! KO HARRY POTTER: O NEW GAMES! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. The: #1 Video-Game Mag for PS2*Xbox* GameCube» PS ONE GBA.

ELECTRONIC, GAMING а= — M ON МІН ЕУ D. —

THE BIGGEST GAME

OF THE YEAR IS HERE! m3 REVIE І OURICRIIICS) VE ТО THE TEST

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YOUR SURVIVAL GUIDE TO) VICE GIY

ШИ ҒАН | ASY COVER "1 OF 3 LANCE VANCE: THE SMOOTH CRIMINAL Ta

DISPLAY UNTIL DECEMBER 3

1 Ly zer аме мол 8806 101 | December 2002 $4.99/$6.50 Canada

REVIEWED:

4 m Tony Hawk 4 m NBA 2K3

= PREVIEWED:

{| m Lord of the Rings

‘| m Minority Report

с m Rygar о 12024 06960 "8 Resident Evil 0 EGM.GAMERS.COM

_¢ TimeSplitters 2 JJ m Phantasy Star Online (GC)

PlayStation.e

Transform yourself into 12 powerful summons,

" Complex, character-based story set in а rom the Blood Juggernaut to the Blade of Sand

‘unique world that combines sci-fi and fantasy

earn to craft deadly poisons, cast 2”

Real time party-based combat where you control a variety of characters, from spellcasters to assassins

есеог storm or devour your enemy's soul

Blood

| Violence зотат am ESRB : www.thg.com

ner, Volition, THO and their respective

(2.2002 THA Inc.

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“As it с stands, Summo ег: 5 зай) reigns as the Бо дарда. on console; and one of the most engrossing RPGs around: г

- GAME INFORMER

and a maple backbone the likes of F which - IGN. COM: 5

“Summoner 2 strengths lie in ‘the dide та gib written science-fantasy story, memorable charactets, and surreal. settings.

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Godiilla® Destroy All Monsters Mel Developed by Pipeworks, Gigan, Gi Co., Ltd. © 2002 Толо Co., Ltd. trademark of the Intera

LICENSED BY NINTENDO.

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Violence

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No.03

ЖЖ сї ЕК!

PLAYSTATION.2. NOW ONLINE

Introducing the Network Adaptor for PlayStation.2. р Reach out and smoke someone. è

LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PLAY IN OURS:

Or cross-check, smash, tackle, leg-sweep or ollie over These are just a few of the games with online features available this year: them- even if they're in another time zone. With the т

Network Adaptor (Ethernet/modem) (for PlayStation.2), just about anything is possible. Like downloading new rosters, stadiums and characters. Trash-talking opponents you've never met. Or, better yet, starting your very own East Coast-West Coast sports rivalry. All against live competition, so no two games are ever alike. The Network Adaptor for PlayStation 2 is here. Get your game online.

Madden NFL 2003

WHAT YOU GET:

“Тһе Network Adaptor, which offers both dial-up and broadband connectivity

* Mail-in offer for a FREE copy of Twisted Metal:Black" ONLINE

* Start-Up Disc with playable demos of Madden NFL' 2003 and Frequency”

* Video demos of Tribes" Aerial Assault, ATV Offroad Fury" 2 and Tony Hawk Pro Skater" 4

* All this for just $39.99 (SRP)

xe fe X. SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs

WHAT YOU NEED TO CONNECT: * PlayStation 2 (duh) Ж “ Network Adaptor (obviously) Twisted Metal:Black" ONLINE NFL GameDay” 2003 Tribes" Aerial Assault * Memory card (8MB for PlayStation 2) with at least 137K of space (that ain't much) ) * Dial-up or broadband Internet connection (in English: such . جع عق‎ as cable modem, DSL, T1 or just a plain ol’ phone line) Look for this icon * Network Adaptor Start-Up Disc to create ISP settings gE (don’t worry, it’s easy) www.playstation.com “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “Live In Your World. Play In Ours.” is a trademark of OTHER STUFF: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. NFL GameDay 2003 ©2002 NFL Properties PRODUCTS RANGE FROM 5 LLC. Team names and logos are trademarks ої the teams indicated. All other RATING PENDING то MATURE “Тһе Network Adaptor works with just about any ISP (NFL-related) marks are trademarks of the National Football League. Officially licensed subscriber, including AOL, AT&T Worldnet’ Service, product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC. logo is a registered trademark of NFL

