOTALED APPROXIMATELY TWENTY- ONE HOURS OF FINGER -TAPPING, TOENA: CLIPPING, WALKING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN ROOMS, AND HOLDING DULL, MEANDERING CONVERSATIONS WITH
аш ысы О СОН но? LACK OFF MBIGUIT? , NO AROUND IN А HIGHLY UNREALISTIC MENT, CRAFTED FROM THE FINEST MATER- LESSNIOLENT SUB-GENRES IN кен, FASHION AT HIGH SPEEDS, NEVER (Ace EVER <o BE FOUND IN THE LOCAL E EiRST-PERSON VEIN, ALTHOUGH TURNING THEIR HEADS Yo EITHER SIDE, HARDWARE STORE, AND epee N OF COURSE WE DRAW THE vus oR FiRST INDEED, PARENTS GROUPS AND BECOMING NIGH- INVINCIÉLE ^w AFTERNOON, GWE ©! Д |^ seme eR ANA Е ею BY RUNNING OVER SPECIAL, GLOW: EXPLAIN THIS. ODES pegs i Кеден mE SUCKER, HSU! Е CRANCAM TO ONE
THE PURPOSE OF CHANCAM-1 15 TO AND IN CREATING NEW AND
FTER ALL: Or ое OUR OWN
By Jeremy “Norm” Scott
BUT PERHAPS THE MORE IMPORTANT ISSUE HERE 1S THE QUESTION OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THESE GAMES -- ТО WIT, WHY WOULD THE PHRASE "FIRST-PERSON" ФЕ ОЗЕР Almost EXCLUSIVELY TO PRECEDE “SHOOTER?”
4
WHY 16 THE MAIN HALLMARK OF THE ONLY GENRE To DROP YoU LITERALLY IN THE SHOES ОҒ A CHARACTER AN UNRELENTING STREAM OF MOLENCE AND BLOODSHED? BESIDES SALES Figures,
о! COURSE,
HEADS, AND Ем Monog оой дст OVER THE COURSE OF A
DAY To SEE IF ANQTHING WE DID моо BE OVITABLE FoR BUILDING A САМЕ
AROUND...
TWENTY THUGS...
бо, BASICALLY, "SHENMUE”
Malt HOUT THE ACTION
SEQUENCES.
WE NEEDED BETTER!
CURRENT COURSE OF ORDERS ТО ATTACK THE ACTION -- REALIZING THAT PERSON WEARING THE Am OPPOSING FORCE 15 CHANCAM!
BASICALLY А NECESSITY fo KEEP INTEREST IN A бале, WE МАМЕ HIRED
WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN
AND WHO BETTER TO come UP WITH NON-WIOLENT SOLUTIONS ТО A SITUATION LIKE THIS THAN A PEACE-
LOVING HIPPIE?
рот THIS
UNT WORRY, CONCERNED GAMERS -- ‘OOK SOME REALLY TEENSY WRITING,
pax. HE ACTUALLY SIGNED A RELEASE
TO DO THiS, 50 WE'RE IN THE ЖАРА =
(45
1 MUST ADMIT, WELL, SO \ / HERE, SEND THIS a и MUCH FOR OFF TO “FUNNIEST SOMETHING MORE “MacG WER“ ESQUE.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 92 - egm.gamers.com
THAT. Home VIDEOS,"
AND FETCH THE NEXT CANDIDATE.
THANKFULLY SO LONG AS “PHISH”
RECORDS ARE STILL SELLING, OUR SMELLY ^ HIPPIE SUPPLY
15 PRETTY NIGH- GoTTOMLE SS!
Cont. on page 94
15% AMD A VPLAYBOOK DESIGN, т
м у
ROLE PLAYERS
(SATHE LAST |
5 «ар пив і ні
112% МВА
Anyone can give 110%. NBA Inside Drive 2003 is now loaded with а 25-season dynasty mode that includes player management, timely trades, intense drafts, play design and stars that improve with age. Will purple reign? Will the windy city rise again? It's your team, kid.
More basketball than basketball
www.nbainsidedrive2003,com
EVERYONE
www.xbox.com CONTENT RATED BY ESRB wwwnba.com
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. Ай righ or other countries. Other products used on or in this product are trad used, in whole or in part, without the exp
U AND CHAN’S OFFICIAL WEB SITE - www.ape-law.com/evilmonkey BUY HSU AND CHAN JUNK! - www.cafeshops.com/hsuandchan
PRESS START
Cont. from page 92
IMPRESSIVE |
WE'LL PROBABLY HANE To IMPLEMENT А RADAR FUNCTION FOR X TO WORK IN А GAME.
FIELD OF VISION 15 GONNA BEA PROBLEM... UM... 548... шя Looks LIKE HE айы To SNEAK ОР. ON THAT THUG, мот BY HIM...
HSO- HANG ON А SECOND! LOOK!
THE CHANCAM'S STILL BROADCASTING!
A RESILIENT LITTLE BUGGER, THAT ONE.
He's Moving!
INDEED! He MUST HAVE UNTOLD HIPPIE RS TO COMPENSATE. FOR
HIS LACK OF
SOCIAL GRACE,
EMPLOYMENT, ETC...
Hey, NOW THIS 19 MORE LIKE 1Т-- SEE?
HE'S USING STEALTH Meo NONSENSE, CHAN,
TO SNEAK HES PROBABLY SUS RANG То--
SINCE WHEN Do WE
THAT WASN'T MOUNDS оғ
UMAR! THINK, cHAN--
n e RESEARCH НАМЕ A SECRET Н Doan} ЗЕ MUNITIONS CACHE WHAT SINGLE, | IN THE OFFICE? UNIFY ING CONCEPT
AND 11'S gest SYMBOLIZED TuE DECADE OF
Чоо GIVE “EM GONNA TAKE = ROEL O нме | | WEES TO CET мект Tae SEVENTIES y R ч? "s 5 SM | MN ESS a HERE! INTENSIFIED.
LEG!
MUNITIONS, CACHE ON THE SECOND
WHOLESOME AND DELICIOUS Hostess” FROT ves!
бо, oM, GOT ANY ЕЛЬ? HE'S IN THE мехт ROOM
onmi мект ME, WELL, ! THINK VIDEO GAMERS, WE LEARNED A Tig 16 HSU TANAKA, Ча. JOST VALUABLE REMINDING YOU THAT... TAKE THIS, Ом- Чоо SHOULDN'T ou UNHOLY НЕ AMALGAM OF \ GUESS,
\_ONLY PRAY THEY WORK In TME!
NOBODY Can RESIST HE DELICIOUS FLAKY
CRUST AND SELLY FLOWER AND FILLING! CHILD! No, WE DIDN'T. WE LEARNED ABOUT, әлем?
wee.
Hostess FRUIT РЕЗ, Do You?
GET ^ HAIRCUT, HIPPIE!
-IN
он, ЧЕАН. WELL, THEY'RE BAD NEWS, TOO,
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 94 - egm.gamers.com
IT BEGINS AS А DREAM...
FREEFORMER™
ENGINE MOVES SEAMLESSLY BETWEEN RACING, SHOOTING, FLYING, GLIDING, DOG-FIGHTING GAMEPLAY IN A SEEMINGLY BOUNDLESS UNIVERSE!
BOATING AND HAVEN! CALL OF THE KING DELIVERS AN EPIC EXPERIENCE OF MULTIPLE GAMEPLAY STYLES SEAMLESSLY BLENDED TOGETHER IN A MASSIVE UNIVERSE. YOU MUST FIGHT TO SAVE YOUR PEOPLE FROM AN ANCIENT EVIL AND DRAW UPON EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER LEARNED TO FIND THE HERO WITHIN AND ANSWER THE CALL OF THE KING TO FREE YOUR PEOPLE FROM THE TYRANNY OF ENSLAVEMENT:
TEEN Coming 2003 _ Fall 2002 _ Mild Violence 4 - 2 = X GAMEBOYADvaNcE PlayStation.2 EE асыны. хеох
"THEN 1T GETS REAL.
(ee HAVEN.MIDWAY.COM
HEART RAGING. POLICE SIRENS FLASHING BEHIND YOU. HANDS CLENGHING THE WHEEL AS YOU MANEUVER THROUGH TH MOST REALISTIC TRAFFIC SCENARIOS EVER DEVELOPED. EYES WATERING AS YOU WITNESS THE MOST REALISTIC AN HORRIFIC CRASHES EVER SEEN IN A GAME. MUSCLES TENSING А8 YOU TRY TO MAINTAIN CONTROL THROUGH 30 OPE ROAD STAGES. YOU'VE PICKED YOUR CAR FROM AN AUTOMOTIVE ARSENAL OF 14 ALL-NEW VEHICLES, HOPEFULLY, CAR AN DRIVER WILL SURVIVE THE POINT OF IMPACT. OR THE LAST THING ТО GO THROUGH YOUR MIND WILL BE YOUR ASS.
EVERYONE
e Limited. Burnout is a registe сот, Acclaim 6
2002 Criterio
Copyright 1 ped by erved, "Plays
Mild Violence
n“ and the “F
PlayStation.2 Ж<ісіт
www.acclaim.com
=” Criterion
== (e
Previews
PlayStation 2 Devil May Cry 2 Red Faction И WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth Contra: Shattered Soldier
102-103
108,110 114-115
116
122 123 124 125 126 127
128
134-135
"a
138,140 144,146 150,152 158 160 162
164
172-177 182,184 186
187 192
BMX XXX
Disaster Report
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips Fighter Maker 2
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Ratchet & Clank
Suikoden III
Dr. Muto
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime
James Bond 007: NightFire
Mario Party 4
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Batman: Dark Tomorrow
Evolution Worlds
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
The Legend of Zelda
Cubivore
Swingerz Golf
NBA 2K:
Steel Battalion Blinx: The Time Sweeper Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Brute Force
Kirby Tomb Raider Doom И
WARNING: Previews marked with international symbols may or
at your own risk.
the things in Grand Theft Auto 111—
like the senseless violence and the late-night rendezvouses with hookers— are somewhat juvenile, and even set back the industry in the eyes of senators, parents groups and the like. But there was actually a good reason for the stuff in that game. It lent an air of authenticity —not to mention atmosphere—to what was a very good, very adult game. It's akin to the type of content you'd find in a gangster flick like Goodfellas or The Sopranos.
Then we come to BMX XXX, an action- Sports game where you trick your way down an inner-city street, knocking over pimps, creating topless female bikers and listening to such witty comments as "Get your hot, salty nut sacks here!" or “I think I'll cut my husband's d*** off." Gimme a break. How does any of that stuff add to the experience of what is basically the latest version of Dave Mirra BMX?
Or could be wrong. Maybe BMX ХХХ will be the shot in the arm the genre needs. After all, if it plays just like last
"т all for pushing the envelope. Sure, you can argue that some of
1. Metroid Prime 2. Steel Battalion
3. Devil May Cry 2 4. Metroid Fusion 5. Red Faction II
It's the mech simulator with the sweetest controller we've ever laid eyes, hands or feet on, and you can see what Steel Batallion is about starting on page 172.
year's Dave Mirra (or even better), it should still be a good game, right? But I'm willing to bet that BMX XXX will just end up as ammo at the next congressional hearing to show how our nation's youth went awry.
Either way, one thing I'm almost positive about is that XXX will sell like crazy for the first few weeks after its release. So in the end, | guess Acclaim will accomplish its goal. No foul there— everyone's out to make a buck in this business.
— Previews Editor Greg Sewart
GC, Nov. 18, 2002 Xbox, November 2002 PS2, January 2003 GBA, Nov. 18, 2002 PS2, Oct. 29, 2002
Metroid Fusion (GBA)
Metroid Prime (GC)
We asked you, our readers, which Metroid you were more excited about: the 3D GameCube Prime or
the 2D Game Boy Advance Fusion.
Source: Gamers.com poll, 8/02
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 100 - egm.gamers.com
TEVEN SPIELBERG’S FUTURISTIC THRILLER EXPLODES ONTO ALL NEXT GEN GAMING SYSTEMS.
FALL 2002
Relive the movie experience in an all-new adventure as Precrime's Top Cop John Anderton, combat moves and an explosive arsenal of weapons.
Take on human and robotic enemies with hand-to-hand Immerse yourself in non-stop action/adventure. with futuristic weapons and devices straight out of the movie.
PlayStation. ж GET IT THIS FALL ON DVD e GAME BOY ADVANCE
25-35 p
едх
ТЕЕМ
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CONTENT RATED BY (жаз ESRB
E
ACTIVISION.
ation and Dreamworks LLP. All rights reserved, Fox Interactive and their associated logos are trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Published ion is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates, All rights reserved, Licensed for play on the PlayStation’2 computer entertainment systems 'amily logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks
Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube and the Official Seal are trademarks v Ali other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
Minority Report. ТМ & © 2002 Twentieth Century Fox Film Сог and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. under license. Acti with the NTSC U/C designation only. "PlayStation" and the "PS of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft, Licensed by Nintendo. Nintendo, of Nintendo. 2: 200 Nintendo. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Associ
activision.com
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PREVIEW
Devil May Cry 2
Capcom
Capcom [Роу !
Action-adventure 30%
January 2003 CTT None www.capcom.com With a bunch of new
moves, Dante is cooler than ever.
You won't see this
game under the Christmas tree.
ШАЛАШ Have you ever seen a
devil cry? It ain't pretty.
NEW CHARACTER
“A lot of people who played DMC were disappointed that Trish wasn’t a playable character,” says Tsuyoshi Tanaka, producer of DMC2. *So that's why it's important we're introducing Lucia as a playable character in DMC2." Two playable characters mean you'll be able to double your pleasure and go through the game twice— once as Dante and once as Lucia (above).
Aside from their branch- ing, yet intertwining storylines, the characters will also control differently. Lucia, who wields a double scythe, is the quicker of the two and extremely deadly at close range. *We toyed with the idea of making Dante kind of like James Bond, where in each game, he has different female support characters," says Tanaka.
games for a living. These days, he's on the other
side of the biz making one of Capcom's biggest sequels in recent years: Devil May Cry 2. “The hardest part about going from writing to actually making a game is the number of people involved," he tells us while entrenched in a busy workweek at Capcom's development studios in Osaka, Japan. "When you're writing, you just worry about your text and maybe the layout of the page. But when it comes to making games, you've got to coordinate maybe 50 people to finish one task...now that's difficult." Add the fact that this is Tanaka's debut title, and it's practically a miracle DMC2 manages to meet our expectations at all.
T suyoshi Tanaka used to write about video
“Are you the keymaster?"
Yet, just minutes into the gameplay demo, we can already tell that Devil 2 is in good hands. “We took a global survey and asked our fans what they liked about DMC,” says Tanaka. “Overwhelmingly, gamers responded with how cool they thought Dante’s character was, and how much they liked DMC's action gameplay. So this time, we're focusing on those two aspects of the game." As he guided Dante, DMC2's lead badass, through an early area of the game, we were struck with the very same hook that first pulled us into the original.
At a glance, Devil May Cry 2 looks and feels a lot like the first game. As the dual pistol-wielding Dante, you take on hordes of supernatural bad guys comin' at ya from all sides. And when you can see the whites of their eyes, whip out Dante's massive blade for combos and other bone-crushing possibilities. But DMC wasn't just another 3D brawler. Its appeal was embodied in Dante, a super- cool half-man, half-demon hybrid packing enough
Much of DMCZ's action takes place in huge outdoor levels. Here, Dante prepares to dive, head first, down this skyscraper.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 102 - egm.gamers.com
DMC2 Online
Can’t get enough of Dante and his big, fat sword? Head on over to the
DMC2 section on www.capcom.com and check out DMC2 Magazine, a weekly online 'zine loaded with news and soundbites from DMC2.
Bite putting his y balls to the walls
^| use the words ‘Devil Never Cry’ in an important part of DMC2.”
—DMC2 producer Tsuyoshi Tanaka
heat and one-liners to make Vin Diesel look like a girly-man. Aside from giving him even more zing with a gun (see sidebar), DMC2 sees Dante performing Matrix-like feats such as running onto a wall, doing a reverse flip and blasting enemies on the downstroke. These acrobatics serve as more than just new signature moves, they’re also important for the sequel’s huge city levels.
Tanaka shows us the first level of the game, which features a full-blown Euro-style town. “This level is about nine times the width of any area in Devil May Cry,” Tanaka explains. “Players are encouraged to jump onto rooftops and leap from one to the next because there’s more than one way to get to the end.” Tanaka then pulls the camera way back for a flyby of other places we'll likely visit on our journey
through hell: a massive helipad in the middle of the sea, of all places; an ancient temple reminiscent of Mayan architecture; and last but certainly not least, an impressive dark urban wasteland with sky- scrapers galore.
Other aspects of the game that Tanaka and his team have focused on are difficulty level and camera views, which players complained about in the first game. “We felt that the biggest problem of DMC was that it was too difficult,” says Tanaka. “Devil 2 will adjust the level of difficulty to adapt to how good the player is so that if you die a lot, the game will throw out less enemies and make them easier. This game will be a lot more accessible for mainstream players.” As for the camera, only time will tell; Tanaka assures us that it’s not going to be a problem for the sequel.
So is Tanaka nervous about taking on the highly anticipated DMC2 as his first-ever project? “Not really. The only pressure | have is the deadline to get the game done,” he tells us. “They moved the release date up four months, so it’s been stressful. Just remember, Capcom loves you.”
—Che Chou
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 108 - egm.gamers.com
DMC2 expands Dante's list of attacks with awesome new techniques. He can now target and shoot two enemies at once as he walks around the screen. And because it's Dante we're talking about here, every move —from crossing his dual pistols to blast fools on opposite ends of the screen, to the nonchalant flip of a gat to shoot someone coming up from behind— exudes the same amount of mad confidence and style we fell in love with from the first game. Let's rock.
Embark upon a heroic quest as Vexx through volcanic islands, desert temples, frozen citadels, and giant’s castles, to confront Dark Yabu high atop the Landspire, save his people, and avenge
the death of his grandfather.
PRIMA'S'OFFICIAI STRATEGY GUIDE
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PlayStation.2 #216816.9 „бук CHOICE XBOX #24375 . _ $49. 99
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Unreal Championship 1 is a first-person action game built from the ground up exclusively for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, utilizing the latest Unreal technology by Epic Games.
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PRIMA'S OFFICIAL STRATEGY GUIDE
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In-store promotion only. Expires 12/31/02.
Pis valid in U.S. only. Typographical errors ore nat the responsibilty of Electronics Boutique. Not oli items may appear at our outlet las. Prices may vary by location, At time of printing, all products are expected to be available. Some packaging, pricing, ond speciol offers may differ in Canada. Prices and availability are subject to change. Manufacturers” delays are not the responsibilty of Electronics Boutique. ©2002 Electronics Boutique.
Call 1.800.800.5166 for the store nearest you or call 1.800.800.0032 to place your order now!
PlayStation.e
LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PEAY Ім R URS?
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PREVIEW
CN түс
СТИ Volition KETE 1-2 (1-4 w/ Multitap) EXC First-person shooter % Done: 80%
Oct. 29, 2002 ШШШ None www.redfaction2.com Wanton destruction
of buildings, vehicles and bad guys
Bothersome spider
mines and sentry droids
Blowing up an enemy and reeling at the bloody leg stumps he leaves behind
HODGEPODGE
Red Faction Il: Stealing the Best Bits from Your Fave
SC
Those naughty boys at
Volition have turned the past year's shooter releases into a gigantic crib sheet to nab ideas from: Your character's health /shield regenerates just like Master Chief's from Halo. Some of your ordnance can be carried in both hands, and each weapon has secondary fire; thanks, Half-Life! Oh, and there's the “flying on rails through the sky, planting rockets and gunfire into buildings" levels; hats off to Virtua Cop 2 for that one. What's next? Sitting on а {апК turret with a machine gun, like James Bond in Agent Under Fire? Hey, wait a minute...
That there's the prettiest man we've ever laid eyes on. How in the world could we possibly shoot at him?
Double-fisting takes on a whole new meaning in Red Faction Il.
red than dead. For the follow-up to last year's
Mars-based first-person shooter, mining uniforms and Total Recall-inspired underground cave break-outs have been shelved in favor of over- developed cyborg warriors packing more destruction in their pockets than what you might find in Ted Nugent's shed.
What Volition has attempted to pull off in Red Faction 11 is a dystopian look into the future, complete with Sopot, a totalitarian leader who plasters his visage on every massive red curtain he can find. Although the plot's reasonably fleshed-out (Sopot's condemned you and five other super soldiers to death, and you're not too happy about it), it isn't required reading. Mainly because the high number of goons you'll be cutting down in various Earth locales instantly makes you forget the nuances of overthrowing regimes.
Instead, twitch with excitement as you think about the next armor-plated schmuck you'll be tearing to pieces, using a weapon (see pg. 110 for some of the 14 available) that would make Halo's Master Chief soil his rusty britches in envy.
The much-acclaimed Geo-Mod game engine from
A ccording to developer Volition, it’s better to be
the last Faction makes a return in the sequel. In tandem with some of the heavier weapons, you can lay waste to plenty of scenery and even open up new areas by being recklessly adventurous. Of course, not everything in the environment is destructible. You'll see inconsistencies like planks of wood that take countless grenades without a splinter, or concrete walls that fly apart after a quick prodding, but those are minor quibbles. It’s the combat enhancements in Red Faction II that'll really make you take notice.
First up, you’ve got your teammates to help you. These cookie-cutter sidekick stereotypes include the slinky Tangier, the walking man-mountain Repta, the curiously stoic sniper Quill and the annoyingly loud, half-retarded Shrike.
These guys can act as drivers and pilots in the numerous vehicle segments of the game, leaving both your hands free to return fire on pursuing enemies or to rain death from above. Teammates also tag along for some of the more footy missions. Don’t worry, action fanatics, the pace of the game won't be dragged down by ordering your troops around or by tedious squad-based strategies — instead, these A.I. drones will automatically watch your back and pepper hapless enemies while you take point.
In terms of controls, Red Faction 1115 more versatile than most games in the genre. If you're one of those gamers who just can't stand the PlayStation
Fire when you see the whites of their eyes, even if they're already on the ground, begging for mercy. Always remember: mercy is for the weak.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 108 - egm.gamers.com
cu bMIDWAY
JUSTICE LEAGUE COMES TO THE GAME BOY ADVANCE
When global catastrophe strikes and the world is іп peril, the call goes out for the Justice , League, the greatest: super heroes of all time. Fighting ‘for truth, justice and freedom, “Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter have banded together to fight for the common good against the /njustice League in an all-new action adventure title for.the Game Boy" Advance. Featuring 12 levels of non-stop action, gamers will overcome dangerous obstacles, an onslaught of villains and discover power-ups.on the path to victory! “
а GAME, PREVIEW AT: ‘WWW. JUSTICELEAGUE. MIDWAY. com
Justice League: Injustice For All video game © 2002 DC Comics and Midway Home Entertainment Inc. MIDWAY and the MIDWAY LOGO are registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All rights reserved. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment, Inc. TM. ® an Game. Boy Advance are trademarks . of Nintendo,
I DC pullet Logo, JUSTICE LEAGUE*and all related chařacters and elements are trademarks of and © DC
v pics. 2 "WBiE Loco ™ & © Warner Bros. 22 (802)
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Cont. from page 108
2 controller and require precision cap-popping courtesy of a mouse and keyboard, then Red Faction Il is your game. You buy the USB keyboard and mouse, the flat surface to rest them on and the medical bills for your carpal tunnel syndrome.
Finally, fans of multiplayer fragdowns will be more than a little excited to learn this game has a variety of environments, deathmatch bots, match types and well-toned future
warriors from which to choose in the multiplayer modes. The stages are exceptional and look larger than those seen in recent first- person shooters like 007: Agent Under Fire and Half-Life. Plus, Red Faction II offers
environmental variations, such as trampolines.
Maybe we'll get to set up our own crazy Slamball tournaments!
We came away slightly dazed by the game's ultra-violence interspersed with mini-game
GETTING THE JOB DONE
stages. Don't expect a revolution with the reds this time. The gameplay in Red Faction II isn't anything you haven't already seen, but its addictive, seat-of-your-pants, adrenaline- pumping action is still pretty enthralling. You may have to leave your brain at the door, but for those of you aching to tag bad guys in near-future body armor, prepare to be welcomed into the faction. 4f
— David Hodgson
So, How Do You Mangle Your Foe into Unrecognizable Fleshy Chunks?
CSP-9 Semi-Automatic Pistol
Chunk Kibble Rate: 1/5 Giblets Amusement Factor: Medium
This pathetic *phut-phut" pistol can be changed into the ultimate enemy embarrassment if you're wielding two at a time. Waltz around your victim while plugging him with lead, and laugh at his automatic-weapon-based ineptitude.
CAS-14 Automatic Combat Shotgun Chunk Kibble Rate: 4/5 Giblets Amusement Factor: High
Amusingly violent weapons get you moist? Then prepare for humorous and morally objectionable blasting, throwing your enemy back in a crumpled heap. Or try
setting them on fire with incendiary rounds.
They run! They smolder! It's fun!
NGL-8 Nanotech Grenade Launcher Chunk Kibble Rate: 6/5 Giblets (Overload!) Amusement Factor: Off the Charts!
Yes, that's a security guard's legs you're seeing, along with a cranial portion and a red mist of offal floating from the explosion cloud. And that's just one of the entertaining maiming effects Volition's working on for this over-the-top launcher.
Nanotech Individual Combat Weapon Chunk Kibble Rate: 1/5 Giblets Amusement Factor: Low
It's a big, bad piece of heavy, glistening metal, so why does the N.I.C.W. pack the firepower of a Daisy air rifle? Only Volition knows. But it can paint the walls behind your victims in splatters of their own blood, So it's not all bad. Don't shoot your eye out.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 110 - egm.gamers.com
CAR-72 Military Assault Rifle
Chunk Kibble Rate: 2/5 Giblets Amusement Factor: Low
The AK-47, sorry, we mean CAR-72 is your regulation assault rifle, with a pitiful three- shot regular fire, and a "tearing through enemies" automatic fire. You need your foe to check the ceiling in a lurching death twitch? This is your weapon.
CMG-32 Submachine Gun
Chunk Kibble Rate: 2/5 Giblets Amusement Factor: Medium
A pair of Uzis in a video game? Certainly not! These are CMG-32 submachine guns, and are nothing like Uzis. Oh, except for the firing capacity, ammo loading and look of the weapon. Use both at once, in the John Woo-regulation firing style.
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trademal licrosoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used Under license from Microsoft Idedialaments © Disney. Screenshots taken from PlayStation. |
‘CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
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It speeds toward you so fast you don’t have time to blink.
So get tough or you'll be eating ice.
SEGA 2]
segasports.com
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PREVIEW
WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth
ЕШШ тно
Developer: Yuke's (COE 1-2 (1-6 w/ Multitap) ТЕЗ Wrestling
% Done: 65%
Release: November 2002 ССИ None www.thg.com You can finally
wrestle as Hogan in his classic red and yellow. Woo!
The Bad: Still no bra and panty matches. Damn!
Kurt Angle's new haircut. Can that dude get any uglier? Apparently so...
POKER FACIAL
It’s more important т а wrestling game than any other in the sports genre to get each character’s looks and mannerisms absolutely perfect. Yuke’s tells us that for SYM, not only are wrestlers’ faces more detailed but “every part of their behavior has been tuned so they use the moves you'd expect, and show the same personality traits. For example, Hogan pointing his finger, blocking the opponent’s punch and then returning a hard punch to send the opponent to the mat, or Brock Lesnar shrugging his shoulders after a punishing attack.”
Mix things up by taking the match backstage.
New match types this year include Elimination Tag, Captain Fall Tornado Six-Man Tag and Slobber Knocker Any- where. If you don’t know what those are, you can't call yourself a fan.
updates for a long time—Madden, NFL
2Kwhatever, Tony Hawk 5000.... Well wrestling fans, you better warm up to the idea. This year’s update of SmackDown! is almost here.
Before you get the idea that Shut Your Mouth is just another yearly rehash, let the team at developer Yuke's put your fears to rest. “Every area of the game has been tremendously improved," they tell us. And that doesn't just mean they added more wrestlers (though they did that, too—over 55 WWE Superstars make appearances in SYM).
Most important to fans everywhere is the story mode, which has undergone the most tweaks and changes. “Season mode was an area that was
6 ports gamers have been used to yearly
Rob Van Dam Jett Hardy,
heavily criticized in [last year’s] Just Bring It, and we listened to consumers and changed this whole mode," the team at Yuke's explains. This year, Season begins with the draft between Raw and SmackDown! from last spring, and includes the re- emergence of the nWo. As you might expect, the goalis to become WWE Heavyweight Champion, but the path won't be the same for every wrestler. “You select the Superstar you want to take through а season, and it will be up to you to play out your own story, as you will be faced with many choices," the team explains. "Depending on who you select, you may start right at the bottom having to fight your way through all wrestlers and belts in order to reach the Holy Grail. This depth provides a lot of Cont. on page 115
We could put a sarcastic comment here, but we'll just
leave it at "ewwww."
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Electronic Gaming Monthly - 114 - egm.gamers.com
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IN STORES NOVEMBER 2002 www.lordoftherings.net JOIN THE ADVENTURE AT lordoftherings.ea.com ©2002 New Line Productions, Inc. The Lord of The Rings and the characters, names, and places therein, TM The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. All
Rights Reserved. Electronic Arts, EA GAMES and the EA GAMES logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TM, ® and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners, EA GAMES" is an Electronic Arts™ brand.
SWITCHEROO
After Stone Cold’s recent problems with WWE management (he’s not on the active roster anymore) and certain run-ins with the
law, the beligerent Superstar was removed from the original cover for Wrestlemania X8 (GameCube) and replaced with The Rock. Which cover will net you the most cash when you bring it to the Antiques Roadshow in 2075? Only time will tell.
Cont. from page 114
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replay value as the storylines always change based on your selected wrestler and the choices you make." Along the way you'll unlock new costume parts you can use to create your own wrestlers.
The gameplay’s been refined, too. “We re-worked the system to ensure that there are counters for grapples and strikes," says Yuke's, *and have added а selection of cool counters so that the moves don't get repetitive. It is important that you get the timing right or you leave yourself exposed even more." One wrong move and next thing you'll see are the lights of the arena as The Undertaker chokeslams your sorry ass (and you deserved it).
As you hit the mat with a resounding thud, you'll hear the voices of WWE sideline commentators Jerry “The King” Lawler, Jim Ross, Tazz and Michael Cole. “We have completely changed the way the play-by- play system works to remove the flow problems and at times odd commentary we had in Just Bring It,” says Yuke's. “The comments hit at all the right points in a match to ensure it supports all the action going on." All the action won't only be in the ring, either. Fight in backstage arenas modeled after Madison Square Garden and Pay-Per-View events
Bubba nay oudiey
like Backlash and Unforgiven. These environments, according to Yuke’s, “provide you with the opportunity to take the action out of the ring where everything you see and touch results in a corresponding effect.”
Even with these fixes, tweaks and new features for SYM, the team at Yuke’s already has ideas for next year. “We didn’t have a chance to get [some features] in that will be included in upcoming years,” they say. “Expect some big changes.” ж
—Chris Johnston
Jet! Hardy
NOT GUILTY
The big question for some fans: Will Stone Cold Steve Austin be in this year’s SmackDown!? Wonder no more—the Texas native may not be on the WWE's active roster, but he’s included in Shut Your Mouth. And he’s not even a secret character that you’ll have to unlock— THQ told us that he’s available from the get-go just like all the other wrestlers in the game. Just remember to keep it clean in the ring.
We've learned a valuable lesson today, kids. If you hit a girl, they're going to come back and put you in a submission hold.
[XJ E—
PREVIEW
Developer: Konami СИ 1-2
СИ shooter
% Done: 90%
November 2002 ШҮП None www.konami.com Finally, а return to
classic Contra action.
This game will hand
you your ass if you're not fast.
Just thinking about
the crappy Р51 Contra games we've had to endure the past few years.
FIREPOWER
Dish out some major hurt in one of three ways in Contra:
Your standard rapid-fire machine gun.
Roast your enemies with the flame thrower.
Nothing beats the grenade launcher for sheer power.
Contra vets might remember | boss from Alien Wars (Super NES]
survived two horrendous PS1 outings) is
returning to form on the PS2. Shattered Soldier will remind old-timers of the glory days on 8- and 16- bit consoles, while newbies will finally understand why the Contra franchise is held in such reverence amongst geriatric gamers.
This is just mindless fun, which is what makes it so great. Forget mission objectives, solving puzzles or any of that crap. Just shoot...a lot. Your thumb will be glued to the fire button for the duration of Contra, taking a break only when you switch between the three weapons (see sidebar).
The coolest part of Shattered Soldier is the huge bosses you'll face. It seems the developers һауе a special place in their hearts for the Transformers, because almost every giant robot here has two or more forms. Take the submarine boss early in the game, for example. You start off dodging incoming fire as it takes shots at you from the background,
T he series that once defined shooters (and
only to have it submerge and come up directly under the bridge you're on. Deal enough damage while it's in front of you and it'll transform into a helicopter. Now you have to run in below it and systematically take out turrets, engines and rotors, dismantling it to the point of destruction. And with a high boss count, the game delivers a lot of similar encounters.
For all you old-school gamers who're wondering, Shattered Soldier is no cakewalk. You'll find your controller slick with sweat after each level, and you'll wonder just how you made it through that crazy crossfire or survived that screen-filling alien. And of course you'll be able to bring along a buddy for simultaneously play throughout the game. In fact, that's the best way to go. Having someone covering your ass increases your chances of survival tenfold.
So put those bad PS1 memories behind you. Contra is back in a big way. E
— Greg Sewart
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 116 - egm.gamers.com
trademarks.
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teseryed:
АЦ else has failed. The lines between good and evil have been drawn: There's you and there's everybody else. Your weapon is a 40-foot-tall walking death machine. Your mission is destruction. Tanks, helicopters, buildings, the planet itself. Welcome to war in the 315% century, where peace is one of those things you read about.
e. Engage others on a massive scale. Download new 'Mechs, new missions, even enemies.
For added destruction play online with Xbox This is epic devastation taken to a whole new level and it's only available on Xbox Live.
Violence Blood = - www.xbox.com
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X
xeox PlayStation.
'ademarks of Midway Amusem: teams and may not be reprod
jertainment Inc, MIDWAY and the Midway logos are trademarks or r 1905 and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the re:
Hockey Les rs’ Association, NHI ion in the U.S: and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. ТЇ
IL. Ай rights resorved. © NHLPA; Officially inment inc; Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either 1000 are trademarks of Nintendo. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertain
4
MIDWAY
SPORTS;
IVE adrenaline-style 3-on-3 hockey action mea ын and ferocious gameplay.
ranchise Mode. Deepest Hockey experience available. Season Mode. Every team and every game. / Full in-depth stat tracking. à nternational & All-Star Teams, plus Fantasy Teams and Stadiums: Hockey School and Mini-Games.
IGNITE YOUR GAME"
www.midwaysports.net
ELPA
x X xx
ж | МЕ ARE E s Е = ; THE NATION'S CHOSEN FEW,
WE ARE SWIFT, SILENT, AND INVISIBLE. .
2°
a
WE WILL NOT FAIL OUR COUNTRY.
WE WILL NOT FAIL EACH OTHER.
АСЕ МАУ RI
олпат -amaS ED BATT LEPIELD COMBA?
Command the Ghosts, an elite handful of specially-trained Green Berets, in a deadly, realistic
campaign waged on the war-torn battlefields of tomorrow's headlines. Use cutting-edge gear and guns to lay waste to the enemy, or your multiplayer opponents. A total battlefield experience that only Tom Clancy and the makers of Rainbow Six can deliver.
MATURE Blood and Gore ------ | X 2X xeox Violence | Ubi Soft | ZERÊ E mm o LETVE Eom
© 2002 Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. Red Storm and Red Storm Entertainment are trademarks of Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. is а Ubi Soft is intendo GameCube logo is a trademark of Nintendo. All other trademarks ure the property of their respective owners.
of Rubicon, Inc. under license to Ubi Sofi Entertainment, Desert Siege is a trademark of Red Storm Entertainment, Ine. The № Logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft.
‘ntertainment company. АВ Rights Reserved. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is a trademm
GAME OF THE YEAR
NOW FOR NEXT-GENERATION CONSOLES
www.ghostrecon.com
pup oe
PREVIEW
СОИ AKA Acclaim
Developer: Z-Axis СИНИ: [бепе | Action sports
% Done: 50% Release: Fall 2002 Also On: GC, Xbox
LEO Www.acclaim.com
Dave Mirra gameplay
with lots of T&A.
The Bad: More unnecessary
controversy for the gaming biz.
Eating Chinese food
at Lon Hung Coc's.
MULTIPLAYER
In case you think BMX XXX is all dog feces and cleavage, know that the game also features a two- player splitscreen mode. Acclaim hasn’t whipped out the skinny on all the different multiplayer aspects yet, but they have mentioned two: Strip and Sniper BMX. The stripping game will work like that old game of HORSE you’ve played in Tony Hawk, except the loser gets to drop his/her trousers. Sniper BMX brings an interesting twist to action sports, namely that of rifles, machine guns and rocket launchers. Player one, who sits on one side of the level with his/her weapon of choice, tries to take out player two, who’s trying not to get shot to pieces. XXXtreme indeed.
Sometimes, a long, flaccid firehose is just a long, flaccid firehose.
This screenshot pretty much sums up BMX XXX: a Dave Mirra-style game in a raunchy, inner-city environment.
teat that’s getting sucked dry by games like Tony
Hawk and Dave Mirra, then it isn’t hard to see why developer Z-Axis’ latest bike-fest is stacked with boobage. After all, where do you take a genre that’s completely saturated with clones and sequels? Why, straight to the trailer park, of course.
Some of you may remember first seeing this game
under the title Dave Mirra BMX XXX. Naw, you're not partying too hard—that was the original title, but publisher Acclaim decided to ditch the Mirra license in order to make the naughtiest, most juvenile gaming experience possible. “With a non-licensed product we can really push the envelope,” says Alan Lewis, director of public relations at Acclaim.
К f you think of the action-sports genre as a big, fat
According to him, this descent into the gutter is a natural, evolutionary step. “Folks are looking for an entirely new experience. BMX XXX is raw, rowdy and real,” boasts Lewis. "We're introducing strippers, pimps, hookers, bums, drunks, monkeys, dogs—all part of a cast of 50 whacked-out personalities.”
To tell you the truth, we're not sure if it’s whacked- out or just plain whack. Similar to Aggressive Inline and the soon-to-be released Tony Hawk 4, BMX XXX lets you explore its huge environments without the pressure of time limits. You progress through the game by talking to lowlifes who give you lowbrow objectives. Take the Probe Payback episode for instance, where you poke aliens in the ass with your bike to avenge an indignant Russian cosmonaut; in Rent-a-Bitch, you sacrifice a pimp’s poodle to satisfy a dirty, crapping dog on the loose. Those of you tired of free porn on the Internet can finally buy your icks with BMX XXX’s peepshows that feature live- action videos of real-life strippers. And yes, this game is rated Mature.
