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DEF JAM: ENT HILL 3 PITFALL VENDETTA = а HARRY =
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© 2003 Electronic Arts Inc. Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, the EA SPORTS logo, MVP Baseball 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. "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. EA SPORTS" is an Electronic Arts™ brand. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit the official web site at MLB.com, © MLBPA. Official Licensee — Major League Baseball Players Association, Visit the Players Choice on the web at www bigleaguets com. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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CONTENTS
April 2003, Issue 165
111 75 111
112
91 74 114 88 82 78 134 82 111
130
132
116 128
122
132 86
111
116 132 116 66 116 128 128 76 82 64 86
34 89 118 78 84 128
116
132
120
Aero Elite: Combat Academy Auto Modellista Black & Bruised
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Clock Tower 3
Def Jam Vendetta
Dino Crisis 3
Dynasty Warriors 4
Fear Effect: Inferno
Final Fantasy Origins Fugitive Hunter
High Heat Baseball 2004
Indiana Jones & the Emperor's Tomb
Jurassic Park: Project Genesis
King of Route 66, The Kung Fu Chaos
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The
Mega Man & Bass
Mega Man Network Transmission
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
MotoGP 3
Murakumo
My Street
Pitfall Harry
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Resident Evil Online Resident Evil: Dead Aim Silent Hill 3
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut
Soul Calibur 2
StarCraft: Ghost
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Ultimate Muscle
Vexx
World Soccer Winning Eleven 6 International
World Series Baseball 2K3
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelists of the Roses
№ page 122
etters
We give our thoughts on how Yu-Gi-Oh! is replacing Pokémon as the hot topic on today’s playgrounds, and sit down with xXx star and aspiring game developer Vin Diesel.
91
еге @ KP: Previews 62
Your survival-horror appetite is. sure to be satisfied with Silent Hill 3, Resident Evil Online, and Dino Crisis 3. Vampire hunting returns to the GBA in the form of Konami's Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. We also have an exclusive first look at Pitfall Harry for PS2, GC, and Xbox.
Review Crew 110
Yes, we actually did review more | than just Zelda. Read what we had р €7 to say about Def Jam Vendetta,
4 Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, Final Fantasy Origins, and even Yu-Gi-Oh!
^» Tricks 138
We provide all the necessary tips
You wanna know whether The Legend of Zelda: The Wind
Waker lives up to the hype? Look no further than our five-page review where you'll learn all the odds and ends of Link's latest adventure, and how it stacks up against other games in this storied franchise.
№ page 98
Did Grand Theft Auto: Vice City reign supreme, or has the long- awaited return of Samus to a Nintendo console prevail? Why not end all of the suspense by reading our 2002 Gamers' Choice Awards feature.
У Interested in the new GBA > See each Я SP? Check out our hands-on console's for those struggling Panzer ties Dragoon Orta players, and offer
impressions on page 32. а additional hints for Vice City.
Ө The Final Word 144
Soul Calibur 2 $3 characteron + page 34.
3 Т STEM K | І ll [су ка P3 |
ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY (SSN #1058-918%) is published monthly by Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY зоо 5 Postage Paid at New York, NY 19016 and additional mailing offices Single issue rates: $4.99. The one year (2 issue) subscription rate is $24.97 in the U.S. and $40.97 outside the U.S. Checks must be made payabl yonlyto Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine. POSTMASTER: Send address. changes to Electronic Gaming Monthly, РО. Box 55721, Boulder, CO 80322-5721. For subscription service questions, address changes, or ontact us at: Web: htp://service.egmmag.com (for customer service) ог hitp:/ [subscribe етта сот (to order); Phone: U.S. and Canada (Boo) 779-1174 ог (850) 682-7624, elsewhere (303) 604-7445; Май: Electronic Gaming Monthly, P.O. Box 55721, Boulder, CO 80322-5721 (please include your mailing label with any correspondence as it contains information that will expedite processing); Fax: U.S. and Canada (850) 683-4094, elsewhere (303) 604-0518; E-mail (please type your full name and the address at which you subscribe; do not send attachments): subhelplegmmag com. The editors and the publisher are not responsible for unsolicited materials. Without limiting the rights under copyrights reserved herein, по part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the the prior written notice of Ziff Davis Media Inc. To reuse any material in this publication, obtain a permission request form at vwwicopyright.com/ziffdavis/, or have a form faxed or mailed to you by calling (425)430-1663. Copyright © 2002 Ziff Davis Media, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole ог in рап without permission is prohibited, For permission to reuse material in this publication (or on this Website) or to use out logo, contact Ziff Davis Media's Rights and Permissions Manager. For reprints, contact Reprint Services at 800-217-7874. Olga Gonopolsky, Ziff Davis Media Inc. 28 E. 28th SL, New York, NY 10016. Tel: 212-503-5438. Fax: 212-503-5420. olga_gonopolsky@ziffdavs.com. Electronic Gaming Monthly and ЕСМ ate trademarks of Ziff Davis Media Inc. TM and © for all other products and the characters contained therein are owned by ће respective trademark and copyright owners. All materials listed in this magazine are subject to manufacturers’ ‘change and the publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes, The Canadian GST Registration number is 140496720 RT. l'm a mental patient 'm supposed to act out.
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EDITORIAL
in ЕСМ You Trust
e're an opinionated bunch. We can't help it. Our magazine was founded on the prin-
ciples of tell-it-like-it-is gaming journalism,
50 we're going to speak our minds.
This no-BS attitude isn't without its drawbacks. Naturally, it means some of you will agree with what we say, some won't. It also means some of you will accuse us of being biased. A few of you have even claimed we cater to advertisers!
We can deal with these remarks— it comes with the territory. If we played it safe all the time, we wouldn't get any hate mail, and we'd have noth- ing to read at night before we go to sleep. Plus, we get a kick out of hearing we're anti/pro PlayStation 2, anti/pro GameCube, and anti/pro Xbox— simultaneously. Still, I'd like to use this space to explain our editorial philosophy. Please read this handy FAQ.
Q: Is EGM biased?
A: Yes. Toward good games.
Q: Do the editors prefer some genres or game systems over others?
A: Yes. But this doesn't affect our objectivity. It's important that we review all games equally and fairly. But we're human, just like we assume you
By Dan "Shoe" Hsu =
are, so we have different ideas as to what’s good or bad. That’s why we use a three-reviewer sys- tem: so you get a more diverse and better sam- pling of opinions.
Q: What if a game company threatens to pull advertising over low-scoring reviews?
A: If they threaten to pull ads—and they have— we tell them to go right ahead. At our magazine, nothing is allowed to influence a reviewer. No matter what a game company says or threatens to do, our editorial voice is independent, firm, and uncompromising.
О: Have the Review Crew members taken bribes in exchange for better review scores?
А: We've made as much "side" money as you have IQ points, apparently.
I tell you these things so you know you can completely trust what we write in the pages of this magazine. You may not agree with us all the time, but you can sleep easy knowing we're hon- est and fair. We know reader faith is something we have to earn —and it's something we can never put a price tag on.
That's our opinion, anyway.
—Shoe, Editor-in-Chief
Scott Steinberg
Our people did lunch with Mr. Steinberg's people to negotiate our interview with celebrity gamer Vin Diesel, whose people promptly threw our people out a window.
Jon Dudlak here could handle reviewing flight sim
ing our crossword puzzle. With his feet.
Joe Fielder
After Joe laughed in the face of ultimate horror to write this month's Silent Hill 3 preview, we offered him a scarier task— the job of Previews Editor. Bwa ha ha....
Dan Leahy
Danny boy is our ace in the hole when it comes time to tackle soccer bopping, ball- busting, and the like. This month, Sporto reviews High Heat 'o4 and Winning Eleven.
Seanhaby
Seanbaby has friends in every village from
Second-Prize Winners:
Ziff Davis and Sega congratulate the
Only a mathematical genius like Jonny boy
Aero Elite while simultaneously construct-
here to the Sudan. He speaks 12 languages. He'll blend in. Disappear. None of that saved him from reviewing Rugrats: Royal Ransom.
DSE Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Hi ed = Todd Zuniga, Chris Baker, Gary Steinman, ~ and little Sammy Kennedy assisted this month, writing some reviews so we could play a few bitchin' 16-player Halo matches.
779 GameNOW
Ethan Einhorn is one of the few men over 13 who understands Yu-Gi-Oh!, so we let him review games, from a safe distance, along with Phil Theobald and Miguel Lopez.
GMR
It's hip, it’s stylin’, it has even transcended vowels there's only опе GMR. This month, James Mielke and Tom “Poop” Price lent their critical acumen to our Review Crew.
KBN Che Chou and Greg Orlando —XBN's power
and/or put their backs into it. And they don't mind helping us with reviews, either.
Charles Ernst
Chuck's an experienced 3D artist (www.digi- talcentrifuge.com) who rendered our Robot the Awards Robot, lovable mascot of the Gamers' Choice Awards. Eat that, Pixar.
winners of the Panzer Dragoon Orta contest on Gamers.com!
Grand Prize Winner:
1а „Cartersville, GA
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 12 -
Tim. Omaha, NE vannah, GA Whiteland, IN „Florence, KY laterloo, IA
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www.egmmag.com
ELECTRONIC GAMING
MONTHLY!
Numher 165 April 2003
WWW.egmmag.com
Editor-in-Chief
Dan "Shoe" Hsu • shoe@ziffdavis.com Executive Editor.
Mark MacDonald • mark. macdonaldGziffdavis.com Managing Editor
Jennifer Tsao » jennifer tsaoGziffdavis.com Features Editor
Crispin Boyer * crispin_boyer@ziffdavis.com News Editor
Chris “CJ” Johnston • chris_johnston@ziffdavis.com Previews Editor
Greg Sewart » greg. sewartGziffdavis.com Reviews Editor
Bettenhausen • shane_bettenhausent@zifidavis:com
Editor-at-Large
Demian Linn • demian_linn@ziffdavis.com Associate Editor/Production Designer
Paul Byrnes • paul_bymes@ziffdavis.com Associate Editor
Bryan Intihar • bryan_intihar@ziffdavis.com Tricks Editor David Hodgson • tricksGziffdavis.com
Art Director Monique Martinez • monique_martinez@ziffdavis.com Associate Art Director. Stefan Belavy • stefan_belavy@ziffdavis.com
Copy Chief Kristen Salvatore • kristen_salvatore@ziffdavis.com Copy Editors Greg Ford • greg_ford@ziffdavis.com Tom “T-bone” Edwards * tom_edwards@ziffdavis.com
Contributors Joe Fielder, Scott Steinberg, Seanbaby, Jonathan Dudlak, Dan Leahy, James Mielke, Sam Kennedy, Chris Baker, Gary Steinman, Todd Zuniga, Miguel Lopez, Greg Orlando, Che Chou, Ethan Einhorn, Tom Price, Casey Loe, Charles Emst, Norm Scott, Andre Sibayan, Nik Schultz, Colin Adams
International Editor John Ricciardi Japanese Correspondent Yutaka Ohbuchi
Manufacturing Director rios Lu
Senior Production Manager Anne Marie Miguel
Art Production Manager Michele Kellogg-Manousos
Assistant Production Manager Teresa Newson
duo—are not afraid to get their hands dirty
Vice President/Game Group Dale Strang Editorial Director John Davison Creative Director Simon Cox Business Director Cathy Bendoff Senior Newsstand Sales Manager Don Galen Group Circulation Director Tracy Schultz Single Copy Sales Director rekes
Internet and Partnership Marketing Director Chris Wilkes Advertising Inquiries Contact:
Game Group
301 and Street, 8th floor, San Francisco, СА 94105
Telephone: 415-547-8783
SUBSCRIPTION ed sates and Canada)
WEBSITE: | PLEASE SEND ALL SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS TO:
DO NOT CONTACT THE EDITORS | RE: SUB. PROBLEMS
Group Publisher Lee Uniacke 415-357-4910 • lee. unlackeGziffdavis.com Group Associate Publisher Stan Таеп 415-357-4915 * stan_talgen@ziffdavis.com
KEY ACCOUNTS WEST. Regional Sales Manager
Marci Yamaguchi
415-357-4944 * marcl_yamaguchi@ziffdavis.com ‘Account Executive
Amy Mishra
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Mary Gray
415-547-8782 • mary_gray@ziffdavis.com Account Executive
‘Aaron Gallion
415-357-4925 * aaron_gallion@2ziffdavis.com MIDWEST. Regional Sales Manager
Marc Callison
630-810-4095 * mare_callison@ziffdavis.com
Regional Sales Manager
lan Sinclair
203-255-5795 • lan. sinclalrGziffdavis.com. Account Executive.
Mary Letson
415-357-5226 * mary. letsonGziffdavis.com SOUTHWEST District Sales Manager
Julie Knapp.
310-379-4313 * julie knappGziffdavis.com Account Executive
Emily Olman
415-547-8781 • emily_olman@ziffdavis.com
Online Sales Bill Young * 415-547-8453 Marketing Director Rey Ledda 415-547-8775 * rey_ledda@ziffdavis.com ‘Marketing Coordinator Wayne Shiu 415-547-8248 • wayne, shiuGziffdavis.com. Senior Advertising Coordinator Tipler Ubbelohde 415-357-4930 * tipler_ubbelohde@ziffdavis.com Senior Sales Assistant Heo Laut 7-8778 * kristeen_laut@ziffdavis.com Sales sistant ‘Amanda Nelson 415-547-8783 * amanda_nelson@ziffdavis.com
Founder Steve Harris
КОМАМ! ® www.konami.com/usa
METAL GEAR SOLID ?
SUBSTANCE
EXCLUSIVE GAMEPLAY ONLY ON SUBSTANCE!
350+ VR MISSIONS * 150+ ALTERNATIVE MISSIONS * 5 SNAKE TALES EUROPEAN EXTREME MODE * CASTING THEATER * BOSS SURVIVAL MODE ENTIRE SONS OF LIBERTY™ GAME * MERYL RETURNS! FIRST-PERSON VIEW MODE * VARIETY MODE * WEAPON MODE SNEAKING MODE * SKATEBOARDING MODE * BOMB DISPOSAL MODE ELIMINATION MODE * HOLD UP MODE * PHOTOGRAPH MODE HIDDEN PLAYABLE CHARACTERS * GIGANTIC SOLDIERS * NEW DOGTAGS NEW MUSICAL SCORES * EXCITING NEW STORYLINES
Blood and Gore
E EB +. PlayStation.e
ROM у
METAL GEAR, METAL GEAR SOLIDO, SONS OF LIBERTY" and SUBSTANCE ™ are gihe, rostered vademarks or гајила of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, INC. © 1987 2003 KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, ЈАМКО is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPO! ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are а trademarks of Sony Compa Entertainment Inc. о
ea
SEGA-AM2 Co.,LTD.
PlayStation.
SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA, the SEGA logo and The King of Route 66 are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Corporation and/or its affiliates. www.sega.com
ORIVE IT HARE PRIVE IT FAST
© SEGA-AM2/SEGA, 2002. 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. All Rights Reserved.
C
EVERYONE
Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for rating information
LL
Take it to the street and experience the rush of the first cell-shaded online racer for the PlayStation^2 computer entertainment system. Build the ultimate dream саг and go head-to-head against eight online players in your tricked-out, world-class ride. Feel the pulse of the street as you add sonic screen effects and digital music to your own instant replay footage. Racing fans get set and Go! Auto Modellista.
CAPCOM CO., LTD. 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. `- CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 2002, 2003. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of САР. COM CO., LTD. “auto modellista" is a trademark of CAPCOM CO., LTD. ' PlayStation'and the 'PS Family logo and DUALSHOCK are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Online plays requires internet connection and Network Adaptor for PlayStation 2 (sold separately). The online icon is a trademark of Sony Computer
Race and chat with up to 8 OPPONENTS ONLINE
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Edit your own INSTANT REPLAY Add music and screen effects...
Race REAL CARS from Honda, Toyota, Mazda,
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TOP | GAMES
BEST GAMES ™.
PlayStation.e
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Entertainment America Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. ALL MANUFACTURERS, CARS, CAR PARTS, NAMES, BRANDS AND ASSOCIATED IMAGERY FEATURED IN THIS GAME ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS INCLUDING TRADEMARKS AND/OR COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
IN THIS ARENA, WARRIORS ARE CREATED, BATTLES ARE FORGED, SMACK IS TALKED.
The Xbox Live™ service is the world’s first no-holds-barred, ultimate online arena dedicated to high-speed gaming. Jump from game to game and play thousands of other players
using one GamerTag. You can’t do that anywhere else.
hts reserved. Microsoft, Whacked!" Xbox, the Xbox logos, and separately.
trademarks of their respective owners. Xbox Live subscription sold
games. Specific game features are called out on the game packaging. Visit your local retailer for more information. ©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rig jon. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be
a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Associati
lable for all
other countries. The ratings icon is
game play and/or downloadable content not avail
inclu. e Я Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or
three tracks. Online.
MotoGP includes.
+ Whacked!™ includes three arenas.
YOU AIN'T GONNA RULE THE ULTIMATE ARENA WITH А NAME LIKE BUNNY23
E Use your unique GamerTag to build your rep across all games. After all, you'll need it to grow your legend in this arena.
THOSE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD ARE VOICES IN YOUR HEADSET
|| With the hands-free Xbox Communicator, you can talk trash, call plays, disguise your voice, and even mute the sucker that won't shut up.
IT'S LIKE 50,000 OF YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS. ONLY THEY ALL WANT ТО SCHOOL YOU
С Play your old friends апа make some new ones. Just remember to show them who's boss.
USE THE OPTIMATCH™ SYSTEM AND QUICKMATCH TO FIND THE PERFECT OPPONENT
ү Quickly find the perfect game, with the arena and rules you choose, so you won't waste your time with rookies or get destroyed by grizzled veterans.
DOWNLOAD NEW CONTENT, SO THE GAME NEVER ENDS
Get different weapons, new characters, additional levels, and more with downloadable content that will extend your game like never before.
ВЕТ YOUR STARTER KIT FOR JUST $49.99" AND ARM YOURSELF FOR ENTRY.
$49.99" INCLUDES: $ 49 99° 1 YEAR OF XBOX L/VE SERVICE XBOX COMMUNICATOR HEADSET WHACKED!" AND MotoGP ONLINE DEMO GAMES
FOR THE ULTIMATE ONLINE ARENA, THERE’S NO POWER GREATER THAN X.
PRODUCTS RANGE FROM EVERYONE то MATURE
www.xbox.com/live LEM 2 1 МИ =
* Estimated retail price. Actual retail prices may vary.
Congratulations, Douglas Christensen, Jr.! You win a copy of our game of the month, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, by the good folks at Nintendo. Go pick up that GameCube post haste.
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Fanboys = Teh Suck
It was good seeing EGM talk about and poke fun at fanboys [EGM #163], the breed of gamer that sometimes crosses the line to insanity. | can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a normal message-board user voice his honest opinion, only to be flamed and humiliated by these fanboys and their strange ways.
| was recently on Gamers.com and the user XboxTerminator wrote in a user review for Splinter Cell, and | quote, “Тће Graphics look Seriously Outdated...The Xbox just cant Keep up with PS2 and GC in Graphic Performance," and he finishes up his review with a nice, big ASCII art of someone giving the middle finger with, in big capital letters, *GO TO HELL, XBOX QUEERS!!!1!”
Maybe | missed the psychology class in high school where they dis- cuss people’s attachment to objects, but | really can't understand this fan-
| АМ бова, рохам BUY Чоой Saree hae 5 LISTED FOR "амбром HEARTS) ARE OFF BY 1,044 UNITS
AS OF ч MINUTES AGO!
boy thing. My Xbox, PS2, PS1, and Super Nintendo sit together in a nice little area of my bedroom, and once a little more money rolls in, GameCube will be there, too. The only way | can see jus- tifying fanboyism is if [insert game system here] had an electrical short, burned down your house, and you lost your cat in the inferno. Obviously, you're going to dislike said game sys- tem for emotional and psychological reasons. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go play my Super Nintendo, “Cause it rulez!!” Douglas Christensen, Jr. doug and carmenQyahoo.com
A few weeks ago, | was getting ready to play a few hours of sweet, delicious Halo. Out of curiosity, | decided instead to check out the music library on my Xbox. To my sur- prise, there was already a file there, even though no one has ever put any tracks on it since we bought it. The file was called Killa Cutz, or some- thing like that, and it had about 20 tracks of pretty obscene rap on it. Unless my 11- year-old brother has a taste for gangsta rap, these tracks were already on the Xbox when we got it. Has this happened to anyone else? Natalie Quick
So, let's get this straight...you don't even suspect your little hellion of a
brother? Although, the idea of Bill Gates loving the Geto Boys' *Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" so much he puts it on every Xbox does have a certain appeal.
When Animals Annoy
In Animal Crossing, how many stuck- up tightwads can move into one town? Almost everyone in my town is cranky all the time. Joshigamefreak@aol.com
Our advice? Spend some personal time with Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror” on repeat and get back to us.
Review Crew Goes Global
Each month you print a number of reviews for games that appear on mul- tiple platforms. Would you please @ explain how it is determined which platform a particular title will be reviewed on? What | mean is, do you
Electronic Gaming Mo у- 20
Are you going to make Final Fantasy Tactics for PS2? Ballinboykjl2003
We have no plans to make Final Fantasy Tactics for PS2 at this time.
Hey EGM, who is your all-time favorite classic movie monster? Greg iMac
Gamera. You can't mess with a giant fire- breathing tur- tle that flies by jet power and loves children.
1 hate it how peo-
ple just write in
to complain! LOL! Daniel Gratie
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Vice President (Editor-in-Chief, eWEEK) Eric Lundquist
Vice President (Editorial Development) Bill Machrone
Vice President (Controller) David Mullen
Vice President (Human Resources) Beth Repeta
Vice President (Editor-in-Chief, Baseline) Tom Steinert-Threlkeld
Vice President (Internet Audience Development) Stephen Sutton
Vice President (Publisher, C/O Insight) Stephen Veith
Senior Director, Manufacturing Carlos Lugo
Director, International Christin Lawson
Strong bones. Weak gravity.
; H y №. t stress-fractures.
LETTERS
You can write
101 2nd Street, 8th Floor 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, e-mail address, or boxer/brief preference printed, better mention that somewhere.
pick the console that best showcases what the game can do? Do you support the older companies who you have been working with longer?
Tim McCauley
Reviews Editor Shane Bettenhausen steps up to the mike, taps it and asks if this thing’s on: “Well, with
Gaming Monthly
multiplatform titles, we generally review the first version we can get our hands on due to time con- straints. If we get more than one version at once, which is rare, we look at which platform's review sec- tion is a little sparse that month and slot it in there. Other times, we just do what makes sense—for
22
We know it's hard to accept, but sometimes we screw up. Remember all those great premade skater names we list- ed in Tricks for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4? Yeah...turns out Fakes the Clown and Stealing is Bad don't actually work. Big ups to the guys (and gals?) at
for pointing that out and track- ing down all those names in the first place.
example, the Tony Hawk series came up on PlayStation, and that's where most of its fans are, so THPS4 gets reviewed for PS2. Actually, we'd really like to cover every multiplat- form release for each console...and it looks like we will begin doing just that very soon. Massive, life-enrich- ing changes are afoot in the Reviews section — look out!” Ninja
Sweetness BMX XXX, Grand Theft Auto, blah blah blah...we all know that these games have been under the spotlight of Some overprotective parents, but what about the worst offender of them all: Ninja Assault? This game is just amazingly offensive. Make all the jokes you want about ninjas totally flipping out and killing pirates; that won't ruin their total sweetness. But give them guns and they become nothing more than guys in black paja- mas wanting to shoot someone. Seriously, you can't cut a building in half with a pistol. Hell, you can't even make a cool “shwing” sound when you draw your gun.
Anthony Mojica
Tell it.
Question
Who do you think would win in a face- off: Metroid's Samus or Star Wars' Jango Fett? Are they both not bounty hunters? Do they both not kick ass? Let me know where people in the office stand on this important question.
Pedro P.
Well Pedro, we really haven't spent much time thinking about it, what with work, life, and fingernails to clip. But, we'll go with Samus. Yes, Samus would win, and anyone who thinks differently doesn't know the first thing about hypothetical mano- a-mano deathmatches between characters from different licensed fantasy worlds. Of course, if we were talkin’ Boba Fett, that might be a different story.
тиш пнп ~ Ж ЖН п
Blood and Go! Violence Strong Language
LIMITED EDITION RLH Soundtrack Featuring BREAKING BENJAMIN
Duthink; outrun, and Gutgun intelligent foes that adapt ta чоп every томе;
Edge-of-yourseat, movie-style suspense With voice talent of top actors
‘nt she Seb ym Jr EL 7 dn cane ire potion
LETTERS
WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?
MISSING AN ISSUE? SUBSCRIPTION DELAYED? TRICK KNEE? Don't tell us, we've got games to play, words to write, and TiVo to watch. Tell our subscription people—they live for this sort of thing!
E-mail: subhelp@egmmag.com
Phone toll-free: (800) 779-1174.
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The Rocks us. Sucks Issue
Why is there a guy on the front cover of EGM #163 think- ing to himself, “EGM sucks!”? Shouldn’t he say “EGM rocks!” or something like that? What will your potential customers think when they pick up your magazine and see “EGM sucks!” on the front cover?
Actually, it would be kinda cool if it turned out to be the work of a disgrun- tled EGM staffer...anyways, EGM rocks!
Greg
See, “EGM rocks” sounds good when you say it, but if we say it, it’s just sad.
Капо. ..Loses
OK guys, I’ve got a complaint. It’s about your Mortal Kombat Advance review. That game is the greatest piece of gaming goodness ever! | mean, | spend more of my time playing
In the Letters section of EGM #164, you said later model PlayStation 2s can burn CDs. 1 can’t get the code to work. Josh Fenderman
How queer.
Hey EGM, you screwed up. Your code to open the PS2 CD burner menu includes the A and B but- tons—but Sony controllers don’t have A or B but- tons!
Charlie Forb
Is that a fact? Seems like the sort of thing we should have known. Now lis- ten here—it was all a big lie. The PS2 can't. burn CDs. No way, no how. Sorry, Charlie.
Yes, it's back for one month only, on account of unfin- ished business. Philip Lickwar's pencil sketch of EGM editors Jennifer as Legolas, Shane as Aragorn, and Crispin as Gimli could not be denied, even if Jennifer does have serious man-hand action (in the drawing, of course). Though, we would have tipped Shane for the .
Gimli role, if Philip had asked.
Robert Wells also requested that his "color сотро- sition and blending abilities be recognized," and so we will. Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy VII fame, a vision in green.
Electrc
it than anything else; | can't find a sin- gle fault. As soon as | saw it in the store, | knew it was the game to rule my life. Руе spent some of my best time on the john playing MKA. What's wrong with you guys?
lan Ellis
Oh, we see through your clever ruse, lan— pretending to like a terrible game just so we'll print your letter and insult you. We won't fall for it. But we will refer you to page 104 for more on MKA.
Hey, whatever happened to that girl with the nice legs on the front of California Games for NES? Vequinox
After appearing in David Lee Roth's “California Girls" video and then on the box of Epyx's California Games, leg model Jenny *Sweet Gams" McGillicuddy suffered a career-end- ing shin bruise in a horrific gro- cery-cart collision and then moved to Tampa.
Fewer Nazis, Please
I'm having some philosophical prob- lems with World War II first-person shooters. Two games that are really getting under my skin right now are Return to Castle Wolfenstein and BloodRayne. First, RTCW— supernazis and zombies? Supernazis — what the hell, did Activision's employees even go to school? That's so stupid. And zom- bies, Jesus-Allah-Buddha, zombies? Next, we've got BloodRayne. A vampire killing regular (nonsuper) Nazis. Great. Why in the hell is a vampire killing Nazis? That just sounds dumb.
And then there's the Medal of Honor series. Can someone please tell me why plucky Jimmy Patterson is fighting the war all by himself? There were 600,000 soldiers at Bastogne, and somehow one man does almost all the fighting? Little help?
Andy Hendrickson
Hey, you're just lucky Rayne isn't a Nazi-killing vampire ninja robot from Dimension X. №
24
ag.com
QUESTION
Which recent game do you think is a sleeper hit or got more hype than it deserved?
Most hyped game in a while? Metal Gear
Solid 2. | couldn't figure out if it was a bad
movie | played or a bad game | watched. Cory Welter
I think Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus was a sleeper—what a great game. | mean, it doesn’t stack up to games like Metroid Prime or Super Mario Sunshine, but Sly Cooper was a good chunk of fun.
Anuj Agrawal
| believe that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was more hyped than any other game, ever. | don’t know how this one game can get so much hype even after its release when there are plenty of other games out that are at least as good.
Stephen Harris
Wild Arms 3 was an underappreciated
game. | would have missed out on an excel-
lent RPG if a friend hadn't clued me in. Nathan Koch
The Getaway got way too much hype. It's got good graphics and a good story line, but the gameplay is clunky and annoying. Most important, it's not fun! Psychicbean2002@aol.com
Definitely Eternal Darkness. One of the greatest Cube games nobody bought. Rebecca
Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball got more hype then it deserved. | like boobs and all, but | can only take so much. The game is OK, but only for the hypnotic...bouncing...boobs...*drools*
D.P. Mouse
Super Mario Sunshine is an overhyped, boring kids’ game with a fruity name that got higher ratings than it deserved. All you do is shoot water on goo to collect Shines—woo hoo, so exciting. | traded it for a used Rogue Leader game.
Aaron S.
Next Month’s Question of the Moment:
What game franchise should be retired, for the good of all humanity?
Send your brief, coherent responses to EGMG@ziffdavis.com with the subject heading:
MAKE IT STOP!
Weekdays 5 ~ 7pm (ET/PT)
CARTOON NETWORK, the logo, TOONAMI and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and Cartoon Network 2003. All Rights Reserved. DRAGONBALL Z Original Author: Akira Топцата; 61989 Toei Animation Co. Ltd, DRAGONBALL 7 and all logos, character names and distinctive likenesses thereof are
trademarks of Toei Animation Co., Ltd.
Rac
THE FINISH LINE IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
menge У i
БИКЕ сына ШЕЖЕ ЕУ с ш кие,
Take control of Ryan McKane's rac. eer in an involving movie-s / Rip up the asphalt in over їс cars on 38 real гг s worldwide. / Fight it out in in 19 with up to 20 cars on the course at once.* | Experience e handling and super-re а
age and graphics.
CODEMASTERS.COM
GENIUS AT PLAY
cal 1800 771 РС
for Rating Information.
Screen shots taken from PlayStation*2 computer entertainment system game play.
"Number of cars on course simultaneously varies by platform. © 2002 The Codemasters Software Company Limited ("Codemasters"). All rights reserved. “Codemasters” is a registered trademark owned by Codemasters. "Pro Race Driver " and "GENIUS AT PLAY are trademarks of Codemasters. Developed by Codemasteis. Published by Codemasters. All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used under license. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks ог trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. 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,
"(САМЕ OF THE YEAR."
Xbox Game of the Year (IGN, Gamespy)
"Don't hesitate to buy this
amazing game.” || Electronic Gaming Monthly ~ Editor's Choice Gold Award 3
“А spectacular-looking, gizmo- crammed black-op experience."
Electronic Gaming Monthly
` PLAY
\ COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM SCREEN SHOWN. 1
Use the Nintendo GameCube" Game Boy” Advance cable and access new gadgets and levels.
Stealth action for the first time on your Game Boy” Advance..
ed [ Also available on your cell phone at (21051808. com
NINTENDO мл
GAME CUBE... PlayStation.e | xeox DM GAME BOY ADVANCE:
WHEN YOU'RE THIS DEADLY, ONE PLATFORM CAN'T HOLD YOU.
ЖЖЖЖ Ж
Мом REDEFINED FOR ALL NEXT-GENERATION CONSOLES. xXx x Xx Redefined with all-new cinematics and exclusive content. Thermal goggles, prototype guns, and the ability to use your enemies as
human shields are just a few of the weapons and tactics in your arsenal. You are Sam Fisher. You are а Splinter Cell.
XA Tom Clancy's
[e] ood and Gore [^ rcs Ubi Soft SPLINTE L-
www.ubi.com
www.splintercell.com
'HOUISANDS OF PLAYERS. ONE FANTASTIC WORLD
SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT
www.everquest.com/eqoa
4 INTERNET CONINECTION REQUIRED. Blood E | ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTION FEES REQUIRED.
Suggestive Themes
Violence CONTENT RATED BY | Online ploy requires Internet connection and Network Adaptor (sod separately) ESRB EverQuest is о registered trademark ond Online Adventures ond the Online icon are trademorks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. SOE and the SOE logo cre registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment Inc. © 2002 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. A layStation” ond ће "PS" Family logo ore registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America lc. The ratings icon is o registered to Association. All other trademarks ore properties of their respective owners
Game Experience May Change During Online Play.