EarthLink,’ SBC Yahoo!’ Dial and Sympatico. Check with players. www.nfiplayers.com. ©2002 PLAYERS INC. All other games featured herein are RI rs your ISP for details. trademarked and copyrighted properties of their respective publishers and/or licensors. E SR B

IDK ор óescnaccion.

12

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Віооа ©2002 New Line Productions, Inc. The Lord of The Rings and the characters, names, and places therein, TM The Saul Zaentz Violence Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Electronic Arts, EA GAMES and the EA GAMES id are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. “PlayStation” and МЕЛ Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TM, ® and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of ido. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. EA GAMES™ is an Electronic Arts™ brand.

www.lordoftherings.net

Sight as Aragorn, Legolas or Gimli, each with their own unique combat styles and upgradable abilities:

A

Ringwraiths, and Uruk-Hai, from

THE

Throughout your еріс journey, enjoy exclusive actor interviews, scenes from the movie The Two Towers, and

the original score from The Fellowship of the Ring.

<>). PlayStation. GAMEBOYAbvaNcE IN STORES NOVEMBER 2002

Я JOIN THE ADVENTURE АТ lordoftherings.ea.com eagames.com

CONTENTS December 2002 Issue 161

Game Directory

116 хи! 144 ATV Offroad Fury 2 228 Big Air Freestyle 246 Blinx: The Time Sweeper 202 BloodRayne 202 Burnout 2: Point of Impact 114 Capcom Fighting All Stars 270 Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX 228 Cubivore 250 Deathrow 117 Def Jam Vendetta 202 Defender 228 Die Hard: Vendetta 202 DDRMax 142 Fatal Frame 234 Godzilla: Destroy All

Monsters Melee 152, 193 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

114 Haven: Fall of the King.

204, 228, 272 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

204 Hitman 2

250 House of the Dead Ill, The

204 Legaia 2: Duel Saga

210, 250, 272 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The 104, 106 The Lord of the Rings:

The Two Towers, The

272 Lunar Legend

236, 252 Medal of Honor: Frontline

130 Minority Report

204 NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona

204, 236, 250 NBA 2K3

212, 258 NBA Live 2003

212 NBA ShootOut 2003

212 NHL 2003

143 NHL 2K3

238 Phantasy Star Online Episode | & II

258 Quantum Redshift

218 RAD: Robot Alchemic Drive

214 Ratchet & Clank

216 Red Faction 2

212 Reign of Fire

126 Resident Evil 0

258 Rocky

112 Rygar: Тһе Legendary Adventure

258 Serious Sam

260 Shenmue II

220 Shinobi

218 Shox

218 Silent Scope 3

100 Sims, The

118 Skies of Arcadia: Legend

240 Sonic Mega Collection

129 StarCraft: Ghost

145 Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time

242 Star Wars: Тһе Clone Wars

270 Star Wars Jedi Knight 11: Jedi Outcast

143 Sudeki

218 Suikoden III

236 Sum of All Fears, The

218 Superman: Shadow of Apokolips

222, 236, 270 TimeSplitters 2

268 Toe Jam and Earl III: Mission to Earth

270 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

136-137 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 225,272 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4

116 Treasure Planet 142 True Fantasy Live Online 236 Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 138 Unreal Championship 116 War of the Monsters 272 Yoshi's Island:

Super Mario Advance 3

Departments

(& Editorial 12d @ Letters 20 & Press Start 36

Meet the revamped Joanna Dark from Perfect Dark Zero for Xbox. (That's right —Xbox.) Plus the latest on a crop of new Final Fantasy games and our guide to the best Home Theater Setups.