Throw in random profanities (the “s” word, the “f” word, etc.) and you’ve got a game so over-the-top, you'll laugh at it purely out of embarassment for its creators. Do you really care that BMX XXX plays and controls just like the other Mirra games? Or that it’s got new flatland and recovery techniques? No, of course not. Who’s got time for gameplay when there are tits to be had? E:
—Che Chou
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 122 - egm.gamers.com
ВУ ней Y SQUARESOFT
ee ea.
PREVIEW GALLERY "
Disaster Report Agetec * October 2002 * Also On: None — The word "survival" takes on new meaning in Disaster Report's ultra-realistic setting. As a reporter who survives the collapse of a city that's sinking into the ocean, you must pick your way through the rubble to find your way to safety. Along the way you'll en- counter other survivors, some of whom you must rescue using hastily gathered objects. And if avoiding crumbling skyscrapers wasn't enough, you'll also wrestle with dehydration and Black-Ops forces who want to silence you before you uncover the master- mind behind the city's destruction. а
к=. =
ПШПШ Infogrames Infogrames теке "|
ШИ Action
% Попе: 90%
бері. 24, 2002 ШЕТЕН None us.infogrames.com You can use just
about any of Superman's powers.
Finicky controls. The memories of
Superman on the Nintendo 64.
uperman fans have waited long enough. Finally, after years of uninspired—even
downright offensive—video-game interpretations, the Man of Steel is ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound in a game that, while not without its faults, should do an admirable job of shaking the indelibly horrible memory of Titus’ N64 Super-embarrassment.
Just playing the opening level of Shadow of Apokolips makes this apparent as you realize that developer Infogrames-Sheffield House has done all it can to make this the Supes you know and love straight from the Kids’ WB! cartoon series of the late “905. Although the inclusion of virtually all his powers helps accomplish this, the team has gone
Even though Lex Luthor and Darkseid are the chief antagonists in Shadow of Apokolips, you never actually face them. Expect confrontations with superfoes Metallo, Parasite, Kanto and Livewire (left), however. Of course, it takes a little more than straight-up fisticuffs to take each one down.
beyond simply including the likes of heat vision, cooling breath, X-ray vision and superhearing (visualized as radar) —the game also allows you to put your powers to use in very cool ways. For instance, Superman doesn't just lift heavy things with his superstrength, he also uses this power to deliver particularly punishing blows from above, or to rip pipes from walls and use them as devastating weapons. And he doesn't just fly, he whisks through the air at varying speeds with maneuvers like barrel rolls and loop-de-loops that prove themselves as useful in dodging attacks as they are stylish.
Of course, pure heroism plays a large role as well. In addition to the Last Son of Krypton's overall goal of stopping the combined forces of Lex Luthor and Darkseid, his more immediate concerns center on saving individuals in peril, whether by lifting them to safety or merely by beating the crap out of the Intergang robots terrorizing them.
At this point, the key gripes gamers might have with Apokolips involve its camera and difficult-to- master controls. But to most Superman fans longing for a decent game, these issues certainly won't offer a lethal dose of Kryptonite. lf — Chris Baker
Nearly 60 cutscenes help bring the story to life, along with voice acting from the show's core cast, including Tim Daly and Dana Delany.
lectronic Gaming Monthly - 124 - egm.gamers.com
PREVIEW GALLERY
Ratchet & Clank
Sony CEA ® November 2002 * Also On: None — There's a ton of PS2 hoppers and boppers arriving this fall, but Sony's Ratchet & Clank stands apart from the rest. Its hook comes from its intense firearm combat and bountiful selection of equipment (over 3o guns and gadgets total). You'll need all that high-tech heat to smoke the baddies infesting the game's 18 planets.
Suikoden Ш
Konami * November 2002 * Also On: None — This RPG series has always been known for its depth of story and character development, and Suikoden III is no exception. The game centers on an intricate tale of politics and war headed by three lead characters whose stories intertwine throughout the course of the game. Enemy encounters are handled via a simple turn-based system. While most skirmishes are just your party versus a group of monsters, large-scale battles fought between armies mix things up a little.
"This doesn't seem very much like a castle. Much too pleasant."
Вер Y SQUARESOFT
AYA
p" E
PREVIEW
LUCASFILM
THX
SOUND SYSTEM
WE ARE 1138
The whole Lucas family is pooling its resources for Bounty Hunter. Industrial Light & Magic is responsible for all the game’s CG cutscenes, and Skywalker Ranch is taking care of the audio—both signs that Bounty Hunter will look and sound all sorts of legit.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
[Pubtisher: | LucasArts
Developer: LucasArts LIEN 1 ССНИ Action
% Done: 65% November 2002 Also On: 6c
ШЕПТЕ www.lucasarts.com ERE Most of Boba and
Jango's crazy gadgets will be included.
The searing lack of a
flyable Slave 1.
UTA Rozzata, Jango's
Tiderian ladyfriend.
WELCOME HOME
In The Hood
Sixteen levels scattered throughout five unique worlds. That’s the deal. Some of these will be familiar, though most won't. Here are the ones you've probably heard of.
Coruscant
The home of the Galactic Senate, Coruscant is literally a planet-sized metropolis. In Bounty Hunter, expect to explore its seedier areas.
Tatooine
Tatooine is a dry, desert world, home to all manner of scum, villainy and moisture farmers. You'll run into Jawas, Hutts and other, less-pronouncable species.
Being a jet-packin' player ain't easy. Wait, actually it is. Jango's pack has enough juice for some decent-sized
bursts, and it recharges quickly.
One advantage to being a crazy gunslinger is the ability to blast two
targets at once, as shown on
the right.
mad amount of
he name “Fett” carries a weight, and LucasArts knows this. That's why
it's so baffling that it's ta game devoted entirely to the i
en this long to get a llest armor suit in the
known universe. Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is the title in question, and while it doesn't star Boba Fett himself, you get to play as the next best thing: his
old pa Jango. Ultimately, it's a
| about the armor, so
don't sweat it too much if you've got a hardcore Boba fetish. If you've seen Episode // then you know
that old man Jango is capable like things.
of some pretty Fett-
What you'll be doing, exactly, is guiding Jango
through a series of Star Wars wrought and classic varieties)
ocales (of both newly- on missions revolving
around blaster-heavy gameplay. Apart from his characteristic twin blaster pistols, Jango packs an
assortment of space-age hard not limited to, a sniper rifle, a
ware including, but wrist-mounted flame
thrower, a rocket launcher and, of course, his trusty Jedi-snaring whipcord. You'll use this last one to great effect when snagging live bounties—enemies
scattered throughout the leve
ls who have prices on
their heads. Collect enough of them and you'll unlock all sorts of goodies, including alternate
. Flip, Fett, flip.
Electronic Gaming Mc
onthly - 126 - egm.gamers
BLASTER PISTOL
Turn the heat up.
HAMETHROWER
characters, bonus movies and bits of concept art. You can bring them in dead, too, of course. They just won't be worth as much.
“Тре baddest bad guys don't talk much," says LucasArts associate producer Rachel Hardwick. And Jango's a great example of that. Most of the plot- forwarding will be done via Fett's retainer Rozzata, a member of the same squat, winged species as Episode l’s Watto. She may not be pretty, but she's definitely loyal, and she more than compensates for any verbal challenges Jango may suffer.
Those looking to hotrod around space in Slave 1— the famous Fett-family craft— will be a little dissappointed, however. "We really wanted to focus on creating environments that compel you to use your jetpack without making it a full-on flight game,” says Hardwick, regarding the lack of Slave 1 action. To its credit, the game's jetpack mechanics do a lot to hasten the pace up several notches. And, as lead tester Andy Alamano states, "You'll be able to enjoy [Slave 1] in its parked form." Fair enough.
In any case, Bounty Hunter's brand of run-and- blast gameplay seems like just the thing to do the Fett clan some justice. And who knows? There might be some Boba hidden in there, somewhere...
—Miguel Lopez
[^ 223
PREVIEW GALLERY
Еее ИЕ ж Fighter Maker 2
Agetec * October 2002 * Also On: None — You've violated Virtua Fighter, taught Tekken a lesson and bitch-slapped Bloody Roar. So what does a fighting gamer do next? Why, he makes his own brawler, of course! The sequel to the cult-fave PSa title, Fighter Maker 2 provides gamers with the tools to create their own 3D fighting game. Customize your fighter's every last detail, choosing from over 260 body parts and 600 pre-designed moves (you can create your own, too). And if you're one of the hardcore who owns the original FM, dust off that copy and download an additional 800 moves into FM2.
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Midway
Midway Players: :
CEE Platformer
90%
November 2002 C сс, Xbox www.midway.com Yet another creative character game this year.
The good doctor may get overlooked with stuff like Mario, Sly and Blinx out there.
Muto's flying-squirrel
form is a little disturbing.
That's one small step for Muto, one giant leap for mad doctors everywhere.
With Muto's inventions, you can create your own earth-shattering kabooms.
up to take a bite out of Mario’s pie in 2002. Along
with the likes of Ratchet & Clank, Sly and Blinx comes a mad scientist bent on rebuilding his destroyed homeworld. A noble cause despite the fact that he plans to destroy four other worlds in order to do it.
Dr. Muto’s deal is that he has to collect DNA from various creatures and then mutate into one of six forms in order to collect all the terra (chunks o’ earth) he needs to complete his project. So if you see something you can’t jump to, mutate into a flying squirrel to get over there. If you see a tiny hole you need to fit through, transmogrify into a mouse and pray there are no cats around. You get the idea.
Of course, just running through four worlds would make for a pretty short game. So besides the standard enemy killin’ and puzzle solvin’ you’d expect, you'll actually have to travel back and forth between planets many times in order to collect all
I: a whole army of new characters is lined
МОТО ’5 MUTATIONS
the mutations you need for success.
Helping the demented doctor in his endeavors is ALF (Artificial Life Form), a wise-cracking construct that seems more interested in berating Muto than actually assisting him. Still, the little floating head will offer advice should you get stuck in any one spot. It’s Midway’s method of helping the player along without simply walking them through the whole game.
The real question is whether or not Dr. Muto is going to stand out in the deluge of similar character- based games this year. Obviously, Midway is confident that it will. The cool shapeshifting gameplay along with the Looney Tunes-style humor (think along the lines of Marvin the Martian) should set Dr. Muto apart. The whole game has a very unique look, too—no cutesy junk you'd expect in this genre. You'll find no bouncy music or brightly colored turtles here. Muto's lab is filled with stuff like stereo equipment, girly posters and even an old Atari 2600. Sweet! —Greg Sewart
Dr. Muto can take on six forms in total (other than human). Most of them are pretty self-explanatory. The gorilla is very powerful, the fish is the only way the doctor can survive underwater, etc. The sixth form? Мете not allowed to show you yet, but the game intro will give you a hint.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 128 - egm.gamers.com
‘Disney Y SQUARESOFT
+
EVERYONE
Е Violence
CONTENT RATED BY ^ ESRB j
MERICANS PLEDGE
You're one of the most highly-trained U.S. warfare experts on the planet. Put your skills to the test as you battle your way through fifteen levels of realistic tactical combat. When the brass wants a target secured, they send in a platoon. When they want a target erased, they send in your squad of four U.S. special forces. This is the part of the war that the media didn't cover. Welcome to Desert Storm.
WWW.GO0THAMGAMES.COM/CO
U5...
ZZ CONFLICT: NN NO DIPLOMATS. J DESERTISTORM ТЯ
GAMECUBE.
"PlayStation" and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries, Nintendo GameGube® and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Gotham Games and the Gotham Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Conflict: Desert Storm and the Conflict: Desert Storm logo are trademarks of SCi Games Ltd. E&OE © 2002 Take-Two Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.
Can you see the 300,000 Nazis, 600 Panzer
tanks and 29 batteries of artillery in this picture?
Neither could they.
1944: The Long Road to Berlin
Jun. 6: D-Day | Dec. 16: The Battle of the Bulge | Dec. 24: The Ardennes Forest | Since dropping behind enemy lines 3,000 ft. above | During the worst blizzard in war history, Hold the Allied line until a break in the | Normandy, France, your efforts have pushed the | Hitler’s greatest gamble begins оп а 90 mile weather allows American and British forces
Nazis deep into the Ardennes forest. | loosely held Allied front. to begin bombing again.
Jan. 12, 1945: Nazi Berlin
| Strike the heart of the Axis war machine. Join the fight. Play Medal of Honor Allied Assault™ Spearhead. 15 new weapons. Multi-player action. Help crush the Nazis once and for all. moh.ea.com
Medal of Honor Allied Assault" Spearhead. You Don't Play. You Volunteer.
IED ASSAULT
| — SPEARHEAD
eagames.com
жы» 4
PREVIEW
Nintendo
Retro Studios
1
Shooter
60%
Nov. 18, 2002 ГҮ None www.nintendo.com Samus will own your
life this November. Oh sweet mercy!
ECE November seems oh
so far away! Sob!
А mad-as-hell
Sheegoth protecting its young.
Nintendo finally confirmed that Metroid Prime will indeed enjoy GameCube-to-Game Boy Advance-connectivity features with Metroid Fusion (both games come out Nov. 18th). When prompted to reveal what, exactly, these features will consist of, a Nintendo representative would only say that the bonus enjoyed would be “simply unbelievable.” Perhaps uploading Samus’ suit from Fusion to Prime? Alas, only time will tell.
Your thermal visor is indispensible in determining an enemy's location and/or weak point. This is one of your most important tools.
The giant stone boss Thardus takes a LOT of work to bring down. Scanning for weak spots is necessary to your survival.
our concerns with the fan-favorite series going
3D were put to rest by the impressive level that we saw. That was then, this is now, and we’ve explored an additional four levels that have left us crying for more. In case you're unfamiliar with this legendary series, here’s a short highlight reel of landmark Metroid moments:
T he last time we checked in on Metroid Prime,
Metroid (Nintendo Entertainment System), 1986 The groundbreaking original game found our heroine, Samus, navigating the labyrinthine tunnels of the planet Zebes while fighting Kraid, Ridley and Mother Brain, who was trying to use the power of the metroids for her own nefarious purposes.
Electronic Gamir
Metroid ІІ (Game Boy), 1991 Samus heads to planet SR388 with the sole intention of destroying the Queen Metroid. A single metroid, however, escapes. Super Metroid (Super NES), 1994 Back to Zebes Samus goes to confront not only the reanimated Kraid, Ridley and Mother Brain, but a whole host of new enemies and Space Pirates, too. All this while attempting to retrieve the stolen metroid hatchling from Metroid Il. Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo 64), 1999 & Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube), 2001 Samus comes out of a long hibernation to kick Nintendo-character ass in the now-classic (and highly successful) fighting-game series. Fast-forward to the present: Metroid Prime (and to no small extent, Metroid Fusion) is poised to not only rejuvenate, but also reinvent the series that has, for so long, gone missing. Reborn as a first- person adventure, Prime bucks both the preconceptions of what a Metroid game and first-
The morph-ball (above) plays as crucial a role in Samus' 3D world as it ever did in her 2D adventures. Amazingly, the transition animation is smooth and the switch to 3rd-person control is as flawless as can be.
Aonthly - 134 - egm.gamers.com
| For our readers who are asking themselves “What the hell is a Metroid?” here’s
| the answer: It’s the alien life-form that Samus (the heroine of the games)
| discovers on the planet Brinstar. Naturally, Samus’ idea of paying respect to the critters is to trash every last one of them over the course of the series. Savage!
person shooter should be. Focusing less on twitch- blasting (although there’s plenty of that) and more on exploration, Metroid Prime puts you in the suit and brings you face-to-face with Samus’ world in ways that 2D never could.
Although one might be inclined to view Samus’ arsenal as her most important equipment, it’s her visor that plays the biggest role. Through careful use of her combat, scanning, x-ray and thermal visors, Samus can gather all the info she needs to navigate any set of circumstances, whether it be in combat (by spotting an enemy’s weak point) or in piecing together the clues to an environmental puzzle.
Visually, the game is rendered with a staggering attention to detail. Once you land on the Chozo area (which has been comandeered by the Space Pirates), a plethora of visual fireworks bombard you all at once. Cool details like condensation, reflections, splatter, static and short-circuit effects flood her HUD at one point or another. And when Samus fires a charged-shot, the air around the projectile warps. Enemies, it must be noted, are not only deceptively fast, but are also extremely well- animated, with rag-doll physics coming to life when
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 135
fallen Space Pirates tumble from their perch.
While Nintendo is to thank for many of the innovative touches that have gone into the game, developer Retro gets the credit for pulling it all together so beautifully. As one Nintendo rep told us: “The folks at Retro are fans of the original games. The intent is not to make a first-person shooter, but to bring Samus into а 3D world. To call it [just] a first-person shooter undermines the game.”
—James “Milkman” Mielke
egm.gamers.com
уы»
One of Prime’s innovations is the introduction of the spiderball. A power-up earned by beating the big boss Thardus (see facing page), the spiderball enables Samus to climb various zipper-like tracks located all over the game world. From these spider tracks, Samus can bomb her way into other morph-ball- sized nooks and crannies. Many environment-based puzzles are solved this way, 50 it pays to use your scan visor everywhere you can. If you see a spider track, you can bet your bottom dollar that it leads to something important.
eet, ENERGY
Press and hold Mito
lock-on to enomies.
\ /
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№ * | № creme m М y i ж [ж > L С ж FPIC Т : GAMES ғ-
MATURE à —— = À f D) M Blood and Gore = : / = =
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“Game that makes us most excited about Xbox Live!” - Official Xbox Magazine
Top Ten Xbox Games of ЕЗ 2002 - Unreal Championship: #1
- Сатег$.сот
“Unreal Championship is amazing...the дате for Xbox Live!” - IGN Xbox
Best Xbox Live Game: Unreal Championship - IGN
Coming October 2002 Рге-Огаег Тоаау
Ж
| хвох | (G3 | шы LIVE
ONLINE ENABLED
Unreal Championship ©2002 Epic Games, Inc. Raleigh, N.C. USA. Unreal and the Unreal logo are registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unreal Championship was created by Digital Extremes in collaboration with Epic Games Inc. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., New York, New York, under license from Epic Games, Inc. The Atari trademark and logo are the property of Infogrames. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/ or other countries.
ж» (9%
PREVIEW
i | i
EA Games Eurocom/EAC
1-4
First-person shooter 80%
Nov. 18, 2002
PS2, Xbox www.ea.com
Great level variety, cool gadgets and the sexiest girls ever seen (and felt) іп а Bond game.
Driving levels (which are excellent) are too infrequent. ТЕСІГІ Getting capped by Nick Nack in multiplayer.
| Piercing Eyes
“Let's Cyber!" |
| NightFire marks the debut of
| Pierce Brosnan's likeness in
| digital form. Previous Bond
| titles had the debonair
| actor's face for the box, but
| not in the game itself.
| “Getting Pierce in the game
| is a great example of MGM
| going out of their way to |
| help из out,” says producer
|. Joel Wade. “We were ableto |
| stop in at Pinewood Studios
| where Pierce was shooting
| the final scenes for Die
| Another Day and actually
| cyber-scanned his head. We
| used a laser scanner to
| generate a mesh of close to
| a million polygons—a
| nearly perfect geometric
| replica of Pierce's head — and the result is pretty
| amazing." Once Pierce gives
| up the Bond role, EA can
| always use that scan for its
| Remington Steele game.
A massive stash of Q-Gadgets greatly aids Bond's quest. He's so smooth that passing airport security with watch lasers, pen darts and minigun suitcases is a cinch.
NightFire's brand-spanking-new graphical engine blows away Agent Under Fire's.
martinis, car chases and ingenious spy
gadgetry—James Bond is back. EA follows up the success of last year's Agent Under Fire with an all-new adventure to coincide with the launch of the latest 007 flick, Die Another Day. The simultaneous releases aren't directly related, though, as NightFire is a completely new production, not a movie tie-in. *With an original game, you're able to craft your
9 cope the scantily clad temptresses, dry
story around interesting game experiences instead of a script that was written with only the silver screen in mind,” explains producer Joel Wade. “This allows us to create fantastic game experiences without being restricted to the exact fiction of the movie, and to let the story and game design play off each other."
Even though NightFire's not based on a movie, the stylin' production values of the blockbusters remain
intact. For example, the game opens with a breakneck shooting level in which you're sniping cars from a helicopter. Just like in the films, that over-the-top action scene segues into a traditional credits sequence, complete with sultry, undulating vixens and that unforgettable Bond music. After that, the pace never lets up as Bond explores over 10 exotic locales to uncover the diabolical plans of master-mind Rafael Drake.
—producer Joel Wade
You'll soon discover that international intrigue involves more than just first-person shooting. Missions run the gamut between shooting, stealth, driving, flying and underwater combat. Unlike in some games (*cough* Dead to Rights), these additional gameplay modes aren't mere afterthoughts —they're packed with depth. In fact, the driving bits (in Bond's oh-so-sexy Aston Martin V-12 Vanquish) use the amazing Need For Speed:
Richard Kiel Fi The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker Benefits: Huge size instills fear, but also an easy target.
Deathmatch just wouldn't be the same without a smattering of classic Bond adversaries, so EA has included many beloved baddies. Say hello to insidious sidekicks who tear it up in split-screen.
NICK NACK MAY DAY
Played by: Played by:
Herve Grace Jones |
Villechaises Film: A Viewto |
Film: Man With a Kill | = the Golden Gun Benefits: Mean |
Benefits: He's appearance |
super-short, so and man-eating |
he’s incredibly ШАЯН gaze terrify |
hard to hit. "CMMWERLLDOUM your foes.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 138 - egm.gamers.com
=» Where video дате
characters come to Jife
Behind these walls exists the most technologically advanced studio ever created for the game industry. They call themselves JoyRide Studios. They've developed the resources to take the hottest game characters and vehicles from every platform and transform them into reality.
9
Using super computers calculating trillions of 5-0 details per second, each collectible is articulated to the finest detail...a detail never seen before in the 2-D world of your television.
They didn't stop there. Through their advances in game play capture, JoyRide was able to unlock the most coveted tips, tricks, and secret codes for each game and will include this intelligence with every collectible figure and vehicle sold.
Come experience the next level in collecting...
JoyRide calls it
Reality!
SONIC Available at these and many other fine
SEGA retailers for a limited time:
ELECTRONIC ARTS"
Sega. Nintendo, EA and the ame properties under
trademarks used under license. © 2002 Racing Champ
ж»
PREVIEW
Cont. from page 138
GRATUITOUS PICTURE OF HALLE BERRY
NightFire’s gorgeous babes push the envelope for digital hotness, but Jinx, the main Bond Girl in the new film, Die Another Day, simply cannot be matched. Yep, that's Halle Berry over there.
Hot Pursuit 2 engine to offer serious thrills.
The GoldenEye-inspired shooter levels remain the central gameplay draw, but how you tackle these stages is largely up to you. “Action fans can attack the majority of the levels with guns blazing, and we've provided а huge arsenal for them,” says Wade. “However, the players who think like Bond— using their wits instead of their guns—will score the highest.” Solving missions and giving goons the slip requires complete mastery of Q’s spy gadgets.
During some action bits, the camera zooms out to а 3rd- person view.
Sometimes your wits and charm won't
cut it. In cases like these, a bullet barrage to the face works nicely.
Of course, a Bond game just wouldn’t be the same without a stellar multiplayer experience. NightFire’s unfriendly firefights offer a ton of options, memorable characters and locations ripped from classic Bond films. It’s a fast, solid good time that should keep you and your buds glued to the couch for days. While there wasn’t time to include online play, Wade hints that Bond’s next outing (probably in 2003) might make that jump. ж
—Shane Bettenhausen
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 140 - egm.gamers.com
Most sports cars can impress normal, land-dwelling chicks, but Bond's drool-worthy Aston Martin V12 Vanquish doubles as an undersea submersible. That way, you can go cruisin’ the ocean for horny mermaids...or at least a lonely manatee or two.
SUPPORTING CAST
James Bond movies are famous for featuring Bond Girls, beautiful allies who assist our secret agent in both the battlefield and the bedroom. Who could forget the likes Pussy Galore, Holly Goodhead and Dr. Christmas Jones? Well, NightFire features a total of three different female counterparts for James. Zoe Nightshade, the plucky CIA agent from Agent Under Fire, makes a return appearance helping Bond with a sticky situation in the Austrian Alps. Dominique Paradis (above) is a scan- dalous French intelligence agent who Bond encounters in Paris. Finally, Alura McCall is the stunning blonde Australian on loan to MI6 who helps Bond for the final assault on the villain’s orbiting forces. Rrrow!
Chicks really
dig the trees...
and you'll love the scenery too because the babes from the million-selling fighting game, Dead or Alive®3 are back! This time, they're setting aside their fighting gear for some fun- in-the-sun swimwear and turning up the heat in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball’ This is no ordinary volleyball game - this is Volleyball to the extreme with great gameplay and mind-blowing realism. You'll be able to feel һе sand between your toes and the gentle ocean breeze as you compete in the most outrageous beach volleyball game yet! Points earned on the court allow you 10 customize your babe off of it, with over 100 different swimsuits ond accessories to choose from But when the day is done, the fun has just begun! This first ever "Sports Fantasy Simulation” boasts а variely of different nightlife activities fo choose from Whatever your pleasure, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball promises extreme action and a whole lotta satisfaction!
DEAD OK ALIN
XTREME BEACH VOLLEYIEFFILL
Visit wwwesrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info.
Тесто, c PMB 15553 2121-8 Hayate Ga, Trance, СА 90603 p[310) 44-5005 (010) 944-3344 Dead or Alve Xie Bench Volo and Osag or AVES Tecmo, LTD. 1996, 1997. 199, 199, 2000. 2001, 2002 Тесто® and Ine Tecmo Ino aro register trademarks of Tecmo UT. Team Май and Team ёа ogo are aderat о Tecmo LID. The ratings Kon іі trademark Ba чала Dial Softwar Associaton. Microsoft, Yo and the Xbox get either (otav ademas o trademarks of Microso Corpoatn tn e S and/or oer cues апо au used under ense ftom МТО,
С WORLD NEWS |
www.drmuto.midway.com =
| ZIAN Burnitall | - > Enterprises 2 е Stock Soars On New. zzz 2 d- Болле = Franchise
| War Over 55 | The Worlds
Evil Genuises Who Want To Rule It All |
est experiment accidentally destroyed his
T ): Muto, the genius mad scientist whose lat-
# home planet, has been the center of a media zy with the unveiling of his amazing new “Splizz Gun” technology. Muto’s Splizz Gun enables him to mutate and morph with any living organism in order to accomplish tasks no human could achieve alone. According to Muto, the Splizz Gun’s morphing ability will be key in his attempts to rebuild his world. “I simply sample some DNA and ‘BANG,’ I morph into a mouse, spider, gorilla or any
other creature I see fit to become,” Muto madly muttered in an exclusive
World News Watch interview. “It’s
not that I am а megalomaniac, I just
want to play God.”
Muto’s technology is receiving so much atten- tion and interest that he
will begin selling the Splizz
Gun through TV infomer-
Fall 2002
PlayStation.2
WATCH
Are You A Man Or A Mouse?
Morph into six strange creatures from а gorilla to a spider using Dr. Muto’s amazing Splizz Gun
Use a wide variety of gadgets d a mad
scientist could invent such as Rocket Boots
and the Super Baller
cials next month. Also, leading videogame publisher
Midway has entered into
an exclusive deal with the doctor for the release of an action/adventure
videogame based on
his bizarre and intriguing life and his Splizz Gun technology. Information about Muto's videogame, simply titled, “Dr. Muto,” is revealed on www.drmuto.midway.com, which is a website devoted to Muto’s universe of baffling puzzles, mind-bending devices, freakish twisted humor.
Is Dr. Muto the 21st Century’s
Defend yourself monstrosities and against burly Rent-a-Cops, vicious “Charks,” and other hench- men of your rival, Professor Burnitall
Einstein, or just another mad- man? Judge for yourself this fall when “Dr. Muto” the videogame releases Юг
next generation
videogame platforms. Gb Coming Soon Coming Soon
Ж
MIDWAY
www.midway.com
Professor Burnital As energy magistrate of the к Cami ae
system, ое Professor &
Gunter Burnitall as outperformed all expectations for energy production by strip-mining and pillaging the natural resources of every lanet in the system; he a master at making energy while demolishing a society. But the genius Dr. Muto as become a Mes is expansion plans, We сш up with the rolessor recently, who told us, “Нез a maniac nt on ruining my beautiful energy empire. ‘That ridiculous br шо believes he can build a lanet from scraps of DNA and terra, then steal шу energy reserves as the catalysts! РАН!” hurnital went on to say that Muto is a renegade terrorist and, “My forces will stop at nothing to destroy the horrible little man, no matter WHAT
|»
creature he shapes himself into!
GAME BOY ADVANG
WORLD NEWS WATCH
2002
NOVEMBER
PREVIEW
Mario Party 4
Nintendo
Hudson
T
КОШЕ Puzzle
90%
Oct. 21, 2002 None www.nintendo.com Party gaming is as
vibrant as ever in Nintendo and Hudson's latest collaboration.
Running out of chips
and dip halfway through a game.
ШҮ ЛЕ Getting shot out of a
cannon at 80 miles per hour. Argh!
Find out who the true basketball playa is in this straightforward mini- game. Could Princess Peach be the one with the mad reach?
Luigi, back from his stint as leading man in Luigi's Mansion, hits the party decks to give the dice a roll.
Party is still—surprisingly—full of cool, new
ideas. With nearly every new mini-game as fun and inventive as the last, we wonder how Hudson's developers do it. Think about it: Arcade games in the '8os could've survived on the premise of one of MP's mini-games alone. And how many mini-games does Mario Party 4 pack in? Fifty. And not the enhanced, repurposed and recycled mini-games of Mario Partys past, either; all 5o games are brand new. Although some of these find you mashing buttons Track and Field-style, others take finesse and precision timing to master. Thankfully, each game leads off with a detailed description of the
F or a series that is about to go four-deep, Mario
Hits
temo 5 ————e s үїе#” Мар {
controls, as well as the option of taking it for a practice run—giving newbies a fair shot at keeping up with Mario Party mastas!
Starting a game is as easy as selecting from the party-hearty crew of Donkey Kong, Daisy, Princess Peach, Mario, Yoshi, Waluigi and Wario (among others). Once the who’s who has been settled, you're ready to hit the boards. In case you're new to the MP experience, the game essentially takes one to four players around a Chutes 'N Ladders-style board —rolling the dice and unlocking mini-games along the way. It's a simple yet effective formula that's lasted the whole series.
While this is all well and good, nothing tells
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 1434 - egm.gamers.com
MIDWAY
www.midway.com
n | jends envious: jen utate!
e your fr 4
"Before I got my Splizz Gun, my studio apartment was way too cramped. Not anymore! 1 k Now I just morph with the То squea first spider I see, spin a 1 through the web in the corner, kick back Ж К , PUN tightest spots, with a bowl of bugs and watch A i | + be a тап- the tube. Thanks, Dr. Muto. Your : j don e. еі 1 ; ї be a mous fiendish gadgets rock!" М р 3 `
Doug Morris, Modesto, CA,
www.drmuto.midway.com
RATING PENDING Fall 2002 Coming Soon Coming Soon Visit www.esrb.org or
Rand e on - 29 PlayStation.e GAME BOY ADVANCE
GAMECUBE.
CONTENT RATED BY E SR E | SA Dr. Muto © 2002 Midway Games West Inc. All rights reserved. MIDWAY and the Midway Logo are registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used by permission DR. MUTO is a trademark of Midway Games West Inc. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. TM, ® Game Boy Advance and the Ninlendo GameCube Ingo are trademarks of Nintendo. “PlayStation” and the "PS Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment 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
e
Cont. from page 144
Mario Party 4’s tale better than putting it to the test, and that’s exactly what we did. All it took was a few rolls of the six-siders, and soon we were subjected to the cruel twists of fate fans of the series know and love. There were twists that robbed us of as many coins as we had won, twists that found us slipping on banana peels to determine our path (Medic!), and twists that got us stomped-on by a suddenly enlarged opponent. But when the dice rolled in our favor, it brought us into a wonderful world of mini-games. It is in honor (not really) of our experience that we offer but a small handful of the minigames we've unlocked.
Trace Васе It's Crayola time, baby! This exercise measures your artistic grace as you attempt to trace a pre-drawn line, using the analog Stick as your pen. Although speed is a factor, you can finish first and still not win if your line is sloppy. The person with the best combination of accuracy and speed will emerge victorious.
Blame It On The Crane—This Milli Vanilli-inspired (in name, at least) mini-game gives you a time limit in which to catch a certain number of Nintendo characters. Complicating matters are the hordes of Shy Guys littering the joint. This one calls for superb eye-hand coordination.
Take A Breather—This simple contest pits four characters against each other to see who can hold his breath the longest. The person who mashes the button the fastest for the duration of the competition will surface as the blue-faced victor. Bomb-omb Breakers —This Tetris-y block-dropper challenges gamers to see who can connect three like shapes the fastest. The twist here is that you can enter your opponent's territory and clutter his stack with junk or use some of his pre-combo
stackage to finish your own combos. They should re-
name this game "Getting Jacked By Your Homies." Right Oar Left—By far one of the most difficult games in MP4, Right Oar Left forces two teams of two players each to work in tandem —to see who
SHORT END OF THE SONIC STICK
Although most of the world didn't try Sonic Shuffle (Dreamcast), the few who did were left wondering what went wrong. It was, after all,
developed by the same folks who made the highly-acclaimed Mario Party series, so expectations were high. But instead of an easy-to- play multiplayer extravaganza featuring the fastest mascot in the West, gamers got an attractive, but sluggish, gem-fetching bore.
can steer a small kayak through a roaring-rapids race. The difficulty lies in knowing which direction to spin your paddle and how that will affect the direction of your boat. Word to the wise: The computer never seems to screw this one up, so you'd better practice your stroke.
Revers-A-Bomb —Revers-A-Bomb will remind older gamers of the classic arcade hit, Tapper. Only this time you're not sending back beer glasses; you're sending back bombs! The goal is to reverse the direction of any bombs walking your way and make them detonate on your opponents' side. This frantic slap-a-thon requires quick reflexes and a fast finger. Ka-boom? Ka-boom! Long Claw of the Law—In this touchy-feely finger- fest, you're trying to grab little Goombas out of the windows in which they appear. Just like a shooting- gallery game, Long Claw of the Law offers up false alarms to distract you from the true targets. To temper over-eager trigger fingers, there's a slight delay between the button press and your control of the Goomba-grabbing claw.
Hide & Go Boom — The odds are in your favor in this amusing bit of fireworks. Your opponents scramble for "shelter" in cannons, and you're given three chances to light and launch your opponents out of hiding. You must find all three cloistered characters in order to win the match, but since they often double-up in a cannon, it's like killing two birds with one stone.
So, will Mario Party 4 keep our attention when Nintendo's blockbuster titles like Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda roll around? Probably not, but we'll have fun with this while we're waiting.
—James “Milkman” Mielke
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 146 - egm.gamers.com
IN HINDSIGHT
We take a brief look at the evolution of the series that redefined party gaming.
Mario Party
The original Mario Party made the Nintendo 64 the party place to be. Four- player support, a 100-star quest and loads of mini- games made this a noteworthy trendsetter. It was flawed perhaps, but not as much as Sonic Shuffle.
Mario Party 2
More of the same, really, but the series’ weakness of being more a game of chance than a game of skill is exposed. Random rolls of the dice score more come- from-behind wins than we care to remember.
Daisy and Waluigi join the fun—which now includes 70 staggering mini-games and a new Duel mode. This is the best of the bunch so far.
Use of Alcohol Gambling Violence
|!
Blood Violence
2002 SANDLOT/BONES/ENIX. ENIX is а
r м M
IT'S TIME FOR Я LITTLE URBAN RENEWAL ~
ы >
PREVIEW
star Wars: | The И
| | |
| LucasArts Pandemic
Ps2 www.lucasarts.com Rogue Leader-style polish coupled with roughneck ground warfare.
ТЕН This game із way
more entertaining than the flick.
Easily the most compelling multiplayer mode in Clone Wars is Conquest. The point is to hold down your fort while putting as much pressure as possible on the bases of your opponents.
It gets more complex, though. You're able to build up defenses within your base by basically staying put. See, there are special buildings throughout your zone, and if you just sit inside one of them, your forces will erect laser cannons all around it.
After they've erected four cannons at any building, they'll start producing tanks instead. You can then deploy these tanks to crush your enemies’ pathetic defenses. It's a nice mix of action and strategy, and it actually works!
Star Wars movies are ultimately about one thing:
nasty, bust-your-head-open battles populated by fresh ships and their suicidally daring pilots, and peppered with enough blaster fire to lighten the dreariest, most jaded soul. It's a good thing that they translate well to the realm of video games, considering how many titles LucasArts releases every time there's a new movie. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the latest manifestation of this, and if you're at all familiar with Rogue Leader, then you'll know just what tree this game's trying to measure up to. Sprinkle in some Twisted Metal, and you're that much warmer...
As the title would imply, The Clone Wars takes place during that nigh-legendary spot in the Star Wars continuum, which is currently located just after Episode ll. It was a time of great unrest for the Galactic Republic (no thanks, in large part, to Jar-Jar Binks), which equates to a whole mess of tanks, walkers and heavily-armed Jedi, among other units,
| п spite of all their mythological posturing, the
being deployed to bring down the house. Much like in Rogue Squadron, you'll get to use different vehicles in different scenarios, with some sections calling for a bit of hands-dirtying third-person Jedi lightsaber action.
For a majority of the time, though, you'll be
behind the wheel of a zippy fighter tank. It’s a quick little number, with the ability to tear speedily through enemy ranks, as well as pummel them with fire from its heavy blaster and concussion missiles. The battles you'll engage in when piloting said tank are unrelentingly thick in terms of headcount, so its high mobility and respectable offensive power will definitely keep it out of the scrap heap, provided you're careful, of course. You'll spend a good bit of time off of the ground, and in the air. In these situations, you'll get to ride a Republic Gunship, which is both nicely hooked-up in terms of armaments and is as swift as a hungry bat. Apart from the standard allotment of blasters and missiles, it's strapped with a crazy-cool concen-
| References to old-school
| Star Wars designs are
| rampant in The Clone Wars. | It's neat to see how Imperial | design has evolved.
L
This squat walker (left) eventually evolved into the massive (not to mention collectible) AT-AT (right).
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 150 -
egm.gamers.com
PlayStation.2
EM ӘСІЛІ
The Scorpion k to parents: Th
on King and related characters are TM and © of Universal Studios; Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All rights reserved, A note g movie ratings in making viewing choices for children; "PlayStation" and the "PS" family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer ube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Association,
ж»
Сот. from page 150
ТАНК BOYS
Pandemic, developer of The Clone Wars, certainly knows what's up when it comes to tanks. The studio was responsible for the modern PC remake of the arcade classic, Battlezone, as well as a sequel to that remake. Both of these were really impressive from a graphical standpoint at the time of their releases, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Clone Wars is quite easy on the eyes.
Sure, concussion missiles will get the job done if you're in a pinch...