Press
EGM takes Nintendo's new у for a test drive |
new iteration of its Game Boy handheld. The Game Boy Advance SP (for “special”) is no more powerful than the GBA you already know. It doesn’t have better graphics or sound, doesn’t play MP3s, isn’t a cell phone, and doesn’t help you keep track of your personal finances. Rather, the SP's upgrades are mostly about aesthetics, plus two more- practical bonuses: an added screen light (so you can play in the dark) and a rechargeable battery. But you'll have to pay for these luxuries. The cool $100 ($99.95, to be exact) price tag is $30 more than the current model. Is it worth it? Should you sell your current GBA to your little broth- er's friend before he finds out
0: March 23, 2003, Nintendo will launch a
p about the SP? We had an Za opportunity to give the SPa
try, and here’s what we
220 thought.
When folded up, the GBA SP looks like a baby laptop.
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a e» | d ® р Say hello to the > ~ Game Boy you're = iC 2 f gonna spend another
100 bucks on.
The first things you
notice about the SP are its small size and vertical layout (unlike the standard GBA’s horizontal orientation). It looks more like a mature, high-tech electronic gadget. The SP folds in the center like a laptop computer or flip-style cell phone, making it small enough to slip in your pocket with ease.
m /,
At first glance, it seems too small to be comfortable, but once you've got your hands on it, you find your index fingers rest nicely on the tiny L and R buttons in the back of the unit.
More important than the SP's new look is its light, which is mounted inside the screen cas-
32
GBA SP Road N
Power/Battery-charging lights
Looking for an old-school game pad to play Sonic Mega Collection, or to experience all those GBA games on the GB Player (which lets you play GB games on your TV through your GameCube, coming in May) the way they were meant to be experienced? Check out this sweet baby—a GameCube controller that looks like a Super NES pad, ditching the analog stick and making the digital pad the focus for those classic 2D games. It's import-only, though, so check stores like NCS (ncsx.com) or Tronix (tronixweb.com) for availability.
L/R buttons
Link port
AC adapter/ Headphone adapter port
Power on-off switch
Volume control
Directional pad
ing directly below the screen. When it's on (toggled by a button on the SP's face), it lights the screen well in any condition, includ- ing total darkness, without the glare from which add-on accessory lights sometimes suf- fer. It's less effective than a true backlit screen, but it gets the job done.
Another impressive upgrade is the addition of a Lithium lon battery, which Nintendo says will allow 10 hours of play with the light on (18 with it off) on a 3-hour charge. Plug the AC adapter into the wall and you can even play while it's charging. No need to worry about wasting AA batteries, since the SP uses only the built-in rechargeable.
If there's one disappointing aspect of the SP, it's the lack of a built-in headphone jack. Gamers wishing to hear their blips without disturbing anyone nearby will need to invest in a head- phone adapter sold separately. No U.S. price has been announced for this extra, but we expect it will cost about what it does in Japan ($5). The headphone adapter uses the same port as the
ning t 33 emmag
| Light on-off button
Aand B buttons Select and Start buttons
| Cartridge slot
AC adapter, so you won't be able to use head- phones and charge the unit simultaneously. It’s sleek, it’s sexy, it’s cool...but $100? If you already have a GBA, or just bought one and don’t cherish the idea of spending more dough on another one, you can take a pass on the SP. The aesthetic touches are incredibly cool, but ask yourself: Do you really need another GBA? No. Still, the smaller package, rechargeable battery, and light make it very tempting, so if you don’t already have a GBA, this is definitely the one to get. —Chris Johnston
FOLLOW THE RABBIT
What does this mean? Patience. The answer
is out there. It's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to (next issue!).
Soul Calibur 2 hits all three platforms with exclusive characters
Publisher Namco recently made one of the and Xbox. The cool part: Each version will duce Necrid, a new character designed by coolest and most frustrating announcements feature an exclusive character unique to that Todd McFarlane Productions of Spawn fame in its history. Soul Calibur 2, the sequel to platform. The frustrating part: Each version (McFarlane Toys will also be producing a line the best-selling and highly acclaimed will feature an exclusive character unique to of SC2 action figures). Other secret fighters weapons-based fighting game (Dreamcast, that platform — т other words, you have to will appear in the console versions of Soul arcade), will be released in the United States buy all three to get the full experience. Calibur 2, but we don't know at this point if this August for PlayStation 2, GameCube, In addition, all three versions will intro- they're exclusive to any platforms.
Link . Spawn Which Version He’s In: GameCube Which Version He’s In: Xbox First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda (NES) , < 1 First Appearance: Spawn #1 (the
Weapons of Choice: Sword, boomerang, 7 comic book)
and bow. Yup, he'llhave ranged attacks f Weapon of Choice: A big, big ax
in this melee-based fighting game. What He's Wearing: His patent-leather What He's Wearing: His fab green top and white tights superhero suit and chains
He's As Cool As: A Keebler elf ГА 3 He's As Cool As: A hardcore S&M Fonz
Link's brought along some of his Smash
Bros. Melee moves for the GC Calibur. (Continued on pg. 36)
С АДАД А E gere
ali
СИЕ МАР SLEVKES
SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA presents A TEAM SOHO prooucrion starrins DON KEMBRY RICKY HARDS ANNA EDWARDS MICHAEL PRESTON JOE RICE DIRECTORS Or PROGRAMMING WILLIAM BURDON ano NARESH HIRANI окесток оғдммдпон GAVIN MOORE aer ovrection SAM COATES avo RAVINDER SINGH ркосиспон vesien SIMON WOOD waren ву BRENDAN MCNAMARA avo KATIE ELLWOOD смем score ANDREW HALE cave озн CHUN WAH KONG пети ве BRENDAN MCNAMARA
Drug Reference А c XRLD. ud. PlayStation. e LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. Strong Sexual Content y si => PLAY IN OURS: Violence ә
is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Ameríca Inc. ©2003 Sony Computer
ive In Your World. Play In Ours? i
(cont.)
Which Version He's In: Дд. n PlayStation 2
First Appearance: Tekken (arcade) Weapon of Choice: His fists, which is silly considering this is a weapons- based fighting game
What He's Wearing: Kung-fu pants and platform sandals
He's As Cool As: Mr. Miyagi
Old-man joins fellow Tekkenite Yoshimitsu (not pictured) in the SC2 cast.
What's your take on Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness' delay?
Who That's Again? I’m
cares? cool. It'll tired of all
I'm, like, give the the delays. 500000 over Lara and developers moretimeto Јиѕ lemme look at Lara's her *Tomb Raider." get the game right. fine buttocks already!
is a nightmare-almost liter- ally. Here, he's using Nightmare's (Soul Calibur) sword and moves.
Which Versions He's In: All three (PS2, GC, Xbox) First Appearance: This js his first appearance. Weapons of Choice: Everyone else's—he can take on the characteris- tics and arsenals of the other fighters (like Inferno or Edge Master from the original Soul Calibur).
What He's Wearing: Some Iron Man-looking chest piece
He's As Cool As: The Incredible Hulk wearing an Iron Man chest piece
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 36 - www.egmmag.com
Qi S = & E $ 5 Е Е v E 3 8
DD NI.
LOOKS LiKE LESSONS FROM A PRO BOARDER WOULDN T HURT. NEITHER WOULD A SONY* Bic
SCREEN TV OR A PLAYSTATION.2 WITH THE HOTTEST GAMES, №5 BAGEL BITES’ EXTREME REDEEM" ONLINE AUGTION. СНЕСК OUT SPEGIALLY MARKED BOXES Or BAGEL BITES. GET THE GODE! COLLECT
THE points! BID TO WIN! EXTREME REDEEM Many wall vid. Few will wih.
9 PlayStation. www. Da
А true fan
Knows the organist and the mascot's real identity. Would play for free.
Has never caught a ball, but always brings a mitt.
Understands the infield fly rule.
“ | ES у
4 у. SEQUEL ТО THE TOP-RATED СЕК GAME & BY ОРМ, GAMEPRO AND EGM. PER,
en PL AS RS LU С Pis oe
Screenshots from PlayStation"? computer entertainment system
PlayStation.2 хеох ёк. ROM
© 2003 The 300 Company. All Rights Reserved. 300, High Heat, Two On Two Showdown, and their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of The 300 Company in the U.S. and other countries. ™ © MLBPA Official Licensee - Major League Baseball Players Association. Visit the Players Choice on the web at www.bigleaguers.com. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit the official web site at MLB.com. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo:are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TM, ®, Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries and аге used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners. www.3DO.com
Can spot а change-up а mile away.
Will hug a stranger over a sac fly.
Can name the farm teams. Double-A, too. Heck, Single-A.
Can find the shortest hot dog line.
Only plays HIGH HEAT”
ш
Үл, ; т. СААЛ
"This is the only next-generation title that realistically
re-creates every facet of the game." — EGM [March 2002]
"Console baseball's first grand slam." — ОРМ (March 2002] W New graphics include all new, motion-captured animations
W New Career and Franchise modes include full Minor Leagues" system (AAA, AA, A) and unlimited seasons
W Two 0n Two Showdown" mode for the ultimate quick game fun W Improved award-winning controls, A.I., and baseball realism W Curt Schilling consulted to create 27 individual pitch types
REAL. BASEBALL.
www.highheat.com
А company called Phonex offers another minimal-fuss, sorta-wireless way to network gear in your house through the electrical wiring (instead of doing it the way we describe below). We're not going to go into the details here (we've probably confused you with enough net- working talk for one day), but if you're feeling adventurous and think you know what you're doing, check 'em out at www.phonex.com.
ey, Look Ma—
EGN'S quick-and-tirty without tearing out the walls, the carpet, and your hair
The last thing you want when you're about to smoke some lamers in an online match of MechAssault is to get disconnected because your dog/girlfriend/wife (or a combination of all E А
three) tripped over the mass of net- work cabling between your DSL/cable modem access point and your gaming rig. And who really has a giant televi- sion with sur- round sound sit- ting close to their PC and network hook-up? No one, that's who. But never fear—a wireless solution is out there, and by following our handy guide, you can set one up without days of weeping, swearing, and shouting at various network devices. We chose equipment by Linksys, a brand you'll find anywhere that sells network gear. Just fol- low the steps listed on the next two pages and use our handy chart to set it up. (First, a warning: EGM accepts no responsibility for you cocking up the whole installation process. Although it worked flawlessly for us, it may work flawfully for you, so keep those receipts handy in case you need to return anything.)
Game console(s) with network adapters or Internet connectivity activated. Broadband (as opposed to dial-up) Internet service that works with the PS2 Network Adaptor, Xbox Live, or GameCube Broadband Adapter. DSL/cable modem
Linksys Wireless Ethernet Bridge (WET11) RJ-45 Ethernet cables to hook your system(s) of choice to the WET11 (or to the Five-Port Hub, if you're connecting multiple consoles).
If you already have a router between your modem and computer that directs Internet traffic, get the Wireless Access Point Ver. 2.6 (WAP11).
If you don't have a router and will need to network other equipment like
your PC, get the Wireless Access
Point Router with Four-Port Switch (ВЕРМ/1154).
Optional! If you're looking to connect multiple consoles, get a LinkSys EtherFast 10/100 Five-Port Auto-Sensing Hub (EFAHo5W).
Electronic
om
You bought that $2,500 Aibo 'cause it “looked so cool and futuristic,” and now it's propping open your bathroom door. Well, if you have the means to play Japanese PS2 games (and if you're using a robot dog as a doorstop, we're guessing you do), you may want to look into Deka Voice. In this 19305-ега detective adventure, coming to Japan this spring from Sony, you use the SOCOM head- set to "talk" to in-game characters —and, if you hook your Aibo up to your PS2, your cyber pup will mimic the actions of your detective's canine partner. U.S. release? Don't bet on it.
To make things easy, while you're reading the steps below, you might want to follow along with this handy chart. Depending on your setup as described below, select one of the top and one of the bottom configurations.
Your cable or DSL Your cable or DSL modem
Wireless AP Router with Four-Port Switch
Linksys Wireless а > Access Point v2.6 Your PC EverQuest Online Adventures (Sony Online Ent., PS2) • Fantasy's classic characters, clockwise from bot- tom: The Dwarf lord from his hall of stone, the hard-boiled barbarian, the Elf princess of white power, and classic Power Ranger villain Space Demon Greenie (complete with pole up ass; Linksys Wireless = и Wireless. Е 0 Here; 087 Бру Ethernet Bridge Ethernet Bridge understandable frustration in front of
- the highly inaccessible Beige Fortress of Doom That Would Actually Look Quite Scary on a Day That Wasn't So Sunny
Linksys Five-Port 1 | Auto-Sensing Hub e and Pleasant, No Really.
Go to Game School For Free
Want to design games for a living? Keep readin’. The Art Institute of California is doling out $300,000 in scholarships for its Visual & Game Programming and Game Art & Design 3-year bachelor pro- grams. You'll need to knock their socks off with your artistic or programming skills and general awesomeness, and, of course, you'll have to write an essay. Only high school and international stu- dents graduating in spring 'o3 are eligi- ble, so that disqualifies some of us. E- тай aisfadm@aii.edu or call (888) 493- 3261 for entry forms. Hurry —the dead- line is April 30, 2003.
The game console of your choice
Illustration: Jeremey “Norm” Scott
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 41- www.egmmag.com
AE about the violence."
“.. 106 about violence and gangsters...hut | don't think anybody ever actually feels 9000
— Getaway Director Brendan McNamara
Hiterthougnts. The Getaway
not the London in Sony’s PS2 crime spree
The Getaway. That took Sony’s Team Soho a full three years. Now that the dust has set- tled and the game is in stores, we sat down for tea with Director Brendan McNamara to chat about violence, turn signals, and those inevitable Grand Theft Auto comparisons.
Ez wasn't built in a day. Well, at least
EGM: When we saw the first screens of the game (before PS2 even launched), it just looked like a driving game. Did it start out that way?
BM: No. It may've sounded that way originally, but it was because our team worked on [the PS1 games] Porsche Challenge and [the Europe- only] Rapid Racer, so our heritage was in dri- ving. But, we also made a few soccer games, so we had experience in character animation, too. We wanted to bring those two areas together.
EGM: That had to have been difficult. What was the biggest challenge to achieving the kind of game you wanted?
BM: The biggest challenge was letting players drive around in a car and run around on foot, never making them wait for the game to load while they're doing it. You can walk in and out of a building, and it never takes you out of the action. It's the same reason we didn't want to use arrows and health bars and all that. We wanted people to look at it and just use their eyes and ears. We wanted to get rid of things that are really just arcade leftovers.
EGM: Why make players rely on things like watching their car's turn signals to tell them where to go, or leaning up against a wall to regain health instead of the stan- dard game conventions?
BM: This was my personal idea more than the
ether in a warehouse or a whorehouse, your best bet is always to take cover first, shoot second.
||
q | |
design team's. | don't want to see things that take me out of the game. If | see a big arrow telling me where to go, it takes me out of the game. So, we tried to find solutions to keep you out of that. The first time | saw the lean, | wasn't too crazy about it. But in the end, we
never came up with a solution that was better.
There probably is one; someone will find it or we will. These subtle indicators ask some- thing of your audience, but | don't think we're asking too much.
EGM: Did you ever have any concern that the
game was too violent? BM: One of the things | like about The Getaway
42
ВЫХ
FOUR TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL GETAWAY
Getaway Director Brendan McNamara gives us the 411 on ways to beat some of the tougher missions in the game:
Art Appreciation: »
* really like this level, especially with its secret ending. You can blow up the boiler and kill everyone that way rather than fighting."
Out of the Frying Pan: “Hide and shoot over the top of cars, *cause it's just carnage in there.”
Land of Hope and Glory: “You can just get on the crane and bypass [everything].”
When driving a police car: “If you turn on the sirens, all the traffic in front of you parts. It's great."
© 2003 PriceGrabber.com
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more than other games is it's about violence and gangsters and things, but | don't think any- body ever actually feels good about the vio- lence. It's carnage, but it's not cartoony...like, “Hey, | just shot 40 people." It's “How do | get out of this alive?" There's a lot more tension, especially when you see your character limping around hurt, and you think, "Where can | hide?" | like that the violence isn't gratuitous— it's grit- ty. | think that’s one of the things а good story gives you. It gives you a reason to play other than just to kill 5o guys and get 100 points.
EGM: Was the story always split between the two characters, Mark Hammond and Frank Carter?
BM: It was always a design goal. Personally, !
DID YOU KNOW
„that Mark and Frank can lean against walls to regain some health? “It’s an interesting compromise,” muses Director Brendan McNamara. “It’s no more plausible than medipacks, but it fits the nature of the game. If you just stand there, you'll get shot. If you find a safe corner, then you're set. We were tragi- cally incompetent about that, ’cause we never put it in the European manual.” Looks like the tragedy continued: It’s not in the U.S. manual either.
was against it, but the team wanted both characters for two sides of the story. So, we decided that if we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna try to do it right. That meant having a timeline for one guy and then the other, and seeing where those two stories would cross over. | had to be convinced about it, because on paper it looked like a nightmare.
EGM: And then casting real actors—that had to be a nightmare, too. Did it work the way you planned, and would you do it again? BM: | think it’s the only way forward if you want to make the story compelling and make people believe in those characters, believe they’re at risk, and feel tension. It isn’t necessary to have big names; they just need to be believable.
EGM: What do you think of the comparisons between The Getaway and that “other” game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City?
BM: They're legitimate comparisons. They're both underworld stories, and in both you drive around a living, breathing city. But, what sets us apart is that we have a story. There's a story to Vice City, but it's a smaller part of the game. The great innovation in СТА is the free-roaming gameplay. | think that's great because you end up with a big playbox where you can do any- thing. But, we didn't want to make an “I’ve got the biggest gun" game.
44
EGM: We heard there was an add-on disc planned for The Getaway. Care
to comment?
BM: Yes, there was. But in all likeli-
hood, we'll just go for a full-blown sequel instead, (smiles) which, of course, we haven't announced yet.
EGM: Will the sequel still be set in London?
BM: Definitely. It took us three years to build London, and none of us wants to do that again (laughs). We can add a lot like The Tube and more buildings you can go into. But, we really want to play with the characters more than anything. Do we want to go back and find out how Charlie Jolson became a gangster in London, or go forward and see what happened to Frank Carter? Is he popular for letting over half the waterfront get blown up, or is he in jail? In the first game, the audi- ence stayed with us because Mark was the victim, but how do you pull that off if you play the bad guy? Hmm...
EGM: We waited this long for the first Getaway. When do you think we'll really see the next one?
BM: Unfortunately, that's our reputa- tion. (laughs) | think the time frame will be about two years. We wanna get it out before PlayStation 3.
We get plenty of comments like, “this would be great with a sniper rifle," but that's not what The Getaway is about. We've taken lots of risks, but we've tried to show what the future of games might be with a great story and how cameras might work and how a game would look without all that stuff all over the screen. We know our audience is intelligent enough to get their heads around this. E d
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ALIAS-ED
This fall, you'll be able to get closer than you ever thought possi- ble to Alias’ Jennifer Garner. Well, actually, you'll just get to play
as her character, sexy CIA agent Sydney Bristow, in a third-per- Son adventure game based on the show. It's coming in fall 2003 from Acclaim for all next-generation platforms. Acclaim, eh? Dare we hope for Alias XXX? Dare we stop making BMX XXX jokes?
Death to Pikachu?
Those damn kids have a new after-school obsession, and its name is Yu-Gi-Oh! Meet a pocket monster's worst nightmare
That Charizard Pokémon sticker your kid bro’ lovingly stuck on his Trapper Keeper two years ago has likely been ripped off and replaced with the spikey-do'd dude you see below. Meet Yu-Gi-Oh!, the current playground king who's pooping all over Pokémon's party...
YU-GI-OH
(not pronounced “you-gee-o!
POKEMON (not pronounced “рока-тап
What is the big deal? It all started as a Japanese comic book about a kid named Yugi (that's him below) who duels bad guys via a card game. But we ain't talkin' Go Fish: These cards summon monsters, traps, and mystical attacks. A real-life
card game followed and, last March, Yu-Gi-Oh! landed in the United States
with a hit cartoon followed by four Konami videogames. “Yu-Gi-Oh! is now the seventh most profitable proper- \ ty of the year,” says Reyne Rice, director of The NPD Group, which tracks trends in tyke gaming. That puts it up there with Hot Wheels, Star Wars, and Barbie.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses (PS2)
Why are the kids 500000 into it? Yu-Gi-Oh! is following the Pokémon formula: It kicked off as an underground sensation, with its own arcane rules and mythology that only kids could decode and appreciate. But Yu-Gi-Oh! has an edge to it, too. Unlike the sugarcoated Pokémon, Yu- Gi-Oh!’s characters and Story lines are grim (it even has an evil CEO). Just compare
this Yu-Gi-Oh! monster with the cuddly Pokémon to his right.
But are the games any good? So far, nuh- uh. But that hasn't held back series sales (the PS1 Yu-Gi-Oh! RPG is the top-selling PS1 title). And don't expect a surge in quality now that the franchise has debuted on PS2 with Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses (reviewed on page 120). You're best off reading the translated manga (available monthly in | Shonen Jump magazine, www.shonenjump.com) if you want a Yu-Gi-Oh! experi- ence anyone out of junior high can get into.
What was the big deal? Three years after launching as a Japanese Game Boy game in 1996, Pokémon had grown into a multibillion-buck busi- ness fueled by a megahot card game, a movie that grossed $86 million, a cartoon series that aired 12 times a week, every type of merchandise from 150 licensees, and—of course— more top-selling videogames. Distracted stu- dents even led a few schools to ban Pokémon. But then, interest in the card game cooled, toy sales slid, and the most recent movie fizzled.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (GBA)
Why are the kids sooooo over it? Pokémon’s catchphrase, “Gotta catch ’em all!” has been fulfilled: The kids have caught all the monsters in the games and grabbed all the collectibles that their bulging toy boxes could contain. Store shelves had become saturated with Poké-products. “Once Wal-Mart and other mass marketers picked up on it,” says Rice, “it was- n't as collectible, because you could get it everywhere.” And as the franchise got more mainstream, its target audience of 9 to 14-year- olds felt less and less like the sole keepers of Poké-science. “If your parents or your 5-year-old brother shared your under- standing of Pokémon,” Rice tells us, Pikachu: Still a cutie- "it's not so exciting anymore." pie powerhouse in Japan, but losing ground here.
But the games are still good, right? The next big Pokémon installment— Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire for GBA— refines the series’ formula, with new mon- ster traits like Coolness and Cuteness (you can even enter your critters in beauty contests) and 135 original crit- ters. But, you still spend hours hunt- ing monsters in tall grass. You still battle trainers. Your path still gets blocked early on by a bush. If your interest in the series has wound down, you may not find enough here to pluck up your Poké-spirit. #% — Crispin Boyer
46
Wouldn't И be great if everything you read on the Internet was true? Hell, not only could we really super-size our private parts (or get our money back), but we'd also know all kinds of gooey details about PlayStation 3. We know it will happen eventually, but Sony hasn't officially said anything tangible about it. Of course, that hasn't stopped Web-savvy game fans from spread- ing some amazing rumors, speculation, and hoaxes surrounding the alleged “PS3.” Let's run down the three biggest:
joco А К ciae nest PS3 Mock-Up Logo Testing the limits of
Microsoft Paint and human imagination, one visionary brought Web-goers this little taste of what the PS3 logo may look like. Sony ad execs, take note: The *2" has been replaced with a hipper and more with-it digit.
“PS3 will be 1,000 times as powerful as PS2.” Don't be fooled by this statement; *power" is a vague term. This simply means that PS3 will be capable of laser-etching its logo onto your skull and inserting itself into your dreams.
PS3 eBay Auction Betamax-player styling and У big, clumsy switches weren't enough to dissuade a few bidders before eBay pulled this auction. / Apparently, PS3 will utilize leftover PS2 drive bays f and be able to interface with similarly designed early '9os gaming systems Бу way of huge, plastic wings.
built-in hard drive and broadband capabilities
the new system around the same time as rival makers [їп 2005 or 2006]
withdraw from the home game console [market],
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Celebrities are people, too — just incredi- bly rich ones. You like games; they like games. Each issue, we talk to a different celebrity who plays games, is involved in their creation, or is lucky enough to be in one. Actor Vin Diesel likes his games fast and furious, and when he's not playing them, he's making them: Diesel recently started his own game company, Tigon Games, whose first title, Perrone, is based on the life of a 19705 NYPD cop. So, to find out how much of a player this Hollywood hotshot really is, we sat down and grilled him about the games he spends his free time with and the quality of xXx for Game Boy Advance.
ЕСМ: We've heard the rumors —now's your chance to comment. Just how much of a closet geek are you?
A huge one. I love Lord of the Rings. Dungeons & Dragons is great, too—a train- ing ground for imagination. As for DVDs, you'd have to count mine by shelf space. I have a private screening room where I play those and also get lost in whatever videogame I’m into.
EGM: Our D&D group is in need of Dungeon Master, but I'll ask you about that later. Coming from a movie back- ground, what do you think of videogames finally maturing?
It's really exciting to me. The line between movies and games is blurring. Titles like Grand Theft Auto are using real screen- writers —and that's fantastic. I'll spend 20 hours playing some of these suckers, like Dynasty Warriors 3....It's awesome.
EGM: Films have influenced many games over the years. Is the trend starting to reverse now?
Not especially, but it is coming. Games themselves are becoming more cinematic. How far off can the transition be?
EGM: Is the prospect of more cinematic games exciting to you?
It's not so bad, considering I love videogames so much I'm creating my own company to develop them. Wait and see.
EGM: After xXx for Game Boy Advance? We'd rather not.
[laughs] Thanks for calling me out there. It's a shame, but you're right. It was a piece of s***. | didn't know better. Give me time—I'm learning. | promise the situation will be rectified.
EGM: It had better be, mister, or we total- ly won't let you be our Dungeon Master.
Making a game | would enjoy is a hobby and personal challenge, man. Your payoff is getting to play my games. I’m bringing out several types for all platforms. But you can bet every one will be off tha' hook.
EGM: You seem to be taking a gamble in making your own games. Why put so much on the line and do it all yourself instead of leaving it to the pros?
Simple. The time is right. People have wanted me to sign up to do so many games lately, | was finally like, “Screw this—it's time to do something on my own.”
48
At this past January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, monster-of- the-basketball-court Shaquille O'Neal (left) squared off Xbox Live-style against monster-of-the-megacorporation Bill Gates in a game of the upcoming Xbox racer, Midtown Madness 3. The race ended with the basket- ball star defeating Gates, but we’re gonna guess Shaq had the advantage— his hands are the only ones big enough to hold the standard Xbox pad.
So, what do you, our readers,
We went to our message boards at www.egmmag.com and asked. f Here’s what people told us:
sexier (yeah, | said it—sexier)
essentially buying the same
system. Nintendo тену: realized that gamers don't Went OYE they want sleek gadgets,
| already own a
manages to get better looking, slimmer, andilessannaying with each: change,
ACROSS 4. NBA 2
3. The Wind 9. Arcade classic with insects and shrooms 1. One of the Bubble Bobble (NES) pair 43. Pokémon that evolves into Pidgeotto 44. 34 down is the master of this
35. Sonic’s Chaos Emerald, for one
46. Giants’ city in World Series Baseball
state (abbr
17. P.
25. Like well-done textures
26. Contra revival's Idier (PS2)
28. A role-player's life force
30. Brought The Two Towers to PS2
31. Street Fighter IIl's Oro has only one
33. Power Stone strongman
36. Shield-chuck
38. Pokémon #193
до. This boy and his Yorda are almost never parted
да. Ricky Carmichael's motocross game
ish game (DC)
43. Sonic Team Dreamcast hit remade on
and Xbox (abbrv.)
44. Dance Dance Revolution moves
45. Mega Man you can call me handsome _
g hero reborn on the PS2
42. Grow-a-man- батеси!
8 (PS1): “I'm Aquaman, but
DOWN
з. LePew of Bugs Bunny Game Boy games
2. GameCub 9
3. Resident Evil Code: Veronica's Alfred wears one at times
4. Like Diddy or Donkey Kong
5. Use one per door in Gauntlet
PlayStation.@
6. Completes the trio with Edd and Eddy onGBC 7. Resident Evil surname 8. Cast appears in some really Xtreme Beach Volleyball 10. Six points in NFL 2K3 за. Rush ‘n’ Attack (NES) heroes wear them when they're out on the town аз. Acclaim's XXX sport 35. Crystal Dynamics’ reptilian platform star (retired) 16. Season for being outside, not playing videogames inside 28. Do it to "all monsters" in GC Godzilla 39. Let Dreamcasts play PS1 games 20. Mario breaks boxes with his in Mario
The battle to save the outside world starts within. As Jen Tate, a conflicted and unsuspecting hero, you'll assume а host of savage yet intelligent demon forms in order to save four distant realms — from decaying kingdoms submerged in poisoned waters to bleak netherworlds shrouded in eternal winter. You'll Sunshine engage legions of enemies. Meet and, at times, be incarnated as Scree, an
vn, Up, Right” on the NES Zelda ancient and powerful ally. And ultimately face your own shocking secret.
map Inside and out, there is no sanctuary. 22. Mega Man X can do it; Mega Man can't
24. Played Vagabond in Wing Commander Ill and 26. This company
François _
alled “Service Games” once upon a time
27. NBA Street court material
29. What Parodius (Japan) is to Gradius (NES)
32. Makes some people stop gaming
34. Little NES platformer 5
35. Take one to stop the cloc Madden 2003
36. NFL Fever's St. Louis team
37. The arcade version of Amusement Vision/Nintendo's F-Zero
39. You can look at this in three
Blood
Violence
LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PLAY IN OURS:
www.playstation.com
Primal ТМ/©2003 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc."Live In Your World. Play In Ours." and "Civilization Is Only Skin Deep." are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
dimensions in Metroid Prime
If you're fed up with the cheaters and choppy frame- rates that have plagued online games of Unreal Championship since its release on Xbox last November — worry по more. Developer Digital Extremes has listened to gamers’ feedback, and by the time you read this, it will have released a patch to all Xbox Live players to fix these issues. We spoke with James Schmalz (above), Digital Extremes' founder and creative director, to get the inside scoop.
EGM: First off, why release a patch now? Shouldn't the game have been perfect when it came out?
The game was as perfect as possible when it shipped. Microsoft made
sure of this during its certification process. Otherwise, it never would have made it to store shelves. Online games are more com- plex than regular games, and exploits will invariably be found when there are hundreds of thousands of people playing. Exploits that would not be an issue in single-player mode become roadblocks to online competition. Instead of allowing the game to be ruined, we are improving it, so our fans can continue to enjoy it.
EGM: How will players know that they're downloading the patch? What in-game clues will alert them to it?
After logging on to Xbox Live, there will be a prompt telling you there's an auto-update for UC. It will then take you back to the Xbox Live Main menu and begin downloading the patch. It is a tiny download and is a forced update.
Gradius V
50
According to a report in movie-industry mag Variety, the film rights to Samus Aran's misadventures with those wily, life-sucking Metroids were recently snatched up by the producers of Final Destination. A Metroid movie release has yet to be determined, but the admittedly very cool-sounding plot will follow that of the original game fairly closely: Female bounty hunter Samus Aran is commissioned by the Galactic Federation to exterminate the Metroid menace and then stumbles on a plot to use the li'l critters to create an unstoppable army. Hmm...sounds a bit familiar. Maybe they should cast Sigourney Weaver as Ms. Aran?
EGM: What does this patch fix? What's the immediate benefit to the player?
The main exploit [this patch will fix] allowed people to move up the rankings unfairly. Other fixes include exploits with the TAG rifle, team balancing, and map bound- aries. We also wanted to include an option to turn off the antialiasing [graphic effects] to boost performance in some of the more visual- ly complex maps. And, we wanted to include. some general engine performance enhance- ments we have recently developed to increase the overall speed of the game. In addition to the update, we are planning a simultaneous
new content download that will include four new maps.
=| We don't know whether to laugh or cry. Peter Molyneux, the famed designer whose much- hyped Lionhead Studios has promised many console games but has yet to ship one, and Jeff Minter, prolific programmer of multiple versions (on failing systems) of the arcade-classic shooter Tempest, have joined forces. Their mission? To create a GameCube music-and-light show that's also a game called Unity (left). Based on their track records, expect it to suffer
Quartermann —
It's spring again, a time of rejuvenation and contemplation. It's also the time when many game companies are planning their line- ups for May's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. And if any of the current gossip holds true, it should be very excit- ing indeed. So, let's cut with the pleasantries and get right to it:
When Nintendo unveiled the бате/Воу Advance SP (see page 32);
one heavily rumored featuré was missing--wire- less capability via Bluetooth. Nintendo has already dabbled in the world of
Bluetooth/RF communication with its
Wavebird wireless GC controllér, and.
it was heavily rumored that this fea-
2 ture would be similarly set up on SP, so you could play, with friends up to
30 feet away. Not only that, but the
wireless link would supposedly be com-
A. patible with the Wavebird's receiver-so the
E SP could double as a wireless controller Е for playing GBA.games оп GC via the ETIN upcoming Game Boy Player peripheral.
Exciting, eh? But-all that was pulled
~ tion indicates that Nintendo might even:
tually release a peripheral that gives both the standard and SP GBAs wireless capability—or, more likely, we'll have to ма Тог the next-gen- eration GBA, which is already in the works (but don't worry,.it's still a | few years off)...
