Hitman 3 • Syphon Filter: Omega Strain e Star Wars Battlefront • 
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles • EverQuest: Champions of Norrath 


PLUS: 12 things you need to know about Final Fantasy XII 


OF E MILLENNIUM 


CA | ‚=. 
GAMES CAN Е А ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA 
| 02> Š 


MAKE YOU RICH 


ТЯ Мах Payne 2 (badass!) How famous developers 
Sonic Heroes (EGM exclusive!) turned their hobbies into 
Pokémon Channel (puke!) major bling bling 


8 | 


о 14024 06960 
WWW.EGMMAG.COM 





Feb. 2004 issue 175 
$4.99 U.S. / 56.50 Сапай 











Available February 2004 





rainbow: 


STUDIOS 





ANOTHER CLASSIC FROM (Е) 





RATING PENDING 
e 


Visit www.esrb.org 
or call 1-800-771-3772 PlayStation.e 


L. 


for more info. 





`©2004ТНО Inc. THQ, the THQ logo and the MX Unleashed logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.All other trademarks and logos are property of their respective owners, All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos 


шогд on the 





M 
E Мапа and Joe with 
the lights turned low. 





We've seen took about an hour to carve, but Viewtiful 
Halloween is the coolest holiday of the year, Joe ran me about five or six hours. Yes, | 
and videogames are my favorite pastime, so have too much free time, but some things 

| decided to combine the two. | found а just need to be done. 

picture of Mario in EGM and, on the opposite —Shane Krajewski 
page, a pic of Viewtiful Joe—inspiration 

comes from the weirdest places, eh? Mario We like the cut of your jib, Shane. ёф 


* 








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Mild Language www.us.playstation.com 

Mild Violence 
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“PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “Live In Your World. Play In Ours” isa trademark 
of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Jak Il isa trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Created and developed by Naughty 
Dog, Inc. ©2003 Sony Computer Entertainment America Ine. 





THIS WORLD IS 
BETTER LEFT ТО ЈАК, 














savvy. yx Ec ;imeone; my шо, is Jak This time be s ры off ا‎ Бр a E 
a frighteningly large gun, get-the-hell-outta-my-way hoverboard and a nasty case of mutant 
powers. So please, save yourself the detached appendages and let him handle it. 


LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. 
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January 15th 


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inc-AIf features not available on ай platforms: See back of game pack for details, ~% 

2 2003 Electronic Ans Ic. Electronic Ars; EA. EX SPORTS. ihe EASPOHTS фо. EA Senate a safe EA SPORTS BIG К 


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лије (вайб int 









f Blectronic Ars Ine: in the U.S, and/or other counties. AN ROMS S ЛО ЫЕ Príaeittes LEC;Teagi names & SER - р 
All other МЕГА Tras trademarks are trademarks of lle National Роа League Vica CREE OPLAYERS INU- The PLAYERS INC logo isa registeret $e 
Family loger are trademarks;or пашаа of Sony С у А " 


trademark of the NFL players. wwwi;nliplayers.com © 2003 PLAYERS INC. “PlayStation” and the, 
UEM ni Pa Vinc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox Logos are either trademarks or Tedisteren: trademarks. of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or ottier +, = 
l| oiher trademarks, $ 


inger license from Mictosott: 7^. 40, and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks. ot Nintendo. ©2001 Зани 
f "owners. EA А SPORTS And EA SPORTS BIG" are Electronic Ar brands. ° ” nS 








sete pose 











contents 


` issue 175 ° february 2004 





LETTERS * 


20 Shucks, a whole month arid по 
steamy love letters E 


PRESS ЗТАКТ ; 


The latest news, interviews, 
features, and gaming tidbits 


36 FIRST LOOK—HITMAN: CONTRACTS... 
Mr. Clean returns to the PS2 and . ' 
Xbox for yet anothi illing,spree ~ 

38 INSTANT EXPERT 
We list all the essenti als: needed 4: es 
build one killer PC-gaming rig . 

40 FINALFANTASY:: .. 

CRYSTAL CHRONICLES 
Finally, d reason to dig through the 
closet for your GC-GBA link cable 

42 AFTERTHOUGHTS: SOCOM II 
Don't join Bravo team until you 
read these tactical strategies 

46 EGM INTERNATIONAL E 
Batter up! Here's America's pastime š > 
like you've never seen it before У < 

53 METROID: ZERO MISSION k B 

* Samus returns in portable form f 
3 : ` 

54.. AFTERTHOUGHTS: г тА, 

` PRINCE OF PERSIA ` Я Е 

‘We turn back the sands of time to ` . . РА ` 

-chat about POP's development Š 


















STAR WARS: BATQEFRONE 
Opposing forces in a.galaxy far, - 
far away t take the fight. online 





































` 62 CHAMPIONS OF NORRATH: 
REALMS OF EVERQUEST: 


PLAY MONEY 
How eccentric folks from . + 












` Take our personality testjo К 
EN RPG profile fits you best 
. 63 CELEBRITY “INTERVIEW 
X | Ktisfen Milier 








64 THÉ BARD'S TALE 
' "Newbie developer InXile breaks 
the rules of today's action-RPGs 
68 FACTORY SHOWROOM 
Check out the latest and 
greatest game gadgets 
72 SYPHON FILTER: 
THE OMEGA STRAIN 
A look at how to stop this 
deadly virus, online and off 
74 ONLINE ` 
' . We have the answers to all 
your Rainbow Six 3 questions 
76 ОВАКЕМСАВО 
Revenge isn't as sweet 
without the help of a dragon 
80 THE RUMOR MILL 
What's that? A Halo 2 delay? 
82 THE SUFFERING „ 
Droppin’ the soap is the 
least of your worries in this 
survival-horror prison 
86 THE НОТ 5 
Master Chief reigns 
supreme...again 
87 COMING SOON 
16 ways to spend your 
holiday cash from the 
grandparents 


акаа 


We all know videogames аге 
mainstream. Every major 
newspaper from the San 
Francisco Chronicle to the Wall 
Street Journal has a videogame 
beat. Our industry makes more 
dough than Hollywood. Spike TV 
just had an awards show, and 
MTV is doing an hour-long 
special with us (see our Top 15 
































FINAL FANTASY XII 
Square Enix’s next big 
thing in the world of 
role-playing is revealed 


special, pg. 90). And my mom 
just bought an Xbox. Either 
videogames are mainstream or 
the world’s gone twirly-finger- 
"round-the-ear cuckoo. 

Readers: What do you think 
about this trend? Does it water 
down the fun or is it better to 
share Mario and co. with the rest 
of the world? Send your 





ЕЛКЕ КЫНА, zu di T апе gaming industry spend 
* their hard-earned cash `” 


thoughts to EGM@ziffdavis.com, 
and we'll print some of your 
comments in the next issue. In 
the meantime, enjoy a taste of 
the mainstream with our Top 15 
Ultimate Games list, which was 
voted on by you and MTV.com 
readers. You may be surprised at 
who won #1.... 

—Shoe, Editor-in-Chief 

















“REVIEW CREW у 


: Not one, not two, but three reviews for each game 


Я Multiplatform 120 Lowrider 
. 102 Мах Payne 2: The Fall of Max ENG í 
106 SpyHunter 2 

é 106 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’. š 

.Î 108 Sonic Héroes i 

110 Mission: Imfossible Operation битта -' 
7110. Monster 4x4: Masters of Metal 
EU Baldur's Gat 4 

б ‘Gamecube 
PlayStation 2 127 ко Channel 
112 Maximo- vs. Army d - 
B; 34 American Idol. 


EGM readers and MTV viewers 
join forces to rank the top games 
of the millennium, plus we find 
out what's next for these super- 
duper videogame franchises. 











“TRICKS OF THE TRADE ` 


‘Game hints, tips, and cheats 


GAME OVER 

А buncha stuff that don't fit 
„ anywhere else, уа dig? 
136 True Crime: Streets of L.A. 142 REST OF THE CRAP 
137 Tony Hawk's Underground 143 CROSSWORD 
137 Crimson Skies:'Hjgh Road’to Revenge 144 HOROSCOPES. ~ 
138 StarWars Rogue. Squadron ВИ 7.145 NEXT | MONTH - 

Аер Ме, о “o лаб HSU & CHAN’. 





ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY eg@fww.egmmag.com e-13. 











Chief Dan "Shoe" Hsu 


our thumb calluses mahe children cry Executive Editor Mark MacDonald 





Senior Editor Crispin Boyer 
itor Chris "CJ" Johnston 

Editor Shane Bettenhausen 

5 Editor Joe Fielder 

Editor-at-Large Demian Linn 

Associate Editor/Production Designer Paul Byrnes 

Associate Editor Bryan Intihar 

Associate Editor Shawn Elliott 

Tricks Editor David Hodgson 

Intemational Editor John Ricciardi 

Japanese Correspondent Yutaka Ohbuchi 


i DESIGN 
Guest Reviewers Art Director Monique Convert 
Associate Art Director Stefan Belavy 
CONTRIBUTORS 





DAN “SHOE” HSU, Editor-in-Chief JON DUDLAK Chris Baker, Daniel Boutros, Che Chou, Robert Coffey Kevin 

So many holiday games to play, but when Shoe takes a break Inspired by Fatal [een] Quee Eme n n pan койо, Dustin 
iti " i lostetler, Casey Loe, Miguel Lopez, Will O'Neal, Thierry Nguyen, Tom 

from editing, he goes back to good ol’ Rainbow Six 3 on Xbox Frame 2, Jon we Price, Marc Saltzman, Norm Scott, Seanbaby, Carrie Shepherd, Justin 

Live (aim for “EGM Shoe") and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. out and captured ® ‘Speer, Scott Steinberg, Phil Theobald, Giancarlo Varanini 

Also Playing: Deus Ex: Invisible War, Simpsons: Hit and Run these elusive Founder Stove Harris 


Fave Genres: Just about everything spooks on his Senior Vice President Dale Strang 


antique shutterbox. Editorial Director John Davison 
Creative Director Simon Cox 
Business Director Cathy Bendoff 





MARK MACDONALD, Executive Editor 


While hi: ers! for being f to pl COPY DESK 
ile his workers! comp paperwork for being forced to play GREG FORD Copy Chief Tom Edwards 
Pokémon Channel without protective gear is being processed, This month, Copy Editors Greg Ford, Susie Ochs, Maritza Refuerzo 
Mark somehow finds the will to help write and edit the mag. F a от 2 PRODUCTION 
Now Playing: SOCOM I, Rainbow Six 3, Halo (PC) оп. star power- Senior Protucion Manage Ane Maria Miguel 
Fave Genres: Action, Adventure, Shooters slide, fun, stadium, Production Manager Monica Brent. 
Mario Kart, mush- Assistant Production Manager Teresa Newson 
room, 150cc, shell, CIRCULATION 


ulation Director Tracy Schultz 
y Sales Director Bob Kerekes 

wsstand Sales Manager Don Galen 
internet and Partnership Marketing Dir. Chris Wilkes 
PRINT SALES 

her Lee Uniacke 

в Group Publisher Stan Taigen 

vertising Director Marci Yamaguchi 


Territory Managers and Acct. Execs. 


JENNIFER TSAO, Managing Editor 

It's time to give a big shout out to all those brave American 
soldiers in the Middle East who've taken a minute to write 
nice letters to Jennifer. Come home soon—we miss ya! 

Now Playing: Prince of Persia, SSX 3, Final Fantasy X-2 (still...) 
Fave Genres: Adventure, Action Sports, Music, RPG 






cactus, banana... 


JOHN RICCIARDI 
Ricciardi's New 
Year's resolution: 






no more Dragon Bay Area. 
Ball Z reviews. (You 


Bay Area Peninsula; NV UT 


CRISPIN BOYER, Senior Editor District Sales Manager Mary Gray 








It's time to give a big shout out to all those EGM editors. got that, Shane?) nl Pan ive Aaron Gallion 
giving big shouts out to the soldiers in the Middle East. To Happy New Year! Pawan ата and Arizona 
those about to shout out, | salute you. Regioral S: Manager uie Steelman 
Now Playing: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Rainbow Six 3 ж не Ere 
гез: Action, Adventure, KEVIN GIFFORD AL, AR, CO, FL, IL, IN, KY, LA, MI, MN, MS, ND, 
Fave Genres AONE du Reviewini МЕ, NM, OH, OK, OR, SD, TN, TX, WA, WI, WY 
gus Regional Sales Manager Marc Callison 
EverQuest Online Account Execulive Candace Droz 





CHRIS “CJ” JOHNSTON, News Editor 
CJ's playing so much Rainbow Six 3 online (“EGM Chris" on 
Xbox Live) that he sneaks around the office yelling things like 


y East 
Adventures: CT, DC, DE, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC; VA, VT 


Frontiers meant no. Regional Sales Manager lan Sinclair 
Account Executive Amy Mishra 





» x rfe social life for Kevin TUP.com 
‘Breach and clear! before Kicking the bathroom door open. this month. \P/General Manager Tom Jessiman 
Now Playing: Rainbow Six 3, Mario Kart: DD!! Internet Sales Account Manager Bill Young 





Editor-in-Chief Sam Kennedy 
Senior Advertsing Coordinator Tipler Ubbelohde 
PATRICK MAURO Sales Assistant Alison Rubino 
" i MARKETING 
Syndicated radio Marketing Director Rey Ledda. 
guy plays video- As: Director May Tong 


games, watches Marketing Coordinator Wayne Shiu 
sports чега To contact Sales and Advertising, please call 415-547-8000 





SHANE BETTENHAUSEN, Reviews Editor 
Over the past four years, Shane has lent his critical acumen 





to publications like Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, Xbox 
Nation, GMR, Computer Gaming World, and Cat Fancy. 


Hesse, and aspires Chairman & CE0: 
Robert F. Callahan 
asta a cule Chief Operating Offer: 
Bart W. Catalane 
я 3 i Fir fi 
JOE FIELDER, Previews Editor W Each month, the enterprising editor- Quel лел! oar 
Old-school Apple Il RPG The Bard's Tale was the first game that ial staffs of our sister gaming mags К President, 
Joe ever lost major sleep playing, so we sent him down to (and website) XBOX NATION, mite 
SoCal to check out the new action-RPG update. Executive Vice President & 
Now Playing: Prince of Persia, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun GAMENOW, OFFICIAL US: PLATS: FEM Den 
Fave Genres: Action, Shooters, Strategy. TION MAGAZINE, GMR, and 1UP.COM Executive Vice President, 
lend several dozen helping hands (and т M & Secretary: 
blistered thumbs) to our Review Crew. Santor Vice Presidents: 





DEMIAN LINN, Editor-at-Large 

To research his Lowrider review Demian strongly considered 
attending some lowrider-related events, but ultimately decid- 
ed just to look at pictures on the Internet. 


Jasmine Alexander (Technology & Sales Operations) 
Tim Castelli (PC Magazine Group) 

Chris Dobbrow (Corporate Sales & Publisher, eWEEK) 
Larry Green (Business Development & Worldwide Licensing) 


The Contributors Charles Mast Circulation) 


n Seymour (Enterprise Group) 

















Now Playing: Mario Kart: DD!!, Rainbow Six 3, Lowrider 19 (Game Group) 
Fave Genres: Action, Hockey, Racing, Fighting W SCOTT STEINBERG reveals the glitzy ng (Internet) 
lifestyles of game developers in our Vice Presidents: 
Play Money feature.... Ken Beach (Corporate Sales) 


Aaron Goldberg (Market Experts) 
Wi WILL O'NEAL, PC-hardware guru at m i a6 
less (Event Marketing Group) 


Computer Gaming Wor, gives aiquickle Тот Jessiman (VP and General Manager, 1UP.com) 
lesson on building the ultimate compu- Michael Krieger (Market Experts) 


PAUL BYRNES, Associate Editor 
Taking a page from Max Payne's graphic novel, Paul's been 
trying to woo dangerous dames with hard-boiled noir-type 





| (Event Marketing Group) 

















romanticynicism. So far, no dice. ter-gaming rig in Instant Expert.. Garie Lee پا‎ Мову TS 

Now Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Prince of Persia m Prima Games’ tricks guru DAVID E Lundquist (Edern Gol SWEER 

Fave Genres: Adventure, RPG, Puzzle HODGSON tells you how to let Snoop Шш chron (Editoria Бена тело 
Dogg off the leash in True Crime. Раш O'Reilly (Event Marketing Group) 





it wri Ellen Pearlman (Editor-in-Chief, CIO Insight) 
W DANIEL BOUTROS, a Brit writer for Beth Repeta (Human Resources) 


the BBC, takes an inside look at the Marta shwartz (Custom Conterence Group) 
i i (oiv Pam Spector (Business Development and lı 
next installment in the Hitman series: Tom Steinert- relkeld (Editor-in-Chief, Ba: 


and lives to tell about it.... Stephen Sutton (Internet Audience Development) 


BRYAN INTIHAR, Associate Editor 

A pic of Bryan visiting Japan (for Final Fantasy XII) would be 
perfect here, but a problem with customs cost him his cam- 
era. He doesn't wanna talk about it! 








ional Licensing) 











Now Playing: Prince of Persia, NFL Street, Kingdom Hearts W JUSTIN SPEER gives you the skinny Eee ure ad 
Fave Genres: Action, Adventure; Sports on The Suffering, as well as the games. Monica Vila (Event Marketing Group) 
you're starving for in The Hot Five. Senior Director, Manufacturing: Carlos Lugo 


Director of Corporate Communications: Randy Zane 
IT West Coast. 


№ CASEY LOE helps aspiring role-play- 
ers pick the perfect character class in Senior Technical Analyst Bill Schmelzer 
Champions of Norrath... Technical Specialist Bob Hall 


SHAWN ELLIOTT, Associate Editor 

To research his Lowrider review Shawn strongly considered 
looking at pictures on the Internet, but ultimately decided just 
to attend some lowrider-related events. 

Now Playing: Lowrider, Max Payne 2, NFL Street 

Fave Genres: Fighting, Shooters, Adventure, Racing 


inyone on this masthead via e-mail 
name_lastname@zit{davis.com) 





W 1UP.com's KEVIN GIFFORD finds out Е 
why it pays to have four GBAs when 

playing the forthcoming Final Fantasy: Subscription Service 800-895-9571 
Crystal Chronicles. E-mail subhelp@egmmag.com 

















14 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





b is not a mere battle of brawn. In this. world, war must be Wet with а уагу 
rmy of demons, centaurs and dragons. Exploit their strengths. Mind thet 
wrath. Cast magic spells. Pit darkness against light. Bend їне, ~ 









Fantasy Violence 





ESRB CONTENT RATING _www.estb.org 





EVERYONE 


SOME | EW, HERGES. 


Mild Fantasy Violence 












"5 TIME FOR 





Sega is registered in the 05 Patent and Trademark Ofico, SEGA, the E logo, Soni ium and Sonic The Hedgehog are either registered trademarks or trademarks of 
SEGA CORPORATION. Original Game SEGA @SONICTEAM/SEGA, 2003. All Rights Reserved TM, lintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. "PlayStation" 
and the "PS" Family logo ate registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, Microsoft (box and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks 
of Microsoft Corporation in te U.S, and/or in other countries and are used under lcenso from Microsoft: The ratings icon is a registered traclernark of the Entertainment Software Association. 





NINTENDO 
GAMECUBE. 




































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































“ИЧ : 
Qut (үү 
Wut ч 



























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































ranting, raving, and a very excited mario 





1 want you! For the Imperial army. 


is his castle 
In your recent review of Jedi Academy (XB) 
[EGM #174, page 156], reviewer Bryan 
Intihar wondered, "Since when did Darth 
Vader have a castle?" Well, since Timothy 
Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy book series (in 
which Luke Skywalker is trying to found a 
school for Jedi). In one of Luke's many 
adventures, he finds himself at his father's 
castle, Casa de Vader, a submerged 
dwelling which can only be entered by 
using the Force to raise the house up from 
the depths. 
| don't know if it's the same in the 
game— don't have an Xbox, because my 
wife says a PlayStation 2 and GameCube 
are enough (shows what she knows about 
gaming). Hope 1 didn't geek out too much 
on you there, but | know you guys and gal 
at EGM understand. 
—Scott Shiveley 


Casa de Vader? Even if what you say is 
true...we choose not to believe it. 


history 
| understand that everyone has a brain fart 
now and then, but you are gonna make 
some people mad unless you print a 
correction to the typo that appeared not 
once, but twice on page 32 of EGM 
#173. You wrote that the murdered girl in 
Final Fantasy Vil was named “Aerith,” but as 


letters 


15 Blake's grandkids will 
read this Someday and say, 
“Grandpa, you were a jerk!” 


of the month 







You're kind of right, but mostly 
wrong. Her name is Aeris in the 
U.S. version of FFVII, but 
Аегїїһ in the original 
Japanese. When Square 
released Kingdom 


| am sure you know by now (since you 
have undoubtedly received 
billions of e-mails 
correcting this blunder), 
her name was Aeris. | 
hope you guys didn't 





















receive a letter bomb from Hearts here 
some crazy 37-year-old (featuring 

dude who has made Aerith), the name 
his closet into a change was 


shrine for her. 
—Drew 
Miller 


official. Didn’t you 
get the memo? 


Painful 


As | was reading 
A he review of 
Project Gotham 
Racing 2 in 


Amanda Hugginkiss 
Hello EGM! Me-Blake Peters, and my friends have all been 
contacting x box for over a year now. We call there and say that 
our name is Chuck, and we've been doing this from each other's 
houses alot and each time we swear at them and piss them off 
generally! Like saying how doyou properly put marmalade in the 
x box without it breaking or can i fix my x box my bringing to 
the shed and hitting it with a hammer. No matter what we say it 
makes us laugh hartily. Just a couple minutes ago the head of 
the x box department in Austin Texas phoned my friend's house 
and said that a man named Chuck keeps on harrassing the 
employees and 46 people have complained. 

— Blake Peters 


FBI: This is the guy. Blake Peters. We have his address. 


20 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





Congrats, 
Megan Dinner! 
As our Letter of 
the Month 
winner, you've 
got a Nyko 
iType2 PS2 
controller 
winging its way 
to you. It's like 
the love child of 
a DualShock 
and a keyboard! 


EGM #174 (раде 150), | noticed that you 
said "kudo" is the second ugliest word in 
the English language. If this is true, could 
you please solve all my problems and tell 
me, what's the first ugliest word? 

—Nich Backman 


Hemorrhoid. 


CONTACT EGM 


E-mail us at EGM@ziffdavis.com and 
get a soulless auto-response in return! 
It's like a magic bit of the magazine that 
only you and a million Viagra spammers 
ever get to see. Or, write the address 
below and get nothing. 


EGM Letters 
101 2nd Street, 8th Floor 
San Francisco, CA 94105 


GOT BEEF? 


Picture it: our customer service 
department, a small army, singing along 
to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” in 
anticipation of hearing from little old you! 


E-mail: subhelp@egmmag.com 
Website: http://service.egmmag.com 
Phone toll-free: (800) 779-1174 
Old-fashioned way: P.0. Box 55722 
Boulder, CO 80322-5722 


REPRINTS? 
Call (800) 290-5460 to order article 
reprints. Use ’em as wallpaper! 





“a gore-drenched ‚ТИШЕ Ж y "'Midway's action/horror 
excursion into - : 

hair-raising territory” 

- GamePro 











THESUFFERING.MIDWAY.COM 











Iron Man in reader Kevin Hawkey's mocked-up game screen (left)...Iron Man іп THUG (right). 


lives again 

On page 24 of EGM #173, you featured a 
game called Tony Stark's Pro Skater in your 
Game Design-0-Rama section, with а 
screenshot of a skating Iron Man. The thing 
is, in Tony Hawk's Underground [released 
after the mag came out—Ed.] you really 
can unlock and play as Iron Man! Pretty 
cool coincidence. 

— Yeyeman 


Nostradamus called it: “In two double 
aught three, a ferrous man shall mount a 
wheeled board. Oh, and the world ends." 


Gee, 
part 2 

On page 20 of EGM #173, you printed a letter 
from Michelle Villmer, who'd named her girl 
Rinoa (a FFVIII character). Seeing as how 
some great new games in the Final Fantasy 
Series are on the way, | thought it was time 
to come clean. | named my first child Aerith. 1 
just loved the name...I'm not a freak, really! 

—Richard Corral, Jr. 


Gee, 
part 3 

My wife and | named our firstborn son 
Donovan, after the Darkstalkers and Puzzle 
Fighter series character. We followed the 
tradition when our daughter came along two 
years later and gave her the middle name 
Morrigan. It's great that people are naming 
their kids after the things that make them 
happy. Congrats to Michelle Villmer on her 
daughter Rinoa! 

—Mike Block 


sometimes 

win— 
It would appear the fearsome cheat 
protection that was to safeguard SOCOM II 
online play has been circumvented. Less 
than two weeks after release, folks have 
figured out some sort of glitch to get around 
Sony's security by using cheat hardware 
like the GameShark. Infinite ammo and 
infinite grenades appear to be a reality. 
Bummer, eh? 

—Edward A. Picchi 


We'd heard mumblings about that and 

asked Sony what was up. According to 
Patrick Seybold, senior PR manager for 
Sony CEA: "SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs 
has not been cracked. As we have 


| mentioned in the past, the cheat 


detection in SOCOM Il is handled on the 


| server side, and we are able to detect 


and thwart cheating attempts on the 
back end. We have already identified the 
method used by this individual and have 
tested and updated our servers to 
prevent this type of cheat. This is an 
isolated incident, and we have made the 
necessary changes as needed." 
Not quite sure what Seybold was 
on about with all that talk of 
thwarting and back ends, but looks 


like problem solved. n 


populi 
Is it just me, or does your evil 
mercenary friend Canderous 
in Star Wars: Knights of the 
Old Republic (XB) sound a 
lot like Solidus Snake 
from Metal Gear Solid 
2? Has anyone else 
noticed this? 

—Bry Wiz 


Actor John Cygan 
voiced both 
Canderous and 
Solidus Snake, as 
well as characters in 
Grandia 2 (PS2) and 


a> W 





















OOPS! 

The tiny hobos that infest our office but 
are visible only in our peripheral vision 
have struck again! In our Ultimate 
Review Archive (EGM #174, page 170) 
we incorrectly listed the PS2 version of 


Grandia Il as scoring three 9.05 (out of 
10). Turns out that was the rating for 
the Dreamcast game—the PS2 version 
actually received a 4.0, on account of it 
being a shamefully bad port of the 
quite good original. 








KOTOR's Canderous 
doesn't go anywhere 
without his pleather vest. 


GAME DESIGN-O-RAMA 


Another month, another passel of videogame inspiration. Keep the ideas (and art) coming to EGM@ziffdavis.com, subject: design-o-rama 


NINJAS ARE SOOO F-ING SWEET! 
Tired of ninja clone after ninja clone? Do you have to buy 
Shinobi Gaiden Part 27 and all the other sequels that come 
out? No more! We have collected everything that makes 
ninjas so f-ing sweet and put it all in one game! Become 
invisible! Chop your enemies in half! Battle pirates from outer 
space! Make it with ninja babes! | have to go lie down now. 
—Mike Fatum 


MIGHTY MORPHIN' SPACE TURBO 

POWER RANGERS IN THE LOST GALAXY 

Transform into a colored-spandex hero and take down 

whatever monster is attacking the local juice bar. Call in your 

Super Ultra Thunder Ninja MegaZord robotic vehicles to battle 

space monsters, and keep your identity a secret by wearing 

civilian clothes that color coordinate with your ranger suit! 
—Bob Cassella 


SEAGULL BATTALION: LINE OF FECES 
In Seagull Battalion, you play a seagull 
named Bob, who lives to release effluvium 
onto nearby humans. As Bob collects 
birdseed, pressure slowly builds up in the 
stomach bar. When the bar is full, 
you have 15 seconds to unleash hell. 
—Brendon Quebedeaux 


22 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


The sequel to Sega’s megahit puts you in the role of a sushi 
chef at a floundering Tokyo restaurant. You've spawned a 
brilliant plan to reel in customers: Raise chatty Seamen in 
your shop-front tank that interact with diners before you slice 
| and dice 'em into quivering cubes, served with wasabi and 
tice, Features analog chopstick physics! 
—Neil Austin 


FALLOUT DAYCARE 
In the year 2142, the postapocalyptic world needs a hero. That 
hero needs someone to watch after his kids. In Fallout 
Daycare, you play Jack, a man in power armor who is ready to 
take on any task—like diaper changing, bottle warming, and 
even nap time. See Jack’s youth disappear as the children suck 
the very life out of his soul in this tactical baby-sitting sim. 

— Patrick Malone 


ZOMBIES ATE 

MR. ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD 

Protect the small town you grew up in from 

various demons, zombies, doom trolleys, and 

pink Christina Aguilera monsters. You will also 

have to face the notorious dictator King Friday 

with just your trusty water gun and a cardigan. 
— Doug Duncan 








М Giant rock 
I saw this ad on nintendo.com, and 
20 minutes later it was taken down. 
1 guess they realized what Mario 
was up to. 


. Sigmund Freud called; he wants 
his enormous wang back. 


rae 


Dark Cloud 2 (PS2). He's also guest 
starred (the whole guy, not just his 
voice) on NYPD Blue, X-Files, and 
Frasier, in case you'd like to follow his 
entire oeuvre. 


bride 
Everyone has heard about people who have 
met and married because of EverQuest 
[PC]—it seems no other online game has 
been such a successful matchmaker. Well, 
my mother and stepfather met on the 
Dreamcast version of Phantasy Star Online 
and have been married now for nearly two 
years. Ah, videogame love. Maybe this will 
inspire some other gamers with online love 
interests to get hitched. Or not. 


- 
—Terrance Lau 3 


even those without a warranty. The only 
stipulation is that you can't have installed a 
mod-chip or opened the unit. | just thought 
you guys would like to help me spread the 
news. Wait, can you hear that? A nerd just 
got his wings. 

—Robert Wilkins 


You sure about that? We called Sony’s 
customer service line, and they said disc- 
read-error repairs are still being handled 
on a case-by-case basis—no policy of 
fixing all DRE-afflicted PS2s for free is in 


Healthy glow 


effect. That was а dirty trick, Bob. 


Sticker 

I'm a huge Final Fantasy fan and an even 
bigger Sephiroth (FFVII) fan. | mean, who 
isn't? The man is just so good at being 
bad—and hot to boot. In an effort to 
customize my 2003 Pontiac Vibe (and in 
anticipation of the upcoming Fantasy flick 
Advent Children), | decided to honor 
Sephiroth and Cloud. | got official images 
from Kingdom Hearts and Advent Children 
made into decals for my car. And by the 








way, I'm 21 and | do have a life. Keep up 
the good work! 
—den Ursillo 


—Bradley Klutz 


How "bout it? Any other beautiful 
romances take root on the arid steppes 
of online console gaming? We wanna 
know! Send pictures. 


False 

Have you heard about Sony’s new repair 
policy for PS2s? Apparently, so many 
people complained about the DRE (Disc 
Read Error) problem that a class-action suit 
was filed, and Sony is now offering to 
repair all PlayStation 2s with this problem, 


24 e ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.eqmmag.com 


In response to your Worst Box Art sidebar in EGM 
#174 (page 188), you neglected to include this 
awesome stinker: Dungeon Explorer 2 for the 
TurboGrafx 16. Apparently, everyone in the game 
is radioactive. In your face, Michelangelo! 

—Rodney Brett 


Wow. Dungeon Explorer 215 truly a vision in pastels. 


Sharks, spiders, and 

submarines, oh dear 

You missed one crucial contender in your Worst Box 
Art thingie—l'm referring, of course, to 1991's 





runaway Nintendo Entertainment System hit, Treasure 
Master. Whoever was in charge of the box art for this 
gem surely must have recognized every videogame 
consumer's uncontrollable attraction to a bad likeness 
of Corey Haim. Fathers hide your daughters; here 
comes the Treasure Master! 

— Peter Athas 


Dungeon Explorer is certainly terrifying, but 
Treasure Master is straight-up design-by- 
committee-of-idiots genius. On a box. Think you've 
found а better (as їп worse) example of heinous 
box art? Send it in! 














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Mona Lott is a dancer at Club Rubb. 
She digs her man Bing, 
but, that doesn’t mean she won't 
have some lovin’ to spare. 





Fran Foofarow lets it all hang 
out at Pixel Acres. Play your 
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» . PlayStation.e 





gaming news, interviews, she spies, and other stuff 


WHAT THE FF? 


12 things you should know about 


ore than 45 million copies Final Fantasy XII, which is headed to 
$ к The Creator 


sold worldwide and still PS2 in spring 2005. Expect more Е Y 

goin’ strong—you can rest info to steadily leak out in the Even if yon donit recognize the name, of Final 
assured that Square Enix’s role- months to come, but here’s 12 Fantasy XII $ director/producer, there’ sa good 
playing fantasy is far from being morsels of XII goodness to satisfy chance you've played one of his previous 
final. The company recently lifted your chocobo’s hearty appetite for P works. Yasumi Matsuno 5 responsible for such 
the veil on the next installment, the time being. —Вгуап Intihar PlayStation 1 hits as Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, 


the Ogre Battle series, and most recently, Final Fantasy 
Tactics Advance for Game Boy Advance. 





The World 

Just as in Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Advance, the 
world of Ivalice provides the backdrop here. But fans of 
those games shouldn't expect to instantly recognize 
XII's stomping grounds. “[This world of Ivalice] is anoth- 
er version of what you've seen previously,” says Art 
Director Hideo Minaba. "[This game] is an opportunity to 
present it in a different way." 


E 


The Story 

Xil’s plot centers on a war within a war. Two rival fac- 
tions, the Arcadia and Rosaria Empires, are wrapped up 
in one heavy-duty cross-continental conflict. But, in the 
midst of battle, the Arcadians seize control of a small 
neutral kingdom called Dalmasca. The game's two 
heroes call this place home, so they eventually meet up 
and set out to evict their uninvited guests. 


The Love Story? 
Vaan's a guy. Ashe's a chick. So it makes perfect sense that, in 
typical RPG fashion, the two will flirt and finally hook up seconds 
before the closing credits roll, right? Don't count on it. Minaba says 
their relationship “is not as serious in terms of love.” But Character 
| Designer Akihiko Yoshida adds, “it might not be love between 
= [Vaan and Ashe], but there may be other love [interests]." 


The Heroine 

Her story: Ashe, 19-year-old 

heir to the Dalmascan throne 

ife ambition: Lead the resis- 

tance to drive the Arcadia 

Empire outta the kingdom j 

Takes fashion advice from: A s à № The Него 

The gals of Final Fantasy X-2 ` d T k zx His story: Vaan, 17-year-old 

4 f Dalmascan who lost his family 

in the war with the Arcadians 
Life ambition: Become an air 
pirate and have his own airship 
Takes fashion advice from: 





ae 30 • ELECTRONIC GAMING-MONTHLY € www.egmmag.com 
жы. Pe —— qx 


The Airship(s) 

According to Minaba, these Final 
Fantasy trademarks “will have a 
more prominent role [than in pre- 
vious games], whether it be just 
a stage for an event or used as 
your means of transportation” 
And as variety is the spice of life, 
Matsuno assures us that a large 
number of unique flying vessels 
will litter XII's skies. 


| The Logo 
In Tactics Advance, Judges are 
knights who enforce rules and laws. 
But Matsuno says that in XII the 
Јидде5 are “depicted as a group of 1 
knights [who produce] terror and ПИВА 
fear." Both the developer's words and zx shi 
the trailer we saw in Japan suggest that they pledge alle- 
giance to the Arcadia Empire, or better yet, are its leaders. 
Either way, these bad boys are pretty important. Why else 
would one of them make up the game's logo? 


The Camera 
All the offline Final Fantasy games have automatically 
controlled your view of the action, until now. “The cam- 
era angle will be [adjustable] 360 degrees,” says 
Minaba, “closer to Final Fantasy Xl, where you can see 
= [from both] first- and third-person perspectives. [We're 
even] creating ceilings, and drawings on the ceilings, 
which you can view." > 


Van "s 


` ж 4 Ñ ч 
RISE OF THE MACHINES NOT ENOUGH TERMINATOR FOR : REDEMPTION (MULTIPLATFORM), ANOTHER GAME ВА: 
) 27 E x š < К m» 











r^ 





© press start: | ET 
final fantasy хи | | Л 
| dt 


The art team visited Turkey, which partly influenced the | 
game's Mediterranean Sea-style setting. Other sources 

include areas in India and New York City, as well as nil 
Arabic and ancient Roman cultures. 










A central theme in XI/'s story is structure and social | 
class. One way the development team will flesh out this 
subject is by providing nonhuman races with a more 
significant role than ever before. Already, we can tell | à 
from the trailer and select screenshots that a floppy- ; e F: 
eared, but strangely sexy, Viera (below left, in the thong) 

is a member of your party, and the lizardlike Bangaa 

(below right) act as judge henchmen (side note: both 

character types were first seen in Tactics Advance). 





2 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


Unlike in XI, an Internet con- 
nection isn't required to enjoy 
this role-playing expedition. 
"XII is going to be an offline 
дате,” says Minaba. "Matsuno 
mentioned that he would love 
to have an online component, 
but there are no elements that 
are going to be online." 

у 


* 


| E à V aM 
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS 
We know you're about to ask, “But wait а sec, what f 
about the...” Stop right there, fellow moogle lover. 
We have several burning questions, too—just take a 
look below. And as soon as we get the answers, 
you'll be the first to know. 


1. 


How will Final Fantasy XII's battle system differ from 
previous games' systems? AII we've heard so far is 
that it may resemble Vagrant Story's combat, which 
focuses largely on timing and defense. 


. Who and how many characters will eventually join 


your party? 


. ХІРЅ sound team commented that it is “trying to do 


something new" outside of the game's songs. Just 
how exactly will this affect gameplay? 


. The trailer shows a woman who looks like Ashe 


dressed in full bridal attire. But with whom is she 
tying the knot? 


. Matsuno mentioned that the world of Vagrant Story is 


also related to Ivalice. Does this mean you'll meet up 
with any characters from that PS1 title in XII? &x& 





>> PUBLISHER PLAYLOGIC SAYS IT WILL RELEASE PSP RACING (TENTATIVE TITLE) FOR SONY'S PLAYSTATION PORTABLE SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE SYSTEM'S LAUNCH IN FALL 2004... >> 





АТРЅР 


Sony shows off an early concept 
of its PlayStation Portable 


ote to Sony: Stop the incessant 

teasing already. The early con- 

cept model of the PlayStation 
Portable (aka PSP, shown below) revealed 
by Sony Computer Entertainment prez Ken 
Kutaragi at a recent event in Japan has 
merely fueled our growing excitement over 
the mysterious handheld. The final prod- 


uct, which will play games, music, movies, 
and possibly double as a cell phone, will 
likely bear little resemblance to what you 
see here, but this early, rough sketch hints 
at some design ideas Sony is considering. 
(We won't know for sure until it's unveiled 
this May at the annual Electronic 
Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.) 