...but the four-way concen- trated laser will work even better, and it looks much
cooler. Can you dig it? ДД
trated laser beam that can rip right through enemy hulls like no one’s business. Just like the tank missions, insanely populated battlefields are the order of the day here, so you'll need all the firepower you can get.
In truth, though, there doesn’t seem to bea battlefield in Clone Wars that isn't filled to the brim with the richness of carnage. Take your tank to a mountaintop, and you'll be able to peep aircraft dogfighting above you. Look down, and you'll see infantry and lighter hardware doing their thing. Spend too much time gazing at your figurative navel, though, and you'll catch some flak to the rear—there's fighting on your stratum, too, so you'll have to stay with it.
Throughout most battles, you'll maintain a certain level of control over the units on your side. By means of the directional pad, you'll be able to issue rudimentary commands like “defend,” “attack” and “regroup.” Your men are decently responsive and can actually carry their own weight in battle. In
LAID BACK LIKE YOUR GRAMPS (CONT'D)
| These funny- P 45 headed
| chickenwalkers call to mind something...
some scenarios, though, you'll simply be supporting groups of autonomous wingmen-such was the case in a level we played, which had us playing backup for a group of friendly assault walkers. Regardless of whether you're giving or receiving the orders, all sorts of banter will color the battles, much of which will be uttered by some real Jedis.
On your side of the battlefield will be most of the Force-wielding all-stars from the recent Episode movies including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu and the whiny Anakin Skywalker. You'll get lots of play time with them in the third-person segments, but in most cases, you'll just take on their roles from inside the cockpits.
A whole mess of multiplayer modes will further beef up the action (see the accompanying side- bars), some of which are genuinely loads of fun. On the whole, it's clear that developer Pandemic is shooting for a Rogue Squadron-level of polish with Clone Wars. Here's to it working out. ie
-Miguel Lopez
Ah, yes. So the AT- ST inherited the family charms. Just be wary of
Bü deadly Ewok-tech.
WELCOME TO... Deathmatch
ш.а st The Academy mode is basically all about a lighter sort of competition. You don’t fight the other player at all, but rather try to complete some sort of objective before him or her. If you try to shoot each other, nothing will happen. It’s all about brotherly love, you bloodthirsty savages. That’s the way they do it in Jedi school.
The Duel mode on the other hand, is anything but friendly. It’s your basic deathmatch mode that has you racking up as many kills as you can. You can be as dirty as you want, as long as you win. If you’ve played any of the Twisted Metal games on the PS1 or PS2, you'll have a good idea what the gameplay concept is like here in split-screen mode. It's just too bad we won't be playing this online this fall.
OK, maybe we're pushing it, but doesn't this carrier scream Star Destroyer?
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 182 - egm.gamers.com
Bound by
family blood,
ad
He must return
to the castle.
Ж Tortured by. Ma his dark fate, | He тазетесоуег
^ Dracula’s
RN
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dangers, а.
{ч . / He must rid 2%
/ $. МИ; i terror from the land: ®
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Ne pe W йы. Ж, y sA GBA Masterpiece." Т ді bs 604
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1550 папсе ж
Animated Blood Mild Violence
KONAMIG, CASTLEVANIA® and Harmony of Dissonance™ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of KONAMI CORPORATION. © 1986, 2002 KONAMI & KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. TM, ® and the Game Boy Advance logo are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
Check out Chase: www.bam4fun.com/chase
Mild Violence
Xeox CONTENT RATED BY ESRBI © 2002 BAM! Entertainment and associated logos are trademarks of BAMI Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved, © 2002 I-Imagine and associated logos, including "Chase" and gem Hollywood Stunt Driver" are trademarks of -Imagine (Pty) Ltd. The ratings icon is idemarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and is used under license
a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trat trom Microsoft All ather radomarks and tae names aro the properties of their respective owners $i ,
u jump, smash n 4 unique sets.
Who needs nine lives
Rewind time to throw the Hit fast-forward to tackle Slam on pause world in reverse and uncover challenges that require you to be shots at frozen secret areas. quick on your paws. crystals without
X
www.xbox.com xXeo»x
when you can control time?
to take free Record yourself during wild Go slo-mo to make everyone seem enemies or grab adventures, then replay for like they're stuck in mud as you and any hassle. twice the Blinx" action. "The Time Sweeper™”do damage.
www.blinxthegame.com
IN (%
ап: Dark Tomorrow
Kemco
Kemco
1
Action
90%
November 2002 PS2, Xbox kemcogames.com
tonight. You!
} Good: One of the few 10:45...bring a friend!" Batman games based on the comic,
not the movies or show. | Do gamers still have
faith in the Bat?
sunburn.
For all his cool gadgets, Batman's cuffs look decidedly low-rent. Musta been a bungee-cord sale.
Anyone who doesn’t know what a batarang is needs a serious dose of Batman comic books or movies or some- thing. You throw it. It hurts bad guys.
1 Two-Face with a
Despite all his cool gear, Batman will still mix it up with the common thugs of Gotham City.
with a lot of confidence. After all, the Caped
Crusader has had a pretty rocky video-game history. Oh, and the movies have sucked for quite a while now, too.
But wipe that from your memory. Dark Tomorrow has nothing to do with those crappy flicks. “Batman: DT is the first next-gen Batman game to be based on the DC comic book,” says producer Takufumi Yuki. “We wanted DT to reflect the comic-book world, not the clean-cut superhero we see in animation and movies.” In other words, expect to skulk around a very dark, gritty and violent Gotham City. But it ain’t all action in Batman’s world.
The less-informed may not know that the Dark Knight’s physical abilities are matched only by his skills as a detective —a trait the developers at Kemco want to play up in the game. So expect to be searching for clues and using the ol’ grey matter just as much as kicking in doors and beating villains senseless.
While you won't have the Boy Wonder at your
T he name Batman doesn't exactly fill gamers
What superhero would be complete without his trusty Universal Tool? How else would they tighten the loose license plate on the Batmobile?
The perfect remedy for all those bat boo-boos the Caped Crusader is
bound to suffer. And it comes in this stylish,
bat-shaped case— erfect for storage!
side, Batsy's handy utility belt weighs him down with loads of awesome gadgets (see below). And you'll need 'em against the rogue's gallery of super- criminals you'll face. “Some of Batman's biggest challenges in the game include Black Mask, Scarface, Ratcatcher, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy,” says Yuki. "But there are even more villains waiting in line to ambush the Dark Knight as you delve deeper and deeper into the game." By the way, we think it's pretty cool that this list of enemies feels a little more diverse than what we're used to in most Batman games.
When it comes down to it, Dark Tomorrow feels like a great blend of the best action games in the series, plus the puzzle solving of Resident Evil and even a little bit of stealth gameplay a la Metal Gear Solid 2. | mean, hey, the Dark Knight hasn't stayed alive all these years by running around in plain view, right? Be one with the shadows, grasshopper.
The only thing we find distressing is the total lack of a Batmobile. Maybe in the sequel?
— Greg Sewart
Criminals are people, too, and Batman’s deal is that he doesn’t like to kill. So bring "ет in alive with the batcuffs. Commissioner Gordon thanks you.
Batman is just that: a mere man. So, of course he needs help moving from rooftop to rooftop. The batgrapple is the tool you'll likely use most in your quest.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 158 - egm.gamers.com
РЕ SEE Ed ЖА MOVEMBER 2442
57 ёр
n
(М
WWW.STARWARSBOUNTYHUNTER COM
Visit www.esrb.org or call 390-771-3772 leeren oo s ed RUE qe EMEN ET for more info.
ж»
PREVIEW
Ubi Soft
Sting
1
RPG
90%
November 2002 Dreamcast (sorta) www.ubi.com
Two games in one is
definitely a good value.
The games weren't
that great on Dreamcast.
These graphics were
OK in 1999, but it's a new millenium, baby!
RE-VOLUTION?
If Evolution Worlds looks familiar, that’s because this is a compilation disc. Worlds seamlessly combines the Evolution: World of Sacred Device (1999) and Evolution 2: Far Off Promise (2000) Dreamcast RPGs into one long experience.
So if you're a vet of those two games, don't expect anything new here. Well, except for a bit of voice acting and updated enemies.
Mag and party get from one place to the other by plane. Do you care? We thought not.
Pepper is the sultry temptress while Linear is the quiet, innocent one. Mag's the luckiest dude alive.
s one of the first RPGs to come to the A GameCube, Evolution is getting a lot of attention—perhaps more than it deserves. But that’s only natural when you’re one of the new kids on the block.
The game focuses on the adventures of Mag Launcher of the famous Launcher clan of adventurers. He’s a spunky and determined lad who whiles away his time searching for hidden treasure in the plentiful dungeons near his home town.
Unlike many RPGs that focus on creating a rich landscape brimming with colorful characters and baroque locales, the world in Evolution is almost entirely confined to huge mazes full of enemies and traps. Each of the two lengthy chapters in the game is anchored by a single, small town, meaning there isn’t much real estate in the Evolution world.
Where it does resemble a more traditional RPG is in the turn-based battles. You'll fight foes using the power of your CyFrame, a special kind of weapon with upgradeable parts that Mag (and some of his
o MAG ==
comrades) сап use. As you earn experience from fighting enemies, you can enhance your CyFrame with a number of special attacks or learn spells of your choosing. Mag can buy new parts for his "Frame that let him heal his allies or flatten his enemies with a giant hand. His devoted butler, Gre Nade, has powerful martial-arts attacks and a whole set of spells that can only be used to benefit Mag.
The majority of the game’s dungeons are randomly generated, which means you'll have a slightly different adventure each time you enter one. But this also precludes many of the clever design elements (puzzles, secret rooms and the like) you might expect from most RPGs. In short, don’t expect this to be the next Final Fantasy.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t find something to like about this game. It seems as though the developers made up for the brevity of each quest with an enormous amount of spells and skills. The idea behind Evolution Worlds is to get there first and hope for the best. Қ —Christian Nutt
дуу. MAG уин 5 CHAIN dva PEPPER —— . Т
Evolution uses a battle system similar to what you'd find in Grandia. There's a bar on the right side of the screen that lets you know the next few moves in advance, rather than just guessing at which character is faster. Not spectacular, but not too shabby, either.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 160 - egm.gamers.com
cj DMIDWAY
logo are registered nse from Microsoft
THE GAME WHERE YOU AND 3 BUDDIES ALL GET TO BE HEROES. ONLY THING IS, ONE OF YOU HAS TO BE THE CHICK.
ights reserved. MIDWAY and the Midway logos are trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. GAUNTLET DARK LEGACY is a trademark of Midway Games West
е Entertainment Inc. TM, ®, Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family
trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment 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 lice
Gauntlet Dark Legacy © 1998 - 2000 Midway Games West Inc. All ri. Inc. Used by permission. Distributed under license by Midway Hom
Get your friends together for the original, all-4-one, one-4-all, hack-and-slash, free-4-all. Gauntlet Dark Legacy brings all the excitement, fun and camaraderie of this classic to Nintendo GameCube™, PlayStation"2 computer
entertainment system, Xbox™ video game system — and now
the Game Boy” Advance !
AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE FALL 2002
2. PlayStation.
Blood
GAME BOY ADVANCE Violence
ж» У
PREVIEW
т: Infogrames Pipeworks Software 1-4
Fighting
75%
Winter 2002
None www.atari.com Godzilla is the man
license. Godzilla vs. Gamera would
be super-dope wouldn't it? ГА ҮТ Godzilla 2000, that
mockery, made it into the game.
| One classic battle you won't | find in Godzilla: Destroy АИ | Monsters Melee is the
| legendary showdown
| between the leathery lizard | and the acrylic-carpet
| likeness of his one-time
| nemesis, King Kong. Now, if you asked us who would
| emerge victorious in a battle | between a big baboon and a | nuclear-powered Tyranno-
| заигиз Rex who can breathe freaking fire out of his mouth, we'd have to go with Godzilla. But for some god- forsaken reason, King Kong one-ups the G-thang (although neither monster is the clear victor) in 1963's King Kong vs. Godzilla. A popular myth is that two versions of the film exist with different endings. While the edited U.S. movie is indeed different than the | Japanese version, the
| endings are the same.
King Ghidora wreaks havoc on the city of Tokyo with his electric breath. We wish we had electric breath. We'd wreak havoc too.
Cause enough damage to whatever town you're in, and you'll incur the wrath of the city's military defenses. Ice ray bad!
dynamics of popular wrestling games, but
replaces the overfed, Speedo-wearing macho- men of the WWE with the overfed, rubber-suited monsters of Toho (Godzilla's licensor). Now swap out the rings, ropes and bloodthirsty crowds with laser- fences, sprawling city blocks and a crowd-control- minded militia and you'll end up with Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. With the similarly- themed War of the Monsters (PS2) in the works, it seems as if the giant-monster genre is experiencing something of a renaissance, with the last game of this breed being SNK's 1991 classic, King of the Monsters (Neo-Geo).
But that's all about to change thanks to Pipeworks
| magine а game that models itself after the
Software. Although Sony’s War of the Monsters has been turning heads lately, it’s Godzilla’s posse that holds the killer license. Essentially a greatest hits of classic Godzilla characters, Destroy All Monsters Melee boasts fan favorites like Gigan, King Ghidora, Anguirus, Megalon, Mecha-Godzilla, Mothra and variations of Godzilla himself. All the monsters have the standard assortment of punches and kicks, each of differing speeds and power, as well as a long- distance attack (usually lasers or fire breath) anda throw move. Each monster also has its own signature move, naturally. While all of this may seem rather basic, a good deal of strategy comes into play during the battles.
You see, each city’s military defenses will come rushing to the scene of every monster battle, ready to dole out punishment to whichever monster is currently doing the most damage to the surrounding environment. So savvy gamers will knock or throw their opponents into as many buildings as possible, thus causing the victim to come under heavy fire from tanks, planes and helicopters. Alternatively, players can duck behind tall structures when opponents launch long-distance attacks. The army folks will retalliate, firing on the monster that just took out that skyscraper by accident.
Of the game’s various modes, perhaps the most interesting is the Rampage-like Destruction mode, in which up to four players must level as much real estate as possible. № —James “Milkman” Mielke
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 162 - egm.gamers.com
BEGINNER
EXPER
SILENT SLOPES INTENSE SMPING ACTION RETURNS FOR A JRO ROUND WITH AN ALE-NEW GAME FOR THE PuayStaon®2 COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AS THE WORLD'S BEST SHARP-SHOOTER, PREVENT A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION FROM USING CLONING TECHNOLOGY FOR GLOBAL DOMINATION. FEATURING EXPANSIVE LEVELS, DIABOUCAL BOSSES, AND NEW SU) SOUND TECHNOLOGY TO FND AND TARGET OPPONENTS, IT'S TIME TD SILENCE THE ENEMY THREAL AS A BONUS, SMENT SCOPE 3 ALSO DELIVERS ПИСЕ THE GAME PLAY BY INCLUDING THE WIT ARCADE GAME, SILENT SCOPE EX!
мА | 9 PlayStation.e
SILENT SCOPE®/SILENT SCOPE 36 are registered trademarks of KONAMI CORPORATION. ©1999, 2002 KONAMI & KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
9%. 2
Nintendo February 2003 * Also Оп: None — We're back with another peek at Link’s newest adventure, which is getting closer to completion, but still oh so far away. Fresh off his stint in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Link struggles with a serious case of arrested development as he regresses back to the days of his (our?) youth for this cartoony adventure that has us reaching for the Nilla Wafers and Jolt Cola.
6068
readle F
Atlus е November 2002 ® Also On: None — Part nature sim and part beat 'em up, Cubivore casts you as a geometric animal that has to kill and eat other animals in order to leech their powers and abilities. Do that enough times, and you'll get to mate with female versions of those creatures to produce offspring worthy of your vicious legacy. Dumbfounded yet? Peep the screens—you ain't seen nothing.
ale
лБ
Sega Sports • October 2002 • Also On: PS2, Xbox — For those ballers who dumped the piss-poor NBA Live in lieu of the masterful NBA 2К2, there’s more promising basketball on the way from developer Visual Concepts. The best new feature? The ability to change your shot in mid-air. Instead of getting stuffed by Shaq, you can now scoop it, and push it off the glass. Nothin’ but net.
Swingerz
Fresh Games * October 2002 * Also On: None — Р52 has Hot Shots 3, Xbox has Outlaw Golf, and now GC owners can get their zany links antics with Swingerz. Go for the birdie using the analog swing meter on exotic courses in strange weather (like snowstorms or tropical rainstorms). Basically, this is the golf game you'll want around when you and your buddies are guzzling beer and lying about women.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 164
- egm.gamers.com
У, ВАЗ.
ОАКАМА
igh Caffeine Guarana Beverage
fer when your |
92002 Hobarama Corp.
der g peaked sy: „net Gaming PSL, and Or
ереді of BAWLS Free,
Visit www. wA ru P, “ФФсот today,
fever
EXCLUSIVE PHOTO
=
К
CITY IN FLAMES: А distant shot of Sopot City, capital of the Commonwealth, where a conflict between the Red Faction rebels and the Dictatorship Government has resulted in mass destruction.
GEO-MOD TECHNOLOGY: Red Faction troops circumvent a heavily guarded front gate by creating an entrance of their own in Sopot's military compound.
RED‘FRCTION.!N
COMMONWEALTH COUP
Red Faction,
2002 THO Inc
The Red Faction is using their entire arsenal in the latest attempt to
FROM THE AIR
The Red Faction customized Aesir is a maneuverable air assault vehicle equipped with optical zoom which allows for precise hits on enemy targets.
Drop Point 5:37am Troops assemble at the Sopot ш
CIVILIAN UPRISING [geet ty
After Sopot's forces withdrew from the main city, several Red Faction rebels raided Harbor Island and desecrated the symbolic statue of the dictator.
Blood and Gore
Violence
For more up-to-the-minute coverage of the conflict, go to www.redfaction2.com
BREAKDOWN
D'ETAT
overthrow the Dictator Sopot.
Public Information Building 6:05am Commonwealth Elite Guards attempt to fend off the attacking
Faction soldiers. ; А ’ Nanotech 5 n АЗ
These are only afew of the many weal ns att the disposel of the - Red Faction army.
№ CMRD-32 MAGNETIC RAIL DRIVER
Fires metal slugs that go through just about any barrier without losing velocity. The targeting scope makes this weapon extremely accurate.
The Slums 6:22am Rebel soldiers continue to fight despite rumors of growing animosity between Faction leaders.
№ CAR-72 MILITARY ASSAULT RIFLE
A tully-automatic, high-powered rifle in a lightweight compact frame.
| 227-7
volition www.thq.com
Сарсот
Capcom
1
Simulation
95%
December 2002 None www.capcom.com
It's the most ambitious mech sim ever made.
The whole package will cost you around 200 bucks.
Just try to carry this sucker home on foot.
Trick Out Your Ride
Although you can jump into SB for quick, random battles, its real depth lies in the Campaign mode, where you’ll be able to customize your mech’s armor and its various munitions. In total, there are 18 robots—each with different cockpits and physics—that you can pilot | throughout the game. “In | the first third of the game, | the canopy view іп the mechs will be smaller,” says producer Atsushi Inaba. “As technology improves, you'll have better mechs with more streamlined cockpits.” In fact, one of the later mechs we saw picked up enemy tanks with its arm and sped around like a hovercraft. Rad stuff.
Nope, the "vertical tanks" in SB aren't too pretty, but they sure can rip you a new one.
Since nearly everything in the environment is destructible, you can kiss that skyscraper goodbye.
hen Shinji Mikami, the visionary behind W: like Resident Evil and Devil May Cry,
came up with the idea to develop the mother-of-all Xbox exclusives, his staff took out all the stops. The result is Steel Battalion, a mech simulator so over-the-top in its pursuit of (virtual) reality, that it actually comes packaged with its own cockpit dashboard, featuring no less than two joysticks, three foot pedals and a whopping 40 buttons (see pg. 176). No, we didn’t stutter —yes— FORTY buttons, every single one of which you'll press at least once each time you play a game of SB.
"We basically figured that the Xbox was a very
powerful machine that could do a lot of amazing stuff," says Atsushi Inaba, producer of the game.
"So why not go all the way?" For Inaba, that meant he got to do things his way on this ultra-ambitious project. His team mocked up and burned through more than 40 prototypes of the mammoth controller before settling on the real thing. “Since I’m the one that ultimately decided what the final cost of the game was going to Бе,” says Inaba, "there's really nothing that | had to leave out of the final version of the controller."
What, not even a seat-warmer button of some sort? “Well, originally, | wanted the controller to be made entirely out of metal,” he explains. “It didn't happen because then it’d weigh too much and would present problems in the retail channel.” Still, not too shabby for a peripheral most companies would shun as pure commercial suicide. “I was a bit worried about the prohibitive cost of the controller, but my goal was to create a good mech simulator,” says Inaba. “I think that if people just play it, they'll realize it’s a good game, regardless of the cost and complex learning curve.” Which is basically what all this hoopla about SB's high-priced controller really boils down to: How is the actual game itself?
When it comes to first impressions, Steel Battalion is drop-dead gorgeous. Visually, the game’s war-torn environments give off a dark authenticity not commonly seen in your typical giant-robot action title. This is war. You’re on the frontlines, and nothing has been spared the brutality of combat. As
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 112 - egm.gamers.com
Xeox
GAMECUBE
PlayStation.2
MATURE 2 Blood and Gore Strong Language Y Violence ООВ OCB Sie КА Baws: 2 O jr M t
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
©2002 Terminal Reality. Developed by Terminal Reality. Licensed to and published ty Majesco Sales, Inc. ©2002 Majes 5, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PlayStation’ and the ‘PS’ Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TM, © and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trad $ of Nintenda 001 Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox and the X registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software
Your тат weapon readout tells you what’s equipped and how much ammo's left
Your sub-weapon readout and ammo count. Important for close-combat situations
THE BIG PICTURE
Although it varies with each of the 18 different cockpits, is your health bar
Multi-monitors give you other perspectives on the battle. It zooms, too!
The speedometer of the future is here. Kinda underwhelming, isn’t it?
Side-step dashes and jumps register heat on this gauge. Keep an eye on this sucker
The comm. center, i.e., where you command wingmen, fire support and other allies
The heads-up display, locked onto an enemy target. Let "ег rip!
Cont. from page 172 you look out onto the battlefield through the eyes of your mech (a.k.a. “vertical tank” or “VT”), everything takes on a slightly washed- out, saturated video-screen appearance. That sunburned look, coupled with extensive shading and dynamic shadows, makes SB look at once gritty, solid and frighteningly realistic. Likewise, the game’s hefty use of bass and Dolby Digital 5.1 perfectly captures the bombast of warfare. These VTs feel heavy simply because they sound so weighty.
Electronic Gam
Admittedly, the intense audio/visuals, combined with all 40 buttons on your VT controller can be a total headtrip for any rookie. For our first sortie, we charged headlong through a heavily fortified beachhead with two other VTs in our battalion. After closing our hatch, flipping the switches and slamming down the ignition button, the ramp to our amphibious carrier dropped open and gave way to a scene not unlike what you saw in Saving Private Ryan. A haze of thick,
black smoke masked a row of sandbags and artillery. Running alongside our teammates, we shelled distant gun emplacements with our 270mm rifle, and
РЕ
During one mission, you'll be asked to take down a huge naval destroyer at point blank range. Awesome.
gamers.com
strafed nearby sniper nests with our mini-gun sub-weapon. We felt completely badass.
Past the beach, enemy VTs lined the nearby hills, lying in wait for an ambush. With lack of elevation to our disadvantage, our 270mm rounds hit nothing but dirt. All of a sudden, the cockpit goes red and we get a missile-lock warning. Where? Where's that bogey? All sorts of buttons light up on the controller, and out of panic, we jettison our extra fuel tank and activate the windshield wipers. We throw our foot onto the side-step pedal in a last-ditch effort to save our ass, but it's too late. The warhead detonates on impact, and our visuals scramble. We hear—no, we feel—our VT's slow descent as it collapses on its side. That's when we bail out, living to fight another day.
Afterwards, Inaba tells us he thinks that mechs will make it into real-life warfare in the near future. “If the Army tried to make one, it'd probably be just like the VTs in this game. They wouldn't move like
Gundams, that's for sure." Cont. on page 176
SOME GD TO GREAT LENGTHS TO STOP EVI.
e Employ surface-to-air missiles and short and long-range weapons of mass destruction
Utilize guided nuclear, ultrasonic and acoustic torpedoes for | underwater overkil
e я Witness hyper realistic www.subrebellion.com iis і Е. water-physics and lighting effects
TEEN
T Mick d PlayStation® FMM...
of IREM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INC. Sub Rebellion andi лег Entertainment Inc. The rating icon is a registered trademiar
Jogo are trademarks of Metro3D, Inc в Digital Soltware Association.
X52 IREM 50 ved. IREM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING and the IREM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING logo [roe M io ме trademarks of Metro3D, Inc "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trad
PREVIEW
Cont. from page 174
SB's controller is so hardcore, we originally had plans to make this a centerfold pullout you can
hang in the boy’s locker room. But alas...
Along with the foot pedals, you use the left stick to steer movement for your mech. A four-way “hat” on the stick controls torso
Use that tuner dial to open a channel with a particular wingman, and give him up to five commands with the red comm. buttons. You can also use the tuner to call up support units such as supply and repair choppers,
rotation. Put all three of these elements as well as air strikes. Bombs away! together, and you've got the basics of how you truck your 800-ton VT around town. Also notice how there are three foot pedals. No, that third pedal isn't a clutch; you use it for a side- step boost when you're in a jam.
There's a reason that mechs are called vertical tanks (VTs) in Steel Battalion. Like tanks, VTs have a five-speed transmission that takes into account factors like torque and gear ratios. Torque determines how quickly you climb slopes. If you're cruising along in fifth gear and suddenly hit an incline, you'll definitely want to downshift to make the grade. Similarly, just as you wouldn't go from o to 6o in third gear in a car, you wouldn't want to start your run in anything other than first gear in a VT.
We imagine it may get tiresome after a while, but we still get a kick out of flipping these switches on before we hit the ignition button. These switches, with labels like “oxygen supply system” and “fuel flow rate," don't do much —aside from making you feel even more badass in your vertical tank.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 176 - egm.gamers.com
These six are some of the most oft-used functions in the game. The top row of buttons deals with dispensing chaffs (to stymie incoming missles), extinguishing cockpit fires and, believe it or not, cleaning your windshield in case it gets dirty. G'head and laugh, but mechanized combat is filthy stuff—you won't want to be blindsided by dirt and debris. The buttons on the second row manage your six main and sub- weapons systems, plus all the payload for those big fat guns.
These nine buttons deal with assigning mech-specific power-ups and equipment to the function switches, ejecting your extra fuel tanks for better mobility, activating your night scope and putting your VT into a temporary butt-kickin’ overdrive mode.
> CENTER BLOCK
CHAFF |
MAGAZINE CHANGE |
Te
What the heck's a multi-monitor, you ask? It's a small screen that sits right below your main heads-up display to show you peripheral views of the battle. With the multi-monitor, for instance, you can get a closer look at your currently locked target without losing sight of the big picture. Another useful feature is the main screen zoom, which lets you check out all the nitty- gritty of tiny foot soldiers before you blow them to pieces. This is handy for stealthy, non-combat recon missions.
You're not much use to your battalion if you take a random slug in the head. The first rule of thumb when piloting a VT is to close your cockpit hatch. As you watch the canopy lock down, you'll see your mech's onboard computer go through a series of system checks. Now it's time to fire 'er up!
—Eosvr—
Electronic Gaming Monthly - ТП - egm.gamers.com
You use the right stick exclusively to control targeting and firing your main and sub- weapons. The small button you see here targets whatever you put your reticle on, while the rectangular button lets fly your main guns. What you don't see is a trigger that fires your Sub-weapon— handy for taking out entire squads of defenseless infantry.
When your tank is down on its knees, beaten, battered and begging for mercy, it's time to consider ejecting. Why go through the formality of bailing out, you ask? Easy. If you don't bounce out of your mech before it's a ball of flames, you actually LOSE YOUR ENTIRE CAMPAIGN SAVE GAME. The rationale is that since ejecting is such an important element of survival for fighter pilots in real life, the stakes should be just as high in SB. What an innovative pain in the ass. —Che Chou
хх
I ALONE HAVE THE FIFTH FREEDOM. THE RIGHT TO SPY, STEAL, DESTROY AND ASSASSINATE, TO ENSURE THAT AMERICAN FREEDOMS ARE PROTECTED. IF CAPTURED, MY GOVERNMENT WILL DISAVOW
ANY KNOWLEDGE OF MY EXISTENCE.
ТАМ SAM FISHER:
I AM A SPLINTER CELL.
DOE A DCH ASC qoa Reet Done FL NOE D ules in the high stakes game оі covert espionage. law, to thwart cyberterrorist attacks agains iiber optic cameras, prototype guns and other di pu jhment. Rappel, split jump, glide along zipl enemie even use them as human shields. and remember - а dead
к alone, outside
United sts
Visit www.esrb.org
or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info.
ıt, AIL Righis Reserved, Uli Soli E "E
jos and the Xbox Logos
You'll need a car, a very fast car, tick а \12 Vanquish with tons of gadgets,
MEAR Aer адаа оао,
RATING PENDING
Visit www.esrb.org or
call 1-800-771-3772 for Rating Information.
xeox
GAMECUBE
PlayStation.e ROM
| other software components and certain audio visual components-only) ©2002 Electronic Arts Inc. Electronic Arts, EA GAMES-arid the EA GAMES logo are tradematks-or registered trademarks ks TM Danjaq. LLC. James Bond. 007. James-Bend Gun and Iris Logos and all other James Bond related properties ©1962-2002 Danjaq. LLC. and United. Artists Corporation. NIGHTFIRE isa the Xbox logos аге the trademarks"of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. ТМ, © andine Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks
NIGHTFIRE Interactive’ Game (all object code. 10005 and all other James Bond related trad Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbo
enough gadgets, tock to help you blow ир а space station, or jump out of a plane and tick stop a secret military force, before breaking into Mayhew’s estate,
007.еа.сот
ог, engineering а rooftop escape from Phoenix International’s Tokyo office tock then exiting a burning gondola tick т the alps all т time to rendezvous tock with secret agents Zoe and tick Dominique
Sixty seconds of Bond’s world. but don’t pat yourself on the back tock too much It’s more than most people because tick that was only one minute, and there do their entire life. are still 1,400 left in the day tock.
dwyn хо 92:0 Шуп Ar, y ep 7?
DE a ; See TANGIR g- іп Theaters. Coming this fall.
eagames.com "Ay
Inc. in the U,S-a jaq, LLG. and Unit 45-6 o. All othpr-trademarks are tle prope
© 2002 Danjaq, LLC, and United Artists Corporation. JAMES BOND, 007, James Bond Gun and Iris ted, Ford Motor Company. "PlayStation® and the "PS" Family logo are гед
| = ==”
trademarks of Sony
’
PREVIEW
Microsoft
Artoon
1
Action
90%
October 2002
None
www.xbox.com
The ability to freeze time and undo your mistakes (and they will happen).
There aren't enough games that let you undo screw-ups.
Some of the time monsters look like animated M&Ms.
Want to be in two places at the same time? Now you can with the handy dandy record function that comes standard on the new TS1000 (not sold in stores). Just hit the record button...
„апа start doing whatever you feel like. See that bad guy? Open fire while he's still frozen.
Once time restarts, work with your clone to double your firepower and fun.
you love to rewind time and undo that bone- headed pick-up line you just struck out with? (Trust из, “15 there a mirror in your pocket? 'Cause | can see myself in your pants" doesn't work.) Well, that's the premise (sorta) behind Blinx, one of the most innovative platformers to come along since Mario jumped on his first goomba. Well, Nintendo's got their blue-collar brothers and now Microsoft has its own working-class stiff: a cute, cuddly janito—err—cat named Blinx. He's one of an army of feline custodial engineers armed with high-powered Hoovers (the TS1000) whose job is to ensure that time keeps flowing (read: defeat time monsters). Hey, it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. As you start playing, you may find the game feels oddly familiar. No surprise there; developer Artoon is composed mostly of ex-Sonic Team members. But unlike Sega's speed demon, Blinx adds a whole new
| f only life came with а remote control. Wouldn’t
dimension to the genre: time control. Producer Earnest Yuen explains that Blinx “opens the door to new solutions for taking out monsters, new ways to access areas of the level, and a bunch of awesome hidden goodies.” In short, you not only need mad platforming skills, but must also manage the very flow of time in the game.
The only reason this is even possible is due to the Xbox’s built-in hard drive—it is constantly recording what you do as you play. Thanks to it, you can instantly rewind and re-do actions or record new ones and play them back. In this case, the Xbox is working exactly like a TiVo recorder. Both tem- porarily save video information on a hard drive. (If you're still not getting the picture, hit pause and read the sidebars to learn all about it.)
We know what you're thinking: “If | can just pause, rewind and mess with time whenever | get into trouble, how tough can this game be?" Well, you're going to need to incorporate some strategy,
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 182 - egm.gamers.com
—Official Xbox Magazine
& SCH Ке £ %, NINTENDO 3 4 Б ^ GAMECUBE. о Rac
Cont. from page 182
because you don’t have unlimited VCR access.
Confused yet? Don’t be. Earning your different time powers couldn’t be easier. Each world is filled with different-colored gems that correspond with the various time effects or health power-ups. But here’s the catch: you can only collect four gems at a time, and it takes a set of three same-colored baubles to earn any sort of reward. Collect four gems without completing a set of three or more, and you have to start all over again. Therein lies the strategy in Blinx.
So you have to decide: Do you go for the extra life or the ability to slow time to a crawl? Or do you hang on and try to double your reward by grabbing four of the same gem? It’s an interesting —and surprisingly cool—form of micro-management ina game where you totally wouldn’t expect it. It allows Blinx to tackle every challenge in the game in multiple ways, making for some nice replay value.
When you aren’t trying to pull an H.G. Wells on the
A bridge collapsed before you could get across? and try it again.
A little run down? Hit and get a speed boost for a couple seconds.
monsters, you'll be concentrating on earning a little extra cash. So just suck up anything you see with your TS1000 (Blinx is a janitor, after all). It's all worth money that can be used to upgrade your vacuum cleaner at the between-level store. Blinx can buy everything from liqui-vac nozzles to a trippy, glow-in- the-dark model. (Don't ask us what that one's for.) No word from Microsoft on the possibility of a home-haircut accessory.
Oh, and did we mention that the only way to defeat the baddies is by launching said junk at them? So get suckin’! Trust us; а full Т51000 combined with the magic of the Pause button is the only way to fight a boss.
In the sea of me-too platform games we're being subjected to this year, Blinx's time-twisting adventure is just bursting with originality. Now that we've played it, we're pretty pumped. We just wish there were a fast-forward button to make the release date come quicker. — Darren Gladstone
Think The Matrix. You move at the same speed while everyone else
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 184 - egm.gamers.com
There's nary a beastie that can challenge a greased Scottsman. Does this chrono- cat stand a chance against The Simpsons’ janitor?
“Grease me up, woman.”
Steroids and access toa collection of janitorial supplies.
Lifting his kilt over his head.
“Meow.”
Armed with state-of-the- art vacuum that can control time.
Rewinds to undo kilt- lifting thing.
Stop everything with 5 and take some cheap shots at the bad guys.
SEGRH*'cOrn
"HOUSE OF "DEAD
WWW.SEGA.COM/HOTD3
ONE LUCKY WINNER WILL UNEARTH THE FOLLOWING, PRIZES:
| MICROSOFT ХВОЖЕНАВОМАВЕ Ж -i E A COPY OF Ж”
2 MAD CATZ XBOX “BLASTER” LIGHT-GUNS ENTER TO WIN AT
MATURE BLOOD & GORE VIOLENCE EET
played in
Dead or Alive: Ntreme Beach Volleyball
ЕСТЕН Тесто EXE Team Ninja
СН December 2002 ГҮЛ None (EE www.tecmoinc.com The DOA gals are
back in a gravity-defying action- sports game that boys will cherish.
ТТЕ on! If only our
fantasies could be sweet reality!
Getting sand where the sun don't shine.
КТВЕМЕ SHOPPING
Asmall but luscious sample of the hundreds of feminine items for sale on Zack Island. Charge it!
As if these chicks aren't hot enough, now they can be made cocoa-butter brown by using some suntan lotion from the island's shop.
Expect some high-speed ball slappin" on the sandy courts. Here we see nature's finest assets at work and play.
Xtreme Beach Volleyball is nothing more than the perfect excuse to lasso the series' well-
endowed female combatants together in a game that requires them to 1) wear very little and 2) defy gravity. Now that we've established that, let us pose the question—so what? Is it illegal for women with 36DD chests to play a friendly game of volleyball? Of course it isn't, and that's what DOA mainstay Zack (he of the suggestive silver spacesuit) had in mind when he lured Kasumi, Hitomi, Christie, Tina, Ayane, Lei Fang, Helena and newcomer Lisa to Zack Island for the fourth Dead or Alive tournament.
Unbeknownst to the girls, the premise of the tournament was nothing more than a ruse to get them on the island—a notion reinforced by the fact that none of the DOA men had been invited. But since they were already stuck on this tropical resort, the ladies decided to kill time by sunning themselves and playing some ball.
Since 2-оп-2 volleyball is the axis upon which the
L et’s not beat around the bush: Dead or Alive:
game spins, Team Ninja has added extra incentive to the matches. By defeating your opponents and tallying victories, you’ll unlock additional courts all over the island, as well as earn cash to be spent at the island’s one-stop shops. Items like bikinis, accessories and make-up are available for purchase, but players must be careful to match the correct goods with the appropriate characters. Each girl has her own preferences and may reject your selections if they don’t fit with her style.
Gamers must also be aware of compatibility issues between characters, since the friction caused by pairing archrivals like Kasumi and Ayane may result in a lower level of performance. Thankfully, should the rigors of the beach prove too stressful, you can elect to retire to the island’s casinos for a night of gambling, creating even more cash-flow opportunities. This winter, for gamers looking for love in all the wrong places, it looks like the beach is the perfect place to Бе.
—James “Milkman” Mielke
This is the game that Dead or Alive fans have been waiting for. With none of those pesky men in sight, gamers can finally sink their teeth into an all-girl, all-the-time, ball-blasting whack attack in the form of a female beach-volleyball competition. Compete for xtreme prizes like suntan lotion, thongs and other girlish treats. You know you want it!
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 186 - egm.gamers.com
Ubi Soft
Red Storm
1-2 (1-16 online)
Shooter
90%
November 2002
None
www.ubi.com
Earning high-powered bonus weapons to use against the computer or others players online.
Being on the receiving end of said weapons.
While on Xbox Live, getting capped then taunted by some 12-year-old with an M60.
Okay, people, LISTEN UP! Here's some of what you're in for while on recon:
Set up an ambush with your demolitions expert and carve a hole in a tank. There are also security missions in which you need to defend a convoy of tanks from harm.
Think Hamburger Hill. Іп this multiplayer mode, you need to hold your position against all comers.
It’s up to you and your crack squadron to find the hostages on the map and escort them to safety.
About as straight- forward as it gets—the last team standing wins.