Even though some of you out there haven't even finished Prime yet (hurry it up already), the boys at developer Retro Studios are already thinking about a new Metroid. It's still in the preliminary stages, but the good news is, we won't be waitin' another eight years for a new "Troid.... Even closer on the radar is Metal Gear Solid 3, which is apparently further along in development than anyone dared anticipate: The Q's sources indicate we may even see the first footage from Kojima & Со. latest MGS at E3 this May.... And while we're on the subject of
for unknown reasons..Current specula-
sequels, Midway's apparently in the early stages of a new game in its Rush racing series (San Francisco Rush, Rush 2049). Let's hope the rumors The Q's heard.about turning it into a Twisted-Metal Black clone with car-combat are- nas are false. That, my friends, would be a waste of a good arcade racer... EA Games will have another James Bond 007 title ready for aspiring secret agents later this year. Expect a new one every year as long as the titles keep raking in the dough like 2002’s NightFire.... Also down the line (but far enough off to where I’m not. even sure | should mention it...ah, what the hell)is a remake/revival of Capcom's Bionic Commando...
ЧИН be back."
Yes, Q-fans, l;said “portable.” Now, insert any jokes you like (I'll even make a couple myself), but Bill Gates commented in early January at the/Consümer Electronics Show in Vegas that by 2006 we could see a portable Xbox. Wait...has the man finally gone mad with power? That huge, monolithic, behemoth/of a console (told you | was gonna make jokes)...portablé? Blizzle bizzle! Well; actually, the more likely scenario (and the one yours truly has heard,thrown around most often) is that it will be-a portable based on Xbox’s architecture, minus the things that make the current console bulky: Bye-bye, hard drive...sayonara, four controller ports...auf wiedersehen, huge controller!
Hot Q: Sony to enter Nintendo's turf?
The rumblings about a handheld game system from Sony have
returned. The project, code-named Play Boy (which is not a portable PS1 and won't use CDs as its delivery medium), has reportedly been revived. We could hear something more con- crete later this year, possibly even as early as E3.
That's all for this month, folks. If you feel like dropping me a line, send e-mail to quartermannGziffdavis.com. | can't answer (any- thing The Q says can and has been used against him), but at least you'll know I’m reading your transmissions. Until next time,
rumor fiends. —TheQ
51 vw.egn
1 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | |1 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City — * Rockstar » 1 > Rockstar [c Гез
10 10 10 | |2 LOTR: The Two Towers
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2 Dragon Ball 7: Budokai
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О! i ПНА 1 Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul — Ф| |9 Conflict Desert Storm
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Konami 8 James Bond 007: NightFire = 10 Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
9 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Activision 02 b di TOP 10 BEST-SELLING GAMES IN JAPAN
10 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance ere >| |1 Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire | Even though this Midway - Nintendo REZ | sales chart is pamm swarming with fi Kingdom Hearts = | | ^ 2 Ratchet & Clank PlayStation 2 Square EA == Sony CH == titles, Pokémon ny CEA iu NS. л І A
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16 Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets САМЕ БОЙ ВС низой: 7 Unlimited Saga стае дее
17 Gran Turismo 3 A-spec Square 2| oped games not aS 8 Zelda: The Wind Waker see
18 SOCOM: US. Navy SEALs Nintendo ga па ony =
19 NBA Live 2003 vus en Fary 4 EA Sports
20 Super Mario Advance 3 атш YU bé d n
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2
JOHN ABRAHAMS | VA И BOSTON PU
March
Aero Elite: Combat Academy (Flight) PS2 Amplitude (Music) PS2 Auto Modellista (Racing) PS2 Batman: Dark Tomorrow (Action) PS2, GC, Xbox BattleBots (Action) PS2, GC The Chessmaster (Chess —duh) PS2, Xbox Clock Tower 3 (Adventure) PS2 Colin McRae Rally 3 (Racing) PS2, Xbox Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride (Driving) GBA Def Jam Vendetta (Wrestling) PS2, GC Dynasty Warriors 4 (Action) PS2 Falcone: Into the Maelstrom (Action) Xbox Fila World Tour Tennis (Sports) Xbox Haven: Call of the King (Action) GC, Xbox
Indiana Jones & the Emperor's Tomb (Adv.) PS2, Xbox Jet Grind Radio (Action) GBA The King of Route 66 (Racing) PS2 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Adventure) GC
The Lost (Action) PS2, Xbox The Lost Vikings (Action) GBA шта: The Ruins of Lore (RPG) GBA Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Fighting) Xbox Mega Man & Bass (Action) GBA Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (Action) PS2 Mercedes-Benz World Racing (Racing) Xbox Midnight Club II (Racing) PS2 MLB 2004 (Sports) PS2 MLB SlugFest 20-04 (Sports) PS2, GC, Xbox MotoGP 3 (Racing) PS2 Murakumo: Mech Hunter (Action) Xbox MVP Baseball 2003 (Sports) PS2, Xbox My Street (Misc.) PS2
МВА Street Vol. 2 (Sports) PS2, GC, Xbox Phantasy Star Online Episode 1811 (RPG) Xbox
Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire (RPG) GBA Primal (Action) PS2 Pro Race Driver (Racing) Xbox Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (Act.) PS2, GC, Xbox, GBA Red Faction II (Action) GC, Xbox Return to Castle Wolfenstein (Action) PS2, Xbox Sega Rally Championship (Racing) GBA The Sims (Sim-ulation) GC, Xbox Super Puzzle Fighter 11 Turbo (Puzzle) GBA Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus (Fighting) Xbox Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (Action) PS2 Top Angler (Sports) GC, Xbox Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (Action) PS2
Electronic Gan
WWE: Crush Hour (Non-Wrestling Action) PS2, GC World Series Baseball 2K3 (Sports) PS2, Xbox World Soccer Winning Eleven 6 Int'l (Sports) PS2 Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (Action) Р52
Backyard Baseball (Sports) GC Brute Force (Action) Xbox Conflict: Desert Storm (Action) GC DroneZ (Action) Xbox Gladius (RPG) PS2, GC, Xbox Golden Sun: The Lost Age (RPG) GBA Hamtaro: Ham Ham Heartbreak (Misc.) GBA High Heat Baseball 2004 (Sports) GC Ikaruga (Shooter) GC Midnight Club II (Racing) Xbox RTX: Red Rock (Action) PS2, GC Silent Hill 3 (Action) PS2
Ultimate Muscle (Wrestling)
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (Adventure) GBA Celebrity Deathmatch (Fighting) PS2, Xbox Enter the Matrix (Action) PS2, GC, Xbox Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter (Action) PS2, GC, Xbox
GC, GBA
Mafia (Action) Xbox Malice (Action) PS2, Xbox Mega Man Network Transmission (Action) GC
Space Channel 5: Ulala’s Cosmic Attack (Act.) GBA Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Action) GC, GBA
Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Microgame$ (Action) СВА Wario World (Action) GC WWE Raw 2 (Wrestling) Xbox
IMPORT CALENDAR Import Pick of the Month
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0 „5
Anime fans, start your engines! Sega's bringing home the goods with the PlayStation 2 conversion of their popular (in Japan) arcade racer, Initial D: Special Stage. Based on a wildly successful anime and weekly manga (comic book) series, Initial D stars 18-year-old Takumi Fujiwara, who loves to race cars. The home version features an all-new Story mode and a one- on-one Battle mode where players can compete for points that can be used for upgrading vehicles. Fans interested in the series should check out the U.S. release of the manga and anime from our friends at TokyoPop (www.tokyopop.com).
PlayStation 2
2/27 Sakura Taisen, Sega (Simulation)
2/27 Shin Megami Tensei Ш: Nocturne, Atlus (RPG)
2/27 Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time, Enix (RPG)
3/6 Chaos Legion, Capcom (Action)
3/13 Final Fantasy X-2, Square (RPG)
3/13 Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, Sega (Fighting)
3/20 Arc the Lad: Spirits’ Twilight, SCEI (RPG)
3/27 Initial D: Special Stage, Sega (Racing)
3/27 Soul Calibur Il, Namco (Fighting)
GameCube
3/6 Rockman EXE Transmission, Capcom (Action)
3/27 РМ.оз, Capcom (Action)
3/27 Soul Calibur И, Namco (Fighting)
Apr. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Nintendo (RPG)
Apr. Star Fox Armada, Nintendo (Shooting)
*Schedule subject to change without notice. Consult your local import-game store for the latest release info. 1 don't smoke...but tonight I'm gonna smoke you!
Battalion and MechAssault can't even fire fuisses at travel as fas as you will in
^xbox.ign.con
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Monthly - 96 - v
mmag.com
JOHN AND KAREN WERE STONED AND HOOKED UP. AFTER SMOKED, THINGS NEVER WOULD HAVE GONE AS FAR AS THEY CAME DOWN, THEY REALIZED THAT IF THEY HADN'T THEY DID. THE CONSEQUENCES WiLL LAST A LIFETIME.
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Wi ENSTERS.
REALLY BIG MONSTERS. REALLY BRUTAL FIGHTS. Imagine a classic 1950s monster movie with a modern twist, no guys in rubber suits, no bad actors, no subtitles. You're a 100-foot monster and you’ re looking for a fight. Roam through striking cityscapes, toss
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good dental plan. ONLY THE MEANEST MONSTER SURVIVES. Erw Violence
www.playstation.com War of the Monsters is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America
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“PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. шш "Live In Your World. Play In Ours.” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
PlayStation.e
BL |
LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PLAY IN OURS:
== (2 X ‹
Previews
This Month in Previews
PlayStation 2
64-65 Silent Hill 3 66,68 Pitfall Harry
74 Clock Tower 3 75 Auto Modellista
Auto Modellista
Resident Evil Online
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Fear Effect: Inferno Fugitive Hunter
Resident Evil: Dead Aim Dynasty Warriors 4
86 Mega Man Network Transmission Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut
Dino Crisis 3
90-91 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
(Source: Gamers.com poll, 01/03)
Nz ZAIN
ЕСМ” previews editor. In fact, it's
my final month working in San Francisco with the EGM crew. Рт off to the homeland in order to start EGM Canada. OK, I'm not really that ambi- tious. I'll be too busy building igloos and hunting moose to run a magazine.
And since I couldn't sell the editor-in- chief on my Greg Sewart Memorial cover Story, | have to say my goodbyes right here. But rather than getting all dramatic and mushy, I’m just gonna list the three things I'll miss most about working here: 1. Sleeping under my desk: The first month | worked at EGM, | was still writing strategies for Expert Gamer (our sister magazine, which became GameNOW). Writing a Vagrant Story guide while beat- ing Vanguard Bandits, Ridge Racer V, and Metal Gear Solid (GBC) meant sleeping under my desk every night for over a week. | even had a mattress and Star Wars sheets. Ah...those were the days. 2. Hate mail: | got mountains of hate mail for giving Chrono Cross (PS1) a review of 9.5, costing it a Platinum Award by not scoring it a 10. A lot of the comments were really mean, but at least
T his month marks my last issue as
2. Resident Evil Online
3. Silent Hill 3 4. Dino Crisis 3 5. Ultimate Muscle
Dracula haunts GBA for a third time in Aria of Sorrow. Our preview starts on page 90.
| learned that people really give a crap about what | say. Oh, and for everyone who sent hate mail: Get over it!
3. Adoring fans: Wait a sec...| don't think | have any of those.
What РИ miss most, though, is the group of guys and girls that put this magazine together. lve never worked with a cooler crowd —and l've been in Internet sales!
And now I must depart. The INS agents have ziplined into our office and are holding our features editor hostage until | surrender. I’m going out with a bang—or at least a costly commotion. See y'all on the flip side. 4f
— Former Previews Editor Greg Sewart
GBA, May 2003 PS2, Fall 2003 PS2, April 2003 Xbox, August 2003 GC, April 2003
Which survival-horror game are you most looking forward 102
— Resident Evil 4
- I'm so sick of survival-horror games
Electroni Gaming Monthly - 62 - www.egmmag.com
Resident Evil Online
Clock Tower 3 Dino Crisis 3
mioochers away fro : m | Your
ng |
1. Moocher approaches.
2. Dig moat.
4. Keep Juicy Fruit!
= ©2002 Wm Wrigley Jr. Company Juicy Fruit is a registered trademark.
p ——
[TI Konami
Developer: Konami CET Pavers: | EXC Теггог-Ноггог 80%
Release: Summer 2003
The creature designs
in the latest Silent Hill look even more #$%S$ed ир than before. And the game ships with a sound- track CD.
The game's camera
goes all Blair Witch on you when monsters attack. (Consider scream- ing out "Josshh! JOSSHH!!I") ЕЛҮ There's something really creepy about playing as an underage girl.
Giant bunnies sleep it off after an all- night blood-drinking kegger.
the latest game in what Konami calls its terror-hor-
ror franchise. When EGM recently attended a Konami press event, we knew few facts about Silent Hill 3: It’s not a direct sequel; the main character car- ries the series' trademark flashlight and radio that emits static whenever monsters get near; and it's set in the same dark, hopeless town.
Producer Akira Yamaoka and Art Director Masahiro Ito appeared at the event to demonstrate and dis- cuss Silent Hill 3. Yamaoka showed it to us, and, well..it was gorgeous and sharp enough to give even some of the better-looking Xbox games a run for their money. Textures shifted in the background as the game morphed into its familiar nightmare-world sce- nario. Blood welled up in spots on the walls, making them seem almost alive.
*The team has gone to its darkest ideas and imple- mented them in this game," said Yamaoka, prompt- ing an audience member to ask Ito, the game's main
MONSTER MANUAL
| seemed like a routine assignment: Find out about
Silent Hill 3
~ This is what happens When you.”
don't clean the birdcage regularly.
monster designer, if he has many nightmares. *No! None at all," the artist cheerfully replied.
The creators were almost completely mum about the story line, however. They spoke about the three main characters: Heather, a normal teenager; Douglas Cartland, a middle-aged private investigator; and Claudia, a strange witchy-woman who knows more than she's telling. Prompted for more, Yamaoka added, “The game brings back the occult element from the original Silent Hill." Funny. We didn't know it had gone anywhere.
We interviewed the two designers later, hoping to get more info. “At this point, there's a limit to what we can tell you," Yamaoka said. We asked if any charac- ters, places, or monsters from previous Silent Hill games appear. “Мо, but we didn't say there's no con- nection." So, there's an overall mythology at work? Yamaoka and Ito paused for a moment. "That's a very good question," they replied, laughing.
We explored the playable Silent Hill 3 demo
The assortment of creatures in Silent Hill 3 would make Н.Р. Lovecraft (or, for that matter, Marilyn Manson) proud. Here's—ugh!—a taste.
This split-headed, zebra-
striped dog-thing is also avail-
able in orange for fall.
What do you get when you cross a lamprey, a bloody tarp, and...oh geesh, we don't know.
walk backward.
64
If we had a dog this ugly, we'd shave its butt and teach it to
These things have no eyes, ears, or noses. They look, sound, and smell terrible.
Konami gave us to find out more. It begins with Heather—an average teenager with freckles, nice accessories, and an expensive haircut—at an amuse- ment park entryway. It's late at night, and some giant rabbit costumes with blood-smeared mouths are strewn around the area. Two tall, grated boxes are
"The game hrings back the occult element from the
original Silent Hill."
strapped to the ground nearby. Something inside them is wrapped like meat in a butcher shop, but it's more human in shape.
After searching the area, you enter a darkened hallway that leads to some shops. A zebra-striped, split-headed dog chases you, as well as a large crea- ture with a circular, featureless head and oversized fleshy arms. You duck into a candy shop, but no exit exists. The monsters soon corner you, and...you wake up in a restaurant in the local mall. “What a creepy dream," Heather says in a short cut-scene. Quite.
Heather walks out into the mall and a strange
: THE SILENT HILL YOU'LL NEVER PLAY
In early 2001, Konami released a Game Boy Advance version of the original Silent Hill in the form of a "choose your own adventure"-style interactive novel with still backgrounds. In the game, you play as either protagonist Harry Mason or policewoman Cybil Bennet in a hunt for Harry's daughter, Cheryl, and answers to what's happened to the town. Konami says there's no chance of it ever coming to the United States.
Above: We were shocked to learn that Claudia's insane.
Above: Heather might be demon- spawn, but check out that hair!
man—who introduces himself as Douglas Cartland, а detective—says that someone wants to meet with her. “It’s about your birth.” He follows Heather to the bathroom, but she tells him to wait there and ducks out through the bathroom window.
You head through the back of mall into an area of
—Silent Hill 3 Producer Akira Yamaoka
closed-off shops. A cut-scene begins as Heather finds a gun on the floor. She picks it up in time to see a swivel-headed beast from her dream busy at work grinding the face off of a dead security guard.
After frantically searching for a while, you find a white-haired woman in old-fashioned clothes. Heather asks her about the monsters she’s seen. “They’ve come to bear witness,” the woman— Claudia—tells her, “to the rebirth of paradise spoiled by mankind.” She refers to Heather as “the one who will lead us to paradise with bloodstained hands.” Heather’s seized by a headache and Claudia leaves her there, collapsed on the floor.
The hour-long demo ends with a trip down an ele- vator into a grimy basement that looks like hell. We're guessing this is right before the first boss encounter—which we saw at the press event—where a giant mutated worm bursts into the basement through a doorway right in front of you. The flesh around its eyeless head (which is unnervingly, um, foreskin-like) splits in two to reveal massive jaws.
Konami’s Silent Hill 3 is due out for PlayStation 2 this summer. Will it come to other platforms as well, like Silent Hill 2 did? That’s something Yamaoka answered. “At this moment,” he said, “we don’t have such a plan." i —Joe Fielder
SNAP OPEN A SLIM JIM TO SURVIVE
Supplies,
It’s true. Horrible dog mon- sters with no eyes love the taste of beef jerky. In Silent Hill з, dropping sticks of processed meat onto the ground will momentarily distract a creature. And while it stops to eat, you can either run away or, say, bash it over the head repeatedly with a rusty metal pipe. The designers say this is an example of new gameplay elements found in SH3. Yum!
ect M
Pitfall Harry
Publisher: Activision
Edge of Reality a |
[Genre Action
65%
Fall 2003 воот CC, Xbox
The new Pitfall has
vines, crocodiles, pits, and every- thing else we loved in the original, plus especially lush environments. Harry's а little too clean-shaven for us to fully trust- Indiana Jones never needed no stinkin' razor.
Several of the previ- ous games in the series were seri- ously, seriously ugly.
GIMME A HAND
Pitfall Harry's direct con- trol system, which allows the player to manipulate anything in Harry's hands by using the analog sticks on the controller, is the most notable new feature in the series. *Harry's hands will react to the way you move the analog Stick," explains Senior Producer Chris Hewish. *For example, if you're in a dark ruin area, you can keep your torch facing the ground in order to watch for traps or creatures that might be attacking, or you can hold it up to see if there's an opening above you." Other uses include making Harry reach out to grab an artifact, or spin- ning your sling around in the air à la Sony's Ape Escape (Р51).
ч
Lost Ark in the theaters and you could hold a
game controller at the time, chances are you're among the more than four million people who snatched up Activision's Pitfall! for Atari 2600. The game's lead character, Pitfall Harry, was everything you wanted to see in an Indiana Jones-style videogame hero: He swung on vines, leaped over giant scorpions, jumped onto crocodiles' heads, and collected treasure. Pitfall has had a number of follow-ups since it first hit in '82, and the latest version is due for current systems later this year. Just don't call it a comeback...call it a remake.
“It’s not a sequel to the previous games," says Chris
| f you're old enough to have seen Raiders of the
This scene should stir some nostalgia in the souls of old- school Pitfall fans. Too bad Harry looks so wimpy.
Harry envisions all the money he could make by suing the resort, should a piranha eat his leg.
Hewish, Pitfall Harry’s senior producer. “It’s actually a relaunch of the brand—a retelling of the whole thing.” So, say goodbye to Harry Jr., the main character in the last two Pitfall games. In Pitfall Harry, you'll play as the original article as he delves deep into South American jungles to rescue the members of a failed expedition and foil a rival campaign intent on plun- dering the area. You'll spend most of your time swinging on vines, leaping onto crocodiles, engaging in quick battles with enemies, exploring, and solving puzzles—as well as picking up the occasional artifact dropped by the enemy expedition along its way. Besides new versions of the crocodiles and giant scorpions of old, you'll also face piranhas, alligators,
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 86 - www.egmmag.com
The Риге Of Illegal Street Racing
MIDNIGHT CLUB И " 7 چ / ge: A
A 27у
u^
Meet the world's most notorious drivers on Choose from the latest performance enhanced vehicles There are no rules - drive anywhere in the city. Find The Midnight Club is now open to motorbikes. the streets of LA, Paris, and Tokyo. and compete to make a name for yourself. the fastest roule to win. Take advantage of the speed and control
(ле | PlayStation.2
WWW.ROCKSTARGAMES.COM/MIONIGHTCLUB2
R, | Violence
a pes
PREVIEW
Harry makes like Oakland Raiders' quarterback Rich Gannon and readies to throw an interception.
relaunch of the brand...”
jungle cats, monkeys, and renegade natives who throw stink bombs, spin into bladed whirlwinds, or hide in bushes and sneak up behind you when you're not looking. You'll acquire additional moves and items along the way, such as a sling, dynamite, ice picks, and stink bombs, to help you combat these enemies. And you'll need the help. “We have crea- tures and encounters in the game that require certain items in order for you to defeat them,” says Hewish. “In the case of the bush ninjas, you have to shoot
We want to come up with some kind of Indiana Jones joke here...but it just ain't happenin’.
“It's not a sequel to the previous games. It's actually a
THE LOST PITFALL
Activision was going to release a sequel to Super Pitfall on the Super NES. It was actually Sunsoft's
Japanese game, Atlantis no Nazo (Mystery of Atlantis), licensed and renamed for American audi- ences. But it was never actually released here. Only one prototype of the game is known to exist.
Yo
РЬ ^ їй гч i
4" E
—Senior Producer Chris Hewish
them with a sling while they're in a bush. That causes them to try to find a new bush to hide in, and while they're running, you can hit them."
To make the combat easy and painless, Harry will automatically lock onto an enemy once it's near. Unlike the similar z-targeting found in games like Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series, this feature does- n't require a button press, and Harry will also snap out of it once he's a certain distance away.
The game will also have numerous extras, such as secret areas and the ability to trade artifacts for extra items. But will it have one of the older Pitfalls hidden inside? "We're talking about that right now, but no decision has been made,” says Hewish. "We're going to have to see how things come down. " s
— Joe Fielder
GRADUAL DEATH
In many of the previous Pitfall games, the wrong step meant instant death. Pitfall Harry will be a lit- tle more forgiving. For example, if you fall into a giant, toothy pit, it will chew on you for a moment, then spit you back out. You'll also have a chance to pry open crocodiles’ jaws— from the inside —when they bite you. In both cases, you'll take damage, but the attacks won't kill you outright. You can't walk away from some encoun- ters, however— like being hit by a 3,000-pound stone column. Watch out!
After seeing the new Harry, we asked Senior Producer Chris
Hewish if the game had gone “kiddie.” “We just want to make a fun game that's appealing to everyone," he said.
“Мете going to infuse а bit more of a light-hearted, whim- Sical approach. There's more fun elements that come out of situational humor." Maybe we're imagining it, but Harry somehow looked a hell of a lot tougher on the Atari 2600.
Loads of ALL-NEW features like individual MLB Ferocious adrenaline-style play lets you go in More than 1,500 dazzling animations offer
player batting stances and pitching deliveries. Spikes high; then, relive it from any angle with flawless running, fielding, hitting and pitehing action. the new customizable instant replay.
АЕ
Comic Mischief а || ) мт (€ ж a PlayStation. ^ GAMEBOYAbvANcE Jb
Violence
SPORTS
NINTENDO XBox
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INCREDIBLE GRAPHICS!
BREATHTAKING ACTION!
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VIOLENCE
STAR.WARS NIGHTS
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LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC. Used under authorization. LucasA afl, Xbox and the X В n in the U.S. and or in other from Microsoft. BioWare and BioWare logo are гед
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[pc шә
PREVIEW
[Pubüisher: Capcom Capcom |
EC survival-horror 20%
March 2003
None www.capcom.com Resident Evil meets
Eternal Darkness
The Bad: Puzzles that assume
you dropped out of third grade Watching (yes, watch- ing) a 15-year-old girl get killed with a sledgehammer
tower" with the same enthusiasm as to the words
"particle board" and *iron lung" might be in for a change of attitude. CT3 has a lot more to offer horror- game junkies than its two PS1 predecessors. Its atmosphere ranges from the serious psychological freakiness of Silent Hill, right on past the “Oh, hell, what is THAT thing?" factor of Resident Evil, and on to the ridiculously gory and outlandish mood of Illbleed (Dreamcast). Yeah, it shamelessly rips some ideas from these staples, but it looks and plays so well that we ain’t complainin’. Let’s discuss:
The latest CT stays true to the pacifist design of the first two games (the only time you actually fight in CT3 is in boss battles, and even then, it’s more evasion or self-defense), but it still manages to pack in all the action and suspense of its contemporaries.
Protagonist Alyssa Hale’s major quests involve dri- ving evil spirits from history’s most murderous vil-
COOKING WITH CLOCK TOWER
F olks who normally react to the words "clock
Capcom sent in this perfect recipe for a succulent survival-horror surprise.
SILENT HILL Twisted imagery, murder of inno-
ETERNAL DARKNESS Alyssa's journeys
THE SIXTH SENSE “Alyssa sees dead people!”
RESIDENT EVIL Just looking at the opening
scene showing the inside of Alyssa's house reminds us of RE. All we need are some zombie dogs at the door.
and she has to satisfy their spir- its by setting their wrongful deaths right. Bruce Willis not included.
fan out through various points in history. She's also got a Panic meter that works a lot like ED's Sanity meter.
cents, and myste- rious changes in the space-time continuum will remind players of their vacations in Silent Hill.
n
Clock Tower 3
ains, but along the way, she'll also meet up with esser stiffs and return the keepsakes they've lost.
In return, she'll receive handy items from her grateful undead pals. Moreover, she won't be assaulted by their meandering ghosts, who have the potential to uild up her Panic meter.
The Panic meter gauges Alyssa's stress level as a result of frightening happenings. She doesn't really
ave the ability to fight, so she justly can't really get hurt (boss battles are the exception). But when, for example, a bad guy jumps out from behind a door or nocks her around a bit, she'll begin to panic. You'll then have to find a place for Alyssa to hide and ride out the stress. In this state, one of two things can happen: Alyssa gets so freaked out she dies, or she runs around like a drunken little schoolgirl. As much as we all like the sound of the latter, it's not good for gameplay—in that state, she's nearly impossible to control. gf —Jonathan Dudlak
PREVIEW
[Publisher: Capcom [Developer Capcom ГОТ 1-2 (2-8 Online, broadband only) CY Racing ШЇ 85% Магсһ 2003
None
WWW.capcom.com Race against gear- heads all over the country in your custom ride.
ОТУИ Voice-chat support while racing would be nice.
[77 This could be the closest we'll get to Gran Turismo Online anytime soon.
Eclipses, RX-7s, and various other (mostly)
Japanese cars that cruise the streets of your town adorned with loads of decals, colored lighting, and ridiculously huge spoilers. It's the street-racing culture. You buy a relatively cheap car, spend a few grand to up its horsepower, and decorate it to resem- ble something you'd see on a racetrack. Now, you'll get to do the same, but for just $50 and the cost of your monthly Internet bill.
This type of game has been done before with the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series and other titles. So, why should you care about this one? Well, besides the Daytona-style arcadey gameplay, three things will entice you to pick up Auto Modellista— even if you own every other street-racing game known to man.
Y ou’ve seen 'em: those loud, modified Civics,
1. Graphics Capcom knows all driving games start to look alike after a while, which is why it's used cartoon shading on the cars in Auto Modellista. The cars still look realistic, but with a definite style that assures you'll never mistake this for a different product. The effect is accentuated with speed lines and mini-explosions that occur anytime a car backfires.
Your ride ain't the only thing you can trick out in Auto Modellista. Your garage starts out pretty nondescript, but as you play through the single- player mode, you'll unlock posters, toolboxes, tro- phies, and other objects you can arrange and dis- play in your carhole. All you need now is that weird mechanic who works for beer and never leaves.
2. No Cash
The hundreds of parts, decals, and decorations you
can use on your cars and garage in Auto Modellista don't cost a dime. Rather, you earn them by winning single-player races. Make no mistake—Auto Modellista is not a simulation like Gran Turismo 3. Earning and using new cars and parts is as simple as possible
in this game.
3. Online Racing
We're most excited about Auto Modellista's 2 to 8 player online support (broadband only). Let's face it: The PS2 online racing community is pretty hard up for games right now (ATV Offroad Fury 2 is starting to wear a bit thin), so getting a quality game like this, in which you not only race real people but make them jealous when you show off your customized vehicle, is just what the doctor ordered.
Auto Modellista does have a few weaknesses— in particular, it doesn't have enough tracks. But with so much else to do off the track (see sidebar) and the capability to race online, the positives far outweigh the negatives. So, grab a copy of Auto Modellista this March and look for “Sewart.” dl
— Greg Sewart
pd де
PREVIEW GALLERY
Resident Evil Online
Capcom • Fall 2003 • Also On: None— How the hell will Capcom take Resident Evil online? That's been our question since this project was announced years ago: How can Resident Evil's traditionally awkward combat system and Solitary, story-driven gameplay work as an online multiplayer title? It's like trying to imagine Star Wars as a one-man off- Broadway play— you just have no idea what to expect. A first- person shooter in which players choose to play as either police or zombies? That was rumored at one point. A racer with classic RE characters and zombies zipping through the burning streets of Raccoon City on wee go-karts? OK, no, that's just stupid.
Turns out Capcom's plan is far less radical: Keep the basic RE structure—a third-person adventure based on finding keys, solving puzzles, and fighting zombies—and shift the gameplay so that instead of competing against each other, two to four players must work as a team to survive.
“RE Online is meant to be a cooperative game,” says Capcom Product Manager Robert Johnson. "You definitely want your partners to stay alive. If there's not four players there, it's going to be difficult." Outside the obvious benefit of additional guns helping to keep those damn dirty zombies' paws off you, players can help each other by trading items UM (ammo, healing herbs, etc), unlocking parts of the game only Another example of players working togeth- Right now, the only way to talk to other their character can open, solving puzzles together, and even er. Here, one gives another а boost through players is through pre-scripted chat menus. saving each other from traps. Johnson gives an example: "At the hole in the ceiling. Hopefully, keyboard support will be added. one point, you enter this bathroom —suddenly, the door shuts and poison gas shoots out. You've got to scream for help, and if another player doesn't come to rescue you, you're dead."
But other players aren't the only people who can help you; at least eight computer-controlled citizens are waiting some- where in the game. The interesting part about these non- / | player characters is that their reactions depend on your у : actions and which character you're playing. They could run р А | | 1 away, help you fight, unlock new areas of the map, or even pv А Li ТЩ y betray and attack you. As a trailer for RE Online ominously Guns and knives aren't the only weapons you'll find in Onfline-even pipes and brooms will states, “Your best friend may be your worst foe..." 4f help keep the zombies at bay. (We still recommend using the guns and knives, though.)
А QUESTION OF CHARACTER
Each of the eight characters you can play in RE Online possesses different strengths, speeds, and special abilities based on their occupa- tion. Unfortunately, Capcom didn't have much info for us outside everyone's name and job, so we decided to provide our best guesses for these three, along with customized action-movie one-liners for you to scream just before blowing off zombie heads. Let's watch:
Mark Cindy n George
Job: Security 4 Job: Waitress „ у Job: Doctor Guard | Abilities: T Abilities: Heals Abilities: Good > 3 E Recommends the 1 i other players, with guns, can У A chicken-fried spiffy dresser discourage zom- 5 " chicken over the One-liner: *Take bie shoplifters 4 liver and onions. ‘The { two of these and One-liner: “Sorry || y One-liner: “Your 7 * don't call me in sir, the bank is f E > order...is ир!” the morning!" closed!” [BLAM!] f №. [BLAM!] [BLAM! BLAM!]
16
"Game that mikes us
most excited
about Xbox Live!" _ Official Xbox Magazine
Xbox Live Game: »
Top Ten ES 2007.
| ~ о ej gs а № ^7 $ р m bein e" ra > 0 a4 ampionship у PU Т
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"Unreal три is
amazing 7 ...the game
for Xbox Live! | |
X _ Gamers.com
> сч. ||
100%
хеох LIVE.
Blood and Gore
Violence www.unrealchampionship.com
Unreal® Championship ©2003 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. 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 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.
ONLINE ENABLED
HELLO, МУ NAME IS SAM FISHER
| SIRE = If you weren't in the s*** with me in Splinter Cell on the Xbox,
then allow me to introduce myself: I’m an elite member of a U.S. antiterrorism agency. Don't bother asking the government about
PREVIEW me. They'll just look up at the ceiling and shrug their shoul-
GALLERY | -= || ders—and pretend | never existed if | get caught. Oh, and | sound ^ a lot like that guy who got his arms ripped off in Total Recall.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Ubi Soft • March 2003 * Also On: GC, Xbox Sorry, Xbox gamers, but you're running out of time to gloat about Splinter Cell, the spectacular- looking, gizmo-crammed, Eurotrash-blasting black-ops sim that until recently was exclusive to your system. Not only does the soon-to-launch PS2 version we played look almost as good (thanks to light-and-shadow rendering technolo- gy the developers have conjured specifically for ; PS2 hardware), but the PS2 game is arriving with £ Venturing out into the open worthwhile extras and tweaks, too. *Our bench- like this is a risky move. mark is not the Xbox version of Splinter Cell," says Producer Wu Dong Hao. "It's the amazing PS2 catalogue of [competing] titles."