Sense of style — Game Boy, it ain't. Unlike previous attempts 
at portable game decks, this has a very adult, high-tech gad- 
get look (more so than even Nintendo's GBA SP). Which is 
important, when you consider PSP's rumored $299 price tag. 








WHAT'S MISSING? 


Where's the Memory Stick port? 
Where's the headphone jack and vol- 
ume control? Will the promised digital 
and analog directional pads be com- 












P 


Phantasy Star gets a new paint job. 











Touchpad buttons — Apple's iPod 
music player's got 'em; perhaps Sony 
is considering the same idea: buttons 
and a control pad that activate mere- 
ly by touch (no pressing down neces- 
sary). We wonder how this will work 
in practice (or hold up over feverish 
game playing), but you gotta admit it 
gives the machine a badass look. 





bined? If this thing can also double as 
a phone, where are the buttons? 
Where do | talk into? (Моје to self: 
That's why this is an "early concept") 


GRUDGE MATCH 


Six rounds, two Princes, one helluva matchup 


PRINCE 


Can the exotica of Persia challenge the erotica of Prince? биг scienticians 
bravely played through Sands of Time and watched Purple Rain, Under the 
Cherry Moon, and yes, even Graffiti Bridge (moan) to bring you the facts: 


ARAB TIES 


Uses ancient 
Middle Eastern 
weapons in battle 
Advantage: Prince 
of Persia 


Uses ancient 
Middle Eastern 
symbol to sign 

checks 


WEAPON OF CHOICE 


The “Yellow Cloud” 
xa >. 5s Dagger of Time M 
| 


SOCIAL AGENDA 


Alters time, then parties 
Advantag ince of Persia 


WARDROBE 


Drag queen/space 


pirate/gigolo Aladdin 


FAMILY ISSUES 


Father beaten by sand 
Advantag 


Mother beaten by father 
Advantage: Tie 


LOVE INTEREST 


Slave girl Farah & 
Advantage: 
Prince of Persia 
(the Sands of Time 
can keep her bod 
forever young...) 


Apollonia Kotero 





REIGNINGICHAMES 








>> MARKET RESEARCHER IN-STAL/MDR SAYS THAT THE GAMES BIZ WILL ONCE AGAIN SURPASS BOX OFFICE RECEIPTS IN '03, DESPITE LOWER CONSOLE SHIPMENTS AND КЕМЕМЏЕ5.... >> 


34 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





EVERYONE Soccer Craze. One of 12.€ueTou; ау games that makes you the star. 
EyeToy puts yoU'on-screen and its motion-tracking technelogy puts you 
incharge, letting Your body control the action. Everyone can watch, 
Anyone con play. And you can be on the TV. PLAY IN OURS 


Violence 
LIVE IN YOUR WXR LD: 


Screen is simulated. EyeToy ™ Play, Game @ 2003 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by London Studios. EyeToy arid EyeToy: Play are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. All tights: 
reserved. ^PlayStation; and the^PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, “Live In Your World; Play In'Qurs." is a teadémark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. 








BACK IN BUSINESS 


We make first contact with Hitman: Contracts, the silent assassin’s 
lethal PS2 and Xbox sequel. And he will not be killing you softly 


making kills—a career that’s warped his 
view on life. “The player will see the 
game from the hitman’s eyes,” says Thor 
Frolich, a designer at Danish developer 10 
Interactive, “so things will be much darker 
and sinister this time.” 

| That doesn't mean IO is going over- 
board with schizo effects. "It won't be 
‘psycho vision’ or anything like that," 
Frolich says. We do know Agent 47 will 





all it an on-the-job hazard: If you 
assassinate people for a living, 
it'll eventually mess with your 


head. That's the first message we're get- 
ting from Hitman: Contracts, the PS2 and 
Xbox sequel to the multiplatform sleeper 
hit Hitman 2. Due spring 2004, the game 
once again stars Agent 47, а genetically 

enhanced badass (too bad they couldn't 

cure the baldness) who pays the bills by 


stalk targets in a nightclub so choked 

with smoke he can only see their silhou- 
ettes. He'll also make lethal use of such 
dissimilar objects as a pillow, chainsaw, 


pool cue, and nail gun over the course of ` 


the game. Adding to the mystery: 10 says 
scenarios in Contracts were inspired by 
the hitman film Ghost Dog (makes sense) 


and the English period piece Gosford Park ` 


(figure that one out). 











4 











© Grime time: Hitman: Contracts’ world will be a grimmer, sleazier place. Wait'll you meet the Meat King (far right), a regular at the Slaughterhouse Nightclub. Check out the tighty whities, ladies. 





We'll have more pieces of the puzzle 
next month, when we run the first exclu- 
Sive screens of Contracts, which so far 
seems like it shan't be a killjoy for fans of 


the last game. “We think Hitman [as it 


stands] works pretty damn well,” Frolich 
says. "[We've taken] what works and cut 
out [what doesn’t] and we're refining the 
whole experience.” ёф 

—Daniel Boutros 





A DISGRUNTLED GAMER HAS KICKED OFF A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST ELECTRONICS BOUTIQUE, CLAIMING THAT THE GAME-STORE CHAIN SOLD USED GAMES AS NEW. 


36 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


GAMES 


electronics boutique’ 


Sonic embarks on his biggest adventure PlayS tatio n.e == 
ever with his trademark hlazing speed > 
and a new gameplay twist. Control three E 


playable characters simultaneously; using € © N M € E 
speed, power, and flight to conquer massive => = | 
| € 
worlds. Using the three formations and the Д Е R E S 
Ў | ` 
powerful moves that each team member 
has, Sonic and his friends combine forces 


to battle the ultimate evil. 











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INSTANT EXPERT: 





Quick info on picking the right PC hardware 


s your smarty-pants PC-play- 

ing pals have reminded you, 

computer gaming is going 
through a renaissance. And although 
most-wanted PC releases like Doom 3 
and Half-Life 2 will hit the consoles 
eventually, they'll be prettier on PC as 
long as you have the right hardware. 
So we lay out the essentials for you 
console gamers who haven't kept 
up with the monster rigs. 


Pump it up 

To play the latest and 
greatest games, your “з 
basic gaming РС “ 
should pack the fol- 

lowing specs: At least a 
262 processor, 512MB of RAM, 

an 8068 hard drive, and a decent graph- 
ics card (more on that in a sec). You can get 
a rig like this from Vicious PC (www.vicious- 
pc.com) for around $1,000. 







Nvidia's best: 
the GeForce FX 
5950 Ultra 


It's in the cards 
A gaming PC's most essential ingredient is 
its graphics card, the doodad that powers 
your games’ visuals. Nearly all off-the-shelf 
PCs come with a card (keep reading to see 
if yours is a good one), but you'll need to 
upgrade this component every two years or 
so. And you have two major manufacturers, 
АТ! and Nvidia, vying for your dol- 
lar. If you've got $400 to 
burn, go for the 
256MB behemoths 
like ATI's Radeon 9800 
XT or Nvidia’s GeForce FX 
5950 Ultra. Too steep? 
Nvidia’s $100 128MB 
GeForce FX 5200 will do the 
job, but you'll need to swap it 
for a punchier card when 
Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 come 
out. For about $120, you can 
get ATI's 128MB Radeon 9600 Pro. And 
$200 will get you either ATI's 128MB 


Best of 


As not seen on TV: Five must-play PC-only hits 


Battlefield 1942 
Nab the Secret 
Weapons expansion 
for the best online 
shooter on PC. 


Call of Duty 
from the guys 


Honor series. 


Intense WWII action 


behind EA’s Medal of 


Lock On 

You won't find a jet- 
combat simulator 
this ultrarealistic on 
the consoles. 


Tron 2.0 





38 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY « www.egmmag.com 


A stunning sequel 
to the flick in game 
form, complete with 
lightcycle racing. 


Radeon 9600 XT or Nvidia's 128MB 
GeForce FX 5700 Ultra. Unlike cheaper 
cards, these babies have enough power 
to enable features like antialiasing and 
anisotropic filtering, which smooth out 
jaggy 3D graphics. 


Control freakery 
Can't live without a joypad? Logitech's 
$20 Dual Action USB Gamepad is 
essentially a PC version of the PS2 Dual 
Shock. Speed freaks will drool over 
Logitech's $140 МОМО 
Force Wheel (it's got 
leather padding!). And 
flight-sim fans will find 
all the throttle and 
rudder control 
they need in 
Microsoft's $70 
Sidewinder Force 
Feedback 2. 
—William O'Neal 






Feel your 
games with the 
Force Feedback 2. 


Neverwinter Nights 
RPG perfection from 
the makers of 
Knights of the Old 
Republic (Xbox). 


OLD SCHOOL 


10 years ago in EGM 


Е On the Cover: 

NBA Jam 

Only one sports game 

has ever been on the 

cover of EGM—and 

no, it's not Madden. н, 

NBA Jam, Acclaim's 
arcade-style 2-оп-2 

b-baller, inhabited our prime real 
estate а десаде ago. 


Game of the Month: 

NBA Jam (SNES) 

The addictive jamming sim also 
scored four nines out of 10 from 
our Review Crew, nabbing the cov- 
eted Game of the Month position. 


ОШ 


Skitchin’ 

Even back in '94, some games— 
like EA's Sega Genesis roller-blad- 
ing action title, Skitchin —let you 
live out your law-breakin’ dreams 
without the associated jail time. 
Skitchin’ had you lace up your 
skates, head for the street, grab 
onto the back of а car, and гасе 
other bladers while bashing the hell 
out of them with crude weapons. 


Sega’s All-In-One 

Also this month 10 years ago, Sega 
unveiled its Genesis CDX device—a 
16-bit Genesis, Sega CD, and 
portable CD player in one tiny $400 
box. The system went on sale in 
March '94 but never gained much 
acceptance, due in large part to its 
luxury-item price tag. 





>> MORE DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT IS AVAILABLE NOW FOR MICROSOFT'S URBAN RACER MIDTOWN MADNESS 3. YOUR DREAMS OF RACING AS A DUMPSTER HAVE COME TRUE... >> 


www.gamefly.com/egm 











proves no man is a fantasy island 


ot a GameCube? Own a Game Boy 

Advance? And do you know three 

friends with GBAs? Then—and 
only then—you have the oh-so-costly ideal 
setup for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, 
due for GameCube this February. 

Yup, Square's first Nintendo RPG in eight 
years can be played alone, but it's really 
meant to be enjoyed with three or four peo- 
ple at once, all with their own GBA. In fact, 
extra players can't play with Cube con- 
trollers, even if they wanted to. So why go 
through all the bother? Multiplayer speeds 


Keeping it on your radar 


up combat, enables massive combo attacks, 
and adds the extra element of trying to nab 
treasure and special abilities before your 
slowpoke friends. 

To understand how it all works in action, 
check out this typical four-player game 
setup—the GBA screens below* show off 
everything you manage on the handheld 
while playing. —Kevin Gifford 


* What?!? You don't read Japanese?!? Sorry, 
but Nintendo was unwilling to give us 
screenshots of the U.S. version of the game. 


Every member of your crew has his own type of radar: a geographical 
map, a monster detector, a treasure-chest locator, or a "scouter" that 
displays info on the enemy currently attacking you. Exactly which radar 
every player gets is random—it changes with each level—so you'll 
need to rely on one another to get the full lay of the land. 




























HP 
а ОРИ 
Е 
BANDE 
У 


| ansa 








Listing off your action items 
The A button in Crystal Chronicles is used for everything from swishing 
1 your sword to casting magic and eating food. You choose A-button 
actions on your GBA screen, making up a "command list" that you 
scroll through in-game with the L and R buttons. The size of the com- 
mand list is limited, but you can earn extra slots in the game. 


7-1 ____- Ч 


>> THE MUCH-PUBLICIZED THEFT OF THE HALF-LIFE 2 SOURCE CODE LEFT THE PC VERSION OF THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER DELAYED UNTIL EARLY '04. UNFORTUNATELY, 
jum 


40 • ELECTRO 






wae UE 


ING 





sg 


On GameCube 

Crystal Chronicles is the story of a group of kids sent off 
to fetch sacred dew from a mana tree—the only stuff 
that protects the local village from the poisonous, fog- 
like Miasma that covers the world. You collect this dew 
in a Crystal Cage, which one member of your party car- 
ries around above his or her head as you venture 
around each level. Wander outside the protective barrier 
the Crystal provides, and you'll slowly lose health and 
eventually keel over. 

Character building is simple—you can stop in town 
to buy better armor and weapons and equip magic 
spells you find conveniently strewn about in treasure 
chests. If you and a friend both attack or cast spells at 
an enemy at the same time, you can unleash more pow- 
erful effects. For example, two players casting Thunder 
on the same creature can result in the more powerful 
Thundara attack, or a resurrection spell and a fire spell 
combo will stop a zombie un-dead in its tracks. 


pere 


E 
~ 
5 
5 
= 
Н 
> 


ling towns, each player can stop by shops and blacksmiths (who 
can build you new weapons) without anyone having to wait for their turn. usually receive letters from home—via moogle courier, of course. You're 
When a player talks to a shopkeeper, the store's list of items opens only on Offered several responses to each letter you receive, and if you're nice to your 
that character's GBA screen—so you can go buy some fish while your j ОЧ! folks, they'll send you food, money, and items for free later оп. It's like begging 
friend geeks out at the blacksmith’s sword selection. 2 Mom for pizza money...except without having to clean out the garage. $ 


N 7 





ELECTRONIC GAMING МОМЕНТ • www.egmmag.com • 41 
EM 


© 


6 Whether you're а grizzled Veteran or a 
te nOOb', we got the SOCOM II 
ies and secrets you need to know 








press start: 
socom | 


com 
Sthat 


й UD is Online spoñk fOr “newbie,” which 





hink M4A1 т И to 

do with bingo? When some- 

one spots à tango do you 
look for the dance floor? Well put 
yourself at ease, soldier. Оиг chat with 
SOCOM II Senior Producer Seth Luisi 











online speak for "you suck,” 


has enough military intel and killer 
tactics on the Р52 Squad shooter to 
turn even you Јова Lennon-type tie- 
dyed in the wool hippies into John 
Rambo-style killing machines. 

=-Магк MacDonald 


PF SINGLE PLAYER- 


Slow down! 

“The best way to play is to move slowly. 
If you tell your teammates to fire at will 
and just try to run through and Rambo a 
level, it's going to be a lot more difficult. 
If you use the cover and the environment 
and move carefully, it'll go a lot easier.” 


Open the secret objectives 
“To find and achieve a lot of the secret 
objectives, you just have to use stealth. 
The majority of them open only if you 
haven't given yourself away—like when 
you overhear enemy conversations. 
Others are [gained by] killing a certain 
portion of enemy troops." 


тиз vbt eet alwata M. 
| dw a my peremit эм, 


>> FOR MORE TIPS, CHECK OUT THE MESSAGE BOARDS AT THE OFFICIAL SOCOM II SITE А! 


Split up your team 

"You can complete a lot of objectives 
through good teammate management. 
Send them ahead to map points while 
you take a different route. A lot of people 
don't utilize [Bravo Team] nearly to the 
extent that you can, but this type of mul- 
titasking is pretty effective. [As for the 
most important vocal command,] 'Fire at 
will’ is great; sneak up on the enemy 
first, then use it to have your teammates 
open fire." 


Hidden voice commands 

"One of the interesting things about the 
first SOCOM was how people made up 
these 'hidden' voice commands that 
actually weren't in the game. But they 
would write on Internet message boards 
and swear they were. So, we made sure 
to put some hidden voice commands in 
SOCOM II. There's one, as soon as you 
hear back, like, ‘Enemy spotted, 12 
o'clock, you can say, ‘Bravo, kill target,’ 
and they'll take 'em out.” > 





42 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 














“We're set up to detect cheaters, and we 
will take action against them.” 


—SOCOM II Senior Producer Seth Luisi 





№ Luisi's favorite online map? “Fox Hunt. The grass and the rolling hills, 
all the different ways you can move through that level—it’s a lot of fun.” 


«routor 
19841 





\YSTATION.COM. LOOK UNDER "COMM STATION" ONCE THE ANNOYING ANIMATION STOPS.... >> 





With Power Pitching," | own the plate. Fastball, Palmball, 
Slider, Knuckle-curve, doesn't matter. Because with my 
ve-loc-ity, you'll be hitting air and riding pine. My proof? 
The ESPN K Zone don't lie. Swing away, Gi-am-bi. Done Deal. 







EVERYONE 





хеох 


PlayStation.e 


ESPNVIDEOGAMES.com 


— m | | 
IN `ЧВАЗЕВАН. 


@ press start: | 
socom ll 1 





“We will have substantial downloadable content available [for SOCOM II] when 
the PS2 Hard Disk launches in March.” — 





COMMUNICATION SS 





Chat it up Update early and often 
“Teams that communicate well will “Giving updates is really important. If you 4 с 
always have an advantage. Even if the know where the enemy is at, it really gives B d T k a ak 
players on the other team are much bet- — your team an advantage. Communicating i т b | 
ter individually, they're not going to win enemy positions is extremely important, 

if they split up and run around trying to and it's something that isn’t done nearly 

get more kills. Communicating, setting enough online. In SOCOM И, it's much eas- 

up subteams to cover different pinch ier [to do] since you can see who is talking 

points in the level, setting up people to and where they are. It helps to know the 

protect your base while others go out 0 тар, and if you see a guy with a bomb, let 

try to blow up the other base—these are people know where he is—being a scout 

good team tactics that really help a lot” сап be huge.” 
















Y» зим та Ин = 


p m #7 outon 
LA №. 068 Aum lll ~ ч E Ы DST n 
L| Come up with meum for ditferent parts of each map so you can tell teammates where the stutt is hitting the fan [жиек from left to right: the gas station, the courtyard, and the tanks). 








The best weapons s offline HK-5K. | also like using the M203 Breach other enemies who are watching those 
“It really depends on the mission. If grenade launcher when it’s available—a “There are always going to be pinch pinch points. Make sure your guys stay 
you’re using stealth, you want to use great support weapon. Our testers actt points [spots one team must pass together—a lot of times it helps to just 
suppressed weapons. But a lot of the ally nicknamed it the 'nOOb tube’ [since through to get to the goal —Ed.] in focus on one pinch point so you can 
unsuppressed weapons take fewer hits everyone seems to want to use the breach. A lot of times the terrorist team have an overwhelming force in that area 
to kill people—my favorite unsup- grenade launcher right away], but it will get bored, and a lot of them will run instead of splitting up your team.” 
pressed for single player is the M4A1. takes some skill to aim.” out and just get killed right away. But 
It's got full auto, burst, a scope—defi- they should be focused on those pinch Escort 
nitely a good all-around weapon. The Consider a career as a sniper points where the breach points are and “It’s hard to say what's most effective in 
MP5 is good for close quarters. The M63 “Having a lot of grass was one of the big make sure they have good defenses escort missions because you want to 
is a great weapon, too; it's really accu- things [we did to make snipers more around them. [Or you can go another use different tactics. Don't let them 
rate and has a great fire rate. It's good effective in SOCOM II], since it gives way,] send out two or three terrorists to anticipate what you'll do next. You want 
for situations where it really doesn’t them more places to hide. We also did a sweep around at the start and come to break it up—have one team run to 
matter how much noise you make.” lot of tweaking with the scopes and their around from behind the SEALs. For the one extraction spot and a second team 
effective range, so you do have a big SEAL team, it’s really important to set up гип for the other. It catches the enemy 
The best weapons online advantage when you're using one." а sniper to watch for enemy snipers and ой guard since they might not be watch- 
“The RA-18 assault rifle is a really accu- 5 3 ing one of the extraction spots, or at 
rate weapon in real life, so we tried to š Ë | it * least split their forces. Then again, if you 
portray that in the game. It's sort of like S Ë UP. keep doing that, they're going to pick up. 
the SEAL equivalent of the AKS-74 [ter- E zi Б Y. on it and adjust their tactics. So, some- 
rorist rifle], which was a very effective а ES a = times you want to keep your guys 
weapon in the first SOCOM. Normally, I'll ^ а „= together and до for just one extraction 
use a good assault rifle, but in some of Р a de b point. You really have to vary your battle 
the close-quarter levels, like Vigilance, # ч | š > c ШШШ рап and be dynamic. Don't always take 
I'll pick up one of the shotguns or the w Е the same route." 





>> FUN FACT: SOCOM 1'5 LAN-BASED MULTIPLAYER ABILITY WAS ADDED, IN PART, FOR REAL NAVY TROOPS WHO WANTED ТО PLAY THE GAME WHILE ABOARD THEIR SUBMARINES... >> 


44 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





EGM INTERNATIONAL 


Attack of the eames from another dimension 











Capcom's Gyakuten Saiban 
almost makes jury duty worthwhile 


In real life, Japanese courts are so slow that it 
can take several years to complete a typical 
lawsuit. In the world of Gyakuten Saiban (avail- 
able now in Japan for GBA), which translates to 
“Courtroom Reversal,” it's a different story— 
there's no jury, no insanity pleas, and only three 
days to convince the judge that your client's 
innocent. How do you, defense attorney Ryuichi 
Naruhodo, manage this? Simple: Visit the crime 
scene, gather evidence, and use it to rip the 
prosecutor's case to shreds during cross-exam- 
ination. It sounds boring, but the high-energy 
anime sequences and nutty characters have 
made Gyakuten Saiban one of Japan's most 
popular adventure series—this third installment 
is coming to Japan in January 2004. 



























When She 
The Odo” 








>> MICROSOFT'S XBOX ONLINE RPG TRUE FANTASY LIVE ONLINE IS SCHEDULED ТО 


46 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


It's pro athletes versus 
anime in Gekitou Pro Yakyu 


On the surface, Sega's new baseball game (avail- 
able now in Japan for PS2 and GC) seems nor- 
mal enough—you move little cursors around for 
pitching and batting, etc. for all the teams and 
players from the Japanese leagues. That is, until 
you realize that some of your players are car- 
toons. Literally. Sega signed a deal with comic 
artist Shinji Mizushima, a veteran of baseball- 
themed manga comics in Japan for more than 
three decades, and now 35 of his characters are 
playing alongside real athletes in Gekitou Pro 
Yakyu. Even better—the manga players all have 
otherworldly special moves, including the light- 
speed Dream Ball pitch and a batting skill that 
automatically injures whoever fields the ball. 








5 load 





OVERHEARD 


"We were look- 
ing for a ninja 
character for 
Dead or Alive, 
and it just so 
happened we 
had Ryu 
Hayabusa. 
Because 


I really 

didn’t play 

the original Ninja 
Gaiden, Рт pretty neutral when 


it comes to such decisions.” 


—Tomonobu Itagaki, visionary leader of 
Tecmo's Team Ninja, which is developing 
the forthcoming Ninja Gaiden for Xbox 


"wei, We're пої incor- 
porating killings or 


carjackings into the дате" 


—Tony Hawk, when asked about Grand Theft Auto's 
influence on Tony Hawk's Underground 


“To see the Japanese actually dig- 
ging Ratchet [& Clank] was reward- 
ing, because NO One really 


knows how to sell a 
game in Japan. 


1 don't think the Japanese develop- 
ers even know." 


—Ted Price, president of developer Insomniac 
Games (Ratchet & Clank and its sequel) 











ICH IN JAPAN IN SPRING '04 (PERHAPS AS LATE AS JUNE) AND STATESIDE THIS FALL.... >> 


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Call 1-800-800-5166 for the store nearest you or visit us at www.ebgames.com 


@ press start: 
battlefront 


WANTS YOU! 


Wanna see the galaxy? Online 


war game 


is looking for a few good grunts 


crew the Force, Luke. Developer 

Pandemic is looking to put the 

wars back in Star Wars, and 
they're recruiting troopers itching to swap 
high-concept Jedi philosophies for blasters 
and get dirty in the trenches. The firefight 
begins in Star Wars: Battlefront (a working 
title), an online war game that hits PS2 
(for broadband only) and Xbox in fall 2004. 

Battlefront lets up to 16 players (plus an 

additional 48 computer-controlled drones) 
battle on at least eight Wars worlds— 
including Hoth, Tatooine, Naboo, Kashyyyk, 
and a planet from Episode III. Players split 
into teams from Star Wars’ two eras: the 
Civil War of the classic films (Imperials ver- 
sus Rebels) or the new trilogy’s Clone Wars 
(Republic versus Separatists), with the 


The sun-baked 
visuals look a 
better in motion. = i 


No matter which side of the war 
you choose (Rebel, Empire, 
Republic, or Separatists), 
Battlefront's soldiers come in 
five gung-ho varieties—just 
about every warrior type except 
for lightsaber-swinging Jedi. 
You'll pick one of these trooper 
templates at the start of each 
round or every time you 
respawn after dyin 


























possibility of mixing the two time periods 
(say, Rebel troopers versus Separatist bat- 
tle droids) in a special mode. Each team’s 
goal is to overrun command posts littered 
across the battlefield, and players can 
commandeer any vehicle they find—from 
AT-ATs to speederbikes—to help do the job. 
If that style of free-form combat sounds 
similar to EA Games’ shellshockingly pop- 
ular PC war game Battlefield 1942, it 
oughta—Battlefront is ripped from the 
same blast crater. "We're putting our own 
spin on it with the weapons and command 
posts,” says Jim Tso, Battlefront's produc- 
er at LucasArts, "but we're not fixing [the 
gameplay] if it's not broken." Sound like 
your kind of war? Get in line, wamprats. 
Recruitment starts below. 


Scout — These crackshots come with 
a sniper rifle, plus a pocket-sized probe 
droid they can send ahead to spy, blast 
baddies with a wee laser, or explode like a 
grenade. "When you're guiding the droid," 
LucasArts' Tso says, "you can't control 
your Scout, so you'll want to crouch in the 
foliage or you'll be a sitting duck." 


Bi Infantry — Your basic have-gun-will- 
travel intergalactic grunt. Think 
stormtrooper, battle droid, or those Rebels 
who fought in the trenches on Hoth. 





Bi Assault trooper — A soldier wit! 
peppy enough to punch holes in craft. 


№ Pilot — Although all player types can 
drive vehicles, only grease-monkey 
Pilots can patch up damaged craft. 


E Special 
unique class: The Rebels have a spy who 
impersonates enemies. Imperial officers 
supply ammo and health. Separatists field 
the heavy-duty Droideka droid. And the 
Republic's specialist has a jetpack. > 


— Each faction gets a 


>> А CELL-PHONE VERSION OF TECMO'S 8-BIT NES CLASSIC PIGSKIN TITLE TECMO BOWL IS NOW AVAILABLE TO AT&T WIRELESS CUSTOMERS, AND SOON TO OTHER CARRIERS AS WELL... >> 


48 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 








Blood 
Use of Alcohol 
Violen 








Baidu s Gate, Dark Aliance, Forgotten Realms, the Forgotten Realms Logo. D. 

permission. ©2003 Wizards. HASBRO and Rs logo are trademarks of Hasbro and 

logo ana tne Interpay logo are ademas ot Interplay Entertanment Crp. The Vivend U 

0б andr other cours and are used under icense from Microsoft PaySuton and the PS 


—— 


e Dungeons & Dragons logo, and Wizards of the Coast and its 
sion. Software ©2003 Interplay Entertainment Corp. and us 
isa trademark of Vivendi Universal Games, Inc, Microsoft X 
ity logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. А 


nó are used with 
v Black Isle 





press stərt: 
battlefront 


wanted 

Battlefront is a regular toy box of Star 
Wars vehicles, more than a dozen in all, 
including X-wings, TIE fighters, Y-wings, 
Jedi starfighters, Imperial shuttles—even 
tauntauns. You won't find every vehicle on 
every planet—just where they make 
sense (snowspeeders and AT-ATs on Hoth, 
speederbikes and AT-STs on Endor, etc.). 

Most vehicles have multiple seating 
positions, too. The snowspeeder, for 
instance, has room for the pilot and a tow- 
cable gunner. The Trade Federation Tank 
lets one player launch missiles from a- 
twisting turret while the driver can blast 
lasers straight ahead. But the Republic 
Gunship (as seen in Episode 1? final bat- 
tle) is the mother of all transports, with 
room (ог а pilot, four guys manning the 
wing ball turrets, and a rear gunner, for a 
total six positions in all. “Of course, if that 
thing goes down," Tso says, "you'll lose 
nearly your entire team in one go." 





Laser-fire color depends on your team (Rebels shoot blue, Imperials fire red). But don't worry, 
nerds: “For film authenticity,” Producer Tso says, “you'll have the option to make all lasers red.” 


DO ASK, DO TELL: FIVE STAR WARS LINES THAT SOUND DIRTY (BUT AIN'T) 
































ү 


of the worlds 
“We're not a story-focused game,” Tso 
says. But that doesn’t mean Battlefront's 
warfare lacks a framework. The game 
offers a campaign mode (which you can 
also play solo with A.l.-controlled troopers 
or in two-player splitscreen), in which the 
teams take turns assaulting each other’s 
planets. Each planet has two battle maps, 
and if a team wins both skirmishes, it gets 
control of the planet and picks the next 
world on which to wage war. 

If a team manages to hold control of a 
planet for a particular charge-up time, it 
unlocks special attacks. When the 
Imperials control Tatooine, for instance, 
they can summon a computer-controlled 






7 Lows and highs: Battlefront 
packs a mix of airborne and 
ground-based vehicles. 


i 


ж = 









cem 


Darth Vader to the battlefield to hack down 
Rebels. If the Rebels control the planet, 
they get Luke Skywalker. Another world 
grants the Imperials а Death Star attack 
that instantly vaporizes a Rebel-controlled 
planet. Conquer all the planets, and your 
team wins the campaign. 

0f course, players can opt to just jump 
into an instant-action game. But they'll 
find chaos no matter which mode they 
play—thanks to the real-life players who 
wield the war machinery. "It's extremely 
nonscripted and nonlinear," Tso says. "You 
can play it over and over again, and it's 
never the same thing twice.” ёф 

—Crispin Boyer 





Battlefront will support voice chat on Xbox and PS2 via headset mikes, so why not pepper your strategic chatter with these perfectly innocent quotes from the Star Wars Trilogy.... 


“And | thought 
they smelled bad | 
on the outside.” | 


М 


“It’s possible ће 
came in through the 
south entrance.” 


“Look at 
the size 
of that 
thing!” 


“Luke, at that 
speed, do you 
think you'll be 
able to pull out 
in time?" 


“Let's blow 
this thing and 
go home!" 





>> NINTENDO SAYS IT SOLD HALF A MILLION GAMECUBES OVER THANKSGIVING WEEK 2003, PUTTING THE CONSOLE'S SALES AHEAD OF BOTH PS2 АМО XBOX OVER THE ЗАМЕ PERIOD.... >> 


50 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





= 
=: 
= 
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= 
= 
= 
JE 
E 
= 
= 
x = 
= 
= 
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press start © 


Step into the boots of a SEAL team in 
SOCOM Il: U.S. NAVY SEALs and face 
the ultimate challenge: urban combat. 





шшс 


лун 









shu 
ПШ ворис 


wwe тын 
"ши тунш 


Developed in association with the U.S. Navy 
E ast summer,  HENEENE = SEALs, SOCOM II is close-quarters combat 





Nintendo dns CEA at its most realistic. Invisible snipers lay in 
quietly у e$ с wait. Enemies lurk around every corner. 
announced Metroid Zero V) f (у (m And every civilian could be a friend or foe. 
Mission, a newfangled oOMCNC SC > Stealth is your greatest weapon. 
Game Boy Advance remake = Š x је: Е 2 жы Ut 
of the very first Metroid d ы М 
game (for the 8-bit Nintendo 
Entertainment System). Then, 

just as stealthily, the game slipped 
off the radar into the darkest recess- 
es of space. Well, now it's back...and 

with a surprisingly close release 
date: February 9. y 
Unlike the scarcely enhanced | Wage mem war in siii: player mode. 
Super Mario Advance ports, this GBA А Ог до online апа play with апа against 
revision seriously ups the ante with Ty 7 04 К up to 16 total players. Either way, a 
reworked graphics (closer in style to 5 SOCOM-compatible headset will help you 
those of the recent GBA hit Metroid communicate and work together as a 
fusion) Coenen gameplay (Oased on team. Remember, together you stand. 


Super Metroid for Super NES), eS š 
remixed music, and entirely new Divided you don t stand a chance. 


areas and bosses (check out the 
wacky eyeball guy on the right and 
the beefed-up Kraid in the sidebar 
E Old-school below). Overall, it should be a tanta- 
PEE lizing Metroid appetizer before 2004's 
her DNA fused main course—a Metroid Prime 
with alien juice. sequel for GameCube. 









Kraid, You've..Changed — ; {> Take the war on terror to the enemy on 
Scope just how much Zero Mission improves upon the classic NES game 12 intense international missions. 


Command. Courage. Country. Hoo- o yal 
- m а 











In 1986, Kraid was а rad boss, Nowadays, bosses had better fill 
апа Samus’ pink outfit was stylin’. at least 48.52 percent of the screen. 

















= — 











LI'L PREVIEWS: WHEN HITTING ISN'T ENOUGH 


LEGENDS OF WRESTLING: SHOWDOWN NINA 
PS2, Xbox * Acclaim March 2004 — They say leg- PS2 • Namco • 2004 — You know the blonde lady 
ends never die, but the recent performance of Legends | | from Tekken with the skin-tight outfits and raccoon P ms tation.e 
has the series on life support. Showdown hopes to eyes? She’s got her own action game now. While the 
change that with an easier story's not original (she's 
grappling system, an era- infiltrating a cruise ship for 
based career mode, and the CIA), it has an interest- 
70-plus wrestlers, including ing analog-stick-only fight- | * www.us.playstation.com ‘CONTENT RATED BY 
newcomers Sting and ing system (like in, um, www.seal.navy.mil i hod 


Ultimate Warrior. Grabbed by the Ghoulies). SOCOM Il ©2003 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "PlayStation" 

and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer 
Entertainment Inc. “Live In Your World. Play In Ours." is a trademark of Sony 
Computer Entertainment America Inc. Online play requires Intemet 
INSTEAD OF READING THIS YOU COULD BE DOWNLOADING A HALO 2 MAKING-OF VIDEO AT HALO.BUNGIE.ORG.... connection and Network Adaptor for PlayStation 2 (sold separately). The "Online" 


LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. 
PLAY IN OURS” 





MATURE. 17+ 


Blood 


Violence 





BROADBAND ONL 














History 
Lesson 


Do Sands of Time's 


labyrinths still hold 
secrets? “Oh, 
yeah,” says 
Producer Yassim 
Mallat. “Start a 
new game and stay 
on the balcony. For 
Р52, press and 
hold L3, then 


. You'll then enter 
the first level of the 
original Prince of 
Persia, redone in 

j 3D! At the very 
34 have loved to hear the 3 3 end, when you exit 
prince's barely recogniz- š 1 the level, you can 
able father beg, 'My son, у 2 " go into a secret 
kill me!” says Prince of Persia: The 2 i room in which a 
Sands of Time Producer Yassim : Е picture of the 
Mallat about one of the few things Е š 5 development team 
he wish he'd worked into his game. | [hangs]." On Xbox, 
“But that's the kind of thing you n d press and hold the 
think of afterward." Yet even with- ^ left analog stick, 
out the prince's Rewind power to zx then tap A, X, Y, В, 
undo such postdevelopment j 4 ) Y, A, X, В. And GC 
regrets, Mallat and crew managed p | owners will need 
to make one of ће most gorgeous Р Е У. to press and hold B 
and gripping action-adventure x 1 P * опа controller 
games ever. Join из as we turn e А = ; | { plugged into the 
back the clock fora closer look at — 4 "А j е ` fourth gameport. 
what makes Ubisoft's time-tripping TAS 323 While B is pressed, 
masterpiece tick. Р d i enter the following 
y” 3 "a sequence with the 

EGM: How important was it for you E У controller that's in 
to remain faithful to the Prince of N M. the first gameport: 

Persia legacy? 4 ч 2 A, B, Y, X, У, A, В, X.) 
| We had to stay true to kj : 2 i Additionally, the 
the license, but at the same time, we o E... : | original 2D Prince 
had to forget about it. Because of the | وب‎ К? of Persia is hidden 4 
50-30 success of Prince of Persia 3D > == 1 "T 1 ае | on the PlayStation 
[Dreamcast], we knew that if we "wee 3 NE à f j 2 and GameCube 
wrecked Sands of Time, we'd ruin the < is Z 4 1 P : versions, whereas 
franchise forever. 0f course, we needed 1 ` Xbox owners can 
to set the game in Persia, but we want- : 8 access both Prince 
ed to get rid of the license mindset so " : ` " isu \ of Persia 1 and 2. 
we could come up with the best action " 3 = = 
game ever, whether it was called Prince 
of Persia or whatever. 















































EGM: What role did POP series cre- 
ator Jordan Mechner play in the 
creation of Sands of Time? 

Among other things, Jordan wrote 
the story and dialogue. He built the rela- 
tionship between Farah and the 
prince—one of the most important 
aspects of the game. We wanted an 
interesting heroine, not another hapless 
princess in need of saving. 









































































EGM: In terms of atmosphere and 
storytelling, Sands of Time seems to 
have a bit in common with the PS2 
critic's darling /co. Are the similari- 
ties coincidental? 