“Hey man, check out my Chewbacca costume! Whaaarooo!" Who says that the guys in sniper school have no sense of humor?
The second, less popular part of the tank- escort missions: Find a parking spot and sneak back every hour to feed the meter.
officially upon us. After spending a few hours in
the s*** with the latest title in the long-running Tom Clancy series, we've got a bit of declassified info for all you civvies out there.
Ghost Recon, one of the Xbox Live launch titles, allows up to 16 dogfaces to go out on the field all at once in four squads of four. (For those keeping score at home, that's the same amount of online players as SOCOM on PS2.) This is big news for console gamers with broadband connections, but the online- enabled won't be the only people seeing some action. With LAN support and two-player split- screen, Recon is ready for anything.
If you've ever played any of the Tom Clancy titles, you know that this is more than just some blow- everything-to-hell shooter. We should know; we tried that approach in one mission, and the tank we were sent in to destroy wound up plastering us with a 125mm shell between the eyes. That's right, Soldier; you'd better start using your head for more than holding your helmet in place!
Each time playing, you've got to pick the right squad members and weapons, and use stealth to your advantage whether you're playing against
T he flood of squad-based combat games is
human opponents or taking on the computer.
And when you do take up arms against the artificial intelligence, you'll find it just as tough as real-world opponents. "There are a lot of enemies on each of the maps, and they're working together against you," says Gary Stelmack, Ghost Recon's lead designer. "Just when you think you've got 'em pinned down, you'll get flanked.” The А.І. also runs on random patrol patterns. One time, you might see five terrorists staking out a position after you've cleared a ridge, while the next time, there won't be a bogey in sight.
That same intelligent A.I. controlling the enemies is also put to good use for your own troops. Your computer-controlled teammates are smart enough to cover your six. When we stranded our squad ina clearing, they knew enough to drop to a crouch and await their next order.
Another key element is the ranking system that encourages you to complete the single-player campaign. Finish all the tasks, and you unlock 50 bonuses ranging from extra characters and weapons to new maps, game modes and cheats. You can then use them against other people online. “Your opponents will be able to see your unlocked weapons,” says Stelmack, “but they won’t have access to them. That’s when they know who to watch out for on the battlefield.”
—Darren Gladstone
Armed to the teeth and ready for combat, you can unlock a bunch of extras including the M60, AN94 and the Exploding Chicken mode.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 187 - egm.gamers.com
FA ^ А A
`S
Violence WWW.SUMMONER2.COM
n" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Clr a world of villains, а g : 2%
ЕМЕВУОМЕ
Violence PlayStation.
CONTENT RATED BY
Б 02002 Коте Studios Pty Ltd. All rights reserved: TY the Tasmanian Tiger and the Krome Studios lago are trademarks of Krome Studios Pty Ltd. Electronic Arts, EA GAMES and the EA GAMES logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. inthe US. andlor Other countries: "PlayStation" and tha "PS" Family logo ûe 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 arê Used under license from Microsoft. TM, @ and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo, ©2001 Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners, EA GAMES"" is an Electronic Arts™ brand.
Cri-key! You're TY the Tasmanian Tiger: The last of a rare breed out to explore the untamed and uncharted Australian wilderness in search of your lost family. Along the way you'll encounter some fearsome foes sent out by the evil Boss Cass to spoil your adventure. But no worries, you've got a heap of hi-tech boomerangs, plenty of mates and а set of chompers to help you tame the dodgy Outback. Good luck, it should be a ripper good time! www.TY.ea.com
ey у
LucasArts Vicarious Visions 1-4
Action
80%
Winter 2002
GC www.lucasarts.com
Jedi mind tricks, force lightning, and other tom- foolery will be at your disposal.
The PC game's online aspect has been absolutely plundered.
No lightsaber dismemberments. What gives?
What Would Yoda Do?
He'd use the Force, of course. And so can you. You'll be able to bust оп fools in all sorts of Force- tastic ways and do other neat things, too, like jumping super-high, healing yourself and even throwing your lightsaber around like a boomerang. And if you’re feeling really sinister, you can do like Emperor Pal- patine and shoot evil purple static from your fingertips, as pictured below.
the Star Wars prequels, it’s for showing us
exactly how crazy Jedi can be when they’re backed by bazillion-dollar special-effects budgets. As Jedi Knight ЇЇ: Jedi Outcast makes evident, devotees of the Force have it even better in video games. And trust us, this is a good thing.
КИ puts you in the shoes of Kyle Katarn, a scruffy- looking smuggler-type who also happens to bea fairly formidable Force-wielder. In practical terms, this equates to a bunch of interesting twists on the Star Wars first-person-shooter gameplay you'd expect from a game like this. Though he's in a state of utter Force-withdrawal at /K//’s outset, Kyle quickly gains access to an arsenal large and varied enough to put those weird-headed Episode / aliens to shame. Basically, everything you've seen Jedi do in the movies will be available to you in the game. Did you just get shot up real good? No problem— your Force healing can stitch you right up. How about that gang of Stormtroopers? They cramping your style? All good — just Force shove them over the ledge and be on your way.
The minute you bust out your lightsaber, though, is when you'll realize what this Jedi game is all about. The view immediately switches to a third-
| f there’s any reason that we should be grateful to
When using a lightsaber, it's all third-person...
person perspective, allowing you to better peep the action at hand. As you’ve probably noticed from watching the Star Wars flicks, lightsabers are so powerful it’s stupid, and this is a fact that /К// communicates very well. Simply put, you'll be slicing through Stormtrooper armor like it was Velveeta. You can seamlessly cycle through three combat stances (quick, medium and strong) depending on how you want to swing it, and you can even reflect blaster bolts right back to their points of origin, be it a Stationary turret, Imperial Walker or Stormtrooper. Don’t expect any lightsaber dismemberments, though; LucasArts has decided to sanitize that twisted little graphical flourish from the PC game into non-existence for Jedi Outcast’s console incarnations.
One thing that’s a little baffling (not to mention disappointing) is Jedi Knight's lack of online support, given the proximity of its release to the Xbox Live launch. But don’t worry, you still have a four-player split-screen option open to you, complete with computer-controlled bots. Besides, the original PC version of Jedi Knight 11 received critical acclaim for its single-player scenario, so it's all good. ж
—Miguel Lopez
ey Жа C "Nou Know you want о V 7
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 192 - egm.gamers.com
Tingo must ful itis mission,
Hugo, the son of Lucia, Karaya Clan chief, sets off to help bring peace to a land that has Known much grief.
Uncover the 108 Stars of Destiny, create a homeland castle town, discover the secrets of the 27 True Runes, and save the world from destruction.
Mild Violence Suggestive Themes
= PlayStation.e
SUIKODEN® is a registered trademark of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO, inc. ©1995, 2002 KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO. 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.
Microsoft
Digital Anvil
1-4
Action
95%
October 2002 None www.xbox.com Cooperative action
with friends or the CPU equals squad-based gaming for anyone.
You can't take it to the streets online.
Brutus looks like a cross between a dog and a blue ass.
Unlike most games of this nature, Brute Force offers the additional benefit of raising your characters" skill levels. While not exactly a Final Fantasy in squad-based clothing, various attributes like sniper accuracy, shot power or physical endurance improve with time and experience. Since you can replay old missions at any time, taking your bulked-up characters back to earlier levels will result in a significantly easier experience.
Our girl Flint is especially good
at scoping out hot spots and can $ disseminate that information E among her partners. f 2
4 Here we find Tex, the nature-loving pe pacifist.... Oh, who are we kidding? He's looking for someone to shoot. Twice.
nothing new. Many have come before (X-Squad,
Rainbow Six, etc.) and many have failed. Sony's SOCOM is about as close to console-perfection as anyone's gotten lately, but then it's not on Xbox, is it? So, answering the call for squad-based action, Microsoft enters the fray with some chicken soup for the special-ops soul: Brute Force. BF is a third- person shooter that relies on the diverse qualities of its four well-armed protagonists —Hawk, the sniper; Tex, the gung-ho hard case; Flint, the Halle Berry- lookin' scout and Brutus, the alien—to invigorate the gameplay.
Although Brute Force cannot be played online,
gamers can still tackle missions with the assistance
T: cooperative squad-based shooter thing is
Braap! “Woo! Pardon me!” Hawk reveals the true power of baked beans.
of three computer-controlled allies. You can even cycle between any of these characters as the Situation demands— meaning that if Tex is pinned behind a rock by some gunners, you can switch to Hawk and, from a better vantage point, dispatch enemies with her sniper rifle. Or if you prefer, you can have up to three real-life friends join the action—at any time —simply by pressing Start on the corresponding controllers.
Employing each character's unique skills is key to minimizing casualties and completing mission objectives. Using your scout to pinpoint enemy locations, your sniper to take out enemy sentries, and your demolitions expert and close-combat veteran to clean up is merely common sense. You'll learn that stealth and smarts matter just as much as brute force in this game.
Fortunately the CPU is pretty savvy at managing the other three characters, leaving the gamer free to enjoy the game however he or she wants.
—James “Milkman” Mielke
Brute Force rewards many styles of play. If you're the type who enjoys a High Noon shoot-out, then you're in luck. If you'd rather handle your business in a stealthy manner, you'll enjoy a completely different experience.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 194 - egm.gamers.com
АУЕ
Unlimited Ammo. Because Reloading Takes Too Long.
Exact your deadly revenge with precision and grace. Unlockable secret movies and action figures. Dramatic movie-quality cut-scenes.
Super-powered special weapons. Destructible environments. Nightmarish boss battles. Disposable enemies.
MATURE г PN Y { | BLOOD Р] VIOLENCE Î _
The evil Nobunaga's demon warriors wreak
havoc across feudal Japan. A noble young
BEST PS2 ADVENTURE GAME E3 2002 - IGN
warrior, Jubei, returns home to find his once- vibrant village laid to waste by Nobunaga's monstrous minions. Fueled by vengeance, Jubei embarks on an epic quest; one which
will reveal his ultimate destiny.
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THE TERPIECE.
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On this magical journey, you must earn the
respect of confidants to help the valiant Jubei battle demons, hideous bosses, and overcome ingenious puzzles. Only then
will you defeat the pillaging hordes.
Violence Blood and Gore
capcom.com PlayStations
RESERVED, CAPCI аки Matsuda Offic \ Inc. The rating
PCOM logo are registered trademarks о CROWDAC CAPCOM CO. LTD. ered trademark of the Interactive Di
SK YOUR MISSION: MULTI PLAYER ACTION FEATURING 8 LEVELS OF AUTHENTIC WWII ENVIRONMENTS WITH 20 CHARACTERS AND 16 WEAPONS 9
A PlayS [а tion.e Medal of Honor Allied Assault" is available now for the PC e
Medal of Honor Allied Assault? Spearhead coming Fall 2002 for the PC
ИТ НИ У
GAMECUBE.
{ { i ] i 1 Н } 1 j і
**** June 6th C600 hours. Omaha Beach. D-day.
After three years of enemy occupation, the journey to take back France will be perilous.
Beware. If the hypothermia, underwater mines and Belgian Gates don’t kill you, there
will be plenty of Nazis awaiting your arrival only too glad to help finish the job.
YOU DON’T PLAY, Godspeed, soldier. Save yourself. Save France. Then save the world. Enlist at moh.ea.com YOU VOLUNTEER:
*Multi-player gameplay is only available on Microsoft Xbox“ video game systems and Nintendo GameCube?
© 2002 Electronic Arts Inc. Electroni of Honor Frontline are trademarks o
55 logo, You Don't Play, You Volunte ‘onic Arts in the U.S, and/or otl and/or other countries for compute $ ‘ks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, in the ther countries and are used ks are the property of their respective owners. ЕА С
Medal of Honor Allied As: Medal of Honor is а c products, the ense from is an E
eagames.com
trademarks or registered GameCube is a trademark of Nintendo.
INTERACTIVE
BLOOD and GORE VIOLENCE
You've neve” seen а game like this before. Now, your ай depends on leadership, firepower, and your ability to control fear. - А horrific alien virus runs rampart, but do you know who's ‘infected and who isnt? Youll need the trust of your squad to survive. But if you can't control their fear, they might Kill each other, take their own lives, ог decide to take yours. Be aware. Stay calm. Don't. let paranoia КИ! you. є
Nintendo
Intelligent Systems
1
Adventure
75%
November 2002
None
www.nintendo.com
| Classic gameplay and
design is brought to the GBA in an all new adventure.
Bad? There's something bad? и Buying this and Prime on the same day. Wallet apocalypse!
This screenshot may look familiar to Castlevania junkies or those who remember Super Metroid on the Super Nintendo. Metroid Fusion progresses almost exactly the same way as those games, where pretty much everything is nonlinear and requires a lot of exploration.
game of all time (see “100 Best Games Ever,” issue 150), Super Metroid. Metroid Fusion’s story picks up directly after the end of that Super Nintendo classic. The gameplay is just as compelling, and the developers have made many subtle improvements.
During a mission to planet SR388—the scene of Metroid ІІ on Game Boy—our heroine is infected by a mysterious X parasite, which nearly kills her. She’s saved, however, by a vaccine made from the DNA of metroids, the now-extinct, natural predator of said parasite. So when a space station researching the X sends out a distress signal, the newly immune Samus is sent to investigate.
Fusion may be based on an 8-year-old game, but it feels anything but stale. The control is smooth and varied—Samus has plenty of moves, including old favorites like dashing, ducking and rolling into a ball, plus new capabilities like grabbing ledges and climbing ladders. Her arsenal is impressive, with many different energy beams, missiles and bombs to choose from—once you find them in the game’s maze-like levels, that is.
T: is it, the true sequel to EGM's number one
ENERGY = =
Left: Samus fights а boss that’s actually a parasite. You probably know someone like that.
Below: Samus faces off against her powerful clone. You probably don’t know someone like that.
Much like the GBA Castlevanias, the world of Fusion is an interlocking labyrinth of rooms to explore (see sidebar). The game doesn’t so much push you in the right direction as suggests the way to go. As you explore, Samus uncovers bits of the game’s plot, adding a new dimension to the series.
You can also link your GBA cartridge to the GameCube Metroid Prime, although Nintendo hasn’t divulged just what this connectivity adds, merely saying it’s “awesome.” We shall see. 4f
— Christian Nutt
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 202 - egm.gamers.com
my reputation
and two C-notes on the line.
Blast tracks by DMK, Ludacris and Xzibit
Featuring styles by:
еее ай» ed Benin Па EE gear. Rock the beats. Rock the courts.
Gambling Strong Lyrics
* |$ 2002 Activision, Inc. and its afiates. АИ rights reserved. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. Developed by Black Ops Entertainment, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark and Street Hoops isa trademark of Activision |
les. All rights reserved. Licensed for play on the PlayStation'2 computer entertainment systems with the NTSC U/C designation only. “PlayStation and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony. Computer Ente i, Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. All reserved, ТМ, ®; tendo Al rights reserved. The ratings icon js: trademark of the Ipteractive Digital Software Association, Al other trademarks and trade names ar the property af their res
PREVIEW GALLERY
Kirby
Nintendo October 2002 — Kirby’s М.О. has always been hyper-cute action. The creative thing about Kirby games is his ability to eat his foes and steal their powers. The new GBA version has that, but otherwise it’s very basic. Kirby doesn’t include improvements made to the series over the years. But you will find a bunch of mini- games to make up for it.
е Р
Activision • October 2002 — While we wait impatiently for our Xbox version of Doom III (yay!), why not take a trip down memory lane with Doom II? This portable murder- simulator runs well on the little Game Boy Advance and promises lots of violence and green blood to take on the road with you. Honestly, what could be more American than that?
Tomb Raider
Ubi Soft • November 2002 — Instead of the side-scrolling fare GB gamers are used to, this new handheld Tomb Raider uses a pseudo-3D overhead view. The result is a game that feels more like the original PS1 game and less like a generic platformer with the Tomb Raider name slapped on.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 204 - egm.gamers.com
VIOLENCE
CONTENT RATED BY A VIACOM COMPANY ESRB
Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
ЕМЕВУОМЕ
Violence.
CONTENT RATED BY
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ONLY4#0R
NINTENDO GAMECUBE.
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тм, © and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA and SUPER MONKEY BALL are registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA CORPORATION or its affiliates. © AMUSEMENT VISION/SEGA 2001, 2002, All Rights Reserved. DOLE® and DOLE & Sun Design® are registered trademarks of Dole Food Company, Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
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BY MARR MACDONALD AND CRISPIN BOYER
WILDER VEHICLES. WILIER ENEMIES. BIGGER BATTLES. BADDER GUNS. 'COMBAT EVOLVED' EVOLVES AGAIN, GOES ONLINE
AND COMES DOWN TO EARTH IN THE SEQUEL EVERY XBOX OWNER IS DYING FOR
п bad-news/good-news situations, it's customary to
cut loose with the dreary news first. So, whammo:
Halo 2—sequel to the white-hot hit that beat out
even the mighty Grand Theft Auto ІІІ as our 2001 Game of the Year—doesn't land on Xbox until winter 2003. That's not for another 13 months. What the hell can we do to make such a cruel wait tolerable?
“You could stage mock Halo 2 battles with G.I. Joes and fireworks," suggests Joseph Staten, cinematic lead at Halo developer Bungie.
"Tour the beautiful New Zealand countryside," offers Chris Butcher, Bungie technical lead and native New Zealander.
"| dunno. Read a book or something," says Bungie Studio Head Jason Jones. “My thoughts are all sucked into Halo 2's design and engineering and art and figuring out what we're going to be doing for the online community. | don't do much besides this, so I'd be a bad person to ask for advice."
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Jones’ response brings us right to the bright news: The Bungie team is spending those 13 months doting so feverishly on every piece of the Halo 2 puzzle— from the intricacies of its galaxy-spanning story right down to the textured knitting on each space marine's T-shirt—that this sequel will surely wallop its prede- cessor in every way. This ain't Halo 1.5, the rumored Halo 1 rehash tweaked with online play. (Bungie says that the pseudo-sequel was pure make-believe and *wishful thinking" on the part of eager-beaver jour- nalists.) Halo 2 will pack twice as many vehicles, including troop carriers and more flying machines. It will feature destructible environments and missions set in low gravity. It will deliver full-blown online bat- tles between an army of armor-suited Master Chiefs and alien Elites.
It’s sequel with so much more of...well, everything that tidying it all up with a tag line is tricky. Jones ceases concentration on the design process for a sec and tries: “I think the game is gonna be...," he stares at the conference room table in Bungie's Redmond, Wash., headquarters, searching for the words, "it's gonna be even more than Halo 1 was." He looks up and smiles. “It’s like Halo 1 but on fire. And wrapped in bacon."
“Cool places to go that aren't Earth...”
The Bungie guys call it a "shield ship." It's a troop transport the size of a city block, and it's descend- ing on a patch of hilly turf opposite an alien bunker. Squads of space marines march from the main hatch and prep for an alien assault the instant the ship touches down. A few troopers hop on the back of all-terrain four-wheelers—one of Halo 2's many
ФӘ urn, HALF-UAMPIBE,
AND ONLY HALF-DONE KILLING.
video game system screenshots shown.
PE si EN KEEP THE FORCES OF EVIL AT BAY WITH YOUR 360-DEGREE COMBAT SYSTEM AND UNSTOPPABLE RAGE POWERS.
PlayStation*2 computer entertainment system and Xbox"
© Ф DELIVER LAST RITES TO YOUR VILE VAMPIRE VICTIMS WITH GRUESOME, 2 OVER-THE-TOP FINISHING MOVES.
USE MARTIAL ARTS, GUNS AND THE SWORD о OF THE DAYWALKER IN A DANCE ОЕ DEATH WITH YOUR INHUMAN ENEMIES.
e
THE HUNT BEGINS AGAIN...
P wc Ww 2 SLADE)
AVAILABLE ON VHS AND 2-DISC PLATINUM SERIES" DVD EVERYWHERE!
www.blade2.com
Blood and Gore | : Strong Language 4d | PlayStation.
" | Violence |
ACTIVISION.
Marvel Blade and the distinctive ikeness(es) thereof are trademarks) of Marvel Characters, Inc., and are used with permission. Copyright © 2002 Marvel Characters, Inc. Al rights reserved; Ww.marvel.com. Blade 2 motion picture artwork and other mation picture material activision.com 2002 New Line Productions, Inc, Al rights reserved, Game code © 2002 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademrigol Activision, Inc. and its affiliates, AI rights reserved, Licensed for play on
the PlayStation'2 computer entertainment systems with the NTSC U/C designation only, “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft XBox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S, and/or other counties ad are used under license from Microsoft. The ratings icon is a trademark ff Interactive Digital Software Association. A other trademarks and ae names are the properties of their respective owner.
“ | GIVE HIM THE FINGER
“He actually has individual fingers пом," says Arroyo. “And he has a toe. His feet can really bend, where before he had more of a tank foot. Around his arms there are wrinkles in the fabric and they all stretch and move as he moves. It really adds a lot to the realism.”
`
-AMERA
% Might we finally get a glimpse of the mug on the other side of that famous visor? “You'll definitely see more of Master Chief's personality,” says Lead Designer Jaime Griesemer, "but not his face. It's not like it's a big secret. We just want to keep the player empathizing with him,
- НУ
= 5 and giving him a face would inevitably T lienate somebody.” © b f {7 Am BATILE SCARRED
This isn't just a new look for the Chief's old armor-it's an all-new suit he changes into at some point in the game, probably (judging from all the scuffs and scrapes) just before all holy heck breaks loose.
new vehicles—and zip up a hillside. These guys are snipers, and when they reach the hilltop they dis- mount and take up positions.
Then everything happens at once. Enemy Grunts, Jackals and Elites—the various races of the trouble- making alien alliance known as the Covenant—pour from their bunker and begin blasting at the marines. Some marines dash headlong into the fight. Others cover their compadres from behind trees and rocks. Explosions erupt. Glowing volleys from rapid-fire en gy weapons criss-cross the terrain. The snipers on hillsides take beads on targets. Everyone works together. It’s like a bona-fide military attack force.
The only thing MIA here is Master Chief, Halo’s walking-tank main character who really is an army of one. Don't worry —he'll show up eventually, once the
218
Unless you read the prequel novel The Fall of Reach (and are willing to admit it), you may not know that Halo's hero, the Master Chief, is just a normal guy. At least, he was a normal guy, until he was plucked away by the military in early adoles- cence; trained morning, noon, and night for years in a special program (under conditions so harsh many of his peers died); and finally fused with an exper- imental power armor that boosted his muscle strength, reflexes, and general badass- edness to unheard-of levels.
But other than that, he's just your average Joe. So for Halo 2, Bungie wanted to make him look less like а robot and more like а real guy та suit.
“Things were a little exaggerat- ed with Halo 1," says Bungie Artist Eric Arroyo. “Now his shoulders are more natural. His proportions are more natural. [He's] a little more realistic. ""
HAS BEEN
4
Like Christie Brinkley, the old Chief is a model whose time has come and gone. The only work he can get anymore is when someone wants to show how much bet- ter the new Chief looks next to him, or in the summer 2003 PC version of Halo (the gaming equiva- lent of doing a porno film). Poor guy. We still love you.
level is fully designed. But anyone who’s played the original game’s Silent Cartographer beach battle (think Saving Private Ryan with rayguns and super- sonic troop characters) knows that the battleground we just described is Master Chief’s ultimate play- ground. And it’s the kind of big-scale, teamwork-ori- ented commotion that Bungie plans to evolve for Halo 2% single-player experience. “We had a ton of things in Halo 1 that we tried,” says Design Lead Jaime Griesemer, “and one of the things that really worked was when you fought alongside your marines. And now...we’re going to focus on it a lot more. I’m not talking about ordering your squad around or anything like that, but you’re going to be fighting alongside marines and against organized aliens a lot more than in Halo 1.”
The shield-ship skirmish we just watched is actually a Bungie test level that’ll wind up highly modified in the final Halo 2 product. We dunno where the battle fits into Halo 2’s overall plot. And even if we did, we wouldn’t tell you. Why spoil the story of a game that’s still more than a year away? But if you’ve seen Halo 2's wowie-zowie teaser trailer (and if you haven't, go to www.xbox.com and watch it now, soldier), you already know the Covenant bring their war against humanity straight to our neck of the galactic 'hood: Earth. That's where Halo 2 kicks off, although the trail- er isn't the game's opening cinema.
A brief period has passed since Halo 1’5 finale, in which we saw Master Chief obliterate the enigmatic Halo ring-world. He had just crushed a Covenant force and an army of mushball space mutants known as The Flood. Now he's returned to Earth with Cortana—the chatty female А.І. construct built into the noggin of his newly upgraded armor—to find the planet on the brink of a “goddamned apocalypse,” quoth the trailer.
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The Covenant have wiped out every last human- colony world. Earth is all that’s left. Master Chief and Cortana’s mission is clear: Hightail it planetside to back up Earth’s forces and repel the alien blitz.
Sounds like more than enough mission for one game, right? Well, that ain't the half of it. "There's going to be lots of cool places to go that aren’t Earth,” Bungie boss Jones says. So far, we’ve seen concepts for a level set in a hydroponic plant; on an orbiting space outpost; and on a mining station float- ing in the upper wisps of a gas giant, where һшті- cane-force gales make it tough just to walk, let alone massacre Covenant bad guys. One mission's set on a moon (we're not sure if it's Earth's or another world's), complete with weak gravity that drops the game's hyper-realistic physics into slow-mo. We watched Master Chief leap three times his height to reach a secret door to the Covenant's moon base. The kick from his rifle even slowed his descent when he fired downward while falling. Bungie is working on moon- buggy-style vehicles, which’ll take stratospheric jumps in the low lunar gravity. And just think of all the low-G tricks you'll be able to try in multiplayer.... But we'll get to network play later.
*Take the war to the Covenant..."
At some point in Halo 2, the Covenant's assault on our home planet comes to a close. Just don't expect the end-game credits to roll when it happens. Instead, Master Chief and Cortana will zip deep into the heart of Covenant territory, attacking the source of the enemy's power. “Мете definitely going to take the war to the Covenant in this one," Jones says. The climactic battle that follows will bring a measure of closure to the Halo saga, something that was missing from the first game. “In Halo 1, you faced disaster after disaster,” Jones says, “and by the end of the game you hadn't really gotten anywhere except saving the galaxy three different ways. Ultimately, humanity was in the same place as when the game started."
Bungie won't tell us much about Master Chief's encounters on the Covenant's home turf—other than that it'll be nothing like the alien homeworld in the PC/PS2 shooter Half-Life. We do know Halo 2 will reveal a lot more about the aliens and the motives behind their intergalactic assault and battery on humanity. “I think they were so mysterious in the first game that people saw the Covenant as very flat,"
PROPHET OF DOOM
“They're like giant space popes,” is how Lead Artist Marcus Lehto describes the Prophets, a key race in the Covenant alien coalition and a new enemy in Halo 2. Bungie head honcho Jason Jones goes a little more in- depth: “The first two races of the Covenant were the Elites [the tall alien commanders in the original Halo] and the Prophets. The Elites are the military right hand, and the Prophets are the political, religious and spiritual leadership. Together they formed the Covenant and recruited other races around them.”
Ш DRESSED FOR SUCCESS The idea is that every Prophet in the game will be different, each with its own unique head- dress and robes. Why the fancy get-up? “You can see the relationship to priest- hood and royalty that we're trying to pull off here,” says Lehto. “We've got a character who's physically not impos- ing but uses things such as the chair and headdress to become an impos-
ing presence within a room."
Ш Ѕ5РЗСР-РОРР пове The Prophets sit on a handy anti-gravity doo- dad to get around, but don't pity them the way you would some old lady putt-putting along on her Rascal scooter. “Tit's] not that they can't walk", says Lead Designer Jaime Griesemer, “They just choose not to. They're too good for that."
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Halo 25 use of cinemas will һе a little different this time. Although you'll still get cutscenes like the teaser trailer
here, about 70 percent of the story will unfold while you're controlling Chief, so there'll be fewer breaks in the action.
Jones says, “or they just came across as the stupid E cliché of an alien race that ruthlessly attacks mankind. Nobody knew about their social structure or anything, but | had hoped people would give us credit and realize there's more to the Covenant than what we showed. We're really expanding on them in Halo 2. There's a whole bunch of the story we still have left to tell, and that's going to be a lot of fun." Revelations come in the form of new alien races, chief among them the Prophets (see page 220) and the Brutes (see right), with more alien enemies to be revealed later. Some revelations will even come from the original Halo—at least once the sequel shows you what to look for. “All through Halo 1, we were putting in the hooks for Halo 2," Griesemer admits. He's refer- ring to the first game's mysterious little details, such as the scattered symbols on Halo and the funky histo- ry lessons from 343 Guilty Spark. “Almost nothing in Halo was random," һе says. “| think a lot of people are going to play Halo 2 and then go back and play Halo 1 and see a lot of things they didn't see before."
*Much more complicated engagements..." Chat with Jason Jones about sequels— any kind of sequels, even the movie variety—and he'll tell you exactly how not to do them. “When you talk about the the bad transition from the second Alien movie to Alien 3, | think we all know what happened there,” Jones says. "Alien 3 was just a different movie, right? And that's what you don't want to do. Likewise, we don't want to make a different game. Why eliminate the reasons people played our first game?"
That's why Bungie isn't fiddling with Halo's funda- mentals. Master Chief can still carry only two weapons at a time. He still possesses superhuman strength. He still has a rechargeable force-field shield and flashlight. His armor has been upgraded this time around, but he's still pretty much the same green guy from the first game. "We're not going to give him any more superpowers," Griesemer says. “Не won't walk on walls or fly. But we'll definitely give him augmenta- tions. He'll have some tools."
Bungie didn't clue us in on what those "tools" might be yet, but we did glimpse a few of Chief's | enhanced skills (see page 224 for a complete run- down). He’s can now peer around corners and lean forward over ledges to check out a scene before he dives into it. (He won't be able to shoot or lob | grenades, but the enemy А.І. can't see him, either.) | The Chief’s melee attack is beefed-up, too. Time your | button presses right and he'll string together а combo
ctronic Gami
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of up to three skull-crunching smacks with his gun.
But the Bungie guys are saving most of their tweaks for the Master Chief’s alien enemies and marine allies. М/ете not just talking about their look, although Covenant and marine character models come іп a much greater variety this time. (Different types of marines, for example, will haul around their own special backpacks and wear unique body armor.) The bigger deal here is the A.l., which will potentially make the already darn-smart enemies and marines from the first game seem like high-school ROTC dropouts. “We gave a demo on Halo's А.І. at a game developers conference,” Griesemer says. “We gave away every secret, and then we realized, ‘Hey, we gotta make a sequel. We need a bunch of new secrets!’ That’s what we’ve been working on lately.”
What they’ve settled on is a scheme that makes all computer-controlled characters more flexible in any situation. They’ll have a larger variety of behav- iors and interact more realistically with each other. “In Halo 1, the marines knew they had friends around, but they only used that information pas- sively,” says Chris Butcher, one of Bungie’s techni- cal leads. “In Halo 2, one of the marines will finish reloading his weapon, look at his four buddies and Say, ‘Charge!’ The one with the [assault rifle] will immediately start suppressive fire while the two with shotguns charge across the beach and the guy with the rocket launcher watches the sky for Banshees. They'll really watch each other's back and coordinate their actions for maximum effect."
Other flashes of Halo 2 А.І. brilliance: Marines will knock over tables and use them for cover. (Such defensive moves won't be part of a pre-planned script—the troopers will actually think to do this.) Marines pinned down by enemy fire might call for a Warthog to save their bacon. Marines will point out a sniper for an ally to grenade. Any of these scenarios can and will happen in Halo 2. "Instead of just com- municating what they are doing at that moment," Butcher says, “тагтез’ be communicating inten- tions and making requests."
Your A.I. comrades complete the illusion of being living, breathing, thinking killing machines by getting a lot blabbier. Bungie is building on the first game's marine-conversation system, making it so your fellow soldiers will have more to say to you and each other. Let's rewind to the big shield ship battle at this arti- cle's outset for an example. Say that, instead of fol- lowing the main attack force away from the ship, you
WHAT'S IN
A few highlights of what Bungie is planning for the seguel
illustrations by eboy
RUN!
Always felt like you were wading through mashed potatoes when you needed to get somewhere fast in Halo T? Move full speed ahead for a few seconds in Halo 2, and the Chief will lower his gun and break into a sprint, accelerating to almost twice normal speed (in current tests, at least). Jump, side-step or fire your weapon and you'll drop down to a normal pace, but for, say, backtracking to that rocket launcher in single-player or getting across the field with the flag in multiplayer, this new ability could be indispensible.
ENEMY MOVES
To go along with their more animal-like animations, the enemies in Halo 2 will have a wider range of moves at their disposal. You'll see Covenant
. scurry under ledges, leap over barriers and even climb up columns. “Guys
. are going to be a lot more mobile,” says Griesemer. "They're going to understand how to move through the environment in not only effective
. ways-so they can find you and get to you-but also ways that are cool-look-
` ing and make them more difficult to fight."
E
SEER COVER! When you think back, levels in the origi- nal Halo were pretty bare-mostly empty rooms and hallways. Not so for the sequel. "We're going to be populating [Halo 251 world with a lot of objects that can be manipulated [by both the А.І. and the player]," says Griesemer after show- ing us one example-an A.I.-controlled marine flipping over a table to use as a shield. "Lots of games have had guys knock over a table," he says. "All of those games have had scripts that told that guy to knock over a table. Our А.І. goes, ‘I need cover. I'm gonna knock over a table.’ That means it can happen at any point during the combat. It can happen with any table, with any guy."
COMBO arracHs
Time your melee attacks correctly and you'll be able to string them together into devastating combos. In the final game they'll be different for each weapon, but in the example we saw, the 2 Chief flipped out his rifle butt for two slaps from the side, then brought it down overhead for the crushing final blow. “It's based on Final Fight," says Griesemer, only half-joking, "as all good combo systems are."
LEAN INTO II
"A lot of times in Halo you entered combat before
~ you wanted to," says Lead Designer Griesemer, “because as soon as you could see enemies they could see you. Leaning will allow you to look around the corner and check on guys before you commit.” Currently set to the D-pad, this new function auto- matically leans the Chief forward a bit and cranes his neck around to the left or right, more like you would peek around a corner in real life than the slight shift to the side you'll find in most first-per- son shooters. You won't be able to attack while peeking, though-the idea is just to let you scout ahead a bit without being seen. "[It's] for checking | out a situation before you enter it,” Griesemer tells us. "To make sure nobody is looking, to see if a grenade would be appropriate, to watch out for sur- prise vehicles-that kind of thing.”
Я 2x Exc REAL ҚА? NU B 5 7 BLOW STUFF UP
5 You'd expect Halo 2's levels to look better than the original game-the more exciting || news is that you'll be able to blow those beautiful new levels all to hell. Doorframes, J windows, columns-certain objects will splinter and shatter into pieces when they take | enough damage. It won't be every surface, but enough that, as Lead Artist Lehto says, “You can walk into a scene where you just had major combat and it'll look like the lobby in the scene from The Matrix." Cool, you say, but what does it mean for gameplay? Two things: One, enemies will know what's destructible and what isn't. "So if you're hiding behind a piece of plywood," says Griesemer, "they're going to blow up the piece of plywood and come after you." Second, you can shoot out light sources, which leads us to our next point...
| HIDE | ` SNEAR
| Light, or lack thereof,
|. will be important to
parts of Halo 2. Details
_ аге still murky at this
. point, but it sounds like
. Staying in the shadows
| will be one more way to
| evade your enemies.
|. One section of a test level we saw even had Covenant soldiers
| patrolling the darkness
. with flashlights.
Electronic Gamme Monthly - 228. беп далил ций
Battlefield Earth: Bungie didn't want to say much about what Master Chief finds when he touches
than that “the picture of Earth we want to give is that it’s the most impor-
the humans to defend,”
BATT on ae
-e I
down on terra firma, other
tant thing in the galaxy for
says Bungie's Jason Jones.
mosey up on a hill and stumble upon one of the snipers. “If you hang out with him, he'll have these really cool things to say as he’s popping off targets,” says Cinematic Lead Joseph Staten, who, incidentally, provides the voice for the chickenhearted pipsqueak alien grunts. “That’s something totally off the path and it’s not crucial to go there, but we're building in that content knowing that the player might go there. We really want to have that level of detail that you may or may never see.” Depending on which way you walk in a level, you might find marines who point you in the direction of a pitched battle, or who warn you about snipers while they hunker down, or who are just afraid to go any farther until you come and lend your firepower. “Ме just want to set up situations where the story isn't mission-critical, but it's definitely adding something special to your experience because
the characters in the world are communicating to
you," Staten says.
Of course, lifelike brainy marines deserve lifelike brainy opponents, so Bungie has souped up the Covenant's 1.0., too. “In Halo 1, our A.I. was about shooting people and not getting shot, and that was all it really focused on,” says Butcher. “Now our А.І. will understand and move through their environment in ways that they never could before. You've got guys climbing. You've got guys ducking under objects or
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of Interplay Entertainment Corp. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. TM, ®, and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo, The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other copyrights and trademarks are property of their respective owners,
The Warthog jeep will be slightly modified for different kinds of terrain (like jungle and snow shown above) or different purposes (like the troop transport on the end). The final Covenant Shadow (below) will seat just one driver, but two others can dangle off the sides.
jumping over them.” It makes for enemies who ani- mate like animals. The Elite soldiers will be more lithe and leopard-like. Jackals will behave more like birds. Life will be anything but a day at the zoo for Master Chief and his marine allies. Enemies know to switch on their flashlights and hunt for you in darkness. They'll understand how to fight in low-gravity environ- ments. They'll talk to each other more (and most of them will speak English this time) and coordinate attacks. As tenacious as the first game’s bad guys were, Halo 2’s enemies will make you fight even hard- er for every inch of ground. "You're going to have much more complicated engagements that are going to take longer," Butcher says.
“Even the simple things look interesting..." “| think we're probably the first sequel in history that's not bragging about having higher polygon counts," says Design Lead Griesemer. “In fact, the Master Chief is actually made from a little bit fewer polys than the Halo 1 Chief, but he looks 10 times better because we're using bump maps in such an intelligent way."
Bump mapping—the rendering hocus pocus
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Halo 2 Warthog before bump mapping
powering much of Halo 2’s advanced new visual vibe—is a magic word with Bungie, because it’s let- ting the team achieve an astonishing level of detail in the sequel’s environments and on its characters and objects. Bump mapping’s tech-nerd definition is that it’s an Xbox-friendly rendering process that overlays a map of three-dimensional details—treads on a tire, buckles on gear, gouges on body armor—onto a polygonal model's flat skin. If you think of a 3D model such as a vehicle or character as a simple shape hacked out of wood, then bump mapping is the process of sculpting out all the fine details.