© Gossip 12

еге @ ж £ Previews 98

PS2 gamers can look forward to mingling with The Sims, swinging the ’ole diskarmor with Rygar and

Welcome to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Rockstar's follow-up to controlling the heroic chaps from СТАЗ is here, and we've got the exclusive first review, some helpful The Lord of the Rings: The Two strategies for hitting the mean streets and a shocking behind-the- Towers. GameCubers get serious scenes look at the game's creation. It all begins on page 152. with Resident Evil @ and Minority oc Report. Finally, Xbox owners visit 527 the depths of Splinter Cell.

Review Crew 192

The holiday gaming flood rushed in, bombarding the Crew with the likes of Tony Hawk 4, PSO Episode I&II, NBA 2K3, TimeSplitters 2 and a little game called GTA: Vice City.

@ Tricks 214

Gaming was Playing fair got ya down? Cheat born 30 your way through Sonic Mega

Square drops the RPG mother- lode with new versions of Final Fantasy for GBA and GC, plus a real sequel to FFX on page 36.

Мын Collection and Ту the Tasmanian That Tiger, or check out the mini-games it be like in Yoshi’s Island. Plus a special

in the year Super Mario Sunshine glitch.

2032? Find

и, @ The Final Word 292

page 178.

EA's wizkid enchants six

consoles this fall. Catch up with | | баск.

Harry Potter on page 54.

Postage Paid at New York, NY 10016 and additional mailing offices. Single ку only to Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine. POSTMASTER: Send address contact us at; Web: htip://service.egmmag.com (for customer service) or lecronic Gaming Monthly, Р.О. Box 55721, Boulder, CO 80322:5721 (please include your sewhere (303) 604-0518; E-mail (lease type your full name and the address at which you па соп, Те editors and he pubs are not responsible for nek Without limiting the rights under copyrights reserved herein, no part of this publication may be ım, or transmitted, in any form, ог by any means (electronic, mech tocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the the prior written notice of Ziff Davis Media nc. То x request form at www.icopyright.com/ziffdavis/, or have а form to you by calling (4250430-1663. Copyright © 2002 Ziff Davis Media , АП Rights Reserved. vto emissions probe For permission to reuse mata nth роуа (o ons Web sie) orto use our logo, tna Zi Ds Me 7 Rights and Permissions Manager. For reprints, 17.7874. Olga Gonopolsky, Ziff Davis Media Inc. ‘om, Electronic Gaming Monthly and EGM are. P iocus е subject to manufacturers" springs blow.

ев мд. The one yaar (а ss sbicipton ке Б, changes to Electronic Gaming Monthly, P.O. Bax 55721, Boulder, s „ address changes http: /subscribe egmmag.com (о order): Phone: U.S, and Canada ( nior elsewhere G03) 604-7445:

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EDITORIAL

Paradise City

By Crispin Boyer

f any game understood that players sometimes

just wanna kick back, jack a car, drive it

through a strip mall, launch it off a parking garage, land on a firetruck and then steal the ambulance that comes to clean up the carnage, it was last year’s PlayStation 2 super-hit Grand Theft Auto IIl, which packed an amazing amount of gameplay freedom into a superbly scripted, interactive-gangster-flick plot. Gamers loved it.

Funny thing: Many, many, many news outlets loved it, too—for exactly the same reasons. A game that lets you back over old ladies and gets banned in Australia sells papers and grabs ratings on the nightly news. “Woe is the nation's youth,” and all that—never mind that the game in the spotlight is Mature-rated and on a console whose average owner is at least 25. Now, we have Grand Theft Auto IIl's follow-up,

coverstar GTA: Vice City, which ramps up every- thing we loved about the last game and hurls it

Jonathan Dudlak

We still trust Jonathan with a few previews and reviews each month, despite the fact that - he left a job at EGM to work in a paper-tube factory. That's right: a paper-tube factory.