Ico influenced us, it's true. The 
game's environment has a sort of per- 
sonality; it taunts the player. That's the 
same kind of feeling we strove for. Of 
course, we wanted to craft it our way, 
in our setting. We also wanted to depict 
a Persia that people don't know about. 
We didn't want to be cartoony, and we 
didn't want to be associated in any way 
with Aladdin. š 


the Boss 

An epic adventure 
without obligatory 
boss battles? It 
turns out that 
Sands of Time was 
Supposed to have 
its share of them. 
“One boss was а 
gryphon, the dia- 
mond of the sul- 
tan's 200,” says 
Producer Yassim 
Mallat. “Its propor- 
tions were enor- 
mous, and you had 
to plunge your dag- 
ger into his throat 





EGM: What's your favorite scene or 
| moment in the game? 
In Grand Theft Auto Ill, there's a 
| mission where you kill Salvatore Leone 
as he steps out of his car. You then steal 
one of his cronies' cars to escape. 
Suddenly, opera comes on over the 
radio, and you start to shiver. You're like, 
“Oh my god, this is f***ing awesome! | in a kind of rodeo 
just killed а guy, I'm fleeing, I've got this gameplay. But that 
beautiful opera piece playing.” didn’t make it 

In Prince of Persia, | wanted to have - because we were 
more moments like this. After the prince T out of time. Also, 
and Farrah have their fantasy night, ће iu . we feared that 
descends from the tomb to the bottom adding exotic boss 





of the tower. He's basically going down, According to Mallat, fights and health 
down, down into a circular corridor that Prince of Persia edes CIS кА 
seems to never end, and there's this ator Jordan Mechner was downgraded the 


beautiful guitar and vocal song. There's “totally psyched" when ће experience into | 
no challenge at all, there's no enemy to first played Sands of Time. something more 

fight; there is nothing to do other than common.” 

wonder when this winding corridor is 
going to stop. 


EGM: What happened to the online 
content originally planned for the 
Xbox version of the game? 

We planned on letting you play 
through the prison, then upload your 
gameplay sequence with a timing score. 
Another person would've been able to 
watch your performance and then race 
your ghost. We also had a survival mode 
for fighting sequences. They're cool 
ideas, but we just couldn't get around 
the technical constraints. 





EGM: Is there anything else you 
would have added or changed if 
you'd had more time? 

To have been able to block when 
I'm on a beam, ledge, or pole. | don't 
think people will miss that, but much as 
they say, "Cool, | can defend myself 
while knocked to the ground," I think 
they'd have said, "Nice, 1 can block 
while on the ledge!" 


EGM: Should we expect another s j М 
game in the series? 3 | 77 “The prince's moves are impossible,” 


Let's just say we'd be stupid not to ON 3 k , " admits Producer Yassim Mallat, “but the ` 
think about it! &% —Shawn Elliott EU Ë z р MESA animations make them seem helievable." 


>> VIDEOGAME.NET HAS TEAMED UP WITH PENN STATE FOR УЕА! 


ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 55. 








SHARE THE ADVENTURE. 
SHARE THE FANTASY. 


Play Online. SQUARE ENIX. 





PINAL FANTASY XI 


1——— ONLINE 


INCLUDES BONUS Rise of the Zilart EXPANSION PACK 


FREE SUBSCRIPTION FOR 30 DAYS" 


*Some restrictions may apply 


www. playonline.com 
Published by Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. 


x Online play requires internet connection. Players are responsible for all applicable internet fees. 
Animated Blood © 2001-2003 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. А! Rights Reserved Title Desin by Yoshitaka Amano. 
Violence FINAL FANTASY and Tetra Master are registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. SQUARE ЕМХ, 


Vana'diel, Rise of the art, PlayOrline, and the PlayOnline logo are trademarks of Square Enix Co, 
Ltd. Windows and DirectX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States 
and/or other counties, Pentium and he Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of 
Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. The name NVIDIA, the 
Е 1 NVIDIA logo, and NVIDIA The Way It's Meant to be Played Logo are registered trademarks of NVIDIA 

Game Experience May Coming to Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. "PlayStation" is а registered trademark of 


Change During Online Play PlayStation'2 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software 


Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 





CONTENT RATED BY 
ESRB 














press start: 
play money 


We-reveal the glitzy lifestyles. of 
the game biz’s highest scorers— 
and share their secrets for success 


veryone wants to break into 
E the gaming business, but that 
doesn’t mean you can't also 
break the bank. Just take the advice— 
and check out the homes and high- 
priced hobbies—of the game-biz 





W Like you don’t have a robot raptor in 
your yard? “My poor dog,” says Tallarico. 


58: ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY: 





= Putting them together was a natural fit 


SEGA UP, NINTENDO DOWN: BLAMING THE WEAK DOLLAR AND FLAGGING GAI 


Wa PRES 
e wwwanmiag.co 
one e 


entrepreneurs in part one of this two- 


part story. The moral here: Thinking big { 
pays even bigger. After all, that moolah | 


made by those тишти оп-зе то 
games has to go somewhere, right? 
ê —Scott Steinberg 


t hink only oil tycoons and boy- 
band stars make $1 million a 
year by their thirties? Let the founder 
of eponymous game-music shop 
Tommy Tallarico Studios give you a 
few pointers. Not quite a pop star 
(although he does co-host G4's The 
Electric Playground game show), 
Tallarico built his fortune composing 
soundtracks for 16-bit classics like 
Aladdin and Earthworm Jim, and more 
recently the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 
series and Unreal Il. Now, this mae- 
stro’s favorite ditty goes “cha-ching!” 


| EGM: Why go the videogame route— 
got a beef with record labels? 
All my life, music was 
my first love and videogames my second. 












ROCK TO RICHES 


Maestro Tommy Tallarico built a fine-tuned career 


EGM: How'd you fall into this gig? 

When | was 21, | drove to California, 
broke and homeless. | got a job selling 
keyboards for Guitar Center. My first day 
there, a guy saw me in a TurboGrafx-16 
T-shirt. Turns out he worked for a new 
company called Virgin. We got to talking. 
1 was hired on the spot. 


EGM: You started out as a game tester. 
How'd you move up the career ladder 
to become a composer? 

| put together a demo reel for no cost. 
It convinced them to go with me instead 
of paying someone who actually knew 
what they were doing. 


EGM: You eventually went solo and 
opened your own studio. Why the 
move to entrepreneur? 






letters from 13-year-old boys. 








It started when | began winning 
awards. Companies began calling, trying 
to get me to leave Virgin. | decided it was К, 
time to go it alone and get paid. : 

















EGM: Any advice for the folks trying to 
follow in your footsteps? 

Find out what you love to do, then put © 
yourself in that environment. My case is 
the perfect example— was originally liv- 
ing in Massachusetts, and | never would 
have gotten into the дате industry with- 
out moving out to the West Coast. 


EGM: Ever see any celebrity perks 
from these lucky breaks? Dates with 
the Hilton sisters, maybe? 

| get some perks but nothing super 
special...unless you count all the adoring 





EE M =. 
nz 
Sma и тшй. a bs 
zr 


Fi — 


Eš Casa de Tommy: 1 The vanity plate on Tallarico's Ferarri Spyder reads “VIDGMES.” 2 “All homes should have a Spidey room, right?” says Tallarico, who owns every 
Spider-Man comic going back to Amazing Fantasy #15. 2 Double-paned glass soundproofs his studio, so neighbors won't gripe when he rocks the keytar. 4 Tallarico’s 
home arcade has Rastan, Super Contra, and Star Wars—plus a deep-frozen Han Solo. š He also has a thing for mannequins. He made The Fifth Element's Leeloo and 
imported the Lara Crofts from Germany. Next ир: a functioning R2-D2. 5 A level in Tomb Raider inspired the decor of the dining room, which took him a year to paint. 





press start: 
play money 


ES | 
® & 


ROBOT 
JOCK 


Sims daddy Will 
Wright funds his 
stupid, fun hobby 


G iant robots tease Will Wright in 
his dreams. Could the designer 

of the blockbuster Sims series be going 
batty? Nah...it's just a side effect of 
championing his Stupid Fun Club, a 
Berkeley, CA, studio bent on bringing 
automatons to prime-time television. 
We discuss the merits of this pricey 
hobby with а man who's earned more 
than enough dough from the game 
industry to afford such eccentricities. 





EGM: Define your Stupid Fun Club. 

It's a place where my friends 
and | can do strange robot projects. We 
thought the idea up after meeting each 
other through [the TV show] Robot Wars. 


EGM: How has success in the game biz 
allowed you to indulge in this project? 

Two ways. First, the money side: It 
gives me the financial wherewithal to do 
it. Second, the contacts generated. Now 
that the industry has mainstream accep- 
tance, people see crossover potential in 
other fields. It helps you get in the door at 
places you normally wouldn't. 


EGM: Did you envision ventures like 
this when you got into the industry? 
Truthfully, | didn't see gaming as а 
vehicle to get elsewhere. It sort of just 
happened as 1 grew personally. In the 
beginning, | just loved gaming...a job in 
the industry seemed a match made in 
heaven for me. Seeing figures that show 
that games will outgrow movies at some 
point, though, Ра think that such an evolu- 
tionary step has to happen in the future. 


| EGM: Must an artist have certain noto- 
| riety before they can take chances like 
| you are with Stupid Fun Club? 
Anyone can produce interesting stuff 
on a shoestring budget. It just depends 
| how much money you need. Investors like 
| to see a proven track record. 









EGM: Any advice for gamers who'd like 
to follow in your footsteps? 

Be patient. Hit games can take 
years. It's easy to get frustrated. Maintain 
your passion. It's the biggest indicator of 
eventual success. Фа 


Next month: In part two, meet a gaming _ 
"lord" whose home really 15 his castle. | 





60 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 








E The Wright stuff: 1 Battlebots vet X-30 gets riled up. These guys 
don’t take kindly to being set on bar stools, apparently. 2 While no 
robots were hurt during the making of this article, an old CRT monitor 
was royally Ра up, as Stupid Fun Club members looked on. She totally 
had it comin’, 3 One of the sets for Stupid Fun Club’s pilot show, M.Y. 
Robot. When a robot arrives in a Japanese village, hilarity—and pre- 
sumably carnage—ensue. 4 Wright takes a spin on his robot couch, 
Nancy. "We're not very good at naming,” he says. 


ND STAR OF THE FIF 'OKÉMON MOVIE... >> 





@ press start 


Find Your Place in 


ure, Champions of Norrath has 

the EverQuest logo on its box, 

but everything about the game 
screams Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, 
the 2002 hit action-RPG created by 
crackerjack developer Snowblind 


between the two? Let's just say 
EverQuest is (at least on PS2) а snooze- 
worthy online RPG, while the other 
gained hordes of fans with its multi- 
player (but offline) hack-and-slash 
thrills, Now, Snowblind has 


PLAYING 


Champions a gorgeous new graphics 
engine, randomized dungeons, extensive 
weapon customization, and free online 
four-player co-op support—all while 
delivering the same relentless action 
that made Dark Alliance so popular. 


afraid the transition to EverQuest char- 
acter classes may be a little tricky for 
adventurers weaned on Dark Alliance’s 
Dungeons & Dragons foundation. So to 
help find the selection that’s just right 
for you, we've provided the following 





Ё 








Д happy 


>> MIDWAY HAS АМ! 


Studios. Don't quite know the difference 








Question 1: 

You're surrounded by an army of giant flesh-eat- 

ing ants! How do you react? 

№ Tornado spin smash hack kill splat bwahahahahaha. 
(1 point) 

№ Surrounded? | think not. | already killed them all from 
offscreen. (2 points) 

IB Dear gods! | should search for wounded innocents 
and promptly render assistance. (3 points) 

№ | shall obliterate the vile formicids with a Cone of 
Fro... What?!? Out of mana? Run away!! (4 points) 

W Let's see... can ants get the bubonic plague? No? 
OK, smallpox then. (5 points) 


SCORING: 


POINTS 








Your nickname is 
Conan. You'll be 
best as a bash- 








You like to snipe 
enemies from 
afar and camp 
outdoors—be a 
. Smash! 


shaken up the proceedings by giving 


TEST YOUR MIGHT (AND MAGIC): 








You favor blunt 
weapons, heal- 
ing, and turning 
undead, like a 


There's one problem, though: We're 


personality quiz. —Casey Loe 





Question 2: 

You've discovered a flaming masterwork scimitar. 

Do you take it? 

№ Yes! Good chop head death burn slice. Heh. (1 point) 

№ Well, maybe if | didn’t already have a hernia from 
carrying 140 pounds of arrows.... (2 points) 

№ Heavens no, that looks perilously sharp. Someone 
could put an eye out! (3 points) 

№ Um, it's not that I'm feeble, you see. It's just that I've 
really grown attached to my tree branch and paring 
knife... (4 points) 

№ Whatever disembowels my enemies the most cleanly 
and efficiently. (5 points) 









Can you say 
/| spellcasting and 
frilly clothes? 
You're an 

at heart. 








raising 














You're а disease- 
spewing, undead- 


Typhoid, anyone? 


Question 3: 

Ап army of undead is slaughtering countless inno- 

cents. How does this make you feel? 

№ Hammer smash make good dead crush bone noise. 
(1 point) 

№ Sigh. (Nocks bow) I'll be behind that tree for the next 
several hour 2 points) 

№ This abomination unto the laws of sanctity and purity 
must be stopped! (3 points) 

W A level 22 Wizard Beam will show them the error of... 
what? Out of mana again? Run away! (4 points). 

№ You saw my army of undead marauders? What of it? 
(5 points) 


Uh...0K...maybe those аге '/ 
all vintage D&D (except for | 
the new, mildly dis- 
turbing shadow p 


, 
knight). So screw | PI 
у 


the test answers! 











Just start a 

game with 

ter, remove 

their cloth 4 

armor, and ў A 
iy £ 

one who 

looks best in 4 

his ог her thong | 

(Come on, you 

know that's 

what you were 









62 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


INCED THAT IT HAS RENAMED ITS STEALTH-ACTION GAME ESPIONAGE AS PSY-OPS: 


each charac- q 
select the 
underwear. 

going to do 


T 


41 anyway.) #4 








porte 
PIU 
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INTERNATIONAL VERSION) 2365807 THE SOUND OF MUSIC 2780302 SPECIAL EDITION 2763506 


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CELEBRITY GAMER: 


Spying on a She Spy 


ction, drama, suspense...it’s 

all in a day’s work for actress 

Kristen Miller. As hacker hottie 
D.D. Cummings on the syndicated TV 
show She Spies (and before that, 
Princess Stevenson on the short-lived 
2001 Comedy Central sitcom That’s My 
Bush!), the cheerful vixen has seen her 
fair share of danger. Consider it valu- 
able training as Miller attempts her 
most demanding role yet this month as 
Rio, star of Konami’s upcoming PS2 
thriller Lifeline. Stranded on a remote 
space station, this marooned lass’ only 
chance to avoid a certain premature 
zero-gravity grave are your soothing 
vocal prompts. But watch that big 
mouth, buster...this one’s unaccus- 
tomed to taking orders. 


EGM: Making the move from Hollywood 
to videogames, eh? Must’ve been a 
rough transition... 

Not really. | didn’t even 
have to audition for this role. The director 
had seen She Spies and thought | embod- 
ied the character perfectly. He put his faith 
in me. I'd like to think it was well founded. 


EGM: Were you as impressed with the 
game as the director was 

with you? 
Certainly. 





Lifeline shocked me. The concept is so 
much more skillfully developed than in 
most games. The details and the story line 
are on par with most films. 


EGM: Doesn't sound like you've played 
much Max Payne then, have you? 

| can't say it's on my list to purchase. 
I'm a Mario Kart: Double Dash!! kind of 
girl. It's depressing that the most cinemat- 
ically sophisticated titles are typically also 
the most violent ones. 


EGM: We take it you're not the angry 
type then, eh? 

Oh, | get pretty mad sometimes. | 
wanted to curse back at mean players in 
Lifeline, but the creator wouldn't let me. 
He claimed it “wasn't in character" 
for Rio. Pansy. 


EGM: Shall we take 
your in-game 
appearance to 
mean you like 
being 


bossed around and told what to do? 

No way! 1 don't take any crap, and 
neither does Rio. If you yell at me, РИ 
scream back. 


EGM: Ever wish you heard 
disembodied voices 
dispensing 
advice in 
real life? 
Yeah. 
There are 
times in 






























my life 1 really feel lost, lonely, and in need 
of help. Mostly while driving. 


EGM: Got any dirty gossip tidbits about 
gorgeous She Spies co-star Natasha 
Henstridge you can share with us? 
Her husband's always 
playing games. It really 
pisses her off. Remember 
boys, we women like 
attention, too. dx 
— Scott Steinberg 





















uut uiu іп the balls.” 


Е Lifeline 


PS2 * Konami * February 2004 — Rio, 
а waitress on mankind's first orbiting 
space hotel, is stranded alone after 
Something attacks the station. Trapped 
in a security room, you must guide her 
around with your voice (via PS2's USB 
headset) as.she fends off enemies and 
tries to find a way out. Lucky for you, 
she understands a-lot-over 5,000 
words—everything from “Reload!” to 
“Shoot him in the back!” 











у ~ 





>> IT'S NOT A $20 PLATINUM HITS TITLE, BUT THE FIVE OR SIX OF YOU WHO HAVE AN XBOX AND DON'T OWN KILLER-APP FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER HALO CAN GET It NOW FOR ONLY $30... „>> 





ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY 





им 


ыл 


Turning RPG clichés on their 
head with The Вага 5 tale 


f most RPG story lines make you 
yawn, you're not alone. J 
clichés? I'm sick of 'em," says 


Brian Fargo, the designer who founded 
Interplay and, more recently, newbie devel- 
oper InXile. “I can't stand another game 
where I'm a 13-year-old orphan who's the 
chosen one and must save the universe 
without having any particular talents. How 
many times can we sit through that?!" 

Enter The Bard's Tale, an action-RPG (due 
late 2004 for PS2 and Xbox) that's similar to 
hack-n-slash fests like Baldur's Gate: Dark 
Alliance but promises a few notable differ- 
ences. Like, say, an in-depth story. ..that the 
designers are evasive about discussing. 
"What's the story for Pulp Fiction?” asks 
InXile President Matthew Findley. "Who 
cares? It's about interesting characters in 
interesting situations." 

Your interesting character—the bard—is 


W This inn is full of drunks who sing a rous- 
ing five-minute song about their love for beer. 
Mmm...beer.... 












“TALÈ SPIN: 









a Han Solo-type adventurer who has a pen- 
chant for getting into strange predicaments. 
In fact, InXile vows that nearly every aspect 
of the game is different from the norm. 
Instead of casting spells, for 
instance, you sing songs 
(what's a bard without а 
tune?) to summon creatures. D 4 
"We'd rather have something there d k у ~ v 4 
onscreen throwing fireballs for you," 4 4 
says Fargo, "and then give it personali- 
ty." Your bard begins the game able to 
summon only a rat, but even this lowly skill 
pays off. He can conjure the critter at inns, 
dispel them, and then heroically accept 
room and board from the grateful barkeep. 
Even the way the game handles dialogue 
is novel. "Typically, you have two or three 
choices of what your character is going to 
Fargo says, "but we wanted to do 
something different." Here, you simply 
choose from an image of a nice, smiling 
face or one with an evil grin—and hope that 
your bard won't say something too horrible. 
"Sometimes, saying something cynical will 
make the game harder," says Fargo, "but 
being nice isn't always the way to go 
either." How far will they take the game's 
sarcastic humor? "We're definitely push- 
ing the boundaries of good taste," 
laughs Findley. 4% — ое Fielder 


bard whose summoned 
creatures outnumber i 
his opponents. t 


Lite is > am 
M 
t 
£ 

















It's a Dog's Life 














Name That Tune 





Much like in the recent Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox), 
choices you make in Bard's Tale will have repercussions throughout 


the entire game. For example, there's a dog you meet in 


You may remember EA’s The 
Bard's Tale trilogy from the 
early days of Interplay, where 
InXile’s Fargo developed the 
RPG line for NES and various 
other platforms. The series has 
languished since the '80s—EA 
owns the publishing rights but 
hasn't touched the property in 
years. Pending a few trademark 
proceedings in the U.S., InXile 
should own the title soon. 




























the beginning, “and if you're mean [to it twice]," says 
InXile CEO Brian Fargo, "it'll run away and you'll never 
see it again. But if you're nice, it'll join you and will 
eventually start barking whenever silver is buried 
nearby. And as you play, he grows older and > 
becomes a fighting dog; there аге all these 

sequences you wouldn't see if you didn't have that 

dog with you. We love that kind of thing, where just that one 
little choice casts a ripple pattern 20 hours into the game." 









á 


>> YOU PROBABLY MISSED YOUR CHANCE ТО BE DEEMED THE SEXIEST GAMER, BUT YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE WHO WERE АТ WWW.SEXIESTGAMER.COM.... >> 




















64 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 













"THE MOST IMPORTANT VIDEO GAME 
OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS." 
= THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE 


МАНИ 


||| 


[THE FINAL CUT 




















MATURE 17+ 
Strong Language š 
| R Blood and Gore PlayStation.e 
ж Intense Violence 


"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. © 2003 Rockstar Games, Inc. Manhunt and the Manhunt logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Rockstar Games and the R, logo are 

registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Rockstar Games and Rockstar North are subsidiaries of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. All other marks and trademarks are properties of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved. Product 

names are the trademarks of their respective owners, and not of Rockstar Games, Inc., and are included for entertainment purposes only. No product, person or establishment appearing or mentioned in this game has endorsed this game or any of the actions 

described or displayed herein or is in any way associated with Rockstar Games, Inc. Note: Rockstar will be following ESA guidelines for M rated games in the marketing of this game. This game contains violent language and behavior and may not be appropriate. 

for persons under the age of 17. The story, names and incidents portrayed herein are fictitious. No identification or similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is intended or should be inferred. Any resemblance is coincidental. The makers and 
publishers of this videogame do not in any way endorse, condone or encourage this kind of behavior. 





IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE, 


i 


ENTER AN 
STORY WITH NON-LINEAR GAMEPLAY 


XPERIENCE FAST, DYNAMIC COMBAT 





PlayStation. 






LAST TIMI HE AVED THE WORLD. : 
| IT'S PERSONAL. ` 
YUNA'S STOR CONTINUES IN 


THE FIRST TRUE SEQUEL OF 
THE FINAL FANTASY* SERIES. 






& 







NEW DANGERS THREATEN SPIRA. 
FAMILIAR ALLIES ARE AT НАМ 
| AND SOMEWHERE, SOMEHOW, 
A FRIEND MAY STILL BE ALIVE 





SQUARE ENIX. pelma] 


www.square-enix-usa.com 
Published by Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. Dolby Digital Surround EX 


Suggestive Themes 


Violence ЈАВЕ ENIX CO . LTD. All Rights Reserved. 
0. FINAL FANTASY is a ft 
е "PS" Family logo are 


icuble-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Th 


CHARACTER DESIGN: TETSUYA NOMURA ALTERNATE COSTUME DESIGN: 
Enix Со. Ltd. SQUARE ENIX is a trademark of Square Enix Co.. Ltd. 

lomputer Entertainment ine. Dolby, Pro Logic, Surround EX and the 

trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 















SHOWROOM . 


Watch the cords, step into our pad, and | 
check ош these modern gaming gadgets 





DESERT 
ISLAND GAMES: 
WARREN SPECTOR 


Every month, we а 
ask a celeb ог | j у У 
game designer: š 
If you were 

marooned on a 

deserted island, 

what trifecta of 

games would 

you want with you? This month, we 
cast away lon Storm's Warren 
Spector, legendary PC game designer 
responsible for titles like Ultima 
Underworld, Deus Ex, and its sequel, 
Invisible War (reviewed this issue on 
page 124). —Marc Saltzman 













































(Nyko • PS2 • $40 • nyko.com) — This strange-look- 
ing hybrid makes your living room—and your lap—a little less 
cluttered by combining a Р52 controller and USB minikeyboard 
into one unit. What better way to come out on top in those 
heated debates in SOCOM II lobbies over who's the hottest FFX- 
2 babe? But beware: Its small keys are not thick-finger-friendly. 


(LASR ° Multi • $40 • 
lasraccessories.com) — This stylish backpack makes it look 
like you're hauling books when it's really fun you're packin’. It's 
got pockets for games, controllers, and accessories—plus, a 
large, padded area for a system and a handy panel that flips 
down so you can jack into a TV and get gaming in seconds flat. 














(Pelican • GBA • $10  pelicanacc.com) — 
Pop your GBA on the backside of this bizarre wheel (complete 
with luscious rubber grips and spring-loaded recoil) and add a 
touch of realism to any portable racer. Or maybe not—should 
you bust this bulky baby out on a flight, you're likely to get a 

furious ridiculing by the fidgety toddler sitting next to you. 


(Hip Interactive • Multi * $99 • 
www. hipgearproducts.com) — Surely you can't bring that 
50-inch HDTV on your cross-country road trip. So how about 
this instead—a control pad with a built-in three-inch LCD Tetris 

monitor. It eliminates the need for extra gear, whether you're (Multiplatform) 

gaming in your private jet or decked-out Humvee. “You can just keep playing this 
game forever and never get bored.” 




















(Gamester • GBA • $99 • gamesterusa.com) — If 
you're looking for more to store in your techy carryall, the 
JukeBox fits the bill. It allows you to play your MP3-encoded 
music files right on your GBA SP (stored on CompactFlash 
cards) and encode your own tunes in real time via its input 
jack. Works as a music player without the GBA, too. 


(Naki • PS2 • $40 • 
nakiusa.com) — This delightful blend of polypropylene, Thi 

nylon, and gaming technology from the future lets you do А Link to the Past 

what matters most: punch and kick. Just attach the wrist and (GBA, Super NES) 

ankle sensors and get crazy, Jackie Chan-style—yes, it "It's got a fun story, terrific puz- 
detects jump-kicks, too—in your favorite fighting games. zles, challenging combat, cute and 
iconic graphics, and а real feeling 
of exploration and discovery” 


s а. 


Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec 
(PS2) 

“Even if | ever got too good for the 
A.l., there's always another tenth of 
a second | can shave off a lap time!” 
















(Mad Catz • PS2 • $25 • madcatz.com) — Even 
if you fancied yourself a Sega fan back in the day, chances are, 
you'll still appreciate this retro-done-right NES-style pad. It not 
only feels like a dream, thanks to impeccable design and a 
heavy-duty metal body, it also brings back all of the warm, 
fuzzy feelings of a time when gaming still had its innocence. 


(1/0 Systems • Multi • 
5300 • i-glassesstore.com) — That 36-inch TV in the den 
isn't enough to make your games spring to life. But put on 

these stylish glasses and make a couple quick adjustments 
on the included control box, and those hookers from Grand 
Theft Auto will pop right out of the TV. Whoa. 





>> DEVELOPER VIS ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCED IT'S WORKING ON А SEQUEL TO THE LACKLUSTER ACTIONER STATE OF EMERGENCY, DUE LATE 2004 FOR UNSPECIFIED SYSTEMS... >> 


Е» RONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com • 69 














hono 


4 


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ЕЕМІЕ, MEENIE, MINEY BOOM. 
They're back. And they're itching for action. With tons of planets to conquer in a whole new gigantic galaxy, you better believe 
Ratchet & Clank are gonna sink their teeth into some destruction. Ummm, destruction. With weapon upgrades, mods, armor and the 
ability for Ratchet to get stronger and smarter as the game goes on, this could get uglier than The Grandmas In Bikinis Calendar after- 
party. Speaking of parties, there's also hoverbike racing, space combat and gladiator arenas. As far as weapons and gadgets go, Ratchet 


& Clank are stacked with over 50 newones, along with unlockable upgrades, so by ће end of the journey, you'll go through more weapons 
and gadgets than a hungry fat man will go through chicken wings at lunch. Lock and load, baby, lock and load. www.us.playstation.com 





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MINIROCHET TUBE 





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LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. 
PLAY IN OURS? 





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Ratchet and Clank is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Developed by Insomniac Games. ©2003 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "PlayStation" and the"PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment 


Inc. “Live In Your World. Play In Ours." is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. 


© press start 









МЕ 


\ detailed look at the 


rom the dusty si 

to small piazzas in Italy, hun- 

| dreds of people are dropping 

— dead from a virus...and many more will 
die if it isn't stopped soon. But how can 
you stop something you can't see? 
Finding the pathogen's origin is the key 
in the latest secret-agent action-adven- 
ture in Sony's Syphon Filter series. You'll 
need teamwork, stealth, precision, and 
even a little luck to get yourself and 
other members of The Agency (which 
former protagonist Gabe Logan now 
heads) to the bottom of this worldwide 
catastrophe. While such a task is easier 
said than done, you'll have help this 
time: Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain's 
entire single-player adventure can be 
played online with up to three other 
friends (ones with broadband, at least). 
Peep the following advance intel оп this 
February PS2 release, before it 
Self-destructs. —Giancarlo Varanini r 











All Dressed Up = 
You can customize your agent, giving him et Were 
more personalized touch. In some missions, your 
trooper can even don an enemy uniform tê help 
avoid detection, making it less likely that you'll 
waltz into a hail of gunfire while searching through 
the middle of town or an enemy installation. 









| Take 'Em Out 


















The game begins Iff Michigan, but 
you'll visit sexier locál&s such as 
Switzerland and Yemen. Levels аге 
ир to three times larger than in the 


and online buddies can lift you up to 
areas you couldn't reach offline. 


previous PS1 Syphon Filter games, `3 





Precise aim saves ammo and is one of 
the rewaíd system's key factors. 
Doing well in the single-player and 
online game unlocks nifty extras, 
including new weapons and additional 
agent customization options. You must 
play the game both online and off to 
get the absolute highest ranking. 





o 
Hot Shot...to the Head! 











prie game packs more than 100 weapons and gad- 
ets, but you can take only foür with you at the 

fart of each mission. Bë sure to coordinate with 
your online teammates at the Equip screen, so your 
'arsenals aren't redundant. Luckily, you can switch 
“out a weapon for any better ones you find. 


An Army of One to Four 
Omega Strain'š solo-play portion encourages you 
use cover and peek out to shoot enemies, while 
multiplayer brings on a whole new tactical ele! 

that lets уой ambush bad guys and set up cr 
You can even have some players cover гоо 
snipers while others take the point. 











LI'L PREVIEWS: GUNS, FISTS, OR SWORDS—ANY OF THEM WILL DO 
















DEAD TO RIGHTS ||: HELL TO PAY 
PS2, Xbox * Namco Fall 2004 — Jack Slate is 
back, and this time he’s angry (well, angrier than 
before). The sequel to Namco’s 2002 brawling/ 
shooting frenzy will have slicker visuals and a bet- 
ter Matrix- 
style dive 
move in an 
attempt to 
drop the 
“Max 
Payne 
ripoff” 
moniker. 






















72 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





battlefield. N= 


SAMURAI WARRIORS 
PS2 * Koei * March 2004 — Dig Dynasty Warriors 
but prefer Japan’s historical past to China’s? 
You're in luck. Koei's latest hack-n-slasher spot- 
lights warriors from Japan’s samurai era. Expect 
indoor com- 
bat and 
some 
stealth bits, 
in addition 
to fighting 
hundreds at 
once on the 































THE ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA HAS OPENED A RESEARCH LAB TO AID BUDDING DESIGNERS IN ITS GAME-RELATED DEGREE PROGRAMS. INFO АТ WWW.AICASFAII.EDU.... 





PAINKILLER 
Xbox • Dreamcatcher • 2004 — Here's a tip, kids: 
Don’t die in a car accident. If you do, you might 
end up like Daniel Garner, lost in a purgatory-like 
world and caught up in a demonic power struggle. 
Good thing 
they don’t 
outlaw big 
guns in the 
afterlife, eh? 
Or this first- 
person shoot- 
er would be 
pretty sad. 




































“The evolution of 
EI 2) = = 2. 


It's survival of the fastest: R: Racing Evolution thrusts you into 
the intense competition and heated rivalries of high-velocity 
professional racing. Adapt, or enjoy the exhaust. 


Master GT, Rally, Drag and the premier racing circuits. Fine-tune real world licensed vehicles. 


A 


From the developers of Ridge Race 


DODGE 
GRAB LIFE 
BY THE HORNS 


PlayStation. 


RATING PENDING 
Visit www.esrb.org or 
call 1-800-771-3772 
for Rating Information. 








© Never fear, more downloadable maps for Rainbow Six 3 will soon be here (ideally before we're all tired of the included arenas). 


ONLINE THIS MONTH 


Answers to your 


f you're anything like us, the 

hours you've sunk into Rainbow 

Six 3's Xbox Live mode have led 
you to ask many questions. What does this 
"ELO" stat mean? What downloadable 
content is coming? Who just shot me and 
from where? While we can't help you with 
that last one, we're going to try our 
best—with help from the game's produc- 
er, Chadi Lebbos—to answer the rest. 


The ELO stat is based on a 
skill-based ranking system developed 
(originally for chess players) by mathe- 
matician Arpad Elo (surprise, Sony's 
SOCOM Il uses the same system). It 
rewards quality over quantity, so to move 
up you need to spill the blood of players 
ranked higher than you. 


The .50 


caliber sniper rifle is a very powerful, very 
accurate weapon that has many online 


must-hit 


players crying foul. In most matches, 
you'll get a stern talking to for using it, 
and many wonder why there is no option 
to banish it from matches. "While we 
strongly believe the .50 cal is a well-bal- 
anced weapon," Lebbos says, "we are 
looking for alternatives for the players who 
wish not to have them on their servers." 


The first download, the Garage multiplayer 
map, is available now, and the team is fin- 
ishing up a map called Train Depot, to be 
released soon (exact date TBD). More are 
in development, and Lebbos tells us that a 
full team should be working on download- 
able content for the game by the time you 
read this and that players can expect 
more as-yet-unspecified multiplayer capa- 
bilities and support in the future. 


Some say that 
muting your microphone when switching 





questions 





Packin’ a .50 cal, you could take these 
three goons out lickety-split. 


maps or entering games will speed things 
up, but Lebbos says no dice. “Loading and 
switching speeds have no relation to the 
microphone,” he says. “Most likely, the 
data has been cached on the hard drive, 
which [is why it seems to load faster]." 


On egmmag.com 

Point your browser at extra.egmmag.com 
and you'll find a Ratchet & Clank: Going 
Commando Afterthoughts interview with 
Insomniac Games’ Ted Price. 





74 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.egmmag.com 


PC GAMING 
UPDATE 


Call of Duty 


You wouldn't know it from most WWII 
shooters, but apparently wars are not 
fought by lone gunmen against hordes 
of enemies. Huh. Who woulda thought 
it? Apparently, the guys at Infinity 
Ward, that’s who. This splinter group 
from the original Medal of Honor 
development team has delivered not 
only the best PC combat shooter of the 
year in Call of Duty, but maybe the 
best shooter of the year, period. 

Call of Duty breaks from the crowd, 
ironically enough, by including the 
crowd—in the form of squadmates 
with outstanding АЛ. The action is 
unrelenting, whether you're rescuing a 
POW from a camp in the dead of night 
or desperately holding a crucial bridge 
while hellaciously outgunned and out- 
manned. Through it all, those squad- 
mates fight alongside you, saving your 
ass as frequently as you save theirs. 

While the outstanding А.І. drives a 
lot of the action, there's a fair amount 
of scripting—especially in the oddly 
giddy car chases that have you taking 
potshots at Nazis while your driver 
barrels through fences and around 
buildings. The three different cam- 
paigns—American, English, and 
Russian—are all gripping and, sadly, in 
the only real misstep of the game, all 
very short. This game won't take an 
experienced gamer more than a couple 
days to finish. 

Call of Duty will make its way to all 
the consoles in 2004, but it'll be an 
entirely different game in much the 
same way the Medal of Honor games 
are different on consoles and PC. This 
is good news for console gamers dis- 
appointed by Rising Sun. 

— Robert Coffey, 
Computer Gaming World 





>> SEGA RALLY, GHOST RECON: JUNGLE STORM, WORMS, AND AN UNTITLED WWE GAME ARE PART OF A LIST OF SEVEN NEW N-GAGE TITLES ANNOUNCED BY NOKIA FOR RELEASE IN '04.... >> 


GAMES 


electronics boutique: 


ONE ОР 2003 5 BIGGEST |, У ox 
SHOOTERS — COMING ades 
SOON ON THE XBOX! | 


¢ Innovative Gameplay: 
Unreal II: The Awakening combines 
intense, pulse-pounding action with 
the magic of exploration and discovery 
and RPG-style character interaction 


























¢ Advanced Technology: 
Under the hood lays the latest Unreal 
technology from Epic — a hundred-fold 
increase in level geometry and a 
ten-fold increase in character detail. 
The advanced particle system creates 
the illusion of running water, blazing 
fire, drifting smoke, and advanced 
weather effects 


Receive a $5 EB Games 
I Mail-in Gift Voucher 


when you pre-order or purchase Unreal II: The Awakening for Xbox 


Name 
Address 


City 


Call 1-800-800-5166 for the store nearest you or visit us at www.ebgames.com 


THE DRAKEN ( 


Square Enix unleashes a reign of fire with Отан 


ttakes a hard man to take on an 

army of thousands just to exact 

revenge. Of course, it helps if he's 
ready to sacrifice his own voice in a pact with 
a powerful dragon. This—the plight of protag- 
onist Kyme—should give you a good idea of 
the feel of Drakengard (due in February for 
PS2); angst, guilt, and struggle against the 
inevitable are mixed with swords, sorcery, and 
a whole lotta bloodletting. 

Along with light RPG elements and an intri- 


IN THE SKY... 


cate plot, the game follows a three-part battle 
plan that brings dragon and man together for 
a symphony of destruction. "There are three 
different modes in the battle system," 
explains Square Enix producer Takamasa 
Shiba. "Once you gain control of the sky, it's 
possible to switch to the ground or [above the 
battlefield] at any time, so one should switch 
depending on the progress of the struggle." 
Here's a look at all three modes in 
descending (ha!) order. —Justin Speer 














| 


Y 
` 


Meet your dragon. 
It's 3,000 years old, 
devours children's 
kites for fun, collects 
the voices of sullen 
young men, and has 
а full mouth of sharp 
teeth to grind 
against the empire. 





The maxim of modern war, “Не who controls the sky, 


controls the battle,” also applies to Drakengard’s 
chaotic world. Atop your winged dragon, you'll seize 
the darkened skies using an arcane lock-on mecha- 
nism to hurl fireballs at screaming wyverns and air- 
borne warships. The free-flight combat might feel a 
bit loose, but a quick turn easily lets you draw a bead 
on your target, and the screen-searing Rage attack is 
so destructive that it can't miss. 


Before you get down to the bloody business of melee 
combat against the thousands of heavily armored 
soldiers that stand against you, soften up the opposi- 
tion from above. Your dragon mount can break enemy 
ranks with fiery meteors from its toothy maw or rain 
flaming hot death upon the general vicinity with а 
roaring breath attack. Just watch out for your 
enemy's archer units. They can be absolutely murder 
on your mount's soft underbelly.... 