Bungie’s artists are sculpting everything with bump maps in Halo 2, and it works beautifully. Just look at the screens and watch the trailer. "That's in- game content,” Butcher says. “It’s the visual bar we are confident we can achieve with the same frame- rate [smoothness] as in Halo 1.” Unlike the first game, in which bump mapping was added late in development and used only on environments and structures, Halo 2 has been bump-enhanced from the get-go. Everything in the game, including marines, weapons and retouched Halo 1 models, will be sculpted for maximum visual impact. “Master Chief doesn’t look like a little featherweight polygonal mesh,” says Art Lead Marcus Lehto. “He looks like a 400-pound cybernetic character who is gonna kick your ass. It’s much more believable.” And the whole point here is that such believability doesn't come at the expense of the game's perfor- mance. “We wanted to be able to have the large- scale battles we had in Halo 1," Griesemer says, *and we couldn't therefore just triple the poly counts on everybody. The bump mapping helps us make the game look so much better while not demanding anything more of the Xbox." Griesemer adds that the sequel will have even more characters on the battlefield this time.
Many Bungie guys we talked to guesstimate that Halo 2's visuals are an order of magnitude better than the first game. That boost isn't just from the bump mapping's pumped-up detail: Half the pizazz comes from the sequel's advanced new real-time engine for creating light and shadow, which reacts more realistically to bump maps than to ordinary textures. Watch Master Chief descend in a wire-mesh elevator and you'll see shadows dance around every- thing in the scene as he passes each floor. When the hangar airlock doors rumble open in the trailer, you see harsh sunlight, reflected from the Earth outside, bathe the scene and wash out weaker light sources. (Bungie calls such splashes of overpowering light the *bloom effect.") *Even the really simple things
Electronic Gam
The shadow shows: See the way Master Chief's battle rifle casts shadows on his shoulder (above), or how his helmet creates shadows on his chest (below)? That's called "'self- shadowing." It's the new buzzword in graphics rendering, and it's one of the effects the Bungie guys are most proud of. “It's really hard to understand what that's doing to your monkey brain," says Design Lead Jaime Griesemer, "but you so notice the difference when it's not there.”
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look interesting,” says Straten. Bungie's artists are creating textures with this new lighting model in mind, whereas in Halo 1 the lighting engine came in fits and starts, and the artists never really got the hang of it. Now it’s letting them achieve the subtlest of details, such as the way every model in the game casts shadows on itself as well as its surroundings. “There’s a lot of lighting things that our engine is doing,” says Lehto, “but self-shadowing is probably the most important thing that you might not even notice. It's so subtle, but it's so cool.”
You don't really appreciate the sequel's lighting effects until the lights go out completely. It's a situa- tion you could find yourself in frequently, since that Master Chief has the ability to shoot out lights and skulk in the shadows this time. Imagine hearing a bump in the dark, cutting loose with your battle rifle and seeing a dozen Covenant enemies strobe-lit by your muzzle flash, their shadows writhing on the walls as they scurry for cover. “It’s really cool just running guys over in the dark," says Graphics Programmer Adrian Perez, “and watching the headlight from your vehicle cast this long shadow behind the bad guy right before you hit them."
Just don't get the idea that Halo 2's enhanced use of light and shadow is going to drastically change the feel of the game. By no means will most of Master Chief's new haunts be dim and creepy. "We're definite- ly not doing this to set just a horrific tone," Griesemer says, "and we're not changing it into a stealth game. Halo 2 is still all about fighting and shooting and killing. But, yeah, players have this great resource of being able to hide in the shadows now, and we're going to use it in some interesting ways."
*Re-creating Halo's single-player experi- ence among players on the Internet..." Halo 1 was the first Bungie game in five years that did- n't have Internet play. You can tell the team hates that—they hate it with all their might— especially because the game was originally designed for online. Microsoft's gaming network just wasn't ready when Halo launched in late 2001, so players had to settle for split-screen or linked-system multiplayer play. It was still ludicrously fun, just not the kind of experience Bungie wanted. "We've just been drooling to come back to team Internet multiplayer," says Jones.
Fast forward to Halo 2's launch a year from now. Xbox Live, Microsoft's broadband-gaming network, will be a year old with its kinks ironed out. Bungie
GUNS! GUNS! GUNS!
How come all the weapons in Halo, even the weird alien guns, look so believable? “We have some real gun...well, I wouldn't call them gun nuts,” says Lead Designer Jaime Griesemer, "but gun...afficionados.” He breaks down two of the new human weapons:
will be able to stop drooling and we can start: Halo 2 will feature online battles between Master Chief characters on one side and Covenant Elite soldiers on the other. The plan is for online to support at least 12 to 16 players. It’ll be nothing less than the total online war Bungie originally envisioned. “The thing we’re excited about bringing to Xbox Live is re- creating Halo’s single-player experience —with all the weapons, vehicles and explosions—among a bunch of players on the Internet.” All of Halo 75 multiplayer modes, including Capture the Flag, Oddball, etc., will return, except now with the added oomph of flying vehicles, way more weaponry, and real-time strate- gizing and trash talking via the Xbox Communicator headset microphone.
Bungie has other big plans for Halo 2 multiplayer that they’re just not ready to chat about. They know they want to enhance the cooperative mode of the main cam- paign game, but they probably won't make it playable over the "Net ("That's really hard to do,” Jones says). And they've heard all your gripes about the first game's lack of computer-controlled "bot opponents for multi- player. “We're thinking a lot about the 'bot question," Griesemer says. "We understand there are people who play Halo who want to play multiplayer, but they only
Cont. on page 238
232
THE SMG “The submachine gun has a high rate of fire, but it's pretty inaccu- rate. We may include a silencer on it, or at least on some versions of it. There's a clip on the side where you can see the bullets, which disappear as you fire so you can tell when you're low on ammo. And it has a collapsible stock. When [the Chief] readies it, he'll pull it out and it will butt up against his shoulder.”
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RIDING SPIRITS
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have two controllers and they’re not online. We want to do something for them, but | don’t know what it’s going to be.”
We can’t wait to find out. We can’t wait to try online dogfighting in soaring new vehi- cles. We can’t wait to try multiplayer battles
M FIRSI-DEGREE MURDER Ш THIRSTY GRUNT E HIDDEN MESSAGES
» А к а Once you get your pistol loaded At very end of the fast level, after Throughout Halo you'll find differ- in low gravity. We can't wait to play as a at the very start of the game, the dropship coming to rescue you ent messages, such as Lead Artist Covenant Elite wielding a human shotgun. head back to Captain Keyes, crashes, take the tunnel you see to. Marcus Lehto's initials on the bot- We just can't wait for Halo 2. And the funny shoot him in the face, and see the right. You'll find one last grunt tom of every Master Chief's boot. thing is, neither can Bungie. "We do what what happens. (Oh, and before with a message for ya. Or the room hidden in the final we do because we want to play our final you shoot, zoom in on the name W HIPPO SHELL level with a designer's moniker product, too,” Griesemer says. “Nobody has tag on his uniform.) A very strange inside joke gone (REX) on the wall in blood. This higher expectations than we do.” Г] come Sn POD Eu ШШ ae ү m 5 stuff's everywhere! Й S spent shotgun shell and you'll spo Ultimately, that’s the numero-uno reason At the very start of the level a friendly hippo smiling back. Ж [ERA КИЛ is possible. this sequel should turn out great. As fun "343 Guilty Spark," don't leave ш BACKWARDS SPEAK Back a Warthog up to the base wall and polished as the first Halo was, most of your dropship-just keep tossing ELITES on Blood Gulch (pointing away the game came together in the final month grenades. You can hitch a ride to Yep. When you hear them grow! from the base) and floor it in development. Bungie has been working a previously unaccessible part of “Wort! Wort! Wort!", it's actually reverse (look up on your ascent, on Halo 2 since six weeks after they fin- the um Same deal on ene someone saying "Go! Go! бо!" then quickly look down). 5 ы. А Я on the Control Room," only this reversed. (For some reason "go" E HIDDEN TUNE oa the | Опе, panoni ai little time face the dropship and keep played backwards sounds more like Once you get outside in the Ө a , ma ing Sure this seque WES up to hitting X right as the Pelican "wort" than "og"—go figure.) "Assault on the Control Room" their original vision. “When Halo 2 is fin- drops you off to hop back aboard. Other things they say backwards level and into that huge, snowy ished, it will define the next generation of № UnLImITED ammo In are “roadkill,” “nice one,” and area, jump into a Banshee and ride games on the Xbox," says Ed Fries, СО-ОР MODE “stay low soldier!" it to the middle of the three ridges Microsoft’s VP of games publishing, “and it This is where some of the guys at MieLav ONLINE that bracket that enormous col- will define what network play can be on halo.bungie.org started to scare It's not always very smooth, but if umn at the top of the pyramid. Xbox Live.” us a little with their dedication. you have a PC, a broadband con- Now park the Banshee and get out If that ain't d hat is? N h It's not the easiest trick, so we nection, a HUB and $20, you can (watch your step!), walk all the агат 5906 news, what is? Now what can't print it here, but head over play Halo online today. Check out way over to the rightmost edge the hell are we going to do about that 13- to the site and click on “Tips 'n www.gamespyarcade.com and click and stand still. You'll hear a track month wait again? “I suggest cryosleep,” Tricks" and then "Keyes' Corner." ‘on the Xbox Online link. from the old Bungie game Myth.
Griesemer says. фф
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 238 - egm.gamers Wah ; “
WHAT ALCENS HANE NIGHTMARES ABOUT ...
screenshots from Xbox™ video game system
- DEFENDER Е ا
“SAVING THE НОМАМ АМУ -
Game preview at www.defender.midway.com
Defender © 2002 Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved. DEFENDER, MIDWAY and the Midway logos are registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used by permission. Developed by California Seven Studios, Inc. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment Inc. ™, ©, Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. "PlayStation" and the "PS Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment 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.
CJD MIDWAY
Гос] | A PlayStation.@ A @ GAME BOY ADVANCE
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EVERYONE
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PlayStation.
POWERED BY:
Е may ERST
CARS LIKE THESE AREN’T EXPORTED. THEY ESCAPE.
Ferocious beasts like the Lamborghini Murciélago, Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari 360 Spider" are born to run. And run fast. Cut one loose on heavily trafficked public roads with unpredictable conditions and waiting police cruisers. Avoid recapture or spend the next 5-to-10
in captivity. Take the reins at needforspeed.com.
eagames.com
IT ISN'T LIKE THE ORIGINAL.
Screens taken fit
stand up and cheer? Slide your skinny ass into Rocky's shorts and find out as our shot as Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang ог 20 others. Start with Training 4
What does it feel like to make a million leisure $ you join his relentless quest for the title. Or
Mode or dissolve to Movie Mo nues that coming out unscat 4 196 is way too brutal
Violence ж
ESRB
© 2002 Rage Games Limited except "Rocky" - "Rocky V" (с) 1976-2002 United Artists Corporation. ROCKY TM Uni rt © 2002 UbiSoft, Inc. UbiSoft and the UbiSoft Enterta ) ү tendo GameCube logo are trademat
| 2774 NT a А
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RED, WHITE, BLACK & BLUE
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ademarks of UbiSoft, Ino: All rights reserved, "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Co Ea Wrtainment E / the Xbox logos served, The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association, All other fradémarksiage the p ies of their respective же” 2
Blood
Violence Use of Alcohol
АВЫ ind studios
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance ©2002 Interplay Entertainment Corp. All rights reserved. Baldur's Gate, Dark Alliance, Forgotten Realms, the Forgotten Realms logo, D&D, the Dungeons & Dragons logo, and the Wizards of the Coasts logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used by Interplay under license from Infogrames Interactive, Inc. Black Isle Studios, the Black Isle Studios logo and the Interplay logo are trademarks of
Explosive spell effects Amazing graphics and gameplay
GE l
Interplay Entertainment Corp. Snowblind Studios and the Snowblind Studios logo are trademarks of Snowblind Studios. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
БАЙ 5154105 ™
Spoilers ahoy: We couldn’t wax nostalgic about our favorite gaming moments without revealing the plot twists and surprises that got us jazzed in the first place. So be sure to mosey past exhibits for games you don’t want spoiled.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 248 - egm.gamers.com
Mind 1 Games ж
ма Gear Solid (PlayStation)
When sub-boss Psycho Mantis “read our minds" in Metal Gear Solid and told us about some of the games that we played in real life, we just about dropped our controllers in shock. (We nearly dropped a little something in our drawers, too.) It was a memorable and innovative instant in gaming that transcended our TV screens.
ing Sergeant Patt erson ж. Medal of Honor: Frontline (PlayStation 2)
We've all seen the hyper-intense beach battle from Stevie Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. This game let us live it. We knew from the explosive instant we landed into that maelstrom of whizzing bullets and earth-shaking explosions that, yep, war really is hell.
letroid (Nintendo entertainment System)
Back in the 8-bit Nintendo days, we didn’t play games for the promise of some deliberately planted secret, but because they brought joy to our otherwise bleak junior-high existence. So imagine our surprise after beating the original Metroid, when Samus peeled her clothes off to reveal that he was, in fact, a she. Sadly, repeatedly beating Metroid only succeeded in making Samus put her suit back on. Crap!
My Favorite Moment Jason Rubin, co-founder of Jak and Daxter developer Naughty Dog
“1993, Winter, Boston: | download Doom to an MIT computer and start to play. Eighteen hours later, an enemy jumps around the corner and literally knocks me off my chair. That was the first time, but not the last.”
Croft Shows Off ^
Tomb Raider (PlayStation)
G'head, admit it. You've shared a special moment with Tomb Raider's Lara Croft via this simple glitch: Backing Lady Lara into a corner whirls the game camera to reveal a front-and-center gander at her ta-tas. The view may not seem so spectacular today, but back then we felt positively naughty.
Opera-house Rock 7”
Final Fantasy III (super NES)
When we began our quest in Final Fantasy III (FFVI on the FF Anthology PS1 disc), we didn’t expect to have to sing our way out of trouble. Yet that's exactly what PLE ЗАКА АИ ALI LV happened when our ; party arrived at ап opera house. Sure, the operetta that followed wasn’t exactly hi-fi, but it was still the most moving mix of sound (the actors actually warbled the lyrics) and story we had seen yet.
Э We must part пош. ` My life goes on. But my heart won't: 9 TI
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 249 - egm.gamers.com
My Favorite Moment
Jason Jones, Bungie’s studio head “That crazy part at the beginning of Half-Life (PC, PS2) when everything starts to go wrong at the lab. The scene winks out, and you get a quick glimpse of the other dimension and
its creatures.”
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Star Wars:
Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo T
Sure, we've done it since in Rogue Leader for GameCube, and we know we'll do it again in a future Star Wars game. But when we fired our tow cables and brought down an AT-AT walker in Shadows of th Empire, it was the first time we ever felt like we were actually in one of our favorite movies. Go figure: The best scene from the best Star Wars flick made the best level in a Star Wars video game. A
3 Electronic Gaming Monti
Your pulse pounds іп your
temples. Your crewmembers lie
dead or dying around you. All
you know for sure about the alien invaders is that you're
neHt on their hit list. Time is
running aut. So is your life. T аз ЖУ”,
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Nac anal tak itary hero ша
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Struggle to outthink, outrun and
outgun intelligent foes who learn p: your behavior and adapt to it.
RUN LIKE HELL
HUNT OR BE HUNTED
2 cm Тт PlayStation.e
Get the feeling of living a movie—
RLH Run Like Hell" © 2002 Interplay Entertainment Corp. All Rights Reserved. RLH е RLH logo, Digital Mayhem. the Digital Mayhem logo, Interplay. logo are trademarks of Interplau Entertainment Corp. RII Rights d for play on the PlayStation? computer entertainment TSC ШС designation oniy. “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 and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Blood and Gore Violence Strong Language
from the edge-of-your-seat tension to the voice talent of top actors.
| Кой Igarashi, producer of QUA WIEN ILC PEN EAE PSAN DL >» f Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance INN "When! played EverQuest under the | name ‘Alucard,’ and players started asking me if | was a fan of the | Castlevania series. If they only knew who they were talking to at the time!" 1 ) Buin
| Tetris (Multiple systems)
It wasn’t long after we wrapped our heads around the classic puzzle game Tetris that it started to happen: Everyday objects like brick walls or crapper-stall doors turned into Tetris playing fields, and we couldn’t stop playing the game in our heads. We realized then that this was no ordinary game; it was a curse, and we were stricken for life.
Grand Theft Auto Ш (PlayStation 3)
If playing Grand Theft Auto III is like kicking a hornets’ nest, then the queen hornet is the 100-ton tank Liberty City unleashes if you’ve been a bad enough boy. Even after taking out entire precincts and knocking out police choppers Blackhawk Down-style, we just weren’t prepared for the tank’s onslaught against our one-man army. That is, until we tank-jacked those wheels of steel ourselves.
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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PlayStation) Symphony sucked us dry with its brilliance, only to flip us over and have its way with us again once we reached its “conclusion.” Many satisfied players undoubtedly reached the summit, defeated Richter and enjoyed the bittersweet ending. If you bring the right items to the last room, however, you'll unlock a secret upside-down version of the castle with all new bosses. That's two castles for the price of one.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 252
Your favorite Disney characters go nose-to-beak in the world’s hottest sports. Join Donald, Mickey, Minnie and Goofy as they compete in the excitement of pick-up-and-play action in six new Disney Sports games. Be prepared to ruffle a few feathers.
Disney Sports
PRODUCTS RANGE FROM RATING PENDING ro EVERYONE ж»
e 6 СВЕАТ 5РОВТ5. 6 GREAT GAMES.
GAME BOY ADVANCE FOOTBALL - SKATEBOARDING - SOCCER ЕЕ D BASKETBALL - SNOWBOARDING - MOTOCROSS
2002 KONAMI CORPORATION. All rights reserved. TM, ®, Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo Game Cube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Di
Gaming’s Greatest Moments j
te
My Favorite Moment Nobuya Nakazato,
producer of Contra: Shattered Soldier
“Pll never forget the first time | played an
RPG. It was Wizardry. Every time I'd input
а command, the game would access the floppy-disk drives. While waiting for the
game to load, | felt as if | was also
preparing for battle in my own room."
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Super Mario 64 (N64) With those words (belted out in a finely tuned Italian accent), our favorite plumber’s disembodied noggin popped from the screen and officially bridged the gap between old-school 2D sprites and new-school 3D visuals. Simplistic, sure, but we can’t think of a better way to kick off Mario 64. Our view of Mario’s world had just changed forever.
Games will never be the sam
Don’t just play your game be a PART of the А. KINYO GAME ZONE SURROUND SOUND SPEA! and PULSATING HEADPHONES make you feel like you are actually in the game. Now you can make the roar of the crowd, the rumble of formula racers and the thunder of combat a unique reality.
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All other trademarks and/or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners
EAD END AND) Ae AD
ne Ip : 1 SOCOM: U.S. ..then nothing. Dead air. You never forget the first time you hear your buddy's last words (in his own voice, thanks to the headset mic) cut off in mid-blab just as he's mowed down online in SOCOM.
Л
Super Metroid
S) №. Our heroine Samus’ ass is grass. She’s been beaten. АЦ is lost. But just as Mother Brain prepares to finish her off in the final battle of Super Metroid, Samus gets help from the unlikeliest source: the baby metroid she brought back from planet SR388. The now grown-up ball of goo soars in to suck some brain and save Samus, its adopted mommy.
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Street Fighter ІІ (Arcade) Forward. Down. Down-forward. Punch. Street Fighter Il's Dragon Punch is a simple enough slight of hand, but we'll never forget the first time we mustered our hand muscles to master the move. We suddenly. realized SF// was тоге than just a mindless button-masher; we knew this new fighting game sure packed a wallop.
Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
The wait was interminable and the hype mammoth, but despite the slow build-up, the first Nintendo 64 Zelda adventure rocked. We knew that the moment we gazed into the sky from the massive Hyrule Field and saw the sun rise over the mountains. Suddenly, Link's realm became a fantasy world we could believe in.
Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation) Millions of gamers around the world uttered ап audible croak during FFVII when Sephiroth descended from on high and sent a long shaft of steel through Aeris’ back. His bad; we're sad. But all was not lost: Developer Square used a Phoenix Down and brought her back for a cameo—under her made-in-Japan name, Aerith —in Kingdom Hearts.
Your Turn
Readers get into the greatest-moments act
When ! unlocked all the characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube). | can’t imagine what the game would've been like without Mr. Game and Watch!
—Sikandar Shukla of
New Delhi, India
When the Licker jumped through
the two-way mirror in Resident Evil 2's interrogation room, | screamed like a girl and jumped about a foot out of my chair. My brother, who was in the bathroom next door, says all he heard was “Ahhhh! M#@S#S f&#S@!” (BOOM!) “Stupid
F@#%@S monster!” (BOOM!) To this day | have lured three of my friends to this same location only to watch them poop their pants. —Billy Hendrix of Houston, Texas
| almost fell out of my seat when the Princess at the end of Super Mario Bros. 3 said, “Thank you Mario, but our Princess is in another castle.” For a brief second | was in shock, but then she said, “Just kidding.” —Anthony Acosta of Olathe, Kan.
n y - 256 - egm.gamers.com
When ! wall-jumped to the top of the castle in Super Mario 64. — Derek Moffett of Essex, Va.
When the President grabs Raiden's crotch in Metal Gear Solid 2 and discovers that Raiden is actually a man.
— Yagiz Yilmaz of Tallahassee, Fla.
The day my grandpa called Mario “Brickbreaker.” —Randy Skaggs of Bonne Terre, Miss. 4%
A.
shaggy Rupe, Red, Relma? Where are you?" ”
Featuring the Scooby-Doo cartoon 12 huge levels hosed on the Encounter 20 classic voice actors and special guests. original Scooby-Doo cartoons. Scooby-Doo villains.
EVERYONE Е comic mischief CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
© Ф. PlayStation. uz ^
E www.thq.com
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^ сањ > Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance marks the re-launch of the Mortal Kombat series with a lethal dose of unparalleled brutality, supernatural mystique and a reinvented fighting system that will redefine the fighting game genre.
Ё T 1 таке, "оця АМЕ FURTHER |Т
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Prices valid in U.S. only. Typographical errors are not the a of Electronics Boutique. Not all items may appear at our outlet locations. Prices may vary by location. At time of printing, all products are expected to be available. Some packaging, pricing, and special offers may differ in Conada, Prices and availability are subject to change. Manufacturers’ delays ore not the responsibility of Electronics Boutique. ©2002 Electonics Boutique.
Call 1.800.800.5166 for the store nearest you or call 1.800.800.0032 fo place your order now!
BEFORE THE MANSION. ЗЕҢШЕ THE DISASTER. EVIL 15 BORN.
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GET A GOOD DOSE ог EVIL WHEN YOU ENTER THE ULTIMATE Í SURVIVAL HORROR | À SWEEPSTAKES.
Win Nintendo GameCube™
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Ы * 28 x | è г фр | | . | and other prizes! | E қ е ІҮ! , 5 i = =A 5 2» я м, Enter at your own risk at Чч Р: == icc Hu www.Resi il.com 4 " X i (Register online or by mail | 3 Fight for survival in this action-packed thriller е See website for details with an all-new story line! E 7% Must be 18 years or older.) ^
! X À Use more strategy as you switch between Rebetca and Billy for collaborative gameplay.
2) i. v NEUES 2 581 The brand-new Zero chapter- only on Nintendo GameCube™!
L d
E d
E Introducing a new playable character, nightmarish beasts and non-stop terror.
v Superman: Тһе Man of Steel © 2002 DC Comics А Infogrames, Inc: All rights reserved. и! Xbox jogos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Micrasoft Corporation in the.
"The Greatest Superhero Game Ever Made."
-OXM-
ITS AS CLOSE AS YOU'LL COME TO BEING НІМ. An intense new game, only for Xbox. www.supermangame.com.
Ай Superman characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics. The Atari trademark and logo ага the property of Infogrames, Ай rights reserved. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc. New York, NY. Microsoft Xbox ar United States and/or other countries, and аге used under license trom Microsoft. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association, All other trademarks are the property of their respective ow
Roll up your car windows (and for God's sake lock your doors) as we show every sight worth seeing in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City this fall’s hottest gamer destination
f you thought life was cheap in Liberty City, Grand Theft Auto III's Е urban jungle, wait’ll you cruise the mean streets of its |. follow-up. In the sweltering dayglow metropolis of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which breaks ground on your PlayStation 2 Oct. 22., life ain’t the only thing that’s low down and dirty: Drugs are plentiful; chicks are easy; polyester is everwhere; cars, bikes, boats and a few flying machines are absolutely free; and the whole package is wrapped іп '8os acid-washed denim witha pink-neon bow. Developer Rockstar North didn’t cranked out GTA 3.5 or some half-baked, just-more-of-the-same sequel. GTA: Vice City is bigger and better and cleaner and more beautiful with more wild missions than you ever could've imagined.
In other words, yoü're gonna love this place. Flip the page to start finding out exactly why...
By Todd Zuniga
Vice City features | more hilariously bad | "Во references than your older brother’s * record collection and high-school yearbook combined. Think
` Michael Jackson's red
leather, over-zippered ‚ jacket. Think poofy, over-hairsprayed hair. Think Phil Collins" ` cameo on Miami Vice.
ist two of more than Во °805
copter this side of Magnum P.I. sparrow. (Oh, and expect to find too—this one in much better
е ol’ Dodo bird.)
Another Thing Coming.”
The main character actually opens his mouth and yaps this time. What comes out is a harsh mix of fire and bile. So instead of being some pushed-around lackey, you're playing as an ex-con with more anger than Ike Turner (or Joe Pesci).
Better yet, that tough- talkin’, tougher-actin’ ex-con is voiced by Silver-screen stud Ray Liotta. Do you remember him as the rags-to- riches-to-coked-up mob fink in Goodfellas?
You want more voices? The king and queen of excess pitch in. The king: Hall of Fame defensive end/ex-coke addict/actor (he played the gold-toothed tough in Martin Scorcese’s Any Given Sunday) Lawrence Taylor. The queen: porn star Jenna Jameson, whose film titles we're not really allowed to print in this magazine.
Some buildings now have doors, and if you go inside those doors, you'll be inside said buildings. It's not some trick or glitch. You're supposed to go in there.
FINALLY, А САМ W
H ar $ НАД E SHO “ASSES FR |
ТНЕ BED-WEITE ERS. |
Whacked! — Game Show VIOLENCE
Whacked! — Game Show VIOLENCE (Now online)
Mature Sexual Themes
Violence Strong Language
(2002) A wild, multi-player, free-for-all combat game. Players must sabotage one another with 7 unique characters plus one sick and twisted host in 13 diverse environments with 30+ weapons and power-ups.
For added mayhem, play online with Xbox Live and trample, torch, and trash-talk other gamers in a 4-player meleey
LTV = ONLINE ENABLED Е
creen =
y piu іні
Humor is your secret weapon against insane earthlings
Over 70 power-ups that unleash special attacks
SEGA is registered їп the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. Sega and the Sega Logo are régistered trademarks of Sega Corporation, ToeJam & Earl is a trademark of ToeJam & Earl Productions, Inc. © 2002 SEGA CORPORATION/VISUAL CONCEPTS. All Rights Reserved. Dolby and the.double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. The ratings icon is а trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Microsoft, Xbox, and ће Xbox logo 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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VISUAL CONCEPT
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PRODUCTIONS, INC.
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STEP BACK Y'ALL
Earth: a planet in desperate need of Funkification. Your mission: explore sprawling environments, master the art of Funk-Fu fighting, collect gift- wrapped power-ups, defeat the dreaded Anti-Funk and generally get down with your bad self in an off the wall adventure unlike anything you've experienced before. Feel the funk, baby!
Te
b» «(ЕСЕ
DIGITAL
RATING PENDING
Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for Rating Information.
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
Remember when you were sick and tired of dealing with Salvatore in Portland but you had to wait to unlock the hijinks in Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale? No worries this time. Early rumors suggest that the whole world is at your coke- ` peddling fingertips from the second the game loads.
` Vice City is roughly twice the size of that tiny little town of Liberty City. Wait, you didn’t hear us right. Vice City is TWICE THE SIZE of Liberty City. You should pay attention, 50 we don’t have to shout.
А new targeting system means no more running in one direction while your twisted arm Liberty City was dark and gritty; Vice City is shoots in the other. The camera even helps by hot and grimy. One’s a New York/Chicago switching to an over-the-shoulder view, hybrid; the other is a Miami/L.A. mix. But the allowing you to better see the vermin you're | real difference is that Vice City’s graphics are trying to nail. Better yet, if some armed dude is | so bright, clean and pretty, you won't go wanna rushing through a crowd, you'll target the go back to wicked Liberty City. crook, not the freaked-out pedestrians. 5
There's neon. Everywhere. The entire city glows with the stuff. Think of it this way:
СТА: Vice City has, get this, motorcycles. In fact, at least four types of jackable motorcycles |
Yes, we said freaked-out pedestrians. Instead of wandering aimlessly while you shoot up the locals, crowds now react to the exist here. Even better: You can dropkick a madness that’s descended upon the streets of speeding motorcyclist right off his bike if | || their fair city. Makes you feel kind of like you're you're in a hurry to commit grand-theft cycle. in the living, breathing world you really You can shoot from the seat once you're easy- wanted Liberty City to be. riding, too.
IN THE DARKEST Heese A HERO 15 REBORN.
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or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info.
100% GAMES
Tecmo, Inc. PMB #5553 21213-В Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503 p (310) 944-5005 /(310) 944-3344 Rygar: The Legendary Adventure. @Tecmo, LTD 2002. Tecmow and the Tecmo logo are registered trademarks of Tecmo LTD. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc.
Theft Auto Ш! featured а crapload of vehicles: the ice- ^r Shootouts. We mean Your enemy Is escaping, and
truck, the fire truck, the Dodo, the Stinger. Vice City crouching behind cars and you don’t have time to dropkick the pedal to the proverbial metal with more than twice as jumping up to pop a cap. Or some passing innocent off his talking 50 in 67Аҙ and well over 100 in УС). you can always resort to moped. No worries. Just shoot out close-quarters chop-socky if the tires. If you target the you show up at a gunfight Goodyears of a getaway car, you with only your fists. can bust up those whitewalls.
` Tired of putting out fires and driving a taxi? How about delivering pizzas? That’s right, the side missions will feature some reckless driving to get that pizza to its rightful customer in 30 minutes or less. Domino’s will be proud.
Count to до. A stupid exercise, but that’s exactly how many weapons you can rifle through in the new neon city. GTA3 had only 25.
in sequins, moun
every crook on the p in i 46
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 272 - egm.gamers.com X 49 Ж
FRESHLY GROUND SKATERS — SERVED DA IY
Presenting Evolution Skateboarding—a heaping helping of pure skating goodness. Pull off 70 of the gnarliest tricks. Carve, grind and soar through eight wicked
MISSIONS VARY BY SKATER.
Ф - iz worlds that change for each of your eight pro riders. Conquer 30 trick-based о s missions in Challenge Mode. And then use your skating skills against powerful = boss characters, including a two-ton semi. Open wide. This promises to be tasty. [ | o | Ф fe] @ ш Ё < a رر ا a А [vero Д 777 Y Е ogee x © 2 ш Q a = х о о EI z E
Blood Mild Lyrics Mild Violence
KONAMI №
pu PlayStation.
GAMECUBE
“PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TM, ®, The Nintendo Game Cube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. King of, LLC © 2002. KONAMIO is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. © 2002 KONAMI. All rights reserved.
(е, confiscate your сору.о
to GTA3, you lost your girlfriend and your appetite, and you let your subscription to EGM run out. Nice work! Now there’s peaking of Hawaiian shirts, they aren’t the only fancy- even more at stake with Vice ncy duds you'll tool around the city in. At parties, you'll City because of its scope (it's and those God-awful slip-on woven shoes that Don twice the size in gameplay ed during his glory days. objectives, not just physical. acreage) and its *80s fashion sense. That means you better get ready to A) lose your ability to color coordinate, B) suddenly crave a pair of checkered slip- on Vans and C) request a fade вапѕ the at your local hair salon. art lying in wait d only you. Vice City is only on PS2. Which, ‘ually bust ир if you own a PS2, is great news. with the ۱ | But for those who can’t afford acho rv every system at EB, you better trada ў ) | make friends with some PS2 | owners quick. Maybe bring: them a nice fruit basket.
Radio stations can't survive without a revenue stream, and that means crackpot commercials will split up tune time between Flock of Seagulls and Blondie.
The hidden packages, in some form or another, are back. You’ll never leave the house, Mr. 100 percent.
ng in the '8os, a decade and a half prior г versions of the double-crossing ho? You'll see soon enough.
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Prices valid in U.S. only. sear ical errors are not ће responsibility of Electonics Boutique. Not oll items may appear at our outlet locations. Prices may vary by location. At time of printing, all products are expected to be available. Some packaging, pricing, and special offers may differ in (00000. Prices and availability ore pis to change. Manufacturers’ delays ore not Не responsibilty of Electronics Boutique. © 2002 Electronics Boutique.
YOU KNOW WHO YOUR TRUE FRIENDS ARE WHEN EVERYONE ELSE IS DEAD.
Evil forces? Whatever. For you, it's just an excuse to quit holding back. Terrifying weapons, amazing levels and unbelievable power are yours to mess with. Don't play too nice, though. These enemies are so powerful, they make any you've faced before seem like naughty schoolchildren. It's time to start dishing out some serious punishment.
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Serious Sam, the Serious Sam logo, Croteam and the Croteam logo are trademarks of Croteam, Ltd. Gotham Games and the
Gotham Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive, Inc. All trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 2002 Take-Two Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.
| ^. We've given you everything, i you wante ГТ, ' Now we're oe ИШ
your Nerina
From the Editors of: BEZAT
жел Ж--
Our Philosophy
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.
Introduction
David Bowie once told us to face the ch-ch- changes, and this month we discovered what he was talking about. First, a huge welcome to Jennifer Tsao, our new managing editor and the latest addition to our unholy clubhouse. As you'll see with our reviews section this month, even
The Crew Shane Bettenhausen
Associate Editor
The influx of confused midwestern- ers to San Francisco has been
Î tough on the Cali guys. Shane was forced to act as tour guide, chauf- feur and erstwhile landlord between grueling RPG sessions. Favorite Genres: Fighting, Action, RPG
Current Faves: Mario Sunshine, Contra: SS
““ dd
Dan "Shoe" Hsu Editor in Chief It's that crazy time of year—there's more gaming to do than there are hours in a day! Three consoles + two .. online launches = one delirious
_ Shoe wandering the halls naked and incoherent. Hot damn! Favorite Genres: Just about everything Current Faves: SOCOM, Mario Sunshine
James “Milkman” Mielke Web Content Editor Playing Metroid Prime and Fusion this month made Milky curl up into a cute little ball. That was fine, but when he started rolling around the office, blowing cute little holes in the walls, we had to set a bear-trap. Favorite Genres: Action, Fighting, RPG Current Faves: Metroid Prime, Metroid Fusion
Gold Awards go to games whose average score equals 9.0 or higher.
Е ШИ оү
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?
Games that average at least an 8.0 (but lower than 9.0) receive Silver Awards.
though we lost Jeanne Kim, Dean Hager and Jon Dudlak with EGM's big move from Chicago to San Francisco, they still grace our pages with their freelance spirit. Look for more new names and faces popping up here next month, along with the first batch of big holiday games.
Crispin Boyer
Features Editor
Cris considered cryosleep to help make the year-long wait for Halo 2 tolerable, but the process was too pricey. So he's going to have his head pickled and store the rest of his body in Grandpa's crawlspace. Favorite. Genres: Action, Adventure
Current Faves: SOCOM, Robotech: Battlecry
Chris Johnston
News Editor
Aweek of sleeping on an air mat- tress in an empty apartment (with only a laptop and cat for comfort) has left young С) bitter and sarcas- tic. Surprisingly, that’s not much different from his usual demeanor. Favorite Genres: Action, Adventure, Puzzle Current Faves: Animal Crossing, Sly Cooper
Greg Sewart
Previews Editor
Since moving into his apartment across the street from a girls’ col- lege dormitory, Sewart’s barely been in the office. What could those college girls offer that a bunch of unwashed game editors can’t? Favorite Genres: Racing, RPG, Adventure Current Faves: NFS, Robotech, NASCAR 2003
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 282 - egm.gamers.com
Need For Speed: 09. 284
Hot Pursuit 2
Who'da thunk it? When the smoke cleared and all the Sly Coopers, Star Foxes and Turoks had fallen by the wayside, the PS2 incarnation of Hot Pursuit 2 emerged victorious. You want blistering speed? You got it. Cool multiplayer modes? Check. A collection of cars that would turn Jay Leno green with envy? Yup. Once you start playing Pursuit 2 you won’t wanna stop...unless you’re playing the different, less- impressive Xbox or GC versions, that is.
Reviews Editor
If Che had a quarter for every time ; he was mistaken as a native Japanese guy in Osaka this month, he just may have enough money to afford Steel Battalion and its deca- dent controller. Maybe.
Favorite Genres: Fighting, Action, Racing Current Faves: SOCOM, P. Crash, Mogwai
Mark MacDonald
Executive Editor
Has moving to San Francisco changed Mark at all? Hmm...well, he does miss his girlfriend...and he did grow a moustache...other than that? Nope. Haven't noticed any changes at all, really.