Darren Gladstone

Darren has contributed to the likes of CNET, Wired, Playboy and some public-bathroom stalls. Now, he's sunk to a new low: being a regular EGM freelancer.

Jeanne Kim

How do we deal with those who dare leave EGM like Jeanne here? Damn them to appear- ing on CNN Headline News, Thursdays at 4:45 PST to talk about games! Haha—wait.

Dan Leahy

No longer Editor in Chief of GameNOW, Dan has more time for the truly important things in life: football and football video games. What? Oh, right. And his wife and kids.

Demian Linn

Though we crushed Demian’s old employer— celebrity-obsessed game magazine Incite— between our toes like so much cottage cheese, we don’t believe in holding grudges.

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.

into a sun-soaked, acid-washed spittin’ image of 1980s Miami. How much better is this sequel than GTA3? Burn rubber to page 193 for the world’s first review and find out. How much more iffy publicity will Vice City get than the last game? It’s too early to say, but we figure more than a few newsfolks eyed Vice City’s Oct. 29 release date and went, “Cha-ching—easy story!” It doesn’t surprise GTA publisher Rockstar Games. “Do | expect the negative press? Sure,” says Terry Donovan, Rockstar’s chief operating officer. “Am | worried about it? No. It’s not something I’m particularly excited about, but it’s not something | particularly care about, either.” You shouldn’t, either. So when you see the

inevitable stories about the sins of Vice City, ignore them. They’re old news. Just keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Say, is that a parking garage up ahead?

—Crispin Boyer, Features Editor

Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine John Davison, Joe Rybicki, Chris Baker, Gary Steinman and Todd Zuniga: If you’re in trouble, and you can find them, then maybe you can hire the OPM team. Baaaaaaa ba ba-ba-baa!

GameNow

If you’re ever around Ethan Einhorn or Phil Theobald and they aren’t too busy doing reviews for EGM, ask them, “Game when?” and they'll totally go, *GameNOW!"

Kbox Nation

Evan Shamoon: ex-Green Beret with a heart of gold. Greg Orlando: part man, part machine, all business. Together they're out to make XBN and clean up the streets — permanently.

Miguel Lopez

Yo, man. Sucks cuz Miguel is hella busy now d kickin’ it for GameNOW, EGM's fresh sista magazine. At least he bailed before his slang affected our writing. Word.

Christian Nutt

When he’s not busy pretending to work for us or | Gamers.com, Christian enjoys piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. He’s not much into health food, but he does like champagne.

David Hodgson (Prima Games) How many ways could Dave match the danger and intensity of doing game guides for Prima? Two: testing jet planes for the Navy or doing the tricks section for EGM. (He chose EGM.)

ELECTRONIC Number 15.12 G December 2002 |

CAMIM.

T MONTHEY: egm.gamers.com |

Editor in Chief m Dan an “Shoe” Hsu e shoe@ziffdavis.com {үе Edi “Mar к MacBonald e mark_macdonald@ziffdavis.com

Managing Ed yee er Бао e jennifer_tsao@ziffdavis.com

Features Editor

Crispin Boyer e crispin_boyer@ziffdavis.com

News Editor

^ e Johnston • chris_johnston@ziffdavis.com Previews Ei Greg EET * greg sewartGziffdavis.com

Bern Editor Chou • che. chouGziffdavis.com Web Content Edi James Mielke е james_mielke@ziffdavis.com Associate Editors Shane Bettenhausen е shane bettenhausenGzifídavis.com ШШ eee го Ford е greg_ford@ziffdavis.com i Or David xo e tricks@ziffdavis.com

Art Director

Monique Martinez e monique. martinez@zifdavis.com ое Art Direct

Stefan Belavy * xim | belavyGziffdavis.com

Со ЗВ Salvatore» kristen_salvatore@ziffdavis.com

Copy Edito БІН e greg_ford@ziffdavis.com Tom “Tpone” Edwards e. tom_edwards@ziffdavis.com