Once you've arrived on terra firma, your foes will soon 
be pushing up daisies there, too. Kyme is a powerful 
warrior indeed, carrying a bevy of upgradeable 
Swords, axes, and staves, each possessing a combo 
string and magic spell (like Rising Pillars of Flame). 
While your tattered army division cowers in fear 
somewhere (they have neither the dragon nor the balls 
for the job), you'll hack and slash until you achieve 
your objective or are the only one left standing. dh 





>> RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM MICROSOFT HINT THAT XBOX 2 WILL BE POWERED ВУ A COMBO OF IBM'S POWER PC PROCESSOR AND ATI GRAPHICS HARDWARE. MORE SOON... >> 


76 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


NINTENDO 
GAMECUBE. 


c: d 
SQUARE ENIX? 





Experience a һга 
Harvest Moon with new 






rget-Me 
Г. =à 


А new system to rais 
and grow vegetables! 


Marry the woman of your 
dreams and raise a family! 






Characters! 


Visit www.estb.org SE NINTENDO 


or call 1-800-771-3772 





NATSUME’ 


©) GAMECUBE. 





for more ratings 
zr information . 


Serious Fun? 


Harvest Moon, NATSUME and Serious Fun are registered trademarks of NATSUME Inc. ©2003, 2004 NATSUME INC. ©2003 Marvelous Interactive Inc. АП Rights Reserved. 








4 + Й t 7 
EM | E 
25 ~ у \ eah! Is this really 
see ms 4 1 "ШЇ {ог ae? 1'11 treasure it 
О ЕЕ 25 1 NM 919 | alvays! 


kad Rejuvenate a farm and build a la) Traditional Harvest Moon had Raise animals, grow vegeta- 














life for yourself with family and gameplay with many new sur- bles, make friends and fall in 
friends! prises! love! 


www.natsume.com GAME BOY ADVANCE: * еи 


ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.esrb.org 





LICENSED BY NINTENDO. NINTENDO, GAME BOY, GAME BOY ADVANCE AND NINTENDO GAMECUBE ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. ©2001 












CHARTS 


TOP 10 ВЕЗТ-ЗЕШМС GAMES 
FOR OCTOBER 2003 


THE RUMOR MILL... 


Gossip that sticks to walls 


а-тапп 


8 Vercetti (left) vs. 


“Bah weep granah weep ninni boni 





тес: ы | 50 Cent...fight! PS2, Sony CEA 
Madden NFL 2004 = 
GTA: 50 Cent? Latest Xhox 2 talk PS2, EA Sports 2 
Details on the next Grand Theft Auto are Current talk yours truly has heard puts the 5 E 
scant at best. We know it's coming. In '04. debut of Microsoft's Xbox 2 hardware at Marlo Advance 4: Super а 
But that's it. Well here's a rumor The Q's the annual Game Developer's Conference Mario Bros. 3 GBA; Nintendo e 
heard recently that's sure to further pique in the spring, with more details to surface WWE SmackDown!: Here 2 
your interest—it'll feature rappers 50 Cent at May's Electronic Entertainment Expo— Comes the Pain PS2, THQ = 
(above, right) and Eminem, maybe even especially if Sony and Nintendo are talking m 
playing themselves. about their next machines. The Q has also Tony Hawk's Underground > 
picked up word on his sensors that for a PS2, Activision 5 
Another Halo 2 delay? needed space/cost savings, this time Star Wars Rogue Squadron 
Hold onto your butts, gamers. Sources around it will not include a hard drive. еһе! Strike GC, LucasArts 


familiar with the sequel to Xbox's killer-app 
first-person shooter Halo have indicated the А Rare problem 


Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 
game's about to suffer another delay. Word — Who would've guessed that Microsoft's PS2, EA Sports 


8 
Ё 
Е 
8 
Р 


has it the release could be pushed back as purchase of UK developer Rare from NBA Live 2004 
far as an ambiguous “fall,” but definitely in Nintendo would turn out like this? Sales of XB, EA Sports 
time for Christmas '04. The waiting really is the once-lauded developer's Xbox debut 
the hardest part. Grabbed by the Ghoulies are far from stel- Viewtiful Joe 
lar and many of its current projects, save 6С, Capcom 
Nintendo retro for Perfect Dark Zero, are being systemati- ТОР 10 GAME RENTALS 
Seeing the success that self-con- cally canned. (And maybe they should 
"п tained multigame retro consoles are be...cough...fairy adventure Kameo.) In the 
having these days (i.e., Atari, meantime, word has it PD Zero may move 
Namco, and Intellivision devices that to Xbox 2, as the developer is already 
come with up to two dozen games working on something for the system—a 
inside a compact controller), The Big N is virtual garden that grows based on the 


allegedly prepping its own entry for release number of games you have/play. 
in '04, so a new generation can enjoy the 
games many of us grew up with. The best Hardcore Contra m 
part is that the release of the unnamed Lastly, Q-Spy 009 reports that Konami is >= — = 
retro device is in addition to the other working on a new installment of the classic 
DK warms up his ol' song and dance mysterious hardware announcements the shoot-em-up series Contra. 'Bout time. My PS2, Activision 
for a possible fall 2004 reunion tour. company plans to make later this spring. trigger finger's been awfully itchy lately. 


з 
Medal of Honor: Ri 
Р52, EA Games 





"By THE NUMBERS e^ - 


»Family.game night edition. 


WWE SmackDown!: Here 
Comes the Pain PS2, THQ 
Manhunt 
PS2, Rockstar 
True Crime: Streets of 
XB, Activision 
Te" Conflict: Desert Storm il 

PS2, Gotham 

==. Grand Theft Auto Double 
Pack XB, Rockstar 

т Madden NFL 2004 
PS2, EA Sports 


>> ATARI'S UPCOMING DRIV3R (THAT'S UH. DRIVER 3) WILL FEATURE THE VOICE TALENTS OF ACTORS ММС RHAMES, MICHAEL MADSEN, MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ, AND MICKEY ROURKE.... >> 


3/03 





Source: Blockbuster Video, 1 


> = NUNT TE т 





80 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


® 


ў 


THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE 


MATURE 17+ 


Intense Violence 
Strong Language 
Blood 
Mature Sexual Themes 





© press start 


Meet the residents of Midway's killer app, The Suffering 














































ny action-horror title should prison—literally. Main character Torque — our creatures fit into the history of [the аге quite as dis- 




































































have а solid foundation of is a hardened inmate convicted of mur- одате” setting] and the legacy of evil turbing as these.” 
evil. On the site of an ancient dering his wife and kid, and life on the that has taken place there, with each We're inclined to 
Indian burial ground and a patient- inside turns into a furious fight for sur- creature designed around a different agree.... Let's i 
mangling insane asylum, The Suffering vival when the sins of the jail’s past execution method,” explains Lead show you a few < ~ 
(due in February for PS2, XB, and GC) аге resurrected and monsters start Designer Richard Rouse lll. “ don't reasons why. Л», 
found а hell of a place to build а pouring out of the woodwork. “All of think any game features creatures that — Justin Speer 2 
> : А 
B £ MONSTER TYPE: MONSTER TYPE: 
š wksmen layers 
E EXECUTED BY: EXECUTED BY: 
i uad Jeheading 
From straight- With their sev- 
jacket to full ered heads 
metal jacket— mechanically 
"| these unfortunate suspended above 
souls were hasti- their shoulders, 
ly executed with- | these monsters 
out the benefit of make a pointed 
a trial, and they Î first impression. 
now stalk the And between the 
| prison grounds fingernails-on- 
as mobile meat chalkboard clat- 
tanks. Fleshy ter they make as 
humps on their their blades-for- 
backs rotate to И limbs scratch 
" bring automatic . across floors and 
Real Suffering: In Francisco Goya’s š rifles to bear on Real Suffering: While this brutal and у their skewering 
painting The Shootings of May 3rd, 1808, 65 human inmates, ancient method of execution is по longer 7 š d attacks, you'll 
French soldiers execute suspected which is nearly widely practiced, it's still publicly per- never rest easy 
Spanish rebels. Goya is said to have used š as sickening as it formed in several Middle Eastern coun- when they're in 
his own blood to paint the victims' blood. 3 x is deadly. tries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Rx the room. 
MONSTER TYPE: You'll fight these freaks ог: E NN = 1 5) MONSTER TYPE: 
Mainliners the penal system from a first- ү | 4 urrowers 
EXECUTED BY: регоде ra j EXECUTED 
thal Injection sing Enton 
The prison show- Wrapped up in 
er experience is restraining fetish 
bad enough with- gear and buried 
out naked fiends alive, these hook- 
brandishing and-chain-flailing 
hypodermic nee- subterranean 
dies bubbling up psychos burst 
through the from the ground 
drain. These with barely any 
deformities can notice. Beware of 
quickly navigate | | rapidly approach- 
across prison / | ing trails of earth 
floors, despite (gophers don't go 
the syringes рго- to prison!) and 
2 ES truding from their к keep your shot- 
Real Suffering: First instituted in eyes. Avoid their Real Suffering: During Japan's brutal А, gun ready—you 
Oklahoma, death by lethal injection is || leaping attack or invasion of China in World War Il, roughly ў "| don't want to get 
now the norm in the U.S. Famous - force-fed poison 2000 refugees were buried alive at the d ` too close to these 
executions using this method include will soon defile foot of Mount Zijing. Animosity for this E y: sensory-deprived 
John Wayne Gacy and Timothy McVeigh. = | your veins. act still continues on today.... } й sadists. ё 




















>> ЈАРАМЕЅЕ PUBLISHER SPIKE ANNOUNCED А PS2 SURVIVAL-HORROR GAME CALLED MICHIGAN. PERHAPS IT'LL FEATURE THE REDNECK MICHIGAN MILITIA OR DOWNTOWN РЕТКОП.... >> 


82 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 








LI 


Unleash the terrifying power of Grim. ~ ef ` м 


AVAILABLE JANVARY 2004 


Animated Blood 


Violence 





PlayStation.2 


© CAPCOM (0. LD, 2008, © CAPCOM US A. ИС. 2003 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Capcom and the Capcom Log are registered Wadena of Capcom Co LL. Maxima vs Amy of Zin is а trademark ol Capcom Co. Lid. CHARACTER BY © 2003 SUSUMU MATSUSHITA COMPANY /MASTER UDOISOR. DREAM RANCH INC. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment. 
compte entertainment systern. “PlayStation and e "PS Fani logo are registered ademas of Уау Computer triente The raogs con is a пад trademark ol the Entertainment Software scan. A other trademarks and t names are te properties of thei respective owner. 








са lor se with te PlayStation®? 





CONTROL. 
ü EITHER YOU GOT IT 
OR YOU DON'T. || 





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L PlayStation. Kd @ 
~ PLAYERSE 


"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. ©2003 NFL Properties LLC. Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. All other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks 
INC. Designed and developed by Red Zone Interactive and 989 Sports development team. 989 Sports and the 989 Sports logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. ©2003 Sony Computer Entertainment 





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ЕТТТ: 
ВД М H H aaa 
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www. 9 SPORTSicom 


With pressure-sensitive controls, you can do it all. Stop on a dime or turn on the jets. Juke lightly or fake a defender out of his — 
pants. Drop the hammer or hit like a water boy. Play on your own or see what you're made of online. So, what's it going to he? ) 
Also available on PlayStation ба m 


= 


of the National Football League. Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC. logo is a registered trademark of the NFL players. www.nflplayers.com. ©2003 PLAYERS 
America Inc. Online icon is à trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Online play requires Internet connection and Network Adaptor for PlayStation 2 (sold separately). 


THE HOT FIVE 


Which games do you most want updates on? We put it to a vote 


Go to egmmag.com to vote for the games you simply gotta see more coverage of. (Heck, go there anyway.) 


HALO 2 


Xbox • Microsoft 
* Mid 2004 — We 
were dead set on 
providing you with 
some substantial 
new info on Halo 2 
this month, but 
then we ran into 
these guys. This 
small molecule of 
H2 will have to 
float your boat for 
now. It's nice to 
see the Covenai 
Elites looking 
tough and ever 
vigilant, anyway. 
Also, check out 


We wouldn't want to bump into this joyridestudios.com 


guy in a dark alley. Or a well-lit one. Р for the latest toys. 


GRAN TURISMO 4 


PS2 • Sony CEA * Mid 2004 — Driving 
School has never been so appealing. In 
Japan, Sony is preparing a trial version of the 
soon-to-be-released Gran Turismo 4. GT4: 

— Prologue is a stripped-down model featuring 
five tracks, 30 license tests, and nearly 50 
vehicles (including the requisite Skyline and 
plucky Toyota Vitz RS 1.5). But don’t get too 
revved up—a North Amefican release is 
“being considered” but doesn’t seem likely. 


PS2, Xbox, GC • Atari • Mid 2004 

The newly released trailer for part three 
of this undercover-cop saga on wheels 
doesn't feature any walking or shooting, 
but boy does it show off some impres- 
sive driving. It's easy to appreciate the 
incredible level of detail from the 
screenshot above, but wait till you see 
the vehicles being torn apart and bow- 
ing down before mighty physics. 





86 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.egmmag.com 








WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD 


If you hadn't already heard, your Sims have taken to the streets! 
The Sims Bustin’ Out offers 13 unique locations and three Free 
Play lots where you can visit, live, and generally wreak havoc. 

This map details the characters, unlockable objects, and social 
moves you'll pick up during your virtual visit to the "hood. 








THE OCTAGON 


G E guards this Cold War command bunker 
left over from the '50s, complete with technological 

marvels and top secret items. 
UNLOCK 
йош 


PIXEL ACRES ^ 


Enjoy the great outdoors the Sim 
way at Pixel Acres, where you can À, 
challenge YING VANGST to a game of | L 
nude table tennis. 1 


UNLOCKABLE OBJECT: 
















Tinsel Bluffs is the modern Hollywood 














Table Tennis from Slammo! abode where the scandalous FANNIE and > 
UNLOCKABLE INTERACTION: HUMPHREY HAWKES live. Some stars may ® GOTH MANOR 
Booty Tease be born, others made, but very few of: k 





Bella and MORTIMER GOTH 
are back, and this time, they 
live in an even creepier 
haunted Victorian, Complete 
with a graveyard and some 
mutant plants, Goth Manor 
is the spot for ghost hunters. 
UNLOCKABLE OBJECT: 
Mutant Plant 

UNLOCKABLE INTERACTION: 
Magic Trick 


























UNLOCKABLE OBJEC 
Information Overlord by Bu Butubi 
INLOCKABLE CTION: Imitate 




















This pigsty is where DIJDLEY, a total slacker, lives. There are lots 
of ways to have fun at Dudley's Trailer, but be sure to clean up 
the place if you want to move on to bigger and better things. 
UNLOCKABLE 0BJEI lellaGraphix 1024 “Diamond Edition” 

i: Pull My Finger 





DUIDLEY"S TRAILER, 














Run by 61 T, this 
art gallery in a grungy studio 
space is the place to be to 
develop your artistic side. 
OBJECT: 

Kraft King Potter’s Wheel 















<> 





B RUB 





ў 













MOM'S HOUSE та а Е ABLE BNTERAGTIUNE Bust а move оп the dance floor, play DJ to МАС ОШМ MANSI ОМ 
"s done some major construction and interior decorating raise your creativity, or just watch the party Malcolm's Mansion is your ultimate : 


happen at this techno-rave warehouse, where 
NG always keeps the beats pumpin’. 
Turntablitz DJ Booth 
TION: Moon Walk 


to jazz up her place since the last game. You can live here at 
no cost while you work on your skills and friendships, but 
sooner or later, you'll have to move on. 


destination, only slightly less impressive > 
than an ascent into heaven. The only problem «и 
is that you'll have to get through ПАС, N 5 
himself if:you want to move in here. 

Ë B Limo Ultimo 
СТОЮ: Brag About Moni 


BING ВИ 
UNLUCXA 


UNLOCKA 





ШЕ 








Sh 


Shiny Things Lab is a high-tech heaven and quintessential 
laboratory. Cleaning up the barrels of toxic waste for 
VAUGHN BRAUN may mean a hazardous work environment, 
but no one said science was easy. 

UNLOCI CT: Tesla Coil 3.0 

y STION: Sissy Fight 














CASA CALIENTE 


Casa Caliente is the “Love Shack” baby, and RANDY 
HART is the love god in charge of it all. It’s surfin’ 
USA blended with ’60s shagadelic goodness where 
you have plenty of opportunities to make friends. 
UNLOCKABLE OBJECT: Niagara Love Tub 

UNLOCKABLE INTERACTION: Booty Spank 














At Toane's Gym, you can let GOLDIE turn your 
body into the pinnacle of fitness 24 hours a day. “ 
Puny weaklings need not apply. 

В ECT: GyroSport “AbDominator” 
TION: Show Off Muscles 











Mimi’s Place seems normal until you step 
inside. WIM aspires to be a punk material girl, 
but she’s been able to afford only cheap 
knockoffs and department store sale items. 
This means repairs will be in order if you ever 
want to move out. 

UNLOCKA 
UNLOCKA 











Ч 














CT: Big Mouth Chair 
E INTERACTION: Sign Language 


























MAD SCIENTIST CAREER EAST TRACK 


The Sims Bustin’ Out is not a game that you want to blow 
through in a few hours, but if you really want to zoom your 
way to Malcolm's Mansion, here's the superfast way to get 
through the Mad Scientist career. Just like in real life, you'll 
do/some career-swapping in the process, but those other 
ireers give you access to locations and skill-building 

objects that will ultimately make the Mad Scientist career a 
breeze. 

















1. MOMS IBM 

е toilet, eat Mom's food, and dance or watch TV until 
уой Fun goal is satisfied. Get your relationship with Mom 
above 90. Take the Fashion Victim Job in the paper to 
unlock your scooter. Move out to Мит Place! 








Ё E 
Get your relationship with Mimi as high as possible before 
the bus arrives for your first day at work. You're almost 
guaranteed a promotion on the first day since all your 
motives are high. Your promotion unlocks the drink bar, 
which you should purchase. Use the bookcase to learn two 
Mechanical points, and then repair the espresso machine to 
unlock the Repair Man. Skip work the next day and spend 
your time using the drink bar to gain three Cooking points. 
Use the DJ booth at Club Rubb to gain two Creative skill 
points. Return to Mimi’s and take the Paramilitary career in 
the paper. Move out to Dudley's Trailer! 


бо to work and get your first promotion. After work, visit 
The Octagon and use the Robot Monkey Terminal to gain at 


| 


least two Logic points. Take the Mad Scientist career in the 
paper. Go to work and get your first promotion. After work, 
visit Shiny Things Labs and use the Tesla Coil to gain at. 
least two more Mechanical points. Go to work again to get 
your second promotion. Get your relationship with Dudley 
above 90. Check your relationships with Mom and Mimi—if 
they drop below 70, visit them and pump the relationships 
up—hoth of them like Compliment, Joke, and Pull My 
Finger. Move out to Goth Manor! 


SOTH MANOR 
After you get the welcome message from Mortimer or Bella, 
press R2 to fulfill the “control another Sim” goal. Go to buy 
mode and sell the two beds in the house—replace them 
with three kids’ beds, which are the best in the game. Add 
the best stove, fridge, and food processor to the kitchen. 





Buy the HellaGraphix game console and put it in a conven- 
lent location near two chairs. If you need more money, sell 
some other items in the house. Go to work and receive two 
promotions. Visit Shiny Things Labs and use the Tesla Coil 
until you have all 10 Mechanical points. Use the synthesiz- 
er, incubator, and a mirror to build Creative, Logic, and 
Charisma skills. Move out to Shiny Things Lab! 

UY THIN 


5. SHIN IGS М 
Outfit the lab-with the best equipment, similar to what's in 
Goth Manor. Since you should already have 10 Mechanical 
points, you can use the Invention Workbench to make five 
rocket gnomes; then go to buy mode to move them outside. 
Throw a party. After you see the “party has started” mes- 
sage, launch the gnomes to satisfy the Rocket Gnome Party 
goal. By now you've unlocked all three Free Play Lots. Visit 





опе of them and try 10 become friends with two of the resi- 
dents. Check your relationships with Mom, Dudley, and 
Mimi—if any score is below 70, visit them to pump it back 
above 90. Get both promotions and unlock The Octagon. 
Visit The Octagon and use the Robot Monkey Terminal to. 
build eight Logic points. Move out to The Octagon. 


6. THE INI 

Outfit The Octagon with the best equipment, similar to 
what's in the lab. Buy а HellaGraphix videogame console, 
free-standing mirror, drink bar, and a hot tub. Use the зуп- 
thesizer ай бой Manor to raise your Creative skill above 
five. Use the free-standing mirror to build four Charisma 
skill points. Get both promotions and unlock Malcolm's 
Mansiori. Keep going to work until you have $20,000. Move 
out to Malcolm's Mansion! 












MA 5 IMANNISIO 

The mansion is nicely decked out, but you can unlock the 
Limo Ultimo if you buy $20,000 worth of stuff for the man- 
sion. Keep up your relationships with Mom, Dudley, and 
Mimi, and stay friends with three Free Play Lot Sims. Build 
skills as necessary to get your final promotion. Then you'll 
see one of seven ending movies (there's one for each career 
you finish). Check the career fountain for your gnome. 


ELECTRONIC 


MONTHLY 


An editorial supplément to Electronic Gaming Monthly 







COMING SOON S 


Who says you need а valentine? 





AirForce Delta Strike 
PS2 * Konami — Twenty playable pilots 
take to the sky (and space) in 100 origi- 
nal aircraft, including Gradius’ Vic Viper. 







Œ So much for Alias’ 
‘Sydney Bristow slipping 
by unnoticed. 















Alias Cy Girls Breakdown 
PS2, Xbox * Acclaim — Sydney Bristow PS2 • Konami — Stealthy gun specialist Xbox * Namco — This genre-bending first-person action-adventure follows the fate of 
comes to life with the voice of actress Ice and sword-slingin’ fellow spy-diva Derrick Cole, who wakes up with both amnesia and biceps of steel. With its extra help- 








Jennifer Garner (who plays the spy on TV). | Aska mete metal justice on cyberterrorism. | ing of gore, Breakdown's sure to cause hand-wringing over at Decency НО. 


ы 1 i ~ | PN 














S . 
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles FirstStrike: Grant City Anti-Crime Gradius V 

PS2 • Square Enix — Panzer Dragoon GC * Nintendo — The Fantasy finally PS2, Xbox, GC • Namco — Revisit Dead іо | PS2 • Konami — As visually superb as 
Orta meets Dynasty Warriors when hero returns to a Nintendo console in this four- | Rights’ hardboiled action, but on the right it's sure to be tough, V brings shooters 
Kyme fights to thwart the evil Empire. player action-RPG with GBA connectivity. | side of the law. (Is that a cop gone good?) | (and the Vic Viper) into the 25th century. 


agp { за à r g 

















Mega Man Anniversary Collection 
PS2, GC * Capcom — How to piss off die- | PS2, Xbox, GC ® Midway — Forget about 
hard game collectors? Cram 10 of the winning championships. These 1-on-1 

Blue Bomber's best games onto one disc. games are all about the bling-bling. Word! 









Nightshade 

PS2 * Sega — This spiritual successor to 
2002's Shinobi pits a svelte she-ninja 
against a diabolical army of demonic foes. 


Headhunter: Redemption 
PS2, Xbox • Sega — Another third-per- 

son action-adventure in the same (almost 
dry) stealthy vein as Metal Gear Solid. 





































Wrath Unleashed 

PS2, Xbox * LucasArts 
Turn-based strategy 
meets 3D fighting. 


Silent Scope Complete The Suffering 
Xbox • Konami — From the local multi- PS2, Xbox, GC * Midway — There's much, | PS2 * Konami 
plex lobby to your own living room—four much more shooting than puzzle solving in | Footy, anyone? A 
full games worth of sniping satisfaction. this blood-drenched survival-horror game. C'mon! m 

















18 Drakengard — You'd pout too if you NN, 
had a dragon between your legs all day. (co № 











ЕМЕВУОМЕ 
B 


> V $) 
OMIN. 


BROADBAND AND DIALUP 





PlayStation.e 











“PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The “Officially Licensed Collegiate Products" label is the exclusive property of The Collegiate Licensing Company. The "Collegiate Licensed 
exclusive property of the respective institutions. The NCAA Football logo is a registered trademark of the NCAA licensed to NCAA Football USA, Inc. GameBreaker, 989 and the 989 Sports logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer 
connection and Network Adaptor for PlayStation 2 (sold separately) 








Your team is next. 





Dig your favorite jersey out of the drawer and prepare the trophy case for new conquests. The = 
best way to welcome in a new hard-hitting season is with МСАА GameBreaker 2004. More than c 
50 new animated mascots, cheerleaders and coaches now grace the gridiron. Play by yourself 989 7 8" 
or online against your most detested rivals. With online features like leaderboards, in-game k s 
chat, tournaments and a live sports ticker, you'll soon be bagging a few mascots of your own. 





Product" label is the property of the Independent Labeling Group. All names, logos, team icons and mascots associated with the NCAA, universities, bowls and conferences are the 
Entertainment America Inc. ©2003 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Online icon is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Online play requires Internet 


www. 989 SPORTS:com 


the ultimate 
countdouun 





A SA 7 


HE ULTIMATE ‘2, 
VIDEOGAME “`à. 
COUNTDOWN т 


EGM and MTV form unholy alliance, inspire key 18- to 34-year- 
old demographic to Rock the Vote and choose top 15 games 


K, hold everything, hotshot. 
We need to address a few 
things. Yes, EGM will have a 


show on MTV. Contrary to online 
rumors, it will not be hosted by a 
robotic Downtown Julie Brown. And SS 
we're applying a loose interpretation 
to the term "ultimate videogame"— 
this list is more about the most popu- 
lar and influential games of this con- 
sole generation, because "Ultimate 
Videogame Countdown of Games That 
Came Qut Since Late 2000" wouldn't 
fit in TV Guide. But wait! As an added 
bonus unavailable to illiterate televi- 
sion viewers, we're also including a 
sneak peek at upcoming sequels for 
each game! 

Of course, lists like this tend to gen- 
erate controversy, and by controversy 
we really mean hate mail. Apologies in 
advance to the legions of Dr. Muto and 
Turok fans out there—your respective 
favorites didn’t make the list. Don’t 
blame us, though; the games here 
were ranked by EGM readers and MTV 
viewers. You voted! So go ahead 
and write that angry letter, but 








































Hey subscribers, tune your televisual receiver to the 
МТУ broadcast station on January 2 at 9 p.m. EST to 
see EGM and MTV's Ultimate Videogame Countdown 
show. Johnny-come-lately newsstand buyers, if you 
missed the show, don't despair! They're rerunning it 
every hour on the hour, or so we've been led to believe. 
EGM's own Seanbaby is master of ceremonies! Don't 
adjust your set; his hair really looks like that. 





90 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


DANCE DANCE 
REVOLUTION (SERIES) 


PS2, XB, Arcade • Konami — Oprah doing the macarena? 
Swing craze? Riverdance? Nope, it took a videogame to 
turn a legion of career wallflowers into hip-shakin’, 
dancin' idiots—er, experts. The DDR phenomenon may 
have started in arcades, but its combination of no-look 
dance routines and profuse sweating has since 
migrated to your living room, and even into some 
school PE classes. It's the new Jazzercise 

Ultimate moment: Seeing a West Side Story-style DDR 
“gang,” complete with matching satin jackets, file into the 
arcade and commence to steppin’. (Hit ddrfreak.com for your 
DDR voyeurism needs.) Those about to dance, we salute you. 











What's next? New PlayStation 2 and Xbox Dance 
Dance Revolution installments are scheduled for the 


future, in addition to downloadable song packs for 
Ultramix (XB). And if fans cotton to Ultramix's online 
play, the feature may even turn up on a DDR for PS2. 





What's. деж? | 
Sony, claims thata |. 
r Turismo 4, due 

in mid-2004, will 
replicate car racing 
more realistically 


PS2 * Sony CEA — The fact that we're still comparing 7 ў 4 я werin addi- 
every new racing game to Gran Turismo 3—which came out ved š 
two and a half years ago—is a little scary. But you got any D >) а 2 | handling and more- 
better ideas? Gran Turismo's influence even extends beyond у x human A-L, longs 
videogamedom; former Mitsubishi CEO Takashi Kiuchi told š 3 а awaited online play 
Reuters, “Gran Turismo played a huge role in our decision to ] я б pads out the stan- 
launch the Lancer Evolution in the United States." GT's suc- 5 dard equipment. 
cess probably helped convince Nissan to bring the next i У я | Vehicle damage and 
Skyline GT-R here, too, though we're in for a wait: It won't | а 11 online voice chat 
launch until 2007. > š ~ remain on the Gran 


Ultimate moment: Buying the car you own in real life, then 1 Ë я ; i Turismo 5 wish list. 
tacking on a stage-three turbo, tuned suspension, and slicks. $ И 
So that's what driving to the store at 150 mph would be like. 


NBA STREET (SERIES) 


PS2, XB, GC • EA Sports Big — Like mass extinctions and 
the price of pork bellies, over-the-top sports games are 
cyclical. The NBA Street series is the latest take on the 
boomshakalaka formula to inspire a host of imitators, and 
not only on the basketball court: MLB Slugfest, NFL Street, 
Freestyle Street Soccer, and NBA Ballers are just some of 
the games looking to move in on Street's turf. 

Ultimate moment: Any given moment playing Street against 
another human is pretty ultimate, but blocking 20-plus shots 
and ending it all with a double game breaker is extra ulti- 
mate—double extra ultimate if you're playing for money. 


What's next? 

EA Big's brand of b-ball is 
heading back to the 
courts before the end of 
2004. Our inside spies 


report that NBA Street Vol. 3's 

most attractive new feature is 

online play. The least attractive new 
feature is the unlockable Queer Eye for 
the Straight Guy all-star team. 





ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com • 91 


HaT Riu Butt 


the ultimate Каро Ны чш” 
7 arr 


countdouun 





WWESMACKDOWN!/ 
DEF JAM VENDETTA 
(SERIES) 


SmackDown • PS2 • THQ; Def Jam • PS2, XB, GC • EA 
Sports Big — We're lumping these two wrasslin’ games 
together because we can, mainly, but also because they rep- 
resent two vastly different—and excellent—takes on the 
same genre. The SmackDown! series is clearly the top con- 
tender among a field of otherwise scrubby WWE games, 
while Def Jam's battling rappers (and powder blue tracksuits) 
bring a whole new dynamic to a sometimes tired formula. 
Ultimate moment: Nothing tops that first gal-on-gal “bra 
and panties” match in the latest SmackDown!; Redman's 
nut-busting finishing move in Def Jam is also very satisfy- 
ing, but in a completely different way. 


What's next? Smackdown's developers are hard at 
work makin' the next game playable online—a 


wrestling first. As for Def Jam Vendetta 2, we've heard 
it'll take place іп a free-roaming, Grand Theft Auto-style 
setting. Expect it in late 2004/early 2005. 








“kb [ш 
TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL 


PS2, XB, GC • Ubisoft — Sam Fisher: wily secret agent and 
deep-cover operative for the Lightbulb Retailers Association 
of America (the only reasonable explanation for all the light 
fixtures he destroys, ostensibly in the interest of efficient 
Skulking). He'll sneak right into your heart. Then blow it up. 


Ultimate moment: Near the end of the game, 
five guards surround you and it looks like your 
espionage days are over. But one momentary 

power failure later, you take out your would-be 
captors in a few seconds of night-vision mayhem. 












PS2, XB, GC * Activision 02 — The reign- 
ing king of frantic, free-form action-sports 
gameplay was starting to look a little slow 
on the draw and low in the ollie, but then 
Tony Hawk's Underground came out and 
gave the series a needed boot in the baggy 
pants. How many aspiring game designers 
pitch their genius idea as “Tony Hawk 


4,468 X S 
aria! Heelflip + Airwalk * BS Revert + Nollie + 
Tailgrab > 


92 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY « www.egmmag.com 





vae 


ane 






b i 


What's next? Sam might be older 
than your average gaming hero, but he 
ain't retiring anytime soon. The oddly 
named Cell sequel Pandora Tomorrow 
hits all three consoles in 2004, adding 
outdoor environments, branching 
paths through levels, and a wild new 
online multiplayer game. 


TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER (SERIES) 


meets X"? Just about every last one of 
them. Even the French. 

Ultimate moment: THPS3 was the first 
game to take PlayStation 2 online, so that's 
fairly ultimate. But it's trumped by 
Underground's put-your-face-in-the-game 
feature (PS2 only), which lets gamers create 
their own skating doppelganger. 


What's next? The crew at developer 
Neversoft is in recovery mode (fractur- 
ing соссухеѕ on company president 
Joel Јемен 5 backyard skate ramp) 
now that THUG's out the door, but they 
did say they liked the latest game's 
online, player-focused direction, So 
expect more of that in a year or two. 


Platinum #232810-2 
Cobalt #232807-8 
Нате #236574-0 
Onyx #236575-1 
$99.99 each 


WITH SPECIALLY + 
DESIGNED GAMES. 


Nintendo GameCube/ 
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#217030-6 $14.99 


е бате Boy Advance 
Indigo #201794-5 
L| Glacier #201798-6 $69.99 each 


ODS 


GEAR 
ING 
~ 


PLAYER'S GUIDE 
AVAILABLE 





11236564 $29.99 #235919-8 $29.99 


Call 1-800-800-5166 for the store nearest you or visit us at www.ebgames.com 


#235923-0 $29.99 


the ultimate 
countdouun 


b=. Dai 


PS2, XB, GC • EA Sports — Madden's 
| not even а game anymore—it's a cul- 
tural phenomenon riding on the back of 
an entertainment juggernaut that's 
hitched to a runaway cash cow. The lat- 
- est iteration sold over 2 million copies in 
а month, putting 2004 on track to earn 
more money than all but the most 
blockbusting Hollywood movies. The 
game is even used for diagramming 
plays on ESPN's £A Sports NFL 
Matchup, which must really stick in the 
craw of the guys who made the also 
rather good ESPN NFL Football. 
Ultimate moment: Blaming your poor 
performance on the quarterback's obvi- 
ous lack of concentration while playing 
against your best friend...who’s online, 
tanning your hide from six states away. 


What's next? This just in: no Madden 
in 2004! The big guy's just had 

_ enough. OK, not really. Currently, 
mum's the word over at the develop- 

 er's training camp, but we'll be 

. shocked if an online franchise mode 
doesn't arrive next season. Don't bet 
on a first-person gameplay option, à la 
ESPN NFL, though. 















SOULCALIBUR И 


PS2, XB, GC * Namco — Don't Calibur's for the people—it's 


even try to make sense of the available on all three consoles, 
obtuse backstory—just accept and each version has a unique 
that a zombie pirate, French playable character. It’s an intense- 


aristocrat, impossibly busty ly deep fighter that'll leave your 
ninja, and Nintendo's own elfin thumbs (and sometimes your ego) 
name-taking ass-kicker, Link, black and blue. |- 
have started up a private Ultimate moment: Tie: Playing a 
little fight club. But worthy competitor in an eight- 
unlike the last Soul fighter team battle that finally 
Calibur, which was ends in a simultaneous double 
exclusive to Sega's knockout; learning Ivy's Criminal 
now-defunct Symphony throw, the game's 
Dreamcast, this most powerful move. 


What's next? We've heard Soul Calibur tweaks, rumor has it SC3 will put a lot of 
lil may not be out until 2005, and since emphasis on new modes (perhaps like 


arcades will be extinct by then, it'll head Virtua Fighter 4's deep character-build- 
straight to consoles. Besides the expect- ing single-player game) and have online 
ed new characters and gameplay: play. Hold me! 





94 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.egmmag.com 





Fly where no Jet has gane before. After conquering the skles, 
break through the earth's atmasphere and take on the universe. 
With over 130 planes to choose from, 60 missions, a full crew 
of playable pllats, and Logitech®? Filght Force™ flight stick 
support, HirFarce Delta Strike defies the limits. 


Mild Language PlayStation.2 KONAMI 


Violence 


Д www.konami.com/usa 


KONAMIO and Airforce Delta Strike?" are either registered trademarks or trademarks of KONAMI CORPORATION, ©2004 KONAMI & Konami Computer Entertainment Studios. Lockheed Martin Trademarks used under license to Konami Corporation. 
Produced under license from Boeing Management Company, Produced under a license from Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation. Produced under license from BAE SYSTEMS PLC, Certain Aircraft names and designs are protected by Trade Marks, 
copyright and other rights owned by ВАЕ SYSTEMS PLC and its partners and are not to be reproduced except as permitted by the license without the prior written consent of ВАЕ SYSTEMS PLC. With support of JGSDF, JMSDF, and JASDF. ©2004 
Logitech. All rights reserved. Logitech, the Logitech logo and other Logitech marks are owned by Logitech and may be registered. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered 
trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of tlre Entertainment Software Association. 










г 


T 


\ 
SUPER MARIO (SERIES) < | @ 


GC * Nintendo — He's the kind of squeaky-clean mascot 
(despite the 'shroom addiction) who wouldn't pass today's 
focus-group gristmill—unless he was enhanced with a 
plumber's crack and a squad of belly-baring tool-girl assistants. 
But Mario remains an icon, stirring nostalgia in even fair- 
weather Nintendo fans, as recent GBA remakes rekindled fuzzy 
feelings for the classic originals. Even if the mustache man’s 
latest console outing—Super Mario Sunshine—doesn't please 
everyone, only a hater would claim it ain't fun. 

Ultimate moment: Clearing all 96 levels in Super Mario 
World: Super Mario Advance 2, the largest game in the series. 





CUS MUS One. 





ФХР 


METAL GEAR SOLID 2 
SONS OF LIBERTY 





PS2, XB * Konami — Bisexual vampires, pseudo-incestu- gameplay filled with taught spy-thriller moments and clever 

ous relationships, morbidly obese bomb enthusiasts on boss battles. Just to hurt your brain, the PS2 version of 

roller blades—by criminy, Metal Gear Solid 2 is crammed MGS2: Substance even has a skateboarding minigame. 

with stuff that'd put dollar signs in Jerry Springer's eyes. Ultimate moment: Finally wrapping your head around the 

But if you can look past the freak-show cast, an over- ultimate plot twist: That MGS2 is really a simulation of 

wrought and preachy plot, and girlie hero Raiden (who MGS1, and you've just been playing a game within а game : 
replaces mucho macho series hero Solid Snake for much designed to trap Solid Snake for his enemies. Hey, isn't that 

of the game), you're rewarded with ingeniously designed how St. Elsewhere ended? 