Favorite Genres: Action, Adventure, RPG Current Faves: Sub Rebellion, SOCOM
Jennifer Tsao Managing Editor It was tough giving up the unem- ployed life—sleeping late, Buffy reruns and free money from the gov- ernment—but when EGM offered to pay her to play video games,
М Jennifer decided it was a fair trade. Favorite Genres: Action sports, Adventure
Current Faves: Sly Cooper, Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Grandia Xtreme
Publisher: Enix
Developer: Game Arts
Players: e
Also On: None
Featured In: ЕСМ #158
Best Feature: Deep battle system
Worst Feature: Tedious dungeon crawling Web Site: www.enix.com
Like previous Grandias, Xtreme definitely deserves props for its innovative battle system. Two things make Xtreme stand out from the rest: 1) Unlike most traditional turn-based combat games, it simulates real-time fighting by allowing actions by both charac- ters and enemies to occur simultaneously, and 2) it incorporates an unusually high level of strategic planning in battles. By closely monitoring the circular meter that keeps track of movement for both your characters and the enemies, you can anticipate and plan out where, when and whom to attack. The effec- tiveness of counter-attacks, combos (where multiple characters join forces to strike a single enemy) and the extra powerful techniques you learn later on in the game all depends on how well you manipulate Xtreme's combat meter. Still, no amount of strategiz- ing can compensate for the chore of wading through the game's many uninspired dungeons. Since the overworld offers only two towns, you'll spend near- ly all your time clearing out pointless dungeons with little plot to propel you forward. It’s like they took Grandia's:brilliant fighting systemyand made an RPG where all you do is clear one dungeon after the next. Basically, Xtreme is the perfectdefinition of a dungeon crawl. On top ofall that, the dialogue is so terribly written, you end up caring evenjless about an already weak storyline. Xtreme nails combat, but fal-
ters on the rest. Jeanne
Approach it clinically, and you'll dig Xtreme's versa- tile, well-designed skill and magic systems, both of which allow you to mold your characters in really cool ways. It’s also inherited the Grandia series’ hec- tic battle system, which is a big plus; you're forced to remain active and aware, as your party ала, enemy warriors constantly shift positions around the battle- field. Gameplay aside, though, Xtreme’s presenta- tion is pretty weak overall. The voice acting will make you want.to cut your ears off, and the cookie-cutter story and ill-developed»characters, don’t help its cause. Still, its RPG aspects are solid, and that’s what matters when you're 20 hours іп. Miguel
My favorite part of the Grandia series has always been the unique battle setup; personally | think it's the best turn-based system around. Xtreme takes the fighting style and runs with it, which is either a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, if you're the type that likes to customize the crap out of your RPG characters and live for lev- eling up and fighting battle after battle, this is one of the best dungeon crawls you'll find. But if you're looking for Something more traditional and story-dri- ven, like/the old Grandias; you'd better just wait for Grandiallll. Just know what you're getting into right from the start, and you'll enjoy Xtreme. Greg
| VISUALS __ SOUND REPLAY
INGENUITY
6 8 8
Federation vs. Zeon
Publisher: = r= Bandai
Developer:
Bandai
Players:
1-2
Also On:
None
Also Watch:
The Cartoon Network Web Site: www.bandai.com
Best Feature: Extensive campaign mode
Worst Feature: Lack of multi- player variety
As far as giant-robot titles go, Zeon definitely falls into the no-fuss arcade-game category with its fran- tic run-and-gun action and easy-to-master controls. This accessibility, along with the detailed robot mod- els, makes Zeon appealing for mech fans who dig Armored Core's visual polish but lack the patience for all the customizing AC forces down your throat. The best part of Zeon is its massive 100-plus mission tree that puts you on the frontlines as a grunt on either side of the war. And since the Story mode is chrono- logically faithful to the anime series, Gundam fans will recognize all the mobile suits and pick up a lot of references..Still, уе seen plenty of coworkers (most of whom Couldnt tell the différence-between а Gundam and a Goddamn) pick up the controller and start busting heads with ease. A two-player splitscreen mode allows you to play Versus or co-op against bots in the scenario of your choice. It's а пісе distraction but ultimatelysshort-lived due to its lack of variety. I've got my fingers crossed that any Zeon sequels will catch the online bug. спе
_ INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUAL
‘SOUND
Й EA Sports Developer:
EA Tiburon Players:
1-2 МЕ -4 Multi-tap) Also On:
GC, Xbox Featured In: EGM #159
Web Site: www.easports.com
Best Feature: The deepest NASCAR Career mode yet Worst Feature: RaceDay schedule still not right
As much as last year's Thunder felt more like a sports game and less like a cheap, licensed racing affair, Thunder 2003 blows the doors off anything that came before it and gives NASCAR fans the full- fledged sports simulator that, until now, they could only get on a PC. The Career mode alone is enough to justify the score this game is getting. Not only do you have to court sponsors and perform well on the track, but you also have to keep up on tasks like maintaining your car, researching better engines and building new rides as the season progresses. It's the deepest setup Гуе ever seen in a racing game out- side of Gran.Turismo 3. But don't let that. scare you rookie away. Thunder 2003 also features great arcade section, along with the new Lightning Challenge (where you take on challenges issued by actual drivers) and a Thunder License mode that teaches you how to drive every опе of the tracks іп the gamel! With all its hardcore sim elements and optional driving assists, Thunder will appeal to both the NASCAR fan and the casual gamer. Greg INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS SOUND
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 283 - egm.gamers.com
; Robotech: Battlecry
Publisher: = r= TDK Mediactive
Developer:
Vicious Cycle Players:
1-2
Also On:
GC, Xbox Featured In:
EGM #154
Web Site: robotechgame.com
EVERYONE
Best Feature: Your super- slick, quick-changing mech Worst Feature: Maddening escort missions
Battlecry for the Р52 is identical to the excellent Xbox version, which we review in more detail on page 302 (head yonder for a full-blown dissection). Here's the gist: The game takes the best bits of the Robotech cult-hit cartoon series—the transforming jets, the stomping mechs, the streaming vollies of screaming missiles—and jettisons the sappy soap-opera plot, so you don’t need to be a Robotech master to appreciate it all, especially the killer mech designs. Most missions pack a white-knuckle mix of objec- tives, and you can even skip tough levels and come back later if you’re stuck. You do face a few frustrat- ing escort.and.protection missions. Half.the hassle there/is the targeting system, whicl only es you lock оп to enemies in front of you. to single өш-Бовіе5 gunning for tt you'ré protecting. It's a minor pain with for the game’s real thrill: piloting your triple- changing fighter, which you'll transform constantly to handle different situations. It's a nifty gameplay twist that adds a lot of depth to this shooter. Crispin
INGENUITY |
1
VISUALS
SOUND
REPLAY,
Publisher: = r= Sony CEA
Developer: Media Vision
Players: 1
Also On: None Featured In: EGM #159 Web Site: www.scea.com
Best Feature: Refreshing Wild-West setting
Worst Feature: Overly linear pacing can get tedious
Since there’s no Final Fantasy this fall, RPG nuts will have to scour the shelves for a suitable replacement. Wild Arms 3 fills this year’s RPG void nicely, suc- ceeding largely on account of its unique Wild-West style. A few key elements really make it special. Cartoony, cel-shaded characters and a weird graphi- cal filter that paints a storybook texture on every- thing create a distinct look that separates it from the RPG pack. Cool characters and inventive locales also make a difference. You'll encounter brooding cow- boys, seedy drifters and bawdy barmaids while exploring desolate plains and forgotten temples. Even your.party members break away. from the established norms—four уараһопа5, each with an intriguing agenda, form a volatile, engaging team. The gameplay mechanics also impress: Blazingly fast (andyfhostly optional) battles and complex, puzzle- packed dungeons will keep you playing. WAS does suffer from one damaging; flaw that many RPGs share 15 too predictable. Тһе town-dungeon-town- dungeon monotony can get tiring. Shane INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS SOUND
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: Black Box Lc Players: 1-2
Also On: GC, Xbox
Featured In: EGM #157
Best Feature: Truly lives up to its name Worst Feature: Over-zealous сор A.l. Web Site: WWwW.eagames.com
his game was a pleasant surprise all T around. Not only did it rekindle our fond-
ness for the original Need For Speed on the PS1, but it convinced the better part of the Review Crew that there's more to racing games than just, well, racing.
For once, a game lives up to its name: Hot Pursuit 2 is Fast, with a capital F. There's a healthy selection of cars at your disposal—22 of them are exclusive to the game, so if you've ever had a hankering to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari 550 or a Lamborghini Murcielago, here's your chance. And with Pursuit’s harrow- ing sense of speed, the experience is suitably hair-raising, conveying the immense power these cars produce.
But Pursuit is more than just a gearhead's wet dream. What really sets this title apart from something like Gran Turismo 3 is that, at its heart, the latest Need For Speed is still
214 3:24.85 17.41
Lap Record Current
Play Hot Pursuit mode enough and you'll unlock cop cars the real police only dream of. Who could outrun this bad boy?
more of a video game than a driving simula- tor. The game gives you plenty of reasons to revisit its 20 courses, since winning races isn't your only goal. An extensive tournament mode presents a variety of progressively diffi- cult challenges. The underlying motivation throughout, of course, is to beat levels and collect your reward in the form of sexier and more powerful rides.
It also wouldn't be Hot Pursuit if you could- n't play as the cops and chase down bad guys, similar to Grand Theft Auto 11/5 Vigilante mode. Pursuit gives you a variety of tricked- out police cars to use, such as the super- tuned Corvette Zo6 that makes accelerating from a standstill feel like you're jumping into hyper-space. Plus, playing as one of the blue boys lets you call in deterrents like heli- copters and spike strips. Nothing beats hear- ing those tires pop. Even the boring, old Crown Victoria is a blast as you slam racers into the wall. (And any game that can make a Crown Vic seem exciting is A-OK in our book.)
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 284 - egm.gamers.com
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Chasing down speeders in Hot Pursuit isn't always easy, but this situation to the left is a per- fect example of how you can use the environment to your advantage. Just nudge the perp to the right and make him miss the upcoming jump. Voila! One traffic stop.
Hot Pursuit 2 could be the best driving game ever made. | know that sounds like a bold statement, but 1 haven't enjoyed something this much in a long time. Whereas.games like-Gran Turismo:simulate:how real cars perform, Hot Pursuit 2 is based on how you think these brutes would perform—in your wildest daydreams, From the nimble and lightweight Lotus Elise, all the way up to the 200 mph+ craziness of the McLaren Ға-еуегу-саг handles.the.way you'd expect. Supercars with powerful V-12 engines make a noise like rutting rhinos playing trumpets through a fuzzbox, while the more-attainable, super-tuned sedans make a racket that, for want of a better description, can оліу Бе described:as “гоашу.” Every car handles differently, too. The BMW Z8, for instance, teaches you the true meaning of oversteer- ing. Hurtle into a corner, ease off the gas, turn in, then floor the pedal and feel the tug as your rear wheels bite into the dirt and pull you around onto the perfectiline. This.is automotive Пїїїапа. And I've barely touched on the pursuit modes (a high-speed cops and robbers with tire spikes and'roadblocks), the fabulous branching gameplay structure, the enjoyable two-player modes (in;which | beat Milky’s ass) and:the collection frenzy that provokes you to habitually play through every mode justito obtain the full garage. Hot Pursuit 2 is an absolute must for rac- ing fans everywhere. John D.
This is one of the most wicked arcade-racing games I've ever played. While the Need For Speed concept (expensive cars, outrunning cops) isn't as novel as it once was, never before has the series combined such furious speed, lavish visuals and responsive controls. Ramming Ferraris off thefoad and calling in chopper support to. slow reckless speedsters made playing as the boys in blue a freakin' rush. Then again, simply/racing with loads of exotic cars (I'll take the Lotus Elise, please) through dozens of cool chal- lengéS Wasn't so shabbyseither. Of course, beating Sewart in multiplayer made the whole experience that much sweeter. Milkman
You won't find a better arcade racer on the PS2. From the cool Hot Pursuit mode to the awesome tourna- ment races, Pursuit 2 is all about blistering speed and finding the best shortcuts on every track. The great controland supreme challenge of.beating your aggressive ents make evety pulse-pounding moment of this game a pleasure, My hands would lit- erally sweat after each hard-won face, kriowing that а single miscue would have brought the entire pack down on me (unless | was racing agai Milky): The pumpin’ soundtrack brings, package together into a white-knuckle r rience no gamer should be without.
VISUALS SOUND
INGENUITY
1
REPLAY
HOW TO ВЕ А BETTER
GAME YOUR WAY AT BLOCKBUSTER®
Rent and buy games and systems. BLOCKBUSTER is all
about gamers now. Big new game section. Tons of copies,
guaranteed to be there. And you can buy previously-played USE COMMON SENSE games for next to nothin’. Need we say more? Anything claiming to be free has to be a sure thing. Unlike your last date, this one is for real.
ІШТІ
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EVERY THING EXPIRES
Open your fridge and take a big fat TRIM HERE
whiff of your milk. Nothing lasts forever. Rip it, tear it, or pull it out.
So get your butt movin’. Whatever you do, KNOW YOUR CODES DON'T run with scissors.
Open all levels with this cheat? Maybe. If not, try dialin’ it. You might just get yourself a date.
RENT. BUY. GAME YOUR WAY.”
re-played games and our "Guaranteed In Stock" offer o d related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Inc, © 2002 Blockb:
See your participating BLOCKBUSTER store for BLOCKBUSTER name, de:
noc
{ В
ЕТО
Sony CEA
Sucker Punch
1
None Featured Іп: EGM #158 Best Feature: The cartoony presentation Worst Feature: Occasional choppy graphics Web Site: www.scea.com
mae
% an action-platform game, what’s the
irst thing that comes to mind? Saving the princess/Earth/your friends from a power- hungry madman bent on world domination? Hey, we can't blame you. We've been lulled into thinking that's all the genre has to offer because so many character-based action games follow that same save-the-world con- cept. Well think again. Sly proves you don't need a damsel in distress, a planet in peril or Six different colors of bananas to collect to make a modern action-platformer; it's still possible to innovate in this old genre.
The first thing that steals your attention in Sly is the game's cartoon-like presentation. Each of the five worlds begins with a Sly-nar- rated animated cinema chronicling the tragic (yet hilarious) life story of one of a group of villains called the Fiendish Five. The humor is
| fall we told you about Sly Cooper was that
Work your mojo and avoid Mz. Ruby's voodoo musical attacks to send her back to the bayou.
straight outta the Saturday morning 'toons of old and doesn't end with the cinemas—it con- tinues into the game. For example, as you wander into the first of the Fiendish Five's hideouts, you hear the boss over the P.A. sys- tem chewing out his employees for allowing someone to break in and screw with his oper- ation. Taking a closer look at the backgrounds (and you have to —Sly doesn't hit you over the head with busy visuals) reveals other chuckle- worthy details, like the framed pictures of
nic Gaming Monthly - 286 -
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
THIEVIUS MAXIMUS
gotta catch 'em al
You've finished Sly, but the fun's not over. If you didn't pick up all the clues to every safe in the game, you won't clock in at 100 percent and unlock all the game's secrets. And you've still got the Time Trial mode, which challenges you to complete each level in an unbelievably short amount of time. Only a master of the Thievius Raccoonus stands a chance.
Fourteen seconds? No problem!
(0:14
It weighs 3 tons. It occupies 100 square feet. №
5 m
And it's hiding right in “front of your face. D Мне
Cloak yourself to hide Engage in fast and furious Test your skills against \ Spe ed * S tea 1 th 2 5 urviva 1 а from enemies ог launch mech battles at speeds other players in а stealth attack. over 100 mph. а non-stop rumble.
RATING PENDING шшш.рһапіотсгаѕћ.пеї Visit www.esrb.org or
call 1-800-771-3772 X Фф; PHANTAGRAM
хвох Genki
for Rating Information.
Sly жер. and the Thievius Raccoonus (cont.)
steaks and fire hydrants found in canine crimi-
nal Muggshot’s casino. Even the story fea- tures more detail than you’d expect; while it
focuses on your search for pages of your fami-
ly's thieving guidebook (the Thievius Rac- coonus from the title), there’s also a very fun cat-and-mouse, love/hate relationship going on between our hero and his nemesis, Inspector Carmelita Fox.
But the plot and presentation aren’t the only things that make this game wicked cool. The control and camera systems are both
intuitive and very responsive. Gameplay is ini-
tially simple: just sneak around avoiding detection. But a few levels later you’re at the controls of a cannon turret, defending your buddy Murray in first-person as he runs for a
key. Or you're grinding down railings. Or jump-
ing over icy cliffs in China while avoiding Ms. Fox and her shock pistol. Or dodging monkey snowballs. Or riding a hover scooter, blasting monkeys with nunchakus using Robotron- style, dual-analog control (one stick moves you, the other handles the direction you fire). We could go on, but you're just going to have to play the game yourself. Trust us, every level has something new, and we don't just mean the mini-games (see sidebar). Even during the very last boss encounter you'll be doing things you haven't done in any previous area.
Sly deftly avoids the monotonous fetch- quest trappings of the genre, too. You can col- lect clues that unlock more moves, but it's optional—you can finish the game without nabbing any of them. Let's hope when there's a sequel it can stay as fresh.
Once you've gained a few moves from the arsenal of the Thievius Raccoonus, you can whack enemies in creative ways. Let's see.... Death from above with a hat mine (left), or a deadly electric roll (right)?
NOT JUST RUNNING AND JUMPING
In between all the sneaking and thieving, you wouldn't think there'd be time for things like gathering chickens for a ghost fixin' a feast, or racing renegade monkeys in your van (below, left). But there's time for both, as well as hacking into computers, nabbing trea- sure chests from wily crabs and sniping enemies out of Murray's path (below, right).
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 288 - egm.gamers.com
If you don't have a horseshoe strapped to your back, getting hit once will send you to an early grave. Patience is the key. If you encounter an enemy you've never seen before, approach with caution and learn his pattern first. Then attack when the time is right.
125 hard to find a platformer these days that isn’t high on how huge its levels are or how many items you can collect, so when a game like Sly Cooper comes along, keeps it simple and does its thing this well, you savor it. Sly impresses in nearly every cate- gory. First off, the character and level design are stunning. From the moment | saw Sly’s tail twitch in anticipation of his next heist, | knew | was in for a treat. Every area and all the cinemas drip personality. The only flaw is that sometimes so much is happen- ing on-screen (often during battles with Carmelita) that the game gets bogged down and a lil’ choppy. It's not enough to affect gameplay, but it's still dis- tracting. Speaking of gameplay, it couldn't be tighter. No extraneous level wandering here—there's always something nearby that needs whacking. The mini- games and variety of tasks you get to do keep the adventure perfectly paced. An especially jaw-drop- ping moment is the battle n voodoo swamp
ва 64's Rocket: Robot on Wheels), but this is easily the best platformer on the PS2. Chris
When | first plugged in Sly Cooper my initial impres- sion was, “Great, yet another cel-shaded Mario rip- off.” After playing through it, though, I’m ready to eat my words—this is a solid blend of 3D-platforming a des top-notch
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Jennifer INGENUITY REPLAY
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VISUALS
TOTALIMMERSIONRACING
Strap in for all out white-knuckle racing as you grip the wheel in the most realistic circuit-based racing experience ever. Choose from over 10 authentic tracks from around the world and licensed cars such as the ВМШ М2 LMR, the Panoz LMP4, the Bentley EXP Speed 8 and more. Receive real-time strategic advice fram your pit crew. And try not to build а grudge with the other racers, because with TIR's unique Al capabilities, they ші! remember. With dynamic, life-like crashes and road blurring speed, ігу to end up іп the winner's circle instead of the wall.
EVERYONE m OM ” % | т > "E ; PlayStation. | X ut
Developed by Razorworks, a studio of Empire Interactive Europe Limited. Total Immersion Racing, the E logo ond Razorworks are trademarks of Empire Interactive Europe Ld Empire is o registered trademark of Empire Interactive Europe Ld, © 2000 - 2002 Empire Interactive Europe Ltd. All rights reserved. TM & © Rolls Royce & Bentley Motor Cars Limited. The BMW logo, the BMW Worldmark ond the BMW model designations trademarks rim AG ond ore used under license. обета, design patents and copyrights are used with the approval of the ‘owner Panoz Motor Sports Group Inc. All other trademarks ond trade names ore the properties of their respective owners.
Universal Interactive ғ-2 [^
Publisher:
Developer: Computer Artworks
Players: 1
Also Оп: Xbox
Featured In: ЕСМ #158
Best Feature: Genuinely creepy atmosphere Worst Feature: Friendly fire
Web Site: www.thethinggames.com
h, '80s horror flicks— Friday the 13th A taught us all to fear hockey masks, Jaws
kept us beach-ridden well through the leg-warmer-and-Aqua-Net era, and The Thing made us damn scared of Antarctica in general. Thanks to sharp graphics, this new game of the same name extends the desolate ambi- ence of the 1982 film to support an especially realistic action-adventure.
The Thing’s claim to fame is its trust/fear A.l. patterns that determine how your colorful- ly voiced allies react to you and to what's going on around them. Sometimes sharing your items and weapons or using your leader- ship skill to calm a nervous comrade can mean the difference between your friend stay- ing sane or losing his mind altogether. And
FEAR AND LOATHING
Subject: The Thing reviewer.
Exposure: Four days of The Thing, sausage pizza.
Symptoms: Deep-seeded fear and gener- al mistrust of all things — especially the color orange; superfluous use of Lysol.
Subject Maintains: “We trust only this Allen wrench, microphone cable and bot- tle of hydrogen peroxide now. Together we will sow the seeds of New Earth.” Treatment: Discontinue exposure to The Thing, replace with prolonged exposure to Good Times.
You'll need an engineer on your team to open sealed doors-pray he doesn't get eaten, go insane or get shot before then.
while an extra ally or two following you around can be a burden when fighting a swarm of mutants, they do help you out by providing health boosts, support fire and engineering skills (fixing broken door switch- es and the like).
Beyond its innovative А.1. routines, The Thing includes puzzle-solving objectives and blood-splattered action sequences, so it should pack a little something for everyone.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 290 - egm.gamers.com
These "things" don't go down so easy. In fact, after pumping them full of lead, you need to ignite the aliens with your flamethrower in order to finish 'em. The problem is that these flames are hard to control, so often you'll accidentally set your teammates or yourself ablaze.
| suffered two mild heart attacks while playing The Thing: The first occurred when I spun around just as a recently mutated ally was taking a cut at me, and the second occurred when I realized | had to quit the game every time | died just to continue. | can't say enough about The Thing’s theatrical presentation of a perfectly dark, desolate world. It completely enveloped me, and the balance of action, puzzles and story is just right. A few sticking points, how- ever, broke my immersion and tested my patience. For a game that makes you die and restart a lot, it's mind-blowing how annoying the whole retry process is (the in-game menus alone require days of acclima- tion). The A.l. is often brilliant; the way enemies and allies react to your behavior and environmental cues is genius. Occasionally, though, your blockhead cohorts will wander in front of your blazing muzzle as you try to clear a path through the mutants. And man are they unforgiving if you accidentally tag "ет (and you will; trust me»! risked life andilim! ling ап old-man dangerous compound, but just one glancing blow from my machine gun and һе marked me fof death-bysblowtorch. The frustrating user- interface and under-realized potential of its trade- mark trust/fear dynamic.make it hard to appreciate The Thing sf underlying strengths. At its heart, though, this game has a great concept and is won- derfully suspenseful. Jon
The Thing is another when-aliens-go-bad game that hides its mediocrity behind blood, violence and a recognizable name. Its big attempt at originality requires keeping your teammates in check when they freak out after seeing one too, many, blobs of muscle Walking around. But thi i enjoy it to.the gameplay, b thing else. Рог shooting aliens а! nd! barbecuing À isritiéasy. Ammo and med kits are іп s and ‘laborious -
I've got to give this game's developers their due: Тһе
Thing blazes new ground in the survival-horror genre. The inclusion of a four-character party system adds some real depth. Dealing with your teammates
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should still seek out The Thing. Shane
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2 NOTHER LIFE. Play апу. characters you са n imagine from the heroic Warrior to the secret assassin.
OWN’ THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED RPG FOR POF
GAMEPRO, 5.0 score ; Огу IGN, Editors’ Choice
GAMEZONE, Editors’ Choice | `“ ADRENALINE VAULT, Seal of Excellence GAMEOVER, Gamer’s Choice award _ GAME INDUSTRY NEWS, 5 gems XBOX EVOLVED, Gold Medal 05 GAMESPOT, Game-of-the-month
THE ARMCHAIR Емріне, 10/10 ~~~ GDXBox, GD Drool award
UGO, А score N ` XBOX MANIACS, Editors’ Choice
~ GAME CHRONICLES, Editors’ Choice
GAME VORTEX, 9 of 10 ©
GAMES DOMAIN, Top Саше TEAM XBOX, ЕТЕР Choice INVISIBLE DREAM, 99% rating GAME RANKINGS, 96% ‘score NEXT LEVEL GAMING, 5 of 6 GAMINGWORLDX, 9.0 score GAMING TARGET, 9.0 score
iMax M de company
© 2002 Bethesda Softworks LLG, a ZeniMax Media company. The Elder Scrolls, Morrowind, Bethesda Softworks and its logo: ‘and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Сиа jn the U.S. and/or i
Publisher: Sierra es Developer: ^ Inevitable re Players: 1-2 (2-4 Online Dial-up,
2-16 Broadband) Also On: None Featured In: ЕСМ #158 Best Feature: Options— luscious, luscious options Worst Feature: Daunting complexity Web Site: tribes.sierra.com
hose of you who don't venture onto your
T computer to play games should know that Tribes is the third member of the PC's Holy Online Triumvirate of first-person shooters (FPS) whose other slots are filled by the Quake and Unreal franchises. Tribes has always been the most complex of the three, due in part to the jetpack factor (they come standard with the suit) and three distinct armament choices: light armor, which is fast as hell but can't hold much heavy weaponry; medium armor, which is slower but more pow- erful; and heavy armor, which turns you into a lumbering beast vaguely resembling the Thing, except this time armed to the teeth.
All the complexity of the PC version has been faithfully transferred to the PS2, and that's both a good and a bad thing. The good news is that online veterans will have access
Tribes: Aerial Assault
“Storm
Inferno
You can set the difficulty of the bots before each match. The dumb ones are painfully stupid, but the smart ones make you feel painfully stupid.
to all those little tweaks and options that SOCOM lacks. The bad news is that novices are going to be left staring slack-jawed at the setup screen. Which character do you want? What armor do you prefer? Which weapon do you want to start with? What kind of game do you want to play: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Capture and Hold, Hunters? Which map do you want to play on? How many players do you want in the game? You want bots? We got bots! How many do you want? How smart do you want "ет? Do you want friendly fire enabled? How much damage should it do?
It’s exhausting just to list; imagine coming in as a first-time player and being faced with such an array. This complexity, both in game- play controls and in setup options, is Tribes’ strongest suit—and its biggest weakness. But while it’s initially daunting, there’s a sense of accomplishment that comes with learning all the advanced techniques. And the best part: You get to show off all those skills online.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 292 - egm.gamers.com
The higher they rise, the harder they fall. This axiom is put to the test hundreds of times in Tribes. These huge, towering environments offer plenty of opportunities to splatter oneself across an acre of real estate, and the game dutifully reports each and every self-destruction.
Aerial Assault may very well be the most PC-esque game to hit consoles since Starflight for the Genesis. Technically, the translation from the PC version is quite solid; controls are intelligently distilled for the Dual Shock, allowing for a great deal of flexibility, and the addition of generous auto-targeting and lock-on features help ease the lack of a mouse and keyboard. But damn, tweaking all those options makes my head hurt, and the jetpack adds a dimen- sion to gameplay that takes a good deal of getting used to. The game does walk you through the options and controls in the one-player campaign (read: training mode), but there’s still a steep learn- ing curve to tackle, especially when it comes to advanced maneuvers like “skiing” (using your jump and jetpack controls to travel more quickly) and pre- cision jumping. Since Tribes will likely appeal mainly to FPS veterans, it begs the question why an FPS vet- eran would be playing the PS2 version over the PC game in the first place? Still, what the game,aims to do, it does quite well: Graphics are solid and smooth, controls аге reasonably tight, online play is easy to get rolling and relatively lag-free (although there’s an annoying /delay when firing), and (һе use of bots allows fof а passable facsimile of online play in sin- gle-player mode. But many of the leVel designs get on my nerves, and | can’t help thinking the complex-
ity will scare a lot of folks away. Joe Rybicki
Online play for those who want it, reasonably intelli-
gent A.l. bots for those who don't, vehicles, remote turrets, jetpacks, configurable characters— Tribes has a ton of cool extras you don't expect to find in a PS2 shooter. Unfortunately, the basic.stuff you do expect is missing: or rotten: The graphics аге. dull, the sounds repetitive and as a game built for strate- gic multiplay (with; its gigantic environments. and high player counts); Tribes’ lack of any мау to com- municatewith other players (or your А.І. comrades) cripples its potential. If you've got an online PS2 and broadband, play SOCOM instead. 56K and offline gamers wait for something better. Mark
Tribes is the most oddball and least user-friendly
first-person shooter you'll ever play. When you're not coming to grips with its intimidating crapload of weapons, gadgets and vehicles, you're struggling to master flight,with your jetpack or.just.tryi 5.10 find your way around your own damn Базе. Get a bead on the basics, though, and Tribes potentially.becomes the deepestonline,shooter yet, With | players assum- ing particular roles \(medics, pilots, etc); But | say potentially because a crucial piecejofithe puzzle is missing here: communication. Without any means of team chat, games boil'down to everyone just doin’ their own thing and hoping for the best. Grispin
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EGM #153
: Afew creative, well-designed levels : All the other levels
www.turok.com
true pioneer— it brought first-person
shooters (FPS) to the Nintendo 64, spearheading a renaissance for the genre on console systems. We weren't just hunting for keys in drab corridors anymore; suddenly we were hunting for keys in steamy, raptor-infest- ed jungles. This dinosaur-blasting zeitgeist peaked with Turok 2, and the next two games met with diminishing excitement as the N64 faded into memory. Now, five years after he first hit the scene, Turok's back with a title that promises to evolve the series into some- thing new and exciting. Sadly, the results are disappointing.
Evolution explores the roots of the series by casting you as the Native American warrior Tal'Set (also known around EGM as "Decorative Towel Set"), who later becomes the legendary Turok. The hijinks begin when
5 ack in its heyday, the Turok series was а
MATURE
Turok: Evolution's weapons are plentiful, clever and cool. The creative lineup of bows and blasters outclasses the arsenals of many other games.
he and his nemesis, an Indian-hating hick named Tobias Bruckner, both get sucked into a warp zone to the Lost Land. Upon his arrival, Tal'Set joins forces with the human resistance to fight the Sleg, a lizard-like race of warmongers. So far, so good. But suddenly, with no further story setup, you're searching for captured wise men, rescuing senators and fulfilling vague prophecies. Plot events often unfold in clumsy cinemas that'll leave you
ти
i
A handful of new flying levels represent the largest addition to the standard Turok gameplay formula. Our hero sad- dles up what looks like a prehistoric | toucan (armed with .50-caliber can- nons) and attempts his best impression of Sega’s Panzer Dragoon series. Rather than being about shooting stuff and having fun, these scenes largely consist of fighting with the floaty controls to keep your ride from exploding against a canyon wall. Expect to die. A LOT. Oddly | enough, the control in these sections is | а lot better on the Xbox version. Why? | It’s a mystery to us, too.
|
wondering “What the hell’s going on?” and “Who thought a cybernetic redneck was a cool idea?”
Of course, gripping storylines are usually a bonus in any FPS, and certainly not a prereq- uisite for fun. Gameplay always takes center stage, and Turok’s controls perform admirably, making strafing runs and long-distance head- shots a breeze. Movement gets a little clunky when climbing ladders and making long jumps, but in general, Turok does exactly as you command.
Thanks to the responsive controls, you'll also be able to appreciate all of Turok’s many cool weapons. The game boasts quite an arsenal, and many have multiple firing modes thanks to collectible attachments. Some weapons, like the Dark Matter Cube or the Gravity Disruptor, create really dazzling effects. As with previous Turok games, it’s obvious a lot of thought and effort went into
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 294 - egm.gamers.com
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Quantum Redshift, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks Or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation iñ the: on
№ шү names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners Curly, Monsters | Ltd. Us
the game’s weaponry.
Sadly, not as much love went into the game's presentation. In screenshots, Turok looks good with lush forests and massive dinosaurs. But what the screens don’t show is the crippling slowdown that plagues many levels, or the way bushes, trees and grass fade into view only a few feet in front of your eyes. Also, the later levels set within cities and bases look dull and uninspired. The worst visual snafu has to be the awful character models, some that look like they wandered in from the old N64 Turok cartridges.
Sonically, Evolution is once more a mixed bag. The music is a dynamic blend of over- the-top orchestral crescendos and atmospher- ic tribal noise, but the elephantine brass blasts outnumber the ambient grooves, so it becomes grating. The audio effects aren’t much better—the guns sound wimpy, and as Tal’Set waded through water, confused staffers mistook the noise as both a washing
Turok: Evolution (cont.)
machine and a vomiting cat.
We could forgive all these surface problems if the game were a blast to play, but what's truly holding Evolution back are its poor level designs. Too many stages are overly long, uninspired and annoying. You’ll likely have to play through several missions multiple times to complete them due to tricky jumping puz- zles or unclear objectives. While the game is quite long by FPS standards, most players will likely give in long before the 15th chapter out of sheer frustration.
Evolution’s last chance at redemption was its multiplayer mode, but alas, it does not rock our world. The PS2 version only supports two players, so leave that Multi-tap in the closet. What’s worse is that the game pauses to load during combat. It’s almost like online lag...in an offline, split-screen game. Yikes.
It may seem like we're being hard on ol’ Turok, but in the end the game is disappoint- ing, a real letdown for a once-proud series.
TUROK’S MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENTS
Not pictured: giant субогд ат and Јеа ёк clad t5f&x mount.
Tal'Set's Southern-fried nemesis, Captain Tobias Bruckner, might just be the dumbest idea for a villain we've ever seen.
In the last few levels, you fight side-by-side with a brigade of troops who com- pletely and utterly suck.
Danger: teleporting trees,ahead
Huge pieces of the scenery often fade in right before your eyes. What you’re not seeing here is a mountain that’s about to appear.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 296 - egm.gamers.com
Most of the character mod- els look shockingly bad in both the cinemas and the multiplayer battles.
ығ — “(т uh, aiming at...uh...."
Manning a powerful gun tur- ret sounds like fun in multi- player...until you realize the turret itself takes up your entire aiming view!
Turok: Evolution promises highly-developed, real- istic enemy A.l., but doesn't deliver. Some foes will surrender after being shot (below), but there's nothing you can do with them except fin- ish them off or let them run away (probably into a wall or tree).
Hey, welcome back Turok. While you were gone, a lot has happened. For example, console first-person shooters got way better. Check out games like Medal of Honor, Red Faction and Halo to get caught up on what's changed since the Nintendo 64 days. Hey, what's that? Your new game? Sure, I'll try it. (Three long, arduous days of playing pass.) Turok, buddy, I'll give it to you straight—your game isn't quite up to snuff. First off, the story is utter nonsense. The last boss is so unabashedly dippy that it actually made me laugh out loud. Oh, and what's with the graphics? Levels are plagued with slowdown and pop-up, while the character models look simplistic. And tell your sound guys that their wussy effects and bombastic tunes don't do you justice, either. At least you still control fairly tight. Well, except when it comes to climbing ladders. Really, though, it's the boring level designs that annoy me the most. Some mis- sions rule, like the stealthy raid in chapter four, but lots of stáges boil down to cheap deaths, jumping puzzles and memorization. No, wait, actually | hated the flying levels even more than the normal ones, The super-floaty control made me splatter my damn pre- historic toucan against the wall 3,204 times during the “Chaos in the Skies" level. Finally, what's With the lack of a foür-player mode? What the hell? | know that | sound really critical, but | had such high hopes. You've really let me down. Shane
Despite its promise of Evolution, in most ways Turok
is a giant leap backward: blocky characters, objects that suddenly pop into view, choppy movement and a two-player limit for splitscreen multiplayer, com- plete with.lag; (that's right, offline lag). A few. sections get ¢creative—the, Panzer Dragoon-style flying sequences and stealth levels may be rough.around the edges;;but they're a welcome break from an oth- erwise unpolished) hodge-podge of FPS clichés, right. down to the power-up-filled'crates and explo- sive barrels. No wondersnosreviewable copies were sent out in time for Turok’s release; this game was obviously and painfully rushed out the door. Mark
Were it not for the fact that this game has some hor-
tific scenery pop-up, speech samples that appear to have been recorded in a latrine, extremely suspect control in the flying levels, ugly character models, imprecise.jumping.and load times. as.long as the Jurassic period; we'd have a real winner. (Oh, and the on-screen health bar is too small.) Turok is a grandiose attempt at an FPS that's, at best, mediocre. The main game's stable controls, lavish set désigns and assortment of intimidating beasties are diluted by hackneyed boss battles, tiresome gore and other problems listed above. Turok has its moments, just not too many of them. David H.
INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS SOU
3
YOU BUILD THE TRUCKS. GOD BUILDS THE TRACKS. Get revved up for the most insane off-road racing game to hit Nintendo GameCube. 4x4 EVO 2. With more than 40 upgradeable vehicles and over 30 treacherous tracks, you're either in the lead, or you're eating dirt.
TET mes | лә» man HE as En oe
| tao ойи
RTT 2 LOGITECH SPEED FORCE force-feedback wheel, minal Reality, Inc. All rights reserved;TM. ©, and the Nintendo GameCube loge are trade di Universal Games, Inc. in the U.S. andlor
Publisher:
Midway Sports == Developer: Point of View Players: 1-2 (1-4 Multi-tap) Also Оп: GC, Xbox Better Than: XFL or Arena Football
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Web Site:
Fast-paced arcade action Gameplay is getting a bit stale www.midwaysports.net
Jump in the time machine and transport back to 1997. Hey, there's EGM's Dan Leahy! He's about 165 pounds with a baseball cap on his mangy head of hair, and he's playing NFL Blitz, Midway's newest arcade sensation. Fast-forward to present day. Hey, there's Dan again, weighing in at 178 pounds with a receding hairline, no hat (because that's what caused the hair problem), and he's lounging on a couch playing Midway's yearly console rehash of NFL Blitz. If that hasn't painted the proper picture, I'll spell it out. This is the same game as Blitz 20-02, which happened to be one of the few major upgrades to the franchise. If you missed 20-02, then by all means pick up the latest and greatest. 20-03 has the same blazing arcade action, but this time with pumped-up visuals and deeper gameplay. Still, com- pared to last year's Blitz, which had a dramatic new look, a cool, new eighth-player dynamic and expand- ed playbooks, 20-03's changes are miniscule. And although | don't'enjoy playing through a season's worth of CPU matches like | used to, it’s hard to resist the competitivesfun of a multiplayer game. The big hits and obnoxious announcer are guaranteed to turn апу mild-mannered gameryintova raging trash- talker, Not a football guru? Don’t worry; Blitz is a snap to learn, and a lot of fun to boot: As a rental, Blitz will give you your money's worth. As a purchase, 20-03% not worth the upgrade from 20-02. Dan L.