Contributors Chris Baker, John Dayison, Jonathan Dudlak, Ethan ЕШШ Darren Gladstone, Jeanne Kim, Dan Leahy, ‘Linn, Miguel Lopez, Christian Nutt, Joe Ryp ‚ Mike Reisel, Evan Shamoon, G ary feinman, Peter Suciu, Phil Theobald, d id Zuniga

International Editor

japanese Coneeppntient Japanese Corresponden "шақа Ohbuchi

Looking for love, in all the write places

Want to work for us, America’s #1, most-read, most bad-ass video-game magazine? Of course you do. М/ете looking for experienced writers in the San Francisco Bay Area who can handle witty prose, heavy dead-

lines and video-game controllers, all equally well, for freelance or possi- bly even full-time work. Interested? Send a resume and preview/review ing samples to egm@ziffdavis.com with the subject heading . And watch how quickly we delete your email

if you actually use “Freelancer: Your Name" as the subject line

Eat My Shorts

Our fabulous,

wonderful contest will return next month (if we feel like it). Issue #159 and 160 winners will be notified by mail (again, if we feel like it).

Electronic Gaming Monthly - 12d - egm.gamers.com

(EUREN Director Carlo:

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Assistant Producten Manager Teresa Newson

Vice President/Game Group “Dale Stran, Editorial Director John Davison Creative Director Simon Cox Business Director. Cathy Bendoff Senior Newsstand Sales Manager n Galen pave reisin gma ИЕ Contact: ime Grou

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Linda Phila тар! 415-3! 1 * linda. philapilGziffdavis.com East Goa б Пе Sales 9 lagy % 212-50: West Coast Oni MES les DUE Allison Rotcop 415-547-8564 Senior Marketing Manager & Creative Director

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Founder Steve Harris

COLIN HANKS JACK BLACK

*ORANGE COUNTY

are S THE NEW YEAR’S FIRST HAPPY

SURPRISE!

FUN AT FULL TILT. A WOW CAST.” PETER TRAVERS, ROLLING STONE

CRAZY, SEXY, COOL

AND JACK BLACK МКТ BAD EITHER! A PINCH OF COOL, А BIT OF CRUDE, SHAKE REALLY WELL AND YOU VE GOT YOURSELF ‘ORANGE COUNTY.

K BLACK IS INSAN ram REID, NORTHWEST CABLE jid

^A TREAT! A COMEDY

WITH AN EQUAL SHARE OF WIT AND HEART.” ANDREW JOHNSTON, US WEEKLY PAA TS ee raw ШШШ" ШИШ] ШШ ШШШ

ШШ ШШ ШІ) ТЕ ПИН "ie АЛК к ШП AD TUR] Г ШЕ Т ien

Ue: mou om/homevideo Availability, date and art subject to "d 2d without notice. TM & Copyright © 2002 by Paramount Pictures. АП Rights Reserved.

LIFT YOUR THUMBS WITH PRIDE, FOR THEY SEPARATE MAN FROM BEAST.

GEB Games Online, Inc. 2002. All rights reserved.

ZEGAMES...

AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY OUR GAMES

М БАСТАН Inc. All @ and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either re r JS. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. ESPN is a trademark of ESPN, Inc. ESPN branded elements © Disney.

—

DRIVE АМО DISH ОМ ТПЕЗЕ PLATFORMS | SEGA

e X PlayStation. uuu Баз caa > Bum dis

rome ULTIMATE

SKATEBOARDING CHALLENGE!

YOUR CAREER s WHAT YOU

МАКЕ OF IT...

14 of the world's top pros challenge you to prove your skills.

Featuring songs by N.W.A., Offspring, and System of a Down. Official Strategy Guide available from Brady Games.

* Online play exclusive to PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.

Comic Mischief © 1999-2002 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing. inc. Activision is а registered trademark and Activision 02, Pro Skater and Sports Revolution are trademarks of ‘omic МІЅСПІе! Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights reserved. Tony Hawk is a trademark of Tony Hawk. PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube versions developed by Neversoft Entertainment, Inc. PlayStation and Game Boy % "n Advance versions developed by Vicarious Visions Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered Mild Lyrics trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.A. and/or other countries and are licensed under Microsoft. ™. ©. Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. |

түшту Suggestive Themes ESRB

PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system screenshots shown.