96 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


Е Star ГЕ all of the Story Mod š Do whatever it takes — run, climb, and 


тё" stars You ee skate movies alongside the pros. of: ourse, skate — to make it to the top. 
punk out to make it big. 3i У би“ ' 


е Experience May 
Change During Online Play. 


“5 out of 5” 


— Maxim Magazine 


W (ТП ABLE 


1 ЕТ 


Vicarious’ 
Visions 


«9,2003 Activision, Inc. and its а о. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is а registered trademark and THUG is trademark of 
Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights reserved. Tony Hawk is a trademark of Tony Hawk. PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox versions developed by Neversoft 
Entertainment, Inc. Game Boy Advance version developed by Vicarious Visions. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer 
Entertainment Inc. Online play requires internet connection and Network Adaptor for PlayStation 2 (sold separately). Online icon 18 a trademark of Sony Computer 
Entertainment America Inc. TM, ® Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube 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 are used under license from Microsoft. 
GameSpy and the “Powered by GameSpy” design are trademarks of GameSpy Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the 
Entertainment Software Association, All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners, Maxim Magazine © Dennis Publishing, Inc. 


ATeT Wireless 


ACTIVISION. 





the ultimate 
countdouun 


PS2, XB • Rockstar — It's a filthy dirty 
porno game that's training kids how to do 
filthy dirty things, or so says your mom, the 
PTA, and that publicity-hounding lawyer you 
see on CNN trying to outlaw fun. To every- 
one else—or more like the 11 million 
gamers who play it—the Grand Theft Auto 


7 4 


PS2 * Square Enix — It's got dun- 
geons. It's got dragons. It's got eight- 
foot-tall chickens you can saddle up 
and ride. Yet despite such trappings of 
role-playing dorkdom, the Final Fantasy 
series has evolved into a mass-appeal 
franchise you can discuss in public 
without getting pummeled for your latte 
money. Maybe it's the Hollywood-cal- 
iber production values or the hot- 
` chick characters—or the prissy- 
Iys-who-look-like-hot-chick 
characters—that has driven 
his long-running series’ 
| my ass) appeal among 
ners, many of whom don 
laborate costumes that com- 
ine sashes, Spandex, and cel- 
lite in ways that defy imagi- 
like to think 


which ends on a bi 
пагас! t 


batti 


GRAND THEFT AVTO 


( * www.egmm. 
73% 





series is the ultimate adults-only (scram, 
you kids!) freedom kit. Both G7A3 and its 
acid-washed '80s-themed sequel Vice City 
turn players loose in living, sprawling cities 
where they can get away with actions— 
from launching stolen cars off 10-story 
buildings to hosting flamethrower barbe- 


SERIES N 


fe y 


` + 





(SERIES) 


cues—that in real life would land 'em in the 
Clink lickety-split. It's a fun world to visit. We 


just wouldn't want to live there. 


Ultimate moment: Why, driving within the 


speed limit and kindly giving pedestrians 
the right of way, of course. (Just go with 
it—that CNN guy might be watching.) 


What’s next? Four-player Fantasy 

. action is just around the corner when 
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (GC) 
comes out in February, and the first 


. online Fantasy, ХІ, plugs into PlayStation 
2this March. Further out on the horizon, 
look forward to Final Fantasy XII (scope 


What's next? Here's the latest in 
Grand Theft Rumorin', The next GTA 
may take place in the '70s. It might be 
called GTA: Sin City (think Las Vegas). 
And you may never see a proper GTA4 
because Rockstar may be dropping the 
numbers thing altogether (so Sin City 
is in effect СТА5, with Vice City being 
GTA4). Can we tell you anything useful 
at all? Nope, 'cept Rockstar has con- 
firmed the next game will be out in 
2004. And the only reason we know 
that is because we've been sifting 
through their dumpster. 





the full scoop on this upcoming PS2 title 
on page 30) and Final Fantasy VII: Advent 
Children, an original CG-animated film 
that continues the story of FFVII (release 
date unknown). Beyond that? We're out 
of mana, but expect a few more 
surprises in 2004.... 





THE SIMS (SERIES) 


PS2, XB, GC * EA Games — Trust PC 
gamers to embrace a bodily function and 
personal-hygiene simulator with rabid, cult- 
like fervor, but who knew The Sims would 
be just as big a hit on consoles? Maybe it's 
the all-new multiplayer modes or The Sims: 
Bustin’ Out's expanded career tracks (who. 
doesn't want to be a Mad Scientist?) or, 
more likely, the voyeuristic thrill of seeing 
virtual folks being as slutty—or chaste—as 
we wanna be. The Sims isn't just a дате, 
though; it's a chance to try things you don't 


have the guts to pull off in real life—like 
putting the moves on creepy-yet-slinky 
Bella Goth in the hot tub while her husband, 
Mortimer, holds a séance in the next room, 
or quitting your day job in favor of 24/7 gar- 
den-gnome production for fun and profit. 
Ultimate moment: It's kind of fitting that 
in a game about life, the ultimate moment 
is death—be it by electrocution, starva- 
tion, or man-eating Venus flytrap. The 
Sims experience isn't complete until 
you've kicked the bucket at least once. 

















XB * Microsoft — 
Ask any kid what he (or 
she!) wants to be when he 
grows up and every last 
one of the little terrors 
gives the same answer: 
cybernetic space marine. 
Blame Halo for inspiring a 
new generation of glorified 
pest exterminators. The 
game that sold a few mil- 
lion Xboxes is still the best 
first-person shooter you 
can play from the comfort 
of your La-Z-Boy, and it’s 
even better with a few (or a dozen) like- 
minded wannabe-space-marine friends. 
Dead-on controls, an epic story, and devi- 
ously smart enemies—well, smart for alien 
bugs at least—are just a small part of 
Halo's greatness. 
Ultimate moment: The Silent Cartographer 
level has to be one of our favorites in any 
game, ever. It kicks off with a Normandy- 
like beach invasion, followed by general 
tear-assing around in a Warthog jeep with 
your rowdy marine pals, and then it's a 
great mix of indoor and outdoor action, cul- 
minating in a showdown with a one-hit- 
and-you're-dead blade-wielding alien. But 
for the expert snipers out there, beating 
Halo on the Legendary difficulty setting is 
the ultimate bragging right. 















ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com • 99 





ке N ча 
GC • Nintendo — This little Link has legs, and we're not 
THE LEGEND talking about the ones wearing the booties—Nintendo's tales 
of elfin heroism in the face of unspeakable evil just never 
seem to get old. When we first heard that an upcoming Zelda 
adventure would star a young, cartoony-looking Link, we 
grumbled with the worst of them. Then Wind Waker came 


out. Aside from some boring moments piloting a dinghy, it is 
nearly perfect. Seeing as how the Zelda series ran away with 


the popular vote and Link's cameo in the Cube version of 





Soul Calibur Il helped make that game a best-seller, we're 
apparently not the only ones in touch with our inner elf. 
Ultimate moment: In Wind Waker, it has to be your first 
visit to Hyrule Castle, which is on the ocean floor, frozen in 
time. Everything is black and white, with statue-like guards 
caught in midarmpit scratch. It's one of the eeriest 
moments in any game we've ever played. And then you pull 
the Master Sword from the stone, time starts ticking again, 
and all hell breaks loose... 













~ P freevibe.com 


Just tell your parents you were stoned. They'll un rstand 


Я (ЙЕ 
YOUR ANTI-DRUG. 


[rie |sipioin 








DIRECTORY 


revieW Crew 


your monthly guide to gaming's winners and Losers 


MULTIPLATFORM 


102 Max Payne 2: 
The Fall of Max Payne 


106 Spy Hunter 2 
106 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 
Sonic Heroes 


108 






A 
Dive Right In 
Did you miss 
the prequel? 
Here's a quick 
recap: Pushers 
of a new drug 
called Valkyr 
murdered 
Payne's wife 
and daughter. 
After a bit of 
existential 
moping, Max 
transfers to the 
DEA and 
infiltrates the 
pushers’ 
organization. 
Then his cover 
is blown, so he 
grabs his guns 
and slaughters 
every last one 
of the dirty 
drug dealers. 








110 Mission: Impossible 
Operation Surma 


W When Mona Sax 
attacks, people die! 


MAX PAYNE 2: Ó - 


110 Monster 4x4: Masters of Metal 112 


111 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance || 114 


№ Max Payne squints 


in the face of death 


and dishonor. 


PLAYSTATION 2 
Maximo vs. Army of Zin 


114 Fatal Frame Il: 
Crimson Butterfly 


American Idol 
118 Manhunt 


120 


122 


Everquest Online 
Adventures: Frontiers 


120 Lowrider 
-hack Part 4: Quarantine 





+ 


T 
0 





THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE 


He can even dodge the sophomore slump 


PAUL: Max Payne’s first adventure was a simple 
quest for revenge (see sidebar), with just enough 
film noir flavor to keep us interested in the grim 
widower's slow-motion third-person gunplay. But 
this time, Payne is both hard-boiled and soft- 
hearted. This sequel should've been subtitled The 
Rise of Little Max Payne—the rogue cop's 
fascination with sexy assassin Mona Sax drives a 
much more compelling story. 

Across the board, Payne 2 is vastly improved. 

Peep this appropriately bullet-pointed list: 

* It’s written better. Max's ridiculous mixed 
metaphors are gone, replaced by a lot of sharp, 
funny, very well-acted dialogue. 

* The world is more convincing. Bodies fly and 
sprawl realistically. Excellent level design keeps 
combat interesting: Apartments and warehouses 


102 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


look just right, yet they cleverly steer the player 
toward goals, battles, and major events. 

* Bullet time is cooler. An efficient slow-mo 
killing spree puts Max deeper into the zone, 
making his enemies even slower and triggering 
flashy balletic reloading animations. Now we 
have incentive to continue a rampage rather 
than playing it safe. 

Like its hero, Payne 2 scores more hits than it 

suffers, but it does sustain these flesh wounds: 

• The platforming sections suck. Maybe The 
Fall of Max Payne is apropos, after all. 

* Characters are sometimes blocky and 
jagged. Check out the claws on Winterson, 
Payne’s bitchy partner! 

More bad guys would help. Future Paynes 
need more boss characters as relief from 


shooting endless 


minions. 


But the game's so 
great, how can | hate? 
Memorable scenes 


abound, like when 


you (as Mona) 
cover Max 








XBOX 

122 Carve 

124 Deus Ex: The Invisible War 
126 Counter-Strike 


“Cut myself shaving.” 





from various sniper perches around a 
construction site. Max and Mona’s in-game 
conversation conveys all the instructions you 
need without interrupting the action. Other 
games’ text hints and heavy-handed cut-scenes 
seem downright primitive by comparison. 

Little incidental scenes are crafted with equal 
care. For example, in one level, three Italian 
mobsters mistook me for an ally and helped me 
fight a bunch of Russians. Then a fourth mobster 
joined us and recognized me, so | slaughtered my 
ex-allies in sweet slow motion. It didn’t affect the 
game's overall plot one whit, but it made the 
experience more believable, more compelling. 

Fun, smart, and polished, Max Payne 215 
everything a sequel should be. 


GAMECUBE 
127 Pokémon Channel 


GAME BOY ADVANCE 
128 Sword of Mana 


128 Yu Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective 


129 Max Payne 


Here at EGM, we only review 
games that have been deemed 


final and reviewable by their 
[AD JÎ publishers. Three editors review 
(ТЛА each game independently, and 

don’t forget: 5.0 IS AVERAGE. 


AWARDS 


E 
«2 

САМЕ OF SHAME OF 

THe MONTH THE MONTH 


Gold—for | Silver — This goes to | A rare 
games with | for games | the highest- | dishonor for 
an average with a mean | reviewed games with 
score of 9.0 | score of 8.0 | game each unanimously 
or higher. (but not 9.0). | month. bad scores. 


Platinum — 
for games 
that get all 
10s. These 
games rule. 


ESRB KEY (Also check out www.esrb.com) 


Whereas these games 
typically offer all the 
gore, sex, drugs, and fun 
of R-rated fare. 


Wholesome fun for the 
whole family, devoid of 
hookers, head shots, or 
heroin use. 


Like PG-13 movies, Teen 
games usually feature 
mild violence and 
“comic mischief.” 


















He may be outnumbered, but with an 
Ingram machine pistol in each hand spitting bullet 
casings like brass confetti, Max Payne isn’t 
outgunned. Lunging and lighting up targets may 
seem like more of the same, but the difference is 
in the details, such as the shower of sparks from 
ricocheting shots or the guy who crashes through 
a cabinet, sending boxes and bottles flying when 
a shotgun blast sweeps him off his feet. This is 
bullet time at its best. Graphics, gameplay, А! — 


everything that matters has been improved, and 
even those who found the first game a bit dull 
should have a bloody good time with the sequel. 
Payne 215 just as gripping when your guns 
aren't blazing. Characterization unfolds in mature, 
clever ways, from overheard wiretap phone-sex 
tapes to a surprisingly well-handled love scene. 
Max’s descent into madness is believable and 
riveting, and you're living through it. | 
Like its so-called hero, however, the game has > | 





| 


ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • wwW.egmmag.com • 103 





review crew: 
multiplatform 










a few issues. Losing progress because you've 
fallen from a ledge (just one of a dozen faces of 
instant death) is infuriating. But, like Paul, I'm 
willing to forgive Payne 2's problems when the 
rest of the game is so damned good. 


GMR—TOM: The first Max Payne never truly 
delivered on its promise of a dark and опну 
cinematic experience, probably due to the 
amateurishly purple prose (we all can't be James 
Ellroy, now can we?) and the overall lack of that 
extra layer of polish. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max 
Payne delivers on that promise with much more 
professional writing, superbly directed cut- 
scenes, and some awesome level design. One 
spectacular level—a tense fun-house shootout— 





Meet the Perps 























is worthy of some sort of award for being so 
creatively bizarre and scary а the same time. 

Thankfully, Max Payne 2 doesn’t tweak the 
mechanics of the game too much. After all, that’s 
what worked in the first game. Bullet time has 
been slightly enhanced (you get bonus time as 
you kill more guys), but otherwise, most of the 
changes are to the presentation. 

As a result, Payne 215 far more satisfying than 
its predecessor. In fact, it's one of the most 
satisfying story-driven shooters you can play right 
now, as well as the latest success in the drive to 
make games as deep and engaging as movies. 
There's sex, drugs, and instead of rock 'n' roll, lots 
and lots of violence. But hell, that's the 
way we like it. 


Mona Sax: А hired gun. Who is Vladimir Lem: He's into some Alfred Woden: Senator and 
she working for, and what does shady business, but he's been member of a secret society, 
investigate crimes so much as she want? Didn't she die in the a good friend to Max. Prone to Woden helps Max with 
he finds those (probably) first game? Will she and Max philosophizing in a ridiculous influence and info...when it 
responsible and shoots them. get it on? (Yes.) Russian accent. suits his purposes. 


Good: Top-notch voice acting 
Bad: Too many instant-death situations 


Possibly the First: Nongratuitous sex scene in a game 





104 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.egmmag.com 


Pilblisher: Rockstar 
Developer: Remedy 


THE VERDICTS 
(QUT OF 10) 





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Apparently t 


Good: Boy...we'll get back to you on that 


Bad: Graphics, level design, gameplay, fundamental concept 
Percentage of All Spies Who Are British: 90 


DEMIAN: Let's say, hypothetically, that 
it's always been a private dream of mine 
to pilot a car that turns into a snowmo- 
bile that turns into a tricycle. Spy Hunter 
2 fulfilled that dream | never actually 
had, and then, like a wish-granting evil 
genie, made it horrible. 

Yes, you do indeed drive a super- 
transforming car that would make a 
good love interest for Knight Rider's 
K.I.T.T., and you do hunt spies, technical- 
ly. But now that | know that all spy hunt- 
ing really entails is driving around drab, 
boring levels, shooting anything that 
moves, and restarting yet again until you 
figure out just what it is you're supposed 
to accomplish, I'm no longer interested 
in it as a career. 

Even versus mode isn't very enjoyable, 
since there's no four-player support and 
deathmatch is the only option. Two-play- 
er co-op mode (the gunner controls a 
roof-mounted turret) is the best part, but 
that's relative—it's still not actually good. 


Leave the spies to their own amazingly 
miniaturized devices, 1 say. They ain't 
worth huntin'. 


DEMIAN SHAWN 


SPY HUNTER 2 


Tie up the hounds, call off the hunt 






SHAWN: Equipped to ride 

through wilderness, over water, and on 
two wheels, the G-8155 Interceptor 
seems like the ultimate spy utility vehi- 
cle. Shaking chasers with smoke screens 
and oil slicks is satisfying, and the 
game's responsive controls compensate 
for lusterless graphics. But, same as any 
SUV restricted to the beaten path, 
unbending laws curb this supercar's 
potential. Without the ability to transform 
when you want, Spy Hunter 2's confining 
missions are just too monotonous. 


OFFICIAL PS MAG—CHRIS B: Whereas 
Midway's original reinvention of its clas- 
Sic '80s franchise blew me away, Spy 
Hunter 2 disappoints big time. Though 
Still basically fun and boasting impres- 
Sively responsive controls, it does noth- 
ing to move the series forward and 
somehow manages to turn the last one's 
breakneck gameplay into a ho-hum 
action game. It's still worth a rental, but 
be prepared for the appallingly inconsis- 
tent difficulty (from incredibly easy to so 
hard you never want to play again). 


Publisher: Midway 

Developer: Rockstar San Diego 
Players: 1-2 

ESRB: Teen 


CHRIS B. 


www.midway.com 


106 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


TERMINATOR 3: 
RISE OF THE MACHINES 


No need to come back, Arnold 





ОО 
TERMINATORS 


4 


BN 


Г, # 


Good: Missions that expand 73's story line 
Bad: Uneventful fisticuffs with the Terminatrix 
On the Disc: A demo of the upcoming Terminator 3: Redemption 


EN's The Return of the King is а 
perfect example of a movie-based game 
done right. Rise of the Machines, however, 
demonstrates how it can go terribly 
wrong. What you get here is your every- 
day, run-of-the mill first-person shooter 
with very few bells and whistles other 
than repetitive one-liners taken from the 
Terminator films. Shoddy hand-to-hand 
combat interludes and below-average 
visuals don't help either. Except for mis- 
Sions that deviate from the flick's main 
events—such as playing out the scene 
where one of Arnold's kind kills John 
Connor—even the most devout Terminator 
followers will find few enticing elements 
in this four-hour trek. And don't expect 
much in terms of cool bonus material. 
Only one unlockable cut-scene—where 
you learn how Terminators adopted Mr. 
Schwarzenegger's physical appearance— 
is exclusive movie footage. You're better 
off sayin' “Hasta la vista, baby” to the 
game and picking up the T3 DVD. 


After scoring a hit with T3 the 
movie, Arnold immediately took a step 
back by lending his voice and likeness to 
T3 the game (granted, his backup career 
ain't too shabby). Problems abound in this 
mess: Enemies seemingly come out of the 
woodwork; missions end in the middle of 
firefights; lackluster level design and bor- 
ing mission objectives will leave you baf- 
fled; a horrible weapon-swapping system 
bogs down an already plodding game 
-..blah, | could go on. At least a couple of 
the unlockables are mildly interesting. All 
said, this is exactly the type of disaster 


THE VERDICTS 
(OUTOF 


BRYAN 


G. FORD 








“Now turn your head and cough, please.” 



























Arnold’s advisors should 
steer him clear of. 


I R: If you look in the back of the 
manual for Terminator 3, you'll see there 
are seven pages of credits. This begs the 
question: Did it really take several hundred 
people to make a game this bad? 735 
first-person shooting stages are plagued 
by poor controls, terrible level designs, 
brain-dead enemies, and just plain ugly 
graphics. And the third-person fighting 
portions are a joke, with hardly any move 
variety and a complete lack of depth. Even 
if you loved the movie, stay away from the 
game. Trust me, you won't regret it. 





Governor Arnie's intense hatred for 
California’s car tax comes to а head. 


Publisher: Atari 
Developer: Black 0ps 
Players: 1 

ESRB: Teen 


www.t3game.com 





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SONIC HEROES 


We can be heroes 


Ever since Sonic Adventure 2 (for GC and 
Sega Dreamcast), Sonic's status among the pan- 
theon of top-tier mascots has been in jeopardy. 
That ill-conceived title unsuccessfully tinkered 
with the traditionally speedy Sonic experience by 
forcing players to suffer through tedious crystal 
excavation and hovering stages that simply 
sucked. Nearly every review (be it critical or from 
li'l Jimmy the consumer) boiled down to "I just 
want to run!” Thankfully, Sonic’s handlers lis- 
tened: Heroes has the ‘hog doin’ what he does 
best in a rewarding return to form. 

Heroes' basic gameplay echoes the classic, 
side-scrolling Sonics of yore, but with an interest- 
ing twist—team play. The four teams you can 
choose from have minor differences (see below), 
but with each one, you're simultaneously control- 
ling three characters: one speedster, one power- 
house, and an annoying, chirpy one that flies. A 


simple button press switches leadership among 
the three guys, and the clever level designs basi- 
cally guarantee that you'll have to switch leaders 
in order to break a few walls and soar over pits to 
succeed. This constant switching seems confus- 
ing, clunky, and forced at first, but after a few lev- 
els, it becomes natural, and it's fun to experiment 
with different leaders to find new paths. Plus, by 
the time the gameplay clicks, the Milquetoast 
early levels give way to wildly cool areas that 
have you spinning through giant pinball 
machines, reversed-gravity haunted mansions, 
and stratospheric airship armadas. Heroes offers 
a surprisingly long experience (for a Sonic game), 
and it's one that gets better the longer you play. 
In classic Sonic fashion, the game looks spec- 
tacular, with dazzling Day-Glo colors, ultrasmooth 
movement (well, on GC and Xbox at least—scope 
the sidebar), and trippy effects: Every single stage 





explodes with breakneck speed, insane loops, 
absurd corkscrews, and other gravity-defying raz- 
zamatazz. It's a breathtakingly gorgeous game 
that's unmistakably Sonic. 

So, what's not to like? Mostly stuff that no 3D 
Sonic game has managed to get right, including 
an annoyingly touchy camera, lame bosses, and 
an overabundance of deaths caused by falling off 
edges. These issues seem almost endemic to the 
series at this point, but it'd be nice if a future 
update could clear 'ет up. Still, don't let these 
quibbles (or the hateful grumblings of the other 
reviewers) deter you—Heroes is worthy. 


I could go on and on about how Sonic just 
doesn't work well in 3D, but it wouldn't change 
anything. He's here to stay. Thankfully, most of 
what made the Adventure games a bore—in par- 
ticular, everything that didn't star Sonic or Tails— 


Meet the Teams 

From the game's outset, you 
can choose to play as one of 
four teams. АП of them have а 
similar mix of speedy, powerful, 
and airborne members, but 


you'll find that each group 
offers a slightly different gami 
play experience and story line. 
0f course, you'll have to finish 
the game with all four teams if 
you want to fight the true last 
boss and see the real ending.... 


Team Sonic — Ah, the old 
standbys.... Sonic, Tails, and 
Knuckles deliver a basic, bal- 
anced game. If you've played 
the Adventure titles, feel free 
to start out as these guys. 


108 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





T oF 
Team Rose — If you're new 
to 3D Sonic games, acclimate 
yourself with Amy Rose, 
Cream the Rabbit, and Big the 
Cat. Their game is a lot like 
Sonic’s, only much easier. 


Team Dark — If you're a vet- 
eran player, give this team of 
miscreants a try. Rouge, 
Shadow, and 0mega play the 
same levels as Sonic and 
Rose, but they're way harder. 





Team Chaotix — If you're 
looking for something com- 
pletely different, give these 
oddball castoffs a shot. Their 
levels have weird goals...like 
harvesting hermit crabs. 





THE VERDICTS 
(QUTOF 10) 








CJ 


Publisher: Sega 
Developer: Sonic Team 
Players: 1-2 

ESRB: Everyone 


www.sega.com 


is gone, and as a result, Heroes plays more like 
the balls-to-the-wall Sega Genesis Sonics. It’s 
even got a classic-style casino stage, something 
that the previous 3D efforts didn’t even dare to 
try. But for each brave step forward, it takes a few 
back. Racing full speed through stages that take 
10 or more minutes to complete while constantly 
switching characters for the most mundane of 
tasks becomes exhausting. 

It's even worse when you consider that you 
have to play through the same stages four times 
(once with each team) to get the real ending. | 
don't have the patience for it, especially when the 
terrible camera and hit-or-miss lock-on attacks 
that leave you plunging to your doom (and spelled 
trouble in the last two Sonics) still haven’t been 
adequately addressed, 

Once at the forefront of platforming action, the 
Sonic series hasn't aged well. And while Heroes is 





better in some respects than the last two, it still 
leaves me disappointed. 


JOHN В: For a character as recognizable and sym- 
bolic as Sonic the Hedgehog, you'd think Sega 
would spend a little more time polishing each of 
his adventures before shipping them to stores. 
Sadly, this is not the case. As with the previous 
two 3D Sonic outings, Sonic Heroes is a solid plat- 
former that could've been a lot better if the devel- 
pers had spent more time balancing the levels 
and tweaking the unbelievably frustrating camera. 
The team-based gameplay is interesting 
enough, but instead of having four separate 
teams, three of which play virtually identically, 
Sega should've just stuck with Team Sonic and 
focused on making it a more cohesive, enjoyable 
experience. The one team that does play differ- 
ently—the exploration-based Team Chaotix—isn't 





№ Heroes’ bonus 
stages fill your 

screen with psy- 
chedelic insanity. 































even fun, as Heroes’ stages were clearly 
designed for speed, not adventuring. 

That said, it is nice to have a Sonic 
game with a bit of real depth to it. 
Switching forma- 
tions requires careful 
consideration, making 
Heroes more than just 
another glorified 
roller-coaster ride. 
But given that the 
horrendous camera 
disrupts the flow of the 
game more often than 
not, I’m not sure it mat- 
ters. And one more 
thing—the whiny 
preschool voices really 
have to go. 


Sorry, PS2 
Which version 
of Heroes 
should you get? 
The GC and XB 
versions look 
fantastic. The 
PS2 version, 
however, chugs 
along at about 


of the others, 
sports longer 
loading times, 
and somehow 
even sounds 
Avoid it 


ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com • 109 


review crew: 
multiplatform 


MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 


OPERATION SURMA 


It's not only possible, bu 


also pretty entertaining 


MONSTER 4X4: 
MASTERS OF METAL 


Redneck Rampage 


ΠThe bigger the wheels, the closer to God. 





110 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


Good: The high-wire sneaking scenes are tense and fun 


Bad: Clunky shooting sequences 
No Sign of: Tom Cruise 


б. FORD: Talk about an impossible mis- 
sion—who thought developer Paradigm 
could craft a compelling game out of a 
license that no one’s cared about for three 
years? Well it has, partially thanks to the 
way the MI franchise naturally lends itself 
to the stealth genre, and partially due to the 
fact that it features an intriguing stop-the- 
evil-corporation story (told through some 
nice cut-scenes). 

Operation Surma really nails the MI feel 
with the ubiquitous theme song and the 
dangling high-wire scenes. Adding to the 
slick atmosphere are solid controls and a 
bushel of useful items—such as a wasp- 
sized camera and a sonic imager that lets 
you see through walls. The game, however, 
is not without holes. When you trip alarms, 
enemies start popping out of nowhere, and 
the skydiving scenes are more frustrating 
than thrilling. Also, the game’s over-the- 
shoulder shooting style never feels as 
responsive or quick as it should. And 
though most of the game is well balanced, 
the last few missions become unfairly hard. 
But all these problems are easy enough to 
overlook. A fine effort, indeed. 


THE VERDICTS 


G. FORD PAUL 


Good: Terrific truck physics 
Bad: Camera goes wonky wht 
Mullets: Not included 


When a mafia don paid me to race 
my mammoth truck through Central Park 
for his pleasure, | came to the following 
conclusion: Intercepted pay-per-view pro- 
grams inspired aliens in the Alpha Centauri 
system to make Monster 4x4. How else can 
you explain Masters of Metal’s creepy 
announcer—he sounds more like a fey ESL 
student than a hoarse emcee with too 
much reverb on his mic (ya know, “Sunday, 
Sunday, Sunday!”). Anyone who actually 
enjoys the world of monster trucking will 
instantly realize that this game seriously 
lacks authenticity. 

Despite its rudimentary grasp of redneck 
Culture, Masters of Metal manages to nail 
the handling and physics of the massive 
machines, even if its brand of big wheelin’ 
won't convert new followers. (A standard 
racing game this most certainly is not.) It 
does deserve credit, however, for a layout 
that lets you pick up the points you need to 
proceed by doing donuts in exhibitions 
instead of rerunning flubbed races, 
although fans won't feel large and in 
charge as the camera goes haywire when 
their truck gets stuck in a wall. 


Š 
5 
8 


THE VERDICTS 





SHAWN DEMIAN 





GIANCARLO 


PAUL: Like the flicks, Mission: 

Impossible gives secret agent Ethan Hunt a 
gun and bagful of gadgets, then sics him 
on a supervillain. The spy toys are truly 
useful, and inventory management in 
Operation Surma is a breeze. Sidekick 
character Luther provides objectives and 
advances the story without breaking that 
cinematic vibe. Excellent. And уе! 

ly impossible to sneak around without get- 
ting caught, and shooting or stealth-killing 
alot of identical guards gets old, especially 
on your fifth or sixth attempt at a level. 


BRYAN: Unlike the crappy MI games of 
years past, this one doesn't self-destruct in 
five seconds. After years outta the gaming 
spotlight, Ethan Hunt takes on another 
impossible endeavor with all sorts of gad- 
getry that even 007 would envy, and you'll 
put each one to good use. And | gotta dis- 
agree with Mr. Ford about the missions. 1 
found most objectives—even the skydiving 
bits—to be quite entertaining. Still, some 
work remains, and next time Mr. Hunt could 
use cooler stealth attacks, less cumber- 
some controls, and brainier enemies. 

Publisher: Atari 

Developer: Paradigm 


Players: 1 
ESRB: Teen 


BRYAN 


www.atari.com 


trucks collide 


! second Shawn's 
space-aliens theory, and 1 would like to add 
that the main character, named Rookie, 
looks like a cross between Lyle Lovett and 
the dude from Eraserhead. Aside from that 
highlight, Monster 4x4 is just a cavalcade 
of nonsensical cut-scenes and subpar, 
glitchy driving designed to catch the eye of 
Wal-Mart shoppers. Events vary from 
indoor arena races to despoiling America's 
parklands, but with a curious lack of wan- 
ton car crushing. Sure, there's a little car 
crushing, but not wanton crushing, and 
that's what | want in a monster truck game. 





Masters 
of Metal does a fairly good job of capturing 
the glory of car smashing with open-circuit 
courses where you can plow through all 
sorts of objects in the environment with 
kick-ass trucks. Unfortunately, the tradition- 
al stadium tracks are pretty mundane in 
comparison, and АЈ. opponents don't offer 
much of a challenge (you can easily com- 
plete everything in a matter of hours). It's a 
fun little romp, but one that won't fully sate 
your hunger for mud-caked mayhem. 
Publisher: Ubisoft 
Developer: Ubisoft Barcelona 
Players: 1-2 
ESRB: Everyone 


www.ubisoft.com 


barge into other 
people's crypts. 





BALDUR'S GATE: 
DARK ALLIANCE || 


Wine, wenches, and warhammers 


Stick a Roman numeral on the end of your 
new game's title, and players start to expect cer- 
tain things: better gameplay, fewer annoyances, 
and more entertainment value than the original. 
That's why I'm scratching my head on why 
Interplay broke out the II for its latest bash-em-up. 
It's just as fun as the original Dark Alliance, but 
legitimate improvements are scarce. 

You can count all the original features here on 
one hand. There's a new item-creation system (see 
sidebar), you can switch weapons quickly with the 
control pad, the camera’s a bit less ornery...and 
that's it. The sense of déjà vu here is undeniable, 
especially since the Gauntlet-like gameplay is 
repetitive by nature. And why are we still limited to 
two players? That's a flaw in the previous game. 

Still, you can't fault Interplay for not fixing what 
ain't broken. Dark Alliance 115 still an addictive. 
spark of a game—the story's much deeper now, 
and there are dozens upon dozens of new levels to 
explore. Plus, there's something inexplicably enjoy- 





Uh, Say That Again, Please? 
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 
has а пате generator that ашотан- 
cally creates a Star Wars-y moniker 
for your character. There's no evi- 
dence that Interplay used a similar 
program to come up with names for 
Dark Alliance 1Р5 cast, but with exam- 
ples like Allessia Faithhammer, Ysuran 
Auondril, and Ulua Uoswiir, we sure 
hope no human devised 'em. 





able about building a godlike warrior through the 
massacre of goblins by the thousands. If you 
played the first Dark Alliance to death, though, then 
it might be better to wait for the similar-yet-online- 
enabled Champions of Norrath on PS2. 


The first Dark Alliance was a little bit of gam- 
ing sunshine, bringing Diablo-like hack-n-slash 
thrills from PC over to consoles. Too bad the origi- 
nal developers have since headed for the hills to 
work on Champions of Norrath for Sony, because 
they've apparently taken the fun with them. 

The epitome of a sophomore slump, Dark 
Alliance Il is immediately boring, painted with 
dated graphics and rife with dull, uninspired level 
design. Remember how critics said that the origi- 
nal was a great start, but that we'd expect more 
than just brainless action out of a sequel? Well, the 
first game is the pipe-smoking, monocle-twirling 
intellectual in this particular family. You'd get more 
entertainment by going back and beating the still 


9 Good girls don't Е 
have names like 
Luvia 








pretty nifty original again than by playing this 
unpolished mess. If you've got a PS2, hold out for 
Norrath. \f you've got an Xbox? Hold your breath. 





If Dark Alliance Il were a creature in the 
D&D Monster Manual, it'd be called the Yawnisian 
Mind Borer, and it would lure victims into repetitive 
dungeons, make them wander until they fell 
asleep, then swipe 50 gold from their wallets. 

So don't give this monster your cash unless your 
favorite part of the prequel—or any Diablo-style 
dungeon hacker—is building up your character. 
The lure of reaching that next experience level, 
earning a few new attacks, and donning niftier 
equipment was the only thing that kept me moti- 
vated (and then just barely) in this sequel. 
Dungeons are mostly dull mazes that sprawl too 
far and seem big just for the sake of being big, and 
you get stuck with too many fetch-the-mythical- 
gizmo quests. Face this monster of a game with а 
second player to increase your saving roll for fun. 





=! Kindly ignore the 
dead bodies around 
Randalla ВГл, 
please. 


~ 
A 
Р A 


EDU has a pretty > 


normal name...by shaman 
lizardman standards. 





(OUT OF 10) 





THE VERDICTS 








| | Publisher: Interplay 
Developer: Black Isle Studios 

Players: 1-2 

ESRB: Teen 


JOE CRISPIN 


www.interplay.com 


ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com • 111 





| The title isn’t kidding—Maximo literally fights an entire army of Zin robots. Like, a million of "ет, 


layStation 2 





MAXIMO 
VS. ARMY OF ZIN 


Not quite as charming the second time 


The original Maximo took a brave stab at 
bringing the classic 2D гип ’n’ jump gameplay of 
Capcom’s spooktacular Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts series 
into the modern age. It garnered fantastic reviews, 
but if you ask me, critics were overly kind to its 
faults—all that pinpoint platforming didn't trans- 
late well to the third dimension, the difficulty curve 
spiked erratically, and some levels were just plain 
dull. So, you'd think that Army of Zin would 
address all of these quibbles and perfect the for- 
mula, right? Wrong. 

Zin is actually a small step back for the fran- 
chise. Uninspired visuals provide the first clue that 
something is amiss: Nearly all of the stages bore 
with drab colors and lifeless backgrounds, and odd 
bouts of choppiness slow down the action. Plus, 
the characters look extremely simplistic and 
blocky, especially in close-up cut-scenes. 
Gameplay is much the same as in the first game— 
you run around thwacking enemies, collecting 
goodies, and rescuing damsels in distress. Most 


levels are linear treks from point A to point B, so 
the occasional creative diversion really stands out: 
More stages akin to those in which you fight along- 
side АЈ. comrades or bring down an iron airship 
would have infused some much-needed freshness. 
As it stands, you're basically beating up the same 
five enemies over and over, collecting money to 
buy a handful of new moves, and repeatedly dying 
during incredibly frustrating jumping bits. (Hey 
Capcom, what happened to toning down the plat- 
forming?) Rent it and get your fill. 


Call me nutty, but | thought sequels 
were supposed to improve on the games that pre- 
ceded them: you know, offer souped-up weapons, 
tweaked gameplay, new moves, yada, yada, yada. 
Army of Zin just doesn’t do the job. Killing ene- 
mies—mostly a motley crew of brain-dead 
robots—doesn't require any figuring out like in 
the prequel (one of that game's most endearing 
points). The levels aren't as interesting, either 


Dead and Loving It 

3 Army of Zin greatly expands the role of Grim, 
the lovable reaper of souls who befriended 
Maximo in the first game. Now as you destroy 
the evil, soul-fueled robots, you'll harvest their 


energy to build up your Soul meter. When it 
reaches its max and glows blue, press R1 to 
summon Grim. You control this invincible force 
of ultimate destruction for only a few scant sec- 
onds, but he can wreak serious havoc in that 
time. Highly recommended for boss battles. 








ay 





(although they sprawl toward the end and pack 
plenty of secrets), and you're forced to replay pre- 
vious stages just to build up your arsenal of 
attacks for the trickier later levels and bosses. 
The game does keep up the original’s compelling 
pace, with enemies swarming you nearly every 
step of the way. І never got bored—I just never 
got all that excited, either. 


I think Shane and Crispin forget just how 
annoying and numerous the tricky jumping bits 
were in the original Maximo. Zin’s platforming bits 
represent a huge improvement—they’re challeng- 
ing but not sadistic. And while | agree combat 
could've used more strategy (you'll forget you even 
have a block move), the new attacks and weapons 
you can earn kept me happily mashing buttons. Zin 
is old school in many ways, and it lacks a feature 
or gimmick that really stands out, but this is a solid 
entry to the genre that action-platform fans will 
definitely find worth checking out. 


ify 
ВУ ми 


(Below) You'll find some new gizmos in Zin’s final stages, like this robot- 
mincing turret. Yeah, it's hackneyed, but it’s a nice break from all the hacking. 