The biggest bonus here is the exclusive new power-plant mission, which is broken into four levels and integrated into the game's story line. *The scenario has been subtly modified to include this new mission," says Hao, "which takes place in the middle of a snowstorm. Sam even gets a new snowsuit." Sam also gets a new binocular gadget, a makeover in the much snazz- ier intro and between-mission cinematics, and several control and interface tweaks based on feedback from fans of the Xbox version. “There will be more direct access to the inventory," Hao says. "Alarm indicators will appear onscreen, so gamers will avoid the frustration of not knowing why a mission is over. Gamers will have direct access to keypad numbers. It's all the stuff that really helps the game's fluidity."
E
Below: Taking hostages is a good way to avoid enemy fire.
Fear Effect: Inferno
Eidos * Spring 2003 * Also On: Мопе— Hana Tsu-Vachel has finally earned enough money to buy her contract back from the Triad. But they're not ready to let her—or her companion, Rain go. Take control of the four-char- acter team once again in this RE-style action game that will take you to the depths of hell and back (this series has always been known for its surreal and disturbing trips to the afterlife). Oh, and we're sure Hana and Rain will once again provide a lot of hot girl-on-girl action once again.
Electronic Ga thly - 18
The original raider returns - Indiana Jones. Legendary adventurer. Daring rogue. And the most butt-kicking archeologist the world has ever seen. Punch, whip and kick your way through Nazis, assassins, mystical warriors and the Asian underworld, and see if you have what it takes to unearth the Heart of the Dragon.
VIOLENCE
RATING PENDING Visit www.esrb.org P| S Н 2 RE отт ау tation.c
‘CONTENT RATED BY ESRB ®
| į 7 ZONE OF THE ENDERS™ ва trademark of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, INC. © 2002 KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
4
DNE OF THE ENDERS
"НЕ 2nd RUNNER
^BIGGER. BETTER. FASTER. _
ROUND 2 BEGINS MARCH 2003
| | р ЕО КОЈ | МА www.konami.com/usa
KONAMI
mem
PREVIEW GALLERY
Atari • March 2003 • Also On: None—Fugitive Hunter opens with a montage of news footage concerning realpolitik in the age of terrorism, then jumps to a hypothetical 2004 in which agents of the Criminal Interdiction and Fugitive Recovery (CIFR) task force work to hunt down terrorists. You'll find and apprehend the deranged masterminds behind the plots. That's right —apprehend. Henchmen and minions are fodder for your 12 weapons and multiple ammo types—just don’t put the boss on ice. Instead, soften him up with a few fisticuffs, then apply the hand-i-cuffs and tote him home to Uncle Sam. (The game switches from a first-person shooter to a third-person fighter for boss battles.) Use your reward money to buy bigger and better guns for your next foray into a hostile world.
You'll see plenty of action in dozens of levels spread across Miami, Utah, Paris, the Caribbean, and Afghanistan.
Resident Evil: Dead Aim
Capcom • June 2003 * Also On: None—The zombies are оп vacation. Seriously. They're on a cruise ship. Yet neither the serene waters nor the fresh air can distract them from their relentless pursuit of living flesh. And you can't let them dis- tract you, either. Grab your guns and get to work. As a secret anti-Umbrella operative, you've infiltrated the cruiser to hunt down Morpheus, a former Umbrella executive who's doing some freelance evilin’.
Despite being a part of the Gun Survivor series (remember those crappy PS1 shooters?), Dead Aim remains a Resident Evil game in its black heart. You'll explore your environment for better weapons, clues about what's going on, and keys. The twist? When you decide to pump lead into the undead, Dead Aim switches to first-person perspective and becomes a House of the Dead-style shooting gallery.
Dynasty Warriors 4
Koei • March 2003 • Also On: None—If fighting seemingly insurmountable swarms of enemies in mad melee battles is your bag, then the latest Dynasty Warriors should be just the thing to warm your controller during these cold spring nights (ОК, we're in California —we don't really understand the whole "season" thing). For the most part, DW4 keeps on keepin’ on: You lead your troops into action-packed combat against hordes of enemies, all from different warring factions in China's historic Three Kingdoms era.
The series covers a 100-year cycle, so you'd naturally expect something more than a mere sword to keep your guys going on the long road to victory. Here, DW4 antes up. For the first time, you'll be outfitted for large-scale sieges, with fire-shoot- ing "Tiger" tanks, bridge-building equipment, catapults, and more. New fighters, weapon upgrades, one-on-one duels, and character customization also liven up the game's 50 stages.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 82 - www.egmme
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© 2003. Paid for by the U.S. Navy. All rights reserved.
t ег own landing strip?
PREVIEW
Bandai
[developer Ан
LT 1-4 (2-16 in Tournament mode)
бет: Wrestling
20%
April 2003
None
www.bandaigames.com
An arcade-style
wrestling game like this is a breath of fresh air.
Some might be
turned off by the cartoon-shaded graphics.
These guys could
pummel any WWE wrestler into the next millennium.
Scheduled to hit stores at the same time as the GC version is a portable Ultimate Muscle called Ultimate Muscle: Path of the Super Heroes.
CH
Go all Dr. Frankenstein in the game's Create-a-Character mode.
Ultimate Muscle: Legends vs. New Generation
Ee
IE IX
\
f you’re a wrestling fan—and even if you’re unfa- | miliar with Ultimate Muscle (part of Fox's Saturday
morning cartoon lineup) — you should take note of this GC wrassler. Why? First, it's developed by Aki, the same folks who brought us WWF: No Mercy for Nintendo 64 (considered one of the better games in the genre) and EA Big's Def Jam Vendetta (due out this month). Second, this is one of the few recent wrestling games with an arcade-style interface that does it right.
Once you're in the ring, you'll immediately notice how much faster everything moves compared to a typical WWE title; get four players in the ring and it can be hard to keep up. But, to make sure you don't have an aneurysm, control is kept simple. Button- mashers (you know who you are) can concentrate on the one and only attack button, while skilled vets can combine that button with the others to create some new techniques and devastating moves. For exam- ple, tap jump (yes, a jump button in a wrestling
Since the game revolves around old vs. new, you'll find a slew of classic MUSCLE characters fighting a group of new- school Ultimate Muscle brawlers.
game) and then grapple to perform an aerial throw, lunging at your opponent and tossing him to the can- vas. Can't do that in a WWE game! You've also got a special gauge that, as each of three levels fills, gives you access to more over-the-top moves and a final (third-level) super move with an accompanying cut- scene. For example, during Kid Muscle's final attack, the Muscle Millennium, he tosses his opponent into the air and then flies off the ropes parallel to the mat toward the other side of the ring, crushing his foe against the ropes.
Muscle's cartoon-shaded visuals also help it stand out from the normal wrestling crowd while remaining true to its animation roots. The game's story differs from the show a bit, however, focusing on a battle between Kid Muscle and the new generation of Ultimate Muscle fighters versus Kid's pappy, King Muscle, and the original ultrabuff warriors from the "805 series (there are 14 characters іп all). #
— Chris Johnston p REMEMBER MUSCL
If you were a kid growing up in the '805, you probably remember MUSCLE, the Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere. We knew them only as little, mostly pink fig- ures. But in Japan, MUSCLE (known as Kinnikuman) was also a comic series and anime TV show. Ultimate is a rebirth of those ll wrasslers (which explains why the charac- ters are offspring of the original Kinniku-men).
Them
Them
Them
à ‘Them , Them ‚ Them
Them
Cen ~ Them
Them Them
sive
Battle evil, the elements and even pourself. Your adventure aw
aits.
L EVERYONE
Violence
~ (97
Mega Man Network Transmission
Capcom • Spring 2003 * Also On: None
We know you're dying to find out what happened in between Mega Man Battle Network 1 and 2 (GBA). OK, maybe you're not. But regardless, the upcoming Network Transmission aims to quench that hunger, GameCube style.
Taking place in the same universe as the GBA games, Transmission will mark the Blue Bomber's first GameCube foray. The gameplay itself is clas- sic Mega Man. That's right—it's a side scroller all the way, brought into modernity by means of car- toon-style 3D graphics. What it draws from the Battle Network games, though, is what gives it some exciting potential. Remember the cool chip system in those games? No? Well, after killing bosses, you could steal their microchips, which were encoded with their special abilities. You could swap these chips in and out on the fly to customize your ability set. Same thing happens here, only you'll feel the effects more directly. Some make you jump higher, while others allow you to lob grenades, and more.
GET MORE ZELDA...NOW
You've read our reviews (well, you will, on page 122). You've seen our strategy poster. Now do the smart thing and go to the strategy experts at GameNOW for a kick-ass, one-billion-page
Zelda: Wind Waker guide. GameNOW #18, on sale March 18th.
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut
Sega • Summer 2003 • Also On: None— Thank goodness. We were worried we'd never get a GC version of the original Adventure, the best next- gen Sonic game (this blows Sonic Adventure 2 out of the water). What's more, this is not just a port of the old Dreamcast title. As the name sug- gests, Sonic Adventure will be updated. It'll include Game Boy Advance connectivity for rais- ing your little Chao buddies on the go (like in Sonic 2: Battle) and a few more hours of game- play in the form of 5o new missions. Don't get too excited, though —you won't find any new lev- els. Instead, these new challenges will be scat- tered throughout the game's existing stages.
Я variety of robots and vehicles are at. your command. ` 4 vision modes including infrared and much more,
Violence Blood
=> PlayStation. Coming Spring 2003 e
nguage tive Themes
PREVIEW
Capcom
Capcom
1
Adventure
6596
August 2003
None
www.capcom.com
Free-roaming adven- ture unhindered by the crappy RE- style controls scheme
Dinosaurs are for hugging, not killing.
The possibilities of dinosaurs doing things like wearing lab coats and wielding syringes
Patrick realized too late that dinosaur dentistry was simply a bad career choice.
t used to be that Dino Crisis was a more balls-out of Resident Evil; the action was faster, the ammo was in higher supply, and the monsters were more aggressive. Well, Dino Crisis 3 takes that formula, injects it with 10 times the pep, kills off the weak survival-horror controls (good riddance!), and
tosses the whole thing into...space?
Yup, that's right. Dino 3 takes place about 500 years in the future on a beastie-filled spaceship named Ozymandius. The ship has been MIA for about 300 years at the game's outset when it sud- denly returns to terrestrial space, jam-packed with hungry, intelligent dinosaurs. How the dinos got aboard is anyone's guess, as is how their brains grew so much. Regardless, combine these bad boys larger cranial capacity with their gigantic jaws and razor-sharp teeth, and you have something that's superior to a human in every way. That's scary.
You won't be playing as just any human, though. Patrick, the main character, is decked out with some crazy gadgets. Coolest of all is the jetpack, which allows you to fly in any direction.
Capcom's dino-nerds in space makes the plot of Jason X sound like some- thing Shakespeare came up with.
Yes, you can fly in limited bursts. You can also strafe side to side and float down after you jump.
а The environments are built for this sort of thing, so you'll be doing it a lot. Think Sega's Gunvalkyrie, but with more orthodox controls.
B for you: RAT A TAT TAT. Patrick will auto-aim at any | enemy that gets , near him. It doesn’
НЕ there, though— —hold down the Shoot button, and you'll let loose a supercharged burst that does tons of damage.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 88 - www
And Patrick's armed to the teeth with all sorts of futuristic heavy weaponry. He'll automatically aim his laser rifle at any creature in his field of vision, ensuring very little wasted ammo. He has some even nastier little tricks up his sleeve, too, called Wasps. They're drones that fly out of his back to seek and destroy any enemies they can find. Think about it: flying, intelligent guns. Pretty useful, con- sidering some of the wild environments.
Speaking of which, don't think of your time inside the ship as the usual romp through access tun- nels—the Ozymandius is far from your average spacecraft. Its insides are constantly shifting, with passages opening and closing, and entire room lay- outs morphing as you solve puzzles or time passes. From what we've seen so far, the game has a pretty large exploration component, so the dynamic envi- ronments could be pretty cool.
In any case, we're stoked Dino 3 is diverging from the stagnant survival-horror formula. But intelligent, space-pirate dinosaurs? Exactly how far is Capcom trying to take this thing? № — Miguel Lopez
Yeah, the Wasps are way rad. They fly out of your back when you deploy them, automatically seek
| out targets, and get to work. You can upgrade them throughout the course of the game, as well as find all- new ones with different sorts of attacks.
"t
XK
PREVIEW GALLERY
StarCraft: Ghost
Blizzard • Fall 2003 * Also On: PS2, GC— Yes, it's a StarCraft game, but no, it doesn't feature any real-time strategy ike the original game (PC, N64). The gameplay in Ghost can best be described as a mix of elements from Metal Gear
. Solid, Tenchu, and Oni. Not only is the
main character, Nova, deadly with irearms and short-range combat, she also comes equipped with a stealth cloak and the ability to see enemies through walls (one of many cool skills). In a very early Xbox version, Nova had no problem hanging upside-down from a ladder and sniping alien beings, or moving so fast that blasting away multiple enemies was a walk in the park. And even though Ghost is primarily a single-player game, the developers tell us a multiplayer mode is in the works.
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PREVIEW Konami Konami CET poa TED ETE Pretty-boy Soma-Cruz fights the | - айай in 2035s hottest fashions.” Adventure но 3 80% Мау 2003 None
www.konami.com
Another cool-looking Castlevanía so soon after the last one. One a year...we dig that.
Looks kinda similar, though...too much of a good thing?
Man, that Soma Cruz chick sure is hot...wait! He's a guy?! Curse you, Konami!
They sure make the skeletons big around these parts. Trouble is, they kind of forgot to add the legs.
ith each passing year, gamers can count on Wie: updates to their favorite franchises—you
can pick up a freshly crafted Madden, Tony Hawk, and...what the hell? Castlevania? Yep, Aria of Sorrow will be the third GBA Castlevania title in as many years. Don’t fret, though—Konami doesn’t disap- point here: Not only does this latest journey through Drac’s pad improve upon the previous game (Harmony of Dissonance), but it also takes the series somewhere it’s never been before—to the year 2035.
Don't start envisioning phaser-wielding skeletons and goth robots. Keep an open mind. “Since the release dates for Aria and Harmony were relatively close together, we really needed to create two distinct games,” explains Producer Koji Igarashi. “We want to begin a new generation of Castlevania, one that explores what happens after Dracula’s utter destruc- tion." That's right—Vlad’s really dead this time. According to the game's story, a group of heroes were ready for Dracula's reappearance in 1999 and success-
fully obliterated him by trapping his castle in a solar eclipse. Apparently, without his castle he's a total wuss, so after he was destroyed, they scattered his dust to the winds. Now, back to the future. In 2035, the mild- mannered (and disturbingly feminine) Soma Cruz is vis- iting Japan as an exchange student. A freakish solar eclipse occurs while he's visiting a local temple, and blammo! He's transported to good ol’ Castlevania. Even though Dracula bit the dust, his castle's still teeming with legions of horrible monsters. Luckily, Soma's been blessed with some nifty powers—using the Soul system, he can use his enemies' own skills against them (see below), and can also equip a full range of weapons, armor, and items, just like Alucard in Symphony of the Night (PS1). The Soul system replaces the traditional sub-weapon setup of past games, so you won't be picking up any axes, holy water, or crosses this time around. "Certainly, it is a gameplay revolution,” Igarashi says. “But the control Scheme itself will still be familiar to players, so they
Once in a while, a defeated enemy will drop a glowing gem: its soul. Snag this bauble and Soma can absorb the inherent powers of the beast he just bested. Souls fall into one of four different categories, depending on what type of effect they have. Hardcore players (with a lot of time on their hands) can expect to find over 100 unique souls in the castle, transforming Soma into a walking arsenal of ultimate destruction.
On the Soul Set screen,
you can customize Soma with three different soul effects at the same time.
Equip these to give Soma magical proper- ties, like the ability to walk on water.
Use these to summon a magical helper or to transform Soma into a powerful demon.
These special souls allow Soma to use new moves, like Dash and Double Jump.
With these, you can spend a little magic to toss out a special weapon or two.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 90 - www.egmmag.com
LOW-COST SYMPHONY
For the past few years, copies of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (widely considered one of the top PS1 games ever, and one of the best Castlevania titles in history) have rou- tinely fetched sky-high prices on eBay. Finally, the market has calmed down somewhat — now, you can snag a Greatest Hits version for around $30, if you’re lucky. Happy hunting!
SOMA CRUZ
The futuristic hero of Aria won’t win any masculinity contests, — ; but at least he's a | snazzy dresser—fur- collared coats and bellbottoms are all
the rage in 2035.
He's not yourtradi- — tional Castlevania lead- ing man, though, as he has no relation to the legendary Belmont clan.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
MINA HAKUBA
ARIKADO
This Japanese cutie was tending her family's shrine when a bizarre solar eclipse sucked her into Dracula's castle along with Soma. Will she need rescuing? Signs point to “Yes.” Will Soma fall for her demure charm? Signs point to “Мете not sure if Soma likes girls."
He's creepy, debonair, and happens to be inside Drac's home- stead. Did we men- tion that his name sounds 99.5 per- cent the same as Alucard's (star of the PS1 clas- sic Symphony of the Night and Dracula's son)? Something's fishy...and Igarashi isn’t talk- ing. He advised us to “play and find out.”
“...A new generation of Castlevania that explores what
happens after Dracula’s ultimate destruction.”
shouldn’t have a tough time adjusting.”
The unexpected addition of the Soul system defi- nitely shakes up the series’ fundamental gameplay (in a good way), but the development team didn’t forget to address the few quibbles that gamers had with Harmony of Dissonance. First, the music has
your fri your G prepare ѕмарр
screwed —this isn't Pokémon. “There aren't two
up systems. Don't worry about giving your pals an ——————————2Á—— unfair start, though — if you hand over the really deadly stuff early on, they'll be too low- level to make much use of it. Also, gamers who don't link up aren't
game,” explains producer Igarashi. “When І play something and 1 can't get everything on one cartridge, that sucks!" Soma gets a little help from his fantastical friends by equipping a magic
— Producer Кой Igarashi
been substantially improved. “HotD was the first GBA game we did [Circle of the Moon was developed by a different team: Konami's Kyoto group]— we didn't know how far we could push the machine," says
man ا am amem سی
Igarashi. “Now, we have a much better idea of the Aria of Sorrow features a GBA's capabilities, so we can pull some really high- full inventory for Soma, quality stuff out of it." We've heard it, and yep— including a plethora of much better tunes. Konami has also tackled gamers’ weapons for him to wield. other main peeve: the difficulty. Harmony was a fan- Longswords, lances, and tastic game but rather easy. Hopefully, the undead even landmines are all cakewalks are behind us. "The internal evaluators part of the arsenal. (You playing it at Konami keep telling me that it's too hard might even find a whip if this time!" laughs Igarashi. № you search hard enough.)
—Shane Bettenhausen
LTT TT a LOI
Tracking down every last "hb 211 Rd ЕРЕ МТ CIL FEN enemy soul will be a mas- 5 sive undertaking. Have
iends help. Grab
BA Link Cable and
e for some soul-
ing action by linking
versions of the
effect soul that lifts up his jacket in order to make him fall more slowly.
Elec
ctronic Gaming Monthly - 91 - www.egmmag.com
“DESIRE. 7,
|
aw _СОЏКАС
M
ел MS Ee шк а ee i
er
www.koeigames.com
PlayStation.e Е.
(Br AE serene cremas sme ye
AFRIORS
Tactical Action Without Equal!
27 Play over 50 stages across 17 unique maps 87 Giant siege engines: battering rams, catapults, and bridge layers 52 Fierce new one-on-one duels
87 Create your own officers and bodyguards
27 New character-specific special attacks
57 Brand-new Weapon Upgrade System
27 Kingdom Play! Select a new general for each stage in Musou Mode 22 3 brand-new officers for over 40 playable characters
MARCH 2003
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d the Lord replied, "My child, I was with you through all your travels, but along the most difficult paths when there were no prints in the sand,
that is when I carried you."
Race rally style in 8 countries Drive 15 high-performance, Experience some of the best-looking on over 40 tracks. fully destructible licensed vehicles. graphical environments and effects ever.
© 2002 The Codemasters Software Company Limited ("Codemasters"). All rights reserved. "Codemasters"* is a registered trademark owned by Codemasters. "Colin McRae Rally 3°™™ and "GENIUS AT PLAY"'" are trademarks of Codemasters. "Colin McRae"™ and the Colin McRae signature device are registered trademarks of Colin McRae. "Colin McRae""™ and copyrights, trademarks, designs and images of car manufacturers and/or on car liveries are being used by Codemasters under license. This game is NOT licensed by or associated with the FIA or any related company. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. 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. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license.
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CONTENT RATED BY. ESRB
GENIUS AT PLAY”
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*Winners of our Gamers’ Choice Awards each receive Robot the Awards Robot, a fully functional robo-trophy suitable for framing and/or bomb defusing. Winners of
The First Annual Tobias Bruckner Memorial Award for Excellence in the Field of Crapulence get a boot in the ass.
PlayStation 2 Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City • Rockstar
Whoever says crime doesn’t pay
has either 1) been convicted and دا now clings desperately to the | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City * 3,246 votes soap during every shower, or 2) Kingdom Hearts • 1,221 votes never built their own criminal | Virtua Fighter 4 * 411 votes
empire in this anything-goes | _ SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs • 363 votes adventure. We assure you: Ratchet & Clank • 219 votes Cruising around town Airwolf-
style in your stolen helicopter
gunship while collecting weekly
profits from your personal porno
studio does not suck.
Moment of Greatness: Jacking a mansion. Ah, the joys of owning your own home and squad of heavily armed henchmen.
Superfast arcade action, kickin’ tunes, and hot rods the gods would kill for come together in this superb racing game that has our resident speed freaks shaking and sweating. Well, at least for the PS2 incarnation —the other versions аге less souped-up.
HOW YOU VOTED
Need for Speed: HP2 (PS2, GC, Xbox) ® 2,277 Sega GT 2002 (Xbox) • 806
Burnout 2 (PS2) * 564
RalliSport Challenge (Xbox) ® 535
ATV Offroad Fury 2 (PS2) • 401
Moment of Greatness: Unleashing the spike strips on your buddy in Hot Pursuit mode, and then listening to him cry foul.
Sports Game of the Year: Madden NFL 2003 • Ea sports • PS2, GC, Xbox, PS:
The latest Madden is as close as you can get to playing football without actually having to, you know, stand up and stuff. Along with the finely tuned true-to-the-gridiron gameplay, new Minicamp and Football 101 modes will have rookies and veterans alike pointing to the sky, giving mad props to the deity.
HOW YOU VOTED
Madden NFL 2003 (PS2, GC, Xbox, PS1) • 1,599 NFL 2K3 (PS2, GC, Xbox) • 814
NBA 2K3 (PS2, GC, Xbox) • 770
Beach Spikers (GC) • 717
Hot Shots Golf 3 (PS2) * 419
Moment of Greatness: Winning your first game...online.
Action Sports Game of the Year: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 • Activision • PS2, GC, Xbox, PS:
With amazing rail-tastic levels, intense Pro Challenges, and a new game structure that lets you play any skater on any unlocked level with no time limit, the latest Hawk is as fun as it is challenging. There must be something in the coffee over there at developer Neversoft.
HOW YOU VOTED
THPS4 (PS2, GC, Xbox, Р51) • 4,825 Aggressive Inline (Р52, GC, Xbox) * 597 BMX XXX (PS2, GC, Xbox) * 444. Freekstyle (PS2, GC) * 173
Moment of Greatness: Кеа па THPS4 would take way, way р 1 Jet X20 (PS2) • 117
longer to beat than you ever imagined. HEE
Hottest Babe: What’s-her-name from Eternal Darkness (GC)— You know, that hot chick
with the ponytail? She has a Linda Hamilton thing happening. And she wears slacks—that means she’s classy.
Hottest Hunk(s): UFC: Throwdown (PS2)—The sweaty tan- gle of legs, arms, and totally ripped abs that was Throwdown con- tains some of these so- called hunks, we’ve been led to believe.
Best Bad Good
Guy: Tommy Vercetti
(GTA: Vice City, PS2)—
You gotta root for a guy
who starts a criminal
empire with a stolen
Impala and 10 bucks in
his acid-washed pocket. Rumor has it he once shot a man for snoring too loud.
IT WAS А GOOD YEAR FOR
«retró games
Shinobi, Rygar, and Contra all made triumphant returns to the great relief of many diehard fans. The new Defender, although not too shabby, didn't quite live up to the olden days when men were men and side-scrolling 2D space shooters were bitchin'.
..War games Trickle-down economics didn't work so hot, but our supreme leader's lust for war on all possible fronts definite- ly trickled down to gamers. The Medal of Honor series, Ghost Recon, SOCOM, and Conflict: Desert Storm came out with guns blazin'.
» Xbox Live
All three consoles are online, but Xbox Live is miles ahead of the rest thanks to the Communicator headset, a strong lineup of online titles, and a central- ized game-matching service. The win- ner is you.
Best Game None of You Heartless Bastards Bought: GitarooMan (PS2) —This story of boy-meets-girl- meets-guitar-and-saves-the-universe warmed our hearts (cockles included), but it didn't warm enough of yours, so now we can kiss a sequel goodbye. Damn you all!
e -— ي
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell • 2,561 Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance ® 723 Steel Battalion • 489
Jet Set Radio Future • 402 MechAssault • 396
Adventure Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Rockstar • PS2
If working your way from lowly
ex-con to crime lord of Miami circa
1986 isn't the definition of a great adventure, then we'll eat our mullet clippings.
Moment of Greatness: Nabbing your first copter and realizing how absolutely huge the city is.
HOW YOU VOTED
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) • 3,317 Metroid Fusion (GBA) • 1,299
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GC) • 1,216 Zelda: A Link to the Past (GBA) • 619 Shenmue И (Xbox) • 595
Award for 100 Percent Gooooood Lookin’: Splinter Cell (Xbox) — Let's put Splinter Cell's zowie effects into perspective: If this game were a pop star, it'd be Britney Spears hanging out with Christina Aguilera in a hot tub while Shakira applied oils and creams.
Xbox Game of the Year: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - цы soft
Monthly - 100 - www.egmmag.com
How many games let you sneak around military installations, evad- ing security cameras, knocking out guards, and employing all kinds of fancy hi-tech gadgets to accomplish your mission? Well...actually, we can think of a few, but none did it as well as Splinter Cell. With a politically charged story and graphics that take full advantage of the hardware, it makes us proud to own an Xbox.
Moment of Greatness: Interrogating a petrified hostage as you hold him at gunpoint.
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Most Costly Addiction: Phantasy Star Online Episode ! & II (GC) — Game: 550. Subscription fee: $9. ISP: “ $20. Keyboard (import): $100. Network adapter (good luck finding one): $35. Total: $214. Do they realize how many lawns Cube owners will have to mow?
Fighting Game of the Yea
Virtua Fighter 4 Sega • PS2
Two broken joysticks, 50,000 matches, and countless hours of smack-talk later, Sega's masterpiece still reigns as our favorite
one-on-one PS2 fighter. It's simple to pick up, yet profoundly deep.
Moment of Greatness: Playing through Kumite mode to unlock the perfect goofy-ass hat for your custom costume.
HOW YOU VOTED
Virtua Fighter 4 (PS2) • 3,385
Mortal Kombat: DA (Р52, GC, Xbox) • 1,584 Tekken 4 (PS2) • 728
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (GC) • 570 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (PS2) * 551
PS1 Game of the Year: The Italian Job • nockstar
This Driver clone, based on the classic 1969 Michael Caine film of the same name, is one of the best movie-inspired games ever to hit PS1. On top of that, it'll cost you just 10 bucks to buy it new.
The Italian Job * 1,598 Arc the Lad Collection ® 986
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 • 965
Dance Dance Revolution: Konamix • 864 TE SESS Yu-Gi-Oh!: Forbidden Memories • 388 Moment of Greatness: Reliving the flick's hilari-
Ex | ous final chase scene, stunt-for-stunt.
IT WAS A BAD YEAR FOR.
„games gettin’ blamed for society’s ills
“Those nutball snipers played Doom once, eight-odd years ago! GTA: Vice City is a game about beating up prosti- tutes! We don’t understand videogames, so they must be evil!” Please shut the hell up.
..network adapters
Sony! Nintendo! Sort it out! It’s kind of hard for your online plans (such as they are) to take off when nobody can track down a network adapter! Little help, please?
„ће Xbox controller (the big'n) Microsoft’s hulking behemoth of a con- troller is on the endangered-species list now that the smaller S version is bundled with the system. We can't say we'll miss it.
the PS1 It's over,
ll buddy. Players and developers have moved on. But hey, you had a pretty good world-con- quering little run there. Nice work.
PSOne, R.I.P.
Button of the Year: Steel Battalion's Windshield Washer Button (Xbox) —'Cause you can't fight what you
Best Licensed Game: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (PS2, GC, Xbox) — Good guys dicing bad guys
5#5%% this Game is Hard!: Shinobi (PS2)— Enclave for Xbox made us curse. Contra for PS2 made us cry. But only the
can't see. Incidentally,
the gigantic controller can also be used to subdue intruders if you're out of cast-iron frying pans.
with swords? Eh, we've been there. But EA's Rings had the full might of Middle- earth behind it, with production values as high as Director Peter Jackson's two flicks.
dastardly difficult misadventures of come-
back-kid Shinobi made us consider looking into a less stressful line of work. Air-traffic control, perhaps.
101
GameCube Game of the Year: Super Mario Sunshine . Nintendo
All Nintendo sys-
tems come with a
guarantee: You
will get at least
one great Mario
game. It’s true that Mario Sunshine’s water backpack action didn’t make the splash everyone was expecting, but the plumber’s latest adventure still packed spectacular worlds to explore, nifty new moves, and enough collectible Shine doodads to keep us busy for a month.
First-Person Shooter of the Year:
Medal of Honor: Frontline EA Games • PS2, GC, Xbox
Our last great war made for a great ol’ time in EA’s Medal of Honor series, but this lat- est edition goes beyond the call of duty in terms of wow factor and stinkin’ -Nazi body count.
Moment of Greatness: Storming Normandy’s beach is nerve-rattling and historically accu- rate. Now that’s edutainment!
Moment of Greatness: Seeing and hearing old-school-style Mario in the bonus stages.
HOW YOU VOTED
Metroid Prime (GC) ® 5,357 Medal of Honor: Frontline (PS2, GC, Xbox) • 624, TimeSplitters 2 (PS2, GC, Xbox) • 621
Metroid Prime * 4,514 Animal Crossing • 604 Super Mario Sunshine • 483 Unreal Championship (Xbox) • 475 007 NightFire (PS2, GC, Xbox) • 224
Resident Evil Zero • 219
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem • 210
Except for those few killer new moves— courtesy of his chatty, H20-squirting backpack— Mario didn't bring many novel tricks to his first real game in six years. But Mario Sunshine's state-of-the- art platforming gameplay still doused the competition. Even qual- ity competitors like Ratchet & Clank on PS2 couldn't top it.
HOW YOU VOTED
Super Mario Sunshine (GC) * 2,582
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Xbox) • 1,544 SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs (Р52) • 725
LOTR: The Two Towers (PS2, GC, Xbox) • 484 Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (Xbox) * 386
Moment of Greatness: Finding dino-pal Yoshi and taking him for a joyride. And drenching villagers with his stomach contents.
Online Game of the Year: SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs : sony CEA • PS2
2
As four-star General George S. Patton once said, “Тће only thing more fun than killing the enemy is killing the enemy online and with voice communication." SOCOM's cool headset, broadband compatibility, and intense, realistic team-based gameplay prove he was right.
HOW YOU VOTED
PSO: Episode I & 1 (GC) • 2,359 SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs (Р52) • 1,879 MechAssault (Xbox) • 607
Unreal Championship (Xbox) * 534
Moment of Greatness: Hearing your teammates' voices cut off by Tony Hawkes Pro Skater 4 (PS2) * 377
gunfire. “Hey! | found 'em! They're by— BUDABUDABUDABUDA!"
Best Ad for the Worst Game: Barbarian (PS2)—We got misty-eyed for the
old-time Ahnold when we saw this fun ad. Too bad the game turned out to be more Fabio than Conan.
Best $5 We Ever
Spent: Excitebike-e
(GBA e-Card)—Anyone
too young to remember
this NES game’s tale of a
bike, bumps, and a talking blender should buy the dirt-cheap GBA e-Card version pronto. Anyone who does remember knows we made up the bit about the blender.
102
Guilty Pleasure:
Animal Crossing (GC)—
What would your friends
think if they knew you
really left the party
early so you could visit Tom Nook’s shop before it closes and sell all those turnips before they go bad? They wouldn’t under- stand...but we do. Oh yes, we do.