"Groundbreaking and brilliant..." "Neversoft has another masterpiece on its hands."

-Official PlayStation Magazine (#60)

1165 ХТ Б ҮА

Tons of new goals іп the All new tricks - skitch behind New multiplayer and online modes deepest career mode to date. cars, skate on moving objects, including Score Challenge and and transfer over spines. Capture the Flag!

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater™4 is the ultimate challenge. Pros challenge you to make your mark in huge free-roaming levels, taking on 190 progressively harder goals with no time limits to hold you back. Decide when you're ready to take on your Pro Challenge and move into the pro ranks, where it's a whole new game. Build your skills, earn respect, and show that you've got what it takes to Go Pro...

Xeox INTENDO

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Visions

activisionO2.com

Letters to the Editors

Congratulations, Phillip Roncoroni! 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 “no monthly fee" code for added value!

C

Qwest

WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?

MISSING AN ISSUE? SUBSCRIPTION DELAYED? Then don’t bug us! We’re all huddled together in an adobe hut south of the equator making this mag every month. Talk to the

subscription folks who get paid to deal with people like you!

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Is there any logical reason at all that

can explain Sega's monthly fee of

8.95 a month for Phantasy Star

Online Episode | and II for GameCube,

considering:

a) The Japanese (JP) fee is roughly

12 for three months

b) The PSO servers don't even save

our character data and, as the past

as shown, have had horrible security

concerning hacking.

І have nothing against online fees. I

bought PSOv2 for Dreamcast, and

ad multiple Hunter's Licenses during

the time that | played it. But a 2.25X

rate hike over the JP version for even

worse service is just inexcusable.

Phillip Roncoroni

goodcow@bellatlantic.net

Your points are valid, Phil, but they fail to see the whole picture. To get a better understanding of Sega’s pricing policy, we asked Rich Briggs (senior product manager at SOA) to clarify. Rich says,“The higher monthly fee is necessary given the

increased customer service and online network costs in the US. Japan, being a smaller geographic area than the U.S., has lower costs associated with its online infra- structure. Japan also tends to have less extensive customer service issues than the U.S. With respect to security, U.S. hackers were the pri- mary cause of most of the problems with the Dreamcast versions of PSO. There were not nearly as many problems with Japanese hackers, and Sonic Team was constantly forced to update the servers to counteract various U.S.-spawned issues. Therefore, there are added security costs for running the servers in the U.S., since the securi- ty has been improved dramatically over the DC version. So, in fact, the higher fee will actually lead to bet- ter customer service, better online maintenance and better security than the DC version, all of which are necessary given the reasons listed above. Finally, the monthly fee brings with it access to new down- loadable quests, items and events.”

Phone toll-free: (800) 779-1174 Web site: http://service.egmmag.com Snail mail: P.O. Box 55722; Boulder, CO 80322-5722

we're not sure if a boat counts as an appliance). Even poor Fox McCloud has to carry a stick around. Why, if Samus didn't already have a Swiss Army all-in-one laser/grappling hook/electric toothbrush attached to her arm, we're sure Nintendo would give her something heavy to carry — like a refrigerator. So what does this mean? We have no idea.