[ | Maximo's РА и make fighting mindless robots much easier. 





Publisher: Capcom 


Ë SH Developer: Capcom 
ol Players: 1 

Se ESRB: Teen 

=а 

we 

== 

= 


SHANE CRISPIN 


MARK 








www.capcom.com 





112 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


* All-new jungle warfare 


* New online multiplayer 
gameplay 


* New voice recognition 
and order system 


* Enhanced graphics; 
new threat indicator 
and command map; 
improved controls and 
aiming system 


+ JUNGLE STORM 
+, ~ "T Lenin t. ° и 
2 4 


) | РРА L 
onLine. 


BROADBAND ONLY UBISOFT: 


52389443 $49.99 № 


нез нан ш= шш пыш шн шш 


GET GHOST RECON: 

JUNGLE STORM FOR ONLY 

when you trade-in 4 non-sport PlayStation 2, 
ı Xbox or GameCube games. 


Limit one ре 


| valid on pre 


€SGAMES | 
ا‎ an 








We tried for а тоге 
exciting screenshot, but 
this is as good as it gets. 


PlayStation 2 


E IE era aE tian) D 7 


77 


AMERICAN IDOL „= 


Quite frankly, it's crap 


Ever wish the earsplitting, 
off-key vocals of the American Idol TV 
show would penetrate your gaming 
world? No? Then this isn't for you—and 
I'm really not sure who else would want 
to play it. In truth, you hardly "play" any- 
thing. Sure, there's some tapping along 
with Top 40 hits while your ugly charac- 
ter sings like a wannabe superstar (read: 
badly). And presumably, how accurately 
you tap determines how well your char- 
acter sings. But (in perhaps the game's 
most realistic moment) even when you 
do well, your singing still totally sucks. 
You can't preview the schmaltzy songs 
you have to perform or even find out who 
they're originally by—oh wait, it doesn’t 
matter whether or not you know the 
songs, since this game involves no actual 
singing! Don’t be fooled by its so-called 
karaoke mode—all you do is sing along 
(to yourself, unamplified) with an instru- 
mental track. 

I'm giving it points only because it 
technically works when you put it in your 
PlayStation 2. But don't you dare even 
look at this when you could be playing 
Karaoke Revolution. 





If you want to press 
buttons while a cartoon character does 
bad karaoke, you might as well fiddle 
with your controller while watching 
cable. There's absolutely no connection 
between what's happening onscreen in 
American Idol and what your hands are 
doing. And in terms of excitement, the 
non-interactive karaoke mode is roughly 
as fun as taking an eye exam. The only 
button you really need to know about is 
on the back of your console and it's pret- 
ty much impossible to press it too soon. 


Even Simon 
Cowell couldn't think of an insult 
demeaning enough for this game. It's bad 
enough that you can beat the single- 
player game in an hour. But that short 
time includes excruciating minutes spent 
watching ugly cartoon people sing off- 
key while you're waiting for your turn. 
And multiplayer games are no more fun 
than single-player ones: How stupid is it 
to judge your friends' ability to press but- 
tons? There's no reason to buy this 
game—and this is coming from someone 
who loves the TV show. Bloody awful. 





THE VERDICTS 
(UT OF 10) 


JENNIFER 


SHAWN 





CARRIE 





Publisher: Codemasters 
Developer: Hothouse 
Players: 1-4 

ESRB: Everyone 


www.codemasters.com 


114 « ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





PlayStation 2 


FATAL FRAME Il: 
CRIMSON BUTTERFLY 


Join the poltergeist paparazzi 


JON 0: For a sequel to a дате that was 
hyped as one of the scariest around, FF2 
strikes me as something of a spookiness 
letdown. Sparse apparitions lingering in 
the halls and appearing from thin air star- 
tle successfully, but the feeling of impend- 
ing danger I'd get with a Resident Evil or 
Silent Hill just isn’t there. Some ghosts are 
armed, but many simply use some sort of 
vague, inappropriate touching to whittle 
away my easily replenished stamina. Not 
too scary, really. 

But the beauty of FF2 is that there's still 
plenty there without the scare. | fell in love 
with ту job as а photographer of this 
beautifully bleak environment. A chilling 
atmosphere and intentional sensory limi- 
tations (only what's seen through the 
viewfinder defines your offensive and 
defensive scope) magnified my feelings of 
insecurity and uncertainty really well—if | 
were actually afraid of these spooks, it'd 
be especially potent. Take it for a spin, at 
least as a rental—not everyone's the 
thick-skinned horror veteran 1 am. 


SHOE: The scary game with the silly name 
is back, ready to mess with your mind like 
nothing else can. And mess with your 
mind it will, with the creepiest, most 
unsettling visuals and sounds this side of 
Silent Hill. The gameplay isn't the 
strongest; there are awkward Resident 
Evil-style camera angles and some vague, 
almost arbitrary objectives that force you 
to revisit certain areas over and over (the 
fear factor drops significantly when you're 
back in а room you've already been to five 
times). But this game is so genuinely terri- 


SHOE 


B “Uh, Рт not sure 
that's your most flat- 
tering angle.” 


fying, you can’t help but 
appreciate its incredible art direction. 


SHAWN: Something other than the floor- 
boards is creaking and your sister's curled 
up in the corner muttering nonsense. Fatal 
Frame 2 is best when it’s scaring you 
senseless. The tension is palpable as you 
probe claustrophobic rooms, trying to allay 
your fears with a flashlight. But whenever 
the chills stop, the horrific gameplay 
beneath all the hocus-pocus shows 
through. Scaring up keys and solving dull 
puzzles just isn’t exciting, but shockingly, 
the story involving a ritual gone wrong 
was enough to see me through. 


E The реб in Fatal Frame Har are all about 
rudely invading your personal space. 


Publisher: Tecmo 
Developer: Tecmo 
Players: 1 

ESRB: Mature 


SHAWN 


www.fatalframe2.com 





NAM CO HITS 


www.namco.com 


Nintendo GameCube" Player's Choice version 
includes the Pac-Man vs. game which you can play 
by connecting with your Game Boy’ Advance” 


Shimmy, flip kick and bounce Zoom, zip and dive your way Chew up a slew of bad guys and 


through 20 levels of 3D mazes across 6 worlds on ice skates, face off with your toughest enemy 
and arcade game madness. in-line skates and in a submarine. ever: the wicked Spooky. 





4 


a> PlayStation.e \ ==. 


у 


BROADBAND AND DIALUP 


nba.com 


NBA ShootOut is a trademark of NBA Properties, Inc. The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual 
Properties, Inc. ©2003 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. 989 Sports and the 989 Sports logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Developed by 989 Sports. ©2003 Sony 
trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 





Bring home the NBA. 


NBA ShootOut" 2004 puts you in the paint with the pros. Go online and track your progress versus all 
the other ballers in the country with a real-time sports ticker, 64-man tournaments and in-depth career 
reporting. Use the USB headset (for PlayStation. 2) to execute more than 40 new voice-recognition 
commands. Call plays, time-outs, screens, picks and double-teams, and to talk up your game with 
the newonline chat feature. Prove that you've got enough game, and a seat on the bus could be yours. 


property of NBA Properties, Inc., and the respective МВА member teams may not be used in whole or in part without the prior written consent of NBA 
Computer Entertainment Ami c. Licensed for use with the PI game cor PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered 
www. 989 SPORTS:com 





E MANHUNT 


It's raining men...dead men 


The controversial Grand Theft Auto series 
put Rockstar in a lot of heat. Manhunt spits nitro- 


glycerin on the fire. Kudos to the gutsy game 


company for not bowing down to public pressure. 


If Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Running 
Man were one big snuff film (and uh, a 
videogame), you'd have Manhunt. A 
demented movie director saves you from 
execution to star in his pet project: He 
puts you in a private hellhole of an 
urban jungle to kill or be killed on 
film. Survive long enough, and 
you may find out who's doing 
this to you and sneak in a 
little revenge at the 
same time. The plot's 
intriguing enough to 
make you want to 
see it through to 





Killer Scenes 

You're no James Bond or Jackie Chan, so rather than fighting 
scores of bad guys with guns or kung fu in the beginning, you'll 
have to sneak up and eliminate them silently one by one with 
everyday objects. After all, the game does set you up to be on 
the sucker's end of a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. 

Every weapon has three kill levels, each one taking longer to 
set up but giving you a higher score and a more violent cut- 
scene. А basic glass shard attack, for example, is a quick роке 
to the neck. A level-three glass shard attack, however, is several 
squishy stabs in the eyes. Later on, you'll get crowbars, base- 
ball bats, machetes, chain saws, nail guns, and more. 

Yeah, don't let your kids play this one. 


118 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 



















the end—though you may be disappointed with 
the quickie conclusion. 
You'll do a lot of Splinter Cell-style sneaking 
around, but instead of knocking enemies 
out, you'll mutilate them with extreme 
prejudice (see sidebar). After 
you've seen the limited number of 
cinematic kills, however, you'll 
start wondering what, besides story 
line closure, your motivation is for 
playing through this game. All the 
constant hiding and tiptoeing and 


sneaking doesn't scream 


"action-packed!" after all. 


But Manhunt's still 


worth the trip down 
death row because 
of its solid 


engine (with 





great controls, camera, interface, and radar), 
intense and scary atmosphere, and hours of 
gameplay (it lasts a lot longer than you'd 
expect)—what's here is really well developed and 
finely polished. Plus, about halfway through, you 
get to shoot a lot more guns, which helps pick up 
the initially slow pace. 


Videogame-hating Senator Joe 
Lieberman, your wildest dream—the one that 
ends with you covered in Gatorade, carried off on 
the shoulders of jubilant, doddering legislators and 
soccer moms—is about to come true. Rockstar 
has gone and made a game so ultraviolent that for 
kids to be able to walk into most any store and 
buy it really is criminal. Shoe might congratulate 
the guys at Rockstar for pushing the envelope, but 
I'm calling bulls*** on that. Rockstar’s just been 
paying close attention to the media-outrage- 





As in the Time Crisis series and kill.switch, you can 
hide behind cover until you're ready to peek around 
and unleash a hail of bullets—or just one to the head. 











THE VERDICTS 
(OUT OF 10) 


SHOE 





DEMIAN 


Publisher: Rockstar 
Developer: Rockstar North 
Players: 1 

ESRB: Mature 


SCOOTER 


www.rockstargames.com 


equals-money-in-our-bank phenomenon. 

Not that Manhunt doesn't have some good 
points. It starts slowly and almost demands repe- 
tition (hide, lure your foes near, then sneak in for 
the kill), but it's intense, building up a real feeling 
of dread as you play. The later levels are much 
more fun (thanks in part to beefier weaponry), and 
the enemy АЛ. gets noticeably smarter. 

Manhunt is also probably the most cinematic— 
in a good way—and immersive game that I've 
ever played. The graphics are intentionally grainy 
and washed out, as if everything you're seeing is 
captured on cheap digital video. But the differ- 
ence is, games aren't movies: /’m controlling the 
dude. | don't actually want to jam a shard of glass 
into another guy's eye or decapitate some fool 
with a serrated garrote, but Manhunt demands it. 
That kind of violence is one thing in a movie the- 
ater when the whole audience is laughing. But in 


my living room, with my girlfriend looking at me 
like | just drop-kicked a baby? No thanks. 


After seeing 

Manhunt through to its grisly end, this feels more 
like a confession than a review. | wholly admit that 
Manhunt has utterly desensitized me at this point. 
After witnessing too many shankings, gougings, 
and sawings, | had to watch some innocent chil- 
dren's programming or | would have become an 
even more emotionally disturbed game reviewer. 


| must concede, however, that Rockstar И ||| 
(ШШ 


North has crafted a solid, yet unorigi- 
nal, stealth-action game. But just (| 
when | was starting to get bored 

of the repetitive, gory deaths, 

the plot twists and different 

mission types kept me hooked 

on killing. The АЛ. is pretty 


Great Moments in Videogame Depravity 
You've come a long way, baby. But how much further can you go? 


DONKEY KONG 
Titular Kong kidnaps Mario's 
hapless lady friend. 


INCREASINGLY MORE DEPRAVED 


MORTAL KOMBAT 
Kano rips out Johnny Cage's 
still-beating heart. 


NIGHT TRAP 
Drill (like Black & Decker) into 
à woman's neck, drain blood. 























dumb at first, but the intelligent 
(and morally questionable) gang 
you encounter later makes up 
for the earlier louts. If you play 
only the first part of Manhunt, 
you'll grow bored, but by the 
end, I'm forced to confess...l 
actually enjoyed the overall 
experience. 


GRAND THEFT AUTO Ш 
Beat up hookers and hoods 


before the fuzz guns you down. 


2001 


ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com • 119 


MANHUNT 
Decapitate a crooked cop and 
put his head on your belt. Yes. 





2003 





% review crew: 
playstation 2 


EVERQUEST ONLIN 
ADVENTURES: FRONTIERS 


On empty servers, no one can hear you scream 


к. ~ 
М рапдуг 


суті ^ 


When thesejndes are a-rockim, 


the skañks come a-knockin'. 
раа 


W PlayStation 2 


LOWRIDER 


The lowdown on lowmobiling 








Bite 
Po 


17 Forty hours and 52,000 later, the car is worth 5300 less. 


120 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.egmmag.com 


Good: High-level characters will dig the new horizons 
Bad: The drudgery it takes to get to those levels 
Includes: Full version of the original EQ 0nline Adventures 


JENNIFER: Revi ig EQOA’s online world 
with this expansion, | really hoped to find а 
healthy community of roleplayers at all lev- 
els to join me in my mock-medieval adven- 
ture. | figured that, almost a year after 
EQOA's 1 release, this community just 
had to be there. Instead, | wandered the 
same lonely hills—many times as the only 
person for miles—killing beetles, ants, and 
the odd rabid badger while | imagined how 
much better this game must get at higher 
levels. Newbies have to invest upward of 
15 hours in the same boring location until 
they can even look past their starting area, 
and without a couple other freaks to keep 
it lively, this dull intro phase will seriously 
deter anyone but the hardcore. 

But the hardcore do have a solid game 
to play, with noticeably improved graphics, 
plus new locations, monsters, and loot. 
The new Tradeskill system (in which you 
craft your own items) also adds depth for 
serious players. Getting mad experience 
points and rare magical items for killing 
some hideous high-level beast lurking in 
its hidden lair is still fundamentally addic- 
tive—too bad it's so hard to get that far. 


THE VERDICTS 


JENNIFER KEVIN 


Good: Unintentionally funny 
Bad: Not much to the gameplay, really 


Best Played On: An in-dash PS2 





SHAWN: Until now, niños too young to 
drive and too poor to pay for hydraulics 
have had to settle for pimpin’ out bicycles 
before working their way up to proper 
lowriders. No more, mis amigos. Lowrider 
gives the little guys a jump start on the 
luxurious lifestyle. Starting with an antique 
beater, you impress kids in the barrio with 
baby bounces, slowly build a reputation, 
and collect cheddar. Plentiful upgrades 
allow you to express ill creativity: Who 
wouldn’t want a colorful mural of the Virgin 
of Guadalupe gracing their hood? 

Too bad the gameplay isn’t half as 
mind-blowing. The secret to success is as 
simple as repeatedly pounding buttons on 
cue. That's it, and that’s all, so if you're 
entertaining the thought of lowmobiling on 
your lonesome (you fool), feel free to 
subtract as many points from my score as 
you'd like. But as far as jokes go, what’s 
funnier than a hopping car with smoke 
colored to match the Mexican flag billow- 
ing from its grill? Plus, the multiplayer 
modes are the stuff that drinking games 
are made of (not that I'm endorsing such 
irresponsible behavior or anything). 








THE VERDICTS 
(OUT OF 10) 


SHAWN DEMIAN 


6.56.0 7.0 





KEVIN: EQ has never been a game 

that people choose to play, exactly. Instead, 
the game chooses its players: You either 
cheerfully log hundreds of hours to build 
that coveted level-54 monk or you wonder 
what the fuss is all about. Frontiers fixes 
many of the problems online-RPG nuts 
pinned on the original Online Adventures— 
you can build items, there's more cus- 
tomization, and the graphics are slightly 
improved. The gameplay's still boredom 
defined, though, so unless you're already 
into the EQOA community, you're probably 
better off avoiding this slippery slope. 


GAMENOW-—MIGUEL: Frontiers’ biggest 
problem really has nothing to do with the 
game itself. It's a respectable RPG that 
was impressively shoehorned onto PS2. 
It's got a deep character-development sys- 
tem, its world is vast and varied, and this 
expansion offers a lot of new content for 
veteran players. The problem, really, is its 
future competition. See, this is the kind of 
game that you have to sink many, many 
hours into, so you might just want to wait 
for the vastly superior Final Fantasy XI. 


Publisher: Sony Online Ent. 
Developer: Sony Online Ent. 
Players: Massively multiplayer 
ESRB: Teen 


MIGUEL 


www.everquest.com 








DEMIAN: Don't let ће tech- 
nically above-average score fool you—this 
game is awful. And also totally hilarious. 
Once you figure out when to mash the but- 
tons, well, you've plumbed the depths of 
gameplay. But | dare you not to laugh at 
the sight of two chromed-out ghetto sleds 
hopping like they've got pogo sticks for 
wheels, If the NFL canned the crap dance 
number and had a lowrider competition 
during the Super Bowl halftime show, 
America’s collective face would be thor- 
oughly rocked. When Lowrider hits the bar- 
gain bin, you better get in on that. 


: The only way | would recommend this 
дате is if it were sitting in Demian’s bar- 
gain bin (or dumpster) for under $10. Even 
then I'd mull it over for several minutes. 
Controlling the hydraulics on tricked-out 
G-rides to make them shimmy and shake 
for points in front of a crowd of barely 
moving cardboard cutouts is weaksauce. 
Gameplay, graphics, sound, you name 
it...bad. Ridiculous loading screens and a 
cheesy intro movie provide the game’s only 
entertainment value—unintentional humor. 
Publisher: Jaleco 
Developer: PCCW-Japan 
Players: 1-2 
ESRB: Teen 


www,jaleco.com 


@ 


(Ца уел DISH BEST SERVED 





и 


. ап ехнетеу 
good brawler, the 
likes of which we 
haven't seen for 
years.” 

- GameSpy 


Never before seen 
stages containing all 
new enemies and 
boss characters! 


АП new fighting tech- 
niques and weapons 
such as the dash 
punch and nunchucks! 


WWW.ATLUS.COM 
© 2003 ATLUS © MILLION Game Boy Advance and the Game Boy Advance logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association, 


Dark Asteroid 










This could 
actually be a 
screen from 
«hack Part 

3...and you'd 
never know. 


PlayStation 2 


.HACK PART 4: 


QUARANTINE 


It’s finally over! 


Quarantine is difficult to review by 
itself. It's the closing volume of a four-disc 
RPG saga, so if you haven't played the last 
three, you'd be daft to start now...but if 
you have played the whole series, then 
you'll likely want to finish it up. 

In terms of gameplay, at least, 
Quarantine is unchanged from the previ- 
ous two volumes. There are some new 
treasures to find, and an extra game 
world’s been unlocked to explore, but the 
repetitive battles and plain-Jane graphics 
are still in full effect. The misbalanced 
challenge from Part 3 іѕ still there, too, but 
this volume seems slightly easier than 
before—magic users are now stupidly 
powerful for some reason, so bring one or 
two along to avoid headaches. 

Quarantine is the shortest volume in all 
-hack-dom, and most of it is spent running 
errands, but the final battle (which is 
spoiled in the pack-in anime DVD) is a 
great payoff if you’ve been following the 
story all this time. I'd be hard-pressed to 
recommend the .hack series in general— 
it just plods too much—but this climax 
makes Quarantine worth the muddle to 
fans who've seen it through this far. 





| hate to be the guy 
who says “I told you so,” but hey, after 
playing the samey second chapter of 
-hack, | could tell that this four-part series 
was running on empty. Quarantine offers 
more of the same tedious dungeon hack- 
ing, boring battles, and faux online inter- 
face that you've been playing for a year 
now. The molasses-slow story line finally 
reaches its surprisingly cool climax, but at 
this point, the rote gameplay has probably 
lulled 75 percent of the initial fans into 
abandoning the series. .hack really, really 
should have just been one game. 


Here we go 
again: Another few months, another .hack 
review—and once again, my two pals just 
don't get it. Sure, it's more of the same. 
But unlike Shane and Kevin, I’m more than 
happy to return to .hack's trippy, intense 
world. Now, don't get me wrong: If you 
didn't care for any of the past three chap- 
ters, then Quarantine won't change a 
thing. Truth be told, | did suffer from a bit 
of .hack fatigue by the end, but I still 
maintain that the overall experience is 
well worth the time (and money). 








THE VERDICTS 
(OUT OF 10) 


KEVIN ЗНАМЕ 





Publisher: Bandai 
Developer: CyberConnect 2 
Players: 1 

ESRB: Teen 


бАКУ 


www.dothack.com 


122 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.egmmag.com 





tar. | 1 
> DOUBLEJRUSH, 


SHAWN: If you had to “borrow” this mag 
from your neighbor's mailbox, Carve might 
be for you. A no frills, no thrills watercraft 
racer, this game proves that even budget- 
ware can look sharp on Xbox. Sea spray 
mists the screen as you slalom past buoys 
and scythe through surf in colorful cours- 
es that include arctic ice floes, Amazonian 
mangroves, and sun-bleached Pacific 
shores. Yet, with the exception of online 
play, Carve offers nothing you haven't 
seen every other jetski game do better. 
Tricks are either idiotic—whoa! He's rid- 
ing with one hand—or so difficult to per- 
form that they're useless. If I'm gonna 
take the trouble to tap Up, Down, X, Y, X, Y 
during a half-second hang time, it better 
make my opponent's head implode. 

It gets even sillier when you discover 
that it's easier to take first place in all but 
one of the tournaments by avoiding ramps 
and stunts altogether, even with the speed 
burst the latter generates. Still, if you’re 
strapped for cash and sick of Splashdown, 
there are worse ways to spend your loot. 


JENNIFER: This game is fundamentally 
unremarkable, It's neither all that terrible 
nor all that great—it just sort of...is. The 
environments and water sure look nice, 
but the screen gets too cluttered with 
water droplets on the camera and the 
visual effect that accompanies your Rush 
boost. Plus, the boost is almost worthless 
in many races; you're better off just run- 
ning a clean, efficient course with your 
pedal to the metal the whole way. Props to 
the mildly amusing Xbox Live component, 
although communication gets clunky, 


THE VERDICTS 
(QUTOF10) 


SHAWN JENNIFER 


Shaving your hack for 
an aerodynamic edge? 
Now that's extreme, 


w 


since you can speak to only 
your closest opponent. 


Carve sports instinctive control, a 
decent tricks system, eye-catching visu- 
als, plenty of well-designed tracks, and 
enjoyable Xbox Live play (it's almost worth 
it for that alone). But two things sour the 
solo game for me. First off, catching the 
wakes of opponents slows you down too 
much—it’s as if your engine suddenly 
Stalled out. Second, the difficulty is too 
unforgiving. АЛ. foes run perfect lines and 
they seem to always boost when you do, 
Canceling out the edge you would’ve 
gained from that just-performed trick. 


mila = 02:44 а | == Zn 


шо 0 


© Carve’s future as a franchise isn't nearly 


as bright as these screens. 


Publisher: Gotham 

Developer: Argonaut 

Players: 1-4 (1-8 via Xbox Live) 
ESRB: Everyone 


www.gothamgames.com 














y 


"THE BEST SOCCER GAME EVER MADE." 


OFFICIAL PLAYSTATION MAGAZINE 
































MORE TEAMS. MORE STADIUMS. MORE STRATEGIC OPTIONS. 
AND THE MOST REALISTIC GAME ENGINE EVER. WINNING ELEVEN 7. 


OFFICIAL GOODS 
Вси THE BEST САМЕ IN THE WORLD ABOUT THE BEST САМЕ IN THE WORLD. 





EVERYONE 
Visit www.esrb.org 
for more ratings 
information. 

[ CONTENT RATING — www.esrb.org. 














(©1996 JAPAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION ©2002 FA. MAX 


©2004 KONAMI & Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. “KONAMI is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. "World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International” is a trademark of KONAMI OS ение tiple ath ны Unde mits of te odes: 
Solomon group ised wh permisos, Th ase offal player nares and Iheneses балона С ONY eke ct) KAF ta E Special thanks to Fortuna, MUKTA, SEJIN, Denis for Korea National Team dato. Milan's trademarks, name and logo 
‘appear under license from Milan A.C. S.p.A. Official product manufactured and distributed by KONAMI under licence granted by Roma international Football Service S.cl. Produced under the license from Lazio Societa Sportiva S.A. Parma and Parma Logo are trademarks of Parma Associazione Calcio S.A. Official 
Juventus Product. JUVENTUS and the JUVENTUS logo are registered trademarks owned by Juventus F.C. S.p.A. © r993/ll rights reserved Stichting Feyenoord, Rotterdam. Licensed by: Stichting Feyenoord, Rotterdam." PlayStation" and the “P$” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment 
Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. 





© Deus Ex's regular gunplay isn't as fun as Halo's, but you'll have plenty of chances to snipe OF Sel enemies on fire. 


DEUS EX: INVISIBLE WAR 





Knights of the New Republic 


No doubt about it, the best thing about Deus 
Ex iis its freedom of choice. This cyberpunk first- 
person adventure presents you with an astound- 
ing number of decisions. For instance, say the 
bigwigs in the WTO want you to snag something 
from the vault of a VIP's home. You could bribe the 
building's janitor to get the door code, break in, or 
convince the VIP at a bar that you're going to pre- 
pare drinks back at his place. To get past the 
security devices, you might sneak past cameras, 
take over the gun turret by the stairs with a spe- 
cial ability, or just blast everything. It's up to you. 

The only problem with the game's wealth of 

choices is that you rarely realize all the options 
open to you until you've already picked one. 
Between that and the fact that the missions rarely 
branch too far, you'll find little need to discover all 
of Invisible War's nuances. Even so, your journey 
won't disappoint: This gorgeous futuristic world 
demands exploration, and the story is intriguing 
enough to compel you forward. Just be prepared 


Omar Trader: The transgenic tissue scan you 
recovered from the basement is already 
producing improvements in Omar survivability. 


124 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.egmmag.com 


for long loading times, somewhat clunky combat, 
a crappy mapping system, and weak finales. 

If you're looking for another unconventional 
RPG now that you've explored every possible 
nook and cranny in Knights of the Old Republic, 
you should check out Invisible War, but it's defi- 
nitely the padawan to KOTOR's Jedi master. 


The developers didn't put a game on this 

Xbox disc—they crammed an entire world onto it. 
Like Morrowind, this is a huge, open-ended, do- 
anything-you-want adventure that sucks you in and 
holds you a willing prisoner until you almost forget 
you're playing a videogame. The story line is rich 
and complex in that twisty “whom can/should/will | 
trust?" sorta way. And no matter what you do— 
whether you kill characters you shouldn't be killing 
or tackle objectives in a counterintuitive manner— 
the game is always ready for it, giving you endless 
options to take it on however you'd like. 

To test out how well-designed Invisible War 15, | 


Warring Factions 

A war rages on—even if you can't see it—and 
several rival groups would love to have you on 
their side. The religious Order, the corporate- 
minded WTO, the genetically altered Omar, and the 
anti-biomod extremists of the Knights Templar 
tend to have goals that cause them to work at 
cross-purposes with one another...and there may 
even be other organizations at work behind the 
scenes. Work for them—or decide that you're a 
better man than The Man and work for yourself. 











played the Cairo level through twice, skipping 
goals and doing stuff out of order the second 
time. You know what? It knew exactly what 1 was 
doing and guided me along as if I'd done nothing 
unusual. This is a truly great, immersive experi- 
ence only hampered by poor enemy А.І. 





As Joe stated, Invisible War is all about 
choices. Well, here's the big choice: Should you 
buy it? Weigh the positives and negatives. Here's 
the good: The story unravels like a thrilling mys- 
tery novel where you determine the outcome. 
Better yet, you won't fully realize the conse- 
quences of your actions until the ending. And with 
such open-ended gameplay and a stockpile of side 
quests, your time spent playin' /nvisible War will 
vary greatly from your friends'. Now for the bad: 
The game suffers from questionable A.I., frequent 
and lengthy loading times, and some horribly 
choppy graphics. If you can look past these tech- 
nical hiccups, Invisible War shouldn't disappoint. 





Talk first or shoot? It's an age-old gaming question. 





THE VERDICTS 
(QUT OF 10) 











Publisher: Eidos 





Players: 
ESRB: Teen 


SHOE BRYAN 


www.eidos.com 













DEAD OR ALIVE 
on + N 4 


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world's first fully online 3D fighting game for home gaming 


: JH. consoles. By utilizing the highly advanced online capahilities of 
-—À Microsoft's Xbox™ Live service, DOA Online will feature а 
"Тү, |. multitude of online features and play modes, creating the 

ЕГ E world's largest online community of fighting game fans through 





the medium of DOA Online. в? 


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Receive a $5 EB Games 

Mail-in Gift Voucher 

when you pre-order or purchase Dead Or Alive Online for Xbox 
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|| ^. 8&8. m. И I Ко — Mo | 


N == 





COUNTER-STRIKE 


Less of a strike, more of a hit-by-pitch 


What there is of Counter-Strike is OK—it's 
a simple, decent online shooter. The problem is 
how little of it there actually is. With a measly two 
play modes and no real solo campaign, it's hard to 
believe Microsoft expects anyone to pay $50 for 
what feels like one-third of a game. 

The one area Counter-Strike doesn't skimp on is 
the number of cool levels it offers: indoor, outdoor, 
banks, villages, Mayan temples—there's a great 
variety of locations, all with plenty of interconnect- 
ing paths and nuances to learn. But, again, with 
only two modes to choose from (hostage rescue 
and plant-the-bomb), the game itself grows stale 
before the levels do. It doesn't help that single 
player is multiplayer, just with the computer A.I. 
controlling the other combatants. These bots are 
pretty smart (save for the occasional wall-humping 
hiccups), but playing by yourself gets repetitive 
within the first few hours anyway. 

I have minor quibbles with other aspects of the 
game. The controls are solid and easy to master, 








126 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


but for a shooter with such an emphasis on real- 
ism, the lack of some moves (like lean, lie prone, 
and crawl) seems a bit odd. Also, graphics and ani- 
mation range from merely decent to poor. 

As the online multiplayer part of a kick-ass sin- 
gle-player game or with a buttload more modes or 
as а $20 budget title, | could recommend Strike. As 
is, there are just too many other quality shooters 
out there for anyone to waste their money on this. 


If you've already liberated squad-shooter 
Rainbow Six 3 from your local game store, don't 
bother securing Counter-Strike; its bare-bones, 
online-only (solo play with АЛ. bots is a bore) tacti- 
cal action makes it expendable in the war of the 
war games. That's not to say it's lean on gung-ho 
thrills—the game unleashes a double-barrel blast 
of realistic weaponry and twitch gameplay. You will 
sweat bullets in many tense gunfights. But the fun 
fizzles fast. Counter-Strike needs more mission 
types, more weapons, more customizability—it just 


The Price Ain't Right 

You need to buy all your equipment each round in 
Counter-Strike with money you earn from killing 
enemies or accomplishing objectives. Kevlar 

armor, smoke or regular grenades, rifles, pistols, 
even ammo—everything has a price. And you can 
purchase equipment only at certain spots and for a 
limited amount of time. This unique system is really 
a mixed bag—it provides a nice bonus incentive for 
playing smart, but it's a pain to deal with each round 











needs more more. Most levels are blocky, blah, and 
look like they were made to run on a low-powered 
PC (which they were). There's a reason Counter- 

Strike is free for PC. Microsoft should take the hint 
and give this away with Xbox Live subscriptions. 





















As a Counter-Strike PC vet, | must 
admit that this Xbox port comes as a deafening 
disappointment. It isn't that | don't appreciate the 
new features—console-exclusive maps and de 
facto voice chat via the headset—but shockingly 
little has been done to improve (or evolve) Counter- 
Strike beyond its garage-gaming roots as a Half- 
Life mod on PC. It's still a landmark title, but this 
new version fails to incorporate advancements 
made by recent tactical shooters such as SOCOM II 
and Rainbow Six 3. That said, what's here is still. 
surprisingly solid, from a gameplay standpoint. 
Great controls and a balanced weapon system 
make it instantly clear why Counter-Strike is the 
world's most popular online shooter. 


and it makes it easier for the winning team to continue dominating. 





Bouwrente 


(OUT OF 10) 





THE VERDICTS 





MARK 


Publisher: Microsoft 
Developer: Valve 
Players: 1 (2-16 Online 
via Xbox Live) 

ESRB: Mature 





CRISPIN 


CHE 


www.xbox.com 





е 
sixtiu-three 


291615 





JUST case the 











дате пазл а еаду 
put уриб 


POKEMON CHANNEL 


57 channels and nothin’ on 


Good: Pikachu's a cute li'l bastard 


Bad: Watching the Pichu Bros. animated short over and over 
Use to: Keep little brother busy while you play something else 


I cannot idly stand by while this 
once-great series is turned into a 
toddler-only playland sideshow. 
Seriously, Nintendo needs to stop 
making Pokémon spin-offs aimed at 
babies (see: Pokémon Snap and Hey 
You, Pikachu! for Nintendo 64). 
Channel is the worst offender yet; it’s 
a simplistic bore of a “game” where 
you watch Pikachu as he watches 
channel after uninteresting channel 
of virtual Pokémon programming 
over and over. Or, should you tire of 
the game's “watch as much TV and 
buy as many Pokémon products as 
humanly possible" concept, you can 
also fiddle around with a virtual 
Pokémon Mini game system or 
watch Pikachu cavort around your 
house and the surrounding areas. 
But none of that is much fun either. 

My question is, who is this game 
for? Its main attraction is a Pichu 
Bros. animated short (that you have 
to watch over and over) clearly made 
to enchant kids ages 3 to 5. But 





| It wants to play k 





THE VERDICTS | 





then, Channel's got a lot of text 
and directions those tots won’t get, 
and anyone older will avoid it 
because it's a baby game. Maybe I'm 
being too hard on it, but Ра cancel 
my cable if this Channel came on. 


The Bible was wrong. Hell 
does not look like a giant lake of fire. 
Hell looks like Smoochum Shape-Up, 
а typical program from Pokémon 
Channel, where you watch a 
Pillsbury Doughboy in drag grind 
through hip-slimming aerobics while 
uttering high-pitched squeals. Unlike 
Pokémon Snap or Pinball, Channel 
isn't...well it's not really a game. 
Playing catch with Pikachu or guess- 
ing which Pokémon is behind a cur- 
tain is about as interactive as it gets; 
mostly, you just collect Pokécrap and 





in for a gentle caress of his silky fur. 


watch Pikachu watch insanely 
repetitive, horrifically annoying TV. 
Do not buy this for yourself or your 
kids or anyone you know—you do 
not ever want to be in a room where 
it's being played. 


Here's the deal 
with Channel—it's not really а 
game, per se. It's more of a virtual 
pet crossed with one of those “edu- 
tainment" PC deals (like Humongous’ 
Putt-Putt or Pajama Sam titles). Any 
Pokémon fan over the age of 5 will 
quickly become very bored, but it’s a 
decent game for parents to play with 
their small children (tykes will need 
help with all the reading). The vari- 
ous diversions here are cute, slickly 
produced, and entertaining, assum- 
ing you really, really dig Pokémon. 





Pika-Pika 


this painting a lot. 


л appears to like 





What's that Pikachu? Are you trying to tell us something, boy? 


Players: 1 
ESRB: Everyone 


PHIL 


Publisher: Nintendo. 
Developer: Ambrella 


www.pokemon.com 


Pikachu enjoys simple pleasures—he'll 
gleefully watch your fingertip as it moves 


ching your fingertip. у 


g 






FROM THE CREATORS OF KESSEN AND DYNASTY WARRIORS” 


MARCH 2004 


à 


5 ynasty and the KOEI logo are trademarks or registered 
tradem к Ltd. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the 
"PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 





review crew: 
game boy adv. 


Mana's hero 
is gonna smoke 
this weed. 


ECNE 
SWORD OF MANA 


A little rusty after all these years 


тшу 
YU YUHAKUSHO: 
SPIRIT DETECTIVE 


How to misuse a lucrative anime license 





Fight your way through legions of Scooby-Doo zombie rejects. 


128 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 





Good: Lush visuals 
Bad: Unclear objectives, poor АЛ. 


Remake of: Final Fantasy Adventure for old-school Game Boy 


SHANE: The Mana action-RPG series has 
had its highs (like Secret of Mana for Super 
NES) and its depressing lows (steer clear of 
the clunky Legend of Mana for PS1), but 
this latest installment falls into a more neb- 
ulous “pretty good” territory. 

Visually, it's one of the most stunning 
games on GBA—beautifully painted back- 
drops, fluid animations, and cool effects fill 
the screen with life and color. Sword also 
delivers suitably epic sounds, with a quality 
soundtrack packed with rousing fanfares 
and catchy melodies. And the story line, 
while not terribly original, is interesting 
enough to keep you questing. 

So really, it's the gameplay that drags 
the experience down. Running around 
thwacking enemies feels fun enough, but 
poor A.I. renders your other party member 
nearly useless—you'll often have to switch 
between them just to keep them from get- 
ting killed. Also, many events and puzzles 
are tough to trigger (due to the seemingly 
random day/night cycle), and upgrading 
equipment requires a Master's degree in 
metallurgy and botany. Worth a look for 
fans, but overall, it should have been better. 


THE VERDICTS, 
(OUT OF 10) 


SHANE PAUL 


Good: Follows the show's opening saga 


PAUL: The rewarding action and story that 
made previous Mana games great return, 
but they're nearly drowned by this pre- 
quel's ridiculous complexity. Get out the 
graph paper: Eight weapons and eight 
types of magic do varying damage (some- 
times zip!) to each of 120 enemies. 
Upgrading weapons is a five-step process 
that involves dozens of items and even the 
current day of the week in the game. 
Sword's monster thumping and epic story 
line are sometimes sublime, but honestly, it 
makes you work far too hard for them. 