Publisher: THQ ега Developer: Volition Ў Players: 1
Also On: None
Featured In: ЕСМ #158
Best Feature: Deep, imaginative quest
Worst Feature: Weak combat engine
Web Site: www.summoner2.com
| hated the first Summoner. The main character was a wuss, the graphics were bad and the combat was lousy. Still, | had hope for the sequel and prayed that Volition listened to our criticisms while making Summoner 2. They did. Instead of playing as an emaciated dweeb, you’re now a rather snobby young queen with a bizarre band of allies. These comrades and their diverse abilities come in handy since the game focuses primarily on combat. Ironically, Summoner 2's strengths (faster action, computer-controlled allies) expose the game’s many weaknesses (poor camera during combat, enemies that swarm you, sluggish controls). Another problem is that spell-casting leaves you vulnerable the whole time. Nothing is more frustrating than pausing to cast a heal spell and having your ass kicked while your character completes her animation. Usually you walk away even more banged-up than before. Despite these flaws, being able to switch between party members on the fly givesithe game an added depth most action-RPGs (Forever Kingdom being the exception) lack. And while the storyline is extremely linear, the game’s stylish interface (blinking eyes appear next to important items, animated mouths appear by characters уоц.сап talk to), visually imag- inative world and deep selection of weapons and accessories are enough to satisfy even the most
fussy RPG fan. Milkman
Metro3D mm
Publisher: |] e Developer: Irem/Racjin
Players: 1
Also Оп: None
Likely to Give: The bends
Best Feature: Realistic underwater action Worst Feature: Blocky graphics
Web Site: www.metro3d.com
Sub Rebellion is excellent in both premise and exe- cution. Fueled by a Star Wars-esque rebellion-versus- the-empire plot, Sub takes you through 20-plus mis- sions of heated aquatic action in a drowned, futuris- tic world (where you may come across a half-buried Statue of Liberty, for example). Though slower paced than most action titles, Sub's intensity more than makes up for it. While most of the game takes place silently beneath the waves (fighting enemy ships, searching for rare artifacts, etc.), Sub shakes things up by sending you topside to duel with helicopters, bombers and land-based turrets. Thankfully, you pilot a highly customizable submarine with a stag- gering array of weaponry and an easy-to-read HUD. But the things that Sub Rebellion doesn't do are almost as important as the things it does. It doesn't concern you with ammo management, damage you when you bang into rock walls or make you worry about oxygen conservation—essentially, unneces- sary frustration is Кері to a minimum. Throw in ап innovative sonar function that exposes enemy subs and hidden.treasures through a wireframe effect, convincing aquatic effects and significant replay value (you do want to find every-last.treasure, don't you?), and you've got one.of the most compelling single-player action games to come along in ages. Don't let this one pass you by just because you've
never heard of it. Milkman
Having already given this franchise a major facelift last year, Midway has kept 20-03 largely the same, save a handful of fresh goodies. Here's a break- down of what's new: 1) Icon passing. It's way better than the.old.point-and-toss system. You.can pull-off amazing multi-throw sequencesywith it. 2) Smarter defense. Make a stupid pass into coverage and you pay the pricewith an interception, 3) Create-a-player. It's good for a laugh. д) Replays. Well, it’s about time. And the overall verdict? While 20-03 is only slightly different than last year’s»Blitz, it’s still a blast. If you already bought 20-02, rent this game to weigh the differences. Newcomers, pick this one ир. Пеап
Don’t get me wrong, Blitz has always been a fun game with three pals, some drinks and a Multi-tap, but the franchise is stuck in neutral. Improvements over last year’s (extremely late) version of Blitz are minimal: mostly minor graphical.tweaks and а new create-a-player option. The gameplay’s the same basic blend of light strategy and no-rules brawling that's always been a trademark of the Blitz series. Don't expect a serious football game, as inter- ceptions and sacks are commonplace. In fact, it’s so brutal that playing defense is almost more fun than offense. If you want something quick, dumb and fun, give it a go. Otherwise, stick with Madden. Shane
VISUALS bees
SOUND INGENUITY
REPLAY
Admittedly, | was wary. I’m still recovering from the deep emotional scars caused by the first Summoner, the RPG equivalent of a bucketful of spew. This time, however, my fears were unfounded—this sequel doesn't suck. The story is mildly intriguing, the com- bat's actually fun and the graphics are only tacky, not mind-blowingly bad (see: Summoner). Some. might get turned off byithe Lil’ Miss Priss protagonist and her periodically enforced duties as a queen (like dol- ing out money to build statues or deciding the fate of traitors), but at least thedevelopers tried something new. If you were burned by the first game, you'll be pleasantly surprised here. Shane
The first Summoner didn’t go over too well with a lot of people, so Volition’s decision to change things around for the follow-up is a good one. The biggest improvement—the more active, twitchy combat— works, quite well, making Summoner 2.more imme- diately engaging than its predecessor. Battles are genuinely fun, although occasionally undermined by spotty teammate А.1. And while 5275 visual style is а bit questionable (some character designs are down- right nasty), you really can't ғаш ће quality of the script. The great voice-acting makes the sometimes- flaky story that much easier to swallow. Overall, a solid, if somewhat unconventional RPG. Miguel
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
Sub Rebellion won't win any awards for its simple graphics or blippy keyboard music, but its combo of intense, old-school action-shooter gameplay (think an off-rails and underwater Star Fox) with entirely originaLelements (the sonar effect.is genius) has me hooked. Controls are complicated —shooting your weapon, pinging sonar, moving forward, turning and lowering yourself all at the same time is not uncommon but deeply satisfying as you work your way over the learning curve. Plus, new equipment for your sub and a surprisingly interesting plot spur you on. If you know what SNES stands for (and still play yours from time to time), get this game. Mark
Playing Sub Rebellion must resemble what it’s like to
hang out in a real-life submarine: novel at first, but ultimately a bit repetitive, hypnotic and a little claustrophobic. Being able to hook up your sub with weapons. and. components is rad; installing new parts that improve the way it performs (or destroys) gives you але, rewarding feeling as you.complete your different missions. My only beef is with the actual levels—they could use a bit more visual dis- tinction. As it is, they lulled me into a dull stupor after prolonged exposureaLuckily, relief comes in the form ofl excellent controls and well-paced battles. Saving graces indeed. Miguel
VISUALS SOUND REPLAY
4
INGENUITY
6 Ш { 3
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 298 - egm.gamers.com
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м p A E
Better reload often! Swarms of demons and powerful bosses.
= 1
Three intense modes of play * to keep those guns blazing. » %
aS
Insanely fast Guncon"2 blasting action.
You're part of the action with the fast and accurate бипсоп”2
Ninjas with guns: BRD A 35 ШО e
а little more pop. So ditch
the sword. Dump the stars. And grab hold of the Guncon™2 — official Demon-Slayer of bad ass
Ninjas everywhere.
Blood 224 : Violence
Г 2002 Мате > ie registered hc
SESERVED. Güuncon ~ 2 Gi wputer Entertainme "c.
EA Tiburon
14 Р52,6С EGM #159 Raceday schedule still not right www.easports.com
NASCAR fans have been dying for their Madden—a game that truly simulates the sport, with loads of stats, team management options and the like. With Thunder 2003, the wait is finally over. The only real complaint | have about the game is that the Raceday Schedule still doesn't reflect a true Winston Cup event. It'd be nice to have a multi-car practice session for each track at the very least, not to mention the traditional Happy Hour shakedown. Otherwise, this is an excellent NASCAR simulator with a super-deep Career mode that challenges you to run an entire team (from hiring your crew to performing on the track). But. I think my favorite part is the Lightning Challenge where various drivers introduce you to specific racing situations they found themselves in over the past year. Then you have to go in and either repeat what they did or do better. It gives you a real sense of interaction with the stars of the sport, plus it's a nice break from the constant driving in circles that gets on some players' nerves. 1 can't recom- mend this game enough. Greg
REPLAY
VISUALS SOUND
INGENUITY
EA Games
EA Canada
Е 52
жәен с
© | Р52, GC Awesome саг selection EGM #157 Poor sense of speed www.eagames.com
If you want to know how this game should have turned out, go back to the PS2 section and read the Hot Pursuit 2 review. Done? Good. Now forget every- thing we said back there. Speed on the Xbox is not the same game as its excellent PS2 counterpart. It doesn’t look as good, it doesn’t play as well, and it definitely doesn’t feel as fast. | guess that sounds a little harsh. On its own, Xbox Hot Pursuit 2 is actual- ly a good game; it just doesn’t hold a candle to titles like Project Gotham Racing or Sega GT 2002 in terms of speed. Variety's a different story, though. If there's one thing Need For Speed does right, it's that it offers a sweet collection of hot rods that any video- driving junkie would die for. It's got some really cool race modes too, including Hot Pursuit, where you need to outrun the cops while trying to win a race. And the tracks are super-big. We're talking laps that are often over three minutes long, which equals a lot of shortcuts, obstacles and back-and-forth racing in every event. A good game that would've been great if it ran as fast as the PS2 version. Greg
REPLAY
VISUALS INGENUITY
SOUND
D nd SUo010000x0003
Phantagram А,
Genki 4 С 1-4 x None
To bring your optic camouflage Quirky, edgy aesthetics and design Too few battle arenas www.phantagram.com
Of all the mech shooters currently in vogue on con- soles, Phantom Crash is one of the best-looking and most original of the bunch. Unsurprisingly, the game is set in the near future, where Japan has aban- doned Tokyo to use its labyrinthine streets for rum- bling, a competitive bloodsport involving jacked-up, carsized robots. With such a dystopian premise, you'd think the world of Phantom would be full of drooling Mad Max-style psychotics —but it's not. The characters in Phantom have more in common with the pop-punk, anti-establishment attitude of Jet Set Radio Future. This infectious style is pervasive throughout the game, even on the battlefield, where you spend the majority of your time. If you’ve played Halo before, you'll basically have no trouble moving, strafing and blowing stuff up in Phantom. What makes the game so immediately gratifying is that it essentially plays like an first-person shooter, except the camera sits behind your mech. | love the way every robot is equipped with a rechargeable optic camouflage cloaking device; it's a lot like managing the protective shield in Halo—stay cloaked during firefights, then pull. behind cover when you need to recharge. Outside of battle, the game occupies you with a TON of funny, poorly localized dialogue. ! mean, how do you not love a game that puts you in the ring against a rival named *Makunt"? If you like quirky Japanese-style games, pick this up. Che
Storage Compound
Codemasters Wide Games Р
А S None
Prison Camp Solid
Exciting gameplay
Generally unpolished www.codemasters.com
Your brief window of opportunity comes right after the spotlight sweeps by and the guard turns his back. You sprint for the only part of the fence without barbed wire and quickly climb over. Before anyone notices, you crouch down in the tall grass, out of sight. You just hope no one heard you or sees your footprints in the snow, or else it’s solitary confine- ment. That’s the type of intense, gun-less, adrena- line-filled gameplay that fills this WWII prison-camp game. No sickly love stories or mind-boggling plotlines that'll make you want to jump off the George Washington Bridge here. This is pure sneak-around action, with a little character interac- tion (bribery, hints and even deception) to guide you along. You'll get a rush out of learning and exploiting the prison-camp routines and guard patrols, and knowing you just got away with one helluva covert- mission run, leaving those sour Krauts dumbfounded and PO'ed. And even though you'll revisit the same camps in later levels, the objectives are varied enough that you won't mind the redundancy. | was almost prepared to say POW is more fun than Metal Gear Solid 2 with its emphasis on gameplay over, well, all that other crap that dragged down Solid Snake's adventure. But POW was let out early on some technicality: Another month of clean-up devel- opment work could've polished up the controls, graphics and unusually stupid A.l. Shoe
Phantom Crash will tickle Japanese-mech fans in all the right places with high-speed robots, heavy armaments (including my fave, the aptly named Big Shot), plenty of customization and more presenta- tion style than five Jet Set Radios put together. But with the good Japanese flavor, you also get the bad. The bizarre storyline is filled with so much nonsensi- cal dialogue, you end up using more button taps skipping the junk than you use in actual combat. That's fine, though, 'cause the action's where it's at. Exciting arena clashes, realistic graphics, stealth- mode mechs...the only things missing are a stream- lined interface and more variety. Shoe
If Phantom Crash were an online game, I'd be tempt- ed to marry it. As is, though, it's easily worthy of a spot alongside the best giant-robot games ever. Imagine a Gran Turismo-like setup, but with insanely customizable mechs in place of autos. Phantom's delicious depth allows you to get your paws dirty with the most miniscule of tweaks— performance- related, destructive and even cosmetic. And once you're ready to boogie down in the arenas, expect an experience that's tense, explosive and painfully fast. The multiplayer mode, with its limited customization, ain't all it could have been, but the single-player game is plenty cool. Miguel
VISUALS SOUND REPLAY
INGENUITY
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 300 - egm.gamers.com
Nothing screams fun like a Nazi prison camp. POW is the first non-violent WWII-themed game with a plot lifted straight from classic war flicks. With multiple ways to complete each mission, POWs Shenmue- meets-Metal-Gear-Solid stealth vibe creates both freedom and tension. What hurts the game, however, are the pasty graphics and occasionally dopey А.І. (At one point, | was crouching right next to a guard and he didn’t notice a thing!) It made me want to throw the game into solitary confinement. Despite its spotty production values and wimpy pacificist ways, POW's varied gameplay kept me planning my next great escape. A worthy rental. Darren
Imagine Metal Gear Solid with all of the stealth and none of the fighting. That pretty much sums up POW, a game plagued by an awkward inventory system, occasionally twitchy controls and half-witted guards. (I've seen. goldfish with longer attention spans—the Germans give up chasing you after 10 seconds of run- ning. Usually in circles. While you're hiding in a bush. Next to them.) But it's not all bad. POW won't win апу graphical awards, but it sports superb voice acting, a novel premise and intelligent mission design. | was hoping for more Nazi killing and less clambering over fences, but this is still an interesting stealth- genre diversion. David H.
VISUALS SOUND REPLAY
INGENUITY
Get ready to come to blows with over 130 types of enemies hell-bent on making mincemeat out of you
and your party. Traverse 8 wild elemental lands while discovering
the depths of the newly tuned Grandia combat and magic
systems and tackling the most brutal Grandia yet. It's not called xtreme
for nothing.
Mild Violence
Mild Language LN . WWW.ENIX.COM e PlayStation о
ark of Game Arts Co. Ltd. Cha rk of the Interactive Digital Soft
‘CONTENT RATED BY
ned by Kamui F ation. All Rights Res:
©1997, 1999, 2000 GAME ARTS, ©2002 GAME ARTS/ENIX. ENIX "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Comput
rk of Enix Corporation. Grandi: tainment Ine. The ratings icon is а trad
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TDK Mediactive 3 Vicious Cycle 4 Ж 1-2
PS2, GC
EGM #154
Your quick-changing mech Annoying escort missions www.robotechgame.com
generation gamer may not remember
this classic cartoon series, but trust us, it’s awesome. Great characters, huge battles and super-cool transforming robots (called Veritechs) made it one of the defining animat- ed shows of the ’80s. Now, over 15 years later, we finally get a Robotech video game.
And it’s a good game to boot. Robotech fans will finally be able to live the life of a Robotech Defense Force pilot, flying every model of Veritech from the show (including the Super and Armored versions) in ground, air and space missions. You'll also cross paths with main characters like Lynn Minmei, Roy Fokker, Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes, although you won't get to play as any of them.
But you don't need to be a Robotech geek to get into Battlecry. At the end of the day this is just a kick-ass action game everybody should check out and play.
R obo-what now? The average PlayStation-
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 302 - egm.gamers.com
The first mission in Robotech that'll have you crying foul is “Cat Scan,” where you have to protect a woefully weak Cat’s Eye recon plane from enemy forces. But it isn’t as hard as you think:
Ignore the Battlepods since they're not
firing on the Cat’s Eye (and if you destroy any, they'll just reappear in greater num- bers). Instead, fly tight circles around the plane and drop flares every five seconds.
While you're doing that, concentrate on those Fighterpods (the ones shooting the missiles). Just cycle through the tar- gets until you lock onto one, then unleash three volleys of missiles.
NZ У ды М че 2 P рх >. A & м. ағ
All three forms of your Veritech fighter are important in Robotech. Fighter mode (left) fires powerful missiles and flares. Guardian mode (below) fires weaker missiles and can pick up cer- tain objects. Battloid mode (bottom, left) can snipe and shoot down incoming missile volleys.
The first time you start up Robotech, you're thrown right smack into a dogfight in the skies over Macross Island and the grounded SDF-1 battle fortress. For me, a hardcore fan of the TV series, it was like a dream come true. The missiles were flyin’, the planes were transformin’ and 1 was in heaven. Тһе developers did a great job of forcing you to take advantage of your transforming Veritech by giving all three modes distinct strengths and weaknesses. It's not nearly as unwieldy as it sounds, either. By the third mission | was pretty much comfortable with every form of my mech, and knew when to change into what. In fact, the controls in general are great. The only catch is understanding how to use your var- ious abilities the proper way during some missions— especially ones where you have to protect an ally. | don't have a problem with escort missions in gener- al, but Robotech never makes it clear how you should go about accomplishing your goal, and the key to protecting a target in one sortie won't neces- sarily work in another. It can get frustrating. Plus, | wish the game included a way to target enemies that aren't in your direct line of sight. It would have cleared up just about every problem | have with Battlecry. In the end, though, the lock-on issue only becomes a pain during a handful of the many mis- sions you'll take on in Robotech, so it doesn't ruin the overall game. Definitely check it out. Greg
Even if you're a stranger to Macross Island and think
a Veritech is a school for VCR repair, you'll find a lot to love in Battlecry. Half the fun comes from your fighter's three transformations, which are more than теге cosmetic quick-changes. You'll.need to flip between them constantly, picking the right mode for the current threat or target. It's what makes the game's chaotic moments so thrilling. Mission variety is solid, and most are short and sweet, so you don't redo much stuff over and over if you fail. My only gripe: A few escort missions are maddening. Тһеуте especially frustrating in space, where targeting par- ticular enemies is extra tricky. Crispin
For those who witnessed the unfolding drama of the Robotech television series as a kid, Battlecry is a momentous game that’s both nostalgic and fun. It does an incredible job of re-creating the show’s fast- paced mech combat Бу combining. slick animation and spot-on controls. With voice work by the same actors from the original show, Battlecry.isn’t just a good action game for Robo-geeks like me, it's a very happy reunion. However, those unfamiliar with Robotech's legacy will be less forgiving about its frustrating difficulty and-stilted air-combat levels. Not worth the $80 collector's-edition price tag, but definitely purchase-worthy otherwise. Che
INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS
In the Navy, you'll da more in a few years than most people do in a lifetime. If you're ready, check out the Life Accelerator at пауч.сот or call l-800-USA-NAVY.
€ 2002. Paid for by the U.S. Navy. All rights reserved
Snazzy, post-apocalyptic levels Crude combat and jumpy camera www.terminator-game.com
t the beginning of both Terminator films,
we're given a brief glimpse of the future:
America in 2027 is a grim, war-torn wasteland packed with brave rebels fighting giant war machines. As a prequel to the first film, Dawn of Fate thrusts you into this post- apocalyptic setting as a band of fighters serv- ing under General John Connor. The crux of the game centers on stopping the evil super- computer Skynet from sending a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah Connor (John's hottie mom). Of course, if you've seen the film, you know how well that plan turns out.
The gameplay mixes elements of gunplay,
hand-to-hand brawling, puzzle solving and mini-games into a genre-bending cocktail reminiscent of recent titles like Dead to Rights and Devil May Cry (PS2). Multiple characters and customizable upgrades (like health and ammo boosts) add an RPG flourish to the action, and tapping into your adrenaline
Fear Factory, enacilig muses of
the cyber battlefield.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 304 - egm.gamers.com
Terminators fall prey to the same weaknesses as vampires-one stake (in this case, a metallic, glowing one) through the heart and they're toast.
reserve gives your hero a burst of superpower when you need it most.
On the surface, Dawn of Fate captures the gritty, dramatic feel of the classic sci-fi films remarkably well. But while the graphics and sound draw heavily from the movie’s excellent production design, the basic gameplay can’t quite measure up to similar games in the genre. If you're a huge fan of the flicks, give it a rental. In other words, terminate your desire to buy this game.
During the closing credits of Dawn of Fate, you'll hear “Terminate,” an original ode to the mechanical mur- derers by nü-metal rockers Fear Factory. This artistic explosion isn't mere marketing synergy—the guys are huge fans. In fact, they already wrote one Terminator-inspired ditty, “Hunter-Killer,” without even being asked! If you're looking for the goofiest homage to the series, however, hunt down “Dead or Alive" by '8os hair band Phantom. Lines like “Infrared eyes search for human prey” are classic.
Apparently, those bad-ass Terminators that we know and love (Arnold's T-800 and Robert Patrick's goopy T-1000) are not indicative of the brand's overall quality. In this game you'll trash countless waves of mildly threatening junk heaps (below) that Arnie could trounce with his pinkie.
Something tells me this game isn't what director James Cameron had in mind fora full-fledged prequel to his classic Terminator films. Plotwise, it's a royal mess, featuring shallow, stereotypical heroes, a cheesy villain and cringe-worthy dialog. It doesn't help that the characters from the film, like Kyle Reese (what's with the fro?), Sarah Connor and Arnie's T- 800, look nothing like the actors who portrayed them. Apart from the iffy character design, though, the game's graphics do look pretty swank. Bombed- out streets, abandoned asylums and massive fortresses channel the bleak feel of the movies nice- ly. Some scenes are overly dark, but at least the game has an adjustable brightness slide. Just like in the movies, music and sound effects play a crucial role. The soundtrack sports both cool, ambient creepiness and crunchy heavy-metal riffs. Of course, pretty levels and power chords can't hide Dawn of Fate's real weakness: crappy gameplay. The con- trol tries to mimic that of Devil May Cry, but ends up just being flaky and weird. You'll get stuck on walls, and the manic camera will make your head. spin. Targeting enemies is a chore, 50 if you just use a sweep-kick/stab combo instead.of.firing guns, you'll do fine. Terminator is unbalanced, repetitive and not much fun. To top it off, the game is short enough to finish in just a few hours. Even if you're a huge fan of the movies, this is a rental at best. Shane
1 have seen the post-doomsday future, and it's kinda lame. Dawn of Fate is filled with a wee variety of klutzy cyborgs who die easy if you blast their chrome domes. Even worse, the willy-nilly camera makes it hard just to walk in a straight line, let alone blast Skynet's tin men. The Terminator license is wasted here, too. You only face one Arnie-style robot, human characters look awful (I’ve seen better body armor on Dr. Who) and the plot isn’t even consistent with the flicks. Yourwill find-a few tense-moments (the final boss is pretty cool), andslots of unlockables encour- age replay. But one trip through this blah future is enough for me. 1 won’t be back. Crispin
Dawn of Fate deals with the futuristic stuff we've all been dying to see more of ever since those oh-so- brief glimpses in the Terminator movies: the giant gleaming Hunter-Killer tanks and jets, the rag-tag group of rebellious humans (including the two most important characters, Kyle Reese and John Connor) and, of course, hundreds of Т-8005 minus their Ah- nuld skins: Moody music and crisp graphics set а nice stage, but, unfortunately, your seat has an obstructed view. You spend so much time flipping between different angles and third- and first-per- son views that just getting from point A to point B can be a headache. Rent if you're a big fan. Mark
INGENUITY REPLAY x м
VISUALS
Turbo 5һдосК2 Controller
Features Turbo Function For AutoFire Capability
Cyber Shock 2 Controller Meo table Allows Up То 12 ША Multiple М To Be P Int Game Screen ultiple pel e ШЕ nto Full Color Game Screen Allows You To
Play Games, Home Videos & DVD's Anywhere!
DVD Remote, Multitap Game Sound System
EAR & Horizontal Stand Wireless Control, 4 Player Multitap, 1 AV Selector and Organize PS 2 Games and DVD's with Style! Ы... Stereo Speakers
‘Add A Blast
шш To Your Gaming | "Вапа Favorite CD's!
"We Game, Audio & Video Selector
Connect Up To 5 Components! Easily Switch To Game Console, TV, VCR, DVD, Tuner and More!
produced by
ng зр
ж” Acclaim
Acclaim Austin
MATURE
24
PS2, GC
Creative weapons PS2 version’s review Generally mediocre design www.turok.com Turok's comeback bid shines brightest on the Xbox, but it's still nothing special. It suffers from the same design weaknesses as its PS2 counterpart, including a laughable plot, poor level design, wimpy sound effects and fluctuating difficulty. While the game offers cool weapons and environments, the overall package is lackluster. Visually, Turok can't compete with the likes of Halo, although it's smoother and sharper than its PS2 cousin. Even so, graphical issues still rear their ugly heads here. Problems like the bizarre level-of-detail system (where trees and shrubs magically fade into existence as you move around) and god-awful character models that would look more at home on the old. Nintendo 64 often make this game.painful to behold. The single-player game drags on through 15 hit-or-miss levels, includ- ing four flying stages (which control better on Xbox than оп PS2). And unlike the PS2 version, the multi- player mode here is faster, plays better and supports four-player splitscreen. Sadly, Turok: Evolution is no
better than average. Shane
Publisher: $^ Universal с Developer:
Terminal Reality Players:
1-2
Also Оп:
Xbox
Truck upgrades are: Useless
Web Site: universalgames.com
EVERYONE
Best Feature: Soccer moms will be in SUV heaven Worst Feature: Brain-dead competition
The general idea behind the 4х4 EVO games has always been a good one: basically, Gran Turismo with pickup trucks and SUVs. Honestly, though, driving trucks over uninspired courses at speeds of up to only 60 mph (at least that’s what it feels like) does not make a great game. While playing, І felt like 1 was on my way to pick up the kids from school rather than racing. It’s a waste of an otherwise good game because there are loads of trucks to buy, and the various parts and pieces you can install will impress even the hardest of the hardcore gearheads. But since the difficulty is set so that slower cars get a speed boost, none of these parts actually make a difference on the track. One thing you can count on, though, is watching the A.I. make a bunch of bone- head maneuvers. | swear, these are some of the stu- pidest drivers l've seen in a long time. At one point | even sawone guy get stuck on a bridge for four laps just because һе couldn't.figure out how to turn the wheel left or right to free himself up. Overall, 4x4 EVO 2 is disappointing and lame. Greg
VISUALS
SOUND _ INGEN
1 4 3
Need For Speed:
Hot Pursuit 2
Publisher: EA Games Developer: EA Canada Rumi Players: 1-2
Also Оп: Р52, Xbox Featured In:
Best Feature: Lots of sweet
cars to choose from EGM #157 Worst Feature: Slow sense Web Site: of speed www.eagames.com
The last Need For Speed left a lot to be desired, with its single car manufacturer and sluggish gameplay. Hot Pursuit 2 definitely addresses the former prob- lem— you'll find everything from Mustang to McLaren in this bad boy. Once you're on the track, however, you may soon forget this happy fact, as you realize that the game stutters every time you run under a big shadow or go in and out of tunnels. And even though your speedometer reads in the vicinity of 100-130 mph, it feels more like a Sunday drive down a busy city street. It really sucks since almost everything else about Hot Pursuit 2 is awesome. The tracks are nice апа big. (usually about three minutes per lap), the control is spot on and the various modes—espe- cially Hot Pursuit, where cops try to chase. you and your fellow. racers. down—will keep you busy for hours. So while | hate to give the fanboys onthe mes- sage boards fodder for their endlessisystem wars, if you own all three systems; ignore the GC version of Hot Ригзий 2 and go straight for the PlayStation 2 game. It's far and away the best of the three. Greg
SOUND INGENUITY
VISUALS _ REPLAY
6 8 1 9
Crash Bandicoot:
The Wrath of Cortex
Publisher: Universal
Developer:
Traveller's Tales Players: 1
EVERYONE
Also On:
PS2, Xbox
Featured In:
EGM #142
Web Site: universalgames.com
Best Feature: Old-school platform gameplay
Worst Feature: Cheap one- hit deaths
Nobody’s more burnt on Crash than this chica. So imagine my (groan) delight when that bippity-boppi- ty intro music fired up on my TV. As | nestled my rump comfortably into the sofa in preparation for the noto- riously long load times (as seen in the PS2 version), | asked myself, “Why am | doing this?” But even before the first snore of the evening bore itself from my nostrils, level one was ready. Ha! Perhaps Traveller’s Tales finally got load-times right? We'll see about that. This stubborn girl wasn't convinced yet, even as she discovered how much more forgiving Crash was on the GC. Not only did | not have the desire to smash the disc into a zillion pieces, | actu- ally found the game somewhat enjoyable. Yes, Wrath on the GC is much more polished here than on the PS2, but some things never change. Despite some clever approaches to level design, it still lacks any real innovation to its simple platform roots, mak- ing itan ideal candidate for little kids. But with Super Mario Sunshine out now, it's tough to recommend this game to any age group. Jeanne
SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS
7 2
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 306 - egm.gamers.com
EA Sports е
Publisher:
Developer: EA Tiburon p^ Players: 1-4
Also On: PS2, Xbox
Featured In: EGM #159
Best Feature: Deep Career mode
Worst Feature: Raceday setup still not right
Web Site: www.easports.com
GameCube owners might have felt left out when Thunder 2002 skipped their system last year, but hey, 2003 was worth the wait. This is, hands down, the best console NASCAR game yet. The incredibly deep Career mode has you taking care of your cars, Sponsors and crew members through a 20-season dynasty, while the Lightning Challenges put you in the shoes of stars like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte and Jeff Burton as you re-enact or change the outcome of various racing situations they've found themselves in over the past few years. It makes for a nice mix of hardcore and casual racing that should appeal to all types of fans. A myriad of graphical tweaks— including instant replays and pit- stop animations where your crew may actually stum- ble—give the game a truly authentic look. Of course, gameplay is king, and the developers didn't just repackage last year's game. Cars drive realistically here. Don't expect your car to stick to the road when you go barreling into a turn on a.flat track like New Hampshire, whereas speedways like Daytona require a lead foot. Slide around too much and not only will yourtires wear down, but they'll actually blow (a new feature this year). It all comes together to create the most immersive NASCAR title ever on any console. And for those of you who are new and curious, Thunder 2003 features enough assists and tutorials to ease you into the action nicely. Greg
Just because I’m not a hardcore NASCAR fan doesn't mean that | don't know а good racing game when | see one. Although the thought of driving around in circles for 5oo laps doesn't really appeal to me (sorry Greg, but | like to powerslide), 1 сап" argue with the immense value offered by Thunder 2003. Yeah, perks like the loads of cars and tracks, impres- sive graphics and four-player support are cool, but it's the Lightning Challenge that NASCAR fans will really love. This mode puts you in the driver's seat for two dozen of the most dramatic moments in NASCAR history, giving you the chance to rewrite the books. Simply awesome. Milkman
You know Thunder 2003's intense when it's all you
can think about when you hit the sack at night. A new game engine and sharper graphics have worked wonders for both its authenticity and playability. Now you've got the ultimate mix of speed, beauty, gameplay and worthwhile extras to mess. with, including race scenarios and tips from the real dri- vers. I'm most impressed, however, with the precise control. Gliding between two cars at195 mph Without touchinga single quarter-panel has never been more intuitive; it uses the analog:stick's range of motion very well. Thunder 2003 has widened its lead over the pack by a huge margin. Dean
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY _ REPLAY
8 8 71 9
ғ www.darkeneds ye.com IN STORES THIS NOVEMBER
OMIC MISCHIEF > NINTENDO VIOLENCE 2 GAMECUBE.
Nintendo, Nintendo GameCube and the Official Seal are trademarks of Nintendo © 2001 Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Rare Players: A
Also On: None Featured In: EGM #159
Best Feature: Cool, Zelda-style dungeons Worst Feature: Dumb fetch quests Web Site: www.starfoxadventures.com
uch like Eternal Darkness, Star Fox Adventures made a lengthy, complex
and ultimately worthwhile journey to
the GameCube. What was a cancelled
Nintendo 64 title called Dinosaur Planet has transformed into the action-adventure debut
for Nintendo’s spacefaring fuzzball, Fox McCloud. The fantasy storyline, non-player characters and prehistoric-themed levels might not have been originally designed for
Fox and his pals, but the combination of beau-
tiful graphics and solid gameplay make it worth recommending to most gamers.
The adventure begins with a prologue star-
ring Krystal, a mysterious female fox who speaks a freakish foreign language. After a brief aerial battle, she confronts the evil General Scales, who roughs her up and
imprisons her in an ancient temple. A distress beacon goes out to Fox McCloud. He arrives
Star Fox Adventures
а 3
SFA's bosses are infrequent but imposing. To beat this creepy dino, you'll have to slice your way out of his belly after being swallowed.
on the war-torn world of Dinosaur Planet with little knowledge of his situation, but his pals Peppy, Slippy and General Pepper (we knew him back in the ’60s when he was just a sergeant) help out Fox with tactical support. It’s painfully obvious that the natives of Dinosaur Planet need assistance, and lots of it. For the first few hours of the game, Fox transforms into the ultimate Good Samaritan. He’s nursing herds of tired mammoths back to
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 308 - egm.gamers.com
If you come to Star Fox Adventures expecting to pilot the Arwing spaceship through fun-filled flying levels, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Rare did include some brief shooting stages in between levels of Zelda-inspired action, but when we say brief, we mean brief. These levels are over in a flash— the first one clocks in at an amazingly terse 63 seconds. All that you have to do is fly through a set number of gold rings before the level ends. Sure, you can scramble to shoot enemies, collect bombs and power-ups if you really want, but it's not necessary. It's a real shame that more wasn't done with these stages, though, as the tiny taste sam- pled here could easily have become a larger part of the game. Of course, Nintendo hasn't completely forgotten Fox's roots. That's why they've enlisted Namco to produce a new Star Fox space shooter for the GameCube. It's due out next spring.
Boor Pierre E سد por + j
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anglers to battle.
Sega Bass Fishing Duel will knock you overboard Ш 3! LEO with heated two-player competition. And when
you finally run out of friends to beat, you can tackle the CPU opponents, each with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses. This attitude may not make you popular around the
- lorgemitih Buss - | < The only PlayStation®2 computer entertain- 1 ment system fishing game with split-screen | Ш ІШ? 2b. lloz. two-player or vs. computer competition.
watering hole, but it’s lonely at the top, buddy. Who says fishing's not an extreme sport?
EVERYONE
Zone TEM PlayStation.c
SEGA is registered in the www.sega.com. The ra
red trademarks or trademat and the "PS" Family logo г
SEGA CORPORATION. © WOW ENTERTAINMENT INC./SEGA С registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights
3. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA and Sega Bass Fishing are
"ORATION, 2001, 2002. п is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Ass ей
" Star Fox Adventures (cont.)
health with turnips, collecting tasty mush- rooms for dinosaurs and lighting torches to aid hungry critters scared of the dark. These fetch quests might start to grate on your nerves after a while, but you will learn the ins- and-outs of the gameplay while acting like a fuzzy Boy Scout. If you can stick through these middling bits, the game opens up into a full-fledged epic with traditional dungeons and bosses.
The controls are a no-brainer for anyone who's played a recent Zelda title. Fox controls just like Link, from the automatic jumping to the lock-on combat. You can activate items nd special moves via a handy C-stick menu, nd even map these abilities onto the Y-but- on. An original gameplay element is Tricky, a assy dino sidekick who helps Fox solve puz- es (see below).
Graphically, none of SFA's N64 roots show hrough. Impressive special effects like reflec- ive water, lifelike shadows and amazingly ealistic fur, show off the best the 'Cube has о offer. Huge environments stretch far into he distance, and every area features a full ay/night cycle, as well as changing weather. The action runs at a speedy clip, only stutter-
ми тоа а
+ a o
act
= About an hour into the game, you'll find Tricky, the crown prince of his tribe. After you help res- cue his mom, he'll join you as a permanent travel- ling companion. He's a spunky (read: annoying) tyke who's itching for adventure and, despite his seemingly dippy nature, can actually help you solve puzzles. If you see an exclamation point appear above his head, try one of these moves:
TRICKY, FOK’S REPTILIAN SIDEKICK
Dig up stuff like gold and turnips, but sadly, not dirt on Slippy’s sordid past.
Sometimes, you just gotta tell Tricky to stay put in order to press switches.
ing for one or two seconds when the game loads a new area. Rare had a long time to work on this game, and it definitely shows in the polished graphics.
The sound is also up to Nintendo’s usual high standards. Music is catchy, vibrant and varied, building into a tense tune when dan- ger’s afoot. Unfortunately, not as much care went into the voices. Fox is great; he’s a lik- able, self-assured hero. Whether you're able to stomach Slippy, Peppy and General Pepper depends on your past Star Fox experience. They're awfully annoying, and they talk a lot. Even worse, however, is the new language invented for the game. It sounds silly when the characters drop English words like “General Scales" and “Dinosaur Planet" into long strings of nonsense.
As you can tell by the scores, a strong rift of opinion divided our reviewers. The string of simple fetch quests that bogs down the first few hours could turn off players looking for an adventure that starts on a grander scale. Also, many of the game's puzzles require tons of experimentation to solve, so some patience is required. For most folks, however, Fox's quest will be a fun, challenging endeavor.
A quick blast of flame can melt ice and burn brush, but it can also fry Fox.
Buy a ball in order to play fetch. If you play a lot, Tricky will evolve slightly.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 310 - egm.gamers.com
Fox McCloud and Tricky meet the Warpstone, a
colossal statue capable of teleporting you all over Dinosaur Planet. We're totally prepared to believe all of that stuff-it's the fact that he has а ridicu- lous Scottish accent that we simply cannot buy. Be warned, even more goofy accents await you!
Playing Star Fox Adventures thoroughly messed with my brain. One minute, It’s Zelda déja vu, solving puz- zles deep in a dungeon, then a level of classic Star Fox shooting mayhem, only to be followed-up by a Rare-style cutscene featuring a wise-cracking car- toon bird. It’s a bizarre mishmash of clashing styles, concepts and gameplay that, despite being all over the map, is still a must-play title. When | first started playing, however, | had my doubts. The first few hours suffer from poor pacing and an over- abundance of menial fetch quests. Thankfully, once you start exploring vast dungeons in search of Spellstones and Krazoa Spirits, the game hits its stride and it’s all good from that point onward. (The later level designs and bosses totally make up for the dull opening sections.) The quest is long (20 hours+), sufficiently challenging and rewarding. Visually, you'd never know that this was once ап N64 title— it’s one of the sweetest-looking games I’ve ever seen. The graphics are simply phenomenal, utilizing every special effect at the 'Cube's disposal. The gameplay harkens back to the №64 days, specifically, the two Zeldaggames, The. control mimics that of Link's beloved quests perfectly, and that’s a good thing. | suggest that all Zelda fans, give SFA a chance and stick with it: Overall, it's a highly polished effort. (Special note: If you, unlike me, think talking foxes are sexy, add two points to my score.) Shane
SFA looks great, but its fresh visuals are quickly
spoiled by the same-old collect-a-bunch-of-items- ad-nauseum gameplay Rare's recycled for years. Dino Planet's inhabitants can't seem to do a damn thing by themselves (no wonder they were so easily enslaved). SFA's boring, tension-less story doesn't help matters either, and the lack of help for puzzles makes/them more frustrating than fun: Not even the flying bits save this from mediocrity—they're too short andsfeel tacked on. And why:the hell do | have to hear the same Slippy/Peppy/Gen. Pepper babble in every submenu, every time | access it? Skip this adventure and wait for Zelda. Chris
As 3D-adventure games go, SFA is near the top of its class. While it doesn't exactly break new ground (Rare games, er, rarely do), the execution is simply impeccable. From Fox's fluid, Kilik-y (of Soul Calibur) fighting style,.to the variety of weapon upgrades and all the clever. uses for your dino sidekick, SF gives you plenty of cool things to do in this sprawling epic, Minimizing frustration, Fox auto-jumps (taken straight тот Zelda) and ledge grabs with the best of "ет. Graphically, the game is a work of art. Only a few years ago visuals like these would pass for a Pixar movie. Clunky interface issues aside, SFA is а stun- ning addition to the series. Milkman
REPLAY
MEI SOUND
INGENUITY
1 4
! 1 П 1 1 1 П
Sony Computer Entertainment America Takes No Responsibility For This Offer.
— Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny for PlayStation^2 —
*Limit 1 coupon per customer. Good at Best Buy stores only. Not good in combination with other coupons ог offers. Not valid on prior purchases. Valid on in-stock items only; no rainchecks. No dealers. о BEST Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. No copies. Cash value is 1/100 of one cent. B Good through 11/30/02. © 2002 Best Buy Cashier Instructions: Scan coupon UPC. Scan qualifying produc ОРС. ІШ Ш ТТ
TurnOntheFur Scan dl other product(s) being sold. Press Токі". Select "Yes" to apply pockoge ping.
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Violence Blood and Gore
Turning Tricks (Part 2)
We know we asked this before, but which is your favorite kind of Easter Egg?
In Partnership with Prima Games.