Handheld Game of the Year: Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance > Konami • GBA
OK, so Juste Belmont looks a bit like a girl. But Castlevania fans == [ : HOW YOU VOTED didn't care. We were just happy to have a new game we could К actually almost see (unlike the superdark Circle of the Moon). i Metroid Fusion • 2,857 votes Zelda: A Link to the Past, Four Swords * 1,461 Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance • 759 Moment of Greatness: When you realize the castle you've been ; $T i г А Super Mario Advance 2 • 327 exploring is actually two separate castles in two different dimen- = ) Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis • 249 sions. Kinda makes your head hurt, doesn't it? А
Role-Playing Game of the Year: Kingdom Hearts • square ЕА • Ps2
Whether you'll be crying, *Hey, you got your Mickey Mouse in my Final Fantasy!" or, *Nope, you put your damned spiky-haired Cloud Strife in my Little Mermaid!" you're in for an awesome, epic adventure when you put away those preconceptions and pick up this unique action-RPG.
HOW YOU VOTED
Kingdom Hearts (Р52) • 3,027
PSO: Episode 1 & 11 (GC) • 1,393 votes
The Elder Scrolls Ш: Morrowind (Xbox) • 883 > Suikoden III (Р52) • 605
Moment of Greatness: Once again seeing Final Fantasy VII's › d Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis (GBA) • 305 Cloud, Yuffie, and especially Aerith (who, as Aeris, died in FFVII). a ч
Game of the Year: Metroid Prime • nintendo • cc
It's hard to remember just how sure we all were that Metroid Prime was going to be crap. Here was Nintendo tak- ing one of gaming's most beloved franchis- es, turning it into a first- person shooter, and giv- ing it to a new, American developer (in Texas, for crying out loud) with exactly zero published games to its name. It was as though the third Terminator movie had been announced as an underwater love story directed by some no-name Russian guy in Moscow—there was simply no way this game would be anything but a disappointment.
Except that it wasn't. Turns out the first-person perspective didn't hin- der the exploration and intense action of classic Metroid gameplay —it complemented them. Turns out that American developer has some of the most talented USE artists and skilled programmers in the business, creat- Metroid Prine EEE ing one of the best-looking games for any system. Turns Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) • 1,315 out our Game of the Year for 2002 is Metroid Prime.
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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Xbox) • 601 Kingdom Hearts (PS2) * 432 Moment of Greatness: The time between first power- Animal Crossing (GC) * 249
ing up Prime and when the final credits start to roll. = e
use to write us nasty letters.
Presidential Boobs Award for 100% Awesome: BMX XXX (PS2, GC, Xbox) — While the terms “awesome” and
Best Music: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2)—Vice City's it- came-from-the-8os sound- track makes it the only
Coolest Japanese Game (That'll Never Come Out Here): Taiko no Tatsujin (PS2)— Leave it to the Japanese to make a game in
which you bang anthropomor- game that blares Hall & *BMX XXX" should never phic drum characters to keep them in the Oates one minute and Megadeth the next, appear together, XXX's “pleasure zone." If only we could bottle which, in most normal situations, would wealth of real fake stripper the feeling we get when playing this one. make your CD player explode. breasts must be recognized.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 103 - www.egmmag.com
E. noice Awards
y 2002 Gamay 2i в Wy L 2] y The First Annual
Tobias Bruckner Memorial Awards for Excellence in the Field of Crapulence
Tobias Bruckner (right), the arch villain of last year’s Turok: Evolution, wears many hats. A cowboy hat, certainly, but also the racist-half-cyborg-U.S.-Cavalry-Captain-who-rides-a- half-cyborg-tyrannosaurus hat, and the l-represent-everything-horrible-in-game-design hat, which is really more of a sombrero. Just like poor, ridiculous Tobias fell through a worm- hole into another dimension in Evolution, he’s also fallen into the mascot role of our First Annual Excellence in the Field of Crapulance awards. And the Tobies go to...
Blockiest Graphics: Cubivore (GC) What happens when you take a Japanese Nintendo 64 game about fighting cardboard boxes and port it to GameCube without changing much of anything? Magic! And you get our Tobie for Blockiest Graphics. Cubivore makes Animal Crossing look like Splinter Cell.
Shut Up & Punch Somebody, Anybody, Award: Shenmue II (Xbox)
Like Elvis said (probably while waiting for his special-order five-patty Big Mac with hash browns instead of buns to arrive): “А little less conversation, a lit- tle more action. All this aggravation just ain't satisfactionin' me."
Game that Made Us Want to Drop our Handheld:
Worst use of the best license: The Lord of the Mortal Kombat Advance (GBA)
Rings: [пе Fellowship of the Ring (PS2, Xbox)
How can you ruin Lord of the Rings, aside from adding a Jar Jar Binks-like character (in addition to Gimli, of course)? Developer Black Label found a whole bunch of ways in this game based on the novels.
It burns! And stinks! Editor-in-Chief Dan Hsu gave it a zero in his review. Word (from on high) is that they're adding a 10th layer to hell featuring a Mortal Kombat Advance demo kiosk.
Most Thankless Crate Pushing: Blood Omen !! (PS2, GC, Xbox)
You'd think an all-powerful vampire lord like Kain here would be able to levitate his way through these damn crate-shoving puzzles—or at least have access to one of those palette-jack things.
Most Disturbing Ad: Bawls Guarana's Naked Fat Chick
First rule of advertising: If you can make the audi- ence vomit, they are yours. We're not sure what product this ad from our late 2002 issues is hawk- ing. All we know is that this thing's not for a videogame; it dredges up memories of that time we accidentally saw grandma naked; and, some- where, pork chops were consumed.
Worst New Character Who's Not Tobias Bruckner: Ty the Tazmanian Tiger (PS2, GC, Xbox)
Ty gives us that nostalgic feeling for old,
Worst Game Made from a
Horrible Movie: xXx (GBA) generic, soul-less marketing-executive- Did someone throw a chair into the spawned characters like Bubsy, РипКу room? Oh no, that's just wooden "actor" Skunk, and other species of clothes-wear- Vin Diesel. *Welcome to the Xander ing cartoon animals with attitude that's “In zone," he says in the movie. "We were your face!" In your ass is more like it.
just leaving," we say, to both movie and game. "Enjoy your zone."
Most Delayed Game: Galleon (GC, Xen.
“Playing Galleon spoils a lot of other third- person games," boasts Toby Gard, head of Galleon developer Confounding Factor and co-creator of Lara Croft. We'll have to take his word for it, seeing as how Galleon is. more than а јтеакт' year late! Even the game's publisher can't say when this pirate adventure will set sail. “We'll make announcements when we know more,” says Interplay PR. sf
Game with Too Many Dogs Humping: BMX XXX (PS2, GC, Xbox)
Because even one dog humping is too many. Let's just hope Acclaim hoses down the motion-capture studio before their next baseball game.
Electronic Gar
YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE _ TO MAKE A LAST IMPRESSION.
WRATH OF HEAVEN
Earn 9 unlockable new abilities in 26 intense single-player missions.
Play.as 1 of 3 characters, relying on stealth and Engage in 2 lethal multiplayer modes: One 30 authentic ninja weapons and tools. co-op and deathmatch.
Live by honor. Kill by stealth.
Blood and Gore
Violence
ACTIVISION.
£ 20022003 Activision, Ic. and its affiliates Activision and Tenchu are registered trademarks and Wrath of Heaven is a trademark of Activision, Inc and its ffiliates Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Ic. Al rights reserved. ^ activision.com Licensed foc play on ће PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems with the NTSC UC designation only. “Playstation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc; The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. J
‘CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
VIOLENCE
“Endave’ interactive game ©2003 Conspiracy Entertainment Corp. ©2003 Starbreeze Studios AB/icensed by Swing! Entertainment Meda AG. AT rights reserved. Enclave, Conspiracy Entertainment, and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Conspiracy Entertainment Corporation. in the US. and/or other countries. Published and distributed by Black Label Games, Inc. Al rights reserved. Vivendi Universal Games, the Vivendi Universal Games logo, Black Label Games, and the Black Label Games logo are trademarks of Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other counties.
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биг Philosophy
EGM rates games based on how they com- pare 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 таде—а revolutionary title that truly stands above everything else in its genre for its time.
Platinum Awards go to games that get all 10$, the best and rarest review a game can get.
Introduction
The newly cutesy Link cleaves the competition this month, but he's not the only gaming winner in town — Def Jam: Vendetta raps "п wrassles its way to good marks, MGS2: Substance success- fully milks the Snake on PS2, and Final Fantasy: Origins proves that not every Р51 release belongs in Seanbaby's crap roundup.
The Crew Paul Byrnes
Associate Editor
Paul met Blanka at a mall in 1992, and they became fast friends. Blanka has terrible manners, and OK, some of his moves are kind of cheap, but he's loyal. And hairy. He's both loyal and hairy.
Favorite Genres; FPS, RPG, Fighting
Current Faves: Halo, “Animal Crossing
Brian Intihar
Associate Editor
Being new to the crew, Bryan was able to experience in his first few days the legendary interoffice Halo matches. We're still not sure if he has recovered from all those kills courtesy of Mark and Shoe.
Favorite Genres: Action, Adventure, Sports Current Faves: Metroid Рите, Tenchu: WoH
Executive Editor
Emerging after a week of self- imposed isolation to finish Zelda, Mark came back 20 pounds lighter, unshaven, and blabbering incoher- ently about something named “Tingle” that was “watching him.” Favorite Genres: Action, Adventure
Current Faves: Zelda, SOCOM, Hotel Mario
Gold Awards go to
№ games whose average score equals 9.0 or higher.
At the other end of the spectrum sits the low- est score a game can receive: а о.о. 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: Simple, ain't it?
5.0 15 AVERAGE.
Games that average at least an 8.0 (but lower
EM. СД H than 9.0) receive
omui Silver Awards.
Reviews Editor
Shane's either still reeling from the godly brilliance of Zelda or he's re- creating his scene-stealing perfor- mance in one of this summer's upcoming blockbusters. Which one? Tune in next month to find out. Favorite Genres: RPG, Action, Fighting
Current Faves: Zelda, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Greg Ford
Assistant Editor
While Ford is happy that many of his old favorites are making the next-gen leap—the Castlevanias, Marios, and Contras—he wonders why nobody is bringing back gaming’s best from the Commodore 64 days: Crossroads. Favorite Genres: Action, Adventure
Gurrent Faves: Mario Sunshine, Vice City, Halo
Chris Johnston
News Editor
With Zelda, Pokémon, and GBA SP just a few precious days away, С) 15 passing the time by surrounding him- self with all things Nintendo. Of course, that will do little to comfort his wallet...it’s an expensive month! Favorite Genres: Action, Adventure, Puzzle Current Faves: Nintendo Puzzle Collection, Zelda
Greg Sewart
Illegal Alien
The Port Authority finally caught up with Sewart and shipped his ass back to Canada. But in order to maintain our 10 percent Canadian- content policy, he'll still be con-
| tributing to ЕСМ on a regular basis. Favorite Genres: Racing, RPG, Action
Current Faves: Zelda, Tomb Raider
110
The Legend of Zelda:
The Wind Waker pg. 122 The jury delivers its overwhelmingly positive verdict on Link’s cuddly new look—the beau- tiful animation and unique style fit the game perfectly. Like every Zelda before it, The Wind Waker oozes with depth, creativity, and spectacular gameplay. Buy it. Now.
Crispin Boyer
Features Editor
Cris was ticked when he heard the
+ new Zelda lacked a fishing game. He'd already ordered P-enzyme- enriched Bass Assassin lures, now with 50 percent more hog lard! If he asks, don’t smell his fingers. Favorite Genres: Action, Adventure
Gurrent Faves: Panzer Dragoon Orta, Splinter Cell
«4 » Dan "Shoe" Hsu Editor-in-Chief
Shoe and co. are now on two shows a week with CNN Headline News. Look for them Thursday evenings on your moving-picture box. Hopefully, this will raise public awareness for that little-known cable network.
Favorite Genres: Everything Gurrent Faves: Anything Metroid and Zelda
Demian Linn Editor-at-Large
It was an epic struggle against all odds, man-versus-environment, etc., but Demian managed to avoid using the term “bling bling” in this month’s Def Jam review. But he couldn’t say no to a solid gold grill.
Favorite Genres: Action, Hockey, Racing, boyeee! Current Faves: Zelda, NHL 2K3, Halo (again)
Jennifer Tsao
, Managing Editor
Playing My Street this month gave Jennifer a brilliant idea. Dodgeball, which in her youth she saw as just a fun rainy-day diversion, also works rather well at getting delinquent editors to turn their stuff in on time.
Favorite Genres: Action sports, Adventure, RPG Current Faves: EverQuest Adv., The Sims, Vexx
Publisher: Sega Developer: AM2 Players:
1
Also On: None Highway to:
The Danger Zone Website: www.sega.com
(slm)
EVERYONE
Best Feature: Way rad gui- tar-dominated soundtrack Worst Feature: Unforgiving difficulty lessens fun
I'm probably the most reckless virtual pilot ever, so my preference is for fast-action arcadey fliers. But | do like tricky sim-style missions to straighten me up and fly right on occasion. Aero Elite has just enough of that to keep me high. Stringent pilot-training courses and competitions seem dull at first, but as you unlock cooler aircraft, the fun blossoms. My performance on the especially tricky helicopter tests has pretty much confirmed that "| never pilot a real-life whirly, but the game rewards patient players who can master the intricacies of flight (Arcade mode offers quicker thrills without all the tests and trials). Dogfighting’s quite a challenge, though—fans of Namco's.Ace Combat games will cozy up to the missile-spewing, barrel- rolling action, but less skilled aviators (like me) might end up reaching for the Eject button. | actually got much more satisfaction enjoying the rich back- grounds, rockin" hair metal, and engaging gameplay in the Pilot Training and-Free Flight scenarios; | rec- ommend you do the same. It's a strong rental or worthy purchase for flyboys. Jon D.
INGENUITY REPLAY
5 1
VISUALS
SOUND
' High Heat Baseball 2004
n Publisher: = г == 300
Developer:
3DO
Players:
1-2 (2-4 w/ Multitap) Also On:
GC, Xbox
Supports:
C. Schilling's charity Website: www.3do.com
Best Feature:
Amazing gameplay realism Worst Feature: Animations still a bit rough
If you compare High Heat to the rest of this year's baseball crop, there’s no contest: Dazzling graphics and an array of gimmicky modes might initially make its competitors seem cooler, but High Heat triumphs by focusing squarely on gameplay. It's a game you can enjoy nearly as much in single-player mode as you can with other people, and that says a lot about 3DO's effort. No other baseball game on the market offers АЛ. of this caliber; situational substitutions, timely pitching moves, and smart defensive alignments are just a few of the CPU's subtle strategies. If you can keep pace, you stand a good chance of winning, and that's the real.genius of HH ’o4: Everything matters. Yes, уби can grimace at some of the game's. crop- happy camerawork (it’s too tight ona lot of the action), and yes, the animations still rouse a chuckle or two, but HH '04 is as dependable as an ugly old Honda. Plus, this year's Franchise mode adds unlimited replay уаше—Р be playin’ this-till-next year's model shows up. | really can’t say enough good things about it. An instant purchase. Dan L.
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY |
Black & Bruised
Publisher: Majesco pem p Developer: Digital Fiction
Players: 12
Also On: GameCube
Throw In: The towel
BestFeature: 3D cartoon characters
Worst Feature: Everything else
Website: www.blackandbruised.com
Black & Bruised invites us to step into the ring and beat the ever living crap out of goofily themed boxers in a funny cartoon world. It’s a clever concept, but sadly the execution is lacking. Superb character design carries the game—for about an hour. After that, the shallow gameplay wears out its welcome faster than you can say “Muhammad Ali.” Sure, the game looks great. Smooth animation and amusing voice acting comple- ment the bruisers’ copacetic cartoon rendering. Mickey McFist drunkenly slurs his brogue-blessed speech, Knuckles Nadine is a boxing Daisy Duke, and Royal Pain brings English-aristocracy snobbery into the ring. All 18 characters have similarly vibrant personalities. But let’s not pull punches—this game is no fun. The boxing itself allows little subtlety or creativity. The fighters share the same eight punches, which hardly vary in terms of accuracy, speed, or damage. A skilled brawler might save a power-up for a strategic moment, but even this.tactic is blunted by the unstable nature of the power-ups, which disappear if your boxer starts taking a beating. The simple truth is Black & Bruised is a button-masher. Mash buttons to slug your oppo- nent, mash buttons to haul your palooka off the mat when you get laid out, and mash buttons to skip the repetitive cinematics that-bookend every round. Aside from its well-rendered ‘characters, there is neither sweetness nor science to be found here. Paul
Black & Bruised has an identity crisis. Its impressive visuals and comical story say “easy-to-play, arcade- style boxing game.” But the controls and gameplay aren’t shake-n-bake simple, and that’s where Bruised stumbles..The.controls (with eight.different.types of punches...eight!) belong in a serious sim, not in a seemingly fun.punchfest. The most frustrating thing about Bruised is that, to be successful, you've either got to memorize a lot of combos or just mash and hope for the best. And because the game's so fast and the camera's so tight on the-action, blocking takes more luck than skill. The graphics and style are a KO, but the gameplay doesn’t have the same punch. e
| was as excited to play Black & Bruised as | was to punch myself in the face, which is to say, not very. But | played it. And it surprised me. And I liked it. Quite a bit. The game pulls off funny the same way the under- appreciated snowboarding game_Dark Summit did: with kitsch. The Boxer's Life Story mode will keep you entertained with the 18 characters" wacky story lines. Think of a regular boxing Story mode, delete anything serious, and add in whatever comes to mind. And | mean whatever. While dimwits like Paul and CJ might not be able:to follow the complex plots, | quite like non sequitur narratives. It's that recipe that makes the game fresh and worthwhile. топа
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
#/ матове
Publisher: Konami ema fien Developer: Konami CET
Players: 1
Also On: Xbox
Featured Іп: ЕСМ #164
Best Feature: Incredible gameplay
Worst Feature: Lame story
Website: www.konami.com
Here we go again. PS2 owners may have grumbled a bit when Xbox players got the deluxe MGS2 last Christmas, but now they can sleep well knowing they get not only the same game, but also less slowdown and an all-new mode: Snakeboarding! Get it? Skateboarding with Solid Snake! Ha! Anyway, this is the same Metal Gear Solid 2 you played a couple years ago. It’s still got the kick-ass stealth gameplay (flight is better than fight) and a story that all but unravels at the end. Seriously, the plot will leave you totally con- fused for the last hour or so of the game. Luckily, for those of you who don’t need a story, the dozens of cool new VR missions—everything from learning how to sneak through enemy-infested areas to protecting a plate of curry with a sniper rifle—will keep you playing for weeks. On top of that, you get a few extra minisce- narios dubbed Snake Tales. These are totally original, but probably too friggin’ hard for any casual gamer. But уоште ће type that found MGS2 too easy at the highest difficulty setting, these are for you. And final- ly, Snakeboarding. | have to say—l'm not.impressed. It's basically Konami's lame Evolution Skateboarding game using MGS settings and characters. It'S pretty clunky and not really worth playing: Otherwise, the rest of Substance's extra features make it worth buying over the much cheaper Greatest Hits version
of MGS2 on PS2. Greg S.
As far as l'm concerned, the original MGS2's package of clever controls, crisp graphics, hide-and-seek stealth, and guns-blazing action still stands as one of the best Ps2 titles to date. The two aspects of the game | јап ке (the wussy main,character,Raiden and the nut-ball plot), Substance sweeps under the rug. A huge selection of new minimissions allows for more time playing as famed series stud Solid Snake, and they further exploit MGS2’s strongest suit: the gameplay. Not worth buying again (unless you were one of the five'PS2 owners who missed out on the game the first time), but definitely an intense weekend rental for fans. Mark
Metal Gear fans that played the crap out of MGS2 a year-and-a-half ago still have plenty to look forward to in Substance. Aside from the main game itself, which remains one of the boldest, most experimental block- busters to.date, you're also treated to some fun VR mis- sions,that truly capture the essence of MGS2's game- play. Sadly, alternate Snake Tales episodes all take place on the tanker and Big Shell, and the skateboard- ing minigame is completely redundant, no thanks to Tony Hawk. MGS2 is still an awesome game, but one year later, and with the regular game now available as a $20 Greatest Hits title, Substance should have been released at a discounted price. спе
VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY
1 1 1
6 4 5
m
Dragon Quarter's mix of intense strategy and real-time action makes for immensely fun battles.
Publisher: Capcom ГЕ Developer: Capcom
Players: 1
Also On: None
Featured In: ЕСМ #157
BestFeature: Deep battle system
Worst Feature: Bizarre gameplay concepts Website: WWW.capcom.com
shock— this fifth installment of the always
good (but rarely great) role-playing franchise abandons nearly every gameplay element the series is known for. A giant kingdom to explore? Nope, Dragon Quarter takes place exclusively in a cramped, postapocalyptic underground cave— no forests, rivers, or mountains to traverse this
[= Breath of Fire fans are in for a
DEAD? YOU'RE $.0.1., SON
The Scenario Overlay System (SOL) is paramount among Dragon Quarter's wacky innovations. When you die (and you will die), you're given two choices: You can either continue from your last save point minus most of your earn- ings, or you can SOL and restart the entire game with all your goodies and experience intact. Plus, if you SOL, the game adds new cut-scenes that help flesh out the story. Bizarre!
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
time. What about the giant cast of lovable char- acters? Sorry, you'll only get three party mem- bers to play with here. OK, at least you'll be able to relax by fishing, like in the past four games, right? Not a chance. The only water you'll find here is flowing through a trash-strewn sewer.
So, what does Dragon Quarter offer? Well, something entirely different. It's a survival-RPG that blends traditional role-playing concepts with gameplay ideas straight outta survival-hor- ror games like Resident Evil. You still have the basic tenets of RPG-dom, including hit points, experience points, equipment, magic, and turn- based battles. But now those old-school ideas are coupled with such a severe level of difficulty that you'll be forced to avoid overly difficult bat- tles, conserve healing resources, and find items in order to save (much like RE's typewriter rib- bons) just to stay alive. And if you do die, you're forced to make a colossal decision that could send you all the way back to the start of the game (scope the sidebar for the scoop).
Conceptually, it's truly groundbreaking stuff, but it's so daring that some of the leaps don't exactly work smoothly. However, if you're in the market for something funkily fresh and devilishly hard in the RPG realm, investigate Dragon Quarter.
Succeeding at the game's exceedingly tough bat- tles requires careful planning-pay attention to your AP meter so you can run in for a powerful attack and then escape to a safe distance all in one turn. Most enemies can't travel very far, so you can dart in, dart out, and remain totally safe.
Par I've played through а lot of RPGs over the years, so it's awfully hard for anything in the genre to surprise me. Well, Dragon Quarter did just that, throwing me for a loop and leaving me for dead with its obscene difficul- ty and whacked-out gameplay innovations. Be pre- pared—this game is insanely and unfairly difficult by design. Normal enemies will overpower you, heal- ing items are a scarce commodity, restorative spells are nonexistent, and even saving your game is an arduous prospect. Chalk it up to the blasted Scenario Overlay System (SOL), wherein you restart the game from scratch and keep all your experience and items after you die. The game doesn't force you to SOL, but realis- tically, you'll have to do it in order to beat the game. You even get rewarded with extra cut-scenes when you replay via SOL! In my opinion, it's a cheap trick that ekes extra replayability out of a fairly short (less than 20 hours) RPG. It's a shame that the game is so damned tough, because | genuinely. like.every other aspect of it: The attractive cel-shaded visuals are car- toony yet dark and edgy, the soundtrack rocks, the bleak plot unfolds nicely, and the strategy-heavy battle system is among the best I’ve ever experienced. If only all of these elements could migrate over to a normal, more-fun RPG, I'd be in;heaven. As it stands, Dragon Quarter remains a broken attempt at changing the RPG rules. Try before you consider buying. Shane | knew full well going into Dragon Quarter that | was going to die and have to restart—it’s just a compo- nent of the gameplay. Perhaps this is why | never became frustrated like grumpy ol’ Shane. In fact, | kinda liked.being able to start over.at.any time in orderto replay areas with built-üp stats and check out additional cut-scenes. The SOL system captured my attention, and the insanely cool, ultrastrategic battle system sucked me in further. Honestly, 1 don't think I’ve ever had as much fun with RPG bat- tles before. The soundtrack rocks, too. The game may be a little out there, but seriously, this is just what the genre needs. Sam K.
| will admit right now that when I first started play- ing Dragon Quarter, | hated it. Yes, the game's graphics are gorgeous, the character design is amaz- ing, the music is fantastic, and the unique strategy- battle system. rocks the house, but»the game's scarcity of save points, clumsy inventory system, and seemingly impossible difficulty level made me wanna holler. Never before have | played a game that Was designed to make me level up, make partial progress, and restart the game better prepared than before. While coming toygrips with this system was initially frustrating, | stuck with it and saw it through to the rewarding end. A sleeper. Milkman
REPLAY
VISUALS S D INGENUITY
MEOAMAN KICO OEMS +
VERSARY CELEBRATION
ANNI
Join
Mega Man
and Bass's fight 1 |
for humankind as you face off with ith:
the newest menace in town, Robot King. He's
captured all of the data plans for Dr. Wily's Unique Battle Moves &
creations in order to crush and dominate all ay ab Biher Megs bos ps p o cars
humans. Mega Man and Bass set out separately to stop him, but only one may succeed!
PA
d >
ee
EVERYONE
Ten
САМЕВОУЛЕМАМЕЕ CAPCOM
www.capcom.com
VIOLENCE ADVANCE AND THE OFFICIAL $
NINTENDO. © 2001 NINTENDO. CONTENT RATED BY tra ESRB
=
Publisher: EA Sports Big
Developer: EA Canada/Aki
Players: 1-2 (2-4 with Multitap)
Also On: GameCube
Featured In: ЕСМ #163
Best Feature: Can Ludacris beat up Method Man?
This age-old question is answered. Worst Feature: No Create-a-wrestler option? Lame. Website: www.defjamvendetta.com
sounded like some kind of cynical market-
ing wet dream: "It's Fight Club meets hip- hop! It'll be, uh, off the hook...or, whatever the kids say. Hella something."
We can't even count all the ways this could have gone wrong, so we're glad we don't have to. Developer Aki is known for its wrestling- game expertise, and Def Jam, well, they're pret- ty good with the hip-hop. Together, they've made a decent brawler that incorporates the hip-hop stars you presumably love (Ludacris, DMX, Redman...almost the entire Def Jam line- up) and even compelling story — compelling for a wrestling game, at least.
The Def Jam crew members are the villains, with each artist acting as a boss. As you climb the ranks in Story mode and struggle to get the
Т: pitch for Def Jam: Vendetta must have
| |
| s
girl (well, girls—there’s more than one), you'll earn cash, which you can use to buy attribute upgrades. There's all kinds of other stuff to unlock, too: new fighters (39 in all), stages, and even swank Phatfarm threads, in case your wardrobe is low on powder-blue track suits. The multiplayer games you'd expect are there—Tag Team, Free For All, and Handicap modes —and you can even earn cash from these bouts to spend in Story mode, but you can't set up tournaments or tweak many options. The lack of a Create-a-character feature is also a bummer. If you enjoy the hip-hop and the wrasslin', you'll get many hours of fun out of this one, but if you're a hardcore WWE fan, you may want to stick with what you've already got.
Def Jam: Vendetta isn't just about Def Jam artists. You'll also find the lovely ladies who, uh, associate with the Def Jam crew. As your wrestler gains more respect, the gals will actually fight over him (no hair pulling, unfortunately, but there is slapping). When you get a new lady friend, you'll also open a gallery of her cheesecake pictures —not rendered art, but real photographs of the gal the character is based on. Sexy...or desperately sad? It's a per- sonal question.
114 na
Method Man has PeeWee (one of the non-rapper scrubs) on the metaphorical ropes, while a small assembly of onlookers call out for blood. They'll be disappointed, ‘cause there ain't попе. You'd think the guy in the peace shirt would be against this sort of thing, but apparently not.
Def Jam: Vendetta sounds less like a good idea for a game and more like a license to print money, but it’s actually done pretty well. The characters look like they should, even down to their outfits, and the gameplay is what you'd expect from a good brawler. It’s also sur- prisingly challenging—sometimes frustratingly so, at least initially—on the Normal difficulty level. But when you get all powered up and unleash a “Blazin’” finish- ing move, the resulting punishment is quite satisfy- ing, in a “boy, did he ever get hit in the crotch!” kind of way. The computer A.l. always mounts a comeback if it's on the ropes, which adds tension to a match but increases the risk of you throwing your con- troller to the ground in disgust after your foe unleash- es a string of combos you're powerless to stop. There are some nice details, like body-part-specific damage and a diverse range of moves to master, but also some glaring omissions: Match conditions, like rope breaks, ring outs, and time limits (there isn't.one, ever) aren't customizable. The fighters’ stats aren't listed in the Multiplayer Character-select Screen. And, you can't grab a chair from the audience for pummeling purpos- es (or, as the case may be, a big bottle of Alize, the beverage ОЁ choice among rappers’ girlfriends). Def Jam will be а must-havesfor some, but if the hip-hop angle doesn’t particularly appeal, you may want to get your sweaty man-thrills elsewhere. Demian | don’t like fighting games, | think the WWE is stupid, and only recently have | become a hip-hop enthusiast, courtesy of what уе deemed “The 8 Mile Effect." But | love any game good enough to hook me, and Vendetta is certainly that. While the story line has fewer twists than а breadstick, the game is addictive because the balanced fighting engine keeps every battle inter- esting. Unlocking DMX and Ludacris as players, and a handful of Maxim-style photographs of some really pretty girls don't hurt, either. Painfülly limited tuneage is the game's only serious flaw. There are too few songs (16 or so), considering that Vice City offers more than 80 and Tony Hawk 4 features 40. Todd
Vendetta is the swift kick in the junk that the wrestling genre sorely needs, but it still left me feel- ing somewhat empty. | really like the entertaining Story mode, fast action, easy-to-learn controls, and K.O. sys- tem (which. keeps. match lengths reasonable). Unlike most wrasslin’ games, the gauges make sense (one even tells you if an opponent can escape.a pin). But, there's also a lot that needs work: it's criminally low on match types, doesn't have any weapons, doesn't have a Create-a-character mode, the camera sucks when more than two wrestlers are-onscreen, and there're 44 char- acters, but only four can be used in Story mode. In short, it’s still a promising start to a great series. el
VISUALS
SOUND INGENUITY
REPLAY
ВЕЕОВЕ WARCRAFT'
THREE HAIRY NORSEMEN SET THE STAGE FOR A TRADITION
OF GREAT GAMING.
THE BLIZZARD CLASSIC RETURNS.
Now on GAME Boy® ADVANCE.
Comic chief ild Violence
ESRB 7%
© 2003 Blizzay n lef erved. The Lost Vikings is a trademark and Blizzard Entertainment and Warcraft are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other gin endo. Game Boy and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association, о tradenames are the properties of their respective owners.
LM Fr
The King of Route 66
Publisher:
| Sega
=| Developer: AM2
Players:
1-2
Also On:
None
Featured In:
EGM #163
Website:
www.sega.com
Best Feature: Queen of Route 66 mode
Worst Feature: Short, overly difficult stages
Breaker, breaker! You got yer ears on? Drivin’ yer diesel car in King of Route 66 should be a real sweet deal. 'Specially with no smokies at yer back door. Know what | mean? But this dog don’t hunt. It’s got all the same problems as 18 Wheeler—mostly muddy controls and levels shorter than your average com- mercial. At least the levels are plentiful this time around. You might not get to see all the stages, though, since the difficulty curve is all messed up. When I’ve gotta drive the first few levels over and over again, something’s wrong. No matter which mode you play in, it happens. At least | had some fun with the Queen of Route 66 mode. What's that, you ask? It's basically Gran Turismo for trucks. You complete vari- ous challenges, earn cash, and upgrade your truck from а child's toy to something BJ and The Bear would be proud to drive. But, again, the cruel difficulty ham- pers the enjoyment. | was really lookin’ forward to dri- vin' the big rigs in a great game for once, too. Oh well, looks like Pll have to wait for another 18 Wheeler sequel before | live that particular dream. Greg S.
REPLAY
VISUALS
SOUND
INGENUITY
6 4
Publisher: Namco Developer:
Namco
Players:
1-2
j Also On:
None
Still Needs:
Online multiplayer Website: www.namco.com
Jug EVERYONE.