Pop S.T.A.R.S.

| heard that J-pop superstar Ayumi Hamasaki is the spokesperson for Capcom’s Resident Evil Zero. | also heard that Capcom will model Rebecca Chambers after her. | need to know if this is true. If it is, ll buy the game even though | don't have a GameCube! I'm a big fan of J-pop stars like BoA and Utada Hikaru, but Ayumi is my favorite! Please let me know! Timothy Springer bunnyofdoom4007Qyahoo.com

We're impressed by your dedication to Miss Hamasaki (you know, buying

ing about with Mickey and Sora, you can still look forward to Final

Heartless Bastards

Can't y'all make a Kingdom Hearts for GameCube? Afrrrothunder2k2@aol.com

Well, Afropuff, it’s not really up to us. You’d have to talk to Square about that one, but since you’re probably not in a position to do so, we went ahead and asked (Kingdom Hearts director) Tetsuya Nomura for you. He told us, “Personally, | like the GameCube. | think it's a great system. However, when Kingdom Hearts was first announced, many people reacted as if we made the wrong decision by developing it for the PS2 and not the GameCube. | think that actually made me not want to pursue it." So, unfortunate- ly, that sounds like а big fat “по” to GameCube owners. Still, it's not all bad news. While you won't be pranc-

Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which will most likely make it to GameCube in 2003, and that's a game that won't be on the PS2.

Power Tools

Гуе started noticing something weird with Nintendo. It started with Luigi’s Mansion. Nintendo’s always adding some kind of gadget to their charac- ters. First it was Luigi and his vacuum cleaner, now Mario and his water pack, and even Link with his new ship. | don’t really have a problem with this. I'm just bored.

Bpet13@msn.com

Thanks for writing in, B-pet. We too have noticed Nintendo’s penchant for equipping their characters with the latest in home appliances (although

20

Іп your poll for the Samus thing in the last issue, you said 78% for Metroid Prime and 32% for Metroid Fusion. As this equals 110%, | am assuming it was a mistake? What were the real numbers? lonicCricket@ msn.com

As you’ve proven, 78 plus 32 does in fact equal 110. Which is pre- cisely the num- ber we wanted to convey. We’re so totally busted! Ha ha!

A Hamasaki is notorious for its ability to blend in with its surroundings.

the game even though you don’t own a GameCube), but we don’t suggest putting a pre-order down just yet. If the rumor is true, the advertise- ments and commercials will almost certainly only run in Japan. Capcom did something similar with popular bikini model Otoha for their Devil May Cry campaign. As for whether Capcom is going to redesign Rebecca in the likeness of the popular singer, we doubt that will happen. After all, by the time you read this, the game will already be out in Japan, giving Capcom not a lot of time to perform such digital surgery. Further evi- dence against the Ayumi/Rebecca

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LETTERS

You сап write 50 Beale Street, 12th Floor oi San Francisco, CA 94105

| E-mail: EGM@ziffdavis.com

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).

theory is that the character model of Rebecca that’s currently featured on the Japanese demo disc of Resident Evil Zero is the same one we’ve been looking at for the past couple of years. So unless Capcom’s got something up their sleeve, we expect Rebecca to look like the same ol’ girl we’ve known all along.

In issue 160 on page 35, you preview MechAssault. Assuming that the game takes place in the Battletech universe, the largest mechs in the game wouldn’t exceed 100 tons. Your preview states that you would be pilot- ing “an 800-ton war machine.” While | would love to be the first person on the field with such a behemoth (by the way, that would kick major ass—you know how many LBX’s you could load on that bastard?), in this (MechWarrior) universe it's just not possible. Maybe there is a chance you guys were think- ing of saying eight 100-ton mechs? Or maybe | just should let you make your own excuses. Greg Lund, WA robotechmechie@earthlink.net

Greg, you sure ask the tough questions! Since 800 tons equals around 2,143,383 pounds and a 100-ton mech would weigh “only” 267,922 pounds, we’d wager that a mech would more likely weigh the latter than the former. But at the same time, the last time we tried to put a MechWarrior on our Costco digital bathroom scale, it broke. So what the true weight of one of these gargantuan beasts is, we'll never know! Then again, we can think of lots of better things you could be doing with your time than asking us crazy questions like this.

Post Office =

Stoopid?