GMR—MILKMAN: Sword is a functional 
and attractive action-RPG that works well 
as a multiplayer game—it's quite fun to 
link up and run through lavish environ- 
ments while engaging in simple hack-n- 
slash combat. But if you don't have a 
human being to team up with, you're 
screwed. The CPU pathfinding lousy 
(read: your pal gets stuck on everything), 
and the weapon management baffles with 
an unintuitive, inefficient menu-heavy sys- 
tem. It's better 10 stick with Zelda for 
action-RPG thrills. 


Publisher: Nintendo 
Developer: Square Enix 
Players: 1 (1-2 w/ Link cable) 
ESRB: Everyone 


MILKMAN 


www.nintendo.com 


Bad: Boring, repetitive, nonsensical gameplay 
WTF: Apartments with dozens of identical rooms 


At least the Dragon Ball Z action-RPGs 
for GBA are decent games. Yu Yu Hakusho 
sure isn’t. It’s pure boredom harnessed in 
cartridge form. 

Each lackluster chapter has you (as one 
of the beloved anime's characters) running 
from one side of the current area to the 
other, often back and forth, doing whatev- 
er inane thing it is you need to do to save 
someone or collect something. Kill a few 
enemies, maybe fight a boss, and then the 
chapter ends. Repeat 20-plus times. 

Yu Yu's intriguing story line is con- 
densed to the point of being nonsensical, 
and if you’re not familiar with the anime, 
you have no hope of making heads or tails 
of it. The areas are so sprawling that sim- 
ply getting around is a chore, and combat 
is so tedious and busted that it feels like 
nothing but a formality so you can level 
up. And as for the visuals...yuck: Yu Yu 
looks as if it were crafted by a crack team 
of 5-year-olds armed with only three 
сгауоп and a fading memory of what the 
anime actually looks like. It doesn't matter 
if you love the show or the comics on 
which it's based—this game sucks. 





THE VERDICTS 
(OUT OF 10) 





If | were a Supreme Court justice, | 
would issue an immediate restraining 
order against Yu Yu Hakusho. It shouldn't 
be allowed within 50 feet of anybody's 
GBA. Four questions come to mind here: 
Why is Yusuke fetching items in huge, 
mazelike towns without a map? Why do all 
the characters look like they’re construct- 
ed out of pipe cleaners? Why is fighting so 
dull and annoying when thrilling battle 
scenes are the original anime's chief 
attraction? And most importantly, why 
would anybody want to play this? 





When the best thing 
you can say about an anime-based game 
is that it's faithful to its source material, 
you're in trouble. Unfortunately, that's all 
Yu Yu Hakusho has to offer. Fans of the 
series will enjoy the fact that the game 
closely follows the plot of the show's first 
saga. Too bad they’ll have to cope with 
ugly graphics, poor control, and sloppy 
combat along the way. And although the 
anime is pretty exciting, the dull quests 
will help you forget that. This is a quick 
cash-in and nothing more. 

Publisher: Atari 
Developer: Sensory Sweep 


Players: 1 
ESRB: Teen 


us.atari.com 









Not the water cooler! 
Will these fiends stop 
| ` Btzzothing? 





= Max Payne's violence (above) and gritty 


Шш 162 
|; ШИ) 


| story (below) survive miniaturization. 


MAX PAYNE 


Bullet time in your back pocket 


Good: Spoken dialogue on GBA! 


Bad: Far too difficult in parts 


Quote: “Twilight crawled across the sky, laden with foreboding,” 





Bang! Max Payne's slow-mo 
bloodshed and stark story have 
come to GBA. The world-weary cop 
narrates his grisly tale with 
voiceover as flat as roadkill. Nearly 
every character is a murderer, mur- 
dered, or both. By the time Max 
leaves a room, bad guys’ guts deco- 
rate its walls like grim, wet tapes- 
tries. Pokémon it ain't. 

It ain't easy, either. Foes frequent- 
ly fire from offscreen, so you'll need 
to spend bullet time (your only 
advantage) just to live long enough 
to locate them. Instant-death haz- 
ards such as pitfalls and flame jets 
are annoying and unthematic—if 
you can't shoot it, does it belong in 
Max Payne? But you can retry a 
level from its beginning any number 
of times, so tenacious players will 
prevail...eventually. 

Despite these flaws, this game 
offers an atmospheric experience 
unlike any other Game Boy Advance 


THE VERDICTS 
(OUT OF 10) 





title. ! welcome a portable дате 
with a moody, cinematic story 
devoid of precocious big-headed 
heroes and anthropomorphic ani- 
mals. Gritty and unforgiving, Max 
will make your Game Boy bleed 
fun—if you can stand the pain. 


Believe it or not, Max 
Payne's trademark bullet time is 
even more of a necessary gimmick 
in this quasi-port of the blood- 
soaked console hit. Since bad guys 
see you coming and start firing from 
offscreen, | had to mechanically 
force myself into preemptive slow- 
mo diving rolls when exploring 
uncharted ground to prevent painful 
perforation. But lots of pleasure still 
comes with Payne—its levels are 
long and numerous, and it delivers 


Publisher: Rockstar 
Developer: Möbius 
Players: 1 

ESRB: Mature 


solid, no-frills action throughout. 


Rockstar has somehow 
managed to retain the core ele- 
ments of what made the original 
Max Payne so good—namely the 
slow-mo bullet-time gunplay and 
the gritty atmosphere—in this sur- 
prisingly solid handheld shooter. 
Diving through the air in slow 
motion with a pair of Berettas to 
take out a room full of thugs 15 
exhilarating to say the least, and it 
looks much better on GBA than 
you'd expect. The forced perspec- 
tive can be a bit limiting at times, 
and enemies who haven't yet spot- 
ted you are dumb as bricks (blow a 
guy's head off from a distance, and 
his friend won't even flinch), but 
otherwise, my complaints are few. 










www.rockstargames.com 


Brave defender of Osaka Castle 
Brilliant tactician and a leader of # 


FROM THE CREATORS OF KESSEN'AND DYNASTY WARRIORS” 


MARCH 2004 


ымы, 


PlayStation.e 


Samurai Warriors, Kessen, Dynasty Warriors, and the KOEI logo are trademarks 
trademarks of KOEI Co.,Ltd. ©2004 KOEI Со, Ltd. АП rights reserved, ‘Play 
“PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 





@ review сгеш 


REVIEWS 


A useful catchall for games too late, too lame, 


or too little-known to make it into the Crew 


e always try to squeeze every 

last game into the Review 

Crew, but a few games 
inevitably seem to slip through the 
cracks. This month, we tackle the 
Xbox rerelease of Grand Theft Auto 
(you already know it’s great), the sec- 
ond wave of N-Gage titles, and a 
handful of oddball releases that might 
strike your fancy. 


PS2, XB • Crave • ESRB: Everyone 
Only people who owned an Intellivision 
console at one point in their lives will give 
half а damn about this compilation of 
dinosaurs that 99 percent of you never 
heard of. For fans, the sports games 
(remember Football?), Snafu, and Utopia 
are great inclusions, but a clunky inter- 
face plus the exclusion of BurgerTime and 
any Dungeons & Dragons games 
spoils the pack- 
age. 

















PS2 XS Games • ESRB: Teen — You 
wanna patrol the twelves, but when you 
grab the crossfader, it’s chaos. Enter 
Factory, the PS2 equivalent to PC mixing 
programs like Acid, complete with a mic. 
It's a bit difficult to use, but deep as heck. 





GBA • Atlus • ESRB: Teen — It's a sad 
testament to just how outdated the 
Мео•бео hardware is when GBA ports are 
nearly arcade-perfect. Howling Blood looks 
and plays roughly the same as the recent 
KOF 2000/2001 pack for PS2. 





FISH AND SEAFOOD 
PROCESSING PLANT 











XB * Rockstar • ESRB: Mature — So, 
you Xbox players been dying to get a 
hold of the games that started the whole 
go-anywhere, do-anything, putz-around- 
and-listen-to-music genre? Rockstar 
finally delivers in style. The Xbox Double 
Pack offers faster loading times, 
smoother, more polished graphics, cus- 
tom soundtracks, and other minor 


tweaks—and that's about it. Otherwise, 
you'll find the games as criminally 
enjoyable as always, although PS2 vet- 
erans will have some difficulty adjusting 
to the controls. Hey, the ultimate version 
of two of the best games of the last two 
years for the price of one—you can’t 
beat that. Plus, it gives your PS2 buddies 
one less thing to brag about. 











N-Gage EA Sports • 
ESRB: Everyone — You 
won't find much to complain 
about with this footyball 
game. The controls are very 
accurate and responsive, 
and you can see all the tiny 
action just fine—it's like 
playing classic, pre- 
PlayStation 1 FIFA games, 
only on a television made 
for the Smurfs. 


NCAA Football 2004 
N-Gage * EA Sports * 
ESRB: Everyone — At first 
glance, EA’s portable college 
gridiron looks passable. It 
has all your favorite schools, 
а deep season mode, and 
even multiplayer action. Too 
bad the on-field passing 
action is horribly flawed— 
it’s nearly impossible to dis- 
tinguish open receivers from 
those covered. 


130 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


Rayman 3: 

Hoodlum Havoc 

N-Gage * Ubisoft * ESRB: 
Everyone — Bravo to 
Ubisoft for successfully 
porting the enjoyable GBA 
version of Rayman 3 over to 
the taco phone. It looks, 
sounds, and plays perfectly 
fine, although the overly 
simplistic Bluetooth multi- 
player minigames won't 
hold your interest for long. 


N-Gage ® THQ * ESRB: 
Mature — Bad controls are 
the real oppressors here, 
not the cruel overseers of 
Mars’ mining facilities. It's 
nearly impossible to shoot 
while strafing, and jumping 
over chasms is a chore. 
Predominantly brown 
labyrinths that look like 
fudge tunnels are just 

as revolting. 





Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 
N-Gage * Ubisoft * ESRB: 
Teen — Sam Fisher skulks 
his way through the same 
Side-scrolling spy missions 
he faced on GBA. From lock- 
picking to sniping, most of 
the smoothly animated 
agent’s moves remain 
intact. Plus, а sticky-cam 
feature (which lets you look 
ahead) makes playing on a 
narrow screen bearable. 


er MIT 
шү 
FROM THE CREATORS OF KESSEN'AND DYNASTY WARRIORS” 


MARCH 2004 


ALSO AVAILABLE 
PRODUCTS RANGE FROM 
RATING PENDING ro TEEN 


V 


was rr WARRIORS: 4) $29.99 MSRP 





REVIEWS ARCHIVE 


A look back at recent game ratings 


GAME 

1080° Avalanche 

Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction 
Alter Echo 

‘Amped 2 

Armed & Dangerous 

Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try at Home 
Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu 

Battlestar Galactica 

Beyond Good & Evil 

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg 
Bloody Roar 4 

Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand 
Bombastic 

Brute Force 

Buffy: Chaos Bleeds 

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence 
Conflict: Desert Storm И 

Crash Nitro Kart 

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge 
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 
Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 
DDRMAX2 

Dino Crisis 3 

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 
Downhill Domination 

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 

Dragon Ball 7: Taiketsu 

Drake 

Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes 
Dynasty Tactics 2 

ESPN College Hoops 

ESPN NBA Basketball 

ESPN NHL Hockey 

FIFA Soccer 2004 

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 
Final Fantasy X-2 

Fire Emblem 

Freaky Flyers. 

Freedom Fighters 

Freestyle Metal X 

Futurama 

F-Zero GX 

Ghost Recon: Island Thunder 
Gladius 

Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde 
Grabbed by the Ghoulies 

The Great Escape 

Group $ Challenge 

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup 
The Hobbit 

Hunter: The Reckoning—Redeemer 
|Мија 

Karaoke Revolution 

Kill Switch 

King of Fighters 2000 & 2001 

Kirby Air Ride 

Kya: Dark Lineage 

Legacy of Kain: Defiance 

Lethal Skies II 

Links 2004 

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 
Magic the Gathering: Battlegrounds 
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour 

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 


greətest бі 
Ог miss? 


METROID 
PRIME 


W GameCube 

W Released: November 2002 

W Original Scores: 10, 10, 10 

“Ап absolute masterpiece" is what 
one EGM reviewer called Metroid 
Prime. Developer Retro Studios beau- 
tifully transitioned the series to a 3D 
setting and first-person view while 
retaining Metroid's classic gameplay 
elements. It’s a must-have, for sure. 


_ 


Ё Ну ; 


ss a x 
о 


_________ 
ОЕА 


132 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


SYSTEM 
cc 

PS2 

PS2 

XB 

XB 
PS2, XB 
PS2, XB, GC 
PS2, XB 
PS2, XB, GC 
вс 

PS2 

GBA 

PS2 

x8 

XB 

PS2 

PS2, XB 
PS2, XB, GC 
XB 

PS2 

XB 

Ps2 

XB 

PS2 

PS2 

Ps2 

GBA 

x8 

XB 

Ps2 

PS2, XB 
PS2, XB 
PS2, XB 
PS2, XB, GC 
GBA 

PS2 

GBA 

Ps2 

PS2, XB, 6C 
PS2 

PS2 

GC 

XB 

PS2, XB, GC 
PS2, XB, GC 
x8 
PS2, XB 
XB 

PS2, XB, GC 
PS2, XB, GC 
XB 

PS2, XB, GC 
PS2 
PS2, XB 
PS2 

GC 

PS2 
PS2, XB 
PS2 

XB 

PS2, XB, GC 
GBA 

XB 

GBA 

GC 

GC 


SCORES 
VERDICT (out of 10) 
W The straightforward slope riding is OK, but Avalanche can't compete with SSX 3 

g Commanding your idiotic troops can be quite frustrating 

Wi More pink and purple than a prom's worth of dresses 

WA competitive, visually stunning snowboarding sim with plenty of flair 

W Looks like butt, but plays better than blasé blasters like Brute Force 


AWARD 


W Trailer-trashy thrills with cheap opponents 

E Beating up cavalcades of clones gets boring before the end of the first stage 

W Launched before all systems were go 

W The best action-adventure game since Wind Waker (GC)? We think so 

E Egg-pushing gameplay helps Hatcher feel wonderfully unique 

W Once again, Bloody Roars call-of-the-wild concept is tamed by woeful execution 
HEA portable gem in which playing in the sun is an enjoyable requirement 

W An addictive, unconventional puzzler. 
W Repetitive squad-based shooter recycles too many levels and enemies 

MA brain-dead Buffy fan's dream and a decent beat-em-up for the unbitten 

W Comes close, but doesn't quite capture that classic Castlevania brilliance 

W Another flawed operation with a few moments of valor 

W This kart needs a tune-up 

WA stellar and stylish shooter, Crimson Skies kicks the genre's tires and lights its fire 
W Re-creates the movie's characters and locations, but none of its grace 

W Perfect your gimp step and build a pimp rep 

W An overly familiar experience for all but the complete novice 

W The vestigial remains of a genre that needed to evolve or die a long time ago 


even if it involves some math 


W Creative, challenging, and totally deserving of RPG gamers’ attention 

W Huge tracks boast intense attention to detail and gripping gameplay 

W This time around, Budokai is best left to the most loyal breed of DBZ fan 

W Sucks һай? 

WA shooter so horribly busted that's it almost funny. It's mostly sad, though 
W Like swimming, story-free dungeon crawling shouldn't be done alone 

W Focuses more on hardcore, heady planning than visual thrills and frills 

и Simply а pro game in college basketball clothing 

и No other baller matches ESPNS stellar graphics or innovative 24/7 mode 
и Solid gameplay and slick visuals make ESPN's puck offering the year's best 
W Plays more like Winning Eleven and less like FIFA. That's a good thing 

W Unparalleled character customization and on-field tactical arrangement 

W Yuna and her female friends rock Spira like never before, and we like it 

W Like Advance Wars, but with a rich fantasy setting and intriguing plot 

W No self-respecting pilot would put Freaky Flyers on his or her flight plan 

W Liberating the Land of the Free from Russian invaders is historically fun. 

W Xs average motocross action can't overcome its trailer-park trappings 

W A kleptomaniac alcoholic robot from the future deserves better 

W Fast? Yes. Stylish? Yes. Frustratingly difficult? Oh hell yes 

W The single-player mode is an appetizer to the multiplayer's heartier meal 

m Repetitive combat, but rich storytelling makes it worthwhile 

W The best original real-time strategy game to grace a console 

W Definitely more fun if someone grabs your ghoulies while playing 

W Rent the movie instead 

W An uneven, seemingly thrown-together Gran Turismo pretender 

W Don't be a snitch. Catch it. It's a blast, especially for Potter-heads 

W Bilbo Baggins’ journey just isn't as appealing as his young nephew's 

W Slow, repetitive pacing keeps the thrill in check 

W This cutesy assassin suffers from hydrocephalus 

W Even the tone deaf will enjoy belting out these tunes 

W Kill. Switch's run-and-gun gameplay is as gripping as it is one-dimensional 
W Deep and responsive, but only diehards will pick it up over Capcom's 2D fighters 
W Supremely easy for anyone to pick up and play, yet surprisingly deep 

Im Profoundly mediocre platformer with aspirations of greatness 

W Stunningly gorgeous. Let the blood sucking and soul reaving commence 

W Not even the dull two-player modes earn Skies any frequent-flier mileage 
W A shallow create-a-golfer mode keeps Links a few strokes behind Tiger 

и For another year, hail to the king of movie-based game franchises 

W Doesn't quite rule them all, but offers enjoyable hack-n-slash action nonetheless 
WI The cards say you need a life 

W А polished, thoroughly enjoyable adventure in the same vein as Paper Mario 
т Cinch-to-learn controls, funky minigames, and all-around ball-whacking fun 
W Smile. Now you have a reason to play your GameCube again 





= Like an undead UPS work- 
er, Raziel pushes crates in 
\ Legacy of Kain: Defiance 


SYSTEM VERDICT $ (out of 10) — AWARD 
Mario Party 5 cc Wi Buy it, call some friends, and let chaos reign 80 
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun PS2,XB,GC B This tour of duly is fit for serious war buffs only 55 BULLET ИМЕ SELLS, BUT 
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System PS2,XB,GC BA surprisingly good sci-fi shooter and contender for sleeper hit of the year 80 WHO'S BUYING? 
Midway Arcade Treasures PS2,XB,GC Bm With 20 timeless classics for a mere 20 bucks, theres no reason not to buyit 85 
Monster Rancher 4 PS2 № Vast, empty, and repetitive dungeons didn't bother all of our reviewers 5.5 
NBA Inside Drive 2004 X8 m Another ho-hum hoopster from Microsoft, but at least you can now play online 6.0 
NBA Jam PS2, XB Plays much like the original arcade game, which is both good and bad 60 
NBA Live 2004 PS2,XB,GC Ша Superior on-court control keeps Live steadily on the comeback trail 80 
NCAA March Madness 2004 PS2, XB W Captures the essence of the collegiate game like no other 80 
NFL Blitz Pro PS2,XB,GC Bi Incredibly fast, reat looking, totally over-the-top football 70 
NFL Fever 2004 XB W А shallow dynasty mode tackles Fever's shot at greatness 6.5 ў m 
NFL GameDay 2004 Ps2 m Online options are GameDay’s only saving grace. 40 Matrix-style in Cabela's Deer Hunt 
NHL 2004 PS2,XB,GC BEA skates on the ice with too much force and not enough finesse 85 2004 Season? In Drake and Spawn, 
NHL Hitz Pro PS2,XB,GC Ш Not the most realistic game of hockey, but among the most enjoyable 75 85 84 the feature makes more sense, but still 
NHL Rivals 2004 xB и Microsofts first attempt at hockey falls through the ice 35 40 6: feels like a half-assed afterthought. 
Pac-Man Vs. сс m Excellent multiplayer makes GBA connectivity worthwhile 80 
Pirates of the Caribbean XB и Barely shipshape Arr-PG won't keep your interest afloat 60 
PN.03 вс m One truly badass character design is all РМ.03 has to offer 40 
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time — PS2,XB,GC W An opium-induced vision where time moves at the speed of your imagination 95 
Project Gotham Racing 2 хв Wi Buckle up for the best racing sim since Gran Turismo 3 95 
R: Racing Evolution PS2,XB,GC W Watered down with twitchy, frustrating controls and zero customization options 65 
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando PS2 Wi Everything you've ever wanted from an action game, and an absolute must-play 85 
Roadkill PS2,XB,GC W Delivers violence and four-letter words in a playable format 55 
Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown PS2,XB Wi Like playing a game of Risk in which you always die halfway through зо 
Rogue Ops PS2, XB, GC W Nikki Connors needs a few more stealth lessons from Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell) 7.0 
RPG Maker 2 PS2 No matter how cool the concept, your RPG will look like crap. 55 
Sega GT Online XB № The addition of online play and a $20 price tag gets our motor runnin’ 85 
Shining Soul И GBA m Prettier visuals and more character classes give Soul // just enough shine 75 70 74 PERO š Spawn: 
Silent Hill 3 PS2 E So scary itll have you stocking up on those adult-sized diapers 85 85 9. " Б Armageddon 
The Simpsons: Hit & Run PS2, XB, GC ША family-friendly Grand Theft Auto: Springfield 80 4 I NP (PS2, ХВ, GC) 
The Sims Bustin’ Out PS2,XB,GC Ш Even your lady friend will bust out a controller and play 9.0 85 94 5.0, 6.0, 3.5 
The Sims Bustin’ Out GBA W Surprisingly rewarding for an errand-running simulator 80 = 
SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs PS2 W Cool missions and great multiplayer make SOCOM / the best game of its kind — 9.0 
Soldier of Fortune Il: Double Helix XB A dull, dumbed-down shooter with inconsistent A.l. 65 70 3: 
Soul Calibur И PS2,XB,GC W Our souls, at least, still burn. Can't speak for yours 10 greatest hit 
Space Channel 5: Special Edition PS2 W Sensational style and a swingin’ soundtrack meet simple Simon Says gameplay 85 65 8; or miss? 
Spawn: Armageddon PS2, XB, GC W Among the better Spawn outings to date...which isn't saying much 50 
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy PS2,XB,GC __ M The masochistic mummy more than makes up for Sphinxs mediocrity 80 
Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild PS2 18 Responsive handling and cool tracks compensate for convoluted trick controls 7.0 
SSX 3 PS2,XB,GC Ш Still the undisputed king of the mountain 90 
Starsky & Hutch PS2, XB WW Tailing jalopies along rigidly scripted trails grows tiresome 7.0 
Star Trek: Shattered Universe PS2, XB Wi We'd sooner play with the captain's log 30 
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy XB Wi Takin’ Lightsabers 101 is cool, but we'd rather cut class and hang with Boba Fett 6.0 
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic XB Wi Follow either side of the Force in the best Xbox role-playing game to date 90 
Star Wars Rogue Squad. Ill: Rebel Strike GC № Yoda says, "Stay in the air, you will. Heading out on foot leads to the dark side." 7.0 
Super Mario Advance 4 GBA и Undoubtedly stands the test of time as one of history's greatest platiormers 95 
SWAT: Global Strike Team PS2, XB № Commanding your team via headset is cool, even with the atrocious enemy АЈ. 40 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PS2,XB,GC — Ша Looks great, but the action is as repetitive as the Turtles! catchphrases 55 


We like watching goons bite the bullet 
in glorious slow-mo as much as the 
next gamer, but, as these titles prove, 
you can get too much of a good thing. 
For instance, after tracking Bambi with 
every instrument modern science can 
muster, do you really need to snuff him 


Cabela's Deer 
Hunt 2004 
(PS2, XB) 











Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 PS2, XB, GC W An accurate sim that's more fun to play than other less serious golf games 9.0 
Time Crisis 3 PS2 № TC3 remains an uncontested crack shot among light-gun shooters 70 


х 
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 XB W Squad-based shooting at its best 9.0 M KINGDOM 
Ps2 so 


Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness W Lara's back, but her gameplay's never been jankier É 
Tony Hawk's Underground PS2,XB,GC W Story mode breathes new life into the venerable series 90 HE ARTS 
Top Spin Хв W You'll never wanna play Virtua Tennis (DC, PS2) again 90 90 9. m PlayStation 2 
True me Streets of ЕЕ a XB, GC mA mica кысыш Los Angeles. ied the in M 50 quickly E; E Released: September 2002 
йй ШШ 4: Evolution iQ нм leshed-out, сотр наце М n ti š ig is йй s tt и Original Scores: 8.5, 8.5, 85 
ing plague the pat 1 
сойоо Vince “dus jumping puzzles ап pointless collecting plague the patchwork hero Final Fantasy meets the Wonderful 
Wakeboarding Unleashed PS2 Wi Provides that twitchy instant gratification every action-sports title should have — 90 neh Е 
world of Disney in a game that will 
Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo PS2, XB, GC m Wallace does nothing really horrendous, nor anything really praiseworthy 45 
ya F challenge even the most veteran 
Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior PS2 W A svitch-fipping, key-finding, frag-em-all affair, oblivious to FPS innovation — 55 4 
< action-RPG players. In true Square 
Whiplash PS2, XB B Goofy concept and humor compensate for crummy graphics and average gameplay 7.0 fashi hata id ducti | 
WWE Raw 2: Ruthless Aggression ХВ Wi They couldn't even spell Goldberg's name correctly. We willingly tap out 30 CAR OS NAT TGS ies $ 
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain PS2 т Match types galore, improved story mode—pain never felt so good 75 ues are top-notch, yet the gameplay 
WWE Wrestlemania XIX вс и ХХ improved character-creation system atomic-drops you into the WWE 75 takes a slight hit because of some 
XGRA PS2,XB,GC ША consummate copycat, matching the competition in all essential categories 65 65 74 troublesome camera issues. Even s0, 
XIII PS2,XB,GC Ш One stylish first-person shooter. Sadly, superhuman A.I. keeps this one unlucky 6.5 65 6: it's still worth its new price of $20. 


ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com • 133 





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Look for these magazines at Borders, Barnes 
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GAME DIRECTORY 


Mario Kart: Double Dash! 





++ 136 
True Crime: Streets of L.A. ... .136 
Tony Hawk's Underground ....137 


Crimson Skies: 


High Road to Revenge ...... .137 





Star Wars Rogue 


Squadron Ill: Rebel Strike .....138 
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun .. .138 


GameShark vs. Action Replay . .139 


XIN ........... sasssssss... 140 
Rainbow Six 3 ........ vee 140 
Mario & Luigi: 


Superstar Saga ... mr 











"ЗА 
7, 





№ GameCube 


MARIO KART: 
DOUBLE DASH!! 


This is a bloody marvelous game, and 
it comes complete with this 
newfangled “local area network” play, 
too. Who knows, perhaps three years 
from now in Mario Kart: Triple Dash!!! 
Nintendo’ll introduce some crazy new 
technology that lets us play—what's 
the word?—“online.” While we wait for 
the big N to join us in the 21st century, 
let's amuse ourselves with Double 
Dash!!’s many unlockable bonuses. 


Unlockable Riders 

To unlock all the game's extra riders, fire 
up grand prix mode and take first place in 
the following events. 


Toad: 100cc Special Cup 
Toadette: 100cc Special Cup 
Petey Piranha: Mirror Star Cup 
King Boo: Mirror Star Cup 


Unlockable Karts 

Time to score a new set of wheels or two 
(or 13). Place first in the divisions listed. 
Green Fire: 50cc Mushroom Cup Ө 
Bloom Coach: 50cc Flower Cup 

Para Wing: 50cc Star Сир 

Bullet Blaster: 50cc Special Cup 
Battle Buggy: 100cc Mushroom Cup 
Waluigi Racer: 100cc Flower Cup 
Toad Kart: 100cc Special Cup 

Turbo Birdo: 150cc Flower Cup 

Barrel Train: 150cc Star Cup 

Toadette Kart: Mirror Mushroom Cup 
Piranha Pipes: Mirror Star Cup 

Boo Pipes: Mirror Special Сир 

Parade Kart: Mirror All Сир ~ 





NIRE 


136 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


Unlockable Courses 

Are you missing a couple of cups or battle 
courses? Then you've come to the right 
place! Win the specifíed cups to access 





A Staff Ghost of a Chance 
Want to unlock the 16 different staff 
ghosts in time trial mode? Then you'll 
have to beat the following times (in time 


these new tracks or events. 


Special Cup Tour: 100cc Star Cup 


Luigi's Mansion Battle Mode Stage: 


150cc Mushroom Cup 

All Cup Tour: 150cc Special Cup 
Mirror Cup Tour: 150cc All Cup 
Tilt-A-Kart Battle Mode Stage: 
Mirror Flower Cup 


Course 

Mushroom Cup: Luigi Circuit 
Mushroom Cup: Peach Beach 
Mushroom Cup: Baby Park 
Mushroom Cup: Dry Dry Desert 
Flower Cup: Mushroom Bridge 
Flower Cup: Mario Circuit 
Flower Cup: Daisy Cruiser 
Flower Cup: Waluigi Stadium 
Star Cup: Sherbet Land 

Star Cup: Mushroom City 

Star Cup: Yoshi Circuit 

Star Cup: DK Mountain 





Special Cup: Rainbow Road 


trial mode only) to race against these 
notoriously incredible karting superstars! 
(For some reason known only to sadistic 
Nintendo developers, you can't save 
unlocked staff ghosts to your memory 
card. When the power's off, the ghost is 
gone. If you want to see 'ет again later, 
you'll have to beat the relevant time trial 
record again.) 


Staff Ghost Time to Beat 
Luigi/Mario/Mario’s Kart 01:29:000 
Peach/Daisy/Bloom Coach 01 00 
Baby Mario/Baby Luigi/Mario’s Pram — 01:13:000 
Birdo/Yoshi/Turbo Yoshi 
Koopa/Paratroopa/Koopa’s Kart 
Mario/Luigi/Mario’s Kart 

Daisy/Peach/Peach Coach 

Waluigi/Wario/Wario’s Jalopy 

Baby Luigi/Baby Mario/Mario’s Pram 
Paratroopa/Koopa/Para Wing 

Yoshi/Birdo/Turbo Yoshi 

Donkey Kong/Diddy Kong/DK's Kart 
Wario/Waluigi/Wario's Jalopy 

Diddy Kong/Donkey Kong/DK's Kart 
Bowser/Bowser Jr./Bowser's Kart 
Mario/Peach/Mario's Kart 


omie 
Asian Dude 


TRI 


WITH PRI 


100 














RIMSON SKIES 


Sick of that airb 








ne jalopy 

you're curi fighting in? 
codes that can help! 

w simple button 

ou can unlock all the 








filthy rich 





X 3, or Mario & 
nporium for a ravenous feed; t 





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percent 


after a full cou 






Ii Dude, you wouldn't have 


sound effect 
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Obviously, if you 
want new planes 
(such as the later 
aircr lown in the 
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inish your current 
then go to your han 
your new ride. 














sion and 
ar to pick up 





Extra 10 Tokens: 

(, B, Black 

All Unlocked: 
Y, X, B, Y, Black 
Invincibility: 

Y, A, X, B, Black 
















irse of trickery for Mario Kart: Double D 


abulous guides are on sale now. 


Шей if you'd use 


Real World Education 


| school of 


rint down to your n 


r Animation 





ital Medi. 





`d that с 














High-Power Ordnance 

(1,000 points damage per shot): 
B, X, А, B, Black 
Big Money, Big Pr 
1 Love It! ($5,000): 

А, У, А, Y, Black 

Superhard Difficulty Level: 
X, B, A, X, Black 








| 

| 

| 

| 

| > 
| fullsail.com 
| 











trichs 
of the trad 





W GameCube 


STAR WARS ROGUE SQUADRON 11: 


REBEL STRIKE 


Those cheeky game developers are 
sitting back, chugging down the 
Cristal, releasing code information 
when they damn well please. What 
does this mean to you? You'll have to 
work to unlock these goodies instead 
of lounging around, waiting for a 
password cheat. 


Unlockable Ships 
(Cooperative Mode) 

Here’s how to unlock a bunch of snazzy 
new starfighters for use in cooperative 
mode only. 


Jedi Starfighter: Locate all gold medals 
in co-op mode. 

The Millennium Falcon and TIE 
Advance X-1: Find all bronze medals in 
co-op mode. 

Naboo Starfighter: Nab every silver 
medal in co-op mode. 

Slave-1: (That’s Boba Fett’s ship, you 
know.) Receive all platinum medals in 
co-op mode. No disintegrations. 

TIE Fighter: Purloin the TIE in both night 
and day missions of Imperial Academy 
Heist (in co-op), then finish the mission. 


Unlockable Ships 
(Single-Player Mode) 

Of course, there are plenty of secret ships 
for single-player mode, too. This is how 
you earn ‘em. 


Jedi Starfighter: Get silver medals in all 
single-player missions (including all 
bonus missions). 

The Millennium Falcon: Earn bronze 
medals in all single-player missions 
(including bonus missions). 

Naboo Starfighter: Finish Tatooine 


Training (all four times of day), grabbing 
all hidden items. 

Slave-1: Achieve bronze medals in all 
single-player missions, 

TIE Bomber: Blow up all the ground 
turrets in Raid at Bakura. 

TIE Hunter: Achieve gold medals in all 
single-player missions (including bonus 
missions). Good luck. 


Hidden Features 

More unlockables! We know a lot of 
hardcore Star Wars fans will feel 
compelled to uncover every last secret in 
the game. Knock yourselves out, guys: 


Ace Mode: Get a gold medal in every 
single-player mission (including the 
bonus ones). Also complete Tatooine 
Training during all four times of day. 
Audio Commentary: Earn bronze medals 
in all single-player campaign missions. 
Credits and Documentary: Finish 
Triumph of Rebellion mission. 

Empire Strikes Back Arcade Game: 
Complete the single-player campaign. 
Star Wars Arcade Game: Finish Triumph 
of Rebellion mission. 


Cheat Codes 

All right, they have released a few cheat 

codes. Punch them in! 

Passcode Effect 

WHATTHE? Асе mode 

WIMPIAM! Easy mode 

LOOKMOM! Unlocks credits 

THEDUDES Unlocks documentary 

FREEPLAY Unlocks Star Wars arcade 
game (Arcade must be 
unlocked first. See above.) 

HARKHARK Unlocks the music hall 


R. WARS. 


REBEL 


E 


RIKE 


атом ша 





E The documentary: It's like Star Wars, plus The Brady Bunch and а Kubrick flick. 


188 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


№ PS2, XB, GC 


MEDAL OF HONOR: RISING SUN 


W OMFG, what are you w: 


Never in the field of cheat-code 
conquests have so many codes been 
hidden so bizarrely. Rising Sun has 
you unlocking eight different cheat 
codes by literally digging them out of 
the ground using an entrenching tool. 
There’s one entrenching tool on each 
level, usually in plain sight leaning 
against a wall. Search thoroughly; 
you'll find it. Grab this tool, then dig at 
the specific spot for each of the levels 
to unlock a bonus cheat you can 
activate when you play through the 
game again. Locations for five of the 
levels are shown below. 


Midnight Raid on Guadalcanal 
When you enter the camp, take out the 
snipers in the tower, then look to the 
right for a large boulder marking a path. 
Follow the path through the jungle to а 
two-story storage building. Clear the 
sniper on the second floor, then exit the 
building, Look for two dirt piles blocking 
a trench. Use the entrenching tool here to 
dig up the Bullet Shield cheat (an 
invisible force field surrounds the player, 
protecting him from bullets). 


Pistol Pete 

In the river area? Good job, soldier. Put 
your back into digging up a dirt pile near 
the save point, and you'll acquire Funny 
Hats. This cheat puts hilarious headgear 
on all your foes, destroying their dignity 
and decimating their ability to fight. 


—— 


g for? Press ACTION already. 





In Search of Yamashita's Gold 
At the Ruins and Crash Site portion of 
this mission, pay special attention to the 
area behind the nose of the crashed 
plane. Start digging here to uncover 
Invisible Soldiers, a cheat whereby the 
enemy soldiers' helmets and weapons 
are visible...but they are not! 





A Bridge Over the River Kwai 
Once you've reached the blockade area, 
unpack that shovel and start digging in 
the dirt pile in the middle of the camp, 
slightly right of the boxes (above). Your 
prize is the dreaded perfectionist mode, 
where one hit kills you. What fun! 


Supercarrier Sabotage 

Who wants to live forever? You can: 
Check the lower-deck pilot-training room 
and rummage around in the fifth locker 
from the left. You'll bag Immortality, the 
grandaddy of all cheats, which makes 
you invincible. Those bayonets barely 
tickle you now! > 





GameShark has a present for fans of the Blue 
Bomber. Cheat your way through Mega Man X7 
before you have to return it to Blockbuster! 


Action Replay has a strong rebuttal: lots of 
crazy unlockable characters for Activision's 
True Crime and various cheats for Turtles fans. 