3 а
Best Feature: Addition of front and rear brakes Worst Feature: Steep learn- ing curve
MotoGP was one of the first PS2 titles that made me go "holy s***." It was absolutely gorgeous and played much better than most motorcycle racing games up to that point. The only thing missing was control over both the front and rear brakes (they're independent on racing bikes). Now in its second sequel, MotoGP offers that level of control for the first time. Personally, | don't find it makes much of a difference on the track, but bike buffs will be stoked with the option, and it doesn't detract from the gameplay. Other than that, MGP3 plays just like Namco's previous two games, with decep- tively difficult turns and a great sense of speed. Even, when | tire of racing through a full season, MotoGP offers enough different modes—like rac- ing legendary drivers on each track or trying to complete the 100 extra challenges—to keep me playing. | only wish MotoGP 3 had come with some major enhancements like-online play. But if you're a fan of the sport, a simple update to MGP2 is still
more than enough. Greg $. INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS SOUND
9 1
Publisher: ғ Sony CEA Developer: Idol Minds Players:
1-4
Also On: None Featured In: EGM #164 Website: playstation.com
Best Feature: Competent multiplayer minigames Worst Feature: Pointless, badly designed Story mode
My Street really challenges me, but not the way a game typically should. Im not driven to explore by the cunning design (it's rather basic—you run up to different neighborhood kids who invite you to play a bunch of tried-and-true multiplayer diversions of yore). Nor am | baffled by the endless variety of minigames (there's a grand total of seven). Instead, My Street challenges me to think of a single type of gamer who would actually enjoy playing it. I've come up with two: bored kids with overprotective parents, and adults with bad taste in games. Now, that's not to say all the minigames are terrible; it's tough to truly destroy a Tetris or ChuChu Rocket! rip- off, and the Marbles and Lawnmowers games are somewhat fun. But the RC Racing game is just bor- ing, and in team-based games like Volleyball and Dodgeball, when it's not your turn, you can't even see your team on the screen. Finally, the freaky-look- ing characters you create might frighten rather than amuse you. The fact that the game offers online play redeems My Street, but only slightly. Jennifer
INGENUITY REPLAY
2 5
VISUALS SOUND
4
{+ World Soccer: Winning
" Eleven 6 International
Konami Developer: Konami CET Players:
1-2 (2-8 w/ Multitap)
Also On: None Big In:
Japan, Europe Website: www.konami.com
Best Feature: Master League play
Worst Feature: Intimidating learning curve
Even though you've probably never heard of it, WEG is the world’s most-revered soccer game. If you dabble in the Net soccer-fan scene at all, you'll find some truly rabid fans who spread its gospel, like Jabberwock (a message-board denizen) who explains: *Winning Eleven 6 is the best game in the world. No, it's not just the best soccer game— it's the best game." OK, he's exaggerating a bit, but he's on the right track—it's a staggering sports sim worthy of praise, with spec- tacular graphics, depth, and gameplay. lm amazed by the lifelike animations for every imaginable sce- nario— you'll rarely see the same steals, falls, or blocks twice.in a match. The audio is.also superbly done, and its marriage to the-action is flawless. Although the lavish looks and sounds will draw you in, the gameplay will keep you hooked. The excellent Training mode will definitely help a beginner along the game's steep learning curve, and once you learn the skills, it’s easy to master the precise controls. I’m no soccer maniac, but this title deserves merit as a possi- ble Sports Game of the Year. Dan L.
INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS SOUND
9 1 1
116
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
Publisher: Ubi Soft mal ка Developer: Ubi Soft
Players: 1
Also On: GC, Xbox
Featured Іп: ЕСМ #159
Best Feature: Good graphics
Worst Feature: Horrible unlockable “bonuses” Website: www.rayman.com
Since Rayman 2 was released, some phenomenal platformers have hit the scene from the likes of Nintendo (Mario Sunshine) and Sony (Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, and Ratchet & Clank). And while Rayman 3 is a slight improvement on the limbless wonder’s impressive-at-the-time last adventure, it just can’t compete with the genre’s lofty new benchmarks. Its problems begin with a horribly uninteresting story and unfunny voice acting. Thirty seconds in | was looking for the at least tolerable Raymanese voice option from Rayman 2, but alas, it was not to be found. From there, the game continues its descent with a haphazard mix of derivative gameplay that runs the gamut from imaginative and fun (like the hunt for a gun-toting baddie around his mansion) to utterly annoying and dull (like the absolutely infuriating and pointless levels where you surfboard over planks of light). For each thing that’s kinda fun, you get three or four things that aren't. Even bits you'd.think would be enjoyable, like a bunch of unlockable bonus, games and "funny" cinemas, are so poorly executed they aren't worth looking at more than once—if at all. But...for all its incredible faults, at its core, the game is still pretty good— better than many of the uninspired action-platform games-that have found their way to stores recently (Dr. Muto ог Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, anyone?). Good? Yes. Great? No. el
Here's an odd statement for Rayman to wrap his limb- less arms around: Hoodlum Havoc improves on almost everything that its predecessor offered, yet Rayman 2 remains the better game. Havoc's visuals are much.better, with smooth, stylish-environments and spectacular lighting effects. Plus, the control (especially the targeting) is much tighter. But in an effort to change things up—making constant combat, intense boss battles, and quick action Havoc's focus— Rayman has lost the sprawling sense of adventure that made the prior game so enticing. What you're left with is a solid, sometimes engaging action-platformer, but nothing more. Gary 5.
Dear Rayman: Your latest effort, Hoodlum Havoc, is a fun game. You're as spry as ever, hippity-hopping all over the place and shooting your fists at whomsoever needs a beating. And your helicopter hair is dynamite, as always. And yet...sorry, Ray, but it's like this: People expect you to exceed their expectations. Rayman 2 really knocked their socks off, and they're hoping you'll do it again. Havocis cute, lighthearted, accessible, and fun. But its straightforward jumping puzzles and quirky boss battles will put your fans through their paces without really challenging-them. This is а no-non- sense platformer from the king of nonsense! Let's discuss it further over lunch. Sincerely, Paul
INGENUITY REPLAY
8 1
VISUALS SOUND
9 1
LIGHTS......CAMERA...... ATTACK!!!
DIRECTED BY SHAO TING
É 4 = ви H H H NH eee B NS NN NON
In a world where violence and celebrity go hand in hand, one video game beautifully glorifies both. Kung Fu Chaos is the story of director Shao Ting's mad obsession to assemble top 70's martial artists — throw them onto movie sets and have them beat the duck sauce out of each other. With 21 big-budget locations, 8 hot-tempered actors and a cameo by a mystery master, it’s never the same movie —er, game twice.
Blood Mature Humor Microsoft Я OREL ОМ www.xbox.com Mild language gamexGStudios- : XBOX www.kungfuchaos.com
CONTENT ATED BY Violence ©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, the Xbox logos, and Kung Fu Chaos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. This is a parody of a typical 1970's movie poster. The ad does not intentionally represent any specific movies, establishment, or any individual living or deceased. Additionally, the reviews are fictitious, and any perceived connection to an actual movie review is purely coincidental.
Publisher: Activision rf Developer: K2
Players: 1-2
Also On: None
Featured In: ЕСМ #163
BestFeature: Badass stealth kills
Worst Feature: Easy boss fights Website: www.activision.com
last got our ninja groove on with the mild-
ly disappointing Tenchu 2, but fledgling developer K2 re-ignites our inner ninjitsu with this third installment on PlayStation 2. Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven successfully builds upon what made the series popular on the original PlayStation, as everything revolves around making you look, feel, and act like a real ninja.
The gameplay sticks close to the original
game's stealth-assassination groundwork. The two playable characters (with a third unlock- able) come with their own sets of weapons and attacks, but more important, both can deliver some horrific damage with their ever-so- sneaky stealth-kills. Similar to Metal Gear Solid's radar, Tenchu's Ki meter allows you to track your enemies' proximity and awareness of your current position. When the enemy nin-
А Imost three years have passed since we
2-7 See those flaming exclamation points? That means Rikimaru's about to berserker barrage some fools.
jas aren't looking, you can go for the immense- ly gratifying stealth-kill move. Offing foes while remaining unseen makes traversing the game's nine massive levels much easier.
Visually, this chapter easily hangs with other PS2 heavy hitters. Detailed character models and stunning environments impart a realistic, solid feel that the PS1 Tenchus seriously lacked. The camera system still isn't perfect, but it's manageable. Apart from the jumpy camera, the lack of difficult bosses stands as the game's major stumbling block. Compared to its predecessors, this is a much less chal- lenging endeavor, but rewarding nonetheless.
THE KEY TO BECOMING A TRUE NINJA
Every time you perform a stealth-kill in Wrath of Heaven, you earn a kanji (a Chinese symbol signify- ing a Japanese word). Your Kuji meter (located right above your Ki and health meter) has nine kanji
slots. If you fill the meter during a mission, your character will earn a new skill, like Ninja Vision, which lets you throw items farther and have a bet- ter sense of enemy locations. A full Kuji meter will also strengthen your attacks.
18
Two new multiplayer modes provide a new chal- lenge for the Tenchu series. In Versus mode, you can assume the role of the two main characters or of one of the game's wide variety of enemies, while Co-op has Ayame and Rikimaru teaming up splitscreen to fight evil.
Wrath of Heaven is all about one thing— stealth. Start by sneaking around corners or holding onto ledges, then pop up, jump on an enemy's shoulders, and drive а katana through his skull—that should make any ninja wannabe smile. The stealth-kill animations are fantastic, and the incentive of earning additional attacks and special moves for racking up the kills makes the game addictive. Developer K2 has also done а nice job giving a series coming from Р51 the necessary graphical facelift—the huge levels and detailed characters look great. Though the camera still causes some frustration, it's much better than the old Tenchu games' clumsy cinematography. My biggest gripe is with the enemy A.l.: In a nutshell, it's pretty stupid. If a guard spots you, most of the time, all you need to do is run away and wait for him to return to his previous position. Plus, the ridiculously easy boss bat- tles require little strategy. In fact, more skilled players may want.to.bump, ир the game's difficulty level right from the beginning. | was also hoping for multiplayer modes that felt less like a collection of minigames. Maybe next time. With a few gameplay tweaks and a more compelling story line (everything here is either vague or silly), this could have beeri'a must-have PS2 title. Still, Tenchu fans-and gamers looking for some stealthy Metal Gear Solid-style action should give this game a shot.
absolutely must—executing stealth-kills as a ninja is simply exhilarating, and the animations rock. It’s enough to make you want to play through the whole game with each character— but don't expect perfection. Locking-on to enemies works OK, but Wrath’s overly constrictive camera adds loads of artificial difficulty, bal- anced out only by often inept enemy А.І. (you can out- wit a pursuer simply by turning a corner...even on a one- way path), And there’s nothing like being 20 minutes into a level and falling.into:a pit you can’t even see— pure frustration! Luckily, the solid gameplay and multi- player thrills win out in the end. Chris B.
It’s tough for Tenchu 3 to remain relevant in the face of recent eye-busting stealth-action gems like MGS2: Substance and the pending PS2 Splinter Cell. Luckily, the most memorable thing about the series—namely, the emphasis. on.cool, grizzly stealth-kills—is in full effect, and the flowing blood does quite a bit to keep the experience afloat. Sneak-murders aside, the combat controls are still a bit cumbersome, despite improvements made over the previous games. Ditto with the A.l.: Sure, they'll climb up walls and maybe come find you when уоштип, but they'll stop chasing you after about three rooms. Overall, it's no classic, but the carnage alone makes it worthwhile. Miguel
INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS
1
SOUND
Knuckles Nadine just wants to he a country music star. But the road to stardom’s a bit bumpy. Join Nadine
and 18 other wacky, not-so-typical boxers as their storylines intertwine from one grueling, over-the-top slugfest
to the next. But beware. What happens in their life affects their performance in the ring. And vice-versa.
"Black & Bruised looks and feels like a next generation PUNCH OUT! Its about time." -Nintendo Power
24 combos per (Т
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3 у Mild Languag EEE EY Ux Sieci Themes | 4 Get your free demo at с | Violence | PlayS tation.2 p BIACKANDBAUISED.COM SRE Gace | E B www.majescogames.com 3 _ ©2002 Fon ШШ ТЯ SCIT to and published by Majesco Sales, Inc. ne вби the ‘PS’ Family logo are registered trademarks of Seay Cin Enae ПА т ү
and 3 trad Nintendo. ©2001 p eU e The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Softwar tion, Free Black & Bruised
PM PAN
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122900
Publisher: Konami са ГЕ Developer: KCE Japan
Players: 12
Also On: None
Featured Іп: EGM #164
Best Feature: Cool-lookin' monster fights
Worst Feature: Impossibly difficult for beginners Website: www.konami.com
Pokémon” has finally arrived on PS2, and
it’s sure to divide players into two distinct camps: fans of the TV show (who will love it) and everybody else (who will likely be con- fused by it). The Duelists of the Roses is com- plicated, difficult, and demanding, which won't be a problem for vets of Forbidden Memories (the PS1 game), but if you’re new to the fran- chise, expect a frustrating initiation. The com- puter А.І. is way out of whack, making it ridicu- lously tough for you to score even your first win. And the new Fusion system is confusing as all heck. But to be fair, when compared to Yugi's PS1 debut, Duelists definitely offers the better experience; the new board layout adds a lot, making the game feel a bit like chess. There’s plenty of strategy involved, and once
T: game that everyone’s calling “the next
ив
You serve us well was wise in summoning you from Scotland
Simon. My mother
Although Yugi is in the game, you don't get to play as him. Which kinda blows if you're a Yugi fan.
you get to the point where you understand the defense and attack principles, it's definitely addictive. The big question is whether you'll play long enough to understand all the rules.
CREATE THE PERFECTLY ULTIMATE GREAT MOTH AND BECOME THE PERFECTLY GEEKY GAMER
When you defeat Weevil (your first opponent), be sure to capture his Cocoon of Evolution card. Combine that card with a Larvae Monster card and flip it upward in the Defense position for six turns. Once that hatches into a second form, flip the new card upward and place it in the Defense position for one more turn. That'll transform the card into the legendary Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth; keep it face up in the Defense position and you'll steal 100 ATK points from all enemy cards every turn.
120
-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses
The Duelists of the Roses includes more than 600 different monsters, all in glorious 3D. Which means you'll sometimes see some really lame ones, like the fearsome Pumpkin with Squiggly Legs. “Roar,” he says. “I've got a pumpkin for a head! A PUMPKIN! I'M TASTY AND FEROCIOUS!!”
As was the case with Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories on PS1, The Duelists of the Roses is a true love it/hate it kind of game. Fans of the franchise will scream bloody murder when they see this score, while casual gamers are gonna think the grade is at least a couple points too high. But here's the bottom line: While far from great and way too complicated for its own good, Duelists is rea- sonably deep and ultimately pretty satisfying. Players willing to put 20-plus hours into learning the rules of this crazy card-and-board-game hybrid will have a decent time. After all, the monster battles look fantastic and the game's strategic elements make for a surprisingly addictive experience. The problem is, it takes forever to learn how to play the damn thing. Combining monster cards to create a more powerful deck is the key to win- ning battles, but trying to understand all of the unstated (and seemingly arbitrary) card-compatibility guidelines is a nightmare. Worse still, the steep learning curve will obliterate.new.players. Weevil, the first boss, is easily as tough'as Kaiba, your final opponent. If you've. never played a Yu-Gi-Oh! game before, it's possible that you'll lose for a good 10 hours or so before claiming your first victory. Oh, and | have to mention the music—the melodic harpsichord battle tune is fine...for the first few hours, А little variety would:have been nice. Fans of the show and strategic gamers with perseverance should ante up; everybody else should pass. Ethan
Some card-battling games, like Monster Rancher BattleCard (PS1) and Card Fighters’ Clash (Neo Geo Pocket), are fun even for those of us uninitiated into the Brotherhood of Hardcore Trading-Card Gamers. But you won't enjoy Duelists if you don't already know and love the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game. The confusing Terrain and Fusion systems, boring battles, and uneven difficul- ty make Duelists a frustrating mess. It's unforgiving for newbies; the in-game tutorial doesn't actually teach you how to play, so you're left to crawl Ма trial and error through its convoluted ruleswAt least fans of the card game will enjoy watching their favorite beasties in 3D, but the rest of us won't find anything fun here. CJ
Play this game long enough and you'll feel like a com- plete loser. Not because of the Yu-Gi-Oh! license, mind you—l've actually grown to appreciate Yugi and his card-carrying pals, thanks to the endearing cartoons and the nifty manga. Rather, it's because Roses stacks the cards.so heavily against you that you're likely to lose the vast majority of your battles. This isn't a game of strategy. No, it's all about random trial and error, memorization, note taking (how else will you recall thatithe Princess of Tsurugi combines with a Dark Rabbit to form a Negokali#2?), and frustration. Even curious card-battling aficionados should steer clear— this is for hardcore Yu-Gi-Oh! fans only. Gary $.
INGENUITY REPLAY
co 1
VISUALS SOUND
6 3
SEGA GPOATS)
segasports.com
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Players: 1 (2 with GBA Link)
Also On: None
Sailing: Takes me away, to where I’m going
Slick graphics (yes, the graphics!) Sailing everywhere can get old www.zelda.com
Best Feature: Worst Feature: Website:
those who think Zelda's radical, new toon- shaded style is a brilliant move, and those who think its bug-eyed characters belong in
LES are two kinds of people in this world —
After seeing what Link's packin' in Soul Calibur И we like Wind Waker's G-rated look even more.
cheesy '70s-era cartoons, not in a videogame for adults. But we have news for any of you who place yourself firmly in that second camp: Experience this game firsthand and you just might change your mind. Once you see how enemy faces lock into a grimace as they take a hit, how fire dances on a torch, how defeated
was a mistake) now agree that The Wind Waker's new look is as effective as it is unique. In fact, the more realistic, adult Link featured in Soul Calibur II (see the, uh, form-fitting pic top right) now looks pretty ridiculous to most of us.
Less discussed but ultimately more impor- tant is, of course, the gameplay. Although the
controls and basic setup follow the expected Zelda mold (puzzle-packed dungeons, giant bosses, music-based magic, etc.), The Wind Waker adds a good amount of new material. Link will find several items with multiple inge- nious uses—for example, a giant leaf that can (continued on page 124)
enemies explode into a whirling vortex of clouds and streaking smoke, it's a lot easier to under- stand why Nintendo made the choice they did. The animation in this game is without equal; as a result, all three of our reviewers (one of whom was previously on the fence regarding the graphics and another who was sure the change
TREASURE HUNTIN’
The Wind Waker's vast ocean hides many treasures — rupees, heart containers, you name it. And while you could just sail around looking for the tiny rings of light that appear over any submerged chest, we know a great way to build Link's fortune.
First, you'll need a treasure map— you can find them hidden in dungeons, under rocks, and in other out-of-the way loca- tions. Open that map and find an island on your Sea Chart that matches your location. (Be sure to feed all the local fish you see—they’ll fill in parts of your Sea Chart with all the local islands.) Now, sail to the spot marked with the big *X," and as you approach, you'll notice a stronger beam of light. Use your grapple hook to pull up the chest and voila!
122
Death from above: Link catches major air.
Combat: The Smorgashord of Pain (or, How to Kill in Four Easy Steps)
Link may look like he couldn't take on a Care Bear, but when it comes time to throw down, enemies better step off. The Wind Waker takes all the standard Zelda slashes and combos, adds new special moves (hit Attack at just the right time), a ton of weapons, and even offensive uses for items like a giant leaf and
a grappling hook to give Link a wide array of deadly attacks. It's this variety that keeps combat fresh and exciting. It's like the buffet at Sizzler— well, in that you can keep going back again and again and choose something different each time, not in that it will give you uncontrollable diarrhea.
FIGHT!
REMOVE ARMOR: Link goes all Jackie Chan, rolling under the guard's attack to swing around and cut off his armor from behind, all in one smooth motion.
x
STEP 1: DISROBE
BOOMERANG: A 'rang to the fore- head will stun your foe-strike him quickly now!
STEP 2: DISORIENT
DODGE ATTACK: As we mentioned before, press Attack at just the right time and you can evade your enemies' attack, then smack them for even thinking about it.
x
STEP 3: DISARM
BOMBER- MAN: Toss а bomb and, if you time it right, make bad guy go BOOM!
x
STEP 4: JUST PLAIN “DIS”
YOU WIN!
535) REMOVE HELMET: Push Up and Attack at just the right time (watch for the A but- ton to flash) and Link will leap up and take off his attacker's hel- met in midair.
GRAP- BOW: PLING Arrows are HOOK: fast and Send in the should hook to knock your snarf enemy off power-ups of their and items. feet.
COMBO ATTACK: Hold the stick in any direction and jam on the Attack button to transform Link into a whirling green blur of deadly sword strikes.
TAKE STRATEGY: THEIR Enemies’ WEAPONS: attacks can And use or hurt other throw them enemies, back at so help your them to attackers. help you.
To the victor go the spoils. And since Victor ain't around, there's no one to stop Link from helping him- self to any treasure left by his fallen enemies. What you're hoping for is one of these multicolored orbs; hit it with your sword and it'll explode
| into a pile of goodies.
y-123
variety of ways. Behold:
Chu Chus Peahats
Follow one rule Arrows are the when fighting the most conventional electrified versions way to fight air-
of these little bug- borne foes, but not gers: Don't hit the most creative. them with your Fire the boom-
sword. Instead, stun them with - your boomerang or
erang at a baddie to clip its pro- peller, then once
Hookshot, then go more to finish the in for a bit of job. Or, use the swordplay. Of Deku Leaf to blow
it to the ground. Just be sure to thwack it again before its propeller grows back.
course, a well- placed bomb or a few shots from your bow will get the job done, too.
(continued from page 122)
work as a big fan or as a parachute, and a grap-
pling hook that can pull Link up or steal items from enemies.
Combat has also been tweaked, with the abili- ty to use enemy weapons (which also factors into some dungeon puzzles) and new special attacks. As you can probably tell from the giant chart on the last page, fighting has never been as deep, or as much fun, in any Zelda game.
The beauty of The Wind Waker's combat is that you can tackle almost any enemy in a
Blue Bubbles If you take these flaming skulls head on, you'll get
Poes These ghosts are invincible unless you shine some
burned. Instead, light on them with extinguish those your Mirror Shield. flames with a blast Опсе they turn from the Deku Leaf solid, they're as
and finish the job with your sword.
mortal as you or |. For lazy warriors,
Or, if you're an simply letting the excellent shot, Poe possess you take ’em out using ^ will do the trick.
Your controls are messed up for a bit, but once it's over, the Poe is gone for good.
your Ice Arrows. One icy shot and they'll be vulnera- ble to your blade's deadly kiss.
Of course, the most obvious change to Zelda's world is that it's now one big ocean. Instead of walking from place to place on a giant overworld as in every previous Zelda game, everything in The Wind Waker is con- nected by water. You therefore spend much of the game sailing between islands, charting the seas, and fighting sharks and pirates on Link's new boat. Our reviewers were split on how well they felt this idea worked —although
THE OTHER GAMECUBE ZELDAS
Those of you who took advantage of the Wind Waker preorder campaign came home with a bonus disc featuring the Nintendo 64 classic Ocarina of Time and its never-before- seen follow-up, Ocarina of Time: Master Quest. Here’s our take on exactly what you’re getting with this unusual freebie.
The main thing you should know is that OOT and
Master Quest are extremely similar. In fact, there’s only one difference between them: the dungeons. Each dun- geon from Ocarina has been slightly remixed in Master Quest, meaning the route you take and some of the puzzles have changed (including one truly bizarre example involving cows that we won't go into here), with many enemy and item locations mixed up a bit as well. These new dungeons aren't significantly bet- ter or worse than the old ones, but at the very least they give any- one who's already played Ocarina a fresh workout.
Aesthetically speaking, Ocarina looks almost the same now as it did four years ago, which basically means your eyes are in for a world of blurry, washed-out hurt. The visuals are definitely sharper and cleaner on GC, but there's no denying the games already look hopelessly out- dated. Ultimately, however, gameplay is what matters, and for that,
Ocarina still delivers. And you can't beat the price: Free!
124
Feed the seagulls the right kind of bait (you can find it at almost any floating shop) and you can take control of one of these proud birds. Swoop and fly around to hit switches and uncover secrets, but be sure to keep an eye out for enemy vultures. If they hit your bird, control will return to Link.
What the hell were we all so worried about? The Wind Wakers toon-shaded look once seemed like a daring risk, but after actually trying the finished game, it's hard to imagine it any other way. In short, Nintendo achieved its goal—playing Zelda feels like you're controlling a cartoon. Maybe that's why five different people watch- ing me play immediately said almost the exact same thing: "[Expletive], the animation is incredible!” Every character and enemy movement, every reaction, and every facialexpression is seamless and fluidly animated on a level no other game can touch. Some people will never get over the cartoony style, and it’s true, the game does have a certain Disney look to it, but I'm confident even Grand Theft Auto-loving holdouts will be won over if they would just see the game firsthand.
Certainly no one will be able to fault the gameplay. At its core, The Wind Waker shares the same polished foundation as past Zelda games: You traverse a huge world, solving dungeons and finding special items as you progress and unlock new areas. Controls are solid, precise, and easily navigated, thanks to the ability to assign buttons as you choose. (The use of the D-pad to quickly flip between maps is also handy.)
Dungeon designs are likewise ingenious and surprisingly different thanks to the occasional addition of a second playable character. Working out puzzles that require switching back and forth between Link and an assistant is the kind of clever gameplay device that keeps you playing long after you should have gone to bed/school/work. Even combat presents all sorts of possibilities, from using items to enemy weapons to timed dodge-attacks in defeating your foes. And, as always, all the bad guys from bosses to foot soldiers have weak spots that can be exploited in different ways.
| have only two minor complaints with The Wind Waker: First, it’s a bit too easy—| never had to worry about dying at any time through the entire game. Second is the boat Link rides everywhere. Yes, it is a unique and cool method to get around; the way you dredge up treasure, aim your cannon to attack, and use the wind to steer feels unlike anything Zelda, or any other game, has done before. And yes, it makes for some special moments, like when you're stuck in the chop during a thunderstorm, or cutting smooth waters as you watch the sun slowly rise. But my trouble is, you're sailing a lot. Despite a limited warp spell you get later, it can get tiresome. Constantly needing to change the wind direction is a bit of a chore, and combat out at sea isn't nearly as fun as it is on dry land.
But these are minor quibbles next to everything that Zelda does so well. It's the kind of game that, even now that I've finished it, | can't wait to. go back and thor- oughly explore every nook, secret, and side quest (and there are plenty of each). It's one of the most unique and enjoyable games ever— play it. Mark
VISUALS REPLAY
10
SOUND INGENUITY
TAG TEAM TRAVERSAL
Two of Wind Waker's later dungeons introduce a shockingly cool gameplay concept: Link joins up with another character (with its own unique abilities) to tackle a puz- zle-laden labyrinth. These amazingly complex, cleverly designed areas really shine; the puzzles and challenges constantly force you to come up with creative solutions involving switching between two characters. Here's an example of one relatively sim- ple room you'll encounter where Link teams up with Makar, a cuddly li'l forest spirit:
4 a
Link and Makar (the hat- like thing) survey the area.
First, take out some Blue Bubbles with Ice Arrows.
Conduct the Song of Com- mand to possess Makar.
Fly Makar over to the cliff, avoiding the enemies.
Have Makar sow his special seeds to create trees.
Finally, Link grapples up to the top. Success!
onscreen personae help each other (check out the big sidebar above). It’s a bit like /co for PS2, except in Zelda, your partner is worth a damn. The Wind Waker also introduces another kind of second-player possibility—you can link-up a Game Boy Advance and have a friend play along (see below). This feature was originally incorpo- rated for those new to the series or video- games, or for situations where one player has (continued on page 126)
everyone agreed it was a novel idea. Shane and Greg appreciated the new approach, while some aspects of sea travel left Mark longing to ave his feet back on terra firma.
Another Big New Idea for this Zelda is that you sometimes have access to a second playable character—a statue, a flying bird-girl, a wee for- est spirit, or even a seagull. This opens up the possibilities for cool secrets and dungeon puz- zles that can be solved only by having your two
Y GAME BOY IS TINGLING
Nintendo's been trying to get us to link our GameCubes to our Game Boy Advances (via a S15 cable) for a while now, and while dabbling with Animal Crossing was fun, Wind Waker is the best reason yet to enter the synergistic world of connectivity. Once you find the Tingle Tuner item in the game, you're ready to commune with the festive, leotard- clad fairy. Plug in your GBA and check out Tingle's tricks:
26999 [2]
ован је
RED, GREEN, & BLUE TINGLE
FINDING HIDDEN CHESTS
TINGLE BOMB TINGLE BALLOON TINGLE SHIELD
Tingle tosses For five seconds, For a measly 40 Tingle can heal Tingle can see explosives, Link floats mer- rupees, Link Link with three hidden trea- trouncing ene- rily through the gets 10 seconds types of potions: sures both at mies and reveal- air. Most helpful of total invinci- health, magic, sea and in dun- ing hidden trea- before you get bility. Great in and one that geons, so keep sures for Link. the Deku Leaf. dungeons. does both. a keen eye out.
125
These little spiny guys are a real nuisance; they glom onto Link and slow him down, leaving him open to attacks. It's best to blow 'em away with your boomerang before they can touch you, but if they do grab on, perform Link's devastating spin- ning 360-degree attack to knock them off.
| didn't approach Wind Waker with the euphoric glee I've felt for past Zeldas. In fact, | was actually kind of wary. | couldn't help but be skeptical about the radical graphical overhaul (would it make the game feel too kiddy?), the oceanic overworld (would sailing the open seas get boring?), and even the fact that Link had to res- cue his sister, Aryll (what? Link shouldn't have a sister! Foull). Luckily, all of my fears were, in the end, unfound- ed. This is a worthy inheritor of the Zelda crown—an instant classic no gamer should miss.
First, | was wrong to ever doubt the new visual style. As good as Metroid Prime's amazing graphics are at painting the realistic world of Tallon IV, Wind Wakers cel-shaded style brings Link's fantastical adventure to life with an equal amount of refinement. It's a throwback to the simple design of the original NES Zelda game— and | love that. Link's not some macho badass; he's a kid on a storybook quest. Everything in the game adheres to an amazing, stylized aesthetic, from the crashing waves ripped from an old Japanese woodcut to the freakish four-armed Fairies who offer solace in their fountains. It's not just the unique style, though — these graphics are legitimately astounding. Check out the Sky full of undulating volcanic ash at Dragon Roost Island, or the climactic, windswept battle with a giant eagle atop the Forbidden Fortress, and you'll see just how well these graphics work. Oh, and the music—it’s spectacular. Longtime Zelda fans will cream their tunics when they hear these arrangements of classic themes, and the haunting new tracks are also great.
Enough about the graphics and sound, though. Gameplay is paramount, and Wind Waker doesn't dis- appoint. | shouldn't have worried about the seafaring, since cruising the high seas offers just as much action and variety as the central hubs of Hyrule Field (in Ocarina of Time) and Termina Field (in Majora's Mask). You can battle enemies, dredge up treasure, jump obstacles, and even run races in your boat. And the combat, puzzles, and dungeons more than impress—l think Wind Waker's core gameplay is the best the series has ever had. Every single battle in the game explodes with strategic options, so fighting never gets boring. Neither do the sprawling dungeons, which teem with tricky puzzles and scads of hidden trea- sures. In fact, | was left wanting more labyrinths to explore after I'd cleared them all...but I'm only being greedy, as the adventure is plenty long.
Surprisingly, Wind Waker's excellent story provides the final push for me to give it this score. Zelda plots have never been this good. Maybe it's the intense char- acterization Link's expressive face imparts, the direct connections to past titles, or the nearly post-apocalyp- tic feel to this Waterworld-style Hyrule, but | got pretty wrapped up in the story line. By the game's end, it felt like a touching coda to my favorite series of all time, and a new beginning, full of possibilities. Shane
VISUALS 500 REPLAY
INGENUITY
QUEST: Locate fairy grot- toes to increase your max bombs, arrows, or rupees.
elf punk. barely.
QUEST: Use Tingle to locate special hidden chests in each dungeon.
(continued from page 125)
more experience than the other (older brother/younger brother or father/son situa- tions, for example). It's a great idea and lots of fun for both players, just as long as player two doesn't mind sometimes not having much to do, and player one doesn't mind the game being much easier. Sure, hardcore types may considering it cheating to get tips on how to beat enemies and solve puzzles, or get your
All Zelda games have optional bits, but The Wind Waker is especially packed with side quests, ranging from simple diversions to long, complicated errands. The great part about these tasks is that they're there if you're looking for a break from the main story or more to do once you've beaten the final boss, but if you don't want to bother, you don't have to. Take a look at a few examples here and award yourself with the corresponding honorary EGM degree in Zelda fandom based on how many you plan to complete:
QUEST: Trade with special merchants hidden through- out the world for a special
QUEST: Find every single deviously hidden heart container in the game.
QUEST: Smack the old man 500 times before he can get in three hits (not easy) to
DEGREE: ZELDA DROPOUT | magic shield. earn your prize.
That's all you plan to do? DEGREE: ZELDA G.E.D. DEGREE: BACHELORS OF Legend Well, ZELDARY
of Zelda Your
my ass, you mother
you lazy pass— and | are
proud.
QUEST: Take a picture of every single person and monster and have them
DEGREE: MASTERS OF DEGREE: Ph.D. IN made into little statues. ZELDANOMICS ZELDAOSOPHY DEGREE: OBSESSED Wow— Got some = FREAK!