Todd Zuniga is an idiot. | just read his “25 Reasons You'll Love Vice City,” and his com- ment #4 is full of mistakes. Lawrence Taylor was not a defensive end; he was a line- backer—and Martin Scorcese didn’t direct Any Given Sunday; Oliver Stone did. Those are two examples of sacrilege in one sen- tence. Tell Todd that if he wants to make cutesy off-hand pop-culture references, he should make sure they aren’t stupid. ibkis@hotmail.com

Thanks, Ibkis, for saying the things we’d like to say, but can’t, because if we do, Todd will cry. And there’s nothing worse than seeing a grown man cry. Actually...it's not that bad. So, on second thought, we’re going to make Mr. Zuniga pay dearly for his folly. We’re going to tie him to a chair and make him listen to his own poetry! That'll teach him!

(Continued on page 24)

“If you ever...EVER...get my position wrong again, Zuniga, | am gonna make you eat your damn foot-shoe, laces and all. YOU HEAR ME? I'M CALLIN' YOU OUT, BOY!"

This ND. we ЕТІ ош readers Which

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(Continued from page 22) take with a game that isn’t even out

H yet, boss. You’d hold a grudge Girls Need Work against DOAXBV just because all the I think you would have to be pretty des- characters are girls and you get to

perate if you wanted to buy Dead or Ате пр dress them up? Well, we think it’s an

Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball for Xbox. Кы, the idea whose time has come, baby!

It is nothing more than playing Barbie— tattoo on the Then again, maybe the game just

you get to dress the girls up and every- new guy from might actually be good. You ever

thing! They should rename it Barbies Go Resident Evil think about that, hotshot? But in the S Zero says, h

to the Beach. | bet people wouldn't even “Mother Love"? spirit of objectivity, we asked our

notice the difference. Are you editors Sikpuppy13@aol managing editor what she thinks.

honestly excited about this game? And if com Jennifer Tsao says, “Me, I’m not too

you are, ask your new managing editor Maybe you are, into the DOA series,” but suggests Jennifer Tsao what she thinks about it. | maybe yer not! you give the game a spin “If big

do have to hand it to Tecmo though. | Who’s to say? breasted chicks bouncing around on bet sales for this game will be freaking = ЖА the beach іп а variety of skimpy out- high. Who knows. Maybe this game will 4 fits is your thing. But it’s not mine.”

give Microsoft some extra “bounce” in Point Blank

its step this holiday season. JerCat86@go.com

| purposely skipped The House of the

That’s a pretty cold-ass attitude to Dead ІІ on Dreamcast just because

Letter Art of the Month WINNER

Dale Davis Davie, FL

Dale Davis from Davie, Florida, seems to have a monopoly on

the letter "D," but we won't hold that against him. Not when

his truly bizarre drawing of Knuckles, fighting for his life

amongst a tangle of weeds and unidentifiable stuff, held us in " awe for over five minutes. But that's okay. You win, Dale! ш

Get creative with your postal supplies. Slather your "art" over а Almost standard #10 envelope (the long, business type) and then send it to this art-loving mailing address real quick. (Don't forget the stamp!) Sharkworthy

EGM Letter Art, 50 Beale 51., 12th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (or e-mail EEM@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 " n mean "pass." See, all entries are subjected to a battery of tests to ene PS determine durability and flavor. Those entries able to withstand Don't tell us! We don't being run through a car wash (two times) will be entered to win our | Wanna fear Letter Art of the Month award. From there on out, it’s all based on ү flights of fancy, menstrual cycles and falling stars. Make a wish!

Are GTA3's main man and Solid Snake just hanging out, or is this some weird neo-samu-

The nice thing about the Letter of the Month and Letter Art of the Month contests is that no purchase is necessary. One great way to share the contents of EGM with your friends is through the long lost art of storyteling, where the tribal chiet would tell the young cubs, "Yo, check it. Гт a tell you how it used to бе. back in the day.” But if the rigors of tradition are too much for you, you can always find official contest rules on our extrarotficial web site: www.egm.gamers.com.

24 - egm.gamers.com

QUESTION

What is your favorite video-gaming moment of all time?

Defeating level 51 on Super Smash Bros.

Melee with Link. My thumb throbs just