Mega Man X7 
(PS2) 


Enter This First 
Е450ВЕ2Е 76740416 


Max Hunted 
15008979 9С30977Е 
15008978 9С30977Е 


Max Damaged 
15008978 9C3097EE 
15008978 9C3097CE 


Infinite Health 
05001628 1E30C5FE 
05003628 1E30C7FC 


Infinite Lives 
0410942A 14F0C34C 


Infinite Special 
04009368 1CFO0D5DA 


Always Rank GA 
25118528 97A0814C 


Always Rank PA 
2590B538 93A0C14E 


Always Rank UH 
25118538 93A0814E 


All Reploids Rescued 
45559028 32206706 
3902D7E1 ЗВАВВТЕО 


Axl: Max Health 
04009368 1CFOC12A 


Axl: Max Special 
14009368 1CFOC18A 


Axl: All Specials 
and Weapons 
240FCBD6 C9CB9C43 
24009B76 9DF89C62 


Zero: Max Health 
04008168 1C70D5EA 


Axl: Max Weapons 

04009368 1CFOD1AA 
04009369 1CFODSEA 
04009368 1CF0D5DA 
04009369 1CF0D5DA 
04009368 1CFODSFA 
04009369 1CFOD5FA 
04009168 1CF0D54A 
04009169 1CF0D54A 


Zero: Max Special 
1400B268 1CF0D54A 


Zero: All Specials 
and Weapons 
240FE9D6 C94B8CC3 
2400B976 9D788CE2 


Zero: Max Weapons 
0400B268 1CF0C56A 
0400B269 1CF0C56A 
0400B268 1CF0C55A 
0400B269 1CF0C55A 
0400B268 1CF0C57A 
04008269 1CF0C57A 
0400B268 1СРОС5СА 
04008269 1CF0C54A 


Mega Man: 
Max Health 
04009068 1С70072А 


Mega Man: 
Max Special 
04009068 1С70078А 


Mega Man: All 
Specials and 
Weapons 

240FC8D6 C94B8E03 
24009876 9D788E22 


Mega Man: 

Max Weapons 
04009068 1С70С7АА 
04009069 1С70С7АА 
04009068 1С70С79А 
04009069 1С70С79А 
04009068 1С70С7ВА 
04009069 1С70С7ВА 
04009368 1С70С70А 
04009369 1C70C70A 


True Crime: 
Streets of L.A. 
(PS2) 


Enter This First 
UM6W-W1P3-E8BMV 
61RZ-KQQ3-A3N7T 


Play as Jackass Jay 
BGDW-USWY-U8Z4F 
WNQ8-8712-AJHH8 


Play as Heavyweight 
Champ 
H1QG-3R8D-CUKP7 
Z25F-C3D1-NJ6XD 


Play as Dropdead 
Fred 
XM10-RMXB-W5C8A 
E51C-6KB6-JFOWB 


Play as Dirty Cook 
B589-X001-P7DAO 
CNWJ-78TB-HFJ8G 


Play as SoopaFly 
3PTC-A38Q-BC1P5 
DR8U-7J47-RB17B 


Play as Naked Tattoo 
Lady 
4692-0DKE-HMJY2 
2A39-HGFJ-F488D 


Play as S&M Rosie 


ACXO-CN2B-GMZ8X 
QVCT-OFHG-R4VRU 


ZEN 


Teenage Mutant 
Ninja Turtles 
(PS2) 


Enter This First 
DJCZ-PKX5-HRJHR 
H7AY-W7NM-1PWOE 


Remove Enemies 
(Press 11+12 to 
activate) 
QUUX-VE8V-T71JK 
8NK8-JCAG-MX064 
43ZB-POYA-N7PA2 


End Stage 

(Press R1+R2 to 
activate) 
DDNA-Q854-PYAP4 
7998-C3C7-Z2JYZ 
A1E3-QY4F-XDB1X 


Improved Weapons 
and Infinite Shuriken 
30PB-MVD1-X43XD 
5A4G-N7XK-8FYVJ 


Improved Defense 
and Power-Ups 
KKJ4-V3H9-YPB1M 
TK3H-7U66-21YET 


Silly (that is, even 
sillier) Sounds 

RXY1-EYC2-4XWR7 
MNNO-3FH5-ANVYE 


№ Either we're having a flashback, or that's a sexy 
lady sitting at a table with an S&M donkey. Or both. 





[Ест ба ET МЕ 
Hessian 





Join Shoe and the 
rest of the 
Ziff Davis Media 
editors as they invade 
your screen with the 
latest game news 
and releases that 
will jumpstart 
your weekend! 


Now airing at 2 different 
time slots every Thursday! 
8:45 pm and 10:45 pm ET 
(5:45 pm and 7:45 pm PT) 


8 
xe HeadlineNews 


HOTWIRED's 
Big Video Game Hunting 
hosted by Erica Hill 
on CNN Headline News. 


= 





trichs 
of the trade 





Ш PS2, XB, GC 


XIII 


Wi Keep your distance and let the hazardous environment do your job for you. 


Need а little help defeating PLE 
tougher antagonists? We have some 
snazzy, surefire strategies that ought 
to do the trick. Check out these tips 
for taking down this stylish shooter’s 
last three bosses. 


The Chopper 

This boss is almost invulnerable. The only 
weapon that can damage it is the 
bazooka, so don’t waste your time and 
ammo shooting it with anything else. 

The Chopper has two weapons, a highly 
efficient heavy machine gun and a deadly 
rocket launcher. Best to stay out of its 
line of fire, hmm? Yes. 

To win this fight, you have to alternate 
between hiding and firing. The easiest 
way to proceed is to set up shop behind 
a crate or container, preferably with 
some ammo and/or medkits within easy 
reach. Stay in your hiding place until the 
Chopper fires one of its rockets. Just 
after the danger is past, jump out and 
shoot that whirlybird with your bazooka, 
then immediately get back behind cover 
and reload (the bazooka holds only one 
round). Take a quick detour to grab 
health or ammunition if you need it. 

Stick to this pattern, and the Chopper 
shouldn’t give you much trouble. 


Doctor Johansson 
The Doctor is very fast. He basically has. 
two types of attacks. At range, he throws 
knives and poison potions at you. If he 
gets close enough, he will try to stab you 
with a needle. If you get touched, his 
nefarious hallucinogenic drug will take 
effect, which will make your vision 
more...green. This drug also makes you 
drop your weapon. If that happens, just 
run and try to avoid being hurt until the 
drug effect stops. Then quickly retrieve 
your lost weapon and ammo. 

To defeat the Doc, shoot at him from 
long range, and when he tries to get 





closer, just run backward, continuing to 
feed him bullets. Make sure you aren’t 
blocked by something behind you as you 
run. To prevent this, try to stay on the 
same path, where you know what to 
expect (for example, the area around the 
table with the patient on it is relatively 
clear of obstructions). If you can keep 
Doctor J from getting too close while you 
attack him pretty much constantly, he 
won't hold out for long. Sweet victory. 


The Mongoose 

The final boss! Let's be clear: He's very 
tough. You'll need a combination of 
preparation and smart tactics to compete 
with him. 

Before confronting him, be sure to 
collect all the weapons you can at the 
beginning of the level. In particular, get 
as many medkits as possible. 

Mongoose has two miniguns, so he’s 
pretty destructive at close range. Try to 
stay far from him and use your long- 
range weapons, like the assault rifle or 
the submachine gun. Each time you tag 
the Goose, he'll duck behind a missile for 
cover. If necessary, use this time to 
reload your weapon and heal yourself. 

The simplest way to deal with this 
boss is to shoot at the missiles near him, 
unleashing a toxic vapor. When this vapor 
touches him, Mongoose is paralyzed for a 
while—hit him with your best shot! Make 
sure you don’t touch the toxic gasses 
yourself, or you'll be the one to suffer. 

To help you in this fight, Major Jones 
will kill some henchmen upstairs, who 
will fall from the upper floor. You can 
search these bodies for additional ammo 
and medkits. Try to score a hit on 
Mongoose, then use the time when he’s 
hiding to collect items. 

He's definitely challenging, but if you 
employ these strategies, eventually you'll 
succeed. Hang in there, you crazy 
amnesiac gunslinger, you. 


140 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


E Xbox 


RAINBOW SIX 3 


The sad fact is this: АП those terrorists 
aren't going to shoot themselves. 
You'll have to do it. These strategies 
will help you realize your full combat 
potential. From door assaults to 
setting up crossfires to seeing in the 
dark, we cover it all—oh yeah, we 
cover “covering,” too. 


Door Assaults 
Please, for Ding's sake, behave as if each 
door has one or more hostiles behind it. 
Cautiously get as close to the door as you 
can. If you hear footsteps receding, the 
enemy probably has his back to the door. 
Attack while you have this advantage. 
Let's assume you hear zilch (which will 
be most of the time). While standing next 
to the door, study your map. Does it look 
like there's a wall to your left and an 
open expanse to your right? Play the odds 
and charge in with your attention focused 
in that direction. If you see the bad men, 
you know what to do. 


Open, Flash, and Clear 

Fragging and breaching are great for 
inflicting damage on the terrorists on the 
other side of a door. If you want to 
conserve equipment, a simple “open and 
clear” command will do. But for hostage 
situations, nothing beats a well-executed 
“open, flash, and clear” 

Here's how to do it right. Approach the 
door and give the order. If you want to get 
into position elsewhere (enter through a 
second door if possible), hold down the 
right trigger as you give the order. Your 
squad will then wait for your Zulu, or go- 
ahead signal, before they attack. 

When your men open the door, glance 
away briefly so that you don't catch ап 
eyeful of bright disorientation. Then 
charge into the room with your squad and 
help eliminate the enemy. Should be a 
cakewalk, since they'll be blinded. 


Flanking 
When attacking a difficult enemy position, 
look for more than one avenue of attack. 
Send your men to one strategic spot (for 
example, through an undefended door) 
while you head for another (a second 
door, side passage, catwalk, etc.). 

Attack simultaneously and drive the 
terrorists to panic. They may not know 
which direction to turn, so as they swing 





to attack your men, you cut them down 
from the side (and vice versa, as your 
men protect you). By flanking them, you 
set up a deadly crossfire that catches 
them with the most possible hits. It's 
tactically delicious! 


Supervision 

On nighttime missions especially, you 
need the use of your special visions. 
Don't hesitate to flick on your night vision 
if you're headed into a dark room, 'cause 
you can't shoot what you can't see. 

But thermal vision can't be beat. You 
can even see heat signatures through 
barricades and doors. Try this: Throw а 
smoke grenade into a populated room, 
turn on your thermal vision, and 
depopulate the room before any of those 
fools know what's going on. Now you're 
playing with style! 


Cover Me 

Use the “cover” command intelligently. 

For instance, set up your team in a side 
corridor, tell them to cover, then go find 
some terrorists and lure 'em around the 
corner to their bloody, bloody doom. 

Try to install your squad in a superior 
firing position. Balconies, catwalks, and 
even climbable crates are great places to 
leave your support troops. Give the 
"cover" command, and your men will 
shoot hostiles on sight. With the high- 
ground advantage, your team will be a lot 
more effective, and they'll live longer. 





№ Game Boy Advance 


MARIO & LUIGI: SUPERSTAR SAGA 


Listen, there are invisible blocks, 
crazy hidden items, and a whole 
load of other crap you'll never 
find on your first playthrough of 
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. 
But at the top of the list of cool 
features are the advance 
commands, where furious 
button-tapping unlocks flashier, 
more powerful attacks. Check it! 


Advance Commands 101 
Advance commands are extra 
button presses (which are shown 
onscreen once the command is 
unlocked) that you may use instead 
of the action commands normally 
employed when executing a 
powerful Bros. attack. Advance 
commands are great because they 
tack on extra damage and 
sometimes cause special status 
ailments, depending on the attack. 

If Mario or Luigi performs a Bros. 
attack correctly multiple times, he 
eventually learns how to execute 
the advance commands for that 
attack. To learn the advance 
commands for any Bros. attack, the 
normal move must be performed 
correctly approximately 30 to 40 
times, but not in a row—it's OK to 
make mistakes every once in a 
while. You know you've performed 
the Bros. attack with perfection 
when the word "Great!" appears 
just as Mario ог Luigi strikes the 
unlucky opponent. 

When you see a “!” icon and the 
word “Advance!” appear over 
Mario's or Luigi's head after the 
character has finished executing a 
normal Bros. attack, he has learned 
the advance commands for that 
move. The letters “ADV” then 
appear to the left of that Bros. 
attack when it's highlighted in the 
Bros. attack menu. 

Select the attack just learned 
from the Bros. attack menu and set 
it to level 1 or level 2, then target 
and attack an enemy. Notice the 
different button icons that appear 
during the Bros. attack, 
emphasized by an “!” icon that 
appears along with the button 
icon. The extra icons show 
which buttons to press in order 
to perform the new and 
improved move. 

Practice with the new 
advance commands for 
Bros. attacks when they're 
set to level 1 or level 2. 

When you think you've got the 

hang of it, bump it up to level 3, 
which is more difficult because 
it doesn't show the button cues. 


But level 3 advance attacks deal 
more damage and help conserve 
Bros. points. 

You may still execute normal 
Bros. attacks after learning the 
secret advance commands, but 
you'll have to remember the button 
sequence yourself. Once you've 
learned an advance command, the 
button cues show how to execute 
the more powerful form of the 
attack, not the passé original one. 


Mario’s Advance 
Commands 

The list below details the special 
effects of using Mario’s advance 
commands in battle. Consider your 
enemy and choose wisely. 


Splash Bros.: This attack deals 
impressive damage to enemies 
covered in spikes. 

Swing Bros.: Mario now steals 
useful items from monsters when 
he strikes with this attack. 
Chopper Bros.: When the attack is 
repeated many times, it inflicts 











massive damage on the hapless 
targeted enemy. 

Fire Bros.: This attack, if repeated 
a number of times, inflicts the 
“severe burn” status ailment. 


Luigi’s Advance 
Commands 

Here’s what Luigi brings to the 
table with his advance commands. 










Bounce Bros.: The brothers split 
up during the attack, allowing Luigi 
to damage an additional enemy. 
Cyclone Bros.: Monsters 
struck by this attack are 
likely to suffer the “stun” 
status ailment. 
Knockback Bros.: Luigi сап 
whack Mario as he rebounds off 
the enemy to repeat 
the attack. 
Thunder Bros.: 
Instead of attacking 
all monsters from 
above, Luigi burrows 
underground and strikes 
from below, meting out 
severe damage and often 
causing the “power down" status 
ailment, too. Take that! ёф 


THE ESRB VIDEO 
& COMPUTER 
GAME RATINGS 


Find out whether a computer 
or video game is right for 
your home. 


Learn more about the Entertainment 
Software Review Board rating 
system and how games get rated on 
www.esrb.org. 


EARLY CHILDHOOD 
Titles rated “Early Childhood 
(EC)" have content that may 
be suitable for children ages 
three and older and do not 
contain any material that 
parents would find 
inappropriate. 


EVERYONE 

Titles rated "Everyone (E)" 
have content that may be 
suitable for persons ages six 
and older. These titles will 
appeal to people of many 
ages and tastes. They may 
contain minimal violence, 
some comic mischief (for 
example, slapstick comedy), 
or some crude language. 


TEEN 

Titles rated "Teen (T)” have 
content that may be suitable 
for persons ages 13 and 
older. Titles in this category 
may contain violent content, 
mild or strong language, 
and/or suggestive themes. 


MATURE 

Titles rated "Mature (M)" 
have content that may 

be suitable for persons 
ages 17 and older. These 
products may include more 
intense violence or language 
than products in the Teen 
category. In addition, these 
titles may also include 
mature sexual themes. 


ADULTS ONLY 

Titles rated "Adults Only 
(AO)" have content suitable 
only for adults. These 
products may include graphic 
depictions of sex and/or 
violence. Adults Only 
products are not intended to 
be sold or rented to persons 
under the age of 18. 


RATING PENDING 
Product has been submitted 
to the ESRB and is awaiting 
final rating. 


EARLY CHILDHOOD 
g 


ADULTS ONLY 
g 


RATING PENDING 
g 


Я? 


CONTENT RATED BY 
ESRB 


This message m ; 
DS у ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA 
Editors of. GAME GROUP 








THE REST OF THE ( 


Seanbaby plays awful games so you don't have to 


sound off 


y initiated 
: Drive Me to 


k, I sat on a hot stove for 30 









inutes without noticing—to 









humana 
ube and re 
cond thought. 


— Sasphaby 








ew it 


| itinmy 
| without 








) — What truly 
separates Ultimate Beach Soccer from 
other soccer games, besides its inherent 
ultimateness, is that every now and then 
energy bolts from the sky blast your 
players. | didn’t read the manual, but it 
doesn’t take a degree in soccer theology 
to know that this magic comes from 
Soccor, Lord of Beach Soccer. His dark- 
ball power grants no noticeable bonus to 
your team’s running or kicking abilities, 
but check this: Now your players are on 
fire. Obviously, this is pretty awesome. 
So, | think this could be an OK soccer 
game...if not for the insanely long 
celebration videos after each goal. These 
segments are so utterly stupid and 
annoyingly unskippable that | found that 
the only chance Ultimate Beach Soccer 
had at being fun was if | never, ever 
scored a goal. So, really, | guess this game 











only functions as a flaming half-naked- 
man simulator. 

The players’ flammability 
can’t make up for the boring gameplay, 
not to mention the criminal 
commentary and celebration videos. 


Bottom Line 





— Hoping to follow in 
the footsteps of the all-powerful Olsen 
twins, Lizzie plays it safe in her maiden 
gaming effort: Here, you must collect 
fashion accessories in a massive mall 
infested by evil cheerleaders. This legally 
fulfills the mall, shopping, and cheerleader 
requirements mandated by the Girl Game 
Regulatory Commission, but in a strange 
twist, Lizzie McGuire can throw fireballs. 
And not cute fashion fireballs. These 
things instantly immolate cheerleaders, 
and if you have a few minutes, you can 
watch as they’re slowly and brutally 
electrocuted. That Lizzie...what a gal! 

The really great thing about On the Go!, 
though, is that you can unlock fun 
minigames like “Ask Lizzie!” In it, you can 
ask your Game Boy any yes-or-no 
question, and through means 
unexplainable without Jesus or magic, 
Lizzie answers your deepest quandaries. 
This may be the first clairvoyant GBA 
game, if you don’t count the chilling 
robopocalyptic predictions made by 
Battiobots: Beyond the Battledome. 

n When I asked Lizzie if I 
was going to die of a fatal bowel 
disease, she said, and | quote, “Of 
course! Know why? ’Cause you rule!” 
Lizzie makes even the most tragic 
news bearable! 








er — pen and Spells 
is one of those creatively bankrupt games 
where you hop your “lovable” mascot 
along a never-ending trail of magical 
gems. | don't know how many titles like 
this society needs, but I've got advice for 





142 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 














IB Seriously, is this the kind of smut modern kids are watching? Sure, back in our day we had 
some questionable stuff (like He-Man and G.I. Joe) but nothing quite like Super Duper Sumos. 


game developers: The next time someone 
says, "Let's make another game like Pac- 
Man World, only this time, 1 want the arcs 
of dots to be a slightly different shape," 
maybe you should stop letting the 
company janitor throw out suggestions 
during your brainstorming meetings. 

Unsatisfied with simply being derivative 
and lame, Spirits and Spells ups the ante 
by also being unfairly difficult. Your cute 
little witch dies as easily as you'd expect 
an 8-year-old would when fighting undead 
forces with just her hat. In fact, it seemed 
like most of the monsters that killed me 
weren't even close enough to touch me. 
And since 1 often found myself nodding off 
while 1 was playing, it was much easier to 
ША turn the damn thing off. 

t As crystal-grabbing games 
de! o, Spells is better than Barbie 
Explorer. However, to Barbie's credit, 
her game was at least thoughtful 
enough to mount its in-game camera 
right on her tight, sexy hot pants. 








* Midway — Outside of hot-dog- 
eating contests, fat people are generally 
not given the opportunity to be heroes. The 
makers of Sumos knew that to change 
this, they'd either have to convince the U.N. 


to solve disputes with hot-dog-eating 


contests, or create a fantasy where sumo 
supersoldiers save a chemical plant from 
robot dinosaurs. 

That dream is realized as a pretty 
standard brawler featuring, if I'm counting 
correctly, about one attack move. But even 
with that many weapons in your arsenal, 
you'll be surprised at how quickly you get 
tired of it. Luckily, there are monotony- 
breaking bonus levels that involve eating 
pork products directly from a conveyer 
belt. These bits are tense, tough, and 
educational—real-life forklift fatties will 
learn to avoid inedible objects in potential 
conveyor belt binge situations. 

Bo ine: If you like fighting games, 
but thought they should be less fun 
and feature the morbidly obese, give 
Super Duper Sumos a try. іё 





classic crap 
































А 

RIED TREASURES /.... 

ma a us 
' и 


ACROSS 


11. 
15. 


17. 


22. 


24. 
25. 


27. 






+ Will forever have his name 


attached to an Ultimate-15 NFL 
title (see feature, page 90) 


. GTA: Vice City's Vercetti 
. Like dark blue ghosts in Pac-Man 


Tekken contest 
Like Project Gotham 2's _-7 or -8 


. Tokyo Xtreme Racer muffler maker 


Microsoft PC strategy title 
released on PS2 in Europe and 
Japan but not America (abbrv.) 


Ultimate-15 title that lets you play 
God and mess with people's lives 
A dead man? 

. Half-Life creators 
Myst Ill subtitle 
Like PS1 Parasite or a “summer's” 


femininé hygiene product 


A 2D game character is usually 
made of one of these 


. Sega's upcoming PS2 Boy 


32. Another acronym for 18 down 


34. Ultimate-15 military-ops game 
with gravelly voiced 


Š protagonist 
А protag 


38. Dwelling for Street 
Fighter’s T. Hawk? 


39. Xbox flagship fighter 
40. Drakan heroine 


41. Def Jam Vendetta 
unlockable character 





VAS 








1. 
2: 


10. 
12. 
13. 
14. 


15. 
18. 
19. 
21. 
26. 
28. 
29. 
30. 


31. 
33. 
34. 


35. 


Like Godzilla's (NES) Mothra? 


Like Ex and Ex: Invisible War 
(PS2) 


. Ultimate-15 title that you need 


rhythm to play 


. Like PS1's -hander 
. Ultimate-15 urban baller 


Mario Golf starting point 


. Like Mosquito or Do 
. Test Drive suffix, for short 


Ricky Carmichael’s bike game 
PS2 RPG subtitled Shadow King 
Like Daxter’s voice? 


Enemies occupy them in Metal 
Gear Solid 2 


Reboot 

Cinematics (abbrv.) 

Tony Hawk’s latest “ground” 
Like Resident ог Dead 
FFIX’s budding mage 

Like Animal Crossing's Rover? 
Ghostbusters’ car. -1 


Vital to sustain a diving Mario in 
Mario Sunshine 


Like Rebel Strike fighters 
Solid Snake's Metal _ 


How you address a knight of the 
old republic? 


Like forgettable PS1 fighter Shao _ 


. NCAA Football's Fighting Irish 


. Built the Final Fantasy X airship 








NEON GENESIS 
EVANGELION 


THE DIRECTORS CUT 


For the first time ever, experience director Hideaki Anno's true vision 
of anime's future in Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Directors? Cut. 
Features the final six episodes of this groundbreaking science-fiction 
series with scenes previously unavailable outside of Japan. 





Resurrection (Episodes 21-23): Available 1.13.2004. 
Genesis Reborn (Episodes 24-26): Available in March. 





www.advfilms.com 





(ye) SUNCOAST fips *""Boody 


ADV503 NEON GENESIS EVAGELION < БАМАХ / Project Eva, * TV Tokyo 





game over 













































| -PISCES | ] 5 E р TAURUS 
(Јан: 21-ЕӨВ. 19) ; (Feb: 20-Mar. 20) - .- а: | (Mar. 21-Арг. 20): - > l. T (Apr. 21-May-21), : zs 
Punt that ball * Mum J| -Püt yourself ойе! : -Final Fantasy summo ` | It's tough being the ВА. PE 
through the goal `: ` : | Pisces. Playing Xbox- Ifrit is your patron Baracus of the star : - = съ 





` -| saint, Aries, but 
EI for all his fiery 


posts of life and score 
a home run—that’s 


signs, but someone's ~- g} “ae 


-| -wedgie simulator - = ТТ 
-- | got to bust the skulls,- = `- = 


- | DOA: Xtreme Beach - 



























+ my айїсе to you: Bu | -Volleyball with the lights . | fury, he’s really пој | КО ` wear the heavy jewelry, ` | 
if Sports aren't your ` off just isn't enough — "| ` | much ofa conversation- ~ ah on and drive the van. I'm not % 
` strong suit, just try anymore. As for the ` E. alist. Ripped abs and a vaguely |‘ | gonna tell you how to live your life (l dud 
concentrating on something you're technical.ifis and outs of "putting bad-boy vibe are great, but monosylla- reserve the right in the future, though), ЖИН 
really good at. Like Dig Dug, say. yourself.oi "there," | can offer only this bic grunting is usually a deal breaker but do me a favor, Taurus—do not ES 
Become the best damn Dig Dug player bit of guidance: Avoid propositioning with the ladies. So try this certified- proceed through the door and unload; 
u гулп the history of Dig Dug and, well, co-workers but tenaciously pursue A1-gold opening gambit: “You know the clip until you hear ту “zulu.” |" má E 
To у everything else will work itself out, winks and longer-than-normal eye that Vann [see page 30] out of Final sick of your bullheaded ass getting me 
ү ` |. right? Those Dig Dug skills must have | contact—unless requested to stop by . Fantasy XII? | mean, is that a chick or - killed on Xbox Live. Play Rainbow Six 3 
199) 'eal-world applications of some sort. „7 ES an accredited human resources rep. à | a dude? Seriously! Because Pd hit it” еј“ à ' the way Tom - damn it. J 





































GEMINI, `` 










VIRGO Я 
(May 22-. Juiné-24 (Aug: 22-Sept.:23) we 
All horoscope. Tbaders ` =A§ all dedicated + don't care E = 





` those home movies : oe 
. your ex put on the. BAN 
- E you'll always- ~ мыс! 

“bea virgin to me, Virgo. ` Ё ы 


problem? Besides а mili 
case of elephantitis; 

„|, you're really just too -~ 7- 
much of,a competitor." ,' 


want to know two, : :| gamers know, even ~ 
things: Am | getting "| “saving the world from ^ 
some action soon, and © |2: =) alien invaders and - - ^ 
will | win the lottery? 5 4 | | ‘single-handedly ` 





















This month, Gemini, ; the 'answef'i is по с winning World War || сап Thanking the deity of yoür я Fresh, clean, а fan of the. > 
and no. Unless you consider а hot EE get a little old now and - ^ x choice and then doing the — thythm-action genre. — '--7 + 
“heavy game of four-player Mario Kart then. How about you try your hand at electric slide might be a culturally Unless you've played Manhunt—then 





"and being picked for the Steel Texas Hold 'Em poker? You get to wear accepted reaction if you score а you're spoiled forever. А thousand hours 








sunglasses indoors, which is pretty touchdown in the NFL, but it's not of Mario Party couldn't wash away ан 
etting action and winning the exciting just by itself. And if that really appropriate for celebrating your taint. In other news, a family member .4. 
respectively. Then the answer doesn't work, have, you considered victory over an 8-year-old at the Soul needs your support—he ог she refuses | 
id no. I'm glad that we had effecting a limp? Monocles and lisps ‚ Calibur kiosk in Electronics Boutique. „Хо accept that Atari.has changed the 
. { are also quite distinctive. | Tone it down, асе. ' ' name of Driver 3 to' DRIV3R. 
] + 











CAPRICORN: - 
(Dec: 23-Jan, 20) 
Е Never mind the 
‘altruistic tendencies 
. ef Capricorn poster. 
_ child Munch (of 

` Munch's Oddysee fame). === * 












` | SAGITTARIUS. 

Nov. 23-Det. 22) ` 
4 You know, fishirig: 
games are really 
underrated, Sag, 
E ‚ Especially tho: 
` specializing it in bass. 



















Ё “personality, eret with MW ыы 
about this whole v X “| | animals, pendulous. - - =: 
"violence in к rack—textbook Scorpio. 






















videogames” Š Or at least | assume she. Perhaps you might ` cr z: "| | 105 time to cash in and . " s 
thing? I mean, have you hed “tose ` is; all | know for sure is pursue this relaxing and’ evening - turn your hobby into a profession. Start | 
+ | fat cats in Washington are just dying to that she’s too stuck up to answer my -+f sport from the comfort of your couch small, peddling used d games and 
outlaw the gamés. Something about correspondence. Anyway, how about without all that pesky nature getting in related paraphernalia; lia to у passersby 
murder simulators, sprained thumbs, you follow her lead and, say, take a trip the way, And these first-person froma multipockéted t trench coat. A 
„Ж whatever—I'm not very detail- somewhere? Jump. shooters you've been into lately—it's | 


5 oriented, But it sure sounds like the 
makings of a deliciously indignant 
"letter to the editor! Get to work! 


4—4 you're British, steal fi not healthy, Hot tip: Don't play | 
‘Significant artifacts?-Drivı 1 

















NEXT MONTH: MARCH 2004 • ISSUE "176 


ON SALE FEBRUARY 3 





Overcoming obstacles, outsmarting ¢ 
Sam Fisher is back. Don't miss our 


Tomorrow (PS2, Xbox, and GameCube), s 

proudly present the 2003 Gamers" Choice | a 
readers alike recognize last year's hottest games. Plus, we 
humorist Seanbaby to infiltrate a cosplay parade in disgujse. (We assumed he'd ridicule _ 
dorks, but we didn’t expect him to pick up chicks.) p. ЖЕ 


feature on Splinter Cell: Pandora 
) the best-selling spy дате, We also _ 


ls, where К and nonapathetic 


inicolor-haired 












































































VIEWS 
de (P 





A.D. Vision LucasArts Entertainment Sony 0nline Entertainment TO BU RI ED 
имена... — 15 wumsonyontine com .... TREASURES 

Activision Midway Games, Inc. Square - EA 

www.activision.com . . . . www.midway.com ....................... 21 www.square-enix-usa.com ............. d 66-67 

Atlus Software. Lu Square Enix U.S.A. 

www.atlus.com WWWAMIV.COM оозе ооо онота й 23 — www.square-enix-usacom .............. 56-57 

Capcom USA пс. Namco Hometek Take 2 Interactive Software. 

www.capcom.com www.namco.com .. www.take2games.com 

Columbia House Company Natsume THQ, Inc. 

www.columbiahouse.com + -62a-62b — www.natsume.com ... ОИЕ 2-3 

ЕВ Games 37, 47, 74a-74b, Nike Corporation Ubi Soft Entertainment 

www.ebgames.com .75,93,113,1258 wwwnikelab.com www.ubisoft.com 

Electronic Arts Nintendo of America Universal Pictures 

wwweacom............. 4 8-9, 28-29, 862-864 — www.nintendo.com . . wwwavanhelsing.net ..................... 4-5 

Full Sail Real World Nyko Technologies, Inc. Vivendi Universal Games 

www.fullsail.com .437 — wwwnykocom ... www,vugames.com ... 

Gamefly Office for National Drug Control Policy Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company 

www.gamefly.com www.whatsyourantidrug.com ............. 100 — wwwjuicyfruit.com ... 

Koei Corporation Sega Of America Zalman USA 

www.koei.com .. ‘www.sega.com 16-17,43  www.zalmanusa.com .... 

Konami America Sony Computer Ent. 6-7, 33, 35, 51, 52, 53, 

wwwkonamicom ................... 95,123 www.scea.com . . . . .70-71, 84-85, 88-89, 116-117 











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responsibilty for such changes. The Canadian GST Registration number is 140496720 RT. You ke videogames? Did your mom give you quarters to play videogames? Well cough "em up! 


ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com • 145 


© game ouer 


HEU мо CHAN 


GAME DESIGNERS IN 


WED Like To N 
THANK Аш. OUR 
FRIENDS AND 


АМ AWARDS SHOW, HUH? 
AIT THAT А 
Cownci DENCE! 

1 WAS JOST HIRED xo 

Do А зоб FoR ONE oF 

THE NOMINEES | 





You EVER VO, 
REALLY? 


THs 15 


TAS "Seg" 
DOESN'T INVOLVE 
ANQTHING VIOLENT 
OR MURDEROUS, 

усе5 IT? 


АН, HELLO, VIDEO GAMERS... 
UM HSU TANAKA, THAT'S MY 
BROTHER CHAN, AND WE ARE... 
PATHETIC LOSERS, 15 


ARE. 
WHAT WE ARE. 


И ES WT TAKE To 
S DRON ON ZIMA AGAR, 
CHAN? ITS TEPID WEENIE - 
NESS MAKES IT THE ONLY 
DRINK PATHETIC ENOUGH FoR, 


GET 


ONE Suc AS |! 


YD HANG MYSELF, 
BUT "9 PROBABLY 
SCREW THAT ОР, 

+оо. 


Au, HERE IT 15-- 


3057 GOING IR AS A 
FIXER. TAME STOFFE 
BUT боор PAY. MAY 
HAFFA RENT A тох, 


Eu, D HAVE o 

спин к\ч DAR PLANNER, 
BOT, HEY, мот THAT You 
KNOW OF, CAPICE? WINK, 


WEL, irs 
LAKE THIS, 


Ermer HE'S OVERDOSEDON PCF 
OR THERE REALLY ARE 1,009 
TING WHITE SPIDERS WITH Cats! 
FACES COMING OUT OF THE 
LIGHT SOCKETS IN HIS HOTEL 
@сом, AND EITHER WAY, WERE 
NOT GETTING HIM OUTTA HIS 
TUB FoR AWHILE 


HEY, CHICKS, 
DIG AWARDS, 


DON'T TRY 
ANYTHING 
FUNNY. 





WINKI 


GREAT- SUST WHAT WE NEED! 
WHERE ARE WE GOING To FIND 
ANOTHER C-GRADE NON 
CELEBRITY To HOST? IT'S Not 
LIKE MR.T AND ADAM WEST | 
CAN BE EVERQUMERE AT ONCE 


KRK CAMERON: 
OF TV'S "GROWING 
PAINS! 


HSU AND CHAN'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE — WWW.APE-LAW.COM/EVILMONKEY 
GREETINGS, VIDEO GAMERS! LOOK FOR FULL-LENGTH HSU & CHAN COMICS 
AT YOUR LOCAL COMIC SHOP! (OR ORDER ONLINE AT WWW.SLAVELABOR.COM.) 


SEVEN CASES AND 
STILL NOTHING! 
бо, CHAN , Ретен 
ME ANOTHER 

BOTTLE OF DISTILLED] 
FAIRY РОМЕ! 


\ MUST 
NUMB MYSELF 
To THE PAIN OF A 
WASTED LIFE! 


ER... MY APOLOGIES ; 
ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE 
"BEST GAMES OF ALL 
TIME" AWARDS SHOWS: 
15 AIRING AND, ONCE 
AGAIN, ТАМАКА BROS 
GAME DEVELOPMENT 
HAS BEEN SKUN KED ON 
THE NOMINATIONS. 


MSU's TAKING IT 
RATHER HARD. 
ER. AFTER | 
тит THE 


оң DON'T LOOK 54 INNOCENT, 
HEIDI OF THE SWISS ALPS! 
THIS 15 AMERICA! You EVER 
WONDER HOW HALLE BERRY 
WON AN ACADEMY AWARD TP 
EVERYBODY CHEATS! 


"M 


WSSIBLE. 


чєє Hee! 
WHEW! 


WANT = 56, 
WHAT YOU'RE 
SAYING 15, млаве | ai 
WE ACTUALLY WERE, 
ON THE NOMINEES 
\ LIST ORIGINALLY, 
„ AND SOME CHEATING. 
SCOUNDREL HAD US 


X МЕ KID THE Асдре 
OF COURSE. Ms, BERR Кыр 


ALSO, "M А LEPRECHAUN, 


HSU, DON'T о THINK 
ITS А LITTLE ODD THAT 
THE OLD EMCEE WOULD 9E 
PUT OUT OF Commission 
UST BEFORE THE Snow? 


TAR APOLOGIES, MR, 
CAMERON! \T'S BEEN 

SO LONG SINCE l'UE WATCHED 
Tue SHOW, VD FORGOTTEN 
Чоо WERE ASIAN! 


AN EASY 
MISTAKE / 
WHICH WAY 
To THE STAGE? 
VM. GONNA 
EMCEE THE 
CRAP OUTTA 
THIS SHOW! 


IT COULD HAVE BEEN A 
Рот FROM SOME RIVAL 
DEVELOPER To INSERT 
THEIR OWN GUY INTO 
THe CEREMONY! 








DEATH TO KIRK 
CAMERON / 


үү 


ALL RIGHT! 
ENOUGH ! 
ENOUGH! 


You PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF 
YOURSELVES! SURE, | CAME HERE To FUDGE 
THE RESULTS A BIT, BUT SEEING THE GREED 
AND VIOLENCE THIS AWARDS SHOW HAS 
NSPIRED IN Чоо HORRIFIES ME! ESPECIALLY 
You WITH THE BAZOOKA THERE. YES, \ SEE ЧЫ), 
TUT THAT DOWN, 
ME, UM GIVING UP AND 
GOING HOME. 
You, YOU SHOULD SUST 
STOP AND THINK ABOUT 
WHAT LY MAKES 
^ GOOD GAME DESIGNER! 

IT'S Not THE Ceremony!) 
175 NOT WHETHER You WIN 

OR LOSE! AND IT's SURE 

NOT HAVING To DISPOSE OF 

THE борч GE Some Has- BEEN 

CHILD STAR AFTER THE SHOW! 

COME ON, CHAN! 





146 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.egmmag.com 


You HEARDGILA MOBSTER, 


{7 AWARDS т, 


SHOW у 
HES BEEN, 

VERY GRADUALLY, 

DROWNING MS 


THE ALCOHOL 


WHIZTING: 
AWAY MY 
ONLY CHANCE 
АХ A $22. 


BACKSTAGE 
Ат THE AWARDS 


RIGHT, THEN, IT's 
"gest RACING GAME, V 
THEN A MUSICAL 
TRIBUTE To GUN- 
TOTING MUTANTS, 
THEN THE Voictovt 
CATEGORY. 


SR! 


WE HANE 
A PROBLEM 
WITH OUR 
CELEBRITY 

emcee! 


ITALIAN 
AFTERWARD? 
IMN A 
LASAGNA 


GARY COLEMAN 15 THE LEAST OF OUR 
WORRIES, BROTHER! THERE ARE HIRED 
THUGS EVERYWHERE | IN ALL THE 
UNWERSE, THERE 15 No МОКЕ 
WRETCHED A Hive OF Scum AND 
VILLANY THAN GATHERINGS 
OF VIDEOGAME 
ENTHUSIASTS | 

AND Hey 

Don't, SMELL 


Goo, 
een, 


MAN, THoSE 
GUYs IN THE. 
BALCONY SURE 
DOLIKE THEIR 
LITTLE LASER 

PoINTERS, 

DON'T THER? 


IT'S ACTUALY THESE 
LITTLE GOLD STATUES 
TWAT МЕ STOLE 
BEFORE THE SHOW! 


ATEN oU NEXT 
TIME, мро 
GAMERS! 





+ 
5 
Ñ 
т 
ы 
< 
= 
ш 
< 
= 
Š 





` PlayStation.Ə 





or call 1-800-771-3772 
for more ratings 
information. REFLECTIONS WWW. D R МЗВ .coM 


Visit www.esrb.org 

or call 1-800-771-3772] 
for more ratings 
information. 





CAPCOM CO., LTD. 2003 @CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 2003. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM, the CAPCOM logo and RESIDENT EVIL are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. "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 are the property of their respective holders. 


MECE ОЭ (97 


<EIROMAG- 


Ourgoal 5 to presene с/аѕѕіс MICE дате тадагіпеѕ SO Wiel 
they аге по lost permanently: 


People'interested'in helping ош папу capacity; 
please visit'üus at те тотад5-.сот. 


No profitis таае гот езе ѕсапѕ, погао ме опегапу па 
амайа етот е publishers themselves: 


І уошсоте асгоз5 апуопе зеШтаге!еазе от 
115 51е, ріеаѕеа ON 50ррог ет апа (e [o) [е 05 Кпом/. 


Thank you!