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health instantly replenished, but Tingle's hilari-
ous dialogue and the hidden extras you can only find using this feature ensure even those playing alone will want to check it out.
There's plenty more to talk about in Zelda— minigames, side quests, secrets—that we'll leave to the sidebars and individual reviewers. But, honestly, you really need to hear only five words about The Wind Waker: You must play this game.
FANCIFUL DISTRACTIONS
Zelda is jam-packed with sweet minigames that keep the experience fresh. Check out
five of our favorite time-wasters.
Auctions
Fill up a bid meter, but be sure you time it so you’re the last person to bid. And don’t just leave your meter almost full, either, *cause it slow- ly goes up on its own, too.
Mail Sorting The post office is look- ing for help. Within 30 sec- onds, sort as much mail as possible into six different slots. The bet- ter you do, the more rupees you make.
Hide п’ Seek Find each of the four Killer Bees hiding somewhere on Windfall Island. Then chase 'em down and tag 'em. These lit- tle guys hide in some really devious spots.
Boat Racin* Sail between two white- flagged bar- rels to start a sailing course to collect rupees. As long as you keep collect- ing them, more keep appearing.
Link's Oasis You've seen this one before: Using your control stick, slide the little squares around the picture frame in order to reassemble the original painting.
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Link's boat is really cool, but it doesn't turn on a dime-that is, not until you discover that jumping and turning will get you to face the opposite direc- tion much more quickly. Now, if only they'd let us install an outboard instead. Sailing's fine, but we want horsepower!
70210
Playing The Wind Waker for the first time is kind of a lot totake in. First of all, Link looks downright creepy. Huge head, freaky eyes, and stumpy legs don't remind me of the cool little dude I liked so much in the last two N64 games. But after l'd started playing, | never again noticed his new look.
That's the beauty of this game—you barely notice anything. You barely notice the subtle animation of Link and everyone else in his world. You barely notice the undulating waves gaining height as a storm blows in. You barely notice the seagulls flying near every island. You barely notice any of it because it blends in so seam- lessly; the world is so perfectly realized that every- thing just fits. Now that I’ve played it, | couldn't imag- ine this game looking any other way.
Initially, | was worried by the sheer amount of travel involved in getting anywhere from your little island. Later, you learn how to warp around the overworld map, but in the first part of the game, sailing seems to take forever. (I kept expecting Kevin Costner to show up and tell me that dry land didn't exist.) That feeling is allevi- ated when you discover all you can do while you're nav- igating the vast ocean. Simply charting the waters (by finding the fish in each quadrant) will keep you occu- pied. Plus, you find various minigames (like the boat race) and myriad tiny islands and lookout points to stop at and explore along the way. You'll soon find yourself actually wanting to spend more time out on the ocean just to see what you'll find next.
And Zelda's classic gameplay complements all this new stuff. The Wind Waker plays almost exactly like the two amazing N64 games that preceded it. Considering Ocarina was the first 3D action game to get combat right using the z-targeting system (where you hold down a button so the camera will lock onto a specific enemy), why change things? I love that 1 never have to worry about a camera angle or losing track of my adversary in the heat of battle. That's why it's so easy to appreci- ate the sweet maze design in the massive dungeons— not that superb puzzles and excellent layout are any- thing new to the series. But this game's dungeons impress me like none from the Zelda titles before it. Figuring out what to do in each room is never so difficult that you'll get totally stuck, but it's just tough enough to give you that great feeling of accomplishment when you finally discover the solution.
As you can probably tell, | don't really have any com- plaints about The Wind Waker. | was never frustrated or seriously lost, апа | never found a boss fight too diffi- cult. My biggest concern with Zelda was actually forcing myself to stop playing it so | could get some sleep before | had to go to work the next day. That doesn't happen to me often (although the last time was with the recent Metroid Prime), so | can't recommend this game enough. It's yet another masterpiece in the Legend of Zelda series.
Greg
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"WE GUARANTEE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT”. — -GAME INFORMER MAGAZINE
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~ THE EVOLUTION OF GAMING...” | -PLAY MAGAZINE
THE PLAYSTATION?2 GREATEST HIT IS NOW COMING TO THE XBOX™ WITH ALL NEW MULTIPLAYER MODES
TOPPLE THE CORPORATION OR PREPARE FOR CHAOS AS HUNDREDS GO HEAD TO HEAD WITH UP TO 3 FRIENDS CAUSE COMPLETE MAYHEM OF PEOPLE FILL THE SCREEN - ON ALL NEW MULTIPLAYER MODES EACH CITIZEN REACTS DIFFERENTLY TO EVENTS EXCLUSIVE TO THE XBOX™
Blood and Gore
as Ww Violence PlayStation.e WIS
Stato of Emergency game © 2003 VIS Entertainment Ple State of Emergency and the Stale of Emergency logo are trademarks of VIS Entertainment Plc Rockstar Games and the Rockstar Games | : registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Tha ratings icon s a rademark of the Interactive Digital Sofware Association. Copyright 2003 АП rights reserved. “PlayStation” and Ihe "PS" Family logo re registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, XBox and the XBox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and / or ier oun
“MANUFACTURER'S SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE FOR BOTH XBOX™ AND PLAYSTATION” GREATEST HITS
Resident Evil 2
Publisher:
Capcom Њу 3 Developer: т; " 7 Cran: ГЕШ Players: a Шр SED Also On: 4, ap PS1, N64, Dreamcast Best Feature: Complex and Overpriced by: scary plot $30 Worst Feature: Ridiculous Website: price and lack of extras residentevil.com
Let's do a little math: In 1997, RE2 for PS1 sold for $50. In 2000, RE2 for Dreamcast sold for $20. In 2003, RE2 for GC retails for $40. Add all these together, divide by the number of years, multiply by five, and the result is: THIS GAME IS A FRICKIN’ RIP-OFF. | don't know what the hell Capcom is thinking—this is the same game as before, with nothing new (and actually missing minor bonuses from other editions, like opened minigames and extra story files), save the slightly sharpened graphics. RE2 is not a bad game by any means. It can't compete with the RE1 remake ог RE@, but the detailed backgrounds hold up fairly well, and, based on game- play and especially the ambitious story line, RE2 still deserves playing. The ability to play as one of two characters, each with his or herown costars, items, and enemies, and then discovering another side of the plot by playing as the other, will keep you hooked— if only to see what happens next. Add to that the usual helping of odd puzzles, gruesome bosses, and a heav- ier emphasis on zombie blasting, and RE2 warrants а rental for virgins, but that's it. Mark
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Resident Evil 3: Nemesis ; Publisher: ~ ublisher: с
Сарсот Developer: Capcom Players:
1
Also On: PS1, Dreamcast
MATURE
Best Feature: Should Have Been: Scary tension Packaged with RE2 Worst Feature: $40 price. Website:
What are they thinking? residentevil.com Since it echoes my feelings about this RE3 re-release, allow me to summarize ту RE2 review: $40 FOR THIS OLD GAME WITH NOTHING NEW IS А FRICKIN’ RIP-OFF! Ahem. All right, now let's get down to the game itself. RE3 doesn't have the razzle-dazzle look of the newer Cube RE games or the in-depth double-sided story of RE2, but it does have enough unique features to keep it relevant and enjoyable today. First and foremost is the Nemesis, a giant, nasty creature that chases you through the burning rubble of Raccoon City, often fol- lowing you from room to room (like the Crimson Heads in the АЕ remake). The fear and panic of being pursued produces exactly the spooky feeling we look for, in RE games. Other highlights include more enemies (and more onscreen.at once), а now-standard. quick 180° turn, an excellent unlockable minigame, and a few areas where you have the option to choose between two Slightly different branching paths. As with RE2, though, RE3’s high price and disappointing lack of extras mean I can’t recommend it as anything more than a rental for those new to the series. Mark INGENUITY REPLAY
VISUALS SOUND
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Publisher:
Acclaim > Developer: Acclaim Studios Austin is Players: 1 У Also Оп: PS2, Xbox Avoid: The much jankier PS2 version
BestFeature: Massive levels are epic and pretty Worst Feature: Camera problems galore Website: www.vexxthegame.com
Paul (see his review below) didn't like Vexx as much as | did for valid reasons: The camera and controls are problematic, especially on the first stage. You'll also find a lot of trial-and-error areas and some poorly designed trouble spots you'll want to tear your hair out over—also on the first stage. That's not good for a 3D platformer. | can see some of you giving Vexx a shot based on the score you see here, getting frustrated right away, then thinking, “This Shoe is on crack, and I'm never trusting his reviews again.” First of all, I'm not on crack (can't speak for Paul, though). Second, and trust me on this one, stick with the game, and you'll start forgetting about its technical pitfalls (although they never truly go away). After | got used to things, Vexx blew me away. Its grand, majestic worlds look like they were born in some fantasy-writer's dreams. Within each stage you'll find such a wide variety of gameplay (though some of it borrows from the book of 3D-plat- forming clichés), you'll want to see Vexx through to the end to see everything it has to offer. Yes, each level has standard "collect X many things" objectives, but the rest are damn innovative and *wow"-inducing. The developers packed so much into this disc, each indi- vidual world feels almost like an entire game on its own (some challenging substages of substages have taken me an hour to complete). Don't skip it just because you don't see "Mario" in the title. Shoe
Although it's tempting, please don't dismiss Vexx as just another platformer. The game has unusually cre- ative missions with a cool hook—a riddle for each one. When you get stuck, these clever brainteasers are a neat way to get help. Even if some are a tad cheesy, | was motivated to unlock levels just to see the new rid- dles and figure out what each one meant (and yes, | realize how nerdy that sounds). Overall, it's a fun, com- plex adventure, and I'd score Vexx higher if not for its weak camera, which often locks you in narrow hall- ways or corners and unpredictably zooms in or out. Also, the levels are undoubtedly gorgeous and vast, but sometimes it's too easy to get lost. Jennifer
Vexx is brilliant but deeply flawed. Yes, there are dozens of memorable puzzles and levels. For example, in the giant's house, the piano sounds notes as Vexx runs across the keys and the giant's pet stalks below just waiting for his tiny lunch. On another level, Vexx enters 2D tapestries, becoming part of the picture as he runs and jumps toward some elusive items. But each stylish-set piece is matched by two or three (or ten) ignoble deaths from cheap bosses or bottomless pits. Vexx's unrelenting difficulty makes it an ode to frustration. In that poetic spirit, here is a haiku dedi- cated to Vexx: Magic talons shine / As bright as the brightest star /From this dark abyss. Paul
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Microsoft P d Just Add Monsters
1-4
None
EGM #155
Enjoyable four-player mayhem Nightmarish character design www.kungfuchaos.com
Try to repress your painful memories of Whacked! and Fuzion Frenzy, because Microsoft's retrying the party genre with KFC. This time the action's a blend of mash- happy mayhem, Mario Party-style minigames, and a semiserious fighting engine. It's a competent package, but ultimately four-player is the draw...but only for a few nights. Graphically, it's stunning, yet often for the wrong reasons. Sure, the levels look great, packed with interactive elements and spiffy effects, but the charac- ters make me wanna barf. The art style is just awful; choosing a character is tough 'cause | hate them all. Fortunately, the gameplay isn't nearly as repulsive. It's fairly deep for a party game, but not as robust as a real fighter. Once you figure out how to taunt and bust out super attacks, it's a cinch. The single-player mode pro- vides a good tutorial (and plenty of unlockables), but a dearth of enemy types and the requirement that you perfect every stage to unlock the final one detract from the fun. Also, the subject matter is a little sketchy. If Super Smash Bros. Melee is a love letter to Nintendo fans, this is a similar attempt aimed at guys who dig old kung fu flicks. The difference is that while Smash Bros. treats its source material with reverence, KFC tackles the karate-film genre with outright mockery and bor- derline racism. Most gamers might not take offense at the chop-sockey accents and stereotypes, but some might. Rent it if you're curious. Shane
Playing KFC is like zipping back in time to when—dare | say it—racism was rampant and widely accepted in mainstream media. Before y'all call me a political-cor- rectness fascist, know that | have a high threshold for intelligent, edgy, and offensive humor. KFC's humor is about as subtle as a punch to the groin, and not nearly as smart. Every stage features a buck-toothed, slanty-eyed "director" who's more annoying than he is funny. And even if | look beyond the inappropriate humor, the game still offers little. It's a ramshackle brawler with ugly characters, frustrating stages packed with cheap deaths, and scant depth once you've mas- tered the easy taunts and super attacks. Che
This slightly above-average Power Stone (Dreamcast) clone has a few things going for it. First, the combo system works well. Your attacks are nicely varied, and there’s a definite strategic advantage to mixing things up in combat. The stages are pretty hectic, too, with most involving some dynamic interactive ele- ments. One, for instance, has a crazy T-Rex chasing you as you fight, biting off pieces of your raft and, if you're unlucky, your head. Playing solo gets dull quickly, but with four players it’s alright. But what’s up with the stereotypical character designs, particularly that screwed-up announcer guy? If | were Asian, ГА want to punch this game in the throat. Miguel
SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY AE wr 1
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PLAY GAMES, HOME VIDEOS & DND S ANYWHERE!"
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т LucasArts r The Collective 1 PS2 in: EGM #163 Nazi-walloping fisticuffs ature: Nonsensical boss battles www.lucasarts.com
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digging up artifacts. And lots of games
have you exterminating goose-stepping Nazi goons. But only this game has the hat. And the whip. And that famous movie music that roars in like a cavalry charge. Emperor's Tomb re-creates Indiana Jones—and his take- no-guff attitude—right down to the scar on his chinny-chin-chin.
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Seeing such a well-wrought Indy brought to life in a vaguely Tomb Raider-esque adventure is probably enough for anyone jonesing for a decent Dr. Jones videogame. Lordy knows, good /ndy games are as rare as pimples on an American Idol finalist. And Emperor's Tomb goes beyond whipping up mere tomb-raiding thrills. (Well, at least two of our three review- ers feel that way.) Although the game does send you on dull snag-the-artifact quests that have you backtracking across sprawling levels, it also puts an army of Nazis, monks, and Arabian troublemakers in your path, and con- necting Indy's fists with these guys’ jaws proves supremely satisfying.
Chalk it up to the game’s pedigree. Emperor’s Tomb was developed by the team
Pro Tip: Whipping the sensitive parts of this anatomically correct statue exactly 69 times does not yield a "boooiiiing" sound.
that brought you Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Xbox, and thus uses the same beat-em-up sci- ence. (It even packs one of the same weapons, which smells a little like lazy game design to us.) The point, as anyone who high- kicked bloodsucker butt with Buffy will tell you, is that brawling makes for a great way to pass time during the more boring bits. Indy can clock enemies with one-two combos. He can sock both the guy behind and in front of him with a single roundhouse punch. He can deliver rib-rattling cheap kicks to Nazis knocked prone. Meanwhile, just about any- thing that isn’t bolted to the floor—including knives, bottles, and chairs—makes for a handy weapon. And Indy can off enemies more rapidly with his pistol or the various
Although Emperor’s Tomb packs an original story not based on any of the Indiana Jones movies, it does keep up with the movies’ Dr. | Jones in several key scenes and scenarios. Whip out your old Indy videotapes and tell us if any of this stuff sounds familiar...
A BARRELING BOULDER...
—— |
CRACK THAT WHIP...
«Indy hates these guys. So he smacks 'em around—a lot. He also dresses up in a Nazi uni- form to infiltrate a base. Yep, just like in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
...kneels! Spinning buzz saws and flailing blades pop up in the unlikeliest places, like this Nazi castle hallway. Who built this crazy place? Cuisinart?
...are easy if you find the right artifact to light the way. It's a more mystical puzzle than that invisi- ble bridge in the Last Crusade flick, but still the same idea.
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..does not make a spe- cial guest appearance. Instead, Indy must scamper madly from a Nazi tank that looks a lot like the drilling vehi- cle from Total Recall.
...and use it to swipe weapons out of ene- mies' hands, swing over chasms, or just give those Nazis something to cry about. Indy can swing on ropes, too.
The game's fun mano-a-mano combat falls apart when Indy encounters the bosses, all of whom are about as lame and clichéd as, say, a robot Frankenstein. Wait...one of the bosses is a robot Frankenstein (above left) — and he's actually the most well crafted big bad guy of the bunch. All the other boss battles are so sloppily constructed, we had a hard time figuring out what was going on. Just wait until you face the giant squid that randomly blasts your submerged Indy against walls while simultaneously trying to lure him within striking distance via an army of drifting jellyfish. Believe us, it makes even less sense when you see it in the game. And we beat a duo of Japanese she-ninja boss- es (above right) by trapping them in a corner and flicking them with Indy's whip for five minutes. Cripes— even a robot Frankenstein is smarter than that!
automatic weapons he'll find in later levels— as well as mounted machine-gun emplace- ments he'll man Medal of Honor-style. But we had the most fun just using our dukes. Our favorite way to take care of business: Grab a Nazi and chuck him off a cliff. Bonus points if he lands in shark-infested waters.
It's not all jaw-cracking and puzzle solving, though. Indy will stumble upon fun diversions, such as a gun battle from the back of a rum- bling rickshaw and some target practice atop a moving gondola. And, toward the end of the
game, after Indy has zipped from the jungles of Ceylon to the alleys of Hong Kong in his quest to find a magic tchotchke called the Heart of the Dragon, the puzzles themselves finally start to get interesting. Zombie kung- fu-ists and skeletal ghosts prowl a freaked-out underworld filled with traps that would look at home in one of Indy's flicks. It's the kind of cliffhanger thrills we expect from Dr. Jones’ adventures. If only the rest of the game required as much brains to go with all the bare-knuckled brawn.
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Hat trick: Indy's fedora is as much a part of his image as Mario's mustache and Lara Croft's sports bra, so the developers have given the hat special weight in the game. Take a beating and the hat will fly to the ground, forcing you to retrieve it or go bareheaded for the rest of the level.
If Emperor's Tomb were released as a bona fide Indiana Jones flick, it would go straight to video and star one of the lesser Baldwins instead of Harrison Ford. Nothing here is quite blockbuster material. You spend half the adventure walloping, shooting, and skewering generic bad guys (I counted less than a dozen enemy character models), and much of the rest of the game "solving" weak fetch-the-item "puzzles." You'd figure an action hero like Indy would have more exciting things to do than breaststroke around a waterlogged tomb for an hour, looking for an ancient knickknack. He does engage in a few extracurricular heroics, including shooting down planes with an anti- aircraft gun and running headlong from a barreling Nazi tank, but these bonus bits feel clunky and tacked on. Puzzles become trickier toward the end when you face the kind of lethal contraptions you'd expect from Indy's onscreen adventures. It's too bad these traps require precise platform hops and chasm-clearing swings—none of which are easy with the jerky control. It doesn't make for a terrible experience, but despite the fun hand-to-hand antics, this game just fails to deliver the kind of high adventure you'd expect from the Indy name. Take away the movie music and the hat and you're left with a game that halfheartedly clones Tomb Raider and Medal of Honor—and where's the fortune and glory in that? Crispin
Dr. Jones is just as talented as Lara Croft when it comes to tomb raiding, and as a fighter, he's peerless. In The Emperor's Tomb, all the punching, kicking, and shooting sequences feel just right; you'll look forward to every intense scuffle. Many of the game's levels will inspire fond memories of the films, and that classic John Williams music instantly gets my blood pumping. The game's only downside is that it feels a bit too much like Xbox's Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which The Collective also developed), complete with many of the same animations. These production shortcuts are unfortunate, but they don't keep this from being the best Indiana Jones console game to date. Ethan
Had we known the supposedly stodgy science of archaeology really involved punching lots of Nazis in their stupid Nazi mouths, blowing stuff up, and gen- erally wreaking mayhem, we might have taken up tomb raiding..No matter; /ndiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb puts players in the shoes of the hard- boiled Professor (you call him Doctor!) Jones, and is, simply, excellent. Gorgeous graphics, inspired com- bat, fun minigames, and cool puzzles and platform challenges bolster play immensely. Despite an occasionally wonky camera and a save-game system that sucks like a Hoover on overdrive, Emperor's Tomb is a breathless, world-tripping adventure. Greg 0.
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Publisher: Sega Sports
Developer: Visual Concepts X Players: 1-4 E Also On: PS2
Where's: Online play?
Best Feature: Impeccable ESPN-style presentation Worst Feature: Dippy fielding А.І.
Website: www.segasports.com
This year's market for baseball simulators is blowing up like Cinergi Field. With no less than five digital rep- resentations of the national pastime (not including Midway's flaming-ball-a-thon, MLB Slugfest) due to hit various consoles this season, it's gonna be a tough fight. World Series Baseball stands out thanks to a flawless interface that perfectly mimics ESPN Sportscenter's graphic style and an incredibly realistic 3D game engine. Visually, it's a stunner, but one nag- ging gameplay choice keeps me from completely embracing the game. It's that damn batting cursor. It may be a matter of taste to some, but playing with a cursor seems to defeat the purpose of learning what the pitches look like and how to interpret their various subtle motions, something some poor programmer must have spent months fine-tuning. Playing against another human being turns the pitcher-batter inter- face into a minigame of hide-and-go-seek. WSB also suffers from some bad defensive А.І. and hard-to-see indicators that make fielding tough. But if you are a hardcore baseball nerd (is there any other kind?), then you'll appreciate the deep Franchise mode, with its real-world Minor League players, complex but easy-to- use budgetary system, and advanced coaching con- trols. Overall, baseball fans who want to simulate a season have a lot to noodle with, and a pretty accurate approximation of the game we call stick. Tom WSB 2K3's lifelike player models, fiuid a animations, and countless customization options help it stand out among this year's crop of baseball games. It's a solid update to last year's model, and you'll have no problem with its easy-to-use and informative pitcher/batter interface. Tossing fastballs feels great, and knockin’ them out of the park is even better. Fielding isn't quite as smooth, as players react slowly and the computer doesn't always put you in control of the best fielder to make the play. Also, the sedate crowd barely responds to spectacular plays, and the commentary isn't very insightful. 105 not perfect, but Xbox owners can’t go wrong with WSB 2K3 this spring. Bryan With the ESPN- licensed presentation bringing together great pitching, solid hitting, and wonderful (although not always accurate) player models, World Series Baseball 2K3 is easy for any casual baseball fan to get into. The controls are intuitive, and the pitcher/batter screen is packed with useful info. Defensively, though, the computer occasionally takes poor routes to the ball and auto-selects the wrong player, leaving you to compensate manually. | also wish the announcers had more to say, but hearing the Baseball Tonight theme certainly |,clps. In the crowded baseball genre, Sega delivers an impressive pick-up- and-play package worth checking out. G. Ford
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| Publisher: Ubi Soft | Developer: From Software X Players: 1 Also On: None | Also Try: Phantom Crash | Best Feature: Detailed cityscapes Worst Feature: Sluggish controls Website: www.ubisoft.com
This futuristic mech-shooter opens with an ultraslick intro movie that promises high-speed chases and high-tech destruction set to wailing Yngwie Malmsteen-esque guitar licks, but it fails to convey the game’s woefully sluggish gameplay. Sadly, Murakumo is a case of style over substance. Do | want to zip effortlessly through labyrinthine cityscapes pursuing evil 'bots while unleashing unholy amounts of munitions? Hell yes! Do | also want a balanced spectrum of well-designed machin- ery, each one unique with its own weapons and strengths? Bring it on! Do | want these kick-ass mechs to control like unstoppable bricks being hurled through the air? Er, well...no. Murakumo's problem is that you must chase down these super- agile rogue units, but your mechs aren’t up to the task. To keep up the pursuit, you've got rechargeable boosters and retro-thrusters at your disposal, but even the most nimble machine has piss-poor turning rates and reaction times. As a result, you fumble your way through by studying the A.l.’s preset paths and completing each level via trial and error. The game isn't all that hard, and with enough determination, you will get through these seemingly impossible stages. After struggling through level after level of this mundane action, | had to ask myself: Am I hav- їйє fun yet? Nope, not really. спе Chase robots through a futuristic city. Shoot. Repeat. Unlock new, sometimes uncontrollable, ships. Use them to chase robots through a futuristic city. Shoot. Repeat. Listen to a cheesy, pounding rock soundtrack as you chase robots through a futuristic city. Shoot. Repeat. Smash into all manner of vaguely high-tech-looking buildings while chas- ing robots through a futuristic city. Watch extended cut-scenes while wondering if you'll ever get these wholeheartedly average minutes of your life back before chasing more robots through a futuristic city. Shoot. Repeat. Contemplate starting a nice stamp | collection. Smile. Repeat. Greg 0.
| Ordinarily, a game with sweet-looking mechs shoot- | ing the crap out of each each other at high speeds through detailed, sprawling cityscapes would be right up my alley, but Murakumo disappoints just as often as it thrills. Although the mech designs are beautiful and the presentation is slick, an overly busy HUD and vague control feedback make hunt- ing enemies much more problematic than it should be. For example, the external view is all but useless, while clouds or gunfire usually obscure your reticle in the interior cockpit view, making it hard to see if you've locked on to your target. A frus-
trating, lackluster effort. Milkman VISUALS SOUND INGENUITY REPLAY Electronic Gaming Monthly - 182
com
Jurassic Park: Operation
Publisher: Universal Interactive Developer: Blue Tongue Players:
1
Also On: PS2 Website: universalinteractive .com
X
Best Feature: Variety in mission-based modes Worst Feature: No variety in open-ended modes
Most PC-style strategy games go through a nasty dummy-down filter when ported to consoles. Luckily, Genesis keeps its teeth. From organizing dinosaur DNA digs and then cloning the lizards, to keeping them and your Homo sapiens guests happy and fed, this theme- park simulator offers plenty of fun things to do. In fact, it may be too complex for some (i.e., those who need that dummy-down filter) — getting e-mail notices and warnings every 10 seconds doesn't help (at least they're free of penis-growth spam). Peek ahead, how- ever, and you can see the long-term fun is doomed for extinction. Sure, you get a lot to do, but not many ways to do it. You raise all the dinos the same way; you have the same limited park amenities and research options game after game; and you won't experience anything new after playing through an open-ended game once. The objective-based modes save Genesis" leathery behind, though. They're over too quickly, but their rescue missions, photo sessions, and goal-orient- ed stages kept me from running out of the park and demanding a refund. Shoe
VISUALS SOUND
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Publisher; ‚ Capcom Developer: Capcom
Players:
1
Also Try:
Mega Man Zero Pump up the: Bass
Website: www.capcom.com
Best TES Classic Mega Man gameplay Worst Features: Lack of any real innovation
With all the Xs, Legends, and Battle Networks, it's easy to forget what made the Mega Man series so great in the first place. After all, it’s been six years since Mega Man 8 (for PS1 and Saturn), the last "real" Mega Man game. Mega Man & Bass brings us back to the series" roots and gives us what made the little blue guy so popular to begin with: a great, if slightly derivative, platformer. If you've played any of the 2D Mega Man titles, you know what to expect here. Lead the Blue Bomber through a well-designed stage, blow up ene- mies, and smash a wacky boss robot (whose weapon you snag). MM&B adds a new twist to this old formula with a second playable character, Bass, who has differ- ent moves and abilities. There's also plenty of replay value, thanks to the 100 collectable CDs scattered throughout the levels. MM fans will notice that even though MM&B is a completely new adventure, many stage elements and two bosses were lifted from Mega Man 8. Regardless, this is still great fun. Unless you're completely worn out on the series, you'll find this to be one of the best action games on GBA. Phil
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Ogre Mage
Озке
Square EA
Squaresoft
1 None
=>
EGM #164
Two great RPGs on one disc Two really old RPGs on one disc www.squaresoft.com
ying classic like Final
emaking a role-pla Fantasy and Final Fantasy II (both from
the '805) is always worth remaking, it was the genre, beloved by a you don't want to mess
graphics...really, with anything, for fear of dam-
aging the game's integri
The problem is that o old. Don't dress them u ers might snub them. Р!
risky. If the game was ikely a pivotal title in | who remember it, so with the gameplay,
ity. Ч games are just that:
us, the RPG genre has
advanced so much during the past 15 years
that fans expect certain
things. For instance,
knowing that party members will attack the next-best enemy if the first one they targeted
dies or runs away durin: ing the relative might o
weapons in a shop.
p and modern-day play-
g battle. Or stats show-
dS Sou 3
Airships have been a part of Final Fantasy ever since FFI. Grab one to make travel a breeze.
Luckily, Final Fantasy Origins comes com- plete with those kinds of tweaks. Overhauled graphics and much-needed gameplay updates bring these classics up to speed, but the games are still true to the originals. As to whether that's enough to warrant play- ing them almost two decades later...well, read our reviews to find out.
Final Fantasy Il features a unique experi- ence system we would need pages and pages to explain. Instead, here's a quick hint to build up your hit points (we also suggest visiting www.gamefaqs.com for a more in-depth guide): Enter a battle with a weak group of enemies and wallop them until there's only one left. Now, turn on your own party, hitting them until less than half their hit points are left. Finally, finish off that last enemy. If you did it right, your charac- ters' maximum hit points should go up.
134
Bosses fill the screen in Final Fanfasy Origins, but they never move. Maybe they're shy...or Square's just lazy. Your characters, however, step forward a few feet to swing weapons or cast spells. Final Fantasy X it ain't, but this was considered high tech back in the '80s.
Playing Final Fantasy Origins is a trip down memory lane—! basically fell in love with the RPG genre because of the original Final Fantasy. It's too bad this update still suffers from the same basic battle system, boring plot, and personality-devoid characters as its 8- bit ancestor. Despite that, the game is still worth play- ing for nostalgia's sake, though the real gem is the first English version of Final Fantasy II. | love this game. Its unique experience system alone kept me interested — once | understood it. Your characters' attributes grow based on performance only, so how each member fights directly determines his or her stats. It's weird, but | appreciate its strategic edge. It's also cool to experience the first instance of a Final Fantasy story line in which you're given particular characters (with names and personalities) that come and go as the story dictates. My only real quibble with Origins is that both games are freakin' hard! (To be fair, FF/ does have an optional Easy. mode.) In fact, RPGers.weaned on the new generation of games (like Final Fantasy VII-X) may grumble when they realize they're in for a lot of aimless wandering and fighting battle after battle to build up experience and earn cash. Just remember, back in the day, you didn’t need fancy-schmancy video cinemas and pansy bosses you could beat on the first try to make a good RPG. Pick up Origins and check out the
genre’s roots. Greg S.
An exciting PS1 release in 2003? Yep. Kudos to Square for bringing this antiquated duo stateside—it’s a nos- talgic must-buy for Final Fantasy fanatics. The glossy new CG cinemas, nicely arranged soundtracks, and bonus art galleries will have longtime.fans reeling with joy. Plus, the gameplay actually holds up pretty well. Unlike Gary, | even enjoyed tackling FF/ again (on Easy mode with four Black Mages...crazy fun). | only wish these remakes looked better (Gary and Greg have painfully low standards, it seems). A little animation in the battle backgrounds or snazzier spell effects would have really added some 32-bit flair. Regardless, these games are worth the $30 for RPG fans. Shane
Unlike my picky pal Shane, | think Origins' remakes look perfect. Square upgraded the graphics just enough to rid these musty classics of their old-school ugliness while retaining their old-school charm. Likewise, they tweaked the gameplay just enough to fix some nagging problems without altering the essence of these titles. But are they any fun? No—and yes. By today's standards, Final Fantasy is an impenetrable mess with a bare-bones bore of a battle system that's all about mindless leveling-up. But Final Fantasy II is a real treat: The story, system, and pacing all hold up marvelously. Play Final Fantasy Юга look at how far RPGs have come, but play FFII just for fun. Gary $.
VISUALS SOUND
INGENUITY: REPLAY
^
Own the Entire Resident Evil” Saga on the Nintendo GameCube.
Drown in the terror as hideous mutants and flesh-eating zombies numb your senses with the | пех two Resdent Evil sequels. RE2 and RE3
on the Nintendo GameCube. |
The original nightmare is back.
Blood and Gore
Violence
CAPCOM
CAPCOM “ w ä
CAPCOM
сарсотсот
CAPCOM CO., LTD. 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002 ОСАРСОМ ОБА ANC. 1 997, 1998, 1999, 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. САРСОМ, the САРСОМ LOGO, P. ү" Pin eis Я RESIDENT EVIL are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. Nintendo oid and Nintendo GameCube are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is а registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
REVIEWS
The Rest of the Crap
a gamble. Except for the
games EGM makes me review here. Thanks to distrib- utors honest enough to put words like “Sea-Monkeys” and “Rugrats” right in the title, you don't even have to read the boxes to know you'll hate these games. As such, these games will not receive scores, but compared to your favorite game of all time, they would probably rate somewhere around -oo.
B uying videogames can be
The Amazing Virtual Sea-Monkeys
Publisher: Conspiracy
Developer: ELO Interactive
P ESRB: E
“Own a BOWL-
FULL OF HAPPINESS — Instant PETS!” In the old comic-book ads for Live Sea-Monkeys, you could see that the “clowning around” of “these frolicsome pets” could keep an entire family entertained for days. Of course, if you sent in your $1.25 plus shipping, you know the truth: You get a pouch of fishy-scented powder, and once it slowly falls to the bottom of the water, that’s the end of its undersea adventures.