Tricks of
Tricks, strategies and ‘Source: Gamers.com рой, 8/02
| e ra e amusing game antics 1 don't care from Commandos 2, about Easter Turok: Evolution, Super Eggs 17%
By David S J Hodgson Monkey Ball 2, Armored Core 3,
We've bathed in more Sunshine than George Hamilton, gone half-crazy fixing up money-making schemes in Animal Crossing, and even managed to squeeze in a Buffy code or two. Write us at tricks@ziffdavis.com.
Run Like Hell and Spyro are taken from their respective Official Prima aA Strategy Guides, all on sale now!
1 Turok: Evolution - A small herd of dino-mighty codes!
а E Turok mocks you. It shows a Cheat Code screen in the Options menu, and laughs when you attempt to input the letters. That's as unnecessarily offen- sive as the lizard warrior being vertically decapitated in the logo introduction. Add a degree of glee to your dino hunt and tap in these codes. For all levels, try SELLOUT. Invisibility is all the rage thanks to SLLEWGH (that's "HGWELLS" backwards, time- traveling bookworms). Need more ammo than Ted Nugent? Go with MADMAN. Invincibility? Type EMERPUS (or “SUPREME”
backwards). Finally, all weapons is TEXAS. Note that TEXAS gets you all the weapons on that stage only, which is why we're pea- shooting the Triceratops (1). Invisibility keeps critters standing still, even when you fire (2). Oh, and you skip to level 10 (3) when you load a saved game. Rockin’!
2 Super Mario Sunshine - complete game freakdown!
Screen 1: Mario. Bless his
dungarees — he's pooped! But wait just a second.... How is he sleeping here? He's underwa- ter, with fishes above his head! Now look at screen 2. Whaa..?! The game's gone mad! This is Yoshi, underwater! How do you access this insane glitch that allows Yoshi to reach the desert island with the Orange Juice pipe without riding those damn boats?
For a bloody good time
2 and more excuses to look at Sarah Michelle Gellar’s “Buffy buttocks,” why not unlock the following four arenas (4 and 2),
3 Buffy the Vamp
ing, ond the suniic 1/2
URL do the talking! The secret fol- lows egm.gamers.com, or come
Well, the clue’s in screen 1. Figure out what Mario’s doing (a famous Italian mob saying), and let your back next issue for the answer.
ire Slayer - codes to be “fangful” for!
28 A A shriek of delight occurs after
4 correct button jabbing. For those of you who have trouble understanding initials, Y is the Yellow button, B is Black, and W is White. Unlock all four arenas with YYW, BBY, YYY, YWB. Infinite Slayer Power is YYY, BBB, YWB, BWY. Infinite Health (immune from kicks, punches,
infinite health, slaying power, and the ability to turn all blue and regular attacks) is YWB,
BWY, BBB, YYY. Play arenas as a Dark Slayer using BWY, YBB, WBB, WBB, WBB, BWW.
and ghostly? All you need to do is tap in the following codes while you're in the Extras menu.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 312 - egm.gamers.com
The weird-glitch trick 1396
The extra-ending screen 2796
Welcome. How сай Т ће > Мак
We've found the most expensive (and useless) item ever in a video game! Want to know what it is? A model of a Post Office. Want to know how to get it? Pay off your loan to Tom Nook, and then begin to deposit Bells at the Post Office. You get a prize for 1,000,000 Bells (Tissues), 10,000,000 (a Piggy Bank), 100,000,000 (Mail Box), and (wait for it) the P.O. model for 999,999,999 Bells!
Grand Theft Auto Ш Tanks a lot!
И It’s still selling 100,000
=
copies a month. Know what that means? Yep; GTAIII code central yet again! This oh-so amusing code lets you hop in the massively armored Rhino tank. Gun the engine, crumple cars, out-fox the police on a lunatic rampage like that guy did in L.A. Tap Cir, Cir, Cir, Cir, Cir, Cir, R1, La, La, Tri, Cir, Tri during play.
UDE, TURN OFF YOUR FLOOD LIGHT
-
UD à ж
INTRODUCING THE BEST LIGHT EVER MADE
FLOOD LIGHT
STOP CRAWLING AROUND IN THE DARK, DAMP EARTH WITH THE WORMS. COME OUT WHERE YOU CAN SEE. COME TO THE LIGHT. THE FLOOD LIGHT.
FOR GAME BOY ADVANCE". LIKE YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW THAT...
FLOOD LIGHT... THE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE.
WWW.GAMESTERUSA.COM
o Street Hoops
We're takin’ it to da streets in Santa Claus costumes. Ya dig?
Averitable hoop frenzy of embarrassing costumes are a moment away. Some games like to dress up their characters in a Mariah Carey-sized wardrobe of fine outfits, with hats, boots and other acces- sories. Not so with Street Hoops: It’s a nasty baggy tracksuit with different textures instead. Great.
As you’d expect, enter all these codes inside the fancy Cheat menu boxes. Enter R1, Cir, L2, R2 fora Block Party backdrop (4). Tap R2, Cir, 12, Cir for a Power Game. For a Black Ball, go with R2, R2, Cir, L2. For a red, white and blue ball (2), try Cir, R2, Squ, R2. For clown out- fits (3), you'd better get pressing Squ, L1, Squ, Cir. Cool Tuxedo threads occur after putting in L2,
Beach Spikers
L2, Cir, Squ (4). Are we done yet? Nope! “Hilarious” Pimp costumes (5) are worn after inputting R1, Squ, Cir, L2. What the game likes to think are Cowboy uniforms are yours (6) after tapping Cir, R2, R2, R1. Baggy pink Kung-Fu outfits occur (7) when you press Cir, Cir, Squ, L1. Finally, you can't get much more sweaty than a shot from a downtown Santa (8). Try R2, L2, R2, L2. Fun, eh?
А bevy of Sega-franchise bikinis for their buttock-viewing simulator
The lines are drawn т the sand: Sega and Tecmo are preparing to outdo themselves in the “not quite porno” volleyball department. We kept our end up, fiddling furiously with our joypads, and found the high fashions available to those rendered уу E bikini aficionados out there.
Uniforms 71-86: Unlock these delightful bikinis (1) by slogging through the sometimes tedious Tutorial Mode (including the non- interactive parts). Ready for some extreme hairstyle excitement? Enter your name as FVIPERS for Fighting Vipers Uniforms 109-110, Hair 75, and Face 51 (2). DAYTONA for Daytona USA Uniforms 107-108 (3). PHANTA2 gets you Phantasy
Star Online Uniforms 114-115, Hair 77, and Face 53 (4). Ooh! Lala! Get into the Space Channel 5 spirit with АВАКАТА; it gets you Uniforms 111- 113, Hair 76, and Face 52 (5, 6). Tap in JUSTICE for Virtua Cop bikinis 105-106, and cop shades with Sunglasses 94. Yes, model number 7 has her hair in a mullet. OHTORII (Uniforms 116-117) gets you SEGA logos up the wazoo (8). Literally.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 814 - egm.gamers.com
Try these Specials when your meter turns green: Mat Hoffman
Back Flip Tail Whip: R, D, Cir Barhop: R, L, Cir
Peacock (below): L, U, Cir
Kevin Robinson
Pendulum: L, R, Squ
Rocket 1-Foot C-bar: R, L, Cir No-hand Backflip: D, R, Squ Mike Escamilla
Back Flip No-foot: L, R, Cir Body Varial: R, U, Squ Decade Air: R, L, Squ
Nate Wessel
Back Flip No-foot: R, L, Cir Pendulum: L, R, Squ
S-man Doub Seat: D, L, Squ Rick Thorne
No-hand Backflip: D, R, Squ 1-Hand Swing Leg: R, L, Cir Rocket 1-foot C-bar: R, L, Cir
Ruben Alcantara
Decade Air: L, R, Cir Double Tailwhip: D, L, Cir S-man 1-Hand: R, L, Squ Joe Kowalski
Half Barspin Whip: U, L, Cir 1-Hand C-bar: В, L, Squ S-man 1-H (above): 1, В, Cir
GREATEST HITS REVISITED
Master Gamer
Thanks to CompUSA, you сап join game хх” and get free entry and а chance to win big prizes in our tournaments, 10% off on games and accessories, and access to a huge selection of hardware. Game fixx gamers enjoy priority order status online, so you can stop counting the days until а new product is released. Sign up for game fixx and browse our massive selection online or in à CompUSA store. Join game fixx and master the gaming world today.
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ONIONS Ритрим РЕ. <о0й
Le" LES CAT (осо
сә 2915
Massive Constitution E Long-Range Coward
| нан Hand-to-Hand Mad а Berserker
Magically Empowered
1 Flying/Teleporting Ability
Ludicrously Imposing Eye-Poppingly Speedy Surprisingly Feeble Throbbing *Weak Spot" м 1 Tell me, friend, did you i 20 Today's asking price is. i Lie Foie in Nac д д ^ 95 Bells per turnip. o, LI Joypad Hammering the Men om dort tor? ка Are you Going to buy some’
uw You're Unfairly Weakened
| a Doesn't Really Die | мв. Minion of Big Boss
| Don't you dare rush price Wi Ves, yest Wha” I'd like to sell | СУ Complete Anticlimax ENTRE Tila PNE | ў MEER сани 7 | time! Make sure you get à À ther things
| |004 look at my fine е5. 7 he | Я Bling-Bling After Battle ~ ros your pal's towns Never mind.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 316 - egm.gamers.com
CHIPS 42. BITS your #1 game store
PC e SONY * NINTENDO е SEGA е“ & MORE
tion.
Conflict Desert Storm Madden Football 2003 PS2 Tekken 4 PS2 Grand Theft Auto 3: Kingdom Hearts
Tak2 EA Sports Namco Vice City PS2 Square Soft Rockstar Games
siaproxr, ADVENTURES
Star Fox Adventures GCN Worms GCN Mario Party 4 GCN Resident Evil 0 GCN Nintendo TDK Ubi Soft Nintendo Capcom
NASCAR Thunder 2003 Xbox Lord of the Rings: BloodRayne Xbox Baldur's Gate Il:Dark
EA Sports Fellowship of the Ring Xbox Majesco Alliance Universial Interplay
ОИ
Metroid Fusion GBA Mega Man Zero GBA AirForce Delta Storm Castlevania Harmony Defender of the Crown Nintendo Capcom Konami of Dissonance Metro 3D Konami coming Black & Bruised - PS2 49.95 Madden Football 2003 - Xbox 49.95 Hitman 2: Silent Assassins - PS2 49.95 Mary-Kate & Ashley: Sweet16 - GBA 29.95 Dynasty Tactics - PS2 49.95 Gras Chase - GBA 29.95 Sub Rebellion - PS2 49.95 Fire Pro Wrestling 2 - GBA 29.95 H ^ Grand Theft Auto 3 - GBA 39.95 Terminator Dawn of Fate - PS2 49.95 BloodRayne - Xbox 49.95 К Little League Baseball - GBA 32.95 NHL Hockey 2003 - GCN 49.95 ч AS h ts Barbarian - GCN 49.95 Secret Agent Barbie - GBA 29.95 МПа д E Taz Wanted - Xbox 49.95 Time Splitters 2 - PS2 49.95 | Commandos 2 - Xbox 49.95 Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex- GCN 49.95 X Men Next Dimension - GCN 49.95 Medal of Honor - GBA 39.95 Quanta E 49.95 Eye of the Beholder - GBA 32.95 Silent Scope - GBA 39.95 ; Nickelodeon Party Blast - Xbox 49.95 4х4 Evolution 2 - GCN 49.95
PO Box 234 • Dept. 11410 • 2520 VT Rte. 100N * Rochester, VT 05767 “ INT'L 802.767.3033 • FAX 802.767.3382 • US 800.699.GAME (4263) Source Code 11410
Super Monkey Ball 2
Mastering the master stages: Time for some delicate monkey touchin
РЭД You'll need 12,000 Play Points to unlock all the Party Games. But that’s a breeze compared to м accessing the Master Stages: Beat all 60 Expert Challenges without continuing to access them!
Stage 1: Centrifugal (1) Use the
bowl’s spin, and angle to the right off the starting platform. As you fall, roll back, and stay on the wall with the bananas. You won't see the exit so use the map.
Stage 2: Swing Bridges (2) Each of the three bridges spin in half- circles. Wait for the close end to pass, and dart to the next plat- form. The last bridge spins faster so your timing must be precise.
4
КЕП,
Stage 3: Cylinders (3) Drop onto the cylinders near the middle, to the side opposite to its turn. Moving to adjacent cylinders is tricky; turn early, and don’t slow down. Ignore the bananas. Stage 4: Passage (4) Wait for the side bars to shoot through the maze, cross square one to anoth- er, repeat, after the bars switch. Roll into the pit from the first “|” г “г” square for a different goal.
(вдегочекудез
120,000+ bells in 15 minutes? The fastest way to make money!
VE You know about catching tree Bees and selling them for 4,500 each. You've caught exotic fish in the 5 rainy evenings. And Joan’s turnips (see left) are bringing in the moolah. But where’s the big money?
The “big money” is accessed via the crazy Kapp’n and his “turn a sane gamer to murder” sea shanties (4). To increase your windfall, have lucky items in your house, and make sure you’ve planted an orchard. Now shake fruit off trees until your inventory is stuffed. Head on down to the jetty (with your GBA plugged in), and set sail
for the Tropical Island! Once there, drop all of the fruit in the center of the island, adding to the massive pile by picking all the island's trees, too! Then set sail back to town, weeping soft- ly at the sea shanty you can't get out of your head, and begin to pick more fruit again! Now your friend (or you) should pick up your GBA, and get the
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Stage 5: Notch (5) Wait for the pipe to flip, roll onto it slowly to the left, and ride the pipe around, staying on top. Wait behind the second notch on the flip side, and when high up, drop off the end. Stage 6: Intermittent (6) Jump from platform to platform, using the bump to get enough air. Control your speed as the plat- forms get smaller. Ignore the bananas, and stay in the center.
pge Overview
Rotate GPan camera
islander to eat all the fruit (2). At the third meal, he deposits a bag of cash. Nab that and place it away from the islander, so he doesn’t pick it up. Once all the fruit is eaten, order the islander back into the hut, get Kapp’n to row you back, deposit more fruit, then collect all the cash bags (3). Repeat this until the fruit's out, and the cash is in!
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 318 - egm.gamers.com
Spyro
Crush this first boss!
Fracas before Celestial Fields Once you have enough fire- flies, chat with Bianca. You must now face Crush. Move to the middle of the stage,
which'll cause Crush to belch ice balls at you (above). Leap to the outer ring, and dodge the balls. Chow down on the single sheep if you're hit.
EX
Pick up an ice ball, throw it back at him. As he's frozen, head-butt him (above), and repeat this twice. Cleo then grants you exit (below).
I'm going to cast a spell È to make you a little bit ^ hard-headed, too. Your
Castlevania: H of D
Classic Konami-code action!
Hard Mode When naming yourself, enter the word “HARDGAME.”
Play as Maxim
Beat the game and start over with the name “MAXIM.”
Disable all Spellbooks
When naming yourself, enter the word “NO MAGIC.”
Boss Rush Mode
Finish the game to fight a plethora of bosses in a row. Simon Belmont (plus sprite!) Tap in the “Konami code” (U, U, D, D, L, В, L, В, B, A) at the Konami logo and start Boss Rush Mode to play as Simon!
PlayStation.2
IF YOU BOUGHT ALL THESE GAMES, IT WOULD COST ABOUT 5250
PlayStation. PlayStation.2 PlayStation.2
PlayStation.
ФА
PlayStation.2 EN
WHY NOT TRY THEM ALL FIRST IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE FOR LESS THAN $10?
PS2 DEMO DVD
OFFICIAL U.S.
"Bu Ё ay Staton
‚ U.S. NAVY SEALS-
TIMESPLITTERS 2 HOT SHDTS GOLF 3 Dj
Tony HAWK's A m PRO SKATER 4 Аш ғ
PlayStation
DON'T MISS OUR BEHIND-THE-SCENES COVERAGE OF KINGDOM HEARTS
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Mario Madness!
Full Game Secrets Overview The next 19 screenshots take you through the weird and wonderful journey detailing what happens when you’ve got a GameCube masterpiece and too much time on your hands. You all know about the “Aloha Mode,” the sunglasses, porno shirt, and sun- glasses salesman (see last issue). This time, we've got Easter Eggs, madcap Triple Jumps, and some crazy tricks!
Screens 4-6: Want to know where the highest vertical jump in all of video gaming is? Well we're telling you anyway! Enter Noki Bay, Episode 1, and collect
Screens 1 and 2: Ready to weep? This is your prize for completing the game. Yep, you've got 24 Postcards to look at while the end credits roll, and then one of
5 00
А
^ d А Ё ы
both the Springboards. Опе is near the cannon, the other is near the Red Nozzle Box. Now bounce up to the high cliff where the Gold Bird is, place one tram-
these two pictures. Screen 1 occurs when you beat the game with less than 120 Shines. When all Shines are collected, screen 2 appears instead. Noooo!
Screen 3: Console yourself by creating a giant sunflower field in front of Stage 4. Episode 4 isthe place for this. Get all the turtles to land in the same place!
poline at the base of the palm tree, the other on top, then (with the Rocket Nozzle) bounce and Rocket off the top springboard, and freefall for 15 crazy seconds!
| | Super Mario 64: Crazy glitches & secrets!
Dust off your Nintendo 64, or buy one and this game for less than the price of Super Mario Sunshine. Now start playing, and then start gibbering at how difficult it is! No time? Then here's some crazy stuff that rocked Mario's old world!
1
Screens 1-2, Yoshi : Nab all 120 Stars, and the cannon in the castle courtyard opens.
}
Screens 4-6, Castle Glitch: At the roof, take the Cap Wings, and shoot Mario at this ledge.
Aim at the castle roof, and meet Yoshi. He sparkles your jump and crams in 100 Lives!
Run up the ledge and castle spire, then dive in, and you'll fall through the spire, into a
Electronic Gaming M
Screen 3, On the Piste: Move Mario near a snow tree, and wait until he has a tinkle!
6%
9 і чыг. massive game glitch! You’re
stuck here, until you walk through an interior wall!
ily - 320 - egm.gamers.com
Screen 7: Have you ever just stopped and checked out the sky? Aside from being blue, there’s a moving jet plane leav- ing a vapor trail. Far out!
Screens 8-9: Gold Coins, eh? Aren’t they great? Well, there are two places where you can completely max out your coinage. The first is Pinna Park,
when you complete both stages!
Screens 11-12: Triple Jumping. It’s the maneuver of choice for the professional plumber. You
you at the beginning of the game, check the bottom left of your screen for past Mario exploits! Wahoo!
Screens 14-16: Are you won- dering where the last three Shines are located? Yes,
EC
Gold Coins, and eight Red Coins can be found!
Screens 17-19: This last Easter Egg even has us confused! It looks like something was going to be added into the game, but was removed at the
Episode 2 where you can keep collecting cash from the Gold Bullet Bills. The second area is the Airport at the end of the game. Keep coming back here
can triple jump from the Delfino Plaza cannon to the palm tree leading to the “grassy” mini-game. Even bet- ter, in Pinna Park Episode 5,
"is ^ud
5
there's a rather annoying secret that's unlocked as soon as Shadow Mario raises the Delfino Plaza's water table. Here's what you have to do: First, enter the Corona Mountain stage for Shine 118
=
last minute. Or is it an E-Card Reader prize? We don’t know. All we suggest you do is enter Noki Bay Episode 3, and drop down to the very bottom of the bottle. Use the screens to guide you to a fastened iron
for max coinage!
Screen 10: Hold on! Didn’t we see this guy in Ricco Harbor? Yep, the submarine pilot chills out at the Gelato Beach bar
triple jump through the right ferris wheel supports, and avoid the tedious climb! Screen 13: It’s a cool little touch, so when F.L.U.D.D. scans
(from the Boss Battle), then return and head toward the pier near the Blue Coin Raccoon Hut. To the left is a boat captain who's appeared. He can take you back to the Airport, where a Blue Coin, 100
door, down a narrow corridor. Use your camera to "glitch" around, and you'll spot an old book on the other side of the door! It can't be opened, and we've got the broken joypads to prove it!
GameMusic.com
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if you don't have Internet access, please call our tol-ree number at 1-800-979-9889. Outside of US. ph ll 1-626-575-0873, Phone hours are Monday - Friday, 9 - 5 Pacific Time. We accept Visa/MasterCard/AMEX, All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Game Music - 3798 Rockwell Ave. EI Monte, CA 91731. E-Mail: тоб датетиѕіс сот Fax: 1-626-575-0879 Sorry, our warehouse is not opened to public.
sls Commandos 2
sates ae secret missions; taken apart with military precision
Isometric World War II warfare can be tough, so we’ve gathered three of the hardest bonus tasks (awarded after photo pieces have been collected) and offered cunning advice in the combat zone!
Mission 6: This uses the Tutorial landscape. To win, deactivate all five mines (4). Tie the soldiers near the Sapper, shoot the one at the guard hut and the one run- ning from the car. Use the Thief to grab the items:inside the metal crate (far bunker) and knock the guard in the bunker for grenades. Use Sapper to Grenade remaining guards, cut the fence to deacti- vate mines, then escape in a car.
2
Mission 9: Organize a small band of allied soldiers to tag a large group of Germans. Use the Sapper’s ammunition to the fullest (2); he should set all the mines. You need a defensible position with long fields of fire. Make sure defenders aren’t grouped or they'll be hit by Kraut Grenadiers. Sneak the Sapper to the enemy wall and throw a Grenade in before running back.
Mission 10: Find the Grenades, and raise hell (3)! Knock the guard out, drag him behind bush- es, throw cigarettes to the flash- light guard, attack and stash him. Swing your Thief to the far tele- phone wire, switch the lights off in the bunker, take the items from the grate, and with the Sapper, throw a Grenade into the bunker, and tag the guards that check it. Mop up the remaining guards.
Extra special options, all levels, and op-intensify throbbing power!
The Raven’s touched down after game completion, and you’re wanting to know just what goodies are unlocked? Well, there’s a groovy amount of mech carnage still to get, even after the Campaign.
New Options: Completed the single-player campaign? Nice one, but remember to save your game after the credits roll, as it brings up loads of new options (a). Free Mission: One option allows you to play any mission in any order (2). This can improve your ranking (the only exception is the special task after Disable Radar Equipment).
Free Consort Select: The next option is the ability to choose any wingman you want for any mission (3). Arena Restoration: As you progress through the game, ACs you encounter chal- lenge you in Arena mode (4). Extra Arena: Load a saved game in which you’ve received the top arena rank. This rockin’ good time is a 2-on-2 fracas (5)!
ліпе Monthly
Hidden Viewpoint: With a save file from either two previous AC games, press Start during any mission and tap L1, R2, X, Squ, Down. You get a new third-per- son view. Press Start to revert back. Op-Intensify: The option- al part you win when you com- plete the game enhances your AC, as you defeat certain Arena enemies, and big foes (6).
- 822 - es сот
You Ain't the Boss of Me!
A honus creature feature starring Fox’s foes and Turok’s tormentors!
A prehistoric frag-fest ranging from Dinosaur Planet of Star Fox to the mean future urban arenas of Turok: Evolution. One game requires a little ingenuity to defeat its bosses. The other is cookie-cutter blasting.
Turok: Evolution
Boss: Steracosaurus
abilities: 4 В | Abilities:
Plan of Assault: A triumph of unsubtle com- bat techniques, once you enter the massive arena, tear apart the enemy infantry that arrives (4). They’re also hiding behind block- ades, and dropping in from above. Need more ammo? Then open the Raptor cages. When the enemies are
down, the
Steracosaurus
stomps into view.
Although he’s got a
few attacks, the
“annoying as all
hell” one is a
charge. Back up,
and if you're hit,
skim the perimeter
for health. Now fire
at the it (2) until it
falls, then fire
again. Repeat
twice more.
Star Fox Adventures
Boss: Galdon
ее нан т“ w [m | [s]
Plan of Assault: Equip Tricky's Flame Command to thaw Galdon out, and check the crates and plants for items to help out during battle. Dodge the green fireballs, wait for him to roar, and run under him. Thwack that back- side (his, not yours, 5) until he swallows you. In his stomach are
damaging gems,
the Spellstone, and
an unpleasant
polyp-like growth.
Lash out at it, until
the Spellstone dis-
lodges and the fight
is over (6). If you’re
slow, you’re spat
out, and must aim
for his heart; Fire
Blaster shots home
in. Repeat the
whacking until
he’s dead..
Turok: Evolution [x]
Boss: General Bruckner
Т ә ІІ Abilities: L3 ағ
Plan of Assault: Yep, this presents а strong sense of deja vu to Steracosaurus hunters: Slam the enemy Spawners that drop out of the sky, and keep your distance from them. Bruckner appears riding a T-Rex (3). You need to watch his mini-gun spray attack,
and that damn flamethrower. React "X № ' я by keeping your dis- `
tance, and circling around Bruckner. Watch those T-Rex feet, too! Now stay at range, blasting the lizard (4), putting trees between you to slow him down, and you'll eventually topple the evil Bruckner. Combat variation? Nah.
Star Fox Adventures
Boss: Andross
ын. ME NINE] Abilities: x
Plan of Assault: When you see that crazy ape head, fire at its eyes and forehead diamond, spinning to avoid the ray attack. When it forms hands, stay at the extreme left or right, aiming at the diamond, and moving to the other when it hides the diamond. He then belches silver rings
and meteors. Fire at
these and roll quick-
ly away from his
mouth suck (7).
More eye action to
follow; dodge the
missiles this time.
Andross turns; take
out the hands. Falco
appears! Smart
bomb the
swallowing head,
and take out the
brain (8)!
Vazhar by Full Sail Student Brian Germain 4
TED Nec к ЄЗ
Real World Education
School of:
Game Design Computer Animation Digital Media
Film
Audio
Show Production
800.226.7625
www.fullsail.com
3300 University Boulevard Winter Park, FL 32792
* Financial aid available to those who qualify.
* Job placement assistance
* Accredited by ACCSCT.
©2001 Full Sail, Inc. 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.
It’s okay to judge а
book by its covers.
Xbox Nation #4 On Sale 09/24/2002
Xbox Nation: America’s only independent Xbox Magazine
XBOX NATION INDEPENDENT XBOX MAGAZINE
WHATS
Join Shoe and the rest of the Game Group
editors as they invade your screen with the
latest game news and releases that will jumpstart your weekend!
Tune in every Thursday 7:45 pm ET/ 4:45 pm PT
to HOTWIREDS's Big Video Game Hunting hosted by Renay San Miguel on CNN Headline News.
В E 07 HeadlineNews
ШІНШІ м
іші) w = ==
7. -Ð ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA
FINAL WORD Th Е f Fi р Sh ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA INC. е Future of First-Person Shooters Chairman and Chief Executive Officer .......... Robert F. Callahan Mark: With all the consoles Net-bound and first- usually sharing a screen with the same people Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer . Bart W. Catalane person shooters (FPS) becoming the console genre — you're fighting against. That’s no fun against people du jour, | think gamers are about to get a lot more (like Shane *Heat Seeking" Bettenhausen over Senior Executive Vice President ..... . Tom McGrade choosy. If a modern FPS isn't going to include there) who will cheat any way they can to win (and, (Publishing Operations) online multiplayer (TimeSplitters 2, l'm looking in in Shane's case, still lose). Executive Vice Eresident Peter Longo your direction), it better sure as hell have Milk: | hate split-screen, too. I’m sorry, but I'm а 12272 ? something new and cool going on in single-player. screen-hog, and nothing kills my buzz faster than Executive Vice President . Stephen D. Moylan Dinosaurs like Turok: Evolution (ha!) just won't cut squinting, trying to see where I’m going while Executive Vice President and Editorial Director ....Michael J. Miller it anymore against games that push the boundaries navigating some dark corridor. | need the Full (Editor-in-Chief, PC Magazine) ofthe genre, like SOCOM, Metroid Prime, Deus Ex, Monty—that’s for sure. Actually, I’m looking forward Wak d (STENT Halo and, from what it sounds like, Halo 2. to Metroid Prime more than anything. Six months бене e SRS aang ا 3 P BE x (Technology and Sales Operations)
ago | wouldn't have said that, but it's looking really
good now. Plus, it's single-player only, so split- Senior Vice President (Circulation) ................. Charles Mast
screens won't haunt my Chozo time.
Greg: | gotta go with Mark and Milk. Split-screen's Senior Vice President (Game бгошр).................! Dale Strang
acceptable only when there's no other option. | hate
Senior Vice President (Internet) .................. Jason Young
that other people are able to see what I’m doing...even if that usually amounts to committing suicide over and over and over again.
Milk: You were never very good with the rocket Vice President (Corporate Sales) .................... Ken Beach jump, were you?
Greg: Just ask Shoe. I have more confirmed йты, йин ШЫ 7 ae suicides than the rest of the staff combined. ! Shoe: | don’t care what апу of you suckers say— Vice President (Integrated Media) .................. Charles Lee Che: | think Mark's touched on something here. A you don't get that same playing-next-to-your- ) ] с А 2 lot of console FPS games are focused on the buddies thrill online. The only way to get the best of Vice President (Corporate Communications) ....... Меер. Levine multiplayer experience. That's excellent, but let's both worlds is to play networked (i.Link or LAN) Vice President (Editor-in-Chief, eWEEK) ............ Eric Lundquist not forget that a great FPS always needs a games, but that sure as heck ain’t convenient for compelling and intelligent single-player narrative. most folks. Vice President (Technology) .....................| Bill Machrone On the one hand, you've got Deus Ех, with its deep Che: That's just the way Shoe likes to play 3 à : storyline but total lack of multiplayer; and on the deathmatch games— by peeking at the other Wee residents Conroe аа David Mulen other, you've got sweet fragfests like Halo and players' screens to see where they are. He also Vice President (Human Resources) ................. Beth Repeta SOCOM, where the single-player campaign feels likes to camp. more like an extended tutorial, prepping your skills | Shoe: [Censored], Che. Vice President (General Counsel) . +» Carolyn Schurr Levin for theultimate challenge: humans. lioping that ice President Е 2222223 Sloan Seymour
Halo 2 will bridge this gap.
Shoe: | don’t even care if multiplayer games include online play. I'm fine playing split-screen—nothing like chillin’ with your friends and fragging them at АДУ, the same time. | just want their multiplayer designs ; to be as innovative as the Perfect Darks or Halos of the world. Both of these games offered so much in terms of features, modes and customization, you could party with them for weeks.
Mark: Split-screen? Bah! | can’t stand being limited
(Publishing Director, Baseline) Vice President (Editor-in-Chief, Baseline) ... Тот Steinert-Threlkeld Vice President (Internet Audience Development) . . . Stephen Sutton
Wiceipresident. E SA DO et aree ee Stephen Veith (Publisher, CIO Insight)
Executive Vice President and General Manager ..... Mark Van Name
to one tiny corner anymore, especially since you're eTesting Labs Crispin: Well don't think players are gonna be any Senior Director, Manufacturing ..................... Carlos Lugo less cheap online. In fact, I'm kinda worried about cheat devices like the GameShark royally screwing Director, International ........................ Christin Lawson
up the ’Net-play experience. If a guy across the country mows me down in SOCOM, | want to know he got me fair and square. So it sounds like what we all really want is an FPS with an ultra-deep single-player story and a cheat-proof multiplayer mode we can play in our living room. And if anyone even thinks of peeking at our screen in multiplayer, we will kill them.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 328 - egm.gamers.com
LOOK F TET
ISSUE
a Em
ELECTRONIC GAMING == ибн
S ON МЕ
Y WHERE!
1.
ESE SPECIAL
YSSTANDS
<
PLUS... DON’T MISS THESE UPCOMING SPECIAL ISSUES!
POCKET GAMES #10 ON SALE: OCT. 22, 2002
ER MAR |
р F AL ON SALE: OCT. 29, 2002 HOLIDAY GAME BUYER’S GUIDE ON SALE: NOV. 12, 2002 XBOX ! 5 ON SALE: NOV. 26, 2002
GAME CUBE SPECIAL ON SALE: DEC. 10, 2002
PlayStation
Advertiser Index
Acclaim Entertainment . .53, 98-99 www.acclaim.com
Activision .... 12-13, 50, 50a-c, 79, www.activision.com 101, 203, 217 Bam Entertainment ...28-29, 154- www.bamZfun.com 155, 236-237
Best Buyers EE ee saei 229 www.bestbuy.com Bethesda Softworks ........ 291
www.elderscrolls.com Blockbuster Entertainment . . . 285 www.blockbuster.com Capcom U.S.A., Inc. ...15, 196-197, www.capcom.com 260-261, 311
Chips & Bits ............... 317 www.chipsbits.com
СотрЏѕа ............... 55, 315 http://gamefixx.compusa.com Crave Entertainment ........ 221 www.cravegames.com рС5һоев,|пс................ 11 www.dcshoes.com
Ecko Unlimited ... . 49, 275
www.ecko.com
Eidos Interactive, Inc. 8-9, 25, 32- www.eidos.com 33, 39, 77, 111 Electronic Arts 6-7, 80-83, 84-85, 86-87, 114a-d, 132-133, 180-181, 190- 191, 198-199, 242-243 www.ea.com .. d Electronics Boutique . . 66-67, 104- 105, 258-259, 258a-b, 276-277 www.ebgames.com
Enix America ....... 148-149, 301 www.enix.com
Full Sail Real World ......... 323 www.fullsail.com
Game Music Online ......... 321 www.gamemusic.com
Hobarama Corp. ............ 165
www.bawls.com
Infogrames, Inc. 4-5, 30-31, 72-73, 75, 136-137, 262-263 www.infogrames.net
Intec, Inc; «o ern vanne 305 www.inteclink.com
JoyRide Studios. ............ 139 www.joyridestudios.com
Kinyo . 255 www.kinyo.com
Koei Corporation . . . 293
www.koeigames.com Konami America . .23, 63, 153, 163, www.konami.com ... 193, 253, 273
LucasArts Entertainment ..56-57, www.lucasarts.com 159 Majesco Sales, Inc. 173 www.majescosales.com Metropolis Digital - Metro 3D . 175 www.metro3d.com
Microsoft .. 20-21, 65, 91, 93, 117, 147, 156-157, 223, 267, 295 www.xbox.com Midway Home Entertainment 27, 95, 96-97, 109, 118-119, 142-143, 145, 161, 239, 240-241 www.midway.com Namco Hometek ... www.namco.com
Phantagram Interactive ..... 287 www.phantomcrash.net Radka USA, Ltd ............ 313
www.radicagames.com
Sega Of America Dreamcast
16-17, 112-113, 185, 195, 206-207, 210-211, 231, 268-269, 309, 331-334 www.sega.com
Simon & Schuster .. 183, 205, 307 www.ssinteractive.com ......... Sony Computer Entertainment WWNW.Scea.com 2-3, 41, 43, 106-107 Square - EA .... 123, 125, 127, 129 www.kingdomhearts.com
Take 2 Interactive Software - Rockstar Games . . 44-45, 278-279, www.take2games.com 130-131 TDK Mediactive . ++ 58-59 www.tdk-mediactive.com
Tecmo Иена 141, 271 www.tecmoinc.com
THQ ....... 46-47, 166-171, 188- 189, 208-209, 219, 257 WWWAHG.COM iussa erret Ubi Soft Entertainment 18-19, 120- 121, 178-179, 244-245 www.ubisoft.com
www.usnavy.com
Vivendi Universal Games Inc. - Sierra Entertainment ...... 36-37 Vivendi Universal Games Inc. - Universal 68-69, 89, 151, 200-201, 233, 297 www.universalinteractive.com Vivendi Universal Games Inc.-PPG 212-213, 227, 246-247, 251, 289 www.conspiracygames.com
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NEXT MONTH
December 2002 (issue #161)
EUECIRONIC, GAMING ОМНИ,
Finally. You've seen the screens and done your time in Liberty City, waiting for a chance to skip town for some fun in the sun. The time is nigh. Next month, EGM hits the beach with the exclusive first review of GTA: Vice City. Will the sequel stack-up to the brilliance of its predecessor? We get nitty-
gritty with Vice City in our
huge insider feature and
strategy guide. We'll also be dreaming of sexy elves and crusty wizards with our Two Towers and Harry Potter coverage!
PlayStation
Reviewed Next Month:
• Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (PS2, Xbox)
* Resident Evil 8 (GC)
® Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (All Systems)
* Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (PS, GC, Крок)
* ATV Offroad Fury 2 (PS2)
Previewed Next Month:
• Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (PS2)
* True Crime: Streets of L.A. (PS2, GC, Khon)
• Minority Report (PS2, GC, Xbox)
COMPUTER
WORLD
GTA:
Nov. 2002 VICE CITY
On sale Oct. 8 D Di All the stuff the other emo ISC magazines didn’t tell you about! The Playables deepest, dirtiest • Wild Arms 3 secrets of GTA: Vice é City revealed just in Sly Cooper time for its e Silent Scope 3 anticipated release е DDR MAK on Oct 22. Read Dance Dance OPM or miss out! Revolution * Dual Hearts * MX Superfly * Red Faction Il * Hitman 2 Videos GTA: Vice City e Ratchet and Clank e Contra: Shattered Soldier e ider: > Ы |] en Contra: SS Darkness
Nov. 2002
On sale Oct. 15
• Sly Cooper
• Тое Jam and Earl Ш e The Terminator
* Tekken 4
* Turok: Evolution
* Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Toe Jam & Earl Ill
STAR FOX ADVENTURES
Star Fox is finally flying into orbit, and the crew at GameNOW will be on hand to record this historic moment. Check out our review tips on how to get through Dinosaur Planet. Elsewhere in the mag, we check out Turok, James Bond and Toe Jam & Earl. Will their new adventures be worth your time? Get the scoop in GameNOW this November!
Turok: Evolution
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 880 - egm.gamers.com
Nov. 2002
BOND 007: NIGHTFIRE
On sale Oct. 1 James Bond comes to the PC for the first time ever, and CGW brings you the exclusive in-depth story on the levels, м the cars, the gadgets, The Thing the weapons, and, of Reviews course, the babes that will make this * Madden 2003 game а first-person- e Moonbase shooter classic. Plus, Commander what it’s like to be Ж “Jaws” in multiplayer. * The Thing We also check out
* Airborne Assault * US Open 2002 Previews
* No One lives Forever 2
e Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 • Command &
Conquer: Generals
one of the hottest RTS games ever: C&C Generals!
Bond 007: NightFire
EVERYONE
NINTENDO GAMECUBE.
stered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Sega, the Sega | logo: and Зе Sports are either registered t ports.com. The NBA and individual NBA member team Identifications Used! on of n I pec
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trgdumarks Of a R горуг ghted designs and other iur bt шесі ‘ne. © 2002 NBA Properties, Ine. AN nits teser ‘and printed in the USA.
Cube | ott |o аге Ru of Nintendo. Microsoft, jm ‘and the Xbox logos are eithar rasott. ESPN is a trademark of ESPN, Inc. ESPN branded elements © Disney
poration. © SEGA | RATION, 2002. AU Rights Reserved
pie му of NBA Properties, Inc. Mai
Experience the joy of flight. Control your body and your rival. It's time to play with the big boys.
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