The PS1 version of Sea-Monkeys keeps al the disappointment and boredom of the origi- nal Sea-Monkeys; you play the part of a tiny submarine that must clear a safe path for the
GROW AMAZING LIVE _ little phonies. Apparently,
СЕДМОМ the corporate fatcats донт À behind the Ѕеа-Мопкеу
z craze have made these INSTANT PETS digital dehydrated brine shrimp as hardy as rea ones, because these virtual Sea-Monkeys are completely suicidal. If you've cleared them a perfect path to the finish line, they’l crack their heads open trying to swim around it and get torn apart by a school of piranha. This is bad news for people trying to beat this game, but if you're one of those people, here's some good news: You're too retarded for your state to execute you.
Cabela's Big Game Hunter Publisher: Activision Developer: Sand Grain Studios
5 ESRB: T Even today, herds of majestic animals
fight for survival in the beautiful landscapes of
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 186 - м
North America. Of course, before you can saw off one of their heads and mount it on the wall over your Budweiser mirror, you need to kill it. And since this game doesn't include poi- soned camper-flavored doughnuts, | recom- mend using the next best thing: a giant moose decoy. Though it doesn't seem to attract any moose, it's pretty handy after a few days in the lonely woods of Alaska.
Just like in real life, you're only allowed to kill an animal if you have a tag for it, so shoot- ing the face off a polar bear while you're hunt- ing pronghorn antelope ends your game and gets you scolded by the virtual park ranger. And, as you can imag- ine, not being able to shoot cer- tain animals means this game mostly simulates you wander- ing aimlessly through a forest and NOT killing things. However, this Nazi rule can turn deadly if there's a polar bear chasing you just because you've rammed into it with your four-wheeler.
Rugrats Royal Ransom Publisher: THQ Developer: Avalanche
magazine is being sung to you by a roller-skating man in a panda suit, you proba- bly don't care about my penetrating insights into the gameplay dynamics of Rugrats Royal Ransom. And that's a good thing, because playing this game offended my delicate aesthetic sensibilities even more than that prototype Bea Arthur dat- ing game for Atari 2600.
Seriously, these are the most disgustingly ugly cartoon representations of babies ever to steal America's hearts via comic mischief and soiled diapers. These nasty things are \` the stars of television, movies, \ | and breakfast cereal? They look like someone filled a bag with babies and beat it against a ceiling fan. || Someone sent me a ransom
note for these malformed
nmag.com
infants, Ра be ecstatic to be rid of them. To be honest, the game itself isn’t that bad, but if you must play a game about infants rescu- ing toys, you can probably find one with babies that don’t look like they’ve been used to test hammers.
Superstar Dance Club #1 Hits!!! Publisher: XS Games Developer: Warashi ГІ ЕЅКВ: Е For most peo- ple, the hassles of dancing far outweigh the benefits. Learning the Steps is tricky, choosing the right outfit is tough, and glow- sticks are pricey outside of the Halloween season. Plus, a lot of Americans are overweight, and all that jiggling invariably turns their flop- py love handles into deadly swinging battering rams that threaten to topple nearby revelers. That's why Dance Club has safely reduced dancing down to slowly tapping buttons. The allegedly “#1 hit" music in this game sounds like a Casio keyboard being kicked to death by a harmonica. As you tap along to this musical tragedy, the game's hot, half-naked girl performs a total of one “high-energy dancing action" move. Evidently, the public demand for this game was so powerful, they didn't have time to draw a third frame of animation before releasing it.
Porky's for the
old Atari 2600 is ' the touching story of some guys on a brave quest to get
laid. Obviously, translating that into a videogame required developers to take heavy drugs, go insane, and then make it about something else entirely. If Frogger occasionally stopped to sneak into a shower and get his crotch assault- ed by a P.E. teacher, and then someone added —and I'm serious here — pole- vaulting, you'd have Porky's. %
ui E INCLUDES
THREE LIMITED EDITION OFFICIAL GAME CARDS
2 unique campaigns to undertake in the quest for the Legendary Rose Cards
| a
Card Movement Battle System introduces new and more advanced strategies
w^ M te of in Your Hands
AN,
The balance ofpower is at Stake. Will you choose to side with Yugi to reclaim the throne of England or join Seto in his attempts of world domination? The creation of your deck is more important than ever with the addition of all-new 3D battle systems, enhanced fusion and effect systems, and dozens of dueling locations. The most advanced Yu-Gi-Oh! game ever comes to the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system!
Mild Violence А www.konami.com/usa PlayS tation.e
© 1996 KAZUKI TAKAHASHI Konami and "The Duelists of the Roses" are trademarks or registered trademarks of KONAMI CORPORATION. ©2003 KONAMI CORPORATION. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved.
EASTER EGGS-CITEMENT!
Videogame Easter eggs: In-jokes nobody but the designer's mother cares about, or cool features?
th, Who the f***
= Tricks т Partnership ith Prima Games
By David S. J. Hodgson
Whoo, boy. We have fewer tricks this month, but there are some real winners in these pages. In fact, this month we "uncover" the most exciting tips you're ever likely to see (before you go blind, at any rate). Read on...
If you're in need of tip: tricks, take heed. The tricks
in these here pages are
taken from the following
Prima guides: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Skies of Arcadia Legends and Disaster Report. Check out the full guides wherever games are sold!
ni
cares?
I'm still stuck on level 1.
th
1 Die Hard: Vendetta: into the way-back machine
ЕЭ] Now, don't get too excited, Y, Z, Z unlocks all levels. B, X, У, У] but we're about to reveala 2, |, R yields infinite hero time. code that shrinks craniums to tiny В, Y, L, | gives you “hot hands."
pinheads (1)! Oh dear! Our sides have split in mirth! How about a code that coats everyone in metallic goo? No, really! And sets fire to them (2)! What we really need now is a code to make everyone's head swell to the size of a watermelon (3). Wait a minute... that's in there, too! Yes, Fox Interactive has revisited 1996 and returned with all the lame codes from the recent past. But hey, as long as they're in there... Enter these codes at the Main menu. L, R, L, R, L, R, L, R gives you invulnerability. X, Y, Z, Z, X,
а? | Use this code ® to unlock everything, including the four hidden skaters, which are Eddie, the Iron Maiden mascot (1), Jango Fett, ironically, looking better than he does in Bounty Hunter (2), some guy (3), and some chick with DOA-inspired bosoms (4). The code? Enter watch me xplode in the Cheat menu. This works on PS2 and
L, L, R, Lshrinks heads. К, R, L, R gives you big heads. L, R, Z, Y, B gets you exploding bullets. B, X, R, R makes enemies explode. And B, Y, X, B, Y, X makes every- one into liquid metal . Welcome to the played-out party, pal!
Xbox. GameCube owners type Watch_Me_Xplode instead. (Be sure to include the underscores.) Cool and groovy thanks to
Codemasters should be roundly slapped for imple-
menting the lamest method of
cheats activation in the history
of videogames: Each game you buy has a different ID code, and
the cheats you input in the game differ depending on it (the ID is hidden in an Options screen). To get the codes for your particular game, you have to go online, find a phone number, and get billed
hl
“slateman” and everyone at PlanetTonyHawk.com for pro- viding Tony codes in the last three issues of EGM.
an outrageous sum of money, or pay to become a member of the Codies website. What's more, you only get two codes! Whoever dreamed this up needs to be taken out back and shot. Despite this atrocity, there are three universal codes for this game (enter at Code screen): DAMAGE for realistic hits (1), SIM for real physics (2), and CREDITS, which shows the names of those responsible for making the game (hurray!).
thly - 138 |
Monsters Mecha Sweet Tooth!
Remember the Twisted
Metal: Black Save file you wiped two months ago? Well, it's time to relive the pain and fin- ish the game as Sweet Tooth. Now, with that Save file on the memory card in your PS2, boot up War of the Monsters. This automatically unlocks the fourth Agamo skin, Mecha Sweet Tooth (which costs $50,000). Now, you can stomp around with your head on fire!
a |
Four codes—maximum Воз game ruining. First, create a profile called CHEAT, then enter the following: For infinite future hover-sled shields (above), type in ThinkBat. For all characters, tap Nematode. For all easter eggs, try CHOCchoc. Finally, for all tracks (including the hidden one) type in headSLAP. These codes are case-sensitive.
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Everything you Orta know апош “S” ranks, Pandora's Box, changing outfits and mounts, and the Ultimate Dragon!
2950:
X For your delight and delectation, we hereby pre- | sent some of the best tricks and tactics for Orta, including a few of the more than 300 unlockable extras in Pandora's Box. (If you, like us, want to be the Master of Unlocking, check out the 40 pages of info on unlock- ables in the full strategy guide.) First, here are a few gen- eral rules of thumb for getting the highest “S” rank that you can. Practice until your eyes and hands bleed, until you don't even need to look at the radar anymore because you can predict where the next wave of ene- mies will come from. Next, turn the Instruments setting in your options to Full. Why? So you can see how many points various enemies cough up when you blast 'em. Now, you can concentrate your fire on the foes that give you the most bling-bling for your effort. You can also see the Routes when you access them in the bottom-left cor- ner of your screen so you know where junctions are. Once you have the hang of that, it's time to bring your game up to the major leagues with points multiplication. Killing multiple foes simultaneously (1) is the key to gaining an *S" rank for your Shot Down Ratio. For exam- ple, if you take down one enemy worth 100 points, you'll score 100 points. Obviously. Take down four of those guys consecutively and you'll score 400 points. Fair enough. But if you lock onto four 100-point targets and blast them all at once, you'll rack up the доо points they're worth times the number of enemies: 1,600 points. What's more, you can target some inanimate or invincible entities (like the Dragonmares in level 1 or the Ocular Sensors in episode 6) that cannot be destroyed by your laser but still count towards your multiplier. Work one of these targets into the previous combo and you'll receive доо points (total point value of bad guys) x 5 (total number of targets) = 2,000 points. Also, try ram- ming your dragon into multiple enemies for incredible extra points. Check this out: Ram the dozens of butterfly- like foes (called Purnam) at the start of level 2 with your Instrument setting at Full. If you hit enough at once, each Purnam's points will be multiplied up to 25 times! Outrageous. Now, to unlock goodies in Pandora's Box, do any or all of the following: 1. Play and complete the game on Hard. 2. Play on Hard and get an “5” ranking on at least three levels. 3. Accrue over 20 hours of playing time. 4. Finish all subgames, including the original Panzer Dragoon on Hard (use the cheats we revealed in EGM #163). When you're done, check the Box game for tons of extras, including your original mount ; (3), Wormrider (4), Baby Wing (5), Blue Dragon (6), " d Dragonmare (7) (to turn it white, press White when you 16 р à А select Dragonmare) (2), Panzer Wing (8), and Airship (9). : s * Accredited by ACCSCT. There are different riders, like Orta (10), Iva (11), Dragon vd ; only (12), Mobo (13), and Azel (14). Finally, try different outfits: normal (45), ending (16), or Azel (17). Good luck!
tel
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
©2001 Full Sail, Inc. АН rights reserved. The terms "Full Sail" "Full Sail Real World Education," and the Full Sail logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Full Sail, Inc.
TRICKS
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Secrets of the Skies: Send Piastol packing! Find the ingredients for the savory hi
Have you fought the
superdeformed (yet still sexy) Mystery Assassin? At cer- tain points during the battle, you'll receive a “black spot.” There are four black spots in total, and they mark you for Piastol, the Angel of Death (1-3). 8,700 points of damage, Piastol She’s on her ship, west of leaves the proverbial building. Sailor’s Island. Go there and talk That is, until you reunite her to her, and a crazy boss/bounty with Maria. After you’ve done battle occurs. Take out her the secret “Kabal Skewer”
Death Hound as early as you can. Be sure to heal, resurrect, and keep your party’s hit points high. Use Vyse and the other male party member to attack her while Aika and Fina build up Spirit. After you’ve inflicted
quest, speak to the Kabal Skewer Lady in Maramba (4-5). She tells you about her daugh- ter, who has run away. You can find her in Esparanza, and then search for skewer pieces in Kabal, Gentrum, and Khale. One spice can be found on the way from the Dark Rift to Yafutoma. Another is with a merchant in Nasrad. Get the meat from Gordo (at the Bistro or on his
ship). Once you reunite mother and daughter, you'll be reward- ed with the Abirik Charm (and Mom's Skewer later).
140
Forgotten Superstar €;7 y uw Batista UL TH
After Tommy (EGM
#162), Scotty (#163), and, er, Rey-y (#164), this month’s created Superstar is the monster formerly known as “Deacon” and “Dave,” but we just like to call him Batista. Here’s how to make him (if an option isn’t listed, use the default or ignore it): Head: Hair: 22 (black) Face: Eyebrows: 57 (black) Face: Eyes: 17 Face: Cheek: Face Morphing: 22; Eyebrow 30/-20; Eyes —60/15, -50/-40; Nose 10/-10, 0/-20; Cheek 20; Mouth 10/- 10; Jaw –75/-10, 20 Face: Mustache: 68 (black); 7 (black, 35% opacity) Body: Skin: 5 Body: Tattoo: 14 (semi-trans- parent, dark blue) Waist: Underwear: Blank: 1 (dark red) Body: Knee Pads: Both: Blank: 1 (dark red) Feet: Shoes: Blank: 12 (length —50, black) Design: Pattern: Body: Simple: 101 (reduce 1x, place
m
[У] Get bigger guns! Here's how: Finish and save the game. Choose the Mercenaries minigame (1). You're awarded “undead culling cash” based on your performance. $2,000 buys an assault rifle. $3,000 gets you a Gatling gun. For $4,000
over m
Design: Pattern: Right Arm: Simple: 57 (turn 2x, place on side of right shoulder) Design: Letters: Left Arm: Chinese: middle character in bottom row (red; place just below shoulder on side of left arm).
Design: Letters: Left Arm: Chinese: middle character in
second to last row (red; place
just below last tattoo) Batista's trunks have a tribal
flamelike pattern on them. We
used Design: Pattern: Body: Simple numbers 12, 10, and 145 to create it. The pattern should be gold, stretching
STR:
WITH AIC:
you can use a rocket launch- er to really outstay your wel- come. If you manage to earn $9,999, you'll get yourself infinite ammo for all weapons. Pick up the guns you “buy” in item boxes dur- ing the game; all come with handy infinite ammo. More
across Batista’s backside and around his left hip. To make it stand out, copy each pattern in the Layer List, move it down one or two pixels, make it black, and move it below the gold version; this gives you a black outline around the gold pattern.
Skin color: 5
Figure: Head —40, 40; Neck —5/-10, -40; Chest 100/60; Shoulder (both) —60/-5, -10; Abdomen: 12/5, 5; Arms (both) –35/5, -40; Forearms (both) –30/-20, -100; Hands (both) —40/о, -50; Waist 10/- 40; Thigh 10/10, -70; Legs о/о, 25; Ankles —30/-30 Figure: Height: 6’ 5"
Profile: Name&Nick: Batista Profile: Call Name: Deacon Batista
Ability: Powerful Auto Setting Moves: Superstars’: 46 (change Finishers to Falling Powerbomb 1 and Falling Powerbomb Pin 1; change entrance moves to Superstars and music to Kane’s) 1 Logic: Grappler, Balanced
outfits! Jill's [2 outfit and Regina's Dino Crisis getup (2) are on offer in the uptown boutique with the key you get when you finish the game. Get an “А” rank on Hard difficulty for the miniskirt, disco, and biker fashion travesties (3).
P. ERAN lom Hearts OST (2CD set) TOCT24768
Xenosaga OST (2 CD set) SSCX10062
Breath of Fire V-Dragon Quarter OST (2CD set) CPCA1067
jum
Final Fantasy X OST (4CD set) SSCX10054
GameMusic.com
World's BIGGEST Game Music Store!
visit us online at:
Dracula X Nocturne in the Moonlight OST (KICA7760)
Shin Contra OST KOLA016
Huge Selection of Game/Anime Collectibles
Tales of Destiny 2 OST (4CD set) SSCX10074
Shinobi OST STFO010
i FANTASY
Final Fantasy Best Collection Piano Solo Sheet Music (DORE2037)
www.gamemusic.com 1-800-979-9889
Disaster Report Card
A whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on.
v
ү
Hey! Eyes up here,
please! There are seven different endings to Disaster Report, and two of them are "good." Here's how to get Karen's ending. Give her water whenever you drink. Encourage her when she sees the choppers leav- ing. If you get to the bus
No freakin' way! Oh yes! We've discovered a trick that allows the DOA ladies to come out to play sans tops for jaw-dropping, bosom-bouncing seminude action. (Yes, without the red stars or black stripes; nip- ples are present and account- ed for!) Behold Topless mode! Here's how to unlock it: Start a new Save file with any girl and partner with Lisa. Travel only to island locations with no other people. As
=A
before you nab the crowbar, don't split up. Give her the umbrella when it rains. When Greg asks you where to go, select "Karen's house." When Karen talks about her uncle, encourage her. When she asks to look for her dog, select “of course.” Grab the family
soon as you arrive, quickly exit the area. At the end of the first day, you’re forced to play volleyball. As soon as possible, hit Pause and choose “Give up.” From day two onward, continue going to island locations with no other people and exiting out quickly. End each day normally by sleeping. Do this for all 14 days, and you'll see the end credits roll (without your having played any vol- leyball!). Now, go back to your Save file. Does it have a time of 0:13 or less (1)? Then rock on, you perv! You've
$ activated Topless mode!
Continue this Save file with any girl. Here's where the magic happens. Open the
Here's the hest-ending plan
photo from Christophe Construction, and at Windrunner Park, talk to William and then Karen about it. When Greg asks who you want to go with, choose Karen. After you talk to Terry Striver, encourage Karen, and don’t let Karen drink impure water!
Item screen, go to the swim- suits, press the Y button on an already-equipped suit, and “W” (wear) will change to “T” (topless) (2). This works only with two-piece costumes. Now, start the game, and all competitors in two-piece suits suddenly “forget” their modesty (3-6)! Special thanks to Tina for bringing out two sets of big guns (3)! At least now we know why this game got an “М” rating! Scandalous!
142
300 Company 38-39 Www.3do.com
Academy of Art College 89 www.academyart.edu
Activision 105
www.activision.com Capcom U.S.A., Inc. Www.capcom.com
16-17, 108-109, 113, 135, 148
Codemasters, Inc. 26-27, 96-97 codemastersusa.com
DC Shoes, Inc. a www.deshoecousa.com
Ecko Unlimited 53 www.ecko.com
Eidos Interactive, Inc. 8-9 www.eidos.com
Electronic Arts 6-7, 58-59 www.ea.com
Electronic Entertainment Expo 343 www.E3expo.com
Full Sail Real World 139 wwv.fullsail.com
Game Music Online. 141 www.gamemusic.com
Н. J. Heinz - Foodservice Division 37 www.heinz.com
Hip Interactive Corporation 333 www.hipgearproducts.com
Infogrames, Inc. 7 www.infogrames.net.
Intec, Inc, 229 www.inteclink.com
Koei Corporation 92-93 www.koeigames.com
Konami America 33, 80-81, 137 ‘www.konami.com
Kotobuki System Co. Ltd. 707i www.top-gear.com
Lorillard Tobacco Company 45 www.buttoutnow.com
LucasArts Entertainment 7273,79,87 www.lucasarts.com
Majesco Sales, Inc. 19 ‘www.majescosales.com
Microsoft 18-19, 94-95, 117 wwwmicrosoft.com
Midway Games, Inc. 69 www.midway.com
Milk Processors а www.gotmilk.com
Nintendo of America 85 www.nintendo.com
Office for National Drug Control Policy 57 www.whatsyourantidrug.com
Pricegrabber.com 43
www.pricegrabber.com
Sega Of America www.sega.com
Sony Computer Entertainment www.scea.com
14-15, 121, poster
4-5, 35, 47, 49, 60-61
Sony Online Entertainment 303i www.sonyonline.com.
Take 2 Interactive Software 67,127 www.take2games.com
Target Stores 74a-b www.getintothegame.com
THQ, Inc. 23 www.thq.com
Turner Broadcasting Corp. 25
www.cartoonnetwork.com/toonami Ubi Soft Entertainment
www.ubisoft.c US Navy Recruiting Command 83
28-29, 55. 146-147
Е VUG - Bli; 115 www.blizzard.com VUG - PPG 23, 106-107 www.conspiracygames.com Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company 63 www.juicyfruit.com
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ЕЗ Conference Program
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Chris *CJ" Johnston News Editor
Shane Bettenhausen Reviews Editor
Demian Linn Editor-at-Large
Crispin Boyer Features Editor
Paul Byrnes Associate Editor
Greg Sewart Previews Editor
Bryan Intihar Associate Editor
Jennifer Tsao Managing Editor
Paul: For years, we've been hearing (and say- ing) that online games will revolutionize videogaming in the future. Well, here we are in the future. We don't have shiny silver pants or flying cars, but we do have Net-enabled games for three quite snazzy game consoles. Is the revolution living up to its propaganda? What are you guys playing online right now?
Greg: | have to say I’m not all that impressed yet. Online gaming isn't taking off nearly as fast as everyone hoped it would. | play only NHL 2K3 online, and even that not very much, since it has no tournament settings and anyone who's losing in the third period simply disconnects.
Shane: Online gaming hasn't completely blos- somed for me, either. I'm still riding the white pony that is Phantasy Star Online: Episode | & 11 for GameCube. | haven't used Xbox Live or my PS2 Network Adaptor nearly as much as I thought | would. But | hear that Jen plays a lot of My Street online...
CJ: Man, you guys gotta get into Xbox Live. | honestly couldn’t care less about the PS2’s online games (except SOCOM), and PSO on GC is a joke without a keyboard—but Live games rule. lve been playing Unreal Championship ог MechAssault nearly every weekend.
Bryan: | had such high hopes for online gam- ing, but besides Madden for PS2 and PSO for GameCube, not much has tickled my fancy.
Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & Il is more fun with a keyboard, y'all.
Even those games have problems (cough, no PSO keyboard, cough). Maybe I should try challenging Jen to a game of My Street.
Shane: Hey, l've got a keyboard for PSO on the Cube, and it's great! | only had to bribe some- one to go to Japan and search through до stores to find it for me! Is that too much to ask?
Crispin: My Street? Blah. Why would anybody want to play nice with the neighborhood kids online when it's more fun to stalk them through the bushes and chuck a grenade at their feet? And since that kind of stuff is still frowned upon in real life, I’m sticking with SOCOM: US Navy SEALs. It's the only recent online game | play on a regular basis. I’ve never really gotten tired of it, despite the fre- quent server outages and rotten-cheat players who snipe you from within the walls. Now there's a game that needs a patch.
Take your Master Chief online and pop some caps in sucka MCs when Halo 2 arrives later this year.
CJ: Рт also looking forward to PSO on Xbox, Midtown Madness 3, and Halo 2. | just wish that someone would revive Speed Devils for one of the newer consoles (Ubi Soft, please!). That game was online crack, and it didn't get the credit it deserved on Sega's ill- fated Dreamcast.
Demian: I’m a little slow on the draw—! just picked up my Xbox Live starter kit a few days ago ($40 at my supersecret, nerds-only dis- count electronics retailer), so | can keep pun- ishing Sewart with my NHL 2K3 finesse game when he returns to the wilds of Canada. As for PS2 and GC online action...sorry, I’m not feelin’ it yet. But hey, I’m sure My Street’s great.
Jennifer: You guys jest about my time online with My Street, and indeed, it was laughable, but it also served a valuable purpose. It deep- ened my affection for the real online deal, a game that so often gets overlooked in these discussions, Tony Hawk 4—simple, pure trash-talkin’ fun.
Paul: Heh. You said “jest.” That sounds like EverQuest's influence to me. So, what are we looking forward to in the next few months?
Greg: There are some kick-ass online racers coming up— Midnight Club Il, Midtown Madness 3, and Auto Modellista —that should get me in the online groove.
Shane: I'm sure PSO for Xbox, Final Fantasy
XI, and Halo 2 will get me playing online later this year.
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Bryan: Рт still waiting for that “must-have” online game | can't live without. Could it be Halo 2 or True Fantasy Live Online?
Paul: | think we all have high hopes for Halo 2. Otherwise, I’m really jonesin’ for a good online fighter. Something 3D for 2003, you know? Dead or Alive, Tekken, or Soul Calibur—any one of them would turn the Internet into a mag- ical arcade where opponents are always avail- able and you don't have to put your quarter up.
Bryan: As much as I'd love to have Soul Calibur or Virtua Fighter online so | could school my East Coast friends, I’m not sure we're at the point yet with connection speeds that an online 3D fighting game would be an enjoyable expe- rience. That may have to wait until the PS3 or Xbox 2 arrives on the gaming scene.
Paul: If the current hardware and infrastructure can handle 16 players in a first-person shooter (the twitchiest of twitch genres), they should be able to handle two players in a fighter. Or even four players, which mathematics tells us would provide exactly double the awesomeness.
Greg: For the record, | did beat Demian in NHL 2K3 once. He's not undefeated. He's like 8-1-0.
GAMING
—MONTH LY
May 2003
ALL EDITORIAL CONTENT IS 5
ЈЕСТ TO CHANGE.
NEXT MONTH
IF YOU PURCHASED A SUBSCRIPTION TO THIS OR ANOTHER MAGAZINE, THE FOLLOWING PROPOSED CLASS ACTIONSETTLEMENT MAY AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS
This notice describes a proposed nationwide settlement of class action lawsuits relating to magazine subscriptions that has been reached in In Re Magazine Antitrust Litigation, oo Civ. 4889 (S.D.N.Y) (the "Action"), and preliminarily approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Court").
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR THE PAYMENT OF MONEY OR OTHER COMPENSATION TO THE CLASS MEMBERS BUT INSTEAD SOLELY ADDRESSES CERTAIN INDUSTRY RULES AND PRACTICES THAT WERE DIRECTLY CHALLENGED IN THE ACTION AS BEING UNLAWFUL (SEE "THE CLAIMS IN THE LAWSUIT" SECTION BELOW).
This announcement is intended to give class members notice under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Order of the Court dated September 20, 2002, as modified on September 30, 2002, that a hearing will be held before the Hon. Richard Conway Casey on May 27, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. to determine whether: (а) to certify the proposed settlement class under Rule 23; (b) the proposed settlement of the Action is fair, reasonable and adequate; (c) a final judgment should be entered dismissing the Action with prejudice to the class members; and (d) to approve class counsels' application for attorneys! fees and expenses. The rest of this notice summarizes the terms of the proposed settlement. You can obtain a copy of the settlement agreement, the Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint (the "Complaint", and a list of the magazine subscriptions at issue in the Action, at www.magazine.org or by writing to The Garden City Group, Inc., the Administrator of the Notice Program, at Magazine Antitrust Litigation, P.O. Box 9000 # 6043, Merrick, NY 11566-9000 (the "Administrator"). ANY QUESTIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE OR THE SETTLEMENT SHOULD BE DIRECTED ТО THE ADMINISTRATOR AT THE ADDRESS LISTED ABOVE OR BY CALLING 1-888-210-0118. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE ADMINISTRATOR WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR CURRENT SUBSCRIPTIONS UNLESS THOSE QUESTIONS RELATE TO THE CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT.
DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT, COUNSEL TO THE PARTIES, [NAME OF THE PUBLICATION] OR ANY
PUBLISHER REGARDING THIS NOTICE. — THE ADMINISTRATOR, WHERE APPROPRIATE, WILL REFER ANY QUESTIONS TO THE APPROPRIATE PERSON.
THE CLAIMS IN THE LAWSUIT
The Complaint was filed in this Action in or about October 2000, against the Magazine Publishers of America ("MPA"), a consumer magazine trade association, and fourteen magazine publishing companies (the “Publisher Defendants"). Тһе Complaint alleged an agreement among the Publisher Defendants and the MPA to set the minimum price of or maximum discount on magazine subscriptions through the enactment of MPA Guideline 4(a) and/or the collective action among publishers to adhere to the ABC's 50% Rule (as referred to in 145 of the Complaint) or the similar Rule of the BPA International pertaining to its definition of "paid circulation." The Complaint asked the Court to eliminate or modify Guideline 4(a) and to award damages that allegedly were suffered by consumers who purchased subscriptions to the Publisher Defendants' magazines.
The defendants have denied the material allegations of the Complaint. The parties have now agreed to settle the Action in its entirety. On September 20, 2002, the Court preliminarily approved the settlement.
TERMS OF THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT
In the proposed settlement, the defendants have agreed to do two things: (i) the MPA shall delete in its entirety MPA Guideline 4(a); and (ii) the defendants shall defray the costs incurred in connection with the Action, including the costs of the Notice program involving notifying class members of the terms and conditions of the proposed settlement and the Plaintiffs’ actual attorneys! fees and expenses awarded by the Court up to $1.1 million.
In exchange, the Plaintiffs have agreed that, if the settlement is approved, the Court will enter a judgment dismissing the Action with prejudice, and the named Plaintiffs and all class members who have not duly opted-out of the class will be deemed to be subject to the release in this case, which provides as follows: "As of the date on which the Agreement is Finally Approved, the Publisher Defendants and the MPA . . . shall Бе completely released, acquitted, and forever discharged, from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, causes of action, injuries or damages, whether class, individual or otherwise in nature, that Plaintiffs, the Class
Members or each of them, in his or her capacity as a subscriber to a magazine, ever had or now has, in law ог equity, under federal or state law, relating to an agreement to set the minimum price of or maximum discount on magazine subscriptions through the enactment of MPA Guideline 4(a) and/or the collective action among publishers to adhere to the ABC's 50% Rule (as referred to in 145 of the Amended Complaint) ог the similar Rule of the BPA International pertaining to its definition of ‘paid circulation."
The release also releases class action claims that were previously brought (but subsequently dismissed without prejudice) by a plaintiff in the State Court in San Diego, California, who asserted similar allegations against the defendants albeit based on violations of California state laws. The California action was styled Coossan v. Hearst Corp., et. al., Мо. GIC 752985. A copy of the Coossan Complaint can be obtained at www.magazine.org.
WHO ARE THE PUBLISHER DEFENDANTS?
The Publisher Defendants are: Condé Nast Publications, Inc. Gruner + Jahr Printing and Publishing Company; Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc. (f/k/a Hachette Filipacchi Magazines, Inc.); The Hearst Corporation; International Data Group, Inc.; Meredith Corporation; Newsweek, Inc.; Primedia, Inc.; Reader's Digest Association, Inc.; Rodale Inc.; Time Inc.; TimegMedia, Inc. (f/k/a Times Mirror Magazines, Inc.); TV Guide, Inc. and Ziff-Davis Publishing, Inc.
WHO IS IN THE CLASS? Class Members are those persons who purchased a subscription to this publication or to other publications that were published by any of the Publisher Defendants during the period from and including July 1, 1996 up to and including April 15, 2002 (the "Class"). For purposes of determining inclusion in the Class, it does not matter whether you purchased your subscription from one of the Publisher Defendants, or through agents, subagents or other third party marketers. You are not, however, a member of the Class if you did not purchase a magazine subscription within the time period stated above, or if you purchased your magazines only at newsstands.
YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT You have the right to appear, in person or by counsel, at the hearing on the proposed settlement in order to
145
comment on, or object to, the terms of the proposed settlement, its adequacy or reasonableness and/or the award of attorneys' fees and expenses to class counsel. However, you will only be heard at that time if you first, by May 5, 2003, (a) file with the Court a notice of your intention to appear, which includes the basis for your objection, a statement identifying the magazines to which you subscribed, and the approximate time period of each such subscription; and (b) serve copies of the notice (and all other papers you intend to rely upon) by hand ог first class mail on Plaintiffs’ co-lead counsel, Bruce E. Gerstein, Esq., Garwin, Bronzaft, Gerstein, & Fisher, LLP, 1501 Broadway, Suite 1436, New York, NY 10036 and Н. Laddie Montague, Jr, Esq., Berger & Montague, 1622 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, and on Defendants’ coordinating counsel, Lawrence 1. Fox, Esq. at McDermott, Will & Emery, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, New York 10020.
YOUR RIGHT TO OPT-OUT OF THE SETTLEMENT ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO APPEAR AT THE HEARING, YOU HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO DO SO. If you do not wish to participate in or be bound by the proposed settlement, you can exclude yourself (ће. “opt-out"). To opt out, you MUST send a request for exclusion in an envelope POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN May 5, 2003 to the Administrator of the Notice Program Magazine Antitrust Litigation, P.O. Box 9000 # 6041, Merrick, NY 11566-9000. The request for exclusion must state your full name, the magazine(s) to which you subscribed and the approximate time period of each subscription, and the address to which your magazines were sent. IF YOU DO NOT EXCLUDE YOURSELF, you be barred from prosecuting any legal action against the MPA or its members and the Publisher Defendants to the full extent of the release set forth in the "Terms of the Proposed Settlement" section above.
EXAMINATION OF PAPERS AND INQUIRIES
For a more detailed statement of the matters involved in the Action, including the Complaint, the settlement agreement, motion papers and certain orders of the Court, you may visit the office of the Clerk of the United States District Court, 500 Pearl Street, New York, New York, during business hours. Copies of the papers relating to the settlement are also available at www.magazine.org.
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